The next day, or better said, a few hours later, the members of the Court were having breakfast in the great hall. Some looking in a much better state than others.

Neville was eating a full English breakfast. An amused Fleur was pushing a cup of fragrant tea into his hand. Adrian was sitting still, with his face buried in his arms. If it was not for the occasional pained grunts that the boy emitted, one would think he was sleeping. An exasperated Justin fed Terrence some broth, trying to bring the boy back to life. As amused as Harry was with the situation, he had a very important question that needed to be answered.

"Where's Blaise?"

"Well... he was in his room this morning," Theo muttered, his ears turning a bright red as the boy covered his face.

"And he wasn't alone," Draco added, a sly grin plastered on his face.

"You're a voyeur," Daphne stated, scowling at the blond.

"Who's a voyeur?" Fred asked enthusiastically, plopping down beside Daphne while his brother sat near Terrence.

"Why are you so alive?" Adrian groaned, covering his head with his arms.

"Ah, I see that our little prank affected you," George said with unnecessary dramatics.

"Pray tell me why did you not warn any of us?" Daphne asked in a deceptively calm tone, smiling at the redheaded twins. Fred went stiff, looking at his brother in panic.

"We weren't planning to do it," George began explaining.

"But we went to the kitchen and there were all these bottles of firewhisky near the punch," his brother continued.

"So we decided to pour a little in it, for old time sakes. Actually, we were surprised the elves didn't kick us out."

"Those little devils ended up adding more firewhisky and even thanked us for the help!"

"We swear!" they exclaimed in unison after noticing the doubtful looks.

"Whatever, most students enjoyed it and there was no real harm done," Fleur said in a dismissive tone, taking advantage of Viktor's grogginess to steal his sandwich and helping herself to a large bite.

"That's mine," the boy in question complained, but did nothing in retaliation.

"Why are you so tired? You left the party early," Cedric told the boy.

"One in the morning is not exactly early... I wanted to sleep, but Lizzy gave me these books as a thank you present. They sounded interesting so I began reading one and couldn't stop myself," Viktor groaned, his eyes almost closing as he unsuccessfully tried to spear the food on his plate with his fork.

"Morning," Blaise grumbled, taking the closest available seat and filling his plate with enough food to feed two people.

"So what happened last night?" Draco asked, giving the newcomer a teasing smirk.

"The Yule Ball, obviously," was the boy's lackadaisical response between bites.

"Nothing you want to tell us?" Justin pressed, winking at him.

"Nah."

"I think you should get some hangover potion from the hospital wing," Luna suggested to the mischievous males.

"Why us? We aren't the ones who drank the punch."

"Because Luna says so," Hestia snapped at last.

"To be fair, I don't think Madam Pomfrey will question you about it," Flora said, looking at the many students who appeared to be in a similar state to her two wayward friends.

"And we don't want them throwing up on the train," Theo added.

"It's not my fault," Neville grumbled in an effort to defend himself. "I had no idea it was spiked. I was drugged against my consent."

"Just go," Harry told the boys. It would be better for them to calm down a little and give Blaise some space.

The rest of the breakfast was a tranquil affair. The two boys came back with the potion vials in no time, though they sported bright red faces and refused to talk about what the nurse did to them. At least in that way, Harry could enjoy the quiet conversations instead of the public spectacle.

As Harry was enjoying the carriage ride, he was once again hit by nostalgia. Not so long ago, he was a first-year student, new to the world of magic. Now, he had almost lost touch with the Muggle world. It was bizarre how easy it was to lose the perception of time when you lived day by day. One day you just realized five years went by and you changed so much, yet somehow, everything seems to be the same. He allowed a small smile to grace his lips; it was not normal for him to allow his thoughts to wander to a territory that he could not control.

He felt a warm paw on his cheek and looked at his lap, where the cat he found a while ago and almost adopted was looking at him as if he knew what he was thinking about. Harry only smiled at the cat and adjusted his position to protect his new friend from the unforgiving winter chill. It started purring and Harry allowed himself to relax. The carriage eventually stopped and they walked towards their usual compartment.

"Harry, can I talk with you?" Blaise whispered to him when the others were far enough.

"Of course."

"Not here though, in your house."

"Do you have time today, after we arrive? We can have dinner then."

"Yeah, I'd like that. Mum went on a trip with her new husband and I have to take a portkey to my grandparents’ house."

Harry smiled at the boy; he knew how much Blaise simultaneously loved and hated being at his grandparents' house.

"One day I have to meet them."

"Sure, Grandma will accuse you of being too skinny, so say goodbye to your lithe figure," Blaise joked, knowing Aunt Eleadora had the same obsession with feeding everyone until they reached what she considered a healthy figure.

"Fine by me, I'm eager to try real Italian cuisine."

"Grandma will love you; both of you have similar mindsets."

"Who doesn't love me? By the way, if you want to invite your grandparents sometime is fine by me. You know how my house has turned into the communal meeting point of the Court," Harry said with a sigh.

"True enough... Do I have to keep consuming the mandrake essence?"

"Yes, according to my mum, consuming mandrake essence while training to be animagi makes it easier to fuse your inner animal with your soul. Besides, it makes the process less painful."

"Okay, okay, I get that, but it tastes like troll dung."

"I wouldn't know, I've never tasted it," Harry teased his friend, being careful as they entered the last wagon. "In any case, we'll stop consuming it once the full transformation is no longer painful."

"At least we aren't that far off," Blaise muttered, pouting at the door of their compartment, closing it behind him.

"Well, less than half of us have really been able to do it."

"What are you talking about?" a curious Fleur asked.

"Becoming animagi, though some don't need it," Blaise said, glaring at the woman who had the gall to pinch his cheek.

"Not my fault that you were not trained," she retorted. "To be fair, it becomes more complicated as you grow older. Think about it like ballet, it is not as painful if you begin opening your joints when you are still young rather than when you have lost all your flexibility. Mama trained me since I can remember, though she touched more the spiritual aspect than the transformation itself. When you are not in tune with your inner animal, you simply lose the connection as time goes by."

"That's true. In many countries it's still a ritual that signals you've stopped being a child," Cedric explained, looking no less tired than he did during breakfast. It was obvious he enjoyed the ball a tad too much.

"Why would becoming animagi signal the end of your childhood?" Theo asked, joining in the conversation and taking a seat on the plush carpet.

"Well, that is because your soul settles, in a way of speaking," Fleur said after waiting for Cedric to answer, but the boy had apparently fallen sleep. "I am not really sure how to explain it," she muttered in an apologetic tone.

"Basically, that's it," Harry said when Theo looked at him, wondering if he was the communal walking encyclopaedia. "The first experiences are what shape a person. The first ten to twelve years of someone's life are definitive in settling what kind of people they will be and how they will behave. In theory, everyone should inherit one of their parents' inner animals, but it's not so simple. What you experience as a child changes your ties to the animal that represents you or captures your essence the most. There are also cases where people are born without a spiritual connection."

"That's fascinating, where did you read it?" Blaise almost demanded to know.

"My mum's journal. Honestly, that's all I know and everything she could gather about the subject. The North American Tribes is the country where all of this began, but since the colonizers invaded their land, they've become really reclusive. They only began accepting foreigners a few years ago and they have really strict policies."

"Not that anyone can blame them. I mean, they were killed by the millions in the name of civilization," Theo commented, frowning at the floor.

"That's what fear and ambition do," Fleur told him in a gentle tone. "They were people with different appearance and language, with perspectives and beliefs that still are far beyond the invaders' understanding. That is what happened all over the world and is still happening now."

"That's what we call human nature," Harry said, a sardonic smile on his face while he petted the purring cat.