Harry Potter! I have no desire to sit in those Quidditch stands and watch you be attacked by rogue bludgers, a Dementor, struck by lightning or mauled by a dragon! If you absolutely must play this Quidditch, you will promise to play it as safely as possible, for I like my hair silver blonde not silver grey! If you desire to give me your school jersey then do so, but I will never give it back. I might even wear it depending on how cold it is outside. My school is quite good at Quidditch, so I fear I am only saying yes out of a desire to cheer for the underdog. I will be anxious to hear if you've retained your rumored skill on a broom. I believe you will, for a broom is a magical construct and you are a magical creature. You are the AIR Harry! We both know this. I think you will find you are as fast if not faster than you were before.
Stay in touch as often as you can and be safe 'Arry.
Sincerely Yours
Fleur Delacour
.
Harry fell back on his bed and blushed at being called her Harry. He blushed even more when he realized that he was holding the letter to his nose and honest to gods smelling it. "Oh dear Gods, I'm truly screwed," Harry muttered to himself.
"What have you got there?" A sullen voice called out the question, from the bed next to Harry's. Ron was standing there and looking at Harry with poorly concealed anger on his face.
"A letter from the family that housed me this summer," Harry replied.
"Oh yeah, this family of French Veela that I was never told about. Bet they were oh so much better than my family," Ron muttered darkly.
"You know exactly why I went there this summer," Harry replied, in a tired voice. "I had a problem with my magic that only they were qualified to help me with. I wouldn't have been good company the way I was."
"Whatever." Ron flounced towards the door as if he was disregarding the conversation entirely. "I don't have time for this." Ron walked back out of the room.
Whatever pressing business Ron had at eight Pm on his first day back at school, Harry had no idea. Pulling his bed hanging shut, Harry decided that he'd practice flying a broom in his Mindscape tonight and then experiment with the AIR element tomorrow morning. If, in the forty hours he has available in his sleep he can figure out how to best use his immense magic on a broom, he might become quite fast indeed. "I am the air," Harry repeated to himself with a small smile, as he started dozing off. It was worth a try anyway.
A lot happened in the three days following everyone's return to Hogwarts.
So far at least, the student body was far too busy settling in to their various classes to grab their brooms and run outside, even though every Quidditch player in the entire school desperately wanted to. In the meantime, Harry spent his every waking hour working on his secret side project...
When Harry woke up at 5 Am on Hogwarts's first day of classes, he was determined to find out whether or not he was elementally aligned with the air, and then if he was, he wanted to try to make contact with it.
With that idea in mind, Harry made quick work of getting dressed, ran down to the library, and quickly located a book called [Elementary guide to the Elements]. In the book was a series of steps aimed towards determining if you have an elemental affinity.
Within the book's first few pages, it cheerfully explained that to have an elemental affinity wasn't actually all that rare. It became quite a bit more serious a few pages later, when it explained that developing an affinity to the point of seeing it affect the world around you was extremely rare indeed. If the book was to be believed, Harry's creation of an air wall was extremely advanced stuff and really shouldn't have been possible.
While reading the book, Harry found himself becoming increasingly afraid that the air wall he'd made was just a fluke byproduct of his massive magical reserves. The book made it seem much more likely that it was just his powerful magic doing something miraculous in response to his desperation. According to the book, hundreds of people a year experience what they think is an elemental affinity, only to find out later that it was merely accidental magic.
After reading the book, Harry ran outside to complete his usual ten mile obstacle course around the Black Lake. He didn't want to slack off now just because he was back at school. After he was done with that however, he walked out to the Quidditch pitch, where he sat down in a wide and empty section of stands.
According to [Elementary Guide to the Elements], to reach out to your elemental affinity you must be an excellent Occlumancer which Harry was, and then it said you must be in an area that contained your element, which he hoped he always was. The book finally said that he must reach a perfect state of calm and then wait for subtle cues that he was communing with his element. The book was vague on this part, but said that it was usually an extremely profound experience.
Over the next few minutes, Harry settled into a full lotus and steadied his breathing until he was completely relaxed. He knew because of his Occlumency books that in regards to anything meditative or eclectic it was best to remain extremely patient and avoid frustration. For that reason, he didn't expect to succeed that morning or indeed any morning soon. He just sat there free of emotion, and let his thoughts fall off of his awareness without catching hold.
For about an hour, Harry just sat like that, and found himself feeling pretty damned centered as a result. In his super relaxed state, Harry heard the wind moving about the stadium and it involuntarily made him smile. He associated those noises with the movement and freedom he'd lacked so much in his childhood. He'd been peacefully taking it all in for quite a while, when it finally happened.
Harry felt warm… which was odd...
While it wasn't that unusual to be warm, it wasn't really a warm morning. The warmth was on the wind and was swirling around his body. While carefully controlling his enthusiasm, Harry listened with as open a mind as he could. The warm breeze began swirling around his legs, then torso, then his arms, as if it were a small animal. It was friendly, close and affectionate. Harry smiled because he'd started to feel like the air around him felt like Gabrielle. Then he heard it. He could hear distant yet nearby laughter, as if it was sound caught in a... wind.
The breeze seemed to approve of Harry's mental imagery regarding its appearance, for the laughter was definitely both young and feminine. Harry felt the warmth explore him over and under his clothes. The breeze ruffled his wild untamable hair, and Harry received the sense that it approved of such a hairstyle. Then it settled around his right hand, where it began coaxing him to look at it by lifting his hand inside of a pocket of air.
