A: I personally thought it was Merope Gaunt. She had no support and resorted to criminal ways to gain a bit of happiness. She is victimized and a perpetrator so there's no straight forward way of consoling her. But several people in the HP world had it terrible – Sirius, Dobby, Regulus, Ginny, Harry, Malfoy…

Catie Cat – Yeah, I did. I'm not going to write anything about Magnus Chase. I can't include all that. So, the reference is just to indicate how that world is going in comparison to this one. It's happening, but not at the forefront to my series.

Sherlock Harry Winchester – He is getting carried away. Tom's going to end up twisting him away from everyone… or at least, trying to.

toshiro11 – Twelve years in Azkaban is no cakewalk. Good answer.

Note: I'm swamped with work, so the next update will be in March. I'm going to finish this series no matter how long this takes me. But for the next few months, updates will be irregular. And it will definitely extend over 40 chapters.

Listening to – All the Stars by Kendrick Lamar and SZA

London, Friday Nov. 2,
Lawyers' offices, 10:30 a.m.

If Sirius was having a busy week, it was nothing compared to how bad today was. He'd woken up in the morning to Tonks' rants about Rita Skeeter churning out false and exaggerated reports on the Order of the Phoenix. It was unfortunate that the Order's existence had been revealed in the first place, but this was escalating.

Sirius had spent the morning browsing through all the articles she'd published and none of them had a smidge of decency in them. The thing that really made him boil had been the commentary on Harry's trauma and his love life. Sirius had barely stopped from ripping the magazine in half.

The moment he was ready, he'd flooed to Kettler's office but was asked to wait outside. Lawrence Kettler was one of his most trusted attorneys. He'd solve it, Sirius was sure.

The Animagus sat on one of the seats in the waiting area, leg bouncing and hands crushing the offending tabloid. He could hear the murmurs from within the main office, which was apparently occupied by several people at the moment. Sirius's temper was being tested as the minutes ticked by.

Finally, the door opened and a sea of people filed out. He caught the sight of Kettler, a tall and beardless man in deep brown and black robes. Kettler navigated his protruding stomach out of the crowd with care and heaved a great sigh when he caught Sirius's impatient form.

"Mr. Black." He greeted him. "This is an inopportune time for all of us."

"Busy morning, eh, Kettler? I can guess. Have you seen this?" Sirius held up the glossy magazine, Witch Weekly.

"I apologize, I haven't delved into certain material for a while now." Kettler looked back at the office, probably wondering about the higher up lawyers who were still inside. Sirius groaned.

"I want Rita Skeeter blackballed from everything! Newspapers, books, magazines, even the pretty little party pamphlets they give out for birthdays! She can't write stuff like this! Harry is underage! Hermione and Percy aren't even anywhere near this! She just goes and spins stories after one conversation with them! I want to file a lawsuit on her!"

Kettler read the article she'd written. He frowned and the wrinkles in his forehead went deeper with every paragraph. Sirius waited, not too patiently. Someone had started yelling inside the office.

"She's clearly been funded by these offices." Kettler explained. "I can write up a draft on her baseless information attack on your ward… there's no problem about that. But people have tried this before, Skeeter will just exercise the freedom to speech right. The statement would rule in your favour, but it will be a drawn out process, she knows what to do and what loopholes to utilize."

"I have gold." Sirius said, point blank.

"Time is also important." The lawyer intoned. He turned around to look at the office. "That's going to be in the papers tomorrow."

"Who's throwing a tantrum in there?"

"Barty Crouch."

Sirius did a double take. "Crouch? Senior?"

"That's the one."

"Shit." Sirius stared at the office door wishing he could see that meeting. Crouch had been missing just before the third task of the TriWizard Tournament. They'd found him, using the map and last Sirius had heard, he'd been admitted in St. Mungo's indefinitely.

"I didn't even know he'd been released." He mumbled.

Kettler nodded. "This morning, I'd heard. He came straight from the hospital. But I know for a fact that he'd been sending letters almost daily for more than a week to Stanford. Ever since the news came that his son had been discovered in the cellar of Zonko's…"

Sirius raised a hand to his face pressed the bridge of his nose. "Merlin! Not that I have much sympathy for him, but he can't seem to catch a break, can he? After the repeated Imperiusation and being imprisoned by his son and finding out Junior went back to Voldemort and had been impersonating Mad Eye and then was murdered… not a happy life."

Kettler was about to respond when his eyes widened. Sirius heard a hated noise from behind him. "Ahem Ahem."

