A/n: So this is the penultimate chapter of first year, setting some stuff up for later... fun times. This follows the movie more than the books because it's superfluous plot parts.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, Glee or any other Fandom I may reference.

Kurt walked back into the castle with a spring in his step; Christmas had been wonderful, give or take a moment or two. He had been ecstatic to spend time with the family but for the most part he had longed to be back in his own space, Kurt loved going to Hogwarts but having to share a room with Dumb, Dumber and Obnoxious was unbearable; but he knew that for every good there must be bad and simply bared through the irritant with gritted teeth.

He and Finn were still at an awkward point in their relationship; after their heart to heart in Japan they had established that they simply didn't find the time for each other. Kurt knew that they had never really shared the circle of friends before coming to Hogwarts, Finn's circle actually had people in it, or really had the same classes but they lived together and spent copious amounts of time together as brothers that way but now that was all gone. Kurt was in Slytherin; he spent his time outside of class in the library or in the dungeon, when he was available Finn had commitments to his team and such. Although they had spent the festive season together, the presence of their extended family made fortifying and reforming their bond almost impossible. They had gone their separate ways as soon as they'd arrived and Kurt could feel regret festering at his core; there was more to this than simple estrangement but he simply couldn't deduce what that thing standing between them was.

Kurt cast those distressing thoughts aside as he strode down the halls with falsified confidence, their parents had dropped a major bombshell on him over the break and it had fuelled previously dormant anxieties within him; Carole was pregnant, with a child. It wasn't that Kurt didn't like children, he didn't though, but this would ultimately single him out and eventually see him excluded just like Cinderella. Kurt had always had a single thought that doused his insecurities about being adopted; adopted children were all his father had ever known, he didn't have any kids of his own and so wouldn't put anyone before him. The circumstances had changed for him, there would be some kid that he wouldn't even be around to defend himself against as it spread its infectious cuteness; Kurt he was wise to fear that monstrosity's power unlike Finn who was excited about the prospect of extending his duties as an older brother.

The pleasant parts of Christmas were sufficiently abundant as to make up for the trip's disappointments; his Oma had shown up completely drunk and had been a blast the entire visit- Kurt loved when she mixed her pills with alcohol. She had gifted him with a technicoloured sweater he was sure he'd probably never grow into, a deck of cards and a lesson on how to hustle people out of their money; she'd also spooked Carole's parents by alluding to casual drug use and made his Christmas.

The family had been pleasant through and through, his 'Pa had said nothing the entire trip, which always seemed to get to Finn and amuse Kurt. He had brought them each riding boots and insisted they refine their equestrian skills, he managed to do that without using a single word. His Grandparents from Shefield had come around as well; they, along with Carole's folks, had decided to keep gifting simple- cards and cash; Kurt had collected eighty quid in total due to the frugality of the elderly.

The second burst of joy had come wrapped and under their scale model of the Eifel Tower, themed Christmases were a Hudson-Hummel tradition and this year had been A Winter in Paris, the pile of presents had been as high as he was. There had been a lot of stuff that he sadly could no longer use but also a lot of stuff he had been dying to have; a computer for his bedroom, a complete hair care kit that included a straightener, a set of French language books to hone his skills and envelopes of gift certificates to all his favourite stores; he'd demanded a shopping spree soon after.

"Kurt," he was startled by the sound of his name, he saw Harry smiling down at him for the top of a flight of stairs as he lugged his suitcase behind him on his way to the dungeons, "Welcome back."

The boy hurried down the stairs to help him with his burden, Kurt smiled gratefully, "It's great to be back, how was your festive season?"

"A heck of a lot better than prior experiences, that's for sure."

"That's lovely dear," Kurt smiled warmly at the boy, "anything worth mentioning?"

"Strictly speaking," the boy stumbled nervously, "no."

"Speaking casually?"

He leaned into Kurt's personal space and spoke in a hoarse whisper, "I found a mirror that shows one their deepest desire."

"Such a mirrors must be the way in the wizarding world, is not so?"

"Dumbledore thinks it's pretty rare," Harry said after giving it a bit of thought.

"Hmm, you've consulted the matter with Dumbledore," Kurt pursed his lips, a tell that he was paying the notion a fair bit of thought, "Well, might I ask what The Boy Who Lived saw as his deepest desire?"

"I guess so…" Harry paused nervously, "it was my family I saw when I looked in the mirror."