Opening his eyes, Harry looked down at his hand and saw a small sphere. Gods only know how he saw it for the sphere wasn't white like a tornado but invisible. Nevertheless, Harry saw it upon his hand, swirling atop his upturned palm. Harry gazed at the Air cavorting on his hand as if it was dancing in enthusiasm.
Harry felt his magic calling for him to embrace this creature, this feeling, so he followed his instincts. "We'll have fun together," Harry mused quietly, to the sprite that he couldn't quite see but saw and felt right there on his hand.
"Yes," the air replied in the smallest, sweetest, little voice. "I am a playmate of yours. We will dance in the air, race, dive and swirl. We have been together for a while now but you were unable to see or hear me. I have wished to find form for someone who enjoys me. You are not my master for no one ever is, but I become more than I am when I am with you. I am freedom personified when alone, but lack the consciousness to enjoy it. Your magic guides you and makes more of me, so we shall have fun."
Harry smiled and nodded at the little sprite. "We'll move well together."
"Yes," agreed the Air. "I am Aethir once again, as I have been before. This... will... be... fun..."
When their first encounter ended, Harry was left with traces of a breeze lingering against and around him. Aethir was noticeable only as a shifting patch of pressure, ever present and sliding along his skin. Her presence was smooth and warm and after getting used to it, Harry found that he liked the sensation. He was close to his affinity. She adored him and he loved her in return.
With a whoop of unbridled enthusiasm, Harry bounded down the stands like an absolute maniac, and sprinted back up to the north tower in record time.
In the two days that followed, Harry'd never let a single moment go by where he wasn't subtly manipulating the air. He went out of his way to move Aethir around in ways he imagined she might enjoy, for this wasn't just a one way transaction. Thankfully, Harry was able to do all of this without moving and he could also focus on his school work because of his overdeveloped Occlumency. Not only that, but when he went to sleep at the end of his first day, he found Aethir inside of his Mindscape both alive and moving. She'd taken up residence inside of his core and was enjoying the huge space immensely.
It was a good thing that Harry's affinity training was so low key and subtle, because the only other thing he was doing was dramatic in the extreme. Harry spent his first few days of classes completely swamped with both Arithmancy and Runes revision, to the point it looked like he was preparing for his NEWTS.
Hermione didn't just want Harry caught up. She wanted him caught up to her unbelievably high standards. Of course, this was a feat of memorization that would've been completely impossible before, but was merely onerous now.
Another dramatic development was Ron's reaction to Harry dropping Divination… When the boy found out about Harry's choice to begin taking Runes and Arithmancy instead, he reacted as if the decision was a betrayal of some kind.
A reaction that had Harry shaking his head in confusion...
Considering the fact that Ron couldn't say one civil word to Harry when they were together, he found it extremely odd that Ron was acting so butt-hurt about this. Truly, Harry'd have thought Ron would be glad for any excuse to be away from him, but noooo. Instead, the boy was acting as if Harry was a traitor of some kind.
As things stood, Harry and Ron would still see each other in all of their core classes, as well as the class Care of Magical Creatures. It was an extra elective that Harry still had every intention of going to, primarily out of loyalty to Hagrid.
Harry was taking an extra class now and the workload would've been quite the challenge if not for his well-developed Mindscape. Nowadays, he could flip through the pages of a textbook to scan its contents. Then, when he went to his Mindscape or Sleepscape, he could study what his subconscious brain had already picked up, for hours on end, at his leisure. Harry and Hermione had already read all of their current semester's textbooks cover to cover, and now they did quite a bit of revision while sleeping. Needless to say, they were both becoming extremely well prepared for the upcoming school year.
"It just feels like cheating is all," Hermione suddenly called out towards the ceiling, after throwing aside her books. "I have almost twice as much time to prepare as everyone else! It's just not right!"
After scoffing and shaking his head, Harry smiled at his over earnest friend. "Hermione... How do you think the rest of us felt with your near perfect recall of the written word? You've been cheating all along according to most Ravenclaws!"
Even as Harry laughed to take the sting out of his words, he turned to square up with his bushy haired friend. "Look… Hermione… I think you should stop thinking of studying like a competition between yourself and the rest of the school. Learning is more like golf than any other sport. You're playing to improve your game, and it achieves nothing for you to worry about anyone else's performance. I think the more we're capable of learning the better and happier we'll end up being. I'm not going to worry about how my grades effect some poor student's self-esteem."
Hermione stared at Harry for a good long time, before collapsing backwards onto the couch with her head on his lap. "I'm glad you said that just now, Harry. I was falling into my old habit of lording my massive brain over people. It's a hangup of a lonely childhood," she admitted softly.
Harry leaned back in their couch, looking at Hermione with a soft smile on his face. "I unearthed all of my childhood memories, with the help of two extremely capable, Veela mind-healers, and they slept for almost twenty-four hours afterwards."
When Hermione arched an eyebrow, Harry just nodded again because yes, it'd been just as bad as it sounds.
"The Delacour ladies got off lucky. I slept for nearly two days straight. My life has not been a pretty picture but I will share it with you because you're family. I will however, be telling it to you in short snippets as time goes by, because I already know that it'll make you sad." Harry shrugged as if to say "sorry, can't be helped."
