.:!*!:.

Detention for being caught after curfew was not terribly bad for the three friends. They had managed to avoid giving exact details to Vince and Greg, though the other two Slytherins were not happy about the situation. Draco had told them it was best they not know everything. Hermione spent her detention with Professor Flitwick, while Professor Snape took Harry and Draco. He refused to take Ron, stating that the youngest Weasley boy would most likely cause havoc with even simple tasks like cleaning cauldrons. A red-faced Ron was sent to off with Mr. Filch.

Ever sinceblown up at Pk man hadontained Nobett each of his youngermage,=. to dealNorbert was growing quickly, and Harry was growing more worried that the young dragon would escape and they would all be in trouble. He was discussing this exact problem one icy day not long before Quidditch practice. He, Draco, and Hermione had decided it was best to tell no one of the dragon, thinking the less people knew, the better. They also knew Hagrid could not hope to keep Norbert hidden much longer, and they needed to find some way to get the dragon away from Hogwarts soon.

"Hagrid is convinced he can handle raising a dragon," said Hermione. "He's mad. Soon, he won't be able to hide it in the cabin. Or worse, it will set his house on fire. Trying to raise a dragon in a wooden house?"

"We know, 'Mione," said Draco. "But that still leaves us with a few problems. Hagrid will not let the dragon go without a struggle, and there is little we can do on our own. If we tell a professor, they will go to the Ministry, and the Ministry will want to arrest Hagrid and put down the dragon so they don't have to worry about moving it. Call me foolish, but you can't call a child Draco and not expect him to be fascinated by dragons."

"What we need," said Harry. "Is someone that works in some capacity that they can relocate a dragon, hopefully with some legitimate reason for visiting the school so they don't attract too much attention."

"How about our brother?" asked a voice just behind them, making all three first years spin around with cries of alarm. The identical red-heads behind them held their hands up in surrender in the face of the three wands trained on them. That is, they had been red-heads. Now, their hair was bright green, their skin blue, and their clothes were an eye-searing color somewhere between pink and purple that Dumbledore would have loved.

"No reason for such theatrics," said one of them.

"Though we complement your reflexes," said the other.

"However, our older brother, Charlie, is a Dragon Handler."

"Works on a reserve in Romania."

"He was one of Hagrid's favorites while he was in school."

"And he could say he was in town for some reason and stopped by to see his family."

The three first years lowered their wands, knowing somehow the twins would not betray them. Thinking it over, they realized this was the best chance they had. Harry stepped forward.

"Alright then," he said. "You send an owl to your brother, and we'll start working on convincing Hagrid." The twins quickly agreed. "Also, I don't think it would be a good idea for this to get back to either of your brothers that are here." Fred and George grinned. Secrets and sneaking around were their specialty. They quickly left to write and send off their letter.

Harry turned to his other friends. "Now we just need to convince Hagrid," he said.

.:!*!:.

It had taken a few weeks, but they had finally convinced Hagrid to let Norbert be moved to the dragon reserve in Romania. One of Charlie's letters had helped greatly. He had mentioned that there was a female Ridgeback on the Reserve who had lost a couple of hatchlings, and was very likely to accept the young dragon. The fact that Nobert would probably have a mother in his new home helped calm Hagrid greatly.

Charlie came to visit one Saturday morning, along with a few other dragon handlers. They claimed they were in Scotland for other business, and had stopped by their former school for old times' sake. Most of the small team had graduated from Hogwarts.

The first clue they had was during breakfast that morning. Harry and Hermione had joined Draco, Vince, and Greg at the Slytherin table, along with the Weasley twins. They were all rather startled by the appearance of a new red-head behind them, mostly because he announced himself by grabbing his younger twin brothers in an apparently practiced dual headlock. The rest of the group had their wands out in an instant.

The newcomer, with long, wavy hair a few shades darker than the two in his arms, quickly dropped said boys roughly on the bench to hold up his hands in mock surrender. The twins gave a simultaneous cry of "Charlie!" and embraced their elder brother.

