Harry Potter and the Obscurus

Chapter 15 Invisibility Cloak

"This is utter nonsense! Quirrell is a teacher at Hogwarts, how could he possibly be... a servant of Mystic? Have you all forgotten what a coward he is?"

"Then why did he want to kill Harry?"

"Hermione asked loudly. The events of the game had drastically changed her attitude. Clearly, the initial suggestion to leave the difficult problem to the teachers hadn't worked; the adults, including Headmaster Dumbledore, seemed to be turning a blind eye to Quirrell's suspicious behavior."

"When I first saw Professor Snape, I thought he was casting a curse on Harry. But his actions were too obvious; if it really was him, the teachers sitting nearby couldn't have been oblivious. So, on a whim, I set Quirrell, who was huddled in the corner, on fire. And guess what? Harry's broom immediately returned to normal!"

"That's impossible! Professor Quirrell and I are both responsible for guarding..."

Hagrid suddenly realized that the trio had tricked him again, and he became even angrier. Of course, he wasn't angry at Harry, Hermione, and Ron; he was angry at himself for being so slow-witted.

"Guarding the Philosopher's Stone, we now know what Dumbledore and Nicolas Flamel's secret is."

"Shh!"

Upon hearing Ron's smug voice, Hagrid quickly made a shushing gesture. After rapidly glancing around to make sure no one was listening, he lowered his voice and said:

"Stop yelling! Can't you guys act like the other freshmen and be little kids?"

"Of course we won't tell anyone else."

Hermione switched to a sweet tone and continued:

“We are indeed children, how could we possibly know about these things? We just want to know, besides Hagrid, who else would Dumbledore trust to help him protect the Philosopher's Stone?”

Hearing Hermione's words, Hagrid scratched his chin sheepishly.

"Well, if that's all there is to it, then I might as well tell you... Professor Dumbledore borrowed Fluffy from me, and then asked several other professors to cast spells on it. There were... Professor Sprout, Professor Flitwick, Professor McGonagall, Professor Quirrell, and Professor Snape. Of course, Dumbledore himself has his own methods; with him involved, no one could possibly steal the item from Hogwarts! So, if you ask me, you might as well forget about the Philosopher's Stone and Fluffy, and hurry back to the Gryffindor common room for the celebration party."

Perhaps fearing he might say something inappropriate, Hagrid hurriedly left after speaking. Watching his mountain-like figure disappear into the distance, Harry first gave Hermione a thumbs-up, then said with a hint of helplessness:

“I’m really worried about Hagrid. He’s so unreliable… We can only hope that he’ll be careful when people ask him how to get through to Luwe, and not be so easily tricked into revealing anything.”

Hermione and Ron shared the same feeling. Immediately after the party, the three devised a plan primarily focused on monitoring Hagrid's movements. Anyone who got too close to Hagrid or asked anything inappropriate would be considered a dark wizard planning to steal the Philosopher's Stone.

Based on his experience at the Quidditch match, Harry was 90% certain that Quirrell was the one who secretly helped Voldemort resurrect. He was even present at the Leaky Cauldron on the day Harry and Hagrid went to Gringotts. If this deduction was correct, there was only one reason why Dumbledore hadn't made a move to arrest him yet—he might be using Quirrell to lure Voldemort out!

The thought of possibly encountering his nemesis at school filled Harry with both excitement and fear. If all went well, he might never have to worry about Voldemort again for the rest of his life. But if things went awry, he would be living out his entire life in less than a year since arriving at Hogwarts.

And so, Harry nervously welcomed his first Christmas at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Most young wizards were eagerly anticipating the holidays, not only for the Christmas presents but also for the chance to reunite with their families. Last week, when Professor McGonagall came to register the students staying at school, Malfoy approached Harry and mocked him for not having a proper family. This greatly angered the Gryffindor students, with even Neville throwing punches at Goyle. Had Snape not arrived in time, Professor McGonagall would have waited until Malfoy had a black eye before separating the students. Since then, many students have promised Harry they would write him letters and send him presents for Christmas.

"Don't be so sad, Harry. Your mom and dad are going to visit Charlie in Romania this year. George, Fred, and I will stay here with you."

"Yeah, Harry, you haven't been to the Great Hall yet, have you? Why don't you skip your tutoring for the next few days and come downstairs with me to have a look and get some good food? It'll be absolutely wonderful!"

Harry didn't really care about Malfoy's outrageous remarks, but the feeling of being cared for by his friends truly touched him. In response to Ron and Hermione's invitation, he simply wrote a note to Dumbledore, saying he planned to skip his tutoring sessions on the last weekend before the Christmas holidays. This delighted Dumbledore; he not only replied to Harry's letter instantly but also sent him an extra copy of the Grim Reaper's study notes so Harry could study on his own during a Christmas without his own.

Upon entering the banquet hall, twelve Christmas trees, each taller than a troll, stood majestically on either side. Besides the cascading ribbons and crystal ornaments adorning them, the surrounding walls were also covered in holly and mistletoe. Looking at the floating candles and glittering icicles, Harry couldn't help but lament how wasted his years living with the Dursleys.

