Pre-Author's Note. Uh Oh Yall, Mama's back.

Draco stood outside the door of Hermione's parent's house. Here he was again. Of his own volition. At the house of the people who gave birth to the girl his family tortured. He was about to accept their warmth and hospitality after torturing their daughter. They were ignorant of this fact of course, but that only served to make his guilt exponentially greater. If Mr. Granger knew...If he knew he was the reason Hermione woke up screaming at night. The reason she was in so much pain all the time. The reason she was so angry and scared...Mr. Granger would kill him where he stood.

And he would let him.

But death was too good for him. Draco knew this. Draco knew he deserved to suffer. Like the Bloody Baron, he would suffer in repentance for his actions. Hermione may have told him that there was good inside him, and that may be true, but that didn't mean he shouldn't have to pay for all the bad.

He didnt always believe he needed to pay for what he had done. Indeed, in the beginning, all he wanted was for people to just forget and everything go back to normal. But as time passed, as he started to see the human suffering that resulted from his actions...his opinion started to change. He started to believe that suffering was the only way to relieve himself of this blazing self hatred that consumed him. He reckoned this change in opinion was the "good" in him that Hermione was talking about.

Suffering was good.

Draco took in a deep breath and prepared to knock on the door.

But instead the door suddenly swung open to reveal a dreamy looking Luna staring out at him.

"Ah. I thought I heard wrakspurts." She announced.

Draco cocked an eyebrow. "Uh...right. Good Evening Lovegood."

"Lovegood? Love is good isn't it?" Luna replied.

Draco looked up to the sky, partly out of exasperation and partly to control his growing discomfort. "I...Ive arrived to the party."

Luna cocked her head to the side. "Well, of course you have. It wouldn't be a party without you."

And she said it with a strange kind of warmth and sincerity that left Draco in immense confusion. How could she be like this? Especially with him. Draco cleared his throat. "Eh...should...can I…"

Luna perked up. "Its a muggle extravaganza!"

Draco jumped back a bit in confusion. "A...a what?"

Luna smiled mysteriously. "I believe you all made some muggle friends over the holiday?"

Draco took a moment to ponder how crazy Luna was before realizing what she was saying. "Ah! Max!"

Luna smiled as if she was proud of him for working out such a complex problem. " Yes. Hermione has confirmed that he and his friends will be in attendance. So we will be doing a muggle themed party!"

Draco thought for a moment. "Well, didn't Hermi...Granger kind of invite the entire school? How is she going to get everyone to not do magic?"

Luna looked off into the distance as if she wasn't listening to him. "All questions have an answer…"

Draco narrowed his eyes. "Yes, but-"

Luna grabbed his hand suddenly and Draco flinched at her touch. How long had it been since a woman voluntarily touched him besides his mother?

Right. Hermione.

"Come!" Luna chirped as she dragged him across the threshold. Draco tried to take in his surroundings as Luna stampeded through the downstairs foyer, through a kitchen, and out a backdoor.

As she slowed to a stop and released him from her demon grip, he finally had a moment to get his bearings.

It was incredible. The backyard was incredible.

It had clearly been expanded to a tremendous size. And it was oddly warm and comfortable for such a cold night in December. Draco knew that Hermione was excellent at atmospheric charms. There were picnic tables strewn about, a large firepit, a serving area with a long table covered in food and drinks. And...was that a marble fountain in the back? There was what looked to be an azealia lined garden maze, most likely for romantic strolls for couples. Was that a first aid tent? Why? A raised platform for...a band? Was there going to be a band?

"The Weird Sisters are coming." The voice of Hermione rang out behind him.

Draco swung around to see her standing right behind him, arms crossed and smirking.

Draco blushed a bit at being taken off guard but found himself strangely relieved to see her. Such an alien feeling for him to have towards her and yet, a feeling that was starting to become oddly familiar. Regally, he crossed his arms, smirked, and arched an eyebrow. "And how did you pull that off Granger? Aren't they on a world tour right now?"

Hermione chuckled. "I don't know if you know this Malfoy, but I'm kind of famous now. A bit of a big deal, you know?"

Draco rolled his eyes. "Yes, the world constantly reminds me."

Hermione rolled her eyes back at him. "Don't be a prat. I look at fame practically. We are an amazing marketing opportunity for them. Humility is a virtue but that doesn't mean you can't use what you have to get what you need."

Draco looked at Hermione and found himself impressed and concerned. It sounded like her but...it didn't. "So, what is your plan for the muggles...how are you going to explain your enormous backyard?"

Hermione sighed. "Muggles struggle with asking the right questions. If they see something that seems impossible. They will automatically try to explain it through a lens they understand. Lest they have to admit they are crazy. You'd be surprised the things muggles will explain away or justify. Slavery for example. It is an obvious evil and yet they convinced themselves that it wasn't."

Draco continued to look out at the grounds. "Slavery?"

Hermione rolled her eyes, "Think of house elves, except with humans."

Draco looked at her incredulously. "Yes..I know what slav-"

Hermione cut him off, chuckling coldly again. "At least the houselves thought they were happy being enslaved…"

Draco narrowed his eyes. No. This didn't impress him, this concerned him.

And then Hermione shook her head slightly and looked at him. "How's your houself?"

Draco pursed his lips and changed the subject. "So...how are you going to get, possibly hundreds, of witches and wizards not to perform magic in front of your new friends?"

Hermione looked up towards the night sky and Draco wondered if she was pondering whether to address his change of subject. "It's simple enough. Tell them. I put it on the invitation. Muggle themed, muggles will be present. If they have a problem with that. Dont come."

Draco smirked. "That sounds like quite the invitation."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Well, obviously I didn't put it in quite those words, but I think I made myself clear."

Draco nodded. "I've never known you to be inconcise."

Hermione sighed. "You know, I've never been much for parties. I've never actually thrown one of these before."

Draco looked at Hermione and saw that there seemed to be a bit of concern in her face. "Well, the First Aid tent may be a little much, but...I..eh..I think it's actually pretty well put together."

Hermione looked back at Draco and searched his eyes for the slightest bit of patronization or sarcasm. "Really?"

Draco smiled and it made Hermione flinch a bit. "I do. Trust me on this one, I've been to alot of fancy parties in my life, I know a bad one when I see it."

And then they were looking at each other. Almost like friends.

"Pretty good right?" The voice of Harry Potter rang out as he sidled up to the two of them. As he approached, he noticed how they were looking at each other. It was...off. "...alright?"

Draco blew out a hard breath. "Potter. How lovely to see you."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Pleasant as ever, Malfoy. Pleasant as ever."

