Chapter 6 Young Wizards and Witches Magic Camp
The kids arrived Sunday evening on the Hogwarts Express, and they were a rowdy bunch. There weren’t as many of them as there were Hogwarts students, but what they lacked in numbers they made up for in sheer energy. Getting them up to the castle required quite a few carriages. Harry wondered what jokes the thestrals had played on their favorite house elf. In the great hall the kids were sorted into houses. These kids, aged seven through ten, were sorted by lottery because that was faster than the hat.
After dinner Harry and Katie took the children that were assigned to them up to Gryffindor tower and tried to get them settled in their rooms. The kids were terrible. It was an hour after their bedtime before Harry and Katie got them quiet in their rooms.
Harry wanted to go to bed, but he hadn't read any of the spell books he had from the library. He had vowed to do some research each night until he found the nature of the mysterious power he was supposed to have that would allow him to defeat Lord Voldemort, but the common room looked like a storm had hit it. He was worried about a particular house elf being overworked so he spent a half an hour picking up trash and straightening up.
Harry was very tired when he finally got to the spell books. He chose one randomly, and began looking through it, but he didn't know what he was looking for. He soon gave up on research and went up to his room.
As he was straightening his trunk Harry found an unmatched sock. He was about to throw it away when he remembered how one sock had changed Dobby's life. Hermione had said that she was his slave. If she loved him, it would get her killed. He knew that he loved her. He had to let her go.
He addressed an envelope: To the house elf named Hermione and he put the sock in it. Then he sat down in a comfortable chair to wait.
He dozed fitfully. Around 2 AM he heard movement and he woke up. Dobby was cleaning the room.
"Harry Potter!" Dobby greeted him cheerfully. "Dobby is happy to see you back at Hogwarts. But Dobby is surprised to see Harry Potter sleeping in a chair when he has his own room and five beds to choose from."
"Hello Dobby," said Harry a bit groggily. "How have you been? Is Old George treating you alright?"
"Dobby is very happy working at Hogwarts," he said smiling from ear to pointy ear. "And Dobby is surprised that the Great Harry Potter knows the names of house elves."
"I know the names of only four," Harry admitted, "you, Old George, Winky, and one more. She's new here and she has a lot of brown hair."
"Harry Potter is amazing!" exclaimed Dobby. "No one is to know of this new house elf. Dumbledore makes us all swear to keep her secret."
"I want you to give this to her," he said, quickly handing Dobby the envelope, before he could change his mind. "Tomorrow night, when you clean the tower, wake me up. I want you to talk to me again," Harry instructed as he turned to go up to his room.
"Good night, Harry Potter," said Dobby. "Dobby will do as Dobby is told."
A very few short hours later the sun began to peak over the horizon. Harry was in a deep sleep when he was jolted awake by the loud crowing of a rooster that was perched on a windowsill close to his bed.
"Go away," he said to the rooster.
"Get up lazy bones!" said the rooster, "it's time for quidditch practice."
Harry reluctantly crawled out of bed. He pulled on shorts, a T-shirt and his trainers and he stuck his wand in his sock. Then he got on his Firebolt and shot through the window towards the quidditch pitch.
Madam Hooch was waiting for them. They spent about half an hour doing stretches, jumping jacks, sit ups, push ups, and chin ups on their suspended brooms. Then they broke up into groups to practice their quidditch skills. Michael and Ernie practiced knocking bludgers through moving hoops. Cho went chasing after the snitch. Every time she caught it Madam Hooch would let it go again. Harry, Katie and Cindy practiced passing the quaffle and attempting to score goals while Draco defended the three rings.
After breakfast the activities began.
In first aid class, Harry and Pansy set up practice dummies and did what Madam Pomfrey told them to do. Children can't do magical healing, so this course was about techniques that even Muggles can use to keep an accident victim alive until help arrives.
In sports and games class, Harry and Cindy got more exercise than the kids.
After lunch, Harry worked with Cho for both flying class and self-defense. The kids in flying class kept falling off their brooms. Harry and Cho both got practice catching them. Self-defense class was really just setting off some charms that had been pre-loaded into the bamboo wands and talking about the situations where they might be helpful to their families. Harry enjoyed working with Cho, and she said he was great with children.
