A/C: What sort of lunatic researches 1994 weather in London for the sake of comedic timing? Raises Hand

Friday September 2nd, 1994

The next morning the girls readied for their first day of classes. Emerging from the loo, Amy popped over to Rusalka, light on her step, "Hey, Ru, you've got family at Durmstrang, right? Are any of them coming for the tournament?"

"If any of them, I suppose my cousin, Brodny, might come. He's the only one of age." Rusalka thought for a moment, "Though odds are he'd only come for the quidditch tournament."

"But you know Russian, right? Can you teach me some before they come?"

Rusalka looked at her flatly, "You want me to teach you an entire language in two months?"

"Well- not an entire language. Just some phrases and stuff. You know, so that they know I'm being friendly."

"I'm sure you'll be fine without knowing Russian, Amy."

From her own bedside, Melissa gave a soundless chuckle at the conversation. She went over to her trunk, switching the settings of the expansion charm to get at her leisure set. She pulled out her runic keyboard, moved the one-man-band aside, and bent waist-deep into the trunk to find her books. It took a second, but she found the two she was looking for. Pulling out of the trunk, she turned over to the debating witches and shouted, "Hey, Ames, think fast!"

The books flung in Amy's direction, and she jumped to catch one above her head and grabbed the second before it could hit her torso. Looking at the covers, she muttered quizzically, "A Beginner's Guide to Russian? English to Russian dictionary? When did you get these?!"

"A while back," Melissa waved her hand vaguely. She grabbed the keyboard to stuff back into the trunk, ignoring the accusatory look Rusalka was flashing her.

"Have you seriously known about this tournament the whole time?"

"Time is a matter of perspective-"

"You know what I mean, Melissa! I bet you've already written down how this whole tournament is going to play out, haven't you?!"

"Oh, hell no," Melissa scoffed. "I've seen some flashes of stuff I think is about it; but the random group of exchange students at our table was what gave me a hint about the tournament. Also a really tall French woman dancing with Hagrid. That's gotta be something, right?"

That visual was enough to throw off the other girls. There were mutterings of agreement, plus Amy giving thanks for the books. Melissa even wrangled Rusalka into correcting her accent prior to Halloween, so that was a plus for an entertaining start of the morning!

"Oh sweet merciful mother of magic!" Jacinth shouted, staring wide-eyed at his timetable. "I have three mornings off! I don't have anything today until after lunch!"

"Same here," Cassius grinned. "I don't even have class on Tuesday!"

The boys high-fived at the news. Watching them, Domonkos huffed under his breath, "No surprise when you fail so many OWLs you can only sign up for a few classes."

Melissa giggled quietly at his comment. "It's pretty sweet, though. The only class I have first-thing is Potions on Thursday. It'll be nice to sleep-in, or have more time to pull an all-nighter, depending on the night." She peered over to Dom's timetable. "Tuesday evenings and Wednesday mornings off? Very nice!"

Across from them, they heard Jacqueline ask quietly, "Adrian? Are you alright?"

The rest looked up to see Adrian in a literal jaw-drop as he stared at his timetable. "I…" He started slowly. "I don't… I only have three days of classes."

"WHAT?!" Jacinth hopped out of his seat to look over Adrian's shoulder. On confirming the claim, he rapped at Adrian's shoulder and demanded, "How did you pull that off? How many classes did you sign up for?!"

"Five."

"So did I! How did you get away with only three days of class?!"

That's what they were all wondering! Situated between their seats, Rusalka grabbed Jacinth's timetable and made a comparison. "He has a full day on Monday, and he didn't sign up for Divination or Transfiguration."

Jacinth let out an airy breath, "Merlin, Adrian, you're a lucky bastard." With another friendly knock on Adrian's shoulder, Jacinth went back to his seat.

Continuing her observations, Rusalka commented, "Jace, you're not taking Defence? You told me you were going to sign up."

