It had finally arrived - the day Kurt Hummel would be officially leaving for Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Only a few days before Toni had flooed all the way to Scotland to speak with the headmistress Professor McGonagall about the possibility of a mid year transfer. At first, everyone involved was skeptical about him being able to comfortably transfer this late in the school year, but thankfully McGonagall had been sympathetic and set everything in order. After he got the confirmation that he was, in fact, going to be a student at Hogwarts, it was up to him to make sure he had everything he would need for the school year. It had been chaos traveling to Bree and trying to find every item on the list of supplies the school had sent him with the letter of acceptance. Upon his arrival home the night before many of the New Directions had surprised him with a going away party. There he said his goodbyes and shed a few tears as everyone said farewell.

Kurt woke up extra early to make sure all of his things were in the proper bag and nothing had been forgotten. Once that was done he tiptoed downstairs to get some breakfast.

He was surprised to find everyone, even Finn, waiting for him in the kitchen, breakfast already on the stove. When they saw him enter Carole jumped up and wheeled him to a chair. Kurt looked around, noting the massive pile of bacon in front of Finn. On his fathers plate lay half a grapefruit with a side of plain Greek yogurt. Kurt was impressed that he didnt even have to remind him to eat healthy for once. For that, he was grateful to Carole. On his own plate was an English omelet, a small assortment of berries, and a slice of whole wheat toast. It was strange not having been the one to cook breakfast. Even stranger was the somewhat awkward atmosphere. Kurt felt their eyes on him and his head shot up. Burt and Carol averted their gazes.

"Well, dig in!" Carol announced.

Kurt continued to watch them as they picked up their silverware. Finn gave a sleepy moan and felt his way to the pile of heart attack on his plate. Kurt followed his parents lead. While they ate nobody spoke. Once the last scrap of food was gone, Carole began clearing away the table. She kept glancing at Kurt, while Burt openly stared.

Kurt wiped his mouth with a napkin. "Whats going on?" He asked.

Carole and Burt shared a look.

"We just wanted to have breakfast together before youre gone."

"Im not dying. Ill be home for the holidays, and I might even be able come back on weekends sometimes." Kurt said.

Burt cleared his throat. "Its not that, kid. Sure well see you a lot, but this is it. Your life is gonna be different from here on out. I dunno what exactly they do at that new school of yours, but I do know youre gonna meet people and make new friends. Youll learn some stuff you never knew before. I never in my wildest dreams thought my son would be - "

"Dad." Kurt warned.

Burt seemed to realize the present company and looked sheepish. The others hadnt noticed the near slip up. "Im prouda you, kid."

Carole walked over and patted Burt on the back as a comforting gesture. "We both are." She added.

Kurt got on his feet and also went to his dad. Burt wiped his nose before standing and pulling Kurt into a hug, which was quickly joined by Carole.

"No matter what happens, Ill still be your boy, dad." Kurt said once they separated.

"I know that, I just wanted you to know we completely support you."

Kurt nodded and opened his arms for another hug. "Come on Finn." He called back.

A minute went by with no reply. The group looked over to see Finn passed out on the table. They rolled their eyes fondly.

At the door Kurt was hugged and kissed more times than he could count. He certainly didnt feel unloved. Of course, they did have a good reason to be so clingy and they wouldnt be the ones taking him away. That had been one of the first decisions made. They would say their goodbyes at the house, then someone would come in a vehicle and take him to the ministry. That way they wouldnt arouse suspicion from his muggle stepfamily and everything would go much more smoothly. From the ministry he would floo to the Headmistresss office. Kurt only had five minutes before he had to be on the highway, but he couldnt bring himself to push them away.

He gave Burt one last hug with a chuckled, "Youre just upset Toni wont be around anymore."

"I love you, kid."

"Love you too."

With seconds to spare he finally stepped over the threshold and headed to the car waiting for him by the curb. He threw the few bags he was taking for now into the trunk, then hopped into the back seat. His driver was getting very impatient.

"Youre cutting it close, Kurt." The driver said from the front seat.

Kurt looked up from his cell phone and shrieked, "Toni! What are you doing here?"

Toni grinned at him through the rearview mirror. "Hello to you too. And I offered to drive, I thought it symbolic that I be taking you to Hogwarts - or, you know, the fireplace to get you there. Plus, no one else knew how to drive a stick."

"Why dont we just apparate?"

"Because, you mister dont have your licence for that."

"What about side-along apparition?"

"Shut up and enjoy the scenery."

For whatever reason Toni didnt go to some secluded area where she could activate the invisibility booster. Instead, she drove them to the main highway. The ride was relatively short without any major traffic, so they had enough time to not have to rush. As soon as they made it to the parking lot of the lone factory though she killed the engine and they both scurried out of the car.

"And you wont be needing that where your going." She snatched his iPhone away and shoved it in her pocket.

Kurt gaped at her. Of course he needed his phone. How else was he supposed to keep in contact with his friends, who he told he would regularly text and call?

Toni noticed his face and raised an eyebrow. "Didnt they tell you?" Kurt shook his head. "You cant use cell phones at the school. The signal doesnt work and the magic in the air will ruin anything electronic."

Kurt frowned. "Blaine never said that. How am I suppose to function without internet?"

Tony gave him a twisted smile. "Youll manage."

Kurt was left to mutter about archaic wizards while she pulled his trunks out of the back.

"Come on, lets get going." Toni said

Kurt wanted to slow down so that he could take one last look at the first and only place that connected him to the Wizarding world, but Toni dragged him by the hand at a fast walk. Together they took the elevator down to the underground city, walked all the way to the Ministry, and found their fireplace in one of the office buildings.

"So you just get in and let it take you to Hogwarts, and Ill send these over later. Dont worry, the House Elves will take care if them." Toni spoke quickly. "Okay? Okay. Go."

She shoved a pot of floo powder under his nose. Kurt grabbed a handful of the glittery green stuff.

"Thank you, Toni. For everything." Kurt said earnestly.

"Oh, Kurt!" She pulled him into the hundredth hug hed received that day. "Now go on, tiger. You dont want to be late."

Kurt stepped into the flames. Toni gave him a thumbs up and mouthed, good luck. Kurt threw the shimmering powder into the flames at his feet and cried, "Hogwarts!"

He felt the familiar, horribly uncomfortable feeling of being sucked down a drain. He forgot to tuck his elbows in and was punished by having them knock against something as he continued to spin and spin. The swirling feeling in his stomach didnt stop until he hit the right grate and landed in the Headmistresss office. Rubbing his elbows, Kurt stepped out of the fireplace rather ungracefully. His hair was sticking up everywhere, his clothes were covered in soot, and he was certain he had lung cancer - but for once in his life he found that he didnt care. He was happy enough to have found the correct office. Across the room Minerva McGonagall was sitting at her desk writing a letter. She hadnt batted a lash when the boy shot out of nowhere.

