A/n: I know it's been like forever but I was doing the whole moving thing, this chapter's been a bitch to write and I was working on some other pieces of work. I've been trying to push my abilities so this is kind of a roller coaster of feeling; I'm PMS, my characters PMS. Sorry, but I hope you like it =D

Disclaimer: I own none of the fandoms or TV/Movie/Books I am referencing and writing, I am a lowly servant to my crazed fanatics.

"Okay," Kurt spoke to the team as they entered the great hall for round two of the quiz bowl, "so thanks to excellent work on the part of Finn and Padma we scored twenty-six points in the practical round, which catapulted us into second place and made us one of the eight teams that get to move on to today's rounds."

"Okay guys," Hermione spoke assertively, after careful review Kurt knew that he would be proud to know that it was his influence that had made Hermione a strong and intelligent young woman, "We need to answer every question, even if we don't know the answer because there isn't a penalty for incorrect answers and the other team can't get the points."

"That is villainously brilliant!" Neville exclaimed with a look of pure awe on his face.

"I'm proud to call you my own," Kurt said wiping away imaginary tears, he knew the rest of the team was walking on eggshells around him after what happened yesterday. He still hadn't spoken to Finn about the matter and he knew that his silence would be the power that he'd use to push Finn to give today his all, "So we're going to go in there, burn cities and slit throats."

They all looked at him with eyes the size of saucers, "Too dark?" they all nodded in agreement. "Good thing I didn't go with the pillage and rape the woman, which would have just made things awkward."

"True that," Neville said with a chuckle and a slap on the back, "true that."

"You're mighty chipper today," Kurt said looking analytically at his friend, "What is this? I don't like it."

"I got a note from my gran" Neville seemed pleased with himself, "she said I should keep making her proud which means that made her proud!"

"Good for you," Hermione smiled and tilted her head, "You do realise that now we've got to win now! We now actually have to slit throats."

"What other way would we have it?" Finn asked with a slight edge of sass, he knew how that made Kurt feel like they were on some level similar as brothers are.

"Welcome to session one of the second round of the theoretic quiz bowl of the three hundred and twenty-seventh bi-annual Basic Academic Tournament," General O-Ren Ishii spoke clinically and with minimal facial movement which seemed to be her standard tone, "Each session will consist of four schools answering one hundred and twenty questions in ninety minutes; a session may be ended by the exhaustion of time or questions, the ten point lead no longer applies. The teams participating in the second round are; Puicitia Virtus, Hogwarts School of Wizardry and Witchcraft, Salem Witch Institute, The Wu-Xing School of Magical Exploration, Beauxbaton Academy, Mahoutkoro School of Magic, Abafileo School of Ancestral Magic, Durmstrang Institute and guess who isn't continuing, Aconcagua School of Superior Magic because they got disqualified from the practical challenge for cheating." She guffawed deeply and slightly villainously, which was unsettling but suited her so much, before recomposing herself; "The participants in the first session are Beauxbaton, Salem Witch, Durmstrang and Mahoutokoro. Please take your places."

"Am I the only one who thought that bit about Aconcagua was totally uncalled for?" Padma whispered to the group.

"I thought it was hilarious," Kurt said thinking back on the moment and laughing once more, "The world is a beautiful place."

Finn shot him a look that told Kurt that the part he was playing was having the desired effect; sure he was manipulating which was in some way perpetuating the whole 'evil' thing but he knew well enough that people would talk regardless of what he did so he might as well have fun with it.

He watched as Brittany and a particularly persistent boy from Mahoutokoro went head to head with everyone else struggling to be seen. Kurt noted that pair seemed almost equally matched which would result in a close score.

It seemed to end too soon. That made Kurt feel nervous as now the onus was on them to perform, he had never been one to partake in things he wasn't good at but his commitment to the team and his responsibility to his school outweighed whatever desire he had to run for the hill with his tail between his legs. He watched as General O-Ren Ishii approached the podium with nervousness; counting all seven of her short steps to calm himself.

"All the questions have been exhausted and this draws an end to the first session of the second round of the theoretic quiz bowl fifteen minutes under time." She spoke with a regiment that Kurt had come to expect from the militant female, "the point standing is a follows; Durmstrang has twenty-four points, Mahoukotoro is the group victor with thirty-eight points, Salem Witch has thirty-seven points and finally Beauxbaton has twenty-one points. The second session is scheduled to proceed in ten minutes, the participating schools are; the Hogwarts, Abafileo, Wu-Xing and Puicitia Virtus. Please take your places."

Kurt felt dizzy as he rose from his seat; he couldn't afford anything short of putting his best foot forward because he was at the mercy of the universe at a time when failure wasn't an option; for a moment he couldn't remember which his best foot was. Kurt took his seat before a sea of wizarding authoritative figures, his peers and competitor whom he'd worked to defeat; he struggled to find comfort or an ease of mind in his current position but knew well that anything short of his best would dishonour the memory of his mother who'd laid her life down for his. Kurt sat up straight and put on the show he had mastered; he wore confidence like his favourite boots, with an air of superiority and grace.

"Which migratory magical species is noted for their ability to mimic music and change colour in accordance to their mood?"

