This chapter is dedicated to the late Richard Harris.
Ask every person if he's heard the story,
And tell it strong and clear if he has not.
That once there was a fleeting wisp of glory called Camelot.
Don't let it be forgot,
That once there was a spot.
For one brief shining moment,
That was known as Camelot.
************************************************************************
CHAPTER 11.
PREPARATIONS
When they reached the safety of one of the tables near the fire in the Gryffindor Common Room, Harry told the others everything curious and unusual he'd discovered: the conversation he overheard between Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall, and Hagrid after the disaster on the Quidditch field, of Rhiannon and Snape's secret conversation in the hall, of the startling knowledge that George's condition was worse than he let on, and of the image of the ghost standing behind Rhiannon. "This raises the question ONCE MORE, what in the world does Cedric want with us? With Rhiannon?" Ron asked, pounding on the Common Room table they were gathered at.
"It should be quite obvious, Ron." Hermione said primly, glancing at him knowingly.
"Well it isn't!" Ron snapped, his ears becoming very red indeed.
"Tell us Hermione." Harry asked, seeing that Ron would be doing NO such thing any time soon. Hermione's hopeful glance fell and she pursed her lips, disgust evident in her features.
"Honestly. We all did a paper on Apparitions and Wraiths! Anyhow, when we learned about wraiths, we learned that all wraiths have one thing in common." She paused to see if anyone would catch on. Ron gestured at her impatiently.
"Yes?"
Hermione gave another sigh and a shake of her head before continuing. "After they die, if a wraith has unfinished business or feels he or she needs to haunt the earth until a certain duty is finished, they go to people whom they're connected with, whom they've known in their lifetime." She explained.
"So in other words, the reason we can see Cedric is because he knew us." Harry said slowly.
"And because we were present, or nearby at the time of his death." Hermione added. Harry and Artemis nodded with understanding, but Ron's forehead remained furrowed.
"Alright, him hanging around us, I can understand. Him hanging around Rhiannon, that's a little fuzzy. I mean, I don't think he ever even met her! How could they be connected?" Ron asked.
"Ron you don't know that. It is possible that he met her once or twice and you never knew about it. After all, this is the first time in a long while that you've seen Professor Flutterae, and we rarely, if ever, associated with Cedric. Harry was the only person who really got to know him somewhat because he was in the Tri-Wizard Tournament." Hermione explained. Ron shook his head stubbornly and crossed his arms over his chest.
"Whatever. I don't think she ever met him. It doesn't make sense." He said firmly. Hermione threw her hands in the air.
"Alright then, fat-head. Then the only way to find out for sure is to ask Professor Flutterae or," She paused, taking a small breath before continuing. "Contact Cedric."
Ron jumped to his feet angrily. "NO WAY!" He yelled.
"SHHH!!!" Everyone hissed in unison. Ron blushed and sat down quietly.
"Will you keep it down?" Hermione hissed. Ron leaned closer to her and whispered fiercely,
"Well if you would quit coming up with these stupid, suicidal ideas, maybe I could keep myself under control. But as it is!" Harry shook his head.
"If you two are just going to fight, what's the use of talking about this?" He whispered.
"I wouldn't be fighting if she would just quit coming up with these awful ideas." Ron hissed.
"Look, there's something else we've gotta worry about." Harry said, glaring at Ron. "The conversation between the teachers and Hagrid. Now obviously Hagrid and Madame Maxime are doing something for Dumbledore, but is it really to get the giants to join our side?"
"I don't think we'll ever know. Hagrid is gone." Hermione said quietly, her face quite pale, for it was the first she'd heard of the conversation between the teachers. Ron and Harry stared at her, their eyes just about popping from their heads.
"What?" Ron whispered, panic entering in his voice.
"He's gone. Left this morning. I saw him leave, and he told me to keep it quiet. If anyone asks I'm supposed to tell them that he's gone abroad to get more animals for Care of Magical Creatures classes." Hermione said quietly. Ron let loose a great groan and Harry rested his face on his arms with a sigh.
"Look, let's just forget about it till the Yule Ball is over, okay? That way we can just give our brains a rest." Artemis reasoned.
As the group nodded wearily, a creak on the steps alerted them to someone's presence. They slowly turned to look on the stairs and saw a white-faced figure slowly descending the Boys' staircase, eyes wide, staring, almost like a, "Dead, person." Ron gulped.
The figure continued to walk down the steps, it's eyes fixed on the group at the table. Slowly, Hermione and Artemis turned away, unwilling to look at it. Ron stared at the table, muttering fervent prayers under his breath. Harry stared at it as it came closer, his eyes wide as he watched it get closer and closer to the table, stop, then stand directly behind Artemis and Hermione. He now saw that it was a boy who stood behind them, but in the shadows of the room, his face was hidden, as well as his expression. Ron squeezed his eyes shut as the boy came and stood directly behind the girls. Artemis and Hermione's breaths now came out in quick gasps, trying to calm themselves down as they felt the presence behind them. Harry watched as the boy slowly extended a ghostly white hand and slipped it over Artemis' shoulder. She shuddered as she felt his touch and then jumped as the boy spoke in a cool whisper,
"What in the gory heck are you guys doing out so late?" George Weasley whispered.
