I do not own Harry Potter.

Their remaining days together, until Harry had to go to Stromorth, were mostly spent with the Malfoys, Remus, Theo, Blaise, and Dean. They also wanted to know Klaus better, though Draco, Theo and Blaise were the most reserved at first. They were keen on making sure the German had good intentions, and being 'trained' as purebloods, they just knew how to make his life difficult. Harry was annoyed at best, seething at worst. His glares and magic spurts were not helping their case.

"You do know I was aware of what I was getting into since you first called me here, right? They have been protective over you for a while, it's not just now", Klaus seemed to be amused for the most part, but there were times he was irritated, mostly due to how upset Harry got when they were trying to wind him up.

"And I appreciate they care, but, honestly? I just want to enjoy this for now. Being in Stromorth will not be helpful to get us to spend more time together. I know you can visit, and we can go on dates, but I will still have to study and practice, and I just feel like I'll be overwhelmed with everything and that I won't be able to really spend time with you. And you're doing your best to tolerate them, and it's not fair!" Klaus, for the first time, got to see Harry in a more... childish way, he was... pouting. It was odd, Harry was usually like an adult in the body in a teenager. Right now he seemed to be more his age. It was a good change, though he hoped it didn't become a custom.

"Kirsche, it's okay. They won't bother you once you are in school. If they... 'grill' you for information on our dates, and distract you from your schoolwork to do so, I can always... talk to the principal", the smirk Klaus had on his lips sent a shiver down the English teenager's body. It only reaffirmed his suspicion that Klaus would've been the king of Slytherin had he attended Hogwarts. Not even Draco could out-Slytherin him.

"Don't kill them", Harry smiled, and stopped his pacing, "How was Stromorth? I know you're a magic genius, so it was easier for you, but, like, for an average wizard?"

"Harry, dear, you do realize an average wizard can't attend that school, right?" Klaus outright laughed, causing another pout from his intended, "For real, dear, even among powerful wizards, you are especial. I know about your mother's sacrifice, and I will not downplay that, but for something like that to work, against a killing curse, the one in the sacrifice must be powerful, but the receptor of the power must have at least twice as much power to handle the burst, you know. Your parents' magic was strong, probably since they were young. You inherited that power... combined, at birth, and the magic your mother left you... it was great part of hers. If you don't breeze through your classes, even in Stromorth, our first date outside will be going to a Healer and check for blocks"

"I already got rid of those. That was, uh, the reason for my mediocre development in Hogwarts. I just... I don't know how to do better than that... not yet, at least, and I'm worried I'll have to..."

"To leave", Klaus got serious, and stood from the armchair to hold Harry, who was still standing in the middle of the rug, close to the fireplace, "Harrison, if you struggle to write essays and such, you can ask for help. The ability to do magic, or to have a powerful core, does not translate into being able to write it down. Understand it, yes, but not writing it down. Putting your thoughts into words can be sometimes the hardest part of non-oral communication. And about being able to understand magic, the spells, and the runes? Darling, magic, contrary to how you see your English Wizarding society function, is logical. For instance, there is a class, physics I believe, in the muggle world that works for magic too. You can't destroy things or just vanish them. They either get transformed or they go elsewhere. Granted, sometimes that 'elsewhere' can even be another dimension, you never know with magic, but the principle is the same. It's logical, things have to come from somewhere and then go somewhere else. Even that spell, the Aguamenti, it pulls water from around you, in the air or in the soil. Unless your wand has some, uh, shrunk and bottomless water deposit in there, but you get the idea, don't you?"

"Yes... makes sense", Harry hummed, "Thank you. If I need help, would you...?"

"Of course I would help you", Klaus chuckled, "I love you, Harry, I want you to succeed", he momentarily froze, but Harry hummed and pecked his lips.

"I love you too, Klaus"

Part of him felt weird that he had strong feelings for someone he met few weeks ago. He had never formed such attachment in such a short amount of time, save from... well, Hermione and Ron, and look how that turned out. Draco didn't count, he had offered all the way back in their first year, and here they were five years later. However, he felt as if he had known Klaus for a long time. Perhaps not in an intimate way, but it felt as if they were acquaintances through the years that had come to certain understanding of each other through letters and a few encounters. Though, of course, they had only met each other mere weeks ago.

But he was happy. Klaus had been a gentleman, through and through, even though he did curse like a sailor when he was angry. It had happened on one outing, he was outraged of the treatment a Hippogriff was subjected to under the 'care' of another pureblood family (luckily, not the one Charlie was currently working for). He somehow managed to get the German magical forces to lock them up, and took Deri, the Hippogriff, to his own Manor. Which, for all intents and purposes, was a castle. Harry had loved it when they visited what would most probably become their home.

