On the second-last day of term, Harry watched as Professors Flitwick and McGonagall decorated the Great Hall for Christmas. The place looked spectacular, with festoons of holly and mistletoe hanging all around the walls; and twelve, towering Christmas trees standing around the room. Some of the trees sparkled with icicles while others glittered with candles, though Draco wasn't impressed.

"Is this it?" he asked, coming to a halt between Harry and Daphne at the Great Hall's doors. "How ridiculous. If Mother and Father were in the mood, they'd decorate our manor far better than this. But you'll have to visit if you'd like to see it."

"Harry's already made up his mind about staying, OK?" said Daphne. "Maybe he wants to study or something? I don't know."

"Who the hell studies over the holidays?" Draco asked, frowning in a confused manner. "You're supposed to sleep late, get spoiled, eat whatever you want – whenever you want, spend money, and just ... have fun, you know?"

Daphne then turned to Harry and said, "Are you sure you want to stay? You'll end up in the ozzy from too much studying."

Harry had to admit that he was having a hard time letting Daphne, of all people, down. But in the end, he stayed true to his decision – though it didn't prevent him from having a bit of fun before the holidays.

"Let's play a game," Harry said, after having left the Great Hall. "I'll give you a clue: it starts with a 'C'."

Draco paused for a moment, and then he groaned. "Please tell me it's not chess."

"It's not chess."

"Ohh! Ohh! I got it!" Daphne was bouncing on her feet. Then she raised her hand and said, "Chocolate Frog cards! Or anything to do with cards, right?"

Harry shook his head, still smiling.

"This is stupid," said Draco. "Just tell us already."

"Crackers?" Daphne asked. "That's it, right? We're gonna open loads of crackers." And when Harry shook his head again, Daphne followed up by saying, "Er, Charades? Chinese whispers? Christmas carols?"

"Cops and Robbers!" said Harry. Daphne and Draco simply stared at him, though Daphne started giggling. "It's Muggle game –"

"OK, I've heard enough," said Draco. "See you later. Bye."

And he left for the dungeons, leaving Harry to try and explain the rules of the game to Daphne. Fortunately, she was far more open-minded than Draco was, and beamed in excitement.

"Let's round up the others!" she said. "Can I be a cop?"

"Sure, but I'm faster than you."

"Yeah," said Daphne, "but Susan's faster than you. And she'll be my partner in stopping crime."

So they left to find the rest of the Slytherin first-years, who were all lounging around the packed common room before lunch. Susan and Tracey joined in without hesitation, though Theodore and Blaise – much like Draco – refused to be seen playing a Muggle game. Then there were Vincent, Gregory, and Pansy, who expressed interest but eventually fell in line with Draco's adamant refusal to 'embarrass' himself.

"Oh, come on," Daphne said to Pansy at the couch. "We played Muggle games before, remember?"

"Yeah, but that was at home."

Try as they might, the group of Harry, Daphne, Susan, and Tracey failed to convince their peers to join in, so they gave up and exited the common room. They needed more participants, so Harry chose to head to the library for further recruitment. He went right up to Hermione, who was engrossed in a spellbook at a corner desk, and asked if she'd like to join in.

"I'm sorry, what?" Hermione peered at Harry over the top of her textbook. "Is this a joke?"

"Of course not."

"Come on," said Daphne, while Susan and Tracey kept watch for Madam Pince. "Don't be boring, Hermione. You can read after lunch again."

"But I don't usually play outside," Hermione said. "And besides, I'm basically a year older than you."

"And so's Tracey," Daphne said. "Her birthday's the eleventh of October. Susan's the baby, 'cause she's sixteenth of Feb."

Just then, Susan warned them of Madam Pince's imminent arrival down one of the aisles. "I think she's coming to check who's talking! Hurry up!"

With nothing to lose (except getting booted from the library), Harry and Daphne put enough pressure on Hermione until she finally caved and decided to join in, making it five. She then started criticising almost everything about their game as the group made their way down the corridor.

"I think it's a bad influence on children," Hermione said. "I mean, if you really think about it: surely there's got to be a more appropriate name than 'Cops and Robbers'? It encourages thievery and all sorts of mischief."

"Mm-hmm," said Daphne.

"It also teaches children that the game's easier if there are more robbers than cops," Hermione said, "which means they'll grow up thinking it's easier to steal if the police are outnumbered ..."

Harry, meanwhile, found himself being tapped on the shoulder by Tracey. She bit her lower lip in frustration, and whispered, "Do we really have to play with her? She can't stop talking!"

