"Just a little further..." Kurt muttered in his sleep.

For such a graceful, put together boy, Kurt Hummel really wasnt an elegant sleeper. He laid diagonally across the bed, with one leg hung over the edge on one side, and his arm and head hanging off the other side. He snored softly between fragmented sentences.

He was having a dream about a strange corridor. In the dream there was another boy he was trying to catch, but every time Kurt caught his shoulder or got close enough to almost see his face, the boy dodged him and ran away even faster. His wand was out and he was about to jinx the boy...

A sharp tapping on the window made Kurt jolt awake and fall onto the floor. He sat up, rubbing his head and looked around groggily. His other hand came up to scratch his neck and he ended up nearly poking his eye out. It turned out at some point in his sleep he grabbed his wand and was still clutching it.

Vague images from the dream hed been woken from played out in his mind, but before he could properly recall it, he was brought back to reality by the incessant tapping that woke him. Looking up, he noticed the owl colliding its beak with the window. He hastened to open the window. A tawny owl hopped through it and onto the desk, it stuck out its leg. If owls had facial expressions, Kurt was sure she would be glaring at him. He reached out, and Eleanor, now rather grumpy, pecked him harshly on the hand before she allowed him to take the letter.

This time Kurt heard Finns loud footsteps coming closer, so he made shooing gestures toward Eleanor. The owl eyed the letter on the desk, nipped him again on the ear, and flew out the window. Kurt only got the window halfway closed when Finn walked in.

"Morning dude. Its seven forty-seven. You ready to go?"

Kurt gave Finn a look that clearly stated, do I look ready? Then it registered what Finn had said.

"Oh, Merlins pants!" He exclaimed, running to his closet.

He didnt even care that Finn was still in the room and hurriedly began throwing on clothes. Somewhere in the middle of it Finn must have taken the hint, because when Kurt turned around he was nowhere in sight.

Running a hand through his hair, Kurt whistled a short melody (Lumos) and the tawny owl flew through the window, landing on his outstretched arm. It was as if she knew he was late and was happy about it. He stroked her feathers before setting her down, and picking up his letter. He double checked the envelope to make sure it was sealed properly, then tied it around the owls leg. The owl spread her wings and was off again; she flew back through the window and out of sight.

Kurt closed the window, then gathered his things and sprinted through the house, Finn hot on his heels. He skidded, grabbing the car door to keep from falling, and flung it open.

"Welcome to teenager-hood, little brother." Finn laughed, bucking his seatbelt.

"Shut up."

The rest of the day only went downhill from there.

The late-comer traffic at the school was terrible, so he ended up being late and having to park far away from the main entrance. The whole car ride Finn had chatted happily about Glee club and the newest GTV game. They finally separated ways when they got into the school. Kurt got his first tardy in Chemistry, and then had to work by himself on the lab since all of the groups were full.

After third period he had been once again assaulted in the hallway by Karofsky. He was so sick of the bullys behavior that he actually yelled back, earning himself another shove. Mr. Shue saw it and dragged Kurt to his office for a heart to heart. Kurt felt even worse after their little chat. He had slouched into the choir room, prepared to deal with the ridiculous level of testosterone that was the boys team. So when Mr. Shue had announced that they would be performing songs from their gender counterparts, he instantly perked up.

The New Direction guys were now sprawled out across an empty science classroom, discussing possible ideas; or rather, sitting around staring off into space, waiting for someone to come up with a likeable idea.

Kurt strode through the door and up to the front of the room, several large poster boards under his arm. The other boys didnt even notice his appearance and ignored him while he sat up his presentation.

To get their attention he slapped his pointer against the board with a resounding smack. "Now!" Everyone started out of their previous states of boredom. "Obviously for this medley to work, Im gonna have to sing lead, and of course when youre singing Diana Ross feather boas are a must."

"Isnt this lesson about opposites? I mean, you in a sequined gown and feather boa is exactly what youd expect." Artie said.

Kurt ignored the thinly veiled insult. "Okay, who said anything about a gown?"

Puck stood up, bouncing a football in his hands. "Uh, dude. Why dont you make yourself useful and go put some rat poison in them old folks Jello or visit the Garglers?"

"The Warblers." Kurt corrected.

"Whatever. See what theyre up to. And you can wear all the feathers you want. Youll blend right in."

"Fine." He didnt even bother putting up a fight, he simply grabbed his things and walked out. Finn and Mike exchange dubious looks, but he ignored it and continued walking without a word.

Fifteen minutes later Kurt found himself at an impasse, parked in a nearby McDonalds while he thought over his options.

Obviously confunding the boys team into agreeing with him was quickly ruled out, it being illegal and all.

He chewed his thumbnail, a bad habit when he was nervous. His Dalton disguise lay untouched in the passenger seat ready to fulfill its espionage purposes. It wasnt the uniform that was the problem. He could easily dawn the outfit and apparate over to Westerville, where he would sneak into a Warbler rehearsal, gather information, and be home by dinner. Easy. Then when the New Directions learned of what he did he would be praised for his efforts. He could even get a coveted solo out of this.

The problem was that he was sick of playing lackey to the likes of Puck and Rachel, and especially his own step brother. Not to mention getting caught could get his ass kicked - or worse, sued by a bunch of trust fund babies for trespassing.

Flashes of previous conversations with Tony came to mind:

"Dont let those assholes screw you over around Kurt, youre worth more than that.

"Remind me again what your dad always says... Thats right! Nobody pushes the Hummels around!"

"Take charge..."

"Youre an incredible wizard..."

Something from that last conversation resurfaced.

"You can do it. I know that when I come back around tomorrow, youll be running me into a tizzy with epic spellwork. Youre an incredible wizard Kurt. Even kids at Hogwarts have nothing on you!"

Hogwarts...

Like many teenage wizards around the world, Kurt had read every book he could find on the school. Hogwarts was, after all, the most infamous school in all of Europe - hell, the world!

Once a place of grandeur and awe, famous for harboring some of the greatest names of all times, now brought thoughts of sorrow and death. Of course many still saw Hogwarts with reverence, but many were also reluctant to step near the place, let alone send their children there.

In recent years the increase in the number of ghostly residents was a source of great discomfort for those of muggle background. For those of magical heritage, it was the knowledge of the horrors that had once occurred there. Knowing your child was eating in the very same room where the Dark Lord was vanquished was an understandably terrifying thought. It didnt help that the Great Harry Potters adventures that occurred during his time at the school were now known by the common public. Though many of the hardships that he endured were not helped by Britains Ministry, often even warranted by them, it was the school that took the criticism. People not only saw it a place of past terrors, but as a possible risk.

Yes, Hogwarts was still certainly a respectable establishment, but its image was often marred by its dark history.

To Kurt, everything about the school was intriguing, warts and all. The most alluring of them all was the strict equality enforced there. While most magical dwellings tended to be very accepting, Hogwarts went above and beyond to assure that all students, regardless of their ethnicity, blood status, sexual orientation, or disabilities, were treated equally. Naturally not every student would completely adhere to the policy, and not every teacher could stop every single act of bullying. For Kurt the fact that they actually cared and strictly enforced it was a huge deal.

Suddenly Kurt knew his destination.

He turned the keys in the ignition and sped off toward home.

His dad was working at the garage, so there wouldnt be any questions as to why he was home so early or in such a rush. Depending on how late he returned he could hopefully count on Finn for an alibi.

He quickly parked his car in the driveway and ran to his room. The red tie was replaced by a solid black one, a dark grey vest was thrown on over a crisp white button up. Added with black wingtips and black slacks, the outfit made for a decent replica of the Hogwarts uniforms Kurt had seen in pictures of students milling about the grounds. It wasnt perfect but it was good enough to get in and out without any trouble.

Kurt was grateful that they had finally connected their house to the floo network. Now he wouldnt have to drive hours out of the way to Bree, just to use a fireplace there.

He walked into the living room and looked to the kitchen and stairs, making sure he was alone. When he was sure the coast was clear, he grabbed a fist full of floo powder and stepped into the fireplace.

With a cry of, "Hogwarts!" he was sucked into nothingness.

