A/N - Here it is, a little bit later than usual, but the nice weather and life have lessened my writing time. I'll try to get the next chapter ready for next week, but updates may slow down as the Summer progresses.

Chapter 18

This is Just a Test

Sunday morning he found Padfoot eagerly awaiting his arrival, tongue hanging out.

'What is that thing you are wearing?' A bemused Cody asked Padfoot. The dog was wearing a raggedy old sweater. It didn't fit—it wasn't made for a dog in the first place—the red color was all but washed out, and holes were everywhere.

Padfoot just bounced up and down as Cody got out his guitar and settled in on the rock.

'Like, even for you, you look embarrassing. Why are you wearing that anyway? You don't even get cold,' Cody said with an air of dismay.

Padfoot picked up a loose strand of his sweater, set it on the rock next to Cody and nudged it in his direction. Cody gave him a confused look, and Padfoot began looking back and forth from his sweater, the guitar and the loose end of string. After watching this charade for a time, it hit, and Cody drew back his head when he realized the implication.

'I am not acting out "The Sweater Song" with you!' he declared.

Padfoot pouted, making the saddest face—well, as sad as a Grim could look—nobody would classify his as puppy dog eyes. Cody rolled his eyes.

'I can't believe I'm going to actually do this,' he mumbled to himself as he began to strum.

Padfoot took the loose strand of the sweater and set it right next to Cody's non-tapping foot. Cody stepped on it, pinning it to the ground. Padfoot grinned with satisfaction and nodded along to the opening verse of the song. Then the chorus hit for the first time:

~ If you want to destroy my sweater ~

~ Hold this thread as I walk away ~

Sirius slowly began walking away, head bobbing and swaying, and his sweater began to unravel. Cody just shook his head as he continued playing and singing:

~ If you want to destroy my sweater (whoa, oh, oh) ~

~ Hold this thread as I walk away (as I walk away) ~

~ Watch me unravel, I'll soon be naked ~

~ Lying on the floor, lying on the floor ~

~ I've come undone ~

He got to the guitar solo, and Padfoot began bouncing around more energetically, losing more and more of his sweater.

'This feels so wrong,' Cody said to himself. But he also couldn't help but laugh to himself at how much the dog was enjoying the whole thing. He didn't really care to watch the dog thrash around on the floor, or whatever Padfoot had planned, so he just closed his eye and let the last of the song rip, louder than before:

~ If you want to destroy my sweater (whoa, oh, oh) ~

~ Hold this thread as I walk away (as I walk away) ~

~ Watch me unravel, I'll soon be naked ~

~ Lying on the floor (lying on the floor) ~

~ I've come undone ~

. . .

~ Lying on the floor (lying on the floor) ~

~ I've come undone ~

He finished the song and looked up. Padfoot was there, on the floor, legs up in the air swaying back and forth; head also swaying back and forth, tongue flopping from side to side. He was lost in his own world, it took a short minute for him to realize the music had stopped. Padfoot got up and nodded for him to follow into the forest. Cody suspected he wanted to hear about the tournament, so the jam session would be cut short for the day.

'That was so fun!' Sirius nearly shouted as Cody entered amongst the trees.

'Just don't ever ask me to do that again. I feel like I need a shower,' Cody said with a shiver.

'Oh, come on. A show like that, people would be lining up for it. I could make some money.'

'Stop!' Cody declared, stifling his laughter, bringing a hand to cover his eyes.

'Alright, so, tell me all about the task. I didn't have a view at all. I just listened to the crowd. Everyone was pretty quiet for so long, I was getting a little worried. The cheers at the end sounded good though. I figured you weren't cooked.'

'Well, I'll show you what the Prophet had to say about it.' He pulled out yesterday's edition and the tournament report was front and center.

Piss Poor Performance

By: Rita Skeeter

Mr Krum thrilled with his flying, Miss Delacour enchanted with her voice and Mr Diggory amazed with his transfigurations. Our young Mr Potter on the other hand decided this would be a good time to waste a valuable dragon resource. That is correct, dragon urine is actually a valuable commodity, especially to the dragon handlers and the reserves. Mr Potter emptied two buckets full in order to complete the task. Dragon handler and former Hogwarts student, Charlie Weasley was able to explain some of its uses.

'When we travel we will spray a bit of it around the new enclosures. It helps the dragons feel at home, and it ensures they don't enter the wrong enclosure. We also use it as a perimeter defense at the reserve; other animals are very wary of the dragon's scent, for obvious reasons. I thought it was pretty creative what he did, but he obviously didn't know how potent that stuff is, he probably only needed a few splashes of it. So when he dumped out the whole bucket Andrei, our boss, just about lost it.'

Charlie may have been laughing while describing Mr Potter's antics, but his boss' reaction is all the evidence we need to know that this was reckless. The low marks given by Professor Karkaroff and Madam Maxime were well warranted.

These actions combined with his deceit in regards to his upbringing give us pause to the character of our boy hero. Many of us reporters had gone to great lengths to prepare questions in what we thought was his native tongue—we also had many interpreters present—only to find out Mr Potter speaks English perfectly well. Where exactly he learnt his English is still a mystery, but what is not a mystery is that it did not come with a side of proper English manners.

For more tournament coverage, interviews and task descriptions see Pages 3, 4 and 5.

'Wow, she really doesn't like you,' Sirius said. 'Well, tell me what happened from your point of view.'

Cody related the story. Sirius cracked up when Cody mentioned how he forgot he could levitate the bucket and had to splash the piss on himself, and again when he described sucking in some of the urine, only to cause him to throw up.

'Man, that article left out the best parts,' Sirius howled and slapped his knee.

'Yeah, so, now I have that golden egg that is supposed to be a clue for the next task, but it just makes this horrible screeching sound when I open it,' Cody explained.

'Hmm, part of the clue must be figuring out what the message is.'

