Daphne Greengrass spent more time with Harry, Magic, Ron and Hermione than before, sometimes sitting at the Gryffindor table with them. Everyone was getting along quite well with each other, the arguments greatly decreased from what they'd been before they all faced the mountain troll. Harry was glad about that, and found that the five of them were closer than before, their friendship stronger. His relationship with Magic was even more powerful because of the event, and Harry spent days pondering why it was. Eventually, he simply accepted that sharing such a life threatening event brought them closer as friends, though he didn't fully understand the reason.
As November brought in cold weather, Harry noted the temperature within the castle became colder along with it. It was still comfortable enough without wearing his coat or cloak, but he enjoyed his bed even more now than before. He could only imagine what the potions class would be like, as it was always colder in the dungeons than the upper levels of the castle.
Quidditch season had begun, and Harry decided to attend the first match to see if he liked it. If not, he wouldn't attend another. Harry didn't think it was going to be enjoyable, given the sports events he'd been to in the past, but didn't let that thought stop him from giving it a try.
As he'd expected, Potions class was freezing cold. Harry, Ron and the other Gryffindors stayed close to their hot cauldrons to keep warm, though Magic wasn't effected by the cold. Her state of dress remained the same in any form of weather, which wasn't surprising to Harry. Her adventure with the troll proved to him that she was either extremely tough, or invulnerable to physical injury of any kind. She had never been effected at the Dursley's, either, when Dudley had hit her in a moment of anger, or as a way of trying to bully her. The Dursley's had never risen a hand to either Harry or Magic, they simply didn't seem to love them. Harry put his mind back on his task of brewing and put his mind back on what he was doing, knowing that the slightest mistake in potions class could prove disastrous.
Surprisingly, after their first potions class, Professor Snape had taught them a bit about the rules of safety, that strict following of the instructions was required. He was still a cold teacher, but was instructing them more than he had in the past. Harry was grateful for this, though still wanted to speak to Professor Dumbledore about Professor Binns some time. His history classes were as boring as ever, often putting people to sleep. Harry simply read the chapters of the history book, memorizing what he could for the exams that would come at the end of the year, and as there hadn't seemed to be much interest in others learning history from him, he didn't talk much about it.
Harry was standing with Ron and Hermione in the freezing courtyard after classes the day before the Quidditch match, the three of them standing with their backs to a fire Hermione had conjured in a jar. Magic stood apart from them, unaffected by the cold, and Harry found the fire in the jar to be quite interesting. As always, Magic had felt the magic involved, so Harry knew he could duplicate it if he wanted. He'd never shown that skill yet, though, and curiously wondered if there would be a time when he would.
"Quick, Snape!' Hermione hissed, the three of them shuffling closer together.
Harry didn't know if the fire would be allowed, but Ron and Hermione seemed to think it wasn't. As he heard the footsteps approaching, Harry realized they sounded off, as if Snape was limping.
"Potter, Weasley, Granger, Magic." He stated, passing them bye without another word.
"That was close." Ron said when he was out of ear shot.
"What, exactly?" Harry asked. "We don't know for sure this isn't allowed. Besides, he just passed us bye, that's got to count for something."
That evening, Harry was reading over his Charms homework in the noisy common room, his Brailler on his lap. Hermione was checking over Ron's work, and as usual, the two of them were getting into a bit of an argument.
"Ron, you can't just copy my work. How will you learn? Besides, Harry doesn't ask to read my notes, he takes his own." Hermione said.
"I also read more than you do, Ron, you could learn from being attentive." Harry said.
"The two of you ganging up on me?" Ron asked. "It's not easy, you know. How do you do it anyway, Harry?"
"I read, I remember, I ask myself questions and try and quiz myself, then I read again. I've got a lot of free time on my hands, too, but I've got to learn to be more efficient since the work keeps piling up even more." Harry said.
"Yeah." Ron responded. "All you seem to do is work and read, you hardly have any fun."
"He just needs to learn to be more efficient, is all." Hermione responded. "I'll write up a schedule for you if you're interested, Harry."
"No thanks, Hermione. I'll figure it out on my own, I'm sure." Harry said.
"Well, if you need help at all, just let me know." Hermione said.
"I'll do that." Harry responded.
The next morning, Harry entered the Great Hall for breakfast with everyone else, putting sausages, toast and eggs on his plate. Some people tried to help him, but Harry politely declined. Hermione, who was across from him, told him if he was about to spill something on to the table, and for the most part, Harry did quite well. He was getting better and more familiar with the routine, and was glad for that. As he ate, he listened to people cheerfully chatting about the upcoming Quidditch match, though for himself, imagined nothing but loud crowds and something he couldn't see.
