The Prince-Who-Lived

Chapter Forty-seven

Harry grimaced as he stumbled to the ground in the wake of the portkey. He didn't know if it was lack of practice, or just bad luck but it certainly wasn't the impression he wanted for arriving at Salem. Beside him, Nanna swore as she stumbled against James in her own landing.

Harry quickly scrambled to his feet, smiled at his mother before he whipped his head around at the sound of two excited screams.

"Alan! Good God, man, you've been gone two years! Are you taller than our dad, you goose?"

Alan had stepped out of the circle the two portkeys had landed in, and moved to catch the two shorter black-haired boys who'd immediately jumped him.

"Like you rascals actually missed me! What's been going on, who's all here?"

Harry moved over to listen, avoiding his father's gaze. If he looked up, James would only quickly glance away, denying that he'd done so. His father had avoided talking to him since school had let out, after reassuring himself that Harry was all right from the jaunt he'd taken into the Department of Mysteries. Similarly, Harry had avoided him, particularly after they'd all returned to Grimmauld place, after James had seen the many times Alan had visited while Poppy fussed. He was still uncomfortable with their friendship. Even Severus had accepted it, Sirius had, but not James. Not yet. And Harry didn't want to worry about it while they were here.

Turning back to Alan, the twins had apparently been talking a mile a minute, and another boy had stepped near, brown-haired with a ponytail and with what looked like his little brother standing in his shadow. Suddenly, one twin pushed the other and snapped,

"Liar! That's not what happened! Finnian swore Jannicke cheated!"

"Jannicke beats everybody, Finn was just fussing and you know it!"

"Finn always wins!"

"Jannicke whooped Velorian, and he's older than her!"

"You just have a crush!"

"Not so!"

Alan had stepped back as soon as they'd started in on each other, and he looked over at Harry, finding him looking attentively on. He smiled.

"Ahh, twins. You know, I like these two better than the Weasleys. They couldn't plot anything together, they argue so much."

"They argue more often than they change their socks." A girl commented.

Harry glanced over at her: she was a brunette about Nanna's age. The argument immediately stopped and the boys turned on her at once.

"We do not!" One insisted.

"You mean you change your socks that often?" The pony-tailed boy commented, apparently astonished.

The twins pointedly kept their mouths shut, and Alan laughed quietly before addressing Harry.

"The twins are Eli and Luce; their sister," the brown haired girl curtseyed slightly upon her designation, "Fancy,"

"Jasmine!" She snapped. "My name is Jasmine!"

"Middle name," Alan shrugged it off.

"I don't care! Call me Jasmine!"

"Fine, Jasmine," Alan gave an exaggerated bow her direction. Harry heard Neville, behind him, snort and walk over. Alan gave him a pointed smile as well, and then waved at the boy in the ponytail, "And there's Cenhelm and Chayim, called Cham." Alan blinked at him. "Baldur let go of you?"

Cenhelm – Harry couldn't help but blink at the strange name – shrugged. "He's got mother. She's all goo-goo-eyed over little Riley."

Alan's face brightened into a smile. "How is little Riley?"

Neville sighed, and leaned over to Harry, "Ahh, to be so confused."

Jasmine snorted nearby and both of them jumped, unaware she'd drawn near.

"Don't feel bad." She sighed. "Trust me, confusion is perfectly normal. I still get confused on occasion, what with Maeve pregnant and still nursing, and now Ginger having another child too. I'm just glad Grace was the last mother wanted, else she might have competed with Mellisande and Ginger, and that's just a scary thought."

Neville blinked. "I know Ginger has ten kids, but … Mellisande?"

"Cenhelm and Cham's mother. She's got … eight kids, and is apparently happy."

"Eight?"

Jasmine nodded. "I've got five uncles and one aunt, so it's kinda in the family."

Harry wondered if he'd offend her, but decided to ask anyways, "Why'd Alan first call you Fancy?"

Jasmine grimaced. "My full name is Fancy Jasmine Fir. Same as Eli is Eli Mallen Fir, and Luce is Luce Peter Fir. Damn kid got the only normal name. Our oldest brother is Finnian Ignatius Fir, my younger brother is Andrew Pyrrhus Fir, and the youngest is Gaia Grace Fir." Jasmine made a face. "Weird as Hell names. Rest of the family is little better."

Neville blinked. "Ginger's seem fine."

"Ginger's have three middle names each." Jasmine drawled, and then suddenly stepped forward. "Hey, I resent that remark!"

"That's because you're a girl!" Luce spat. He was wearing a red shirt to Eli's blue – it was the only way Harry could tell them apart. "Eligia's always favoured girls!"

"And you're only saying that because Eligia is currently in Hawaii along with Jannicke." Cenhelm shot. "Otherwise you'd have bitten your tongue first. She'd have you doing lines even if it was summer break."

Luce gaped at him. "I'm not stupid!"

Jasmine looked ready to bite him again, so Harry quickly inserted, "Who's Eligia, and why's she in Hawaii?"

Jasmine closed her mouth, and Eli gratefully answered, "One of our aunt's. She's on another fun trip with her husband; she took Jannicke, Hera, and Sevmire both to let them surf and to have more eyes on her kids."

"And of course, Jannicke wouldn't go anywhere without Hera, and Sevmire follows Jannicke like a puppy." Cenhelm pointed out with a smile. Neville made a questioning noise, and Alan laughed.

"Sevmire's so blond his brain's bleached. He can't quite figure out why Jannicke and Hera always seem to get stuck in a hotel room with one bed."

Harry suppressed his desire to grin and pointed out calmly, "Why would they have a problem with that? It's alright to share with a friend."