"Justified," Kurt felt awkward, not knowing how to offer solace to the boy but without patronising him, "I fear it is fruitless to desire the family you've lost, better forge one a new."

All Kurt got in reply to his most formidable wisdom was a curt nod, he supposed it should have washed him over with irony but it was lost on him as he tried to figure if he'd offended the boy. When they reached the bottom of the stairs Harry bid him a due and was off the library.

Kurt couldn't understand why the use of magic was forbidden in the hallways in an institution of witchcraft and wizardry, which is like banning reading in a library, if he had been allowed to levitate his suitcase he would have been spared from the awkward and polite conversation. By the time he made it down to his room he was irritated to find his least favourite person lounging obnoxiously, how he managed to do everything so obnoxiously was beyond Kurt, on the bed opposite his own.

"Oh, you're back for more humiliation," the boy spoke lazily, his eyes dark and uncaring. Kurt wasn't sure whether to take offence from the boy's lack of interest and effort in today's banter or to thank whatever nameless gods presided over the wizarding world for the peace he was afforded, none the less Kurt had a witty retort up his sleeve for such a moment.

"I don't recall being humiliated," Kurt said without meeting the boy's gaze, he worked on unpacking his stuff as quickly as his slim arms would allow, "As I recall it I was doing quite well for myself in both the scholastical and the extramural spheres of my magical education, but then again you weren't there to witness my international triumph."

"My father saw your little article in The Daily Prophet and thought it was shameful that Dumbledore was letting muggle-borns represent the school," Draco spat the words at him, "He said he'd never felt more regret not sending me to Durmstrang than he did seeing you, your mudblood brother and Granger grinning on the front page; he'd always said that Dumbledore had grown old and foolish."

Kurt smiled sweetly and spoke in a low merry voice, "Tell your father that I had a whole basket full of fucks to give, but they all flew away."

Whilst the boy was still confused by his odd statement Kurt turned on heels and left the room bumping into Crabbe on his way out, receiving only a grunt of acknowledgement from the lackey. Kurt had never cared enough about the word 'mudblood' in the past to look into the meaning, he'd always taken it for the loutish colloquialisms of children but hearing of an adult using the term in a displeasing manner made Kurt curious. As he scurried off to the library to find a solution to the questions that floated about in his mind.

As Kurt entered the library he was shocked to find the person he'd least expected, sitting riffling through a pile of books higher than he was tall, Ron Weasley; Kurt took note that too many things were higher and taller than himself.

"Ronald?" Kurt asked with a wicked smile adorned on his pale face, "Today the sun shall fall and be feasted on by the fowls, what are you doing in the library?"

"Kurt," the boy's voice was flat but his eyes burned as bright as his hair.

Kurt's smile turned to an indignant smirk, "If I were not as wise, I would have supposed by the fire in your eyes that you were pleased to see me."

"Why would that idea surprise you?" Ron asked wagging a fiery brow that wriggled like wild flames, "with you here, I only have to do half the reading."

"Aren't you here with Harry?" Kurt asked rolling his eyes at the idea of reading that pile of books.

"He's around here somewhere with his own pile of books," Ron seemed to be uninterested reading; choosing, for the first time, to speak to Kurt.

"And what exactly are you reading?" Kurt's curiosity was biting at him and he simply had to know.

"I don't know," he shut the large book for a moment and eyed the peeling gold script, "looking for any word of Nicolas Flemel."

"Is that on Alchemy?"

"No" Ron looked perplexed by the question, "it's a recent history book."

"Well," Kurt twirled his recently straightened hair, cut too short and too well maintained to grow into its natural wilderness, "then you're looking in the wrong section."

"And how do you know that?"

"I met the man in passing," Kurt's own brows were no more than geometric feats of artistry; they were no visual spectacle to behold. Kurt allowed his thoughts to shift for a moment, "We can discover who Nicolas Flemel is in a moment, first I need to ask you something."

"You?" Ron spoke wearily with a furrowed brow, "Ask me?"

"There's a colloquialism I heard in pass," Kurt exhaled and kept his voice low, he didn't mean to be heard by anyone near them, "What is a mudblood?"

Ron paled, his face contorted by deep thought, when he finally spoke his voice was low, "that's a bad word Kurt, my father says only the foulest kind of wizard would speak such a word."

"What does it mean?"

"Dirty blood," Ron seemed almost afraid of the words as he spoke them, "my father said that it is used by pureblood supremacists when they speak of muggle-borns."