'Yeah, I'll worry about that over the break. Hey, do you want to come stay with us for Christmas? You won't have to be in disguise in LA,' Cody asked with excitement, Sirius had quickly become a confidant and a friend and he wanted him to meet his family and friends.

'Hey! Are you serious? No, I'm Sirius—'

Cody slapped him softly across the face, that stopped Sirius in his tracks. 'Never again! That is the last time I ever hear you say that joke,' Cody said in faux sternness.

'But that's my joke. It's me, it's what I am. Without that joke, I'm nothing,' he teasingly pouted.

'Sorry, it's gotta go. But, yes. I'm serious. Come to California with us for Christmas. Do wizards even celebrate it?'

'That'd be awesome. Almost everyone gives gifts and does their own kind of family celebrations. I haven't had a real Christmas since—' Sirius choked up.

'Hey, it'll be alright.'

'It was your first Christmas, that was the last time I celebrated—' he said with tears welling up.

'Man, you're getting all sentimental. It's gonna make me cry,' Cody said, blinking rapidly a few times.

'I know, I'm sorry. I just can't help but think about what could've been. If it wasn't for that rat bastard,' he spat with disdain.

'Speaking of, I wonder if Key has seen him,' Cody pondered aloud.

On cue, Key slithered out from a nearby bush.

§You didn't play very long today.§

§I know, we had some things to discuss. Have you seen any rats lately?§

§Yes, many. I've been spending much more time in the castle. But they've had all their fingers.§

§Oh well. So, how was the set up?§

§You, sir, are in my debt. My lack of hands did not lead to a clean operation. I am going to have to shed my scales at least twice for this stench to be gone.§

§Ew, sorry about that. I will make it up to you, somehow. It worked though. You should come to California, too. Get out of the cold.§ He hissed with a smile.

§That sounds delightful.§

He stopped by Professor McGonagall's office later that day. He wanted to set up a meeting with Madam Bones as Harry Potter, hopefully the Saturday he was set to go home. Based on how anxious she was to meet him, he figured she would make time for whenever he suggested. McGonagall assured him the message would be passed on and she would let him know as soon as she had a response.

Monday morning at breakfast the announcement of the Yule Ball was made to the whole school. The hall was abuzz with excitement, girls discussing their dresses and the possibility of the Weird Sisters coming to play. The boys' reactions varied, from excited and anxious, to breaking out in a cold sweat at the thought of having to ask a girl to the dance.

Cody had made sure to sit with the Gryffindors to get a good view of the action to come. Professor McGonagall walked along the table and handed a rolled up parchment to Ginny. The youngest Weasley gave her a confused look, but she just gave a nod to unroll the parchment.

Upon unrolling the scroll, Ginny's eyes widened almost immediately. The friends on either side of her covered their mouths with their hands. Ginny read the note once more to be sure she was reading it correctly, then turned to McGonagall.

'Is this real?' she asked.

'As real as the parchment it's written on,' McGonagall responded. She was good at keeping a straight face, but even this surprise was challenging her resolve to remain composed.

'You're sure my brothers didn't fake this somehow?' Ginny asked skeptically. 'This is exactly the kind of thing they've done to me in the past.'

'I watched him quill the request with my own two eyes. You can write your response, or you can tell me and I'll verbally pass on the message,' McGonagall replied.

Ginny quickly grabbed a quill and in big letters at the bottom of the parchment wrote, "YES!" Then she reconsidered. 'Can you just tell him "Yes" for me? I'd like to keep this,' she said with a mischievous grin.

'Consider it done,' the professor replied with a smile. Her eyes swept up the table, landing on Cody for the briefest of moments and he smiled his acknowledgement.

Ginny picked up the parchment and marched down the table to where all her brothers were sat together. She slammed the parchment on the table in between her siblings and proclaimed, 'Suck it, bitches!'

Ron read it first before passing it across the table to the twins who quickly scanned the document. Heads in the vicinity were starting to stare at the commotion.

'This isn't real,' Ron said, dismissing the note.

'Sorry brother, McGonagall confirmed it,' she replied almost pompously.

'How would Harry Potter have any idea who you are? Let alone want to ask you to the Yule Ball?'

'I don't even care right now. This is the best news since I made the Quidditch reserves,' she replied enthusiastically. She snatched the back parchment and bolted to her friends who were waiting to celebrate the news.

Whispers were starting to spread around the Hall now that the secret was out. Harry Potter had asked Ginny Weasley to the Yule Ball. It wasn't some deep proposal of love, nor some lifelong commitment. In fact, the note had been clear he wasn't asking her to be his girlfriend. But for Ginny, who had been teased —mercilessly at times— by her brothers, this was as good of an "I told you so" moment she ever could've hoped for.

Thursday he entered the Defence classroom to a much different atmosphere than usual. Dumbledore was present, along with Madam Bones and a couple of her Aurors. Even Madam Pomfrey was in attendance. Moody had a smile on his face that was reminiscent of Chucky —movies his mom told him not to watch— his nightmares agreed with her. Madam Bones gave him a slight nod and the corners of her mouth twitched subtly, this was whatever she wouldn't talk about last week. This needed approval from the brass, this was going to be interesting. All the students took their seats.

'I know many of you have been bored with the curriculum so far. I can't blame you,' Moody bellowed. 'Everyone thinks Defence is throwing spells around and taking people out, but it is so much more than that. I hope you have begun to realize the mental preparation this branch of magic entails. We have discussed the Unforgivable Curses plenty, but today you will be able to experience one.'

Several students gasped, some shuddered, everyone tried to portray calmness.

'Nobody will be forced to do this, but I would highly encourage each one of you to participate. We have many officials here to ensure you are not made to do anything dangerous, and that you are completely released from the spell. Any of you with half a brain could have deduced what Unforgivable we will be experimenting with today. Zabini?'

