Harry excitedly followed Tonks and the others into the Hufflepuff common room. He did think that the entrance to the common room was slightly ridiculous; all it took was for a person to see someone tap the password on the barrels or for someone else to give the password away. Though he supposed that wouldn't be much of a problem in the House of the Loyal. The whole trip to the common room he listened to Tonks tell him about how all her trips into the forbidden forest as well as her trips out into the wider world.
While students third year and above were expected to help in the culling of Cursed Spirits, they didn't often get to travel very far. But luckily for her on a few occasions, she had travelled to France for a joint exercise with Beauxbatons; a first-grade spirit was on the cusp of becoming a special grade and they believed that it would be a good learning opportunity for students —though it sounded barmy to Harry. Harry remembered how dangerous the First Grade Cursed spirit in the underground was and so he couldn't imagine one that was on the cusp of becoming a special grade.
He'd read in one of his books about cursed spirits that the distance between First Grade and Special Grade is twice as long as the distance between Fourth Grade and First Grade; it was honestly scary to think about, especially considering that the one Harry encountered was on the low end of a First Grade.
The Common room was a round cosy and low-ceiling room, the bright colours of yellow contrasted with the black making for a warm and homely place. Lots of games were spewed across the various tables of the room; there were also quite a few bookshelves —Harry made a note to take a look through them later. Harry looked over to one of the tables where there seemed to be quite a few students gathered.
"Hey Tonks what're they doing over there," he asked as he poked her shoulder. Hannah and Susan both turned as well seemingly interested in what was occurring.
Tonks's eyes lit up "You'll like this Harry," she said as she grabbed him by the arm and pulled him over. In one seat sat a boy who Harry guessed was older by a few years; he was handsome and had brown hair.
Tonks leaned over "This is called Maegi Ball, there are five small railings that are connected to a rune on each side, the game aims to get the most balls on your opponent's side before time runs out.
Harry raised an eyebrow "That doesn't seem very hard," he couldn't help but say.
"It is a lot harder than you think Harry, I played it with my cousins last year and I could barely make one of them move," Hannah chimed in with Susan nodding in confirmation.
"The Rune acts the same way a wand would but a lot weaker, so this is just a couple steps up from doing wandless magic which is damn near impossible," Tonks said with an annoyed tone.
"If it's such a pain why are people playing it?" Harry asked.
"Competition, if you're the champion it proves you have the most control over your magic as well as proving that you have a large amount of it, there are a couple of unofficial games between the houses at some point though I can't remember when," she said with a shrug.
Harry just stood there looking at the two players who were sweating profusely. The man in front of the brown-haired kid seemed to be a lot older, a seventh year of Harry could guess 'He must be pretty strong,' he thought to himself as he watched the kid beat the seventh year as their wands started to vibrate signalling the end of the game.
The crowd started to cheer, including Tonks —but she was easily excitable— Harry just stood there a bit bored, it all looked plain and simple to him 'Maybe I should check out the books,' he thought to himself.
"Come on Harry aren't you gonna have a go?" Tonks asked as she grabbed him by the shoulders and sat him down in the Seventh year's empty seat. The kid across from him gave him a genuine smile "Hi I'm Cedric Diggory, a third-year" he said as he reached his hand over to shake his own.
"Harry Potter," he replied as he reached over and shook his hand. To Cedric's credit, he didn't look at Harry like he was a god who had descended on humanity; instead, he just gave him the same genuine smile he did when he sat down.
"I hope you don't mind waiting a minute. This game can be bloody knackering," he said with a small chuckle.
Harry snorted but nodded his head in agreement "So is there any prize for being the winner?" Harry inquired.
"The games are unofficial but Dumbledore is a big fan so he always makes sure to provide a grand prize for the winner and an overall prize for the house," Cedric explained.
"Last year he was a bit stingy with the house prize, I mean I love house points as much as the next girl but in my third year Slytherin all got new brooms!" Tonks complained.
"But this year we are gonna bring it back!" One of the older kids shouted. He then put both arms on Cedric's shoulders and squeezed tightly "Usually Gryffindor and Slytherin are the ones to take it but this year we are gonna have a real shot with Cedric!" He continued eliciting cheer from those around him.
Harry looked up at Tonks with a smirk on his face "So a third year is better than you..." his grin stretched from ear to ear pissing Tonks off.
"Pfffft try and find a person who is better than Cedric, the kid is a damn prodigy in controlling his magic, I wouldn't be surprised if he could do wandless magic when he's older," she replied before slapping him on the head.
"I wouldn't go that far Tonks, you'd still wring my neck in a fight," Cedric said with a small laugh.
Tonks smiled at the praise and nodded her head "You must be pretty weak then if Tonks can beat you." Tonk's eye twitched as she heard Harry's words "Harry that was rude," Hannah chided him with Susan nodding in agreement.
