The next four days were spent in a state of extreme excitement for the seven teens, none of whom were able to do more than pretend to care about anything else besides the upcoming Quidditch Championship. Hermione had tried at first to keep a believable façade of interest in the Slytherin Seven, but by Thursday had dropped all pretenses and did nothing more than join in the other six's animated conversations.

It was now Friday night and Michael, Harry, and Jeff were relaxing in the living room of their home talking lazily about what was likely to happen in the upcoming game, which they would be leaving for in a few minutes. Jeff was not quite as optimistic about the quality of the game as Michael and Harry.

"This is going to be bad," Jeff said, shaking his head ruefully.

"Bullshit," Michael said resolutely. "The Chimeras are good, but the Dragons didn't just win the lottery to get in the championship!"

"Didn't they, though?" Harry asked fairly, looking apologetically at Michael, who rolled his eyes. They had discovered two days ago the Dragons' victory over their most recent opponent had come mostly thanks to the rotten pumpkin juice the other team had drank the previous night, propelling them to the championship more in a stream of orange vomit than their own Quidditch skills.

"There's always a chance Hetting will get the Snitch before things get too out of hand," Jeff said fairly.

"Probably," Michael agreed. "He's a world class Quidditch player, I think he's ranked… fourth? in the world."

"So you're not worried Luna will end up in his arms if he turns out to be the hero of the cup?" Harry asked Michael smugly.

"Sure hope not," Michael shrugged. "He seems like a nice guy, I'd hate to have to kill him…."

"I wouldn't worry about that," Luna said, entering the room dreamily, Sarah right behind her. "He's not really my type. I prefer, you know, men I love."

"That's a relief," Michael said happily, as Luna sat down beside him. "Now we're just waiting on Ron and Why-The-Hell-Is-She-With-Him? Any clue where they are?"

"Present," Hermione said. She smiled at Michael as she and Ron entered the room. "And thank you Michael, although the name is a tad Voldemort-ish for my taste."

"Watch it," Ron said darkly, "Or I'll…ah, never mind…" Ron trailed off, shrugging. He didn't seem to have the resolve to pick a fight with his friend before an event he was so thrilled about.

"So everybody ready?" Michael said, standing up and looking around the room.

"Yeah," Harry said, also standing up. "And we're headed for…Nevada? In the desert?"

"Yeah, that's the place," Michael said. "The desert heat is pretty rough, but there are constant Cooling Charms all over the stadium. And you know where, right?"

"Yes, we know," Sarah said impatiently, "Pitch fifty-one, just out by Groom Lake. Easy place to have a Quidditch stadium, as all the Muggles are scared out of their minds by the place…was nice of the Muggle military to turn it over to us when they couldn't use it anymore."

"Nice nothing," Jeff said scornfully. "The military had to leave because the rest of the Muggles were getting wise to them. Letting us use it as a Quidditch pitch has kept the civilians thinking the military is still doing whoever they do there, instead of up north now."

"Well if Jeff's done with the history lesson, I'm ready for some Quidditch!" Michael said. Without further ado, he reached down in a swooping motion and pulled Luna up out of her seat and into his arms, turning them on the spot. They vanished into nothingness, a small ring of fire smoldering on the ground where they had stood, not burning their carpet.

"Show off," Jeff muttered, rolling his eyes. "Let's go, Sarah…."

"And you're not going to try to whisk me off my feet?" Sarah said, feigning disappointment.

"Well, if you insist!" Jeff bent low and scooped Sarah up into his arms, keeping his wand clenched in his hand and spinning in a neat circle. They too vanished with a crack and a laugh, leaving only the old Hogwarts crowd.

Ron looked at Hermione and raised his eyebrows.

"Don't even think about it," she said firmly, also vanishing. Harry and Ron stood alone in the room. Ron turned to Harry to make a comment about Hermione, but stopped at seeing the look on his face.

"You know she's waiting for you," Ron said very quietly.

"What?" Harry said, seeming to come out of a trance. "Who?"