"I apologize, Potter." Draco said, rubbing his eyes. "Babysitting can take a lot out of you. Where's Zuko?"

Hermione shrugged. "I think he's over near the Azealia garden."

Draco nodded to Hermione before sneering at Harry and walking off.

"Whats up his bum?" Harry said as he walked off.

Hermione stared off at him for a bit. She sighed. "I think everything should be good right? I put up a bunch of tiki torches to mask the atmospheric charm. All muggle food, nothing magical resembling…"

Harry sighed. "I think it should be fine…"

"I hope so."

Harry studied Hermione. It was so like her to be more focused on the mechanics of a successful party than on the party itself. She had worked wonders, as she often did, and yet she seemed to be totally oblivious to the end product. He watched as she bit her lip, contemplating if there was anything she forgot.

He loved the way she bit that lip and he was entranced.

"Hermione dear!" Mrs. Granger announced as she walked up to the two. They both seemed to be distracted. Hermione, staring out at the yard, Harry staring at Hermione. Mrs. Granger smirked.

"HERMIONE!"

Hermione snapped around so fast, it looked painful. Mrs. Granger suddenly found herself feeling guilty for startling her. Especially since she knew how easy it was to startle Hermione nowadays. She watched and waited for Hermione to recover, it always took her a bit.

"Im so sorry-" Mrs Granger started.

"What is it?!" Hermione somewhat shouted but it didn't seem to be on purpose, moreso out of shock. Mrs. Granger had learned to tell the difference.

"My love...I...I need you to grab the coals from the basement." Mrs. Granger said quietly, watching as Hermione's eyes came back into focus.

"The...the coals?" Hermione whispered.

Mrs. Granger took a deep breath and kept her voice low, calm, and steady. Yes. She had been learning a lot about how to talk to Hermione.

"Yes, dear. Why don't you take Harry with you? The bag is fairly heavy." Mrs. Granger replied quietly.

Hermione blinked for a moment and there was a tiny, loud silence. "Yes. The coals. For the grill. Of course."

And then Hermione just walked off, almost robotically.

Harry watched her go for a moment before turning to look at Mrs. Granger. She was already staring at him and her eyes were pleading. At that moment, Harry knew that she knew about the arrangement that Mr. Granger had made with him to watch over her. The fear in her eyes was clear.

Harry nodded his head knowingly at her before following Hermione to the basement.

It didn't take long to catch up to her. She seemed to be walking almost lethargically. Finally, they came up to a dark wood finished door beneath the staircase. Harry had a sudden flashback to his "bedroom" underneath the stairs at Privett Drive. His chest started to burn.

Silently, Hermione opened the door and clicked on a light, she swept down the stairs. Harry started to follow her when he suddenly found himself paralyzed.

Suddenly, the world seemed to dissolve, everything was unclear. Suddenly, he could barely breathe. Vision started to come to him. Stone stairs, dimly lit.

Suddenly, sounds started coming to him. Hermione's screams, Ron shouting her name.

Dark stone room. Escape Proof.

A Silver hand, choking the life out of it's owner. Harry watched him die slowly. An endless moment.

Harry kneeled over, he blew out a hard breath. His hands were shaking violently now. He closed his eyes tightly, attempting to will himself back to reality.

"Harry?" Hermione's voice called from the basement.

And just like that, he could breathe again. He could see again. He blinked rapidly before straightening himself out. He looked at his hands, still as death. He placed one on the railing and slowly made his way down the stairs.

It was dark and a bit dusty, cluttered with years of the Granger's lives. There were old paintings, tons of cardboard boxes, various old knick knacks. It was definitely a storage room and yet it was certainly no dungeon beneath the cold confines of Malfoy Manor. Still, this cozy nest of loving memories terrified him. He hated basements. He hated anywhere that couldn't be easily escaped. Whether that be Hermione's basement, the stone dungeon of Malfoy Manor, or the closet under the stairs at Privett Drive. Harry had never realized exactly how much of his life he had spent locked away.

How easy it was to find yourself trapped.

"Harry?" He heard her voice again and was surprised to see her standing beside him staring. Her eyes look worried. "Are you alright?

Harry swallowed hard. "Yes...yes I'm fine."

Hermione cocked her head slightly to the side. "Didn't look like it at the top of the stairs…"

"I'm fine!" Harry snapped. And it felt like fifth year all over again, the anger threatened to spill out of him and he started to feel like he was losing control, as if he was being controlled.

Except he was not being possessed by some outside entity. Hermione was not Voldemort. And Hermione didn't scare as easily as Voldemort either.

She looked at him critically for a moment. "You have never been very good at lying, Harry. Especially to me."

Harry looked away from her.

And then he felt her move and a moment later, he felt her fingers on his cheek, slowly guiding his face towards hers. And Green met Brown.

"Harry... Please." Hermione whispered.

The moment her fingers touched his face, he was done for. He realized that he was not being controlled by Hermione, he was being loved by her. Loved enough to take his fear as her own.

"I...I can sometimes...see it." Harry whispered. "I..can see-"

"-Malfoy Manor...I know." Hermione whispered back. "I get them too."

I get them too. He wasn't alone.

"I try to block it out…" Harry murmured. "But it just…"

"I know." Hermione whispered. "It never listens. It's like it lives inside me. It breathes with me. It decides, we don't."

Their eyes stayed locked but there was something behind it that was evolving.

"Sometimes...sometimes I get so afraid of the dark, I throw up." Harry said, and the shame behind his voice was so real.

Hermione nodded. "Sometimes, I sleep with my shoes on. In case, I have to run in the middle of the night…"

Trade secrets. The trade secrets of the broken. Every shameful quirk, every dysfunctional behavior, every flaw born from the trauma of monumental loss and violence. Tonight, they would share their secrets. Just for this moment, they would be free.

"I wake up screaming. I see Bellatrix every night…" Hermione croaked.

"I can't stand the sound of laughter, it makes me panic. All Voldemort ever did was laugh, he laughed at the slaughter…" Harry murmured.

"Sometimes, I sleep under my bed. I can't stop feeling like I have to hide." Hermione replied.

It was a waterfall of confessions, unstoppable.

"I slept in the closet a couple times."

"I fainted at Tottingham Court. I can't go there anymore."

"I wake up crying. I didn't even know that was possible."

"I punched a hole in a wall. I get so angry."

They couldn't stop themselves. It was as if they had been living an existence of secrets. A false reality.

By the end of it all, they were both slightly panting, sweating, shaking. And yet, it was releasing. It felt good to not be alone.

And then they were staring at each other again, in that way they had both been desperately avoiding.

