bioinnovel Chapter 201 Anonymous Gift
Chapter 201 Anonymous Gift
Chapter 201 Anonymous Gift
Christmas 1993 arrived quietly, and the festive atmosphere reached its peak.
Although there were few students at school during the holidays, the colorful Christmas decorations were still put up as in previous years.
A thick ribbon of holly and mistletoe was strung up in the corridor, and mysterious lights shimmered inside each suit of armor.
As usual, the auditorium was filled with twelve Christmas trees, each adorned with twinkling golden stars.
The rich, enticing aroma of food filled the castle, and even Belvina, in her sleep, twitched her nose, sniffing with hope.
Belvina groggily opened her eyes, and a small cake emitting an enticing aroma floated above her nose, while Bassheda sat leisurely by the window.
"Merry Christmas, darling," Bassheda said lazily. "Your vigilance is getting lower and lower!" she joked.
Belvina avoided the piece of cake, sat up from the soft bed, stretched, and rubbed her eyes.
Then he drank a large glass of water.
Only then did Belvina notice that Bassheda was holding a square gift box about the size of a palm.
"What's that in your hand?" Belvina asked as she got out of bed and walked toward the private bathroom.
"It's your Christmas present," said Bassheda, gently shaking the gift box in her hand without making a sound.
Belvina, who is already an adult, is long past the age of believing in Santa Claus. She rarely receives Christmas gifts, after all, those are what children look forward to.
"Take a look inside. If it's some kind of curse, you can take the damage for me," Belvina said from inside the bathroom. "Good luck, dear Professor Bablin."
A little while later, Belvina, who was washing up, heard Bassheda's scream. She rushed out of the bathroom with her toothbrush in her mouth and foam in her mouth.
Then Belvina saw Bassheda sitting there unharmed, fiddling with a ladies' watch in her hand.
"Someone gave you a watch," Basilda said slyly. "Anonymous, no greeting card, not even a note." She then added, "Don't worry, there's no curse or evil spirit."
As she spoke, Bassheda handed the ladies' watch to Belvina, who was dressed as a wolf and fox.
The metal watch gleams with a pure white luster and feels heavy in the hand; it is likely made of platinum. The black dial is adorned with small diamonds that form a star chart.
On the back of the watch, there is a line of small engraving: BW Black is an abbreviation of Belvina Wolbuga Black. This exquisitely crafted and technically superb watch was indeed a gift to Belvina.
In wizarding communities, there is a tradition of giving a wizard a watch when he comes of age.
But who would anonymously send Belvina a watch on Christmas Day?
It is now 1993, and Belvina's seventeenth birthday was a long time ago, although she did not receive a watch as a birthday gift from Mrs. Black.
Years later, Belvina received an anonymous watch on Christmas Day. What is this women's watch all about?
Is it belated consolation, or compensation for guilt?
"This watch looks expensive; it must be custom-made," Bassheda said quietly. "I definitely can't afford it with my salary."
"I have many watches, and pocket watches too," Belvina said softly. "You can choose whichever you like."
Bassheda stood up and walked over to Belvina, saying, "Thank you for your generosity. Who do you think sent this watch?"
"Sirius Black," Belvina whispered. "There's no other possibility but him."
This was the first name that Belvina thought of, and the only person who might have anonymously sent the watch.
As Bassheda said, this ladies' watch is quite valuable, and its high price is enough to deter many people.
Furthermore, watches are not suitable as Christmas gifts; they are not gifts that can be given to just anyone.
However, neither of these two points is a problem for Sirius.
Sirius Black and Belvina are siblings. Although he is on the run, he is not short of money.
The siblings' maternal uncle, Alphad, left Sirius a considerable sum of gold.
Belvina held the watch in her palm; she didn't want to wear it on her wrist, nor did she want to leave it lying around. For a moment, she didn't know what to do with it.
Seemingly sensing Belvina's inner struggle, Bassheda said, "If you ask me, you should just wear this watch! It would be a waste of its price and craftsmanship to leave it gathering dust in the closet."
Belvina thought about it and realized that made sense. It was Sirius himself who had offended her, not the watch he had given her.
After figuring out this twisted logic, Belvina put the watch on her left wrist with a clear conscience, and the size was surprisingly suitable.
"It's pretty good," Bassheda said, her emotional appeal at its peak.
"It's mainly because she's good-looking," Belvina said without blushing or skipping a beat.
After the incident involving the anonymous gift, Belvina and Bassheda chatted for a while longer. When it was almost time, the two left the lounge together and went downstairs to the auditorium for dinner.
The four long tables in the Great Hall were moved to the wall, and a large dining table was placed in the center of the Great Hall. Dumbledore and the four heads of the hall were already seated at the table, along with the caretaker, Filch.
There were only three students around the table: two very nervous first-year students and a Slytherin fifth-year student with a long face.
Belvina and Bassheda entered the auditorium, greeted their leaders and colleagues, and then sat down together at the dining table.
"The watch is beautiful," Dumbledore complimented.
"Isn't it because she's pretty?" Belvina said with a smile.
The conversation between the two professors enlivened the atmosphere at the table. Professor McGonagall and Professor Sprout chuckled and looked at Belvina with amusement.
