Disclaimer: All recognizable characters and settings belong to J.K. Rowling.

November 24th, 1994

"Oi, good one Cedric!" Ron yelled as the crowd cheered.

The first task had started and Cedric had just transfigured a rock into a dog to distract the Swedish Short-Snout dragon.

"This is so dangerous," Hermione said as she watched worriedly. "Aren't you happy for the age line now?" She asked Ron.

"Nah, I could have handled it," Ron boasted. "So could have Harry."

Harry wasn't so sure. "I don't know what I would do to get past the dragon," He commented. "Unless I could fly," He said thoughtfully.

"Ooh, like summoning your broom!" Daphne said excitedly. "If anyone could out fly a dragon, it would be you."

Harry blushed slightly. "Thanks," He mumbled. Remembering his summoning practice over the summer, he knew it would take a lot more work on it to be able to summon his broom from so far away.

The crowd gasped when the dragon, bored of the dog, went back after Cedric and breathed fire. Cedric managed to get the golden egg, but it was clear he was hurt with the way he was holding his face.

"Ouch, that looked painful," Theo winced.

"They'll fix him up," Draco said dismissively. "At least we warned him what he would be facing so he had the same advantage as the other two champions."

Fleur Delacour was up next, facing a Common Welsh Green dragon. The crowd watched with bated breath as she enchanted the dragon to sleep.

"That was smart," Ron commented admiringly.

A moment later, the sleeping dragon snored and let out a stream of flames that ended up setting Fleur's skirt of fire. Fleur quickly put out the flames and retrieved her golden egg.

"Krum's next!" Ron said excitedly.

"Merlin, if the first task is this dangerous, how bad with the other tasks be?" Tracey said as she watched.

"What's he doing?" Harry asked as the dragon began stumbling around.

"It looks like he used the Conjunctivitis Curse," Draco said as the Chinese Fireball dragon smashed half of the real eggs as it continued stumbling around. "The dragon can't see."

Once Viktor held up the golden egg, the crowd burst into applause. The first task was completed.

"I wonder how they scored," Hermione said, leaning forward slightly.

"It looks like we're about to find out," Draco pointed as the scores were displayed.

Viktor Krum received forty points, Cedric Diggory received thirty-eight points and Fleur had received thirty-five points.

"Look how happy the Hufflepuffs are," Draco made a face as he watched Cedric surrounded by his housemates.

Hermione nudged him. "Of course they are happy Draco!" She rolled her eyes. "Aren't you? Don't you want Hogwarts to win?"

"Yes," Draco drawled out. "But I still wish we had a Slytherin Champion."

"It's good that the Hufflepuffs get a chance to shine," Hermione said. "They tend to get overlooked."

"For good reason," Draco smirked. He rolled his silver eyes at Hermione's admonishing look and clapped his hands loudly. "Good show Cedric! Good show!" He called out.

"You're such a dork," Hermione laughed.

Draco stared at her. "I don't think anyone's called me a dork before," He said finally.

"That's because there are other things to call you," Ron said, standing a little closer to Hermione. "Berk, git…"

"Snob."

"Prat."

"Arrogant."

"Thank you everyone." Draco said dryly. "As always, you're friendship knows no bounds."

December 10, 1994

"Uh Neville, I think something is wrong with your guinea-pig," Ron commented as the class turned in their assignments for the day, which had been to transfigure guinea-fowl into guinea-pigs.

"I know," Neville said sadly as he looked at the feathers that were still on his guinea-pig.

"Don't worry Neville, at least you almost got it," Hermione said encouragingly as she copied down the homework from the board.

Harry, Ron, Draco and Theo started a sword fight using fake wands that Fred and George had given them. Hermione gave them a look of disapproval though Daphne and Tracey were trying to hide their laughter.