"Looking forward to it, mate?" Ron asked.
"Not really." Harry responded. 'Not a fan of loud crowds, remember?"
"Oh, yeah." Ron responded.
"I'll give it a try, but I'm not expecting anything spectacular." Harry said. "I'd love it even more if I could actually play, but I doubt that'll ever happen."
"You like playing sports, then?" Hermione asked.
"I like flying, that's what." Harry replied. "I've never really played any sports before. I've never been given the chance, and I highly doubt they'll let me play Quidditch. I wouldn't even want to do that. When I can't see a Bludger coming, or other team members, that could prove to be a problem."
"What about you, Magic, do you think you'd want to play?" Ron asked.
"Harry wants to, but can't. I do what Harry wishes, and Harry wishes me to remain with him." Magic stated in reply.
"Guess not, then." Ron said.
"Good job, Ron, you're getting better at understanding that emotionless Magic of mine." Harry said.
"I can't help but learn to understand her when she's so cryptic all the time and makes me think about things." Ron said.
"Honestly, Ron, she's direct, not cryptic." Hermione responded in a tone of obviousness.
By eleven that morning, Harry was in the stands around the Quidditch field, listening to the large crowd of students as he sat in a surprisingly comfortable seat with Ron on one side, Hermione on the other, and Magic in a seat behind and slightly above his own. Hermione had binoculars so she could see the field, as well as above it with more ease. When everyone began cheering loudly, Hermione told him that the teams were entering the Quidditch field. It wasn't much longer that the cheering increased in volume, Harry presuming the teams had taken off.
"And the Quaffle is taken immediately by Angelina Johnson of Gryffindor, what an excellent Chaser that girl is, and rather attractive, too..."
"JORDAN!"
"Sorry, Professor."
Harry heard Lee Jordan's voice along with Professor McGonagall. The announcer, Jordan, was a friend of Fred and George Weasley, who were beaters on the Gryffindor team. Harry was glad for the announcements, which provided him some idea of what was happening in the game. It wasn't quite as enjoyable as he thought it might be with announcements, though, as he missed a great deal of information. Even with the knowledge from Magic, it was just data, pure statistics, and Harry found it more enjoyable without Magic's knowledge in his mind.
After Angelina scored, Harry heard Hagrid join them, though barely, as the crowds were continuing to cheer or boo. It was loud enough to set him on edge and make his ears ring, along with lose his orientation of where he was. Never again, Harry decided, would he come to these matches and be a spectator.
The Gryffindor seeker, a sixth-year girl named Chelsea Stanford, was slammed off course by Flint and the Gryffindors cried fowl. Harry only heard the announcements and the crowd, though, and on the hole, found it like every other sports event he'd been to, overly crowded, loud, and obnoxious. Eventually, the Quidditch game ended with Stanford catching the snitch, and Harry, relieved, made his way to Hagrid's hut with Ron and Hermione.
"Yeh looked a bit uncomfortable there, Harry." Hagrid said as they drank some tea.
"Yes, I was." Harry replied. "I didn't really get anything from that, except loud cheering that's still making my ears ring a little."
"I suppose yeh wouldn' get much from tha'." Hagrid said.
"Not really." Harry said. "To be honest, I'm relieved to be back at peace, somewhere quiet."
"I thought it was rather exciting." Hermione said. "Though I can understand your reluctance to watch the matches, Harry."
"I'm glad you can." Harry responded. "Oh, by the way, Hagrid, we've made a new friend. Daphne Greengrass. She's in Slytherin."
"Good for yeh, Harry." Hagrid said, patting his shoulder hard. "And how 'bout yeh, Magic? How've yeh been?"
"Harry is well, I am well." Magic responded in her typical manner.
"Oh. I see." Hagrid responded awkwardly.
"She's not the easiest to talk too, I know." Harry said. "She's very direct, and holds nothing back. Right, Magic?"
"Yes." She responded serenely.
The weather continued to grow colder as the month of November passed, and December arrived. One morning, Harry woke to the coldest weather yet. While the potions classes had been quite cold already, he knew they'd be even colder now that the winter weather was making itself known even more than it had before. The Gryffindor common room was quite warm along with the Great Hall, due to the fires there, but the corridors were ice cold. Harry wore his cloak and gloves when walking between classes, and when he was in some classrooms. He only removed them to take notes, and he wasn't the only one.
As usual, Draco Malfoy was taunting the Gryffindors during potions class, as he tended to do at times. Harry, Ron and Magic were working at their cauldron, Harry and Ron staying quite close to it to stay warm, even more so than they'd done previously. Harry ignored Malfoy as he said across the room, "I do feel so sorry for all those people who have to stay at Hogwarts for Christmas because they're not wanted at home. That means you, Potter."
