The Cupboard Series 1: The Cupboard Under The Stairs

Chapter 13

"What in the world are you wearing, Harry?"  

Harry looked up from the Flourish and Blotts catalogue, so engrossed had he been that he hadn't even heard the door to the tiny cupboard open.

"Hermione! You're back!" he exclaimed, a massive grin on his face.

"The Express got in early," Hermione informed him as she moved to sit on the upturned bucket. "But you haven't answered my question: what are you wearing?"

Harry looked down at the dark green jumper with the golden lightning bolt emblazed across the front.

"It's a jumper that I got for Christmas," he told her.

Hermione eyed it critically, her nose crinkled with her obvious distaste. "Did your Aunt and Uncle give it to you?"

Harry violently shook his head. "Them? I don't get presents from them! No, Mrs Weasley, Ron's mum, sent it to me."

"Why?"

"Apparently the twins told her that I didn't expect any gifts this Christmas and I guess she felt sorry for me," he shrugged. "It is nice and warm though. And it fits me pretty well."

Hermione nodded, her mind shooting back to the ugly ill-fitting clothes that he'd wearing the first time that they'd met.

"I see that you got the book. Do you like it?" Harry asked shyly, having realised she was cuddling to her chest.

"Oh, Harry, it's wonderful. There're so many interesting facts in here, not just about the four founders, but about the castle too," she gushed. "Thank you ever so much."

"You're welcome," he smiled. "Thank you for the quills, too, I've been needing some new ones since Halloween."

Hermione smiled. "I know. So, tell me, what's Christmas like here at Hogwarts?"

"Amazing," Harry breathed. "The best Christmas that I've ever had. You should have seen all of the food! And the crackers! Wow! I got a Grow-Your-Own-Wart kit and a new Wizard's Chess set and an admiral's hat and some gigantic luminous balloons from them. There were also some real live mice, but they got away."

Hermione smiled at his enthusiasm and the way his emerald eyes lit up behind his glasses. "Did you get any other presents?"

Harry nodded. "I got some chocolate frogs from Neville and wait until you see this ..."

After digging into his bag, Harry pulled out a length of shimmering silky cloth and threw it over himself.

Hermione gasped. "Is that ...?"

"Yep," Harry said, pulling the cloth off of his head so that it appeared to float in mid-air. "An invisibility cloak. No idea who sent it to me. The note just said that it was my father's and that I should have it."

"May I?"

"Sure," he replied, handing the cloak across.

Harry watched as Hermione admired the cloth before throwing it around herself. Instantly, she disappeared. A small scrape was the only indication that she'd moved before Harry felt a tap on his shoulder. Turning around, he saw a smiling Hermione reappear and hand the cloak back.

"How was your holiday, Hermione?"

"Oh, it was fine," she replied off-handedly. "Come on, let's get out of here and go for a walk."

Harry's reluctance was plain to see and Hermione relented, sitting back down on the bucket. She regarded her friend carefully. His head was down and he was fiddling an awfully long time with his bag after tucking the invisibility cloak away.