Even the two very nervous first-year students smiled, their anxiety about dining with the professors eased.
Only Snape and the Slytherin student remained aloof from the crowd; one rolled his eyes with a cold expression, while the other still wore a long face, looking like he couldn't take it anymore.
"The watch is beautiful, and so is the person," Dumbledore said. "Youth is wonderful."
The principal's words once again enlivened the atmosphere at the table, and the two first-year students' nervousness disappeared completely.
Professor McGonagall gave Dumbledore a reproachful look, while Professor Sprout also put on a stern face, pretending to be unhappy.
Amidst laughter and conversation, the Great Hall doors opened again, and Harry, Ron, and Hermione, who had arrived late, entered the Great Hall and hurriedly sat down at the dining table at Dumbledore's invitation.
Harry and Ron seemed very excited, their voices rising unconsciously. Hermione, however, looked less pleased, her face slightly gloomy, her eyes darting back and forth between Belvina and Professor McGonagall.
Apart from Snape and the Slytherin students, and Hermione who seemed a little unhappy, everyone else enjoyed the sumptuous Christmas dinner.
An amusing incident occurred during the meal: Dumbledore handed Snape the end of a large silver firecracker, which Snape reluctantly tugged at.
With a deafening bang like a cannon, the firecracker exploded, revealing a large, pointed witch's hat topped with a specimen of a vulture.
During the foggy time, everyone present was reminded of Boggart in the Defense Against the Dark Arts class.
The students wanted to laugh but dared not, while the professors did not have such concerns, especially Belvina, whose smile was full of vengeance.
Snape pursed his lips into a thin line, pushed the witch's hat in front of Dumbledore, and the headmaster immediately swapped his own wizard's hat for it.
It's unclear whether Dumbledore has a fetish for cross-dressing or if he's using it to ease the tension between Snape and Lupin.
After a nearly two-hour Christmas dinner, Belvina and Bassheda walked out of the castle to digest their meal.
Before Belvina and Bassheda could even leave the castle, an excited Harry ran up to them, with Ron and Hermione following awkwardly behind.
"Professor! Thank you!" Harry said excitedly.
Bassheda looked at Belvina in confusion, and then saw Belvina looking just as confused.
Harry's abrupt thanks left Belvina completely bewildered. She hadn't done anything these past few days, so what was Harry thanking her for?
"Professor, I will definitely try my best!" Harry said to himself. "I will defeat all my opponents and win the Quidditch Cup again!"
At that moment, Ron and Hermione, who were still bickering, also came over.
Ron looked at Belvina with excitement, so much so that he couldn't even speak.
Hermione still looked as unenthusiastic as she had at lunch, as if the Christmas presents had failed to bring her the joy she deserved.
"Wait a minute!" Belvina stopped the excited Harry. "You seem to have a serious problem wrong, Harry."
I am a Slytherin.
"Huh?" Harry, who was excited and thrilled, suddenly stopped, forgetting what he was about to say.
Hermione stepped forward and said slowly, "Professor, here's what happened. Harry received an anonymous Christmas present: a brand new flying broom and a Firebolt."
"That's right!" Ron quickly said, "Gryffindor is going to win for sure, they'll definitely beat Slytherin to a pulp!"
Ron's boast of defeating Slytherin came to an abrupt end, replaced by a heart-wrenching cry of pain.
Hermione stomped hard on the goofy Ron, and only then did the young Weasley remember that his dear Professor Black was also a Slytherin.
“I understand,” said Bassheda. “Mr. Potter received an anonymous gift of fire bolts, which he believes was from Belvina, right?”
After saying that, Bassheda looked at Belvina beside her, who had also received an anonymous gift today.
"Didn't you give it to me, Professor?" Harry asked, confused.
When he received the anonymous gift of the Fire Arrow this morning, the first person he thought of was Belvina, because Belvina had a history of sending expensive gifts.
“It wasn’t a gift from me, Harry,” Belvina said. “I don’t do good deeds anonymously.”
Belvina did indeed prepare a Christmas present for a Gryffindor this year, but that person was Lupin, not Harry in front of her.
Furthermore, even if Belvina gave Harry a fire bolt, she would leave her name instead of remaining anonymous.
Giving gifts isn't something shameful.
"Is it Professor McGonagall again?" Harry muttered to himself. His first flying broomstick was a Nimbus 2000 given to him by Professor McGonagall.
"I'm pretty sure it wasn't me who gave it to you. You can ask Professor McGonagall," Belvina said, without directly mentioning Sirius's name.
If Harry takes the Firebolt to Professor McGonagall and asks him, he'll soon be able to guess who the anonymous gift-giver is.
First, we can rule out Remus Lupin. Professor Lupin doesn't even have a new robe, so how could he possibly have gold to buy fire bolts?
Secondly, Dumbledore can be ruled out. Even if the headmaster favors Harry, he wouldn't show his favoritism in such a way that would incite resentment.
If Professor McGonagall also didn't send the gift anonymously, the correct answer would be obvious.
Almost all the wrong answers have been eliminated, surely there's no one who can't guess it!