Ascension: The Triumvirate

by Define Anachronistic

(AU) The Triwizard Tournament is here and Harry has qualified as its youngest-ever participant. Rivals the world over have put a target on his back, but he's eager to test his mettle against them- the very best of his generation. But unbeknownst to him, all of this is within the scope of Voldemort's plan. Friends appear to be enemies and enemies as friends. Nothing is as it seems.

19. All Hallow's Eve Ball

CHAPTER TEN

All Hallows' Eve Ball

It was clear to everyone that Kurai, and by extension Mahoutokoro, had won the First Task with ease.

Which made Magister Akingbade's assessment of their performance so surprising.

"One point?!" Cedric repeated incredulously before collapsing into hysterical laughter. No one scolded him for it as everyone else in the room was thrown by what they had just heard.

"Is Lord Babajide serious?" The second Uagadou boy, Dembe Kasaija, asked. "They- he, I should say- won! Easily so."

"It would appear so." A vaguely familiar voice answered. Harry turned to find Eniola Adebayo standing in the doorway and, almost unconsciously, rose to his feet. He wasn't the only one. Both his teammates and the Uagadou Triumvirate- all Auror Cadets as well- got up too but Eniola quickly waved them down when they made to salute. "None of that." She tutted, though her smile gave away her amusement. "I'm retired."

Dumbledore let out a heavy sigh as he rose to meet her. "I hardly ever get shown such respect," he complained as he embraced her warmly. "Even from my students!"

"It's the robes, Albus." Eniola grinned. "It's hard to take you seriously when you choose to dress like that." She turned to Uagadou's Headmaster- Kaatachi Annan- and addressed him in a far more serious tone. "Lord Babajide requires your assistance," she said formally. "Both of you," she added with a glance at Dumbledore.

Both men turned to each other, clearly catching on to whatever underlining meaning there was, and were wary of it.

"Do not leave this room until we return," Annan ordered and his students immediately nodded. When Dumbledore failed to say anything and merely drifted out the door, the Hogwarts students nodded as well. Annan sniffed satisfactorily before exiting. Eniola paused just long enough to squeeze Ekon's shoulder before following and shutting the door firmly behind her.

"What do you think that's about?" Harry asked the instant they were gone. He had been too intimidated to ask questions while they were in the room and he was too curious to hold himself back once they had left.

"Isn't it obvious?" Moody had gotten out of his seat and made his way to the door, waving his wand over it before standing guard before it. Apparently, as the only adult left in the room, he had taken it upon himself to make sure they followed orders. Harry couldn't blame him; if he'd been alone, he would have already summoned his Cloak and followed them out the room. He was nosy like that. "The Magister needs their help keeping the Mahoutokoro Obscurial in line."

"Why would he need help with some Fifth Year brat?" Ekon's voice was demanding, as though someone had intentionally failed to keep him informed.

His teammates were used to his behaviour. Lela Nakitanda only tutted before answering him. "They can't do anything to him, not while the world is paying so much attention to him, so the Magister is likely trying to intimidate him instead."

That makes sense, Harry thought. He could hardly think of anything more intimidating than having four Sages making you the sole focus of their attention.

Eliza summed up his thoughts quite nicely. "I'm glad I'm not him right now."

They waited in that room for a while, long enough for Harry to feel certain that questions were being raised by the viewers at home. The extended commentary over the footage of today's performances and advertisement breaks was playing on the Odeon instead of the awarding ceremony, so it was pretty obvious something was off. Even he, who knew exactly what the delay was, quickly became frustrated with the wait.

Finally, there was a knock on the door. Master Devereaux opened it only to find Moody's wand pointed between his eyes. "We're ready for you now," he said, completely unconcerned with being held at wandpoint. "Uagadou first, then Hogwarts follows. Quickly now," he added. "We want to start the celebratory banquet on schedule."

Ekon led his team out of the room and, once Devereaux gave the go-ahead, Eliza did the same with hers. They stepped out onto the pitch to a hero's welcome from the excitable crowd. Harry peeked over Eliza's head to see both the Uagadou and Mahoutokoro teams already on their spots atop the podium, second and third place respectively.

When Devereaux directed them onto the First-Place position, Harry glanced surreptitiously at Kurai and was disturbed to find him looking perfectly at ease.

Does anything rattle this guy? He wondered.

As he was glancing away, he felt eyes on him. Glancing down at the Second-Place position to his right, Harry was surprised to find the same wariness he felt reflected back at him by Ekon.

As the crowd clapped and cheered and fireworks were released overhead, they held each other's gaze for a moment. It was enough for Harry to know they were both thinking the same thing.

Neither of us was the winner today.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

In all honesty, Susan had expected Harry to look more pleased with himself.

Her eyes kept drifting towards him throughout the evening, almost against her will. She wondered how his solemn mood wasn't picked up by those who surrounded him, showering him with their attention and accolades.

He always looks brooding, she thought. They just can't tell the difference.

She carefully ignored the fact that few people spent as much time observing him as she did.

Still, Harry wasn't the only one being reserved. Cedric and Eliza were also quiet and withdrawn, uncharacteristically so for the former. The Triumvirate sat in the centre of the Great Hall as the rest of the school celebrated around them, as though their triumph belonged to them all.

I would be harrowed to, if I had to fight a Titan. Susan repressed a shudder as she recalled the terror that had swept over her when she, along with the rest of the school, saw the Hydra that the Uagadou Triumvirate were faced with. Even seeing how they had dealt with it didn't calm her down, as she couldn't picture Harry- her very mortal, flesh and blood friend- facing down an actual Titan.

But he had. Even now, she found it hard to equate the boy who passed her notes during class and teased her brother with her with the warrior that had battled a Hydra.

Her gaze lingered on him a little too long and Harry, perhaps sensing her focus on him, glanced in her direction. A jolt went through her when their eyes met.

Quickly turning towards the seat to her left, determined to start an abrupt conversation with Megan, Susan found herself very much alone. Startled, her eyes swept through the room in search of her best friend but failed to locate any trace of her. With a growing sense of suspicion, she instead began to search for a familiar head of blonde hair, and almost immediately spotted Michael walking out of the Great Hall.

What they do together is none of my business, she told herself.

But instead of listening to her voice of reason, Susan rose from her seat and followed her brother out the hall. If they had been more open with her, then sneaking after them would be the last thing she wanted to do. However, both Michael's refusal to speak on it and Megan's loophole-filled promise that nothing was going on between them left her with an inkling that they were doing something she would disagree with. Perhaps it made her nosy, but she had to find out exactly what, or it would drive her crazy.

It took a minute to wind her way around the small gaps between groups of partying students and staff, which was more than enough time for Michael to have vanished from sight when she stepped into the Entrance Hall. Susan swore under her breath.

"That pleased to see me?" Susan started and turned to find an amused Harry smirking at her. "I didn't think we left things that badly."

The mention of their last meeting caused blood to rush to the back of her neck. "What do you want?" The ice in her voice made the smirk fall from his face. She felt morbidly satisfied that she could at least make him feel bad.

"I saw you practically run out of the hall." He shrugged. "Thought you needed help or something..." he trailed off awkwardly. Looking at him now, it was doubly hard to equate him with the fighter that had led a Hydra on a high-speed chase through a volcanic thunderstorm.

The sight of him acting so uncomfortable made both her anger and embarrassment fall away. "It's nothing," she sighed. "I'm just looking for Megan." She expected him to nod and return to the hall after learning it was something mundane. Instead, he straightened his back and looked relieved.

"I can help with that!" He reached into his pocket and withdrew and large, folded piece of parchment from its depths. Before she could ask what he was doing, he drew his wand and tapped it against the parchment, his lips moving. Whatever he muttered failed to reach her ears over the music that echoed out of the Great Hall and reverberated off the stone walls. "She's on the third floor, heading to the fourth." He paused, brows furrowing. "She's with Michael."

Susan felt her mouth fall open. "How on earth do you know that?"

Harry headed for the Grand Staircase and gestured for her to follow. "I'd ask if you can keep a secret, but you're my old partner in Polyjuice-crime." Harry glanced around for eavesdroppers, missing her smile. "Here, take a look." He handed her the parchment and her eyes widened.

"Did you and the boys make this?" She asked as her eyes scanned the carefully detailed map and all the moving footsteps that had carefully written labels next to them. Her eyes were drawn to Susan Bones and Henry Potter who were three floors below the swiftly moving Megan Jones and Michael Corner. "Marauder's Map sounds like something Terry would come up with."

Harry chuckled as they got off the staircase and hurried towards a secret passageway previously unknown to her. "It does, doesn't it? But no, we didn't come up with it." He gave her a quick explanation of the secret society of troublemakers started by his dad and his group of friends that had initiated him and the other boys as First Years. "It goes without saying that you can't tell anyone about this."

"Obviously." She rolled her eyes as they hurried down a seventh-floor corridor she had never been in before. "I still can't believe none of you told me though."

"That would go against the whole secret part of "secret society", wouldn't it?"

"You have no problem telling me now."

"Well," Harry's expression was worried. "I don't think we have much of a choice." He tapped his finger on a nondescript section of the map.

"What do you-?" Susan cut herself off when Harry put a finger to his lips and began moving stealthier than he had a moment ago. He waved his wand once at his feet and then hers before running to the corner up ahead, leaving her to hurry after him. He was withdrawing his head from back around the corner just as she caught up with him.

"They're headed for the Room of Requirement," Harry whispered. "If we want to see what they're up to, we have to hurry past them."

She stared at him. "How are we going to do that?"

Harry smiled at her. "With magic. How else?" He got to work before she could respond silencing their voices and the rustle of their clothes like he had their feet before tapping her on the head with his wand and them himself.

Susan gasped silently as a cool sensation washed over her. She raised her arm to look at the spell taking hold, turning her invisible in a matter of moments. As Harry did the same to himself, she felt a jolt of panic shoot through her at the thought of stumbling invisible and silent around the castle, unable to locate her partner in crime. She only relaxed when she felt his familiar hand take her own.