"I was," Jacinth glowered, stabbing at a sausage, "but I won't be caught dead there with old Mad-Eye teaching the class. I've heard enough stories growing up about what happened to my Aunt Ruby; I don't need some lunatic giving a detailed, personal account of how she died."

An uncomfortable silence fell on the group. They all knew what he was implying. Certainly they had heard stories last night from the other Slytherins, along with an added nervousness from the children whose parents were arrested this summer at the Quidditch World Cup, but it was another thing to realize how close an (antagonist) connection one of their own had to the man.

Clearly her throat awkwardly, Amy changed the subject, "Speaking of schedules, did the plan work? Did you all get the special classes?"

Garrick nodded, answering, "We have both Advanced Arithmancy and Ancient Studies this morning."

"And I have Alchemy listed for Wednesday mornings," Jacqueline added.

Amy whistled at that. "Lessons with the Headmaster. Feel ready for it?"

Jacqueline gave a nervous smile, "I'm sure it will be alright. My parents will be impressed when I send them the news."

Rusalka gave her a sardonic smile, "I have to be honest, a part of me regrets not signing up for it, too, but I already signed up for seven classes and don't want to drop any of them."

"You don't have to drop them," Domonkos noted. "You can take eight classes, like Corin, Rosethorn, and Meakin."

"That sounds exhausting," Jacinth said offhandedly, still upset by the earlier conversation. "We already signed up for our classes, anyway."

"But it's not until Wednesday, right?" Melissa asked. When Jacqueline nodded, she continued, "It's not like you've missed anything. That's more than enough time to reconsider and sign up."

"I suppose…"

"It's still eight classes though," Jacinth commented. "Come on, Ru, you don't want to work yourself to death over some special class, do you?"

Rusalka looked torn at the varying points. Seeing her distress, Jacqueline commented, "You should ask Professor Snape. He can give you a realistic perspective on whether or not you should sign up. He's seen what other NEWT students have gone through first hand, right?"

Rusalka gave a tired sigh. "That's a good point. …Alright, I'll ask him tonight."

The others gave encouraging comments at this decision. Then, on finishing their breakfasts, everyone (sans Adrian) readied themselves for their first classes of the day.

Melissa arrived early to Ancient Studies, along with Kenneth, Corin, and Terry Strickland- the only members of their nonet to not be sitting in Advanced Arithmancy at the moment. As they took their seats, a metaphorical lightbulb went off for Terry.

"Hold on a second. Bennett, didn't you and Cedric practically win that defence contest last year?"

"Yeah?"

"Then why are you here instead of at DADA? Did you flub the exam or something?"

"No," Melissa made an effort to sound childish, "but just because I'm good at defence magic doesn't mean I want to do it for the rest of my life. NEWTs are all about what we want to do when we grow up. I'd rather focus on that."

"...And you're taking Ancient Studies because…?"

Kenneth gave a snort, "You clearly don't know what Orpington can be like if he thinks someone's in his way."

"What he said," Melissa nodded. "Besides, I can read Ancient Greek decently, so I figure this class won't be so bad."

The boys were baffled by the casual statement, though Corin took the lead as he asked, "Since when can you read Ancient Greek?!"

Her answer came with a long cringe, "Uhh… that demon from a couple years ago needed to learn Ancient Greek to do the ritual he was planning to get his own body. Turns out anything he read while possessing me stayed in my brain anyways. Which, while weird, has made going to Greek restaurants kind of hilarious. So… silver linings, I guess?"

The three boys stared at her wide-eyed as the answer sank in. The following awkwardness was, thankfully, short-lived as Professor Babbling arrived.

"Ah, you're here, already. You certainly are eager for this class."

Nervous chuckles followed that statement, blending into Melissa's bizarre declarations. The bell rang soon after, releasing Garrick, Domonkos, Patricia Stimpson, Eric Murley, and Kevin Sterndale from their first NEWT elective and bringing them to their second.

