Groaning, Harry pushed himself out of bed. He hadn't drank all that much the night before but he'd been up pretty late after a particularly exhausting day of exams. He didn't want to miss seeing his friends off just because he was a little tired.
Taking a quick shower and throwing on some joggers and a hoodie, he stepped out of his room and made his way down the stairs.
As he was about to exit the common room he noticed Tracy and Daphne struggling down the stairs with one of their trunks.
"Need help?" he asked, turning towards them.
Daphne looked up with a grateful smile while Tracy just dropped the trunk all together.
"I don't know why they force us to use trunks," Tracy said. "There are so many better ways to travel with luggage."
Harry chuckled and bent down to pick the unwieldy trunk.
"Do we need to get yours, Daphne?" he asked.
"No, I threw the stuff I needed in her trunk as we're both going to my house first."
With that, the girls led Harry to a room right outside the Great Hall to drop the trunk with the luggage of the other students that were going home for the holidays. From there they joined the rest of their friends for breakfast.
"I'm surprised to see you awake," said Neville, as he poured him a cup of coffee. "I figured you would have a lie in till at least noon."
"Thanks," Harry said, accepting the coffee as he sat down. "I wanted to see you guys off anyway. It's kind of a tradition."
The others looked a little confused.
"Tradition?" Daphne asked. "This is the first term we've been here."
"Uh… well at my old school, I'd always be there when the other guys got out… er, left for the holidays or something."
He could feel everyone looking at him. Daphne glanced at Hermione who looked concerned but just shrugged, unsure of what was going on as well.
Harry was spared from more questions by Ron trudging into the great hall looking like he was going to fall over any moment.
"Did he sleep walk to breakfast?" Hermione asked, "I don't think I've seen him miss a meal all term."
"He hasn't," Neville replied. "That guy puts away more food than anyone I've ever met."
The group watched as Ron piled his plate with food and started eating. It wasn't until half the plate was gone before he opened his eyes and noticed the others at the table.
"'Mornin…" he said before shifting his focus back to the meal.
"And with that I've lost my appetite," Susan said, standing up. "I'm going to head to the train now and get a good compartment."
The rest of the group slowly trickled out of the Great Hall as well. Neville clapped Harry on the back and said he'd write when he got his new wand. Hermione gave Harry a hug and made him promise that he would write to her over the holiday. Eventually, Harry, Ron, and the Patil twins were the only ones left at the table.
"Well I'm going back to bed," said Parvati. "Last night was great but my feet still hurt from all that dancing."
"I think I'll do the same," Padma said, following her sister.
Harry finished his breakfast and let Ron know he was going back to bed. At that point, Ron was fully awake and asked him if he'd be up for a little chess later that afternoon. Harry agreed and left the Great Hall.
Harry thoroughly enjoyed his time off over the next few days. He continued his passive exploration of the castle, making sure he steered clear of the third floor. He would join Ron for an occasional chess game where he would be completely destroyed.
Sometimes, Fred and George would hang out when they weren't working on some side project. The Patil twins kept to themselves for the most part, although Parvati repeatedly asked the professors if they could have a couple of hours in Hogsmeade. Harry agreed with her but didn't think Professor McGonagall would allow it. He was all the more surprised when the day before Christmas Eve Professor Flitwick announced that anyone who wanted to visit Hogsmeade for holiday shopping would be allowed to. Parvati squealed and ran to her room to change. While no one else was quite as enthusiastic as she'd been, everyone was excited to have some time out of the castle.
A little bit before noon the students gathered in the entry hall to the castle. Eventually, Hagrid opened the massive front door and said they'd be following him on the walk to the village. Harry stepped up beside him as he turned down the path.
"Happy Christmas, Hagrid."
"An' a Happy Chirstmas ter you, Harry."
"How have your holidays been so far?"
"Oh, the usual. I make sure the different animals aroun' the school are well fed and warm during these cold months."
"Is that more or less work than in the warmer time of the year?"
"Neither, really. Just different. Some of the bigger un's don' need too much help but they still get snippy when they are uncomfortable."
"Snippy? Only you would say a big creature only gets snippy."
Hagrid laughed. "Well when yer as big as me the big ones don' seem so big."
Harry chuckled before a thought struck him. He checked to see if anyone was listening to their conversation. The closest people were Ron and Blaise who were in an argument about quidditch. He looked back at Hagrid before continuing.
"Speaking of big creatures, Hagrid, what is that giant three-headed dog on the third floor doing there?"
Hagrid stumbled and almost fell completely before looking at Harry in shock.
"How did you know about Fluffy?"
"Fluffy?" Harry asked, an incredulous look on his face. "You named a massive three-headed dog… Fluffy?"
Hagrid looked panicked for a second. "Keep your voice down, Harry. No one is supposed to know about him. Students aren't supposed to go on that floor so what wer ya doin when you found him?"
Harry winced a bit before telling the story how the stairs had stranded him there. Hagrid didn't look pleased but warned Harry not to go back up there again.
"He's a sweet pup but once he's told to guard something he won't let anyone but me or Professor Dumbledore pass him."
