Disclaimer: I do not own this story

Chapter 6

-Pomona Sprout's office, end of the day-

"I'm here Professor?" said Malfoy as he entered the office.

Sprout looked up from her desk.

"Ah, Mister Malfoy, come in!"

She stood up and beckoned the first year inside.

"Come, sit. Would you like some tea? I have here some green tea from China," she asked and handed Malfoy a cup, a saucer, and a teabag.

"No thank you," replied Malfoy.

Sprout smiled but didn't reply. Instead she went to the bookcase behind her desk and pulled out a book. The book was small, around the size of a regular notebook, and looked liked it held at least one hundred pages of high quality paper. The cover of the book was leather, and completely blank. Though it was covered in dust, it looked like it passed the test of time with flying colors.

Sprout gave the book to Malfoy. "Nearly a thousand years ago, Solus Malfoy wrote a journal, and gave it to Helga Hufflepuff, with the instruction that it be given to the next Malfoy who will be sorted to this house, I think you know who that Malfoy is," she said.

Malfoy took the book, but then dropped it immediately when he felt a sharp pain in his finger.

"What? How—"he started, only for Sprout to cut him off.

"Whenever someone touches that book, it takes a sample of the holder's blood. This is a very advanced magical artifact Mister Malfoy, the book will change what it displays depending on who is holding it. Only you can see the full contents of this book," she said.

Malfoy nodded, and picked up the book, relieved that it did not cut him a second time. He opened it on the first page, and his jaw dropped.

Letters were materializing on the paper almost as if someone was writing it. The page read:

To my heir,

If you can read this, I would assume that you are a Malfoy and have been sorted to Hufflepuff. This journal contains everything that I have done in my life, as well as tips and recommendations for running a business, getting a girl/boy, and a lot of life's other questions (Based on personal experience of course).

I ask you not to show this to any other Malfoy that had been sorted to Slytherin. All the other houses are fair game. The ideals that are contained in this book are far too radical to be considered normal full-wizard behavior. If I am right, then the Malfoys of your generation would be arrogant purists who want those wizards who were born from non-magical parents either eradicated or exiled. I hope I'm not. My success, intended to foster closer relationships between wizards and non-wizards, have instead made my family even prouder of themselves than before.

In any case, I wish that you may enjoy reading this journal, and hopefully it would change your view of the world around you.

Remember young Malfoy, the wizarding community is not the entire world.

-Solus Malfoy

P.S. I left some blank pages on the end of this book, fill it up when you're finished and give it back to the Hufflepuff Head of House for the next Malfoy to use.

Malfoy closed the book. His ancestor had been completely right about the current state of the family. His father was one of the most powerful men in the British wizarding community, and was not exactly silent about it. His family was also one of the most vocal advocates of pureblood superiority in the wizarding world.

Sprout looked at her young student. On the outside Malfoy appeared calm and collected, but she knew that the boy was having a serious mental debate raging in his mind.

She decided that rest would be best for him. "Well then Mister Malfoy, if you haven't got anymore affairs planned tonight, I suggest you take a nice long sleep. Goodness knows how many piles of homework your other teachers are going to assign to you later this year."

Malfoy looked up at her. He was completely torn between continuing to believe in his father, whose ideologies he was raised in, and having his outlook in life changed by his ancestor's book.

He shook his head to clear excessive thoughts. "No, I haven't got anything planned tonight. Good evening professor."

He put the book in his bag and left, closing the door behind him.

Sprout looked at the door closing, before letting out a soft smile.

"Already his behavior is changing, perhaps there is hope for this boy after all," she said, before making herself a cup of tea.

-Hufflepuff common room-

The moment Malfoy entered the common room; he was cornered by his fellow first years, all eager to know what happened in Sprout's office.

"So Draco, what was the thing that your great-great-grandfather left behind?"

"Is it a sword?"

"Ooh! Maybe it's a super wand!"