Kurt was pleasantly surprised by the first question; it was something he knew but hadn't studied but rather he had picked up along the way, "The Maua Nightingale."

Kurt felt all his fears and insecurities move to the back of his head; not gone but rather set aside to rise at a later stage. The line of questioning began reasonably well but soon took a turn for the tumultuous as they progressed causing the band of British scholars a fair share of intellectual distress as they worked not only for their own success but also to undermine the other teams in their bid for first place.

It seemed like they hadn't done enough when the time bell sounded and General O-Ren Ishii took to the podium; Kurt thought of all the knowledge he'd gathered but simply hadn't been afforded the chance to be shared and may potentially never get the chance to be showcased to the world. Kurt took a moment of silence to weep for his wasted genius, his disappointment of his mother and the shame he'd brought on himself.

The time allocated has been exhausted and this draws an end to the Second round of the theoretical quiz bowl on time." Kurt kept face but didn't have it in him to scrutinize the mannerisms of General O-Ren Ishii, he focused of formulating a strategy for his forth coming duel, "The point standing is as follows; Hogwarts have twenty-nine points, Abafileo has twenty-five points, Wu-Xing have thirty points and Puicitia Virtus are at the top of the group with thirty-one points; four points were lost this round."

"We kept the others on their toes," Neville smiled with triumph, "We're only nine points behind the current leaders and we'll easily make that up in the duel and practical."

Kurt's face remained unchanged as his mind wondered through all the spells he had in his arsenal for the duel but none seemed to have the pizazz of his lightning spell.

"Kurt," Hermione's voice was pleading, she was walking on eggshells and it frustrated him. He chose not to show his frustration but rather to keep his features schooled; "how did you feel about that round, we need you as team captain to gauge our success because we're all pleased with the result."

"We managed to narrow the margin between ourselves and the group leaders," Padma added in a tone that showed that she had no desire to entertain whatever imaginary temper tantrum he was supposedly throwing.

"Padma is correct," he paused and hoped his peers realised that he wasn't holding on to the events of the previous day, "Our performance has been satisfactory and we have achieved the goal we had going into this round of questioning."

"The Teams progressing to the final round of the theoretical quiz bowl are; Mohoutokoro and Salem Witch." General O-Ren Ishii seemed pleased to see that her own school would be proceeding to the finals, "The second round of the duelling tournament will commence at fourteen hundred hours, dismissed."

Kurt was up and out of the room before the rest of the group had a chance to engage him. He found himself a secluded spot where he sat looking out over the city, he took in a lungful of air but his discontent did not subside but instead mocked him. He leaned on the pillar and cast out the pressure of being captain, of being an ambassador for his school, proving his worthiness as a potential white lotus scholar and upholding the legacy of excellence set by his mother; Kurt exhaled all that was weighing on him away. For a moment there was nothing and all seemed perfect; he saw the view for its beauty. Kurt took in another slow deep breath as he reloaded and balance his weights, going forward as the beast of burden he'd always been. Kurt rose from the floor and relished in the peace of loneliness.

~0~

"Kurt," Hermione looked quite displeased as he approached the designated seating for their group, "You just disappeared on us, and you even missed lunch. I brought you a pretzel to tide you over till supper time."

Kurt felt himself warmed, "I needed a personal moment."

"You're on," Neville said with an assuring smile, "this is your round and nobody can take that away from you."

"Thanks guys," Kurt had taken the time to reflect on his abilities and had been able to identify a strategy that would follow his opening act well; he had regained his confidence and climbed out of his own head.

"Welcome to the Second round of the duelling tournament of the three hundred and twenty-seventh bi-annual Basic Academic Tournament," Her face was stony as she spoke, "One at a time in descending order based on your first round scores, the representatives of each school will come up and face a representative of International Duelling Counsel who will be on the defensive. You will be scored on the same three criteria, each out of ten; style, discipline and execution. Each criterion has its own judge from the counsel; White Lotus Grand Master Iroh of China will judge style, White Lotus Master Pakku of the North Pole will judge discipline and White Lotus Master King Bumi of the United Arab Emirates will judge execution; First up are Hogwarts who will be represented by Kurt Hummel."

Kurt took in a deep breath and waltzed to starting position, he delivered a dramatically exaggerated bow to appease the judges; Kurt took his favoured Croisé Devant starting pose. His mind was cleared of all the burdens he carried barring one- success in this duelling tournament- and it would remain till he emerged victorious. Alongside it he played out his strategy and all the possible outcomes, he admitted to himself that he had devised a truly brilliant strategy that took into account any possible situation but his mind would not rest.

A soon as they were signalled to begin Kurt's tongue worked at such speed, "Verdimillious." The man was stung by the red sparks that shot forcefully out of Kurt's wand and fell to his knees, "Aguamenti." A hefty spout of water shot out of Kurt's wand, he shaped into a sphere around his opponent, "Glacius." The Sphere froze solidly through and marked the end of the dual; Kurt curtsied with an air of arrogance just to fly in face of the judges.

Kurt almost thought he saw a smile on General O-Ren Ishii's face as he walked off the platform but counted it down to a case of insanity. He sat down knowing that he'd done his part to ensure the success of the team; Kurt could now unload one of his burdens and move on to saner times.

