Chapter 19 The Blind Date and Luna

A medium narration

November turned to December and the Ball was fast approaching. There were still a few tense breakfasts', but nothing major like before. Mr. Scott watched his youngest student, and whenever he acted out, the Vice Principal would check him for charms. Sure enough, there were mild compulsion charms on the boy, the only thing was one was to make him like Hogwarts, or want to remain in the UK, but they seemed to have the opposite effect. The others were unknown.

He warned Harry about them and they kept an eye out to see who was casting it, but so far had no luck. Agent Mumford also kept a lookout and spotted many students and teachers like pointing their wands at the boy, but since no spells were seen there was little she could do, but cast a shield. She did note names and made sure that she kept a list, so when the alphabet did come, they could question them. Right now her hands were tied with bureaucratic tape.

Every night the poor boy would have to go through a cleansing ritual to make sure he was clean of spells. Gilly made sure to reapply hers daily, and then she tied them to the Sirius, Claire and the older students. It got to the point that she simply blinked her eyes and it was done. Harry had taken to wearing a shield ring and then the spells stopped affecting him. It had taken two weeks to get that ring from the US government. Now his temper was all his own, or according to Luna, the nargles.

Harry and his crew still sat at the Ravenclaw table, or sometimes at Gryffindor. They tended to switch, but liked to hang out with the Beauxbatons' students. The French were appalled at the way the Yanks were treated and went out of their way to make the boys comfortable. Harry still made time for the other two champions, but because of the hostility didn't sit with them for meals.

The youngest champion spent his time getting to know the most of the single girls from the other schools. Even the Hufflepuffs finally yielded to his charms, though most of them didn't want him to sit at the Hufflepuff table. They were still upset at his victory, and were loyal to Cedric. That and most of them were spoken for, or they were fangirls.

He met with the Gryffindors and got a lot of gossip from the Brown girl and the Patil twin, but they weren't the type of person you took to a formal social event. His assessment on Granger was correct; she fired off question after question and didn't stop until he rudely got up and left. She did apologize after, but again that was not how he wanted to spend his night.

The Ravenclaws were out for pretty much the same reason. When he approached them, it was more like a quiz show than trying to get to know one another. Well, he couldn't get to know them, because all the questions were about him and they would not stop until he answered them. That and there were many girls that were still upset with him over the whole Luna thing. He really didn't care what they thought; he had no patience for bullies.

The two Slytherin girls, Daphne Greengrass and Tracey Davis, who had approached him, wanted contracts for family alliance. However, they made sure to let him know that they could not date him, since Snape was a dick and threatened to expel them. He just shrugged, gave them Mr. Roberts's card and sent them politely on their way.

Gilly just took all of it in stride and told him in the middle of December to not worry any more, she had a plan. She talked to him about his suit and what colors he was going to be wearing, so the dress matched. Harry finally relaxed, handed her some money, thanked her profusely and let her do what she will.

The youngest SMI teen opened the golden egg once and then quickly closed it. When the ringing in his ears stopped, he put it aside until after the Ball. His schoolmates were very thankful. It didn't really bother him; he already knew the task, so he wasn't worried. However, since they only guessed that the something important would be a person, Death wasn't sure, he was a tad concerned about them. That was okay he had plans in place to get whatever or whoever it was out of the lake as quickly as possible. This time he wasn't going for showy, just fast and expedient.

Besides the elusive charms, there was a bit of excitement when Agent Mumford told the Owens group that someone was digging into Gilly's past. They had gotten close to finding out about Jimmy Angelov, but the United States Magical Government blocked it. They even went so far as to Obliviate most of the New Salem's women on the exorcism that they performed, with their permission of course. Most were glad to get that memory removed from their heads, though there were a few that kept it and were sworn to secrecy. So the only thing the reporter got was that Gilly dated a serial killer. The problem with that was that now those women might go back to hating the Owens family.

A week later, there was an article, by Rita Skeeter, in The Daily Prophet, which stated that Gillian Owens was a woman of low moral fiber. It questioned whether or not such a loose woman should be raising the Boy Who Lived. It mentioned all of her past boyfriends, the years she spent partying and then told of her wild fling with a serial killer. The major problem with this article was that it was all 100% true, but for the name calling. Rita had done a fine job at getting her facts straight. It picked on Sirius as well, stating that he was now dating the harlot and how low the House of Black had fallen.

Harry rebutted in the Quibbler, with quotes on how his aunt 'changed her ways just for me', and 'I've never seen Aunt Gilly bring men home' the lengths all of his aunts went through just so he could perform his duties to the Wizengamot. He mentioned all the tutors and all the love they showered on him daily. He even went so far as to say that if it had it not been for the open and honest way he was raised, he would not be the gentleman he was today. Luis and Claire backed his statements, confirmed that they had been hired when Harry was very young and what they had taught the two boys, and that they were still teaching them.

The women of Hogsmeade flocked to Gilly's little table to get the inside scoop on her past. She was completely honest with them about her wild side, but kept all mention of both of Jimmy's deaths to herself. Only that she had dated him, and that he was abusive. She told the tragic tale of how one night he had hit her and she ran from him, and after that he just disappeared. She never had any idea he was a serial killer, and how scared she had been when her now brother-in-law came to question her. She made sure to say that she was cleared of all charges. She kept Sally's part to a minimum.

It all soon blew over and Gilly vowed she was going to bury Skeeter one day. Sirius said he would help. This time was a score in the woman's favor as she only reported the truth, with quotes from former boyfriends. That didn't stop Harry from warning her, once again, to stay away from his family.

