"Harry, what is this?" Ron came over from nowhere and looked at the package in front of Harry curiously, "Wait, this shape... It looks like a flying broom!"
He immediately jumped up excitedly. "Open it and see what it is, Harry! Open it and see what it is!"
In fact, Harry couldn't wait any longer. He tore open the long package, and a beautiful, shining flying broom appeared before their eyes.
"Wow-"
A burst of exclamations of surprise rang out.
Harry gasped in amazement. Ron dropped the wizard chess piece in his hand and almost jumped out of his seat to get a closer look.
"This is, this is..." Ron pointed at the broom, trembling and unable to speak.
For this reason, he ran back to the dormitory like crazy and rummaged through the drawers on his bed to find a newspaper.
The headline on the second page of the newspaper read: "The most expensive and luxurious flying broom in history is now available at the Quidditch boutique!"
Beneath the title, a photograph of a boutique Quidditch shop was displayed, and on a podium beside the shop window was a broom that the young wizards agreed was the most beautiful, amazing, and advanced broom they had ever seen.
There was a note hanging next to the broom -
Firebolt:
This flying broom represents the highest level of craftsmanship available, with a high-quality ash wood handle, diamond-polished, and hand-engraved registration number. Each carefully selected birch branch at the end of the broom is ground into a streamlined shape, giving the broom unparalleled balance and exquisite accuracy. The Firebolt can accelerate from zero to 150 miles per hour in ten seconds and comes with an unbreakable braking spell. Price negotiable.
"Firebolt, it must be a Firebolt!" Ron exclaimed. "Harry, it's the fastest broom in the world!"
Ron's loud exclamation attracted other students in the common room, and then they exclaimed even louder than Ron.
"Merlin's big pants!" Fred's eyes widened in shock. "I heard from the owner of the Quidditch boutique that the Irish international team just ordered seven of these beautiful brooms. This product is a favorite at the World Cup!"
"I can't believe it," Harry murmured hoarsely.
Before school started, when he was staying in Diagon Alley, he went to the Quidditch boutique every day to look at the broom of his dreams.
And the one in front of him now is exactly the same as the original one!
Harry lifted the gleaming Firebolt. He could feel it trembling, and let it go -
The Firebolt hung obediently in midair, without any support, at a height just right for him to ride on. His eyes followed the golden serial number on the top of the broom to the completely smooth, streamlined tip of the broom, his eyes obsessed.
No Quidditch player could refuse this gift!
"Harry, where did you find such a rich man or woman as your friend?" George said with envy, "'Price is negotiable', Merlin, I bet the price of this broom will definitely not be less than two thousand Galleons!"
Ron was also curious about this, so he tore open the wrapping paper of the Firebolt that had fallen to the side for Harry.
"Come and look, Harry, here's a letter for you!" he cried suddenly.
Harry turned around in surprise and took the letter from Ron.
After a moment, a big smile gradually appeared on his face.
"Come with me, Ron!" Harry held the Firebolt and the letter in the package in one hand, and with the other hand he pulled Hermione away who still wanted to read.
He called his two best friends into the boys' dormitory and carefully locked the door.
"What happened, Harry?" Hermione asked confused.
Although Gryffindor girls did have the right to enter the boys' dormitory, Hermione still felt a little embarrassed at being forcibly dragged into the boys' dormitory, so she glared at Harry unhappily.
"Listen to me, Ron, Hermione..." Harry ignored Hermione's expression, glanced outside the door again, and after confirming that no one else was there, he whispered to the two of them, "This broom is an early Christmas gift from Sirius!"
"Sirius Black?!" Ron opened his mouth in surprise, but then lowered his voice, "Oh, yes, he said he was your godfather... but I didn't expect he was so rich!"
"More than a decade ago, the Black family was definitely not less wealthy than the Malfoy family." The knowledgeable Hermione explained, "Even though they have fallen, it should be no problem for Mr. Black to find a few thousand Galleons to buy a broom."