"Don't be silly, it has to be a pile of gold, isn't it Draco?"

They were closing in on him, so much so that Draco was left with very little room to breathe.

"You people are suffocating me!"

Everybody gave him some room to catch his breath. When Malfoy had recovered, they stared at him expectantly.

Not even Draco Malfoy can avoid the stares that are being directed at him. Realizing he had no choice, he sighed.

"It's a book."

Instead of silencing his critics however, it made them even more curious.

"A book? What does it contain?"

"Maybe it has some awesome spells!"

"It's probably a journal of his ancestor's life."

"Don't be stupid, it obviously contains great power, maybe you can summon something with it."

"The cake is a lie."

Tired of the questions, Draco moved them out of the way. "I don't have time for this, I'm going to bed."

And he went straight for the dormitories. No one tried to stop him.

-A few minutes later-

As the Hufflepuff male first years went up for bed, they noticed that Draco made good on his promise, and went to bed early.

They also noticed a piece of paper on the small table beside his bed. It read:

To Whom It May Concern,

To answer your questions, the book is a journal that Solus Malfoy left behind. It contains an account of my ancestor's life as well as tips for living.

Don't try to pick up the book, it cuts your finger and everything written in it will vanish if anyone but a Malfoy sorted to Hufflepuff holds it.

-Draco Malfoy

Justin, Ernie and the others looked at each other, before a smile crept up their faces.

Looks like Malfoy wasn't a complete jerk after all.

-Great Hall, early the next morning-

Harry again arrived at the hall earlier than everyone else. He sat down on the Gryffindor table and pulled out a book about magical healing methods (Introduction to Healing Magic by H. Lecter) he found in the library. He figured that since he was not doing anything time-consuming yet, he might as well research on magical methods of healing, which is very rare in Earth-land. If he can find a fast and efficient method of healing, it would save Fairy Tail a significant amount of money in hospital bills.

He was on his second piece of toast when Draco Malfoy entered the hall. Harry looked at the newcomer, who looked back, before the both of them returned to what they were doing, Harry reading the book, Malfoy moving over to the Hufflepuff table.

Throughout the time they were in the Hall, neither spoke to the other, having nothing in common to talk about, and both left the Hall after a few minutes to continue exploring the castle.

-Later, breakfast time-

Harry was again sitting beside Ron and Hermione, whom were bickering once more.

"I told you to stop following me!"

"Why don't you want me to come with you?"

"It's weird being seen with a girl."

"But Harry's not complaining."

"He just doesn't want to let you know, right Harry?"

"Don't drag me into your argument."

"Right!"

At that very moment, Fred and George came to their table, faces beaming, a joke or two threatening to slip from their lips.

And it did.

"Look Fred, Ronniekins is arguing with a girl!"

Ron's ears went red.

"Indeed George, is this the beginning of true love?"

Hermione's ears also went red.

"I can't say for certain Fred, but it looks like it."

Ron and Hermione were now both crimson in the cheeks.

"Stop it!" shouted Hermione.

"You two!" exclaimed Ron.

The twins' eyes widened, and both let out a gasp.

"Oh my gosh George, they're completing each other's sentences!"

"They're not just boyfriend and girlfriend Fred; they're madly in love with each other!"

"Quick George, we must plan the wedding! I'll arrange for the venue, you talk with caterers! Nothing must go wrong when our little brother ties the knot!"

"I said stop it!" said Ron and Hermione, both of whom were on the verge of exploding and crying, respectively.

Harry, amused as he was, decided that this time the two were taking it a little too far, and uttered an Earth-land spell under his breath.

"Emotion Magic: Mood Swing," he said quietly. The spell lowered the twins' mischievous attitudes, while increasing the relief and happiness of Ron and Hermione.

Fred and George stopped teasing the other two and decided to talk to Harry.

"Well Harry, try not to get in the way of these two lovers, they may not like it."

"Indeed Mister Potter, you can always come to us if they request to be left alone."

