A/N: Welcome to part 4 of my twisted canon! If you haven't read parts 1-3, I highly suggest doing so before coming here - there's some pretty crucial plot stuff in there. 'Circumstances of an Unexpected Trio' is the place to start - obviously, it's on my profile. Hope you enjoy! Without further ado, on we go...

"Oy, you lot! Lunch is ready!"

"All right!" The whoosh of broomsticks nearly drowned out the exclamations of six happy teenagers as they raced downward and dismounted. Sirius, who'd been the one to call the children in, chuckled and followed them as they trooped into the Potter-Black kitchen, where a heaping plate of sandwiches and jugs of iced pumpkin juice and lemonade awaited them.

"Mum, these look fantastic!" Harry Potter exclaimed as he passed plates around.

"Thanks, love," Lily replied with a smile. She surveyed the rest of the group as they busied themselves with the food. Next to Harry was Draco Black, who felt much more like flesh-and-blood family than merely the adopted son he was. Hermione Granger, their next-door neighbor, was chatting animatedly with Eloise Midgen, a shy, curly-haired blonde girl whom Lily didn't know all that well but seemed very sweet, and Ginny Weasley and Neville Longbottom brought up the rear, laughing loudly about something that had happened in the Quidditch match the six friends had just finished.

"Mum! Dad!" Hermione exclaimed as she set her plate down to hug them. "I wasn't expecting you to be here – I thought you had that big surgery today?"

"Finished early," her mother replied. "Besides, we wouldn't want to miss all the fun, would we? Why don't you introduce your friends?" Hermione immediately pointed out Neville and Eloise, and after grabbing herself some silverware, she suggested that they take advantage of the nice weather by having a picnic. The others readily agreed, and the group of ten headed outside and settled themselves in a circle on the back lawn.

"How's your gran doing, Neville?" Lily asked.

"Very well, thanks," Neville replied. "Still as stubborn as ever, of course, but she wouldn't be Gran otherwise." He blushed bright pink yet smiled all the same – his grandmother was indeed a formidable woman, but he respected her more than almost anyone he knew. He always thought it couldn't be easy, having to raise your grandson after your son and his wife had been tortured into madness, but Neville thought she was doing a wonderful job. Without her strict but guiding hand, Neville was certain he wouldn't be half the person he was today.

"And how about you, Eloise?" Hermione's mother asked kindly. "Hermione's told us a little bit about you, of course…" Eloise blushed even harder than Neville. If there was one thing she hated, it was being the center of attention…but these people were her friends. Hermione had made good on her promise to invite Eloise over to play Quidditch with them, and Eloise was having such a good time already.

"My dad works for the Department of International Magical Cooperation, and my mum's a primary school teacher – she's a Muggle," Eloise explained. "Dan, my older brother, has been out of Hogwarts for a year now – he was in Hufflepuff – and I'm, well, me." She shrugged sheepishly and took a sip of lemonade. "Thank you for inviting me over today, by the way. It was very kind of you."

"Not at all, dear," Lily reassured her. "Friends are welcome anytime."

"Your dad works under Crouch, then?" Ginny asked. When Eloise cocked her head questioningly, the redhead explained, "My brother Percy just started working in that department, and his boss is all he talks about – it's a tad pathetic how much he worships the man, to be honest." Eloise giggled.

"Mr. Crouch is a rather stern man, isn't he? I've met him a few times, and he seemed very no-nonsense – I can understand why your brother likes him. Strictly speaking, yes, Mr. Crouch is my dad's boss, but Dad doesn't work with him directly all that much. He works on a team that regulates trade with the Continent – he used to take me to all sorts of places when I was little, and Dan and I are going to Spain with him for a few days later this summer."

"That sounds like so much fun!" Ginny said enthusiastically. "I hope I get the chance to travel more – Egypt last year was amazing."

