The Horned Serpent house was in high spirits – they had won their first quidditch match of the term; not to mention they had won both Quiz Bowl competitions they had participated in thus far. As the Thanksgiving holiday was fast approaching, a roller coaster of emotions filled the air. Feelings of giddiness, homesickness, anxiety… often felt in rapid succession.

Harry sat at the Horned Serpent table for breakfast with his friends the Friday before classes were to be excused for the holiday break. Hedwig dropped an envelope next to Harry's tray, which he opened without any delay:

"15 Nov. 1991

Dear Harry,

I can't believe your first term at Ilvermorny is nearly halfway through! Although the observance of the American Thanksgiving holiday is a bit of a foreign concept to us, we'll do what we can to make your new friend Othniel feel at home. You'll need to share your room with him, but that isn't anything you're not used to, so I wouldn't think you'd have an issue with that arrangement.

Remus Lupin will be staying with Sirius during the break, in case you were wondering. As I've already promised a few weeks earlier, the three of us have a bit of a story to tell you. Some of it might not be easy to hear, but I reckon you're mature enough to handle it. I suspect you may already know more than we've given you credit for anyway, being the inquisitive lad you are.

Your Aunt Rhonda and I can't wait to see you. You'll have to forgive us if things get a little… emotional, as it's a true homecoming for Nova. I ask that you be a little extra patient with her as it's the first time we've seen each other in over a decade – she has about as many memories of us, as you do of your birth parents, after all.

We look forward to seeing you in a few days. Until then, listen to your professors, study hard, and have some fun with your friends. Your godfather, aunt and I all love you more than you can possibly know.

Sincerely,

Uncle Roger"

Tallulah giggled. "Is that a letter from back home, Harry?"

"Yeah," murmured Harry. He forced a small smile. "It'll be good to spend a few days in Canada again, but there's a lot on my mind… hopefully a week with the three men I admire most will put me at ease."

Tallulah just made a quick, respectful nod. "Didn't you say that Professor Lupin is heading back with you?" She lowered her voice to a whisper. "So, how d'you feel about that? Having a teacher join you for Thanksgiving?"

Harry shrugged. "To me, it's like having an uncle teach Defense. I don't know him like I know Uncle Roger yet, but in the two and a half months I've known him, I've gotten comfortable enough to relax a little in front of him, at least outside of a classroom setting. And even if he didn't know me before the term started, he'd still probably be my favorite teacher. His teaching style just really resonates with me."

"Oh, it's obvious you love Defense," replied Tallulah with a little giggle. "You soak the information up faster than a kitchen sponge. I wish I was as good as you."

"And you're the best in our house at Transfiguration and Charms," said Harry. "It didn't take you long to grasp those subjects."

Tallulah blushed. "Well, I do find those two classes to be quite fascinating…" Her face suddenly brightened. "Being that today's our last full day before we're excused for the break, would you like to exchange phone numbers?" She cocked her head. "Your family does have a phone, right?"

Harry chuckled. "Yes, we have a phone. I don't think my Aunt Rhonda could survive without one."

"Just making sure," replied Tallulah. "I know phones aren't exactly commonplace in magical households. Now, as far as I know, calling Canada is much like a regular long-distance call… it won't be super cheap, so it'll probably be just one call, and probably kept to twenty minutes at the most."

"That's fine," Harry said. "I know Aunt Rhonda has made calls to the US before, so it's nothing she's not used to." He then opened his bag, produced a quill, ink, and some parchment, and quickly wrote his ten-digit phone number, then passed it to Tallulah. Tallulah then did the same thing for Harry.

"Since Othniel's going to be staying with us, would you want to talk to him for a few minutes?" suggested Harry. "I'm sure he'd enjoy hearing your voice." Othniel's face turned purple with embarrassment.

"I might not be opposed," squeaked Tallulah. "Here's hoping that Nova prefers to use magical means to communicate with her friends – otherwise I'll probably never get through!"

