Hogwarts: Harry Returns from Azeroth

Chapter 75 74. Invisibility Cloak and Percy's Death

It is basically impossible for a young wizard to encounter any danger near Hogwarts. The four founders have taken almost everything into consideration and have a complete set of protective measures, not to mention the patchwork of successive headmasters.

"That's right," Ron shrugged. He said excitedly, "In that case, let's go to the Black Lake and try it out after I finish the puzzle. Harry, your enlargement spell should be able to enlarge it enough for us to get in - can I have a captain's position?"

"Whatever you say." Harry also sat down cross-legged on the carpet, "Then I'll be the first mate."

"Hey, that's great." Ron grinned. "Let's not talk about it for now, Harry, hurry up and open your presents. It only happens once a year! To be honest, you have a lot of presents. You'll have a busy day today."

There were indeed a lot of them. Next to Ron there was only a pile of packages that was almost as high as his knees, but next to Harry's bed there was a small mountain. Packages of all sizes had even piled up to form a peak that was almost higher than the curtains beside the bed.

Gifts are nice, but they should be given in moderation - after opening so many gifts one by one, Harry felt that he might have lost most of the day.

"I need help, Ron," Harry said seriously.

"Of course, of course I know you need help," Ron shrugged, "Why else do you think I'm opening my presents so quickly? Oh, another sweater, one every year."

Ron held a dark burgundy sweater in his hands.

"Uh, this is a sweater my mom knitted," Ron said, blushing a little, "we get one every year."

"A mother's love," Harry commented, "very warm."

"Honestly, I don't actually like this color," Ron complained as he put on the sweater, which was the perfect size and length.

Children grow fast, but Mrs. Weasley's sweater didn't look out of place at all, as if she had tailored it for Ron herself.

To be honest, Harry felt that Ron just said he didn't like it, but he was very happy in his heart.

There was a sudden sound of knocking on the glass in the dormitory. Harry turned his head and saw Jaina standing on the windowsill holding a package - and then she flew in and pecked his hair as soon as Harry opened the window.

"Sorry, sorry, Merry Christmas to you too, Jaina." Harry stopped the angry owl with a bit of a smile and tears, "Here, this is your Christmas present. You've been working hard during this period... Well, maybe this is a good thing? After all, I don't usually deliver letters. Look, you've gained weight... Sorry, take your time eating."

When talking about gaining weight, Jaina angrily attacked Harry's fingers, so Harry could only pour out more nuts as an apology, and then sat back on the carpet with the gift.

Yes, Jaina brought another gift, even a gift from Hermione, a book - "Selections from the Centennial Tournament: How to Conceal Fouls"

Uh, it's a book about Quidditch. To be honest, the title made Harry look a little weird. He didn't quite understand what the wizards were pursuing in the sport of Quidditch... Was it some kind of fancy foul contest? The kind where you win as long as you're not caught?
"Ah, she gave me a box of chocolates," Ron said after taking a look. "She probably thought you were going to play in the Club Cup, so she gave you this book. I've read part of it before. To be honest, they are all very useful techniques, but of course they are also very difficult."

"I think I'll need it" Harry said after throwing the book on the bed.

The gift Neville gave him was also a book called "Detailed Explanation of the Dueling Spell". According to the letter, Neville found this book in his own home and thought that Neville would like it.

After quickly opening his own present, Ron moved over and helped Harry open these presents.

Harry received many more gifts than he gave out, because when opening the presents, Harry and Ron found that many of them were people they had never heard of or met. They were all gifts from people who felt sympathetic towards Harry because of the reports in the Daily Prophet, and hoped that he, a child who was abused in his Muggle uncle's house, could have a happy holiday.

Well, I appreciate these people's kindness, but their information is outdated, and Harry's relationship with his uncle's family is still okay.

In addition to these gifts from people from all over the wizarding world, the remaining gifts came from Hogwarts students, spanning four colleges and seven grades. Basically, all the students who participated in the first Shaman Club course gave Harry a gift. Even if they were not selected in the end, they still regarded that day's experience as a wonderful memory.

"I thought I had prepared enough gifts, but I didn't expect it was still not enough," Harry sighed, "Is it too late for me to ask Jaina to go to Diagon Alley to buy a batch of chocolates and send them out?"

"Well, I think the merchants in Diagon Alley also need to celebrate Christmas." Ron thought for a while, "I think maybe you can ask Headmaster Dumbledore about this question? After all, he is so famous, and there should be a lot of people giving him gifts every year."

"Really? Headmaster Dumbledore told me that someone would send him a Howler," Harry complained, which made Ron laugh.

