Lapis Eskander winced as he watched a Bludger come within inches of slamming into Vega's back. The Slytherin Seeker whirled around and yelled something to his team's Beaters, who nodded. Gryffindor was giving their long-time rival House a run for their money. Their Beaters were extremely solid, and had been keeping the heat on Vega most of the match. It was starting to get under Vega's skin, as he was flying more erratically than Lapis was used to seeing. Frustration was evidenced by his expression and the fact that he was being so vocal to the rest of his team.

At the same time, none of the Gryffindors had been able to get the Quaffle past Julie Carmack, Slytherin's Keeper. It didn't matter very much, as Slytherin's trio had also been rather unsuccessful in scoring many goals. Certainly not enough to prevent an upset should Anders Terrana get to the Snitch before Vega. His team was giving him enough room to account for his nearsightedness. And while Lapis was also keeping an eye out for the Snitch - something of a reflex rather than a conscious decision - his focus primarily remained on Vega.

Whether the blond wanted to admit it or not, he really did change in the air. Whether it was due to being able to vent his frustrations or whether he simply didn't acknowledge there was anything different was unknown. Vega always started matches the exact same way, as well. He'd kick off, fly just above the stands, all while slowly spinning in a circle. When he came to a stop, his eyes began darting around, becoming focused. He would pay almost no attention to his opponents unless the Snitch was closer to being theirs. That's when the real flying would start, with Vega zoning out everything else around him to focus solely on capturing the Snitch before the other Seeker. And though only one race for the Snitch had happened in the ninety someodd minutes the present match had been taking place, it had been rather spectacular. Vega had nearly plowed headlong into one side of the stadium, managing to only just pull himself off course. It had taken more than a few moments for him to snap back to attention afterwards, as he seemed to realize how close he had come to seriously injuring himself. It had also been the only point in the match where Slytherin's Beaters had been able to keep the Bludgers away from Vega.

The internal workings of Lapis's mind were halted abruptly when, right next to his ear, Samantha Alven had murmured, "You're staring at him again."

Making a face, Lapis gritted his teeth. "I am not staring at him."

"You've stared at him the entire match. If I didn't know better, I'd say you were trying to bore a hole through him." Said Samantha, smirking.

Breaking his unintentional gaze, Lapis glared at his friend. "Listen, you. The Chasers aren't making this match interesting. Terrana may as well be staring into the sun. Who the devil else am I going to be watching?"

"There's a difference between watching someone and what you were doing." Samantha declared, turning her attention back to the players. "I'm not chastising you. I'm just pointing out that you may want to be careful. You ought to be glad Val didn't come. She'd be harping on you twice as much as I have."

"I know who to be careful around." Lapis said, his voice going quiet, almost getting lost in the din of the crowds. "But thanks. Sometimes, I forget. It'd be a lot easier if..."

Throwing her arm around her friend, Samantha grinned. "Hey, we've known each other for ages. If I can't watch your back, who can?"

Returning a ghost of the grin he was given, Lapis nodded. "Yeah, I know..."

"Still... you've got a lot to think about. Val told me about that letter you got. Sucks that you won't be able to head home for Christmas. I'll probably be inviting the others over on Christmas Day. I'm sure McGonagall would let us come pick you up. It'd be better than staying behind here in the castle."

"I may. I guess it all depends on if they get this job of theirs done by then. They really didn't say. I wish they weren't busy all the time. Even this past summer, father was out on business most of the time and mother was fielding letters from coworkers at all hours. It's a miracle I managed to make it here at all." Lapis said, scowling. Crossing his arms, he added, "Father's been incredibly nervous as of late, too. A few days before school began, I had gotten up in the night to use the bathroom, and I'd overheard them talking..."

Samantha frowned at the odd tone Lapis's voice had taken on. "Something bad?"

"I'm not sure, to be honest. He seemed really worried that someone was going to send him after 'that thing' that someone else had been working on. No idea what he was talking about, but... I've never heard him sound that frightened in my life. Whatever his boss asked him to inspect, he definitely didn't want to go." Lapis explained.

"'That thing?' Nothing other than that? Do you think that's where they went?" Asked Samantha.

"Entirely possible. And no, mother hushed him after he said that, and I couldn't make out anything either of them said after that point. Father's handled dangerous materials for the Ministry in the past, but he's always been confident in his abilities. That something had him that nervous makes me nervous..."

"I'm sure he'll be alright." Samantha said, giving him a one-armed hug. "Try not to think about it too much."

"That's what I was trying to do before someone called me out on it." Said Lapis, his tone dry.

"Yes, yes, I'm a harpie. Back to your Potter-watching, then. Anything been happening? I've been more focused on you than them."

"Not particularly. Potter's still looking agitated. Bad form. He needs to work on it. It's also one more thing for me to try and exploit. That and hopefully he'll be rusty after the holidays are over." Lapis said.

