The Hogwarts Emerald

Chapter 32 Candy Makes People Happy

Christmas Eve, also known as Christmas Eve, is a day when Mrs. Mary would tell the children the story of Jesus' birth every year in the orphanage. But this year Ada won't be able to hear it.

She sat alone on the windowsill of the dormitory, holding a cup of hot water in her hand, sipping it in small sips. The moonlight poured down, illuminating the silver ground.

After the holidays began, because most people went home for the holidays, the huge Hogwarts seemed empty, and only one or two people could be seen occasionally in the corridor.

Ada, who seemed lonely these days, was actually very happy. She could sit in the most comfortable armchair next to the fireplace at any time, and no one would come in and out of the lounge to disturb her.

The dormitory was completely under her control. She could use spells as she pleased in the dormitory without having to run to the bathroom to compete for territory with the senior schoolmate who had died many years ago.

Ada would also secretly "visit" the castle at night. Because it was a holiday, Filch's patrols of the castle were a little less intense. At the same time, Benedict Foley, who had always been a concern for Ada, did not stay in school.

According to a nymphomaniac senior schoolmate, the suave Professor Foley will be reuniting with his family at Christmas instead of staying in the cold Hogwarts.

So Ada took advantage of this time to complete the night tour task that had been delayed for a long time, and also got the reward of [Disillusionment Spell]. With this spell, Ada was no longer afraid of the "old good-for-nothing" Filch.

By the way, Ada also asked the twins' father, Mr. Weasley, to help Ada send a letter to the orphanage. Ada wanted to report her safety to Lady Mary.

As the night gradually deepened, Ada raised the cup and drank the water in it in one gulp. She put the cup on the windowsill and walked towards her bed.

The next day, Christmas.

When the sunlight filled the entire dormitory, Ada had just gotten up. She had a rare late night's sleep. Ada, who had a full sleep, stretched her body when she got out of bed.

There was a small pile of packages at the foot of the bed. Ada was the only one living in this dormitory, so these were the Christmas gifts she had received.
The package on top felt thin, like a booklet. As expected, after opening it, a notebook appeared in front of Ada. When she opened it, she could see the message on the cover, which was nothing more than obeying the school rules and studying hard.

This notebook came from Professor McGonagall, and it recorded some of her personal experiences with Transfiguration. Like the previous private lessons, it was very useful to Ada at this stage.

Ada's two roommates, Angelina and Alia, both picked books as gifts for Ada. Ada also gave gifts in return. She sorted out some classic Quidditch games or tactics and gave them to her two roommates. It was very thoughtful and saved money.

Next up were the gifts from Fred and George. The twins gave Ada a big box of chocolates, the kind they ate on the Hogwarts Express. Ada gave them a big gift bag of goods from Zonko's Toy and Joke Shop in return. To be honest, Ada really thought it was a bit expensive, but she gritted her teeth and bought it anyway.

All she and Lee Jordan gave each other was a bag of candy, nothing much to say.

She thought that this was all the gifts she had received, but there was a big package at the bottom. Ada opened the package and found a big box of homemade candies, which was sent by Mrs. Weasley, and a greeting card written by Mrs. Weasley herself.

Pick up a candy from the box and put it in your mouth. The sweet taste fills your mouth and the rich milky aroma is also irresistible. This taste seems to have the power to make people happy.

But compared to a big box of candy, Ada, who was greedy, hoped to receive "a sweater unique to the Weasley family", a sweater knitted by Mrs. Weasley herself, with her initials on the chest.

The twins used to complain about the sweater that every Christmas the kids in the family would receive, but she loved it so much.

Once again, Ada was really envious of Fred and George, and she might not even have noticed that she was actually a little envious of their little sister Ginny.

Human beings are always yearning for things they lack, such as family, friendship, happiness, and gold galleons.

After sorting out the gifts and packages on the floor, Ada left the lounge, grabbing some candies and putting them in the pocket of her robe.

Ada planned to go to the Owl Shed first to send a thank you letter to Mrs. Weasley. She was in a good mood after receiving the gifts, and she smiled and greeted everyone she met along the way, which was rarely seen in normal times. In the hall with a strong festive atmosphere, the plump roasted turkey exuded an enticing aroma, and other foods were piled up like small mountains.