Percy came over. "Charlie," he said a little stiffly. "What are you doing here? Mother did not say anything about a visit in her last letter."

Charlie laughed. "It was a bit of a spur of the moment, to be honest," he replied, nodding as the headmaster and Professor McGonagall approached. "I was on the team to deliver a few things to the Ministry, and we finished everything earlier than expected. So, we apperated to Hogsmead for breakfast, and I decided to catch up with my little brothers, while a couple others visit with favorite professors and relatives. With permission, of course." He turned a charming smile to Professor McGonagall.

The Gryffindor Head of House finally smiled. "Oh, very well," she said. "I suppose you will simply stay about even if we disagree. Just try to stay out of trouble, as difficult as you may find that task." She gave him a stern look. Charlie nodded quickly and gulped. She swept off, and Charlie turned to the twins.

"So, does anyone want to tell me how this odd group came to be?" he asked. As one, several fingers pointed at Harry. "I think this is going to be an interesting day." He was not wrong. Charlie, of course, spent some time checking up on his younger brothers, then went to visit Hagrid for a while. Charlie had presented Hagrid with a special crate to convey the young dragon, going over the various features with the large man.

Charlie said his official farewells just after dinner. He claimed he was going to visit Hagrid once more before he met his fellow Dragon Handlers to depart for Romania. Harry and his friends saw him to the entryway. The twins were a bit sad to see him go, but promised to write more often. Percy had appeared briefly to speak with his elder brother, but had left to "attend to his duties as a Prefect" soon after. Ron seemed sullen, and Harry wondered in passing what Charlie had said to his youngest brother. Then the door closed, and the group of friends decided to head for their common rooms.

"Why don't we all meet up at breakfast tomorrow?" suggested Fred.

Hermione, in her usual form, was wary of their plans. "We need to finish our assignments for Monday," she said firmly. "None of us got anything done today, though I won't complain over the company. But that is simply more reason to make sure we get right to it tomorrow."

"I hate it when you're right," grumbled Draco.

The twins disagreed. "But we wanted to show you a few things," said George.

"Perhaps a few places you could make into your own common room," said Fred.

"There are abandoned classrooms all over the castle that would be perfect such a motley group," George concluded.

"Stop talking back and forth!" cried Vince. Everyone looked at him in surprise. "I'm getting whiplash trying to keep up. At least stand closer together." Everyone laughed a little at the sulk on his face.

Harry stepped up to his friend. "Easy, Vince," he said calmly. "I think you'll get the hang of the twins soon. Though I have to agree with what they said. With us being in different Houses, it is difficult to spend time together. However, I also agree with Hermione. We need to finish our assignments. Let's meet at breakfast then head for the library to get our work done. If we help each other, it should not take long at all. Once we are all finished, we'll see about some of those old classrooms the twins found. Agreed?" Everyone nodded and bade each other goodnight.

"Oh, and Hermione?" called Draco. When the young Ravenclaw turned around he grinned. "As I am quite sure you will have everything else done by tomorrow morning, think you can give me a hand with my Muggle Studies essay?" He dodged the playful swat she aimed at him, laughing as she agreed.

"Oh, Harry," said Vince. "Before I forget. Here, your kitten." He held out Nyx. "I ended up with her when you, the twins, and Draco all decided to go flying with Charlie after lunch. I've got to say, I'm glad he's not a student anymore. Between him and you, Slytherin would have no chance of even looking at the Quidditch Cup."

The Slytherins turned towards the hall that would lead them to the dungeons, and the others turned towards the stairs that would lead to the House towers, careful to avoid the trick steps. Finally, George broke off with Hermione, saying he would see her safely to Ravenclaw territory. Fred continued on with Harry to Gryffindor Tower. Finally safely in the privacy of Harry's bed, the curtains drawn and spelled for privacy, Nyx shifted back into Diana.

"Are you alright, Moonflower?" Harry asked. She nodded. "Do you have any of your assignments ready to send off?"