Harry turned toward Malfoy as he measured some ingredients, then stated calmly, "Hogwarts is more of a home than the Dursley's house ever was. Didn't you know that, Malfoy? You don't have to feel sorry for me. I like it here."
Predictably, Malfoy said nothing at Harry's rebuttal. So far, his attempts to elicit humor at the expense of the Gryffindor Quidditch team, who had beaten them, had gone nowhere, as had his attempts to insult Harry, who remained calm and got to practice his wit. He found it rather enjoyable, and amusing that Malfoy had nothing that was truly original. He simply took out his jealousy of Harry's abilities on him in his attempts to insult, which he could never have, and insulted his family. Harry had heard far worse from his Aunt Marge, however, and the words had no effect on him. Often times, Harry would simply laugh it off, even when Malfoy tried to insult his blindness and list all the things he couldn't do. Ron and Hermione couldn't understand why Harry had been laughing with tears of mirth streaming down his face until Magic, explaining for Harry, stated that Malfoy was acting like a spoiled, petty child who wasn't getting what he wanted. After that, the insults Malfoy spewed their way had less of an effect on Ron and Hermione as well, at least for now, and Harry found he was glad he could help them to understand that Malfoy was quite vain, his insults meaningless.
Just as Harry said, he was staying at Hogwarts over the Christmas holidays. In fact, at the Dursley's request, he even asked if he could stay over the summer, too. Professor McGonagall told him that he couldn't, which didn't bother Harry at all. He simply wrote his name on the list to stay over the holidays, glad Sharen had taught him to write at least that one thing, and to do so well.
At the end of potions class, they left the dungeon only to find something rather large blocking their path. Harry's cane hit something that sounded like some type of tree, and he could hear puffing coming from behind it.
"Hi, Hagrid. Need any help?" Ron asked.
"Na, I'm all righ'. Thanks, Ron." Hagrid replied.
"Would you mind moving out of the way?" Malfoy drawled coldly. "Are you trying to earn some extra money, Weasley? Hoping to be gamekeeper yourself when you leave Hogwarts, I suppose that hut of Hagrid's must seem like a palace compared to what your family's used to."
"Be calm." Harry quietly said, grabbing Ron's arm. Harry felt him shrug him off.
"My family's that of nine, Malfoy, so my mother's house is a lot larger than Hagrid's hut. Can't you come up with anything better than that?" Ron asked, sounding disappointed.
"Yeah, Malfoy, it's like water off a duck's back, now." Harry added. "The same rhetoric, over and over. But, not to worry, I understand why."
"And why is that, Potter?" Malfoy asked as Harry heard Professor Snape's footsteps walking toward them with the precision he possessed.
"You're jealous, and insecure." Harry calmly responded. "It's not an insult, it's what I've observed."
"Why you... How dare you, Potter! One of these days, I'm going to show you!" Malfoy shouted, shoving his way past the tree. Harry heard something scattering to the floor as Crabbe and Goyle also shoved their way past, then Professor Snape spoke in his cool tones.
"Perhaps, Potter, you would avoid provoking Mr. Malfoy in the future."
"Professor, I didn't provoke him. I stated an observation that he chose to be angry at." Harry explained calmly.
"Be that as it may, you would be wise to stop your provocation, as unintended as it may be. The Malfoy family has great influence, Potter, and it would be most unpleasant for you should you be caught up in such politics." Professor Snape stated, then passed them.
"Wow. What's next, pigs flying?" Ron asked after a few moments as Hagrid continued to move the tree along the corridor. "Is that really Professor Snape, giving out good advice?"
"Are you really Ron Weasley, actually calling him a professor?" Harry asked.
They laughed in a good natured way as they entered the Great Hall behind Hagrid, Professor McGonagall directing Hagrid where to put the last tree. To Harry, the decorations were something to get in the way, and were nothing spectacular. Ron and Hermione unsuccessfully tried to get him to understand the beauty in the Christmas decorations, but Harry didn't understand it.
"Just look through Magic, you'll get it." Ron stated.
"Magic, explain that, will you?" Harry asked, and Magic began to list the precise specifications of the Christmas tree until Ron interrupted her to get her to stop. Harry chuckled, put an arm around Magic's shoulders, and enjoyed the warmth of the Great Hall and the company of his friends.
"How many days until yer holidays?" Hagrid asked them.
"Just one." Hermione responded.
"And I plan to relax. I don't know about you two." Harry said.
"Well, I suppose I could." Hermione responded.
"All you do is work, you should relax. It's good for you." Ron added.
