Another month would come and go once again and now it was the Christmas holidays where nearly every single student would leave to spend Christmas at home including all of the Slithrin's
as the only 1 left in Slitherin was Harry Potter himself as he had the common room to himself of course before he did Draco had insulted him again this time for having no family to return home too which had Harry almost berate the shit head
but kept his mouth shut as Malfoy wasn't wrong but more importantly that git wasn't going to be here for the rest of the Christmas holiday which was practically a whole month of not having to deal with the Slitherin's and more importantly to Harry it meant Hedwig no longer had to hide in her owl form while in the common room as she can now be in her human form without risk of being caught since Professor Snape was still a thick head and even with Harrys best attempts to excel in his class Snape was still in lame mans terms a jerk towards him
even publicly calling out to the whole class if Harry made any kind of mistake no matter how little it was fortunately due to him being a Slithrin that despite Snapes bullying he never took away house points from him but that certainly didnt stop Snape from taking house points from every other house mostly Griffindor
but that doesn't matter as right now Harry was sleeping in his own bed in the empty and quiet common room as it was Christmas morning but that certainly wasn't a reason for Harry to wake up since it was cold and the Black Lake had practically being frozen over it often lead to the common room getting rather cold or freezing at times which meant Harry would just sleep in under the warm thick blankets
that all beds have been given however Harry wasn't alone as snuggling next to him was his love Hedwig as she was in her human form as the 2 are in a deep embrace their bodys pressed against each other as this was very common has it helped keep them both warmer and it felt nice ontop of that made it rather difficult for Harry to give up
since the holidays are here their wasn't a need to get up and could just lay in which is what Harry and Hedwig did as despite it being Christmas their was no need to be hasty plus Harry knew he doesn't have any physical gifts under the tree and that was perfectly fine with him
as Harry would groan as he woke up with a stretch as his eyes would meet the slowly waking form of Hedwig as her eyes would flutter open as their eyes would stare into each other before a smile is on both of their faces their magic swirling around them like a gentle river as Harry much to his own reluctance would climb out of bed with a stretch and gave Hedwig her privacy to freshen up and get changed as Harry had no fear of Snape comming into the common room since their wasn't a need
and if it was only to insult Harry well its childish even for Snape a complete embarrassment so their was no need for Hedwig to be in her owl form while in the common room as Harry walked into the main common room he would come to a stop as he was passing by the lovely decorated Christmas tree as it had beautiful lights flicking in diffrent colours but what was under the tree that gave Harry pauce it was a gift and with confusion on his face he carefully picked up the parcel as it was most likely accidentally sent here by 1 of the pure breeds family's and if that was the case he would simply put it back as he read who it was for only to catch his own words in his throat no this cant be right it was addressed to
Harry-'Me?'
And Harry would even cast a few spells onto the gift to ensure it wasn't bewitched or enchanted to look like it was for him as Harry would even at times frantically look around the common room while casting revelio to ensure that he was alone before just dropping the package as due to what was inside it wasn't at all fragile as he ran back to his room as the Slitherin's had a multitude of rooms with 3-4 beds in them as he would without a second thought burst into where Hedwig was as she was just adjusting her shirt collar when Harry bursted in a clear panic as Hedwig was quick to go to Harry who rushed to Hedwig and embraced her in a hug
Harry-'Thank Merlin your ok'
Hedwig-'Of course i am Harry what is the matter?'
Harry-'I saw a gift under the tree and it was adressed to me and i thought it was a trap to get to you i had to ensure you were safe i couldn't i....'
Hedwig-'Wow slow down Harry as you can see i am fine and i am capable of defending myself now you said you got a gift well lets go and check it out then'
Harry was of course sceptical about this as he couldnt trust a single thing outside of Hedwig which is how he has survived for as long as he has but reluctantly goes with Hedwig to the Christmas tree with Harry using his magic to levitate the gift and floats it over to them both as the 2 of them are seated on a couch before dropping it on his lap as he grabs the tag and reads what it says
Harry-'Your father lended this too me just before he died and now i believe its time for it to be returned to its original owner use it well?'