"Dear?" Klaus interrupted his thoughts.

"Yes?"

"Atlas has a letter for you", his messenger familiar was glaring at him, so he quickly gave him bacon to not lose his fingers. After eating and being released from his burden, Atlas teasingly messed his hair, and left for his favorite spot in the owlery, "Who is it?"

"Tracy Hatzi"

"The one that married Nikolaos, yes?"

"That same Tracy. Her birthday is coming up, and this is the first year she'll be able to celebrate it as a Lady. School starts next week, and her party is in a month. Would you mind going? It's true enough in Hogwarts we weren't precisely friends, but she's helped to get Angelina and Alicia out of England, along with the Creeveys, and is really supportive. She also befriended Dean's mom and all, to keep an eye on them. She's become a friend... and she's been through a lot. Healers haven't been able to tell if she'll be able to have children, and she really wants to have them. I'm assuming Nikolaos is of the same mentality, even if it's just to keep his wife happy"

"He's completely in love with her. Along with Vova, Pip and Marc, we grew attending pretty much the same events, so we know each other rather well. Both Vova and Nikolaos married through an arranged marriage, true, but rest assured, they fell in love with Millicent and Tracy throughout the summers they spent together. Surprisingly, it's still odd to find pureblood girls that will not jump at the first chance of a convenient marriage. Your two friends, I believe, were reluctant at first, but they always were polite and open to them, giving them the chance to convince them to not seek another prospect"

"It's pretty much obvious they're in love. I mean, Vova did leave the meeting he was in when he felt Lucius and Remus visiting Milli when she was alone. He worries a lot about her. And Nikolaos... I don't think you understand how much it means for Tracy that he loves her so much. In English pureblood families, it's... rare, to find that your parents see you as more than a bargaining chip when it comes to convenient marriages. For the most part, at least from what I gathered through the years, they always had to be composed, they could never break the rules, and Merlin forbid they thought of dating someone, so they were always cold towards everyone, even Draco. Maybe, especially Draco. Sirius... he didn't agree with his family's views, and when he ran away to escape the pressure, his own mother had no hesitation about burning him out of the family tapestry. I imagine... Tracy expected that after suffering the Cruciatus, and not being sure to be able to carry an heir, that Nikolaos would find no... Use for her", Harry finished with something close to nausea, "I know he isn't like that, but it was still a fear she held. She probably grew up among vicious people that rejected someone for less than that"

Klaus nodded his understanding.

"We will go to her party, Harry. Do not worry. I assume your friends are going?"

"Yes, but they will arrive on their own, I think. I also want to spend time alone with you", the younger man quickly added, much to Klaus' amusement.

The five teens looked at the grand castle before them. They had decided to arrive without Remus, Lucius, Narcissa or even Klaus accompanying them. It was odd, but this felt as a bit more of a step towards a new phase, and they wanted it to be their own, no more coddling. They still had enough pampering at the Manor. In any case, they would write, and they would also most likely send something along the lines of care packages.

A man that seemed to be in his late thirties was there to greet the new additions.

"Ah, fresh young blood", he smiled, "It's been a while since we accepted someone into the school... even longer since our new students were already advanced in their magical education. Let me guess... you must be Mr. Dean Thomas", the dark-skinned teen nodded, "Mr. Blaise Zabini?", the half-Italian teen bowed his head slightly, "Our lovely couple, Mr. Draco Malfoy and Mr. Theodore Nott, right?", both teens acknowledged their names, "That leaves you, Mr. Harrison James Potter-Black?"

"Harry is okay", the youngest of them muttered.

"Wonderful new students, all of you. My name is Aleron Ludovic Buschonner-Stromorth, I'm the Headmaster, Principal, whatever you want to call it. And my husband is the Founder of this lovely institution, but he is currently in Croatia. He will be back tomorrow, though, for the welcoming ceremony"

"Wait, how old is this Academy?" Dean asked, shocked.

"My, my, I believe it was founded about that time Julius Caesar ruled the Roman Empire. I might be off by a few centuries, though, my dear Cassio is much better at remembering dates. I do remember, though, that we married when Henry VIII was removing the head from that dreadful woman"

"The Spanish?" Dean barely recalled some History from elementary school, so he wasn't sure if he even was saying something stupid.

