As Chris slept that night, the image of the mad man in the forest swam through his dreams. He had been so close to getting the sword, and who knew what could have happen if he had have succeeded. At Wyatt's request; Dumbledore took Excalibur into his custody and locked it somewhere secure where he assured Wyatt it would remain for as long as was necessary. No one was quite sure what to do with Draco as there was no evidence other than Harry, Ron, Hermione and Chris' word that Draco had stolen it. Snape defended Malfoy by saying he was actually trying to retrieve the sword for Wyatt in an heroic act, so Dumbledore had no choice but to just deduct Slytherin twenty points for his reckless actions and to give him a detention which would be over seen by Snape himself. When Wyatt woke Chris up the next morning, he awoke with a start, his dream-filled mind projecting the madman's face onto his brother's for a moment.
As he got dressed and headed down to breakfast, however, Chris pushed all thoughts of the stranger to the back of his mind as a new one grew- Quidditch! Ron had promised him lessons even before Christmas and this morning he was finally going to deliver. As he ate his breakfast next to Hermione his anticipation steadily grew so in the end he could barely finish his toast. Ron, on the other hand, helped himself to a hearty breakfast, occasionally looking up with a grin when he sensed Chris' restlessness.
Eventually the group left the great hall together making their way up the stairs to the Gryffindor common room so Harry could pick up his Firebolt- they planned on grabbing more brooms from the Quidditch supply store, but Harry hadn't flown his own all year and refused to give up this opportunity.
As Hermione was only accompanying them to watch; Ginny, Ron's little sister joined them as well- she had hopes of joining the team next year, she explained, so wanted any chance to practice. As they walked down through the grounds to find a spot they could play on out of sight of any teachers, Ron, Harry and Ginny drew ahead as they discussed the world cup and various Quidditch teams they supported- commenting on new tactics the Gryffindor team should try out next year. Neither Chris nor Hermione had anything to add to this conversation so they walked behind them, hand in hand, in a comfortable silence for a while until Hermione broke it.
"Do you think you'll ever get a new wand?" She asked looking down at the wand Chris had borrowed from magic school which was sticking out of his pocket.
"Not much point now is there." Chris shrugged, glancing down at it then back at Hermione, "I mean I'm only here for a few more months." Hermione looked up into Chris' eyes and he could see a slight sadness in her expression- they had grown very close this last term- particularly after last night's revelation and neither of them had really talked about what would happen once Chris returned to school across the Atlantic.
"So you don't think you'll continue your wand-studies back at magic school?" She asked, avoiding the subject that was on both their minds. "I know you have all your powers, but wand magic has its uses too." She turned away from Chris as they kept walking. Chris nodded, returning his gaze to where Harry, Ron and Ginny were gathered around an old shed picking out the equipment they needed.
"I know." Chris agreed. "But it's not like I'm that good."
"That's because you don't have the right wand." Insisted Hermione. "I told you, the wand chooses the witch- you can't do good magic with another person's wand. Besides, if you want to be good you have to study and practice- maybe you could come back occasionally for some lessons." Chris grinned at Hermione's invitation- happy she wanted him to stay around.
"And maybe you'll have to come to America over the summer to learn some of my magic." He offered. The pair stopped just short of where the other three were waiting for them, Chris held both of her hands, as the gazed into each other's eyes. Hermione returned his smile. She picked a beetle off his jacket coyly and then instead of giving him a response, she leaned in and kissed him.
"Ok." declared Ron with a clap of his hands once they had found a suitable place to play. "So there are seven players on a team- a keeper, three chasers, two beaters and a seeker- like Harry." Chris nodded, listening intently, but out of the corner of his eye he could see Harry, Ginny and Hermione all grinning and exchanging amused looks at Ron's teacher act. Ignoring them, Ron continued. "Usually there would also be four balls in play- two Bludgers which attack the players and the beaters have to try and keep away from their teams, and aim at their opponents. Then there's the Quaffle which the chasers have to try and get through one of the three hoops in the opposite end of the pitch, which are guarded by the keepers- 10 points for a goal." Chris nodded again, marvelling at the obvious danger of the sport, but he was not perturbed. "Finally there is the golden snitch which is tiny and fast and is pursued by the seeker-" Ron gestured at Harry "-who has to catch it in order to end the game and earn his team 150 points. Got it?" Chris nodded, it seemed simple enough in theory, though in practice he was sure it would be much harder.
