Chapter 2

Of Mind Fucking, Parrots and Frolicking

The rain had started falling half an hour ago, the cold weather making it almost impossible to bear, but the group of teenagers powered through.

"We are approaching the starting point, and I want to remind you all, anybody that wants to stop is welcome to do it now" yelled Harry over the rain. "If you start another lap with the team, you finish it with the team or you are out, and I repeat, nobody has to run with me…"

IIIII

"What are they doing?" Kurt asked, staring out of the window with the rest of the Warblers. Jeff glanced at them and sighed.

"Harry's method of punishing members of the team is well… it's quite harsh" said Jeff getting his hands inside of his pockets.

"We should alert the faculty" Thad said concerned.

Jeff snorted. "They are not being forced to run… look, it's like this: Harry's way of disciplining a member is to do the punishment he feels fits the crime himself. You can opt to do it with him or not do it at all without consequences, but if you chose not to do it…" he stared at the team. "You don't feel part of the team anymore. They are running to prove to him they belong in the team… it also works to stop anybody from breaking rules, because they know that essentially, they are punishing Harry too."

"They've been running for three hours now" Wes said.

"And they'll keep running as long as Harry does" Jeff said. "See that point where coach Moody is? That's the starting point, if you want to stop running you have to do it there, if you start running another lap, you have to finish it or you are off the team."

"That's quite harsh" Blaine said with surprise.

"If you don't want to run the lap you can wait there and join the next one" explained Jeff shrugging. "It's so that the team understands that if you start something, you finish it. Harry must be very mad at them if he hasn't stopped yet."

IIIII

Harry glanced at his watch and deliberately slowed down until he came to a stop in front of Moody.

"Alright people, that's it for today. I know you all have other things to do after fencing and I won't make you miss your other commitments" he said crossing his arms. "For those interested, I will continue during next practice. Dismissed"

"How long will we be running?"

"Until I can trust you with a weapon again" snapped Harry and walked away.

It took a week and a half for the team to return to regular practices after that.

IIIII

"I don't get it" Kurt said sitting in front of Jeff and startling the Warbler. He and Kurt had barely spoken, but the new Warbler seemed frustrated enough to forget social protocol. "How come Glee club is popular here even if it has never won anything, but the fencing team is not popular when they won nationals last year and have a pretty impressive record?"

Jeff seemed puzzled and paused to think about it.

"It's not so much that they aren't popular, because they are… but the Warblers get a lot more exposure. We put concerts in the hallways, we perform at alumni reunions, we do that too when donors come to the school, we go out and represent Dalton at different events, we go to hospitals and the like to increase Dalton's profile… being a Warbler is a privilege because it allows you to get close to people with a lot of connections, and since we represent Dalton, you need to have good grades, a clean record, and behave during classes. They need to trust that you won't harm the school's image, so because the faculty treats us differently, the students do" finished explaining Jeff.

"I see" Kurt said frowning. "You're just a shiny object the school dangles around."

"We" Jeff said closing his book. "We are a shiny object, you're a Warbler too… the joke you made? It was funny, but it was not appropriate and you could never get away with something like that in a formal dinner."

Kurt seemed surprised by the revelation. "That's why the council is so strict" he said biting his lower lip.

"Yes" said Jeff. "That's why the Warblers need to follow tradition to the letter and be… perfect I guess."

"That's kind of sad" Kurt said. "Glee is supposed to be fun."

"The fencing club is popular in a low key manner" said Jeff conversationally. "People go to the events; they know the club and they are well respected for their achievements. They just don't have any pressure on them… well, except Harry since he's the captain and needs to keep them in line. But he's pretty good and balancing his duties and personal life."

"It's weird" decided Kurt, playing with his tie.

"Why is it weird?" asked Jeff. Kurt hesitated and Jeff smiled. "You don't have to censor yourself around me, I am more open minded than the rest of the club in these matters. At least I like to think so... and I did use to be part of the fencing team."

"It's like McKinley and Dalton are mirrors, everything is backwards here" Kurt said. "Glee club is cool here, not in McKinley. The fencing club reminds me a bit of the Cheerios, who used to rule the school, but here they are the underdogs, even though they have several wins…"

Jeff laughed a little. "It does sound weird… what else?"

"Uh… I don't want to offend, but glee club here is a lot of hard work, but very little fun. Back home it was the opposite, the Cheerios was all about work and no fun and New Directions was fun for the most part. But here the fencing club seems to be the ones having fun."

"They do" Jeff said with a sad smile. "I wish I could have done both, but as I said, being a Warbler is a full time job. However it does come with a lot of benefits. I need all the references I can get to get into an Ivy League College, and the faculty will pull a lot of strings for the Warblers."

"I see" Kurt said frowning.

He didn't comment on his final observation, how McKinley had everything in the open, good and bad, unlike Dalton who simply repressed everything. Sure, the anti-bullying policy was severe in Dalton, but it resulted in subdued students.