As the 2 would look at the wrapped up package and while it was clearly a possession that once belonged to his dad Harry didnt want to open it as it felt like Taboo since neither he or Hedwig gave each other presents like these as normally it was somthing as simple as a body massage or just cuddling in bed and just relaxing and it most certainly felt wrong to Harry like he had committed a terrible sin since Hedwig hadn't received a gift even though her identity had being a complete secret which was the point it still felt wrong as it wasn't the same as a massage or cuddle it was an item a Item! No less from his own deceased Father That would now belong to Harry not Hedwig and seeing her boys hesitant and clearly upset face she would smile before leaning into him which caught Harry by surprise
Hedwig-'If this bothers you i am sure this would help'
And waving her hand over the gift it would now say that it was addressed to both Harry and Hedwig as the boy who lived looked up at his closest companion before bringing in Hedwig in an embrace which she accepts and while he knew the truth that it was only adressed to him originally this helped ease his mind
Harry-'Lets open it together'
Hedwig-'Agreed'
And with that the 2 of them would begin to unwrap the box both being careful since the tag never did say who it was from other then whatever was inside once belonged to Harry's father and when the gift was unwrapped
it revealed it to be a silvery cloth or cloak with unique patterns and symbols decorating the material as Harry was confused by what this thing was so naturally he placed his hand on it planning on inspecting it closer only when his hand came into contact with the cloak that it suddenly seem to awaken from a dormant like state as the cloak would start to glow a powerful aura of Ancient Magic
the likes of which made the Ancient Magic that was flowing around Hogwarts seem pitiful as it was glowing bright and its power had Harry and Hedwig speechless but for 2 completely different reasons for Harry it was the fact that his father had a such powerful cloak which made all other magical cloaks irrelevant as if the other cloaks are cheap copies of this 1
with its power and Harry can feel it surging though him as he has never felt so much power before as for Hedwig the same power was also going into her since both she and Harry are soul bound but her reason for shock was that she Knew what she was looking at and couldn't believe the artifact from Harrys long Ancient powerful line has finally been passed down to him
ashame the other 2 relics weren't but no matter as what was important was that This cloak had finally become Harry's and she knew that he has become its master as she can see the torrent of magic flowing into him and herself which was a frilling experience before the surge of magic would finally come to a stop as Harry picked up the cloak and looked at it
Hedwig-'Try it on'
Harry-'Sorry?'
Hedwig-'Go on try it this did belong to James lets see how you look with it on'
She gestured as Harry would think it over for a few seconds before nodding his head as he stood up and looks at Hedwig who smiles at him as he would then drape the cloak over his body as he did his entire body except for his head would go completely invisible not even any super faint outlines of his body could be seen as he looked down and gasps out in shock
Harry-'My bodies gone!'
As he would look behind him and turned around and couldn't see his body anywhere as unlike normal invisibility cloaks more commonly the more high end creations are capable of turning you invisible with only the slight blink and you might miss it shimmer around them that gives them away
however their was no shimmer or any kind of indication that Harry's body was even their he was perfectly invisible and while Harry was marveling at the quality of the invisibility cloak Hedwig was more in deep thought as she couldn't believe their luck that whoever had this cloak before returning it to them had to be really foolish or simply ignorant of the cloaks quality or what it really was as Hedwig would then smile at Harry after all their wasn't a need to get him all worked up over the cloak
Hedwig-'Well an invisibility cloak would certainly do that Harry'
Harry-'An Invisibility Cloak?! Wow this is amazing.......Hedwig do you know what this means?'
Hedwig-'With that look in your eye Harry i do believe i have a very good idea'
Harry-'We can use this to explore the castle without the risk of you being caught'
As he would remove the cloak as his body was now visible again before draping it over Hedwig as her body would now go invisible except for her head as Harry stood up excited
Harry-'Come on Hedwig lets go and.......Hedwig?'
He called out as he had turned to look at the stairs that lead out of the common room and looked back at where Hedwig was sitting only to find she was no longer their
Hedwig-'I am over here Harry or perhapes............here!............or maybe even here!'
As Harry would look around the common room after hearing her voice in 3 diffrent locations before a smile appeared on his face as he would realise just what Hedwig was doing as Harry would begin to look for Hedwig into what has become a fun game of Hide and Seek with an intresting twist and including elements of Marko Polo
as Harry was to find Hedwig and remove the invisibility cloak while she would at times call out to him as she teased him of how close he was getting to only go silent and end up somewhere else in the room but Harry didnt mind as this was alot of fun and allowed him to fully wake up as without a doubt he would have returned to bed with Hedwig after putting away the gift as this game would go on for a little while before Harry sighs happily
Harry-'Ok ok i give up Hedwig'
He said panting as Hedwig would remove the invisibility cloak and smiles at Harry as this was alot of fun
Hedwig-'I will put this away then we should go down for breakfast afterwards we should do some exploring in the library'
Harry-'oh am i going to be learning anything new?'
