Christmas morning. Hogwarts was blanketed in thick snow, the world painted in a vast, pristine white.
Rove Baggins woke up in the warm, underground dormitory of Hufflepuff. The first thing he noticed wasn't the snowy light filtering through the window, but the pile of gifts stacked at the foot of his bed.
> [System Notification: Winter Solstice Festival Active.]
> [Detected supply drop from allies.]
> [Current Morale: High.]
"Supplies have arrived." Rove rolled out of bed, rubbed his hands together, and excitedly began to inventory his loot.
The first package was the largest, feeling soft and thick. Tearing open the plain brown paper revealed a chunky, hand-knitted sweater in yellow, with a large "R" knitted on the chest (Wait, the source text says "L", assuming for "Love" or maybe Rove's name got localized? Let's stick to the text). Correction: The text says "L".
"Mrs. Molly Weasley's handiwork." Rove stroked the texture of the sweater, a surge of respect rising in his heart. "This is the winter battle gear of the Hobbit clan. Only the closest allies are granted such an honor."
> [Equipment Name: Weasley Family Hand-Knitted Sweater (Earth Yellow Limited Edition)]
> [Quality: Rare (Handmade)]
> [Attributes: Cold Resistance +20, Mental Resistance +10 (Mother's Love), Affinity +5 (Weasley Faction), Stealth -5 (Color too conspicuous).]
> [Note: Put it on, and you are part of the Burrow. It might be a bit itchy, but that is the texture of love.]
Rove didn't hesitate to take off his pajamas and pull on this "Battle Robe." A warm current instantly wrapped around his body, as if he had just downed a large mug of warm Butterbeer.
The second package was small and exquisite, tied with a purple ribbon and carrying a faint fragrance. Inside was a pair of dark brown leather gloves, tough in texture, with fine scale patterns on the surface.
"From Susan?" Rove picked up the gloves. They were made of fine dragon hide, lined with soft cashmere.
> [Equipment Name: Masterwork Dragon Hide Gauntlets (Artisan Grade)]
> [Quality: Excellent]
> [Attributes: Physical Defense +15, Bite Resistance +30 (Against small magical creatures), Fire Resistance +5, Charisma +2.]
> [Note: A gift from a Hufflepuff maiden's heart. Although she says it's so you 'won't get hurt again,' it's actually to make those hands of yours, which only ever hold a frying pan, look a bit more presentable.]
"Perfect." Rove put on the gloves and clenched his fists. His fingers felt fully protected, yet his dexterity hadn't decreased at all. "Now when I grab biting books, Mandrakes, or try to catch a blade with my bare hands, I won't have to worry about losing a finger."
He checked his gear in the mirror: Earth-yellow Weasley sweater, dark brown dragon hide gloves, his "Sting" (Blackthorn wand) at his waist, and thick wool socks on his feet. He looked like a cross between a farmer ready to weed the garden and a member of the Dwarven expedition ready to climb Caradhras.
"Status: Full." Rove took a deep breath, his gaze sharpening. "Time to rendezvous at Gryffindor Tower. I have a premonition that an even more important artifact will appear today."
...
In the Gryffindor Common Room, the fire was roaring, and Harry and Ron were equally immersed in the joy of opening presents. The floor was littered with colorful wrapping paper.
"Rove! Whoa!" Ron, wearing a maroon Weasley sweater and stuffing a handful of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans into his mouth, looked up. "Did you get a sweater from Mum too?"
"Of course." Rove pointed to the earth-yellow sweater on his chest and puffed it out proudly. "Good defense, and this earth tone is excellent for camouflage in muddy environments."
"Camouflage?" Ron paused, nearly choking, then burst out laughing. "You're always so funny, Rove. It's just a sweater!"
"Harry got one too." Ron pointed to the side. "And lots of sweets... Hey, what's this?"
Harry was sitting amidst the debris, holding an irregularly shaped package. It felt weightless, as if it contained nothing but air.
Rove's gaze froze instantly. In his vision, the package was radiating a silver glow—the "Aura" possessed only by top-tier magical items.
