Christmas had finally arrived!
Ever since the day Alice ran into a thestral and a unicorn, the whole school had been buzzing with excitement. And now that the long-awaited holiday was here, Hogwarts seemed to empty out almost instantly.
When Alice woke up that morning, the dorm was unusually quiet. The absence of Millicent and Pansy's constant chatter felt strange—almost unsettling.
Millicent and Pansy had both gone home, but Alice had stayed at school because of her flying-sword project.
Trista was still buried in the library; she planned to use the holiday break to solve the compatibility problem between the runes and the sword. Theodore had also stayed behind—Snape needed an assistant for a new potion he was researching.
Hermione had gone home as well. Harry and Ron were still at school, and notably, none of the Weasley brothers had gone home either.
Alice didn't understand why—they could go home easily enough, right? But she didn't ask. It had nothing to do with her, after all. Besides, Harry seemed perfectly happy with Ron staying.
After stretching and finishing her morning sword-dance practice, Alice headed to the Great Hall. She had just taken a seat when owls swooped in, dropping letters and gifts everywhere.
A quick glance around told her that nearly every student who had stayed for the holidays was receiving presents.
With a small smile, Alice began opening hers.
The first parcel was from Butler Taylor, containing a letter and a beautifully carved miniature wooden sword—only as long as her finger.
"My esteemed young lady," the letter read, "I hope this wooden sword from the East brings you good fortune."
It was a lovely trinket, engraved with delicate patterns. It could be worn as a pendant, and Alice liked it immediately.
Taylor had also sorted through the gifts sent by her friends and business partners, selecting what he thought was meaningful. Most of the items were old curios he suspected might be connected to magic or the supernatural. Alice skimmed through them and realized Taylor probably overthought it—but she still felt warmed by his concern.
Despite calling himself a butler, Taylor had practically raised her. She treated him like a true elder.
Next came a letter from Hermione.
"Dear Alice,
Surprised I'm writing after only one day apart?
My Christmas present for you was at home, so I had to wait to send it.
It's a bracelet my mum made, and also a sweater she knitted.
I told my parents about you—you know I'm not good at making friends. They were thrilled I met someone like you. They insisted I pass these to you."
Alice looked at the bracelet—a simple rope threaded with seven or eight pretty stones whose names she didn't know. It wasn't expensive, but it was beautifully made.
The sweater was a warm yellow, tightly stitched with obvious care. Alice could feel Hermione's mother's sincerity in every thread.
She was still smiling when Theodore sat down across from her wearing a very strange expression.
"What's wrong? Why do you look like that?"
"Uh… I'm here to give you your Christmas present."
Alice frowned. "Didn't we already exchange gifts?"
She'd given him a Muggle classic; he'd given her a copy of The Practical Handbook of Everyday Spells.
"It's not from me. It's from Professor Snape. And from a few other professors who asked him to pass their gifts along."
Alice raised an eyebrow. The other professors she could understand—but Snape? After she'd teased him a few times, he barely even wanted to speak to her.
"You know the Muggle chemistry tools and textbooks you sent him? He's very interested. His new potion research is based on some of the concepts."
"Oh? I didn't even know what he was researching."
Theodore shook his head. "I don't know either. I'm only helping with the basic steps. I can't understand his methods at all, so I have no idea what potion he's creating."
That made Alice even more curious. Theodore was genuinely gifted at Potions. Snape wouldn't have chosen a first-year for special tutoring otherwise.
But even Theodore couldn't figure out Snape's goal this time?
"Anyway," he continued, "let me tell you what the other professors sent."
"Professor McGonagall gave you a miniature Quidditch pitch. It replays classic matches."
Alice looked over—it was exquisite. Tiny players zoomed around reenacting legendary games. A bunch of students hurried over to watch, including Harry, who leaned in so far Ron had to yank him back.
"Don't, Harry! If your head goes in there, they'll whack you around like a Quaffle!"
Remembering the force behind his own swings during practice, Harry quickly backed away.
"Professor Dumbledore and Professor Flitwick sent you something similar—notes from their student days. Seriously, what did you give them to make them hand over something that valuable?"
Alice just smiled.
She'd given Dumbledore something very… straightforward: every Muggle candy she could find on the market—and a hundred pairs of socks.
As for Flitwick, she'd gifted him some rare insights and techniques from her sword-dueling collection.
"My biggest question," Theodore said, "is when did you give Professor Trelawney a present?"
Alice froze. She hadn't given Professor Trelawney anything. They'd never even spoken—why would she send her a gift?
Seeing her confusion, Theodore said, "That's odd. She sent you a bracelet."
He pulled a bracelet from his pocket, and Alice stared in shock. It was unmistakably made from the same material as the one Pansy's grandmother had left her.
"Did Professor Trelawney say anything?"
"Uh… she said if you had doubts, you could go talk to her directly."
"…And why exactly did all these professors ask Snape to deliver their gifts?"
"No idea. Maybe they made some sort of arrangement."
Alice nodded. That wasn't important. She had a more pressing question.
"So—what did Snape get me?"
At that, Harry and Ron immediately perked up, leaning closer. They were just as eager to know what the "terrible, greasy git" would possibly give Alice for Christmas.