Thousands of miles away Kurt staggered out of another fireplace, covered head to foot in soot. He rubbed some of the ash from his eyes so he could take a look around. He was in an office of sorts. It was empty, except for an old desk and a small window. Kurt dusted of his pants as he walked toward the window. Wherever he was, it was very high above the ground, and it wasnt far from what appeared to be a Quidditch field.

This had to be Hogwarts.

He cautiously opened the door leading out, peaking around before stepping out. The office lead into a classroom of some sort. The vastness of the room did not escape him. It was massive. The room had a high, sloping ceiling, and stone walls that were easily fifty to sixty feet across, and probably half as thick.

"Swanky place." Kurt commented, looking around. It took most of his self-control to not call out echoes like in the movies. Kurt shook his head to clear it of those silly notions.

He headed toward a door on the opposite end of the room. The moment he left the classroom a distant bell chimed, and the sound of hundreds of feet reverberated from all around.

Unbeknownst to Kurt the classroom he had landed in was the Defense class, which luckily had been cancelled... Ten or so years ago. It was away from the main hall so only a few stragglers went past, throwing Kurt curious glances. Kurt twitched nervously at their looks and hurried down the hall. It wasnt long before he found himself on the edge of a very large pack of students clad in black robes. He hadnt really taken a lot of notice to what those few stragglers over by the Defense classroom were wearing, but he sure did now.

What have I gotten myself into?

Maybe the outfit wasnt as foolproof as initially planned, Kurt kept thinking as he made us way through another hallway a few hundred feet to the left of the other. This one was significantly emptier, a huge relief to the young man. In the first hallway he came upon, he had stood at the edge watching the students easily blend in to the mass and make their way through. Kurt considered running back to the empty class and flooing home. The idea was instantly shot down. Not only would it be cowardly and stupid, neither of which would ever be used to describe a Hummel, but he knew the odds of finding his way back were very slim. While he internally struggled time seemed to slow down, and it may very well have seeing as the hall wasnt one bit emptier. How many students went here, he wondered.

Kurt clutched his leather bag for emotional support, gritted his teeth, and dove in.

It wasnt so bad, really. There were a billion people invading his personal bubble, but at least it was easy to allow the crowd to drag you. That, and it made his conspicuousness harder to notice among all of the black. Naturally there were a few visually gifted students who noticed him, but they either didnt care or didnt bother to say anything. The rest ignored his presence. A feat, Kurt thought, that would not have been possible at McKinley.

Soon enough he found a hole to slip out of the mass. He was just as, if not more, lost. This new corridor, he noticed, looked more recently built. In the previous ones there had been obscure scorch marks, chunks of stone missing, and the walls looked ancient. That was the only difference between the two, other than that they were practically identical. At least to Kurt anyway.

Many of the students seemed to be going somewhere, or so Kurt thought. He probably would have assumed to class if not for the time. School was almost over in Ohio, so counting the time change, it was definitely after normal school hours in Scotland.

Momentarily forgetting his mission, he allowed himself to follow a small group of Hogwartians down a spiral flight of stairs, curious as to their destination. He was nearing the bottom when he decided to ask someone for directions. He reached out a hand and tapped the nearest person on the shoulder. The boy went down the last step and turned around.

Kurts breath caught. I couldnt have asked a girl? He thought.

"Oh, excuse me. Um, hi. Can I ask you a question? Im new here." Kurt said awkwardly.

The boy nodded and smiled. "My names Blaine."

"Kurt." He shook the boys - Blaines hand. "So what exactly is going on?"

Kurt mentally slapped himself. He needed to find a way out, not humiliate himself in front of an attractive boy.

"The Phoenixes!" Excitement shown in Blaines eyes at their mention.

Who? Kurt thought.

His confusion must have shown, the boy briefly explained, "Hogwarts show choir. Every now and then they throw an impromptu performance. Tends to shut the school up for a while."

Kurts mind reeled. "So, wait, the glee club here is kind of cool?" He couldnt help but ask.

"The Phoenixes are like rockstars." Kurt raised a brow. "Come on," Blaine said, taking his hand. "I know a shortcut."

Before he knew it he was being whisked away, by the hand no less. He, Kurt Hummel, was holding hands with the most gorgeous boy hed ever seen.

The boy pulled him down yet another massive hall to a tapestry. He looked at Blaine curiously. Blaine, however didnt notice, instead he pulled the heavy cloth back to reveal a gaping hole. They went through it and ended up in yet another corridor. They ran down this one.

It was strange. Here it didnt seem like time slowed down, he could literally feel time and space sluggishly pass him by. His feet felt heavy, like he was trudging through honey. His reaction time seemed to be almost nonexistent. Yet at the same time everything else was slowed down as well, including Blaine. It was difficult to explain; it was as though the entire world was going slower... but then if everything was slower that would mean it was relatively still the same. Wouldnt it? Random images of black holes and the space-time continuum surrounded by mathematics and scientific formulas flashed through Kurts brain, making him dizzy and giving him a headache.

Once they passed out of this strange hallway the lethargic feeling vanished, and the world felt normal again.

What seemed like, and might have been, miles later they finally stopped in front of a bare wall. Kurt would have thought the past five or so minutes very romantic if he hadnt been on the verge of an asthma attack. Hogwarts was huge, much bigger than McKinley. Had he been alone, he would be slumped against the wall wheezing. Since a very attractive boy was still holding his hand he managed to save face and only breathed a little deeper than normal.

When he caught some of his breath back, his thoughts came back to Earth and he started to wonder why Blaine was staring at the wall. This question was immediately answered by a door appearing there. Blaine dropped Kurts hand, much to his displeasure, and pulled open the door. Inside was a large group of students scattered about a comfortable looking room.

Kurt was way out of place. He was well aware of this, but the realization of how much came crashing down the moment he stepped through the door. It was one thing in the hall when there was at least two hundred people in a very large space, but here with a lot fewer people in small enclosed room changed the game.

"Ooh, I stick out like a sore thumb." He said to himself.

Blaine heard. He reached out to straighten Kurts shirt collar. "Well, next time, dont forget your robes, new kid. Youll fit right in." Blaine winked, making Kurt tinge pink.

Blaine stepped back. "Now, if youll excuse me."

He walked to the group of the boys in the background, singing a harmony of dums and oohs and aahs. Many surged forward to form a line with Blaine, who began to sing.

"You think Im pretty without any make up on…"

Blaines voice was flawless.

Kurt just stood there and stared, his head spinning. It wasnt only because of the boy either, these Phoenixes were amazing. Their voices meshed in a way Kurt was sure none of the New Directions could ever accomplish. It was both beautiful and terrifying.

He continued watching the performance in amazement.

If Kurt Hummel was a smarter man he would have snuck out while the group was performing, but being a mere mortal, he was much too starstruck to even think about moving. After they finished, again, he might have left. Then there was a window of time were Blaine was being crowded, everyone slapping him on the back and offering compliments, but Kurt remained glued to the same spot, clapping like an idiot. It only occurred to him that he shouldnt be there as Blaine and two other boys, who had also been performing, made their way to him.

"Lets chat." Blaine said with a wink.

Blaine lightly guided Kurt by the elbow away from the crowd. In the corner a table and three chairs appeared out of nowhere. Kurt awkwardly sat down along with the two unknown boys. Blaine walked over to a table holding a number of what appeared to be coffees. The two boys did not speak until he came back over, carrying two of the cups.

He slid one across the table, keeping the other for himself. "Latte?"

Kurt nodded, taking the cup. "Thank you." He said, barely audible.

"This is Wes and David." He indicated the Asian boy on his right, then the black boy on his left.

Blaine nodded, tentatively smiling. Kurt tensed at the way the other two boys were watching him. There was no sign of hostility or aggression in their gazes, more of a polite curiosity. That could change quickly.

"Its very civilised of you to invite me for coffee before you curse me for spying." Kurt went for a light-hearted joke, though there was an underlying tone of sincerity.

"We are not going to curse you." Wes said very seriously.

Kurt had suspected as much. These boys were certainly intimidating, but didnt seem the type to resort to physical violence. He was also protected by Hogwartss zero tolerance bullying policy, although he wasnt sure if that was extended to people who skipped in through the fireplace.

