(19/04/18)

For returning readers, the last part of this chapter has been re-written. Just a head up. Sorry for the long delay.

It was a great morning in Harry's opinion. The summer had just started, which meant the temperature wasn't very high, but it was still hot enough for him to sit outside of Florean Fortescue's and enjoy a big chocolate ice cream.

"When I said I would let you pick the meeting place, I didn't expect...this," from the seat across the table, Neville Longbottom said. His hand was holding a vanilla ice cream of his own.

"What did you expect then?" Harry asked as he took in the sight of Diagon Alley. Two years had passed since the end of the second war with Voldemort, and the wounds it inflicted upon their world had started to heal. The Alley was filled with people, each with a smile on their face, a complete contrast with how they were during Voldemort's reign. There was no longer any boarded up, abandoned shop. The owners who fled during the war had returned to start anew, and the ones who 'went missing', such as Fortescue, were replaced by their relatives. The quality of their goods suffered a little, but nobody seemed to mind.

"I don't know," Neville shrugged. "Maybe a cup of Firewhiskey in the Leaky Cauldron?"

"Please. I'll pass on that," Harry laughed. "Do you know how us Aurors bond with each when we're off duty? A hint: It isn't over ice cream or butterbeer."

"So… Pumpkin juice?"

Harry merely arched an eyebrow.

"Alright, you got me," Neville joined into his laughter. "Though I have to admit that I was surprised when you agreed to meet. It's been awhile since I last met anyone from the old group, moving into Hogwarts doesn't exactly give me a lot of free time."

"Yeah, congratulation on that, by the way," Harry nodded and took a bite off of his ice cream cone. "I thought it would still be years until Professor Sprout steps down. I don't remember ever seeing a Hogwarts teacher as young as you."

"Says the youngest to become a Seeker in the last century," Neville grinned. "I was surprised too when she came to me. Apparently I really impressed her during my school years."

"Good for you, mate," Harry said. "How's work?"

"Tired, but fun. Being the youngest teacher makes it a little harder for the students to take me seriously, but being a war hero helps. It's taking care of the greenhouses and plan the lessons that take up most of my time, and that's when I still have Sprout's notes to help me. Now I barely have any break to practice fencing anymore."

"You still do that?" Harry raised an eyebrow. "I mean, the way you got Nagini back then was bloody beautiful, but none of us expects you to actually stick with the sword."

"It's a good sport as any," Neville shrugged. "Unlike you, I'm rubbish on a broom, and our world doesn't offer a wide range of physical activities to choose from. But that's enough about me? How are you?"

"Decent," Harry said. "I also haven't had many chances to see the others. Ron and Hermione are busy with their upcoming wedding, so are the Weasleys. I only met them a few times when I came over to help, and that isn't much, considering my training, Auror 'bonding', and other projects."

"Somehow I don't like the sound of that," Neville frowned. That expression quickly changed into a smile though, when some people went past them, recognized who they were and waved.

"Of what? My project?" Harry laughed when he saw his friend's face. "It's nothing dangerous. I'm just collaborating with the Unspeakables to look into the Veil. You remember the whispers that I heard when we were near it during our fifth year? Apparently I'm the only one who can hear it now."

"And how is that not dangerous?" Neville sighed and hid his face into his free hand.

"As long as I don't fall through it? Completely safe," Harry shrugged. "There's another reason that I agreed to help them though."

"Your Godfather."

"Exactly," Harry nodded. "I know that he came back when I used the Resurrection Stone, but… I can't really explain it. You can say that I'm not satisfied with him just dying off like that. I need to know the exact answer."

"Well, it's not like I can make you change your mind." Neville sighed again. "You've always been stubborn like that."

"Thanks."

"It's not exactly a complement," he rolled his eyes. "But… The Veil, huh? Sounds interesting."

"Am I hearing things now?" To say Harry was surprised was an understatement. "You consider something like that interesting?"

"Git. You sound like I don't know how to have fun," Neville swatted Harry's shoulder. "It's just… The Veil is such an interesting artifact, so are many other things down in the Department of Mystery. But it's the only thing that I've been close to."

"Want to see it again?"

"Can I?" Neville's eyes widened, but it soon changed into a frown. "Or not. I can't just go in there and look at it."

"I can take you in," said Harry.

"I don't think it's that simple," Neville shook his head. "I don't want to get you into trouble."

"It's up to you," Harry smiled. "Actually, I've had a theory about that Veil for awhile now, and I'm planning to test it today."