At four o'clock the kids got some free time to play games and visit in their house common rooms. The student instructors’ job was to keep them from burning down the castle with the fires started by their exploding snap cards.
After dinner there was some planned activity. On Monday evening it was a hike around the lake looking at plants with Professor Sprout. Harry and Cho had to spend more than an hour in Professor Flintwick's classroom reloading the bamboo wands with spells.
"It's been a charming evening," Harry quipped.
"You should be punished for that remark," replied Cho.
The kids then had free time in the common room until it was bedtime. Harry made them tidy up the common room before going to their beds.
Harry practiced wandless summoning and read a few spells before going to bed. He didn't learn a thing that would help him in a fight against Lord Voldemort and he felt like his research was very haphazard.
He stretched out on his bed. It was a warm evening and he was grateful for the breeze that came through the window. He wondered if Hermione had trouble sleeping all curled up in a stuffy cupboard.
Sometime in the middle of the night he was prodded awake by Dobby.
"Hi Dobby," Harry said as he reached for his glasses.
"Harry Potter said that he wanted to talk to Dobby," Dobby reminded him.
"Yes, did you give the envelope to Hermione?" Harry asked him.
"Yes, Harry Potter, Dobby gave it to Miss Hermione," the elf said grimly. "That envelope had a sock in it."
"What did she do when she got it?" Harry asked.
"Harry Potter made the new house elf cry," accused Dobby. "Why does Harry Potter want to sack Miss Hermione."
"Dobby, you of all of the house elves must understand that there is a difference between being sacked and being set free," rationalized Harry.
"Dobby understands. If you wants to be free, you is being set free. But if you wants to stay, you is being sacked,” Dobby said. “Miss Hermione does not want Harry Potter to sack her."
"She'll get over me," Harry said without conviction.
"Miss Hermione cried when she saw the sock," Dobby said sadly. “But then she saw the words that was written on the sock,” he reported. “She says that the words on the sock say that Harry Potter is not sacking her after all,” Dobby said brightly. “And she cries again. Harry Potter should not make Miss Hermione cry," Dobby stated firmly. "She is a good house elf, she works hard, she does not complain, she is learning."
"Wait…what did you say?” Harry asked. “You said that there were words on the sock that said I wasn't setting her free? What were the words?"
"Oh Harry Potter," Dobby laughed, "Dobby doesn't know what the words are. Dobby is a house elf and house elves don't read words. But Miss Hermione reads words," said Dobby positively. "She says the words on the sock make her happy. She uses the sock to tie up her hair so all of the house elves can see the words. Miss Hermione wants everybody to see that Harry Potter is not sacking her, even if house elves can't read the words. She has a lot of hair. It gets in the way, but she doesn't want Old George to cut it off. The sock is useful to tie up her hair."
"Words on the sock?" Harry wondered aloud.
He pulled out a pair of his socks and looked at them. He found the words.
Property of Harry Potter
“She wears this in her hair, so everyone can see the words,” Harry said to himself.
He had sent a mixed message. She could interpret it any way she wanted to, and she wanted to be Harry's.
Tuesday went a lot like Monday, except after dinner the kids had a scavenger hunt.
That evening Harry was reading a book of spells when he realized that it looked familiar. He had looked through this book on Thursday or Friday night. It contained no spells or powers that Lord Voldemort could not master. He hadn't made any notes or marked it. His research skills were terrible. He was reading in circles. If he kept this up, the whole summer would go by without finding a clue about how to defeat Voldemort. He wasn't organized enough to avoid repeated searches of the same books. Harry decided that he needed a research assistant.
Wednesday morning during jumping jacks with the quidditch team, Harry noticed that Cindy Chambers wasn't wearing a bra under her T-shirt. Cindy was… well… she was stacked. Katie and Cho weren’t wearing bras either. Harry began to feel a bit of pressure in his shorts. Then he noticed that the naughty girls were watching him and grinning. Madam Hooch made them do extra jumping jacks too. Harry thought they were all being silly because he was famous.
Harry had a few minutes between breakfast and First Aid class to hurry up to Dumbledore's office. He had no clue what the password was, but he rattled off every type of candy he could think of. The door opened and Harry still wasn't sure about the password. Was it Pumpkin Pasties or Mars Bars?
