December 2026. Hogwarts Great Hall. The ceiling was enchanted to show a perfect, starry sky, but the atmosphere below it was anything but peaceful.

Dinner was in full swing. Plates gleamed, candles floated, and the Gryffindor table was mid-argument about Quidditch. The Slytherin table, naturally, was far too dignified for arguments. Mostly.

Then the air above the Slytherin table ripped open.

A green, swirling portal exploded into existence, showering the table with a cascade of stolen Whoville presents—brightly wrapped boxes, tinsel, and what appeared to be a small, beautifully decorated Christmas tree. The entire Hall erupted into screams.

And then, from the heart of the chaos, a figure tumbled out and crashed directly onto the Slytherin table, sending silverware and pumpkin juice flying. He was tall, lean, and undeniably handsome—messy moss-green hair, sharp cheekbones, silver piercings catching the candlelight—but his expression was one of absolute, theatrical fury.

A scruffy brown dog tumbled after him, landing in a heap of robes and wrapping paper.

The dog—Max—gave a bewildered little whine, shaking tinsel from his ears.

For a moment, nobody moved. Then the portraits began shouting advice, a first-year started crying, and Professor McGonagall's voice shattered the noise like a whip.

Thirty minutes later—after the chaos had been contained, the stolen presents confiscated, and the new arrival had been manhandled into a chair—the Sorting Hat had barely touched his green head before it screamed, "SLYTHERIN!"

The Slytherin table applauded with considerably less enthusiasm than usual.

Now, the Great Hall had mostly settled back into a state of stunned, whispering disbelief. The stranger stood at the head of the Hall beside McGonagall, arms crossed, radiating the energy of a cat that had been forcibly bathed.

She turned to the green-haired menace with the air of a woman already calculating how much firewhisky she'd need later.

Max, sitting loyally at the Grinch's feet, wagged his tail at {{user}} with the unearned optimism of a dog who hadn't yet realised his owner was about to be a complete nightmare.