Chapter 7 - Christmas
It was nearly Christmas now and Hermione had made us search near the entire library for anything on Nicholas Flamel. I had wrote to my mum and dad asking if they knew anything about him at the same time as I wrote telling them I was going to stay at Hogwarts with Harry seems as he wasn't going home and he'd be here on his own. I had thought about going to stay with Uncle Moony for the two weeks we had off so I could further my animagus training but he'd told me it was a full moon so I shouldn't. My training is going well, I'm at the first stages of my training. I can grow and shrink my finger nails, toe nails and hair. I can also make my hair go black because of the animal I have chosen. I wrote to Uncle Moony last week telling him I want to be a Black Panther with a pink streak on my side. He replied by telling me I can be called nine lives because I need a nickname. And now Ron has to stay as well, all the Weasley's do, because their parents are going to visit one of the older brothers in Romania or something. Hermione has ordered the three of us to continue looking for books on Nicky Flamel as I have named him. His codename is Nicky if teachers are around. Hermione's exact words were to look in the restricted section. Ron thinks we have had a bad influence on her, I agreed. I woke up early on Christmas morning and climbed downstairs in my pyjamas to see Harry and Ron opening Christmas presents in the common room.
"Happy Christmas, Ash." Harry and Ron said together.
"Happy Christmas boys." I replied. I picked up a small box and unwrapped it quickly. It was from Abe, he had bought me some new Quidditch gloves. I had got candy from Allie and Addy. A book on animagus things from Hermione. A Gryffindor locket from Mum and Dad and a charm bracelet with a black panther on from Uncle Moony. A red and gold football from Dean Thomas. More sweets from Seamus and Ron and Ron's mum had knitted me a purple scarf. "Tell your mum thanks for me, Ron."
"Will do." He replied. "And thanks for the chocolate frogs."
"You're welcome." I smiled. Harry looked at me nervously then handed me something wrapped up. I unwrapped it quickly to reveal a framed picture of me and Harry just after the Gryffindor, Slytherin match. He was given me a piggy back and we were both smiling at the camera. I looked up at him smiling then jumped up and hugged him. "This is perfect, Harry. Thanks!"
"I have one, too. And thanks for the ring." I had gotten him a gold ring with a snitch on it.
"You're welcome." I replied. I put my locket, charm bracelet and Mrs. Weasley's scarf on as Harry picked up a package and unwrapped it. It was a cloak. "Put it on." I said and he did. He wrapped it around his neck then I gasped. Everything below his neck had disappeared. Harry looked down and gasped.
"What is it?" Harry asked.
"It's an invisibility cloak." Ron said as I spotted a note that fell out of it. I picked it up and read it.
Your Father left this in my possession before he died.
It is time it was returned to you.
Use it well.
A Very Merry Christmas to you.
"Uncle James's invisibility cloak." I whispered to myself while handing the note to Harry. "My Uncle Moony told me about it. My mum did too. Aunt Lily told her." Before either of them could say anything else the Weasley twins had come downstairs and Harry had stuffed it away.
"Merry Christmas!" Fred called to everyone as he pulled me into a hug after George did.
"Hey look, Harry got a Weasley jumper, too! And Ash got a scarf." George said smiling.
"Harry's is better than ours, though," Fred said inspecting Harry's jumper. "She obviously makes more effort if you're not family."
"Why aren't you wearing yours, Ron?" George demanded. "Come on, get it on, they're lovely and warm."
"I hate maroon." Ron whined while pulling his jumper on.
"You haven't got a letter on yours." George observed. "I suppose she thinks you don't forget your name. But we're not stupid, we know we're called Gred and Forge."
"What's all this noise?" Percy asked coming down the stairs with his jumper.
"P for Prefect! Get it on, Percy, come on, we're all wearing ours, even Harry and Ash got one." Fred said.
"I don't want..." Percy had tried saying before the twins had forced the jumper over Percy's head.
