Christmas at the Peal's was like nothing Eric had ever encountered. Her family wasn't large, but it was warm and welcome. David, it turned out, was engaged to Jennifer – the lady Eric had seen when he had called after the hippogriff incident. Mister Peal was a welcoming, friendly man of reasonable stature and gentle disposition. His great pastime was regailing Eric with stories of wizardly contributions to muggle affairs. His favorites were steeped in a pair of conflicts known as the Great War and the Big War.

Mrs. Peal, however, was slightly less impressed. "Dear, the way you love those stories, you'd think you lived through those times."

"But that's not the point, my love. We can't forget that we're not on two separate worlds. Our fates and the fates of the muggles are one in the same. We may not be part of the same societies, but we have as much an interest in their problems as they have in ours."

Eric looked to Mr. Peal. "Sir? You mentioned a Great war, and a Big war. Is there going to be a Great Big war?"

His face suddenly turned downward. "Let us pray not, young man. The muggles abilities in the arts of war far outstrip any talents we have to temper them. If such a war ever took place; it would be sudden, violent, and in the end there would be nothing left to fight for."

"You sound as though you know a great deal about muggles."

Mr. Peal's beaming smile suddenly returned. "Young man, I wrote the definitive text on the subject of Muggle Societies back in the Seventies. Mind you, it fell out of favor during the last decade. Seems I was a little too sympathetic with my subject, and not clinical enough." He bent forward in a comical attempt at secrecy. "Between you and me, I don't think the Ministry wants wizards to admit that muggles are our equals in any way."

Eric looked at him quizzically. "Are they?"

"Eric, there are societies all over the world that do things differently, depending on their resources. The same goes for muggles and wizards. We're all the same, just with different resources, talents, and abilities. Here!" He went over to a bookcase and drew out a hefty tome. "A copy of my book. Try studying that instead of the watered down paste they've been feeding you."

Mrs. Peal stepped into the room. "All right boys, enough of that. Dinner is ready."

"Come on, boy, this is not to be missed!" Eric followed his extremely excited host into the main room only to stop at the entryway. Although the feasts at Hogwarts were far more elaborate, the fact that he was joining in such a family scene was a reality he wasn't ready for, and it took him several seconds to compose himself before entering so that he wouldn't be a blubbering fool.

New Years at the Wainwright's also promised to be a treat. After a bit of discussion, Roger invited Lymeon and Clareone for the day, so that they would have a chance to talk. The day began with the group of them entering Roger's car outside of the Leaky Cauldron. Eric was feeling slightly out of place being driven about London, until Mrs. Peal reminded him that it was a complication to have wizards wandering about. The offered car trip was a simple courtesy in order that everyone would arrive at a proper time.

As they entered the building, they encountered a tall, elderly gentleman. "Welcome, all of you. I am informed that you are all wizards. I assume you have your wands?" The three guests looked at one another before allowing Lymeon to nod in reply. "Very good. If you will look to your left, you will find a rack for them. I deeply regret having to ask that you set such treasured items aside, but we've found that they have a most regrettable effect on the appliances."

Eric was deeply unsure about relinquishing his wand – such things simply weren't done. Mr. Peal, however, chose to be the example for the group. "But of course! It's not like we'll need them for a while." Stepping forward, he took out a simple but effective looking wand, and sheathed it in a tall rack containing over a dozen individual stalls, which was clearly made for the purpose. It made Eric feel a little better to see that the rack was already occupied by a six and a half inch ebonwood. Eric could all but sense a chimera-mane core, meaning that they weren't being asked to do anything less than family was.

The day was more of a standing buffet. Eric didn't understand at first why there was so much food until more guests arrived. It was the Bells, related to the Wainwrights by Naomi's mother Dorothy. A few other guests arrived, all familiar faces from Diagon Alley. As he watched, Naomi snuck up on him from behind. "We entertained for father's family on Christmas, and explained that we'd be opening the house for mother's family and friends for New Years. Grandmother wanted to meet them, but we offered some polite excuses. She doesn't know about wizardry, and we think it might be best to leave things that way."

The guests spent the day in a variety of activities. Roger and Lymeon had most of the men engaged in a discussion on the joint history of muggles and wizards. Most of the women were discussing current events, with Dorothy acting as hostess despite Norman's objections. The kids were wandering about, discussing the gifts they received for Christmas and what they planned to do with them.

Eric tried to join in, but the clamor was too much for him. Katie Bell took him aside for a while and talked, catching up on everything he'd been up to since they first met. "These big parties are draining if you don't know how to handle them. Don't feel that you have to join in if you're not up to it."

Eric thanked her for her kindness, receiving a quick hug in response. Katie had taken up a 'big sister' role in his life ever since he was kicked out of Slytherin house. As he watched her head back to the party, Eric wondered how big his adoptive family had gotten over the years, and how big was it going to grow?

"If Master Eric is ready, I have a room upstairs for him." Norman was about the most polite person he had ever met, and he was far from a liar. The room was simple, and lacked many of the little amenities that most of the other rooms had, like clocks that showed numbers instead of dials and strange lights which were neither magic nor candles. Instead, oil lanterns and candelabras bathed the room in a soft, familiar glow. "It is considered polite to see the other guests off, but you will be able to retire here."

