The owls circled overhead as they searched for their owners to deliver their letters. Hedwig settled in front of Harry and gave an affectionate nib on his hand. She did not have any mail to deliver but he was grateful to see her nevertheless. After he had feed her all the toast off his plate she took off.
“Well I suppose no news is good new,” Hermione pronounced somewhat grimly as she took the seat next to him while simultaneously scanning the Daily Prophet.
“Any news about the escaped deatheaters?” Harry asked.
“Nothing new,” Hermione verified scrutinizing the food in front of her distastefully.
“Really, who could eat at a time like this?” she huffed.
Just than Ron took a seat opposite them hands overflowing with candies and mouth stuffed to the brink. In a crude sort of way he held out the candies in offering and they both quickly declined to take any.
“Fanks Ermyone,” Ron said enthusiastically.
“For what?”
“Da candies,” he responded smiling in a goofy sort of way.
“Umm, Ron,” Hermione said tentatively, “Those aren’t from me.”
Ron stopped chewing all at once; Harry wished he hadn’t because he looked rather awkward with his cheeks puffed out.
“Who’dit fom den?” Ron asked spitting part of the candy out of Hermione.
Harry scanned the hall for anyone watching them and caught Luna shyly eyeing Ron. He grinned; it looked as though Ron had a secret admirer. Before he could answer, Professor McGonagall came around to pass out their schedules.
“Defense Against the Dark Art’s first!” Harry said excitedly.
“Wid da Slydrens,” Ron pointed out gloomily.
“Well at least we’ll be there for moral support,” Hermione told them.
“Morel sport?”
Hermione rolled her eyes, “Consider swallowing?”
It took Ron a moment to finish chewing the candy. Once he swallowed he repeated, “Moral support?”
“For Tonks,” Hermione responded.
“That’s right!” Harry slapped himself on the head.
“We’d better get moving,” Hermione said as she gathered her books into her bag.
Harry scanned the rest of his schedule as they walked to the dungeons, “I wonder why Tonks picked this as her classroom?”
Ron and Hermione both shrugged looking indifferently about.
“Maybe she’s got a sadistic streak like Snape,” Ron ventured.
“Ouch!” Ron bellowed as Hermione elbowed him in the gut but Harry was sure that Tonks had heard the mean comment as she walked into the dungeon.
“How about showing a bit of moral support?” Hermione murmured under her breath.
“Sorry,” Ron said placing Harry between them as a buffer.
Draco and his cronies strolled in as though they had all the time in the world.
“Wonder who the old coot’s dug up for us now?” Draco jeered to the bobbing heads of Crabbe and Goyle.
Harry was kept from responding by Hermione’s warning frown.
“Take your seats!” the command was issued from the front of the dungeon and everyone settled down.
“I’d rather you not call me Professor, Tonks will do just fine.”
Harry looked around to see everyone’s first impressions but their eyes were still fixed firmly on Tonks. She seemed more serious than he could ever remember and wondered if Ron’s comment had played any part in that.
“I’ve spoken with Professor Snape and quite agree with him, you are sorely behind in some areas,” Harry could see that she had scored some points with the Slytherin’s but felt taken aback by her reference to Snape.
“It seems the only competent teacher you’ve had was Professor Lupin,” and with that statement she regained his loyalty once more.
“This year we will be studying…” but before they could find out what they would be studying the door of the dungeon swung open and Ginny Weasley walked in.
Harry thought that she was delivering a note of some sort until she took the seat next to Hermione and said, “Sorry I’m late!”
“No problem,” Tonks shone a smile in her direction, “Just got your new schedule I suppose?”
Ginny nodded adamantly as Draco shot her a loathing look and whispered something to his fellow Slytherin’s that had them snorting with laughter.
“Quiet!” Tonks commanded once more and everyone in the room fell silent.
“As I was saying,” she perused the class with her eyes daring anyone to interrupt, “We will be studying Volcency.”
The air was alive with their interest and they all leaned in to hear.
“Who knows what Volcency is?”
Not a single hand shot into the air. Harry looked around to Hermione who was wearing a look of rapt attention.
“Surely someone knows?”
Ginny timidly put her hand in the air and Tonks shot her another glowing look, “Yes Ginny?”
“Volcency is the ability to listen to the thoughts from another person’s mind.”
“Take ten points for Gryffindor,” Tonks shouted slapping her hands excitedly together.
“Wait a minute!” Draco shot his hand into the air but did not wait for Tonks to call on him before continuing, “You mean we’re going to learn how to read each others minds?”
“There is no such thing as reading someone’s mind,” Tonks clarified, “You’re going to learn to listen.”
Every student was riveted by the concept and kept their eyes fixed on Tonks.
“Most people have some form of minor Volcency, including muggles,” she lectured, “It’s what’s commonly referred to as reading between the lines in the muggle world. Their ability is so miniscule, however, that they fail to recognize it as Volcency and attribute their heightened perceptions to body language and sub-conscious indicators.”
Harry raised his hand and asked, “Is it like Legilimency?”
Tonks looked dually surprised by his input, “No Harry, Legilimency is the ability to extract feelings and memories whereas Volcency enables you to hear the thoughts in someone else’s mind as they are happening. With Legilimency you can dig up things hidden in the deep recesses of ones mind.”
“Cool!” Seamus broke in, “Can we learn that?”
“I’m afraid that’s terribly advanced magic for even the most trained wizard,” Tonks eyed him in amusement, “So no, we will not be studying that.”
