I'm really sorry it took me this long to update but hopefully the chapter is to your liking.
~ Orym Hawksong
Harry, Ron and Hermione left the common room together the next morning. Both had wanted to know about his duties as a Council member but Harry had waived them off saying he was too tired. They had immediately asked him the moment he stepped into the common room and he found himself being cornered by his two best friends and the lightning speed at which they thought of questions.
" – What are your duties?"
" – Will you be able to get me out of detention?"
" – Can we take any complaint up to you?"
" – We could give Malfoy detention for a month!"
" – Can non-members sit at the meetings or offer suggestions?"
" – Or maybe that Zacharias Smith bloke, he seems like a real prat."
Thoroughly annoyed Harry lead Ron and Hermione out of the common room as he answered some questions and deflected others. They had reached the foot of the marble staircase. A line of fourth-year Ravenclaws was crossing the entrance hall; they caught sight of Harry and hurried to form a tighter group, as though frightened he might attack stragglers.
"Yeah, we really ought to be trying to make friends with people like that," said Ron sarcastically.
One of the Ravenclaws had stayed behind. She seemed extremely nervous as she approached Harry. "Harry Potter?" she asked shyly.
"Yeah. What d'you need?" said Harry in what he hoped was a sincere voice.
"Cho asked me to give this to you," murmured the girl as she handed Harry a scroll.
"Thanks," said Harry kindly as he watched the girl run to rejoin her friends.
"See Ron? Not everyone is caught up in petty house rivalry," hissed Hermione.
They followed the Ravenclaws into the Great Hall, looking instinctively at the staff table as they entered. Professor Grubbly-Plank was chatting to Professor Sinistra, the Astronomy teacher, and Hagrid was once again conspicuous only by his absence. The enchanted ceiling above them echoed Harry's mood; patches of it were sunny, the other half was a miserable rain-cloud gray.
"Dumbledore didn't even mention how long that Grubbly-Plank woman's staying," muttered Ron, as they made their way across to the Gryffindor table.
"Maybe…" said Hermione thoughtfully.
"What?" said both Harry and Ron together.
"Well… maybe he didn't want to draw attention to Hagrid not being here."
Before either of them could answer, a tall black girl with long, braided hair had marched up to Harry.
"Hi, Angelina."
"Hi," she said briskly, "good summer?" And without waiting for an answer, "Listen, I've been made Gryffindor Quidditch Captain."
"Nice one," said Harry, grinning at her; he suspected Angelina's pep talks might not be as long-winded as Oliver Wood's had been, which could only be an improvement.
"Yeah, well, we need a new Keeper now Oliver's left. Tryouts are on Friday at five o'clock and I want the whole team there, all right? Then we can see how the new person'll fit in."
"Okay," said Harry, and she smiled at him and departed.
"I'd forgotten Wood had left," said Hermione vaguely, sitting down beside Ron and pulling a plate of toast towards her. "I suppose that will make quite a difference to the team?"
"I s'pose," said Harry, taking the bench opposite. "He was a good Keeper…."
"Still, it won't hurt to have some new blood, will it?" said Ron.
With a woosh and a clatter, hundreds of owls came soaring in through the upper windows. They descended all over the Hall, bringing letters and packages to their owners and showering the breakfasters with droplets of water; it was clearly raining hard outside. Surprisingly threw hawks were flying towards Harry with a long, rectangular package. Hermione, moved her orange juice aside quickly to make way for a large damp barn owl bearing a sodden Daily Prophet in its beak.
Harry found a card that had obviously been charmed to stay impervious to water on the package. He opened the card to find, in Sirius' unkempt script.
Thought you would have wanted to get one for Cho.
~ Snuffles
P.S. You can give me the gold next time we meet.
Harry instantly knew what was inside the package. There was only one thing that Sirius had recently given him. A Lightningbolt. Harry quickly grabbed the package and muttered something about forgetting a book he needed up in Gryffindor Tower.
"Well, what he lacks in the responsibility department, he makes up for in understanding," mused Harry.
It was true. He had been thinking about the inevitable matchup between Ravenclaw and Gryffindor this year and it just didn't seem fair if he rode a Lightningbolt while Cho was on a Comet Two-Sixty. He'd give it to her the next time they went out for one of their late night excursions. He could tell that she was feeling absolutely miserable across their link. He resolved to contact her as soon as possible and tried to send some of his current happiness across to her. He stowed the Lightningbolt in his trunk next to his Firebolt.
