Lupin Again

Harry awoke to the banging on his door. "Hey, sleepy head! Get up!" Julie was yelling. Harry scrambled out of bed and got dressed quickly. He opened the door to find her still waiting for him. They exchanged a deep glance of reminiscence about the night before.

"Let's go," he said breaking the silence, but she looked past him.

"What's Hedwig got?" she said curiously. Harry turned around; Hedwig was sitting on the window ledge carrying a parcel. Harry walked over and opened the window to let her in. She flew around the ceiling before dropping the parcel into Harry's arms.

"You didn't tell me she was a delivery owl," Julie laughed, but she didn't know that that was what Hedwig was, basically. Harry read the inscription on the front of the package; it was from Lupin! Forgetting Julie was in the room, he tore the paper. It was a fancy book with gold trim. Harry heard a faint, "Ooohhh," from Julie. She moved to get a better look. Harry turned the book over to view the cover: Advanced Magical Defense by Vildro Stronski. Harry's eyes wide open, he began to flip through the pages.

"Magical defense?" Julie uttered very confused. Harry seized up. Then he relaxed so he wouldn't look obvious. He was stuttering trying to come up with an explanation.

"It's a history of people who had developed 'magical' ways to defend themselves... you know, a long time ago..." he said hoping he sounded normal enough for her to buy it.

"You're interested in old magical theories?" she asked. He nodded.

"Yeah, I read about magical creatures and plants, etc.," he continued.

"Wow, that's neat," she said slightly surprised. "You're full of surprises aren't you?" He smiled a small laugh. "I didn't know it was possible to get 'mail' through owls." She said this more as a joke, but Harry felt she was getting too close.

"Shall we open the presents downstairs?" he asked. She nodded eagerly. They ran down to the tree where all the presents awaited them, gleaming of beautiful paper. Harry found his three and opened them. The first one was a very nice long-sleeved shirt from Julie's mum. It was black, and as he unfolded it, the sight hit him. There was a very beautifully crafted serpent of green, gold, blue, and red curling its way up the left sleeve.

"Try it on, Harry," persuaded Julie. Harry threw it on over his other shirt, and to his surprise it looked very handsome on him. Not only that but now he had a shirt that actually fit him. "It looks great!" said Julie. He turned to his next present, from her dad. As he ripped the paper from it, he saw that it was small book: How to Care for Your Owl. Harry gave a smile at this, and then his eyes fell upon Julie's gift.

"WOW! HOW DID YOU KNOW?" Harry looked up startled as Julie threw her arms around his neck. When she let go, she sat down and showed him the CD he had gotten her. "I absolutely love this group!" she said.

"Well, I..." he started.

"You hit it right on, Harry," she said with the widest of smiles.

"What's your favorite song by them?" he asked.

"That's a hard question because every one of their songs is beautiful. But... I suppose... it would be 'Tinted Blue'," she finished. "Well, open mine!" she ordered. He looked down at the beautifully wrapped package in his hands. He opened it, and a gold chain fell into his palm. It had a matching colorful serpent engraved on a diamond-shaped charm. He smiled lightly at it. "And see, it opens," she said opening the diamond. The charm was so flat Harry never would have guessed it opened. But sure enough it did reveal a place for a picture. He tossed it around his head, but his fingers fumbled to fasten it. She reached over and helped him laughing over the clumsiness of his fingers.

"It looks cool," he said, for cool was the perfect word for it.

"Yes, it does," she said pleased with herself. "I suppose you want to open your other presents?"

"What other presents?" he asked innocently.

"I figured that your owl has been bringing you presents," she said. Harry nodded uncertainly. "Well, then, it's Christmas. They need to be opened," she said. They walked back up to his room where he dug out the other five of his presents.

"Who are all these from?" she asked.

"Mostly from friends at school," he said vaguely. He picked up one of the presents. "This one's from Ron," Harry said. "You met him. He picked me up from here last time."

