Chapter Thirty
Harry was unusually cheerful the next morning. Ron and Hermione had disappeared the evening before, after the boys had returned from the Quidditch pitch. He was sure they didn’t leave the tower, but wasn’t going to check. After all, he was glad to have nearly everything cleared up between his friends and wasn’t going to throw a wrench into their newly found peace. Knowing how those things usually worked out, Harry would say exactly the wrong thing and begin a massive row once more.
Now they sat before him chatting animatedly at the Gryffindor table. Actually, Hermione was exploring the possibilities of portrait transfiguration in the castle, and was desperately attempting to convince Ron to go ‘treasure hunting’ with her. He refused bluntly, shoveling food carelessly into his mouth, but nudging her affectionately none-the-less.
Off in the distance, Harry spotted Ginny strolling pleasantly toward him. No, she’s not coming toward me. She is coming for breakfast, he corrected himself. It was difficult to ignore the aimed grin as she spotted her friends, though.
As she moved closer, he began to hear the same hypnotic tune that had cemented itself in Harry’s brain. He’d been finding himself whistling the eerie melody most frequently when he let his mind wander. It had been occurring sporadically over the past week or more. The song began to pulse loudly as she neared, creating a chilling crescendo. Then, just as she arrived, it faded into a whisper and rested in his mind, again dormant.
“W-What are you so happy about?” he asked, recovering from the strange surge of seemingly unrelated music.
“Well, how could I resist a simple smile when you’ve got that large one on your face?” she smirked and sat down, grabbing a breakfast tart.
“Really?”
“Well, no . . . But, I did see your aura from across the room.” Ginny bit into her food, waiting for the response that was written in his cleaved-together eyebrows.
“I don’t think I like the thought of you reading whenever you can, and from across the room even!”
She punched him gently on the shoulder. “That’s too bad. It’s here to stay, Potter.”
Harry looked up to see Ron smirking at him cheekily. "What?"
"Nothing! Can't a man watch his sister flirt with his best mate in peace?”
Simultaneously, Hermione slapped him and Ginny tossed a muffin at his head. Harry merely sat back and laughed. He hadn't thought of the banter he shared with Ginny as flirting. He wasn't sure how he felt about the flirting. With a crooked grin plastered on his face, he decided it couldn't have been a wholly bad thing. Ginny had actually managed to keep the rising pink constrained to her neck.
"And you are no man!" giggled Hermione.
"That's right he isn't!" joked Dean, passing by.
All four paused in blank curiosity. Dean hadn't managed a full conversation with either Ron or Harry since classes began. The most he'd offered was a grunt in reply to an open-ended question. Harry didn't blame him for being rather upset with the situation arising around Ginny. He actually expected much worse over the course of the year, and was pleasantly surprised that he only responded to the breakup with comparatively mild antagonism.
Their fellow Gryffindor flashed them an uncomfortable smile. "All right, Ginny?"
She cocked her head slightly and answered, "I'm okay, Dean. You?"
"Good, thanks." He moved on, then, sitting next to Seamus halfway down the table. Seamus seemed to be rather happy at the rising comfort levels, as well.
"Well, that was unexpected . . ." quipped Harry.
"Yes. Some other unexpected news crossed my path this morning as well. Harry, another Slytherin wants to join the D.A. class!" Hermione cheerily said.
Ron pulled a sour face. "Is that supposed to be good news?"
"Actually, I think it's great news. That means we won't have to pair off with him. I think we might kill him," replied Ginny, matter-of-factly.
"How did you know about Malfoy? You'd already gone to bed by the time Harry told us about that," asked Ron.
Hermione snickered. "You honestly think Ginny and I never talk away from you two, don't you?"
"What do you talk about?" prodded Harry in good humor.
"Oh, everything. You know," Hermione responded evasively, and shared a conspiratorial smile with Ginny.
"About how unmanly you are, of course" laughed Ginny while dodging a pelted muffin.
They set about eating for several minutes. Hermione, however, visibly fell deeply into thought. It wasn't really cause for concern until her brow furrowed in a characteristically concerned manner.
"All right, Hermione?"
"I was just thinking . . . Harry, you should know something." She managed to sufficiently capture his attention.
