Chapter 13 Fun Celebrations and Some News

A short narration

It had been a great few years, and the boys were learning a lot in their school. They were in the top ten in all their classes. This year they will be starting labs in chemistry and potions; they had only done non-labs up till now, such as which compounds went with which and safety measures, so it was mostly book learning.

Harry was ecstatic; he had been waiting years for these classes. After seeing what Sally and Evie could do with the stuff they sold, he figured he could do so many great things. Well, when he learned more. That and these lessons will take a lot of thought and concentration. Not like his other magical classes, where he had been doing most of them since he was a baby. Well, he hadn't done the theory, but all he really had to do is think and it was done. He did have to learn wand movements, so he could pass his tests, but those were easy. No, potions were where it was at, in his mind, and he was going to make his name inventing something great. That is if his Aunt Sally didn't invent it first.

Neville was excited about these classes too. He was a prodigy in Herbology and potions would be child's play. Add chemistry and he and Harry would be able to help his Aunt Sally and Evie make more stuff for their shop. They were already making balms and herbal draughts for the first aid kits for the school. They worked with Maisie, who was a natural in these.

Jordan was not as happy as they were, about potions. He was more of a wand waver than a scientist. He had come a long way in using the Owens' magic, but then again, he was practically raised on it. He and his mother were very good at wordless and wandless magic.

Finley worked hard with the goblins on the case with the books. They did get them banned here in America and other non-ICW countries, or at the very least sold as fiction in both the magical and the non-magical world, with a percentage of the profits going to Harry. Many of the students at SMI ribbed Harry about how he looked like the kid on the cover, but none of them made the connection, since they knew him most of his life and knew he never fought a banshee.

Evie continued to make premonitions, she saw all sorts of futures and warned the Brits when someone came looking for them. She told the aunts that time was getting closer and that they needed to step up Harry's and Neville's training in offensive magic.

The Owens women took her at her word, and remembering Death's warning that love would have a major part, they started on all the spells that would incorporate that feeling. It was a good thing they raised him with as much love as they could give, which was a lot.

Sirius and Remus had a few run-ins with Order people, but they made sure they were nowhere near New Salem when it happened, thanks to Evie. When asked what they were doing in America, they lied and said they were still hunting artifacts. When asked what kind of artifacts, they told them they were dark objects left around by Death Eaters. They informed the Order members that they were headed to China when their visa was up. After the third time, they simply moved in with the witches and boys and let the wards hide them.

They were in awe over the playroom and the herbal/potions room, though a bit creeped out about the snakes and the fact that Harry was a parselmouth. They were given rooms on the third floor, near the boys.

Sirius and Gilly like this arrangement, if the flirting was anything to go by.

Harry just rolled his eyes. He really wished they would just get on with it. He gave them all the hints he could to let them know he was okay with their budding relationship, but they were being stupid.

October 31, 1993

It was a cold Halloween night at around 5 p.m. and Harry, Neville and Jordan were all dressed in costumes for trick-or-treating. They were gathered in the living room, making the final adjustments. They were going to dinner in a few minutes and then out to get candy. They wanted to make sure they were all put together and that they didn't mess up their makeup when they ate. They realized they probably should have eaten first, but it was too late now.

Harry was going as Merlin. His fake white beard hung down to his knees, and with as many times as he had to untangle it, he decided that he was never going to have a long beard. He had a long white wig to match, but it was easier to maintain in some semblance of order. His grey tunic like robe was tied at the waist using a piece of twine. He carried a staff of oak, which he had gathered from the back yard. It was what gave him the idea in the first place.

Sirius laughed his ass off and told him he looked like a plain Dumbledore, more like his younger brother, Aberforth. Harry just flipped him off.

Neville was going as a hobo. He had on a pair of over-sized overalls with a few patches, which was stuffed with a pillow in the middle. The plaid shirt also sported some fake patches. It was one that Gary had given him for gardening, so it was too big and made to look dirty. His face was covered in smudged up black makeup and his hair was teased to look like it hadn't been combed in years. He had a long stick with a handkerchief tied to the end, which was filled with a few bits of cloth to make it look full.

Jordan was dressed as a clown. He wore a normal colorful clown outfit, with one side orange and the other purple. A big white with black outline, make-up smile covered his lips and large arches of white and purple make-up covered his eyes and brows, a red foam nose was placed… well on his nose. He carried a small horn at his side to that he could scare other kids in front of him.

Maisie was at home with her parents, she didn't want to run around with boys, so they were going in their own hometown.

