I, Hogwarts Second Time Around.

Chapter 413 The First Day of Christmas

The dispute between the two legendary wizards was nothing more than a question of whether the power of the Confederation could be regulated.

If possible, Dumbledore would also agree to expand the Federation's enforcement efforts.

If not, he would rather take it slow and steady.

There is no right or wrong in this.

However—for Hermione, she had witnessed the harm caused by the [Imitators] firsthand, and had even fought against them.

Furthermore, the Egyptian Ministry of Magic was so deeply corrupted that it was rendered useless and even provided intelligence to the enemy.

All of this made her even more inclined to side with Mr. Grindelwald's hardline approach.

She supports using more resources during times of crisis.

As for how to reduce the infringement on individuals caused by power—that can only be put on hold for now.

However, Hermione ultimately failed to voice her thoughts.

Because just as she was thinking.

Kyrie Irving is back.

Take Neville with him.

"What's going on today?" He was taken aback by the scene before him as he walked into the restaurant.

What happened?

So neat?

He treated five or six seriously infected patients in one afternoon.

The rest were accompanied by other curses.

Most of those Americans fell victim to the scams while excavating ancient ruins, which included not only unusual occurrences but also magical traps within the ruins.

He couldn't be of any help with these things.

They really treat him like a therapist!

The only option is to have a professional therapist treat him first, and then he can proceed with further treatment after the curse is lifted.

As for Neville—his parents' treatment was very effective.

Under his guidance, the soul was greatly replenished and restored.

However, a sudden surge in spiritual energy can cause the body to fall into a protective coma.

He will likely remain unconscious for some time, and upon waking, he may regain full consciousness.

Even if not, some consciousness will be restored.

"You're finally back." Hermione looked at him with surprise, then silently breathed a sigh of relief.

Good heavens—she almost suffocated.

It's not a pleasant feeling to be stared at by a legendary wizard.

"Yes!" He nodded, then walked towards Wenda. "Merry Christmas, Grandma!"

Irving then glanced in Grindelwald's direction and said casually, "You're happy too!"

"Hmph—" he shrugged and walked toward Hermione.

It's been a whole year!

A whole year!

Not a single letter was sent. There was no love left.

As for the child's maternal grandfather

He completely ignored Irving's resentful look and instead began to carefully observe the little guy.

The child has changed so much in just over a year.

He didn't recognize some of them.

Not only her appearance and figure, but also her temperament have undergone an amazing change.

From a false, flamboyant indifference—to gentleness.

He was surprised to find that she exuded a Dumbledore-like aura.

He couldn't help but shift his gaze to the old principal.

Then he discovered that the other person was looking at him with a triumphant smile.

Tsk—boring.

Grindelwald scoffed at Dumbledore's naiveté.

Then he looked at Irving again, "You're back just in time."

He asked, "What are your strategies for dealing with 'The Imposter'?"

"A response?" Owen raised an eyebrow, conjuring a chair next to Miss Granger. "Why should we respond?"

"I think it's a brilliant idea to assimilate all the species and life on the planet into a single consciousness that can call itself a god, and the world will become a perpetually peaceful paradise on earth."

I do not understand?

Why would someone with such abilities be so foolish, idiotic, or mentally unstable as to pursue immortality and a youthful body?

The more I interact with other people, the more I understand: humans! They are truly an incurable species. As humans, our abilities really have limits. The more someone schemes and plots, the more likely they are to stumble in unexpected situations. To become an existence beyond humanity! Bastards!

I—I don't want to be human anymore.

The sudden outburst of someone's madness instantly dissipated the tense atmosphere that had been hanging over the long table.

Everyone stared at Irving as if he were a madman.

I was amazed by his crazy idea.

As for Irving, he was perfectly fine, sitting calmly as if he hadn't just gone crazy.

"Hmm—" Grindelwald hummed softly in the silence.

Sure enough—this child has been corrupted by Dumbledore.

Irving, who was starving, started eating on his own without waiting for the others.

He figured that his grandparents and the principal weren't hungry at all! He thought he'd be lying on a flat board once they started their meal.

The rattling teeth were tearing at the foie gras on the plate.

The sound of swallowing instantly eased the oppressive atmosphere around them.

Owen acted as a calming agent, and after that, the young wizards began to become more active.

The Saints and the Order of the Phoenix also started chatting amongst themselves.

Hermione breathed a sigh of relief.

She discovered that the large family before her was intricately connected. While it seemed that the two giants were intertwined, in reality, everyone present had countless connections with Irving. They were sitting there because Irving was there.

He is the key man.

She is the absolute star of the banquet.

Fortunately, he returned in time.

"Eat up!" Owen said, as he always kept in the habit of feeding the little witch.

He used a levitation spell to place a few pieces of duck meat into the little witch's plate.

A hint of warmth flashed in Hermione's eyes, and then, under several gazes, she lowered her head shyly.

"Thank you," she said softly, then picked up her knife and fork and began to taste the food on her plate.

Irving smiled slightly; she was just too adorable.