Professor McGonagall had a very interesting aura about her, like she was both ancient and very young. It was clear that her age was very old but she gave off the impression that she could still handle herself if the situation arose. She also had a kindness about her that was often hidden by a shrewd expression and haunted eyes. Kurt was intrigued to notice all of this the first time he saw the witch in person.

"Good morning, Mr. Hummel." She greeted. "I expect your journey went well?"

"Yes, uh, Professor. Everything went fine." Kurt lied.

Was flooing as bad for everyone as it was for him?

"Excellent." The old woman shuffled some papers, and put them into a neat pile inside of a drawer. She indicated to the seat across from her, which Kurt quickly took.

"Now that you are here," She began. "I shall go over some of the rules and then you will be sorted. Afterwards you may settle into your house and tour the rest of the school. First, as you know, we have a zero tolerance bullying policy. You will be undoubtedly safe during your stay here, and in turn you are expected to hold up that standard yourself."

Kurt nodded.

"The Forbidden Forest is off limits to students, unless otherwise instructed. There is an extensive list of all banned items that can be viewed in the Caretaker Mr. Filchs office."

Kurt nodded again.

"Now for the sorting." The headmistress stood up and walked to the other side of the room to a shelf overflowing with books, boxes , and various trinkets and contraptions. When she returned Kurts face turned comical as she held out a dingy looking hat. It quickly turned to a very dark look when he was informed that he would have to wear it.

In a desperate attempt to put off the inevitable, Kurt asked about the sorting.

"The sorting is a very proud Hogwarts tradition, dating back hundreds of years." That would explain dirty hat. "There are four houses: Hufflepuff, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Whichever house you are sorted into will become your home at Hogwarts. You will eat, board, and regularly attend classes with them. The houses also compete throughout the school year by earning and losing points for various activities. At the end of the year the house with the most points wins the House Cup. Each house has its own Quidditch team that competes for the Quidditch Cup."

McGonagall promptly dropped the old hat down atop his head and stepped back, letting the thing do its work - whatever that was. The Sorting Hat was very large so that it could comfortably fit on various sized heads, so when placed on Kurt it slid down over his eyes, and all he could see was its black inside.

Kurt was wondering how the hell this ugly piece of clothing could possibly decide his fate, when a small voice in his ear said, "Hmm... You are here under curious circumstances," Kurt jolted violently at the unexpected voice. The hat didnt give any indication that it noticed and continued speaking, "Plenty of ambition, I see. Not a bad mind either... Theres loyalty certainly."

Kurt gripped the edges of stool and repeated Blaines mantra...

"Courage, eh? Gryffindor would suit you well... yes, better be Gryffindor." Kurt heard the hat clearly say the last part loud enough for McGonagall to hear.

"Im sure youll find Gryffindor House to be very welcoming. Congratulations." The hat was taken off of his head and the headmistress walked to the far side of the room, placing it back on a shelf. Kurt wondered what on earth the seemingly living article of clothing would do up there for the rest of the year. Then McGonagall turned back to him with a soft smile on her face. "Now that that is out if the way, I will summon someone from your house to show you around the grounds."

Kurt exhaled. Hopefully it would be Blaine that would answer the summons; he was, after all, a Gryffindor prefect.

McGonagall pulled out a Galleon similar to the one Kurt had seen Blaine use and tampered with it. When she was finished she stood up and made for the door, beckoning Kurt to follow. She led him to a stone spiral staircase. Kurt made to continue forward, but McGonagall stopped and flung out an arm.

"Lemon Drop." She called.

The staircase began to spin downwards, in a similar fashion to an escalator. McGonagall dropped her arm when the staircase stopped moving. To Kurts surprise, waiting there were three boys, all clad in black robes that bore Gryffindor crests on the breast pocket. The boy in the middle was gripping the other two by the upper arms. Upon seeing Kurt, their bored expressions changed to excited grins. The middle boy remained stoic. It took Kurt a moment to recognize them. It was Jeff, Wes, and Oliver, respectively.

"I didnt expect you to answer my summons so quickly." McGonagall commented.

"What? Oh!" Wes pulled a shiny Galleon out of his robes. "Actually I caught these two conspiring with Peeves again - "

Jeff made a noise of protest.

"Dont deny it! But Im available to help."

"Thank you , Mr. Montgomery - Yes, Mr. Omsen?"

Oliver desperately waved his hands while Jeff gaped his mouth open and shut.

"Spit it out!"

"Oh, sorry! Silencing charm." Wes waved his wand over the two.

"Kurt!" They both cried, leaping at him. Jeff stood slightly angled from Kurt with his arms around his waist. Oliver ruffled his hair teasingly. Had it his hair not already been ruined in the floo network, Kurt definitely would have cursed him.

At the outburst, Wes relaxed his uptight position and swung his arm forward to shake Kurts hand.

"Its nice to see you again, Kurt." Wes said.

"What are you doing here... again?" Said Jeff.

"Not spying, eh?" Said Oliver.

Wes ignored them and turned away. He asked, "Anyway, what was it that you needed?"

McGonagall looked curiously at the boys. "I was going to introduce you to the new American transfer student," Jeff and Olivers eyes went wide.

"Say it isnt so!" Exclaimed Jeff. "Oh my Wizard God! Blaine is going to go mental!"

"Alright mate! Good to have you!" Oliver clapped him on the back.

"He will need someone to show him around!" McGonagall had to raise her voice to be heard over the boys chattering.

"Of course." Said Wes, ever the golden child.

McGonagall walked back to the spiral stairs, then turned to Kurt. "Good luck, Mr. Hummel. You should be very comfortable here at Hogwarts."

Kurt could have sworn he heard her mutter, Seeing as you already know half of the student body. before she spun out of view.

"So what now?" Asked Oliver.

"We show him around the grounds of course!" Jeff looped his and Kurts arms together. "Im sure well see Blaine around here somewhere." He added, glancing around as though Blaine might be hiding behind a plant.

Oliver looped his arm around Kurts free arm, and the two pulled him along. Wes stood there wide-eyed for a moment before running after them.

Over the next hour Kurt was shown around Hogwarts by all three Gryffindors, much to the annoyance of Wes. Multiple times the Head Boy recommended that the two boys leave them, but they either never took the hint or simply ignored him. So when that didnt work Wes tried to pawn them off on other students. That backfired when Nick and Liam decided to join them. Then for the better half of the day it was the five Gryffindors showing him around and flooding him with information.

They took him to most of his classes, telling him many interesting things about them along the way. Some of this information Kurt already knew from the hours hed spent hanging around with the people of Hogwarts while he was still attending McKinley, but it was nonetheless exciting hearing about it as a student. Jeff, Nick, Oliver, and Liam mostly talked about quidditch and food, and any time they paused to take a breath Wes filled in everything else ("Neville Longbottom recently joined the staff as the Herbology teacher. It was ever so exciting when he showed up at the start of year feast!"). By the time lunch rolled around, Kurt felt he could have fit it all in several very large volumes. When he told them this Wes politely smiled and Jeff and Nick snorted. Wes then informed him that he didnt even know half of everything yet.