Hermione’s hand shot up and Harry thought that it was about time that she got involved in the discussion, “Because it serves a great purpose Hermione,” Tonks responded to Hermione’s unasked question.
Wide-eyed Hermione dropped her arm back to her side. The class stared in amazement at Tonks.
“Any idea what that purpose might be Hermione?” Tonks inquired.
Hermione took a moment to mull it over in her head before her eyes lit up and she answered, “When you are about to come under attack…you would be warned and could counteract before your attacker speaks.”
“Which is why non-verbal spells are imperative but we will get to that later! Five more points for Gryffindor.”
Draco’s arm shot up once more and once again his question was out before Tonks could call on him, “Isn’t there a way to fight it?”
“Occlumency.”
“What’s that?” Dean yelled out, the class had become a controlled free-for-all.
“The branch of magic that seals your mind against magical intrusion and influence,” Harry responded bitterly recalling his lessons with Snape, “But I thought that was to fight off Legilimency?”
“Like you said Harry, it is to seal off your mind against any magical intrusion,” Tonks emphasized.
She softened her look as she correctly interpreted his reservations, “A level one Legilimus and Volcen should be easy for a level one Occlumous to fight off,” she reassured him.
He was sure that Snape was no level one and that he had purposefully been obstinate in their lessons. Harry despised the tedious sessions he had been forced to endure with Snape and felt that Tonks would be a superior trainer. Perhaps he would finally nail Occlumency down this year, he thought as he scratched the back of his head.
“That’s the spirit Harry!”
Her response and the laughter of his fellow students alerted him that he had been her latest pawn.
“Everyone into pairs,” Tonks ordered, “Ginny please join me up front.”
They all rushed to do as they were bidden. Even the Slytherin’s were whole-heartedly participating.
“Decide who will be doing the Volcency and Occlumency in your team,” Tonks instructed.
Harry gave into Ron’s begging and let him be the first to try Volcency.
“Whoever is doing Occlumency, turn away from your partner!”
With great reluctance Harry and the rest of the Occlumous’ turned away from the Volcen’s.
“Now watch Ginny, as she clears her mind and listens intently allowing my thoughts to come to her.”
Ginny looked startled by all the attention but did as she was ordered. A dazed look came across her face and her eyes lost all their focus.
“In her current state she is highly vulnerable to attack,” Tonks pointed out, “As the Occlumous I must clear my mind and focus on repelling any invasion.”
As a look of calm crossed Tonks’ face Ginny came to. Harry applauded with the rest of the class but noticed the perplexing look Tonks shot Ginny. He could intuitively tell that all was not as it seemed.
“Your turns,” Tonks yelled out and let them have a go.
Several minutes later Harry was easily resisting all of Ron’s endeavors to get into his mind. Every time Ron attempted Volcency on him, Harry felt the need to scratch the back of his head. He quickly realized that the itch was caused by Ron and did Occlumency instead of scratching his head. The decline of his need to scratch his head signaled his success in fighting off Ron’s attempts.
Tonks verified the existence of these ‘indicators’ as she told them to switch. Ron, as it turned out, sneezed every time Harry attempted Volcency on him. Poor Neville had it the worst in Harry’s estimation, he got nosebleeds. Amusingly, Draco kept tripping over his own feet every time Pansy tried to get into his mind. All too soon the lesson was over and they left the dungeon in great spirits.
“How come you were in our class today?” Harry finally got the chance to ask Ginny.
“Been moved up,” Ginny responded in an oddly distant way as she walked alone to her next class.
“Guess my sisters a bit of a genius,” Ron surmised winking at Hermione.
Hermione did not seem to take the idea of Ginny being moved up too well and stormed off to Advanced Charms ahead of them dropping something as she went. Harry bent down to pick up the kiwi lip gloss she had left behind and turned jovially towards Ron commenting, “I was wondering why kiwi’s were on your mind.”
He had never seen Ron turn scarlet before but found it highly entertaining as he wondered what exactly had gone on between Ron and Hermione while they had been studying apparition.
The rest of their lessons that week went by without incident. In charms they had a practical lesson bewitching pots and pans into making a meal for them. Transfiguration was as difficult as they had anticipated. They were now learning to turn animals into inanimate objects and back again. Seamus lit his rooster’s tail on fire and it chased him around the class pecking at his heels to everyone’s comic relief. Potions felt strangely empty. Most people had opted out of taking it, or had not scored a high enough grade to get in. This gave Snape the pleasure of focusing all his unpleasantness directly towards Harry much to Draco’s delight.
Neville shone in Herbology and was congratulated on his outstanding OWL by Professor Sprout in front of the entire class. In Care of Magical Creatures, Charlie brought in a Demiguise. By all means it looked to be an ordinary silver haired ape, that is, until Draco agitated it. Thereupon it became invisible and carried Draco up a tall tree in the forbidden forest and left him there. Harry found he was rather fond of the creature. Once Draco had been rescued, Charlie lectured them about Demiguise pelts. Apparently they were spun to make invisibility cloaks.
As the weekend settled upon them Harry was called aside by Professor McGonagall who congratulated him on his new position as quidditch captain. No one was surprised by the news and they were all very supportive. His first week back at school had gone off without a hitch, Harry was glad to say. Except for Ginny, she had been ignoring everyone for days. Now that he was captain she would be forced to seek him out. Yes, everything was going along quite smoothly.