Harry returned to the Gryffindor Table just as Ron and Hermione got into a discussion about their school year.
" – O.W.L.s are really important, affect the jobs you can apply for and everything. WE get career advice too, later this year, Bill told me. So you can choose what N.E.W.T.s you want to do next year."
"D'you know what you want to do after Hogwarts?" Harry asked the other two as he sat down.
"Not really," said Ron slowly. "Except… well…" His face redden a bit and he seemed slightly sheepish.
"What?" Harry urged him on.
"Well, it'd be cool to be an Auror," said Ron in an offhand voice.
"Yeah, it would. But, I'm going to try and play professional Quidditch if I can," said Harry fervently.
"Ha! With your talent and broomstick, you'll have every team in Europe trying to sign you. You make sure you send me VIP tickets to your games," said Ron with a grin. "What about you, Hermione?"
"I don't know," said Hermione. "I think I'd really like to do something worthwhile. Like International projects. Something that will benefit people around the world."
"Cheer up Cho…" murmured Jessika as Cho silently cried into her shoulder.
"H-how can I?" choked Cho as she glanced up at her best friend. "Lisa, Orla, and Marietta all left just because I'm dating Harry!"
"Like you told Harry said, 'They'll come 'round eventually.'" Whispered Jessika as she stroked Cho's hair gently.
"Why can't they just accept that I love him?" sobbed Cho.
"Marietta's mother is being threatened I expect," soothed Jessika in a soft voice.
To most people Cho Chang was the very embodiment of perfection. Looks, wealth, social standing, intelligence, Cho Chang had it all. But to Harry, Jessika, and her family Cho Chang was not the perfect being everyone made her out to be. She was a real person with real needs and desires, and although she didn't show it, her emotions were easily crushed.
"Come on; let's get you ready for the rest of the world. Harry's probably on his way right now," whispered Jessika trying to take Cho's mind off of her friends.
Jessika's prediction came true as after she and Cho left the common room they saw Harry sitting on a bench next to their entrance, talking animatedly to a boy with short, satin blond hair. As soon as the boy saw Cho and Jessika approaching he quickly moved around the corner and disappeared from sight.
"Who was that?" asked Jessika curiously.
"Just a friend. Are the two of you alright? I had a –uh… feeling that Cho wasn't very happy," said Harry as he gave Cho a knowing look.
"I'll leave the two lovebirds alone," teased Jessika as she gave Cho a hug and departed, deciding that some breakfast was in order.
Harry looked at Cho with a concerned look and patted the spot next to him on the bench and gave Cho a hug as she sat down.
"How are you?" murmured Harry into Cho's ear as he hugged her.
"Bad," was Cho's emotionless reply. "My friends left me after they found out I was dating you."
"I'm sorry. It's all my fault. You wouldn't be going through this if you were dating someone who isn't "crazy and deranged"," muttered Harry as he quoted the Daily Prophet.
"I love you. You love me. What more should I ask for?" Sniffed Cho as she gave Harry a smile.
"I don't know? Someone who doesn't have a notorious Dark Wizard after their life?" suggested Harry with a grin.
"How interesting would that be?" snorted Cho as she gave Harry a quick peck on the lips. "We better go, classes start soon."
"I'll meet you for lunch," said Harry as he hugged her again and hesitantly walked away.
When Harry entered the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom they found Professor Umbridge already seated at the teacher's desk, wearing the fluffy pink cardigan of the night before and the black velvet bow on top of her head. Harry was again reminded forcibly of a large fly perched unwisely on top of an even larger toad.
The class was quiet as it entered the room; Professor Umbridge was, as yet, an unknown quantity and nobody knew yet how strict a disciplinarian she was likely to be.
"Well, good afternoon!" she said when finally the whole class had sat down.
A few people mumbled "Good afternoon," in reply.
"Tut, tut," said Professor Umbridge . "That won't do, now, will it? I should like you, please, to reply 'Good afternoon, Professor Umbridge.' One more time, please. Good afternoon, class!"
"Good afternoon, Professor Umbridge," they chanted back at her.
"There, now," said Professor Umbridge sweetly. "That wasn't too difficult, was it? Wands away and quills out, please."
Many of the class exchanged gloomy looks; the order "wands away" had never yet been followed by a lesson they had found interesting. Harry shoved his wand back into the holder on his waist and pulled out quill, ink, and parchment. Professor Umbridge opened her handbag, extracted her own wand, which was an unusually short one, and tapped the blackboard sharply with it; words appeared on the board at once:
Defense Against the Dark Arts
A Return to Basic Principles
"You have got to be kidding me…" murmured Merlin in disgust.
