Harry Potter and the Obscurus

Chapter 59 Christmas Chapter and Anonymous Gift

Affected by the Dementors, Hogwarts received its first snowfall early on October 31st. As the delicate, powdery snowflakes left their mark, Hogsmeade Village and the Forbidden Forest seemed to be under a spell. The treetops and rooftops shimmered with silver, resembling, from afar, slices of frosted cake from Honeydukes' shop.

The students, who were shopping and playing, were almost all captivated by this unexpected beauty. They stopped in their tracks, looked up at the fairy descending from the clouds, and whether intentionally or unintentionally, they deeply engraved this beautiful moment into their memories of youth.

"Harry...are you alright?"

"You seem... a little too... too calm?"

Ron and Hermione were unaware that their friend had already learned the full story of what happened over a decade ago from Morgen. Amidst the heavy snowfall, both Ron and Hermione, deeply shaken by their overhearing of Fudge, felt a pang of guilt.

"I'm fine, you don't need to worry."

Harry replied very seriously.

Ron and Hermione exchanged a glance, then, as if they had rehearsed it, said:

"Let's go straight back to the castle. You bought so many delicious and fun things, you should try them quickly, right?"

“Yes, Harry, let’s go to the Screaming Shack another time. It’s snowing so heavily, the road will get even harder to travel if we don’t get back to the castle soon.”

Seeing Harry's slightly hesitant expression, Ron and Hermione both felt a pang of anxiety. With Harry's current magical abilities, it seemed that only Dumbledore and Voldemort could stop him from leaving. However, what they didn't know was that what truly made Harry hesitate was whether or not to reveal the truth.

"Ok."

Harry composed himself and said:

"Then let's go back to the castle first."

Ron and Hermione both breathed a sigh of relief, but just when they thought they could bring Harry back to the castle from the "perilous" Hogsmeade, Hagrid appeared in front of them at an inopportune moment.

Seeing the large feet crunching on the ground that wasn't yet covered in snow, Hermione looked up with a hint of unease and asked:

"Hagrid? Oh, hi! Hagrid! Are you planning to relax here?"

Hagrid was wearing an even more shabby leather coat than usual, looking like he had just finished "hard labor." If you looked closer, you could even see many slippery, wet spots on his body.

"Hermione! Ron and Harry! Is this your first time visiting Hogsmeade Village?"

He said in a loud voice:

"It's a pity I don't have that much time right now. Things aren't quite right in the Forbidden Forest lately. Many magical creatures have become very restless due to the environment and weather. Besides preparing classes for students of all grades, I also have some poor little guys to take care of. I'll head back after I buy some fire crab feed."

"Fire crab?"

Harry's voice sounded very interesting to Hagrid, so he subconsciously asked:

"Oh? Harry, do you know about fire crabs?"

"Of course, I remember—feeding and cleaning fire crabs without getting seriously burned was one of the random test items for fifth-grade students taking the OWLs' Conservation of Magical Creatures practical exam. So, Fred and George are going to be dealing with this next semester?"

"Ah! Ah..."

Hagrid was suddenly struck with embarrassment at having "blurred his mouth" again, but Hermione came to his rescue in time:

"It's alright, Hagrid. We definitely won't tell anyone about this, don't worry."

"call!"

Hagrid patted his chest beneath his beard and let out a long sigh of relief:

"It's really... great to see you all... Well, I can't chat with you any longer, I have important things to do. See you next week in the Fantastic Beasts Protection class."

After saying that, he hurriedly headed towards Hogsmeade Village.

……

Back at Hogwarts Castle, Ron and Hermione had no intention of having dinner in the Great Hall. They simply dragged Harry back to the Gryffindor common room.

Everything was just as Fudge had said. Harry's strength was not necessarily inferior to the vicious Black, but as a traitor who had been biding his time for years, lurking around James and Lily to plot his friends' deaths, his cunning and cruelty could very well cause Harry to suffer.

If Black were to utter any misleading lies after being captured by Harry, or if he were to ambush Harry during the battle while Harry was blinded by hatred and anger, the outcome would be unpredictable.

"Let's hurry up and unpack this! There's so much delicious food, it'll keep us busy for a while! Hey? By the way, Hermione, which dessert did you want to eat the most?"

"I actually wanted to try the Bloody Strawberry Lollipop, but that's for vampires... Hmm, I'll try the Ice Mouse first. I want to know what it feels like to chew it until your teeth are crunching."

Such unusual behavior surprised many students in the college, who couldn't help but whisper among themselves as they looked at the three giants.

"Weren't they arguing just a few days ago? How come they seem so peaceful today?"

"Oh, it's normal for kids to have minor disagreements during puberty. Let's get back to studying."

At this moment, Harry was unaware of what his classmates in the common room were discussing. He was focused on casting Legilimency, having combined the two events of "overhearing Fudge revealing the wrong almanac" with "Hermione's future death."