"The Slytherin. She -well- she can be rather . . . abrasive."
"So? Aren't they all little gits?"
"So, I want you to be prepared for her when she comes around. We can't go around biting people's heads off when we're trying to unite."
"Hermione, you are the only one trying to unite," snorted Ron.
"Well, Dumbledore and the Sorting Hat think it's important, why shouldn't I?" she snapped.
Harry could see her anger flooding to the surface. He was truly enjoying the momentary happiness that seemed to be occurring between everyone. Keen on keeping the peace, Harry cut off the downward turn of the conversation. "Unite. We will. Don't fight." He promptly dove into his food.
When he came up for air, he noticed all three staring mirthfully at him, close to giggling fits. "What?"
Ginny rustled his hair. "You really need to learn to let them go at it when they will. Neither of us can stop it. It's how they express their love," she said pointedly.
Ron blushed crimson and Hermione's mouth fell open. "L- Whu? I never . . . I didn't say . . ."
Ginny broke out in a wide grin. "See you all in D.A. Bye Harry. Goodbye lovebirds!" She jovially flounced out of the Great Hall, leaving complete embarrassment in her wake; Ron and Hermione for themselves and Harry for his two comrades.
"We should get going to class," prompted Harry. Ron and Hermione readily agreed, and moved off to their separate morning classes without another mention of the 'L' word.
Harry found himself in Care of Magical Creatures class, wishing he'd had more time for homework. He'd managed to scrape together a poor essay on the uses of Grodporter blood and slime. He turned it in with a regretful air; not because he particularly cared about homework, but because he didn't want to disappoint Hagrid. Thankfully, his professor gave him the sympathetic nod of reassurance he was looking for.
After what felt like hours of collecting slime from the disgusting Grodporter, Harry nearly collapsed when Hagrid joyfully announced their project for the spring.
"Come Springtime, I've arranged to have a baby dragon brough' 'ere for dem'nstration!"
Noisy grumblings reverberated off the towering trees of the nearby Forbidden Forest. "I don' know what yer all upset abou'. It'll be safe enough. It's on'y a baby, after all."
Harry was well acquainted with Hagrid's fascination with dragons. Even as babies, they could be quite large, as they tended to grow quickly. This was aside from the fact that even the youngest dragons were capable of setting objects aflame. He kept from rolling his eyes for Hagrid's sake. His professor didn't need more protests than he already attracted from unhappy students. Often, Harry wished the chronic complainers would find a different career choice if they were so conflicted about dangerous creatures.Do they really expect to only handle soft and cuddly magical creatures, he wondered, annoyed.
In Defense Against the Dark Arts, they continued the study of Mirage Charms. Delving into the darker possibilities of such a charm was the aim of Professor Lupin.
"While Mirage charms intend to create discomfort, a different variety is meant to illicit pure fear. Does anyone know how to tell the difference?"
An expected scoff came from the back of the room as Michael Corner raised his hand in answer.
"I'll bet Malfoy knows a thing or two about Dark Mirage charms . . ." Harry muttered under his breath to Ron, who only nodded. Making any noise would invite questions from Professor Lupin, so the two opted to stay silent.
"Mr. Malfoy? Do you have an answer?" Lupin put him on the spot for his rudeness.
Everyone in the room expressed the same surprise. No one displayed as much discomfort as Malfoy, who’d bolted upright from his insolent recline. "What? No . . . Er, no professor.”
“Five points from Slytherin.” The class snickered. “Mr. Corner, do you have an answer?”
“Yes, Professor. They are distinguishable by their color, which ranges from a smog color to a dark black color.”
“Five points to Ravenclaw. Now, why would someone walk into the mist where it is so easily spotted?”
Several other students raised their hands, to Harry’s surprise. Apparently, the N.E.W.T. level Defense Against the Dark Arts students had been keeping up on their studies. Then Harry remembered that he’d missed a class or two last week, and they were probably told to read ahead.
“Yes, Ms. Chang?”
Harry whipped his head around so quickly, his neck screamed in protest. He momentarily ignored it to look at his former crush. I forgot she was in this class. She’d noticed his reflexive twist and shyly smiled before returning her attention to Professor Lupin. “Sometimes it is put in such a place that a person cannot continue on their way without passing through the mist.”
