𝐂𝐎𝐋𝐋𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐋 𝐃𝐀𝐌𝐀𝐆𝐄 ¹

55. firebolt

"I need to show it to Harry and Ron," she squealed, bursting out in happiness, before taking the broom and dashing out of the girls dormitory.

"I've got a Firebolt!" Harper exclaimed, as she dashed into the boys dormitory. Her smile broadened when she saw an identical broom in Harry's hand.

Ron jumped up. "Blimey, Harp, you too?"

Harper fell down next to Harry and showed him her broom.

"Who sent it to you?" Ron asked in a hushed voice.

"Look and see if there's a card," Harry said.

Ron ripped apart the Firebolt's wrappings.

"Nothing! Blimey, who'd spent that much money on the two of you?"

"Well," Harry began, "I'm betting it wasn't the Dursleys."

"I bet it was Dumbledore," Ron said, now walking round and round the Firebolt, taking in every glorious inch. "He sent you the Invisibility Cloak anonymously . . ."

"That was our dad's, though," Harper said. "Dumbledore was just passing it on to Harry. He wouldn't spend hundreds of Galleons on us. He can't go giving students stuff like this —"

"That's why he wouldn't say it was from him!" Ron exclaimed. "In case some fit as Malfoy said it was favoritism. Hey, Harry, Harp —" Ron have a great whoop of laughter, "Malfoy! Wait 'til he sees the two of you on this! He'll be sick as a pig! This is an international-standard broom, this is!"

"I can't believe this," Harry muttered, running a hand along the Firebolt, while Ron sank onto Harry's bed, laughing his head off at the thought of Malfoy. "Who —?"

"I know," Ron said, controlling himself. "I know who it could've been — Lupin!"

"No," Harper said, shaking her head, "he doesn't have that much money, it cannot possibly be him who sent us not one but two Firebolts."

"I agree with Harp," Harry said.

"What are you three laughing about?" Hermione asked, entering the dormitory while carrying Crookshanks, who was looking very grumpy, with a string of tinsel ties around his neck.

"Don't bring him in here!" Ron said, hurriedly snatching Scabbers from the debts of his bed and stowing him in his pyjama pocket. But Hermione wasn't listening. She dropped Crookshanks onto Seamus's empty bed and stared at the two Firebolts.

"So you've got one too," she said. "Who sent you that?"

"No idea," Harry said. "There wasn't a card or anything with it."

To my great surprise, Hermione did not appeared either excited or intrigued by this news. On the contrary, her face fell and she bit her lip.

"What's the matter with you?" Ron asked.

"I don't know," Hermione said slowly, "but it's a bit odd, isn't it? I mean, this is supposed to be quite a good broom according to Harper."

"The best," Harper corrected her, patting her new broom fondly.

"It's the best broom there is, Hermione," Ron agreed.

"So it must've been really expensive . . ."

"Probably cost more than all the Slytherins' brooms put together," Ron replied happily.

"Well . . . who'd send Harry and Harper something as expensive as that and not even tell them they'd sent it?" Hermione said.

"Who cares?" Ron said, impatiently. "Listen, Harry, Harper, can I have a go on it? Can I?"

"I don't think anyone should ride that broom just yet!" Hermione said shrilly.