From Hogwarts to Strixhaven.

Chapter 273: Christmas when Ivy is the only one away
"Hey! Ron! Get up!" Harry slapped his good brother Ron's bed hard, and his head successfully popped out from under the quilt.

"Uh-huh - do we have any urgent business today? Why do we get up so early?" Ron took great effort to open his eyes a crack and stared at his roommate in confusion.

Harry still chose to spend Christmas in 1993 at Hogwarts, simply because his godfather Sirius was now the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts, so they didn't need to go back to Number 12 Grimmauld Place to celebrate Christmas. Also, the cooking skills of the house-elves working in the Hogwarts kitchen were much better than those of the old Kreacher.

Although Kreacher no longer mocked anyone who entered the house who was not a pure-blood wizard, it still felt empty for two people to live in such a big house.

So Sirius and Harry unanimously decided to spend this significant New Year at Hogwarts.

"Today is Christmas!" Harry shook Ron's shoulders frantically.

"So? Yesterday was Christmas Eve?" Even though his neck was almost broken by the shaking, Ron still looked like he was still half asleep.

"Come on, Ron. This means we have to open presents!" Harry threw Ron onto the bed, wrapped himself in his dressing gown and ran to the end of the bed, where there was a pile of various gifts delivered by owls, usually placed there by the hardworking house-elves.

Harry has lived in Hogwarts for two and a half years and has practiced magic for two and a half years. But until recently, he discovered that the house-elves were the people, or creatures, who worked the most in the castle.

He knew this thanks to his good friend Hermione. Ever since she saw those humanoid creatures that could use magic in Ivy's magical little room, she had been fascinated by this matter. After studying a lot of information in the library, she began to think that the house elves who served Ivy were the real future of this race.

And after meeting old Kreacher who served the Black family, Hermione began to think about helping these house-elves "join the glorious evolution".

Hermione believed that any act of making house-elves work without payment was slavery, not to mention that these little guys worked all year round and did not have even a decent piece of clothing.

So Hermione set up the House-Elf Rights Promotion Association at the beginning of the new semester, aiming to liberate all house-elves in the wizarding world. The abbreviation of this association is SPEW, so Ron called it Vomit.

In order to stop Hermione from nagging them, Harry, Ron and Harry reluctantly joined the association and were given the duties of accountant and secretary respectively, even though the total capital of "Vomit" was only 4 silver Sickles and Ron and Harry had never performed their duties even once.

Today is Christmas, which comes only once a year. Harry feels that he should not continue thinking about things related to "vomiting". It is more important to open the presents.

"Do you think Ivy will give us presents?" Ron was also fully awake. It seemed that Christmas presents could really cheer people up.

"Don't be silly! Let an owl fly halfway around the world?" Harry put on the sweater that Mrs. Weasley knitted for him. It was a scarlet hoodie with a Gryffindor lion embroidered on the chest. In addition, Mrs. Weasley's gifts also included a dozen mince pies, many Christmas cakes and candies, all homemade. Harry liked Mrs. Weasley's meals very much, and Mrs. Weasley also thought that his wolfing down was a compliment, so even after getting a house elf, she did not give up the task of cooking for the whole family.

Yes, Ivy's house-elf named Diego really came to the Weasley family and is now responsible for all the laundry and garden maintenance for the Weasleys, while the kitchen is Mrs. Weasley's private territory.

Because Ron always praised Digger in front of Harry, Hermione was now in a state of heated debate with him. Hermione usually spoke from the perspective of democracy and freedom, while Ron believed that wizards should respect the traditions and personal wishes of house-elves.

"That's true." Ron was a little depressed. In the past two years, receiving Ivy's magic props at Christmas was what he looked forward to the most. "Why do you think Ivy suddenly wants to travel to the East... uh... travel?"

"It's 'study tour'," Harry corrected. He was unpacking Sirius's gift. Judging from the packaging, it wasn't a big thing like a flying broom. "Anyway, Ivy doesn't have classes at school, so there's nothing wrong with going out for some fun. Dumbledore said that as long as he can catch up with the NEWT exam next year, he can still be a normal graduate of Hogwarts. Otherwise, he will be held back a grade."

"What is this?" Harry looked at the leather in his hand and was a little confused for a moment. "Where should I tie him?"

"This is a dueling wand sheath!" Ron saw its purpose at a glance. "It can help you draw your wand quickly. Sirius gave you a dragon skin one! It's definitely not cheap."

"I see... there's an instruction manual!" Harry shook out a piece of parchment from the package, and then, imitating the wizard above, tied the dueling wand sheath to the inside of his left forearm.

"Not particularly comfortable..." Harry moved his wrist and felt a slight restriction on movement.

"Maybe you should get used to it. Just stick your wand in it and you won't have to worry about losing it at a critical moment... It's also from Sirius. What is this?" Ron also opened Sirius' gift, which was just a thin piece of paper.