Harry led the way, recklessly charging up the corridor. He swept past both Megan and Michael in a desperate attempt to beat them to their destination. Susan would have feared alerting them by the breeze they would have left behind, but they were too engaged in their discussion to notice.

When they reached a blank stretch of a wall a minute later, Susan felt Harry disengage from her. She distracted herself from the fear of being lost in the castle without being able to call for help by observing the rather horrid tapestry depicting a foolish wizard teaching trolls ballet. She was only drawn away from this when she felt Harry take her hand again, turning her around to face a large pair of burnished doors that hadn't been here a moment ago.

"Michael doesn't know this place as well as I do," Harry told her once they were inside. "I lived here for about a week the summer after First Year." Her eyes darted to where she imagined his own were. She knew the relatives that had raised him had abandoned him at that time, leaving him homeless, and she wondered if he had ever told his friends that or had only shared it with her. He continued before she could discover if he had returned her voice as well by asking. "I can make the doors vanish on the outside, so he'll think no one is on the inside."

Susan examined the room, taking in the sitting area and the massive round coffee table in the middle of it and the open archways that led to the library, potions lab and duelling area. "What'll happen if he asks the room for something else?" She was glad her face was as invisible as the rest of her as she was startled by the sound of her own voice.

Harry tugged on her hand, leading her to the library. "Then the doors won't even reveal themselves and he'll assume the room is already in use." The Map was momentarily visible before vanishing once more. "And we'll know if he tries to head someplace else."

Susan could sense him growing increasingly smug with every question he answered, so she kept her curiosity on how he knew Michael and Megan were headed for the library instead of the duelling area or the well-stocked potions lab. "The Marauders keep restricted books on hand here," Harry whispered knowingly as the two entered the room. "Besides, Michael isn't exactly a dab hand at potions." It was only the risk of being caught that prevented Susan from groaning out loud.

"-could have got this over and done with by now if you were ever around," Megan was saying when they were within earshot.

"I know, I know." Michael sighed. "Captain Solace has been keeping us occupied. I never realised just how much work Harry did until he wasn't around to do it anymore. I can't wait until this stupid Tournament is over."

Michael wasn't facing her, so only Susan and Harry were able to see Megan roll her eyes frustratedly. "Where are these books you needed?"

Seemingly sensing her impatience, Michael grimaced apologetically. "I'm not sure. Harry and Anthony normally handle this sort of thing, so I only know the basics." He headed towards the shelves and gestured for Megan to do the same. "Just pull out anything to do with cursebreaking and I'll let you know if it sounds familiar."

It was Susan's turn to tug on Harry's hand, sharply directing them out of her brother's path, but with Megan coming round the other direction, the only safe haven was the gap between bookshelves. However, it was only when they squeezed in together did she realise the compromising position she had put herself in.

At the very least, Harry wasn't spared from this either. She felt him freeze against her and his breaths came out in sharp little bursts that blew against her neck. Her hands gripped his arms tightly in response and- even though he couldn't see her face- she still turned away from him, mortified. For that reason, it took a moment for her to remember why they were here in the first place and forcibly return her attention to the rest of the room.

"-could be it." Susan turned back to the room in time to see Michael tap his finger on an open book and Megan move to join him. "I've definitely heard Anthony use this incantation when he took down the protective enchantments on a Rogue's stash house this summer."

Megan's eyes flitted across the page. "Do you think you can cast it?"

"Casting it isn't the problem." Michael shook his head. "Well, it is a problem, but the bigger one is locating whatever Anchor they're using to hold the enchantments."

It was only by luck that Megan pulled out a chair at the exact same moment Susan gasped; the scraping legs on the stone floor had covered up her intake of air. This sounded like Auror work, but why is Megan involved and the other Cadets aren't? Her attention was diverted when she felt Harry's hand lightly brush against her side and she took the warning for what it was and tapped his chest in response.

"When do we move?" Susan managed to keep her surprise to herself this time, even though stubborn Michael being deferential to demure Megan was startling. However, it wasn't startling as hearing her friend respond with such confidence.

"We move whenever you're available." Megan smiled and put her hand over Michael's. "That is after you've got a hand on the spell."

"Halloween then." Michael smiled and turned his hand over to squeeze hers. "Felicia wants to know what days I can't work in advance."

"And you couldn't have told her a nearer date?" Megan asked as she returned the other books while Michael stored away the copy of Quintessence: A Quest in one of his expanded pockets.

"Not one with a better excuse." Michael led the way to the door. "I told her I was going to the Halloween Dance the Gryffindors are throwing."

"But you guys never go to school events-" Megan's voice was cut off when the door closed, leaving them in echoing silence that seemed to stretch on for days.

Harry spoke first. "What the hell?" Feeling the rumble in his chest as he spoke was her limit and she immediately wiggled her way free from between the two bookshelves. He didn't seem to notice how flustered she was as he followed her out, and the invisibility fell away from them both. Her eyes followed the way he sheathed his wand, disappointed that he was composed enough to cast several counter-spells at once, nonverbally. "What could they be breaking into?"

Susan blinked as that one question brought her back down to earth. "It has to be illegal, otherwise he'd just tell Captain Solace or Commander Boot and have the full weight of the Auror Corps on it."

"It has to be illegal, otherwise he wouldn't have taken Eddie's bag." When Susan stared at him, he seemed to assume that she didn't understand. She chose not to correct him. It was better he thought she was ignorant of something than know she could be so easily distracted by his proximity. "It has an Undetectable Extension Charm on it."

"So do a lot of bags. What's so special about this one?"

"If you know the right password, it looks like a normal bag when it's searched. Only someone who can use Mage Sight can figure out that it's something more, but even the strongest revealing charms are fooled."

"That's…" Susan trailed off. "How did you get your hands on something like that?"

"We didn't. We made it." Harry shrugged. "It's been something of a group project of ours, but mostly Eddie's."

Ignoring the fact that this made the common feeling that Eddie Carmichael was going to end up in Hollow Penitentiary one day so much more real, Susan brought them back on point. "So, they're breaking into some place heavily guarded and stealing something that needs to be hidden?"

"But why not involve us?" Harry wondered. "Michael has to know we'd have his back by now."

"Because it's not Michael that needs this done." Susan felt her mind travel at a thousand miles an hour as she tried to put the pieces together. "Think about it. Why else would Megan be involved?"

"If this is Megan's problem, why would she go to Michael and not you?"

Susan felt a cloud of anger fall over her mind. "Because Michael was the only one she could convince."

Harry, bless him, took forever to figure it out. When he did, disappointment settled on his face. However, she was surprised at just who he was disappointed with. "His family really did a number on him. I thought we've done enough to make him think more of himself by now, but-" he shook his head. "They said something about Halloween."

Susan hummed. "We'll just have to keep an eye on them when the day rolls around. Make sure they're not up to anything too bad." She expected him to crack a joke about what counted as too bad in her book. Instead, he looked at her as though she had missed something obvious.

"I can't. I got the Magister's Ball, remember?"

"You can't be serious?" Susan stared. "They could be involved in something serious and you're going to turn a blind eye to attend a party?"

"It'll be suspicious if I don't go!" Harry protested. "If they aren't doing anything all that bad, then we'll be bringing down attention on them for no reason."

She hated it when he had a point. "Fine, but how am I supposed to follow them? I can't apparate, remember?"

"You don't have to follow them," he pointed out. "You can just wait outside of Nix and see what they do."

"Nix?"

"The nightclub?" Harry eyed her strangely. "They were talking about it before. Weren't you paying attention?"

"I was distracted by your bad breath." Susan snapped before he could ask why her focus had been so wavering. "Where is it?"

"Knockturn Alley." Harry raised his voice over her loud protests. "I'll teach you all the spells you need to remain undetectable."

"In less than two weeks?"

"You're smart. I know you'll pick it up in no time."

Susan sighed. "Well, if you're so sure."

Harry smiled and wandered over to the common area to search through the cabinet against the wall. Before she could ask what he was looking for, he withdrew a compact mirror, the kind that Law Enforcement tended to use, and handed it to her. "Call me the second you see anything suspicious. I don't care if I have the sole attention of the Magister on me when you do so. I'll be there in a minute."

"You're so dramatic." She rolled her eyes, but she was secretly glad he'd drop everything, even his date with Eliza, to come to her aid.

Later, when she returned to her dormitory, Susan unconsciously went through the motions of changing into her pyjamas but paused when she felt something in her pocket.

Digging around, she eventually removed a thin box from the expanded depths and brought it up to her eyes so she could read the label. Her eyebrows shot up as she recalled the perfume she kept seeing but restrained herself from buying. She doubted she'd purchased it in her sleep, so there was only one person who had known she wanted it as well as having the opportunity to slip it into her pocket.

"Sneaky little-" Susan tried to get mad but just one sniff had her anger melting away. It did smell as delightful as it had when that vendor had sprayed it at the Duelling World Cup. Noticing a piece of parchment attached to the bottom of the box, Susan removed it and lit her wand to read it clearly.

Susan,

I don't want us to fall out, especially over a misunderstanding. Please accept this as a peace offering from your partner in crime.

Harry

P.S. You're really hard to shop for.

Susan fell back onto her bed with a groan, struggling to remember a time when Harry Potter was easy to hate.

"Would you stop making so much noise?" Hannah hissed as she poked her head out from behind her bed curtains. "Some of us are trying to sleep. And turn that light off!"

"Piss off, Hannah." Susan snapped but she turned off her Wand-Lighting Charm regardless.

It was only when she'd changed into her pyjamas and settled underneath the covers did Susan realise that neither she nor Harry had thought to question Megan's motive. Why did she even need to break into a nightclub in Knockturn Alley anyway?

It took no small amount of restraint to stop her from getting up and shaking awake the inhabitant of the bed beside hers to find the answer.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"So, how can I perfect Infinite Augmentation from here?"