Hermione nodded and smiled up at her friend. "Whatever my lil bro thinks is best."
Harry ran his hand through Hermione's long auburn hair and smiled. "Thank you for waiting, Hermione. I think I should point out before I tell you anything that Occlumency has made my memories more abstract, so at this point they make me stronger rather than hurt me. Do you get where I'm coming from?"
Hermione nodded seriously at first, but then a full power shit-eating grin appeared on her face. "If you will recall... I predicted this exact outcome at the end of last year."
Remembering Mione in the Hospital Wing saying something very similar, Harry belted out "well I'll be damned! You did!"
Hermione smiled happily and poked him in the ribs several times. "Aahhhh, nothing feels better than a good I told you so Harry!"
"Soak it up Sis because with my new vast intelligence it won't be happening anymore." Harry adopted a very overdone arrogant face.
"That's big sis to you little bro," Hermione declared both casually and dismissively. "Now stop putting it off and spill about five minutes of life content. That seems like a decent start."
Harry nodded and leaned back, once again running his hands softly through her unruly hair. "Well my mom's sister Aunt Petunia always resented my mother for..." Harry continued on for another six or seven minutes, laying a foundation for why his relatives behave the way they do, without getting into any of the more graphic details.
"Next time I'll describe my early life, now that you understand their messed up motives and psychology." Harry stretched out because unbeknownst to him, he'd been tensing up as he talked about the Dursleys.
Hermione bit her lower lip and looked extremely troubled. "You haven't even described anything that they've done to you yet and its already painting a pretty bleak picture."
"It's definitely bleak," Harry cheerfully replied. "That's why I must insist we speak of my past only during sunny days on the lawn."
"That's an inspired idea Harry! I'll bring the revision material with us," Hermione added.
Looking over at Hermione, Harry smiled even as he shook his head. "Mione... Try to remember that you can study for several hours at a time in your sleep now. An hour or two of idle activity during the day might even be a productive change for you. This summer, someone asked me if I had any hobbies and when I didn't have an answer, it made me feel unhealthy. Annnd speaking of this past summer, I actually have a letter to write," Harry admitted, while rising to his feet.
At Harry's mention of a letter, Hermione started making cartoonish, kissy faces at him, until he belted out in laughter. "When did you meet Dobby?"
"He's amazing," Hermione immediately gushed. "He was able to keep me from making a grievous error in judgment regarding house elves. I was thinking of house elves by human standards and I wanted them freed by any means necessary. He sat me down, told me off, and explained what House Elves really are. If you didn't evolve him like you did, I'd still be laboring in ignorance right now. They need us, they need our magic, and so they've made us need them in return. It's symbiotic... I still want to give them some more representation though," Hermione mused, mostly to herself.
Harry nodded and smiled at his friend as he rose up to his feet. It was nice that he could drag Mione away from studying long enough that they could actually connect with each other like this. He smiled again as he walked up to his room and bed. Pulling out a paper and quill he began to write.
.
Dear Fleur
My original intention was to send you a letter the last two nights, but I ended up swamped doing two very time consuming and important things. I beg your forgiveness, but I also didn't want to send you empty letters, without any visible progress.
One thing I managed to do was catch up on a whole years' worth of Arithmancy and Ancient Runes. As of an hour ago, I'm being told that I'll be among the most prepared in both of those classes, by none other than Hermione "The brightest witch of our generation" Granger.
This of course means that with the exception of one or two people, I'll be demolishing absolutely everyone in both of those classes.
My now ex-friend Ron was further angered that I changed electives and dropped that useless class Divination. I'd understand if he wanted to spend time with me, but since he's angered by my very presence all day, in the end I'm just baffled. Neville has been reading up on advanced Occlumency and is beginning to reach the point of making a Mindscape. He's diligent where Ron is lazy and he's making excellent progress. I really am very proud of him.
The second thing I did leads into an apology that I owe you. I never should have doubted you.
As it turns out you were right... I am the Air!
On my second day here, I woke up early, studied a guide to connecting with your elemental affinity and began seeking it out. After reading the book, I can now tell you that I accomplished what should usually take about ten years of dedicated meditation and toil, in only one morning. My affinity loves me, has always been watching over me and we've become very close. I've been learning how best to "play" with the Air within my Mindscape and it's amazing!
The Air's not really an offensive force per se. She's way too friendly for that. Her name's Aethir and she reminds me of Gabrielle. She wants to run, jump and move with endless enthusiasm. She'll never allow me to level buildings with a sweep of my arm, but I am going to be FAST. On my feet, in the air, doesn't matter. She both guides me to be more graceful and lends me agility at the same time. The effect is cumulative to the point I can move like an Olympic gymnast mixed with a jungle cat or something. While she can hinder other people like she did at the Quidditch World Cup, I'm under the impression she hates doing that kind of thing.
Last and perhaps most importantly, my connection with Aethir seems to make me feel more whole. There's been a lot of that this year for me. It feels like all of the puzzle pieces are finally fitting together.
A seventh year Ravenclaw girl asked me out yesterday morning, at random, while I was studying in the library. Even she seemed surprised. I smiled at her and politely told her that while she's lovely, dating her would be impossible since I have no idea who she is. I felt bad, but she seemed to take it well. Is that what your life is like?
I have been missing you! Hermione only gives me positive feedback and constructive criticism. I'm getting a seriously big head, Fleur! I need your witty banter to keep me grounded. You also sound so much better saying my name than anyone around here. I miss the silent H.