"I've never heard you downplay your own abilities like that. Worried he'd beat you to the Snitch?" Asked Samantha.

"Amongst other things." Said Lapis, brow creasing slightly. "I could beat him to it, but I need to start pushing myself like he does. Dangerous as it is, it's effective. He seems to black out the rest of reality when he goes after the Snitch, though. I'll have to train myself to not do that. That way I can keep from smashing into a wall at top speeds well ahead of time."

"I'm amazed he pulled out of that. Looked like he was seeing spots for awhile, though."

"Mm. I'm sure the Malfoy girl will give him an earful after the match ends."

"If it ever ends. This rate, the house elves will have to serve dinner out here." Groused Samantha.

"I'd be fine with that. Might need to get up and stretch pretty soon, though. These seats aren't very good when you have to sit in them this long." Lapis muttered, shifting forward in his chair. "Think Valerie's still down by the lake?"

"Probably. The clouds cleared away. She's probably well into a nap at this point. If I didn't think Potter would pull a victory off ten seconds after we left, I'd suggest going down and drawing on her face while she's asleep." Samantha said.

"She'd kill us if we did." Lapis said, glancing aside. Then, pausing only for a moment, he smirked and continued, "Let's do it."

"Not going to worry about the ending?"

"I don't think it'll be ending any time soon."

"Want to place a wager on that?"

"...How much?"

Samantha tapped her chin for a moment before a sly grin rose. "Whoever loses admits to thinking up the idea to draw on Val's face."

Sucking in a sharp breath, Lapis blew it out slowly. "That's crazy. There's no way I'm going to take that kind of a chance. Potter would win just to spite me if I did."

Laughing, Samantha got to her feet, stretching for a moment before turning and looking down at Lapis. "I guess. I'll think of something, though. And if Val doesn't wake up, we can leave a note saying we've come back to tough out the rest of the match. Deal?"

"Now that sounds a good deal fairer. Deal." Lapis said, pushing himself up. Casting one last glance out at the field, where Vega was flying in a slow circle around the middle, Lapis shook his head and turned to leave the Ravenclaw stands.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

As it turned out, the match went on for well over three hours before coming to a stop just after eight that night. Slytherin had come out on top by a mere ten points, and Vega had nearly collapsed afterwards out of exhaustion. The victory party had lasted well into the night, however, and it wasn't until nearly three in the morning that he finally got to drag himself into bed. McGonagall had delayed dinner so they could eat up at the castle to warm back up, and there had been a bit of a commotion at the Ravenclaw table, with Lapis being chased out of the room at one point.

Vega was thankful that there wouldn't be anymore Quidditch until after the Christmas holidays had ended. He was eager to head home and lounge around for awhile. No worrying about monsters, no worrying about three hour Quidditch matches. Just relaxing. School work had lessened as the holidays got closer, as none of the first years could really concentrate enough to get any learning done. After being away from home for so long, everyone seemed eager to see their families again. Viola and Hydrus would probably come over the day after Christmas, as per usual, and Vega had already written his parents with what he wanted to get the two of them. As his mother hadn't admonished him in the reply, he figured they would be fine.

It felt strange to get back on the train in Hogsmeade, though he wasn't entirely sure why. He knew a few students who were planning to stay at the castle for one reason or another. Perhaps he was just worried that the monster would take the chance to strike again. When he finally took his seat in an empty compartment, he aimed his scowl at the window.

"What'd that window ever do to you, then?" Asked Viola, sitting next to him. Across from the two, Hydrus sat, pulling his hair over his shoulder.

"I'm not grumpy about the window." Vega explained. "I'm grumpy about leaving people I know at school with something that could kill them."

"You worry too much." Viola said. "With less students to watch, they're probably safer over the holidays than they would be otherwise! The staff knows what's up, and they're all staying back this year. Heck, the students staying would probably be escorted around. Wouldn't surprise me if McGonagall had things planned to keep them together during the day, just to be on the safe side."

"I guess. Just feels like something's off. Something's still bugging me about this mess, I just can't figure out what. Maybe mum and dad will be able to figure something out." Vega said, sighing as he leaned back.

"I'll ask our parents as well. It couldn't hurt, at the very least." Hydrus said. "Let's try not to spend the entire ride home worrying about the school, though."

"Hydrus is right." Said Viola. "There's more important things to discuss! Did you see Lapis when we were getting ready to head to the carriages?"

"No, why?" Vega asked, glancing aside.

"He was being hugged." Viola said, a wide grin on her face.

Perking up, Vega asked, "Which one?"

"The quieter of the two. Samantha, I think. I still get them mixed up a bit. The one that wasn't chasing him all over the place that one night." Viola said. "They were talking really quietly, then she leaned in and gave him a hug! And not just a quick one, she really pulled him into an embrace."

"Was Valerie watching?" Asked Vega.