"The red-haired boy?" she asked. Harry nodded as he removed the wrapping paper. It was a box marked: FROM FRED AND GEORGE'S - CAUTION.

"Oh, no," Harry laughed.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Ron's brothers own a joke shop; they sell tricks you could say, except they are usually dangerous."

"Are they magicians?" she asked. Harry thought about that for a moment.

"In a way, I guess they are," he said. "Well, I'll check this out later." And he put the box aside and quickly opened the package from Mrs. Weasley explaining to Julie that he got a sweater from her every year. He next reached for Hermione's gift, which turned out to be a cozy scarf that she made accompanied by an assortment of candy. The scarf was a light blue with white stripes and fringe at the edge. Hagrid had bought him a genuine dragon's tooth. Also included was Hagrid's new homemade fudge. Julie and him both exchanged laughs as Harry set the hard looking candy aside. Harry was examining the tooth which he told Julie was a tooth from a rare tiger. She jumped up and told him to wait. She came back shortly later with a small metal clip and a large needle-like tool.

"If you want I can make it into a charm to put on your chain," she suggested.

"That's a good idea," he said and handed her the tooth. As she carved a tiny hole in it, Harry could tell she wasn't quite satisfied with his explanation of it being a cat's tooth. After the hole was finished she ran a clear string through it and attached it to the small metal clip. After making those impossibly small knots Harry could never imagine, she leaned toward him and took his chain. Then she delicately clipped it onto a link to Harry's right of the serpent charm. His chain now definitely earned the term cool. She smiled standing back to view it. He reached for the last present - his sister's. She had wrapped it untidily with white paper that she had taken to a black marker. It was probably the ugliest gift he'd received, but never the less he opened it eagerly. It was another book, but she had taped something on the front. The title read: Potions Made Easy. Under the title she had posted a small strip of paper on which she wrote FOR DUMMIES. Harry laughed looking at the dark green book.

"Is this part of your 'magic' collection?" she asked.

"Yep," he said still smiling. They heard a door close downstairs.

"Oh, my parents are up," she said. "Let's go down for breakfast." They met her parents sitting at the dining table.

"Already opened your presents?" Mr. Waters asked.

"Of course," said Julie with a smile.

"Oh, that shirt does look becoming," said Mrs. Waters coming out of the kitchen.

"Thank you," replied Harry. They had a large breakfast of ham and eggs with toast. Her parents opened their presents and they started planning the rest of the day. Harry and Julie decided they would take a walk through the "Christmas Lights" which was a show of lights in the park after dark. But until then they'd stay at home helping to fix dinner and messing with their new gifts. Harry sat on the couch eating some of Hermione's candy with Julie when he remembered to ask her for her picture.

"Do you have a picture of yourself I could have?" he asked timidly.

"Sure, I'll go get one," she took about five minutes and came back with a picture that was perfect. He was going to cut it and put it into the charm she had bought him.

"Thanks," he said storing it away into his pocket.

The dinner was nothing short of marvelous. There was a large turkey and all sorts of vegetables and other sides. It was just as good as the feast at Hogwarts. Harry helped himself to a little bit of everything. The conversation was light but happy. Harry almost forgot to leave room for desert. There were two pies - one apple and one pumpkin. There was also an assortment of cookies to choose from. It was all so good it was hard to stop, but when the food had been eaten there was no choice. Julie went upstairs to get ready for the lights show. As Harry entered his room he couldn't think of one thing to make himself look better. He already knew his hair was hopeless, but he supposed he could try to comb it. But like usual, it only made his hair look worse. Then he remembered his father. He had purposely messed it up. Harry wasn't sure about that; after all he wanted to look nice not wild.

"Let's go kids," called Mr. Waters. Harry left his room and went to the staircase where Julie's father was waiting. "Could you knock on her door to get her out?" Harry knocked on her door. He heard scrambling inside.

"I'm comin'. Just one more second," she yelled from inside. And then the door opened. She was beautiful. She wore a red sweater with fur lining. Her hair was naturally perfect, and Harry was taken aback. "Let's go," she said quickly taking his arm and pulling him downstairs and out to the car.

