Chapte 12, Part Three: Of Reiki and Kirei
Harry left the library after having asked Madam Pince where he could acquire Amalia Clarina's paper for his Potions project. She'd looked at him completely puzzled, telling him that she'd never heard of that author in her life. When he'd told her that she was a scientist who'd published this paper, Madam Pince had said (a little derisively) that he should ask the journal that published her.
Additionally, she'd told him that if no publisher had thought her work important enough to print in the form of a book, Amalia Clarina's work shouldn't be as highly valued as the work of scientists who'd written and published books. Harry had contradicted saying that her general idea fit his state of mind, but had received a look that clearly said that a student neither possessed the knowledge nor the experience to make this kind of judgment. That moment, he'd burned to tell her that Snape seemed to like the idea, but for safety reasons he refrained from it. It would have stopped her rant, though.
He walked into a corridor leading to the Gryffindor tower when he had this feeling that someone wasn't far behind him.
That happened sometimes, lately… Some sort of feeling when a person arrived. The sentiment was neither positive nor negative, it was just there.
He turned around and was surprised to see Marcus Phillas approaching him.
"Hello," he said with, what he hoped to be, an encouraging smile. The kid stopped dead the moment he faced him.
"Wow, do you have eyes on your back, or what?" Marcus asked, seemingly impressed.
"Just paranoia," Harry replied jokingly. The younger boy's lips twitched a little, but the smile wouldn't come. His eyes displayed utter loneliness, that feeling of complete isolation, a feeling Harry hadn't quite been able to shake off ever since Sirius had gone.
'Has been killed,' that nasty voice tortured him, 'Because of you.'
As if he would ever forget that.
"Come on," he said to Marcus, walking ahead. They left the castle shortly after. It was a rather cold November day, but the sun shone brightly which was why they could sit by the lake without having to shiver.
Harry faced the younger kid who'd just lost his mother and remained silent. Marcus was the one hurt which was why he should be the one deciding this conversation's pace.
"This is hard…" Marcus whispered after a moment of silence, "I don't really know how to start…"
He was quiet again and shivered a bit. Though Harry knew it wasn't from the cold, he drew his wand and murmured "Calor." The shivers subsided rather quickly.
"Where do you keep your wand?" Marcus asked, looking a bit curious. It was clear that he wanted to distract himself from the pain. Harry pulled his cloak back to reveal the wand-holder that he carried over Dudley's old, ragged pullover.
"Like a professional…" the younger but by far taller boy started, but cut it off, whatever he'd wanted to say.
Then, Harry could see his features tighten in a pained expression. What followed was a deep sigh displaying frustration, "It's… MERLIN!" he screamed, the sound carrying over the lake, an echo of pain. Harry didn't even flinch. Somehow, he'd expected it. "IT'S NOT FAIR!" Again he screamed, anger flashing, only to curl into himself, as if someone had punched him in the gut. He moaned desperately. His next words were spoken quietly, "It's… One time I'm angry, so angry I could rip everything apart that comes near me. I blow up on my friends, my family… Merlin, even my father who's in as much pain as… Then, I break down a second later knowing she'll never hold me again…" He stopped unable to keep the tears from falling. Desperate sobs escaped the fifteen-year-old. Harry, as much as he wanted to, knew that in this case, he couldn't physically help. He wasn't as close to Marcus as he was to Neville, whom he'd been able to help by holding him. He just sat by, letting the emotions of the other boy rush over him like a hurricane. Slowly, Marcus got a hold of himself, "Then I just feel… numb. Nothing at all, as if… My body works, I can't eat, but I walk, I even talk sometimes, but it's like someone else is doing it for me. Nothing reaches me. I just want to go to bed, sleep and never wake up again," he froze when he realized what he was saying, "I mean… I don't want to die… I…"
"You just don't want to feel this kind of pain again, so you shut down," Harry answered for him and Marcus looked at him in awe.
As if being able to explain things so accurately was a feat bordering on a genius' deed.
"Does it ever lessen? The pain, I mean?" Harry's eyes moistened. He was thinking of Sirius, but Marcus was talking about the loss of a mother.
"I never knew her, Marcus," he said softly, "It's not the same, but… It hurts sometimes… There are times you'll get jealous of your friends whose families are whole and you will feel terrible about that." How many times had he been inclined to swallow envy when it came to the Weasleys? The best family he knew. He loved them all, but sometimes the wish to have this as well was overwhelming…
But he had it!
He had great, loyal friends; he was getting closer to his cousin; Mrs Weasley treated him very kindly… He had no right to complain. He'd lost every right to do that. What he had was more than he deserved, already. Anyway, this wasn't about him, this was about Marcus, "That's normal. Don't feel bad about it. I'm not telling you to talk to your friends about it. If you feel that you're ready for that… Do it, but don't do it simply because it's expected from you. Give yourself time. They'll understand…"
"No, that's exactly what they don't. They don't understand that I just want to be alone sometimes! They don't understand that I just need them to leave me alone… And when I tell them…"
"And they leave, you feel worse than ever…" Harry completed, "Tell them to see Ron and Hermione. We don't get them either, Marcus, let's be honest about that. We don't. Ron and Hermione… They do. They're my best friends and, believe me; they've gone through some rough times because of me. They'll be able to help."
"What? It's been fifteen years and you still…?"
"No," Harry said immediately, "I told you that our situations are not comparable. I lost someone else last summer. He meant a lot to me…" He cut it off. This wasn't about him.
