A gust of howling, icy wind swept up the last leaf on a branch, sending it drifting past the window.
Outside the Castle, everything was blanketed in snow. A thick layer of ice had formed over the Black Lake, and the Giant Squid inside seemed eager to come out for some fresh air. Its tentacles tapped the ice intermittently, the muffled thumps carrying far into the distance.
The Great Hall was bustling with activity. Everyone chatted happily, occasionally glancing toward the doors as they waited for a tall, burly man, always clad in a moleskin overcoat, to push them open.
There were no classes all morning today, because the long-awaited Christmas Holidays were about to begin.
"You're really not staying at school this year?"
At the Gryffindor table, Ron had already asked Harry this question several times, his face full of reluctance and unhappiness.
"Sorry, Ron," Harry said apologetically, though his eyes held anticipation. "You know, this is my first Christmas with my godfather..."
"Fine, then I'll just have to stay alone in an empty dormitory, sitting on the sofa all day with nothing to do." Something seemed to have flipped a switch in Ron. He had been acting rather strangely lately, always speaking in a snide tone.
"You won't be bored, Ron." Hermione couldn't stand it anymore. "You've already asked that several times. If you really have nothing to do, you can ask the professors to give you some extra homework."
Ron rolled his eyes "daintily" and was just about to retort when someone pulled the Great Hall doors open from outside. A blast of cold wind rushed in, and the man everyone had been waiting for so long-he had arrived.
"Children, hurry up! The carriages are waiting for you in the little courtyard!" Hagrid shouted at the top