"Good Morning Harry," said Dumbledore cheerfully. "What can I do for you?"
“I need to study spell books to learn more about the power the Dark Lord knows nothing about,” Harry explained. “There are so many books. I’m getting nowhere. I need a research assistant.”
"And what do you want me to do?" asked Dumbledore, "Madam Pince is busy with YWWMC classes."
"Assign a house elf to the project," Harry suggested.
"House elves do not read or write," Dumbledore countered warily.
"One of them does," Harry stated bluntly, "and I need her help."
"Harry, it seems that the surest way of telling you something is to try to keep it a secret," Dumbledore said as he shook his head. "Miss Granger's mission is important, and I don't want you to interfere."
"What do you mean, her mission?" asked Harry bitterly. "She's dressed in rags and she's cleaning stables and scrubbing floors! How is that important?"
"Harry," Dumbledore began, "as you know, I sent Hagrid to contact the giants."
"What's Hagrid got to do with making Hermione work like a slave?" Harry spat.
"Hermione’s mission is very much like Hagrid’s,” Dumbledore explained patiently.
“There are only a few giants left and they live far away, but we can't afford to ignore what they think. I sent Hagrid to contact the giants because he was interested in the job. The house elf problem is similar but more important," he continued. "There are more than ten thousand house elves living right here in Britain. They share our homes, fix our meals and tend our children. We take their loyalty for granted at our own peril. You, of all people, know they can be treacherous. We don't know what they really think. We have ignored their opinions for generations. We don't even take note of elf family structure. To us they are like pets,” Dumbledore said shaking his head sadly. “Miss Granger cares more about the well being of house elves than any other witch in a century. She wants to learn what they are thinking, what they really want, and I want her to succeed. It may be much more important than a few giants. It may be more important than a hundred dementors."
"She's frustrated," Harry countered. "The elves don't talk to her, they're angry at her. They don't trust her. She's surrounded by them and yet she's alone."
"Diplomacy can be a difficult undertaking," Dumbledore said. "First, she must win their confidence. They may not understand her actions, particularly the hats. But they will understand her heart. I have faith in her."
He continued, "We have more than one hundred house elves here. They have family and friends all over Britain. Some elves work for good wizard families, some work for dark wizards. Some clean houses, others tend orchards and farms. Some work in mines and factories. Some select and polish the twigs used to make high performance brooms." Dumbledore said meaningfully. "When Miss Granger gains the trust of the house elves of Hogwarts, she will become a powerful ambassador and a source of information to us."
"But I need her help," Harry persisted. "Just let her work for me for two hours a day. We can keep it secret. She can work in my room while I'm teaching classes. I'll give her my invisibility cloak. Her research skills are so much better than mine and my mission is important too."
"But Harry," Dumbledore said softly, "she is working so hard now."
"Give her a break! Let her read," Harry pleaded. "You can't ask Hermione Granger to go seven weeks without books. She'll crack under the strain."
"Very well," Dumbledore sighed. "You may have her read for you for two hours each afternoon, while you are in classes. Take this card to the head house elf and explain to him that she is to be assigned to work for you for two hours each day."
Dumbledore handed Harry a chocolate frog card with Dumbledore's picture on it.
"One more thing, Harry," Dumbledore said before Harry could leave his office. "Happy Birthday"
Harry smiled and said, “thanks.”
The last few days had been so full of activity that he hadn't paid any attention to the date.
He left Dumbledore's office and hurried to the hospital wing. He had missed part of first aid class and Madam Pomfrey was angry at him, but he really didn’t care.
At sports and games class Harry noticed that Cindy's bra was back. Was that because there were children around, or because she wasn't with Cho and Katie, or because the instructor was Professor McGonagall instead of Madam Hooch?
When sports and games ended the kids headed up to the castle for lunch. Harry went left at the base of the big marble staircase and took a flight of stone steps down to a brightly lit corridor that was lined with paintings of food. He tickled a green pear in one of the paintings and opened a hidden door that led to the kitchen.
Dozens of house elves were bustling about getting food loaded onto the four enchanted tables so it could be transported up to the great hall. It was noisy and mid-summer hot in the kitchen. Most of the elves were naked from the waist up. He saw Hermione over by the sinks washing pots, her back was turned to him but he saw that she wore nothing above her waist but the sock that tied back her hair. Dobby and a half dozen house elves quickly surrounded him and pushed him behind a stone pillar.