"Good morning, class, and welcome to Ancient Studies," Professor Babbling began. "I have to admit, it's been a few years since this class has run, so you will have to forgive me for any rustiness on my part."

Rustiness is part of the deal with ancient studies, Melissa joked to herself.

"In this class we will discuss ancient magical societies and their methods of practicing magic. Some of these societies have already been touched upon in Ancient Runes; however, there is much more to know about these societies that we, as modern Magicals, can learn from. This year we will focus on the major civilizations relevant to our own history: Mesopotamia, Egypt, Nubia, Greece, Rome, Germania, and Briton. Then next year we will expand into the magical civilizations in Persia, Judea, Arabia, India, China, Peru, and Mesoamerica.

"As you can see, we have a lot to cover for the next two years, and we only have one lesson per week to get all we need done. As such, I encourage you to do the readings in these textbooks ahead of class." She gestured to a stack of dusty, used textbooks for their benefit. "I also have a syllabus for the class so that you can manage your time effectively."

The books and pages were passed around for the small class. Professor Babbling allowed them time to read through the syllabus, which Melissa took with interest. The professor certainly wasn't kidding. They effectively had a month per civilization, which wasn't much when you consider that they have a single period a week in this class. Melissa read over the breakdown, finding her brain twinging on a word mentioned under the Ancient Greece lessons. She stared at it in confusion, until the professor called their attention away from the syllabus and got them started on the magical society of Mesopotamia.

When the bell rang, eight of the students left straight away for lunch. Melissa, on the other hand, went over to the front desk.

"Professor Babbling, about the syllabus for the class, I was wondering about this part." She pointed at a segment in January, at a word written in Ancient Greek. "I'm a little confused about the meaning of this word. I know it translates to casting spells, but it also sounds like it's about singing songs. That doesn't really make sense, does it?"

"Of course it does," Professor Babbling stated. "It's no different than cantare and incantare, or in English, to chant or enchant."

Melissa blinked. "I don't follow?"

"These words," the professor said slowly, "are similar because their roots are the same. The Ancient Greeks used songs to cast their magic; so much so that to sing a song or to cast a spell were considered one and the same. The same can be said for the galdr magics of the Germanic cultures."

Eyes wide, Melissa absorbed that information with shocking delight. Though another thought followed, "So any song they sang could cast a spell? How does that work? Wouldn't that mean kids would do accidental magic every time they sang?!"

The professor chuckled, "There's far more to it than that, though you can simply read ahead and find the answer yourself, after you finish reading up on chapters 1 & 2."

"...Right," she said with a nervous chuckle. "I'll go do that. Thanks, professor!"

Melissa caught up with her classmates as they waited for the stairs, practically leaping onto Garrick as she wrapped him into a hug. "Garrick, you are a GODSEND!"

"What?!" The boy stumbled for his footing. "What's all this about?!"

"This class," she grinned, "is going to be AMAZING!"

Sunday September 4th, 1994

Harry's fourth year at Hogwarts has come with a rough start.

He's been banned from quidditch. BANNED! FROM QUIDDITCH!

-Okay, maybe not banned banned, like for life, but still! No one under fifth year can try out for the Hogwarts Quidditch Team?! That's just unfair!

At least Draco, Megan, and Oliver were around to mourn over the loss. Hell, even Ron and his little sister were pouting over the trials. They all watched as Cedric and Cho Chang easily claimed the Seeker and reserve spots. ("They wouldn't have stood a chance against us," Draco muttered, and Harry didn't disagree.) Miles Bletchley and Juliet McCormack got the Keeper and Reserve Keeper spots. The beater roles went unquestioningly to Fred and George Weasley, with reserves going to Duncan Inglebee and Peregrine Derrick. Though the Chasers were a mixed bag, with Roger Davies, Adrian Pucey, and Angelina Johnson taking the roles.

"It should have gone to Montague," Draco insisted. "He's the Slytherin Captain."

