Even if Professor Sprout had chosen to live alone now, it didn't mean she'd never been in love. She simply realized, through her own experiences, that romance wasn't particularly meaningful to her – at least not as interesting as nurturing her plants. That's why she decided to be on her own, dedicating herself to her plants and her students.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Cedric asked, leaning back, a wary look on his face, as he saw Dylan staring at him strangely. "You're not, like, interested in..."
Dylan gave him a deep, intense stare, and Cedric, being quite sensible, swallowed the rest of his sentence.
"Ahem! Anyway, when I go back to Hogsmeade, I'm planning to take Cho to Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop. Could you help me figure out the best spot for us to sit?" Cedric quickly changed the subject. "This isn't some unknowable future, is it?"
Dylan raised an eyebrow. The next time Hogwarts students could go to Hogsmeade Village was the weekend before the Christmas holidays, which wasn't too far off – less than two weeks away. This was something he could actually help Cedric with. After all, figuring out a good seating arrangement for a date was a practical matter, not like the vague, airy questions Cedric usually asked. Though, Dylan wasn't entirely sure how a seating arrangement could truly influence one's romantic feelings.
"Alright, I'll show you what true Divination looks like," Dylan said, slowly closing his eyes and taking a few deep breaths. In truth, his Divination skills were advanced enough to get an answer almost instantly, but he wouldn't let Cedric see how easy it was. He needed to put on a show to subtly influence Cedric's thoughts and his perception of him. Dylan didn't want to crudely use Dark Magic to control Cedric's mind and body; he wanted Cedric to genuinely admire him one day.
Dylan extended his hands, gently waving them in the air. From Cedric's perspective, it looked as if Dylan was trying to capture the subtle energies around them. Dylan's fingers trembled slightly, seemingly trying to connect with an unseen force. Cedric watched him with curiosity. Then, Dylan pulled a small cloth pouch from his pocket, filled with what looked like Divination tools – a few oddly shaped crystals, some smooth, polished bones, and several coins etched with symbols. Hmm, it certainly looked mysterious, Cedric thought, silently smacking his lips. He watched Dylan carefully spill these objects onto the desk in front of them, his eyes fixed on them with intense concentration.
Dylan's lips moved slightly, as if he were muttering some ancient, mystical incantation. Cedric couldn't make out what he was saying – nor could he hear it, which was a good thing, because Dylan was just making it up! But as the incantation continued, Cedric clearly noticed that the crystals, bones, and coins on the desk began to tremble lightly, as if they had a life of their own. Cedric stared at Dylan, unblinking. He saw fine beads of sweat forming on Dylan's forehead, and his eyes grew deeper and deeper, as if Dylan had transcended reality through these small objects, glimpsing into another dimension.
As Dylan's aura became more ethereal and elusive, Cedric found himself inexplicably nervous. He stood there, holding his breath, his hands slightly clenched. His gaze shifted from Dylan to the Divination tools on the desk, staring intently, hoping to discern some clue. But even as Dylan's hands moved quickly through the air, occasionally picking up a crystal to examine the light refracting through it, or flipping a coin over and over, his expression shifted between solemn and relaxed. After a long moment, he slowly opened his eyes.
Cedric held his breath. "So, what's the verdict?"
Dylan glanced at him. He was merely divining a seating arrangement, not something incredibly important. In fact, he'd had a premonition the moment Cedric asked. All the theatrics were just for show, an intentional display for Cedric. But why was Cedric so tense? Could a seating arrangement really determine the happiness of his entire life?
Dylan subtly pursed his lips, then slowly began to speak. "According to my Divination, I believe you and she should choose the corner seat by the window." Dylan's voice was soft. "That spot is where the tea shop's fire element converges. The fire element symbolizes passion and vitality; I believe it will ignite a spark between you two."
"Moreover," Dylan continued, "the corner represents privacy and shelter, which will allow you to converse without outside interference. Remember, when you sit down, you should be on the left, and she on the right."
Cedric listened to Dylan's elaborate explanation and, surprisingly, found it all quite logical. And in a way, it was. Dylan's advice regarding the seating arrangement was entirely based on factors like lighting and angles, ensuring that when Cedric met Cho, he would be bathed in the soft glow from the window. And when Cho looked at Cedric, her gaze would automatically apply a sort of flattering filter to his face. If a person looked handsomer in her eyes, wouldn't their feelings naturally grow warmer? What girl didn't like a handsome boy? Especially one who was kind, humorous, excellent in his studies, came from a good family, and was handsome to boot!
Cedric nodded. "I've got it."
Dylan waved his hand, dismissing Cedric. Time passed quickly. Dylan had been busy preparing Christmas gifts for his professors and friends these past few days. Coming up with gift ideas was truly a headache, and what made it worse was having to do it two, three, or even four or five times a year! In the past two years, Dylan had racked his brains trying to find gifts for his professors and Harry and the others. Now that the year was almost over, with Christmas fast approaching, he didn't want to go through too much trouble. So, Dylan decided to prepare just a few simple gifts. He didn't want to go to all that effort again, preparing overly exquisite presents. Those kinds of gifts could wait for everyone's birthdays.