Eric opened a window briefly to let in Midget and Widget, who were previously resting in a fairly warm alcove. It was clear, however, that they were very grateful to be let into the warm room, finding a perch close to a heating vent to drive warm air into their feathers. Eric was taking a minute to enjoy their company when Naomi showed up in the doorway. "Settling in for the evening?"

"Not really. I just wanted to let the owls in."

"If you've got some time, I'd like to show you something."

Eric followed her into a darkened room. It seemed to have almost a cathedral atmosphere, one that was enhanced by the stone gargoyles in the corners. "What kind of room is this?"

"It's my room. Tell me, have you seen anything like this?" She held up a small flat disc, about five inches in diameter.

"Um, no." Eric continued to examine the furnishings, which were a mix of gothic symbolism and darkened Ancient Egyptian. That aside, he didn't know too much about any girl's room, other than the fact that he wasn't supposed to be there.

She took the disc and placed it in a large box. "Relax – I just want you to listen to something." As she pressed her fingers against the face of the box, lights on the front sprang to life. Suddenly, rich sounds began to come from faceless panels on the box. A clear voiced singer was lyrically reciting poetry, backed up by a wealth of instruments. "Well?"

Eric paused a moment longer. "Ok – I'm neither superstitious nor stupid. There's nobody in that box, so it's a sealed memory of some kind. Only... how?"

Naomi settled in a chair. "I'm not quite up on all the technology myself, but it's a recording. The discs are like a strange scroll that the box reads. It has the ability to take what it reads and makes music from it. Aside from that, I don't know much about it, other than I have to do without it for nine months out of the year after growing up with it at my fingertips." She paused for a while as more music played out. "What do you think of the songs?"

Looking over to Naomi, he could see her swaying lightly back and forth. He knew why; the melodies and richness of tones were unlike anything Eric had ever encountered. "It's better than flying."

The next morning, the Wainwrights continued to prove that they were excellent hosts, providing Eric with an extensive breakfast before heading to Kings Cross. The trip back to Hogwarts was gratefully uneventful, with all the students swapping stories about what they received for Christmas. Eric's presents weren't too bad, either. The cloak Mrs. Peal bought for him was actually adult sized, taken up considerably. She promised to let it out each year until he was fully grown. Mr. Peal's book was worth more than it's weight, which was considerable. The material presented was the first balanced essay he ever read. Even if he couldn't find supporting information, the contrast it provided would make an excellent essay series.

As he arrived at the school, however, the troubles he left behind came crashing back. While Hagrid was, indeed, cleared of any wrongdoing, the Ministry decided that Buckbeak, the hippogriff that attacked Draco, was another matter. A tribunal would be held to determine his fate. Hagrid was beside himself, but he was already receiving help from Harry Potter and his friends. Eric knew that Hermoine was an excellent researcher, so any assistance he could offer in that regard would probably be redundant. The best thing he could do is to keep Buckbeak and the rest of the hippogriff herd in line.

As he made his way back to the dorm, he encountered Lenora, who was clearly in a foul mood. "I heard you spent New Years with Naomi."

Eric didn't bother to ask how she found out. "Not exactly. I spent New Years at the Wainwrights, and a lot of people were there."

"Why didn't you spend New Years with my family? We would've made room."

Eric began to get frustrated. "You didn't offer, and lately Mister Wainwright has been helping me get from Diagon Alley to the Hogwarts Express. It was just easier this way."

Lenora began to get huffy. "I suppose you'll be taking her to Hogsmeade this Spring, then?"

"No; she's a second-year. She can't go until next year."

"And if she could?"

Eric was becoming rather weary. "Lenora, is there something you want?"

She stepped closer to him and began to whisper. "I want to know that I have Eric Sable as a close friend – a special, close friend."

Eric's heart began to race as every part of him began to panic. He had known that something was on her mind, but he didn't know how to respond to this. He felt as if he was back in Fluffy's cave with the werewolves on the outside, only Fluffy wasn't there.

Lenora's eyes narrowed. "No answer?"

Eric forced himself out of his nervous paralysis. "I would like to take you to Madam Puddifoot's. I would very much like to, please?"

Time seemed to pause while she considered what he said. Finally she smiled. "I look forward to it." Giving his arm a friendly squeeze, she turned and headed back out the hallway.

Taking a deep breath, he made his way to the Ravenclaw common room. All he wanted was to go to sleep. Unfortunately, as he passed into the common room, he saw Naomi waiting for him. Looking into her eyes, he could feel that he had one more hurdle to jump.

"You encountered Lenora on the way here."

"Has my life been turned into a pageant for my fellow students to gawk at?" He started to storm off to the boys dormitory.

"You shouldn't see her, Eric. She's not good for you."

He had made it to the stairs. "What would you know about it?"

"She's just using you!"

Eric was at the top of the steps. One more turn would put him safely in the boys dorm, and away from everything. Instead, he paused and looked back. "You may be right."