The first day of school dawned rainy and gray Monday morning. Harry was back at the cottage, running around finding his rain slicker and trying to stuff all the supplies into an unenchanted Muggle backpack.

Harry himself felt very smart in his uniform-issue blue blazer and trousers, though his stomach was churning with nerves. Remus took a look at his barely-touched breakfast and added another sandwich to the lunchbox he was packing.

"Loki should be here any minute," he said. "Do you-"

But whatever he had meant to ask, it was lost to the storm as the door opened and Loki came in, bearing a black umbrella.

"Ready?" he said. Harry nodded.

Loki apparated them to a hill overlooking a cul-de-sac of large Muggle houses, topped with metal satellite dishes and strung with wires that shook in the wind. No one was out in this weather; they walked down the street unnoticed, Loki briskly, Harry lagging behind. Rain pounded the asphalt streets, but he stayed dry, despite trailing the umbrella completely.

"I vetted the school personally," Loki promised. "It will be an excellent educational experience for a Mi-Muggle. And for you, as well."

"What if I'm not good enough?" Harry asked in a small voice.

Loki turned back sharply.

"You're my godson," he said. "Of course you're good enough."

Harry frowned.

"It doesn't matter what anyone thinks of you, Harry," Loki said soothingly, resting a hand on his shoulder. "As long as you are achieving your goals. If you do not like it here, we will find you a different school to play in. Understood?"

Harry nodded.

"Okay," he mumbled.

He could see the school coming up across the street, a big building, all white brick and glass. There was a crowd gathering in the yard out front: students and teachers, buffeted by the wind.

Harry paused, thinking of something else.

"What if they figure out I'm not a Muggle?"

Loki shrugged, a quirk of the shoulder.

"We have people for that."

He flashed Harry a grin. Harry smiled back, nerves quieting a bit.

"Ready?"

Harry nodded.

"Go on, then."

Harry stopped, gave his godfather a quick hug, and then ran across the street as droplets of rain began to touch him.

There were teachers stationed all around the lot, with parents and children queuing up in front of them.

"Come along, now!" one called, surrounded by a gaggle of tiny first years. "The sooner you get lined up, the sooner we can get out of the rain!"

Harry looked around, taking in the plaits and backpacks and bright-colored wellies. A lot of the kids seemed to know each other-they'd been attending Newbury since reception. Everyone was waving at old friends or running into hi fives and enthusiastic hugs, or just huddling for warmth against the wind and chill.

He looked around aimlessly for a moment, not sure where to be, exactly, until a cheerful voice called behind him.

"Yair Five?"

"Er, yeah."

The speaker was a small boy with a Scottish accent, walking towards the building. A girl in plaits walked beside him, chattering so quickly Harry almost missed what she said.

"-doctorem," she said, launching back into a conversation about… physics, maybe. The two of them turned back when they saw he wasn't following.

"Come along!"

"This way!"

Doctor M, or Marvis, as she introduced herself, turned out to be the good-natured house professor. As soon as Harry and the others lined up, she called, "Twenty-one. That's everyone!" and took them gratifyingly into the warm hallway.

It was strange seeing so many electric lights- white and glass and harsh fluorescent gleaming floors. There were also lockers "(all new for year 5 students!)" and a lecture about laboratory safety, which Harry found quaint after Remus's lessons on potions.

"As a general reminder, any comestibles or volatile chemicals found in lockers will be grounds for discipline. Know your safety rules around chemicals. That's my class!" the professor finished off merrily. She led the children further down the hallway, pointing out the different labs before stopping at the classroom and greeting the students as they came in.

To a kid with some kind of pin on his lapel: "Hello, Kelsey! Still a fan of Star Wars, I see-"

To a boy with a mess of blond hair and mud-spattered trousers-"Matthew! Next time I'd recommend skipping over the puddles…"

To the pair of kids ahead of him, "Jemma and Leo! Inseparable as always."