Thirty minutes later.

"Damn it," Neville swore under his breath as he and Harry stood in front of the Veil.

"You're tempted after all," Harry couldn't help but laugh, as he had been doing a few times on the way here, and his side was hurting.

"Well yeah," Neville glared at him. "You planning to test something out is never a good sign. As your friend, I know better than to let you do… whatever you will do alone."

"Excuse, excuse," Harry grinned and waved his hand in a dismissive manner.

"Whatever you say," Neville rolled his eyes. He then stepped up onto the Veil's petesdal, before slowing circling it.

"Just like the last time I saw it," he said. "Does Hermione know? I bet she would do anything for a chance to study an artifact like this."

"She doesn't know. Haven't told her yet," Harry shook his head. "She has enough things on her plate right now. I don't want her to worry about me."

"You will have to tell her someday," Neville shook his head. "Where are all the Unspeakables?"

"They won't come here for at least another hour," Harry said. He then paused and looked around to make sure that no one else was around, before putting up a Muffliato. "You see, the fact that I'm the owner of all three Deathly Hallows is a secret only a trusted few know about."

"Yes, and?" Neville turned to look at him. "You threw the stone away and left the wand with Dumbledore, right? So that shouldn't matter anymore."

"Ah, yes, I haven't told you this part yet," Harry shrugged. "Apparently, I can't get rid of them. Two days after Dumbledore's funeral, the wand and the stone came back to me."

"Came back? How?" Neville's eyes narrowed.

"No idea. They just appeared on top of my bed," said Harry. "I tried to throw them away, breaking the wand, burning it. Nothing helped. They always return the next day."

"How about I disarming you right here?"

"Hermione tried that too," he shook his head. "Didn't work. Apparently once you possessed all three Hallows, they are bound to you until the day you die. So unless you're going to kill me…"

"Don't you even joke about that."

"Just a possibility. I'm not looking forward to die now that a normal life is within my grasp," Harry laughed. "Anyway, that's where my new idea for the Veil comes from. When we were here before during our fifth year. I could only hear whispers since the invisibility cloak was the only thing I owned back then. However, when I returned here for the first time with the Unspeakables, I could hear those voices much clearer."

"And you think the Hallows are somehow connected to this Veil?" Neville asked. "So, what does those voices say?"

"Gibberish, mostly," Harry sighed and stepped up the petesdal himself. Just a couple of steps up, and the Runes on the Veil's arc was starting to shine faintly.

"You…" Neville's eyes darted between Harry and the Veil. "You're having them on your person right now."

"Yes," Harry nodded. "I've never brought the wand and the stone out of my house except for getting rid of them. Looks like it's worth a try."

As he walked closer to the Veil, the Runes kept shining brighter and brighter.

"Should I call the Unspeakables?" Neville frowned and took a step away.

"Later," said Harry. "I don't want them to know about the Hallows. If they do, I'll become a test subject myself."

"But…"

"As long as I don't fall through, it's safe," he shook his head. He was directly in front of the Veil now. The Runes' light was almost blinding, and the voices were no longer a faint whisper. It felt like there were hundreds of people talking around him now. Some even shouting.

However, nothing happened until Harry raised his hand and touched the arc. Neville tried to stop him, but Harry couldn't hear it. It was getting too loud.

The moment his finger laid on one of the Runes, a deafening scream came from outside, replacing all the gibberish chatter. Before Harry could cover his ears, he saw the space inside the Veil changed. Where it was a layer of mist before, now appeared an oddly glowing surface. Before he was able to ask if Neville was seeing the same thing, Harry felt himself being sucked toward the Veil and tried to escape, but wasn't able to. The arc's surface was too big for any stable grip. Harry could feel his fingers slipping off one by one.

"Crap," he murmured as the Veil's pull got stronger. Just before he was completely sucked inside, a pair of firm hands grabbed his wrist and yanked. Not that it did much except for making Harry feel like his shoulder just got dislocated. Through the tear, he could see Neville gritting his teeth. One of his feet were on the ground, the other placed on the arc itself, while trying to pull Harry out using both of his hands.

"This is… exactly why… I can't leave you alone," Neville shouted between his panting.

"Thanks," said Harry. "But I don't think it's working. Go get the Unspeakables."

"And let you… go in there? Never." Neville grunted.

"I...I think I will be fine," said Harry hesitantly. "I still can control my legs and my other arm. So maybe I won't die."

"Like I could trust your definition of 'safety' any more!"

