Christmas arrived with all its familiar warmth and traditions. As the patriarch of the Wick family, Watson, who held such a lofty status in the outside world, felt somewhat melancholy in the comfort of his own home.
The Christmas tree was lit up with twinkling lights, and the small gift he'd bought for Ariana rested beneath its decorated branches. Mrs. Wick glanced at Watson, who was huddled in the corner of the sofa, muttering to himself like a dejected child.
The underground president who commanded respect and fear throughout the criminal world was nothing more than a grown man who never quite grew up when he was at home. He missed the Christmas celebrations he had once experienced in the magical world immensely. Those had been a hundred times more entertaining than anything the mundane world could offer.
"John..." Watson dejectedly released the Golden Snitch from his palm.
The small golden ball sprouted two delicate, leaf-shaped wings and moved so fast it appeared as nothing more than a golden streak of light. The moment it left his palm, it swiftly took flight, darting around the room with incredible speed.
Just as it was about to escape his control completely, Watson's hand seemed to have eyes of its own, quickly recapturing the Golden Snitch with practiced ease. The magical ball couldn't escape those five experienced fingers, and Watson repeatedly released it only to catch it again.
If there were a Quidditch Seeker present, this action would be understood as having very important show-off significance.
The Wick family's fireplace crackled with burning logs, and Watson sighed deeply. His son wasn't even coming home for Christmas. Most importantly, your old dad desperately wanted to spend the holidays in the magical world!
Watson felt resentful, like an abandoned spouse waiting for attention.
Mrs. Wick couldn't stand his melodramatic behavior anymore. She rolled her eyes at him and exposed his true thoughts with surgical precision. "You're just waiting for John's gift, aren't you?"
"Ahem, this year's gift is arriving unusually late." Watson couldn't maintain his resentful facade any longer. He coughed dryly and produced the gift he had prepared with obvious pride.
"I've already prepared mine, of course."
"Really, John should have given us some notice before planning to visit."
Watson complained with the petulance of a child. "When he was living at Privet Drive, he was always running around outside too much as well."
"Sons grow up," Watson sighed with the weight of a father watching time pass.
Mrs. Wick didn't respond immediately. Instead, she came to sit beside her husband on their comfortable sofa. The elegant woman leaned against him, her eyes reflecting the dancing flames from the fireplace.
"Our children have all grown up," Mrs. Wick said softly, her voice carrying both pride and melancholy.
Watson put his arm around his wife's shoulder protectively and said, "He saved his own parents, you know."
Hearing this, Mrs. Wick's eyes flashed with hesitation and uncertainty.
"Do you really think..."
"We escaped disaster," Watson interrupted, losing his usual casual manner. His expression became steady and serious as he spoke with grave certainty. "Those sudden assassination attempts on us and those changes at the High Table."
"Someone wanted to eliminate me specifically, and someone else wanted to harm our children."
"There are others besides HYDRA mixed up in this. Rumlow told me many things," his eyes hardened with lethal focus. "Whoever they are, I'll make them pay dearly"
"An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth."
At this moment, Watson truly embodied the terrifying underground president that his enemies feared.
Mrs. Wick touched that face that was no longer young but still handsome and strong. Like a young woman finding security, she had found her pillar of support to lean against.
Watson stared intently at the dancing flames, his mind clearly working through various scenarios and plans.
"Knock knock."
The sound of persistent tapping on glass interrupted their intimate moment.
Mrs. Wick, who had been comfortably leaning in her husband's protective arms, felt him quickly leave her side, causing her to go from sitting upright to lying awkwardly on her side.
Mrs. Wick looked over silently, suppressing her amusement.
She watched as Watson stood uncertainly in front of their floor-to-ceiling windows, scratching his head and obviously unable to figure out how to open them properly.
Outside, a magnificent snow-white owl was repeatedly tapping on the glass with determination. Three beautifully wrapped gift boxes were secured to its talons with magical bindings.
Finally, Basil flew to the room's designated window and soared inside gracefully.
Basil, with some unmelted snowflakes still clinging to his head, shook vigorously and scattered the snow across their polished floor.
Watson was already eagerly unwrapping his gift with the enthusiasm of a child on Christmas morning. Inside, he discovered a pair of Spectrespecs that he couldn't wait to put on immediately.
Mrs. Wick silently took back all her previous thoughts about her husband's maturity.
The wizarding world celebrated Christmas much the same as ordinary people did. Nothing more elaborate than decorated Christmas trees and festive Christmas dinners filled with laughter and warmth.
This year's Christmas dinner was definitely the most spectacular evening the school had ever witnessed.
Smedley sat completely motionless, the fish soup she had ladled already dripping steadily onto her plate without her even noticing the mess.
Edward's mouth hung wide open in shock, while Bertram didn't know where to put his hands or how to act normally.
The more knowledgeable Gerald kept glancing over frequently, trying to process what he was seeing.
Even Martha was blushing like a shy schoolgirl at this extraordinary moment.
John looked with exasperation at this first batch of students at Silver Hand Genius Youth Academy and said irritably, "Eat your dinner! Why are you all staring at him like he's some kind of museum exhibit?"