Kurt raised a brow of acknowledgement but was unable to speak; he swore under his breath in that moment that he would make Draco pay dearly. He smiled away the hurt of prejudice and looked the flame haired boy in the eye, "Thank you for your honesty, I guess this is the moment for reciprocity."

"What about Nicolas Flemel?"

"That's what I meant," Kurt gave a small smile and pulled the boy behind him by the arm as they navigated the tall shelves in search of their friends.

"Kurt," Harry's voice was small as it called for him with surprise, "Where's Hermione?"

"Here I am," Hermione had just the book he was thinking to get; her hair was still as wild as always, she was yet to grow into her large teeth nor her snooty attitude, "I've just the book we need, hey Kurt."

He smiled as she gesture for them to enter the space between the tall shelves, the light was diminished but the group fit into the space well, it was Ron who broke their silence, "What is this?"

"A book," Harry smiled.

"Really?"

"It has what we need to know," Hermione said as he eyes darted back and forth in the silent and deserted library.

Kurt looked about the deserted isle between the tall shelves of the library; he turned into the group, looking each of his friends in the eyes, "This is what we know about Nicolas Flemel," he opened the great book to the page he remembered reading when Hermione had shown him the book upon their return from their great victory, "He's an alchemist."

"An alchemist?" Harry asked in a confused squeak.

"An alchemist is a scholar of alchemy," Hermione rolled his eyes at the blank stare Harry gave her in response, "Alchemy is the protoscience that birthed Chemistry, though more inclusive of mythology. It was believed that followers of this philosophy could turn base metals to gold and create a universal cure for all human ailments."

"They were also believed to be the creators of philosopher's stones," Kurt added with a curt smile, "Nicolas Flemel is the only person known to have successfully created one, he's more than six hundred years old."

Kurt pointed to the passage that spoke of the man, he knew that they would not take his word without proof, "He's like… immortal or something?"

"The elixir of life extends one's life for a specified duration but it is chronic dependence from then," Hermione said with a pleased smile.

Harry held up a hand, "That's what Fluffy is guarding, that's what Hagrid got out of the vault at Gringots, that's what Snape is after."

"Again with this Snape business?" Kurt asked with an exasperated eye roll, "Don't you think if he was interested in claiming the stone for himself he would have stayed behind when we were in Tokyo and tried his luck whilst Dumbledore was doing his duties as headmaster? That would have probably had McGonagall out of the castle as well."

"I have a feeling," Harry said in a low rasp, "I'm sure of it."

Hermione had a look of support for Harry's words, "The evidence is mounted against him."

"Circumstantial evidence," Kurt said with an eye roll, "Evidence that you all engineered and dreamed up based on the idea that he's evil."

"He is evil," Harry announced a little too loudly.

"Why?"

"He just is," the scarred boy replied.

"Because he's a Slytherin?" Kurt asked the next question boldly, "Am I also evil?"

There was a lingering silence till Hermione decided to speak for the trio, "No, it's just that the evidence points toward Professor Snape."

"You saw him jinx Harry's broom yourself," Ron spoke calmly, an attribute that Kurt would have associated him with.

"And he got himself bitten by the three headed dog," Kurt spoke the words but couldn't bring himself believe them, "he cheats at quidditch and also he's really creepy; I get it, it makes sense."

Kurt omitted his uncertainties.

~0~

The first few weeks had been a nervous mess of anticipation and paranoia since they had acquired the knowledge of what was hidden in in the school, Kurt had taken to reading as much as he possibly could about the stone but there was not much to be known in writing. Knowing what the stone was and what it did served only to pique Hermione and his curiosity, they wondered how such an artefact can exist and why it would be hidden away. Was Nicolas Flemel greedy and unwilling to share immortality? Was it to prevent an economic collapse like the one his dad said would happen if people could print their own money? Or was it to keep it from the supposedly 'bad' people who wanted it for selfish reasons?

It was Saturday and as such Kurt was sitting in the mass of stands amongst the throngs of Hufflepuff students as they cheered loudly for the victory of their team. Kurt had sacrificed the plight of his skin to paint his face to support his brother in his great debut as a sporting superstar; the boy had missed his original debut against Ravenclaw because he'd been away, Kurt hadn't been a great brother at the time and hoped that this would make up for it. In all honesty, Kurt hadn't been a good brother in a while and he knew that something as superficial wouldn't be enough to refortify their relationship, they had drifted apart because of conflicting schedules but Kurt knew he was primarily to blame; first he had spent all his time in detention, then on the BAT and now it was spent chasing the ghost of Nicolas Flemel.

