43 Christmas gifts

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As Ethan approached Hogwarts Castle, he was surprised to see many students preparing to leave with suitcases. Perplexed, he wondered if the basilisk had attacked again during his absence. His confusion dissipated when he observed two senior boys dragging a stout fir tree to the castle, a task typically handled by Hagrid. However, due to a significant "emotional trauma," Hagrid had been unable to perform any work recently, so the senior students had taken over the responsibility of adorning Hogwarts.

It was then that Ethan realized it was Christmas. He found it somewhat amusing that despite traversing two worlds, he had yet to experience Christmas.

Hogwarts was adorned with festive decorations, with twelve Christmas trees decorating the auditorium and walls adorned with holly and mistletoe. Professor Flitwick was busy dressing a Christmas tree covered in silver frost. The enchanted snow, warm and dry, gently fell from the ceiling. The student population at Hogwarts was notably sparse, as many had opted to go home for Christmas after a challenging year.

The Great Hall showcased a hundred fat roast turkeys, mounds of roast meat and boiled potatoes, platters of savory sausages, bowls of buttered peas, platters of thick meat gravy, and lingonberry sauce. Excited lower-grade wizards who stayed at the school ran around holding colorful bags of wizard firecrackers. These firecrackers could transform into lively little mice, wizard chess sets, Skiving Snackboxes, and Life-Sized Hats.

With some time before the evening banquet, Ethan returned to his office to take stock of his recent gains. To his surprise, upon reaching the office door, he found numerous large and small boxes stacked outside and Pippi, the bewildered house-elf, standing inside the office.

Pippi was on the verge of tears as he saw Ethan. He sobbed, hugging Ethan's leg and expressing his helplessness and grievances. After offering much comfort, Ethan finally understood the reason for Pippi's distress.

The house elves at Hogwarts cared for the professor's and students' food and daily life, including delivering Christmas gifts to the school. Pippi's original task was to pile the gifts before Ethan's bed while he was still sleeping. However, Pippi couldn't find Ethan, and the enchanted door prevented him from entering. So, in panic and helplessness, Pippi had waited for Ethan at the office door.

Ethan carefully extracted his legs from Pippi's arms, avoiding snot dripping onto his pants. He then opened the door to his office, and Pippi, like a pardoned convict, followed Ethan with a stack of gifts. Once inside the office, Pippi eagerly proceeded to stack the gifts before Ethan's bed to complete his task.

Rather than dismissing Pippi immediately, Ethan took a bunch of gifts from the drawer and handed them to Pippi. He instructed Pippi on who each gift should be given to, and Pippi attentively memorized the details. After acknowledging what Ethan said, Pippi bowed and disappeared in front of Ethan.

Ethan eagerly opened his presents. Dumbledore had gifted him a thick book titled "The History and Tradition of the Magical World." It seemed that Dumbledore hoped the traveler would take a keen interest in understanding this world.

Professor McGonagall presented Ethan with a copy of her research notes on becoming an Animagus. The contents were thorough and detailed, indicating that Professor McGonagall hadn't forgotten that Ethan had expressed a desire to learn about Animagus's transformation during a dinner in the auditorium.

Professor Flitwick gifted Ethan a set of battle wand holsters. These holsters, typically used by Aurors, differed from regular wand sets. They could be fastened to the arm, and with a slight activation of magic, the wand quickly flicked into the wielder's hands, providing a head start in battle. Ethan tried the battle wand holster around his arm and found it fit perfectly without discomfort.

Professor Sprout gifted Ethan a set of cherished herbal specimens, which Ethan hung on the wall. Snape surprised him with an improved version of herbal medicine and accompanying research notes. After extensive research, Snape managed to reduce the mortality rate of potions to 30-40% and minimize the pain in the process. Unfortunately, issues of infertility and emotional weakening caused by the witcher mutation remained unsolved, deemed a necessary price for gaining power, according to Snape's notes.

The young wizards also presented their gifts. Harry gave Ethan a shorthand quill that could automatically write based on the user's thoughts, relieving the need to use his hands for writing. Hermione gifted Ethan a set of scarves, hats, and gloves to match the color of Ethan's wizard robes. Understanding his interests, Ron gave Ethan a large bag of cockroach candy.

There was also an intriguing, unsigned box with the crookedly written message "Carefully open, handle with care." When Ethan opened it, several flying dirigibles suddenly rushed out, startling him. After realizing the box contained floating dirigibles, Ethan tied them to the armrest of a chair, making them float like balloons. The accompanying card read, "Merry Christmas to you, Luna Lovegood."

Penelope contributed a set of wizard chess, similar to regular chess but with magic-imbued chess pieces that could move on their own according to the wizard's commands. Ethan placed the chess set in a drawer, intending to challenge Flitwick to a game.

Ethan also prepared numerous gifts for the professors and young wizards. Professor McGonagall sourced the second edition of the joke collection from a Diagon Alley second-hand bookstore. The owner mentioned it came from an old Russian wizard. For Professor Flitwick, Ethan procured a bottle of Sangry, a cherished wine from Toussaint, only available to the royal family and obtained by Ethan as a reward from the queen.

Snape received a petrified chicken snake head, knowing Snape's interest in the subject. Professor Sprout received plant seeds and detailed maintenance methods that Ethan brought from another world.

Ethan's gift to Dumbledore was a pair of thick wool socks inspired by the image of Dumbledore sitting in front of the Mirror of Erised, wearing similar socks. Ethan thought it would be a perfect gift for the wise wizard.