HARRY POTTER AND ICE CREAM DELIGHTS
Author: Luckner
Disclaimer: The characters and their world are the property of J.K. Rowling, various publishers and Warner Bros. No money is being made and no copyright infringement is intended.
Author's Note: Some reviewers were a bit critical of my last chapter because I allowed my characters to show compassion for a wounded enemy. I've decided to use this as an opportunity to further explore Luna's character and what beliefs make her the unique person that she is; as well as how her influence is changing Harry's outlook. I doubt those who were critical are still reading this story, but others might find the explanation interesting.
CHAPTER 10: PLEASANT SURPRISES
When the group of teens apparated to the Hospital Wing at Hogwarts it looked like they had entered the middle of a lunatic asylum. Several of the beds were occupied by first- and second year girls who were crying loudly, while a number of young boys were running madly around the room, determined to escape Madam Pomfrey's attentions. The usually indomitable school nurse seemed to be fighting a loosing battle to restore some kind of order and appeared ready to hex the next child that crossed her path.
But the minute Harry and his friends appeared in the room the ward went completely silent. The little boys stopped running and the girls stopped crying as they all concentrated their attention on the six teens in awe. One little red haired girl got off her bed and solemnly walked up to Harry, tear stains evident on her red cheeks. She looked up at him in silence for a moment as she built up courage enough to speak.
"Thank you, Harry Potter," she said sincerely in a soft voice, and then she threw her arms around him.
Harry was both embarrassed and proud to receive such an unusual tribute, and he crouched down so he could be on eye level with the little girl. "My name is Harry," he said kindly.
"Thank you, Harry," the young girl said, blushing like a beet.
"And I want to thank you as well, Mr. Potter," Madam Pomfrey said with sigh; looking more tired and worn than Harry had ever seen her. As she stepped forward to greet the new arrivals she turned to address Professor McGonagall. "Minerva do you think you could escort these students to the Great Hall for some cookies and ice cream?" She implored, motioning to the now calm eleven- and twelve-year-olds.
"I think that I can do that; and I'll let you all know about events at the Ministry as soon as I hear." Then turning to the younger children her voice became gentle. "If you will all follow me we can get things organized while we wait for the other students to arrive." She gathered the children together and led them out the door, the little redheaded girl lagging behind and smiling at Harry shyly.
"It looks like you have a girlfriend," Luna whispered mischievously.
"I'm afraid that she's going to be disappointed," he whispered back as he slipped his hand into hers.
"Handled like a seasoned professional, Harry;" came the familiar voice of Susan Bones. They turned around to see Susan lying in a corner bed smiling at them. "You're going to make a wonderful father some day; don't you think so Luna?" Susan asked mischievously, hoping that her remark would achieve a humorous result.
Those present were rather surprised when neither teen blushed at the question, and Luna promptly replied that she thought Harry would make an excellent father.
"So how are you feeling, Susan?" Harry asked, changing the direction of the conversation.
"I feel fine except that Madam Pomfrey won't let me get out of bed," Susan replied in frustration.
"That's right young lady, and you're going to stay there until I say you can leave," the formable witch announced as she walked up behind the teens.
"Who sealed Miss Bone's wound?" she asked curiously.
"I did," Neville replied hesitantly.
"A very professional job Mr. Longbottom; did you ever consider a career in medicine?" She asked seriously.
"Some day I would like to be a Healer," he replied with a bit of embarrassment as Ginny took his arm proudly.
"I think you might do very well in the medical profession, you seem to have a natural aptitude for it. If you would care to visit me next week we can talk about it; I think I might be able to help you."
"Thank you Madam Pomfrey," Neville replied in a surprised voice.
"None of you look exactly the worse for wear," the nurse stated in mild surprise. "Anything that you think I should be checking?"
The six teens immediately responded that they were all feeling fine, and that their only concern was for their friend Susan.
At that moment the door to the room was flung open and Arthur and Molly Weasley rushed in looking for their children. Completely ignoring the school nurse, Molly ran forward and grabbed her two youngest in a bone-crushing hug.