"Don't listen to them Harry!" shouted both Ron and Hermione. Fred and George ignored it.

"I'll remember what you said," replied Harry to the horror of the other two.

"Well Fred, it seems our work here is done." said Fred.

"Nicely said George, we will go make our exits now ladies and gentlemen."

They left with a bow and a twirl, and headed for Lee Jordan.

"I can't believe you would side with them Harry!" said Ron, fuming.

"You can't possibly be thinking that we're in love, are you Harry?" asked Hermione, her face anxious.

Harry brought his hands in surrender. "Guys, chill out, I wasn't serious. I don't believe you two are in love, you just look like it."

"Thanks Harr…hey!" said Hermione. Ron simply sat confused.

Hermione shook her head, muttering about boys and machismo.

Their earlier conversation of Hermione being a girl was completely forgotten.

-Defense Against the Dark arts classroom-

"G-good morning s-students, my n-name is Quirinus Quirrell, the D-Defense Against t-the arts Professor. In t-this subject we w-will learn h-how to d-defend ourselves f-from the d-dark arts."

At this point, most of the students stopped listening. Not only was their Professor hard to understand because of his stuttering, said stuttering also made them skeptical about him actually knowing anything related to the subject.

Of the few who were still paying attention, Harry was only listening out of curiosity, Hermione because of old habits and her diligence at school, and Draco because of pride. Ron was staring out the window; his head perched onto his hand. Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnigan were playing thumb-wrestling underneath the desk. Ernie Macmillan and Hannah Abbott were whispering about something. Everyone else was dozing off.

As Quirrell ranted on about his supposed experiences during his absence at the school—it turned out he was once a Muggle Studies teacher at Hogwarts before he took a study leave—the bell rang without much incident and the students left for their next class.

-Astronomy classroom-

"You must be wondering why you are learning Astronomy in the daytime," said Aurora Sinistra, Professor of Astronomy. She was a dark-skinned woman who was one of the most respected teachers at the school, having been the teacher of Astronomy for many years.

The students were seated in a simple classroom right next to the Astronomy Tower, where the actual classes were being held at night.

Today Professor Sinistra was simply giving the class a basic orientation about the subject.

"It's simple, you're still too young to stay up late at night. In addition, the sun is also a heavenly body and a star, so we will be tackling that in your third year. By the way, did you know that the sun has been emitting less and less light? The trend started during 10 A.D., and since then our star has been getting weaker. Even the muggles have discovered this. I can offer no explanation to why this is happening."

She waited for the students to answer, but left the subject hanging. She didn't notice that a student of hers was deep in thought, as if trying to remember an important past event that would give a solution to their problems.

She continued her lesson. "The stars have been the subject of interest for muggles and wizards for thousands of years. In this lesson, we will delve into that study with a more practical approach: those which do not involve predicting the future using heavenly bodies. Your Divination subject should cover that part."

She picked up a telescope lying on her table.

She held it up for the students to see. "The telescope is the most important too for any astronomer. Without it, you cannot view the stars closely enough to make any observations. The one in my hand is the traditional telescope that wizard astronomers use. It doesn't have a lot of magnifying power by itself, so it uses magic to make things look bigger than they truly are," she said, and put down the telescope.

"Muggles, on the other hand," she continued, "have no choice but to make their telescopes bigger and heavier in order to see more. I've heard of tales of ten meter wide telescopes being erected on top of mountains. Whether or not the rumors are true, I don't know, but I think it's safe to say that a telescope that big being enhanced by magic can see farther that any muggle or wizard telescope ever created," she said, her eyes twinkling at the thought of owning such a device.

The Gryffindor students noticed this, and made a pact to make their professor's dream come true.

The bell rang, and the Gryffindor students left the Astronomy classroom for the Divination one, and the Slytherin students for Arithmancy.

Harry gave up trying to remember what he had forgotten, and joined the Gryffindor students on the way to North Tower.