"If you boys would kindly act your age," Professor McGonagall said in an irritated voice. "I have an announcement to make." She stood in front of her desk. "A traditional part of the Triwizard Tournament is the Yule Ball, which is Christmas evening. It is also an opportunity for you to socialize with our foreign guests. The ball is for fourth year students and up although you may invite a younger year if you wish to."

Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil began giggling and whispering to each other. They looked over to where Harry was and giggled more.

"Humph, talk about acting your age," Daphne muttered in an irritated voice.

December 12th, 1994

"As you two houses share a housemate, we decided you may as well share a dance lesson," McGonagall said as she stood in the middle of the Slytherins and Gryffindors. They were standing on opposite sides of the room, some giving each other dirty looks. Snape stood off to the side, looking bored.

"The Yule Ball has been a tradition for the Tournament since its Inception. Christmas night, we and our guest shall gather in the great hall for well mannered frivolity and of course, the dance."

Groans emerged from most of the boy's while a majority of the girl's began to giggle and whisper to each other. Snape was pleased to see that his Slytherins were at least showing more decorum than the Gryffindors and for those who were not, he steeled them with a dark glare which silenced them immediately.

McGonagall was frowning at her Gryffindors. "I insist on maturity being shown. I will not tolerate any of my lions acting like some babbling, bumbling band of baboons!"

Snape felt a small grin form. Bumbling band of baboons was the perfect way to describe all of the students, in his opinion. Well, almost all of them.

Harry tried to act serious but he couldn't help but snicker when he heard Fred and George whispering behind him. "Try saying that five times fast," Fred whispered to George. They both began muttering "babbling bumbling band of baboons" over and over. Harry bit his lip to try and stop laughing when he saw his dad throw him a disapproving look.

"Professor Snape, would like to help me demonstrate the waltz?" McGonagall asked her colleague innocently, causing giggles from the Gryffindors.

What? Snape's dark eyes widened in horror. "Absolutely not!" He hissed at her.

McGonagall smirked and winked at the shocked Slytherins. "Worth a shot," She shrugged. She scanned her lions and then stood in front of Ron. "Will you join me please?"

"Huh?" Ron asked. His face turned red when he was pulled out of his chair and made to stand in the middle of the room. He noticed Draco and Theo grinning and threw them a glare.

"Put your hands on my waist," McGonagall said briskly.

"Where?" Ron gaped at her.

"My waist," McGonagall repeated. Once Ron had placed his hands awkwardly on her waist, she nodded to Filch to turn on the music. "One, two, three," McGonagall said as she and Ron began dancing.

Harry couldn't help it; he was chuckling along with his friends as he watched a miserable looking Ron dancing with their head of house. The Slytherins were doing a better of hiding their laughter, but not by much. He glanced over at the twins. "You're never going to let him forget this are you?"

"Never!" Fred and George grinned.

"All right, everyone join in!" McGonagall called.

There were some groans but soon everyone had partnered up, though most stuck with their own house. Wanting the houses to get along Harry walked over to Daphne and following his lead, Ron partnered with Tracey. Theo had walked up to a surprised looking Lavender while Draco held out his hand to Hermione.

McGonagall stood next to Snape as they watched their students. "This is going well," She said brightly.

"Yes, although the pure-blooded students will have already learned to dance. The half-bloods and muggle-borns will need the practice," Snape commented. He rolled his eyes when he saw Neville stumbling through the dance moves with an irritated looking Parvati Patil. "Most of the pure-blooded students," He corrected himself.

"I just meant that no duels have broken out," McGonagall said as she watched the students happily.

Harry listened to Daphne's instructions as she coached him through the dance. "You are doing very well," Daphne said as they whirled around. "You learn fast."

"I have a good teacher," Harry responded, flushing slightly. He glanced around and saw that Draco and Hermione were also dancing well, talking and laughing as they did. He noticed Ron looked miserable as he danced with Tracey and that his eyes were on Hermione and Draco. Tracey didn't seem to notice, as her eyes were on Theo and Lavender. He focused back on Daphne and she smiled when their eyes connected. He wanted to ask her to go to the Yule Ball with him but he was nervous to do so. What if she said no? Would it ruin their friendship?