"What are you talking about?" thought Harry.
"You'll see."
"Well now, your teaching in this subject has been rather disrupted and fragmented, hasn't it?" stated Professor Umbridge, turning to face the class with her hands clasped neatly in front of her. "The constant changing of teafchers, many of whom do not seem to have followed any Ministry-approved curriculum, has unfortunately resulted in your being far below the standard we would expect to see in your O.W.L. year.
"You will be pleased to know, however, that these problems are now to be rectified. WE will be following a carefully structured, theory-centered, Ministry-approved course of defensive magic this year. Copy down the following, please."
She rapped the blackboard again; the first message vanished and was replaced by:
Course aims:
Understanding the principles underlying defensive magic.
Learning to recognize situations in which defensive magic can legally be used.
Placing the use of defensive magic in a context for practical use.
For a couple of minutes the room was full of the sound of scratching quills on parchment. When everyone had copied down Professor Umbridge's three course aims she said, "Has everybody got a copy of Defensive Magical Theory by Wilbert Slinkhard?"
There was a dull murmur of assent throughout the class.
"I think we'll try that again," said Professor Umbridge. "When I ask you a question, I should like you to reply 'Yes, Professor Umbridge,' or 'No, Professor Umbridge.' SO, has everyone got a copy of Defensive Magical Theory by Wilber Slinkhard?"
"Yes, Professor Umbridge." Rang through the room. Many students including Harry were staring daggers at Professor Umbridge. If looks could kill she would have been a bloody mist on the floor of the classroom.
"Good," said Professor Umbridge. "I should like you to turn to page five and read chapter one, 'Basics for Beginners.' There will be no need to talk."
Professor Umbridge left the blackboard and settled herself in the chair behind the teacher's desk, observing them all closely with those pouchy toad's eyes. Harry turned to page five of his copy of Defensive Magical Theory and started to read.
"This is an absolute joke… What a waste of time. I can't believe that this of all things is Defense Against the Dark Arts," muttered Merlin darkly.
"I already know everything in this book…What the hell am I suppose to do?" groaned Harry.
It was desperately dull, quite as bad as listening to Professor Binns. He felt his concentration sliding away from him; he had soon read the same line half a dozen times without taking in more than the first few words. Several silent minutes passed. Next to him, Ron was absentmindedly turning his quill over and over in his fingers, staring at the same spot on the page. Harry looked right and received a surprise that shook him out of his torpor. Hermione had not even opened her copy of Defensive Magical Theory. She was staring fixedly at Professor Umbridge with her hand in the air.
Harry could not remember Hermione ever neglecting to read when instructed to, or indeed resisting the temptation to open any book that came under her nose. He looked at her questioningly, but she merely shook her head slightly to indicate that she was not about to answer questions, and continued to stare at Professor Umbridge, who was looking just as resolutely in another direction.
After several more minutes had passed, however, Harry was not the only one watching Hermione. The chapter they had been instructed to read was so tedious that more and more people were choosing to watch Hermione's mute attempt to catch Professor Umbridge's eye than to struggle on with "Basics for Beginners."
When more than half the class were staring at Hermione rather than at their books, Professor Umbridge seemed to decide that she could ignore the situation no longer.
"Did you want to ask something about the chapter, dear?" she asked Hermione, as though she had only just noticed her.
"Not about the chapter, no," said Hermione.
"Well, we're just reading just now," said Professor Umbridge, showing her small, pointed teeth. "If you have other queries we can deal with them at the end of class."
"I've got a query about your course aims," said Hermione.
Professor Umbridge rasied her eyebrows.
"And your name is -- ?"
"Hermione Granger," said Hermione.
"Well, Miss Granger, I think the course aims are perfectly clear if you read them through carefully," said Professor Umbridge in a voice of determined sweetness.
"Well, I don't," said Hermione bluntly. "There's nothing written up there about using defensive spells."
There was a short silence in which many members of the class turned their heads to frown at the three course aims still written on the blackboard.
"Using defensive spells?" Professor Umbridge repeated with a little laugh. "Why I can't imagine any situation arising in my classroom that would require you to use a defensive spell, Miss Granger. You surely aren't expecting to be attacked during class?"
"We're not going to use magic?" Ron ejaculated loudly.