"Everyone ready? All right, now when we get to the park you kids can take your own tour if you want but stick together, you hear?" informed Mr. Waters. Harry and Julie nodded. "At eleven o' clock we'll meet back at the car." He revved the engine and backed out the drive, and they were on their way to the park.

Though they were still several miles from the show, they could already see the hew of lights against the sky. There were cars lined up along the road unable to squeeze into the parking lot. "Well, I suppose we'll have to pull over here and walk the rest of the way," said Mr. Waters. He pulled over onto the shoulder, and they began to walk. It was very cold; there was a light drizzle of snow coming down. But they all had their jackets, and as they approached the first sets of lighted trees they quickly forgot the cold. They arrived at the entrance, and Julie and Harry started walking down the path lighted with beautiful figures. There were small coffee venders scattered here and there, and every few feet there was a lit up figurine such as Santa and his reindeer. It was glorious; it almost seemed like daytime there were so many lights. Harry stopped at one of the coffee venders and bought them both a small cup of coffee. It tasted excellent on this chilly day! They walked along all the paths, pointing and awing at the sights. This was definitely the best day in Harry's life; everything seemed so perfect.

About halfway through the show, Julie took a gasp and quickly turned around.

"What? Are you okay?" Harry asked slightly alarmed. She nodded.

"That's Brandon behind me. He's such a jerk," she said. Harry scanned the crowd, and spotted a Slytherin-looking boy.

"That kid with brown hair and a twisted smile?" Harry asked. She nodded again.

"I hate him," she mumbled.

"Why? What'd he do to you?" Harry asked quickly.

"He's just so mean..."

"Hey, if it isn't Julie the poet." Brandon had spotted her. Harry was watching him closely as he approached. "Been writing those stupid sappy stories any?"

"Shut up. Leave me alone," she said to him. Harry was looking between them.

"I don't take orders..." he started with a sneer.

"Well, you better start," defended Harry taking a step nearer.

"And... who do we have here?" he asked slowly standing at his full height.

"Somebody you don't want to mess with," muttered Harry. Brandon smirked and looked behind him to his friends.

"Never thought this idiot would get a boyfriend," he laughed, but he had barely finished the word friend when Harry's fist landed on his jaw. Harry was enraged. Brandon landed on his side with a bloody nose.

"You broke my nose!" Brandon said in a muffled and surprised voice. And Harry felt like breaking everything else in his body, too.

"Yeah, you're lucky that's all I broke," he said. Harry knew he was being quite mean, but he had had enough of Draco's type. Consumed in his thoughts he shoved his hands in his pockets and began walking down the path again. Why were there people like that? he wondered. He remembered several incidents involving the Slytherins and their tortuous attitude. How dare he say something like that to Julie. I should have broken more than his nose. And then a little voice contradicted that thought and said he had done enough damage. All these thoughts occurred in two seconds, and the next thing Harry knew, Julie was yelling for him to wait up. He stopped not really wanting to look at her after what he had just done. "You all right?" he asked not looking up.

"Yeah... I've just never had anybody who stood up for me before," she said softly.

"Yeah, well, there are people like that at my school, too," he said finally forming a smile. He took her hand, and they walked the rest of the light show.

The next morning Harry awoke with the unpleasant thought of having to go to Grimmauld place the following day. When he had gotten up to his room last night, Hedwig had delivered him a letter from Ron saying they would pick him up at two o'clock. He began to pack his things to be ready the next day. He carefully placed his Christmas gifts inside his trunk on top of his other school supplies and clothes. But when he came to his sister's book he stopped and sat down. He began to read. Perhaps it could help him in Potions. At mid-afternoon Julie knocked on his door.

"Come in," he said still reading. She opened the door and walked in.

"Reading your new book?" she asked sitting beside him. He nodded.

"I have to leave tomorrow," he said quietly. "Got a letter from Ron saying he'll pick me up." Harry wished he didn't have to tell her this.

