"Can we go there?"
A brown-haired girl held a travel brochure, pointing toward the Ferris wheel on the distant bank of the Seine River with a look of pure wonder.
The brochure claimed that from the very top of the wheel, you could see the entire city bathed in a romantic glow. It mentioned the Champs-Élysées leading to the Arc de Triomphe, the Louvre with its classical architecture, the iconic Eiffel Tower, and the Sacré-Cœur Basilica on Montmartre.
"Of course, my little Hermione," Mrs. Granger said, gently ruffling her daughter's hair with a warm smile. "I heard that during the Christmas market, the Ferris wheel stays open until late."
"Watch your hat!"
Mr. Granger reached out and steadied his wife's red beret, which the wind had caught. The dentist had traded his white coat for a dark green woolen overcoat, with a wrinkled map peeking out of his pocket and a coffee-stained ticket stub tucked inside.
The young couple straightened each other's collars, their eyes meeting, and then they shyly embraced. It seemed like everyone was caught up in the romantic Christmas spirit.
Everyone, that is, except for Hermione, who was standing glumly at the ticket booth. She had just bought her ticket, only to realize, when the attendant pointed it out, that her parents had completely forgotten about her.
Annoyed, she ran her hands through her hair, making her already bushy brown locks even more wild, like a ruffled, grumpy little animal.
The Grangers heard their daughter's huff of frustration and, as if coming out of a trance, remembered they had a child with them. They hurried over, apologizing profusely.
Luckily, they were the only ones in line so late at night, and the ticket seller, with a hint of amusement in her eyes, patiently explained the details of the ride.
Hermione puffed out her cheeks, shot them a disapproving look, and stomped off to get into her viewing pod all by herself.
As the Ferris wheel slowly lifted her higher, and the Parisian nightscape unfurled beneath her, the little bit of anger she felt completely melted away.
"So this is what it's like to look down on a city at night from a Ferris wheel! I never spent my magic club earnings on a view like this when I was at the orphanage!"
A boy's voice suddenly startled her. Hermione frowned, about to turn and tell him off for shouting in a public place. But then a chilling thought crossed her mind—she was hundreds of feet in the air. How could anyone be talking outside?
"But you could just fly on your broom and look down on the Hogwarts castle, couldn't you?" a girl's voice replied.
A cold sweat broke out on Hermione's back, yet her curiosity was too strong to ignore. Cautiously, she turned her head, and her eyes met a pair of curious dark ones.
The boy had black hair and striking black eyes. His face was so endearing it made you want to reach out and pinch his cheeks. The girl next to him was looking down at a map, her burgundy hair tied back, revealing a fair neck and a slightly chubby cheek.
As Hermione stared in shock, the boy gave an enthusiastic wave and took out a wooden stick, waving it gently at the pod door.
The next second, the door to his dark pod and Hermione's pod swung open at the same time. A sharp blast of cold air rushed in, making her bushy hair dance around her face.
The boy tossed a small bag of sweets over to her and shouted, "Merry Christmas!"
From a spot Hermione couldn't see, a long tail snaked down and quietly closed the door.
Hermione looked down at the bag of sweets in her hands, bewildered. When she looked up again, the small round pod was completely gone.
From far away in the night sky, she could faintly hear the girl's voice complaining. "Why did you cancel the Disillusionment Charm just now?"
Hermione leaned forward, trying to hear more clearly, when a Chocolate Frog from the bag of sweets suddenly sprang out and landed with a *plop* right on her face.
---
Shirley angrily pinched Adam's cheek, whispering, "You just seriously broke the International Statute of Secrecy! And we're in France! We're here illegally!"
"It's fine, I haven't even gotten a Ministry of Magic passport yet. Besides, the person we saw was a witch anyway..."
Adam suddenly pointed out the pod window. Shirley nervously looked, but all she saw was the empty night sky.
Just then, her palm felt heavy as a beautifully wrapped small gift box appeared out of thin air. Inside, a crystal-clear red fruit rested.
"Merry Christmas!" Adam smiled. Seeing that Shirley was holding the box but hesitating to touch the fruit, he urged her gently, "Go on, eat it. It took me forever to get, and I almost got stunned under that tree again."
Shirley looked confused, but seeing Adam's expectant face, she took a bite of the fruit.
A rush of gentle magical energy immediately surged through her body.
"What is this? This wasn't something Professor Dumbledore gave you, was it? It feels like a waste to give it to me..."
Shirley looked worried and tried to give it back to Adam, but he quickly refused.
"Well, Dumbledore had a hand in it, I suppose. Can you still remember how to get into that manor?"
Adam's face became slightly stiff as he awkwardly changed the subject, his eyes shifting to the map marked up with red ink. Shirley had drawn it from memory, detailing the manor and the surrounding buildings.
Shirley pointed to the west side of the map and explained, "You just need to tap on the knocker in a specific rhythm. There's some kind of charm there, similar to a Confundus Charm."
"Most Muggles who pass by see it as a ruin, so only wizards can actually see the buildings inside."
"Did you notice anything strange in the manor?" Adam asked, frowning as he carefully studied the marked areas on the map. "Like any dark artifacts or odd-looking statues?"
"I don't think so, at least I didn't see anything inside the manor. I didn't really wander around outside much, either. I spent most of my time chatting with Auntie Corinna," Shirley replied after thinking for a moment. "But she seemed pretty busy, so I just read books and played Wizard's Chess to pass the time..."
She didn't get to finish her sentence before Adam grabbed her hand and pulled her over to the pod window.
Just one look down at the tiny buildings below was enough to trigger the little witch's fear of heights, and she instinctively held her breath and squeezed her eyes shut.
Adam quietly encouraged her, and after a while, Shirley cautiously opened her eyes. The lights in their little pod had gone out, so she followed his finger and looked out.
The Seine River glittered under the neon lights of the city, flowing like a silver ribbon. Even though it was late, the streets were still busy, a tangle of orange and red lights.
The two views combined with the countless lights from all the homes created a magnificent scene of urban life. From high up in the sky, it was like looking at a shimmering sea of light.
The blurry neon glow danced on Adam's face, flickering on and off. Shirley stared at the rare sight, and a thought began to form in her mind: this Christmas Eve moment would become a memory she would never, ever forget.
"Is there a magical fountain outside the manor, surrounded by rose bushes and a checkered lawn?" Adam asked, suddenly turning to Shirley with a serious expression.
She nodded in confusion, about to ask why, but Adam held up a hand and pointed into the distance.
"Maybe that smoking manor over there is the one."
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