"We have a fundraising dinner the day after tomorrow" Jeff said. "I am not sure if they would let you come since you're new, but Wes would probably let you know today after rehearsal."

"Thanks for the heads up" Kurt said smiling. "And for the insight, for all his good qualities, Blaine can be a bit…" he trailed off.

"Oblivious?" asked Jeff smiling. "I know what you mean, I swear it's the hair gel, it's probably pressing down some part of his brain that makes him forgetful."

Kurt giggled. "So, what should I expect from this dinner?"

IIIII

He was glad he had spoken to Jeff and hadn't been blindsided by the announcement. As it turned out, Wes and the council agreed to allow Kurt to go. Apparently they were mandatory for all members, and they didn't want to seem like they were leaving the new kid behind. A grueling three hours followed the announcement, which had been made at the start of rehearsal. It made him a bit self-conscious, knowing they were all putting a lot of attention on him to make sure he was fitting in.

If nothing else, New Directions had left him with the ability to adapt at lightning speed. He was grateful, since the last thing he wanted was to create more concerns about his place in the Warblers. They made sure Kurt knew his part perfectly, from the set list to the dance steps; if the light bouncing they did could be considered that.

"And remember, don't put anything decorative on your uniform" repeated Blaine for the dozen time, more aware than the others about that particular personality trait of his.

They had let everybody but him leave once they were satisfied with him performance wise. Blaine had stuck around too, for 'moral support' and to give him a few tips of his own.

Wes and David drilled into him all kinds of protocol and things he wasn't allowed to do, Thad forcing him to memorize the names of the major donors and other important people and Blaine piping in every once in a while with a story that was no help whatsoever.

He sucked it up and made no comments, ignoring how much he was itching to say that despite coming from a public school, he was perfectly capable of acting in a civilized manner. After promising several times there would be no inappropriate jokes, he was allowed to leave.

IIIII

They arrived early at the restaurant that had been booked for the occasion. While Wes, David, and Thad ensured they had enough space for their performance. Kurt admired the fancy decorations and mourned the fact a perfect opportunity for fashion had been wasted. He was starting to resent his blazer, especially now that he had absolutely no mark of his personality on it.

"Hey, don't be nervous" Blaine said smiling next to him. "Wes says we'll be sitting together this time, while you learn the ropes."

"Good" Kurt said trying not to feel offended they had assigned Blaine to babysit him.

"I still can't believe you made us stop at McDonalds" said a girl's voice, making all of them turn in curiosity.

"I am telling you, you will regret not eating before this dinner" said a second voice, a male, British accent… Kurt recognized that yummy voice.

"This is a fundraising dinner Harry, we are going to be served food!" said the female voice again. They turned around the corner and were finally in full view.

"Ok, how about this, if I am right, after this is finished, for one whole minute, you will have to endure the I told you so song" said Potter with a devilish smirk.

The girl's eyes narrowed, her arm was linked to his in a casual manner, both at ease with each other. They looked quite striking together.

"Alright, but when I am right, you will write on your forehead with a sharpie, 'Hermione Granger's bitch'"

"Hey, I am getting the shorter end of the deal here" Harry said still smirking.

"I am entering a deal with the devil, I think that entitles me to a bigger reward" she said haughtily.

"Alright, alright, but when I win, it will be 5 minutes of the I told you so song and I will have Fred and George's help… and there will be dancing, and pointing and probably confetti and some sort of thing that declares you were wrong" Harry said seriously. He made a diagonal motion with his hand over his chest. "You know? The thing they use in those scary pageants for kids."

"3 minutes and I won't wear anything" she said in response.

"3 minutes, but you will still wear the thing" he bargained.

They looked at each other, before smirking confidently and separating so they could shake hands.

"Deal" they said at the same time.

Kurt immediately assessed how the girl was dressed, and was a little disappointed when he found no faults. She was wearing a gorgeous, simple purple dress; hair styled over one shoulder and her makeup was natural, bringing her best features to light in a subtle manner. She was very beautiful and by how she had dressed, he could tell she was a down to earth girl. After he was satisfied with her, he moved to examine Potter and for a second felt he had tunnel vision.

Harry Potter owned an Armani suit, not just owned it as a possession, but he owned the look… he wore it divinely. It looked tailor made, fitting him like a second skin and showing off his body in a refined manner. His shirt was white and his tie was burgundy. Not Kurt's first choices, especially since he didn't match his date, but well-made anyways.

"Potter" greeted Wes confused. "What are you doing here?"

The girl and Potter stopped arguing to look at him. Potter shrugged. "The headmaster asked me to come, since I know some of the guests."

"Oh" Wes said surprised. "Why are you not wearing your uniform?"

"Because I am not in class" Harry said like the answer was obvious. The girl rolled her eyes.

