Harry Potter: The Golden Viper

0639 Surprises?

Bryan sighed softly to himself with a hint of resignation in the sound. He knew that the probing questions he and Dumbledore had asked to Harry, Ron, and Hermione had unintentionally set the trio's minds racing, and their imaginations probably conjured up all sorts of wild theories and suspicions. However, lacking key pieces of information, the three had inadvertently latched onto the wrong conclusion.

Still, Bryan had no intention of clearing up their misunderstanding. This particular matter was not something the students should be getting themselves tangled up in.

"Just my humble opinion, Hermione-" Bryan began, as they descended the final curve of the staircase and emerged onto the second-floor landing steps.

All around them, the air was buzzing with excitement as young witches and wizards flooded in from every direction, all chattering enthusiastically as they made their way toward the Great Hall for breakfast.

Bryan paused smiling at the edge of the landing step, and turned to face Harry, Ron, and Hermione. The three were clearly absorbed in piecing together the scattered clues of their spontaneous "detective game,".

"Perhaps, at this moment rather than focusing your energy on getting to the bottom of things, it would be wiser to redirect that energy elsewhere. This is Christmas Day, after all - a time for joy, celebration, and cherished moments.

Why not set aside your burdens and fully embrace the wonder and magic of the season? Surely there will be time enough for unraveling mysteries later on. For now, simply let yourself go and enjoy the festivities. What do you say?"

At Professor Watson's gentle reprimand, Hermione ducked her head as a embarrassed flush stained her cheeks red. Behind her, Harry and Ron suddenly found the toes of their shoes to be utterly fascinating, and carefully avoided Bryan's knowing gaze. Coming from Professor Watson under normal circumstances, such words were practically a rebuke.

Thud, thud, thud-

Just as the trio were racking their brains for words of apology, the clear sound of a wooden staff striking the floor suddenly came from the stairs beside them. This extremely familiar sound drew not only their attention, but Professor Watson's as well.

"Ah, Professor Moody!" Bryan called out in greeting, his eyebrows lifting in surprise as he took in the sight of Moody limping into their view. "Judging by your attire, I take it you're going out?"

"Aye, you've hit the nail on the head, Watson,"

Moody's magical eye didn't seem to be working just now. He was also a bit surprised to run into Bryan and the trio here. Catching his breath, Professor Moody limped over and said gruffly,

"I have to go patrol the Forbidden Forest!" Moody said, "Of course, you all know I usually prefer to be active at night, because those damn scoundrels love to take advantage of the dark to do bad things. But Albus seems to think I shouldn't miss tonight's festivities, heh heh, the Yule Ball, it... is quite something indeed."

Moody let out a series of rough, meaningless chuckles, then said to them, "Since Albus says so, I'll attend. But I can't neglect that forest, - who knows what kind of disgusting characters might be lurking around in there, just waiting for an opportunity to cause trouble?"

The trio all looked at Professor Moody with admiration. Patrolling the Forbidden Forest in such cold weather and deep snow, just to guard against terrorist attacks that would probably never happen - such dedication was truly commendable!

"Oh, is that so?"

Bryan nodded, and after a moment of silence, he suddenly tossed the bag of candy tucked under his arm into Professor Moody's arms. Under the bewildered gazes of Professor Moody's eyes, one large and one small, Bryan innocently shrugged, and his tone was casual.

"Well then, I imagine you likely won't have a chance to come back in for lunch, what with all that patrolling to do. Consider this a little New Year's gift, Professor Moody. I hope you'll enjoy them."

Harry guessed that Moody had probably never received a gift like candy in his life, otherwise he wouldn't have been so surprised upon receiving the sweets from Professor Watson. Moreover, a flash of being moved appeared in his eyes.

However-

Harry glanced at the candy in his hand. Using candy that couldn't be mailed out as a rightful Christmas present to give out to people, this was really Professor Watson's style. A smile appeared at the corner of Harry's mouth, and any lingering traces of resentment he might have had towards Professor Watson over the Fleur matter melted away like snowflakes in the sun.

Just like Professor Watson's casually dismissive attitude toward Fleur, his own attitude toward her was not so different, so, this really wasn't something worth worrying about, right?

Shaking his head with a chuckle, Harry turned to follow Ron, Hermione and Professor Watson as they made their way into the Great Hall downstairs, leaving a still-muddled Moody standing alone on the steps, clutching his unexpected sweet gift and looking more than a little lost.

