A/N
Next chapter! These will come out pretty quickly up until the end of first year cause I've got most of it written already. I don't explain it in chapter, but Ron doesn't hang about over Christmas cause Harry isn't gonna be alone, so I didn't see a reason that he would still choose to stay. As always, hope you enjoy.
Chapter 7 – Christmas At Hogwarts
At Hogwarts, the Christmas holidays lasted two weeks from the last Saturday before Christmas. The train would take all the students going home for Christmas on the Saturday, and bring them back the Saturday after the new year.
With all the other first-year Gryffindors going home for Christmas, including Ron and Hermione, that left Jon and Harry alone together for the first time since coming to Hogwarts. Jon had intended to use this break from school work to get ahead with his charms reading. After the troll incident Jon had realised how woefully unprepared he was to protect himself and the people that mattered to him from the dangers of the magical world. Killing the troll had been a fluke and that truly scared him. So, he had done the only thing that made sense to him; he had read up on the best magical combatants across the world to learn the best way to fight.
This had proved more difficult than Jon anticipated. Not only were the different forms of magical combat incredibly varied, the best were all masters in at least one discipline and held power far beyond what Jon had to work with right now. Jon had already known that Headmaster Dumbledore was considered a war hero for taking down the Dark Lord Grindelwald at the end of the Second World War, but what Jon hadn't known was that he wasn't the only renowned fighter teaching at Hogwarts. Professor Flitwick had at one point been the most famed wizard in the European Duelling circuit, regarded by many as the best duellist active at that time. While Dumbledore was known for his use of transfiguration in combat, Flitwick excelled through masterful use of charms. Inspired, Jon focused all of his extra-curricular study on learning charms and understanding how that branch of magic worked.
Progress had been slow going, mastering an entire branch of magic was far from an easy task, especially for a first year. Though, Professor Flitwick had already commended Jon for the talent he had been showing in class, it was obvious it would take years to get close to the skill Jon wanted. With all the other first-years gone and no work to do for other subjects, the holidays seemed a perfect time to focus completely on expanding his knowledge.
Harry had other ideas. The very first day after everyone went home Harry had tracked Jon down to the library after sleeping in, and insisted they go exploring the different parts of Hogwarts they didn't often frequent. Jon was inclined to keep studying, but relented when he realised how little time he and his brother had actually spent just with each other since the start of school.
They started by exploring the upper floors but found little of interest. Most of the upper floors just held unused classrooms, though the number of them suggested that Hogwarts had once held far more students than it did now. After two World Wars and the Dark War of Lord Voldemort, it seemed very likely that the populace of magical Britain had been far larger a century ago. Eventually the boys had worked their way down enough floors through little hidden passages and stairways that they found themselves on the third-floor, which seemed to please Harry a great deal.
"Isn't this the corridor Dumbledore said not to enter, under threat of a painful death?" Jon asked, turning to fix Harry with a piercing look.
"He was exaggerating, they wouldn't leave anything that dangerous in a school full of kids." Harry pushed open the door and entered.
Jon followed muttering under his breath, "Didn't I kill a rampaging troll just two corridors down a couple months ago?" The corridor was bare except for the usual torches along the walls, which lit as they walked further in. It was one of the smaller corridors in Hogwarts, containing only a few doors before connecting to a different part of the castle.
Harry opened the first door in the corridor to an empty room, coated in a fine layer of dust and containing nothing but a few tables and chairs. "Huh, I was expecting something a bit more dangerous." Harry commented, "Maybe it's life threatening to people with allergies?"
"Har har." Jon replied, already moving further down the corridor. Harry jogged to catch up and quickly took over Jon's much more sedate pace. The next door looked much the same as the last, and all the others they had peeked behind that day, but when Harry wiggled the door handle it remained firmly shut.
"This is the first locked door we've found today, this has gotta be where Dumbledore was talking about." Harry said, happy to have finally found something interesting.
Jon sighed, pulling out his wand. "Are you sure we want to do this?" He asked. Harry nodded eagerly, stepping back to let Jon have access to the door. Jon levelled his wand at the lock and incanted, "Alohomora." The door clicked open.
