Saturday, Oct. 31st

The entire castle is on edge today. Nothing exceptionally dramatic has happened for a couple years on Samhain, but for those who trend more to the superstitious, the events of the troll, basilisk attack, Black's idiotic break-in, and the Triwizard Tournament drama is still fresh in living memory. Harry seems the most on edge, not letting his egg out of his direct eyeline even in his personal room. Most faculty and students have gone to Hogsmeade for the day, only to return for the feast this evening, but Potter refuses to leave our chambers unless they are literally on fire (which he assures me Kreacher could easily put out). I do not understand this superstitious nonsense but have remained in our sitting room for most of the day except for meals at his insistence.

According to Harry, the curse of Halloween ends at midnight or something equally ridiculous, so tomorrow we are leaving for London and my tattoo appointment. I honestly care little about what covers my Dark Mark as long as it is covered…and not floral, that might possibly be worse. The artist talked me into a snake since it will be easier to cover what is already there since the Dark Lord's frequent use of it over the years caused scarring. I mocked up a preliminary image of Saanp which I think will do just fine as well as ashwinders being very intelligent and aesthetically pleasing since the flames can cover what the snake cannot (and also great potions ingredients, not something I will say in front of the snake though). Harry and the snake approve, not that I need their approval.

I passed over my ideas for the image when I returned the art books and also scheduled Draco's appointment. Draco fully intends to cover his mark with a dragon, as idiotic as that is. He will have to wait another few weeks for the artist we found to have another opening though. Therefore, I have until the winter break to convince him to choose any other design. At least it is taking his mind temporarily off the news that he is a creature that we know little to nothing about. His meeting with the Beauxbatons champion is in a couple days, and I am sure the drama will begin promptly again after that meeting.

I feel that my observations from the summer until now have mostly been resolved…however, I am hesitant to destroy this journal since there still seems to be something amiss with my young roommate. It also seems that the menagerie that he's collected knows what it is since they seem to all look at me occasionally as if they are waiting for something. It is highly frustrating. If I were to have taken leave of my senses, my best guess as to the cause would be that Harry has some sort of romantic interests in me. However, that is ludicrous! The only reason this even comes to mind is probably wishful thinking on my part and the fact that he seeks out my company and is attentive to my thoughts and feelings concerning things, but that is where the ridiculousness lies since he does this for all those he calls friends.

The frustrating teen is too young to consider an old man like me, even if we look the same age. This is completely disregarding the fact that I went to school with his parents! Or that I was a Death Eater…though that has never seemed to bother him much for some insane reason. Harry knows the worst of me, and he still is taking up space in my sitting room and offering to share his biscuits. I do not understand, and that is most frustrating of all!

How can he even allow me to be around him, let alone his godson or the child soon to hatch? No, these thoughts are insanity and must be disregarded. I will find out what the occupants of my chambers are hiding, then I will destroy this journal and move one with my life!

Note to self - find out how long phoenixes and basilisks live.

Note to self (2) - forge new muggle identification. The artist has only seen me as 19 and my current identification cards list me as 38.

Note to self (3) - look into baskets while out. It is impractical for Harry to continue to carry around the egg in a bag while in our chambers. A basket would be much more practical with a soft blanket and warming charms.

"You are welcome to squeeze my hand if it hurts," the ridiculous brat hovering beside his chair commented.

Snape raised an incredulous eyebrow. "Harry…pain and I are old friends. I doubt there is anything a tattoo artist could do to me that would require the idiotic need to squeeze your hand."

"It can be painful. However, not to speak ill of another artist, but your first tattooer clearly did not know what they were doing with this amount of scarring," the heavily tattooed and pierced muggle artist commented when he joined them in his chair and began to line up small, plastic tubs of different colored ink.

"I doubt this will be anywhere near as bad. Though, it will be worse when I go over your scar tissue. However, with that epic scar on your neck, you've clearly had worse than even that!" The man gave him a look of respect.

"It was an automobile accident," Snape commented with a glare to Harry who turned away to hide his grin at the outright lie.

"Well, I have to say, this design is sick, mate!" The artist placed his stencil over the Dark Mark and pressed it down. "I've never done a flaming snake before. It'll definitely cover what you have here. Why'd you and your friend get matching tattoos anyway, if you don't mind me asking? Some kind of bet or something?"