The castle was huge! There were so many corridors and passageways, hallways that led to secret passageways, empty portraits that, when opened, doubled as more secret passages, not to mention dozens of staircases scattered about. It was a wonder anybody knew their way around at all.

They finally took a break while they ate. Wes deposited them at the Great Hall and left to do his head boy duties. Kurt was glad for a moment to take a breather; one hundred and forty-two staircases throughout the entire school were no joke. As they sat down at the Gryffindor table curious students began piling up and Kurt got to meet some more of his fellow classmates from both his house as well as the others. They all seemed friendly enough and he was happy to meet them. However, the one person he really wanted to see was nowhere to be found. The boys sensed this and set off with him to explore more of the castle as a distraction. Kurt could tell they were equally anxious about Blaines whereabouts.

The troupe didnt find hide nor hair of Blaine that day, but Kurt nearly forgot about him he was having such a good time. It was surprising how knowledgeable the boys were. With them he not only learned more, but also retained most of it. With Wes, they had chattered about sports and other trivial things, but it was obvious they were holding back in the presence of the Head Boy. Without Wes it was as though a dam broke.

"You just say, descendio and it opens. Easy." Oliver told him as they passed a rather ugly witch statue on the third floor.

They made sure to be particularly thorough in their warning of Peeves the mischievous Poltergeist that haunted the schools causing mayhem.

"Dont ever get caught anywhere near him." Liam had said very seriously.

"Thats what happened to us earlier. We were set up. We were unlucky - "

"Or lucky enough - " Nick cut in.

"To have Wes find us. Its an instant ticket to the Headmistress office."

They also warned him of the kitchens.

"Be careful not to go alone, especially if youre not on the friendliest terms with the Hufflepuffs. They can get quite territorial."

Kurt had nearly laughed at the last one. Blaine had explained in detail the dynamics of all the houses at Hogwarts, so Kurt knew a bit about the Hufflepuffs. Not to mention how they were often portrayed in history books. It was the look of solemnness on all of the boys faces that kept him quiet.

While they were walking past the greenhouses Kurt got a glimpse of his first professor - Professor Longbottom - the one that Wes had fawned over for the better part of their tour in between introducing Kurt to curious students and overloading him with information.

"Thats our head of house Professor Longbottom. I think Wes meant to say that earlier, you know, before he started drooling over him." Nick said in low voice so as not to disturb the professor.

From the brief glance they had gotten of the man while he flitted between plants Kurt was under the impression that the man was ordinary, if not slightly clumsier than most people. He deduced this hunch to be untrue if even the twins quiet reverence for the man was anything to go by.

By the time they finished their tour of the greenhouses they were late for dinner. They ran all the way back to the emptying Great Hall just in time to gorge themselves on what was leftover. Supper was a quiet affair, with the twins talking to each other about something seemingly unintelligible, Nick and Jeff exchanging glances, and Kurt thoroughly inspecting everything in the hall. As soon as Liam and Oliver finished eating they bid farewell and left, leaving Nick, Jeff, and Kurt alone at the Gryffindor table. Though it wasnt long when Nick leaned over and whispered something to Jeff before leaving as well.

Kurt watched him go curiously.

"Dont worry about him." Jeff assured him. "He just needed to do something. Well meet back up in the common room."

It was getting late, nearly a quarter to nine, by the time Kurt and Jeff got to Gryffindor tower. By this time all of Kurts former insecurities about a new school were forgotten.

"This has been fun, but I have about a foot of Defence homework Ive been neglecting." Jeff stated sorrowfully.

A pang of guilt twisted in Kurts stomach when he realized that he had kept him all day. "Sorry."

"Dont apologize. If it wasnt you I would have found other ways to waste time." Jeff stared off into space wistfully. A few seconds later he looked back at Kurt. "Not that your a waste of time."

Jeff pulled a roll of parchment out of his bag along with a book and sat them on the table... then proceeded to stare at them both. While he was busy Kurt entertained himself by getting familiarized with the common room, his new home until June. One thing that he found particularly interesting was the password protected entrance. Every time the portrait hole opened he couldnt help but watch. He probably scared a few first years with his staring, but he didnt pay much attention. Eventually a familiar face walked through it.

"Hello Nick." Kurt greeted.

Jeff finally looked up, slamming his book closed and shoving it off the table as he did so. Without batting a lash Nick picked the book off the floor and set it down in front of Jeff, looking as though hed been cleaning up after his best friend his whole life (and he probably had). He then sat on the couch beside him.

"I finally did find Mr. Anderson." Nick informed them.

"Yeah? And where was he?" Asked Jeff.

"The one place I pointedly avoided."

"The library?" Kurt said.

"Aye."

Kurt nodded. When he had asked about it during the tour he was told that that was probably the least important room before they took him to the kitchens (after first speaking to the seventh year Hufflepuff prefects of course.)

"Oy! Whats he playing at? He cant be bothered to step out of that bloody place for his own boyfriend who transferred for him!"

Kurt flushed. "Were not boyfriends." He mumbled.

Nick and Jeff pretended to appear scandalized.

"Did you hear that correctly Nick?"

"I dont think I did. With how much you take our Blaine time for yourself, there had better be some serious snogging involved."

"You two have been with them their last few coffee dates! When would that have happened?" Davids voice asked. Kurt looked over across the common room and saw David sitting in a chair, his face hidden behind a book; he hadnt even noticed him there.

"The coffee dates, yes, but what about the others? Hmmm?" Nick pressed.

Jeff crossed his arms. "We know for a fact Blaine ditched History of Magic a few weeks ago and flooed to Ohoya."

"Ohio." David corrected Jeff from his corner.

Kurt hid his bright red cheeks behind his hands. Jeff and Nick smirked at him. They obviously knew there was nothing going on between their friends but got a kick out of making Kurt blush.

Richard, another Phoenix, looked up from his game of chess. "You should probably look into new suitors, Kurt," His serious face fell into a big grin. "Yours is obviously defective."

David bookmarked his page and then carefully placed the book down, showing his bespectacled face for the first time. Kurt looked at him hopefully, expecting the much more serious boy to set Nick and Jeff straight. Instead he said, "So why isnt he here? Surely an essay isnt so important that he cant nip down here for a bit to see his boyfriend?"

Kurt made a choked noise that was ignored.

Wes chose then to appear and say, "David, stop bullying the poor boy."

Davids mouth dropped open and he began sputtering unintelligibly. Nick and Jeff snickered until Wes turned his glare on them and they immediately stopped.

"Honestly though," Richard said joining them. "Where is Blaine? I know he went home yesterday, but since Kurts here he should be back by now."

"Library." Everyone in the common room answered.

"He was so insistent that I leave," Nick said, mock offended. "I didnt tell him anything."

"Oh. Well he has to go to bed sometime... So how about it Kurt?"

"How about what Jeff?"

"Ill show you the Hogwarts night life, then we can go sneak up on Blaine. Itll be great."