Luce chuckled. "Well, they're not just that kind of friend and Sevmire's just thick."

"I've never had a problem sharing a bed with anyone."

Harry didn't need to look to recognize that voice. Alan turned immediately to share a high-five with the tall, blond vampire, a grin on his face. Eli, behind them snorted.

"Not everybody's willing to share a bed, Andrew."

Andrew took Alan's shoulder to turn him around; Alan merely frowned at him, but let him do so, and then drape his arm over Alan's shoulders – Alan was, in fact, at least an inch taller than him. Andrew gave Eli a lecherous grin as he answered. "I'd share with anybody. I'm good about that, you know."

Harry snorted. "You'd even share a bed Draco Malfoy?"

"Even him." Andrew winked at him. "He might even like it."

Harry blinked several times. The other kids were all quite silent, and Neville finally commented. "Okay, I'll call that a vampire peculiarity and move on. Hey, uncle James! What's the game plan?"

Harry turned his attention back to the group he'd come with and found his parents and Sirius talking with a black-haired man with a crooked smile. Harry could tell at a glance he was definitely in the upper class of Salem simply by the way he held himself. It was disturbingly reminiscent of Malfoy, so Harry quickly made a questioning noise to try and get a name to wash the thought away. Alan heard and nodded that direction.

"Fenris Alfaerus, Geoffrey's oldest brother. Cenhelm and Cham's father."

Cenhelm and Cham were nodding, and Cham suddenly shoved his brother, laughed and ran over to the adults, Cenhelm chasing him with a smile. Everyone else followed in time, wandering over with amusement. Harry stayed near Alan and Andrew as they did so, listening as they finally got close enough.

"It really is good of you to come, despite the situation I know you're dealing with. I believe you said the government finally woke up?" Fenris added dryly. His voice was deep, full, and confident, fitting with his languid smile.

"Well, with the monitors in the ministry catching me duelling with the Dark Lord in question, I'd say they had little choice but to agree. Governments get nervous when their stronghold gets infiltrated." James grinned. "I'm just not too happy that our children got involved in clearing that out."

"If Alan was leading them, as Geoffrey said, it was probably as safe as any student venture could be." Fenris shrugged. "He's very cautious." Fenris' grin widened again. "And he's also learned nearly every possible way something could go wrong, so he's got a good idea of what to watch for."

"Um," Sirius put in, "is that such a rousing endorsement for your school?"

Fenris blinked and rocked back on his heels. "Probably not, no." Cenhelm and Cham, standing nearby just started chuckling. When Fenris looked down and found them there, he smiled. It took him from looking like a Malfoy to a far friendlier appearance. "Ah, you rascals finished your little gathering and wondering where the explosives are?"

"Dad!" Cenhelm objected. "I do not want to cause trouble!"

"I know." Fenris calmly returned. "You're all for being obedient and proper like I am, but since Alan's here and you're such an important little person you still get to go along and show the Potter kids and Neville around alongside Eli, Luce, and Alan."

"Um, what was that about explosives?" Lily put in quietly.

Fenris' answer was cut off by the door behind them slamming open and two men walking out, one with brilliantly red hair and the other half-a-head taller and dark, carrying a staff the same height as himself. The redhead looked over the group quickly and then smiled tightly before turning to glare at Fenris.

"What was this about trying to keep me in solitary while Alan visits?"

Fenris' face had closed and his lips were tight as he turned to address him. "I think the idea was that you can't take care of yourself and are you cleared with the healers?"

"Fenris, the healers would keep me in a straight jacket if they could."

Fenris muttered out of his mouth, "Not exactly a bad idea," but was spoken over,

"I think I do have a brain inside my head, so you can stop coddling me!" He turned to the man behind him and snapped, "and I don't need an escort, Louie!"

"I don't trust you not to go back down to the labs, thank you." The black-haired man answered stoically. "You've done it before."

"I am –" The man cut himself off with a snap of teeth and turned back to watching Fenris, arms crossed over his chest, tapping his foot impatiently. Fenris gave him a meaninglessly polite smile, and then addressed Alan.

"Alan, can you keep him in line?"

"Sure." Alan answered immediately. "We'll just check out the ground floor and higher and won't go downstairs without Amaranth or Koreol. I'm sure Green's enough of an escort for the upper levels, right?"

Fenris sighed and nodded. "Yeah, sure. At least it'll hopefully make Louis tolerable."

Alan nodded, smiled and told Harry, "We can do the tour now, so make your goodbyes and haul Nanna over, eh?"

Harry, feeling more than a little lost, just nodded and waved to his mother. "Nanna, you want to look around Salem with us?"

Nanna asked something of Lily he couldn't hear, pecked her on the cheek, and then ran over to join their group. Jasmine immediately darted over to introduce herself and squeal happily about having a girl her age there. Harry sent a longing glance back to the adults, and felt a short pang as James was watching them leave. Harry looked for something else to look at – and then stumbled. He was caught easily, and found himself looking up at a surprisingly familiar face under brilliant red hair.

"You alright, there, Harry?"

It was Green. He had a puckered burn scar on his cheek, and partially down his throat, the skin pink and healing. His hair, which Harry last remembered as blonde, was unnaturally red – redder than a Weasley. He didn't catch on that he'd been spoken to until Green repeated himself and Harry finally shook himself off and answered. "Yeah, yeah. Fine. Um, what …"

Green's face tightened angrily, and then he stopped to run his fingers through his hair and sigh. "I blew up another potion. The Healer-nazis don't let me out of their sight until they're satisfied I'm in one piece after a mess like that. Meddlesome bints."

"Green, stop whining." Alan ordered, and then turned around and frowned, "Did you have to get Louie back again?"