Kurt watched in awe as he witnessed spells he'd never once heard of and a variety distinct duelling styles that he wished take something to amalgamate into his own very aggressively eclectic panache.

Jesse kept to his simple stunning spells and elected to use the power of his movement in stark contrast to Kurt who used powerful spells and kept his movements minimal. The cute boy had a body that was made to move because he did it so well; his movements were fluid in their transition from one to the other, the movements seemed to come instinctually to the boy who, upon closer inspection, Kurt noted was clearly also a classically trained dancer. Jesse had grace along with power and it made him a formidable duelling foe regardless of how skilled you were as a spell caster due to his superior physical abilities.

Other than their history in ballet training, Kurt struggled to find similarities between Jesse and himself; the boy's walk was understated and uniform in a militant fashion as opposed to Kurt's prudish sashay; the boy started his duels in a martial arts stance where Kurt chose a classic ballet stance; his spoke his spells in a musical rhythm that made people's knees quiver in ecstasy which was a stark contrast to Kurt's insipid falsetto chants. The two boys couldn't have been more different and yet were still quite similar when you stripped back their material differences that were created by differences a in the societies they were raised in but when Kurt looked at the boy there was something that distinguished him from Kurt. An air of self-assurance that Jesse always seemed to be emanating without second thought; Kurt wanted that so badly but he had never quite mastered it and instead wore a counterfeit scent.

Kurt had elected to pay close attention to Santana and Jesse due to their high scores in the first round; he had actually liked Santana's spell, but he was yet to truly understand the distinction of dark spells; he felt that intention was the true distinction. Santana was announced and Kurt's interest was piqued; he was curious to see what the ballsy brunette would do. He had taken to obsessively observing every facet of her; he watched her walk and drew uncanny parallels between her walk and his own; she elects to stand with a fierceness that juxtaposes his delicate stance; his words were uniform and monotonous as opposed to the way she announced each spell like a battle cry. Kurt's thoughts wondered back to the words of wisdom Dumbledore had imparted in him about how fleeting his youth was; he looked at Santana, Hermione and even Brittany who were brilliant wizards in their own right but none of them behaved in a manner remotely similar to his grounded and ambitious way of life, they seemed to behave in a manner closer to their age in spite of their scholastic aptitude. It made Kurt think about how hard it had been to for him to actually misbehave due to his more studious take on the world, he had taken a decision at the time and had worked toward it but had still turned out a failure at being bad; Santana on the other hand, much like Hermione, chose to simply be without having to plan their behaviour in situations. He wasn't a bad kid and he wouldn't simply become one; he might have a streak of rebellion at his core but he, like some people that walked the face of this earth alongside him, was simply incapable of doing anything but make his parents proud.

Kurt watched how much more physical Santana was when she duelled, she turned each wrist movement onto a beautifully angry dance move- where Kurt's aggression was controlled and conceptual, hers was wild, savage and physical; moving her entire body as an instrument of its raw expression. Kurt longed for the effortlessness of primal instinct; of any instinct, he had relied on logic for so long but in this magical universe there was no place for logic. He watched as the femme fatal emerged victorious, a small smirk on her face; he envied her effortlessness so.

Nobody could compare to the first three contestants even if they tried but each of the successive contestants went on to deliver performances laced with desperation.

"This marks the end of the second round of the duelling tournament. The Points stand as follows; Puicitia Virtus scored twenty points, Hogwarts has twenty-nine points, Abafileo has seventeen, Salem Witch has twenty-six points, Wu-Xing has sixteen points, Beauxbaton has twenty-seven points, Durmstrang has twenty-two points and Mahoutokoro has fifteen points; Note that Kurt Hummel's performance received a record breaking score with a final total of twenty-nine points." There was a small round of applause that served as the validation Kurt had been waiting for all day, "The teams moving on to the final round of the duelling tournament are Hogwarts and Beauxbaton. The second round of the practical challenges will commence at ten hundred hours on Monday."

General O-Ren Ishii usually dismissed them so they did not dare move till they were told otherwise; she seemed to stand unmoving for a good thirty seconds before smiling at the crowd broadly, her face looked moments from shattering, "Tomorrow we will be taking an intermission where you will be treated to the Mahoutokoro experience." She seemed mighty pleased to share their way of learning with their peers, "Classes commence at seven forty-five, dismissed."

~0~

As Kurt and his team joyously enjoyed their meal they were approached by their quick friends, Santana, Brittany and Jesse. They sat nearest to Hermione and Kurt with whom they had formed greater bonds. They exchanged pleasantries and made small talk about the day's events, with each congratulating the other for their team's performance.

"Okay," Santana leaned in and ushered the rest of the group to the same, obviously taking the onus of getting business upon herself, "We have tomorrow off and me thinks we should do something totally wild."

"We don't do wild," Hermione said in her most prudish soprano before dropping her voice a few octaves and tilting her head forward, "We do adventurous."

"Okay," Kurt was amused by his friend's antics, "I don't know when we became adventurous because if memory serves we did homework."

The group broke out in hysterics, Hermione frowned at him, "Why must you undermine my street credibility in company?"