-Later, dinner time-

"I don't know about you, but I am not taking Divination on our third year!" huffed Hermione as she bit off a large piece of chicken, with parts of the thigh still hanging over her mouth.

Earlier, Hermione had antagonized the Divination teacher, Sybill Trelawney, by claiming she was a fraud and storming out the classroom. The class wasn't as noisy after that incident.

Ron and Harry exchanged glances. Hermione's sour mood hadn't improved over the day, and the two were certain they're going to be dragged into her business one way or another. "Nobody's trying to stop you Hermione," said Ron.

Wrong answer.

Instead of making Hermione feel better, it only made her angrier.

She swallowed her chicken. "Oh, and I suppose you see her as being legitimate, do you?" she snapped.

Ron winced at her outburst, but kept his composure.

"Not really, but it's still not enough reason to shout at her like that, you could've, I don't know, kept it to yourself until the end of class," replied Ron.

Hermione glared at him, but said nothing. Even she knew that what she did was wrong, and she will regret her actions later on.

She sighed, and drank a cup of juice. "I guess you're right, I'll have to apologize to Professor Trelawney when I see her again," she said.

This caused Ron to smile, which was returned by Hermione.

They never noticed Harry drafting recipes of custom-made wedding cakes and heart cookies, and then hastily stuffing them in his bag before the other two sensed something was going on.

-A few weeks later, Quidditch field-

Ron had dragged Harry onto the Quidditch field to watch the Gryffindor team tryouts. Hermione tagged along, curious about the game.

Some of the players were passing a large red ball through a set of three of gigantic loops; one of the players was trying to block the ball from going through. Two other players, Fred and George, were using a small bat to whack a black ball back and forth between them.

The trio watched with varying states of interest. Ron looked on excitedly, Harry curiously, and Hermione methodically.

Fred had just batted away the black ball, called a Bludger, right back to George when suddenly it swerved hard to the right, directly where Harry, Ron and Hermione were sitting.

Fred, George, and the rest of the Gryffindor Quidditch team can only watch in horror as the three first years gave a cry of surprise and moved out of the way.

The Bludger hit the stands with a thunderous crash, leaving Harry, Ron, and Hermione standing next to the newly made hole. Ron and Hermione were staring wide-eyed at the hole, shell-shocked, and breathing heavily. Harry, while no less surprised himself, looked like this sort of thing happened to him all the time.

They had slightly recovered from their surprise when the Bludger ripped through the stands again, and this time aimed itself straight for Ron. The boy can do nothing but quickly raise his arms over his head and brace for impact and hope that nothing vital is going to be hit, and waited.

And waited.

After five seconds of nothing, Ron mustered enough courage to open an eye.

He blinked.

Harry was wrestling the Bludger to the seats, and was losing the match with the thing until Fred and George rushed over to help him. It took the three an entire five minutes to hold the ball long enough to it to be placed back into the ball container.

With the rogue ball finally under control, the captain of the team, Oliver Wood, ambled over to them.

"I want to apologize to you three about that. We've never seen a Bludger attack a bystander before," he said, sincerity evident in his voice.

"It's alright, we're just glad no one was hurt," said Harry as he dusted himself.

Wood nodded to him. "I must say Mister Potter, you and Mister Weasley showed some pretty good reflexes back there. If you want, I could ask Professor McGonagall if you two can be made part of the team."

"Really? Is that true? Hell yeah!" shouted Ron, his mind already dreaming of possible future outcomes. Harry opted for a simple 'thank you'.

Hermione rolled her eyes at Ron's reaction. "First years aren't allowed to play Quidditch Ron," she said.

"Don't be such a killjoy Hermione, let Harry and me enjoy this moment," replied Ron.

Wood laughed good-naturedly at the two's antics and was about to speak when Dumbledore appeared before them. Behind him is a red-headed girl whom none of them has seen before…none of them but Harry that is.

