Christmas at Hogwarts is strangely quiet, and Harry uses the peace to bury himself in the rare Parseltongue book he bought at auction. Inside he finds a Slytherin–invented potion that would let Severus understand Parseltongue, brewed with crushed basilisk eggshells – the perfect gift once Harry’s egg finally hatches. Down in the dungeons, he and Severus translate the recipe together, brew it, and share one of the first real “father and son” gift moments Harry has ever had. Meanwhile, Dumbledore demands Occlumency lessons, Severus is pushed into agreeing, and Harry talks him into a Christmas trip to the Ministry to retrieve the prophecy and to Gregorovitch for a new wand. The night ends with a surge of Voldemort’s happiness, a fresh bout of scar agony, and Severus forcing the Horcrux deeper into its mental box as Azkaban’s breakout looms on the horizon.

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“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.

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