With Kael's help, Hagrid finally managed to get all the Christmas trees to the auditorium before dinner.
When they arrived, Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick were already waiting in the auditorium.
"Hagrid, you finally made it, and these are the last two... Oh, that's a great Levitating Spell, Mr. Chopper, five points to Hufflepuff."
Professor Flitwick was initially puzzled as to how Hagrid could so easily lift two Christmas trees, until he got closer and saw Kael standing nearby with his wand.
"If the final exam were on Levitating Spells... I could give you an 'O' right now."
Professor Flitwick winked at Kael, then used a Levitating Spell himself to take those two fir trees and place them in the proper position.
Professor McGonagall, on the other hand, wove the mistletoe into trailing flower garlands to fill the last gaps on the walls.
A few minutes later, a large number of students began to pour into the auditorium, and the feast officially began.
At the table, Cedric looked at Kael in surprise and said, "What, you're not going home for Christmas?"
"Yeah." Kael nodded and said, "I can't help it, there's no one at home, and it's no fun going back. It's better to stay at Hogwarts."
Chris is responsible for sending those Fantastic Beasts caught earlier back to their original habitats, and he's been running around the world with Uncle Newt lately.
The Department of Mysteries seems to have gone on field duty too. A few days ago, Diana sent a letter saying she might not make it back for Christmas, but gifts would definitely arrive on time.
Chris and Diana aren't home, so even if Kael went back, it wouldn't be much fun. It's better to stay at Hogwarts, where at least he has things to do.
For example, bonding with Fluffy or watering those two potted plants he keeps.
"Why don't you come to my house?" Cedric thought for a moment and said, "My dad would definitely welcome you."
"Maybe next time." Kael shook his head and said, "I just promised Hagrid that I'd help take care of the little animals during the holiday."
Cedric looked a bit disappointed.
Kael, on the other hand, felt quite the opposite. To be honest, he really didn't want to face Mr. Digory, who loved to brag about his son, let alone spend two weeks with him.
Even just thinking about it, Kael felt a headache; such treatment is more than enough for Chris alone to handle.
To shift Cedric's attention and make him forget about this topic, Kael turned to Conna next to him and asked, "What about you? Are you going home for the holiday?"
Conna didn't speak, just shook her head lightly.
Seeing this, Kael didn't ask any further.
…
After the feast, the semester came to an end.
The next day, the young wizards took the train back to King's Cross Station.
Mikel and Ryan also went home, leaving Kael alone in the dormitory, and even the once lively common room had become much quieter.
This feeling wasn't bad either.
Kael sat on a sofa near the fireplace, roasting a potato with its skin, with some flatbread, mushrooms, and some thinly sliced beef nearby.
Although the house-elves in the kitchen offered to cook these foods when Kael went to get them, he declined.
He only wanted the process, and eating was secondary.
Kael held a roasting fork, taking the potato out only after it had turned black.
After cooling it, he peeled off the skin, took a bite, and found it sweet and soft, extremely delicious.
Though perhaps the cooking time wasn't perfect, as it was still raw in the middle.
Kael used a spoon to scoop out the raw part and tossed it to a rat not far away.
"Kael..." Conna glared at him fiercely, "Don't feed Poke those weird things!"
"It's just a potato, what's so weird about that?" Kael waved dismissively, saying, "Besides, what rat doesn't eat potatoes!"
As if deliberately opposing him, the rat named Poke glanced at the half-cooked potato and immediately went elsewhere, with no interest in trying it.
"Wow, a picky-eating rat." Kael felt a bit offended and seriously told Conna, "I think you should let it go hungry a few times."
Conna ignored him and left the common room with Poke.
It's now the Christmas holiday, and the caretaker's cat won't be prowling the corridors of the castle, so she planned to use this opportunity to take her pet out for a walk and let it explore Hogwarts a bit.
Having been here for so long, she couldn't keep it cooped up in the dormitory forever.
After Conna left, Kael was left alone in the common room. Feeling a bit bored, he finished the food near him and did not stay there long. Instead, he got up and went to the Room of Requirement on the eighth floor.
After three months of effort, Kael had not only Chomping Cabbage here but also Dittany, Ruta Graveolens, Belladonna, mistletoe, hellebore... and a beautiful Goldthread Wand.
The first three are nothing special; they are common Magic Plants that can be bought in Hogsmeade. Kael had someone bring him a large package of seeds.
As for the last one... it came from the Hufflepuff common room.
One night, Kael couldn't resist clipping a small branch with a flower bud from the lush Goldthread Wand there...
It was really just a tiny branch, probably no more than an inch long, and wouldn't impact the plant at all.
Initially, Kael planted it here just to try his luck, and unexpectedly, it actually thrived.
Although it still looks small now, Kael is very satisfied. As long as it survives, it will eventually grow bigger.
Kael went straight to the center position.
The Chomping Cabbage was thriving, and in three months, it had grown from a seed to Bludger size, with a wide-open mouth and two rows of sharp teeth that looked quite powerful, definitely packing quite a bite.
Kael loosened the soil for them and conveniently shooed away a Billywig that had been hovering above his head.
"I'm busy right now, go play somewhere else."
A few days ago, he had rescued this Billywig from Mrs Norris's mouth, just before it was about to become lunch.
At that time, the little creature had a long gash, probably from being caught by Mrs Norris... so Kael brought it here and treated it with Dittany.
And then... it just decided to stay.
Luckily, the little guy was relatively obedient, and as soon as Kael finished speaking, it flew to the side.
This place is large, has many Magic Plants, and most importantly, lacks that high-jumping cat—it loves it here...
After loosening the soil for the Chomping Cabbage, Kael took another walk around the room.
He still felt it was a bit empty. Although he still had a lot of Dittany and Ruta Graveolens seeds on hand, it seemed like a waste to plant only those common Magic Plants in such a nice place.
Kael stroked his chin thoughtfully, looking at the large area of land he had left empty on purpose on the left side of the room.
If he remembered correctly, Herbology Class would soon be learning about Devil's Snare.
…