In regards to your last letter, I am now all but certain that I'll make the Quidditch team, and I insist that you keep the jersey. If you don't wear it, I'll let Gabrielle know that you have it and she'll steal it. I'm even more certain that I'll be excelling scholastically by the time you arrive. It's not so difficult now that I can study in my sleep…
Please tell me some of the five Ws with your return letter. What have you been up to, when, where, and why. Throwing in a How would be great too.
Hurry up and get over here so that we can hang out!
Yours truly
Harry Potter
.
After finishing his letter, Harry smiled and asked aloud "Dobby would you be so kind?"
POP
"Another friendly three page letter to Fleur, I assume," Dobby prodded, with a smirk.
"Yes, it is in fact quite friendly," Harry said, while laughing in defeat. "I get it Dobby. I'll be seeking to further my relationship with the fair Fleur at some point, but she's a tricky customer so bear with me, okay?"
"I only advocate that you be self-aware Harry that's all. You're doing a great job with her and she adores you." Dobby looked completely confident in Harry and he soaked it up like the sun.
"Love you Dobby, now get to work!" Harry grinned at the excited looking elf as he waved his hands in a shooing motion.
"With pleasure sir!" Dobby gave a snappy salute and then he was gone.
Harry pulled out some charcoal rubs and paper and started practicing his drawing again. He was actually quite good (in his own rather bias opinion) and improving every day. He'd kind of cheated and scanned like thirty art instruction books into his Mindscape for reference, but hey, any hobbyist would do the same right?
Fifty minutes later, Harry had finished a pretty decent rendition of the northern tower from an aerial perspective, when he heard a very welcome noise.
POP
A letter floated onto Harry's lap and Dobby was walking out of the room. "No time for witty banter from me sir, it's hers you want."
POP
Harry shook his head and then turned towards the letter in his lap.
.
Dear Harry
Oops I mean
Dear 'Arry (go ahead and picture me saying it in my sexy, sexy voice)
I figured you were getting settled into your new classes and thus had very little time to quill together a letter. What I didn't expect was such an enormous amount of productivity! Two classes worth of studying in merely three days is a huge deal, even with a Mindscape, and to Hermione's legendary satisfaction even! I have nothing to add about this ex-friend of yours, since you're far better off now and you know it. Neville will grow into a better more self-aware man very soon and just in time for me to meet him. I look forward to it.
You were dumb to have ever doubted me, for I am Fleur Delacour and thus above reproach.
You are the AIR! I KNEW IT AND I TOLD YOU SOOO!
Ahhh that felt goood. I believe you because I trust you 'Arry, but your level of development into your elemental affinity is obscene and you really are NOT a wizard. You are about as human as a dragon is 'Arry Potter! This is going to be fun to watch, and I can't wait. Krum is going to have to earn his title as the best in the world.
Do you really think that BLACKMAIL is the right way to get me to do anything, 'Arry? I shall dig a hole and hide the jersey before Gabrielle gets her hands on it.
That young lady's reaction to your presence does sound eerily similar to my life. For that girl to surprise even herself with her sudden confession, you must have been pumping out some serious animal magnetism. I suspect it's partially due to the calm competency you've started operating with nowadays. Women are suckers for confidence, but only if it's paired up with ability. I imagine the girl was saddened by your rejection but also a little relieved when you did so nicely. You are the mythical male Veela 'Arry, a true monster in the making. I must warn everyone!
I have missed you too 'Arry. I am experiencing the exact problem you are while here in school, only more so. You are the only person who tells me no in anything, and can relate to me on a normal plane. I have realized why I posture so much here. It is because I have been treated like a queen by my sycophants until naturally I believed my own hype.
I am trying to be more relatable to a select few, and there is one girl named Selene who I like to believe could be a friend. She is an extraordinary witch and we are different like night and day. She is a potions mastery student while I suffered through to the levels I needed. She is dark haired and short, unlike me. She is sweet and rather naïve, which is also counter to my personality. I believe we are so different that we will not chafe each other too much. I hope to introduce you to her when we meet again at Hogwarts. Same rules apply however. Do NOT, under any circumstances, pull your so called male Veela charms on my friend. You are MY 'Arry Potter, and no other Beauxbatons girl may have you.
Try outs for the right to go to Hogwarts are still ongoing. I have since two days ago been exempt and have been studying and relaxing.
Have you been practicing your drawing? Is there a piano for you to practice on in that barbaric castle of yours? Are you making new friends? Did you read that mystery novel I sent you with? Have you been running? Do you even lift bro? If I will be forced to endure your company in the upcoming months, I demand that you be sufficient eye candy!
I would write more but someone is knocking on my door and Dobby is waiting to return the letter.
Sincerely Yours
Fleur Delacour
.
Her Harry! She'd said it again! Fleur obviously wanted Harry to stay away from the Beauxbatton women, but she didn't seem as possessive of him in regards to the Hogwarts girls. That seemed to imply that it was less about a possessive attitude and more about pride.
Harry lay on his back looking at the ceiling, deep in thought, during which time he continually resisted the urge to write an immediate reply. The goal was for the letters to have real news and not seem needy. After resisting the urge to grab a quill for long enough, he started getting tired so he decided to fall asleep and get some work done.