"Hey, she's my friend, OK? At least we got her out the library."

Hermione continued to jabber until the group reached the Entrance Hall, where they passed a dozen Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws before coming across the trio of Finnigan, Thomas, and Weasley at the front doors.

"Why are you walking around with them?" asked Weasley. Hermione barely even looked at him as she carried on walking.

"I don't have time for this. Move."

Much like Hermione, Harry wasn't in the mood for senseless squabbles either. He excused the group and stepped out into the cold but clear day outside, where the snow from yesterday's blizzard had settled almost everywhere.

"OK," said Harry, as the group started discussing what they'd be using as the 'loot' in their game. "We'll use books."

"Out here?" Hermione gasped. "But ... you can't put books in the snow. They'll get wet and soggy."

Tracey placed her hands on her hips and said, "We can get 'em dried in no time, duh."

"We'll do two cops and three robbers. And two rounds," Harry said. "Let's go!"

And so they chose to set up their game where Madam Hooch held her lessons. Nine circles known as the 'safe zones' were drawn like hula hoops in the snow, while one large circle – the 'home base' – was marked in the centre of the action. The 'robbers' were to run around trying to move the books from the safe zones to the home base, while the 'cops' gave chase. One touch meant an arrest, though the robbers couldn't be tagged if standing within any of the circles while holding their loot.

"And no cheating!" said Harry. "Only one robber can stand in a safe zone at a time. And cops count to fifteen when the game starts. OK, let's see ... me, Hermione, and Tracey will be robbers. You two" – he pointed at Daphne and Susan – "are the police."

"Wew, wew!"

"Shut up!" Susan told Daphne beside her. "That's your cousin's stupid thing."

"Enough chit-chat," said Tracey. "Let's goooo!"

The game began with Harry, Hermione, and Tracey dashing out from their home base, while Daphne and Susan started their count. The wind roared in Harry's ears as he put one foot in front of the other in the snow. And after fifteen seconds, Harry heard someone sprinting behind him in the distance. Her footsteps were crunching louder by the second, causing Harry to make haste for the nearest safe zone – where he picked up Tracey's Herbology textbook.

"Ha, safety!" Harry said, wheeling around just in time to see a swish of blonde headed his way. "I got the loot and I'm safe! Go chase someone else!"

"Uh, uh, uhhhh," Daphne said in a sing-song voice. "I'm staying right here until you come out."

"Yeah, great plan." Harry snorted. "Too bad your partner's all by herself."

Metres ahead in the distance, the figures of Hermione and Tracey were running at full speed away from Susan. It was a close call, with Tracey barely managing to leap into the home base as Susan dived to grab her ankle.

"Too slow!" Tracey shouted, tossing aside the textbook. "And don't go grabbing our ankles!"

Hermione was next to arrive, making it two out of nine books collected so far. Seven more, and the robbers would take the win.

"How about I poke you till you come out?" Daphne said, reaching out and poking Harry in his chest, and then in his side.

"Hey – stop it! You're cheating!"

"No, I'm not," said Daphne. "Pokey poke."

"Cops can't stand too close to the circles. Go there so I can run!"

"Daphne!" Susan came stomping over, shaking off bits of snow in the process. "What kind of a policeman are you, huh?"

"A silly one," said Harry.

"Oh really?" Daphne took a deep breath, narrowed her eyes, and said, "Now it's on."

And the game continued as Harry ran to drop off his loot, with Daphne hot on his tail. Susan, meanwhile, turned left and intercepted Hermione just as the latter was about to reach the nearest hoop. She tapped Hermione on the shoulder, 'arresting' her, and then went after Tracey up ahead.

"Don't even think about freeing her," Daphne told Harry, while waiting for him to leave the safety of the home base. "'Cause I'll get you good –"

"Daphne!" Susan yelled. "A little help here!"

"You'll never catch me!" Tracey yelled.

Torn between waiting for Harry or intercepting Tracey, Daphne chose the latter and dashed to her left. This gave Harry the opportunity of running out and tapping Hermione on the shoulder, allowing her to carry on with the game.

"Woohoo! Time to steal again!" Hermione said, though she groaned as Tracey was caught just metres from the home base. "Come on, let's move!"

And so they ran again, this time looking to confuse Daphne and Susan by staying together and then heading in different directions. It sort of worked, as Harry gave Daphne the slip on his turn, though Susan was far too agile for Hermione to dodge.

"Ha! Caught you again!" Susan said, after having tapped Hermione on the shoulder. "Two on one, Harry. You lose!"