And then the teacher was turning to Harry.

"Oho, here's a new student. Am I right in thinking you're Harry Jameson?"

"Um, yeah," Harry said, blinking as the name they'd given him came back. He'd fought back against the disguise idea, so this had been a compromise.

"No need to be nervous, Harry. Stand here; we'll get you set up!"

He stood next to the professor as the rest of the students filed in, feeling the weight of twenty sets of eyes on him.

"Hello, Class 4-A!" the professor said as the last student had sat down. "This is Harry; he's a new student here. Harry, why don't you tell us about yourself?"

Harry started, not expecting to be so suddenly called out. He looked around the classroom and calmed down slightly. It was just other kids. He'd been in front of far larger crowds before, though never Muggles. He hoped fervently he wouldn't say anything too strange.

"Er, hi," he said. "I'm Harry…" He dug around for something else to say. "I like Qui-sports. This school seems nice."

"Hi, Harry," some of the kids chorused. One of them called out, "What kind of sports do you like?"

Harry's hands twisted in his pockets as he tried to remember the name of a Muggle sport. Was footy a real thing? Surely not. But he thought there might be one named cricket, or possibly croquet. But which was it?

"Crick...et," he tried hopefully.

"Yesss," a girl in the back called. "Best game! Who's your favorite bowler?"

Oh no, cricket was the one with a lot of rules, wasn't it? Was it too late to change his answer?

"We don't play that one here, Chel," another kid said, sounding annoyed. Harry breathed a small sigh of relief. "But there's a footy team if you're interested…"

Footy. Harry mentally groaned. It was always the one you didn't go with…

"Yes, excellent," Dr. Marvis said, cutting into the chatter. Other conversations had started to break out as people lost interest in the sports dialogue. "Now, Mr. Jameson needs a partner for labs. Jemma and Leo, would you mind pairing with him?"

Jemma was the tall girl with plaits. Leo was a short, delicate-looking kid with unruly blond curls. He recognized them immediately as the pair who had helped him outside.

They turned towards him, flashing excited grins that were just a tiny bit intimidating.

"Sure, Professor!"

"Absolutely. We'll take him in hand."

"Excellent," Dr. Marvis said. "Now, on to the issue of scheduling…"

His first day passed quickly after that, professors introducing their subjects and quickly launching into lectures, Jemma and Leo showing Harry around the school. The next few weeks were a blur of lectures that left Harry's hand aching, his head spinning to keep up. Though Remus had always tutored him rigorously, he'd never before attended a real school, and the school that Loki had selected was one of the top primaries in the country.

He didn't exactly love studying either, though he was doing more and more of it these days, at the encouragement of both of his parental guardians.

His hopes for making friends could also be going more smoothly.

It would help if his seatmates (who were also his lab partners, test checkers and study group in the other classes) weren't quite so…attached already.

"Your project," Professor Jinkins said now, taking long pauses between words, "will be to…make a crystal radio…"

Their muffled whispers were already overwhelming the physics teacher's halting monologue.

"Ooh are you thinking-"

"Yes-If we add the heroditus transistor-"

"Using the materials in the lab…" Jinkins droned. The physics teacher couldn't be a further cry from the quick, no-nonsense Dr. Marvis.

"We're not calling it that, Leo-"

"We'll be able to send as well as receive-"

"To the chapter in your lab book... "

Harry was getting a bit of a headache, actually.

"Fine. You get the laser; I'll get the soldering gun."

"For more details…"

The teacher finished and the pair raced off and were lost in the general ruckus of the class. Harry stood at their workstation, feeling rather at loose ends.

Jemma got back first, her plaits swinging as she raced back to their table with the soldering gun.

"Oh, hello, Harry!" she said, as if just noticing him. "Great lesson, don't you think?"

"Er, yeah," Harry said, stepping out of the way as Leo dropped the laser onto the table with a thump.

