Early the next morning, Kate discovered that her manor had already been decked out with Christmas decorations. The grandeur was comparable to some large-scale parties.
However, in such a huge manor, aside from the three house-elves, there were only her, Hermione, and the old butler—three living people—which was inevitably a bit dull.
So, under her repeated pleading, the old butler finally agreed to let the two of them go out to the Muggle world, though Jingjing would be following them in secret.
Kate naturally wouldn't refuse having a bodyguard, and early in the morning, she excitedly dragged Hermione out of the manor.
The streets of London were filled with the atmosphere of the festival. Amidst the coming and going of people, everything was brimming with the joy of the holiday.
"Kate, you probably haven't toured London before, right?" Hermione acted as a little guide, leading her through the streets and alleys.
She remembered that Kate had hardly ever gone out.
"I went out once, a long time ago..." Kate looked at the street full of Western faces, and couldn't help but sigh with emotion.
During the time just after she moved next door to Hermione's house, the old butler had also tried to take her out. However, at that time, she was immersed in the mindset of having her entire family wiped out, being forced to flee, and desperately longing to return to her previous life.
Suddenly stepping out and coming into contact with these faces that were so strange to her, she couldn't help but want to flee back home and hide.
Seeing that she was truly resistant to going out, the old butler didn't force her anymore.
As time passed, Kate knew she could never go back, and could only gradually accept her life in this world.
But by that time, in order to protect her, the old butler no longer wished for her to go out much, so she thoroughly began her time as a shut-in.
Kate snapped back to reality, only to discover that Hermione, who had been holding her hand just a moment ago, had disappeared somewhere in the crowd.
She frowned slightly. Just as she was about to ask Jingjing to help find her, her shoulder was tapped from behind.
Just as she turned her head, a cold, sweet sensation touched her lips.
Kate blinked, looking somewhat dazedly at Hermione, who was full of smiles and holding an ice cream right up to her mouth.
"This flavor is delicious! Do you want to taste it?" The little lion's dark, bright eyes looked exceptionally dazzling under the reflection of the streetlights.
Kate stared blankly for a good while before coming back to her senses. She tilted her head slightly, held Hermione's wrist, and gently licked it with the tip of her tongue.
It was sweet and carried a chill.
"Delicious," she commented happily, her eyes curving.
Hermione couldn't stop the smile on her face and tasted some herself, immediately narrowing her eyes from the cold. "Mmm! Eating ice cream in winter is really refreshing!"
As she spoke, she suddenly thought of something and looked Kate up and down with some surprise. "Why aren't you afraid of the cold today? Did you use a Warming Charm?"
Soon, her gaze settled on the bracelet on Kate's left wrist, and she frowned unnaturally. "That bracelet... who gave it to you?"
"This?" Kate generously extended her hand to show her. "This is an alchemical item made by my ancestor. It can regulate body temperature, so I won't be so afraid of the cold in the future."
Hermione was startled, then scratched her face shyly. "So it's something from your family. I thought..."
"Hmm? You thought what?" she asked in confusion.
"Nothing! Anyway, with this, you won't catch a cold from getting chilled!" Hermione immediately changed the subject.
Kate smiled, stretched her neck to lean in and take another lick of the ice cream, smiling with satisfaction. "Let's go, there seems to be an amusement park ahead."
"Mn!"
After playing wildly outside for the whole day, it was approaching dusk when the two returned home, yawning incessantly. They had consumed too much energy during the day, so it was easy to get sleepy at night, especially for children who were still growing.
Just after sending Hermione back to the guest room to shower, Kate walked towards the study while yawning.
"Kate, how about resting first and opening gifts tomorrow?"
Hearing the old butler persuade her, Kate shook her head disapprovingly. "It's fine. Someone said that Christmas gifts are only meaningful if opened on the day!"
She blinked at the butler, then took out a crystal ball-style music box from her pocket and handed it over.
"Grandpa Rand, so... can I give this little thing to you as a Christmas gift?"
She looked at the old butler with anticipation.
"Gifts for others are bought with family money, but you are my family, and I didn't want to use family money to buy for you.
"But I'm still too young right now and can't earn money myself, so I went to the amusement park and played darts to win this for you!"
The music box in her hand emitted a melodious sound as her fingers fiddled with it. The old butler looked down at the girl filled with expectation and carefully accepted the music box from her hands.
In the past, such cheap and crude Muggle items wouldn't have even entered his eyes. But this was different.
This was the first gift the child he had raised from infancy had given him.
"Thank you, I like it very much." He hugged her gently, then turned his back and raised a hand to wipe the tears from the corners of his eyes. "Go into the study to open your gifts."
Kate gave a playful smile. She knew the old butler would definitely be happy to see this.
Happily running into the study, she was stunned the moment she turned on the light. Is this room almost full of gifts actually real?
Could she really know so many friends?
Disassembling them one by one with a suspicious mind, she finally came to a realization. The gifts on the floor were all sent by families who had some friendship with her family in the past, because she had returned to the wizarding world this year.