"They were both drunk and making extremely poor decisions," Harry answered for him with a huge smile and Snape flashed a bit of fang at him behind the artist's back. For some reason, Harry's even larger smile made his irritation at the lie disappear completely.

"No wonder it's scarred then. You must not have gone to a very reputable shop for them to tattoo you that drunk," the artist accepted the lie with a nod and turned on his machine, dipping it into the black ink. "I'm excited for your friend's dragon. He was very specific as to the features. I didn't even know there were so many different kinds of dragons before I did research for the design."

Harry and Snape shared a shocked look as the man began outlining the design on Snape's arm. "Erm…you found a book on different dragons?" Harry asked, they were both wondering what the muggle world actually had on the magical creatures.

"Yeah, really cool one at the bookstore down the street," the man shrugged and shifted position to get to a better angle. "By your friend's description, he wants one called a Welsh Green." Snape rolled his eyes, of course he did.

"Why would Draco want a Welsh Green?" Harry sat in the folding chair across from them and put his bag in his lap. "Aren't those the least fierce? I figured he'd want a Hungarian Horntail or even a Balerion."

"They are green," Snape rolled his eyes at him again pointedly and Harry laughed. "He's nothing if not consistent in his ridiculousness. I must talk him into a different design, or at least a different dragon."

"Ooo, try to convince him of the Balerion," the artist perked up excitedly. "That one looked epically cool in the book. I need at least a week's notice if he wants to change designs though for the art."

"Noted," Snape relaxed back as the man's needles went over a particularly sensitive patch of scar tissue. He absolutely did not need to hold Potter's hand.

Percy stood from his armchair and began to pace, running his hand through his curly hair, his finger getting caught in a knot. He was just a little nervous. Frankly, he had absolutely no clue as to why. He was only getting his older brother to introduce his sister-in-law to a new veela. It was just that he hadn't talked to Bill since the last blow-up with his parents where they'd basically cut off all contact, so he wasn't sure what they'd told him.

The twins assured him their parents couldn't have told Bill the truth or he'd have stormed the Burrow or the castle or whatever and caused a massive row, but Percy wasn't so sure. His other siblings seemed to think Bill was the most headstrong and opinionated of the group, but he'd always thought that was Ginny…though that did track with how she'd been treating him. He'd always seen Bill as more of the port in the storm for the family. The most steadfast. That view didn't give him any clues to how he might react to learning Percy had well and truly been cut out of the family, according to their parents at least.

"Stop worrying so much, you'll get wrinkles," George sighed loudly from where he had his feet up on Fred's lap on the couch and absently scratching where his ear no longer was.

"You both didn't need to close up early to be here. This meeting isn't even for me," Percy glared at his brothers that had invaded his chambers a few minutes before and started chatting with their former Charms professor about some of their new products.

"No can do, big bro," Fred smirked over at him. "We're here to see if Billy figures it out about you. That'll be a sight to see, and there's no way we'd miss that."

"Do you really believe William will have such a strong reaction?" Flitwick asked from his much shorter armchair just as the portrait door opened.

"In no way do I need either of you to accompany me! Get lost you idiots! I'm not some lost puppy you need to look after!" Draco Malfoy irritatedly growled at Ron and Harry who followed him into the room.

"Well, Ron had to let you into his chambers," Harry commented with a smirk before he removed George's legs from the couch to sit between the twins.

"I could have knocked!" The Slytherin motioned to the four other people who had already been in the chambers and who could have opened the door.

"I'm here for emotional support," Harry shrugged, not put off at all.

"Which I absolutely do not…"

"I'm just here for the entertainment value," Ron cut him off with a huge grin before pulling Draco over to Percy's vacated armchair and giving him enough of a shove that he ungracefully collapsed into it.

"Neither of which is welcomed," the blond grumbled and straightened up in the chair, trying to look as posh as possible in an overstuffed, floral print, armchair.

"Look, Draco," Harry leaned forward over his bag, ignoring the giggling twins beside him. "I've already done almost all the major life and identity crises that are possible. I've done the whole death thing, the I'm not completely straight thing, the creature inheritance thing, and the surprise parent-thing…"

"Wait, Percy wasn't joking about that?" George cut off mid-laugh in a shocked choke.

"Excuse me?" Professor Flitwick sat up more in surprise, putting his teacup down on the side table.

