The ten Galleons, Evan learned, were a gift from Harry, who likely remembered Evan's need for money. Accepting the gift as a safety net, Evan appreciated the gesture.
Among the other presents, he found a notebook from Hermione, filled with meticulous notes from classes since the start of term. Evan chuckled, realizing Hermione had the same idea as him.
The two round, unidentified objects were from the Weasley twins, with no explanation attached, but to Evan, they suspiciously resembled the joke products, possibly Dungbombs, featured in the original story.
Ron had given him a bag of cheap candies. Despite Evan's attempts to discern what made them special, they seemed no different from any other inexpensive confections.
"I didn't know you'd give something so interesting; I thought it would be just a bag of candies," Ron said, noticing Evan's actions. His freckled face turned a shade of red as he stumbled over his words.
"It's fine, candies are great too. They'll last me for days," Evan quickly waved off, assuring Ron he wasn't offended, though the high quality of other gifts had led him to expect something more from Ron's.
"And these candies from you are quite tasty," Harry added, popping one of Ron's candies into his mouth. Despite a slight grimace as he bit down, he smiled contentedly.
With reassurances from Evan and Harry, Ron recovered from his embarrassment.
Before coming to Hogwarts, Mrs. Weasley had given Ron only two Sickles for spending money, and despite his frugality, it was nearly gone.
After comforting Ron's somewhat fragile spirit, Evan turned his attention to the final gift. It was from his mother, Euphemia, and it was the most intriguing: a glowing crescent-shaped pendant that came with an envelope that moved on its own. Evan had a sinking feeling about it.
It was a Howler.
True to form, the envelope flew into the air and began to shout.
"Evan Halse!"
"Who gave you permission to sign a stay-at-school application without asking? Not even a letter of inquiry before Christmas! I waited for you at the station for five hours... Five whole hours! If I hadn't sent that damned headmaster a letter, I would have thought you were missing or dead at Hogwarts..."
The shrill voice echoed in the small dormitory, and despite Evan covering his ears, it did little to block the magical, piercing sound.
The screaming lasted for half an hour, a tirade that left Evan thoroughly chastised before the letter finally quieted down, but not without a stern warning that he must always wear the crescent-shaped pendant and never take it off without her permission.
Harry and Ron were also shaken by the Howler. Once the screaming ceased, Ron rubbed his ears, nearly convinced he'd gone deaf.
"Evan, who sent you that Howler? That voice was loud, almost as much as my mum's," Ron asked.
"Of course, it was my mother," Evan sighed helplessly. He had forgotten to send a Christmas letter to Euphemia, his mother he had never met.
But he couldn't be blamed; he was too busy avoiding her to consider reaching out.
"Is your mother not kind to you? Like my aunt and her family?" Harry asked sympathetically, assuming that staying at school for Christmas meant family issues similar to his own.
"It's just a minor disagreement, nothing so dramatic," Evan shook his head, still trying to understand the full situation himself.
In fact, after learning Occlumency, Evan had begun to sort through the fragmented memories in his brain, extracting many valuable pieces of information.
For instance, his family ran a dark arts shop in Knockturn Alley, managed by his mother Euphemia Halse. Her ability to survive and even thrive in the chaos of Knockturn Alley was undeniable.
Euphemia was not only skilled in dark magic but also crafted various powerful and strange dark magical artifacts...
Yes, dark magical artifacts, not the usual kind.
As Euphemia Halse would say, in Knockturn Alley, normal items wouldn't sell... Only deadly, cursed things could sustain a living...
Evan understood where his innate magical item creation skill originated—merely being exposed to such knowledge was an education in itself.
As for his father, Euphemia seldom mentioned him, and when pestered by Evan, she'd dismissively refer to him as a reckless fool who got himself killed...
Memories of Euphemia's friends and others were less clear in Evan's mind.
The one relief was that Euphemia's wrists were unmarked by the dark mark, indicating she wasn't aligned with Voldemort. Nevertheless, her status as a dark witch was inescapable...
Evan eyed the crescent pendant on the table apprehensively, wondering if it was imbued with dark magic for long-distance punishment.
Surely, a family member wouldn't be so cruel, right?
Swallowing hard, Evan guessed it might be a tracker or locator to determine his position...
With this in mind, he touched the pendant and glanced at the system's magical item slot, which he now used as an identifier.
[Magical Item: Crescent Pendant
Magic: Strong
Description: A magical item crafted with heart and soul from precious metals, designed to protect the wearer from a fatal attack once before it destroys itself.
Note: Only a high-intensity fatal attack can trigger its effect, and it contains more than just magical power...]
Evan stood motionless for a long time before sighing and placing the crescent pendant around his neck.
For some reason, he almost wished it had contained some dark magic...
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