December 14th, 1994

Sitting in the Great Hall for a study period, Ron was fretting about finding dates for the Yule Ball. "Who are you going to ask?" He asked Harry.

"I don't know," Harry murmured, wondering if Daphne already had a date.

"If we don't ask anyone soon, all the good ones will be gone." Ron whispered loudly. "Don't you think we should –,"

Harry's eyes widened and he shook his head at Ron to get him to stop talking. Too late. A second later both boys felt a thin book gently thump the back of their heads. "No talking. Do your work," Snape said firmly as he walked past them.

Ron waited until Snape was looking elsewhere before he turned to Hermione. "Hey, you're a girl!" He said suddenly.

"Very good of you to notice," Hermione said sarcastically as she wrote in her potions notebook.

Ron made a face while Harry hid a grin. "Can't you tell us which girls still need a date? We don't want to get stuck with a troll."

Hermione's eyes flashed to his. "A troll?" She hissed.

Ron shrugged. "Yeah. Actually, we just need one girl. You can go with one of us, that way you don't have to worry about finding a date." He told her.

Hermione's face darkened and she slammed her quill down. "What exactly makes you think that I don't already have a date?"

"You don't," Ron hesitated. "Do you?"

Hermione stood up and gathered her books together. "For your information, I have been asked!" She turned and left.

"Mate, you have a lot to learn." Fred chuckled from across the table.

"You're lucky you didn't get hexed," George added with a snicker.

"I didn't do anything," Ron protested.

Fred rolled his eyes. "Go back to trying to figure out how to find a date," He smirked.

"Who are you going with?" Ron challenged.

Fred looked down the table. "Psst, Angelina!"

Angelina Johnson looked up from her book. "What?" She mouthed.

"Do you want to go to the ball," Fred whispered while he mimicked dancing. "With me?"

Angelina smiled as her friends giggled. "Okay!" She mouthed.

Fred grinned and then gave Ron a wink. "See? It's easy kid!" He went back his work.

Ron scowled and turned back to Harry. "Kid," He scoffed.

"He did make it look easy," Harry said thoughtfully.

Ron slammed his book shut. "That's it. By the end of the week, we both will have dates. Agreed?"

"Agreed," Harry nodded. "Oof!" A hand was pushing his head down. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the same thing was happening to Ron.

"Do you two need to be separated? Or perhaps a sticking charm to keep your mouths shut would be better," Snape threatened as he let them go.

"Uh, no sir," Ron said nervously. "Sorry sir." He added.

"Sorry Dad," Harry gave his dad his best puppy eyes look.

Snape pointed a finger at Harry. "Do not even try that with me," He said flatly. Imprudent brat, he thought with amusement.

Harry sighed and hid a smile. "We'll shut up." He promised.

Snape nodded. "Good." He smirked. "If you want to talk about your girl troubles, you can see me after the study session. Or perhaps Professor McGonagall will be able to give you some advice." He suggested.

Ron looked horrified and Harry's eyes widened with alarm. "No way!"

Snape walked away from their table, snickering to himself.

HPHPHPHP

Harry and Hermione were sitting in the common room, testing each other with note cards for their upcoming Charms exam when a dazed looking Ron walked in with Ginny helping to steady him as he walked.

"What's wrong?" Harry asked as Ron flopped down into the sofa.

Ginny grinned. "He asked Fleur to the ball," She said somewhat gleefully.

"You did what?" Hermione asked.

"What did she say?" Harry asked eagerly.

"Nothing," Ginny laughed. "She just stared at him like she didn't know what to make of him and then Ron ran away."

"Thanks for the support Ginny," Ron mumbled. "I can't believe I did that. I didn't even plan to or anything! Merlin, how embarrassing," Ron moaned.

Ginny patted him on the shoulder. "Don't worry, from what I have seen a lot of boys have been humiliating themselves in front of her."

