Chapter 107: Christmas

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The Anderson family had canceled their skiing plans for the Christmas holiday. Instead, Luke and Sansa would come over to celebrate Christmas together. No one in the family complained about it as they weren't particularly enthusiastic about skiing.

On Christmas Eve, Albert saw Herbert hesitating outside Nia's bedroom door, seemingly considering whether to place the gifts by his daughter's bedside.

"Santa Claus isn't popular anymore," Albert gestured to Herbert to put the Christmas gifts by the Christmas tree downstairs.

"I already told him that," Daisy, in her pajamas, looked at the two men in the hallway with a helpless expression, shaking her head. "You should go back to sleep and not stay up late. We have to wake up in the morning to open the Christmas presents."

The next day, Albert was awakened early by Nia.

There was no way he could ignore Tom's cat face coming close to his own face, instantly dissipating any drowsiness he had.

"I couldn't find the Christmas gift you gave me," Nia reached out, demanding an explanation.

"It's right here. I haven't had a chance to put it by the Christmas tree yet," Albert pushed Tom's face away with his hand, and as he did so, he reached into a drawer and took out a neatly wrapped box, handing it to Nia.

"What about mine?" he asked. The two siblings had been exchanging Christmas gifts for a long time.

"By the Christmas tree downstairs," Nia unwrapped the package and picked up a badge, asking, "It's very pretty. By the way, what bird is this?"

"A phoenix. You can also call it a firebird or a phoenix, and it's said that Headmaster Dumbledore had one as a pet. Although I've never seen a phoenix myself," Albert took out a small fish snack from the drawer and offered it to Tom. "And here's your Christmas gift."

As he said that, he tore open the wrapping paper and pulled out a fish snack, waving it in front of Tom, easily capturing his attention.

However, just as Albert was about to put the fish snack into his own mouth, Tom's face leaned in, accompanied by an anxious meow.

"This guy is too naughty, Tom. Let's not play with him anymore," Nia put the badge in her pocket, picked up the cat, and took the bag of fish snacks downstairs, leaving Albert alone with a single fish snack in his hand.

"A white Christmas!" Albert got out of bed and walked to the window, pulling back the curtains with his hand, looking at the snowflakes falling outside, and sighed.

When he went downstairs, Albert couldn't help but glance at the pile of small packages under the Christmas tree. Nia was already sitting at the dining table, opening her own presents. So...the remaining ones were all for him?

Albert walked over to the Christmas tree and started unwrapping the presents:

Several books, a few greeting cards, and a Quidditch poster caught Albert's attention. It was a gift from the Weasley brothers. Although Albert didn't know who the group of people in the poster was, he decided to take it back to school and hang it in his dorm room. The poster must be supporting the team favored by the Weasley twins. There was also a small bag of candy from Shanna, thanking him for his help at the beginning of the school year. Lee Jordan had gifted him a box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans.

There was also an issue of Today's Transfiguration magazine, but it was from a previous edition. Albert checked the sender and was surprised to see that it was sent by Professor McGonagall.

Albert was curious. Did Professor McGonagall also give him a Christmas gift? And then, there was a scarf?

"How does it look?" Nia asked nervously. "I picked the color."

"It looks beautiful." Albert wrapped the scarf around his neck directly. It was warm enough, a gray-white children's style. Well, he was only twelve years old, still a child, so there was nothing to complain about.

The remaining gifts were either candy or books, and Albert wasn't surprised to receive books. It had always been like this before.

Breakfast was exceptionally abundant, but the Anderson family didn't immediately start eating. They waited until Luke and Sansa arrived, probably around ten-thirty, before the six of them enjoyed breakfast amidst Christmas songs. After getting full, they lounged on the couch, watching TV programs and chatting about light-hearted topics.

Nia had hoped that Albert would perform some magic tricks, but Albert considered and declined.

Honestly, he still couldn't figure out how the Trace in the Ministry of Magic worked. Although he had asked others, no one seemed to understand the principle behind the Trace either.

Usually, they would receive a notice about the prohibition of using magic outside of school before summer vacation in their first year.

However, Albert didn't want to take any risks. It would be unwise to recklessly exploit legal loopholes without proper preparation.

Even without using magic, there were still many things they could do, like playing Wizard's Chess or discussing interesting topics.

However, when it came to Wizard's Chess, it was clear that no one was a match for Albert.

After Herbert lost another game, he temporarily gave up playing Wizard's Chess with his son.

Fortunately, Daisy brought out a large bowl of freshly fried French fries from the kitchen, giving him a good excuse to end the chess game.

"Tom, don't provoke Snowball. Be careful not to get pecked," Albert took the short-haired cat from in front of the owl as he went to wash his hands, muttering to himself, "Did I pick the wrong name? It should have been Jerry. Tom and Jerry, what a great combination."

"Snowball sounds better," Nia couldn't help but remind him.

When Albert returned after washing his hands, he heard a scream. Tom, the cunning one, had finally been pecked hard by Snowball, the owl.

Snowball clearly had no intention of letting Tom go and chased after it, pecking fiercely. Tom, in a sorry state, could only hide under the sofa.

Everyone couldn't help but burst into laughter.

Sansa brought some owl food for Snowball and then bent down to pick up Tom from under the sofa, comforting his wounded soul with small fish treats.

"Tom is getting fatter and fatter," Nia took out the birthday gift Albert had given her and showed it to the others.

"It's nice for cats to be a little chubby," Sansa chuckled and scratched Tom's chin. "Don't you think he looks like a Tom?"

"When will it be able to fly?" Nia raised her hand and poked the head of the Griffin. "And, do these creatures really exist in our world?"

"They do. But it's said that they all reside in hidden places," Albert said as he put a tomato sauce-dipped french fry into his mouth.

"People in the wizarding world are like that. Why do they have to hide like rats?" Daisy sat next to Herbert, and the two leaned against each other.

"After all, there are fewer wizards, and most ordinary people fear powers that surpass their understanding," Luke answered, even though he wasn't directly asked.

In reality, many people both fear and envy magic. They admire those who possess it, but for various reasons, they label magical people as monsters and find excuses to persecute them. Humans are such creatures.

Tom was now lying on the table, staring at a toy with outstretched wings, using his claws to fiddle with it.

"Albert, have you read the book I picked for you?" Daisy suddenly asked.

"I've finished reading it. It's a really good book," Albert nodded. "But, unfortunately, the world inside the book remains just a book."

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(End of this chapter)