There was a general uproar in the room. Ron, who had covered his head and cowered when George approached, now let loose a gasp, as one does when holding their breath for too long. Hermione's breath, much to her dismay, came out in a shrill squeak, which caused her great discomfort later. Artemis jumped from her seat, took George's arm and pulled her wand from her pocket. "LUMOS!" She called, and held the lit wand up to the boy's face. The face was very pale, but nonetheless George's. "Nox." Artemis whispered with relief.
"What's up? You think I was a ghost or something?" George laughed.
"Not funny." Ron muttered.
After George had revealed himself, Ron had thrown his head on the table with relief and he'd remained there, unwilling to look up again into the darkened room.
"You scared us to death!" Artemis murmured.
"Sorry. Didn't mean to. Just heard someone yelling and I thought I'd check it out. You better get to bed before someone hears you and comes up here." George warned. Artemis nodded and looked closer into his face.
"George, do you feel alright?"
George stiffened a moment and so did Harry. Harry shuddered and put his head in his hands. Please don't ask him about the potion. Please don't ask him about the potion. His mind whispered.
"Yeah, just tired from getting woke up in the middle of the night by my big-mouth brother." George said cheerily. Artemis was silent for a moment, then nodded.
"Yeah, I'm sure you would be." Harry breathed a long sight of relief.
"Well I'll see you guys tomorrow. The day after tomorrow is the Yule Ball and you'll wanna get plenty of sleep!" George said with a wan smile.
"Who are you going with George?" Artemis asked with a smile. George's smile dampened slightly, but he regained it quickly.
"Oh, Cho Chang!" Harry's head snapped erect. Artemis was nodding vigorously.
"Oh yeah! I've met her! She's really sweet! That's great George!" She said happily.
"Yeah, well, I'll see you tomorrow." George said, his smile remaining, but his voice taking on a quieter tone.
"See you George!" Artemis called. George nodded and stepped up the stairs slowly to the Boys' room.
Harry breathed a loud sigh of relief. "I was so afraid you were gonna ask him about the potions." He said, glancing at Artemis. The girl nodded and pushed a strand of golden hair behind her ear as she sat down.
"It did cross my mind. But then I figured it would lead to questions and stuff and how we knew it and then everybody would get in trouble. I didn't want that." She explained.
"Bloody good thinking." Ron muttered, finally lifting his head from the table. "What are we gonna do?" He asked quietly.
"We're gonna wait till the Yule Ball is over to figure everything out. That's the only thing to do." Hermione said softly, standing. "Let's go to bed. It's late already and we don't want to get in any more trouble." She added. Artemis nodded and stood as well.
"See you boys tomorrow." Artemis said wearily as she and Hermione made for the stairs.
"Goodnight." Harry and Ron said together as the girls walked away. Ron glanced at Harry.
"Do you really believe all that hooey about Rhiannon knowing Cedric?" He asked.
"I don't know what to believe anymore, Ron." Harry said softly.
Preparations for the Yule Ball began as early as the next morning as the snow fell down softly on the Hogwarts grounds. There were no classes, and the students were given a free day for the Christmas holiday. This was partially to make up for the fact that the children who normally went home during the holidays, were now not able to do so with the turn of events. Frantic parents owled the teachers and Head Master Dumbledore, but he sent them back the same patient message of explanation that the safest place for them, would be Hogwarts.
Another glitch resulted because of this new rule as well. "We're not gonna get live music like last time!" Ron said sadly. "Last year was really cool." He murmured. Harry laughed loudly at that.
"How would you know? You were too busy griping and staring at Hermione and Viktor!" He laughed. For quite a few minutes, Artemis and Hermione had to restrain Ron from taking Harry's head off with his bare hands.
The castle was truly a lovely sight. Snow now fell from morning to night, never ceasing, entombing the castle in an icy covering that sparkled whenever the sun or moon's rays hit it. From the snowy grounds, the castle looked as if it was built out of ice and for the way it sparkled and shone, even a Muggle would believe it to be so. The Forbidden Forest didn't look nearly so frightening, for it's dark branches and crusted old trees had also taken on the garment of winter and their branches shook as they became laden with snow and ice. Hagrid's hut looked as though it was the creation of some giant child. Truly, one could not even tell that anyone lived in it, for with it's occupant gone, no reassuring breath of smoke issued from the top, nor did the door open or close. Therefore, the snow piled up at the door, encasing the whole thing in snow and ice.
