> You're Being Hugged, Harry
>  by David Silver
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> 1 - He Arrives
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

A tsuki, great rabbit being of the snow, landed after a great leap, snow kicking up around it from the impact. It had seen something. A glimmer? A movement? The tsuki wasn't sure, but it was curious, and it looked around, certain it was close to whatever it was. The cold wind ruffled its fur, but was helpless to penetrate the deep mass that kept the tsuki safe.

But that wasn't true of what it found, laying there. A pony! A little pony, barely a foal. Maybe a yearling? Either way, the tsuki gathered it up without a moment of delay. Ponies didn't come built with winter jackets like tsuki did, and the idea of a pony being harmed, especially such a young one, no no no. The tsuki wouldn't allow it. They bounded for home with their curious package. "Where come from?"

There was no immediate answer, but this white unicorn did have a scar over their eye. Had they been hurt, trying to find safety? No time to consider that. They didn't stop until they were back in the warmer caves of the warren.

Rising from the shadows, one of their leaders formed, Sombra peering at what all the tsuki were gathering around. "Step aside." They were quick to do so, allowing him to see the small pony. It wasn't one of his. He only had one pony aside himself, and that one was an adult, and missing a leg.

That little pony would be a huge distraction to his people, and they'd get almost nothing done, wondering about it, or fussing over it. No, keeping it would have been a huge waste of resources...

But, he knew a way. The foal couldn't be turned out. The image would be terrible, and the impact on morale would be even worse. However... Thanks to the power of friendship, he knew the ponies of the Crystal Empire would be powerless to deny him if he presented the young one to them to take care of instead. They would do his bidding, or be forced to admit they were inferior in the art of friendship to him.

And so it was that a tsuki stood before Cadance. She knew him, and he her. "Good to see." He moved as if to embrace her, but paused, looking down at the package in his hands, wrapped up tightly. "This first." He presented the young little pony. "Pony." As if that wasn't clear.

"It is good to see you, Toby." She nodded firmly. "Your ambassador mentioned you were coming." She leaned in to peer at the yearling. "Oh, what a cutie." She reached up to gently rub the cheek of the young little yearling. "And you just found him?"

"Found in the snow," assured Toby, bobbing his head vigorously. "Take care? Good with ponies."

She felt sure she knew more about raising a pony than the tsuki did... or Sombra... "Maybe they belong to somepony in the city. I will check, but even if we don't find their parents, I will not leave them stranded."

Toby grinned brightly. "Good princess," he crooned in compliment. "Sombra right. He said you would do good."

Cadance inclined her head. "Did he?" She wasn't sure what angle Sombra had spoke it in, though it was clear Toby had taken it innocently. "Well, in this, he is right. I will not abandon a foal." She leaned in, nuzzling the foal as he blinked open his eyes, reaching for her in return. She laughed, soon joined by him as hooves and nose came together, the two bonding quickly. "I will take good care of him," she assured.

No mother stepped forward, claiming the foal as her own. No father spoke up of a missing child. That youth was hers to do with as she pleased, so she kept him, finders keepers. "Harry," she called. "Flurry?" But neither foal was visible.

That didn't make the little giggle any less audible. Cadance rolled her eyes with a little smile, figuring out what was going on. "Auntie Twilie is here for her special lessons, but if you don't want them, I can send her on her way."

Harry scampered into view, Flurry moments behind, more motivated by his motion than the specific bait Cadance had used. "There you two are." She sat and reached out her hooves, getting two foals to hug warmly. "Wonderful. Now, Harry--" She gently patted her colt where he had arrived with that curious jagged scar. "Twilight says you have a knack for this."

Harry's long ears twitched faintly. "I do?"

"She would know," stated Cadance with reverence. "She's a pro at magic, and learning, and this is both. If she thinks you have a knack, well, you do. And she's your aunt and she loves you, so she would never lie to you."

Harry smiled at that. "Where is she?"

Flurry stuck out her tongue. "Am I learning too?"

Both her lovely children were tweens, that awkward stage of life. "You know you have a good deal of magic, Flurry. You have to learn how to control it."

Harry crossed his arms, hooves dangling. "I don't have princess magic," he pouted at Flurry. "Lucky!"

Flurry looked smugly satisfied with his admitted jealousy. "Bet I'll learn the next spell before you!"

"You're on!" The two foals rushed from the room, racing to Twilight to prove their arcane skills. Cadance let them go, watching with a content smile. Such wonderful children she had, even if one of them was not hers by blood. It hardly mattered, in the end. They were both her precious children.

Twilight was there to greet them. "All the way from Equestria," she reminded, being the princess of there. "But for my nephews and nieces, I make the time." She nodded with self-satisfaction, glancing at her schedule. Everything was going according to plan. "Before we begin, I'd like to see how you two have been doing while I was away." It wasn't as if Twilight could come every day. She lived and worked far too far away for that. 

"Aberto," called Harry, his horn glowing as a door nearby glowed in sympathy, opening for him. "Ta da!"

Twilight inclined her head. She had never taught Harry such incantations. Nopony had, so far she could find, but his magic came easier when he did them, and it seemed just a part of the strange talent he had. "Very good. Flurry Heart?"

Flurry Heart stuck out her tongue, her horn glowing without strange words as all the doors leading into their room flew open on all sides, wood clapping against crystal in her display. "Easy."

A soft thump was heard outside the window just before it swung inward, revealing a young adult Tsuki with a big smile, as they tended to have. "Twilight, there you are!" Unlike many, he spoke clear Ponish, taught from a young age.

"Arnavon," called Twilight with pleasure. "I read your latest, quite a page turner."

Arnavon blushed at the praise. "My muse had a really good story. Um, I have news. We saw an owl headed this way."

Twilight blinked softly. Owls were not common in the frozen north. "While fascinating, why did you come rushing to tell me that?"

"This one has a letter." He hopped down into the room. "Hey Harry, Flurry."

Both of the foals gave a friendly wave. Flurry looked past him, to the window. "I never saw an owl before."

"I used to have one... A very dear friend." Twilight thought back to her separated companion. "I hope he's alright." Her ears suddenly perked. "Do you think?!"

Her eyes lifted to the open window just in time for an owl to burst in, but it was not Owlowiscious. Silently, it landed on the edge of a desk, a letter attached to its leg. Tawny feathers ruffled smooth as it regarded each pony there specifically, waiting still.

Harry and Flurry both shrank back, startled and perhaps a little scared by the sudden bird's appearance. Arnavon's ears pricked up a moment, watching it with fascination. Twilight was the first to actually move. "Hello there. Why... you're a wonderful owl." Not her precious one, but still a magnificent owl, and clearly very well trained and loved, to carry a letter like that. "May I have that?" Her magic wrapped around the letter and the owl didn't resist as the plucked it free.

The moment it came free of the owl, it spread its wings and vanished the way it came, flying off into the unknown it had come from. "That was very... interesting." Her eyes fell to the letter, where everyone else had begun to watch, all wondering what it was. "I don't think we're going to get any magic done until I take a peek." She flipped it open, or tried.

The letter had a seal with  a lion, snake, badger and eagle surrounding an H. She broke it after showing it to the others. "I don't recognize that seal," she shared, her curiosity building. Her lips moved as she mouthed the words she read from the letter.  Her expression brightened, a smile growing wider as she went. "How exciting!"

"What is it?" burst Harry. "What's it say?"

"It's about you." She pointed at Harry. "You've been accepted to a school of magic! One I never heard of before." She clopped a hoof against her cheek. "I don't know how I managed to miss a magic school, but this is still amazing! There's a list of your classes and supplies and everything!"

Flurry scowled at that. "How does he get to go to a fancy school? I'm way better than him."

Arnavon tilted his head. "That's very exciting. Where is it?"

Twilight had flipped the letter over. "What interesting equipment they want you to have... There isn't an address, I'm afraid." She floated the letter towards Harry to read. "This is amazing news! I must tell Cadance." She bounced to her hooves and galloped from the room in a tizzy.

Arnavon leaned over to see the letter too. "It feels like you're about to go on an adventure."

Harry couldn't fight the smile on his face. A school, of magic?! He could become a real and proper wizard, like Twilight or Star Swirl! "It really does. I'm a little scared, I'll admit."

Arnavon threw an arm around Harry, hugging him around the neck. "You have friends."

"I can't take them all with me," he noted with worry.

"Well, I'm magic." Arnavon pointed at himself with a paw. "Maybe they could help with my tsuki magic."

"I'm even more magic," reminded Flurry, clearly displeased at how things were going. "Why can't I go? Why are you even considering Arnavon? He's a publisher, not a wizard!" She threw up her hooves, wings spread in frustration.

But there was a technicality that Harry saw with his clever tween eyes. "Arnavon, do you promise to always deliver my mail whenever I have any?"

Arnavon blinked at that. "Huh? Sure." He hiked a thumb at his own chest. "I can get anywhere you need to go, fast! You can count on me!"

"I knew I could." He returned the one-armed hug given to him to the fluffy tsuki. "Which means you're my owl."

Arnavon blinked softly. "I don't look like an owl."

"Because you're a special tsuki owl, but you're mine, and they're expecting an owl from me anyway, so if I send you with my letter back, they'll have to let you in with the letter," reasoned Harry, feeling like he had won a logic game against the entire world. He had won the system.

Arnavon frowned with thought, but he couldn't see anything immediately wrong with the idea. "I'll try to be a good owl." He clapped his hands together with a big smile. "Will they get upset if your owl talks?"

"If they do, they must be new to the magic thing," reasoned Harry. "You're the best!" He hugged Arnavon with both arms, the two embracing in a fond hug of friendship before he snagged Flurry over. "And stop looking sour! This just gives me a chance to catch up with you."

"Good luck with that," she teased, tongue poking free. "I'm gonna get better!"

Hogwarts was not expecting Mister Potter to arrive on four hooves and with a swishing tail.
> 2 - My Foal
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cadance had her arms wrapped around Harry, hugging him as she sniffled. "You'll do your absolute best and amaze them all." She rubbed the side of her face against his.

Harry was dark in the cheeks under the barrage of motherly care. "I'll do m'best, mum." He was dressed like a wizard, which was a part he rather liked. Dark black robes covered him, a pointy hat on his head, even gloves on his hooves! Not that he was sure what those were for, but the shopping list had been quite clear.

Arnavon was closeby, burdened with quite an array of magical gear. A cauldron was slung over his shoulder, a set of glass vials rested inside that, with a wand inside one of those. Threatening to tip the cauldron, a telescope was hanging free of it, with a set of brass scales trying valiantly to counter balance it.

This all ignored the books. He had a pile of them in his arms, shivering as they were with the effort. "They certainly expect you to read a lot," he commented with clear admiration. "Is it alright if I read them too?"

Harry lifted an ear at Arnavon, turning away from his mother. "You want to? These aren't about tsuki magic."

"Magic is magic." He nodded with certainty. "Learning more about magic will help!"

Cadance side-eyed the books. "About that... Those books are not from Equestria. I had to enlist Celestia's help to even find them."

Harry gasped, eyes widening as his gloved hooves shook in the air. "Is this school on another world?!" When Cadance nodded, he burst into a fit of laughter. "This is going to be so great!"

Flurry thrust a hoof at Harry. "I'm going to write this school of yours." Her tongue extended mightily. "They better let me in next semester. This isn't fair."

"Speaking of that." Cadance just casually skipped back a few topics. "To get there will require special provisions. Normally, we use mirrors for inter-world travel, but this school has a transportation system already set up that is up for the task. It will arrive at the station." She inclined her head towards where the train station was. "You should get yourself there. Wouldn't do to be late."

Harry's raised ear slowly fell towards the side. "Just a normal train? Couldn't anypony just hop right on and end up somewhere new?"

"That is how trains work." The coy smile on her face revealing it to be said in humor. "But while this will arrive at the station, it will be on the second platform. I was informed that any potential student of theirs could find it."

Harry, Arnavon, and Flurry all shared a blink. Their little station had precisely one platform, and none others.

"Don't stand there looking lost." Cadance gently nuzzled Harry's confused face. "Go on and start your trip. I believe in you."

And so with one more round of hugs, the two set off towards school. Flurry looked at her mom pointedly. "I wasn't kidding!"

Cadance smiled gently at that. "You rarely are. Study then, and I'll see what the process is." She wasn't even sure that school accepted applications. There was much research to do. She let out a soft breath. "I already miss him."





"The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1. Grade 1!" Arnavon awkwardly got that book balanced over to one hand so he could push it forward as he ambled along. "I didn't know books of spells came in standards, or grades. I can't wait to read it!"

"You are very excited about going to a school." Harry's voice was a mixture of excitement and uncertainty. "It's not going to be all fun."

"Nothing is." Arnavon got the book back in the pile. "By the way, I'll meet you there."

Harry came to a sudden stop. "You're not riding the train with me?"

"No, silly." Arnavon waved that idea right away, even if doing so almost made his book pile collapse, forcing him to dive to catch it and get it upright. "I'm an owl. We have special ways." He winked and turned. "I'll meet you there!"

Harry had almost forgotten that. Arnavon had not revealed what he had seen and done when delivering the letter back to Hogwarts, that was the name of his school. Still, it meant Arnavon had learned some kind of magic. "Good on you," he said to nothing, Arnavon already gone.

Other ponies bustled along on their daily routines, but some noticed the curiously dressed Hatter. One crystal stallion closed with him. "You become a fan of Trixie's?"

Harry had to think about that. They did share a lot of beats, though his was full body, and had gloves! "Wizards were dressing like this before she copied it."

"Huh, well alright." The stallion let him go, veering off to other things. "Have a good one!"

"You too." Harry hurried up onto the first platform, one of two, in theory. He only saw one place, where ponies waited for the next train. He considered asking a conductor, but doubted they'd know. They weren't wizards.

"Not one step further." The owner of that deep male voice emerged from the crowd. Star Swirl, his beard being stroked softly. "Young Harry, you are stepping beyond the reach of Equestria itself."

Harry blinked softly at Star, amazed. "Are you... Star Swirl?"

"The bearded, yes." He nodded in barely a motion. "And you are Harry Potter, summoned to Hogwarts, I am given to understand. Know this, once you step away from Equestria, you will not return for some time."

"I'll live on the college a while," agreed Harry, though the nervousness in his voice was hard to conceal in his fidgets and shuffles. "But I will be back."

"This is not assured." Star approached on slow steps. The other ponies on that crowded platform seemed to ignore both of them. "I have experience with interdimensional fields, and yours... You have a tangled past you have left aside... but now you return." He leaned in, horn angled to not poke the younger pony. "Harry, you are--"

"--a wizard?" Harry smiled hopefully.

"No..." Star inclined his head faintly. "That is a title you will earn, with work and diligence. No... Harry, you are a human."

Harry's ears flipped back against his head. "What even is that?" Those ears pricked right back up. "Is that what my family, the, uh, my real... I mean..." He stammered and stomped from hoof to hoof. "Cadance is my real mother, but my, you know, biological one?"

"Your parents were human." Star nodded in agreement. "You will meet and interact with many more, where you're headed. Walk carefully, Harry Potter. But keep your head up." His horn glowed, pulling out a small notepad. "What was it... right. Remember you have friends and loved ones, rooting for you."

Harry met eyes with the wizened ponies. "Did you have someone else write that for you?"

"I'm not good at these." He pointed out over the rails themselves. "On with you, and good luck."

"It's a pleasure meeting you, sir." Harry dipped his head briefly before rushing out. It was only after he had stepped off the platform that he realized how bad of an idea that was. He began to fall, but landed with a thud on a wooden surface. He looked around and quickly realize he was there, on a second platform just beyond the rails. None of the other ponies seemed to notice him there, as if he was invisible. As if the entire platform was invisible.

A conductor approached directly. "Are you in the right place?"

"I hope I am." Harry gathered himself back to his hooves. "I'm going to Hogwarts?"

"That's the B line." The conductor pony pointed to where a train was just pulling in. "Get on board and good luck!"

Harry started that way, though more questions came. "Do you... Are you a wizard?"

"Me? Heavens no." The earth pony shook his head. "But I do help keep things moving smoothly through this platform of the station. On with you." He shooed Harry away with a smile. "That train won't wait for you."

"Right, of course." Harry scampered onto the train, to discover strange creatures on board. Griffons, dragons, and some perhaps oddest of all. They had no fur, feathers, or scales. Just... smooth. They looked at Harry like he was the odd one, despite them being so bizarre. They tended to wear pointed hats. Wizards?! Part of Harry wanted to rush up and ask, but they felt important.

And they looked at him like he wasn't... He let them be and instead sank onto an available seat. The train lurched beneath him, starting to move almost as soon as he sat. The conductor had said it wouldn't wait for him, but it certainly felt that way. He was going, to Hogwarts, a school for wizards, which he'd become.

He clopped his hooves with giddy expectation.

"I don't see magic things so eager to ride often." Harry looked over. Sitting next to him was one of those furless bare-skinned... things... He had a mane, an unruly mess that topped his head. He wore no pointy  hat. "Sorry, didn't mean to startle you. Can you talk? I assume you can, or they wouldn't have you riding here with the rest of us."

"Of course I can talk." Harry lifted an ear at the odd creature. "What... are you?"

"I didn't think I'd reach the day when a little unicorn would ask me what I was," laughed out the creature, slapping his knee as if that had been a real good joke. "I'm a person, a human."

Harry could but blink. He was one of those?! "Oh, hello. I'm Harry Potter."

"Two names?" He seemed to consider it. "One more than I expected, I'll admit."

"Is there something wrong with two names? I bet you have two at least." Harry wasn't sure at all, but he went with the guess.

"Guilty." The man put a hand on his chest before extending that same hand. "Nice to meet you, Harry. Since you seem to be a sociable unicorn, mind if I ask what you're riding for?"

Harry met the hand with a hoof, allowing it to be grasped and shook. "I'm going to Hogwarts."

"Same here!" He turned that hand into a pointing finger at himself. "You going to help in a class?"

Harry inclined his head, his hat coming off-kilter in the motion. "I'm going for the classes. I'm a student." His horn began to glow, a name tag coming free of a pocket and pinning itself into place. "There we are. I was going to put that on when I got to the school proper."

The man seemed surprised at that. "Get out." But the tag seemed proper, and the unicorn seemed serious. "Huh... Well, sorry for being surprised, just never saw it before."

"What are most of the students there like?" Perhaps he could get some vital intel from that curious man.

"Well, more like me." He shrugged. "Two arms, two legs, not a fur coat." He gestured at Harry's head. "That has to be handy."

"What?"

He reached in, tapping Harry's horn. "This here. You have a wand built in. Just be careful you don't hurt it doing magic you shouldn't. Harder to replace what's built in, you realize."

"I can imagine." Harry's mind provided many images of various ways his precious horn could be damaged, from turning to ash to being split in half and he cringed at the idea of it. "I think I'll use a normal wand, for now."

"You..." His eyes fell to Harry's hooves. "How?"

It seemed there was as much to learn about Harry as he did about humanity, even if he was one of them, supposedly. "My owl took my wand to the school and is waiting for me, so I can't show you..." Not that he had learned any proper spells yet! Well, not-unicorn spells. Soon! "I can't wait to learn how to use it properly!"
> 3 - Welcome to Hogwarts
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Peeking out the window, past his human company, Harry saw as they emerged from a tunnel and things got brighter. Beyond that, in the distance but closing quickly, was a great building. "Is that it?" He pointed a hoof at the stately looking affair. Was that? "Are they flying?" Did humans fly? They didn't look like they should. Magic!

The man leaned over to get the same peek. "Practicing for the next event, if I had to guess. But that right there? That's Hogwarts." He flicked a few fingers, though he clearly had seen it before, the sparkle of wonder not in his eyes.

Harry didn't have that excuse, letting out his breath in amazement. "Wow..."

"Don't you get hot?"

Harry was startled out of his mesmerized state. "Pardon?"

"Well, the way I'm looking at it--" He reached out and tapped Harry right atop his nose. "You have fur, kind of everywhere. Fairly standard as unicorns go. And you've gone and put clothes on top of that. Doesn't that get a bit overwarm?"

Harry had little point for comparison there, but... "It is a little warm." How could it not be warmer in clothes than not? "But I'm doing alright. I look the part, I hope?"

"A regular... wizard unicorn." He did not sound very certain of that statement. "Look, gonna be honest. Never saw a wizard unicorn before, so thanks for that." He pulled himself up to his feet. "And here we are."

There was activity and motion. Not everyone was standing up. Especially among the inhuman riders, plenty seemed ready to stay on the train and wait for the next stop, wherever that was. "Hogwarts," called out a human conductor. "All students off." The way the man was departing, clearly more than students could get off. Maybe it was against the rules for students to ride the train past that point?

Filled with curiosity, Harry did rise, sliding to his hooves and heading for the door in a great que behind others. Soon enough, he burst into fresh air, and a new world. "Woah..." He had to stop and just admire it a moment, the strange university/city that was Hogwarts, spread out before him.

"There you are," boomed a loud voice, an equally large man approaching him with a big shaggy face and a great smile. "Harry Potter, I presume? I thought they had to be mistaken, but here you are." The immense man waved a hand over Harry's everything. "A unicorn!  Very rare creatures." He sounded like he was already in love with the idea of being around one. "Tell me-- Wait, can you tell me? I've been talking on and on and not letting you get a word in edgewise I have."

Harry inclined his head at the big human before him. "Nice to meet you, mister...?" He assumed they were a guy, sure sounded like one.

"Ah ha, you do talk. That'll make it easier." He clapped his hands together, his smile growing. "I'm Hagrid." His hands came to slap on his chest, as if to gesture at his being. "Caring for magical beasts happens to be one of my specialties, and you are one of those. And a student. You can be two things at the same time."

Beast? "I'm not a wild animal, Hagrid. I'm Harry Potter." Though Hagrid had already used the name, implying he knew. Still, introductions were important! "Are you a teacher?"

"Me? No." He shook his shaggy head. After seeing so many smooth humans, this was one that debatably had more fur than Harry did. "Long story we won't be getting into, but I do help out around here." He moved around Harry, placing a hand on his withers to guide him along like an agreeable horse might be led. "But you're a student? Never had a unicorn student to my knowledge. This is quite exciting!"

Harry looked sideways, his face forward, at Hagrid as they walked along. "What do you know about unicorns?" Having some idea if what they thought he was versus what he actually was would... be helpful, he decided.

"Oh, quite a number of things." Hagrid gestured off. "My home is over there, near the forest. Don't go in there, by the way. You may be a magical creature, but your safety is our concern. Now, unicorns, enchanting creatures. Some people confuse them for horses, but they're not. There are a few things that set them right apart at a glance."

"What would that be?" Not that Harry knew what a horse was. "What's a horse? If you don't mind my asking." He wasn't quite sure how to grasp Hagrid as a person so far.

Hagrid seemed uncertain a moment. "Well, now we're getting into th' thick of it! Right now, we have to get you settled in. Speaking of..." He gestured over other young people walking past and around them. "You're not the only fresh student by far, trust me on that."

Taking a moment to appreciate the crowd, he could see countless young faces, boys and girls, dressed properly. They had nametags on, much like himself, but they were all too busy moving to get much of a peek at them. "This is a large school then? I mean, I know it's large--" It was there, in front of him. "--but I mean it has a lot of students as well?"

"Quite a few on good years, which this year is, I'm told." He patted harry on his neck, treating him more like a horse than a sapient unicorn. "Now, I notice you don't seem to have supplies?"

"Oh, I do!" Harry quickly got out. "My owl brought them all. I bet he's waiting for me wherever I'm staying."

"Fantastic, really. I never imagined a unicorn would have an owl..."

Harry got a bit of a sly grin. "I know something that'll interest you." He could see Hagrid peeking over. "My owl is a very very special owl."

"How special are we talking? A forest owlet? You have to be mindful with the endangered ones." He sighed wistfully as he walked with Harry. "Even owning one can endanger the rest."

"Oh, that isn't a problem." Harry's grin had turned into a more full-faced smile. "There's plenty where this one came from. But it's still a special owl."

"You're teasing me." He went to tussle Harry's mane, and almost knocked off his hat. "Oops, sorry." He caught it before it fell and set it back on straight. "Look at me, making a mess of things."

"Already giving up? You'll see when we get there." Harry lifted his head, confident that his owl would impress.

"Then we'll just have to get you checked in. Now, uh... Beggin' your pardon for asking. You sound like a wizard rather than a witch, but you're also a unicorn so I don't want to go assumin' what I ain't so sure of."

That was a lot of terminology that didn't quite fit together right. "Are you asking if I'm a boy or a girl?"

"Exactly that." He nodded towards two large parts of the structure they were approaching. "We have separate lodging for each. It's for the best, stops distractin' times."

"I'm a stallion, um, colt, technically, I guess..." He was getting close to full and proper stallion status! "Humans come in boy and girl, right?"

Hagrid boomed with laughter, drawing looks from many nearby. "That we do, Harry. And a few others and in between. It gets more complicated the more you dig into it, but boy and girl to start."

"Boy it is." And so he was directed that way.

"This is as far as I go, but you saw where I am, right? You come to me if you have questions or if the living arrangements aren't up to snuff for a unicorn." He swatted Harry's back end to get him moving forward. "You'll fit right in."

Harry let out an equine snort. Smacks on the rump were not polite! But he was also right in the thick of things and half-carried along by a lot of human boys. Many of them seemed to want to just shove past, but some were quite interested and he got petted and poked at.

"What are you doing in here?" asked one of the boys, looking at him directly instead of slipping past.

"I'm staying here." Harry stepped out of the direct flow of humanity. "I'm Harry Potter. Are  you new here too?"

"New as can be." The boy thrust a hand forward. "Ron Weasley, and, forgive me for pointing it out, but most students are human to start with. Did you get into some kinda accident?"

Was that how he had become a unicorn? It could have been... Harry shook his head, hat wobbling on his head and falling over an ear that held it up. "I'm a unicorn." Even if he had, at some remote time, been human, it was so long ago it may as well have not existed, the way he saw it. He had been a unicorn all his functioning life. "Nice to meet you."

"Right back atcha." He took Harry's offered hoof and gave it a single shake. "Now, I see you got the clothes, and the tag... You got the rest of the supplies?" His tone implied doubt, perhaps wondering what a unicorn was doing there.

Harry considered the red... maned? boy.  He was a gangly sort, but seemed friendly enough. "They should be waiting for me. My owl brought them."

"You already have an owl?!" He threw a hand high and wide. "Get out, that's fantastic is what that is. You gotta show me." He led, not with any hands on Harry as Hagrid did, but just walking and waving. "Right over, there." He thrust a finger at where Harry's name was listed with a number beside it. "That's your rooming."

"You're the best." Harry did a little dance in place. Ron seemed to really know his way around and wasn't shy about sharing. "Thank you."

But Ron did not fade into the weave of other hopeful wizards, instead following Harry towards his new room. "I've read about interesting creatures before, like unicorns. Most of them are, you know, less... human. You can't just have an idle chat with them. Well, I guess you can with elves, but they don't try to become wizards."

"What's an elf?" Harry got the idea he'd be asking questions like that a lot. "Sorry if I seem a bit daft, but this is all new to me..."

"I've got your back there," assured Ron without a hint of delay, a smile on his face. "Now where's that..."

But there was no owl. There was a large rabbit thing seated next to his bed, reared up so he could use his hands to read a book eagerly. There was another student in there, seemingly trying to ignore the presence of the huge rabbit thing. "Um... Is that?"

"Meet my owl, Arnavon!" Harry gestured a hoof at his friend. "Arnie! Glad you made it."

"Of course I did." Arnavon met Harry halfway through the room, the book abandoned on the bed. They crashed in a great hug of comradery. "Did you already make a friend?" He peeked past Harry at Ron. "Hi there!"

"Get out..." Ron shook his head, but was still approaching. "Crazy student with a crazy owl. Guess that makes sense."

"I'm not a crazy owl. I'm a tsuki owl." Arnavon bobbed his head with a big smile and floppy ears. "Thank you for helping Harry. My name is Arnavon." He offered a big fuzzy hand.

Ron was able to shake that hand a lot more naturally than he could a hoof. "Nice to meet you too. I'm Ron Weasley, just looking out for a fellow freshman." He leaned a bit to the side. "There it is." There was a great pile of books and supplies. "I was worried you didn't have it. That happens to some freshman, we have to scramble to get it."

"You're too nice." Someone new, already willing to hustle to make sure he had everything he needed. "Oh, hey, do we share any classes?"

"Bet we do." He nodded firmly. "Not like first years get any electives really."

They would have plenty of chances to see one another and learn more about each other.
> 4 - An Uplifting Experience
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Harry held his wand in his teeth, swaying it a little. He wasn't the only one. It seemed most of the students around him were eager to make use of their wand, swishing them about with anxious energy.

"Class." There was Professor Flitwick. "I'm glad to see you're all eager today, and..." The short little man was studying them. "Everyone has their wand ready, good. This is a spellcasting class, if you weren't aware, so we'll need those out. However!" He put out his hands, palmside down. "Let's pause that waggling until we're doing the spells, and only the movements I show you. Like magic words, motions have power."

Harry kept his wand still, even if the rest of him was vibrating a little. Finally, a new spell, of a whole new variety!

"This is considered a classic," assured Flitwick with a warm expression. "As useful as it is traditional, this charm's functionality is truly limited only by your imagination." Their eyes were on him, an eager class, his favorite sort. "But, beware, you can damage things, or yourself, if you're careless about it." He produced his wand from nowhere, already directing it at a flower pot that at on the front desk. "Wingardium Leviosa." With a swish and a flick as he spoke the power words, the pot rose up, defying gravity as if it wasn't there.

"Like a broom," blurted Harry without thinking.

That got Flitwick's attention. "It is a little like that, but the charms involved between the two are very different. For one, a broom is a permanent charm, and this is very much not." He lowered his wand, gently guiding the pot back to the ground and safety. "You can use this to lift and move all manner of object, but we'll start easy." He gestured broadly across the classroom. "Your quills. Get them into the air, gently, and set them back down."

And the class became quite busy as young wizards began wagging their wands with new purpose, trying to cast that new spell.

Harry felt a bit odd. Floating things was basically a natural unicorn trick. "Wingardium Leviosa," he spoke despite not... actually needing to. It still felt better to say the spell. With a glowing horn, he lifted his quill, and his book, and an inkwell for fun, spinning the three things about confidently. A unicorn did not need levitation lessons! Well, unless they were still new at it, he supposed.

"Mister Potter." Flitwick had approached while Harry was busy. "You don't appear to be using the wand you're holding." His eyes were on Harry's horn, its glow giving away that it was being used. "Is this a natural charm of unicorns? I wasn't aware of that. I thought their magic was of a more personal variety."

"Oh, um... yes." Harry set the items down with a sheepish blush. "Sorry."

"I won't lecture a student for doing what I ask. However, I didn't ask for extra credit, Mister Potter. Just the quill." He pointed at it. "And do it with the wand, if you would. While natural charms are a wonderful thing, you're here to learn magic, and each you learn properly will help sharpen your technique for others moving forward."

"Yes sir, of course." Harry nodded firmly, wobbling his wand a little. "Could you show me the motion again?"

A lady wizard was instructing Ron, going over the phrasing and gestures as she got her feather floating. First in the class! Well, the first to do it properly with their wand and not as a cheating unicorn. Hermione earned attention for her feat, and made a new friend.

Flitwick gestured to her. "She seems to have it. Why don't you ask her?" And off he want to oversee other student's attempts.

Harry's equine ears flickered. Well... "Hello." He rose to his hooves, his quill floating beside him with his horn's magic as he made his way towards the girl. "Hey Ron."

"Harry! This is Hermione, and she already got the spell down. I can't even believe it." He gestured at the smug girl.

"And you are Harry... Potter was it?" The girl was studying their unicorn student curiously. "You have it working too?" She flicked a finger at the floating quill there beside Harry.

"Oh, no." He set it down in front of her, his horn ceasing its glow. "I have to do it with my wand and not my horn. Can you show me the motion again? I have the words down."

Ron threw up his hands. "The word's the hard part! She was just tellin' me I was getting it all wrong."

"Because you were," she chastised. "Go on, try again." Her eyes were on Harry. "So you can already float things?"

"For years now." Harry sat on his haunches, a confident look on his face that dissolved a moment later. "But I never did it with a wand before." He turned it in his mouth and with a flick of his head. "Can you show me?"

"Well isn't that curious..." She lifted her wand into easy view and began the motion slowly. "A swish and a flick." She repeated it, a bit faster. "Just like that. You sure you have the phrasing right?"

"I think I do. Let's... try." He made the motion, he hoped. "Wingardium Leviosa!" But the quill didn't move. Harry frowned, but Hermione put a finger on his snout. 

"Your swish is off." She guided him through the motion, not shoving, but touching and nudging as he repeated it, correcting him. "Like that. Try now."

So he gladly did, but the quill just flopped over as if someone had gusted air at it.

"Almost!" assured Hermione.

"Got it!" Ron was proudly holding his wand aloft, a quill dancing just in front of it, following its motions. "Told ya I could nail it."

Harry and Hermione clapped appreciatively, even if one of them had more of a clopping noise. Harry was more determined than ever before. Imagining Hermione's motions, he tried with a swish and a flick. "Wingardium Leviosa!" And then did the quill perk up and start following his wand. He was doing magic, without his horn!

Excitement over the very idea of it brought about a new moment of clopping. "Look look!" He was a little boy, eager to show off what he had done, but so too was much of the class, so few held it against him.

"Now do it a dozen more times." Hermione folded her arms. "Then we can say you've got it down."

Ron's quill flopped to the desk. "Really?"

Harry laughed a little as he set his own quill down. "I don't think she's wrong. But you have to practice too."

"Yeah yeah." Hermione swayed her wand with a firm cast, causing her quill to perk into the air. "This shouldn't take too long."

And so went the rest of that class, perfecting that introductory charm, at least on little quills. Heavier things would come in later attempts.





"Gryffindor," announced the cap atop Harry's head.

He had been sorted, and not into Slytherin. Thank goodness! He hadn't heard a single good thing about that place, or the people in it! "It seems we're stuck together."

Ron laughed and swatted his equine friend on the shoulder. "Looks like it." Both Ron and Hermione had also been sorted there. "Need any help moving your things?"

"Arnavon'll handle it."

"Oh, right." Ron turned to Hermione. "You got to see this! He has an owl, right, but it isn't no regular owl." He spread his hands wide. "Big as a person, and furry. Like a big rabbit, really."

Harry chuckled at the description. "If rabbit had horns, and talked."

Hermione's eyes shined at the description. "I would like to meet your owl, if they like talking. They sound interesting." She considered Harry as other students were sorted. "About that... Your parents."

"My parents?" Not that Harry knew much... or anything... of them, the biological ones at least. "What about them?"

"They had to be human." She nodded confidently. "We have students and teachers with other things in them. Remember Professor Flitwick? He has goblin in him."

Ron held up two fingers close. "Is that why he's tiny?"

"Don't be rude." She rolled her eyes. "But yes. We wouldn't have a goblin student or a teacher. And I feel sure we wouldn't have a unicorn either. No offense or anything."

"Well, yes..." Harry shuffled in place a little. "My parents, the first ones, they were human."

Hermione's confusion could but grow. "First ones? You have more than one set of parents?"

Ron air gunned at Harry. "Is that a unicorn thing?!"

"No!" Harry half-laughed. "My mum was given me when I was a little thing... I don't know who my 'real' parents are, but they're human."

"I knew it." Hermione looked smugly vindicated. "So you are human... with some unicorn mixed in. That makes a lot more sense than them just taking in a random unicorn for a student."

Harry thought of home in that moment and what he had left behind. "Oh yeah." Both of the others looked towards him. "I have a sister, and she really wants to join the school. I don't know if she'll manage it or not, but she'll try. She's an alicorn."

Ron frowned at that. "She's a horn?"

Hermione lifted one hand, the arm largely static as it swiveled. "I'm going to hazard a guess she's not a horn. What does that word mean?"

Harry inclined his head. Alicorns were clearly not a human thing. "It means she has wings and a horn. She's a princess. Princess Flurry Heart."

Hermione burst into a fit of little giggles. "That sounds incredibly adorable. And she wants to learn magic?"

Ron gestured at Harry. "If she's like him, she'll take to it natural enough. If they accept her. She's a, uh, winged unicorn all the way right? No human parents?"

"Not a one." Harry knew Flurry's parents, who were his parents because they were both nice ponies. "But she can be really stubborn, and she's good at magic. So... if you see another, you know who it is."

"Students." The presiding wizard had signaled for them to cease their chatter. "It is time to go to your new dormitories.  Your things have already been moved. Good luck with the remainder of the year. Remember, excel and bring accolades, and points, to your new house."

They started off towards the Gryffindor dorms. Harry craned his head left and right as they went. "Did they take Arnavon? He's a bit more willful than a random owl. I hope they asked nicely."

"I still want to..." They had arrived at Harry's dorm, which allowed Hermione to lay eyes on the big rabbit enjoying some light reading of a magic book. "see.... this?"

Arnavon looked up, tossing the book aside onto the bed as he had a habit of doing. "Harry! And you've made new friends." He charged them, arms spread. "Hello! I'm Arnavon."

Ron was less surprised. Harry least of all. Hermione was not expecting a sudden rabbit attack, squeaking and backing up, causing Arnavon to capture the boys alone in an intense bout of hugs. "Excuse you?!"

"Did I sneeze?" As if maybe Arnavon hadn't noticed that he had. "Sorry."

Harry laughed as he wriggled past Arnavon. "You just startled Hermione, is all. Oh, that's her name."

"Hermione Granger," she introduced properly. "And you are... Arnavon?"

"That's me." He bowed properly to the lady wizard. "Nice to meet you, ma'am. Sorry for scaring you like that. Hugs are a thing we do a lot." He rubbed behind his head awkwardly. "Especially around people we're happy to see, and it's so nice seeing Harry make new friends."

Hermione's guarded stance relaxed a little. The big horned rabbit seemed to be devoid of any ill intent that she could determine. As big magical creatures went, it gave off not a whiff of hostility. "A pleasure to meet you too, Arnavon. I would ask that you not hug me without permission, however."

"You got it." He turned to Harry. "I have your things put away."

"One thing." Eyes turned to Hermione. "You are not an owl."
> 5 - A Bright Student
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Arnavon thumped his chest with a bright smile. "Of course I am." He dug in a pocket and produced a scrap of paper. Unfurling that revealed a moving image of Dumbledore nodding approvingly. "See, I was allowed in and everything."

"Let me see that." Hermione snatched the paper to read the words that came with the moving image. 'The one carrying this card is to be treated as an especially talkative, but cooperative, owl.' She read that out loud as her eyes scanned over it. "You realize, technically--"

Ron burst into a fit of laughter. "You're a very nice owl, Hermione."

"Not funny!" Though that had been what she was about to note. She didn't admit that, giving the card back to Arnavon. "How did you get that? It still doesn't make you an owl. You're just treated like one."

Harry set his wand down on the end table beside his new bed. "I learned my first wizard spell today!"

Arnavon's attention was captured entirely. "Show me!" He clapped his hands eagerly. "I must see, please!"

Ron joined in the encouragement, ribbing Harry on the side of his barrel. "Go on, show Arnie your new trick. You know you want to."

Well, with encouragement like that, he leaned in, lipping up his wand. His eyes darted about, considering what to try lifting. Ah ha! "Arnavon, did it ever bother you that you couldn't fly like other owls?"

Arnavon's eyes widened. "Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh!" His clapping only grew in intensity. "Do it. Do it!" As magical subjects went,  he was quite agreeable, bouncing a little in place on his legs, still reared up as he was.

"I'm still new at this," warned Harry, but he began to move his wand, just for Hermione's hand to grab it suddenly. "Wha?"

"We've only floated a little quill around," she chastised. "And you're going to go on to that?" she waved a free hand at Arnavon's much larger form. Larger than a quill at least. Larger than a person, really. He was a big bouncy bunny boy. "You sure that's a good idea?"

Harry danced away with a clip clop, drawing his wand from her reach. "Don't be like that. It should be fine."

"You can do it," encouraged Arnavon, giddy with excitement. "Will I be able to fly on my own, or will you, uh, fly me?"

Ron snickered at the idea. "Pretty sure the second one of those."

Hermione had her arms crossed, as if waiting for it all to go wrong. Harry wasn't about to accept that. "Just a swish and a flick," he assured, himself partially. "wing-GAR-dee-um leh-vee-OH-sa," he carefully announced, directing the wand at his giggling tsuki friend.

"Woah!" Arnavon lifted an inch, but he wasn't entirely supported, swinging forward sharply, slapping his chin on the floor with a pained yelp. Despite the stars dancing in his vision, he was laughing through the discomfort. "That was so strange! You have to show me how to do that." His feet pumped in the air as if to bounce, but his back end was lifted from the ground. "Um?"

Hermione hissed a breath. "Are you alright? That looked like it hurt."

Harry was trying to get his spell right, changing the angle of his wand this way and that, moving Arnavon's rump with the gestures and doing little to get his front in order. "Trying..."

Arnavon pushed against the ground with his hands, performing a great bounce with them, which sent him in the other direction to thud against the wall with his back. "Oof, alright, upright now," he proudly declared. "This is... not exactly flying?" Sure, he was hovering, leaning against the wall. Sort of flying? Kinda?

Harry released him, drawing him back towards the ground and letting go with a huff. "Well, that's what practice is for, right?"

Ron slapped Harry on the back. "Right nice for your first try at something so large, no offense."

Arnavon inclined his head confusedly. "Is being large a bad thing?"

Hermione rolled her eyes at that. "Only if they were implying you were overweight, which you are not." Not that she was an expert on the expected fat content of a tsuki, but the eager Arnavon sure seemed not terribly pudgy. "Harry, good luck with your 'owl', but I'm going to go settle myself in."

"I really should too." Ron vacated, bumping into another student on the way. "Oh, hey. You got a roomie to tell stories about mate." And he was gone.

Harry closed with Arnavon, looking him over. "Really sorry about that. Are you alright?"

"No." And yet, he was still smiling so brightly. "I need a wand. You can't cast wizard spells without one, and I don't have one."

Harry could but smile, turning instead to the person who had just entered. "Hey, sorry for the fuss."

Arnavon was still focused on Harry. "Do you think your mom'd get angry if I asked her for the bits for one? She's usually pretty nice."

"I can't even imagine my mom being mad." Harry struggled to imagine it. "Well, other than when Flurry or I got into trouble. We deserved that though."

With an excited squeal, Arnavon got to writing a letter. Sure, he'd have to deliver it himself. That's a thing owls did, which he was, despite also being a tsuki. Who said anyone couldn't be both of those things?





Harry tried to hold the plant steady in his magic, but it twisted and jumped against it, defying his arcane grasp with surprising skill. It wrenched free and fell to the ground, not to splatter, but to bounce off of it sharply, right at him. With a dull thud, he reeled back, smacked right across the snout by the angry vegetable. "Ow!" he got out eloquently as the thing came down, ready to bounce in a follow up strike.

"Incendio!" he cried as he gestured with the horn atop his head, imitating the wand movement at the same instant he was hurrying to get his wand back in readiness. His horn was an acceptable replacement, flames engulfing the angry vegetable, stopping it in its tracks at it burned and shriveled away. "Phew..."

"Young Potter," There was Herbert, professor of botany. "Good use of the defensive spell, but let's handle the plants more carefully." As Harry shrank a bit at the chastisement, Herbert pat their strange equine student on the shoulder. "Also, while the form was great, I suggest using your wand."

"It all happened so fast," defended Harry, lifting his wand into readiness. "I'll keep this in reach while I'm here."

"That would be wise." Herbert Beery went on to continue his instructions, "As you can see, bouncing bulb is quite lively. Whenever it senses a threat, it will use its mobility to attack the source. However, properly raised, it's quite useful for potion making."

"On that topic, smaller bulbs, like the one that attacked Mister Potter." Herbert gestured at the small bit of ash that had once been an aggressive plant. "Can be warded away, but you haven't learned that spell yet, so I don't fault anyone for not using it. The knockback jinx, you'll hear it called that, and you can use it on any bulb smaller than yourself."

Ron inclined his head a little. "They get larger than you?"

"Oh, quite a bit so," warned the teacher. "When they get that big, and they're angry, burning them really is the only option if you don't want to be battered quite badly." He wandered off, helping a student with the flaming spell they had just learned but that student clearly was having issues with.

Ron closed with Harry from the side. "Good thing you got that spell down. I'm not sure what I'd do if one of the things tried to take me down a peg."

Harry laughed at the mental image, even if it still hurt where he'd been thumped into. "You would have figured something out, I'm sure of it."

"That makes one of us." Ron was smiling despite that, clearly not that put out. "You did the spell with your horn. Can you use your horn as a wand all the time?"

"Well, uh, technically?" His horn was magic. Saying the magic words and making the magic gestures with it seemed to work. "It's a bad habit though. I don't want to hurt my horn."

Ron waved his wand through the air in a meaningless swipe. "You're the only wizard allowed to whip around his built in wand in public and not get in trouble fer it."

"Gross." Hermione had heard the crass joke. "Nice spell, Harry. You were a little off on the second part."

Harry's ears danced. "I was?" The fire had been bright and done the job. "Really?"

She showed the motion, the up and down and over of the fire spell, but she didn't follow with words, lest she set something ablaze. "Like that, see?"

Harry watched the motions carefully, following along twice, his wand and his head following in sync. "Oh... I did miss that little swerve there."

"It's subtle," agreed Hermione. "Better." And off she went, looking vindicated.

Ron shrugged softly. "She's such a know-it-all. Like she was born knowing magic or something. You're not that far behind, but you're way less stuck up about it, you know?"

"Don't be rough on her." Harry sat on his haunches with a smile. "She's nice enough."

"Yeah yeah." Ron gave a single wave off as he turned to look at the collection of plants on the table near them. "I know some of these."

"You do?" Harry perked at that. "Well, someone else knows a lot then. Care to share?"

"I think those are puffapods." He indicated towards a purple flower. It was a pretty thing, and not puffed at all.

A thing that confused Harry, approaching to peer at it from different angles. "Why's it called that?"

"Careful, Mister Potter." There was their teacher. "We haven't gone over them, but you should assume all the plants here could cause issues if not handled properly." He gestured to the same purple plant. "Since we're looking at it." Much of the class had looked over at the mention and his warning. "This one is not terrible, but when touched, it releases quite a number of spores that can cause dizziness. If you're not in a hurry, just waiting will let it pass."

"So that's the puff," determined Harry with a nod, regaining his sense of understanding. 

The class went on.





An owl arrived. An actual owl. It had a letter attached to its leg. Arnavon reached out and detached it carefully. "Thank you, fellow owl." It was kinda funny, having an owl bring him a message. Or maybe it was for Harry? He'd pass it on if it was! The owl hooted and took off, wings silent as owl wings tended to be. It was gone in a moment. "Good luck," Arnavon bade, waving at where the owl had been.

