Back at Grimmauld Place in time for lunch, Harry chattered excitedly to Sirius and Remus about Highgrove and showed off his Game Boy and other gifts. Sirius was fascinated by the toy, astounded that muggles were able to shrink down their arcade games into such a small device. Remus was interested in what Sophie had said about computers, as the manager at Waterstone's had been talking of getting one for the store, before he'd left his job there to work full-time on writing the wizarding culture textbooks. He was using a dicta-quill for the book writing, but he was intrigued by the idea that a machine could somehow save the words inside itself and so not require storing rolls and rolls of parchments and keeping them organised. They spent the rest of the day just relaxing, Sirius taking over the Game Boy while Remus and Harry finished the Jelly Beans puzzle.

While Harry had been at Highgrove, Sirius had gotten together with Stephen and they'd decided to celebrate New Year's Eve with their planned Star Wars marathon, and they invited Draco along as well. They would all spend the night at Stephen's flat, as they would be driving to get there and wanted to avoid any problems with traffic and drivers who might have indulged too heavily. When Draco flooed through to Grimmauld Place, he looked both excited and nervous at the thought of actually spending the night in a muggle home.

Harry was quick to reassure his friend as they piled into Sirius' car. "You'll love the movies, Draco, they're amazing! And really, there isn't all that much difference between a wizarding home and a muggle one, except that a muggle house uses electricity for lights and stuff, and there aren't any house elves. But we'll be ordering all sorts of takeaway and having popcorn and stuff. Uncle Sirius and Uncle Remus shrunk down enough mattresses for all of us to sleep on, so even though Stephen's flat is small, we'll be comfortable. I slept there one time already, but just on Stephen's sofa since I'm small enough to fit."

Draco nodded. "Is this the sort of thing muggles usually do for New Year's?" he asked.

Harry shrugged. "I don't know. Usually I had to stay out of sight if Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon had guests over, so I don't know what they might have done. And if they went anywhere, they'd send me to stay at old Mrs. Figg's house."

Remus smiled. "Muggles usually get together with friends to celebrate New Year's," he told the boys. "Among the younger adults, that's often enough at pubs and dance clubs, but the people around the age of your parents, Draco, are more likely to either host or attend parties in the home. Usually there's music and talk, and then just before midnight they'll often count down the last few seconds of the old year and ring bells or otherwise make some sort of cheery noise to welcome in the new."

Draco nodded again. "Huh, that sounds a lot like what wizards do, too. Mother and Father either host a party or attend one elsewhere… they're going to the Greengrass' this year… and I just stay home since they say I'm too young to appreciate that sort of party yet."

Harry laughed. "They're probably right, too. This will be loads more fun."

"Better than staying home with the house elves, anyway," Draco said with a laugh of his own. "Will we have pizza? I thought it was brilliant when we had it that time."

Sirius grinned. "I'm sure we can have pizza. And probably Chinese food, too. Have you had that before?"

"I don't think so," Draco said.

"Oh, you'll love it!" Harry said. "There are dishes with rice or noodles and all kinds of vegetables and meats in sauce, and the starters are the best! My favourite is the mixed platter. It's supposed to be for sharing, and has a bunch of different tidbits so everyone can have what they like. But a lot of times I order that as my meal, just so I can have several different things at once."

"I can't wait to try it," Draco said. "These films we're going to watch, is there a special reason we're watching them together?"

Remus nodded. "Yes, it's because they're what's called a trilogy. Three separate films, but each one is a part of a much bigger story. You could watch them out of order, but seeing the whole story from first to last makes it much better."

"What's it about?" came Draco's next question.

"Well, it's science fiction," Remus explained. "The overall story is about good vs. evil, but it's set in outer space, and… eh, I'm making hash of explaining it. You'll just have to see for yourself.