"Are you alright? I've been so worried about you since Albus told us. You don't look at all well Ginny, you should lie down. And how are you Harry; and you Hermione? And what is this I hear about…" As the Weasley matriarch continued to talk, not giving anyone a chance to answer, Ron and Ginny exchanged knowing smiles.
Meanwhile, Harry and Luna stepped over to a smiling Arthur Weasley, who was standing back giving his wife plenty of room to carry out her maternal duties. Harry needed to know what happened, and he needed to know immediately.
"What happened at the Ministry?" Harry asked with concern as Luna stood by his side.
"Let's just say that You-know-who is not going to be very happy tonight. The minute the word arrived about what happened on the train the whole attack seemed to grind to a halt; then Dumbledore showed up and it fell apart completely. Voldemort and Bellatrix tried to rally their Death Eaters, but Dumbledore's presence was just overwhelming. We captured several Death Eaters, including Rodolphus Lestrange, and the rest apparated away," Arthur said with a smile.
"Did you say that Rodolphus Lestrange was captured?" Neville asked, edging closer to the discussion.
"Yes he was, by Luna's Father as a matter of fact."
The proud look on Luna's face was interrupted when several other adults entered the Hospital Wing, including Philus Lovegood and Amelia Bones. The new Minister of Magic went straight to her niece's bedside to satisfy herself that the girl was alright. Meanwhile Luna ran to her Father and threw her arms around the proud parent.
"I heard what you and your friends did today Pumpkin, I'm very proud of all of you," he said as he reached out to shake Harry's hand.
"Did you really capture Rodolphus Lestrange, Mr. Lovegood?" Ron asked in disbelief.
"He certainly did, and I've never seen such an angry Death Eater in my life," Nymphadora Tonks declared with a grin. "Where did you ever find that spell, I've never seen anything like it?" She asked the man in wonder.
"I've always had an interest in ancient magic; I found that particular spell in a book on Assyrian spell craft," Philius said casually.
"What exactly did the spell do?" Harry asked, unable to restrain his interest.
"It sealed Rodolphus in an unbreakable bubble," Professor Dumbledore said as he entered the rather crowded room at that very moment. "A remarkable bit of spell work, Philius," he said addressing the senior Lovegood. "I've heard of the charm before, but I had thought the incantation was lost long ago."
"Couldn't he simply apparate away?" Hermione asked, entering the conversation for the first time.
"No, Miss Granger. That's the really interesting thing about the spell. Once caught inside the bubble a person can no longer use their magic," Dumbledore declared.
"It was wonderful to see Lestrange casting one failed spell after another as his face turned a lovely shade of purple. He finally dropped his wand and started to pound the bubble with his fists," Tonks declared with delight.
"Could you send the incantation to us, Daddy? I think that would be a good spell for us to learn," Luna asked as Harry nodded in agreement.
"I should also like to examine such a useful spell," Dumbledore said, a touch of eagerness evident in his voice.
"Me too," Tonks added with glee.
"I'll send it in the morning," Philius answered, delighted that so many people were interested in one of his discoveries.
Then addressing the seven teens the Headmaster continued with a smile. "I must say that I was rather impressed with the spells you used. The Bone Shattering Spell and Anti-appration Ward Charms aren't even taught at the seventh-year level. I wonder if you can tell me where you learned them?" Dumbledore asked with a characteristic twinkle.
"Remus and I taught them," Tonks volunteered without reservation.
"You should consider teaching as a possible career path, Miss Tonks." Amelia suggested to the young Auror with admiration.
"Not enough excitement….But then again with Harry around…" Tonks responded with a grin.
Before the conversation could precede any further a rather frantic Fred Weasley rushed into the room, eyes wide in fright. Completely ignoring Professor Dumbledore, his parents and the Minister of Magic, he scanned the room in near panic and then rushed over to kneel at Susan's bedside.
