Chapter Seven: Denials and Opportunities

"Hey, there's Dumbledore!" exclaimed Kurt, pointing down the corridor.

Rachel whipped her bushy hair around as she glanced back at their group and smiled. "Now's our chance to talk to him about Lupin!"

"Wait," said Blaine, waving his hands back and forth to focus her attention. "We're not going to convince him if we all go at once. So how about this – just a suggestion – but since Dumbledore and I are cool, I say I should go talk to him, and you guys can stay here."

"But why do you have to go alone, Harry?" asked Finn.

Rachel shook her head. "No, Ron, if we all go, he'll just think we're panicking. This requires a simple conversation."

"Blaine should go alone. Dumbledore might trust him with more information, too," Kurt agreed.

The three of them stared at him sceptically. He didn't even realize what he'd done until Finn raised an eyebrow and his mouth made a small and confused O with his lips. "Kurt, why'd you call Harry 'Blaine'?"

"Oh," Kurt chuckled nervously. "Sorry, Harry. There was a boy at my old school named Blaine; he looked just like you."

Blaine smirked. "I'll be right back."

As quickly as he went to talk to Mr. Schue, Blaine was on his way back. "What'd he say?" Rachel asked, excitedly hitting him in the arm.

"He said there was nothing to worry about," Blaine replied, making his answer sound more like a question. "So if Dumbledore says there's nothing to worry about, there's nothing to worry about."

"But he could still be a werewolf, couldn't he?" Kurt asked. "I mean, just because he says we're safe doesn't mean Lupin doesn't get hairier at the full moon."

"Kurt's right, Harry," admitted Rachel. "How can we be sure?"

"Trust Dumbledore."

What felt like seconds later, Kurt and Blaine were sitting in the Great Hall. It was fairly deserted, except for Artie and Brittany sitting at the Ravenclaw table, and Quinn and Lauren eating lunch at the Slytherin table.

"Kurt, I'd like to talk to you," Blaine said, leaning forward as if this gave them more privacy.

Kurt leaned forward, too, so their noses were nearly touching. "What do you want to talk about?"

"What was your Boggart supposed to be?"

"Oh," he sighed. "His name is Dave Karofsky. He's a guy in my other school who used to terrorize me because I'm gay. I didn't know when he would show up, when he might shove me, or sneak up behind me and…"

"Sneak up behind you?" Blaine sounded disgusted as he sat back. "Kurt, let me promise you that everyone at Hogwarts is upfront and honest with their enemies… Right Draco?"

Quinn turned around so she was facing the Gryffindor table. "You suck, Potter!"

"See?" Blaine laughed.

"You know who sucks even more?" Quinn said louder, commanding attention from the other people in the Great Hall. "That Hermione Granger. She won't even look at me when I insult her anymore. Like, what is that about? I think she's just being a snob because she knows how pretty she is. Don't you agree, Crabbe?"

Lauren rolled her eyes and sighed. "Whatever you say, Draco." She pulled the flap of her baseball cap over her eyes and pretended to concentrate really hard on her sandwich.

Kurt and Blaine smirked at each other as they restrained themselves from giggling. Quinn was blatantly displaying her attraction to Rachel! With Kurt's knowledge of their relationship from Glee club, the idea of Quinn even being aware of Rachel was absurd, let alone the idea of her thinking Rachel was pretty. "Anyway," Blaine grinned, "I think we should go meet Ron and Hermione for Potions class."

The dream suddenly jolted, and Kurt found himself sitting in a dungeon with Blaine, Finn and Rachel and some other familiar faces he recognized from the train ride.

"I have an announcement for you," Beiste drawled in a weird English accent that was sometimes there and sometimes not. Every student in the classroom perked up at the thought of an announcement. "This winter, we will be throwing a Yule Ball to celebrate the season."

"Yule Ball?" Tina asked with a smile. "Like a dance?"

"That's what a ball is, Lovegood," said Quinn with an unimpressed scoff.

"And as students in their final year, you will set an example by showing up with a date."

"A date?" Finn gasped, spitting out a mouthful of Gummy Bears. "How am I supposed to find a date?"

"Well, that's your problem, Weasley," sneered Mercedes, earning a single outburst of laughter from Beiste.

Kurt looked at Blaine and followed his line of vision to find him staring at Brittany and Artie who were exchanging Eskimo kisses, rubbing their noses together.

"Who are you going to ask?" Rachel inquired as she and the three boys walked to their next class, not expecting anyone in particular to answer.

Finn shrugged and viciously ripped half a piece of liquorice with his teeth. "No idea."

Rachel scowled at him, but turned away. "What about you, Kurt?"

Kurt didn't know what to say. He paused and decided to go with: "I'll probably go stag – unless you know any cute gay guys who go to Hogwarts?"

"Sorry," Rachel smiled and looked at the one person who hadn't answered yet. "Harry?"

Blaine beamed like a love-struck teenager would do so and said, "I think, at last, I'll talk to Cho!"