"I don't see why you make such a big deal about the blazers, you have been attending private schools for long enough to get used to them by now" she commented while they moved to the end of the room.

"Ah, but there's a big difference between an American private school and a British one" he said with a secretive tone.

"Oh, do please enlighten me" she said humoring him.

"You might have built schools that look like ours, but you don't have our spirit" he said with a wink. She rolled her eyes at him again. "In England, no matter how posh the school, no matter how formal the uniforms are, no matter how refined the buildings and how strict the rules, inside every student attending there's an anarchist waiting to rebel."

She laughed fondly. "That explains so much about you…"

Harry whispered so they wouldn't be overheard. "If I wasn't afraid it would tempt them to start recruiting me again, I'd start singing Anarchy in the UK."

She laughed again, smiling at his antics.

"Ah, everybody is here already" said Headmaster Talley clapping his hands enthusiastically once. "Miss Granger, Mr. Potter, I am glad you could join us."

"My pleasure" she responded with a polite smile. Harry just gave a nod of acknowledgment and remained silent.

"Our guests will start arriving soon…" as he explained how the evening would go, Harry tuned him out. He knew why he was here and it wasn't to suck up to people. He started looking around the room and smiled to himself when he saw the new student's bored expression, in a sea of polite eagerness.

"If you're going to be ogling people, at least be more discreet" Hermione said with a smirk. She followed his eyes for a second, before humming in approval. "He's cute."

"Why Hermione, am I that horrible as a date that you are checking people out so blatantly in my presence?" he joked, both having mastered the art of pretending to be paying attention while arguing ages ago.

"Are you implying I am a bad date?" she asked incredulous.

"Your dress could be sluttier" he said in response, biting his tongue when she stepped over his foot in retaliation.

IIIII

"Professor, I am glad to see you again" Harry said with a genuine smile, the first one of the night.

"Harry my boy!" the man said with a wide grin, and ignoring Headmaster Talley completely walked towards him, evolving him in a hug which he returned gladly. "Let me look at you, two years and so many changes already. You should be visiting me more often young man."

Harry chuckled. "It is not my fault your previous commitments haven't allowed us to meet since I moved. I have visited plenty of times."

"But not enough" said another voice, Harry turned and produced another honest smile.

"Professor McGonagall" he said and moved to greet her. She hugged him, patting his back before separating.

"As always, I am glad to see you well Potter" she said and Harry smiled, tilting his head in respect.

"May I present you to Hermione Granger?" he asked pulling Hermione gently towards them. The girl seemed almost starstruck by the two adults. "She's an avid follower of your work and one of my best friends since I moved."

"It's an honor" she said breathlessly, resisting the urge to bow.

"Likewise" said the man briefly, while the woman nodded politely.

"Shall we escort you to your table?" asked Harry offering his arm to the woman, who graciously accepted. The man smiled internally at the young girl's discomfort and offered his arm.

"So, what of my work have you read Miss Granger?"

Her eyes shinned, and started speaking, any shyness gone from her.

IIIII

"Who are they?" Kurt asked peeking from behind the curtain. He spotted the most regal woman he had ever seen stepping into the restaurant, escorted by a perfectly groomed man. By the way they walked, dressed and how people stared after them in awe, he guessed they were a big deal.

"That's Dr. Minerva McGonagall" said David excitedly. "She has PhD's in English Literature and a second in Linguistics, from Harvard and Oxford if I am not mistaken…"

"And the man?" he asked interested.

"He's like the ultimate scholar, he's in charge of one of the most prestigious universities in England" Wes said next to them. "He has several PhD's, I know one of them is in Politics, other in Social Science, Philosophy and there is at least one more…"

"What's his name?" asked Kurt.

They all stared as the man's stoic demeanor broke when he saw Harry, and they greeted each other warmly. The woman also following his example.

"Gellert Grindelwald" David said finally.

IIIII

"How is Professor Dumbledore? I was surprised to hear he wouldn't be visiting, how is the management of school going for him these days?" asked Harry once they took their seats. Hermione seemed puzzled. "Professor Dumbledore is the Headmaster of the boarding school, while Professor Grindelwald is in charge of Hogwarts University, and Professor McGonagall is the Deputy Headmistress."

"It's quite a big institution" said Grindelwald proudly. "One of a kind..."

"It's a good arrangement" Harry said playfully. "Professor Dumbledore fills his student with ideals and Professor Grindelwald with ideas."

"Oh, is that silly motto still around?" asked McGonagall with a laugh, before answering Harry's original question. "The three of us couldn't all leave at the same time, and it was about time Albus stayed."

"Quite, he leaves us in charge often enough" said Grindelwald in good humor. "He was sulking when we left, and Minerva and I left very explicit instructions with the kitchen staff not to over indulge him."

Harry's lips quirked into a smile, and Hermione made a mental note to ask him about it later.

