Harry sighed in pleasure as he jogged lightly into the forest. Much as Hogwarts was a mothering figure for her students, the forest was their father, stern and challenging and demanding their utmost best. Most of the Hogwarts students, with their soft living in the castle, wouldn't be able to survive a trek through this forest, but the Durmstrang students would not only survive it, they would enjoy it. He smiled softly. That was a thought to pursue later.

A soft gasp from the direction he knew Gemini and his cousin were let him know that they were close to their quarry. His ability to see magic had grown over the years to include magical creatures, though instead of a concentrated glow in the chest area, a magical creature's power shone softly from every part of their body. That was the true difference between magical beings and magical creatures. Creatures were beings of magic, beings were those who had the ability to use magic.

He inched into a small hollow that he could kneel in unseen that Gemini pointed out to him. For the duration of the hunt, they'd forced a bond between him and his boyfriend so that they would at least have one set of eyes to use. The bond wouldn't last long without a ritual grounding, but it would last for the duration of the hunt. They still weren't sure how the spontaneous bonds between Harry and the Five had become permanent. Their best theory is that when the bonds 'tangled' they couldn't separate enough to fade; that the bonds supported each other.

He could feel Gemini's anticipation, his store of near homicidal energy rushing through him instead of being tightly controlled like usual. That was another reason that the Five didn't trust him. At any moment, his control could break, and if that ever happened, he'd likely go Mr. Hyde on whoever was nearest. Harry didn't think that it would happen though. Gemini was tightly controlled, so much so that it was rare you could even tell what he was thinking unless he wanted you to.

Gemini glanced at him briefly. It was odd to see himself through his boyfriend's eyes, and emotions. When Gemini saw him, there was a flash of lust, combined with a more lasting affection and possessiveness. There was a soft chittering, and everyone froze. Harry could feel Draco's anxiety through the bond to the Five, using Luka's empathy. The blond was high in the trees, safely on branches too thin to support the huge acromantula bodies. He was their backup rather than being an active part of the hunt, because of his inexperience.

Gemini still stood in the center of the clearing, bait for the giant spiders. He always refused to let Harry or the Five play bait, because no matter how developed their other senses were, they were still blind. He thought it was an unnecessary risk. Harry figured he just liked the adrenaline rush that came with it. But Viktor did the same thing, so he couldn't really complain.

'Wish Viktor was here?' Peter teased. Harry shrugged slightly as he prepared a spell that, if it landed correctly, would disable an acromantula for several minutes. This was why acromantulas were dangerous; they recovered from spells quickly, and were impossible to kill with magic. They could be knocked out though, and killed manually.

'It would be nice. But he has detention. He'll probably join us later anyway.'

'True.'

'Well, I for one am glad he's not,' 'Lita chirped. 'He and Gemini fight too much.' Harry laughed.

'And you don't fight with Gem just as much?' he asked disbelievingly.

'I,' 'Lita said primly, 'know when there are more important things to worry about then fighting with Gemini. Viktor doesn't stop to think, he just argues any time Gemini does something to irritate him.' Harry just shrugged. He'd long since resigned himself to the feud between his boyfriend and his adopted brother.

The hunt didn't last long. The Acromantula, unused to having hunters in their forest, quickly rushed the perceived food source. They all died of course. Harry smiled to himself as they pulled nets from their packs to carry the corpses back to the beach by the ship. Or better yet, on deck, that way no one would be able to interrupt them, or confiscate their hard-earned potions ingredients and valuable parts.

"Right, next time we go after eggs," Gemini said loftily once they were back on the ship. "That was way too simple." The others agreed, except for Draco, who was still watching them warily, as though wondering what mad scheme his cousin was going to get him into next. This honestly was justified, since Gemini was unpredictable and got bored easily.

Harry sighed and sank back in the huge bath that they had commandeered in the castle. The ship didn't have anything anywhere near as nice. He heard 'Lita sigh in pleasure, and figured that Luka was helping her wash her hair. She loved having people mess with her hair, washing and brushing and fixing it. Harry figured that it was a social grooming thing, but as he was the same, he didn't bother her about it. He hummed in pleased surprise as Gemini poured shampoo over his hair and started working it through.

"We're late for supper," Peter said suddenly, breaking the silence. There was laughter all around.

"Well, we weren't going to go to supper covered in acromantula parts, now were we?" James protested, still laughing.

"Yeah, that would go over real well, Petey," Franklin added. Peter rolled his eyes, and slapped the surface of the water.

"Highmaster will want to know where we've been, that's all I was saying. No need to make fun of me."

"They were only teasin', Petey," 'Lita murmured, hugging him, seemingly unaware that they were both naked. She was like that. Unless it was Luka, she really couldn't care less if someone was in their bare skin. And if it was Luka, she generally made fun of him.

"He's right though, w

e better hurry up. If we don't make it to dinner at all, we'll really be in trouble," Luka agreed reluctantly, climbing out of the pool-sized tub. The others followed, quickly drying and dressing.

The Highmaster slapped his hand down on the table as they entered, silencing the hall. He gestured peremptorily. "Here. Now." They obediently approached the High Table to stand in front of him. "Where have you been?"

"We had to clean up. We were processing our catch up until dinner started. We lost track of time." The Highmaster smiled slightly, startling those who'd thought they were really in trouble.

"You must have thought, my children," he chided. "Your body is the base of your power. Take care of it. Now, how was your hunt?"

"It went well, Highmaster. Gemini was disappointed though."

"Why?" Harry grinned.

"He said it was too easy. It's not like the forest near the castle. None of the creatures are used to being hunted."

"Did you make any new acquaintances?" Harry shrugged, echoed by the others.

"We didn't see anything sentient. Though, with what I've seen of British Wizardry, they were likely worried that we'd start hunting them if we saw them." The Highmaster smirked in amusement.

"Perhaps they simply avoid the acromantula nesting ground," 'Lita offered sweetly. "There's quite an infestation, you know." The Highmaster chuckled.

"I'm working on an entertainment for the students. Perhaps you shall be able to assist me in it." They nodded and or bowed agreement, not saying anything. "Go children. To your supper, as there isn't a place for you to sit with me. I shall see you later." They bowed in ragged unison before walking back to their habitual places at the Slytherin table.