"I can't stand the pity in their eyes," Marcus whispered, "Not my friends, just… everybody else. You're different, though. There's no pity, there's… You look as if you know. Those who pity me, don't."
Harry knew exactly what Marcus meant. It was one of the reasons why he kept approaching Snape. The man knew what it was like to deal with Voldemort. He understood the fear to have a connection with the monster, the insufferable guilt you felt for watching but not being able to help.
They were quiet again before Marcus continued, "Nobody taunts me, at least. Unlike in your case…"
Harry, who'd just watched the giant squid showing up at the lake's surface, whirled his head around, "I'm not being taunted for being an orphan. For other things, yes, but not for having lost my parents…"
"Either you're deaf or just extremely forgiving. I…" Marcus looked away, "I taunted you for that article Skeeter wrote."
The Boy Who Lived looked at him with an amused smile. "That was a bunch of rubbish anyway…"
"I DIDN'T KNOW THAT." Harry drew back at the scream. That reaction, he'd not expected. "I didn't and I still… We were so angry, the entire house, but that didn't give us the right…" His eyes were wide and he was breathing heavily. When he calmed down, his voice dropped a little, "We were so horrible to you. We bought those badges from the Slytherins, we… Hufflepuffs are supposed to be loyal and hard-working, but we were being prats at the time!"
The emerald-eyed boy looked at his furious face, feeling confused. That was two years ago… It hadn't been fun, terrible actually for he didn't have Ron standing up for him. His Fifth Year had been worse (though he'd had Ron at his side, last year) and the first two tasks of the tournament and the mayhem it had cost were completely overshadowed by the events of the third task.
Harry had started to forget about it. They'd thought he was just looking for more fame, which was understandable. Who, in their right mind, would have believed that Voldemort had plotted the whole thing?
"Marcus, that was two years ago… Why…"
He was immediately interrupted by the grieving boy. "I said… Back then, I said… You wanna see Mommy, Potter? Too bad, she's gone." Tears prickled in the boy's eyes, "Maybe, if I hadn't…" Harry knew what he was trying to say and it horrified him.
"No," he said sharply, "This was NOT your fault! Do you have any idea how many people were bad-mouthing me at the time? I don't even remember your comment. It was harsh, yes, but it must have been amongst the acceptable ones for, believe me, I'd have remembered otherwise. This is not some sort of punishment! This is war. It hurts and it's meaningless, but it's the way it is." He hadn't noticed that he had stood up. His eyes flashed for a moment revealing passion of intensity very few people had ever witnessed. "Your mother was killed by a group of people who couldn't care less about whom they hurt. Voldemort." Marcus flinched as if Harry had slapped him. "Doesn't care what you might have said one time or another. Nobody influences his decisions, nobody."
"You do…"
"Me?" Harry couldn't help it, he laughed. It was hollow and sounded horrible to his own ears, but he just couldn't keep it back. He thought of the Prophecy… and the Unspeakables, knowing exactly who was on the winning end. "I'm an inconvenience. He wants me dead, yes, but to him I'm even less than a person. I'm a symbol he wants to destroy. I'm not influencing his decisions. I'm just a target, that's all."
"I believed you were involved with Cedric's death. Last year, when you kept telling that You-Know-Who was back, I thought that his death was somehow caused by you, which was why you were telling this crazy story about him coming back." It was Harry's turn to look away now. "I'm sorry about that."
"You weren't wrong," Harry replied quietly, "I didn't kill him, but if it weren't for me, he'd still be around."
History liked to repeat itself, really, three times it happened already causing the death of four people.
"You couldn't know," Marcus contradicted.
"Maybe… How's your father?" This conversation was too much directed towards him, which was why he deflected harsher than he'd originally intended.
"I… I'm not sure. We didn't really talk. My dad and I, we… are not that close. She was the centre of our family, she was the mediator when we fought, the buffer if it was necessary… Now, it's just us and it's just so quiet. We don't have much to say to each other," he avoided Harry's gaze, clearly ashamed. The orphan on the other hand felt a painful twitch in his gut. He felt completely helpless. What did he know of the relationship between a father and his son? He'd had a taste of it with Sirius, but it had been brief and they'd spent a lot of time apart. He didn't know anything about the routines of home life. The Dursleys certainly hadn't been normal. The only reference he had were the Weasleys where Mr Weasley seemed to have a rather close relationship to his sons. He didn't have any other examples. Thankfully, it wasn't necessary.
"Merlin, funerals are the worst, you know?" Marcus saw Harry's expression, "You don't know? But surely, there was a funeral when that person you cared about died or wasn't there?"
Harry shook his head blinking a bit more rapidly than before, "No, we couldn't. There was… no real body and we didn't… I've never been to a funeral my entire life."
"Not even to Cedric's?" Marcus asked, furrowing his eyebrows in an apparent attempt to remember. The Boy Who Lived suppressed a flinch.
"I was at the memorial at the end of the year with Dumbledore, but the actual funeral? No. It wouldn't have felt right. Where was it held? Did many people go?" He didn't know why he asked. He simply didn't know.
"Not the actual funeral, that was very small and private amongst family, but about two weeks into the holidays, there was a big memorial service for his friends at Hogwarts. There were a lot of Hufflepuffs and many others… Ex-Minister Fudge came…" Then he froze. All of a sudden, he seemed very angry, "That manipulative lying, little bastard!" he exclaimed sharply. Harry looked at him feeling surprised and confused.
Fudge had become a disgrace after Voldemort's official return. However, he hardly ever heard derisive comments about him.
