Diagon Alley was at full swing, more than it usually was. New students were trouncing along, some already wearing their Hogwarts robes and proudly carrying a few of their books. Some people would bend down and ask them how excited they were for the school year. Muggle borns were easy to spot, eyes wide, jaws agape at the magic – real life, actual magic that they only dreamed of. Their parents were always close by, still new, still not able to fully grasp the concept that their child was capable of changing the colour of their sign in front of the shop or were able to make a table fit into a bag. Old students came as well, chatting about their new year at Hogwarts or even talking about what they were doing now that all of their seven years were now over.

Then there were six students who just arrived with their O.W.L results scattered around the table, careful not to drip ice cream all over them. Six letters for six students, all catching up on details that couldn't possibly fit into one letter, no matter how long those letters could get. But there was an extra letter amongst the usual six, one that wasn't mentioned in their communications. The seventh letter came from Rachel Berry, who was hesitant and nervous to share this bit of paper with the rest of her friends. After seeing a group of incoming first years laughing while their parents watched nearby made her think otherwise.

Rachel,

I don't know where to start. I guess I'll start with the fact that I charmed this letter to be indestructible so you can't get rid of it. I also charmed it to follow you around until you read it. You could probably say it was just as stubborn as I am. I want you to hear me out. I would speak to you in person but that would be hard since I can't speak to you in person, for one thing. I don't know where the hell you are. For another, I don't know how to talk to you. You always interrupt. And I don't want to see how hurt you look because it makes me feel so guilty.

I didn't mean to walk away from you that day under the tree. I was frustrated because you wouldn't let me get a word in. I was angry you thought I didn't care about you. I admit. I tried to move on from you this summer. My friends told me I could do better. But I know I can't. You're a challenge. You're always a challenge and I like that. Every day you get on my nerves and every day I enjoy it.

I didn't say anything and walked away because I realized how much I care about you and it scared me. My feelings scared me and I don't know why I reacted that way. I guess it was the first time I felt anything like I felt with you. When you thought I only cared about having sex with you it hurt. I hated that it hurt. That time I did. Now I wish I did things differently.

This is my fourth attempt in writing to you and I'm tired. I'm just going to wing it now. I need this to get to you before summer ends. I read it over and it looks like a mess. I know it does. But I say fuck it. This sounds so gay. No offense to your gay friends.

I just want to say I'm sorry and I want us to talk this over. I didn't mean for any of this to happen. I didn't mean to hurt you. I didn't mean to let the extent of my feelings scare me. I miss you, Rachel.

I'm coming back to Hogwarts for my seventh year, even though I planned on leaving this summer. I want to see you.

Sincerely,

Puck

"So... what do you think?" Rachel asked, looking at her friends when Reed finally finished reading the letter she got two days ago. She ran her teeth on her lip, watching them share looks across the table and over the ice cream. Sofie took the letter and placed a spoonful of ice cream into her mouth, rereading it. She tucked her black hair back behind her ear. It was cut short but she still held away her fringe since got in the way of her concentrated reading. Rachel looked to her other friends and made the observation. They all had new hair that year. She got a full fringe like Brittany's, who shrugged when they caught each other's eyes. She didn't know what to do either. Derek changed the colour of his hair to a jet black, a change from his usual brown. He was still looking into the distance, trying to figure out his answer. Reed's curls were shorter now while Kurt was coiffed to perfection. Both of them looked unsure of what was going on in their heads. Aside from their hair, there wasn't much of a different. The boys grew taller and so did Brittany. She and Sofie stayed the same height. Rachel could list more observations, from Kurt's new clothes to the unopened envelopes that contained their O.W.L.s. From the book that was still holding Derek's finger in between unread pages to Sofie's big beribboned headband and how it was a surprising shift in her wardrobe. But these observations weren't enough to stop Puck's letter coming up on repeat in her head. She couldn't take any more thinking. She couldn't take any more silence. "Well?"

"I'm surprised he got 'sincerely' spelled right." Kurt muttered and Rachel groaned in exasperation. "Alright, bloody hell. Calm down, we're getting to it." She turned to Sofie who reacted most strongly with their break up. Sofie pulled out the spoon and read the letter one more time. Rachel was expectant, whether good or bad, she'd do what her friends say since she couldn't trust a decision like this to herself. Mostly because she wanted to see him. She felt her heart flutter when she got the letter at first. Then when she read it, her skin vibrated with happiness she hadn't been expecting. This was a bad thing. Rachel still had strong feelings for Puck even though she shouldn't have. She tried and failed and now she sought her friends' help.

"You should talk to him, see what the bastard wants and then we'll decide." Sofie answered, placing the letter on a dry spot on the table.

"Wait…we?" Derek asked and everyone turned to him, noting the lower timbre of his voice. It made him a little self-conscious but he continued. "What do you mean 'we'?"

