A/N: Apologies in advance to Kellen haters - you might want to skip the first half of this one if you're not a fan of his. It's his birthday, so naturally most of the focus will be on him in this one. Harry will be along for the ride here, but his big moment will come at the spring dance - which is coming up quite soon! I won't give much away, but I promise his star will shine very brightly!

Wednesday, February 12, 1992 - Ilvermorny Castle, Massachusetts, USA

For most Ilvermorny students, it was just another Wednesday. Physical training, class, homework. Rinse and repeat ad nauseum.

However, for one very special little wizard and his circle of friends, it was a most joyous occasion - it was the twelfth birthday of a certain Robert Kellen Grimseth.

Just as they got to the breakfast table, Harry, Ana, and November all gave Kellen a homemade birthday card and several classic novels: H.G. Wells' The Time Machine, Bram Stoker's Dracula, and Richard Marsh's The Beetle.

"Wow, thank you so much," Kellen said with sincere gratitude. "Where did you find all these titles?"

Nova giggled. "A couple of weeks ago we asked the deputy headmistress if she knew a good place to get some Muggle novels. As it turns out, there's a vault in the castle that has literally tens of thousands of all sorts of Muggle books... she had this catalogue that contained all the titles, so she allowed us to peruse the catalogue and pick out a title for your birthday."

Kellen nodded. "So, is this like the library? Or are they mine to keep?"

"They're yours, Kellen," replied Harry with a grin. "Library books aren't much of a birthday present, are they? Besides, these books are vintage copies... they look to be at least sixty years old. They still look practically brand new, too!"

Kellen cracked open the hardback copy of Dracula. "Wow, you weren't kidding, Harry. This edition is from 1928! It's about thirty years after it was originally published, but it's still really hard to find a copy this old."

He gave Harry, Ana, and Nova each a heartfelt hug and thanked them for giving him such rare gifts.

"Oh wow, Kellen!" Ana pointed toward a flurry of owls. Imogen seemed to be carrying more than she probably should be - she seemed to be struggling keeping airborne with the heavy package she held in her talons.

Kellen could practically hear Imogen exhale a sigh of relief as she dropped off the package in front of Kellen. He eagerly opened it up and read the note that came with it.

"Wednesday, February 5th, 1992

Dear Kellen,

I hope this package reaches you in time for your birthday! I was able to find your 'Heir to the Empire' trilogy that you described - I needed some help from some friends of mine to make it happen, but you're worth the extra effort!

I can't believe that by the time you get this, February will be practically half over! And then the spring dance will be right around the corner! I'm starting to get giddy...

My very good friend Daphne says hello, and also wants to with you a happy birthday! There is a chance she might be coming to Ilvermorny with me... she'd love to meet you as well!

Anyway, I hope you have a very happy twelfth birthday, Kellen. If I was there, I'd give you a hug and a smooch!

Love,

Hermione"

"Wow," Kellen said. "Hermione sent me the entire 'Heir to the Empire' trilogy! I can't believe it!"

"That was very nice of her, Kellen," Ana said. "She really seems to like you, you know."

Kellen's face turned a deep pink. "And I'm rather fond of her myself."

"That's not all you've gotten, Sandy," giggled Nova. "Looks like you got some more post."

One of the school owls dropped off a rolled-up parchment, which Kellen quickly unfurled:

"Dear Kellen,

Happy twelfth birthday! I've asked our Pukwudgie Keepers to make a special breakfast for you and your friends this morning! I hope you have a truly magical day.

Sincerely,

Professor E. Goode,

Deputy Headmistress"

"Oh wow," Kellen replied. "Looks like they made us some traditional Norwegian munker for breakfast! Awesome!"

Nova scrunched her nose. "What in Merlin's name is munker? I've never heard of it."

Harry chuckled. "If you've ever visited the farm, it's something his grandmother makes. It's a Norwegian breakfast pastry, sort of a cross between a pancake and a donut. They're quite tasty, actually."

Nova reached out and delicately took one of the hot munker from the silver tray. She examined the puffy golden pastry, which was liberally sprinkled with powdered sugar. She took a nibble, and grinned. "Whoa... this is quite tasty," she sighed.

