[Chapter Size: 1800 Words.]
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It was a new day, and Harry felt that everything was different.
Both the brain-blocking technique and the mental-blocking technique had greatly improved all at once, and everything around him seemed clearer and more agile. Although there was no change in magical power, his mental strength had significantly increased.
What was that? Harry was confused. After thinking for a long time, he still had no idea.
Still confused, Ron's voice suddenly reached his ears: "Harry, Harry, wake up."
Harry opened his eyes and saw Ron sitting beside his bed, waving at him. "Merry Christmas."
"Merry Christmas." Harry sat up and smiled as he saw Ron unpacking a bunch of small boxes beside his bed. They were the Christmas presents Harry had received. There were also some next to Harry's bed.
"Harry, thanks for the gift." Seeing Harry sit up, Ron waved a card in his hand cheerfully.
It was the card of Claudius Ptolemy, the third rarest card in the Chocolate Frog Cards collection, and one of the two missing cards Ron had yet to collect, the other being the rarest card of Cornelius Agrippa.
"You're welcome." Harry laughed. It was definitely a happy moment when the gift he gave was appreciated. He had put a lot of thought into that present and had finally managed to get it with the help of his twin brothers, who had found it at Zonko's Joke Shop.
Harry began to look at his presents.
The first was the largest, and to everyone's surprise, the sender was Dudley.
After opening it, Harry seemed a bit embarrassed.
"Harry, what's this?" Ron had already opened his own present. When he saw Harry starting to open his, he curiously approached. Upon seeing what Harry held at that moment, he didn't recognize it.
"Uh... these are called boxing gloves." Harry put on the red boxing gloves, threw a boxing punch, and explained the sport of boxing.
"Cool!" Ron whistled loudly. "No wonder it was so easy for you to beat Malfoy and Goyle before!"
Harry was speechless and picked up the small note from his older cousin Dudley: "If anyone dares to mess with you, take these and hit them."
Harry was speechless. Harry felt his cousin might have some misunderstandings about him.
The next gift came from Hagrid. It was a flute. It looked rough and seemed like something Hagrid had made himself.
Harry felt a little confused, not because the flute made by Hagrid was ugly, though it wasn't particularly pretty. Harry was concerned because he had no musical talent.
Harry's fingers had always been too long, so he had tried to learn the piano when he was younger. But his musical talent was so poor that he ended up giving up.
But he tried blowing into it, and it sounded like an owl. If he blew into it at night, it might be a bit scary.
Harry shook his head, set the flute aside, and opened the third present.
The third gift came from Mrs. Weasley, Ron's mother. She had knitted a sweater for Harry. The stitching was very fine, and Harry loved it. The most important thing about a gift is the thought behind it, and this one was obviously a very thoughtful gift.
Ron looked a little embarrassed because the sweater was bright green.
Harry noticed Ron's expression, laughed, and immediately put on the sweater. "Please thank Mrs. Weasley for me. Or, maybe I should thank her myself. I really like it."
Harry's bright smile dispelled Ron's embarrassment.
This time, Harry didn't notice and continued to open more presents.
Hermione and Neville also prepared presents for Harry, which surprised him a little. And they seemed quite thoughtful. Compared to them, Harry felt his own intentions weren't as good.
Except for the gift he prepared for Ron, all the other presents were bought from Zonko's Joke Shop, with the help of the twin brothers. Although they were all small, rare gadgets, Harry still felt there was a lack of personal consideration in them.
Turning the page, there were many presents from classmates, most of them small things. After all, those who were close enough to Harry to give gifts to each other were all first-years, and most of them didn't have much money.
At the very end, there was a paper-wrapped package. Harry picked it up and found it very light, so he opened it. But before he could fully take the object out of the paper bag, he suddenly felt as though an electric shock had passed through his entire body and collapsed to the ground.
At the same time, a loud, indistinguishable, and extremely sharp noise sounded. Almost instantly, Harry was jolted by the sound and lost consciousness.
"Harry, Harry..."
Ron's shout faintly reached his ears, but it became increasingly distant and indistinct.
…
Somewhere between reality and illusion, in a chaotic gray space where black and white could no longer be distinguished, a pair of scarlet eyes slowly opened.
They seemed to pierce through the infinite stretches of time and space, finally settling on a hidden castle in the Scottish Highlands.
However, a barrier prevented further observation. This left the entity somewhat displeased. It had been asleep for far too long. In the endless years that had passed, it was rare to find something capable of triggering its awareness.
