December 25th—Christmas Day.
After washing up, David was stunned by the sight before him as he entered the living room.
In the center of the room, gift boxes were piled high like a mountain, leaving barely any space to step.
It was completely beyond his expectations. Of course, he had also prepared many Christmas gifts to give away, spending the past few days carefully selecting and wrapping them. Among his presents were alchemy tools, Muggle products, books and rare items from Flourish and Blotts, wizarding sweets, prank gadgets, and gifts tailored to individual preferences—such as wizard chess sets and golden snitches.
But judging from the sheer volume of presents before him, the number he had given away was only a fraction of what he had received.
"David, you're quite popular at your magic school!"
On the other side of the mountain of gifts, Nitia chuckled as she covered her mouth. As expected of her son—he was exceptional no matter where he went.
Early that morning, she and Philemon had been awakened by a series of knocks. Upon checking, they discovered owls arriving one after another, each clutching a gift. Realizing what was happening, Philemon quickly opened the window.
To their surprise, the number of gifts continued to grow until it had far exceeded what David had ever received while attending Muggle school.
"Well, I am the top student in my year," David said, grinning. "And most of the professors respect me a lot."
Of course, he only shared the good parts of his school life with his family. With the exception of Snape, all of his professors had a favorable impression of him.
When his mother had greeted him upon his return yesterday, she had hugged him tightly, repeatedly exclaiming, "You've worked so hard!" and "You've lost weight!" She had ruffled his hair and kissed his forehead more times than he could count.
This baffled David. Over the past few months, he had grown nearly five centimeters taller and had gained noticeable muscle. He had no idea where she had gotten the impression that he was shrinking.
"I believe my son is the best," Nitia said warmly. "You open your presents, and I'll prepare a feast for you."
She and Philemon had been a little worried about David's school life. Having experienced social hierarchies themselves, they knew that any society—no matter how magical—was bound to have social classes.
Even though they weren't well-versed in the wizarding world, they were aware that pure-blood wizarding families held the highest status. Meanwhile, Muggle-born wizards like David were akin to poor boys struggling to make their way in a big city.
They had feared that David might face bullying or exclusion.
However, after seeing the overwhelming number of gifts today, they felt reassured. If he weren't well-liked, he would never have received so many presents.
"By the way, we love the Christmas gifts you gave us!"
With that, Nitia disappeared into the kitchen.
Of course, she loved them—David had chosen gifts that were impossible to refuse.
For his mother, he had purchased a beauty potion from Diagon Alley that enhanced the skin and slowed aging. No woman would ever turn down something like that.
For his father, he had acquired a bottle of dragon blood wine.
Dennis had helped him procure it, as David had been too embarrassed to go himself.
Those who knew its effects understood its appeal.
According to Dennis, just a small glass granted incredible stamina for two whole hours, with no negative side effects the next day. Physically and mentally, one would feel completely refreshed.
Now, it was time for David to start unwrapping his gifts.
After opening five or six, he realized that most of them were various chocolates—many signed by upperclassmen. Some were from fellow Ravenclaws, while others even came from Slytherins, which was surprising.
But David didn't dare eat them.
It would be a shame to waste them, but he had no way of knowing if they had been tampered with.
Especially with love potions.
It was hard to believe that such dangerous substances weren't banned at Hogwarts.
God knows how many people had unknowingly fallen for them. The effects were terrifying—just consuming food or drink laced with a love potion would make someone obsessed with the giver for a set period of time. The potion was so subtle that it was nearly undetectable.
In The Daily Prophet, there were horror stories of wizards being manipulated through love potions. Even Ron Weasley had once fallen for it in the original story, after unknowingly eating chocolate meant for Harry.
Shaking his head, David reached for a larger box.
Opening it, he found that it was from George and Fred.
Inside was a telescope, along with a handwritten card.
"It looks like a regular telescope, and it works like a telescope.
But the moment you twist it—BAM! A fist pops out and leaves a mark.
The bruise won't fade without using a special remedy.
(Test subject: Lee Jordan)"
David laughed.
Also included was a set of sweets labeled the Quick-Effect Skipping Series—including Blood-Breaking Beans and Nosebleed Nougat.
According to the packaging, anyone who ate them would instantly start bleeding—guaranteeing a successful excuse to skip class.
(Test subject: Ronald Weasley)
One was meant for pranking, the other for skipping school. David didn't have much use for either, but he appreciated the effort.
Of course, the Christmas gifts he had given George and Fred weren't much better. He had picked out popular joke items from Zonko's Joke Shop, hoping to inspire them for their own future pranks.
Moving on, David picked up a small package. It felt like a book.
Opening it, he found an aged yet well-preserved notebook with Minerva McGonagall's name on the cover.
Inside were handwritten notes from when she first became a professor of Transfiguration, detailing various challenges she had faced.
David's eyes widened.
As one of the greatest Transfiguration masters of the era, McGonagall's personal notes were priceless for anyone wishing to master the subject.
The gift he had given her in return was far simpler—a moving cat album from Eeylops Owl Emporium. Since it was an alchemic product, the cats in the images could move.
Next, David opened another notebook—this one brand new.
It was from Professor Flitwick.
Inside, it contained his personal insights on compound magic, as well as his own combat and spellcasting experiences.
More than a month ago, David had asked him about the mechanics of combining spells. At the time, Flitwick had recommended several books. While they had been helpful, they lacked in-depth information.
Now, this notebook would provide the missing knowledge.
David had given Flitwick a wizard's robe woven from Acromantula silk, purchased from Twilfitt and Tattings. It was one of the most comfortable materials available.
He continued opening presents—receiving enchanted bookmarks from Professor Sprout, a bundle of unicorn tail hairs from Hagrid, and a fiery-red phoenix feather from Dumbledore.
As for Professor Snape—David didn't even consider sending him a gift. He doubted many students in Slytherin had either.
Opening gifts from his friends, he found:
Hermione had given him homemade chocolates and a stack of photographs.
Cho Chang had gifted him a bottle of Sichuan hot sauce—likely because she'd seen him eat hot pot in Hufflepuff so often.
Cassandra had sent a ring enchanted with a Shield Charm—a highly practical piece of alchemical equipment.
Penelope had knitted a scarf by hand.
For his friends, David had carefully selected their gifts:
Hermione: A full set of Hogwarts textbooks.
Cho: A golden snitch—a rather expensive 200-Galleon item.
Cassandra: A black Lolita-style dress that matched her personality.
Penelope: A sapphire necklace, elegant and subtle.
Finally, for Harry—his most unique gift yet:
A pair of Beretta 92F pistols with ammunition.
Made of aluminum alloy, with a wand core in the form of 9mm bullets.
David smirked.
"This is way more useful than a wand."
And just like that, another achievement appeared.
[Popular New Star]
Achievement: Receive over 100 gifts in one day.
Reward: Warm and Sunny Personality
David chuckled.
Apparently, he was now officially a warm and sunny guy.
------------------
Visit our Patreon for more:
patreon.com/Johnwick007