Give and take

A few days later, Arcturus had finally returned. That was why it had come to pass that their usual silent breakfast was now shared among three people: the Blacks and Aenor. The Hogwarts instructor always tried to discreetly stay in the background when she perceived something to be a matter of family, tradition or custom, and so nobody intruded on the habitual tranquillity of their first meal of the day. What slightly irked Harry, however, was that with each passing day Aenor seemed to sit just a bit closer to him at every opportunity. At first, he hadn't even noticed, but it'd been more than a week since her billeting, and now it was hard not to notice. Even though he explicitly remembered telling her that this wasn't a problem of taming him, he couldn't quite shake the idea out of his head that she thought of him a rather shy squirrel in the park.

The only thing that infuriated him even more than that analogy was that, inexplicably and to his great chagrin, her methods seemed to yield results. He continuously bristled at her course of action, but his defiance only seemed to make it easier for her to approach him in turn. He was becoming quite desperate at how his every effort to resist her in this matter only seemed to further her goals.

This morning, she sat so close to him that he could smell the enticing odour the small blossoms in Aenor's braided hair released, and it really seemed to grate on his nerves; he'd tried his best to get into a bad mood about this whole business but utterly failed. His last hope had been Arcturus. The old man, to his annoyance, had just raised an eyebrow and not too subtly suppressed a grin before he buried himself behind the Prophet. Aenor was seemingly oblivious to his inner conflict, or rather 'his unbudgeable refusal to gracefully accept defeat', as she had previously put it.

Twenty minutes later, his grandfather placed his newspaper on the table in a sign of opening the conversation.

'I hope you have enjoyed your stay at our humble abode so far, Miss Rose?' Arcturus asked politely.

'I'm not too sure about the humble part, sir, but everything was quite perfect. I really must thank you again for your gracious hospitality,' Aenor spoke up, smiling with what Harry now considered 'practised charm'.

Arcturus eased his expression a bit and nodded. 'How did you spend the last few days, then? Please forgive this old man's curiosity, but already I feel you may be more forthcoming than my dear grandson, who is sadly taciturn in most personal matters.'

Aenor smirked a bit. 'We did a lot of training, sir,' she answered respectfully.

Harry prayed she was talking about magic but kept his silence. Maybe he was just getting jumpy.

'Ah, yes. As I must say, the elves have already besieged me with pleas for you to ease your schedule a bit, as they have trouble restoring the room to its neat and proper condition each night. For your sake, I certainly hope your efforts bore some fruit? Besides upsetting my servants and vandalising my house, obviously.' Arcturus gazed at her sternly, and Harry could see Aenor hesitate.

Suddenly, the Head of House Black chuckled softly. 'I am so sorry, Miss Rose. Do forgive this old man his poor attempts at humour. I know you to be an eloquent, cultivated young lady full of confidence, so I couldn't help but worry a bit. I'm very proud of Harry, but it's not hard to pick up on his reluctance to confront the fairer sex.'

Aenor let out a relieved sigh, but returned to her confident smile not too long after that. 'There's no need to pick on me, sir. I assure you, I will not puressure your grandson, nor will I prey upon his weakness in such an unworthy manner.' After a short pause, she added, 'That Cranky elf wouldn't have permitted me to do so in any case. He is...remarkably protective and independent in his actions.'

The old elf in question, who had been hovering alertly behind Harry, gave the slightest of bows to Aenor. 'Cranky thanks Miss Rose. If Miss Rose continues to uphold her current impeccable conduct, Cranky may even consider letting her in on the offer he made to young Master Harry before he went to Hogwarts in September.'

Harry groaned. 'No, Cranky, please! Can we not talk about that right now? She is a guest, you know.'

But Cranky was undeterred. 'Cranky is well aware of that, Master Harry. But as it seems progressively unlikely that Miss Greengrass will take up residence in your bedroom, Cranky will have to be on the lookout for alternate arrangements.'

Harry shrank back into his chair and tried to keep the heat out of his face.

'Oh, really? That seems like an interesting story.' Aenor smiled brightly. Harry could read her well enough now to see the playful malice behind her facade. 'I didn't know your family was conspiring to bring the two of you together, Harry. Maybe I should tell Greengrass about this, I think this will get me in her good books, you know?'

Cranky had obviously felt out of the loop this past week and now tried to repair his loss.