"Yeah! She didn't seem to mind at all is the weird thing!" Viola exclaimed. "What does that mean?"

"Maybe it means they're friends, and friends sometimes hug one another that way. You hug Potter like that all the time." Hydrus pointed out.

"I do it because I know it embarrasses him." Viola said, nudging Vega's arm. When he glared weakly at her, she continued, "But it wasn't even like that. C'mere, Vega, turn sideways."

"What, why?" Asked Vega, doing as he was asked, despite thinking it wasn't a good idea.

"Gotta show ya, don't I? Here, look, she did this." Viola scooted over and wrapped her arms around Vega, pulling him tightly against her body and resting her head against his shoulder for a few seconds before pulling away. Vega was blushing furiously and trying to turn away to glare out the window again. She laughed and mussed his hair, causing him to swat her hand away. "See? Shouldn't Lapis have been doing that? He wasn't blushing at all!"

"Maybe it means that the two of them have been a couple for awhile now? Childhood friends that become closer over the years, perhaps?" Hydrus suggested. "And stop doing that. Potter's liable to pass out."

"Stow it, Hyde." Vega said, teeth gritted. Clearing his throat and still not looking anywhere near Viola, he added, "And that doesn't mean much, does it? Maybe he's just used to her hugging him like that. He doesn't seem as easily embarrassed as me..."

"Even so, being together with someone at our age? I haven't even thought about boyfriends yet." Viola said, scooting back to her original spot.

"Something I remain grateful for." Hydrus stated.

"Dunno. Hard to tell with that guy, though. I don't know what to make of him, though. He acts really odd sometimes. Has ever since we met." Vega said, shaking his head slowly. "I guess we'll see after the holidays, though, won't we? If they're still acting close or holding hands or something, then it's settled."

"Yeah, I guess so." Viola said. "Hate that we have to wait that long, though. It's gonna drive me loony. Guess I'll just hafta pester Hydrus to play games to distract me!"

"I'm not playing chess with you anymore." Hydrus said, suddenly looking extremely wary of his twin sister.

"Oh, come on! Just because I beat you twenty games in a row last year..." Viola began.

"'Just,' she says." Muttered Hydrus. "May as well have beaten me about the face with the board, for as humiliating it was."

"Hey, I gotta figure out ways to get under your skin, don't I? You act too cool for your own good, anyway. Not healthy! Gotta have someone like me to take you down a peg or two every so often." Viola said, smirking.

"Too cool?" Repeated Hydrus. "Just because I'm not bouncing off the walls like you do..."

"You're the polar opposite of me, ya know." Viola said.

"And now I'm cool?" Asked Hydrus. "Doesn't that make you... I don't know, 'uncool?'"

"Well, it does seem like I scare the other first years..." Viola said, tilting her head thoughtfully.

"That's because you're too loud at breakfast. No one should be that noisy that early in the day. Normal people need an hour or two to get going, Viola." Hydrus said, cocking an eyebrow.

"Oh, I'm abnormal then, am I?" Viola asked, getting to her feet, stepping forward, and looming over her brother.

"Your words, not mine." Said Hydrus.

"I'll give you abnormal! C'mere!" Viola cried.

"You'll give me abnormal? What does that even m- gah, don't!"

Vega snorted, watching as Viola flung herself at Hydrus, knocking him over onto his side and tickling him for all she was worth. Hydrus flailed about in a manner decidedly unbefitting of Hydrus, crying for his sister to knock it off between peals of laughter. It wasn't until he yelled that she was, in fact, normal that she relented and hopped off of him, flexing her arms and declaring herself the victor. As Hydrus pulled himself up and tried to straighten his robes and hair back out, he muttered something under his brief. Viola whipped around, fingers wiggling menacingly.

"It was nothing about you!" Hydrus said, his voice a pitch higher than it should've been. Clearing his throat quickly, he continued, "Go sit down. The witch with the snacks should be coming by before too long."

"Trying to ply me with food, Hydrus? ...Yeah, alright!" Viola said, flopping back down next to Vega and keeping an eye on the door.

Hydrus blew out an inaudible sigh before turning to cast a weak glare at Vega, who was trying very hard not to grin. "What?"

"Nothing! Nothing at all." Vega said, turning to look out the window again. A moment later, however, he reached for Viola's hand, taking hold of it and raising it up in victory. Viola snorted at this, once more declaring herself the winner, and causing Hydrus to roll his eyes wearily.

The train ride continued on well into evening, at which point they finally stopped at Platform Nine and Three-Quarters. None of the three had really packed, since they still had plenty of clothes at home and, things needed for school work aside, had packed light. Once out on the platform, finding their parents was a quick enough ordeal. And, after Viola threatened to give Vega another embarrassing hug, the Potters and Malfoys parted ways.