"'We must stand together at the sight of this terrible tragedy and face those who want to destabilise everything we have worked for these last thirteen years. We must face them and say 'No! For once and for all, let us grieve! Stop this insanity!'' That bloody bastard! He used Cedric's death for propaganda. Sprenger and Institorus! I cannot believe this…"
Harry felt a rush of fury directed at Fudge coursing through him. How could he use Cedric like this? How dare he? Cedric had been everything the Hufflepuff House stood for, he never would have consented to this.
The rage nearly consumed him; it drowned him like water and burned like fire…
All of a sudden, he had to pull his hand out of the water (he'd held it into the lake in order to distract himself a little and to relax) for the liquid surrounding his hand had reached near cooking temperature.
That was new.
He quickly looked up at Marcus, but the boy was distracted with his own anger. However, the facial expression rapidly changed. Guilt was again much more prominent.
"I believed him, you know," the tall boy confessed, not meeting Harry's eyes (if he had, he would have seen a stunned teenager who had to shake himself out of some sort of stupor), "At first, I didn't really notice it. But then, there was one of those Daily Prophet articles about the way you were supposedly acting and I remember thinking 'Just let us grieve, man.' I'm sorry."
"Don't be," Harry replied, "You didn't really know me. The Daily Prophet used me as scapegoat. What were you supposed to think?"
"She would've been ashamed of me for having said those things to you, for whispering behind your back…"
That boy managed to get the better of him. Harry gulped and had to breathe before he was able to speak, "Kids can be cruel," He thought of Dudley, Piers and all those other children who had used to taunt him. He thought of the way even Seventh Years had treated a First Year who'd screwed up (and all he had wanted was helping a friend. An action that had led to lose so many points…). He cringed when he thought of his second year when people had actually believed he was the heir of Slytherin (As if had the power. He didn't even have it these days), "I under…" No, actually, he didn't. He never had. "Your mother most likely would have told you off, yes, but she never would have stopped loving you."
He remembered Mrs Weasley trying to recall her demeanour. "Actually, she'll have known. Mothers have a sixth sense when it comes to misbehaviour of their children," he smiled kindly, "Don't worry. I think, it's okay."
At moments like these, he was reminded of how utterly hopeless he was at consoling people. However, when the taller teenager smiled back tentatively, he realized that his words might have been about what he'd wanted to hear.
They were silent for a long time before Marcus spoke up again. His voice was low and next to the grief there was anger, even hatred, mingled with it.
"Dad came home seeing the Dark Mark hovering over the house," he whispered, "I don't know why they came or who did it."
But Harry did.
Marcus' mother had been a known squib. Death Eaters only knew one way to deal with that kind of shame.
Eliminate it.
The killing curse had been conjured by her own cousin who'd wanted to rid himself off the family disgrace. Voldemort had watched it, but had not spoken a single word. He'd lingered in the background enjoying what he saw.
He did that every now and then.
Just watching when the Death Eaters killed. Feelings of triumph rushing off him like waves, strangling Harry with them.
"Hey," Marcus spoke up as if thinking of something, "You have this Defence club, right? I mean the one for the older students. I was told you trained them to be a little less passive. Can I join you?"
Harry looked him straight into the eyes. He knew what the grieving teenager asked for… But he wouldn't teach anyone who just wanted to have their revenge. It wasn't his goal to train soldiers.
He wanted to make sure his friends lived! Nothing else. He wasn't interested in those who wanted a vendetta. It was best if Phillas learned this.
Now.
"Voldemort will chew you up and spit you out, no actually, he will just tell Nagini to do it," he said it so sharply, Marcus froze not even reacting to the name. "Worst thing is that your attack will amuse him so much that he won't kill you immediately," Harry continued sounding cold and indifferent, "He will play with you. He will know just exactly why you're attacking him and he'll know what to say to break you. He will break you. You will be on the ground before he casts a single spell." He'd seen an Auror shatter at the face of avenging the deaths of those he loved. He knew what Voldemort was capable of. "When you are down there sobbing, he won't just kill you, oh no, he will cast the Cruciatus curse. And when the pain consumes you and you believe that you're driving mad from the pain, he'll walk away. He won't kill you. But he'll tell Nagini to. You know who Nagini is, Marcus? It's his snake. I can talk to them, but she doesn't answer, she never does. She only answers to him, Marcus, and no one will stop her while she kills you."
When the fifteen-year-old broke into tears, Harry felt bad. Maybe, he'd been too harsh, but he wanted the boy to get what he was facing when he pledged to avenge his mother. However, he didn't want to break the underage wizard.
"What am I going to do?" Marcus choked desperately.
"You live. It'll be painful. You just want to get out of it, forget just how much you're hurting, but you won't be able to. However, once that heart-crushing pain is overcome, there will be nothing left but a dull ache. You will laugh again, smile again. One day, you'll be happy again. That's when you know it was worth it. You'll be able to do this, I know that," he spoke solemnly and quietly.
"Why do you believe I can do it?" Marcus asked, the tears started to dry on his face.
"Because you're so much stronger than he is," Harry replied, laid a hand on the Hufflepuff's shoulder and smiled sadly adding in his mind the painful truth, 'Or me.'
"I'd like to learn how to protect myself. And my dad," Marcus whispered. This time, his expression wasn't one full of hatred.
However, the wish for revenge wasn't something to overcome easily…
Harry knew that from own experience when it came to Bellatrix Lestrange who'd had to undergo the Fifth Curse including several Cruciatus curses before he'd finally felt as much as compassion that was directed at her.
"I want you to come at Mondays, first. With the kids."