"Why would anyone send him a Howler?" Ron laughed. "He's Dumbledore. Well, I think you don't have to worry about it this year, Harry. After all, it's too late to send it now. It's a big job. Jaina might peck your fingernails off."

"Just keep a note of these people, and prepare some gifts for them next Christmas... a box of candy or chocolate or something."

"Good idea, let's do it that way." Harry nodded, and he casually opened another package, which was not big, but very light and thin.

The next moment, something like liquid, silver-grey, flowed out from Harry's hands. It was very smooth and shiny, and gathered in a pool on the carpet beside his legs, sparkling.

There was also a note in the package which read:

[I'm sorry, Harry, your father left it to me before he died. Now it should be returned to you for your use.]

【Sincerely wish you a Merry Christmas】

【Albus Dumbledore】

"This is a gift from Dumbledore!" Ron, who had also seen the contents of the note, exclaimed in envy, "This is probably an invisibility cloak! It's very precious!! Try it now!"

I have to say that as a child born and raised in the wizarding world, Ron has quite a lot of knowledge.

It was indeed an invisibility cloak, and after putting it on, Harry found that the cloak seemed to have completely disappeared. There was no silver glow, no silver-gray color, and along with it disappeared the part of his body covered by the cloak.

"Aha! I guessed right!" Ron said excitedly, "Let's go to the castle to play at night! Harry! With the invisibility cloak, we won't be caught by Filch!"

Even during the Christmas holidays, there is a curfew in Hogwarts.

As a member of the Weasley family, Ron had always wanted to take a night tour of the castle like Fred and George, and as a Gryffindor, life in Hogwarts would be soulless without a night tour.

However, Ron, who had just entered Hogwarts, still held back. After all, he had no confidence that he could escape from Filch's cat - those senior students were almost praising the cat like a ghost, making it omnipresent and impossible to escape.

"You can go anytime you want," Harry said nonchalantly, "I'll put it in my bedside table... you know, the one in the box. Just go get it if you want."

The Invisibility Cloak was indeed valuable, but since it needed to be worn when in use and movements could not be too large, Harry felt that it was not as convenient as the Disillusionment Charm he was currently learning, which was a spell that could also achieve invisibility and was very convenient.

Rather than the existence of this invisibility cloak, what Harry wanted to know more was why his father's invisibility cloak was in Dumbledore's possession, and... why did he apologize?

Why do I feel like my hands aren't clean when I go on adventures?

Just as Harry and Ron were talking, the dormitory door was suddenly pushed open from the outside - to be honest, for a moment they thought that Hermione had returned to Hogwarts by train overnight.

But the two brothers who pushed the door open were Fred and George. They were both wearing blue sweaters, the style of which was no different from the one Ron was wearing, except that one had a big yellow letter 'F' on the chest, and the other had the letter 'G'.

Well, it was obvious that Mrs. Weasley had put a lot of thought into identifying her own children.

"Merry Christmas!"

The twins made the same sound as soon as they entered the room.

"I hope you like what we gave you, Harry - oh my god," Fred and George looked in awe, "a mountain of gifts!"

"I imagined this scene more than once when I was a child—"

"Yeah, I think maybe five."

"More than ten times." "In short, we have fantasized about endless presents many times." Fred rubbed his hands.

"Then what are you waiting for?" Harry pouted at the mountain of gifts, "You've come at the right time, come and help."

With two excited shouts, Fred and George joined the battlefield.

With four people working together, the progress was obviously much faster. At least Harry felt that he could make it in time for the Christmas party at noon and not waste a whole day on this pile of gifts.

"Oh! Look, Harry has one too!" Fred suddenly raised the thing in his hand and shouted, "I guess it must be little Ronnie who told his mother!"

"George!" Ron growled angrily, "You promised me you wouldn't call me that anymore!"

"Sorry, Ron," Fred shrugged and said, "but I'm Fred, and George is over there."

"It's the same for all of you!" Ron said angrily, and then looked at Harry. He was a little nervous, "Well, I told my mother... She thought you took good care of me at school..."

"And Mum saw the reports in the Daily Prophet," George interrupted. "Oh my God, Harry, you can't imagine it. She even looked like she was about to cry. Her eyes were full of tears. She said you were pathetic - sorry, she didn't mean any harm."

"It's okay, I like it very much." Harry shrugged and put the sweater on directly. "By the way, if there are any next year, can I apply for a dark blue one?"

This was a very bright green sweater, and a little tight. Harry guessed that Mrs. Weasley had knitted it for him based on Ron's body shape, but she hadn't expected that Harry exercised every day and occasionally did some magical work, so he was taller and stronger than Ron.