Of course, they didn't know that although Sirius was nominally the last heir to the Black family, Master Regulus Black, who was recognized by the house-elf Kreacher, was rescued and quickly gained control of the Black family's wealth.
Sirius was stunned when he returned to 12 Grimmauld Place and saw Regulus!
Later, the two brothers had a deep talk and explained clearly what they had done. Only then did they realize that their ultimate goal was to fight against Voldemort, and the two of them also resolved many of their knots.
However, the Black family's wealth was already in the hands of Regulus. In order to buy a new broom for Harry, Sirius begged Regulus for a lot of good things, and only then did he get enough Galleons to buy a Firebolt...
In the Gryffindor boys' dormitory, Harry took out the parchment from the package and shook it at Ron and Hermione.
"This is a letter from Sirius. He told me that he bought this broom for me." He said excitedly, "He also told me that I am safe now and I don't need to worry about him!"
Ron and Hermione came over in surprise and looked at the letter in Harry's hand.
The parchment reads:
"Dear Harry, I hope you are doing well at Hogwarts. I have returned to the Black family home and am now safe.
Although the wanted order has not been cancelled, no Dementor can find me. I believe Dumbledore and your Professor Dracula will be able to help me solve the wanted order soon. I hope we can meet openly soon.
This broom is your Christmas gift. I don’t know if you will stay in school during the Christmas holidays, so I asked an owl to deliver the gift to you in advance. I wish you a Merry Christmas in advance!
By the way, you lost your Nimbus 2000 in the game when the Dementors invaded the Quidditch pitch, but they did find my trail. Because I wanted to see you so much, I turned into a black dog to watch the game.
I went to your last match, too. You did a great job! Those Slytherins deserve to be punished. But the broom you used in your last match was clearly not up to your level. I hope this broom can make up for my mistake of causing you to lose your Nimbus 2000.
Besides, I think I frightened you. That was the night you left your uncle's house before school started, and I want to apologize for that. I just wanted to see my godson, but I think you were frightened when you saw me.
I have enclosed something for you which I think will make your stay at Hogwarts more pleasant. If you need me, write. Your owl will find me. I will write to you again soon.
Your godfather, SB (Sirius Black)"
Harry saw the last paragraph and seemed to realize something, and searched the envelope anxiously.
There was another piece of parchment inside the envelope.
He read it quickly and suddenly felt warm all over and full in his heart, as if he had drunk a bottle of warm butterbeer in one gulp.
The sentence on the parchment was simple:
"I, Sirius Black, godfather of Harry Potter, hereby grant his permission to come to Hogsmeade for the weekend."
A delighted smile spread across Harry's face.
"See, Ron, Hermione, I can go to Hogsmeade with you this weekend too!" He hugged his two good friends tightly.
"Cool!" Ron shouted excitedly, "It's so cool to have such a godfather!"
Hermione also patted Harry's back happily, and suddenly, her expression became a little surprised when she looked at the letter.
"Wait, Harry..." She poked Harry's arm, "There seems to be a postscript on the back of the letter. It seems to be written to Ron."
"What? Harry's wealthy godfather has something else to say to me?" Ron let go of Harry almost immediately and flew to the letter. "Make a wish first. I hope I can have a Firebolt too!"
"You must be dreaming, Ron!" Hermione rolled her eyes at him.
Ron was not discouraged by her. He still picked up the letter with great interest, muttering:
"If a rich man like that can just give me a Galleon, I'm making a profit..."
The back of the parchment of the letter reads:
"I thought your friend Ron Weiss might be willing to adopt the owl that sent you this letter and broomstick. He lost his pet mouse because of my problem."
Ron's eyes widened.
"What? I'm going to have an owl?!" he shouted excitedly. "Where's the owl? Where is the owl?"
"It seems that he has been staying in the common room since delivering the letter." Hermione pointed outside the door.
"Ouch! No one touches that owl, it's mine!
”
Ron screamed and rushed out of the dormitory, running towards the owl that brought the broomstick and the letter.
