Harry's Christmas Presents

Nana · **Joined:** Mon May 07, 2012 3:55 pm **Posts:** 240

Happy Christmas, Harry, The cloak is the first real present and the first thing that belonged to his father. I tried to ignore that I knew what it is and how he will use it. It was hard. But just on the surface, the idea that he has something that belonged to his father, something his father touched is the best gift he could receive. It connects him not only to his father, but to the past and all the way back to the Peverils and to a place we will not get to for a long time. A cloak protects and in this case keeps him hidden, so it' s like his Dad's helping him. And in turn, he uses it to protect others. I like to see it as symbolic of Harry's instinct to protect which he inherited from the father. It is not a trait he needs to work at...it's inherent.
Also I wonder what DD was thinking. He knew it belonged to Harry and he would have to turn it over sooner or later, but he knew it was a Hallow. Not just any old cloak. What did DD think or hope Harry would do with it? Was it a test to see how Harry would use it?
I also liked that Harry received a Weasley Christmas jumper. It's like a visible sign that he is an honorary member of the clan already. Like when you wear a school scarf or something like that. This first Christmas at Hogwarts gave Harry a feeling of family for the first time. A sense of belonging.

Ali Wood · **Posted:** Wed Jun 13, 2012 8:04 pm

I think Dumbledore's ultimate guilt and moral code made him give the Cloak to Harry. I think he felt a bit guilty that he had the Cloak when the Potters died, when it could have potentially saved them. He also knows that it doesn't belong to him. As he says (or hints to, I believe; I've always gotten this deduction from reading the King's Cross scene), Dumbledore was not the right man to unite the Hallows. The Cloak was Harry's, and Dumbledore was simply doing the right thing by giving it back to him.

Nana · **Joined:** Mon May 07, 2012 3:55 pm **Posts:** 240

sorry....I edited it a bit and changed the title to include his other gifts. :oops:

Nana · **Joined:** Mon May 07, 2012 3:55 pm **Posts:** 240

I do agree that DD wanted to do the right thing and already knew he wasn't the one to unite the Hallows. Do you think he was simply returning it or was he already wondering if Harry might be the One who someday would?

Nana · **Joined:** Mon May 07, 2012 3:55 pm **Posts:** 240

Ali Wood wrote:

I think Dumbledore's ultimate guilt and moral code made him give the Cloak to Harry. I think he felt a bit guilty that he had the Cloak when the Potters died, when it could have potentially saved them. He also knows that it doesn't belong to him. As he says (or hints to, I believe; I've always gotten this deduction from reading the King's Cross scene), Dumbledore was not the right man to unite the Hallows. The Cloak was Harry's, and Dumbledore was simply doing the right thing by giving it back to him.

I have often wondered how the Cloak might have been helpful to the Potters the night Voldemort came. Why couldn't Lily and Harry have thrown it over themselves, gone outside and just disappeared down the street? I'm surprised that DD asked to take it and that the Potters so casually thought they didn't need it. If I were being hunted down, I think an Invisability Cloak would be something I'd hold onto.

skgai · **Posted:** Wed Jun 13, 2012 9:59 pm

The cloak wouldn't have saved the Potters. The whole point of the Fidelius Charm is to be able to still have a decent way of life despite hiding. The Invisibility Cloak only protects you for a short time because you can't live every day under it. You would go insane. Lily could have thrown it over Baby Harry when she heard Voldemort climbing the stairs, but he wasn't an adult. He still would have made sounds and Voldemort could easily have guessed where he was. There's no way the Potters would still be alive if they had the invisibility cloak.

wand_stone_cloak · **Posted:** Wed Jun 13, 2012 11:06 pm

Nana: I will officially be using the abbreviation "DD" for Dumbledore from here until the end of time, thank you!

I think that DD felt honor bound by the legend of the Hallows to pass the cloak down to Harry. Even if Harry was NOT meant to be the one who brought all three together 6 years later, DD would have given it to him anyway. It was just how he worked, there are some kinds of magic that simply can not be ignored and the passing down of the cloak is one of those types. Harry was in aw when he realized that the cloak was his fathers. Touching the same fabric as his parents after never having met them must have been one of the best sensations of Harry's young life. In line with this gift of a connection with his parents, I like to believe that DD gave Harry the cloak in the hopes that he would explore the castle, like his father, and find the Mirror of Erised later in this same chapter. I think that DD timed this up for Harry, almost as an extension on his gift of the cloak. Just as DD hoped, Harry went exploring soon after Christmas and came across the Mirror where he was finally able to see his family for the first time. Dumbledore is the epitome of a loving person in this way.

I have always enjoyed reading about how Harry truly values the sweaters and food items he gets from Molly W. He has never had that display of love and appreciation from his true family and when he gets the ugly sweater for Christmas, he finally feels like, as Nana put it, part of the clan. So often we can take for granted the gifts we receive from friends and family for holidays, it has always been a part of our lives, for the most part. Fred and George joke about it, Ron rolls his eyes over it, but Harry throws the jumper on and smiles widely. Sure, a Firebolt, a homework planner, a broom compass, and a furry wallet with fangs are all nice gifts but I am certain that Harry values his inclusion a Weasley Family tradition above all others.

Ali Wood · **Posted:** Wed Jun 13, 2012 11:37 pm

I think the Cloak could have saved the Potters! Obviously, they were willing to give it up because they trusted Peter, but had they had it, at least Lily and Harry could have gotten out, and then performed the Fidelius Charm again with someone else, say Sirius or Dumbledore (the latter is more likely, especially if James died, because I could see Sirius hunting down Peter still for being the cause of the death of his best friend. But then what if *gasp* Sirius had married Lily and really become a father to Harry?? Oh my gosh, fanfic craziness. I'm sure it's out there).

As for his sweater, first of all, I don't think they were ugly at all! Molly has surely knitted for a long time and is quite good at it, especially with magic. I always thought it was so sweet of her to take the time to knit one for this poor boy she'd seen once and hardly knew, and who was her youngest son's best friend, and who she knew had no family to get presents from. It's just another example of how wonderful Molly is. But I agree that it's so special to Harry because he feels one of the family.

headmaster · **Posted:** Thu Jun 14, 2012 1:29 pm

skgai wrote:

The cloak wouldn't have saved the Potters. The whole point of the Fidelius Charm is to be able to still have a decent way of life despite hiding. The Invisibility Cloak only protects you for a short time because you can't live every day under it. You would go insane. Lily could have thrown it over Baby Harry when she heard Voldemort climbing the stairs, but he wasn't an adult. He still would have made sounds and Voldemort could easily have guessed where he was. There's no way the Potters would still be alive if they had the invisibility cloak.

One question, why couldn't she have apparated? I forget, are babies not allowed to co-apparate?

In any regard, I think if she had the cloak, they might have been able to sneak out before Voldemort could find him. I don't think he meant they would permanently live under the cloak, but it certainly would not have been useless.

KyKid942 · **Posted:** Thu Jun 14, 2012 1:37 pm

Neither of them had their wands close to hand, because they trusted in the power of the Fidelius Charm; they felt safe in their home. What makes you think either one would have had the cloak handy, either? I don't think having the cloak would have helped at all, because I don't think it would have been available.

Harry's Christmas Presents

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