The fourth day at Hogwarts started out similar to any other for Harry, as he awoke well before dawn refreshed and ready to go.
As bizarre as that sounds, it's the truth.
Between containing his magic properly and using a Mindscape, Harry needed waaay less sleep nowadays, which was a good thing because five Am was when he ran his ten mile obstacle course around the lake.
Of course the obstacles had caught the interest of the witches and wizards of the school, who'd assumed they were all part of an obscure ritual of some kind. No one had any idea that they were all just the obstacles for a purely physical exercise.
Harry smiled like a lunatic as he flew through the course and sometimes that almost felt literal. He was playing with Aethir who helped him in many small ways. She guided him to avoid unnecessary movements, improved his balance, reduced air resistance, buffeted the ground when he had to drop, whispered encouragement, and was just a joy to have around. That's what Aethir was after all. She was joy and movement personified. With her assistance Harry'd begun finishing his morning run in only two thirds of the time and had started a second lap.
After Harry finished running, Dobby always showed up with another of his excellent magically fortified nutrition smoothies. This one smoothie was so well designed and nutritious, it was theoretically the only food Harry needed to consume for an entire day. Thankfully, his higher than normal metabolism paired with his extremely strenuous exercise routine, demanded that he eat a lot purely to make up the calories he'd burned.
Following the smoothie, Harry ran up to the room of requirements for his daily weight conditioning. What this meant was that by breakfast every morning, Harry was always starving. He was perhaps the only man at Hogwarts who was rivaling Ron in food consumption, but the foods he ate were cooked by Dobby and quite nutritious.
So far this year, Harry had taken his time while performing all of his daily grooming rituals, and for the first time ever he was dressed in clothing that actually fit him. As it turns out, with Appoline's gift cards and Dobby doing the shopping, it wasn't all that hard to be well tailored. Knowing that he was well put together gave Harry an additional jolt of confidence, which allowed him to walk with a bonus bit of spring in his step. Both his good habits from the summer and the Delacour's influence on his fashion were suiting him well.
It was a good time to be Harry Potter.
As Harry was approaching the Great Hall, he felt what could only be Fred and George, running up to flank him on both sides.
"Good
Morning
not
so
ickle
Harry
Potter," George finished before continuing by himself. "We aren't waiting anymore for people to figure out the new school term."
Fred continued speaking from where his brother stopped. "Today for sure, we're getting on our brooms, and we're dragging you out with us. The try-outs for the school team are in just three days. Aren't you concerned about them?"
Playing it cool, Harry nodded seriously so that he didn't end up appearing arrogant. "I'm quite a bit bigger than I was, but I'm really not all that much heavier, so I might be okay. Still yes, I am nervous, and I'll meet you at the pitch after school today."
With that agreed upon, Harry, Fred and George all nodded at each other in an oddly synchronized fashion, as if in that moment they'd become triplets. Of course, when they entered the Great Hall just fifteen seconds later, they were still laughing at their own antics.
Joking around like this was a good change of pace for Harry, who didn't have as much comedy relief in his life without Ron around. Not only that, but Harry was still being stared at by the majority of the school population these days, so it was nice to joke around with guys who don't care what other people think. Harry was still smiling in amusement as he sat down on the left of Hermione and to the right of Alicia Spinnet. Fred and George sat down across from him.
After making quick work of eating their breakfasts, Fred and George found themselves staring off in Ron's general direction. They were becoming increasingly annoyed by his reaction to the new Harry.
Fred leaned forward on his arms and rubbed his temple in frustration. "My brother and I tried talking to Ron again last night, but as per usual he's taking It rather hard that you'd dare have something good happen to you."
George leaned in like his brother as he deftly balanced an apple on the back of his hand. "I have a theory, but I'm not a big fan of it. If you don't make the Quidditch team because you're now so dashingly handsome and tall, he may cool down a little."
"We'd both rather the little git just grow up and realize that it's not all about him," Fred growled, while quite obviously simmering in anger. He smiled all of the sudden, and looked over at his brother. "I'm feeling a rush of creativity running through me George."
George smiled back at this brother and rapidly rose to his feet. "Oh yes dear brother. Let's go be... creative."
The twins hurried out of the Great Hall, while giving their brother a sidelong look of evil.
Harry had come to understand in the past that when the twins are being "creative," it meant that someone was going to find themselves the recipient of a rather elaborate prank. He wasn't close to Ron anymore, but he was still capable of feeling bad for him in that moment anyway.
When Hermione looked down the table at Ron, Harry could clearly see that she was sad, and that thought made him sad in return. At exactly the same time, if Harry Harry had his way, Hermione wouldn't end up with Ron. Ron was too immature to deal with other people being... well... more than him. Hermione is a better witch in every conceivable way than Ron is a wizard. Harry knew that the only really likely outcome would be that Ron would tear her down, in order to build himself up.
Needless to say, Harry would intervene if he ever saw it going that way, but until it did he'd keep his opinions to himself.
Moving with a spring in his step, Neville slid into the vacated spot across from Harry and smiled while grabbing some toast.
"How's the new school term been treating you so far Neville?" The question was mostly rhetorical. Harry could see right away that the boy had very few complaints, based on his wide and happy smile.
"Good, and I have you to thank for that," Neville replied. With that statement, his face lit up and it was even more obvious that he was way happier than usual.
"Oh how so?" Harry hastened to demolish his very healthy looking but enormous breakfast as he waited for the answer.