"No, she was lovely", Aleron corrected, "The Boleyn girl... or, well, both Boleyn girls were dreadful, really. Anyway, let me show you around, okay? I did ask you to be here earlier than usual for you to get to know the main parts. Your classes have yet to be determined, depending on what you tend to favor for your magic, but you still will have core classes, such as History. Not only of Magic, but also muggle. We're experimenting with a new one this year, too. To try and mix technology and magic in certain areas. No use hiding if you're going to stand out for lack of the ever-growing use of technology, huh?"

Aleron took them to the main hall, the dining hall, two different ballrooms, three pitches (though apparently only one was for Quidditch), the kitchens, the classrooms for most of the classes they could have, the library, the infirmary (which seemed more like a little hospital), and, finally, the gardens. Behind the gardens was a forest.

"Now, you can go there, but it's quite huge. We are in the Black Forest, and a lot of magical creatures live in there. None of them are aggressive without provocation, though if you find a Hippogriff and do not bow you will probably not come out unscathed. We recommend that you don't go alone. Always be prepared. If you feel more comfortable or more prepared if you have your wand in any unforeseen situation, then I suggest you also always take your wand. We have a magical entrance that leads straight to Freiburg, mostly for some weekend visits", Aleron finished.

"And, uh, the rooms?"

"Oh, silly me, the rooms!" the Headmaster chuckled, "Truly, I'm a disaster without Cassio. Follow me"

They headed back inside, and they were led to a set of stairs. That seemed electrical.

"This is magic, right?" Dean asked, fascinated.

"Of course. Muggles were quite ingenious with electricity and stairs, but magic is at least as good as that", Aleron smiled proudly, and then took them to what seemed a maze of doors, "We don't divide students by houses, as you told me Hogwarts does. Each room is personalized for the student that will live in it. It's a rather handy spell my husband came up with like fifteen hundred years ago, you know. Your suites are already fixed, and close to each other's, of course. Draco and Theodore... well, we understand you two are courting and all, so my husband and I thought that a joint suite would be nice for you"

"Are you... sure?" Theo asked.

"Why would you ask that? Of course we're both sure! You are not the first courting couple. Probably won't be the last. We wouldn't dream of keeping a couple apart. And you'd probably find ways around rules separating you, so we don't bother, to be honest. Ah, and we do get wizards and witches that have creature blood in them, or are werewolves or vampires. And I want to see you try to get a Veela away from their mates. Nope, I prefer my body in one piece, thank you very much. I must warn you, though, about the banshees. They like to shriek in the middle of the night, thinking it funny. Nothing some spells can't keep at bay, of course, and we're working on sound-proofing their rooms", Aleron assured, "Any questions?"

"How does someone, uh, graduate? How do we get evaluated? What age would you say we will graduate?" Blaise fired question after question, much to Aleron's amusement.

"Well, it can vary from teacher to teacher, but only a little. It's based mostly on the spells you can perform, how you can handle your own magic, how much control you have over it, and, of course, if you surpass your teachers. We haven't changed them in a while, but test them regularly to the international standards and our own standards, which tend to be harsher. Depending on your excellence, you can graduate with a mastery, without the extra work one usually does going out from other schools. You are expected to have a certain pace for your studies, the sooner you better your evaluation results, the sooner you graduate. With young men as powerful as yourselves, perhaps a year at most. You still need some... polishing, for at least four months, though... tends to happen when someone transfers from another type of schooling"

"That sounds... interesting. Even if we could graduate, say, in eight months, and we reached the level required, would we be able to remain for the entire year?"

"Of course, always as students if you so wish. There's always new things to learn, after all. And if you excel at any particular subject, you can also apply to be a teacher. We haven't hired someone new in a while, for around twenty years. Having new people can help us to pay a better individual attention to each student. But that's a talk for another day. Cassio will come back tomorrow, as I said, and he can give you a lot more details... I kind of forget what I ramble about, but his memory is legendary, trust me", Harry smiled at how Aleron's eyes lit up whenever he mentioned Cassio, "Oh, wait, you are courting, too, right?" Aleron seemed to remember, and the youngest of the teenagers nodded with a blush.

"His name is Klaus Neumark", he said.

"Yes, yes, he wrote to us", Aleron grinned, and Harry looked confused. Klaus wrote to them? "Oh, yes, he wrote to us. Asking about some permissions for him to visit you on weekends when you two agreed... of course we said yes! Courting couples need to get to know each other!"

Harry knew this was a good new start.

Well! That's it. I'm now entertaining the notion of a sequel to this, but I'm not sure I will actually go through with it. I hope you enjoyed this!