"But if you don't let go you will be pulled in too," Harry shouted at his friend. All of a sudden, the pull got much stronger. Neville's foothold on the arc slipped and both of them pummeled into the Veil. Neville's shocked face was the last thing Harry saw before darkness claimed him.

When Harry opened his eyes, he almost expected to see the familiar white ceiling of Hogwarts' infirmary or a room at St. Mungo. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that his body was aching all over. Instead, he found himself staring at the blurry image of a wooden ceiling. It was more like the sight inside Hagrid's hut, but there wasn't any animal skin or dried meat hanging anywhere.

"Neville?" Harry croaked, recalling his last moment before passing out.

"Here, mate," came a reply from somewhere on his left. Harry let out a relieved sigh.

"How are you?" He asked.

"Feeling like crap," Neville answered. "My head hurts, and my body was aching all over. You?"

"Same," Harry said. "Where the hell are we?"

"No idea. I've just woken up myself."

Harry blinked his eyes a few times before using all of his remaining strength to push himself up. It looked like he was still wearing his robe, but when he reached into its inner pocket, both of his wands were gone. The stone and the cloak were inside of a charmed bag that was attached to his hip, and at least it was still there.

Harry was starting to panic. However, he quickly calmed down after seeing both wands on the nightstand next to his bed, together with his glasses.

"Thanks Merlin," he murmured while putting on the glasses and pocketing the wands. Now he could see clearly. The room he and Neville were in was made entirely of wood. It was a little bigger, and much cleaner than Hagrid's hut. Harry's bed was in a corner, and Neville's was only a few steps away. On the opposite wall was a wooden cabinet with some kind of herbs inside, together with a couple of potion bottles, and there was a big campfire right in the middle of the room.

Neville also just pushed himself into a sitting position, and the two traded a confused glance. However, before either of them could voice their question, the only door in the room opened, and they heard a surprised gasp, followed by a dry 'Clang' noise of something hitting the floor.

Harry and Neville turned to the source of the commotion and their eyes widened. Standing there was a young girl around their age with long green hair tied up into a ponytail. At her feet was a piece of cloth and a large metal bowl that she just dropped. The water inside was splashing everywhere, but the girl didn't seem to notice. She was too busy staring back at the two men in shock.

"Uhm… Hello?" Harry tried to break the ice. Hearing his voice, the girl instantly snapped out of her daze.

At this point, Harry was expecting her to greet him back, and not getting even more panicked and got down on her knees.

"I'm so sorry, sir," she stammered while hastily wiping the floor with the cloth. "I… I didn't know that you two were awake and barged into the room. Please don't punish me."

"What are you saying?" Harry frowned slightly as he stood up and walked toward the girl. However, he stopped after a few steps, seeing how the girl shrunk away from him..

"Please return to your bed," she said. "I will get this cleaned up right away."

"There's no need," said Harry. "Please stand up. I think we are having a big misunderstanding here."

The girl looked confused for a moment before standing up. She was still holding the wet cloth, and was shaking slightly. Harry sighed and pulled out his wand - the Phoenix one - before pointing at the puddle on the ground, all the while trying to ignore the girl's reaction toward him. She was terrified after seeing the wand.

"Evanesco."

All of the water disappeared. Harry then put his wand away.

"There, all done," he said. "Now can you please explain what is going on here? Why are you so scared of us?"

"Because… you two are Nobles and I just disrupted your privacy," the girl answered. Her eyes were still wide open, staring at the floor where the water was a few seconds ago. However, seeing that she wasn't going to be 'punished' seemed to calm her down a little.

"Us? Nobles?" Harry raised an eyebrow.

"Yes," the girl answered.

"Me? And Neville over there?" Couldn't believe in his ear, Harry asked again, this time pointing at himself, and then Neville, just to be sure.

The girl nodded.

"How did you come to that conclusion anyway?" he folded his arms in front of his chest.

"Because you two are able to use magic," she said, tilting her head slightly and blinked as if she couldn't be sure whether Harry was testing her or not.

"I still don't get it," he shook his head. "What's your name?"

"I'm Tania, sir."

"Alright, Tania. I don't know if using magic and nobility have anything to do with each other, but let us clear up something here," Harry said. "My name is Harry Potter, and the bloke over there is Neville Longbottom..."

"Nice to meet you," Neville's voice came from behind.

"...And we are not Nobles," Harry finished.

"But… your wands… and magic…" Tania stuttered. She still wasn't looking at him.