The inside of the castle was just as beautiful, though not nearly so cold. The enormous fireplaces were going full blast constantly, keeping the numerous rooms of the castle warm and cozy. Christmas trees were going up in all the Common Rooms, as well as the Dining Hall and a few of the Professors' classrooms. Snape, of course, did not indulge the children in this matter. "Not like I expected him, the ol' Scrooge." Ron had muttered after he left Snape's glaringly undecorated classroom.
Professor Flitwick's Christmas tree was truly a marvel, for not only did he have revolving ornaments and other curious objects lining the branches of the tree, the tree was covered in several charms, including a charm which kept the branches lined with real, but unmelting snow. This was a marvel to the children, who every day before the holiday break, went up to the tree to touch the snow to see if it was truly real, only to pull their suddenly cold fingers back in amazement. Rhiannon's tree was most unusual, in fact, it was a tree that Hermione was enthralled with.
The tree was covered with the usual ornaments, but it also had numerous bits of paper hanging from it's branches. It was these bits of paper that attracted Hermione, for they were clues about a creature normally learned about in D.A.D.A.. Every day, Rhiannon would pluck one of papers from the tree, read off the clues, then wait for someone to guess the answer. Then that would be the creature the class would study that day. Hermione was in heaven. "Not surprisin' that she hasn't missed one yet." Ron muttered as Hermione's hand shot up once more in D.A.D.A.. Harry could only laugh.
Not even Draco Malfoy could bring him down, even though the Slytherin boy tried his hardest to do so. Draco had not forgotten Harry's aggrievance towards him in inviting Artemis to go to the ball with him, and he showed it. "Wait till the last minute like last time, Potter?" Draco called out before classes the day before break. "That's probably the only reason you asked Thornshadow. Isn't that right, Potter?"
"Shove off, Malfoy! He asked in plenty of time and besides, I could have said 'no' if I wanted to, but I didn't. Besides," Artemis said, cocking her eyebrow as she gazed at Draco. "I don't see any girls rushing at you." Draco's usually pale face gained a tinge of pink as he eyed her, then turned away, suddenly interested in one of the revolving ornaments of the Christmas tree.
Now that the Christmas break was upon the Hogwarts students, there were several things that needed doing. Games of 'Exploding Snap', and 'Gobstones', were played with energy, and several were even spawned into tournaments among the houses. Artemis, who had never had time to play games such as these in Durmstrang, was delighted with both of them, but her favorite was 'Exploding Snap'. It was this game that Fred and George taught her to play with such deadly accuracy, that she became almost as good as they were and earned herself second place in the Hogwarts Houses showdown. "Perhaps though," Ron reasoned as he watched Artemis win yet another game. "She just likes it because she calls it 'Exploding Snape'." Indeed, if that wasn't the reason why she laughed so loudly whenever the opponent's pieces exploded, then it was terribly unusual to say the least.
The snow was also a source of entertainment for the students. Children could be seen outside from the early hours to just before supper time. Miniature Hogwarts', immortalized in snow and ice, graced the grounds all over. Two huge battling dragons, courtesy of Fred and George Weasley, stretched from the front door of the castle, all the way down to Hagrid's hut, where it's huge tail curled about it, then trailed off to the edge of the Forbidden Forest.
"Not like we were gonna go in the forest." Fred said, a twinkle in his eye.
"No! Never." George added.
Harry ceased running through the halls of Hogwarts on his way outside as a sight arrested his gaze. He had been in a hurry due to the fact that he had forgotten his gloves when he and the others had gone outside to play in the snow, and he was just retrieving them. He skidded to a stop and watched the two ghosts who stood in the center of the busy hall, singing an eerie Christmas tune. The two ghosts, a man and a woman, made him think of his own ghost who sought to get through to him. This was what he thought of as he listened to the ghosts bidding their tidings of joy to the children of Hogwarts.
Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas!
Ring the Hogwart bell!
Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas!
Cast a Christmas spell!
Have a wondrous visit, Christmas!
Have a merry Christmas day!
Hover round the sparkling fire,
Have a merry Christmas day!
Find a broomstick in your stocking,
See the magic on display.
Join the owls' joyous flocking,
On this merry Christmas day!
Ding, dong! Ding, dong!
Ring the Hogwart bell!
Ding, dong! Ding, dong!
Cast a Christmas spell!
Ding, dong! Ding, dong!
Make the Christmas morning bright!
Fly high across the sky,
Light the Christmas night!
Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas!
Ring the Hogwart bell!
Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas!
Cast a Christmas spell!
That afternoon and all that evening till supper, the teens built a massive snow fort. "You know, having magic is helpful when making turrets I've noticed." Artemis said offhandedly as she levitated her huge snow brick onto the large turrets of the snow fort that stretched into the sky.
"You know what else is handy?" George asked from behind her.