Tonks had come to pick her son up, since Harry was out on business with Minister Scrimgeour in regards to the happenings around the country. Tonks, who had long since declared that she would one day become a better driver than her mother had been, had insisted they get a 'normal' car or two. But as neither of the two had known a lick about vehicles other than how to drive them, they settled for a blue four-door by some company with a name that Tonks had found funny. Vega set his suitcase in the back seat before hopping in on the passenger's side door.

"'Another' hug?" Tonks said, grinning at her son as he buckled up.

"Don't ask." Vega groaned, blushing faintly again. "It's Vivi being Vivi. I take it dad's with Wolf?"

"Scrimgeour." Tonks said, turning the car on and flipping on the headlights. "He should be home late tonight, but you can wait up if you want. Not like you've got much work, yeah?"

"Yeah, just a few papers to go over. Should be able to get it all done in a couple hours." Vega said.

"Don't get used to it. They pile on more every year." Tonks said, shaking her head. "Dunno about you, but I'm starving. Since Harry's going to be late, what say we just grab a pizza on the way home? You didn't stuff yourself on sweets, did you?"

"I am entirely okay with pizza." Vega said, grinning. "I don't think dad'll mind, either."

"He'll pout over having to heat it up, though." Chimed Tonks. "That's what he gets for getting himself into another mess, though. His loss!"

"How're things going?" Asked Vega. "Do they know who started those fires and attacked those people yet?"

"Not yet, but Harry says he and Lock are starting to get somewhere. Mostly a bunch of idiots running around trying to make people think Voldemort's back. Fat lotta good that'll do, he doesn't have a body to return to anymore. He'd come outta the Void as a puddle of Voldegoop."

Snorting, Vega asked, "Anyone coming over this year?"

"Mum's stopping by, as usual." Tonks said, smiling. "Annnd I did get a call from one other person. Bit of a surprise, so I won't say anything. You're just going to have to wait and see!"

"Aww, come on! Just a little hint?" Pleaded Vega.

"I don't know..."

"Pleeeease, mum?" Vega said, giving his mother puppy dog eyes.

"...Oh, fine. Stop looking at me like that. Going to swat Harry upside the head for teaching you to do that so well. One hint, that's all, understand?"

"Yes ma'am!"

"It's a girl." Tonks said, grinning.

"Wh... that's not a hint at all! Most of the people you guys know are girls!" Vega whined. "Come on, gimme a proper hint!"

"Nope! One hint was all you got!" Tonks said.

"If I guess, will you tell me if I'm right?" Asked Vega.

"Not a chance." Stated Tonks. "It'll be no fun if you know. Come on, enough of our mysterious guest, what kind of pizza do you want?"

"Do you really want to ask me that? Think of the heartburn. Of course, you could always persuade me for something less greasy and delicious if you just told me who w-"

"Oh no, you aren't getting away with it that easily." Tonks said. "I'll suffer the indigestion if it means keeping you surprised, young man."

"Ah well. I tried." Vega said. "I want the same thing I had the day before I left for Hogwarts, then."

Tonks winced. "You're a mean one, Mr. Grinch."

"Fighting fire with fire. That's all. You and dad taught me well. Phone in your handbag?"

"Yeah, left pocket. Going to call it in yourself?" Asked Tonks.

"You have to keep your eyes on the road, don't you?" Asked Vega.

"Point. Off you go, then."

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Vega was sprawled out on his bed a little less than an hour later, regretting having that extra slice and wondering why all of the pepperoni in the world hated him. He was far too small to be eating a pizza that big. And while a part of him was positive he would never eat pizza again as long as he lived, another part was idly wondering if he could get custom-made pizza sent up to the Pit's dining room. That train of thought ended when a rather nasty burp escaped him, causing him to groan.

"Not doing that again... how did I forget how awful those things are?" He wondered aloud to himself.

Closing his eyes, he let out a long yawn. It was good to be back in his own bed again. And while his room seemed slightly dusty, he finally felt like he could truly relax. No monsters, no worrying about monsters, no classes to make an idiot of himself in, and no rumors being spread about him. Just a lot of delicious, terrible pizza and his overly-soft bed. A bed he was having a very difficult problem not falling asleep in at the moment. He wanted to wait up for his father to return, but the pizza was making a very convincing argument for about twelve hours of deep sleep. The pizza was winning the argument, as well, as Vega was entirely sure he had lost the ability to sit up.

"Oh well. No reason to anyway." He murmured to himself, smiling as he buried his face in a pillow.

In the end, he lost his fight with sleep, drifting off for longer than he had planned. And while his parents wouldn't let him completely squander his days away sprawled out on his bed, he did an admirable job of attempting just that. As it always seemed to do, time passed quickly when he was relaxing, and before he knew it, Christmas Day had arrived. It had been snowing lightly for most of the night, as it turned out. And while it wasn't exactly a White Christmas, it was close enough to satisfy him.