"Students raise their hands when they wish to speak in my class, Mr, -- ?"
"Weasley," said Ron, thrusting his hand into the air.
Professor Umbridge, smiling still more widely, turned her back on him. Harry and Hermione immediately raised their hands too. Professor Umbridge's pouchy eyes lingered on Harry for a moment before she addressed Hermione.
"Yes, Miss Granger?" You wanted to ask something else?"
"Yes," replied Hermione. "Surely the whole point of Defense Against the Dark Arts is to practice defensive spells?"
"are you a Ministry-trained educational expert, Miss Granger?"
"No, but -- "
"Well then, I'm afraid you are not qualified to decide what the 'whole point' of any class is. Wizards much older and cleverer than you have devised our new program of study. You will be learning about defensive spells in a secure, risk-free way -- "
"Hook. Line. And Sinker." Muttered Merlin darkly.
"What use is that?" asked Harry loudly. "If we're going to be attacked it won't be in a -- "
"Hand, Mr. Potter!" sang Professor Umbridge.
Harry thrust his fist in the air. Professor Umridge promptly turned away from him again, but now several other people had their hands up too.
"And your name is?" Professor Umbridge said to Dean.
"Dean Thomas."
"Well, Mr. Thomas?"
"Well, it's like Harry said, isn't it?" said Dean. "If we're going to be attacked, it won't be risk-free -- "
"I repeat," said Professor Umbridge, smiling in a very irritating fashion at Dean, "do you expect to be attacked during my classes?"
"No, but -- "
Professor Umbridge talked over him.
"I do not wish to criticize the way things have been run in this school," she said, an unconvincing smile stretching her wide mouth, "but you have been exposed to some very irresponsible wizards in this class, very irresponsible indeed – not to mention," she gave a nasty little laugh, "extremely dangerous half-breeds."
"If you mean Professor Lupin," piped up Dean Thomas angrily, "he was the best we ever -- "
"Hand, Mr. Thomas! As I was saying – you have been introduced to spells that have been complex, inappropriate to your age group, and potentially lethal. You have been frightened into believing that you are likely to meet Dark attacks every other day -- "
"No we haven't," Hermione said, "we just -- "
"Your hand is not up Miss Granger!"
Hermione put up her hand; Professor Umbridge turned away from her.
"It is my understanding that my predecessor not only performed illegal curses in front of you, he actually performed them on you -- "
"Well, he turned out to be a maniac, didn't he?" said Dean Thomas hotly. "Mind you, we still learned loads -- "
"Your hand is not up, Mr. Thomas!" trilled Professor Umbridge.
"Now, it is the view of the Ministry that a theoretical knowledge will be more than sufficient to get you through your examination, which, after all, is what school is all about. And your name is?" she added, staring at Parvati, whose hand had just shot up.
"Parvati Patil, and isn't there a practical bit in our Defense Against the Dark Arts O.W.L.? Aren't we suppose to show that we can actually do the countercurses and things?"
"As long as you have studied the theory hard enough, there is no reason why you should not be able to perform the spells under carefully controlled examination conditions," said Professor Umbridge dismissively.
"Without ever practicing them before?" said Parvati incredulously. "Are you telling us that the first time we'll get to do the spells will be during our exam?"
"I repeat, as long as you have studied the theory hard enough -- "
"And what good's theory going to be in the real world?" said Harry loudly, his fist in the air again.
Professor Umbridge looked up.
"This is school, Mr. Potter, not the real world," she said softly.
"Then prove the theory you are teaching us is good enough. Duel me," growled Harry as he stood up.
Professor Umbridge's eyes narrowed as Harry could see something ignite within the toady woman.
"Class, please, move to the sides of the room," murmured Professor Umbridge in a soft voice.
As soon as the class had complied Professor Umbridge waved her wand and the desks and chairs stacked themselves up at the end of room. Professor Umbridge and Harry now stood at opposite ends of the room, their wands pointed at each other.
"You asked for this Mr. Potter. I will give no quarter," said Professor Umbridge.
"Neither will I," replied Harry as he settled into Thor's Hammer.
"Miss Granger, If you would be so kind as to start us…?" said Professor Umbridge, her eyes never leaving Harry's wand.
"T-Three," said Hermione nervously as she raised her hands up.
Harry and Professor Umbridge raised their wands slightly.
"Two."
Professor Umbridge's eye seemed to twitch.
"One!" squeaked Hermione as she quickly lowered her hands.
