Chapter 54: Christmas Gifts
Christmas had never been particularly special for Ezio, but this year's Christmas at Hogwarts seemed to be truly different.
It was the first time he had ever received so many Christmas presents. When the students had left the school and the Christmas holidays had arrived, the moment Ezio opened his eyes in the morning, he saw a huge pile of gifts that the house-elves had silently delivered during the night.
This instantly put him on high alert. His muscles tensed, and his eyes scanned the room for any irregularities, his breathing momentarily stilling.
"If what the house-elves delivered wasn't a gift, but a time bomb, wouldn't I be dead already?"
Ezio, with his highly developed sense of crisis, thought of ten thousand ways to kill someone in that instant. While magic brought convenience, it also constantly expanded his understanding of what was possible. Every new charm he learned was a potential tool, but also a potential threat in the hands of another. The ordinary methods of an assassin were indeed somewhat insufficient now that he had embraced magic.
'Anti-Disapparition Jinx' and 'Anti-Summoning Charm' were immediately added to Ezio's list of must-learn spells. He had originally planned to tackle these types of magic later, but now it seemed things had to be moved up.
"So many presents!"
Harry's exclamation came from the side. He had gone to bed very early last night and had woken up a little earlier than usual today. He couldn't help but cry out in surprise when he saw the huge pile of gifts by Ezio's bed.
"Looks like I have some too," Harry said, craning his neck to look at the foot of his own bed, where there was also a small pile of gifts. "This is the first time I've ever received so many things for Christmas!" Although it couldn't compare to Ezio's small mountain, Harry was also very content. "Draco and Blaise, their packages are the biggest. And there are ones from my friends in the dueling club, Hermione and Hagrid too, and even one from Professor Snape!"
Harry grinned foolishly for a while. He was truly happy. At the Dursleys', he had never received any decent Christmas presents.
"They actually... alright, a fifty-pence piece." Harry wasn't surprised by this result when he saw the gift from his aunt and uncle. "But Ezio, this thing you sent is... a flying broomstick?"
"This way you won't have to buy one next year."
Ezio shrugged. The Nimbus 2001 had just been released, so he had bought one for Harry as a gift.
"That's brilliant! The holidays have just started, and the professors are mostly gone. I can go outside and try it. It shouldn't be a problem."
Instantly excited, Harry clenched his fists, running a hand reverently over the polished ebony handle. The broom felt perfectly balanced, humming with a latent power that promised incredible speed. The old, battered brooms from the school's flying class could not satisfy his appetite.
"Now, quick, look at yours. There must be at least fifty or sixty packages here," Harry said, turning his head to Ezio after opening his own gifts. He was still very curious.
"I'll give myself a day off today. It's Christmas, after all."
Ezio threw back his covers and got out of bed, but the first gift he opened made him lose his composure.
"What is wrong with this wizarding world? Who sends chocolates laced with a Love Potion as a Christmas gift?!"
Ezio rolled his eyes. If the sender of this gift hadn't been anonymous, he would have definitely sent a letter with a dark curse back to let them experience what cruelty was.
He was all too familiar with Love Potions. For an assassin whose entire creed was built upon the sanctity of free will, such a concoction was the ultimate violation. It didn't just control the body; it hijacked the soul, twisting genuine emotion into a grotesque puppet show. To put it bluntly, it was an Imperius Curse that could not be resisted by willpower. After drinking a Love Potion sent by someone, you would fall madly in love with them without reservation and become a slave to their 'love'. If capitalists knew about this thing, they would want to pour it down everyone's throat.
"I really don't get it. This thing is clearly much more evil than the Imperius Curse. Why doesn't the Ministry of Magic ban it? Are all wizards insane?!"
Harry's mouth twitched. He really hadn't expected such a move. "Maybe it's because you're too popular among the witches?"
"To get my 'love' by any means necessary?" Ezio tossed the poisoned chocolates aside. There were surely more similar products among these gifts; he would just destroy them all later. "How barbaric. I feel like I'm seeing a caveman knocking someone out with a club and dragging them away."
"And there's a fake gift with a dark curse? But unfortunately, this kind of trick doesn't work on me."
Ezio quickly sorted through the mountain of gifts. Those with malicious intent were all tossed to one side. One parcel let out a faint hiss, smelling of Bubotuber pus, while another contained a garishly coloured scarf that he could feel was laced with a minor stinging hex. To his disappointment, no idiot had chosen to sign their name. Although if he spent the effort to investigate and ask the house-elves, he would most likely be able to trace the clues and find the culprit. But Ezio couldn't be bothered. His time would not be wasted on such things. As long as they didn't pose a real threat to him, he chose to ignore these little tricks.
There were a total of sixty-seven gifts. A full forty-three of them were either malicious or contained some 'private goods'. However, the remaining packages were all proper gifts, most of them from Slytherin students. Although some people in the house disliked him, there were also those who showed him goodwill.
"A magical tent? How did you think of sending this, Harry?" Ezio was a little stunned after opening Harry's large package.
"Well, you like practical things. I thought about it, and if one day you offend too many people and have to flee to the wilderness to take refuge, this thing should be very useful."
Harry had put a lot of effort into choosing a gift for Ezio, and he thought this tent was the most suitable. Ezio couldn't help a small, wry smile. Harry's logic was both grim and surprisingly thoughtful, a combination he was coming to appreciate.
"I'll try my best not to end up homeless," Ezio said, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. But he had to admit, Harry's tent was indeed quite practical. "Thanks. I think I'll have a use for it. But I hope it's for a vacation in the mountains, not for taking refuge."
Opening the one-man tent and peeking inside, he was impressed. He noted the reinforced seams and the subtle glimmer of protective enchantments already woven into the canvas. Harry was indeed a generous person. After inheriting his parents' legacy, Harry was definitely a rich man in the wizarding world. This tent was worth at least a thousand Galleons, with four rooms and a living room, and a matching kitchen. It could completely serve as his future mobile base. It was much more comfortable than sleeping in hotels, but he still needed to add some defensive spells. After he finished learning Ancient Runes and could start studying alchemy, he could begin to modify this tent.
*****
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