Green huffed. "Yes, I needed his help again. Why else do you think he's here?"

"Doesn't that mean Ranvier's in too?" Cham asked timidly. Cenhelm easily put his hand on his brother's head and just smiled at him. Cham looked a little less nervous.

"I don't know if he hauled his drill-sergeant girlfriend with him, no." Green shrugged. "She hasn't come my way, but since I got put in solitary again …"

Harry blinked, and Neville quietly asked, "What's with the solitary? Solitary confinement?"

"It means Green's obsessing over another experiment, but since it effectively killed him enough he needed a necromancer, the healers aren't trusting him anywhere near any ingredients, even under the supervision of the classic labs." Alan explained. "Green's unstable that way. Now then, is Lyall in?"

"Does Lyall have anywhere else to be?" Green groused, but he was smiling softly as he watched Alan smile. "Of course she's in. Right in the entrance hall, you know?"

"Cool." Alan smiled and beckoned Harry forward. "C'mon, I wanna show you all of Salem!"

"What on earth did you get on, Alan?" Neville asked bluntly. "You're acting like you've got a jumping bean up your arse."

"Do not." Alan returned. "And I don't have to keep Blaise and father thinking I'm respectable right now. Even Slytherins cut loose once in a while, Nev."

Neville's face blanked, and Harry swatted Alan's shoulder. "Don't call him that, or I'll start calling you Al."

Alan froze, and Eli and Luce grinned. "Al, eh?"

Alan turned a glare on them. "Call me that again and we'll try a two-on-two duel."

Eli and Luce shut up, and Harry glanced thoughtfully between them. "Could that go three-way? Who do you pair with?" Alan jerked his finger at Andrew distractedly, and watched Harry.

"Three two-man teams? We'll have to try that. I'll presume you pair with Neville, then the twins, then me and Andrew?"

"Later, Alan." Andrew scolded. "I've got deportment lessons or something this evening."

"Deportment?" Harry asked, curiously. "I hadn't thought Americans bothered with that." He teased.

Andrew shrugged. "It's Koreol. He says I learn it, and I don't question him. So c'mon, before I have to leave, eh? It's a big school, you know."

Alan shook Andrew off and grabbed Harry's arm. "C'mon, then." Harry laughed and let him pull him through the doors, coming into the front room and waving happily at the front desk. "Lyall! I'm back!"

"Alan, darling!" Lyall beamed, a bright, blonde woman with short hair in a pressed trouser suit wearing a fang through one ear that clashed with her otherwise professional mien. "It's been so dull without you, what with Green blowing something up every other month, and the girls just popping out babies left, right, and centre, and all the wolves are jerks – I am so lonely for company with you lost to me, my child!" She enveloped Alan in a hug and winked at Harry as Alan struggled to get free from her grasp – she was surprisingly the same height as Alan, and apparently very strong. If Harry remembered correctly…

"Ma'am, um," Harry wasn't sure if she'd be offended or not. He wouldn't even consider asking back home, so he let his question dwindle unsaid, even as his eyes were curious.

Lyall noticed, and let go of Alan to lean down curiously. This, more than anything got Harry back on track – he was so tired of being short, although he was hopeful that he might be growing again. "What is it you're wondering, hmm?"

"Lyall, Harry's not a child." Alan pointed out, amused. Lyall glanced up at him and Harry saw that wink too.

"I know, pup, but really. He's so adorable." She moved to ruffle his hair, and Harry immediately ducked aside. Of all the insults … "Oh, fine. What were you wondering, sir?"

Harry just shook his head, casting about for something else. "It was nothing, really. Alan, was there really a … bone, on that dark guy's staff?" There'd been something semicirclular and white hanging from a chain around the top, and it looked something like a bone he'd seen before, with maybe ….

"It's a mandible on a stick." Green dryly answered. "So, yes. That was bone. It's his necromancer's rod, and made of iron. The mandible you don't ask about, but it's there. Got all its teeth, too. Now the other thing you don't ask about is why there's a pink flower carved beneath the three-pronged top."

Harry blinked several times and decided he should really watch what he asked, because the answers were apparently possibly disturbing. Alan quickly bowed out from Lyall and then grandly indicated the nearby hallway. Harry grinned at him.

"Is there something scary down there?"

"Depends on if Prof. Jernigan's down there or not." Eli put in.

"Scary teacher?" Neville laughed.

"Naw, Prof. Jernigan's pretty nice, but if he's not down there, lady Cruella will be."

"Arithmancy teacher for the Sorcerer's School." Alan put in. "And it's a guy. Stop mocking him." Alan glared, but it wasn't very strong. Eli and Luce were certainly unaffected by it.

"We're not mocking him; he insists we call him a lady and while that's alright, he's always a jerk about it." Eli finished.

"He's convinced we're gonna hate him for wanting to be a woman." Luce added. "I know I don't, but … whatever. He was raised religious, and that always leads to problems even when you're straight."

Alan blinked. "When …"

"Three years ago." Eli and Luce answered together.

Alan just shook his head. "And I thought this place couldn't get weirder …"

Harry just watched the byplay with a vague sense of amusement; beside him, Neville sighed.

"Swell. Even our guide is lost."

"Well," Harry offered, "just don't lose sight of them and we'll at least walk out of here I suppose …"

"Right." Neville agreed. "And remembering all this?"

Harry smiled wryly at him. "Yeah, right."

IIII

The tour was relatively pointless, although it certainly proved Salem to be almost as large as Hogwarts with far less character – and less secrets. It certainly made for much easier navigation, but Harry still preferred Hogwarts. It just had such an ambience… The only ambience here was the prevalent security measures capable of closing off rooms, hallways and entire floors. From what Harry remembered Alan relating to him about living here, those probably got a lot of use.

