"Adam! Hurry to the Quidditch pitch..."
Cedric's voice abruptly cut off. The hand that had just pushed open the door instinctively wiped itself on his robes, and he silently prepared to turn and leave. He had just seen Adam holding down a small figure, Aiden struggling half-heartedly.
"Damn it, get back here and give me a hand!" Adam's voice came from behind him.
Cedric froze, not daring to turn around for a long time, muttering under his breath, "This isn't right, and you know I like..."
"What are you thinking? He drank Amortentia!" Adam snapped, cutting him off, finally finding a chance to whip out his wand from his sleeve.
He casually pointed at the gift wrapping strewn across the floor, and the ribbons transformed into vines binding Aiden, but he still struggled desperately, wriggling and bouncing on the ground like a Flobberworm. His face was pale, as if he'd been soaked in an icy lake for days, and he kept muttering.
"Let me go! My dear Caroline Selwyn! I'm coming for you now!"
Cedric swallowed hard, looking at the scene before him, and said uncertainly, "I thought you two were just..."
Adam, who was rummaging on the floor, gave him a cold look, immediately silencing him.
"Alright, alright. This Caroline, I think she's a Slytherin first-year, right? Why would she give Aiden Amortentia?"
Cedric cautiously walked around Aiden, only then noticing that Adam's bed was piled high with gifts, and he even saw the Quidditch protective gloves he had given. Most of them were Honeydukes Fizzing Whizbees or Chocolate Frogs, with over a dozen books underneath. From the packaging style, they seemed to be from Ravenclaw students.
Adam picked up the open box of filled chocolates, carefully took out a small silver knife, and the moment he cut into the chocolate, Cedric smelled an unusual scent.
It had the scent of grass from the Quidditch pitch, and a pleasant dew-like aroma, somewhat like the scent that lingered in a girl's hair from the Forbidden Forest last time. He quickly stepped back two paces, breaking free from the intoxicating sensation, and involuntarily lowered his voice.
"It really is Amortentia... I remember this potion is forbidden in school, isn't it?"
"You can buy it at any apothecary in Diagon Alley. And the school only forbids its use, it never said anything about forbidding its creation." Adam frowned, putting down the chocolate. He rummaged through the gift pile for a few other similar presents, then pulled out a pile of parts from his small money pouch and assembled them on the spot.
"These gifts aren't all yours, are they?" Cedric asked, incredulously.
"Because the places I visit during holidays are protected by the Fidelius Charm, the owls can't find them, so they have to send them to Hogwarts."
"I remember the Selwyn family. They're supposed to be one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight families, and some family members even joined the Death Eaters a few years ago," Adam said without looking up, his hands still working. He didn't spare the other gifts either, checking them all with the anti-charm crystal Tina had given him. He paid particular attention to those from pure-blood families, but found no problems.
Only when he opened George and Fred's gift did a bouncing toy pop out, with a Howler-like function, playing their synchronized well wishes. He even unexpectedly received gifts from professors. Professor Flitwick sent him a miniature magic book set, "Quick Reference Guide to Prank Spells." It was a palm-sized leather-bound book, divided into three different types of small booklets, with a note personally written by him tucked inside: "Remember, the power of a spell lies in will, not volume – unless you're learning the 'Sonorous Charm'!" Adam was quite flattered, perhaps because he often asked Professor Flitwick for spell tips during class.
Professor McGonagall sent a small lion badge that roared when lightly pressed. His own Head of House, Professor Sprout, was the most generous, sending him a large pot of Christmas cactus, thoughtfully adding a small wooden tag reminding him to water it promptly.
Cedric watched him manipulate a pair of mechanical hands, carefully unwrapping gifts from several feet away, his eye twitching. He couldn't help but say, "You don't need to be so tense, do you? Someone who didn't know would think you were disarming an alchemical bomb."
"That's not impossible, but if it were me, I'd make the alchemical bomb part of the packaging and ribbons." Adam stared at the gifts, calmly pulled out a blank parchment, and jotted down all the names.
"You suspect those pure-blood families are trying to target you?" Cedric noticed the names he had circled additionally, his expression serious.
"Maybe. It's quite complicated to explain." Adam put down the mechanical arm and let out a heavy sigh. These gifts were all normal, but he didn't dare touch the snacks again, packing them separately into a small bag. Next time he went to the Beyond, he'd stuff a few bags in his pocket, hoping the Gryffindor quality control inspector could help him out.
"Could it be..." Cedric hesitated, pointing to the pink packaging of the chocolates, "that this was just Caroline's idea? She often gazes at you wistfully in the Great Hall."
"...Actually, I really want to ask who Caroline is?" Adam tilted his head, his eyes wide and innocent.
Cedric said helplessly, "She's the girl with the ear-length bob haircut."
"According to Cho, when you were taking the boats on the first day of school, she was following behind you. And I think when you were waiting in the small room for the Sorting, she was the first one to talk to you and choose to believe you."
"It's worth noting that she's also your biggest customer for quills."
Upon hearing the last sentence, Adam immediately had some recollection, but at that moment, several horrified screams came from the corridor outside. Adam and Cedric exchanged glances, both looking at the floor, only to find that Aiden, who had been flailing on the floor, had vanished.
"Why didn't you close the door?" they said in unison.
The two quickly rushed to the common room outside, lifted Aiden, and ran to the Hospital Wing. When they arrived in a hurry, Madam Pomfrey merely glanced at them, gestured for them to lay Aiden on an empty bed, and muttered under her breath, "Another young wizard who's taken Amortentia. Quick, put him down... I've told Albus many times, students shouldn't be allowed near such dangerous potions."
"Oh! Not him again. I remember he was just here for Halloween not long ago."
Madam Pomfrey quickly prepared the corresponding antidote based on Aiden's condition and gently administered it to him. Adam noticed she put quite a bit of hellebore in it, a potion ingredient known for its mind-clearing properties.
Aiden, struggling on the bed, suddenly shivered, then was stunned for a long time, his face turning bright red, wishing he could shrink into the seams of the bedsheets.
"Ahem... Actually, we didn't see anything just now, and there weren't many people in the common room," Adam suggested quietly.
"You could also claim you went to the library to read. Others probably wouldn't care," Cedric chimed in.
"Wait, the library!" Aiden suddenly sat up, grabbing his hair frantically. "What time is it? I need to get there quickly, otherwise, I'll miss going to the Restricted Section with Professor Hogg!"
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