Before they knew it, the sun had turned into a sunset, and the crimson glow swept across the tall buildings.
The steel forest, shrouded in the glow of the setting sun, appeared as a dark, inky expanse, much like the dark, gloomy forest of the Forbidden Forest.
As the Hogwarts Express pulled into the station, night fell, obscuring the sky, and the windows of the skyscrapers lit up like fireflies flitting through a steel forest.
As Vizette and Cedric passed through the wall, they arrived at the bustling King's Cross station.
Instead of going into the alley, Vizette pulled his luggage outside the station and leaned against the railing, looking around.
Everything seemed to have changed. After spending so much time at Hogwarts, returning to the bustling modern city felt like stepping into another world.
"I'm going home soon!" Vizette checked his suitcase again to make sure he had everything before walking into the alley.
With a wave of the wand, the Knight Bus appeared quickly.
"Welcome aboard the Knight Bus, I am your ticket seller..."
...
Vizette walked along the path with his suitcase, and the familiar model castle appeared before him.
Diana appeared first, flapping her wings and flying towards Thor, and the two owls instantly started fighting.
Looking into the distance, Vizette saw a familiar figure.
He quickened his pace; Luna seemed to have grown taller, and her pale blonde hair seemed to have grown longer as well.
When he could finally see Luna's smile clearly, he realized one thing—nothing had changed.
...
Vizette hadn't been home for almost half a year, and quite a few things had changed here.
The first floor featured a brand new mural. Luna had painted large areas of white on the wall and then outlined various animals and houses, creating a warm village after a heavy snowfall.
The village of Ottery St. Catchpole, located in Devon, was affected by the North Atlantic Current, so seeing snow there was a matter of luck.
With Vizette's magical skill, he still needed to continue learning how to use weather spells to create snowflakes covering the village.
The fireplace in the house had also changed; it was finally connected to the Floo Network, making magical travel much easier.
The recent sales of "The Quibbler" were good, and Xenophilius had even replaced the magic printing press.
The magic printing press they were using now was made entirely of brass. It not only eliminated the "click-clack" noise, but was also much more efficient than before.
Xenophilius was busier than before, and his dark circles were even deeper; just looking at his face, he could rival a raccoon.
He had found a fir tree to use as a Christmas tree, placed it in the center of the living room, and let Luna hang things on it.
In addition to the essential mistletoe and Dirigible plums, the Christmas tree also featured many exquisite little sugar figurines in various shapes.
It seemed that most of the characters from "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" were hanging on the tree.
The very top of the Christmas tree wasn't a shining star, but a bright red Quaffle.
A small figure stood on the Quaffle, resembling the figure of Vizette wearing a cape.
The night wind was a bit noisy, and when Vizette got up to use the restroom, he unexpectedly bumped into Xenophilius, who was still working.
"It's the Christmas holidays! Of course, I should spend more time with her during the day!" Xenophilius said matter-of-factly. "So we'll do it at night!"
"You know what! Switching to this printing press is such a great deal! It's incredibly quiet when it's running; Luna can't hear a thing!"
He swallowed a large gulp of hot butterbeer, shivered, and his eyes, though dark-circled, shone brightly with a smug gleam.
"Mr. Lovegood, you should get some rest…" Vizette said with a sigh, "After all, there's still a long way to go, don't overwork yourself."
"Do you even need to tell me?" Xenophilius raised an eyebrow. "Your troll story was pretty good! Luna liked it too!"
"She also helped draw a lot of illustrations... I'll try to finalize the first edition of the storybook before Christmas, as her Christmas present!"
"A Christmas present for Luna?" Vizette murmured. "Mr. Lovegood, is there anything I can do to lend a hand?"
"Of course!" Xenophilius waved his hand. "Since you're already home, why don't you take her out to play tomorrow? That way, I can start work during the day!"
"This way it will be more efficient! Anyway, we've already set up the Floo Network... It would be a waste not to use it! We'd have to pay maintenance fees every month!"
As he spoke, he looked down at the floor, as if trying to see the fireplace below through the floor, his face full of pain.
Vizette couldn't help but chuckle and said, "Then I'll take her out for a stroll tomorrow."
"Take this safe…" Xenophilius took a cloth bag out of the drawer, from which a jingling sound came.
"There are forty-two gold Galleons, four silver Sickles and sixteen bronze Knuts inside. Use this money to buy some things for Christmas."
"Remember to buy Luna a Christmas present... give it to her in your name; don't let them find out when you buy it, give her a surprise!"
"You don't need to pay me back the rest of the money... You can use it to buy yourself a Christmas present, or as pocket money for the next semester, no problem."
Seeing him wearing a tattered robe and hunching over as he made plans, Vizette felt both amused and touched.
Actually, he didn't need to worry about the gift. He had started preparing Luna's Christmas present as soon as Vizette received Grindelwald's notes.
However, Vizette understood that the money was a token of his appreciation, so he kept it. "Mr. Lovegood, I will make good use of it!"
Xenophilius said with relief, "Alright! Go and get some rest!"
"Mr. Lovegood, you should get some rest too. Good night!"
...
There had been no sign of snow these past few days, and the sky had been clear and cloudless. When Vizette helped Luna fertilize, his inner lining got damp with sweat.
"It might snow in a couple of days," Luna said softly. "They're preparing for it!"
"I think so too." Vizette nodded. "Why don't we go to London first? The Leaky Cauldron, Diagon Alley, and you'll be starting school next year."
When he got back to his room last night, he had spent some time making plans and finalizing his to-do list and itinerary for the day.
"I need to buy new clothes. Could you help Mr. Lovegood pick out a few? His robe has a hole in it."
"Okay!" Luna nodded, her eyebrows and eyes curving like crescent moons, which was very beautiful.
The Floo Network was indeed a good way to travel, but in the blink of an eye, the two of them walked out of the fireplace in the Leaky Cauldron.
"Mr. Tom, Merry Christmas!"
Vizette nodded toward a spot not far away and led Luna to the small courtyard behind the bar.
"Ah! Merry Christmas!" Bald old Tom put down his wine glass, a smile playing on his thin lips. "It's been so long, you've come to buy something?"
"Yes."
Vizette gave a brief reply, then picked up his wand and tapped it against the wall.
Watching Vizette and Luna leave, old Tom wiped his wine glass again.
"It's so good to be young!"
...
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