"But we can take you... to the train station," she said looking sad. Harry shook his head.

"It's a little more complicated than that," he said looking longingly at her.

"When will you be back?"

"After school ends." He wasn't reading anymore, just pretending to.

"I'll still be here, then," she said opening a ray of light. Harry smiled softly. "I see you've been packing. Need any help?" she offered. He shook his head.

"So, when am I going to find out anything about you?" He looked up at her. "You are definitely up to something," she smiled, "but what I don't know."

"You'll figure it out. You've already got a good outline. Just remember anything is possible," he smiled and stared out through the window remembering the day he found out he was a wizard. He knew Julie was bright, and if she could open up to the possibilities of owl mail and magic taught at schools, she'd have him under her thumb. He suddenly realized why he felt so comfortable around her. She didn't know who he was. He didn't have to answer questions of how famous he was and how he survived Voldemort; he could just be his true, normal self - even excluding his magic side. He gave her another smile.

He enjoyed his last dinner at their wonderful home. But, in a way, he knew it wouldn't be his last. He'd see her again, but he still felt the loneliness of being without her coming on. But he'd make it through school remembering that he'd see her in the end.

He woke up late the next day, mostly because he didn't want to wake to the prospect of leaving. But eventually he got up. Slowly, he finished packing his last belongings. Hedwig was in her cage and ready to go. He straightened his room not wanting to leave behind a mess. He skipped breakfast but went down for lunch. While eating his sandwich, Julie said, "Your uncle called earlier to say he'd be back tomorrow." She laughed as did Harry. She didn't say much during the rest of lunch; Harry felt she was a little depressed about him leaving. Thirty minutes to two o' clock Harry dragged his trunk down into the entrance. He sat on the couch to await the doorbell. Julie came to sit by him.

"Well I hope by some chance I can see you before the end of school," she said.

"Unfortunately, I doubt it. But I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too, Harry." And her eyes were gleaming brightly in the light. Harry jumped as the doorbell rang; he immediately felt a pit in his stomach. He didn't get up to answer it but waited for her father to get it.

"Harry, it's for you," her dad said. Harry got up followed by Julie.

"Hey Ron," he said with a lame smile.

"Got your things?" asked Arthur, who was with him.

"Right here," Harry gestured. Arthur and Ron heaved his trunk into the car.

"Well, thank you for letting me stay... and for all the wonderful meals," Harry said to Julie's parents smiling and giving each a hug.

"We much enjoyed it," replied Mrs. Waters with a friendly nod from her husband. They turned to go back inside, but Julie stayed out to see him off. Arthur took his seat in the car, and Ron waited by the car door for Harry.

"Can you send me letters?" she asked.

"Well, since you already know about Hedwig, I will try." She gave him a tight hug. Harry could see Ron looking toward the sky pretending to ignore them. Harry gave her a quick soft kiss on the lips. He hoped Ron hadn't seen. Harry smiled and climbed into the car followed by Ron. He didn't say good-bye, for it wasn't. She waved him off as he left to Grimmauld Place.

Harry was so lost in thought he didn't notice Ron grinning.

"What're you so happy about?" Harry asked.

"I saw ya," he said. "You kissed her." He tried not to laugh. Harry didn't know what to say, so he looked out the window.

"When you're right, you're right," said Ron.

"What do you mean?"

"I knew I'd find you at her house."

"Only because the Dursleys' took a surprise Christmas vacation. They had to take me in." Ron nodded still grinning.

"Hey! You know what?" Ron asked suddenly. "Guess who's at Grimmauld Place."

"Who?"

"Malfoy! And Evans showed up too yesterday!"

"Why?"

"I don't know. It's like we're having an invasion of Slytherins or something. Malfoy's dad supposedly made some deal, but I don't know why Evans is there."

"What kind of a deal?" asked Harry.

"Don't know the details," Ron said thoughtfully. "What are you wearing?" Ron seemed shocked. Harry looked down and saw that he had worn his new serpent shirt.