Now it was almost time for Christmas, the houseboat was decked out in American style decor, such as a large frosted Christmas tree decorated with; sparkly silver and blue garland, shiny tinsel, glass ornaments, and white electric fairy lights. There was matching garland strung around the faux fireplace, with stockings hanging for each student, Kippy and Mr. Scott. The white fairy lights were hanging from the ceiling. Christmas cards were posted along the walls, from the families of the students. Presents were already piling up under the tree, wrapped in festive papers and ribbons. Christmas movies were playing on the video player, and in the classrooms, carols were heard at low volume. It all made for a very festive atmosphere.

Hogwarts seemed to go all out for their visitors and there were icicles hanging from all the banisters, and the walls were covered in frost. There were five large Christmas trees, with real fairies and blown glass ornaments. There were boughs of pine and cedar draped across the ceiling of the Great Hall. Mistletoe was placed in various spots, which the SMI group avoided so they didn't get nargles. Snow drifted from the charmed ceiling, though it never touched the tables, nor was it cold. The armor suits that lined the halls were spelled to sing carols when you walked past them, which would have been good had they not sung different songs at the same time. All in all it looked very old-fashioned, yet impressive.

The closer it got to Christmas the more excited people got about the Yule Ball. Gossip on who was taking who ran rampant in all four schools on who was taking who and all those that had been shot down. Harry was smug in not revealing his date to anyone except his classmates.

Neville had no such qualms and was often seen talking to Luna. He even mirror called Mrs. Hilton and asked her about the things the young lady talked about. She informed him that Luna was a seer, but her sight was marred by the death of her mother, and influenced by her not quite there father. She suggested that Luna come home with them so that she could be taught correctly. Evie did say that nargles and wrackspurts were quite real, and to stay away from them if they could help it. After that illuminating conversation, Neville went to talk to Mr. Scott and Sirius about speaking to Mr. Lovegood about a transfer. They both said they would do what they could.

Since it was Christmas break there were no classes. Harry, Neville and Jordan made sure all their homework was done earlier that week and spent most of their time playing in the snow. The hover-boards were great for going down the lower hills on the mountain and everyone in the SMI had races.

Many of the other students wanted to know where the SMI School got such wonderful toys. They expressly wanted the product for their selves, and Harry spent a lot of time creating more, for a price. Since they were in a Wizarding World he charged 6 Galleons. Soon enough teens from all schools were racing down the hillsides, causing the staff of all the schools to fret.

The SMI nurse, Joanne Parks, made sure there was plenty of skele-gro for broken bones and such. Madam Pomfrey did the same for the Hogwarts students. Beauxbatons and Durmstrang had their own medical personnel. Everyone was relieved that injuries were minimal and the hover-boards were quite safe.

December 25, 1994

It was finally the day of the Ball. Harry was dressed in a nice tuxedo, piped with silver and blue, with a crisp dark blue shirt, and shiny dress boots. His hair was styled to look deliberately mussed, in that just came out of the wind way. Neville and Jordan opted for school colors and were identically dressed in black suits with green piping, though Neville's shirt was dark green and Jordan's was a crisp white. None of the SMI team wore robes, all the boys dressed in various colored tuxedos and all the girls were decked out in beautiful ball gowns.

Neville left early to make sure his date was escorted out of Ravenclaw. Though Professor Flitwick stopped most of the abuse, there were still times that the group of bullies cornered the young lady. Since Luna had a bad habit of brushing them off instead of reporting them, they upped the times they ridiculed her. So the older boy wanted to make sure she was ushered from the dorm to the Great Hall without consequence.

Harry also left early to go and pick up his 'date'. He arrived at his Aunt Gilly's nicely decorated house. "Aunt Gilly, I'm here. Are you ready?" he called as he came through the door. He stepped inside the warm house and removed his winter coat. Instead of hanging it up, he draped it over his arm.

Sirius came down the hall all dressed up in a tuxedo, the suit itself was black, but had red and gold trimming. He wore robes of the same color. He had a smirk on his face and was fiddling with his gold stag cufflinks.

"Sirius, I thought you weren't going?" Harry said confused. Then he spotted his aunt joining them in a racy red dress with a gold cape. "Okay, what's going on here?" the tri-colored teen said, getting worried they were pulling a prank on him.

"Well, we talked it over and decided it would be best if you went with someone your own age," Gilly said mischievously. Sirius just grinned with a humorous gleam in his eyes.

"You got me a blind date?" the flabbergasted teen asked, doing his best not to mess up his hair by running his hand through it.

"Kinda," the red-blonde said vaguely, and then she laughed at her nephew's fallen face. "Alright, we've tortured him enough. You can come out now," she called down the hall.

Dainty footsteps were heard as a beautiful teenage girl came into view. Her long blonde hair fell straight down her back, held back from her cherub face with a diamond bow shaped hairclip. The silver, floor length dress, which was tight in the bodice showing her very ample chest, and flared to the floor from the waist, with splashes of shimmering blue throughout the skirt, while the bodice had one blue strip that ran diagonally from the left shoulder down the right to her waist. She matched Harry's tuxedo perfectly. The winter cloak she carried was the perfect blue. Diamond earrings and necklace showed themselves brightly, accenting the silver in her gown. Her sparkling green eyes were filled with mirth, and there was a wicked smile playing at her pink lips.

There in all her beauty was his girlfriend Jessica Jenkins. They had been dating for almost a year now, and they were still going strong. They met last year on a school fieldtrip, where they all went to see the Magical United Nations building. She was even at his last birthday party, though she didn't stay long past the gifts, since her mother didn't approve of them dating at such a young age, but her father didn't mind, which was weird, because it usually was the other way around.