He swore in his mind. Turning around, he saw Umbridge of all people, standing right behind him in a pink shawl and noisy little heels. Her face twisted into what she must have thought was a smile and she looked up at Sirius. "Your callousness is astounding, Mr. Black. Wouldn't it be interesting for certain people to find out how little respect you have for Barty Crouch Senior, the man, as you've so astutely pointed out, who has been suffering for quite some time now?"

Sirius raised his eyebrows. "You must forgive me, Madam Umbridge. I rarely sympathize with those who have sent me to Azkaban without a trial and let me be imprisoned there for twelve years based on virtually no evidence."

The smile vanished from her face which made him smirk. "You would fault him for a mistake, then?"

"Mistakes are when you engorge a slug. I would categorize this as a blunder that nearly caused me my life. How's the teaching going on, Professor? It is a weekday, is it not? You must have a class right now."

She stood up straight and wrinkled her nose as though Sirius were nothing but a half crushed spider.

"I am here on the Minister's orders to escort Mr. Crouch safely back to the Ministry."

Right on time, the door banged open and Barty Crouch stamped out, followed a furious red faced man who must have been Stanford de Leuze, head attorney of the entire establishment. Kettler and Sirius wordlessly stepped aside as Umbridge simply looked at Crouch with no emotion.

"Yes, Ms. Umbridge?" Crouch said, looking as though he would have preferred to use another term.

Sirius pressed his lips together to stop from smiling. Umbridge did not look happy.

"Madam, if you would. Cornelius Fudge asks to meet with you, Mr. Crouch. If you would follow me –"

"I have urgent business to attend, Madam Umbridge. The Minister will have to wait –"

"May I remind you, Mr. Crouch!" She began with a high pitch voice that made them all wince. "You've been charged with the crime of housing your late son from the law. If you do not comply, you will be arrested on the spot. The Minister has offered to listen to your statement which will determine the date for your trial later on."

Crouch looked enraged. Sirius noted that he looked less meticulous than last seen. His greying hair was uncombed, his moustache was bristly, and his face featured sunken eyes and heavy bags underneath. His clothes were unkempt as well, but none of it detracted the energy he exuded. Sirius wondered if the man would hex Umbridge. He definitely seemed to be contemplating it.

"Yes… I would like to have a chat with Cornelius." If Crouch could say it in a mocking tone, he did. Sirius and Kettler stared as he then walked ahead of Umbridge in a fast pace that she had to jog to catch up.

"I don't know who to hate more." Sirius muttered.

Kettler shook his head. "What did he want, Stanford?"

Stanford wiped the sweat off his brow with a handkerchief that was as pale as he was. "His account at Gringotts had been frozen. He was here to negotiate it, trying to get me to file a complaint."

Sirius stared. "Crouch does realize that there were a few laws broken when he didn't tell anyone that his son was alive?"

Stanford shook his head. "He seems to believe that it can be tided over. I don't understand… he isn't who he was before. The old Crouch would never have stood for a blatant flouting of rules."

"The Imperius must have messed him up." Kettler decided.

Sirius nodded. "Sure. Lawrence… the complaint?"

Kettler nodded. "I'll send it on Monday. But… I suppose I'll tell you now. I'm taking leave starting next Thursday."

Sirius blinked. "What? Why?"

Kettler looked a little uncomfortable. "Well… are you… aware of my file?"

It wasn't clear which file he was talking about. Sirius frowned, trying to think of any remarkable paper that stood out when he recalled the first time he'd met Lawrence Kettler. The man had helped him get all his lands and moveable assets back within a shorter time than expected. He didn't act star struck when helping out with Harry and DJ's adoption papers and his demeanour made Sirius believe that the world had changed for the better.

One reason why Kettler had enough time on his hands that he didn't seem to be too overworked was because a certain part of the population avoided hiring him. Apparently, a transgender man who worked with people's finances, life and work situations and the like, was off putting for some idiots.

Sirius hadn't found a problem in Kettler's personal life that interfered with what he did. So what if he hadn't transitioned? The man had made it very clear that his pronouns were he/him/his and that he was, for absolutely all intents and purposes, a male.

"Which file, exactly, Kettler?" Sirius asked, not wanting to make a mistake.

"The one that has details about my biology."

"Yeah, I still haven't understood why you have to show clients that. You're a bloke."

Kettler smiled. "Yes, I am. I'm applying for leave because Mark and I have decided to start a family."

Stanford leaned in. "Mr. Black, I can have your work covered. I will take over Lawrence's in-tray, myself."