"A Christmas present," he replied vaguely.

"Why didn't they get you a lion? This is not going to go over well."

"I like it," Harry said defendingly. Ron shrugged and dropped the subject. Fortunately for Harry, Ron hadn't seen his chain.

They arrived at Grimmauld Place, and Harry was eager to find out what was going on. He waited till Arthur got them in. It was much different. Most of the portraits were gone, and the place was seriously cleaned up. Harry was impressed. Ron went on ahead in the direction of the kitchen.

"Converting to the other side, are we?" asked Sarah as she came in. He looked down at his serpent.

"It was a gift," he said. "And thanks for the suggestion of True Sojourner."

"Let me guess, it was the bomb?"

"Yeah," Harry said walking past her lightly rolling his eyes. He walked a few feet before he looked up and saw Draco standing a few inches away. Harry froze unsure what to do. "Why are you here?"

"Don't think I want to be," Draco retorted eyeing Harry's serpent shirt and chain, which wasn't now hidden by his shirt suspiciously. Harry waited for a better explanation. "My father made a deal, Potter. Unfortunately, I have to be on your side." Harry turned to face Sarah who was leaning up against the wall, arms crossed.

"It's true," she said. Harry eyed Draco one more time.

"Just don't get in my way," Harry requested as he walked by Draco.

"Oh, no sir, I wouldn't dream of annoying thy master," Draco responded sarcastically.

"Good," said Harry glancing at his sister one more time. She appeared unaffected by Draco's bad mood (not that he was ever in a good mood).

There was no one else in the house; Ginny and Hermione were out strolling the shops, and the adults were who knows where. It was only Mr. Weasley, Ron, Harry, Draco, and Sarah. After a very quiet dinner Harry and Ron tramped up to their bedroom. As they were getting ready for bed Harry remembered.

"Hey, Ron, how did your walk with Carla go?" Harry asked. Ron quickly looked up.

"At first she didn't say much, but then we started talking about everyday stuff. She thinks I'm funny - likes my jokes. She's a bit odd though, but I just can't place it. I think it has something to do with her wanting to be a Seer. But she's pretty cool; she even held my hand." Ron smiled shyly.

"Way to go," Harry smiled.

"She said after Christmas we could still talk and stuff, so I must've done okay." Harry nodded. He was happy Ron had found someone.

"What about Hermione? Know anything about her love life?" Harry asked.

"I was going to ask you the same thing. I haven't heard anything. I doubt it will be long before she finds a brainy guy and goes crazy over him." They laughed.

"So what are these jokes you tell Carla?" Harry asked.

"They just come naturally and only when I'm around her. Let me see if I can remember any..." and as they climbed into bed they exchanged jokes and laughter well into the night.

Sarah went into the dining room where Lupin was seated reading a book. He looked up as she came in. "I was expecting you," he said as he put the book away. "You want to know about your family, do you not?" he asked. She nodded surprised. "Come have a seat." He motioned her to a chair where she sat down. He looked at her expectantly, so she started, "Did Lily really love my father?"

"Yes, deeply. They spent every moment together. I know the decision to marry James was not an easy one, but Snape had gone to the dark side and that can change opinions about people. When you were born she loved you beyond anything in the world. You had every minute of her time, I know. If you ask me, you made her happier than James could," he said with a hearty laugh. "I figured it was because you were her first child or maybe it was because you were a girl, but though she was proud of Harry and loved him, it was never the same with him. Not to say she loved Harry less, or anything, but perhaps the fact that you were Severus's could have meant something to her." He paused for a moment then continued. "With James it was different. He knew who you were, but treated you just like his own. He would hold you and look deep into your eyes with much love, but..." he stopped with a thoughtful expression on his face.

"But what?" she asked.