"It's simple. We follow Rachel to what Puck thinks to be a private conversation when in reality we are going to be there to judge him and help her decide whether or not he's going to be an asshole to her in the future." It sounded so simple like there weren't any difficulties involved. Difficulties like their obvious concealment, which Kurt pointed out. She chuckled. "Don't look so worried. The worst that could happen is Puck getting mad and shooing us away, which won't happen because we're still going to watch after that." Rachel stifled a giggle. No matter how hard she tried, a smile was on her face and she leaned her head on Sofie's shoulder. It was absurd but it was funny because she knew Sofie would do it and so would the rest of them. Sofie turned to her fellow Ravenclaw and gave him a wink. "Besides, practicing concealment charms and/or potions should be a thing now, am I right?"

Despite it being a serious matter, running away from his mother and the future she gave him, Reed nodded. Albeit still nervous but his mind was set after the summer of being constantly shown around Mum's new office. "You're right." Derek laughed and finally placed a bookmark in between the pages of his book, putting it back into his messenger bag. He could only imagine Reed on the run for a few moments before the image of his friend tripping on a pebble invaded his imagination. Reed nudged him, aware of where his thoughts were taking him.

"So," Rachel spoke up, "I'm going to talk to him…?"

Sofie nodded. "It wouldn't hurt. Give it a couple of weeks though – we need to practice hiding ourselves for when the time comes." Rachel took the letter and put it back into its envelope. She had to admit, the added clandestine observation from her friends made the whole thing more exciting. Like she was in a soap opera or a play full of deception.

"Thank you all. Means a lot that you're still going to help me with this." Rachel sighed, feeling a weight getting knocked off her chest.

"We've been stuck with you for – what? – five or six years, Rachel." Derek smirked. "I'm starting to think that we'd kill for each other."

"I would." Sofie chimed in, a grin on her face as she slipped another spoonful of ice cream into her mouth.

"Sometimes I wonder why we're friends." Kurt commented with an almost tired smile on his face.

"Because, even though you wouldn't admit it, you're crazy too." Derek ate the last bit of ice cream after fighting Brittany for it. He shuffled his letter into one of his coat pockets and tapped on the table. "Now, I think it's about time we get off our bums and get to buying our books!" He stood, Kurt following suit with his results in his hands. Sofie was the last one to push herself up and left a few sickles on the table.

"Thanks, Sven!" She called as the bowl and the spoons vanished. The boy at the counter waved vigorously, shouting "you're welcome" even though they hadn't gotten very far. Sofie waggled her fingers at him with a rather teasing smile and turned away with her hair flipping with her movement.

Reed rolled his eyes and nudged her after giving the serving boy a glance over his shoulder. "You know you really shouldn't give him hope like that."

"I think she should," Brittany said. "He gave us free chocolate syrup and Oreo bits."

"Oh that's what they're called." Sofie replied.

"Really?" Kurt called from up front. "She's been sending you those for years now. How can you not remember Oreo?"

"Clearly she isn't sending me enough." She winked at Brittany who countered with an air kiss. The two girls laughed and wrapped their arms around each other. The first, most obvious stop was Flourish and Blotts to get their new books for the school year. The place wasn't as crowded as they thought it would be, owing to the comfortably warm afternoon. Reed was the most relieved, he didn't want to experience books falling over him ever again. Still, Brittany followed Reed around to help him carry his books since he managed to pass all of his O.W.L.s and Brittany had only gotten four. She'd even considered dropping her Herbology class since she didn't have much motivation to continue it leaving her with the most free time among the bunch. Rachel had Derek trailing with her, also having passed all of her O.W.L.s. The two chattered on in a different section of the store, figuring out the pros and cons to continue their history class. (The fact that Professor Weadell was the teacher was the heaviest pro – the only pro.) Sofie and Kurt went another way, looking for a Charms book and talking about how they could learn about Muggle life more with Derek and Brittany than in a classroom with Professor Schue. They all added to the chatter that floated in the air, along with disciplinary shouts from parents and the tired dings of the registers after so many hours of work when summer began reaching its end.

Other students flocked right in, saying hello to familiar faces and walking the other way when seeing a face they'd much rather not have been familiar with. A girl sneered at Rachel and, by association, Derek. Rachel glared right back but was surprised not to be at the receiving end of another insult. Derek turned away during the exchange, feeling uncomfortable. He took their Defence Against the Dark Arts book and immediately blushed when he saw the smiling face on the other side.

"Hiya." Derek thought his face was going to rip apart the way his smile continued to stretch.

"Fancy seeing you here." Micah smiled, reaching over with a slightly awkward angle to touch Derek's cheek. "I like the new hair."

"Hi, Micah!" Rachel pressed in, taking out a copy of the same book from the shelf before Derek could reply. "Come over here, we need help carrying our books!"