"Hmm?" Artemis asked, not paying any attention as she carefully lowered the brick into place. That was why she was so startled when she flew forward from an icy impact on the back of her head.
She quickly whirled around and stared at George, who was spinning another snowball into existence with the magic of his wand. "They make perfect snowballs!" George cried cheerily. Artemis narrowed her eyes and spun two snowballs into her hands, tossing them with all her might at George. George quickly batted them away, and Artemis waved her wand at them, causing them to careen back on course, towards the back of George's head. George did not notice them and fell forward in the middle of making more snowballs. Artemis laughed and raised her wand and yelled,
"TO THE FORT!" Quickly, Harry, Ron and Hermione joined her behind the fort.
Ron crept in one of the turrets of the fort and saw the equally large fort that the twins and Lee Jordan had made across from them. "Oh, not good." Ron muttered as about ten snowballs flew through the air. When the youths' heads all carefully raised again, they saw the three boys spinning more snowballs towards them. Quickly, the youths ran each other out of their forts. "Lots more, gritty this way!" Ron yelled in between pants. Both teams flung snowballs at each other, some hitting each other right on, others missing by miles. As the game seemed to be at an end, George flew some of his snowballs at the opposite team, but saved one, holding it in his hand as he eyed Artemis with a grin. Artemis raised her eyebrows.
"George Weasley, don't even think about it!" She warned.
But it was too late. George flung the snowball and it hit her squarely in the face. She leapt after him with a roar and knocked him to the ground, where she dropped down beside him and began shoving snow down his coat. Ron and Harry were running to help her when they all froze. The dinner bell was ringing. Artemis stood to follow the others, but offered her hand to George, who was still on the ground. He quickly accepted it, but promptly pushed her down and ran off, laughing merrily. Artemis jumped to her feet and chased after him, catching him with two snowballs in the back of the head and smacking him hard afterwards.
After dinner, the girls immediately disappeared to their rooms. "Why in the world Hermione?" Ron asked.
"Because, we've got to get ready!" Hermione explained.
"But the stupid ball is tomorrow for Merlin's sakes. Why now?" He asked. Hermione chuckled and laid a hand on his shoulder.
"Just don't worry about it. It's a girl thing." She said with a smile as she rushed up the stairs.
"See you Harry! Can't wait for the ball tomorrow!" Artemis said cheerily as she started up the stairs.
"Hey Artemis!" Artemis turned back around and saw George Weasley standing at the bottom of the stairs looking up at her.
"What color are you gonna wear tomorrow?" He asked.
Artemis faltered and stepped down a few steps closer with a smile. She leaned down close to his ear, her eye on Harry as she whispered it to him. His face lit up and he grinned. "You'll be a knock-out an' no mistake! Now get on! You'll wanna get your beauty sleep, not like you need it though." He said with his same cheery smile. Artemis faltered again, but returned his smile as she rushed up the stairs. As Harry watched George, the sickening feeling that had been eating up his stomach since he'd found out about George's crush on Artemis, thickened and he felt worse than ever. George stood there a moment, his hands in his pockets before he turned around with a sigh. He rubbed Ron's hair good-naturedly and turned towards the bedrooms. "I'm goin' to bed Ronnie. Get some sleep. You're gonna need it. Night Harry." George said tiredly as he trooped towards the bedrooms.
"Night George." Ron and Harry said together, gazing after George with worried eyes.
"Well, this is a jolly good fix. You're goin' out with Artemis, which is a weird thing because George likes her, an' you think that Draco has a thing for her, which is weird too. I'm goin' with Hermione, which is NOT so weird. Looks like you get all the luck, weirdo boy." Ron said with a smile. Harry scowled at him.
"Thanks." He muttered.
Harry did not go to sleep early that night. He instead, waited in the corner of the Common Room, his invisibility cloak over his body. He waited for a long time, till the midnight bell rang. A few minutes after, a lanky figure with bright red hair that reflected in the dim glowing lamps, stepped off the stairwell. He looked about him cautiously, then dashed out the door and into the halls, his footsteps echoing behind him. Harry sighed and shook his head. So it was true. Fred was going once more to help his twin, who needed help only a potion could give.
************
When Harry awoke in the morning, he found to his surprise several presents at the foot of his bed. Ron woke him up early and the two boys rushed to them excitedly. For Ron, there was yet another maroon sweater, but this was compensated for by the slick red and gold Keeper gloves from his parents.
We heard what a wonderful game you played from Rhiannon and Professor Dumbledore and even Professor McGonagall! We are so proud of you Ron! Keep out of trouble and be safe! Happy Christmas!
Mum and Dad
Ron sighed with satisfaction as he slipped the Keeper gloves on and waved them about in front of his face. "Very slick. Very nice." He murmured happily to himself as he eyed his red and gold fingers.
"Well, are you finally satisfied?" Harry asked with a smile.
