Hogwarts.
Gryffindor dormitory.
Harry and Ron were excitedly unwrapping their presents.
As Harry tore open one package, he exclaimed, "I never thought I'd get so many presents. No—I thought I wouldn't get any at all."
The first gift he opened was from Hagrid: a roughly carved wooden flute.
Harry figured Hagrid must have made it himself. He blew into it, and it produced a sound very much like an owl's hoot.
To his surprise, he even received a gift from his aunt and uncle… a coin.
A fifty-pence coin.
"That's… surprisingly friendly…"
"Hoo-hoot—!!"
Hearing the sound, Ron—still buried in unwrapping a large paper package—didn't even look up.
"Harry, is Hagrid's flute really that much fun? Let me try it?"
"Ah, I wasn't blowing it."
The next moment, the sound of flapping wings filled the room.
Harry and Ron looked up to see an owl fly in and drop a gift box in front of each of them.
Then it simply chose a random bedpost and perched there quietly.
Ignoring the messenger—they were already used to this—Harry and Ron eagerly unwrapped the gifts they had just received.
"It's from Lucien! Mine's a broomstick repair kit. Lucien is so thoughtful!"
Harry happily examined the tools, already imagining using them on his Nimbus 2000.
"Huh, mine is a portable, expandable, collapsible lunchbox?"
Ron continued reading the description on the card.
"Lucien made it himself. It keeps food warm for a long time. Wow, the space inside is huge!"
"This way, I won't have to worry about being hungry at night!"
Ron cheerfully put away the lunchbox, then said with a hint of envy,
"Those Hufflepuffs are so lucky. Their common room is right next to the kitchen. They can eat whenever they want."
"Harry, do you think… if I weren't a Weasley, I might've been sorted into Hufflepuff…"
The bulging paper package was only halfway unwrapped when Ron suddenly let out a wry smile.
"It's a Weasley family–special sweater knitted by my mum. Why is mine always magenta? This color is so weird."
"Oh, right—Harry, my mum said she knitted one for you too. And Lucien… I wonder if he'll like his?"
The owl perched on the headboard ruffled its feathers.
Hmm, it's actually pretty nice. And very warm.
Mrs. Molly Weasley's craftsmanship for household items was still excellent.
The owl—Lucien—tilted its head and glanced at the sweater in Harry's hand.
Wow, what a bright green. Good thing it's not a fluffy hat.
Harry looked delighted. This was the first time he had ever received brand-new clothes from someone else. He used to only wear Dudley's old cast-offs.
He chewed on the homemade fudge Mrs. Molly had included, and at the same time reached for a Chocolate Frog from Hermione, popping it into his mouth.
"Look, Ron, what's this?"
Harry unwrapped the last gift, and a pool of liquid-like, silvery-grey fabric slid onto the floor.
"No way—is that really…?"
Ron picked it up in disbelief and unfolded it.
"It's an Invisibility Cloak!"
"Oh my goodness, if someone gave me an Invisibility Cloak, I'd be willing to eat a feast every day!"
"You do that already!"
"Ok, ok, now use it and show me!!"
At Ron's urging, Harry put on the cloak.
"Damn, you really disappeared!"
As Harry moved, a note slipped down to his feet.
"Your father left this with me before he died. It is time it was returned to you. Use it well. A very Merry Christmas to you."
Harry stared blankly at the words. He didn't understand who had sent it, or that it belonged to his father… The owl's eyes also glanced at the cloak draped over Harry.
Tsk, tsk. The Deathly Hallows are showing up already.
Legend says this was a gift from Death himself, granting it permanent invisibility.
This was different from the usual Invisibility Cloaks made from Demiguise hair, which lose effectiveness with use and time, and unlike the temporary invisibility produced by a Disillusionment Charm.
Alright then—now Harry can officially step into the main plot and start searching for the Philosopher's Stone.
Lucien's pupils narrowed. Using the owl's excellent vision, he focused on an open Chocolate Frog box.
Hmm, let's speed things up a bit.
With a flap of his wings, he flew straight toward the pile of Chocolate Frogs.
"Merlin's beard, this owl is actually trying to steal our snacks!"
"Stop it!"
Facing the two panicking children, Lucien was speechless. He deftly dodged their reaching hands.
He knocked the Chocolate Frogs apart, letting a card just happen to drift toward Harry's face.
Then the two boys could only watch as the owl snatched a piece of Chocolate Frog.
Ron was stunned, his mouth hanging open.
"I have to tell George and Fred. They'll never believe this…"
Harry subconsciously caught the card that came with the Chocolate Frog.
His gaze fell on the person on it: Dumbledore.
As his eyes moved downward, he read Dumbledore's widely known achievements—defeating the Dark Wizard Grindelwald in 1945, discovering the twelve uses of dragon's blood, and his work in Alchemy with his partner Nicolas Flamel…
Nicolas Flamel?
"Nicolas Flamel!"
"That's right, Harry—didn't Hermione tell us to keep looking for Nicolas Flamel before the holidays?"
Ron picked up the Every Flavor Beans Hermione had sent, took one out, and popped it into his mouth.
He chewed for a moment, then quietly spat it out.
"Oh no—Nicolas Flamel, look at this card! I knew that name sounded familiar, but I just couldn't remember it. It's right here!"
Harry grabbed Ron by the shoulders, urgently pushing the card toward his face.
Ron finally managed to see what was on it.
"Dumbledore card? Ah, I already have several of.. Merlin's woolly socks! Nicolas Flamel!"
Ron gripped the card tightly, eyes glued to the name as if it might run away.
A moment later, Ron suddenly spun to face Harry.
"That owl is our lucky bird! George told me that if you meet an animal that brings good luck on Christmas Day, you should worship it, give it food and drink every day, and you'll be well-fed and lucky for life!"
"Harry, we have to find that owl!"
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