Hogwarts Castle was dressed in festive attire on the eve of Christmas.
A huge Christmas tree stood in the center of the hall, adorned with sparkling lights and exquisite magical decorations.
The entire auditorium was bathed in warm light, and the walls were adorned with shimmering ribbons. The notes of Christmas carols floated in the air, filling everyone present with the warmth of the holiday.
As the holidays approached, all the students were more excited and relaxed.
Most of them were carrying their own suitcases; some were chatting and laughing, while others were organizing their textbooks.
Immersed in the excitement of soon seeing my family.
Harry and Ron were sitting at a long table in the Great Hall, in front of them a set of intricately carved wizard chess pieces, the board making a clanging sound as the pieces collided with each other.
"General!"
Harry looked up abruptly, staring incredulously at Ron across from him who was smiling.
Ron, with a hint of smugness in his voice, loudly commanded Harry's king, "Surrender! You are completely surrounded."
Harry stared at the losing board with a frustrated expression, and couldn't help but sigh, "Damn it! I lost again!" He was clearly very unwilling to accept the defeat.
He could sense Ron's perfect control over the game and the talent Ron had shown in this area.
Ron calmly put away the wizard chess set, a satisfied smile on his face.
He knew Harry's talent in Quidditch was immense, but he wasn't entirely useless either.
At least in Wizard Chess, almost no one can compare to him.
"Hey Harry, you need to practice more. You still have a long way to go in the world of wizard chess!" Ron gave a slightly exaggerated smile, which fully demonstrated his confidence in wizard chess.
He had barely finished speaking when he felt a sharp pain in the back of his head.
Hermione was walking over carrying a bag of books when she gave him a hard smack on the head.
Her gaze swept around and landed on Ron, who was holding the chessboard. Her expression immediately filled with helplessness, even a hint of barely perceptible anger: "Ron, you haven't packed your bags again! And you're still playing here! We're about to leave! Are you going to waste your holiday here too?"
Her complaining tone was like that of a nagging old lady; though helpless, it also carried a hint of concern.
Ron looked up with displeasure and rolled his eyes at Hermione. "My mom and dad went to visit Charlie in Romania and won't be back for a few days! So I don't have to go home." His tone was excited; finally, no one would be bothering him during this holiday.
"You're still the same as before!"
Hermione didn't seem to buy it; her tone turned helpless, and she pulled a thick book, "Advanced Magic," from her pocket.
She flipped to the section where they had argued before, pointed to the content, and continued, "It seems you need to catch up on the lessons you missed last week during this holiday, and also review the herb classification I told you about yesterday!" Hermione finished speaking and threw the textbook into Ron's arms.
Ron held the thick textbook, feeling its weight, which made him want to go back to his room to sleep immediately.
A bitter smile appeared on his face as he made an exaggerated face at Hermione: "Okay, I surrender. I'll study later." There was also a hint of helplessness in his tone.
Moen looked up from his notebook, glanced at Hermione, and gave her a gentle smile.
He stood up from his seat and placed his packed luggage beside him. "Ron will find out, don't be angry," he said to Hermione in a friendly tone.
He also liked this atmosphere.
Hermione's complexion improved, and she nodded gently, "Yes! I know!"
Moen turned his gaze to Harry and Ron: "Harry, train your Quidditch skills well during the holidays! I'm looking forward to seeing you on the field. Ron, you'd better do your best."
Harry and Ron both nodded repeatedly.
Moen chuckled softly, put his suitcase into the "expandable pocket," waved to Hermione, and the two of them walked out of the common room together.
Meanwhile, Harry and Ron continued to immerse themselves in wizard chess.
The Hogwarts Express came to a smooth stop at London Station, and after parting ways with Hermione, Mohn returned to the orphanage.
The familiar old wooden door creaked open, revealing everything familiar.
Although several months have passed, the scene before him still vaguely retains the appearance he remembered: a slightly messy desk, a wooden floor covered with toys, and some faded children's drawings hanging on the wall.
In subtle ways that go unnoticed, this place is quite different from what it used to be.
New curtains replaced the old ones, the children had new clothes and no longer huddled up in the cold; their faces were beaming with smiles.
The once somewhat gloomy orphanage has begun to radiate vitality and hope.
All these changes were thanks to the Galleons that Moen left for the Dean when he left.
The dean heard the door open and came out of his office.
Her face was lined with wrinkles, but she looked very energetic. When she saw Moen standing in the doorway, her joy was palpable: "Moen, you're back! Come in! I've prepared something delicious for you!"
Moen felt a warmth in his heart and stepped forward.
He could sense that the dean's concern for him was genuine.
"Dean, you look much better." Moen looked at the dean happily.
The headmistress chuckled at Moen's words, patting him on the shoulder with a smile. "It's all thanks to you, child! Those Galleons really helped us a lot." Her eyes were filled with gratitude. "I thought the children were destined to live a hard life forever!"
Moen did not respond. Instead, he took out a larger bag from the "expandable pocket" and handed it to the dean. The bag was full of Galleons.
When the dean saw another large bag of Galleons, she panicked a little: "Where did you get all this from! Put it back quickly, I think we have enough money to live on for a long time!" She immediately tried to dissuade her.
"Take these!" Moen smiled slightly, offering no further explanation. "I can earn these now. The magical world is vast, and I am very capable. You don't need to worry about me at all." He possessed the Midas touch, able to acquire anything he desired at any time.
The dean looked at the heavy bag in his hand, then at Moen who was smiling warmly, and finally gave up.
"Good, good child! You are so sensible. How are you doing at magic school? Are you eating well? Are you getting along well with the students there?" she asked repeatedly.
She was genuinely worried. She felt that her child was too dazzling and might not be suited for the magical world.
She was truly terrified, terrified that anything in the magical world would harm her, an innocent child.
"Everything is fine! Don't worry! I'm eating well and I've made a lot of friends!" Moen reassured the dean.
They exchanged a few more pleasantries.
Moen distributed the candy and toys he bought at London Station to the children, and the once quiet orphanage became lively again, filled with the children's joyful laughter.
night,
He sat on the bed, quietly watching all of this. The children's laughter seemed to heal all his wounds. He was finally able to calm down and relax, enjoying the tranquility of it all.
He was getting ready to go to sleep.
A scene suddenly appeared in his mind:
In the dark, eerie, and cramped dean's office, two masked men held cold, hard guns.
They violently broke down the door and fired several shots at the unsuspecting dean. He clearly saw the dean fall to the ground, his face still filled with astonishment and disbelief.
The bright red blood was shocking!
That's something he didn't want to see! It's the last thing he wanted to happen!
In the scene, the two men roughly rummaged through the drawers of the dean's desk, finally finding the money the dean had hidden in a secret compartment of the wardrobe. He recognized the bag full of Galleons—it was the very bag he had given to the dean that day!
The unbridled mocking voices of the two thugs still echoed in his mind: "I wasn't wrong, was I? She's a big fat sheep, I saw her go to the gold shop to exchange it with my own eyes!" Then, the scene vanished into nothingness!
Moen sat up abruptly in bed, his eyes filled with gloom and his heart blazing with unspeakable anger.
"Damn it!" Moen gritted his teeth and squeezed out the two words.