"Whaddya mean?" Ron asked, his forehead furrowing.
"You finally got something new for once!" Harry laughed. Ron's forehead remained furrowed for a time, but then he grinned.
"Yeah I did, didn't I? Aren't they beauties?" Ron asked, showing off his gloves.
"Yeah, really great!" Harry agreed. He opened the present from the Dursleys and shook his head as he held up a single penny.
We didn't feel like buying you a present so buy yourself something at that school! Not sure what you'll be able to buy, but it was all we could spare, so make the most of it. Have a jolly Christmas.
Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia, Dudley
Harry chuckled and laid it off to the side as he opened his present from Mrs. Weasley. Inside were several presents, one proclaiming, TO RON AND HARRY: FROM CHARLIE, the other addressed as, TO HARRY: FROM MOLLY AND ARTHUR WEASLEY. Ron peered into the box with excitement as he looked in the large box. "A present from Charlie? How awesome! Wicked! Lets open it up!" Ron said excitedly. The package was flat and inside they found a large yellow envelope. Harry picked up the card, written in Charlie's slanting penmanship and read,
Dear Ron and Harry,
Was thrilled to hear that you both made the Quidditch team! Therefore was inspired to muck about through my stuff and find all these things. Hope you enjoy them and hope you keep yourselves out of trouble and have a Happy Christmas!!
P.S. Hope you like the stones. Could only find them on the spur of the moment. Was lucky that I found two!! Good luck!
Ron frowned then peered at the sealed envelope in Harry's hands. "Stones? Huh. Lets see what he put in the envelope!" He said excitedly. He watched as Harry slowly opened the envelope and peered inside. It looked like it was filled with papers. They frowned until they pulled them out and looked at them. They stared with wonder at them. They were pictures and articles. The front page read, "WEASLEY BOY ONE OF THE BEST SEEKERS IN BRITAIN!" Following it, was a long article about Charlie.
Then there was a play book and statistics and even a page from Witches' Heartthrobs, which showed Charlie grinning shyly on the poster. Ron scoffed at that, but quickly posted it on the wall, along with another poster of Charlie mid-dive on his broomstick. He then took the statistics and added them as well. Soon they had almost a little shrine on the wall of Charlie and Quidditch. "Thats bloody nice of him. I never knew he had these things." Ron said wonderingly as he looked at the posters. Harry did not respond as he looked at the newspaper article in his hands. It showed a picture of Charlie diving close to the ground, his scarlet and gold robes flashing in the bright sun, then the loud and blaring headline read, "FAMOUS WEASLEY BOY REFUSES TO JOIN BRITAIN'S QUIDDITCH TEAM!" "Lemme see that." Ron said, peering over Harry's shoulder.
The now famous Quidditch player, Charlie Weasley, made a startling announcement this Thursday, reports talented, female informant, RITA SKEETER. "I'm not going to play Quidditch anymore," The heartbroken boy said. "I'd prefer to go study dragons. It's my parents' wishes." The boy was quite obviously saddened by this sudden change of events, so close to the British team's tryouts. Had he made the team, Charlie Weasley could have been one of the most famous players of all time. But because of his parents' cruelty, Charlie Weasley will be shipped off to Romania as soon as possible to study dragons. "It's a bad bit of business," He said with a sigh, his bright blue eyes, the same eyes that cause numerous teenage girls to go wild whenever they're fixed on them, filling up with tears. "But I must respect my parents. They do mean well, but it's still going to be hard to give up everything I've ever loved. You know?" We certainly did know and we tried to contact his parents to figure out why in the world they'd want to commit such a monstrosity, but they were unavailable for comments. So the story is. This Cinderella story has ended for Charlie Weasley, and instead of Cinderella getting the prince and the riches, she's shoved back to the fireplace to get all dirty and covered with cinders.
~ Reporter Rita Skeeter.
"Oh good Lord!" Ron yelled as he laughed. Harry shook his head and eyed the post-it note on the article from Charlie.
Isn't this a hoot? She's crazy I tell you! Plumb crazy! Wonder what ever happened to her. ~ Charlie Weasley
"What a moron." Ron muttered, sticking the article on the wall. "Don't care about the article. Its a great picture of Charlie though. Right in the middle of a dive." Ron said proudly as he looked at it. As Ron admired the picture, Harry dug his fist into the box and was surprised to feel smoothness. He pulled it out and held it in the palm of his hand. It was a smooth, polished stone, brilliantly colored, streaked with fiery red and orange that seemed to gleam through its translucent surface. "Gory hell!" Ron yelled as he grabbed it out of Harry's hand.
"Hey!" Harry said as he grabbed for the stone.
"Get your own! It's probably in there somewhere! Charlie said he found two! He IS right. I'm amazed he even FOUND two." Ron said wonderingly as he turned over the stone in his hand.
