On the last morning before Christmas, just after the snow had stopped, Neville stood on the stone steps in front of the Entrance Hall, his breath forming white clouds in front of his face.
"I can't believe it!" Michael said, hands in his pockets, bewildered. "Tomorrow's the Christmas Ball, and you're going home now? What's so urgent that it can't wait even one night?"
Neville pursed his lips, a smile playing on them, his eyes sparkling. He rubbed the handle of his suitcase, glanced at Wade, and said softly, "I... have some urgent family matters I need to attend to..."
Not far away, Madam Longbottom was conversing in a low voice with Professor McGonagall. She wore a hat adorned with a vulture specimen, and her thin face held an extremely solemn expression, causing several passing lower-year students to instinctively walk around her.
"Oh, Harry," Neville turned his gaze to Harry, "could you please apologize to Ron and Ginny for me? I meant to tell them last night, but I got busy packing when I got back and forgot..."
"Apologize for what?" Harry asked, puzzled.
"Oh, I... I invited Ginny to the ball, and now I have to cancel," Neville said apologetically. "If she can't go to the ball, it'll be all my fault."
"Then why are you rushing back?" Michael grumbled, feeling quite sorry for Neville missing the ball.
"Yeah," Wade echoed. "Actually, waiting two or three more days wouldn't make much difference."
"I know... I know a day or two won't affect them much... but I can't wait any longer, and neither can my grandmother..."
Neville's voice was so light it seemed it could be carried away by the cold wind.
Then Neville smiled hopefully, saying, "I hope everything goes well... I just feel really bad for Ginny, she was looking forward to this ball so much..."
Theo scratched his head and said, "Actually, I haven't invited anyone either, because it feels like too much trouble, and nobody really cares about me anyway... Ah, what I mean is, if Miss Weasley doesn't mind, I could take her to the Christmas Ball."
"That would be wonderful!" Neville said, smiling gratefully.
"...We need to be there before ten," Madam Longbottom told Professor McGonagall. "We already have an appointment with the healers at St. Mungo's."
"Merlin preserve us, I hope everything goes smoothly." Professor McGonagall seemed unusually gentle at that moment, which greatly surprised the students.
"Let's go, child." Madam Longbottom, her handbag slung over her arm, patted Neville's shoulder as she walked past him.
Neville waved to his friends who had come to see him off, picked up his suitcase, and quickly followed his grandmother.
In the snow, the grandmother and grandson walked towards the gate, their steps unsteady, their figures leaning on each other, looking both frail and resolute.
Ryan suddenly sniffled, "Strange, it's not like we haven't been apart before. We separate every holiday, why does it suddenly feel so hard this time?"
"Probably because it's so cold it's frozen your snot!" Michael retorted. "We'll be back in class together in half a month, why are you acting like it's a permanent farewell? Come on, let's go back to the castle! It's freezing out here!"
As he spoke, he was the first to run back to the castle, and the others followed, laughing.
"Wade," Hermione leaned over and whispered, "Do you know why Neville suddenly had to go home?"
"Mmm, I do," Wade whispered back. "But it's Neville's privacy, I can't tell you."
"Alright," Hermione sighed. "Actually, when I heard them mention St. Mungo's just now, I sort of guessed... I agree it's better not to say anything."
Wade nodded slightly.
As he was about to enter the door, Wade couldn't help but look back—
Neville held his suitcase in one hand and carefully supported his grandmother with the other. Madam Longbottom's figure seemed especially small and frail, but Neville's back looked straight and calm.
Although the round-faced boy usually seemed a bit silly, like a child, at this moment, he was entirely a man capable of supporting his family and standing on his own.
...
Early on Christmas morning, Wade was woken by a clatter and bang.
He sharply opened his eyes, pulled back his bed curtains, and saw several House-elves quietly arranging Christmas presents. However, something inside the boxes was thrashing around, making a lot of noise.
"Mr. Wade Gray is awake!" Zoe shrieked. "Sir, please open your presents quickly, or the room will be flooded!"
Her words were no exaggeration; large and small gift boxes were already piled up to the ceiling. If the House-elves hadn't been diligently keeping them in place, Wade's own bed would have been buried under the gifts long ago.
Wade immediately grabbed his Wand and waved it. The precarious pile of gift boxes seemed to be glued together by an invisible force, finally stabilizing.
Zoe jumped back, letting out a sigh of relief. "Oh, that's better... I've only ever seen Professor Dumbledore receive so many presents before."
"Having many presents isn't always a good thing," a voice suddenly said in the room. "Christmas presents sent by unknown people aren't necessarily sent with good intentions."
Hogwarts' oldest House-elf appeared in the room. When his stern gaze swept over them, Zoe and the other two became tense.
"Mr. Ralph!"
The House-elves hastily bowed, then vanished with a pop.
"Good morning, Ralph," Wade said, smiling. "Did Professor Dumbledore need me for something?"
"No, he guessed you might receive many gifts this year, so he sent me to check."
As Ralph spoke, he delicately wiggled his long, slender fingers. The Sticking Charm Wade had temporarily placed on the gift boxes immediately broke. Many boxes rattled and clattered, as if they contained a wild boar that had just been woken up.
Then, twenty or thirty gift boxes bounced out of the queue, landing in front of Ralph, making noise for a few more seconds before finally quieting down.
"These boxes have an ominous aura," Ralph said. "Believe me, I have extensive experience in discerning such things."
"Of course I wouldn't doubt your judgment."
Wade put on his clothes and got out of bed, walking over to Ralph. He looked at the boxes Ralph had singled out with great interest, asking curiously, "But can I see what's inside them?"
Ralph gave him a tolerant look and said, "Some boxes are best left unopened, or you might be unlucky the moment you open them. But there are a few that might be an eye-opener for you."
He picked a grayish-purple box, opened it, and inside was a bloody dead cat;
Another one opened, revealing a box full of pale fingers.
The third box burst open, spraying Bubotuber Pus, which Ralph calmly returned to its bottle.
The fourth box, at first glance, appeared to be a translucent crystal ball. Only upon closer inspection did one realize that inside the crystal ball was a fist-sized dead head.
Wade: "..."
Seeing Ralph about to open a fifth, he quickly said, "Alright, alright, no need to open the rest!"
He was thoroughly disgusted by these "gifts."
"Then I'll be taking these things," Ralph said courteously. "In the future, when opening gift boxes, even if they're from someone you know, please be sure to exercise caution."
"I understand," Wade sighed, asking casually, "Can you find out who sent these gift boxes? I imagine they weren't careless enough to put their names on them?"
"Indeed, they weren't," Ralph said nonchalantly. "But don't worry, child, Dumbledore will find a way to figure it out."
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