'Oh! Cranky thinks Miss Rose misunderstands. The invitation would originally have extended to any lady-friend Master Harry brought along for the ball. Cranky even volunteered to accommodate all of them by enlarging Master Harry's bed. Not all is lost, however, and Cranky still dares to hope; there may yet be enthusiastic ladies who tire of their company at the ball, after all.'

Aenor's eyes sparkled as she looked with glee at Harry, who was determinedly looking away by now. 'How come this tempting offer hasn't yet been made to me? I feel rather left out, not being considered a possible conquest and all that.'

Harry had slid so far down his in chair that his head was barely visible any more. 'Please make it stop, Grandfather, I beg of you!'

Arcturus, who had so far been trying to keep a straight face, coughed a few times to get Cranky's and Aenor's attention. 'I think that will do for now, you two. I have some family business to discuss with my grandson right now.'

Harry's grandfather turned towards Aenor, his expression apologetic. 'Though I hesitate to ask a guest of the house, would you consider yourself agreeable to lending your assistance to the elves for an hour today, Miss Rose? While they will, of course, take care in preparing everything for the ball, an outsider's perspective on the organisation, decoration and procedure may still prove insightful. You may also have a look at the seating arrangements and improve upon them, if you like.'

Harry rather thought he detected an odd eagerness on Aenor's face at these last words and could only hope she would do nothing too drastic.

'I'd be delighted to contribute, sir. Let me take my leave then. You'll find me in the ballroom, Harry. And don't talk behind my back, please!'

She waved to him and gracefully flounced out of the room.

~BLHD~

'She is certainly energetic, Harry. I admit I am somewhat amazed you can keep up with her.'

Harry grinned a bit sheepishly at that. 'I don't think I can, Grandfather. But she just creates a wake into which I get dragged. It's not bad, though. She is thoughtful, not unkind and not nearly as rash as Daphne, for example.'

Arcturus studied him for a second. 'I'm surprised by your assessment. I thought your invitation to be purely politically motivated, but that seems, at least no longer, to be the case. Or am I wrong?'

Harry shook his head. 'Initially, it was as you said. That may no longer be true, though. She is,' he paused for a while, grasping for a word, '...unusual.'

His grandfather looked interested and spoke in a soft voice, urging him on, 'How so?'

Harry frowned. He hated these kinds of questions, but if his grandfather wanted to know, he would try to answer. 'I have not disclosed much about me or us, not at all. She, er, may have observed me using the Arts of our family in one of our training sessions. We also briefly talked about my wand. But she willingly divulges a lot more about herself and shares much of her own knowledge in return for very obvious questions.' He saw the look of his grandfather and immediately interjected. 'I'm no fool, Grandfather. I am careful, but the truly astonishing thing is that she doesn't hold back in the least. When I asked her about her wand, she told me; when I asked if she has dived into the Dark Arts, she freely admitted it without a second of hesitation. She speaks of her powers and even of her weaknesses. I, eh, well, I admit I rather like having someone to talk about these things with who is at least approximately my own age. Daphne and the others don't understand, and sometimes I get weary of pretending. Especially with Daphne. It kind of hurts, now and then,' Harry admitted, feeling a little remorseful.

His grandfather's expression seemed rather kind now. Not a muscle had moved, yet his eyes, Harry realised, spoke volumes. 'I know what you mean, Harry, and I am glad that you seem to have found someone to confide in, even if only to an extent. You may also have misunderstood my line of questioning; she may not have told you, but it was I who specifically invited her to spend the days leading up to the ball at our manor. You may be able to continue your association with Miss Rose, granted you grow it at a steady pace. We spoke of this, remember?'

Harry nodded. 'Don't worry, I even told her how I would not accept shortcuts in these matters.'

Arcturus seemed satisfied with that. 'Good. I have made up my mind on her character, obviously, otherwise I would hardly have let her stay here. She has her own agenda, but I doubt you failed to pick up on that. She is not unlike you, though; once she is committed to a certain degree, I think you may find her quite loyal to yourself. This is also the reason why I gave her the chance to convince me that it may be prudent to bend our stance on guests a bit in her favour.' Harry shuddered slightly at the sinister edge in Arcturus' voice.

While Arcturus' words confirmed Harry's view of Rose's personality, he couldn't help feeling relieved all the same. His grandfather was very good at judging people, and if he gave his nod of acceptance, Harry felt quite safe.