As he usually did these days, Harry came home to Brightstone House instead of remaining at Hogwarts. He had been given a few days off from both classes and training after the First Task, so he decided to take a long weekend to seek out his master and hone the latest of his techniques. However, Nicolas' response surprised him.

"You've already perfected it." Nicolas didn't even bother to avert his gaze from the maps he was cross-referencing with reports of Malspores being found in the wild. "You're standing here, aren't you?"

"I don't follow." Harry slumped into the seat across from his.

Nicolas sighed and lifted his head from his desk to meet Harry's eyes. "You, protected by nothing but the clothes on your back and a bubble of air around your head, managed to lead the Hydra through a storm of its own creation without taking any damage from changes in air pressure or gravitational force."

"G-force?" Harry repeated in disbelief. "I was flying a carpet."

"You were flying a carpet at an incredible speed- directly upwards and through a storm- against a creature who should have outstripped you much sooner." Nicolas leaned back in his chair. "More than that, you didn't sustain any injures aside from a few minor burns and depleted reserves. Correct?" Harry nodded. Eliza had told the Healers she had only numbed his pain within his earshot. "But you fell back through that same storm, without maintaining an Insulation Charm. In my book, a technique is mastered once you can maintain it in your sleep."

It was Harry's turn to sit back. All the nights of sleep ruined by his bed breaking underneath him suddenly seemed worth it. "So, I've taken Infinite Augmentation as far as it can go then?"

There was a sudden scraping noise and a blur of movement that Harry was only able to follow due to his enhanced senses, but even he was startled to feel a wand gently poke the back of his neck. "Not even close."

Even though he knew Nicolas would do nothing to hurt him, Harry was still slow in turning his head to face him. "Show me."

Nicolas looked considering, as though debating his seriousness. Before Harry could convince him that he was dead serious, Nicolas simply nodded once and waved his wand. It was only the sunlight streaming from the high windows that saved him, as the shadow of the incoming projectile had him diving to the ground to avoid the desk that had been hurtled at his back.

"Don't dodge!" Nicolas tutted as his desk broke against the stone wall. "You were meant to catch it!"

Climbing back onto his feet, Harry stared at him before turning to the broken desk. "That thing must weigh a tonne." The "I can't catch something that heavy" went unsaid.

It seemed to go over Nicolas' head. "Oh no, it's not even half that." He frowned down at the splintered wood as though wishing he had weighed it beforehand. Then he shrugged and repaired it with a wave of his wand. "Anyway, try and catch it this time-"

"Maybe we should do it more carefully this time?" Harry suggested. He had a bad feeling it would hit him in the head if Nicolas sent it flying towards him a second time. "Try lowering it onto to me first and I'll let you know if it's too much."

"That doesn't seem like much of a test, but if that's the way you would prefer…" Nicolas trailed off with a shrug. He levitated the newly repaired desk before gently lowering it onto his apprentice's waiting hands. For his part, Harry widened his stance and gripped the edge of the desk tightly in his hands, surprised at how reasonable the weight was.

"This isn't as hard as I-oof!" Harry grunted as the desk was all but dropped onto his shoulders. He stumbled forward in an attempt to keep his balance.

"Sorry!" Nicolas hurried forward to steady him. "Perhaps I should have removed my Levitation Charm in careful increments."

"You think?" Harry wheezed. Even with magic augmenting his body's natural strength, he still felt like he was being crushed by the heavy table.

"Now that you're pushing your physical limits, it's time to test your mental capacity by testing your control," Nicolas announced.

"Wait." Harry was too strained to think properly, but he knew this wasn't going to be good.

Nicolas continued as though he hadn't spoken. "Doing wandless magic without losing excess magic is a signifier of ultimate Mana-control."

"And I have to do this now?!"

"You do if you want to carve runes with nothing but your hands." Nicolas' expression was sly, knowing full well that Harry wouldn't be able to back down now that he knew what Cedric and others like him had done to master such a technique.

Still, that didn't mean he had to take this treatment lying down. "I'll start with what wandless magic I'm used to casting." Harry steadied his breathing and recalled the sensations that had been second nature to him as a child.

"And what will that- AH!" Nicolas seemed to forget he was a wizard and flapped his arm around in the air as though hoping that would put out the sleeve that had been ignited with green flames.

Harry laughed so hard he lost his balance and was almost crushed by the desk.

Harry spent the rest of his long weekend pushing his augmented strength and speed to its limits- sprinting through Brighstone Forest while Nicolas fired spells at him and carrying objects so heavy that Muggle weightlifters would have been envious- before returning to school on Monday. After days of training, sitting still through lessons with nothing weighing him down had left him restless, so he was glad when Susan said she didn't mind if he trained while he taught her obscuring spells.

"Remember," Harry grunted as he pushed a boulder up the hill the Room of Requirement provided him with. "Getting the Disillusionment Charm down first is the most important thing. Silencing your movements won't matter much when you're in the club."

"Obviously." Susan sounded annoyed, so Harry glanced down towards the bottom of the grassy slope where she was working. She knocked aside one of the dozen books that he'd been wandlessly levitating as it almost bumped into her head. "I know I said I don't mind your training, but-"

"This is good practice for you," Harry claimed as he neared the top of the hill. "The club will be full of distractions, so you need to learn how to maintain your spell through anything you might see or hear." Even though he had specifically requested it from the room, he was still annoyed when the boulder rolled down the slope when he reached the hill's apex; Sisyphus truly had been cursed. "Try again," he instructed as he jogged down the slope after the boulder.

Under his watchful eye, Susan waved her wand carefully through the textbook movements before rapping herself atop her head, casting, "Talpa!" To her credit, the few days she had already spent working on the spell had not gone to waste as the Disillusionment Charm slowly washed over her entire body. However, under the bright artificial sun the Room of Requirement had provided them with, he could still her clearly. It looked like she was coated in a reflective, liquid substance instead of anything near invisibility.

"Better," he complimented honestly. At least the spell covered her entire body now rather than her head and torso like earlier. "But I think I see what the issue is." Susan was the kind of caster that used her intelligence and textbook instructions to overcome any spell rather than using intuition like Harry favoured. She was doing everything correctly, so he instead focused on the mechanics of spellcasting.

"You've got the wand movement and incantation down perfectly." He decided to begin with a compliment as Susan could be as prideful as he. If he were being honest, he would have preferred she drop the wand movement and incantation completely as those were for rudimentary spellcasters, but they were under a time limit here. "But your will, intent and imagination are all lacking."

Perhaps he had underestimated her because Susan accepted his criticism with more grace than he had expected. "What do you mean by lacking?" Her head had cocked a little to the side and he realised too late the dangerous territory he had wandered into.

"Well," he cleared his throat nervously. "It depends on what your think about when casting." That's right, turn it around on her, he thought.

Susan looked at him as though he were daft. "I think about being invisible. Why? What do you think about when you cast it?"

"I think about light not being able to touch me." He told her. "I think how impossible it is for them to see me because I don't even exist. I think about how if anyone sees me, I'd immediately die." Susan's eyebrows crept higher and higher on her forehead with every sentence. "I make casting the Disillusionment Charm the most important thing in the world to me at that moment because it probably is."

"You can't think that way with every spell." Susan shook her head. "I've seen you duel. You switch between spells far too quickly for that method to work."

Harry stared at her. For the first time, he saw the difference between duellists and everyone else. "I think that's the first thing any duellist learns." He mused. "To practice a spell, to cast it quickly and perfectly, until it becomes second nature before moving on to another spell and figuring out how to best cast that one. Being able to bounce your focus between spells- sometimes even splitting your attention between multiple ongoing spells- in the middle of a heated duel."

Susan was looking at him as though he had told her to count every brick in Hogwarts while blindfolded. "That's impossible! No one can manage to think so hard on so many things like that, especially at the same time."

"It is hard," Harry admitted. "Especially with particularly advanced spells or ones that don't really fit in with your mentality. But think about it like…" he paused for a moment, trying to think of the easiest way to explain what he meant. "Like taking notes while listening to a teacher's lecture."

Susan gave him a flat look. "You're such a nerd."

He ignored her. "You're listening to what they're saying, writing down a simplified version of their lecture- taking into account what you do and don't need for later revision or homework- and you're already thinking about how to actually cast, brew or carve whatever spell, potion or rune they're talking about."

"I get what you're saying, but I've only got a week and a half." Susan pointed out. "How am I supposed to change my entire thought process in that time?"

"Oh, I don't expect that." Harry laughed at the idea. "You'll need Occlumency for that. Most advanced duellists master Occlumency just to compete on a world-class level."

"So, what's even the point in bringing it up?!"

"I didn't bring it up! You did!"

Susan opened her mouth to shout back at him before closing her eyes and visibly reining herself in. "How is any of this helping me?"

Harry tried to recall what they were talking about before going on this tangent. "You need to be more intense with your intentions when casting. You need to imagine the worst-case scenario of what would happen if the spell weren't to work properly. You need to want to be invisible more than anything in the world." He paused, considering how their differing life experiences might make her perfect method for spellcasting different from his. "I remember how I could have died- would have died if I weren't invisible- and it comes to me almost naturally. Can you remember a time when you just wanted to disappear more than anything?"

"Err…well…" Susan looked at him with wide eyes, seemingly caught off guard. "I don't think-" she nervously swallowed, and Harry leapt upon her clear discomfort.

"The more embarrassing it is, the better." He pointed out. "It just means you want to escape it more."

"If you say so," Susan muttered dubiously, but she twirled her wand through the movements anyway. "Talpa!" When she rapped herself on the head this time, the liquid spell washed over her entire body with ease, smoothly washing over her and leaving nothing but the shimmering outline of her form to show she had ever been there.

"You did it!" Harry clapped as he kept his eyes to the flattened grass at her feet, so he didn't lose track of her. "Wasn't that easier?" He expected her to give him a backhanded compliment, but he underestimated her joy at finally making progress.

"I did it!" The flattened patches of grass moved towards him rapidly and he only realised what was happening when he felt Susan's arms go around him. "That was so smooth. It was like the spell wasn't fighting me at all!"