Before Kurt or Wes could disapprove, Nick shouted, "Oy, better idea! We dont tell Blaine anything and see how long it takes."

"Yeah! A friendly wager is in order!"

At the word wager many of the rooms occupants perked up and joined the group.

"But - I -" Kurt tried to protest.

Liam and Oliver hopped over the back of the couch and landed on either side of Kurt. They both pressed their fingers to Kurts lips. "Shh, the adults are talking." Everyone else turned their attention toward Jeff who was speaking.

Wes removed himself from them. "Come on.", he mouthed at Kurt, motioning toward the stairs. Kurt gladly left. "Ill take you to your room." Wes told him once Kurt caught up. Wes led Kurt up one set of stairs to a room that was labeled sixth years. "As much as Id like to ruin the bet and put you in with the fifth years, youll be sleeping in here."

Wes pushed open the door and let him through first. Inside was a circular room with six beds, all with elegant curtains draped around them. Other than the beds there wasnt much furnishing except for a few desk chairs, but it was nice. It had a very homey feeling to it.

"Your beds right here next to the window. The bathroom is over there." Wes indicated the door opposite the entrance. "And youve already met two of your roommates, David and Jeff. I should warn you that the others will come in at random times of the night."

Kurt nodded, taking in his surroundings.

"Well, Ill leave you to it. If you need anything tonight David should help you out. Im afraid if you need anything from me it will have to wait until morning."

"Arent you - "

"Im Head Boy. I get my own dorms. I have certain duties that require coming and going a lot; its less painful for everyone." Wes stopped in the doorway. "Oh, and Nick and the twins also make random appearances, although Nick usually comes bearing much less sinister gifts. No one will blame you if you put enchantments around your bed."

Kurt smiled nervously. "Im sure itll be fun."

"Goodnight Kurt."

"Night."

The next morning Kurt woke up a little after seven - Hogwarts time. This meant that back at home it was two oclock in the morning and his circadian clock was still set on Ohio time. The night before he was to leave the U.S he hadnt been able to fall asleep until midnight, and then he had to wake up at four in Lima so that he could arrive at Hogwarts on time. The previous night he had fallen asleep around midnight again, though this time on Scotlands time. It hurt his head trying to add up all of the time changes so he just didnt even think about it. All that mattered was that over the past two days his total amount of sleep accumulated to less than ten hours. He was exhausted.

When he finally forced himself to roll out of bed the other five boys were snoring soundly behind their curtains. He was grateful for this. It was enough having to share a room with someone for the first time - let alone with a bunch of strangers, and five of them at that - the last thing he needed was having to argue with said strangers over bathroom arrangements. He looked around, trying to remember which door led out and which one would take him to a much needed shower. He eventually just picked one and hoped for the best.

Half an hour later, Kurt came out freshly bathed and in his full Hogwarts get up. He had to admit whoever designed these outfits did a decent job. Of course the solid black robe could use some embroidery around the edges, but they would do.

The other boys were still sound asleep when Kurt left the dorm, so he figured he would just wait around in the common room for someone to go to breakfast with. That and he wasnt completely positive he could find the Great Hall by himself yet.

As he suspected, no one was awake yet, or at least not downstairs. This was a good thing because Kurt had slipped down the last step on the hem of his uniform, a downside to the robes. Blushing furiously, he picked himself up and went to one of the couches. He stayed there thinking about everything.

From what he saw the people here were very friendly. They had good food. The uniforms were workable. The castle was not only breathtaking, but also very much like a home away from home. Not mention Blaine Anderson was somewhere in the castle wearing the same Gryffindor crest upon his chest. It was like a dream come true. Sure he missed his New Direction friends and his family, but leaving them was, dare he say it, almost worth it. It wasnt like he was just ditching them to come play wizard. He would see them as often as possible and most certainly mail them daily - well, when he remembered to. Kurt cringed. He had been supposed to owl his father last night. So maybe the Wizarding World was easy to get wrapped up in, but he still loved them with all of his heart. Kurt considered owling them now to make up for it, but quickly dismissed the thought. If he couldnt find the Great Hall there was little to no chance of finding the owlery.

"Morning sunshine!" A voice called from the banister.

Kurt turned to find a half asleep Jeff being dragged down the stairs by Nick.

"How long have you been awake?"

"Ive been up since seven."

"Im an early riser too. Jeff not so much." Said boy slumped into the nearest armchair. "I have to get his lazy arse up every morning." Jeff mumbled something that made Nick huff. "Just because its Sunday doesnt mean you cant wake up. Besides, now we get to spend all day with Kurt."

Together they managed to convince Jeff to wake up enough to walk himself to the Great Hall. It was a slow journey but eventually they made it to the breakfast table. Along the way Kurt had made a point to watch out for landmarks and things that would keep him from getting lost when it came time to travel on his own. It was difficult when in the bigger halls all there was were the paintings, and those were too innumerable to even try to keep track of. While he had been staring at the paintings there had been a moment he could have sworn he saw one moving, but when he took a closer look it was empty. He attributed the bout of insanity to exhaustion and gave up on looking for familiar portraits.

It turned out that Jeff was a much more pleasant companion once he had food in his belly. After they ate breakfast he was no longer dead to the world and was able to contribute to the conversation. After their stomachs were full of delicious food they left and headed back toward the common room. On the way there Jeff began regaling a tale involving pixies while Kurt and Nick avidly listened.

"It was madness! There were all of these - " Kurt was about to ask why Nick stopped mid sentence, instead he was shoved behind a suit of armor and into a wall. Thankfully his McKinley instincts kicks in and he put his palms out to catch himself.

Nick immediately rushed to help Kurt. "What the hell Jeff!"

Jeff stayed rigid for a moment before rushing to help Kurt up.

"Sorry, mate." Jeff brushed him off, then continued walking like nothing happened. "Anyway, out of nowhere hundreds of little -"

"What was that?" Nick asked suspiciously.

"Hmm?" Jeff looked confused for a moment. "Oh, I thought I saw Blaine."

Kurt looked at him bewildered.

"Thats cheating!" Nick shouted.

Soon Jeff and Nick got into a very animated argument involving many ridiculous hand gestures. Kurt stared between them completely bewildered. Luckily, he was saved by Wes. Wes placed a hand on his back and pushed him away from the two, who were beginning to draw a crowd.

"Ill take you back to the common room."

"What just happened?"

"After you went to bed they started pooling bets." Wes explained. "Nick bet that Blaine wouldnt figure out that youre here until Monday. You know, because of classes. David reckoned hed hear about by this evening. The twins just paid Peeves off to keep his silence. And Jeff said that you would have to tell Blaine yourself, because hes so thick you could stand right in front of him, Gryffindor crest and all, and he still wouldnt believe it. They actually got a good number students in on it."

Kurt marveled at the absurdness of it all.

"What did you bet?" He had to ask.

Wes got visibly uncomfortable and cleared his throat. "Anyway, I left after they let Teddy Lupin bet."