'I would guess the Imperius Curse, sir,' Zabini hesitated as he spoke.

'Don't guess, boy! If you know the answer, say it. Aye, the Imperius Curse. I want you to feel the curse first, memorize the feeling. I will instruct you to do something silly. When you feel that prompting, fight it!' His voice reverberated throughout the room.

He proceeded in alphabetical order, instructing students to make animal noises, sing lullabies and perform acrobatics or embarrassing dance maneuvers. No one declined the opportunity, if you could call it that.

'Davis!'

Tracey stood from her desk and took the spell in the chest. Her head flinched and she took in a deep breath, it appeared as if she was experiencing a new aroma. Moody gave his instructions and she started roaring like a lion, baring her teeth and staring people down. She was released and shook her head, before sitting back down, amongst the laughter of her peers.

'Greengrass!'

Daphne rose and took the spell in the same manner as Tracey, accompanied by the same deep inhale.

'Cluck like a chicken!' Moody commanded.

Her arms at both sides bent at the elbow, but went no further. She straightened her arms and threw her head up straight, a fierce look of defiance on her face. Moody repeated the command, but this time it had even less effect on her. Moody grinned, and a few of the other adults looked pleased that someone was capable of fighting off the spell.

'Well done Miss. Greengrass. You can take your seat,' Moody said with an air of satisfaction.

Cody had been paying close attention to his friends. They both appeared to do similar things before standing up: close their eyes and take a deep breath. It was much like a mini meditation, from his perspective. Cody then went into his own mediation routine. He knew when his turn would come up and he wanted as much magic at the ready when the time came.

'Langdon!'

Cody rose and felt the spell hit his chest. A misty sensation filled his head, and he started to feel dizzy. He heard—no he felt a prompting to jump upon his desk and howl like a wolf. He bent at the knees, but then another part of his brain kicked in—why? He straightened up, and focused on that reasonable part of his brain that he barely registered the second prompting. He stood resolutely until the curse was lifted and the cloudy fog left his head.

'Impressive. You may take your seat,' Moody said with a nod. He proceeded to put the rest of the class through the exercise and none were able to resist. The most entertaining of the group was Malfoy.

'What does the fox say?' Moody asked him.

'Ring-ding-ding-ding-dingeringeding! Gering-ding-ding-ding-dingeringeding! Gering-ding-ding-ding-dingeringeding!' Malfoy sang out.

'Well, now we know,' Moody commented, looking at the other adults who just nodded their acceptance while failing to suppress their smirks. The extra Aurors just had their heads down, refusing to look up, and the class rang out with bouts of laughter—as they had been doing nearly the whole class period.

'Greengrass. Langdon. I'd like you to stay after for a moment,' Moody said as he dismissed the class about ten minutes early. He also looked at Madam Bones and she gave him a nod. She met Cody on his way up to the desk and led him to the side of the room while Daphne spoke with Moody and Dumbledore for a moment.

'That was quite splendid, fighting off the Imperius,' an impressed Madam Bones said.

'I guess so. It kinda just happened, I don't even know if I can accurately describe how,' he said with a hint of wonderment.

'Yes, magic can be mysterious in the way it works sometimes,' she said. Daphne had finished her chat, so Madam Bones guided him up to the two men waiting to speak with him.

'Impressive display, Mr. Langdon,' Moody said.

'Thank you, sir.'

'If I may ask, how did you do it?'

'I really don't know, sir.'

'How about a speculation?' Moody prompted.

'Uh, well, I had just focused on my magic before it was my turn. Kinda letting it flood me, in a sense. Then when I felt the prompt, a part of my brain said "no." I just followed that part and resisted.'

'Very interesting,' Moody said. Madam Bones had a pensive look on her face, as did Dumbledore, who was stroking his beard.

'I do have a question for you. Does physical exercise help with your magic?' Cody asked.

'Aye, I am of the belief that it does. There are others that will disagree, but I submit that it is because they haven't actually tested their hypothesis.'

'Well, I exercise regularly. I've felt that I have control over more of my magic as I get stronger.'

'I think you are onto something. I'd encourage you to continue, thank you for your time.' Moody dismissed him. Dumbledore and Madam Bones gave him a nod and a smile in goodbye, though they stayed behind to have further discussion with the Defence professor. Daphne and Tracey were waiting for him as he left the class.

'So, how'd you do it?' Tracey asked excitedly.

'Wouldn't you like to know?' Cody smirked.

'Rude,' Tracey pouted.

'It was probably the same as Daphne.'

'I highly doubt that,' Tracey replied. Daphne just let a smile play on her face listening to the back and forth.

'Well, it was just refusing to follow the command. When I felt the prompt, I followed the part of my brain that said "no." There wasn't much else to it, I don't even know what I did for that to happen. Was it much different for you, Daphne?' he asked.

'No, not much different,' Daphne agreed. Then with a wicked grin she added, 'Tracey seemed to make a good lion. Maybe the Hat messed up her sorting.'

'Now you're being rude too?' Tracey asked, mouth agape.

'That's hardly an insult,' Cody interjected.

'Yeah, it's more like slander,' Tracey countered.

'Well, now who's the one being rude?' he asked teasingly.

'Oh, please. The next time you care about your house will be the first,' Tracey said dismissively.

'That's true,' he conceded. 'Well, this is my exit, see ya, TouchDown.'

'Bye, Cody,' they intoned together.

'Auntie said you kicked the Imperious,' Susan complimented as they met for Defence the next day.

'Yeah, I—'

'You don't have to explain. She already told me. She thought I might've taught you some things, but I just told her you seem to have a different "relationship" with magic. Honestly, I wasn't that surprised when she told me, more impressed than anything.'

'I do feel like I interact differently with magic, in a weird sort of way.'

'You do, no offense or anything, but your wand motions suck. Yet, after you practice a spell enough it's almost like it doesn't matter,' she said with an air of curiosity.

