A/n: This Chapter was brought to you by wine... nuff said.

This is a mini wind down to Book Three.

Sirius Black's disappearance and Buckbeak's escape had not been linked up as yet, weeks after the events of that mild June night and nobody knew the part that Harry, Hermione and Kurt had played in both incidences other than Professor Dumbledore. Kurt was certain that the bearded man would take the secret to his grave and so would they; their friends knew bits and pieces but none of them would ever piece together the whole story. Kurt's bags were sitting packed on the stairs in front of the great hall as he waited for his friends to join him, mainly because it was Finn's responsibility to carry his bag to the train.

"It's been a grand year Hummel," a thick Irish accented voice said from his left, "you've almost become bearable over time."

"Oh Seamus," Kurt cupped the boy's cheek and gave a small shake of his head, "Nobody said you could talk to me." The freckled boy paled and his ears turned a violent shade of red, "I'm just pulling your leg. Are you excited about the upcoming Quidditch World Cup?""

"Fuck yes," the colour returned to the sandy haired boy's face, "Ireland has got a team poised to kill, and yourself?"

"Nothing excites me aside from a designer fall collection," Kurt gave the boy a patronising smile, "but if one must be excited about world cups then I chose rugby."

"Good choice," Seamus chuckled.

"All my choices are good ones," Kurt pursed his lips, glancing over Seamus's shoulder at a broodingly handsome face, "As much as I'm enjoying your new found maturity, I think my boyfriend is getting a little jealous and I fear his muscles are more impressive than yours."

Seamus shot to his feet, "Cedric, I mean Mr Diggory… I mean sir." Seamus let out a defeated sigh as Kurt giggled loudly, "I'm just going to go."

Cedric gave a serious straight-faced nod, "I think I enjoy the sound of sir."

"Don't expect it from me until you've been knighted by The Queen," Kurt shook a finger in front of the taller boy's face, "And even then I doubt you'll have earned the privilege."

Cedric hooked his own index finger to Kurt's extended one and pulled him closer by it, planting a chaste kiss on his lips, "I like the way you say my name too much to expect otherwise."

"Whatever do you mean Cedric?" there was a melodic quality to the way Kurt crooned the boy's name, "what specifically about the way I say Cedric Diggory do you like?"

Cedric leaned in close, whispering his response in Kurt's ear; his breath hot on Kurt's skin, "You have this unique way in which you roll the letter 'r' that makes everything sound that much better."

"If I didn't know better," Kurt let out a loud gasp as Cedric teased the sensitive skin at the nape of his neck with his teeth, "I'd think you were coming on to me."

"I am coming on to you," Cedric gave Kurt a devilish smile before switching sides; Kurt's feet turned to jelly under him, "how will I survive the summer without you?"

"Cedric stop," Kurt moaned the words softly, not wanting the worship to end, "what if Professor McGonagall sees?"

"Let her see," Cedric whispered, "let them all see and turn green with envy that have permission to touch you."

"I might very well take that permission away if you don't stop," Kurt gave the boy a playful swat on the bicep, followed by an encouraging squeeze, "you've survived many a summer before me and you will survive this one without me."

Cedric gave him a silencing kiss before giving him a puppy dog pout, "Will I?"

"Then come to South America with me," Kurt shrugged, slipping out of the boys grasp and sultrily walking away, "Me and you, we'll Peru, you'll meet Harley Drew and they'll be so much to… do."

Cedric let out a tortured breath, not moving for a moment, "as tempting as that sounds…"

"I can see just how tempted you are," Kurt teased with wag of his brow.

Cedric crossed his arms and his robe closed over his front, "you know my father got me an internship at St Mungo's this summer."

"I know," Kurt used the boy's strong arms to leverage himself up for a kiss.

"And if I didn't have a thing for ambition I might be angry," Hermione's flawless impersonation of him came from behind Cedric.

"I told you that in confidence," He hissed at Hermione, covering Cedric's ears playfully.

"I already knew you were crazy about me," Cedric teased him, "but watching you blush is so much fun." The taller boy swung him around and Kissed him behind his ear, "I'm going to go, don't tell your friend about my temptation till after I'm gone." Then he did something Kurt wasn't expecting, he softly whispered in his ear, "I love you."

"Goodbye Cedric," Hermione gave the boy a knowing smile as he climbed into a carriage with his friends.

"Goodbye Hermione," He waved over his shoulder.

Kurt watched in disbelief as the boy who just told him that he loved him rode away in a thestral pulled carriage, being ridiculed by his friends for his affectionate nature toward Kurt, "he just told me he loved me, and didn't give me a chance to say it back."

"Would you have said it back," Hermione asked, draping an arm over his shoulder.

Kurt tried to blink the confusion caused by what Cedric had said away, to no avail, "I don't know."

"Kurt doesn't know something," Ron chuckled as he, Finn and Harry came down the stairs shoulder to shoulder, "this is the beginning of the end."

"I didn't think this day would come," Finn shook Kurt violently as he stood flabbergasted, "think about Harley Drew, she's so young and has Peru to live for; don't end the world yet, think about the children."

"You just took an emotionally complex moment in my life and made it about someone else," Kurt swatted the back of Finn's head, "Get my bags, you're late and so help me god if we miss the train because of you three you will face my wrath."