Sirius jumped in for a moment. "Part of why muggles like science fiction, Draco, is that it a lot of ways, it gives them something to work toward. Quite a bit of what they thought was impossible fifty or a hundred years ago is now commonplace. Take aeroplanes for example. A hundred years ago, muggles would have said that it was impossible for people to build a flying machine. Now there are aeroplanes that can carry a hundred passengers or more, and can fly between London and New York City in America in half the time it takes the Hogwarts Express to get from London to Hogsmeade. For that matter, I remember Lily talking about the Americans sending men to walk on the moon, as unbelievable as that might seem."

Harry nodded. "Oh yes, the Americans went to the moon for the first time in July of 1969. I did an essay about it for school."

"And so muggles like this science fiction stuff, because they try to make it come true?" Draco guessed.

"Pretty much," Sirius told him. "Muggles figure that just because something is a mere flight of fancy today, doesn't mean someone or other will figure out a way of making it true tomorrow. Anyway, the special effects in the films are brilliant! Um… special effects are something like glamours or illusions or both, tricks done on film to make something look different than how it really is." He turned the car into the alley behind the house Stephen lived in and parked beside the younger man's car. "Harry, he's got the upstairs flat, right?"

"Yes," Harry said. Once they'd all clambered from the car, he led the way up the stairs to knock on Stephen's door.

Stephen opened it with a smile. "Hello, it's good to see you all. Come on in and let's get everything sorted for comfort before we order some food and start the films."

Draco peered around curiously at the lights and light switches, as well as at the telly. Harry walked around the flat with his friend, explaining how to work the lights and to be sure he closed the refrigerator properly if he got a drink from it, to keep the cold air in and the warm air out. The three men busied themselves rearranging the furniture in the sitting room to give enough space to lay out mattresses so they could all lounge comfortably while watching the films. Once everything was settled to their satisfaction, they decided to get pizza first and to order Chinese later on. Stephen supplied a menu for the local pizza place and phoned in the order once everyone decided what to get. That done, he turned on the telly and popped Star Wars into his VCR. Draco was so enthralled by the film that he didn't notice when the food arrived, at least not until Harry actually stuck a paper plate with a slice of pizza on his lap. He ate absently, eyes glued to the screen. He gasped when Han, Chewie, Luke, and Leia got trapped in the trash compactor, cheered when Luke and Leia escaped the storm troopers by swinging across the chasm, and loudly cried, "No!" when Darth Vader struck down Obi-Wan Kenobi. And then turned bright red when he realised he'd done that, which made the others chuckle.

"I did the same thing the first time I saw this one," Harry said.

"Me too," said Stephen, "and I was in a crowded cinema at the time. But I wasn't the only one."

Draco laughed at that, and returned his attention to the film. After it was over, he asked, "Is the Force the same as magic? Some of it seemed kind of like magic, but not all of it."

Stephen shrugged. "I'm not sure, in all honesty. It's just something that George Lucas, the creator of the films, made up. I think it's part magic, part religion, and part mental powers. Some muggles believe that one can do all sorts of things by concentrating hard enough on it happening. It isn't anything I know much about."

"Neither do I," Remus put in, "but I remember at Waterstone's, we had a whole section of books that dealt with such things. If you care to learn about it, we can always include stopping there the next time there's a London excursion planned."

"No, it's not something I really need to know about muggles, right?" Draco said. "I mean, not like I need to know what a policeman looks like, or to watch for cars before crossing a street. Whatever the Force is, all I need to know is that it's a thing in these films, right?"

"Right," Stephen agreed.

The five sat and discussed Star Wars for a while before putting in The Empire Strikes Back. Following that one, they ordered out for Chinese food, getting into more of a discussion of the two films while waiting for the food to arrive and continuing it as they ate. Deciding that a break was in order, Stephen pulled out the game Monopoly and explained the rules to his wizarding guests. Playing turned out to be a riot, as Sirius kept trying desperately to buy Park Place and Boardwalk from the two who'd initially bought the properties, while Remus very quietly collected the three orange properties and put up two houses on each before Sirius even noticed that he owned them. Draco was fascinated by the game tokens, as he'd never seen anything but wizarding chess pieces before. Once Remus succeeded in bankrupting the rest of them, Stephen demonstrated the art of making popcorn to Draco, and they all changed into their pajamas before settling in with cokes and the popcorn to watch Return of the Jedi.