'Well, I like to say it's 'cause my teacher explains things so well,' he said with a friendly smile. She pushed his shoulder and smiled in return.

'If you're trying to get me to take it easy on you, it's not going to work. Let's start,' she said with a knowing grin, and they got to work.

Saturday morning after his workout he went straight to breakfast. Fleur's boyfriend was visiting, so Celine sat across from her with an open seat waiting for Cody. He plopped down, startling Celine, and she slapped his arm, which had become a common occurrence.

'I thought I've told you to stop doing that,' she said playfully

'You say that with your words, but your eyes and smile say otherwise. It's so cute,' he said flirtatiously.

Fleur let out a small groan. Cody smiled at her and then noticed her boyfriend seemed to be enjoying his girlfriend's minor disgust as well.

'I can see why Celine likes you. I'm Sebastian,' he said, extending a hand.

'Nice to meet you, I'm Cody,' he replied, shaking his hand. 'Fleur pretends to be annoyed, but we know she thinks it's sweet.'

'Yes, she needs to keep up appearances,' Sebastian added.

'Not you too, you can't take his side,' Fleur said feigning offense.

'You're right, ma cherie. These two are childish,' he said sweetly, but adding a wink to Cody and Celine. They both gave a nod of acceptance.

Cody found Sebastian to be an agreeable guy, and that was a good thing, since they would be spending much of the day together. Cody excused himself to clean up and the girls also claimed to need to make preparations for the day.

They all met at the carriages and rode together to the quaint village. They meandered through shops, making small talk as they browsed. They ended up at the Three Broomsticks for lunch. He saw Daphne and Tracey with Krum and one of Krum's friends or teammates, he thought he recognized him. They both smiled and waved. Neither of them seemed awkward or forced. He gave a friendly wave and smile in return, before sitting at his table.

'Sebastian, they've made the announcement for the Yule Ball. You'll be able to take me, non? I'd hate to have to find a date here.' Fleur said.

'Of course, and I already have secured leave to attend the second task as well.'

'Do you know what the task is yet?' Cody asked, any hint would be great.

'Non, nothing yet,' Fleur said, slightly defeated. She held herself to a pretty high standard, so not having the clue solved yet surely ate at her.

'No changing the subject, Cody. Do you have a date to the Yule Ball yet?' Fleur asked with a mischievous smile. She thought she was being funny but it actually turned out to be a good ice breaker for Cody to break the news.

'Uh, I'm actually not gonna be here for the Yule Ball,' he said softly.

'What!' Celine cried.

'Yeah, I've had my travel plans set for sometime. I'd love to go, but seeing my friends and family is kind of a big deal too.'

'Your friends are non-magiques, non?' Fleur asked.

'Yeah, my parents too.'

'You couldn't sneak away for a day?' Celine asked with hope.

'Uh—' Cody started.

'He would need someone to go get him, then someone to take him back. And then come up with a story as to why he was gone all day, considering the time difference,' Sebastian extolled all the reasons he could see a problem.

'I suppose that could be difficult. Doesn't mean I like it,' Celine said with a playful pout.

'I know, I'm sorry. I'd really like to go, I love dancing.' He was grateful this worked out without him having to resort to blatant lying, even if it was about things almost no one knew about him.

They had a pleasant lunch, and then spent more time wandering around the shops of the village. At some point the group of pairs had split up; nobody complained. It wasn't late but they had done just about everything they cared to do at the village. They started walking back to the carriages.

'Are you in a hurry to get back?' he asked casually.

'Non.'

'Are you cold?'

She shook her head, 'Warming charms.'

He nodded, reached out and gently grabbed her hand. 'Let's walk then,' he suggested.

She smiled and let her fingers lace through his. 'I'd like that.'

They walked in relative silence, enjoying the beauty of the fallen snow glistening in the slowly fading sunlight. They entered the grounds and the carriage was quickly approaching. Celine then gently pulled him towards a tree where they could get a semblance of privacy. There weren't many people out, so it didn't take much to be removed from prying eyes. She wrapped her arms around his chest and buried her head in the crook of his neck. He had his arms awkwardly draped over her.

'Mmm, much better than a warming charm,' she purred.

'I thought you said you weren't cold?'

'I wasn't, but this is just. . . better.'

'I could think of something else that would be better,' he said suggestively. 'Considering there isn't an audience this time.'

'That there isn't,' she replied softly as her arms made their way around his neck.

Now, he could comfortably wrap his arms around her waist. She looked up at him with the same inviting eyes and he leaned his head down to meet her lips as she rose slightly on her toes. They broke and she again rested her head in the crook of his neck.

'You could use some practice,' she said dryly.

'Hey!,' he said in playful defense.

She pulled her head back, and with a coquettish tone said, 'Practicing with me could be fun.'

His eyes widened. 'Oh,' he said with new understanding. 'Yeah, I could definitely use some practice.' He leaned down and kissed her again, though she broke the contact rather quickly.

'Not tonight though. I need to study. We have midterms starting next week, and I need to do well,' she said with conviction.

'Yeah, I should do some studying today too,' he said with disappointment.

'Don't be sad. We will have time.' She added one more peck, before taking his hand and leading him toward the carriage. Where they said their goodbyes, and separated for the evening.

He made it back to the castle in time to get to Astoria's study group, and he was surprised to see Daphne and Tracey there. His surprise must have been clear on his face because Daphne answered his unvocalized question.

'Yes, my sister may be a drill sergeant, but there is a method to her madness. And those methods help us pass,' Daphne defended.

'I didn't say anything,' he replied with his hands up. 'Do you really think you are going to cram half a semester's worth of studying into the next week?'

'We don't need to know all of it,' Daphne replied.

'Just need to know enough to get that "A." ' Tracey cut in. 'A's or O's—'

'Nobody knows,' Daphne finished the phrase for her and they both started giggling.

