On Christmas Day, Christian woke up all excited. Everyone had woken up before him to set up things. He saluted everyone and ate while in his pajamas. Then, it was time to open presents.
Christian could not contain his excitement as he sat on the floor, the living room decorated with all types of Christmas themes, enchanted by magic.
"Let's start with Eleanor's gift," said Tiara, handing a slightly thin but long paper wrapping. Christian looked at it. Aunt Eleanor's gifts can be excellent if he asks her for things in advance. Otherwise, she will give him law-related gifts. When he was seven, for Christmas, she gave him a book, Introduction to Law (Kid Friendly Edition). Nothing was friendly about that 800-page book.
Sadly, he had to read it because she kept asking for his opinion. He understood she wanted him to one day be a lawyer like her, but this was not a book for a seven-year-old to read. Ultimately, Christian found the book educational, but afterward, he knew, for sure, he did not want to be a lawyer.
After unwrapping the gift, Christian's eyes lit up. "Sports tickets?" When he was young, Christian had a phase where he enjoyed football, and even thought about joining an academy. However, he soon gave up these thoughts due to the swarms of tutors and teachers. Despite his lack of interest, he always wanted the experience of attending games. So, his aunt got him basketball, baseball, and American Football Tickets.
"This should be an interesting experience."
"Muggle Sports?" asked Sullivan. "I've never seen one. It might be an interesting experience. What do you think?"
"Why not?" responded Arielle.
"But I only have two tickets for me and Mom."
"Don't worry about that," replied Sullivan, and Christian did not like how he said that. "You're not going to do anything illegal, are you?"
"Of course not. I'm an Auror; how could I break the law?"
Christian felt relieved. Unlike his mother, he felt his uncle was more reliable in respecting the rules. However, like most wizards he met, he could also tell that his uncle had an innate disdain for Muggles' rules and societal norms.
"You were thinking something disrespectful about me, weren't you?" asked Tiara.
"What are you talking about? Are you okay?" asked Christian with innocent eyes, and Tiara shook his head.
"This is from me," said Arielle, and Christian could tell it was a book before unwrapping it. As expected, it was a large book, and he instantly translated the French Title: [Magical Creatures/Folklore/Myths and Legends].
"This book…" uttered Tiara.
"It's the one Granni used to teach us Magical Care and read to us as a bedtime story," said Arielle. "I wanted to give him the original, but could not help myself, so it's only a copy. I'm sorry, Zed."
"No, no, I'm more than happy with the copy." Christian knew the sentimental value behind such a thing. He opened the book to a page. "Is this what a Lougarou looked like? They are even scarier than I used to imagine them." He now knew many of the stories his mother used to tell him about dark creatures were real, and the idea that his childhood nightmares were real was not a pleasant thing to leave with.
"It's my turn," said Sullivan before handing him another book that was not wrapped. The title was in English, so no translation was required, and it read: "Legilimency and Occlumency" by Sullivan Smith.
"Could it be?"
"Yes. I've written all my knowledge and experience on these subjects. I hope you like it."
"I do," nodded Christian with a bright smile. "If you didn't give this to me, I would have asked you." His mother rarely praised people for their magical ability, so he took her comment seriously when she did. Christian flipped through a few pages and nodded; the writing seemed concise, detailed, and legible.
"Finally, my turn," said Tiara as she handed him what resembled a document. The top had the words [House Elf Welfare Association] written in bold letters.
"What's this?"
"I know the impact what happened at the Quidditch match had on you, and I want you to know some people care about this issue," explained Tiara. "So, I co-started this association under our names to prevent suicide among house elves who regained their freedom and find jobs for them and give them purpose."
"Really? That's great news," said Christian excitedly.
"Right now, we only have branches in the UK, France, and Germany, but it won't be long before we can spread throughout Europe and, eventually, other areas with similar issues."
"You should have told me earlier. I would have loved to participate in the opening ceremony and meet the workers," said Christian.
"You only need to focus on your studies for that. You'll have plenty of time for that later," explained Tiara.
"I'm surprised the pureblood wizards in the UK let you establish such an association," commented Sullivan.
"No, they threw a fit," replied Tiara. "It's only after spending a lot of money in the Ministry of Magic and putting a nasty jinx on many of them that they relent." She did not even mention how the association was not created with the purpose of freeing house elves because of the response of these people.
"You should not let Zed know you curse people to get your way," warned Arielle.
"No, he will have to deal with these people one day. He must understand that he must display his strength or be willing to play as dirty as they do to get things done."
"Spoken like a true Thunderbird," added Sullivan, thinking about his days in Ilvermorny.
"Aren't thunderbirds the equivalent of Slytherin?" asked Christian.
"That, I don't know."
"I think you're right," agreed Arielle. "So, why is a Gryffindor acting like their sworn enemy?"
"The real question is, why are you letting labels dictate how you behave?" countered Tiara.
"Ok, you win," declared Christian, ignoring the smug look on her face. He had other gifts, mainly from his language professors and two friends from school. Then, it was his turn to give gifts.
For his mother, he gave her a locket with two portraits: on one side was only them and his father, and on the other was everyone, including Aunt Eleanor, Arelle, and Sullivan. His gift to Aunt Arielle was a cellphone so she could call him whenever she wished; he taught her how to use it. Lastly, he granted Uncle Sullivan an enchanted ring with a Protego Charm.
"Although I had my suspicions, my gift was still based on the fact you were a Muggle police officer, so I thought this was the best present: secret protection," explained Christian, a little embarrassed.
"No, I like it," said Sullivan. Although he was skilled in Charms, enchanting or bewitching was not a field in which he was highly accomplished. On the contrary, he could only do the most basic enchantments that last a day at best. "This looks well-made."
"Of course, it's my best work. The enchantment can last for more than a year." Sullivan gave him a look before putting the ring on. For a moment, he wanted to ask his nephew to sell his department such rings as they could save lives in times of emergency. However, he stopped himself as this was not appropriate.
Once Christian finished handing out presents, the others exchanged them too. Christian was done since he had already mailed his present to his professors and Aunt Eleanor.
In the afternoon, the group spent most of the day bringing presents to the children in Aunt Arielle's orphanage. Christian was very excited since this was the first time he had met magical children of the same age, so he had a lot of questions. He soon found himself conversing with the third—and fourth-year students, as the younger ones knew too little magic for a real conversation.
The experience was productive, and he was almost convinced to attend Ilvermorny instead of Hogwarts. Instead, Christian opted to buy their school books and copy the notes of these children to see the difference between the two schools.
He stayed in America with his aunt for the remainder of December. On January 1st, the family celebrated Haitian Independence Day with the annual Soup Joumou (Squash Soup). Tiara got drunk and made a slight fool of herself as she talked nonstop about the glorious stories of her family helping with the revolution.
For the following week, he attended Lakers, Red Socks, and Giants games, and Sullivan commented that he did not expect Muggle Sports to be so fascinating and involve such a high level of athleticism.
On January 12, under Aunt Arielle's reluctance, Christian and Tiara retired home. He immediately resumed his strict schedule. Although he complained out loud, he mostly enjoyed such a disciplined and regulated life.