The Granger family and Tom returned to their home on December 23, and the next day was Christmas Eve.
They spent the entire day tidying up the house, hanging various Christmas decorations in every corner—similar to the Chinese New Year. The highlight of the decorations was, of course, the Christmas tree.
Mr. Granger and Tom hung various small ornaments like little lights and bells on the tree. At this moment, Hermione pulled out a movie disc from under the TV in the living room.
"Hey! I haven't seen this disc before!" Hermione held the disc, looking at it with curiosity.
"What?!" Mr. Granger stood up suddenly, quickly walked to Hermione's side, "Oh, it's this one. I bought it from the video store a while ago. It's an old film I watched when I was a kid."
"'It's a Wonderful Life'? What kind of name is that?" Tom leaned over, took a glance at the movie's title, and couldn't help but comment. While Hermione didn't say anything, she seemed to agree.
Mr. Granger sighed. Kids these days hadn't even seen "It's a Wonderful Life."
"So, what is this movie about?"
"It's a great movie. It's about Christmas time—" Hermione's voice interjected, "—George, feeling down about his life, contemplates suicide. At this moment, God intervenes and shows George what the world would be like if he had never been born, making him realize that his life has touched many unfortunate people."
Tom and Hermione fell into a moment of silence.
"Can you imagine what the world would be like if you had never been born?" Hermione picked up a Christmas hat and asked Tom.
"Absolutely." Tom nodded confidently.
"Tell me about it?" Hermione's curiosity was piqued.
"In a world without me..." Tom sighed, "You might go to Gryffindor, right? After all, I remember you saying initially that you thought it was the best house because Dumbledore graduated from there."
Hermione nodded; she thought Tom made a valid point.
"But the learning atmosphere there is not as intense as Ravenclaw. You might find it challenging to meet like-minded friends, and you could be disliked for always answering questions and being too straightforward in guiding others."
Hermione frowned, thinking, "You've answered questions a lot too, and you make all sorts of small gestures."
Changing the subject, Tom continued, "But you would definitely make friends, it's just a matter of time and opportunity. Next, you might embark on adventures with them, breaking over a hundred school rules in a school year..."
"Stop! You're becoming more and more unreliable!" Hermione puffed up her cheeks. How could she break over a hundred school rules in a school year? Could he tell a more reasonable story?
Next, they fantasized about what life would be like without Hermione. In the end, the only consensus they reached was that no one would be able to answer questions in class and compete with Tom.
Laughing and chatting, Mr. Granger had already set up the Christmas tree. Mrs. Granger had also prepared a Christmas feast, and the four of them sat down at the dining table.
Mr. Granger, with Hermione on his left and Tom on his right, began the prayer. After the prayer, they started enjoying the feast. Although it wasn't as extravagant as Hogwarts' Christmas feast, it was still very sumptuous.
First and foremost was the traditional Christmas main course—roast turkey, accompanied by roasted potatoes, brandy cream sauce, and cranberry sauce. Next to the turkey was a large pot of stewed vegetables and smoked salmon. Various pies with different fillings were, of course, indispensable, and dessert was a raisin pudding. Mr. Granger also opened a bottle of glogi wine to add to the festivities.
Glogi wine is a spiced red wine originating from Finland, gradually becoming popular in Europe as the best wine for Christmas. It includes added black currants, apple juice, and cinnamon sticks, providing a peculiar taste—it's meant to be consumed warm. Just like every BJ household has a different recipe for making fried sauce noodles, each Finnish family's glogi wine ingredients also vary. The Granger family added extra almonds and raisins.
However, one should never have too high expectations for turkey. The turkey meat was not just dry; it was drier than ordinary firewood. Even chicken breast was more tender than it. It had a strange taste, and Tom, not used to it, ate only a small portion out of courtesy. However, the smoked salmon next to it was quite delicious. When eaten raw, this fish was fatty and tender, but when roasted, it dried out a bit, losing that "moist" feeling.
After dinner, they watched several movies together and then retired to their respective bedrooms. The night quickly passed, and on Christmas Day, Tom found three gift boxes at the foot of his bed. One was a horseshoe-shaped box of chocolates from Hermione, the second box was a dental care gift package from the Granger couple, and the third box was a bit unexpected—it was from Dumbledore.
Tom opened it, revealing six small pastries and a little piggy piggy bank. However, unlike Muggle piggy banks, this one only needed to be scratched on the belly, and it would giggle before spitting out coins from a slit on its back—Dumbledore had filled it with steel knuts from various countries.
Tom tasted one of the pastries Dumbledore had sent. It was not bad, but he almost chipped a tooth—it actually contained a coin inside.
It seemed that Dumbledore had indeed remembered what he saw in the Erised Mirror, and this time, someone had really sent money to Tom, allowing him to eat a coin. Tom had also given Dumbledore a pair of wool socks, embroidered with a phoenix!
Next door, Hermione was also unwrapping her gifts. She had a few more items, but they were mostly gifts from relatives. Like Tom, she didn't have close enough friends at school to exchange Christmas gifts.
The packages were quickly unwrapped, and at the bottom was a thin one. Hermione picked it up and found that it was from Tom. She was a bit curious and excited—what would Tom give her?
With a bit of nervousness, Hermione unwrapped the package, revealing an exquisite little notebook. On the cover, written in beautiful calligraphy, was a line: "The Bard Bean Story Collection." Hermione opened it and found several magical world fairy tales. All the stories were handwritten, neatly arranged on the paper. Even someone with OCD wouldn't find any faults.
Feeling touched, Hermione knew that Tom knew she loved reading, so he had personally transcribed a book for her.
"This is the best Christmas gift ever..." She hugged the book tightly, her eyes a bit moist.
"Dear compatriots, friends, as a result of the recent establishment of the Independent Confederation, I announce my resignation..."
"This country is losing its judgment. We cannot continue like this. Everything should be changed with something else."
"...our nation will become a prosperous society. I extend my best wishes to all!"
Yuri pounced on the TV, passionately kissing the screen. "This is the best Christmas
gift!"
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(End of this chapter)