"I'm sure he is more upset about not being able to discuss your lectures, than about staying alone" said Harry. Both Professors were booked to make appearances at Harvard, Yale, and Princeton over the next week, and they had taken a slight detour to visit Columbus, or Harry more precisely.

"Have you decided what you are going to study yet?" asked Grindelwald to Harry, linking his fingers and resting his elbows on the table.

"Finance and International Economies… just like the last time you asked" Harry said in a bored tone.

"I do not understand why you insist on aiming for such a tedious existence" said Grindelwald with the air of an offended man.

Harry turned to Hermione. "He is upset, because out of all the outstanding programs in Hogwarts University, Economics is one of the few departments where he doesn't lecture frequently" he explained, he returned to the man and smiled cheekily. "As I said Professor, it's irrelevant what I study, since I do not plan to attend Hogwarts University."

"Nonsense" said the man waving him off. "Hogwarts is the best institution in England, and quite possibly the world, you'd be a fool to waste your chance to attend. Albus might have allowed you to wander away from his grasp, but I will do no such a thing… and you will study something challenging and worthwhile under my tutelage young man."

"Oh Geller, I do think Mr. Potter is quite capable of deciding what to do with his future" said McGonagall with a huff. "If he wants to waste his talents and stroll meaninglessly through life, then that's his choice."

"Why thank you Professor McGonagall, that is exactly what I will do. In fact, I will stroll so hard, that I will stroll the meaningless out of life" Harry said unfazed by them. Hermione massaged her temples, resisting the urge to throttle her friend, while he smiled charmingly at their scowls, unfazed.

IIIII

As planned, the Warblers performed 5 songs before separating and each going to a different table. Acting as hosts along with a member of the faculty, Kurt was beyond surprised that he and Blaine had ended in the main table. Where Potter and, Hermione Granger if he wasn't mistaken, were already sitting with the two people they had been discussing behind stage. Six more guests were at the table, all of which seemed to be hypnotized by the other four. It didn't take long for Kurt to understand why.

"We all knew that the Euro crisis was coming" Harry said passionately. "The whole premise was built on a shaky foundation at best! It was too soon to change to a single currency and the process was unnecessarily rushed."

"Now Harry, you cannot throw accusations like that lightly" said Grindelwald with a serious air. "The process was carefully planned and while it could have taken longer, it was done masterfully."

"It was full of questionable steps" Harry said shaking his head. "For example, the ratio of gross government debt to GDP was not meant to exceed 60%, but they unashamedly disregarded what was meant to be a protective measure to allow certain countries to join."

"Oh, of course you would fixate on that!" the man said scowling.

"What is that supposed to mean!" Harry asked outraged. "Oh, do please ignore the blatant double standards and overlook how some countries are mass unsustainable mountains of debt…"

"I have to agree with Potter in that regard Gellert" said McGonagall with an authoritarian air. "Just look at the facts…"

"But don't the roots of the problem go all the way back to the end of Second World War?" asked Hermione once the woman had finished talking.

"Ah, now we are getting somewhere" said Grindelwald while Harry groaned and McGonagall sighed, taking a long sip of her wine.

"You had to bring it up" Harry said accusingly, just before Grindelwald started talking.

Kurt and Blaine watched with the rest of the table as arguments flew between Potter, Granger, and the two adults. The arguments growing in complexity, while numbers, dates, events and names were quoted with ease. After the shock passed, Kurt nudged Blaine and they did their best to maintain an interesting conversation with the other people at the table, who seemed relieved they weren't about to try to engage them into the same type of dialogue.

Food was brought to their tables, but Grindelwald, McGonagall and Potter waved them off, the three of them now deep into a conversation about the transcendentalist literature movement. Granger faltered for a second.

"Feel free to eat dear" said McGonagall kindly. "But beware that Gellert and Potter are not above waiting for your mouth to be full to give a lethal blow."

"I'd never!" Harry said with an offended air. "And if anybody brings up Kant one more time, I will be forced to hang myself."

"Would you prefer we stick to Emerson and Thoreau?" asked Grindelwald sarcastically. "How dreadfully dull…"

"I would prefer a change of topic" Harry said without missing a beat.

"Very well, shall we adventure into ethics?" offered McGonagall.

"I never discuss ethics with Gryffins" denied the man. "Their notions of the world are too idealistic."

Potter and McGonagall bristled offended, and immediately launched into attack mode. Granger gave up and waved the waiter away. Potter was able to give her the smuggest look Kurt had ever seen, while providing facts and examples that backed Professor McGonagall's arguments.

IIIII

After everybody had cleared the restaurant, and the only people remaining were the students and faculty, Granger slumped into a seat ungracefully. Kurt pretended to pay attention to Wes, and not look like he was listening to their conversation. She massaged her temples, groaning.

"Oh dear God, that was brutal" she said with a tired voice. "I feel my mind has been violated!"