But it was not a big problem. Harry tapped the sweater with his wand, and the next moment, the tight parts were no longer tight and the size became right.

"Ten points for Gryffindor!" Fred suddenly shouted at the top of his lungs, "A beautiful silent spell, Mr. Potter. I almost thought it was a professor casting a spell."

"Wait, it seems like he is indeed a professor." Fred suddenly realized this, "Then it's okay."

He shrugged, walked over and placed a box next to Harry, then touched the sweater.

"I'll help tell Mom about your request. I think she'll be happy to agree... Well, this is a box of her homemade fudge. I hope you don't think it's too sweet - but George, I think the one Mom knitted for Harry is better."

"Obviously, she's more attentive to people who aren't her family," George said nonchalantly, "Stop talking nonsense and open your presents quickly. The sooner you open them, the sooner we can go to the restaurant. You don't want to take this opportunity to slack off, do you?"

"of course not."

Percy poked his head out from the crack in the door. He came out to stop Fred and George's quarrel after hearing them. Unfortunately, he was no match for them. After a few moves, Fred and George forced him to wear the same sweater as Weasley, which even knocked his glasses crooked.

It was like a straitjacket for a mental patient. Percy's arms were bound together by the sweater, making him unable to move.

"You are strictly prohibited from sitting with the prefects today!" George warned solemnly, "Christmas is a day for family reunion - although we don't go home, we all have to be together in school!"

"I don't think he wants to sit with the prefects." Watching the show in front of him, Harry opened his presents and said casually, "Percy probably wants to dress up handsomely and stand out, and then -"

"W-W-W!! Harry!!!"

Harry was interrupted by a panicked roar from Percy, which he had to make a lot of noise to cover up.

Like a caterpillar, Percy broke free from Fred and George's grip and pounced towards Harry - he probably wanted to cover Harry's mouth with his hand, but unfortunately he couldn't pull his hand away in such a hurry.

In a long strip, Percy fell miserably to the ground.

"Hey! Percy! You're going to crush the snacks!!" Ron protested in dissatisfaction.

"Now is not the time to worry about snacks!!" Percy said angrily, "You should care more about your brother, that is, me!"

"Harry! You can't—"

"uh-huh?"

Harry hummed softly, and Percy's voice suddenly turned gentle.

"I mean, is there anything you want to eat recently, Harry?" Percy said gently, too gently. There was even a smile on his face that Ron found unfamiliar, as beautiful as the winter sun. "We can talk about it."

"Oh my god, Percy," Ron's mouth opened in shock, "You look so disgusting right now."

"Shut up!" Percy glared at his ignorant brother fiercely, but when he looked at Harry, he looked gentle again.

"I think you probably misunderstood something," Harry shrugged and said, "I mean you actually want to spend the first day of the new year with your family in a brand new look. I don't know why you are so excited."

Percy opened his mouth wide and looked at Harry blankly, as if he saw Professor McGonagall dancing in a floral dress.

"...You are such a wicked bull, Harry," Percy squeezed out an accusing voice from his throat, his face full of powerlessness.

Because he had already felt the pressure coming from behind him at this moment - like two black holes that would swallow up hope.

Black hole, black tomorrow.

"Oh~, it turns out that our class leader dressed so handsomely because he wanted to spend a wonderful New Year with us~"

Fred spoke in an exaggerated aria.

"Shut up, George," Percy said dejectedly, "Don't just call me prefect at times like this."

"I'm George, you idiot," the real George said, following up his identical brother's words with a similar aria. "But Fred, why did he get so excited when Harry brought that up?"

"Perhaps it's because he's hiding a secret, my brother."

"Oh my god! Secret!" George exaggerated, "Then I thought he was dressed so fancy--"

"Attracting bees and butterflies——"

"The heartthrob——"

"Anyway, we thought he was going to meet someone~" Fred showed a subtle smile, "This is really inappropriate, George."

"Yeah, that's totally wrong." Like two evil gangsters, the twins grinned at Percy's fallen figure.

——The kind of hideous smile that was enough to make Ron tremble.

"I think we must excuse ourselves for a moment, Harry."

Fred and George each squatted down, grabbed Percy's legs, who were struggling to avoid being caught, and dragged him out the door.

"No - No! Don't!" Just like a scene from a horror movie, Percy's ten fingers left ten long scratches on the carpet. That was his last struggle to survive, and his desperate roar, "Save me! Harry! You evil minotaur!!!"

(End of this chapter)