"Good job!" Harry chuckled a little uncomfortably, a little creeped out by being hugged by someone he couldn't see. "Now practice it until you can do it without thinking at all."

"Oh, come on!" Susan protested. "I just got it down. Let me enjoy it a little." She stepped back from him to undo the spell. "We should take a break. Let's go down to the kitchens and-"

"I can't-"

"You've been working for hours! You can spare thirty minutes before going back to the grind."

"No, I need to meet up with Rem- Professor Lupin," he corrected himself. Even though their connection was no big secret, Remus preferred to keep things professional when they were at school. Harry often said this was because he wanted the ability to give him detention with minimal guilt. "I've only got a week and a half until-" he cut himself off when he remembered just who he was talking to, but much too late.

"Until the Magister's Ball." Susan's face had turned expressionless; they had refrained from discussing the event since making up. She wasn't the only girl to have asked him to the event. Two Hufflepuffs in their fifth year, a sixth year Gryffindor he couldn't recall ever speaking to, and three fellow Ravenclaws had all asked him. Even if he didn't have a date, Harry still wouldn't have entertained the idea of going with any of them.

The only one he felt bad about rejecting was Andrea Watkins. She'd asked him after Art Club one day and, despite his worries, had been cool about it and treated him like nothing happened afterwards. He wished he could say things were as good between him and Susan but there had been an underlying awkwardness ever since he had turned her down.

"Well, don't let me keep you."

Harry had a sneaking suspicion that leaving right now wasn't exactly what Susan wanted, but he was running late and didn't have the time to decipher exactly what she wanted from him. "Okay, I'll meet up with you tomorrow after classes end. Practice until then and I'll judge your progress." He hesitated before leaving, but she didn't say anything else, so he darted out of the room.

Dinner was being served in the Great Hall, so the corridors remained empty enough for Harry to feel safe running in without getting caught. While he was a Sentinel, any old Prefect could still write him up for Saturday Detention unless he could prove that he was responding to an immediate security threat. Still, even with the use of two shortcuts, he still received the same old greeting from his godfather.

"You're late," Remus informed him the moment he opened his office door. "Where are you coming from now?"

"Homework with Susan," Harry lied. If he said anything about the Disillusionment Charm, Remus would ask why Susan would even need to learn such a spell, and that might lead to their plan being revealed. Remus would certainly disapprove and ask Harry to do something unreasonable like ask Michael and Megan what they were up to rather than catching them in the act. "I'm only six minutes late this time."

"It's a miracle you've lasted so long as an Auror Cadet with that kind of punctuality." Remus tutted as he used his wand to clear an open space in the middle of his office. "I still remember the morning when James' Squad Captain came into our dormitory and blasted him out of bed with freezing water." He chuckled at the memory. "He was never late to training after that."

Harry rolled his eyes, amusedly. That was one anecdote both his godparents were fond of. "Shouldn't we get started? I've got Triwizard training in the morning and I wouldn't want you to make me late," he said straight-faced.

Remus didn't take the bait. "You're right." He waved the small team of Automatons forward and Harry moved to join them. Remus waited until they were in two parallel lines with Harry standing among the ones on the right. "Are you ready?"

Harry sighed. "Let's get this over with."

"That's the spirit!" Remus flicked his wand and the record player in the corner came alive, playing the now familiar medieval strings. The Automatons began moving on beat, hovering forward to meet their parallel partner before stepping back into line twice, then turning on the spot the third time- twirling their partner as they did so- before swapping lines and moving counter-clockwise one position to switch partners. They switched back a rotation later to their original partners on the third rotation before moving clockwise for the fourth and then returning again to their initial partners for the fifth and final rotation.

Harry moved too, taking his place in the left line and he was replaced by an Automaton who began clapping the ends of its metallic arms with the tempo of the cello in the break, making him realise much too late that he had forgotten to do so when it had been his turn on the right. This caused him to hesitate on the first approach, forget that he was meant to gallop forward instead of step on the second, and be late in stepping forward on the third, so the Automaton across from him struck him in the chest when it hovered to swap places with him once more.

A sudden bark of laughter halted Remus' incoming criticism and he paused the music, scanning the room with narrowed eyes. "Maia, I know you're there."

There was a pause before a sigh was heard. "You didn't until I gave myself away. I'm getting rusty." Her Disillusionment Charm fell away, revealing that she had been sitting on the windowsill the entire time.

"That actually hurt." Harry was in too much pain to care about her sudden appearance. While he was unsurprised that his augmented body felt that pain greater than it normally would have- as his senses were permanently heightened now- he was surprised at how strong the Automaton was when it touched someone unintentionally. "What are you doing here?" He asked once the pain ebbed away.

"I was bored." Maia shrugged. "Thought I'd see if Remus wanted to come out for a drink."

"It's a school night." Remus sighed. "Besides, you're only here because Harry asked me to teach him how to dance and you're jealous." Maia looked to protest, but Harry interrupted.

"You know this stupid dance?"

Maia nodded and a little grimace crossed her face. "The Black Family are sticklers for the most archaic of traditions."

Normally, Harry would have commiserated with her over their terrible families, but he was too busy being annoyed with himself. "I would have asked you, but I didn't think this was your type of thing."

"Wait, I was your second choice?" Remus asked.

Maia ignored him. "It isn't my type of thing, but that doesn't mean I don't know it, or can't teach it."

"Excuse me!" Remus blustered. "I'm in the middle of teaching him if you don't-"

"That sounds great!" Harry interrupted. "Remus tried to teach me himself, but he doesn't have any rhythm."

"Hey! I'm still here." He made a little wave as though they had gone blind. "I can hear everything you're saying."

Harry smiled at him. "I'm just messing with you. You're an excellent dancer." He glanced at Maia and leaned his head so Remus couldn't see him mouth "Not really" at her.

"It was a good idea to use Automatons to fill in the places of the other Representatives and their dates." Maia complimented, but only after she used her curtain of hair to hide her mouthing back "I know, right?" at Harry. "But maybe he could use a real partner to work with? Just so he's used to it by next week?"

Remus wasn't a fool, but he liked being complimented as much as the next person. "Fine, but you're not allowed to make fun of my dancing ever again."

Accepting that as fair terms, Harry and Maia moved to line up across from one another amongst the Automatons. However, when the music began to play again, Harry immediately broke down laughing when he saw Maia begin to gallop towards him.

"Sorry!" He gasped for air as their judgemental stares only made it funnier for him. "It's just weird seeing someone doing it from the outside. Is that how stupid I've been looking this entire time?"

"If you think it looks stupid now, you'll be in tears when you have to do it in formal wear," Maia said flatly. When that only made him laugh harder, she clapped her hands at him. "That was meant to scare you, not make you laugh more!"

When he finally got it out of his system, Maia took him through the dance rotation once so she could see what he was working with. "Your movements are less clumsy than I had thought-"

"Thank you for your high expectations," Harry said dryly, even though he knew his fluid movements only came from Infinite Augmentation.

"-but your timing is off." Maia continued as though he hadn't interrupted. "Stop reacting to what I'm doing and move of your own volition. This isn't a duel- you don't have to wait and see what anyone else would do- so don't be afraid to lead."

Harry nodded slowly, surprised by the constructive criticism. "Anything else?"

"You're lacking energy," Maia replied promptly. "This is a dance with a partner of your choice. If you're not having fun, at least pretend to be. No," she said quickly when Harry forced a rictus grin onto his face, "more sincere." She turned away from him. "Remus? Care to show him how it's done?"

"Wait, what?" Harry hadn't signed up for this to get shown up by his godparents, but neither of them seemed to care.

"Gladly." Remus got up from his chair and waved his wand at it. The chair zipped forward, knocking Harry's legs out from under him, before zooming back behind his desk where he could have prime visibility to watch and learn. "Whenever you're ready, Harry."

Harry sighed and waved his wand at the record player and the music took over the room once more.

He hated to admit it- even to himself- but they made the archaic dance look better than he could have expected. Maia's movements were learned and perfected and Remus' timing was superior to Harry's own, but what made it so engaging to watch were the smiles that lit up their faces as they moved. They weren't treating it like a forced obligation like Harry was, instead they were simply two old friends who were enjoying a dance together.

"See how it's done?" Maia turned to him with a smirk.

Harry, feeling a little humbled, nodded. "I think I get it." He rose and made his way back into line. "Mind if I try again?"

"Not at all." Remus smiled, apparently seeing this as a sign that he would take it more seriously. As he retook his seat, he raised his wand. "Whenever you're ready."

"Maybe you should lead?" Harry asked Maia. "Just until I've got it down."

"Sure." Maia accepted that condition with ease. "Remember, the opening dance is the only official one so you will need to bow before the music begins." She curtsied and he hurried to match with a bow. "And we begin."

Remus waved his wand, and the music began once more.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Harry had considered his preparations for the Magister's Ball to be well in hand, but while he had secured himself a date and was dedicating a significant portion of his training hours to learning the traditional opening dance, he had forgotten one critical element of his evening.

He only realised this after a particularly gruelling training session where Moody and whatever Auror volunteers he could scrounge up had hunted them in the maze behind the London Citadel, and all they were allowed to defend themselves with were their Combat Avatars.

"My dress is gold, so try to wear something complimenting," Eliza informed him when Cedric was done describing his difficulties in finding an appropriate date. "Black or green are alright, but you can wear whatever you want as long as it doesn't clash."

Harry stared at her uncomprehendingly for a long moment, b0ut then he sat up from the grass they had been laying upon as it hit him. "Clothes!" He palmed his face. "How could I forget about clothes?" In the back of his mind, he had assumed that he would wear one of his old formal getups for school events, but the last outfit he had purchased was way back in his second year and it had been too short at the ankle and too tight around his shoulders at the end-of-year party in June.

Eliza rolled her eyes, either at him or at Cedric for laughing. "You still have time. Just make it complimentary to gold."

