It was a brand new day, and Draco pushed open the door to the alchemy office, his lips pursed in a serious line, though a smile had been irrepressible while he was riding the boat.
"There's no one else here; you can laugh out loud," Kayson said to Draco, who was gradually approaching him.
"Next time, I will," Draco nodded, then pulled out a very exquisite envelope-like object from his pocket.
"Professor, I would like to invite you to Malfoy Manor for Christmas."
Upon hearing what Draco said, Kayson immediately shook his head frantically.
"No, no, it's not anything else; it's mainly that I'm just not used to celebrating Christmas at other people's homes, or eating and sleeping at other people's homes for that matter."
"Do you mind explaining why, Professor?" Draco asked.
"It's a matter of personal character; it has nothing to do with anything else. I'm a person with a strong sense of boundaries," Kayson said, then quickly added in his mind, "In front of unfamiliar people."
"Oh... then do you have any plans for the holidays?" Draco continued to ask.
"No."
"Then my father would like to invite you for a home visit, and to discuss Alchemy, though I suspect he has some intricate Alchemy device he'd like you to repair."
Life is sometimes that casual; it's the same matter, but it can be accepted with just a change in wording.
Kayson naturally converted the holiday into work in his mind. Compared to celebrating Christmas at House of Malfoy during the holidays, it was certainly more acceptable for him to work overtime during the holidays, visit House of Malfoy, and repair Alchemy devices.
After all, he only needed to finish what he had to do and say what he had to say, without even having to eat. By noon, when he returned home, he would still have time to order a Christmas pizza.
How delightful.
"So, Professor, will you come with me then?" Draco asked.
"Just arrange a time with Mr. Lucius and let me know; I'll go by myself," Kayson said.
"Alright then."
Kayson watched Draco leave, then picked up his water glass and took a sip. It had been some time since the new semester began, and he had observed many of the Little Wizards from Slytherin.
Some Little Wizards, perhaps because their family scale was not large, had good family atmospheres and were not much different from normal Little Wizards. On the other hand, there were Little Wizards from large pureblood Slytherin families.
Those Wizard families basically had little to do with love; the purpose of procreation was to pass down the family's glory and wealth.
And the Little Wizards growing up in them naturally became centered on their families. Of course, this isn't to say it's wrong; it's an exchange of equal value. The Little Wizards accepts the family's excellent conditions from childhood, and it's reasonable for him to bear family responsibilities.
However, that kind of extreme where one's personality is extinguished, eventually becoming a flesh-and-blood AI machine, is a bit extreme.
But he was just a Professor, and he couldn't rashly interfere with their family affairs.
He could only find those non-extreme Wizard families and those Little Wizards who wanted to grasp their true selves from a reasonable position, and gently push them from behind. As for how far this Little Wizards could go, that was his own business.
After all, one couldn't do anything extreme for the sake of a Little Wizards's so-called freedom, right?
For example, if a person is the heir to a large family, his parents are loving, and he grew up enveloped in sweetness and love. His parents' only requirement for him is to study knowledge and etiquette well, and to find a suitable partner for a marriage alliance. It's best if they are compatible; if not, there's nothing to be done, at worst, they can treat each other with respect after marriage.
Then, at this moment, a crazy Professor comes along, loudly proclaiming things like free will and how money can't buy love, then uses supreme magic to shatter his family's property and turn his parents into vegetables.
At this point, this crazy Professor says, "Though you have lost your money, your power, your fame and prestige, your suitable wife has left you, and your parents have become vegetables, none of this matters, because you are now free! Go and pursue the things you truly love."
Then the crazy Professor dusts off his hands and leaves, leaving him sitting in the ruins, utterly bewildered.
What would he think then?
"You're insane!"
Kayson took another sip of water. Draco, though a bit mischievous, was normal for his age, a teenager after all.
And he wasn't bad enough to warrant much. A gentle push from him was enough, and that's all he could do.
After sorting out Draco's matter, he thought of Lucius Malfoy again. He hadn't met him much; in the few times they had met, except for the first time, the atmosphere was generally not particularly peaceful.
So he also needed to prepare some defenses for himself, to prevent Lucius Malfoy from setting a trap for him.
After all, does anyone really attend a banquet without explosives hidden under their clothes?
What's the difference between that and going to a meeting without a gun, or out on a rainy night without a knife?
Just pure eating?
Although he genuinely didn't think Lucius had the power to keep him there, he still needed to make the necessary preparations, which he called... a sense of ritual.
Unconsciously, Kayson finished another class. Merlin in the sky had also found the 0D white lace stockings from the bottom of his wardrobe. Snow began to fall from the sky, and Little Wizards streamed continuously from Hogwarts to Hogsmeade Station. Draco had also sent the home visit time early.
Besides that, Sirius cheerfully placed a large bag of Galleons on the desk.
"Lupin went to visit relatives this Christmas, so I could only come to you," Sirius said with a smile.
"Get to the point," Kayson said.
"I want to buy Harry a flying broom. I've already chosen it; it's this Firebolt," Sirius said, taking out a flyer and placing it on the desk.
"Oh... maximum speed two hundred fifty miles per hour... quite disappointing. I gave Harry a much better one before," Kayson explained.
"How fast is yours?"
"About twice as fast as the Firebolt, over seven hundred miles per hour, the kind that can break the sound barrier," Kayson said proudly.
"...Sound barrier? What's that?" Sirius asked, looking bewildered.
"...Oh, I forgot you were illiterate."
[Please give gifts, and please be gentle about the sound barrier issue. I never passed high school physics... or middle school physics...]
[So am I the only one who likes older sisters?]
-------------------------------
I've already uploaded 40 chapters of this story on Patreon!
If you enjoy it, come check out the latest chapters in advance.
Here's the link:
[pat*eon*com/DaoistRoeoNQ]
Thank you so much for your support!!!
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"