"They probably prefer to have someone who won't do a million fouls on the pitch against the other schools," Megan teased, much to Draco's annoyance. (Especially since she isn't wrong.)

Graham Montague did end up on the reserves, though, along with Cassius Warrington and Alicia Spinnet. No more Hufflepuffs, alas, but even Harry and Megan could concede that their team isn't a very strong one.

"Hopefully next year the scouts will see what the four of us can do," Harry groaned.

To that, they all wholeheartedly agreed.

The previous evening, Melissa had spread word to those "in the know" about a special meeting happening today. Those special people agreed, congregating in the music room at 1 o'clock sharp. Several already had vinyls at the ready.

"Now I get why you wanted a big group!" Annabel Entwhistle exclaimed. "We're making VATIC even bigger this year for the other schools, right?"

"Ha! Close, but no." She closed the door to the music room, spelling the door to ensure it remained soundproof. With a clap of her hands, she brought everyone at attention. "So, like Dumbledore made clear, the Triwizard Tournament is a pretty exclusive event. Three kids, three schools, three tasks, three quidditch games - there's not much for the rest of us to get involved with." Several nods followed that pronouncement. "There is, however, one major exception. During our winter break the school's hosting the Yule Ball, a dance party!"

Excitement broke out among the crowd.

"That one- HOLD IT- that one will also have an age restriction. I think it's going to be third or fourth years and older," shouts of protest rang through the room, "UNLESS-! Un-less…" she waited as the shouts died down, "a younger student is someone's date to the Ball. So, if any younger kids here want to take part in my plan, you'll have to team up with someone older to pretend to be their date. For those that don't want to take part in the Yule Ball, there's another prong to the plan you can join in on earlier."

"What plan?" Ben McEwen asked. "You haven't actually said what it is, yet."

"Ah. Right." Melissa's smile grew mischievous, even rubbing her hands in anticipation. "Here's what I'm thinking…"

Tuesday September 6th, 1994

In the afternoon Melissa entered the class for their first potions lab of the year. She looked around to claim a seat, only to double-take at an unexpected double-sight. "George? Fred? You're taking Potions, too?"

"Of course," they said. "Why wouldn't we?"

"It's just… We're also taking Charms and Runes together. I'm surprised we're taking all the same classes."

"Not really," they replied. Fred turned to George, "We didn't see her in Transfiguration or Herbology, did we?"

"Can't say we did."

"Wait," an oddness flickered in her mind, "how many classes are you taking?"

"Seven," they answered.

"Seven?" That isn't right, is it? "That's more than I'm taking."

"She can count," Fred said teasingly, "how about that?"

Melissa snorted, "You berk, that's not what I meant." She rolled her eyes. "Whatever, I'll talk to you boys later."

She looked around the room to find a seat. Garrick and Leonora Rosethorn were sitting together, Amy was over with Rusalka, and Jacqueline was over with Lucy Yarbough. In her grazing, Corin spotted her and waved her over to his seat. "Hey, Crazy-Eight. How are you surviving so far?"

"So far, so good," he answered. "I'm taking advantage of the free periods before things actually go crazy. Also reading up on arithmancy while I can."

"Arithmancy? You don't take that class."

"I know," he said, "but I figure alchemy will use a bunch of arithmancy, so I want to make sure I understand the basics of it before class tomorrow."

Victoria Cromwell's voice piped in, "Wait, what?! We have to know arithmancy to do alchemy?!"

"Not totally sure, but that's what I'm thinking,"

"Well that's just bloody brilliant!" Cromwell groaned.

From her side, Rusalka called out, "Melissa, you can lend me your textbook, right? I gave you my divination books last year."

"Sure, no problem!"

Corin called out to both of his future alchemy mates, "Cram session after class?"

The girls nodded in agreement. Then Vance gestured to all three of them, "I can help you out. I think I know which parts will be the most relevant to the class."