Sirius gaped. Then he looked down at Kettler's stomach. "Holy…! Are you saying…?"

Kettler went red. "Er…yes. I will definitely submit the complaint on Skeeter which Stanford will handle from there. You can still keep in touch, there will be no problems."

"Blimey!" Sirius held out his hand to shake Kettler's. "That's fantastic, Lawrence! You're going to get pregnant! You're gonna have a kid! I'll send a gift basket!"

"Bianca! Have you heard?" Nico called. The IM flickered under poor resolution. Nico frowned and debated throwing another drachma when she came into view properly.

"About what?" Her hair looked windblown and Nico guessed the hunters were camping atop a mountain or a cliff side, whichever was more dangerous.

"The party. DJ's been talking to Annabeth during the weekend."

Bianca frowned. "DJ?"

"Yeah, you know? Harry's cousin."

"Oh. The kid who fainted."

Nico sighed. "Please don't tell him that."

"Why? Is it going to crush his fragile ego?"

"Bi, please. He's working real hard. We're planning to clear all the rooms in the mansion to make space for everyone. We figure fifty is a good number of people to house there for the day."

Bianca smiled. "Alright. Annabeth did call. Some of us are interested."

Nico sat up. He was in his room in the Jacksons' apartment. Percy wasn't there, which wasn't a strange thing anymore. He skipped school, didn't go to camp or come home for days. Nico, as did everyone, guessed that he was searching for Grover. Anytime Nico did lay eyes on him, Percy seemed to wilt right before his eyes. There was a sick pallor about him and he looked like he hadn't sleep properly in days. He was also starting to lose his appetite, something which made Sally very nervous.

Just last night, Percy had come home late, shivering as though he'd walked through snow. Sally asked him of his whereabouts, Percy tried to dodge the question which resulted in an argument of frustration. She didn't actually raise her voice at him, but it was just as bad. Percy had retired, slamming the door behind him and Sally had taken Nico aside and had coached him on where all the inhalers and epi-pens were in the house and how to use them for Percy. Hopefully, he wouldn't need it.

"R…right." Nico said. "Um… Bi?"

"Yeah?"

"What…what d'you remember about mom?"

Bianca stared, eyes growing wide for a moment before she exhaled. "Not enough… it's never enough, Nico. Ma was strong and smart and brave. She'd tell us stories to fall asleep. She liked bitter gourd. Her favourite animal was wolves, she once wore a dress that showed her knees and got grounded for it."

She looked away into the distance. "I don't remember much else, Nico. But from what I can recall, is that she loved us and would have done everything she could for us."

Nico felt wistful. "That's more than what I remember. I don't even know what she looks like."

Bianca looked at him through the grainy screen. "Nico…that number you gave me, is it just yours? Or do you share that cell with someone?"

"My phone? No, it's just for me. Ms. Jackson said better safe than sorry. I use it only for emergencies."

"Good then. Look, I'll send you a link to… something. Don't tell anyone about this!"

"What link?" Nico leaned to the side and opened the top drawer. His phone was switched off like it usually was. He picked it up and looked back at her.

"I'll find a phone to use. Remember, you can't tell anyone about this."

"I won't. What are you gonna send?"

Bianca looked around, probably scanning for eavesdroppers or any other hunters too close. Satisfied with her surroundings, she leaned in and whispered. "The Underworld has a website called the Accorded Judgement Registry. It lists all mortals, the judged dead. If you type in Ma's name, you'll see a photo of hers and see where exactly in Elysium she is!"

Nico gasped and dropped the phone on his bed. "You can do that!? I know Charon has that connection, but did dad give it to you too?"

Bianca gave a half awkward shrug. "Er…something like that. Charon has the Awaiting Judgement Registry. That's for unjudged dead and the living. Look, don't use this too often, you don't want dad catching you. I mean, he's not gonna do anything… or he might… He hasn't been in the best of moods lately."

"What about? Is it the Titans?"

She leaned back and the IM flashed a little. Nico dropped a drachma quickly and the window reinforced itself. It still looked grainy though.

"The Titans are always in the back of our minds… but there's been other problems. Like this, the Iris Messages are starting to fail. Yesterday, none of us could IM anybody. We tried calling camp and Olympus, it just wouldn't go through."

Nico frowned. "Stanley from camp told me that a lot of things are malfunctioning. His tab is not holding charge anymore, the Hephaestus Cabin's projects are starting to go down. Electronics are starting to lose power. Remember that bronze dragon Beckendorf was trying to fix?"

"Oh goddesses, what happened to it?"