The moment the girl appeared in the bespectacled boy's view, his eyes widened and he immediately ran towards her.

The girl, for her part, ran towards Harry. Dumbledore was left forgotten.

"Harry!"

"Erza!"

The girl collided with Harry with a bone-crushing hug, which Harry returned until the girl turned the friendly embrace into a bear-hug.

Several tense moments passed before Harry mustered enough strength to choke out a plea for Erza to stop. His face was already turning blue.

"Erza…can't…breathe…"

Erza let go of Harry, who dropped to the ground clutching his neck.

"Sorry Harry," said Erza.

Harry smiled and waved her off. He stood up after a few seconds, and looked at his friend.

"It's good to see you again, but how did you get here?" asked Harry.

"There was a brawl in the house, and I was pushed into the Portkey that was supposed to deliver your mail. By the way, here are letters from the people back home," said Erza, and showed Harry stack of letters, neatly arranged and tied with a thin cord.

When he saw the sheer number of letters that the other guild members wrote to him, Harry eye's started to water. He wiped them off quickly before anyone noticed.

It took a few seconds before he realized that someone was tapping his shoulder, and Harry looked behind to see Ron staring at him.

"How about an introduction mate?" he asked. Behind Ron, Hermione made a gesture of agreement.

"Oh, guys, this is Erza Scarlet, a friend of mine back home. Erza, this is Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger, we met on the way to the castle, and we've been friends ever since."

The other three said their hellos. Hermione spoke up.

"You're supposed to be our age right? How come you're not in school?" she asked.

Harry was about to reply when Erza cut him. "I am home-schooled. My father's too overprotective to send me to Hogwarts."

"Ah."

Meanwhile, Wood was talking to Dumbledore. He was trying to persuade the Headmaster to allow Harry and Ron to enter the Quidditch team.

"I am sorry Oliver, but rules are rules, we cannot allow first years to play in an official Quidditch match, no matter how talented they may be," said Dumbledore.

The look of disappointment was evident on Wood's face; he hung his head down, and did not see the smile etched on the Headmaster's lips.

"However, there is nothing in the rule book that prevents them from entering as supporting members of the team."

Wood looked up. "What do you mean Professor?"

The smile on Dumbledore's face grew. "What I mean is, they will not be playing Quidditch in an official game themselves, but they can serve as extra players in practice. They can also help in restoration and clean-up if need be. And I believe Miss Granger would be an excellent team manager."

Wood thought about it. Though Harry and Ron can't be on the official team, them playing in practice would be good training for next year, and would allow the rest of the team to keep practicing in case one of the actual members is sick or in detention. Hermione being a team manager would mean they would have an easier time booking the field for practice, as well as gathering equipment from Madam Hooch. Plus extra hands in cleaning were always appreciated.

He smiled, and looked at the three first years and Harry's friend. Dumbledore noticed Wood's intention, and placed a hand on the other's shoulder.

"Wood, if I may, can you tell them your decision later? I think those four would like to spend some time alone. Tryouts are over," said Dumbledore.

Wood nodded, he called the other players, and they walked back to the castle.

Dumbledore walked with the Gryffindor Quidditch team, though he gave a glance back at Harry and Erza. How he would love to pry into their minds and find out what had happened during the years Harry was absent from Fairy Tail, but he knows it was not a viable option. Harry's expertise lies in mental magic; he would immediately discover what Dumbledore was trying to do, should the old man ever attempt Legilimency—the art of looking into the minds of others—and that would lead to difficulties later on. The girl was a different matter. Dumbledore is aware that she was very proficient in the use of Requip magic, but with Harry being her best friend, he had a feeling that he would have taught her some mind magic. Plus having only one eye means Legilimency would only work at half-power on her.

No, if he wanted to know what happened, it would be by asking politely.

He gave a sigh, and returned to the castle. There were more important things to do other than find out what was in the past.