The sound of heavy breathing could be heard as Harry pushed open the door, with Jon close behind. The largest dog Jon had ever seen lay fast asleep in the centre of the room. It was more reminiscent of a giant bear than a dog in size, and that was only added to by the three heads sprouting from the body. A Cerberus, the creature that was meant to guard the Gates of Hell, was currently sitting fast asleep before them. They were in trouble.
The Cerberus let out a snort, making both boys jump, and started slowly shifting its paws. "Time to go, Harry." Jon said, pulling Harry out of the room with him before the Cerberus could wake fully. Jon pulled the door firmly closed behind them, once again pointing his wand at the door and incanting "Colloportus." The door sealed, with the lock firmly back in place.
"That's enough exploring for one day I think…" Jon said when he and Harry made it back to the staircase.
Harry nodded his agreement, "Did you see what it was standing on though? When it moved its paw I saw a trapdoor! Tomorrow we should go down and see Hagrid, if anyone knows anything about that thing it'll be him." Jon groaned in response. "Come on, it'll be fun. We can solve a real mystery!" Harry said, grinning all the while.
After lunch the next day, both Potter boys made their way down to visit Hagrid in his hut by the edge of the Forbidden Forest. They had visited Hagrid for afternoon tea and a chat many times before, and had a standing invitation to come by any time.
Harry knocked on the door, setting Hagrid's dog to barking. "Back Fang, back!" Hagrid yelled from within. "Oh, 'ello you two!" He greeted them, "Come on in." Hagrid's hut was cluttered but homey. All the chairs were larger than average and one armchair in particular was bigger than the rest; the chairs all congregated around a wooden table that was placed close enough to the large fireplace to be warm on winter nights. Hagrid's dog, a large boarhound named Fang, sat in his bed in the corner nearest the fireplace. "Fancy a cuppa and some cakes?" Hagrid asked, as the boys took their seats.
"Yes, please Hagrid, how have you been?" Jon asked as Hagrid busied himself fetching refreshments.
"Oh, not too bad. Been a bit o' bad business in the forest o' late. A unicorn was attacked just last week, which means there's probably a dangerous dark creature somewhere in th' forest. How 'bout you two, how's class treatin' ya?" Hagrid asked as he set teacups and a plate in front of both boys and a mug for himself, planting himself down in his armchair. Jon barely hid his wince at the cake sat down in front of them. Hagrid enjoyed making rock cakes, but he took the term rock cake far too seriously. Hagrid's rock cakes were more rock than cake.
Jon was taking a sip of his tea, so Harry replied, "Good, Transfiguration and Charms are interesting, and so is Defence even though I can't understand Quirrell. Snape is still horrible in class, just last week he scared Neville so bad that he dropped a whole piece of wiggentree bark in his potion and completely ruined it."
"I'm still reading ahead for potions. It's much easier to go into that class knowing how the ingredients react and how to make the potion, Snape doesn't really teach that much. It is annoying though, it lessens the time I can spend looking into charms." Jon said, giving his perspective.
Hagrid laughed at that, "I hope you're doin' more than just readin' Jon, you've gotta have some fun too." Jon saw the opening and took it.
"Actually Hagrid, that's part of the reason we came down to see you. We were exploring Hogwarts yesterday while everyone is home, and we ended up in the out-of-bounds corridor on the third-floor. We found a Cerberus, a dog with three heads." Jon said, keeping a watchful eye on Hagrid's expression to look for any recognition.
"You found Fluffy?" Hagrid was incapable of subtlety.
"That thing has a name?" Harry asked.
Hagrid looked at them incredulously, "O' course he's got a name, he's mine! I bought 'im of an Irish fella down the pub last year."
"So, what is it doing in Hogwarts, standing on a trap door?" Harry pressed, trying to see if Hagrid would let anything else slip.
"No more questions now, y'hear? You're meddlin' in things that ought not to be meddled in. It's dangerous. What that dog is guarding is strictly between Headmaster Dumbledore and Nicholas Flamel."
Harry glanced at Jon, "Nicholas Flamel, who's Nicholas Flamel?"
