Willow, Harry, and Neville joined Grey's first post-Halloween training session. His parents had departed after an overnight stay. They surprised him by swiftly taking to Willow, especially his mother, who called her 'that darling pixie' and demanded that the couple have dinner with them in London.

          Spending the night with Willow had been a revelation. He could never recall feeling as alive and content as he did with her, especially after what she had said about Tara. They didn't discuss it, but he could see a similar feeling in her eyes.

          Rather than watch the demonstration, Hermione opted to spend quality time with Ron, who had decided the thing that would speed his healing most was kissing her. Willow, in a serious breach of school rules that made both women blush, had secretly offered Hermione the privacy of her room. Ginny had too much homework to join the training group.

          Grey spent fifteen minutes warming up, then segued into a light serious of combinations and katas. His chest felt tight from the damage, but he could move with minimal pain. He had to adjust his balance for the weight of the lightsaber, which changed his equilibrium somewhat. The other three watched with interest.

          "I wish I could do that," Neville said. They were standing at the edge of the roof to give Grey room.

          "I bet he would teach you, if you asked," Willow said. "He'd like that. He thinks you've got a lot of potential." Neville looked at her as if she had declared that the Sun revolved around the Earth. "What? He does."

          "Nobody thinks that," Neville said, shaking his head sadly. "I'm just a scared klutz who forgets things, remember?"

          "You used to be, Neville," Harry said seriously. "It's been way better this year. Even Snape has mostly left you alone. Plus, on Halloween, you came up with the idea to gang up on that woman, remember?"

          "I was really scared," he said. "Shaking."

          "Big deal. Happens to everybody," Willow said. "My friend Buffy? The Slayer? She even gets that sometimes, after a fearsome nasty comes a'chompin'." She smiled at him. "It's not that you're scared that matters. It's whether you can do something anyway."

          "Maybe." Neville looked doubtful.

          Grey motioned for them to come over. He was breathing evenly, but his head had a light sheen of sweat. Willow wondered why she had taken so long to understand how attractive bald men were.

          "Okay. You guys ready?" He had given Harry and Neville instructions earlier.

          "Sure," Harry said. "Where do you want us?" Grey positioned them fifteen feet away and ten feet apart, across the open roof.

          "Okay, one at a time to start with. Use stuff that you know the counter curses for." They nodded. He stepped back and flicked the lightsaber into his hand. It was a natural fit. He thumbed the ignition.

          Snap-hiss.

          It sounded just like the movies. The extended blade glowed, a four-foot length of iridescent blue that emitted a soft buzzing sound.

          "Well, it's the right color, at least," Willow said. His preference for blue clothing amused her, but she had never asked about it.

          "It had to be blue," he said. "I wear that because all the books said my grandfather did. It always felt right. Now we know why." He pointed to Harry. "You first."

          "PETRIFICUS TOTALUS!" He cried. The curse shot from the wand, straight at Grey. The blade moved of its own accord, blocking the curse. It sizzled and vanished on contact. Neville followed with a leg-locker curse. The lightsaber blocked that as well.

          "Both of you now," Grey said. They flung the curses simultaneously. Grey whirled around, the blade dancing through the air, and blocked both. They continued hurling them for ten minutes, Grey stopping each one in turn. Willow tossed one from the far side, surprising them all. Grey deftly spun and intercepted it. Then he called a halt.

          "That was unexpected," he said to her. There seemed to be no criticism in his voice.

          "Are you doing the blocking, or is it?" she asked. She had tossed the curse to see, but still wasn't sure.

          "Both," he said. "It's weird. I can't describe it. It tells me where to go, but I actually go without thinking about it. It must be part of the enchantment."

          "Use the force, Luke," Harry deadpanned. Grey and Willow laughed. Neville looked puzzled.