The Next Generation

A Christmas Surprise

Albus Severus Potter sat up straight in his bed to see white flecks of snow falling to the ground through his window. A surge of excitement rushed through his body when he realized what day it was: Christmas morning! He jumped out of bed and stumbled down the stairs to find stacks of presents waiting under their Christmas tree. It turns out he wasn't the first up; his older brother James and his dad were already at the breakfast table, but his younger sister Lily and his mum weren't. Just then, the two of them came rushing through the doorway, to join them at the table.

"Merry Christmas!" called his mum to the lot of them. "Shall we eat, or open presents first?" The answer was unanimous. The five potters rushed over to the Christmas tree, and began ripping open presents, with the occasional "thanks mum" or "thanks dad." The first present Albus tore open was what looked like a glass spinning top. He examined it curiously, but had no idea what it was.

"What's this?" he said out loud. It was James that answered, without even looking up.

"It brings bad luck upon the owner; dad must've accidentally put it in there. Once someone touches it, it's theirs, and the curse is irreversible." Just as James said that, the funny object lit up and began to whistle and spin around, and dad merely chuckled.

"That's a sneakoscope," he said, smiling. "It's a type of dark detector that alerts you when someone is doing something untrustworthy nearby." Albus smirked at James, and moved onto his next present. They opened present after present, until finally only one remained. James seized it and turned it over to look at the label. He tossed it to Albus, and said "this one's for you."

As he caught the present, he noticed it was unusually light. He curiously removed the wrapping paper to find an old, worn cloak sitting in his lap. "This isn't-"

"-your school robe?" finished his dad, who smiled at him. "No, but in my opinion, it's much better." When Albus stared at him puzzled, he went on. "I inherited this cloak from my father, and am now passing it on to you. Try it on."

Reluctantly, Albus pulled the cloak around him, to see James and Lily gasp. When he looked down at where his body should be, he had the same reaction. He was completely invisible, except for his head. "Dad, what is this?" he asked it awe.

"That's an invisibility cloak," he answered, grinning at Albus's reaction.

Albus pulled the cloak over his head so it covered his entire body. Then he pulled it up to reveal his feet, and ran once around the room. The whole time, his insides were skipping with joy. "It's brilliant, dad! Thanks so much!" he said, his eyes shining and a smile spreading across his face.

"You're welcome," he replied, returning the smile.

Albus glanced around at the others. Mum was grinning at him, and Lily was staring at the cloak as if it were worth a thousand galleons. Maybe it was. But James was glaring at him with complete loathing on his face, which took Albus by surprise. He must be jealous, he thought. He quickly changed his expression from overjoyed to neutral, not wanting to upset James further. By that time, his father had noticed James's expression as well, and changed the subject to breakfast. His mum prepared a tasty meal of bacon and eggs, but Albus's mind was not on food. He was still thinking about the cloak his father had chosen to pass down to him, rather than James or Lily. Dad's voice saying "that was delicious, Ginny!" brought him back to the present. That was their dismissal from the table. James, seizing the moment to disappear, lumbered off to his room immediately. Mum began washing the dishes with magic. Just as Albus stood up, Lily asked him if she could try out the cloak. He handed it over to his younger sister, than hurried over to his father.

"Could I have a word with you?" he asked, and the two of them walked into the next room and sat down on the fluffy couch displayed there.

"What is it?" his father asked concernedly.

"I was just wondering why you chose to give the cloak to me, and not James. He seems pretty angry about it.

His father sighed and looked slightly guilty before saying, "because I knew he would only use it to sneak out of the dormitories at night, while you would put it to better use." He stood up to leave, but Albus stopped him.

"But what do you mean by 'better use?'" he asked.

"All I mean is, when an opportunity arises, put the cloak to good use." He winked at Albus, and was not stopped in his attempt to leave this time. Albus, however, lingered there for a few moments longer, thinking about what his father could possibly mean, before rising off the couch and leaving.