"Are you alright, Sue? I just heard that Death Eaters attacked the train," he exclaimed in panic.
"I'm just fine Fred. Everything's just fine," she said soothingly as she laid a gentle hand on his cheek.
Amelia Bones and Molly Weasley exchanged surprised but knowing glances. Neither of their children had ever had a really serious interest in a member of the opposite sex, but apparently that had now changed.
Noticing the reaction of her Aunt and the other adults present, Susan decided that she had better make the introductions. "Aunt Amelia, this is Fred," the young girl said shyly as she introduced her special friend.
"It's nice to meet you Fred," Amelia Bones said warmly as she extended her hand. "Now I see one of the reasons why Susan was so determined to be part of Mr. Potter's training classes this summer."
"Aunt Amelia!" Susan declared in horror as both she and Fred started to blush rather pink. Amelia and Molly couldn't help but burst out laughing at the two teens.
"Before you embarrass these two any further may I suggest that we all have some dinner," Professor Dumbledore said diplomatically.
"Here, Here!" Ron declared, entering the conversation for the first time.
"Do you mean the Sorting Feast?" Harry asked warily, as he was not looking forward to being the center of attention yet again.
"No, I think I'll let Professor McGonagall conduct the Sorting Feast tonight. I was thinking of a small feast for just us, and you can tell us all what happened on the train," the Headmaster said with a smile.
"I'm sorry Albus, but I won't release Miss Bones until tomorrow morning. I want to observe her condition for a time," Madam Pomfrey said firmly.
"But would it be possible for Miss Bones to join us if the feast were held here?" Dumbledore asked with his characteristic twinkle.
"I suppose that would be all right," the nurse answered, unwilling to confront both the Headmaster and the Minister of Magic.
With a wave of his hand Professor Dumbledore vanished all of the beds except the one in which Susan lay, and a large dining table appeared that filled most of the room. "Then if you will all join me," he declared as he motioned to the comfortable chairs waiting before the table.
"If you wouldn't mind Professor Dumbledore, I'm rather tired and would like to go to bed," Neville said rather sullenly, drawing the eyes of everyone in the room.
"Are you alright Neville?" Harry asked with real concern.
"I'm just fine, I'm just very tired," Neville answered firmly, but there was a trace of coldness in his voice that both Harry and Luna noticed.
"Very well Mr. Longbottom. The Gryffindor password is Pocificus Italius. I hope a good night's rest will make you feel more like yourself," the Headmaster said, a concerned look in his eyes. Ginny Weasley looked especially worried as Neville left the room without another word.
"I'll check on him when we go up to bed; I'm sure he's just very tired," Ron said as he tried to reassure his little sister.
"I think that we can all use a good meal and some rest after all that has happened," Professor Dumbledore said as he also tried to lighten the mood. "Dobby!" the Headmaster called.
A split second later there was a slight pop and an overactive house elf appeared in front of the Headmaster, barely able to contain his excitement at being personally summoned.
"Yes Professor Dumblydore, how may Dobby serve you?" Dobby asked excitedly as he bounced up and down on his feet.
"Would you arrange for our dinner to be served here tonight, we have a great deal to discuss," the Headmaster said with a smile.
"Right away Sir; Dobby is honored that the great Professor Dumblydore called on him," Dobby said proudly and then he disappeared with a small pop.
A few seconds' later gold plates and large platters of food appeared on the table. As they all took their seats no one failed to notice how carefully Fred Weasley helped Susan from her bed to the table, and then sat down beside her. Soon they were all fully involved with another wonderful Hogwarts feast and thoughts of their recent confrontation was pushed to the back of their minds, all but Hermione's that was.
Sensing that the meal was coming to an end, Hermione asked the question that refused to leave her thoughts. "Professor Dumbledore, how were they able to disconnect the last carriage on the train?"
The old man heaved a sigh and returned his thoughts to the near disaster of the morning. "I'm not really sure, Miss Grainger. But I have to conclude that it was done by someone riding on the train itself."
