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Heavy is the Crown (Harry Potter) Chapter 101: Christmas shopping
🕑 Added 2025-09-23 12:58:56 +0000 UTC[Third Person POV]
The next morning, Arthur had his arms wrapped firmly around Cosmos’ furry midsection, half dragging and half carrying the stubborn creature across the mattress while Sylvia lounged lazily over his shoulder like a decorative scarf.
“Come on, you lazy bum! Don’t be such a hermit—join us already!” Arthur grunted as he pulled, his boots slipping slightly against the polished floor.
Cosmo, however, was an immovable force of nature. His sharp claws were dug deep into the blanket like hooked anchors, his tail lashing wildly as he hissed back at Arthur with the theatrical fury of a cat scorned. The bed sheets bunched and stretched under the strain, threatening to tear.
“Oi! I don’t understand a single thing you’re saying,” Arthur said in a tone of exaggerated patience, “but even I can tell that wasn’t very polite, young man! Where are your manners?” He wagged a scolding finger as if chastising a wayward child instead of a beast.
Pausing to catch his breath, Arthur planted a hand on his hip, chest heaving from the brief but spirited tug-of-war. His hair was slightly mussed from the struggle, though his grin remained intact.
The door cracked open and Merlin peeked her head inside, her eyes shining with thinly veiled amusement. “Are you ready yet? We’re only waiting on you now,” she drawled.
Arthur shot her a disheartened look over his shoulder. “Yeah, yeah, let’s go…” he said, letting out a dramatic sigh of defeat. Cosmo, triumphant, curled into a tight, fluffy ball on the bed and turned his back on Arthur with a deliberate huff.
Sylvia lifted her head off Arthur’s shoulder with a small pout, clearly disappointed that their furry companion wasn’t joining them.
Arthur trudged toward the door, shoulders slumping in mock surrender. The door closed with a soft click, leaving the room momentarily quiet. Cosmo stared at the wooden panel, ears twitching as the muffled footsteps faded down the hall. His bright eyes softened, and after a beat he lowered his head onto his paws in a gesture of regal indifference.
Then—creak.
The door slowly opened again. Arthur’s head popped back inside, his face arranged into the most pitiful pair of puppy-dog eyes he could muster. “You’re really not coming?” he asked, his voice soft with hopeful pleading.
Cosmo let out an almost human sigh, the sound dripping with long-suffering resignation. With a single elegant motion, he sprang to his feet and sauntered toward the door, his tail flicking with reluctant acceptance.
“Yay!” Arthur and Sylvia both cheered in unison as Cosmo slipped through the gap. The door shut fully behind them as the trio made their way down the stairs where everyone else was already dressed and waiting, eager for the day ahead.
---
By midday, the group was weaving through the bustling cobblestone streets of Diagon Alley, the crisp winter air tinged with the scent of roasted chestnuts and spiced cocoa. Shoppers bustled about, their arms loaded with packages tied in twinkling ribbons, while glowing shop signs flickered with holiday cheer.
Arthur, Merlin, and the Flamels each carried a precarious stack of colorful bags, the sheer amount of gifts making them resemble overburdened elves.
“Don’t you think you might have overdone it just a bit with the Christmas shopping?” Merlin asked, her lips curving into a weary smile as she adjusted the strap of one particularly heavy parcel.
“Nonsense!” Arthur puffed out his chest with theatrical pride, the bags in his hands jingling with every step. “It’s the season of giving, Merlin. There’s no such thing as too much. I think I’ve managed to find something for everyone—” he paused to flash a triumphant grin, “—even Sylvia, Cosmo, and Mercury!”
“Art, dear,” Perenelle said with a soft laugh, her eyes sparkling with amusement, “I believe there is such a thing as too much giving. And I think you’re carrying it in both arms.”
Nicholas glanced up at the enchanted sky overhead, where shimmering snowflakes drifted down in a delicate, endless cascade. “It’s nearly afternoon,” he observed with a chuckle. “We’ve been at this since morning. I suspect we still have quite the journey ahead.”