-Lunch time, Great Hall-

Harry was showing Erza around the castle, and he and Hermione provided running commentary on the history of the castle as well as its inhabitants. Ron butted in whenever something from the society of the wizarding world was brought up.

"I have to say Harry, this is one large castle," said Erza.

"You have no idea," replied Harry. After four weeks of exploring the castle early in the mornings, and occasionally bumping into Draco Malfoy, and still he hasn't figured out the entirety of Hogwarts.

"You should have seen him Erza, Harry casted a Levitation spell on a feather, put his wand away, and somehow the feather was still floating! Even Professor Flitwick hasn't done that before," said Ron.

Erza chuckled. "Well, Harry's always had a knack for experimenting. You should see him in the kitchen; he turns everyday dishes into feasts."

"I know, he told me. He doesn't cook here though, but whenever we eat and the kitchen cooks something new, you better believe Harry's itching to taste it, list its ingredients, and find out how it was cooked," replied Ron, who turned his back to look at Harry.

Said boy was now way back in the group, right behind Hermione, his face a deep shade of crimson.

This made Erza laugh some more. "No surprise there. Harry, when you get back home, make sure that you cook some of the new dishes you tasted."

It wasn't a request, it was an order, and Harry can do nothing but nod softly.

They entered the Great Hall, and saw Dumbledore waiting for them at the behind the door.

"It is time to go Miss Scarlet, the Portkey will return to your home in half an hour. If you would like to come with her Harry, follow us. Miss Granger, Mister Weasley, if I may ask, would it be possible that you would not follow, Miss Scarlet's father is insistent on keeping their location a secret to as many people as possible?"

Hermione and Ron nodded, and they left Harry and Erza to have dinner. The other two followed Dumbledore to his office.

They arrived a few minutes later. The Portkey was lying on a table on the far side of the office.

It was then that Harry noticed something peculiar. Erza was not wearing her armor.

"Hey Erza, you're not wearing your armor," he said.

The girl shrugged. "Mister Dumbledore asked me to take it off while I'm in here. He said it would draw unnecessary attention."

"Ah. By the way, how's the guild?" asked Harry.

Erza put her head on a chin. "Well, Natsu took a leave of absence to visit his family, Gray still removes his clothing unknowingly, Mirajane and I are still fighting, Macao is on a mission somewhere, Master's gone to a Guild Master's meeting, Cana is still drinking, pretty much the same as you left."

Harry gave a smile, which was returned by Erza.

Dumbledore cleared his throat.

"It is nearly time Miss Scarlet, I have already sent word to your Master that you arrived here in one piece, so you needn't worry about them panicking and trying to save you."

Erza grabbed the cauldron, and looked back at Harry.

"Come back next month, alright?" said Harry.

"Of course," replied Erza, before equipping her armor once again.

Harry raised an eyebrow. "I never knew you could now equip armors directly."

Erza smirked. "I'm not the only one still learning you know?"

And with that, the Portkey activates, and Erza was once again whisked back to Earth-land.

They watched the Portkey disappear, and then Dumbledore turned to Harry.

"I had planned that none of the other guild members appear here."

"How come Professor?" asked Harry.

"Mysterious people walking around the castle would arouse suspicion that we are hiding something. It would be very troublesome if many more people would know of Earth-land."

Harry nodded. Dumbledore noticed Harry's good mood, and seized his chance to ask about his past.

"Harry, you never did tell me about what had happened before you came to Fairy Tail."

Harry snapped towards Dumbledore, and let the words sink in. He looked at the old man, and grit his teeth.

"I'd…prefer not to talk about it. I can only say that it was…terrible."

Dumbledore didn't seem surprised by this, and simply nodded.

"I understand. I would only ask for the basic details, but only if you want to."

Harry gave him a solemn nod. His expression became thoughtful, and remained that way for a few seconds. Dumbledore had returned to his seat, and was about to ask the boy to eat dinner when Harry spoke.

"The Tower of Heaven," he said.

Dumbledore blinked.