The boys were thinking that this would be the last year they would go trick-or-treating. They were getting to old. Well, if you went by the aunts, who were all dressed up as witches, then one was never too old. Besides, they were only doing it for the godfathers.

The Owens women were wearing what they normally wore on Halloween. Gilly was wearing a very form fitting, mid-thigh black witch costume, with green and white striped socks and pointy boots. There was the typical wide-brimmed pointed black hat on her head. And she carried a black lacy parasol and had a broom off to the side.

The aunts were dressed similar, only their dresses covered much more of their person. It was tradition to dress this way, and later the boys and Gilly would jump from the roof of the house to show off to the town folk, which was a ritual they performed every year. For some reason the town folk loved it when they did that, but still shunned them the rest of the year, well, most of them.

Remus and Sirius had laughed themselves silly when they saw what non-magical's thought wizards and witches dressed like. They decided that they would also dress as wizards for the night. So they put on their normal robes, which they hadn't worn since they got to America. Sirius went for the upper-class look in a black and silver robe with a cane. Remus was dressed in his usual brown, tatty robes, which were very patched up. They looked like a rich man and his servant.

"So, what is this trick-or-treating you lot keep going on about?" Sirius asked as everyone was sitting down for a light dinner of Mac and Cheese with hotdogs. The first time Sirius ate this, he was cautious. It didn't look appetizing at all, but it was Kippy's favorite meal. It grew on him, though he would probably eat something else later. Remus, on the other hand, enjoyed the simple meal.

"What? You don't have it in England?" Harry asked with a shocked look. Sometimes he forgot that not everyone celebrated Halloween the same way, or Christmas for that matter. He never really thought of it. Oh, it was hinted at in school, but nothing in-depth.

Remus gave an indulgent smile and answered, "Well, it is a recent thing there, not many go about knocking on doors yet, and that is only in the non-magical side. The magical pure-bloods find celebrating in such a way an insult to tradition, which if you think about it, it kind of is. I mean, you do know this is the night when the veil between the living world and the dead realm is the thinnest? The old ways suggest that it is a powerful night for blood and death magic. It wasn't until a couple hundred years ago that those were considered dark. Calling upon a loved one to come and chat was something a lot of witches did, well, back then anyway," he explained as he took a bite of the cheesy goodness.

"Yeah, well, I kinda knew that, but it's for the adults. What about the children? What do they do for fun? I mean, we celebrate the dead and all that, but we still have, you know, fun," Harry said, not really understanding how kids would be made to do nothing all night but wait for the dead. "That doesn't happen until midnight, what did they do in the mean time?" he asked, eating the rest of his hotdog, trying not to get ketchup on his beard, which he did and decided to finish his meal before he spelled it clean.

"Well," Sirius answered thoughtfully, "Hogwarts has quite a feast, with lots of candy and pudding. But when we were little, our parents threw parties, yeah? There were cakes and puddings, and the families get together to discuss those that have passed. Some families made it fun for the kids, so I've heard, there were a few games played, like bobbing for apples and such." He shrugged; he had hated those family parties, but heard from James that the Potters actually made a good show of them. His mum would never stoop so low as to have kids' games at her house.

"Oh, that, ummm, sounds, well like it might actually be a little fun. I think I would rather go around and get candy though," Harry said, after thinking about it for a minute.

After dinner and when all the cleaning, adjustments and makeup touchups were done, they gathered in the living room.

"All ready, dears? Do you have everything?" Jet asked, checking on the large bowl of candy she had at the door for any child brave enough to go to the Owens' house. They got a few daring souls every year, and for every child not poisoned or cursed, they got few more. Unfortunately, there were still bullies that tried to throw things at the house, and now they were quickly dissuaded from doing it again. Now that the witches knew more magic and had better wards, any child that tried to harm the house or anyone in it, got a mild stinging hex to their backside.

"Ready, Aunt Jet," came the replies as bags were gathered and cloaks were added to costumes, not Neville's he got a raggedy coat instead. Jordan's cloak was made up of the same material and colors as his costume and made him look like one to those clowns in an anime.

Agent Mumford would be shadowing behind with them. She was even dressed like a ninja.

The two Brits would be joining the boys. It was the first time the older men had seen an all-out American Halloween and they didn't want to miss a thing. They had missed out on the last few years, because the first year they were at the Agency filling out some paperwork and informing them about the British Government and its lack of preparation. It took the better part of two days and they stayed in a motel during that time, and while Halloween in Washington DC was festive, it was nothing like what this small town did. The second time they were called back to England, something to do with the Wizengamot, and Fudge, trying to pass the werewolf law while Sirius was overseas. That didn't work out well for the government.