Kurt remembered the young sandy-haired boy hed met during one of his visits. "Isnt he a first year?"

"Thats exactly what I said." Wes said.

They turned the corner and arrived in the same corridor as the Fat Ladys portrait.

"Do you remember the password? Good. I have to go to a meeting, but the git twins go back to the common room after breakfast. That is if they havent been sent to the Heads office. In which case Id just hang out in there today. We wouldnt want our new transfer getting lost." Wes patted his shoulder condescendingly. "See you, Kurt."

Before Kurt could fully process what Wes said he was striding away.

"Thanks for saving me!" Kurt called after him.

It turned out that Jeff and Nick had indeed been sent to the Heads office. They hadnt really gotten in trouble (Professor Longbottom was laid back) but a visit to the Hospital wing was required, after Jeff hit Nick with a weird curse that caused him to sprout antlers. They arrived back to the common room sometime later with their arms around each other and smiles on their faces. Kurt was sitting by the fire reading a book when they walked in.

"Now that thats been dealt with, what do you say to a continued tour of Hogwarts!" Jeff said cheerfully.

And so tour they did. Although, much of it consisted revisiting the same places and then it was cut short by the masses of people introducing themselves or simply saying hello. They didnt even go back to Gryffindor tower until after supper.

"Arent you the popular bloke!" Nick said back in the common room.

It was true. Half of the school had shook hands with him at some time or another. Still, Kurt wasnt used to the positive attention and so denied it. The three boys walked over to an empty corner and sat down.

"Not really that surprising." Jeff groaned loudly, "Nothing interesting happens any more."

"Jeff! Hes coming." Nick muttered.

Jeff threw a nearby blanket over Kurts head and swung his arms around him to hold it down. "Hi Blaine!" He said casually.

Kurts heart skipped a beat.

"Jeff," Kurt could just imagine the stern look. "Interesting isnt always good. Er, which is why Im hesitant to ask."

"Then dont." Jeff said.

"Nick. Whos under the blanket?"

"Thad." Nick answered too quickly.

"Nick, I know for fact that Thad is over there."

"Its the other Thad."

"Guys!" Blaine sounded panicked. "Did you - again?"

"No, no!"

"Oh, Godric Gryffindor, no!"

There was a story there, but before Kurt could say anything Jeff nudged him in the ribs to keep him quiet.

Blaine let out a deep breath. "Dont scare me like that! Uhmm, good night, Jeff. Nick… Thad."

"Night!"

Kurt squirmed, but Jeff kept his grip firm until Blaine was gone. When Jeffs arms slackened the slightest amount, Kurt ripped the blanket off.

"Thats the second time today that youve ruined my hair!" Kurt hissed. "And what about your bet? I thought that was cheating."

"Well, think of it like this: If he saw you then neither one of us would win the bet and Thad would have won." Nick explained.

"Anyway this is for kicks." Jeff added, "I mean the bet is still on, but were just having fun."

"You two at incorrigible." Kurt stalked off toward the stairs.

"Dont be like that!"

"At least wait a few minutes! If he catches you it will have been for nothing."

Entering his dorm, Kurt could still hear them yelling at random. He stripped out of his robes, replacing them with flannel pajamas. The moment his head hit the pillow he was asleep. Tomorrow classes would start. It would be a long day.

At eleven oclock many of the boys were still awake despite the curfew. It had been only an hour since Kurt had gone to bed and Wes, David, and Nick had followed shortly afterwards. Jeff was playing a game of Wizards Chess against Thad, because earlier theyd been reprimanded by the sixth year girls prefect for playing exploding snap at such a late hour.

"King me." Jeff yawned.

Thad was about to make a counter-move when their game was unceremoniously knocked over. Blaine didnt even stop to apologize. Instead he grabbed a heavy looking text book and then ran out through the portrait hole.

Thad stared after him, while Jeff appeared completely unfazed. "I think its about time I head to bed." He announced.

"I was about to win." Thad protested.

Monday morning Kurt woke up the same time he had for the past two days, the only difference being many of his dorm mates were up too. Kurt was the second to last to get in the shower and one of the benefits of attending a magic school become apparent: Unlimited warm water.

He came downstairs squeaky clean and smiling. Nick appeared shortly after.

"Morning mate." Nick greeted. "Ready to go to breakfast?"

"Yeah. Wheres Jeff."

"Oh, he usually skips breakfast on Mondays. So its just you and me."

"Alright." Kurt followed Nick through the portrait hole.

When Nick didnt initiate a conversation, Kurt allowed his eye to wander. He took in the many portraits scattered about the wall. They were so life-like. Wait. Did that one just sneeze? He thought back to the previous morning when he thought he saw one of them move.

"Hey, Nick?"

"Yeah?"

"Did that portrait just move?"

"Yeah, they all do."

Kurt stared in wonder. "Wow!" He whispered.

"Wait. So youve never seen a moving portrait?"

"Well in the muggle world they have a thing called videos. Similar concept, but different. So other than the Fat Lady, no I havent."

"Strange. Did you not notice them before?"

"I guess I wasnt paying attention."

"I reckon Jeff and I were kind of overloading you with information." Nick laughed. "Sorry about that."

"No, it was nice. Some of the things you told me, I had never even known about. Besides it was mostly Wes that went a little overboard."

"Yeah. He tends to get like that. But hes really helpful to first years. When I was a first year the Head Boy was no help at all." Nick said.

The two boys sat down at the end of the Gryffindor table.

"Okay, so what classes have you got today?" Nick asked.

Kurt handed over his schedule.

Nick explained, "I know Jeffs schedule by heart, so I can tell you what classes you have. Though it should be most." He quickly scanned the piece of parchment. "Lets see Divination, free period, lunch, and History of Magic, then youre done for the day. Looks like youre with Jeff all day."

Kurt pulled a face. "Awesome."

"Ouch, Kurt. That hurts." Jeff said, taking a seat beside him.

"No Im actually glad. I still cant find my way back to the common room."

"Dont worry about it. Nobody expects you to have the entire school mapped after two days." Nick said. "So, youre stuck with this imbecile for a good long while."

"Youre just jealous Ive replaced you." Jeff retorted.

Blaine Anderson was having one hell of a week - a month, really.

It was his own fault too. He had gotten so caught up in his friendship with Kurt that he had neglected his other friends as well as his homework. His grades had started slipping at the start of October and he kept having to do extra credit essays at late hours to catch up. When he finally did catch up he began forcing himself to stay ahead of everything and put homework first. It was O.W.L year after all, so he absolutely could not get behind again.

By putting homework first he couldnt be with his friends as much as he liked, which ended up turning into a vicious cycle of trying to make everyone happy. This made it all the more upsetting when David got mad at him and they stopped talking. While he was busy trying to repair that mess he had alienated Nick in the process. Once he realized that he felt bad about the way he treated Nick in the library that one day, but never had the chance to apologize since every time he went near any of his friends they started acting strange.