After relieving his stress, Harry ate more than usual, devouring three plates in front of him and enjoying his meal immensely. The students who had finished eating either ran off to play in the snow in the courtyard or strolled in small groups in the Great Hall, admiring the Christmas decorations meticulously arranged by the professors. Only Hermione, her face still tucked in her hands, sat quietly beside Harry, never leaving his side.

“Harry”.

"Ok?"

"When I'm not around, you..."

I will miss you and I will remember to write to you.

"Um... I... I meant to say that you should continue investigating Quirrell, and if you find anything, remember to send in an owl..."

Hermione's voice trailed off; she clearly hadn't expected Harry to say such a thing. Fortunately, as a mutual friend, Mr. Ronald Billies Weasley didn't let the awkward atmosphere linger for long.

"Harry! Have you finished eating? Let me teach you how to play Wizard's Chess!"

……

After the official holiday began, Harry suddenly had a lot more free time. Not only did Dumbledore stop giving him extra lessons, but Professor Snape, Quidditch training, and his regular schoolwork were all put on hold. Aside from continuing his research on the Goblinsfire, which was progressing at a snail's pace for him, the only serious thing Harry could do was look at his third and fourth-year textbooks. Ron had told his twin brothers not to bother Harry so often, but George and Fred always insisted that a balance between work and rest was essential for success. So, whenever they finished sparring with Filch, they would drag Harry out of the dormitory or common room to play.

After a few days of such blissful living, Harry gradually felt a pang of guilt. He was unaware that his "second personality" had been diligently researching Voldemort's possession techniques, only believing that his previous distrust had angered Mo Ran, causing her to refuse to speak to him. Therefore, in order to reconcile, Harry voluntarily relinquished control of his body on Christmas Eve. Mo Ran was initially quite moved upon waking, until he discovered a wizard's chessboard in front of him, at which point he finally understood.

"So you were waiting for me here, kid."

Harry's chess skills are terrible! The pieces that originally belonged to Seamus Finnigan have gotten used to interfering with him after a few games. Mo Ran, who had only seen the movie, never expected that these guys would start giving him unsolicited advice after he made his first move.

"Don't send me over there. Can't you see his castle is watching me?"

"Hey! Keep an eye on his horse, or I'll get trampled to death next round!"

"Send that pawn to block the Queen's route. It doesn't matter if he sacrifices himself."

"We're going to lose! The King's defenses are blocked! Harry Potter, I knew I shouldn't have trusted you!"

……

Mo Ran never imagined that he would lose to an eleven-year-old child in chess, but as it turned out, Ron Weasley's chess skills were indeed very high.

The next morning, when Harry woke up, the Christmas that had once only existed in his imagination had finally arrived. Hermione, Hagrid, Neville… even Professor Snape and his Aunt and Uncle Vernon sent gifts and replies. (Although it was just a single, perfunctory note and a fifty-pence coin.)

Merry Christmas, Harry!

"Merry Christmas, Ron! I never imagined I would receive so many gifts one day!"

Harry's voice was much louder than Ron's, and he unpacked the packages one by one, moving much faster than the sleepy Ron.

"The owl flute Hagrid made by hand, the book Hermione gave me, and this sweater...it has my initials on it!"

“Hmm… I wrote to Mom before that you’ve never received a Christmas present, so she knitted you a sweater in the Weasley family’s signature style.”

Ron, showing off his own matching sweater with the letter R printed on it, blushed deeply. Harry and Ron gave each other a big hug, then Harry pulled out a large box of chocolate frogs he'd bought for Ron and said:

"She's so kind! And thank you, Ron, I love this gift. I wish you all the best in opening the cards you want!"

Just when the two thought Christmas couldn't get any better, a strange fabric, shimmering with a silvery-grey sheen like liquid, slid out of the last paper package in Harry's hand.

"Damn it!" (Bloody Hell)

Ron gasped and tossed the chocolate frog in his arms aside.

"This thing! Could this thing be..."

Harry picked up the shimmering silver robe from the ground and gently stroked it with his fingers, feeling its magical texture.

Is this thing very expensive?

"It's more than just expensive, Harry! It's incredibly rare. You try it on! I bet this is the legendary Invisibility Cloak!"

Ron's voice wasn't just excited; he seemed to have a deep sense of awe for the words "Invisibility Cloak." Harry quickly draped the Invisibility Cloak over himself, and immediately, everything below his neck disappeared completely.

"It really is! My goodness! Who could possibly send you such an expensive gift!"

At Ron's prompting, Harry discovered a note hidden in the package.

Your father entrusted this to me before he died, and now it is time to return it to you. Use it well, and I sincerely wish you a Merry Christmas.

The note was unsigned, but Harry recognized the slender, ornate handwriting—the same handwriting found in the "Gublé Fairy Fire Study Notes."

"If someone gave me a gift like this, I wouldn't even need to play Quidditch! Hey? Harry, why don't you look happy at all?"