If there weren't so many people around, he definitely wouldn't have been able to resist kissing her.

And all of this naturally fell into the eyes of other sorcerers, including the child's maternal grandparents.

Fleur smiled sweetly to the side, her gaze shifting between Owen and Hermione before settling on Bill.

It seemed to be a reminder to him.

Bill, understanding perfectly, immediately poured her a glass of red wine as a gentleman.

Then he clinked glasses with him and drank.

On the Saints' side, Roy's eyes shone with delight as he watched the two of them.

He was laughing so hard his mouth was practically agape.

She was the happiest, as this was exactly the scene her older sister wanted to see.

Sirius Black talked to Harry the whole time.

It seemed like she was apologizing, saying she was too busy and didn't have time to spend Christmas with him.

Harry kept shaking his head, indicating that this was already good enough.

In his heart, having a family member who truly loves him is more important than anything else.

In addition, Sirius also discovered that the Weasley girl seemed to be secretly observing him—or rather, observing Harry beside him.

He knew all too well the affection in their eyes; he often saw it in James and Lily's eyes.

Then the dog godfather, who had never had any romantic experience, told Harry about it.

Upon hearing this, Ginny blushed instantly.

She stared wide-eyed at Sirius, bewildered as to why he could be so blunt.

Then Harry's green eyes came into view.

Ginny blushed even more, lowered her head, and whispered, "Harry, I..."

Harry's face was also slightly flushed, and he wasn't sure if it was because the elf had made the fireplace too hot, or if there was some other reason.

Oh my God—he had never realized that Ginny had grown up and was a beautiful, independent girl.

In his memory, Ginny still seemed to be that little girl following behind Mrs. Weasley.

But it cannot be denied.

She is indeed very beautiful.

She has a slender and well-proportioned figure with long, straight hair. She always has a vibrant smile on her face, and like Hermione, she is a very independent girl, as evidenced by this year's Quidditch selection tournament, where she provided Ron with a series of goalkeeper training sessions, all of which she collected and found herself.

In the lounge, the girl's engaging and talkative manner was quite captivating.

Angelina told him more than once that after they graduate next year, they would recruit Ginny into the team, or recruit her as a substitute now and train her slowly.

Angelina believes she is very talented.

As for Ginny's thoughts, Harry knew them perfectly well; he wasn't stupid.

In the past, he definitely had no feelings for Ginny.

But now—Harry is somewhat bewildered.

He didn't know how to say it; he felt a flutter in his heart, but it wasn't enough to make him speak.

He could only quickly avoid Ginny's gaze, focusing intently on the food on his plate.

The little girl wasn't disappointed; on the contrary, she was delighted—because Harry's reaction completely exceeded her expectations. She had thought the boy would reject her outright.

Now it seems—it appears.

Ginny's face flushed; she knew she was right to come along!

And so—this Christmas dinner finally returned to its original meaning.

Reunion – Family – Loved Ones.

This is the eternal theme of Christmas.

Let the conflicts outside wait outside for the night!

This is a brand new beginning, bidding farewell to the old year and welcoming the new.

------

Half an hour passed.

The banquet came to a close.

The child's maternal grandfather was the first to get up.

He left in a flash, as if he had something important to do.

Dumbledore didn't follow.

He chatted with Sirius and Bill for a while, seemingly laying out some kind of plan.

Taking this opportunity, Owen stepped forward and gave Dumbledore the information about Bella that Kreacher had brought him that afternoon.

The two talked for a while, mainly about Bella and the Department of Mysteries.

The old headmaster looked worried. He seemed to know about the powerful "time magic item" in the Department of Mysteries. After pondering for a while, he also left the manor.

It seems there's a solution.

On the other side, only Victor remained among the saints. Roy, the witch who claimed to be his aunt, held his face, kissed his cheek fiercely, and then left with a smile on her face.

This immediately made Miss Granger's eyes look strange.

She wasn't jealous or anything—she just thought that 'aunt' was too strange.

If she has any relationship with Irving's mother, she should just say it openly—it's strange to be so secretive.

Sirius and Moody didn't linger at the Order of the Phoenix either.

Despite the heavy snow and wind outside, they left in a hurry.

Bill and Fleur didn't stay either; they were eager to have some alone time together, which is perfectly reasonable.

Neville also left.

He wanted to stay with his parents.

This was the first time in fifteen years that a ray of hope shone upon him.

After a hurried rush, only Owen, Hermione, Harry, Ron, Ginny, Luna, and the others remained.

That evening, the young wizards sat around the fireplace and chatted for a long time, talking about everything from Neville to Harry, from the girls' romances at school to what Dumbledore and his group were actually carrying out.

Anyway, it's very late.

It wasn't until Grandma, as if possessed by Professor McGonagall, came into the living room to shoo them away that they returned to their respective rooms.

After one night.

On Christmas morning, Irving woke up to find gifts piled up at the foot of his bed.

Like Lego bricks, they were stacked up layer by layer, with the tallest almost reaching the ceiling.

