Christmas at Hogwarts was incredibly lively. A fragrant roast turkey, mountains of roasted potatoes, and platters of exquisite sausages – Zhang Dong and his friends were immediately drawn to the delicious aroma as they entered the Great Hall.
Every few steps they took, a flurry of dazzling fireworks would erupt from the tables, shooting into the air and showering the hall with multicolored light.
These magical fireworks were different from the ones in the Muggle world. Each one was completely safe, and instead of exploding with flames, they released swirling clouds of vibrant, magical smoke. Occasionally, some would even spew out flying sailor hats, adorable white mice, glowing balloons, and other fun things.
Everything else was fine, but the poor white mice were quickly caught and played with by Madame Rosmerta, who had arrived for the feast. It was clear they were going to be her dinner that night.
As for the professors, Dumbledore, sitting on the elevated platform, had swapped his pointy wizarding hat for a flower-adorned ladies' hat, making him look exceptionally cute and comical. Zhang Dong, however, thought of Grindelwald.
He had never known who had the upper hand in their relationship, but now he thought he might have an idea.
“When there are a lot of people around, I’ll cast a ‘Two Months of Bewilderment’ and ‘One Century of Unutterable’ on him. I wonder if old Dumbledore would be humiliated by that,” he mused.
Of course, Dumbledore had no idea what Zhang Dong was thinking. He was listening to Professor Flitwick tell a very funny joke and was laughing heartily.
Beside him, Hagrid was downing one goblet of ale after another. Despite his imposing size, he couldn’t hold his liquor very well. After just a few drinks, his face was getting progressively redder. Finally, he planted a kiss on Professor McGonagall's cheek.
“Holy crap!” Zhang Dong couldn't help but exclaim. "That’s not in the movie! It’s such a shame. If it were, I would have edited that clip and put it on the internet.”
Harry, sitting next to Zhang Dong, almost rushed to apologize for Hagrid, but they saw Professor McGonagall giggling, her face flushed, and her tall black top hat tilted to one side. There was no sign of anger at all. The scene filled everyone with a sense of joy and warmth.
Hogwarts truly felt like home.
Everyone settled into their seats and began to enjoy the feast. It had to be said, the house-elves’ cooking was truly excellent. The turkey was roasted to perfection, crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. The taste was just right.
However, Harry didn't seem as happy. It wasn't that the food wasn’t good, but he was already eager for dinner to be over so he could try out his Invisibility Cloak.
Zhang Dong was also distracted. After all, it was Christmas. How could he not play a video?
But it wouldn’t be appropriate to play any sad videos on such a festive occasion. A happy one would be better.
Zhang Dong flipped through the videos, and finally found one.
［Every mirror becomes the Mirror of Erised after you leave］
“But before I play this video, I have to tell them what the Mirror of Erised is. After all, most people have no idea what it is.”
Zhang Dong remembered that in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Quirrell, standing in front of the Mirror of Erised, didn't even know what it was. This proved how little known it was. He needed to make a video to explain it first.
Well, he could use Harry looking into the mirror and Dumbledore looking into the mirror to explain it.
And so, the screen flickered to life…
“Wow! It's back! Is this a Christmas gift from the mysterious entity?”
“I like this Christmas gift!”
“Hopefully it will be an interesting video, like the Sorting Hat one.”
“I still want an exciting video, like a Quidditch match. The next one is Hufflepuff versus Ravenclaw! Hufflepuff will win for sure!”
“I want a personal video, like the one about Seamus. I want to be the star!”
Even Harry, who had something on his mind, couldn't help but focus on the video, seeing everyone else discussing it.
It was truly the most entertaining thing ever.
The screen then displayed this:
［“The infamous thief of fire, the demon of the fifteenth century…”
A hand holding a lantern floated in the darkness. There was nothing unusual about the lantern itself, but the fact that there was only a hand in the frame was quite unsettling.］
The moment Harry saw this, he widened his eyes in alarm.
Uh oh, he hadn’t even managed to sneak out for a nighttime adventure yet, and he'd already been caught!
Seeing this, Professor McGonagall’s sobered up instantly. She looked at Harry, who was sitting right in front of her, and said in a warning voice.
“Harry, the Invisibility Cloak isn't meant for this!”
Though she couldn't see his face, McGonagall knew it was Harry just from his voice. And anyone sneaking out for a night adventure was almost certainly a Gryffindor lion.
Even Snape turned his gaze towards Harry.
“Don't let me catch you, Potter. If I do, I'll confiscate your cloak and deduct five points from Gryffindor.”
Harry trembled, feeling a bit scared. He wasn’t Zhang Dong. Zhang Dong could add and subtract points as he pleased, and no one would say anything.
He’d only gained twenty points, from the Quidditch match. They were nowhere near the amount that Snape had deducted for potions class. If he lost another five points, people would definitely look at him differently.
So Harry made a silent decision.
“I’ll be more careful when I go out at night from now on.”
As for staying home and behaving, not a chance. Would that even make him a proper Gryffindor?