Christmas Gifts
Tver was startled the next morning by the mountain of gifts piled in front of him.
The living room was filled with beautifully wrapped packages of all sizes, and some even spilled into the hallway by the door.
Cynthia was diligently checking each package with her wand, ensuring they contained no dark magic or malicious magical items.
"Owls have been delivering these since last night; there are still about a dozen resting in the yard, looking quite exhausted," she reported.
Tver glanced out the window, where the owls were neatly perched on a rack, with some dried fruits placed in front of them for food.
Yet the passersby on the street seemed completely indifferent to the scene as if the owls didn't exist.
The house originally had minimal magical enchantments, but it seemed Cynthia had made some temporary arrangements, employing spells like the Confundus Charm.
"Thank you for your hard work."
He casually opened a gift to find a doll in his likeness, sent by an upperclassman, according to the enclosed letter.
"The majority here are gifts from your students," Cynthia pointed to a larger pile, "but there's one gift I'm unsure about giving you."
She picked up the smallest package, which was also meticulously wrapped.
"It contains a sticking charm, making whatever is inside stick to the person who opens it. However, I didn't detect any malice or anything amiss."
Curious, Tver took the package, which had a note attached: "A gift from George & Fred."
Knowing the Weasley twins' penchant for pranks, he anticipated a good-natured joke.
With a light chuckle, he unwrapped the gift without hesitation.
The twins loved their pranks, but they always kept them harmless, never intending to hurt anyone.
Even if it were dangerous, it couldn't harm him.
Inside, Tver found a small badge that surprised him—a badge engraved with the twins' faces, each facing the other, mouths open as if to speak.
Before Tver could ponder its function, the badge demonstrated itself—
"Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way..."
The faces on the badge took turns singing the Christmas carol, loud and cheerful. The singing was quite emotional.
The badge struggled slightly, trying to fall from his grasp.
Feeling no malice, Tver let go of the badge, allowing it to affix itself to his chest.
After trying unsuccessfully to remove it and with the song repeating over and over with no sign of stopping, he felt no irritation but found it amusing instead.
"If those two would channel their talent for pranks into their magical studies, I assure you, they could become some of the leading wizards in the world."
Cynthia watched Tver's smiling face, fully aware of the implication behind his words.
"But interest is their greatest teacher. If they shifted focus, they might not exhibit such remarkable talent."
After speaking, she handed another box to Tver.
"Is this one marked with Albus Dumbledore's name a gift from the headmaster?"
The box was small, about the size of a few books, and indeed, it bore Dumbledore's name on the label.
"It must be. I didn't expect him to send me a gift. Luckily, I had prepared plenty of sweets for him in advance."
Indeed, the box contained a book, the very same 'The Four Elements of Magic' that he had previously left for Dumbledore.
What does this mean? Giving my book back as a Christmas gift?
He opened it, curious, and it wasn't as simple as it seemed.
Dumbledore had left numerous annotations throughout, detailing his understanding of the four elements, and at the end of the book, there was a note:
"This is my humble understanding, hoping it will be of help to you—Albus Dumbledore."
The gift was substantial; the annotations were the result of Dumbledore's years of experience, and Tver could gain much insight from just a brief review.
It seemed the headmaster was indeed thoughtful.
"Can't you stop that damned badge from singing?" Grindelwald appeared at the door, leaning on a cane, looking every bit the ordinary Muggle old man, "I could hear it outside the house!"
The house was enchanted with Muffliato Charm; he could hear it was a miracle, and besides, if he could, it wasn't the song but probably a name...
Muttering to himself, Tver focused his magic and stopped the singing from the badge, but he didn't remove it.
"Do you want to look at this book?" he teased, showing the book to his teacher, "It has quite interesting content."
Grindelwald glared at his most proud pupil, snatched the book from his hands, "I'm going to rest. Don't disturb me unless it's important!"
With those words, he briskly walked up to the second floor, moving agilely.
By then, Cynthia had finished checking all the gifts and thoughtfully sorted them according to the giver's identity.
The majority were from Hogwarts students, followed by friends known to Durmstrang, and the rest were from colleagues and relatives.
"How do you know who all these people are?"
Tver nonchalantly opened the pile of gifts meant from friends and relatives; there were so many, just unwrapping them could take up his entire morning.
"I checked the list of Hogwarts staff," Cynthia proudly stated, "and apart from them, I know the Durmstrang students, so the rest must be Hogwarts students, right?"
In a way, Cynthia could be said to understand him the best.
"Oh?"
Tver looked surprised at the scarf he held in his hands.
He had unwrapped several gifts already, mostly books, some even duplicates, making this the first different gift from someone other than his students.
It was a peculiar scarf with a gradient color shift from dark red to light red, quite uncommon in 1991 Britain, and even in the magical world, crafting such a scarf was no easy task.
"Is this your gift?" Seeing Cynthia's expectant look, Tver guessed the answer immediately.
"Yes, I figured you might have received enough books by now, so I prepared something different," Cynthia said with a beaming smile. "Also, I really like the badge you gave me."
She pointed to the dark gold badge already adorning her chest, featuring two interlocking ovals.
This was a Dervish creation, a badge designed by him based on the concept of the Two-Way Mirror, allowing for remote communication between two badges.
However, production was currently challenging. He hoped to provide one for each of his followers in the future, but this would require the Dervish brothers to advance their skills.
Tver casually draped the scarf around his neck, which added a refined and genteel touch to his appearance.
"A very nice gift indeed."