“Correct you are, Ms. Chang. Five more points to Ravenclaw. Are there any other reasons?”
Parvati took up the task of answering. “Usually, the wizard will use it on an unsuspecting passerby at night, when the mist is less visible.”
“Five to Gryffindor.”
“Erm, Professor?” began Parvati. “What’s the point in scaring people? As in, why would some dark wizard go through the effort of producing the charm, if it’s some equivalent of a mean joke?”
“That’s a very good question, Ms. Patil,” he declined his head with a slight smile. “Learning the more harmless version of the Mirage charm was my method of easing you all into the Dark Mirage charm. In a way, they are like Boggarts. The difference between them is that Boggarts embody your worst fears, but the Dark Mirage will take you into a small world where you are trapped with your fear. Many a wizard has lost his wits while in a mirage and could not return.”
Mouths lay agape on many students. On others, their eyes pierced through Lupin as though he could make the statement untrue.
”What a load of Hinkypunk piss!” Malfoy blurted from the back of the room.
“Excuse us, Mr. Malfoy? Is there something you wished to say to the class?” Professor Lupin demanded. Harry couldn’t understand how Lupin could remain so calm.
“Yes. No one has ever gotten stuck in one of those. They’re just mirages! They scare you, and then they’re over with. They are merely parlor tricks.”
Lupin seemed to mull a thought over for a moment. He looked slightly angry only momentarily before a cheery, shallow smile flashed upon his face. “Well, then, Mr. Malfoy. You shall be our first tester next class.” The professor percolated toward the back of the classroom where Draco reclined with his feet on the back of another student’s chair. The younger looked uneasy, but frowned at the intrusion of his personal space. “For the rest of the class, everyone will need to write a short personal essay on what will be in the Dark Mirage once you find yourself inside.”
The class groaned in a most polite manner and Lupin spoke over them. “Each one of you must know exactly what will be in there. I do not want to have to explain to the headmaster that one of my students became stuck in a mirage, because they failed to study themselves. Especially Mr. Malfoy, here.” He raised an eyebrow at the young Slytherin, but not in an unsympathetic manner. It was obvious to Harry that Lupin was referring to Lucius’ death.
Without another word, the class spent their time writing essays on their darkest fears.
“I’m surprised that Lupin was as harsh as he was,” remarked Hermione after lunch, while walking toward the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. “I mean . . . his father died.”
“All he’s going to do is make him go first tomorrow. It’s not like he got detention; not that he shouldn’t. He should get one just for being the slimy . . .” Ron continued to describe.
Hermione crinkled her forehead. “Still . . . It’s just not like him . . .”
Upon entering the room, Harry saw that nearly the whole group had already arrived and had moved the classroom furniture aside. In addition, present was a generally malevolent Draco. He’d been leaning against a wall, but smirked maliciously when he saw Ron, Harry and Hermione enter. Before Harry could bother to register Hermione’s annoyed glance around the room, he noticed Remus Lupin gesturing for him to enter his office.
“How’s your day been, Harry?” he smiled benignly.
He was suspicious of his teacher’s motives, however, cocked an eyebrow and answered. “Fine, thanks.”
“All right. I will leave my office door open and keep my ears on alert for any trouble. Draco Malfoy may not be pleasant, but he has the potential to develop as a person. We simply cannot deny him that; it’s his right.”
Harry grit his teeth. “Why would you say it was up to me who’s in this class, if it wasn’t my call?”
“It is your call, but there needs to be a good reason to bar someone from learning how to defend themselves. You’re a good person. I don’t think you will have this dilemma with anyone else.” With that, he pat Mr. Potter on the back. “I believe you have a class to teach, Professor,” he winked.
When Harry grudgingly faced his class, he registered the nervous look on Hermione’s face. He strode directly toward her and Ron. “What?”
“Well . . . I don’t see that McKee . . .”
“McKee?” Ron wrinkled his nose.
“The Slytherin?” Harry emitted a small roar. “How am I supposed to restrain myself enough to not actually . . . rip him from limb to limb?” His eyes flashed. He felt someone shorter than he pushing him back to allow her space to converse.