"Well, it started to throw up oil…"

Bianca winced. "Clearly a lot of minor deities are starting to switch over to the Titans. Lady Artemis was convinced that Morpheus, and even Prometheus is on their side."

Nico, who'd been acing his Introductory Class on Greek History, blanched. "Prome… him too? But… I thought he'd be with us?"

Bianca looked very serious. "He sided with the Gods in the first Titanomachy, but after uncle Zeus punished him…"

Nico leaned against the wall, already starting to feel burdened. Everyone knew that the war would commence during Percy's sixteenth birthday. August felt like a long time away, but not long enough to make him feel safe. He thought back to the battle of the Labyrinth and held back a shudder. That had been the worst day of his life.

"Goldstein!" Harry called, catching up to Anthony Goldstein who'd been standing in the Arithmancy section of the library. It had just occurred to Harry that he could get the puzzle of the slip of paper that the kid from Mantis's clinic had given him.

Goldstein turned around, mildly surprised. He held a stiff book in his arms which had the words New Theory of Numerology engraved in silver on a black cover.

"Morning, Potter? Say, can I ask something? It's about… the campers." He whispered the last part and Harry looked around to catch anyone eavesdropping before nodding and leaning in.

Goldstein looked a little nervous. "It's not as though… I hate them or anything… but… they kinda give you the creeps, don't they?"

Harry muttered. "That's just your instincts telling you that they're new. You'll get over it."

"Still…"

"Could you help me?" Harry asked, interrupting him.

"What about?"

He showed Goldstein the piece of paper with the short phrase. The Ravenclaw narrowed his eyebrows and tilted his head to look at it better.

"Can you translate it?" Harry was hopeful.

Goldstein raised an eyebrow. "I'm Japanese, Potter. Not Korean."

"It's Korean?"

"Yeah. And they're very different countries, mind you."

"Alright. Sorry, I didn't know what language it was."

"S'okay. I only recognize it from all the K-drama my cousin watches. At least… I'm sure it's Korean." Goldstein frowned at the words. "You can ask Ji Seok. He's a sixth year, I think. Slytherin bloke, not too bad. Or Dae Iseul, she was at the first meeting actually."

"Greengrass's friend, right?" Harry said, trying to recall the face next to Astoria Greengrass during the meeting in the castle to gather allies for the demigod secret. It wasn't easy because the most vivid memory of that day had been him coughing up a pint of chemical tasting water out of absolutely nowhere.

He suppressed a shudder recalling that.

"Yeah. She's in the Gobstones club. You can catch her now if it's an emergency." Goldstein gave a shrug, placing his book into a space in the shelf in front of them. "So, who's writing you mystery Korean notes?"

"Er…nobody. Just this kid… somewhere… I'll see you around."

"Sure."

Harry was about to leave the library when Ginny's voice issued from the reference section. He stopped for a moment and saw her waving her arm, beckoning him.

The first set of thoughts that flew through his head made him feel glad that Bolt was no longer his familiar. She would have held it over him for eternity. Ginny was wearing muggle clothes, a plain t-shirt and denim, yet it gave her a casual style that made her look hot. Harry felt his face and neck grow warm.

Harry walked past the last shelves and found Ginny with DJ, huddled around the small table that had been set for the older students to work at. Currently, there were no older students, instead, there was a small misty opening in mid-air through which Harry could see Percy and Nico.

The Iris Message didn't look too good. It kept flickering like it could dissolve at any moment.

Percy looked furious, Nico was hesitant, DJ was red faced, and Ginny was tight lipped.

"What happened?" Harry asked.

Percy scoffed. "Why don't you ask genius over there?"

He gestured to DJ who huffed.

"What did you do?"

DJ turned and glared at Harry. "Look who's talking! I went and fixed something that the two of you (he pointed to Harry and then to Percy) messed up!"

"Keep your voice down!" Ginny hissed.

Harry frowned and took a look at Nico who avoided his gaze. "Would you enlighten me … is this about Rachel?"

"Of course it is!"

"DJ went and told her about the party and what's more? He invited her!" Percy complained.

Harry's voice cracked. "W…what?!"

"Shush!" Ginny whispered.

DJ folded his arms. "I did."

It took him ten seconds to realise that this wasn't exactly what Harry had hoped for. "Wait… you're telling me you…"

"Yeah, I told Rachel everything, about the meetings, the whole situation –"

"He didn't leave anything out." Percy said, in a tone that was so sharp and tight it could have replaced a piano wire.

Harry pressed the base of his palms against his eyes. "DJ… how did you get there?"