Hagrid's jaw dropped as he realised what he'd said. "Shouldn't 'ave said that, I should not have said that." He muttered to himself.
Jon's eyes lit up in recognition, as he recalled his research into Dumbledore's past. "Surely you don't have the Philosopher's Stone in the third-floor corridor?" Hagrid's groan was all the confirmation they needed. "I know Dumbledore worked with Flamel when he was younger, but why would he have the Stone in Hogwarts? Wouldn't it be far safer in somewhere like Gringotts?"
Harry gasped, "Unless that wasn't safe enough. The Gringotts break in! Hagrid, the little package we took out of that vault in Gringotts, the one that was broken into later that day, that was the Philosopher's Stone!"
Hagrid groaned again, "Neither o' you are to tell another soul about any of this. This is meant to be top secret stuff; Headmaster Dumbledore can't have every man an' his dog finding out about it!"
"We promise Hagrid, we won't tell anyone." Jon assured him, already feeling bad for getting the information out of him this way.
Hagrid nodded, "I think it's best you two were off for now. I've duties to be doin'." The boys drained the last of their tea and said apologetic goodbyes to Hagrid before heading back to the castle.
In the safety of their empty dormitory, Harry immediately started planning what they should do next. "So, we know what the thief is after, the Philosopher's Stone, but we don't know who or why. I think if we manage to work out one we'll be able to work out the other. Do you know what the Stone does?"
"The Philosopher's Stone is said to be able to transform lead into gold and it's the key to making the Elixir of Life, which has kept Nicholas Flamel and his wife Perenelle alive for about six hundred years. But Harry, didn't you hear Hagrid? This is dangerous stuff and we're just first-years. The teachers can handle this one, I don't want to have another troll incident on our hands." Jon said, imploring Harry to see sense.
Harry sighed. "Fine. I promise to leave it, but I want to do another day of exploring this week." Harry said, clearly not happy but trying to inject some levity into the conversation.
"Sure," Jon agreed, "Come on, it'll be dinner before long."
On Christmas morning Jon woke to Harry bouncing on his bed, for once awake before him.
"Merry Christmas Jon!" Harry yelled, throwing a pillow at his half-asleep brother. Jon groaned, he had intended to sleep in for once but that definitely wasn't happening.
"Merry Christmas yourself." Jon replied with a laugh, hurling the pillow back at Harry.
"C'mon, get outta bed. We've both got presents this year, a whole bunch!" Harry said, pulling Jon by the hand over to his bed where two piles of presents lay. "This is gonna be the best Christmas ever!"
Jon was surprised by just how many presents he had. He had gotten a gift for Harry and knew he would be getting one in return, but he hadn't expected to receive so many others. He had gifts from Hermione and Neville, and Ron had sent one addressed to both boys. Although, Jon realised he shouldn't be that surprised given that he had sent presents to each of them. Hagrid had given them both a gift as well, a hand carved flute and a bundle of his rock cakes to 'enjoy'.
"Here," Jon said, passing over a brightly wrapped present to Harry. "Merry Christmas." Harry smiled brightly, accepting his and passing one back. Jon unwrapped his and found a book even the Hogwarts library didn't have. 'Advanced Duelling Tactics' by Filius Flitwick.
"I know you haven't reached that level, but it'll be useful down the line I think." Harry said, watching Jon with a nervous smile on his face.
"It's perfect Harry, thank you. Now open yours!" Jon replied, smiling genuinely back at his brother. Harry tore into the wrapping with enthusiasm, revealing a thick book entitled 'Wizarding Myths and Fairytales'. "It's meant to be a lot like the fantasy books we used to read, but the majority of them are based on real events." Harry grinned and launched across his bed to hug his brother.
Hermione had of course gotten them both books. For Jon a history book on the formation of the Ministry and the Seven Founding Families, and for Harry a fantasy book that Hermione had loved as a child called the Neverending Story. From Neville, they received a bundle of wizard sweets and a framed photo of their parents that Neville had asked his Gran to search out for them. This was placed on the nightstand between Jon and Harry's beds so both were able to see it with ease. Ron had sent a large soft package with a note explaining that the jumpers were a Weasley family tradition. Curious, Harry tore open the wrapping to find two large brown jumpers, embroidered in green with the first initial of their names, and a bundle of homemade fudge. Harry pulled his on instantly and insisted Jon do the same, despite his lack of enthusiasm for the clothing.