He unfurled the paper quickly, eager to know what it said, but he almost didn't need to read it as, when unfurled, a long slender stick unfurled from it and fell to the ground with a clatter. "You are the best!" he cried with joy, snatching up the wand and hugging it tight.



Warmest Regards, Arnavon,

Hello! I loved your letter and am delighted to hear Harry is doing so well! Keep an eye on him, not that I imagine I need to remind you. You two are good friends, and I can think of few others I'd trust more to the task. You must have noticed the wand. It's a gift, from Star Swirl. He said he used to use it, as a foal. It's a trick, to help unicorns that have difficulty focusing on their horns internally. So we give them a wand to hold, and sometimes that helps.

Of course, you don't have a horn. I do hope it works out for you. Do your best.

Wishing you both the absolute best,
Cadance



He slashed the air with the new wand. "I wonder what it's made of." The internal makeup of a wand could have an effect. "I can't wait to try it!"
> 6 - Eager Magic
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Loo mas! Lomas. Lowmas!"  Arnavon was swirling his wand the way the book said one had to, but his incantation wasn't making much magic happen. "C'mon... This is a simple one." Noted as one of the simplest in the book. Surely he could manage it...

"Loo mos!" His fur brightened, just in a spot nearest the lamp that hung in the room. He burst into giggles, feeling that bit of magic being redirected, flowing up into his shoulder, down his arm, into the wand. "Wha?"

The wand accepted the magic, and began to glow with the same light from its tip. He had cast the wand lighting charm, though not exactly the way he had planned. "Oh oh oh!" Despite the odd nature of it, Arnavon was giggling with triumph. "Can't wait to show this to Harry!"





Harry was having issues of his own. Never had his head felt so heavy. His eyelids struggled. Had someone cast a spell on them? No, it was his professor.

Professor Cuthbert Binns was droning endlessly, speaking of historical facts. Harry could hear scratching. His brain trying to mount a valiant escape from his ears?

Oh, no, that was Hermione. She was dutifully taking down notes at an impressive rate as the rest of the class struggled desperately to even stay awake. How she performed that magic, Harry knew not.

A glance in the other direction showed Ron had completely succumbed to Mister Binns' magic, having fallen forward and gone to sleep. There was no magic to learn, just a lot of times and dates and the long list of other magical things that had happened to other people at other times that were not there.

Not his favorite class, Harry silently decided.

He staggered out of it, trying to shake himself back into readiness. The rest of the class wasn't that better, but they were all pushing out.

Well, except Hermione. "What class is next?"

Harry lifted a fuzzy ear at her. "How?"

"How what?"

Ron was there, suddenly flopping against Harry. "How are you even awake enough to care what the next class is?"

Hermione raised a brow at the both of them. "Were you not paying attention? He was talking about all kinds of amazing things in there." She pointed back into the class they had escaped from. "And it's going to be on the test!"

Harry sagged, just a little. Flopping over would bring Ron down with him. "There's already a test?"

"Were you just not paying attention?" She rolled her eyes at his admission. "How do you plan to pass this class? You do need to pass this."

Harry glanced off to the side, then the other. No teachers in sight. "Can I see your notebook, please?"

Ron perked at that, standing on his own. "What're you gonna do? Borrow it?"

"Just a second or two," assured Harry with an equine smile. "No rule against unicorn magic, and I do know a few of those spells."

Hermione set her hands on her hips. "I want to see what you're even talking about." Out came her notebook. "But if you hurt my notes, I will be so cross with you."

Ron followed as they went to a little nook in the hallway, the notebook being set on a small table. "What are you gonna do, Harry? You said unicorn magic? I wanna see that!"

Harry's horn was glowing with magic not native to the school or the wizards that inhabited it. "Learned this one arguing with my sister. We'd fight over books all the time. I'd be reading something she wanted, or she'd be reading something I wanted. Mum got tired of our squabbling, so she taught us..." He trailed off, a bright flash as the book hopped into the air and pulled apart like a dividing cell.

Two books landed, one atop the other neatly. "--how to share. Thank you, Hermione. You are a real life saver." He plucked the copy of the book free in his magic and tucked it away in his saddlebag.

Ron huffed at the display. "You're going to do that again for me, right?"

Hermione reclaimed her book. "That's between you two gentlemen. You're welcome, Harry, but try to take your own notes next time!" And off she went.

It would not be the last time Harry would copy notes, or books, from Hermione. "I'll make you a copy later, Ron. That spell takes a little bit out of you."

"I'll hold you to that." And off they went together to the next class.





Harry let out a gust of air. "Finally." He had survived Thursday classes! Trotting with satisfaction, he almost missed a wave from the side. A large sort. Oh! "Hello there, Hagrid." He weaved through the crowd to get closer to the jolly giant. "How can I help you?"

"Mister Potter." Hagrid nodded at the student he had the most technical authority with. "How have you been adapting to school? Quite a bit different from your native stomping grounds, I imagine."

Harry twitched an ear off to the side. "You're making it sound like I'm a wild animal. My 'native stomping ground' was a palace of crystal, not a forest somewhere."

"Oh, a palace..." Hagrid stroked his beard, perhaps imagining such a thing. "Still, you doing alright?"

"Today was rough." Harry glanced off, but his friends had all gone their different ways. "History class was the worst," he whispered conspiratorially.

"I've heard a few mention that." Hagrid chuckled softly, hands on his front. "But I'm more interested in you. Now, I hear your specific kind of unicorn is quite eager to channel magic externally." He reached then, tapping Harry's horn lightly. "Not like the ones I knew, more internal sorts, those. So I was curious how you were doing with our magic? We use wands, and I know you have one. How has that been?"

"It's been great." Harry drew out his wand, grasping one magic tool with his built in one, glowing with his magic as it was. "Spells work with either." He inclined his wand, then tapped the wand with his horn. "But I try not to use the horn for wizard spells. I don't want to hurt it on accident."

"Now that's a good thought." He nodded, looking a bit relieved. "Unicorn magic, I'm sure you know how that works, but you're new to wizard magic, so until you have that really well practiced, don't go risking yourself about it. We can replace that," He was pointing at the floating wand. "But the rest of you is a lot harder. Now, I don't mean to yak yer ear off, sure you have things to do."

"Nice to see you again, Hagrid." Harry tucked the wand away. "Thanks for thinking of me."

"Not a problem at all, Harry." He swatted the student that was also a horse on the rump. "Off with ya!"

Harry snorted and started forward reflexively. "Don't do that," he grumped, but he was going, leaving Hagrid behind. He made his way quickly back to his own room, drawing the copied notebook along the way. "I can at least..."

His words died as he turned the corner to see Arnavon waving and swishing a wand about. The end of it was glowing softly, a fact that Arnavon seemed quite happy about. "Oh, Harry! There you are!" He pointed the glowing wand right at Harry. "Look what I did!"

Harry slowed to a walk, eyeing the wand. "Where did you get that?"

"Your mom sent it. It was Star Swirl's old wand." Arnavon hugged the wand with obvious affection. "And I used it!"

"Star Swirl's?!" Harry inclined his head faintly. "He never told me he had a wand."

Arnavon held out the wand towards Harry. "For unicorns, it's a bit of a, what would you say, a handicap? I bet he was embarassed he ever needed one. Not me!" He swished the wand with renewed giggles. "I don't have a unicorn horn, just two tsuki ones, and they don't work like this." He angled his horns at Harry, the risk of magic happening from them being about zero.

"Um, congratulations... What did you do?" He was still eyeing the wand. "I didn't learn any spell like that. Well, any wizard spell like that." His horn began to glow without much effort. Making things glow was practically the first thing a unicorn learned how to do! That and grabbing things one really wanted.

Arnavon showed the proper swish of the spell. "It's the wand lighting charm," gushed the smiling tsuki, bubbling with joy. "And I cast it. I read your book." He tapped quickly at the book of spells required of first year students. "They said it was one of the simpler ones, so I started there. And I did it!"

"So Tsuki do have magic?" Harry inclined his head a bit.

"I'm not sure they do," admitted Arnavon, scratching his cheek with the glowing tip of his wand. "But I did it anyway. It was amazing. Um, do you know how tsuki magic works?"

"So tsuki do have magic?"

"Sorta!" He bounced in place, a touch of exasperation shown. "We don't make magic. We move magic. We do things with magic that's already there." He raised a big furry hand to point at the magic lamp that hung in the room. "See that?"

"That is a light."

"Yes." Arnavon bobbed his head. "When I did the spell, I soaked up some of its magic and put it here." He began to tap quickly at the glowing end of his wand. "If there wasn't any magic around, I'm not sure it woulda worked. It felt so weird! But cool! I did it!" He began to swish and wave the wand wildly, overcome with the joy of his first spell.

Harry couldn't help but feel a bit of that infectious cheer, laughing a little. "Well, there's your first." He set his bag beside his bed and flopped onto the bed with a loud huff. "At least you didn't have to suffer through the most boring class ever."

Arnavon suddenly forgot his wand, bounding over to Harry in a single great jump to land next to his bed. "Was it that bad? wanna tell me about it?"

Harry set a hoof on his friend's fuzzy cheek, not that he didn't have one of his own. "That's nice of you. It's just this history class. The teacher just goes on and on and on with dates and stuff. It's so dry I thought I'd blow away with the wind."

"You can't do that." Arnavon returned the favor, his hands on Harry's round equine cheeks. "Your mom would be really sad if you did that."

"I wouldn't like it very much either," laughed Harry, sitting up suddenly and almost crashing against Arnavon in the act. "But I made it, and Hermione took notes!" Out came the notebook from his bags, floating up onto the bed to land just in front of Harry. "I better get reading if I want to pass the test."

Arnavon considered the book a moment. "Huh... If I want to learn, I better read about things too, besides just magic. What was this about." There was no hint given on the book itself. "Hiss?" It said 'His' on the cover. Well, alright, a hint had been given, but one one Arnavon put together right away.

"History," reminded Harry. "Wizard history, about wizards, on their world."

Arnavon inclined his head. "Oh, not sure how much I can use that, truth told. I'm not a human, I'm not from their world. I don't plan to go to their world." He stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Maybe I can skip that one."

Harry frowned a little. He was also not a human, and didn't have to go to their world... but... "My parents were human. I really should know where they came from. It's their world I'm stepping into." He willed the notebook open. "That excuse works for you, Arnie, but I'm going to read."

Arnavon clapped his friend on the shoulder. "If you need any help, lemme know!"
> 7 - Bubbling Brew
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Harry watched a cauldron, the one his mother had got for him. A stirring stick inside it slowly turned, powered by his glowing horn. An advantage of a unicorn, he could sit back away from what was inside as he stirred it. Well, there was one or two students that had cauldrons that could stir themselves through some feat of magic, but he came with it built in! Such was the benefit of his species.

"Your potions should be starting to congeal." Their teacher was moving among them, inspecting their works. "Potion making is not for the impatient. You have to keep going until it's done." He had a happy enough smile despite his words. "The results though are hard to argue with, and often far more permanent than what you get with casual magic."

Harry could feel resistance against his stirring, just a little. It was firming up. He just had to keep right on stirring. He was doing it! A growing smile spread as he turned it around and around. Not the most interesting thing in the world, but he was doing it, a real potion.

His mom, his pony mom, had spoken wild tales of a potion maker that lived by Aunt Twilight's. That potion maker was a zebra. He'd never seen one of those, but she was one of the best he heard. She could make all kinds of potions and they were usually pretty good at that. She'd pass the potion class with ease, he was sure. For a moment he wondered what the teacher would think of a zebra showing up.

"Mister Potter." Oops, his teacher had snuck up while he was distracted. "Very good. Why is your stirrer glowing like that?"

Most of the other self-stirring cauldrons did not have glowing involved, or if they did, it was a much more centralized thing near the top to let you know they were working. Harry's was glowing from the top to the bottom, his magic upon it. "Unicorn magic, sir. Anything I'm holding glows with my magic."

"I see..." He nodded at the cauldron, but his eyes were more on Harry. "I've heard things about you. You're going places."

"I am?!"

"Oh, you are. Talented souls like you deserve a little extra." He patted Harry on the back. "I'll be keeping my eye on you." And off he went to look at other students' work.

Harry watched Slughorn wander off, unsure what that had been exactly. Still, it wasn't a bad thing, right? His potion suddenly began to shift in colors and his attention snapped back to it. He was almost done! Sure, it would just be a boil removing potion, but it would be his boil removing potion, made at his own hooves. It also meant he was on the way to a good grade, so there was that.





Arnavon swirled his wand in the way the book had described and illustrated, but the magic was refusing to come. "Maybe..." He wasn't a brilliant sort, but he wasn't dumb either. "Maybe I need magic that's like it." Looking around, he saw no magic that would sympathize with the spongify spell, hm...

He flipped through the book. "We have lanterns. Light. Maybe heat?" He slapped a big paw down. "Let's try this one!"

Holding the wand up at the lights, he focused on them. "Need to borrow you," he murmured as if seeking forgiveness.

But the lights had none to give. They did have magic though, and he could feel it trickling. He was moving it. Good good. He turned and pointed the wand at, um... He paused, considering. He didn't want to start an actual fire. That would be... impolite, at the least.

Arnavon tapped a foot impatiently as he turned about. Of course that was the day Harry had taken his cauldron. Could have started a fire in there, no problem! Oh! He grinned as he bounded in one great step to the fireplace. "Where fires belong!" He waggled his wand at the wood inside, not burning. He'd fix that!

"Incendio!" he proclaimed with all the authority he could muster. He could feel that magic tickling around inside him, running along his fur, but no flames were coming. Had he gotten the gesture wrong? The pronunciation? He tried to calm himself. "In sen dee o," he pronounced carefully, making the precise motion. No hurrying. Calm...

Bright orange red light surged up his extended arm as the captured magic jumped free through him, into his wand, unleashed in a brief gout of flames that lit the room with a new light.

Wisps of smoke began to raise from the fireplace. The wood had caught the flames, and soon were crackling under its own power. Arnavon began to clap, only to abort almost as quickly. The very tip of his wand was lit up! With a squeak, he dunked it into a pitcher of water with a loud hiss. "Gotta be more careful..."

Still, he had done it. He pulled the wand free and set it aside to dry. It could do that on its own, he had other things to do. He grabbed a book and a quill and started scratching busily, noting his success and thoughts. "This'll make such a good book when I get back..."

When would he get back? The job of watching Harry was not a short one. The school was set up to last years, not days or even months. He could, likely, give up and go home. Princess Cadance would only be mad for a little while, if that. She was a very nice princess. But that'd leave Harry all alone.

"Mmm..." Arnavon resumed his writing. He could work on his next book while keeping an eye on Harry! Everyone won then, right? Besides, the magic school was pretty interesting. "Yeah." What was the rush to get away from it? Even if he was a magic owl there.

A pity it didn't come with the power to look behind him without turning. That would have been pretty cool.





"This is what you get for letting Hagrid of all people decide this." Severus scowled across the desk at Dumbledore. "Mister Potter has been... tainted in ways he likely will never recover from."  Severus steepled his fingers, the scowl on his face only growing. "One of exactly two people that can do what must be done."

"He is doing well so far," gently argued Dumbledore. "He's scarcely begun."

"He is a horse." Snape slapped a fist down, making his tea jostle dangerously. "A magical horse, I will grant, but a horse. This is who we are to trust to finish this battle?"

"Of course not." Dumbledore nodded softly. "He's still in his first year. He will not be ready. It is our job to put him in that potision, so when the time comes..."

"Madness." Severus took a sip of the provided tea despite that. "Utter madness."

"He could use your help." Dumbledore drew out a book, the schedule of the school that he turned open. "Would you lend your instructions?"

"That is why I am here." He scowled at the chipper older man. "You already have one of those for that class."

"I do... but it is a cursed position, some say." Dumbledore inclined his head at his guest. "Perhaps in a future year?"

"I offer no assurances. Related but tangential, why are you permitting him to have his magical friend along? They are very clearly not an owl."

"They've delivered every letter we've asked them to, and more." Dumbledore shrugged with that little smile of his. "He's fulfilled his owl duties and is a polite creature aside that. What's the harm?"

"It is now acceptable to have unidentified arcane creatures wandering our halls?" Snape raised a brow at the one that seemed to have no worries.

"They largely restrain themselves to young Potter's chambers, where he gets along with Harry's roommate and anyone else that happens by. Don't let their size fool you, they seem to be entirely without malice."

"Like Hagrid then?" Things were quiet between them a moment. "I'll be monitoring the situation. I can only hope that our furry savior is up to the task when it arrives."





"Ron!" Harry threw a leg over Ron's neck from behind, rising up onto two legs in the process. The only other option was to haul Ron down to his level. "How'd it turn out?"

"A pinch too much of the last bit." He held up two fingers close together. "Got purple sludge I don't think would help much." He shoved Harry with a grin. "Let me guess, you got it?"

Harry let himself be pushed away, falling back to all fours with a clop. "I did, but I'm not here to make fun of you, Ronnie. Wanna go over it later? I bet it was something small."

"You're solid, Harry." He glanced away at the crowd moving past them before returning to Harry. "So do unicorns get any crazy potion powers?" He wriggles his fingers for effect.

"As if." Harry rolled his eyes at the idea. "Only magical horse I know that's really good at that sort of thing is a zebra."

"Get out." But Harry did not get out. "You're serious? Zebras, the horses with stripes?" Harry nodded. "Harry, zebras are not magic. They're just striped."

"Earth zebras," countered Harry with perhaps a touch of smugness, but that wore away quickly. "Equestria is not Earth, different rules."

"Which include zebras that are really good at potion making?" The idea seemed a bit hard for Ron to grapple with. "Look, I try to know a little about all kinds of magic things, but this 'Equestria' isn't even mentioned."

Harry inclined his head at his friend. "If it helps, Earth was not talked about in Equestria. I didn't know it was a thing until I was invited to come to Hogwarts. Imagine my surprise."

"A lot of us know that surprise." Ron swatted Harry's side. "Say, how's your crazy owl doing?"

They would soon find out, returning to Harry's room to discover it was dark. Entirely dark. The lanterns that normally kept that darkness at bay were clearly not working, or not on? "Arnavon?" called Harry into the darkness from the doorway. "You in there?"

"Right here." Oh, light. Every time Arnavon opened his mouth, light came spilling out brightly. "I think I..." He kept stopping, covering his snout. "Bother..."

Ronald burst into a light laughter. "Did you eat the light, Arnie?"

"Sorta." With his paws trying to cover things as best he can, Arnavon spoke, light flashing with each movement of his mouth. "I was channeling the power of the lanterns, and it got stuck. Now the lantern magic is inside me and I don't know how to get it out."

Harry frowned with thought at the problem. "Ron?"

"Arny's the first of his kind I ever heard of," he admitted. "But if you took the magic from the lanterns, why not put it back?"

"Y-yes, put it back." He turned in place, the room darkened with his closed mouth. In the dim light of what came from the hallway, they could see him looking at the lanterns, making little noises of effort, but tsuki were so much less built for sending magic back out.

Harry brightened. "Arnavon, your wand!"

"My wand!" Of course! There was a great thud as he tripped over himself, but made it to the end table he had left the wand on to dry. "Got it!" He grabbed it firmly in a great paw. "Now, uh, what spell?"

Ronald gave a thumbs up. "It isn't a spell."

"Oh, right." He waggled the wand to no effect. "C'mon..." He tried to calm himself, to focus on that flow of power, to get it out from the middle of himself. A brief glimmer on his pelt excited him enough that it was lost. "Focus..."

The light slowly reemerged and began to creep down his arm, filling the wand. With a gentle swish, he sent it back where it belonged to light up the room in the lanterns it came from.
> 8 - Guiding Stars
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Harry adjusted his telescope with his magic, eye set against the sight. Nearby, his quill took notes without his seeing the marks. That was a trick unicorns could learn with a bit of practice. Humans too, come to think.

"You are unusually eager." Aurora Sinistra had snuck up on him, easily done with his vision filled with stars and little else. He could hear his teacher coming closer. "Your notes... Ah, yes. You are not from Earth."

"No, ma'am." Harry drew back from the telescope enough to look at Aurora properly. "My aunt was a big fan of astrology her--"

"--nomy," corrected Aurora firmly. "Astronomy. Astrology is a muggle word. We do not look just to count and label. Great works require the cooperation of the sky."

"Muggles are..." It was not a concept he was that intimate with.

To Aurora's momentarily visible confusion. "People who do not know magic, cannot perform it, and often deny it."

Harry shuffled a little awkwardly on his hooves. "Never met one of those. I mean, only unicorns can do magic where I'm from, but everything else knew unicorns could do it. And they all know magic, what it is and all that."

She patted his shoulder. "You're making me jealous, Mister Potter. You come from a world in an easier state of being." Her finger extended towards his notes. "However, I need you to learn the Earth sky, and not just in comparison to the one you have at home."

His ears wiggled without thought. "Ma'am, will this work when I go home?" He waved up at the sky. "I have different stars back there. How can I learn about them? No offense or anything."

"None taken. You are not incorrect, and yet, if you want to pass, you must learn the Earth sky." She gestured upwards in a wave. "Master it, and the one back home will come all the more easily. You mentioned an aunt with a love of the night sky? I imagine she will gladly assist, but you need to know what questions to ask her. Pay attention, and you'll be ready."

She moved off to coach and assist other students. Harry was far from her only pupil. "Psst." There was Ron, whispering and waving at Harry. "You really never saw these stars?" He hiked a thumb up at the sky itself.

"Um..." Harry looked up at the dazzling collection that was an alien sky. "No."

"No talking," came the stern voice of their teacher, squashing that chat for the moment.





Arnavon swished his wand with a dubious smile, only to set it down and scribble in his book, only to put that right back down and grab his wand. "Mmf." He grunted with annoyance, slapping the ground with an almost stomping of his feet. "I can do this."

But could he? He turned to a mirror and fell to all fours, hopping closer to it. The great horned rabbit reflected there looked back at him as he considered himself. "Hum hum... Oh, maybe?" He tucked his wand under his belt securely. "Maybe." He was at the window in a great leap and threw it open to the dark sky. "Be right back!" Not that there was anyone there to be informed.

He took flight, sorta. He was an owl, had a card that proved it, but his flight was more of a series of grand leaps, first to the ground, then forward. The impact of that first landing allowed his legs to coil tightly, propelling his second leap all the faster than the ones that'd follow it. Still, like an owl, he was soaring through the night.

There. Harry had mentioned him a few times, and Arnavon sought him out. He landed right in front of a startled Hagrid with a bright smile. "Good evening!"

"Good evening to you as well, though it's more the night." While he had been surprised, the appearance of a friendly magic beast was not a thing to keep Hagrid off balance. "Aren't you Harry Potter's owl?"

"That's me!" Arnavon bounced a little in place, lifting from the ground a few inches. "My name's Arnavon, and you're Hagrid, right?"

"That's what they call me." He offered a hand to the curious owl. "If you don't mind my admitting, never saw one of you before."

Arnavon took the hand, but only as a handle. Even as they clasped and shook, he was drawing the large man forward into a warm hug. "It's nice to meet you!" To wrestle had once been the tsuki way of handling differences. It still was! To grab and hold came naturally. But to a friend, one did not try to throw them down or pin them. A subtle difference, but it made a hug instead of a fight.

Hagrid laughed at the affectionate greeting. "I'll return the sentiment. What brings you this way? Did you lose Harry?"

"Hm? No no." Arnavon shook his head quickly. "He's learning things. But so am I. You are a master of beasts." He hiked a thumb at himself. "Which counts me, right?"

Hagrid smiled at the phrasing. "Most things that can speak do not like being called a beast."

Arnavon inclined his head. "Beast is just another word for creature, right?"

"It is?" Hagrid rolled a hand in the air. "How does that relate?"

"Creature is what we call anything that can talk." Arnavon bobbed his head. "Where I'm from. So I am a beast, a creature. So are you." He reached out to tap the man on his chest. "And you're an expert on creatures, right?"

Hagrid unleashed a jovial belly laugh at the logic put to him. "That is hard to wrestle with. A person is a beast of sorts, but they typically have no magic of their own. That is where we draw that line. Any animal that is, or performs, magic. Being able to speak is a whole other affair."

Arnavon scratched at his right cheek softly a moment. "Oh. Well, I'm both of those. I need help with my magic. Can you help me?"

"I can certainly try." He patted Arnavon on his shoulder. It was rare he could address another person basically eye to eye, even if Arnavon was no human. "You'll be the first in a while I can just ask how they feel. So, let's start there. What's going wrong, and what should it be doing, so far as you know it?"

Arnavon drew out his wand, showing it off to Hagrid with a waggle. "Princess Cadance, Harry's mom, sent this to me. It's great!"

Hagrid frowned at the waggling magic instrument. "Only a wizard can use a wand."

"Um..." Arnavon's ears managed to fall further than they already were hanging. "Um... I... already used it a few times..."

"Oh." Things grew quiet between them, Hagrid stroking his beard thoughtfully. "That changes things." He began to wobble a hand. "For one, it means you're not a beast, you're a magical creature."

"I already knew that." Arnavon smiled brightly. "I'm magical, and I talk. Magical creature." He hiked a thumb at himself. "Though our magic is not your magic."

"Hold on, hold on, not done. Now, you see--" He tapped the wand, arresting its movement. "Magical creatures are forbidden from having wands. Now, don't look like that." He could see Arnavon's crushed expression. "Not my law. You seem like a nice enough creature."

"But Harry is a creature," argued Arnavon suddenly. "He's a magical creature, and he has a wand, and that's alright, but not me? I'll be good!"

"Harry is at least half human, is the thing." Hagrid moved to settle on a large stump, eyes moving to the glittering stars above. "You aren't, I assume?"

Arnavon's ears danced in the limp way that tsuki ears could manage, their weight keeping them held down. "What if I am?"

"We'd need to know who your human parent is." He wagged a finger at Arnavon. "And claiming that without proof could get you in trouble. We only just met, but I'd rather you not get in trouble."

Arnavon deflated miserably. "Not fair... I'm learning magic. I want to learn more!"

"Some agree with you." When Arnavon peeked at him, Hagrid shrugged expansively. "The goblins and house elves don't like it much either. The gobs in particular, raise a right big fuss about it."

Arnavon waggled his wand at Hagrid with a sudden rebound of energy. "They can't take this."

"Why not?" He reached to do just that, but Arnavon yanked it away quickly. "That won't work if the proper people show up."

"It's mine." Arnavon nodded with certainty. "Made by creatures, for creatures. It was, um, bought by a unicorn's parents to help them do magic." He wagged the wand all the more firmly. "They--"

Hagrid raised a hand, enough for Arnavon to quiet. "On your world, your logic sounds about right. We can't tell you not to have that wand, there." He turned a finger to the ground. "But here, at Hogwarts? You fall under the Earth magic rules. And if you plan on bein' a law abiding citizen, well..."

"I can't have a wand." Arnavon deflated most miserably, looking ready to flop over. "But I was learning magic so well..."

"It ain't fair." But he offered no immediate way around it, just sitting there next to Arnavon. "So... Anything not involving wands I didn't see?"

"Didn't--" Oh. It hit him what was being implied. He tucked the wand away out of sight. "We don't make magic." He waggled his fingers as he sat up, then stood up, all the better for gesturing wildly as he began to do. "But we can direct it. We can move it and target it. Do magic at me!"

It was Hagrid's turn to share a lance of pain. "Afraid I'm just as allowed as you to have a wand. No magic coming from me today... or ever."

"Oh..." Arnavon scratched at his cheek a moment. "But you still like magical creatures? That's nice. I like you. You seem nice."

Hagrid's expression lifted into a subtle smile. "And you just made my day, or evening as the case may be. Still, a considerable talent. I know quite a few wizards that would be delighted to have such a talented owl."

Arnavon burst into giggles. "Harry already owns this owl." He put a furry hand on his chest. "Not that he... owns owns. We're friends! Friends own each other, right?"

"The good ones." He clapped Arnavon on the side. "Which it sounds like you two are. Now, we just met. We don't run that deep just yet. What's giving you a trouble with your ability?"

So Arnavon began to explain how it worked, from his perspective, how he directed magic around him and through him. His horns and his body serving as a cup to hold it in and a tuning fork to align with it. "But it gets stuck!" he wailed with a huff. "The magic goes in but sometimes it just... stays there." He patted his chest with low thumps.

Hagrid reached up and tapped at one of Arnavon's horns, then the other. "Have you considered that owls of your variety really aren't made to be using wands?"

Arnie blinked, well, owlishly, at the idea. "What?"

"You have two of them, right here." He rapped the right horn just hard enough to make Arnavon flinch back and look up at the horn awkwardly. "Naturally made, designed just for you and nobody else."

Arnavon was quiet, but a smile began to grow, spreading across his face in a brighter and brighter expression. "You are a genius!" He surged forward, grabbing Hagrid up in a firm hug. "Thank you! Thank you! Yes, yes... The wand was made for a unicorn. I'm not a unicorn!"

"That you are not," easily agreed Hagrid. He wasn't an owl either, but Hagrid didn't argue that point. "Do your magic your way, and it should work better."

Arnavon hopped back, clapping eagerly. "I have so much to try! Thank you!" And off he went, vanishing from sight almost instantly in the dark.
> 9 - Levity
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

School was not just a time for study and discipline, though there was no shortage of that. It was an evening of celebration. Great pumpkins hovered in the air, the students laughed and roamed without fear of teachers or lectures. The muggles called it Halloween, and the holiday was shared with the wizarding world. It was Hallowe'en, and not a sad face could be seen.

"Where's Hermione?" Harry looked about, but could not see one of his two best gained friends. "She's missing the fun."

"Knowing her, probably has her face in a book," laughed out Ron. "Relaxing isn't one of her specialties, let's be real 'bout it."

"It's a school event." Harry started away, hooves clopping against the floor. "She wouldn't miss one for the world."

"I saw her." Another student, a girl, was pointing away. "Got in a fight with some folks."

Harry came to an abrupt halt, ears pricked tall. "Is she alright?"

"Not that kind of fight." The girl laughed at Harry's confusion. "They called her 'Miss Perfect' and a bunch of mean things and sent her crying." She shook her head softly. "For all her superiority, she has a thin skin."

Ron gestured a bit aimlessly before he spread his fingers wide. "So where is she?"

"The bathroom, last I looked." The girl shrugged. "The witches' one, of course." She was peering at Ron as if he were lech enough to go chasing someone into such a place.

Harry took an awkward step away. "Well, um... We'll talk to her after she comes out."

"'Bout the best you can do, I reckon." Ron shrugged softly. "Good looking out."

"You'd do the same for me, right?" Harry went off with Ron to return to the festivities, unable to do much for Hermione just that moment.

Bursting onto the scene, a wizard, out of breathe, rushed towards the center of things. "Troll!" That got people looking his way. "The troll in the basement, it got loose!"

His panic spread easily to the students in the air, the entire crowd becoming a furor of concern. A troll? What did one do when one of those was on the loose?

The headmaster tried to calm the panic-ridden student body, but they weren't even listening. With a sweep of his wand, loud purple pops and bangs of fireworks drew attention his way. "Let us remain calm," he insisted to the suddenly quiet room. "Prefects, take the students to their dormitories. Teachers, with me. We'll take care of the troll."

Dumbledore led the charge of the teachers, leaving the prefects to begin nudging the students back towards their dorms. Harry was at Ron's side. "This got real exciting all of a sudden."

"Not in a good way. Trolls are dangerous." They kept moving as they did so. "This is your first, isn't it?"

"First what? Oh, this holiday? Yeah." The Equestrian equivalent came to mind, similar, and yet different. "I've been to something... Hey wait."

"What?" Ron could see the sudden concern on Harry's fuzzy face. "You forget something back in the hall?"

"Hermione--"

"Oh, shoot," cut in Ron with a sudden frown. "She don't know what's going on, does she?"

Harry broke away from the stream. "We have to get her!"

"Where are you going?" called out a prefect to Ron and Harry. "That isn't the right way."

Ron held up a finger to his lips. "We'll be right back, just fetchin' someone who didn't come this way." With the crowd as it was, the prefect let them go. They had many other students to keep on the right track.

As they ran through the halls, they saw two teachers, Severus Snape and Quirrell, the one who had delivered the news of the troll getting lose. They were lost to sight almost as quickly, ascending some stairs on their own business. "Woah!" Ron thrust out an arm in Harry's way. "It's right there!"

They danced out of sight as the troll emerged from just being a shadow to being a huge hulking figure, dragging its club slowly behind it. It lumbers across the hall, right into the door across from where it had entered. "That's the..."

"Girls' bathroom," completed both of them at once with horror. They hurried towards the danger instead of away from it, knowing what the troll was approaching. The sound of splintering wood greeted them as they rushed inside just in time to see the troll smash the tops off an entire row of bathroom stalls, roaring in fury.

Ron grabbed some of the splinters of wood and began hurling it at the troll, but Harry had another way, lowering his horn, the built-in model, and unleashing painful jolts that got the thing's attention as it exploded in fits of his magic.

"Not sure that's a good thing. Go go!" Ron gestured for Hermione, who had just peeked free of the debris, to run, but her movement drew the troll's attention back towards her, smashing the sink she had just hid under moments before.

Harry lowered his aim, directing a potent arcane thump against its belly. "You leave her alone!" he commanded over her desperate cry. The troll was on him all too quickly, grabbing  him up, but Harry's furry form was more slippery than the troll had figured as he popped free and scrambled atop the troll awkwardly. "Go away!" He stomped on its head as he drew his wand free.

The victory was short lived, the troll grabbing Harry off its head and sending him hurling through the air to land roughly among the debris and clutter with its roar of fury.

Ron hurried up next to Harry, but he couldn't lift a horse. They were heavy, as it turned out. So he raised his wand defensively as the troll came closer, raising its club even higher, ready to smash something. Something Ron was sure he rather valued.

"Wingardium Leviosa!" It was a spell he had only recently learned, and about the only thing that came to Ron's mind in that moment of panic. His wand began to glow, as did the troll's massive club.

The club lifted away from the troll's hand, to the troll's confusion. All eyes were on it as it lifted higher and higher until Ron let the spell go. Gravity made a swift return, the club plummeting towards the still amazed troll, crashing against its thick skull with enough force to send it to the ground, unconscious and still.

Hermione scrambled to her feet, heaving for breath. "Is it...? You?" She let out a mildly panicked laugh, eyes on Ron. "You're a hero."

Harry struggled to his feet, shaking off the dust. "You're welcome."

"You too." She circled the troll and pat Harry lightly more as one would a horse than a fellow magician. "Thank you, both of you... How... did you even know I was here?" It hit her. "And why are you in the girl's bathroom?"

Ron thrust up his hands. "We heard you were in here and we didn't want you to get eaten by no troll!"

Harry bobbed his head with that. "We came to save you, nothing else, promise."

"Well... thank you... for that." She took a slow breath. "We really should report this." She waved lightly at the sleeping troll. "Before it wakes up and starts making more trouble."

Teachers suddenly swarmed into the room, summoned by the noise of the conflict. The celebration was quite over. Hermione took the blame for the boys being there in the first place, losing a few points, which were earned by the boys for the sheer luck of winning out against a troll with how little training they had. Nobody was punished at least, aside the point loss.





What Harry did not expect when he arrived back at his room was for more things to be floating in there than the main hallway. Quills, pillows, and books swirled around with Arnavon standing at the center with a serene smile of joy as he danced and capered, the floating things seeming to follow along with the rhythm he was setting. 

Ron gestured at the floating bits. "Alright, this is new. Owl, this is not what owls do."

"I'm a special owl," proclaimed Arnavon, turning to face them properly. Focused, the floating things stopped bobbing and dancing, instead hovering in place with as much focus as Arnavon had on Ron and Harry. "Welcome back! I learned how to do magic my way." He held up his hands. "Look, no wand!"

Harry could see no wand. A glance at Arnavon's horn showed no glowing. Instead his fur was speckled with light in each direction of a floating thing. "Arnie, you're going to have to explain what you're doing. Congratulations, to start. This is quite the achievement."

"Thank you!" Arnavon grabbed Harry up in a warm hug. Distracted by affection, his many things flopped to the ground lifelessly. 

Ron stepped over some of the clutter. "Not to be a downer or nothing, but you are gonna have to clean this up."

The living arrangement had shuffled since Harry's first arrival. With his joining Gryffindor, he had moved to their dorms, but he was still, well, a pony with specific needs. They had given him a larger room with a bed suited for him. Not to make him too special, they insisted he share with at least one other student. Picking Ron came easily.

Harry wriggled free of Arnavon's grip. "He's not wrong. Let's clean up and you can tell me what's going on." His horn began to glow as he picked things up, getting right to cleaning. "You wouldn't believe what happened to us today, so I guess we both have news to share."

"Ooo!" Arnavon got to cleaning diligently. "Now I'm not sure if I want to hear or share first. I'll go ahead." He reached up with a free hand and tapped at his horn. "Did you know only humans are allowed to use wands? Not fair, but that's alright. Hagrid taught me something obvious." He tapped the horn all the more firmly. "I have two right here. I had to learn magic my way."

Ron flopped onto his bed. "And what way is 'your' way, Arnie?"

"Tsuki don't make magic." He made a gesture as if wagging a wand. "That's where I was messing up. I was making magic, which is not the tsuki way." He directed up at his horns with both hands. "I move magic. I change magic. The hows are still important, but I was starting on the wrong step." He fell to all fours and hopped over to one of the room lights. "We're lucky. This place is full of magic." He reared up tall, not that tsuki were good at not being tall. "So I can borrow magic from here."

He began tapping at the light, tinking a claw against it. "Then I can change it and direct it. I can do magic. Not make it! Change it. Almost as good." He began to clap his paws eagerly. "I just need something to start from."

Harry stepped up onto his bed and sank down on it. "What do you do if there isn't something magic around?"

Arnavon frowned at the idea. "Um... Well...." He began to thump the ground with a powerful hindleg. "That'd be a problem... Oh! But I could get something. Something portable! If I carry magic with me, then I'll always have magic to use."

Harry rubbed at his cheek. "I'll have a--"

"Give me permission," cut in Arnavon, bouncing just a little in place. "Send me to buy something, and I'll buy it. I have coins, but an owl shopping without permission..."

"Would be bad," agreed Harry. "Alright, if you're sure you can do it. Arnavon, fetch me something magical and easy to carry."

"With pleasure!" Arnavon began to clap with new joy. "So what happened to you two? Did you wrestle?"

Ron laughed at the idea. "Sort of, but no. Wait 'till you get a load of this." And he began to explain the battle they had rescuing a friend from a troll.
> 10 - Plans
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"This is not what the stars said before." The astrology teacher scowled at the others, her fingers steepled before her. "And their divergence is only growing with time. Fate itself is unraveling."

Dumbledore spread his hands out, palm side up. "Surely not the entire thing?"

"Not the entire thing. There is a focus." She snapped two fingers, drawing a bit of paper from among many to hover before them. "It centers on this student." She tapped at the hovering equine face of one Mister Potter. "We can start with the obvious, he carries a heavy prophetic burden already."

Snape leaned forward, weight on an elbow on the table. "From what I hear, he's been an eager student, equine or not."

Dumbledore met Aurora's serious eyes. "Not all in bad ways, I would hope?"

"How can we tell?" Her brows went up. "The changes make changes, which in turn creates further chaos. We never live in complete certainty, of course, but this is a step beyond that, my colleagues. Anything could happen, and all promises made, no matter how large or small, could be negated."

Snape turned his eyes on Dumbledore. "This experiment of--"

"--It's not an experiment," cut off the kindly magician. "It was a mercy."

"A mercy that comes with a price." The last word was emphasized with Snape's fist against the table. "Will he be ready to do what must be done? His life will be in very real danger, as will many others. Playing with that? Not a light bet to take, old friend."

Aurora turned her stern gaze on Snape. "You two know something. It's time to share. What games are you two playing at?"

"It's not a game," gently assured Dumbledore.

"Then stop treating it like one." Snape grunted with clear irritation. "The prophecies were quite clear, but you had to send him to a magical realm, denying him any Earth background. When things get tough, will he even care about what's at stake? It is of no risk to what he holds dear."

Aurora extended one finger. "He seems to already be forming bonds."

Dumbledore let out a little jovial laugh at that. "You have had little experience with that realm, I gather. Friendship is a potent force there. Mister Potter is assembling what he needs without even knowing what he is preparing for. Allies to fight for, and next to. I feel confident that when it comes time, he will rise to the challenge."

"Fools, the lot of you." Snape rose to his feet in a smooth motion. "On your heads be it." He strode from the room with firm steps that made little noise on the floor, save for the click of the door shutting behind him.





A dark figure rose in an equally gloomy room. The lights had been quashed, just the stars outside allowed any light at all, which wasn't much. The figure drifted closer with a malign smile and a prepared wand. Its target was at hand, a half-blood, much like he was. How they had escaped his detection for so long, a matter of fury.

But that would be soon fixed.

"Hello." A large furry figure stood up from where it had been napping on the floor. "Are--"

The unknown figure spat out vile words, "Avada Kedavra", magic surging through its wand to strike at Arnavon. Those words did not sound nice, nor did the figure seem to  be brimming with good cheer. Arnavon casually declined the spell, instead letting it flow angrily across his body to gather at his hands where he could get a look at it as it jumped and sparked with the darkest of intentions. "Harry?"

His confused call and the angry magic was quite enough to stir the other two in the room. Harry and Ron sitting up with startled noises. Harry's horn began to glow, casting light over the area. He got his first look at who would be the predominant opponent in the coming years. Voldemort scowled at the interruption. "Another time," he sighed out, fading from view.

"What in blazes was that going on there?!" Ron gestured wildly at where the creepy person had been standing.

"You two alright?" Harry looked between Ron and Arnavon.

"I'm mostly alright." Arnavon stepped towards Harry, wincing as he walked. "Ow."

Harry's face became worried. "Did that thing hurt you?!"

"Yes," admitted Arnavon plainly. "I stopped his magic." He held up the still angry sorcery. "But it burns wherever it touches, and it touched me." There was an angry line across Arnavon, trailing a line from where he had been hit towards his hands. "It's not that bad, but it stings!"

Ron squinted at the held magic. "Alright, first of all, that's wild. Good thing you were here, Arnie!"

"Absolutely," gushed Harry in agreement. "But that..." He pointed a hoof at the captured magic. "That does not look like any kind of magic I'd want to be around. Why are you still holding it?"

"I thought..." He turned the magic this way and that, inspecting it from other angles. "I wasn't sure! Maybe we should show it to the teachers? They may know what it is."

Ron shrugged softly. "Maybe? Look, I'm not getting any sleep tonight, I don't think. I say we head to find help."

"Solid idea." Harry slid from his bed with a clop and brought his clothes over, floating over, then slipping onto him under his magic's guidance. "I don't feel very sleepy anymore either."

Thus it was that two students and a strangely large owl descended from their dorms. This was not allowed in the middle of the night, and a prefect was there to stop just that sort of thing. With crossed arms, he stood guard at the entrance to the dorms at large. "What are you doing here?" he called out as the group came into view. "Go on back to bed."

Harry inclined his horn, no longer glowing as that section of the dorm was lit on its own, towards Arnavon. "We were attacked, and he's holding the spell that did it."

"Right here!" excitedly gushed Arnavon, not very afraid of what could have killed him.

Arnavon thrust his hand forward at the hall monitor. "Right here."

The prefect was no master of the dark arts, but one did not have to be to see how worrying that angry ball of magic appeared to be. "Merlin's Beard! You did not say your owl could cast dark magic."

"I didn't," softly whined Arnavon.

Ron stepped forward, waving both hands negatively. "Shove off with that. He saved us from what actually cast it. He's holdin' it so we can get it looked at. Tell us where to go."

"And not our beds," added Harry to be sure.

"L-likely a case for Quirinus." The monitor tapped a foot on the floor, looking around and trying to gather his thoughts as if he'd just dropped them across the floor. "It's terribly late... But this is important--"

"--You don't say?" cut in Ron.

"--I do say, young man." The prefect started to move. "Follow me, and be careful with that!" The green and black energy of what was likely a curse, probably a very bad one, did nothing to calm the prefect.  He led them into the main portion of the school, where other prefects noticed the band and began asking curiously what was going on. "Just taking them to see Professor Quirrell."

Despite his words, they attracted other curious souls, and a small mob arrived at the professor's door. "Really, I can handle it," assured the original prefect, raising a hand to knock smartly. "Sir? Terribly sorry to trouble you at this time of night."

The door swung open with barely a pause, the turbaned professor smiling at the entire crowd. "Oh, what a-an.... a... surprise." He smiled nervously, but that was not unusual for him. His eyes swept over the crowd, pausing at Arnavon. "Deary m-me..."

Ron gestured at the nasty bit of magic. "That's what we're here for."

Professor Quirrell considered it a moment. "Your owl, if I, hm, recall?"

Harry bobbed his head quickly. "Yes, sir. Arnavon is his name."

"Hi!" Arnavon waved fingers of his less occupied hand, having moved the spell entirely to his right hand.

"Arnavon, can you, um, put that... away?"

"No." Arnavon shook his head quickly. "If I swallowed it, it'd probably hurt, a lot. Maybe a lot lot. Maybe dead lot. Um, sir!" He added the last bit with a faint reddening, remembering his manners.

Professor Quirrell circled the strangely long-eared owl. "Well, it's not much safer there, no, n-no... That's no good..." He waved the prefects away. "I... have th-this under c-c-control." Soon they were gone, the door closed and the students inside. Them and their owl. "Now, hm, Arnavon, can you put that somewhere else?"

"Where?" Arnavon was prone to one word answers that night, a thing that only made him blush on realizing it. "This is making me very nervous, sir. I don't want to hold it, but I thought someone would want to look at it."

"That is a killing curse," announced the professor with all due gravity, even managing to not stutter. "No g-good can... come from that."

Arnavon hopped suddenly to the nearest window, butting it open with a headslam against it. With a pitcher's throw, he sent the angry magic out into the darkness, away from the school. He turned back to the others, nose paled and body shivering softly. "Did you say killing curse?!" he blurted, as if his reaction to be rid of it had acted faster than his thinking mind could keep up.

"Oh yes, o-oh yes yes yes..." The professor worried his fingers together. "That makes you the second..." He paused. Was Arnavon a person? "Second person to survive one."

"That doesn't make me feel good!" yelped Arnavon with obvious fright. "Why was that...whoever they were... Why did they want me dead? I just said hi!"

"B-be calm..." The professor waved downwards in an attempt to placate Arnavon, but his eyes were moving for Harry Potter. "Good... G-good thing you have my class tomorrow, hm?"

Harry and Ron shared a look, to both nod together. It was true! "Defense against dark arts," they said as one.

"E-e-exactly right." The professor nodded. "I'll be... excepting you both." He looked at Arnavon a moment longer than required. "I-is there... anything, hm, else?"

