The bulletin boards in the common rooms were seldom used. Generally
speaking, when something was important enough that the whole school needed
to know, Professor Dumbledore did the honors himself. In all reality, the
only time the bulletin boards were ever used was to schedule a chess
tournament or notify houses of sit-in Quidditch practices. So it was quite
a surprise when Harry woke up one Saturday morning in September to find a
mob of students surrounding the bulletin board. Usually, notices were left
using traditional parchment and thumb tacks, but this time the board was
glowing white and flashing red and gold words. Groggily, Harry pushed his
way through until he could read.
Students,
Due to and unfortunate stream of current events, a new class will be introduced to the curriculum, Basic Magik. It is not mandatory, but participation will give you a one up on finals. The class meet's twice a week on Monday's from six thirty to seven fifteen, and Saturday from one till three. Classes will be held out of doors as whether permits, and if not, the third room to the left of Charms. Any students interested should report to the Transfiguration room at one o clock today.
Best of regards,
P. McGonagal
Twaddlethmuk,
HM A. Dumbledore
" Six thirty to eight and class on Saturday, they've gotta be out of their minds." Said a sleepy voice next to Harry. Harry turned his head to see Ron looking up at the bulletin with an expression of disbelief and confusion on his face.
" Morning Ron." Harry muttered.
" Morning Harry. What do you suppose Basic Magik is? Didn't we learn basic magik in the first year?
" Go figure." Harry replied, yawning. The two made their way to couple of chairs next to the fire, and slumped into them.
" Well I, for one, am going to take the class." Snipped a voice from behind the two fifth years.
" Morning 'Mione." Harry and Ron said, simultaneously. Hermione came around and plopped down into a chair opposite the two dosing boys and smiled.
" I think it would be interesting. I don't know what it's about, but I don't know why you two don't want to take the class." Hermione said. Ron groaned.
" Because it's the weekend, and I have enough homework without another class." Harry said. Ron nodded. Hermione scoweled.
" Really you two. You don't show any enthusiasm when it comes to your academic careers. Maybe you'd like it." Ron shook his head.
" Maybe can be a hard word like, " Maybe if I try hard…", or it can be easy like , " Maybe it'll just happen…", or it can be a word you blow out your ass like, " Maybe I'll take an extra class on the weekend…". Do you get where I am coming from?" *1 He said. Hermione frowned.
" He has point you know." Harry said.
" Oh sure, you stick up for Ron. I swear you two conspire with eachother." Hermione said with mock annoyance. " Fine, if you don't wanna do it, but I still think you should." Hermione said. Harry smiled.
" You would Hermione." Harry said. Hermione shook her head.
" I'm going to the library to see if I can't find anything on Basic Magik." She said. Harry and Ron yawned their goodbye as Hermione, already dressed and awake made her way out of the portrait hole.
" She must be out of her mind too." Ron said. Harry nodded.
The morning came and went without much excitement. Harry and Ron took showers and got dressed around ten o clock, and then settled down in the common room to read a bit, play some chess maybe, and if they got especially motivated, start on some homework. Hermione came back from the library at about twelve thirty.
" That was peculiar." Hermione said. Ron and Harry looked up from their game of chess. Harry, for once, was winning, but he suspected that it was because Ron's pieces had developed a cold and were not paying attention to what Ron said as well as they usually did.
" What was?" Ron asked. " B-11." He then proceeded to yell colorfully as his rook sneezed and moved too far, putting himself in the perfect position for one of Harry's pawns. Harry took the rook.
" I didn't know that chess pieces could develop colds." Harry said. Ron shook his head.
" Yeah. If you don't clean them once a week, germs can accumulate and they get sick. I'll see if I can't get some diluted pepper-up potion from Madam Pomfrey to spray on them later." He said.
" Guys!" Hermione said, exasperated.
" Sorry Herm. You were saying?" Ron said.
" Well, I was at the library looking for books on Basic Magik, but I couldn't find any. I asked the librarian, but she said they didn't have any books on Basic Magik, not even in the restricted section, at least not with the k spelling. So I looked under Magic spelled with a c, but all I could find was the stuff we learned the first and second year. " Hermione said.
" So?" Harry asked. " Check."
" So, Hogwarts has the third largest library in the wizarding world. And with Basic Magik or Magik or whatever becoming part of the curriculum, you would think the school would have at least some textbooks on the shelves." Hermione said. Harry shrugged.
" So maybe there aren't any books on the subject. It is possible." He said. Hermione snorted.
" Possible, but not likely." She said. Harry just shrugged again.
" Check mate." Harry said. Ron leaned forward on the board.
" What!?" He exclaimed. " No way!" He said. Harry grinned.
" I do believe that the unbeatable Ronald Weasly has just been beaten." Harry said. Ron scoweled.
" I was playing with a diseased set." Ron said, putting his sick game pieces in their box. Harry shrugged.
" Makes no difference to me." He said, smiling. Hermione put her hands on her hips.
" You two don't care at all, do you?" She asked, really annoyed this time.
" No, not really Hermione." Harry said. Hermione sighed.
" I quit." She said, picking up her books. Then she stalked away to talk to Lavender, who had thankfully grown out of her gossip/divination/makeup stage and was actually a pleasure to talk to.
At twelve fifty, Hermione and Lavender left to go the Basic Magik thing, and Ron retreated to their room to sleep. Harry stayed in the common room reading a wizard novel. At one fifteen, Harry was checked to see if he was susceptible to cardiac arrest in the form of McGonagal's head appearing in the common room fireplace.
" Potter!" She yelled. Harry threw the book up and leapt about a foot in the air.
" Jesus Christ!" He yelled, panting at the image of his professor's floating head.
" Come to my room at once!" She commanded. Harry, too flabbergasted to ask why, stood up and began walking toward the portrait hole.
" Through the fireplace Mr. Potter." She barked.
" Oh, right." He said, doing an about face and walked through the fireplace. He brushed off the ash that had accumulated on his robes, and looked up at his professor. She looked quite annoyed.
