Shortly after Ron left,
Damon dragged his slightly tired body back to the dormitory and saw Christmas gifts that almost filled his entire bed."Did everyone go to the Christmas party? It seems I have to hurry up.
He wore a plain smile on his face, casually slumped on the bed, and began to open the gifts.Professor McGonagall had given him a magic theory notebook with a greeting card attached: [May every day at Hogwarts be fulfilling and meaningful. Merry Christmas.]
Damon studied it and found that the notebook could automatically organize and classify notes, which was very helpful for note-taking."It really fits the professor's style," he chuckled, continuing to open another gift.Professor Flitwick had given him a set of wizard chess with a note: [While maintaining excellence, don't forget to relax occasionally. Merry Christmas, Duel Prince. By the way, I think no one is more worthy of this title than you.]
The smile on Damon's face widened, and he solemnly stored the wizard chess set.Ron's mother, Molly Weasley, had given him a beige hand-knitted sweater with a large yellow "D" on it. Damon put it on immediately.
Hermione had given him a hardcover copy of Fantastic Ideas in Magical Theory, with beautiful silver hot stamping on the cover.Additionally, there were many gifts from first-year and even senior girls—mostly simple candies and snacks, all accompanied by greeting cards. The messages were either subtle or straightforward, revealing their desire to get to know or befriend Damon.
It must be said that girls were indeed more thoughtful than boys in this regard. Among the first-year male classmates, no one had prepared a gift for Damon—though he genuinely didn't mind.Damon read all the greeting cards one by one, selected one to reply to, and asked his owl, Cha Cha Barton, to deliver some candies as a return gift.The card he chose was from Susan Bones, a first-year witch in his year.
Her family had an upright tradition; several of her relatives and elders had died at the hands of Death Eaters.
It was no exaggeration to say her entire family was loyal and brave.Susan was also the niece of Amelia Bones, the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.Amelia was a respectable woman, known for her fairness and honesty. She had once spoken up for Harry in court and later died at the hands of Voldemort.In the later parts of the Harry Potter world, the Ministry of Magic, as the governing body of the wizarding world, had committed many regrettable and foolish acts.
Damon had no intention of tolerating such behavior.Though he wasn't particularly keen on power, he knew that if he relinquished it, someone else would claim it.When the time was right, he would consider adopting a new identity to join the Ministry of Magic and work to seize that power for himself.
As for the other greeting cards, he ignored them.For Damon, except for a few people he genuinely liked, others were like strangers—not worth his effort.Moreover, he was racing against time and had no interest in making new friends.When Damon arrived at the Great Hall for the Christmas banquet, Harry and his friends had already eaten the fiery red Christmas pudding.The Great Hall looked beautiful and magnificent, with holly and mistletoe adorning the walls.
Twelve towering Christmas trees stood around the room, some hung with sparkling icicles, others flickering with hundreds of candles.Upon seeing Damon, Professors McGonagall and Flitwick looked at him with friendly eyes. Professor Flitwick even waved to him discreetly.
As for Snape, Damon had given him a box of shampoo and shower gel, and now Snape was staring at him with a murderous glare.Incidentally, Damon had not given Dumbledore a gift."Damon, you're here! Thank you for your gift—I love it," Harry greeted cheerfully, then glanced at Ron curiously. Normally, Ron would have shouted a greeting upon seeing Damon, but now he was unusually quiet.Ron approached Damon, opening his mouth but feeling uneasy.
He wasn't sure how to express his gratitude.Being too formal felt odd.Being too casual seemed insincere.
Fortunately, Damon resolved his discomfort in the next moment.Putting an arm around Ron's shoulders, Damon said happily, "It seems I have good taste. This suit looks really good on you.
Y-Yeah, thank you, Damon. I really don't know how to express it—""No need to thank me. Didn't I also receive the sweater from your mother? I love it.""Look, does it fit?"Damon patted Ron's shoulder and opened his arms to show off his beige sweater.It must be said that even the most ordinary clothes seemed magical on him, becoming refined and fitting.
Pretty good," Ron nodded sincerely.Seeing Damon's satisfied expression, Ron suddenly felt that his mother's gift wasn't so embarrassing after all.His tense body relaxed, and he revealed a relieved smile.
Damon led him to the dining table. "I'm a little hungry. Is there only dessert left?"As soon as he spoke, the dessert on his plate vanished, replaced by the steak he enjoyed most."Oh, how thoughtful."It seemed the house-elves had received his gifts.Damon smiled and began eating heartily, effortlessly moving past the previous topic—just as Ron had hoped, neither too serious nor dismissive.
Harry and Ron exchanged glances: Should we ask Damon to join the snowball fight later?Forget it. I think Damon would rather practice spells.Harry was surprised by Ron's response.In the past, Ron would have been the first to invite Damon to join activities, even if Damon rejected him eight out of ten times.
Ron never gave up.What had changed?Sure enough, when lunch ended, Damon hurried off again.
Harry and Ron knew that if it weren't for the Christmas party, they wouldn't have seen Damon at noon.Before leaving, Harry noticed Damon heading not upstairs but downstairs.Strange—what was below the first floor?Since Snape's office and the Slytherin common room were in the basement, Harry and Ron had never explored below the first floor.
They only knew the Hufflepuff common room was there."Harry, let's go crush Fred and the others!""Okay!"Harry and the Weasley brothers played snowball fights on the grounds, enjoying a fun-filled afternoon. Soaked and freezing, they returned to the common room, warming themselves by the fire and playing wizard chess.
Harry tried his new chess pieces but lost spectacularly to Ron.He muttered that if Percy hadn't given him terrible advice, he wouldn't have lost so badly.
Got it!""Give it back!"The Weasley twins snatched Percy's prefect badge, and Percy chased them around Gryffindor Tower.This was the happiest Christmas Harry had ever had.Yet, one thought lingered in his mind all day, only surfacing as he went to bed: the Invisibility Cloak and the person who had given it to him.
Perhaps he should give it a try.
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(End of this chapter)