Ron handed him one of the brooms they had found in the shed, and Chris looked at it, suddenly feeling very nervous. Harry, Ginny and Ron all mounted their brooms and showed Chris the correct way to place his hands. Then Harry kicked off, racing into the air as a blur and then Ron and Ginny followed his lead. Though not as fast as Harry; they both flew with great confidence and obvious skill. Then it was Chris' go. Hermione gave him an encouraging smile as she watched and the other three descended so they were just a few feet off the ground and called down advice to him. Determined not to seem scared, Chris kicked off the ground hard, and his broom lurched into the air, almost knocking him off in surprise. He remarked at how well the broom responded to his movements, and although he was nowhere near as graceful as the others, he quickly got the hang of the basics, and soon the four of them were tossing around some of the golf balls the seekers used for practise before they were ready for the snitch.
A few times, when trying to catch particularly difficult throws, Chris nearly fell off, and from below he could hear Hermione's yelp of concern, but he always recovered and soon he learned how to move his broom into better positions rather than trying to reach for the balls by leaning and throwing the broom off balance.
Towards the end they started playing a game which closely resembled piggy in the middle. Harry and Chris played on one team while Ginny and Ron played against them. Their aim was simply to throw the ball back and forth without losing position, but that was easier said than done when the game was suddenly in 3d. Harry was a noticeably better flyer than either of the Weasleys, but even on his Firebolt, his efforts were not sufficient to make up for Chris' lack of experience, so by the time they had finished with their game, the Weasleys were the obvious victors.
Chris wasn't disheartened by this, however, and was eager that they should play again soon- Harry promised him a go on his Firebolt next time, and Ron even commented that one day he could have a shot at playing for his country- though Ginny later informed him that given the US' performance in the most recent world cup; this wasn't a complement.
The rest of the month was nowhere near as enjoyable as that day he spent with his friends. Although the days were getting warmer, he was being forced to stay inside to try and tackle the increasing piles of homework their teachers were setting. Even Hermione was beginning to show signs of struggling, so all in all, it came as a relief when the date for the next Hogsmeade weekend was announced and they would have an excuse to take a break from their work and have some fun.
With that in mind, the Friday before the trip dragged by, and was made no easier by the final lesson of the day: double potions. Ordinarily this would be one of Chris' favourite lessons- it didn't require a wand for one thing, and it was also one of the few subjects that overlapped with the magic school curriculum meaning he was amongst the top in the class.
From the moment he joined his peers waiting outside the classroom, however, he could sense this lesson would be different. The Slytherins were standing in a foreboding huddle, examining something Chris couldn't see, as he approached them with Hermione, Harry and Ron they looked up excitedly, calling out strangely enthusiastic greetings, with looks of cruel mirth on their face. In the middle one of the girls was holding a magazine entitled 'Witch Weekly', on the cover of which was a picture of a curly haired girl with a toothy grin and a wand which was pointing at a large sponge cake. Chris was still amazed how all the pictures in this place were enchanted to move, so was too distracted by the image to pay attention to what the Slytherins were saying. It was only when Hermione seized the magazine for herself and found the article that they were referring to that Chris realised the Slytherins were not only grinning mockingly at his three friends, a trend he had grown used to, but also at him. Frowning, he glanced down at the article which was entitled HARRY POTTER'S SECRET HEARTACHE:
A boy like no other, perhaps- yet a boy suffering all the usual pangs of adolescence, writes Rita Skeeter. Deprived of love since the tragic demise of his parents, fourteen-year-old Harry Potter thought he had found solace in his steady girlfriend at Hogwarts, Hermione Granger. Little did he know that he would shortly be suffering yet another emotional blow in a life already littered with personal loss.
Miss Granger, a plain but ambitious girl, seems to have a taste for famous wizards that Harry alone cannot satisfy. Since the arrival at Hogwarts of Wyatt Halliwell, Miss Granger has set her sights on his younger brother, no doubt hoping to get close to the legendary heir to Excalibur, and is now toying with both boy's affections. Halliwell's brother, who is openly smitten with the devious Miss Granger, has already invited her to visit him in America over the summer holidays.
The article then went one step further to suggest that Hermione was using love potions to ensnare both Chris and Harry, but Chris had stopped reading as he looked up to his friends almost laughing.
"This is a joke right?" He clarified. "I mean no one is really going to believe this?" But Ron in particular seemed to find the situation very alarming- as they entered the room he criticised Hermione for angering Rita when they had seen her in the Three Broomsticks back in January.
Hermione, on the other hand, felt the same way about the whole thing as Chris. She threw the article on to the empty chair next to her with an airy laugh and assured Ron that if that was all Skeeta had then she was not concerned. Chris thought that was then end to the matter, but half way through the first lesson, he noticed Hermione's eyes flicking to it at an increasing rate, a frown forming on her face.
