During the first week of October, Hermione came to the study session that Aria, Harry, Ron, and she had resumed all flustered. Her hair was practically standing on end, and she shook with badly concealed indignation.

"What's wrong with you?" Ron asked.

"I've been doing research on the Triwizard Tournament," Hermione stated. Her friends nodded. That was no surprise. "I discovered that it is tradition for each school to present a demonstration from among its delegation or, in the case of the host school, the study body. So, I went to Professor Dumbledore because I wanted to volunteer to be a part of Hogwarts' demonstration. And he said that we weren't doing anything!"

"Are the other school doing something?" Harry asked.

"I can only assume so," Hermione said. "It's tradition."

"I can write to Nikola and ask," Aria suggested.

"Professor Dumbledore did say that we would welcome the other schools by singing the school song," Hermione added. Aria shared an unimpressed look with Ron and Harry.

"That was my reaction too," Hermione said. "So, I propose that one, Aria reaches out to Nikola and see if Durmstrang plans to do something. We don't need to know what, just whether or not they plan to do something. Then we plan the Hogwarts demonstration."

"Just the four of us?" Ron asked.

"Don't be ridiculous! We would get other people involved."

Harry closed his Transfiguration textbook and Aria closed her Charms book. She began penning a letter to Nikola while Harry, Ron, and Hermione began brainstorming who they should ask to get involved.

"We'll want the twins involved," Ron said. "I bet they can do something spectacular. And if we ask them then we'll probably get Lee involved and Angelina, Alicia, and Katie."

"I'm sure that Ginny'll want to be involved," Harry said. "As will the other 4th years in Slytherin."

Ron groaned as Harry wrote down all the names of the people they were going to ask.

"Who from Hufflepuff?" Hermione asked. "Or Ravenclaw?"

"Oh, I bet Cedric Diggory will want to be involved," Ron cried. "And Cho Chang, they're both on their House team. Maybe we can incorporate flying into our demonstration?"

"Susan and Hannah will want to be involved somehow," Aria said, "and they'll know who else in their house might want to participate. How many do we have so far?"

"With us," Harry counted, "fifteen."

"That should be enough to start with," Hermione said. "Now we need to figure out where we want to meet. I suppose an abandoned classroom would do the trick."

"We could go to the Come-and-Go Room," Aria said. "Prudence and Tracey showed me where it is. We're just going to have to decide on the phrase people need to think as they pace back and forth in front of the wall."

"Excellent," Hermione said, "that's perfect. And that will keep it a secret from the professors."

"A secret from the professors?" Ron teased. "Who are you and what've you done to Hermione Granger?"

Hermione sniffed, sticking her nose in the air.

Aria and Harry found their year mates, minus Crabbe and Goyle, in the common room sharing chocolate and doing homework. They plopped down beside Theo, and he handed them bonbons wrapped in silver foil with Spanish writing on them. The chocolates were slightly spicy, and Aria hummed in appreciation.

"We have a proposition for you guys," Harry said, keeping his voice low. Everyone leaned their heads closer to each other. "Hermione was doing some research on the Triwizard Tournament—,"

"What else is new?" Blaise questioned.

"And she discovered that it is tradition for the schools to give magical demonstrations on the night the other schools arrive," Harry continued. "She went to Dumbledore to try and get involved in Hogwarts' demonstration, but he told her that Hogwarts was not going to do anything except sing the school song."

"What?" Draco cried. They shushed him and he lowered his voice. "That's outrageous! Imagine if Beauxbatons and Durmstrang have amazing demonstrations of magical aptitude and we just sing the school song. We'd be the laughingstock of Europe!"

"So, we are putting together a group that will do a demonstration," Aria said. "Only the headmaster doesn't know about it and can't know about it."

"I'm in!" Tracey cried.

"That's it?" Aria asked. "No questions or anything?"

"It's pretty bad practice," Tracey admitted, "but if it's going behind the headmaster's back, then count me in."

The grin that spread across Harry's face was just a little too delighted for Aria's comfort, but she did not argue.

"Is there anyone else in Slytherin that you think we should invite?" Aria asked them. The fourth years looked around the common room. Draco lifted a hand.

"Pucey!" he called. "Can you come here for a moment?"

The Quidditch captain sauntered over to them, looking at their homework that was still spread open.

"Are you having problems with Transfiguration?" he asked. "I'd ask Bole. I didn't make it into NEWTs Transfiguration." Draco yanked him down.

"We want a different type of help," Draco said. "But the headmaster cannot know about it."