"Couldn't someone have apparated on board and disconnected the carriage?" Susan asked, unwilling to believe that any of her schoolmates would deliberately expose young children to such danger.
"No, I'm afraid not. The Hogwarts Express is protected with a number of charms that prevent anyone from boarding the train using either apparation or portkeys; it had to have been one of the students," the Headmaster said sadly.
There was a moments silence as they all considered the possibly that one or more of their fellow students might be in league with Death Eaters.
"I would swear that it had to be Malfoy, except that he and Pansy would have been in the Prefects Meeting at the time," Harry said logically.
"No, he wasn't," Ginny declared hotly. "Pansy said that Draco wasn't feeling well, and he had stayed behind in his compartment to rest."
"Well I guess that tells us who did it," Harry said with a touch of anger.
"I'll admit the circumstances don't look well for Mr. Malfoy, but we must give him the benefit of the doubt until his involvement can be proven. I'll speak to him first thing in the morning, though I admit that his absence does look suspicious."
Harry was amazed that the Headmaster could doubt for a second that it was Draco Malfoy who had disconnected the carriage, but then another thought entered his mind.
"What happened to Professor Flitwick, wasn't he providing security on the train?"
"Yes, I looked for him when I first saw the carriage missing, but I couldn't find him anywhere," Hermione declared.
"I'm afraid that Professor Flitwick is currently in St. Mungo's Hospital, and is in serious condition," Professor Dumbledore answered, his tone turning grave. "He was apparently attacked by someone using a strong stunning spell, and then his body hidden in a utility cabinet. He was only discovered later when Aurors boarded the train after the Ministry attack."
"Will he be alright?" Luna whispered fearfully, her voice trembling. Harry knew that Luna was very fond of the tiny charms professor, and he reached out to take her hand in support.
"We believe that he will be fine after a few days rest, but considering his advanced age and diminutive stature the attack could have been fatal. Discovering the perpetrator of this attack is of the highest importance to us, and we will not rest until that person is uncovered and punished," Dumbledore said firmly. The teens sitting around the table had no doubt that they knew who the attacker was, and resolved to help expose him.
As Harry walked Luna to the concealed entrance to the Ravenclaw common room he could tell that she was still terribly upset about Professor Flitwick. He reached an arm around her back and pulled her close. "I'm sure he's going to be alright," he whispered reassuringly.
"He has to be alright, Harry," she replied as tears formed in her eyes. "In my first year I was all alone; but he would always take the time to talk with me and try to make me feel better. He was my first friend here," she said as she laid her head against Harry's chest and cried lightly.
"He'll be alright, I promise that he will," Harry said soothingly as he gently stroked her soft hair. Thinking about how lonely she must have been in her first years he wished that he had gotten to know Luna earlier, it would have made both of their lives so much better. He cupped her cheeks gently in his hands and kissed her tenderly, wishing yet again that they were in the same house.
When Harry entered the dormitory for the sixth-year Gryffindor boys he found Ron just getting ready for bed. Seamus Finnegan and Dean Thomas were apparently still at the feast, but their trunks were already sitting at the foot of their beds. The curtains of Neville's bed were closed and no sound came from within.
"Luna alright?" Ron asked carefully.
"Yah, she's just worried about Professor Flitwick," Harry replied.
"You know Harry, I was wrong about her. I thought she was….well, you know what I thought. But she's really a special person; I'm glad you two are together."
"Thanks Ron, that means a lot. Neville asleep?" Harry asked, still worried about his friend.
"I guess so; I haven't heard a sound from him."
"Neville?" Harry called lightly. Getting no response he decided to speak to his friend in the morning, and started to get ready for bed. He had no desire to be grilled by his other roommates about what had happened on the train, and he was very tired.
- o -
The next morning Harry awoke to find that Neville had already left, and he guessed that having missed dinner the previous night the boy must have gone down for an early breakfast. He and Ron dressed hurriedly, and going downstairs they found Hermione reading in a corner of the common room by the fireplace.