Hermione snickered.

"Sorry mate," Harry said sympathetically, though he was resisting the urge to laugh.

December 18th, 1994

"Did you hear?" Ron asked Harry angrily.

"Hear what?" Harry asked distantly as he watched Daphne laughing with Tracey across the room. A bunch of students were hanging around in the front hall chatting with each other while others were taking note of the house point hourglasses.

"Viktor Krum asked Hermione to the dance!" Ron vented.

That got Harry's attention. "What? Did she say yes?"

"Oh, of course she did," Ron huffed. "He's famous! She probably thinks she is so brilliant, going with him." He muttered.

"Are you angry?" Harry asked, raising an eyebrow.

Ron seemed flustered. "No, I – she, well, he's Hogwarts competition right?" He stammered. "She shouldn't go with him." His eyes snapped to where Hermione was walking down the staircase and stopped to talk to Daphne and Tracey. His eyes scanned the large room and he marched over to Lavender Brown with a resolved look on his face.

"Lavender, do you want to go to the ball with me?" Ron asked in a loud voice.

Lavender's eyes widened. "Sure!" She looked at her friends and they all began giggling.

Ron threw Hermione a smug look and sauntered back to Harry. "Your turn," He smirked.

Harry stared at Ron. "I didn't know you liked Lavender." He said in surprise.

Ron shrugged. "She's okay. She's pretty anyway."

Harry shook his head and looked back at Daphne. He took a deep breath and was about to go and talk to her when Draco and Theo walked up to him and Ron.

"What are you guys doing?" Theo asked.

"I just got a date to the Yule Ball." Ron said. "Lavender Brown."

"Really? I kind of thought you would be going with Granger," Draco said, with a raised eyebrow.

"No way. Besides, she is going with Viktor Krum." Ron said dismissively.

"No she isn't."

Ron spun around. "Ginny? What do you mean she isn't?"

"He asked her but she told him no." Ginny explained as she set down her book bag. She gave Harry a shy smile. "I don't think she has a date yet." She sighed. "I wish I was a year older." She said wistfully, glancing at Harry again.

"Hermione turned Krum down?" Ron asked incredulously.

Ginny nodded. "Yup. The last I heard, Viktor was going to ask Tracey Davis."

"Did Tracey say yes?" Theo asked with a frown.

Ginny shrugged. "I don't know."

Draco suddenly gave a cough. "Excuse me a moment." He walked with determination over to where the girls were.

"What's he doing?" Theo asked, still frowning.

"Maybe he is going to ask Daphne to the ball," Ginny suggested. "They're in the same house so…" She frowned when she noticed the panicked look on Harry's face.

Without a word Harry practically ran to where Daphne, Draco, Tracey and Hermione were standing. "Daphne, can I speak with you for a second?"

"Sure," Daphne stepped away with Harry. "What is it?"

Harry tried to think of how to ask her. He sighed. "I've wanted to ask you to the Yule Ball since it was announced, but I kept chickening out." He admitted. "Would…would you like to go with me?"

Daphne stared at him. "You should have asked me when it was announced," She said finally. She smiled suddenly. "You wouldn't have wasted time worrying about it, "She said in a teasing voice. "I'd really like to go with you Harry."

Harry broke into a smile, feeling relieved. "Really? That's brilliant," He said. Inwardly he winced. Merlin, I sound like an idiot!

Harry and Daphne walked back to their friends just in time to hear Hermione agree to go to the ball with Draco. "You two are going together?" Harry asked, surprised.

Draco looked slightly offended. "Yes. Why shouldn't we? We're friends; we're both the smartest students in school…" He nodded at Hermione. "We already know we dance well together." He grinned at her.

Hermione smiled back at the blonde haired Slytherin. "It will be fun," She said, her eyes darting across the room at Ron before focusing back on Draco. "I can't wait."

"So Tracey, are you going with Viktor Krum?" Draco asked as Theo and Ron joined their group.