"Harry Potter!" Dobby said in an excited whisper, "we are happy to see you in our kitchen! But young wizards are not supposed to be looking at young witches that're naked like house elves. What does Harry Potter want here?"
"I've come to talk to Old George," Harry said.
"Dobby will take you to his pantry, follow me," Dobby said quietly.
As they walked through the kitchen, Harry glanced over in Hermione's direction. He was rewarded with a firm push from the elves that surrounded him. She had not noticed him.
He arrived at a large pantry that was full of dry goods and had a small desk in the middle of the room. An old looking elf was drawing a picture of a sack of potatoes and putting tick marks next to his picture. He appeared to be preparing a wordless grocery list. Harry supposed that this was Old George. The old elf was engrossed in his work and didn't look up until Harry slid the chocolate frog card picture of Dumbledore in front of him. He startled, and quickly looked up at Harry. Then he rapidly recovered his composure and stood up looking Harry in the eye.
"Tis Harry Potter, come to see Old George," he cackled. "What does Harry Potter want of Old George? Does Harry Potter think that all house elves should wear kneepads when scrubbing floors now? Or should all house elves just wear words saying they is Property of Harry Potter?"
"I'm not here about kneepads," Harry said sternly, "but yes all house elves should wear them when scrubbing floors. You have a house elf called Hermione who can read and write. She understands libraries and research and I have need of her skills. Dumbledore has assigned her to assist me for two hours each afternoon. Send her to my room at one o'clock."
"Alright Harry Potter, you doesn't has to hex me. Old George does as Dumbledore says," the old elf said defensively. "Does you wants her with or without her tea towels?"
Harry didn't bother to answer that smart mouthed question. As he walked back through the kitchen he heard George call out over the noise.
"Miss Hermione! Old George has a new job for you."
Hermione put down the pot she was scrubbing and turned around to walk towards George's pantry. She didn't seem to notice Harry.
Harry went up to the great hall to get some lunch. The rest of the student instructors were nearly done eating. Harry took an empty seat next to Ernie MacMillan, and grabbed a plate of meat, potatoes and carrots.
"So Harry," Ernie asked him quietly, "what were the girls up to this morning?"
"They sure were in a teasing mood,” Harry said. “They must have conspired."
"It worked for me," Ernie said. "If they do that on Saturday, we might have a chance against the Cannons."
Harry wolfed down lunch and dashed up to his room. He got out the spell books and some parchment and a quill. At one o'clock the door of his room opened and Hermione came in. She had her tea towels on.
"Did you summon me, oh great one?" she asked sarcastically.
"Hi Hermione," he started awkwardly. "I'm sorry that I made you cry with the sock thing. I didn't know if it was the right thing to do. Everyone who has ever really loved me has been killed by Voldemort,” he said. “I don't want you to get hurt. I love you. I don’t want you to feel trapped."
"It's alright Harry," she said. "I don’t expect this to be easy and I don't want you to feel trapped either. Now why am I here?"
"I need your help Hermione," he explained. "I need to find out the nature of the mysterious power that I have that I can use to defeat Lord Voldemort. I need help organizing this search. Your research skills are so much better than mine. I want you to spend two hours a day going through spell books. You can read whatever you think would be helpful. You can read the Daily Prophet if you think the war news would tell us something about Voldemort or his army. If you get tired you can stretch out on my bed. I've got to get to flying class. Write me a report about what you learn."
He reached for his Firebolt and stepped towards the window. Then he stopped and smiled at her.
"I thought you might like a break from physical labor and a chance to read," he said.
"Thanks Harry, I'll be happy to help you," she said smiling back at him.
Harry turned and mounted his broom
.
"Harry, one more thing," she called. "May I use your bathtub?"
"I think that would be a very good idea," he said as he flew out the window.
When Harry arrived at the Quidditch pitch, Cho announced that he was late. He excused himself by saying he had to wipe some fingerprints off his Firebolt. Cho just rolled her eyes and gave him the day's instructions.
"The kids are supposed to mount their brooms, kick off, fly through that hoop and land on that big X over there," explained Cho. "They will take turns, one at a time. One of us will have to stay with the class to make sure they stay on the ground. The other one of us will have to follow the flying kid and catch him if he falls off his broom."