"Hey Harry," he said. "Pass me that-no-the other thing-"

Harry hastily dropped a smoking piece of electronics back onto the table and passed over the wrench.

"Good man," Leo said, patting him on the arm as he and Jemma got back to work and the trail of smoke mercifully subsided.

"I don't know how you do it," the girl behind Harry said. He turned around, trying to remember her name. He thought Kylie, or maybe Kelsey. "Pair with Fitz and Simmons, I mean."

"They're not that bad," Harry hedged. She laughed.

"Naw, just the most oblivious married couple I've ever seen. Ever since Jemma switched in, they've been inseparable. Right, Mike?"

Mike glanced up at Harry.

"Oh, yeah," he said. "Props for pairing with them. Everybody hates it even though they're about the nicest people you've ever met."

"Even though you always get the best grades," the girl added, and the others nodded in agreement.

"Done!" Jemma cried, turning around and slapping Leo a high five.

Then they turned back to Harry and gave him high fives too.

"Say, Harry," Leo said to him later as they walked back down the hallway together. Harry was going to Maths, while Leo and Jemma were going to Advanced Maths, which was across the hall. "Where do you disappear to every other week?"

"Disappear?" Harry said.

"You know," Jemma said. "With the man in the black suit. And the black shirt. And the black tie-"

"Not to mention hair," Leo said. "Keend of a theme with him."

"I don't-" Harry started.

"That man," Leo said, pointing all the way down the hallway, where against the exit door leaned a man dressed exactly as described. He was twirling a wooden stick in his hand that might or may not have been Voldemort's wand.

Loki's bored expression found his. Harry winced.

"That's, erm, my guardian," he said. "I've got to go now, I think."

"Is everything okay?" Leo asked, looking a bit concerned.

"Er, yeah." Harry said. "Fine. Bye!"

The pair waved as he cut across the hallway.

"What's going on?" he asked when he reached Loki. "Is everything okay?"

"Press conference," Loki said. "I think it'll go over better with you, especially with that fool Cornelius there."

"Seriously?" Harry said. "But I have maths!"

"You'll catch up," Loki said. "I'll teach you myself if necessary. But I want to maintain our momentum with Germany-we can't let this collapse into peace talks."

"Why not?" Harry asked.

"Because we have the advantage," Loki said. "And now is the time to press it."

The conference was big. Reporters bustled at the front of the crowd in the reconstructed Diagon Alley. When he got there, they jostled to get in front.

"Announcing Minister Loki and his godson, Harry Potter, Our Legacy, The Boy Who Lived!"

Harry winced and tried to smile as cameras turned towards him and people from the crowd came up to the stage, trying to grab his hand. Loki did some kind of interference that made everyone slide off the stage, but Harry could see it was already making a difference. At least he hadn't been pulled out of school for nothing.

Cornelius Fudge was introduced moments after: a portly man in a lime green bowler hat that Harry thought was kind of cool.

Harry stayed next to Loki on the speaking stage, trying not to show his boredom as his godfather spoke to reporters about the war effort, taxes, and the benefits of collaborating with fellow countries.

"Nations are limiting, crippling," Loki was saying. "What we need right now — what we have always needed — is a United Wizardry."

Harry had to admit, it sounded good, especially compared to Fudge's stammered reponses. Come to think of it, there was an election this year, wasn't there? He could see that some of the people in the crowd seemed aligned with Fudge, though many more were supporting Loki and most looked neutral. It seemed this conference was about more than just the recent battle.

He peered around more, trying to see if there was anyone else he recognized in the crowd. A lot of Ministry people were there, including Amelia Bones and Draco's father, standing a bit closer to Loki's side. There was a blonde woman in orange robes and strange, silvery goggles-she was waving a magenta "Support Cornelius Fudge" pennant. Standing beside her was a boyish man with bulky-looking green robes. To Harry's surprise, he came to the front when a journalist called for General Longbottom.