Trudging down the stairs some fifteen minutes after waking, the smell of breakfast cooking alerted him to the fact that his father was actually hanging back that day. At least temporarily. Harry had been out with the Aurors almost every day thus far, coming home well after Vega had gone to bed. As he walked into the kitchen, Vega called out, "Home for the day?"

"Planning on it!" Said Harry, minding the bacon as it sizzled up. "Sleep well?"

"Too well. Got a nasty kink in my neck." Vega said, rubbing at the sore spot. "Speaking of, how are you running on what appears to be no sleep at all?"

"A trait you'll pick up as you advance in Hogwarts, I assure you." Harry said, chuckling.

"Because of studies or monsters attacking? Neither option sounds very good." Vega said, sitting at the table.

"Little of column A, little of column B. Any word on what's happening?" Asked Harry.

"Not really. It was pretty quiet after that second attack. Not complaining, mind, it's just odd."

"A good term to use when describing Hogwarts, that." Harry said.

"Mum not up?"

"Do you really need to ask? Once the smell of food wafts up there, she'll come shuffling down, I'm sure. We'll open presents after breakfast. Oh, and don't tell your mother, but I did get you something. I told her I was going out later to pick something up, but I've already got it."

"Why the secrecy?" Asked Vega.

"You'll see." Harry said. "Boils down to the fact that she'd hex me to ashes if she ever found out I'd given it to you, though."

"You say that, then expect me to wait around all day. Thanks a lot, dad."

Laughing, Harry began to plate up some of the food, carrying it over to the table. "Sorry, sorry. I know you hate waiting for things. The twins have already sent their presents on over. Apparently,they've all been up for a couple hours now."

"Vivi probably woke them up at four this morning." Vega said, rolling his eyes.

"I have absolutely no idea where that girl gets her energy from. It certainly isn't Draco. And in all the time I've known Pansy, she's never acted that... peppy." Harry said, sitting down at the opposite end of the table. "I'm sorry I haven't been home much, kiddo. Been meaning to sit and talk for awhile now."

"It's alright. Any leads on the guys causing all the crimes?" Asked Vega around a mouthful of eggs.

"A few, here and there. We're checking all that seem plausible. People are getting jumpy again, no matter how much I try and calm them. Thinking I may need to just suck it up and go to the Prophet to see if I can't strongarm myself a front page story to reassure everyone. Might go and get Albus to join me. Hate doing interviews, but..."

"What do you think? Think it's really someone tryin' to bring Voldemort back? That's the rumor flying around at school." Vega said.

Harry shrugged. "Possibly. Not like it's gonna work. I got a second chance and I used it to make sure he wouldn't break out again. Should've done it the first time around, but I was just so angry at the time that I couldn't think straight. I wanted to remove him from the equation and be done with it. Oh! That reminds me, Vega, we're going to have a guest here in about... half an hour, maybe? So after you get done eating, go up and get changed, alright?"

"Grandma already stopped by... and mum wouldn't tell me who this 'other guest' was. I don't suppose you'll be any more generous?" Vega asked, giving his father the evil eye.

"Afraid not, Vega. It'd ruin the surprise!" Said Harry, grinning.

"...Is it Aunt Hermione?" Asked Vega. "Were you finally able to hunt her down?"

"I wish. That girl's harder to find than Wally. Swear to Merlin, I've tried every resource I have and no one's seen her. I know she's out globetrotting and she's fine, since letters are still coming in regularly. Crazy woman got bit by a pretty bad case of wanderlust and just refuses to stay still, though. Wouldn't kill her to pop in every now and then." Harry said, shaking his head slowly. "I've seen her precisely twice since we graduated from Hogwarts. Once when you were born, and once when I started getting memories back."

"Of the timeline you think got erased?" Asked Vega.

Harry nodded. "Yeah. That was the first time in a long time I'd had a nightmare that bad. It was and still is full of holes. I haven't remembered much since that day. All I remember is me and four other people went to Hogwarts, I killed Albus, and basically proved that I was insane to everyone in the room. There was some fuzzy stuff towards the end. I think we wound up back on Azkaban and turned that into our... I dunno what you'd call it. Our base of operations, I suppose. Then I remember fighting Draco, the Void opening up... and then Voldemort and another me were standing there. That's not very much to go on. I'd apparently made an enemy of everyone by killing Albus. My friends came to stop me. No matter the cost..."

"How do you know any of it's real?" Asked Vega. "Seems pretty out there."

"A lot of 'out there' stuff happened to me when I was younger." Harry said. "But my memories are all scrambled of that day. It's like two versions of events played out, and I have no idea why. Hopefully the rest of the memories will come to me in time. It's been there in the back of my mind, driving me up the wall."

"Understandable, I suppose. I guess I can't really talk. I keep doing stuff I don't remember, too..." Vega said, hanging his head a little.