And fall off their brooms they did. But Harry and Cho made sure that none of them got hurt. Harry got the idea that some of the boys were falling off on purpose so they could get Cho's attention.
Between flying class and self-defense class Harry zoomed up to his room to drop off his Firebolt. Hermione was sprawled out on his bed. She was much cleaner than she had been earlier. She pointed to several books at the foot of the bed.
"I didn't find anything useful in those books so you can take them back to the library tonight,” she reported. “There might be a few spells in them that we will need later, but not now."
In just over an hour she had accomplished more than Harry had in five evenings.
"I'm making a list of various types of spells and domains of magical power," she explained. "I'll try to learn about Lord Voldemort's powers and we can begin to eliminate those fields of magic where he is proficient. I've got a list of books I want you to check out tonight."
Harry thought she was amazing, and she looked really nice spread out on his bed in a tea towel bikini.
"You're doing a great job, thanks," he said. "I've got to get to self-defense class. I don't want Cho to get suspicious."
"Oh Harry, wait!" she said suddenly. "Before you go, there's one more thing."
She hopped up from his bed and came across the room to him.
"Happy Birthday Harry," she said sweetly.
She wrapped her slender arms around him and held him tight and kissed him passionately. Harry held her close and ran a hand up and down her naked back. It was the best birthday he could remember.
That evening after supper, while the kids were rowing boats in the lake, Harry worked on loading charms into the bamboo wands as fast as he could.
“My, you’re efficient,” Cho complimented him. “But what’s the hurry?
"I've got to get to the library before the kids finish boating and come in for their free time," Harry said truthfully.
"You’re going to the library!" Cho exclaimed. "Are you studying during the summer?"
"Yes I am," Harry admitted. "Voldemort's in the open now. I've got to be prepared."
"Oh Harry," Cho sighed, looking into his eyes. "You're so intense. It's romantic."
"I ah… ," stammered Harry, "I thought that you and Michael Corner were going out."
"Michael and I are good friends," she said, "just like you and me."
Harry dashed up to his room and grabbed the books he needed to take back to the library. Then he dashed down to the library to check out the books that Hermione wanted. Madam Pince asked what he was up to, so he told her he was working on a plan to destroy Lord Voldemort once and for all. He didn't think that she believed him.
That evening the common room was a madhouse. By the time Katie and Harry had gotten the kids to bed their nerves were severely frayed. Harry slumped down into a chair exhausted. Katie came over to him and began to give him a shoulder massage without being asked to do so. It felt so good and he was so tired, he just let her rub his aching muscles for a few minutes.
Harry thanked Katie and went up to his room. He spent a few minutes reading through Hermione's notes. Then he spent a few minutes practicing the Luke Skywalker trick. He could get his wand to jump through the air and into his hand up to a distance of two feet now. He started to read the table of contents of one of the spell books that Hermione had recommended, but he fell asleep before he got very far.
Thursday was as busy as Wednesday, but at least Harry had had an uninterrupted night of sleep. Katie took it upon herself to personally coach Harry on some of the finer points of being a chaser. She got real close to him when she demonstrated the proper way to wrap his legs around the broom for a corkscrew pass. Cindy Chambers confided in him that sports and games was her favorite class. Cho seemed to be sitting next to him at every meal, and she smiled a lot during their classes together.
Harry knew he wouldn't have much time with Hermione, so he finished lunch quickly and went up to his room to write her a note about the business of spell research. He wanted to save their limited face to face time for more important things. When he did see her during the break between flying class and self-defense class she was hard at work. He ran his fingers through her long hair and massaged her shoulders and neck for a minute as she finished up a chart she was working on.
"Hermione, I have another problem and I really need your brain," he said desperately. "How do I get a room full of rowdy kids to settle down in the evenings? They're driving me nuts."
"It's too bad they're not Muggles," she said. "If they were Muggles you could pop them in front of a TV set, put on a Disney movie, and relax."
She thought for a few seconds and then said, "Maybe you could read to them. Ask Madam Pince to help you find some age appropriate story books. Oh and Harry dear, when you're in the library tonight could you get me a couple of recipe books. I get to help with the cooking next week." She smiled at him and gave him a quick kiss.