The upper floors of Salem were mainly classrooms, offices, and one whole floor of library; the basements were holding cells for werewolves during the full moon followed by the Potions labs. They did run into Amaranth and explore, but they didn't get to enter Green's personal one. Something about his experience had done something, they didn't know what, and it hadn't been reversed yet, much to his irritation. Harry got the impression the rest of the staff wasn't trying very hard, at least not yet. The walk back up was spent mostly listening to the brothers argue and Alan letting him peek into the werewolves rooms. It was most amusing to see them decked out in colourful pillows with a platter and large ceramic water bowl on the floor that read 'SPOT'. Harry was assured each bowl read something different, such as 'FLUFFY' and 'LADY'.

The school was large enough that by the time they finished they were quite hungry and ready for supper. Rather than the cafeteria they'd toured, however, they left the main building to another official looking building nearby, on the third floor around the back, where a large balcony was set with several round tables. Their parents were there, alongside a mildly pouting Snape and several people Harry did not know. Either way, though, he grinned upon seeing Sirius and Lily talking with Regulus Black, up and about and looking quite a lot better than when Harry had last seen him. The Alfaerus children separated to greet their parents, and Harry went over to Lily and Sirius; James was deep in conversation elsewhere with Fenris. Harry's arrival was greeted with a brilliant smile from his mother and a laugh from Sirius.

"Hey pup, what did you think of the place?" Regulus asked warmly.

"It's big and rather intimidating." Harry offered. "But I like Hogwarts better. It's got more ambience."

Regulus nodded. "Well, the factor of a large medieval castle is a bit of a tall order. We're kinda lacking those in America. The security is also necessary."

Harry grinned. "Alan's told me enough to guess that it gets a lot of use."

"Not a lot." Regulus frowned, and then coughed lightly. "Just … often enough."

Sirius shook his head. "Do they have any concept of safety around here?"

"Course we do." Harry turned to watch Lyall stalk over, smiling. "Otherwise this wouldn't be a school but a large hole in the ground. I blame the Alfaerus; insanity is hereditary."

"Gee, I thought that it was only in the Brits." Regulus deadpanned.

Lyall winked. "Ahh, but most Americans are initially British, didn't you know?"

Sirius chuckled. "There is that. Any clue where the Alfaerus hail from? Any line?"

"Not the foggiest." Lyall answered warmly. "Although they smell vaguely Scottish, I think, though I may be getting confused simply because of that 'Fae' in their name."

Regulus rolled his eyes, and Sirius looked curious. "Smell?"

"Werewolf." Lyall answered easily. Harry corrected himself; apparently there wasn't much stigma here about that (although why he hadn't guessed after the food bowls…), but he still was glad he hadn't asked. "I was in the wrong place at the wrong time when I was sixteen and someone had an experiment going." She winked. "With too little security."

Sirius blinked. "Oh."

Lyall grinned. "Yeah, 'oh'. Dinner should be starting soon, so ickle Harry might want to sit with Alan and co. Or you could sit at the main table, but it's your choice. I think Jasmine isn't giving Nanna a choice over there."

Harry looked and found all the kids seated together, gathered around one of the round tables next to the one where James was seated with Fenris, two auburn-haired men who both looked remarkably like Geoffrey, and Green and Amaranth, with seats left over presumably for the others. Harry slipped away from his mother and sat between Alan and Neville. Jasmine and Nanna were talking on the other side of the table. Alan smiled at him.

"So, has anything of what I've talked about stuck in that head of yours?"

"I could potentially find my way around the school," Harry allowed, "but otherwise, no, not really."

"Do you even remember names?" Eli asked, impatiently tapping his plate as he waited for the meal to start.

Harry grinned. "Yes, Eli." The twin frowned, and picked at his shirt, and Harry quickly pointed around the table, "Jasmine's talking with Nanna, Cenhelm is closer to our age than Cham, and since you're one half, the other is Luce. I-" Harry blinked, and then fought the desire to swear as two girls ran over screaming happily to bounce next to Nanna. Harry sighed. "Aren't those Andi and Doe?"

Alan grinned and nodded. "Yep, Geoffrey's oldest daughters. If they're here, that means it's likely we'll be joined by Adam, Baldur and Ean, too."

Harry looked at him a moment, and Eli answered, "Adam's Andi and Doe's younger brother, Baldur is Cenhelm and Cham's younger brother, and Ean is Tighearnach – Raleigh's oldest kid."

Harry just shook his head hopelessly. "I am surrounded by insanity. Help."

"And Alan hasn't even touched on the vampire information." Andrew grinned.

Harry thumped his head against the table, and then choked when Alan pulled him up to allow a tray to float onto the empty space in the middle. Alan nodded shortly to the two elves; Eli and Luce both shouted, "Grace!" and dug in. Harry glanced around to see everyone getting to work on it, and sighed and moved to help himself. Not five minutes later, the door to the inside was knocked open and three boys raced out, black-haired, blonde, and auburn, all roughly the same age. The three seats empty between Doe and Cham were quickly taken over; the two Harry didn't recognize went immediately for the food, but Adam, who Harry had met once before, smiled up at him and nodded before digging in. Neville sighed and rolled his eyes, while Harry turned to Alan.

"Which one's which?"

"Baldwyn is black haired, Tighearnach is red. His father is sitting over there next to Geoffrey." Alan indicated the table, and Harry looked but still couldn't see any difference.

"Which one's Geoffrey?" Harry asked, annoyed. "They look alike."