Ron threw his hands out wide. "We were just attacked in the middle of the night and you ask 'anything else'? That not 'nough for ya?"

"Gonna have to side with Ron on this." Harry took a step forward. "We were attacked by... something."

"Someone, I think." Arnavon scratched at his cheek with his hand, no longer occupied with dread magic.

"T-they're, you know, gone now. Nothing t-to worry about." He flashed a smile that did not fill them with confidence. "N-nothing to be done. Oh!" He reached into his pants and drew out a small stone. "Here." He placed it on Ron's available hand. "T-that'll protect you."

Ron closed his fingers around it. "That's more like it! This'll protect us from any crazy death spells?"

"I p-promise." Quirrell raised a hand in emphasis with the vow. "You'll be alive t-tomorrow. Lifetime guarantee!"

Harry laughed at that. "That was just awful." But perhaps well timed, some of the tension broken with the joke in poor taste. "Alright, alright... Ron, Arnie? Let's head back."

Arnavon stepped towards Harry, still up on his hinds. "I'll stay close to you, Harry."

Harry turned an ear. "Why? You were the one attacked."

"I don't think they were coming for me." Arnavon looked over his shoulder as if that dread figure could be right there, waiting for a chance to strike. "Can I sleep with you?"

"You already do," noted Harry. "We share a room. Kinda normal for owls." They left Quirrell behind, walking through the darkened, but not black, halls.

"Closer." Arnavon grabbed Harry at the shoulder. "Close as it gets."
> 11 - Protection
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The class was quite the spectacle of flying green sparks. Just about every wand was lit up, firing them in a soft stream. "As y-you can see." The turbaned Quirinus Quirrell had taught them a new spell despite his stuttering, an amazement for many there. "Very useful... For, when, hm, y-you need to c-c-call for help.

Harry considered his fwooshing wand. Calling for help was nice and all, but... He had some kind of dark thing that was gunning for him, or someone near him. He wasn't sure how well a magical flare would do the trick to keep him or much of anyone else self. Still, at least it was a new spell.

On almost a lark, he waved his other horn, the built in model. Soon he had two bright fountains of greens sparks coming from him. It was enough to get a little laugh out of him.

Hermione gave Harry a sudden swat across the back. "Take this seriously! This isn't a game."

"Right right." Harry pulled back the sparking his horn was doing with a huff. Hermione could be a real stick in the mud at times. "How useful do you think this'll be?"

"Not at all," she stated bluntly. "Until it is. It's that kind of thing. "

"Very.... Good." The teacher was smiling at Hermione's logic. "K-keep practicing!"





Ron was quick to move to Harry's side as they left the classroom. "That is not going to save us."

"Don't imagine it will." Harry frowned with thought. "I see why the others don't speak... fondly of this class."

"Too right, a joke, like they said." Ron shrugged, arms crossing as he walked. "Are we on our own?"

Harry considered that a brief moment. "Well, I'm friends with at least one person." He took the next corner. "A professor."

"Better than that one?" Ron hiked a thumb behind them at the teacher they had just left.

"I certainly hope so." Harry focused on a quick trot out of the building. The teacher he was aiming for was more often outside. There, tending the grounds. "Professor Hagrid!" He sped up to a proper gallop the short remaining distance. "Have you a moment?"

Hagrid turned with a jovial smile. "For you, young Potter? Of course ah do. What are yeh needin'?"

Ron was huffing, having to break into a proper run to keep up. "Oh, um, hello, sir..."

Harry angled his horn at Ron. "We're under attack, um, not right this second, but before. Something came in the middle of the night, out of nowhere, and attacked us."

"With a killing curse," added Ron. "Don't forget that part."

Hagrid's smile was lost to a heavy frown. "A killing curse?" Neither of the two wizards before him appeared to be dead, thankfully. "What happened?"

Harry sat, raising his hooves to pantomime wildly. "Some creepy person just showed up. Arnie was in the way, took the spell--"

Hagrid's large hands grabbed Harry by the shoulders. "He isn't?!"

Harry was stunned a moment, at the question and Hagrid's sharp motion. "Uh, oh, no! No no no! Arnie's alright. Tsuki that know anything about magic are really hard to use magic on they don't want to be messing with, sir."

Ron held out a hand much as Arnavon had done. "He was holding it. The curse! What kind of strange thing is that? Is that a trick I could learn, you think?"

Hagrid released Harry to shake a finger at Ron. "That sounds like ah trick that well could be yer last. Ah can't recommend tryin' it none." He heaved a great sigh, but the giant of a teacher often did things greatly. He couldn't really help it. "Then what?"

Harry set his hooves down. "We were awake, Arnie was scared, and whatever it was decided to leave, jus' like that."

"It wasn't supposed to be that fast," grumbled Hagrid under his breath. Though under his breath was still fairly audible. "Send Arnavon my thanks, for protectin' yeh."

Harry burst into a brief laugh. "I will, sir. I already thanked him before, but another won't do any harm."

"I'd kiss him." Ron shrugged. "If he was a she, and not all furry."

Harry turned one ear back, the other at Ron. "Aw shoot, my chances are done then?"

Ron shoved Harry, the two laughing like the boys they were at the immature humor. The sight brought a little smile back to Hagrid's face. "Alright. For now, stay close." He brought his hands together. "Safety in numbers. Ah'll do some diggin', promise ya that."

"Thanks so much." Harry rose up to his hooves fully. "At least someone is taking this serious."

"Right?!" Ron threw up a hand, but they were walking away together, leaving Hagrid to his business. "Check that out." With someone responsible informed, Ron was eager to focus on other things. He was pointing at a few people zipping by far in the air.

Harry looked up at them with a soft huh. "Brooms, right?"

"Too right." Ron clapped his hands together. "Can't wait 'till we're allowed to try them out." He looked over at Harry from the corner of his eye. "Uh... Can you fit proper on a broom?"

"'Course I can!" Not that he had ever tried it. "Besides, you know I can stand up, right?" He demonstrated just that, rising up onto his hinds, wobbling a bit with the effort of balancing. "See?"

"That doesn't look super stable." The temptation to try knocking Harry over was there, but Ron resisted that. "Guess we'll find out for sure when you get one. Oh, your mom can afford one, I hope, for next year?"

"Why next year?"

Ron rolled his eyes as if it were just so very obvious. "First years don't get to ride brooms. That's what we are. Freshmen."

"We could just not take a shower for a few days." He waggled his brows. "Wouldn't be so fresh then."

"Get out!" And his ability to resist was exhausted. Ron gave Harry a good shove, knocking him forward onto his hooves easily. "You know that wouldn't work."

"No," laughed Harry, not that offended at being pushed. "But it's funny to imagine."





A sharp rap made Dumbledore look up. "Who is it?"

"It's me," called a familiar tone.

"Come in." And in came Hagrid, ducking low to get past the door. "That's a rare sight in this corner of the campus. What's on your mind?"

"Plenty." Hagrid clapped his hands together. "Mister Potter's been attacked."

Dumbledore frowned at the idea. "I heard rumors, but thought it was just that. Are you the first teacher they've told?"

"I can only guess?" He shrugged helplessly at that. "It's not good is what it ain't. A death curse, they said." His fingers wriggled expressively. "Can ye even 'magine it, here?!"

"Unfortunately... There weren't any... losses, I assume?" Surely he would have been informed of that.

"I told you lettin' the owl stay with him was a fine idea." Hagrid looked mighty smug on that point. "Kept him safe. Like a shield, apparently."

"Would that we could all have such a shield." Dumbledore finished whatever note he had been in the middle of, nudging it aside. "But, for now... I think we need to push things forward."





Harry arrived at his room, looking satisfied enough with whatever lessons he had. It was to his surprise that his oddly furry owl actually had a letter for him. Harry's horn glowed as he lifted it from Arnavon's fingers. "Thanks."

"Letter, from home?" Ron was coming in, passing Harry. "I didn't hear much about what your home's like. They rotting for ya?"

"Oh yeah." He made a slicing motion with a hoof, his magic replicating it, opening the envelope so he could pull out the letter, folded neatly in half. "Mom and dad's both excited to see what I learn."

"Mine too!" Ron thrust a closed fist into the air, the rest of him flopping over onto his bed. "Thanks to the chums I've made, I feel my odds're good they'll be happy with my grades, come break time."

"Cad--Your mom is very proud," assured Arnavon, sitting up on his haunches, where he was about as tall as everyone else, perhaps a bit taller still. "I tell her what you're doing."

"You do?!" Harry's eyes swept over the letter.



Hello Son,
We are both tremendously proud of you, but also concerned. While your studiousness in class is to be admired, and we both are, we don't like the idea of you being attacked. I was told that this was a safe school. Now, don't be worried



Harry frowned. "Too late for that," he grumbled, but went on reading.



because we have an answer that does not involve you leaving. I know you are having fun, and finding yourself. Both of those are very valuable things. I'd be a terrible mother to deny you either. So, instead, I am petitioning the staff of your school to allow somepony else to join you. You know her quite well. She'll keep an eye on you, and you'll help her study. Everypony wins.



Harry applied a hoof to his face. "Mom! There's no way they're gonna let this happen. We're in the middle of the semester at that!" To say nothing of the fact that his sister was entirely inhuman. Not even half blood to duck behind. She was a pony, 100%.



	Now don't you worry. Leave this to me. I know how to chat, one leader of an important place to another. Flurry's been missing you so much! She'll be so happy to join you.

Wishing You The Very Best,
Mom



Harry set down the note with a deep sigh. "There are so many things wrong with this idea."

"What idea?" Ron rolled to face Harry. "Your parents trying to get you to come home early?"

"Worse." Harry tapped at the letter. "They plan to send my sister to join me."

Ron hiked a brow. "Well, alright? What's the big deal? Families go to Hogwarts all the time, the way I hear it. Shoot, look at my family." He looked proud in that moment. "So let them send her. We'll give a hand, show her the ropes."

"I don't have any of those," taunted Harry. "But she's not human. I'm at least half human. She's just not."

"So... what is she, even more horse than you are?" Ron tried to imagine Harry with even more equine attributes, though it was hard to imagine how to make Harry, a pony, even more horse-like. He was a horse.

"We look the same," sighed out Harry. "Though she is a lot more colorful." He thrust a hoof over his back. "She also has wings, and she can use them. But she also has--" He pointed up at his horn. "And she can use that too. I'd say she's at least as talented as I am, maybe more..."

Arnavon suddenly hugged Harry from behind. "You two were special in different ways. In magic you were great. Just, um, different, like I said."

Harry wriggled free of the gasp with laughter. "Stop that! I know, I know. Besides, she seems to think Flurry can protect me, but she's a... she. They'll put her, if she even gets in, with the witches." He waved a hoof about. "Not with us wizards."

Arnavon inclined his head slowly. "I'm not a wizard and I'm here."

"That's because... you did something..." He sank miserably in place. "Which she's going to do. Harmony forfend... How is she going to talk them into becoming my roomie?"

Ron's snickers broke into laughter unevenly. "Get out. Are you serious? They'd never let us share rooms with a lady. That's against basically all the rules they have."

Harry pointed at Arnavon accusingly. "Any more or less than a magical being being allowed to pretend to be an owl when everyone involved knows that he is definitely not an owl."

Ron and Harry both looked at Arnavon. Would Flurry manage?

"That's hurtful." Arnavon crossed his arms. "I get your mail and things just fine. I'm at least a passable owl."
> 12 - Unacceptable
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

He slapped the table between them with a scowl as heavy as could be mustered. "And you know it!" The slapping hand turned to an accusing pointing at Dumbledore. "This is going too far! Are you looking for all the rules to rend them all asunder? Is that the goal now?" To say Snape was bothered would be a criminal understatement.

"Let's look at this logically," posited Dumbedore in a calm way, not at all ruffled despite the anger displayed. "She isn't a wizard, or a witch. She is a magical being. As a magical being, the very rules you're speaking of simply do not apply to her. Would Mister Potter having a house elf be of any large concern?"

Instead of answering that, Snape turned his attention on Hagrid. "You're the resident expert on this. Would you permit a student that was not Mister Potter to have a winged, spell slinging magical being as a... What, pet? A freshman at that. A pet that wields more magic than they do, sharing a room with another freshman that is equally as unskilled. Is that normal?"

"Ye won't be gettin' me tah kneel tah traditions," huffed out the gentle giant, arms crossed. "Mister Potter's bein' attacked. If she can help keep 'em safe, than that's good! Besides, they're related, and know it, so it ain't likely they'll do much improper."

Snape set a hand over his face for a moment, a weary sigh escaping him. "They're not related, by blood. But I won't even start arguing that. Famial bonds are more than blood relations, I know that."

"Then there should be no problem." Dumbledore set his foot down, figuratively, brushing the topic on to other matters that needed attention.





"Wow!" Flurry stepped off the train, craning her neck to take in the splendors of Hogwarts. "Wow! Humans really can make nice places." She clapped her hooves with giddy excitement. "Gonna learn so much magic. Hope you enjoyed your headstart, Bro, because I'm catching up." She lunged into a spirited trot, faint giggles escaping her in her excitement.

She did not wear a customary hat. She had no name tag. She was carrying no books, even in her pockets. She was a magical being, not a witch, so she had been sent no list of things to bring. "Woah there." A human stood in her way, hands up. "Woah..." When she slowed, he seemed relieved. "Good boy. Good... whatever you are... Now who left you here?"

Flurry raised a brow at the person. "Excuse me?"

"Oh! You talk." That seemed both a positive and a surprising thing. "Hello."

"Hey." Flurry smiled brightly, wings unfolding partially. "I'm new here."

"I'd say so!" Surely news of a vibrantly colored pegacorn could have been quite the thing for people to talk about. "Are you just visiting? Curious about Hogwarts?" It wasn't impossible for a random passing magical being to just poke their nose in, but it was just as much his job to stop them from going where they didn't belong. 

"I'm very curious, but I'm not visiting." She shook her head with one brow raised. "I'm here to learn all kinds of magic." Her horn began to glow. "I'm already pretty good at it, but I could get better!"

This was confusing. Hogwarts was not in the business of educating magical beings. "Um... We teach wizards and witches here, and you aren't either of those."

That glowing horn of hers drew a card, a picture on it animated of an elderly man handing a card to the viewer. If one leaned in really close, it was the very same card, with a smaller animated image of the man handing over the card, offering a taste of infinity. "This says I have permission to be here, I think."

The prefect snatched the floating card free of the air. "Let me see this." There as Dumbledore, handing the card over. "Hm... Do you know who you're supposed to talk to?"

Flurry looked unsure a moment, but it came to her with a bright smile. "My brother! Harry Potter." She burst into giggles suddenly. "That's still a silly name for a silly pony. Oh, is that a human name? What's your name?!"

The prefect considered the magical being. "Mister Potter's in class right now."

"Then I'll join him there. Thanks!" And without even a moment delay, she vanished in a haze of sparkles that faded away.

"That isn't safe..." The prefect could do little more about that situation. She had left the area he was minding.

Flurry appeared further inside Hogwart, turning her head left and right slowly until her horn began to beep and vibrate. "There you are." Her magical radar having done its job, she accelerated towards her goal. "No hiding from your big sister!"





Harry was busy not learning magic. Being a wizard was more than just learning an ever growing collection of spells, it turned out. At that moment, they were going over the uses of a particular plant in potion brewing. Making potions was a big deal in the wizarding world. It wasn't something Harry felt personally hugely drawn to, but he paid attention to the lecture being given as best he could.

"There you are!" The door to the hallway slapped open, allowing a teenaged alicorn to step inside with a big ole smile on her face. How she had found him, visually, was not hard to imagine. Aside from herself, he was the only equine in the area.

Professor Longbottom had his wand out in a flash. "Colloshoo!" Magic flared both on the drawn wand and at the intruder's hooves. "Don't worry, I'll protect you, class."

Flurry turned to Longbottom, or tried to. She discovered quickly that her hooves were stuck to the floor as if glued firmly in place. "Hey! That isn't very nice at all." She might have crossed her arms, but that was not an option with all four hooves glued down to the floor. "I'm here to join your class."

Harry's cheeks were bright red. He knew who Flurry Heart was, and, likely, soon the rest of the school would too. "Don't hurt her, please... She's... my sister."

"Your sister?" Nelville Longbottom looked at Harry with obvious doubt. "You... have some similarity." They were both horses, but past that, there were a lot of differences. Big ones! Still... "If you want to join us, quietly." He waved his wand at Flurry, lifting her up whole body to float her to the back of the room and letting her back down to re-stick to the floor. "Do so there. And no talking in the middle of lecture." It was as if the moment she wasn't a dangerous beast, she was just something to be told to mind their manners.

With a last wave, the door was bid shut, and he put his wand away. "Apologies for the interruption. Now, where were we...?" And the class resumed. That isn't to say the students just forgot the new arrival. They snuck glances and whispered curious little questions among themselves at the strange equine that had joined them. It had a horn and wings. It was larger than Harry, and it had talked. His sister, he had claimed. And the colors! Pink pelt with a mane of blues and purples, it was hard to miss compared to the earth tones of Harry. She had big bright blue eyes that were darting about.

Harry sat up as something bumped into him. At a glance he could see a bit of paper glowing with Flurry's magic. The color shifted as he took hold of it and set it in front of himself, no longer as obvious to the teacher.



Bro!

Your teacher's a meanie. Found you! Are we the only ponies here? They should let more ponies in. Not like we don't want to learn some magic. What even is this class? Nocreature's doing any magic at all, just listening to the meanie talk about plants, yawn! What do plants have to do with magic? I don't get it.

At least I found you. Mom was worried I wouldn't be able to, but Twilight taught us that spell, remember? Finding you was super easy! For a magic school, it was really easy to get around.



Harry rolled his eyes at the words written there. "Just be quiet," he mumbled under his breath. Dealing with Flurry would have to wait until after class.

Another paper tapped against his round cheek. Harry took it in his magic and slapped it down to join the first.



Are you ignoring me? Don't be like that! I'm your sister, Harry. Your big sister! Show some respect. I'm stuck back here. You could at least pretend you know I'm here. Are you having that much fun learning about that silly plant? What kind of magic can you do with that?



Harry raised a hoof to block even looking in Flurry's direction. He had notes to take! He was taking them! He was paying attention, yes, and would not get in trouble.

When the class was allowed to rise and start leaving, a joyous noise rose. "Finally!" Flurry had been released of her trapped state and was hurrying towards Harry. "Found you!"

"Yes, yes, you found me." Harry tucked his books away safely. "But you're in a school. Show at least a little respect."

Flurry stuck out her tongue at that. "I will as soon as they show something interesting. That was forever just talking about a plant. What was the point of that?"

"That's your sister, right?" Ron was there, seated next to Harry and looking at Flurry curiously. "Hey."

"Hi!" She smiled at the friendly human, a nice change of pace from the last. "I'm Flurry Heart, Harry's sister."

"I'm Ronald Weasley." He hiked a thumb at himself. "Harry's friend and roomie. Did they let you join the school then?"

"Did they?" echoed Harry, standing up.

"Sorta!" Flurry grinned mischievously. "They said I could be with you." She pointed at Harry. "I had to follow the rules though. Whatever. I want to learn magic too! When do we get to that part?"

Harry raised a hoof to her snout, pushing her back. "Easy. Being a wizard is more than casting spells. Those plants can make for great potions, which can do all kinds of things."

"Glad someone was paying attention." Professor Longbottom was there, having approached quietly during the conversation. "The fine art of herbology is a storied history that has saved the day on quite more than one occasion, young lady?" As if he wasn't 100% on that with Flurry Heart. "I'll thank you not to interrupt the class like that again. What house are you with?"

Flurry squinted with new thought. "House? Um, House Equestria!" She nodded firmly, sure of her logic.

Harry laughed instead. "That isn't a Hogwarts house, which I don't think she has."

"Lucky for them." Professor Longbottom crossed his arms. "An interruption like that would definitely be worth some lost points. Wait, if she doesn't have a house... Are you enrolled?"

Flurry drew that card from earlier, presenting it to the teacher. "Here."

He looked it over briefly. "Ah, you're in Mister Potter's care. Unfortunately for him, that makes you his responsibility. Which means Gryffindor is losing points today."

Harry and Ron both groaned at the news. Ron swatted at the new horse companion. "We're not gonna make many friends if you cost the house their points like that. We have to follow the rules and show how we're good wizards."

Flurry was too busy giggling, eyes on Harry. "Did you hear that? I'm in your care, brother." She cupped her chin between two hooves, swooning dramatically. "Please take care of me, brother. Only you can keep me safe."

Harry gave her a shove, which only made her laugh more. "Stop that! Come on, we'll be late to the next class, which you won't interrupt, even if you think it's boring. You decided to come here, remember."
> 13 - Family Bonds
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Nice place. Hey Arnie!" Flurry waved at Arnavon even as she wandered their room, examining everything with equal fascination. "I promise I won't get my girl cooties all over your little stallion-pad here."

"I find that hard to believe." Harry twisted his head towards Ron in a sweep of his neck. "Sorry, for all of this. It's--"

"--Family," cut in Ron. "Been there. Won't hold it against you." They met, hand to hoof, still friends even if a brightly colored family member had been thrust on them. "So, hey, what kind of magic does she do?"

"All kinds!" The question was enough to attract Flurry's smiling attention. "I only had one tutor back where I'm from, but she's about the best there is. I'll be really surprised if any teacher here can compete with Twilight."

"Twilight is pretty good," allowed Harry. "But she's still one pony. The teachers here, together, have information that'll blow your mind." He sat to spread his hooves in emphasis of that point. "They know spells, sure, but they also know astrology, herbology, defense against the dark arts and so much else. They make full on wizards here."

Ron waffled a hand a bit. "What does this 'Twilight' make? They're a, uh, pony, like you two, right?"

Arnavon grabbed Flurry despite the conversation going on, delivering a great big hug. "It's been so long!" Soon he was being hugged back, which only made him happier. "Was it hard getting here?"

"Just a brief train ride." Flurry snuggled in against the affectionate tsuki. "Missed you too! I hear you and Harry are not keeping out of trouble, so I came to lend a hoof and learn some more magic." Her horn glowed with that promise, or was it more of a threat?

Harry shook his head with a little smile at the reunion of the two. "Twilight's a, uh, pony version of a wizard. She's an expert at magic, has made a new spell before, and she's a princess."

"I'm a princess." Flurry heart extended her tongue at Harry with a nyah of a noise. "Don't see me showing it off."

"You just did," noted Harry a bit flatly. "Now, see, this is a school. A serious school." He tapped the ground with each word. "It has rules, and breaking those rules can get you in trouble, but more than that, it gets the people around you in trouble, and then they're really—"

"Pissed," concluded Ron. "Which won't make you many friends. You want to be friends with most than just your bro here, right?"

Flurry batted her lashes at Ron. "Well, you count, don't you?"

"Right good at it," he got out with a laugh. "But seriously, can't go losing the house points like that."

"Never again, please." Harry turned away from the both of them. "Now, you weren't paying attention to herbology, so we need to go over those plants again." He ignored her suffering groan. "But, after that, we can practice that new spell." That got her clapping with excitement.

"Alright, fine. Boring stuff, then to the fun stuff." She sank to her haunches. "Hit me with your plant trivia!" So it was that they dug out their books and went over the plants of the day. "Really?" She leaned in, peering at the book. "It can do that?"

"And so much more." Harry tapped at the same page. "That's what I was telling you. Prepared properly, plants can do all kinds of things."

"Hm." Flurry didn't complain again, at least for that session. "And now that we have that down... magic?"

Ron dug out his wand. "You are something else. Alright, you said you know some magic already, right?"

Harry was quick to raise a hoof. "Pony magic, not a word of human magic, so far."

Flurry looked between the two. "Is human magic that different?"

Harry curled a hoof back on himself. "Remember when I used to say funny words as I did spells?"

Flurry's eyes went wide. "That was human magic?! Why did you know that before you even got here?" She leaned off to the side, examining Harry's rump. "Is that your talent? Not fair, you have magic as a talent!" She began to stomp in place in a little tantrum. "Bad enough Twilight had one!"

"Talent?" Ron looked helplessly between the two ponies.

Fortunately, Arnavon was there. "Ponies have a talent." He pointed to either of their rumps, highlighting the icons on them. "When they learn what they're drawn to, it goes here. A pony is usually really good at whatever it is."

Flurry swatted Arnavon away. "Rude. Don't invite random stallions to stare there." She burst into giggles, revealing how seriously she considered that. "Mine is related to my family." She showed it off despite any earlier misgivings. There was the crystal heart, with new fine lines cradling it, making hers different than her mother's, though still quite similar. "I'll be ruler of the Crystal Empire some day."

Harry let out quite the loud snort. "Don't get a big head about it. It's not even promised."

"Not promised?!" She pointed back at her cutie mark. "That looks like a promise to me. What do you call it?"

"A crystal heart." Harry crossed his arms with a bit of a smirk. "Doesn't show the empire. Maybe you'll show off its crystal heartiness somewhere else. Maybe the whole empire will be gone." He threw those hooves aside. "Poof, we can't know."

Ronald bounced a finger between the two ponies. "So you get your fates written on your butts? But only when you... realize what that fate could be, but it could still be wrong... am I following right?"

Harry grabbed the abandoned schoolwork book in his mouth and with a toss, sent it flying to land on the shelf it belonged. "Basically."

"So... Awkward question maybe, but why ain't you got one then?" It was true, Harry Potter had no cutie mark at all, his rump was blank. He looked like any horse really, with a horn.

Flurry's wings shot out as she came towards Ron. "That's what I was thinking. He's acting like he has all sorts of talents, but no cutie mark yet? That isn't right either." She leveled an accusing hoof at Harry. "Get your cutie mark so I can know for sure if your talent is magic or not."

Harry hopped up onto his bed. "I didn't claim I had any talent at all, that was you. I'm paying attention in class, is that a talent?"

"Maybe!" She blew a raspberry. "Now what's this thing that was trying to hurt you? This school seems peaceful."

Arnavon clasped his fingers into a heart shape. "It is! I like it here quite a bit. But there was this nasty... I don't know what it was... A nasty creature, all pale, with no nose... Two legged! It cast a killing spell at me!"

"Why aren't you dead?" Flurry looked for signs that Arnavon was, in fact, quite dead. "Not a very good spell."

Arnavon giggled, which turned into a proper laugh. "Silly! Tsuki has a specialty, remember." He waggled his fingers at the new alicorn. "Go ahead, cast a spell at me, any of them. Any at all, um, directly."

"Directly? Well... Since you're so happy, what if this!" She lowered her horn, zapping Arnavon with a bright bolt of her magic.

Which he caught like he was playing a casual game, bouncing it between his paws with his big smile. "You can't use magic on a tsuki if they don't want it." He let her lean in for a peak at her own spell, just the right time to throw it in a casual lob, poofing against her snout.

"Hey!" Her voice was high and squeaky under the effect of her own magic. "Not fair!" she demanded as if she were a tiny angry mouse. She crashed to her belly, going quiet instead of embarrass herself with more squeaks that were clearly making Arnavon quite amused.

Ron too from the wry smirk on his face. "That's quite the spell there. You didn't use any words, a spell you use a lot?"

Harry answered that first, hoof raised. "For ponies it's different. Most of their spells have no words. And no wand, just the built in one." He pointed up at his horn. "Maybe it being a part of us makes the difference?"

"Maybe." Ron shrugged softly. "Still, she was a good sport about it all. Say we show her a human spell. Her first?"

"My first!" She was still squeaking, but the offer of a new spell was enough to capture her attention. "Show me what you have."

So it was that Ron showed her one of the least potentially harmful, he figured. It was good that it amused her, with Flurry dancing her head back and forth, a stream of green sparkles gushing out of her horn. "The words are funny. I'm not a pro, like Twilight, I can't just... break the spell apart like she might... I'll have to use it like it is."

Harry's brows came together. "Probably for the best, that. Don't need the teachers getting upset if you make them look bad at what they do. Do human magic like humans do."

"Only if they promise to do unicorn magic like a unicorn." She sat up, confident in her unassailable logic. "Fair's fair."

"If they want to try that." Harry frowned suddenly. "I wonder if they could... I can do either, but I am either. Not a fair example, taking someone who's both. You can use human magic though."

"I can," sang Flurry, a bit in pride, and her voice restored. "The real trick would be using a human spell like a unicorn. Or a human managing it at all, with on their... fake horn..." She peered at Ron's wand as if it had done something wrong. "Just imitating the real thing, you know that right?"

Ron didn't look upset. "You know they use unicorn hairs or horns in wands sometimes, right?"

Flurry paled at the very idea, clapping both hooves on her horn from either side. "You wouldn't! Harry, stop him from looking at me like that!" She shrank back from the suddenly predatory glare of the human.

Harry was only laughing at the exchange. "The unicorns they'd consider are not like you, Flurry, promise. You're safe. Besides, you're also mine, in theory, so anyone who got that idea would have to ask me real nice."

"And you'd tell them to fly a kite?" suggested Flurry with a big smile.

"Maybe... Depends on if you get your act together." He got paffed with a flying pillow. "Well, now I'm not sure." The siblings fell in to a spirited little brawl, hooves and cushions flying as they attempted to beat other into submission.

Arnavon squatted next to Ron. "They love each other a lot."

"Oh, is that what it is? Yeah... Been there with my sibs." He shrugged, getting the grasp of what was playing out in front of them. 

"Very much, yes. She came all this way just to protect her brother. That's very kind of her." Arnavon tapped his fingers together. "I hope it's a waste of time. All she'll do is learn some new magic, maybe have some fun, but never fight anything."

"We can hope." Ron set his wand on a small table. "It's about bed time, which reminds me, where is Flurry sleeping? We only got two beds in here."

Flurry stopped fighting, catching a pillow to a snout to end things with. "Um." Her eyes moved between the two beds available. "Where does Arnavon sleep?

He thudded to the ground, ready for sleep.

"Oh." That the floor wasn't where she wanted to be was clear on her face. "Well, I'm supposed to guard you." She thrust a hoof at Harry. "So here." She turned away from him and flopped over, her horn glowing as she drew a pillow under her head, getting cozy on his bed.

Harry suddenly had a lot less bed to work with...
> 14 - Getting Comfortable
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

So it was that Harry could get from class to class. They did not bother his sleep with strange visits. He couldn't quite put his hoof on if Arnavon or Flurry were to thank for that, or maybe the two of them together?

"She really is colorful." Hermione was standing in front of the bright Flurry. "You know, there are a lot of rules concerning magic beings. Some of them are bigger than others."

Flurry inclined her head at that. "Anything I should care about?"

"A lot you should care about!" Hermione threw a hand at the idea. "Like you aren't allowed to have a wand to start. You belong to Harry, so he could, in theory, do all sorts of unpleasant things. Thankfully, he's also your brother and would never do those things."

Harry twisted an ear back. "Never! She's annoying sometimes, but she is my sister!"

"I'm not annoying." Flurry crossed her arms with denial. "And I only 'belong' to him on a technicality, so I can be here." She lowered one hoof to tap at the ground they were on. "Anything else?"

"That isn't enough?" Hermione raised a brow at Flurry. "No matter how good at magic you are, you can't get any positions. That's for humans only."

"Lame!" She flicked her wings out wide. "I could make an outstanding teacher."

Hermione smiled at the prideful creature. "Maybe after some learning, but you should have that option is all I'm saying."

"Well, I agree." Flurry considered the young human girl. "You are... a human female, right? I'm a pony female, an alicorn to be specific."

"You can just say, girl." Hermione wagged a finger at Flurry. "And if you are a female horse, you're a mare? Or a filly?"

Flurry paled slightly as Harry burst into laughter. "Fillies are a lot smaller!" She stomped in place. "I'm still young for an adult, but I don't like being called a filly! So stop that."

Harry wagged a hoof at Flurry. "Well, you aren't an adult, so filly sounds appropriate to me."

Flurry blew a ripe raspberry at Harry. "If I'm a filly, then you're a colt."

Harry flipped his ears back. "Hey, you take that back!" But she wouldn't take it back.

Hermione separated the two with a warding hand up at each of them. "Calm down. Ponies take their titles differently and that's fine. I enjoy being called a lady instead of a girl, if I have the choice. Still, I am one, a girl that is, and you two are fillies and colts. Nothing wrong with that, promise."

Harry sat down instead of continuing the argument. "Right. She's still a pain."

"As if you aren't." Flurry's eyes were on Hermione. "So, what do you do for these magical creatures?"

"I'm trying to help the ones close at hand." What Hermione was waving towards was a bit of a mystery. "The house-elves, for instance, deserve a lot more than they're getting. They're not trying to be in charge, but they are thinking creatures and most of them only want everyone to be happy. Is that so much to ask?"

Flurry leaned in at the helpful little human. "With a name like 'house-elf', they sound like they're just lending a hoof." She waggled a hoof just to make that clear. "Why wouldn't you show them some kindness back?"

Harry raised a hoof. "Hermione deserves some explaining. Ponies are already used to not-ponies being about doing things. We're friends with yaks and changelings and dragons and—"

Hermione raised both brows together. "Dragons? You've seen a dragon, let alone said hi to one? This I doubt!"

Flurry and Harry raised a hoof in unison. Hermione huffed at the display. "Really? You've both met dragons before? Look, I know you happen to be horse whatevers, but you're stretching things too far!"

Harry adjusted his glasses in a fidget. "The dragons we're talking about aren't that big, if it helps." He raised his hoof above his head. "About this tall. They can breathe fire, and aren't hurt by most fire. Irate, usually, but you can talk to them."

"One of my best friends is a dragon. She's awesome." Flurry danced in place. "I was sad I had to leave her behind to keep an eye on my brother, but what are you going to do?" She fluttered her lashes at Harry. "Family first."

Hermione clasped her hands together. "I'm glad to hear you two are getting along then. C'mon, Harry, we have a class to get to."

Flurry advanced. "Me too! There's no class he goes to that won't have me in it."

Hermione raised a brow. "Can you even use a wand?"

Flurry glanced upwards. "I have one built in. So does he, but he's afraid to use it." She stuck out her tongue at Harry in defiance. "Works just fine, even when you're trying human spells, I can gladly report."

Harry brushed her aside in following Hermione. "You get two ponies for the price of one." They both headed to class to learn.

There stood the dour female professor that led them by the nose down the hallway of learning. "This is the transfiguration alphabet." She was using her wand as a pointer, going along the diameter of the circle of odd characters. "You will have to learn all of them to claim mastery of transfiguration. Some of you have already learned a few, which I'm glad to see."

Hermione sat up, silently proclaiming she was the one ahead, at least one of them.

Flurry was peering at the letters with newfound confusion.

This left Harry quickly doodling down the notes and making notes on where they appeared in his book. Learning and hard work would have to suffice for his needs. "Mister Potter." His attention was broken, looking up at the teacher. "I know she's been around you for some time now, but you know that first-year students are forbidden from the Care of Magical Creatures course, are you not?"

Flurry perked an ear. "I can talk, you know."

"Unfortunately." She set her eyes on Harry directly in an unflinching gaze. "Are you aware of this?"

"Yes, um, ma'am." Harry dipped his head towards the teacher. "Is she causing problems?"

"I can see she's paying attention, but in an odd way. If you would see me after class?" And on she went, walking past him to continue explaining how the rune she was approaching worked.

Harry groaned but continued his notes. He wouldn't pass if he skipped them, big colorful sister or not. A few snickers came from other students, with their imaginings of how much trouble Harry would get into later.

"This isn't the first time." Later, after class, Harry walked in to meet with the teacher, with Flurry at his side. "She is not a wizard."

Harry nodded at that, his glasses falling mildly askew. "We never claimed she was, professor."

"But she's watching to learn." The teacher was looking at Flurry. "I know the difference between watching to pass the time and watching to learn."

Flurry leaned forward a few inches. "Can I talk now? You two keep talking as if I'm not right here."

The teacher's eyes flicked towards Flurry. "Very well. You can inform me what exactly you learned today."

"With pleasure." She clapped her hooves as her horn glowed with magic that revealed a new alphabet appearing around her in a circle. "This is the unicorn alphabet. We have to learn it to do unicorn magic any fancier than the basics." She swept a hoof slowly in a clockwise fashion. "They look different, but sound similar. Human magic and unicorn magic aren't all that different. Every class I visit reinforces that idea." She flashed a bright smile. "I told you I pay attention."

Harry did not seem pleased with that revelation. "They're not the same thing, but they are both magic. Of course, there are some similarities."

The teacher brought her hands together. "Most magical creatures do not have any alphabet. All their magic is innate."

Flurry grinned widely enough to squeak from the effort. "Most of them, but not unicorn wizards. We—"

"Magical creatures are not wizards." The teacher rose a brow. "But you are a spell caster, perhaps. Why don't you show me the mastery of your language?"

"With pleasure." Flurry rose to her hooves and looked around the office for a moment. She snagged a figurine off the shelf. "Is this important?"

"Yes." The teacher reached into her desk and drew out a ruler. "Can you work with that?"

"Sure." Flurry put the miniature back where she found it. With a ruler in front of her, Flurry lowered her horn at it as it began to glow with her magic. "Ruler to peach!" With a zap, the rule became a fuzzy peach on the teacher's desk. "Behold and tremble!" She didn't sound like she really wanted anycreature to tremble at her might, though it would be a positive she'd accept.

"Reh-PAR-i-farj." The teacher made a half circle of a gesture and her wand glowed as the peach returned to being a ruler, to Flurry's visible disappointment. "Fascinating."

Harry peered at the ruler that had once been a peach. "What's so fascinating about that?"

"That spell would have been much harder." She set her wand flat on the desk. "—had she cast it innately. That I could easily undo the magic holding it together implies you did cast a spell." Flurry looked quite smug. "But she remains unpermitted to learn our magic, or to wield our wands. I want that perfectly clear, Mister Potter."

Harry patted where he stored his wand. "She won't get mine, promise, ma'am."

Flurry stuck out her tongue. "What do you think I am, Twilight Sparkle? Magic isn't my specialty, but I am good at it. I can only learn what I see, not mix and match." She worked her hooves in slow circles. "But I will keep watching."

"Which is the problem." The teacher sighed softly. "They officially permitted you to escort Mister Potter around. Please don't distract, or harm, any of the students here. This is their first year, and they are already easily distracted enough." She gestured lightly towards Harry. "So they may not own broomsticks, or learn particular classes, which would include you."

A sly smile spread on her face. "Next year, things change. Perhaps he'll learn how to better work with you."

Flurry shuddered. "I do not like the way you just said that. Brother, don't pay attention to her! I'm not a random creature you need to tame."

Harry glanced aside at Flurry. "I don't know. A few taming spells to keep you from acting up sounds like it could be useful."

The teacher laughed along with Harry as Flurry fumed in place. "Be that as it may, thank you both for visiting."

Harry half-turned to the door. "We can go?"

"Nice to meet you, mostly." Flurry dipped her head and turned to go in the same direction as Harry.

They escaped without being told to stop. Harry willed the door to shut behind them. "You are asking to be thrown out or jailed or something."

"They wouldn't do that." Flurry leaned in towards her brother with a smile. "They talk a big game, but they mostly just want all the students to be safe, like you." She bumped noses with Harry. "And it's my job to help keep you safe. I think she knows that."

Harry backed away from her and rubbed his booped nose. "She knows you're dancing really close to breaking a lot of rules and she has her eyes open. If you do any human magic around her, I bet she'd rat you out real quick!"

"Fine, fine!" Flurry burst into giggles as she walked down the hallway. "Doesn't stop me from learning. You take notes about that alphabet?"

"Of course." Harry hurried to catch up with her. "What kind of awful thing are you planning with it?"
> 15 - Basic Mastery
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Stand just to the side of your broom, on the left side. Extend your right hand." That was Miss Hooch. She was teaching a class they hadn't been taking the entire semester, but was required of first-year students. "Order it firmly, 'up', and the broom should come to you."

The classroom was filled with students attempting to order their broom to rise. Some had more success than others. Brooms began to float and hover beside the eager new wizards and witches. Harry was one such success story, bidding his long broom to float gently beside him.

Flurry inclined her head at the whole thing. "I don't get it. Needing a broom seems silly." She spread her natural wings wide. "I can fly without one of those."

"That's good for you." Harry kept his hoof out over the broom as they had asked him. "But most of us don't have any wings to use. Brooms make a second best thing."

Miss Hooch swatted one of those extended wings. "You stay on the ground. Nobody goes in the air without my saying so!" She was already marching past Flurry to speak to the struggling students about how to command their broom.

Flurry stuck her tongue out. As if she needed permission to take flight! "I heard from Princess Twilight that her student could fly with just magic. She picked herself up and flew around. No problem at all!"

That caught Miss Hooch's attention, storming back up to Flurry. "That is extremely dangerous. You are enchanting yourself when you fly that way and the slightest mistake can send you flying into something, and they're easy to make when you're the one casting and the target of the spell. Your friend is lucky they still have all their parts. Class, do not try that, if you intend on actually graduating the school."

Flurry flinched back at the angry outburst. "She's really very--"

Hooch grabbed the magical creature by the snout. "That some random magical creature managed this impractical feat of dangerous magic has no baring on my students. Stop spreading worthless information or I will eject you from this classroom and I don't care what allowances they have made!" She pushed Flurry back and turned to Harry with a scowl. "Control your beast."

"Yes ma'am!" Harry nodded quickly, only relaxing when she moved on to instruct others. "Flurry, shush!"

"Fine!" She crossed her arms with quite a pout, her tail curled behind her.

The class continued peacefully, at least until a student took to the air without leave to do so. They came down in an uneven heap and a pained cry. Hooch was on them quickly, inspecting the wrist that had cushioned their fall. "None of you is to move while I take this boy to the Hospital Wing! You leave those brooms where they are or you'll be out of Hogwarts before you can say 'Quidditch.'"

She took Nelville Longbottom away as quickly as she could.

"Looks like he forgot something." Another boy, Draco Malfoy, advanced to grab a sizable marble. It was big enough to fill one's palm, and he was wrapping his fingers around it. "He doesn't need this anyway." With a great throw, he launched it high into the air, dooming it to smash against the ground.

This wasn't something Harry could accept. As the others gaped at the flying object, he threw his legs over his broom and launched himself up at it. He reached with a hoof as his horn glowed, using the two in concert to get a good grip on it mid-air and swerving around with his broom. Without losing control, Harry came back to the ground, everything safe for the trip. "That wasn't--" He trailed off, seeing a teacher watching him. He'd been caught!

Minerva strode into the area on sure feet. "I saw that! Mister Potter, with me." The class was a collection of accusing Ooos as he was walked away. Flurry dashed after them, unwilling to let her brother leave her sight. Minerva wasn't leading him to be expulsed as had been promised. Instead they went to a new office. "Oliver, are you in?" She knocked on a door lightly. "I have something you need to know."

"Is that you, Minerva? Come in." And she did. "Welcome. Ah, the student of the hour." It was hard not to hear of the half-horse student, and their strange companion creature. "I'm Oliver Wood, don't think we've met before, Mister Potter."

"Um, hello." What was Mister Wood's job again? "Nice to meet you, Mister Wood."

Hoof met a hand in a firm shake, even if only one of them could grab the other. "Now, what brings you by with this student?"

Minerva gestured in a sweep. "This fine student has shown great skill with his broom. Barely started on his lesson and he's already making full turns and plucking small things out of the air." The way she said that carried specific meanings, her brows raising with a smile. "I thought you'd prefer to get your hands on him first."

"You're too good to me." He released Harry's hoof, but was looking him in the eyes. "Son, you ever hear of quiddich?"

"Everyone's talking about that." Well, not everyone at all times, but it was hard to not at least hear a mention of the sport. "Why?"

"I'm the captain of the Griffyndor quiddich team." He tapped himself on the chest. "And you happen to be Griffyndor, what luck." It was unlikely to have been luck that drew Minerva to his office. "Would you like to try for the team? From the sound of it, you  have a good chance."

"Yes!" That wasn't Potter. Flurry had blurted it out, her wings flapping. "That sounds fun!"

He looked to the colorful magical beast that was not part of his house. "I'm afraid to report that magical creatures may not play in any sanctioned game of quiddich. Things would get quickly out of hand if students could just enter the field with all kinds of crazy creatures." He shook his head at the mental image of it. "No, this is a game of wizard to wizard. No outside assistance. You can watch, but not play."

Flurry trembled with a restrained groan, but a smile burst free suddenly. "Oh, you said 'sanctioned'. So I can still help my brother practice and play with him, just not when it counts."

Harry waved away his sister. "I suppose that's alright, but you don't even know the game, so how are you going to help me practice it?"

"Is that a yes?" The captain was smiling with budding hope. "The worst you can do is not make the team,  but with a recommendation like that, I doubt that'll be the case."

"Oh, well..." Harry looked from face to face, and all of them seemed hopeful that he'd give it a try. Even his sister, banned from proper games, was bouncing with anticipation. "Sure, alright. Flying a broom felt natural enough."

"That's exactly what I like to hear." He slapped Harry on the shoulder. "Never had a participant that was half horse before, but you're far from the first half human to show up around here, so don't let that get you down. Your broom--"

"Is too small for him," warned Minerva with a frown. "I'll see he gets something properly sized." And off she went with a determined march.

"Well, when she gets it in her head..." He moved back towards his seat. "She means well, and she usually speaks sense. Now, your sister." He sank into his seat, looking at Flurry. "She seems very eager, but, as you mentioned, neither of you know the game. I propose we fix both of those.

So it was that the two of them got basic lessons on the rules of how quiddich worked. "This is a neat game. I like it." Flurry was cantering in place despite also flying at that moment. "Finally, something worth getting excited about. Chasing those little things around, that's fun! Aunt Dash would really love this if she were here."

Harry chuckled at the image of Rainbow hurrying after snitch. "Only one person per team actually chases the Golden Snitch around." He wobbled a hoof about the rest of the field. "I'll probably be helping trying to make goals, or stop goals being made, depending." That was assuming he even made the team. "It's still fun though!"

On this point, the siblings agreed as they raced around.

Later, in their room, the door swung open. "You need a broom." In came Minerva with a cocky smile. "And I have one, just for you."

Ron sat up straight. "Is that?!"

"It is." She set down the long broom carefully. "Now, this isn't yours. You're allowed to use it for practice and for games, but it remains here, at Hogwarts. Do you understand, Mister Potter?"

Harry hurried over to examine the broom. It was larger to suit his long form. "How nice! This is very kind of you."

"Kinder than you know!" Ron was at his side, gazing at the broom with wonder. "That's a Nimbus 2000! The fastest broom around! I wish I had one of those..."

"Is that what it is?" Minerva seemed to play it off like it was an accident, though the playful hint of her words was hard to miss. "This is yours, for use as I just said it. Understand?"

"Yes, ma'am." Harry cradled the valuable broom in his folded arms. "Thank you!"