But there was nowhere to hide anymore.

And then they were moving, their lips slowly careening towards an act that seemed...inevitable.

Their eyes fluttered closed.

And their lips met.

And about 1 ¾ seconds later they snapped back from each other.

"NOPE." Harry yelped.

" NO NO NO NO NO NO" Hermione yelled at the same time.

It was awful. Absolutely wrong. From the second their lips touched, it felt like kissing their sibling. Deeply, deeply wrong. They both felt like they had been playing this moment up in their heads for months. This had dominated their most intimate thoughts for ages, almost to the point where they both felt like they were going mad. And yet, when the time came, it only took a moment to evaporate. How cruel it was that the universe could cause such a long period of emotional turmoil, only to undo it in a split second.

They looked at each other for a moment and suddenly they both realized how mean their respective exclamations must have sounded. And then they both started to desperately explain themselves.

"Oh! I'm so sorry Harry! It's not that you're not a...a good looking guy-" Hermione started.

"- it's not you, Hermione! It's just...it's not…" Harry continued.

"It's not you either Harry! It...it just felt like I was kissing my brother!" Hermione rattled off.

"Absolutely agree. It felt so...WRONG." Harry practically yelled.

"SO WRONG." Hermione finished.

And then they stood awkwardly for a moment before shyly looking up at each other.

And Harry smirked. Then Hermione smiled. Then Harry started to chuckle and Hermione followed suit. Soon they were both doubled over with laughter.

Finally, they both recovered. "Honestly Harry, the world thinks we're a bunch of God-like geniuses. How could we have thought that was a good idea?"

Harry shrugged. "No idea. It just seemed like everyone thought we were into each other anyway so…"

Hermione shook her head, "Its crazy how easily others can get inside our heads…"

And there was a cold silence as Harry was hit with the nauseating feeling he used to feel before he unwillingly saw the world through the cold, red eyes of a broken lunatic. How horrible it was to have your mind hijacked. Harry had spent an absurd amount of effort trying to forget about those horrible nights on the run when he was forced to leave himself and live inside someone else. And not just ANY someone else. Harry was probably the only person in the world who truly knew what it felt like to be stolen from yourself.

It was a kind of invasive that was unspeakable and because of this, he rarely spoke of it.

Hermione seemed to realize her mistake because she got a look on her face that very much resembled the one she made when she broke his wand. Absolute guilt.

It was rare when Hermione was rendered unable to fix a situation. She felt utterly helpless, which was becoming more and more common for her.

And she hated it.

Finally, Harry blew out a hard breath. "Let's get out of here. This room is starting to get dangerous."

Hermione nodded gratefully and grabbed the bag of coals from the corner. They both turned to ascend the stairs when Harry chirped up.

"Oh. One more thing." Harry said slowly and Hermione looked to him curiously.

" You want to tell me what's going on with you and Malfoy?"

….

Sokka's eyes shot open. It was here! Today was the day! The day they had all been talking about for what felt like several years. Christmanmorriseychickenson Day! Sokka found himself strangely excited. Today was the day of stuff! Free stuff! Free gifts, free food, free clothes! Free! Sokka had never heard of something so ridiculous. Something so frivolous. In his village, what they had was cherished. They were far enough from civilization that there wasn't alot of international trade. Therefore, the things they had were things that were either found close by, or passed down through the generations. Gifts were a concept for the rich, the accessible. They had to hold on to every little thing in the Southern Water Tribe.

In fact, it wasn't until Sokka had traveled the world that he realized exactly how underdeveloped his people were. It brought an alien feeling to him.

Shame.

Sokka had been an immensely proud man before he left his tribe. He was a proud warrior. The MAN of his tribe. His word was respected...somewhat. And he was respected because of who he WAS not because of who he KNEW. But things change.

His humiliatingly brief first fight with Zuko had shown him EXACTLY how strong and powerful a warrior he was. The incredible inventions of the mechanist had shown him EXACTLY how advanced his people were. His residence in the great ice fortress of the Northern water tribe had shown him EXACTLY how civilized his people were. The extensive palaces of the Be fong estate, the Fire Nation Imperial home, the upper ring castle of the Kings of Ba Sing Se, the cliff side retreats of the Airbenders….they all showed him exactly how RICH his people were. The stark contrast of the might of the water tribe warrior in comparison to the earth shattering power of his bender allies...it all showed him how truly insignificant, powerless, uncultured, and inconsequential his people were.

Who HE really was.

And his pride evaporated. And his shame bloomed.

But here? In this world? People were taking him in, giving him gifts, listening to him...not because of who he knew, but because of who he was.

What a wonderful place.

"Well, well…looks like some of us got a bit of a sleepy start!" The voice of Arthur Wealsey chirped from the bedroom door.

Sokka swung around in bed at the sound of it and was met with Mr. Weasley's warm smirk. "Eh...sorry sir. Bit of a heavy sleeper sometimes, this guy." Sokka finished, pointing at himself in a goofy way.

Arthur studied the boy for a moment, before clearing his throat. "Well, your friends are already up...and they've brought a guest for the holidays." Arthur started. "Eh...not that it's a problem of course! We've got more than enough food. Break-"

"BREAKFAST" Sokka yelped and ran past Mr. Weasley so abruptly that Arthur almost fell over. He stared off at the boy for a moment before breaking into the most obscene fit of laughter he had ever fallen victim too. He came to eventually and sighed. He needed that.

Sokka bounded down the staircase two at a time. Wearing a pair of old, too big pajama bottoms and a crusty shirt that exclaimed "Weasley is our King!" A gift from a 4th year Gryffindor who had harbored a MAJOR crush on Ron in his sixth year. A simpler time.

He bounded into the living room and ran smack dab into an unmoving figure. He tumbled backwards and had a semi-comical fall to the ground. As his vision came to, he found the figure of Zuko standing in the Weasley living room, hands in his pockets, dressed smartly in one of Draco's silk suits.

Zuko cocked his head to the side ever so slightly before smirking a bit and extending his arm.

Sokka stared at it for a bit, still a little out of it, when he finally realized what had just happened. Quickly, he grabbed Zuko's forearm in what he hoped was a manly way and, together, they pulled him up to his feet.

Sokka dusted himself off dramatically. "Sorry about that. Got the speed of a cheetah mustang."

Zuko chuckled. "Eh...no problem."

They stood together in mutual discomfort. It had been a while since Clavicula's uncomfortable friendship meeting, and even longer since he was rolling around on the floor with Zuko trying to mash cake in his face and calling him a lying snake.

Needless to say, there were alot of mixed feelings.

They stood awkwardly before Sokka loudly cleared his throat.