"My sister, who do you think?" Ron said impatiently, looking as though the words that came out of his mouth were not by his choosing. "She really likes you, you know. I've seen the way she looks at you; it's the same as when Luna looks at Michael. The way I wish Hermione would look at me."

"What are you talking about?" Harry said, a trace of irritability in his voice, not sure how to deal with this totally foreign idea of Ron expressing his romantic feelings. "Aren't you two together? You keep disappearing with each other."

"Yeah well…" Ron said, his ears reddening, "I mean, yeah, we're together and everything, like we've kind of… done stuff, but it's not like, you know… like you and Ginny, or Michael and Luna."

"First off, Michael and Luna are married, and crazy," Harry pointed out. "And second, shut up. You have the opportunity to be around Hermione twenty-four hours a day, Ron, you sleep in the same room! I've seen Ginny once over the last few months, how do you think that is?"

He glared at Ron, but seeing the pathetic look on Ron's face, sighed.

"Listen, don't pretend like you don't know Hermione cares about you. You and I both know how she feels about you, and wants to be with you. We're sixteen, and Hermione's barely seventeen. Michael and Luna are both adults, though only technically," he smirked a little, "same for Jeff and Sarah. As for me and Ginny, I honestly can't explain what there is between us, but I know how I feel at least. I know what I want for us."

"And that is…?" Ron trailed off, eyes narrowed.

"We'll see," Harry said calmly, nodding, "But after this is done, once we're through fighting. "Right now, we're sixteen. We can worry about girls and rubbish like that later, yeah? Right now, how about we just go watch some Quidditch?"

"Sounds good," Ron said, managing to grin. "I guess it's just the war, you know?" He shook his head. "I just hope I'm the same person coming out of it I was going in…."

"I don't think that's possible mate," Harry said seriously. "I think it's too late to pretend this hasn't changed us. I mean…we're in deeper than I ever thought we would be."

"Aren't you the Chosen One?" Ron smarmed. "Even if Michael thinks you're full of it."

"Honestly, it's one of the things I like about him," Harry admitted. "The quips about the Aurors I could do without, though I think Luna might actually have more of an issue with it than he does. All in all though…its sort of nice to be around someone who doesn't expect me to somehow singlehandedly save the Wizarding world. But, I thought we already agreed that's not the point right now."

"Yeah, right," Ron said, slapping himself across the face, "We're going to the biggest Quidditch match this side of the ocean, who gives a damn?"

"Glad you're finally coming to your senses," Harry said approvingly.

"But Harry," Ron added quickly. "Remember: Chosen One or not, no one expects you to do this alone."

"Thanks mate."

Harry and Ron finally turned into Apparition and vanished after their friends.

"What kept you?" Michael asked angrily, the very second Harry and Ron touched ground and were able to breathe normally again.

"Had had to tie my shoe," Harry improvised uncomfortably, looking around for a distraction. There were plenty to be found.

They had appeared into the middle of what appeared to be a large, out-of-service military base, fenced in by high chain length fences, barbed wire coiled around the top. People were all around them, talking excitedly and hurrying from place to place, building to building, some permanent, some obviously thrown up specifically for this occassion. There were a number of hangers and other smaller buildings, all of which had their doors wide open, loud noises coming from inside.

At the far end of the base was a large dome with a glass ceiling; bright lights could be seen streaming out of them, illuminating the evening sky.

"Well, here we are," Michael said, rubbing his hands together. "This is it, Pitch fifty-one, known affectionately to Muggles as Area Fifty-One, the place where the government brings their dead aliens."

"Aliens?" Luna repeated, suddenly far more excited than she had been about even the match itself. Sarah shook her head at Luna.

"Sorry Luna, not anymore. They moved them to somewhere in Ohio now."

"Oh, all right," Luna said, looking slightly disappointed. "The Quidditch should still be fun, I hope."

"I'm guessing the fact that huge amounts of Wizards gather here for Quidditch matches help that rumor the Muggles like," Hermione said, glancing all around them.