That evening, Harry and Othniel were busy packing their bags for the train ride home. The boys figured to have everything ready the night before, as the Chinook was set to depart the NAMURS station at ten o'clock sharp the following morning. Both of them were hoping that the trip to the subway tunnel would be a lot easier than the trip up, as it was quite the grueling hike.

Something about Harry seemed a little off for the past couple of hours, which puzzled Othniel. He finally caved in to his curiosity and asked Harry what was going on. "You don't seem to be yourself this evening, man. Mind telling me what's up?"

Harry sighed. "I got Tallulah's phone number this morning... she seemed really interested in talking to me over the phone at least once during our break. I tried asking Ana for hers, but she wouldn't give it to me yet."

Othniel winced. "Bummer, dude. I thought she'd have been thrilled to talk to you."

"I thought so too," said Harry. "I mean, she had a good reason… she decided to stay at the castle for Thanksgiving. She was torn, but she can't prep for the Quiz Bowl at home like she can at the castle…"

"Well, there's always Christmas," replied Othniel with a shrug.

Harry nodded. "Yeah, that's what she told me. Still, I was rather hoping to hear from her too…"

"So you're not going to be able to speak to her for a week," countered Othniel. "Christmas will be coming up in about a month… I'm sure you'll have plenty of opportunity then." He offered Harry a smile. "And Tallulah asked for your number, dude. You still have a call from her to look forward to…"

The next morning, as soon as Harry and Othniel woke up, they bundled themselves up in their wool overcoats, grabbed their belongings and followed their housemates down to the mess hall for breakfast. Before breakfast could be served, the caretaker Mister Floyd made an announcement in his usual booming voice:

"If you are planning on visiting your families for the Thanksgiving break, you will be required to turn in your wands directly to your head of house before you leave, as per school policy. They will remain at the faculty table until nine o'clock. Your wands will be returned to you at breakfast a week from Monday." He paused; the moment of silence that ensued was nothing short of eerie. His deliberate words shook many a student to their very core… "Be forewarned… if MACUSA catches wind of any unauthorized magic outside of school premises, you can expect to pay the Headmaster a little visit upon your return."

Once they had finished their breakfasts, Harry and Othniel handed their wands to Professor Frye at the faculty table. She smiled warmly at the boys and wished each of them a happy Thanksgiving, and told them to return to their table as one of the Horned Serpent trustees will provide further instructions closer to nine.

Before Harry could sit down, he felt a bear hug around his chest so tight that it left him gasping for air. He whirled around to see the smiling face of Ana. "Happy Thanksgiving, Harry," she chirped. "I'm sorry I won't get a chance to talk to you while you're gone, but I promise I'll give you my number before Christmas. I hope you have a great time with your family in Vancouver… and try to keep Othniel in line!"

Othniel gave Ana a dirty look, but she just giggled and gave him a hug, though much gentler than the one she gave Harry. "I'm just messin' with you, goofball," she said, tousling his hair.

"I'm going to miss you too, Ana," replied Harry. "I guess I can understand why you want to stay at the castle for Thanksgiving, but I can't help but feel a little bad for you… it's going to be awful lonely."

"I'll be fine," Ana assured Harry. "I won't be lonely or bored as I have a lot to prepare for… the last Quiz Bowl was a very close call, and I really want to compete at Hogwarts in the spring… it'd be a dream come true! If we win next month's competition, we can all but put the Quiz Bowl Cup out of reach for the next closest house!"

Harry smiled broadly. "You've shown you're just as capable as an upperclassman in the two games you've competed in so far. I really hope the Horned Serpents win the Quiz Bowl Cup and you get to represent our school in Scotland. I wish I can go with you… it's where my family's gone, after all."

"I wish you could go too," admitted Ana. "Maybe you'll get the chance someday." She looked at her wristwatch. "Wow, it's ten 'til nine! I'm guessing Missy or one of the other trustees will be rounding everyone up in just a couple of minutes… I don't want to hold you up! I just wanted to wish you a safe and happy Thanksgiving!" She then left the boys to finish saying goodbye to some of her other friends before they left.