Hedwig-'Yes you will be learning about Ancient Artifacts and their history'
Harry-'Ok'
Hedwig-ok i will be back in a minute'
As Harry would watch her return to his shared room as he would walk by the tree and looks at it again as he was about to go to the stairs and wait for Hedwig when he saw somthing from the corner of his eye and looks down as their was something white under the tree so bending down to check it out as he would find a letter and it was adressed to him but this time it had a name of who it belonged to as Harry stood up and read who it was from
Harry-'Astoria GreenGrass?'
So 1 of the many pure bloods here as she was a Slithrin and without bothering to read or open the letter Harry would snap his fingers as the top half of the letter would catch fire as Harry would throw it into the fire place as he wasn't going to bother opening it as it was most likely jinxed or hexed to curse him or at the least be a form of insult to him
as not once had he interacted with GreenGrass so whatever game or joke that was meant to be Harry wasn't going to play ball as he would hear Hedwig from behind him and smiles seeing her coming down the stairs from where the rooms are
Harry-'Good to see you Hedwig now lets get going i am starved'
With a light roll of her eyes and a smile Hedwig would transform into her own form once again and would land on Harry's shoulder as the boy would walk out of the Slitherin common room and began to make his way to breakfast at the main hall
making sure to take his time to marvel at the scenery around him as pardon the pun magical to witness and the decorations are a splendor made better knowing that none of the pure bloods or other Slithrin students would be around to bother him and ruin the Christmas holiday
as Harry would then make it to the main hall and saw all of the decorations it was utterly beautiful including the huge tree nearby the staff table as their are a few people here eating, opening their gifts, studying and/or playing games as Harry would take his seat Alone on the Slithrin table
as Hedwig would hop off his shoulder and onto the table to feed on some of the finer meats namely the bacon which Harry chuckled as he helped himself to alsorts of food and was making sure that every meal he had that it would be the equivalent of a great feast that vikings would have as Harry was going to need his strength up due to the fact he still had training to do today
before he would continue his studies but he knew Hedwig was going to be a bit more easier on him this month since it was the Christmas holidays as Harry would look up as he heard the sound of footsteps approaching as he would look up and notice it was a girl with brown bushy messy hair, 2 prominent front buck teeth and her magic suggested that she was muggleborn as the girl was holding a book and the symbol on her robes showed Harry that she was in Ravenclaw
but it was the look in her eyes that Harry didnt like as it held alternative motives and this wasn't some pleasant chat as its no secret that while not wholly open discussed but basically Slithrin house was enemy to all the other houses but Harry would wait to see what she would say
Hermione-'Your Harry Potter yes'
Harry-'Yes and you are?'
Hermione-'I am Hermione Granger.......you do know owls are not generally allowed on the table where their is food?!'
Harry-'I am not sure your aware of this yet Hermione but i am only 1 left in Slitherin that is still at Hogwarts i see no harm in her eating especially since nobody else is bothered with it'
Hermione-'You still shouldn't have so shoo go'
As Hermione was would attempts to shoo away Hedwig and what Hedwig did actually saved Hermione as Harry was going for his wand ready to send her fly with a rather powerful Depulso as Hedwig spun around and would bite Hermione's finger drawing blood
as she quickly redrew her hand as Hedwig flared open her wings with a screech a warning to the bushy haired girl as Hermione backs up clutching her finger as she would look at Harry only to see a hardened stare it sent a message a clear as day 1 since she wasn't as thick headed as a majority of the school here and that was to never attempt to touch his owl ever again
and with the message received she would quickly leave once she was gone Harry was quick to look at Hedwig his eyes had softened at her as he was making sure she was ok even if Hermione never did touch Hedwig as she would gently nibble of Harry's finger showing she was ok as Harry sighs in relief and now with breakfast out of the way it was about time to get some training in and so getting up he would walk away and out to the open grounds of the castle as he would continue walking until he was in a more secluded spot by himself with Hedwig flying above him
Hedwig-'*Right Wand at The Ready!*'
She ordered as Harry flicked his hand as his wand was summoned into it as hand as he raised his arm up his wand pointed forward as 1 foot was planted back while the other was slightly forward his other hand flexing and ready with magic flowing around his hand ready at a moments notice while the magic around his wand swirled around like a gentle yet powerful whirlpool as he took a deep breath in and slowly exhaled
Hedwig-'*Begin!*'
And with that Harry began to do wand movements however no spells are coming out instead he was doing the swift motions of his body like he was in a duel making sure he was being quick on not just his feet but also his hands as he twirled, spun, jumped and more his magic ready to be used on Hedwigs command
_________________________________________
Harry groans in pain as his muscles are sore as he had been training for most of the day doing basic stances, combat stances, wand movements, offensive and defensive moves and had been using his magic as well to destroy, lift and manipulate diffrent size rocks along with using a variety of other spells