Harry made his usual run to the library as soon as the bamboo wands were loaded. Cho looked very disappointed when he left so fast.
Madam Pince found a series of children's books about the heroic deeds of Young Godric Gryffindor for Harry.
Harry was about to leave the library so he could get back to Gryffindor tower before the kids came in, when Cho entered. She approached him, smiling, and asked if he had found anything good to read. She was impressed by the two high level spell books he had checked out and surprised by the cookbooks.
"Oh Harry, are you going to be one of those sensitive guys that rescues girls from dragons during the day and cooks gourmet meals in the evenings?" she asked breathily.
But it was the children's books that really caught her attention.
"Read to the kids? Oh Harry, that's brilliant! They’re such rowdy little brats."
Madam Pince found a book about the clever deeds of the beautiful young Rowena Ravenclaw for her.
That night Harry read to the kids and they did settle down easier. Harry was able to spend more time reviewing Hermione's progress and doing a bit of research himself.
Hermione had ruled out the dark arts. There would be no necromancy or demonology for Harry. Voldemort knew a lot about that sort of magic. She was also opposed to rites involving Blood and Human Sacrifice, but she admitted they might have to do some reading in those areas in order to understand Voldemort. Neutral domains of magic like transfigurations, charms and numerology probably wouldn’t work either. Voldemort or some Death Eater could be an expert in those areas. Her idea was that Harry needed to learn more about Love-based magic, but she didn't have any specific suggestions for spells to learn.
Harry thought that her search for a Love-based, offensive weapon, killing type of spell didn't seem too promising.
On Friday when Harry flew into his room after flying class to put away his Firebolt, he didn't see Hermonie, so he called out to her. She called back from the bathroom.
"I'm in here Harry," she called sweetly. "I died and went to heaven."
He peeked into the bathroom. Her tea towels were hanging on a hook. She was in his bath tub. A book was suspended in the air above her.
"I'm reading about Love-based spells while lounging in a warm bath," she sighed.
"And how is this going to help me in combat?" Harry asked.
"For one, I'm sure Lord Voldemort knows nothing about this branch of magic. And there is this collection of spells known as Sympathetic Magic. It can be very powerful," she explained, "but I need a different book."
She abruptly closed the book she was reading and levitated it over to the washstand.
Then she stood up.
"Toss me a towel please, Harry," she asked sweetly.
Harry froze and stared at her body. She was thin, her tummy was so flat, her breasts were firm, her thighs so long and slender, her long hair cascading over her shoulders.
"Harry," she said in exasperation, pointing her wand at a towel. "Accio towel"
"Honestly, you look like you did when those Veelas were dancing at the Quidditch cup."
Harry tried to snap out of it as she wrapped the towel around herself.
"I'm sorry to do that to you Harry," she said. "I've been a House Elf for three weeks, and I've become a bit casual about nudity."
"Casual!" Harry exclaimed, "You're flirting with me."
"Guilty as charged," she sighed. "And I only get a few minutes a day to do it. How'd I do today?"
"You never do anything halfway, do you Hermione?" he observed.
"Not like those girls at quidditch practice, huh?" she said.
"I've got to get to class," Harry said, leaving quickly.
That evening the Chudley Cannons arrived at Hogwarts. Harry got a poster autographed by the whole team to give to Ron.
Saturday morning they had the final activities. Parents arrived on the Hogwarts express about noon and there was a big feast in the great hall as the children were reunited with their families. Harry was probably the only person in the whole room who was concerned about the extra work it meant for house elves.
That afternoon the Chudley Cannons soundly defeated the Hogwarts all stars. It wasn't all bad, the final score was only 270 “ 80. The star of the Hogwarts team was Draco Malfoy, who made a lot of spectacular saves. Unfortunately there were an awful lot of shots on goal by the Cannons. Harry managed to score two goals and made a great pass to Katie. Katie and Cindy each scored three goals. Cho almost got the snitch, she was certainly no coward. Fortunately Madam Pomfrey could fix broken bones in a snap.
For Harry, the worst part of the defeat was that it took all of Saturday afternoon and he had no chance to see Hermione.
That evening, things calmed down at Hogwarts. The kids, their families and the Chudley Cannons left on the Hogwarts express. The student instructors had a party in the Hufflepuff common room. It didn't last long. They were all tired.