"No one will be looking at him even if he wears neon orange." Cedric chuckled. "Not when your dress looks like something out of a Niffler's fantasy." He quickly rolled away to avoid her kick.

"At least I have a date," she said sharply. "You'll look like a right idiot trying to dance on your own."

"If he shows up alone, it'll make Hogwarts look bad." Harry pointed out. The fact that the teachers would likely get involved and find a date for him went unsaid. "Just ask someone you'll have fun with. Like Tonks or Maria."

Cedric sighed. "Tonks is on duty that night and Maria is with Lee. Besides, she would never let me hear the end of it even if she wasn't." Harry smiled slightly, knowing that this was the kind of ammunition she and Eddie fed on. "Anyway, asking a friend is just tragic."

Harry was about to say that was exactly what he and Eliza were doing, but he paused when he noticed that she was unbothered by the remark. Deciding to test the waters, Harry made a suggestion. "Just go back to school and ask the first good looking girl you see. It worked for me." Eliza reached over and flicked his ear, but she couldn't hide her smile.

His good mood lasted well into the afternoon and was only threatened when he returned to his dormitory. Nicolas was sitting on his sofa, flicking through his art journal.

"That's private," Harry said sharply. He summoned his sketchbook towards him without a wand or an incantation.

"I don't know why you hide your work, Harry." Nicolas looked approving. "Artists owe the world their talent."

"It. Is. Private." Harry repeated slowly as he stored it away in his desk. "As in, just for me."

"Even the pictures you drew of me?" Nicolas asked. "I approve of how stately you made me appear, though you made me homelier with each subsequent appearance."

Harry grimaced. He had intended for Nicolas to come off as distant and imposing in the first picture- drawn when they had first met- and kinder as time went on. "If you thought you looked worse with each passing picture, then my skill must be getting better." He cracked a smile as Nicolas chuckled, and asked, "Why are you here? We're not scheduled to meet until Sunday." Though they hadn't kept that appointment in a while, as Harry typically preferred to come home for training these days.

"You can thank Argos for that." He gestured to the perch where his aloof owl pretended to be asleep. "He flew into the kitchen and kept pecking at me until I agreed to come to look for you. At first, I thought you must be in danger, but Eos tracked you to the Citadel and then you came straight here, so I knew it must be something else."

Harry thumbed the golden Phoenix rune on the inside of his Ouroboros. He would have felt more disturbed if anyone but Nicolas could track him at all times. "My genius owl must have known I needed help getting formal wear." He crossed the room to stroke Argos' wing appreciatively.

Nicolas appeared confused. "Has Gladrags suddenly shut down?"

"No, but for the Magister's Ball, I thought I should take fashion advice from someone with superior taste." Harry allowed Nicolas a moment to preen before adding, "Anthony was unavailable, so I'm left with you."

"Excuse me," Nicolas levelled a warning finger at him. "You would be lucky to have even a fraction of my good taste. But," he rose and made for the door, "not everyone can pull it off as well as I. No, we need a tailor of great skill, we need-"

"We're going to see Bellamy, aren't we?" Harry interrupted.

Nicolas slumped. "I already introduced the two of you, didn't I? I forgot."

"How could you forget?" Harry gave Argos' feathers one last stroke before hurrying after him. "You took me to a party full of Vampires afterwards! I was twelve!"

"I lead a very hectic life and the details tend to blur together."

"You didn't take off your dressing gown for a week in July."

"I was on a roll in the lab! I was too busy to change!"

Nicolas fashioned a Portkey for the two of them as they moved through the school, and it activated the moment they stepped off the grounds. Landing not ten seconds later, Harry took an appraisal of his surroundings, the narrow cobblestone street with colourful shops on either side and the thin, five-storey building at the very end.

Place Cachée. The French Wizarding Shopping District.

Nicolas walked directly towards the narrow house and knocked sharply on the door. When it was opened a minute later- revealing Bellamy Cartier's pointed nose and familiar shiny, bald head- he pushed Harry forward, declaring, "My friend, I require you perform another miracle upon this aesthetically challenged child."

"Nicolas! You must make an appointment first." Bellamy scolded. "You cannot just drop in! I might be with a customer." Despite his tone, he ushered Harry inside and directed him to one of the comfortable armchairs in the waiting area.

Nicolas paused. "Are you with another customer?" He pointedly glanced back at the door which had the word FERMÉ written in bold letters.

Bellamy looked embarrassed. "My grandson brought my great-grandchildren to visit."

"And you're hiding in here?" Harry laughed.

"The Vultures are playing the Harriers today." He admitted sheepishly. "I couldn't hear the Odeon at home."

Nicolas rolled his eyes. "If we watch the rest of the game with you, would you help us then?"

Bellamy clapped, delighted. "Absolutely! I can show your receipt to Claudia," he nodded to himself as he led them upstairs. The third floor was a break area with an Odeon paused in the middle of a live Quidditch match. "She thought I was lying about work to get out of babysitting."

After the Vultures were mercilessly crushed by the Harriers (and Bellamy was finished lamenting the amount of money he had lost betting on their victory) they descended back to the second floor where Bellamy actually tailored the clothes.

"What are we looking for today?" Bellamy asked as he ushered Harry on a small platform before three mirrors.

Harry gasped. "Haven't you been watching me on the Odeon?" He asked with put-upon outrage. "You're speaking to a future Triwizard Champion!"

"Oh, I've been more interested in your exploits in the gossip rags." Bellamy snorted. "Half the Wizarding World thinks you're a careless womanizer now. What happened to the little Henry I first met?"

"First, even Nic has stopped calling me that so don't bring it back." He warned.

"I can go back to calling you little Henry if you would like?" Nicolas piped up from where he was flicking through a magazine.

Harry didn't deign to give that a response. "Second, I'm fourteen. I don't think it's possible to be a womanizer at my age."

"So innocent." Bellamy shook his head with mocking wonder. "Are all Hogwarts students like him? Or was my time in Beauxbatons special?"

"It's all him," Nicolas informed. "He still claps hands over his ears whenever I talk about-"

"I need formal wear for the Magister's Ball," Harry said, loudly so he couldn't hear whatever Nicolas said next. Ignoring their laughter, he added, "It needs to be or not clash with gold."

For some reason, that only made them laugh harder. "That sounds like a demand from your dance partner," Bellamy said knowingly. "Perhaps those gossip rags aren't so off, after all?"

Harry paused- thinking about the way Eliza failed to correct Cedric earlier- and that was enough to send the two men into another round of laughter. "Just get to measuring," he muttered embarrassedly.

When Bellamy had all the numbers he needed, Harry explored the clothes on display rather than suffer through the selection of magazines. Not knowing much about clothes, he found this equally as boring, at least until he saw a gorgeous jacket made of Hebridean Black Dragonhide.

"Oh, wow!" Harry approached the jacket, reaching to touch it with his fingers but was rebuffed by an invisible shield. When he saw the price listed on the display, his eyes widened and he repeated himself. "Oh. Wow."

Curious at what had grabbed his attention, Nicolas approached and burst out laughing when he saw the asking price. "That is not happening."

Harry scowled. "I can buy it myself." He still kept his family's Gringotts Key in his Mokeskin pouch.

Nicolas rolled his eyes. "No. Remember, you are my ward. I will pay for anything you need."

"Good, because I need that jacket." He had never desired a piece of clothing like this before but felt incomplete without a jacket this cool.

"I'll tell you what," Nicolas sighed. "If you win the Triwizard Tournament, I'll come back here and have five of these things made for you."

"One is just fine." Harry smiled before raising his voice so Bellamy could hear from where he was working on the clothes they had actually here come for. "Bellamy? Can you put this on hold for me?"

"You're so confident you'll win?" Bellamy asked amusedly, but he moved on before Harry could respond. "Could you come over here a minute? I want to see if this is the right shade for you." As Bellamy checked the material against his skin tone, adjusting the light in the room to see how it looked in different settings, he spoke quieter so only Harry could hear. "You're good for him."

"What?"

"You're good for Nicolas." Bellamy clarified. "I never thought I'd see him act so responsibly."

"Responsible?" Harry huffed a laugh. "He threw a desk at me last week. It was for training," he quickly added upon seeing the old tailor's appalled expression.

"He's more present than I've ever seen him." Bellamy shrugged. "He would disappear for years, only reappearing randomly before going away again. Now, I see him every other week because he claims the house is too quiet when you're away."

"Really?" Harry glanced at his master- who had returned to his seat but kept glancing at the jacket- and he couldn't quite picture him saying something so saccharine.

"Yes." Bellamy drew the material away with a sly smile. Harry had a sneaking suspicion that a tailor of his skill didn't need to double-check the shade of his materials. "Like I said, you've been good for him."

Harry could only shrug embarrassedly. "He's been good for me too," he muttered.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

It had been about six weeks since he had last waited outside the Slytherin common room for Eliza. As a sign of how quickly things could change, Harry now couldn't believe he had ever worried about the two of them working together.

Now we're leading the Triwizard Tournament in points, he thought with a small smile. And we're going on a date.

Harry leaned back against the cold dungeon wall, so comfortable in his suit that he didn't even feel the urge to tug on his sleeves like he usually did in formal wear.

Bellamy had outdone himself: A long emerald coat in the militant style he favoured- with how the closed golden buttons went all the way to the high collar at his throat- split at his waist and fell to his knees just above his new, polished and buckle-free black dragonhide boots. His favourite detail- the minute, intricate golden threaded designs that symbolised his triumphs in the Tournament so far- distracted him from his least favourite, but compulsory accessory.

He was glad his friends hadn't seen it, and doubly glad the Magister's Ball was a private event, as he felt like a complete moron for wearing the off-shoulder black and gold cape.

I can't pull it off, Harry lamented. Maia could, maybe Nicolas or Anthony, but not-

Harry was distracted from his fashion dilemma when he heard the blank stone wall rumble and his eyes widened when he saw Eliza step out of the common room. She was smiling as she approached- like she was looking forward to a glamorous night out- but her expression faltered as she neared.

