[You two are making this really difficult for me.]
Tom looked at their embarrassed faces with mild disdain, though there was a barely noticeable glint of amusement in his eyes.
He didn't really care much about gifts as long as the thought was there. And catnip? He didn't mind it at all.
After all, besides eating it himself, he could use it to distract Mrs. Norris so she wouldn't keep staring at him. Plus, Professor McGonagall in her cat form was also drawn to catnip. Using it to mess with her sounded like a pretty good idea too.
But most importantly—teasing Harry and Ron was way more fun than any gift.
"Sorry. You're just so capable all the time that I couldn't think of anything you actually needed. So I asked Professor Newt, and he suggested giving you this—"
"Yeah, Tom. You're always so perfect that we had no idea what you might want. The pet shop owner said this stuff makes cats more docile and clingy. I figured it might help you relax too."
[?]
Tom had been looking forward to hearing their excuses, and Harry's answer had been pretty satisfying.
But Ron—had something weird slipped into his words?
Catnip making him clingy and submissive? Ron, what the hell were you thinking?!
"Uh, that's not what I meant!"
Ron realized he'd slipped up and quickly tried to backtrack. "I just wanted to… fix you—no, I mean help you relax! Nothing else, I swear!"
Tom shot Ron a glare. At this point, if he couldn't figure out what Ron was really thinking, then all those years with Spike had been for nothing.
But since it was Christmas, he decided not to settle the score right now. He just filed it away for later.
"Uh, hey—look, there are still so many gifts left to open, Tom. Let's keep going!"
Harry, who had also noticed Ron's slip, quickly tried to change the subject. Tom, who also didn't feel like dealing with Ron today, nodded.
[Fine. I'll take the grass. I'm not really into catnip, so don't get me this stuff again.]
As he spoke, Tom gathered up the three bottles of catnip. But Ariana, standing nearby, noticed that his paw had secretly opened one bottle and pinched out a small pinch of catnip.
Of course, seeing it was one thing. Telling Harry and Ron about it was another.
Even she—a ghost—had gone out of her way to prepare a special gift for Tom. Harry and Ron had just given him a bottle of catnip to brush him off? On this matter, she was firmly on Tom's side.
Still…
It looked like Tom actually liked catnip quite a bit. Maybe she should secretly get him some more later?
Ariana thought to herself.
[Next—]
[This one.]
Tom pulled a package out of the pile. When Ariana saw which one it was, her face turned slightly pink. That was the gift she had prepared for him. But…
Watching a friend open a gift you made yourself was still kind of embarrassing.
She wanted to tell Tom to pick a different one, but he had already seen her name on it.
[Oh? Ariana, this one's from you? The wrapping's pretty nice. I'm curious what you got me.]
Before she could protest, he opened it. Inside was a beautiful notebook. The cover was blue, just like his fur, with a cat and a little girl embroidered on it in gold and red thread.
The two of them were sitting on the ground together, looking up at the sky.
When he opened it, there was a message on the first page: "To my best friend Tom, thank you for everything you've done for me."
Tom gave Ariana—who was looking a little shy—a half-smile.
[The gift's nice. I like it. And your drawing skills have improved a lot. Way better than that little cat you made last time.
And this cover… it's not ordinary material, is it?]
"Of course not. I almost plucked Fawkes bald trying to get enough feathers for the cover! If my brother hadn't said Fawkes was about to have a burning day, I wouldn't have been able to make it."
[Waste of good material.]
Despite his words, Tom carefully tucked the notebook against his chest and adjusted it so the cover wouldn't get wrinkled.
Ariana had also prepared gifts tailored to Tom and Ron's needs. Harry got a broom maintenance kit, while Ron received a wand care set.
Compared to Ariana's thoughtful gifts, Harry and Ron felt even more awkward looking at the two bottles of catnip they had given Tom.
Next was Hermione's gift. She had sent each of them a big bag of Muggle candy. Harry and Ron got chocolate, while Tom received fruit-flavored sweets instead—very thoughtful.
Then there was Hannah. The Hufflepuff girl's gifts were full of warmth and care.
She gave Harry and Ron quick-note quills to help them take notes in class. For Tom, she had prepared a soft pillow in a color close to his fur—soft and fluffy. Tom was quite pleased with it.
Then there were gifts from Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall, Professor Flitwick—
Almost every professor had sent something in their own style. Even Professor Binns, who usually only showed up for class or on the way to class, had sent a gift—though it was only for Tom, and it was a handwritten book on wizarding history.
"Wait—Professor Snape sent us gifts too?!"
Harry, who had been happily opening presents, stared in shock when he saw Snape's name. Aside from the few classes where he'd been forced to drink potions, Snape had always been awful to him.
He never expected Snape to send him a Christmas gift.
"What do I do? I didn't get Professor Snape anything!"
Tom's mouth curved into a wicked grin as he looked at Harry's troubled expression.
[No problem. Drink this, go find Snape, and tell him your Christmas gift to him is you. I guarantee he won't mind that you didn't get him anything—in fact, he'll be very excited~]
Harry shivered when he saw the familiar pink liquid in Tom's paw.
If he wasn't mistaken, that was the potion Tom had made before—the one that had turned him and Ron into girls. He didn't know exactly what Tom meant, but something told him that following that advice would cost him something very important.