"Mm, any more incidents occurred since the attack?" Asked Harry.

"No. Haven't even heard that little voice in the back of my head. Guess that counts as a good thing, but it's still bugging me. No blackouts, either." Vega said.

"Hopefully, we'll wrap this thing up with by the time you lot get to the final Quidditch game of the year. You guys are planning on winning, right?"

"Still getting used to playing on a real team, but yeah. We're doing alright, I'd say. Feels good to be in the air."

"You just had to inherit his love of flying instead of my love of eating, didn't you?" Came a groggy voice from the stairs. The smell of breakfast had finally overcome Tonks' desire to sleep in. As she made her way to the table, Harry got up and assembled another plate of food for her. "How long've you boys been up?"

"Dad's been up for awhile now. I just got up a bit ago." Vega said. "He also won't spill the beans about who's coming over."

"I've trained him well." Tonks said, smirking as she speared some eggs.

"What am I, a seal?" Asked Harry, indignantly.

"I dunno, can you balance a ball on your nose?" Asked Tonks.

"You really want to see if I can at the table? If it falls, it'd fall right into your food." Harry said.

"Mm. Afterwards, maybe. You and your cooking. Lemme sleep in, dangit." Tonks groused.

"No can do, I'm afraid. Guests are few and far between. Had to think of something to wake you outside of dousing you in ice water. I chose the lesser of two evils." Harry said, holding his hands up.

"How long do we have, anyway?" Asked Tonks.

"She's turning up around 9. So you have about fifteen minutes." Harry said. "She called about half an hour before Vega woke up to let me know she was heading out."

"She's coming via car?" Asked Tonks. "That's strange."

"That's what I said. She's still not fond of teleporting around, it seems. Can't say as I blame her. After our little excursion to Germany back in the day, I'm sure I turned everyone off to the stuff. Besides, apparating feels terrible and Floo makes you all dirty. Plus she knew it'd take you forever to get up and running." Harry said, smirking.

"Ha ha. Very funny."

"All this waiting around today is gonna drive me crazy. Can I go start opening presents now?" Asked Vega, who had long since polished off his breakfast.

"If you want. Looks like it's mostly books." Tonks said.

"Better books than clothes!" Said Vega, leaving his seat at the table and walking into the living room, where the tree was set up. Flopping down on the ground, he began moving his presents off into a small pile next to him. "Besides, it'll give me something to focus on besides waiting and monsters and whatever else is in store for me."

"Still feeling alright?" Asked Tonks.

"Think I ate too fast, but I'm alright, yeah." Vega replied, tearing the wrapping off of the present from Viola first. "Ooh!"

"And that's why I wanted you to eat first." Harry said. "I was told what was in them. Better keep them away from your mother, or you'll lose half your sweets before you know it."

Tonks glared at Harry, and Vega glared at his mother before gingerly moving the small pile of various candies and chocolates off to one side. Viola always had had a bad tendency to indulge his sweet tooth. It was also one of his most glaring weaknesses and she jolly well knew it. Any time she wanted him to do something, it wouldn't take much effort on her part.

Aside from the sweets, he did indeed receive mostly books. It had been a request on his part, however, so he was happy with his haul. He was still missing at least one present, however, and it was going to nag at him until Harry delivered it. After he had finished opening his presents, Vega got up and went to go change, calling out that his mother should probably do the same.

"I should be the one telling you that, not the other way around, young man!" Tonks called back. "Honestly, that boy is-"

The doorbell rang, cutting her off. It also had the added bonus of making her look like a deer caught in some headlights. She swore under her breath, told Harry to answer the door, and rushed off up the stairs. Vega came out of his room not long after she had run into the master bedroom, trying against all reason to flatten his hair out a bit. He reached the top of the stairs just as his father opened the front door, letting their mysterious guest in.

She was just a bit shorter than Harry, and was wearing a very strange looking dress under her coat that was covered in real poinsettia leaves. Her hair was very light blond and hung down to her waist, and she had very bright, grey eyes. After slipping off the coat and setting it on the nearby coat rack, she gave Harry a tight hug. "Happy Christmas, Harry. Is everyone awake?"

"Yeah. Vega should be out any time now and Nym is changing. Took her forever to get up. What else is new, huh?" Harry said, grinning as he closed the door behind the woman. "No problems on the trip over, I take it?"

"None at all. Ah!" The woman had turned and glanced at the stairs, seeing Vega descending. "Happy Christmas, Vega."

Laughing, Vega hit the bottom of the stairs in a run, rushing over and hugging the woman. "Aunt Luna! I thought you were out of the country!"

Luna Lovegood smiled, hugging Vega in return and nodding. "I was. I just got back in last night. I figured I would stop by to see how everyone's been. I've heard some rather distressing things about Hogwarts, you know."

"Most probably true." Vega muttered.

"You've gotten taller since I saw you last." Luna said, leaning over slightly. "About five centimeters taller, I believe."

