Aside from future prospects and status, Tonks also received two additional rewards from this incident. The Order of Merlin would only be awarded after some time during an official ceremony, but the monetary reward had already been issued to her. Feeling that she had received more credit than she deserved, Tonks insisted on giving the entire bonus in Galleons to Lewis. Lewis had always believed that more money was better, so he did not refuse her kindness, though he only accepted half and left the rest to her. As a result, his total wealth now reached eighteen hundred Galleons.
The remaining days of the holiday passed pleasantly for Lewis. Tonks's parents were kind and warm people, and they treated their daughter's benefactor with great affection. Combined with Lewis's naturally likable appearance, mature personality, and subtle influence of his psionic abilities—perhaps also mixed with some sympathy for his background—he was almost treated as one of their own. Their overwhelming enthusiasm even made him a little uncomfortable at times. During those days, aside from chatting and reading at the Tonks household, Lewis accompanied Tonks to Diagon Alley for shopping, and afterward, he even took her through the Muggle parts of London, buying plenty of Christmas gifts.
In the wizarding world, exchanging gifts among friends and family during Christmas was a long-standing tradition, and Lewis naturally followed suit. He himself received quite a number of presents. Filius Flitwick gave him a personal collection of spellcasting notes, representing his expectations as a professor toward his student. His Ravenclaw friends, such as Stephen and Kevin, sent various magical sweets. Hermione Granger gifted him a Conway Stewart fountain pen; after learning that Lewis's "automatic pen" relied on a copying spell rather than being a magical item, she had wanted to get him something more practical. Along with the gift came a carefully written apology letter, detailing everything that had happened and expressing regret for not persuading others earlier. Reading it, Lewis couldn't help but smile at her earnestness and replied with a letter of reassurance.
Tonks's parents gave him two sets of formal robes, clearly worried that he might not have enough proper clothing. Tonks herself gifted him an Auror utility belt, equipped with slots for potion vials, a Sneakoscope, and other tools for quick access during combat. What surprised Lewis the most, however, were gifts from Cho Chang and Cirila. Cho sent him handmade mung bean pastries as a token of shared heritage in a foreign land, while Cirila gave him a gleaming dagger—befitting a witcher; Lewis even wondered why she hadn't been sorted into Gryffindor. As for Lewis's own gifts, they were much simpler, mostly Muggle items, fitting his background but admittedly lacking uniqueness. He quietly resolved to study alchemy harder so that next year he could give handcrafted magical items instead.
He also sent a substantial donation of five hundred pounds to the orphanage where he had grown up. Even if exchanging Galleons for pounds wasn't the most efficient choice, it was his way of giving back. As for Tonks, she received no physical gift at all—because what Lewis gave her was a full week of magical training. During that week, he taught her five practical arcane spells: Dancing Lights, Mage Armor, Grease, Invisibility, and Mirror Image. He had wanted to teach more complex spells, but time was limited, and the differences between arcane magic and the native magic of this world made learning difficult. Even mastering those five spells had been a struggle for Tonks, so Lewis eventually left her with detailed notes and told her to write to him if she had questions. If she wanted to learn more, it would have to wait until summer.
Before long, the holiday came to an end. Lewis reluctantly bid farewell to the Tonks family and boarded the train back to Hogwarts. Returning to school was, in many ways, enjoyable. The young wizards who had spent two weeks at home gathered once more, excitedly sharing their holiday stories, which gave Lewis a slight headache. What could he possibly say about his own experiences? That he had infiltrated a poachers' hideout, rescued a captured Auror, and wiped out an entire criminal group? Even if he said it, no one would believe him. So whenever someone asked, he simply relied on a universal strategy: "Really?" "What happened next?" "That's incredible." It worked every time.
After dealing with yet another eager storyteller, Lewis finally encountered someone with actual business—the Gryffindor trio. However, their formation was rather strange. Hermione and Harry stood on either side, practically escorting Ron forward like a prisoner. "What's going on?" Lewis asked, puzzled. "Ron!" "Hurry up!" Hermione and Harry urged simultaneously. Ron, his face flushed red, hesitated for a long moment before finally forcing out his words. "I'm sorry, Lewis… about what happened before the holiday… I shouldn't have treated you like that." The short sentence took him nearly a full minute to finish.
Lewis was briefly confused before realizing what he meant. With his maturity, he had never taken such childish jealousy seriously. He nodded calmly. "It's nothing, Ron. I've already forgotten about it." Relief immediately spread across Ron's face. Being forgiven meant not only restoring their friendship but also easing the tension between him and his two companions. Being scolded by both friends at once had been unbearable. Harry and Hermione, on the other hand, smiled awkwardly, not quite knowing what to say.
The happiest of the three, however, was Hermione. Keeping secrets from Lewis had given her an inexplicable sense of guilt, as if she had betrayed him. It felt strange—after all, she and Lewis also had secrets they hadn't shared with Harry and Ron, like the custom spells he had taught her. Why didn't she feel the same guilt toward them? She couldn't figure it out, but she was glad she no longer had to carry that burden. So she spoke directly. "Lewis, do you remember that three-headed dog? We've been trying to find out what it's guarding." She quickly added what they believed to be crucial clues. "We think it has something to do with Professor Snape. Harry saw bite marks on his leg, and during the Gryffindor versus Slytherin match, he even cast a jinx on Harry…"
Ron hurriedly chimed in, "We also asked Hagrid, and he accidentally mentioned a name—Nicolas Flamel. We think whatever Snape wants must be connected to him."
"So that's why you were trying to find out who Nicolas Flamel is," Lewis concluded. Ron nodded awkwardly. The irony was that despite all their efforts, they still hadn't found the answer. Hermione had gone home for the holidays, but Ron and Harry had stayed at Hogwarts and made no progress at all. They had intended to read extensively and solve the mystery themselves, proving they didn't need Lewis's help—but things hadn't gone as planned. Harry had become absorbed in the Mirror of Erised, enchanted by the vision of his parents and the life he longed for. As for Ron, he couldn't stay awake long enough to make any progress.
And so, after everything, they found themselves back where they started—once again placing their hopes on Lewis.
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