"Why?" Marcus asked, seemingly puzzled and yet understanding very well.
"Because it's fun. And I could use some older kids in the DC, really. When your feelings change, I'd love to invite you to the DA," he spoke softly but firmly.
"Okay." It was a mere whisper, but as strongly as the Sixth Year had spoken before, "Can I come to you… If anything happens?"
"Anytime," Harry stated, feeling that their first conversation was over. Marcus Phillas nodded, thanked him and quickly walked back into the castle.
Harry kept sitting by the lake, deeply in thought.
He startled a little when a white-feathered owl landed beside him.
"You always know when I feel lonely, don't you, Hedwig?" he asked kindly. The owl had been the first gift he'd ever received in his life and the second friend he'd ever found.
His only companion while at the Dursleys.
At least, so far.
He remembered her look when he'd told her to bring a letter to Dudley. Without being able to talk she'd made her sentiments clear, 'Are you sure, Harry? Remember the way he's been treating you all those years.'
According to Dudley, she'd even made a fuss before she handed out the letter. She might not be her greatest protector, but she most certainly was one of the fiercest ones.
He was caressing her feathers softly while he regarded the lake in front of him. It looked cold and quiet. The repetitive motion was relaxing…
He closed his eyes and calmed down.
Spontaneously, he added the feeling to his shields.
About half an hour later, he felt the cold getting to him and he went back to the castle, Hedwig flying beside him, drawing circles into the air.
He glanced at the great walls in front of him and smiled.
"Good evening, Professor," Harry said when approaching his Defence teacher who was waiting near the Charms classroom (Professor McGonagall had told him that Moraku would be waiting there). Hermione and Ron greeted the adult wizard as well.
"Good evening, Miss Granger. Mr Weasley. Mr Potter," he nodded at them all, "I'm afraid that I've never visited the Room of Requirement. Thank you very much for showing me the way."
And that, they did.
Luna, all the Gryffindors, Ernie, Millicent and Blaise already stood there. Usually, Harry was the first one to arrive which was why he looked at his watch. He was ten minutes early, as usual.
"Did I promise to bring a batch of cookies last time, or what is going on here?" He grinned and to his surprise noticed that the others looked a little uncomfortable (expect for Luna, but she was always rather early… or late. The dreamy witch wasn't being bothered by time). He lifted his eyebrows and looked at Seamus whom he knew would talk when he held his gaze for long enough.
Seamus was fidgeting at first, before he blurted out, "Yesterday's events just really motivated us, that's all."
Yesterday's events? It took him a while before Harry got what his friend was talking about.
The Disarming charm in Defence class.
Carefully, he glanced at Moraku who actually looked amused, which relieved Harry.
Bad enough that Voldemort was informed of it so quickly; he really didn't want to be on bad terms with yet another Defence teacher.
He walked three times past the wall that contained the hidden room thinking of what exactly he wanted. He'd planned parts of it last week, but wished for a moment to have revised his lesson when he'd heard that Moraku would come. He could experiment with Professors McGonagall and Flitwick (most likely Snape as well), but the Japanese wizard never really observed a regular DA class, never to mention when Harry was trying out new ideas.
The door appeared and they entered. It was a plain room with wooden floor, several cushions and everything necessary for mere spell casting. All in all, it looked like the DA room last year.
"Oh," Hannah Abott, who'd just entered, exclaimed, "We're learning new spells tonight."
"Not just that," Hermione said, mentioning towards a closed door, "What have you planned for today, Harry?" He said that he'd wait until everybody had arrived.
Last ones were Terry Boot and her friend Emily who'd joined the DA last week. They closed the door behind them.
"Good evening, everybody! Well, as all of you can see we're going to look at some new spells today. We'll be practising them within the first half of the lesson. After that, we'll be having another practical in tactics. It'll be different than last time… But you'll see. Now, let's begin. For all those who thought we'd be looking at Tate, Kabe and Hogo, I am sorry. I think we'll be including Japanese defense styles next week." He didn't look at Moraku directly. He hardly ever talked to his teachers while giving his lesson. He wouldn't start with it now.
Zacharias snorted derisively, murmuring something about 'just afraid,' but the older student ignored it. Blaise and Ron, who stood beside the Hufflepuff, couldn't and would've spoken up, hadn't Harry's eyes started to blaze warningly. The last thing he wanted was a fight in front of the only teacher whom he didn't understand well (apart from Snape, but that was another story).
Blaise and Ron complied, but reluctantly. To his great surprise, he noticed that Neville looked pretty much ready to take Zacharias apart.
"We've been practising all the basic and some of the more advanced general shields such as Protego, Deflecto, Defendo and Contego. Today, we are going to learn the most general of counter spells and some specific counters. First of all, what is the most basic counter? To remind you, the spells earlier mentioned are shields not counters. Deflecto is a mixture of a counter and a shield. It works pretty much like a mirror. So, any ideas?"
"Finite Incantatem," Hermione said decidedly.
"Wait," Dean exclaimed, "I've heard of that one before…"
Zacharias looked rather incredulous at that, "Of course you have. Parents have to use that one all the time when we're little before accidental magic subsides."
The Westham United fan looked away at that, murmuring something about his parents not having known what was going on.
Harry stiffened. He couldn't and wouldn't accept demeaning comments in his class.
