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(P).(A).(T).(R).(E).(O).(N)
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Bill had been shocked at the twins' tale of Ron's behaviour, Percy's nonintervention was also a source of puzzlement for the eldest Weasley son. Even taking away the fact that Ron was Percy's younger brother, he was still a Gryffindor prefect. A prefect with specific duties to watch over the first years.
That Fred and George had even begun the process of becoming friends with Harry made Ron's actions all the harder to explain, never mind defend. Bill also thought that a public apology to the young girl Ron hit with that curse was not only a fair thing to ask, it was the least he could do. He actually thought an apology should have been offered immediately, without Ron needing to be forced into it.
One thing his youngest brother did mention that generated a specific cause for Bill's concern was his letter home to their mother. Knowing her as he did, Bill would not be surprised if this resulted in a howler heading in Harry Crow's direction. He would need to visit the Burrow after class to head off the disaster that could quickly descend into. Their mother in a temper wasn't known as someone who would choose their words carefully, rather just loudly yelling the first thing that entered her head.
Bill was having to choose his words carefully in front of the class too, as it would appear he'd just made an error.
"Curse-breaker Weasley, I think you misinterpreted my answer sir. I know there are curses which no magical shields can block, I was referring to a goblin shield when I answered your question."
"I'm sorry Mr Crow but those are spells I'm not familiar with, perhaps you could show us?"
A smiling Harry stood and removed a metallic disc from his pocket, it easily fitted into the palm of his hand - until that was he twisted the disk a certain way. Seconds later, Harry had slipped a gleaming metallic shield onto his left forearm. It was oval in shape and went from slightly beyond his fingertips to just past his elbow, being about eighteen inches across at its widest point. A self-adjusting strap on his forearm and a grip for his left hand saw it securely anchored without in any way restricting his movement. The rest of the class were suitably impressed, here was a practical defence method they didn't need to know any spells to use.
Draco was already in a foul mood after having to eat his words and attend the defence class, Potter once more in the limelight was not something he was prepared to tolerate. "Do you honestly expect us to believe you can stop curses with that bit of tin? It looks like something our house elf would serve sandwiches off."
Harry ignored the sniggering being aimed in his direction. "This shield is not designed to actually stop curses, rather deflect them away from you. That takes a lot less power and really lengthens the life of the shield. A powerful dark curse would probably shatter it, but the same curse would pass right through a magical shield. This also frees up your other arm, allowing you to fight back at the same time."
The wannabe leader of the first years was dismissive of all this, and made no attempt to hide his disbelief. "Prove it!"
Harry raised his eyebrow questioningly at their teacher and got a nod of acceptance in return. "Stinging hexes ok Mr Crow?"
After agreeing, Harry made his way to the front of the class. He withdrew his knife and took up a defensive stance, awaiting the first hex.
Bill deliberately aimed his hex at Harry's chest, just above where the lad had positioned his shield. The boy though was incredibly fast, moving and deflecting the curse away from him. The high-pitched yell alerted the teacher that the stinging hex had actually hit someone else in the class. Draco now wore a rather pained expression and was currently rubbing his shoulder.
Harry glared at him. "Was that enough proof Malfoy or do we need to go again?"
Draco knew he couldn't back down, this had now become a challenge. "Nothing but a fluke, he aimed right at the shield... agh!"
Bill had fired three hexes at Harry in quick succession, all at different body parts. Harry had deflected the first one at Malfoy again, dodged the second but the third one connected with his thigh. Harry though didn't cry out, merely bowed in acknowledgement to his teacher's skill.
"I think Mr Crow ably demonstrated the effectiveness of a physical shield, and some of its restrictions." Bill was sure the lad could have dealt with all three hexes he'd fired, Harry though appeared willing to take a hit to ensure the first one was deflected back at the Malfoy boy. He decided not to mention this, instead used the hit as a teaching point. "A good magical shield would easily have protected Mr Crow from all three curses. Using a combination of both shielding methods should see him better protected in the future."
Bill was also thinking the lad would need more extensive lessons in defence than taking the timetabled class with the rest of his year-mates on a Monday and Thursday could provide. He'd obviously had some previous training and Bill would be making enquires about all of this on his return to Gringotts.
Hogwarts newest professor was just getting the class back on track about the best methods of defending yourself when their visitors arrived.
Albus thought that this would at least be better than having the lad put on the spot in the great hall, he well remembered how his own attempt at that had gone.
"Excuse us Professor Weasley, sorry to disrupt your first class but we require a few words with Mr Crow."
Cornelius spotted the black-haired bespectacled boy sitting at the front of the class and waded right in. He was after all the Minister of Magic and used to getting his own way. "Harry my boy, you have no idea how distressed I was to discover just how you'd been raised. I'm here today to put a stop to this goblin nonsense, and also see you being cared for by a proper wizarding family. I'm sure we can soon clear up this momentous misunderstanding..."
The giggling had turned to full blown laughter at his last comment, causing a puzzled look to replace the minister's confident expression.
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Welcome to the world of our fanfic! Your support is the heartbeat of this story, allowing us to craft new adventures and explore deeper character arcs. With over 55 chapters ahead, becoming a patron gives you exclusive access to bonus content and the chance to influence the narrative's direction.
Join us on this thrilling ride—together, we can make every chapter unforgettable!
http//patreon.com/Kun_kanshi
(P).(A).(T).(R).(E).(O).(N)
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