Fred and George's little misdeed was smoothly resolved without causing much attention. After all, the Gryffindors had long grown accustomed to waking up every morning only to find their House point tally mysteriously reduced by ten or twenty points.
No big deal.
With such an atmosphere, campus life for the Gryffindors continued on as usual—calm and steady.
Perhaps even unexpectedly so.
During this period, nothing out of the ordinary happened at Hogwarts. The Quidditch match between Gryffindor and Slytherin proceeded as scheduled, ending—unsurprisingly—with Harry catching the Golden Snitch. Snape, sitting in the stands, wore an expression as if he had just swallowed a Flobberworm whole, but in the end, he could do nothing but grit his teeth and accept the result.
Incidentally, on the day of the match, Quirrell was still in the infirmary, sipping the calming draught that Madam Pomfrey had forcibly administered to him.
The only minor episode during this time was Hermione returning the conch shell. When Viktor completely 'shut it off,' a few blue scales slipped from the hem of her robes—leftovers from the Halloween night mishap. Had she used it for too long, she might have actually grown a mermaid's tail.
But she had wisely stopped herself in time.
Viktor's evaluation of the matter was that Hermione was bound for great things in the future. She was like those people who could jump out of bed in the dead of winter in an instant—possessing an excessive amount of willpower.
And so, amidst these trivial events, December arrived.
With the onset of December, the weather at Hogwarts turned frigid and harsh. The Black Lake outside the castle froze over with a thick layer of ice, and snow fell almost daily—but none of this dampened the students' eagerness to go home for the holidays.
For the English students, Christmas was much like the Muggle winter break—a time where they could throw all worries aside and just have fun.
And indeed, this was the case. Due to the International Statute of Secrecy, many young wizards weren't allowed to freely use magic at home—conveniently giving them the perfect excuse for not studying during the holiday break.
The professors, however, were exasperated by this.
"By the time they snap out of their gift-induced stupor, they'll realize they've completely forgotten everything we painstakingly drilled into their heads this term."
In the staff lounge, Snape made this remark with his usual sarcasm.
Even here, he was grading assignments, and just moments ago, he had marked one student's paper with a large "T"—short for "Troll." He was, in fact, the only professor at Hogwarts who even used this grade, as the official lowest mark was merely a "P" (Poor).
"Oh, come now, Severus," said Professor Flitwick, cheerfully standing beside him. "Enjoying life is a kind of learning too. Once they return, just assign them extra homework, and they'll remember everything soon enough."
"Speaking of which, Viktor, I think you should move your 'pawn' forward one square instead of the 'knight.' Otherwise, it'll just get captured for nothing."
Seated nearby was Viktor, still clad in his signature black cloak. Before him was a wizard chessboard, with Professor Sprout sitting on the opposite side.
They were the only professors in the lounge at the moment.
Upon learning that Viktor had never played wizard's chess before, several professors had eagerly volunteered to teach him, and they were currently in the midst of their first match.
However, Viktor simply nudged his knight forward two squares with an air of indifference, completely ignoring the chess piece's protest of, "Why not move the pawn instead?"
"I think this move will be more efficient," Viktor said in a slightly drifting tone.
Professor Flitwick could only shake his head in resignation.
But to his surprise, moments later, when Professor Sprout's queen captured the knight, Viktor calmly shifted his rook three spaces to the right, checkmating Sprout's king and ending the game.
The entire sequence unfolded seamlessly, like a move executed by a seasoned chess player, leaving the amateur onlookers stunned.
"Well, it seems we still have much to learn," Professor Sprout remarked, exchanging a glance with Professor Flitwick before turning to Viktor with curiosity.
"Is this really your first time playing wizard's chess? How did you do that?"
"A seer's intuition."
Viktor answered simply.
"Sometimes, when I look at the pieces, I just have a sense of where they should go next. I just follow that feeling."
"...Well, divination truly is an incredible thing."
Professor Sprout could only spread her hands and laugh, shaking her head in amusement. Snape, on the other hand, let out a sharp "hmph"—something he had been doing quite often lately, evidently still irritated by Viktor's previous vague prophecy.
Sensing the tension, Professor Sprout quickly changed the subject.
"By the way, Viktor, do you have any plans for Christmas?"
"Going home for dinner," Viktor replied casually.
After a brief pause, he seemed to remember something and added, "By the way, are students allowed to invite others home for a meal?"
"Invite students home?"
Professor Sprout was taken aback by the question. After thinking for a moment, she replied hesitantly, "If you get the Headmaster's approval, I suppose it wouldn't be impossible..."
Technically, Hogwarts had no rule against it. The school's responsibility ended at the castle gates; what students did afterward—who they spent the holidays with—was up to them.
There had even been cases of students spending Christmas with relatives in the past.
Viktor nodded in understanding.
...
That evening, Harry received a note delivered by a ghostly owl, its scrawled signature unmistakably belonging to Viktor.
"Harry,
I heard you signed up to stay at Hogwarts for Christmas. Coincidentally, my family is hosting a Christmas dinner, and Baba Yaga has often mentioned you. So, I wanted to ask if you'd like to join us for dinner? I've already obtained Professor Dumbledore's approval, and you may bring one or two friends along.
Note: If you decide to come, you'll need to participate in some pre-dinner preparations, starting about half a day before the feast.
V. Vanderboom"
Harry, who had been feeling drowsy, suddenly perked up in excitement. Without hesitation, he grabbed the spectral owl—who had been about to take off—and hastily scribbled a reply agreeing to the invitation.