There were also piles of wizard firecrackers on the dining table, which might contain some fun gifts or lively white mice. From time to time, there would be the sound of firecrackers popping and the cheerful laughter of students in the auditorium.

When Ada came over, a Gryffindor senior whom she often saw in the library was lighting firecrackers. With a loud bang like a cannon, the senior was surrounded by a puff of blue smoke. When the smoke dissipated, the senior was standing there holding a men's top hat, which happened to be a perfect match with the women's hat decorated with flowers that she was wearing.

Several boys started to make a noise, asking the senior to pick one of them and give the hat to him. The senior smiled and agreed, but then she put the hat on Ada's head, making Ada look even more playful and cute.

After briefly chatting with the graduating senior, Ada walked to the guest of honor seat.

She first gave Professor Flitwick and Professor Sprout some homemade candies made by Mrs. Weasley. The two professors happily accepted the candies, laughed, and chatted with Ada for a few words.

Dumbledore noticed Ada when she started distributing candies to the two professors. The candies looked delicious and he wanted to try some too.

"Merry Christmas, Professor Dumbledore!" Ada said to the headmaster with a smile as she passed by Dumbledore's seat.

"Merry Christmas, Miss Drizzt." Dumbledore smiled and nodded. It seemed that it was finally his turn. He was ready and even a little impatient.

But Ada's performance disappointed Dumbledore very much. After greeting him, Ada walked straight past him without leaving a single candy!
Caught off guard! Unexpected! Didn't she feel that she had missed something? He was puzzled, confused, it shouldn't be like this! It didn't make sense!

The blue eyes followed Ada closely, and Dumbledore wanted to see when Ada would remember him, the neglected old man.

Ada first gave some candy to Hagrid who was sitting next to Professor McGonagall, and then, fearing that she would be given anything made by Hagrid in return, she quickly returned to Professor McGonagall.

She reached both of her hands into her pockets, took out all the candies, and placed them on Mag's desk like treasures.

"Professor McGonagall, this is the candy Mrs. Weasley gave me. It's delicious. Would you like to try it?" Ada smiled obediently, as if the person who was caught in the middle of the night was not her.

Judging from the number of candies on the table, these should have emptied Ada's pockets. Not to mention Dumbledore, the other professors who received the candies felt a little jealous.

Ada actually had no intention of trying to please the professors. The ones who received candies were all professors who were usually very kind to her. Ada, who had nothing, sharing a few candies with them during the holidays was nothing. She gave the most candies to Professor McGonagall simply because she was the one who treated her the best.

Professor McGonagall was smiling happily, and she didn't even care that the tall peaked hat on her head was crooked. There was an indescribable pride in Professor McGonagall's smile, as if she was showing off to everyone: Look! Take a good look at me! This is the child I raise! A child who knows how to be warm and how to be cold!

But she seemed to have forgotten that the student who had made her so angry at the beginning of the month was Ada, who was standing in front of her at that moment.

Influenced by Professor McGonagall's smile, Flitwick and Sprout also looked at the students of their own college. They felt a little uncomfortable in their hearts, and the candy in their mouths was no longer sweet.

Snape, who was sitting on the other side, was still sitting calmly in his seat. He didn't care about this kind of thing at all. People's sorrows and joys were not the same. At this moment, he just felt that Professor McGonagall was noisy.

Dumbledore's eyes were always focused on Ada, and he looked like a "lonely old man". Even though Ada had returned to the students, Dumbledore was still looking at her, but he was no longer thinking about those sweet-looking candies, he had some new ideas.

Although Minerva McGonagall was a little "overjoyed" just now, she was still Professor McGonagall. She grabbed a handful of candy from her pile and stuffed it into Dumbledore's hand. In order not to embarrass the headmaster, McGonagall chose to pass it to him under the table.

Dumbledore looked down at the candy in his hand and finally smiled. As to whether his smile was because of the candy, his childish behavior just now, or something else, only he knew.

(End of this chapter)