Sunday afternoon the second batch of kids arrived. They were worse than the first batch. Harry was so glad that Godric Gryffindor had done brave deeds when he was young. It didn't matter to Harry if the stories weren't historically accurate, as long as the brats quieted down.
Harry got to the library at his usual time after loading the bamboo wands. He didn't have much time before the kids came in from their walk around the lake, so he went directly to Madam Pince and requested the book Hermione wanted. It was called The Complete Guide to Sympathetic Magic by Amours and Lovelynn. Madam Pince told Harry that this book was in the most restricted section of the library. No one looked at books from that room without permission from the headmaster. Harry started to leave. He would have to ask Dumbledore about the book in the morning. But Madam Pince called him back.
"Harry," she whispered to him, "Professor Dumbledore has selected some books from the most restricted section for you to look at. He didn't mention that one, but maybe it slipped his mind."
She led Harry through a locked door and into a small room with a few shelves of old books. She took down a large purple book and sat it on the table.
"The names of people with permission to read this book are listed on the back," she explained.
Harry saw no list on the back of the book until she tapped it with her wand and said, "relevatio nomens."
"This copy has been in the Hogwarts library for four centuries," she said reverently. In that time it has been used less than fifty times. No one has used this book in seventeen years. I remember the last couple who checked it out.” she said wistfully. “They were Hogwarts alumni. No students have been permission to use this book since the goblin wars of the 1600s."
She moved her finger to the bottom of the list.
"I don't see your name." she stated. "You may not use this book. You are too young for this magic anyway."
The last names on the list were: Lily and James Potter.
Madam Pince put away the large purple book. Then she handed a heavy bag to Harry
.
"This bag is magically sealed," she explained. "Only Dumbledore, you and I can open it. Dumbledore has marked specific pages for you to read. These books may tell you something about the nature of You-Know-Who."
"This is dark magic, Harry," she warned. "Keep these books locked in your trunk when you are not reading them. Let no one see them. Tell no one about them.”
"And Harry, don't try to read it all at once," she cautioned. "Take it in small doses. Take frequent breaks to walk in the sunshine and visit with your friends."
Harry took the ominous books up to his room. He would have to examine them later to see what they were about. But he was sure that Hermione was onto something. Perhaps the purple book held the secret to the spell that saved Harry's life from Voldemort the night his parents were murdered.
The second week of YWWMC went a bit smoother than the first. The kids seemed to enjoy being read to in the evenings and it certainly helped to settle them down. Cho and Harry worked together very well, which was a good thing because they spent so much time together. Both he and Cho were getting very good at doing charms and catching falling children. Michael Corner was openly jealous of the growing relationship between Harry and Cho. Were it not for all of the attention Harry was getting from Katie and Cindy, people might have thought that Harry and Cho were an item.
Harry was always the first instructor to finish lunch. He had to dash up to his room to write a note to Hermione. Cho was under the illusion that he spent way too much quality time with his Firebolt. The best part of Harry's day was the few minutes he had between flying class and self-defense class. Under the pretext of putting away his precious Firebolt, he got to see Hermione.
She was making much more progress on spell research than Harry could have possibly done. Harry mainly just read her reports, made a few comments, and did the hauling of books to and from the library. She seemed to be obsessed with Sympathetic Magic, and was frustrated that she couldn't get her hands on the purple book.
"These spells are powerful Harry," Hermione explained. "They allow two spell casters to cooperate and combine their strengths. One can cast a shield spell for the both of them, while the other casts an offensive spell. Or one could cast an offensive spell, like a disarming charm, while the other just channels strength and power. It would be suicide to face Lord Voldemort alone."
"Two wizards could gang up against one. That does sound useful," Harry concluded.
"Well," Hermione said doubtfully, "I suppose it could work that way. But that would be very unusual."
"But you said two spell casters could cooperate with each other and combine their powers," Harry said, clearly confused.
"Yes, but," she said delicately, "it's usually a wizard and a witch."
"I see," Harry said, suddenly connecting the dots. "But I don't want you to go into combat with me," he concluded firmly.
Hermione sighed in frustration. "Harry you had better run off to class now, I'll see what I can find in the other books."