The hall was already packed with students eagerly slipping into piles of sizzling sausages, mountains of fluffy scrambled eggs, and bowls of steaming porridge. The air buzzed with excited conversations, the air was full of anticipation as everyone chattered on about the upcoming Yule Ball and all the delights this evening.

And yet, amidst all the festive enthusiasm, there was one topic that seemed to lead the breakfast table discussions even more than the ball itself - specifically, the perplexing lack of decorations decorating the Great Hall this Christmas Day.

In past years, Hagrid would always begin decking the hall with massive fir trees, glittering trinkets, and lush garlands of holly and mistletoe the moment the first snowflakes of the season touched the ground. No matter how small the number of students remaining at the castle was over the holidays, the staff always went out of their way to create a warm and pleasing atmosphere, transforming Hogwarts into a veritable winter wonderland.

But this year? This year, despite the Yule Ball being flaunted as the social event of the century, the Great Hall remained startlingly bare, having only a handful of rather lonely-looking Christmas trees inserted away in the corners. There were no ribbons, no streamer, no cheerful wreaths or branches of trees - nothing at all to give the Hall that special holiday charm.

Oh, the stone walls and enchanted ceiling were as breathtaking as ever, of course. But without all the usual festive add-ons, the hall felt strangely cold and detached, a far cry from the cozy, welcoming haven it normally became during the Christmas season.

Naturally, the students were busy with speculation over this bizarre break from tradition. What could the professors possibly be playing at? Were they attempting to put a different turn on the usual celebrations this year?

Several resourceful souls had even gone so far as to approach the staff table, hoping to coax some inside information out of the more talkative professors.

But much to everyone's shock, even the more loose-lipped Professors Flitwick and Sprout remained stubbornly tight-lipped on the subject, refusing to spill even a single hint. All they would say, with annoying little smiles was that the students would simply have to wait and see what the evening had in store.

"Ah, Professor Watson! Good morning!"

A heavily accented voice suddenly cut through the noise, interrupting Bryan's ponderings as he made his way into the Great Hall. Glancing up, he saw Viktor Krum, striding towards him, with a small group of his classmates.

But as Krum drew nearer, Bryan noticed an odd flicker of emotion appear across his face.

'Was that... panic? Surely not.'

"Good morning, Mr. Krum-"

Bryan also gave Viktor Krum a slight smile, but his furrowed brow hid some doubts.

After greeting him, Krum's eyes darted away from Bryan's curious gaze as he hurried towards the Slytherin table with his friends.

Karkaroff's champion used to quite admire him, which couldn't escape his eyes. But recently, this boy's attitude toward him seemed to have changed a bit. Every time they ran into each other, he always looked like he couldn't wait to get away.

Bryan frowned, his mind racing as he considered the possible reasons behind Krum's sudden change in attitude. Could it be that Karkaroff had ordered him to keep his distance, wary of any supposed threat to Durmstrang's chances in the tournament? Or was he blaming Bryan for inadvertently bursting in on him inviting Hermione to the ball, causing the invitation to fail?

"Well then, see you this evening, everyone-"

Bryan didn't particularly care either way. He turned and said this to the trio with a smile, then walked over to the staff table. Harry, Hermione and Ron, having failed to get any key information, could only exchange a disappointed glance before also heading to the Gryffindor table.

After breakfast, the trio first spent half an hour circling the snow-covered Quidditch pitch. Since they would all be attending the ball in the evening, including Harry who had come around, they could only move practice earlier. After all, it wouldn't be good to show up to the Yule Ball with windblown hair and ruddy, cold-nipped cheeks!

From there, they withdrew to the cozy Gryffindor common room while passing away the rest of the morning in leisure, swapping stories and oohing and aahing over one another's Christmas gifts.

And soon, however, it was time to go back out for the lunch, and the trio moved down to the Great Hall with the rest of their chattering classmates.

Lunch was also very sumptuous, even by Hogwarts' usual standards. The tables had at least a hundred golden-brown roasted turkeys, each one glistening with rich, savory juices and stuffed to overflowing with fragrant herbs and spices. Mountains of creamy mashed potatoes, bowls of cranberry sauce, and platters of buttered peas and honeyed carrots shoved for space among themselves, while the air was filled with the mouthwatering aromas of cinnamon, and cloves.

And of course, no Christmas feast would be complete without a generous helping of flaming Christmas pudding, drenched in and studded with raisins and candied peel and large amount of Cribbages Wizarding Crackers.