" Mr. Potter, I am extremely disappointed in you. You did see the notice on the common room bulletin board, didn't you?" Professor McGonagal asked. Harry nodded.
" Why didn't you turn up?" She asked. Harry shrugged.
" It didn't catch my interest. I mean, we did learn basic magic in the first year." He said. McGonagal frowned, but for some reason Harry could tell that it wasn't because of him.
" I thought so too." McGonagal said. She seemed to be thinking about something particularly troubling and annoying at the same time, then shook herself. " Well, that is besides the point. I really think you should take this class." She said, making it sound like a fact, not an opinion.
" Why?" Harry asked. McGonagal sighed.
" Because you are Harry Potter." She said. Harry looked confused. In an attempt to mask it, he looked around the room and noticed that no one was there.
" Where is everyone?" He asked.
" In my office. Will you attend the meeting, Harry?" McGonagal asked. Her tone of voice and look left only one reply.
" Yes ma'am." Harry said. McGonagal nodded and walked over to one of the unused desks, the kind that open up into a cavity to store books and etc. She opened it up, and said,
" Virgil." Harry watched with fascination as the cavity inside the desk grew and expanded until Harry could see a set of stairs leading down into a nicely lit room.
" Go on." McGonagal said. Harry sighed, shrugged, and descended into the office. Once on the floor he looked up at the ceiling to find that there was no sign of the tunnel at all, and Harry began to feel a little claustrophobic. He turned around to find about fifteen pairs of eyes, all from different houses, staring right at him.
" Ah, hi." He said. He looked around the room. For the most part, the students were sitting in stuffed chairs strewn about the room. It looked very much like the Gryfindor Common room, and Harry could recognize a few students. He immediately saw Hermione and Lavender, there were a few Ravenclaws he didn't know, Seamus, a few Huffelpuffs, and some Slytherin students. One of them was Draco. Harry caught his gaze for a moment, and it was cold as ever, and then he took a seat next to Hermione and Lavender.
" It's nice to see you've shown up." She said, clearly pleased. Harry had a sinking feeling that Hermione had something to do with his being there in the first place. Seamus got up and sat down next to Harry.
" What are you doing here?" He asked. Harry shrugged.
" I could ask you the same." He was going to say more, but that was when someone he hadn't noticed decided to speak up.
" Hello Harry. How are you today?" Harry looked in the direction of the voice and was surprised to see a witch he had never seen before. She looked to be about thirty years old, petite, but not short. She had bright red hair that was cropped close to her head, giving her a very hard look. Her eyes were dark green, very much like Harry's, and they were heavily outlined making them look deeper and fuller than they actually were. She had multiple piercing on her ears, two on her left eyebrow and one on her nose. She wore muggle clothing, black jeans that flared out over black boots with a four inch heel, and a white T-shirt that read in black lettering " Metallica Re-Load 2004 concert tour." She waved her left hand, and harry could see the black fingernail polish and the pyramid spike bracelets. Around her neck she wore a silver chain with a crucifix. Harry was, to say the least, confused.
" Um, I'm fine I guess." He said. The witch smiled. She was standing in the middle of the cluster of chairs, and Harry wondered how he had managed to miss her.
" Fine huh? Well you're gonna have to get into shape for this class. My name is Kira. Don't call me professor or anything like that unless you want a detention alright? Before you ask, I come from Milwaukee Wisconsin, U.S.A. I attended Michelin's Academe of Magic for ten years, graduated, and then enlisted the Order of Avalon to begin learning magik." She said. And when she said the word Magik, you could just sense that it was spelled with a k. Harry was still confused.
" Everything that you learn in this class is going to contradict everything you have ever learned." Kira said. " You are going to doubt what your regular professors say, you are going to doubt your power and the powers of others. If you excel here, you may come to find yourself better than others, if you fail you may fall to depression. With what I teach you here, you could go any number of ways, and it will be my job to make sure you go the right way." She said. During her speech, she took the time to look each of the students in the eye. She lingered on Draco for a moment, and the continued, letting what she had just said sink in. " If this doesn't sound like something you want to do, leave." She said. For all of her un-formal dress and posture, she was looking a look to rival McGonagal's and Snape's put together. Harry didn't know how anyone could have even moved, but to his surprise He watched as about seven student's, Lavender and almost all of the Huffelpuffs included, stood up. Kira nodded.
" Very well. Pick up that candle and place it back again to open the staircase." She said. Harry watched as the students followed her instructions and climbed the stairs. When the last one had disappeared from sight, the doorway closed again. Kira smiled.
" Good. Now then. By staying, you have made a full commitment to this class. When you really have to start exerting yourself and you may want to drop out, I won't let you. If I have to lock you in my room and work with you solely until you accomplish your task, I will. I offer one last time. Anyone who doesn't want to do this, leave now." She said. No one moved. Kira smiled and uncrossed her arms.
" Alright!" With a wave of her wandless hand, the chairs, some still occupied by students, formed a circle. A few students were impressed, some were shocked, and others didn't seem to care.
" Please take a seat." Kira said. Students did. Harry ended up sitting next to Hermione and Seamus. Draco sat directly opposite of him. Draco sniggered quietly and Harry shot him a death glare.
" First of all, any grudges or lasting conflict between students are to be dropped immediately. If there are any hard feelings between anyone here, the results could be disastrous or worse." Kira said, looking between Draco and Harry. " Houses no longer apply to any of you. You will still sleep in your dorms, but you will have passwords to all of them so you have the freedom to work with your partners privately. If you happen to get in trouble, you won't loose house points, instead you will have a little chat with me." Kira said. No one argued. " This class will become your main priority before any other class. If you have to put off a potions assignment to get something done for this class, you better damn well do it because this is the real thing." Harry was slowly beginning to see how serious this class was. He wondered if this had anything to do with Voldemort.
" Very good Harry. You have hit the nail on the head." Kira said. Harry looked up.
" This has everything to do with Voldemort." She said. The room, though quiet before, was deathly silent now.
" How did you know what I was thinking?" Harry asked, bewildered. Kira grinned.
