Read 20+ Chapter's Ahead in Patreon
A blanket of quiet silver had softly fallen over Hogwarts Castle. Christmas had arrived!
The once lively and bustling campus had quieted in an instant, as if all the noise and excitement had been swept away overnight, replaced by a hush that settled deep into the ancient stones of the school.
Most students had already been taken home by anxious, fretful parents, eager to bring their children back to the warmth and safety of their own hearths. What remained of the grand castle now felt vast and empty, the corridors echoing with silence, save for the presence of a few scattered souls.
Among them were three second-years who never seemed far from trouble: Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger. The golden trio had stayed behind, choosing the quiet of the castle over going home for the holidays. In this hush of winter, they stood out like a splash of color, a bright little cluster of life in an otherwise subdued and silent world.
In the Gryffindor boys' dormitory, only Harry and Ron remained. The rest had gone home to spend Christmas with their families.
And now, the two of them were being loudly and thoroughly awakened by none other than Hermione Granger.
The little witch burst into the room without the slightest hesitation, her arms full of presents meant for the both of them. She stormed straight in like she owned the place, completely undeterred by any notion of "boys only."
"Wake up!" she called out, already fully dressed and wrapped neatly in a thick wool scarf. "Come on, it's late!" she shouted, yanking the curtains open with a sharp swish and letting the bright morning sunlight pour into the room.
"Hermione? You shouldn't be in here… this is the boys' dormitory…" Harry mumbled groggily, shielding his face with one hand to block the sudden glare. His voice was thick with sleep. He hadn't truly rested. Dobby's visit the night before had left him anxious and wide-eyed for hours. It wasn't until almost dawn that he had finally drifted off.
Ron, on the other hand, buried his face deeper into the pillow and mumbled something unintelligible. "Don't bother me… didn't sleep well… dreamt someone was slapping me…"
"If you don't get up right now, I swear you'll be slapped for real!" Hermione said sharply, hands on her hips and looking every inch the enforcer she was.
The threat worked like a charm. Ron jolted upright, the last remnants of sleep vanishing from his eyes as he scrambled out of bed, just in case the dream turned out to be a prophecy.
"Sleep Banishment!"
Hermione gave a wave of her wand, and whatever lingering drowsiness still clung to the boys vanished like mist under sunlight.
The next moment, a present landed squarely in Ron's lap with a soft thud.
"Merry Christmas!" Hermione called out cheerfully. Before the words had even fully left her lips, another present was already sailing through the air with perfect aim, landing neatly on Harry's bed.
It was a beautiful eagle-feather quill.
Harry caught it with a smile, his eyes lighting up as he turned it over in his hands, admiring the craftsmanship with growing delight. He clearly couldn't get enough of it.
"Thank you, Hermione!" he said warmly, sincerity shining in his voice.
Just then, a loud fluttering broke through the room as Hedwig swooped in through the window Hermione had thrown open earlier. Her snowy wings beat against the air as she flew in a tight arc and landed gracefully, a small, plain-looking package clutched carefully in her beak.
Harry's eyes widened in surprise as he reached out and took the box from her.
"Who's it from?" Ron asked casually, still half-unwrapping his own gift.
Harry gently stroked Hedwig's feathers in thanks before turning his attention to the parcel. He unwrapped it slowly, fingers cautious and curious.
"Oh… it's from the Dursleys," he said at last, his tone going oddly flat. From the box, he pulled out a single toothpick.
Stuffed carelessly into the corner of the box was a crumpled slip of paper, torn from the edge of an old newspaper. The ink was smudged, and the edges were creased like it had been crushed into a ball and hastily smoothed out again.
Harry squinted at the jagged handwriting, struggling to make it out. Then, with a faint frown, he read it aloud in a quiet voice, "See if you can stay at that dump over the summer too."
Ron wrinkled his nose in disgust. "They're really the worst, aren't they?"
"Oh, this is actually them being nice," Harry replied with a shrug, tossing both the toothpick and the note aside like they weren't even worth holding onto.
Compared to that, the other gifts felt like pure warmth wrapped in ribbons.
From Hagrid, there was a massive bag of treacle toffee, sticky and rich and probably hard as rock until it was heated. Harry made a mental note to leave it by the fire for a while before trying to eat it.
From Ron came a copy of Flying with the Cannons, a book all about his favorite Quidditch team. The edges were worn, and the pages were filled with enthusiastic underlining that made it clear the book had been read and reread many times before.
And the last package he unwrapped was the biggest of them all: inside was a thick, hand-knitted jumper in Gryffindor colors, clearly made with love by Mrs. Weasley herself. Nestled beside it was a hefty fruitcake, dense and fragrant, packed full of chopped nuts and juicy raisins.
Harry picked up the handwritten card tucked between the two and read Mrs. Weasley's neat, flowing script. As he did, a wave of guilt surged up in his chest, sharp and sudden.
Mr. Weasley's flying car, the same one that had carried them to Hogwarts before crashing into the Whomping Willow, had vanished without a trace ever since that day two months ago. Then came the Ministry's investigation, aimed directly at Mr. Weasley because of it… All of it weighed on Harry's heart like stones pressing against his chest, heavy and unrelenting.
"Come on, let's head to the Great Hall for breakfast!" Hermione chirped enthusiastically, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "I passed by it last night, just took a quick peek, but oh… it looked absolutely stunning. I don't think I've ever seen the Hall that beautiful!"