Kurt had made a decision to cast aside the many distractions of school, the universe and life to spend the day at his brother's beck and call. Kurt had no one with him to explain the plays this time but his memory would hopefully be sufficient for a formidable understanding.

The Hufflepuff and Gryffindor teams hovered about as Professor Snape appeared on the pitch at a leisurely stroll to release the quaffle and start the match, Kurt wondered if Harry and the Gryffindor team truly had any reason to fear the man's intentions as a referee but after conceding with the group to accept that he was indeed evil it was only logical that he would waste his evil cheating at sports, or at least that was the group logic. The mighty lions had trained endlessly in preparation for the match out of fear of an unfair match and no matter how the match went they would have their unfair match, on a psychological level at least for they truly believed that Professor Snape would be an unfair referee.

Kurt watched as the players swished about the pitch in frantic effort to exchange the ball… no, quaffle, between members of their own team whilst avoiding the large black monstrosity that meant to kill as it wildly maneuverer the pitch. The match had just began and it seemed that handsome Cedric Diggory was already at work putting points on the board for his team not that the opposition wasn't the same. Finn was preoccupied by the violent black ball… bludger, Kurt had known this was what he was expected to do but he had to admit that it made him nervous. Kurt was surprised when almost as quickly as the match had begun it was over; in his single prior experience the match had been slightly longer but he guessed that was the plight of a match with a flexible length, it made him wonder if this ever happened to people who paid to watch the match. The match had ended in favour of the Gryffindors when Harry had caught the golden snitch within the first five minutes.

Kurt had loitered on the stands for a moment and then strolled over to the change room exit, the throngs of teenagers that were leaving the Hufflepuff change rooms didn't seem to be defeated but rather their ordinary social selves, Kurt was unnerved by their pleasant demeanour.

"Kurt!" Finn exclaimed happily before tackling him, Kurt thanked heavens that he hadn't worn his white coat as he fell over.

"Hi Finn," his voice was breathy as he was helped back to his feet, "I'm sorry you lost, have a chocolate bar."

"I shouldn't."

"It's a ritz bar," Kurt waved the bar in the boy's peripheral vision to entice him.

"Give that to me," he grabbed the bar, savaged the wrapper and devoured it in two bites, "Gods be good."

"I'm sorry I've been neglecting you," Kurt was never comfortable with being wrong or having to admit to his feelings and this was a combination of both, "I know I've been a bad friend and an even worse brother without even realising it."

Finn was silent for a long time, long enough to unman Kurt. When a reply finally came it was so faint and distant that at first he did not recognize it for what it was, the words were scratching at his frontal lobe and it had been so long since he'd had someone in his mind, 'you're a jerk, but you're my jerk.'

They leisurely strolled up to the castle taking a lazy and deserted trail as the January air was biting at their extremities, 'You do realise nobody else survives calling me a jerk,' Kurt beamed at his brother playfully.

'Your B.A.T. Duelling Tournament gold medal is no match for my Regional Junior Wrestling participation ribbon,' the boy countered with a playful shove; Kurt had never been so glad for a shove in his life- it was a symbol that normality had been restored, maybe recreated was the better word for it.

Kurt wrapped a scarf around the taller boy's neck as they sat down on the bench in view of the womping willow, the tree appeared to be shivering. Kurt was practising the summoning charm Santana had taught him, he concentrated on where he had put the flask exactly- it was in his room on top of his chest. With hand at the ready as he visualized the flask he spoke the incantation with his wand pointed skyward, "Venir."

The flask appeared in his hand, the charm wasn't as quick as using a traditional summoning charm but worked more effectively for longer distances.

Kurt poured a cup from the flask and handed it to his brother, "you know I don't drink tea."

"It's hot chocolate," Kurt thrust the cup into his brother's hand, nearly scalding them both, "it came this morning from home, Carole made it just for us so drink."

Finn blew into the molten chocolate mix, "smells just like her."

"She smells like berries not chocolate," Kurt giggled at the boy's face as Finn faked a pout but failed miserably to garner the desired effect, "I know I picked the scent."

"You know," Finn raised a brow, "That's new."

Kurt stared the boy down for a moment, "did you enjoy playing cricket?"

"Quidditch."