"I think we're in good hands," the general said, gesturing back to Loki, who smiled, robes rippling. "Just seven years ago we were living under the shadow of a Dark Lord. Now England is flourishing, together with the other wizarding countries under our protection. I don't know whether there will be more conflict in the future; I sincerely hope there will not be. But I know that together we are stronger than apart."

"Thank you, General," Loki said, taking over. Harry fidgeted, looking for something more interesting.

He was just wondering what Jemma and Leo were up to right now when he caught a white-haired man moving oddly through the crowd. Harry tensed, bracing for an attack or something, but all he saw was a quick flash of light. His eyes narrowed and he watched the man slip back through the crowds, disappearing into Flourish and Blotts.

"Don't think that's really relevant," Fudge was protesting. "-That's a matter of perspective."

"I think that's all for now," Bones said at last, Harry breathing a sigh of relief as the crowd began to disperse and a team of purple-robed Ministry officials began cleaning up, vanishing chairs and litter off the cobblestones.

"What an unsightly mess," Malfoy drawled. "I'm sure they weren't half so forward five years ago."

"The price of change," Loki said, looking over the alley with interest.

A worker came over with tea. Loki nodded graciously, accepting it.

"Well, I think it's unnecessary," Fudge said. "Why should England be supporting all these foreigners? Taxes have gone up by a quarter-it's beyond what the Ministry was meant to do."

"Save it for the debates, Cornelius," Malfoy drawled.

"Seat?" Loki conjured one for Harry, who gladly took it. It had been a short conference, but he felt like his feet were going to fall off. "You did well."

"Thanks," Harry said. Loki leaned back against the podium, sipping his tea. "Can you help me with-"

He could see Loki flexing his fingers experimentally. Then the general jerked forwards as Loki began to slip down the podium.

"Ah," Loki said, his voice curious. "Poison."

Harry could hear a muffled shout of alarm, gasps from the people still in the Alley. His face was pushed into a mass of green fabric. Harry struggled to look back as General Longbottom lifted him, Loki leaning against his shoulder on the other side. He could hear Fudge arguing loudly with Bones.

Malfoy raised his wand and a curtain dropped down on the stage. A blur of silver drove past them, the world spinning as it compressed into a tiny tube.

They appeared inside the Ministry, in a small, purposeful office. Loki stumbled, then straightened, face dark. Harry moved around the general to hold Loki's hand, then almost dropped it. It was icy cold.

"I'm calling for a healer," Longbottom said.

"Don't bother," Loki said, sounding irritated. "I'm fine."

"You're poisoned," Longbottom said.

"It's not the first time," Loki said. "Get Lovegood, if you're to make yourself useful." He took in another breath. "Please."

Longbottom frowned, but nodded once and left the room.

"Are you really okay?" Harry asked, just as his godfather sank onto the floor.

"Loki!"

"Fine," Loki said. There was sweat on his temples, and the room was growing colder. "It's just… draining." He twisted his wand between his fingers, then looked down as if surprised to see it there.

"Why didn't you want him to bring a healer?" Harry asked, sitting next to him on the floor with his arms around his knees. He felt a bit surreal. An hour ago he'd been in school with Jemma and Leo.

"They're as likely to hurt as help," Loki said, "Seeing as healers here are trained to operate on wizard physiology."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked, but Loki put a finger to his lips as the door opened.

The orange-robed woman from earlier walked in, followed by a couple of orange- and purple-robed assistants.

"What's the verdict, Lovegood?" Loki said. He seemed different from a moment ago, despite still sitting on the floor. He had one leg stretched out, one knee up, his wand loose between his fingers, pointed at the door.

The purple-robed man cast a spell and read down the list, eyes widening.

"Um, Venomous Tentacula, infortunii, aconite, ricin, asphodel, valerian, wormwood, cyanide…"

"Excellent," Loki said.

The man coughed. "Should I try the spell again, or-"

"No, no, that looked fine. Thank you."

