Christmas

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Moving on, Harry tucked the diary under his arm and picked up the key. It was small, engraved with the Gringotts crest. This was Slytherin's vault key. He learned long ago he was descending from Slytherin Lineage, but the vault had a condition. This key would probably suffice to enter the vault.

Finally, his attention shifted to the ring. It was set with a deep, green stone that shimmered under the faint light. There was a weight to it—not just physical, but magical. Harry turned it over in his hand, inspecting it closely. The ring felt like it was waiting for something—almost as if it recognized him.

He slipped it into his pocket without a second thought. He had no idea what its purpose was yet, but if it belonged to Slytherin, it was bound to be important.

Harry took a last look around the room, checking if there was anything else he might have missed. The walls were covered in more Parselrunes, but none of them reacted to his presence like the ones in the Chamber above. This room was done with him for now.

He turned and made his way back up the spiral staircase. As he climbed, Harry couldn't help but feel the weight of the ring in his pocket. There was definitely something about it. A connection, perhaps, between the ring and the Chamber. But what exactly it was, he had no idea.

He wasn't in any rush to find out either. The thing gave off an energy that made him hesitant to slip it on. Not fear exactly, but something close. He would deal with it later. First, he needed to get a better handle on the Parselrunes and see what else Slytherin's secrets had to offer.

When he reached the top of the stairs, Basi was still coiled near the entrance, his yellow eyes watching Harry closely.

"Did you find what you were looking for, Master?" Basi's voice echoed softly in the chamber.

"Yeah, found a few things," Harry replied, tapping the diary under his arm. "But I'll need some time to figure out exactly what they are."

Basi tilted his head, watching as Harry walked past. "Old Master always hid his greatest secrets well," the basilisk hissed. "But you will uncover them in time."

Harry didn't reply, simply giving Basi a nod as he made his way toward the exit. He had a lot to think about, but he wasn't going to figure it all out standing in the Chamber.

As Harry stepped back into the second-floor girl's bathroom, he sealed the entrance as he pulled the Invisibility Cloak over his head and slipped out. Once in his room, he slipped out of the cloak and tucked it away, then climbed into his bed.

'Christmas holiday is close,' he thought. 'I can visit Gringotts then.' 

On December 19, Harry, along with his friends—and surprisingly, even the Weasleys—headed home for the Christmas holidays. Normally, the Weasleys stayed at Hogwarts during this time. It made sense, given how tight money was for a family of seven children. Free meals and accommodation at school lightened the load. But this year was different. Harry had written to Molly, insisting that the whole Weasley clan return for Christmas. This year, he was hosting the first Potter Yule at Longbottom Manor, and it was meant to be the start of something special, something that could continue for years.

The train ride home was filled with the usual banter. Fred and George had a new prank they were testing on anyone unfortunate enough to walk past their compartment. Harry watched as they tried to convince Neville that his toad, Trevor, could be trained to sing Christmas carols if only they sprinkled some powder from a suspicious-looking pouch.

Harry, seated between Luna and Astoria, was being peppered with questions from Astoria about the upcoming Yule celebration.

"Is it true you've arranged for a real snowstorm inside the ballroom?" she asked, her eyes wide with excitement. Her enthusiasm was almost contagious, but Harry just shrugged, playing it cool.

"Maybe," he said casually, smirking. 

Astoria's face lit up as she leaned closer. "What else? I heard there might be enchanted trees, like the ones Professor Flitwick charms for Christmas."

Harry chuckled, but before he could answer, Luna, who had been quiet until now, chimed in. "I hope you've considered Nargles. They tend to love festive gatherings, especially with all the mistletoe."

"Oh, there are mistletoes, are there?" Fred dramatically winked at Harry.

Harry dramatically shrugged back, a grin tugging at his lips. "Can't help it. I want to kiss a lot of girls this Christmas, so I had to decorate with mistletoe."

Tracey rolled her eyes, immediately trying to step on his foot, but Harry, already expecting it, easily dodged her attempt. "Always aiming for the top, aren't you, Potter?" she muttered, failing to hide her amusement.

Daphne giggled, her eyes sparkling. "You're getting bold, Potter," she said, shaking her head slightly, clearly amused by his antics.

Pansy, on the other hand, snorted, her expression unimpressed. "Bold? More like horny," she quipped, crossing her arms.

Harry chuckled, not missing a beat. "I told you at the start of the year, Pansy—I've got a dragon in my pocket, so yeah, I think 'horny' works." He winked, not caring for the disbelieving looks from the others.

Hermione, Ginny, and even a few others blushed, some avoiding his gaze, while Luna seemed completely unfazed, still humming to herself like she hadn't heard a word.

"Harry!" Hermione exclaimed, her face turning redder. "You can't just—"

Harry looked at the blushed faces of all the girls and shook his head, clearly amused.

"You're all naughty," he said with a teasing grin. He reached dramatically into his pocket. "Here, let me show you the dragon."

For a second, the room froze. Some of the girls looked shocked, others horrified, while a few seemed oddly curious. Just as the tension reached its peak, Harry pulled out... a small dragon-shaped chocolate.

The collective sigh of relief was almost audible, though Astoria, looking genuinely confused, tilted her head. "What did they think you were going to pull out?" she asked, completely unaware.

Before anyone could answer, Luna snatched the chocolate from Harry's hand without hesitation and took a bite, humming softly as she chewed. "Tastes a bit like Hungarian Horntail," she mused.

Harry patted Astoria's hair with a smirk. "They're just naughty, Astoria," he said lightly. She gave him a small, confused nod, still not entirely grasping the joke. Before anyone could explain, Susan—her face still flushed—blurted out, "For a second, I thought..." She trailed off, clearly too embarrassed to finish her sentence.

Pansy, leaning back in her seat, rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "Honestly, Bones, what exactly did you think Harry was going to pull out? Some ancient artifact? A cursed object? Please."

Tracey, who had been smirking the whole time, snickered. "Yeah, Susan, what kind of dragon did you have in mind?" she teased, raising an eyebrow.

Susan's blush deepened, and she shot Tracey a glare. "Shut up," she muttered, but her tone lacked any real bite.

Harry, still amused by the entire situation, decided to ease the tension a little. "I mean, I could always pull out something dangerous," he joked, leaning back and pulling out another chocolate dragon from his pocket.

As everyone started to eat their chocolates, Harry kept pulling out more from his pockets, one after another. This sparked a new round of chatter around the table.

"Wait, how are you doing that?" Ginny asked, staring at the growing pile of sweets.

"Yeah," Fred chimed in, grabbing a chocolate. "You've got to have some kind of spell on that pocket, right?"

Hermione narrowed her eyes at Harry. "That's illegal, you know. Expanding charms on personal items without approval."

Harry pulled the pocket inside out, showing it wasn't enchanted. "Nothing illegal here," he said with a grin.

"Then how are you pulling all these chocolates out?" Hannah asked, looking genuinely puzzled.

Harry grinned wider. "Magic."

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