"Ahem, in my hometown…I mean, my real hometown, it's traditional to give someone an apple on Christmas Eve as a symbol of peace."
He said this in Chinese.
Audrey blinked.
"Oh, but today's already Christmas, isn't it?"
Edward opened the box to reveal a bright red apple. He cleared his throat.
"So…while it looks like an apple, in reality…"
He gave the apple a light tap, and it transformed into a transparent crystal orb.
"It's a memory orb," he explained.
Audrey narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
"…Are you implying my memory's not good?"
"No, no! It's not like Neville's Remembrall! This one's real. I asked Professor Dumbledore and Mr. Nicolas Flamel for help and created it based on the Pensieve. It's an actual memory storage orb."
Edward scratched his head awkwardly.
"It contains all the memories from the time we met…I know, I know, it's super cheesy, kind of boring, and really uncool, but…"
Audrey took the crystal ball with a smile.
"Not at all. These are your memories. There aren't many things in the world more precious than a person's memories, right?"
She leaned in closer.
"Be honest—did you specifically pick memories that made you look smart and heroic?"
"Um…aside from the ones that were too dangerous or corrupted, I crammed them all in."
"Wow! Even ones of you in the bath?"
"…"
Crap! He might have included those!
Edward lunged to snatch it back.
"Wait—let me edit it first—"
"Nope! You can't take back a gift once it's given!"
Audrey gave his shoulder a firm slap and said with all seriousness, "Relax. I promise I'll go through them very carefully."
"…"
Edward let out a sigh of relief, then mimicked her earlier gesture and extended his palm.
"So…what about my gift?"
"I was just waiting for you to ask."
Audrey beamed, stepped even closer, and fixed her eyes on Edward's. Her gaze inched nearer and nearer. Then, she stood on tiptoe.
Edward could feel her breath brushing his cheek. Her face was getting closer and closer. His heart skipped a beat. Was she about to—
But just then, she tilted her head slightly, brushing past his cheek and whispered into his ear with a chuckle, "You didn't actually think I was going to kiss you, did you?"
"…."
Audrey stepped back and handed him a small notebook.
"Here. This is the keepsake I made for you."
Edward opened the book and saw that between every few pages, there were one or two magical portraits of Audrey. She was dressed in all sorts of different outfits and striking all sorts of poses. Each image was playful, vivid, and beautiful.
"Ahem."
She cleared her throat.
"Come to think of it, it looks like we had the same idea. We both gave each other memory-themed gifts."
Edward laughed.
"Great minds think alike."
"Hmph! Go to bed, you!"
She stepped back on tiptoe, walking backwards while saying, "Oh right—some things should not be initiated by the girl, you know~"
With that, she turned and headed toward the entrance of the Slytherin common room.
Edward was left standing there, stunned.
Suddenly, Susie stepped out of the shadows nearby. She sighed helplessly, "Seriously, watching you two is frustrating."
She stared at Edward for a moment, then shook her head and chased after Audrey.
Edward scratched his head, dazed.
Did…did a dog just look down on him?
———
[Ottery St. Catchpole]
Xenophilius Lovegood was slumped on the couch, clutching a bottle of sherry. He had drunk himself into a stupor and fallen fast asleep. He wasn't usually a heavy drinker, but on holidays like this—meant for family gatherings—he'd often get drunk enough to sleep straight through to the next day, as if nothing had happened.
Luna, holding a small shovel, was struggling to clear a narrow path through the day's snowfall from their front door. She exhaled a long breath and turned back to look at her home.
The house, which resembled a giant chess piece, was now covered in a variety of strange decorations. Some blinked with lights, some twitched and moved on their own, and some whistled and chimed with the wind.
Somehow, it looked even weirder than usual.
Luna propped the shovel against the wall, stomped the snow off her boots, and was just about to go inside.
Crunch…crunch…crunch…
Footsteps echoed in the snow.
She turned—and froze.
Somehow, without her noticing, a creature had appeared in the snow.
It was grayish-black and had two curved horns and a slightly oversized nose. If not for its body shape, it almost looked like a monkey with antlers.
"A…Crumple-Horned Snorkack?!"
Luna's eyes widened. She thought she might be hallucinating. She rubbed her eyes—nope, it was still standing there.
"It really is you?!"
Joy sparkled in her eyes at first, but then she remembered something. Her expression fell into panic.
"Wait! Are you here to take Mum away? No! You already came once—you can't come again! Go away! Shoo!"
She grabbed her little shovel again.
"You're scaring her," came a voice.
The Crumple-Horned Snorkack stared at Luna for a moment, then slowly backed away and vanished into the darkness.
"…It's gone?"
Luna let out a breath of relief. But then she felt a bit regretful. Maybe she shouldn't have chased it off. Maybe it could've helped her see her mother again.
Wait a second—that voice just now!
Just as she realised, a swarm of Wrackspurts appeared in her vision.
And then, a woman with long blond hair in a flowing white dress emerged. She wore a gentle smile as she slowly approached.
"You're Luna, aren't you?"
"Y-Yes."
Luna didn't know why, but her heart suddenly started racing. She swallowed nervously. "W-Who are you?"
"Me?" The woman smiled gently. "Oh, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Ariana."
Ariana stopped three or four meters away from her. She smiled as she looked past Luna, toward the house behind her. "Would you like to see your mother again? With your own eyes?"