Buried under all the others, another present had gone unnoticed by both boys. The note read, 'Your father left this heirloom in my possession before he died. It is time it was returned to you. Use it well'.
"Who's that from?" Harry asked.
Jon passed over the note with a frown, "I don't know." He ripped through the wrapping and a large silvery cloak unfurled, shimmering in the light from the window. Jon stood, throwing the cloak around his shoulders and letting it fall in front of him. By the amount of material he could feel pooled at his feet, it was clearly a cloak meant for adults.
Harry gasped as he looked up. "Your body's gone!" He exclaimed, shooting to his feet.
"What?" Jon asked, looking down to see his body was indeed gone. "Oh wow, it's an invisibility cloak! I've read about these, though they aren't meant to last that long before the charms wear off and the note said this one is a family heirloom."
"Awesome!" Harry exclaimed, "Just think of all the sneaking we can do with that!" Jon groaned in response, taking off the cloak and tossing it to Harry to try.
After unwrapping all their presents, the boys got dressed and went to explore. Harry had heard from Ron's twin brothers, Fred and George, that the kitchens could be found below the Entrance Hall. Fred had told Harry that if they find the right corridor they should 'tickle the pear', whatever that meant. There were only a few doors in the Entrance Hall so it wasn't too hard to find a set of stairs leading down. Downstairs, a brightly lit corridor could be found decorated with various food-themed paintings. In one a roast pig was being carved by what must have been a previous Headmaster, in another a Christmas feast from centuries past was being had in the Great Hall. One painting that caught Harry's eye was a large portrait, which featured a large bowl of fruit and nothing else.
"'Tickle the pear', Fred said." Harry reached out and scratched the pear, jumping back as it let out a little giggle and turned into a handle.
Jon laughed, "Well, for once he wasn't joking." They pushed open the door and walked through, coming to a halt as hundreds of heads turned to look at them. It seemed the Hogwarts kitchen was staffed by little gremlins. "Um, hello." Jon said, waving awkwardly.
"Visitors!" A tiny voiced squeaked. One of the little creatures walked forward. It's large eyes and floppy ears would have been horrific on a body any bigger, but as they were smaller than even the shortest of first-years it just looked cute. "My name be Dippy, is there anything we's can do for the small masters?"
Jon was taken aback. "I'm sorry but what are you? Do you work here?"
Dippy nodded its head vigorously, "Yes master, we be's the house elves. We be bonded to Hogwarts, we cook and clean and take care of the castle." The other house elves that hadn't already returned to work nodded along, with great enthusiasm.
"I've never seen you around the castle." Harry said, looking curiously around the room.
Dippy looked pleased at that. "Yes master, house elves not meant to be seen. Only bad elves be seen unless called by a master. Can we do anything for the small masters?"
Jon glanced at Harry who looked just as bemused as he was. "Um, sure. We'd like some lunch please if that's okay." Jon asked hesitantly.
Dippy smiled and ushered both boys over to a small table, which other elves filled instantly with all kinds of delicious food. Sandwiches, pies, salads, and an array of sweets alongside the savoury. They ate their fill and spoke with Dippy who had stayed to attend to their every need. Jon took the chance to learn more about Dippy and the other elves.
"So, do each of you get payed individually?" Jon asked. Dippy's face immediately contorted in horror.
She shook her little head violently, her ears flopping around her head. "No master, house elves don't get paid! Only bad elves wants pay!"
Jon felt the heat of anger building up in his chest, his mind going back to the years of tough unpaid labour for at the Dursleys. "What?" He asked, "Don't you want pay?"
"No master!" She cried, "We's be bonded to Hogwarts, we be getting power from the bond. With no bond an elf will fade away to nothing, masters. We was made to serve." Jon took a deep breath to calm himself. The elves were clearly happy the way they are, but the thought of a whole race bonded in servitude to wizard-kind infuriated him.