"Well, sure, we can use magic, as you can see," Harry glanced at his wand. "But how does that make us Nobles?"

"You just are. Oh... You two aren't some disgraced Nobles, right?" Finally, Tania looked up from her feet. She was now looking at him with skeptical eyes, but Harry was cheering. Having a girl cowered before him just because he could use magic felt so awkward.

"No," Harry said. "I don't even know what the hell 'disgraced Noble' means."

"So… I won't get punished?" Tania asked.

"What's with you and punishment?"

"Because when the Noble who rules this land come to collect the tax, if we can't gather enough money or give him a satisfying service, he punishes us," Tania said quickly and shrank a little at Harry's tone. He didn't mean to scare her though.

Hearing her words, Harry looked at Neville and saw his friend sharing his expression - a deep frown. Looked like being a Noble here was more than just a fancy title, and from the way Tania acted when she thought she was going to be punished, it didn't seem like the Noble's punishment would end with a slap on the wrists either.

"Look, Tania, we aren't going to punish you," finally Neville said as Harry took a step back. Maybe that would help her relax. "We're just two regular blokes who somehow ended up here. Though that reminds me, where are we?"

"This is our infirmary," Tania said. "Yesterday, my brother found you two unconscious just outside of our village and brought you in."

Harry and Neville shared another glance.

"This may sound a little odd, but what's the name of this village?" Harry asked. His training as an Auror had brought him to many places within Britain, but for the life of him, he couldn't remember a place with this kind of wooden house like the one they were in, except for Hagrid's hut. The plain clothing Tania was wearing didn't make much sense either. It was too old fashioned, even the folks in the countryside didn't dress like that anymore.

"This is Asburg," Tania said. "You two really aren't from around here, are you?"

"That's what we've been saying," Harry sighed. He didn't recognize the name, and from the puzzled look on his face, Neville wasn't faring any better. "How far are we from London?"

"Is that what they call Londinium these days?" Tania looked confused. "Our village is in Tristain, so if you want to travel there, it will take days to go to La Rochelle, then took a ship from its port..."

"Eh… I will have to stop you there," Neville raised his hand. "We want to go to London, not Londinium, wherever that is."

"You haven't heard of Albion's capital city?" Tania gasped. "Where are you two from?"

"London, England," Harry frowned. The name Albion didn't escape him. It was like they were talking about the same place, just in two very, very different period. Though he also had to admit that there wasn't any country named Tristain around the time the Great Britain was still called Albion, so maybe they didn't travel through time after all.

Everything was just so bizzare.

"I've never heard of them. Sorry," Tania shook her head.

"It's alright," Harry gave her a small smile. "I hate to be more of a bother, but do you have any world map?"

"Alright, this doesn't make any sense. This can't be everything," Neville frowned at the map on his bed. Tania had brought it to them before taking her leave to prepare supper.

"Yet it is," Harry gritted his teeth. He was leaning against Neville's nightstand. "We asked for a world map, and this is it."

"But… Albion is a bloody floating island, how is that possible? And Germania can't be this small." Neville groaned. "Well, the shape is kinda right, but…"

"Don't forget the names that we don't recognize," Harry said. "Tristain, Gallia. And there's Romalia."

"So time travel is out?" Neville sighed.

"That's what I think too," Harry nodded. "Though I don't know if we should feel happy about that. Sorry, I should have listened to you and called the Unspeakables or something…"

"You should," Neville shook his head. "But it was partially my fault for not stopping you earlier. Don't get me wrong. I am mad, but there are more pressing matters, like what in the world should we do now?"

"Searching for a way back should be our top priority, though I don't have a clue where to begin," Harry sighed. "Maybe I'll ask Tania. She appears to be a muggle, but knows about magic. At least she can give us a direction."

"Right," Neville folded up the map and put it on the nightstand, before casting a troubled glance at the door. "Speaking of Tania, I'm a little concerned about her reaction when she thought we were Nobles."

"Same here," said Harry. "Magic is not a secret. Using magic makes you a Noble, and a Noble apparently has a higher standing than a muggle, enough to dish out punishments. This place is a Death Eaters' paradise."

"Let's hope it isn't like this everywhere," Neville shivered. "I can't imagine living in a world like this, even temporarily."

"You speak my mind," Harry agreed before pushing himself up. "I'm feeling better, so I'll go look for Tania, you can rest more if you want."

"Nah," Neville shook his head and stood up. "I'm thinking of taking a look around this village, see what I can find."

"Suit yourself," Harry shrugged.

