Harry's POV
Later that day, when everyone was busy getting ready for the Ball, Harry snuck in the castle and went to the Room of Requirements. He had an idea that he wanted to pull off tonight, so it would be a good Christmas surprise.
He called the Room up and went through the door. He looked at the headway they had all made. A good eighteenth of the room was cleared out, but there was so much left to do. He wasn't here for that though. He wanted clothes and shoes. He made his way to the center of the room, lifted both his hands and said in a demanding voice, "Clothes and shoes here." He then made a grabbing motion and pulled his hands to the floor, to indicate where he wanted them to land.
Cloth and leather flew to the area. Piles all around him crashed and trunks overturned as their contents escaped their confinement. Cloaks, coats, hats, bonnets, scarves, gloves, dresses, skirts, petticoats, shirts, trousers, even a few underclothes all gathered in a pile. Leather shoes, ankle boots, regular boots and even riding boots soon joined them in a separate pile. Some were in good shape, some were torn and worn. Most of them were moth bitten.
Harry then took out his wand for precision, and pointed at the clothes pile and said, "Mend and repair. Clean, sort and fold."
Holes mended, cloth thickened, and tears came together. Buttons and clasps tightened, and laces strengthened. They all flew around as dirt and insect eggs came off and stains disappeared, and then they folded themselves into stacks. Soon enough he had huge stacks of pristine clothes sitting in front of him. He then did the same for the shoes and had a good pile of shiny brand-new footwear to go with them. About 75% of all the clothes were pure wool, and 95% of the footwear was real leather. Most of this stuff would cost a fortune nowadays. Especially the women's formal dresses and cloaks. He made sure that all jewels and pearls were removed, they wouldn't be needed, and could cause troubled for anyone trying to sell them. He might need them in the future.
He had a thought that some of them might be charmed, so he did a quick cleansing, making sure they were all now just plain clothes and shoes. Last thing he needed was for some poor shmuck to be uncontrollably dancing in the streets.
He wondered if he should make them more modern, but then chuckled at the thought that so many people in the Greater London area would be decked in such old-fashioned articles. So, he left them, but made sure to spell them with a few anti-greed and anti-theft charms. It wouldn't do to have them go to the recipient, only for them to be stolen. Besides, even the summer stuff from years-gone-by were warm enough to survive the winter, if they layered. He did wonder if he should leave a chart, so people would know how to put some of this shite on, but then chuckled again at the vision of seeing them try. He could see it now, a huge poster board of step-by-step instructions on how to tie an ascot.
Shaking his head at the thought, Harry created a TARDIS bag and stuffed it all in there. He shrunk some empty trunks and added them to the bag. It didn't matter if they were repaired, he was going to transfigure them anyway. As quietly as he came, he left. He had a lot to do this night and couldn't waste time. He would have snuck a peek at Luna, but decided that it would be a bit stalkerish, so he left.
He went to the Shack and grabbed Sirius and Remus. They already knew the plan and were more than willing to help. Like thieves in the night the three traveled around London and set up the Christmas surprise for the homeless. Each bin had a small compulsion charm on them, so only the needy would find them.
Even with all his memories slowly returning, he never forgot his week on the streets. How cold he had been, the hunger he suffered. He remembered all the thoughtless, and sometimes cruel people that didn't look twice at the misfortunate. He was going to do what he could to help. He'd keep half of the clothes and shoes, and all the jewel and pearls, and would give the sturdier half away. The half he was going to keep would go into Remus' shop and hopefully fund the bins for coming years.
Next year he was going to do something about food, this year all he could do was make sure the waste tip of the Leaky Cauldron could be found. And add a few mild stasis charms to restaurant bins. The charms would only keep the food fresher for a day or two, but in the long run it would help.
He remembered his deal with Tylor and was happy that that income would help as well.
All-in-all it would be a good Christmas.
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