The crowd was nowhere near the size that had attended the Quidditch World Cup two years previously, but was still the second most Wizards Harry had seen gathered in one place. Most of the buildings seemed to have been converted into shops, and inside one of the larger hangers there were a number of tables set up.

People dressed in red and black robes were sitting behind the tables, smiling at the rather short line of people in front of them, signing autographs. This was obviously the Red Dragons team. On the other side of the room were another set of tables, behind which sat a group of people wearing purple and yellow robes, all of whom were also signing their autographs on whatever fans had brought them. This line was significantly longer.

"This is really something," Luna observed, gazing all around. "The Quidditch World Cup was great, but that was just me and Dad, I'm glad I'm here with you all now instead."

"Right," Michael said, a little awkwardly. He was married to her, but even after all this, even he was caught off guard sometimes, especially by her plain honesty. "What do you guys want to do?"

"How long do we have before the match?" Harry asked.

"The match starts in thirty minutes," Jeff answered. "So we've got a bit of time. You said our seats were reserved, Michael, so we won't have any trouble getting to them."

"Wait," Michael said slowly, "Sarah, Hermione, how many letters are in 'Red Dragons?" The only reason he did not address the question to Luna too was that she had wandered off and was now examining a sign showing a moving representation of the pre-game show.

"Ten, why?" Hermione asked warily.

"Damn…" Michael muttered. "I was thinking body paint, but we only have seven. I'm fairly sure they sell the flaming kind here…."

"And were you expecting Hermione, Luna, and I to take off our shirts for this?" Sarah asked indignantly.

"I figured if I asked nicely enough…" Michael shrugged. Then under his breath he added, "That used to work pretty well."

"Hang on," Hermione said, suddenly sounding nervous. She looked all around them again. "Isn't it likely there are at least a few STRIKE agents here? So many people, at least a few must be with them!"

"I thought of that," Michael assured her. "But most STRIKE agents that would come here are going to be around my age, and probably be my old friends. I find it hard to believe that every single member wants to come after us, plus no one wants to see the match canceled…if we do run into anyone, I'd imagine them to act less like Voldemort, more like Draco Malfoy. Probably just a few threatening words, then they'll remember me and Luna from Diagon Alley, and we'll all go our separate ways and watch the game and hate each other. No big deal."

"And if not," Jeff said menacingly, "we'll just have to remind them why we three were always top dog, right?"

"If it comes to that, it will," Sarah said with a sigh. "But let's not worry about that now, we have free tickets to the AQC, how about we just enjoy that?"

"Did you and Jeff get married when I wasn't looking?" Ron inquired. "Or are you just channeling him?"

"Excuse me," Sarah said, "I like to have fun just as much as anyone…well, except maybe you two," she added, indicating Michael and Jeff. "You two are just dumb."

"Ouch," Michael said with a wince. "Words hurt, Sarah!"

"Yeah, how would you like it if we started making fun of you for being rich?" Jeff said angrily, "What about that?"

"Or because you still can't do the Levitation Charm?" Michael grinned.

"Or because you always swing your hips so much when you walk," Luna said vaguely, reentering the conversation. "You know, because you think it makes your bum look more appealing."

Michael, Jeff, Sarah, Harry, Ron, and Hermione all stared at Luna blankly. Sarah blinked several times and opened her mouth to retort, but shut it again. No one had a comeback ready for Luna; needing one was nearly unprecedented.

"What?" Luna said questioningly, tilting her head at her friends. "You insulted my husband, so I insulted you back. Isn't that how it works?"

"Why don't we go…get something to eat?" Ron said, grasping for a way to break the awkward silence.

"What a surprise," Hermione said, forcing a chuckle and rolling her eyes. Ron looked a little offended for a moment, but then Hermione laughed. "Oh come on then," she said, dragging him away towards one of the shops. Ron reached out and took her hand as they walked.

"You hungry, Loon?" Michael asked with a shrug.

"I can eat," Luna replied. She and Michael took off after Ron and Hermione, leaving Harry with Jeff and Sarah. Sarah turned to the two boys.