'There also was the matter of Nott, Grandfather. I'm sure you know more of that than I do, but she never even mentioned him, which-I have to admit-is a refreshing change after these past months.'

'I see. I'm truly sorry about what transpired at Hogwarts. I know we corresponded with each other about this after the incident, but if you ever wish to have another talk, you know you can trust me to lend you an ear anytime, anywhere.'

Smiling kindly, his grandfather went on, 'While we are on the subject, my legal struggles on the matter are finally coming to a close, as well. Your name shall be struck from all records of the matter. The incident is therein from now on only described as an attempt to "implicate another in the most heinous deed of murder", so you may rest assured that there will be no above-ground repercussions from this for you. Of course, sadly, that will not readily improve the situation regarding the slander and hostility, but even that may ebb in time. I leave it up to you to decide whether you wish to take actions regarding that problem or not. Miss Rose may, incidentally, prove to be useful as a neutral bystander. I have several other reasons to possibly entrust her with your supervision, one of which at least I wish to share with you. From your letters and my own sources I managed to get a rather clear picture of your situation at Hogwarts, Harry. About the hostility, the violence and your isolation. I need to know what your thoughts are on these matters.'

The feeling of bliss and carefreeness that Harry had soaked up these past few days vanished like dust in the wind. Arranging his facial expression, Harry sat up straight. 'Well – I think ultimately everything you mentioned, including Nott's murder, are facets of a single problem. Someone obviously tried to implicate me in his murder for reasons that so far elude me. I'm also of the opinion that someone else is instigating the students close to the bigots to keep me from moving freely. In the end, I may have to confront both parties, though I think I shall concentrate on the more pressing matter. While I do enjoy studying the Healing Arts under Madam Pomfrey, I cannot deny that the ongoing attacks have heavily influenced my stay at Hogwarts – in a bad way.'

Arcturus nodded and smiled slightly. 'I am proud of you for making use of the opportunity. Poppy is a truly gifted Healer, and though she stands quite close to Minerva and Dumbledore, she is not as unjustly predisposed to believe all the vile defamations. I also agree with your reasoning. Do solve these problems before the end of the year. I don't need to remind you who joins you next year, do I?'

'No, Grandfather.' Harry sighed, yet his tone was rather fond. 'I will keep them out of trouble as best as I can.'

Arcturus nodded again. 'You need them close to you, Harry. I do not doubt for a moment that we do have real enemies at large at Hogwarts who are likely biding their time and observing you for now. You may continue to protect Daphne and Tracey by isolating yourself, but if you fail to improve your situation, I will intervene. Do you understand me?'

'Yes, Grandfather. I promise I will make every effort. I also promise to reconcile with Daphne as soon as the situation stabilises enough for me to do so. She is family, after all. I will also try to keep Draco close.'

'That would be wise. All is not lost with that boy. He is not his father, not that you shouldn't be cautious still. Then again, I think you already know of this.'

Arcturus relaxed a bit in his chair. 'This leaves only one more topic up for discussion, Harry. I have inspected the memories you entrusted me with. I have also disposed of them. Part of the reason for my absence these past days has to do with what I saw, and in hindsight, I admit to having acted foolishly in the past. This matter should have been brought to my attention when you were seven and we visited Gringotts. At the time, I merely thought you uniquely gifted in grasping the flow of protective enchantments, but now I know better. Please forgive me for this fateful lapse of judgement.'

To Harry's horror, Arcturus bowed his head and looked ready to prostrate himself.

'Please, Grandfather, please raise your head,' Harry spluttered in panic. 'I do not think any harm has been done yet, and thus far only you, Daphne and me have detailed knowledge about this. Cranky does, too, I believe, but I doubt he will present a problem. Aenor does have her suspicions, but so far I have been careful to never slip on the matter around her.'

Arcturus nodded emphatically and explained in a low voice, 'This matter should stay within the family by all means, Harry. In fact, if you suspect anyone gaining knowledge of this, I order you to inform me at once, as I will be forced to act. If Miss Rose should find herself in that unlucky situation, we may be able to force a deal of sorts. However, every other person at Hogwarts not of the family will be treated as collateral. It pains me to make this so clear, Harry, but it will be your responsibility to keep those people from harm.'

