The Cupboard Series 1: The Cupboard Under The Stairs

Chapter 17

A beautiful snowy owl spiralled down towards the four-story ramshackle building, intent on its delivery. Spying an open window, Hedwig adjusted her wings. At the last second, her wings flared and she landed neatly on the sill.

"Hello, there, who do you belong to?" a portly older red-haired woman asked.

In answer, Hedwig shuffled around to hold out one leg.

Dusting off the flour on her hands, Molly Weasley bustled across the kitchen to grab up the water container and some spare owl pellets before moving across to the window.

"Ooh, what a beautiful owl," an excited voice squealed.

"Don't scare her, Ginny, it looks as though she's had a long flight," Molly admonished her daughter before placing the water and pile of treats in front of the owl. "Now, let's see what you've got there."

Hedwig waited patiently for the letter to be untied before dipping her beak down and taking a long drink.

Molly, meanwhile, was flipping the envelope over. Apart from the name 'Mr and Mrs Weasley' and the address, simply 'The Burrow', it was blank. She didn't recognise the handwriting either.

With a shrug, she opened the letter.

Dear Mr and Mrs Weasley,

I just wanted to write and say thank you for the Christmas gift that you sent me. The jumper's really warm and fits well. The fudge, too, was delicious.

With thanks,

Harry Potter.

Within seconds of having read the short letter, Molly was dapping at her eyes with her hanky.

"Oh, that dear, dear boy. What wonderful manners," she murmured.

"Who's it from, Mum?" Ginny asked, standing up on the chair in an effort to see over her mother's shoulder.

"It was just from Harry, dear, thanking us for the Christmas gift we sent him," Molly replied.

"Harry! Harry Potter! Really? Can I see? Can I see?" Ginny bounced on her chair in excitement.

Handing over the note, Molly watched with a smile as her overly excited daughter plopped herself down on the chair, the note firmly clenched in her hand.

After hearing the stories that the twins told about the small, shy boy that they'd befriended and finding out that he wasn't expecting any Christmas presents this year, her heart had gone out to him. She'd known both James and Lily. Indeed, she would have happily taken him in after that awful tragedy.

Her mind had been well and truly made up and she was already halfway through knitting his jumper before Albus had mentioned that Harry would be spending Christmas in the castle without any family and very few friends around to celebrate it with.

Now more than ever, she was glad that she'd followed her heart. She mentally made a note to herself to ask Arthur about maybe taking the poor boy in for some of the summer holidays.

-oOoOo-

"So, what's your secret, Potter?"

Harry froze, staring at the red-haired girl across the table from him. Finally he noticed the small smile playing around the corners of Susan Bones' mouth and his brain rebooted. That smile clearly meant that Susan wasn't asking about his life back on Privet Drive. Nor could she know about why Hagrid hadn't left his cabin in days and had all of the curtains pulled with smoke billowing out of his chimney.

"What do you mean?' he finally asked, his quill still poised above the potions essay that the ten of them grouped around the table were working on.