"Happy Thanksgiving," replied Harry and Othniel.

Just a couple of minutes later, the magically-amplified voice of Missy pierced the din. "Listen up, Horned Serpents! If you're leaving the castle for Thanksgiving, then you'll need to listen for your year to be called. Carriages will be waiting outside to take you to the NAMURS station, where you will take one of six trains home. The six lines each have a unique terminus – the Chinook goes to Seattle, the Haboob goes to Los Angeles, the Zephyr goes to Chicago, the Tornado goes to Dallas, the Derecho goes to Atlanta and the Hurricane goes to Boston." She shook her head and let out a bit of a sigh. "You should already know which train to take, but if you're unsure, just ask any of the NAMURS conductors."

She then proceeded to call out for seventh-year students, and sent them out of the mess hall in small groups. She went down the list and about fifteen minutes later, she finally yelled out, "First years!" Harry and Othniel rushed toward Missy, along with the other first-year Horned Serpents. "Follow me to the Chamber of Reception; a few carriages will be waiting just outside the castle."

"Wait for meeeeeeeee," came a familiar Southern-tinged squeak. Harry and Othniel stopped in their tracks and turned around, seeing a red-faced Tallulah hurry toward them, with Gallifrey in her arms. The boys did their best not to laugh, but neither of them could suppress silly grins.

"You gotta do something about that cat," remarked Othniel. "At this rate, you won't have any clothes by the end of term!"

"I wouldn't have him any other way," retorted Tallulah. "He can be a stinker sometimes, but I can't fall asleep without him!"

Othniel bit his lip. "Between your bags and your cat, it looks like you've got your hands full. Would you like me to hold your backpack, at least until we get to the train station?"

Tallulah giggled. "You're starting to turn into a real gentleman, Othniel Beckett. Thank you!" She lifted an arm, and let Othniel help her remove her backpack. He grunted at the additional weight – it was certainly heavier than it looked upon first glance.

The first-year students followed Missy to the Reception Chamber – it was a much quicker hike than expected as she led them through several shortcuts. She gestured toward the large wooden double-door which marked the entrance to the castle. "No more than four to a carriage," she advised. "And don't get too comfortable; it's only about a ten minute ride to the station at the bottom of the mountain. You may hand your belongings to a NAMURS staff member once you reach the station; they'll stow it for you until you're ready to disembark at your final destination. That's all I have, and may each of you have a pleasant Thanksgiving break!"

Just a couple of minutes later, the three children clambered inside one of the empty carriages. They had to have been enchanted, they thought, as there were no steeds to pull them. Harry held Gallifrey while Othniel helped Tallulah inside the carriage. Maybe a minute or two after the children got settled in, they felt the carriage take off and descend the mountain. Just as Missy said, the ride wasn't very long – ten minutes at the most – and before they knew it, the carriage had come to a complete halt inside the tunnel.

"I don't know how we ended up underground," murmured Othniel as he exited the carriage, "but I guess I'm probably better off not knowing."

"Magic," replied Harry and Tallulah with a laugh.

"Well, yeah, I kinda knew that much already," sighed Othniel.

"So, which train are y'all taking again?" asked Tallulah. "I'm taking the Derecho to Atlanta. My parents live just an hour and a half away, so it's not a super-long drive home."

"We'll be riding the Chinook," replied Harry. "Vancouver is about a three or four hour drive from Seattle, depending on traffic."

Othniel grimaced. "Three or four hours isn't bad, since it's six hours from Seattle to Bend Oregon. And another eight-plus hours to Superior, Montana, where my grandparents live… I don't want to spend my entire week on the road."

"I can see why you'd want to spend Thanksgiving with Harry," reasoned Tallulah. She then gave each of the boys a quick goodbye hug before turning to find the Derecho. "Y'all enjoy your week off! I'll try to call you in a couple of days – will that work?"

"That sounds wonderful," replied Harry. "I can't wait to hear from you. I hope you have a great time with your family back home."