Chapter 76: Christmas Present Unboxing

The next morning, as soon as Kyle woke up, he saw a mountain of presents piled in front of his bed.

Most of them were snacks, like chocolate and candy. And there were many more than he expected.

"A good student is popular, it seems."

Kyle put them aside and continued to open the rest of the presents.

Hagrid's gift was the biggest. It looked like a barrel, wrapped in thick brown paper.

"It can't be Mooncalf…" Kyle opened the package nervously.

Thankfully, it wasn't what he thought. Hagrid had sent him a Cloakweed plant. The barrel was a makeshift flowerpot he had found. It was filled with soil.

The Cloakweed leaves were still covered in dew. He must have just dug it up from the Forbidden Forest.

Kyle had given Hagrid a dragon model. It was the kind used for the Triwizard Tournament, the one that moved, could fly low, and even breathed fire.

Hagrid would probably love it.

Cedric had given him a set of "Magical Quidditch Balls," signed by Chudley Cannons players.

Kyle looked at the signature and put the book aside with a look of disgust… he didn't like that team.

It's worth mentioning that Kyle's gift to Cedric was also Quidditch-related. It was the Wimbourne Wasps signature bat he had treasured for a long time.

He had specifically written to Mrs. Weasley and asked her to mail it. It was definitely a heartfelt gift.

Because of this, he had been scolded by Mrs. Weasley. She had blamed him for not going home for the holidays. She said she would give him a good scolding when he went back for the summer.

But Kyle wasn't worried at all.

Mrs. Weasley was easy to appease. An apron that Kyle had made himself, plus a beautiful report card, would guarantee no problems.

Kanna's gift was a pair of knitted woolen gloves she had made herself. It had Kyle's initials on them.

To Kyle's surprise, the young witch's craftsmanship was surprisingly good. He liked them.

They fit perfectly. He could wear them with the sweater Mrs. Weasley had given him.

He had given Kanna a purse with an anti-theft device. It should be very useful for her.

Fred had sent him a bottle of vanishing ink. George had sent him a Chocolate Frog card collection. It had blank, transparent card sleeves. You could put the cards you collected in them. Very convenient.

Kyle had given them a book, "Beginner's Alchemy." It was also a textbook for the Alchemy class at Beauxbatons Academy of Magic.

He knew the twins had been inventing some prank props lately. This book should be very helpful for them.

And his two lovely roommates.

Mickel had sent him a delicate gold brooch. Ryan had sent him a set of Wizard's Chess.

To Kyle's surprise, he had also received gifts from the professors.

Professor Flitwick had given Kyle his school notes. From first year to third year, two thick notebooks filled with his understanding of Charms.

This gift was incredibly precious.

Kyle felt a little guilty. Because the gift he had given Professor Flitwick was just a simple pearwood amulet.

Kyle had given every professor a gift.

Professor Flitwick's amulet.

Professor McGonagall's was a golden Snitch-shaped hat ornament.

Professor Sprout's was a set of tool maintenance kits.

Professor Oren's was a walking stick.

Professor Binns' was a newspaper clipping, "Europe's Three Major Magic Schools: Professor Salary Comparison."

Headmaster Dumbledore's was a book, "One Hundred Ways to Knit Woolen Socks."

Of course, there was also Professor Snape, who had been taking good care of him lately. Kyle, to show his gratitude, had specially sent him a whole box of Potter's Speedy-Wash Shampoo.

He hadn't signed his name on the gift, nor had he used Rodon. He had just found a random owl at school and sent the package to the owl post office in Diagon Alley. They would then send it to Professor Snape.

Although the process was a little more troublesome, it was worth it.

Snape would definitely be touched when he received this gift.

Kyle carefully put away Professor Flitwick's notes and then opened the last gift, the one from Diana.

It was a silver ring with a crescent moon decoration. There was also a short letter below it:

"This is a magical object. It can cast three Apparition Charms. If you're in danger, inject magic into it and focus on the destination you want to go to. It will take you there.

Note: It can't be used inside Hogwarts Castle, but it works outside the castle gate. If you don't want to take the train during the holidays, you can use it to go home.

(I hope you like this gift, dear.

Merry Christmas.)"

Was this an upgraded Portkey?

As soon as Kyle put the ring on his finger, it automatically fit his skin. Kyle tried to move his fingers and found that there was no discomfort.

Kyle loved this gift.

He had always wanted to learn Apparition, but he was too young. Neither Chris nor Newt would teach him.

This ring was the most satisfying Christmas present he had received in eleven years.

It was just that the number of uses was a bit low. Only three times.

It would be great if it was thirty times.

Kyle cleaned his dorm and went to the common room. Kanna was standing on her tiptoes, digging in a large flowerpot.

"What are you looking for? Do you need help?" Kyle asked.

"No, I found it." Kanna took a dirty cloth bag out of the flowerpot and turned around. "Thank you for your Christmas present. I really needed it."

Kyle watched her take two Galleons out of the bag and put them back into the purse he had given her. He asked in confusion,

"Are you still losing Galleons?"

"No." Kanna shook her head, "But I lost two Sickles yesterday afternoon."

Wasn't that the same thing?

Kyle frowned, "Where are your roommates? Did they all go home?"

"Hmm, they all went home. I'm the only one in the dorm." Kanna said excitedly, "But they sent me gifts. They're hair clips from the Muggle world. They're so pretty."

Kyle rubbed his forehead. He was about to say something when Kanna ran back to the dorm.

When she came back, she was holding a small wooden box.

"Look, isn't it pretty?" Kanna handed the box to Kyle.

It contained seven or eight colorful hair clips. The styles and designs were indeed more novel than those in the wizarding world.

But Kyle wasn't interested. He just took a quick look and was about to give it back to Kanna.

But at that moment, he suddenly noticed a small bottle under the hair clips. Out of curiosity, he reached out and took off the hair clips covering it.

"What is this… Whoa?"

Kyle's hand suddenly trembled. He almost dropped the box. He was so scared that he broke out in a cold sweat. He quickly put the box on the wooden table next to him.

After calming down a little, Kyle carefully reached out and took the bottle.

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