The Evil Thoughts of Hogwarts and the Genie

Chapter 84 Christmas Eve

That can't be right.

What can't be done?

Edmund chuckled. If old Soman judged that this was the choice that best served his interests, how could he let go of the opportunity to turn the tables for some nonsensical thing like dignity?

As long as he still holds the genie's artifact, the conflict between him and Edmund is destined to be irreconcilable.

Even though Edmund had mentioned that they could be the most harmonious father and son again if he were willing to give up the artifacts, in the end, old Mr. Soman simply did not want to acknowledge that the current Edmund was still his son.

The same dilemma: If the creature standing in front of you is only half a percent your son, does he still count as your son?

Elena thought it counted; Mr. Soman thought it didn't.

Over the years, old Mr. Soman had made some attempts: he wanted to kill the genie and let his son's body rest in peace.

The idea was wonderful, but reality was cruel.

Just like his actual abilities, Oscar Soman's imagination in this area was rather mediocre. After failing less than ten times, he completely gave up on the idea and physically distanced himself from the genie by avoiding him.

However, old Soman was a clever man. Over the years, he had learned some of the rules governing the operation of the genie.

If he could truly persuade Dumbledore to join forces with him, perhaps he could really break the current stagnant balance.

"As for whether it will be the Genie or Dumbledore who suffers the consequences, it's hard to say."

It's interesting just to think about it. Edmund laughed; he had a new idea.

The next day, Edmund received another letter from his mother.

If there's anyone who's still completely clueless about the situation, it's Elena.

She was overjoyed that her husband had finally changed his mind. Even though she still felt uneasy and didn't really want to see Dumbledore, she rationally felt that this was a good thing for Edmund.

Recently, she has been sending letters more frequently. In one letter, she asked about Edmund's current height, and in the next letter, she inquired whether he had any friends who would like to attend the dinner party.

Her enthusiasm for this good thing also reveals Elena's lack of common sense.

Old Mr. Soman deliberately scheduled the banquet for Christmas Day in order to filter out the wizards who were unwilling to socialize with him on this special day; Elena, on the other hand, was completely unaware of anything wrong with it. She was in high spirits and simply hoped that her son could bring back a few of his favorite friends to celebrate the holiday.

In at least two letters, she mentioned Lily Evans somewhat awkwardly. She was very interested in the girl—to be precise, she was very interested in the Evans family. If it weren't so inappropriate, she probably would have already invited the whole Muggle family to Soman Plantation for the holidays.

Edmund understood his mother's implication; she probably wanted to see Lily, which was why he secretly invited a few friends.

But that's too unrealistic. In fact, on the afternoon she received the letter, Lily Evans caught up with Edmund and Pollyanna, who were leaving the library, and said with a bright smile that she had something to ask them.

"..."

Pollyanna hesitated between finding an excuse to leave and responding politely, but ultimately chose the latter.

But it was indeed a bit difficult for her to openly communicate with Lily in the hallway.

"Let's find an empty classroom to talk," the little witch suggested. "I've borrowed quite a few books."

Lily readily agreed and didn't ask why they weren't using the levitation charm. The three of them slipped into an empty classroom near the library. Edmund muttered "refreshed" and leaned against the podium.

"It's rare that you have something to 'consult' us."

He chuckled jokingly, and Lily clasped her hands together shyly, her expression sincere.

"This is a question that only students from wizarding families like yourselves can answer for me."

She spoke earnestly and clearly, without a trace of inferiority. Pollyanna, however, shifted slightly, as if somewhat uncomfortable.

"Well, Christmas is just around the corner, and I just realized I haven't prepared any Christmas gifts for my family. No, I should say I never even thought about preparing any special magical gifts for them, so I've never paid any attention to that."

Lily smiled faintly.

"The Daily Prophet has a lot of GGs lately, but I'm overwhelmed by the choices. A classmate even joked that it's all 'cheap stuff to scam Muggle-born wizards.' I'm at my wit's end, so I wanted to ask you guys."

Pollyanna, arms crossed and leaning against the window, had realized: Evans probably just wanted to call out to Edmund, whom she knew better.

As if sensing her hesitation, Lily smiled at her kindly. Pollyanna pursed her lips and reluctantly agreed to stay.

"Well, although I'd love to confidently tell you you've come to the right person, to be honest, I've never bought any Christmas presents for anyone else," Edmund said truthfully.

"And the gifts that come to mind right away are basically things like: watches that prevent curses, brooms that automatically clean the room; potions that enhance physical abilities, practical products like these."

With each word he spoke, Lily's eyes lit up. But in the end, she still asked a practical question:

"Hmm—they don't all sound cheap."

This girl is really honest.

Pollyanna glanced at Lily in surprise, just in time to see the little witch's reddened ears. Clearly, whoever it was,

It takes a bit of courage to explain to others that you have a limited budget.

"Yes," Edmund replied dryly. "I know it sounds pretentious, but I really can't think of a particularly good gift that fits a student's budget—."

Then, with a quick glance, he said in a friendly tone:

"How about this, I can lend you some gold, and you can pay me back while you save the money."

Lily immediately shook her head, smiling as she rejected his offer.

Seeing that Edmund shrugged and didn't seem to mind, Pollyanna then spoke:

"I've seen a teacup in Diagon Alley that, well, turns into all sorts of small animals," she said, her brow furrowed, as if she weren't trying to help someone.

"This product positioning is too strange. This transformation is not practical, it's just a 'tea cup that turns into an animal,' which is too childish and not attractive to most wizards."

.

"When I went there, those teacups were on sale. If you're interested, you can look through these unsold items to see if there's anything you like—something Muggles would appreciate."

She paused, then looked up and was startled to find Edmund and Lily both staring at her. Feeling awkward, she added, "Of course, this is just my personal opinion. If it doesn't suit your taste, then forget it."

But what made her even more embarrassed was yet to come. Lily was greatly inspired and her thoughts were opened up. The red-haired little witch took the initiative to step forward, shook Pollyanna's hand, and thanked her sincerely.

"..."

Pollyanna's expression was very strange, a mixture of embarrassment and acceptance. She let Lily shake her hand for a while before withdrawing it and humming in agreement.

This scene was truly hilarious. If someone else were there, they might have been more objective in commenting that it was "cute."

But Edmund thought: I guess Snape became Lily Evans's good friend in the same muddled way.

Afterwards, Lily thanked Edmund, who hadn't been of any use, and the three of them walked together for a while before returning to their respective lounges.

Once Lily was out of sight, Pollyanna's tense back finally relaxed. Edmund suspected she even sighed, which was kind of funny, and he chuckled as well.

It's easy to see that Lily is clearly looking forward to going home for the holidays. Inviting her would be a complete waste of time.

Recalling Avery's mockery of Pollyanna a while ago, Edmund suddenly had an idea.

"Pollyanna, will you be home for Christmas?"

The genie asked a question.

"If you're planning to stay on campus for the holidays, why not come to my father's Christmas dinner? There will be a lot of celebrities there, it'll be more lively than the school."