Hermione was leaving them over the holidays, and Harry felt a bit of longing for the family he'd never had, one who was more kind and loving than the Dursley's. He really didn't need it, though, he realized, deciding to think of his new friends as the family he'd never before had, and Hogwarts as the home he always wished he could have, and now did.
"Hey, Daphne!" Ron called.
"Ron." She said sedately as she came over to where the friends stood, watching the teachers decorating the Great Hall. Hagrid had since left.
"You staying over the holidays?" Ron asked.
"No." She responded. "I'm going home to see my family."
"I am, too." Hermione responded.
"I am curious to know your family's profession." Daphne said.
"Really?" Hermione asked, surprised.
"It's obvious that Muggles aren't as bad as my family led me to believe. You are an astute and powerful witch, Hermione, and comport yourself well." Daphne said.
"Thanks, I'm glad you noticed." Hermione replied. "Anyway, my parents are dentists. They clean people's teeth, correct problems and so on. I imagine magic makes such work easier."
"Yes, I'm certain that's true." Daphne replied, sounding genuinely curious.
"I think I'm going to take a bit of a stroll with Magic." Harry said. "In case I don't see you two again, happy Christmas."
"Same to you, Harry, Magic." Hermione replied.
Harry enjoyed strolling through the corridors of Hogwarts school, and didn't fear getting lost due to the features of the watch he possessed. He went up and down staircases, walked through the corridors, and even entered a couple empty classrooms. One of them contained a mirror that Harry curiously walked around and touched, and Magic stared into.
"What do you see?" Harry asked.
"The room's reflection." Magic stated calmly. "You, content and very happy, with your deepest desires fulfilled. Your parents."
"My parents?" Harry asked, opening his link of knowledge to her.
Statistics and precise data entered his mind, and Harry became aware that he and Magic were being seen, standing and clasping hands. Behind them was a man and woman, the woman with red hair, the man with black hair like his own, which even stuck up as his did. Harry realized he looked like the man behind him, though with the woman's green eyes, his more cloudy than hers, and sightless in their movement. As he continued to receive data, he realized Magic was seeing his parents, just as he'd said, and was also seeing a reflection of him in the mirror, not as he was being seen, but with her right arm wrapped around him as they leaned on one another, cheeks pressed together, Harry's face containing the greatest joy Magic had ever seen before on a human face. His parents in the reflection wrapped arms around he and Magic, and the look of the Harry in the mirror grew even happier, even more content. He knew what was seen by her in the mirror was something he couldn't have, even though he longed for it.
"What is this doing?" Harry asked himself curiously, feeling the mirror's magic, felt its trap, at least, thought he did. Along with what Magic's knowledge was telling him she saw, he thought he'd worked it out.
"Come on." Harry said, starting to leave the room and closing his link of knowledge from Magic.
"You desire to see what I see. I'll stay." Magic stated placidly.
"No." Harry said. "It's nothing but a dream, Magic, and we can't have it."
"You desire this." Magic stated.
"Yes, I do, but we can't have it." Harry replied. "You know as well as I do the trap of this mirror. It should really be destroyed, but it's not ours to tamper with. Turn around, Magic."
"You desire to..." Magic began, and Harry realized this was his first argument that he'd ever had with his Magic.
"Magic, turn around. Come on." Harry said, failing to understand why she was so effected by the mirror, and he wasn't. Even though she failed to respond, she didn't resist him as he walked up to her, grasped her shoulders, and turned her around to face him. "You don't want to stand there all your life, do you? Don't you want what I want?"
"I want what you want." Magic agreed. "You desire for me to keep looking. You deeply wish for it, and long to be with your parents, to be in joyful bliss."
"There's a difference between what I desire and wish could be, and what I actually want." Harry said. "I want you to stay with me, Magic, and I don't want you to keep staring forever into this mirror that reflects the desires of my heart, or your heart, or whatever the case may be, maybe both our hearts. Feel the difference."
"Yes." Magic stated. "I feel the difference. The trap is broken."
"Good." Harry said with a grin, hugging her. He jumped away when he heard clapping, facing it with Magic next to him.
"An impressive display, Mr. Potter." Professor Dumbledore said wisely.
"Hey, Professor. I didn't know you were there." Harry said.
"There are those with the ability to hide themselves, even from your impressive sensing of magic, and magical people, Harry." Professor Dumbledore responded.
"I'll remember that, but now that I've felt your magic when you dispelled what you did, Magic should be able to detect you even if you hide yourself in that manner. Nothing's full proof." Harry said.
"I must confess, Harry, that you are quite an enigma." Professor Dumbledore stated in a puzzled voice. "Your capabilities, even without the use of your magic, are astounding to me."