"Jessie, how…? What…? I don't… Oh thank God, you're here," Harry finally settled on, and ran his hand through his hair, then grimaced at the styling gel on it. He quickly waved his hand and the mess was gone, but he vowed to wash that gunk out as soon as he could.

"Harry, you're so cute when you're flustered," his girlfriend said as she planted a kiss on his cheek, careful not to leave any lipstick behind.

"Surprise!" the two adults shouted, both bouncing like little children.

"Thank you," Harry said sincerely, "I don't know how you convinced her dad, but thank you. Not that I was against taking you, Aunt Gilly, but I'm glad you get to spend the night with Sirius."

"Daddy was actually the easy one to talk around; it was Mom that put up a fight. The only way they'd let me come is if I promised to stay off the houseboat at night," the blonde teen explained.

"How did you convince them to let you come on Christmas?"

What he didn't know was that that had been the main fight over her coming. It was Mrs. Williams that finally explained that this would be educational for their daughter that finally brought Mrs. Jenkins around.

"Well, we had a small celebration last night and we'll have the large one on New Year's Eve," she confessed with a blush, she was not proud of the way she acted with her parents. It was childish and emotional, but she really wanted to be here for him. She was grounded the rest of the Winter Holiday, when she returned so she was going to make the best of the two days she was here. "Tonight we dance and tomorrow you're going to take me around this quaint little village, and then the next day the castle, after that I have to go home," she stated firmly as she tucked her arm in his elbow.

"I am at my Lady's command," the streak-haired boy with half-bow and a kiss on the cheek. After gathering cloaks and winter wear, they all Jumped to the front of Hogwarts. Harry and Jessie made their way to where the other Champions were. Harry looked around the Great Hall and was silently impressed.

From the front windows of the castle you could see a walking area that was shielded from the snow, it looked to have bushes and benches lining paths that were lit by live fairies. There was a fountain in the center and a few shrubs depicting Father Christmas and his reindeer.

McGonagall came to the doors of the Great Hall and let the students enter, asking the champions to wait. Harry introduced his girlfriend to the others, at the same time taking in their dates. He was surprised to see Granger was escorted by Krum. She looked good in her lilac dress, with her hair tamed and pulled into a loose bun. Krum was in formal robes that were colored red with brown piping. Fleur looked as radiant as ever in a straight floor length, shimmering light blue gown. Her date had on blue and bronze dress robes, and seemed to be having a hard time concentrating. Cedric and Cho matched in black and white. Cho snubbed Harry and Jessie, causing Cedric to quietly reprimand her. She looked surprised at that, but quickly gave apologies.

McGonagall came back into the Entrance Hall and announced they were ready for them. Harry and Jessie were first in line, followed by Krum and Granger then Fleur and her date, who was introduced as Roger Davies, then Cedric and Cho.

As they entered the Great Hall, whispers broke out about Harry's date, everyone wanting to know who she was. The four house tables had been removed and hundreds of little tables, which seated six, took their place. There were two long tables at the front of the Hall. The staff of all four schools was seated at the first table and the other officials were at the second. It took all of Harry's training not to groan when he noted that he was seated next to Percy Weasley. He had heard about the inquisitive young man from the twins.

After they were all seated, Dumbledore stood and announced that dinner was served and the dancing would begin when the feast was finished. Harry and Jessie looked at the tacky golden plates, and then at each other, both had cute little wrinkles on their noses. Neither liked the fact that they would be eating off such ostentatious platters. They were both pretty down to earth people, but 'when in Rome'. They shrugged and ordered after a minute of conversation about what was on the menu that was placed next to the water glasses. Harry ordered the duck and chestnut stuffing, while Jessie contented herself with pork chops and mashed potatoes with a roasted vegetable side.

It didn't take long before the questioning began, Harry was getting quite use to the rudeness of the wizards he met in this country.

"So, Harry," Percy interrogated as he neatly cut in to his roast beef, "where have you been hiding this entire time? Minister Fudge was quite worried when you didn't appear your first year. Headmaster Dumbledore assured us that you were well and just in training." He took a bite of his food, but his eyes never left the young man's.

"I was not in hiding, as you put it. I was simply living my life. My godfather, Sirius Black, knew where I was," he said, shrugging it all off as if unimportant and turned back to his meal.

"Yes, well, Mr. Black is not what anyone would call responsible," the redheaded young man said with an air of distaste. "He has never supported the Ministry, and is a well-known ladies' man," he said in a stage whisper. "The report in the Prophet says the lady who raised you isn't much better," he said with a sniff.

"Be that as it may, he is still the only legal adult who could sign off my guardianship," Harry rebutted with a small growl, warning the redhead to back off. "And you would do well to leave my aunt out of our conversation," he said violently as his longish hair lifted a bit.

"You would do well to not underestimate the Wizengamot," Weasley warned, placing his cutlery on the table. "The Ministry will see that you are raised properly," he snapped back, like they were the last say in everything.

"And you would do well not to underestimate the United States Magical Congress. Your vaulted Ministry has no jurisdiction on me," the tri-colored teen snapped back and a small wind started to rise.

Jessie laid a hand on his arm and brought his attention to her. She shook her head and winked. Harry calmed down, firmly put his attention on his date and stopped talking to the annoying redhead. There was no way he was going to let some pompous windbag ruin his night. So he pointedly turned his back on the man and smiled at Jessie. "Sorry, my dear, let's talk of light things," he said as he kissed her cheek.

He and Jessie were just starting to catch up on their missing months and were having a wonderful conversation, only for Harry to start being questioned by Granger about his seemingly powerful magic. He tried to keep his temper, not wanting Jessie's surprise to be wasted. So he answered in polite, succinct statements. He gave her enough knowledge that with a little research she could get the theories down on her own, and then pointed out that he was not her date and ignored her.