"Anyway, that's why I'm here for emotional support," Harry ignored them all to focus in on Draco. "It's a lot and I wish someone had been there for me for the first few of those life changes. Thankfully, I had Kreacher and Fawkes for the last one or I might have just had a stroke. I still have clearly not come out to everyone, so it's a whole ongoing process…"

Draco shut his mouth with almost an audible click as his cheeks turned slightly pink. "Er…thanks, Potter…" he trailed off awkwardly, seemingly a little grateful he wasn't actually alone. "Why are they here then?" He motioned to the twins accusingly.

"We're here because of all the family drama," George supplied. "This is opening a whole can of worms for the Weasley brood as well as you."

"Can we get back to the Mr. Potter being a creature and the parent-thing?" Flitwick crossed his arms and looked at them all.

"Wait…Harry isn't straight?!" Fred gasped in the most fake-shocked gasp that had ever been seen. "That must be why he was snogging me last Christmas!"

"Wait…what?!" Ron comically shot around to stare at his friend from where he'd been standing beside Malfoy's chair. "Harry! He better be joking! You can't work your way through my entire family! Wait…is it weird I feel a bit left out now…"

"Yes!"

"No!" Came from each twin respectively.

"I think anyone who isn't my godfather is safe from Potter currently," Draco grumbled under his breath with an eyeroll.

"Is it a genetic trait that men in your family can't keep a secret?" Harry glared at Fred dangerously while George sputtered on his other side.

"But…you are straight!" George raised an eyebrow and let out a surprised laugh at his twin. "Katie seems to think so anyway."

Fred just shrugged unapologetically. "When your friend is questioning his sexuality, well, you help a mate out. I must have been a pretty awesome kisser to have confirmed it all," he turned a thousand-watt grin on the teen beside him.

"That's not how it works," Draco rolled his eyes dramatically while Harry continued to glare enough that he was probably close to setting Fred's red hair on fire. "When I told Blaise I was pansexual, him snogging me didn't do anything more than constitute sexual harassment that he still hasn't groveled enough to make up for."

"I doubt Zabini would ever gravel for anything," Ron snorted in amusement. "And…what is pansexual? I haven't heard that one before. Is that what Charlie is?"

"Excuse me! Creature?! Parent?! Mr. Potter?!" Flitwick waved his little arms around in frustration.

"No, remember, our working theory is that Charlie only likes magical creatures, and people who are pansexual are attracted to others based on who they are and their personality regardless of their sex or gender identity…in a super-simplified explanation anyway. Draco can explain more later," Harry informed Ron before turning to his professor.

"Professor Flitwick, I went through a creature inheritance on my last birthday and learned shortly after that I will be a parent soon. They are very connected and something I don't want to talk about right now. Now…what did this lot tell you we were all meeting up in here for? It's a bit connected to it all as well."

Flitwick frowned, clearly wanting to ask more questions and trying to heroically hold them back. "They only said Mr. Malfoy needed to speak to Ms. Delacour…or rather Ms. Delacour-Weasley, for some reason."

"Apparently, I'm a veela," Draco huffed and crossed his arms in what he'd never admit was a pout.

"Surprise! Male-veela exist!" Ron chuckled from beside him, jabbing the blond in the arm good-naturedly.

"Merlin…well…" Flitwick trailed off. "I knew they existed, but I didn't guess Mr. Malfoy would be one…What? I'm half-goblin. We know all," he wiggled his eyebrows at the end at everyone's surprised expressions.

"They only want you to think that," Bill Weasley chuckled from where his head had appeared in the room's fireplace amidst green flames. "Now, what do the goblins supposedly know?"

"Hey Bill," Percy sat down on the floor in front of the fire with a sigh.

"Hey little brother. Congratulations on the new job!" Bill said with a wide smile. "I bet you are a wonderful History professor! How did the world not get a howler from Mum announcing the news? I didn't even know you'd left the twins' shop until you sent the owl about chatting. Why am I so out of the loop?"

"That is my cue to take my leave," Flitwick stood and picked his abandoned teacup off the table beside him. "Good to see you again Mr. Weasley," he waved to the man in the flames.

"You too professor," Bill nodded at the man exiting the room, but with a frown as he took in all the other inhabitants of the sitting room. "Is this an intervention? I don't think I've done anything too concerning. Fleur said I'm allowed to eat more calories because of my enhanced metabolism…"

"What?" Fred laughed loudly.

"This isn't about your very well-known addiction to sugar," George echoed his twin's laugh.

"This is actually about me," Draco leaned forward with a wince at the entire situation he didn't want to be in.