"Did you tell anyone about our conversation?" She asked Chris suddenly. Chris, who had been focusing on measuring a precise amount of armadillo bile, didn't understand the question for a moment, until he remembered the article's reference to the conversation they had had before playing Quidditch- when he had invited Hermione to visit him.
"No." He replied without needing to consider the question- the only people he could have told were his brother and Callum- who would only ridicule him, or Harry, Ron and Ginny- to whom he would feel strange to talk to about his relationship with Hermione.
"Then how could she have known?" She mused, no longer really talking to Chris. It was an interesting point though. There had been no one else around when they had spoken and neither of them had passed along the minutes. How then could Rita have been so confident Chris had invited her?
"She probably just guessed." He replied, that being the only logical explanation. "I mean it isn't that unexpected that I would offer." Hermione nodded, but she clearly didn't accept this explanation. Rita had been banned from the school grounds since she had written her article on Hagrid and the only time Rita had seen them together was when Harry and Ron were with them as well- theoretically she shouldn't even know about their relationship. Trying to get her mind of the article, Chris changed the subject.
"Maybe we'll see her in Hogsmeade again and you can ask her." He suggested. "We're still meeting in the morning, right?" Hermione nodded, and then jumped, suddenly remembering something very important.
"Yes, but I can't spend the whole day with you." She said, biting her lip as she continued. "And you can't ask why." Chris frowned at this cryptic comment, but nodded his head- accepting that there were somethings Hermione wasn't ready to share with him- they had only known each other for less than half a year.
"Ok..." He said, pushing back his many questions. "So what time do you have to leave?"
"Two o'clock." She said, smiling at Chris' acceptance. Chris nodded, trying to ignore his mind which was racing with possible explanations.
"Well I think Wyatt was planning to go home in the afternoon, so I'll just meet up with him instead." He told her, determined to make the best of this news. Ever since Wyatt had told him about the increase in demon attacks at home, Chris had been worried about his family and Hermione's secretive plans gave him the perfect opportunity to visit home and make sure everything was ok. Both teenagers were too preoccupied in their discussion to hear Snape creep up behind them.
"As interesting as your social lives undoubtedly are Miss Granger, Master Halliwell-" he sneered, "I must ask you not to discuss them in my lesson. Twenty points from Gryffindor."
The morning of the Hogsmeade trip was very enjoyable. First they visited Honey Dukes so Chris could pick up more sweets for his cousins and sister. Then, Hermione said she wanted buy a present for Dobby- a house elf Chris had heard a number of ludicrous tales about, not all of which he believed despite Harry and Ron's insistence- so they went to Gladrags Wizardwear where they had fun examining all the weird and wacky socks they had on display until Hermione picked out a pair with flashing gold and silver stars. As it was a mild day they had no need to warm themselves up with butterbeer so they bypassed the Three Broomsticks- not wanting to run into anyone that could ruin their day- and instead headed to a small tea room on one of the side streets for some cake.
By the time it came to one thirty, neither of them really wanted their date to end so they walked slowly down the street towards Dervish and Banges to where Harry and Ron were already waiting for Hermione. The addition of the two boys made Chris all the more curious about their afternoon plans- particularly when he noticed Harry held a very full bag of food.
Chris tried to walk away and not look back- wanting to respect Hermione's privacy, but in the end his curiosity got the better of him. Once the three had set off, he slipped into back Dervish and Banges, finding a window that looked out along the path the trio were following- leading them away from Hogsmeade towards a stile Chris could just about make out in the distance. Just before the three reached it, one of the shop assistants came over to Chris, who quickly pretended to be closely examining one of the odd looking instruments- which was labelled as a 'Sneakoscope' and when he returned his attention to the window, he let out a yell as his three friends were now facing a very large black dog. He was just about to orb to Hermione's aid, when, curiously, the dog turned his back on them and started trotting further away from Hogsmeade and, even more curiously, the three of them followed.
Chris only tore his eyes from the window when the strange group was out of sight. He deeply regretted spying on his friends as now his questions about their afternoon had doubled and instead of orbing home with Wyatt he really just wanted to orb to Hermione to find out why the hell she was having secret meetings with fearsome looking animals. Knowing this was not an option though; he hastily left the shop and set off back down the street, trying to keep his thoughts on his family and away from his girlfriend's adventures.