On Thursday afternoon Harry caught Hermione crying. She had been reading a large book with a plain brown cover, one of the restricted books that Dumbledore had provided. When he flew into the room on his broom, she slammed the book shut and locked it. She backed away from the book clutching the key.
"Oh Harry," she sobbed, "please, don't read that book. Don't even look at it. It's not for you. This is not the way."
Harry looked at the book. There was no title on the cover, no indication what it was about. He took a step towards Hermione and held out his hand. She clutched the key to her breasts and tried to back away but she bumped into Harry's bed.
"No Harry, no," she whimpered.
Harry's hand was about four feet from the key.
"Accio key!" he chanted.
The key jumped into his hand.
Hermione gasped.
Harry opened the brown book to the title page.
"Please no Harry," she sobbed, "you're a good person. Don't…"
The title of the book was: "Human Sacrificial Rites and Spells".
Harry was stunned. Dumbledore wanted him to see this book? Specific pages were marked. Harry closed the book and tossed the key back to Hermione.
"Have you been reading about these dark rites and spells for an hour?" he asked her.
"Yes," she said trembling. She seemed to calm down, now that she had the key back.
"This book may be just background information about Lord Voldemort," Harry reasoned. "It’s so we’ll know what we're up against. Dumbledore wouldn't want me to do anything like human sacrifice," he concluded. "I should have warned you. Madam Pince said to read this book in small doses."
"Small doses of murdering babies?” Hermione began crying again. “Voldemort did something horrible to Bertha Jorgenson."
Harry stepped over to Hermione and gave her a hug. She buried her head on his shoulder.
"That's enough spell reading for today," said Harry, stroking her hair. "Look out the window. Watch the kids play. Do a crossword puzzle in the Daily Prophet. Take a short nap. You've earned it."
That evening Harry read Hermione's summary report. She had pulled herself together and had done a professional job. Her detached descriptions of the rites and spells in the brown book were scary enough without looking at the book itself. There seemed to be a way to destroy the thing that was Lord Voldemort. But the cost was awful. Hermione was right. There had to be another way.
On Friday morning Harry went to Dumbledore's office to see if he could get permission to use the purple book about Sympathetic Magic that Hermione wanted so badly. The password that opened the door to Dumbledore's office was pumpkin pasties. As Harry went up the stairs to the headmaster's office he overheard the voice of his least favorite professor.
"But headmaster, I had hoped that the position would be mine," Snape said.
"Yes I know how disappointed you are, Severus," said Dumbledore, "but finding another potions teacher at this late date would be impossible. I would rather see you using your time working for the order rather than preparing a defense against the dark arts curriculum. And surely, you must see that a man with his stature and respect in the wizard community would be a great asset to our school."
"That is true, headmaster," Snape admitted, "but can he teach?"
"There are many similarities between running a classroom and running a government. He certainly won't be nervous in front of a group of students," reasoned Dumbledore. "I think he'll adapt to the academic environment quickly."
Harry waited for professor Snape to leave before he entered the office.
"Good morning, Harry, and what can I do for you today?" Dumbledore asked with a smile. "Is that house elf doing her job properly?"
"Oh yes, Hermione has been a big help to me," answered Harry. "She has been looking at the books from the restricted section, but she has an idea of her own. We want to look at a book called The Complete Guide to Sympathetic Magic, by Amours and Lovelynn."
"Oh my!" laughed Dumbledore. "Sympathetic Magic? You two are just sixteen! I would say that you are too young to read such a book, but that would be most ironic considering I have pushed you to look into rituals involving human sacrifice and blood. However, I will have to look into certain legal issues before I can authorize the use of that book."
That afternoon the Tutshill Tornados arrived. Victor Krum had a long talk with Harry about Hermione. Victor was clearly not over her yet and was still a bit depressed by her last letter. He also told Harry that if Hermione was ever hurt, Harry would have to answer to an angry Victor Krum.
On Saturday the Hogwarts all stars were defeated by the Tornados, but Harry was proud of the way they had played together.
After the quidditch match the YWWMC children, their parents, the Tornados and most of the student instructors left on the Hogwarts Express. Harry Potter stayed at the school because there may have been some Death Eaters in the crowd. Dumbledore told Harry that there was no one in the Order of the Phoenix that he could spare to escort him home.