Chapter 145: Christmas
Breakfast was somewhat uncomfortable and confusing for Newt's children. It wasn't just the fact that Lys was having breakfast with us at the table, behaving like a human, but also that Newt and Tina's grandchildren had dark circles under their eyes and seemed tired, yet they treated Lys as if it were completely normal.
The third generation of Scamanders, just like the first, had grown fond of me and Elise. We had spent the night talking and learning about each other. They were good kids, not irritable, so it wasn't too difficult to establish a small friendship.
For these reasons, they fully embraced the dynamic that Elise was just one of us, without distinguishing her for being a unicorn. They had heard our story the night before and had shown interest in it, so today we were no longer "Red and his unicorn Elise," we were "Red and Elise." Honestly, Elise's ability to speak made this possible; otherwise, it would have been very challenging.
Newt smiled as he saw how quickly his grandchildren accepted Elise for who she was, a fantastic creature that completely defied the norm. He quickly joined the conversation, leaving Elian and Aurora alone, looking excluded and not understanding what was happening. Tina could only smile and nod, as it had also been challenging for her at first.
After finishing breakfast, the children took Lys and me to the backyard to play. I didn't refuse, even though I had other plans. I didn't think it would be a waste of time, and I was proven right.
Elise thoroughly enjoyed the games this morning, and seeing her pure smile made me happy. Playing with someone other than myself was new for her, and being treated as one of the group encouraged her to pursue her dreams of being with me.
Certainly, the children knew about my relationship with Elise. It slipped out during the night, and we had to explain it to them, but we asked them to keep it a secret. That's why we had slept very little, and we were all a bit tired, but we still played until noon and then had lunch.
...
In the evening, more guests arrived, Queenie Goldstein and Jacob Kowalski, Tina's sister and her husband. It was interesting to see them; they were both older, but they had that same vibe as the Scamander couple.
The familiarity among everyone here was very evident. They looked happy to be reunited once again, at least until they noticed our presence. We became the center of attention for a moment, but we didn't really mind; we simply greeted everyone.
It was the children who introduced us, and the surprise on the faces of the new guests was similar to that of Newt's children, especially when they heard Elise speak.
This couple was much more receptive than the group of Newt's children, not counting the kids, of course. They were kind, although Tina's sister seemed to look at me with concern.
Shortly afterward, the final guest arrived, Griffin Scamander, Newt and Tina's youngest child. There's no need to go into further detail about what happened during the introduction, as it was the same old thing and became rather dull.
We were the center of attention, but at the same time, we kept ourselves somewhat apart. We were strangers in this house on this occasion, and only a few people were genuinely happy to have us here, but it didn't bother us. After a while, the atmosphere became harmonious again, and the party and family gathering began.
...
The night arrived, and dinner would be plentiful, cooked by the women of the house, and yes, Elise was among them. It was quite remarkable for all of them, except Tina, but what would surprise them even more was seeing how a unicorn was capable of cooking... in her own way.
While that was happening with the women, although the children wanted to take me with them, I chose to stay with the adults, most of whom were intimidated by my appearance and the faint aura I emanated. They were somewhat hesitant, but Newt paved the way for me there.
The conversations among them were lengthy, recounting the day-to-day of their lives and bringing up memories from the past. I learned a great deal from that, especially when Newt and Jacob talked about their involvement in the fight against the Dark Lord Grindelwald.
There were moments when they wanted to give me the floor to speak; the respect and trust that Newt had for me indicated my relevance there. However, I couldn't say much because my world and theirs were different.
I remained mostly silent until, with a little encouragement, I began to speak about my encounters with Acromantulas and adventures with Elise. I got a bit lost in my own narrative and didn't realize that some children had joined the group and were listening to my story.
My words revealed a glimpse of my life, and that caught their attention. If you thought about it, our journeys through the Forbidden Forest were more than just the typical wizarding adventure. When I recounted my childhood in a cave with Elise, albeit with some changes, everyone's gazes upon me shifted without me even noticing... or perhaps it didn't matter enough.
The time for dinner came, and we all ate, although the looks toward Elise by my side didn't cease. We enjoyed that moment, and to conclude, we went to the backyard to gaze at the starry sky while the conversation continued.
During the brief free time I had, I had sent a clone to the Evans house, which was not much different from what was happening here, just with fewer people. Snape was there, and with the four of us Aconites together, we played for a while, just like the children here did.
I also knew, through my ability [Message], that Andra was having a good Christmas night with Eileen and was vigorously giving her their 'Christmas gift'. Lucky Sev wasn't there; he wouldn't have been able to sleep a wink.
While I enjoyed my time conversing with Elise in the house's backyard, alongside the others who were scattered around, we heard a distinctive, hearty laughter that made everyone look up at the night sky.
We saw how, high above us but still visible, a red sleigh zoomed by at great speed, seemingly dropping something on its journey. What was curious is that the same situation occurred in other places shortly after.
