Karl OLaughlin walked out of the common room and grabbed a quick bite in the kitchen to fill his stomach.
Then, he arrived at the Forbidden Forest, transformed into a Jungle Cat, and headed straight for the territory of the Acromantula.
He had only walked half the distance when the sound of hooves rang out from the dense forest ahead.
Karl leaped up into a large tree, his eyes fixed intently on the direction the sound was coming from.
Soon, two Centaurs carrying bows and arrows appeared in his line of sight; it looked like they were on patrol.
These intelligent creatures were human from the waist up, but had the body of a horse below.
They had red hair and beards, along with reddish-brown fur and tails, making them look quite festive.
"I really don't know what those Acromantulas are going crazy about. They've been hiding and out of sight for a long time, but these past few days they've come out again to slaughter the animals in the Forbidden Forest."
"The elders said that the thing that previously made those beasts afraid has left, which is why this is happening."
"Do you know what it is?"
"If I knew, I'd be an elder, wouldn't I? Would I still be patrolling with you?"
"That's true..."
Karl watched as the two Centaurs quickly moved away, their voices fading until they were no longer audible.
This accidental encounter saved him time, and there was no need to go to the Acromantula territory to check.
When Elvis Heller left Hogwarts, he also took his Basilisk with him.
Although from the moment Heller lured him into searching for the Horcrux, Karl had decided to finish him off.
But he didn't expect that this guy wasn't a Death Eater, and was actually connected to Herpo the Foul, so he had to reconsider his plans.
After all, Lord Voldemort's Horcruxes were easy to deal with; just follow the guide and use Fiendfyre to Incinerate them.
However, facing the unfathomable Heller, it was best to proceed with caution; besides, they hadn't had a direct conflict yet.
At the same time, Karl had the same question as Lord Voldemort: why did Heller know the location of the Horcrux?
Could it be that Herpo the Foul had a secret method to sense Horcruxes, and after discovering the ravenclaws diadem, this guy wanted to lure someone else to test it?
Regardless, Karl didn't believe that such a mysterious Dark Wizard had come to Hogwarts just to be a Professor.
He must have ulterior motives!
Considering the information Helena revealed, could there be a connection between Heller and that guy who also came from Greece and claimed to be Merlin?
...
This was Karl's first time attending the Christmas feast, and the lively atmosphere made him feel like it was the New Year.
The long tables in the Great Hall were covered with all kinds of delicious food, piled up like small mountains.
After Headmaster Dumbledore announced the start of the feast, Karl quickly set his sights on a turkey.
This turkey was plump and meaty, roasted to perfection, with a glistening, oily sheen.
Hmm, it looked delicious.
Karl tore off a chicken leg and began to eat it heartily.
But gradually, his expression changed from anticipation to confusion.
"This thing (chew, chew, chew) tastes average. Why did I (chew, chew, chew) think it was delicious before?"
With the House-elfs' cooking skills, this was the best they could do.
If those British and Americans were to cook it, would it even be edible?
After serious consideration, Karl decided that "Tom and Jerry" was to blame for this.
It was because of watching cartoons in his previous life that he always felt turkey and cheese were exceptionally delicious.
There were no conditions to have them in the orphanage, and only now, after tasting it himself, did he realize something was wrong.
Forget it, forget it, he'd better eat something else.
"Karl! Come play with this!"
Tonks threw over a cracker; this thing could make a sound like a cannon and would explode with many small gifts.
Such as hats, balloons, toys, Wizard's Chess, and even mice.
Karl pulled the cracker, and he was immediately swallowed by blue smoke.
"Ah!"
Only having time to let out a cry of surprise, Karl fell backward off his chair onto the floor.
He looked helplessly at the giant rabbit in his arms that was nearly 3 feet long; this guy was a bit heavy.
"Looks like you got a good haul!" Tonks stood to the side laughing heartily, as happy as a silly roe deer.
"It's alright. This rabbit looks so delicious... No, I mean, so cute!"
"Especially this rabbit head, with its rounded lines and soft texture, it's just perfect for being cooked spicy!"
Tonks: ( ⊙ ˍ ⊙ )
Huh? Is the bunny that... delicious?
If you say so, then I really want to have a taste!
...
Karl spent his holiday quite happily, with every day being very fulfilling.
In the morning, he went to the greenhouse to help the Hufflepuff leader take care of the plants, and in the afternoon, he went to chat and play chess with Professor Flitwick.
In the evening, he followed Professor McGonagall to study Transfiguration and was even guided to start writing essays.
At night, he used the magic shorthand quill Nina had given him to write stories, and occasionally wandered into the Restricted Section.
By the way, he finished reading that book, "Secret Little Stories of Hogwarts Headmasters."
Karl evaluated it as clickbait; the content was not explosive at all, but rather extremely boring.
He had thought there would be exciting little stories like Headmaster Ximen passing by the Castle, suddenly getting hit on the head by a wand, and looking up to find a female Professor standing by the window.
Tsk! Disappointing!
However, although he had a great time during the holidays, happy times are always short-lived.
The new semester was starting, and the Professors and Little wizards who had left were coming back.
On this day, Karl appeared at the Castle gate, leaning against a pillar waiting.
"Hey! Karl! Did you have a good holiday?"
Shabi and Stebbins rushed up to high-five him hard, then folded their arms and crouched down.
Ha! You want to ambush your godfather with just this much strength? That's pure wishful thinking!
"Not bad, how about you guys?"
Karl calmly pulled his numb palm back into his sleeve; these two brats wouldn't be sleeping in anymore!
"Sssha! It was pretty good too! Sssha!"
Ignoring these two Hogwarts Ssshas, he looked at Nina and Cho Chang behind them.
"Did you gain weight?"
One sentence successfully made the giggling Cho Chang stop giggling, "Shut up! It's just because the weather is too cold, and I'm wearing a few extra layers of clothes!"
"But I was talking about your face."
Cho Chang:...
No wonder Cedric said this guy had a sharp tongue; she had really learned that today.
Karl winked at Nina, "See, I told you there was nothing to worry about, right?"
"Mmhmm, very happy to see you again, Mr. Orolin."
"How happy?"
"Hmm..."
Nina thought for a moment, then pinched a small gap with her index finger and thumb, "About this happy."
"Alright, I'll just consider it a universe between the fingers then."
The two bumped fists lightly again, laughing very happily just like everyone else.
The Little wizards dispersed in the entrance hall, anxious to put the luggage they brought into their dormitories.
Karl and the Hufflepuffs had just returned to the Hufflepuff common room when they met Cedric and Prefect Judy.
They say a new semester brings a new atmosphere, and that was certainly true for the two of them.
Cedric, whose emotional trauma had already healed, now looked spirited and high-spirited.
And Prefect Judy, wearing a horse-face skirt, didn't even want to sit down, standing elegantly in the middle of the common room, showing off her new skirt to the Hufflepuffs.
Karl glanced at it unintentionally, once, twice... several times.
Hmm, to be fair, it really did look good.