"Well, while you two argue like an old married couple," Jesse laughed at his own joke but it failed to humour anybody else, "I had a brilliant idea; we should hit the magical street market in the city."

"I'm not sure we have permission for that kind of venture," Hermione said before clasping her own hands over her mouth, "Dammit! There goes adventure, hello homework."

"Hi homework," Brittany smiled and waved at Hermione, "My parents said never to name the voices."

"Okay," He exchanged a worried look with Hermione, "So this market, how do we get there?"

"We take a cab," Brittany giggles as though it were the most obvious answer.

"I don't know," Kurt spoke after a moment of internal conflict, "that would mean missing classes which I'm really looking forward to but it is shopping, which I love and miss dearly."

Hermione giggled at Kurt's Sophie's Choice before replying on behalf of the pair, "We'd be glad to join your little excursion."

~0~

Kurt wasn't sure what the proper attire for an illegal outing was but at some point he had decided that black, much like bright colours, would draw more attention than he desired; in the end he'd opted for a pair of jeans and a grey jumper. He waited nervously for Hermione to emerge from the girl's side of the pillar; when she finally emerged, prompt but Kurt was fond of being ahead of schedule, Kurt was moments from abandoning this entire affair.

"Ready to go?" she asked in a small shaky voice, Kurt was glad that he wasn't the only one intimidated by the magnitude of their actions.

"Good bye homework," he whispered as they stalked down the hall to their designated rendezvous spot, Kurt was beginning to regret turning down the opportunity to pull out offered at breakfast but braved on none the less.

"Hello Adventurous," they spoke in sync as they approached the waiting group.

"Kurt, Hermione," Santana smiled at the pair, "We were beginning to believe that you weren't coming, crippled by the fear of breaking the rules."

Kurt smirked at the casually dressed girl, "You must have us confused with a different pair of magical beings because we are not easily scared off," Kurt got in her face as he spoke his final words in an effort to keep face, "But if you're scared we won't think little of you if you decided to head to class."

Jesse chuckled as Brittany hung off his arm, "Ballsy Hummel but nobody is leaving now, if you made it this far then you have the stuff for this adventure."

"Stuff?" Hermione's fear had melted to disappointment at Jesse's evidently limited vocabulary, "Balls, guts, courage, nerve, valour; there are so many words and you picked stuff?"

"Nerd Fight!" Brittany announced as she elevated herself between Jesse and Kurt's shoulders.

"I'm not fighting," Hermione turned her nose up at Jesse as she said this, "I'm simply letting him know that the English language has many much more eloquent manners of expressing that certain element that he wishes to bestow upon us to showcase our ability to overcome fear."

Kurt tilted his head and raised a brow, "Really Hermione? During the people you behave like this."

"Don't hate the player," Hermione smirked.

"so help me god if you complete that statement I will gauge your eyes out!" Kurt glared at Hermione for a split second.

"Hate." Hermione took a long dramatic pause as she stared Kurt down, "The. Game."

Kurt simply shook his head in defeat as they entered the ancient yellow car that was waiting for them, Santana instructed the driver as to where they were going.

"I read about this market in a wizard travel book," Santana stated excitedly, "they said you can buy anything your heart desires here."

"I'm hoping to find a vial of liquid luck," Jesse smiled to himself, "It should come in handy in the long run."

Santana's eyes went wide while Kurt and Hermione simply exchanged confused looks, Brittany was more engrossed by the passing scenery than the conversation. Kurt turned to Santana as she stared talking, "I want an item enchanted to increase resistance to stunning spells, maybe a permanent blocking spell. What do you two want?"

Hermione and Kurt exchanged a look; Kurt spoke disjointedly, "Books? Shoes, maybe some cute hipster clothing."

"Exotic fabrics and spices," Hermione added with an air of triumph, "Normal tourist stuff."

Santana laughed and shook her head at the pair, "You came unprepared?"

The pair exchanged a knowing look, "We've got what we need for a shopping trip," Kurt stood tall and smiled at their peers as he spoke over the wheezing car engine, "We have an idea of what we want but we aren't limiting ourselves with specifics."

"So where do your teachers think you are because we simply disappeared," she leaned forward and looked at the group from her window seat as she spoke, "I hope there wasn't some master cover-up we were supposed to be part of."

Santana looked perplexed by the question, "We're eleven, not Mission Impossible, when do you think we had time to plan all this?"

"If you guys had time to plan what you were going to buy," Hermione spoke in her own defence as they got out of the beat up old car, "Why wouldn't you have a James Bond-esque plan for disappearing."

Kurt looked down the wide deserted alley in the middle of downtown Tokyo with a bit of disappointment, "This looks like somewhere you'd get mugged," he said distastefully as they walked deeper into the dark alley.

When they reached the end Santana took a step forward and started feeling up the wall, "it's here somewhere," she mumbled to herself, finally she found the right brick and the wall opened in a similar manner to Diagon Ally.

The market reminded him of Diagon Ally, in that it was nothing like the Ally. Where the Ally had its stores fixed in buildings, this was a very flea market environment with temporary stands; each had a wide array of exotic and dynamic wears on display, tantalising Kurt to buy them all. Where the ally had cleanliness and organization that Kurt was currently longing for, the market made up for their short comings with the wafting smells of delicious cooking, bright fabrics and unique trinkets that were all begging to be bought.