"Don't worry girls... I'm sure he'll apologise for it later," Tonks said giving him a closed eye smile.
Cedric scratched his cheek as he laughed a little nervously 'They're joking around right?' He asked himself though he had a feeling that they definitely weren't.
"Alright I should be good to go, you ready Harry?" Cedric asked.
"Whenever you are," He replied.
"Alright best of luck to you, Tonks can you count us in," Cedric asked.
"Sure," she replied.
"Three."
"Two."
"One."
"Fight!"
Cedric channelled his magic through his body and directed it up his arm, it rushed out like a gust of wind and lit up the rune which absorbed it all. He expected to see all five of the small metal balls fly to the other side of the game board but they didn't move 'What's going on?' Cedric thought as he pushed even more magic into the rune and yet it didn't help; the balls still wouldn't move. He looked up to see Harry grinning at him as he placed a finger on the rune —not even his full palm.
Harry was right about this game, it was boring. His six eyes gave him absolute and perfect control over his magic; this meant wandless magic was as easy to him as using a wand, though the Potter Grimoire suggested that he use a wand as it can amplify your spells to a greater degree. For Harry keeping the balls on the other side of the board is easy 'I wonder what prize Dumbledore gives to the winner,' he wondered to himself.
Cedric who was panting and sweating, tried pouring more magic into moving the metal spheres but it seemed to all be in vain. While he had good control over his magic it wasn't nearly at the same level as Harry, a lot of the magic he tried to channel was being wasted or wasn't being directed properly. But even if it was he would still never be able to match up to the six eyes; Harry was the only wizard who could say that he had perfect control, even Dumbledore despite how powerful he was still wasted magic when he performed spells.
Cedric's wand beside them started to vibrate indicating the end of the game. The whole crowd was silent as they looked at Harry; Cedric was going to be their secret weapon against the other houses when they played the game later this year, so to see him her best so easily by Harry made them all speechless.
"WOOOOOOO!" Tonks shouted as she started cheering for Harry. This set off a chain reaction and the rest of the crowd started going wild as they pat Harry on the back. Cedric smiled and started applauding "I've never seen anything like that before," Cedric said as he reached over to shake Harry's hand.
"With Harry and Cedric, those prizes are as good as ours!" A seventh year shouted.
"I don't suppose you're good at Quidditch? I'd hate to lose my spot," Cedric joked which made Harry snort.
"I reckon I could give it a go," Harry replied with a smirk.
"Pffft we will see about that, I'm the captain you know, and I'm a pretty harsh judge of talent," Tonks said she crossed her arms. Though she couldn't help but wonder how Harry had such good control of his magic, he was practically a Muggle-born who had previously had no idea about the wizarding world. She'd wager that even teachers have as much control over their magic. Harry also seemed to know about his control 'What is he hiding...' she thought to herself.
"Alright, my badgers come on in! Come on!" The voice of a woman shouted from the entrance of the common room. Harry and everyone else left the table and they all gathered around a short, stout woman who had greying hair and a witch's hat on her head.
"I am Professor Sprout and I am your Head of House, but when we are in here I hope you can call me Pomona, for the next seven years everyone here will be your family, including myself," she said with a warm smile.
"But it is late now and I believe you should all be getting to bed, your first lessons are tomorrow and you need to be properly rested."
"Prefects will show you to your rooms, I trust I need not tell you to keep your side of the dormitory," She warned.
"Tonks I'm talking to you!" She said sternly. Harry felt Tonks growing smaller next to him as she tried to hide herself from the older woman.
"Now have a wonderful night, if you need anything then my room is just by the Herbology garden," She said with a smile as she turned on her heels and left.
"Are you ready for later tonight?" Tonks whispered to Harry —having grown back to her original height.
"You mental? Of course, I am!" Harry replied with a wide grin.
"You aren't seriously still considering it are you!" Hannah whispered loudly.
"Hey, you agreed to come with us!" Harry whispered back louder.
"It could be fun..." Susan said in a low voice that wasn't heard by the others. Though in truth the forest did sound kind of scary.
"I thought you'd stop acting bloody mad if I gave you an hour to calm down!" Hannah whispered.
"Where are you guys going?" Cedric whispered. The four of them jumped not having noticed that Cedric was standing right next to them.
"We are going into the Forbidden Forest after curfew, wanna come?" Harry asked.
Cedric's eyes widened "You do know that's not allowed right, even I'm only getting my first lessons in there next week," he whispered.
"Then surely getting a head start wouldn't be bad," Harry said as he raised his eyebrows mischievously.
"Plus you're with a First Grade Witch!" Tonks said with a smug smile.
"Oh, so you passed your exam this summer?" Cedric asked with a sincere smile.
Tonks's smug smile disappeared off her face and she started to laugh nervously "Not exactly..." she admitted.
"It'll be fine I'm sure we won't run into anything dangerous, we'll be in and out I promise," Harry said with an innocent grin.