David added, "You were such a terrible spy, we thought it was sort of endearing."

"Which made me think that spying on us wasnt really the reason you came." Blaine smiled proudly at his own deduction skills.

"Uh..."

"Naturally," Blaine said casually, straightening the sleeve of robes as he spoke. "A school like Hogwarts has been widely sought out, but I think youre the first person to ever actually pop in."

Kurt couldnt help the small smile the graced his lips. He may be caught, but the situation clearly wasnt as grave as these dapper boys were pretending to let on. "Ill admit I was a little curious about an actual magic school. And Id heard a little about Hogwarts... And its stance on bullying." The last part was said very quietly.

"We have a zero tolerance harassment policy." Said Wes.

David added, "Everybody gets treated the same. No matter what they are. Its pretty simple."

Kurt of course was already aware of that fact. However, hearing this aloud, particularly from two total strangers who didnt seem to care about his sexuality, really affected him. He took a shuddery breath.

Blaine tilted his head toward Kurt thoughtfully. "Would you guys excuse us?" He asked, with a pointed look to both of them.

David and Wes shared their own looks, then nodded.

"Take it easy, Kurt." Wes said politely.

Blaine didnt speak until both of them disappeared into crowd that was leaving the room. Then they were the only ones left.

"I take it youre having trouble at school."

"Im the only person out of the closet at my school... and wizard where I live." He added as an afterthought. "And I tried to stay strong about it, but theres this Neanderthal whos made it his mission to make my life a living hell. And nobody seems to notice." He tried to hold the tears back, but a few escaped the corner of his eye.

"I know how you feel. I got taunted at my old school, and it," Blaine exhaled. "Really pissed me off." He stared off into the distance as though numbly reliving a particularly painful memory. "I even complained about it to the faculty. And they were sympathetic and all, but you could just tell that nobody really cared. It was like, hey, if youre gay, your lifes just gonna be miserable. Sorry. Nothing we can do about it. So I left. I came here. Simple as that. So you have two options. I mean, Id love to tell you to just come enroll here; or to defend yourself, but Scotlands not exactly in your backyard, and then there are secrecy rules. Or you can refuse to be the victim. Prejudice is just ignorance, Kurt. And you have a chance right now to teach him."

"How?"

"Confront him." The Gryffindor shifted in his seat, a determined light in his honey eyes. "Call him out. I ran, Kurt. I didnt stand up. I let bullies chase me away. And it is something that I really, really regret."

Kurt sat in silence mulling this foreign idea over, sipping his latte if only for something to do. Blaine politely waited.

Everything that this boy said made sense. He didnt want to look back at this time in his life in regret, and associate it with bullies taking advantage of him. He always said that things would be different once he made it to New York. The problem was he didnt want things to get better, he wanted them to be better now. What if he never made it to the city of his dreams, or worse, what if things were just as bad there? If that were the case, his life would constantly be waiting around for everything to change. Then would he finally be able to make things happen for himself? No. He couldnt - wouldnt wait for things anymore.

This boy who he knew nothing about, other than an unfortunate past, had unknowingly lit a fire in Kurt with just a few carefully chosen words. He wanted to face his bullies, wanted to make them see that they couldnt push him around anymore.

Kurt set the coffee cup down on the table. "I think I should go back home now."

Blaine understood and smiled. "Ill walk you. At least to the nearest exit."

Blaine pretended to fiddle with his robes, conveniently allowing Kurt to surreptitiously wipe his eyes.

They walked out of the now empty mystery room. After the door closed behind them, Kurt looked back but the door was no longer there, only wall. He wondered if that had only been a dream, a very good one. Perhaps he had actually fallen asleep in the boys meeting and all of this had been his consciences way of getting through to him. If so, his subconscious was dreamy, Kurt thought watching Blaine of course of his eye.

The pair walked side by side in companionable silence for a time. During this moment of quiet Kurt attempted to memorize their route or at least recognize something from his earlier journey.

Down the corridor, left, down three flights of stairs, right down yet another corridor, left, another right... nothing was even remotely recognizable, everything looked so similar.

Kurt was insanely lucky that he had a guide. If everything had gone to plan this trip still would have been a disaster. He likely would have died in this maze of a school. He had always wondered how kids at boarding schools like this got any real exercise, now he figured it must be all the walking in between classes. Hogwarts was massive. How long had they been walking? It couldnt have been that long, but his feet sore getting sore.

"How did you get in here?" Blaine asked curiously, breaking Kurt out of an inner monologue on the importance of tennis shoes when walking for prolonged amounts of time.

"Hogsmeade?" Blaine guessed. "I didnt think anyone knew about the secret passages." The last part was more muttered to himself.

Kurt thought back. "I came in through a... I think it was classroom. It looked kind of abandoned."

"Ah." Blaine nodded. "That would probably be the abandoned Defense classroom." Kurt gave him a curious look so he elaborated, "The teachers always made complaints about it being drafty, but I think its the rumors about it being cursed."

"There seem to be a lot of those regarding this school." Kurt mused.

Blaine wasnt so easily deflected by his attempt to change the subject. He smiled at Kurt knowingly and said, "That still doesnt explain how you got in."

"The floo network. I requested Hogwarts and I saw an open grate so I went through it."

"I should probably inform the headmistress so we can prevent unwanted guests in the future."

Kurt had the humility to look mildly ashamed. He stared at the floor. "That would be the responsible thing."

"But then I wouldnt get to see you anymore, and that would be a pity, because I really would like to see you again."

Kurts head shot up.

Oh.

Blaines ears tinged pink. "I know how that must sound,"

Please mean how it sounds, his heart screamed.

"But I like you and once the rest of the group inevitably hear about this theyll be dying to meet you."

"If theyre half as charming the three Ive already met, I assure you the feeling is mutual."

Blaine beamed at him.

"Your Hogwarts uniform is excellent by the way. The only thing youre missing is the robe," Blaine added, "But I dont think its been required to wear those since like, 2007."

"If it wasnt the outfit, then what gave me away?" Kurt asked curiously.

"Other than the fact that I havent seen a first year so lost? Your accent betrays you." Blaine said in a posh British accent. "If you were new, particularly a transfer from America, as a prefect and Wes as Head Boy, we would know about any new students in our house."

"And what house would that be?"

"Gryffindor." Blaine answered pridefully, puffing out his chest.

Kurt noticed the red and gold crest embroidered into the left side of Blaines robes. He did vaguely remember the other boys that were wearing robes had different crests on them.

"Only a true Gryffindor would be stupid or brave enough to actually break into Hogwarts." Blaine nudged him playfully.

Kurt was kind of, really loving this school. He had been touched countless times that day, by many different people, and it was actually... Pleasant.

"And here I was thinking that it wasnt that big of a deal." Kurt replied.

"Oh, its a big deal alright. You might even go down in Hogwarts legend if youre lucky."

"Ill cross my fingers."

They stopped at a door that Kurt really wanted to say he remembered.

"Here we are." Blaine said, opening it. "Since this is the only way out that I know of, I suppose youll be leaving the way you came."

Kurt stepped through and walked across the room to the office, where the door was still open from earlier. Blaine followed after him. Inside the office, Kurt was grateful to see that there was half a cup of floo powder sitting on the desk.

"Kurt?"

Kurt spun around. "Yeah?"

"I meant what I said before. I like you and the others wouldnt be too happy if they never got to meet you. I dont suppose well see each other again?"

"Maybe..." Kurt almost slapped himself for saying that, but Blaine was smiling so he couldnt have embarrassed himself too badly. "Or I could tell you where to owl me?"

"That would be very helpful."

Kurt held out his hand. "Kurt Hummel. Lima, Ohio."

Blaines eyes definitely lit up. He took Kurts hand and shook it. "Blaine Anderson. Gryffindor tower, Hogwarts."

Kurt let go reluctantly and grabbed a handful of floo powder, then stepped into the fireplace. He wasnt quite sure what to say to Blaine now. This was goodbye after all. Was Ill see you later too presumptuous?

He eventually settled on, "Have a nice day, Blaine."

Kurt winced. Why couldnt he just say goodbye like everyone else?

"Have a nice day," Blaine mimicked, his lips twitching. "Kurt."