Harry's heart sank, but if Arcturus was so adamant about the matter, the implications of his failure were likely as drastic. He averted his gaze and nodded.

'I am truly sorry, my son, but there is no real choice in the matter. You will understand sooner or later. For the time being, I don't think it prudent to impart my entire findings on the matter, but my tentative advice is to strengthen your Occlumency as best as you possibly can, I think you see the wisdom in this. The second thing to keep in the background of your mind would be to use your gift whenever you are alone or with Daphne. If you have the time to do it, try to focus your powers, but I have to warn you, Harry: never let it run loose and only use it while focusing; if you are uncertain that you can succeed, forfeit any practice and continue with your Occlumency exercises. Training in this matter is said to be excruciatingly long-winded and difficult, but I have full confidence that you may eventually master your predicament. Procrastination will not help you either; my research so far indicates that the situation will gradually spiral out of control if you fail to deal with it.' He paused shortly and then added in a warm tone reserved only for his interactions with Harry, 'I am sorry, Grandson. You have been given a great and terrible boon, but you would do best to slowly nourish it. For now, the development of your Occlumency is paramount. Trust me on this.'

Harry felt a bit lost at sea. He had always suspected his gift to be rather special, but to make even Arcturus speak so cryptically with him, it had to be something of dire consequence and imminent danger to him or the family. At least now he had a clear goal and motivation. Until this time, he had always been conflicted about using his power, as it required him to tone down his protections, thus standing in contrast to his grandfather's prior instructions and common sense. If he could just somehow filter what he experienced while still protecting his mind, he could finally see a greater practical use of all this...

He nodded and said, 'I understand, Grandfather, and thank you for your efforts. I promise I shall do my best.'

Arcturus offered the kind of grandfatherly smile that only Harry knew. 'Good. Now why don't you try to find Miss Rose? I'm rather worried she already mimics your mischievous grin, so I fear she may be up to no good.' He laughed softly. 'In the meantime, I'll speak to Cranky and rein him in a bit, if at all possible, that is.'

'Wait – Grandfather!' Harry hesitated, then stood up. Facing Arcturus, he bowed his head. 'I wish to make a formal request concerning matters of House Black as a member of the main family...'

~BLHD~

Even though Harry was in a ponderous mood when he entered the ballroom a bit later, he tried valiantly to dispel any concern from his mien. Aenor sat casually on a table and was speaking animatedly to Cranky, who of which was nodding gleefully.

'So, how goes the messing with the seating arrangement?' Harry's snigger sounded a bit forced to his own ears. 'Hope you made it worth the effort at least.'

'What a curious accusation, Mr Black. I'm not sure why you're of the opinion that I used the position your grandfather appointed me to, in good faith, for nefarious deeds of personal interest.'

Harry waited and raised an eyebrow. Cranky just smiled meaningfully and disapparated.

Aenor shrugged and laughed suddenly. Harry was glad that she was in good spirits, as she would likely prove capable of stopping his musing about grave tidings. Her voice was light and her expression excited. 'I don't want to spoil the surprise, Harry. Let's just say, I prepared to fire the first shot of the evening.'

Though Harry had no idea what she could possibly mean, a vague hunch told him that it would probably spell trouble. Who would have thought her so childish as to play pranks? Not that I'm complaining...

It had become completely clear to Harry, in the last week, that Aenor hid behind her mask just as much as he normally did. Since he had dropped his acting instantly on the first evening, she had loosened up more and more. In the end, it turned out that Aenor was not only surprisingly spontaneous, but also pretty amusing; if you could stomach her humour...

'Hey, I'm all finished here, Harry. How about we put you in your place and shed a bit more of your–I mean...train you up a bit?' She asked coquettishly.

Yeah, that kind of humour.

~BLHD~

Harry found himself lying flat on the ground for the twelfth time in two hours. Moaning hoarsely, he winced and tried to turn around in an effort to at least look at something more interesting than the patterning of the marble. Grunting in pain, he managed just that, but getting up was beyond him for the moment.

'Finished already, Harry?' Aenor innocently looked down at him, laughing to herself. This time, her robes had not suffered even a single blemish.

'Yeah, I'm done. My body won't move, and I do not think I can muster the will to try anyway. Today was kind of disheartening, you know?'