Corin gave an exaggerated kiss in the air, "You're a beautiful witch, Vance! Thank you!"

"If you are done flirting," the air froze at Snape's voice, entering from the back of the classroom. He stalked forward to the front of the class. With a quick turn, he looked down at them all with narrowed eyes. "You are here," he said slowly, "because you are of the exceptional few to prove any ability with the art of potion making." He eyed Corin and Melissa's table with distaste. "Even if some of you lack the sensibility and sophistication needed for the art."

Corin audibly gulped. Melissa, on the other hand, politely held back an amused smirk. This class is going to be …interesting.

Saturday September 10th, 1994

It was a rare event for Melissa to enter the Music Room on a Saturday morning, but needs must when Chucklebunny plotting is involved. She entered the room, finding several members of the Frog Choir already in attendance for their club meeting. She was spotted by Kenneth, who walked over to her with Jason and Lucy in tow.

"Hey, Mel! What brings you here? Need any help for the auditions tomorrow?"

"Nope. I only need audition help from current members in VATIC."

The two chuckled at her good natured teasing. At his side, Lucy's eyes widened, "That's right! You're the only one left from our year, right?"

"Mhmm. Like a grouchy old captain too stubborn to retire," Melissa answered. "I might drop out next year. Who knows. Depends on how this year goes, I suppose."

"So what's this about, then?" Kenneth asked.

Melissa looked around him rather than at him, "I was hoping to talk to Professor Flitwick. Is he here?"

Flitwick's voice came from behind, "I certainly am, now."

Melissa jumped in surprise, but switched fast into a smile, "Good morning, Professor."

"Good morning to you, too, Miss Bennett. I can answer any question you have for class if it's a brief one. We will be starting soon."

"Well, luckily, I actually have a question about the Frog Choir."

"Oh?"

"I was thinking… Do you have anything planned for when the other schools come? Maybe something to celebrate the Champion Selection or a yuletide song for Christmas?"

A quirk of his lips showed that the professor understood her hint. "Why, yes, for this year's Halloween Feast I've looked into French and Scandinavian songs our guests may enjoy, as well as some yuletide songs for before Christmas Break."

"Nice!" Melissa smiled. "In that case, I was wondering if we can also do a Hogwarts-specific song for Halloween. I mean other than the official school song." Melissa grimaced. "It's not exactly school-unifying for everyone to be singing in a different tune, fun as that usually is." The other four gave small chuckles of understanding. "It'd be nice to give a united front for the other schools; especially with a song that also makes us sound tough for the competition."

"It sounds to me like you already have such a song in mind."

"I do!" She clasped her hands together. "A song of my own creation. Well, mine and Merton Grave's, that is; and it's already on the wireless so others can join in as well." Melissa went to fish out some sheet music from her satchel.

Unbeknownst to her, Jason and Lucy gave each other excited looks. "You think it's-?"

"It's got to be!"

"Hey, don't spoil it, guys!" Melissa playfully chastised, pulling out the pages for Professor Flitwick. "Here we are!"

The choirmaster took the pages from her, reading the title with interest, "The Honey Badger Hymn, hmm?" He gave a thoughtful nod, "It's certainly a Hogwarts-based song, though singularly for one house."

"True, but it is styled like a Viking mead song. It would be so cool to have a Viking song in the middle of a feast! Am I right?!"

Jason shared her enthusiasm with a grin, "I'm up for that!"

"It's a pretty good strategy," Kenneth added. "It's something we can all get behind, even if our champion's from a different house."

"Even better if they're from Hufflepuff," Lucy said with a giggle. "That would be so much fun!"

Flitwick hummed thoughtfully, nodding with each comment. "I can certainly see the value of that. May I take a look at what you have written?" He took the rest of the sheet music, vocals and instrumentation alike. "You even have these broken down by voice types! My, you certainly continue to impress, Miss Bennett. Five points to Slytherin for your diligence!"