“I’ll do it,” Ginny stated lightly.
“I don’t think so!” bellowed Ron, attracting unneeded attention from the closest surrounding students.
“You can’t control your anger any better than we can,” said Harry.
“Well, you lot have more history with him than I do. Besides, everyone paired up as soon as they noticed Malfoy in here. We're the only ones left, and I'm the best choice." She paused as a thought crossed her mind. "Don't you all think I can handle him? You thought I was doing well enough at King's Cross." She poked her chin out defiantly, daring them to argue.
He was disarmed and had his hands tied behind his back, with a Ministry official standing right there, Harry thought, but decided not to say. Whether he wished to admit it or not, Ginny made him a little uneasy where there was a threat for her to use magic on someone. He didn't really understand why, but it was well-known in their tiny group that Ginny was quite a powerful witch. Harry fought to bite his tongue- which she took as a 'yes, you can duel Draco.'
She turned to Ron -her last road block on the way to the wonderful world of pairing up with Draco. They stared each other down for a moment, before he answered. "Fine!" he spat. "Hermione, you're my partner."
They didn't notice Draco sauntering up behind them. "Well, then. The Weasley girl is my partner. Fantastic." It rolled off his tongue, dripping with sarcasm. The four spun around. In false chivalry, he put his arm out in welcome. "I welcome the chance to rid the world of one more Weasley-”
Within seconds, a series of events occurred. Draco shot a hex at Ginny. She blocked it and jarred him with an upper-cut to the jaw (there was a certain pleasure that came with the thud of her fist). Malfoy's next spell went wayward with the impact and blew Ron across the room. Hermione reacted with a Reducto curse, throwing Draco aside. Harry held his wand steadily on Draco, lest he attempt to harm anyone else. Then, no one in the room could move; no one except Professor Lupin, who was positively livid.
Speaking was apparently an option, however, because Harry began to do so. "Professor Lupin, I-"
Remus put his hand up to silence him and he did so. "I heard everything Mr. Potter. Mr. Malfoy, while I understand that you feel the need to test the authority of Mr. Potter, I strongly recommend you cease for your own good. Understand that I will not tolerate blatant combativeness in my classroom!" He looked at Harry, Hermione, Ron and Ginny with the same dissatisfaction, much to their chagrin. "Twenty-five points each from all five of you! Mr. Malfoy, in addition, you have detention with me this evening. And should even one of you duel out of anger in my classroom one more time, you will regret it. Continue this class in a civilized manner, or I will have no choice but to disband it."
All mouths hung open in the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. Harry could feel the disgruntlement from his fellow -uninvolved- Gryffindors. He understood their feelings; after all, they'd just lost their house one hundred points. It was quite a burden after only a week of classes.
"Right then. Well . . . I suppose now's a good time to start class," Harry announced as Professor Lupin moved back into his office. Draco stalked to the back of the classroom with a bruised jaw. Harry was pleased despite the loss of points, however, because he was sure Malfoy had a large purple bruise growing on his arm. Never go near the business end of Hermione's wand when she's angry, he thought.
"To the new members, welcome back. I'm sorry I had to cancel the rest of the classes last week. Some things . . . happened. Anyway, to everyone else, things have changed a bit. I think having a ceremony is unnecessary. We're busy enough as it is," he said with a slight smile. "I have some house points to earn back, I think." This received a giggle or two. Hermione scoffed in the background.
"I think we all know you're not going to be earning many points in classes or anything, Harry," Ron replied cheekily. He hadn't gotten too hurt from Malfoy's spell; it had ricocheted and charred the wall instead.
"I think it might be a good idea to practice conjuring Patroni again," interrupted Hermione. "It was the last thing we learned, and some people need a little refresher."
Draco was grumbling in the back of the room, making snide comments after everything they said. They wisely chose to ignore it, as everyone else appeared to be doing the same. Harry didn't care to tell Draco directly how to conjure a Patronus, so he reiterated the method to the whole classroom. "Hermione, here, will help the new D.A. members learn, and recap other things you need to practice."