"Same thing," Kurt sipped his coffee whilst looking to Finn expectantly, "What?"

"You're doing it."

"Oh," Kurt raised a questioning brow, "there is an 'it' I do?"

"You know exactly what I mean."

"Of course and I'm just patronisingly feigning ignorance," Kurt insured that the sarcasm in his tone rang true in his brother's ears.

"You want to know what it is?" Finn asked in a bit of shout as he was standing up and placing his cup on the bench. Kurt nodded in agreement, he braced himself as Finn started screaming, "It's not always about you! I know you're busy and all but in all honesty you could at least try to pretend to care that other people have lives as well; mom and Burt having a baby isn't about you, you could at least pretend to know what's going on in my life and also, we get it you're good at this magic thing but you could have carried the flask."

"Are you done?"

"Am I done?" Finn exclaimed loudly, "No, also… okay I'm done."

"Well, now that everything has been said," Kurt nonchalantly buffed a nail and smiled, "drink your cocoa before it solidifies."

"Drink my cocoa? That's all you have to say?"

"I'm okay."

"So I'm the dick who has a problem with his perfect brother."

"I'm not perfect," Kurt smiled as he spoke; they were talking about it, this was healthy. He grabbed Finn's hand to offer solace, "I'm pretty amazing but you can't put me on a pedestal and expect things to work out."

"You are without blame."

"The blame I'm willing to shoulder is being self-absorbed but I don't care to accept fault for having an emotional reaction," Kurt's stare was slowly turning icy, "Who's the smartest person you know?"

"You are."

"Hermione Granger is better read and more diversely versed, you met Brittany recently and she singlehandedly possessed more knowledge than our entire team" Kurt sighed in defeat, "Cedric Diggory placed top of his class in several subjects, my dad knows how to build an engine from nothing and you picked me? Why?"

"I picked you because…"

"Because you see me through rose coloured glasses," his voice was low making the words hang menacingly in the cool air, "And now you're seeing bits of me around them, take them off; I'm a narcissistic know-it-all bitch with serious identity issues."

Finn was defeated as he spoke, "I've never known that Kurt…"

"I used to be able to keep the cracks well hidden but I think that was because I didn't know all of me, being just Kurt meant that a lot of it was just imagination."

"Let's be honest," Finn chuckled throwing an arm over Kurt's shoulder, "You were never 'just Kurt'."

"I think I'm going to get professional help."

"Good on you," there was a long and homely silence that was finally broken by Finn leaning in to whisper in his ear, "I'm growing hair in my special place."

"You're disgusting."

~0~

By the time the group of friends had made the unanimous decision to go down to confront Hagrid about whether or not their suspicions about the Philosopher's Stone were correct, the snow had melted and all that remained of winter was the biting breeze. Kurt was waiting for the Gryffindor trio outside in the courtyard, wrapped in his warm white pea coat. To say they had caught him unawares would be the understatement of the year, they had neglected to mention the invisibility cloak to him and he was quite surprised when a hand reached out and pulled him in to the veiled darkness; to call it a cloak would be misusing the word, it was a medium sized frameless tent.

They had managed walking under the thin veil of fabric reasonably well, aside from the two times Harry had elbowed him in the face and Hermione had stepped on his toes. By the time they reached the hut at the foot of the hills Kurt was glad to be free to walk at a speed greater than a slow trot.

When Hagrid answered the door he gave them a curt dismissive reply, Kurt had stuck hit foot into the doorjamb because he was wearing his indestructible combat boots. Ron and Harry had taken a page out of his and Hermione's book, speaking succinctly in sync, "We know about the philosopher's stone," They had announced.

Hagrid had changed his mind in the moment and invited them into the hut; it was incredibly warm in the hut and Kurt had taken off his coat but thought twice before handing it to Hagrid who looked like he'd been giving an oil change to a lemon.

"So, you know about the stone?"

"It was simple to figure out once you let that bit about Nicolas Flemel slip," Ron had said with little tact, Kurt had tried kicking him in the shin but that simply earned him a bewildered look from Hermione.

"What Ron means to say is that we were able to deduce it through cumulative evidence," Kurt smiled at the blank look.

"We think Snape is going to steal it," Harry announce without missing a beat.

"This is a claim based on circumstantial evidence."

"Thank you Kurt," Ron rolled his eyes at him, "Snape wants that stone, we just don't know why."