After the end, a sleepy Harry commented, "I like how Darth Vader turned good at the end, to save his son."

Draco nodded his agreement. "Me too. The Emperor was just creepy." He yawned and shifted to get more comfortable. "But it was funny how the little fuzzy things thought C3PO was a god. I wonder what they'd think of wizards?"

Stephen chuckled as he finished rewinding the videotape and ejected it from the VHS player. "Since the Ewoks don't really exist, there's no way of knowing. Is everyone ready to go to sleep?" When the others all nodded, he turned out the lights except for a dim night light in the loo, just in case anyone needed it before morning. "Happy New Year, everyone. Sleep well." He settled back down on his own mattress to a chorus of, "Happy New Year, g'night!"

They all had a good lie-in, not getting up until nearly ten on New Year's Day. Harry astonished Draco by taking charge of cooking breakfast, making sausage, mushroom, and cheese omelets with sausage links, hash browns, and toast. He'd realised that muggles had to cook for themselves, but it amazed him that a boy his own age could put together such a good meal. Harry just grinned. "Cooking is like potions," he told his friend. "Only the ingredients are different. But you have to add just the right things at the right times and heat it at certain temperatures for the right amount of time, or you'll ruin it, just like potions."

"Huh," Draco said. "Could I learn to cook, do you think?"

"Of course you can," Harry told him. "Anyone can learn to cook, although some people are better at it than others are. I know your parents are expecting you home early today, but maybe next time we have lessons together, you and I can make biscuits or something after. Or even dinner for everyone, if you want to. I don't know anything fancy, mind, but I can do a brilliant shepherd's pie and apple crumble, and those are easy enough for me to show you."

Sirius grinned. "Best clear that with the house elves, Harry, you don't want to drive them spare by taking over the kitchen without warning them first. Otherwise they might think they're not doing their jobs properly, since you're doing the cooking for yourself."

Harry shook his head with a laugh. "Really? Well, I'll make sure to bring it up, because I do like cooking sometimes. Not all the time, mind, but sometimes."

"There's nothing wrong with that," Remus put in with a nod. He took another bite of his omelet and smiled. "And I have to say, this is brilliant as well. I don't think I'd have thought to put mushrooms in with the sausage, but I love it."

Harry blushed. "Oh… well, Aunt Petunia makes omelets like that, because it's her way of getting some veg other than potatoes into Dudley. Sometimes she does chopped onion with gammon too."

Stephen snorted. "And then I bet she lets him have a bowl of ice cream after, right?"

"Right," Harry laughed. "Or biscuits, or toast with so much jam that the toast falls apart. Anything sweet, really."

"No wonder the kid is so fat," Stephen said, shaking his head. "I wonder if she'll ever come to her senses about that boy."

"It doesn't matter," Harry said. "Have we got time for another go at Monopoly before we have to take Draco home?"

Stephen looked at the clock and shook his head. "I'm afraid not. But we can take the game over to Grimmauld Place if you want, and maybe we can even get Narcissa and Lucius to join us in a game the next time we're all together."

Draco giggled at the thought of his parents playing the muggle board game. "Mother might be willing to play, but I don't know about Father."

"Oh, I bet we can persuade him to give it a go," Sirius said with a sinister grin.

"I'll make sure to lay in a supply of popcorn for the rest of us, for when you try it," Remus chuckled. "Let's get Stephen's flat sorted and then get going, so we can have Draco home when we said we would."