"!!!"
Luna's pupils contracted. Without a moment's hesitation, she blurted out, "Yes!"
"Very well. If you're willing to become my student, I can teach you…a special kind of 'magic.' A magic that will allow you to see your mother and speak with her."
"Really?"
"Of course."
"I'm willing! I want to be your student!"
Ariana gave a slight nod and drew out a crystal—clear and gleaming in the moonlight. Smiling, she said, "Then come with me."
———
In the days that followed, Hogwarts remained steeped in the joy of Christmas—though, admittedly, this was limited mostly to the students.
Dumbledore was running back and forth between the Ministry of Magic and the school. Every time he saw Edward, he would sigh and lament his decision to run for Minister of Magic.
Some professors were helping Dumbledore, while others were using the time to dive into their own Roles. Oddly enough, they were busier now than before the holidays had begun.
Meanwhile, Edward and Audrey had just returned from visiting several vastly different cultures around the world. He had finally completed the full digestion of the Scribe Potion.
In other words, he was now ready to advance to Sequence 5: Wandering Mentor.
The Traveler's potion and the Shepherd's Beyonder characteristics weren't difficult for Edward to acquire. The true challenge was setting up the four unique anchor points across different worlds.
The Harry Potter world was one.
The Lord of the Mysteries reality was another.
The Spirit World counted as the third.
But what would the fourth be?
The Astral Plane, where the gods resided?
The Dream World?
Or perhaps the bizarre world of Groselle's Travels?
He would have to try each one in turn to find out.
Two days before his planned return to the world of Lord of the Mysteries, Edward successfully set one of the coordinates within the Room of Requirement at Hogwarts.
Over breakfast, Audrey and Susie walked into the Great Hall to find Edward scribbling something into a parchment notebook. When she leaned in for a closer look, she realised he was copying content from a textbook—specifically, a Hogwarts second-year Charms book.
Lilith was seated beside him, struggling to hold a tiny wand with her paws, muttering softly as she waved it around.
"Edward, are you personally writing a magical study guide for Miss Lilith?" Audrey asked.
Edward looked up. "It is a study guide, but not for Lilith."
"Oh? Then who's it for?"
"Ahem, I plan to offer it up along with the rest of the sacrifice."
Audrey immediately understood.
"I'm able to gain feedback through the knowledge I pass on, right? So I thought, if a being of that level learns magic…wouldn't the return be even more amazing?"
"…"
Audrey stared at him, stunned. You're really trying to con a god into studying magic for your own benefit? That takes guts.
"Ahem, it's just an experiment. I don't think they'd be opposed to the idea."
Edward closed the notebook and took out a long list of items. "Now, the only things left on this list are some larger mechanical devices…and a few rather outrageous ones like the F-35 fighter jet."
Their recent travels had proven fruitful.
In truth, technical and theoretical books on things like nuclear fusion, fission, or even atomic bombs weren't as classified as Edward had first thought. Most of them were publicly available.
What made such things hard to recreate wasn't the theory, but the actual manufacture and execution.
"Hm, judging by your expression…are you actually thinking of bringing some of those things back with you?"
"I'm considering it. From what I've found, while there's no F-35 yet, there are F-15s out there—some of the most advanced fighter jets currently in service. If I could get my hands on one…that would be quite the achievement."
"Wasn't it impractical before because Professor McGonagall's trunk wasn't big enough?"
"Exactly. But Sirius just gifted me a bigger one. It would be a waste not to put it to good use."
Audrey paused for a moment. "…Where would you even get one?"
"Remember the country I visited to buy those dolls?" Edward scratched his cheek. "Turns out they've got some military bases nearby..."
Just as he said that, Professor McGonagall strode up to them.
"Edward, Audrey—Professor Dumbledore wants to see you."
"Got it."
The two of them followed McGonagall down the halls toward the Headmaster's Office.
"Professor," Edward asked, "we've heard you've been spending a lot of time in the Muggle world lately—playing the role of a Spectator?"
"That's right." McGonagall smiled. "As far as Roles go, the Spectator Path is actually quite suited for me. I just transform into a cat and find a spot to sit. Each day, I can feel the potion digesting."
Audrey chimed in, "Professor, the identity of the person you're observing affects the rate at which your potion digests."
"Oh? You mean observing students and observing someone like Professor Dumbledore would yield different results?"
"Exactly."
"Hmm… does that 'identity' refer specifically to strength?"
"Not necessarily."
Susie spoke up then. "What Audrey means is, the rate of digestion depends on how likely your target is to notice you observing them. Generally, the stronger the target, the more likely they are to sense it. If you manage to observe such a person without being discovered, your potion will digest much faster."
Professor McGonagall nodded in realisation. "I see…"
Susie added, "But for us, the 'discovery' factor doesn't really apply—no one really notices when they're being watched by a cat…or a dog."
McGonagall fell into thought.
——
Soon, they reached the Headmaster's Office on the eighth floor. The heads of the other three houses were already there, along with Karkaroff and Nicolas Flamel.
Edward was surprised and asked quickly, "Professor Dumbledore—did something happen?"
Dumbledore gave them a reassuring smile. "Oh, don't worry—it's nothing bad. This morning, the Ministry received a letter from America."
"From America?"
"Yes, from the American Department of Magic, on behalf of Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. They'd like to propose a special event—an intercontinental competition among four magical schools…"
———
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