"Lima, Ohio, the Hummels!"

When Kurt landed back in Lima he actually did slap himself.

It wasnt because he potentially embarrassed himself countless times today, or because he needed to know if this really happened... No, he slapped himself because he had just flooed into his house. The same house he shared with an unknowing Finn and Carole Hudson. Had they seen him pop out of nowhere, or even Burt who had not been informed of any impromptu trips to Scotland, he would be in big trouble.

"Where the hell were you?" A raspy voice demanded.

Kurt started violently and smacked his head against the top of the bricks. He stumbled out of the fireplace, clutching his head and chest. He ended up tripping over the carpet and fell, landing at a pair of combat boots he himself had picked out.

"Merlins beard stumbles, youre an even bigger clutz than when I left." Tony took pity on him and helped him to his feet, dusting him off harshly.

"What do you think youre doing popping out of thin air, Kurt? Thats not responsible."

"I went to Bree." Kurt lied. "For ink."

"And the ink is?"

"I, um, forgot to buy it. I was distracted."

Tony huffed and rolled her eyes.

"Your dad and Carole went out to eat, and Daffy the friendly giant went to that loud, annoying girls house. You are so lucky mister. I came here to surprise you, before your parents left. I didnt know you were gone so Finn had to make up an alibi. You owe that boy one hell of a solid."

"Have you been hanging out with Santana in your spare time?" Kurt deflected.

Tony crossed her arms. "I know you werent spying on a rival glee club because: A, I saw you using the floo network, very irresponsibly I might add, and B, you couldnt sneak up on Mad-Eye Moodys blind and deaf squib brother. So would you mind telling me where you really were?" The more she spoke, the rougher her voice became. She looked peaky and was obviously not fully recovered from her illness.

Kurt shook his head, then quickly walked up stairs and called behind him, "Go home and get rest! Youre still sick!" He was already in his room when Tony thundered halfway up the stairs.

"If youre hoping that Ill drop it because I think you were out buying me something or planning a party for our anniversary, I wouldnt hold my breath!" She called.

The second Kurts door closed a tiny piece of neatly folded parchment appeared out of nowhere. Kurt curiously grabbed it from where it floated in mid air and unfolded it. Written in big black letters took up the whole space. The handwriting was unfamiliar, yet he knew it was from Blaine.

COURAGE, it read.

Courage.

Kurt beamed as though this was the first message hed received today and not the seventh.

This note was written on parchment cut into a squiggly. The letters were written in an elegant emerald calligraphy, little confetti shapes dotted all around the script. It was stowed in an empty pencil bag with the others. Maybe he would make a collage out of them if he got enough.

All throughout the day random little words of courage (literally) continued cropping up. The second one had come in the morning by an unknown owl. The moment the parchment was removed from the owls leg it had shot out the window and was gone.

The others so far had magically appeared out of thin air much like the first. All of them were decorated and written differently, and each one put a smile on his face and caused his stomach to flip pleasantly.

Everyone else had noticed this sudden shift in his attitude, not that hed had a terrible attitude before, he was just much happier and less anxious. In the car he had actually participated in the glee conversation with Finn. Then when Finn began a tirade on his Call of Duty game the previous night Kurt politely listened. At his locker when Rachel talked endlessly about her plans for the regionals they had yet to make it to, he wasnt once short with her and was only minimally sarcastic. Mercedes had been the first to actually say anything.

"Im just in a good mood is all." He shrugged when Mercedes inquired about his cheerful disposition. She looked at him suspiciously after that.

It was the way everyone was reacting to his newfound optimism that really made him realize how down hed been lately, then he felt guilty for the way he acted sometimes. It was wrong but it was hard not lash out whenever it felt like everything was going wrong. He made a vow to try to stop doing that lest he became a bully himself. Those things were such a viscous cycle that were easy to get sucked into.

Speaking of bullies, Karofsky passed by and slammed Kurt against the lockers forcefully, much more so than usual. Kurt was caught off guard and went falling to the floor while Karofsky walked off.

Kurt stared at himself in the bathroom mirror. It wasnt a pretty sight. Tears pooled in the corners of his eyes causing his vision to blur and his eyelids to puff up; they dried uncomfortably on his cheeks making the skin tighten and sting from the saltiness. His hair was mussed up from nervous hands running through it often. His lips were raw and cracked from vigorously rubbing them with a wet rag. Even now half an hour after the initial breakdown he still had the cloth running across his mouth.

Confront him. A little voice in his head had said.

Normally he ignored that voice in his mind that told him to stand up for himself, actually defend himself rather than verbally spar his bullies with a sharp witted tongue. It was easier to hide behind sarcasm and snark. Not today. Hed had enough. Which was why he had picked himself up, and completely disregarding his broken phone lying on the ground, he ran after the Karofosky. Within seconds he was hot on the jocks heels, bursting into the boys locker where Dave had retreated.

After that kiss was stolen Kurt had stayed behind until Puck walked in and stared at him until he too left. He didnt see Dave after that. The rest of his classes and glee club came and went, he was so shocked the day flew by quickly. It wasnt until he was home that the shock wore off and the panic set in, hitting him like a freight train. A minor anxiety attack lead him to where he was now.

Looking at his reflection was depressing. It showed how far hed fallen since this morning right in his face.

Kurt wadded up some toilet paper and wiped his nose, then ran his face under ice cold water. Once all of the snot was gone and the blotchiness went down he finally left the bathroom and went to his room.

It wasnt so bad because he now held his bullys greatest secret, or that he lost his first kiss from a boy, but because of the fear and the uncertainty of what was to come. Would Dave leave him alone now? Would he be worse than ever? Kurt desperately wished that both of them could forget about the incident. It was a fools hope, but the alternative was terrifying.

The only thing he was sure of at the moment was that he absolutely could not tell anybody about this. The adults in his life would take this to the school. The glee club members couldnt keep this to themselves and would insist he tell the adults. What he needed was a friend that he could just talk to about this, someone that would listen and keep his secrets; or at least if they told anyone it wouldnt matter...

A series of Taps resounded then was followed by a piercing screech!

Outside of the window the owl from that morning perched on the sill, and behind it Tonys owl Eleanor was staring at it intently as though glaring. Kurt opened the window and, who he presumed was Blaines owl hopped in, followed by Eleanor who limped in. The first owl had an actual letter tied to her leg.

The first paragraph indeed clarified who the owner of this owl was.

Kurt,

I hope you received the many letters - I spent much of last night printing them out by hand. Only when Wes appeared did I realize magic was the speedier method. As a word of precaution , do be wary of Minerva - the owl - she can be temperamental.

How are you? How did everything go with the boy who was giving you a difficult time?

Kurts stomach dropped at the reminder, then he was thoughtful. He pulled out a parchment and ink and wrote out a quick letter.

"Thad, the dragon would win." Nick insisted for the hundredth time.

Thad looked disheartened. "Fine." He grumbled. "What about poltergeist versus pixie?"

Nick sighed and rubbed his temple. "Thad."

"What? Its a justifiable question!"

This was Thad and Nicks usual argument before classes: which magical creature would be victorious in a battle. Sometimes they would start bets or other students would join. Blaine trailed behind them, indifferently listening to them have at it. He was just glad that they came from magical families and had no idea what Pokémon was. That was something Blaine just wasnt prepared to deal with.

They turned the corner. Liam Omsen saw them and joined the group.

"Intense facial expressions, suggesting hostility." Liam noted. "What are these two arguing about now?"

"Pixie versus poltergeist." Blaine answered monotonously.

Liams face lit up, something Blaine was wary of. "You know Hagrid just found a village of pixies on the edge of the forest..."

Nick and Thad stopped arguing and looked at Liam.

"Were listening."

As a prefect Blaines sense of duty mixed with his loyalty to his friends told him to stop listening now before he heard something consequential. He tuned them out, choosing to count the cracks on the wall to pass the time. The other three paid no mind to him as they planned out an illegal cage match between Peeves and some forest pixies.

Thirty-two. Thirty-three. Thirty-four... Fifty-six...

He mentally tallied over a hundred then lost count, all before they finally neared the History of Magic classroom.