"Thank you, Dippy. We're going to go back to our dormitory, but you've all been wonderful." Harry echoed Jon's praise, putting smiles of glee on all the elves faces as they left the kitchens behind.
Christmas dinner was a joyful affair. The four house tables and the head table had been replaced with one round one at the centre of the room, with exactly the right number of seats for everyone staying at Hogwarts over Christmas, including the teachers. There were fifteen students that had stayed over the Christmas break, and only one of the others was a first-year. The other fourteen were a mix of all houses and ages, five Ravenclaw seventh-years had stayed to study for their NEWTS as had two Gryffindor seventh-years and two Hufflepuffs. The other five were a mixture of third and fourth years, staying for various personal reasons.
Jon took a seat beside the other first-year, a Slytherin girl he knew was called Daphne Greengrass, with Harry on his other side. "Hi. Daphne, right? I'm Jon."
Daphne quirked an eyebrow at him. "Yes, I know who you are. I'm surprised a pair of Gryffindors would choose to sit with a Slytherin." She flipped her long blonde hair over her shoulder, so she could look more directly into Jon's eyes. Her eyes were an icy blue, Jon noted as he held her gaze.
"It's just a house, I don't discriminate. Besides, I think our families are in business together if I remember correctly. Your family distributes and sells potions, right? Most of which are provided from Potter breweries." Jon said, holding Daphne's stare with a steady look of his own.
Daphne's eyebrows rose, "I thought you were raised muggle?"
"We were, but I'll be Lord Potter sooner than later and I don't intend to be oblivious." Jon replied.
Daphne let a small smile grace her face. "I'm impressed."
Dumbledore arrived with the rest of the teachers, greeting the students as he sat down amongst them. "Merry Christmas all!" He said with great cheer. Dumbledore had worn bright red robes for the occasion, all that was needed to complete a very convincing Santa Claus outfit was the hat. "I hope you've all enjoyed your days so far and haven't spent too much of it cooped up in the library." He said with a chuckle, looking at the seventh years. "Well without further ado, let's dig in!"
The empty dishes on the table were suddenly filled with food. Turkey, chicken, and beef were all roasted alongside a vast quantity of vegetables. Yorkshire puddings were piled high, and all sorts of gravy and sauces were spread across the table. It was a feast fit for kings, and there was twice the amount that thirty people could eat.
Conversation flowed around the room, with teachers and students alike conversing. In fact, the only exception to this was Snape who sat with a particularly foul look on his face, and the Divination teacher, Professor Trelawney, who Jon was fairly sure was drunk. Jon, Daphne and Harry fell into easy conversation about classes and such mundane topics for the majority of the meal, though when both had finished their food Harry and Jon swapped places so Jon could talk to Professor Flitwick. Over dessert he asked about the theory behind memory charms.
"I understand that the casting of a charm is using magic to influence the world to your desires, but wouldn't a memory charm be far more difficult because you're trying to influence another person who likely doesn't want to be influenced?" Jon asked, trying to explain what he didn't understand.
Flitwick was taken aback, even the lightest of theory behind the memory charm was second year material. "I do hope you're not practicing this yourself. Practice is good, but this is dangerous stuff." Flitwick said, fixing Jon with a piercing look.
"Of course not, sir. I'm just reading ahead and I didn't understand how it could be applied to anyone with magic." Jon replied hastily.
Flitwick's demeanour shifted, he seemed to find joy in Jon's genuine interest in his subject. "Well, you're right in that it would be more difficult than applying a charm to an object. In fact, applying any charm directly to a wizard is trickier than doing so indirectly, like via an object. A person's magic responds to their will, resisting any attempted changes to their state." Flitwick paused to take a sip from his goblet, allowing Jon to process his words. "To apply a charm to another magical being your intent and focus must be superior than theirs. It is always easier to cast a charm than to resist one with your magic alone, but some more powerful wizards are capable of it. Of course, superior power on the side of the caster makes resisting any effects of a charm even more difficult. In the case of memory charms, it becomes even more difficult if the victim has any experience with mind magic."
"Mind magic, sir? I don't think I've ever heard of that."