"Here it comes," Rove lowered his voice, trembling slightly. "Legendary drop... I mean, a Legendary item!"
As Harry untied the string, a silvery-gray fabric slid out like water, piling silkenly onto the floor, shimmering with a faint light. It looked like both a liquid and a gas.
> [System Alert: Mythic Magical Item Detected!]
> [Item Name: Invisibility Cloak]
> [Rank: Artifact (Deathly Hallows Component 1/3)]
> [Attributes: Optical Invisibility (Perfect), Presence Concealment (Grandmaster), Causality Defense (Partial).]
> [Special Effect: Even Death cannot find the wearer. Put it on, and even the Eye of Sauron cannot trace you.]
> [Note: This is a legacy from your father, and the key to the Shadow World.]
"This... this is..." Harry picked up the cloak in amazement, watching it flow over his fingers. The sensation was indescribably strange.
"What is it?" Ron leaned in, his eyes wide.
"Put it on, Harry." Rove rubbed his hands together, his eyes fanatical. "Put it on quickly. Let us witness a miracle."
Harry draped the cloak over his shoulders. The next second, something amazing happened—his body vanished into thin air, leaving only a floating head looking down in shock.
"Whoa!" Ron gasped, dropping his beans all over the floor. "Your body's gone!"
"Look down."
Harry looked down at his feet, his jaw dropping. "It's really gone!"
But in Rove's System vision, the scene was even more shocking. Harry's body hadn't simply "disappeared"; light, magic, and even lines of causality were naturally distorted around him. The "Harry Potter" on the System interface changed from a red-named selectable target to a semi-transparent, flickering ghost. Even the conspicuous title "The Chosen One" above his head blurred until it was completely hidden.
"This is true invisibility." Rove muttered, reaching out instinctively to touch it. "Not a crude Disillusionment Charm, nor a trick of light refraction. This is High Elven craftsmanship. No, it's older than that! This is magic that weaves reality itself!"
His fingers touched the invisible fabric—cool, silky, like touching solidified moonlight.
"This is our pass." Rove looked up at Harry's floating head. "Harry, with this, we can go to that place."
"You mean the Restricted Section?" Harry pulled his head under the cloak. Now he had vanished completely, leaving only his voice drifting eerily in the air.
"Exactly." Rove nodded. Although he was still terrified of the place filled with "screaming books," "biting books," and "cursed books," seeing this artifact emboldened him significantly. "Sauron's Library is dangerous, full of spies and traps, but if we have perfect invisibility and presence concealment, that's a different story."
"Tonight?" Harry's excited voice came from thin air. clearly, he had been looking forward to this adventure.
"Tonight." Rove glanced at the darkening sky outside. "It's the perfect time. All the guards will be relaxed, immersed in the slackness of the holiday."
"But we need to divide the labor." Rove began to lay out tactics. "Harry, you are responsible for infiltrating the core area (Restricted Section), using the Cloak's absolute advantage to search for clues about Nicolas Flamel."
"What about you?"
"Me?" Rove patted the wand at his waist and tightened his dragon hide gloves, looking righteous. "I'll be responsible for perimeter support and lookout. I'll guard the corridor outside the library. If Filch or that cat Mrs. Norris approaches, I'll signal you."
"Okay." Harry clearly didn't detect the "cowardice" hidden in Rove's words; instead, he felt it sounded very tactical. "What signal should we use?"
"If it's Filch, I'll throw a stone at the door or imitate an owl hooting," Rove said seriously. "If it's Snape... well, I'll just run. You take care of yourself."
"What?!" Harry's incredulous voice rang out.
"Rove!" Ron rolled on the floor laughing. "That's so disloyal! What kind of support is that?"
"It's called preserving combat strength." Rove retorted self-righteously. "If I get caught too, who's going to bring Harry prison food? Besides, when facing a Boss level like Saruman, a tactical retreat is the wise move. Didn't Gandalf tell everyone to run when he met the Balrog?"
Night fell, and Hogwarts Castle sank into slumber. But in the shadows of Gryffindor Tower, "Operation: Library Infiltration" had begun!