Arthur raised a confident finger, already shifting into leader mode. “Indeed we do! Next stop—Gringotts Bank. There’s someone there I want Sylvia and all of you to meet. And I’ve got business to discuss with Goburk before we grab lunch. After that, we’ll finally swing by our shop before calling it a day.” He rattled off the plan with enthusiasm.
Merlin arched a finely shaped brow, her tone dry as parchment. “Tell me, fearless leader, couldn’t we have gone to Gringotts first? Before we spent hours lugging half of Diagon Alley in our arms?”
Arthur gave her a flat, deadpan stare. “Aren’t you supposed to have magical foresight or something? Why didn’t you see this problem coming?”
The corner of Merlin’s lips twitched dangerously as she muttered, “How peculiar. I’ve just developed a sudden, overwhelming urge to smack you.”
Arthur immediately stepped into a defensive pose, like a fencer preparing for a duel. “Then you’d better learn to control those urges, my lady.”
Their banter drew soft chuckles from Nicholas and Perenelle, who exchanged a knowing look that said they’d long accepted this group’s brand of chaos.
As they approached the gleaming white façade of Gringotts, Merlin casually waved her hand. A ripple of magic shimmered through the air, and all of their bags vanished in a neat flash of light inside her pocket dimension.
Arthur blinked, utterly deadpan. “If you could do that the whole time, why exactly were you complaining about the weight earlier?”
Merlin smiled sweetly, her eyes sparkling with mischief. “Because it was fun watching you suffer.”
Arthur opened his mouth to retort, but the imposing marble steps of the bank loomed ahead. Whatever witty comeback he had died on his lips as the great bronze doors of Gringotts creaked open, promising the next chapter of their already eventful day.
“It’s merely the principle of things,” Merlin said primly as they stepped through the towering bronze doors of Gringotts. Her voice carried just enough loft to suggest she was still clinging to the argument about their shopping order. “We simply approached the day in the wrong sequence, that’s all.”
Arthur only smirked and offered no rebuttal, choosing instead to lead the way across the gleaming marble floor. The grand banking hall was alive with sound and movement. Cloaked witches and wizards bustled in and out, their boots clicking against the polished stone while faint echoes of goblin quills scratching parchment filled the air. Up on the raised podiums, rows of sharp-eyed goblins peered down like predatory hawks, their ink-stained fingers counting coins with ruthless precision.
Arthur weaved through the crowd with an ease born of familiarity until he came to a halt before a particular podium. His grin broadened the instant he looked up.
The goblin perched behind the desk froze, his beady eyes widening in recognition. “Someone cover me!” he barked to his colleagues before practically vaulting off his high stool. Papers went flying as he scurried down the narrow steps with surprising speed for someone of his stature, his short legs pumping like a wind-up toy on a mission.
“Goburk, my friend!” Arthur greeted cheerfully, opening his arms as though he might actually embrace the goblin. “It’s been far too long, hasn’t it?”
Goburk’s sharp grin revealed more pointed teeth than most would find comfortable. “Lord Pen—” He caught himself, throat clicking as he hurriedly amended, “King. Mr. King. Indeed it has. Letters are one thing, but seeing you in person is… a rare pleasure.”
The two clasped forearms like old comrades, drawing a ripple of startled stares from nearby wizards and goblins alike. Customers paused mid-transaction, and one young witch nearly dropped her coin purse. A goblin at a neighboring desk raised a bushy brow but said nothing, though his quill scratched the parchment a little harder than before.
“Come,” Goburk said briskly, recovering his composure as he straightened the fine cut of his dark green vest. “Let’s continue this conversation in my office. Fewer eyes, fewer ears.” He turned to lead the way, but not before flicking a calculating glance toward Nicholas and Perenelle.
Arthur leaned in close, his voice pitched low. “Don’t worry—they’re my guardians. They know who I am.”
“Ah. How… fortunate for them,” Goburk replied, his tone cool and dismissive as though the Flamels’ privilege of knowledge was a mere bureaucratic inconvenience.