After about a half an hour, the dinner plates disappeared and dessert was served. Harry had chocolate cake with strawberry ice cream, and Jessie tried the treacle tart. When dessert was finished, Dumbledore rose again and asked everyone to move to the side of the Hall. When they complied, he waved his wand and the tables moved to the side, opening up a dance area. The band for the night, the Weird Sisters, set up their instruments on a raised stage that appeared to the left of the dance floor, and prepared to start the Ball. The lights dimmed and soon only the square dance area was illuminated.

Harry held out his hand to Jessie and guided her to the dance floor. The band started with a waltz and the champions and their dates took the floor. They were all graceful in the way they glided to the music. When the piece finished the audience clapped politely and soon enough other couples joined in the dancing. After an hour of classical music the Weird Sisters upped the beat for the younger crowd.

Harry and Jessie went to the walking garden get out of the crowded Great Hall. Jessie still looked lovely, thanks to cooling charms. They walked hand in hand and talked of unimportant things. They came across many couples making out in the bushes, which caused them to giggle. Until they spotted Snape walking down the path and send stinging hexes into the shrubbery. The wayward couples would then get reprimanded and if they were from Hogwarts they also lost points. The Potions Master spotted Harry and Jessie, but since they were only walking, he just sneered at them and moved on.

"I really dislike that man," Harry quipped as the dour man left. "There are times I just want to punch his ugly face. You should've read some of the stuff in my parents' diaries, he isn't a nice man. Though, to give him credit, he did overcome a really bad childhood," he mused out loud.

"Well, let's leave him out of our conversation then. Tonight is for romance, so let's talk about us," his lovely lady said, taking him by the arm and drawing him to one of the benches.

"Then I won't say anything at all about my time here, it really hasn't been pretty. Instead, I will only wax poetic about how beautiful you are and what a wonderful surprise it was to have you by my side at this great shindig," Harry said, taking her hand and planting a gentle kiss on her knuckles.

"You're such a flatterer, Luis would be proud," she praised, then leaned over and bussed his cheek.

"One of these days, we're going to get to some serious making out, but this is not the venue for that. Let's go find Neville and I'll introduce his lovely date. I think you'll like her, she's very different." He stood and held his hand for her to join him.

Jessie smiled at her perfect gentleman. Her eyes held promise for the future time they would get to some heavy kissing. She took his hand and let him guide her back to the Hall.

When they entered, a flash of light blinded them and that hideous lady reporter converged on them. "So, Harry, are you going to introduce your date? My readers are just dying to know," Rita smiled with her parchment and green quill ready to misquote anything the boy wonder said.

Harry simply summoned the camera, opened the back and let the film fall to the floor. He then took his date firmly by the arm and moved away from the two Prophet employees.

Gilly, having seen what was going on, moved to intercept the hated reporter. She tore the green quill out of the air and broke it in two, and then ripped up the parchment. "I don't know what I have to do to make you understand that my family is off limits to you, but I warn you I will not take anything more of your reports sitting down," she hissed in the woman's face.

"I am not afraid of you. You don't even carry a wand," Rita sneered back, though she did shiver as the temperature dropped. "Are you a squib? Do you think the Ministry will let you keep the Boy Who Lived when they find out you can't do magic?" she asked, pulling out a regular dicta quill. She could see the headlines now as many different ones formed in her head. She was going to do her best to bury this woman who almost got her fired. "So tell me, Gillian Owens, what is it like to be around such powerful people, when you have no magic?"

"Oh, lady, you can't even begin to know how wrong you are," Gilly said, getting in the woman space and once again tearing up her writing instruments.

Sirius joined her at that time and pulled her back before she started to make a big scene. As it was many of the students were staring and some of the dignitaries as well. They all started whispering about what Rita had just stated, and there would be rumor soon. He smiled at Rita in a very sinister manner. "Ms. Skeeter, you know me, you know my political pull; do you really want to take me on?" he asked menacingly.

"I will find out your story, Gillian Owens, my readers have a right to know," the vulgar reporter threw over her shoulder as she moved away from the couple.

"I wish Jim would visit her," Gilly said as she glared at the retreating woman.

Sirius barked with laughter, "That would be great. We should ask Harry if he could talk him into it. Though I doubt that… man has any sense of humor."

"Come on, let's dance," Gilly said taking his arm and leading him to the dance floor.

Harry and Jessie, in the meantime, caught up with Neville, Luna, Jordan and Nicole. They were seated at one of the tables near the doors. Neville was watching the youngest male Weasley ignore his date, one of the Patil twins. The redhead seemed to be glaring at Granger and Krum, like he was personally offended that she wasn't with him, or he could be jealous of Krum.

"The wrackspurts are infesting him, and if he doesn't get out from under that mistletoe, then he and Hermione are going to get into a fight, because of the nargles," Luna predicted in a dreamy voice. "It is never good when you have both."

"Not our problem," Harry said without sympathy. It was up to Krum to protect his date. He guided Jessie to the only other open chair, then turned and grabbed another from the next empty table. "Is everyone having a good time?"

"Yes," came the choired response, making them all grin at one another.

Harry just smiled and settled next to his date. The group talked of the dancers, dinner and what they received that day for Christmas. Harry stated that the best gift he got that day was the lovely lady by his side. The Ball ended at midnight, Gilly and Sirius joined Harry and Jessie at the entrance. They pulled on their cloaks and Jumped to the cottage.

"Where are you sleeping, Jessie?" Harry asked, just remembering this was a one room house.