"Not really." Harry said. "It's natural to me to navigate with only sound, smell, and touch as my guide. I've never had vision, even through Magic it's not really vision I see."
"I've been made aware of your purely statistical view point on what you see, Magic, though I am perplexed, Harry. If I may ask, why do you not use the advantage Magic gives you at all times?" Professor Dumbledore asked.
"I've been asked that many times before, and I think I've actually got a better question to present." Harry replied. "Why don't you use magic for everything in life? Clearly, Magic can be used to cut food neatly, but people still use knives and forks. Magic could be used to clean the castle, but you've got Mr. Filch, who's magical strength is significantly less than anyone in the castle, but more than that which exists in Muggles. So, why not use magic for everything? Wouldn't it be more efficient?"
"Perhaps so, but it wouldn't be the best course of action one could take." Professor Dumbledore responded.
"Well, there you go." Harry said, smiling.
"Tell me, Harry. Did you use Magic to help you discover the mirror of Erised's purpose?" Professor Dumbledore asked.
"I did." Harry replied. "If Magic wasn't here, it wouldn't have even had an effect on me."
"Indeed so." Professor Dumbledore stated in reply. "I am glad that you, unlike others, didn't fall into the trap of the delights, or horrors, of this mirror. It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live."
"No, I suppose not." Harry replied. "Why is the mirror here, sir?"
"It's a temporary location until it is moved to a different home, one which is unlikely you shall find. However, should you do so, I trust you will now be prepared to encounter it again." Professor Dumbledore stated in reply.
"Yes, I suppose so." Harry responded. "Do you think I'll encounter it again?"
"I confess that, on this matter, I am not entirely certain. When it comes to you, such certainty is impossible to predict." Professor Dumbledore said.
"By the way, Professor, thanks for accommodating me and getting my schedule in braille, and also, letting me learn how to fly. I appreciate that you're not overprotective of me." Harry said.
"I thank you, Harry." Professor Dumbledore responded.
"Well, I'm going to continue my stroll. Have a good day, sir." Harry called.
"To you, as well." Professor Dumbledore replied as Harry walked from the room. He found the chat with Professor Dumbledore to be interesting and a little intriguing. If anyone was confounding, it was him.
Harry found he enjoyed the holidays far more than he'd originally imagined. He and Ron had the common room to themselves, and as a result, were able to take the chairs closest to the warm fire. Ron showed Harry how to use a toasting fork to cook things over the fire, something Harry was initially nervous about, but eventually learned how to accomplish. He still needed some limited help from Ron to tell him when to turn something, and when it was finished being toasted. Otherwise, Harry was able to toast something himself, and Magic, as she was able to do, picked up the skill with ease.
Harry also learned how to play wizards chess from Ron, who had to teach him the rules, as Harry had never played chess before. He found the sounds the pieces made to be enjoyable, though, but somewhat disturbing, especially when one piece slammed another to take it. Harry was able to learn the game, but it was a challenge to keep everything in his head. He was able to touch the pieces, but generally, they didn't like that, so it turned into a challenge for Harry's memory. He was terrible at it, but that didn't matter to him. He and Ron enjoyed themselves, Ron often laughing with Harry at his ridiculous strategies, and Harry trying to strategize on how better to remember where the pieces were on the board.
Harry went to bed on Christmas Eve, expecting no gifts from anyone. When he woke to find Ron unwrapping his presents, Harry sat up and said, "Happy Christmas, Ron."
"Same to you, mate." Ron responded.
"What's this?" Harry asked as he touched a pile of gifts at the end of his bed. "Are those all for me?"
"Of course they are." Ron replied. "You didn't think you wouldn't get any presents, did you? It's Christmas!"
"Well, I usually just get one thing a year, and it's something practical I can use." Harry responded.
"Like what?" Ron asked.
"Coat hangers, a ruler, a compass, things like that." Harry replied.
"You don't ever get anything for fun?" Ron asked.
"Fun?" Harry said with a bit of a chuckle. "Please. The Dursley's wouldn't know fun if it hit them in the face. Not for me, anyway. The things they got me were always things to make their life easier, and me more independent from them without using what they liked to call my abnormality, which is really my magic."
"Well, you've got me, Hermione, and a few others that want to make your life fun." Ron said. "So, go on, mate, feel free to open them."
Harry picked up the top package. He wasn't able to read the card, but Ron helpfully said, "Looks like that's from Hagrid."
Unwrapping it, Harry found some type of flute. Curiously, he blew into it, then set it aside.
"I'll have to learn how to play, I suppose." Harry said. "I wonder why he got that for me."