"Zacharias," he spoke acidly without raising his voice, "Thank you for reminding us all just how simple it is to fall for Voldemort's paroles who, by the way, never heard of Finite before he started at Hogwarts for he grew up in a Muggle orphanage. I've been in the magical world for six years and I'm still being surprised with what you're supposed to know, but nobody really bothers to explain. Not everybody comes from magical families or actually has families in the first place. Imagine how frightening that is, to know that there's something happening to you and yet nobody is able to tell you what's going on." He turned to Dean and continued sounding a usual, "The first time I heard this spell was in the Duelling club in our second year. Professor Snape used it to stop the jinxes Malfoy and I casted on each other. I came across it again this summer while studying… It's a pity we don't learn it at school. I think I'll ask Professor Flitwick to include it into Charms class."
He then took a small step back addressing everyone, "Finite Incantatem is the absolute counter charm. It entirely depends on the power and will of the caster. I didn't know that parents used it for accidental magic, but that's very interesting news. Theoretically, every curse, jinx or charm and even transfiguration could be revised with this, but of course that is not possible. However, weak curses can be stopped or at least their effect reduced when Finite is casted. Apart from this one, I want to introduce three specific counters. Next week, there will be others… I'm doing this because I want you to understand that there is nothing special about those spells, but they can counter half of the offensive spells we're accustomed to using." Voldemort was proficient with every single one of those counters, nonverbally even. "Today, we'll be focusing on three different counters. There's Feritis as a counter to Reducto. Feritis can be even more destructive than Reducto, so be careful. Reducto is a good spell to move things out of the way, but its energy pulls. It tears back." He noticed that everyone looked a little puzzled. "Ginny, could you please demonstrate it on these chairs and tables?" He closed his eyes and wished for the furniture which promptly appeared at the other end of the room.
Ginny stepped forward and lifted her wand. "Wait a moment," he stopped her by laying a hand on her shoulder, "I want you all to look at direction of the blast. Okay, go ahead," he told the girl whose face had suddenly turned almost as red as her hair. Her spell blasted across the tables and chairs leaving nothing but dust behind.
The DA looked at Harry who hadn't been able to demonstrate what he wanted. What he needed, was… some sort of slow motion. The room allowed many things, but you couldn't freeze time with it.
Maybe, if he controlled the amount of power he put into the spell… He thanked Ginny and let the furniture repair itself.
"Reducto," he said it more than shouted it, firm but not fierce. This time, the all of them could see it.
The spell casted a wave of energy that pulled the tables and chairs back without pulverizing them. They collapsed more than exploded, actually.
'Guess I have to thank you for once, Riddle,' he thought. Maybe, being forced to watch that monster act for nearly half a year had its advantage of learning quite a lot in the process. He remembered that one time when the Death Eaters and Voldemort walked away from the house whose inhabitants had been killed (Muggles, murdered for fun) and the monster had whispered the Reductor charm, causing the entire building to collide.
It had taken him three hours to find out why the house hadn't exploded (it was a riddle to him why every book said that Reducto was used to blast things out of the way when it let them disintegrate).
"Reducto pulls and lets the things you want out of the way collapse," he looked at Ginny, smiling a little, "To dust, if necessary. Feritis on the other hand pushes and its energy spreads. What follows, is explosion. This counter is very dangerous since it uses the attack. Feritis literally blasts into the attacker's face because Reducto pulls. Don't ever use this spell for fun, never! It can be fatal. I want you to know Feritis, so you are prepared for it, because Death Eaters know it and use it." That Auror had been so young, not even fully trained and he'd acted so foolishly. Why would he attack Voldemort with a Reductor charm? Surely, they learned that in training.
"We'll be practicing Feritis, but if I ever hear anyone use this as a reaction to Reducto… That person will be banned from the DA and they will wish that the Dementors will get them first before I do," even Ron gulped a little, "Of course, if it's either that or death, well… Just know that Feritis as a counter to Reducto can be deadly and it's an ugly death unless your opponent knows another spell. That spell is a response to Feritis and it's the incantation I want to teach you: Seiunges, the Separation charm. Feritis' pushing energy can be separated, so it goes past you."
He observed his friends and saw that he had their complete attention. Most of them looked wary, all of them seemed solemn.
Good.
They had to understand that some spells were dangerous, but they needed to know them if they wanted to survive.
It was crazy, really, as soon as he'd found Feritis in one of his books, he'd looked it up. Reductor charm and Feritis could be extremely destructive. They weren't considered Dark Magic for they weren't used this way often, but they could be.
Apart from a few shield charms and the Patronus, every spell could be dangerous with fatal consequences…
He shook his head a little in order to focus, "Reducto, Feritis and Seiunges. One counters the other. They're also called Tide's Triplet: push and pull as the waves are separated by the cliff.
"Never use Seiunges when Reducto is used, because… Let's demonstrate this. Professor? Could you please hit me with Reducto, a weak one, if possible?"
Moraku looked at him, for a moment he actually looked baffled. Then, he nodded.
They stood about twenty feet apart from each other. The Defence teacher silently asked for permission before he spoke the spell.
The Reducto was weak yet forceful enough to make the demonstration worthwhile. Harry spoke Seingues and was torn several feet towards the older man before painfully hitting the ground.
He explained that this spell combination caused some sort of vacuum which didn't end well for the caster of Seiunges, though the consequences were hardly ever deadly.
"The third counter has nothing to do with Tide's Triplet. There is a dark spell that is called Lacero, which causes lacerations on the body; the skin can be completely torn if the attack is successful. There is a counter to it which is called Contines. Lacero is a spell that most Death Eaters are capable of doing nonverbally, which is why you should know what the spell looks like. It's really hard to miss because its colour resembles the scarlet colour of the Hogwarts train. When that spell comes at you, cast Contines."
