Gideon Drake and the Fire Within (Harry Potter Sequel/Spinoff)

Chapter Forty-Three: Eternal Rest and Relaxation

After experimenting, Gideon realised that the crystal projected a Disillusionment Charm over its holder. It was just short of total invisibility, which he knew to be extremely advanced, but unlike the spell inside his lost Channelling Rod, he was unlikely to learn such magic while at school.

Gideon couldn't immediately think of a use for what he had decided to coin, the Camostone, but he couldn't wait to show Ruby and Talia when they returned. He marvelled at the small pile of gifts. It wasn't quite the haul he was used to, but it was more than he had expected, and somehow it meant more.

Later that day was the Christmas Feast. Even by Hogwarts standards, the meal was spectacular. The usual plates, serving dishes, goblets and cutlery were replaced by gleaming, ornate silverware. A selection of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes brand wizard crackers got the attendees in the mood.

These crackers went off with a much louder bang than the ones Gideon was accustomed to, and each triggered an indoor firework. They also contained much better prizes and coloured conical hats with kaleidoscope-like patterns that changed when they were worn.

After pulling a cracker with Professor Keane and watching the ensuing display, Gideon was lucky enough to get a spinning hypnotic-patterned hat and a deck of Exploding Snap cards picturing different breeds of dragons. The Hufflepuff girl sitting next to him got a hat with the changing phases of the moon and an Eterna-Bounce ball, which she foolishly dropped. It proceeded to bounce all around the hall until a Ravenclaw Quidditch player caught it, earning a round of applause.

Gideon enjoyed how Professor Dandridge's Hula-patterned hat clashed horribly with her festive robes, and how Professor Keane forced a flower-patterned one on the head of a reluctant Professor Voronov.

At the end of the table was an old woman covered in shawls and beads, whom Gideon didn't recognise. She spent a lot of time fighting for Professor Kenyatta's attention, even though the Astronomy teacher kept trying to talk to other people. She almost really fought a student over a hat with creepy blinking eyes, which was funny seeing as how her own eyes were so magnified by her thick glasses that she resembled a large insect, and because she kept knocking things over.

All of a sudden, the table set for twenty or so was filled to the brim with perfectly cooked stuffed turkeys, mouth-watering bacon-covered chipolatas, glorious golden potatoes, crispy Yorkshire puddings and a spectrum of vegetables. Every face around the table seemed to be grinning as they helped themselves and passed around boats of rich gravy, mint jelly and bread and cranberry sauces.

After the best meal of Gideon's life, came the desserts. As he admired the flaming Christmas puddings, deep-filled trifles and delectable-looking gateau, Gideon's eyes surely became bigger than his belly, and that was saying something at this point. He was so full, and yet, he knew that if he didn't have a big slice of the white chocolate and raspberry gateau topped with double cream, he would live to regret it.

Upon finally leaving the Great Hall, Gideon, perhaps unsurprisingly, found himself moving much slower than usual. The students departed for their houses while most of the teachers remained for a nightcap. The woman Gideon hadn't recognised, however, appeared to be having some trouble getting up the marble staircase.

The Hufflepuff girl had informed him that she was Professor Trelawney, the Divination teacher, who usually remained within the confines of the North Tower. There was a loud clunk, and a bottle of Ogden's Firewhiskythat she must have swiped from the dinner table began to roll down the stairs precariously. Gideon jogged over with his stomach sloshing, caught it before it picked up speed, and ran it back up to the teacher.

'Oh, thank you, my dear. Must've fallen into my pocket! I'll see that it's returned later,' she slurred, grabbing for the bottle. Instead, her bony hand wrapped tightly around Gideon's arm. Unlike the blinking pattern of her hat, her magnified eyes stretched wide, and she continued in an altogether different, guttural tone of voice.