"Who knows." Ron responded as Harry grabbed another package.
"This is from the Dursley's." Harry said. "And it looks like it's a fifty-pence piece. That was nice of them, I didn't think they'd get me that, or anything, really."
"Is that Muggle money?" Ron asked, sounding utterly fascinated.
"It sure is. Here, take a look." Harry said, lightly tossing it to him. He heard it land on the floor, but Ron picked it up.
"Weird." He said, sounding as if he was concentrating on it.
"You can keep it if you want." Harry said, chuckling and amused by Ron's fascination with the simple Muggle item.
Harry picked up something that felt lumpy and soft, though with something hard inside. Ron groaned.
"Oh, no. I told her you didn't expect anything from her but..."
Ron's voice trailed off as Harry tore open the package to find a sweater and a box. Harry pulled it on with a grin.
"That's very warm. From your mother?" Harry asked.
"Yeah." Ron replied. "I can't believe she sent you a Weasley sweater."
"And what's this?" Harry asked, holding up the box.
"Looks like it's homemade fudge." Ron said.
"Grand." Harry said. "I'll have to thank her for both."
"Every year she makes us a sweater." Ron said as Harry heard him unwrapping something. "Mine's always maroon."
"Well, be glad for what you've got." Harry said. "You going to put it on?"
"How'd you know that's what I unwrapped?" Ron asked. "You're really not blind, are you?"
"Oh, I assure you, I am." Harry responded. "I didn't know, I just assumed you'd get to it eventually and wondered if you were going to wear it."
"I suppose I will." Ron said as he pulled it on.
"Great." Harry responded, trying some of the excellent fudge.
The next gift he'd received was a large box of Chocolate Frogs from Hermione. With delight, Harry opened the box, sniffed, then closed it back up.
"I'll be enjoying those later." Harry said, grabbing another package and opening it.
"That's from Daphne." Ron said.
"Huh." Harry stated, finding something with a knob on it, and surprisingly, a braille manual.
"What is it?" Ron asked as Harry quickly read the title page and part of the table of contents, scanning the manual for a moment with a grin.
"It's a timer!" He said joyfully. "It's an analogue Muggle one."
"A what?" Ron asked.
"Well, it's been modified, of course, but it doesn't run off electricity. See, what you do is turn this knob here." Harry turned it and heard it clicking, feeling braille in the upper left corner that changed. "And then, I let it go, flip this switch at the bottom, and it's at ten seconds. That'll be great for potions work if I ever need to time more than one thing at a time. My watch doesn't have more than one timer, and it's a little slow to set. This will be very helpful."
The timer let out a soft, but quite noticeable ding. Harry grinned and slipped it into a pocket.
"There's one more thing." Ron said as Harry crumpled up his wrapping paper and other garbage.
"Hmm." Harry said, picking up the light package. "Who's it from?"
"There's no card." Ron said. "I can't tell."
Harry tore open the package and touched something that felt like it was partly fabric and partly water. It was a very strange feeling. The cloth was folded in his lap, and he heard Ron gasp as he felt it and shook it out. It was a cloak, he realized, but not one he'd ever heard of before. It seemed like it would be comfortable to wear.
"That's an invisibility cloak!" Ron said. "I think it is, anyway. Go on, Harry, put it on!"
Harry stood up and swung the cloak around his shoulders, pulling up its hood. It covered him completely, and even had room for others to join him inside. Ron gasped again.
"Wow!" He said. "I can't see you at all! There's a note there, want me to read it?"
"Sure." Harry said as he took off the cloak and folded it back up, placing it carefully in the sixth compartment of the trunk as Ron picked up the note.
"The note says this. 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." Ron read.
"No signature?" Harry asked as he closed the trunk.
"No." Ron responded, then said eagerly, "We could use it to go see what's in the third floor corridor!"
"I don't know, Ron. We probably shouldn't do that."
"Oh, come on, Harry, it'll be fun! Besides, we can get away from that death Dumbledore talked about, being invisible and all." Ron said. "And maybe we can even find out why he said that."
"We'll go, but you'll have to lead me, and we'll need to be careful." Harry said.
"Great!" Ron said, sounding excited.
Harry felt elated to have something that had once belonged to his father. Whoever had sent the cloak seemed to know his family pretty well, and had been trusted by them. He found he was anticipating that night, when he and Ron would go on their adventure together. Ron was gathering up their garbage and tossing it in the waste basket when the door to the dormitory opened, admitting Fred and George.
"Merry Christmas!" One of the twins said.
"Hey, look, Harry's got a Weasley sweater, too!" The other added, then the first spoke again.