"What? It's not too much is it?" Eliza ran her hand nervously down the sides of her gold ballgown, and even that show of vulnerability was surprising to him. "Or too little?"

"It's not too much or too little of anything." Harry only managed to get a grip on himself when he saw her about to have a meltdown. "It's perfect." His eyes traced over her hair- unbound in waves down her back instead of being done up in one of her usual braids. He had never paid much attention to her blonde locks until now when he found it suddenly difficult to divert his eyes away.

"Perfect?" Eliza repeated. "Then why the look of horror?"

"Surprise, not horror." Harry kicked off the wall and approached until he was in her space. "You look beautiful no matter what you're wearing- and I have just enough manners to tell you that- but you went and made it easy for me."

Eliza's face flashed through a series of emotions at his words before she averted her eyes from his. "You wouldn't say that if Cedric hadn't lowered your expectations. Now this is cool." He tensed when she reached forward and brushed her fingers along one of the repeated designs of his flight from the Hydra.

Harry was very conscious of his breathing as he replied. "Cooler than my cape anyway."

"I didn't want to say anything." Eliza snickered and removed her touch from his chest, though whether that was to his despair or relief, he was unsure. "Does it serve any function?"

"Purely aesthetical." Harry shook his head. "The material's too light for warmth, there's no hood to protect my head, and"- he reached back to flap the cape along his back- "it's so damn short."

"At least you get to wear a pair of boots." Eliza lifted the poofy lower half of her golden dress, revealing a pair of matching heels.

"My shoes would be as useful as yours if a fight breaks out." Harry snorted. "These things have no traction. I've got a shrunken pair of Auror-issue boots in my pocket."

Eliza laughed. "Me too." She tapped her purse.

"This is why you're late?" They turned to find a harried Cedric at the end of the corridor. He was wearing a suit similar to Harry's but blue and with a lower collar. Annoyingly, he was actually pulling off the cape. "You're trying to find out who has it worse? It's me because you idiots made Moody shout at me in front of my date!" When Eliza only laughed harder at this, Cedric pointed a warning finger at her. "Enough of that, or I'll throw a Niffler at you."

Eliza quickly sobered. "It's not that shiny, is it?" She glanced at Harry, but he had already taken off down the corridor. "Cedric, your mum said it wasn't that shiny!"

It took a couple of minutes for them to arrive in the Entrance Courtyard where Dumbledore, Moody and a very nervous Rosie Caxton were waiting for them. Cedric skidded to a stop in front of her, announcing "I found them!" rather unnecessarily. He gave her a dashing smile which- judging by her expression- did very little to make up for being left alone with the two most intimidating people in Wizarding Britain.

"In!" Moody barked, dressed as he usually was in a long overcoat and carrying a large box. "We're late enough as it is."

Dumbledore held open the door to the carriage. His black robe with bright orange jack-o'lanterns wasn't all that different from his usual style. "I believe it is evident that the train will not leave without us, but the flight will be bumpier the faster we have to go."

He wasn't kidding. Typically, it took nine hours to fly from Scotland to Nigeria under normal circumstances, but because they hadn't left until both Dumbledore and Moody were done with their commitments for the day, they had to make it in just under three. Needless to say- even with the heavy enchantments placed over the train to protect them- it was an uncomfortable ride. Harry just counted himself lucky that everyone on board had a strong stomach.

The train slowed down before beginning its descent through the clouds and Harry- now steady on his feet- moved to the window to observe the terrain below.

Even with winter nearing the wide valley was lush with green saplings. Just one of the many tea plantations and farms from which the Akingbade family had made their wealth. The village below was not only mixed but rare, both in how there were more wizards than Muggles and that it predated the Confederacy. The Muggles who were unable to see through the Veil, but who worked on the non-magical farms, were happy enough with their centuries of good fortune to not investigate its origins.

Though it had been hours since the sun had set, the valley was illuminated by the festivities already taking place at the house built into the valley's southern mountain. As Harry watched, a series of fireworks were released over the valley and took the shape of the Hogwarts Crest and- in a move that had to have been rehearsed- the Hogwarts Express flew right through it in what must have been a jaw-dropping display for the party goers below.

"Come now!" Dumbledore moved swiftly for the doors. "We mustn't keep our host waiting!"

Of course, Harry realised as he held his arm out for Eliza. We're leading the Tournament. Everyone will be waiting on us.

The thought of an impatient Ekon, tapping his foot and glancing at his watch as he was forced to wait for his rivals, made Harry smile. He wiped it from his face and straightened his back as the door opened, not wanting to give anyone the impression that he wasn't taking this seriously. He wasn't- it was just a stupid party for the rich, famous and well-connected- but they didn't need to know that.

They stepped into a wide courtyard that was bordered with animated golden statues which danced elegantly to faint music that emanated from all directions. Harry's eyes flickered upwards, past the crystal bulbs that each contained a glowing fairy, towards the house itself where they were being watched by attendees from the many balconies. His attention was diverted from this by the last and most explosive of the fireworks, which had the Hogwarts, Uagadou and Mahoutokoro school crests merge into the rising sun that signified both the Auror Corps and the International Confederation of Wizards.

When they stepped into the wide foyer, they were greeted by an Auror from the Magister's Honour Guard who led them into a hall that had massive windows that overlooked the valley on one side and a giant tapestry that depicted the Akingbade family history on the other. There were dozens of small circular tables in the hall, leaving just enough room in the middle for them to follow the Auror to the high table at the very end where Lord Akingbade and his wife, Master Deborah Akingbade, waited for them.

Dumbledore stopped before Akingbade and gave a little bow, and the rest of them followed his lead and did the same. "Lord Magister, on behalf of Hogwarts School, I thank you for inviting us into your home," he said in accentless Yoruba, the first language of their host.

Akingbade shook his head magnanimously, his golden crown glinting in the candlelight. "That is not necessary Headmaster Dumbledore. Your students have earned their place here." Harry watched this interaction, fascinated by the performance they were putting on. He had seen the two speak, joke and argue on several occasions, so he knew they were only being formal because they were in public.

"Even so, I must bestow a gift in return for your hospitality." Dumbledore turned to Moody who placed the box he was still carrying on the ground before the Magister. Dumbledore tapped it with his wand and the box melted away, revealing a beautiful golden harp. "Dwarven-mined and Goblin-forged. I enchanted it myself to perform all of your favourite songs. Also," Dumbledore's smile took on an amused slant. "It will immediately learn any new piece of music you play in its presence."

Rather than look pleased with the gift, Akingbade's expression turned stony. In fact, Harry could have sworn he saw him shoot Dumbledore a quick glare. For his part, the Headmaster looked quite pleased with himself. Before the silence could stretch on, Master Deborah laid a hand on her husband's arm and spoke loud enough for the entire hall to hear. "What a thoughtful gift!" She was as old as her husband, but Harry watched her bony hand flex on his arm with what had to have been incredible strength as it made the Magister wince.

"Thank you for your gift, Dumbledore." Harry was sure he wasn't the only one who caught the lack of honorifics. "Join us." He indicated the only available seats at the high table, three beside him and three beside his wife.

While Cedric, Rosie and Moody went the other way, Harry and Eliza followed Dumbledore around the other. At the first opportunity, Harry leaned in towards the Headmaster and asked, "What was that about?"

Dumbledore's moustache twitched. "Babajide is famous for his deep love of music and has been presented with pertinent gifts since he ascended to Magister. Unfortunately," he added in a whisper as they neared their seats, "most tend to forget that he prefers playing music and instead give him enchanted instruments. It infuriates him." He chuckled under his breath and nodded at Headmasters Masamoto and Annan, both of whom were grinning. Harry's eyes followed theirs to the small table in the corner where Dumbledore's golden harp had joined an elaborate silver flute and a magnificent ivory horn.

As he held out a chair for Eliza, Harry wondered how much free time and resources these Sages had to play such expensive and frivolous pranks on each other. Unfortunately, this distracted him from seeing who he would be sitting next to until he took his seat.

"Adebayo." Harry greeted the older boy stiffly and then gritted his teeth when the boy did nothing but grunt in return. Repressing the urge to rub his first-place position in the Ekon's face, he instead turned to the Magister who had risen from his seat, crystal goblet in hand.

"Despite the gifts that have been bestowed upon me this evening, this celebration is in honour of these nine young witches and wizards you see before you. We honour the bravery, fortitude and wisdom they have shown and will no doubt continue to display in the trials to come." Akingbade paused then to meet each of their eyes in turn. "Amongst you nine there is only one who will ascend to the top, but please know that I already acknowledge each of you as champions." He raised his goblet high and bellowed, "To the Triumvirates!"

The guests raised their own goblets in tandem and repeated his call. "To the Triumvirates!"

Harry couldn't see all of his fellow Representatives from where he sat, but with Eliza on his left and Ekon on his right, he knew that he wasn't the only one that was dissatisfied with the idea of being a runner-up.

They can keep their toasts, Harry thought. The only honour that matters is becoming the Triwizard Champion.

"Now then," Akingbade put his goblet back down on the table and clapped his hands once. "We must keep these young ones fed. Their strength doesn't come from ego alone, after all!" By the time he sat back down, everyone's attention was already taken by the menus that had appeared on the tables before them.

As he had been afraid of getting sleepy during the late-night celebrations, Harry had refrained from training today, but this had the unforeseen circumstance of leaving him without his usual appetite. Afraid of seeming rude, he ordered a plate of lamb chops as it was one of the few things that he both recognised but just knew he would be left with indigestion if he tried to finish it all.

Soothing his digestive worries with a goblet of pineapple soda and cherry syrup (which just so happened to be mixed perfectly the way only Pam had been able to make- kudos to the Akingbades' Automatons) Harry listened as Dumbledore continued to needle the Magister about his gift.

"You must let our gifts perform for you before we depart this evening." Dumbledore kept his gaze on his risotto, but he was smiling mischievously. Harry wasn't the only one to notice as Lord Annan snorted into his drink.