Zuko flinched. "Eh….Uh...what's with that weird little old man in red flying around that indoor tree?" Zuko flipped his thumb over his shoulder.

Sokka peered around to what Zuko was pointing at. "Ooooh. That's Saint Santaman."

Zuko only arched an eyebrow. Sokka continued, "He's like...this immortal elderly guy that flies around the world, in one night, giving gifts to good kids."

Zuko's eyes widened. "Aaaand, what does he give the bad kids?"

Sokka rubbed the back of his neck. "Eh...he gives the bad kids...well I guess he gives them rocks?"

"Rocks."

"Yup. Punishment Rocks."

"And how does he fly around the world in one night?"

"...flying deer cattle."

Zuko stared at Sokka in absolute silence before finally uttering: "But...WHY?"

Sokka thought for a moment. "Hmm...cuz he's cool but...also a jerk?"

Zuko closed his eyes and let out a long sigh. "Of course."

Sokka chuckled. "It's a spiritual thing...I don't make up the rules."

Zuko smirked before motioning his head towards the kitchen. Together, they made the short distance to the kitchen and Sokka found himself surprised that he hadn't heard it far before he saw it.

It was chaos. Molly was shouting instructions to Katara, Ginny, Hermione, Bill, Aang, and Harry, who were darting around narrowly missing flying plates as well as each other. Sokka was too enchanted by the wondrous smells emanating from Mrs Weasley's stove to pay attention to anything else.

Sokka was starting to vibrate from the excitement of it all. Which caused Zuko to shake his head in amusement.

Mrs. Weasley seemed to notice them without even glancing in their direction, busying herself with a frying pan on the stove. "Good Morning Wang, dear, I'm afraid you got a bit of a late start but just as well. Take a seat, anywhere is fine dear, we're just about ready."

Sokka briefly wondered how long they had all been up and why no one had woken him but decided that now was the time for eating.

And as if Harry had heard his thoughts, he plopped down next to Sokka. Harry blew out a hard breath, "...things can get crazy around here very quickly. I woke up maybe thirty minutes ago, to meet Zuko's portkey at the front gate. Literally, no one was here. I come back with Zuko, and BOOM, whole kitchen is crazy. Honestly, I don't know how Mrs. Weasley does it…"

Sokka quirked an eyebrow and, for the first time, looked at Harry properly. He was in pajamas and slippers. His hair all over his head. It certainly looked like he had just woken up.

Harry ran a quick hand across his brow. "Mrs. Weasley likes to put people to WORK. Dont know how you escaped it mate but count your lucky stars because I HATE you right now."

Sokka laughed somewhat but was quickly overtaken by a familiar feeling. Inconsequential. Unnecessary.

Shame.

And that was right about the time when 5 pieces of bacon, 4 sausages, two muffins, 3 scrambled eggs, and a piece of toast came flying onto his plate, and all thought was blissfully wiped from his head.

Some time after the feast, the family adjourned to the sitting room for presents. Zuko found himself as stiff and suspicious as ever. The Weasleys were a far cry from the cold structure of Malfoy manor. Dinners were very prompt, dignified, quiet affairs there...usually.

But here.

The scene at breakfast alone was crazy enough but the casualness of discussion and interaction exhibited by the Weasleys was just a bit horrifying to Zuko. He had somewhat gotten used to this, being friends with the Prince of Foolishness Aang and his wacky gang, but he still found it somewhat abrupt and off putting to see other people behaving this way.

Was there something wrong with him?

He had been seeing these kinds of scenes more and more in his world as the nations started coming together. As he started meeting the other benders...his family's victims. Zuko closed his eyes tightly at the thought.

Zuko had been raised as a prince. Structure, protocol, and expectation were the pillars on which he stood. It was what made it so hard for him to finally walk away. How can you walk away from the only thing you knew?

His life may have brought him alot of pain, but it was NEVER unpredictable. Not until a few heated words, uttered by an impulsive 14 year old, introduced the concept of chaos into his life. His years in exile taught him just how preferable structure and expectations were to the chaos of self actualization. There were definitely benefits to doing what you were told.

Zuko knew this...and so did Draco.

Even with all the uncomfortable time Zuko spent in the cold, dreary confines of Malfoy Manor, there was something eerily comforting about it. That old feeling of comfort that came from privilege. Even with its treacherous drawing room and violent family squabbles...well, that was nothing new to Zuko. There was nothing chaotic about that. It was the second place in this crazy world, where Zuko felt like he belonged outside of that muggle aristocrat party. Malfoy Manor felt familiar. Safe. Zuko was home.

And he hated it. Why would warmth and love and vulnerability be an uncomfortable thing? There sure was plenty of that with the Weasleys. Why would humor and laughter and smiles illicit feelings of fear? What was so chaotic about love?

Why would love be something to fear?

Zuko shook his head and tried to switch gears in his mind. He wondered when anyone was going to explain why the house was leaning. When he first saw it, he balked but Harry only shrugged his shoulders and said "Magic." How was that possible? Were there no rules to what magic could produce? Unpredictable.

And then a real wave of fear hit him. Apparently, he was a wizard.

And then, Mrs. Weasley clapped her hands several times and Zuko was snapped out of his ruminations by the jovial innocence of it. So disconcerting.

"Well, I've got all your presents here! And several for our new guests! I was able to get something together for you too Lee! Tuck in, I want to see your faces!"

Mr. Weasley began the task of disseminating the gifts. " One for Ron...one for Harry...Hermione of course...Wang, here you go...Oh, Melone, this one is yours...Sapphire...Lee, I hope you like it, Im afraid Mrs. Weasley didn't have much time to get it together...Kuzon, thats yours…

The gang grabbed the gifts feverishly, all except Zuko, who took his with some trepidation. Zuko carefully opened the package. There was something red in it. Zuko ran his finger tips carefully across it. It was soft. Zuko took a deep breath and finally pulled the gift out of the package.

It was...a sweater. A sweater with a giant "L" on it. Zuko cocked his head to the side and slowly looked up. The first thing he saw was Aang's goofy smile, holding up a sweater with a giant "K" on it. As Zuko looked around the room, he saw that Team Avatar all had sweaters with letters on it.

Ron smirked. "Its sort of Mum's signature gift. A Sweater with your initial on it...you know, K for Kuzon, L for Lee, S for Sapphire and the like."

Zuko quirked an eyebrow and looked back down at the sweater. It certainly wasn't his taste. It looked like it would be itchy and obvious. Zuko abhorred attention.

Ron continued, "Mum makes it herself."