"I'd be very surprised if you had." Flitwick replied, "Mind magic is both the ability to organise your mind and protect it from outside threats, which is called Occlumency, and the ability to influence someone's mind directly with your own, which is called Legilimency. Of course, looking into someone's mind with Legilimency is highly illegal, but the added benefits of improved memory and focus make Occlumency worth learning. I could lend you a good book on Occlumency if you're interested, though I warn you it takes both great time and effort to learn properly."
Jon nodded eagerly, "Yes please, sir. That sounds perfect." Flitwick smiled in reply and went to say more, but was cut off as the last of the desserts disappeared and Dumbledore rose to address them all.
"Another fantastic Christmas meal at Hogwarts, I hope you all took the time to embrace the spirit of the day and engage each other with open and joyful hearts. Alas, it grows late and I grow old, so I do believe it's time for bed." Dumbledore spoke, his manner more grandfatherly than that of a Headmaster. Jon bid Professor Flitwick a good night and said goodbye to Daphne, following the older Gryffindors back up to the tower.
It was late, definitely past curfew, just over a week after Christmas day. The new year had already come and it wouldn't be long until all the students returned to Hogwarts after the break, so Harry insisted they use the cloak to have one last adventure.
As it was their last adventure, Harry had let Jon decide where they would go. So, of course, they had ended up in the restricted section of the library. Jon was sure he could get a pass to the restricted section if he wanted but the rule breaking was part of the adventure. Harry held their lantern aloft as Jon skimmed the book shelves.
"'Charms to Charm: A Guide to Ensnaring Minds'" Jon read aloud, "I get why this is restricted, but why have it in a school library at all?"
Harry snorted, "I bet there's a bunch of books like that in here. It's more of a place to store fancy books than a school library. But yeah, it's far too easy to get into."
"Yes Mrs Norris, I do see the light." A gruff voice spoke from the front of the library. It was the cantankerous old caretaker, Filch. Harry's eyes widened and he let the lantern slip from his fingers in his haste to get under the cloak. It shattered on the ground, breaking the silence of the library. Immediately Filch's footsteps grew louder as he approached, but he was too slow.
Wrapped in the cloak, Jon and Harry slowly crept past Filch. Just as they thought they were in the clear, Mrs Norris let out a meow. She could smell them, and was looking right at them. The boys scurried away as fast as they could, taking corner after corner to throw off the cat and the caretaker that followed. Finally, somewhere on the third-corridor, the boys slipped past a door and closed it behind them. Jon drew his wand and pointed it at the door whispering, "Colloportus." The boys calmed their breathing as Filch's loud footsteps grew closer. He paused outside the door to rattle the handle, but quickly moved on when he realised it was locked.
Jon let out a sigh of relief as he tucked his wand away. "That was far too close." He muttered under his breath.
"Jon," Harry called, "Come look at this." Harry was stood in front of a full-length mirror, that stood in the centre of the room. The frame was made of gold and along the top sat the inscription, 'erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi'. "I see mum and dad, and you! But you're over there, how can I see you beside me?"
Jon looked at his brother with concern. "I don't see them Harry." He said softly.
"Come stand here, right where I am." Harry said, finally looking away from the mirror long enough to pull Jon over. "See?"
Jon did see. He saw Harry, and he saw his parents. Alive and happy, his father had his arm around his mother, and his mother had her hand on Harry's shoulder. Stood protectively in front of them all was himself, but not as a helpless first-year. Jon saw himself older, taller, wand drawn and capable of protecting all the people he loved the most. "Yes." Jon replied, barely audible. His eyes were drawn up once again to the inscription at the top of the mirror, this time with a new perspective.
"I show not your face but your heart's desire." Jon read aloud. He could feel the need to sit and watch, to enjoy seeing his parents alive for the first time, but it wasn't them. His parents had been taken from him. "We should go, now. Getting caught up in fantasies can be dangerous. Our parents are gone, and they're not coming back." Jon felt his anger burning as he violently brushed the tears from his eyes. Harry pulled Jon into a comforting hug, his own tears running free.
"We've got each other still." Harry said, his voice muffled by Jon's shoulder.
Jon took a shuddering breath. "I won't lose you too, I'll protect you."