"Stupefy!" called out Harry as Professor Umbridge raised a Shield Charm that stopped his Stunner.
"Impedimenta!" yelled Professor Umbridge as she flicked her wand at Harry.
Harry dived to the side and aimed his wand at Professor Umbridge.
"Reducto!"
Professor Umbridge squeaked and ducked her head as the wall behind her was hit with the force of a small grenade.
"Minae Undo!" said Professor Umbridge.
Harry was thrown backwards with the force of a Bludger as he slammed into the desks stacked up behind him. His eyesight flickered with pain as he struggled to maintain focus.
"Sive Mucro!" yelled Harry as he pointed his shaking wand arm at Professor Umbridge. Swords appeared out of nowhere and flew at Professor Umbridge. Her eyes widened in fear as she threw up her arms in front of her face to protect herself, completely forgetting about the wand in her hand. Seeing his chance Harry dissipated the swords and called out, "Expelliarmus!" And watch with smugness as her wand flew out of Professor Umbridge's hand and sailed into his own.
"Do we continue?" asked Harry quietly as he pointed his own wand at Professor Umbridge.
"N-No," she whispered shakily, shame and barely controlled fury in every inch of her voice.
"Good. I think I've demonstrated my theory well enough. Do I still have to take this class?" asked Harry.
"No... You are excused from Defense Against the Dark Arts for the rest of the year… Just remember to show up for your O.W.L. exam," said Professor Umbridge through gritted teeth.
"I am so glad we had this conversation," said Harry brightly as he handed Professor Umbridge's wand back to her. And; without a second glance at the amazed look on everyone's faces, walked out of the room.
"That wasn't wise," Said Merlin.
"I don't care anymore. Hogwarts… isn't my home anymore. I don't have a home. Just for once… I-I'd like to be able know what it feels like to be… normal," Said Harry.
"The greatest burden is always on the ones who do not wish for it."
Harry raced through the deserted Gryffindor Tower and up to his four poster. After making sure that there was no one in the room besides himself Harry opened the secret compartment he had built into the side of his four poster, and pulled out his Lightningbolt.
"Going for a little fresh air?" asked Merlin amusedly.
"I just need to clear my mind," replied Harry. He wasn't in much of a mood to talk. What with his hearing at the Ministry, The Daily Prophet, and now Professor Umbridge it felt like the whole world was against him.
"You're thinking about leaving Hogwarts again."
It wasn't a question, just a statement. But Harry knew that Merlin could see right through him, just like Dumbledore. Harry debated the whether it was wise to answer truthfully but decided to in the end.
"Yes."
"Even after your promise to Cho?"
"…"
"Yes."
"Are you going to break your promise?"
Merlin's voice had become deathly quiet now, and Harry knew that his answer could potentially earn him Merlin's wrath; and honestly, with everything else on his plate, Harry didn't like the idea of taking the anger of the greatest wizard Britain had ever seen.
"I'm not. If I did break it… I wouldn't be able to live with myself. I won't break it. Not now, not ever."
"I'm glad you have it Harry… a King's Disposition… Far too few have it in your age."
Harry looked up and realized that while talking to Merlin he had walked down to the quidditch pitch. He grinned to himself as he strapped his feet onto his Lightningbolt with Securing Charms.
"This is where I belong."
Harry shot into the sky, the wind whistling through his hair as he flawlessly executed a complex series of corkscrews, feints, and turns. He shot off towards one of the goal posts at the other end of the field, performing an endless horizontal 360 at the same time.
To him, being in the air was… special. Something he felt like he could do for eternity. It reminded him of how special his current life was. After eleven years of being a caged bird for the Dursley's he had been set free. After one unbelievable moment, he had been able to truly feel what it meant to be free. He had been a caged bird once. He knew how it felt. It was the worst feeling in the world, being so close to freedom, yet so, so far away at the same time. Yet, the feeling of freedom after being released was indescribable. The only thing that equaled that truly euphoric bliss was his feelings for Cho.
"Don't let go of that knowledge Harry. It's worth more than all the wisdom in the world. The one who loses sight of the way loses sight of their own heart."
"That class is a joke, and a complete waste of time," fumed Cho as Harry squeezed her hand gently and laughed. Switching tables for meals had become a common thing for both of them now. They sat at the Gryffindor Table one day and the Ravenclaw Table the next.
"I know. That Umbridge woman really has no idea on how to use defensive magic. I swear there are third-years more adept than her," said Harry as he piled his plate high. Jessika snorted with laughter to Cho's left.