Across from the room, Blaine noticed, there was a window with an owl insistently pecking on the glass. While the others walked into class he diverged from the group, watching the creature curiously. It did not look familiar; then again, he couldnt expect to remember every owl that Hogwarts housed. Regardless, he decided to put the poor thing out of its misery, and hastened to allow it in. The creature hooted appreciatively as it hopped in. Blaine stroked its feathers, in response the owl presented its leg to him. He curiously untied the letter. The front of the envelope read Blaine Anderson in a nice, albeit shaky scrawl. Before he could even find out who the sender was, the owl flew away. Blaine carefully pulled out the letter and unfolded it.

This is from Kurt Hummel. The letter said bluntly. Im sending this letter with my friends owl, Eleanor, not my own. I did get your letters. Thank you so much. Your owl Minerva is beautiful.

Something was off. The sentences were short and choppy; the handwriting was blotted and unsteady, as though the writers hand had been trembling as he wrote. This worried Blaine. He looked back down at the parchment. Near the bottom there were several blotches where the ink smeared and the material beneath was disturbed. He lightly trailed his fingers across the parchment. It was either water stains or Kurt was crying while he wrote. Blaine apprehensively continued.

I... I did confront Karofsy - the one whos been giving me trouble. I hate to dump all of this on you, but I dont know what else to do. Yesterday I followed him to the locker room and I confronted him, and we started yelling. Then he kissed me.

That had not been what he was expecting. First seeing the handwriting he had been apprehensive of conflict, or possibly a physical attack. A closeted jock had certainly never crossed his mind, but in hindsight it wasnt all that much of a shocking turn of events.

I know Im overreacting but Im so confused and I dont know what to do. He didnt mess with me, or even acknowledge me the rest of the day, but its only a matter of time. I just dont know what to do or how to act. I only hope hes too ashamed of his actions to come near me until I can figure this out. Im sorry, is there some way we could talk? I just need to talk about this.

Bloody hell! It had been nearly a full day since this had happened to Kurt!

Even if there was no way the owl could have flown any faster, and no way he could have known, he felt guilty for not being there immediately, but more importantly responsible for this happening at all. It had been his advice that caused Kurt to confront this boy, which put him in a position of danger. Living in such a safe place like Hogwarts sometimes made him forget how dangerous these situations could be, particularly when magic couldnt be used as a last resort. He needed to make up for this somehow.

Blaine barely glanced toward the classroom where Binns was likely already droning on, and sprinted down the corridor.

The dismissal bell rang and the McKinley halls flooded with students, Kurt among them.

Today he was dressed in black jeans, a plain t-shirt underneath a blue button up coat, and a grey and black circle scarf. He hadnt been feeling up to extravagant accessories or tight clothes when he dressed himself and was also hoping to just blend in with everyone else today. He kept his head down and spoke very little. He was lucky that Karofsky was nowhere to be seen. The jock was probably keeping a low profile as well. Kurt remained wary, knowing how quickly that could change. It was a pity that he had to spend his day off, so to speak, watching his back rather than enjoy it.

Right now Kurt had first lunch so he was headed to the cafeteria to meet up with Mercedes.

On the way down the math hall where the crowd was much thinner was where he saw him.

A strange, yet familiar boy strolled down the hall with his hands in his pockets, taking in his surroundings curiously. From the back Kurt could see the he boy had on a bright red sweater, cuffed dark blue skinny jeans, and deck shoes to match the pants. His dark hair was gelled down and he carried a leather messenger bag.

Normally Kurt would have ignored some new kid. Whether it be from his recent experiences as the lost new kid, the unknown familiarity, or the odd clothes this boy wore, he couldnt look away. Against his better judgment he wandered closer. The boy abruptly looked behind him, directly at Kurt. Kurt quickly averted his eyes out of habit, hed undoubtedly been caught staring. He pretended to be looking at a bulletin board and could feel the boys eyes on him. A brief glance up told him that the guy was indeed staring at him and...

"Blaine?" He asked.

Blaine Anderson slowly walked toward him, he looked as dapper as ever if not a little disheveled. There was dark ash clinging to his cardigan soiling it along with traces of green powder. Floo powder.

"Your owl arrived only an hour ago, I came as soon as I read it." Blaine said quickly.

Kurt didnt have a clue why Blaine was talking about birds, but he at least got the gist of it and understood Blaine was here because of him. He immediately began rambling, "Oh my - You really didnt have to. Its ten on a - You should be at school! Im not-"

"Kurt, relax." Blaine placed a hand on either side of his shoulders, a soothing gesture. "Its fine, and dont worry about school. Time difference remember?"

"Yes, but-"

Blaine cut him off. "Are you okay?"

Kurt was confused for a minute, wondering again what he was talking about.

"After the Karofsky issue?" He clarified.

It took a second to figure out how Blaine knew about the kiss in the locker room. Then it hit him... the letter. He had completely forgot that he even owled Blaine, hed been so emotionally distressed when he wrote him. After finishing the rest of Blaines letter, which was light and funny, hed calmed down significantly. Now he felt foolish for dumping his problems on this boy.

Kurt blushed and looked down at his feet. "Oh, um..."

"Hey, Its okay. I came here to help you. I thought that we could speak to this guy. Its obvious that hes struggling with himself, and we should let him know that hes not alone."

If he were being honest, he really didnt care about Karofskys identity issues and after yesterday he certainly didnt want to be anywhere near the boy. If it were anyone else Kurt wouldnt hesitate in saying no. However this was Blaine, the boy that helped him, a total stranger, more than once; that didnt turn him in for trespassing, who was sweet and was currently wearing the most optimistic expression.

Kurt sighed. "I doubt it will work, but I suppose its worth a shot."

"I wont let him hurt you this time, I promise." Blaine said sincerely.

"Thank you for coming." Kurt said in a small voice.

Blaine looked around at the many passing students, interest alight in his eyes. "Come on, lets go find this bully."

Together they walked across the courtyard toward the stairs. Kurt had seen Karofsky walk this way to class many times. Part of him hoped that he was mistaken, or since he had yet to see the jock he wasnt even at school. The braver side of him wanted to get this dealt with now. Most of all he didnt want Blaine to see him as a waste of time, and would hate to have had the boy come all the way out here for nothing.

Kurt clutched his bag tightly. "Thanks for coming again."

"Dont worry about it, just let me do the talking."

They walked around the corner and Karofsky was there at the top of the stairs

"There he is." Kurt whispered.

"I got your back." Blaine told him, then said loudly, "Excuse me."

They stopped right in front of Karofsky, blocking his path. He looked between the two.

"Hey, ladyboys. This your boyfriend, Kurt?" He scoffed.

Kurts cheeks heated up and his heart pounded, but he refused to look away. Refused to back down.

"Kurt and I would like to talk to you about something." Blaine said tactfully.

Karofsky gave a good tough act, sneering and scoffing at them, but Kurt noted the faintest sign of fear in his eyes. Hopefully it would be enough to keep him from doing anything regrettable.

"I gotta go to class." Karofsky pushed past them, shoving Kurt against the railing for good measure.

In a desperate attempt to not let him get away so easily, what Blaine said next was not so prudent. "Kurt told me what you did." Blaine clearly wasnt thinking about the consequences when he just went for it like that. For him this would be one of those moments where he would look back at night and cringe. Which was what Kurt was doing now.

Karofsky slowly spun around. "Oh, yeah? Whats that?" He asked nonchalantly.

"You kissed me."

Dave glanced around nervously."I dont know what youre talking about."

"It seems like you might be a little confused. And thats totally normal." Blaine spoke very diplomatically, his voice even and sure. Karofsky began walking away. "This is a very hard thing to come to terms with, and you should just know that youre not alone."

The jock froze, then darted back up the steps heading straight for Blaine. "Do not mess with me!" He snarled, pushing the Gryffindor against the railing. Blaine held his hands up defensively, more of a gesture of peace than submission. Blaine didnt even look affected by the situation at all, the only reason Kurt knew this to be false was the way his jaw was working furiously.

Kurt rushed forward and pushed the jock away from Blaine with all his might. "You have to stop this!"

Karofsky stumbled backward, catching himself before he could fall. A group of students passed, not even throwing so much as a curious glance their way.