They left the house and the Brits looked on with wonder. They had seen all the decorations days before, but to see them with the festivities, well it was just inspiring. The boys went to the first house, while the two men looked around.

Scores of brightly costumed children filled the streets of New Salem. Fairies, witches, princesses, cartoon characters, movie characters, zombies, ghosts, ninjas and all manner of fun or scary costumes were seen going from door to door with choruses of 'trick or treat' and 'thank you' and laughter filling the air. The children aged from five to young teens, with a few diehard older teens thrown in for fun. Small screams would be heard when one of the decorations would frighten one of the smaller children, then laughter would fill the air again.

Decorations littered lawns and doorways. There were; scarily carved pumpkins, graveyards, ghosts, skeletons, spider webs, strobe lights animated mummies, coffins that opened, hands that crawled and plastic witches bent over cauldrons or smashed into houses, like they crashed on their brooms— which made the two men laugh— all over the town.

There was even one house that had a scary rendition of Jim which warranted a double-take. It would randomly pop out and lift its arm and point at someone and say "I have come for you". That would make people shudder in fear and slowly walk away. The two men were sure it would incite a few nightmares, and wondered if that was the house owner's intention.

It was like each house was trying to outdo the other on who could scare the kids the most. Cackling laughs and moans with eerie background noises could be heard everywhere. In Sirius' opinion the one with Death won, hands down. The two older men looked at each other and shook their heads in wonder.

There were a few cheerful houses with simple jack-o-lanterns in the yard, orange and black fairy lights and garland, but their cheer was lost in the overwhelming creepy atmosphere. Well, it would be disturbing were it not for the laughing and giggling children.

Adults were standing on the sidewalks waiting for the children to finish. Some were dressed up, but most were not. They eyed the two men dressed as wizards, but knew they were with the Owens boys and they had been seen around town, so for the most part they were left alone. One or two of the nosier women came up to them and asked about them and the Owens family, but all in all the two Brits got to enjoy the holiday.

"Why couldn't we have this growing up?" Sirius said with a pouty lip. "Harry's right this is loads more fun than those boring family parties."

Remus just patted his immature friend's arm, and continued to take in the magic of the night. All the children running around, having fun was a magic all its own. It was no wonder America had given up the old ways, well he knew there were some Wiccan's that were trying to bring them back, but instead of smashing the new or old traditions, they were merging the two. Trick-or-treating was held in the early evening, then costume parties, and then the meal for the dead was held at midnight. This is when the veil was said to be the weakest. It is how the Owens family practiced.

After around two hours of running from house to house, the males decided to go back home. It was getting dark and the boys still had to jump off the roof. Jordan had to go home. So they got back to the house and sorted their candies, then Gilly Jumped Jordan home, making sure his parents were back from taking Maisie around.

Around 9 p.m. Harry, Neville and Gilly got on the roof and waited for the town folk to notice them. The aunts and the Brits were also up there, but they wouldn't be jumping. After a moderate crowd gathered, they all flew off the roof. Harry decided to have a little fun and created a small whirlwind under each of them, and they gently floated to the ground. A round of applause was heard from the crowd. The three bowed and gave a jaunty wave and went into the house. The rest of the Owens group waved and went in via the roof access door.

"So why do you do that?" Sirius asked as he sat down and ate a pumpkin pastry.

"Well, me and Sally started it a few years back, not sure why, but it seemed like the thing to do after Sally came out as a witch. So I just kept up the tradition. When the boys were old enough, well they wanted to too, so I made sure they knew how to float and, well…" Gilly tried to explain, but really there was no reason to do what they did.

"Oh, huh. So what are we going to do until midnight?" the dark-haired man asked as he finished off his dessert.

"Well, we usually play games, like monopoly or life, but we can tell ghost tales, or even some of the family lore," Jet suggested as she poured herself some pumpkin juice. Kippy had introduced it to them, but they only had it on Fall Holidays.

"Oh, ghost stories," Harry voted, and Neville chimed in for the same. So the family and dogmen sat in the living room until midnight telling of the ghosts of Halloween past. Like the Headless Horseman, and other such stories.

It was at midnight that they all went back into the dining room. The table was set up for what is known as a Feast for the Dead. They did this every year to show that they missed their parents. Every person in that house had plates set up for their dead loved ones. Gilly never set a plate for Jimmy, because though he was dead, she never wanted him in this house again. Everyone in there agreed. Because of the curse there were many plates on the table, each person, barring Agent Mumford, had lost their parents, though Sirius didn't set any out for his. He instead called for some of the blood-traitors in his family that had died.