In the afternoon, after lunch they went out to the grounds. The snow-blanketed grounds of Hogwarts had been transformed into a winter wonderland; the lawns had transformed into a glittering white as far as the eye could see. It was the perfect playground for an epic snowball fight, and the Gryffindors wasted no time in dividing up into teams and launching into a battle.

Harry and the Weasley brothers were very powerful in Snowball fights, their years of roughhousing and Quidditch training gave them lightning-fast reflexes and deadly aim. They darted through the flying snowballs with ease, scooping up handfuls of snow and packing them into tight, icy spheres before letting them fly with shocking accuracy.

Hermione was content to watch the battle from the sidelines; her cheeks were pink with cold and her eyes were sparkling with laughter as she cheered on her friends.

Eventually, with their energy spent and their fingers and toes thoroughly frozen, the trio decided to pay a visit to Hagrid before heading back inside to warm up and prepare for the evening's festivities.

Hagrid greeted them at the door with a beaming smile as he ushered them inside. The cozy little cabin was warm with a blazing fire crackling cheerfully in the fireplace and the comforting scent of woodsmoke and freshly brewed tea hanging in the air.

As they settled themselves around the wooden table, gratefully accepting steaming mugs of tea from Freodom and watched Hagrid tend to the small number of Blast-Ended Skrewts.

"Oho, jus' you wait 'til yeh see what's in store for tonight!" Hagrid chuckled, as he carefully brushed a bit of snow from the leaves of a potted Flutterby bush. "Professor Watson's come up with summat right clever, 'e 'as. Ran it by the rest o' the staff, an' they were all fer it, 'ands down! Blimey, I dunno where 'e comes up with these ideas sometimes..."

At the mention of Professor Watson, Harry, Ron and Hermione exchanged interested glances, their curiosity was immediately piqued. What sort of surprise could Professor Watson have dreamed up that would have even Hagrid so excited?

But no matter how they persuaded and pleaded, Hagrid remained stubbornly tight-lipped on the matter, his face was crinkling into a knowing grin as he waved away their questions with one hand.

"Nah, nah, I've said too much already!" he chuckled, shaking his shaggy head. "Yeh'll jus' 'ave ter wait an' see fer yerselves, won't yeh? It's only a few more hours now, innit?"

"Only a few hours," Ron grumbled as they made their way back up to the castle sometime later, his nose was wrinkling in annoyance. "Easy for him to say - he's not the one being kept in suspense! Blimey, what's the point of keeping secrets when the big reveal's nearly upon us?"

But despite Ron's grumbling, there was no denying the bright spark of anticipation that had taken root in all their hearts, fed by Hagrid's teasing hints.

And so, with the afternoon rapidly disappearing and although there were still three hours until the Christmas feast, the trio bid each other farewell and hurried off to their respective dormitories to ready themselves for the ball.

"Do try to make yourself look presentable, Harry," Hermione said coolly as she prepared to dash up the stairs to the girls' dormitory. "If Fleur is so determined to bask in your limelight tonight, the least you can do is ensure that you're a credit to her good taste!"

With that, Hermione glanced at Ron too. The moment their eyes met; both of their cheeks flushed pink.

"You too, Ron-" Hermione said softly, then turned and ran off.

"Make myself presentable," Ron repeated glumly, staring down at the moth-eaten bundle of maroon clutched in his hands as if it were a particularly venomous snake. "Easier said than done, innit? Not much I can do with these ancient dress robes Mum sent me... they were probably the height of fashion back in the days of Merlin himself, but now? I'll be lucky if I don't get laughed out of the Great Hall!"

Harry, who had been holding his own dress robes up to the light glanced over at Ron with a sympathetic frown.

"You know," Harry said slowly, as a thoughtful expression appeared over his face, "if you'd like, we could switch robes for the night. I really couldn't care less what Fleur thinks of my appearance, and at least that way you wouldn't have to worry about being seen in... well, in those."

For a moment, Ron looked greatly tempted by the offer, his eyes were darting longingly to Harry's robes. But then after sizing Harry up carefully, he shook his head with a heavy sigh and turned away, as his shoulders seemed to slump in defeat.

"Nah, mate," he mumbled in resignation. "It's a kind thought, but your robes'd never fit me right. Besides, Mum'd have a fit if she found out I'd gone and borrowed someone else's clothes for the ball— especially after she went through all the trouble of digging these out of whatever dusty old trunk she found 'em in."

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