"Did you all hear the latest about the World Cup?" Sirius asked. "Luxembourg destroyed Scotland – looks like Ireland's our last hope if we want a local team in the final tournament." This declaration immediately prompted a discussion about Quidditch – which teams they hoped would do well, match-ups that couldn't be missed, and how the league teams were doing with so many star players gone to play for their national sides. Ginny's favorite team, the Holyhead Harpies, had been going strong for months and didn't seem affected in the slightest, but Puddlemere United, the squad Harry and Draco strongly supported, was suffering the loss of three key players and had a few unfortunate defeats under their belt as a result. Harry was disappointed to hear of Scotland's loss, but as at least two of Puddlemere's missing players were Scottish, he was optimistic that their imminent return to the club would help them win their next match against the Kenmare Kestrels.

"What are the rest of your brothers up to, Gin?" Harry asked as he picked up another sandwich. They'd invited Ron to today's gathering as well, but Mrs. Weasley had told him that only Ginny was able to come, as the boys were out of town.

"Well, I already told you about Percy," Ginny began. "He practically lives at work, and when he does come home, it's to drool over his boss. Fred, George, and Ron aren't home – they're camping with Dad."

"Camping?" Harry asked, looking both shocked and amused.

"Yup. They left yesterday and won't be back 'til Tuesday. Dad's so obsessed with Muggle stuff and has been wanting to go for years, and they finally caved and promised they would. It'll be interesting to see what happens – think four Weasley men can survive in the woods for that long without magic?" Everyone laughed at that. Mr. Weasley's fascination with Muggles, while a little odd, was also more than endearing, and they could only guess how excited he was that his sons had agreed to the trip.

"I'm sure they'll have some great stories to tell – Fred and George are there, after all," Hermione pointed out, eliciting another round of giggles.

"So…we wanted to talk to you lot about something," Sirius began. At their apprehensive looks, he quickly said, "It's nothing bad! Just something we wanted to do with you this summer, that's all."

"Is it about the World Cup?" Harry asked eagerly.

"Not quite – although we're working on that, so be patient," Sirius said with a wink. "Draco, remember how there was a list of things your mother wanted us to teach you?" Draco nodded.

"Yeah," he said. "I don't know that you ever showed me that list, but you definitely told me about it."

"K. Well, some of the stuff we've already taught you – decent table manners, for one, and you have your piano lessons." Draco nodded again. He was glad his mother had insisted that he learn an instrument, as he really did enjoy playing. Sirius tossed his dark hair out of his eyes, which were the same deep gray as Draco's own.

"One of the things she wants you to learn really isn't all that much fun to do by yourself, and even more awkward to do with strangers," Sirius said, "but it might be a good year for all of you to learn, as you'll need to know how by December."

"What's that, Padfoot?" Hermione asked.

"To dance," Sirius said. "Like, ballroom dance. Draco, coming from a high-society pureblood family, would've learned ages ago, as he would've been expected to attend any and all formal functions his parents hosted. I myself started learning when I was five – rebel of the family or not, I was still expected to be at the parties, and there was no way my dear mother was going to let her eldest son make a mockery of her house." He paused. "That sounded rather negative, didn't it? Dancing's actually quite fun, and something you should know anyway, for weddings, big birthday parties, stuff like that."

"You said we'd have to know how by December," Hermione said. "Why's that?" Sirius and Lily looked at each other.

"Strictly speaking, we can't tell you," Lily said at last. "Dumbledore wants it to be a surprise. But I think it's safe to say that something very special will be happening at Hogwarts this year, something that hasn't happened in quite a while and that will be unlike anything you've experienced before. Part of the…event, shall we say, is a Christmas ball, hence the encouragement of dance lessons."

"And I'll bet that's why our supplies list includes dress robes this year," Neville pointed out. "Somehow I don't think we'd be wearing our school uniforms to an event like that."

"No, you wouldn't," Lily agreed. "You'll want something much nicer. So…what do you think?"

"I think it sounds like fun," Ginny said with a shrug. "If we're going to this ball anyway, we might as well look good and be able to enjoy it, right?"

"You really think we'll all want to go?" Harry asked, looking doubtful.

"Trust me, you will," Sirius said. "This event is a once-in-a-lifetime thing, and you won't want to miss any part of it." Harry seemed satisfied with this answer and nodded in acceptance.