Akingbade hummed. "Of course, but speaking of gifts, did you receive the one I sent you in congratulations for the First Task?"

Dumbledore pursed his lips. "Yes. Those robes were very…nice." The compliment was clearly a lie. "I particularly enjoyed how it was all one colour. Very solid." Eliza was sitting on his right but quickly turned away from him as though she were engaging Harry in a sudden conversation. Her lips were pressed together in an effort to keep her laughter in, but her shoulders were shaking. Harry couldn't even blame her; the image of Dumbledore looking appalled at being given robes that lacked his usual flair was bizarrely amusing.

"Are all Sages so…?" Eliza couldn't seem to find the right word.

"Weird?" Harry thought about all the most powerful wizards and witches he had met. "In my experience? Yes." He had meant it as a joke, not something to be taken seriously. The person sitting on his other side didn't take it as such.

"They can afford to be eccentric," Ekon spoke for the first time since Harry had sat beside him. One glance at his bored date made it obvious that she wasn't pleased by this. "They're at the very top."

Harry raised his eyebrows. "The very top? You mean there's actually someone stronger than you?" He had said this mockingly, but Ekon's expression was pinched as he found it difficult to admit out loud.

"Yes," he finally said, but quickly added, "but I'll get on their level soon enough."

Harry wondered if he sounded this irritatingly arrogant to everyone else. If so, he couldn't understand how no one had puched him on the nose already. "I wouldn't have expected you to admit that- what with all your talk of "one of us." Perhaps it was petty, but he hadn't forgotten what Ekon had said before the duel with Koldovstoretz, and he'll be damned if he let him do so.

"They are one of us." Ekon looked at him as though he were stupid. "Even that nobody from Koldovstoretz could see it: the difference between predator and prey. The difference between us and everyone else." Ekon's date was in Harry's eyeline which was how he saw her pretty face scrunch up in disdain at his words.

Harry made a face as well. "Predators prey on the weak. I'll rather fight people on my level and leave being a predator to you." He pointedly turned back to Eliza who- much to his irritation- appeared intrigued by what Ekon had said. He knew she didn't have many friends, but the idea of her taking in an ideology akin to what Quirrell had taught them made him uncomfortable. Looking over the tables across the hall, Harry found something to distract her with. "I thought we would be the only students invited tonight."

Eliza followed his gaze towards a table nearby where the Molotov twins were sitting- clearly bored- beside a large, muscular man who could only be their father. "They probably got in due to who their daddy is." The disdainful drawl in her voice let him know that her attention had been successfully diverted.

"You mean I didn't have to fight a Hydra and an Obscurial to get here?" Harry muttered lowly, for her ears only. "I could have just flashed my Boy-Who-Lived card and swaggered in?"

"No, they only permit big deals in here," Eliza smirked. "Not sideshow attractions."

Harry perked up. "You think I'm an attraction? Am I that magnetic?"

"You deliberately misheard me." Eliza returned her attention to her duck breast, stuffing a forkful into her mouth as though that were enough to prevent him from hounding the point.

"I don't think so. I have excellent ears." Harry paused a moment. "Now it's your turn to compliment something else about me."

Eliza's lips tugged upwards at the corners. "You're feeling really full of yourself tonight, aren't you?"

"You're the one who started it by calling me an attraction."

"No, you started it by intentionally misunderstanding me." She jabbed him in the side. "Let it go."

"Please do," Ekon spoke before he could. "Your flirting is nauseating."

Harry had almost forgotten they weren't alone, and he quickly swallowed his embarrassment. "No one asked you to listen." Ekon rolled his eyes and finally diverted his attention to his neglected date, leaving them to finish their meals with an awkward air.

When Harry took notice of the groups of people departing the hall and Lord Akingbade getting to his feet, he thought the previously dreaded moment couldn't have come quickly enough.

"If you would please follow your guides to the southern hall for the opening of the ball." The Magister nodded at them before departing with the headteachers in tow, leaving the Representatives alone in the hall.

After an awkward silence, Harry spoke. "So, who goes first?"

"Weren't you paying attention?" Ekon snapped. "We go in order of points. That means Hogwarts goes last."

Harry smirked. "I was paying attention. I just wanted to hear you admit that I'm beating you." Ekon made a jerking motion towards him but one of the three Aurors present stepped forward before he could raise a hand.

"Mahoutokoro goes first," he said quickly. The Mahoutokoro Triumvirate got to their feet and the clearly frustrated Kurai led the way, stomping out of the hall. "Uagadou can wait outside until it's theirs." He swept out of the hall then with Lela and Dembe swiftly following with their dates. Ekon only followed after giving Harry one last glare.

"Was that really necessary?" Cedric asked.

"Yes."

Cedric looked irritated with his short response, but Eliza spoke in his defence, sort of. "I thought it was funny." The look on Harry's face must have been ridiculous because Cedric scoffed and turned back to Rosie.

When their guide declared it time, they too left the hall and followed him through a labyrinth of corridors until they reached a pair of open double doors. Their guide stepped to the side to join his fellow Aurors and they moved past him in order, with Cedric and Rosie going last. Harry held his arm out for Eliza, and she took it just before they crossed the threshold where the eyes of every guest fell upon them.

Feeling almost as nervous as he had before the First Task, Harry kept his eyes focused on his destination at the centre of the hall where the other Representatives waited in two lines. They walked across the checkered marble floor beneath the floating fairy lights and Eliza let go of his arm as they separated and took their places in the lines directly across from one another.

The moment after Cedric settled into place next to him was perhaps the longest of his entire life, and he would have felt relieved when the strings began to play their medieval tune if he didn't immediately forget everything he had practised. Fortunately, his godparents had taught him well, and his hands began to clap, and his feet galloped forward of their own accord- his muscles had retained a better memory than his brain.

Eliza must have put in as much practice as he as her trot toward him was inexplicably elegant and he couldn't remove his eyes from hers as they twirled around one another. He was disappointed when they all moved counter-clockwise and he danced a rotation with Ekon's pretty date, elated when he returned to her in the third and disappointed again when he danced the fourth with Rosie. When the dance finally closed with the fifth and final rotation- polite applause reverberating off the bare walls- Harry was slow to remove his hands from Eliza's waist, reluctant to let her go.

His heart felt as though it were pounding in his throat at her glowing smile, but it dropped back down to his stomach at her words. "I'm glad that's over with."

Harry dropped his arms and stepped back. "You don't want to dance again?" The question wasn't out of place. While some of the Representatives had already slunk off (Kurai and Ekon seemed to compete to see who could leave first), others remained while many of the other guests took to the dance floor in pairs.

"Not really," Eliza sighed with relief. "That's our only duty tonight. We can go home now, and no one would even raise a fuss." Before he could figure out an appropriate response that would reveal his true thoughts, she clapped him on the arm and began to pull him off the dance floor. "You can't tell me you aren't happy all your practice wasn't for nothing. You must have put the hours in to dance like that."

"I'm glad you noticed." He had meant to say it dryly, but it came out terribly sincere. Eliza glanced at him over her shoulder, and he quickly spoke before she could think about it. "You've been practising too. You had to have been with movements like that."

She grunted. "If you give a monkey enough time and incentive, she could learn how to dance like that too. It's nothing impressive."

"You can say that again." Andrei Molotov cut in as he stepped into their path. "You looked ridiculous trotting about like that, Potter." He spoke with a level of hostility that hadn't been present in their previous interactions and Harry found it rather unsettling.

Nevertheless, he responded swiftly. "Not as ridiculous as you did when I knocked you out of the running."

Andrei narrowed his eyes and took a menacing step forward. "You wouldn't be saying that if it were one-on-one." His eyes darted to Eliza. "You only got close to me because you used your friend here as a crutch."

"It was a three-on-three duel." Eliza's voice was cold. "If you can complain about the results of such circumstances your Doubles Championship would be at risk, no?"

"Fine," Andrei said after a long moment, seemingly unable to think of a way to deny their victory without invalidating his famous win. "You've beaten me. Once. But I want a rematch. One-on-one, just you and me."

Harry would have been well within his rights to brush him off, but he was enraptured by the idea of a duellist of Andrei's level seeing considering him a worthy challenge, especially as Eliza was right next to him. "Anytime, anywhere." Eliza squeezed his arm warningly, and he quickly added, "After I've won the Tournament."

"You had better win it." Andrei insisted. "It'll look better for me if I lost to this year's Champion."

Harry rolled his eyes. "I'll be sure not to disappoint you then." Andrei nodded once and stalked off back to where his brother was watching their interaction from the far wall.

"Why don't people make challenges to me?" Eliza muttered as she weaved around two tray-carrying Automatons. "Don't I leave an impression on people?"

"Who's that Dumbledore talking to?" Harry quickly asked even though he knew the answer. He just wanted to avoid giving her another sappy answer like before, though she had him left such an easy opening to do so.

"A couple of boring old politicians," she said lowly and began to pull him away again. "Let's get away before-"

"There they are now," Dumbledore said loudly enough for them to hear and even someone as abrasive as Eliza recognised how rude it would be to slink off now. When they joined the small group, Dumbledore began introductions. "These are my students, Harry Potter and Eliza Hawthorn. Harry, Eliza, please meet Imamu Abasi, the Advocate of Education and Liu Kai, the Advocate of Laws."

Advocate Kai was a small, expressionless man who seemed neither pleased nor displeased in meeting them, but Advocate Abasi was quick to shake their hands, though he kept his eyes on Harry throughout. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Harry. I don't know if you are aware, but I was something of a protégé for your grandmother."

Harry was taken aback by his eagerness, not expecting it from a man of his age and stature. "I did know that." He had made it a point to study his family history and her controversial (for the time) politics had made her one of his more interesting ancestors. "I also know you've honoured her legacy despite its detractors."

Abasi beamed as though he couldn't have hoped for a better response. "Yes! We must keep moving forward and stop letting the horrors of our people's past affect our future policy. I learnt that from her."