"Good morning Hermione, no breakfast today?" Harry asked in surprise.
"It's not that; after all that happened yesterday I wasn't about to enter the Great Hall alone, so I decided to wait for you two," she answered with a smile as she marked her place.
"Well lets go, I'm starving," Ron declared.
Both Harry and Hermione began to laugh at their friend, making him completely confused.
"What did I say," he demanded.
"Oh nothing Ron, it's just that you say the exact same thing every year," Harry responded with a grin, happy that at least some things never changed.
As Harry, Ron and Hermione entered the Great Hall for breakfast a general hush fell over the room, as every eye fell upon them. They made their way silently to the Gryffindor table and sat down beside Ginny.
"What's going on?" Hermione whispered to Ginny.
"I have no idea, it was this way when I came in," Ginny replied nervously.
"I can tell you," Seamus Finnegan declared from where he sat nearby. "You missed the sorting last night, and it was all about you."
"About us, what do you mean?" Hermione asked in mystification.
"Just what I said," Seamus continued. "While you were in the Hospital Wing they allowed the students you saved to come to the Great Hall for dinner and sorting; those that weren't too frightened that is. They told us how four of you fought off a dozen Death Eaters until the other three arrived. They said you defeated them all and turned them over to the Ministry…"
"Actually there were only eight," Harry said modestly, but Seamus didn't seem to notice.
"But that's not all. The Sorting Hat only talked about you. It said that 'seven heroes had stood up against the power of darkness,' and that you were the only hope of defeating it," Semus declared.
"Oh no," Harry moaned, and put his head down hard on the table.
"There's more," Seamus continued with a grin. "When they did the sorting more than half the first years went to Gryffindor; it's the largest crop of first years we've ever had. One boy who was assigned to Slytherin broke down into tears and said that if he wasn't assigned to 'Harry Potter's House' he wanted to go home."
Ron heard a thumping sound and turned to see Harry thumping his head against the table. "Why can't I just have a normal year for once," he moaned into the tabletop.
"Personally I think 'normal' is greatly overrated; and if you keep bumping your head against the table people will think you have an infestation of Wrackspurts," a soft voice said from behind them.
Turning, Harry saw Luna looking down at him with a warm smile on her face, and he immediately moved over to make room for her. As she sat beside him, a twinkle appeared in her eyes.
"You don't, do you?" she asked curiosity.
"What?" he asked.
"Have a Wrackspurt infestation?" She replied seriously, but Harry caught a slight glimmer of humor behind her words.
"I'm not sure, is there a cure?" Harry asked coyly.
Luna giggled and kissed him on the cheek. "That should do it," she said playfully.
"Oh please, it's seven in the morning," Ron moaned in a disgusted voice, quickly followed by a groan when Hermione elbowed him in the ribs.
"So who do you think the new Defense teacher is?" Hermione asked, unable to control her curiosity any longer.
"No one knows. Professor Dumbledore wasn't here and Professor McGonagall said we would all find out today. One thing that I did find out, there is only one NEWT level class in Defense with all four houses together," Semus declared.
"Why is that?" Hermione asked in surprise.
"I heard that the only ones to pass their OWLS were the members of the DA; everyone else failed."
"Well it's not the fault of the students that Umbridge was incompetent," Hermione declared in outrage.
"I heard that everyone that failed would be retested in October, but right now it's just us in Defense NEWT," he said with satisfaction.
"May I join you?" A soft voice asked, and they all turned to see Susan Bones standing behind them.
"Of course," Hermione responded, and shifted over to make room for the girl.
"I take it that you heard about the feast last night?" She asked carefully.
"Oh yes," Hermione replied, and then changed the subject. "We're they making you feel uncomfortable?" She asked as she looked in the direction of the Hufflepuff table."
"Not exactly; they really were trying to be supportive. It's just that they weren't there; they just don't understand what it was like," Susan said a little sadly.
"Well we understand, and you're always welcome here," Ginny said supportively.