Bill turned to look at the blond sitting beside his youngest brother who surprisingly looked to be protectively standing over him. That didn't track with anything he knew about the young Malfoy or Ron's relationship at all. "Ok…hello, Mr. Malfoy. What can I do for you?"

"Er, we actually need to talk to Fleur," Percy told him with a clear of his throat. "Is that ok? We can chat after if you want…"

Bill gave him a look promising that would definitely be happening. "Give me a second," he said before disappearing into the flames, a blond woman almost instantly appearing.

"I hear ze young Malfoy wants to talk?" Fleur turned questioning eyes around the room until they fell on where Draco was sitting, hunching into himself. Her confusion fell into a look of understanding then amusement. "Merlin, I did not expect zis! I should have guessed by your appearance before when I was at ze school. Do you know how much you are? Half? A quarter?"

"I was one of the very unfortunate few to suddenly become full," Draco sighed out. "Apparently, the creature side won during my inheritance."

Fleur's eyes widened and she gave a low whistle. "That must have been exceedingly painful. I am so sorry…"

Draco shrugged. "There were…extenuating circumstances."

"A war, his aunt cursing him, a lot going on," Harry supplied with a smile for his friend. "Hey Fleur, how's life?"

"Happy the war is over, fending off questions from Molly about when we're going to give her grandkids, trying to not tell her we're pregnant..." Fleur threw in there at the end with a smirk.

"You're pregnant?!" Percy asked with a huge grin.

"We're going to be uncles!" The twins crowed together.

"When are you due?" Ron asked over the noise around them.

"Around April," she smiled at Ron, surprised her allure didn't seem to have any effect on him whatsoever anymore. Speaking of, she turned her eyes back to the new veela beside her brother-in-law.

"What's Malfoy?!" A muffled question floated from behind Fleur in the flames.

"A veela, Love," she turned slightly to answer her husband.

A pause and then: "Wait…male veela exist?" The scarred face appeared again beside his wife's as Bill tried to get a look at Malfoy.

"Apparently," the former-pureblood drawled.

"You will need to send a letter to ze council," Fleur informed him. "I will owl you their contact information and what all you need to know about getting in touch. Now...it seems 'Ogwarts does not include male veela in the curriculum? What do you know?"

"Nothing…besides I am one," Malfoy sighed. "It's all very new."

"Do you have wings?" Bill asked with wide eyes before his wife shoved him back behind her and out of the fire.

"He may develop them over time, but it's not a given and male veela don't instantly come into all their powers. I would assume your magic has been responding to you a little differently?" She turned her blue eyes back on Malfoy to ask.

"Yes…some things are much easier, and some spells seem very sluggish, like I'm casting in jelly," he explained to her.

"Yes, the Veela Council will send you some literature," she nodded as if that were completely expected. "Male Veela are not noticeably very different from the normal wixen, which is why they mostly remain unspoken about. However, you will notice some changes that will slowly develop over time with your magic, most notably your allure will start to come in and possibly wings over the next year or so if your body believes you need them for any reason."

"Please tell me I'm not going to have to beat this lot off with a stick," the man sneered and motioned to the collection of Weasleys and Potter in the room.

"No," Fleur chuckled. "Male Veelas are more…influential than female veelas. It's not as strong as the female allure but does add an extra push to persuasion and influence."

"Sounds bloody useful," Ron snorted to Draco's right, and he actually had to agree with the annoying Weasel, it did sound a bit useful.

"Thank you, Mrs. Delacour-Weasley," Draco formally said, surprisingly feeling a little better now that he wasn't going to completely change into something he didn't recognize overnight.

"Call me Fleur," she smiled at him kindly. "I'll owl you some information. Write me back after you hear from the council, and we can chat again."

"My turn!" Bill immediately took Fleur's place in the flames and turned questioning blue eyes on his brother still sitting on the floor. "Now, what am I not being told? What is going on with you lot and why am I being kept out of it?"

"Right…so, Draco isn't the only creature in this room," Harry spoke up since Percy seemed unable to get the words out.

Bill's eyes turned to Ron. "You get bit during the war? Was it Greyback?" He asked, looking his brother up and down in concern. It did seem the most logical conclusion since Ron had been in the most danger on the run with Harry and Hermione.

"Huh? Er…no…I'm actually one of the few humans still here," Ron chuckled and gave Draco's shoulder another good-humored shove and earning himself a sneer.

"Stop touching me, Weasel," the blond glared.