Tracey smiled but it didn't reach her eyes. "Yes."

"Ron, is something wrong?" Harry asked when he saw the angry look on his friend's face.

"I should say so!" Ron spat out. "He," Ron pointed at Theo. "Asked Ginny to the ball!"

"It was obvious she wanted to go." Theo defended himself. He glanced at Tracey. "She may not be some famous Quidditch star," He said somewhat sarcastically. "But she's cute and nice so why not?"

"She's my little sister!" Ron said, throwing his hands up.

"I know," Theo rolled his eyes. "I will be a perfect gentleman, okay?"

"You better be," Ron muttered.

Harry could practically feel the tension in the air. He tried to change the subject. "Now that we all have dates, we can-"

"Wait, we all have dates? Harry, who are you going with?" Ron asked, crossing his arms.

"Daphne and I are going together," Harry said.

"And Hermione?" Ron stared at her.

Hermione lifted her head a bit. "I am going with Draco."

"What!?" Ron stared at Hermione for a moment before shifting his gaze to Draco. "You hate her! You were mean to her second year!"

"I've changed since second year and I certainly do not hate her," Draco said angrily. "I thought we were all friends now?"

"We are," Hermione said firmly. "Just ignore him, Draco."

"This is getting really intense," Daphne whispered to Harry.

Harry rubbed his forehead. "I think I am getting a headache trying to keep up with this." He said wearily.

Daphne clapped her hands together. "Okay, so we are all going and we all have dates." She said brightly. "It's going to be great fun! Girls, let's go discuss dresses."

Harry gave her a relieved look, receiving a wink back as Daphne led Hermione and Tracey away.

"This is unbelievable," Ron muttered. He turned and marched away, still muttering to himself.

Theo threw up his hands. "Is he really mad about me taking Ginny? I only think of her as a friend."

Harry didn't think that was the only reason Ron was upset but didn't say anything about it. "You know Ron, he gets sulky sometimes. Don't worry about it." Harry would wait a while before going to check on his friend, thinking it would be best to give Ron some time to cool off. "I'll see you guys later," He said, deciding there was someone he wanted to share his good news with.

HPHPHPHP

Snape looked up from his desk as Harry came into his office looking bright eyed. "You look very pleased about something," He remarked, setting his papers aside so he could focus on his son.

Harry dropped into the chair in front of his dad's desk. "Daphne agreed to go to the dance with me." He beamed.

Snape raised an eyebrow. "Ah, I see." A smile quirked at his lips. "Congratulations. I suppose it is a good thing we took the time to get you proper dress robes during the summer."

Harry smiled ruefully, remembering the fuss he had made over going shopping. "Yes, I suppose so. Thanks." His eyes widened. "Am I supposed to get her anything?"

Snape frowned. He didn't have much dating experience, especially in his Hogwarts years. Between being a professor and a spy, dating had never seemed that important. Besides, who could compare with Lily? "You don't have to but you could get her a corsage maybe."

Harry looked thoughtful. "Yeah, I could do that. Wait, how do I do that?" He asked frantically.

"Professor Sprout may be able to help you," Snape suggested. He pulled his papers back in front of him. "All you have to do is find out what color dress she is going to wear. And maybe her favorite flower."

"Do I just ask her outright?" Harry asked uncertainly.

Snape glanced at his nervous looking son. "Ask one of her friends." He advised.

Harry grinned in relief. "Of course, Tracey or Astoria will know. Thanks Dad. You're the best."

Snape waved him away, feeling ridiculous for the flush of pleasure at hearing those words.

December 21st, 1994

Harry was in the Slytherin common room, going over the latest Quidditch magazine with Draco and Theo while Tracey and Daphne looked Witch Weekly magazine to get dress ideas. Suddenly the door opened and a high pitched squeal came towards them.

"Astoria!" Daphne said with a start. "Is something wrong?"