"I am finally remembering the things I hear in classes," Neville replied, while giving Harry a significant look and a smile. I don't have a broken brain anymore, exactly like you described.
Harry sent his arm across the table and they shook hands. "Good man! I knew it would help and I also knew that you'd take it seriously. How well developed?"
"Not very impressive yet but I'm working on it every day," Neville replied, with a shrug. "I've erected some flimsy barrier walls, yes, but more importantly I've built myself a bookshelf to store memories. Excellent idea that bookshelf, thank you Hermione."
Mione smiled and shrugged. "Well, if I didn't suggest you start a library, I wouldn't be living up to my own image now would I?"
"So what are you guys going to do with your free time, now that you're not cramming a whole years' worth of school courses into Harry's brain?" Neville looked bemused. Harry had pulled off the impossible yet again, and yet he was being told to keep it a secret.
"The twins are dragging me out to see if I can still fly," Harry replied, while moving his fork as if it was divebombing.
"I'm going to go watch, and catch him when he falls," Hermione added, between bites of apple.
While Hermione's answer was funny, Neville found himself shaking his head. "Hermione... Harry here could be seven foot tall, three hundred pounds, and he'd still outfly anyone we've ever met." Looking over at Harry, Neville quietly added, "just shake your head yes or no. Are you even truly worried?"
Harry sat perfectly still for several seconds in a row, just looking at both Neville and Hermione. Then he shook his head in a negative, with a look of chagrin in his face.
"We are not Ron," Neville declared, while giving Harry a serious look. "If you're going to do well, then we're both very happy for you."
Hermione and Harry beamed both at what Neville had said and his newfound assertive attitude.
"Well I have plans to meet Hannah Abbot in the fourth year greenhouse, to tutor her," Neville explained with a happy smile. "I've always really liked that girl."
Harry found it really refreshing for someone to be forthcoming about how they feel. "Ron had never admitted to liking a woman or how he thinks of anything that isn't either food or Quidditch. Harry leaned forward and whispered across the table. "Are you going to ask Hannah to be your date to the Yuletide Ball?"
At first Neville blushed, but then he firmed up his resolve and nodded. "Actually, now that you've brought that up, I was wondering if you know how to dance, and if you do, would you arrange to teach me? It's yet another thing that I've been putting off learning for the longest time."
"If you'd asked me that question just four months ago, I'd have confidently declared that I have no idea how to dance," Harry replied with a grin. "As a happy coincidence, over the summer I was taught a wide variety of dancing, by some of the most graceful ladies in the entire world. If I'm even half decent by their standards, than I should be pretty accomplished. If you can find a female partner to practice with, I'll show you what I know. No offense intended Neville, I don't think I'd want to pair up with you myself." Harry injected the joke into his voice.
Hermione immediately waved her arm in the air and said "oh me, me, I'd love that! I mean, I do know how to dance already but I don't know if what I know is the same as current wizarding styles. I wouldn't like to find out that I'm wrong at the ball."
Even though he thought Hermione was worrying over nothing, Harry was happy to get his sister involved. "While I doubt the dancing styles are all that different, the more variety we have, the more fun we'll have at the ball."
"Oooooh I love this new easy going, self-assured Harry," Hermione gushed. "Last year you would've run away from the very idea of dancing, as if it was a dragon! This all sounds like so much fun!"
Harry was enjoying Hermione's enthusiasm for something that wasn't studying, and he dedicated himself to making the upcoming dance as fun as possible for his female friend. "Okay Nev, just tell us when you want to get together and we'll hash it out."
Neville looked quite relieved. "I'll get back to you on that later then. I'm not all that coordinated so it'll probably take several lessons."
"No hurry, just don't wait too long or you'll become nervous and that doesn't help in anything." Harry was already packing his stuff up for class, as they wrapped up their conversation. Then, all of the sudden, he had a thought. "Neville, I do some exercising in the form of running every morning. Do you want to join me? The more you use your body the more coordination you can expect to have."
Neville looked thoughtfully at Harry before he bobbed his head noncommittally. "Let me get back to you on that Harry. I'm interested but not all of us can exist on four hours sleep. I'll probably join a couple times a week at most, but I'd still like to try."
"Okay, sounds good. Let's get moving or we'll be late to class." Harry slung his beaten up, book bag over his shoulders as everyone else picked up their gear.
After classes ended, Harry, Fred, George, Angelina, Alicia, Hermione and Katie, started walking down the various lawns of the school, heading in the direction of the Quidditch pitch.
With the exception of Hermione, everyone had brooms in hand, were chattering excitedly and were clearly looking forward to flying. The only damper on the ultra-buoyant atmosphere was the fact that Harry kept receiving concerned looks from everyone regarding his size and weight, and he couldn't reassure his friends without blowing most of his biggest secrets. Instead, Harry was extremely careful to make himself look at ease, as if he were at peace with whatever happened today and wouldn't have any hard feelings.
Sure enough, all of the Gryffs present appeared to relax somewhat, even as they continued to hope for the best…
Quite a few people from all of the other school houses were taking an interest in the Gryffindors' current actions, and were beginning to follow them at a medium distance, but they weren't the reason Harry ended up rolling his eyes.
Draco Malfoy, his goons and several of his housemates, were sitting around on the lawn, but at Harry's approach, they all rose up to their feet and blocked the path towards the pitch.