Percy turned and glared at Nico who ducked his head, very penitent.

"Alright, cut that out!" Harry snapped at Percy. "Fine, they called her to the party, there's nothing wrong with that."

"So, what? You're gonna go and uninvite her?"

"No, we're going to go ahead with it anyway."

Percy blanched. "Wh…you're supposed to be on my side!"

Harry grabbed a chair and sat right in front of the IM. "Percy, I have news for you. One, you look like you just died."

It was true. There was a strange sickly look about Percy. The first glimpse would have given the assumption that he had a head cold and needed a long nap. But the more Harry stared at him, the worse he seemed to be. His knees kept bouncing with unrestrained energy, just in the frame of the IM window, he kept clenching and unclenching his fists, his shoulders shook with either what could have been a fever or actual anger. So, he didn't actually look like a corpse, but more like an out of control, sick patient.

"Two, you need to get some rest and eat something. And three, we have to go over there and apologize to Rachel."

Percy gave him a look that suggested he thought Harry was losing it.

"Are you serious? This isn't the time for jokes."

"I'm not joking."

"We're not involving her. You didn't even want her anywhere near this in the first place!"

Percy leaned forwards waiting for his reply. Harry hesitated. DJ was looking at him too. Ginny was standing right beside him and he could feel the heat of her body. Nico was looking at Percy, though.

There was something odd there. Nico wasn't looking directly at him… no, his gaze went right through Percy.

"I change my mind." Harry said, wondering if there really was something very wrong with Percy. It was uncharacteristic of him to push anyone away with explanation. "I can't just ostracize her."

"Nobody's ostracizing anyone! She won't be safe!"

"Won't be safe from us?" DJ asked, blinking. "From you? Who is the danger here, Percy? If she's at the party, who is supposed to be a danger to her? The point of the party, Percy, is that we can work with each other. Which means, adding someone who's a little different shouldn't be hazardous, but should only increase chances of cooperation!"

"Unlike what Umbridge's stupid book says…" Ginny snorted. "The diversity would help. Especially since people at camp know her."

"Yeah, but nobody at the castle knows her! Harry, come on! What would happen if it got out that she's alive?" Percy insisted. "That's not going to be easy to sort through!"

Harry winced. Nico raised his chin and muttered. "He told Ron and Hermione."

Percy gaped. DJ said, "No, I told them."

"And I explained everything." Harry added. "They know as much as we do now."

There was a beat of silence before DJ threw his hands wide and crowed, "Hug?"

Harry glared at him. He backed away immediately and Ginny stifled a giggle.

Percy, on the other hand, looked stunned. He had the expression of a guy who had been betrayed and left to die. This exaggerated look made Harry want to reach through the IM and knock some sense into him. They didn't have the time to be overdramatic about this.

"Harry, for the gods' sakes! You already have a therapist to blabber to, why'd you have to tell anyone else?!"

DJ choked and Nico swivelled his head to stare at Percy, moving away from him. Ginny inhaled in shock while Harry stopped breathing altogether.

It dawned on Percy the very next second. "Oh my gods! Harry, I'm so sorry! I can't believe I said that! I didn't mean –"

"Get some sleep."

"Really! I swear I didn't mean– "

"Just go to sleep!" Harry cut across, harshly. "We'll talk tomorrow, I'm coming over. The four of us are going to plan the entire thing then. I don't know what the hell is wrong with you now, but we're gonna fix it."

He cut the call and got up, ready to storm out but DJ caught the sleeve of his robes.

"DJ, I'm not in the mood –"

"Are you angry with me?"

Ginny grabbed a book that had been on the table and left the section, giving them some privacy. Harry looked away from her retreating form and watched as DJ stood to his full height. He came up to Harry's chin now. The growth spurts were just kicking in.

"Not… at you." Harry sighed. "It's just that Rachel gave me a proper lashing. It was scary, to be honest."

DJ looked sympathetic. "She was upset and I guess we were all pushing her. It's… she wasn't doing well, Harry. She has visions."

Harry frowned. "I think she told me that. She dreams about stuff –"

"No, not like that. Proper visions like a Seer! She says it gets so bad that she sometimes takes medicines for it. Equal something. Equivocal or… something, I need to check it."

Harry was sure she'd told him this before. He couldn't recall it at the moment. One of the more frustrating things about having memory loss what that Harry was never sure what he'd forgotten and how important it was.

"She has some kind of magic, Harry." DJ said, his voice now soft. "It's our job to help her understand it. Since she can't go to a school to learn about it, we have to do something about it. We owe her that much."

