Although Relf had already checked the remaining gift boxes, Vid remained extremely vigilant—
He directed two poppets to move all the Christmas gift boxes into the wardrobe space, sitting by the side reading, while the poppets were responsible for unwrapping the gifts.
A half-human-height jellyfish poppet rose from the basement, its dozens of tentacles flexibly maneuvering, unwrapping boxes while categorizing and recording them.
Various books, candies, magic items... The most amusing of all was someone gifting him a Daydream Quill, leaving Vid speechless.
The quill's shaft even had a label, stating "Inventor: Vid Gray!"
Nowadays, Vid was somewhat of a trademark for Aslan Magic Workshop, and Machioni wished to print his name on every product.
Human gifts were all the same, whereas House-Elves' gifts had their own unique charm.
Dobby sent an unmatched pair of socks, with crooked cauldrons and owl patterns, which made Vid suspect he knitted them himself;
Zoe sent a picture pieced together from merperson scales, resembling the outline of Hogwarts Castle, creating a colorful effect under the light;
Habi's gift to Vid turned out to be a few little chicks of tender yellow, which ran amok chirping the moment they were out of the box, prompting the cloak to fly over and craft a cage to capture them all.
Phil sent a box of herbs, presumably gathered personally from the Forbidden Forest, with a few droplets of dew still adorning them.
As for Maki, Vid suspected he had somehow heard about the contents of the second project, as he sent a jar of gillyweed!
After tidying up all the gifts and checking against a list to confirm he hadn't missed any recipients, Vid stretched his slightly stiff shoulders and walked out of the wardrobe space.
The bedroom bed was made, the air still warm, though a bit stuffy.
Vid casually picked up the flying broomstick leaning by the bed, gracefully flipping onto it, and flew out the window, snapping his fingers to shut the open window with a "pop," shaking loose a little snow on the sill.
The broom drew an arc through the cold wind, swooping meteor-like toward the snowy field in front of the castle, only halting abruptly before touching the ground.
Just as Vid landed on the snow, a "snap" crackled in the air—
House-Elf Maki suddenly appeared beside him, stretching out his hands in eager anticipation.
"Merry Christmas, Maki."
Vid laughed, handing the broom to him, entrusting the elf to return it to the dormitory.
"Maki, you rascal!"
A shout echoed from nearby, as Zoe stomped her foot, realizing she was a step too late, angrily retreating to the Ravenclaw Tower.
Maki cheekily stuck out his tongue, making a face, unabashed for having stolen Zoe's task.
After chasing Zoe away, he clutched the broom with slender arms, looking up at Vid and saying, "Thank you for Mr. Gray's gift, Maki likes it very much!"
Vid couldn't help but tease, asking, "Have you already peeked at it?"
"Read some of it," Maki said. "Human muggle life is so interesting!"
Vid had gifted House-Elves with humor cartoons popular in Muggle society, lively and humorous, easily understood and funny even without words.
"Reading can let you see what the unreachable world is like, and certainly, comics can too."
Vid noticed Maki standing barefoot in the snow and frowned, saying, "It's too cold outside, hurry back to the castle… Would you like to accept a roll of yarn as a gift? Dobby can knit socks, maybe you can too? The school doesn't forbid you from making your own clothes, right?"
"Maki's fine, Maki isn't cold!"
Maki suddenly lunged to hug Vid's knee, almost knocking him over by force.
The elf looked up, his eyes shimmering like rain-drenched glass marbles.
He said, "The Black Lake is as dangerous as the Forbidden Forest, but Mr. Vid will surely succeed! The gillyweed will be of great help!"
"Thank you, Maki, if the second project requires going into the lake, then you will indeed help a lot."
Vid didn't mention his mastery of the Bubble Head Charm, merely patting the elf's head gently:
"Hurry back now… Oh, remember to share the comics with Zoe and the others, and make peace, okay? Christmas shouldn't involve quarrels with friends."
Maki vigorously nodded and disappeared with a "snap," broom and all.
...
The day whisked by, and soon darkness seeped in.
Vid had finally finished all his homework and even squeezed in writing an alchemy essay—Professor Morry now required him to publish at least one essay in a magazine every month, and Vid already had next February's submission prepared.
"Please, put the quill down!"
Michael leaned against the shelf, holding a bottle of hair oil, his freshly groomed curls fragrant with a hint of cedar.
He urged, "Vid, if we don't change clothes soon, we'll have to wear school robes to the dance!"
Harry and the others from Umbrella House chuckled, while the girls hadn't appeared all afternoon, busy preparing for the dance.
Returning to the dormitory, the group went to change.
Vid opened the wardrobe, revealing a silver-gray silk shirt shimmering gently, alongside a deep-blue dress robe with smoothly cascading hem, almost wrinkle-free.
It was a custom-made outfit from Madam Malkin's Robe Shop, ordered over a week ago and delivered just yesterday at noon.
After changing, he admired himself in the mirror and found it satisfactory, headed to the lounge downstairs where Michael was leaning on the rail.
"How do I look?" Michael spread his arms, spinning boastfully.
He donned a red robe with gold trim at the collar and cuffs, embellished with golden buttons and cufflinks, adorned with several ancient-looking magical items—silver hourglass, a snake biting its tail, and a string of coins inscribed with ancient runes.
Vid couldn't resist verifying it from a magical perspective, discovering they were merely ornamental, their magical aura weaker than the kitchen's plates.
"You look like you're ready to charm three girls at the dance," Vid honestly commented.
Michael tutted and waved a finger: "Half, thank you. Half the girls will be enchanted by me."
Vid was speechless: "... Share some of your confidence with Harry? Even one percent would stop him from fretting over asking a dance partner."
"Oh, well, allure is innate," Michael flicked his hair, winking smugly.