Harry could immediately tell that Malfoy intended to bait the bear.
"Potter, you can't seriously expect to beat anyone to the snitch now that you're a normal size can you? We all know the only reason you ever won a match was because you were so damn small on such an overpowered broom." It was a wonder that Draco could still act so pompous with his hair up in a wild, clearly hexed, updo.
Everyone from both groups were staring at the exchange between the two of them, as if they were just waiting to throw down at any second… What this meant to Harry was if he wanted to stop a full on gang war, he was going to have to be pretty decisive.
Well, fine… Harry could do decisive.
"Draco... I beat you to the snitch while flying on a nimbus two thousand, while you were piloting a two thousand and one, and I had two rogue bludgers hunting me down the whole entire match," Harry pointed out in a loud and clear, but completely deadpan voice.
"Oooooohhhhhhhhhh!" All of the bystanders just standing around and watching immediately yelled as if Harry's words were a kick to the groin. It took several moments for the mob to stop loudly enjoying themselves.
"Harry's got a point there Malfoy, but maybe that's more because you seriously suck," Fred drawled out casually.
"I mean Malfoy did buy his way onto the Slytherin team in the first place," pointed out George.
"They haven't been a real threat ever since," Fred added, with perfect timing and a massive smile on his face.
"I'm going to make you pay for your disrespect, you blood traitors!" Draco suddenly screamed, as he instantly lost every scrap of his self-control. Unbeknownst to both Harry and the twins, Malfoy had been pranked at least a hundred times since Harry had rallied the school together four days earlier, and his temper was on a razor's edge. His face turned a bright red at their heckling, to the point that he looked like he might pass out like Ginny had. Then, all of the sudden and without any warning, he pulled out his wand and cast a high impact curse, directly at Harry's face.
While Harry was surprised Draco was attacking him in front of so many witnesses, that didn't mean that he wasn't ready to react. After sidestepping the boy's curse, Harry recruited Aethir around his body, letting her guide him towards faster speeds and sharper movements. During the single second that followed, Harry made excellent use of his newfound agility, leaping to the left, completing a quick spin back to the right, and then dashing towards Malfoy from an unexpected angle.
Draco was clearly shocked by the speed that Harry was moving at, because he was waving his wand back and forth as if he was having a seizure of some kind. He was trying to aim another curse at Harry. He didn't yet understand just how outclassed he really was.
Draco had no idea that it was already too late...
Dashing inside of Draco's extended wand arm, Harry slapped the boy hard across the face, using all the force of his rapidly moving body. Malfoy immediately went down hard on his back, with small trails of blood leaking from both his mouth and nose. Within the next instant, Harry had leapt back to the line of his friends, but this time he had Draco's wand in his right hand.
Just before both groups could grab for their wands, Harry put up a hand palm out and barked out the word, "enough! One more move from any of you and Draco here will need a new wand, because I'll snap this one in two!"
Even as he made that threat, Harry moved so that he was holding Draco's wand in both of his hands just above his upraised knee. Everyone immediately stopped moving, in order to stare at Harry instead.
After staring right back at the Slytherins for several seconds in a row, Harry suddenly gestured towards the Quidditch pitch. "This fight is completely pointless! If you think you're the best, then prove it! We have the Quidditch tryouts in only three days' time! I suggest you start practicing though, because not a one of you are a match for a Gryffindor!"
Turning towards Malfoy next, Harry gave the boy a look of utter contempt, mixed with equal amounts of disgust. "Just look at the meager skills that your so-called "pure blood" has graced you with, you ridiculous little pansy. Are you still trying to tell people that YOU are the pinnacle of magical breeding!? You were just beaten down by a single hard physical slap! You're obviously no match for even a physically fit MUGGLE Draco, and now even you know it! Go cry it off... I'll leave this wand somewhere public, to be found after you've left."
With that said, Harry casually turned away from Draco, with the express purpose of dismissing him.
"Ooohhhhhhhhh!" The swelling crowd once again yelled towards the sky as if Malfoy had been kicked in the crotch, and they didn't stop jumping around for about ten whole seconds.
At this point, Draco was blushing a bright red with humiliation, but he continued to stare daggers at Harry as he slowly rose to his feet. "You wouldn't dare break my wand Potter! That would get you expelled!"
Turning back around, Harry calmly returned his gaze to Draco's still bleeding face. After another prolonged moment, where Harry just stared at Draco, he started shaking his head as if the boy were too stupid to live. "Well... Maybe. I suppose I might get expelled for breaking your wand. You, on the other hand, will definitely get both expelled and arrested for casting an unprovoked high impact curse at me, in front of about forty witnesses. Do you want to go to the Headmaster's office to see who gets in more trouble? I'll make a point of asking for a pensieve review, which is my right under the rules of the school." Harry shrugged, staring at Malfoy as if waiting for his decision.
Draco's eyes immediately widened to the size of saucers. It was as if he'd never even imagined himself being subject to the same rules as the rest of them. Until now, he'd been sheltered by Snape so thoroughly, consequences like expulsion had never even been a possibility to him. As a result, Draco just stood there, frozen still and bleeding, for several moments in a row.
Finally, Draco covered his nose with his hand, turned towards his goons and spluttered out "let's go. We have better things to do." The whole group of Slytherins marched away, trying to look tough even in retreat.