He struggled through the gifts, washed up, and then pushed open the door.

Compared to him, the other young wizards seemed much happier.

"Ha—a bumper harvest this year!" Ron said triumphantly as he pushed open his door and walked out.

Harry was across from his door.

The two happened to run into each other.

"Thanks for the broom compass, it's fantastic, a hundred times better than Hermione's. She even gave me a Defense Against the Dark Arts study planner, I don't know what she was thinking—it's the holidays—the holidays!"

Harry also held a red-covered notebook, which was filled with Hermione's handwriting. Each page contained a detailed description of a Defense Against the Dark Arts spell. Although Harry had already mastered most of them, it was still quite useful for filling in any gaps in his knowledge.

This notebook can talk to itself. If you turn to a page and don't finish reading it, it will keep saying, "What needs to be done today, must be done today!"

You must read it.

"Sirius also gave me a set of books," Harry said, "called 'Practical Defense Magic and the Restraint of Dark Magic'."

Professor Lu Ping gave me a copy of "One Hundred Common Dark Creatures and How to Deal with Them".

"Oh—Merlin's beard," Ron exclaimed. "What are they thinking? Are we going to some kind of war?"

"What about you, Owen?" Ron asked, looking at him.

"Me?" Owen rubbed his head, then braced his right foot against the door and leaned against the door frame.

The next second, Harry and Ron were shocked by the room full of gifts.

There are simply too many to count.

The only way to describe it is that the room was completely packed.

"this"

"They were all gifts from patients," Irving said. "We won't demolish them this year; there are too many."

The three then walked down the stairs side by side.

At the long table in the restaurant, I saw girls chatting happily.

They seemed to have gotten up very early.

"What's the schedule for today?" Ron asked excitedly as he sat down.

A little elf appeared nearby and then set out breakfast.

"I plan to take this opportunity to have a good time in Paris; I've never been to France before."

"Me too," Harry added.

This was his first time going abroad.

Every summer before, the Dursleys would travel abroad, of course—without him. He wasn't envious then, because it meant he would be alone in the house for at least ten days or more, a period of freedom.

"Alright, I'll take you out for a walk."

I had a simple breakfast.

The group then set off.

After leaving the manor, Owen immediately Apparated them.

When it reappeared, it had already arrived on a hidden street in the center of Paris.

There were many Muggles coming and going on both sides of the street, and there were also band performances.

The Christmas atmosphere is palpable.

However, they did not stop.

They walked along an old alleyway into a slightly dilapidated neighborhood.

The architectural style here is still stuck in the early 20th century, making it somewhat out of place with the surrounding metropolis.

However, compared to modern cities, this place has a greater sense of historical weight.

Compared to the bizarre skyscrapers, this kind of place definitely felt familiar to the little wizard.

I had only walked into the neighborhood a short distance, just down a flight of stairs.

A statue of a young girl appeared before the crowd.

Such statues are quite common in Paris, and most of them are works from the Renaissance period.

The girl in front of me had fluffy curly hair, long legs, an exposed chest, and a flowing long skirt that extended to the base of the statue.

"This is it." Irving looked around.

Then, without a staff, he quietly cast a spell: "Confuse the senses—"

The next second, a gust of wind suddenly swept in, and all the Muggles around were blinded by the sand and dust, and they all lowered their heads and covered their noses.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, everyone filed in and quickly slipped under the skirt of the suddenly come to life statue of a young girl.

A moment of silence followed.

It's like passing through Platform 9¾ at King's Cross Station.

After a sense of urgency, a cacophony of noise and explosions suddenly filled their ears.

"Welcome to the Hidden Land."

Ahead lies an old Victorian-era street market.

Countless wizards, dressed in various styles, squeezed through the crowd side by side.

They were at a crossroads, with a magical circus in the middle.

Brilliant fireworks shot into the sky from the muskets atop the circus tent.

Then it exploded into a dazzling display of light.

Even during the day, such fireworks are very eye-catching.

"Oh—look at that firework!"

Suddenly Harry's gaze was drawn to the scene above the sky.

Everyone looked up.

Suddenly, a witch dressed in a wizard's robe emerged from the exploding fireworks, waving her wand.

A black galaxy, shimmering with starlight, poured down, followed by countless falling stars that transformed into shooting stars, creating a truly spectacular sight.

Although they couldn't see the witch's face clearly through the fireworks, it was obviously Miss Granger.

"They actually turned you into fireworks!" Ron said in shock.

"What? Are you envious?" Owen glanced at the fireworks in the sky. "They should pay a portrait rights fee."

"Of course—Hermione is now world-famous. In terms of fame, she's almost on par with Dumbledore."

"They deserve it," Ginny said. "If you could beat those strong opponents, you'd be famous too."

Upon hearing this, Ron simply sighed and did not respond.

He is well aware of his own abilities.

He's only slightly better than the junior wizards at Hogwarts. If he were to face those vicious dark wizards, he wouldn't be confident of winning.

(End of this chapter)