It was over. Harry had nowhere to go. He tried to run only to find Daphne catching up and blocking his path.

"What you gonna do now, huh?" she said, stepping to the left when Harry tried to go right, and stepping to the right when Harry tried to go left. Then came Susan from the back, tapping Harry on the shoulder and ending the game in favour of the 'cops'.

"We win!" she said, jumping up and down and dancing in celebration with Daphne. "OK, OK! So we swap now, right?"

"Not exactly," said Harry. "I'll stay a robber. Then you can all swap."

"But –"

Susan was interrupted by Hermione, who said, "No, I'll stay. Then you and Tracey can chase the rest of us."

The game was restarted but with Harry and Tracey doing the counting and chasing. Harry went straight after Daphne first, and got his revenge by blocking her on her way back to the home base.

"Ha! What you gonna – aaargh!"

A shower of icy white splashed against Harry's robes – and his face – as Daphne kicked her foot in the snow. Then, as Harry was busy wiping himself off, Daphne sprinted around Harry and leaped into the home-base circle, giggling.

"That's cheating!" Harry said, to which Daphne smiled and shook her head.

"Nope. Robbers don't follow rules, duh."

"Oh really? Well, you're disqualified, then, duh."

Daphne didn't mind. In fact, she had a ball of a time watching Tracey chase after Susan, and Harry joining in to pursue Hermione. Both robbers gave their chasers a hard time, and they accumulated two books each before finally being caught.

"Damn it!" said Susan, stomping her foot in the snow. "If only we had more robbers! Two on three's too close!"

"It was quite fun, though," said Hermione. "But if you'll excuse me, I need to get back to the library."

"Oh no you don't," said Tracey, pulling Hermione by the sleeve as she tried to leave. "I've got another game we can play."

"Really?" Harry asked.

"Yep!" Tracey clapped her hands together, and smiled. "Let's play Ring-a Ring-a Rosie!"

"I know that game!" said Susan. "We hold hands in a circle and go round and round, right?"

Daphne giggled, and so did Hermione.

"That sounds a bit silly," said Hermione. "Actually, I think I've seen this game before, at my primary school. It's a nursery rhyme, right?"

Tracey nodded, and taught them the lyrics before getting started. The group of five then held hands and started hopping in their circle while singing:

"Ring-a ring-a rosie,

A pocket full o' posies,

A-tichoo! A-tichoo!

We all fall down!"

And on that last word, they all fell backwards – landing on their backs and laughing.

"That was fun!" said Daphne. "Let's do it again and again!"

Harry found the whole thing to be hilarious. He hopped and sung along over and over until, finally, Hermione decided it was time to leave.

"That was nice," Hermione said. "But, really, I need to get back to my studies now."

And she took her bag and left, leaving Harry to spend the rest of his morning with Daphne and her group. They discussed all sorts of holiday-related topics and played one more Muggle-game (some kind of hand-clapping one while facing each other) before settling down for lunch, after which they returned to the common room in the afternoon.

"And now?" Harry heard Tracey whisper behind him, as they shut the door and stepped into the long, low underground room. "Why's everyone whispering?"

"Maybe they cancelled the holidays," said Daphne.

"Don't be stupid," said Susan. "My auntie would never allow that."

Unfortunately, it was the group's Muggle games which had caused some of their housemates to gossip. Sure, everyone already knew that Harry Potter was friends with Hermione Granger, but they seemed to have taken even greater offence at Harry and the girls actually playing a Muggle game (or three) right out in the open.

"All right, that's enough," said seventh-year Prefect Vance over the growing murmurs and whispers. He and the rest of the prefects were sitting at a corner table, watching the crowd like hawks. "The next person to talk trash is getting detention next term. No need to act like drama queens over a few little games."

Seeing as the bad apples were getting even worse, Harry decided against playing another Muggle game at Hogwarts. Yes, it was fun and all, but perhaps it would be better to focus on more important matters at school.

"Come on," Harry told Daphne, Susan, and Tracey. "Let's roast marshmallows, or something."

"I still can't believe you're staying here all alone," Daphne said as they walked through the common room. "Come stay at my house. We can play Cops and Robbers, Ring-a Ring-a Rosie, and have all sorts of ice-cream there!"

"Thanks, but ... no thanks," said Harry. "I'm OK here."

Daphne groaned, though she lightened up as Harry joined Marcus, Pansy, and whoever else was busy roasting whatever they could at the fireplace. After that, Harry found himself a seat beside Yasmin on one of the corner couches.

