Speaking of Guru, Adrian realized he hadn't paid attention to this little fellow for quite some time.
Immediately, he had the Tree of Wisdom conduct an analysis.
[Name: Guru]
[Species: Chomping Cabbage]
[Level: 3]
[Traits: Gigantification, Energy Accumulation]
[Status: Growing (33%)]
Adrian raised an eyebrow. It seemed that Guru had completed a growth phase during the days he hadn't been paying attention and had gained a new trait: Energy Accumulation.
This trait was fairly straightforward to understand —it granted Guru the capacity to store magical energy within its cellular structure, much like a botanical battery.
This development was particularly significant given that Guru's gigantification ability was energy-intensive, often leaving it exhausted after even brief transformations. This new trait would serve as the perfect complement to its existing powers, providing the fuel necessary for sustained magical activity.
The also explained Guru's recent behavioral patterns. What Adrian had initially attributed to simple laziness was actually the plant's instinctive response to its evolving biology—Guru had been entering long dormant periods to facilitate energy accumulation, storing power like a dragon hoarding gold.
'Fascinating,'
Adrian thought silently, watching as Guru settled contentedly on Harry's shoulder, its leaves rustling with what seemed like satisfaction.
After receiving their respective gifts, Adrian continued chatting with the children in the common room. In fact, he had nowhere else to go; Hogwarts was particularly quiet at this time.
During their conversation, Harry mentioned the mysterious bag of premium Honeydukes sweets he had received.
Adrian had some suspicions—it might have been from Black.
In the timeline Adrian remembered from his previous life's reading, Black had sent Harry a Firebolt for Christmas, but Adrian's own gift had clearly preempted that particular gesture.
It seemed logical that Black might have redirected his generosity toward expensive sweets instead, still determined to shower his godson with gifts even if he couldn't reveal his identity.
The thought brought a wry smile to Adrian's lips. Even as a fugitive, Black's impulsive need to spoil Harry remained unchanged.
Their comfortable gathering was interrupted by the arrival of Hermione. She wore a bright red knitted hat on her head—precisely the gift Adrian had given her. Adrian had even cast a permanent enchantment on this hat to keep it constantly warm and cozy.
At noon, Adrian led the three children and the remaining first-year student to the dining hall.
The dining hall was now filled with Christmas atmosphere—tall Christmas trees, dazzling decorations, icicles and golden bells hanging from the ceiling...
"Merry Christmas!" Dumbledore's voice boomed across the hall as he spotted their group. The headmaster stood beside the table, his formal robes now replaced by festive purple velvet decorated with silver stars that actually twinkled. "Come quickly—we don't have many people, but we have more than enough Christmas spirit to go around!"
Adrian looked over to see only one large table set before Dumbledore.
The table was already full of people; they must be the last to arrive.
However, what surprised him somewhat was that he didn't recognize some of the people there. He guessed those must be Aurors, since Tonks was among them.
"Ah, this year's Christmas celebration has a rather unique flavor," Dumbledore explained cheerfully as Adrian and the students found their seats. "The Aurors from the Ministry of Magic has graciously agreed to spend this pleasant day with us."
The Aurors acknowledged this introduction with polite nods, though their expressions remained carefully professional. Adrian could sense the underlying tension—these were people accustomed to action and danger, now tasked with what amounted to glorified babysitting duty during one of the most peaceful days of the year.
As Adrian sat into his designated seat, Tonks leaned toward him with enthusiasm. "You're too late, Professor Westeros, we..."
"Tonks."
A tall, middle-aged Auror quietly reprimanded her, and Tonks immediately stuck out her tongue and fell silent.
Seeing this, Adrian helplessly shrugged.
From the looks of it, the Aurors weren't particularly friendly; Tonks was probably just an exception.
Seeing this, Dumbledore cheerfully stepped in to ease the tension. "We can all relax a bit, after all, today is Christmas. Oh, where are my crackers?"
Professor McGonagall handed the cracker to Dumbledore, who then passed it to Adrian.
Adrian hesitated for a moment, then grabbed the other end of the cracker and pulled.
"Bang!"
A burst of brilliant golden sparks exploded, and a woman's wizard hat appeared in his hand.
Adrian graciously put on this ridiculous wizard hat, causing several students to burst into laughter.
"Mmm, actually that was the hat I prepared for myself," Dumbledore chuckled. "Never mind, that's not important. Eat up, everyone."
The rest of the feast proceeded quite pleasantly.
