Harry slurs, "Wait, your rabbit is a person?... Uh, how come you never... Said anything about it." he says apparently choking on his own burp.

Reima "Well, you're all still alive so that's good..."

Ciri snorts, "Really, you could be a little more enthusiastic that we survived... I almost died fighting three off last time remember?"

Reima "Er yeah... But look at the bright side? You're improving!"

...

Snuffles who'd hopped onto his seat slaps him in the face with her long ears before resting peacefully on his lap, apparently enjoying the nearby fire.

Hermione "I don't care much about the vampires... But what have you done to Harry!" she almost s.h.i.+eks as said person gives her a dopey smile.

Harry "Uh-ah, it's my only friend Hermioneeeee! Come here and sit on my lap, I'll catch you a biiig fisshh." he slurs, causing Hermione to glare harshly at Reima.

Reima shrugs, "We were bonding over some drinks, I may have encouraged him to drink more than he could handle... But look at it this way, he's finally blowing off steam.

Ciri "Hey, why have you never offered to take me fis.h.i.+ng?" she asks.

Reima "You're loud and annoying, definitely not fis.h.i.+ng material."

Ciri "I am not!" she starts to shout but quietens when she realises she's just proving his point.

"Though Geralt used to say the same thing..." she adds on with mirth.

Reima "You two look like you've been through h.e.l.l, why not sit back with us, have a couple drinks and eat some fish." he says, gesturing to some chairs that'd somehow materialised next to he and Harry.

The sky was still bright as they still had a few hours of sunlight as Reima wanted to make the most of it before they had to continue the constant training they'd been subjecting themselves to.

Ciri glances at Hermione and shrugs, before s.n.a.t.c.hing a bottle of whisky from the table and plopping herself down in the comfortable chair next to Reima. After popping the top off with her thumb she takes a big swig of whisky and almost cough's after she's done.

Ciri "That's-some strong stuff..." she says while Reima chuckles.

Hermione "Ciri, Harry! You shouldn't be drinking on school grounds!"

Ciri "Come on Herm's I told you before, you've gotta stop being such a prude."

Eventually Hermiones relents and sits next to Harry, still refusing to drink but more than happy to use the techniques her father had taught her to fish.

Hermione "So... What's with the rabbit?" she asks while casting her line.

Reima strokes Snuffles furry head and ears, "What about her?"

Hermione "I'm not stupid enough to believe you simply have a young girl as a familiar for no reason."

Reima shakes his head, "It's personal, and also up to Snuffles whether or not she wants to tell you. Don't push it or you might get bitten by this terrifying beast!" he says, raising the lazy looking rabbit up. Seeing he's not having the affect he wanted he shakes her slightly causing the Rabbit to glare at Hermione and causing Harry to start laughing uproariously.

The group spend the rest of the day drinking, fis.h.i.+ng and eating. They weren't stopped by anyone as even when Hagrid came over to see what the smoke was all about Reima offered him a chair and a drink... The man simply couldn't refuse and drank the day away with the teens, telling stories of the various creatures he'd encountered in the forbidden forest.

The next day after Reima and Ciri's morning run they find Hermione at breakfast, along with a horrible looking Harry who's got a pile of greasy food stacked in-front of him.

Reima "Sup Harry, first hangover?" he asks with a smug smile.

Harry "I am never drinking again!" he says while chewing some fried bread.

Ciri chuckles, "That's what they all say."

They continue to joke until the fluttering of wings signals the entrance of the mail owls, they glide in, dropping various packages, two even landing in Harry's heap of food, causing him to curse everything that's holy. Hermione shakes the package clean of ketchup and opens it, causing her brows to furrow.

Ciri "Prophet?"

Hermione nods, "Prophet.", she then shows Ciri the front cover which has a moving picture of Ciri breathing heavily on the floor, covered in blood and ashes while her still flaming sword rest in the ground next to her. She reads the t.i.tle aloud for the group to hear, "Ciri Rivia saves the day again!"

...

Reima "It's like the media are all Bipolar, one minute your having a scandalous relations.h.i.+p with the national hero and the next? You're saving them all.

Harry nods along, "I know the feeling, just get used to it and ignore them."

She continues to read the article that tells the heroic story of how she fended off fifty vampires alone with just her sword and staff, that she was about to finally be cut down when the Auror's arrived and saved her.

Hermione "But none of that is true..." she says slowly.

Reima "It's true for the public now, which basically makes it a fact." he says while shrugging.

Ciri "What a sad state for journalism to fall to." she says.

Reima chuckles, "I don't know what you're talking about, I vaguely remember something about Cintra executing prisoners?" this causes Ciri to purse her lips, not being able to retort.

Hermione looks at them confused, Cintra?