"Well, I could always tell there was a barrier between him and you. Even through that look of deep love there was a wall. Sometimes, if I might say so, he even looked a little afraid or nervous around you. I thought at first it was because of your father; what would Snape do if he came back? But now I'm not so sure. He knew Snape had been in Slytherin, and perhaps he thought you would be," he put a smile on his face, "and he would have been right. Personally, I was afraid Snape would come back and be outraged with James. But he wasn't. He just didn't care; he sort of seemed to just drop his past with her. But I know that Severus never got over Lily. I think that was always why Severus disliked Harry so much. Harry was James' and never should have been." Lupin seemed lost in thought, in memories. His face was a contortion of many expressions.

"It's late. Perhaps we should call it a day," he motioned after a while. She nodded with a grateful smile. There were a couple other things she wanted more specific answers on, but he was already walking out of the room.

"Hagrid might have something to say on this topic if you ever get the chance to see him. But I know that being in Slytherin, you can't just go talking to a friendly ole giant," he said as he smiled an affectionate smile.

She nodded a thank you and left the room. As she was heading back up to her room, she paused at Harry's open door. She peeked in and saw him trying to cut something; he was looking frustrated. "Can I help?" she asked.

"Maybe, I'm trying to get this to fit in here," he showed her his charm. Just like Julie, Sarah could handle small things. She cut around Julie's face much neater and she snapped it into Harry's serpent charm.

"There you go. When you get back to school you can put a spell on it to make sure it stays in," she added.

"Thanks," Harry said admiring her handy work. She still held the charm in her palm.

"Why don't I get cool things like this?" She smiled.

"Is that the muggle girl that you bought the CD for?" she asked looking at the picture. Harry nodded. "She was the one who bought me this chain."

"She's pretty," Sarah nodded. She stood up. "Well, I'll see ya tomorrow."

"Yep, good night," Harry said, and Sarah left.

The next morning Harry remembered he needed to go to Diagon Alley to find his sister a Christmas present. As he headed downstairs, he hoped somebody would be there to allow him to go. As he passed the drawing room he saw Lupin shuffling some papers. Harry cleared his throat. Lupin looked up and gladly welcomed Harry in.

"I need to go to Diagon Alley," Harry said getting to the point.

"I don't know if..."

"I really need to. Please, Lupin, it's important." Lupin looked uncertain; clearly he was against the idea.

"Well, I did need to get some new quills, but..." he started slowly. Harry crossed his fingers. "All right, but you have to stay right by my side, understand?" Harry nodded eagerly.

"Let's go!"

"What, now?" asked Lupin.

"Yes, now! C'mon." And Harry bolted out the door. They were forced to travel by Floo Powder, and as much as Harry hated that mode of transportation he had to go. He stepped into the fireplace and threw the dust yelling as clearly as he could, "Diagon Alley!"

This time it worked. He came out through a fireplace near the Leaky Cauldron. Lupin followed shortly. They went to get the quills first, and Harry waited patiently while Lupin examined them. It seemed hours before Lupin finally picked the quill he had looked at from the beginning. As soon as it was paid for, Harry pulled Lupin down the street to (the flower shop). He bought an enormous bouquet, and told the seller he'd be back to pick it up. Next he went to a miscellaneous shop and found a little figurine of the guitarist Sarah had replaced during Halloween. He was playing an electric guitar and jumping and moving every which way. Harry recognized the song as one that the band had played on Halloween. As he was about to pay for the figure he spotted an odd tattoo. It could stay on however long you wanted, from a day to ten years. It happened to be a snake that changed colors according to your mood. Harry, finding this cool, decided to buy it also. He had the gifts wrapped by the cashier, (this only took about two seconds with magic). He turned to Lupin and nodded. He picked up the bouquet, which was so large he couldn't see over it; Lupin had to steer him through the crowds. Harry arrived back at Grimmauld Place and started heading for Sarah's room yelling a muffled thanks through the flowers to Lupin. Halfway through the hall she came out of one of the rooms and nearly ran into him. Her eyes were wide with the sight of so many flowers. She started to go around him.

"These are for you," he said. She stopped, stunned.

"For me?" she said doubtfully. Harry stuffed the flowers into her arms.