It was 7am San-Francisco time when the boys orbed into the kitchen. Leo had already left for magic school and Melinda was asleep, but Piper was eagerly awaiting the arrival of her sons- having already prepared both of their favourite breakfasts- pancakes for Chris and bacon and eggs for Wyatt. Wyatt ate his eagerly, despite having already eaten a large breakfast back at Hogwarts only a few hours ago. Chris, on the other hand, barely touched his- his mind too filled with thoughts about Hermione's mysterious plans, the madman in the forest and the increased demon attacks at home.
"Hey, mom-" said Chris thoughtfully, after Wyatt left the kitchen to go and wake up Melinda. Chris wasn't sure that he should raise the topic, but at this point he just wanted some answers.
"What is it sweetie?" Asked Piper, concerned at the frown on her youngest son's face.
"Wyatt told me about all the new demon attacks." confessed Chris, staring down at his pancakes. Piper sighed, sitting down opposite Chris at the table and taking one of his hands.
"Well I wish your brother hadn't have mentioned anything, because there is nothing you need concern yourself with." She assured him. "Whatever problems we may have had mostly disappeared when Wyatt took away Excalibur, and I promise you it is nothing compared to what we used to deal with."
"But maybe if I were here then I could help." pointed out Chris who, unlike Wyatt, had no real excuse to stay at Hogwarts. Piper smiled at him warmly, squeezing his hand tightly.
"Chris, you're fourteen-years-old. You don't need to worry about anything but looking after yourself and having a great time. Your being at Hogwarts is an amazing experience for you which you are going to enjoy to its fullest, and while you are there you don't need to worry about us because I promise that your dad and I, Piper, Paige, Henry and Coop have everything under control."
But Chris did worry. He understood now Wyatt's irrational desire to win in the competition. Callum's theory that Wyatt just wasn't used to being inferior wasn't correct- or at least it wasn't the whole story. Wyatt wasn't just upset that he wasn't winning the competition, but that he was putting his family in danger simply by competing- and for anything less than victory, the risk just wasn't worth it. Chris knew he wasn't as powerful as Wyatt, and he knew that him returning home early would do little to help his family's defence, but that didn't mean he didn't feel suddenly guilty that his year of demon free fun with new friends and his new girlfriend could be putting the people he loved at greater risk.
Before he could vocalise any of these thoughts to his mother, however, they were interrupted by the arrival of his siblings, who were both wearing ominously identical grins. Chris didn't understand what they were both so chirpy about until he noticed what was in his sister's hand- it was the latest copy of Witch Weekly which Wyatt must have brought back.
"So Chris..." Said Mel, as Chris' siblings sat down on either side of him. "Tell me, what is it like to compete for your girlfriends affections with the famous Harry Potter?" She spoke as if she knew Harry's legend, though all she actually knew about him was in this magazine and what Chris had told her.
"Shut up!" He groaned, trying to snatch the magazine as he stood up from the table. Melinda was too fast for him however, holding it out of his reach, while Wyatt pulled him back down on to his seat- both their grins had broadened.
"What's all this?" asked Piper suspiciously.
"Nothing." said Chris quickly, but his siblings disagreed.
"Chris is famous!" declared Melinda gleefully. "He's in all the British witching magazines."
"You got your name in a magazine?" Enquired Piper excitedly, clearly not registering Chris' sullen reaction or the other two's mocking actions.
"Well not his name as such..." Said Wyatt as Melinda opened the magazine to the right page and passed it to their mother. "They just refer to him as my little brother."
"Story of my life." sighed Chris, rolling his eyes as Wyatt ruffled his hair. Piper glanced briefly at the article and quickly understood the situation.
"Harry's one of your friends right?" She clarified, remembering Chris' stories from Christmas. Chris nodded, ignoring Melinda's comment about wanting to have the article framed. "And I'm guessing there is nothing actually going on between them?" continued Piper who was also ignoring her other two children. Chris nodded again. "Hermione must have really pissed this reporter off." She commented, remembering stories Phoebe had told her about her colleges getting revenge on people they disliked in a similar fashion.
"She yelled at her in a pub." He explained suddenly not finding the article nearly as amusing as he had in the potions corridor. Piper nodded a small smile emerging on her face.
"And did you really invite her to visit over the summer?" Chris could feel himself turning pink under the gaze of his mother, brother and sister, but before he could answer a pink beam of light appeared in the kitchen- signalling the arrival of either Coop or one of his cousins. Refusing to allow any cupid within ten feet of the stupid magazine, Chris quickly snatched the magazine of the table, hit Wyatt on the head with it then orbed to his room before anyone could stop him.