Sitting down a few paces from him, she looked in his direction, a mysterious smile painted on her face. 'Well, I always sleep best when I'm dead-tired. If you are truly unable to move, then you won't be up all night, thinking about whatever your grandfather told you.'

Harry squinched up his face and mumbled, 'Was I truly that obvious?'

She grinned and gazed down into his eyes. 'Well, you did okay-ish. I would've been able to pick up on your discomfort and wandering mind in any case, but important family talk is rarely of the good sort. I know that well enough.'

Harry did not comment and looked away.

Aenor, however, just laughed again. 'Why all bashful? Oh–no!' Her voice immediately gained a slightly comical quality of shocked disbelief. 'Don't tell me it's that? Well, let me be the first to congratulate you! I wish you and Greengrass all the luck you likely need.'

Harry snapped his head back in her direction. 'What are you talking about?'

'Well, marriage contracts at such an age can be a bit of a shock, of course. But I'm sure the both of you can work it out...'

He just stared, dumbstruck, into her eyes whilst embarrassment and indignation fought a raging battle in his mind – until Aenor broke into uncontrolled laughter.

'Your face looks bizarre! Come on, get a grip! This one was so obvious, too. I wouldn't think a marriage contract out of place with the Blacks, to be honest, but after seeing your grandfather dote on you like that, I doubt he'd have the heart.'

Frowning, Harry turned his face away from her to his left and said the first thing on his mind to avert further shame, 'Marriage contracts are sometimes necessary. Before you ask: No! I am not subject to one as far as I am aware, but that doesn't mean that the issue may never arise in the future...'

After a few seconds of silence, Harry felt something tickle his right cheek, and he looked up.

Aenor had bent her head over his, and several silvery-blond strands of hair had fallen onto his face.

In fascination, he beheld how full of life those eyes that always reminded him of cold winter mornings seemed up close...

'Open to suggestions in matters of marriage contracts, are you, Harry?' she spoke kindly and offered a sweet and teasing smile.

He felt his face grow slightly hot, but he just couldn't manage to tear his gaze away. Nor did she move.

After what seemed like an eternity of locked gazes, Harry slowly spoke without averting his eyes, 'I–I thought you promised not to, er, prey upon my weakness, Aenor?'

Her kittenish expression slowly transformed into an even more mesmerising warm and earnest smile. 'And I'm still upholding that promise...' Her voice was soft and strangely stirred.

Harry just stared into her eyes, searching for an answer...

It took him half a minute until he realised that he didn't recoil even though her immaculate face was barely ten inches above his. His eyes grew wide, as did her smile. He still did not feel the need to say anything and continued to bask in the radiance of her smile and those vivid eyes.

Harry soaked in her gaze, wallowing in the bliss of the moment, until–finally–Aenor smoothly pulled away.

'Just in time, Harry,' she said gently, still beaming. 'We will at least have one day to find out how good of a dancer you are and improve upon our performance should the need arise.'

Harry nodded, a blank expression on his face.

She did seem to become slightly flustered by his silence, but her eyes still shone brightly.

'How did I do? Compared to Greengrass or Davis, for example?'

Daphne's name finally broke the spell on Harry's mind. He blinked a few times and assumed a more adequate expression than untarnished befuddlement.

'Eh, both situations were a bit different. I first saw Daphne when...when the cause of my problems was still very fresh on my mind, whereas my contact with Tracey was rather sporadic for a long time.'

She seemed to pout a bit because he would not give her a straight answer. He couldn't tell if she was playing him again, but the strategy was effective all the same.

'In Tracey's case, I estimate it took her about twenty months. Daphne has always been unyielding; about nine weeks back then, I guess...'

Aenor struck a pose as if she had just won the election as supreme ruler of the universe with no dissentient. 'And I win by a landslide! Take that, you damned brats!'

Harry couldn't help but smirk at the laughableness of it all. 'Yeah, I guess you do.'

The woman in front of him was exhilarated, and, like a sponge, Harry soaked up her behaviour, which was completely authentic, not at all repressed for the first time ever; he had really never seen her lose it like that. It took her a while to calm down, but then she finally looked into his eyes again, though from a greater distance this time.

Slowly, her bright smile crumbled. 'It–It never truly stops bothering you though, does it, Harry?'

He grimaced and finally tried to sit up. After a gruesome effort, he replied slowly, 'No. At least not according to my previous experiences. But...but...Ah, never mind!'