" I can read minds. It's the first bit of magik that you will learn in this class." Kira said. " Voldemort grows stronger everyday, and that is because he has discovered magik. He knows the real stuff now, not the stuff that any muggle could perform, and in order to defeat him, you need to know the real stuff." Kira said.
" Wait a minute. Muggles can't do magic. And what are you talking about, "the real stuff "? Most of us have been around magik for our entire lives." Draco said. Kira laughed.
" I highly doubt that any on you have ever even seen real magic once in your life." She said, watching Draco go white with rage. He exploded.
" What are you talking about!? Do you know who I am? I am Draco Malfoy, Malfoy! Does that name ring a bell?" He asked. Kira's jovial face dropped like a fly.
" Draco! Sit down! You don't know what you are talking about! I told you before this class even began that what I would tell you here would contradict everything you have ever been told. Are your ears made of lead or are you just dumb?" Kira asked. Draco wasn't about to give up that easily though. He opened his mouth to say something, but Kira cut him off.
" The magic that you have grown up with isn't really magic, just an evolved form of the human brain. The average human uses about ten percent of the human brain, whilst the average wizard uses about ninety percent. Exceptionally strong wizards or witches such as Dumbledore and myself use about ninety-five percent, and the only wizard to ever use all of his brain was Merlin. The wand is simply a tool, no more complicated than an electric wire excepting that it carries a current of a different form of energy. The magic that you have been working with is the same type of energy as the sun and electricity. A muggle by the name of Albert Einstein actually came much closer than any witch or wizard ever has with his equation E=Mc2." Kira said. Draco had calmed down now, and was listening intently, though still miffed.
" The kind of magik that you will begin learning now is real. It is the kind that allows me to communicate with those I love and care about. It is the kind that lets me really see into the future. It is the kind that kept our own Harry Potter alive. I can't explain to you why it works. No one can. But I can teach you how to make it work for you." She said. Harry was keenly aware of the eyes all focused on him. He wondered why people had to keep on bringing that up.
" I'm sorry to bring up such a painful memory Harry, but I need everyone here to understand what we are dealing with." She said. Harry felt like saying something stinging, but found he couldn't. Instead, he just smiled and looked up.
" No grudges, right?" Kira smiled.
" This is going to be fun." She said. " Alright. As Harry has announced here, there are to be no grudges. If you haven't dropped them yet, do it now. There is no point in trying to hide it Draco, I can sense you are still pissed at both Harry and myself. Therefore, you and Harry will be partners. Anything you do in this class will be done with eachother." Draco and Harry looked from eachother to Kira, and then back at eachother.
" Potter." Draco said.
" Malfoy." Harry said. They looked at Kira.
" Harry." Draco said. A small smile graced his mouth. Harry smiled right back.
" Draco." He said, amazed at how easy it was to just let go. Kira smiled.
" Wonderful. I think you two will work wonderfully together. Now, onto the next partners." Kira said. Hermione got paired up with a Ravenclaw boy named Michael, and Seamus got paired up with a Slytherin named Dirk. Eventually, everyone was paired up. Some didn't look happy about their partners, but Kira insisted that was the point. She had winked at Harry and Draco when she said that. Draco, thankfully, hadn't seen it, but Harry had, and he just nodded.
" Alright. That's it for today. You're only "homework" for Monday is to get to know your partner and to drop all grudges. I mean it. If anyone comes in on Monday holding onto past rivalries, I swear I will kick into action with a lock in. Capiche? Good. Now get out of here and enjoy your weekend." Students stood up stretched, and silently began walking toward the exit, when Kira stood up suddenly.
" I forgot. Here are the passwords into the Gryfindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin common rooms. Also. Everything in learnt in this class will stay in the class, do you understand?" She asked. Everyone nodded.
" Good. I'll see you on Monday then, maybe sooner." Kira said, then she disappeared. Hermione gasped.
" How did she do that? It's impossible to apparate or disapparate on Hogwarts grounds!" Hermione exclaimed. Kira re appeared.
" Sorry. I forgot to mention that the person you saw today wasn't really me. It was only an astral projection, something you will all learn eventually. I am currently on a plane coming from Chicago. My flight was delayed, and I can't apparate. I never really got a hang of it. Anyway, Albus didn't want me to be too late, so he had me project myself here. That is why he didn't announce this during the back to school feast. " Kira said. Hermione mouthed the word "oh" as Kira disappeared from sight again.
" That explains that." She said, shrugging. " You know, this should really be amazing me, but it isn't." She said, opening the staircase. To her surprise, Draco replied with,
" I know what you mean. I should be furious with her, and for a while I was, but now it just seems so matter of fact." Draco said. He and Hermione caught each other's gaze, and smiled. If not for the distance, they might have shook hands.
" Alright everyone." Seamus said, grinning. " It's time for some quality bonding time." He said climbing the stairs. The group shook their heads. Any grudges that had once been there were suddenly gone. Apparently everyone had seen how easily Harry and Draco had dropped their grudges, and decided that they could do it to. Harry fancied a laughter ringing in his ears, but he shook it off. It had been a strange day indeed.
" You do realize how awkward this is, Harry?" Draco asked. Harry shook his head.
" Yeah. It is slightly odd. This morning we woke up as enemies, and now we're friends." Harry said. Draco stopped.
" Friends?" He asked. Harry stopped too and turned around.
" Yeah. I guess. Do you have a problem with that?" He asked. Draco shrugged.
" No. It just kinda caught me off guard." Again, Harry fancied laughter in his ears. He and Draco took up walking again.
" Did you hear that laughter?" Draco asked. Harry nodded.
" Yeah, I thought I was just being delusional." Harry said. A thought came to him.
" You suppose that Kira is keeping an eye on us somehow?" Harry asked. Draco thought a moment, and then smiled.
" It makes sense." He said. Harry suddenly got an image of himself pounding a nail into a piece of wood, and He laughed out loud, matching the laughter that was ringing in his head.
" I think I've hit the nail on the head." Harry said. Draco looked bewildered.
" You got that little image too?" Harry burst out laughing and nodded. Draco, was surprised to find himself laughing. It was in this state that Ron found them.
