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On the night before Christmas, heavy snow fell upon the Castle, perfectly fitting the season.
Snowflakes fluttered down, covering the Castle's spires and its vast grounds. The treetops of the Forbidden Forest were covered in white snow, shimmering with a faint silver light under the moon.
A thick layer of ice had formed on the Black Lake, its surface reflecting the warm yellow light from the Castle windows.
It was worth mentioning that Durmstrang's great ship was also frozen.
To be precise, it was frozen right in the middle of the Black Lake. A thick ring of ice had formed around the hull, pinning it firmly in place, with icicles hanging from the gunwales.
As for the rooms of the three champions—the cabins of Krum, Louis, and Katya—they received special attention from the wind and snow.
According to an anonymous Durmstrang student, for some reason, the windows of those three rooms were all open that night.
The wind and snow howled inside, and by the time they noticed, a thick layer of snow had accumulated in the rooms, and the bedding of the three champions had frozen into blocks of ice.
The next morning.
Lynn was once again woken by the rustling sound of packages being unwrapped.
He opened his eyes and saw Edgar, William, and Ollie already sitting around that mountain of packages.
Only this time, they weren't invitations, but proper Christmas gifts—boxes, bags, and parcels of all sizes piled even higher than before.
Beside them were several exquisite gift boxes containing custom-made Dress Robes.
Lynn rubbed his eyes and sat up in bed.
He didn't look at the Dress Robes. Instead, he started rummaging through the pile of packages.
He flipped one over; not it.
He flipped two; still not it.
He flipped the third, the fourth, the fifth—
Edgar put down a sculpture shaped like a golden Snitch and looked at him curiously.
"Lynn, what are you looking for?"
Lynn didn't look up, continuing his search.
"Nothing."
Edgar raised an eyebrow.
"Nothing? And yet you're searching so seriously?"
Lynn ignored him.
After rummaging for a while longer, he finally stopped.
"Strange," he muttered. "Why don't I see any gifts from the Durmstrang champions? I even saw Fleur's gift."
The movements of Edgar and the other two paused simultaneously.
They glanced at each other.
And then—
"Pfft—"
Edgar was the first one who couldn't hold it in and burst out laughing.
"You've tormented those Durmstrang champions to such a state, and you still expect them to give you Christmas gifts?"
Lynn looked up with an innocent expression.
"What did I do?"
"What did you do?" Edgar counted on his fingers. "In the first task, you crashed into Krum and broke his ribs... then chased them for two whole days and nights. And now you actually want their gifts?"
Lynn blinked.
"This means they haven't learned their lesson."
Edgar: "..."
"What?"
Lynn said righteously:
"If they sent me gifts, it would show they don't hold a grudge. Not holding a grudge is a good thing; it means they are broad-minded."
"Since they didn't send any, it shows they are still resentful. Resentment means they haven't seen the light, and not seeing the light means I haven't done enough."
He paused, a hint of regret appearing in his tone.
"So last night, I specifically went to open their windows for them, to help them clear their heads."
Edgar and the others:
"..."
William pushed up his glasses.
"You went... onto the Durmstrang ship last night?"
Lynn nodded.
"Yeah."
"To open their windows?"
"Right."
"On a night when it was ten degrees below zero?"
"Otherwise? It's too easy to get caught during the day."
Edgar's mouth opened and closed several times before he finally squeezed out a sentence.
"You're really not afraid of getting caught by Karkaroff."
Lynn shrugged.
"He won't catch me. I have experience."
...
Time flew by, and soon it was seven in the evening.
The sky gradually darkened, and warm light shone through the Castle windows. The snow had stopped, but it remained on the ground, glowing with a soft white light under the moon.
Lynn carried a bucket, leisurely walking back from the edge of the Black Lake.
The bucket was filled with small fish and shrimp—to be precise, today's "spoils of war." He had carved a hole in the Black Lake and fished for the entire afternoon; his harvest consisted of these finger-length little things.
As for big fish?
Better not mention them.
He returned to the dormitory, set the bucket in a corner, and walked over to his bed.
The gift box that had arrived that morning was sitting there.
He opened the lid and took out the Dress Robe.
It was a white silk Dress Robe embroidered with golden cloud patterns. The fabric was soft and smooth, shimmering with a gentle luster under the light. The collar and cuffs were embroidered with exquisite golden clouds, the waist was perfectly tailored, and the overall cut was sleek and sharp.
Lynn changed into the robe and checked himself in the mirror.
In the mirror, his hair was neatly combed, and the robe fit him as if it were custom-made—well, it was custom-made.
The white fabric made him look much more spirited, and the golden embroidery shimmered faintly under the light.
He looked left, then right.
Then he clicked his tongue.
"Still so handsome."
He nodded to his reflection, deeply agreeing with his own assessment.
Half past seven.
Lynn left the dormitory on time and headed toward the Great Hall.
There were already many people in the corridors. Students walked in pairs or groups; the girls wore Dress Robes of various colors, sparkling under the magical lights. Most of the boys wore dark robes, though a few wore bright colors, drawing many looks.