"Just like Bestemor Pernille," agreed Kellen as he took a bite.

"These are better than pancakes and donuts, for sure," Ana added with a smile as she sampled one of the munker. "I'm glad that I'm getting to experience your culture first hand, Kellen. Happy birthday." She gave him a smooch on the cheek, and Kellen turned bright red.

Nova had just finished her pastry. "Happy birthday, Kellen Grimseth," she said softly. She gave him a smooch on the other cheek, and Kellen once again turned very bright red.

"Happy birthday, Kellen," added Harry. "You'll have to forgive me if I'm a bit hesitant to kiss you." All four friends burst into laughter.

"Thanks, you three," replied Kellen. "I can't imagine celebrating my birthday without you!"

The day went by quickly enough - several professors and classmates wished Kellen a happy birthday before and after class. Kellen graciously thanked each of them for remembering his birthday. As it turned out, Professor Esposito brought tiramisu for class that day. Kellen wasn't sure if it was coincidence, or meant for his birthday, but he was delighted with the treat just the same.

At dinner that evening, Professor Goode had personally stopped by the the Horned Serpent table to wish Kellen a happy birthday, and she even brought a chocolate cake with teal and gold icing - the Horned Serpent house colors. Everyone around Kellen burst into a rousing rendition of "Happy Birthday", then Professor Goode used her wand to light the candles on the cake. Kellen blew them all out with a single breath. Professor Goode then waved her wand again to magically slice the cake. Kellen and Harry had medium-sized pieces, while Ana and Nova had more modestly-sized slices. Even Chelsea and Alexander stopped by to wish Kellen a happy birthday, and they also were more than happy to grab themselves a piece of birthday cake.

Kellen even got another letter from Imogen - his parents had mailed him a card to wish him a happy birthday, and they said that his present would be waiting for him at home that summer - a brand-new edition of Encyclopedia Brittanica!

Chelsea giggled. "Now why on Earth would anyone want an encyclopedia for their birthday?" she asked.

Kellen shrugged. "I don't care if it's magical or not, but knowledge is power."

"That Encyclopedia Brittanica is a very nice gift, Kellen," Ana agreed. "My parents have an old set of World Book encyclopedias at our house, but it's probably nearly twenty years old by now!" She threw him a sly grin. "But that encyclopedia set isn't going to help you very much with the Quiz Bowl. Last I checked, there are no references to Remembralls in no-maj encyclopedias..."

Kellen smirked. "No, it's not going to be in there, but I still find the no-maj world fascinating."

After everyone had finished their dinner and cake, they went to their respective house's common room to study for the evening. Kellen of course didn't need much time to do his schoolwork, but was happy to stick around to help Harry out as needed. He began writing letters - one back home, and one to Hermione at Hogwarts. It was an unusual birthday in the sense that it was his first birthday away from home, but it was a very enjoyable one just the same.

Before they went to their separate dormitories for the night, Ana and Nova each gave Kellen another "happy birthday smooch", which turned Kellen's cheeks redder than ever.

Kellen and Harry played a few games of no-maj checkers (Harry swore to himself he would never play Wizard's Chess ever again!) before the two boys drifted off to sleep for the night.

The next several weeks slowly but surely melted away. February came and went, and the weather gradually became more pleasant as March progressed. By the end of the month, hints of spring were definitely in the air. The snow had melted, and the deciduous trees were showing vestiges of green on their branches. There was still a bit of a chill in the air, especially in the evening, but the daytime highs were warm enough where heavy coats and scarves were no longer required.

On April Fool's Day, students played all sorts of tricks on each other in the castle. Most of them were quite harmless, but others were quite painful. Some of the fourth and fifth year students ended up in the infirmary as they had hexed each other with some rather nasty-looking boils on their faces.

Meanwhile, back at Hogwarts, Daphne Greengrass had secured permission to accompany Professor McGonagall and Hermione to Ilvermorny during their Easter break. The three of them would travel under the guise as Muggles in order to minimize detection from dark wizards or Muggles. They spirited themselves to Heathrow International Airport in London the morning of Saturday, April 18th - the day before Easter Sunday.