Zuko continued to stare down at it. Makes it herself? Strangely enough, this bit of information seemed to morph his opinion of the gift. She made this? Just for him? Zuko had received many luxurious gifts as both a Prince/Firelord, and a war hero...but he couldn't say he ever knew who made it. He never thought about the work that goes into making something beautiful. A warm feeling rose inside of him.

It was beautiful.

Zuko, without thinking, took his suit jacket off and slipped the sweater over his head. It was incredibly soft, comfortably warm. He looked up and saw Mrs. Weasley staring at him with a wide smile. And so his smile grew wide as well.

"Its Gold!" Aang exclaimed, as if that was a big deal. Indeed, all the sweaters were different colors. Green for Toph, Gold for Aang, Red for Zuko, Blue for Katara and Sokka.

Hermione quirked an eyebrow. "How did you decide on who gets what color?"

Mrs. Wealsey thought for a moment. "The clothes you all were wearing when you first came. They were so...unique, the idea just came to me I suppose. For Lee, red was the only color I hadn't used yet...so…"

Hermione nodded her head slowly. Mrs. Wealsey's attention to detail was jarring sometimes...or maybe there was something else going on there...old magic.

Mrs. Weasley perked up again. "Oh! But there is more, I wanted you each to have a trinket to remember us by when you return home!"

There was a collective look of discomfort at the "return home" pronouncement. Home. Return. The great conundrum.

Mrs. Weasley slipped another gift to each of the Team Avatar gang.

Katara opened hers and found a crystal snowflake necklace. She gasped. It was absolutely beautiful. The reflection cast from it danced. It seemed like it was giving the illusion of perpetually falling snow. Katara wasn't sure if it was a trick of the light or magic, but it was perfect all the same.

Aang opened his, and there, he found a talisman. It softly hummed a tranquil tune as if played by a Guzheng. The music wasn't at all loud or even noticeable. It just seemed to exist. As if it was a soundtrack to his life. As if only he could hear it and it was only for him. He pinned it lovingly and carefully to his sweater.

Toph opened her gift. She had difficulty discerning what it was, as she had been having alot of difficulty making things out lately. She ran her fingertips across it. It was smooth. A very comforting kind of smooth. Katara leaned in and whispered, "Its…a…"

Mrs. Weasley chimed in. "A badger. I wanted to give you something so you would remember your time at Hogwarts. Harry told us that you're something of a tutor to the kids!"

Harry half smiled. Of course, he didn't tell her that she was the scariest tutor of all time, but..you, know...whatever.

Mrs. Weasley continued. "I know you all weren't exactly sorted into houses but the Badger is the symbol of Hufflepuff house. Helga Hufflepuff believed that magic should be taught to all, as long as they wanted to learn. I saw it and immediately thought of you. It's made of Jade."

Toph ran the figurine through her finger. Badgermoles. Her first teachers, willing to teach her not because of who she was but because she wanted to learn. She enclosed the figurine tightly in her hands.

Zuko opened his, somewhat nervous. It was a pen. A Golden pen, impeccably crafted. There seemed to be a bird carved into it. Harry peered down at it and smiled, "A Phoenix." Zuko examined it and although the word phoenix brought up uncomfortable memories of "The Phoenix King", he had to admit that it was a beautifully crafted pen.

Mr. Weasley chimed in, "It's charmed with neverending ink. You seem like a young man who has a story to tell." Mr. Weasley thought for a moment, as if trying to figure out how to relay what he wanted to say. " Not all of us are talkers, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't tell our stories."

Zuko arched an eyebrow as he stared down, entranced by this pen that seemed to have a consuming quality to it, like fire. Harry leaned in, "We've been talking about you all break to them... may have told them a thing or two about you, I didn't realize how much Mrs. Weasley was listening... Mrs. Weasley is very good."

Very good indeed.

Sokka tore at his present with all the tact of a stampeding Rhinobear. Finally, he pulled out a time piece. His eyes widened. It was platinum colored and polished to nirvana. He slowly turned it over and, very carefully, clicked it open. This was no ordinary watch. On one side, it told the time, on the other, it seemed to be like a miniature version of Mrs. Wesley's grandfather clock with tiny pictures of he and Katara on the hands with various destinations around it. Sokka stared at it curiously before noticing a note in the box. Slowly, he pulled it out and opened it:

In our culture, when a boy reaches manhood, he is presented with a timepiece. We know what you have been doing for Fred. Your caring will never be forgotten by us. The mark of a true man is not how strong he is or how important. It's how he treats those who need him the most. Please accept this token, and use it to care for those you love the way you have cared for our son.

Molly and Arthur Weasley

Sokka looked up and saw Arthur and Molly looking at him with soft smiles. Sokka bowed to them slowly, with great reverence, and tightly wound his fingers around the watch that he knew he would never let go.

Molly and Arthur Weasley gave a sweeping look around the room. From the moment these children had shared their story with her, Molly Weasley had resolved that she would make this a beautiful Christmas for them.

She had succeeded.

Arthur smiled. "Happy Christmas, everyone."

…

Some time later, the gang sat out in the apple orchard on a beautiful and crisp evening. The time to return to Hogwarts would soon be upon them and yet none of them seemed to have the energy to begin the arduous packing process for their return.

Zuko was due to return to Draco's in about an hour and a half and Harry found himself fighting for every ounce of energy possible to walk him up to the Port key. Mrs. Weasley's Christmas dinner was both unbelievably delicious as well as paralyzing.

Sokka let out a long, obscene groan. "I've...I've never felt this way before…"

Toph, splayed out on the grass, snorted. "What are you on about?"

Sokka blinked lethargically. "This...this feeling. It's like...INTELLECTUALLY, I want food...but...PHYSICALLY, I don't think I can eat anymore...I feel like my body has betrayed me…"

Katara sat against a tree, watching Momo snatch apples off its branches and fly off, no doubt to some secret storage area the animal had created in their absence. She sighed. "You're body hasn't betrayed you. It's trying to protect you from yourself."

Sokka rolled his eyes. "Protect me? By keeping me from eating...MORE food? Sounds like betrayal to me…"

Team Avapotter chuckled at Sokka's endless nonsense. Harry, with incredible effort, rolled onto his side. The gang was finally given some downtime from Mrs. Weasley's endless list of Christmas tasks and they were all kind of doing their own thing while also trying to move as little as possible. This holiday had been a welcome respite from their neverending list of impossible problems that they had to solve. In this moment, Harry felt like he could just be a teenager and something told him the rest of the gang was feeling the same way.

Even if only for a moment.