As always he demonstrated each spell multiple times and his peers used all of their senses trying to memorize it.
This time however, Harry didn't want them to get into pairs, but wanted them to learn each spell individually. Their 'partners' were puppets the room provided for them on Harry's request. After nearly an hour of practising the spells this way, he noticed that Hermione, Ginny and Blaise were quite proficient with them.
He told each of them to form groups but noticed that seven or eight people would be in one group. That was why he asked their supervising Professor whether he could watch them while he formed a fourth group.
Moraku declined telling him that he would form the fourth group so Harry could supervise the lesson.
The groups got together and started to practise Tide's Triplet. As Harry had told them, Feritis was never used as a counter of Reducto, but as an attack to train Seiunges. Hermione, Ginny, Blaise and Moraku were the ones who either attacked or defended since Harry wasn't ready to have two untrained, underage wizards (Moraku was the only one who could be called experienced, but Hermione, Ginny and Blaise had a natural feeling for the charms) practise these spells on each other.
It worked remarkably well.
Nobody in Ginny's group dared to touch her Reducto, causing Harry to remind her of Feritis.
Her spell was strong, far above average, but he shuddered at the thought what Voldemort could and would do, should she attack with it.
Luna, who'd been in Ginny's group, asked Harry whether Finite was a safe way to deal with Reducto. Theoretically, it was. But Harry'd never really tried.
At that, Moraku said that there was a Japanese form to deal with Reducto, but it took years to become proficient at it. Therefore, if Finite actually worked, it would be very beneficial.
"Mr Potter, would you mind to try? When I see it won't work, I will use my magic to protect you."
He asked for quite a lot of trust with that request. Harry caught his gaze and regarded him intently. He nodded telling Ginny to use Reducto on him.
The rest of the DA stopped their training in order to watch.
"Reducto," Ginny shouted. Harry felt the rush of energy pulling and cried sharply, "Finite incantatem!"
What followed was rather strange. The energy of Ginny's spell knocked him to the ground, but its pulling power was gone. He breathed a little more heavily than usual.
Ron noticed it.
"What do you think you're doing?" He exclaimed furiously. Harry looked up in confusion, but noticed that his best friend hadn't directed the words at him but their Defence teacher, "You said you would help!"
"If the need arises, Mr Weasley," Moraku replied calmly, "There was no help necessary."
"He's on the ground," Ron hissed with gritted teeth, "I'd say that qualifies for the necessity of help, sir."
"Ron, it's…" He managed to refrain from saying 'fine' for that would have led to an explosion.
"Mr Weasley," the Defence teacher's voice didn't display any sort of anger. He seemed to approve of Ron's reaction, actually, "I appreciate your concern for your friends, but you should realize that Mr Potter fell on the ground less because of your sister's spell than because of his own. Finite incantatem, if strong enough, manages to eliminate the spell's power. In this case, had the incantation worked fully, Mr Potter would have fallen back since the natural reaction to being pulled is to move into the opposite direction. However, Mr Potter merely took away Reducto's pulling force without tearing back, which is a remarkable feat to do. Be assured that I was ready to prevent any kind of injury."
Ron was a bit startled at the frankness of the older wizard. It took a moment before he mumbled, "I'm sorry, sir."
"Don't be, Mr Weasley."
Silence filled the room and Harry thought it was best to simply continue the lesson.
"I guess this answers your question, Luna, doesn't it?"
"Yes, I couldn't protect myself with Finite, but you can. Thanks for the demonstration." Harry turned bright red at his friend's candidness.
He cleared his throat before he continued, "I think that's it for today concerning new spells. Now, I'd like to spend some time with a more tactical approach. As you all know, in DC we play a lot of games. This is some sort of game, too, but its background is very serious and I doubt you'll laugh. But as long as you remember that it's not real, I think you'll deal and it might even be fun, once you've overcome the first shock."
Once again, he had his classmates' undivided attention.
"Voldemort," the entire room apart from Hermione and Moraku flinched, "He has a talent to recognize your fears, not unlike a boggart and he'll be playing with them. This room," he gestured towards the closed door, "Will give you a small taste of it. Your goal is to get outside of the anti-Apparation ward and to reach the Portkey. The ward's borders you can recognize by the white line."
He was silent for a moment. "There will be three other doors once we've entered the room. Three different scenarios created by the image of my personal memory. The scenes you'll enter belong to the most frightening moments of my life. The Room of Requirement allows me to play with the scenes, but it doesn't allow me to create animals, magical creatures or even the reflection of humans. Not unlike last time, I will be posing as Voldemort," again they flinched, "As soon as one of you enters the scenario, the rest of you will be able to watch the scenery through a window which will appear immediately. It's your choice what door you'll enter. Good luck!"
"What do we have to do with you?" Zacharias asked.
"Knock me unconscious, run away from me… Whatever you think will help you reach the Portkey. I'd be glad if you wouldn't try to seriously hurt me, though. Professor, I count on you to protect me and whoever will be entering the scene."
"I will do that, Mr Potter," Moraku said, his wand was ready in his hand.
Harry thanked him and entered the first door.
All eyes fell on Hermione as soon as the door closed, but she shook her head, "Oh no! Not this time. I want to learn, today, someone else goes first!"
Being the Gryffindor he was, Seamus entered. Immediately, a window appeared so the rest of the DA could watch. What they saw in front of them, was the Forbidden Forest. Harry was nowhere to be seen.
The Irish boy had the wand at the ready and carefully stalked through the forest. Suddenly, they saw him turn, breathing heavily. Then, he ran, straight forward without really watching where his feet carried him. His foot was caught up in a root and he fell.