Kurt looked about for a moment before reaching into his handbag for his seemingly bottomless purse and smiling with glee. He walked up to a stall that had scarves crafted from delicate material and smiled at the patron in the most intimidating way he knew how, he had never haggled before and hoped he'd be good at it.

"Hi," his voice was flat and lacked any indication as to how he was feeling about the scarves.

"Hello," the elderly woman gave him a toothy grin, "Would you like a scarf? Their hand made from the finest silks and enchanted to warm like wool."

Kurt's eyes grew to the size of saucers, "You have got to be kidding!" his aloof manner and haggling abilities were out the window at the prospect of a fashion dream come true, "How much?"

"Three Galleons," she had her features schooled in an effort to get Kurt to bend.

"I'll take ten for twenty," Kurt said meeting her dead stare enthusiastically as she gave him a reluctant nod, he got to working carefully selecting a variety of colours and patterns. He was ecstatic as he received his package, gleefully beaming a polite "Thank you."

Santana had a disapproving look on her face, "You are a failure at this shopping thing," she shook her head and rolled her eyes, "You just spent all your money on the first store you saw, didn't you?"

Kurt let out a staggered breath and a chuckle, "My strategy is slightly different from yours, I simply buy everything that catches my eye and then later when I review my trip I return the things I'm truly not sold on."

"This is a flea market, their return policy isn't nearly as flexible as you might think." Jesse gave a raucous laugh of indignation to accompany his snarky comment.

"They're scarves," Kurt rolled his eyes at the lot, "if I don't like them I'll give them as Christmas gifts; just don't over think it."

Hermione sniggered to herself, "When it comes to Kurt there is one simple philosophy that will spare you a lot of heartache, you simply don't question his actions or motives."

"That's how I ended up in a cult last summer," Brittany giggled as she fingered a dragon bone wind chime, "it was fun till the police came and stopped Lord Tubbington's human sacrificing, then it was just sad."

"If someone told me to stop sacrificing humans, it would kill my vibe as well," Kurt said with a chuckle that only Brittany appreciated, "tough crowd."

They went from shop to shop admiring the wares and promising to return even though they defiantly wouldn't; there was a stand that had dream catchers made from every substance imaginable that they would know to steer clear of in future, for the smell and the peculiar store owner; there was a stall that had knock-off designer handbags that were charmed with an undetectable extension charm, Kurt was insulted when the man claimed that his original Birkin was one of his works and stormed off in a huff; at the next stall Kurt had spent two and a half galleons on a hand-written leather bound book that gave a detailed history and instruction in the art of wand lore, it was written in Arabic aside from the title and Kurt knew that he could have it translated under the ruse that it was fiction, the author had only credited himself as 'Fat' which Kurt thought was strange.

As they approached a fabric store and Kurt's heart started beating faster, there was a reasonable young man selling the wares. They all looked the store over; Santana bought dragon hide that had fire resistant qualities and swore to make the perfect pair of glove with the obsidian material; Jesse said that buying clothes was his mother's job and elected instead to kick a rock about the paved floor; Hermione, upon Kurt's advisement, selected a periwinkle blue chiffon that seemed to flow between shades of blue as it moved; Brittany selected a Hello Kitty print that winked and waved, she proclaimed that it would make the perfect pyjammies; Kurt selected a thread that shone like onyx that the store clerk call shadow thread, was said to be used to summon shadows for stealth reasons rather than as a textile but the way the thread glittered in the sunlight had Kurt sure it would weave into the perfect fabric for a winter coat. They paid for their wares and were on their way with weightless shopping bags in hand, Kurt was making a mental note in his journal to learn how to enchant a loom as they moved on to the next major stall.

Jesse had dragged them to a stall that seemed to exclusively sell ancient Japanese Manga that he swore were impossible to find and incredibly rare, all Kurt saw were old children's picture books. Kurt was bored out of his mind for a good forty-five minutes as Jesse slowly combed through the collection of graphic novels for something that was valuable or possibly to his liking. By the time the group dragged him away Kurt was sure he was an inch closer to death and he'd wasted a good portion of his life in that shop doing sweet blow all.

The sun was over head as they got back to functional shopping, their next venture was a potioneer's stall. Jesse got to work looking for his liquid luck amongst the endless assortments of glass vials of a variety of liquids; Kurt looked them over wondering if something would jump out at him as he scanned the handwritten labels, they were fortunate that they were in both Japanese and English or this leg of their excursion would be in vain. Jesse successfully found the Felix Felicis and purchased several vials, Kurt did the same- just in case he needed a little extra bravery. Kurt also bought a single vial of a polyjuice potion out of sheer curiosity, he'd read of its effects but had never had the time nor skills necessary to brew it but now he could immerse himself in the experience without putting in the additional effort.

Kurt was quite pleased with himself as he looked over the stall of enchanted trinkets, he was having quite the shopping trip; he had only spent fifty-three galleons and ten sickles but he had quite the collection of wares to show for it. Kurt was drawn to a silver Egyptian cotton bed spread that was said to have preventative enchantment for bed bugs and he was sleeping on a bed that wasn't his own in a shared room, the perfect breeding ground for pests; the linens called out to him and that sealed the deal, Kurt was chuffed as a child on Christmas as he added his most recent purchase to his bottomless shopping bag.