Aang was tossing a ball up and down that he had found from God knows where. Katara was happily watching Momo commit Grand Theft Apple. Toph looked to be half asleep. Ron was staring off in the distance. He looked to be in a jovial mood, which was a bit odd to Harry. Ron had been morose since his breakup with Hermione and Harry supposed he felt guilty for being too preoccupied with trying to snog her-Harry wretched slightly at the memory- to even entertain the idea of supporting him. He also supposed their death match in the Great Hall may have swayed his lack of interest in Ron's emotional well being. But for the last day or two, Ron had been chipper, maybe even euphoric. Harry found it a bit strange that his mood had shifted so and, if they were on better terms, Harry might know why. But, Harry supposed it WAS Christmas holidays and the gang had been getting on fairly ok. Harry switched his gaze to Zuko.

Zuko seemed to be standing against a tree. Leave it to him to be the only one standing. He seemed to be holding the wand they had given him in his fingers and staring at it. His face adopted an intense look of worry. Harry supposed that Zuko's face ALWAYS held an intense look of worry but...this one seemed a shade over the normal. Harry arched an eyebrow. How had things been going at Malfoy Manor? Harry had been so busy with all the holiday discoveries, tragedies, and frivolities that he hadn't really had time to ask. Harry sometimes resented the fact that he seemed to be the one to have to keep track of these things. Watch Hermione...check in with Zuko...interrogate Lovegood...the list seemed to be endless. When would he be able to finally leave the role of saviour?

Harry started to sink into a deeper contemplation of his bitterness when suddenly Zuko blew out a hard sigh that the gang seemed to not notice. Everyone except Harry and…

"Are you alright, Zuko?" Katara asked.

Zuko seemed not to hear her at first, still staring at the stick a little longer. Finally, after a strange little silence, he answered her without looking at her. "No."

That seemed to peak everyone's interest. The gang all seemed to do various forms of propping themselves up to look at him.

Zuko didn't acknowledge this at first but it was clear he could feel their eyes on him.

Zuko had made a decision. It was a decision that he knew would be made FOR him eventually. Draco had made himself very clear:

Hermione's party eventually was in full swing. Zuko found the whole thing surreal. There was a magic band called The Weird Sisters...and, looking at them, Zuko definitely thought the name was apt. And yet, it wasn't the exercise in discomfort that the Ember Island party had been. Zuko was fairly certain none of the Hogwarts kids would force him to burn Hermione's house to the ground. Plus, once the muggle kids had arrived, it was like everyone had forgotten Team Avapotter was even there. As it turns out, wizard kids have NO idea how to behave around people who were different from them. It wasn't as if they were rude, they were just...overly enthusiastic. They all seemed to fall on top of each other to ask them questions. Max and his friends seemed to take it all in stride and didn't look like they were having TOO terrible of a time...but even Zuko knew those kids had "NO CHILL", as he heard one of the muggles whisper to another. Eventually, Zuko and Draco found themselves wandering around the enormous backyard and eventually found themselves in the Azealia garden. As they were walking through the garden, Zuko started to get the odd feeling that he was being watched. At first, he thought he was getting that feeling from other couples in the garden who, watching Draco and Zuko walk by, Zuko got the impression that the couples were starting to be of the opinion that Zuko and Draco were on some kind of secret date, as the garden was clearly for lover's strolls.

Zuko began to scoff at this inwardly, even if he WAS gay Zuko felt like Draco probably wouldnt be his type. Zuko preferred a strong, scary, almost dead inside kind of lover. Draco had WAY too many emotions, and honestly, the blond hair thing WAS a bit much. I mean, Draco was a good enough looking guy he supposed, but he liked someone who isn't so...OBVIOUS.

Eventually, Zuko's eyes shot wide as he realized he was thinking about Draco in a WAY too unintentional way, when Draco spoke:

"Have you told them?"

"WHAT?!" Zuko almost shouted, Draco jumped a bit before eyeing Zuko critically.

"Eh...sorry. What?" Zuko almost whispered as he blushed profusely.

Draco arched an eyebrow, looking around briefly, he continued. "About the wand. Have you told them?"

Zuko blew out a hard breath. "No."

Draco stared at him for a bit, as if expecting some kind of extended reply. He didn't get one.

"Well... ARE you going to tell them?" Draco asked, somewhat desperately.

Zuko thought for a bit, which made Draco seethe with frustration. "I...I'm not sure. I-I mean do they HAVE to know?"

Draco stopped dead in his tracks. He smacked his hand upon his forehead before dragging it down the side of his face. Zuko eventually stopped as well. He stared up at the night sky for a moment and suddenly found himself missing the sun. He felt safer when it was around. Yue looked glorious tonight. "That's rough buddy." Zuko mumbled to himself.

Draco was becoming agitated. "WHAT."

Zuko turned to face Draco. "Well, I suppose...I mean, do I NEED to tell them? It's not like I plan to throw anymore glass doors at people!" He whispered desperately.

Draco looked at him with an incredibly perplexed expression. Zuko seemed to be satisfied with his own logic and stood crossing his arms. Draco snapped his eyes closed, dragged his hands down his face again, pressed his hands together as if in prayer, pressed them to his lips, then blew out a hard sigh. He opened his eyes.

"Ok. I seem to be failing to impress upon you what is going to happen. So allow me to be blunt. You are GOING to tell them what has happened."

"BUT-" Zuko started to whisper desperately when Draco cut him off.

"Nope. No, no. Shut up, shut up, shut up. No." Draco chirped out and trailed off, causing Zuko to look at him as if he had lost his mind. Draco continued. "Look, I would never say it in front of her, but Granger is the ONLY person who can help figure out how to get you back to your world of fireballs and water bubbles and zebra turkeys. Ok? She needs to know EVERYTHING. That girl is the greatest know-it-all this world, or ANY world, has ever produced and, as PAINFUL, as it is to admit...she is the ONLY one who can save you. Do you understand? So unless you would like to become my new lifetime roommate-and before you answer, NO, that is not happening- you had BETTER tell them what the BLOODY HELL is going on...OR I WILL."

Zuko rolled his eyes and let out a sort of growling noise. "BUT-"

'NO." Draco replied simply.

"Ok, but would you just-"

"NO."

"Draco, PLEASE-"

" ." Draco finished finitely. "Tell them."

Yes. Zuko had come to a decision. Coerced or uncoerced, he knew he had to tell them. He had performed magic. He hadnt meant to and he had no idea HOW he had done it. But he knew it was him. He could feel it shoot out of him, much like bending. He could feel the change in his blood when he did it. It was like the alien and yet all too familiar feeling one gets when they first discover the ability to bend. The body prepares itself, it changes, it molds itself to whatever the force was that ran through his veins and gave him the ability to control an element. It was a very specific feeling and although the mind stopped noticing it the longer you bend, that doesn't mean the feeling doesn't happen. It just becomes familiar. Familiar enough to never forget.