Draco refused to do anything for nearly 20 minutes. Then, when he stopped attempting to look aloof, he flicked his wand half-heartedly where he thought no one could see. Harry moved through the classroom, stopping here and there to help someone. Cho kept trying to catch his eye. He avoided her continually, along with Malfoy's corner. Luna -who he hadn't seen much since the incident in the Room of Requirement- neither ignored him nor appealed for his attention. She conjured her Patronus -a mountain goat- easily enough and spent the rest of her time making it float around her airily. He was relieved to have at least settled matters between himself and Luna.
Michael Corner kept shooting daggers at Harry whenever he came remotely near. Harry couldn't understand why, until he remembered that after he and Ginny broke up, he went to console Cho for Ravenclaw's loss. They must be going together, he thought. But then, why is she asking about 'us’? Suddenly, Harry had a great distaste in his mouth. He decided to end this once and for all. He walked over to where Cho and Michael were playing with their Patroni.
"Hey Cho," he said directly with an unsure smile, his stomach rolling as delight lit her face. "Did Ravenclaw have tryouts yet?"
"Yes," she said in a curious tone. "Why?" Michael glared at him with the look of death.
"Ah, well, we've managed to have ours the other day, and we've got a good team. I wanted to say good luck on beating us this year," he teased. "You all nearly beat us last year. You know . . . I'm, er, glad Michael could give you a congratulations. I'm sorry I couldn't."
Michael raised his eyebrows and Cho's face fell as she took the subtle hint. "Yeah . . . er . . . thanks."
Harry roamed off to a more comfortable situation, convinced he'd made a clear point to Cho. He'd had enough experience with her to know that he didn't want to go with her. While she was pretty enough, she cried too much and got jealous far too easily. Human Hosepipe.
He heard the click of the door and looked to see who'd left, only to find that someone entered instead. A quick look over the robes affirmed that it was the Slytherin Hermione had mentioned. The newcomer glided directly toward Harry, and stopped just in front of him. "Hello," she said plainly. "I'm McKee."
Harry felt Hermione appear at his side. "Nice to see you again, McKee," she said in a business-like tone. There was something familiar about her, but he couldn't put his finger on it.
"Do all Slytherins feel the need to show up late all the time?" he snarled.
"I had matters to clear up. It took a while. Now I'm here and the rest doesn't matter. Ah . . ." she said, infinitely interested as she caught sight of Malfoy, who'd frozen upon returning the look. His face had become more pasty than usual. Immediately, Harry decided she may not be so bad.
"Welcome, McKee," he smirked and held out his hand.
She shook it once for formality's sake, and let her gaze drift over occasionally while Hermione notified her of what everyone was working on. Harry glanced at Hermione's small group when she referenced it, and saw Lupin attempting to casually pay attention to McKee from his office. Harry grinned in his direction, implying that he understood the interesting scenario displayed before them.
To Harry's delight, McKee seemed to keep Malfoy from acting up. He didn't seem to think of her as an authority figure, but he behaved as if he was in great discomfort in her presence. That he hated her was evident from the pink in his cheeks to the flashing of his eyes. The new girl perked Harry's curiosity.
"So you like her?" Ginny asked in a flat tone.
"Huh? No, Ginny . . . What? Why would you ask that?" Harry was immensely uncomfortable.
"No reason. Class is over. I have to go," she replied accusatorily. With a swing of her bag over her shoulder, she stalked out of the room.
Ron saw her departure and moved toward his friend. "What did you say to her?" he accosted.
"What? Nothing. She came out of nowhere and asked if I liked McKee. It was weird. Is she angry, really?"
"Well, she uses that tone when someone's let her down."
"How did I let her down?"
Ron shrugged. "Maybe she just can't see you with a Slytherin."
For all his occasional psychic moments, Ron was usually useless when it came to girls. They, with Hermione, exited the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom; right behind McKee and Malfoy talking with deep, grumbling, hateful voices.
Harry needed the spare time to work on his previously due assignments, but found a note upon entering his dormitory. It requested him to go to Dumbledore's office for a lesson. He knew it was Occlumency. Even with Dumbledore teaching him instead of Snape, he wasn't sure if he liked the idea of anyone diving into his mind, free to look at whatever they wished. Still, he sighed and trudged his way to the headmaster's office, muttered the password, and reluctantly climbed the winding staircase.