"Thank you," Lovegood said airily, waving a hand, and the assistants and Harry were booted out into the hall.

As they left, Harry heard Loki say, "It wasn't half bad."

"That would be the Tentacula," Lovegood replied. "It makes a lovely tea."

Harry let the door close, figuring if his godfather was making jokes, he couldn't be that badly off.

He walked out into a part of the Ministry he didn't recognize, a giant hall with a ceiling of crisscrossing panes. The sun was starting to set, making golden shadows on the wooden floor. There were chambers like the one he'd walked out of all along the wall, and a balcony that edged around the room overhead. As he looked, a bench appeared outside. After checking it for solidity, he sat down on it.

"Pretty, isn't it?"

Harry jumped. One of the assistants was still there, leaning on a column.

"...Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes," she said, with a wave. "Obliviation Division."

"Harry," Harry said, trying to remember if she'd said her name. She had a soft voice.

"Newbury Tech, right?" she said. "Good education."

"I guess so," Harry said.

The assistant nodded.

"No breaches yet," she said, pulling out a silvery device and examining it. "That's very good."

"Breaches?" Harry said.

"Mistakes," the assistant said. "No secrets slipped. Loose lips sink ships."

"Oh," Harry said. "No."

"Good," the assistant said. "It's always good to see a job well done. Much neater when the secrets are kept."

"Thanks," Harry said shortly.

A quick clatter of footsteps sounded and Lucius Malfoy strode across the room, finding Harry on the bench.

"What's happened?"

"Nothing much," Harry said. "They're trying to fix the poison."

"Very well," Malfoy said. He turned to the assistant, as if only just noticing her. "Thank you for waiting with him," he said.

"Not at all," she said. "We had a good conversation."

"It was okay," Harry said diplomatically.

"Do remember what I said," the assistant said, stepping back with a wave. "I'd hate to have to intervene."

Harry turned back to respond, but she was already gone. He turned back to Draco's father, for once happy to have him there.

"Who was she?"

"She…" Malfoy shook his head. "Obliviators' Office. A necessary contingent, of course, but very strange, if you ask me."

He strode up to the door, rapping sharply.

"Come in," Loki said. Malfoy walked in, followed by Harry. At some point, Longbottom had returned to the room. He raised a wand when they entered.

"Password?"

"Eunectes murinus," Lucius said.

"Harry-"

"It is him," Loki said. He evidently felt a bit better, because he was sitting on the desk, reading. He glanced up at Malfoy. "You took care of the press?"

"Didn't leave a trace," Malfoy said. Loki nodded, satisfied. Harry narrowed his eyes, but no one seemed too concerned.

Lovegood was taking up most of the focus in the room. An array of ingredients floated above her cauldron in a rotating five-pointed star. Whenever something passed through the middle, a bit floated into the cauldron.

"Think I have it this time," Lovegood was saying. "Lethe water with a drop of Felicis, peppermint and unicorn horn. Technically unstable, but should be fine on your system if you drink it quickly enough."

Malfoy stepped away from the cauldron with a muffled curse, and Longbottom pulled Harry back.

Lovegood stirred the brew one more time, filled an evenly lined vial, and tossed it to Loki, making Longbottom wince.

Loki uncorked it and downed it in one draught.

Malfoy and Longbottom braced, but after a moment Loki straightened a bit and Harry thought the room got just the faintest bit warmer.

"See?" Lovegood said after a pause. "Perfectly fine."

It ended up being quite late before Harry finally made clear of the Ministry, long past his (admittedly spottily enforced) bedtime. Loki had dropped him off only a few minutes before ten-enough time for him to wash his hands and face and change into pyjamas.

When he was done, Loki was still in the kitchen, speaking softly to Remus.

Harry lay down in his bed, leaving the door open a crack.

"Don't see the problem here."

The floorboards creaked loudly.

"The problem is for Harry's safety. If he had been poisoned-"

"I would have taken all the appropriate measures. But he was not."