Still, it did nothing.
It was too lazy to move. After all, it had remained motionless for who knew how many years, and it certainly wasn't going to stir just because of the insignificant being that had accidentally touched it.
But if it happened again, maybe it would take a look.
Before making a final decision, it drifted back into a deep slumber.
…
"Harry! Harry!"
Ron's urgent voice echoed in his ears.
Harry opened his eyes drowsily. It felt as though he had just woken from a very long dream. In the dream, a pair of red eyes had been watching him from an impossibly high vantage point. Yet, layers of mist had obscured his vision, allowing him to see nothing but those piercing eyes.
He had wanted to run, but he had no body. He had wanted to scream, but he had no throat.
It felt like an eternity had passed before Ron's voice finally pulled him back.
Harry found himself lying on the dormitory carpet, surrounded by scattered Christmas presents.
"How long was I unconscious?" he asked, a hint of fear in his voice. The dream had felt both surreal and disturbingly real. The memory of those eyes sent shivers down his spine.
"What do you mean, unconscious?" Ron looked bewildered. "You just collapsed."
"Huh?" Harry was equally confused. It felt as though he had been asleep for hours.
Glancing to the side, he noticed the paper-wrapped package lying nearby. A small, dime-sized object of silver-gray, shimmering material had slipped out of it.
"What is that?"
Harry's curiosity outweighed his fear, and he reached out to touch it with his fingertips—only to jerk his hand back immediately.
The electric shock sensation he had felt earlier was completely gone!
"Huh?"
He tried touching it again, nothing. Once more, still nothing.
"Harry, what's wrong with you?" Ron looked at his friend in confusion, watching as he repeatedly poked at the object like an idiot.
"You, try touching it." Harry was puzzled. Could it be that something unusual only happened the first time he made contact?
Ron, unsure of what was happening, stepped forward and placed a hand on the object. Nothing happened.
"Why? That was strange."
Then, a thought struck Harry.
When he had collapsed just moments ago, his Occlumency and Mind Shielding techniques, both of which had been active since he woke up, had suddenly shut off.
Although Harry had mastered these two spells well, and his skill had improved significantly after the previous night, they still weren't as effortless as breathing, as described in the books. He still had to maintain them consciously.
With that in mind, Harry activated his techniques once more. Then, he quickly touched the object again.
This time, the electric shock sensation and the sharp noise returned, but Harry immediately pulled his hand away. It only lasted for a moment, not enough to knock him down again, but still enough to leave him feeling dizzy and nauseous.
"I've figured it out. This object seems to disrupt Occlumency and Mental Shielding techniques."
Harry deactivated both shields and touched the object once more. As expected, everything was fine again.
"What in the world is this, and why does it interfere with mental protection spells?"
"Harry, what are you doing?" Ron gave his best friend a baffled look as he watched him prod and examine the silvery-gray object with intense curiosity.
Fortunately, Ron decided to help. He picked up the package and gave it a shake, revealing that the item inside was actually a cloak.
"Huh? What is this?" Harry was still trying to understand why someone had sent him such a strange-looking cloak when Ron suddenly gasped in excitement.
"This is really rare! This is..." Before Harry could react, Ron practically shouted, "This is an Invisibility Cloak!"
"An Invisibility Cloak?"
Harry's eyes lit up as he snatched the cloak from Ron. It felt odd, almost as if it were made of water. He threw it over his shoulders and looked down, sure enough, his lower body had completely disappeared.
"Strange, this thing is really strange."
Harry had read many books about the wizarding world, but information about Invisibility Cloaks was scarce. This kind of magical artifact was incredibly rare.
"There's a note," Ron pointed out suddenly, indicating a small piece of parchment that had fallen to the floor.
Harry took off the cloak and picked up the note, reading it aloud.
The handwriting was delicate yet elaborate, with loops and curls within circles:
Your father left this in my care before he died.
It is time it was returned to you.
Use it well.
Wishing you a very Merry Christmas.
There was no signature.
Harry and Ron stared at the note, then at each other.
"Do you know who sent it?" Ron asked hesitantly before adding in awe, "This thing is amazing! But Harry, you'd better not let Fred and George find out..."
"I have no idea who sent it," Harry admitted, shaking his head. "But I'm sure it wasn't Professor McGonagall."
Ron considered McGonagall's strict nature, then imagined all the things he and Harry could do now that they had an Invisibility Cloak. His eyes drifted back to the words Use it well on the note.
He nodded in agreement.
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