A moment later, Harry stood in front of him, holding out his hand to help him up.
Game over. Not a single spell had been spoken and yet Seamus was defeated.
Head hanging down, Seamus left the room.
"That bloody tongue of his is creepy," he hissed on under his breath when the door closed behind him, "I thought he conjured a snake by Serpensortia, but he didn't, he just… Argh, this is frustrating. You can't help it, you just run. Next!"
Dean volunteered.
For the Muggleborns it was like watching a horror movie, the kind when you knew exactly where the murderer was, but the protagonists didn't. They started to shout telling Dean to be cautious, that Harry was right behind him, but the fog which suddenly appeared took away his sight.
Two minutes later, Dean was outside muttering that Harry had a rather strange idea of having fun.
Lavender, Pavarti, Padma, Terry, Emily and Eloise entered the forest as well.
Ron downright refused saying he'd faced the Forbidden Forest before and that he would never do it again unless forced. Neville and Hermione agreed, though for different reasons: Neville concurred with Ron's opinion while Hermione wanted a scenario she didn't know.
Some of them lasted longer than others, but it seemed as if they had completely forgotten what they were supposed to do, namely finding the Portkey.
Eloise, who'd entered last, was the only one who got close to the borders of the 'anti-Apparation ward,' but she'd been unable to find the Portkey before Harry found her. Unlike Pavarti, she didn't even try to fight back.
She'd merely lowered her wand.
"He'd be an excellent hunter. Thank Merlin, he's not a predator," Susan whispered when Eloise came close to the door.
To their surprise, Harry exited the forest scenery as well. As soon as the door closed, it disappeared as if it had never been there in the first place.
"Before the rest deals with the other two scenarios I want you to summarize what you learned," Harry stated, looking especially at those who had been inside.
"That it's not so easy to keep your head together when there are whispers in the dark," Lavendar said, unusually serious. She'd run straight ahead, not unlike Seamus.
"Don't let yourself be distracted by noises. Try to deduct what's dangerous and always know where it is," Dean stated.
"Don't run unless you watch the bloody ground," Seamus almost hissed.
"Good point, Seamus," Harry chimed in, "But when the enemy is behind you, believe me, you don't watch where you're running. You just run, whether it's smart or not." He looked into the round when he continued, "I gave you this exercise for a rather simple reason. Last time, it was your job to fight me, but your first goal should always be for you and the people you care about to survive. Escape has to be learned too."
He gestured at the two doors left, "I want everyone but Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Neville, Luna, Millicent and Blaise to enter the second door."
"Why?" Zacharias asked angrily.
"Because that scenario still gives me nightmares and I don't want Colin or Dennis having to face it. It was the most frightening night of my life. What happened at the Ministry might have been worse, but it didn't scare me as much. Hermione and Ron faced quite a lot of dangers over the years… Ginny, Neville and Luna have proven that they can keep their heads together when facing Death Eaters. Millicent and Blaise, I trust them to do just that." It was best to be honest with them. The second door could be viewed a game, but the third one wasn't.
Dennis looked up at his idol, looking hurt. Harry softened and kneeled down in front of the twelve-year-old, "Dennis, you are a proud and courageous Gryffindor. I know that, but you're younger than I was at the time facing that third scene. I was having nightmares for weeks. I don't want you to have them as well."
The youngest of the DA seemed to be ready to accept that. Harry smiled and entered the second door.
Colin was the first to enter.
The window appeared and they saw a room full of snakes made out of stone.
"Chamber of Secrets," Ron whispered. They all could see the white line that drew the ward's borders.
So could Colin, he quickly walked towards it, but a snake suddenly stood in his way. The short Gryffindor stopped dead in his tracks. He lifted his wand and casted Stupefy, but the snake was too fast. Suddenly, Colin rushed around with his wand at the ready, but by doing so, the snake launched forward.
It didn't bite, but that Colin had lost, was obvious.
The snake managed to disconcert everyone that entered the room. Harry's complete power over the snake he'd conjured was unsettling. Interestingly, it was Justin who managed to blast it out of the way, but then it was his turn to face Harry. He hesitated while the Boy Who Lived didn't.
The Disarming Charm was precise and nonverbal.
Zacharias came last. He casted Reducto, thereby destroying the snake and directly approaching the Portkey. Two feet and he'd have been saved, but then it slipped past him, stopping right in front of Harry who destroyed it.
The Summoning Charm!
Seamus hit his palm against his forehead asking himself loudly why he hadn't thought of that. Theoretically, the fight was over, but Zacharias didn't think of stopping at that point. He launched an attack on Harry.
Ron cursed under his breath. He never liked it when the Captain of Hufflepuff's Quidditch team and his best friend were alone in one room.
Thankfully, Harry's duelling skills surpassed Zacharias' by length. His Finite eliminated Stupey and the Impediment jinx he shielded before he disarmed him.
As soon as the two of them left the second scenery, everyone started shouting at Zacharias asking him what, in Merlin's name, he'd been thinking and that he was being a prat. Harry didn't agree though.
Loudly he said, "He was doing the right thing! Yes, I told you to find the Portkey, but if that is destroyed in real life doesn't mean it's over! Why hasn't anyone tried to fight me, apart from Zacharias and half-heartedly Pavarti, that is?"
"I wouldn't last two minutes against you," Eloise murmured. Harry walked up in front of her.