"I guess that couldn't hurt," Cedric said finally convinced. Meanwhile, Hannah and Susan both couldn't help but feel like things were going to go wrong.
———————————————————-
Things had indeed gone wrong as soon as they entered the forest. Harry and Tonks made too much noise as they ran around and they attracted a Peregrin horde. In the Forbidden Forest, there are numerous numbers of creatures present; however, there is a slight difference between some of them. Magical creatures and Cursed spirits. Both use the same classifications but they are inherently different; Magical creatures are have said to once been normal creatures that have been warped and affected by pure magic-rich areas such as ley lines. Cursed spirits however are formed on the darker thoughts of those who leak magic which are muggles —even muggles have magic no matter how small the amount is.
A Peregrin is a bird similar to a Dodo —except much larger— it has no beak but instead a large mouth stretched into the form of a smile with lots of teeth. Harry and the others felt the trembling earth before they saw the horde running towards them "What the fuck are they!" Harry shouted.
"Peregrins, everyone climb a tree!" Tonks shouted as she ran to one enhancing the muscles in her legs before she pushed off the ground and grabbed onto one of the branches.
"Oh, you're not going to try and fight them Mr First Grade Witch?" Harry asked with a smug smile.
"They aren't violent, you just need to stay out of the way, or you'll get trampled..." Tonks replied ignoring his jab.
"That sounds pretty violent..." Harry said a little nervously.
"Just climb the tree and stop complaining, you sound like a couple of girls," Tonks said as she climbed.
"Hey!" Hannah shouted in offence as she and Susan struggled to climb one of the trees.
Harry looked at the oncoming stampede, he sent magic rushing through his legs and jumped up grabbing onto a branch; only a few moments later the horde rushed through —blowing a gust of wind straight at them. Harry and Tonks both laughed while the girls screamed; Cedric just seemed to be in awe as he never realised how exhilarating the forest could be.
"Tonks this is amazing!" Harry shouted over the sounds of rushing feet; he truly felt blessed to have been able to leave his boring life and come to a place like this. He felt slightly disappointed when the last of the Peregrins ran underneath them but he was soon brought out of his thoughts when he heard a scream from behind him.
He turned around to see both Susan and Hannah had lost their grip on the tree and fell onto the horde of Peregrins. Harry felt his heart leap into his mouth as he pictured them being trampled underneath the magical creatures, however, his worries were allayed when he heard an angry shout that could only belong to one person.
"YOU LIAR HARRY IM
GONNA BLOODY KILL YOU!!!" Hannah screamed out in the forest as she was being carried away on the back of a Peregrin with Susan in tow though her scream was a lot less loud.
"Friends for a few hours and she already wants to kill you, why am I not surprised..." Tonks said as she shook her head.
"Pfft like you can talk," Harry replied.
"Maybe we should focus on helping them!" Cedric shouted from his tree branch.
Tonks sighed "Fine, wait here I'll help them in no time at all," she said as she jumped off the tree and turned into an owl that flapped its wings after the horde of Peregrins.
Harry and Cedric both jumped down from their respective trees "It feels like we should go after them," Harry said as he rubbed his jaw.
Cedric raised an eyebrow "Didn't you just hear Tonks say otherwise?"
Harry waved him off "She brought three first years into the forbidden forest, clearly, she's bloody bonkers," Harry said as he twirled his finger by his head.
Cedric scrunched his eyebrows as he looked at Harry 'Wasn't it his idea?' He thought.
*Twelve Stars Summoning Technique: Aries*
A bright flash of light illuminated the forest and an ethereal ram with golden horns materialised "How may I help you sir," The Ram said in a posh voice reminiscent of a butler.
Harry looked at him with a raised eyebrow "You can talk?" He asked.
"Of course, I can sir, however the last time you summoned me there wasn't a chance to," Aries replied.
"I suppose so, anyway take us after that horde," he said as he pointed into the distance.
The Ram seemed to roll its eyes at Harry "Sir I am not built for running, if you wish for someone to carry you then summon Taurus," he stated.
"But I don't know how to summon any of the others," Harry replied.
"I shall act as the catalyst this time but next time you'll have to figure it out yourself," The Ram said as a light started to engulf him.
Meanwhile, Cedric had just watched Harry have an entire conversation with a sheep where they both 'Baaa'd' at each other 'He's gone barmy...' Cedric thought to himself.
After the light died down the Ram was gone and in its place stood a large white bipedal bull with thick muscles, it leaned down and placed its arms on the ground.
Harry grabbed Cedric and dragged them both onto the Bull "Let's go!" He shouted and the bull charged off after the horde with Cedric holding on for dear life.
'I should've stayed in the dorms...'
(AN: I'm ending the chapter here as I want the chase to be over a thousand words, after that I'll get into some training and more spell stuff then Halloween blah blah blah you get the idea. Anyway hope you enjoyed the chapter.)
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