" Harry, where the...what the bloody hell is going on? Draco, what have you done!?" Ron yelled. Harry, with a certain amount of difficulty, pulled himself together enough to try and explain.
" Ron! Calm down. Nothing is the matter. Draco and I are, well friends. We're partners in our class Basic Magik, and we were told to…"
" Harry. Remember what Kira said." Draco warned. Ron was looking extremely mad and confused.
" Who is Kira? Why, how are you two friends? What class!" He exclaimed. Harry was sobered by Draco's comment. It never occurred to him that he would have to keep everything from Ron.
" I'm sorry Ron. I can't really explain. But the Basic Magik class meeting, well I went to it. Kira is the professor, and that's all that I can say except that it's okay. There aren't any grudges or anything." Harry said.
" Can we please forgive and forget, Ron?" Draco asked. Draco was stunned to silence in hearing his name spoken by Draco without an malice. He looked at Draco's outstretched hand like it was dripping acid.
" I don't trust you." Ron said. Draco got very annoyed.
" That's understandable." He said, rather coolly.
" Draco." Harry said. Ron took a step back.
" No." Ron said. Draco scoffed.
" Fine. Have it your way. But you can't say that I didn't make the initiative." Draco said. Ron looked at Harry.
" We need to talk, Harry." Ron said. Harry looked at Draco.
" Hold on a minute, Ron." Harry said. He grabbed Draco's arm and pulled him away.
" Meet me down at the Quidditch field in about five minutes. Bring your broom." Harry said, allowing a small smile to grace his face. Draco nodded.
" Right." He said. " And see if you can't talk some sense into Ron/" Draco said. Harry nodded.
" I'll try." He said. " See you later." Harry said.
" Bye." Draco said. Then he turned around and headed for the Slytherin common room. Harry turned around to find Ron gone.
" Ron?" He asked. Sighing, He jogged to the portrait of the fat lady and entered.
" Ron?" He asked again. Harry looked around to see Ron standing in front of Hermione, and a person who looked to be Hermione's partner. The three looked up to see Harry standing there.
" Harry. What is going on?" He asked. Harry sighed and walked over to Ron.
" I'm sorry Ron. I really can't explain." Ron nodded.
" I see." He looked from Hermione, to Harry, to the Ravenclaw boy sitting next to her, and then back to Harry.
" Are we still friends?" He asked. Harry sighed and smiled.
" Of course, you oaf! You're my best friend in the whole world!" Harry exclaimed. Ron smiled, relived. Hermione coughed.
" You too, Herm." Harry said. Ron suddenly sobered.
" I'll be civil toward Draco, for your sake, but I still don't trust him." Ron said, crossing his arms.
" Thanks Ron." Harry said. He turned around and dashed towards the dorms.
" Where are you going? Ron asked. Harry stopped and turned around.
" I'm meeting Draco down at the Quidditch field." Harry said. Then without further adieu, he ran up the stairs. Ron breathed in sharply.
" I don't think I can get used to this." Ron said. Hermione smiled
" Sure you will Ron. Draco isn't really all that bad." Hermione said. Ron rolled his eyes.
" Not you too!" He said. Hermione laughed.
" Sit down Ron. You can chat with Michael and I. Michael was telling me he was rather good at chess." She said, smiling knowingly. Ron smiled and sat down.
" Michael is it? Well I doubt you can beat me…"
When Harry got down the field, Draco was already there, flying figure eights around the goal posts. Harry grinned and leapt up onto his own broom. Draco slowed down and met Harry in the air.
" Well?" He asked. Harry grinned.
" He's going to be civil." Harry said. Draco snorted.
" Civil? It's a start." Draco said. He dropped down into a nose dive, and Harry followed.
" So what are we supposed to do? Bond?" Draco asked as they pulled up. Harry leaned to the side and lightly skimmed the ground with his toes.
" I guess so. Wanna play question and answer?" Harry asked. He cut in front of Draco and shot up into the air. Draco did a curl up, flew under Harry and came up next to him on the left side.
" What?"
" I ask a question, you answer. You ask a question, I answer and so on." Harry said. Draco shrugged.
" Sure. Me first. What is living with muggles like?" He asked. Draco asked.
" Frankly, it sucks. My family hates me and they treat me worse than dirt. But all muggles aren't like that. There are a couple of neighbors that are nice. There is even a girl named Sharon that I hang out with over the summer months every now and then." Harry said. " My turn. Why do you hate muggles?" Harry asked. Draco thought a moment.
" I guess I really don't any more. That Kira person is really something. Only a few hours ago I despised muggles, and after her little speech I suddenly realized we aren't all that different. I suppose I hated muggles in the first place because my father did…" Draco suddenly stopped. The two had been flying a tight circle around the field. Harry doubled back to Draco, confused. Draco had a glazed look on his face, and then he suddenly swore.
" Shit! Oh this is going to be so difficult." Draco said.
" Huh?" Draco asked.
" My father." He said. Understanding suddenly came to Harry. Draco's father, Lucius, didn't exactly like Harry very much.
" Oh Lord." Harry said, running a hand through his hair. " You think your father is going to make an appearance any time soon?" Harry asked. Draco was smiling, and laughing softly to himself.
" Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit…this is not good." He said. Draco dropped down to the ground, and Harry followed. Draco looked up at his new friend and said.
" My father won't come here. He'll wait until Christmas break to punish me." Draco said. Harry was suddenly worried.
" How?" He asked. Draco shifted his weight and replied.
" He'll lock me in my room, feed me when he feels like it, take away my wand, whatever he can think of to make me miserable." Draco said. He snorted. " Probably not to different from the way the muggles treat you." Draco said. Harry leaned against his hovering broom, and Draco did like wise.
" How will he know?" Harry asked. Draco shrugged.
" He just will." Draco said.
" You don't have to go home." Harry suggested. Draco laughed.
" He'll force me. And even if he doesn't. What will happen come summer?" He asked.
" Kind of in a jam, aren't we?" He asked. Draco nodded.
" Yeah." Draco agreed. They were silent for a moment.