"Really? Even better than last year?" Ron asked absently, tugging on his robes. "Last year Professor Greengrass did the decorations, remember? I even got a whole box of Chocolate Frogs out of one of those present boxes."
"I'm so jealous of you two," Hermione said, raising her eyebrows with an exaggerated sigh. "I didn't stay at Hogwarts last Christmas, unfortunately. But it's fine. Professor Greengrass handled the decorations again this year, and I'm planning to open a few more present boxes today. If I'm lucky, maybe I'll get two of the professor's unique spells instead of just one."
"You already mastered the last two spells we got?" Harry asked, his eyebrows lifting in surprise.
A triumphant smile bloomed across Hermione's face. "You'll find out tonight," she said, a playful gleam in her eyes.
Before long, the three of them made their way together toward the Great Hall.
The Hall was grand… breathtaking, even.
More than a dozen towering Christmas trees lined the walls, each one dusted with a glittering coat of silver frost. From the enchanted ceiling above hung graceful garlands, intricately woven from deep green holly and snow-white mistletoe. But the most magical sight of all was the enchanted snow drifting gently from the sky, dry and warm as it fell, shimmering faintly in the soft glow of candlelight.
Percy Weasley, utterly oblivious to the prank played on him, walked past with an air of practiced dignity. Fred had apparently tampered with his prefect badge so that the lettering now read "Big Bludger" — but Percy, noticing the suppressed giggles from the students around him, only looked around in confusion, completely unaware of the cause.
At the Slytherin long table, Draco Malfoy was already seated, silently eating his breakfast. His face was blank and unreadable, and his knife and fork moved with mechanical precision. He didn't glance around or react to the holiday joy that filled the room. It was as if none of it existed to him at all.
"Hey there, little Ginny!" George leaned in suddenly, his grin mischievous as he popped his head right in front of his sister. "Looking pretty cheerful today, aren't we?"
"Get lost!" Ginny snapped, glaring at him as she shoved his face away with one hand. She sped up, slipping quickly between Harry, Ron, and Hermione, using them as a shield.
"Heard you made new friends, huh?" Fred added, craning his neck toward her with that same teasing persistence.
"None of your business!" Ginny shot back without even turning around.
"I'm guessing all your new friends went home for Christmas, didn't they?" Fred continued, refusing to let it go, his tone still playful but edging closer to mischief.
"I said… none of your business!" Ginny's voice shot up nearly an octave, sharp and exasperated, clearly reaching the limits of her patience.
By the time the noisy group of students gathered beneath the enormous Christmas tree strung with dozens of sparkling gift boxes, the place was already packed with excited young witches and wizards. Laughter and gasps of surprise erupted in bursts from the crowd as gifts fell into eager hands.
"This tree's got real magic in it!" a younger student shouted, barely able to contain his joy. "Just now, I was thinking how great it'd be to get a Christmas hat — hey, look!"
He proudly raised a ridiculous red wool cap above his head for everyone to see, grinning from ear to ear as if it were the crown of a king.
"Here goes nothing," Ron muttered under his breath, stepping closer to the enchanted Christmas tree. He took a deep breath and whispered with a trace of hope, "Please let me get a new wand this year…"
With that, he reached up and pulled down a beautifully wrapped gift box from one of the glittering branches.
"Ron," Harry said gently from beside him, tilting his head toward a different package, "if you really want a wand, maybe you should go for one of the long rectangular boxes?"
"Oh… right, good thinking." Ron blinked, suddenly realizing, and quickly hung the first box back on the tree before reaching for a longer, slimmer one that looked much more wand-like.
He held his breath as he carefully peeled away the paper. Inside the sleek box, nestled against folds of enchanted tissue, was… a candy cane. But not just any candy cane. It was comically oversized, at least a foot long, striped with bright colors and coated in a sparkling sugar glaze.
"Er… well, it's better than nothing," Harry offered, his voice dry but kind.
A wave of warm laughter rippled through the nearby crowd, light and good-natured. All around them, young witches and wizards were opening their own gift boxes. Most revealed sweets of every kind, from fizzing whizbees to chocolate frogs. Some included joke trinkets tucked in alongside the candy, and a few even held surprisingly practical items.
Hermione, for instance, had just opened her box… and found something far more extraordinary.
It was a book titled The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection.
An official Auror training reference from the Ministry of Magic, the book was packed with defensive strategies, methods for countering dark spells, and a wide variety of practical countercurses.
But what made it truly special wasn't just the content… it was the margin notes.
The pages were covered in handwritten annotations, neat and firm, filled with observations, corrections, and insights. Hermione's breath caught as she recognized the sharp, precise style of the notes. She had a strong feeling they had been written by Professor Greengrass himself.
To her, it felt like receiving a personal treasure.
She hugged the book tightly to her chest as though it might vanish at any moment, unwilling to let even a single glance from anyone else fall upon its pages. It wasn't just a gift. It was something precious, something alive with knowledge and meaning, and she had no intention of letting it go.
**
**
[IMAGE]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Chapter End's]
🖤 Night_FrOst/ Patreon 🤍
Visit my Patreon for Early Chapter:
https://www.patreon.com/Night_FrOst
Extra Content Already Available