Dumbledore sat behind his desk patiently, and nodded in greeting. "Hello Harry. I trust you are doing well." He flicked his wand and the door closed. "I'm sure you are aware that this shall be an Occlumency lesson."
"Yes, Sir," he responded dully. He was still angry at Dumbledore, but lately it had begun to feel more like a dull anger. It melted into something like a general dislike. He sank into the chair.
Dumbledore sighed. "I've made mistakes, Harry. However, every human does; it's in our nature. By all means, be angry at me for as long as you must, but I ask that you do not hold on to this forever. It helps to forgive, however one can."
"Ok," Harry muttered.
"Now, has Professor Snape taught you how to clear your mind?"
Harry's brow furrowed. "No, he just told me to do it."
The headmaster appeared to ponder that for a moment. "Well, that is how we should begin! Have you heard of meditation?"
"Isn't it something Muggles do . . . the New Age Muggles?"
Dumbledore was tickled by the response. "Yes, but don't let that stop you. It's very effective for clearing the mind."
They spent at least an hour 'clearing their minds.' Dumbledore then proceeded with delicately attempting to sift through his memories. It was easy to block, because the power behind it was weak. Harry was unsuccessful at blocking everything, however. When he became frustrated, Professor Dumbledore told him that in order to be more effective, he had to block only thoughts that would provide an answer to the Legilimens' question. They set about practicing clearing his mind once more. Harry was told to meditate before sleep every night.
Yeah right. Wish me luck on that one.
Harry had finally managed to catch up on his homework. Hermione was ecstatic that he was even bothering. He and Ron rolled their eyes every time she spoke. Of course, she'd finished her homework the minute she could, which happened to be a few days ago. She continued to chat buoyantly until Ron shouted. "We can't do our homework with you blabbering away, Hermione!"
She glared at him balefully, and decided to only talk to Harry, much to his irritation. "Uh, Harry, have you even noticed that Ginny is angry with you?"
"What?" he huffed. "Oh, is that why she's sitting at that table?"
"You should go talk to her," she pressed.
"Will you let me finish my homework if I do?"
"Yes," she sat back happily.
Harry didn't particularly like the idea of confronting Ginny. She was very likely to rip his arm off, judging by her temper. Still, he reluctantly shuffled over to her table and sat at the chair next to her. She ignored him until he did his imitation of Umbridge's cough. He thought it would make her smile, but instead, she said "What do you want?"
"I want to know why you're in a rage."
"I'm not in a rage."
"Yes you are. You've got that vein sticking out right there . . .” He poked her vein and she slapped his hand away.
"I swear, it's like you fancy every girl in school! First it's Cho, now it's that McKee girl. What kind of stupid name is that, anyway?" She threw her quill on the table.
"Uh, what? I told you I don't like her."
"I can see auras, Harry. I know."
"No you don't! Quit assuming everything. I think it's brilliant that she shuts Malfoy up, is all. Maybe you just don't know all the colors' meanings yet, or something. Why do you care who I like anyway?" Deep inside, he knew the answer to the question, but persisted in feigning ignorance.
She stared at him, thinking and breathing deeply. She seemed to be venturing into unknown territory when she suggested, "Let me look into your mind . . ."
"What?"
"It's the only sure way."
Harry was incredibly uncomfortable. He didn't want to have a regular brain invader, but he didn't want to continue a silly row with her. "All right."
She faced only one hand toward him and he met it in the same fashion. She glared piercingly into his eyes, squinted for a moment, and then pulled away abruptly. "Okay. I have to go to bed." She grabbed her parchment, books and quill and hurried up to her dormitory.
It was well past midnight when he was finally able to drag himself up to bed. He was quite tired and disinclined to meditate. He almost had decided to just skip it when he heard the groggy voice of Dean. "'Ey Harry? I just want'd to say it's all right by me if you fancy Ginny . . . G'night," and he dropped back onto his pillow, his breathing deepening almost immediately.
Harry rolled his eyes and groaned. Now I have to meditate!