Harry Potter and the Candy Factory

The sun was setting, and the lunch break was quickly coming to an end. As the large clock chimed, signaling the start of work, Charlie finally awoke from his nap.

His long, thick eyelashes fluttered gently a few times before slowly opening, followed by a long yawn. He then rose from his chair and stretched his body as usual, trying to extend his somewhat stiff bones.

After a series of crisp "crackling" sounds, Charlie finally exhaled a long breath of comfort, confirming that he was fully awake.

Upon waking, he drew back the curtains, allowing sunlight to re-enter the previously dim office. Unexpectedly, he saw Fivwen's stout figure standing like a statue at the edge of the window, its wings covered with several visible, glittering ice crystals. Two long feathers swayed slightly in the wind, and its eyes were half-open until it saw Charlie, at which point it symbolically moved its head from side to side, as if to tell him that it was still alive. It was unknown how long it had been waiting…

"Oh, Fivwen…"

Charlie's eyes widened slightly and then became clear. After taking a breath of cold air, he looked at the owl in front of him and awkwardly patted his forehead, revealing a stiff smile.

Perhaps because there were too many things to do yesterday, keeping him busy, Charlie suddenly realized now that his owl had not been home for the entire Christmas holiday.

Fivwen seemed to know what he was thinking, flapping its wings a couple of times, its eyes revealing an undisguised sense of resentment.

"Oh, you poor little thing, I'm sorry, I'm sorry…"

Seeing this, Charlie quickly opened the window, ignoring the howling cold wind outside, and while apologizing, he let it back in.

"Whoosh…"

Raising his head and watching Fivwen skillfully flutter its wings and fly into the office through the opened gap, Charlie couldn't help but smooth back a few strands of hair that had fallen from his forehead, and asked curiously,

"Where did you go all day yesterday?"

"Goo—"

In mid-air, Fivwen circled and called out, seemingly answering Charlie's question, but judging from the anger and dissatisfaction revealed in its eyes at this moment, Charlie knew that it was more likely simply scolding him.

Seeming tired, it didn't linger. After chattering a few bird-language curses, it finally loosened its claws, dropping a crumpled letter on the table, and then landed on top of the coat rack, laboriously preening its already disheveled feathers, ignoring Charlie.

Charlie knew that Fivwen's anger wouldn't subside for a while, so he grinned, didn't say anything more, and instead reached into the drawer, took out a handful of its favorite salt-baked rat jerky, and scattered it in the corner of the long table, as an apology, waiting for it to eat when its anger subsided.

After doing all this, his gaze fell on the letter, and at the same time, he reached out his hand. With a hook of his index finger, an invisible force enveloped the letter, floating it like an invisible wind, sending it into his hand.

As the crumpled letter landed in his hand, looking at the familiar phoenix design on the wax seal, Charlie's heart immediately filled with understanding. As his brow relaxed, it also lifted slightly, and the smile on his lips also deepened. He glanced back at Fivwen on the coat rack.

"Looks like you spent Christmas with Headmaster Dumbledore, huh?… And here I was, so worried that you wouldn't be able to catch any mice alone in the snowy woods."

Fivwen was still carefully grooming its feathers, occasionally scratching with its claws hidden beneath its thick body, brushing off the ice crystals and melting snowflakes, ignoring Charlie's teasing as usual when it was angry.

No longer provoking it, Charlie's gaze returned to the letter.

"Alright, let's see, the first day after Christmas… what will our Headmaster Albus Dumbledore write to me?"

While muttering to himself, he opened the envelope sealed with wax, slowly took out the letter, and read it line by line.

"Dear Charlie, how are you? Merry Christmas! First of all, I must say, congratulations on the tremendous success of your 'Scent of Violet' in the British magical world. Of course, this is without a doubt, whether it's from its wonderful taste or the amazing effects, it made me foresee this moment when I tasted it for the first time…"

"Since you foiled Voldemort's plot, I have been taking on the task of teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts… To be honest, I haven't taught students for a long time. Even if I've prepared well, when I actually stand on the podium, I still feel inexplicably nervous… Sure enough, professors have a tough job. Even after only being a substitute professor for less than a few weeks, I have a deep understanding of this. I think maybe I should give Professor Snape more salary and ask him to take over for a while. After all, I guess he'd be happy to do so… Ha, just kidding."

Charlie carefully read each paragraph and each sentence, and the expression on his face unconsciously softened and relaxed. It was as if Dumbledore was sitting in his office, eating candy, and chatting with him like an ordinary old man.

This was why Charlie had always kept in touch with Headmaster Dumbledore. Besides the other party's identity and the deep friendship between the two over the years, his letters, and every word in them, seemed to flow with a perceptible warmth. It was as if the flames of the phoenix quietly enveloped your heart, not with heat, but with a warmth from the inside out.

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Just as Charlie was putting all his thoughts and emotions into Dumbledore's words, on the coat rack, Fivwen, who had just been grooming her feathers with a straight face, slowed down.

A pair of eyes, like two gems, rolled slyly, and then unexpectedly landed on the salt-baked rat jerky placed on the long table.

Raising its head slightly and glancing at Charlie, seeing that Charlie really wasn't paying attention to it and was focused on the letter in front of him, Fivwen finally stopped its pretentious behavior. Then, rather demurely, it shook its wings, and with a forceful push of its two small claws, it shot towards the rat jerky on the table with lightning speed, like an angry bird being catapulted.

—Then, with a "thump," it hit the table, rolled around a few times with residual force, and finally struggled to land on the table.

"You need to lose weight."

Charlie's eyes were still on the letter and hadn't moved, but listening to the sound, he could already foresee what had happened, so after Fivwen struggled to get up with its legs and wings, he suddenly added, provoking another burst of chattering "cursing."

Headmaster Dumbledore's letter wasn't very long. Finally, after chatting with Charlie as usual, he stated the purpose of the letter at the bottom of the page.

"…I hope you can find some time to come over in the next few days. Just like I told you in my office last time, there are some things I might need your help with."