"So he is guarding something," Harry said, a thoughtful look settling on his face.
"Damn, I shouldn'ta said tha'. Drop it Harry, it's dangerous business."
Harry could tell it was starting to bother Hagrid so he dropped it.
"Fine, but you'll have to tell me about 'Fluffy' at some point."
Hagrid relaxed and they continued into the village, chatting about less dangerous things.
When they made it to the village, Hagrid made sure everyone knew where the Three Broomsticks was and said they'd all meet back there for the walk back in a few hours. Harry and Ron were going to explore a bit but Blaise asked Harry for a moment to talk in private.
Ron shrugged and said he'd have a butterbeer before they took off. Blaise then led Harry a little off the road before speaking.
"Listen, you need to get some new clothes. Today," he said, his voice firm but Harry could also hear the sympathy in there as well. "I don't know why you wear the stuff you do or why you are so hesitant to-"
"Blaise, I-" Harry tried to interject but Blaise just spoke over him.
"And you don't have to tell me why. I'm not doing this to call you out or embarrass you but because I respect you too much to let you walk around in those rags any more. When I helped you before the party I thought it was just to have some fun and see you get dressed up."
Harry waited, not sure what to say.
"What ended up happening was the whole group noticing how much more confident you were in yourself. Daphne even said you caught her off guard with the bath offer, even if she knew you were just joking."
Harry laughed, a bit of the tension leaking out. Blaise relaxed as well.
"Stop letting yourself be imprisoned by those clothes. You are better than that and you deserve to wear something that reflects who you actually are. Okay?"
Harry nodded. "You're right. I did feel pretty good the other night. I guess I won't get to explore so much today. Any pointers on where to start?"
"Shoes first, then shirts and pants. Don't go overboard as you're still figuring out your style. Simple clothes will allow you to adjust in the future. And nothing too bright. Remember what I gave you for the party? Try to emulate that theme. Simple and clean."
Harry chuckled a bit, not expecting such a thorough answer.
"Alright, I've got it."
Blaise nodded and was about to walk away before Harry stopped him.
"Thank you, Blaise. I'm not going to go into it but it's obvious my upbringing kind of killed my self image a bit. You're a good friend and thank you for the help."
Blaise smiled at him before it morphed into a smirk.
"You're welcome, but remember I'm only helping because I can't allow one of my friends to be dressed in such a way. It makes me look bad."
Harry laughed as Blaise gave him a wink and made his way down the street. Harry then entered the Three Broomsticks and found Ron, letting him know what his plans were.
"That's a great idea, mate! I'll pick up some stuff for me too but I'll probably let you do your thing while I pick up some stuff for Christmas."
Harry agreed and they left the pub. After stopping in Honeydukes where they replenished their personal stashes and got some things for their friends, Harry split off to find some clothing stores.
A few hours later Harry was both exhausted and excited about his purchases. He'd taken Blaise's advice and started with shoes, getting a pair for everyday use, a pair for running and Quidditch, and a nice pair of boots for more serious occasions. From there he'd really enjoyed figuring out what kinds of clothes he liked.
He stuck with Blaise's advice again and kept it simple, getting himself several shirts and a few pairs of pants and shorts. The only thing he got that was a little less subtle was a nice black jacket that would fit almost any outfit he put together.
He also made sure to get some simple sweatpants and a hoodie or two for when he wanted to relax in comfort.
When he made it back to the Three Broomsticks, Ron rushed over to help him with all the bags.
"Bloody hell, mate did you leave anything in the stores?"
"Believe me I wasn't expecting to get this much. There was a lot more that I said no to just because I couldn't carry any more."
They had made it into the pub and were setting things down next to the door when Hagrid called out to them.
"Jus' call fer a house elf an' they'll take everythin' back to the castle fer ya."
Harry just looked at Ron, not sure what that meant. Ron shrugged, looking just as confused.
"Here," Hagrid said, approaching the two boys. "Kenty!"
Harry just about leapt out of his skin when a small creature appeared in front of him.
"Can ya take these bags back to Harry Potter's room fer 'im?"
The creature nodded and snapped their fingers. Once again, Harry was startled when all his bags disappeared in an instant.
"Now don' go abusin' em," Hagrid said. "The students are supposed to fend fer themselves fer the most part but I don' see a problem with them helping out with such a big load."
Harry and Ron were still a little flummoxed but nodded at Hagrid before wandering over to the bar for a drink. Eventually, Hagrid stood again and called for all the students to begin the walk back to the castle.
Harry and Ron spent the rest of the evening hanging out in the common room, mixing in a game of chess here and there. Harry mentioned some of the board games he'd played at St. Brutus' and Ron was very interested in a few of the more strategic games.
When Harry finally entered his room he was surprised to see the elf had unpacked all of his new purchases and placed them in the correct places in his room.
"Thank you, Kenty," he said out loud, not expecting anything of it, only to hear a small pop and see a single cookie appear on a small plate on his desk.
He laughed and raised the cookie into the air like he was giving a toast.
"Cheers!"
He took a bite.
This is a good cookie!