Over the past weekend he had wanted to leave all of the stress behind, so he went to Ohio for he and Kurts coffee date and Kurt was nowhere to be found. When he ran into Mercedes and another very loud girl they had told him that Kurt had transferred to some school in New England and then looked at him like he was the crazy one. He didnt have Kurts cell phone number, had no idea where he lived - Blaine hadnt even thought about asking for either of those things from Mercedes - and Kurt wasnt using his mirror. Apparently he was losing Kurt as well.

Over the past few days while he was trying to get ahold of Kurt in between homework all the Phoenixes suddenly wanted his attention - not to say that was an abnormal occurrence, but it was just at a really bad time!

His morning was shaping up to go just as badly. He woke up to find himself still in the library, his papers all jumbled and out-of-order. Apparently he had fallen asleep doing the two foot long charms essay, which was stuck to his forehead. He organized everything back together and gathered his things, then left to get the day started. It was early, but there was a few early birds loitering in the corridors. It didnt take long to realize that walking past only a few people in his robe and pajamas was much worse than if the halls were packed. This way he got to see each and every smirk and couldnt drown out the sarcastic remarks. Eager to escape the heckling he ducked into the nearest boys bathroom.

When he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror he cringed. Overgrown, frizzy hair hung limp over baggy eyes, there was a spot of dried drool on his chin, and the carefully pressed silk pajamas were rumpled and askew. It wasnt suprising why everyone had been staring. Blaine Anderson was a prefect. The sight in the mirror before him looked like a hung over bum. Perhaps all of the extracurriculars were finally getting to him. He pulled a handkerchief from his breast pocket and ran it under some warm water. As he was bringing it up to his face he heard a faint, "Help."

Blaine froze. He slowly turned his head left, then right. Nothing. He strained his ears.

"Someone? Please?" The voice called from the direction of the utility closet.

"Rory?" He asked in that direction, tilting his head slightly.

"Is that you Blaine?" The voice said more brightly. "Can I get a hand?"

Blaine slowly approached. His hand hovered over the wand in his pants at the ready in case something was off. What sounded like a hand thumped against the door. Blaine reached forward and yanked the door open, jumping out of the way. Rory Flanagan looking a little worse for wear but seemingly unharmed met him and he relaxed.

"Thank you. Ive been trying to get someones attention all morning."

"No problem? But, what happened?"

"I was taking a walk this morning, stopped by the kitchens to grab a bite and I was grabbed. They took my wand and carried me here. I dunno - " Rory cut himself off. He walked into one of the stalls and pulled his wand from a toilet. "Here it is." Rory sat down in front of one of the sinks and began wiping his wand on the hem of his robes. He looked up at Blaine and blinked. "Why are you still in your P.Js?"

"Thats not important." He quickly changed the subject, "Was it the other Slytherins who did this to you?"

"No. Most of the guys in my dorm are nice and stick up for me. It was a couple of Hufflepuffs."

Blaine did a double take. "Oh my gosh."

"Anyway, thanks for letting me out." Rory picked himself off of the floor, shook Blaines hand, and left.

Blaine shook his head disbelievingly. It seemed he wasnt the only one having a rough morning. He began wiping his face off while bemoaning the fact that he let his stubble grow in. While he was doing this Cameron James, a Slytherin and fellow Phoenix, appeared soon after. He stopped in front of Blaine and took in his appearance.

"Blaine?"

He rolled his eyes. "How many other American teenage boys hang around here?"

Cameron raised his brow. "I take it you havent met the transfer."

"What?"

"I swear Blaine, you live under a rock. Where have you been for the past three days?"

"Library." Blaine answered. "Have you met the transfer?"

"You could say that." Blaine didnt like the way he smirked after that, it was like he was in on something that went way over Blaines head, and Blaine really didnt like being out of the loop.

"Is there anything else youd like to share?"

"No." Cameron gave himself a once over in the mirror. "By the way you have something on your chin. Did you know?" He told Blaine before leaving. Blaine followed him out into the hall, momentarily forgetting his state of dress, and walked straight into a crowd of people. It was deadly silent for a beat, and then the hall erupted in whispers and laughter. Blaines eyes widened and he attempted to hide himself behind the door.

"Cameron!"

Cameron continued on his merry way, head thrown back in a delighted cackle.

"Who is it!" He yelled. He opened his mouth again and yelled -

"Tell me!" A familiar Head Boys voice rang out.

Blaine clapped a hand over his mouth. I sound like Wes... Im turning into Wes. His eyes widened comically. With his hands still clamped over his mouth, he strode off toward Gryffindor tower.

"Ready?" Jeff asked after they finished eating.

"As Ill ever be."

"And off we go. Divination!" Jeff said with false excitement.

Kurt was so nervous he was almost shaking. This would be his first time attending an actual class in the Wizarding World. On the way there, which was a very long walk, Jeff told him a little about the subject, explaining that he it was really unnecessary to have an O.W.L in the subject to study N.E.W.Ts. They arrived at the North Tower where Jeff directed him toward a ladder in the ceiling.

Inside the classroom a number of circular tables were crammed, all surrounded by chintz armchairs and fat little pouffes. Everything was lit with dim, crimson light; the curtains at the windows were all closed, and the many lamps were draped with dark red scarves. It was stiflingly warm, and the fire which was burning under the crowded mantelpiece was giving off a heavy, sickly sort of perfume as it heated a large copper kettle. The shelves running around the circular walls were crammed with dusty-looking feathers, stubs of candles, many packs of tattered playing cards, countless silvery crystal balls and a huge array of teacups

As it turned out he neednt be nervous. Divination was probably one of the silliest classes ever. The teacher Professor Trelawney looked like a big, glittery bug. By the end of the lesson Kurt was sure of two things: the teacher smoked weed in there and she was a fraud.

"Jeff? Jeff!" Kurt shook his partner.

Jeff started. "Waz goin on?"

"You fell asleep. Class is over."

"I didnt fall asleep." Jeff groggily replied.

"We have a free period next hour, you can sleep then. This place gives me the creeps."

Jeff nodded. "Lets get out of here."

The remainder of the day was easy, something Jeff warned him he shouldnt get used to. Kurt wasnt too sure whether he should believe Jeff as he was obviously very accustomed to sleeping. It was ridiculous. When they first walked into Trelawneys classroom, Jeff had grabbed a blanket and found a spot in the back. During free period he briefly crashed on a sofa in the common room. While Jeff was resting, Kurt found Thad doing homework in the corner and they chatted for a bit. Thad told him that Jeff was probably catching up on lost sleep from the weekend when they were showing Kurt around. This made Kurt feel guilty. His face must have showed it, because Thad waved it off, informing him that Jeffs has been losing sleep for weeks. ("Starting fifth year schoolwork really starts getting tough. You probably got lucky today. Im sure tomorrow will be worse.") Kurt went into the the conversation cheerful, needless to say that wasnt the case leaving it.