He couldn't really argue with their logic, it wasn't far off from how he had always treated school. Astoria's eye roll nearly shook the room, before she cleared her throat and signaled to the group it was time to begin; no more distracting antics.

Daphne and Tracey integrated seamlessly into the group. He wondered if they had pulled similar cram sessions in years past. They even regularly chimed in during the conversations. Though their comments usually dealt more on the practical side of magic, and someone, usually Astoria, would tie it back into the theoretical discussion. Cody felt this was a better balance to the more typical intellectually focused conversations that the group would have.

He noticed there were still some moments between Astoria and Mathias, the one person she couldn't maintain much eye contact with—not that he was any better. Tracey also seemed to catch on to this relatively quick, Daphne not so much. What Daphne did notice was Cody's grin as he would catch one of these funny moments. Eventually, she caught Cody's eye with a questioning look. He just nodded his head towards Tracey. The two friends whispered together which resulted in Daphne developing a mirthful grin. He wasn't sure if it was a good thing Daphne was in on this knowledge, but once Tracey knew there was no stopping it.

Daphne and Tracey left quickly when the session was over, with Tracey seeming to be the one anxious to go, that was odd. He always stayed behind to chat with Astoria and crack her back, and her friend Sophie also typically hung back for the same reason. Her crush on him was not exactly subtle, but she also wasn't aggressive about it, so he humored her.

That night he met up with his Astronomy tutors, and everything seemed normal until Tracey opened her mouth.

'Well, the stars are bright tonight. We should get started before the clouds move in.' It was not like Tracey to skip over gossiping about the day or previous week. Even more considering they had all been on dates that day, that type of thing was Tracey's life blood.

'Alright, what's up with you?' Cody asked her knowingly.

Daphne laughed as Tracey let out a sigh.

'I told you you'd never be able to keep it a secret,' Daphne said to Tracey before turning to Cody with a glint in her eyes. 'Her impromptu date apparently turned into a snogfest.'

Cody raised his eyebrows and just looked at Tracey expectantly.

'What do you want me to say? When there's chemistry, you can't deny it,' she said with a blush. 'And Dee's being no fun, not telling me anything,' Tracey pouted.

'Because you can't keep your bloody trap shut,' Daphne proclaimed.

'And that right there proves something happened!' Tracey exclaimed. Then she looked to Cody, 'But she just won't tell me what. Are you going to be a spoilsport too?'

'I had a wonderful day, and we didn't go to Puddifoot's,' he said with a smirk.

'Pssh, just like Dee, a whole bunch of words with no meaning. Well, all I can say is Dimitri is a good kisser, and you two are probably just jealous you didn't get any,' Tracey said with feigned haughtiness.

'Not gonna work, Tee,' Daphne sing-songed.

'You're both no fun. I hope your lips get chapped and fall off next time you want to kiss someone,' Tracey whined.

'Well that escalated quickly,' Cody remarked.

'Don't keep gossip from Tee, it's like trying to keep a niffler from gold,' Daphne said.

They watched the stars and the bit of information that did come out was that Daphne and Tracey had accepted petitions from their respective dates to attend the Yule Ball. Whether it was because he was expecting it, he wasn't going to be there (as Cody) or his developing relationship with Celine—he couldn't say—but there wasn't any pang of jealousy. He just felt happy his friends would be going with people they seemed to like. Tracey continued to try and get the other two to talk about their dates, but no one took the bait.

Even when he gave Tracey her hug goodnight she whispered in his ear, 'You can tell me. I won't tell Dee, promise.'

'Ha, yeah right. Still not gonna work,' he replied.

He gave Daphne her hug as well, it seemed. . . normal. No sense of awkwardness.

'Night TouchDown,' he sang.

'Night Cody,' they sing-songed in unison.

Sunday morning he played his guitar extra long to make up for missed time the week before. By the end he could tell Padfoot was anxious to chat, it was basically his only human to human interaction so he always greatly looked forward to it.

'Are you all ready to come to California?' Cody asked.

'Yeah, I'm all packed up,' Sirius replied with an exaggerated eye roll.

'Oh, we might have to get you some new clothes when we're there. And all my friends are non-magical, but they know about magic. Is that going to be a problem?'

'Nah, wizards threw me away without a trial for something I didn't do. I have little respect for their laws now.'

'As if you ever had respect for laws.'

'True, but I haven't a problem with muggles. Now, let's hear about your trip to Hogsmeade with the French bird. You seemed to be getting along well enough.'

'Were you spying on me?'

'I wouldn't call it spying. I just happened to be walking by the path to Hogsmeade the same time you were returning. You seemed comfortable.'

'Yeah, we get along really well. Except when I talk about anything non-magical. I might as well be speaking a different language.'

'Hey, don't worry about it. It's not like you are gonna marry the girl. Most people don't marry their first girlfriend anyway. It's ok to just have some fun. You're fifteen.'

'Right.'

'You aren't still hung up on that other bird, are you?'

'I'm really not. At least, I don't think I am. I don't get nervous around her or anything, and she seems to be acting normal. The night when I found out Krum first asked her out was awkward, but since then, not really.'

'Did she tell you how her date with Krum went?'

'No, and I didn't say anything about me and Celine either. And not because Tracey didn't ask. She was a menace.'

'Hm, that's interesting. Well, I'll say it again, just have fun. You're a kid, act like one. Unless you're dealing with dragons, that is.'

'Girls can be worse than dragons.'

'Don't I know it. I'm sure there's some girls that still curse my name. But you're not the same as me, I don't think you'll have that problem. Just keep being you.'

'Alright, thanks, Sirius.'

