Ever since Hermione left, Harry and Ron had been having a wild time. With everyone else gone home, the entire Gryffindor boys' dormitory and Common Room were practically theirs to rule. They had no mind at all for Nicolas Flamel.
On Christmas morning, Harry woke up early.
"Christmas! Merry Christmas, Tierra!" Harry excitedly shook Tierra awake as soon as he got up.
"Merry Christmas, Harry." Tierra glanced at the time. It was only six o'clock!
At the moment, only he and Harry were in the dormitory. Ron's bed was a complete mess, so he had obviously been up for a while.
Ever since the holidays began, Harry and Ron had abandoned their habit of sleeping in. They seemed as though they wished they never had to sleep at all.
"Harry! Tierra! Come quickly!" Ron shouted excitedly from the Common Room.
Presents of all shapes and sizes were piled beneath the Christmas tree in the Common Room.
When Tierra and Harry arrived, Ron was pulling a maroon sweater with a huge R on the front from a box, his expression complicated.
"Oh, right, Harry, you have presents too." Ron pointed somewhat enviously at the pile of gifts in another corner beneath the tree. Harry's pile was much bigger than his.
Harry picked up the package on top. It was wrapped in thick brown paper, with "To Harry, from Hagrid" scrawled across it in large, looping handwriting.
Inside was a crudely made flute, clearly something Hagrid had made himself.
Harry tried blowing into it.
The sound it made was rather like an owl's hoot.
The second, much smaller package contained a note.
"We received your letter and are enclosing your Christmas present. Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia." Taped to the note was a fifty-pence coin.
"That's fairly friendly," Harry said.
Ron, however,