The midnight dinner lasted until one in the morning, and then they all trooped to bed. It had been a good night.

A short narration

The months flew by and now it will be soon that the boys knew they would have to go to back to England, they still didn't know why. Well, only Harry had to go, but it was strongly suggested that he take a team with him. It was a good thing that they had talked to the school principal years ago and let her know what they knew. She was the one going over who would be the best students or school representative to go. It would be educational for everyone involved and she only wanted the top students in each class, so she chose by the grades and how well they interacted with the boys. It wouldn't do to send someone who didn't like them, or that was crushing on them. No, only those that treated them equally would go. There was also a committee formed to figure out how they were going to get there.

The committee was formed and many people were assigned to it from each part of the school, from the Student Body President to the Chairman of the School Board. Many suggestions were thrown around these meetings. There were some who wanted to go in a magical rocket. Others that wanted to arrive on a flying flag, that one was disregarded right away as unlawful, though a red, white and blue flying carpet was submitted. There was even a proposal of an orange magical school bus.

Then the topic of housing came up and that changed the suggestions to more reliable transportation. For a while there was talk of buying a luxury yacht, but after a few meetings that was disregarded as too pompous and expensive. They wanted to make the impression that every United States citizen was equal. So it was decided that a nice houseboat would be crafted, one that showed they were down to earth Americans.

They finally got the null-magic ward to work so they could build a computer room, then the kids could take their classes on line. It was a new concept, since the online method they chose was a satellite dish, which was faster than dial up, but still quite slow. Still, this way the students wouldn't fall behind, and with apprentices going that would help a lot. The rest of the boat, barring one room, would be magic free as well, but not warded, since Kippy would be cooking for them. The dorms would also allow magic, but it was recommended that it be kept at a minimum.

Then the talks turned to how they were going to get there. Some suggested flying, but that might break the Statute and the British were far stricter on that than they were. Some suggested just appearing on the grounds, but after what Sirius had told them about the wards that was canceled. So it was decided that they would create a whirlpool tunnel and come up in the Black Lake outside the wards. It would have to be precise, since most of the lake was inside the wards. They would then wait to be invited in by the Headmaster.

They were still discussing whether or not to make the kids wear uniforms, the boys hoped not. Right now, the debate was on jeans and a t-shirt with the SMI logo on it. So the students were voting for that.

The committee had now drawn up a team of students and the Vice Principal to go with the boys. And they were:

1. Vice Principal Joshua P. Scott; a stocky, brown hair, brown eyed middle age man, who will be the teacher for all the non-magical subjects for the apprentices and students.

2. Apprentice Cathy J. Montgomery; a tall green eyed, redhead girl who is good at defense and dark arts.

3. Apprentice Scott R. Wilder; an average size blue eyed, blonde young man who is good at potions and rituals.

4. Apprentice Matthew S. Sarris; an average height, little overweight, brown eyed, blonde, who was good at charms and mind magic.

5. Apprentice Steven E. Diaz; a tall dark brown, dark haired, boy who is good at transfiguration and lost arts.

6. Apprentice Mary O. Knowles; a short African American who is good at history and muggle studies. She is the boys' friend, they share a study hour.

7. 8th year Nicole R. Lisle; an average sized, curly dark haired, know-it-all girl. She was far above her grade level and the boys' friend, they share a study hour.

8. Jordan Hilton; a dark-haired, dark-eyed teen. Because he is the boys' best friend and knows all about British law and politics and computers.

Luis would be joining them as well to make sure they keep up on their manners and to give advice if needed. And of course, Agent Mumford for protection and to help in whatever subject she could. Everyone was chosen to either help with the task or to keep the younger years up on their studies, this would not be a vacation for anyone. There had been more, but the parents, after they were told the real reason, refused to let their children go, which was understandable. Those parents had to either make a vow or have their memory wiped. It was their choice. Either way the government wasn't taking any chances.

Harry and his family were coming up with ways to travel from the boat to land without using the small boats, just in case there wasn't a dock or something. They didn't know if Jumping would work inside the wards, so they were discussing other options. They, unlike the committee, wanted to impress. Harry was working on a super-secret project and only Jordan knew about. The dark-haired teen wanted to surprise Neville for his birthday. The rest of the family let them be, boys will be boys after all, though Neville pouted a bit.