It made more sense that way. Harry imagined having strange powers no matter how underrated and inconsequential, it still was a part of her life. Lily used to have visions. Rachel had simply inherited them. If there was anybody at fault, it was Harry for blocking her access to getting the help she needed.

Harry looked at DJ with a smile. "You broke the rules by going over there to see her."

"Yeah… it's your fault."

"Ha!"

"No, seriously. You're a bad influence on me. I would never actually do anything so illegal!" DJ gave a mock gasp. "Everyone would think you had a hand in it!"

Harry brought him down into a headlock. DJ struggled for a moment before letting out a loud, "MS. PINCE!"

"Tattler!"

Neville was the most attentive which was saying something since Hermione had read quite a lot in preparation of the Defense classes. Professor Abitu, as masqueraded by Alice Longbottom, stood in room 420 in front of at least a hundred students who'd signed up for the course. Harry looked over at crowd and decided that in any case, the students would learn more than Lockhart's tries which was barely anything.

Luckily, Alice knew her stuff. She was firm and understanding in her mode of teaching, being able to walk over the line that divided teacher's authority and respecting her class. Harry had never seen Neville pick up anything so fast unless it was Herbology. He'd been growing ever since he'd gotten the news that his parents had woken up from their madness, months ago.

A part of Harry wanted the Longbottoms to know that it was through camp's help, or rather, through Mr. D's magic that the cure had been possible. It would definitely help strengthen demigod-wizard ties. On the other hand, Harry really didn't want to Neville to think him odd for withholding the news. May be it was better to just let things be the way they were for the time being.

"Mr. Turner and Ms. Chang will now demonstrate a traditional duel setting. Remember chapter two of the text. The moment you announce the duel and face your opponent, keep your guard up at all times."

Abitu had her hands on her hips, directing Marcus and Cho. A lot of the students were taking notes, Ron was beside Hermione just staring up at them in anticipation. The last few classes had been purely theoretical. Everyone was eager for a practical demo.

"Hey." Ginny's quiet voice made him flick his wand out. He held it in as he tried to relax when he'd identified her, standing right next to him.

"Hey." Harry looked back at the Head Boy and Ravenclaw seeker bowing towards each other. He hadn't talked to Ginny properly since she'd rejected him. That had been a hard vial to gulp.

"Vane's looking at you."

He stared at her, confused. Ginny's eyes flickered towards the left of the crowd and Harry turned to spot Romilda Vane, quickly averting her gaze to focus on the duel which had begun. The sudden flashes of spells took in everyone's attention.

"I don't know if you've heard…" Ginny whispered quickly, "But she's planning to slip you a love potion."

"She already did." Harry whispered back. His eyes were fixed on the fighters. Marcus had a good shield which he controlled wandlessly while he threw spells at Cho. She was faster, though, dodging most and firing back some of her own. But Cho was tiring faster.

Ginny muttered, "Oh. Alright."

She moved to leave him, but Harry said, "Wait! Thanks for the warning though."

"Sure. I mean, I just heard it yesterday, so I thought she might wait for a bit before… you know…"

Harry frowned. Romilda had given him a pack of Brazilian Chocolate Frogs weeks ago. Would she try again?

"What the hell's her problem?" he mumbled to himself. Ginny heard it.

"Why don't you tell on her?"

Harry's retort died on his lips when he saw her smirk. "What are you planning?"

"What makes you think I have a plan?"

"You have that look on your face that reminds me of Fred and George when they come up with an idea."

Ginny batted her eyelashes at him. "You flatter me, Harry."

Harry swallowed staring at her. "Yeah… so, what's the plan?"

"Oh you know… accidentally distribute stuff she gives you to different people… or sneak the potion into someone else's goblet."

"That sounds harmful."

Ginny's smile dropped. "Yeah, it does… sorry, it's just… that's not why I really wanted to talk to you."

Cho shot a leg locker curse at Marcus which broke through his shield. The crowd Oooh'd at the bang it created. Marcus was pushed back and nearly lost his footing when Cho sent a stunner.

"What's the real reason?" Harry asked, heart hammering. Was she going to say yes after all?

She angled a little towards him. "The thing Percy said… about you going to see a therapist…"

Her voice went low enough that he could barely hear it. It still made his heart stutter at the scent of her hair, the closeness of her face… and the mention of his therapy.

He jerked backwards. "Could you not… j-just forget about it –"

"Wait, that's what I wanted to say!" She hissed. "It's okay!"