until he felt drained but even now in the library he had to use his magic on the orders of Hedwig as to help him improve his endurance and magic along with pushing his limites as he would levitate a book to him on ancient artifacts as it was a large book 1 of a small pile next to him
he has been reading and learn while Hedwig would watch to ensure his studies would go unimpeded and with it been the Christmas holidays that meant their was very little that could intrupt Harry from studying hell even Snape. Snape! Didnt bother him when he notice Harry doing studying namely on the potion effects that could held handle, counteract or outright stop a negative effect of an artifact from occuring
other then passively aggressive groaning of having to deal with another know it all which Harry had ignored him as Harry was currently reading about the Philosophers Stone and was finding this artifact to be rather intresting
Harry-'To create such a stone the sheer power or brillance if not both for a wizard/witch to have is impressive and if used correctly can truely make 1 immortal instead of temporary but how that has yet to be discovered......Nicolas Flamel you absolute genius ashame you dont teach here at......Hogwarts...........*Hedwig may i have that news clipping of Gringotts break in?*'
Hedwig-'*Sure thing*'
As a newspaper would be summoned next to Harry who grabs it and looks at the paper as somthing didn't feel right as he remembers back at Gringotts that Hagrid had taken somthing from 1 of the vaults and while he doubts it could be the very object he was reading but he does know what has been taken was flowing with a form of ancient magic it wasn't as pure as his but it was their and the immortality stone would certainly need ancient magic to be created but their was still a question on his mind
Harry-'*Why would Albus Dumbledore need the stone?*'
But that was a thought for another time as Harry would simply close the book as he has done enough reading and using his magic with strained focus would leviate the books and returns them all back to the shelf of course doing so with his wand as he would rather not take the chance if anyone seeing him use wandless magic would only cause him trouble in the end and with the books returned he stands up and looks at Hedwig
Harry-'*i do believe it is about time we returned back to the common room'
Hedwig-'*You certainly have earned it your mighty needy to cuddle with me again*'
Harry-'*can you blame me? Your warm, soft, our magic flowing together as we bond and its just nice to cuddle with someone that i deeply care about in a cold harsh world its easy to drown in such an environment*'
Hedwig would do an owl version of an eye roll as she found his speech lovely he did have a flair for the dramatics even if what he said was true
Hedwig-'*Alright smooth talker we will head back as i must admit it has been awhile since we could just be alone with each other*'
With a small smile Harry would get back up and walks out of the libary with Hedwig taking flight and following him as he walks along the hallways of Hogwarts and admires the lovely white snow granted it was very cold but for Harry that was fine as Winter was 1 of his favourite seasons as it meant hardly anyone would be around
and only those that are forced to survive the cruelty of the harsh wonder land are about as Winter while having its wonders was a perfect depiction of the reality of the world how it was cold, harsh, nobody around to help you and more but Harry didnt get to reminisce on about the snow as he saw Professor Flitwick coming to him
Flitwick-'Ahh Mr. Potter i have been looking all over for you'
Harry-'Professor Flitwick'
Flitwick-'Albus Dumbledore has requested that you come to his office the password is Peanut Butter M&M's'
Harry-'ok Professor i will go right away and Marry Christmas sir'
Flitwick-'And Marry Christmas to you as well Mr. Potter'
As the dwarf would walk away to tend to whatever business he needed to do
Hedwig-'*Oh my been called up to the headmaster's office you haven't been bad now have you Harry?*'
She said jokenly as if to lighten the mood but Harry can tell she was very worried as to be called up to his office like that from nowhere had to raise some red flags as instead to ease her mind Harry would play along
Harry-'*I am not sure i only what? Blew up a toilet with the Twins who gave their little sister the toilet seat a "Hogwarts Edition" as a gift*'
Hedwig would send a projected smile of amusement as she would fly on
Hedwig-'*Be careful Harry i will await for you inside the common room when you are done*'
Harry-'*I look forward to it Hedwig*'
And with that the pair split off with Hedwig not in sight with anyone will vanish with a crack apperating inside of the Slitherin common room as Harry would walk up to the gargoyle statue that took the shape of a Griffin as this would take him to the headmaster's office
Harry-'Peanut Butter M&M's'
And with the password spoken the gargoyle began to move around in a circle as stairs would begin to form as Harry would begin to ascend the stairs all the way up to the top until he would finally reach the floor of the Headmaster's office as their is a hallway that bends around in a circle as infront of him was a large wooden door that would lead into the Headmaster's actual office as Harry would knock on the door
Albus-'Please come in'
And like that Harry would open the door to Albus office as it was very cluttered to say the least sure it was organised clutter but clutter none the less as it was filled with books, tokens, a few artifacts here and their but the most eye catching thing in the room was the gorgeous Phoenix perching on a nearby stand as he would then hear a female voice in his head
Fawks-'*Hello Harry Potter it is nice to finally meet you*'
But before Harry could respond he would spot Dumbledore as he looked down at him from the upper floor
Albus-'Ahh Harry my boy good to finally talk with you i would assume your enjoying the holidays?'