"You're very welcome. You can pay me back by using it well. I think you have a bright future ahead of you." Minerva paused in her turn to look at Ron. "This is not yours, Mister Weasley, even if you do want one."

Ron got a subtle pout. "I get it! It's Harry's. I'm not a thief or nothing!" He watched her depart and set a hand on Harry's back. "Lucky! Wow, I hear those things can go really fast. You sure you can handle it?"

"Only one way to know for sure." Harry shifted the broom from his arms to his magic. "I'll start practicing with it and see how I do."

"You're my brother." Flurry stuck out her tongue. "You'll fly with no problem. Runs in the blood."

Harry raised a brow at that suggestion. "We're not related by blood, you do realize that, right?"

"Same difference!" Flurry peered at the new broom. "Think it'll let you go as fast as I do? You couldn't keep up before."

"What are you talking about?" Harry willed his broom behind him. "I caught up with you plenty of times!"

"Only because I let you." She blew a thick raspberry. "I'm supposed to be helping you train. Not letting you catch up wouldn't be doing that, right? If that lets you go fast enough for me not to slow down, that'll be even better, and more fun for me." She flapped her feathery wings with anticipation. "I can't wait for the next practice session."

Ron shook his head at the two of them. "I'm glad you're having fun, Flurry. Slowing down for a sibling? Mine did that for me, and I did it for the one that's younger than me. I've been there. You're a good sister, doing it without even being asked."

Flurry darkened. "Aw! Thanks." She half-pounced Ron for a proper hug that was accepted with a surprised laugh. "Being a sibling can be a lot of work, right?"

"It really can be." Ron won his personal space back. "But it's worth it, in the end. I love my family."

"I love mine too, even when they're being annoying." She rolled her eyes grandly. "Good to have somecreature around that understands how that works. Seriously, if that makes up the difference, this is going to be so much fun!"

Harry returned the extended tongue at his sister. "Look, thanks, for helping practice, I mean. Tomorrow, I actually try for the team. Hopefully that'll go well."

"You got this in the bag." Flurry waved away the idea that he could fail. "Just be your awesome self. I'll cheer you on!"
> 16 - School's Out
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Harry's skill, and the speed of the broom he was given, proved impossible to ignore. There were no objections to him joining the team when he displayed them. They didn't just want him on the team, they wanted him to be a seeker. "You aren't made to fight, not directly." The team captain slapped down on Harry's shoulder. "But control, you have that. And you're clever, even when you're upside down. You'll be a perfect seeker."

The game could never end until the seeker found the snitch, and the finding got their team a lot of points. It wasn't impossible to win without your team grabbing the snitch, but you had to be dominating for that to happen. Most often, the seeker made the game. "But don't worry about that. First years can't really get into it regardless. Fortunately for everyone, the year's almost over. So go home, relax, and come back ready!"

Flurry grabbed at her brother. "It's over?!"

Harry pushed her back as he danced away. "Easy. The school isn't over, just the semester is ending. You saw me take those finals."

"I saw they were big tests." She narrowed her eyes. "I didn't know what they were for exactly, besides the classes. Still, yay! I haven't been back in a while, and neither have you. It'll be so much fun!"

Harry thought back to the Crystal Empire and the creatures there. "Oh, he's going to lose his mind."

"Who?" Flurry leaned dangerously close, but it hit her and she backed up a step. "Arnavon? The hugs will be written about for years, I bet." She snickered at the imagined meeting of Tsuki with one of their own missing for so long. "But he's not the only one with stories to share. Ponies will want to know what you've been up to. Mom will want to hear it straight from the horse's mouth. My updates only go so far."

"See you later." Harry nodded at the coach and headed out with Flurry excitedly prancing alongside him. "Next semester, a lot changes."

"It isn't that time yet." She wriggled her nose with a silly grin. "Think about the current, Harry! We get to go home and say hi to everypony we left behind and see the things we haven't been able to in a while." She suddenly thumped against him from the side. "You know Auntie Twilight's gonna want to see you doing human magic. There is no escape from that, may as well just accept that now."

"I imagine not..." He led her along until they ran into another happy looking student. "Ron! Hey, we were just talking about the time off."

"Always exciting." Ron snapped his fingers into a pointing at the two ponies. "You two have family waiting for you, right? Me too. I'll miss the school, don't get me wrong. We got so much more to... do... but I'm not  gonna say no to a little time off. Oh! Tell your parents to have your second year supplies ready. They aren't the same as the first year. Different books, different stuff. Different everything."

He threw a hand up, but his eyes were on Harry. "Say, how did the tryout go? You a star player now?"

"Not exactly, Ron." Harry brought up his broom, floating in his horn's grip. "This gives some speed, but I'm still new at the game. I'm going to have to practice, a lot."

"That's a lot of talk that doesn't tell me much." Ron looked to Flurry instead, barely restraining herself as she was. "Did he get in?"

"He got in!" She bounced with the joy of getting that out. "They said he can be a seeker."

"Seeker! Get out." He punched Harry light in the chest. "I'll be at all your games; can't miss that! So, you going to chase her around for practice?"

Harry laughed at the idea. "Tempting. She would give me a run for my money."

"As if!" Flurry flicked her tail in defiance. "You'd never catch me, even with your fancy broom."

Ron shrugged with a grin. "Sounds like she'd be a perfect target then." The three laughed with no ill will between them. "So, hey... Your home, it's not on Earth, right?"

Flurry shook her head and the rest of her body. "Nope! Neither of us have even been there, unless this is earth? Is this earth?" She looked around slowly, doing a turn along the way. "I never thought to ask, and we haven't really been outside the school."

"She raises a good question." Harry looked Ron over. "One I bet you know the answer to."

"It'd be hard for me not to." It didn't even really count as knowing something special. "We're in Scotland, that's a country if you didn't know, on Earth. Muggles can't find this place though, so don't worry about that. But I was asking because I'm super curious. I mean... I want to say hi to the fam, no doubts there, but after that... I wouldn't mind saying hi to yours, in magic pony land."

Harry reared up to return the shoulder swat he had received far earlier. "I wouldn't mind. I doubt mom or dad would. Flurry?"

"Are you asking if I mind?" She considered Ron a moment with a serious expression. "I guess I could live with him around." She burst into giggles, unable to hold it in any longer. "We're already friends, doofus! Of course he can visit. I can show him so many fun things!"

She fell over herself in her frantic scramble to her haunches. "Oh! My friends would be so freaked out, in a good way. They never met a human before, so prepare to be poked a lot, and questions will be asked, but they'll love you, I bet."

"You're trying to scare me away." But Ron didn't look entirely scared off. "I'll head home first, like I said. Just give me the station name I should stop at to get to you. You did take the same rail that leads here, right?"

"Same one." Harry began to explode. Rather, bits of paper ejected from him in all directions until the right one popped free. He plucked it in his magic and lifted it up. "Here we are, the ticket that got me here."

Ron snatched the ticket from the air. "Perfect! Now let's... see." He squinted at it. "Crystal Empire, Terminal 1 and a third. Got it." He offered the ticket to Harry. "I'll have to save up a bit. I doubt tickets that far are cheap."

Flurry advanced with her head held up high. "Friends help friends," she quoted as if from some manual as a bag floated free of her and bumped into Ron's confused front. "This'll take care of that. Besides, I want you there. I can't show you off until you get there."

Ron pulled the bag open and peeked inside. "Woah!" He dropped the bag in surprise, sending golden coins flying from the impact. "Why do you have... And you're giving it to me?! Get off it!"

Harry began grabbing coins with his magic, horn glowing in the act. "She's completely serious. Look, where we're from, those are just pound notes."

"What's a pound note?" Flurry joined in gathering up the coins, refilling the bag with both of their efforts. "Human money?"

"Exactly." Harry lifted the bag up in his magic to offer to Ron to take when he was ready. "Humans use a kind of paper for a lot of their money and metal for the least valuable parts."

"That's backwards!" Flurry stomped at the lack of logic shown there. "Metal is way more valuable than paper. Why would you use the paper for the more expensive ones? Whatever! I used gold to get the ticket here, so I know they accept it." She pointed at the floating bag. "Just show them that, get your ticket, and come play with us!"

Harry nudged his eager sister back a step. "Bring the change, if there is any."

"Of course." Ron took the bag a bit more assuredly than the first time. "You didn't mention you were rich, Harry."

Flurry smirked at Ron's reaction. "Harry is the foal of a princess, same one I'm a foal of. We are sibs afterall. So train ticket's fine. You can keep the rest if--"

Harry pushed ahead of her. "Bring back the extra and have a safe trip, alright Ron?"

"I will, promise." They met, hoof to hand, and parted on friendly terms.

And growing confusion on Flurry's part. "Why did you keep saying that? I don't mind if he gets a few coins."

"Equestria belongs to Equestria." He circled to face his sister. "A little's fine, but from what I heard, he can't even use it where he's from anyway. The train's an exception. They go between worlds already, so... They exchange coins and money all the time. Where he's from, they're just shiny collector's items."

"Boo." Flurry strode past him and started up the stairs. "That's lame. Whatever. Let's get arnie and your stuff and get moving. You don't have any other classes, right?"

"Actually..." He trailed after her up the same stairs. "I do have a few more to finish. No more big tests, but they aren't done. Don't be in that big a hurry. Still, we should tell Arnavon."

"Tell him what?" Arnavon bounced up to all fours, just to rear up on his hinds and come closer with his arms spread in a silent offer of a hug for any creature that wanted one. "Something new happen? Tell me!"

Flurry went in for the offered hug, the two meeing in a warm embrace. "Harry there got in the team, and the schoolyear's almost up, so we get to go home soon."

"Woah!" His eyes widened at the news. "That's amazing! I learned so much this year... We're coming back, right? I'm not done! You're not done either, right, Harry?"

"Not even close." Harry slipped up to sit on the edge of his bed, perching there. "You'll come back with me though?"

"Of course I will!" He thumped himself with both open hands on his chest. "Where would you even be without your faithful owl at your side?"

"Just lost," laughed Harry. "Good thing I get to keep him. Speaking of that, next year, I'll be proper allowed to have things like you and Flurry. That doesn't change much, between us. We're all friends and family, but it means the school will expect more from me about that, and teach me things, and expect me to follow the rules."

Arnavon reached up to play with a long horn of his. "I already act like a good owl, don't I?"

"You're less of the problem." Harry fixed Flurry with a fresh look. "You, on the other hoof, break creature rules kinda often. I'm amazed I haven't ended up in hot water more often than I already have."

Flurry tossed her mane with a little hmmph. "It's not my fault they don't realize how amazing a creature they have among them. I'm just as magic as most of them, more than most! They keep treating me like I'm just a silly horse that can talk when I'm so much more than that." She stomped and flopped down to her belly in one motion, tail lashing with increasing agitation. "When you learn more, then you can show me off. We'll wow them!"

Arnavon clapped his big paws. "Oh! That would be fun! Show me off too! I can do some interesting things. I'll be good, promise" He kept his paws together as he leaned in, batting his lashes doefully at his 'owner' that was really just a good friend.

"Alright, alright... I honestly didn't think either of you wanted to be showed off that way... but if you do want that... sure? You'll have to follow the rules though."

"I promise!" echoed both of them in sync, agreed upon the idea that they wanted to show off to the class come the next school year.
> 17 - There and Back Again
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Harry stepped off the train. "Wow..." It'd been a while since he saw so many smiling pony faces moving about, many of them shiny and crystal. "Say, sis?"

Flurry caught up at his side. "What's up? Welcome home!"

"Good to be here... But I forgot something. Why is it most ponies here are all sparkly, and we aren't, and neither is mom or dad, while I'm at it. You'd think the rulers of shiny ponies would be even more shiny, right?" He nodded at a sparkly stallion wandering past.

"Silly." Flurry danced in front of him. "We're not from here, you especially, but none of us. The empire was stuck out of time and space, remember? After they got back, Celestia decided Cadance was the one for the job and sent her here to princess it up. You, on the other hoof, were lost in the snow until the tsuki found you, so you're not sparkly either. Neither of us are from here, so no sparkles, except special occasions."

He'd been there for no few of those. "That's always neat... Ack!" He had been grabbed, Arnavon getting a hold of him and Flurry at once.

"We should go say hello. Your parents will be so happy to see you both." He released them to point at the shining palace. "And I have a letter to write."

"Letter?" Harry resumed his forward movement through the streets of the city he had known for so long before going off to learn magic. "Who to?"

"My family." He pointed off into the snow, in the direction of the other tsukis. "They will be excited too. Maybe some will even visit, that would be nice. Oh." Just remembering, he dropped to all fours and was suddenly gone, bounding through the air in tremendous leaps that carried him towards the palace rapidly. they didn't allow him to stretch his legs so much in the human world, being an owl, but he had no excuse not to enjoy it in the pony land.

And he only tripped twice on the way! Better than he had worried would happen.

"Arnavon," called Cadance with a smile. She was a good princess, able to spot the difference in one tsuki from the next easily, unlike many ponies. "Welcome back. We missed our local author. But if you are here..." Her eyes wandered past him even as she was hugged, an event she knew was coming. "Harry is here too?"

"He sure is." He twirled around her, using the arm around her as a swinging point to point witht he other hand. "Right down the street."

"I hope you will forgive me. I'm quite happy to see you, but you I see once in a while already, Arnavon. It's been... too long since..." There he was. Her eyes sparkled as she hurried forward, descending the steps to meet with Harry, the two hugging fiercely, with Flurry joining in the embrace without resistance. "Oh, it's so good to have my foals in my hooves." She sat back, looking them over. "Have you grown?"

Harry laughed at that. "It hasn't been that long."

"You say that, but you are a growing colt, and this is exactly the time when you grow the most." Cadance looked to Flurry. "Has everything been calm?"

Flurry saluted. "No trouble while I'm on the case."

"At least, no trouble she didn't start herself." He and Flurry shared an exchange of extended tongues. "She's been good overall though. I didn't expect you to send her."

"Send her? That's... being generous, Harry." Even with Flurry shaking her head wildly, Cadance went right on explaining, "She was worried about you and insisted I allow her to come. I would get no peace until I agreed."

"Human magic!" Flurry blurted. "We've learned so much of it. I learned some too, by the way. It's weird! I think they use the words to make up for not having horns up here." She pointed up at her horn. "I bet Twilight could translate their spells to unicorn spells properly. Not my specialty."

Harry chuckled softly as he went in to touch his snout to Cadance's in gentle affection. "Good to be back. How's dad?"

"Your father is busy watching the guard. You know he was captain of the guard before we we married, and he still is now, basically. It's his calling. Still, he will be delighted to come home and find you waiting for him." She turned in place, her wings partially extended. "Arnavon, I didn't mean to brush you aside like that."

"It's alright. You haven't seen Harry in forever. I see him every day, so I don't get as excited."

Harry leaned in towards Cadance from the side. "He's lying. He gets just as excited at the end of every day when I come back from class."

Arnavon colored swiftly. "Do not!" he whined out, looking around a moment before he cleared his throat. "I should write that letter. Later!" And with a great bound, he was gone.

Their family was reunited, and the empire held a festival to celebrate the occasion. Not that ponies needed much prodding to hold a party at much any good news. Food, drinks, and festivities were had. "I missed you all so much." Flurry nodded at her friends, a yak male and a dragon female. "The human world is alright, but it's not here."

The yak tossed his mane, a bit longer than most yaks. "No yaks, so can't be that good."

"About that..." Flurry grinned at her prideful friend. "They have yaks."

"They do?! Maybe not so bad... You meet them?" He sat up at this discovery. "Want to meet them."

"No you don't," she confidently denied. "Their yaks are dumb, like don't even talk dumb. They have ponies that dumb too. All the animals on their world are dumb, which puts the humans on top. Lucky them." She rolled her eyes. "They think they're all that, but they have no competition. They wouldn't have lasted with that attitude on this world." She tapped the ground with confidence.

The she-dragon laughed at the idea. "Imagine that... if you were the only one around, at the top." She puffed a bit of fire. "Sounds fun..."

"It isn't." Flurry leaned towards her scaled friend. "Imagine a dragon everywhere you wanted to be. Everywhere, all of them sure they owned the place as much as you did. So many dragons you had to make rules about what dragons could do since otherwise you'd all go nuts."

She cringed as the situation was described. "Ick, um, nevermind... So you were learning magic stuff, right?"

"Now you're talking!" Flurry began eagerly describing the magic she learned. That the humans didn't want her to know it seemed to only add to the appeal of it.





"Harry!" Shining Armor came close quickly, one hoof out to capture Harry in a firm hug. "It's been way too long! They keeping you in shape?" He poked and prodded his colt. "Not too soft. Thought you might be going doughy at that magic school."

Harry pushed him away with a laugh. "You went to a magic school too!"

"Well, yeah... But then I went to a very physical school, and you haven't done that." He glared at Harry, but couldn't hold it, goofy smile returning. "I'm so glad you're back! How's it been, being so far away from us?"

"I missed you, and here... and all of it, but I'm learning so much." He sank to his haunches. "Good and bad... Dad, you had a shadowy nemesis before, didn't you?"

Shining perked his ears. "Um, technically twice. So go ahead, hit me. I'm here for answers."

"Twice?" He skewed an ear aside. "Alright, so, this... shadowy figure tried to attack me. You heard about that, right?"

"Arnie came to the recue." Shining clapped his hooves in one firm stroke. "He's a good tsuki. Most of them are, come to think. Did he show up again?"

"Thankfully not!" Harry straightened his coat, only realizing just then that he was still wearing his school uniform. "Oops, anyway, about that guy. He really wanted to hurt me, maybe even... end it."

"I know that feeling... The first shadowy creature I dealt with wanted to suck me dry of all emotions and leave me a husk afterwards. Uh, the second just wanted to take everything I had and maybe use me as a slave, if he thought of a use, or thought it'd amuse him. Neither were good creatures, not at all... But you can't let fear control you!" He pressed a hoof to Harry's chest. "I'm proud of you, already facing such large challenges, and winning, with the help of your friends. It's not like my friends didn't help me. In fact, if not for my sister, the first one would have gotten me. Hm, actually, she was there for the second one." He leaned in. "What I'm saying is that looking for help with these things? Totally normal, and it sounds like you already have your special friend."

"I do? Who?!" Harry looked around as if they could spot that mysterious benefactor at any moment.

Shining cupped Harry's cheeks, stopping his turning. "Arnavon. He went with you to be your friend and stopped you from getting hurt. He won't let you. And you have Flurry heart. My sister saved me from my shadowy nemesi, looks like you're taking after me!" He burst into merry laughter at that. "And she's ready for the task. I fear for their sake if they try to get past her."

Harry left with far less certainty. "She sure does seem... eager. Feel like she may get me in trouble... Speaking of that, next semester they're going to teach me things about keeping magic creatures, like her, in line. Am I going to get into lots of trouble when I get back home?"

Shining Armor raised a hoof with a hm. "Well, if we're being honest... yes. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't handle your business anyway. I understand, as your father." He leaned in suddenly. "But mother will not see it that way, so expect some amount of scolding." He winked a bit dramatically.

"I won't be mean to her promise." He sank in place a little. "I do like her, even when she's a brat. She's my sister! Even when she's tugging my tail, she's still that, and I do, you know... love her..."

"I thought you did." Shining turned in place. "Now, you've been learning nothing but magic, so I call dibs on you for the day. We're going to practice!"

"Magic?" Harry kept up with his march easily. "I'm ready."

"Oh, not magic." Shining chuckled softly. "Maybe a little shield work if you'd like, but mostly physical. You can practice magic at your fancy school. Today, you work with the guards, and we're going to put you through the paces."

Harry groaned with suffering, but he was still smiling a little. Shining was his dad. It was hard to be entirely angry with his attempts to be a good parent.





"Arnavon!" A heavy thud announced the arrival of a large tsuki at his window. "Arnavon! Is good see." He hopped down, the leader of the tsuki, Toby.

Arnavon scrambled to his feet and rushed the other tsuki, the two crashing together like two firm waves that turned into a brief wrestling match of dominance, even if neither side seemed upset that the other was there. They were laughing even as they pulled and squeezed, trying to tip the other.

Toby proved more capable of the act, pinning Arnavon down and nipping at his neck, a clear sign of victory, but still no ire will was between them. "Tell me! All. Tell please."

"I will, I will!" Arnavon wriggled out from under his superior. "I saw so much! You won't even believe it."

"I trust." Toby sounded more like he was assuring Arnavon of his faith.

Arnavon laughed at the misunderstanding. "We'll see." And so began his story of his visit to Hogwarts. You've already read this story.
> 18 - Back in Town
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Check this out." Shining waved at a bicycle with a big smile. "Auntie Pinkie lent it to me."

Harry quirked an ear at the bike. "It's a nice bike... What about it?"

Shining stepped up and hopped onto it. With a pedal, the whole thing unfolded, revealing a second seat. "It can be a single or a double. And..." It unfolded further, a shaft popping up with candy stripes and propeller blades at the top. Shining began to lift into the sky under its twirling. "It can fly. You're practicing that, aren't you?"

Harry blinked, dumbfounded a moment. "I am, but the flying I do is really fast. That looks really swell, but not that fast."

Shining came down uneasily, barely managing a graceful landing. "Really? It felt fast to me..."

Harry was pretty sure his broom back in Hogwarts had it thoroughly beaten on speed. "It's still a nice try." He grabbed his dad in a firm hug. "It's nice you're thinking of me."

"Of course I am." He returned the hug firmly. "Well, if we can't practice flying... You do know you're a unicorn, right?"

"Hm?"

"Pegasi do the flying."

"You take that back." A mare was walking towards them with a cocky smile. "Some unicorns love flying."

Steel recoiled in surprise. "Starlight Glimmer! I didn't expect you." One could see the numbers in his head. "This is a long way for you to go for a surprise visit. Is everything alright?"

Starlight waved that away. "I heard your son was back and thought I'd come say hello to one of Twilight's personal students." She looked to Harry pointedly then. "Hm."

"Hm?" Was Harry being judged? "Something I can help with, ma'am?"

Starlight curled a hoof on herself. "You know, I'm also one of Twilight's students, graduated."

Harry considered the purple unicorn. "Aunt's mentioned you before." But he hadn't actually met the elusive Starlight.  "You're as good as Auntie at magic, she mentioned." His voice carried doubt. Nopony was as good as Auntie Twilight at magic!

"You heard it, but you don't believe it." Starlight casually brushed Shining aside. "Sounds like it's time for a duel. I love duels."

Harry took an uncertain step back. "I didn't mean to make you upset, miss."

"And you didn't." Starlight waggled her brows. "I just said I love duels. You want the first shot?"

Harry waved a hoof wildly. "Before that, a few rules?"

Starlight snorted softly. "Fine... I guess a few wouldn't hurt." She began tapping her hooves with each point, "This isn't to the death. If a pony can't fight or gives up, we're done. No casting any spell you can't undo, or at least wait until it goes away. Anything else?"

Harry swallowed thickly, his tongue suddenly too large for his mouth. "T-that covers the basics... Now, just to remind, but I'm still learning magic, ma'am."

"I'll go easy on you, colt."

Harry scowled. He was no colt! Well maybe technically. Didn't mean he liked being called one. "Let's start then."

"That's more the spirit." She lifted from the ground, her horn glowing as she picked herself up with ease. "Go ahead, you start." She spread  her forehooves slowly. "First shot's free." Her stance was open, welcoming his arcane fury with a cocky confidence. "Impress me."

"Flipendo!" Harry directed his own glowing horn at the hovering unicorn.

"Wow, you--" The magic struck her without a glow or other effect, like she had been punched and sent twirling. "Ooo! Cheating... Fine, we play that way."

Shining backed up as the two began exchanging spells and bolts of power back and forth that only grew more violent and flashy with each round. Harry looked like he was fighting for his life. Starlight was laughing like the whole thing was a grand time. It was, ultimately, perfectly standard for her. "Return him in one peice, kindly."

"Yeah yeah." Starlight gestured as if punching and magic battered at Harry. "As soon as he gives up, I'll stop."

"Stop picking on him!" With a wave of magic that banished all the others away, Flurry Heart appeared with a pop, scowling at Starlight. "Only I get to do that."

Harry took a rough breath, accepting the moment's reprieve for what it was. His eyes were set on Starlight, expecting her to take action.

Which she didn't, huffing instead. "We were having a duel. It was fun, and then you came along and ruined it."

Flurry crossed her forearms, rearing up. "Auntie Twilight's warned me about you. You were going too far, and I don't need my brother encased in crystal or turned into a weasel or something."

"It would have worn off!" Starlight blushed at the accusations. "It's a learning experience. Besides, if you're so good at it, maybe I should 'pick' on you instead, hm?" Her forehooves erupted in energy. "You up for it?"

"Pass." Flurry turned to Harry. "You've been working so hard learning human magic, your pony magic is falling behind. You need to catch up."

Harry flipped his ears back at that. "I'm on holiday!"

"Too bad." She stepped towards him with a smirk. "You're still a school pony, so learning is just a thing you're stuck with for now."

"Since when were you not?!" he countered with a scowl. "You're not my mom."

"Worse, I'm your sister." She booped him on the nose. "And the first lesson starts tomorrow morning, so be ready for that."

Starlight landed as Flurry walked away. "Wow... You have some sister right there."

"You want her?" He smiled ruefully. "I'll offer a discount."

"Mmmm, nah. Pretty sure she'd be a real hoofull if I tried to make her do much against her will." Starlight glanced away. "If you want to scrap again later, lemme know, alright? That was fun. That magic you use, it's not pony magic for sure. Every silly word you said was something I never saw before, and the marks were all off and... I loved it." She clapped her hooves with a giddy smile. "So, let's do that again."

"I'll, uh, think about it." Harry looked at where Flurry had marched off to. "Say, you're a wizard, right?"

"Proudly so." She puffed out her chest with a confident smile. "Why?"

"I'd rather learn from an adult than my sister, so... If you want?"

Starlight leaned in. "Oh ho! I've only actually tutored a pony in magic once before... But I'll try almost anything once, or twice. You want to learn some battle magic, match me at the sparring game? That'll be hard, but I'm ready to try!"

Visions of wild combat danced in Harry's mind. "Actually, flying. You're the only unicorn I know of that can fly with their magic. Can you show me?"

Starlight began to glow as she lifted several inches from the ground. "Bold! Love it... Now, the trick about this--" She tapped at her horn. "Is that you're holding yourself, and you are the perspective, which means it's really easy to get disoriented. There is no 'up'. There is no 'down'. If you can't constantly adjust your frame of reference, you will crash really fast. Trust me, I did a few times getting this right."

"Noted... So how do I start?" He casually snatched up a rock in his magic. "I can pick things up."

"But you can't pick yourself up, can you?" Her voice was almost taunting, watching him. "Go ahead, try."

He dropped the rock, the glow instead going across his withers. He squeezed  the flesh just under his mane and pulled as if to pluck himself up by the scruff of the neck. He did little other than list to the side, almost toppling over. "That doesn't work, as I was saying."

Starlight was on him instantly, swatting at where his magic had appeared. "You can't grab yourself like that. You have to support all of you. The whole thing, or you're going to fall over right away." Starlight waved at her body. "See how I'm glowing?"

Harry peered at the glowing unicorn. She was glowing... everywhere. "Huh. Everywhere. No single spot. Alright..." He expanded his grip further.

"More," ordered Starlight, rolling a hoof. "More..." He kept getting a little bigger with each command, but it wasn't all of him. "More! All of you. Now, I'll be honest. With practice, I bet you could do something with just a part of you, but it'd be even more dizzying and probably prone to pain and mistakes. You don't want your whole body being thrown around by your scruff, do you?"

"N-no... What if I..." He moved the magic down, forming a platform to sit on instead. "Ta da?"

"Hey, not bad." Starlight tapped at the arcane disk. "This could work, but it won't be as smooth as how I do it. Seriously, all of you. Why aren't you spreading out more?"

"Because I don't know how?"

Starlight came up short. "Oh..." Right, teaching. that was a thing. "You're too used to focusing, which is a good talent, don't get me wrong. Still, sometimes you have to not. For instance..." Her horn began to glow. "Glowing! But it doesn't have to be just my horn, that's just what we're taught to do." The glow spread out over her. "I am not flying." She bounced in place. "Just glowing, all over. So we'll start there. Glow. When you can glow all over, then we're ready to do more flying lessons."

"I get home from school just to get more work..."

"You asked for this. I don't want to hear it." Starlight hiked a brow at him. "On the bright side, if you pull this off, that'll make you part of a really small club of flying unicorns. Your sister can't do that."

Harry looked up, eyes glinting. "That'd really tick her off, wouldn't it?"

"Oh, so much so." Starlight nudged the more eager unicorn. "So go ahead and show you're better than her." She was not against playing a pony's emotions against them. "Glow. Then we get on with the next step. Until you can target all of you, there's not much more to talk about. Hm, in fact, to test, go to a dark room."

"A dark room? I can see the glow right now." He looked up at his glowing horn. "I don't need a dark room."

"Oh yes you do. A dark room with a mirror." Starlight nodded sagaciously. "So you can see yourself when you glow, and there'd better be no shadows, because all of you will be glowing, or you're not there yet. When you can see yourself in the dark, with no dark spots, you know you got it."

"That's actually kinda clever..."

"I do try." Starlight buffed her chest with a hoof. "Now, go on. Class dismissed!"

Harry wandered off with new magical principles juggling about in his head.

Shining, who had never left entirely, closed with Starlight. "I was hoping to get more physical things done while he was here."

"This was his idea,"  Starlight said in a defensive tone. "Take it up with him."

Shining clopped a hoof to his face. "This is perfectly him." He smiled a little though. "I love him anyway. Can you really teach him how to fly?" He glanced away, rubbing behind his head. "Don't suppose you could show me?"

Starlight laughed, a sound that made Shining flinch. "I'm not laughing at you. Any pony that wants to learn more magic is alright in my book. Still... You're not a little pony anymore, and this is kind of a big shift in how you approach magic... It may be a bit much to ask."

"Are you calling me old?!" Shining hiked a brow at Starlight. "I am not."

Starlight let out a sigh of a laugh. "Well, fine. You're an adult, you do what you want to do. Congratulations, you now have the same homework Harry does. Glow. All over. Every inch. Get that done and get back to me. We can't do much until you get that, but hey, that's a lot easier than the next step, promise."
> 19 - Light in Darkness
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was a dark room, but Harry was not alone. This was confusing at first, but the whys made sense enough. His dad wanted in on the whole flying 'thing'. So there they were, in the dark, glowing. They had a mirror to themselves to inspect their work as they worked to spread the glow evenly across their forms. This may sound simple and easy, but it wasn't either of those things!

It was like imagining your entire body. No, not a picture of your front, or your back, but imagining the entire thing, at once. Every bit of it at the same time.

"It's dark!" Arnavon landed beside Harry with a soft thump, startling him into a burst of light. "Sorry." He inclined his head at his friend, visible by Shining's continued light. "What are you doing?"

Harry refocused, starting to glow all over again. "I'm trying to learn a new magic trick. The first step is glowing all over, which you interrupted!"

"You glowed all over when I said hello." Technically, he never said that. "Can you do that again?"

"That was me bein' surprised, Arnie," laughed out Harry, sitting in the dark. "Not me trying to do something specific."

Shining was doing his best to not pay attention to the distractions in the room, but that was proving a step too far, his glow popping out entirely. "Arnavon... good to see you, but we're really busy right now."

Arnavon was not easily dissuaded. "You felt it, didn't you? When you glowed like that. Do it again."

But how did one capture that instant of surprise? Not that Harry didn't try, reaching for that moment of Arnavon's first appearance. It was... "Like my magic was trying to escape." Like he was a balloon, and the magic inside made a rush for the exit, which was everywhere.

"Hm." That was a new way of thinking about it. He was trying to spread it out like butter on toast. But maybe... "You're a clever thing, Arnie."

Arnie grinned at the praise. "Good good. I'll leave you two alone." That they were quite busy seemed obvious enough. "See you later." Light spilled into the room briefly as he escaped out into the rest of the palace.

Shining blinked softly. "It didn't light up when he came in. How did he get in here?!"

Harry laughed at the confusion. "I bet he used a window or something. Tsuki love jumping. We'll have to double check that he closed it when we turn the lights back on."

"Right right... What was that idea you had?"

Harry gladly shared the idea of being a light balloon, instead of a light toast. "So if we... explode the magic out from the center, we should get what we're after... in theory."

"Huh... Let's try that." Neither of them glowed much at first, gathering their glowing magic within their centers instead of trying to paint their outsides. But when they released the magic to explode outwards, they shone with a new radiance. It wasn't perfect, but it was so much closer. "Good thinking." Shining turned to inspect himself. "Let's practice this and maybe we can call Starlight."





Starlight hiked a brow at her two new students. "Already? It took me weeks to get that... Alright, show me. Glow!"

Harry gathered his magic tight with a grunt of effort, to release it in a burst of glow that encompassed his entire form instead of his horn. "You can blame Arnavon."

Starlight considered Harry, circling him to inspect the work. "Not perfect, but good enough... It takes you time, which makes me feel better. I thought you had it nailed down, but you don't. You'll have to keep practicing it until you can just flick it on and off on demand, but you're close. Shining, your turn."

Like Harry, he was batting around a B to B+ on coverage and it wasn't instant. Despite that, Starlight clapped. "That's still a lot of progress. Are you proud? You should be. Now, I changed my mind."

Harry's ears sagged. "You're not going to teach us?!"

Starlight waved that away. "Not that. I changed my mind on waiting for you to be perfect in the glow. I think we can start with what you have, and practicing with this may help the other part. So here's the deal. Normally, you gather your magic in your horn, right?" She pointed up at her glowing horn. "And you grab things with that. Basic stuff, right?" Her students nodded. That was unicorn 101. "Except your entire everything is glowing, and you're going to grab with that." With a puff of smoke, two small weights thunked to the ground on either side of her. "One for each of you. Lift with all of you, not your horn."

Harry pointed up at his horn. "We're still using our horn, aren't we?" He was fairly sure his horn was making the glow, even if the glow wasn't confined to it.

"Technically true," sang out Starlight. "But only technically. Your focus is now all over. You need to reach from there, that focus, and do things. Grabbing from everywhere is not the same as when that focus is all up here." She pointed to her pointy horn."

Harry squinted at his new equine teacher. "Can you do it?"

Starlight casually lifted into the air several inches, her hooves bobbing slowly, nothing supporting them but her full body glow. "Evidence points to yes."

Shining pointed at one of the weights. "We're more curious to see you grab something besides yourself."

Starlight dropped to the ground with a clop. "Oh fine. I haven't done this in a while..." She glowed everywhere, nice and easily. She had practice with that. "Grab!" Oh, she grabbed. She grabbed too much. She sent the weight hurtling off into the air, flung with way too much force. "Oh!" She vanished, appearing next to the hurtling weight and grabbing it, even flying. She swooped in to rejoin them. "Sorry, underestimated my strength here."

With a thump, she released the weight back to the ground. "But I did it," she proudly proclaimed. "I'll be honest with you both, there's not a lot of advantages in grabbing things with a spread focus, other than practicing having a spread focus, which is what you're doing." She wobbled a hoof between Harry and Shining. "You wanna fly? This is working towards that. But for these weights..."

She narrowed her light to her horn easily, snatching the weight up and tossing it back and forth as if she had two hands up there, easily lobbing it to and fro. "For things you can watch, the horn focus is ideal. That's the trick, you can't watch yourself, especially while flying and trying to get things done."

Shining grabbed the other weight, easy enough with his horn. "Not too heavy." He easily lifted it over his head and twirled it around. "Now I just have to do it while being a holiday light."

Harry nodded at Starlight. "Sounds like we have even more homework. Should we call you when we manage it?"

"Or if you want a new duel?" She rubbed her forehooves together. "I'm entirely up for that too... So, you know, whichever happens to come up first."

Class was dismissed, though they had learned at least something new, and got new work to do.





"It's not fair." Flurry was chewing on some gum, hanging out with her friends. "Bro got to bring a friend along to school, but I didn't."

Her draconic friend raised a hand quickly. "Pass."

The yak rubbed at his shaggy chin. "Not sure I want to go there either. Not sound fun."

Flurry snorted at her disloyal friends. "At least there's a friendly creature there. He's our roomate. Did I tell you about him?"

The dragon fluttered her lashes. "You're living with a boy that isn't Harry or Arnie? I want to hear about this..."

The teen male Yak laughed. "Ew."

Flurry glared at him. "We've had sleepovers before. You didn't 'ew' at them."

The yak gestured at the she-dragon. "She was always there. You with all guys."

Flurry blushed. This was true! "We don't do anything! Ugh! You are the worst!" She chased him around, both laughing, at least until she ran into the arm of her dragon friend. "Hm?"

"Story time." She casually pushed Flurry to her haunches. "Spill all the details. Is he cute, for a... whatever he is?"

Flurry crossed her arms. "Cute enough, and he's a human, Simmer. I've told you that before!"

Simmer rolled her eyes. "I didn't care that much about them when they were just being bored. Now you're sleeping with one, a guy human at that. Details!"

"Ugh, fine... His name is Ronnie. And he's gonna visit, come to think." She had fogotten all about that. "Any day now!"

Simmer grinned at Flurry's increasingly flustered state. "Check this out, Moziq." She waved at Flurry, waggling her scaled brows at their yak friend. "She's looking kinda upset."

"Am not!" She swatted at Simmer desperately, even as Moziq laughed in an uproar at the whole thing. "Sheesh!" Flurry scowled at Simmer. "He's just a friend, and you'll get to meet him." Her expression brightened. "Then you'll see. He's just a cool creature, like you two, when you're not being jerks." She rolled her eyes with that last part. "Which isn't often."

Simmer stuck out her tongue. "Ooh, the burn. Good thing we dragons are fireproof, or that mighta hurt."

Moziq had a sudden thought. "Wait. They're from that magic school, right? They do magic?"

"Yes." Flurry danced in place. "He's a schoolmate of my brother. They learn the same stuff." She swooshed a pretend wand around in her hoof. "He uses a stick like my bro loves to do, and says the funny words. But then magic, real magic, so he isn't faking it."

Moziq blew up at the fur that had come down to block his sight. "Nah. Yak not need magic. We got enough magic in here." He thumped himself on the chest. "All magic we need."

Simmer shrugged. "On principal, I'd agree. We dragons are pretty magic already. We don't need fancy magic."

Flurry heard a, "But...?"

Simmer smirked viciously. "But I wouldn't say no exactly. It looks fun, and powerful. Those are two words I happen to love, especially together. And it doesn't need a unicorn horn, which I don't have."

Flurry stuck her tongue out at Simmer. "Too bad! I got an excuse to be there, and you don't, so no magic school for you."

"Now you're challenging me." Simmer poked Flurry with her sharp talon. "You have a magic friend visiting, and your bro's right there, and you are right here. Looks, to me, like I got choices for human magic learning. I don't even need to go to that fancy school, which is boring. You said so."

Flurry colored, her own words, turned on her. "It has some good parts," she mumbled feebly. "And I'm still learning! I'm way better at pony magic." She lit her horn brightly, wings flapping. "I can give some tips on that, but no unicorn horn."

Simmer grabbed Flurry by the horn, getting a squeak out of her. "Got one. Alright, next step?"

"Stop that!" Flurry wriggled away from Simmer's grip. "You know that's not how that works, thankfully. Sheesh... Alright, alright... If you are 100% serious... The first thing you need is a wand, and I don't have one to lend to you. I've been cheating." She pointed at her proud horn. "This counts. You'll need one of your own. And I'm not volunteering to give up mine. Most of the wand makers are in the human lands, so.... That'll be tough. Oh right!" She clopped her hooves together smartly. "Almost forgot. Unicorn practice wands are 'good enough'. Not what you want to use forever, but more than enough to get started."

Moziq shook his head almost sadly. "Really? Dragon magic already good. Why trade?"

"Trade nothing. I'm collecting!" She was a dragon. Simmer knew how to collect things.
> 20 - From Britain to Equestria
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Crikey..." Ronald stepped off the train, officially leaving the human world. He could see ponies, many of them. They were coming and going from a train on a track other than the one he was on. His was a secret one for wizards and the like.

Horses, magic horses. He was looking at a lot of magic horses, and it got stranger still. "Wow..." Most of them were shiny, as if made of crystal. He could even see through a lot of them. He could... see their insides. That was kinda funny, and disturbing... "Huh..."

It was a magical land of equines, like his equine friend. That made sense... "Well, I came this far." Chickening out on the train station felt far too cowardly. Pulling his luggage along, he emerged into normal space.

And the ponies noticed him. They didn't immediately scream, but that they were watching him curiously was hard to miss.

With a heavy thud in the snow, a familiar tsuki arrived. "Ronnie!" Arnavon was on him in a moment, hugging fiercely. "I missed you so much." He clutched to the human like a lifelong friend, even if they had only met that year.

The friendliness seemed to put the ponies at ease. Anything Arnavon greeted like that couldn't be too awful.

Ron slapped Arnavon on the back warmly. "Good to see you too. I said I'd visit and here I am. So, uh, where do I go?"

Arnavon gave up on squeezing the stuffing out of Ronald. "Oh, yes, of course! You have no bits... So you will come this way." He led the way towards the castle with awkward steps instead of his usual bounces. "Harry will be so happy! They will let you stay there." He pointed to the castle. "That, the palace. That is where Harry and his family lives. You are a friend, so they will let you stay there."

Ron drew up aside Arnavon. "So, where do you live?"

"Same place." Arnavon clapped his hands in a firm strike. "We will be together again! Flurry is there too. All of us, together again. I'm so happy." Not that he was hiding that fact well with a big happy smile on his face. "Harry is practicing magic."

"Seriously?! I thought we were on a break. What's he practicing magic for?" He waved the idea off to the side. "I swear, what a busy body. You're not practicing, are you?"

"A little," admitted Arnavon. "But not nearly as much as Harry is. There's not as much magic around for me to practice with, and Harry would get mad if I practiced on his magic. He's using it."

"Core... look at this place." They had reached the stairs leading up into the palace. Ronald stepped up gently from one to the next. "Figured Hogwarts had it all beat out for impressive sights, but this takes some gettin' used to, you know? Look at it!" He raised both hands at the impressive structure they were climbing into. "So who owns it?"

"I do." There was Cadance, at the top. She smiled at Ronald and Arnavon as they joined her. "And it is a pleasure to meet you."

Ronald considered the alicorn before him. "Gonna guess... Are you related to Flurry?"

The right answer, revealed with her merry little giggle. "Is it so obvious? My precious little daughter... and I hear you've been helping take care of my son. Thank you." She dipped her head at the human. "Welcome."

Arnavon hugged Cadance warmly with one arm, having no fear of the monarch. "This is Ronald, a dear friend to me and Harry. Can he stay here?"

Cadance pricked an ear. "Of course he can, or we can get him a hotel room, or a small house. Whichever you prefer." She smiled at Ronald gently. "You are our honored guest."

Ronald stuttered without proper words a moment. "Um, thank you ma'am. This is... a bit new. It's like meeting the bloody queen!"

Cadance slowly tilted her head at the outburst. "I am just a princess. Do you have a bloodthirsty queen problem?"

Ronald waved his hands in front of himself, palms towards the royal pony. "No! No, just a figure of speech. She's fine, really." Cadance relaxed on that revelation. "It's just a lot. I don't meet royal people very often."

"Worry not. You are a guest, a friend of my son. That makes you a friend of mine, if you will have it. Now, of those options, do any appeal more than the others? You must be tired from your journey and I would have you given comfortable lodging while you're here. It would hardly do to be inhospitable guests." She reached up, tapping at her little crown. "You can ignore this. You're not even one of my subjects. You're not even a pony. So long as you are a decent creature, you have completed your obligations."

Ronald let out a mildly strained laugh. "Right, thanks... But it'd probably annoy Harry if I didn't treat his mom respectfully. I'd be sore if he treated my mom funny."

"Tell me about her." Cadance leaned in a few inches. "It sounds like you love her."

"Don't most kids?" Ronald shrugged. "She's been good to us all."

"A large family? Please, tell me more. I'd love to hear about it, and you." She waggled an ear. "I know only a little of humans and their ways, but we are all creatures, in the end. We have families. We love our mothers and our fathers. We love our siblings, in a different way... Sometimes with conflict, hm? But still a love, I hope?"

Ronald had stepped right in one of Cadance's preferred topics. He would not escape without describing his family life and its many love connections of warmth and rivalries. Still, it was kinda nice to have something that was genuinely interested in hearing about his family.

"What a lovely family you have. You've met one of mine already, two come to think. Flurry and Harry are both children of mine, one by adoption." She glanced away and back. "Had he told you of that? I feel awful now... I should be more careful when I speak."

For as much as Flurry and Cadance looked like two birds of a feather, Harry was a bit out, but... "To be perfectly honest, miss, I don't know how magic horses work. I wouldn't have guessed if you didn't tell me."

Cadance pouted a little. "Then it really is my fault." Her eyes flicked to Arnavon. "And you'll tell him."

Arnavon jumped in surprise at being addressed after so long of him just idling there. "Tell him what?"

"What happened." She gestured between herself and Ron. "So I'd best just fess up myself and avoid that drama. I love Harry, completely. He is my child, by blood or not matters little at this point."

"I wasn't trying to say otherwise!" Ronald stood at stiff attention. "I feel like I'm messing this all right up."

"You're not, promise." Cadance turned back to Arnavon, her wings half-folded. "Arnie, dear. I empower you. Find Ronald a comfortable place to stay. Tell whatever pony you speak to that they can ask me for payment."

Arnavon reared up and offered a salute, as sloppy as tsuki salutes tended to be. "Yes, ma'am! Come on, Ronnie. Let's get you somewhere nice and cozy." He grabbed for Ronald, snatching the human right up. "How big of a place do you want?"

Ron batted at Arnavon. "Cut that out! I got legs."

Arnavon released him to wobbling feet. "Yes... But mine are faster." He gasped with a big smile. "You never rode a tsuki before. It's fun!"

"How would you know?" Ron struggled to imagine two tsuki riding one another. Lewd, and also impractical.

Arnavon put two hands close together. "I wasn't always this big. As a little tsuki, I rode other tsuki, and it was a lot of fun. Human legs, they're good, but they don't fly."

Ron crossed his arms over his chest. "Your legs don't fly either, Arnie. You need wings for that."

"Try try!" Arnavon bounced in place without leaving the ground. "I promise, it'll be so fun!"

Cadance was still there, watching the exchange. "I have ridden a tsuki before. It is quite the experience. They don't fly, truly, but it's near close enough. You will soar through the air." She inclined her head towards Arnavon. "And he cares for you deeply, so he will not let you get hurt."

Arnavon bobbed his head at that. "I don't have a saddle. We're so good at giving rides, there are saddles, but I never got one." He pouted at this clear lack of preparation. "But we can give rides without one of those." He offered a fuzzy hand instead of grabbing at Ron again. "Let's go?"