Derek squeezed Micah's hand with a smile. "Yeah. We do."

A few shelves down, Reed heard the laugh he always heard when Micah thought Derek did something funny. It was infectious and he could already imagine the goofy grin his best friend hand on now that his ever loving boyfriend was in the flesh. He was about to ask Brittany to reach for the last copy of the Transfiguration book he couldn't quite reach when he turned and was greeted by a chest, hard, stumbling back. His Herbology and Potions books took the worst of the fall, he was suspended with one hand holding onto his arm and another around his waist.

"Sorry about that." Shane murmured as he slowly helped Reed to an upright position. His eyes were wide and it made Reed feel strange when he realized that Shane was staring.

"It's okay…?" The fall was, he was as clumsy as it got, but this whole holding him like one would hold a dance partner after a successful dip was not. As well as the look Shane was giving him.

"Reed?" Brittany peeked from the other side, having wandered off when she saw a Muggle born drag her parents from one shelf to another. Even though she thought she was a little dumpy and chunky, she reminded Brittany of herself. But she snapped herself out of it when she heard books fall. Her friend threw turned his head and he had some pink on his cheeks. She then noticed Shane's arm around Reed's waist, her eyebrows rose, making the two boys notice the arm as well. Shane jumped backward, almost hitting another person behind him. "Am I…intruding?"

"What? No!" Reed hurriedly picked up his books. "Sorry!" He told Shane and he believed he saw Shane's face crumble at his earlier denial. "I mean, you're not intruding. There was nothing to intrude. I bumped into – he caught me – and…" The more he spoke, the more awkward he felt. Reed clutched his books, murmuring a pathetic "thank you" to Shane and walked to a different line of shelves not waiting for Brittany.

Brittany decided Reed wouldn't be injured in the next minute so she turned to Shane, who shoved his hands into his pants, trying to look not tall at all. Brittany floated towards him and poked his stomach. When he looked up he was about as red as his house colours. "Fancy Reed?" Shane's jaw dropped and he started stammering an answer. "Don't try to deny it either! Even I could tell! You totally –"

"Shh!" Shane pressed a hand over Brittany's mouth.

"Shane?" Brittany hummed happily behind the hand and went on her tip toes to see her prefect, Blaine, standing at the mouth of two shelves. She waved her hand as a greeting. He waved back with a bemused look on his face. "Should I bother to ask…?"

Shane pulled his hand away and started to stammer again before heaving a long breath and said. "Reed." Shane's shoulders slumped down and he scratched his head. Blaine smiled with every need to comfort his brother bursting through.

"You tried, at least?" Blaine patted him on the shoulder and turned his attention to Brittany. "Hello, Britt."

"So you know about Shane's crush on Reed?" Brittany whispered to Blaine and Shane groaned. His brother smiled at his fellow Puff and nodded. "Well I don't know if Reed's gay but with Kurt being gay and Derek being gay we're just waiting for the shoe to fall really." She giggled then turned serious. "Not that gay can be caught."

Blaine chuckled. "We get it, Brittany."

"I don't blame you, really." Brittany said to Shane, walking over to wrap a friendly arm around his waist. "He's really pretty."

Shane tucked Brittany's head under his cheek and a short whine came from behind his mouth. "So pretty."

A peal of laughter interrupted Blaine's teasing. His attention went beyond Brittany's shoulder and he smiled wider. She turned, pulling apart from Shane and waved Kurt over. However, Kurt stood in the small lane between columns of shelves, forcing his eyes not to bulge and his cheeks not to blush. He wanted nothing more than to turn away and look for his History book. "Kurt!" Damn it, Brittany! "Blaine and Shane are here!" She giggled and only noted the hesitation for a moment before trudging over to say hello.

Kurt stepped back, a tight smile on his face followed by a small wiggle of his fingers. He looked up at the shelves in hopes that he could pretend that the book he was looking for wasn't here (Reed left the last Transfiguration book on the shelf which just the one he was looking for) and walk away. Although Kurt could engage with Blaine in any other time, this meeting swept him off his feet and made him land on his ass. All he could think about was what Sofie said that made him laugh ("Stupid bloody tiny legs. Kurt, give me your height. You don't need most of it. Not really. Right?") It was on repeat in his head and if Blaine asked him a question, he'd probably reiterate it. He was about to bolt when a hand went around his waist, surely enough, Sofie was at the end of that hand. "Hey!" She pushed Kurt forward with her. He reached behind him, maintaining the smile on his face, and dug his nails into Sofie's wrist. She retaliated, squeezing harder than he did. Kurt bit back an embarrassing yelp.

"Sofie, Captain Kurt." Blaine nodded to each of them with his special brand of gentlemanly charm. Kurt wanted to take him home and cook him dinner forever. "Trust you had a nice summer?"