"Good. Hermione hasn't shown any intention of helping me solve any problems yet. She just doesn't want me to actively seek revenge on Black. But what should we do next? Should we tell her everything?"

After hearing Harry's private voice message, Mo Ran also fell into deep thought.

Since that incident, he and Harry had been completely stumped. If she tragically perished because she exceeded the limits while using the Time-Turner, what could have driven the cautious and intelligent Hermione to such a perilous situation?

“I’m not so sure… because no matter what, Sirius Black didn’t do anything strange at the time we found her body. Even if you combine the two things, she had no motive to travel back from the future to that time. Sometimes I even think that she might not have chosen to go back to the past because of something we already know, after all, Peter Pettigrew is already dead.”

Harry acted out the happy look of the Dessert Boy sitting in the mountain of desserts while pondering Mo Ran's words in his mind.

Is it something we don't already know? If so, could I tell Hermione the truth about Sirius Black? The problem is... the trajectory of events is influenced by many factors, and the decision I make at this moment, though seemingly insignificant, could potentially push her step by step into danger.

……

The near-endless anxiety and turmoil only subsided after the Christmas holidays arrived.

"Do you really have to go to Malfoy Manor?"

Compared to the heaviness in Ron's tone, Harry was noticeably more relaxed. Besides being influenced by the festive atmosphere at school, the most important reason was that Hermione had entrusted him with the Time-Turner before going home.

He said:

"Oh dear, we have many days of vacation. I'm just going to have dinner with their family and chat. Don't worry so much. Look, Hogwarts has decorated the castle even more beautifully than in previous years."

Upon hearing this, Ron also re-examined the twelve Christmas trees placed on both sides of the auditorium.

Just as Harry had said, everything—from the baubles on the Christmas tree to the thick ribbons of holly and mistletoe in the corridors—was given an extra layer of visual magic this year, constantly radiating golden light and making the entire castle sparkle like stars.

"It looks beautiful, but unfortunately the Ministry of Magic has stationed Dementors near the school this year, so many students who originally wanted to stay at school have changed their minds and gone home."

Harry understood his best friend's unhappiness perfectly, so he changed the subject:

"Maybe it's their loss? Oh right, tomorrow night is Christmas Eve, and the students' Christmas gifts should be arriving one after another. Why don't we go back to the common room now and see what everyone received?"

Upon hearing the words "Christmas presents," Ron finally perked up. He straightened up, patted Harry on the shoulder, and began to imagine all sorts of surprises hidden under the red wrapping paper.

……

Mrs. Weasley prepared another hand-knitted sweater for her youngest son. However, perhaps she had learned some household magic from somewhere, because this year's sweater featured a large "R" and a lifelike Gryffindor lion.

In addition, Ron received a homemade round tart, some Christmas pastries, and a box of chocolate nut brittle.

Mo Ran didn't know if there was a saying in the wizarding world that "it's easy to go from frugality to extravagance, but difficult to go from extravagance to frugality," but for the Weasley family, winning the lottery didn't seem to have changed their personalities much. Even though the gifts they received every year were pretty much the same, Ron didn't show any extreme disappointment or even anger.

“Hey Harry, you’re right! Mom made a dark red sweater this year, maybe to highlight the bright red of the Gryffindor lion? Have you seen any gifts? Wait… what’s this?”

Harry, who was reading Hermione's letter, hurriedly closed the small magical greeting card. However, to his surprise, Ron pulled out a long package from somewhere.

"Harry Potter, this has your name on it, Harry! But... that's strange? Why isn't it signed? Who do you think sent it to you?"

"do not know."

Harry shook his head, instinctively thinking of the Dursleys.

He hadn't been in contact with his Uncle Vernon and Aunt Peggy since what happened this summer. Perhaps they wanted to use Christmas as an opportunity to mend their relationship? But for some strange personal reason, they were too embarrassed to sign the gifts?

With some doubt, he tore open the packaging.

"hiss!"

Two gasps of shock accompanied by a dazzling golden light filled the entire dormitory room.

The gleaming, streamlined metal foot pedals, the exquisitely crafted handles, the branches pruned as if they were works of art.

There's no mistake! The broomstick that rolled out of the wrapper and onto Harry's blanket was the top-of-the-line flying broomstick he'd seen in Diagon Alley—the Firebolt.

Ron's voice was hoarse as he asked in a low voice:

"This thing... Good heavens, Harry, I can't believe it! A fire crossbow, right in front of us... Who do you think gave it to you?"

Harry didn't rush to answer Ron's question. His eyes were fixed on the Firebolt, as if he could sense some kind of subtle magic, almost like life, emanating from it. As he slowly reached out his hand, the previously still and gleaming Firebolt trembled twice and floated into the air, stopping at just the right height for Harry to ride on.

"There aren't many wizards who can afford a Firebolt, and it's not just a matter of money. Many sponsored professional Quidditch clubs can't afford to order Firebolts for all their players."

Harry stroked the gilded registration number on the top of the broom while analyzing the situation with Ron, but this only fueled Ron's suspicions once again.