Their next stop was a stationary shop, Kurt scarcely hear his stomach begin to growl at this point and made a mental note to make time for a meal before his gastric distress became audible to his peers. Kurt's eye was immediately caught by a stationary set that consisted of several fountain pens, a fully stocked rubber stamp tin, a collection of postcards, a note pad, journal and a set of embossed paper set in a variety of sizes; the bit that had Kurt sold was how elegantly simplistic it was, he knew it would make him seem more mature.

~0~

The make shift group was seated at a tea house, seemingly the only static set-up in the entire market. When he said tea house he was being very generous, it was an old sushi cart parked beside a covered patio area.

"I've never had sushi before," Hermione announced nervously in a jovial tone as she sat beside, "It's just never really been an option in my household, my parents are very plain people and adventure simply isn't in their nature."

Kurt giggled at her tone, "Being the pretentious snob that I am, I insisted my dad have a sushi bar at his wedding. You can't tell that the fish isn't cooked, other than the small tell in the texture."

"It's raw fish!" Hermione said with a wide stare, "I get immersing ourselves in the culture but this is a step too far for me."

"I've never been a raw food person," Santana said eying the platter placed before them, "I don't even eat tartar."

"You're all simply over thinking this," Jesse announced with a totalitarian tone, "I'm from Malibu, we eat more sushi than we drink water."

Kurt looked over at Brittany who was quietly working her chopsticks with expert skill, "You know I read once that the height at which you hold your chopsticks is an indication of your intelligence," he gestured toward Brittany who had was working hers with the skill of a master.

A silence washed over the group for a moment, they each exchanged looks before their competitive nature kicked in; they wrestled each other for a set of wooden chopsticks. They each took turns displaying their prowess and showing off their associated intelligence, by the time their childish games had come to a stop the platter was almost empty and their scepticism had long dissipated.

"You know, a competitive nature is considered healthy," Hermione giggled, "but I've never heard of people competing at eating."

"I'm a hotdog eating champion," Brittany smiled, pleased with himself. She popped her collar as she carried on, "I ate sixteen more than the guy who was second, I'm a bit of a legend."

Jesse shook his head at the girl with nothing but disappointment as the group giggled at the pair, "You're painting a very skewed portrait of our home land; she isn't really a legend, such frivolities aren't really as cherished in the states as Brittany perceives them to be."

"We're not judging," Kurt said trying to seize his giggles, "My father has trophy for drinking more beer than anyone else at some sleazy bar in Alsace."

"Where?" Hermione demanded.

"I don't where it is either," Kurt shrugged and giggled once more, "my father always goes on as though it's some grand place but I simply haven't the foggiest idea where it is or if it's real."

"It's a region in eastern France," Santana rolled her eyes at the pair as she spoke, "I'm guessing that makes it very real."

"You know, nobody like a know-it-all," Hermione said turning her nose up at the girl.

"That's rich coming from you," Kurt giggled to himself before his thoughts caught up with his words, "or me, or any of us actually."

Brittany gave him a queer look, "Aren't we a little pretty to be nerds?"

"Oh my gosh Brittany!" Santana countered jovially, "we're allowed to be both."

"Are we," Jesse asked with a furrowed brow, "Are we really?"

~0~

Kurt was standing in a book store no bigger than a shipping crate as the sun started toward sunset, Kurt looked around to realise that it may have once been a shipping crate indeed. Kurt first looked about the shelves of scrolls, tossing aside a series of scrolls on trivial subjects that had no relevance in his life. He didn't particularly care for transfiguration and potion brewing, as such he cast them aside and carried on looking for something that was more fitting of his interests; history, science and charms were more to his personal taste. His first success was a scroll called 'The History of the Order of the White Lotus', it told the story of the society's formation eons ago in medieval China and its roll throughout the ages. His next find was truly a joy indeed, it was titled 'The Origin of Magic'; its contents were on the magical core, how it affected use of magic and the proper methods to harness that core. Kurt was chuffed as could be with his scrolls stuffed into his shopping bag and only nine galleons down.

Their next stop was at another bookshop much to Kurt's absolute glee, Kurt had gotten to work searching for something he would enjoy reading. Santana came up behind him, "How is the magical education at Hogwarts? You do seem to be doing a hell of a lot better than us."

"I don't know really," Kurt blushed in embarrassment, "I've nothing to compare it too."

Santana looked confused by Kurt's statement, "Your father, hailing from Alsace went to Hogwarts?"

"Oh no," Kurt giggled to himself, "My father isn't a wizard, he actually went to Eton."

"Oh, I get it now."

"I can tell you that the education system is more general than most of these schools from what I have gathered," Kurt pulled a book off the shelf with big gold letters printed on the spine, 'Dark Magic for the Wizard of Light.'

"Are they as much of a sucker for the rules as my school?" she asked raising an eyebrow at the book in his hands, "I was wondering how much freedom you have, Headmistress Maxine and Madam Sabine are always reminding us that we're expected to behave in a ladylike fashion at all times."