Luckily, Tom was only joking. He had no intention of actually making Harry do that. Turning into Harriet for Potions class was already the limit. Selling Harry out like that? Not happening.
When Harry opened Snape's package, he found a regular-looking potion and a letter: "This is a bottle of antidote. It should neutralize most common toxins. Hopefully some little wizards who are barely smarter than a troll won't use it up before the holidays end."
Harry stared at the very Snape-like message in silence. He looked at the antidote in his hands and felt a strong urge to throw it away. "Do I really look like the kind of idiot who would get poisoned at Hogwarts?!"
[Who knows~]
Tom said with a laugh as he opened his own gift from Snape.
Well, "gift" was a stretch. It was mostly ingredients—ones he had asked Snape for earlier.
"These are the materials you wanted. Also, Merry Christmas. Don't forget what you promised me."
Tom went silent too when he saw the materials and the note. No wonder Snape had no friends. With a mouth like that, it was a miracle anyone could stand him.
"Why?! Why didn't I get a gift from Professor Snape?!"
Ron, seeing that both Harry and Tom had received gifts from Snape, rummaged through his own pile. It seemed Snape hadn't bothered with him.
[It's fine. Even if he had sent you something, would you have dared to accept it? Don't forget what happened in Potions last time.]
Tom patted Ron's shoulder with a grin. Even though Tom had been the one causing trouble last time, after that experience, if Snape remembered Ron at all, it was probably with pure hatred.
If Snape had actually sent Ron a gift, Tom wouldn't have let him accept it. There was probably something nasty hidden inside.
"Well… yeah. But still, being the only one who didn't get anything feels kinda weird. Like I'm being left out."
Ron pouted and muttered under his breath. Ariana, standing nearby, looked away awkwardly. She had actually received a gift from Snape too, but given Ron's reaction, she decided it was better not to mention it.
[? Speaking of which, where's Draco's gift?]
Aside from Luna's package—which they planned to open privately later—almost every gift had been opened. But Tom noticed one person's gift was missing: Draco's.
It seemed the young Malfoy had forgotten all about his "life-and-death" friends at school. Not even a letter.
"I didn't get anything from him either."
"Me neither."
"Same here."
Harry, Ron, and even Ariana realized something. Their relationship with Draco had improved a lot. So why hadn't he—
[Don't worry. When school starts again, I'll personally have a nice little chat with young Master Malfoy about life.]
Tom shook his head at their confused expressions, a meaningful smile on his face.
He might not remember who did send him gifts, but who didn't send one? That was something his generous, forgiving self remembered very clearly.
Harry and Ron exchanged a glance at Tom's mischievous smile and both shivered.
Whenever Tom made that face, it meant someone was about to have a very bad time. And this time, they didn't even need to guess who.
They both silently prayed for Malfoy's well-being.
Meanwhile, at Malfoy Manor—
"ACHOO!"
Draco, sitting in his room, suddenly sneezed. "It's still a bit cold. Don't tell me I'm catching a cold too?"
Draco shook his head, his eyes unconsciously drifting to a corner of the room where a pile of packages sat. Buried underneath them were the gifts from Hermione, Ron, and the others.
Of course, he wasn't hiding them because he disliked them. It was simply because—
"Sigh… Father is still the same as always. If he found out I've been making friends with Weasleys—and even Muggle-born wizards—"
I really don't want to be transferred to another school.
Forget it. Even though it's a bit late, I'll just give you your gifts when I get back to school.
After coming home, he had tried to subtly bring up making peace with the Weasleys to Lucius. But Lucius had flown into a rage, declaring that as long as he was alive, Malfoys and Weasleys would always be mortal enemies.
So little Draco had no choice but to quietly give up on telling his father everything. He couldn't even send the gifts he had prepared for Harry and the others.
After all, his father kept very close track of everything that came in and out of Malfoy Manor.
And so, because of this small misunderstanding, little Draco had caught Tom's attention.
Luckily, it was just a misunderstanding. Once school started again, it would probably get cleared up… hopefully.
Back at Hogwarts, after saying goodbye to everyone, Tom returned to his room and looked at the last small, light-blue package. When he saw the sender's name, a warm smile appeared on his face.
This one was from Luna.
Even though he got along well with Harry and the others, this kind of "family" gift was something he wanted to keep private.
So, alone in his room, he opened the package. Inside was a single light-blue snowflake.
Classic Luna. Even her gifts are this whimsical.
Even as he thought that, Tom found a small bottle and carefully placed the snowflake inside.
From what he knew of Luna, even with magic applied, this was probably a real snowflake.
Sure enough, the letter beside it confirmed it: "Tom, it's been a while—well, not really. You only left home not that long ago!
This is a real snowflake. Just like you back then, it was the first one to drift in through the window. I asked Dad to put a spell on it to keep away irritating flies. I hope it can make you a little happier in my place~
Oh, and did you like the cookies? Dad baked them himself. They're not as good as Mom's, but his baking is still pretty good, right?
Anyway, Merry Christmas~
P.S. The Crumple-Horned Snorkack model is really detailed. I love it. And Santa was adorable too. I told you—Santa Claus really does exist!"
Looking at the very Luna-like letter, Tom's smile grew even brighter. Luna really was still that same adorable little oddball.