While all this was going on, Gilly was working with Sirius and Remus to get them caught up with the rest of the family. They held lessons, much like the ones that the Owens women held with their other students. The men were coming along great, Remus more so than Sirius, who would flirt shamelessly with them. Harry and Neville helped and showed them some pretty powerful rituals that were not taught in Magical Britain.

Most of these rituals were forbidden years ago in England, because the British pure-bloods couldn't pull them off. Only the darker spells were used by them, those that required sacrifice, because it was the power of the sacrifice that made the spell work. While these were banned, that didn't stop the Death Eaters from using them.

Gilly and Sirius were getting closer to one another, but were holding off on anything serious in case Harry didn't approve. That didn't stop the teasing and the occasional night on the town. Harry just rolled his eyes at their attempts to be subtle.

The Owens women introduced the Brits to Midnight Margaritas. They thought they were being sneaky, but the two young boys just sat in their beds and smiled, when they heard the music and singing. Those witches, no matter how old, really could party. It was good that they were cutting loose. The aunts were getting old and the brothers wanted them to have fun while they could.

July 30, 1994

It was Neville's turn to celebrate his birthday, and boy were they. This year they had invited all the kids from their class and the backyard was packed with young witches and wizards, including Jessie, Harry's new girlfriend. The aunts had modified the wards for the day so that it only looked like a normal party. If you were outside the wards you really couldn't see anything, just vague shadows and such, like there was a fog on the yard. And since the town folk knew about the witches they really didn't question it. Though most of the wizards knew not to do magic in front of non-magicals, kids and teens sometimes forgot when in the middle of a party.

Even though it was the middle of the day the whole yard was strung with party lights, the paths that littered the backyard were lit with little globes; someone even brought real fairies for even more lights. The various tables had different party games, magical and non. Green and gold streamers were everywhere, adding to the color of the same colored table clothes and the present tables. Children's laughter filled the air making it crackle with a magic of its own.

Soon enough it was time for gifts to be opened, so the boys were set in front of their own table. Cameras were whipped out and the boys were asked to pose with their gifts. They laughingly complied.

"Nev, dude, you go first this year, right?" Harry asked with a wink. He now sported blue and silver streaked hair that was covered with a black fedora. He was standing in front of the green table in his tight jeans, ratty black t-shirt and black combat boots.

"Yup, so let's see what we got," the sun-bleached blond answered. He was dressed a bit more conventional than his brother in straight-legged jeans, a clean green t-shirt and green sneakers.

They each got some traveling games, magical puzzles, some non-magical crossword books, a lot of board games and tons of cold weather gear. It had been bandied about school that they were going on an exchange program to Scotland next year, and the class wanted them to be prepared. Most of them were joke gifts, like the matching white parkas, to which the comment of "Hey, I hear it gets cold there," thrown in.

Along with traveling stuff there were personal gifts, like the aquarium that let you grow herbs on top for Neville, and the guitar and sheet music for Harry. Harry gave Neville his super-secret invention, which was a hover-board. It looked much like a silver metal skateboard, but there were no wheels. Instead there was small wind runes etched on each corner. When Neville put it to the ground it hovered about five inches off.

Everyone 'ohhhed' and 'ahhhed' over it, and many requests were given to Harry, and he said he'd see what he could do. They wouldn't be free, he was thinking about charging around twenty-five dollars for them. They weren't that hard to make, but you did need a bit of power to infuse the runes.

This was something the witches had a hard time doing. With their magic, they never had to charm an object. As long as they were thinking about it, it did what they wanted it to do. So this was one thing the wizards had on them, until they were taught the Owens way. Wizards could charm a toaster to always pop up completely perfect toast at the same time every day, whereas the witches would just look at the toaster and get the same thing.

Harry used a combination of both and turned a skateboard into a hover-board, which could float on anything. The flying brooms he bought were helpful in that aspect. He and Jordan had one as well, they would hopefully be used to ferry themselves across the lake.

Pictures were taken and soon lunch and cake was served and the party went on for a few more hours, until about 5 p.m. Harry made sure to give Jessie a kiss on the cheek and saw her to where her father was waiting. For some reason her mother didn't like him. He had no idea why, since he was always a perfect gentleman around her. He was going to miss Jessie when he left. He shook his head of those thoughts and escorted many of his guests to the door. Soon enough it was just the Owens, the two godfathers and the Hiltons lounging around the remains of the food table, picking at various snacks that were still on the table.