"Shall we give it a go?" Lily asked.

"What, now?"

"No time like the present," she said. "Come on." Following Lily's lead, they picked up their plates, cups, and the empty food platters, which they dropped in the sink before retreating into the living room.

"Alright," Sirius said once the children had all taken a seat. "It's probably easiest if we demonstrate first – that way, you can see how it's supposed to be done." He waved his wand at the stereo in the corner, which began playing a waltz, then offered his hand to Lily.

"You start like so," Lily said, taking Sirius' offered hand and guiding his other to her waist. "And…one, two three, one, two, three…" They began to dance. It might've looked funny, as their shorts and bare feet were far from formal dancewear, but they moved so effortlessly that their attire was quickly forgotten. Lily's many years of childhood ballet lessons were evident in the way she moved, and Padfoot certainly looked like he'd been taught to dance from a young age as well. When the song finished, they bowed to each other as the onlookers clapped enthusiastically.

"That was wonderful!" Hermione gushed as Sirius charmed the stereo silent once more. "I didn't know you could do that!" Sirius chuckled.

"I'll bet your parents can too, Hermione," he said.

"Oh, goodness, I haven't danced in years!" Hermione's mother protested.

"Please, Mum?" Hermione asked. The rest of the children immediately joined in the pleas, eager for another demonstration.

"Come on, Helen," Hermione's father said with a laugh. "It'll be fun." Her mother sighed and stood up.

"Alright, then," she conceded with a smile. Sirius started the music, and the Grangers danced – not quite as spectacularly as Lily and Sirius, but well enough that the children were still impressed. When the song ended, Hermione's dad brought his wife into an exaggerated spin.

"Bob, you're being ridiculous!" she said, though she was laughing too. Her husband only chuckled and lightly kissed her cheek before guiding her back to the couch.

"Not bad, you two," Sirius said, giving them an approving nod. "Alright, everyone, now it's your turn, so pair up!"

They spent the better part of the rest of the afternoon learning the basic steps. As the group was an even split, it was easy for them to pair off, and Sirius had them change things up after each song so that they'd eventually all partnered each other. Hermione, Harry, and Draco each took turns dancing with their parents as well, and Hermione laughed heartily when her father twirled her in much the same way he'd done with his wife.

Some of them made more progress than others – Neville, for instance, was known for being quite clumsy and therefore didn't get much further than a basic box step, and Eloise was having a hard time relaxing and thus danced rather stiffly, but they all agreed that it was great fun. Hermione and Draco, when partnered together, moved nearly as effortlessly as Padfoot and Lily and were soon adding all sorts of variations onto the basic steps, and even Harry and Ginny worked well enough together that Lily taught them a spin or two.

"Brilliant!" Sirius cried when they finally stopped. "You'll be the best-looking kids at the ball, I guarantee it!" Exhausted, the friends collapsed onto their backs, staring up at him from their positions on the living room floor. He laughed.

"I think we wore them out, Lil," he said matter-of-factly. "I'd say we order that takeout now and let them get their slumber party started." The children perked up at this and immediately started chattering about their plans for the night – the girls wanted to take advantage of the Grangers' new television to watch romantic comedies while eating lots of ice cream, and the boys had plans to stay up late swapping ghost stories and coming up with pranks to play on the girls.

"Oh, and I suppose I can tell you now, since I've been keeping you in suspense forever…" Sirius paused. "I won't tell you which match, since I want it to be a surprise, but we are indeed going to the Quidditch World Cup!" An eruption of cheers met this announcement, and the Quidditch talk recommenced as the guests grabbed their bags and everyone went upstairs to change into their pajamas. As they came tumbling back down fifteen minutes later, eager for plenty of food and fun, Sirius couldn't help but laugh at the chaos that was his house – his overly proper mother would be rolling in her grave at the mere thought, but he wouldn't have had it any other way.

A/N: I don't think I can express how excited I am that we've made it to GoF - so many plans for this one! Hope you all stick around to see what our friends get up to.

JKR owns all things Potter, I just play. Please R&R, & enjoy! :)