Just two days before students were allowed to visit Hogsmeade again, the Hogwarts Great Hall was already adorned with Christmas decorations. The festive atmosphere grew thicker. Silver-dusted pine branches wound around the candelabras, and every candle was wrapped in red and green ribbons.
On Dylan's plate, there was half a roasted turkey and a slice of Christmas pudding drizzled with hot mulled wine sauce, topped with star-shaped sugar frosting. The sweet scent mingled with the distant aroma of fir, filling the air with a warm, festive feeling. Dylan was scraping the sugar frosting from the edge of his pudding when he heard footsteps beside him. Dylan looked up and saw the Weasley twins.
He raised an eyebrow.
"Dylan!" George exclaimed, excitedly walking over, with Fred right beside him. Snowflakes still clung to their cloaks, and their collars were adorned with crackling, popping Christmas baubles – one of their recently developed gadgets that seemed to be selling quite well. Many students were rather keen on these little Christmas novelties. The Weasley twins had priced them quite affordably, making them accessible even to students from less affluent backgrounds, which had led to their recent success in school. Of course, this sort of behavior was naturally looked down upon by some of the wealthier Slytherin students. However, what those Slytherin students truly thought in their hearts, and whether they secretly bought these little trinkets themselves after seeing everyone else having such fun with them, remained a mystery.
"What is it?" Dylan asked, looking at the two of them.
Fred deliberately lowered his voice and tapped the table beside Dylan's plate. "Finish up and meet us in the broom shed behind the kitchens. George and I have a gift we want to give you – in person!"
"It can only be given in person!" George added, winking.
"Trust us, it's a gift that can only be opened where no one else is around," Fred chuckled. "Don't worry, it's much better than that singing, stinky sock we gave Percy last year."
"And remember not to peek with your Divination!" George warned. "If the surprise leaks, it won't be any fun at all."
Then, without giving Dylan a chance to respond, the two of them bounced off. As they passed every student still sitting at the dinner tables, they would simultaneously ask in unison, "Want to buy some little Christmas gifts?" The hems of their cloaks were adorned with numerous Christmas pine branches and golden bells that jingled as they moved – a special get-up they'd concocted to attract "customers." As long as someone showed interest in their little gadgets, their silver tongues could easily close a deal.
Dylan watched them approach student after student, making several transactions in a short amount of time, a twitch playing at the corner of his mouth. "These two, not giving me a Christmas gift on Christmas, but so early, and in person..." He eyed their backs suspiciously as they sorted out change, tempted to use his Divination to find out. But then he remembered their earlier warning. Dylan shook his head, deciding not to prematurely divine what gift the twins would give him. However, Dylan suspected that, knowing these two, it was likely some new kind of prank gadget.
He slowly finished his meal, then smacked his lips, placed his cream-stained napkin on the table, and stood up, pulling his cloak tighter as he headed towards the spot the Weasley twins had mentioned.
The wooden door to the broom shed creaked open. A gust of cold air, mixed with the scent of pine, washed over him. Dylan looked inside. Fred was crouched in a corner, tinkering with something, while George was peering out from behind the doorframe, keeping watch. Seeing Dylan enter, George immediately let out a whistle. "The guest of honor has arrived! Bring out the goods!"
At George's words, Fred quickly turned and stood up. Dylan immediately noticed a roll of parchment wrapped in old burlap clutched in his hand. Around the burlap was tied a faded red ribbon, with a miniature copper bell attached to the end, which jingled softly with Fred's movements.
"Here, take it. This isn't a prank."
"This is..." Dylan's eyes narrowed.
Fred pushed the burlap into Dylan's hand. "It's something very useful!"
George nodded. "Fred and I stole it from Filch's office in our first year, from a drawer marked 'Confiscated Items, Highly Dangerous.'"
Fred emphatically nodded. "I remember Filch was looking for whoever stole it for days, so George and I didn't dare cause any trouble for half a month."
"—We were terrified of Filch catching us!" George added.
Dylan: "..."
Through the brothers' back-and-forth descriptions, Dylan seemed to realize what was in his hand...
The Marauder's Map?
Well, fancy that. So, they weren't planning to give this to Harry; instead, they decided to give it to him as a Christmas gift? Dylan smacked his lips, unsure whether he should accept it – though he was already holding the map.
"This thing is truly amazing. George and I studied it for ages before we figured out what it was for." George flicked the copper bell on the edge of the map with his finger. "This is a special little Christmas charm we added. The bell will ring softly whenever you're near a corridor with mistletoe."
Fred shrugged. "It only affects this piece of cloth. If you don't like it, you can just throw it away. It was George's idea anyway."
George snorted but said nothing. He turned back to Dylan. "If you want to activate this map, first you have to say, 'I solemnly swear that I am up to no good.'"
"Then you'll be able to see everyone in Hogwarts on this map, along with the school's detailed layout," George continued. "Fred and I found so many secret passages using this map."
"George here thought he'd already explored all the secret passages in the school and figured the map wasn't much use, that's why he wanted to give it to someone else."
"Don't talk rubbish! I didn't think that at all! I just wanted this map to be in the hands of someone more capable! Who knows, Dylan might discover something new about it!"
"Anyway, to make all the indications on the map disappear, remember to say 'Mischief Managed,'" Fred concluded with a shrug.
Dylan held the Marauder's Map, wrapped in burlap, and pressed his lips together.
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