"What?"

"It's okay, you getting help. Therapy's good."

Harry found a lump in his throat that he couldn't move past. He gave her a stiff nod.

"I'm serious." Ginny insisted. "I've had that before. I mean… I've been there only once, but I can sort of relate."

It caught him by surprise. "You've been to therapy?"

"Just once." She said quickly. "I had trouble keeping my Core under control when I was younger. The Ministry sent a letter saying that I was required to 'seek help' or they'll quarantine me…"

Harry sucked in a breath. "How young were you?"

"Three."

He couldn't even imagine it. How could a three year old get therapy? Could kids that young understand a stranger's advice? Did kids that young usually need therapy?

The real answer was yes, considering some of the people they have to grow with. Harry was just glad that he'd never needed anything like that when he'd been three.

Ginny was looking at him. "I don't know why exactly you have to go there… but whatever it's for, it's to make you feel better. More in control of yourself. You don't want your magic running away from you. That kind of power is damaging to you and everyone around you… I don't know if you like it or not, but if you want to talk to someone about that, I'll listen."

Harry was looking at her. She was honestly offering him a helping hand. Harry wasn't sure if this was a pity thing for her turning him down or anything other than a friendly bit of suggestion.

"Have you ever… lost control?" He whispered.

Ginny's stare hardened. "Only once. And I plan on never letting that happen again."

"What happened?"

But she turned and watched the duel ahead as Marcus finally disarmed Cho and the crowd applauded. Harry couldn't look away from Ginny feeling the heat from her body pulse around her. It suddenly grew warmer and he took a step back, giving her some space. The warmth dropped to room temperature and he let out a silent sigh.

Out of control magic was one of the most dangerous repercussions of untamed Cores. Lack of proper expression, prolonged suppression of magic could overload the Core and magic someone's magic implode or even explode. Harry wondered if there was a term for that. He couldn't recall it at the moment. But he was sure that Ginny had more of a problem than she'd let on.

One step short of an absolute loss of control was the Penultimate Recourse. It was a stage when a witch or wizard's Core was just behind the line of an impending explosion. It was the last step where any kind of control could be established. It was also the most powerful weapon one could have. May be not as uncommon as a complete control loss, but still as destructive and distressing. Harry knew that was something Ginny was capable of doing. At times, when her eyes burst into bright orange flames, he knew that it was a sign that she had a greater Core potential than the average person. People had visible signs of aura or a flux resonating over their bodies when they were in pressured situations. The more clear or sensitive the auras were, the greater untapped power they had.

And Ginny could quite clearly be the strongest magic wielder in existence if it hadn't been for DJ who actually had a recorded value higher than any of the other elementals. And nobody had even seen his aura yet.

Harry remembered Ron talking about his flux… green and black shades of magic. Well… that was totally unexpected.

Abitu took up the stage again and Harry focused on her.

Saturday, Nov 3
Hogwarts

The next day, just as he went down to the Great Hall for lunch, he noticed that there were several groups of students congregated at different points in the hall. Not many were actually eating. In fact, they all looked worried and angry.

"There he is!" Lavender said, finding Harry. She waved his hand, calling him over. He followed her gaze as the group that was huddled around Hermione listened to her read out a news article.

"…no leads as of yet. But Aurors have recommended that people stay in their homes until midday when radio show Metro Voice has announced the latest details. Black has no comment at the moment, but he has been spotted with Kingsley Shacklebolt and Amelia Bones, all three known members of the Order of the Phoenix –"

"Whoa, Shacklebolt and Bones are in the Order?" Dean exclaimed, spinning around to look at Harry.

Harry was stunned reading the rest of the article to catch up with the group.

… Does Lestrange's escape signal that You-Know-Who may be planning an attack on the British Wizarding Community in the near future? With no clues as to how the prisoner has broken out …

"Of course not!" Ron said. "Ministry workers can't be in the Order, everyone knows that!"

"How would you know?"

"Harry, what did your godfather say?" Lavender asked, fretfully. "Are they tracking her with other resources? I mean, he did escape Azkaban once, he'll know better, right?"

"I…I'm… he hasn't said anything." Harry said, searching the crowd for Neville. But the boy wasn't there. He looked up at the teachers' table and saw it only half full. Dumbledore, McGonagall, Sprout, Flitwick, Snape, Abitu and Vector were missing from their seats. The other teachers were reading through their own papers, not worried about the growing noise from the hall.

