The Next Generation - Harry Potter

The Invisibility Cloak

In the common room after dinner, sitting on the comfy arm chairs by the fire, all I could think about was the invisibility cloak crammed in my trunk upstairs. Liam offered to play exploding snap so I told him the idea while he was dealing. "How about we get my dad's cloak out tonight?" I asked. He looked Excited.

We had planned to go down to the kitchens for some food whilst everyone else was in their dormitories. Teddy told me the summer before, 'you can sneak into the kitchens', he'd said, 'it's quite easy really, just tickle the pear in that portrait near hufflepuff common room!' So we played a few games whilst we waited for everyone else to go to their dormitories. Finally, after at least half an hour, we were the only ones left. We threw the cloak over ourselves, which felt lighter than air and flowed loosely around our ankles. I looked down and could see the scarlet carpet beneath me, but couldn't see the rest of my body at all. "Cool!" Liam said enthusiastically.

We floated down the stairs and through the castle, careful not to be heard by anyone. At one point, they both stood with bated breath as professor Sprout went into her office, wearing a lavender silk dressing gown. Once we had reached the hufflepuff corridor, we did as Teddy had instructed and heard the high pitched squeal from the painted fruit. The portrait swung open, not unlike that of the fat lady, and revealed a scene that made us both gasp as we pulled of the cloak. There were about a hundred house elves, wrinkly and wearing togas of tea-towels emblazoned with the Hogwarts crest. They all looked sleepily up at the pair of us and stopped what they were doing, some dropping saucepans and platters in their haste to greet us . In some of their bony hands were plates of eclairs and elaborate cakes. We gratefully took the cakes and crammed them into our pockets. 'Hello masters' said a particularly skinny looking elf. As Liam talked to the miniature workers with interest, I took in my surroundings. The brick walls were chalk white, and contrasted with the extravagant portraits of food and feasts in shiny gold frames. There was a burning fire, the flames licking the bottom of a simmering cauldron. It looked welcoming despite being dark and damp. I looked at my watch and saw that it was early in the morning. I showed Liam and we threw the delicate cloak back over ourselves, thanking the eager house-elves and stepping out of the portrait and into the castle grounds, which were now bathed in a deep orangey glow.