And magic had that feeling.

Zuko wasn't sure if Draco had let Team Potter know yet that he had produced magic and if he did, they were being remarkably quiet about it. Too quiet. Zuko waffled for some time, prior to Draco's little tirade, about whether to tell Team Avapotter or whether to just tell Team Avatar.

Zuko rolled his eyes at himself, he was getting far too comfortable with these ridiculous team nicknames.

But a primary question had stalled him. Were Harry Potter and his friends really to be trusted? They already had enough distrust among themselves and his sojourns through the mysteries of Malfoy Manor were certainly an indicator that people in this world had things to hide.

Still, Draco was ultimately right. Damn him. How would they ever be able to figure out how to get back to their world without the expertise of their hosts? Zuko had learned very quickly that this world was FAR different from his home. It worked differently, it had different customs, technology, rules. It was unpredictable. The best course of action was to do as he is told.

But what about the people who were telling you what to do?

And so, Zuko was now certain that he had no other alternative but to reveal his secret. He pushed himself off the tree he was leaning on and finally looked at the group. Harry seemed confused but kind. Ron was grinning widely...almost weirdly...Katara looked a bit worried.

Hermione looked calculating.

Zuko stared at them all for a bit longer. He took a step forward and breathed deeply.

"I-" His voice cracked, he tried again. "I...don't know how to tell you this."

The group all looked around cautiously, Katara was about to respond kindly to him when Hermione beat her to it, not so kindly.

"So just spit it out." Hermione said finitely, as if she had been waiting for this. She sounded authoritative...unyielding.

Zuko shifted uncomfortably for a second at her tone. Finally, he decided to suck it up. He looked directly at Hermione, raised his wand, and flicked it.

And 4 apples flew off the tree and smacked Sokka directly in the head.

"Gah!" Sokka yelped.

But his yelp was drowned out by the screams of Team Avapotter.

Zuko, still staring at Hermione, who hadn't broken his gaze for a second, quickly muttered, "Imawizard."

"You're a WHAT NOW?!" Toph yelled, she wasn't able to clearly make out what happened, but she certainly HEARD the apples break off the tree, she could hear them whiz through the air, she heard them hit Sokka, and she HEARD what Zuko tried to quickly mumble. Her hearing had become PHENOMENAL but this seemed to barely make up for the fact that her sight was getting worse and worse.

The gang was oddly quiet for a moment.

Zuko, looking around as if he was too afraid to look at any one person, continued. "I...can do...the magics." Zuko then launched into the story of his discovery, the gang sat in rapt attention as he described the exploding window, the peacock save, Draco's freakout. The whole shabang.

Then, after some horrified silence, Hermione muttered something off putting. "Finally."

The gang swung around and looked at her. She and Zuko continued to stare resolutely at each other. It wasn't as if they were challenging each other, it was more so that they seemed to come to a very serious silent understanding.

Hermione sighed. "I've been waiting for this for quite sometime."

Toph quirked an eyebrow. "Waiting for what?"

Hermione looked at Toph guiltily, Katara and Aang seemed to look at her with an air of guilt as well. Harry looked down at the ground but was decidedly quiet. Ron, however, sat smiling serenely.

Hermione closed her eyes and began. "I've...been noticing that your powers have been...becoming weaker."

Zuko's eyes widened. Toph shifted with alarm. Katara and Aang looked towards each other as even more guilt washed upon them. They had never been ones for keeping secrets from their friends. Aang tried once and it ended in him almost losing Katara and Sokka. But this was no ordinary secret, this was a world shattering spectre of a secret. A secret that they didn't fully understand. But it would seem Hermione might and they were more than happy to let her figure it out and pretend it wasn't happening. Well. Something was certainly happening now.

The silence was sharp.

Hermione continued with incredible control. "But...I wasn't so sure what that meant… could one really lose the ability to bend? Did that mean we could lose the ability to do magic? I needed to be sure before…" Hermione started to wring her hands and for the first time since she launched on this fact finding mission, she was nervous. She hated it.

She continued. "Well, have you ever wondered what it is that makes us able to do what we do, when others can't? Magic, bending...it isn't a universal gift. As a muggle born, magic should never have existed in me at all...how was that possible? I've been trying to understand WHAT magic was since I was 11 years old."

Hermione looked pensively down to the ground, her eyebrows knitted in thought. Harry wanted to do something but he wasn't sure what. But he was pretty sure he understood where Hermione was going. The great conundrum: The monumental Why.

Why me?

Even though Harry wasn't muggle born, his mother was. And she died for it. Harry went through 7 years of Hogwarts trying to understand who he was and where he came from. Really, your teenage years are just a desperate search for identity. Of course, Harry's teenage years seemed to be a search for identity punctuated with miscellaneous murder attempts, but he certainly understood where Hermione was coming from. Trying to understand your place in the world, who you are, what you offer. He couldn't be the ONLY one wondering the big Why. Why did he end up being the Chosen one? Why did he end up with magic so apparently dangerous that it could drive half the world to kill him? He was sure that Hermione had the same fundamental question that had plagued him: Why me?

Hermione continued. "You see, Magic theory is sort of...fuzzy about what force exists within us that makes us able to...to do what we can do. Magic, I mean...There are a ton of theories of course, but nothing super definitive. But in reading the Journal of Transdimensional Magic and several other learned Magic Texts... one thing seems to be absolutely certain. That force exists...it doesn't just...go away. But...once you all fell out of the sky...doing a kind of magic our world has never known...well, it would seem to me that this force may not go away but perhaps it could...change."

The gang nodded their heads slowly, but not with comprehension. Hermione could see the confusion in their eyes. She continued. "Well...over the course of my reading, the Journal of Trandimensional Magic seems to elude, in great detail, to several muggle physics theories...String, M, and Multiverse Theories." Hermione stopped for a second, as if she was trying to figure out how to explain this. "It's...its incredibly complicated, each theory expands on the previous...also, it involves ALOT of Muggle math that is WAY above my paygrade...but the gist of it is that there are multiple alternative realities or dimensions existing simultaneously, each just outside of the other with no discernible way to travel in between... but nobody has ever been able to definitively prove or disprove the existence of other dimensions, let alone that it was possible to travel between them...until...well, until Alutitious Lovegood and Professor Dumbledore showed up at the Airbender Temple...and when you guys showed up in the Room of Requirement."

"Eh…" Harry began, but he found himself unsure of what to ask next.