Remus's voice dropped to a low growl and Harry missed his next words.

"-painting a target on his back."

"I could say the same of Lord Malfoy, Madam Bones, or any of the other citizens in Diagon Alley."

More footsteps from Remus. Loki must have turned.

"Harry isn't any random citizen-"

Loki cut him off.

"No, Harry is far better than that. He is under my safeguard. And anyone who wills him harm must first contend with me."

"And what if you aren't enough?"

The air shifted, and Remus was alone.

There was a thunk, like a chair being kicked.

The cell-life report floated onto his desk, pages perfectly regular, covered in bright purple marker. Harry looked down at the grade and groaned, head sinking into his hands. D.

He was tired.

Beside him, Leo and Jemma were excitedly comparing notes, whispering over the teacher about their plans for a supercoolrobotdroid. Harry covered a yawn.

As he followed them out of the classroom, Dr. Marvis called his name.

"Harry? Can I speak to you for a second?"

He turned around, letting the rest of the students pass him. Jemma mouthed "'Good luck," and Leo gave him a thumbs up as they rushed off to the next class.

"Thanks for staying back," Dr. Marvis said, smiling. "I know you've just begun here-this must be a big adjustment from your last school."

"Er, yeah," Harry said, wondering if he should mention the homeschool story, but Dr. Marvis had moved on.

"I've noticed you had a lot of absences too. Is something going on?"

"No," Harry said quickly. "Just…usual stuff."

Dr. Marvis frowned, then smiled.

"Well, I think I'll just set up a meeting with your parents."

Loki or Remus? Trying to pass as Muggles? Harry winced.

Dr. Marvis dug into her desk, pulling out a notepad.

"I suppose you'll need an excuse note for-"

"Coach Izo," Harry said.

"Martial Arts! Wouldn't want to miss that."

Harry jogged into the hallway, glancing around and taking a decisive right turn.

There were three options for gym at Newbury Tech-football, yoga and martial arts. Harry had signed up for the last one without hesitation, excitedly imagining himself fighting off soldiers and would-be political assassins. To his surprise, Jemma and Leo were in that class too, though for once he had the edge.

"It's…about…the Academy," Leo explained between big, heavy breaths as he tried to jump-kick the block. "How'd I do?"

"Terrible," Jemma said, shaking her head. "Try me?"

She executed the same maneuver with a lot more coordination, though she hardly slapped the brick.

"That wasn't bad," Leo said. He looked down at his watch. "Ugh, thirty minutes left."

"Thirty-five, actually," Jemma corrected. "Your watch is five minutes fast."

"So, the Academy?" Harry prodded.

"They only accept the best of the best, of course," Jemma said.

"Academically and physically," Leo said, still out of breath. "Why don't you try, Harry?"

Harry shrugged and jumped. His foot slapped against the block with a satisfying thwack and he landed back on his feet.

"Very good, Mr. Potter!" Coach Izo said, across the room. "Spar with Miss Newton over there. Fitz, Simmons, try again. Pick up the knees!"

Jemma and Leo sighed as Harry moved over to face off against the bigger girl, letting his surroundings fade away as he blocked and wove. It wasn't as good as Quidditch, but it was nice to just move.

"So what was Dr. Marvis on about?" Leo asked, swinging his rucksack as they left the gym.

"Was it about your grade on the chemistry report?" Jemma asked, coming up on the other side. She caught Harry's expression. "-Sorry."

"Yeah," Harry muttered. "It's fine. She wants to meet my parents."

"Well, you're in luck," Leo said. "Jemma's the best chemist in the school."

"Only because Fitz doesn't want to include the physical components in his definition-" Jemma said.

"Ohh yeah let's make mechanics chemistry now; everything's all 'interdisciplinary' isn't it-"

"Yes, Leo, that's a valid approach-"

"You don't have to…" Harry started, then paused, not sure what exactly he was turning down.