They set up their travel plans for the next weekend and Cody headed back to the castle. Cramming sessions had taken over the school. When Cody returned to the common room it was void of games and the regular antics. Instead it was filled with books and quills scratching on parchment. He was tempted to set up shop here, but he knew he actually learned more when studying with Asotria's group. She had told him where they would be throughout the day, there was no Sunday morning break for her.

Even Monday evening, instead of practicing, Astoria insisted they use the time to revise for next week's exams. Considering he was already done learning any first year charms, he conceded.

'Hey, I know you told Mathias something,' Astoria said accusingly.

'I just helped him find his inner Gryffindor,' Cody smiled. He had all but guaranteed Mathias that Astoria would say "yes." He hadn't used his mind reading skills much while at school, but he had done it a bit on Astoria to know he wasn't giving Mathias bad intel. He didn't want the kid to lose confidence, and fortunately it had worked out and she agreed to go with him.

'Right. Well, now thanks to you, I have to waste time with Ball preparations. Daph is going to be insufferable.'

'Oh, humour her. You might actually find it fun if you forget about being miserable about it.'

'Ok, I'll try,' Astoria relented.

That's how the week progressed; class, eat, study, sleep, repeat. Oh, he snuck away with Celine for a brief moment here and there, not often nor long enough, but it was a welcome reprieve from the mental grind. He felt like the little rendezvous and his morning exercise were the only things keeping him sane. He kept telling himself he just had to make it through next week.

One night in the common room he found Ginny studying by herself and he had an idea he wanted to run by her.

'Hey, Ginny,' he said softly, trying not to startle her nor draw attention.

She looked up and smiled, 'Hey. What's up, Cody?'

'I've got an idea you might be interested in,' he said with a mischievous smile.

Her eyes lit up and she put down her book. 'Tell me,' she demanded quietly.

He explained his plan and how he thought they could pull it off.

'I like it, and I don't think it will be that hard,' she said with mirth.

'I'm not going to be here for the Ball, so that parts gonna be all on you. I'll help you get it all ready though.'

'No problem, I can't wait. This Ball is just getting better and better,' Ginny said with satisfaction.

Exam week was no less busy than the week of preparation. Cody had never felt stress like this for school tests, he had never cared as much. He knew there were some students that thought he was getting preferential treatment, and even though he told himself not to care, he still carried a bit of an "I'll show you" attitude into the exams.

He felt pretty confident about his scores in Charms, Defence, Transfiguration, Astronomy and Potions—as long as Snape graded fairly. Herbology and History of Magic he was just hoping to pass, he just didn't enjoy them, which made studying for them much more difficult. If there was one good thing about all the tests, it was that it made the week fly by.

Dinner Friday evening had a celebratory atmosphere. The international students weren't currently present so he was sat at the Hufflepuff table visiting with Michael, Hannah, Susan and Theo—their date had gone well enough that he was spending more time at her table during meals. Cody hadn't been here as often lately, so it was good to catch up. They all expressed disappointment that he wouldn't be able to attend the Yule Ball.

'So, do you all celebrate Christmas?' Cody asked.

'We exchange gifts. So don't think you are off the hook for that just 'cause you won't be here,' Susan said.

'I wouldn't forget you, but how do I get them to you?'

'I thought muggles loved Santa Claus?' Susan responded with surprise.

'Come on. I'm old enough to know the Santa Claus ruse.'

'Cody, he's real,' Michael said seriously.

'No way. You're not going to get me,' Cody declared.

'Why, because you think he can't come down the chimney?' Michael asked.

'For one thing,' Cody replied.

'But now you know about floo travel,' Hannah said.

'Oooh! I never thought of that,' Cody said in awe.

'Flying reindeer, with a magical sleigh,' Susan added.

'A pouch that can expand to hold limitless gifts, and the ability to shrink and enlarge,' Theo said.

'An army of toy making elves,' said Hannah.

'But wouldn't non-magical adults realize their kids were getting gifts that they hadn't bought?' Cody asked.

'Yeah, Santa completely stopped going to muggles once the Statute of Secrecy went into place. It was too risky to keep it up,' Susan said.

'They say he probably doesn't have to use a time-turner anymore, since he just does magical homes,' Theo said.

'Nobody knows the specifics. Maybe he just has the elves do more, we know they can pop in and out just about anywhere,' Michael speculated.

'Wait. What's a time-turner?' Cody asked.

'It lets you go back in time. They are highly regulated by the Ministry because they could obviously cause some big problems in the wrong hands,' Susan explained.

'Wow, that makes the whole Santa story make sense. That's almost exactly what they tell little kids until they are old enough to figure out it's all a ruse,' Cody said. 'So you just leave out your gifts for others and they get replaced with the ones for you?'

'That's it,' Susan smiled. 'Watching you learn about new magic never gets old.'

'I've got to admit, this one surprised me. And I thought I was done being surprised by magic,' Cody said. He then said his goodbyes and went out onto the grounds. He still had to say goodbye to Celine.

'So, this is it. You're really going? Do you have to?' Celine asked solemnly, as they met under the tree that had become one of their default meeting places, the disappointment evident in her voice.

'You're really gonna make me say it? No, I don't have to go. And as much as I want to stay, I want to see them too. It's only a couple weeks,' he said, trying to comfort her with his words and by wrapping his arms around her.

'Not the answer I was hoping for, but I understand. I miss my family too, but I have my best friends here. I am going to miss my warming charm though,' she said while snuggling into his embrace.

'Me too,' he said. They did some practicing, the exam week had left little time for private moments.

'Your kissing has improved,' she said sweetly.

'I've had a good instructor,' he replied with a grin.

'You just better not come back any better,' she teased, a playful smile on her face.

He laughed, 'You have nothing to worry about.' One more kiss goodbye and he went back to Gryffindor Tower to gather his things before he left.

He entered Professor McGonagall's office ready to head home for a well earned break.

'I do have some last minute things to discuss with you before we go,' she said.

'Ok.' He was curious.

