The Howler and the Gift
With the arrival of autumn, the weather had turned colder, while a letter reached Harry's hands. He opened it carefully and began to read it in silence.
After a few seconds, he looked up with a faint smile tinged with a certain sarcasm.
"Well... it seems it was just as I suspected. That old man isn't planning anything good. And now Mr. Flamel has found out he's putting the students in danger. I wonder what kind of letter he'll send to the Headmaster," he remarked calmly before getting ready to head to the Great Hall, where his friends were surely waiting for him.
Before leaving, he glanced at Red, who was lying on his back on the bed, paws in the air, with the expression of someone thoroughly enjoying perfect comfort.
Harry rolled his eyes, shook his head, and left the room.
The Great Hall looked magnificent: autumn decorations hung along the walls, enormous pumpkins floated under the enchanted ceiling, and an excited murmur filled the air as the students talked about the approaching Halloween feast.
Harry was starting to enjoy his school days, though from time to time he missed his home and wondered what his mother might be doing at that very moment.
When he reached his seat, he found the others chatting calmly.
"Hey, a letter came from Mr. Flamel," he announced as soon as he sat down.
The three of them immediately turned to look at him, expectant.
But before he could say a single word about its contents, a flying letter zipped across the Hall with a sharp whistle, spinning over itself under everyone's astonished gaze.
The red envelope stopped right in front of Dumbledore and remained suspended in the air. Suddenly, it unfolded with a dry crackle and turned into an enormous open mouth that looked ready to swallow the Headmaster whole.
The voice that came out was so powerful it made the cutlery tremble:
"YOU IRRESPONSIBLE FOOL!"
Absolute silence fell over the Hall. Even the ghosts stopped to watch.
"HOW DARE YOU, ALBUS, PUT THE STUDENTS IN DANGER!?" the female voice bellowed, her anger so intense it seemed to vibrate in every corner. "When you requested the object, we believed you planned a controlled study, NOT to hide it behind a monstrous dog in a school full of children!"
Some students shrank in their seats. Dumbledore didn't react, though his expression tightened ever so slightly.
"Are you an idiotic Headmaster or a senile old man who's lost his mind? By Merlin's beard, not even a troll with a melted brain would do something this stupid!"
The letter shivered with a reddish spark as the voice grew louder:
"My idiot husband preferred not to make a scene... but I DO! If you don't prepare that stone and send it back to France immediately, I swear by every ancient spell I will come myself, even if my bones turn to dust, and I'll shove that object somewhere so deep not even a dragon's Accio could pull it out!"
Draco swallowed hard, his face pale. Hermione raised a hand to her mouth, and Daphne stared at Harry with wide eyes.
"And don't you dare provoke me, Albus Dumbledore! You know perfectly well I will. I'll give you a thrashing so monumental your future portraits will cover their eyes in shame!"
The letter fell silent for a heartbeat, and then its tone shifted, turning a little calmer.
"And by the way, I want to congratulate young Potter, Granger, Greengrass, and Malfoy. I've read the reports about your experimental golems, and I am pleased to hear you have passed the research phase. You are very close to registering them officially for trade. Nicolas is delighted to see that his little help contributed to such accomplishments. He says you are little geniuses, and we are very proud of you."
The mouth opened again, returning to a furious roar:
"And you, Albus, don't think this congratulations changes anything! My threat still stands!"
And with a final explosion, the letter burst into a shower of golden confetti that drifted down over the staff table.
For a long moment, no one dared to make the slightest sound. Even Dumbledore had to clear his throat before regaining his composure.
Harry lowered his gaze to his plate, trying to suppress the smile trembling on his lips.
"She truly is a magnificent witch," Daphne remarked, but unlike Harry, she didn't bother to hide it and burst out laughing. Well, she wasn't the only one: many students, especially at the Gryffindor table, were laughing uncontrollably, particularly a group of red-haired boys who were nearly falling off the bench.
"She even helped us with a bit of publicity," Draco added with a faint smile.
"When we communicated with Mr. Flamel, he never mentioned that Mrs. Perenelle could be so... volatile," Hermione murmured, with the expression of someone who couldn't decide whether to laugh or be worried.
Meanwhile, Dumbledore shot their group a long look in which a silent warning mingled with a hint of resignation. Then he rose from his seat and left the Hall, probably to try to contact Flamel—or perhaps to do exactly what the Howler had ordered him to.
"That's enough. It would be better if you all ate and stopped wasting time," Professor McGonagall said loudly, managing to silence the general laughter at once, although a few suppressed giggles still echoed here and there.
While Harry chatted with the others about the scene they had just witnessed, an owl with completely red plumage flew in through one of the open windows, catching the attention of every student in the Hall. The strange owl glided down gracefully until it landed in front of Harry… and, to everyone's astonishment, it transformed into a small gift box.