"It's true though, the entire school's talking about how you floored her in a duel. It's spreading like wildfire," admitted Jessika.
"Is it true? I just thought it was one of those 'Harry Potter' rumors going around," said Cho as she turned to Harry with a piercing gaze.
"Uh… well… I did beat Umbridge in a duel… but I'm not sure just how accurate they are apart from that," said Harry as he squirmed uncomfortably in his seat. Cho had a rather disquieting habit of making Harry feel guilty about something even if there was no reason for him to.
"You actually dueled a teacher?" gaped Cho.
Harry suddenly realized that the entire Ravenclaw Table was trying to listen in on their conversation. His cheeks burned as he felt the gaze of the entire table resting on him, waiting for his response.
"I'll… tell you later," said Harry as an audible groan engulfed him and the rest of the Ravenclaw Table went back to their own private conversations.
Cho and Jessika muffled their laughter as Harry scowled. Cho squeezed his free hand as he jabbed at his food moodily and she elbowed Jessika in the side when she gagged at the couple.
"Have I told you two that you're in the lead for the 'Most Public Couple' award this year?" said Jessika with a grin.
"Yeah, we've heard," said Harry pulling Cho close to him. "Dumbledore told us yesterday. He wants us to give an acceptance speech on Valentine's Day." Cho giggled while Jessika rolled her eyes and returned to her food.
"Are you free tonight?" whispered Harry as he finished off a bit of treacle tart.
"I think I'm free. Nothing much I need to do. Why?" replied Cho as she turned to look at Harry.
"I was thinking we could do another dueling lesson. Astronomy tower, no one goes there at this time," said Harry as he gave her a lopsided grin.
"Alright, I need to help Jessika with some things but I can make around… say seven o'clock?" suggested Cho.
"See you there," murmured Harry as he kissed Cho and left the hall, making his way towards Gryffindor Tower.
After apologizing profusely to Ron and Hermione about never spending time with them anymore Harry ducked a couple books being thrown at his head as he left the common room saying he was going to meet Cho. Harry ran up the stairs to the Astronomy Tower two at a time.
"They're right though, you never spend much time with your friends anymore."
"I know, and I'll make it up to them somehow."
Harry turned around the corner to see Cho next to the windowsill, gazing up at the stars. He wrapped his arms around her waist and propped his chin on her shoulder.
"Stargazing?"
"Yup, daddy taught me about most of the constellation when I was younger. Orion, Sagittarius, Draco, Scorpius, Cancer the Crab… I could go on, but I'm supposed to be learning Defense Against the Dark Arts," replied Cho.
"Alright, well you figured out the Patronus really quickly. Much quicker than I expected. So I was thinking we could move on to something more advance. Conjuration," said Harry with a smile.
"Are you sure? Conjuration is dangerous if it goes wrong, and its sometimes labeled as Dark Arts," murmured Cho with a slight frown.
"Relax, I learned this one from a library book after a couple weeks of studying the theory and practicing," said Harry. "Which means you'll probably get the gist of it in a couple minutes."
"Ok, I believe you. So what's the spell?"
"Sive Mucro."
"Isn't that the one you used against V-Voldemort," Cho stumbled on the name. "at the World Cup?"
"Yeah, Voldemort got rid of it really easily but it's actually a very powerful spell. It's how I won against Umbridge today. I used it as a distraction and disarmed her while she was trying to protect herself," said Harry with a nod.
"Alright, so what's the theory?"
"When you say the spell you have to concentrate on what type of sword you want to conjure, and how many. The more swords you conjure, the more diluted the magical power in each sword. This can be remedied by putting more power into the spell though," explained Harry.
"Can I use the swords I conjure?"
"Yeah, just make sure that you put enough magical power into the swords or they'll crumble away after a couple good blows."
"Alright, here I go… Sive Mucro!" called Cho as she twirled her wand. Instantly, a hovering circle made up of katanas surrounded Cho, slowly revolving around her.
"That's brilliant Cho! You're doing great! Now try directing them with your mind," yelled Harry, obscured by the wall of swords.
Cho concentrated and formed a mental picture of the swords soaring out over the grounds and crumbling away into stardust. At once the swords obeyed as they soared out of the Astronomy tower, twinkling in the moonlight. Harry and Cho walked over to the window and held hands as they watched the swords dissipated into shimmering stardust. They smiled at each other, their emotions speaking for them as they hugged under the moonlight.