"Sirius set up a temporary room in the back," she answered. It was a little room with only a bed and a tiny dresser, since she was only staying for two days. They figured she would only go there to sleep, spending most of her time with Harry. She was content with the arrangement. "I would show it to you, but that would not be ladylike." She winked at him and led him to the living room.

"You're right, Luis would have my ass if I went into your room this late at night," Harry nodded his agreement and then let out a huge yawn. Jessie mimicked the yawn and the two teens started giggling. "Let me say goodnight, beautiful Lady," the young gentleman said and slowly kissed his date on the lips.

Jessie, having been waiting all night, decided to make this more than a polite kiss, grabbed his neck and deepened it. They broke apart after minutes of not breathing.

Harry put his forehead on hers and smiled a flirtatious smile. "Well, that was wonderful, unfortunately I have to go," he said. Then he gave her one more kiss and then pulled away. He Jumped to the shore and then to the boat, Mr. Scott looked at his watch and sighed, the young man was only a few minutes late, since it was Christmas he let it slide.

The next two days were a whirlwind of activity for the young couple. They explored Hogsmeade together, even went to the rundown pub of Hogshead, and met Aberforth Dumbledore, who didn't have a very high opinion of his brother, though he never mentioned why. They spent time in each of the food establishments in the village and found The Three Broomsticks was more to their liking.

The next day Neville and Luna joined them as they toured the castle, with Luna as their guide. She made sure to point out all the places that her creatures hibernated and steered them clear. The small group took her warnings, with a bit of salt, but fond smiles. Jessie found she liked the quirky girl and hoped they could get her transferred to SMI the following year. The little third year Ravenclaw was smart and she could catch up on non-magical studies with a little tutoring.

Harry and his girlfriend, of course, took time out to get in some heavy make out sessions, never going too far. Though they were hormonal teens, they weren't quite ready for more than necking. Once they got caught by Mr. Scott, who scolded them for taking advantage of her parents not being around. They mumbled apologies and did better at hiding.

On the third night Harry had to say goodbye. They were at Gilly's and Sirius' cottage waiting for the portkey. While Jessie could Jump, going across that much distance was a bit much. He gathered his girlfriend in a tight hug and whispered in her ear, "I'm going to miss you. Thank you for a wonderful Christmas present." He made sure to hold her close to let her know his words were real.

"I'll miss you too. You'd better email me every day, and I'll see you when you get back," she whispered back, with misty eyes. She had had a great time and didn't want to go, but her parents were already up in arms.

The two held on to each other until Gilly cleared her throat, "It is time, Jessie. Grab your suitcase, the portkey is leaving in one minute."

The couple kissed one last time and Harry moved away. In a minute Jessie was gone. The teen grabbed his aunt in a hug, and thanked her for arranging everything. Gilly just smiled and said she would do anything to keep her nephews happy.

All in all it was a wonderful holiday.

December 29, 1994

It was a chilling winter day. The snow was blowing hard, and piling up high around the castle and its grounds. The SMI students were sitting in the living area of the houseboat, with cups of cocoa; reading, playing games or watching the TV. The faux fireplace was hard-pressed to keep the area heated, but the room was cozy. Kippy was making sure everyone had what they needed to be comfortable, whether it was hot drinks or blankets. They had all just finished a hot lunch of onion soup and grilled ham and cheese sandwiches. Mr. Scott excused himself right after lunch and stated he would be returning soon and that Cathy Montgomery, as the oldest, was in charge.

Harry, Neville and Jordan were playing one of the many board games, Monopoly, and just enjoying the time out of class.

"Harry," Jordan said as he moved his boot piece around the board, "did you figure out your egg yet?" he asked for the benefit of the other students.

"Nope," the boy with the tri-colored hair said, "I opened it again and it just shrieked at me. I'm going to take a closer look at it when classes start. Right now, I'm just relaxing; it's not like I don't know what the second task is," he lend in and whispered.

"True enough," the dark-haired boy agreed.

"Are you going to tell the others?" Neville asked as he rolled the dice then moved his hat piece to Park Place and paid Jordan the rent.

"Well, I want to see if they figure it out first. I'll give them till the end of January, if they haven't got it by then than I'll tell them what's what." Harry said quietly as he moved his dog piece passed Go and collected $200.

"Sounds like a plan," his brother stated. "Don't want to make it too easy for them." He nodded in agreement.

"Who do you think is going to be put down there?" Jordan asked as he bought Boardwalk. "You owe rent," he crowed, to his sun-bleached friend, when he rolled a two.

"I hate you," mumbled Neville as he handed over the money and rolled again passing Go and collecting his $200.

Jordan just smirked back and stacked his money.

"If I had to guess it will be Aunt Gilly. She has already stated that if she is not asked and just kidnapped then she has Mr. Roberts ready to file suit," Harry said as he purchased the final space for his monopoly, Marvin's Garden.

The other two nodded and continued their game. After about an hour, Jordan boasted his victory and the boys put the game away. They were just settling in front of the TV when Mr. Scott and Sirius appeared with… Luna Lovegood?

"Everyone, can I have your attention, please," The Vice Principal said loudly. The noise stopped and all eyes turned to the three people at the door. "For those of you that don't know, this is Luna Lovegood, she is going to be joining us here at SMI. Make her feel welcome."

The students moved as one, getting up and going to the waif of a girl. They introduced themselves and shook hands with her. Luna was a bit dazed by the attention, and when Neville noticed he went to her side. She smiled dreamily up at him and leaned closer.

"Okay, everyone, go back to what you were doing," Mr. Scott said as he guided Luna into the living area. "You can meet this young lady later when it is not so overwhelming. Thank you for understanding."