When Lynn reached the entrance of the Great Hall, Edgar and the other two were already waiting there.
Edgar was wearing a dark green robe, his hair styled with gel and combed meticulously. When he saw Lynn, his eyes widened instantly.
"Merlin," he looked Lynn up and down, "whose thunder are you trying to steal?"
William, wearing a deep blue robe, pushed up his glasses.
"White with gold embroidery. It suits you quite well."
Ollie, wearing a simple black robe, rarely spoke up.
"Not bad."
Lynn glanced at them and nodded.
"All good. Let's go."
The four of them pushed open the doors to the Great Hall together.
The Great Hall had been completely transformed.
The original four long tables had been replaced by dozens of large round tables.
More than a dozen Christmas trees covered in silver frost were placed in the corners, decorated with small fairy lights and golden stars. Ribbons crisscrossed the ceiling, some gold and some silver, floating slowly under the influence of magic.
The most impressive part was—
Snowflakes were fluttering down from the air.
It wasn't real snow, but a magical effect.
Tiny white specks of light fell from the vaulted ceiling, swirling and drifting in the air, landing on people's shoulders and hair before silently vanishing.
The entire Great Hall was enveloped in a dreamlike atmosphere, beautiful beyond reality.
Lynn stood there, looking at the scene, and for once, he didn't make a sarcastic remark.
As Dumbledore stood up, the Great Hall quickly fell silent.
The old Principal stood before the head table, his silver-white beard shimmering under the reflection of the magical snowflakes.
Today, he wore a deep purple robe embroidered with golden stars and moons, looking exceptionally festive. Fawkes stood on his shoulder, his feathers glowing with a warm luster under the light.
Dumbledore scanned the dense crowd below, a bright smile appearing on his face.
"Before everyone eats," he proposed cheerfully, "let us sing a Christmas carol together!"
A ragged chorus of agreement rose from below—mainly from the Hogwarts students, who were already used to the Principal's sudden suggestions.
The students from the other schools looked at each other, but it wasn't appropriate to say anything.
Dumbledore waved his wand.
A golden ribbon instantly appeared in the air, winding and coiling above the dining tables.
Then, lines of lyrics emerged on the ribbon, the handwriting clear and shimmering with gold, ensuring everyone could see.
There was only one line of lyrics, appearing repeatedly:
Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah...
Lynn stared at that line of lyrics and fell silent.
Dumbledore had already begun to lead the singing. His voice wasn't great, but it was full of vigor and festive cheer:
"Hallelujah—Hallelujah—"
Fawkes let out a cry from his shoulder in coordination, though it was unclear whether he was accompanying the song or protesting.
Then McGonagall's face turned as black as the bottom of a pot instantly.
Lynn happened to catch this scene and almost couldn't help laughing out loud.
He could understand McGonagall's feelings—it was one thing to embarrass themselves within the school, but now they were losing face internationally.
Teachers and students from six schools, Ministry of Magic officials, and guests from various countries were all sitting here, watching the Principal of Hogwarts lead a rendition of "Hallelujah."
The problem was that the wizards from the other schools didn't know how to sing this song.
In the Beauxbatons camp, Madame Maxime's expression was subtle. She maintained a polite smile, her lips moving slightly, but a closer look revealed that she wasn't making any sound at all.
The Beauxbatons students behind her followed suit, each sitting with dignity and elegance, occasionally nodding to the rhythm, pretending they were also singing.
It was even more obvious on the Durmstrang side.
Karkaroff's face was tense, his lips pressed into a line, his entire being radiating an aura of:
"I don't want to participate in such childish activities."
The students behind him wanted to follow along, but the lyrics were all "Hallelujah," and they didn't know the tune, so they could only open their mouths and make vague syllables.
The Ilvermorny students looked at each other.
One boy tried to start with an operatic style, but he ended up completely off-key and was poked hard in the ribs by the girl next to him.
A low discussion came from the Uagadou camp, seemingly discussing how this song should be sung.
A few students from Castelobruxo simply gave up and started clapping to the beat.
As for the Hogwarts students—
They had already started letting themselves go.
Lynn heard several different tunes coming from behind him. Some were high-pitched, some were low, some were off-key, some weren't even following a tune at all, and there were even some just making up the numbers.
Lynn himself was also just making up the numbers.
He opened his mouth, moving his lips to the rhythm, occasionally letting out a few "Halle" syllables, focusing on the sense of participation.
Beside him, Edgar was singing quite seriously, but the tune had wandered who knew how far away.
In the middle of this chaos, Lynn's ears suddenly caught a strange sound.
That sound came from his left rear. It wasn't the tune of "Hallelujah," but another melody entirely.
Lynn listened carefully.
He couldn't help but look back.
The crowd was too dense to see who it was.
But the tune continued, blending into the "Hallelujah" chorus, and it was surprisingly... harmonious?
Lynn looked back and continued pretending.
The song ended.
Dumbledore nodded with satisfaction, the smile on his face growing even brighter.
"A very wonderful song," he said. "Full of festive joy."
A round of polite applause rose from below.
McGonagall's complexion recovered slightly, but Lynn felt it was only because she had already given up.