"Rules are in place to keep the peace but not really as an indication of proper behaviour," Kurt smiled as he went back to searching the shelves, "The students behave like animals if it pleases them, they're just touchy about rule breaking."

Santana raised her brows in acknowledgement and slinked away silently, leaving Kurt unsure of her line of questioning.

~0~

Kurt stood between Santana and Hermione with his head bowed as the three adults paced paths that intermingled before them.

"How dare you!" Snape snapped at the pair.

"How dare we what?" Kurt asked quizzically, their wares were hidden in their rooms and with it, their guilty.

"We were in our rooms all day," Hermione said with a slight smile, "I had food poisoning."

Kurt stifled a giggle before presenting his own excuse, "I had menstrual cramps."

Snape raised a curious brow, "Food poisoning and menstrual cramp? You must take me for a fool but alas; since I've no proof you were out, I'll have to take your word for it."

The red-haired doe-eyed woman stood before Brittany with her hands on her hips, "What do you two have to say for your absence?"

"I was dead," Brittany said coldly.

The whole group gaped at her with jaws hanging open, Kurt was at a loss of words; sure they hadn't planned their alibis ahead of time and the lot of them were pulling their superior's legs by using muggle excuses but surely she had taken it too far.

Santana swooped in, redirecting everyone's attention, and took the stage; "I was distraught at Brittany's fall to the Draught of Living Death and worked tirelessly to see her revived."

"Very well," the dark haired Sabena said in a deep French accent, "I pray you know that lying is an unladylike behaviour."

"I do Madam Sabine," Santana smiled devilishly behind the proud woman's back.

"Jesse," the red-haired woman asked with a sweetness in her voice, "where were you all day?"

Jesse stared her down for a moment before smiling sweetly, "I went to the bathroom and fell asleep on the pot."

She giggled at how crude the tone of his answer was, "Quite alright, in future please be sure to tell somebody the next time you disappear so nobody worries."

"Yes, Ms Pillsbury." They sang in unison.

The group went on to the dining hall to join their peers for dinner; Finn gave Kurt a disapproving look as he sat in the seat opposite to his brother who simply scowled at him.

"What might I ask is your problem?" Kurt furrowed a brow toward the taller boy, staring into the boy's big brown eyes for a moment before the boy looked down.

Finn mumble a reply into his supper without meeting Kurt's gaze which he knew very well would frustrate his brother to no end. Kurt looked to Neville questioningly and got nothing but a shrug for a reply from the boy.

"Speak with words!" Kurt demanded rolling his eyes at his brother, "You know that if you don't voice your concerns my ability to care will dissipate and then it'll be on you."

Finn pushed back from the table, towering over the group, "I spoke to Burt." The boy's face was scrunched up in distaste and his voice loud, "You told him I was picking on you? How could you?"

"You making a spectacle of yourself, clam down," Kurt breathed slowly and spoke monotonously; it would be no go if they were both behaving like raving fools. Kurt held out a compassionate hand, "I spoke to father and I mentioned that you had spoken insensitively to the situation at hand; but no, I didn't tell him you were picking on me." Kurt let out a staggered breath, "You are behaving like a child though, I've half to call your mother."

"You see!" Finn grabbed tufts of mud brown hair as his words failed him and nothing more than a high pitched cry escaped from his throat. He stormed out of the hall with Kurt hot on his heels, nobody dared follow the pair.

"I've not got the foggiest idea what ails you," Kurt shook his head at his brother standing in the cold night air outside the dining hall, "Use your words."

Finn's hands had moved from his hair to his face, "How do you look down your nose at me when I'm towering over you? How do you make me into a child by holding the threat of our parent's over my head? Tell me how you do it and I'll go back inside to take my seat like a good dog."

Kurt lowered his chin and looked up at the boy with eyes that cut like a knife, "Did I lie to father? Is this not you treating me like a villain? I do not make anything of you and I've never looked down on you, the problem here is that you're so self-absorbed that you can't see that I nothing but to please your fantasy."

"Did he just quote Shakespeare?"

"I treat you like a child because we're children," Kurt knew that his voice was condescending, "I think the time you spend with your older friends has you forgetting your place amongst us mortals, looking down on us from your seat on Olympus."

"Oh yes, because god forbid somebody is better than you."

"Where is this coming from?" Kurt's words caught in his throat as he looked at his brother's strong face, "Because I know that being reprimanded by father would not spur such malice from you." Kurt's thought's caught up to his word once again and chuckled to himself, "it's because nobody can be better than you and you think the same of me, this isn't the first time you're bringing this thought forward."

"What?" Finn giggled nervously, "This isn't about me."

"Is it not?" Kurt cocked his head to the side, leaning with his back against the wall, "What are we doing? Is this what happens when we are no longer friends? Is this the curse of brotherhood?"

"We were best friends once," Finn whispered solemnly, "now you have taken to Hermione as I have to Cedric, we are practical strangers now."

Kurt knew this to be true and since yesterday it had bothered him, "Is this the curse of brotherhood?"

~0~

Kurt had been wreaked with guilt all through the end of the second round and well into the third round, he'd barely been conscious his own final duel; he'd faced Santana and emerged victorious but could barely recall the details of how he'd done it. The day had gone and they were sitting at the awards dinner, General O-Ren Ishii had delivered her closing.