"You're John's students?" Thor, wearing loose casual clothing with a cartoon version of himself printed on the front, said cheerfully. "I'm Thor, Thor Odinson from Asgard."
Heaven knows that the students who had just been enthusiastically discussing the Avengers suddenly found themselves dining with the most popular member of that legendary team. It felt like sharing a meal with the world's biggest superstar.
Thor was completely unaware of how famous he had become on Earth, casually putting his muscular arm around John's shoulder and patting him hard in a gesture of friendship. "I'm John's good friend and battle companion."
Only then did the students fully realize that their principal had this kind of incredible connection to the world's mightiest heroes.
Little did they know that Thor was equally curious about why John, the dignified and powerful Wizard King, would choose to run a school for gifted youngsters.
The meal made the children feel like they were sitting on pins and needles, and John began to seriously regret his decision to invite Thor over for the holidays.
The main problem was that Thor had started visiting every few days recently. Probably because he had developed a serious appreciation for John's exceptional wine collection, Thor came with particular enthusiasm whenever he had free time.
This Christmas was quite lively and memorable.
John received thoughtful gifts from his parents. There was an elegant watch and a luxurious bear pelt that was most likely selected by his mother, who had impeccable taste.
There were also various weapons of different types and origins. John glanced at them once and casually set them aside without much interest.
He sometimes really wondered if his uncles engaged in any legitimate business whatsoever. There was even a gun made entirely of pure gold among the collection.
But since his great-nephew had provided so much gold previously, using a little for decorative weapons wasn't particularly surprising.
Thor loved Christmas celebrations, even though there was no such holiday tradition in Asgard. But he genuinely enjoyed the atmosphere of gift-giving and human fellowship.
He gave John one special gift, supposedly authentic Asgardian wine from the royal cellars, which John carefully set aside for later appreciation.
Thor also observed the students' developing superpowers with great interest. In his professional evaluation, they could probably become excellent warriors in just a few years with proper training.
He rated Martha particularly highly and personally instructed Bertram on properly using and controlling electricity.
This personal attention from a legendary Avenger made Bertram so overwhelmed with happiness he almost fainted from excitement.
But happy times always seem to pass too quickly.
Thor soon had to leave because of an urgent Avengers mission that required his immediate attention. After all, he was one of Earth's Mightiest Heroes with serious responsibilities.
After this incredible experience, the students trained even harder than before, inspired by meeting a real superhero.
Smedley made the fastest and most impressive progress among all of them. She actually developed abilities far beyond simple flight. She discovered she had telekinesis.
This remarkable ability was first discovered during a playful snowball fight. She could change the trajectory of snowballs through pure thought and concentration.
After focused development and practice, it evolved into the ability to make fist-sized stones fly around at will, following her mental commands.
John gave Bertram a very special Christmas gift that would change his life. When the young man unwrapped the long, mysterious box, he was completely stunned by what he found inside.
It was a prosthetic arm unlike anything he had ever seen.
The dark gold exterior looked incredibly stylish and cool, covered with many exquisite magical patterns perfectly suitable for a teenager who loved dramatic aesthetics.
Bertram, who had been painfully self-conscious about his missing arm, suddenly became the most envied member of his group.
Edward got himself an eyepatch to match his new tough-guy image, like a young pirate captain ready for adventure.
John silently watched this transformation and couldn't help thinking of a certain bald man he knew.
Martha's blood blade abilities had evolved significantly. They could now solidify completely and were as hard as the finest steel, making her a formidable opponent.
The school officially began regular classes during this winter break. Under the personal guidance and instruction of the Wizard King himself, all the students progressed at remarkable speeds.
Gerald officially became the school's administrator during this period. Before Christmas ended completely, he had successfully delivered all the promised payments to the teaching staff.
During this transitional period, he also gained tremendous confidence and valuable experience in leadership.
When John handed him the school's master keys, Gerald hesitated with obvious uncertainty.
"Principal, can I really handle this responsibility?" Gerald possessed natural kindness and tolerance but also carried the weakness of being somewhat timid and uncertain.
His deep-seated inferiority complex from growing up in a harsh orphanage meant he had often been bullied during his school years, leaving emotional scars.
He naturally understood the enormous responsibility these keys represented, and the weight of it made him anxious and hesitant.
John didn't pressure or force him in any way. "You can refuse this position, but understand that this is your only opportunity."
"You know this place better than anyone. You grew up here and remember every corner of this school with perfect clarity," John said with calm certainty. "These keys possess extraordinary magic. They can open any door in existence. The importance and power they represent should be obvious to you."
Gerald gritted his teeth, his heart struggling with an intense internal battle between fear and ambition.
Keys that could open all doors in the world. If he didn't accept the position of administrator, whether another administrator would be good or bad for the students would remain completely unknown.
He finally made up his mind with determination and accepted the role of administrator.
John didn't expect him to serve without proper compensation. The generous salary was significantly higher than any part-time job Gerald had ever held.
As Christmas festivities ended and celebration gave way to routine, a new year passed as well, bringing fresh possibilities and challenges.