Ronald considered the hand. "Well... alright, but if I say stop--"

"--Then we stop." Arnavon nodded as he turned to the side and sank to his belly. "Get on."

Cadance waved gently at the two. "Have fun."

"Thanks for--" Ronald didn't get a chance to finish his words. Arnavon had launched into the air, taking him right along for the ride.

With a great thump of his feet, Arnavon propelled himself into the air, a mamallian rocket powered by muscles and carefully designed tendons. "This is the Crystal Empire." It was one thing to see it from the ground. With the huge leaps Arnavon was performing, one could see it all from the sky. "Mostly ponies. Some tsuki, like me. And now one human, for a little while." He hit the ground, but it wasn't a jarring experience.

No, that energy he captured with his flexing tendons, winding up and throwing it forward into his next leap in a smooth rebound into the air. "I'm so happy you're here. Do you want to meet more tsuki? I can bring them by. Oh, sorry. How big?"

The excited Arnavon had forgotten his question for a moment. Ron, on the other hand, was busy holding firmly to Ron's thick pelt to keep himself locked in place. "You're not a broomstick... But almost as good?" Not like he had one of those. "This is really something else..." He wasn't immune to the rush of the wind and the wide vistas afforded by the new ride. "Oh, but nothing fancy."

"Nothing fancy." Arnavon hit the ground, just the propel himself at a sharp new angle in a sudden left and seeming to lose not a bit of momentum for the change in direction. "I know the place." He landed in front of a long but only two story building. "A lot of ponies live here. You can live here for a while."

Ronald considered the dwelling. On shaking feet, he dismounted from Arnavon. "That was... It was fun, really, but I'm done for now. Harry is something else, getting into brooms and all... I think, next semester, they teach us all a bit of that... But I'm getting off topic."

With greater confidence, he strode up to the doors of the building. "So it's an apartment building?"

"Yes!" Arnavon hopped right over Ron and vanished inside, his wagging tail the last seen of him before he popped inside. His considerable bulk was the only thing that made him pause a moment. By the time Ron reached the door, Arnavon was already chatting with a smiling pony. "Princess Cadance said she'll pay for it."

"Well..." The mare rubbed her chin softly. "I don't know tsuki to fib, so if you say that, I will believe it. You are telling the truth, right?"

"Of course!" Arnavon squeaked, looking horrified at the idea of lying. "Why wouldn't I? If she wasn't, then I would pay. Ron is a good friend. Oh there he is." He waved wildly at Ronald. "He's a human,"  he whispered way too loudly to be secretive. "They're neat."

Ronald nodded to his temporary landlord. Lady? Mare? "Nice to meetcha." He offered a hand and got a hoof in return to shake. "I'll do my best to not make a mess."
> 21 - A New Gang
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ron thought he had things figured out. The ponies were friendly, and fuzzy, and kinda cute really. They didn't have any magic that they showed off. They just walked along from place to place, like a human, with hooves. They were cute and easy to talk to. Sure, a few got nervous with a new kind of thing around, but after they swapped a few words, they came around and they were just as soft as their pelts.

An important note, but the crystal ones were just as soft and fuzzy as the not-crystal ones. The fur was a little stiffer, but still soft and they'd let you pet them if you proved you were a nice thing to them. Yep, he had figured it out, and he was enjoying his stay in magical horse land.

Until he ran into a new hooved creature. It wasn't a pony. It was wider, and had horns, big and on the side of its head. "Ha!" it barked, removing any doubt that it could speak. "Are you Flurry's toy?"

"Come again? Oh, is Flurry around?" Ron glanced about, but saw no hint of the brightly colored pony anywhere.

"No." Moziq inclined his head. "Friend."

"Ah, hey." He raised a hand at Moziq and moved to the side to stop being in the way of ponies walking past. "I'm a friend of hers too."

"Me know," Moziq said with a chuckle. "She pretty."

Ron blinked softly. "Uh... For a horse, I guess? What are you, speakin' of that?"

"Yak." He thumped his chest with a deep bass of striking a large drum. "Better than yak you know."

Ron had seen a yak. Once. It was in a book somewhere... "The yaks I know don't strike up a conversation about a magic horse. Pretty sure that qualifies you as a magical yak."

Moziq considered that with a hm. "Well. We great enough. Blame magic if you want." He closed in with Ron, blocking traffic on that side of the road, not that any ponies were trying to push the yak out of the way. "Better not hurt her."

"Her who?" Moziq was shorter than Ron, but seemed to have equally the same, if not a lot more mass despite that. "Flurry?"

"Flurry." Moziq tossed his mane. "Watching you." He tromped off with a final grunt, allowing ponies to use the whole of the road to their relief.

"What was all that about?" Ron shrugged and decided to head to the palace. It wasn't hard to find, tallest building around by quite a bit.

What he wasn't expecting was for a friend to drop in, literally. Harry descended from the sky, not like a bird soaring in, but literally straight down, glowing with the same color as his horn's magic. "Ron!"

"Harry?" Ron waved over Harry when he touched the ground, as if he may find some wires. "Did you lift yourself up into the air just to wait for me to drop under you? That's a mighty big effort just to surprise me."

Harry shook his head with an equine snort. "Don't be daft. I've been practicing magic flight, so I was flying, and I saw you walking along." He reared up and clopped his hooves down on Ron's shoulders. "I heard you got into town! I thought you were joshin', truth told. Didn't think you'd actually show up."

"Get off." He meant that at least partially literally as Ron shoved Harry back off his shoulders. "A promise is a promise, ain't it? Besides..." He waved around vaguely. "Check this place out! I'd be a daft loon to say no to checkin' this out. An entire city of magic horses, and other things. Ya got magic rabbits and yaks too, I've met."

"And exactly one magic owl," noted Harry with a raised hoof and a sly look.

Ron snickered at that. "You know he's a rabbit more than an owl, get off it!"

Harry shrugged as he turned towards the palace. "I dunno. He can fly like an owl."

Ron remembered his brief 'flight' with Arnavon. "Fly, maybe, like an owl, definitely not! Suppose you don't need it anymore..." He followed after Harry towards the palace. "But did you ever give him a ride?"

Harry turned an ear at his friend. "I've ridden a tsuki before, yes. They're fast!"

"Oh, fast. I'll give that, no problem there. Fast and... bouncy... Pretty sure no owl flies like that, Harry." Ron tried his best to put that thought aside. "But now you can just... fly on yer own?"

Harry struck a pose, but it faltered quickly. "Ha, yeah, but brooms are faster. Still, being able to do it at all..."

"Is pretty awesome." Ron fired a thumbs up at his friend's achievement. "Core, the spell we learned just makes things go up and down, not all around. It's literally what that poor wizard was trying to make! He'd flip his wig if he saw you doin' that."

"I'll admit." Harry started up the stairs to the palace. "That was part of what made me want to learn it as much as I did. Besides, I was already learning how to fly, with the broom. More practice is good, right?"

"Reckon so..." Ron hopped up to the last step, in the palace proper. "If it'll give you an edge in the game, that's a bonus. Wouldn't say no to learning how to fly in general. Right nifty trick that is."

Harry floated his wand free. "You'll have to learn it the wizarding way. You're not a unicorn."

"Way to rub it in." Ron elbowed Harry from the side, the two laughing without bitter feelings about it. "Maybe next semester then! If nothin' else, they'll let us ride the brooms now, right?"

"They'd better. Got me all ready for it an' all." Harry tossed his head into the palace. "You've been here before?"

"Once." Ron looked from the guard ponies to the waitstaff, all busy living their little horse lives. "I met your mom, classy lady."

Harry colored faintly. "She's a real treat, and the ponies love her. She keeps things running properly." He winked the eye facing Ron. "She keeps the trains on time."

"Get out." Ron laughed at the poor political joke. "Gonna hope yer mum's got more qualities than that."

"I could start listing them if ya want so badly, but that seemed kinda rude." Harry was still leading the way, walking at a sedate pace through the halls of the palace. "Besides, I'm a little biased. You'd get a more fair review from somepony who ain't related to her."

"Well, it ain't gonna be a rabbit." Ron threw up his hands in a grand shrug. "They seem happy about most things. Doubt they'll find much to be unhappy about."

Harry considered the tsuki. "Probably right about that... They have a real dark wizard as their head of state and they're alright with that."

Ron paused his forward progress. "You are yanking my chain right now!"

Harry turned to his immobile friend. "King Sombra's his name. Real nasty fella, but they have things worked out."

Ron shook his head slowly. "Get out... Now, stop me if I'm loony or whatever, but if you know a dark wizard, and he's not trying to hurt you, why not ask him about that spooky fella that was comin' after you? One dark wizard knows how another works, right?"

Harry recoiled. "That's so obvious I feel real daft for not thinking of it. Well, the tsuki, and Sombra, don't live a short hike away. The tsuki can bounce there pretty quick, but they're right fast, now ain't they?"

Ron could remember the rapid travel through the city. "That's one way to put it... So... We hop a ride on Arnie then?"

Harry laughed at that, hopping away. His magic lifted him up, making the hop longer than it would have otherwise been and allowing him to come down some distance down the hallway. "You can ride Arnie, if he says alright. I can fly now. I could use the practice."

"That's the sound of a gloating unicorn," sang out Starlight as she came around the corner up ahead. "And I love it. Enjoying your new trick?"

Ron considerd the new purple unicorn. "Uh, hey..."

"Hey." She waved lightly, then clopped a hoof on her forehead. "I'm being silly. You don't know me, and I barely know you. I'm Starlight Glimmer! One of Harry's tutors."

"The one that knew how to fly," joyfully reported Harry. "She's a real talented unicorn. Doesn't know a bit of human magic, but unicorn magic? She has that down pat."

Starlight rubbed a hoof on her chest with a smug expression. "Unicorn magic already gets everything done. Learning another kind of magic feels a bit silly if it can't do anything I can't already do. The potion making and herbology, though, I'll give it that. I never learned much about that. I bet Zecora would love to trade notes..." She frowned with thoughts of the zebra some distance away. "I should ask her."

Ron hiked a thumb at Harry. "That's awesome, Miss Glimmer. Never met a pony grand wizard before. We were just talking about meeting this Sombra fella."

Starlight recoiled at that. "Him?! Why?"

Harry let out a defeated noise. "I ran into a dark wizard of some kind over there. We were thinkin' maybe he had a few tips for dealing with that kind of thing. You know, dark to dark?"

Starlight sank to her haunches. "Well..." She shrugged lightly. "I can't argue the logic. He wouldn't hurt you. Shoot, I hear he was one of the first ones that saw you, as a colt."

Ron rolled his hands over one another. "About that. Harry here isn't Cadance's kid, that much is clear, and now the dark wizard saw him first? Can I get the full story or is that some kinda big secret thing?"

Starlight waved to Harry a bit more dramatically than required. "That sounds like your cue."

Harry pinned his ears back. "Um, right... I was a little young at the time, but they found me in the snow." He pointed off into a wall. "By the tsuki lands, where you wanna go. They brought the little me to Sombra, and he said to bring me here." He turned that hoof to the ground beneath himself. "And Cadance, being an awesome pony she is, took me in and I became her kid..." He frowned at Ron. "Which I am, by the way."

"Sorry, sorry." He raised his hands in a quick defense. "You know what I meant."

"Hmmph." That didn't make it less of a hurtful kind of thing to say. "Anyway, that's how I met him, way too young to really remember a lot of it now."

Ron considered that, tapping at the ground with a foot. "Now, if he's as fancy as he seems to be... There ain't a lot of reasons he couldn't come here, where there isn't a school of wizards waitin' for him, and you don't sleep with Arnie. Do you?"

"No," flatly denied Harry. "He has his own room."

"Right, so you're way more vulnerable here, if we're bein' honest with ourselves. But he hasn't done showed up even once, right?"

"Not here he hasn't," worriedly agreed Harry with a glance around for that strange dark wizard. "Hope he never does."

"Right, but I'm just thinking." He brought his hands together silently. "What if this Sombra fella's already helping out? Maybe he's keeping that other fella out of things. You know, protecting his turf an' what not?"

Starlight slowly inclined her head. "That is stupid enough that it may be exactly right. Where's Arnavon?"

"Did you call?" Arnavon swung in through a window, landing with a soft thump next to Starlight.

"How you do that... still a mystery." Starlight was smiling despite that. "They need a ride to the tsuki caves. You up for that?"

Harry lifted into the air a few inches, glowing with his magic. "I can handle myself. Ron's the one that needs a ride."

Arnavon smiled with a brilliant joy. "Wait here! I got just the thing." He darted right back out the window in an athletic jump, lost to sight.

Ron could guess... "He went and got a saddle, didn't he?"
> 22 - Into Snow
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Arnavon returned with a saddle that wrapped around his midsection and provided a clear spot to sit. "Ta da!" He looked quite proud of this bit of fashion. "It should be more comfortable now."

Ron tapped at the hard leather, just to discover it wasn't leather at all. He had wondered why ponies and other animals would want to use leather. It was more like plastic, even if it had a leathery finish to it. They could make plastic? That only raised more questions. He put those aside and hopped up on the willing rabbit ride. "How far away is this place?"

"Half an hour." Arnavon didn't give time for more chat after that, springing forward through the halls in shorter bounces that became larger the moment they were outside. With the ceiling removed, he could propel himself up into the sky, wind whistling past them both on his journey. "Better?"

Ron had something to grab that wasn't Arnavon. The horn of the saddle worked nicely for the purpose, and his legs had somewhere specific to be with straps even. "This is way better than the first time." Sure, he was still bouncing up and down, but he had a proper place to sit while doing it.

Harry caught up with them, glowing with his magic. "I forget how fast Arnie can be when he wants to be."

"Sorry! Should I slow down?" Arnavon looked properly appalled at the idea that he might have messed up.

Harry waved a hoof quickly. "No, just surprised me." He swam forward a little against Arnavon's speed. "It's good practice, really. Making me go up and down to keep with you while keeping up the speed. Couldn't ask for much better."

Ron watched Harry, who seemed stable. Truthfully, the unicorn wizard was lifting and lowering alongside them, matching their pace well enough that he looked like he wasn't moving much at all. "You're getting better at this..."

"Thanks." And he almost crashed into the snow, pulling up just in time. "Still needs a little practice!"

"Bet ah could tan your hide at videogames though." That fantasy realm seemed to not have many consoles to practice on, an easy threat!

Harry frowned with thought even as he heaved for breath. Starlight made it look so very easy, but zipping around took effort. He was casting a long spell that had no end until he returned to the ground, or let gravity take back over. Either way, it was a lot of work. Riding a broom was a lot less of it! There were advantages either way... "Think... you'd be right, since I'm not sure what you even mean."

"Knew it." Ron snapped his fingers in a brief gesture before grabbing the saddle firmly. "Muggle game thing. Almost magic itself, with how fancy they get. Do you even have muggles? Don't reckon you do. Everything around here knows about magic and all."

Harry laughed at that. "Actually... If you call anything that doesn't use magic a muggle, than we got tons of them. Most of the crystal ponies don't know the start of how to magic. They know about it, and they live with it, but they don't do it themselves."

"Huh..." Ron learned something new, but pulled back as Arnavon landed. "We here?" He didn't see a lot of here to be.

Arnavon pointed down into a deep pit. "Here!" He leaned in over the hole, peering into its depths. "Tsuki city, right below us. Ready?" He wriggled his body like a cat lining up its shot. "This may be scary." Not for him and his big smile. "Just hold on."

Harry floated over the hole and started down at a less hurried rate. "See you at the bottom!"

"Ready!" Arnavon apparently decided Harry's going was cue enough. He jumped into the middle of the hole and gravity handled the rest, the wind whistling in his ears. No, not just the wind. Some of that was Ron screaming with terror as the world fell away and they plunged into the inky darkness. "It's alright," shouted Arnavon, hoping to help his friend. "Made this jump lots of times." Did that help? He hoped so.

He hit the first platform. Only the bravest, and perhaps foolish, of tsuki tried to descend the entire hole in one motion. His tendons and muscles stretched taught as he flumped to the ground, collecting all that energy safely. He could feel Ron thumping against this back. Humans were not nearly as good at landing, but it didn't feel too rough. Arnavon released some of that energy into a bounce, but not all of it. He didn't want to fly right back up where he started. No, he let the rest go when he was in the air, kicking at the air just to get rid of that power. He'd have another fall to cushion, and having his legs already bunched up wouldn't help with that.

From platform to platform, he thumped and fell in a controlled way. He could see other tsuki ascending in careful bounding jumps. "Hi!" There wasn't a lot of time to talk as they soared past each other, barely time to wave or just smile. They were all happy to see each other, but they were also going very quickly up or down, so that would just have to do.

Arnavon arrived at the bottom long before Harry could, largely falling at the rate that gravity allowed. He twisted back to look at Ron. "Are you alright?"

"No." Ron promptly fell off Arnavon with a grunt, smacking onto the stone floor next to the large rabbit creature. "That was... amazing, and terrible all at the same time."

Arnavon quickly gathered Ron up, cradling him in warm fur. "Are you hurt? Did I do it wrong?"

Harry descended from the black sky. "Hey," he called out to both of them. "Everything alright?"

"That's what I'm asking." Arnavon nuzzled Ron. A good warm nuzzle fixed things, right? "We're done. You're safe now, promise."

Ron pawed at the attacking fuzzy snout. "Relax! Relax, I'm alright." He managed to shove Arnavon with both hands, getting that snout back. "So... we're here?"

Harry landed gently, glow fading as he clopped to the ground. "I think so? Arnie?"

Arnavon carefully set Ron to the ground. "Yes. Welcome!" He reared up, throwing his hands wide in either direction. "Welcome!"

"Welcome!" echoed another tsuki with a big smile, which prompted another, and another. Soon half the cave was filled with fuzzy happy faces closing in to see who it was they were greeting.

One, a female with a twitching nose, recognized who it was. "The little pony!" She rushed in and grabbed Harry up in a firm hug. "Good see back." She was of the older generation, speaking in simpler sentences. "Good see back."

Others closed with her. Hugging season had been officially declared, which meant hugs were the order of the day. Harry was passed from tsuki to tsuki to warmly greet with firm hugs, a call back to their instinctual combats for dominance. To embrace ready for battle, but not fight, that was the sign of love and affection, and they had a lot of love to show to the little pony they had found so long ago, returned and healthy.

"What is this," came a boom, causing the crowd to immediately disperse. "I look away for one moment." There stood a unicorn with a scowl under his crown. "Arnavon, you return. Explain this." He directed a hoof at the two confused wizards, one human and one pony.

Aranavon dipped his head at the taller pony. "Hello, King Sombra. This is Harry Potter, son of Cadance. That is Ronald Weasely, friend of Harry Potter, and me. They wanted to ask you a question, sir."

The wizards tensed. Before them was the pony dark wizard. He had that look of badness, and his eyes wafted with dark power. It wasn't hard to see that the truth had been told. Ronald raised a hand though. "Sorry to drop in."

Sombra snorted softly. "I doubt Arnavon gave you much choice. The tsuki never do, especially for the first visit." Perhaps he could remember the first time he got a ride down that hole. "You." He fixed Harry with a dark stare. "I sent you away, but you continue to bring me trouble. You are quite the nuisance."

Harry got his hooves properly under him, recovering from the avalanche of hugs. "Sir? You know about--"

"--I can only assume you've become aware." Sombra raised a brow high. "Another shadow, encoraching on my domain! They aren't even the right species..." He turned his glare on Ron. "You. You smell of them. Tell the others of your kind to stay in their own lane. That is what the children say these days, isn't it?"

Not a fact Arnavon was willing to argue. "He's only visiting, sir. To see Harry. They are friends." As if that part had already been forgotten. "You know about the creepy thing that attacked us?"

Sombra's frown grew two sizes that day. "It attacked you as well, my subject. Mine? I was right to despise it... They pry and prod, trying to gain access to this world. It's your fault," he thundered at Ron. "That damnable train is a breach in the barrier, allowing him a way in..." His frown turned to a calculating smile. "If I wasn't here... Cadance owes me again." This fact brought undisguised pleasure to him. "They think their darkness is so vast. They have no idea."

Harry inclined his head forward. "Sir. Do you know how to deal with them?"

"If they dare to actually appear before me." Sombra rubbed his hooves together with a feral grin. "You won't have to... but I don't plan to give them that option. He is a human problem, for humans to deal with." His gaze returned to Ron. "Why haven't you taken care of him?"

Ron swallowed audibly. "We came to learn how, from, you know, the expert?"

Sombra swelled with pride. "You came to the right place, at least... Still, you're nothing but foals, pony or human. You have no chance, none at all..." His gaze flicked to Arnavon. "If I asked you to simply walk away?"

Arnavon angled his head, one ear hanging down. Tsuki ears were not very perky. "I prefer to hop, sir. But I won't leave Harry. I'm his owl, sir."

"What?" Sombra squinted at his subject that was clearly not an owl. "Are you being forced? You have but to hint it, and I will see it ends, now." His threatening anger grew with each word, dark energy spilling readily from his eyes.

"No sir!" Arnavon grabbed Harry, hugging him firmly. "We are very good friends, and I want him to learn more. I'm learning too, sir. I'll be able to learn magic soon."

Sombra's eyes shone with a new light. "Truly? Now my attention is gained. Tsuki can cast spells? Learn this! Learn it and bring back its secret to the others. I will have this power." He crossed his arms. "It was enough they could deflect and change magic that unicorns cast, but if they can make some of their own... The power. I want it. This is now your mission."

Ron waved at Harry. "If Arnie gets hurt and doesn't get to finish learning magic because that jerk gets in the way..."

"You have a point." He didn't sound happy at that, grumbling at the thought. "He would probably enjoy getting one over on me, denying me this... Very well... For my own sake, I will give you a little gift, a treat. A protective measure... You are safe here, anywhere my shadow touches. He cannot approach your home, the crystal keeps him at bay. Shadow creatures find it quite... painful." That was something he could say from experience. "So you are only vulnerable while you are away from both. Ask your dam. She will sacrifice a small shard of the crystal for you. Keep it close, it should be enough, for a time."
> 23 - Don't Go
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

A smaller tsuki crept closer, perhaps braver than the others. She sniffed gently at Ron, looking them over curiously. Ron noticed the rabbit creature. "Hey?" He waved a little, unsure how to respond properly.

"Hello," she chimed, rising up to her hindlegs and hopping the rest of the distance to be nice and close. "You're interesting." Not a subtle creature, she sniffed at him all the more blatantly. "You're not a pony, or a tsuki." She was clearly of the new generation, speaking with some finesse. "So little fur." She reached up to muss his mane, ruffling Ron's head without any lick of shame.

Ron gently swatted her hand away, but she was pressing in all the closer. "Nice to meet you... um... I'm Ron."

"Hi, Ron," she chimed with a big smile. "I'm Tillybell." She leaned in. "I made up that name myself." She sounded quite proud of this. "Most tsuki don't do that." Another thing she seemed proud of. "Did you make up that name?"

"Parents gave it to me," he admitted, not proud, but not ashamed. "Right fine name if yer asking me."

"Aw, thanks!" She had mistaken his words for refrerring to her name. "Ron's a nice name too. Simple, short. Short names can be fun. Easy to remember! Ron ron ron," she repeated the name quickly as if dedicating it to memory. "Ron... Yep, like it." She went back in for some fresh sniffs. "Where are you from?"

Ron looked to Harry, but there was no help there. Harry was busy chatting with a few other tsuki about something and not paying any attention to him. "Well, you see..."

"I don't," she complained. "Tell me, please."

"Right, well... I come from a little island called Great Britain."

"Oooo!" She clasped her paws together in a single clap, remaining together. "The sounds interesting. With a name like that, it better be good. Is it good?"

"It's great," he jested with a lopsided smirk. "Love it there. But it's a whole world away from here. You have to ride a magic train just to get there."

Oh, how her eyes widened at the idea. "Wow... And you came all that way? What for?" She grabbed his closer hand, casually rubbing and inspecting his hand with her own, pawpads slowly rubbing along each long finger and back to the palm, as if that anatomy was quite fascinating indeed.

Ron colored, face darkening as the strange creature casually made herself at home. "A little space, please."

She went still, but did release his hand. "Sorry." She fell back to all fours, going from taller to shorter instantly. "I didn't mean to bother you..."

"It's alright..." Wrong word. She had his hand again. Since it was alright, clearly she was allowed to resume her inspection. "Tsuki have hands too," he noted. "Shouldn't be that new."

She thrust up a hand almost in his face, her fingers spread wide. "My  hands are not your hands," she noted bluntly, as if that was an obvious fact. "Look. Yours have almost no fur. Yours don't have these." She tapped his nose with one of her paw beans. "Yours have different claws." She played her claws against his, comparing them. "Yours are longer. I bet you'd be really good at delicate things."

Ron ducked around her fuzzy hand. "I bet yours are really good at not getting cold in the snow, and you can land from those big jumps of yours without getting banged up."

"Would yours?" she asked, considering his hand anew. "I guess they would." She turned her hand back to herself, gazing at it with new appreciation. "Our hands are very different." She grabbed his hand to press hers against it, comparing it one to one.

"You're really... into hands." Ron managed to retrieve his, stuffing it into a pocket out of sight.

"There are other parts of you that're really interesting." She pointed up at his forehead. "You don't have horns, so you can't grab magic like we can. Can you do magic? You need a horn to do magic, I think." She turned that pointer on Harry. "He has a horn, and I bet he can do magic."

"Harry? He's learning, with me." Ron drew a wand into view. "Here's my horn."

And so the wand was grabbed. He was still holding it, but so was she, gazing upon it with naked wonder. "You made a horn?! Clever! Clever! Ooo... Could a tsuki do magic with one of these?"

Arnavon apparently heard that. "I don't suggest it. I tried it. I can, a little." He held  up two fingers close together. "But we're better with our own horn. I'm gonna learn magic! If I get it right, I'll bring it back and show it to you."

"Would you?!" gasped out Tillybell with obvious wonder. "I can't wait." She began to bounce in place. "You're Arnavon, right? I heard about you. You live with the ponies, don't you? You write! You write a lot. That's what you do." She nodded, as if sorting these facts out for herself as she went over them. "Right?"

"Right," agreed Arnavon, pointing to Harry. "I'm also his owl, and I visit the human world and I'm trying to learn magic!"

She resume clapping with eager joy. "Please show it to me when you finish. I'll think of a favor..." She clucked her tongue on her teeth in thought. "Oh! You seem nice. Are you mated yet?"

"No." He inclined his head. "Why?"

"Because I will take you as a mate, and I'll be yours." A somewhat old fashioned offer, but given entirely seriously. "You seem nice, and you have big plans. I like that. And I want to learn magic too."

Arnavon considered the lady-tsuki with all due gravity. "Do you write?"

She shook her head. "No no. That's another reason I like you. Maybe you could show me how to write too? I want to make words that others can see even when I'm not even there. That's magic!"

"First spell I knew." Arnavon thumped his chest, looking quite proud of that fact. "What do you do?"

She pointed down one of many tunnels. "I help at the smithy. I make things." She made a hammering motion, vigorous with a sharp stop at the end to imply the striking of something at the end. "Hard work, but good work I think. Can you make things?"

"Only write."

Lillybell grinned at Arnavon. "I know something you don't. Show yours and I will show mine. A fair trade."

"Very fair." Arnavon nodded and came at  her with arms out. They collided in a hug of apparent agreement.

Harry blinked softly at the exchange and leaned in towards Ron. "Did they just skip from 'hello' to being engaged, just like that?"

Ron shook his head slowly. "Not sure if I should be jealous or something else right now. Well, we ain't rabbits or nothing. Can't really measure up to rabbits doing what rabbits do."

Harry tapped at Arnavon's side. "Hey, not to rain on your parade or anything, but are you really just... alright with marrying sometsuki you barely know?"

Aranavon waved at Lillybell. "I'll get to know her, and she will get to know me. She seems nice. She wants to know magic too, like me!" That this seemed a simple matter, Arnavon did not hide. "Didn't she seem nice?" He was looking to Ron then. "You two were playing."

Ron laughed nervously at that. "Not sure I'd call that 'playing'--" He made quotes in the air. "--exactly, but sure, she seems nice."

"Thank you." It wasn't as if Lillybell was far enough away to not hear everything said. "You seem nice too, but I'm already engaged." As if that was on the table, and the only reason she had declined Ron was because she was already taken, and no other reason at all.

"To me," added Arnavon, if that wasn't entirely clear. He leaned in and rubbed his nose on hers, the two churrruping in a shared moment of bliss, as if they'd been together for far longer than a minute or two. "I can't wait to learn all about you. Oh. I live in the Crystal Empire, the pony town." He pointed off towards it. "Will you come with me?"

"Gladly." She bounced in place. "I always wanted to see there. That's where all the ponies live, right?"

"Not all, but a lot." Arnavon explained this with pride in his knowledge.

Harry rubbed behind his head with a hoof. "Uh, Arnie, congratulations and all... but you're heading back with me to school, right?"

Arnavon fell back to all fours. "Oh, yes. Lillybell, will you wait for me?"

"Of course. But where are you going?" She nosed past Arnavon for a better look at Harry. "Where are you taking him? Is it safe?"

Ron shrugged at that. "Mostly. But that's where he's learnin' magic and all that."

"Oh!" Lilly nodded with understanding. "Then you have to go. King Sombra asked you to." She put both hands on her own chest. "I'll wait for you to come back. How long will it be?"

Arnavon counted on his fingers, requiring going back a few times. Math was not his specialty. "This many moons." He held up some fingers for her to see.

"Not fast, but not slow," she decided. "Okay."

With agreement reached, they shared a nod. She looked at Arnavon's saddle. "Hm?" She looked at his companions. "You only have one, but two." She directed two fingers at the pony and non-pony guest. "How will you carry them both?" She hiked a thumb back at her posterior. "I can take one."

Harry lifted into the air with a glow of his magic. "I can handle myself, but thank you for the thought."

"Oooo." Lillybell applauded the effort displayed. "Will you show me how to do that spell?"

"I'll try." It wasn't as if Arnavon had such spell himself just yet. "I have a lot of learning to do first."

"I'll agree with that." They met, hoof to paw. "Let's head back. We have to ask mom about getting a bit of crystal."

"Oh, yes." Arnavon lowered down to his belly. "On."

Ronald stepped up onto his mount, just for Arnie to rise under him and provide a lift. "I think I have the hang of this..."

He did not. But he made it out of the hole, a new figure hitting the snow just after Arnavon. Lilly was keeping up with them easily. A fit tsuki, she could bounce with the rest and hopped just as high and fast as Arnavon did. "This is the first time I ever left the warrens." She sounded excited, not scared. "I hear such amazing stories from others that come back. Oh, you make stories. Maybe you could tell me an amazing story?"

Arnavon considered that a moment. "There once was this tsuki..."

"Oooo." Her attention was securely held, and they all got to hear Arnavon shout over the wind the story of the tsuki who discovered the pony sport of buckball. They had no magic, but being able to jump real good and kick the ball were fine tasks, so they played the earth pony position well enough to make it to the finals, to the surprise and admiration of fans of the game. How they did in the final game? Well, you'll have to ask Arnavon to tell you that someday.

"I want to try that game." They landed as one within the warmth of the Crystal Empire. "While you're learning magic, I can learn buckball. Then, when you get back, we'll trade. And we can play magic buckball, together!"

"Yes!" Arnavon bounced without leaving the ground, mindful of his rider. "That sounds super fun."

Ron took the chance to slide to the ground.  "Thanks for the ride. Hope you two have a good... time? Do you have a wedding or something or are you already past that?"

Lillybell's eyes widened. "A wedding! That's a pony thing, but I want one. Do you want one?" She pressed on Arnavon. "It could be a lot of fun."

"I'll read up on them," promised Arnavon without giving a yes or no on the actual idea. "I bet Cadance would know."

"Right!" Harry shook his head. "We have to visit her anyway." And off he got at a strong walk towards the palace.
> 24 - Mother Dear
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"You need what?"

Harry smiled nervously at his alarmed mother. "Sombra said--"

"--Not exactly a trustworthy source." She crossed her arms. "From the top, kindly."

Ron raised a hand. "If I may?"

Cadance looked ready to shoot him down, but took a slow breath, as she had taught Twilight to do. "An outside voice may be just what we need. Please, explain in your own words."

"Right, yes." He waved at Harry. "We've been attacked." Cadance's wagging ears were the primary sign of her reaction to that. "That's why you sent Flurry, right?"

"Yes. I haven't heard of any further problems..."

"Not yet..." Ron shrugged. "But even with us around Harry, it's not a sure thing. Sombra wasn't being sneaky about it. Not sure he knows how to be, so, anyway..." He rolled a hand through the air. "He doesn't seem to like the thing botherin' us at all, is the thing. 'Another shadow thing, on my turf?!' That was the feeling I was getting from him. So... If it bothers them, he probably wants it."

"And this will bother this other... shadowy thing..." Cadance sank to her haunches. "I see..." She rested a hoof on Harry's chest. "That crystal protects the empire. Without it, we'd be frozen in ice, or just not living here. It wouldn't be the crystal empire anymore, in either event."

Harry adjusted his glasses between nervous hooves. "I'll be extra careful with it."

"See that you are." She drew in one more long breath. "Alright. I want you to be safe." She rose to her hooves and led the way towards where the crystal heart turned. "A little piece shouldn't... break it..."

Ron gazed upon the magical artifact. "So, that's the crystal heart huh? Accurate name..." It was just that, a heart of crystal, thick and lustrous. "Fancy..."

Cadance looked about. "Where's Arnavon, since he was brought up?"

Harry pointed off. "Probably planning with his new ladyfriend."

Cadance blinked with obvious surprise. "Arnavon has a ladyfriend?! Since when?!"

Ron burst into laughter at the surprise. "We said about the same thing. Tsuki have some really quick dates, looked like. She wanted what he had, decide he was nice, and he decided she was nice, so they're all engaged. That was it."

Cadance cocked a brow at the report. "That is a short courtship... I do hope for happiness for them both." She shook her head clear of that distraction. "We won't interrupt them then." Raising her hooves, she stopped the crystal from twirling.  "Keep this close and tight. Don't ever let it leave your sight."

"Not until I give it back," promised Harry.

Cadance's horn glowed brightly as she did something with the crystal, a shard floating up out of it, a small thing. "I give this to you, not because I have to, but because I love you." She turned with the crystal, floating it towards Harry.

Harry grasped the ritualistic words and way she said it. "I accept this not because I have to, but because I love you." He took it in his own magic, bringing the glittering shard closer. "I will hold it, and treasure it, knowing your love is inside it."

"That is all I can ask." She dipped her head, touching either of Harry's shoulder with her horn. "Carry it safely, and be safe in return, until you both are returned to me." With her glowing horn, she fashioned a strange of etheric magic around Harry's neck, attaching to the crystal. With a pop, the crystal fall against him, wrapped in a silvery metal in the shape of a heart. "May it protect you."

Harry raised a hoof to it, feeling over his new heart-shaped jewelry. "Thank you... Thank you so much."

"As if I could do less for my own foal." She leaned in and they shared a soft nuzzle of shared adoration. "Now... I am curious about this new ladyfriend of Arnavon. She is invited to dinner. Kindly inform her."

Ron leaned in around Harry for a peek at the new adornment. "Fancy."

"Right?" Harry batted it gently. "Perk of being a magical creature, I suppose."

"Hardly fair... Say, what's your sister been up to while we've been gone?"

"Let's find out." They took off at a walk to find her. It wasn't a very long walk. 

Cadance didn't stop them from going, things settled. "See you both at dinner."

They found Flurry Heart chatting with her dragon friend. "They don't even want me to know." She winked at her dragon friend. "Not like they can stop me."

The dragon snorted softly. "As if. When did you become a super spy?"

"When wasn't I super?" countered Flurry, spotting Harry and Ron coming. "Hey." She raised a hoof at them. "Mom said you went off to do something. Did it work?"

Ron hiked a thumb off. "We visited the tsukis."

"Oh! Shoulda told me." She crossed her arms in a pout. "I wanted to visit those floofy bun buns."

Her dragon friend rolled their eyes. "Yeah... Ponies are floofy enough, Flurry."

"Then you haven't dealt with them, extra floof." She hugged herself, imagining the floof. "Arctic bunnies, all the floof."

The dragon spread their wings. "Too much floof. You have just enough I can tolerate." With a powerful flap, they took off to other things.

Flurry shook her head. "No such thing. Speaking of that, where's our floofy boy?"

Harry pointed up at the castle. "Hanging out with his new ladyfriend, which he has, and is engaged to."

Flurry blinked numbly a moment. "What?" She hurried in on Harry. "What?! I didn't see him hanging around with anytsuki else? When did this happen? How?! Why?!"

"Not gonna ask who?" Ron looked a bit smugly pleased with that joke. "She's Tillybell, at least she seems like a nice rabbit."

"Tillybell." As if Flurry was tasting the word. "Not bad... I want to meet them!"

"You'll get your chance." Harry pointed all the more firmly at the palace. "Tonight, dinner. We're inviting them, so if you're there, you get to meet them too."

"Perfect!" Flurry danced early. "I want to be sure Arnie's not having his heart played with. Poor thing is too innocent. Imagine if we let somecreature take advantage of him."

Harry raised a brow at that, both going up. "That hard to imagine, both of them being tsuki. Can a tsuki lie?"

"I never tested." Flurry shrugged softly. "Doesn't mean we shouldn't keep our friend safe."

So it was agreed that Flurry would inspect that new tsuki.

It was, perhaps, a shame that she could find not a drop of deception in Tillybell. She wanted to learn magic, and Arnavon was learning magic. It was that simple. "And then I get to learn it, and my mate will be the first magic tsuki and the first writer tsuki. We'll have fun and teach each other things." She bounced in place, smiling brightly at Flurry Heart. "You have a horn, so you can do magic?"

Flurry glowed her horn gently. "I'm pretty good at it, even if I say so myself. I can't teach a tsuki how to do magic..." That tsuki could do magic was still a new idea. "But I'll be with them, when they head back."

Tilly leaned her entire body to the left, then the right, humming softly as she did it. "Why can't I go? I could learn magic with Arnavon then."

Flurry raised a negating hoof. "Then you wouldn't need Arnavon."

"I don't need him right now," Tillybell replied with not a shred of duplicity. "But he's nice, and he thinks I'm nice. We get along." She nodded firmly, as if that was it. All that a tsuki required of choosing their mate. "He gives a firm hug, just right, not too tight, not too loose." She blushed softly, as if the quality of a hug one delivered was the most lewd thing. "I like that too... It's a trustworthy hug. I hope my hug is as good."

Flurry pinned on ear back. "Well... he seems to like you... so your hug has to be good?"

"Good point." Tilly nodded, put right back at ease. "So we like each other's hugs. This is good! You can't have a good mating if you don't like each other's hugs." Forget any other factor, that was #1. "Did you find someone you think is nice yet?"

It took Flurry a moment to put that together, along with its implications. She colored slowly but penetratingly across her entire face. "Nocreature like that!"

"Aw. I'll hope for you. Now, I'll join him." She pointed off at Arnavon, not part of the conversation. "We'll lean magic, together."

Flurry was no wizarding expert, but... "I don't think that's allowed..."

"What isn't?" There was Ron, drawn by the two chatting. "What are you two whispering about?"

Flurry pointed with a wing at Tilly. "She wants to go to school with us, to learn with Arnavon."

"Oh..." Ron rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "You're not a wizard."

"I want to become one," reasoned Tillybell. It seemed like simple logic, to her. "That's why you're going, right?"

"Yeah... but I'm already partway, and at least a human... No offense or nothin', but they got kind of a big fence on that idea. Hogwarts is for humans." Ron shrugged helplessly. It wasn't like he made up the rules! "Sorry."

Tilly considered that, rocking in place as if she were hugging herself. "Hm! Hm... Then how does Arnavon go?"

Ron turned the pointing finger at Arnavon. "He's an owl. Harry's specifically. It's... not normal, but he got permission to be Harry's owl. An owl is expected to deliver letters wherever they're asked to, and to be out of the way and well behaved. Arnavon's got all that covered."

Tillybell thudded both hands to her chest. "Then I will be an owl. We'll be a mated pair of owls. Owls mate too, don't they? They have to, or there would be no owls." Simple logic there... "So owl pair. Arnavon!" He looked over at her sudden call. "I'm going to be your owl wife." Arnavon nodded with easy agreement.

Tilly looked back to Ron. "Settled."

Ron laughed nervously. "Sure, yea, settled with Arnie, but he had to get permission from the school, not just another tsuki like that. They're the ones who say yes or no."

"Then I'll ask him how he did it." She bounced into the air without warning, leaving the conversation quite physically.

Flurry shook her head slowly. "We had to ask too. Hogwarts has a lot of rules... I hope she doesn't get into any trouble. They barely let me in... and I'm super nice!" She beamed with self assurance. "Who wouldn't want me around?"

Ron patted her lightly on the head, and didn't get bit for it. "You're just fine, Flurry. But Hogwarts has its rules and they stick to most of 'em. You and Arnie are already stretching it. Not sure if they'll be alright with another 'owl' that isn't really an owl..."





Dumbledore chuckled softly as a great furry thing landed in front of him. "Arnavon?"

Tilly inclined her head. "No. That is my mate."

"Oh!" He stroked at his chin. "I see. What brings you, Miss Arnavon, to Hogwarts?"

Tilly blinked softly. "Miss Arnavon... I like that. I want to be an owl too."

Dumbledore shook his head slowly. "I can't start saying all of you are owls, besides, whose owl would you be? We can't have wild owls on campus, now can we?"

Tilly considered that a moment, ah ha. There was a nice person she knew! "Ronald Weasley," she stated with careful precision. "I will be his owl. I will fetch his letters, and deliver his letters. As long as Ronald is at school, I will serve him faithfully.

She leaned in, holding up a hand to stage whisper, "And Arnavon's here."

"Of course," allowed Dumbledore with all proper seriousness. "I wouldn't want to separate a wedded owl pair."

"No!" That would be awful. "But I will be a good owl until then. I promise."

"Does he know you, or that you've come to ask this?" He considered the large beast. For as powerful as she seemed to be, there was not a scrap of malice about her.

"I know him. He knows me. He thinks I'm nice and I think he's nice. We'll get along great," she assured with a firm nodding. "May I? Please. I will be a good owl."
> 25 - Beyond Belief
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"You did it. Again." Snape scowled at Dumbledore. "You are making a mockery of our traditions."

"We've accepted one, and they've been no trouble at all. Such a delightful owl breed." Dumbledore smiled jovially. "Perhaps you should get one."

"I should imagine not." He slapped a balled fist on the desk. "You are as aware as I that they are sapient magical creatures. And not available at any market I'm aware of. Like owning an especially agreeable dragon, still a test of will and dangerous aside. And you're allowing students to do this?"

"To compare them a dragons is unjust." Dumbledore looked to Hagrid. "What is your opinion on them?

"Me?" Hagrid wasn't officially a teacher. But he was the resident magical creature expert. "Agreeable hardly describes them. Excitable but empathetic, I'd trust one with an infant, and know that the babe was being watched closely. The only thing that concerns me, and not even in a frightened way, is I think they may be learning a sort of magic of their own."

Snape leaned back with a grunt. "My worlds fall on deaf ears. The favoritism you show Harry and his friends is on naked display. There will be consequences for this."

"Don't be so dour." Dumbledore spread his hands. "A new semester is upon us. Let's look forward to new chances to teach our students well."





"This is getting worse and worse." Malfoy squinted at the strange crew on his train. "I didn't even know they allowed magical beasts in with the students."

Harry waved him off. "Relax. I'm a student."

"Sure, whatever." He waved at the rabbits and the other pony present. "I can count a lot of not students. You may be a halfblood, but that doesn't excuse the rest of you."

Arnavon inclined his head. "Owls are allowed."

"I am also an owl," noted Tillybell, looking nothing like an owl. "I would offer to deliver a letter for you, but I belong to Ronald. Maybe if he sends you a letter?"

"Oh, then we could deliver it." Arnvaon nodded quickly. "But only then."

"You're fooling not a person in sight." Malfoy squinted at the not-owls. "Nothing but favoritism. I bet you cheated to even get on the team, let alone the spot you got. I heard they gave you a top of the line broom on top of that!"

"They gave me that for fixing your mess," huffed Harry, crossing his arms. "Buzz off already."

Draco shoved Harry, sending him rocking back. "Think you're all that?"

Gregory Goyle was there just as Harry looked ready to maybe fight back, looming large with an intimidating glare.

"Calm down in the train," called a conductor. "Fighting is expressely forbidden."

Draco sank, his two minions perching nearby. "Let's settle this where we won't be interrupted, if you're half as brave as you pretend to be."

Harry snorted exposively, but Flurry was there to get in the way, preventing him from doing anything foalish, at least in the moment. "Fine. Name the place."

So Draco did. "Not that I expect you to be there, coward." He laughed. His minions laughed. A good time was had by all, at least those on his side.

"Trophy room, fine." Harry ignored him from then on for the ride. He looked instead to Ronald. "Did you see that? What a tosser."

"He looks serious..." Ron considered the back of Draco's head. "And he has friends. Good thing you got those too."

Flurry fluffed up in fury. "I'll be there!"

"No, you won't." He pushed gently at his sister with a hoof. "It'll be hard enough getting one pony through the halls at night without setting anyone off."

Ron put an arm between them. "I'll bring Hermione. That's two of us to match his two goons. Any more and we're jus' showing off at that point,  I figure."

This seemed to soothe Flurry, sitting back. "If she's coming. I can trust her to have her head on straight... Don't get in trouble!" She shook a hoof at Harry. "We're just getting back. Hardly the time to get on everyone's notice."

A shame he didn't pay much mind to that advice.





It was a dark and calm night. They, Harry, Ron, and Hermione, snuck down to the trophy room. They had to slip around prefects watching for students out when they shouldn't be. There was a student, a fellow gryffindor, sleeping on the job. They went past him and got into the main room.

But there was no Draco, just a lot of trophies. Harry looked around with a bit of a frown. "We're on time, aren't we?"

Hermione checked her watch. "To the second." But a noise reached her. "Trouble's coming."

All three of they dashed behind cover as footsteps grew louder quickly. "Someone's in here, and they're going to pay for it." One of the least pleasant enforcers of the local rules. They couldn't just wait and hope to be missed!

That and Ronald jumped in fear, knocking a suit of armor to the floor with a great crash. It was no longer time to consider their move. It was time to run. They fled through the halls, chased hotly by what sounded like two people. The precept and that sleeping student, no longer sleeping.

They had been told the third hallway was forbidden. They had been warned! A pity they were still being chased when they reached it. It was go inside, or surrender to their furious pursuers. Running felt like the better option, and they scurried inside.

Pressing inside, the noises of chase died behind them, fading away to the quiet of the forbidden hallway they weren't supposed to be in.