"I'm…well, something," Harry laughed as well. "Creature inheritance, odd combination, but not human anymore…blah blah blah," he trailed off with a wave of his hand, frankly tired of having to explain this so many times recently.

"I got bit during the war," Percy sighed, finally gathering his courage to speak up.

"Oh," Bill turned his amused eyes from Harry to his brother, face falling into understanding. "Well, Fleur has some excellent steak recipes for very raw steak I can pass along. Are you handling everything ok? You able to afford Wolfsbane? Fleur and I will be happy to help out if you need?"

"Snape is brewing it for me," Percy let go of some of the tension he'd been holding in his muscles. "He's been really good about it ever since I moved in with him and Harry over the summer. I think me being a werewolf offends some of his vampire senses," Percy gave a wry chuckle at the end.

"Riiiight…so, Harry, Percy, and Snape," Bill slowly nodded before turning to the twins.

"Nope, still human," Fred laughed. "Surprisingly so since I probably should have died in the battle. I'm sure how I survived an entire wall collapsing on me. Maybe I have some latent creature genes or something."

"We don't talk about that," George warned him, not wanting to deal with the fear and sadness of that day ever again. He did not think he could handle losing his twin. It was something he never wanted to think about again.

"We don't have any creature genes. Harry saved you, of course," Percy rolled his eyes before turning back to Bill. "Well…there's been a bit of drama…"

"Wait? What?" George cut in quickly.

"What is this about Harry saving me?" Fred turned to the teen beside him.

"It really is genetic that not a single one of you can keep a secret," Harry huffed out and tried to escape, but the twins pushed him right back into the couch.

"That's what you want to keep secret?" Percy turned all the way around to ask incredulously. "You've been fine with everything else coming out recently, but you draw the line at saving my brother?!"

"Did you really save me, Harry?" Fred put an arm around the slightly shorter man and leaned his forehead against Harry.

For his part, Harry held very still, still not being very fond of physical touch but knowing the twins were and knowing he welcomed it mentally even if he didn't instinctually. "Of course, I saved you, you prat. You're one of my best friends."

"Thank you," Fred breathed out and gave him as much of a hug as he could sitting awkwardly beside his friend.

George also put a hand on Harry's back. "Thank you. It's not enough, will never be, but thank you," he breathed out as well.

"Anything you ever need, Harry," Bill spoke up from the flames.

"Right, now, back to the family drama," Harry pulled back from the twins and cleared his throat. "Your parents and little sister are being bigots. Percy won't let anyone curse them for him even when Snape offered. And you're all invited to Grimmauld for Christmas if you want to avoid the entire situation at home."

Bill closed his eyes and took a breath in as he processed all this. "Of course they aren't handling this well. I should have realized," he opened his eyes, a shine there that hadn't been before. "Who all in the family knows? And who is it that is giving you a hard time specifically?"

"You're the last one I needed to tell," Percy said, not knowing what the look was in his brother's eyes.

"Charlie is of course fine with it…" Ron started causing Bill to snort as if that should have been a given. "It's just Mum, Dad, and Ginny that are treating him like dirt. They don't know about Harry yet, but I'd expect there's some crazy headed his way as well once it comes out."

"Clearly," Harry grumbled, knowing exactly how many of Mrs. Weasley's letters Kreacher had burned for him over the summer.

"Leave our lovely parents to me," Bill said firmly a hardness in his eyes. "For now, let's all plan to do Christmas with Harry if that's fine with you?"

"I wouldn't offer if it wasn't," Harry smiled and shrugged. "Draco will be roped in for a day or two as well since his godfather will be there."

Draco sighed, knowing it would be expected. Even his mother would insist he spend some time with his Uncle Sev. She'd taken the news of Severus being a vampire extremely well, and she seemed to have guessed that Draco may possibly be something too after all his questions about his father and veela in general. He just needed to confirm it for her now. Thank Merlin his father was in Azkaban! Though…was he part veela? Draco figured he'd never know and honestly didn't even care.

"Ronnikins has to go to the Burrow for most of the break," George said, causing Ron to grimace at him.

"He's our spy on the inside," Fred added as Ron huffed in frustration.

"What in Godric's name do you think I'm going to learn playing nice with Mum and Dad? I'm absolutely not playing nice with Ginny, that ship sailed when she joined Finnigan and that lot going after some first years," he grumbled. The entire group had gotten detentions, but since the Slytherins hadn't actually been hurt, and Draco refused to complain to McGonagall about himself, they unfortunately hadn't been expelled. He hoped scrubbing the bathroom floors would dissuade them from anything worse in the future.