Astoria was beaming as she shook her head. Her friend Tabitha was with her and looked almost as excited as her friend.

"Then what is the meaning of almost giving us heart attacks with your entrance?" Draco demanded.

"I got asked to the Yule Ball!" Astoria said.

Daphne's mouth dropped open. "What? Who asked you?"

"You're only a second year!" Draco exclaimed.

"You two are ruining her moment," Harry said, smiling gently at Astoria. "So who asked you?"

Daphne stood up and crossed her arms. "She's not going unless I approve of her date," She shot at Harry.

"Well, yeah, I figured that but we should see who her date is before getting upset," Harry said calmly.

"I think we should all have to approve of her date," Draco announced and Tracy and Theo murmured their agreement.

Astoria's eyes flashed. "For you information, I don't care if you approve or not!" She snapped. "He's a nice boy and besides, we are simply friends for Merlin's sake!"

Harry couldn't help but grin at the taken aback looks on everyone's faces. He understood their concern, they all cared about Astoria. "So who is it?"

"Neville Longbottom," Astoria replied.

Harry felt relief as Neville was indeed nice and would treat Astoria well. He saw relief in Daphne's eyes as well.

Draco burst into laughter. "I take back my concern," He rolled his eyes. "Longbottom," He said with a chuckle.

"Neville is very sweet!" Astoria sniffed indignantly.

"Which is why I'm not worried," Draco said dismissively, going back to the Quidditch magazine.

Theo began chuckling. "Poor guy, he had to ask a second year to…Ow!" He rubbed his arm where Tracey smacked him.

"You are taking a third year," Tracy pointed out smugly.

Theo made a face.

"I thought you would be happy for me," Astoria said to Daphne quietly. "I was really excited to be able to go and spend time with you guys, all dressed up and having fun."

Daphne winced. "I'm sorry Tori; I feel protective of you sometimes. Actually, all of the time," She admitted. She hugged her sister. "I'm so happy you'll be there too! Tracy and I are looking at dress ideas in this magazine; do you want to join us? You too Tabitha, we could use some opinions."

"Sure!" Tabitha said brightly.

"Thanks Daphne," Astoria said happily as she settled down next to her sister.

December 24th, 1994

"Spew?" Sirius asked in confusion.

"No, it spells out S.P.E.W." Harry explained. "It stands for, um, something for elfish welfare."

Sirius eyed the badge distastefully. "Oh."

"She thinks all of the elves should be free." Harry explained.

Sirius raided an eyebrow. "They wouldn't like that. They aren't all like Dobby," He chuckled. "Oh, that reminds me. I have an old coat that I wrapped up for him."

"That's nice of you, thank you." Harry grinned. "He'll love it!" His grin spread wider. "Did you get anything for my dad?" In the other room, he could hear the floo flare to life.

Sirius snorted. "No."

"Don't worry, I got him something," Remus said as he walked in. "Merry Christmas, Harry. I'm glad you could spend part of Christmas Eve with us."

"Remus!" Harry jumped up and hugged his old professor. "I'm glad you could make it!"

"I wouldn't dream of missing today," Remus assured him.

"So where have you been?" Harry asked nonchalantly. He knew Remus was on some secret mission but no one would tell him what it was.

"That…is not important." Remus grinned. "Have you had breakfast yet?"

"We were waiting for you," Sirius said. "I put a stasis on the food."

"No Kreacher?" Remus joked as they walked into the kitchen.

"No way. Now him, your friend Hermione can have." Sirius said as they sat at the table. He removed the stasis and the room was filled with the wonderful smell of bacon, eggs, hash browns and pancakes. "Besides, I gave him to Dumbledore."

Harry paused as he reached for the syrup. "What?"

"I sent him to work at Hogwarts. I don't trust him or like him and vice versa," Sirius said as he munched on a piece of bacon.

Remus changed the subject. "So tomorrow is the Yule Ball. I assume you have a date?"

Harry cleared his throat. "Yes."