Adrian nodded.

"Very well," he replied. "I'm in."

Aria knew that many Slytherins were not fans of Dumbledore. Too be fair, he was not exactly her favorite person either, but us someone else had approached her about this off-handedly, she felt like she would have had questions.

When the students all gathered in the Come-and-Go Room, after pacing in front of the wall while thinking We need a place to gather three times, the room had transformed into a cozy room full of squashy armchairs with little lap desks, parchment, and quill available. Their initial group had grown as other students had been invited by others or, like Adrien, had overheard and invited themselves.

There was only one first-year, Dennis, but that was because Colin had been invited and he wanted to introduce his brother to more people. Aria was glad to see that Dennis was a little calmer than his brother. Besides Colin, who Aria was surprised to discover was good friends with Ginny, the youngest Weasley had invited Luna Lovegood from Ravenclaw and Fintan Lynch, another third year Slytherin.

From the fourth years, everyone in Slytherin was present except for Crabbe and Goyle; the Gryffindors also showed up with Ron and Hermione except for Fay and Sophie who, if Aria understood the situation correctly, had not been invited at all. Susan and Hannah came with Ernie and Justin, and someone had gotten another fourth year Muggleborn, Keven Entwhistle to come. In Ravenclaw, Padma came which was no surprise seeing as Parvati came, as did Lisa Turpin, Morag MacDougal, Lily Moon, and Terry Boot. Aria was glad to see the three girls come out. The three were on the quieter side and tended to stick either to themselves or each other. She did not know much about them, except that Lisa was Muggleborn like she was.

Then there was Katie Bell, Cho Chang, and Marietta Edgecomb from the fifth years; all the sixth year Gryffindors although poor Kenneth Towler appeared overwhelmed at being included; and the only non-Gryffindor sixth years were Adrian and Cedric who immediately began commiserating at how unfair it was that Quidditch was cancelled due to the tournament making their first year as captain mean very little. Finally, rounding off all the students were the seventh years: Beatrice Haywood and Terry Strickland from Hufflepuff and Elora Dunn from Ravenclaw.

"We need to figure out something that will make Hogwarts stand out among the three schools," Hermione said, once she had explained exactly why they were gathered. "I have read that Beauxbatons is known for their wandless conjuring and acrobatics."

"Acrobatics?" Kenneth Towler cried. "Like gymnastics?"

"It's a form of training body and mind," Draco explained, a bit snootily, but lacking his past bite. "Southern Europeans favor it over martial arts of other athletic endeavors."

Blaise nodded.

"My mother had me in acrobatics every summer as a child," Blaise said. "My teachers always said that a powerful core meant nothing if one did not cultivate a strong mind and body."

"So . . . where is our physical education class?" Kevin Entwhistle asked.

"It's climbing up and down the stairs," Aria joked.

"I also read," Hermione continued, "that Durmstrang is known for staff work and martial arts."

"Staff work?" Aria perked up at that. "Like Merlin?"

"That's pretty ancient stuff," Cedric said. "Hogwarts hasn't taught that for at least two centuries, if not three."

"What is wizarding martial arts?" Justin asked.

"In the past, before wands and staffs, wizards and witches would physically duel," Cedric explained. "Every area of the world has its own form of fighting. Europe had several though they're pretty out of fashion nowadays. I know my mum use to take lessons when she was a child, but her instructor died and I'm not sure anyone teaches martial arts in Britain anymore."

"So, what's Hogwarts known for?" Aria asked Hermione.

"Hogwarts is known for producing a wider variety of magical talent," Hermione answered. "Hogwarts has never truly settled on focusing on one thing for its students. However, over the last two centuries, it has produced quite a few world-renowned potions and defense masters. Duelers also happen to be a byproduct of that."

"Ah, so we just stage a duel," Fred cried.

"Or a potions demonstration," George added.

"No," everyone chorused, seeing the mischievous glint in the twins' eyes.

"If Hogwarts is pretty eclectic in what is produces, then we should try and encompass all that we can," Beatrice stated. "Show off the specific individual talent we have."

"How do we do that?" Lavender asked.

"Well, for starters," Beatrice said, "we need to figure out how to get Potter to produce his Patronus. We only started on that in NEWTs last year and some of us can't produce half a corporeal Patronus like him."

"Oh, you haven't seen it since last year," Aria said, a bit smugly. Harry gave her a sharp look that she ignored. "He's improved. Go on, Harry."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Aria glared at him.

Sighing, Harry pulled out his wand.

"Expecto Patronum!"