" That's enough bonding for today. You think?" Harry asked. Draco nodded.
" I think we've made a real breakthrough." He said. Draco nodded.
" Kira should be pleased."
" I'm sure."
*1 I can't take credit for that. I got it from a book called the Last Days of Summer.
Students,
Due to and unfortunate stream of current events, a new class will be introduced to the curriculum, Basic Magik. It is not mandatory, but participation will give you a one up on finals. The class meet's twice a week on Monday's from six thirty to seven fifteen, and Saturday from one till three. Classes will be held out of doors as whether permits, and if not, the third room to the left of Charms. Any students interested should report to the Transfiguration room at one o clock today.
Best of regards,
P. McGonagal
Twaddlethmuk,
HM A. Dumbledore
" Six thirty to eight and class on Saturday, they've gotta be out of their minds." Said a sleepy voice next to Harry. Harry turned his head to see Ron looking up at the bulletin with an expression of disbelief and confusion on his face.
" Morning Ron." Harry muttered.
" Morning Harry. What do you suppose Basic Magik is? Didn't we learn basic magik in the first year?
" Go figure." Harry replied, yawning. The two made their way to couple of chairs next to the fire, and slumped into them.
" Well I, for one, am going to take the class." Snipped a voice from behind the two fifth years.
" Morning 'Mione." Harry and Ron said, simultaneously. Hermione came around and plopped down into a chair opposite the two dosing boys and smiled.
" I think it would be interesting. I don't know what it's about, but I don't know why you two don't want to take the class." Hermione said. Ron groaned.
" Because it's the weekend, and I have enough homework without another class." Harry said. Ron nodded. Hermione scoweled.
" Really you two. You don't show any enthusiasm when it comes to your academic careers. Maybe you'd like it." Ron shook his head.
" Maybe can be a hard word like, " Maybe if I try hard…", or it can be easy like , " Maybe it'll just happen…", or it can be a word you blow out your ass like, " Maybe I'll take an extra class on the weekend…". Do you get where I am coming from?" *1 He said. Hermione frowned.
" He has point you know." Harry said.
" Oh sure, you stick up for Ron. I swear you two conspire with eachother." Hermione said with mock annoyance. " Fine, if you don't wanna do it, but I still think you should." Hermione said. Harry smiled.
" You would Hermione." Harry said. Hermione shook her head.
" I'm going to the library to see if I can't find anything on Basic Magik." She said. Harry and Ron yawned their goodbye as Hermione, already dressed and awake made her way out of the portrait hole.
" She must be out of her mind too." Ron said. Harry nodded.
The morning came and went without much excitement. Harry and Ron took showers and got dressed around ten o clock, and then settled down in the common room to read a bit, play some chess maybe, and if they got especially motivated, start on some homework. Hermione came back from the library at about twelve thirty.
" That was peculiar." Hermione said. Ron and Harry looked up from their game of chess. Harry, for once, was winning, but he suspected that it was because Ron's pieces had developed a cold and were not paying attention to what Ron said as well as they usually did.
" What was?" Ron asked. " B-11." He then proceeded to yell colorfully as his rook sneezed and moved too far, putting himself in the perfect position for one of Harry's pawns. Harry took the rook.
" I didn't know that chess pieces could develop colds." Harry said. Ron shook his head.
" Yeah. If you don't clean them once a week, germs can accumulate and they get sick. I'll see if I can't get some diluted pepper-up potion from Madam Pomfrey to spray on them later." He said.
" Guys!" Hermione said, exasperated.
" Sorry Herm. You were saying?" Ron said.
" Well, I was at the library looking for books on Basic Magik, but I couldn't find any. I asked the librarian, but she said they didn't have any books on Basic Magik, not even in the restricted section, at least not with the k spelling. So I looked under Magic spelled with a c, but all I could find was the stuff we learned the first and second year. " Hermione said.
" So?" Harry asked. " Check."
" So, Hogwarts has the third largest library in the wizarding world. And with Basic Magik or Magik or whatever becoming part of the curriculum, you would think the school would have at least some textbooks on the shelves." Hermione said. Harry shrugged.
" So maybe there aren't any books on the subject. It is possible." He said. Hermione snorted.
" Possible, but not likely." She said. Harry just shrugged again.
" Check mate." Harry said. Ron leaned forward on the board.
" What!?" He exclaimed. " No way!" He said. Harry grinned.
" I do believe that the unbeatable Ronald Weasly has just been beaten." Harry said. Ron scoweled.
" I was playing with a diseased set." Ron said, putting his sick game pieces in their box. Harry shrugged.
" Makes no difference to me." He said, smiling. Hermione put her hands on her hips.
" You two don't care at all, do you?" She asked, really annoyed this time.
" No, not really Hermione." Harry said. Hermione sighed.
" I quit." She said, picking up her books. Then she stalked away to talk to Lavender, who had thankfully grown out of her gossip/divination/makeup stage and was actually a pleasure to talk to.
At twelve fifty, Hermione and Lavender left to go the Basic Magik thing, and Ron retreated to their room to sleep. Harry stayed in the common room reading a wizard novel. At one fifteen, Harry was checked to see if he was susceptible to cardiac arrest in the form of McGonagal's head appearing in the common room fireplace.
" Potter!" She yelled. Harry threw the book up and leapt about a foot in the air.
" Jesus Christ!" He yelled, panting at the image of his professor's floating head.
" Come to my room at once!" She commanded. Harry, too flabbergasted to ask why, stood up and began walking toward the portrait hole.
" Through the fireplace Mr. Potter." She barked.
" Oh, right." He said, doing an about face and walked through the fireplace. He brushed off the ash that had accumulated on his robes, and looked up at his professor. She looked quite annoyed.
" Mr. Potter, I am extremely disappointed in you. You did see the notice on the common room bulletin board, didn't you?" Professor McGonagal asked. Harry nodded.
" Why didn't you turn up?" She asked. Harry shrugged.
" It didn't catch my interest. I mean, we did learn basic magic in the first year." He said. McGonagal frowned, but for some reason Harry could tell that it wasn't because of him.