"Look there." Hermione pointed to a trapdoor leading even further into the unknown.

A pity it wasn't alone. A great beast, standing so tall it brushed the ceiling approached them, three sets of scowling eyes locked on them as hungry drool fell to the ground from its slathering yellowed jaws.

"What do they think they're doing, keeping a thing like that locked up in a school? If any dog needs exercise, that one does." Ronald did his best to lift the mood, but its effect was negligible on the three headed dog approaching them with death gleaming in its eyes.

Harry ducked to the left with Hermione. Ronald jinked to the right, and they all had a head trained on them. It was a fine time to scream, which none of them held back the urge to do, fleeing abjectly from the huge terror just behind them. Harry's magic took grip of the door, throwing it open before they got to it and slamming it shut behind them. All three of them threw their bodies against it, fighting against the tremendous bulk of the dog that wanted to come out and play.

They barely, all three of them, got the door just closed enough to bring down the latch, sealing that place and its dog(s?). They weren't being chased, it sounded like, from within or without.

They started up the stairs back towards their rooms, catching their breaths, but safe for the time being. "That thing was there for a reason," argued Hermione. "It was guarding that door."

"Wonder what for." Harry turned an ear back towards the locked door that led to it. "I don't think I want to find out tonight. I'm just glad we all got away without getting into more trouble."

"Well, me." She pointed up. "I'm going to bed before we get in trouble, or just expelled. Try to stay out of anymore hair brained schemes." Hermione took her leave to escape that journey.

Ron nudged Harry with an elbow. "Jokes on her, ain't it? You got hair everywhere. Bet you got some on your brain."

Harry snorted at that. "That joke was bad and you should feel bad." Still, they were smiling and got back to their room without getting into further trouble, minus having to explain to their waiting owls and sister what they had just been doing.

Flurry stomped a hoof. "What?! What a coward. He started the fight, then he wasn't even there?!"

A soft knock came from their room's door. Harry turned quickly for it. "Who is it?"

"Just me." Hagrid opened the door gently despite his size. "Good to see you all back. To be honest, a little surprised any of you are even awake. Figured ah'd leave a note fer you and be on mah way."

That was when he saw the owls had reproduced, with two of them in view. "He really did it. What's your name?" He was looking at Tillybell with a big smile, his entire day made.

Tillybell reared up. Defensively? It was hard to say. "You are large."

"As are you," noted Hagrid. "The name's Hagrid. I keep an' eye on the magical beasties, which you are one of."

Arnavon waved at him with a matching smile. "He's nice! He helped me find my magic."

"You found it then?" Hagrid swatted Arnavon on the shoulder. "Good fer you. Yer friend sounds like a lady, but that's assumin' a lot."

"She is." Arnavon moved in next to Tilly. "Meet Tillybell. We're partners. We'll get married."

"Oh!" He clapped his hands together with a strong pomf. "Congratulations to you both! I hope I'm invited to the event."

"Yes!"

"Maybe." Tilly inclined her head at the large human that managed to meet her height even when she was standing up, an unusual feat for most critters. "Are you nice?"

Hagrid slapped his belly with a deep laugh. "I like to think so! Haven't met a magical beast I can't make friendly with, given enough time." He offered a sizable hand. "Up to givin' it a try?"

Arnavon slipped between the two. "She is mine." He blushed despite his words.

Harry applied a hoof to his face. "Being nice seems to be a metaphor for finding attractive with the tsuki, I think. He's worried you're putting the moves on his lady friend."

"Oh! Not the first I've encountered that." He withdrew his hand. "Still, a pleasure to meet you both. I don't want to come between you."

Harry pointed past Hagrid. "You came for something, right?"

"Oh, yes!" He folded his arms over his front. "You see, you've got a host of magical creatures." He waved at the two rabbits and a pony present. "All fine things, don't get me wrong, but I wouldn't be doing my part without sayin' ye should be gettin' some trainin' in the matter."

Harry tapped at his chin. "Does the fact that I am, technically, one of those count?"

"Not so much." He tapped Harry right at the end of his nose. "We have plenty of half wizards that have exotic heritages. They need to learn how to deal with it just the same. 'Sides! Two of 'em aren't ponies like you, and one of 'em's winged, which you ain't!"

Harry rubbed over the poked spot. "That winged one is my sister."

"All the same." He didn't seem at all detered. "It'll be good for you and them to learn more about it. I wanted to squeeze in Care for Magical Creatures into yer schedule. I know it's a bit early for any electives, but it's early fer you to be havin' so many magical friends around!" He fixed Ron with a glare. "That goes for you too! Second in the school with a tsuki owl. Very friendly, as owls go, but needing care specific to them that owl tips won't cover. 'Sides that, we'll go over how to treat owls too!"

Aranavon sank to all fours, looking more amazed than anything else. "You know special tsuki things? Harry, learn the special tsuki things, please."

Tilly nodded eagerly at that. "Yes. You and Ron. We're going to work so hard for you. You can learn how to treat tsuki just right." She stepped in, still on her hinds, and grabbed Hagrid in a tight hug that he returned, the two giants having quite the proper hug of it. "I'm already taken," she casually reminded, sitting next to Arnavon. "Good hug, though."

Flurry was looking far more doubtful. "I can take care of myself."

"Sure," laughed Hagrid. "On yer own, but yer stuck in this school for a while. Let yer brother be good."
> 26 - Proper Care and Treatment
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tilly had not expected her visit to class to go quite the way it had. She stood on a raised platform, only a few inches, but enough to bring her into easy view even for the students in the back.

"This," explained Hagrid, gesturing at her. "Is a Tsuki. I only learned about them recently, but they've become something of a fascination, as it were. This particular one is also an owl, serving a student here." Eyes turned to Ronald. They knew which student she served. "But they aren't always owls. Then again, even an owl isn't always an owl. It takes special care and special training to get an owl of any breed."

One quill raised, held by a studious looking lady in the front. "Professor, are tsuki domesticated?"

Tilly giggled at the question. "Not here."

Hagrid shook his head. "They aren't. Tamed would be a closer word fer it. If you ran into a tsuki in the wild, the odds they'd rush to handle your postage is about none at all. On the positive, they are friendly. If you treat them kind, they'll return the favor. But probably still won't deliver your letters for you."

Tilly inclined her head. "I'm doing it for my boyfriend and future husband."

Hagrid waved at that. "They can be motivated by the need for companionship and affection." He laughed, from deep in his belly. "But who can't be motivated by that at times." His students, not exactly all grown up, showed various levels of understanding of the idea being put forward. "Regardless, let's get to care. That's what you're here for, hm."

He turned to Tilly and held out a hand lower towards the platform she stood on. "Let me see a leg, kindly."

Tilly looked confused, but did raise one of her powerful legs into his grip. "Why?"

"Because this." Hagrid turned the paw up carefully to show off the toe beans underneath. "This is a tsuki's most important, and vulnerable, parts. While their legs provide the power, it's their feet that have to handle all the hard work of smashin' right up against the ground over and over again. So if you want to treat your tsuki right, you have to tend to these."

The class oooed and ahhed, leaning in for a better peek at Tilly's wriggling toes.

Ronald rubbed behind his head. "I haven't even looked down there."

Hagrid shook a finger. "Then it's past time you learned how to do it right." He released Tilly, just to grab a jar and return to her with long steps befitting his large form. "This'll do the trick." He rubbed the vaseline-like jelly on her foot and she squeaked, wriggling a little. She was a good tsuki, and didn't kick him. "This is her first time, I imagine. You can see she's surprised."

"Not a bad surprise," she assured, watching him work with wide eyes. "What is that?"

"A healing salve. You have more tiny little cuts and scuffs down here than even you know of." He worked thoroughly to get all of her beans, every last one of them. "And now they should be put to right, hm?"

The sound of tiny rocks hitting the wooden platform rained out as countless bits of gravel fell from her paw as it healed, ejecting them. "Is that all from me?" She shook her foot and lowered it back on the platform, testing her footing, bouncing from paw to paw in rocking motions. "It's... I didn't even know!" Pain she had learned to accept as life, banished.

Hagrid slapped down a jar in front of Harry and Ronald. "I expect both of you to finish what I started. I've already informed your potion making instructor to go over how to make that yourself. Feel free to use what I brought for now, but y'should be able to make your own by the time you're done. Think of it like a deadline of sorts.

But the moment she got back in reach, Tilly grabbed him. "Show me how to make that!"

"Hold it, little lady." Little was not a word that could be used to describe Tilly. "Tsuki are wonderful creatures, but potion making is not what they're built for." He gently grasped her right upper paw. "Too much fur. Yer a walkin' source of conimination. No fault of yours, but it is what it is. Mister Potter there avoids it by graspin' things with his magic."

Harry's horn glowed as he lifted the jar into view. It had no label, or really any writing. Hagrid had slapped it together on his own, or so Harry assumed. "But if they could learn how to make it themselves, they'd gladly take care of their feet, even the ones that aren't owls."

Hagrid shook his head. "This is an important lesson. While it's easy for us wizards to sit on high and decide what's best fer 'em all, they ain't wizard. They got a thin' goin', and assuming we should upend it is a mighty big assumption on our part." He patted his belly as he stood before the class. "Now, some teachers'd tell you that's a fine way to be, but that's not the class I run. The tsuki've managed this long. I'm not about to tell them they're doing it wrong."

Tilly crossed her arms and flopped to all fours a moment after that, looking pouty, but not arguing further.

"On to other things." He reached for her horn, pausing long enough to get her unspoken consent to the contact. "You might take pride in your wand, but a tsuki has two of them, and they're just as important to them. You'll want to keep them whole and mind their health." Out came another jar, but it wasn't magic. It was, in fact, just a basic nail polish. "Just like our nails, they need a little TLC to be at their best."

So Hagrid showed how to polish a horn properly. "Now, this ain't just fer tsuki. Plenty of other creatures out there with horns or long claws and they can all use this kind of care. If you plan to have one around, you should get good at it." That Tilly was enjoying it she wasn't hiding. "It's also how you get happy little friends." He waved to a mirror nearby. "Take a look at yourself."

Tilly leaned in and gawked at her shiny horns. "Amazing! I love it." She turned left and right, admiring the reflection of herself. "Is this a secret too?"

"Oh, nay on that." He pointed to Ronald. "Bet he could tell you where to get it, but I'm not sure how much'll be around where you come from."

Another student raised a hand. "Where does she come from?" This prompted others to wonder out loud about it. Where on Earth did tsuki originate from?

"They are from outside anywhere you'd call Earth," assured Hagrid, shooting down any dreams of getting a tsuki. "The two I know personally are claimed by people they happen to like, so aren't likely to be available." But there was class to do. "One other important part. Two, come to think." He pointed to Tilly's tail. "I shouldn't have to say this, but just to be clear. Do not try to pick up any rabbit, tsuki or not, by their tail. It's very painful for them, and could hurt them."

Tilly reared up to swat both hands over her tail. "I hope not! Besides, you're all small... I doubt you could do that from any part of me."

"While we're on warnings." He gently patted Tilly on the head. "While they are friendly by habit and nature, they are still magical beasts. Get on their bad side at the wrong time, and you can get hurt. They may even feel bad about it afterwards, but that won't put you back together again. Spare themselves the anguish and yerself the pain and never forget that."

"I wouldn't hurt you," assured Tilly with a bright smile and fluttering lashes. "That would be mean..."

"Unless I hugged the wrong way," countered Hagrid.

"Oh..." Tilly hummed in thought. "If you challenge-hugged me, I would win. As soon as you gave up, I'd stop, but I would win." She spread her arms out. "Did you want to try that?"

Hagrid laughed at the display of cute potential horror. "I'll pass on that for today. But there you go. If you 'challenge' a tsuki, they will want to win, and that could hurt. They won't mean to cause any real harm, but that's a lot of determined rabbit ready to squeeze you into submission."

Tilly colored sharply. "I don't want to hurt any of them." She looked out over the young students with a little smile. "They're adorable, and small... I'd feel so bad hurting any of them."

Hagrid laughed at that, swatting his belly. "That's another thing to remember.  In their eyes, many magical beasts think wizards are cute, or terrifying, or tasty. Sometimes more than one. Thankfully, Tilly here falls in the cute category. But the magical beasts you may end up caring for could fall in any of those, or even all of them. Be mindful of how they see you when you're considering how to approach them." The sound of scribbling told him notes were being taken. It was nice to have their attention.

"Now, that last thing I meant to start with." He dropped to one knee heavily and took Tilly's mended paw. "They have powerful claws, to get a good grip on things. In the wild, they have more than enough things they grind them against as they jump to keep them down. But, here in Hogwarts, there's a lot less opportunity for them to handle that on their own." He tapped at a claw, unusually long and sharp for a tsuki claw. "But they'll keep right on growin'."

"To make matters worse, they don't even--"

"--That is long," admitted Tilly as if just noticing that.

"As I was saying." He patted her belly, getting a giggle out of her. "They don't even notice, at least until someone points it out. This could become a hazard if they use them on you, making a mistake even worse. So, keep them trimmed, for their health, and yours." He produced a pair of nail clippers, perfectly standard. "There's a spell for this, which I'll show you after I show you how it's done in the first place. If you don't know where you want a cut, you'll get it wrong."

So he showed the class, step by step, exactly how to find the right part of a tsuki's claw to cut, and which parts were not to be touched, 'lest the poor creature be injured. "The rear claws and the front claws are different." He displayed the difference carefully between the two. "One propels the tsuki, the other does not. Different needs, different claws. Both are important for their happiness and health."

Hagrid released Tilly's paws to her and stood up, facing the class. "Relatedly. You've heard of cats getting their claws removed, haven't ya?" Most of the class nodded. "It ain't right for them! That goes double for any tsuki."

Tilly paled and shrank at the thought of losing any of her claws. "Why would anycreature do that?!"

"It's just as beyond me," agreed Hagrid with a shake of his head. "But people do, and it's my job to tell 'em to cut it out! Keep 'em trimmed, but don't go choppin' 'em off. A tsuki without claws is barely a tsuki. They need those claws to jump, and that's half their identity. May as well finish the job and go for their horns next."

Tilly thumped to the ground, passed out at the mental imagery of losing both claws and horns.

"And that is what a cat would do, if it understood what some muggle thought was a good idea... Trim, not chop. Got me?"
> 27 - Marital Techniques
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Look!" Tilly was wielding the jar of foot care, the lid already removed. "Lay down, and it will feel better."

Harry hummed. "Shouldn't I be doing that?"

Tilly was quick to scoff. "He is mine, I can do it. He is more mine than he is your owl."

Arnavon  sank onto his haunches, looking between both competing sources of want. "What's going on? I like you both. Please don't be angry at each other."

Harry waved a hoof quickly. "I'm not angry, promise."

"I'm not angry either." Silly dipped her hand, getting some magic gunk on it. "Now show me your feet."

"Oh..." That didn't explain what was going on. Still, he, by some measures, had a lot of feet to offer, so he gave out a hand instead, which was also a foot.

Tilly accepted it, grasping it with her other hand. "Feels even better on back feet." That didn't stop her, not a bit, from slathering it all over Arnavon's handpaw, which meant getting it all over her paw in kind. They were both restored with a rain of dust and bits of rocks and debris to the ground. "All better!" She worked between Arnavon's pawbeans to get the restorative goop to every nook and cranny.

Arnavon colored, darkening as the relief spread through his hand. "Oh... Oh! You didn't tell me it'd feel so nice." It, technically, didn't feel nice at all, but the removal of a negative was a positive, much of the time. He was enjoying his impromptu lesson on addition and subtraction. "Thank you." He drew his hand back, shaking it around and feeling its restored form. "Wow... Did you already have yours done?"

Tilly pointed to Ronald. "He has my jar. He won't let me do it myself."

Ronald raised his hands defensively. "I'll do it, promise. You heard the teacher same as I did, you were there!" He elbowed Harry. "You shouldn't have let her get yours."

Harry shrugged at that. "They may have a problem makin' them, but no issues with getting it on. I think both of them had fun."

Arnavon bobbed his head at that. "Yes. May I have the other for..." A thought clearly clicked. "Wait." He took the jar Tilly was holding. "It has the same stuff for both of us, doesn't it?"

Harry chuckled. "I hope so. Same stuff."

Arnavon tilted the jar towards Tilly. "Then we can do yours with this. Lay down."

Tilly crossed her arms defiantly. "No. I asked you first. Lay down."

Arnavon put the jar down on an endtable. "Only one answer."

"Only one," agreed Tilly, taking big awkward steps to the center of the room. She spread her arms out, fingers flexing and unflexing in readiness.

Ronald watched them curiously. "Are they...?"

"I think so." Harry sat down near the edge of the room. "Don't knock things over, kindly."

Arnavon thrust up a finger. "Oh, good good. If anyone knocks something over, they lose." He took up a position across from Tilly. "An extra challenge. Alright?"

"Alright." Tilly clapped her paws just to bring them back away from one another. "Harry, say when start."

Harry had not asked to get that job. Still, there it was. He grabbed a cloth napkin in his magic and raised it high. "Until either of you give up, get knocked out, or something gets knocked over." He swung the cloth down in a flutter. "Go!"

They were on each other in a great crash, their heavy forms colliding as their paws grabbed at one another, hugging tight and trying to toss the other to the ground. They engaged in a sumo contest as much as they wrestled, though one could argue those two things were already related.

"Your horns are... very shiny," got out Arnavon as he forced her back with a great heave.

"Thank you." Not that this at all distracted her from the contest. "Harry knows trick, ask him. Maybe--" Her words were cut off as she crashed, horns to horns, with Arnavon. Both were struck with a moment of disorientation. A dangerous gambit, hoping one was the first to recover. But, it paid off. She snapped back just an instand before he did, hurling him towards the ground.

He awoke, falling, but he was awake. He bounced off the ground, claws digging against it as he propelled around her with the force. He rebounded on her back, squeezing from behind. "Ask after this," he finished the earlier thought. "First... I win!"

Tilly bounced upwards with a powerful push of her massive legs, carrying Arnavon with her. She came down with him as her cushion, crushing him between hard stone and her unyielding back. "Let me take care of you!" Her harsh tone countered with her want to pamper her mate. "Stay down." She scrambled to her feet, looking ready to continue.

Arnavon let out a weary sigh. "Good hug..." He flopped over. "Fine... Fine..." He thrust out a foot towards her, wriggling his beans for her review. "I just wanted to play a little."

"Oh..." Tilly grabbed the jar. "Silly thing. Should have just asked."

Harry rang a bell with a glowing horn. "The winner is Tillybell."

Ronald clapped softly, looking unsure about the whole thing. "That was... some match. Um, Tilly... I don't need any hugs like that."

"Then we shouldn't fight." No threat there. More of a promise. She didn't seem to be ready to back down. With a big smile, she got to working on Arnavon's wriggling feet as she worked the goop into them thoroughly. "Feels good, right? It felt so nice when Hagrid did it for me." A thing she wanted to share with her mate. "Right?"

"Right," Arnavon echoed, sighing with the relief as his paws mended under her care. "I didn't know wizard school had things like this... I should have asked!" It was a good day to learn about asking more often. "Are yours all done? I'd like to do some."

"Very nice." Tilly plunked down the jar next to Arnie's head. "You can go next. This foot wasn't done." She wriggled the toes of the foot untreated. "Please."

"Yes." Arnavon scrambled upright, restored and renewed, but he paused before he started. "I think... I think Ronald wants to do it."

"O-Oh." Ronald rubbed behind his head awkwardly. "Not challenging you, mate." He could still remember that intense, if brief, exchange.

"But she is your owl, and you were shown how to do it." He bounced in place with a smile. "I will watch, so I can do it next time, better."

"You sure?" But a smile and nod were given. "Alright..." He got the other jar, less used for only having spent what Hagrid had taken from it, and he was better at portioning than the eager tsuki were being. "First, you don't need to bury her in the stuff." He crouched down and got to work, using a portion far closer to what Hagrid was doing. 

Tilly squeaked and wriggled as he worked. "It tickles." Not that she was really complaining, but her full attention was clearly on the work. "Get under them."

Ronald colored a little as he worked all the more diligently to get in around and under her beans, as requested. "Better?"

"Better." She stretched out her large foot. "So much better. Only way to be better is if Arnavon does it next time."

Ronald sat back, his job complete. "I could be wrong here, but I'm pretty sure this is at least half about bonding between a wizard and their magical beast."

"Silly." Tilly sat up, bounding on her hinds without leaving the ground. "You'll make the stuff. We can't. So we'll be very grateful. It's your fault we can do this."

Ronald chuckled at that. "It sure is different when your magical beast can talk and reason about it, ain't it?"

"Different topic." Harry casually ignored what was going on. "What's up with that door, and the big dog guarding it?"

"Got me... We could ask about it." He shrugged. "But we're not even supposed to be there... So... right?"

"Point," allows Harry with a defeated sigh. "Guess we should move on. Plenty of classes ahead of us."

Arnavon grabbed Harry, hugging his thick neck. "Sometimes with us!"

Flurry Heart flapped her wings once powerfully. "When do I get a turn? They called me one of those, so you have to pamper me too, or I'll get upset. You don't want an upset magical beast tearing up your room, do you?" She leaned in, horn glowing. "That'd look bad for you, brother."

"Easy." Harry shoved her snout back with both hooves. "I'll ask the teacher tomorrow when you can get in on the schedule. I bet he's looking forward to it, from what I can gather. Do you think he's had a lot of exposure to ponies?"

"Besides you? Not much." Flurry considered that, pacing in place. "And a princess? I doubt ever at all! Well, he better have some good books about it, because I want pamper time."

With that settled, schoolwork resumed. Hagrid, as it turned out, had precious little direct information about alicorns. "However," he assured, finger raised. "I know the address of her dame. I'll write to her for some knowledge. She's also a horse, even if she'd get really mad if you insisted."

Harry frowned at that. "I'm not a horse."

"Just like that," laughed out Hagrid. "Humans get really touchy when you call them simians, but they are that too, and a lot of tricks that work on one, work on the other. When's the last time she had her hooves properly filed?"

Harry curled a hoof to his chin. "They don't really have that around here. Back home, there were salons you could go to and get that done whenever you wanted."

"Must be tough then. She's a lady, Harry. Having her hooves looking in shambles isn't making her happy." He grabbed a book from his shelves. "Here." He thrust it towards Harry, a book on the basics of being a farrier. "How to treat a hoof. You got a few of those yerself! May learn somethin' fer your own. Magic or not, it's good to know. Not a part of the regular curriculum."

"I imagine not..." Harry could see the students, trying to apply hoof care to their lack of hooves or hooved friends. "That wouldn't work well. But..." He floated the book back in his magic towards his saddlebag. "This sort of thing needs tools."

"Tools, or magic. Lucky you, m'boy, got both." He grabbed a file and pick and thrust them at Harry. "And some spells are written down in that book. Learn it the traditional way before you shortcut it."

"Sir... Most teachers just give us the spells, but you don't. Why is that? No offense intended."

"A sensitive topic." Hagrid put his massive hands on his hips. "But I don't use magic, Harry. Yer a wizard, but I'm not. 'sides, I've seen it done both ways. A wizard who knows what they're wizarding is a better wizard. Magic is at least 40% will, so the better you can focus that will, the better the magic. Get me?"

"That makes sense," Harry muttered, working through the idea. "Alright..." He closed his bag, book and tools secured. "Thank you, sir. Tell me if they get back to you."

"I'll do you one better." He waved to the front of the class, where Tilly had stood once. "If I have th' goods, she can have her turn in class. She's well behaved, shouldn't be a problem."

Harry could envision Flurry there, soaking up the attention put on her. "I think she'll like that... Especially if it includes treating her like royalty."

"Well!" He stepped up to the raised platform. "Ah hear she is a princess, so that's just admitting what's already true, ain't it?"

"She is... a royal pain in... Sorry, sir." He aborted that joke with a nervous smile. "Thank you, again." With a proper goodbye, he trotted off to his next class.
> 28 - Practice Makes Perfect
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Harry was hovering in mid-air, not through his magical powers, without his horn lit up and not activated. He was floating thanks to the broom that was thrust up along his underbelly, providing the propulsion as he looked around. Unfortunately, he had no chance to savor the sights and take in the beauty of the area. His eyes lit up with joy as he spotted what he was searching for and he let out a muted gasp of delight.

The practice match was intense as each team frantically tried to score points and gain the advantage. Yet, Harry seemed to be oblivious to the situation. He had one particular job that he needed to complete. If he managed to catch the snitch, he would secure a whopping 150 points for his team, almost guaranteeing them a victory. It seemed like it would be an easy task, but unfortunately it was not as simple as it appeared.

Taking a sharp turn, he quickly ducked beneath the broom of a player who was soaring past him and, hoof outstretched, he came up to reach for it. He was determined to reach the snitch and with a great effort of his magic, he pulled it back to him with a victorious cry.

The whistles blew continuously, causing the teams to cease their movements and remain there. Their coach's booming voice echoed through the air with the news that the snitch had been caught. "Come down."

As the two teams lowered themselves to the ground, the chatter between them grew louder and more animated. Jubilant and proud, those on Harry's side patted him on the back and yelled out in celebration of success. They could see the golden snitch pressed against his hoof.

"Have to work on your left turns." The coach moved among them, calling out their takes. "Far improved on your blocks. Keep an eye on that acceleration. Won't do you good if you fall off." He arrived at Harry and nodded. "And, you. You caught the snitch."

Harry held up his hoof, snitch attached. "Right here, sir!"

"I see." He took the golden snitch and turned it around. "Mister Potter, I saw how you got it." Harry didn't seem to see why that would be a problem. "You can use magic, but there are rules about when you can not use magic. For instance." He drew his wand and waved it at one of the players. "No spells on other players."

"I wouldn't do that, sir!" Harry shrank at the idea. "That'd be cheating."

"It surely would." He turned the wand on Harry. "You can use it on yourself, that's fine."

"Y-yeah... Sir, I didn't use magic on any of them, promise." His lip trembled faintly, detecting the direction the conversation was going. "Honest."

"You may not cast any spells on any of the four balls in play." He brought up the golden snitch. "While this one may have wings, it's still one of the balls in play, Mister Potter. You used a spell to take hold of it."

"I didn't cast a spell. I didn't even have my wand out." He dug out his wand and showed it off. "See, safely tucked away, sir."

The coach reached in and grabbed Harry right by his horn. "You have a unicorn hair wand built in, Mister Potter. I saw it glowing just before, and the snitch did as well. You used magic."

"But..." Harry sank to his haunches with a defeated grunt. "I wasn't trying, sir. I was just reaching. That's how unicorns reach for things, sir."

The coach let out a weary sigh. "I believe you. However, when we're having an official match, it won't be up to me. It'll be up to referees who don't know you, or how unicorns of your lineage operate. They will see the magic. They will see that you didn't grasp the snitch... Fouls will be called and there won't be much I can do to stop them."

Harry danced from hoof to hoof. "But I want to play... You said I was good at it."

"You are! Perhaps, in some ways, too good." The other players were backing up from the spurned Potter. "Taking you with us risks the whole team being disqualified. You don't want that, do you?"

"No! Of course not..." Harry kicked weakly at the ground with a dismayed whicker of a noise. "It's not fair..."

"It isn't... I'm sorry." He patted Harry's thick equine shoulder. "No foul on you, Mister Potter. You have a bright future ahead of you, and I look forward to seeing how it shapes up." It just wouldn't have any quidditch involved. "Alright, back in the air!" He clapped smartly, getting the teams up. "You, you'll be the replacement seeker!" An excited player rushed in with their broom, ready to take the spot. "Enough drama for one day, let's see some action!"

Harry reluctantly took his leave, his steps slow and weighted down by his gloom. "Mister Potter." He paused, his former coach reaching for him. Did he have a sudden change of heart?! No, he took his broom. "This has to be returned, unfortunately."

With a scowl on his face, Harry lifted off the ground, and his innate magic radiated from him. His anger was so intense that it overwhelmed him in an instant and he uttered, "I don't need it anyway!" in spite.

"Most players do." It was another reason for his dismissal. Turning his back on Harry, the coach directed his attention to the practice game that was taking place. "Good luck, Mister Potter."

Formally banished, Harry left the field of battle he was no longer welcomed to. "Not fair..." He gathered his things from his locker and emerged to find Ron and Hermione waiting for him. "Huh? What are you two doing here?"

Hermione gestured past him to the ongoing practice match that was taking place. "Aren't you supposed to be up there? Ron said watching you do all that was great fun and I thought I'd get a peek."

"And then you walk off the field! Are you alright, mate?" Ron looked Harry over critically, searching for some obvious sign of what made Harry leave.

Harry's laugh was tight and uncomfortable, betraying his true feelings. "Of all the days you could come by... They kicked me off the team."

Hermione's face twisted into a powerful scowl. "What for? I thought you were good. I saw you catch that..."

"Snitch."

"That." She nodded to Ronald's words. "You caught it and they all stopped. That's the end of the game, right?"

Harry shuffled on his hooves, tail lashing with the energy he couldn't get out properly. "It was the end of the game, and my playing. You're not supposed to use magic on the ball, but that's how unicorns hold things... Apparently, he decided the referees would see it and kick up a big stink for the rest of the team, so..."

It filled Ronald with fury as he threw his hand down and clenched his fist in a sign of his rage. "So they booted you for that? You can't even control that! May as well kick me out for 'inhalin' air at the snitch' or something like that. Bunch of--"

Harry interrupted Ron's sentence by tapping him lightly on the arm with his hoof. 
"Thanks, but I get it. I hate it, but I get it. The refs aren't my friend, and they aren't obligated to consider my being a unicorn. Most quidditch players are human, by far, and don't have to worry about that."

Ron waved his hand in a gesture of dismissal and let out a scoff. 
"Well, forget it then! Who needs that sport, anyway?"

Harry gave a simple but firm answer, "You do." Harry started at a light walk away from the locker room. "Let's not be... bad sports. It's not either of their fault. I'll miss that broom, but I said it myself--"

"What'd you say?" Hermione was at his side, walking alongside him. "They had to give it back?"

"Yeah..." Hary pinned his ears back. "But I don't need it. I can fly on my own." His body shimmering with his magic, he floated from the ground. "Being part magical beast has its perks."

"Not getting tired of that trick," laughed out Ron. "Well, practice's over... That opens up your schedule a little bit, don't it?"

"Actually..." Harry slowed, considering the whole thing. "You have a good point. It was getting cluttered. I can get good grades without working myself ragged trying to keep up with the team."

Having found the bright side of things, they set off, chatting about things that weren't that sport. They had a schoolyear to attend. "Oh, I forgot to ask. Did either of you happen to hear about that strange door?"

Hermione scowled at that. "The one with the dog?"

"Three dogs, technically," reasoned Ronald, holding up three fingers for emphasis. "Nothing here."

"After an extensive search, I did finally find something of interest." Hermione nervously tucked her hands away into the depths of her pockets. "About a hidden stone of power. Good thing we didn't sneak in there or we'd be in all kindsa trouble." She took a leisurely stroll along together in a peaceful silence for a short while. "By the way, Harry... That really wasn't fair. You can't control what you are. You're not the only one being oppressed for what they ended up being."

Upon hearing Hermione's words, Harry tilted his ear, his tail curling up and swaying behind him. "Really? What makes you say that? Who else is being bothered any?"

"A lot of things." She suddenly changed her direction and moved in front of Harry, her shoes making a soft squeaking noise. "You may think you're special, but you're just one of a lot of magical creatures being attacked. Ever meet a house elf before? Poor things, they never get a break..."

"Can't say that I have...?" There were no house elves in Equestria.  He'd never even heard of them before... "What are they?"

Ronald couldn't contain his joy and let out a light-hearted laugh. "Really? You come from a world of magic and you never heard of those guys? I'm right surprised at that. Really?"

"Really." Harry turned off towards the dining hall. "Are there any around here?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "I swear, you have your eyes closed if you aren't the center of it. Of course they're around here. I'll introduce you to a few that're friends of mine. Anyway, really important rock that we shouldn't be touching! That's probably why they have the big guard in front of that door, to keep people out of it, us included."

Harry swerved an ear towards her. "Well, it worked then. Kept us right away."

Ronald laughed in agreement. "Then everything's alright. Let's leave the dog watching things and focus on our own stuff."

They enjoyed a nice lunch, chatting about the latest bits of classwork and spells they'd managed to get a handle, or hoof, on. There was an abundance of laughter, taunting and good wishes among the friends. "I'll bring them around tomorrow." Hermione pushed to her feet. "But, for now, we all have other business. Before classes start, expect me."

"You got it." Harry hopped to his hooves. "I'm... kinda excited. Are they big?"

"Small." She brought her hands a few feet apart. "But full of love and life. Worth getting some respect, even if some people don't seem to agree."

"Well... We not-humans have to stick together." He snorted with a firm nod. "Um, does being half human bother them?"

"I doubt it." Hermione started for the exit. "But they won't see you as a houseelf, which you aren't anyway. Just be polite and don't assume things and you'll be fine."

Ronald waved on the way past. "See you later, alright?"

They had other things to take care of.
> 29 - Learning and Exploring
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Of all his teachers, there was one that seemed to have it out for Harry. Severus Snape was a grumpy curmudgeon on the best of days, and seemed to carry an especially large grudge against the exploits and rumors surrounding Harry. That he disliked Harry was no secret, especially to Harry. With that bitter grudge being shone at him, Harry began to watch Snape with equal intensity.

But he had other things to do, so he met with Hermione instead, to shake hooves with a house-elf. "Pleased to meet you."

The elf nodded at the equine student. "Nice to meet you too?" He didn't sound very confident about that. "You sure he's nice?"

"Very," assured Hermione. "But he doesn't know anything about house-elves. Can you beleive the place he grew up in didn't have a single one of them?"

"Not a one?!" The elf was properly shocked at the idea. "Well, um, let me tell you then. I work for Hogwarts, the school." He waved around at the stone walls around them. "A lot of  us do, but a lot of us don't. We may work for a specific wizard or witch, or their house, or some other thing like that.

Harry nodded along with that. "Alright. Um, what's your name, sir?"

"Sir?" He colored just faintly at that. "Nice of you. I'm Pokey. Harry Potter, right? I'll remember that."

Hermione half-swatted/half-pet at Harry. "He's half-magical beast, as you can likely see."

"Only half?" The human heritage was not easily seen, minus that Harry was dressed as a student. "Human?"

Harry nodded firmly. "Human. Why are they picking on nice creatures like you?"

"Couldn't rightly say." Pokey gave a shrug to go with it. "Just the way it is, but it's not always. Some of us have nice masters, and I'm pretty alright with working here at Hogwarts. Oh, if you're a magical beast, do you have magic too?"

Harry lit up his horn with its promise of magic. "Yessir. I'm learning human magic, but I have unicorn magic too."

Hermione crossed her arms. "Don't be a show-off. He's good at human magic, and enjoys showing off his other tricks if you give him half a reason."

Harry was far more focused on Pokey. "What sort of magic do you have?"

Pokey made a wave at a book that was fallen over, causing it to snap upright and slide back into place. "Most house-elves know a lot of useful house magic. Cleaning, tidying, mending, and things like that? We can defend ourselves, or our master, if we really have to."

Hermione nodded towards the book. "Part of me wonders what sort of magic they'd learn if they were free to just be themselves."

"I am myself," countered Pokey. "I just want some respect for being that. Do humans treat human servants poorly?" He thought back. "Actually, guess they do sometimes..."

Harry inclined his head at that. "Ponies don't. We're an agreeable bunch, overall."

Hermione casually took hold of Harry's horn. "You're awfully proud of your pony half, aren't you?"

"Why shouldn't I be?" Harry gently worked his horn free of her fingers. "Nothing against the human half. Both are pretty full of history worth being proud about. Only human thing I'm not too keen on right this second is that Snape professor putting the hate right on me."

"He's a teacher." Hermione considered the situation with a tapping foot. "He's probably just being harsh on you, so you grow. I know the sort."

"You think so?" Harry lifted his shoulders. "Not sure... But I'll give him half a break at least. It was really nice meeting you, Pokey. I'll see you around?"

"Certainly." Pokey waved off and vanished in a puff of elven magic.

Harry pointed at the spot that held an elf a moment ago. "Did you see that? Teleporting's no small feat! I'm still trying to get a grip on it. Starlight makes it look so easy. Only a few unicorns can pull it off at all."

Hermione hiked a brow high. "But some can do it then?"

"I know of two, wait, no, three." He counted with taps of his hooves. "Starlight, mentioned her, tutor. Twilight, aunt. But also Starswirl. He's a famous wizard, unicorn wizard. He can do it, but he can do almost anything he wants."

"Sounds important." And like someone Hermione had never heard of, despite any other bit of knowledge she might have. "And the only one not related to you?"

"Starlight isn't related to me," he hotly denied. "She's just a nice mare that's showed me some tricks, like this one." He lifted from the ground with a grin. "I still like this one."

Hermione waved her wand with a few sharp words, sending Harry back to the ground on his hooves. "Stop floating around school. Pretty sure that's against a rule or two."

"Spoilsport." He stuck out his tongue, but didn't try to hover again. "Still, flying's also pretty rare, but not showing off. Just saying, that's a lot of magic! Are the elves wizards too?"

Herm shook her head firmly, moving to leave the room with Harry trailing behind her. "You weren't a wizard and you came already knowing some unicorn magic, didn't you?"

"Yes..." He could remember that, the magic taught to him by his mother, father, and Starlight in a joyful combination. "But unicorn magic isn't human magic. Even if they qualified me as a unicorn wizard, that wouldn't make me a human one."

Hermione took a moment to pause and slowly raised a finger. "There are unicorn wizards?"

Harry gave a snort of disbelief at the suggestion that it wasn't common knowledge that of course there were. "Great wizards of wisdom and magical ability. The sort that can make spells whenever they get it in their head to do so. Twilight, Starlight, and Starswirl all count as that. I can't even pretend to be on their level. I can't just... dream up a new spell. I can follow the directions well enough..."

Rolling her hand in front of her, Hermione made a little frown before crossing her arms. "You do know, Harry, even the best human wizards need years, decades often at best, to make up a new spell that reliably works, right?"

"Well, they..." Harry pranced from hoof to hoof, looking unsure. "They just... I'm not a wizard yet! Of any kind." He shook his head with an equine whicker. "I don't know how it works. Pony magic isn't human magic, that much is certain. That thing Pokey did wasn't like pony or human magic. It was something else, and kinda impressive."

"Won't argue that." Hermione got moving, trailing Harry along behind her as she emerged from the back room towards the main part of the campus. "But we have work to do. Just so you know, house-elves don't make up random magic either."

"Maybe a pony trick," Harry muttered, unsure of how it all worked in the end.

"Hey, I saw something you might like." She produced a book and passed it backwards without turning. "I know they kicked you out, but.."

"Quidditch through the ages," read the title of the book Harry held in his magic. "Is that some kinda joke?"

"I'm not that mean. I just thought you were still kinda interest?"

"Interested in what?" Ronald joined them as they walked out of the main building. "What's that?" He snatched the book from Harry's magic and twisted it about. "Quidditch through the ages? Who's this for? You know he can't play, right?"

Harry rolled his eyes. "I was just saying that."

"I thought it'd be interesting," defended Hermione. "I can return it if you really--"

"What's this?" A new person had been drawn by their tiny squabble. Snape grabbed the book firmly. "This is from the library, is it not?"

"Um, yes, sir?" Ronald shrunk back away from the imposing instructor.

Hermione put a hand at her hip. "I checked it out."

"All well and good." He flipped it swiftly away into the depths of his robes. "I'll be checking it back in for you. Books are not to leave the building proper." Without even leaving them much time to argue the idea, he stormed off, book secured.

Which would be when Harry noticed them moving with a bit of a limp. "Curiouser and curiouser..." He inclined his head at the departing Snape. "You see that? Look, I didn't even want the blasted book, but he ain't got the right to take it. You checked it out, fair and square. I'm going to get it back!"

He broke from their side and slunk after Snape, keeping well back to avoid being spotted. He lifted a precious inch from the ground, so his hooves didn't give him away. Being a pony wasn't all positives.

Snape begins speaking with another member of staff, Argus Filch. "Damn thing attacked me!"

The dour caretaker scowled at Snape. "What thing?"

"The three headed dog, right in my leg." Snape gestured, but Harry could barely see more than some motion towards Snape's leg, explaining the limp at least. "Got me good."

"Then you should practice more caution," advised Argus. "Did you get that looked at?"

Harry kept out of sight, but his look of concern only grew. The three headed dog? He only knew one of those. His mood to confront Snape was deflated, and he made good his retreat before he could be found out.

There was Ron, moving through the hallways. He spotted Harry first, waving and coming closer. "There you are. Just wanted to let you know something."

"What's that?" Harry touched down lightly.

"The rules say you can take books out. I checked, kinda curious." Ron looked proud of his knowledge. "I don't know what Snape's on about."

"Me neither... But I don't want to find out. See you next class?"

"Sure." They met hoof to hand, and split towards their upcoming classes.





"Looks what I have." Flurry wagged a letter in her magic, still sealed. With a sharp flip, it became two letters. "Mail, for me!"

Harry chuckled as he sat down. "Wow, you don't get a lot of mail. What's that about?" A thought came to him. "And who got that mail for you?"

"I asked a nice owl." She flashed a smile at Tilly. "And she got it for me."

Tilly looked properly proud of this. "I am an owl. Just like Arnavon."

Arnavon bobbed his head. "We know where to get letters, and the shortcuts."

Harry pointed to the floating correspondence. "Well, what do they say?"

With attention secured, Flurry made a slicing motion with a hoof as her magic broke the seal on the first. "The first is from mom. She says... Mmmm, and..." Her eyes swept left and right rapidly, taking in the words. "Wow..."

"Wow?" Harry reached for the letter, but Flurry drew it further away. "What's it say?!"

Ron looked over the top of the book he was holding. "Well, now I'm curious. What's it about?"

"How to care for a young adult alicorn," read out Flurry, her cheeks warm. "She actually wrote it, like a how-to for alicorn care. I didn't think she'd actually be the one writing it!"

Harry laughed at the very idea of it. "Aw, that's really nice of her. That sounds like mom, come to think."

"One thing," added Ron suddenly. "You got real nice pony parents, no argument, but we know you're half human, and neither of them are that. Ever wonder about your human parents? Just wondering."

Harry reached up to the scar over his eye, which had been there since he was a little foal. If the answer to its origin was known to anything... It'd be them. "I do wonder once in a while... Um, the other letter?"

"Oh!" Flurry put the alicorn care letter aside and flipped open the other. "This one's... for me." That was already known, reading without saying much. "I need to write a response to this one." She grabbed a quill in her magic and got to writing busily.
> 30 - Alicorn Care Tips
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Harry hovered over the papers towards Hagrid. "Sent from mom, for you."

"Fer me?" He took the papers and quickly scanned over them. "Huh... Right thoughtful of her. You should bring her by as soon as I get a chance to review this properly, say in a fortnight?"

Harry nodded at his sizable teacher. "Sounds great." He glanced away and back. "New topic of sorts, sir, but you are the expert with magical creatures."

"Ah do my best, little Harry." He ruffled Harry right on his head, horn between his fingers. The worst part was that he knew how to give quality pets. "How can I help?"

"Professor Snape was bit by a three-headed dog, you see, and--"

Hagrid hissed with concern. "Fluffy..."

Harry perked. "Fluffy?"

Hagrid tensed, realizing he'd said a bit too much, perhaps. "They're mine, you see, guarding what needs guarding..." Hagrid held up a hand. "Ye be keepin' that right to yerself. What they're guarding only Albus Dumbledore and Nicolas Flamel even know what, not me, so I sure won't be sayin'."

"I wouldn't pry." At least, not directly from the gentle giant. "I'll bring Flurry around."

Hagrid relaxed as the conversation shifted to something far more comfortable. "You pay attention, Harry. A lot of what works on her will work on you just as well, minus any bit about the wings. Y'ain't got those."

"Right, 'course." Even if he could fly, his own way. "Thank you, Sir. She'll be right excited about it, sure of that."

"Off wit' ya." He waved Harry off with a chuckle, back to his own duties.





Harry told the others, Hermione and Ron, what he had learned from Hagrid. "The dog's a guard dog."

Hermione rolled her eyes at that. "That much was obvious. But you got two names to help figure out what, and I'm wondering why Snape was sniffing around it, whatever it was. Can't be good..."

Ron chuckled at that. "But he got what was comin', bein' nipped an' all. Well, goin' up to the headmaster and proddin' him 'bout it sure feels unlikely."

"I wouldn't recommend it..." Hermione tapped with a moment of thought. "I'll dig into it. You tell your sister the good news?"

"Just about to." Harry ascended the steps with the good word of alicorn pampering.

It was with the same happy smile that Flurry Heart descended when it was time. She strode into the classroom, wings folded. "Hi. Hello." She greeted the students as she walked past them, taking her place on the small platform and sinking to her haunches. "My turn!"

Hagrid gestured to the joyful princess. "This is an alicorn, a subspecies of pony, which I rightful know y'all know 'least one of." The eyes of the classroom turned a moment to Harry, the pony among them. "Their most notable trait is their wing and horn. Ponies divide themselves up first by those. Those who have wings, pegasi. Those who have horns, unicorns. Those who ain't got either, earth ponies. Those who got both, alicorn." He took casual hold of her horn, firm, but not rough.

"Like Harry, their horns are sensitive. Never pull or damage them. This should make sense without much thought. It's their wand, and if someone went an' messed up yer wand, you'd be right put out, ah 'magine. So be kind to them." He released Flurry's horn, undamaged for the experience. "While we're on the topic, magic. A pony ain't a wizard, not by human measurin', but they are intensely magical creatures."

A hand rose, and Hagrid pointed to the student. "Sir. Are they all as magic?"

Flurry ruffled her wings. "This doesn't feel like pampering..."

"Patience." He gently pat her on the back. "We're gettin' to it. This is a place of learnin'. Now, They all got magic, but some of it's powerful subtle. The ones with horns--" He waved over hers. "--tend to be the most obvious, and the ones with magic closest to what we'd say is magic. Since we're on that, let's begin with horn care."

Flurry sat up, mood restored as the topic shifted.

"As I said, their horns are sensitive." He pulled out a new vial. "This ain't the same we used on the tsuki. Unicorns have a more active relationship with their horns, so you'll want to use polish that lets them breath. Muggle polish won't do. I'll get the recipe to you." But it was applied the same way one might a human, painted on with long strokes along the horn.

Flurry began to change colors softly, and Hagrid's attention only made it more intense.. "Another thing. The hair of ponies? It can change color." He ruffled her darkened cheek. "Which lets them blush, an' it means 'xactly the same thing it would in a human. Sorry, dear. I'm not bein' too rough, am I?"

"No..." She drew out a mirror to peek at the work being done on her horn. "A little... There..." She did not know what was being put on, but she could help it be put on evenly. Her blush faded, a little smile replacing it as she relaxed bit by bit. "What does that... do? I like the shine."