"Don't worry about those rotten apples," Yasmin said while re-reading her graded Muggle Studies assignment (she got seventy-four per cent). "I mean, I'm a pure-blood who's on that damn purity-list," (the Sacred Twenty-Eight) "and I've got no problem with Muggle games and stuff. Not everyone is as stuck-up as the bad bunch here."

"Yeah, I know that," said Harry.

"Hmm," – Yasmin looked up from her roll of parchment – "I wonder if Umut would like some of those games? Bet he'll love Cops and Robbers, yeah."

Harry bit the inside of his cheek while looking, confused, at Yasmin. "Who's Umut?"

"My brother. He'll be starting here in a few years' time."

Harry wished he could say the same.

The next day marked the start of the Christmas holidays. And although Harry felt excited at being able to stay ahead of his competition, he felt rather empty without his friends. Gone was Tracey – who often sat reading at the table. Gone were Pansy and Daphne – the two excitable cousins. Gone was Susan – who occasionally tried fishing out Harry's home circumstances. Gone was Yasmin Shafiq – one of the friendliest older students in Slytherin. And gone was Hermione Granger. The first two days flew by as Harry spent much of his time reading up on Charms, Defence Against the Dark Arts, Potions, and Transfiguration; and before Harry knew it, he was climbing out of his bed on Christmas morning.

It was a good thing that Harry's dormitory was empty that morning, for the shock of actually getting a present (or ten, by the looks of it) would have been a dead giveaway that something wasn't quite right. Harry just stood there staring at the pile of colours lying at the foot of his bed; a far cry from his days at the Dursleys.

Once the shock had passed, Harry ripped open the top parcel and found a large tin of treacle fudge sent by Hagrid. The fudge was hard and shut one's jaw like glue, but it was delicious nonetheless (Harry made a note to warm up the rest at the fireplace). Then he moved on to a rectangular box containing a luxury, green and silver eagle-feather quill from Hermione, which Harry was definitely going to make good use of. Moving on, the next four presents were from Daphne, Pansy, Susan, and Tracey. They had sent Harry a box of homemade pies, a green and silver scarf, a toy Golden Snitch, and a book on second- to third-year level charms respectively.

Six down, four to go. Harry unwrapped his next package and found a variety of sweets gifted from the Malfoys, followed by opening a collection of removable highlighting-ink sent by Yasmin. The ink would surely be useful with all the studying that Harry was doing, or it could be a great prank to play on Madam Pince and her library books. Next, Harry opened a tiny parcel containing a note and a fifty-pence piece from the Dursleys, and sighed. OK, so perhaps it was better than the usual nothing he received from his so-called 'family' on Christmas, but on the other hand ... fifty pence? They might as well have not sent him anything at all.

"Rubbish," Harry said, closing the envelope and reminding himself to toss it in the fire. Ever since Harry had stepped foot into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, he no longer considered number four, Privet Drive to be his home. Hence he wanted nothing to do with the Dursleys, their blatant unfairness, and their pathetic, insulting idea of a Christmas 'present'.

The last package turned out to be the single-most amazing thing Harry had ever seen. It was some kind of a shining, silvery cloth that was strange to the touch (like water woven into material) and which hid its wearer according to what was covered. All Harry had to do was cover himself completely with the cloth and, just like that, he was completely invisible. Even better, the attached note implied that the cloth had once belonged to Harry's father, and said that Harry ought to 'use it well'.

"Definitely," said Harry, although he wondered as to who had sent this gift. Had it really belonged to his father?

Regardless, Harry packed away his invisibility cloth and ate some of his Christmas presents for breakfast. There would be plenty of time to wander around unseen during the holidays, though Harry feared what would happen when the rest of the house eventually found out about his gift. Would they try to take it away from him? Would Draco and the rest become jealous and demand their own cloths? Would Snape, especially if he found out that the cloth had once belonged to Harry's father, try to confiscate it? And what would big boss Dumbledore have to say?

So many questions, so little answers. Harry ended up pondering for so long that it was already past twelve o'clock by the time he left his common room. He then made his way up to the Great Hall and saw that instead of there being five long tables as per usual, the staff had arranged for a single one in the centre of the Hall. It was set for about a dozen people, including Professors Dumbledore, McGonagall, Snape, and Quirrell (he looked as terrified as ever, and was ready to leave); as well as Mr Filch, Madam Hooch, Hagrid, and the four Weasley brothers.

"Merry Christmas!" said Professor Dumbledore, as Harry approached the table and took the twelfth seat, to the right of Prefect Weasley (what was his name, now again?) and opposite Mr Filch. "Please, tuck in!"

