Before the Christmas holiday ended, Kael and Conna stayed at Nicolas's manor.
During this time, Conna was just like Kael when he first came here, unable to leave the library, wishing she could stay there from morning till night.
She would only come out for a short while during meal times at Perenelle's request, but never for more than an hour.
As for Kael, he had a much simpler routine, just strolling around the manor and amusing himself with the alchemy trinkets he found intriguing.
To be precise, he would dismantle them and reassemble them again; over the course of two weeks, he had taken apart nearly a hundred items, if not more, across every corner of the manor.
From the garden to the attic, and every room that could be opened, Kael's busy figure could be seen.
Of course, most of the alchemy items were restored to their original state by Kael, with only a small exception.
For instance, on the ninth day, a small malfunction occurred in the opera room on the second floor; anyone trying to watch an opera would notice that a corner on the left occasionally flickered, like a faulty light bulb.
Fortunately, in the following days, nobody but Kael ventured in there.
And so it remained until the last day of the holiday.
Early in the morning, Kael and Conna went to the garden outside, ready to return to Hogwarts in the Thestral Carriage.
"It's truly rare."
Nicolas joined them in the garden, chuckling as he watched them harness the carriage to the Thestrals.
"Yes, it's been ages since it was this lively here."
Perenelle chimed in, "And both Kael and Conna are wonderful kids. I can always feel the unique vitality and passion of young wizards from them. Spending time together makes me feel much younger... at least a hundred years younger."
"No, Perenelle, you misunderstand." Nicolas shook his head. "I meant it's rare for Kael not to cause extra trouble for me."
Who knows when it started, but every time Kael showed up, Nicolas's tranquil and leisurely life got disrupted.
At first, Kael brought Ravenclaw's Diadem, causing Nicolas to abandon all plans and spend months in the lab.
Before that, he hadn't opened the lab door in ten years.
Later, Kael also brought Hufflepuff's Golden Cup and Slytherin's Pendant Box, forcing Nicolas to be busy for a long time, even missing an important opera performance.
Oh, and the most time-consuming and effort-intensive ancient Time Turner was also related to Kael.
Yet Nicolas willingly engaged in these endeavors, as he previously mentioned, no alchemist can remain calm in the presence of Ravenclaw's Diadem; the Golden Cup and Pendant Box are the same.
Unless they never encounter them.
Nicolas wished he had never seen those items, feeling conflicted, yet it was his genuine thought.
Fortunately, things would be different after today; this time Kael didn't bring any trouble, and once they returned to Hogwarts, Nicolas could resume enjoying operas.
Nicolas was already quite eager.
Meanwhile, Kael and Conna had finished attaching the carriage to the Thestrals.
"We should probably set off soon; you haven't forgotten anything, right?" Kael asked.
"No." Conna shook her head. "But shouldn't we say goodbye to Nicolas and the others?"
"We're all old friends, it's not necessary," Kael replied.
"No, Kael, even with familiar people, leaving without a word is quite impolite." Conna frowned, "Besides, I feel you're acting strangely, as if eager to leave here quickly."
"No, it must be your imagination," Kael said. "I just…um, want to be back at Hogwarts in time for dinner is all."
He couldn't possibly tell Conna he suddenly dismantled Nicolas's cherished room… if Nicolas heard about it, they wouldn't be able to leave today.
So it's best to leave quickly while no one has noticed.
"But it's still morning, we have plenty of time." Conna glanced at Kael skeptically.
Her instincts told her Kael was definitely hiding something.
"Are you ready yet?"
As Kael tried to come up with an excuse, Nicolas walked over with small steps.
"Yes, Nicolas." Conna responded quickly, "Thank you for inviting us this time."
"You're welcome." Nicolas waved. "Ah, by the way, here are your Christmas gifts... though a bit late, they should still be on time."
He handed out two boxes, a red one to Conna and a golden one to Kael.
"Christmas gifts?" Conna said, puzzled. "But I already received the book and manuscript..."
"This is another portion," Nicolas smiled. "If word got out that I traded a book for a precious Phoenix Potion, I'd be ridiculed.
"Especially by McPhail; he'd surely spread it far and wide."
"But…"
"Don't refuse it, child, just accept it."
Conna wanted to say more but was interrupted by Nicolas.
He shook his head, "In this regard, you should take a cue from Kael."
Instinctively turning, Conna saw Kael naturally putting away the golden box, seeing nothing wrong with it at all.