"Yes," she said softly. "I have an essay for History, one for Science, and I finished my book report."

Harry smiled. "Well done. I'll send those off with an owl tomorrow. For now, let's get some sleep." The two siblings quickly settled themselves under the warm blankets and drifted off to sleep.

.:!*!:.

Harry quietly entered the Great hall a few days later, Nyx clinging to his shoulder. He took his usual place at the Gryffindor table, beside Neville and across from the Weasley twins. Near the end of breakfast, the owls swooped in with the morning post. One of the owls landed in front of Harry, a thick envelope tied to its leg. Harry quickly removed the letter, noting the return address, and moved to tuck the parcel into his bag to read later. Before he could, though, Ron reached out and grabbed the parcel from him.

"What's this, Potter? Fan mail? Reports from Gringotts on your millions of Gaolleons?" he looked at the stamp on the front. "Huh? What's this?"

Dean Thomas leaned over a little and caught sight of the seal printed on the envelope. "It's from the Educational Department. Muggle. Why are you getting something from them, Potter?"

Harry snatched the envelope away before any more fuss could be made. "Because I am keeping up my Muggle education as well. Since Hogwarts is a boarding school, I'm doing my Muggle studies through correspondence. Not that it is any of your concern."

Dean looked at him with wide eyes. "That's amazing, Harry," he said. "Any favorite subjects?"

Harry blushed a little, not liking the attention. "I actually enjoy some of the science classes," he said softly. He smiled. "And the fact that many of the things we are learning here completely defies what Muggles believe to be possible makes it even more interesting."

Ron frowned in confusion. "Wait, you mean Harry Potter is a bookworm? And why would you bother with a Muggle education anyway?"

Harry shouldered his bag and checked that Nyx was secure in his hood. "That is none of your concern." He strode from the Great Hall, sensing his friends quickly following his example to head to class.

During Transfiguration class, a house elf popped into the room and handed a folded piece of parchment to Professor McGonagall. The class watched with curiosity as she read the note and nodded to the house elf, which then vanished. When Professor McGonagall simply continued the lesson, the class mostly shrugged off the occurrence. At the end of the class, however, she called out. "Mr. Potter, the Headmaster would like to see you in his office after classes today."

Harry frowned in confusion. "Yes, Professor."

Draco leaned over, having heard. "I'll look after Nyx, if you like," he offered. Harry nodded.

A few hours later, after leaving Nyx in the company of his Slytherin friends, Harry found himself standing in the Headmaster's office. The whole room was filled with shelves crowded with delicate and shiny trinkets, some that moved or twirled, some chiming or whistling, others glowed in various colors. In the midst of it all, Dumbledore sat at a large, ornate wood desk, looking through a small stack of papers.

The old Headmaster looked up over his half-moon glasses. "Ah, Harry, my boy," he said. "Please, sit down. Would you care for a lemon drop?"

Harry sat. "No, thank you," he said carefully.

"Oh? Such a shame," said Dumbledore. "I must say I quite enjoy them. Perhaps a cup of tea?"

"Headmaster," Harry said carefully, pushing his annoyance down. "With all respect, I am due at my study group soon. May I ask what exactly you needed to discuss?"

Dumbledore frowned a little, seeming taken aback a bit by Harry's attitude. He sighed and laced his fingers on the desk in front of him, looking both indulgent and a little apologetic. "My dear boy," he said in a very wizened voice. "It has come to my attention that you have been using owls to pursue your Muggle education. While I admire your thirst for knowledge, I'm afraid you will have to discontinue your studies for the Muggle world."

Harry fought to keep the dismay and anger off his face. "Headmaster," he began, but was stopped when Dumbledore continued.

"I realize you may believe yourself capable, but your classes at Hogwarts will only grow more challenging as you progress. Now," he stood, folding a parchment he had been writing on. "This is a notice that you will not be continuing your Muggle studies, so there is no need to worry." He moved towards a window where Harry saw an owl was waiting.

