Struggling to survive at Hogwarts

The wind picked up; the howling north wind of winter roared and poured against the walls and windows.

But this did not affect Thea's good sleep at all, since Thea was the only one left in Slytherin.

Draco originally wanted to stay, but Lucius's letter made him obediently return.

Thea slept until 10 a.m. before being woken up by hunger in her stomach.

She changed her clothes and went downstairs, and unsurprisingly found a pile of gifts under the Christmas tree in the lounge.

Thea looked at the pile of gifts, which was taller than her, and felt a headache coming on. So she called out to the air, "Rami!"

The next second, a timid but fairly neatly dressed house-elf appeared in the lounge.

"Respected...little wizard, is there anything Rami can do for you?"

Thea looked at the house-elf of Hogwarts with some curiosity, until the elf kept shrinking back before she spoke:

"Rami, could you help me compile a list of those who sent gifts? Thank you."

"Of course!" Thea's thank you seemed to flatter the house-elf, who quickly began compiling the list.

"You are a wonderful and capable house-elf." Thea was a little embarrassed by his attitude, so she praised him a few more times.

Sure enough, the leading elf was overjoyed, as if he had eaten honey, and an ugly, humble but somewhat cute smile appeared on his wrinkled face.

The house-elves were quick; they not only compiled the list but also placed all the gifts that Thea had requested in front of her.

Thea thought of the gift she had given out last night and asked the little elf in front of her, "Did you send out last night's gift with an owl?"

"Of course, esteemed little wizard!" The house-elves were somewhat proud, as if fulfilling the wizard's needs was their greatest achievement.

Thea was relieved and waved her hand to make the little fairy disappear.

Thea then began to unpack the gifts. The large box on top was a gift from Pansy. Inside was a wizard's robe in the color of the starry sky.

Although it was exquisite, Thea was somewhat uninterested.

The one below was a gift from Blaise; it's a set of introductory books on ancient runes, but the subtle patterns on it indicate that it's also quite valuable.

Next was a gift from Gore, a set of jewelry. It was probably a boy's aesthetic, with a huge emerald paired with small red gemstones around it. Thea felt like her eyes were injured the moment she saw it.

Aunt Sissy also gave Harry a gift, a very exquisite candy box, which may not be expensive, but it was made by Mrs. Malfoy herself.

Uncle Lucius gifted Thea a set of exquisite Hogwarts Castle figurines. The figurines weren't very big, but they were so detailed that every brick was lifelike.

And the following are...

The rest were all clothes and jewelry. The rest of the gifts remained almost identical, with clothing still making up the majority.

Besides Captain Flint giving Thea a complete Quidditch broom care kit, Monty gave her a copy of "Quidditch Origins," Hermione gave her a large box of seashell chocolates... many, even the entire Slytherin, gave Thea gifts.

Add to that the pure-blood family... no wonder Thea's gifts were piled up higher than hers.

While Thea was unwrapping her presents, Harry had already gotten up early.

He looked around in a daze. He was the only one in the dormitory. Ron's bed was a mess, and he had obviously been awake for a long time.

"Harry! Come here!" Ron shouted excitedly in the common room.

Gifts of all sizes were piled up under the Christmas tree in the common room.

When Harry arrived, Ron was pulling a magenta sweater with a large "R" written on the front out of a cardboard box with a complicated expression.

"Oh right, Harry, you have a gift too."

As he spoke, Ron pointed enviously to a pile of gifts stacked in another corner of the Christmas tree.

Harry curiously picked up the topmost paper package.

It was wrapped in thick kraft paper, on which the words "Hagrid Harry" were written in a flamboyant style.

Inside was a roughly made flute, which Hagrid had clearly made himself.

Harry tried blowing it.

The sound produced by the flute is somewhat like the call of an owl.

Harry happily put down the flute Hagrid had given him and continued unwrapping his gifts.

Harry opened so many presents that his hands were sore, until he got to the last one.

It was a liquid-like, silvery-gray substance that shimmered when piled up, but when spread out, it was very light and thin. Harry didn't know what it was.

Harry curiously shook it out and draped it over himself, as Ron exclaimed, "Dude, you've vanished!"

Harry looked down in surprise and saw that he seemed to have only his head left. Harry himself felt very strange, looking down at his lower body, which was completely gone, yet he could definitely feel its presence.

He pulled his cloak up over his head and disappeared completely.

Seeing Harry's somewhat excited expression, Ron reached into the package and pulled out a note with a strange, nested-circle script:

Your father left this to me before he died.

It should be returned to you now.

Use it properly.

Wishing you a Merry Christmas!

The two lion cubs looked at each other, not knowing who had sent it, but their innate adventurous nature made them realize that it was a good thing; with it, they wouldn't have to worry about being discovered by the professor while they were out at night.

Realizing this, the two excitedly gave each other a high five!

The first day of Christmas was a uniquely clear day in winter. The sun had just risen, the thin layer of ice that had frozen over the night on the snow had not yet melted, and the trees covered with frost flowers shone brightly in the sunlight.

Thea greeted the professors who stayed on campus with a normal expression, asked about some difficulties she had encountered in her studies, and after receiving their answers and praise, she went to the library.

In the evening, I had a simple dinner with the professor and other students who stayed on campus.

Thea never noticed Dumbledore at the dinner party. Professor McGonagall explained that Dumbledore had something come up and couldn't attend.

It wasn't until after the dinner that Thea received the letter from the owl, which contained only five words: "Sizzling Honey Candy".

Thea immediately understood, then changed direction and headed towards the principal's office.

The principal's office is located in a separate small tower, and it is a place that requires a password to enter.

Thea followed the guidance of the portrait to the stairs leading to the small tower.

A giant stone beast guards this place. Only by giving the correct password will the stone beast make way and reveal the stairs behind it.

The stone beast, which had been disturbed from its rest, opened its eyes, glanced at Lance, got up, and walked to the side, making way for the automatic spiral staircase inside.

After passing through a gleaming oak door, Thea finally arrived at a spacious room filled with many strange little silver ornaments.