" I thought so too." McGonagal said. She seemed to be thinking about something particularly troubling and annoying at the same time, then shook herself. " Well, that is besides the point. I really think you should take this class." She said, making it sound like a fact, not an opinion.
" Why?" Harry asked. McGonagal sighed.
" Because you are Harry Potter." She said. Harry looked confused. In an attempt to mask it, he looked around the room and noticed that no one was there.
" Where is everyone?" He asked.
" In my office. Will you attend the meeting, Harry?" McGonagal asked. Her tone of voice and look left only one reply.
" Yes ma'am." Harry said. McGonagal nodded and walked over to one of the unused desks, the kind that open up into a cavity to store books and etc. She opened it up, and said,
" Virgil." Harry watched with fascination as the cavity inside the desk grew and expanded until Harry could see a set of stairs leading down into a nicely lit room.
" Go on." McGonagal said. Harry sighed, shrugged, and descended into the office. Once on the floor he looked up at the ceiling to find that there was no sign of the tunnel at all, and Harry began to feel a little claustrophobic. He turned around to find about fifteen pairs of eyes, all from different houses, staring right at him.
" Ah, hi." He said. He looked around the room. For the most part, the students were sitting in stuffed chairs strewn about the room. It looked very much like the Gryfindor Common room, and Harry could recognize a few students. He immediately saw Hermione and Lavender, there were a few Ravenclaws he didn't know, Seamus, a few Huffelpuffs, and some Slytherin students. One of them was Draco. Harry caught his gaze for a moment, and it was cold as ever, and then he took a seat next to Hermione and Lavender.
" It's nice to see you've shown up." She said, clearly pleased. Harry had a sinking feeling that Hermione had something to do with his being there in the first place. Seamus got up and sat down next to Harry.
" What are you doing here?" He asked. Harry shrugged.
" I could ask you the same." He was going to say more, but that was when someone he hadn't noticed decided to speak up.
" Hello Harry. How are you today?" Harry looked in the direction of the voice and was surprised to see a witch he had never seen before. She looked to be about thirty years old, petite, but not short. She had bright red hair that was cropped close to her head, giving her a very hard look. Her eyes were dark green, very much like Harry's, and they were heavily outlined making them look deeper and fuller than they actually were. She had multiple piercing on her ears, two on her left eyebrow and one on her nose. She wore muggle clothing, black jeans that flared out over black boots with a four inch heel, and a white T-shirt that read in black lettering " Metallica Re-Load 2004 concert tour." She waved her left hand, and harry could see the black fingernail polish and the pyramid spike bracelets. Around her neck she wore a silver chain with a crucifix. Harry was, to say the least, confused.
" Um, I'm fine I guess." He said. The witch smiled. She was standing in the middle of the cluster of chairs, and Harry wondered how he had managed to miss her.
" Fine huh? Well you're gonna have to get into shape for this class. My name is Kira. Don't call me professor or anything like that unless you want a detention alright? Before you ask, I come from Milwaukee Wisconsin, U.S.A. I attended Michelin's Academe of Magic for ten years, graduated, and then enlisted the Order of Avalon to begin learning magik." She said. And when she said the word Magik, you could just sense that it was spelled with a k. Harry was still confused.
" Everything that you learn in this class is going to contradict everything you have ever learned." Kira said. " You are going to doubt what your regular professors say, you are going to doubt your power and the powers of others. If you excel here, you may come to find yourself better than others, if you fail you may fall to depression. With what I teach you here, you could go any number of ways, and it will be my job to make sure you go the right way." She said. During her speech, she took the time to look each of the students in the eye. She lingered on Draco for a moment, and the continued, letting what she had just said sink in. " If this doesn't sound like something you want to do, leave." She said. For all of her un-formal dress and posture, she was looking a look to rival McGonagal's and Snape's put together. Harry didn't know how anyone could have even moved, but to his surprise He watched as about seven student's, Lavender and almost all of the Huffelpuffs included, stood up. Kira nodded.
" Very well. Pick up that candle and place it back again to open the staircase." She said. Harry watched as the students followed her instructions and climbed the stairs. When the last one had disappeared from sight, the doorway closed again. Kira smiled.
" Good. Now then. By staying, you have made a full commitment to this class. When you really have to start exerting yourself and you may want to drop out, I won't let you. If I have to lock you in my room and work with you solely until you accomplish your task, I will. I offer one last time. Anyone who doesn't want to do this, leave now." She said. No one moved. Kira smiled and uncrossed her arms.
" Alright!" With a wave of her wandless hand, the chairs, some still occupied by students, formed a circle. A few students were impressed, some were shocked, and others didn't seem to care.
" Please take a seat." Kira said. Students did. Harry ended up sitting next to Hermione and Seamus. Draco sat directly opposite of him. Draco sniggered quietly and Harry shot him a death glare.
" First of all, any grudges or lasting conflict between students are to be dropped immediately. If there are any hard feelings between anyone here, the results could be disastrous or worse." Kira said, looking between Draco and Harry. " Houses no longer apply to any of you. You will still sleep in your dorms, but you will have passwords to all of them so you have the freedom to work with your partners privately. If you happen to get in trouble, you won't loose house points, instead you will have a little chat with me." Kira said. No one argued. " This class will become your main priority before any other class. If you have to put off a potions assignment to get something done for this class, you better damn well do it because this is the real thing." Harry was slowly beginning to see how serious this class was. He wondered if this had anything to do with Voldemort.
" Very good Harry. You have hit the nail on the head." Kira said. Harry looked up.
" This has everything to do with Voldemort." She said. The room, though quiet before, was deathly silent now.
" How did you know what I was thinking?" Harry asked, bewildered. Kira grinned.
" I can read minds. It's the first bit of magik that you will learn in this class." Kira said. " Voldemort grows stronger everyday, and that is because he has discovered magik. He knows the real stuff now, not the stuff that any muggle could perform, and in order to defeat him, you need to know the real stuff." Kira said.