Some of the Aurors also lowered their guard somewhat and began chatting and laughing with the professors.
As for the students, they kept their heads down and ate heartily.
During a particularly quiet moment, when the adults were engaged in their own discussions and the general noise level had dropped to a comfortable murmur, Hermione suddenly leaned close to Harry's ear.
"Do you remember that Auror we accidentally hit with the snowball on the first day of the holiday?" She asked, her eyes darting around the table.
Harry paused in his consumption of a particularly excellent slice of Christmas pudding, following her gaze as he mentally reviewed the faces around the table. "What about him?" he whispered back.
"He's not here," Hermione observed quietly. "I've been watching, and I'm certain he's not among this group."
After hearing Hermione's words, Harry scanned each of the Aurors' faces.
Indeed, that middle-aged man with thinning hair was not among them.
"Perhaps he drew the short straw and had to work today," Harry said with a casual shrug. "Or maybe he went home to spend Christmas with his family. That's not strange at all. What are you planning to do?"
Hermione nodded thoughtfully and said. "I suppose you're right. I was hoping to apologize to him again."
Ron, who had been listening while simultaneously demolishing a plate of honey-glazed ham, looked up with gravy glistening on his chin.
"You're worrying about nothing, Hermione," He said through a mouthful of food. "Aurors deal with actual dark wizards and dangerous criminals. I'm sure an accidental snowball barely registered as an inconvenience. Besides," he added with a mischievous grin, "we still don't officially know who threw that snowball, do we?"
"That's a fair point," Hermione said with a slight smile.
About an hour and a half later, the Aurors collectively left the table—even on Christmas, they still needed to complete their patrol duties.
After another half hour, the students and professors also gradually left the hall.
Adrian was about to leave when Remus told him he hoped he could stay a bit longer after the feast ended.
Soon, only four figures remained at the great table: Dumbledore, Lupin, Professor McGonagall, and Adrian himself. The house-elves had begun their efficient cleanup process, making the abandoned dishes disappear with soft pops while leaving the four adults in thoughtful silence.
"Well then," Dumbledore said, rising from his chair and headed toward the door, "I believe it's time."
Adrian felt a prickle of curiosity as he followed the others toward the great doors. "Time for what, exactly?"
"To celebrate elsewhere," Lupin replied in a voice so low it barely was audible.
The cryptic response only deepened Adrian's confusion, but he followed obediently as Dumbledore led their small group through the castle's corridors. Their destination should be the second floor, where they crossed through narrow passages until they reached what appeared to be a dead end.
Dumbledore approached the blank wall. His knuckles rapped against the stone in a specific pattern and Adrian watched as the solid stone began to shimmer and dissolve, revealing an ordinary wooden door that appeared as if it had always been there.
The door handle was perhaps the most whimsical thing Adrian had seen all day: a small angel sculpture, complete with tiny wings and an angelic face, that was caught in the middle of an enormous yawn.
When it sensed their approach, the little figure immediately perked up, its eyes brightening with alertness.
"Welcome to the—" the angel began to announce in a voice like tiny silver bells, but Dumbledore's hand gently covered its mouth before it could complete its greeting.
"Security measures, you understand," Dumbledore explained with a wink. He pushed open the door, and Adrian found himself stepping into what could only be described as a perfectly cozy secret parlor.
The room was modest in size but rich in comfort—two overstuffed sofas faced each other across a low coffee table, upon which sat a wizard chess set with its pieces frozen mid-game. A small but beautifully decorated Christmas tree occupied one corner, its ornaments catching the warm light from the crackling fireplace that was on the far wall.
On one of the sofas, a short, fat man was slumped in apparent sleep, his chest rising and falling with steady rhythm.
'Peter Pettigrew,' Adrian realized immediately.
"We've come to spend Christmas with Peter," Lupin explained quietly. "As you can understand, he's been confined to this space for his own protection, rarely venturing out... The poor man has been through so much."
He had thought their secretive behavior meant they were up to something suspicious. It turned out they were just here to spend Christmas with Peter.
Adrian nodded silently, though his mind was racing through the implications. From the perspective of everyone else present, Peter Pettigrew was indeed a tragic figure.
The irony was almost overwhelming, but Adrian maintained his composure as he followed the others to the sofa opposite the sleeping figure.
Perhaps sensing something, Peter suddenly opened his eyes. Seeing four pairs of eyes staring directly at him, he was so startled that he rolled off the sofa with a start.
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