…
Soon it was the weekend, and the three little wizards rushed out of the school gate with excitement.
Among them, Harry, who had never been to Hogsmeade, was the most excited. He looked around and felt that everywhere was new.
There was heavy snow falling from the sky, but this did not dampen the enthusiasm of Harry and the other two at all.
As Christmas approaches, Hogsmeade looks like a Christmas card in the snow: the cottages and shops are covered with a layer of crisp snow, there are holly wreaths on every door, and enchanted candles are hung in clusters on the trees.
"It's a little chilly, why don't we go sit at the Three Broomsticks?"
Ron suggested after visiting the Shrieking Shack, where Professor Lupin had transformed himself into a werewolf.
Harry and Hermione both nodded in agreement.
The faces of the three men were red from the cold, but they were in good spirits and skipped towards the tavern called the Three Broomsticks.
There were obviously many people who shared their ideas, and the tavern was crowded, noisy, warm and smoky.
A woman with a graceful figure and pretty face was tending to a group of noisy wizards at the bar.
"That's Madam Rosmerta," Ron introduced with a slightly blushing face, while Hermione rolled her eyes in disdain.
He then added, "What do you want to drink? I'll go get you some wine."
However, before Ron could go and order drinks, Ms. Rosmerta came over very considerately.
"What would you three like to drink?" she asked with a charming smile.
"I... I'll have a butterbeer." Ron couldn't help looking at Madam Rosmerta's face again and again.
Hermione hummed softly, then said, "I'll have a cup of hot cocoa."
Madam Rosmerta looked the two of them over with a meaningful look before looking at Harry and asking, "What about you, what would you like to drink, young man?"
"I… "
Before Harry could say what drink he wanted, a cold wind suddenly blew on the street outside the pub.
Several Dementors exuding a gloomy aura slammed the door open and squeezed in, smoking wantonly in the tavern full of joy, nominally still searching for the wanted criminal who escaped from Azkaban.
The noisy atmosphere in the pub suddenly died down.
Everyone looked at the Dementors coming in from the door with fear and disgust, but no one dared to make any resistance, for fear of being targeted by the Dementors and being given the "Dementor's Kiss"...
"It's these annoying guys again, affecting my business all day long." Madam Rosmerta muttered in a low voice, "You three should hide better. These Dementors love to stare at you little wizards and absorb your happy emotions..."
"Do these Dementors... come here often?" Harry asked quietly.
"Yes, they basically patrol every store every day, claiming to be looking for criminals, but in fact they are here to eat." Ms. Rosmerta said, "Business in our stores has become much worse recently, all because of these monsters!"
Harry's eyes flickered for a moment, then he locked eyes with Hermione and Ron.
Ron looked indignant, and occasionally glanced at Madam Rosmerta out of the corner of his eye. Hermione was a little surprised at first, and then nodded firmly to Harry.
The next moment, in the stunned gaze of Madam Rosmerta and all the wizards present, Harry suddenly stood up.
He recalled the joy he felt when he received Sirius' letter a few days ago, saw the Firebolt, got his godfather's signature, and knew he had a relative. He raised his wand and shouted loudly -
"Expe!"
A silvery-white light burst out from the tip of Harry's wand and gushed towards the Dementors. A lively deer could be vaguely seen jumping in the silver light.
Ron and Hermione also raised their wands one after another and chanted the Patronus Charm.
Two slightly thinner flashes of silver light appeared, and together with Harry's Patronus, they drove the Dementors out of the Three Broomsticks' door.
As if inspired by them, Hogwarts students in other shops also raised their wands.
The sound of the spell "Expediate Patronus" gradually echoed throughout Hogsmeade. Silver lights of varying depths gushed out from various shops, and Dementors were driven out one after another.
Gradually, the silver light covered the entire Hogsmeade village, intertwining with the white snowflakes flying in the air, illuminating the gloomy atmosphere brought by the Dementors!
…
…