"Got to say, pup, that was better than any party I had when I was a kid. My mum always made sure we were all proper and formal at our events," Sirius said, leaning back as far as his chair would let him, completely relaxed. He was wearing normal jeans and a t-shirt that had a logo for Salem's new and upcoming hard rock band, the Drifters. "Plus, she would never have allowed …ummm, non-magical items in our house; let alone a party." He shrugged. His mum was a pure-blood through and through, it was one of the many reasons he ran away when he was sixteen. Thank Merlin for the Potters.

"I agree," said the werewolf, "and some of those gag gifts are funny as well. We would have never thought of something like that parka that will actually turn you into a polar bear for an hour." He shook his head in amusement.

Remus' face was far less scarred then it used to be, thanks to Sally's new scar cream and better Wolfsbane potion. With the better potion he didn't tear himself up quite as badly and with the cream the wounds and scars healed faster. She was quite popular among the weres in all non-ICW countries right now, because she sold the two products cheaply. She was getting very rich off these and was working on a way to abolish the disease.

"I do have one more gift for Harry that I didn't want to give to you in front of everyone, in case you decline," Sirius said, leaning forward, letting his chair rest on all four legs and looking a little anxious.

"Padfoot, you should know by now that I'd like anything you give me," Harry said, a bright smile on his face. These two and half years with the Brits had been great. They had learned a lot about England and their families' histories.

"Well, ummm, you see, ahhh, I went to the healer to see if there were any, ahhh, side effects from the Dementors and, ummm, well —I can't have kids. So, ummm, I was wondering if, ahhh, you'd consent to be my heir," the nervous Animagus blurted out while fiddling with a spoon he found on the table, only to realize it wasn't his spoon and promptly dropped it, wiping his hands on his pants.

"Sirius," the young teen said in a kind voice, "I'd love to be your heir. Hey, will that make me like your son?" he asked excitedly. "Oh, I just remembered the Peverell curse. Someone needs to remember that. Maybe you, Neville?" he asked and waited for his brother to nod in agreement.

"Well, while I don't think it can be formal, you will always be like a son to me. Being the Head of the Family, I can name whoever I want as heir. Besides, your grandmother was a Black. What's the Peverell curse?" the dogman asked, leaning forward very interested. The Peverell had a long history in Britain, so he wanted to hear this.

"It's a curse that makes the Potters forget they are heirs to the Peverell and Gryffindor vaults. The goblins told Death about it, he told the aunts and they told Harry. The goblins don't know who cast it, but whoever did was really good, it's been a quite few generations that they haven't remembered," Neville explained, tapping his finger on his chin.

"Remember, Jim said that you can't take up another name. Well, he was talking about us, but it might pertain to Sirius as well. It could have something to do with this curse. You might need to break that before you take up another name legally," Gilly said, looking at the two dark-haired men at the table.

"So, no adoption?" the teen asked, sad green eyes looking at his godfather.

"That is correct," said Jim as he materialized out of thin air, causing everyone to jump and the Hiltons to scream. His skeletal form looking completely out of place in the early evening sun and party atmosphere. "Young Harry must remain a Potter until he is claims his heritage. After that he may take up the Potter-Black-Peverell-Gryffindor name."

"Merlin's balls, Jim, will you quit doing that," Sirius said from the ground where he landed when his chair overturned. He picked himself up, dusted the grass off his jeans and sat down, a pouty lip sticking out.

"Everyone, calm down," Jet said confidently, dressed in a light green long summer dress, floppy hat firmly in place. "Evie, Finley, Jordan, Masie," she pointed to each as she called their name, "this is Jim, or Death. He is a friend of the family. Remember, sweeties, we told you about him when we met. Jim, I'm sure you know the Hiltons." She had a calm, playful smile on her lips.

"Yeah, but hearing and seeing are two different things," grumbled Jordan as he looked at the scary deity before him. He was dressed like Harry in worn jeans and ratty t-shirt. His mum wouldn't let him streak his hair, so he had it cut short into a crewcut.

"Well met. I have news," Jim said bluntly as he sat at the table as far from the still spooked Hiltons as possible and yet still be near the Owens boys.

"I hope it is good news, it is my birthday after all," said Neville, leaning forward to hear.

"It is good in the aspect that I may know why you will be returning to England and what you might be doing there," was the bland reply as he scratched his finger on his bony jaw, making a creaking noise as bone rubbed against bone. The Hiltons and Remus cringed.

"Oh, well, I guess that could be twisted as good," Gilly said, conjuring up a pencil and paper to jot down whatever Jim had to tell them.