"No offense, Aunt Luna, but it's been a year and a half since you saw me last. Five centimeters in a year and a half isn't anything amazing..." Pouted Vega.

"Better to be a slow-growing flower than a fast-growing weed." Luna stated, smiling. She turned back to her coat, rummaging in one of its pockets for a moment before pulling out a small package. "I'm afraid I wasn't entirely sure what to get. But I did bring a souvenir. Thailand is lovely this time of year."

"Ooh, extra present." Vega said, his eyes lighting up. He quickly opened it up, finding inside a small box of sweets. Or, at least, he assumed they were sweets. He couldn't read the writing on the box, but judging from the pictures, they looked like chocolate-covered cherries. Tentatively, Vega picked one up and asked, "It isn't something weird, is it?"

"Would I bring you anything weird, Vega?" Asked Luna.

"You brought me lollipops with bugs in them last time." Vega stated.

"Those were very delicious. And full of protein." Luna said, nodding sagely. "Go on, try one. They're all the rage over there right now."

Nervously licking his lips, Vega squeezed his eyes closed and popped one of the candies into his mouth. He winced, but only reflexively, as the flavor that met his tongue was indeed chocolate. A dark chocolate, specifically, one that was very rich. Vega opened his eyes in surprise, glancing between his father and his 'aunt.' "This is... really good!"

"See? And just wait until you get to the spicy curry in the center!" Luna said, clasping her hands together.

"Spicy curry in the center?" Said Harry and Vega at the same time.

Then it hit him. The dark chocolate outside melted away, spilling what might as well have been lava into Vega's mouth. He clamped a hand to his mouth, shoved the box of chocolates into his father's hands, dug his foot into the carpet and spun to rush into the kitchen. Within seconds, his head was turned sideways under the sink's faucet, letting cold water stream directly into his mouth. It felt as though someone had just crammed a whole slew of peppers into his throat. "Nngahhhh..."

"Honestly, Luna..." Harry said, glancing aside at Luna, who was hiding her giggling behind a hand.

"Oh, I know. I'm sorry, Harry. But you have to admit, he did have a funny expression on his face when it hit." Luna said, grinning.

"...Well, yeah." Admitted Harry.

"Traitors!" Cried Vega, who had moved from the sink to the fridge, throwing the freezer door open and grabbing a pair of ice cubes to stick in his mouth. "Ahhhhh..."

"Good lord, what on earth is causing so much noise down here?" Came Tonks' voice as she finally left the bedroom, fully dressed.

"Hello, Nymphadora." Luna said, turning to embrace Tonks once she had reached the bottom of the stairs. "Not much. Vega was just happy to see me, that's all."

"Oh, would you stop calling me that." Tonks said, returning the hug before looking off at Vega, who was standing near the still-open freezer door, looking absolutely blissful at the moment. "Do I even want to know?"

"Probably not. Chocolate-covered cherry?" Harry asked, lifting the box Luna had brought.

"Mum, don't!" Vega cried, a few seconds too late.

"What? Ooh, Luna, this is wonderful, where did y-"

Vega groaned, grabbing another few ice cubes and moving well clear of the freezer, motioning his mother over once she realized that the ooey-gooey center of her chocolate was not, in fact, made of cherries. Meanwhile, back near the door, Luna had once more dissolved into giggles and Harry looked as though he was trying to hold back one of his own.

"You're sleeping on the couch for a week!" Tonks cried, coughing every other word after she had cooled her tongue off. "Holy crap, throw those things out, Harry!"

"No way!" Vega exclaimed, rushing over to swipe the box back from his father. Putting the lid back on, he grinned.

"Don't tell me you actually want to eat the rest!" Tonks said, looking at her son, horrified.

"Who said anything about me eating them? There are three people I can think of off the top of my head that I want to catch reactions from." Vega said. Turning back to Luna, he gave the woman another hug."This was the best worst present ever, Aunt Luna. Thank you."

"I'm glad I could provide a source of amusement." Luna said, smiling. "Now then, I hope I didn't interrupt anything when I came."

"Nah. Vega's already opened his other presents, but me and Nym still have ours to go through. Sorry for not getting you anything, Luna. Didn't expect you back in so soon." Harry said, leading Luna in to sit.

"Oh, don't worry about it, Harry. Going around and seeing how everyone is will be a good enough present for me. That and I still have a few boxes of those to pass out." Luna said.

"Don't give one to the Malfoys. I want to gauge Vivi and Hyde's reactions myself." Vega pleaded. "Pleeeease?"

"Well... if you insist. I'll just leave theirs here with you and tell them it must've dropped out when I was over here." Luna said.

"So..." Tonks began, now that her tongue had finally cooled back down. "What've you been upto? You were traveling around Asia, yeah?"