Nodding at that, the three men started shrinking the mattresses back down and putting the furniture back where it belonged, while Harry pulled Draco into Stephen's kitchenette and had his friend help load the plates into the dishwasher while he did the washing up of the skillets and other cooking utensils. Afterwards, Stephen accompanied them back to Grimmauld Place, bringing Monopoly as he promised. Sirius floo-called Narcissa to make sure they were there and awake before sending Draco home. The blond boy made his farewells to everyone and reminded Harry that he definitely wanted to cook the next time they got together before stepping through the green flames to Malfoy Manor.

Sirius shooed everyone into the sitting room so Stephen could see the tree they'd decorated before it got taken back down. He puttered about for a few minutes, sending the mattresses back to where they belonged and calling Dobby to bring them all some tea and biscuits. After fussing with his tea for a moment, he looked at his godson and cleared his throat awkwardly. "Um, Harry?" he said. "I… there's a spell I'd like to cast on you, if you don't mind. There's… well, there might be a… problem… with your scar, and I'd like to be sure one way or the other, so I know if I need to be worried or not."

Harry immediately looked concerned. "What kind of problem, Uncle Sirius?"

The animagus bit his lip. "Er… it's kind of hard to explain, but… well, it's been discovered that You Know Who made things called horcruxes, which hold a piece of his soul. They're meant to keep him from dying properly… as long as at least one exists, he can't actually die, even if he's not exactly alive in the proper sense of the word either. Part of making one involves murder, and well, there's been speculation that… because of the way the killing curse rebounded off you when you were a baby… that he might have accidentally made you into one, since he'd already killed your parents."

The boy grew very still. "Can this… horcrux thing… can it hurt me, do you know?"

"I don't know," Sirius replied honestly. "There's not much written about them, because they're considered some of the vilest magic out there. I mean, even the killing curse can be used for good if you think about it, despite it being banned by the Ministry and classed as an Unforgivable. Like, if you had a horse that broke its leg and needed to be put down, the killing curse is a lot less painful than cutting its throat, or even using a muggle gun on it. But splitting one's soul is about as unnatural an act as anything out there, and the fact that making a horcrux not only splits the soul but also involves the murder of an innocent… well, you can see why there wouldn't be much written down about it. What little I've been able to find only mentions a horcrux as an inanimate object. I don't think anyone would have intentionally made one from another person, for fear of that person dying and thereby destroying the horcrux as well."

"Can you get it out, if it is a horcrux?" Harry whispered. Stephen and Remus both looked horrified at Sirius' words.

"I don't know how, but we will do it," Sirius promised. "We'll find a way, pup. I promise you that. Lucius might be able to help with that. Let me do the spell to see if it is one first, though. No point fretting if we don't need to, right?"

"Right," Harry said, a little shakily. "What do you have to do?"

Sirius pulled out his wand. "It's a wordless spell," he told his godson. "Wormtail described one of the horcruxes at his trial, and it turned out that You Know Who had given it to Lucius for safekeeping. Not only that, I had two in my possession… one was in the vault I acquired when my cousin Bellatrix was sentenced to life in Azkaban and the other had been stolen from You Know Who by my brother, only he died before he could tell anyone about it. He was barely able to order our old house elf Kreacher to destroy it before he died. I traded Kreacher to Narcissa for Dobby and the others after I was freed, because Kreacher hated me and admired her, and somehow or other, that bloody elf managed to let her know that he'd been unable to fulfill my brother's order to destroy the thing, so she brought him over here to identify it. Lucius and I took the things to the Ministry, as Madam Bones of the DMLE had put out a statement that no questions would be asked of anyone turning in any object that might be a horcrux." Noting that Harry was relaxing slightly, he kept talking. "I believe she phrased it that it wasn't illegal to keep care of an item at someone else's request, no matter who made that request. The aurors showed me the spell that detects a horcrux. If I make the movement and then my wand vibrates, it's detected one."

Taking a deep breath, the animagus carefully cast the spell at his godson's forehead as Harry, Remus and Stephen watched. All four stared with sinking hearts as Sirius' wand clearly started to vibrate in his hand.