Alan glanced over. "Oh. I hadn't realized Ray had tied his hair back. Normally it's loose; I think Ray's the one next to your dad, and Geoffrey's talking with Severus."

Tighearnach looked up and swallowed visibly before speaking. "My mother made dad tie his hair back. She said it got in the way of kissing. Why'd you introduce me with that mouthful anyways? I prefer Ean."

"Tighearnach is far more entertaining, though." Alan grinned.

"My middle name is Tiernan." Neville offered quietly. "Although it's anglicized."

Ean frowned. "Mine ain't. I can barely spell it, and the teachers are all ridiculous about it."

"It's TEER-nakh, right?" Harry tried. Ean looked at him, grimaced, and then nodded.

"Yeah. But it's got this -g-h-e-a-r- in the middle for some bizarre reason."

Neville nodded slowly. "That's an Irish name for you."

Ean stuck out his tongue before moving back to his food. Harry snickered softly, and then changed to the black-haired boy. "I'll presume Baldwyn goes by Baldur?"

"Yep." Alan nodded. "It's kinda crazy trying to keep track of all of them. How about I see if I can't talk Geoffrey and your dad and godfather into a mock-fight after supper? Fenris might even join in."

Harry grinned at him. "Sounds great."

IIII

It was surprisingly easy to incite the mock duel between James, Sirius, and Geoffrey; Fenris more than happily joined alongside Velorian and a few others. The crowd that gathered was huge. Lily gravitated straight to Ginger and Mellisande to coo over the few-month-old Riley and the other small children. A second blonde woman joined them, a baby in her arms and a small toddler in an older child's arms. Harry was sitting on the far side with the kids he'd already met, joined by Lyall, Koreol, and Regulus. A young adult as tall as Alan with dark brown hair walked in partway through and managed to lose, with much swearing, against Sirius and James. Eli and Luce alternated between jeers and encouragement – apparently it was their older brother, Finnian.

The kids didn't get any chance to join in. By the time James and Sirius were thoroughly and happily bushed, it was late and everybody was shooed into their rooms. Harry was almost surprised to find that the building with the balcony was effectively the Alfaerus' home, or at least their guest rooms. Alan had a room to himself on the fourth floor, right across from Andrew. Apparently the same floor was the guest area; Harry got a room next door to Alan's, followed by Nanna, his parents, then Sirius. However, upon retiring to bed, Harry wandered into Alan's to chat. He found Alan sitting across from Regulus, apparently having been talking intently. Alan noticed him immediately and smiled warmly.

"Hey Harry, c'mon in. You're not interrupting anything."

Harry shrugged awkwardly and wandered in, slipping hesitantly onto Alan's bed at the back pillar – it was an impressive four-poster that dominated the room. Harry stared up, and then turned to watch Regulus. "How are you, sir?"

Regulus snorted. "Don't call me sir. And I'm doing as well as can be expected." Harry only gave him a curious look, and he sighed. "Harry, I really don't want to talk about it. Two months … just about everyone he's got in his employ had a turn at me. Makes what Alan went through a cakewalk. Nightmares, a few scars …" He laughed hollowly. "The healers are running the gauntlet trying to work on Green and I at the same time. I'm not sure which of us was more critical actually." Regulus pulled out of his dark expression to look thoughtful, much like the face he'd put on for most of the day. Alan grimaced.

"Tells you something about Green's potions mishaps. He never does anything by half."

Harry also grinned. "Can you imagine him at Hogwarts?"

Alan looked both concerned and intrigued. "He'd certainly make an impression, but I'd be worried about him experimenting and hurting someone. Surely you remember the accident he had? Poison gas?"

Harry winced. "Oh. There is that." He glanced aside and sighed. "Well, I suppose. What are we gonna be up to tomorrow?"

Alan smiled. "I was thinking possibly showing you the Quidditch pitch and/or trying that three-way duel you offered. Then we could go swimming down at the beach, or you could go off on your own. Andrew said he wanted to talk to me about something, so I don't know. Sometimes he's iffy about that and who's around." Alan rolled his eyes. "He's weird like that."

"Definitely." Harry returned, and found himself yawning. Alan playfully pushed his shoulder.

"Go to bed, Harry. The sooner you wake, the sooner we can hang out in the morning."

Harry nodded again, and let himself out, finding his room and falling into bed.

IIII

In the morning, Harry was awoken with someone pounding incessantly on his door. He rolled over and tried to stuff his head under his pillow and the pounding went away. He hadn't really been able to get to sleep, and had read for a few hours after midnight. However, the pounding wasn't gone too long, and someone started knocking again. Harry was ready to ignore that as well, but then the door swung open. Furious, Harry sat up abruptly in bed and found himself staring at a highly amused Alan.

"Harry, it's ten o'clock. I know the time-zones suck, but I already stopped Nanna from getting you up at nine. Ten is pushing it. C'mon downstairs and get something resembling breakfast before I allow Nanna and Jasmine to enact their diabolical plan upon you. I think it involved squirrels and …"

Harry rolled out of bed and threw his hands in the air. "Fine! Scat!"

"Ooo, nice ass. You wear those bottoms often?"

Harry turned and flushed as he found Andrew learning in the doorway. "You leave too." Andrew pouted but didn't argue when Alan grabbed him by the ear and hauled him out of the room, closing the door behind them.

Muttering foul deprecations upon little sisters and horny vampires, and wishing he hadn't worn these pyjamas, Harry stalked to the dresser he'd been given and pulled out his clothes for the day.

IIII

"So, do you always sleep in red silk?"

