great-warnovel Chapter 346 Christmas Gifts for Third Graders
Chapter 346 Christmas Gifts for Third Graders
Chapter 346 Christmas Gifts for Third Graders
Christmas has arrived as scheduled.
Hilmi adjusted the weather spell, ensuring that pure, unpolluted snowflakes fell precisely throughout New Hogsmeade and the castle, except for the agricultural areas further north, where the growing crops were not yet ready to endure the winter.
Many Muggles have never seen such gentle and harmless snowflakes; the frost winds of Siberia always carry nuclear radiation mixed in with the ice crystals.
There are also various types of air pollution exceeding the standard concentration, and people are required to minimize their outdoor exposure. Therefore, even if they are shivering from the cold, they still have to play on the snow.
For the city's first Christmas, Beauxbatons somehow found a huge, sturdy Christmas tree.
Standing in the center of Hanges Square, the various spells seemed to transform the city into a giant light show, with faint music constantly echoing throughout the city.
"Oh, thank goodness Professor Lockhart isn't here." Hilmi told a hellish joke and got a glare from Hermione.
Christmas is a source of anxiety for Lockhart. Although he has met with his mother, it is uncertain whether he can still face this day with a clear conscience.
These secrets are known to very few, but since Hilmi shares memories with her, and his wicked nature makes him happy to play some hellish jokes. "Speaking of which, Lockhart promised to help when Hogwarts returns, but he didn't show up even after the fighting was over." Hilmi excitedly unpacked her gift.
Many people planned to give Hilmi gifts this year, and Hermione originally wanted to decline, since he was only a half-human, but she couldn't resist the boy's fussing and pleading, and finally let him have his way.
"Maybe something's holding him back. Didn't he say he was going to escort some refugees to Greenland? Maybe things aren't going well there." Hermione wasn't too concerned. Although Lockhart was a capable fighter, there were quite a few people of similar skill in the Order of the Phoenix. One more of him wouldn't make much difference to the outcome of the battle.
"Oh, Mrs. Maxim is so generous!" Hilmi exclaimed, pulling a black robe from the gift box.
This is a fairly classic wizard's robe, but what makes it different is that the lining of the robe is made of expensive silk and is also adorned with a dense layer of anti-curse plates, conservatively estimated to be dozens of them. Judging from the current market prices, this robe could buy one of the most sought-after properties in Hogsmeade.
"The school board is very generous too," Hermione said with a hint of surprise as she pulled a piece of paper from a small, cylindrical box. It was a plot of land in the soon-to-be-built educational district near the castle, which would also include a beautiful three-story villa.
Although Hermione always made decisions about everything in the city as the head of Hogwarts, her personal property consisted only of the perfumery and a few personal belongings in her dormitory. As a child who came from the wasteland, she naturally did not have her own property or home.
This gift was secretly prepared by the school board members without his knowledge.
Incidentally, because of the Pied Piper incident, although Dumbledore did not remove Malfoyburg's seat from the board of directors, they completely lost their voice and became mere mascots, which only meant that the relationship between the two sides had not broken down.
As for the other board members, most of them are leaders of various small communities who generously donated to help the struggling school during Hogwarts' most difficult time, and now it is time for them to reap the rewards.
Although they cannot decide Hogwarts' strategy, they will naturally share in the profits generated by the future city.
As newly emerging "Guardians of the City," they certainly know how important Hermione is, and gifting her a property is only right.
Besides the most expensive gifts from these two sides, even when the professors were extremely busy, they didn't forget to prepare gifts for their most talented students.
Professor McGonagall gave him a ticket to the Magical Creatures Breeding Centre, which allowed him to choose a pet he liked at the zoo outside the city.
Lily probably knew beforehand that the school board members would be giving her a property, so she cast a Seamless Stretch Charm on the gift box and stuffed a brand-new, enormous potions workbench inside. It seems she hopes the girl can continue learning potions at home in the future.
Flitwick, on the other hand, managed to get his hands on an old book about ancient spells from Miranda by half-stealing and half-buying it, and stuffed it into the gift box.
There were so many gifts—a sealed mandrake ornamental bonsai from Sprout, a spider silk wand cover from Hagrid, a hand-woven French hairband from Fleur—that even in the morning, the elves were still dropping new gifts under the Christmas tree in the common room.
The gifts arrived faithfully from the members of the Order of the Phoenix, the goblins, and various factions—many of whom Hermione had never even met.
At this moment, she once again truly understood what Dumbledore meant when he said that everything would change.
After sorting all the gifts into categories, Hilmi Hermione left the lounge alone, leaving behind her still studying her first Christmas present.
She noticed that although the school had a strong Christmas atmosphere, everyone's focus was on the Quidditch World Cup, which had just been announced.
The proposal was passed by the school board in a very fast pace; Scrinker was practically standing on the table cheering.
At the city council level, the other factions were initially hesitant and reluctant to let Hogwarts continue to gain prestige, but after learning that the final prize was a Brilliant Stone Core, they all immediately changed their attitude.
In just half a day, the resolution was passed, and the news spread like wildfire around the world through fireplaces and door keys. Even the UMNO party knew about the World Cup and sent a letter inquiring about the event date.
However, this cannot be accomplished overnight. Merchants must first assess and determine how many people will come to the city, how many houses and infrastructure will need to be built, and how much consumable material needs to be prepared in advance.
The biggest expense was the construction of the Quidditch pitch. The original Hogwarts stadium was clearly not big enough, and even with the current decline in the wizarding population, it was not enough to accommodate everyone in those few small stands.
The construction of a new world-class Quidditch stadium is imperative, and it will also be able to host more events in the future, becoming a major highlight of the city.
After a series of heated arguments, the venue was finally decided to be above the Black Lake. The wizards decided to use magic to build a Quidditch stadium that was completely suspended in the air, using the highest level of magic technology since the war to make the first World Cup a benchmark!
Of course, the biggest beneficiary is probably the scorer. After the news of the World Cup being held spread, the scorer immediately swelled up like a balloon. The cheers from people because of the news alone were enough to overfeed him.
Fortunately, there is still enough time to digest it. According to Görnuk's estimate, which has a distinctly smug look, it will take time to complete all of this.
It will be at least next summer before the World Cup can be truly organized.