The next morning, as soon as Kael woke up, he saw a mountain of gifts piled in front of his bed.
Most of them were chocolates or candies and other snacks, and there were many more than he had expected.
"A top student sure is popular."
Kael put those aside and continued to unwrap the remaining gifts.
The gift from Hagrid was the largest, looking like a barrel wrapped in thick kraft paper.
"It can't possibly be a Moonstruck Beast..." Kael nervously unwrapped it.
Thankfully, it wasn't what he thought. Hagrid had sent a plant of Cloak Grass, and the barrel was a makeshift pot filled with soil.
The leaves of the Cloak Grass still had some dewdrops on them; it was probably freshly dug from the Forbidden Forest.
Kael had given Hagrid a model of a Fire Dragon—the kind used in the Triwizard Tournament for drawing lots, which could move, fly low, and breathe fire.
Hagrid would probably like it very much.
Cedric gave him a set of 'Quidditch Through the Ages' with signatures of the Chudley Cannons players.
Kael looked at the signatures and disdainfully put the book aside... He did not like this team.
Notably, the gift Kael gave Cedric was also related to Quidditch—a signed bat from the Wimbourne Wasps that he had treasured for a long time.
He specifically wrote to Mrs. Weasley to help mail it, making it an exceptionally sincere gift.
He even got a good scolding from Mrs. Weasley for this, blaming him for not going home during the holidays and promising to teach him a lesson during summer vacation.
However, Kael wasn't worried at all.
Mrs. Weasley is easy to appease—a hand-made apron by Kael and a beautiful end-term report card would ensure no trouble.
Conna's gift was a pair of hand-knitted gloves with Kael's initials on them.
To Kael's surprise, the Little Witch's craftsmanship was unexpectedly good, and he quite liked them.
They fit perfectly and matched well with the sweater Mrs. Weasley gave him.
He gave Conna a handbag equipped with an anti-theft device, which should be very practical for her.
Fred sent a bottle of disappearing ink, and George gave a Chocolate Frog Card album, with blank transparent sleeves to collect cards—very convenient.
Kael gave them a book of 'Basic Alchemy,' which was also the textbook for the Alchemy course at Beauxbatons Academy of Magic.
He knew the twins were inventing joke items lately, and this book should be quite helpful for them.
And there were his two adorable roommates.
Mikel sent him a delicate gold brooch, and Ryan gifted him a set of Wizard Chess.
To Kael's surprise, he even received gifts from professors.
Professor Flitwick gave Kael his school notes from grades one to three—two thick notebooks filled with his understanding of Charms.
This was an exceedingly precious gift.
Kael felt a bit guilty because the gift he gave Professor Flitwick was just a simple rowan talisman.
In fact, Kael gave gifts to every professor.
A talisman for Professor Flitwick.
A Golden Snitch-shaped hat ornament for Professor McGonagall.
A set of tool maintenance kits for Professor Sprout.
A walking stick for Professor Oren.
A clipping titled 'The Three Major Magic Schools in Europe: Professor Benefits' for Professor Binns.
A book called 'One Hundred Ways to Knit Woolen Socks' for Headmaster Dumbledore.
Of course, there was also Professor Snape, who had been taking good care of him recently. To express his thanks, Kael specially sent an entire box of Potter's Speedy Shampoo to him.
However, Kael did not sign his name on this gift, nor did he use Ladon. He randomly picked an owl from school and sent it to Diagon Alley's Owl Post Office, to be delivered to Professor Snape from there.
Although the process was a bit tedious, it was worth it.
I believe Professor Snape will be very touched when he receives this gift.
After carefully storing away Professor Flitwick's notes, Kael opened the last gift from Diana.
It was a silver ring with a crescent ornament, accompanied by a brief note:
"This is a magic tool that can release the Disillusionment Charm three times. If you encounter danger, infuse it with magic power and focus your mind on a target location, and it will take you away.
Note: It cannot be used within Hogwarts Castle, but it works outside the castle gates; if you don't want to take the train home during holidays, you could use it.
(Hope you like this gift, dear.
Merry Christmas.)"
Is this an upgraded version of a Portkey?
When Kael put the ring on his hand, it automatically fit snugly against his skin. As he tried moving his fingers, there was no discomfort.
Kael really liked this gift.
He had always wanted to learn Disillusionment, but because he was too young, neither Chris nor Newt would teach him.
This ring was arguably the most satisfying Christmas gift he'd received in eleven years.
Though the number of uses was a bit limited, only three.
If only it were thirty times.
Kael tidied up the dormitory and, upon arriving at the common room, found Conna tiptoeing and rummaging through a large flower pot.
"What are you looking for? Need any help?" Kael asked.
"No need, got it." Conna pulled out a dirty cloth bag from the pot, turned around, and said, "Thanks for the Christmas gift, I really needed it."
Kael watched as she took out two Galleons and then put them into the handbag he had given her, confused:
"Are you still losing Galleons lately?"
"No." Conna shook her head and said, "But I did lose two Sickles yesterday afternoon."
Isn't that the same thing?
Kael frowned and asked, "Where are your roommates? Have they gone home?"
"Yeah, they've all gone home. I'm the only one left in the dorm," Conna said with a bit of excitement. "But they sent me gifts from the Muggle side; the hair clips are so pretty."
Kael rubbed his forehead, just about to say something when Conna dashed back to the dorm.
When she returned, she had a small wooden box in her hand.
"Look, aren't they pretty?" Conna handed the box to Kael.
Inside were seven or eight colorful hair clips, truly more novel in style and appearance than the ones in the Magic Realm.
However, Kael wasn't interested in these. After a quick look, he was ready to return the box to Conna.
But at that moment, he noticed a small bottle beneath the hair clips out of curiosity, he reached out and moved the clips to uncover it.
"What is this... Whoa?"
Kael's hand jolted suddenly, nearly tossing the box, scaring him into a cold sweat. He hastily set the box on the nearby wooden table.
After calming himself down a bit, Kael cautiously reached out to take the bottle out.