Slytherin Weasley

Chapter 41

On Christ​mas morn​ing, once again I woke to the gaudy red and gold of Gryffindor tower as Daph was spending Christmas in France with her Grandmother and Addy in Germany with his grandfather.

I slipped out from the bed and snuck down the corridor to the third year dormitory to wake Harry and Ron by throw​ing a pil​low at them both.

'Oy! Presents!' I yelled as Fred and George waddled down the corridor carrying our haul.

Har​ry reached for his glass​es and put them on, squint​ing through the se​mi-​dark​ness to the foot of
his bed, where a small heap of parcels had ap​peared.

Ron was al​ready rip​ping the pa​per off his own presents. "An​oth​er jumper from Mum ... ma​roon again ... see if you've got one.'

Har​ry had. Mum had sent him a scar​let jumper with the Gryffind​or li​on knit​ted on the front, al​so a dozen home-​baked mince pies, some Christ​mas cake and a box of nut brit​tle.

"How is it Harry always gets the best stuff from mum" Fred grumbled as he looked down at his blue F jumper and package of mince pies.

'What's that?' said Ron, and we all looked over at him, he had a fresh​ly un​wrapped pair of ma​roon socks in one hand, the other pointing to Harry's bed.

"Dun​no ..."

Har​ry ripped the par​cel open and gasped as a mag​nif​icent, gleam​ing broom​stick rolled out on​to
his bed​spread. Ron dropped his socks and jumped off his bed for a clos​er look.

'I don't be​lieve it,' I said hoarse​ly, scrambling to get a closer look.

It was a Fire​bolt, iden​ti​cal to the dream broom we had gone to see ev​ery day in Di​agon Al​ley.

Its han​dle glit​tered as he picked it up. I could see it vi​brat​ing, and he let go; it hung in mid-​air, un​sup​port​ed, at ex​act​ly the right height for him to mount it.

His eyes moved from the gold​en reg​is​tra​tion num​ber at the top of the han​dle right down to the per​fect​ly smooth, stream​lined birch twigs that made up the tail.

'Who sent it to you?' said Ron in a hushed voice.

'Look and see if there's a card,' said George.

Ron ripped apart the Fire​bolt's wrap​pings. 'Noth​ing! Blimey, who'd spend that much on you?'

"Well,' said Har​ry, feel​ing stunned, 'I'm bet​ting it wasn't the Durs​leys.'

'I bet it was Dum​ble​dore,' said Ron, now walk​ing round and round the Fire​bolt, tak​ing in ev​ery
glo​ri​ous inch. 'He sent you the In​vi-" Harry sent him a look and he shut his mouth.

'He wouldn't spend hun​dreds of Galleons on me. He can't go giv​ing stu​dents stuff like this –'

'That's why he wouldn't say it was from him!' said Ron. 'In case some git like Mal​foy said it was favouritism. Hey, Har​ry –' Ron gave a great whoop of laugh​ter, 'Mal​foy! Wait 'til he sees you on this! He'll be sick as a pig! This is an in​ter​na​tion​al stan​dard broom, this is!'

"Oh don't even Ron!" I groaned, "I can't wait"

'I can't be​lieve this,' Har​ry mut​tered, run​ning a hand along the Fire​bolt, while Ron sank on​to Har​ry's bed, laugh​ing his head off at the thought of Mal​foy. 'Who –?'

'I know,' said Ron, con​trol​ling him​self.  'I know who it could've been – Lupin!'

'What?' said Har​ry, now start​ing to laugh him​self.