"Thank you, Professor!" Melissa grinned. "I can't wait to hear you all sing it in person."

Sunday September 11th, 1994

Astoria Greengrass entered the VATIC meeting room, closing the door behind her with a perplexed expression. "Is it my imagination or are there a lot more musicians here than last year?"

"That makes sense," Annabel nodded thoughtfully, "We're looking for musicians from two Houses instead of one this year."

"Ken and Merton also gave notices last year that they won't be coming back," Dean supplied. "So that gave people a whole summer to prepare."

Stephen Cornfoot blinked. "Huh. That was smart of them."

"It's brilliant!" Parvati corrected. "It's why we didn't bother waiting a month to have the auditions. We can start everything straight away! This year is going to be amazing!"

Melissa gave a small chuckle at her exuberance, "I'm looking forward to it."

The musicians came in one by one. Unlike last year, most actually had songs prepared for the audition. It hadn't been planned, but the group was able to get into the flow of speech, questions, and music quick enough to make it feel like it had been planned. By the end of the auditions, Melissa almost felt guilty for the ones that hadn't brought instruments, as they ended up falling out of favour amongst the current members. Though, as a silver lining, that did make it easier to narrow down the selections.

Among the Hufflepuffs, the person that stood out the most was the second year boy, Ben McEwen. It seems their assignment to explore pop culture over the summer had led Ben to trying out multiple songs and styles on the guitar more than for the actual plan. Can't say she'd blame him, as he knocked it out of the park!

For the Gryffindors, the voting was a surprise.

"You," Tracey looked astonished at Harry, "want Jamie Reynolds?"

"Yeah?" Harry said. "With a guitarist and a lyrist, plus Melly on the drums, we can use someone that plays bass. They'll sound like a real band."

Tracey gave an incredulous shake of her head. "Okay, sure, but Jamie Reynolds?"

"Why? What's wrong with him?"

Luna gave a quick answer. "I think she's just surprised that you're fine with a boy named James joining The Valentine Teamsters for Inter-House Cooperation."

Byron blinked. "The what?"

The older students all gave a snort. Dean laughed into a groan as he said, "I forgot about that."

"How can you forget?!" Melissa asked in mock surprise. "You're the co-president!"

"It's a dumb name!"

"It's a perfect name!" Melissa grinned. "Even better because the school is none the wiser!"

"Back to the subject," Tracey said loudly, "you're really fine with Reynolds, Potter?"

Harry gave an odd face. "I am. It's not that big of a deal. …What? I've grown up!"

"Right. Whatever," she said dismissively. "What about the rest of you?"

The votes were mixed. That said, with arguments about music structure, the group eventually conceded to Harry's point. Which ultimately meant Melissa would be back with the drums. Joy.

"Alright, that settles it," Tracey said.

"I'll go let the auditioners know," Dean volunteered. "Then we'll have our first meeting on the 25th. It was great seeing you guys! See you all at the next meeting!"

On the morning of September 16th, both Harry and Draco received tidings of the natal variety.

Bella had her kid the other day. Sirius wrote. She named it Phoenix, can you believe it? I'm surprised she didn't name it Augurey, seeing as the tiny thing was so loud it nearly drowned out the thunder outside. Might as well be bad news anyways, with her having a kid loose. That said, Narcissa seems happy to have another baby. Not like she'd have had another of her own, but at least Andy's offered to help raise the brat, so hopefully things won't be that bad.

Speaking of babies. Well, I'd rather wait until you're home for Christmas, but I don't think this can wait. While we were at St Mungo's we did a small check and it turns out Chiara's pregnant.

"WHAT?!"

Shocking, right? I know I was! Seems we weren't too careful over the summer. Either that or muggle contraceptive pills don't work against wizards. Either way, part of me is panicking over this. I mean, me, a dad? I know what you and I have is special, and that will never change; but being a father to a baby? I can't even imagine that. I have no idea what I'm doing.

