In 1819, the sheet music of the song was spread across Europe by the instrument repairer Carl Malach, after which it became widely popular.
Vivi's singing voice was very pleasant. Although she hadn't received any special training, singing itself was a talent.
Some people may never learn much in this lifetime, but some show the potential of a singer as soon as they open their mouths.
Once the song ended, everyone came to their senses and began to applaud Vivi.
"This song is really nice," Cassandra said softly as she clapped her hands. "Maybe you can sing for us more in the future, isn't that right, Potter?"
Harry cleared his throat; he didn't know how to respond to that.
Cassandra was quite mischievous, the trap in her words was obvious, and one wrong answer could lead to an attack.
"What is this song called?" Pabi asked curiously.
"Silent Night," Vivi answered with a smile. "Speaking of this song, there's a little story behind it."
"What story?" Harry asked curiously.
"In the 1860s, this song spread across not only Europe, Australia, and North America but also to most countries in South America. Even many countries in Asia began singing it," Vivi paused for a moment before continuing, "My uncle was very interested in this song that 'brought honor to the empire,' so he dispatched the then-minister of music to investigate the original author of this song, leading many people to claim authorship."
"However, in the end, the true author of the song was never discovered," Vivi sighed and said, "My aunt was quite invested in this matter too, but unfortunately, the truth was never found."
"I see..." Hermione nodded knowingly, learning something new.
But...
Aunt? Uncle? And dispatching the empire's minister of music?
Hermione was good at history, and she knew that the Austria of that time was actually the Austria-Hungary Empire, a dual monarchy.
Thinking of this, Hermione tentatively asked, "The aunt and uncle you mentioned..."
"Oh," Vivi said, "You might have heard of my aunt, hmm... Elizabeth Amalie Eugenie, have you heard that name before?"
"No..." Hermione shook her head, "But it feels like I've heard that name somewhere."
Harry suddenly interjected, "It's Princess Sissi—surely you've heard that name."
"Oh! It's Princess Sissi!" Hermione exclaimed in surprise. "If you mention that name... then I know! I've seen many things about Princess Sissi in old movies... My mom and dad just love watching movies about her!"
"I just didn't expect that she would actually be your aunt... My goodness, if my mom and dad knew you were her niece, they'd be shocked..."
"She's not only Princess Sissi's niece but also her lady-in-waiting," Harry shrugged and said. "Vivi was a Dud before she turned fifteen, so she always stayed by Princess Sissi's side as a lady-in-waiting."
"I see..." Hermione said, understandingly.
"Alright, we're going to continue with the next song now," Vivi interrupted their conversation at the right moment. "Jingle Bells, you guys should've heard this song, right? Tsk... although it's a song created by Americans, it doesn't stop it from being popular."
What she didn't say was that when she was young, during Christmas, Gellert would miss his parents, and Vivi would sing "Jingle Bells" for him.
Vivi's slender fingers tapped the piano keys again, producing pleasant music.
"Ready—sing," she commanded.
"Jingle bells jingle bells (Jingle bells, jingle bells)"
"Jingle all the way (Jingle all the way)"
"Oh what fun it is to ride (Oh, what fun it is to ride)"
"In a one horse open sleigh hey (In a one-horse open sleigh, hey)!"
...
That night, Vivi made them sing several songs before reluctantly declaring an end to it.
After the singing session, Christmas came to a close.
"May our friendship last forever."
Hermione raised her eggnog and said happily.
"Forever!" Little Sirius lifted his glass as well.
Everyone raised their glasses high and clinked them together.
"Cheers!"
It was clear that everyone was quite happy, except Snape.
He wasn't unhappy, he just always had a cold expression. In a past era, he would certainly make a great cold-faced king.
After the singing session ended, Snape also hurried back to his residence.
Harry returned to his bedroom and continued opening his presents.
He had just unwrapped a gift from Hagrid—Hagrid had given him an ounce of Eight-eyed Giant Spider Venom.
Harry scratched his head, wondering where this stuff had come from. He was also thinking about going to the Forbidden Forest after school started to borrow some venom from the Eight-eyed Giant Spider's lair.
The venom of the Eight-eyed Giant Spider was really expensive, reportedly pricier than gold of the same weight.
Harry thought that as a student of Hogwarts, the spiders would certainly give him face and lend him some venom.
There was a knock on the door.
"Who is it?"
He turned to look, and it was Cassandra.
Cassandra was wearing a silver and green interwoven robe, with her head held high, looking at Harry lazily yet proudly.
"Cassandra?"
Harry really didn't expect Cassandra to come to his bedroom at this time.
What was this about?
"I forgot to give you a gift," Cassandra walked up to Harry, glanced at the pile of gifts beside him, and smirked lightly, "Looks like you still haven't grown up, Potter—you still look forward to Christmas gifts like a child, don't you?"