'I remember you were hesitant to purchase dress robes for the Yule Ball,' she started.

'Yeah, I'm gonna get a tux, so no need to worry about that,' he replied.

'That would be fine if you were coming as Mr Langdon. Unfortunately, for the champions, dress robes are mandatory.' Her face said there was no disputing the fact, so any attempt would be futile.

'Ok, so I have to wear the robes,' he said in defeat. 'Anything else?'

She did have something else to discuss with him, and it had him leaving in a much better mood. He flooed to the manor, then had an elf pop him to the predetermined spot to meet up with Sirius and Key.

'You didn't spend as much time with the French bird as I thought you would've,' Sirius commented.

'You were watching us?' Cody responded in disbelief.

'No, of course not. I don't do that. I sent Key to keep an eye on you.'

'You can talk to her?'

'Somehow we can communicate a little when I'm Padfoot. Don't ask me to explain.'

§You should use more tongue.§ Key hissed.

§What! No. I am not taking kissing advice from a snake!§

§Yeah, what do I know? I'm only a female with infrared vision. Which means I could tell when your mate was enjoying your pre-mating rituals.§

§She's not my mate—Wait, she was enjoying it?§ He asked with interest.

§As were you.§

§Ok! That's enough! This conversation is over!§

'Your snake seems to have you a bit flustered,' Sirius noted playfully.

'I'm not talking about it! Let's go,' Cody declared, trying to hide his embarrassment. And he instructed the elf to take them to the flat.

They had a couple hours to kill so they set up on the couch and watched some movies. Sirius was in heaven.

'This is all I want to do for the next two weeks,' Sirius proclaimed.

'There will be plenty of time for that,' Cody said.

It was a few hours later when they could hear the pop come from the back bedroom. Jennifer walked out and Cody made introductions.

'Meeting you is a pleasure beyond measure,' Sirius said in his most regal tone, kissing her knuckles and adding a roguish grin.

'Oh my, such a gentleman,' Jennifer playfully said.

'Sirius, she's like ten years older than you,' Cody scolded.

'And I'm still married,' Jennifer added.

'You didn't seem to care about age differences a few hours ago,' Sirius accused. Jennifer's eyes widened. 'Oh, you haven't told your mom about the extent of your new relationship. I need to use the loo.' Sirius excused himself. And Jennifer gave Cody an expectant look.

'What? It's just Celine, you already knew about her. I guess we are just more of a thing now,' Cody said a bit shyly.

'Oh, ok. I guess I was kinda hoping things would work out with that Daphne girl. She seemed fun.'

'Well, sorry to disappoint you, but we're just friends. And seeing other people, so don't get your hopes up.'

'Don't get so defensive, a mother can have her opinions. If Celine is so nice, maybe you should tell me more about her.'

'Tomorrow. I'm exhausted and I have some things I need to do in the morning.'

'Good night, sweetie.'

'Mom!' Cody intoned in embarrassment.

'Don't worry, it sounds like Sirius is already asleep. He didn't hear anything.' Snores could be heard coming from one of the extra bedrooms.

'Good night, mom,' Cody said as he headed off to bed.

Saturday morning Cody arose before the others, adjusted his appearance, then set off to Diagon Alley to meet with Madam Bones. She was already waiting for him in front of Fortescue's, where he had designated. She saw him approaching, and while his hat gave him enough cover to go unnoticed through the alley, his deliberate path towards her gave away his identity just enough to not startle her. She was expecting him after all.

'Madam Bones, it's nice to meet you,' he said politely while extending a hand.

'The pleasure is all mine,' she replied. 'I must say, I was very surprised to hear from you.'

'Well, I've recently learned our families have been associated for some time. I figured it would be good to stay in touch,' he explained.

'Getting in touch is a good way to start,' she said with a hint of lighthearted reproach. She was sympathetic, yet not a complete pushover.

'I do need to get measured for robes for the Yule Ball. Would you like to accompany me? Then we could find a private place to chat,' he suggested.

'That would be fine. The Ministry will likely be fairly empty today. We could use my office.'

'That's great.'

They entered Malkin's and an employee quickly approached.

'How may I help you today?' she said politely.

'I need to get fitted for some dress robes,' Cody replied.

'Right this way.' And she led him to the measuring platform as the magical tape got to work. 'So, what's the occasion?'

'Yule Ball.'

'At Hogwarts?'

'Is there another you know of?'

'No, I just thought all the students would have their robes already.'

'Save the best for last, and all that,' he said playfully.

She laughed, and added a small eye roll. 'Sure, what color would you like?'

'I'm not gonna pretend to know anything. Would you pick out what you think would be best?'

She nodded. 'And what is the name on the order?'

'Harry Potter.'

She snapped her head In his direction, and started sizing him up. 'Are you really him?' She asked him, but looked towards Madam Bones for confirmation. She received a nod in the affirmative.

'Yes, I'm really me. And I'd rather keep the publicity to a minimum.'

'Oh, of course. I'm sure Madam Malkin herself would like to work on these. I'll send her word straightaway and we should have them ready in a couple hours,' her tone a bit more frantic than before.

'Great. Thank you.'

Madam Bones apparated them to the Ministry and escorted him through the nearly empty building to her office. There they talked about their family history and he gave her a brief description of his upbringing without too many details. He could tell that frustrated her a bit, but he assured her he was safe.

She described her role in the Wizengamot and he got lost in some of her descriptions.

'You know, I have no clue about all that stuff. And if my family trusted yours enough to be aligned, who am I to try and change anything,' he said.

'Very well, I know there's plenty more to catch up on, but is there anything else you wanted to discuss!?'

'Yeah, do you know anything about all the letters that have been sent to me over the years?'

'Yes, in fact I do. We have a whole file dedicated to your undeliverable post.'

She took him to another room full of filing cabinets. She opened a drawer and pulled out a box labeled "Harry Potter." She handed him the box and encouraged him to open it.