I'm going to have lunch with Remus tomorrow. He's a dad, now, so hopefully he'll be able to give me advice on this whole thing. I suppose Andy and Cissy can help too. Here's hoping! Chiara's also calling up Rosa for help. Seems there are more people with babies these days than I realized. I suppose that's good. That way we can all panic together. Ha! It's only too bad that Hope's older than Phoenix and the future little one. Ugh, I just realized that my kid and Bella's are going to be in the same year together. That's a nightmare waiting to happen. Maybe I can get revenge and train Phoenix to be a proper Gryffindor? That would be hilarious!

All the best, pup. I'll see you at Christmas!

Sirius

Harry lowered the letter, blinking in shock. Sirius is having a baby? The shock and subsequent mental questions followed him into History of Magic, not that Professor Binns would ever notice. It also followed him into Charms, breaking only somewhat as his eyes met with Draco's. Something must have been obvious in his expression as Draco beckoned him to a neighbouring seat and whispered to him quietly.

"You heard about the baby?"

"Yeah," a slight stutter in his mind jerked him from thoughts about his and Sirius's life. "Uhh, congratulations, I guess? How are you handling all this stuff with your aunt?"

"I don't know…" A grimace moved into an awkward smile, "I suppose… I've always wanted a little brother. I know he's my cousin, but maybe it won't feel that way once I get to spend time with him. She doesn't show it, but Mother's been ecstatic since Aunt Bella asked her to look after the baby. She already had the nursery ready before we left for Hogwarts. It seemed unnecessary at the time; but, considering the baby's here early, she clearly made the right choice. Heh, she probably would have moved him in right on Wednesday night if the healers hadn't insisted on checking him over."

Harry gave a soft hum. They really lucked out with Draco's mum being able to help out. He certainly couldn't imagine Arcturus setting up a nursery and looking after a baby!

"Oh!" he huffed under his breath as another thought struck him. "We probably have to move to Grimmauld Place full time."

"Grimmauld Place? Why?"

"Sirius and Chiara will need a nursery, too," he answered. "There's no way they'll be comfortable having all four of us at the flat once the baby's born."

Draco looked at him oddly, then his eyes blew wide, "THEY'RE EXPECTING?"

Harry jumped in his seat, and others nearby looked over at Draco's sudden shout. Harry ducked reflexively and quietly said, "Wait, you didn't know?"

"No!" he answered in an equally hushed tone, "Mother only wrote to announce Phoenix's birth and Aunt Bella returning to Azkaban. When did all this happen?!"

"Same day, actually."

"Merlin!" Draco shook his head at the news. "As if they aren't busy enough. Oh, Circe, can you imagine Sirius with a baby?!"

Harry gave a laugh, "I think you're imagining it with as much shock as Sirius right now. Who knows, maybe they'll just foist baby-sitting duty on the two of us when we're back over summer."

"What, like doing playdates?" Draco rolled his eyes, "I can see it now. Two drooling babies and us sitting there, bored out of our minds."

"But we can be the first ones to teach them how to fly."

Draco nodded thoughtfully, "True. Not until they're older though."

"Of course."

Draco tilted back into his seat, looking contently pensive. "Maybe this will be good for us. Being older brother's, I mean."

"Yeah," Harry gave a small smile at the thought. Being an older brother. "Maybe it will be."

Song Magic, as Melissa learned over the month, was more complicated than simply strumming a spell into action. An instrument of magic is, in many ways, like a wand or an amulet. It has to be made with magical materials, and cannot be used by children until their magic is mature enough to handle it. On top of that, the magic they can do is quite extensive: healing, destruction, changing moods, changing the weather, and more was possible. That said, other cultures guard their ancient secrets, and a book of cumulative world cultures certainly doesn't provide enough to go on. If she wants to learn more, Melissa will have to look elsewhere…

Friday September 23rd, 1994

"Professor Babbling," Melissa approached her after class, "I took your advice and read into the chapters on Germania and Ancient Greece." She gave a cheery smile, "They gave good explanations on the foundation of song magic, but I was wondering if I could read more into them at the library?"