"They put up the new protections around the castle." Colin was saying, but he sounded less sure with everyone staring at him. "I mean…"

"It's almost the same as we had two years ago and Black still got in! And that was even with the dementors and vampires and werewolves!" Seamus chattered.

"Hey!" DJ called out. "Just one werewolf!"

"Still! Lestrange is crazier than Black! I mean… Black back then… I'm not saying he's crazy now –"

"'Cause you know he's innocent?" Harry asked dryly.

Hermione set down the paper. "The wards we have around the castle now were anchored by runic masters. They reinforced the Vervion protection, it's nothing at all like it was two years ago."

"But someone still got through and set off the alarms, didn't they?" Parvati asked.

Harry looked down at the paper. Above the article, they'd shown the mug shots of Bellatrix Lestrange, a woman with a soulless look, but grinning at the camera as though she'd won a prize. Harry had the obscene desire to rip up her face.

There was a tap on his shoulder and he turned to find McGonagall standing there. "Potters, come with me."

Harry gestured towards DJ who climbed down from the table over which he'd been standing to get a good look of the paper.

They moved away from the Hall, with hundreds of pairs of eyes watching them leave. Harry had a feeling he knew what she wanted to tell them.

McGonagall stopped by the foot of the stairs and looked at them with a strict countenance. "Sirius has floo-called me to say you won't have your session today. The both of you will have to stay here in the castle until the Ministry can make matters better."

"You mean, until they catch her?" DJ asked, jaw dropping. We're stuck here till then?"

"It's for the best. And the Headmaster will see you later this evening for lesson. Be at the office by five."

"Yes, Professor." Harry muttered. She nodded and set off the stairs. DJ gave a loud groan.

"Damn it! We were supposed to discuss about the party!"

"Not so loud, DJ. We can still discuss it from here."

"No, I mean…" He sighed. "I mean with the new problem, it's going to be harder to find a slot to arrange the house and make sure that none of the Order finds out."

Harry ran a hand through his hair, unconsciously touching his faded scar. "That's true… but we have until the summer. We can put it off until after the winter holidays."

"After winter will be Easter, and nobody's free during Easter. Last year, the amount of homework we had, it was ridiculous!"

Harry smirked. "You think third year was bad, wait till this time round."

DJ groaned again. "That's just my point! It's best to do it before winter, that's what I'm saying."

"Alright, fine. We'll have to wait till December, then. I can't see the next couple of weeks going smoothly for any of us. Sirius will be booked over time. We'll have to skip the sessions too, probably."

Harry watched as DJ moved around the antechamber in a huff. It took little guessing as to why he wanted to leave.

"DJ… what do you think about Percy?"

DJ stopped moving. "The truth?"

"Yes."

"Well I… don't tell him I said this, but I think something's happening to Grover, the bloke he has that mind link to…, something's happening to him and Percy can sort of feel it, but he doesn't really know what it is. So he's taking out all that pain and anger on us."

Harry nodded. "I had the same thought. He doesn't generally lash out on people."

DJ gave a frown and Harry knew they were thinking the same thing. If Percy had to get better, they needed to either find Grover, or sever that link without hurting them.

With his nap cut short due to his appointment with Dumbledore, Harry stumbled through the castle, occasionally yawning. But it was when he'd come across a group of short Hufflepuffs that he remembered Goldstein's recommendation.

Dae Iseul was a lanky girl even in her almost regal like Hogwarts robes. She looked up when he changed directions to walk towards the group.

Two girls froze at the sight of him. Harry help back a groan and shot Dae Iseul a smile. "Hey, do you have a minute?"

"Sure." She shrugged and walked away from the gaping group. "I'll catch up with you!" She called.

Harry dug around his pockets for the bit of paper.

"Is this about the meeting?" She asked, adjusting the books in her arms. Harry shook his head, finding the paper.

"No. It's just a little thing… Can you read Korean?"

She frowned. "Yeah…"

"Okay. Someone's written this to me, would it be alright for you to translate?"

Harry watched as Dae Iseul rolled her eyes. "Jeez, I thought it'd be important. Is it a love note? I don't like reading love notes."

"Definitely not! And it's a little important to me, so…" He handed her the paper and she unfurled it, giving it a glance over.

"31st July, 2010."She said, out loud. "It's a little clumsy… Did a kid write this? ... Potter?"

Harry had frozen. He had just recalled his birthday in 2010… that he'd spent planning, and sneaking into Ford McCallister's house to murder him, leaving the man's 6 year old son as a lone witness.

There you go. Stay tuned, good people. I will see you in March!

Q: Did Percy and Grover's mind link ever get cut?

Cabba.