"Pfft, whatever." Karofsky cast one last disgusted look between the other two boys and then turned on his heel and stalked off.

Kurt let out the breath hed been holding and dropped onto the stairs.

This was awful. He had only meant to confront his bullies and now he had gotten Blaine stuck in the middle of this! He probably wouldnt even want to be his friend anymore, not after this. If he were paying attention, he would have noticed that Blaine couldnt care less that he had just been physically harassed. Blaines mind was more focused on how he could make this okay.

Blaine leaned back against the railing. His eyes traveled upward in thought along with his triangular eyebrows.

"Well, hes not coming out any time soon." Blaine joked weakly, dusting himself off and adjusting his blazer. Noticing the look on Kurts face all traces of humor disappeared. "Whats going on? Why are you so upset?" He moved to sit next to Kurt.

Kurt closed his eyes and drew in a shaky breath. "Because until yesterday, I had never been kissed. Or at least, one that counted." He admitted. His ears turned a deep red. He probably shouldnt feel ashamed to admit that since there obviously wouldnt be much to choose from in a place like Lima. He just felt disgusting and violated.

Blaine pressed his lips together as he thought of how to make this better. This situation was a first for him. So he did what he always did to make his friends feel better, "Come on. Ill buy you lunch."

Blaine took him to the parking lot. They walked all the way to the back where the only available parking spots were and stopped in front of a vintage convertible. To Kurts surprise Blaine pulled out car keys. There were so many things he wanted to ask this strange boy but he held his tongue. Blaine unlocked the car and got in, indicating Kurt do the same. Neither said anything until the school was out of sight.

"Do you need to talk about it?" Blaine asked, his eyes shifting between the road and Kurt.

Kurt looked down at his lap and fiddled with fingers. "I dont know. I feel like Im making this a bigger deal than it really is, but I just feel lost. What do I do next?" He looked to the boy who seemingly had all of the answers.

Blaine sighed. "Id like to tell you exactly what to do, but I dont know either. Ive had my fair share of bullies and closet cases, but Ive never had to deal with anyone who was both. Im not sure what one can do in this situation."

"Then give me general advice, at this point Ill take anything."

Blaine chuckled. "Okay, generally with people still in the closet, there isnt much you can do besides support them or out them I suppose,"

Kurt shook his head emphatically, staring back down again. Over the past day hed thought hard on this. It would probably be the easy way out but it was wrong and he wouldnt go that far. "I wont ever do that."

They came up on a red-light and stopped. Kurt looked up at Blaine who was watching him almost reverently. Instead of blushing and looking away he held Blaines gaze. Blaine finally smiled, then the light turned green and he had to turn back to the road.

The Gryffindor cleared his throat. "Okay, then there really isnt much you could do for Karofsky, unless you want to try reaching out again."

"I wont out him, but I dont think Im there yet."

Blaine nodded understandingly. "So then you treat him like a bully. I suggest staying away from him or if you cant, avoid being alone with him." His face turned serious. "I understand that you dont want to tell anyone about the kiss and I get that the school wont do much for playground bullying, but if he ever threatens your safety Kurt I want you to promise me that you will tell somebody. Me at least."

Kurt nodded, then was quickly pulled back into his own head. His mind was plagued by doubt and worry, then by the what ifs and uncertainty.

"Why is this so frustrating!" He blurted out.

"What is?"

Kurt didnt answer immediately. He closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the head rest, trying to calm the war raging inside of himself. Blaine sensed his distress. He pulled into the nearest parking lot, which happened to be that of an old K-Mart, now empty.

"Blaine Im a gay muggle-born wizard living in Muggleville, Ohio, I cant take it anymore. Ive accepted that Im gay and I cant change it, but maybe I should just renounce my magic or something."

Blaines eyes widened. "Kurt, please dont say that. I - I know its hard but things will get better I promise."

"How do you know?" He snapped. He immediately regretted it. Blaine was being nothing but honest and patient with him, it wasnt Blaines fault Kurt was having such a bad time.

Kurt took a deep, calming breath. "Im sorry. I just - I - I dont want things to get better, I want them to be better."

"Kurt, I was in the same place a few years ago. My father knew about the Wizarding World, as my mothers family was part of it, but he didnt understand it. My mother is a squib, she had to tell him about magic when my brother came along. My father thought that you could renounce your magic, he thought that my mother just gave it up. He never explicitly said anything, but I know he wanted me to do the same. Sometimes I even considered it. Eventually they got me a tutor. I never thought I could actually be a functioning part of any magical society. Now, Im really glad I didnt give up."

"It just sucks. I mean its been so much easier since I told my dad, but no one else knows. If I didnt have to hide I couldve defended myself. I had my wand!"

"It wont be like that forever, when you grow up you can join the Wizarding World and be amazing."

"But what if I cant? My only exposure is limited. What if I cant assimilate and I just dont fit in anywhere?"

"Hmm. Then I guess well just have to fix that. Half a moment." Blaine stretched out so that he could reach into his pocket. He pulled a galleon from it. Silence filled the car while Kurt got lost in his thoughts and Blaine fiddled with the gold coin. He appeared to be reading its surface. "Oh good!" He exclaimed.

"Whats that?" Kurt tried to get a closer look at the coin but it was already being tucked away.

"Ive just thought of the perfect lunch spot." The Gryffindor grinned, and started the car again.

Kurt had the foresight to send a quick text to Finn telling him to drive Kurts car home. He had taken Finn to school again, and Finn had a spare key so he would be able to get himself home alright.

After a bit of driving Blaine finally pulled into what looked like an ordinary bar. Kurt eyed his companion doubtfully as they walked toward the entrance. If Blaine noticed he gave no indication, remaining cheerful and smiley. Blaine lead him by the hand into the dingy bar, stopping in front of a fireplace. Evidently this was a wizard bar, or it at least had floo connections. Kurt went with the former, noting a hag in the corner drinking something bright pink. Kurt turned his attention back to Blaine, giving him a curious look.

"Do you trust me?" Blaine asked.

"Should I not?"

Blaine laughed. "Im taking you to Hogsmeade, the Hogs Head to be exact. Its right outside the school."

Blaine made an after you gesture. Kurt stepped into the fireplace and accepted the floo powder.

"Hogs Head!" Kurt said and was engulfed by the flames.

Kurt, coughing loudly, stumbled out of the grate and into an even dingier looking pub. The bar ten feet away was empty and there were only a handful of people scattered around. Soon Blaine popped out and brushed himself off.

"Come on." Blaine grabbed his hand again and led him out.

Outside was very similar to Bree with the exception of many students wearing Hogwarts uniforms. Obviously they werent far from the school. Kurt looked up and his breath caught, sure enough an enormous castle stood tall against the backdrop of snow-capped mountains and a great lake.

"Is that Hogwarts?" Kurt asked breathlessly.

"Yep. Amazing isnt it?"

"In all the years Ive known about magic I never thought it would actually be this - magical."

"I know what you mean. I still take walks around the grounds and get awestruck."

Blaine allowed Kurt a moment to stare at the beautiful castle.

"So wheres this lunch Ive been promised?" Kurt finally asked.

Blaine tugged him into another pub called the Three Broomsticks. The atmosphere was much livelier than the first. Many students were chattering merrily with friends, sipping delicious looking drinks and munching on candy from the nearby sweets shop.

"I was going to meet some friends here, I think youve already met a few."

Near the back a particularly rowdy group of boys sat at a booth around a circular table. All of them were sipping some golden liquid from kegs.

"Oy! Blaine!" One of the blondes called.

Blaine lead Kurt over to the table

"Hey guys." Blaine took a seat next to David and motioned Kurt to sit.

Kurt took the seat beside Blaine on the booth.

"This is Kurt Hummel."

"Ah, so this is the infamous spy." A boy with dirty blonde hair and a crooked smile said, exchanging a look with the others.

The two boys sitting on the left, outside end of the semicircle, grinned at one another, then stood up and sat down next Kurt, forcing the others to scoot over to make more room. Kurt moved as well, but the boy beside him, a different blonde than the one who had called them over, stayed pressed up close, his face invading Kurts personal bubble.

"Im Jeff." The blonde introduced himself.