Harry-'Oh yes i am sir the holidays have been alot of fun though i must admit the Slithrin Common Room can be very cold down their due to the lake been frozen over'
Albus-'Really? And i thought the warming charms would have done the trick'
Harry-'i guess that would be just 1 of many mysteries of Hogwarts'
Ablus-'i would guess so but that is for another time. Sherbet Lemon?'
He would ask gesturing to a bowl of candy as Harry would nod his head
Harry-'Sure thing thank you sir'
As he would take a peice of the candy much to Dumbledore's delight as so many times his colleagues would dismiss the offer including many students so it was a nice change as Harry would eat the candy
Albus-'So how has it been for you my dear boy have your relatives been treating you well?'
Harry-'Relatives? Sir who are you talking about?'
Albus-'Your Guardians Harry the Dursleys'
Harry-'Sir i am really sorry to say this but this is the first time i am hearing about these people at all'
Albus-'Then where have you been living Harry?'
Harry-'At some Orphanage'
As Harry couldn't be bothered to remember the name of the place as to him it was just a free roof under his head for both him and more importantly Hedwig even if it did get admittedly very cold during the winters along with having to go hunting for food to survive but for Albus he was mortified by this news however looking at Harry he didnt see anything that had a same resemblance to Tom Riddle all those years back he just looked like someone who figured where he was staying wasn't a big deal even though this was never part of his plan he will certainly have to rectify this and have a word with the Dursleys at some point
Albus-'i see that is most unfortunate my boy you were supposed to be taken care of in a loving home i shall see to it that this unfortunate mistake is rectified my deepest apologies'
Harry-'Think nonthing of it sir but is it ok if we wrap up this talk i would really like to get back to the common room'
Albus-'oh yes of course my dear boy i wouldn't want to keep you here all day now then would i off you go'
Harry-'Thank you sir i do look forward to more talks with you in the future'
As Albus would smile and seem to be in better spirits as for Harry he left the headmaster's office and had exited out of the gargoyle statue and was now making his way back down the hallway back towards the Slitherin Common Room when he would hear an explosion go off nearby 1 of the bathrooms so been quick would rush over to investigate as he goes he would lean against a wall in the shadows as he watches the entrance of the bathroom and what he saw next was he didnt think would actually happen as he watched as both of the Weasley Twins walk out of the bathroom carrying a bloody toilet seat of all things
Harry-'*Hedwig is not going to believe this*'
As Harry would watch the Twins walk away with their prize as Filch would come by looking angry and annoyed and would mumble about the dame students as Harry would leave his hiding place and continues on to the Slitherin common room which didnt take long for Harry so once he got back would immediately return to his room and is greeted with the sight of Hedwig in her human form in bed
Hedwig-'Welcome back Harry please get into bed Now! Its cold and i need to snuggle up with you'
She said as Harry would smile and not denying her he would climb into bed with her as the 2 would cuddle as their bodies would press against each other as it felt nice the love and warmth of each other was their most favourite part of their day
Harry-'You are not going to believe what i saw'
Hedwig-'i can tell so tell me what did you see Harry?'
Harry-'I just saw the Weasley Twins blow up a toilet and walk away carrying 1 of the toilet seats'
The song of laughter that came from Hedwig brought much joy and happiness to Harry as he will never get tired of hearing its song as he would join in the laugh as well as this Christmas holiday was already becoming intresting