"A young woman, Bertha Jorkins, recently passed on," —a sad look came over Sirius' and Remus' face, they knew her in school. She was a few years ahead of them and in Hufflepuff. She was a good person, if a bit flighty. — "and told me that there is going to be a tournament at Hogwarts this year. It is my belief that young Harry's name will come out of the golden goblet they use to choose the champions. It will be this coming Halloween," Jim explained, looking around the table with his hollow eyes.

"Oh, well, I'm not sure if that's good news or not," Harry said, taking off his hat and rubbing his streaked hair. On one hand, he would know what was what. On the other hand, he didn't have much time to prepare.

"I do know the tasks so you can now train for them," Jim said, turning his head to the young man and staring with his blank face. "The first task will be that you must obtain an item from a nesting dragon," he said as calmly as he would have commented that the sun was shining.

"Are you fucking kidding me!? I have to get past a nesting dragon!? Do you know how vicious they are!?" Harry spouted in a rage, getting to his feet and pacing up and down next to the table the wind picking up with his rant.

"Yes," Jim said blandly, not at all put out at the boy's anger. "The next task will be for you to regain something that will be taken from you, most likely a person, from the middle of Black Lake in the Merpeople's village and return it in an hour."

"Well, that doesn't sound too bad," Frances said, relaxing back a little. Harry once again reclaimed his seat, his anger abated for the moment and the wind died back down to normal.

"Yes," came the stoic voice of Jim. "The last task will be a maze that will be scattered with magical creatures that you must get past to win the trophy. This is where young Harry will run into trouble. Again, I cannot see everything, however, this is the part that will take him to Voldemort," he said, ignoring the two Brits shudders. He turned to Sirius and said, "With the death of young Miss Jorkins, Voldemort created another Horcrux. You will need to somehow make sure you are there when Harry is portkeyed away so you can kill the snake he used. The diary you left behind has already been dealt with. You should not have left without completing you task," he chastised firmly, making Sirius shudder.

"Right, sorry about that," the godfather stated, not really sorry that he was here with his godson. "I'll figure out a way to kill the snake," the serious Sirius nodded decisively.

"That is my gift to you, young Harry. I apologize that I could not give one to you as well, young Neville," Jim said, inclining his head to both teens.

"It's cool," Neville said as politely as he could, since he was not sure if he ever wanted a gift from this… man.

"Yeah, thanks," Harry said sarcastically. He then remembered who he was talking to and quickly added, "At least I know and can now train, so thank you, sir." He sketched a slight bow from his seat next to his aunt Gilly.

"Then I must be off. I have work to do. Until later," Jim said as he rose from his chair, his robes billowing in the non-existent wind. He stepped into the shadows and was gone.

"That was one creepy man," Masie said, giving a full body shiver.

"I agree," said Evie, hugging her daughter. The male Hiltons nodded their agreement as well.

"Well, that's simply marvelous," Frances said with a bright smile, adjusting her hat against the sun. "Now you are not going in blind, Harry."

"Well, now that the subject has been brought up, we should talk about who will be going with you from the family," Gilly said, still taking notes and trying to figure out how to train Harry. She had no idea where to see a dragon, or how to get passed one. She heard rumor that the British Gringotts had a few and that there were reservations, but she didn't think there was one in America. "I mean, I know me and Sirius are going, but should we bring anyone else?" she asked, looking around the table.

"Well, we know Jordan is on the school's team and that he has been studying British laws and such. And we know you two will be going. I just don't know if you guys will be allowed on the boat, or if you have to find your own housing, since you aren't staff," Harry said, rubbing a hand through his already messy hair and then replaced his hat.

"I'll talk to the team and see if we can't get hired on as advisers or something. I know they've hired Luis on as an etiquette consultant, and he is even giving a class," Sirius said, scratching his goatee, which he kept because Gilly liked it. They were much closer now and were on the verge of asking Harry for his blessing, but with this news they might have to hold off on that.

"Yeah, and Agent Mumford said she will be our Defense teacher. But, what could you guys do?" Neville asked a thoughtful look in his eyes. "I mean, you don't have any credentials." He looked at each of them with a lifted eyebrow.

"He's right, we don't, and I doubt we can get any in three months," Gilly said with a nod of her head.

"Why would we need credentials? I mean in Hogwarts you only have to pass your NEWTs in your given subject to get a teaching job there," Sirius asked in confusion, looking around the table and seeing the gobsmacked expressions. "Although, their new Care of Magical Creatures Professor was actually expelled in his third year, and while Hagrid is a great guy, he's not the brightest wand in the cupboard. One thing you can say about him is he knows his way around animals. So maybe you just have to be good at what you're teaching." He shrugged; he knew nothing about the ins and outs of running a school.