Jemma instantly softened.

"Oh no, of course we do," she said. "You're our friend, aren't you?"

"We'll get you up to speed," Leo said, clapping him confidently on the back. "Recess, yeah? Bring your paper."

He turned back to Jemma and said, "Maybe for a principal, Jemma, but I'm hardly going to do brain surgery just because I have a degree in mechanical engineering, am I?"

Harry thought they'd forget after that, but sure enough, the next morning, the two of them were waving him down cheerily as he walked outside at recesstime.

"Let's see what you've got," Jemma said, settling down as Harry handed over the paper; not a little abashed.

"Hm," she said authoritatively as she read down the page.

"So what're your parents like?" Leo asked, looking up at them. He had settled onto the grass against the wall and was disassembling something small with a screwdriver.

"Er, they're good," Harry said, uncertainly. He'd never had a friend who didn't know who his parents were before, though the Weasleys and Loki didn't see each other often.

"Was that your Da who picks you up?" He drew out a small mess of wire. Beside him, Jemma clicked, and Harry looked back at her, distracted.

"Er, godfather," he said. "One of them," he amended, thinking of Sirius. "My…dad is good too. Different."

Leo disconnected a blue wire, adding it to the collection on his knee. Jemma was scribbling on the back of his paper.

"What about yours?" Harry asked.

"Oh, you know," Leo said, shrugging. "Parents. Mum's a nurse; doesn't really get all this. Da's a researcher, he knows everything."

"He's strict," Jemma said, writing a final sentence and then passing the paper back to Harry. "I wrote down the problems I think you're having here-take a look and try again on the back."

Harry glanced down at the paper, now covered with qualifying scribbles, and sighed.

"He's not soft," Leo argued. "Not everyone's like your parents, with biscuits and telescopes, right, Harry?"

"Er," Harry said, mid-rescribble. "Remus makes biscuits sometimes. Loki can't cook."

"That's not really the point," Jemma said, and Harry focused hard and ignored them both, trying to absorb the comment about electron jumping. By the time he had finished they had moved on to arguing about space.

"My turn," Leo said, happily, snatching Harry's paper as Jemma looked over his shoulder. "Much better. Second shell can hold up to eight-remember, it's two n squared."

"I wrote eight," Harry said.

"Looks like a six to me, buddy," Leo said.

"Agreed," Jemma said. "You might want to work on your handwriting while you're at it."

"A conference?" Loki said. He was back to normal after Monday's excitement-looking healthier than ever, in fact. If Harry had had to guess which had been poisoned that week, it would be Remus, pale and peaky ahead of the full moon. Remus did better on a full stomach, and Loki's attempts at cooking were nothing short of disastrous, so Harry's godfather had joined them for an early dinner of roast chicken and carrots that Harry had helped make. They weren't half bad, Harry thought. He could taste the rosemary he'd added from the herb garden.

"I wonder why they never do those at Hogwarts," Remus mused. Based on the stories, Harry thought that if the Marauders had attended Newbury, they'd be getting conferences twice a week.

"I suppose we have been neglecting your education," Loki said.

"You mean you have," Remus said. "By pulling him out for every debate and press conference that you think could give you the slightest edge in the election."

Loki gave a magnanimous shrug.

"It is good for Harry to get comfortable with being in the spotlight."

Harry took another bite of his food.

"Harry does not need to spend his time in the spotlight."

"Of course he doesn't need to."

Both of them looked at Harry, who swished peas around his plate.

"Either way," Loki said, "I think it sounds like an excellent idea. We shall meet with this…Dr. Marvis and lay all her fears to rest."

A/N:

Heyyy readers.

Didya miss me? Sorry for the long break. Should be better going forward. Just graduated grad school, I think. Thanks to everyone who helped with this chapter, including Elafi Milo, TheTzip, BlueJay, Sheet15. Thank you, Prevaricator's Penchant. Thank you to reviewers too. :)