On Christmas Day, Harry and Ron still found it hard to believe that they had learned who Nicolas Flamel was—and had even spoken to him—without Hermione.
'Ron, do you know what the Philosopher's Stone that Mr Flamel mentioned is?' Harry asked. He was sitting on the floor, opening a pile of gift boxes in front of him, and turned to Ron. 'You know what I mean, right? You are a pure-blood wizard; you should know more about these things than I do.'
'Do not mention pure-blood or not; only despicable families like the Malfoys would say that!' Ron retorted, his ears turning slightly pink.
Then, as if remembering something, he chuckled. 'Speaking of Malfoy, do you remember when Draco Malfoy was crying and making a fuss, being dragged away from Hogwarts by his father on the first day of the holiday? Hahaha…'
Harry recalled Malfoy's embarrassing and undignified appearance at the time and laughed along with him. The two laughed for a long time before they barely managed to stop.
'So you do not know what the Philosopher's Stone is?' Harry forcibly brought the topic back on track, suppressing a fresh wave of giggles as he asked.
'Okay, I am not really sure,' Ron sighed, seeing the topic shift fail. 'We can wait for Hermione to come back and ask her. She has read so many books; she must know what the Philosopher's Stone is!'
'That is all we can do,' Harry nodded.
He looked at the pile of colourful gift boxes on the floor and hesitated before asking, 'Do you think… Professor Dracula has helped us so much. Should we prepare a Christmas gift for him too?'
'We really should send him a gift. He even saved you once on the Quidditch pitch,' Ron nodded, his expression serious for a moment.
As a young wizard who had been fostered in his aunt's house since he was a child—with no friends and no pocket money—Harry had never had the opportunity to give Christmas gifts.
This year, coming to Hogwarts, gaining a large fortune left by his parents, and making many good friends at school had made his Christmas more meaningful and warmer than he could have ever imagined. It had finally given him the sense of ritual that came with exchanging Christmas gifts with others.
But in the excitement of his first real Christmas, he had subconsciously only thought of giving Christmas gifts to his friends. He had completely forgotten to prepare one for Professor Dracula, the professor he admired most.
Just now, when he saw the large pile of Christmas gift boxes on the ground and thought of the magical communication with Nicolas Flamel yesterday, he realised that he should also express his gratitude to Professor Dracula.
'Ron, quickly help me think of what to give the professor!' He was anxious, shaking Ron's shoulders.
But soon Harry's mood deflated again. 'Someone as powerful as the professor probably does not lack anything…'
'Do not say that, Harry! Gift-giving is just a formality; the most important thing is to grasp the details!' Ron said, patting his chest as if he were a seasoned expert on the matter. 'Think about it: what does Professor Dracula usually like to do?'
'Um… likes to lean against the wall and watch the fun?' Harry asked uncertainly.
'That is not what I mean!' Ron waved his fist, exasperated. 'You have to think in specific terms. For example, what small habits does the professor usually have?'
Harry thought hard for a long time before hesitantly saying, 'Professor Dracula… seems to often hold a lollipop or a goblet?'
'That is right!' Ron slapped his thigh with a triumphant smack. 'So Professor Dracula likes to eat lollipops and he also likes to drink!'
'Um… is it that simple?' Harry looked blank, feeling that this was not quite the same as the cool, aloof, and effortlessly powerful image of Professor Dracula he had in his imagination.
'You do not understand this. Powerful wizards always have some small quirks,' Ron said confidently. 'For example, Dumbledore. My mother once told us that he has to eat sweets every day and therefore has to go to St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries every year to treat his cavities!'
Harry's expression was strange, but thinking of Dumbledore's usual odd little habits, he nodded, convinced.
'Ron, then the matter of preparing the gift is left to you. I believe you will do a great job!' Harry patted Ron on the shoulder, took out a heavy handful of Galleons from his pocket, and handed them to him. 'Be sure to buy the best gift for Professor Dracula! If there is any left over, you can buy some snacks for yourself.'
Ron had never seen so many Galleons in his life and could not help but swallow hard, his eyes wide.
Then, he patted his chest heavily and guaranteed, his voice full of conviction, 'Do not worry! Leaving the matter of preparing the gift to me is definitely no problem!'
Then, in a blur of red hair and second-hand robes, he ran out of the dormitory. He planned to write a letter and send it to the shops in Hogsmeade by owl to prepare Professor Dracula's Christmas gift as quickly as possible.
And Harry, who had received far too many gifts from fans and anonymous admirers, could only continue to sit in the dormitory and open his large pile of gift boxes, his hands trembling slightly with anticipation.
'Huh?'
When he opened the last Christmas gift—one that was surprisingly light—he could not help but let out a soft exclamation of surprise.
A liquid-like, silver-grey substance rustled and slid onto the floor, gathering into a shimmering, sparkling pile.
Hogsmeade is a wizarding village located near Hogwarts Castle, which can be reached quickly by crossing the long wooden bridge on the west side of the castle. Because of this close distance, Dracula received the gift that Harry and Ron had asked the Hogsmeade merchants to send on the same day at noon, just before the Christmas banquet was set to begin.
Dracula looked at the line of crooked, childish words written on the gift box—
Merry Christmas, attached with the professor's favourite lollipop and wine!
'These two lads are promising,' he mused to himself. 'This saves me the trouble of going shopping again.'
He nodded in satisfaction, snapped his fingers, and the gift box's packaging peeled off and disassembled on its own.
However, the moment he saw the gift, Dracula's face immediately darkened.
He saw that among the gifts Harry and Ron had sent, a beautifully packaged bottle of vodka stood out in the centre of the gift box. It was surrounded by a circle of Ron's personal favourite, Sunny Sweet Orange flavoured lollipops, staggered and inserted into the base, exuding a colour as bright and cheerful as a summer's day…
'…'
Dracula pushed the aggressively cheerful, orange-flavoured lollipops and the throat-burning vodka away from him with a gloomy, almost thunderous face. He then used magic again to wrap them back up in the gift box that had just been opened.
A bat appeared out of thin air, picked up the offending gift box, and flew from the window towards the Headmaster's office on the eighth floor, directly transferring it to Dumbledore.
Afterwards, Dracula, his mood still not improved in the slightest, flashed and appeared in Quirrell's office.
'Assistant Quirrell,' he commanded, his voice cold as the winter air outside, 'when school starts, find the holiday homework of Harry Potter and Ron Weasley, and grade it according to the strictest possible standards!'
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