"I'm glad she left such a lasting impact on you." Harry had never met Euphemia but she was his grandmother, so he was glad someone was continuing her work when she could no longer do so. "I'm also glad about the tournament you've organised. It can't be easy wrangling so many institutions for one competition."

"It's a difficult duty, but one that is part of the job I'm afraid." Abasi smiled briefly before a serious expression came upon his features. "Speaking of difficult duties, I was hoping I could speak to you in private. Just to get your side of the story, of course."

Harry didn't like the sound of that and neither did Dumbledore apparently. "I don't think there's any need for that." The Headmaster's voice was light, but his expression was both brittle and dangerous.

Abasi shot him a warning look before returning his gaze to Harry. "You're not in any trouble, but I believe you have witnessed more than one infraction by a member of Hogwarts staff."

Eliza's arm tightened around his arm, and he just knew she was thinking of Quirrell too. "I'm quite busy these days, so maybe we can schedule something for after the Tournament?" He couldn't think of another way to postpone their meeting without alienating what could be a powerful ally one day.

Fortunately, Abasi seemed mollified by this. "I wouldn't have it any other way. Best of luck with the Second Task, Mr Potter." With a final smile and nod, Advocate Abasi walked away from the group with the air of a man who had gotten everything he had wanted.

Advocate Kai made to follow but paused and bowed his head regretfully at Harry. "Please accept my formal apology for the crimes of my predecessor."

Perhaps he was on edge by walking right into whatever trap Abasi had laid out for him, but Harry's response was a little sharper than necessary. "I was put in danger by her, but only because I ran headlong into it. You should save your apologies for Maia Black and Terry Boot." Kai appeared unbothered by his impertinence. His stoic expression didn't falter as he nodded consideringly before departing after his colleague.

Dumbledore let out a heavy sigh the moment they were both out of earshot and Eliza glanced up at him nervously. "Does he know about Quirrell?"

"There have been numerous incidents at Hogwarts in recent years and most, if not all, involve Mr Potter in some way or another." The Headmaster shook his head. "But yes, most of these occurred during the last year Professors Quirrell and Slughorn were teaching." He put a strange emphasis on Quirrell's name, and it was only then that Harry remembered he had never told Eliza their mentor's true identity.

"You weren't to blame for that." Harry might have accused him of such as a Second Year, but that was only because he had been trying to divert blame from himself. "Abasi can't blame you and the other teachers for what happened."

"He can and he will." The frustration was audible in Dumbledore's voice. "If he can prove a pattern of negligence on our part before the Coalition it could mean a complete reworking of our teaching methods and system." He looked at them regretfully. "It is why this Tournament is so important for us. If we win, we can show them that Hogwarts is as great as it had always been. Lose and our reputation cannot protect us."

"No pressure," Eliza muttered and Dumbledore's expression pinched.

"I am sorry," he said. "I should not have..." he trailed off and shook his head before departing.

"Well, that certainly put a damper on the evening." Eliza's tone was light, but he caught a trace of worry in it.

"For you maybe." Harry scoffed. "Personally, I think it's not a real party until a government official asks you to testify against your school." Eliza rolled her eyes at him but before she could respond a familiar song began to play and he whipped his head around to face the stage against the far wall. A five-man band had replaced the animated string quartet from earlier. "No way!" He gasped. "It's Siren Call!"

"You're a fan then?" The amusement on Eliza's face made him glad it wasn't Bejewelled Heroines as they weren't as acceptably cool.

"Yup!" It was his turn to pull her after him, tugging her hand as he led the way to the dance floor, which was quickly being filled by the younger guests. "I knew the Magister was cool but I didn't think he was this kind of cool. You know what I mean?" He had to shout to be heard when they neared the stage.

"He probably doesn't organise his own parties, Harry."

"I'm picturing him being friends with the band right now, so don't ruin it for me!"

It was obvious that Eliza only started dancing to amuse him, but she got into it by the second song and was enjoying herself as much as he was by the third. However, she tapped out when the band took a brief break after their eighth song.

"I need a breather." She was gasping and Harry figured it must have been hard jumping up and down in a dress like that. "Can we get some air?"

Harry shrugged. "Sure. Why don't I grab us a couple of drinks and meet you outside?" While watching Siren Call play a relatively small show like this seemed like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, they had already played his three favourite songs of theirs and he had fulfilled his fantasies of singing along with the best of them.

It only took a minute for him to snag two bottles of chilled Gillywater from a passing Automaton and meet Eliza in the corridor outside. They walked aimlessly through the maze of corridors, sipping their drinks to cool down. The first unlocked door they came across led to a wide balcony that had a terrific view of the valley below and they came to a stop there.

When Harry was busy craning his neck to observe the stars overhead, Eliza finally broke their companionable silence. "Tonight, was a lot more fun than I expected."

Harry's lips twitched. "That's only because I'm better company than you expected."

Eliza put a hand on his arm. "You're the best company." Her expression was sincere, as though afraid he actually thought she didn't like having him around. "I wouldn't want to be here with anyone else. I've..." she paused, looking a little embarrassed now. "I've actually been looking forward to this." She was looking up at him through her lashes, and with her hand still on his arm, he knew exactly what she wanted from him at that moment.

Even though he couldn't quite believe this was happening, Harry moved closer to her. He slowly lowered his face to hers and, when she didn't retreat, he carefully, deliberately, pressed his lips to hers.

It was tentative at first. Harry could almost sense her uncertainty, but when his hand came up to caress her cheek, she relaxed and leaned into him. He was struck by her sudden passion. Her lips moved purposefully against his own as though they were seeking something from him. He didn't care what it was, and he opened himself up fully to her, happy to surrender whatever she wanted.

Eventually, Eliza withdrew slowly from him. He let her go, left with nothing but burning lips in her wake. "You know," her voice was considering, "that wasn't as bad as I thought it'd be."

Harry couldn't help it. He laughed. "Leave it to you to be so critical." He would have found that insulting at any other time with anyone else, but right now he was elated. His chest had begun to inflate with excess warmth that wasn't entirely born from base passions.

Eliza continued speaking faintly, almost to herself. "No, I thought it would be repulsive, but it was actually quite nice."

The warm feeling that had ballooned in him began to deflate at her words. "I'm glad I wasn't repulsive to you." There was little humour in his voice now.

Eliza finally met his eyes, and she looked almost surprised to find that he was still there. "Sorry, I just wanted to see what it was like, and you were here." She shrugged as though that explained everything.

Harry felt like she had pinched him between the eyebrows, his face scrunching up into a scowl. "There were also a few hundred other people here too."

"I don't know them." Eliza pointed out carefully, as though he were slow. "I know you."

Maybe he was slow because he didn't understand her at all. "Strange, because I'm starting to think that I don't know you."

Eliza flinched back at his icy tone, as though he had been the one to hurt her, and he suddenly got the impression that they were having two very different conversations. "The feeling's mutual." She turned and walked back into the building, and he let out a defeated sigh as he watched her go.

Harry turned back to face the valley, putting both hands on the stone railing as he internally wondered how he had gotten drawn back into her. He had never considered Eliza a feasible possibility, so he hadn't even allowed himself to dream, but the promise of one date was all that was needed to get him to fall back on his boyish crush on her.

He was such an idiot.

"Well, that was entertaining." Harry whipped his head around to see Alia Nasir slink out of the shadows and he lambasted himself for not checking if they were alone on the balcony in the first place. "It was like watching a Seeker get knocked off his broom by a Bludger. You know you shouldn't enjoy the sight, but you can't make yourself look away until they hit the ground."

"I used to play Seeker, so I'll take that personally," Harry said waspishly. "What are you doing here?"

"My family are one of the major sponsors, don't you remember?"

"No, actually."

Alia immediately picked up on the lie and smirked as she sashayed forward. "I think you do remember that conversation. Every little detail of it in fact." Her burgundy dress parted a little as she walked, revealing whichever leg she put forward past the knee and his eyes unwillingly flitted towards the display of skin. Alia only stopped when she was as close to him as she had been in that tunnel during the prelims. "I know I do."

Harry acknowledged that her beauty was a powerful weapon, but it was one that had dulled against him due to the wreckage Eliza had left behind. "What do you want from me? If you wanted to catch Eliza alone, you missed your chance."

"You really think I'm reckless enough to attack her in the Magister's home?"

"You haven't shown much restraint before."

Alia shrugged. "Maybe I did want to catch her unaware, but then I saw you looking so terribly sad, and I couldn't just leave you alone," she said this mockingly but still placed a consoling hand atop his on the railing. This was surprising, but the way she looked up at him was even more so.

He wondered how two different girls could look at him like that within minutes of each other. He thought about how this could be a trap or a form of petty revenge, but he found that he didn't much care. He leaned in until Alia's dark, lidded eyes were all he could see-

BZZZTTT!

Harry and Alia sprang away from each other. "W-what is that?" Alia stumbled over her words, more off-balance than he had ever seen her.

"Don't worry," Harry fumbled as he reached into unfamiliar pockets. "It's just my communication mirror. I was expecting a call-" he was interrupted by a harried voice the instant he flipped the compact mirror open. His body forgot all about the girl troubles that his mind was preoccupied with as it instinctively went on high alert.

"They went in!" Susan said rapidly. She was standing on a rickety staircase and there was thumping music in the background. "I think I missed Michael or Megan"- her voice sounded confused here and Harry couldn't imagine why- "but your whole team went in! Even your captain-!"

The mirror buzzed in his hand again. "Susan, hang on a second." He tapped the mirror with his wand and Susan's image faded only to be replaced with Terry's. The same pounding beat was playing in the background but the sound of spellfire was much closer.

"Harry! Captain Solace wants you here, now!" Terry barked. "It's a club called Nix in Knockturn Alley!"

Harry stared at the mirror for a brief moment, wondering how the hell the rest of his squad had gotten involved in this before he looked up at a confused Alia. "If anyone asks, I was summoned by my Auror Captain."

He didn't wait for a response. Instead, he vaulted over the balcony's railing, away from the festivities and towards the heat of battle.