"'Olivanders Wand Shop Voucher'," Ron read slowly, his eyes getting wider and wider, "'Exchange this voucher for a free wand at Ollivanders'! Goodness! I've been wanting to replace Charlie's old wand for a long time, the unicorn hair is almost worn out! Sirius is so thoughtful! But I can't get a new wand until the summer vacation, and I can't wait for my first exam!"

"Hermione will be happy to hear you say this." Harry regretted it as soon as he said it, because Ron was still having conflicts with Hermione, even on Christmas.

Sure enough, Ron pretended not to hear him and concentrated on opening the next package.

"Hey, Ron." Although Ron didn't turn his head, Harry knew he was listening. "I was thinking... maybe we could go to the Quidditch field..."

"Playing your Nimbus 2077? Ever since I tried it last time, I can't stop playing with it! Did you know that the Irish team has ordered 7 Nimbus 2077s this year? They will definitely win the World Cup!"

----

When Harry and Ron returned to the castle, covered in snow and with red hands and faces, they were surprised to see Lupin in the hall.

"Professor Lupin!" Harry exclaimed in surprise, "What brings you back here?"

Not many people stayed in Hogwarts for Christmas this year, so instead of having students from each college sit separately as usual, two long tables were used. In addition to the professors sitting at the faculty seats, some people who could not be considered members of Hogwarts dined with the students.

Harry didn't recognize any of them, except for the leader, Lupin.

"Harry." Lupin smiled and hugged Harry, "I'm no longer a professor, remember?"

"Everyone likes you! And everyone welcomes you back to Hogwarts!" Harry looked at Ron, hoping to get some support.

"That's right, Professor Lupin! We all think you are the best Defense Against the Dark Arts professor!" Ron nodded desperately.

"Oh, thank you. But Sirius won't like to hear these words, he has always been competitive." Lupin smiled and shook his head.

"I think I heard someone calling my name?" Sirius, dressed in a gorgeous dress robe, appeared, his arm in ruffled sleeves resting on Lupin's neck, "Is it you? Remus? The former Defense Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts?"

"I said Sirius would be unhappy." Lupin showed a helpless smile on his face and waved his hand at Harry and Ron. "Shouldn't you be accompanying your godson at this time? Sirius?"

"I see Harry in the castle every day, but it's rare to see the leader of the werewolf rights movement!" Sirius laughed, and it was obvious that he was very happy to meet his old friend at Christmas.

"What is the werewolf rights movement, Sirius?" Harry never read the newspaper, so he knew almost nothing about what had happened in the British wizarding world in the past year.

"Hmm?" Sirius held up a finger.

Harry understood. "I mean, Professor."

"You should say yes to your job title when you're working. I like that about you, Mr. Potter." Sirius smiled proudly. "But today is Christmas, there's nothing wrong with relaxing a little. The so-called werewolf rights movement is... why not let Remus tell you! He knows much more than I do." "I'm fighting for the rights of my companions, legitimate and legal rights." Lupin said simply, reaching out and picking up a piece of chocolate from the table.

"Oh..." Ron took a breath and glanced at the guests at another long table. Most of them were dressed simply and seemed to be living a very hard life, but there was hope in their eyes. "So they are all..."

"Yes, and several will perform the full moon ceremony the day after tomorrow." Lupin nodded, "But don't worry, we have enough people to keep an eye on those of our kind who are still in danger."

Since the werewolves' group full moon ceremony was successful, Lupin's life focus has become two: uniting the tribe to fight for rights from the Ministry of Magic, or finding those marginalized groups trapped by the curse of lycanthropy and bringing them to Hogwarts for the ceremony during the full moon.

Since the full moon of this month happened to be at the end of the month, Dumbledore invited the werewolves to attend the banquet on behalf of Hogwarts. This was his little move to bridge the divided wizarding community, and it was also the reason why so few students stayed in Hogwarts for Christmas without a major crisis threatening public safety this year.

Dumbledore announced this very early. In the first few days after the announcement, the principal's office was flooded with angry letters from parents. Even those parents who were willing to express positive views on the werewolf equality movement were unwilling to take risks. At their strong request, the Christmas party was moved from the evening to noon, as if this would help to avoid their children from being threatened by werewolves.

Harry was trapped in the quarrel between his two good friends over "vomiting" all day long, and had no time to pay attention to everything happening around him, not to mention that he had to receive private tutoring from Snape and Sirius at the same time, so he had no energy to pay attention to anything other than Quidditch.

Harry hasn't lost a game this year since getting Nimbus 2077.

"Remus!" A woman sitting at the werewolf table shouted. Harry noticed her unusually long silver hair and the hideous scars on her face. However, those scars did not destroy the lady's beauty. Instead, they added some heroic and tough temperament to her. "When can we transform?"