The three witches arrived safely at Logan International Airport in Boston that afternoon, where Dennis the CAB driver met them and escorted them to the Ilvermorny castle. A little over an hour later, they found themselves at the front step of the castle, where Professor Goode greeted them and gave them a tour of the castle. She called for one of their trustees, Missy Ludwig, to help Hermione and Daphne with their bags and show them to their quarters.

"Good afternoon," said Missy in a strong Northeastern American accent. "I'm Melissa Ludwig, a sixth-year Horned Serpent trustee. I usually go by Missy, though." She grinned at the British girls. "Let me help you with your bags. I'll show you to your quarters and common room for the week."

"Thank you," said Hermione. "I'm Hermione Granger - I'm a first-year student from Hogwarts. I'm in a house called Gryffindor." She shook Missy's hand. "I'm very pleased to meet you."

"Hiya," said Daphne. "My name is Daphne Greengrass. Like Hermione, I'm also a first-year student from Hogwarts, but I belong to a house called Slytherin." She also shook Missy's hand.

"I'm pleased to make your acquaintance - both of you," replied Missy. "If you'll both follow me please... it's a bit of a jaunt to get there. And you'll have to forgive us if some of these hallways are a bit cramped." She snickered softly. "Don't worry, you'll get used to the layout."

Hermione and Daphne followed Missy up the stairs, and through several almost claustrophobic corridors, until they reached the magical lift that took them up to the Horned Serpent common room. Missy spoke the password to activate the lift: "Cotton Mather".

"Wow," said Daphne. "We don't have a lift like this at Hogwarts. That's rather ingenious, actually."

"Welcome to the Horned Serpent common room," beamed Missy. "It's not much, but it's ours. The girls' dormitory on the west side - I'll show you to your quarters."

"Will we get to meet Kellen today?" asked Hermione as they marched onward toward their room. "He's my pen pal."

Missy arched an eyebrow. "Grimseth? Oh yes, I'm sure you will... I don't rightly know where he is at the moment, but I guarantee you'll see him at dinner. He does have a couple of female friends here if you'd like to meet them... Anastasia Harrison and November Woodward - he's quite attached to both of them." She tried to stifle a giggle. "He's rarely far away from those two... but they're both terrific young ladies. Both of them are trustee material when the time comes." She stopped her giggles, but coudln't stop smiling. "Grimseth... now he's future head-boy material, that one is."

Daphne cocked her head. "Are you being sarcastic, Missy? I don't really know the boy, but from what I gather, he seems to have a good head on his shoulders."

"Oh, I'm being quite serious, Miss Greengrass. Grimseth's truly a phenomenal student. I expect nothing less by the time he's a seventh-year student," replied Missy. "I've never seen anyone quite like him. He's going to be an incredibly powerful wizard someday. He can easily do things I struggle with. I'm just grateful he's committed to using light magic."

The girls stopped in front of an unoccupied dorm room. "Here you are, Miss Granger and Miss Greengrass. I'll give you a few minutes to unpack if you'd like. In the meantime, I'll see if Miss Harrison and Miss Woodward are around, I'm sure they'd love to meet you," Missy offered.

"That would be terrific, thanks," said Hermione. "We've had a long day, so we would like just a little down time, if that's all right. Maybe in an hour you can send them our way?"

Missy nodded. "I'll let them know. Or, if you want to just meet them in the common room, that might be even better. It's just a few paces down the hall, remember."

"Oh, Missy?" asked Daphne. "Do we just wear tasteful Muggle clothes while we're here? I don't think anyone properly explained to us what we're supposed to wear while we're guests... it's our off-week at Hogwarts, but class is still on at Ilvermorny."

"Muggle?" Missy wrinkled her nose, with a slight look of confusion on her face. "I'm guessing you're referring to no-maj... if that's the case, then yes, I think appropriate no-maj clothes would suffice. I'll ask Professor Goode on your behalf to be safe... worst case scenario, I'm sure she can find some extra Horned Serpent uniforms for you while you're guests."