Harry dug deep in the box and finally found the other stone. This stone was just as smooth, but there was one jagged cut on the bottom, shaped like a lightening bolt. Harry smiled wistfully as he held it in the palm of his hand. Light that entered through it seemed to cast fiery shadows of red and orange on his palm and danced across his face. He smiled and looked up at Ron. "What is this thing?" He asked. Ron smiled and sat down beside him.
"Its a piece of draconite." He started. Harry raised an eyebrow.
"Don't tell me they named this after Draco Malfoy?" He asked. Ron punched him in the arm good-naturedly.
"No! Don't be a git. What you've got in your hand is basically cooled dragon fire." He said proudly.
Harry stared at him in surprise. "Really?" He asked in amazement, looking at the stone with a new interest.
"Yeah. See what happens is sometimes when a dragon breathes fire, he sometimes blows it into a lake or something. Something liquid. Anyhow, sometimes parts of the lake or liquid will turn into one of these stones, like the water consumes it or something. I can't remember exactly. Charlie told me one time, but I wasn't really listening. But this is basically cooled fire. They're really rare because most of the time, the stone sinks to the bottom of the lake where it happened and no one finds it. Its supposed to be good luck and it's got a little bit of magic in it." Ron said with a wink.
"Why?" Harry asked.
"Because it's dragon fire. You can't tell me that you think dragons don't have a little bit of magic in them, can you?" Ron asked with a smile. Harry chuckled and shook his head, gazing at the beautiful stone in his hand.
The other presents were quickly opened by Harry. The one from the Weasleys contained a sweater in a lovely shade of green, which the letter 'H' knitted in the middle in a vibrant gold. Ron shook his head sympathetically. "So she's started doing it to you too, 'eh?" He asked with a sigh as he regarded the sweater.
"No, it's not bad actually." Harry said, pulling the sweater over his head. "Not bad at all." He said admiringly. Ron simply rolled his eyes and shook his head. There was one more present, very small, with an envelope attached to it. Harry opened the envelope first. There was a letter in Sirius' slanting script.
Harry,
I hope you've forgiven me for not writing to you sooner. I apologize and am terribly sorry. I did receive your letter that you sent from the Weasleys. Stick close with the Weasleys. I think you will be far safer in their company than in someone else's. You have not written me since then, which is most likely a good thing since I'm in hiding. I wouldn't want an owl trying to find me where I'm at. But I did hear about the 'Lucrum Insperatum', the storm that occurred during the Quidditch game. Dumbledore has told me that this what he and the others have identified it as. Have they told you of it? What it means? I cannot explain. It is far too involved for this letter. However, I can tell you this: this is terribly bad business, Harry. Not good at all. Someone with the power to conjure up a 'Lucrum Insperatum' has the power to destroy you. And combine that with the sign of Voldemort taking place during the storm? Well, it's not good Harry. Keep away from suspicious characters, PLEASE. I don't want anything to happen to you because I cannot be there. Curse Peter Pettigrew! No, I regret that. I don't curse him. I regret his actions. Don't try to reply, Harry, please. I know this leaves you in a bit of a bind, but please know that I am trying to get to you, to get to a place where you can respond to me. I'll send you a note as soon as I get to such a place. Happy Christmas! Hope you like the present. Not very fun I'm afraid, but perhaps can help you through these troubled times. Trust that you will learn how it works. Good luck and Happy Christmas!!!
Your Godfather,
Sirius
P.S. I included the pictures after I wrote this. I was able to find them by some miracle. Thought you might like to have them.
Harry smiled wistfully, then set the letter aside and peeled open the wrapping paper. The first things he saw were the pictures. He pulled them out and stared at them. They were wizard pictures, therefore, they moved. In the first picture was an official picture he realized. It was him just before his first birthday, eight months it said on the back of the photo. He watched as his mother positioned him on the carpet that sat on a large box. He promptly fell over. His mother laughed merrily and pulled him back up, handing him a toy rubber duck before running her hand through his black hair. Little Harry grinned and kept his balance. He looked up into the picture, smiling for all he was worth.
Harry smiled, then flipped to the second picture. It startled him, for he had never seen one like it. It was him as a child, ten months old. He and his parents were in the picture, he was in his mother's arms, but there was another person in the picture: Sirius Black, in his younger days. He stood in the picture, a glass of water in his hand as he chuckled about something with James. Then he leaned down and stuck his finger in front of Harry, which the baby promptly grabbed and attempted to bite. Sirius laughed hard and withdrew it, but pulled a familiar object from the coat hangar by the door. Baby Harry watched him with wide eyes as Sirius drew the invisibility cloak around himself, leaving only his head uncovered. He gave Harry a look of mock surprise and shock as he looked down at the empty space where his body should have been. Harry laughed and put it aside.