Nicholas and Perenelle exchanged a brief glance—one that carried decades of unspoken conversation—before choosing silence.
“Now, now, Goburk,” Arthur chided lightly, his smile carrying the faintest note of warning. “They’re good people. Do try to behave.”
Goburk gave the barest shrug, a gesture halfway between acceptance and disdain. “We shall see.”
Arthur clapped his hands together, shifting the mood with practiced ease. “Before we head to your office, would you mind escorting us to the vault first? There’s something I need to handle before we get down to business.”
The goblin gave a curt nod. “Of course. Follow me.”
He led them through a side archway and down a long, torch-lit corridor where the air grew steadily cooler. Soon they arrived at the rail platform where a line of enchanted minecarts waited, gleaming faintly in the low light.
The five of them squeezed into a single cart—a decidedly snug fit. Arthur and Merlin were wedged between Nicholas and Perenelle, while Sylvia and Cosmos perched comfortably in Arthur’s arms.
Arthur shifted, attempting to make room, and glanced sidelong at Merlin. “Have you… been gaining weight?” he asked with genuine curiosity, his brow knitting as though he were making a scientific observation.
A stunned silence followed. Nicholas blinked. Perenelle’s lips twitched. Goburk’s ears gave an almost imperceptible flick.
Merlin turned her head slowly, her eyes widening in utter disbelief. Her mouth opened a fraction, then closed, then opened again, like a sorceress attempting to find the right curse for the moment.
Arthur, suddenly aware of the collective attention, hugged Sylvia and Cosmos protectively to his chest and announced a little too loudly, “Right! Off we go, then!” Beads of sweat formed at his temple as he kept his gaze stubbornly forward.
Without comment, Goburk yanked the lever. The minecart lurched forward with a metallic clang, the sudden acceleration jerking them into a blur of rushing wind and echoing rails.
Merlin never took her eyes off Arthur the entire descent, her expression promising that the true reckoning would come the instant the ride stopped. Arthur chuckled weakly, trying—and failing—to pretend he didn’t notice the lethal glare burning into the side of his head.
***
A/N: Give me ideas about what changes Arthur has been making to the shop via his letters to The goblin, and what more he could also add since I'm blanking
Ps. Meant to post this yesterday, for some reason failed, didn't realized, and when I did realized my power went out and its return until just now, so sorry about that
Comments
Bryan Vargas
I thought of some of them, For example, Hermione will get a magic pouch so she could carry all her books inside, Nicholas will get a cane with a alchemy symbol at the bottom so they would be like Arthur’s glove, Gwyneth will get a book about fencing and a magical plant, etc
KingSpy25i .
I wonder if you actually thought about every single gift for every individual without repeating yourself too much? 🤔 Thank you for the awesome chapter 🙏
Vrati
A quill that can connect to an ink bottle so you don’t have to constantly dip it when writing. Auto translating glasses for reading other languages. A more comfortable way of flying like a flying car with extremely comfortable seats. A magic notebook that functioned like a cloud data storage that can connect to specific quill, so that everything you wrote with that quill can be instantly store and catalog within that magical notebook. A magic mobile phone. A device for breathing under water, so you don’t need magic plant or need to learn the spells. Heart rate monitor devices for married couples to catch their partners when cheating 🤣 A talisman that can store spells indefinitely, and you can release the spell whenever you want. After the spell is released you can cast another spell. A device (like a ring, glove, wristband, etc.) that can accio call your wand back to your hand if you lost the wand.
Ugly
More convenient ways for lightning, candles don’t do the best job
Rogue_Eagle99
Ron’s family literally shows in the movie they’re are spells to do dishes and laundry. There already are cameras for pictures that use a spell or something to have mini videos. They have spells for medical checks like you mentioned.
Ugly
I guess magical folk still wash clothes and dishes by hand/manually, so something for that. Cameras for both photos and videos. Maybe some kinda thermometer that tells you your health and recommends ways to improve, what medicine to take and dietary advice for example. Some children’s books, like a story book that tells its own story, or a book to teach children how to read and write