"Who is it?" Sirius asked eagerly. "Hermione the elf crusader?"

Harry snickered. "No. I'll have to steal that name though. I'm going with Daphne Greengrass."

"That's great Harry," Remus said as he dug into his food.

"A Slytherin," Sirius muttered with a shake of his head.

"I'm a Slytherin," Harry said testily. "Remember?"

"I try not to."

"Sirius!" Remus exclaimed.

"I'm kidding," Sirius insisted.

Harry sighed and took a gulp of pumpkin juice. He loved his godfather, but he really wished he would accept that Snape and Slytherin were a part of his life now. He had thought Sirius would be over his prejudice by now.

Remus once again changed the conversation. "So how are your classes? I understand Alastor Moody is your Defence Professor."

"That's got to be interesting." Sirius chuckled. "His paranoia is legendary."

"He's pretty intense." Harry admitted. "We learn a lot though. It was just his first class that I didn't particularly like."

"Why is that?" Remus asked curiously.

"He taught us about the unforgivables." Harry said. "He showed them to us by performing them on a spider."

"What?"

"He used the Imperious on a couple of us. He thinks all students should have it cast on them until they learn to resist it." Harry continued. When there was no response he looked up from his almost empty plate. "What's wrong?"

"I didn't think they taught about unforgivables until sixth year," Remus said with a frown.

"He got permission from Dumbledore, I guess." Harry said.

Sirius shook his head. "That must have been rough to see Harry. I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Harry said.

"I don't agree with that lesson," Remus said, looking upset. "Especially casting the curse on you."

"Learning how to resist it could come in handy should we be at war again," Sirius pointed out. "I saw Moody briefly over the summer and he mentioned that he thought it would be a good idea to train you Harry."

"Um, that's okay." Harry said uneasily. His dad had told him of Moody's offer and there was no way Harry was going to leave Hogwarts to train with him!

"I agree with him. He would be the best to train you. He's tough, but you would learn a lot." Sirius said. "But of course the decision doesn't rest with me." He said somewhat bitterly.

"My dad started extra training with me over the summer." Harry said. "I can't go wrong with him training me."

Remus nodded his approval while Sirius still looked bitter. "Well, if you decide you want to train with Moody or even myself, tell me and I'll make sure Sni –Snape lets you." He said fiercely.

"I'm fine with my dad." Harry insisted. He offered Sirius a small smile. "I wouldn't mind learning defensive work from you or Remus as well though."

That seemed to mollify Sirius and they soon moved on to presents. "Thanks Sirius!" Harry said after he had opened the Chudley Cannons shirt and hat Sirius had given him.

"You're welcome pup," Sirius said warmly.

Harry also received a box of a variety of sweets from Honeydukes from Remus. He handed Sirius his gift which was a new book on Quidditch. "I thought we could practice some of the new moves over the summer." Harry said hopefully.

"Of course pup, this is great!" Sirius said enthusiastically.

"A big kid," Remus rolled his eyes and laughed.

"This is from both dad and I," Harry said as he handed over the small brightly wrapped box. "I helped make it," He said proudly.

Remus opened it and his eyes went wide. "Wolfsbane," He breathed.

"It's enough to last you for awhile," Harry explained. "That way you don't have to worry about not receiving it in time. Dad has been working on improving the potion so he wants you to let him know if you notice any improvement."

"Thank you Harry," Remus said softly. "I really appreciate this." He handed Harry a long silver wrapped box. "This is a rare brandy I thought Severus might like."

Harry took the box, happy that Remus had gotten his dad something. "Thanks Remus. Oh, Sirius, dad sent this for you. He wouldn't tell me what it was though."

Sirius's eyes widened in surprise, and a hint of suspicion as he opened the present. He rolled his eyes. "Snape is simply a riot."

Remus and Harry burst into laughter when Sirius held up the box of dog biscuits.

TBC: One more chapter and then this little interlude story will be over!