"I now call upon Sir Nicholas Flamel, the famed alchemist, to hand-out the medals," the General announced sounding pleased at her superior abilities of name dropping.

An elderly man with a well-trimmed but wild whiskers and goatee, Kurt and Hermione exchanged knowing looks; Kurt could feel Finn's eyes on him as he looked to Hermione but dared not turn to meet the look. The man they had questioned themselves tirelessly about was standing before them in simple green cloak with elaborate gold embroidery that shone as though made the finest mineral.

"The results for the Quiz Bowl are as follows; in third place, receiving bronze medals, is the Puicita Virtus team," There was a polite round of applause as the team took in the stage, shaking hands with Mr Flamel and receiving medals of shining bronze.

"In Second Place, receiving silver medals, is the Mahoutokoro team," the great hall was filled with a raucous and enthusiastic applause, General O-Ren Ishii gave a small smile.

"In First place, winning the quiz bowl and receiving gold medals, is the Salem Witch Institute team." Kurt clapped happily for his friends as General O-Ren Ishii clapped politely for the categorical victors, "Congratulations."

She cleared her throat quietly but this called silence into the room, "The results for the Practical Challenge are as follows; in third place, receiving bronze medals, is the Salem Witch Institute team," Brittany danced across the stage enthusiastically to claim her medal with a pleased smile on her beautiful face and her blond hair swishing about, the audience met her enthusiasm with their applause.

"In second place, receiving silver medals, is the Hogwarts School of Wizardry and Witchcraft team," Finn, Padma and Hermione hugged each other as they claimed their prizes eagerly.

The applause died quickly, "In first place, winning the practical challenge and receiving gold medals, is the Durmstrang Institute team." The Durmstrang team marched onto the stage in a militant fashion like none he'd seen before, Kurt was not surprised that he hadn't engaged any of the stiff boys; indeed he was stuck up, but they took it to another level.

"The result for the Duelling Tournament are as follows," Kurt was once again surprised by General O-Ren Ishii's ability to speak monotonously and in uniform, "in third place, receiving a bronze medal, is Jesse St James of Salem Witch Institute."

Kurt watched as Jesse proudly walked across the stage with his chest puffed out, the handsome boy managed to be self-entitled and at the same time humbled by the honours.

"In Second Place," they had all witnessed the results but the way the General spoke them made them sound brand new, "receiving a silver medal, is Santana Lopez of Beauxbaton Academy of Magic."

"In first place, winning the duelling tournament and receiving the gold medal, is Kurt Hummel of Hogwarts School of Wizardry and Witchcraft." Kurt preened at the applause he received as he glided across the stage to accept his prize; there was no greater feeling than victory, of that he was sure, "Kurt has also received an invitation to begin his training under the Order of the White Lotus this summer, the youngest student since the order was established over seven hundred years ago."

Kurt bowed elegantly as the applause grew, he revelled in his spot in the sun but suddenly he was reminded of the words that had been shared between brothers two sunsets before; Kurt gestured to his team and the applause had died down. Kurt returned to his seat, smiling to his friends triumphantly and looked to General O-Ren Ishii for the final result; the one result they had no knowledge of.

"The overall results are as follows," she paused for a moment and pursed her lips, enticing the crowds, "in Third place, Durmstrang Institute hailing from Sweden. In Second place, Hogwarts School if Wizard and Witchcraft hailing from Scotland. In First Place, Salem Witch Institution hailing from the United States."

The applause was raucous and undying as the teams received their respective trophies, Kurt tried to be gracious as they settled for second place but grace in such a situation had never been a strong suit for him.

"We're losers" he announced to the group, they all seemed to have been caught unawares by his sudden declaration, "that is evidently how the west was won."

Kurt let out a slightly manic laughter and walked over to Brittany, he stroked her luscious blond hair, "I'd say the best team won but we came in second."

"I'm gonna miss you too!" she hugged him tightly knowing this may be the last time they see each other, "Maybe when I learn how to write I'll send you an owl."

"Do those do long distance?" Kurt raised a questioning brow.

As Kurt was saying his goodbyes to his new friends and exchanging contact details he was interrupted by the clearing of a throat; he turned to see Grand Master Iroh standing before him.

"I hope I will be seeing you this summer," he smiled broadly, "an official invitation, for admin reasons."

Kurt looked down at the beautiful heavy embossed stationary and smiled internally, "For admin reasons," he repeated with a chuckle but Grand Master Iroh had long disappeared when he raised his head from the sealed envelope.

He turned to see the person he was most dreading saying goodbye to, Santana gave him a small smile, "You know what? You're simply on the other side of the English Channel, I refuse to say goodbye like we may never see each other again."

"It would be rather stupid of us," she looked down at her shoes before giving him a brief hug, "till we meet again." She shook his hand solemnly, grabbed one of the address cards he'd made last night and walked off to be with her classmates.

"Ready to go home?" Dumbledore asked stroking his long white beard seemingly having appeared out of nowhere, "and of course by home I do mean Hogwarts, this is not the time to play magical car pool."

"Ready," Kurt whispered.

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