"I don't know," Hermione's tone had a snark to match her disapproving facial expression, "the untold riches and ticket to immortality might be slightly tempting but I bet he wants to make earrings."

She and Kurt had exchanged a triumphant high-five, "There's a universal motive."

"You kids need to stop all this accusing and speculating," Hagrid had finally said, putting an abrupt end to their little forum, "Ain't nobody stealing that stone, ain't nobody getting past fluffy, end of story."

"Hypothetically," Kurt spoke out, "if someone as formidable as Snape were after the stone, they might easily outsmart a dog."

"You listen to me," the man was firm, as firm as someone like Hagrid could be, "Nobody knows how to sooth a beast like Fluffy except for me and Dumbledore."

"Someone like Snape wouldn't care about soothing fluffy," Ron snapped his fingers and they all knew what he meant, it made Kurt's stomach turn in knots.

Hagrid appeared equally shocked by the idea but soon returned to a looks of knowing ease, "There's something else protecting the stone," Hermione broke the ominous silence that had been brought on by Ron's grim imagery, "Spells, enchantments and such?"

"Not that anyone would get past Fluffy."

"That's why you said Snape was protecting the stone," Kurt had a sudden realisation, "He created one of the enchantments protecting the stone."

Hagrid almost looked indignantly proud of himself, "Him, a handful of Hogwarts finest and me, that stone isn't in any danger."

"A handful," Hermione didn't quite ask the question but her tone was leading.

"Professors Sprout, McGonagall, Flitwick, Snape and Quirrel," there was pride in his voice, "And me…" his face suddenly dropped and his eyes grew wide, "No more on that."

"Really?" Harry had a chill in his voice, "you're cutting us off now? You're such a tease."

"You chaps ought to be heading back up to the castle."

"But you've been boiling water for tea," Ron whined, "the least you could do is let us have a cup before sending us back out to the cold."

"Why is it so warm in here?" Harry demanded as his glasses slipped down the bridge of his nose.

"Warm?" Hagrid feigned ignorance as sweat accumulated on his bushy brow, "It's not warm in here."

"Then why are you sweating?" Hermione demanded, the soft leading voice long gone.

"I'm nervous."

"You're not convincing anyone with that argument," Kurt said without a care.

"You can't tell nobody about what I got here," Hagrid's voice had dropped to a whisper piquing Kurt's interest. They all leaned in as they nodded their pledge of silence, "the pot, there's an egg."

"You're making a boiled egg?"

Hagrid chuckled heartily as he got up, looking about in a bout of paranoia. He put on a pair of oven mitts and leaned into the pot, he placed an overgrown tope egg with an alluring shine on the table before them. Ron's eyes widened knowingly, "is that?" was all he could manage as his mouth hung open; Hagrid seemed to be in an equal awe because he nodded but dared not speak.

"Is that what I think it is?" Ron demanded.

"It's a dragon egg," Hagrid smiled a goof wide toothy grin.

Kurt got to his feet and took a step back as the egg made a sound, "Dragon breeding is illegal in the United Kingdom," he exclaimed clutching his coat to his chest, "And for good reason, they're rated XXXXX by Newt Scamander; wizard killers, they're impossible to train."

"I'm gonna train mine up good."

"They are impossible to train," Kurt announced as he stayed a safe distance from the egg, it's beauty wanted him to touch it but his wits told him better.

"My brother Charlie works with dragons in Romania," Ron exclaimed almost defensively, "they train them."

"They don't train them," Hermione corrected, "That is a reservation where they study dragons and control their population."

"Where'd you get it?" Ron demanded.

"I won in a game of cards down at the Hog Head."

The egg started to move and Kurt held his breath, cracks began to appear on the flawless enamel eggshell. The steady tapping had the group on their toes, eventually a dragon no bigger than a loaf of bread burst from the egg. Kurt's eyes were wild as he watched the creature clumsily stumbled on the table top; its skin was the same tope as the shell but it didn't look nearly as beautiful with the sheen of amniotic fluid and the sick translucency of a new born.

"Bloody hell," Ron's eyes were wide as saucers, "That's a Norwegian Ridgeback."

"Oh goodness me," Hagrid howled giddily, "isn't he beautiful?"

"Beautiful isn't the word I'd use," Hermione said in his place as he was still too frightened to speak, "Dangerous maybe."

"None of that," Hagrid scolded. The dragon turned to Hagrid and purred, "Oh goodness me, he knows his mommy. You're such a good dragon Norbit."