The people in the Scamander house were greatly confused and curious, but they quickly noticed that what was falling onto the backyard were attractively wrapped gift boxes.
Four gift boxes fell onto the Scamander house, landing directly in the hands of Newt, Tina, Elise, and me; well, Elise's box landed in front of her.
"What is this?"
"Oh... this is my doing, I forgot to mention it," I commented. "It's a sort of ability, you could say, that happens during Christmas."
"Is it Santa Claus?" Jacob asked in surprise, having a better idea of that kind of image as a Muggle.
"Not exactly, you could consider it a spirit that takes on the role of giving gifts at Christmas. It's related to me, and I can't explain it very well, but it happens every Christmas, at least from now on, as this is the first time," I explained the ability in broad terms.
"That's awesome!" one of the children exclaimed.
"But why did only you receive gifts?" another child complained.
"Yeah, what about us?" added another child.
"Well, besides me, only the people I have a certain relationship with receive gifts, that's why Newt, Tina, and Elise are included. I hardly know you," I explained.
"That's not fair," one of the children complained.
"Don't worry, I'm already too old for these gifts. You can have mine," Tina said, observing the large size of the gift box. She decided to give it to the children, believing it would be the best choice as she saw the sadness in her grandchildren's eyes.
"That..." I didn't finish my sentence when the children touched the box and their hands passed through it as if it were only air.
"What happened?" one asked, confused.
"Only the owner of the gift can open it," I said, seeing the disappointment in their young eyes. "But once opened, you can..."
"What's inside? Toys?" Aurora asked.
"No, it varies, but they are mostly magical objects... I wouldn't rule out the possibility of there being dangerous things, not inherently, but there could be a wand that shoots fireballs," I warned.
With my words, we gathered around the patio table to carefully open the gifts since, despite being minimally dangerous, everyone was curious.
Tina received a blank book in which she could provide specifications, and the blank pages of this book would be filled with a story that met those specifications. This could be repeated until all the pages were filled.
They were amazed and excited about these gifts, and almost half of the pages were filled that same night with requests from the recipients.
Newt received a large gold ring, approximately 20 centimeters in diameter. This ring had the ability that when you placed it on the ground and jumped on it, the momentum you had when falling would make you bounce back, but with twice the force and without any harm or falling reaction. Although, at a certain height, the momentum would start to diminish.
This was the children's favorite gift, and they couldn't stop jumping on it. It reached the point where parents had to stop their children, who were searching for objects to jump from and ending up on the roof of the house. Even Jacob ended up jumping from a great height, thoroughly enjoying it. Despite being a frail elderly man, the nullification of fall damage allowed him to play safely.
As for me, I received a +5mx5m bonus of territory for my [domain]. It was a good reward considering I had almost reached the expansion limit in this campaign, and after the third farm, I was already feeling cramped.
Elise was the most disappointed as she received... a sock, a sock for her horn. Yes, it was a shock, and some couldn't help but laugh. She didn't understand why it was that or what utility it would have, but she felt let down that the first gift she received thanks to my ability was something useless. Besides, she didn't even feel cold on her horn to use it for that.
To cheer her up, I came up with something and whispered it in her ear. My words excited her, and she became eager for us to go to our room to engage in the depraved act I mentioned, which both disgusted and excited her due to its perversion.
...
At the Evans' house, my clone also explained what was happening with the gifts, as the other aconites there also received them, which surprised me. In my original timeline, only a few received them, but perhaps it was an upgrade to my ability. I would check tomorrow.
Petunia received a crystal flower that would freeze for half of the year and burn for the other half, lasting for three years before withering (breaking).
Sev received a stone pet that could follow him as if it were a real pet, bark, eat smaller stones, and defecate them after some time. This pet would last for two months and then transform into a regular stone. He didn't like it much, but he accepted it.
Lily received a dress that would change its appearance according to the season it was in, both in style, decoration, and color.
They were amazed that this was my doing, but I told them it was something like a family curse/blessing. This made them look at me differently, especially Lily, who saw that her magical genie was even better now that I brought even more special gifts during Christmas.
...
In the Forbidden Forest, Marril received my [Message] and understood that it was the box that fell from the sky. What she received was a magical bow with which she could shoot any plant she could hold. When she grabbed and placed them on the bowstring, these plants would turn into arrows made of the material of that plant, with added hardness and penetration.
...
Andra also received a gift: a golden cucumber that was incredibly delicious and would never rot naturally unless cut or broken. Andra decided to use this cucumber to add more flavor to her spicy Christmas night with Eileen, causing Eileen to blush but not resist.
...
Returning to my main body, I can only say it was interesting, but it got late, and it was time to sleep. I went to my room with Elise, not before letting the children know that they couldn't visit us tonight.
That night, I gave Lys a show of how I roughly filled her gift before returning it to her. Although, thanks to that, the next morning we had to peel off that sticky sock from her horn. It was a somewhat crazy night...