"I've had better." Sofie answered, glancing at Kurt. She could tell he was nervous with the sudden appearance of who could be the love of his life and with a more enthused smile, she endeavoured to yap on until Kurt could get his bearings and flirt with this beautiful example of single, gay hotness. (He's a Nightingale, Hufflepuff Prefect, and Quidditch Captain. If Kurt doesn't bag him, I will.) "I can't wait to be seventeen and be free as a unicorn in the wild and get my apparition license."

Shane nodded, taking out his hands from his pockets, his smile turning more easy going. "Yes! I know how you feel. I just want to learn how to zip from one place to another and just lie on foreign ground." He smacked his brother's arm lightly. "Blaine doesn't take me anywhere fun."

"I took you to fun places!"

"Amsterdam." He pointed out.

"You know why we can't do that…yet." He glared though it didn't hold as much strength as it when Shane was shorter than him. Shane mouthed the words back mockingly.

"Don't worry, Shane. We can go together next year." Sofie winked and Shane laughed.

"Don't…" Blaine sighed, closing his eyes like he was wishing away a headache. "Don't encourage him."

Okay, deep breath. Speak. "The Tweedles encourage him enough." Kurt added, though calling them the Tweedles once again made him groan inwardly. He hadn't wanted to succumb to their crazy but there he was, calling them the Tweedles. He tried to remind himself that at least he wasn't calling Blaine "White Rabbit". Blaine chuckled and their eyes met, sharing a smile in the end.

"You say that like it's a bad thing, Kurt." Shane chose not to comment on the silent exchange. Sofie tried her best to distract Brittany from saying something that would make Kurt want to run away by making her get the Transfiguration book from the shelf. Shane grinned at the two girls and Sofie began creeping away, dragging Brittany along by the back of her shirt.

"It is, because I live with you for the most of the year." He countered with a quirk on an eyebrow.

Shane laughed and glanced at Sofie for an excuse to get them out of the way. "Shane, dearest Shane." The Ravenclaw mused with a little too much sweetness for it to seem real.

"Yes?" Shane replied, polite and already stepping away from Kurt and Blaine.

"Would you be a dear and help me get a Charms book that's way too high for me to reach?"

"Absolutely!" Shane, Sofie, and Brittany jogged away as soon as they were out of eyeshot, giggling all the way with the Charms section on the opposite direction.

Kurt wanted to turn them all into insects and put them in a jar and keep them that way forever. This was all so painfully obvious. Surely Blaine could already tell that he liked him but he prayed that Blaine couldn't hell how much he liked him. They were both quiet and it was killing Kurt. He didn't know if he wanted to run away or stay, he didn't know where he should look, he didn't know what to do except breathe. All conversation starters left him and apparently left Blaine too. Kurt figured he was mortified. Kurt wasn't Blaine's type and Blaine was going to have to shoot him down as gently as he could. Kurt was ready for that. If you're going to reject me, do it now before I run away and fret about it for days and days and days. Kurt thought.

Blaine spoke first, relieving Kurt of the silence that went on forever. "So… Wanna get some ice cream later?" Kurt gasped through his nose, biting down on his lips to keep them from smiling too widely. His heart gave one, hard thump against his chest and Kurt was sure it stopped afterwards. "You know, with your friends and…erm… We can talk more."

It was only when Kurt's heart decided to beat again that he replied. "Yes. I'd like that." Even though they already ate ice cream not too long ago.

"Great." Blaine moved forward and Kurt fought back the urge to lean down and pull him into a kiss. Blaine's hand wound around his arm and gave it a squeeze as he walked past. "We should check on your friends and my brother, who knows what they'll be up to."

Hi, so... almost two years and no update and I feel bad. But also, this is all I have for chapter six. It's been an interesting two years and I wasn't able to write it because college became a thing and then my first novel became a thing and I've just been so caught up with a million different things that I wasn't able to write Magic anymore. I'm sorry, for those of you who are honestly curious about what goes on in the sixth and seventh years of Derek, Reed, Kurt, Sofie, Rachel, and Brittany. I kept telling myself that since these chapters are more like one shots than anything (in fact, I probably should've just cut them up into bite sized chunks from the get go) I could get away with not posting anymore. Honestly? I've never really forgotten this story, I just haven't had time to write it. I have a note book that dates back to the last time I updated. I know what happens to everyone. I know what songs the Nightingales are going to sing. I know who takes over as captain when Kurt and Derek leave. I just haven't had the time. Also, I'm working on a second original novel so...there's that.

Maybe one day I'll write this. Maybe no one will care. But if you're interested drop by and leave me a message here and pick my brain for details of what happens next. I'll get back to you asap.

I hope you enjoyed 0.5% of chapter 6. It's all I've got to give you. I'm sorry again.

Love lots!