Everyday Life of a Top Student at Hogwarts

Chapter 287 Winter Leisure and My Sister's Wish

Chapter 287 Winter Leisure and My Sister's Wish

On Christmas morning, before dawn, the faint sounds and barely suppressed excited breaths emanating from Lily's room were more effective than any alarm clock in waking the light sleeper Karen. He heard rustling in the next room, followed by the sound of a door opening quietly and someone tiptoeing downstairs, and couldn't help but chuckle in bed. Sure enough, a few minutes later, Lily's scream, loud enough to lift the roof off the building, erupted downstairs, followed by her excited shouts as she ran upstairs, pounding on Karen's door: "Karen! Karen! Wake up! There are so many presents!"

The whole family was fully awakened by the energetic announcement. The gift-opening festivities began enthusiastically under the Christmas tree in the living room. The rustling of wrapping paper being torn, the cheers of surprise, and the shouts of thanks filled the air. Karen received gifts from her roommates, all the ones they had promised. The gift from Professor Nico and Professor Castor was a set of ancient and sturdy alchemist's engraving knives, each containing a faint magical fluctuation—clearly carefully chosen and quite valuable. Professor Flitwick and the other professors, as well as other students, also sent greeting cards and small gifts.

Lily's gifts piled up like a small mountain, and she was so excited that her face turned red. She cheered every time she opened one. Her parents, on the other hand, were delighted with the gifts Karen had given them. David kept the "Seagull" model close at hand for almost the entire morning, glancing at it every now and then.

Lunch was even more lavish than dinner the night before. Emily brought out her specialty: a huge roast turkey stuffed with chestnuts and sausages, its skin roasted to a golden-brown crisp; served with honey-roasted ham, Yorkshire pudding, perfectly roasted root vegetables, rich gravy, and a bottle of fine wine that David had specially opened. Dessert was flambéed Christmas pudding and a mixed fruit pie drizzled with sweet sauce. Everyone ate to their heart's content, almost unable to move.

"We need to get some exercise," David said, rubbing his stomach and looking out the window at the pristine white snowscape bathed in sunlight. "Such beautiful weather, it's a shame to stay home. How about a walk in the park?"

The suggestion was met with a positive response, especially from Lily, who needed to burn off her excessive energy.

Everyone put on thick winter clothes, scarves, and gloves, and went out fully armed.

The crisp, cold air was invigorating. The streets of Plymouth were quiet and peaceful, blanketed in snow, as if the whole world had slowed down. The park was even more pristine, the bare branches adorned with glistening frost, the sunlight reflecting off the snow in a dazzling display—truly a scene from a fairytale.

"Let's build a snowman!" Lily suggested, grabbing a handful of snow, her eyes sparkling.

"Great idea," Karen agreed, and he started rolling a large snowball for the snowman's body. Lily, meanwhile, struggled to roll a slightly smaller snowball for the head. Their collaboration was filled with laughter, but also inevitably involved some chaos.

The snowman's body was a bit tilted, and it almost rolled off when its head was placed on it. David had to step in to help stabilize it. Karen found some pebbles for eyes and buttons, Lily contributed her old scarf and a small woolen hat for the snowman, and Emily broke off two twigs for arms. In the end, a large, endearing, even somewhat comical snowman stood in a corner of the park.

"Great job!" Lily clapped her hands and circled the snowman, extremely satisfied with her work. Emily captured the siblings' collaborative creation and Lily's happy smile with her camera.

Next, David tried to teach them a simplified version of curling, using a few flat stones to slide across a frozen pond. "Look, use your wrist like this to make it slide in a straight line, and the goal is to hit that big stone on the other side—" he demonstrated, his movements looking quite professional.

However, putting it into practice was a different story. Karen's stones always went wildly off course, flying in completely unexpected directions; Lily's stones barely slid far before stopping; even David himself once threw too hard, and his stone flew straight across the ice and landed in the snowdrift on the other side, causing everyone to burst into laughter. Emily also tried once; her stone glided lightly, its trajectory erratic, but unexpectedly lightly touched the target stone, winning her round of the "race" and drawing cheers and good-natured teasing.

The cold air was filled with the laughter of the whole family, breaking the winter's tranquility.

As evening fell, everyone returned home, still feeling the chill but in high spirits. Emily made hot cocoa, and the thick, sweet drink dispelled all the cold.

At night, Lily, clutching her favorite magical little unicorn doll that emitted a soft glow, knocked on Karen's door, then climbed into his bed as if she knew the way well, squeezing next to him.

"Brother," she whispered, her voice tinged with a languid weariness from playing, but more so with a deep longing, "Does Hogwarts have lots of fun things to do every day? Where do you usually practice those powerful spells? I can never seem to learn them, like the toys you gave me, but I want to learn real ones—"

Karen put down the notes she was reading on the basics of spatial magic and looked down at her sister. "Hogwarts is huge, with lots of empty classrooms and secret corners. We have our own place, called the Eagle's Nest," she said, "right on the fifth floor of the castle. We often practice spells there and study some interesting little things."

"The Eagle's Nest—" Lily murmured the name, her eyes filled with longing. "It sounds so cool. When can I go to Hogwarts? It'll be such a long, long time—" Her little face fell, and her fingers unconsciously picked at the horn of her unicorn plushie. "I wish I could try real magic right now, without having to wait so long—without just playing with toys—"

The pure longing and slight anxiety in her voice, like a tiny needle, gently pricked Karen. He reached out and ruffled Lily's soft hair. "Soon, Lily. Time flies faster than you think. And you can feel magic at home too. See, you've always been able to make little things happen, haven't you?" He was referring to Lily's unconscious magical manipulation of the garden plants to make them grow better, or the occasional movement of small objects.

"That's different—" Lily muttered, "I want to learn spells, like you, to make things fly or change colors at will—instead of relying on luck."

She was silent for a moment, then suddenly looked up at Karen with bright, expectant eyes and asked, "Brother, could you—make a place like an eagle's nest at home? Just a small one, for me to use? I promise I won't cause any trouble, and I won't tell anyone! I'll practice quietly in there, just a little bit—"

Looking into his sister's hopeful grey-blue eyes, Karen said, "This is a huge undertaking, Lily." He didn't agree immediately, but cautiously added, "It requires a lot of preparation, and it must be done very, very safely. There are rules against using magic in the house."

Lily's eyes dimmed slightly for a moment, but Karen quickly added, "However, I'm researching this now."

Perhaps there are other ways, without me using magic directly, to give you a small space that suits you.

"Really?" Lily immediately perked up again, grabbing his arm. "You're the best, brother!"

"Okay, I'll give it a try." Karen nodded, her mind already racing. "But this is our secret, okay? I need some time. Don't tell Mom and Dad until things are looking promising."

"Of course! Pinky promise!" Lily extended her little finger and solemnly made a pinky promise with Karen. Then, she happily hugged her unicorn doll and rolled around on Karen's bed a few times before being urged to go back to her room to sleep by Emily, who came running at the sound.

Karen sat alone at his desk, his gaze once again fixed on the profound notes and drawings, his eyes becoming even more focused. Lily's wish was no longer just a vague idea, but had become something that required his careful planning.

Goals that are put into practice.

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