Harry stopped where he was as he stepped into the small kitchen area he'd been shown the morning before. He glared at Andrew and then ignored him as he went to the table in the corner to fish out something for breakfast. Behind him, Neville addressed Andrew.

"How do you know what he was sleeping in?"

"Alan got to wake him up. It's not like I was going to turn down the chance to take a look. I was mildly hoping for nude, but – Ow, Alan what was that for?"

"You're embarrassing Nanna." Alan scolded.

"I'm not that embarrassed." Nanna squeaked. "I have seen him in his pyjamas before."

"Do you people have nothing better than to discuss my sleepwear?" Harry ground out, searching fruitlessly for muffins. "I'll make sure to wear my long johns tomorrow, so you'll have less to talk about."

Andrew sniffed. "But then I'll be denied the nice view. Silk clings so well – Ow, okay, I'll stop. What, are you jealous Alan? Don't worry, I've seen you- Okay, shutting up now." Andrew's voice sounded mildly strained, and shortly thereafter he muttered something Harry didn't catch. Harry just rolled his eyes and took his bowl of cereal over to the table, resigned to only having orange juice extra.

"What are the morning plans, then?" Harry asked lightly.

"Eli and Luce are just waiting on you to get together before we try that three-way duel. Afterwards, we might manage a short Quidditch game. Not all of the kids are that interested, and with it being summer, it's really only the Alfaerus here."

"What, do they all prefer Quodpot?" Neville asked.

"No," Alan chuckled. "It's mostly academics. Those who do play Quidditch also tend to play Quodpot, so it's pretty much even. I've also seen them try to play Quidditch with the Quodpot balls too."

Harry blinked. "Don't those blow up?"

Alan shrugged, smiling. "Makes the game more fun."

Harry just shook his head and dipped out of the conversation before his cereal got soggy. It wasn't very long before he was following Alan and Andrew to the room set aside for duelling, Nanna trailing along behind them and whining about missing Jasmine, Andi, and Doe. The three girls were waiting for her anyways: she ran over to them and they all started squealing again. Harry and Neville just grinned and made their way down to the floor, where Eli and Luce were waiting alongside Fenris and Sirius. Fenris was sending a curious look at the stands when they came down, and when Harry looked he found him looking at James, who had been staring again. Harry ignored it, and listened intently when Fenris returned to addressing them.

"Right. You wanted a three-way fight, so you have it. Harry and Neville, Eli and Luce, and Andrew and Alan. You can plot your own plans, but the basic rules are nothing that can do permanent damage. We're giving you amulets," He handed out the small circular disks on silk ties, "And you will wear them the whole time. Those have protective spells we're testing for duelling. We've found no serious side affects so far, so I'm comfortable lending you these, but don't try and overpower them. I've been assured you all know how to control the power of your spells, so keep the destructive ones minimal. The amulets will only prevent serious bodily harm. This isn't free reign on trying to hurt each other." Fenris gave them all fierce looks. "You're going for immobilization. This is to avoid collateral damage. If you get hit with a heavy spell, the amulet typically reacts by immobilizing you. One of the quirks we're working on. The counter curse should release, if you find time. Mostly, just use common sense, don't try to hurt anyone, and play to win!"

Sirius cut in. "It's pretty much the typical duel with a few precautions because you're all very strong. And Fenris also has said you can use any spells you know, no limits save those illegal here." Sirius looked conflicted as he watched Harry and Neville. Neither boy had reacted; Harry already knew he wasn't using any of his shady spells. "So there isn't going to be any judging on account of that." Neville snorted quietly. Sirius glanced at him, but said nothing. "On that note, Fenris and I will be out there as referees." He grinned widely. "So I'm expecting you to win, Harry!"

Harry grinned happily back. "I don't know, I've never taken on Eli and Luce." The twins were grinning cautiously, but Harry suspected they were a little iffy about the fight. Andrew and Alan both looked deceptively relaxed; Harry knew his own body was humming with anticipation.

"Alright." Fenris grinned. "Eli, Luce. Go to the far right. Alan, Andrew, far left. Harry, Neville. You will be on the wall over here, about centre. You have five minutes to discuss your tactics with your partner, and then the whistle will blow. The last team with a partner standing wins. Do you understand?" Harry and Neville both nodded. "If you feel something has gone wrong, call for a timeout and Sirius or I will halt the fight where it stands, and come and check it out. That is only if someone is seriously injured, or the necklaces malfunction or fail. We'll be watching at all times. You are not allowed to target one of us, or use us as a shield." Sirius snickered; Harry just smiled. "Do you have any questions?"

Both Harry and Neville quickly shook their heads and moved down the wall to the midpoint. Both glanced across the arena – it was quite large, twenty by twenty metres, below raised stands. Alan had told him it doubled as a skating rink during the winter if anyone was so inclined. Harry felt it reminded him something of the Death Chamber in the Department of Mysteries, except on a larger scale.

"Well? What do you think the others will do?" Neville asked.

Harry frowned, fingering his wand. "Probably the typical sword-and-shield. One shields, the other attacks."

"Effective." Neville allowed. "Expected."

"Knowing Alan he'll possibly pull something weird." Harry groused. Neville nodded, and then frowned.

"Fenris said anything goes, right?"

"Yeah." Harry answered. "You got another weird idea?"

"I'm better at shield charms than you, right?"

"Quite." Harry allowed. "Why?"

"I'll presume there's no spells until the whistle, but if I conjure a small shield, duplicate it, and use the protean charm, I could give us both a shield on our arms. Whatever spell I use will show up on yours."

Harry nodded. "But I will barely know if it's there or not, and if you go down so does my shield."

"Possibly. Do you trust me or not?" Neville quickly asked.