Luna, having been raised a British pure-blood, was looking around the room in awe. Her eyes landed on the television and they widened in fascination. She, of course, heard of such a TV from the Muggle-borns, but she had never seen one.

"Come on, Luna, let me show you around. I can explain everything you don't understand," Neville offered as he placed his hand on her arm.

"It is so bright in here," Luna said airily as she let the young man guide her around the room.

Harry and Jordan went to join Sirius on the couch, where he had tiredly plopped down. "What happened?" Harry asked. "I thought we were going to bring her over next year."

"His mum," Sirius said, pointing at Jordan. "Gilly was talking to her on Boxing Day and Evie warned her that little Luna needed to be removed from the castle as quickly as possible. Seems her housemates didn't bow out like we thought. According to Evie, they were actually planning on hurting her pretty badly. Oh, they would have been caught, but their punishment would have been detention and the loss of house points," he spat, a sneer on his lips.

Sirius knew from experience that Dumbledore would not prosecute students that hurt other students. And while he felt his undeserved time in Azkaban more than made up for the attempted murder of Snape, via werewolf, looking back the lack of discipline in Hogwarts had been detrimental to him. If this school showed the consequences of ones actions, then maybe he wouldn't have gone after Wormtail.

"Okay, but how did you get the transfer done to soon?" Harry asked, a bit confused, usually it takes months for these things to go through.

"Xeno, Luna's father, signed over temporary custody to me," the dark-haired man answered with a shrug. "He isn't quite sane, and he knows it. So to protect his little girl, he just signed on the dotted line and packed her stuff."

"How does Luna feel about that?" Jordan inquired as he watched Luna and Neville go around the room.

"She is actually very thankful, seems she thinks her dad will get help now that she's not there," Sirius answered.

Mr. Scott gave Xeno the names of a few Healers he knew so that the publisher could get treated. Xeno had told them that he only held off so Luna wouldn't be picked on more for having a father that was in therapy. He didn't know that she was already being bullied, until Flitwick sent him a report. Now, though, he could get the help he needed.

"So, she's a cousin now?" the tri-color haired teen asked as he ran a hand through his hair.

"Nope, more like a foster sister. She's only related to you and Neville like all of the pure-bloods in Britain, many times removed," Sirius said with a smile.

"That's a relief, I don't think Neville could handle it if she were closely related," Harry sighed as he watched his brother talk softly to the quirky girl.

"Which is one of the reasons we went with me and not Gilly," the older man said seriously.

It had been a bit of a debate. The aunts had wanted to get the temporary custody, but Evie put her foot down and said it had to be Sirius, since he had more of a political pull on England's side of the pond. Gilly was especially happy to have a little girl to dress up.

"So, do you think she can catch up with the rest of us? I mean, I know she was in Ravenclaw, but just how smart is she?" Harry asked as he watched Neville patiently explain what the faux fireplace was and how it gave off heat with no real fire.

"Mr. Scott will test her tomorrow to see how much tutoring she'll need. According to Filius, she is one of the most intelligent students in her year. Her only problem is that she peppers her essays with imagined creatures as an explanation for things that can't be explained," Sirius said with a small smile. "Which is what was bringing her grade down. Evie said she's going to be teaching our new young seer to see reality."

"Do we have an extra mirror?" Jordan asked.

"I'm going to whip one up tomorrow, while Luna does her testing."

The three fell silent and simply watched the young couple get to know each other better. Then Harry and Jordan got bored with watching and joined them. Sirius felt his job was done for the day and Jumped to the cottage.

The next day they journeyed to the castle for breakfast, everyone was thankful they could Jump to the front doors, well not the new youngest, but Neville took her. She thought that mode of travel was wonderful and beat trudging through the snow any day. Everyone knew she would pick it up soon.

The Hogwarts Headmaster met them at the door. "Miss Lovegood, while I understand you wanting to see the wonders of the Salem Magical Institute's… houseboat, I cannot condone you sleeping there. I am going to have to give you detention and take 50 house points away from Ravenclaw," the old man said with a disappointed look at the young girl.

"Headmaster Dumbledore, do you not read your missives? Luna Lovegood is no longer a student of your school. We sent the transfer papers to you yesterday," Mr. Scott said, confused. He made sure all the paperwork was filled out correctly, and that it went to the Headmaster first.

"Alas, I do not recall authorizing a transfer of one of my students, therefore it must be a mistake," Dumbledore said in finality. In reality this year had been so busy that he had let his paperwork fall behind.

"Headmaster, I was the one who signed the transfer, as is my right as the Head of the House of Ravenclaw," squeaked Professor Flitwick, from his place next to his boss. He too was confused that Albus was protesting this, but that wasn't going to stop him from making sure the man understood that this was all legit.

"And I also completed the forms as the Deputy Headmistress," McGonagall stated as she joined the group. She knew the old man had fallen behind, since she was the one who took up most of the slack.

"Why was it not brought to my attention verbally?" Dumbledore inquired, the disapproving look was still on his face, though it was now aimed at his staff. He was not happy that SMI stole one of his brightest students.

"Albus, you told me you didn't want to deal with what was happening with Miss Lovegood," snapped the Transfiguration Professor. "You stated quite clearly that everything to do with the situation would be left up to me and Filius." She was starting to wonder if the man was senile.

"Yes, I do recall saying such," Dumbledore said as he stroked his beard. "Well, what is done is done. Shall we adjourn to breakfast?" And he turned away, silently fuming over his mistake.

Harry, Jordan and Neville had surrounded Luna during the adults' debate. Now they went to the Great Hall, with Luna still in the middle, and pondered on where to sit. Ravenclaw was out, seeing the group of girls sneering at Luna. Hufflepuff was also dismissed as there were still students there who were not happy with SMI being in first place. That left Gryffindor or Slytherin.