" Wait a minute. Muggles can't do magic. And what are you talking about, "the real stuff "? Most of us have been around magik for our entire lives." Draco said. Kira laughed.
" I highly doubt that any on you have ever even seen real magic once in your life." She said, watching Draco go white with rage. He exploded.
" What are you talking about!? Do you know who I am? I am Draco Malfoy, Malfoy! Does that name ring a bell?" He asked. Kira's jovial face dropped like a fly.
" Draco! Sit down! You don't know what you are talking about! I told you before this class even began that what I would tell you here would contradict everything you have ever been told. Are your ears made of lead or are you just dumb?" Kira asked. Draco wasn't about to give up that easily though. He opened his mouth to say something, but Kira cut him off.
" The magic that you have grown up with isn't really magic, just an evolved form of the human brain. The average human uses about ten percent of the human brain, whilst the average wizard uses about ninety percent. Exceptionally strong wizards or witches such as Dumbledore and myself use about ninety-five percent, and the only wizard to ever use all of his brain was Merlin. The wand is simply a tool, no more complicated than an electric wire excepting that it carries a current of a different form of energy. The magic that you have been working with is the same type of energy as the sun and electricity. A muggle by the name of Albert Einstein actually came much closer than any witch or wizard ever has with his equation E=Mc2." Kira said. Draco had calmed down now, and was listening intently, though still miffed.
" The kind of magik that you will begin learning now is real. It is the kind that allows me to communicate with those I love and care about. It is the kind that lets me really see into the future. It is the kind that kept our own Harry Potter alive. I can't explain to you why it works. No one can. But I can teach you how to make it work for you." She said. Harry was keenly aware of the eyes all focused on him. He wondered why people had to keep on bringing that up.
" I'm sorry to bring up such a painful memory Harry, but I need everyone here to understand what we are dealing with." She said. Harry felt like saying something stinging, but found he couldn't. Instead, he just smiled and looked up.
" No grudges, right?" Kira smiled.
" This is going to be fun." She said. " Alright. As Harry has announced here, there are to be no grudges. If you haven't dropped them yet, do it now. There is no point in trying to hide it Draco, I can sense you are still pissed at both Harry and myself. Therefore, you and Harry will be partners. Anything you do in this class will be done with eachother." Draco and Harry looked from eachother to Kira, and then back at eachother.
" Potter." Draco said.
" Malfoy." Harry said. They looked at Kira.
" Harry." Draco said. A small smile graced his mouth. Harry smiled right back.
" Draco." He said, amazed at how easy it was to just let go. Kira smiled.
" Wonderful. I think you two will work wonderfully together. Now, onto the next partners." Kira said. Hermione got paired up with a Ravenclaw boy named Michael, and Seamus got paired up with a Slytherin named Dirk. Eventually, everyone was paired up. Some didn't look happy about their partners, but Kira insisted that was the point. She had winked at Harry and Draco when she said that. Draco, thankfully, hadn't seen it, but Harry had, and he just nodded.
" Alright. That's it for today. You're only "homework" for Monday is to get to know your partner and to drop all grudges. I mean it. If anyone comes in on Monday holding onto past rivalries, I swear I will kick into action with a lock in. Capiche? Good. Now get out of here and enjoy your weekend." Students stood up stretched, and silently began walking toward the exit, when Kira stood up suddenly.
" I forgot. Here are the passwords into the Gryfindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin common rooms. Also. Everything in learnt in this class will stay in the class, do you understand?" She asked. Everyone nodded.
" Good. I'll see you on Monday then, maybe sooner." Kira said, then she disappeared. Hermione gasped.
" How did she do that? It's impossible to apparate or disapparate on Hogwarts grounds!" Hermione exclaimed. Kira re appeared.
" Sorry. I forgot to mention that the person you saw today wasn't really me. It was only an astral projection, something you will all learn eventually. I am currently on a plane coming from Chicago. My flight was delayed, and I can't apparate. I never really got a hang of it. Anyway, Albus didn't want me to be too late, so he had me project myself here. That is why he didn't announce this during the back to school feast. " Kira said. Hermione mouthed the word "oh" as Kira disappeared from sight again.
" That explains that." She said, shrugging. " You know, this should really be amazing me, but it isn't." She said, opening the staircase. To her surprise, Draco replied with,
" I know what you mean. I should be furious with her, and for a while I was, but now it just seems so matter of fact." Draco said. He and Hermione caught each other's gaze, and smiled. If not for the distance, they might have shook hands.
" Alright everyone." Seamus said, grinning. " It's time for some quality bonding time." He said climbing the stairs. The group shook their heads. Any grudges that had once been there were suddenly gone. Apparently everyone had seen how easily Harry and Draco had dropped their grudges, and decided that they could do it to. Harry fancied a laughter ringing in his ears, but he shook it off. It had been a strange day indeed.
" You do realize how awkward this is, Harry?" Draco asked. Harry shook his head.
" Yeah. It is slightly odd. This morning we woke up as enemies, and now we're friends." Harry said. Draco stopped.
" Friends?" He asked. Harry stopped too and turned around.
" Yeah. I guess. Do you have a problem with that?" He asked. Draco shrugged.
" No. It just kinda caught me off guard." Again, Harry fancied laughter in his ears. He and Draco took up walking again.
" Did you hear that laughter?" Draco asked. Harry nodded.
" Yeah, I thought I was just being delusional." Harry said. A thought came to him.
" You suppose that Kira is keeping an eye on us somehow?" Harry asked. Draco thought a moment, and then smiled.
" It makes sense." He said. Harry suddenly got an image of himself pounding a nail into a piece of wood, and He laughed out loud, matching the laughter that was ringing in his head.
" I think I've hit the nail on the head." Harry said. Draco looked bewildered.
" You got that little image too?" Harry burst out laughing and nodded. Draco, was surprised to find himself laughing. It was in this state that Ron found them.
" Harry, where the...what the bloody hell is going on? Draco, what have you done!?" Ron yelled. Harry, with a certain amount of difficulty, pulled himself together enough to try and explain.
