Magical Studies at Hogwarts...

Chapter 71 The Gift

Even after leaving Snape's office, Ike still had a frown on his face.

Comrade Xiao Fu's goal is clear: to prolong his life with the life-extending drug. After his battle with Ike, his condition is now far more serious than Comrade Lao Fu's last year.

Already a fractured soul, and having suffered a devastating blow, Voldemort certainly wouldn't have taken the risk of stealing materials from Snape if he hadn't been unable to persevere.

Of course, there is good news. At least for the next few months, Ike will no longer have to worry about his safety, which has made him feel much more relaxed.

Ever since confirming that Comrade Xiao Fu was still alive, Ike had been on tenterhooks, his nerves constantly on edge. Now, all is well, he can finally enjoy a peaceful and wonderful Christmas holiday.

Time flew by and it was the 25th. When Ike woke up in the morning, there were many gifts piled up next to his bedside table. Compared to last year, the number had increased dramatically.

Julianne sent a new, festive sweater, which Ike immediately put on. Stuart sent a snow globe containing a picture of Hogwarts Castle. Terry brought out a bottle full of dirt, which Jimmy took out and carried to it; Ike had to use a lot of effort to get it down.

Professor McGonagall still has a yearly edition of "Transfiguration Today," while Professor Flitwick has a notebook containing some harmless prank spells, such as making a person's nose grow longer and their ears turn into rabbit ears that emit white smoke.

Hermione gave him a "Table of Ancient Runes," perhaps because she saw him carrying around a "Comprehensive Explanation of Ancient Runes" all day. Harry and Dumbledore's gifts were what Ike liked best: two huge bags full of cockroaches, enough to feed him for a long time.

Once you've put on your robe and shoes, wrapped your blue Ravenclaw scarf around your neck, and cast a warming spell, you won't feel cold even if it's snowing heavily outside.

The common room has a Christmas tree adorned with various decorations, the work of Ike and several Ravenclaw seniors who stayed on campus. Professor Flitwick, who has always been very interested in decorating for the holidays, cast a weather spell on the common room, causing magical snowflakes to fall continuously from the ceiling. Occasionally, a small snowball will fly in from somewhere, hitting you without hurting and immediately turning into snowflakes that scatter.

Perhaps because of the two attacks, the castle is decorated much more elaborately this year than last year. Wisteria and holly ribbons hang in the corridors, staircases, and classroom doors. Even the portraits on the walls are wearing bright red Santa hats, though it's unclear where they came from.

The auditorium looked even more magnificent. A dozen Christmas trees covered in silver frost stood in the corners, and the ceiling was adorned with ribbons of mistletoe and holly in a cross pattern. The ceiling was shaped like white clouds, with snowflakes drifting down, warming my hands as they landed.

All the decorations would occasionally emit a soft, white light, and the Christmas tree would even shake, as if shaking off the snow on the tree, scattering small specks of light on the ground.

The young wizards gathered in twos and threes, and every now and then an owl would fly in to deliver belated gifts, eliciting exclamations of envy or playful teasing.

Perhaps because of that chaotic battle between the three houses, Ike and Cho, who was a year ahead of him, became much closer. At least they had things to talk about and avoided awkward silences. After a brief chat, Cho was called away by the other Ravenclaw girls, which Ike was happy to see.

Or rather, he's gotten used to it.

In contrast, the Gryffindor long table was much livelier. The Weasleys were all there, the twins teasing Ron with their banter, occasionally bringing along Harry, who was grinning foolishly. Hermione and her dorm mates, along with Padma who ran over from the Ravenclaw table, were all talking about something, their silvery laughter ringing out.

A quick glance around the Ravenclaw table revealed only two people enjoying breakfast alone. One was, of course, Ike, and the other was the eccentric first-year girl.

Luna Lovegood.

However, after Ginny entered the hall, Luna was pulled away. In the end, Ike was left alone.

After breakfast, we spent the rest of the time at the library, and soon it was time for the dinner to begin.

This year's dinner was even more lavish; Ike even spotted one or two French dishes. He tried a piece of foie gras, which wasn't large, but had a very rich flavor, more like it was made from duck liver.

A few bites were enough. Compared to the refined French cuisine, Ike still prefers steak and lamb chops. The roast meat was also very good, and paired with the special chocolate milk, it was very satisfying.

Of course, as Ike was preparing the chocolate milk, the people around him naturally moved aside, making room for him. Dumbledore was also disliked, and even more so than Ike. Professor McGonagall was alright; she simply moved her seat closer to Professor Sprout. Snape, however, was much more obvious, his face filled with disgust and loathing.

Despite his unsuccessful recommendation, Dumbledore remained all smiles, seemingly unconcerned about others' opinions, just like Ike. The two even raised their glasses from afar, both displaying meaningful smiles.

This action made Professor Snape's face grow even colder.

The most lively person at the banquet was Professor Lockhart. Even though almost everyone at Hogwarts knew he was a good-for-nothing, he still flaunted his magnificent robes like a peacock, constantly recounting his glamorous history, which annoyed Professor Flitwick to no end. Flitwick's hand trembled as if he was about to unleash a curse to shut the guy up.

After the main meal, many desserts appeared on the long table. Ike picked up a mango pudding and ate it with relish. Of all the desserts, Ike loved mango pudding the most, and would occasionally add a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

After all, these things were quite expensive in Ike's previous life. A single serving of pudding that could be eaten in one bite would cost ten or so yuan, so he could only buy a few occasionally to satisfy his cravings.

Maybe it's because I bought the wrong brand?

Suddenly, it occurred to Ike.

Soon, eight empty boxes appeared in front of Ike. Struggling to look at the still-piled pudding on the table, Ike took several deep breaths to suppress the urge to grab another one. Instead, he poured himself a glass of lemonade and took a small sip.

A glass of lemon water after meals has become a habit.

Glancing at the Gryffindor table, Ike noticed Hermione and her two companions had left sometime earlier. He quickly calculated that the Polyjuice Potion was ready; they were planning to sneak into the Slytherin common room that night, which would also be the time for Hermione to transform into a true catgirl.

After thinking it over, he decided it was better to avoid trouble, and besides, Ike also wanted to see what Hermione looked like.

After finishing his lemonade and saying goodbye to the others at the long table, Ike left the Great Hall. He needed to digest; there was a small party in the Ravenclaw common room later. Roger had also prepared a large quantity of magical fireworks, filling two large crates.

Thankfully, it wasn't a firework that was pulled out, otherwise the common room would have been blown up.

After playing noisily with the other eaglets for a while, Ike finally returned to his dormitory yawning around midnight.

As soon as I entered the dormitory, I saw an owl standing outside the window, shivering from the cold, with a small box clutched in its claws.

Ike quickly opened the window to let the poor little guy in, thoughtfully cast a warming spell on him, grabbed a handful of nuts, and then took the box.

The box was just an ordinary cardboard box with Ike's name written on it. It wasn't heavy at all, and I had no idea who gave it to me.

With a flick of his right hand, the seal was pulled open. Looking inside, Ike's face instantly turned ashen.

That's Xiao Hei's corpse!

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(End of this chapter)