"I don't really do that when I walk, do I?" she asked them furiously.

"Well…" Jeff trailed off, not able to lie, but also unwilling to provoke her wrath if he told the truth.

"Well," Harry mimicked, making sure to check behind him for an escape route, "It… it does…add a bit of interest to your backside….."

"Potter!" Sarah said reprovingly. "Keep your eyes on the redhead!"

"Can't blame him for speaking his mind," Jeff said fairly, slapping Harry on the back. "Now let's pretend like this never happened and find everybody else, eh?"

Jeff, Sarah, and Harry searched through the crowd for the other four, but were unsuccessful in locating them amidst the massive number of people. Jeff led the way into a square building, pushing a few drunk teens out of his way.

"There," Sarah said finally, pointing at a wooden stand erected at the far end of the building. Ron, Hermione, and Luna were standing in a line, waiting to buy something from the vendor. Harry looked around.

"Michael's not with them," he noticed. "Where do you think he – damn."

Jeff and Sarah had seen it too. Michael was leaning against the wall opposite the shop the others were at. He looked extremely annoyed and was talking in a low voice to five other young people, none of which looked pleased to see him, except for a timid looking Witch in the back of the group, who kept glancing around nervously.

"STRIKE?" Harry questioned the other two very quietly. They both nodded solemnly. Jeff slipped his hand into his pocket, but waited. He wove his way through the crowd, motioning for Harry and Sarah to follow.

"You're in way over your head, Chris," Michael was saying steadily. "Think about it. An entire battalion failed to capture just me and Luna in Diagon Alley; do you really think the five of you could bring in me and all six of my friends? Even we weren't three times the Wizard any of you are, we have numbers as well."

"It's not just us," he said menacingly, "you know how things work, Jacobs. I push one button on my MD," he pulled out his small disk and held it up, pointing with his other hand, "and this place is swarmed by operatives."

"You mean this disc?" Michael said. He flicked his hand as though beckoning someone to join him and Chris' MD flew into his hand. He dropped it to the ground, drew his wand from his holster, and detonated the small stone.

"Because only one of us carries a MD," a blonde haired girl said sarcastically. "What's to stop me from sending an alert to headquarters that we've found you?"

"Me," Luna said simply, seeming to appear from nowhere, right behind the blonde girl and her friends. Ron and Hermione stood on either side of her. The girl in the back gasped audibly, her glasses trembling on her nose.

"Shut up, Becca," the blonde girl said irritably. "Don't act like such a little girl. There's five of us and four of them."

"So go find about fifty more guys and we'll have a fair fight," Michael said, locking eyes with the boy, while Luna glared at the other blonde Witch. "Oh, and look, the cavalry's already here."

"What?" said one of the boys quickly, glancing around. He seemed to be under the impression Michael was referring to more STRIKE personnel. Instead Jeff, Sarah, and Harry took this as their cue to make themselves known.

"I count seven actually," Luna said dreamily. "So maybe you should bring eighty more friends. But personally I think that's a bit low, I don't think you could take us with a hundred."

Michael sighed wearily. "Look, I really don't want to fight right now…they'd probably stop the match, a lot of people would get scared, plus you five would, of course, get your asses kicked, which I'm sure would be very unpleasant.

"So why don't you five just walk that way" – he pointed left – "and the seven of us will just walk this way," – he pointed right – "then nobody has to embarrass anybody in front of their two pretty girlfriends." He inclined his head to the two girls; the blonde girl scowled at him, but Becca looked taken aback.

Chris smirked and glanced at the other two men. He then fixed his eyes on Sarah and Hermione. "Two pretty girls huh? I guess you're right though, she isn't much of a looker, huh?" he laughed to the other boys, sneering maliciously at a bewildered Luna.

"Are you saying I'm ugly?" she asked curiously, as Michael pointed his wand straight into Chris' face. All three boys and the blonde girl stopped laughing; they had all attempted to draw wands, but Michael and his friends' reactions were far too quick. Their hands retreated shamefully from their pockets.