Harry sprang from his seat and rushed to cut off the Headmaster. Using Dumbledore's surprise, he seized the letter from the old man's hand and stepped away. "Headmaster," he said, keeping himself under control. " I appreciate your concern, but this matter does not involve you." Dumbledore opened his mouth, but Harry cut him off. "Before we go any further, I would like to request the Heads of House be present."

Dumbledore looked startled. Harry could only guess the Headmaster did not expect him to know about that rule of Hogwarts. "My boy, I am sure that will not be needed," he said gently.

"I am sure that it is, Headmaster," returned Harry.

Clearly reluctant, Dumbledore called a house elf and told it to inform the Heads they were needed in the Headmaster's office. A few minutes later, the Floo flared green, and Professor McGonagall stepped out. She frowned in confusion, but stepped to the side none the less. Three more times the Floo flared, and each of the Heads stepped into the office.

"What is this about, Albus?" asked Professor Sprout.

Dumbledore sat behind his desk with his usual grandfatherly smile. "I'm afraid there is a small issue with Mr. Potter's academics," he said congenially. He quickly explained what had been found. "I have informed Mr. Potter he will not be able to continue."

"And why would that be?" asked Professor Flitwick. All eyes turned to him. "I cannot speak for the his other classes, as Mr. Potter is not in my House, but I do know he is one of the top of his year in my class." He turned to Professor McGonagall in question.

"He is always one of the first to learn a spell or understand a theory in my class," said the Gryffindor Head. "And his scores are all Outstanding or Exceeds Expectations. I did not even know he was dually enrolled." She looked at Harry with a mix of wonder, dismay, and pride in her eyes.

Professor Snape was the next to interject. "Though it pains me to admit, Mr. Potter shows fine skill and due attention in my classes. If he feels himself able, I say let him continue."

Professor McGonagall smiled proudly. "So it is settled," she declared. "Mr. Potter, feel free to continue your studies with the Muggle world. Should your scores begin to suffer, however, we will be revisiting this discussion."

Harry nodded. "Yes, thank you, Professor," he said. "If there is nothing else, may I be excused? I'm afraid I am late for my study group."

Professor McGonagall opened her mouth, but the headmaster interrupted her. "Might I ask who exactly is in your study group, my dear boy?" he asked in his grandfatherly tone.

Harry looked at him carefully. "Hermione Granger, Neville Longbottom, the Weasley twins, Draco Malfoy, Vincent Crabbe, and Gregory Goyle," he said calmly.

"A fine variety of skills," said Professor Flitwick. "Miss Granger is quite brilliant, if a bit overeager to prove herself. And the others have their own strengths, an excellent thing in any sort of group." Harry nodded, glad of the diminutive professor's approval.

"I have been meaning to speak with you about your choice in companions, Harry," said Headmaster Dumbledore.

"I do beg your pardon, sir," said Harry, knowing he had to play this just right. "But is there something wrong with Neville?"

"Well, certainly not, but," began Dumbledore.

"The Weasley twins, perhaps, all joking aside?"

"No, my boy, however…"

"A few other of the older years have been helping us, and I realize that may grow more difficult in coming years as they move into OWL or NEWT level classes," Harry said, looking confused.

"Headmaster," intoned Professor Snape. "I do hope you are not implying anything about Mr. Potter studying with my serpents."

Dumbledore held his hands up in a placating gesture. "I simply wish to point out that the youngest Mr. Weasley is being more and more ostracized in his house. I was hoping…"

Harry interrupted. "With all respect, Headmaster," he said sternly. "Ronald Weasley has yet to show desire to join myself and my friends. He does not speak to me other than to complain and insult me, refuses to apologize for his rudeness, and continues to attempt harm on my familiar. If there is nothing else concerning my academics, I am quite late for my study group. Good evening." He turned to the door. "And, Headmaster, if a person wishes to befriend me, and not simply a fairytale character who shares my name, I shall certainly consider befriending them."