"So which table do you think we'll get the less flak from?" Harry asked, turning to the other students.

"I would like to sit at Gryffindor. I want to explain to Ginny what is happening and why I left," Luna said as she glanced at the red and gold table.

Harry shuddered as he imagined just how that will go, but inclined his head in agreement. He understood that Luna's only friend needed to know what was going on with her. So the four youngest made their way to Gryffindor and sat next to the Weasleys. They made sure to sit on the opposite end from the Ravenclaw table. So their backs weren't presented to the bullies. Dishing up some fruit, eggs and toast, they listened in on Luna telling Ginny what occurred the night before. The youngest Weasley nodded in understanding, while Granger asked personal questions about Luna's father.

"That is none of your business," the short-tempered boy snapped, causing Neville and Jordan to put their hands on his shoulders.

"Oh, it's alright, Harry," Luna said, turning her big grey eyes to her defender, "she is infested with wrackspurts."

"There is no such thing as wrackspurts," retorted the bushy-haired girl.

"And you know this how?" Harry asked snidely, not caring if he was being rude.

"They're not in any book I've read," Hermione said smartly.

"Look, I want to have a peaceful breakfast at this table," the weary boy said as he ran a tired hand down his face. "So, you stop asking questions that are none of your business and I'll stop snapping at you. It's not like we haven't had this argument before."

"Fine," Granger huffed and grabbed her book off the table and left in a fit of pique.

Harry looked around the table and asked, "Anyone else want to ask personal questions?"

The youngest Weasley male opened his mouth, only to have the twins slam their hands over it.

"What the lovely Miss Lovegood," stated the one on the left.

"does with her life isn't our,"

"business. We're just happy,"

"that she found people,"

"who can help her and her father," they finished together. They then removed their hands from their brother's mouth with a warning stare. An embarrassed Ron got up and stormed out of the Hall.

"So, Harry," inquired the dark-skinned boy —Dean Thomas, Harry thought— "any idea what you're going to do for the second task? I have to tell you that stuff you pulled with the dragons was wicked."

"Well, I can't tell you much, but I can tell you I'm not going for flashy this time. I'm only going to do what needs to be done as quickly as possible," the youngest champion answered with a shrug, glad it was not a rude question.

"Oh, I think you're still going to impress people," predicted Luna as she ate some of the fruit on her plate.

"Well, be that as it may, it's not what I'm setting out to do," Harry explained to the blonde.

She just nodded her head and gazed at the spot right next to his left ear. It was a bit disconcerting to have her study the air around his head. He hoped he wasn't being infested with nargles; he needed to keep his mind on task. As if hearing the young man's thoughts Luna took the butterbeer cork necklace from around her neck and placed it over his head.

"There, now they can't get to you," she said seriously. Then she started to hum a little tune and turned back to her breakfast.

Harry heard snickering from the table of the wise and focused on Cedric's girlfriend, Cho Chang. She just pointed and laughed at his new accessory. Harry lifted his eyebrow and then pointedly turned away from the girl and also returned to his breakfast. He thought it was cute and matched his rope bracelet. And like the bracelet if it gave him extra protection, well he'd wear it proudly.

Ginny Weasley was torn between feeling happy for her oldest friend and jealous that she was now in the company of the Boy Who Lived. She glanced back and forth between the two pondering on their new relationship. Would Luna take her crush away from her? Oh, she had heard the rumors about the beautiful girl that was Harry's date to the Ball, but she dismissed them after hearing the girl went back to the States, meaning she couldn't be that important.

Harry, seeing the emotions that flitted across the face of the only girl Weasley, moaned internally. Maybe he should write to her father about her obsession. He made a mental note to ask his godfather later. He had heard about what had happened in her first year and wondered if the girl had received counseling for her trauma. Sirius was debating on whether or not to compensate the Weasley's for that fiasco, since he left Britain without finishing his task.

As the morning meal came to a close, Neville started fretting. Luna was going to be tested and he worried about how far she was behind in non-magical studies. The girl in question didn't seem a bit concerned. Soon enough the dishes disappeared and the SMI group met at the entrance. They made their way outside unmolested and Jumped to the shore, Neville taking Luna, and then to the boat.

"Alright, Miss Lovegood, if you will follow me, we'll get those tests out of the way," Mr. Scott said after everyone divested themselves of their outerwear.

Luna just nodded and drifted to his side and followed him to the classrooms. Harry and Jordan tried to keep their friend occupied, but his attention kept wandering to the doorway. Soon they gave up and let him brood. Hours later the Vice Principal and the newest student came out and Luna had a huge smile on her lips, her eyes sparkled with mirth.

She sat herself next to Neville and gave him the short version on how well she did. "I did well on all of my magical tests," she explained, "and for someone of my upbringing I did remarkably well on the non-magical ones."

Neville sighed with relief and gave her a one-armed hug. Harry and Jordan joined them and congratulated Luna on a job well done.

"Thank you," she nodded to the trio of boys. "I am going to be quite busy the rest of the holidays. So if you will excuse me, there are books over there I need to start with," she said, pointing to the large bookcase on the far wall. She got up and grabbed one of the text books and curled up in an armchair and blocked out the rest of the room.

"Now that that is over, let's play a game and leave her to it," Harry suggested, a bit put out that the snow was still falling and they couldn't go hover-boarding.

"Yeah," Neville concurred, and they did just that.