"Wow," several students exclaimed in unison. Even Professor McGonagall raised her eyebrows, visibly surprised by such an advanced use of Transfiguration.
Never before had they seen a package delivered that way: not only had it flown in, but the owl itself had literally been transformed into the parcel.
"It's a gift from my mother," Harry explained with a happy smile, instantly recognizing Wanda's style without needing any note. He opened the package quickly, unable to hide his excitement.
Inside, he found a round mirror, about the size of his hand, with delicate silver patterns around the edge. At first glance, it looked like a vanity mirror a witch might use to fix her hair, which left Harry somewhat confused.
Before he could ask what it meant, soft ripples began to distort the reflective surface… and within seconds, Wanda's face appeared with a warm smile.
"Mum," Harry murmured, his eyes lighting up with joy.
Hermione, Draco, and Daphne immediately leaned closer to get a better look.
"Hello. It seems you're having fun at school," Wanda said, her voice soft and full of pride to see her son after so many days apart.
"Hello, Mrs. Wanda," Draco greeted quickly, in a polite tone.
Daphne smiled and waved her hand.
Hermione also joined in, wearing a respectful expression.
"Hello to all of you, too," Wanda replied, inclining her head kindly.
"Yeah, it's fun," Harry said, his voice brimming with enthusiasm. "Today, we managed to get someone to yell at the Headmaster… right in front of the whole school," he added, puffing out his chest a little with pride.
Several girls sitting nearby turned to look at him with curiosity, and more than one found herself staring at Harry's smile with a faint blush. Some of them seemed to think it might be worth waiting until he was older, while others were already considering whether it was better to start getting close now.
Then, beside Wanda, Sirius Black's face appeared, greeting them with a proud grin.
"Hey there, pup," he said in an amused voice.
Harry's smile vanished instantly, replaced by a serious, steady look.
"Why are you with my mother, godfather?" he asked in a cold tone that made several students tense.
"Hey, you should be happy to see me! Who do you think gave her the mirror? I gave it to your mother so she could talk to you," Sirius replied, pretending to be offended.
"Then if you've already delivered it, could you go back to your house? You probably have a lot of things to clean," Harry said, without losing that icy tone.
"You really never change," Sirius muttered, shaking his head with resignation.
At that moment, another face appeared in the mirror.
"Hi, kids! So how does Hogwarts look? Is it as amazing and magical as everyone says?" Susan asked, leaning in curiously. Behind her, Wendell was also approaching, craning his neck to see better.
"Hi, Mum! Is Dad there too?" Hermione asked happily.
"Yes, we're all here. We've missed you, and when Wanda said she'd send the mirror that Sirius paid for—so Lupin could get treatment—I let everyone know," Susan explained with a warm smile. "Daphne and Draco's mothers are here too."
Susan lifted the mirror a little, and Selene appeared, smiling proudly at her daughter. Then the image moved to Narcissa, who was sitting in an armchair. She turned her head toward the mirror and nodded with a serious expression, though a small, barely contained smile was visible at the corner of her lips.
Meanwhile, several students had gathered nearby out of curiosity, forming a semicircle around the group.
"Hey, who are you all talking to?" Terry asked, leaning forward to see.
The Patil twins also came over, along with several Ravenclaw classmates who looked fascinated.
"We're talking to our parents," Harry explained casually.
Wanda reappeared in the center of the mirror, her calm smile unchanged.
"She's so beautiful…" murmured a first-year girl, while others nodded in admiration.
"Is she your mother, Harry?" asked a pretty young girl of Asian descent, her delicate hair pinned up.
"Yes," Harry answered, still smiling.
Wanda looked at all the students gathered around her son with clear warmth. Her expression softened as she lifted her hand in a gentle greeting.
"It's a pleasure to meet my son's friends," she said in a soft but steady voice.
Many students returned the gesture, some a little shy, others bowing respectfully.
At that moment, Professor Flitwick approached with cautious steps, and although he maintained his usual kindness, he seemed a bit uncomfortable.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Potter, but this is causing quite a stir. Perhaps you could continue the conversation later, somewhere more private," he suggested in a polite tone, though there was a hint of guilt in his voice.
"I'm sorry, Professor Flitwick," Harry answered quickly. He then looked back at the mirror with a slightly apologetic expression. "Mum, we'll talk later, okay?"
"Of course, sweetheart. You can call me anytime," Wanda replied tenderly.
The image slowly faded until the mirror became just a smooth, ordinary piece of glass again.
The students who had gathered began to drift away, murmuring among themselves in curiosity and wonder.
Harry and the others remained sitting there for a moment in silence, sharing that feeling of happiness and relief that came from seeing their families—as if all the autumn chill had been left outside the Great Hall.
That warmth was enough to give them the strength to keep going, no matter what might come next.