"Yeah." Harry couldn't help but grin. "You won't be too tired?"

"I'll stay out of it for a time, but no, not really. Protean charms are hard, but not that hard." Neville frowned. "But I don't know how well they'll hold on a conjured object."

"Either way, though, I fight foremost?" Harry asked.

Neville waved his hand negligently. "Of course. You're strongest. This way, I can also send a few spells and I'm not a sitting duck while I plan something else." Neville frowned again. "Would Andrew have any resistance to spells?"

"Some, maybe." Harry hedged. "They've never explained. Keep an eye on the twins, then, see what they do."

"And if they attack us first?" Neville asked. The whistle sounded, and Neville immediately conjured two, small shields. Harry presumed he knew what he was doing with them so small. Harry stepped forward and watched the other two move as he answered.

"Wing it, then."

Neville snorted, and Harry found he was likely right. Spells came from the right immediately, and Harry batted them away. It was when another spell came from Alan's side that he had to do something more fancy, upping the level of the shield and sitting out the roaring wave of power. Harry swore as a spell slipped past his right, but just as quickly, the spell ricocheted back the way it'd come, and Neville handed him the second shield.

"Metre and some radius." Neville shot, his breath slightly hard. "Reflecting. Should last a while. Does your arm feel warm?"

Harry slipped the strap on awkwardly and then nodded.

"If it's warm, there's a shield. The warmer it is, the stronger the shield. If it's not warm, that's just a wooden disc. Feel free to renew the spell yourself; it'll affect mine in reverse." Neville grinned over at him. "Charge?"

"Whom?" Harry asked, smiling.

Neville glanced up; Eli and Luce were stalking around their right; Alan and Andrew were simply looking on with unholy amusement. Harry suspected they were planning when to turn on the twins. Grinning, Harry eyed Neville as he thought, and then asked,

"Don't you think you can take the twins yourself?"

Neville blinked, not taking his eyes off them. Abruptly, he turned, putting his back against Harry's. Harry found himself taking on Alan and Andrew's surprisingly weak attacks. He was about to ask when he suddenly had to brace himself against Neville's sudden blast, skidding him across the floor. The twins shrieked; Harry swore, and spat,

"What the Hell was that, Neville?"

"Um, I found it in one of the notebooks your dad had." He sounded quite dumbstruck. "I didn't think it would do that. They look okay …"

"Did you just throw them into the wall?" Harry queried, but he noticed Alan and Andrew were just as shocked; Andrew was bent over laughing. Harry grinned. "What was that spell?"

Neville turned and grinned. "Brace me again and we'll test their reflexes too. The twins are stunned for now."

Harry gleefully did so, standing behind Neville who again silently used the spell. Alan shielded; Andrew was taken off guard. Harry turned to see the twins shaking off the spell, and Harry pursed his lips a moment.

"Hey, Neville, do you know the Animagus laws here in America?"

"Do you want to try and hit a small dark kneazle against grey stone, Harry?"

Harry blinked. "No. Only if he goes first then. Alan, or the twins?"

"Provided we can have a defence against interference, the twins. Alan needs to tire."

Harry nodded, and turned and sprinted to the twins, Neville right behind them. A soft, "Right!" and he slipped aside, letting Alan's spell fly past and straight into Luce, who was just getting up. A second spell from Harry knocked Eli askance, but he kept his feet and returned fire. It didn't hit either, but Neville grunted. A flare on his arm made him assume the shield had taken it, so Harry kept going. Once behind Eli, he grinned, and quickly cast a banishing spell, overpowering it on purpose. A spell from Neville went ahead and Harry felt much better; Eli landed ten feet back on a weak cushioning charm, grunting hard and clearly winded, but otherwise unhurt. Alan gave a salute that turned into an intricate motion culminating in a hazy dog that took a moment to solidify and run across the room. Neville quickly turned and stunned Luce, following up with Eli. Harry blinked; he'd forgotten they were a team and now out of the picture.

The hazy dog was nearing, and Harry cast a banishing charm it's direction. The spell shredded the dog, and Harry frowned before nodding at Neville and pointing to the side. Neville nodded, and started strolling that direction. Trusting Neville to have a plan for himself, Harry jogged off in his own. Alan and Andrew were standing and waiting, side by side, Andrew looking a little put-out, presumably from his little flight. As Harry went, he glanced at Neville who had started jogging himself. When he looked back up, Harry listed cusses in his head before he fell to the spell he'd just run into. His limbs locked, and he landed and winded himself.

Great. Petrificus Totalus.

'I'm feeling really smart right now.'

Harry tried to remember if he'd been instructed in how to break these things. It wasn't coming to him. He was stuck, staring at the ceiling, and only able to hear grunts, pants, and footsteps alongside a few cheers he hadn't been noticing while focusing on the duel. They weren't very intelligible, and only made him more irritable as he lay and waited for the spell to go away. Abruptly, someone tripped over him and he heard Alan swear. Harry could just glimpse him at the edge of his vision. Cheekily, Alan patted him on the head.

"You've got one Hell of a brother, Harry."

The swear words Harry wished he could say would have made his dad blush.

Alan glanced up again and Harry saw his shield flare into view, brilliant orange. Alan swore again, and jerked upright, leaving Harry behind. Someone else jumped over him, with ease that made Harry guess Andrew and abruptly he was free again.

"Get up and get your ass in gear, Harry!"