The next class they went to was History of Magic. Kurt had heard some rumors during his brief time at the school. Apparently it was taught by a ghost. When he heard that bit he figured the class couldnt possibly get old. Everyone assured him that wasnt the case. He could tell that within the first few minutes. Professor Binns droned on and on, not stopping for anything. Kurt was sure he could hold a pep rally in there and the ghost wouldnt bat a lash. Any double History of Magic would likely kill him. That train of thought got him wondering if that wasnt how Binns had died.

After the day was over Kurt was glad to have had such an easy schedule his first day.

He still hadnt had the chance to talk to Blaine, though he had seen him. It had only been for a second after lunch that he saw the other boy exiting the Great Hall; Blaine had appeared to be in a dreadful hurry somewhere at the time so Kurt had not bothered him.

"Whats on the menu today?" Jeff muttered the next morning at breakfast as he looked through the schedule. "Well, good news! Looks like were taking the same N.E.W.T s, so we have all of our core classes together."

Kurt took a look at his schedule: Charms, Potions, lunch, Muggle Studies, and Herbology.

Charms was fun and not too difficult; they practiced summoning charms. Potions was stressful, hard, and only slightly traumatic, and all they did in there was a simple draught to cure a cold. And lunch, well lunch was delicious; Kurt ate steak and kidney pudding with a side of fried tomatoes. After his morning, any doubts about how difficult classes would be were long gone. His first two classes alone were more work than he did in a day back home. He had already been assigned two essays and practice.

So maybe he would need to brush up on his studies and possibly enlist one of his new friends as a tutor, but the day wasnt a total waste; between classes he did manage to briefly slip away from Jeff and track down one Teddy Lupin to discuss certain business with. Once he finished with that he slipped back and, like the day before, walked with Jeff to lunch where they sat with Nick.

"Hey, Kurt. next period I have Arithmancy instead of Muggle Studies, but I can take you to the class if youd like."

"Are you sure, your class isnt even on the same floor. I dont want to get you in trouble."

Jeff waved away his concern. "Its fine. The teachers alright, she wont get angry if I was helping another student."

Kurt looked doubtful.

"If it means that much, then I can just take you to the correct corridor." He offered.

"Yeah, okay." Kurt agreed.

Jeff walked Kurt to the right floor and gave him instructions ("turn right, then down four doors"). Kurt was grateful when he carefully followed them and saw a group of students gathered at the door. Before he got there the professor opened the door and the students began filing in... with the exception of one who started a conversation with the professor. Kurt stopped in his tracks. Blaine Anderson?

He had Muggle Studies with Blaine?

Kurt held his head up and moved forward. As he was about to go through the doorway he suddenly said, "Hey Blaine.", and continued through.

"Hello - Kurt?" Blaine did a double take. "Excuse me Professor Tesla."

Kurt continued walking to the back of the room where he spotted an open seat. Blaine hurried after him.

"Kurt! Kurt!" He called. "What are you doing here?"

"Hello to you too." Kurt smirked. "And if you must know... I go here!"

"What?" Blaine replied dumbly.

"Hogwarts. School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

Blaine looked completely shocked for a moment. For a moment Kurt feared that he might have broken his best friend. Blaine shook his head, then pulled him into a short hug. "I - wow!" He laughed. "When did - when..."

"Friday afternoon."

Blaine pulled Kurts chair out for him and took his own seat, his attention immediately turned back to Kurt. "So wait - "

"Nick, Jeff, and Wes have been helping me."

Blaine looked like hed suffered a betrayal. If he werent already seated he probably would have had to sit down. As it was, he slumped back in his chair. "So they knew?"

"Id assume so, they did show me around."

"This is... " Blaine blinked. He finally managed to get out a "Wow!", again.

"Yeah, the castle is pretty great. And dont get me started on the food!"

After the shock wore off Blaine questioned Kurt on everything hed done since his arrival. Kurt happily told him all about meeting McGonagall and getting sorted, and Jeff, Nick, Wes, Oliver, and Liam showing him every nook and cranny of the castle and how they already introduced him to many of his other classmates. Blaine was annoyed that literally the whole school was in on the secret for three days and more than a little put out that he wasnt the one to show Kurt all of these things.

The one thing that Kurt did omit was grounds for this sudden transfer. He didnt want to spoil the magic by brining it up and adding a villain to the fairytale his life was rapidly transforming into. Maybe one day he would tell him, but for the time being he wished to allow the negative aspects of his old life to become a distant memory. Besides, Blaine never once asked about it, so it technically wasnt lying on his part not to mention it and Kurt liked to think that the boy silently understood and let it slide.

The professor shushed the boys and they put a hold on their conversation in favor of taking notes. Once those were finished there was nothing to distract Kurt from Blaine again. He really did try to pay attention to his work, but it proved to be a much more difficult task than initially thought. Not only was Blaine staring at him most of the class, his presence was enough to be a distraction, and he kept passing Kurt notes as well.

After class Kurt practically had to beg Blaine not to walk him to Herbology ("your class is on the other side of the school!"). Blaine reluctantly agreed. However, when Kurt walked out of Herbology Blaine was resting against the greenhouses looking out of breath.

"Blaine." Kurt groaned. "Wait, how did you get all of the way over here?"

"Being a prefect has its perks." Blaine answered cryptically.

Kurt raised an eyebrow.

"I told Professor Flitwick that I was helping a new student around."

Kurt didnt smile. Blaine looked so hopeful and puppy-like that it broke Kurts heart to do this, but he and Blaine really needed to have a serious conversation about Blaines penchant for dropping everything for him. Not only was it sweet, but unhealthy too. "Blaine, as sweet as it is you cant just keep ditching classes for me. Why didnt you tell me you cut class to come to see me after - " Kurt lowered his voice. "You know what?"

Before Blaine could answer Nick appeared around the corner and ran up to them.

"Kurt! Kurt! Why didnt you wait? I had to -" Nick suddenly took notice of Blaine. "Oh, brilliant, its you!" He groaned.

"I love you too, Nick."

Nick ignored him. "I take it he knows then?"

Blaine pretended to think hard. "Yeah.

"Damn." Nick swore. "When did you find out?"

And the interrogation began.

"Right after lunch."

"Did you tell, Kurt?"

"First of all, Im not answering that. Second, we had the same class."

"Did he tell you Blaine?"

"Dont answer that." Kurt commanded.

Blaine obediently clamped his mouth shut. For the rest of the walk back to Gryffindor tower the group was eerily silent, with Nick giving them death glares and Blaine looking confused. Back at the common room they found Jeff playing cards with Oliver and Liam.

"Hey - oh, its you."

"My friends." Blaine said to Kurt.

"Yeah, they had Muggle Studies together. And Kurt wont tell me who won the bet." Nick accused.

A look of realization dawned on Blaines face that was soon replaced by annoyance at having been unwittingly swindled into yet another one of his classmates schemes.

"Because it was stupid and I refuse to be so apart of it."

"Kurt, do you want to be the one to tell twenty-four students that you wont announce a winner?"