"Well, the shine is a minor part of it." He put the cap back on the nail polish of sorts. "It protects, from scratches and scrapes, and still lets 'em breathe, which your horn needs. You don't want that, now do ya? No scratches, plenty of shine."

Flurry nodded just enough to avoid poking Hagrid with that horn. "Exactly. What's next?"

"A fine point to bring  up." He set a hand on her mane, half-holding her still with it. "Ponies are less accidentally physically dangerous than tsuki. This bonny lass won't hug you to death for makin' the wrong signal. But she has four stout hooves and a right sharp horn. Don't mistake less prone to accidental maulin' fer a lack of ability to make you regret yer mistakes."

Harry tapped his hooves together. They weren't that imposing, were they? He hadn't thwapped anyone good with them before. That would be rude, at best...

"When dealin' with a pony of any kind, you can ask what they want. They'll tell it to you straight. But... Just like a person, they don't always know what they need. It's up to us to provide it, even if they don't know it."

Another hand raised. "Don't most people know what they need? Don't have to go reminding me to eat, sir."

"Sure... sure..." He folded his considerable arms. "But I bet half of you aren't eatin' exactly what your body would like you to put in there." A few students looked a bit sheepish at that. "What you want isn't always what you need. As for you." He turned entirely to Flurry. "From what I read, your cutie mark--" He showed what he was talking about. "--is a bit dull. This'll help." He pulled out a vegetable, asparagus, to be specific. "Even muggles are gettin' the idea that it's the little things that count."

Flurry turned up her nose. "Ew... I hate those!"

"What we need, and what we want." A clearer demonstration of the difference, Hagrid couldn't have asked for. "Now open up. Be good and I'll give you an extra special treat afterwards."

Flurry gave him a hard look, huffing with displeasure, but he stayed right there, waiting for her. It was a contest of wills. "Now, with most animals, magic or not, staring them in the eyes can be taken as a reason to get bit. Ponies are more like people, so sometimes you end up eye to eye, and if you aren't sayin' fightin' words, probably ain't a fight."

"Says you..." But she didn't bite, at least she didn't bite him. She bit one spear of the veggie and slurped it up, grinding it to a swallowable paste as quickly as she could. "There, I ate one. Happy?"

"One more." He separated one spear from the rest to offer to her directly. "One more an' I'll ease off."

She let out a weary sigh, but she gave up, eating the second as rapidly as she could and giving a yuck at the experience. "There, gone... I was told I'm here to be treated nicely..."

"And you are." He cupped her round equine cheeks, rubbing with his fingers. "You're a good pony, eating that. Let's go over a universal pony care tip." He grabbed a new tool. "This is a curry brush. It don't require no fancy one fer an alicorn, princess or not, or any other creature that's got medium to short hair, which she does. Now, bein' a princess an' all, she may prefer a fancier one, but this is the one I got."

Flurry watched the brush silently, at least until Hagrid pressed against her and the rubbing began, working it in slow motions from her head towards her back in firm circles. "Oh... Oh..." She half-closed her eyes, leaning against the brush and angling herself to get the spots she wanted worked on. "Oh... I like that... It's rougher than the usual brush... but not bad..." The little noises she was making implied it was a step beyond not being bad.

Hagrid went over all the hair care tips, even how to handle a pony, or technically any horse's tail. Even if it made her color brightly. But she was happy to have it done, once it was over. "This next part, I'll be getting your brother."

Flurry perked. "Huh? It's not his turn."

"He's a student. He'll be the one giving the care." Hagrid waved Harry up. "Show us your farrier skills, will ya?"

"Oh, yes, sir." Harry brought out the tools that had been given to him. "So..." He awkwardly led that step of the lessons, showing the class how to examine and care for a hoof. "One important thing. On a horse--" Still a creature he had only encountered a few times. "Their hoof is mostly not-feeling. On a pony? We can feel the whole thing." He tapped Flurry gently. "Which means if you're bad at this, you'll hurt us. You don't want to make Flurry sad, do you?"

Flurry looked far more alarmed than sad. "Does that mean you know what you're doing?"

"It'll be fine." He worked slowly and carefully. "I practiced on myself. One advantage of being a pony. I already got my mistakes out of the way..." The class winced sympathetically, imagining Harry casually hurting himself in the lessons he gave himself. "So I won't hurt you, promise. Just to be clear, back home, ponies have ponies that are experts at this. You'd go to a barber to get your own hair done, most of you, right?"

Flurry giggled, but kept her hindhoof still for Harry. "Does that make you a farrier?"

"An amateur one, sure... Figure I'm an amateur a lot of things right now." But he got her hooves cleaned and groomed properly. "There you go. How do you feel?"

Flurry tested her weight on each hoof and nodded as she turned back to the class. "Better. You're not awful, bro. I'll be bothering you next time it gets uneven."

Hagrid gently shooed Harry back to his seat. "Unlike some animals, a pony will understand what you're doing, for better or worse. But there's a part of Miss Heart here I haven't touched. Wing care. We went over this with griffons, and it's just as true for alicorns and pegasi. Happy wings, happy animal. Fortunately, ponies have very similar wings to griffons, so we can use some of those tricks."

So it was time to show how to preen and care for a pony's feathers, from the wings on downwards. "Jus' like a griffon, takin' poor care of these will make it harder for your friend to take flight. Unlike a griffon, a pony will complain when you get it wrong, and some colorful insults may be included. You'll wish they just squawked if yer bad at it."

Flurry flared the wing not being held. "I wouldn't do that!"

"Yes she would." Harry snickered as he made proper notes. He had no wings to practice that part on.
> 31 - Pony Magic
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Now, ah mentioned this before." He pat Flurry on the head, next to her horn. "Horned ponies have the most obvious magic. Miss Heart, would you consider yourself skilled at pony magics?"

Flurry sat up proudly. "Very good." The temptation to speak of her growing understanding o human magic was stamped down. That was against the rules, right? "Why?"

"Because that is a valuable lesson." He spread his considerable hands over the class. "They are here to learn. Now, Tsuki, you remember them?" A few heads nodded in agreement, utterances of the same filtering through the classes. "Their magic was largely physical. They can jump better than most things and, if they're willing, they make pretty passable owls. They don't do spells, of their own sort or any others."

Flurry inclined an ear as he explained it. "But I do."

"That she does. Flurry Heart, would you demonstrate? Something small, preferably something that can't go hurtin' nobody in this room."

Flurry considered with a raised hoof. "Well... How about... this?" Her horn glowed and her magic echoed across the tops of the desks in the room, flowers popping up into view from nowhere in front of the startled students.

Hagrid gestured down with the flat of his hand. "That's enough of that, little lady. Now, if anyone wants some extra credit, identify those plants and figure out which may not be local, if ya get what I mean there. Turn that over to your herbology teachers with the flower. Feel certain they'll be glad to see it."

Flurry blinked at the idea as the students plucked the flowers she'd made, working diligently to gather them up properly. "Um. They're just flowers. Why would they be special?"

Hagrid ruffled Flurry atop her head. "Because you're not from Earth. What are normal plants for you are not normal fer the rest of us, get me?"

"Oh." Flurry wobbled left and right. "That means your plants would be new to me. I want to see them."

"Haven't ye been followin' your brother around? Pay closer attention next herbology class. Now, here's something you would not do with a horse, or most other magical creatures for that matter. On a pony, it's possible. You can talk to them, and they will be clear if it's alright or not."

Flurry tensed and drew back a few inches. "Should I be worried?"

"If ya don't want it, it won't happen." Hagrid chuckled softly. "Of the two of us, you may have more magic, so let's not get in a fight about it. Now, as I was sayin'. Flurry, would you like a deep tissue massage?"

Flurry listed to the side with a strained laugh. "Seriously?! You made that sound way too spooky... If you know what you're doing, yes, go ahead."

Hagrid clapped his hands together in a firm single stroke. "Now this, here, is not required for the basic care of a pony. But I did promise a treat for our brave little princess. She came here and put up with us. This is the least ah can do for her. You may as well pay attention, as you can learn a lot about how their muscles work and connect together when you do it, and that makes a lot of other spells work easier."

Flurry fluffed her wings with a smile, anticipation visibly growing. "Should I... sit here? Do you want me to lay down?"

Hagrid dropped to a knee next to the platform that held Flurry. "As I was saying earlier, you can talk to a pony, which makes a lot of things easier, and harder at the same time. Go ahead and lay on your belly to start. He put a hand on her back, guiding her to assuming pony-loaf position. "Let's inspect the spine." It was no dry and clinical examination. He thumped and walked his fingers and made her squeak and wriggle, but she seemed to be enjoying him as he worked into her.

"Ponies have very flexible backs, far more than most humans could hope for. Closer to what you'd expect from a cat. Unlike a cat..." He swatted her near the rump. "They're solid. They can support more than their own weight if they haveta, but they won't unless they have to. Because you told them to won't cut it." He got back to the care, turning to a more deep rubbing motions across her that had her coloring with her eyes closed. "Just like any person, a good care of their sore spots is a fine way to make a friend. Also like a person, if they stop, you stop. Just rude, and a horned one might use their magic on you if you get on their bad side."

A hand went up and Hagrid pointed at the student. "Sir, what about the ponies without horns? Should we be worried about them?"

"They're magical creatures. Being careful is how you start the situation." He guided Flurry onto her side to get her legs and ribs dutifully. "Without a horn, you still have one of those, and if they have to, they will hurt you to get away from abuse. You don't want to be chasing any pegasus. They can fly and will to get away from you. Militaristic by tradition, fighting you isn't entirely outside the realm of possibility." He worked along one of her legs, reducing her to a puddle of pleased pony princess. "The earth ponies can be tougher and stronger. You want to go out of your way to irritate something that can sometimes bite clean through your bones? No thanks. I suggest you skip that." He tickled under her chin, getting giggles. "They're friendly creatures, so just be polite."


Another hand went up. "Do alicorns have that strength?"

"No, yes? Kinda?" Flurry looked up from where she was flopped on the ground. "Sorta... It varies, a lot. If you need it, you can reach for it. But most alicorns aren't walking triple perfect ponies all the time. That'd get tiring."

Hagrid looked Flurry over critically. "How are you feeling? Worth the trouble?"

"Yes," she sighed out, stretching her legs and remaining flopped there. "Can we do it again?"

"I'll make you eat more of what you need," he warned with a chuckle. "You sure?"

Flurry flipped her ears back. "There has to be other things I can eat. I really don't like asparagus."

"I'll look into it." He helped Flurry get her hooves under herself. "And pass it to your brother to give to you. We want that mark nice and bright."

Flurry rolled her eyes. "Why isn't his mark a big deal then? I don't see you torturing him."

"I like asparagus," admitted Harry with a bashful smile. "Sorry?"

"That explains that." He rose to his feet. "Gonna bet yer mom's tried to get you to eat it afore and you sent her packing."

"N-no..." That she was fibbing was a very poorly held secret. "Thank you, for today. Harry, meet you later." She strode from the room without any further delays.

Hagrid nodded to the class. "And that concludes alicorn care tips. I hope you were paying attention. Now, off with the lot of you. Ya got plenty other classes vying for your time and attention."

To Harry's discomfort, chat about pony physiology reached his ears. He had to remind a few that he was not available for testing techniques on, thanks. It felt better to rush to the next class. Fortunately, there was plenty of other things to focus on, being a student at Hogwarts.





Time passed, months, all of them learning and growing, but signs were mounting... Harry peered at the sign curiously. "What do they mean?" He pointed at the sign. "What's a Christmas?"

"Winter holiday," corrected Hermione. "Everyone gets to go home."

"Oh." He tapped at his chin thoughtfully. "But my parents aren't expecting me for a while yet. Do you... What do you do then?"

Hermione shrugged at that. "What do ponies usually do?"

"Go to school a lot closer to home?" Harry turned his eyes skywards. "Or plan better, I guess."

Ron slapped his equine friend on the back. "Hey, that just means we get to hang out."

Harry jumped, at the swat and the words. "You're not leaving either?"

"Nope." Ron crossed his arms in an x. "My parents are visiting my brother in Romania, so they won't be there for me to go back to. We're in the same boat."

"Huh, that's lucky." Harry nodded, looking much more relaxed. "I can think of worse fates than spending Hearth's Warming Eve with you."

Ron raised a lone finger. "What eve? That a pony holiday?"

"Um..." Harry pointed to the sign declaring the time off. "Same as yours, different name. I think everyone wants a winter holiday."

"Won't argue that." Ron patted both of them on the back. "Let's not fall behind before then.  It'll be a staycation right here, gather, but not until the break happens."

Hermione laughed at the arrangement. "Glad you two have that sorted then. I'll be headed home, if you please, and even if you don't. New topic, but I think there's a book about that Flamel person, but... trick, it's in the restricted section of the library."

Harry let out a suffering sigh, a faint whinny mixed in the noise. "And she's chums with Snape, the librarian. She won't let us just walk in there and snoop around."

Ron lifted his hands in a shrug. "So we be sneaky about it. It's just a book. Grab it and don't let anyone see you."

Harry made an uncertain noise.

Hermione turned away. "I'll keep an eye open for some way to get closer without getting in trouble."

They split ways to head to their classes.

Despite her promises, Hermione wasn't digging up any obvious ways to sneak past Madam Pince, the librarian. She was exceptionally strict when it came to her books, and was known to direly punish anyone that tried to move them out of place, or, even worse, damage one.

So, Harry figured he could be casual about it. He wandered the library as if searching for a tome. Technically, this was true! But the book rested in the restricted wing. He wandered with soft clops up and down the aisles, trying his best to not be obvious about his slowly approaching goal.

"What are you looking for, boy?" demanded that stern voice of Miss Pince.

"Nothing!" squeaked out Harry. It wasn't the best answer, or even a very good one, but it was what came to his mind, panicking in that sudden moment. "Ma'am."

Pince frowned at him with judgement behind her eyes. "You'd better get out then." She pointed the way to the exit of the library. "Go on." When he hesitated, she elevated to a full glare. "Go on -- Out!" She pointed all the more firmly, banishing Harry from the library and ending his attempt to get the book.





"You deserve to know." The headmaster of the school leaned onto his elbows at his desk. "Your parents were very brave."

"Were?" Harry skewed an ear aside. "My parents are still very brave, Sir." He dipped his head at Dumbeldore. "Did something happen?!"

"No! No, heavens forfend." He made gentle placating motions at Harry. "But you, Harry, are a human. Humans do not spring forth from ponies, no matter how brave, or kind, and I hear your pony parents are both."

"Very much, sir." Harry sat up with a smile. "Um, but my human parents, sir?"

"You had them, as most other humans have." He brought his hands together, fingers enmeshing. "They were very brave, and sent you to find your new parents to protect you, far from his grasp. You're old enough, you deserve to know." He drew a hand away and extended a finger towards Harry, reaching to run it along the scar across his face. "Didn't you ever wonder where this came from?"
> 32 - Echoes of the Past
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"That is why you were left there." Dumbledore folded his arms. "Do you understand?"

"Wow..." Harry desperately searched for a better word, tapping his hooves and failing in the task. "They... That's a long way to go."

"But, it did work." Dumbledore sighed, leaning back in his seat. "You were safe, and put in a place you could grow well and joyfully, from all accounts. They did it out of love."

"Y-yeah... Yeah... I'm not arguing that..." He reached up a hoof to run along the scar on his face, it gaining a new meaning. "Core..."

"This is a lot to take in." Dumbledore leaned forward. "Despite their great bravery, your parents could not defend you any further and ended up paying the ultimate price for their efforts. A strong and impenetrable barrier protects Equestria. This is why they chose it, I presume. It was a sanctuary from He Who Must Not Be Named, a place unreachable to him."

Dumbledore steepled his fingers. "I imagine this is why you took the form you did. It was the only way for you to exist there. There is no room for a human. On the other hand, or hoof in this case, you could take a human form now."

Harry flinched back at the proposed idea, ears flattening against his head. "I'm pretty comfortable the way I am, um, sir."

"I imagined that would be the case. You've been this since you were an infant. Still..." He set a hand atop Harry's snout. "It would be improper to not at least inform you."

Harry drew his head away, free of the hand. "So, I was sent there, a human, but I arrived, as a pony, because I had to be."

Dumbledore shrugged at that. "Something less irritating to that world. If there are other native creatures, perhaps you could have been one of them."

That filled Harry's mind instantly with the assortment of other creatures he could have ended up as. A bulky yak, or a changeling, or a dragon? So many options, but he got a pony. "Huh... Most people can blame their parents for what they end up as."

"Technically, you still can. They are the ones that sent you." Dumbledore set his hands flat on his desk. "I felt you deserved to know. I do hope this doesn't bother you too much."

"N-no... You didn't do anything wrong." Harry paced in a narrow circle. "Nothing at all, sir. I wish I could have helped them... Or knew more, about them..." He kicked at the ground and turned to Dumbledore. "Thank you." He let out a sigh that came out as half an equine snort. "This is a lot. And he's still there. He attacked me!"

"Unfortunately, likely. However... You have friends." Dumbledore smiled at that. "Trustworthy ones that are ready to stand at your side. Some human, and some not, all true friends, from what I've seen. You are far from alone."

"Sir..." He paced in place a moment. "Sir, there's a little secret... I'd like to ask about."

"You are a secret, in many ways." Dumbledore folded his arms. "You'd be better off not widely spreading the story of your origin. They'd likely insist you stop 'pretending' to be a pony. Allowing an actual half-blood to be as they are is one thing. You don't have that excuse. All magic removed, you'd be a human."

Harry's ears flattened at the idea. "But this is what I am."

"I'm not arguing it." Dumbledore raised his hands flat. "But others will. Best to avoid the topic, given the choice. By the way... I know it may be something you're avoiding, but the big match is coming up." He pointed to Harry. "I know you would have rather been up there, with them, but they could use your supporting cheers, if you're up for it."

Harry snorted into a smile. "That's quite the topic shift, sir. I'll consider it."

"All I can ask."

"Since it came up." Harry took a few steps in closer to Dumbledore. "Do you think it's fair, that I got kicked off?"

"I'm not in charge of that. I won't speak over the coach." He let out a sigh of his own. "His call to make."

"Not asking you to, sir. I just wanted your opinion." Harry tried for a winning smile, equine teeth on display. "I won't try to use it against him."

"Promise?" When Harry nodded, Dumbledore rolled a hand. "You were a skilled player, from all reports. The issue is that it's a human sport. The rules aren't made for unicorns. If they were, they'd cover how far away you could grab a ball, to start. Not covering that isn't very fair for the others."

"But they don't," agreed Harry, coming to the same conclusion. "Blast it. Sorry, sir... I get it, but I don't like it not one bit. Couldn't we add unicorn rules?"

"Easier said than done," laughed out Dumbledore. "It usually takes a big event to get any rules changed in that game. A player getting hurt or some obvious cheat exposed. Allowing a single player to join? The coach took the far easier route out. Now, you are still a Gryffindor, so you can take part, just not that way."

"Yes, right..." He turned for the door. "Is that all, sir?"

"That's all. I hope this has helped a little."

Harry willed the door open and stepped through it, back to handling his day.

Dumbledore made a little scribble. "That could have gone worse... I wonder what secret he was asking about?" Some things would remain hidden, for the time.





"Good to have you here." Ron patted Harry on the back, the two seated side by side. "Thought you'd given up on the whole thing." The surrounding arena was full of excited voices and pumping fists, ready for the game to start. "I'd rather be cheering for you, but this is almost as good."

Harry watched as they arranged in formation for the game. "Aw... I'd be right there." He could see their seeker, preparing to do their thing.

"Root for 'em," Ron thrust up a clenched hand. "That's our job. Cheer them to the win."

"Not sure how much cheering will actually help..." But he decided to give it a go, rooting for the spot he once held.

The game was going well, with points being scored by both sides. The seekers were chasing after the snitch dutfifully, but Harry raised a brow at part. "There's no way."

"No way what?" Ron glanced aside at Harry, then focused on what he was looking at, the seeker on their side. "They do something wrong?"

Hermione pointed off in a completely other direction. "He's looking sneaky." Another person, a teacher, was staring at the same student, muttering to himself all the while.

Above, the seeker was having problems even staying in the air. Two others rushed in to help, but it was getting worse by the moment. "I think he's casting a spell!" Hermione scowled at Severus Snape, the one staring and intoning inaudibly. "We've got to do something!"

She surged to her feet and raced off to action. Harry's horn glowed. "I'm not playing in the game, so..." There was no rule stopping him. Focusing, he could see the magic at work and grabbed onto it with his own, wrenching it with a toss of his head. He couldn't stand up to Snape's arcane will, not directly, but it was enough to throw things off. 

The seeker was back in action, and keeping control of their rebellious broomstick. Calls went up, some excitement, both in the seeker's resumed progress and a little furor near where Snape was, and some smoke was raising. "What'd she do?" Ron swatted at Harry's side. "Whatever it is, looks like you two got him to stop that."

"Mister Potter." There was a scowling referee. "I saw that."

Potter recoiled, jumping at the sudden presence. "Saw what?"

"You were casting." He pointed up at where the seeker had been. "At one of the players. What spell was that? Be honest. Interfering with an official game is a serious matter."

"I wouldn't!" Harry backed a step, almost falling down to the next set of sets. "I was countering a spell, sir, not casting one of my own, I swear!"

"We're going to have to inspect that. Come with me, bring your wand." He waves for Harry to follow him and stormed off, confident that he'd be followed.

"It's built-in..." He looked up at his 'wand'. It was unlikely he'd forget that. Still, he'd been called, and he scampered to keep up. The game continued, without him.

He was brought to a gloomily lit room. There was a table and a too-small chair on either side of it. For a human, uncomfortable. For a pony, mostly unusable, at least in any way a pony would sit normally. Harry sank on one side of the table and left the chair alone. His haunches would serve as a fine enough seat. "How can I help?"

"I'm the one here to ask questions." A new questioner was there, not the one that had ordered Harry there to begin with. "We will have to examine your wand to see what magic you've been using it for. To be clear, a fully certified wizard would be well in their rights to refuse such an inspection. Rights of privacy and what not." He raised a fine brow. "But you're not that, yet. You're a student. So, are you going to cooperate?"

"O-of course! I have nothing to hide." Harry sat up proudly. "I was trying to stop cheating, sir."

"You have an advantage." He waved over Harry's horn. "Your wand isn't standard. Examining it will be... difficult, but not impossible. We have our methods." He snapped his fingers. "Before we get to that, do you have any other wands?"

Harry dug out his trusty wand. "Here, sir. I didn't use it today."

A quick spell confirmed this. "I'll be keeping this." He stuck the wand away. "You'll get it back when you're released, if you're released. Prisoners don't need a wand."

Harry glanced up at the wand he still had.

"We can remove that." The man leaned forward with a frown. "I hope you won't make that required."

Harry squeaked in horror at the idea, hooves springing up to cover his horn. "Would you cut off someone's arm? It's about the same..."

"If I had to." The man shrugged, no emotions shown in that. "I make sure this place is run properly. If that's required, it's done. Don't make your horn require removal. No magic."

Harry swallowed nervously, but kept his horn cool as the rocks beneath his rump. No magic! "What's the next step then? Can I help?"

"You can give an exact summary of what you thought you were doing." He waved at a paper that began floating, scribing down the words as he said them. "Be as precise as you can."

"We were wa--"

"--We who?" The man rolled a hand. "Precise."

"Y-yes, of course." Harry shuddered lightly, but re marshaled himself. "I was sitting next to Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger. We were watching the game. It was going well, but the seeker looked like he was having trouble controlling his broom. Hermione noticed first."

"When?" He tapped at the table, the quill at the paper tapping sympathetically. "Precise, please."

Harry sighed, but revised the story for details, as best he knew them. He went over the game step by step, his attempt to wrestle the magic and being taken in for interrogation.

"Severus Snape?" The man folded up the paper. "That's a high crime you're tossing at his feet. The odds of him agreeing with it are... vanishingly small. The word of a teacher against a student." He stood up. "I don't envy your position. This is your cell." With a wave of his wand, the table was banished, and one chair became a cot. "Make yourself comfortable. They'll be along later to perform the wand inspection. We never had one attached before. I expect it may be... Well, you'll tell us how it feels. If that comes up clean, they may release you. No magic." He wagged a finger with that last command. "Good luck."
> 33 - Prisoner of Hogwarts
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

With a slide of metal against stone, his lunch arrived on a platter. Harry went to retrieve it, but noticed it had company. Tucked in just to the side of the potatoes was a sealed scroll. "What's this then?" He took the missive up with his magic, squeaked, and dropped it. "Does that count?"

He had no way of knowing for sure if it did or didn't. Unicorns were creatures of magic. It was just how they existed. He pawed at the scroll with his hooves, awkwardly working free the seal. Thankfully, it fell open, unfurling the moment the seal wasn't holding it shut.

Flurry Heart filled his vision, a magical image of her springing into being. "Is it on?" she asked, looking to the side before focusing forward again. "Hello, brother. They said I could send you a letter, but only through this specific thing." She flared her wings. "So don't try talking back to me, I won't hear it. Are they being mean to you? They said they'll review this before you get it, so they heard me ask that, and I don't care. As if my brother would do anything bad. Stay strong."

She leaned in, nose dancing in the air. "We're doing what we can, from here. I know you can't see us doing it, which is why I'm sending this, so you know we haven't forgotten you the moment you were gone. We'll get you out of there!" She looked off again. "What? Running out? I barely--" The image vanished.

Harry smirked at the aborted message. "You tried." He nudged the scroll aside. "Still, appreciate it." He started his basic meal. It was no taste treat, but it wasn't sour or spoiled or anything like that. It was perfectly bland, as if someone had set out specifically to make neutral food that couldn't insult anyone.

No insults, but little comfort either. At least it kept the hunger away. The water was servicable. It was delightfully water-flavored, and didn't seem to have gone foul in any way.

A knock came from the door. It opened a moment later with the barest of pause. There stood a severely-dressed man, stepping inside. "Good afternoon. Time for that inspection." He waved his wand at the door, bidding it to close so tightly it sealed itself into the wall, as if the door had never been there to start. "I've been informed you're consenting?"

"Uh, yes. Yes." Harry stood up properly and inclined his head forward, presenting his horn. "The other guard... was implying it might hurt?"

"Shouldn't." The inspector strode the short distance, waving his wand in strange lines. "But we never did one for someone with their horn attached. Still, that does afford us an opportunity. If you would, imagine the spell you were casting earlier. We can see if that matches, and it'll make it easier to examine."

"Sure, but it wasn't a spell exactly." Still, Harry did imagine grabbing that spell he could see, grabbing it and trying to pry it loose from the broom. His horn glowed faintly in sympathy with the imagined spellcasting, but he wasn't actually casting the spell.

It seemed enough for the inspector's work. "Hm, yes... I see... You're right, this isn't a standard spell. I should amend, it may be a perfectly standard unicorn spell, but it's not so standard a human spell." He folded his wand away. "Which brings challenges. I couldn't say with confidence what spell it is exactly. But, you can help."

Harry perked. The spells hadn't hurt him, and he could help? "How, sir?"

"Easy." He lifted a hand out and a broom flew over to it, resting in it. "You'll cast a few spells, on purpose. I'll monitor you while you do them. Then, at least, we can rule out a few things you were not doing." He released the broom to hover there in the air. "Ready?"

Harry looked at the broom with obvious skepticism. "Alright? What do you want me to do?"

"Let's start easy. Grab it." He waved at the broom. "Take hold of it.

Harry's horn glowed brighter as he grabbed the broom in the air, securing it in place. "Like that?"

The man frowned at whatever he was watching. "I see... Move it around." He circled Harry slowly as the broom danced and jostled under Harry's control. "Try to bring it to the ground."

Harry threw his head, trying to pull the resisting broom towards the floor. The broom didn't want to go down, and it was a struggling match of powers.

"Stop."

Harry went stiff as a board. "Did that help, sir?"

The man stepped up, snatching the broom from the air. "I think it did. I will have to give my findings, but you clearly were not siezing the broom. That's the good news." He tucked the broom away as best he could. "But your magic looked similar to trying to bring the broom lower, which matches what was going on. I can't exonerate you. It isn't proof you did it, but it isn't proof you didn't do it either."

Harry sank, just the perk up. "Sir?"

"Yes, Mister Potter?"

Harry brought his hooves together. "If I can, can you give me some magic to try to unravel? That'd be way closer to what I was doing, specifically."

The inspector considered that with a soft hm. "No harm." He stroked his chin. "According to the reports, you were attempting to undo a curse. I rarely perform those, nasty things, but I do know a few." He raised his wand and wove it with the dreadful words. He wasn't muttering, like Snape. They had nothing to hide.

The broom wobbled and shook, unable to keep itself level under the power of the curse. "Go ahead."

Harry fixed the curse as squarely as  he could, grabbing and tugging at it. He was confronting the curse head-on instead of touching the broom. The inspector grunted, trying to keep up his side of the curse as the two struggled for supremacy, but it was a one-sided match. He was far more focused on watching Harry and his horn.

"I see." He released the curse. The broom hovered peacefully, and Harry fell forward with the spell giving out so suddenly. "I need to report this." He waved his wand at the wall, which became a door for him, and he strode out without another word.

Harry inclined his head slowly. "What'd you see?" But the inspector was gone. He had gone so quickly he left his broom behind. Harry couldn't think of much to do with the broom, so he left it alone and sank with a huff. "Hope he saw something good..."

What felt like forever later, the door opened without a knock. "Mister Potter." A large figure stepped in with a big smile. "What have ya got yerself inta?" Hagrid stepped across the room in two large strides. "This isn't where you should be."

Harry lifted an ear at the friendly giant of a teacher. "Hello, sir. They didn't give me much choice about it... They let you in?"

"That they did." He folded his arms across his chest. "I don't like why, but they did, which means we're leaving."

Harry scrambled up to his hooves. "We are? They let me go? They coulda told me..."

"They sent me to do that." He patted Harry on his pointed head. "You're in my care, for a little while at least. They didn't say it out loud, but seems they decided a magical creature was safer in my hands while they were figuring things out."

Harry's snout wrinkled at that. "I'm a student, not a random magical beast."

"I'd say not." Hagrid waved to the door. "But, in either event, you're free to get out of here."

"Won't argue that." He took off at a light trot, though Hagrid was behind him, following as he left those dreadful basements back up into the school proper. "So..." He turned back to face Hagrid. "Sir? I appreciate you letting me go, but did you need anything else, sir?"

Hagrid hiked a thumb to the side. "For a few days, at least, I'm in charge of you. They're still looking into things, but they said you should be safe enough for the time being. Consider it, what, a formality." He shrugged softly and leaned in at Harry. "Bunch of hogwash if ya ask me. Always so quick to cast blame on not-humans. I know the feeling." With a heavy sigh, he started towards his own abode. "This way."

Harry followed him out to his cozy home. "Do the others know I've been let out?"

"As if they'd give me a moment's rest." Hagrid was laughing as he poked the fire into action. "They know, trust you me on that. They can't wait for you to be able to head back to them." He sank heavily in his chair. "I know better. You're no wild animal. All you have to do is stay around here and I won't ask fer a bit more than that."

Harry's ears perked. "Oh! When do I get my wand back?"

"Still part of the investigation," sighed out Hagrid at that. "But it shouldn't be too long. If they thought they had something, they wouldn't have let you go. Ah should mention, you've made no friends with Professor Snape."

Harry sighed, deflating at the news. "I imagine not... So, they told him then? I sure didn't."

"How could they not?" Hagrid reached over, grabbing a tin of something and working it open in his large hands. "He had to have a chance to say his side'a things. Can't do that without askin' him. Now, gonna start dinner shortly. Yer welcome to share with me."

"I'll take that... Um, what are you having?" Harry sniffed the air, some faint hints of something meaty. Beef? "Did you already start?"

"Hm? Oh, no." Hagrid rose to head to his pantry and start getting things together. "If yer smellin' anythin' at all, probably breakfast. I'll get started."

Hagrid wasn't his first choice of host, but they had already established a friendship and he was amiable enough. There were worse places to be, like the jail he had just escaped.





"Have you finished?" demanded the scowling Snape. "Is he going to be properly punished?"

The jailor shrugged. "Sorry, sir. The evidence we have allows for both of your stories. The mark in his favor puts it just on his side. He was clearly struggling with a curse. What curse, and why, we can't say for certain." He folded his arms. "But wrestling with a curse isn't against any rule. That much we know for certain. Mister Potter is innocent of that. With that put aside, we can't hold him. He's a student, and hasn't committed any crimes, even that of a foul play in the sport. Which is far more likely to get you banned than actually jailed, if we're being honest."

Snape slowly brought his fingers together. "Then what do you intend to do?"

"Not much more to be done." The jailor folded the folder shut with a final slap. "The matter's closed. That goes for both of you. Sorry, but we didn't find who set that fire. You're alright, I hope?"

"No thanks to you," he muttered out, moving to leave. "Good day." He slammed the door shut behind himself. "Blast it all." He had other things to do, and skulked off without belaboring the point any further.





The school was quieting down. Students had gone home for the winter break. Well, with a few exceptions. Harry was back in his student form, and Ron was there with him. "So, what do you want to do while we're here?"

Ronald waved Harry over, to pat him the moment he was close enough. "We'll hang out. Not a thing wrong wit' that, the way I see it. I've been running low on my Harry time with you being all jailed up."

"Good idea!" Arnavon grabbed them both up in a tight hug. They would not be alone that holiday.
> 34 - Happy Holidays
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The three, Arnavon, Harry, and Ron had the room to themselves. The holidays meant the school was quiet and largely abandoned. But they had each other, so they laughed and played and enjoyed each day with the company of the other. "One thing," cut in Harry. "Where's Flurry? If I'm not going home for the holidays, why is she? The parents went and took her along without me?"

Arnavon lifted his ears, briefly. "No no! She's spending the holidays with her friends, back in the Crystal Empire." He pointed, though there was no specific direction for there. "She said we could watch you for a holiday." He folded his great arms. "I think she's right."

"We can manage that." Ron swatted Harry on the back. "So, how was it? They treat you badly in there?"

"Ugh." Harry sighed with the memories. "The worst part was the boredom... I had nothing to do but wait, a lot." He half-lid his eyes with the thought of the time. "And plenty of chance to worry about what they'd do."

"Well you don't have to worry about any of that now!" Ron said firmly. "We're gonna make sure you have the best holiday ever to make up for it." 

Arnavon eagerly nodded in agreement. "Oh yes, we have so many fun things planned!"

Harry smiled, his gloom already lifting at his friends' enthusiasm. "Like what?"

"Snowball fights!" Arnavon exclaimed. "I can jump and throw them really far." He was oblivious to the doubtful looks he was getting.

"And don't forget about all the magical snow creations we can make," Ron added. "Some of the older kids showed me how to bewitch snowballs to chase people or build snow-wizards that walk around on their own." The talk of homing snowballs perked Arnavon's attention.

Harry's eyes lit up at the ideas, his earlier tension fading away. "That sounds brilliant! Maybe I can try making a snow-pony."

"You'll have to show me how it's done," said Ron. "Bet I could figure out a snow-owl after seeing one of those."

Arnavon giggled. "I want a snow-tsuki!" He paused a moment. "Would that be a snow owl too?"

The three friends spent the next hour gleefully planning their holiday fun and adventures. By the time they finally left to begin their snowy hijinks, Harry felt lighter than he had in days. With Ron and Arnavon's help, not even Snape and his hatred could ruin his holidays this year.

The dazzling white hills around Hogwarts became their playground. Harry sculpted a proud snow-pony, carefully shaping each detail with his horn's magic. Ron managed a passable snowy owl, though it looked a bit lumpy next to Harry's creation. 

Arnavon took a more direct approach - he leapt into the air and belly-flopped into a huge mound of snow. Popping his head out, he turned to the others expectantly. "It's a snow-tsuki!"  

Ron and Harry laughed until their sides ached. "Maybe we should make a snow-wizard next," Harry suggested.  

As the three set to work rolling massive snowballs, the winter sun glinted off the shimmering drifts. Harry took in the picturesque scene and his friends' smiling faces. This was already the best holiday he could ask for.

Alas, all good things had to come to an end, and the chill of the winter snow was starting to get to them. Harry shook his hooves to free some of the snow. "I vote we head back inside."

Arnavon could see Harry shivering in the cold, but didn't quite understand why. The great snow rabbit creature didn't really understand the concept of actually being cold. "Are you sick? I'll get you soup." He bounced ahead, eager to help his friend.

Ron chuckled at the sight. "He's a real friend, but he's a bit slow sometimes."

"Get off that." Harry thumped against Ron, the two heading for the school and its warmth. "He just come from a different, colder, place. They don't know what cold means."

Ron nodded as they walked. "Yeah, you're right. I shouldn't be so hard on him." 

Soon they were back in the cozy confines of the school. Arnavon presented a steaming bowl of soup to Harry, who accepted it gratefully. 

"This is perfect, thanks Arnavon." Harry smiled as the soup warmed him from the inside out. Sure, the bowl was about sized for two Harries, but he felt hungry, and cold, enough to enjoy it all.

"I'm glad I could help!" Arnavon replied. "I don't really understand being cold, but I want to take care of my friends."

"You're doing a great job," Ron said sincerely. Arnavon beamed at the praise.

The three sat by the fire, watching the flames dance. Harry felt his tense muscles finally relax. It was good to be back where he belonged. 

"You know," Harry mused, "maybe the holidays aren't so bad after all." 

"Just wait until you see what I have planned for tomorrow," Ron said with a grin.

Harry laughed. "Should I be worried?"

"Never!" Ron declared. "This is going to be the best holiday ever, I'll make sure of it."

And looking at his friends' smiling faces glowing in the firelight, Harry didn't doubt it for a second. "Oh!" Arnavon hopped in front of them. "Yes, yes! Tomorrow will be a very good day. I heard tomorrow is gift day! Maybe even I will get a gift? Do owls get gifts?"

Ron inclined his head with thought. "I'm really not sure if we're being honest about it... Um... Say, just in theory, if you did get a gift, what do you hope it'd be?"

Harry nodded quickly. "Just for fun, yeah, what would you want?" Neither of them had any idea what a tsuki would most want for the holidays. What did they give each other? "You want something, right? Just for fun. Tell us!"

Arnavon's eyes lit up at the question. He tapped his chin, considering. "Well, I really like new things to write in," he said finally. "Maybe a nice new book? Or colored ink! I could write in different colors." He gasped. "Or a really fancy quill!"

Ron and Harry exchanged relieved glances. Writing supplies they could handle. 

"What about you, Harry?" Arnavon asked eagerly. "What gift would you want?"

"Hmm, tough call," Harry mused. "I wouldn't say no to some new robes. Mine are getting a little small." 

He paused, then added more thoughtfully, "But honestly, just spending time with you guys is the best gift I could ask for."

"Aww, you two are getting sappy on me," Ron laughed. But his tone was warm, ruffling Harry atop his head.

"Well, there is one thing," Harry admitted in unsure tones. "I just learned about my parents, my, uh... I don't want to say 'real' ones, because the ones I have are very real. The other ones... Um... I never got to be with them for the holidays, that I can remember. I'd... I'd really like at least one, if I could ask for anything at all."

Things grew quiet with the somber promise. His friends slid in and leaned against Harry. Neither had really good words for that, but they could offer sincere warmth, and, perhaps, that was enough for the time.

The three friends stayed up late into the night, chatting comfortably by the glowing fire. Harry treasured these quiet moments, knowing the year ahead would likely bring more struggles. But for then, he was content. 

As he eventually drifted off surrounded by the gentle snores of his friends, Harry decided this was shaping up to be his best holiday yet. And it wasn't over yet.

The next morning, Harry awoke slowly, blinking against the sunlight streaming in. For a moment he forgot where he was, still caught in dreams. Then Ron's loud snore brought him back to the present.

Harry smiled as he looked at his slumbering friends. It was hard to feel gloomy on such a bright, crisp day. 

As he got up to stoke the fire, Harry noticed a small pile of packages that hadn't been there the night before. "Presents!" he exclaimed.

The shout roused Ron and Arnavon. They both sprang up eagerly. 

"Is it really gift day?" Arnavon hopped over. His eyes widened at the stack of boxes.

Harry levitated the gifts over with his horn. "Looks like it! This one has your name, Arnavon."

With childlike glee, they dug into their presents. Arnavon was thrilled by his new ink, quills, and journal. Ron whooped at the hand-knitted sweater from his mother.

Harry opened his last. Inside was a framed photo of a smiling man and woman, waving at the camera. His throat tightened.

"Your parents?" Ron asked gently. Harry nodded, a mix of joy and sadness welling up in him. 

Ron squeezed his shoulder. "Happy Christmas, mate."

Harry wiped his eyes, gazing at the picture. For this one perfect morning, it felt like his family was whole.

Arnavon poked the box the picture had come from. "There's more in here."

Harry perked, placing the picture aside. "Really?" He slid in for a better look. Yep, the box wasn't empty. There was a note inside. Harry floated it in his magic. "It says to enjoy the cloak. It's from my father. And to 'use it well.'" Harry lifted the package and shook it, but there was no cloak. "Any of you see it?"

Ron pointed to the original pile of gifts. "There's still some under there. The fun's not over!" He dug through it and found another with his name. "A fifty pence coin?" He laughed at the gift. "My parents are real jokers at times. C'mon, keep digging!"

Harry dared a smile, scanning for his name. The next was a collection of chocolates from Ron's parents. "That's nice of them." He was just a friend of their kid. Surely they didn't have to get him anything. He also got a flute, and some candy frogs from Hermione. "This is all great." Still, where was that cloak?

"You need an owl." With supernatural skill, Arnavon snatched a box and shoved it at Harry. "Here."

Harry blinked at the sureness of the action. "Uh, okay?" He ripped into it with his magic and the cloak fell free, the cloak of invisibility. "Wow... How did you know it'd be in that one?!"

Arnavon shrugged, looking a bit sheepish. "I may have taken a little peek when they were delivered."

Ron laughed. "Sneaky owl!" 

Harry eagerly swept the cloak around himself, watching his body disappear from view. "This is brilliant! Just imagine all the things I can do with this." A mischievous grin spread across his face.

Ron nodded enthusiastically, but then paused. "Just...try not to get into too much trouble, yeah? Don't want you ending up in wizard jail over the holidays... again."

"Yeah, after last time, better play it safe," Arnavon agreed.

Harry's smile faded. They had a point. As thrilling as the cloak was, he knew better than to do anything too risky.

"I'll be careful," he promised. 

His friends relaxed, trusting his word. Soon they were distracted by more present opening and celebratory feast preparations.

But Harry's mind kept drifting back to the cloak and all its possibilities. With it, he could explore the castle unseen, even visit the restricted section of the library. Surely a quick peek wouldn't hurt...

He shook his head, pushing the thoughts away. He just had to be patient. The time would come to put his wondrous new gift to good use.

For now, Harry wrapped the cloak out of sight. He rejoined his friends' cheerful chatter, determined to simply enjoy the holiday. The future could wait a little longer.

Arnavon bounced in place. "One box I didn't get to see first." The two looked at him quizzically. "Mine. I didn't see who put it there, or when. Did you do it?" He pointed at Ron.

"Core, not me! Um, I do hope you like it, but I didn't even get a chance to!"

Harry shook his hooves negatively. "I didn't do it."

"Then who?" Arnavon hopped to face where the presents had been piled. There were no easy answers for that mystery.
> 35 - Engaging Gifts
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Arnavon didn't go back to the tree, instead bounding to the corner and wrapping his arms around a very considerable box there.

Harry blinked at it. "I thought that was just part of the decoration, if we're being honest about it."

"Reckon that's what I was thinkin' too." Ron shrugged, but waved Arnavon over in the same motion. "Open it up. If there's nothing inside, then we get a laugh out of it at least."

"Heavy, really heavy." Arnavon hefted the box up slowly and took ponderous steps towards the little tree they'd been using.

Harry lit up his horn, grabbing the box to provide some support on the bottom. "We have you. One step at a time there."

"Thank... you." With huffs, he made it back to them, letting the box slide carefully to the ground with a loud whoosh of air. "Has to be good."

Ron chuckled. "Really good or full of rocks 'cause it was just a decoration, right? Let's find out which it is." He clapped his hands together, rubbing them as he eyed the enormous box the size of Arnavon. "Could be anything, being that large and all!"

Harry perked an ear. Had he heard a giggle from in that box? He smirked, but decided to not say anything.

Arnavon began tearing at the wrapping, leaving the colorful paper scattered about as he worked into the smooth brown cardboard inside. It had a top, so he reached for it and... The whole thing collapsed. The moment he lifted the lid even a little, the walls fell down in each direction.

Revealed, Tillybell bounced around the one wall remaining that had fallen around Arnavon and grabbed him from the side. "Happy holidays!" she shouted as if the volume of her words made it clear how much she meant it. "I am gift."

Arnavon blinked as he sat back on his powerful legs. "Oh... Oh..."

"Not like gift?" Tilly inclined her head left and right sharply.

"No! Like gift. Love gift." He hugged her back, shock wearing off. With a brush of his arm, he sent the one cardboard wall that had fallen on him floating away to flop to the ground. "Perfect gift."

Ron chuckled as Arnavon and Tillybell nuzzled affectionately. "Shoulda guessed it'd be you in that oversized box."

Tillybell grinned, not looking the least bit guilty about her scheme. "I wanted it to be a big surprise!"

"Mission accomplished there," Harry laughed. His smile faded to curiosity. "But Tillybell, how did you even get in without us noticing?"

"Oh, I had some help." Tillybell pointed up - an owl swooped down from one of the rafters, dropping a letter into her waiting paw. "Your owl friend was kind enough to bring me here and get me set up!"

Arnavon gasped. "You made a new friend?!" He eagerly hugged the delivery owl too in his excitement.

Harry shook his head in amusement as he watched the scene. Only at Hogwarts could an owl somehow arrange for a tsuki to be gift-wrapped as a holiday surprise. But he wouldn't have it any other way.

"Merry Christmas, Arnavon." Harry clopped his hooves together with a bright smile.

Tillybell snuggled against her beaming mate. "Best gift ever!" Arnavon declared, not needing any box to hold his holiday joy now.

Ron let out an amazed chuckle. "Seriously... That means, official-like, an owl delivered an owl to an owl. Jus' sayin'!"

Harry swatted at Ron as they both laughed at the situation.

Arnavon wasn't really paying attention to the shared joke, having far too much fun hugging his mate. "Why wait?"

"Hm? Not surprise if not wait." Tilly pointed at the leftovers of the collapsed box. "Wait, good surprise."

"Good surprise," echoed Arnavon. "But miss. Stay." He drew her over to the others. "Have chocolate, talk, and enjoy the day. Today's a day to relax, not work so hard, even if it was a really good gift."