"Norbit?" Ron asked in confusion.

"He has to have a name, don't he?"

"You're not very good at giving names," Kurt finally spoke, "You named a savage three-headed dog 'Fluffy' and now you have a dragon named Norbit."

"I'd expect something like Rhagnar," Harry said with a giggle that earned him a bewildered look from the group, "He was a Viking war lord with dragons carved on his ships."

"He's Norbit," Hagrid tickled the underside of the dragon's head, at first he cooed happily along with the large man till he'd had his fill and retaliated with a small burst of flames that caught on Hagrid's beard. The smell of burning hair filled the air as Hagrid patted the small flames, "oh, he'll need some training alright."

"Let the record reflect that I think this is a bad idea."

"You're just paranoid, Norbit won't hurt nobody and nobody's going to find out about him," Hagrid looked at him reassuringly till suddenly his breath caught, "That might be a problem though, who is that?"

Kurt turned to see a glimpse of a blond haired bulbous head that could only belong to one person, Harry said the name for him, "Malfoy."

~0~

Kurt huffed out a defeated breath as they were led down toward Hagrid's hut in the dark of night, "Don't you think it's ironic that we're being punished for being out at night with being forced to go out late at night?" His peers all gave him a glare of doom as he giggled to himself, "the logic of it is what gets me."

There was a lingering silence, none of them spoke but he could read each of them like an open book; Draco was defeated and angry because he'd hoped to get Harry in trouble but had not counted on getting himself in trouble as well, Ron blamed Kurt because Draco had obviously followed him to their location, Harry looked worried and it was probably justified as Hagrid had unknowingly broken the law, and Hermione was simply out of sorts in a foreign situation because she'd never been in any real trouble before.

Kurt wasn't new to the idea of detention; he'd served under Professor Snape as many as a hundred times, he'd even done night detention with Hagrid before; as a result he was at total ease, his friends on the other hand were walking on eggshells. Mr Filch, who was leading them down to Hagrid's hut, kept going on about the old days and how students were tortured for detention but all it did was serve to anger Kurt. By the time they reached the edge of the forbidden forest Kurt was moments from maiming the old fool, he was subdued by the sight of Hagrid looking miserable and defeated.

"Good evening Hagrid," Kurt was weary of how he spoke, noting that the large man was obviously quite emotional; he received a mumbled response.

"Oh come on Hagrid," Mr Filch didn't seem able to garner any sympathy for or empathise with Hagrid in his current predicament, if anything it seemed the man treated him with contempt, "Not still blubbering about that bloody dragon are you?"

"What did Dumbledore do with him?" Hermione asked in a soothing voice not wanting to make the man feel any worse.

He finally managed an answer between violent fits of sobbing, "He sent him to a reservation in Romania."

"Oh," Hermione smiled for a moment before realising that this wasn't a source of relief, "it's for the best, he'll be with his own kind."

"And he'll have wide open spaces to fly and grow into a big strong dragon," Kurt added with a reassuring smile, too himself he thought how it was better that the dragon wasn't anywhere near him.

"What if he don't like Romania?" Hagrid exclaimed between large sniffs and finally blowing his nose like a large fog horn, "What if the other dragons are mean to him?"

"One does not simply not like Romania," Kurt spoke in soothing tone with comforting words.

"My brother Charlie says it's the best," Ron tried to be reassuring but didn't quite hit the mark.

"This is the worst punishment ever," Draco sneered as he warmed his buns with the small bonfire, "I don't feel the list bit repentant."

"This isn't your punishment," Hagrid chuckled as he placed an arrow on the barrel of his oversized crossbow but it was half hearted, "Your punishment's in there."

Kurt didn't have to see where he pointed the tip of the arrow; he knew all too well that he'd be going in to the Forbidden Forest and it had his stomach turning in knots. He hoped he wouldn't see anything dead this time.

"You have got to be kidding," Draco exclaimed, "We can't go in there, it's… forbidden and there are… werewolves."

"Werewolves are the least of your worries," filch gave a guffaw of browned teeth that only aggravated Kurt's acid reflux.

"I don't think my father, a close personal friend of the Minister of Magic, would be pleased to hear that I was being treated this way."

"You'll have to be quite when we head into the forest," Hagrid cleared his throat and gestured for them to follow him. Kurt hid his fear well but he was not in any mood to see another beautiful creature slain. It unmanned him to think that someone would hurt such a majestic creature; he was fair and powerful, would they slay him just as easily.