"Good to see you're wearing yours, Ron. Mum would be proud of you for that, I'm sure."
"Harry talked me into it." Ron responded.
"So, Harry, you can persuade our Ronicans as well, how wonderful." The second twin said.
"I've always wondered, who is who?" Harry asked. "You sound almost the same."
"Well, since you wouldn't know, we'll tell you that I've got a G on my sweater." The first said.
"And I, an F." The second responded.
"But of course, we both know we're called Gred and Forge." The first added.
"Okay." Harry replied. "So, you're Fred." He faced the first twin. "And you're George." He faced the second. "Since you prank everyone, seems reasonable to think you'd swap sweaters."
"You're pretty good, Harry." Fred said. "You might just be right up there with the marauders soon enough."
"The who?" Harry asked.
"Never you mind, Harry, trade secret." The second twin, George, replied.
"What's all this noise?" Harry heard Percy's voice say. He sounded disapproving, Harry noticed, but was too happy to care.
"P for prefect! Get it on, Percy, come on, we're all wearing ours, even Harry got one." Fred said as Harry heard something being pulled over Percy's head.
"I don't want..." Percy began, and Harry chuckled. Ron laughed.
"And you're not sitting with the prefects today, either." George added. "Christmas is a time for family."
Harry heard them marching from the room, and once they left, Ron, Chuckling, said, "Percy's arms are stuck to his sides because they're not through the sleeves of his Weasley sweater. Hilarious." Harry laughed.
"Well, at least they've got one thing right." Harry said as he stood, heading toward the door.
"Yeah? What's that?" Ron asked.
"Christmas is a time for family. But it's also a time for good friends to spend time together and have fun. So let's go!" Harry grinned, cheerful and eager to experience the best Christmas he'd ever had so far.
As always, the food was superb, and the feast was better than anything Harry had enjoyed before. There were several unfamiliar things that were on the table as well, which were some type of party crackers. Harry had only heard of them in passing and during the Dursley's parties, though these weren't anything at all like the ones they used. When he pulled one with Fred, it went off with a blast like a cannon, startling Harry and making him jump. He could smell the scent of smoke that quickly faded, and left behind indicated to him by Fred, was a rear admiral's hat and several live white mice that quickly ran off. Harry didn't know where they ended up, but thought they would probably become the dinner of Mrs. Norris, Mr. Filch's cat.
Puddings unlike anything Harry had ever had before followed the turkey, and Harry found them quite enjoyable. He could hear the chatter around, much quieter than usual in some ways due to the lack of people. Hagrid was getting louder and more raucous as the Christmas feast went on, and he had fun pulling more party crackers, some of which he did with Magic. He left with many things from them at the end of the feast, Magic making the objects hover in front of him so he didn't have to carry them. One of the items was a wizards chess set, which was brand new, and which Harry was eager to test with Ron later on. He was also curious to play chess against Magic, though imagined she'd trounce him easily. He was more curious to see how a match between she and Ron would go, knowing Magic would respond to his thoughts as she always did.
Harry ran through the deep snow later on that afternoon, hearing Fred, George and Ron all ganging up on him to try and catch him. Magic stood to one side, and as it was a magical school, Harry had no bad feelings about using Magic to win the snowball fight. In front of him and to either side, Harry was surrounded by walls of thick snow, a roof of solid ice over his head. There was only one means of attack, now, Harry knew, grinning at his cleverness.
"Harry!" Ron shouted as he heard several snowballs hitting his magically constructed fort. "Magic, I'll get you both!"
Magic picked up two snowballs in either hand and Harry heard her fling them at Ron, he crying out. She was very fast when she needed to be, and Harry grinned to himself as he heard Fred and George hit by snow and crying out. He then sent pieces of his fort at the three Weasley's through use of levitation, and furious, Fred and George pulled out their wands and aimed them in Harry's direction. Harry shouted as cold snow slammed into him and hit him, but got into the spirit of things, making a wall of snow with magic and sending it back at them. It was the most enjoyable thing he'd ever done in the snow, and when it started to get dark, they all went back inside, eager to warm themselves next to the fire in the Gryffindor common room.
"Ron." Magic said as she, Harry and Ron sat at a small table.
"Yeah?" Ron asked, looking up from Harry's chess set, which he was helping to set up.
"I'll play you." She said. "Harry wants to see the match."
"Oh, that'll be good." Ron stated. "How are you supposed to see, blind man?"
"Maybe you should learn how to hear better, Ron, I listen well. How do you think I beat you at your own snowball fight earlier? Even with Fred and George, you couldn't catch me, could you?" Harry asked with a grin. "How does a blind man see, what a joke."
"I thought so." Ron said with a chuckle.