"Any time, ma'am." The one who answered her was Dumbledore, who had just entered the hall. He was wearing a moon-white dress robe with gold edges today. There was a big golden star on the tip of the wizard hat on his head, which formed a harmonious star and moon pattern with the moon pattern on the robe.

"You heard me, Olivia." Lupin gestured to her, then turned around to apologize to Harry and Ron and hurried over to Dumbledore.

"It should have been done long ago." Olivia jumped out from behind the chair and in the blink of an eye turned into a tall werewolf with white hair. The werewolf adjusted his collar, unbuttoned a few buttons, and came behind Lupin.

Olivia's transformation caused a burst of exclamations, and the students stared at the pointed ears of the white werewolf with curiosity and a little fear. Olivia bared her teeth, and several junior students were so scared that they hid under the dining table.

"Are you sure you want to stay with me in human form, Remus?" Olivia asked.

"Ah, you're right." Lupin simply nodded, and soon, another werewolf with gray hair appeared at the banquet. In this form, Lupin was even a head taller than Dumbledore.

"Thank you for your invitation, Professor Dumbledore. This will be a milestone in the werewolf rights movement." Lupin's serious wolf head shook up and down, and he stretched out his furry hand and shook hands with the old wizard.

"Click."

The sound of cameras rang out, and Colin Creevey and his brother Dennis kept changing angles in the hall until Dumbledore asked everyone to return to their seats because the banquet was about to begin.

"Before the banquet begins, I have two words to say." Dumbledore stood at the place where he gave his annual opening banquet speech. "Today we are honored to invite the cured werewolves to gather with us. I am very happy to see that you young people can accept them and realize that these friends are no different from us. The wizarding world has pretended to be blind for too long. These warriors are willing to speak up for their compatriots. We should be happy! But this is all thanks to another person, Ivy Doom, the winner of the Hogwarts Special Contribution Award. Even though he has traveled to other corners of the world for study, we must not forget that it is his treatment that makes it possible for people with lycanthropy to return to the wizarding society."

"Come on, let's drink to Ivy!"

"Cheers to Ivy!"

"To Ivy, even if he's on the other side of the world," Ron whispered, and then drank the butterbeer in one gulp.

Then the Christmas party began, and everyone started eating and drinking.

Harry didn't see Hermione on the other side of the table, nor on his side or Ron's.

"What are you looking for?" Ron asked vaguely, with two chicken legs stuffed in his mouth. "Ivy is on the other side of the world."

"Hermione." Harry stood up and looked around the tables. "I don't see her anywhere..."

"At the table at the back, sitting with Professor Lupin, I could hear them discussing 'vomiting' and the werewolf rights movement from a distance." Ron ate attentively and was not affected by Harry's question at all.

As expected, Harry saw Hermione next to Professor Lupin. Their discussion was so heated that he didn't even have time to eat even though the female werewolf next to Professor Lupin added a lot of food to his plate.

Damn it, Ron is going to lose the next debate.

Harry thought.

Maybe next time too.

If Hermione's House Elf Rights Promotion Association is just a naive attempt, then Lupin's werewolf rights movement is really fighting for the right to survive. With Hermione's intelligence, it is almost inevitable that she will learn from Lupin.

Harry glanced at Ron who was still eating and drinking, sighed helplessly, and sat back at the dining table.

One of his two friends had to win the debate anyway, so why couldn't it be Hermione?
"Look over there, Harry," Ron said suddenly.

"Where?" Harry asked.

Ron shook his head.

"Cassandra?" Harry only saw Cassandra and her sisters. There were not many Slytherins who had any contact with them. At least Cassandra had eaten with them in Ivy's magical little room.

"No, the one next to her. Greengrass." Ron didn't look up, still working on a gingerbread man.

Harry looked at the two similarly arrogant faces and was puzzled: "Which one is Greengrass?"

"The shorter one." Ron finally looked up. "You know what? Greengrass won the Daily Prophet's Gold Galleon Award during the summer vacation, but my father didn't know about it until yesterday. The Ministry is saying that there is something fishy going on. Those who really need it have never received it... Look at how high her nose is. She almost doesn't take her 'good' sister Cassandra seriously. You know, they always follow Cassandra's lead."

"Who?" Harry asked.

"Slytherin!" Ron put his thumbs together. "People have long said that Ivy and Cassandra have a special relationship. I guess that's why... and the gold ring on her hand with a huge gem. Everyone thinks she comes from an ancient family with a good inheritance... But if you ask me, maybe she just learned two different magics from Ivy... Fred and George are still unwilling to teach me the Pyroblast Curse. I've begged them several times!"

Harry said, "Maybe when Ivy comes back, we can learn a few tricks from him. I heard from Sirius that Dumbledore felt that Ivy had surpassed him - and far surpassed him, especially after they brought Sirius' brother back..."

(End of this chapter)