Hermione nodded impatiently. "I know...it's CRAZY. But Alutitious Lovegood seems to have found a way, using muggle science and magic theory, to identify a...a kind of FORCE that permeates and holds together all the dimensions...except...except that force reveals itself in different ways depending on the dimension. In OUR world, it expresses itself through magic. In your world, it expresses itself through bending. But it's still the same force. It exists...no matter the dimension, you see. My current theory is that Aluitious and Dumbledore found a way to...to harness this force to travel...between the dimensions...and apparently, so have you."

Team Avapotter sat in silence for a moment, trying to decide if they really understood what Hermione was trying to say. If they really understood the GRAVITY of what she was saying.

Hermione sighed, as if somewhat carried away by the monumental implications of her possible discoveries. But she had a contribution of her own to posit, and the gravity of it scared the hell out of her: "It's established that this force DOESN'T go away...but perhaps it can change." She repeated again to herself.

There was a misty silence as the gang worked through what Hermione was saying. THIS was certainly not what they intended when they all decided to head out to apple orchard for an afternoon laze about. Harry smirked as a thought came back to him: it was scary to think about all the things Hermione knew but it was downright terrifying to think about all the things Hermione knew and didn't tell you about.

Finally, Aang spoke.

"So...so you're telling me...that...I...may be a wizard?"

Hermione shrugged and bit her lip. "I suppose...there is only one way to test it."

Aang seemed lost for a moment before finally realizing what she meant and suddenly, his face contorted in a kind of weird terrified glee. He jumped up suddenly and removed the stick he had, very carefully, attached to his belt. He whipped it out and pointed it in a random direction that happened to be aimed directly at Harry and Ron, they both yelped and quickly jumped out of the way and before Aang even THOUGHT about the gravity of what he was about to do, he flicked his wand.

And nothing happened.

Aang's face fell a bit but before he could speak, something came hurtling through the air from a small distance away. Aang cocked his head to the side before he was immediately knocked back by the force of something hitting him square in the chest. He looked down and saw the sad remnants of what looked to be a cabbage.

Ron cocked his head to the side. "Is...is that one of the cabbages from the garden?" Ron looked perplexed for a moment before looking up at Aang, "My Cabbages!"

Aang's jaw dropped.

Slowly, Team Avatar got to their feet, each one of them pulling out their wands. Simultaneously, they all flicked them.

Katara immediately sort of mildly blew herself up. Toph caused the ground to explode underneath her. And Sokka...well, nothing happened. His face fell a bit before his expression turned to something less able to decipher.

Team Potter jumped at the sight of it. Ginny dragged her hands down her face as the weight of this monumental discovery hit her. "Oh...my...dear...Merlin."

Aang started to vibrate. "Im...Im a wizard. IM A WIZARD! Oh my god...IM GONNA MAKE SO MANY THINGS BLOW UP!"

Harry's eyes widened. "My God...what have we done…"

Katara looked at the wand with a kind of worry. "I...what do we...what ARE we…"

Toph took an almost action stance and evil grin grew on her face. "…Oh...oh yes." Her eyes narrowed almost to closed. "This pleases me greatly."

Hermione found herself somewhat relieved about their apparent positive reaction to the sudden discovery that they were wizards/witches...but then she realized that perhaps she hadn't stressed the other side of this NEARLY enough. She wrung her hands. "Eh...Im...Im glad you are all...pleased…" She looked over at Zuko, who did not share the group's exuberance." But...there is another side to this."

Team Avatar paused for a moment, looking somewhat confused but still pretty excited to learn that THEY WERE FREAKING WIZARDS.

Hermione continued slowly, "Eh...well...this FORCE exists in all dimensions...but it expresses itself differently...it changes...So...as time goes on...your magic will become more powerful...but...yourbendingwillgoaway." She rushed.

Zuko closed his eyes. "There it is. Always a catch…"

Aang plopped hard back to the ground. Still clutching his wand tightly in his hands. "I...away?"

Hermione sighed. "Well, it's just a theory but...from what I've seen...bending isn't the way this force expresses itself in our...reality. That's why your bending is getting weaker... It will shift to the natural state for this dimension...eventually. You'll be fully realized wizards...but you won't be able to bend."

Team Avatar's glee IMMEDIATELY turned to stone. Their bending...it was a part of them...it was who they were. They had barely remembered a time when they were without it. It was an extension of their very existence and, if they really thought about it, it had become a part of their daily lives, all the simple day in/day out things that they did on a daily basis...bending had very much become a part of it.. When was the last time Aang ever had to run NORMALLY. When was the last time Katara had to LOOK for water? And Toph...

Hermione looked slowly over to Toph, wishing more than anything that she didn't have to say this. "Toph...for you...it means…"but Hermione couldn't seem to be able to finish.

Toph, however, had never been one to hold her tongue.

"It means I'm going blind."

And the air became lead as the world reminded them, once again, that no good came without a price. And if life had taught ANY of them anything, it's that it was their destiny to ALWAYS pay the price.

Happy Christmas.

Authors Note. Hey Kids. It's been about a year since my last upload. Pretty good for me, I guess. Ya'll, I hate this plague. I mean, yea, I got to work from home for over a year but...I have now learned that I HATE working from home. This thing has wreaked HAVOC with my mental health. Can anyone relate? This chapter has been sitting in my laptop for a while now and then, someone reviewed Scorpius and Rose: Fight Club, and that got me re-reading my stories, and THAT got me writing. And, just like that, I finished the chapter. The problem with writing something your entire adult life is that the long breaks screw up your timeline in your head. A few reviewers pointed this out in the last chapter, and they were damn right. But then again, seeing as how this whole last year has seemed like one long, horrible, day, maybe I just don't have any kind of proper view of time anymore lmao.

Anywhoozles, not trying to be a bummer, just trying to be honest. I really hope you all are doing well and this plague hasn't hurt you too badly and, if it has, I am so sorry for what you are going through and I do want you to know that you are not alone and, if no one has said it to you, I love ya.

We will return back to Hogwarts now. I am sick of Christmas holiday and Im sure ya'll will want to see our new wizard friends flex on Hogwarts. Hope your along for the ride and if not, thats ok. I really do update slow as hell so frankly, I get it. I hope you like the chap and I hope I didnt screw anything up in the ten million revisions Ive done. Plus, pensieve therapy is coming...man that's going to be a monumental task. Stay safe, you are loved, and I think Im going to have steak tonight. Like the Queen of Freaking England. Leave a review, don't leave a review, like/fav, dont like/fav. Im not your direct supervisor, I cant tell you what to do.

Later Kids.