It was all over the grapevine when Hagrid got his position. His first lesson almost cost him his job, and he was warned to tone it down. They learned about it from Augusta, who kept in contact with them via a mirror. She still didn't talk to Neville, so she could say that she never spoke to him when asked. Dumbledore still made yearly visits to her house.

"NEWTs? That's all that's required? And this Hagrid guy didn't even graduate?" Harry asked incredulously. "You have to be certified to be able to teach here in America and that's after you graduate with a Bachelor's Degree from college, even the magicals have to attend college to get teachers credentials." The more he heard about Hogwarts the more he dreaded going, even as a guest.

"Wow, no wonder your professors are better," Remus said his amber eyes filled with awe. He thought he was qualified to teach since he had a Masters in Defense, but now he knew he would have to have more training. Since he was treated better here in the States, he wanted to obtain a citizenship. Sirius was still undecided, he still had clout in Britain, and if he hooked up with Gilly, then it would be what she wanted as well. Right now, the dark-haired wizard was talking about dual citizenship.

"Yeah, if what you say is true then I'm not going to call anyone at that school any honorific, unless they can show me that they at least have a Masters in their field," Neville stated, folding his arms in defiance. Etiquette stated that honor only be given to those who deserve it. The teachers in the USA only went by Mr. or Mrs. unless they have a Doctor's Degree or a Master's Degree. Only then would they go by Doctor or Professor.

"Well then, I know for a fact that there are six people you would have to call Professor, not including the Headmaster," Remus said, thinking of the four core subjects and two electives. "Professors Flitwick, McGonagall, Snape, Sprout, Vector and Babbling are all Masters of their field."

"Wait, what? Snape teaches there? I thought he was just there for research or something, that's what I was told. Who the hell would let him around kids?" Sirius fired off. He was still angry that Dumbledore had stood up for that greasy git, while he was in prison for two years. He knew the guy was at Hogwarts, to keep close to Dumbledore, but he had no idea the man taught. He'd have to ask Augusta why she kept that from him. He cut a glare to Remus and the werewolf mouthed 'later'.

"Yes," his friend said to the rest of the group, "he is the youngest to get his Masters in potions—ever. You can say many bad things about Severus, but he is one smart man," Remus said with a nod of his head. It truly wasn't something that could be denied.

"Still, unless they show us they've got the education, I'm calling them Mr. or Mrs." Harry said, defending his brother's choice. Jordan nodded with them.

"Let's hold off on that until you ask Luis, okay?" Jet said, not wanting the boys to cause trouble if they could help it.

All three boys threw themselves back in their seats and pouted, causing chuckles to once again float around the table lightening the mood.

"Well, if we can't teach then maybe we can hire on as bodyguards," Sirius stated, grasping for something to try and stay on the boat with the boys.

"I see that you will not be on the boat. So you should be discussing where you will stay. I don't see that," Evie said in a vacant voice. "I also see that only you and Gilly will be attending the boys."

"Okay, well, um, right," the godfather said, giving her a glance. He was still not used to her premonitions, even though she had saved their bacon a few times. "There's a village near Hogwarts called Hogsmeade, and we can…" he started and then stopped when the teens and the witches broke out in laughter. "What now?" he asked, affronted.

"Hogwarts? Hogsmeade? Do you Brit wizards have a thing about pork? Next you'll tell me there's a bar or restaurant called Hogshead or Hogsback or something stupid like that," Harry got out between laughter, clutching his sides, trying to stay in his chair.

"Well yeah there is," Remus chuckled, "but it gets worse, here is the Hogwarts school song;

Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts,

Teach us something please,

Whether we be old and bald,

Or young with scabby knees,

Our heads could do with filling,

With some interesting stuff,

For now they're bare and full of air,

Dead flies and bits of fluff,

So teach us things worth knowing,

Bring back what we've forgot,

Just do your best, we'll do the rest,

And learn until our brains all rot

Sirius and Remus sang the song and caused the laughter to stop for a moment and then it continued harder than before, which made all four teens, and Sirius, fall out of their chairs and roll on the ground.

The discussion continued for a few more minutes, but with what was said earlier there really wasn't much more to talk about. So they went back to partying until everyone was tired, since it was the weekend they stayed up till midnight and wished Harry a happy birthday and went to bed.