Harry noticed that Mr Filch looked even more disgusted than usual, and couldn't help but wonder if it was due to the smell coming from Quirrell's turban beside Mr Filch. In addition, Harry also spotted Mrs Norris lying curled up on Mr Filch's lap – her lamp-like, yellow eyes fixed in the direction of Ronald Weasley, who was busy stuffing himself to the left of Prefect Weasley.

"I told Ronald not to bring him along," Prefect Weasley whispered to Harry, "but did he listen?"

"Bring who along?"

"Scabbers, our pet rat," whispered Prefect Weasley. "Looks like Mrs Norris is looking for a nice fat helping along with lunch. I swear, if that cat eats my rat, I'm giving Ronald a week's detention."

Just then, Professor Dumbledore took one of the large, silver crackers on the table and pulled it open. With a bang like a gunshot, the cracker flew open to reveal two Chocolate Frogs, which landed right beside Professor Dumbledore's half-empty plate.

"Excellent!" said Professor Dumbledore. "Perhaps today I shall finally receive a card which you do not have, Rolanda."

Madam Hooch, who was dressed in vivid purple and was sitting two seats away from Professor Dumbledore, smiled as she said, "I highly doubt that, considering my collection of cards is absolutely perfect." (Harry saw Ronald Weasley looking up to comment, but the latter was immediately stopped by a kick beneath the table, from Prefect Weasley.)

"That remains to be seen," said Professor Dumbledore. He unwrapped his first Frog and decided to play a game of 'Guess the Card', by giving out clues. "Argus, I suppose you could say that this person is responsible for a good portion of your troubles."

"Eh?" Mr Filch lowered one brow, and scratched his cheek. "That's far too vague, Headmaster. Got plenty of them going around every year."

"I knew he'd say that," said Hagrid.

"Hmm," said Professor McGonagall, "they don't put Peeves on a card, do they?"

"Close, but not quite." Professor Dumbledore looked around the table. "Anyone else?"

"Is it a witch or a wizard?" one of the Weasley twins asked. "That'll narrow it down a bit, Professor."

"A wizard," said Professor Dumbledore, and at that moment, Mr Filch slapped his hand on the table, and looked victorious.

"It's one of them, then," he said, pointing at the twins. "They set off Dungbombs all the time, Headmaster."

"Why, Argus, that's remarkably close. Even more so than Professor McGonagall was."

"Really?" Mr Filch looked part pleased and part surprised. "Well then, er ... something to do with a Dungbomb, then?"

"Precisely," said Professor Dumbledore. He flipped the card and revealed the image of Alberic Grunnion, inventor of the Dungbomb. "Right, then. I wonder who we shall have next?"

The Christmas dinner carried on (Hengist of Woodcroft was the second card), and Harry had a blast of a time savouring the wide variety of foods and desserts on the table. He stuffed himself to his heart's content while listening to Percy Weasley talk about all sorts of random academic-things (though it wasn't the same as listening to Hermione). Then there was the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity of seeing the staff become more casual by the minute, to the extent of a drunk Hagrid kissing Professor McGonagall on her cheek.

"Quirinus!" said Professor Dumbledore, when Professor Quirrell eventually stood up and excused himself from the table. "Surely you are not leaving us so soon?"

"My ap - p - pologies, Headmaster. But I'd p - prefer the comfort of my office. I think a n - nap is in order after our d - delicious feast."

Professor Dumbledore nodded, and excused Quirrell from the table. Then, minutes later, Professor Snape stood up and left as well, leaving the table at just ten people plus a cat and a rat. However, this did little to dampen the cheerful atmosphere (it actually made things better, in Harry's opinion), which carried on throughout the afternoon beneath the darkening winter sky.

Things got even better once Harry returned to his dormitory to test out his father's special cloth. Harry covered himself completely and made his way out of the common room unseen. The whole of Hogwarts was open to him now; he could go wherever he wanted. But in the end, with all things considered, Harry chose to remain close to home. He wandered around the massive, labyrinthine corridors for what felt like ages before returning to the common room at around ten o'clock that night.

So far, so good. Harry felt relieved at having been able to sneak around undetected, though something told him it was only a matter of time until someone would be on his case. In the meantime, however, Harry progressed his nightly trips from the dungeons to the ground floor (which wasn't all that interesting, really), before moving up to the first-floor corridor during the first week of January. There had to be something interesting among all these corridors, storerooms, classes old and new, and whatever else was up here, right?