Tilly batted her lashes at Arnavon. "You use many words." The way she said it, it was as if she were intruiged by Arnavon's superior grasp of speaking, as if all the extra words that spilled from him just made her more attracted. "Keep talking."

Arnavon blushed under Tillybell's praise, looking pleased but shy. "Oh, I just want to explain things good. Use all the words I can think of."

"I think it's sweet," said Harry. "And I'm happy you're here to celebrate with us, Tillybell."

"Me too!" Tillybell agreed. "Arnavon talks about fun times with friends. Wanted to join."

"The more the merrier today," Ron said, grabbing a few chocolates. "C'mon, try some of these!"

Soon they were all laughing and chatting merrily around the glow of the fire. Tillybell delightedly listened to Arnavon describe holiday traditions, ooh-ing and aah-ing over the decorations. In turn, she shared stories of tsuki celebrations filled with snow sculptures, bounding games, and lavish community feasts, when they weren't hugging and wrestling a lot.

Watching Arnavon's eyes shine as he snuggled close to Tillybell, Harry felt a warmth in his heart that had nothing to do with the nearby flames. "It's good to have family nearby." He looked between his two tsuki friends and Ron. "And you're all family."

Ron colored just faintly. "Hey, we both got real family waiting for us."

"And they're both wonderful families." Harry lashed his tail, magic adjusting his glasses. "But having two families isn't even that odd. Friends are the family you get to pick out yourself."

Ron's eyes softened. "When you put it like that...yeah, I guess we did all sort of pick each other, didn't we?"

He smiled at the tsuki couple. "And any family of Harry's is family of mine."

Tillybell clapped excitedly. "More family! Do we challenge-hug?"

Ron blanched. "Uh, let's start with a gentler hug first..."

They all laughed as Ron was engulfed in an enthusiastic tsuki embrace. Harry met Ron's eyes over Tillybell's shoulder, hoping his friend could read the depths of affection and gratitude in his gaze.

They came from such different worlds, these mismatched friends of his. And yet Harry knew he would do anything for each one of them. United in that strange, wondrous school, they had found something together none of them expected - love powerful enough to transcend any barrier.

His soft thoughts were interrupted when Tillybell tackled him straight to the ground. "Human soft. Ponies take hug." And she meant it, wrestling him right to the ground. It was soft, warm, and entirely unyielding. A curious combination of things to be tackled by.

Arnavon came to the rescue, gently extracting her into a hug with him, a thing she didn't seem to mind.

Harry sat up, panting, but intact. "Well... Personally, I vote we relax a little. No more roughhousing, just relax at the fire until we fall asleep and it's morning."

Ron helped Harry up, both of them laughing. Soon all four friends were curled up on pillows near the crackling fire, full of chocolate and companionship. Harry rested a hoof on Arnavon's back, meeting his happy gaze with a smile. Tillybell was already fast asleep under her mate's protective arm.

The winter wind howled outside, but within those old stone walls, all was peaceful. Surrounded by the gentle rhythms of sleep, Harry felt his own eyes growing heavy. This imperfect patchwork family was all he needed tonight.

As he drifted off, the worries of the wider world faded into the background. For now, he was just where he wanted to be - home, safe among those who loved him best. Tomorrow could wait until tomorrow. Tonight called for rest in the arms of those who truly cared, and that was the greatest gift of all.





The next night, Harry had his new cloak on. Invisible, he crept through the forbidden wing of the library.

He had to be careful with each step. Being a pony had a lot of perks, but quiet steps was by far not one of them. This made his progress slow as he took the time to try to be as quiet as he was unseen.


The shelves were piled high with books Harry wasn't allowed to read. The scent of old paper was thick in the quiet air. Few were around, it was the forbidden section.

But few didn't mean none. He froze as he heard someone approaching, rapidly. Whoever they were, they were allowed to be there, and didn't care who heard them. Unlike Harry.

He ducked into a classroom off that main path and closed the door with his magic. He grabbed the latch, so even it didn't make a click as it came to a rest as if it had been closed ages prior.

Harry held his breath as the steps got closer... then began to recede. Whoever they were, they were walking past, unaware of Harry's presence.

He let out his held breath and turned to look at the room he'd hidden in. It was a somber and clean classroom, with few marks of having hosted any students recently. Still, he pushed into it, looking about for any hints. One thing that drew his eye was a mirror.

What was a mirror doing there? He walked up to it and saw... nothing. "Right." He reached up to unfold his cape, becoming visible.

The other him in the mirror appeared at the same moment, looking back at him. Two humans stepped out beside his reflection. Harry winced in surprise, looking, but those humans weren't there, just in the mirror, standing beside his reflection. "... What?" They looked... familiar, somehow.

They fit... the descriptions... Harry stepped forward, placing a hoof on the smooth glass. He stared at the two silent images. "Mom?" And his father. His human parents, standing there in silent vigil.

Harry's breath caught at the word. They couldn't hear him, of course - just silent reflections in antique glass. But even so, Harry drank in every detail of their smiling faces. His mother had the same vibrant green eyes he saw every day in the mirror. His father's grin looked so much like his own.

"It's you, isn't it?" Harry whispered. "You're really them."

He reached out, wishing desperately he could grasp their hands in return. Behind the smiling couple, Harry now noticed movement. His pony parents Cadance and Shining Armor stood supportively beside human counterparts. And gathered around them all like a fuzzy halo shone every friend Harry held dear, from Ron to Arnavon. His patchwork family, reunited at last.

Harry brushed away sudden tears. This mirror showed the heart's desire, not reality. But just for that night, Harry allowed himself to pretend. To lean against the cool glass surrounded by those he longed to embrace.

The holidays had brought him friendship and laughter, yes. But they'd also left Harry with an aching hole this mirror echoed back to him, the absence of those first loving arms.

If he closed his eyes, he could almost feel ghostly hands on each shoulder, his parents' whispered words warm in his ear. "We're so proud of you..."

But it was just an image. It was just a... fantasy. Harry turned from the mirror and pulled up his cloak. "Tomorrow," he promised to himself and he fled the room, not daring to glance back, to see more in that mirror that offered far too much, and far too little, all at once.

He rushed back to class, pretending none of that happened.

That evening, he spoke excitedly to Ron, insisting Ron come see that strange mirror. "C'mon, you know you want to see what your heart's desire is."

Ron swatted at Harry, but was quick to surrender to the idea. "Alright... Won't be anything that special."

So Harry brought Ron the next night.

What Ron saw left him looking uncertain. "That's... I don't know."

"You don't know?"

"I don't know!" Ron threw his hands wide. "Not sure I'd... even want that stupid cup anymore after they tossed you out of the league..."
> 36 - Nothing For You There
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ron came only once, and was kind of cagey about what he even saw. "Not going back there, we'll get caught." He ribbed Harry. "And not all of us have a fancy cloak, hm?"

"It isn't the cure for everything." Harry sighed as he nudged against Ron. "And what'd you see?"

"None of your business." He shoved back against Harry. "It weren't your parents."

"No? So what'd you see?" Harry tried his best piteous expression.

Ron was not impressed. "Ain't your business. But not that, and ah ain't going back, thank you kindly."

But Harry wanted to go back, so he did, creeping along under veil of invisibility to the room that held the mysterious mirror.

He wasn't expecting to find someone there. Dumbledore was waiting as if he knew to expect company. Though Harry tensed, Dumbledore didn't seem mad at all. "Good that you've come." He swatted his equine student on the shoulder. "But you shouldn't come back here."

"S-sorry, sir..." Harry pinned his ears back. "You're not mad?"

"Worried is a better word." He kept himself between Harry and the mirror. "Subtly dangerous thing. Men have wasted away before it, not knowing if what they have seen is real, or even possible. It shows what you want, and that's a dangerous thing to show to anyone."

Harry glanced longingly past Dumbledore toward the mirror. Just one more glimpse couldn't hurt...could it?

Dumbledore seemed to read his thoughts. "It's a treacherous hope, my boy," he said kindly. "Best to leave it be and focus on the present."

He turned Harry gently back toward the door. But Harry hesitated.

"Sir...can you tell me what you see?"

Dumbledore smiled wistfully. "I? I see myself holding a pair of thick, woolen socks. Winter plays havoc on these old feet. One can never have enough socks."

Harry gave him a skeptical look. Somehow he doubted that the greatest wizard alive had such mundane aspirations.

Dumbledore chuckled. "We all have our secrets and dreams, dear boy. Now come along, your friends will be missing you."

As Harry reluctantly allowed himself to be led away, he peered back over his shoulder. Just for an instant, the mirror seemed to shimmer alluringly behind Dumbledore's shoulder.

Harry wrenched his gaze forward again. Dumbledore was right - nothing but heartache lay behind that glass. His true family was here, with him now at Hogwarts. Wasn't that enough?

Still, even as he hurried back toward laughter and firelight, the mirror's phantom image lingered in Harry's mind. Whatever Dumbledore had seen, Harry suspected socks were only part of that complicated story.





The next Quiddich game was on the horizon. Harry heard Snape was refereeing it, but had a challenging time becoming completely invested. "I should be up there, playing," he grumbled instead. "I was good at it!" He kicked a rock. He imagined himself doing just that, chasing the snitch avidly.

What if he wasn't a unicorn? It wasn't a thought he entertained often. He liked being a unicorn. But if he was a human... Then they'd let him play. He'd be just as fast and skilled, he bet, just without magic, which he wasn't using during games anyway!

Why, with clever fingers, that'd make up for unicorn grabbing anyway, yeah. His mind was flooded with those wonderful ponderings, not even realizing he was, in that moment, touching universes, other realities where a very human Harry was playing and winning the game. "That would be great..."

But he wasn't human. He was a unicorn. And he didn't want that to change, ultimately. "Stupid rules..."

"Hey." Ron sat beside his brooding friend. "You still thinking about that mirror?"

Harry huffed. "No...well, maybe a little. I was just imagining if I was human." He gestured skyward. "I could be up there playing Seeker."

Ron followed his gaze. "I get that. Really stinks they booted you." He nudged Harry gently. "But hey - human or unicorn, you're still Harry. My best mate. And that's what matters to me."

Despite himself, Harry smiled. "Thanks, Ron."

"And between you and me, their new Seeker's got nothing on you." Ron pulled a face. "Flies like he's got sticks for wings. We're doomed without you out there!"

Harry laughed, some gloom dispelling. "Guess I'll have to cheer extra loud to make up for it."

"Now you've got it!"

As they headed for the arena, Harry stole one last look at the distant players. The What Ifs and Maybes still plagued him. But Ron's steadfast friendship anchored Harry in the here and now.

One day he might make peace between his two natures. Until then, he had amazing friends beside him - and for now, that was enough magic for anyone.

Though he wasn't there to see it in the final moments, a fight broke out among the players. The game had a winner despite it. The snitch had been caught on their side. All very good, but news Harry only heard about third hand.

What he did notice was Snape slinking away towards the Forbidden Forest. The others were busy watching that very match and its aftermath, so he went alone. Lifting on wings of his own magic, Harry darted after Snape as stealthfully as he could. Darting from cover to cover, he pursued the secretive teacher

What was Snape up to? Why the Forbidden Forest? Harry needed to know.

Harry floated silently between the gnarled trees, keeping Snape's sweeping black robes just in view. The forest darkened rapidly as they moved deeper inside, but Harry conjured a faint light to see by, hoping the dim glow wouldn't give him away.

Talking? Harry peeked out from around a large tree to see Snape talking with another person in stern and angry tones. "Have you found a way past it?" angrily demanded Snape. "That damned three-headed dog has stood in our way for too long."

"Doing what I can." Harry leaned in for a better look at the other person. "Look, this is--"

"--I don't want to hear it." Snape glared hotly at Quirrel. "Do as you are told."

"The Philosopher's Stone has waited this long for us." Quirrel dusted at his shirt. "It can wait a little longer."

"It has... But that doesn't grant me that patience. Your excuses tire me."

Harry recoiled, quiet for floating in the air as he was. "Blast it all," he whispered, darting away from the two.

He rushed back to school and gathered his friends, Ron and Hermione. "I saw Snape, out in the forest. I think he's trying to pressure Quirrel into getting past the dog, to get a 'philospher's stone'."

Ron and Hermione exchanged startled looks.

"The Philosopher's Stone? But why?" Hermione began pacing. "That stone can transform any metal into pure gold. It also produces the Elixir of Life which makes the drinker immortal. No wonder Snape wants it - that stone could make him incredibly powerful..."

Ron snorted. "Old Snapey's already got a big enough head. Don't need to be making it any bigger."

"This is serious, Ron!" Hermione shot back. "If Snape gets that stone... We have to tell Dumbledore."

Harry hesitated. "I'm not sure Dumbledore will believe us over Snape. We need evidence that Snape is up to no good first."

Hermione raises a finger. "Let's start this calmly.  We know who owns our big dog friend. Let's talk to them."

Harry clopped his hooves excitedly. "Banger of an idea. Hagrid's a nice soul, and he likes us plenty as it is. He won't get on our necks if we ask nicely."

Ron nodded in firm agreement. "Alright. First stop, Hagrid's place. Let's see what we can find out."

With the three agreed, they headed over to Hagrid's. He opened the door as they knocked on it. "Who's come to visit me so late in the day." But he smiled, realizing who he was talking to. "Why, hello there. Mister Potter, you've brought the whole herd along with you."

Harry chuckled at that, slipping inside with the others. "Don't call them that, Hagrid, sir. They're friends, not horses."

Hermione and Ron slipped in, Ron closing the door behind himself. "Thanks for letting us in, we just had a few questions if you've a moment?

"Questions, eh? Well c'mon in outta the cold." Hagrid ushered them toward the fire's glow. "Jus' takin' the kettle off. Fancy a cuppa?"

Soon they were all settled around Hagrid's enormous table, steaming mugs in hand. Hagrid took a bracing gulp of tea then smiled at them over his tangled beard. "Alrigh' then - what's on yer minds?"

The friends traded glances. Finally Harry spoke up. "We were just wondering if you could tell us anything about the Philosopher's Stone."

Hagrid choked mid-swallow. "Now, why would yeh ask about something like that?" But under their expectant gazes, he shifted. "Can't tell yeh much...very secret Hogwarts business, that stone."

Ron leaned forward eagerly in his seat. "But someone's trying to steal it - we heard Snape and Quirrell planning to get past Fluffy."

"Codswallop!" Hagrid huffed. "Professor Snape is helpin' protect the Stone, he is. An' I'd trust him and Dumbledore with my life." 

His frown faded to worry though at their crestfallen faces. What had they gotten mixed up in now? "There's nothing but trouble that way. I don't want to see the lot of you gettin' too deep in that."

Harry rubbed a hoof along his gleaming neck. "Sir, sorry... off-topic... But it's... a mite hot, if you don't mind my saying."

The others took note of that, confirming the inside of Hagrid's home was a bit warmer than one would normally expect.

Hagrid looked nervous at that. "Just a little sniffle, thought I'd chase it away with some heat." He laughed tensely.

Hermione smiled at the gentle giant. "We don't want you getting sick, so keep it as high as you need it." She gently patted his shoulder. "But we do want to know, is the stone safe? We don't want it." The other two shook their heads quickly. "We just want to be sure it's protected and safe."

"It better be! So many wizards, they came together, making fer sure ah that!" Hagrid tapped a fist on the table in front of him. "Not many things have so much teamwork involved."

"Really?!" Hermione pressed him with a soft smile and her charms. "Sounds impressive. What'd they do?"

"Well, you see..." Hagrid worked his hands together. "Team effort, I meant it. First, you have Fluffy. Fierce but lovable pooch. He's the first line. But there's enchantments, several of them. Professor Sprout, Flitwick, McGonagall, Quirrell, and Snape, all worked together to get them up. That's why I said Snape was doing his part to protect it. Why would he be trying to get it now?"

Hermione patted Hagrid's hand gently, though inwardly her thoughts raced. "You've set my mind at ease, truly. Thank you."

Hagrid beamed, puffing his chest out. "Don' mention it. Tha's what I'm here for."

As Ron helped Hagrid tidy the mugs, Hermione drew Harry aside. "Something doesn't add up. Hagrid is right - if Snape already helped secure the Stone, why try stealing it now?" Her eyes narrowed. "Unless...his enchantments have a flaw only he knows about. A backdoor!"

Harry nodded grimly. "So he makes himself look helpful while having a way to get the Stone whenever he wants."

"We need to investigate his protective enchantments without him knowing." Hermione pursed her lips. "And I think I know just who to ask..."

Moments later they were hurrying across the frosted grounds. Harry grinned as he spotted their destination - a cozy cottage with a winding tendril of sweet-smelling smoke.

Hermione rapped firmly on the heavy oak door. "Professor Sprout? So sorry to bother you this late, but may we come in?"

Somewhere behind that sturdy door came an answering cheerful hum. It seemed their herbology teacher was happy to entertain some spontaneous late-night guests...
> 37 - True Shattering
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Professor Trelawney sat up stiffly, glaring at what she had seen. She got up and marched over to Dumbledore's office to knock firmly on it. "Sir? We can't keep ignoring this."

The door swung inwards with Dumbledore's hand on it. "It's a bit late to be making loud shouts, isn't it?" He stroked his beard once. "What has you in such a tizzy?"

"It's all out of balance." She threw a hand up. "Even the little things. If you woke up tomorrow with two heads, I wouldn't be too very much surprised, and that shouldn't be comforting."

"I should imagine not." He nodded in a soft gesture. "But all that was ever certain was that we can't see the future clearly, prophecy or two excepted."

She grabbed his shoulder. "Even those aren't a promise, not anymore. All of it, fell apart. This isn't a drill, or a joke."

"I have trust, faith if you will." He held up his hands placatingly. "This will pass, and we will be stronger for it. Keep an eye on it, but let's not dissove into outright panic." Dumbledore gestured inside. "Care for a cup? A fine blend. It'll help calm things down."

They had much to discuss, but few answers would come that evening.





Sprout looked at Harry oddly. "What's all this about then?"

"Ma'am." Harry dipped his head. "It's about a certain stone, that you helped protect."

She scowled at that and reached to bop her equine student on the snout. "What would you be doing out at this time of day worrying about what ain't not a bit of your business!"

Harry rubbed his snout ruefully. "We're really sorry to bother you, Professor Sprout. But I saw Professor Snape sneaking around and got worried...please, anything you could share might help."

Sprout pursed her lips, looking them over. Finally she sighed. "This isn't a tale for young ears. But seems like ye won't be resting without some peace of mind."

She ushered them into her warm, earthy cottage. Soon mugs of hot cocoa were passed around as Sprout considered what to reveal.

"That Stone you mention...well, let's just say it's being kept locked away for good reason. Many covet its power." Her expression grew distant. "If it fell into the wrong hands, terrible things could happen."

She took a bracing gulp of cocoa. "Now I won't be telling ye outright how my enchantments guard it! But I will say ol' Severus insisted on adding quite a few nasty hexes alongside mine. Probably thought my charms weren't up to snuff!" She laughed heartily.

Harry and Hermione exchanged meaningful looks. A back door...

"Not to fret though." Sprout smiled. "Even with all Severus' extra nonsense, ain't no breaching my protections! That Stone's safer than Gringotts so long as this old badger watches over it."

Somehow, her fierce assurance did help set Harry's mind at ease. They finished their cocoa amid more lighthearted chatter before heading back into the night, the secrets of the Stone still secure, at least for the time.





"One thing bothering me." Harry looked around the room to Ron and the two tsukis. "I don't think Hagrid needed it quite that warm for a simple cold."

Ron shook his head. "I was trying to be polite about it, you know? He's a nice enough guy. If he wanted it warm, it's his house."

"Sure, sure." Harry shrugged softly. "Just... It keeps bouncing around, you know?"

Arnavon hopped up to his paws. "Hagrid is nice. If you're wondering, why don't we just ask him?"

Harry smiled at his large friend. "Why don't you? I mean it. He has a soft spot for you, and I doubt he'll be very defensive if you ask. In his eyes, you're an adorable thing, not a threat at all."

Arnavon fluffed up with a smile. "I am fluffy." He considered that together, his fluffiness, and their goals. "I will ask then. If he doesn't want to say, I'll hug him!" That was a dire threat from any tsuki, their hugs quite a potent weapon. "Gently," he added. "But he is big. He can take a good hug." With a twitch of his tail, he jumped right out the window, lost to sight.

Tillybell inclined her head, watching him go. "He's so brave," she sighed out. One could almost see the hearts in her eyes.

Harry chuckled. "Hopefully Hagrid finds his curiosity more endearing than nosy."

The wait for Arnavon's return felt strangely tense. Tillybell paced, fretting over imagined scenarios.

"What's take so long? He lost? He hurt?" She frowned with a shiver, visions of how it all could have gone wrong, dancing in her mind.

Harry rested a reassuring hoof on her arm. "I'm sure he's fine. Hagrid probably offered him rock cakes and tea. Might be a while..."

Sure enough, a short while later, Arnavon came bounding back through the open window with his usual exuberance. Tillybell tackle-hugged him in relief.

"Well? What did you find out?" Harry asked once Arnavon could breathe again.

"Hagrid is very nice!" Arnavon declared. "He gave me a stoat sandwich and talked about creatures for a long time."

Seeing Harry's impatient expression, he added "Oh right! He said he had a...dragon egg? He won it playing cards! Isn't that exciting?"

Harry and Ron exchanged startled looks. "Blimey, no wonder it was roasting in there!" Ron exclaimed. "Hagrid's gonna have his hands full when that thing hatches! Also kinda illegal... Ain't supposed to go breedin' dragons."

Harry held up his hooves. "This is Hagrid. You know he wasn't trying to cause any trouble. He just saw an exotic critter and thought he had to protect it."

Arnavon bobbed his head. "Hagrid is good. How do we help him?"

Harry looked to Ron.

Ron huffed softly. "Right, well..." He stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Shoot... We  have to get it out of the school, that's for sure, to start."

Harry paced, tail swishing. "Hogwarts isn't exactly equipped for rearing dragons. But we can't turn Hagrid in - he'd be devastated."

"What if you sent it off to Romania?" Ron suggested. "My brother Charlie helps care for dragons there. He could take it to a sanctuary!"

Arnavon's eyes shone. "I could deliver it! Dragons aren't very heavy when they first hatch."

Tillybell frowned. "How would we even get it though? Hagrid loves his creatures - he won't want to let it go."

They all pondered silently. Then Harry perked up.

"What if it 'escaped' on its own one night? We could leave some subtle clues to lead it toward Romania. By the time Hagrid realizes it got out, it'll be too late!"

Ron grinned. "Blimey, that just might work! Then Charlie and his crew could secretly send word they 'found' a lost dragon. Hagrid would be thrilled it has a proper home."

Arnavon showed a powerful arm, curling it in a display. "Why not take it? Once it's out of Hagrid's, I could give it a hug and take it away. I am an owl." He stood to his full height, proving he was actually not an owl, at least physically. "I can deliver this mail."

Harry laughed at the idea. "It is a dragon, it'll bite and claw and probably be really ornery. You sure you want to deliver that kind of mail?"

Ron looked between Arnavon and Tillybell. "Think you can handle that?" He dug around and pulled out an old photo. "Here's a picture of the place. That help?"

Arnavon fell to all fours and got in so close his nose touched the photo. "Yes. I can get there. Sneaky, not let 'muggle' humans see me. In, deliver dragon, out." He nodded with building confidence. "Hug test."

Tilly hugged her mate from the side. "Show that dragon you know hugs." She smooched his cheek, warming it swiftly. "Be good owl!"

Harry watched their antics fondly. "There is still the problem of how we sneak it away without Hagrid realizing."

"Oh I know!" Arnavon piped up. "Replace it!"

Seeing their confused looks, he elaborated, "Tsuki do it sometimes. A mother doesn't want to lose kits, so she replaces them right away if something happens." He nudged his head at Tillybell. "Hagrid wouldn't know the difference."

Tillybell bobbed eagerly. "We could find a similar egg in the forest. Hagrid would never suspect."

Ron clapped his hands. "I bet I could charm a hollow egg just enough to give it that dragonish vibe. Switch it for the real one while Arnavon has the baby smuggled off."

Harry grinned wide. "By George, I think we've got it. Operation Dragon Drop is a go!"

The friends traded high-fives and hoof-bumps, camaraderie swelling. Soon enough they'd be facing danger and drama, but just then spirits soared with mischief and daring purpose.

Ron proved to be the one to find a suitable egg, getting Arnavon's nod of approval. "Close." He felt over it softly with his furry paws. "Close. Not the same, exactly, but close."

"Close'll have to do. What's off?" Ron worked with Arnavon to tweak and play with the egg, getting it as close to a dragon egg, at least on the outside, as possible.

With the egg ready, they pressed it into Arnavon's waiting paws. "Delivery, begin!" He saluted sharply before tucking the egg into a little backpack he had on. "Wish me luck." He vanished with a strong bounce, on his way.

Tilly huffed at where Arnavon had been. "Want help." But there hadn't come up room for her to do that. She looked to Harry. "Smart. How help?"

Harry snickered a little. "I have a name, and it isn't 'smart', though thanks for that. Why don't you practice while he's gone. You can show off the progress you made when he gets back."

Her eyes widened at the proposal. "Good idea. See. Why smart." She patted Harry on either shoulder, then bounded to a quiet corner to begin.

Ron watched their oversized owl disappear into the night. "How long d'you reckon his trip will take?"

"A few days at least." Harry did some swift calculations. "He'll have to be extra careful once he gets near more crowded areas. Best not draw muggle notice."

A worried crease formed between Ron's brows though. "What if someone here realizes he's gone missing? We'll have to cover for him."

Tilly suddenly popped up from her task with a gasp. "I'll pretend to be Arnavon!"

She bounded over to them, striking a pose with belly thrust outwards. "See? I'm a big fluffy owl who loves letters and hugs," she declared in a goofy deep voice.

Despite her silly act, Harry's tail swished with amusement. "You know...that may just be crazy enough to work. No one looks that closely at Arnavon. Just stay in our room and don't act too odd if anyone stops by."

Ron hummed softly. "That's all good, but she's one tsuki, and there used to be two."

Harry shook his head at Ron. "But one tsuki is easy to explain. The other one's out, not even unusual. Two would be a bit odd. Two for any length of time? No, something's wrong." He leaned in, voice dropping to a whisper, "And it gives her something to do to help, don't go spoiling it."

"Right, yeah." Ron snapped his fingers. "Clever. They'll never see through it."

Elsewhere, Arnavon knocked on a thick wooden door.

Hagrid opened it and spread his arms. "Arnavon!"

Arnavon crashed into Hagrid, the two meeting in a fierce hug from either side. Hagrid was one of the few humans he could do that to, and expect a good hug in return. "It's good to see you. Can I come in?"

"Of course." Hagrid waved him in, getting out of the way. "What brings you by? New aches?"

"No." Arnavon casually tossed the whole plan out. "We have a good place for your egg, where your dragon will be cared for." He smiled a little goofily. "They think I'm stealing the egg, but you are too good of a friend. I can't steal from you."

"About that..." Hagrid pointed to where a little dragon peeked up out of a pot, blinking its reptillian eyes at Arnavon.
> 38 - Let's Talk
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Arnavon reached for the dragon and got bit for it, but he kept his cool. With the feisty lizard dangling from one hand, he brought them in and hugged them with the other, keeping them close as they made soft noises. "I'll take them to the safe place." He turned for the door. "Okay?"

Hagrid watched this happen with a bit of surprise. "I knew you were strong enough, but doesn't that hurt just a little? Little dragon looks like it'll try to bite through you, given a chance."

"I am soft," Arnavon explained with a smile. "Soft but firm. Tilly likes to tell me. It's good."

"Soft but firm." Hagrid scratched his beard, sounding it out. "Not a bad combination of things to be. Arnavon, thank you, for dealin' straight with me. Take them safely, alright, them and you both. They don't take to travel too good, dragons don't."

"I'll be careful."

And Arnavon took flight, dragon in his grasp, already on his way to the new home. With great and powerful leaps, Arnavon was quickly lost to sight.

Hagrid shook his head at where Arnavon had been. "I'll just play along." He went back inside his cabin, ready to claim he had entirely fallen for Harry and his friend's cunning plan. "Now if they don't pull this off, I'm gonna be in a whole heap of trouble."

And yet he was still smiling. He had such wonderful friends, who would be there to catch him if his schemes ever failed.

Arnavon arrived a day or so later, triumphantly displaying his success to Harry and Ron, his injuries having mostly healed on the long journey. Tilly was on him in a flash, hugging him firmly as if the embrace could banish what nips remained on her beloved.

Flurry inclined her head. "But, you did it? Everything is where it should be now?"

Arnavon nodded quickly. "Yep. Everything. It all went according to plan." Several sighs of relief went around. "I'm going to rest. That was harder than I thought it'd be."

"I help." Tilly nudged against him, leading him towards well-deserved rest with warmth and love. "Come on, my Arnie."

Flurry had a slight smirk at that nickname. She and Harry were silent as they left, leaving the pair alone for the moment.

Harry settled onto his haunches, "That takes care of that." He looked to those who remained. "But we have a stone to fetch."

Hermione huffed at that. "We have a stone to protect, you mean."

Harry waved a hoof. "Sure, yes, but we aren't going to protect it leaving it where it is. And you know we have to do this."

Hermione rolled her eyes at that. "You're right, I know you're right."

Ron nodded in agreement. "We should just get to it, rather than standing around and jawing about it. The trick is how. The thing's protected enough to keep Snape away. Maybe we can't get it yet, until we find a way around that."

Hermione rubbed at her forehead. "Let's just figure out what the protections are. Then we'll decide if it's worth the risk."

Ron tossed his hands. "I can't think of a single reason why not to." He glanced toward the door, and Harry.

The three of them nodded and headed out for classes, which hadn't paused for all their scheming. Harry headed to potions, even if he was a little distracted. Being a trained unicorn, he stirred the pot with his magic even as he wrote a letter with a quill in his mouth. "Dear Aunt Twilight, it's been a long time since I reached out," began the letter as he penned it with soft scratches. "But I'm still here, and still learning lots. How's your school been? Do you still teach? If so, do you enjoy it?"

Harry hummed softly as he finished writing, turning to other topics before he tucked it aside and sent off the potion to be graded. "There." He shook himself a little to get back to attention.

With all matters settled, at least for the moment, Harry put all his focus on schoolwork and not getting into trouble. Time passed peacefully, at least until about a week before testing was to begin.

He had been summoned to Dumbledore's office along with Ron. They arrived at the same time, knocking on Dumbledore's door to be let in. "Enter," called the Headmaster, as the door swung open for them.

Dumbledore was sitting at his desk, and Snape was standing before it, talking in hushed tones.

Both turned to face the two as they entered, Dumbledore smiling gently as Snape's expression soured.

Harry stepped up before Dumbledore's desk with a nod. "Hello, um, sir. You called for us?"

Ron stood just beside Harry. "We got here as quick as we could! Sorry to make you wait, sir."

"Ah, it's nothing serious," Dumbledore said. "No need to apologize for your time. But I have some concerns about some...things... that may come up soon, and I would appreciate your honesty with me."

Harry looked to Ron, who nodded. "What sorts of things?" Ron asked.

Dumbledore sighed deeply. "There are rumors spreading that there may be a Dark Lord rising..."

Snape snapped his fingers. "He Who Must Not Be Named," invoked Snape with all the dreadful weight it deserved.

"Voldemort," Harry muttered.

"Don't speak that name!" Snape hissed, reaching for Harry.

Harry swatted his hand away with a glare. "He has a name, he's not going to suddenly spring up just because we know it."

Dumbledore gently pressed his fingertips together. "There is a great power in names, Harry, Ron. Why, with just your names, I conjured you here before me, didn't I? You shouldn't underestimate their power. But, we're getting distracted. Harry, you know more of this dark lord than anyone else."

Harry frowned, wishing he could deny that. "He killed my parents, attacked me, twice now?" He glanced towards Ron for confirmation, who just shrugged helplessly. "Twice, pretty sure. Thank goodness Arnavon was there the second time."

"Thank goodness indeed." Dumbledore let out a slow sigh. "Please, tell us everything you can. Anything may help to prevent this rise to power."

"And save lives." Snape loomed.

Harry bowed his head at that. "Voldemort," he emphasized, ignoring Snape's glare, "attacked me in my room. I don't know why exactly, but I think he was pretty sure I'd be alone, and I mostly was. He didn't know Arnavon could deflect magic as well as he did, and I avoided catching a death curse the hard way."

Dumbledore stroked his beard. "Interesting. The tsukis truly are full of surprises... Though, forgive my presumption, it sounded like there was a but in there."

Harry nodded slowly. "Well, kind of. He left the moment he realized his ambush had gone wrong. But there's nothing stopping him from trying again when Arnavon isn't around, right?"

"Most people don't get more than one chance at revenge," Snape snorted. "But a death eater is more fanatic than most. He might just be stubborn enough to try again." His face somehow managed to sour further. "That's why you got even more company, isn't it? Flurry Heart, your sister, hm? She must have some level of fancy for you, if she's willing to enter school as your pet." 

Dumbledore spread his hands. "Then we are in agreement. Let it be officially made a rule that Harry is permitted to have Arnavon or Flurry Heart at his side at all times. All. Times.

"Don't even bother questioning this," Dumbledore said sternly. "If we are to avoid disaster, this is the only path forward that makes sense. Our students are not expendable. Their lives are precious, and we can't afford to gamble them against the possibility that this Voldemort may or may not return."

Snape folded his arms. "I want it noted that I disapprove."

"Duly noted." Dumbledore winked at them.

Harry couldn't think of any good reasons to start questioning the rule in the first place. "If you say so, sir. I'll be sure to keep them close at hoof at all times."

Ron pointed to himself. "What about me? You called me here for a reason, right? If it was just to hear this, I'm sure I've got other things to be doing, like homework."

Dumbledore laughed. "Forgive an old man. Yes, Ron, there is something I would like to discuss with you, privately if I may."

That was a dismissal and Harry knew it. "See you back at the dorm." He nodded to Dumbledore. "Sir." Then Snape, and headed out at a light trot and a swish of his tail.

He found himself alone, walking through the halls of Hogwarts, at least until he heard a voice, speaking as if being threatened. Harry froze, horn glowing as he lifted from the ground with Starlight's flying trick. Having silenced his built-in clip-cloppers, he floated smoothly towards the sounds, seeking their source.

The conversation became clearer the closer he got. It sounded like Professor Quirrell being threatened, angrily exchanged words. The other sounded like Snape. Had Snape been banished along with Harry? That made sense enough if Dumbledore wanted privacy, but why was Snape threatening Quirrell? Harry didn't know, and didn't want to be found snooping on either of them, so he fled away.

It took several minutes, but he did find a secluded nook to settle in. He flopped onto the floor, on his back with all four legs sticking up. He let out a groan, mind spinning as he stared up at the ceiling. "Today's been busy," he sighed out, shaking his head quickly. "Focus." He slowly got back to his hooves as if testing each one in turn. "That was Quirrell... Why would Snape threaten him?"

In truth, Snape threatened everyone, but Harry knew that had been different. There'd been a cold, intent fury in Snape's voice as he talked. But there wasn't much Harry could do about it that point. He'd just have to ask the others about it, later. He trotted back into his schedule and pushed those thoughts aside for the moment.

Late that night, Harry was startled from his sleep by a crash coming from his balcony. He lurched upright and spun to face the source of the noise, breathing a sigh of relief. "I wasn't expecting you back so soon."

Tilly hopped inside with her usual bright smile. "Hello." She closed with Harry to give him a proper greeting hug. "Letter sent. Good owl." She nodded with clear pleasure at the good job she'd done.

"Thanks. I didn't want to send Arnavon." He glanced to where Arnavon was sleeping peacefully. "He did so much, and he's still getting better."

"Yes." She scratched suddenly with a hind paw. "Let sleep. Busy. Still hurts a little. Travel rough." She stretched carefully, rubbing at her hip. "But good! Baby is happy, in safe home. Hagrid says hello, thanks, hug." She made a hugging motion. "Letter sent. Mom happy. Says hi! She send letter. You have new letters, in post box. Post owl say 'Hi!'."

"Aww, that's nice." Harry smiled and relaxed from his startle. "Now it's my turn to help you. What did you get for it, a special treat?" He headed to their table of snacks, idly chewing on an apple as he pondered the options.

"Treat?" Her eyes widened. "What?" She considered the various delicious snacks Harry was tempting her with. "Not want." She pointed at Arnavon. "Want. Help get?"

Harry turned in place back at her. "You two are already betrothed. That's about as gotten as something can be. How much more do you want him?"

Tilly shook her head quickly, ears flopping. "Want! Want time, alone." She gestured between Arnavon and herself. "Time. Hug. Love." She tilted her head to him. "Cuddle, touch, close..." She trailed off with a little shudder. "Dream. In future. Now! Get time."

Harry put it together with a slow nodding. "Oh! Oh, right. You are in love and want some private Arnavon time where I'm not getting in the way."

"Not in way." She pounced Harry, hugging firmly to be sure he knew she loved him plenty. "But want. Alone? Please."

Harry raised a hoof, chuckling gently at Tilly's antics. "Sure sure. You got it. You two deserve some alone time."

Compared to other things going on, making sure his tsuki friends got some alone time felt like a little request.
> 39 - Bleed for Me
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

As Tilly bounced happily and made soft little squeaking sounds, Harry gathered a few things together for the evening. A snack or two to hold him over for a couple of hours, a couple books that caught his eye, and a comfortable blanket to curl up on. "Not that you need me to remind you." He set the gathered things down near the blanket that then held the curled large form of Arnavon. "You keep an eye on him."

"Of course." Tilly hopped over Arnavon to be in front of Harry. "He is mate. I sure better." She inclined her head left and right a bit before hugging Harry up right off the ground. "You good friend!"

She set Harry back down after that, gently, as to not jostle him. "Safe time." She pointed to the door. "Go?"

"Yeah, yeah. I'm going." Ultimately, he had things to do. Confident that Arnavon was safe, he trotted off back to school.

He paid attention and did his best to learn what his teachers were putting before him. Harry was learning human magic, bit by bit, and it was bringing him a building sort of joy. Magic, human magic, was powerful, and it was a delight to learn the way that it flowed through the world.

However, a lingering doubt gnawed at him. He was a unicorn, not a human. As if the universe itself were answering his thoughts, he was called after classes to meet with Hagrid. "Look at this." He drops to his knees to gesture at some silver fluid splashed on the ground. "Ya know what this is, don't ya?"

"A silvery liquid, though that doesn't exactly narrow things down. Do you know?" Harry leaned closer to sniff the strange fluid. 

"Ah happen to." Hagrid rose to his considerable height, then brought a finger up to his lips. "Tell ya later." He gestured for Harry to follow as he headed deeper into the forest. "Won't be the first one we see, trust me. These woods are home to all manner of critters, not just the dangerous ones." He patted the hilt of a massive crossbow as he spoke, which only added to the confusion.

But the message was clear enough. He wouldn't be saying anything until they were far enough away that no one could possibly overhear.

Harry followed along, casting his eyes about in the growing gloom of the woods. "The way you said that," he got out in a whisper. "Should I already know what that is?"

Hagrid brought down a hand atop Harry's head, horn poking up between two fingers as he rubbed gently. "I forget at times you ain't the usual kinda unicorn, is all."

Harry started at that. "That's from a unicorn?!"

"A hurt one." He scowled at the thought. "An' I wanna know what hurt it. If you'll come with, you might just see it."

"I wouldn't mind that." He flicked his tail and kept his horn gleaming faintly so they could see in the darkness. "Is it okay to go in at night?"

Hagrid laughed heartily at that. "Darkness ain't ever stopped me from anythin' I want to do." He waves out. "Be more concerned we're in the forbidden forest, so keep your wits around you."

Together, they stalked through the darkened woods, both watching for predators. Harry strained his eyes to catch glimpses of movement or sound in the night, all around them. He could feel life thrumming everywhere, and his horn grew warm with his magic as the glow spread a bit more.

Ahead of them, a large form collapsed on the floor of the forest, head lolling back, eyes closing.

"Harry," Hagrid whispered. "Ye seein' that?"

"I sure am." He hesitated, considering the sight ahead of them. "Do you need me to-"

"Wait here." Hagrid marched up to the collapsed form with heavy footfalls that could be heard for quite a distance.

The unicorn stirred weakly and pushed up as if to flee, but it moved as if wounded, and quite badly at that. A darting, scrambling, thing dashed out from ahead of them both, nursing from the unicorn's blood.

Hagrid raised his hands with a great shout. "Back off! Get away!" He broke into a run at the form and the unicorn, yelling wildly.

The dark thing froze at that, then sprang away. The unicorn slumped back down, almost with a sigh.

"Stay down," Hagrid bellowed, holding his crossbow aloft. The unicorn kept its eyes on him, but otherwise did not move. "Alright, that's a start."

Harry caught up, looking around for trouble, then down at the injured unicorn. "I'll make something for you."

But he couldn't do that.

Harry shook his head, that thought not coming from within him, as if placed there. "I sure can."

Unicorns can't do that.

Harry put a hoof gently on the unicorn's side. "Relax, I'm on the case. Just relax." He dashed off in search of the herbs he'd need for a healing potion.

Hagrid stood guard, staring down the unicorn. "Harry's a good lad," he announced with firm conviction.

The unicorn dipped its head as if accepting that fact, its gaze drifting off into the darkness. It was too weak to do much about the idea, barely alive at that point.

Harry came back as fast as his hooves could carry him, carrying a small bag of herbs in his teeth.

Hagrid nodded to the unicorn. "There you go. Should be a simple enough thing. Hagrid pulled out a small bowl and pistle and tossed it on the ground for Harry to use. "I'll be sure to report this so you get credit in the herb class."

"Thank you, sir." Harry got to work assembling the herbs, mashing, and working them all with a little bit of magic to reduce it into  proper healing paste. "This may hurt a little, getting it on, but it'll make you better, promise."

He applied it as carefully as he could, soothing the unicorn with soft sounds as he tended its wounds. It lay there limply, resigned to the treatment, with its eyes flicking over to watch Hagrid for sudden moves. The human magic proved it could mend wounds, the injuries closing as the unicorn was healed bit by bit.

It breathed out heavily at that, nudging Harry as if to say 'thank you'.

"You're welcome." Harry finished off the last of the wounds. "Just try to be a little more careful, alright?" With a merrily swaying tail, he leaned in and shared a nuzzle with the fellow equine. "Nice to see a fellow unicorn."

You are a different unicorn.

The unicorn stood slowly on unsure hooves.

But you are a welcome unicorn.

With that, it kicked its head and bolted off into the depths of the forest, vanishing as swiftly as it could into the darkness.

Harry blinked at that, taken aback. "Huh, it ran off." He turned to look up at Hagrid, who still had his weapon out, scanning the forest.

"Had to," Hagrid replied, tapping his head. "This kind unicorn wants nothin' to do with humans." He hiked a thumb at himself, then Harry. "We may be half-bloods, but that half's human, so no surprise they wanted to be off. Still, they didn't seem to hate ya none." He nodded once in satisfaction. "Guessin' it's been a while since ye saw one. Nice to see some things never change."

"A unicorn would normally talk to me at least." Harry circled in place, but could see no other dangers lurking about. "But unicorns are usually smaller than that too. That wasn't an Equestrian unicorn, for sure." He looked about nervously, in case whatever was attacking the unicorn returned. "I guess."

Hagrid shrugged a shoulder. "Magic is always full of surprises." He turned on his heel.

They both froze at a snapped twig. A considerable figure stepped into view on four hooves, but he had two hands to go with it. The centaur was smiling at Harry. "You did a very good thing. I thought she was doomed to die. You have saved her, and we are in your debt."

"Thanks. Glad I could help." Harry took the compliment graciously. "I should head back. It's getting late and I want to make sure my friends are alright."

"Allow me to walk at your side." Which he did, speaking as he did, "Unicorn's blood has quite a power, which makes humans covet them, among other reasons. To drink their blood is to be immortal, and cursed."

Hagrid clenched his crossbow tighter a moment. "I'd never consider it, but what manner of curse?"

"They are...changed, by it." The centaur spread his hands in a shrug. "For some, the magic is too great to be contained, and so they become more, or less, or sometimes a little of both. It's a half-life, but a life, which is all most humans want. The only way to get a full life after that is to get the elixir of life, and that's no small task."

Hagrid shook his head at that. "'Nuff said. I don't want either."

"That's smart." Harry slowed a step, but the centaur passed him easily. He hurried to catch up. "Since you seem to know, wait, sorry, what's your name, sir?  I'm Harry. Harry Potter."

The centaur smiled at that. "Firenze." He nodded to Hagrid. "Hagrid. I already know who you are. What were you about to ask?"

"What was that other thing with the unicorn? I know you know, sir, if you can understand me." Harry blushed slightly as he confessed that. "But it was a lot bigger than normal, and I'm curious."

"It was exactly as large as it should be." Firenze waved back at Harry as they went. "You are as large as you should be, little unicorn. In case you were hesitating to ask, your blood is not silver, or carries this gift and curse."

Hagrid reached out to Harry, patting him on the neck. "S'alright, Harry. We won't let anyone do that to ye, alright? Anyone tries to cut yer throat, I'll shoot em full of arrows."

Harry laughed at that, seeing the edge of the forest not too far ahead. "Thank you, Firenze. I bet you have things to do. One last question. You seemed to know about getting this elixir of life?"

"It's hardly a secret." Firenze crossed his arms. "But you need the philosopher's stone first, and there's the real trick."

Harry blinked at that. "How come?"

"It grants immortality, so of course everyone wants to get their hands on it. I've heard stories of many attempting to take it, and failing." Firenze turned towards the forest as he spoke, calling out into it. "Anyone who desires to attempt it will have to get through the three guardian beasts first."

Harry imagined the dog guardian. Did they count as three beasts? "Thank you, sir."

"A pleasure meeting you. Safe travels." Firenze trotted back into the forest without further todo.

Hagrid waved Harry along. "We've had an eventful enough evening. Let's go back to the castle and call it a night, eh?"

Harry nodded in agreement. "Good night." They headed back towards the school in silence. Once there, Hagrid made some excuse to part ways and Harry hurried off to bed.

Tilly greeted him with a warm hug and a nuzzle to go with it. "Arnavon's  better." She looked back at him, sleeping. "Little better. Better."

"Glad to hear it. I want him back in peak shape." Harry settled onto the carpet to write a few more letters. "How was your night?"

"Wonderful!" Tilly stretched to help express herself. "Good hugs! Soft touches! Sweet words. Gentle kisses. Perfect. He perfect." She swayed in place as if smitten just by the memories of her time with Arnavon. "You?"

"Exciting." Harry tapped at his chin. "And informative. I need to talk with Ron and Hermione about this."

Tilly pointed to a lump on a bed. "Ron sleep."

"I'm not." Flurry sat up onto her haunches. "What happened?"