And only those placed on the table were things sent by her friends.
Harry sent her a book on how to exercise and strengthen one's physique... Mn, very practical. She would definitely thank him properly when she went back.
Ron sent... well, sure enough, it was the standard Weasley family gift: a pale pink sweater with a large 'S' on it.
Cho Chang sent a set of magical stationery. Compared to the first two, it was already very practical. Included with it was a reply letter.
However, Kate didn't have time to read it, so she could only temporarily place it on the desk. Opening these gifts was enough to take her the better part of an hour.
Almost all the pure-blood families with names and heads in the wizarding world had sent gifts over.
Even the Malfoy family sent a copy of The Pure-Blood Directory. The concept of the Sacred Twenty-Eight families was proposed in this very book.
What is the meaning of this? To remind her not to forget the camaraderie of pure-bloods?
Kate flipped through it with a baffled expression, only to discover a small card the size of a bookmark tucked inside. On it was a line of immature handwriting writing 'Happy Birthday', along with a drawing of a rose.
Is this... written to her by Malfoy?
That Malfoy who always mocked her at school? Is she sure he hasn't been replaced by someone else?
Kate scrutinized the handwriting for a long time; it was delicate and neat, not looking like something a boy wrote at all.
But are there other girls in the Malfoy family?
Is her perception wrong, or has the world gone fantasy? Oh, this world is fantasy to begin with, so never mind.
Not knowing with what mindset to view this small card, Kate felt annoyed looking at it, so she simply put it back into the book and stuffed it into the bookcase behind her.
Next, she categorized the things sent by other families. Perhaps these people didn't know what she liked yet; someone even sent her a teddy bear!
For the sake of the bear not looking too ugly, let's put it in the guest room!
Deftly settling the gifts, Kate yawned. Her spirit, already weary, was left with nothing but drowsiness after the excitement.
There was still Hermione's gift left... oh right, Cho Chang's letter hadn't been opened yet.
She rubbed her eyes, opened the letter, and lay on the table reading it. However, after reading just half, her eyelids began to fight each other.
"Kate? Are you here?"
Hermione finished her shower and searched all the way from her room, only to see this person asleep lying on the table.
Really, actually falling asleep right here—was she not afraid of catching a cold?
She walked in somewhat helplessly, looked at the gift wrappings all over the floor, and hesitantly took out a small box.
This was a gift she had wanted to give ever since she knew that both she and Kate were wizards. For this, she had spent every bit of the pocket money she had saved for many years.
If Kate wore this, it would surely be beautiful.
Walking hesitantly in front of Kate, her gaze passed over the piles of gifts, and only then did Hermione see clearly the letter paper Kate didn't forget to hold even while sleeping.
The signature on it was... Cho Chang?
Her mood, full of anticipation, instantly plummeted to rock bottom.
Unable to articulate what she was feeling, Hermione stood frozen on the spot for several seconds before recovering her senses and placing the small box in front of Kate.
Then she returned to the door, knocked gently, and hid herself.
She watched Kate being woken up by her sound, crawling up from the table with a sleepy look, her blank eyes instantly becoming joyful upon seeing the gift she had sent.
Hermione turned around, her heart beating extremely fast for some reason.
Although she was a bit shaken when she saw Senior Cho Chang's name, as long as Kate liked her gift, it was fine!
She composed herself and walked in with a beaming smile. "Kate, where's my Christmas gift!"
"Don't rush yet." Kate stood up at once, holding a Polaris-shaped brooch she had taken out of the small box in her hands. "Is this what you gave me?"
Hermione pursed her lips, raising her head slightly with a look of self-satisfaction. "If I didn't give it, who else could it be?"
Finally, she asked with some hope, "Do you like it?"
"I like it!" Kate's eyes curved in a smile. She pulled Hermione's hand towards her chest. "Quick, help me put it on!"
Only then did Hermione pretend to be helpless as she put it on for her, stepping back half a pace to admire it for a while. "Mn... it looks quite good."
At a time like this, if it were two adults, they would probably ask if the brooch looked good or if the person looked good. However, Hermione was still small and completely lacked this awareness; as for Kate, don't even mention it.
"Your gift, I put it at the head of the bed." Kate stepped forward and gently pinched her cheek. "Christmas Eve, remember to sleep early."
She didn't know if her hand was too heavy, but Hermione's face flushed a faint red. Hurriedly dropping a "Happy Birthday," she fled in defeat.
Leaving a letter from Cho Chang lying on the desk, wondering when it would be finished.
____
________________________________________
🌸 Help Love Bloom!
Our girls need a little push... and you can help!
💖 Gift for Everyone: Once we hit 50 Powerstones, I'll release +1 bonus chapter to warm your hearts.
🚀 Community Reward: If we reach 20 supporting members, we'll have a +5 chapter marathon across all stories! The romance won't stop.
👻 Come to our secret corner: Search for GirlsLove on (P). You know that's where the magic happens... 😉