Harry didn't waste his breath thanking Neville and scrambled to his feet and after Neville where he was focused on Alan and Andrew. Harry quickly realized that, while Neville was missing his shield, Harry's was still warm, and apparently stronger than it had been before. The other one must have been destroyed; Harry didn't know enough about the protean charm to guess why it was stronger, but it was working and deflected Andrew's spell easily enough. Harry retaliated irritably with the fire whip, remembering a moment later it was borderline illegal. It grabbed onto Andrew and his shield immediately, and Andrew swore explosively. Wanting the two separate, Harry jerked on the whip. What he didn't expect was for it to increase the pull enough to throw Andrew across the arena! Neville also swore.

"Good bloody thing that was Andrew, Harry!"

Harry winced again, releasing the spell as Andrew impacted the wall with a heavy thud. Fenris was right next to him, and easily waved Harry back to dealing with Alan; Alan also didn't seem really worried, so Harry relaxed and traded spells again. Alan's next shot dropped Neville to his knees and Harry turned to quickly counter the spell. He didn't see Alan's next spell, but he felt it when his shield shattered. The stronger the shield, the stronger the backlash when it broke: Harry blacked out when he slammed into the ground.

IIII

"… Really impressive spells he used, and all of it silent. When on earth did they find the time to memorize that?"

Harry crawled back awake, and blinked as he looked up at blinding white. He groaned and covered his eyes, immediately guessing he was in a hospital wing. A slight brown-haired woman trotted over and smiled warmly at him.

"Awake?" She asked briskly. "You're fine; no lingering troubles, but we didn't want to force you awake. You've been out only fifteen minutes. The duel finished shortly after you were knocked out. Alan and Andrew won."

Harry found himself waking up far quicker than he had in his history of being knocked out, and he nodded before asking, "Is Andrew all right?"

The woman snorted. "That's not the first time he's been thrown into a wall, and it won't be the last. He knocked out Neville while Neville was distracted with Alan. The vampire physiology is hard to beat. Now, if he hadn't had that shield up and you weren't wearing necklaces, the fire would have caused some serious trouble, but that would have been far more dangerous than a playful duel would have wanted." Noting Harry's startled expression, she nodded quickly. "Vampires are highly flammable. We knew that sending you in, so don't worry. I suppose Alan should have told you, but," She sighed dramatically, "the sheer volume of knowledge about what to do about vampires and what affects them is phenomenal. I got a headache during healer training during even our short overview."

Harry nodded slowly, and then asked carefully, "Okay. What's your name?"

"Mellisande." She chirped. "I'm Cenhelm and Chayim's mother, Fenris' wife. I'm the healer for Salem Witches' Institute, and I teach healing as well."

Harry nodded carefully. "Okay. Thanks. Is everyone else nearby?"

"Just outside the curtains." Mellisande chirped. "Gimme a min to scan again," She waved her wand and blinked distractedly several times before smiling. "Everything's good. Head on out."

Harry nodded happily and hopped off the bed. He'd simply been laid down, clothes and all, sans shoes so he only had to slip his shoes on from where they'd been under the bed before he walked out and rejoined the group. Neville grinned as he came out.

"Hail the conquering hero, eh?"

Harry laughed. "Yeah, no problems at all. How'd it all go? I thought I heard Sirius out here …"

"Yeah, he was here with Lily and James and all, but …" Neville's face fell and he sighed. "They were impressed with our arsenals, but James wasn't too keen on that firewhip. You know it's borderline and all. Sirius was impressed, and so were Fenris and them, but James didn't have much to say. He walked out when Mellisande noticed you'd awakened, and Sirius just … didn't stay. Neither did Lily or Severus, but I think they walked off on their own, along with the other adults." Indeed, they were alone in the waiting room, which was mildly surprising to Harry. Neville stood up after a moment and sighed. Harry forced a smile.

"I can't believe you didn't keep an eye on Andrew."

Neville shot him a dirty look. "How was I supposed to know he'd come out of being thrown into a wall in one piece? I at least expected him to be knocked out, not up and kicking."

"So," Harry teased, "taken out with a stunner to the back."

"Oh shut up."

Harry nodded. "How'd Eli and Luce take it?"

"They weren't surprised. They're good, but I think they're too used to not having anyone as clever as them, and they fall apart a little when faced with Alan and Andrew. They're intimidated – Alan hasn't been a duelling partner in years, so they don't know his arsenal, and Andrew doesn't interact much with anyone but Alan." Harry looked at him, and Neville blushed. "Fenris."

Harry grinned. Neville was good at quoting people. Harry had teased him previously about Hermione rubbing off on him, but hadn't for sixth months, since he'd broken up with her during his depression. Currently, the topic of Hermione wasn't welcome with Neville.

Harry glanced around and sighed. "So, where are the other kids?"

"Alan said he was going to wander some stretch of beach nearby, but that he wasn't sure if Andrew might drag him off somewhere to talk." Neville frowned. "Fenris looked a little iffy about that, but nobody said anything to him, so …" Neville shrugged. "The other kids are probably in the game room. I was going to go there after you woke up. I won't be offended if you go find Alan, Harry." Neville pointed out when Harry had bit his lip in thought. "You don't get to see him all that much; we share practically all our classes."

Harry nodded, and gave Neville a short smile. "Alright. Do you know where to go for the beach?"

"No." Neville shook his head, "but you could ask Lyall on the main floor of the school. You do remember how to get there, right?" Neville teased.

Harry stuck out his tongue and ran out to find his way there.

A/N: And sixth year begins. No, you won't have to suffer through excessive amounts of American insanity - they're back in Britain at chapter 49 with none of those introduced here, so you can breathe a sigh of relief if that scared you and if you want more, I can add it to the oneshots. Feel free to ask questions.
And yes! We start the weekly updates. We'll have this over and done with in no time at all! Rejoice, be excited, and please Read and Review? Let me feel the Love?

Fire & Napalm