The last picture was one of him and his parents when he was first born. He was only a newborn, but his little tufts of hair that stuck straight up on his head were still jet black. His parents leaned over his figure, smiling and whispering to him, occasionally glancing into the camera to smile and point at Harry. Harry sighed and set the pictures on his bed.
Then he looked down at the other object in his hand. He held it in his palm, feeling it's weight. It was a ring, rather heavy and made of silver. The jewel was of the deepest black, but it looked as though there was more hiding in it's ebony depths. It sat there in the palm of his hand and he simply watched it, wondering what the secret was. He could tell that there was some trick or hidden meaning in it, he just didn't know. He ran his fingers over the ring. Then his eyes caught the inscription on the band. He squinted and looked closer.
Etched into the silver were two letters: S. B. Harry shook his head. He wouldn't let Sirius give this to him. It had been Sirius'. What if it was some crazy thing to protect him and Sirius had given it to him to keep HIM safe? He wouldn't let him do that for him. Okay, thats all well and good, but how are you gonna make him take it back?? HMM? His mind asked. Harry sighed, for he knew there was nothing he could do. He slipped the ring on his middle finger, not expecting it to fit. After all, it had been Sirius'. How was it supposed to fit him? To his surprise, the ring band widened, then adjusted to fit his finger snugly. Harry stared at it, then tried to shake it from his finger, expecting it to fall off. It did no such thing.
"Cool!! Who gave that to you?" Ron asked, his mouth filled with the candy that Fred and George had stashed at the end of his bed in the middle of the night.
"Sirius. Do you know what it is?" Harry asked, holding the ring out to him. Ron shrugged and shook his head.
"I know what the stone is, but I don't know if it applies to the whole ring." Ron said.
"Whats the name of the stone?" Harry asked breathlessly, hoping for some clue.
"It's a Sugilatio Flammae." Ron said easily.
"What does that mean?" Harry asked. Ron shrugged and smiled sadly.
"Don't know. Only time I've seen one is when Charley brought one back from Romania." He said sympathetically, before shoving another candy in his mouth. His sympathizing expression quickly changed, as he morphed into a tiny yellow canary. It took only a few seconds before the canary exploded into a caterwaul of angry chirps and squeals. In a few more seconds, Ron sat on the ground, panting and still yelling loudly. "THOSE GORY PRATS! I'M GONNA KILL 'EM!" He yelled, shaking his fist. Harry laughed hard at the Weasley twins' cleverness, then proceeded to tease Ron about it until Ron threatened to stuff a Canary Creme down HIS throat.
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Author's Note: I'm sure you guys all heard about the late Richard Harris. :-( He was one of my favorite actors, just because he didn't like to follow the style of other actors before him and submit to the matinee mold. He did his own thing, and didn't care what people thought. Also, he's been one of my favorite actors since I saw him in "Camelot" when I was a kid. That's the one musical that I love completely. Most other musicals, I like either most of the songs, or just one or two. But I love "Camelot". Anybody else? :-) But whenever I think King Arthur, I think Richard Harris, and what a perfect Arthur he was. *sniffle* He ALWAYS makes me cry in that movie. If you guys haven't seen it, try to see it. :-) Okay, I'll get on with it. Let's just pray for his family, who're probably going through a rough time.
Okay guys! Let's give Torrential Zephyr a BIG round of applause for getting through my exceedingly long chapters! WHOOHOO!! ;-) Well, this was a little lighter chapter. The next chapter (the Yule Ball) is even lighter. Just giving you guys a break from all the death and destruction. :-) Thank you all so much for all the amazing reviews! I can't tell you how much they mean to me. Because of them, I've become a much better writer, I think. :-) They help me so much in that aspect, but also in keeping me excited to see your guys' reactions for the next chapters. Thank you so much!! FIFTY POINTS FOR ALL OF YOU!! ;-)
Oh yeah, and I didn't make up the song in the chapter. I owe all credit to John Williams. It's on the Philosopher's Stone soundtrack. SORRY! Sorceror's Stone. Jeesh. It's on track 12, called "Christmas at Hogwarts". It's rather freaky. When I got the cd, I was listening to it while I was doing my homework and all of a sudden all the music stopped except this eerie noise and the sound of whispering voices, and I was like, 'What?'. *chuckles* I was having a "Sixth Sense" moment. But it's pretty cool when you listen to it. In case you don't know, that same song is actually sung partially in the film by the ghosts of Hogwarts when Hermione is walking into the Great Hall to tell Ron and Harry good-bye for Christmas holidays.
