star shopping ✰ d.m.

CHAPTER NINE

Arabella had spent the next few weeks leading up to the Christmas holidays studying with Hermione and getting to know her fellow Gryffindor's. She had gotten closer with Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas, who appreciated her help with their assignments and loved hearing about her home life as the second youngest child in a large pure-blood wizarding family. She had also begun to talk to Angelina Johnson, Alicia Spinnet, and Olivia Wood, who were always happy to discuss their positions on the Gryffindor Quidditch team with the eager-to-learn girl.

On the last day of term, the day those who would be going home for the holidays would be leaving, Harry and Ron were playing Wizard's Chess in the Great Hall while Arabella did homework next to them.

"That's totally barbaric!" Hermione exclaimed, joining them just as Ron's queen took the place of Harry's knight.

"That's Wizard's Chess," Ron said. "I see you've packed."

"See you haven't."

"Change of plans. Our parents decided to go to Romania to visit our brother Charlie. He's studying dragons there."

"It's a bit disappointing, really," Arabella added, looking up from her book. "I haven't seen Charlie in a while and I would have loved to see him in his element. It's all right though, I guess. At least here I have a whole library at my disposal."

"I'm glad you think so," said Hermione. "You can help Harry, then. He's going to go look in the library for information on Nicholas Flamel."

"We've looked a hundred times!" Ron protested.

Hermione leaned forward and lowered her voice. "Not in the Restricted Section." She stood up straight again and acted like she hadn't just suggested breaking the rules. "Happy Christmas."

"Bye, Mione!" Arabella called after her best friend as she left for the holidays.

"I think we've had a bad influence on her," Ron said once the bushy-haired girl had left.

"Oh, I wouldn't call it that. I'd call it... bringing her out of her shell."

A week later, Arabella had indeed been in the library a lot and had read through a lot of books, hoping to find something about Nicholas Flamel. However, she hadn't found anything and hadn't been able to think of a good enough reason to ask for permission to look through the Restricted Section.

When she woke up Christmas morning in the dormitory she now had to herself for the time being, Nicholas Flamel and all school-related subjects were pushed from her mind. Immediately, she ran down the steps to the common room and found Ron already down there, looking at all the presents under the Christmas tree. They searched for any presents with their names on them and opened them as quickly as possible.

Arabella had gotten five presents this year. It wasn't much compared to kids from better-off families, but it was plenty for the Weasleys. She had gotten a knitted maroon sweater with the letter A on it and homemade fudge from her mother, a package of sweets from Hermione, a hand-made bracelet from Ginny (and a note that explained she had made one for herself just like it so they could match), and a book all about dragons from Charlie. When she and Ron had finished opening presents and put on their sweaters, they yelled for Harry. When he finally showed up at the top of the stairs, they greeted him with a chorused, "Happy Christmas, Harry."

"Happy Christmas," he returned. "What are you wearing?"

"Oh, Mum made them," Ron answered, looking down at his sweater. "Looks like you've got one, too."

"I've got presents?"

"Yeah!"

"You really think our mum would let you go without?" Arabella asked.

Beaming, Harry ran down the stairs. The twins pointed out his presents and he opened one of them, sitting down in the chair beside the tree to do so. This one present included a note, which he read aloud.

"'Your father left this in my possession before he died. It is time it was returned to you. Use it well.'"

He looked up and gave Ron and Arabella a questioning look, which they responded to with a shrug. He then continued to open the package and pulled out something silvery.

"What is it?" Ron asked.

"Some kind of cloak," Harry said.

"Well, let's see, then. Put it on."

Harry did, and when he did, both the cloak and his body disappeared.

"Woah!" the twins exclaimed, not believing their eyes.

"My body's gone!" said Harry.

"I know what that is," said Ron. "That's an Invisibility Cloak!"

"I'm invisible?"

"Well, yeah!" said Arabella. "You think your body just left without you? Come on, Harry."

"They're really rare," Ron told him, picking up the note that came with the cloak. "I wonder who gave it to you."

"There was no name," Harry said. "It just said, 'Use it well.'"

"And I trust you will?" Arabella asked. "Because if not, I'm sorry, Harry, but I'm gonna have to take that from you."

[word count: 846]
[written: 4/16/20]
[published: 5/13/20]