"And this too," he held out the box. Sarah turned around to head back to her room. Once inside, she found a large vase-like container. Water poured from her wand, and she placed her flowers into the container.

"Flowers... that's a first. They do... uh... brighten the room, don't you think?" she said.

"Definitely," Harry handed her the small box. She placed her hand on the box to open it when she paused. She held it up to her ear.

"I hear music. What did you get me?" she asked curiously as she took off the lid. She looked inside and saw the guitar player; she smiled and even laughed. "That's cool, Harry!" She then pulled out the tattoo. She stared at it a while before realizing what it was. "Wow, thanks! I've always wanted one of these." She opened the tattoo and walked over to a mirror. She placed it carefully on her arm. She took her wand and ran it gently over the tattoo. She waited a few seconds and pealed the paper off revealing a red snake on her arm.

"It says here red means I'm happy, green means I'm jealous or slightly mad, blue means I'm upset, black means I'm mad, pink means I'm embarrassed or shy, and goldish-yellow means I'm in love," she laughed. She put away the paper she had been reading. Even as Harry watched the snake, he could see it changing colors slightly, but it was still primarily red.

"Thanks, Harry. I love the gifts," she said. Harry could have sworn he saw the snake shift quickly to pink and back.

"No problem."

The next day, the last day before they had to return to school, Harry asked Sarah to walk with him downtown. They window-shopped for an hour looking at all the muggle shops. Spending time with Sarah was very different then spending time with Julie. Sarah looked at things completely opposite. Instead of saying something looked cute she'd say, "Who would buy that God-awful stuffed bear." She'd shake her head and continue on down the road. But even so, Harry still oddly enjoyed the time with her even if he didn't understand her all that well.

"Are you thirsty?" Harry finally asked.

"Yeah, I am," she said realizing her dry throat. There was a small cafe just across the street. They entered the brightly lit, cozy shop. While Harry ordered, Sarah leaned up against the bar. A lanky guy edged over to her. She tried to lean away from him without seeming rude. "Hey, uh, did you know that you are the most beautiful girl I've ever seen?"

"Tut, tut. Liar, liar, pants on fire," she said, and with a sneer, added, "And your pants really are on fire." The guy looked down, and his pants were burning at the ankles.

"Aaaggghhh! Get some water!" he yelled panicking. He drew the costumers' attention, and soon he had the whole cafe screaming, "FIRE!" Sarah didn't move; she just watched the guy run around trying to pull his pants off. She turned her head to see Harry staring at her. He received the drinks and took Sarah's hand to drag her out of the shop. The guy was knocking over tables trying to step on the fire without succeeding. The second Sarah made it outside she burst with laughter, "Did you see him?" Harry, who was concerned about his sister's lack of judgment, even had to smile.

"What did you do?" he asked.

"I cast a spell to light his pants on fire. It's a special spell, because the fire is immobile, meaning it can't spread. Also it is waterproof." She was very proud of herself.

"How's he supposed to put it out, then?" Harry asked astounded at her guts.

"It will go out five minutes after it has been cast."

"You're impossible," he said shaking his head.

"And incredible." She did a quick foot sweep and snapped her fingers. And then Harry remembered, "But isn't the Ministry going to try to expel you?"

"You kidding? They're way too busy with the Dark side; and anyway, I don't care if I'm expelled." Harry sniffed. "What? I don't," she said seeing Harry's doubtful expression.

"Let's just get back," said Harry.

"Where've you been?" asked Draco as they came in.

"Lookin' at all the shops," Sarah answered. Draco looked suspicious, but Sarah ignored him. He diverted his attention to Harry.

"What? It's true," Harry said walking past him.

"Better be," Draco mumbled barely audible.

They were put back on the Hogwarts Express the next day, and they headed off to school. Harry sat with Ron the whole way. Fortunately, no one came to cause trouble. Occasionally, a fellow Gryffindor would stop by and talk about his Christmas vacation. But Harry was glad to be back in his four-poster that night.