A full-fledged stag jumped from the tip of his wand, landing on all four hooves and standing tall and proud among the gasping students. A warm feeling settled over Aria and the rest of the students as the stag gently moved forward, using its nose to nudge a few shoulders before disappearing.

"That was amazing!" Cedric cried.

"And you first did this last year?" Angelina asked, jealousy coloring her voice a little. "At thirteen?"

"I'm not the only one," Harry stated, glancing sharply at Aria again. "I taught Aria, Ron, and Hermione."

Now everyone stared slack jawed at the other three. Hermione's face went bright red. Ron's face went pink.

"You've got to show us!" Ginny cried. "Ron, you didn't say anything!"

"It's not like we were advertising lessons," Ron snapped. Fred and George suddenly appeared behind him.

"Go on, Ron, prove that you can do it!" Fred cried.

"Yeah, or is Harry just pulling our leg?"

"Shove off!" Ron growled, drawing his own wand. Next moment a Jack Russell Terrier was chasing after the twins who laughed in glee. An otter floated by everyone from Hermione and a bushy tailed fox weaved through the legs of the older students from Aria.

"We're definitely having you four show-off your Patronuses when the other schools come!" Daphne cried. "I bet none of them ever had one student produce a Patronus at fourteen, let alone four!"

"Then I think that the twins should create something for the demonstration," Aria said.

"Oh, we think we have the perfect thing," George cried. "One word—,"

"Fireworks!" Fred cried.

"That can take different shapes—,"

"And are different colors—,"

"And won't actually set anything on fire."

"Yes, it would be awful if a school such as Hogwarts burned to the grown because of two sixth years," Beatrice drawled.

Immediately other students began throwing out ideas. Hermione and Lisa began working together to collect and write down everyone's ideas. Some ideas were completely nixed on the spot, such as Ginny showing off the Bat-Bogey Hex since no one wanted to volunteer to have her cast it on them. Adrien Pucey, surprisingly, gave the idea of somehow using confetti canons, which apparently the wizarding world had, as well as having four Quidditch players fly through the Great Hall and set them off. It was decided that that was an excellent idea, and that job would fall to him, Cedric, Cho, and Angelina. Fred and George to regulated to fireworks with strict instructions that the fireworks could not chase after anyone including Mr. Filch, they had to be normal fireworks.

Draco insisted that they would need music to go with their demonstration. There was arguing about whether or not that was true, and how would they even get the music to fill the Great Hall? Draco insisted that a gramophone could be used, but then came up against the issue on how to sneak a gramophone into the Great Hall. His idea was tabled.

Colin was designated that official photographer of the event, even though the students were pretty certain there would be press there to report on it. Still, he was tasked to specifically get pictures of Dumbledore's face while they were doing the demonstration.

It was decided that they would all meet again in a week to report on how each of their current jobs were going and to further brainstorm for anyone else who had yet to be assigned something for the demonstration. Using the Marauder's Map that Remus had given back to Harry before returning to Hogwarts, they were able to leave the Come-and-Go Room and avoid prefect and teacher patrols as curfew had come and gone.

Unfortunately, the Slytherins were unable to avoid Professor Snape who, having been alerted that all but two of the fourth years had missed curfew, was waiting for them when they arrived back at the common room. He leveled them and Adrien with a glare that might have been able to turn other students into stone, but for the Slytherins, they simply froze and quickly averted their gazes.

"I will tell you right now that the number of points I take from you will be determined based on what abominable excuse you can give me about why you are all out three hours past curfew," Snape growled from where he sat in an armchair like a parent catching their child sneaking in through a window.

"We weren't doing anything bad," Aria tried to assure him.

"That does not make me feel confident," Snape snapped.

"It's a surprise?" Tracey said.

"Is that a question or an answer?"

"Uh . . . an answer?"

Snape sighed, turning his glare from the fourth years to Adrian who managed to meet his Head of House's gaze.

"Well?" Snape asked. "Will you say anything, Mr. Pucey?"

"Only that our only crime is missing curfew," Adrien answered.

"Hm."

Snape folded his arms, appearing deep in thought. Aria fought off the desire to fidget under his gaze.

"Twenty points each for being out after curfew," Snape stated. There was a moment's pause as everyone did the math in their heads, then shoulders slumped, and groans were heard. Snape waved a hand as he rose to his feet.

"I will hear none of it!" he cried. "You brought this on yourselves. Get to bed. Now!"

The students scrambled to obey, sprinting up the stairs and diving into their bedrooms before Snape could take any more points.