"I've been in Thailand for the last month and a half, yes." Luna said. Luna had taken a rather sudden interest in healing magic after the battle with Voldemort in Germany, something that still didn't feel right to Harry, who was watching the conversation unfold through half-focused eyes. In fact, if he were to be perfectly honest with himself, he wasn't sure Luna was supposed to even be alive. He had very painful, very distinct memories of Luna being struck down in that fight. He had remembered seeing her ghost join in the Lucidus Susceptor, in fact. The fact that he couldn't remember how or why she had, in fact, survived bothered him greatly. Certainly, some of his other friends hadn't made it out of that fight alive. Fred and George Weasley were still dead, as was Solieyu Reinhardt. When asked once, Harry remembered hearing Luna say that she didn't want to be with anyone else. The one she considered hers was still waiting for her on the other side.

She didn't have any memories of the incident herself. When that nightmare had jolted Harry from his dreams, and he had gathered those that had been present at the battle that day, he had asked her many a question about how she could be alive. He had seen her get killed in one clean hit. Her ghost had been the last one to vanish and the first to see the madness swirling in his eyes. He had hoped she would be able to remember and, hopefully, shed some light on the patches of darkness that still plagued his memories. But she didn't. All she remembered was being pulled to one side at the last second, just before the blast that should've killed her connected. She did mention thinking that Harry had looked very strange just before that had occurred, though she wasn't sure why.

"Dad?"

Blinking, Harry looked over to his son, who was staring at him in concern. "Uh... what? Sorry, spaced out there for a second."

"I keep telling you you need more sleep." Tonks said. "You were just staring off into space there. I was gonna come over there and poke you in the ear if you didn't snap out of it soon."

"Long nights?" Asked Luna.

"Wanna hear the story?" Harry replied. "We may or may not have trouble, depending on how you look at it."

"If you feel like sharing. I think Vega wants to see you two open your gifts, though." Luna said.

"Oh! Right. Man, I really am out of it." Harry said, making a face. And, as he reached over for the nearest present, he tried pushing his questions out of his mind. They could wait for a later time. He needed to just be happy with the fact that, whatever happened, it had changed things for the was alive, he was sane, and the day was just getting started.

His present to Vega, as well as working out his son's potential split personality troubles, needed to take top priority. For awhile, he had debated giving his son that particular book. But with the emergence of a second persona, he was hoping his own notes on the matter could help a little. It was something he had been writing almost since he had gotten out of Hogwarts. He never planned to have it published, but it was nice to write down the things that had happened to him, from his own perspective.

He just hoped the other sections of the book would serve his son use. If the cult really was responsible for letting the threat to Hogwarts in, Vega needed to be have the tools necessary to fight. Because Harry knew, whether Vega wanted it or not, trouble was going to inevitably come for him. His old invisibility cloak was still around, waiting to be passed on. But Harry definitely did not want his son to be skulking around the school at the moment. He would rather give the boy something to help him fight back rather than something that was utterly useless if he were to be found out.

A new puzzle had been dumped out onto the table. And though he knew he had more help than the last time he worked on one, it didn't change matters any. Lives were once more being put on the line, and he couldn't be in two places at one. Not anymore. He was going to be out dealing with the greater threat to wizarding Britain. He just hoped his son would gain enough confidence in his abilities to be able to help keep Hogwarts safe should the need arise. He hadn't initially planned on giving the book to Vega so soon, but current events wouldn't let him hold off any longer. He was going to need to inform Draco and Pansy later. He wasn't the only one who had been writing.

All he could do was wait and pray that this time around, things wouldn't go as out of control as they had last time.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Author's Notes: Luna! Surprise!

Chapter 10! Surprise!

God, this took foreverlong to write. I apologize for that. A string of games coming out combined with an utterly horrid case of writer's block kept this one on the backburner for this long. Hopefully now that I've climbed that hill I won't be met with a mountain, huh?

So now we've seen Vega acting a bit more relaxed, Luna somehow survived, and we see that Harry is remembering two very different things playing out. No one else remembers anything of the erased timeline, but what does that mean? It will be explained, I assure you. But before you ask - yeah, the twins and Leon really are dead for keeps. But Luna remains. And yet the last we saw her, she was a ghost, fading with the Susceptor as Harry was overcome by the Gauntlet's madness.

And for the record, if I ever get around to that future series, which I really would like to, eventually, we will be seeing a few familiar faces return. How's that for a stupid teaser. A thing that may or may not ever get written is being teased. Oo-er.

Until next time, folks, when Harry gives this mysterious book of his to Vega, and we return to Hogwarts. And perhaps Vega will pass out some of Luna's lovely chocolates to his friends.

Post-edit addition: Before I get any questions, Vega just refers to all of the old cast with familial titles. Aunt Luna, Aunt Hermione, woulda been an Uncle Leon had Solieyu not bit it twice over the course of R-1, and so on. That sorta thing.