Kurt looked uncomfortable.

"Relax," Jeff said. "We dont care much. Well other than the fact that you, my friend," he wrapped his left arm around Kurt. "Were the first to penetrate the impenetrable Hogwarts since the dark days." Jeff pulled his wand out and waved it above himself, conjuring a top hat that landed on his head. "To you, I take my hat off." He did so with a flourish.

The brunette on the Jeffs right rolled his eyes. He stretched behind Jeff and tugged his arm off Kurt, then kept his own arm around Jeffs shoulders

"Dont mind him. Hes one for theatrics. Im Nick." The brunette boy reached over Jeff with his free hand and shook Kurts.

Blaine rolled his eyes at the pair. "So youve met these two... You already know David," Kurt nodded. "And the other blonde - next to David - is Oliver."

Oliver waved. "God dag. Vad trevligt att träffas."

David playfully shoved the boy. "Ignore him. He just likes to show off what little Swedish he knows."

"Wheres Wes?" Blaine asked, looking around.

"Hes off with his girlfriend."

"And you arent?"

David shook his head. "Id much rather hang out with you Blaine." He said this teasingly, but also threw Blaine a were talking later look that Kurt didnt catch.

"Aww, Im touched."

Blaine left the table to get he and Kurt something to eat. The other three - Nick, Oliver, and Jeff - continued their previous conversation about an incident that happened at the school last week. Kurt listened in complete fascination, every now and again interrupting to ask a question. The boys were incredibly nice to him and seemed like a decent lot. Kurt quickly forgot about the Karofsky incident and enjoyed himself. All too quickly Blaine was insisting that Kurt should get back to Ohio, much to the chagrin of both Kurt and the Hogwarts boys.

Nick and Jeff reluctantly slid off the booth so that Kurt and Blaine could get out.

As soon as Kurt stood up Jeff wrapped him in a tight hug, once Kurt got over the initial shock he awkwardly patted the blondes back.

"Remember the name Jeff, Jeff Sterling. I expect to hear from you." Jeff said sternly, stepping back.

David, Oliver, and Nick all soon his hand and said goodbye, much less dramatically, and then Blaine was leading Kurt toward to the door.

"My friends." Blaine chuckled once they were out of the pub.

"Youre lucky to have them, theyre great." Kurt said honestly.

Blaine smiled. "Yeah, overwhelming from time to time, but I love them to death... sometimes literally."

"I can see where you might want to with Oliver."

Blaine snorted. "And hes the tame one."

Kurt quirked his eyebrows.

"He has a twin brother, Liam." Blaine explained.

"And where was he? Dont twins like, always follow each other around?"

"Not necessarily. And these two have a rather, er, unique dynamic. Besides, Im pretty sure Liam is serving community service in the Great Hall. Apparently we have him to thank for having today off."

"I think Ill wait to hear about that story."

Kurt pulled his light jacket around himself tighter. For September it was very chilly there, even for that time in the evening. Kurt internally groaned, he had been trying not to think of the time. He would deal with the consequences later.

"Anyway," Blaine said, breaking the silence. "The guys seemed to really like you."

Kurt couldnt keep the broad grin from lighting up his face. "Really?"

"I suspect if I werent a prefect and Wes wasnt Head boy, theyd kidnap you and have you live at Hogwarts."

Kurt stared at the castle wistfully. "I dont think I could really complain about that."

"Until you actually live there. It looks like a beautiful magic castle on the outside, dont let it trick you. It can be a nightmare." Blaine was thoughtful, "Though I guess its nothing to the way it was about fifteen years ago."

"What happened?" Naturally he, along with the rest of the Magical World, had read the stories about the Wizarding Wars, and knew bits and pieces of what got out about Harrys time at the school, but Blaine made it seem like they were missing something.

Blaine looked at Kurt. "Id forgotten how little Wizarding America really knows about the War, especially for someone who didnt grow up in it."

"I guess Ill have to visit again, if only to hear more stories." He pretended to sigh.

Blaine playfully swatted him. "Ill tell the guys youre only in it for the secrets."

Kurt held the Hogs Head for open for Blaine, then walked through himself. They stopped in front of the fireplace

"Well I guess -"

"Dont even think about it Kurt. Im coming with you."

Kurt raised an eyebrow.

"Dont give me that look. Taking you back home is the gentlemanly thing to do."

It probably would have been much simpler for Kurt to floo directly back to his house from Hogsmeade, but then he would run the risk of his family seeing him appear from the fireplace. Besides he really liked spending time with Blaine and he wasnt about to intentionally end their time together.

The ride from the bar to Lima was fun. They ended the serious, sad talk for the time being and enjoyed themselves. Kurt learned that along with their shared bully experiences and sexuality they had so much more in common. At first Blaine allowed Kurt to look through his iPod for music, a huge sign of trust in Kurts book. Kurt was then pleasantly surprised to see the music selection; Patti LuPone, Barbara Streisand, the Rent soundtrack, West Side Story, then some more popular tunes such as Brittany Spears, Katy Perry, and P!nk.

The song Kurt chose somehow sparked a debate on how Les Misérables as a movie would compare to the play, which in turn prompted a discussion on actors who would be good for certain roles. Each topic quickly led to more. They continued on like this for the rest of the ride.

Too quickly for his liking they were pulling into Kurts driveway.

"Sorry about missing school." Blaine said sincerely. "I always forget the time changes."

"Its okay. I had a lot of fun today. Thank you Blaine."

"No problem."

Kurt took that as his queue to leave, he sadly unbuckled his seatbelt and got out of the car.

Today had been one of the greatest days of his life. He got to meet actual teenage wizards. Before hed seen plenty in Bree, but had never had the opportunity to actually talk to them. Getting to just look at Hogwarts was enough, he could truly die happy now. He was sad to see the day and Blaine go. Sure they talked and joked about meeting up in the future, but now he realized how unrealistic all of that seemed.

"Im sorry about the inconvenience."

"Its really not a problem." Blaine said sternly. "Besides, I might get to see my parents when I go to Westerville to drop the car off."

"Westerville?"

"I never mentioned that? I live in Ohio, only about two hours from here."

Kurts mouth dropped open. "Really?"

Blaine nodded.

Kurt really shouldnt have been as surprised as he was. It hadnt even crossed his mind all day why Blaine seemed so familiar with Ohio. That would explain how Blaine had a car and his American accent.

"Ill see you later Kurt."

Kurt whispered back, "See you later Blaine."

He shut the car door and walked up the driveway, turning back to wave farewell. Blaine waved back with a huge grin, then pulled out and was gone.

A girly, happy squeal threatened to erupt from Kurts mouth. He had just spent the day with the most dreamy, nicest, funniest wizard and his friends from Hogwarts, and there was a very real possibility that he would be seeing him again.

Kurt walked through the front door in such a daze, he didnt even notice his father waiting for him until he cleared his throat loudly making Kurt start.

"Oh. Hello, father."

"Uh huh." Burt crossed his arms, a signal Kurt knew, that meant he was serious. "Care to tell me where youve been? Schools been over for over an hour, and before you try to use glee club as an excuse Finn said it was cancelled."

"How do you know I didnt go out with Mercedes?"

"Because she called asking for you."

"She wouldve called my cellphone."

"It doesnt matter. This is the second time youve disappeared this week."

"I could have been with Rachel." Kurt mumbled.

"Kurt." Burt said warningly.

"I went out to eat with a friend."

"Which friend?" His father pressed.

"You dont know Blaine." Kurt said quickly.

"Blaine?"

"WOOH!"

Eighty-five miles per hour.

At that speed Blaine would arrive in Westerville just before six, nearly eleven oclock Scottish time. There was no way he would make it back to school before curfew, but if he hurried he might be able to get back to Gryffindor tower before midnight.

Blaine felt a bit like Cinderella, having to be home before midnight. His car wouldnt turn into a vegetablele at midnight, but if Wes caught him, he might be transformed into a pumpkin. With that line of thought he succumbed to the urge to sing songs from the Disney classic the rest of the way.

Looking back, there was nothing stranger than a sixteen year old boy flying his 73 MG Midget over Ohio, while singing Disney at the top of his lungs.