" Ron! Calm down. Nothing is the matter. Draco and I are, well friends. We're partners in our class Basic Magik, and we were told to…"
" Harry. Remember what Kira said." Draco warned. Ron was looking extremely mad and confused.
" Who is Kira? Why, how are you two friends? What class!" He exclaimed. Harry was sobered by Draco's comment. It never occurred to him that he would have to keep everything from Ron.
" I'm sorry Ron. I can't really explain. But the Basic Magik class meeting, well I went to it. Kira is the professor, and that's all that I can say except that it's okay. There aren't any grudges or anything." Harry said.
" Can we please forgive and forget, Ron?" Draco asked. Draco was stunned to silence in hearing his name spoken by Draco without an malice. He looked at Draco's outstretched hand like it was dripping acid.
" I don't trust you." Ron said. Draco got very annoyed.
" That's understandable." He said, rather coolly.
" Draco." Harry said. Ron took a step back.
" No." Ron said. Draco scoffed.
" Fine. Have it your way. But you can't say that I didn't make the initiative." Draco said. Ron looked at Harry.
" We need to talk, Harry." Ron said. Harry looked at Draco.
" Hold on a minute, Ron." Harry said. He grabbed Draco's arm and pulled him away.
" Meet me down at the Quidditch field in about five minutes. Bring your broom." Harry said, allowing a small smile to grace his face. Draco nodded.
" Right." He said. " And see if you can't talk some sense into Ron/" Draco said. Harry nodded.
" I'll try." He said. " See you later." Harry said.
" Bye." Draco said. Then he turned around and headed for the Slytherin common room. Harry turned around to find Ron gone.
" Ron?" He asked. Sighing, He jogged to the portrait of the fat lady and entered.
" Ron?" He asked again. Harry looked around to see Ron standing in front of Hermione, and a person who looked to be Hermione's partner. The three looked up to see Harry standing there.
" Harry. What is going on?" He asked. Harry sighed and walked over to Ron.
" I'm sorry Ron. I really can't explain." Ron nodded.
" I see." He looked from Hermione, to Harry, to the Ravenclaw boy sitting next to her, and then back to Harry.
" Are we still friends?" He asked. Harry sighed and smiled.
" Of course, you oaf! You're my best friend in the whole world!" Harry exclaimed. Ron smiled, relived. Hermione coughed.
" You too, Herm." Harry said. Ron suddenly sobered.
" I'll be civil toward Draco, for your sake, but I still don't trust him." Ron said, crossing his arms.
" Thanks Ron." Harry said. He turned around and dashed towards the dorms.
" Where are you going? Ron asked. Harry stopped and turned around.
" I'm meeting Draco down at the Quidditch field." Harry said. Then without further adieu, he ran up the stairs. Ron breathed in sharply.
" I don't think I can get used to this." Ron said. Hermione smiled
" Sure you will Ron. Draco isn't really all that bad." Hermione said. Ron rolled his eyes.
" Not you too!" He said. Hermione laughed.
" Sit down Ron. You can chat with Michael and I. Michael was telling me he was rather good at chess." She said, smiling knowingly. Ron smiled and sat down.
" Michael is it? Well I doubt you can beat me…"
When Harry got down the field, Draco was already there, flying figure eights around the goal posts. Harry grinned and leapt up onto his own broom. Draco slowed down and met Harry in the air.
" Well?" He asked. Harry grinned.
" He's going to be civil." Harry said. Draco snorted.
" Civil? It's a start." Draco said. He dropped down into a nose dive, and Harry followed.
" So what are we supposed to do? Bond?" Draco asked as they pulled up. Harry leaned to the side and lightly skimmed the ground with his toes.
" I guess so. Wanna play question and answer?" Harry asked. He cut in front of Draco and shot up into the air. Draco did a curl up, flew under Harry and came up next to him on the left side.
" What?"
" I ask a question, you answer. You ask a question, I answer and so on." Harry said. Draco shrugged.
" Sure. Me first. What is living with muggles like?" He asked. Draco asked.
" Frankly, it sucks. My family hates me and they treat me worse than dirt. But all muggles aren't like that. There are a couple of neighbors that are nice. There is even a girl named Sharon that I hang out with over the summer months every now and then." Harry said. " My turn. Why do you hate muggles?" Harry asked. Draco thought a moment.
" I guess I really don't any more. That Kira person is really something. Only a few hours ago I despised muggles, and after her little speech I suddenly realized we aren't all that different. I suppose I hated muggles in the first place because my father did…" Draco suddenly stopped. The two had been flying a tight circle around the field. Harry doubled back to Draco, confused. Draco had a glazed look on his face, and then he suddenly swore.
" Shit! Oh this is going to be so difficult." Draco said.
" Huh?" Draco asked.
" My father." He said. Understanding suddenly came to Harry. Draco's father, Lucius, didn't exactly like Harry very much.
" Oh Lord." Harry said, running a hand through his hair. " You think your father is going to make an appearance any time soon?" Harry asked. Draco was smiling, and laughing softly to himself.
" Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit…this is not good." He said. Draco dropped down to the ground, and Harry followed. Draco looked up at his new friend and said.
" My father won't come here. He'll wait until Christmas break to punish me." Draco said. Harry was suddenly worried.
" How?" He asked. Draco shifted his weight and replied.
" He'll lock me in my room, feed me when he feels like it, take away my wand, whatever he can think of to make me miserable." Draco said. He snorted. " Probably not to different from the way the muggles treat you." Draco said. Harry leaned against his hovering broom, and Draco did like wise.
" How will he know?" Harry asked. Draco shrugged.
" He just will." Draco said.
" You don't have to go home." Harry suggested. Draco laughed.
" He'll force me. And even if he doesn't. What will happen come summer?" He asked.
" Kind of in a jam, aren't we?" He asked. Draco nodded.
" Yeah." Draco agreed. They were silent for a moment.
" That's enough bonding for today. You think?" Harry asked. Draco nodded.
" I think we've made a real breakthrough." He said. Draco nodded.
" Kira should be pleased."
" I'm sure."
*1 I can't take credit for that. I got it from a book called the Last Days of Summer.