"And you're not sitting with the Prefects today, either." Said George. "Christmas is a time for family." He said finally before we all marched to the hall for Christmas dinner. I love Christmas dinner. It always hilarious. Hagrid got drunk quickly and kissed McGonagall on the cheek making her giggle and blush. The food was gorgeous as usual but it always. I even pulled a Christmas cracker with Professor Dumbledore. It was pretty late by the time me, Harry and the Weasley's got back to the common room. The Weasley's immediately went up to their dorms while I stayed downstairs reading my book from Hermione. I practiced shrinking my hair for a little bit then I heard someone come down the stairs but could see no one so I guessed it was Harry. I put on my panther eyes and I could see him. I changed my eyes and went back to reading.
"Where are you going Harry James Potter?" I asked. He then pulled off his cloak and appeared in front of me.
"That was cool." Harry replied laughing. "I'm going to the restricted section. I'll be back soon."
"Okay. I'll wait up for you." I smiled as he disappeared out of the portrait whole with the fat lady asking who was there. I then sat down on the floor in front of the fire and meditated to clear my mind. When it was clear I let my animalistic side take over. I thought of when of my anger towards Quirrel when he smiled at me while he was trying to kill me. When I was as animalistically angry as possible I focused on the Black Panther I want to be. The pain was excruciating. It felt like I was burning all the way down my spine. I ended up on all fours fitting slightly. I could tell I was whimpering slightly but I didn't think anyone could hear. When I opened my eyes I had my panther eyes. I knew it worked. I ran around the common room faster than I ever could if I was human. It still hurt like hell. I then collapsed infront of the fire. I changed back immediately. I sat up panting then shakily stood up and sat on the sofa. I'm a proper animagus. I can change. It felt great. I would write to Uncle Moony in the morning and tell him I did it. I dropped the book onto the floor and laid on the sofa concentrating on breathing. Minutes later Harry came running into the common room.
"I saw my mum and dad!" He whisper shouted before running upstairs. I stood up watching after him with a confused look on my face. A minute later Harry was pulling a sleepy Ron down the stairs. "I saw my mum and dad in a mirror, come on." He then pulled out the cloak and threw it over the three of us. We followed him to a room on the other side of the library. When we got into the room he pulled off the cloak off then pulled Ron to stand next to him in front of the mirror. "Can you see them?" Harry asked.
"No, I can only see us." Ron replied.
"Look in it properly, go on, and stand where I am." Harry ordered pulling him to stand in front of the mirror. Ron gasped. "Can you see them?" He asked.
"No. But I can see me but I'm older. I look good! I have a head badge on and I'm holding the Quidditch cup. I'm Quidditch captain, too!" Ron yelled smiling. I rolled my eyes. "What do you see Ash?" I was then pulled into infront of the mirror. I saw me. I was co-captain of the Quidditch team with Harry but I had Cedric Diggory stood next to me in normal clothes. His arm was around my shoulder and he was kissing my cheek. I had an engagement ring on!
"Oh my God! That's... that's." I started but I just gaped at the mirror. The 'me' in the mirror then turned to Cedric and kissed him full on. I must have been in my last year. And I had to admit, I was hot.
"What do you see?" Harry asked me.
"Me. In my last year. Me and Harry are co Quidditch captains and Cedric Diggory is stood next to me. I have an engagement ring on. And I just kissed him!" I said.
"Do you think it shows the future?" Ron asked. I could tell he was holding back laughter at my reaction. They both were.
"How can it? My parents are dead." Harry said sadly.
"I show not your face but your heart's desire." I read the inscription on the mirror backwards.
"It shows our desires." Ron sighed.
"Come on, we should get back." I told them both. Harry sighed then pulled his cloak on. "I hope I look like that in the future because damn am I hot." I chuckled. The boys chuckled too as we made our way back to the dorms. I could tell this wasn't the last time Harry would go find the mirror.