The following week was spent getting Luna up to date on all the non-magical classes. No one was upset that they were spending their vacation on studies. It was boring on the houseboat and the storm hadn't let up yet. Gilly and Sirius visited often and brought Luna some winter clothes, as it seemed most of her non-Hogwarts' wardrobe was sundresses. Gilly had a great time playing dress up with a girl, introducing her to a new fashion sense.

Harry pulled his godfather aside and asked him about the Weasleys and if Ginny ever got help getting over her first year. Sirius replied that he didn't know and would ask her father next time he was in the Ministry. He wanted to get a trust setup for her anyway.

Classes stared again and Luna joined the boys in magical studies and etiquette. Luis was patient with the quirky girl and made sure the boys treated her like a lady. It was now part of the class that they practice things like holding out chairs, and greeting a lady. Though they had these lessons before, there was never someone to practice with, since the aunts were barred from the lessons, after the first time Luis asked them to join. Gilly teased the boys so much that Luis made her leave and promise to never come back.

Agent Mumford also took it upon herself to teach the new girl how to defend herself. It was slow going as there was no PE in Hogwarts so they had to start from scratch. So Claire started with stretches and simple exercises mostly stuff you can do inside; jumping jacks, chin-ups and sit-ups. And then she worked Luna up to basic body throws and where to hit someone to do the most damage if they grab you.

Soon enough everyone settled down into a new routine and the merging of Luna into SMI was now seamless. Breakfast with Hogwarts was still a task in patience, but Harry hadn't lost his temper in the weeks that followed. He did note that Ginny wasn't following him around anymore, and the twins seemed to be helping her more and more. He figured that Sirius had done what he said he'd do and the girl was now on her way to recovery. Ron looked at her with jealousy, though Harry had no idea why. So he asked the twins.

"What's up with your brother?" he said one Monday at breakfast. "I noticed all last week he was glaring at his sister."

"Ronniekins is just upset that," twin number one started.

"little Ginny has money,"

"and he doesn't. It was something,"

"that Dad and your godfather,"

"set up to help her recover." the finished together.

"So he's jealous of a bit of money? I would think that he would be happy that his little sister is getting the help she needs," Harry said as he sneered at the youngest Weasley male, who glared back. The twins nodded and went back to their meal.

Ginny, upon hearing them talk, blushed and hid her face in her hair. She was now seeing a Mind Healer once a week, here at the castle. Sirius Black was paying for it, though he wouldn't tell them the full reason why. Just that he had been responsible for getting rid of the book that possessed her, and that he failed.

January 15, 1995

It was the middle of January when Harry finally figured out the egg. Well, it was by accident. He was outside at the request of the rest of SMI, who were tired of hearing the earsplitting noise every time he opened it. So the teen was sitting on the cold deck trying to puzzle out the annoying object. He knew it had to do with the lake and Merpeople, but he couldn't figure out how to get the clue, Luna would just giggle at him and call him silly when he asked.

He had been sitting here for hours, trying spell after spell and then he finally got so frustrated that he threw the open egg into the lake. When it floated back to the top a bubble popped and he heard the singing. Running a hand down his face in utter disbelief, he sighed. He should have known to put it in water. He summoned the egg and closed it.

Stomping back into the living area, he threw himself on the closest couch and pouted.

"What is wrong with you?" Neville asked as he joined his brother.

"I just can't believe how stupid I can be sometimes," said the sulking streak-haired teen. "It was so simple; just add water," he said in mimicking voice.

Neville laughed at Harry's plight and soon Jordan and Luna joined him. The others in the room looked at the near hysterical teens and one of them asked what got them in such a state.

"Just add water," Neville said between guffaws.

Harry couldn't help it, now that he thought about it, it was quite funny. So he joined in the merriment. When they finally calmed down, Harry said he was going to take a bath with his egg and the teasing started again. Smiling good-naturedly, he simply got up and went to do just that. After the song confirmed what he already knew, the tri-color haired teen took the egg and gave it to Mr. Scott, stating he figured it out and the school could have it as a memento.

Now all he had to do was wait and see who was taken, he already warned Luna that she was at risk. Everyone already knew his plans and no one was overly worried. They simply went about their business.

It was towards the end of January, and Cedric came up to Harry after breakfast. "Hey, Harry, join me a minute?" the seventh year Hufflepuff suggested.

Harry just nodded and went with him to the Entrance Hall. "What's up?" he asked as he casually leaned against the wall.

"Have you figured out your egg yet?" Cedric asked, taking up the spot next to him.

"Yeah, a few weeks ago," the young man answered. "I was going to wait till the end of the month to see if you guys got it."

"Oh, well, then, thanks for that, I guess," Cedric replied, a bit upset that he couldn't return the favor. "Do you think the other two figured it out?"

"Don't know, but I'll find out in a week," Harry shrugged and gave the older boy a questioning look.

"Yeah, that's all I wanted to say," he answered the unasked question. The two left and joined their classmates.

Harry explained to his friends what the conversation was all about, when they got back to the houseboat. Many were thankful that the Hogwarts champion had a sense of fair play. Before the month's end, both Fleur and Viktor asked him in much a similar way. He replied in kind and the four contenders set about preparing for the underwater task.

The weeks went by and Harry started to find love potion in his breakfast more and more. Those compulsion charms were also becoming daily. The ring he wore was tweaked to make sure that none of the charms or potions got past the checks. He was starting to get very, very angry at the students and staff of Hogwarts. They just wouldn't let him be, so he begged Mr. Scott to be exempt from breakfast and the Vice Principal debated on it, but finally decided that it would be bad for the foreign relations with the French and the Durmstrang students and staff. They were not the problem and he didn't want to be seen as snubbing them.

Harry moaned and groaned at his plight and was determined to find out who was trying to keep him here.