"You make situations about other people about you all the time," Finn argued from behind Kurt, as he struggling with loading his own trunk as well as Kurt's multiple Louis Vuitton trunks into the carriage; Kurt gave him a precautionary glare that set him right, "besides you love Harley Drew."

"It is true I have an unexplainable soft for that little one," Kurt gave a great big smile to nobody in particular.

"One might say you love her," Hermione teased.

"One might just," Kurt gave a small giggle.

"What's this all about?" Harry asked, forcing back a contact high.

"You wouldn't understand," Kurt shook his head as the wind coursed through his hair.

"You still haven't explained why you were late," Hermione pointed out.

Ron gave a smug smile as he crossed his arms, "Harry was letting us ride his Firebolt."

"I'm burning my Nimbus," Finn smiled broadly, "I want one of those."

Kurt pursed his lips in disapproval, "it's almost your summer birthday, ask for it then."

"I'm getting a tribal tattoo for my summer birthday," Finn nodded eagerly.

"Really," Kurt quirked a brow, "what tribe are you from?"

Ron chuckled, "you have this real talent for soul destroying, has anyone ever told you that?"

"Actually," Kurt's voice was thick with sarcasm, "I've been told it's quite the skill and I should consider taking it straight to the bank."

"Ten points to Slytherin," Harry teased as they got out at the train station to find Ginny, Luna and Neville waiting on the platform for them.

"You're late," Luna scolded, "and not in the way you'd be if you didn't have such good friends."

"But to be honest," Neville smiled broadly as he stepped on to the train, "we prefer this late much better."

Ginny didn't say anything but rather peered at Finn as he juggled the many trunks belonging to him and Kurt, "Finn you must be so strong."

"I work out," Finn smirked and flexed his biceps.

"Don't talk to my sister," Ron warned, stepping between Ginny and Finn, the taller boy simply shrugged and got back to work.

"Don't talk to our Finn like that," Hermione scolded Ron.

"Only we get to talk to him like that," Luna added in a matter of fact tone before turning to Finn with an airy yet authoritative voice, "back to work."

"I remember having one boss and that's because I accidentally sold him my soul," Finn waved a sassy finger.

"You didn't sell it to me," Kurt corrected as they boarded the train, "I won it in a hand of poker."

"I thought we were playing go fish," Finn argued over several heads as they tried to find a compartment, "you weren't specific."

"I didn't say 'go fish' once," Kurt shook his head, "besides, you didn't ask me if I had anything."

"I think we might have found something more exhausting than Ron and Kurt," Neville chuckled.

"Kurt and Ron," Kurt corrected, "you save our lives from the worst fate known to wizard kind and earn our eternal gratitude and you think you suddenly think you can start renaming public nuisances?" Neville swallowed heavily, "Good to know I can still strike fear into your heart."

Neville let out a little chuckle as they seated themselves in an empty compartment, "those blue flames you were spinning lit up the entire Hogwarts grounds and warmed me across the river, even if I was over my fear of you it came back stronger than ever after seeing that."

"He's right," Harry gave him a pat on the back, "you have to teach me that someday."

Kurt gave a polite smile, "who's excited about the quidditch world cup?"

There was wild humming in the compartment as the train conductor blew his whistle and the train began to move toward home; Kurt smiled as they all made plans to go to the finale together no matter who was playing, at least for the experience. For Kurt this would be the only match he'd be able to attend due to his summer White Lotus training but plans and promises were made none the less. Kurt watched the Hogwarts castle fade into the distance out of a window, something inside Kurt pulled like tether as he watched the building getting smaller and smaller; there would always be a part of him at Hogwarts, it was a world always new to him yet all his own despite having to share it with the other students.

Soon Kurt couldn't see the castle anymore and there was nothing to see but rolling hills and valleys, it was then that he was startled by a feathery sphere slamming into the window as it struggled to Keep up with the Hogwarts Express.

"Is that an owl?" Hermione's voice went high on the final syllable.

"Oh thank god," Kurt clutched his chest in relief, "I thought I was hallucinating."

Neville open the window and let the owl into the compartment, the owl was no bigger than a tennis ball and saw carrying a letter of equal size. Ginny pulled the letter from its talons as it lay, exhausted, in Neville's lap "it's for Harry."

Harry read the letter quietly and as he did a smile spread on his face, "It's from Sirius, he says he found a place to stay and a job on a remote muggle farm in France."

"The ministry won't find him there," Ron gave a satisfied nod.

"The ministry can't look for him there," Hermione corrected, "it's outside their derestriction."

"He says the owl is for Ron," Harry went on as he finished the last of the letter, "a replacement for Scabbers."

"You're not a middle aged man, are you?" Ron whispered to the small bird as it hopped onto his shoulder.

"I think he needs a name," Luna announced.

"Something unique," Ginny went on."

"Not like scuttle," Finn shook his head, "it seemed like a better idea when I was eleven."

"MacFluff," Hermione suggested, "a play on Macduff from the Scottish play, he's the hero."

"How's about MacNo!" Ron chuckled at his own joke, "that's a nerd name."

"I'm naming him Pigwidgeon and there's nothing you can say about it," Ginny gave an evil grin like the one she'd given Kurt just before the basilisk kidnapped him, "I might tell mum if your mean to me."

"Harry," Kurt finally spoke, "when you right Sirius, tell him not to touch Oma's Bourbon or she'll cut off both his arms."

Hope you like it and I hope I can get some of Book four going before my vaca ends in four days.