"There, there" Harry said patting her shoulder without even looking at her. His eyes fixated on one of the side mirrors, from where he could study the Warblers. He caught the new transfer trying to listen in interested, and smirked, taking his phone out.

"You're such a source of warmth and comfort" she said bitingly.

"I am sorry if I can't muster the inner teddy bear in me" said Harry laughing. "But I have become immune to them… I was 11 when I met Professors Grindelwald, McGonagall, Dumbledore, and Snape. I'm used to their antics by now, but I assure you Hermione, that until you spend 5 minutes in the same room with them, your mind hasn't been fucked properly… this was at best frolicking."

"Oh, boohoo, you grew up around the greatest minds of our time! Let's all cry for the lost ignorant teenager you could have been" she said with unnecessary dramatics.

"I know" Harry said pretending to wipe a tear from his eyes, and returned to texting on his phone. "To think I would never get to know him…" he laughed and dodged when she reached to hit him in the ribs. "But seriously, I am still healing mental scars from the last time I was in a room with all of them. Not to mention the trauma of talking to Professor Snape when I was 11. He tried to explain thermochemistry and quantum mechanics. He was working on his, I don't know, second or third thesis, so it was the only thing in his mind."

Suddenly energized, Hermione stood up and pointed at him. "You evil, evil person!" he raised his head to look at her. She poked him in the chest. "How could you let me come here so unprepared! My flashcards were completely useless!"

"You had flashcards?" repeated Harry dumbfounded.

"Yes! About their work, if I had known they wouldn't want to talk about that I would have focused more on European Economics and History! Or Victorian Literature, or German Politics, or Philosophy, or Latin! I lost so many parts of the conversation because you all quoted things in Latin! I was horrible; they must think I am the most uncultured person they ever came across!"

"Hermione, relax, you did well" Potter said returning to his phone.

"I want to know all the books you used for your research! And your notes, I want that too!" she said with a glare.

"What research?" Harry asked pocketing the device. "What notes? What books? The only thing I did to prepare for this evening was picking up my suit from the dry cleaners and going for dinner beforehand."

"You're such a liar" said Hermione with a shiver. "I know you didn't pick up the suit. Luna went to pick it up to make sure you wouldn't weasel your way out of wearing the Armani she chose."

"I still don't see why I had to wear this suit!" said Harry sounding like he had used the line several times already. He took his jacket off and she accepted it with a smile, he helped her put it on over her shoulders with an air of familiarity and offered his arm. They started to exit the restaurant at the same time the Warblers did.

Kurt couldn't help but wonder if they were a couple. They didn't necessary act like they were, but he could be mistaken.

"All fashion queries in this group are to be redirected to Luna as per agreement in our 5th monthly meeting" she said with a bored air.

Harry shrugged and opened the door.

"You do know you lost the bet don't you?" he asked.

"I am aware" she said through gritted teeth.

"Good, I just wanted to advise you that I've decided a parrot will be part of the song. I just need to train one first… it will also have to wait until I hire somebody to cut the confetti to look like me pointing at you and laughing…"

"Why can't you just torture me the medieval way?" she asked with despair.

"Because it lacks originality" he said with an offended air. "And also it's quite possibly illegal… and blood stains are such a pain."

Hermione gave an audible sigh of exasperation. A whistle of appreciation sounded from the parking lot, and Hermione turned to the sound, ready to put her 'feminist' pride to use.

"Ronald Weasley!" she said appalled. "Do not whistle at me like I am some sort of… of…"

"Piece of meat" whispered Harry.

"Exactly! Like a piece of meat!"

"Or an animal" he whispered again.

"Yes! I am not a dog you can call by whistling!"

"Or a cartoon…"

"I am not a cart… wait what?" she asked looking at her friend. "Harry if you're going to be of no help, then do not speak."

"Yeah Harry, if you're not going to help don't speak" said Ron nodding along obediently. Hermione looked from one to the other.

"I need sane friends! Normal friends… just other friends" she said throwing her hands in the air in frustration.

"I have a question!" Harry said raising his hand. "Will these friends need to be sane and normal, or do you want a group of sane friends, a second group of normal friends, and then a third group of miscellaneous?"

"Uh, uh, I have a question too!" Ron said jumping up and down excitedly, his arm also in the air. "If you have other friends, will you have another boyfriend?" he spoke quickly again. "Follow up question! Does that mean I have to look for another girlfriend?"

"My turn! My turn! Are you looking to diversify and include other nationalities or are you just looking for locals?"

"What are the requisites for sane friends?"

"Define normal"

"Do they have to be interesting people?"

"What will be the dress code?"

"Are you color coding them?"

"Are the groups allowed to interact with each other?"

With a delighted laugh Harry and Ron dodged the shoes thrown their way, allowing them to fly over their heads.

"You immature childes!" she yelled. "You are driving me crazy! Crazy I tell you!"

"She's one of us" Harry said proudly.