Fred and George were quiet for several seconds following Draco's retreat, but then with picture perfect timing they both yelled towards the sky. "That was so wicked!"
"That really was extremely well done, Harry," Hermione beamed. "I love how, so far this year, you haven't even cast any spells at him, but he's been repeatedly humiliated anyway. It's like you're going out of your way to beat the crap out of him like a muggle would. For a completely brainwashed blood purist like Malfoy, your treatment of him must hurt even worse than the slap just did."
They all laughed.
"That was amazing though Harry!" Katie looked awe struck as she took a step closer. "Where did you learn to move like that?"
At first Harry just shrugged.
It didn't work. His friends just continued to stare at him.
Finally, Harry drew in a deep breath and gestured at his new body. He felt bad about it, but he really didn't have much choice but to bend the truth a bit. He adopted a chagrined look on his face and rubbed the back of his neck. "Well you see... I was growing very quickly over the summer, and I actually started becoming extremely clumsy as a result. I eventually took up running an obstacle course every day to get used to my new body. It worked of course, and I can successfully walk without tripping over my own feet. I kind of overcompensated at some point however, and I've become quite agile now. If you want to join me running in the morning, I created a version of the course here." Harry gestured towards the various wooden structures along the lakeshore. "I run it every morning at around five thirty Am."
"One of the seven mysteries of Hogwarts answered, and as per usual the answer is Harry Potter," Angelina drawled, with a smirk.
Angelina, Katie and Alicia looked like they might wake up early, not necessarily to take part but instead just to witness him running the course.
"Well yes," Harry admitted, with yet another shrug. "I didn't feel like explaining it to anyone, so I just didn't bring it up." Harry wanted to move on, so he pointed at his broom and then the pitch. "Umm guys? Weren't we going to fly today?"
That night at dinner, the entire group of Gryffindor Quidditch players came rolling back into the castle, enjoying a loud outpouring of enthusiasm. They were pushing each other and making a ruckus, as they sat down at their table in the Great Hall.
Seamus Finnegan looked at the group of them from where he was sitting down the table, with Ron on his other side. After a few moments he started waving his arm for their attention. "What's got you lot so riled up?"
"Oh nothing, just the fact that the Hogwarts Quidditch team is going to be entirely composed of Gryffindors this year!" Angelina had a wide and happy smile dominating her entire face.
"What about the six foot three seeker over there," injected Ron, while giving Harry a sneer.
George and Fred looked at each other and then adopted completely embellished looks of depression on their faces.
"Yes about our Harrykins," George started. "He is
Not
As
Good
As
He
Was," Fred finished, while still looking comically devastated.
Ron perked up immediately. "Really?"
"No you twit," Both Fred and George bellowed at exactly the same time. "He's better!"
"He's sooo much better," called out Alicia. "He's so graceful in the air now, it's like he's barely touching his broom! It more than makes up for his size changes."
"That's bull," Ron ranted immediately. "There has never been a seeker taller than five foot nine, in the entire history of professional Quidditch! He's far too heavy so his max speed could never..."
"And yet Harry was moving as fast as I've ever seen him fly and catching snitches from positions that I've never even seen before," announced Alicia, easily interrupting Ron.
"But..." At first Ron seemed to deflate into himself, but then he glared at Harry as if he'd stolen Christmas.
George and Fred looked at each other in silent communication before Fred nodded and turned back towards Ron. "You know Ron... being furious at other people for their good fortune and talent is the sure sign of a loser."
"I'm not a loser!" Ron had clearly yelled that far too loudly, because people at the other tables started chuckling at him.
"You're not even trying to get better at Quidditch or school," Fred replied in a cool voice that was rising in volume, despite his better intentions. "I never see you practicing or studying a single damned thing. Yet you seem to believe you should be Quidditch team captain or something equally absurd like head boy."
Ron's face was beet red, as he launched to his feet and stormed out of the Hall.
"I'm not sure that's going to help," Harry pointed out, in a low voice.
Fred shook his head, rested his elbows on the table and began massaging his temples. "No... Sorry Harry... It won't."
George froze his glass of water with a well performed Glacius spell, wrapped the glass shaped block of ice in a handkerchief and then handed it to his brother, to use for his new headache. "What Fred just did is actually similar to you slapping Malfoy, except we don't hate Ron. Did you think the slap would change Malfoy's behaviour?"
Harry nodded at George because he immediately understood where the boy was coming from. It sucked but the twins obviously thought that Ron was all but a lost cause. Belatedly, Harry turned towards a Hermione who was studying her food, and sent his aura shroud around her to let her know he cared. She looked up at him and smiled but her heart just wasn't into it.
Harry hated seeing Hermione down like that, so during the next few moments he began doing some very quick thinking. "Hey Neville... Do you want to have your first dance lesson tonight, now that you're done with the lovely Hannah?"
At first Neville looked a little bit reluctant, but then he saw how Harry was gesturing towards a visibly upset Hermione with his eyes. "I think that's a brilliant idea," he finally announced, with all of the enthusiasm that he could muster.
Turning back towards Hermione, Harry performed an elaborate courtly bow. "I'm going to need a lovely lady assistant please Hermione. Maybe I'll allow you to make me dance as well."
Between Harry's persistently positive and cheerful aura and the idea of dancing, Hermione couldn't help but cheer up. She was soon back to her normal self and having a great time with the dance practice.
To Be Continued
Author's Note:
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