"Where's Neville?" Harry asked suddenly, as he looked around the table.
"I thought he was still asleep," answered Ginny with concern.
"He was acting strange ever since the attack," Ron declared.
"Well fighting for your life does tend to put one off," Hermione said dryly.
"I think that it might be more than that," Luna suggested logically.
Before anything more could be said Professor McGonagall came by with their class schedules. After handing out the sixth year schedules she addressed herself to Luna and Ginny. "Miss Lovegood and Miss Weasley; could you please go to the Headmaster's office at once? Professor Dumbledore has something that he needs to discuss with you before the beginning of class."
As the two girls gathered up their books and left, Harry looked after them with concern.
"Don't worry, Mr. Potter, its nothing to be concerned about," Professor McGonagall said with a slight smile.
'Great, another mystery,' Harry thought.
Harry waited for Luna as long as he could, but when time ran short he gathered his books and headed off to the Defense Classroom with Ron and Hermione. Everyone was curious to know who was brave enough to take a position that was so obviously cursed.
Entering the room Harry saw that Seamus was apparently right, as every seat was occupied by a former member of the DA. But at that moment Draco Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson entered, brushed roughly by him and took two seats near the front of the class.
'I knew that it was too good to be true,' he thought as he sat down beside Ron and Hermione, who were in a deep discussion as to who might be the new teacher.
"I still say that it's got to be Dumbledore himself; who else could do the job?" Ron insisted.
"He can't, he's too busy running the school and heading the…err…you know," Hermione concluded.
"No matter who it is they couldn't be any worse than that cow Umbridge," Harry declared conclusively.
"You better learn to keep your mouth shut, Potter. Some of us think that Professor Umbridge was a good deal better than the old man that's in the office now," Draco declared hotly.
"That's only because she was practically a Death Eater herself and she reminds you of your Mum," Ron declared with a smirk.
"You better be quiet too, Weaselbe," Draco responded hotly.
"Or what?" Ron responded angrily as he stood to face Draco. But before Draco could respond Harry, Hermione and Susan stood up next to Ron with their wands ready.
"Yes Draco, 'or what?'" Hermione asked sweetly.
Looking at the four determined faces the young man decided that it was best to drop the matter; at least for the moment. "You'll all get yours, you just wait," Draco grumbled, as he turned around and took his seat.
"We're so afraid, Malfoy," Ron snickered as he and his friends returned to their seats.
Harry could see Draco tense up and he knew that the boy wanted to respond, but stared resolutely at the front of the room in silence.
"Excuse me, but I think you have my seat," Harry heard a familiar dreamy voice say, and looked over with surprise to see Luna standing next to Ron.
"What are you doing here?" Harry asked in shock as Luna settled gracefully into the seat next to him.
"Professor Dumbledore analyzed the spells that Ginny and I were using yesterday and said that he was advancing us to the NEWT level defense class. We'll take our OWL in October, when the rest of the sixth years are retested," she declared with a grin.
Harry looked around and saw Ginny talking earnestly to a silent Neville a few rows behind them. He was again reminded of what Luna had said at breakfast, and determined to have a word with his friend.
Harry didn't think that he could be happier than he was at that moment, but he was wrong. For just then the door opened and Remus Lupin strolled up to the front of the class.
"Good morning, class. I will be your Defense Against the Dark Arts instructor for this term…," Remus began, but before he could finish Draco had leaped to his feet.
"But you can't be. It's against the law for a Werewolf to be a teacher," he declared arrogantly.
"Oh yes, the anti-werewolf legislation enacted by Dolores Umbridge; well I'm afraid that legislation has been repealed, and I am your teacher for this term. And we can discuss the whole matter tonight at your detention, Mr. Malfoy."
"Detention! But why?" Draco demanded.
"For interrupting a teacher and disrupting the class," Remus said with a smile as Draco sat down with a grumble.
