The next day, Hagrid set off for the Ministry of Magic bright and early.
In the Great Hall, Harry was trying to convince Hermione to eat something. "You have to eat something."
"I can't, Harry."
"Just a little of your favorite vegetable salad."
"I told you I—" Mmfph. Hermione was getting a bit impatient, but Harry forcefully spoon-fed her some zucchini.
The Weasley twins, sitting nearby, immediately hooted. "The Boy Who Lived is feeding his little girlfriend!"
"Aww~ George~"
"I'm here~ Fred~"
Watching the Weasley twins embrace, laughter erupted across the Great Hall. Harry, exasperated, used a Levitation Charm on the twins, but they didn't let go even as they floated in the air, making the laughter in the hall grow even louder.
Hermione, blushing furiously, snatched the spoon, shovelled a few bites, and then bolted out of the Great Hall.
"Hermione, Hermione—"
"Harry, could you just leave me alone for a bit?"
"No, I was going to say Hedwig brought back The Tales of Beedle the Bard." Only then did Hermione notice the beautifully bound book in Harry's hand.
"Sorry..." she mumbled, taking the book. Hermione quickly noticed the book's price was far more than she'd given Harry, so he quickly interjected. "I've mail-ordered a lot of books from Flourish and Blotts, so the owner knows my owl. He probably thought I like collector's editions, so..." Harry shrugged, implying the book was his Christmas gift, and returned the Galleons to Hermione. Hermione decided she absolutely had to get Harry a surprise for Christmas.
After quickly flipping through "The Tale of the Three Brothers," Hermione looked up at Harry. "Harry, according to the book, you should have an Invisibility Cloak that can escape Death."
"Perhaps it's in the vault? There's a lot of gold and odd bits there; I haven't searched thoroughly." After finishing the entire book, Hermione said apologetically, "I'm sorry, I couldn't get any more information from the book..."
"It's alright, Dumbledore said he'd tell me later," Harry comforted her. (Dumbledore: Tell you what? I just mentioned the book; I never said Lily Potter was connected to it.)
After his afternoon nap, Harry entered the common room and saw Hermione sitting by the fireplace, practically vibrating with excitement. Before Harry could even ask, she excitedly held up a piece of parchment. "Hagrid succeeded!"
Harry went back to his dormitory, grabbed his Firebolt, and with a call to Hermione, they flew directly out of the Gryffindor Tower. At Hagrid's hut, Malfoy was already there.
"Harry, Hermione, I really did it!" Hagrid greeted them enthusiastically, holding a bucket of bloody meat.
"Congratulations, Hagrid!" Harry and Hermione said in unison.
"After the presentation, the Ministry folks originally wanted me to go back and prepare materials for their meeting... but Macnair (the former Death Eater) said there was no need and approved the paperwork on the spot!" Harry and Hermione exchanged glances, understanding that Malfoy had indeed pulled some strings. What a corrupt Ministry of Magic, Harry mused.
"Alright, when can I go see Norberta?" Malfoy impatiently interjected.
Upon arriving at Norberta's nest, they found an elderly wizard closely observing Norberta. "Professor Kettleburn, I've brought the meat," Hagrid greeted him warmly.
"Just put it there, Hagrid. I need to closely examine this little dragon's development..."
Life settled into a routine in the following days. After some discussion, they decided not to publicly reveal Norberta's existence. They worried that some unruly young wizards might provoke Norberta, causing her to lash out and injure them. However, some older students who saw Hagrid's article in academic journals tried to come and catch a glimpse of the Norwegian Ridgeback. But Hagrid had moved Norberta into the Forbidden Forest, so most people returned empty-handed.
Hermione continued her routine of moving between the library, Quidditch, and Hagrid's hut. Malfoy memorized Norberta's feeding times and made a point of rushing to Hagrid's hut daily, even neglecting his usual taunting of Gryffindor. Humphrey, meanwhile, was lethargic all day, refusing to leave the trunk and even making Harry conjure a magical fire inside for him.
Christmas was approaching, and Harry had been frequenting the Owlery recently. One day, Hedwig brought Harry another package, and Hermione asked suspiciously, "Harry, what have you been up to lately?" Harry just offered a mysterious smile and quickly left the Great Hall.
On Christmas Eve, Harry suggested they go see Norberta one last time before Hermione went home for Christmas. As they arrived at Hagrid's hut, a grim-faced Hagrid stopped them. "Harry, Hermione, you two had better avoid the Forbidden Forest for a while, and tell Malfoy too."
"What happened, Hagrid?"
"There's a dead unicorn in the Forbidden Forest. From the wounds, it looks like it was done by a human, and they took all its blood." Hagrid shivered as he spoke. Harry and Hermione exchanged glances, both thinking of Voldemort.
"Did you tell Professor Dumbledore? This seems unusual," Harry asked cautiously.
"Professor Dumbledore has already investigated," Hagrid said simply.
"Then be careful by yourself, Hagrid."
"Don't worry, I brought Fluffy over. Come on, I'll walk you back to the castle." Harry then noticed Fang tied outside the door, and a three-headed dog looking out from inside the hut.
At the Hogsmeade Express station:
"Hermione, you know, you could try the Knight Bus."
"Don't be silly, Harry, the Knight Bus only goes to Hogsmeade." Harry and Hermione waved goodbye, watching her disappear from view.
On Christmas morning, Harry woke to find Ron already tearing into his presents. Looking at the pile of gifts by his bed, Harry was surprised to see so many. Ron, Seamus, and Dean all sent cards. Neville sent a bottle of dittany. The Weasley twins sent an unlabeled bag of sweets. Professor Flitwick sent a wand holster. Hagrid gave him a Norberta scale and a photo album. Even Ron's mother sent a jumper, though Harry didn't plan on wearing it.
Harry unwrapped Dumbledore's package: a transparent cloak and a pair of wool socks. Ron had been sneaking glances, and when he saw the transparent cloak, he couldn't help but exclaim, "An Invisibility Cloak?!" Harry opened the note (which was very elegant): "Merry Christmas, Harry. This Invisibility Cloak is the one passed down through the Potter family. I borrowed it long ago, and now it's returned to its rightful owner. I hope you use it well. P.S. The wool socks are very comfortable."
Ron watched enviously, muttering about how he wished someone would send him such a valuable gift. Harry hadn't expected Ron or Mrs. Weasley to send him gifts, so he passed on the various exquisite "rubbish" gifts he'd received from admirers to Ron. Oddly, even Petunia sent a gift, but Harry couldn't be bothered to open it.