Chris eyed Michael's wand warily for a moment, but kept his sneer anyway. "Yeah, that's exactly what I'm saying. Are you both slow or something?"

Michael sighed very deeply and dramatically before turning to Luna, who was the only person without her wand drawn. It was still stuck securely behind her ear. Michael raised his eyebrows questioningly. Luna made a tiny shrug an even tinier smile.

Michael nodded back at her and in one swift movement spun back around, keeping his wand clutched in his right hand, slamming his left into the side of Chris' face.

In the time it took him to fall Jeff and Ron had Stunned the other two boys, who had attempted to use wands on Michael, and Hermione had Disarmed the blonde girl.

The fifth member of the group, the timid girl named Rebecca, alone remained unharmed, as she had not attempted to curse Michael.

"Is he out?" Harry asked interestedly, walking over to look down on the unconscious Chris. He certainly wasn't moving, apart from the steady rise and fall of his chest.

"With one punch?"

"He insulted my wife, so he knocked him out cold," Michael said, and he glanced quickly at Luna, who smiled vaguely back at him. "That's how it works, right?"

"Last time I checked," Sarah said with an unconcerned shrug. "You," she said suddenly, glaring at the blonde girl, "what's your name?"

"Amy," she replied bitterly, glancing around for her wand. It had rolled into the crowd of people, under hundreds of feet, none of which seemed concerned by the small fight between twelve teenagers.

"Right, well Amy," Sarah said in a falsely sweet voice that reminded Harry eerily of Professor Umbridge, "I really think it would be best if you and your friends just walked away, you know, while you can still walk."

"I think it's a little late for that," Luna pointed out, gesturing at the three boys.

"I suppose we should wake them up," Hermione sighed. "Rennervate."

Chris and his two friends groaned. He rubbed his face groggily, while the other two unsteadily got to their feet. Chris groaned again and stood up.

"Get away from us," Michael ordered him. "I don't want to see you or your friends again tonight. And don't go crying to STRIKE about this and call them here, it would do nothing more than ruin everyone's fun, okay?"

Chris opened his mouth to answer, but one of his friends placed a hand on his shoulder and shook his head. He shut his mouth without a word.

"Let me get your wand, Amy," one of the boys muttered. Unlike Michael or Luna he did not simply summon it with an outstretched hand, but waved his own wand and used a Summoning Charm to find it. It zoomed into his hand and he tossed it to her.

"Let's just go guys," Rebecca said imploringly, her voice very high, even for a girl. "We don't need to do this…"

"Whatever," the third boy muttered, "Becca's right. We can handle this later…you'll get yours Michael. And you two, as well," he added, glaring maliciously at Jeff and Sarah.

"Maybe, maybe not," Luna said mildly. "But you certainly won't be the ones to give it to us. But I think the match is about to start anyway…" For a loud horn had sounded and people began pouring out of the building, all surging instead into the dome at the back of the base.

The entire group, minus the girl named Becca, sent a final hateful glare at the gang. Michael and Jeff responded with their own, Ron flipped them the bird, Sarah stuck her tongue out at them, Harry and Hermione frowned at them, but Luna continued to watch the people heading for the stadium.

Chris shrugged and disappeared into the crowd, gesturing for the others to follow. Ron made to follow them to the match, but Michael held out an arm and stopped him, watching the others disappear with narrowed eyes.

"Just a moment," Michael said quietly. "Let them go…okay that's enough; I just don't want to start anything else tonight."

"Oh, this is going to be fun," Luna said unexpectedly. She seemed unfazed by everything that had just transpired, whether due to excitement for the match or past experiences was unclear. . "I really do hope the Red Dragons win."

There were a number of noises of agreement among the group, except for Michael who was shaking his right hand furiously, wincing as he waggled his fingers.

"Dammit," he muttered, giving his hand a last shake. Luna gave him a concerned look. He rolled his eyes at her. "That bastard bruised my knuckles…."