Like the time before, they reached a puddle of molten silver and Hagrid gave his lecture on what they would be doing that night. Kurt was mesmerised by the liquid, as he approached it seemed to stare blankly at him but he quickly shrugged it off; puddles didn't stare, it was simply a bout of fatigue because of the extra hour he'd spent alternating between committing his notes to memory, recreational reading and Philosopher's Stone watch.

"Okay, Harry and Hermione," Hagrid interrupted his thoughts, and Kurt was grateful because of late he seemed to be slipping into a very emo mind set, "you're with me, the rest of you."

"That doesn't work for me," Kurt said uneasily, "the groups are unbalanced."

"Yeah," Ron exclaimed triumphantly, "I'm with Kurt on this one."

"I suggest this," Kurt started moving people around to his own benefit, "Ron, you're with Hagrid; Hermione and I'll go together; and finally Draco can go with Harry."

"Okay," Hagrid didn't give it a moment's thought before shrugging it off.

"We get the dog!" Draco demanded.

"Fine," a small knowing smile crept on to Hagrid's face, "I hope you know he's a bloody coward. Wait, I've only got two lanterns."

Hermione pulled out her wand and Kurt did the same, "Lumos," they spoke the incantation at the same time and their ailment was solve with a simple flick of their wands, light.

They forked in three directions; Kurt was weary of their distance from the group before turning to his best friend for a long overdue conversation. Their study schedules allowed them very little time to talk about something other than that retched stone, this conversation was a long time coming and he knew it.

"I went to see Professor McGonagall the other day," his voice was low, barely above a whisper but it was enough for Hermione.

"Oh," Kurt was nervous but even he knew that wasn't enough to earn a reply.

"Yeah, I've been feeling a little off and I…" he trailed off but stopped her when she started to speak, there were actual things to be afraid of out here in the dark, "I wanted her advice as deputy headmistress on seeing a shrink." He blurted the words out on top of each other, "I made an appointment to see the school counsellor on her advisement."

"Kurt," Hermione's initial response was shock but that soon melted into understanding, she didn't know the entirety of it but he could tell that she understood his plight, "Kurt."

The second 'Kurt' came out pained and distant, "I'm losing my mind; there are just too many unknown variables at play."

"And I know you and the unknown."

"I have no idea what my life is right now," Kurt and Hermione were strolling along lazily at this point, "And I don't know if I could still be the same person if I knew."

"I hate to say this but if you want to be the same, that'll never happen but I guess that's a given with puberty."

"Oh my gosh," Kurt's eyes grew wide, "We still have to do that!"

Hermione laughed along with him but their laughter was cut short by a distant shriek of fear that turned his blood cold, there was moment's contemplation as to whether to run toward or away from the screaming. By the time Kurt decided for himself he was being lead toward it by Hermione at a reasonable pace as they avoided the exposed roots, Kurt could hear commotion in the distance before them.

By the time they came to the clearing there was nothing to be seen but Harry, a centaur and the slain unicorn; the commotion looked to be nothing more than a distant memory. The centaur was speaking to Harry but they weren't close enough hear what he was saying, they edged closer to catch a snippet of what appeared to be a very titillating conversation.

"Firenze, I see you've met Mr Potter," Hagrid's booming voice waffled the remnants of what the centaur had to say, Kurt not that two more centaurs had appeared from the thicket of trees alongside Ron and Hagrid. When Kurt was no longer trying to eavesdrop, having established that he wouldn't be able to decipher half a conversation, he was able to look at the centaurs properly for a moment; each was as a stunning as the last, they had the upper bodies of models and from the waist down they had the bodies of stallions. For a moment Kurt wondered what the biology behind their digestion was, did they have the internal organs of men or horses? He brushed the question off, deeming it too rude to be asked in polite company.

Kurt was silent as they centaurs accompanied them back to the edge of the forest, he wanted to know what had spooked Draco Malfoy into silence but knew that he would never get the truth out of the blond boy. He turned to Harry who seemed to be brooding, Firenze had clearly said something that had caused Harry great distress as he seemed to be in an automated state with his face screwed up to show that he was melting something over in his mind, but what?

Hope you enjoyed reading!

Note: Venir is a summoning spell I kind of created, it's french for come (according to google translate); I have made it so it's the spell that is used wordlessly by Molly Weasley when she cooks because she summons the food across the kitchen because it can't be created.