Percy Weasley kept giving Magic advice as she played, but she focused on the chess game with the singular focus that was unique to her. Harry heard their moves and tried vainly to keep track of them, as he wasn't using his link of knowledge with Magic. He enjoyed the challenge. To Harry's surprise, Ron beat her.
"Your problem, Magic, is that you're just thinking pure logic and you don't anticipate everything." Ron said to her as he set the board up for another game. "Want to go again?"
"Harry wants me to." Magic responded.
They played again, and Harry could feel the flame within him learning, gathering data, expanding in the unique way of understanding and awareness. He always loved it when it did this, as Magic gained further skill, and when he opened his link of knowledge with her, he had it as well. She did much better for herself this time, beating Ron to a draw. Harry then played him, practicing the skills Magic had learned and he knew as a result, though didn't use her when he played. His biggest challenge was still remembering where everything was. If it hadn't been for that, Harry was confident he could probably win, though wasn't sure. Ron didn't play the same way each time, and the numerous strategies in chess made it a complicated and challenging game. It didn't help that Percy was chasing Fred and George around the common room and the rest of the tower, trying to get his stolen prefect badge back.
Finally, everyone went up to their beds, and quietly, Harry unlocked the sixth compartment of his trunk and let the invisibility cloak run through his hands. His heart pounded with excitement as the minutes passed, and after about a half hour, he heard Ron move in his bed.
"You ready, mate?" He asked.
"Sure." Harry replied. "I can't use my cane, so feel free to lead me. I'll take your arm."
Ron swung the cloak around both of them, and after ensuring it was covering their feet, they made their way from the dormitory and into the common room. Harry heard Magic stand and made her vanish into invisibility with a thought, she silently following them as they left the common room. Sleepily, the portrait of the woman guarding the entrance said, "Who's there?" They didn't answer, of course.
It was an exhilarating experience to walk down the corridor, knowing he was invisible with Ron, and couldn't be seen by anyone. They were quiet as they made their way carefully through the corridors and down the steps. Harry was completely reliant on Ron to lead him, and felt the distance between him and Magic remain constant. Finally, after what seemed like both a long and short amount of time, they were at the forbidden third floor corridor. Harry trembled as Ron whispered, "It's going to be locked. So now what?"
"Now, Magic goes in." Harry said.
The door clicked open, and beside him, Harry heard Ron freeze. He opened his knowledge link with Magic and began receiving the data of what she was looking at. Standing in the corridor, so huge that it was about half the width, was a dog that was two meters tall. It had three slobbering heads, and everything that went with them including eyes, ears, and hair. It stood on a trap door, and was quickly getting over its surprise at the door opening. Harry could hear the deep, thunderous growls from it, and felt more terror of that than he had of Fang. The door silently and swiftly closed and locked, and he stood frozen, trembling from the growls he'd heard. The data, nothing but pure statistical information, didn't terrify him, but the sound of three growling dogs had, knowing it was coming from only one.
"Come on." Ron whispered in a fiercely trembling voice, also terrified.
They just started to move when Harry heard the meow of a cat, which was likely Mrs. Norris. His heart beat hard as he stood completely still, but in what seemed like minutes but was only about thirty seconds, Ron tugged him along. Trusting his friend, Harry allowed himself to be led back to the common room.
They went up to the dormitory before they took off the cloak and said anything to each other. As soon as Ron shoved the cloak into Harry's hands, he fell back on to his bed, trembling and breathing hard.
"What are they doing keeping a thing like that locked up in the school?" Ron asked fiercely, though kept his voice down so he wouldn't be heard.
"That's... That's guarding something." Harry said, realizing his voice was trembling. He clenched his hands together and tried to steady them, but was too scared.
"What?" Ron asked, sounding horrified. "That beast is guarding something?"
"It was standing on a trap door." Harry said in reply. "I don't know what's underneath. It could be guarding whatever was in vault seven-hundred and thirteen that wasn't stolen. Maybe it got here first."
"What do you think it is?" Ron asked.
"I don't know." Harry replied. "I don't know about you, but I'm going to get some sleep. That was quite the adventure."
"Yeah." Ron said. "At least we'll have something to tell Hermione and Daphne when they get back."
Harry agreed, pulled his curtains shut, and after folding his cloak with trembling hands and placing it back into the trunk, he climbed into his warm bed and lay flat on his back, heart pounding. For a long time, he wasn't able to get back to sleep, and judging from the lack of snoring from Ron, he was having similar difficulty. Harry's mind went over and over the growls he'd heard, and tried to solve the mystery of what the huge dog could possibly be guarding. Eventually, he drifted off to sleep, the mystery unsolved.