The infirmary turned out to be smaller than Harry thought. It was only consisted of a small lobby area at the front, and the patient's room at the back. The loo was a small hut separated from the main building, and there was no kitchen. Tania wasn't anywhere to be found in the vicinity, but the fact that she took care of the patients told Harry that she had to be living nearby, so he went to check out the house next door. Neville went off to the opposite direction after telling Harry that he would be back in an hour.

Harry approached the house and was about to knock on the door when he heard some noise coming from behind. Feeling a little curious, he walked around, and saw Tania there, chopping wood into smaller pieces with an axe. At first, Harry almost couldn't believe in his own eyes. Tania was a petite girl, and the axe she was holding looked far too big for someone like her to wield. Yet she was swinging it up and down like it was nothing.

Still, the large pile of unchopped wood next to her would take a long time to be done.

"Need any help?" He asked and stepped out from the corner he was standing. Unfortunately, his sudden appearance startled the poor girl.

"AH!" Tania jumped and the axe almost flew out of her grip. She turned around, panting heavily while putting a hand over her chest.

"Wh...What are you doing out here?" She asked and wiped the sweat from her forehead.

"Looking for you, actually," Harry said. "I'm feeling better and have some more questions. Sorry for that, by the way."

"It's… alright, just don't sneak up on me next time," Tania nodded. "But I'm a little busy at the moment. I have to prepare supper for us, as well as your friend and my brother. Can you wait until I'm done?"

"I don't mind, but do you mind me lending a hand?" He glanced at the pile of wood. "We can get it done faster. You've been helping me and Neville out, so…"

"But you've just woke up," Tania said. "Chopping wood is hard work. I can't make my patient do something like that."

"It's not that hard with this," Harry pulled out his Phoenix wand. He felt bad immediately though, when Tania took a step back after he did so.

"Sorry," he said quickly. "Maybe it's not such a good idea. Do you… hate magic or something?"

"Not really, but the spell you used earlier was the first one I saw that wasn't used to punish us commoners," Tania sighed, shivering slightly. "But maybe I can use some help here after all. My brother is going hunting and he should be back soon. As long as you don't exert yourself, of course."

"Just leave it to me," Harry grinned and raised his wand again. For someone who took down dark wizards for a living, a pile of wood wasn't even a challenge. He made short work of it, piling everything back up neatly before helping Tania to transport whatever she needed into the kitchen and bathroom. Everything was finished in around twenty minutes.

"Thank you, Harry," Tania beamed as she put down the last pile of wood she was carrying. The girl absolutely refused to let Harry do everything by himself, even with magic. "I've never seen magic like that before. The Nobles who frequents this place uses fire all the time."

"Well I know a thing or two about fire myself, so maybe I can help you light the fire for the kitchen and the bath," Harry shrugged.

"Thanks again, but it's alright," she shook her head. "You said you have some questions? You can ask while I prepare the meal. There's no axe come flying if I'm distracted now."

Harry felt like it would be impolite to keep pushing, so he accepted her offer. The two of them then moved to the kitchen, which was only a place on the side of the house with a roof over it and no wall. Harry sat down on an old wooden chair and wait for Tania to start the fire before resuming the conversation.

Having nothing to do, he glanced around and took in the surrounding. The sun hadn't set yet, so he could see everything clearly. Once again, the scenery reminded Harry of Hagrid's hut, with a forest not far away. The dirt road that was in front of the house, which Harry guessed also ran the length of the village itself, led deep into the darkness of the wood. Looking at the way the trees swayed with the afternoon's breeze, while the last warm light from the Sun illuminate everything, sent a calming sensation through him. It was the exact opposite of the Forbidden Forest.

Everyone should have realized that we're gone now, Harry felt an ache at the thought that the memories of his own world brought. Even in the Auror Corp, he was notorious for his recklessness and tendency to take risk while on the field. But all of that wasn't enough of an excuse for him not to listen to Neville's warning.

It was right before Hermione and Ron's wedding too, closing his eyes, Harry sighed and leaned back against the chair, making it groan under his weight. He would feel so bad if they ended up dropping everything to start searching for him, and they definitely would, knowing those two. The only thing he could do now is to find out how to get back as soon as possible, or at least sending something back, to let his friends know that he and Neville were safe.

"You should go back and take a rest if you're tired," came Tania's voice. Harry snapped out of his daze, shaking his head to clear out the depressing thought before saying.

"It's okay, just thinking about home."