Melissa turned a small sheet of parchment over to Professor Babbling, who read over the three titles with guarded consideration. "These books are in the Restricted Section."

"I know, but I figure that's because they're old and rare, right? I'll be careful with them, I just want to learn more about how music and magic work together."

The professor said nothing for a long time. Her expression barely wavered as she considered the request. "I will sign off on these; however, considering your past experiences I will inform your Head of house and the Headmaster that you will be working on subjects in the Restricted Section. Is that understood?"

"Sure?" Melissa gave an odd face. "I guess that makes sense."

"Good." The professor signed the parchment and handed it back to her. "Be sure to keep only to these books. Madam Pince keeps a close watch on which books are removed from the library."

"Of course, not a problem, Professor." Melissa gave a swift nod and walked out of the room. Not that I need any other books, anyways.

Ljóðaháttr og Galdralag

Or, in English, Poetry and Magic Song

The book was written entirely in Old Norse. That said, Melissa has learned enough from Ancient Runes to parse some meaning from the book. It looked to be a collection of ancient spells, all written in stanzas to be sung, which is AWESOME!

It was also strange… from the book's forward, it seemed to Melissa that Germanic (including Norse) witches all used music and poetry for their spells. Yet that subject wasn't covered in Ancient Runes. They always did straight translations instead. …Why is that?

Melissa eventually pulled away from that book to check out the next one.

Ξόρκια της Αρχαίας Ελλάδας

Incantations of Ancient Greece

The book discussed the formation of spells. How the architecture of a song's rhythm, chord progression, and more, can shape the power and potency of a spell. It also had chapters dedicated to verbal components of a spell, which meant she now had two possible languages to learn singing-based spells from; a fascinating concept even without having a fluent grasp of the languages. Though, clearly, she will need to practise them using those books hidden in the Chamber of Secrets. Perhaps they can provide more possibilities for her?

Να Οἰκοδομέω Ξόρκι

To Build a Spell

Of the three books she had looked into, this was the one she wanted to read the most. To build a spell. To build music! She poured over the book with deep interest. This book is the holy grail of instrument making! As the history book hinted, the instruments need to be magically created, and the possibilities were endless: magical woods, pure metals, crystals, magical creature body parts, runic etchings, specialised potions, and more! Combine that with careful carving and incantations, it was clear that magical instruments were incredibly difficult to make!

Melissa raised her head from the book, thinking hard about the instruments sold in magical music shops. Most were silly or self-playing things; but she has seen others. Strange ideas of kelpie-hide drums, harps made of veela hair, and a harpsichord with copper strings and a body of emerald. Perhaps it wasn't that they're strange, they're simply using an old form of magic.

…Which explains why the ones at Maestro's Music Shop are SO BLOODY EXPENSIVE!

But she digressed.

Maybe I can make some of my own? That thought made her pause. She's never considered becoming a luthier or something like that. After all, there's no riches in being an instrument maker, is there? Then again, magical musical instruments could be worth something, right? …Then again, the production process itself is stupidly expensive. How does someone go about that? Magical woods and animals… she would probably be in competition with Ollivander for those goods. The potions she can maybe swipe ingredients from in the dungeons. Crystals and metals… that might not be a bad idea. It's only too bad she sold all that stuff with Mal. Not like she has piles of gold or precious gems lying around.

…Then again, she thought slowly, I do have an instrument of pure gold, don't I?

She smiled greedily at the thought.

…When Christmas comes, it's time I take that flute out for a jive!

A/C: This is a very silly Easter egg, but Jamie Reynolds is a musician in a British band called The Klaxons. Considering he's born in August 1983 and they have a song called Magick, I couldn't resist.