"She what?" Bill and Percy both asked in complete shock at Ron.

"I should go, this is family stuff now," Draco stood before the meeting could spiral further.

"Yeah, I'll go too," Harry stood and followed him to the door. "Your godfather and your tattoo artist want me to talk to you about your choice of dragon anyway," he grinned at the teen.

"A Welsh Green is a beautiful dragon and a magnificent creature!" Draco protested as the two of them left the Weasleys to their much-needed family meeting.

"What about Eggbert?" Ron asked from where he was flipping through a quidditch magazine on the couch.

"I will literally set you on fire," Fawkes glared at the teen from his perch. "Under no circumstances will my grandchild be named Eggbert!"

"Er, Fawkes vetoes and just…no. He or she won't be an egg anymore," Harry laughed as he absolutely didn't add the name to the list.

"That's the worst idea you've had yet," Hermione agreed with them both from where she took the tea tray from Kreacher and set it on the low coffee table.

"What about Regulus for a boy or Regina for a girl?" Kreacher asked again, for the millionth time and just not letting it go.

"A dark creature child should probably not be too closely associated with the House of Black for the child's own safety," Snape spoke up so Harry didn't have to break the bad news that he didn't like the names to his elf.

"What about Branwen for a girl and maybe Nathair for a boy?" Hermione suggested next.

"Not terrible, but I'm not sure about names too directly tied into the type of creature Little Bit might be," Harry frowned but added the names to the list anyway.

"We could go with Merlin," Ron added with a grin. "It's a bird and a wizard."

Harry just gave him a death glare. "No."

"You could do something with your family naming traditions," Snape suggested as he took the thermos of blood Kreacher handed him. "Like a flower name such as Rose for a girl or maybe a constellation name like the mutt's family."

Harry shook his head slowly as he mulled it over. "Unfortunately, I think I'd think of Aunt Petunia too much if I went with a flower name. I knew her much longer than Mum regretfully."

Ron grimaced. "I really hate your relatives, mate."

"Don't we all," Harry shook his head. "What about Alex? It'd work for a girl and a boy or if the baby wanted to be gender non-binary or such."

"I dated an Alex. He was an absolute arse," Snape remarked dryly. "Cheated on me. Ruined the name forever in my opinion."

Harry's eyebrows shot up to his hairline as he took in the man that seemed to be more than halfway serious in that assertion. Now that was very interesting…did he say something about it? Did he pretend like it wasn't information he was exceedingly interested in? The moment passed as he tried to formulate a question.

"What about Celeste? It's a pretty name and connected to the sky," Hermione didn't seem as shocked by Snape's assertion as Harry and even Ron were. "Maybe like Solaris or something for a boy?"

Harry cleared his throat, still processing the need to ask so many follow-up questions of his roommate. "Erm…I'll add them to the list.

"I had an Uncle Callum. He was respectable and gave good Christmas gifts," Snape added into the conversation, not noting the shock he'd caused either. "Or, you could go Greek and Roman gods like Persephone or Vesta."

Harry groaned and added a few more options to his list. "This kid is going to be registered for Hogwarts before I decide on a name!"

"As long as you don't choose Eggbert. I may have to steal all your lemon drops if you do," Fawkes huffed the threat.

"No! You wouldn't!" Harry gasped in dramatic shock to the bird. "Kreacher! Don't let Fawkes steal my lemon drops!"

"They's in the cabinet by the stove, Mr. Bird," Kreacher smirked at the phoenix from where he was tossing a mouse to Saanp.

"Traitor!" Harry dramatically flopped down on the floor beside the wicker basket with the fuzzy blanket and layers of warming charms that Little Bit now proudly sat in. "They are so mean, baby! I'll protect you from the lot of them!"

"That child will not be eating a lemon drop, ever," Snape rolled his eyes at the dramatics.

"We need the sugar," Fawkes protested vehemently. "Phoenixes are naturally hypoglycemic."

"No, they aren't," Harry sat back up with a raised eyebrow at the bird. "You just have a problem, and you won't admit it."

"Pot/Kettle…" the phoenix smirked in an odd bird way back. "The thunderbird I was seeing was named Arene. She was very beautiful…"

Up Next: Danger around the corner...