"One of us, one of us, one of us" chanted Ron, he paused. "Does that mean she would be the crazy of the group?"

"Go get my shoes! And get me back home!" she yelled.

"Whoof" barked Harry sarcastically. "I am sorry. I have started a syndicate for dogs. We won't fetch, till we're fed is our slogan. You understand that as the president and founder, it would be terrible publicity if I contradict our core belief."

"Power to the people!" Ron said raising a fist in the air.

Harry frowned at him. "It's not power to the people, why would a dog syndicate advocate for that?"

"Yeah, I see your point, but power to the dogs is not…"

"RUN!" yelled Harry when Hermione rushed towards them, with a laugh both friends bolted away from her, running in between the Warblers, a bare foot Hermione, holding her dress in one hand, hot on their heels. They made it all the way to the fountain, choosing one side and moving opposite to where Hermione moved.

Harry quickly got rid of his shoes and jumped into the fountain, standing in the middle. Ron followed his example soon after.

"You cowards" hissed Hermione.

"Hey, when it comes to war, love and enraged women everything is fair" Harry said wisely.

"Think she will follow us?" asked Ron with a smirk.

"She doesn't have the guts" Harry said looking straight at her.

Slowly, Hermione raised one foot. Harry and Ron looked at her defiantly, until she actually got in. They retreated one step worriedly. She made it two steps into the fountain before it turned on. She shrieked when the water fell on her.

"Oh my God" Ron said covering his mouth. The fountain stopped and Harry aborted the beginning of inhibited laughter.

"I am so sorry" he said moving slowly away from Hermione, hands in front of him, as if he was trying not to spook a wild animal. "I thought they had turned it off already" he added with small chuckles, and exited the fountain, not once giving his back to her.

Hermione slowly took a wet strand of hair from her face and glared at him.

"I am going to murder you Harry Potter" she said slowly.

"Before you do that" Harry said laughing, while Ron moved towards her, knowing in this occasion he was safe from her rage. "Let me tell you that I have chocolate and towels in the car and I know this great Chinese place that's still open."

"Fine! I won't kill you" she said with a huff, but her face was already breaking into an evil smile. "I'll let Luna do it, just wait till she finds out you ruined my dress and your suit!"

"It's just water!" protested Harry.

Hermione was about to retort and start a lecture of some kind, when Ron reached her. Pulling her towards him, he kissed her on the lips just as the fountain and the lights turned on again. He dipped her for a second and even through the kiss, her smile was obvious. One of her hands moved to cup his cheek, completing the moment. Harry's phone quickly found its way to his hand and he snapped a few pictures.

When his friends separated, they both had a severe case of love sick looks. Their bright grins only mirrored by Harry's affectionate one. Ron lifted Hermione bridal style with ease, making her laugh airily. He carried her out of the fountain, while Harry picked his shoes, Ron's and Hermione's.

"I still maintain that it's just water" said Harry once he sensed Hermione and Ron's moment could be interrupted. "Clothes should survive water… I think they even need water to be washed!"

"You tell that to her!" she said cracking evilly at his horrified expression. Ron laughed too.

"It's alright dude, I'm sure she won't kill you as much as…" whatever he said next was too far away for anybody to hear.

The three of them climbed into a car, with Harry at the wheel and disappeared from the parking lot. Not once did they acknowledge the Warblers. And a tiny part of Kurt wished he had been in the car with them, but he silenced it and focused on Blaine's rambles about their table. Nodding along when it was appropriate.

IIIII

"Just ask him out already" Ron said with a roll of his eyes, as they changed in the locker room. "He's been starting to watch you lately, and I know you are interested. Hermione told me how you were showing off at the dinner just for him."

Harry shrugged. "I think he's dating Anderson" he halfheartedly added. "And I wasn't showing off…"

"Who?" asked Ron with a frown.

"Blaine, lead singer of the show choir club" explained Harry with a sigh, taking his shirt off and grabbing a towel.

"You know, that habit of yours of calling people by their last names is annoying" Ron said picking his own towel and leaning against his locker. "And fine, let's say you weren't showing off at the dinner, how about the whole shower thing?"

"I needed a shower, they were in the locker room, it's not my fault those two events happened around the same time" he said defensively.

"We were going out running, you didn't need to shower" said Ron with a smirk. Harry didn't back off. "You were practically freezing because your hair was wet."

"I've run in worse conditions" said Harry flippantly. "Now, common, let's go get my ego bruised" he said at the door.

"Hey, when I tag along to your runs, I don't complain..." Ron said pulling his hair into his cap and letting his goggles hang around his neck.

"Don't complain? You spend the whole time moaning about how miserable you are" Harry said patting his shoulder and exiting the locker room.

True to Harry's prediction, after a few warming laps it didn't take long for Ron to get a considerable advantage. Harry, already used to it, kept the same pace and concentrated on his breathing. He'd drag him tomorrow for his morning run and get even.