"Twenty-four?" Blaine asked.

The portrait hole opened to reveal a group of second years.

"Hey, Kurt!" Teddy Lupins voice rang out.

Kurt tried to give the boy a not now gesture to no avail; Teddy was already next to him.

"Hey squirt." Blaine tousled his hair.

"Hi, Blaine." Teddy turned to Kurt and handed him two pouches. "Heres your half and the winners. Wes gave it to me before dinner. He seemed upset. I reckon he was hoping to keep it. Bye!" Teddy waved, and then returned to a group of his fellow classmates who had been watching him speak to the upperclassmen in awe.

"Your share?" Nick asked. "I thought you didnt take part in childish wagers."

Liam and Oliver folded their arms over their chests, somehow looking both annoyed and mildly impressed.

"Look at the little lion who thinks hes a snake." Liam whistled.

Kurt pretended to have no idea what they were talking about. He turned around and headed toward the stairs. "By the way," He said, turning around. "Jeff." When Jeff looked over a grin was quite literally smacked onto his face when one of the pouches flew out of Kurts hand and hit him squarely on the forehead. Jeff held the prize money up looking like hed won Minister for Magic. Everyone else in the room who had been in on the bet glared at him.

Without another word Kurt sauntered up the stairs.

Wednesday turned out to be a lovely day.

The weather warmed up giving the students one last sunny day before a cold front was to blow through in the following weeks. The sun was shining. The birds that had yet to migrate were chirping. And rather than having to wait around for Nick to pull Jeff out of bed Blaine was waiting for him at the bottom of the stairs when he entered the common room.

"Hello." Blaine beamed.

"Good morning." Kurt smiled back.

For the first time it was Blaine who took him to breakfast.

They didnt speak much while they headed to Muggle Studies for first period and were content to enjoy the comfortable silence. They were among the first to arrive and sat down in the back next to each other again. It wasnt until the professor directed them to open their books that Kurt recalled their interrupted conversation the day before.

Kurt leaned over and whispered. "You know, youre still not off the hook for yesterday when Nick interrupted."

Blaines face fell.

"Blaine, you cant just ditch for me no matter whats going on."

Blaine looked flustered. "I know. I know. When I got your letter about what happened I felt terrible. I couldnt just stand back and do nothing, not when it was my bad advice that got you in an even worse situation. So I wont apologize for it because I know you needed me." He said firmly.

Professor Silvia closed the blinds. At the front of the room an ancient projector lit up pictures of muggle appliances.

"It was sweet." Kurt smiled. "Just tell me you wont do it again."

"I cant make any promises," Blaine looked right into his eyes. "Except that whenever or wherever you need me Ill always be there no matter what I have to do to get there."

Blaine took Kurts hand in his and squeezed. This was the first time Blaines hand had held his like that since that fateful day on the staircase. The skin to skin contact added with the way Blane was looking at him nearly made Kurt shiver. Two minutes later, when everyone else began taking notes, Blaine showed no signs of releasing his hand and Kurt started to panic. Naturally Blaine didnt notice anything out of the ordinary and continued to take notes like everyone else. If Kurt had been able to write then perhaps the rest of the hour might have been a little easier, but the thing was Kurts right hand was trapped in Blaines. It was a huge struggle, consisting of Kurt deciding on whether to continue holding Blaines hand or to let go. On one hand, he really liked the feeling of their fingers intertwined. On the other, if he were to write his notes then working could serve as a distraction and maybe he wouldnt be ogling at Blaine every few seconds. It was almost funny that a friendly comforting gesture would cause so much inner turmoil.

At the end of the class period the bell rang and Blaine finally let go so that he and Kurt could load up their bags. Kurt breathed a sigh of relief and his breathing turned normal again. He dumped his books in his messenger bag and waited for Blaine to carefully put all of his things away neatly. Blaine then grabbed his hand again and lead him away. On the way to Kurts next class, Blaine started talking about some mythical birds. Kurt heard none of this as he was openly gaping at their hands. He didnt even chastise Blaine for going miles out of his way to drop him off.

When they reached Kurts next class Blaine let go with a smile and walked away. Kurt watched him go.

Upon the discovery of Kurts transfer Blaine felt much more relaxed. It was easier to go on with his day knowing that Kurt wasnt in any danger - well, not from closeted jocks at least, no one could be spared from the normal Hogwarts drama and general mayhem.

He even made amends with David by cornering him in an empty common room. David was reading a book by the fire after everyone had gone to bed when Blaine walked right in front of him. Upon noticing David started and dropped his book.

Blaine wore the most pathetic pout as he said, "Im sorry for my recent behavior. I wasnt thinking and it was crazy to run off to another country like that without talking to anyone. Please accept my apology?""

David stared at him for a moment before motioning Blaine to take a seat. "No. Im sorry for yelling at you. I was just worried and I didnt want you getting hurt or in trouble again after what happened the last two years. I thought - "

Blaine let out an uncomfortable chuckle. "Say no more. I understand."

"Thanks."

Even with how understanding David was being Blaine still felt like he needed to explain himself. "Its just Kurt was having problems at his school that hit close to home. And not just that, when I met Kurt it was strange, but I felt like something was telling me that we were meant to know each other. Like I needed be friends with this person. Does that make any sense?"

"Not at all." David laughed. "But, I get it."

"Mates?"

"Definitely."

The second weekend of Kurts stay at Hogwarts McGonagall came to see how he was getting on. He was in the entrance courtyard with Blaine and Oliver. Since it was November and very chilly they were wrapped up in thick scarves as well as earmuffs and gloves. To further keep warm they huddled around a bluebell flame being kept in a jar while they studied. Naturally, Oliver was the first to notice the old teacher approaching; he immediately tucked away his book and made up an excuse to leave.

"Hello professor." Both Blaine and Kurt greeted.

While Blaine sounded confident and at ease as always, Kurts voice wavered. As always the woman had an air of foreboding about her: Professor McGonagall always made Kurt feel as though hed done something wrong every time he saw her.

"I was nearby and I wanted to inquire about how you are getting on here Mr. Hummel." Kurt let out a sigh of relief. "I expect everything has gone smoothly?"

"Of course, professor. Everythings amazing." Kurt answered earnestly.

"Good. I also wanted to speak with you regarding any return trips home, you as well Mr. Anderson." At his mention Blaine looked up from his book and gave the teacher his full attention. "I would prefer it if you informed me if you ever wish to visit home on the Holidays. As you probably know; it is dangerous to use the floo network over such a long distance unsupervised," Kurt resisted the urge to catch Blaines eye. Blaine, however, had no qualms about openly gaping at him. McGonagall, of course, took notice. "So I ask that you only use the fireplace in my office and under staff supervision." She gave both of them a meaningful look.

Both boys nodded mutely.

"Good day." With that she turned on her heel and left, probably to scare the living daylights out of other students.

For a split second after she left both boys were frozen, then they simultaneously looked at each other and grinned guiltily.