'They've all been cleared of any magic,' she dismissed a concern he hadn't even considered.

He opened the box to reveal a series of folders, set in chronological order and labeled by year. 'Doesn't seem like much. For some reason I was expecting more. Not to sound conceited or anything.'

'They are all magically shrunken. There's more than you'll ever be able to actually get through by yourself,' she laughed. 'You can take that with you and go through them at your leisure.'

'Of course, thanks.'

They left the ministry and returned to pick up his robes. Madam Malkin herself was waiting for him and ushered him to a private fitting room. She had gone all out on his robes and he was actually impressed with the look.

'Please try them on, Mr Potter,' she instructed.

He put them on and looked himself over in the mirror. The women demanded he turn around and they gave approving nods when he did.

'I'm surprised to say that I actually like them,' he said.

'Well, of course you do. I pulled out all the stops,' Malkin declared. Then she elaborated on the various charms and their effects.

'So, how much?' he asked, pulling out his moleskin pouch.

'Oh, for you Mr Potter, first set is on the house,' she replied politely.

'Sweet!' he declared, closing up the pouch and putting it away.

'Oh!' she breathed, while raising her brows. She did not expect him to accept the offer without some persuasion. 'Perhaps we could arrange a bit of an agreement?'

'What kind of agreement? he asked skeptically.

'Well, all I would ask is that you make sure to mention my store when they ask about your robes.'

'And they most assuredly will,' Madam Bones interjected.

'A little advertising in exchange for the robes? That is more than fair. Thank you. These are wonderful and I will tell anyone and everyone where they were made,' he said with a gracious smile.

'Wonderful. It was my pleasure to help you, Mr Potter. I look forward to your next visit. And don't forget to bring your robes in for adjustments. A growing boy like you will assuredly need to have some resizing done,' she said, trying to secure future business.

They left the robes store and ate lunch at a small café, The Tasty Truffle. A few privacy charms allowed them the peace they desired. He told her he would be sure to keep in touch. He had to hold in a smirk as she glowed about her niece his same age. She was sure they would get along swimmingly. They went their separate ways from there and he went back to the flat.

Sirius and his mom were at the kitchen table, eating and chatting.

'Meeting go well?' Jennifer asked.

'Yeah, Amelia is a nice person,' Cody responded.

'What's in the box?' Sirius asked.

'Letters. All the letters people sent me over the years,' Cody explained. He set the box down, opened it and pulled out a few folders. They started rifling through and he located the group sent what would have been the summer before his first year. All the envelopes had the sender's name on the front, along with the date. That made it easy to find Daphne's letter she had sent him as an eleven year old.

Dear Harry,

My name is Daphne Greengrass, and you've obviously never met me, and I've never met you, but somehow, I, like the rest of the wizarding world, feel like I know you, and owe you a debt of gratitude. I suppose every time someone thanks you it just reminds you of what you lost, so I'll try to remember to never do it again, if that's what you want. Anyway, I'm starting at Hogwarts this year, and according to everyone around me, you are supposed to be starting there too. If things go like they're supposed to, I'll be in Slytherin and you'll be in Gryffindor, so we probably won't be friends, which I think is stupid, but I'm not brave enough to break the mould, that's the Gryffindor thing to do. So, if you are the brave Gryffindor like they say you are, know that you have a friend in Slytherin house, if you want one.

I know I said I wouldn't bring up your parents again, but that is the real reason I wanted to write this letter, so I won't do it again after I'm done writing. My parents told me that you are an orphan and I was so sad to think that you've never been able to know your parents, even though we've all thought you are living some glamorous life. So, if by chance you are being raised in an orphanage, which my parents say is possible, even if I didn't want to believe it, I would want to offer you the opportunity to live at our house. I know it sounds crazy, but I couldn't bear the thought of you not living with a family who cares for you, and my parents are wonderful people, and me and my sister have always wanted a brother.

I hope that you read this and find it funny, since you have a happy home somewhere. As The-Boy-Who-Lived should have. And I just realized how stupid that is to call you that, and I would blot it out, but mother makes me use the UnblotQuill so I can't remove my mistakes in the hope that I won't repeat them. I promise to never call you that again, cross my heart. Anyway, I'll cut off my ramblings now.

I hope this letter finds you well. And I'd love a reply, though I'm not expecting one. And I do hope we can be friendly, if not friends, at school. You are free to call me Daphne, and I hope I wasn't too presumptuous by addressing you as Harry at the top of this letter. Sometimes I feel they want us to be too adult with some of these wizarding traditions they teach us kids. So, I'll call you Potter at school until you give me permission to do otherwise.

Sincerely yours,

Daphne Greengrass

P.S. - My parents kind of helped me write some of this, so they know I offered you to stay at our house and are ok with it.

He lifted his head up after a reading, not noticing the big smile that had grown in his face. His mother definitely noticed.

'Is that a good one?' Jennifer asked.

'Yeah, it is pretty good,' Cody responded with the smile still playing on his face. He could see why Daphne would be embarrassed, but it wasn't that bad. It was actually pretty cute of her to even think about all that. He had seen glimpses of this side of her, but this was pure sweetness.

'I've told you I like this one, right?' Jennifer said after setting the letter down, she obviously recognized the name.

'You've made that clear,' Cody replied dryly.

'Well, this does nothing to change that. And that name, consider me jealous. If she is half as gorgeous as her name—'

'Mom!' He drew the word out in embarrassment. Sirius was chuckling in his chair.

'And she must have good parents, too,' Jennifer added with a grin. It had been a while since she could tease her son like this.

'More than I can say for me,' he said with a smirk. That earned him a muffin to the head. 'My point is made.'

Another muffin came hurling his way, and a food fight broke out at the table. Magic made cleaning so easy, there was no reason not to indulge.