"Hey Ron" called Harry when he saw that the coach started to signal to his watch. "Your practice is about to start, see you later"

"Sure..." his face twisted. "You're dragging me to run tomorrow aren't you?"

"You know it" Harry said laughing.

"Just go for it!" yelled Ron as an afterthought, Harry rolled his eyes already on the other side of the pool.

IIIII

"Sorry!" said Blaine after bumping into somebody, the stack of books blocking his view fell with a loud thud to the floor.

"Anderson" Potter said with an easy smile, helping Blaine pick up his stuff.

"Oh... hi Ha... Potter"

"You can call me Harry if you want, I'm not even sure why everybody calls me Potter here anyways" he offered while holding most of the books in his hands.

"When you transferred, you called everybody by their last names or at least that's what I've been told" explained Blaine, glad that the other boy didn't seem fazed by his momentarily clumsiness. "It seemed appropriate to correspond."

"Huh" Harry said and blinked surprised. "That has been coming to bite me in the arse lately..." Blaine smiled amused. "Need any help with these?"

"Uh... yeah actually, my arms were starting to feel numb" Blaine muttered thankful. Deciding his pride wasn't worth falling down the stairs. "Miss Jefferson asked me to return them to the library" he said when he felt the silence was starting to become awkward, at least on his part. Potter seemed as relaxed as he always did.

"So, are you going to try and convert me?" asked Harry with a raised eyebrow, easily opening a door and holding it, while balancing his considerable pile of books with the other. Blaine was impressed despite himself.

"Not really, if you said no I don't see the point of trying to force the issue" responded Blaine easily. "But if Wes asks, I made several, very persuasive arguments."

"I'll make sure to say you almost had me" Harry responded with a smirk. "If you don't mind me asking, what's the name of the new student?"

"Kurt, Kurt Hummel" replied Blaine, already used to everybody coming to him to enquire about their newest member.

"Are you two dating?" Harry asked not missing a beat. Blaine's head swirled around in surprise and he tripped. Harry's arm coming out of nowhere, grabbing his shoulder and letting him go a second later, when he had regained his balance.

"No!" said Blaine blushing. "I mean, Kurt and me are just friends."

"But he is gay, isn't he?" asked Harry.

Blaine's jaw tensed. "Just because we are both gay, doesn't mean we are dating..."

"Hey, I'm not making any assumptions here" Harry said with a calm voice. "If you are not dating or interested, I was wondering if you wouldn't mind if I ask him out. I see you two hanging out all the time and I wasn't sure if you had something going on or not."

"Since when are you gay?" asked Blaine with a taken aback air.

"Bi, always been" replied Harry with a shrug. "My first relationship was with a guy."

"I didn't know" Blaine said honestly puzzled, staring at Harry with a frown.

"Why would you? We've never really spoken to each other" Harry said with no judgment in his tone, he opened the library door.

"Why is that?" Blaine asked suddenly.

Harry raised an eyebrow at him. "Can you name one friend of yours that isn't in the Warblers?" Blaine stared at the floor in concentration, apparently just realizing that. Harry shifted guiltily. "I didn't mean anything by it, if you have good friends there, who am I to judge? Anyways... is Kurt single then?"

"Yeah he is..."

"Are you interested?" asked Harry. "Because if you are, I'm not going to get in the middle of you two..."

"Not really, Kurt and me are honestly just friends... can I ask you a question?"

"Sure, fair's fair" replied Harry while passing him the books one by one.

"Why did you ask for my permission if we haven't really talked to each other? I'm just curious" asked Blaine while scanning each book and dropping it in the return box.

"I might not know you, but that's not a reason to trample you over" Harry responded.

"Kurt is not the type of guy you ask just because you want a date, he's the commitment type" said Blaine turning to stare at Harry. "He's been through a lot. He doesn't need somebody to play with his feelings, and I know about your reputation, so while I have no personal reasons to tell you this, other than concern for my friend, I think it would be best if you stay away."

Harry stared at him in surprise. He calmly put the rest of the books in a nearby table. "Look who's making assumptions now" he pointed out before walking out. Blaine felt strangely guilty. He continued scanning the books unsure why.

IIIII

It wasn't his intention to ask Kurt so soon after his conversation with Anderson. He actually wanted to give it a few days before even approaching him, but on his way out he saw him studying in the corner of the library, and before he knew what he was doing, he was in front of him.

"Hey"

Kurt raised his head from a particularly tricky problem and stared in surprise at Potter. "Uh... hi"

"I'm sorry, we haven't been properly introduced. I'm Harry Potter" he extended his hand and Kurt tilted his head, but shook it anyways.

"Kurt Hummel. I don't mean to be rude, but is there a reason for this impromptu introduction?"

Harry smiled at his chosen vocabulary. "I admit I do have a hidden motive..."