"This year we are going to move into more advanced offensive and defensive spells, as well as some actual instruction in dueling. I'm sure you realize from the events of yesterday that we live in a very dangerous world, and we all need to be prepared. The class will be much more physical this year, much as I understand your DA meetings were last term. But first I want to be sure that you are all proficient in your fifth year spells. Your instruction last term was…shall we say deficient, and this will be a much more challenging year?"
"Let's start out with some basic protective spells. To pass your OWL in Defense you were all required to produce a standard Protego Shield charm. But how many of you believe that your shield can stand up against a standard Stunning Spell?"
"Oh Please," Malfoy moaned loudly and rolled his eyes, drawing the attention of most of the class.
"I take it that you feel that your Protego charm is up to the challenge, Mr. Malfoy?" Remus asked patiently.
"Of course," Draco responded arrogantly.
"Well we shall see," Remus answered as he looked around the room. "Miss Lovegood, would you be willing to assist us with a little experiment?"
"Yes Sir," Luna said politely.
"Will both of you step up here so we can test the strength of both of your shields," Remus instructed, as he turned to move his desk out of the way.
As Luna walked to the front of the room, Draco turned to Harry and whispered harshly, "Payback time, Potter."
"You wish," Harry answered with confidence, but he prepared his wand just in case Malfoy should try anything funny. Glancing to his right he could see that Ron and Hermione also had their wands ready.
Following Professor Lupin's instructions the two stood at opposite sides of the room, their wands at the ready. The instructor then transfigured several mattresses behind each student to make sure that there would be no accidents. Then Lupin stepped out of the line of fire and addressed the two teens.
"Remember, we will only be using a stunning spell." Then looking directly at Draco Malfoy, Professor Lupin added: "Anyone attempting anything other than a stunning spell will spend the rest of the term in detention. I think we'll allow Mr. Malfoy to cast the spell first, if that is alright with you Miss Lovegood?" Professor Lupin said in a neutral tone.
Luna nodded her head and prepared to create her shield spell; trying to ignore the evil grin on her opponent's face.
"Alright Mr. Malfoy, a stunning spell only," Professor Lupin said.
"That's all I'll need," Draco said confidently.
"Very well, on the count of three cast your spells. One…two…three!"
Draco immediately cast his spell at the young girl, but not before Luna created her shield. The spell crossed the distance between the two in a split second and impacted against the shield with an echoing sound. Luna stood behind her shield completely unhurt, much to the surprise of both Draco and Pansy Parkinson.
"A perfect shield charm Miss Lovegood; five points for Ravenclaw. You can tell that the spell was correct by the sound the stunning spell makes when it impacts the shield. Now it's your turn, Mr. Malfoy."
Draco was a little bit flustered by how ineffective his spell had been, but nevertheless he readied himself to repel Luna's spell.
"Ready? One…two… three!" Lupin said.
Draco threw up his shield just as the stunner left Luna's wand. The spell streaked across the room and hit Draco's shield without a sound, cutting through like it wasn't even there. The stunner hit Draco in the chest and threw him backwards into the mattresses. The boy slid down the stack of mattresses and lay sprawled on the floor unconscious. +
"Draco!" Pansy screamed in horror.
"Oh dear, I'm afraid that young Mr. Malfoy will need to work on his shield charm," Professor Lupin said with a smirk. Then turning to the boy he cast an Ennervate Charm on him and a bright yellow light emerging from Professor Lupin's wand and settling on the young boy. The boy still did not move, and Professor Lupin turned to Luna with a wink. "A very effective stunner, Miss Lovegood."
After a second Ennervate the young boy finally came around, and the Professor guided him back to his seat.
"As you can see, all shields are not the same. Tomorrow I want to test all of your shields, but I suspect that those of you who trained with Mr. Potter will have no difficulties."
By lunch time the word had spread throughout the school that Luna had knocked Malfoy unconscious with a strong Stunning Spell. The revelation won for Luna a good deal of respect and Draco a good deal of derision. Harry wondered if that was Professor Lupin's intention in selecting the two for the test.