Five minutes outside Westerville he lowered the flying car into a secluded street, and carefully drove the rest of the way invisible. At the Andersons house, he clicked the garage door button and drove in. He waited until the door was firmly shut again, before pushing the button that made the car visible again.

Blaine continued humming the tune to Bippity, Boppity, Boop as he walked through the garage, and into the wash room.

"Blaine, is that you?"

Blaines shoulders drooped.

He had hoped that if he had to run into anyone, it would be his mother.

He plastered on his usual charming smile, and walked into the kitchen. Charles Anderson was seated at the bar, legs crossed, reading the newspaper.

"What are you doing home?" He frowned. "Shouldnt you be in a different country?"

Blaine licked his lips, only hesitating for a second. "You know what? I just couldnt resist coming back here... To take my baby out for a spin." He gestured around. "Before you say anything, I just - Ive waited so long, ever since we rebuilt the old thing -" Blaine spoke with his hands, making an odd scrunched up face.

"Blaine, stop."

Blaine dropped his hands immediately.

Im in trouble. He thought.

Instead of giving the disappointment speech, Charles smiled. "You dont have to explain yourself. I remember when I got my first car, I slept in it for a week. Its hard to part with them."

"Thats nice, dad."

"So?" His father prompted. "Have you named her yet?"

"Uh, oh... Y-yeah. Thought of it while driving."

"Oh?"

Blaine looked off to the side for inspiration. The only thing he saw was the blue curtain on the kitchen window and yellow walls. Picking his brains he was able to come up with, "Evelyn!"

"Have you taken a picture to show your friends?"

"Yeah, theyre all jealous. They dont get their flying carpet licence until theyre seventeen." Blaine deadpanned.

Charles chuckled, not catching the irony. "Youll have to bring them over sometime to see her."

"Well its Tuesday, I really should get going. Time difference and all." Blaine supplied, pointing to his watch.

He was again slapped by his own immediacy to leave: Time difference, curfew... Wes.

"Cant you stay for dinner. Your mother will be gone soon. Shell be upset she missed you."

"Im really sorry dad. Ill come home this weekend, I promise."

"Blaine-"

"You might want to leave the room, I need to use the..." Blaine groaned at fireplace.

Charles sighed heavily. "Im used to it. Go on, but Im holding you to your word."

The last thing Blaine thought before he was sucked into nothingness was, How the hell did I manage to get the guys invited over?

Seconds later, hundreds of miles away he appeared in the Hogs Head. Luckily the place didnt close until midnight and the owner was very old. Blaine sprinted across the town and into Honeydukes, barely making it in before the door magically closed itself.

"Cutting it close Blaine!" A voice chuckled.

Blaine sent a charming smile over to the owner of the candy store.

He had once done a favor for the owners of the place and was good friends with their daughter, so as long as he was in before the doors sealed themselves, the owners let him use the passageway in the basement.

Mrs Lynch swatted him with her cleaning rag as he passed by. Blaine jumped aside, laughing.

"Goodnight Anderson!"

"Night Mrs Lynch."

In the passageway he sprinted all the way through, which was by no means an easy feat. By the time he reached the stone steps that led up to the statue exit, he was out of breath and clutching a side stitch. He had yet to run across several floors, all the while avoiding Peeves, prefects, professors, and one Wesley Montgomery. (Oh my!) The Fat Lady wouldnt be a problem so long as he made it before midnight. A few years previously the Gryffindors cut a deal with her: They wouldnt leave before four in the morning, and they couldnt wake her after midnight.

He ran up to her portrait, a few asthma attacks past out of breath.

"Alohomora." He wheezed.

The Fat Lady dutifully swung forward with a huff of annoyance.

"Cutting it a little close there Blaine." A voice said in a tone much less pleasant than Mrs. Lynch.

Blaine froze. The recliner by the fire spun around, revealing David with his arms and legs crossed, and an unpleasant expression on his face. That meant bad things.

"And by that I mean, five minutes later and it would be tomorrow. You missed curfew by, hmm," David pretended to check his watch. "Over two hours."

Apparently David was playing the role of frantic mother tonight. It was unlikely he would let Blaine off very easily.

"I just dont get it." Davids shoulders drooped and he ran a hand over his face. "Some boy breaks into the school and you dont turn him in - you actually ask Wes not to say anything. The only reason I didnt is because I havent a clue how he did it. You miss curfew by several hours. And then I hear that you ran off to another country during class! This isnt like you. What were you even doing?"

Blaine hesitated.

David Thompson had been among his closest friends since he had transferred to Hogwarts in third year. David being a year older, had always helped him out and been someone that he could go to. However, now it didnt matter that they lived on opposite sides of globe from Kurt. He had promised that he wouldnt tell anyone and he intended to honor that promise. He could only hope that David would give him the opportunity to explain that and that he would be understanding.

"Im sorry David, but its really not your business."

"Not my business? So the last three years, every time you and the other gits got into trouble, I could have just said, Well its not my business and went on my merry way? Left you to solve your own problems?" Throughout the tirade Davids voice steadily rose until he was yelling.

"David thats not what I meant."

"I dont care. The fact of the matter is Ive been waiting for you, wondering if you were dead or if you needed help."

"Merlins pants," Liam said groggily, standing at the foot of the stairs and rubbing his eyes.

"We could hear you all the way through the dorm enchantments." Jeff appeared behind Liam, along with Nick, Thad, Oliver, and Dwight.

"Why are you yelling?" Asked Oliver.

"Blaine is just now coming back." David said. If it was sympathy he expected, then he was sorely mistaken. The others rolled their eyes, immediately siding with Blaine. This only served to further annoy David.

Dwights eyes bugged out. "Bloody wizards." He muttered, walking back to the dorms.

The others, used to his strange behavior after years, ignored him.

"Hes been Godric knows where, doing-"

"Give him a break." Interupted Oliver. "He hasnt broken any rules since last year."

"Oh, well congratulations on going a whole twenty days!"

The boys rolled their eyes while David continued on the rant.

"How many times are you people going to break these rules put in place for your safety? How many times before you start acting a little more responsibly? Why -"

"Have you and Wes been having sex?"

David stopped talking and everyones head whipped around to Jeff.

"Because I swear youre like, one person." He yawned.

"That doesnt even make-"

Oliver chuckled. "I hope youre using protection, you wouldnt want to get pregnant while youre on your manstrual cycle."

"Wes? Youre lucky Wes didnt come up here tonight." David muttered, brushing past them, and disappearing up the stairs and into the sixth year boys dormitory.

"Its not like Wes would have turned you in if he had." Thad assured Blaine. He briefly gripped his shoulder, then walked off after David.

The remainder of the Gryffindors trudged up the stairs together, stopping in front the fifth year dorm. When the actual fifth years gave Jeff an expectant look he only blinked back at them, so they didnt say anything. As the others filed in Nick hung back with Blaine at the door. 

"Dont be too hard on David." Nick said. "Hes just worried. I think he has a right to be after what happened last year."

"And the year before that." Jeff called unhelpfully from where he was lounging on Nicks bed.

As much as they would have liked to deny it, their little group did have a penchant for causing trouble as well as falling into it. Admittedly, much of what David said was true - Blaine had to give him that.

On the other side of the world in Ohio Kurt lay in bed just thinking about everything that had happened. It made Kurts stomach swooped joyously. He hadnt had such a delightful day in a very long time.

Though he was tired after such a long day sleep was elusive. Every so often he had to look over at the pile of letters from Blaine just to remind himself that it did happen. He also kept turning a tiny piece of paper over in his hands, it was now so handled that it was getting soft and crinkled. The paper was a brief note from Jeff that he had found in his pocket not long after arriving back home. It read:

Hello mate. Remember Jeff Sterling ;)

Jeff must have slipped it in there when he was inappropriately close. There were many times that day so Kurt couldnt exactly pinpoint when that might have been.

Eventually exhaustion won out over excitement. His eyes drooped shut and the events of the day danced across his eyelids making him grin. That night he dreamt of magic; not what he had come to know magic as it truly was - testing, secrecy, hard studying, more secrets - but of the stuff of faery tales where a handsome night with dark curly hair and deep honey eyes swept him away on a giant lion.