"I have absolutely no power or influence in the council, if they hadn't left you alone yet, then I am sorry to say I can't do anything... of course, even if I had some, I would be using it to get me a solo..." he said trailing off and looking into the distance.

"Actually, I was wondering if you would like to go out sometime" said Harry, with his hands in his pockets.

"Out?" repeated Kurt his attention snapping back to him full force.

"Yes out, as in a date, with me" Harry shifted from one foot to the other when the only thing Kurt did was stare at him.

"Are you serious?" asked Kurt finally.

Harry's lips twitched. "Yes... so, what do you say? Would you like to?"

Kurt tried to make sense of what was happening. He had imagined the moment a guy would ask him out a million times, first with Finn, momentarily with Sam and recently with Blaine. He always imagined his first date would end with his first kiss. Gaga knew that fantasy had been shot.

He still wanted his first date to be worth it. To actually lead somewhere, he wanted his first date to lead to his first boyfriend. He stared at Harry's expecting face and thought about what Wes and Blaine had said about him. He was good looking, but Kurt wanted to go out with somebody that wasn't a complete stranger. With Blaine he knew they had things in common, so it wouldn't be awkward.

Karofsky stole his first kiss and ruined that experience for him. He needed the rest of his firsts to be perfect to make up for it. That included his first date.

"Wow, I'm flattered, really, but sorry I..." he struggled to put in words his reasoning.

Harry nodded once. "Don't worry. It was worth a shot anyways."

"I feel really awful saying no" Kurt said biting his lip.

Harry laughed. "It's ok really, I will survive the rejection, I hear people do it all the time" he smiled one last time and left. Kurt stared at Harry's retreating back and tried to convince himself that he did the right thing.

At least he had been mature about it.

"What did Potter want?" Blaine asked taking a seat next to him.

Kurt turned and frowned. "How did you know he wanted something with me?"

Blaine blushed. "To be honest, he approached me early. He asked if we were dating."

"Oh... what did you say?" Kurt enquired as nonchalantly as he could, feeling butterflies in his stomach.

"The truth of course" replied Blaine opening his book. "That we are just friends."

"Right, of course... what else did he say?"

"Not much, he simply wanted to make sure that I wasn't interest or anything." Blaine smiled at him. "I told him I only saw you as a friend and all, but that he shouldn't ask you out anyways. I mean, he's clearly not your type... besides, with his reputation, I don't think it's a good idea for him to get involved with you."

"What reputation?" asked Kurt, momentarily letting his curiosity take over.

"He had a reputation of sleeping around. I didn't even know he was interested in guys until he asked about you."

"Oh..." they studied in silence, until Kurt gathered the courage to ask. "Hey Blaine, do you really mean it?"

Blaine stared at him with a confused expression. "What?"

"That we will only ever be friends... and I would like a clarification of what type of friends, as in When Harry met Sally, which is kind of ironic considering who I just talked to, or the girls in Sex and the City."

"Wouldn't it make more sense to say Will and Jack from Will and Grace?" Blaine asked with a frown.

"Focus Blaine..."

"Right, sorry. Look Kurt, I like you as a friend, and a friend only. I know we barely know each other, but I care too much about our friendship to screw it up. The fastest way to do it would be by dating. You understand right?" he looked so hopeful that Kurt had to hide the considerable disappointment that he was feeling.

"It's alright Blaine, I honestly do. I only wanted to be sure of where we are standing…"

He wondered if Potter could give him some tips about how to take rejection gracefully, because he had made it look so damn easy.

IIIII

"You ok there dude?" asked Ron, when he entered the room and found the twins sitting in the floor, just staring at Harry without blinking. His friend was laying down on his stomach, on the bed, face against the mattress and arms on his sides.

"We concluded he asked the new kid out" said Fred. "It's hard to understand him with his face against the mattress like that..."

"We managed to translate, that he said no" completed George, with a notebook in his hand full of scribbles. Harry said something that was lost against the mattress, George and Fred looking at their notebook eagerly.

"It couldn't have been that bad…" Ron said positively.

More mumbles.

"Yeah, we should probably avoid the Warbler's territory until you can stomach it…"

More mumbles.

"I am sorry your inner Gryffindor is an idiot..."

Mumbles.

"It's like watching Charlie Brown communicate with his teacher" commented one of the twins.

"We could make a documentary out of this..."

Angry mumbles.

"There, there" said Ron patting Harry's shoulder.

Harry suddenly laughed, remembering how not that long ago he had done the same to Hermione. He might not have gotten a date with Kurt Hummel, but he still had the most amazing friends he could ever ask for. He turned to his side.

"Alright, I suffered through rejection and lived" Harry said positively.

"Exactly, now you can say you experienced everything life has to offer" Ron said dropping in Harry's bed and forcing him to move his legs so they could share it.

"Ok, moving on to matters of greater importance…" Harry said seriously. "George, how's the training of the parrot going?"