From Kamal Taj to Hogwarts

When Sivan arrived at Professor Kettleburn's hut, the professor was squatting beside a burned-out fire outside the courtyard, holding a small stick and teasing something unknown.

"Professor, what are you doing?"

Xiwen quietly came up behind him and asked.

Professor Kettleburn was startled and stood up quickly to block the objects in the fire.

"Why did you come here without saying a word?" he asked with his eyes widened in dissatisfaction. "I have important props for the Christmas dinner drama here. I can't show you these things."

"I think this is how I usually come..." The corner of Xiwen's mouth twitched.

He glanced at the fire behind Professor Kettleburn and saw some large, gray-white, thin and skinny insects.

Xiwen didn't think that such ugly things would be used as props in dramas. Most likely, the Professor of Care of Magical Creatures had created some weird animals and kept them, and he didn't want others to see them.

"I remember that the play Professor Bierley rehearsed this semester was called "The Fountain of Good Luck," right?" Sivan asked. "I'm a little curious about what kind of story this play tells."

"Ah, if you're asking this, you've asked the right person!" Professor Kettleburn excitedly took out a book with a light gray cover from his pocket and said to Xiwen. "Although I can't show you the script, but

In order to learn more about the plot of the drama, I read the original story of "The Fountain of Good Luck" many times with great dedication."

""The Fountain of Good Luck" is the third story in this collection of stories. I recommend you to read it carefully. It is very interesting." Professor Kettleburn put the book into Xiwen's arms and used the remaining

He patted Xiwen's shoulder with his right hand.

"I have memorized this collection of stories by heart, which means I no longer need it. So from now on, this book is yours!"

"Thank you very much, Professor." Xiwen looked down at the book that was forced into his arms and said helplessly.

"Okay, you go first! I have to pack some things here that I can't let you see." Before Xiwen could say anything else, Professor Kettleburn pushed his shoulder impatiently.

, pushing him outside the range of the low fence surrounding the shed.

Xiwen felt that he had reason to suspect that the professor gave him this storybook just to send him away...

Therefore, he curiously looked at the fire that had long been extinguished and only ashes were left - only to find that Professor Kettleburn was still standing in front of the fire, nervously staring in the direction Xiwen left.

.

After seeing Xiwen turn around, he waved his hand pretending to be calm.

Seeing the professor closely guarding the fire, Xiwen completely gave up the idea of ​​discovering the secret and silently focused on the storybook that the professor had just given him.

This is a thin book with a light gray cover. The cover is painted with dark blue pictures, which are a circle of vine leaves, a tree stump and a skull. The text on the cover is also dark blue——

The title of the book is "The Tales of Beedle the Bard", and the author is the bard Beedle.

Turning to the table of contents, you can see a handful of five stories arranged in order, namely "The Wizard's Hairy Heart", "The Wizard and the Hopping Cauldron", "The Fountain of Good Luck", "Babbitty the Rabbit and...

Her Croaking Stump" and "The Legend of the Three Brothers."

Xiwen was not interested in other stories for the time being. He just turned to the "Fountain of Good Luck" according to the page number in the catalog, ready to see what props Professor Kettleburn was preparing.

The story of "Fountain of Good Luck" is not long, only two or three pages in total.

In this story, it is said that there is a fountain that can bring good luck to others. On the longest day of the year, only an unlucky person has the opportunity to come to the fountain of good luck before sunset and bathe in the spring water.

Get eternal good luck.

In the story, three witches and a knight went through many tests and finally arrived at the Fountain of Good Luck. But when they arrived, the four people who shared weal and woe recognized their own hearts and no longer needed the help of the Fountain of Good Luck. In the end,

, the three witches allowed the knight to receive the blessing of the fountain of good luck.

The four people lived happily for a long time, but none of them knew, and no one had ever doubted that, in fact, the water of the Lucky Fountain had no magic at all...

In Xiwen's view, this is a very common fable, telling everyone that everyone has misfortune, but as long as they work hard to pursue happiness, they can eventually find their own "fountain of good luck."

There are many such stories in the Muggle world. Sivan couldn't understand why "The Fountain of Good Luck" has been so popular among wizards for so long that Professor Bierley even rehearsed it into a drama.

Are wizards really too starved for entertainment?

…

The snow fell intermittently in December and continued continuously until before the Christmas holiday.

On December 23, after the last class on Friday, the students of Hogwarts carried large and small bags and walked to the main entrance of the castle. There were rows of carriages parked next to the warthog statue at the door.

, waiting for them.

It was also on this day that the snow that had accumulated in the sky for half a month completely fell, as if to celebrate the upcoming Christmas.

"Xiwen, are you really not going back to celebrate the festival?" Abraxas asked. He also has a storage container now, so he can dress lightly, holding only an umbrella and carrying large and small bags beside him.

Mobley provides a stark contrast..

"No, Professor Kettleburn invited me to watch this year's drama performance, and I just happened to experience the Hogwarts Christmas dinner." Sivan smiled, shook his head, and said to the two of them.

Of course, he would not tell them that he was just watching a theatrical performance, fulfilling his agreement with the professor, and then he would open the portal and go home to spend Christmas Eve with Sandrine.

If Xiwen hadn't discussed this operation with Sandrine, he might not have gotten his parents' permission to stay in school during the holidays...

Abu and Mobley were almost the last ones to leave. After they left, Hogwarts Castle became empty, and the noisy sounds of the little wizards playing and playing gradually disappeared.

Peeves' strange cry could be heard faintly in the distance.

Nowadays, the only two ghosts Peeves is afraid of are the Bloody Balor who has locked himself in a small dark room and refused to come out for a long time; and Stephen Strange also left the castle because he wanted to travel around the world.

So he let himself go again and made mischief everywhere.

However, in the empty castle, only Peeves' voice echoed, which made it feel like a different kind of silence.

Xiwen's mood also became calmer as the environment changed. He passed silently through the corridor of the teaching area and came to the southeast side, to the bridge connecting the entrance courtyard and the teaching area.

He gently brushed away the snow on the marble railing, then leaned on it, admiring the frozen lake surface that covered the black lake, and even the thick white snow covering the islands in the distance...

…

…