"I can see that they weren't happy thoughts," said Tania while chopping the vegetable. The way her hands moved told Harry that she had been doing that for a long time. Not that it was a surprise.

"Not exactly," he said. "I was brooding, wasn't I?"

It wasn't even that hard to spot whenever Harry was brooding, as Hermione always reminded him.

"Yes," Tania nodded. "Do you mind if I ask you something?"

"That should be my question, but sure, go ahead."

Tania didn't speak right away, but continuing to work as if she was having a second thought about the question, and Harry didn't rush her. Once she was done with the vegetable and dropped them all into a boiling pot, Tania turned back to face him.

"How did you and Neville come here? It's not common to find strangers lying unconscious around the village, you know," she said. "And while we're at that. Are you sure that I can call you and your friend by name like that?"

"I don't see any problem with that. Why?" Harry raised an eyebrow, though he already knew the answer.

"It's just… strange," Tania smiled. "All the Nobles that I know wouldn't allow us commoners to address them like that."

"I'm not a Noble," Harry said.

"So you say, but you can still use magic," she shook her head. "So… about my other question…"

"Honestly? I'm not too sure," Harry scratched his head. "Long story short, I didn't take enough precaution when dealing with unknown magic, and got transported here. Neville was pulled along."

"Fair enough, I guess," she blinked after a few seconds. "What do you want to ask me then?"

"Do you know much about magic?" Ask Harry. He decided that there was no point in beating around the bush.

"No," Tania shook her head, much to his disappointment. "Generally, magic knowledge is off limit for us commoners. I only know what I've seen before, which isn't all that much, and a little bit about magical herbs around here, thanks to my grandma. Why do you ask?"

"Like I said, we got here through unknown magic," Harry sighed.

"So you want to find a way back home?"

"Yes," Harry nodded.

"I'm afraid that I can't be of much help in that case," Tania looked a little sad. "Though if it's magic knowledge, then maybe it's luck that you appeared here in Tristain."

"What do you mean?"

"Tristain is the only country in Halkegenia with a magic academy," she said. "I've never been there, obviously, but if you're searching for knowledge, I think that's your best bet."

"That sounds interesting," Harry admitted. The image of Hogwarts flashed through his mind. If this 'academy' was anything like his old school, then there was still hope yet. "How far is it from here?"

"Around one week if you go by horse. Unfortunately, our village is close to Gallia's border, while the academy is on the other side of the country," Tania's smile then returned in full force. "Though if you decide to go, the road will take you through our Capital city. My grandma is there at the moment. I've always wanted to visit it."

"Why haven't you though?" Harry asked.

"I can't," Tania sighed before casting a longing look into the forest. "With my grandma gone, I'm the only one with medical knowledge left in the village. Besides, she is only there on the order of a high ranking Noble. A chance like that doesn't come often to people like us."

"Sorry," Harry mumbled.

"Don't you worry about that," she waved his apologize away. "I'm happy with the life here. I still have my brother and grandma, and everybody is friendly. The only downside is…"

"The ruling Noble," Harry said, and Tania nodded. Before he could ask more question, however, an all too familiar 'Pop!' noise came from the road's direction. Tania yelped and almost knocked down the pot near her, while Harry reacted on instinct, springing up from his seat. His wand was out in an instant and pointed at the newcomers, who turned out to be Neville and another man with short green hair, the same shade as Tania's. The latter appeared to be sick from the apparate trip that Neville just took him through.

"Wh… What in Brimir's name was that?" He had to used his longbow as a place to lean on, since his knees were still shaking. In order to do so, he had to drop the rather large leather bag he was holding, together with what looked like a dead boar.

"Yes, Neville. What was that?" Harry frowned. He only had one eye on his friend though, as the other was busy looking at the content of the dropped bag, which turned out to be some hares that had been trapped. By now, he already had a good guess about who the man was.

"It's apparition, why do you ask?" Neville raised an eyebrow, but quickly grinned and held up his hand. "Just kidding. I met Remy here on my way back. He twisted his ankle and was having a hard time hauling all those goods. Once I found out he was Tania's brother, I decided to lend him a hand."

"Just... Just warn me next time... Please, Sir Noble. Thanks, Tania," said Remy as he accepted a cup of water from his sister, whom rushed over and helped him sitting down on the nearest chair. He refused, however.

"I can't sit while they're standing. Are you mad?"

Hearing his words, Neville and Harry traded a resigned look and sighed. Tania, on the other hand, just giggled.

"What? What did I miss?" Remy frowned.

End of Chapter 1.