'What is it?' Aenor's tone was subdued.

Realising that she most likely felt ashamed of her earlier outburst, he gave in again. 'The, eh, fear, well, it kind of gets counterbalanced by, er, Merlin-I-hate-these-talks, by emotional...investment or strong, dominant and lingering positive impulses.' Despite his outwardly calm demeanour, his heart was pounding hard.

'So,' Aenor's voice seemed a bit upbeat again and he was glad for it, 'you either need to spend more quality time with me or completely drown in the moment?'

'Yeah. Just...you know,' he drew a breath and hastily produced a few words without returning her glances, 'like a few minutes ago. I-I was entirely caught up in the scene and in those kind of situations it is hardly even background noise for me, as long as the per...experience is captivating enough. MERLIN! Can we please, please stop talking about this?!'

He didn't even mind how pathetically whiny the last sentence came out. Harry truly hated these conversations in which he couldn't string two coherent sentences together without stuttering in shame or blushing like a ten-year-old. It was bad enough that Daphne always seemed to get him there.

She walked towards him and dragged him to his feet, smile in place again. 'Alright, I shall withdraw my scandalous advances for the time being. Let's get you sorted out and call it quits for today.'

Harry nervously wriggled in her grip for a second. 'Eh, can I ask you a favour? It's kind of a big deal, though.'

She turned towards him and inclined her head, looking at him curiously. He could see that she was still in high spirits, and a better opportunity would not likely present itself during the next few days.

'What is it?' She asked without hesitation.

'I know it sounds kind of bad. Sweet Morgana, how to say this?!' He paused for a second and forcefully exhaled his hesitation, steeling himself and blunting his feelings in the process. 'I need a vial of your blood.'

Her eyes grew wide with shock, and her petite eyebrows shot further up than Harry would have believed possible. He wasn't exactly surprised either. Blood, especially blood freely given, was a crucial component in many a grizzly spell or even ritual. Even though Harry tried to avoid the really nasty ones when studying these matters, he was very sure that even he would be able to seriously harm her with a full dose of her lifeblood. Other, more advanced students of the Arts probably needed less for even more drastic effects. He knew there were curses and charms that could inflict even whole bloodlines for an indefinite amount of time...

All these spells took time to cast, sometimes months or years of preparation, but there was practically no way to defend against them if you were caught unaware. And blood could be made to last for practically forever. This was the reason he had so little confidence in his request. He remembered his own first lesson only too well, the words of Arcturus still haunting his mind:

Do not ever give blood willingly. Do not ever bond with unknown entities.

Arcturus had drilled into him how these lines were likely the only remaining common ground that remained among all the different teachings of what outsiders unwittingly referred to as 'Dark Arts'.

Aenor was still gawking. The hush grew steadily more painful, and Harry deeply regretted ever mentioning this, but Arcturus had been persistent. Lowering his head in shame, resigning himself to the aching pain that consumed his heart, he muttered, 'I'm... I am sorry. Please forget I ever mentioned that.'

He turned to walk away, but found himself being held back. Aenor had grabbed his sleeve and spun him around again. Slowly, she reached into her robes and produced a silver knife and a small crystal vial. Harry watched guiltily as she cut her thumb and let the drops of her blood drip into the small container until it was filled, quickly healing the laceration afterwards.

'Will you tell me what you used it for?' Her voice sounded distant.

'Yes,' he answered simply.

'Will you tell me before you utilise it for whatever purpose you have in mind for it?'

He gulped. 'No.'

She stared into his eyes, and he could once more not force himself to look away, hoping against expectation that she would just comply...

'Harry, you're demented.' But even as she finished speaking, she slowly and deliberately placed the vial into his palm and closed his fingers around it. The instant she let go, she breathed deeply and shut her eyes, as if waiting to be struck down by a sudden bolt of lightning.

In a most uncharacteristic silence, they walked towards the stairs where they would have to part. Harry stopped by the first step, unsure what to say, but positive that something needed to be said. He helplessly cast a look towards Aenor, whose expression was completely hidden by her long hair that, loose from her trademark braids, covered her like a curtain. A few seconds passed until she pushed her mane behind her ears and looked into his face. It took her a while, but finally she managed a smile.

'Let's make the ball a blast, Harry!'