Hollie: *gives a big hug* Thank you so much for your praise and constructive criticism! *blushes* I'm J.K. Rowling?! Wow! I mean, well, yes, of COURSE I am. *chuckles* Thanks for all your heaping praise. Not sure I deserve all of it, but I enjoy it just the same. :-) I'm SO glad you decided not to stay off ff.net for a month. Don't know what I would have done! And you would have gotten SO behind in this story. ;-) Yep, I've already started on the second one, of course, when it'll be out, I dunno. I'm writing it while I'm posting this one, so HOPEFULLY it will be at least almost done by the time this one is finished. HOPEFULLY. But if it isn't, I'll keep you guys posted. Heh-heh, I'll reveal the title of the sequel to this story at the very end of this story. And maybe a tidbit or two from it. :-) Thank you so much, you're so sweet! :-) Luv ya!
Nitwit Blubber Oddment Tweak: *sniffle* Your name reminds me of Dumbledore, who reminds me of Richard Harris. *sniffle* Man, I loved him. Okay, done with my sobby moment! I'm THANKING people, here. :-) I agree with you and Hermione. Ron is COMPLETELY cute when he's angry. ;-) I'm so glad that you've joined my little story! I'm so glad to get your opinions and views! Thank you!
Kora: Heh-heh, don't worry. The HP people aren't coming after you with pitchforks YET. ;-) I'll make sure they don't. Lol! Don't worry! It's completely okay! I enjoy reading your reviews because you've got such different views on stuff. You're still my buddy (and #1 fan). After all, when did you first start reading my stuff? Newsies! That was ages ago. Like three years ago, wasn't it? Dunno. But that's a long time! And especially since my Newsies stuff is less than wonderful compared to my stuff now. *gulps* Oh well, maybe someday I'll repost some of the earlier Newsies ones. Rewrite them. Who knows? But thank you for your reviews! I don't care how much or how little you say, just to know that you enjoy it is enough for me! Thanks!
Giesbrecht: Hello! Thanks for reviewing! Especially since I love your stuff, I was pleased to get a review! :-) *blushes* yeah I know. I noticed that thing about Ron after a while, and I was like, 'ah, oop.' I am considering going back and reposting the early chapters just so the format will be better, like in the later chapters. But whether or not that will actually happen..........well, at least I have high expectations. ;-) I'd love to talk to you sometime! I don't get on IM that often, but I do e-mail.....gak! Sorry, my kitty is running all over my keyboard and rubbing her head under my chin saying how much she loves me. :-) My kitty's name is Pocus and her sister's name is Hocus. Quite clever no? :-) But now she's licking me and making it impossible to write. :-) Oh well. At least I know I'm loved, right? Thanks so much for reviewing! I really appreciate your constructive criticism!!
Owen: Thanks for reviewing! I'm really glad that you decided to listen to your sister's badgering and came to read my humble story! I really appreciate it. And yes, your sister is crazy *ducks a wild punch from Hollie* but I love her anyway!
WhetherRose: Ahhh! Buddy!! Are you getting back on your feet okay? Don't feel pressured to write if you don't feel like it! Sorry, I'm the mothering hen type. :-) I do hope you're feeling better though. I'm glad that you don't think that it is predictable. That makes me feel SO much better!! I really appreciate your reviews! They're chock full of praise and constructive criticism to help me write better, and they're LONG! :-) I love them. Love them! But I do love hearing from you because you're such an amazing writer yourself. Thank you so much for all your help! I do hope you're feeling better! Luv ya!
Torrential Zephyr: YAY! YOU DID IT!! *hands Torrential Zephyr a bouquet of roses* Congratulations! Now you're caught up! I never wanted you to go away, dear! I always love reading your comments and suggestions! They help me so much and you go so indepth when you read so that you can help me more! :-) Heh-heh, now I'm gonna go through your reviews and answer *some* of your questions, in otherwards, those that are not pertinent to coming events in the plot. *snigger* Minerva was the ahhhh, Roman?? I can NEVER remember, but anyway, her counterpart was Athena, who was the goddess of wisdom. Artemis was the goddess of the hunt and other things, but is characterized with a moon because she was a huntress. Her counterpart was Diana. But you were close! I love mythology too! :-) And you know what? I totally flubbed up in that part with the girl on the train, Jessica. *I* thought that a Mudblood was classified as those with at least one Muggle parent or both. But I don't think I'm right. :-) Oops. *chuckle* I think it would be hilarious if Harry named his broom too. I never thought about it before. Lol! OH! I have had that happen to me SO many times, when my computer poops out in the middle of a fabulously long review! So many times and every single time I wanted to slit it's throat, although, how I'd do that, I've no idea. ;-) It's completely okay. Artemis has long, blonde hair, and Rhiannon has fairly long, curly, brown-red hair. :-) Now you won't be feeling uncomfortable. ;-) Don't worry about your reviews being too long. I LOVE them, and obviously, I don't care about writing extremely long 'thank-you's' either. *chuckles* Thank you so much for all your comments! And don't worry. Part of the reason I was holding up the chapter was because I was getting some final tweaking done. :-) Glad you're caught up!
Love you all!! Thanks so much!!
T.H.