Julian's free time didn't last.
The last day of December came and went, and the next day marked the start of the new semester. Students who had left returned and settled back into the castle.
Julian got smothered in a hug the moment Daphne and Tracy arrived. They looked genuinely happy, almost giddy, about the gifts.
"Honestly, it wasn't that big a deal," Julian said as he tried to peel them off him.
Tracy and Daphne both looked startled when they noticed how solid he felt under his robes. Hugging him was like hugging a rubber ball, not soft the way you'd expect from someone hidden under loose clothing.
...
"Putting aside my own present," Tracy said firmly, refusing to let him downplay it, "you gave her a ring to protect her mind so she can actually live normally. Of course it's a big deal!"
Daphne nodded, smiling happily while rubbing the ring fondly.
Julian shrugged and decided not to argue.
Hermione, however, had an issue with her gift.
"Where did you get the book from?" she demanded, eyes narrowed. "I've been all over the normal parts of the library, and I've never seen a book with the same title."
Julian laughed it off. "Where's the fun in telling you something like that? Don't worry. It's not from the restricted section."
"Hmph!" Hermione snorted, irritated by the teasing, but she dropped it.
Julian could already guess what she was thinking. She'd probably try searching again for the original.
Good luck, he thought, amused. It's in a lost language, with the rest of the "ancient" section books.
...
School continued as normal after that.
Julian found it strange how the cold and snow seemed to vanish almost immediately. Within two weeks of the new year, everything had turned into rain and mud.
During that same stretch, another town was reported to have been sacrificed by Grindelwald.
Julian was becoming numb to the headlines, though he did make one note. So far, it had always been exactly one town per month.
That made him suspect the ritual was obligatory in nature.
It was only a guess, but it fit the pattern.
...
Harry and the rest of Gryffindor's team were having a rough time too.
Oliver Wood had intensified training in preparation for the upcoming match against Hufflepuff. If Gryffindor won, they would officially surpass Slytherin in house points for the first time in seven years.
Though, to be fair, thanks to the study group Julian had started, they hadn't been that far behind to begin with.
Julian didn't participate in the study group himself, but it helped the rest of Gryffindor considerably.
The issue with most Gryffindors wasn't stupidity.
It was interest.
They struggled to care enough to study.
Julian had turned studying into a trivia-style coopetition, and that finally motivated people. It didn't make Gryffindor the best academic house, but it did narrow the gap.
...
"I can't believe bloody Snape of all people is going to be reffing the game!" Ron complained after the news reached them.
"I can't just drop out," Harry said bitterly. "We don't have anyone else who can cover seeker."
"He can't do anything to you anyway," Julian said casually. "If he does, all eyes will be on him for the calls."
Harry's expression brightened slightly. Julian wasn't wrong. Any blatant foul play would be obvious, since Snape would be the referee.
"I still think you guys are wrong about him," Daphne said, trying to defend her Head of House.
Julian hadn't actually declared an opinion either way, but the other Gryffindors assumed he agreed with them.
He stayed out of the argument. Exposing Snape's background wouldn't help, and it wasn't Julian's place anyway.
Instead, he teased Steve, who was perched on his shoulder, with a shiny gold galleon.
He'd made a little game out of it. Julian would flick the coin through the air in random paths, and if Steve managed to catch it, he could keep it.
Steve still hadn't managed to win even once.