"What?"

"The Tower of Heaven Professor, if you want to know what happened to me, research about the Tower of Heaven," Harry said coldly.

He then turned to leave. Dumbledore rested his chin on his hands. He closed his eyes and prepared to enter into thinking mode. He was already reminiscing about the tattered clothes that Harry and Erza wore when they first entered Fairy Tail when the door opened and Harry poked his head in.

"Yes Harry?" asked Dumbledore, slightly annoyed that his brooding was interrupted.

Harry gave him a sheepish grin. "Well Professor, you never did tell me how you came to know of Earth-land."

Dumbledore, surprised by this, can only smile as he recollected his memories. His eyes curved happily, albeit with a hint of disgust.

"Oh, that happened during the night that Tom Riddle was defeated. I was leaving the party at the Leaky Cauldron and stepped into the fireplace to use the Floo. I did not know what had happened, but instead of me returning to my office, I ended up in Makarov's fireplace. I later found out Mundungus Fletcher vomited on the Floo powder earlier, I believe that caused the properties of the powder to change, and sent me to Earth-land instead. Your master seemed ready to bash me to death before I told him it was an accident."

He laughed softly at the memories. Harry tried to keep a straight face. The boy quickly said goodnight and left.

Though disturbed from his musings, Dumbledore could not help but smile at Harry's attempt to change the topic. Needless to say, it lifted his mood, and he was now ready to tackle both the ever increasing amount of paperwork that piled on the floor, and on the new information that Harry had given him.

'Tower of Heaven,' he thought. 'I have a feeling that the topic would be taboo back at Earth-land. I would need to make inquiries about this alone.'

He shook his head. The Tower of Heaven can wait, right now paperwork waits.

-Gryffindor common room-

Harry had returned from dinner. He still cannot believe that he had just confessed about the Tower of Heaven to Dumbledore.

He knew this would lead to complications later on, but what other choice does he have? If he told Makarov about the Tower of Heaven, no doubt the entire guild would be involved. If he told the government, trouble would arise.

Now he can only hope that Dumbledore would keep his secret and not reveal it to the people back home.

He entered the door behind the portrait, and was greeted by Ron jumping up and down. Hermione stood beside him, her face showing an expression of irritation. In her hands was a piece of paper filled with what looked like the schedule for a sporting event.

"Harry! Guess what?"

"What?"

"We made the team! We're now part of the Gryffindor Quidditch team! Wood told us about it while you were gone."

"But I thought first years aren't allowed to join?"

"That's only on official games, we can play Quidditch with the team during practice. Oh, and Hermione is now team manager."

Harry looked at Hermione, who nodded.

Harry placed a hand on the back of his neck.

"I can't say I know how I feel about that Ron. I mean, we do have to study."

"Wood assured us we would only practice on Saturdays…well, actually, Hermione made him promise it."

"With good reason," replied Hermione, shaking her head, the paper in her hand seemed to wobble along with her.

Harry gave his two friends a smile.

Ron then changed topics and asked Harry what happened before Erza left.

Harry was happy to tell them, though he omitted his conversation with Dumbledore and tweaked some of the details so it would not reveal Earth-land.

After a few minutes, Hermione said goodnight, and both Harry and Ron also decided to go to bed.

Author's notes: I am terribly sorry about to long update. It was either a) I'm can't get my hands on a computer, b) I don't have the time, c) I don't have the inspiration, or d) all of the above.

I hope this chapter makes up for it.

I will try to make Dumbledore as manipulative as I can get him, without looking like a jerk in the process. Also, I have given hints of a sub-plot as well as the magical affinity of one of the other characters, who can spot hem?

Did you know Hermione being a team manager was made on the fly? I had originally planned only for Harry to join to team, but then I think it would make it more interesting if the entire trio pitches in.

As usual, the HTM modified version would be put up after a few days. I would like to thank my beta reader again for taking his time to read through my stories.

Please read and review!