"Thank you, Missy," replied Hermione. "I can't wait to meet Anastasia and November."

"And I'm sure they can't wait to meet you," Missy responded with a grin. "I'll have them meet you in the common room in an hour. Until then, make yourselves at home!" She turned around and left the dorm room.

Hermione and Daphne plopped themselves down on the same four-poster to take it all in for a moment.

"Hey, Hermione... we're housemates at last," giggled Daphne. "Even if it's just for a week... but I've wanted this for a very long time."

"You and me both," replied Hermione with a wide grin. "That Missy girl was very helpful. She was what... a trustee, right? She seems a bit less smug than some of the prefects at Hogwarts."

Daphne nodded in agreement. "Believe it or not, Slytherin has some really good prefects. They act more like Hufflepuffs than Slytherins sometimes... they're very helpful and impartial. We're lucky to have someone like Gemma looking out after us."

Hermione giggled. "Ron's older brother Percy acts more like a Slytherin sometimes. You can tell he's been gunning for the prefect position for some time... he's a fine enough boy and everything, but he sometimes lets his status get to his head."

Daphne also giggled. "So I've heard... and the Weasley twins like to mess with him! I'm not going to lie, the pranks they pull on Percy are pure gold! Like, his badge reading 'pinhead' - that's just too funny!"

Hermione smiled, then sighed. "Well, these bags aren't going to unpack themselves, Daphne... let's get to it." The girls spent several minutes unpacking, and then chit-chatted for a little bit, before returning to the Horned Serpent common room.

They saw two smiling faces waiting for them in the center of the room - one belonging to a hazel-eyed girl with light freckles and long, straight milk-chocolate hair, and the other belonging to a slightly taller blue-eyed girl with a honey-blonde ponytail.

"Well, hello loves," purred Nova. "I'm November Woodward, but most of my friends and family call me 'Nova'." She smirked as she gestured toward Hermione. "You must be the famous Miss Granger." She cocked her head at Daphne. "Miss... Greengrass, was it? I'm not as familiar with you."

Hermione gasped. "You're English!"

Nova giggled. "Your powers of observation do you credit, Miss Granger." She offered her hand to Hermione and Daphne, who each shook it with gusto.

Ana extended her hand to Hermione and Daphne as well. "Welcome to Ilvermorny! I'm Anastasia Harrison, but most of my friends and family call me 'Ana'. I'm very pleased to meet the both of you." Again, Hermione and Daphne shook Ana's hand gratefully.

"Charmed to meet you, Nova and Ana," said Daphne. "My pen pal Chelsea is a Thunderbird, so I'd imagine I'd see her at dinner tonight?"

Ana nodded. "Yes, she's a Thunderbird. You'll likely see her this evening... she frequently comes to the Horned Serpent table, so you probably won't have to go very far to find her if you wait long enough!"

"And where's Kellen?" asked Hermione. "I'm positively dying to meet him... I have a hug I'd like to give him." Her cheeks reddened a bit. "And a possible smooch on the cheek," she added softly.

"He's probably upstairs in the library," surmised Nova. "That, or he might be jamming on that blasted electric guitar in the music room." She smiled knowingly. "But don't worry too much about him yet, you'll have plenty of opportunity to meet him this evening at dinner."

"Why don't you just relax here in the common room for a spell?" Ana offered. She then giggled. "No pun intended, of course."

"Yes, we'd like to get to know the both of you a bit better... you both seem like very nice young ladies," Nova added. "I can get a spot of tea going for you if you'd like."

Hermione grinned. "Yes, please... that would be terrific."

Daphne smiled sweetly. "That sounds delightful. I could use a little 'girl time', actually."

Hermione arched an eyebrow at Ana. "Are you a tea person, Ana? As the only American of the outfit, I don't expect that of you..."

Ana giggled. "Oh, I love a good cuppa. And some biscuits, as you like to call them! I love Irish Breakfast, myself..."

"Well, look at you," Daphne said with a grin. "I like you already."

"If you'll excuse me, let me get that old tea set out," Nova said. "Be just a few minutes!"