"Welcome to my world," he stated softly, "I've faced him four times so far… that I can remember. When I was eleven, I didn't really know what to think. It was so frightening seeing that two-faced man in front of me… But I had a goal. In this chamber," he gestured towards the solid wall that had contained a door earlier, "I had a goal as well. I wanted out of the bloody room together with Ginny and Tom," Ginny flinched at the name, "That night he came back… I knew I was dead. You say you wouldn't last two minutes against you. I knew I'd die. Cedric's body," his voice started to sound hoarse, "He was proof of that. All I knew was that I wouldn't die kneeling on the ground begging for mercy. So I fought. I didn't win, by Merlin, I know I didn't. But I lived because I didn't give up and you shouldn't either. None of you should. Plans… If you have the time to make them, rarely ever work the way they should. Don't despair over it. Live!" He exclaimed the last part. "Without help I wouldn't be here, I know this. But that shouldn't keep you from trying to survive. Well done," he said, words directed at Zacharias who looked rather surprised.
"The last door… Good luck!"
With that, he entered.
Ron was the first who followed.
The rest saw what was behind the third room.
A graveyard.
"The night Voldemort came back," Hermione whispered, thereby ignoring the others who flinched.
Ron seemed to realize it, too.
He gripped his wand a little firmer and carefully used the stones as cover. All of a sudden, fifteen puppets appeared surrounding Ron. The puppet's cloaks were black and they were hooded. Harry's best friend knew what they represented.
Since he was overpowered, he decided not to launch an attack. A spell shot out of nowhere and the tall teenager managed to hide behind a tombstone.
Knowing what spell would be casted next, Ron rolled behind another. All were impressed by the lean wizard's velocity when he suddenly spun out of his hiding place as if something had bitten him.
A moment later, he was chained.
Harry came forward and talked to him. They couldn't see what was spoken, but Ron shook his head. Both of them looked rather amused.
When the youngest male Weasley came out, they asked him what was going on.
"Lesson number one: don't let petty phobias disturb you when you are in deadly danger," he smirked. He was angry at himself, but it had been a good lesson.
"Spiders?" Hermione asked while Millicent entered the graveyard.
"He transfigured a stone next to me into a spider. Apparently, You-Know-Who is capable of turning grass into small spiders," he whispered into his girlfriend's ear, "Don't ask me how he knows that," he continued speaking in a low voice when he saw Hermione's puzzled expression, "And I believe him. Time to overcome my fears, really."
Meanwhile, Millicent sprinted through darkness using the tombstones as hiding places. She reached the borders, but was petrified at the sight of the Dark Mark floating in front of her. A moment later, she was disarmed and had to leave.
Neville and Ginny were both acting rather level-headed, even when gravestones exploded they'd used as cover. Once again, Ginny was stopped by a snake.
Neville summoned the Portkey and it appeared, but a Reducto destroyed it before it landed in the formerly shy teenager's hands. It gave him a clue where Harry was, though and he used it to his advantage by casting Reducto himself. Harry then seemed to use Finite, but he left his cover. Quietly, he spoke to the last of the Longbottoms who was too puzzled to do much.
The defeated Gryffindor left the room. Everybody looked at him in surprise.
"What do you think he would've casted?" Neville mumbled, "Feritis. Death Eaters would have used it… Stupid."
Luna had a rather brilliant idea. She casted her rather sophisticated Patronus in order to enlighten the graveyard. It immediately didn't seem quite as dangerous anymore. And it allowed her to see Harry. Not hesitating a moment she shouted 'Stupefy' at the same time as she jumped to take cover.
"Deflecto," Harry spoke twisting his wand exactly towards the tombstone. It puzzled all the members of the DA. That was useless. There was no way for Harry to break stone with the Stunning spell.
It forced her to stay hidden, though. The next incantation wasn't spoken aloud and Luna couldn't see.
Reducto hit the tombstone and its bits flew away from Luna, who merely stood up and smiled at Harry.
"Why did you leave," Ernie asked puzzled, when she left the graveyard.
"I lingered for too long," Luna said, her voice was dreamy, but her eyes seemed quite focused (for being Luna), "I should've kept moving, not giving him the time to burst stone."
"What?" Ernie didn't seem to understand it anymore than when he'd asked the first time.
"Think," Neville said, "What have we learned today about the Reductor charm and Feritis? Which spell do you think a Death Eater would've used in the same situation?"
Next was Blaise's turn.
He moved rather quickly as soon as the door closed behind him. Moving from tombstone to tombstone never lingering longer than two seconds behind the same stone. The conjured snake he destroyed with ease.
Slowly and steadily he made some distance before he silently casted the Summoning Charm. The moment he was inclined to linger behind his hiding place to get the Portkey was used by Harry to cast Feritis. The incantation was spoken aloud.
They saw Blaise shouting 'Seiunges' thereby he lost the Portkey. Another second and the Portkey was destroyed.
The sixteen-year-old Slytherin wasn't impressed by that and continued avoiding Harry as if nothing had happened.
"Come on, Blaise!" Millicent muttered under her breath.
The Boy Who Lived approached Blaise who suddenly used the Banishing Charm throwing a small stone in Harry's direction forcing him to duck.
Blaise ran and was suddenly surrounded by the puppets that had encircled Ron before. Suddenly, a green jet of light flew past the 'Death Eaters' hitting Blaise.
Harry's substitute killing curse.
Blaise nodded with a smile, bowed a little and left the graveyard.
Zacharias looked extremely angry, he almost growled, but didn't speak a word.
Hermione was the last of the DA. Her moves weren't unlike Blaise's, but she used her vast knowledge of magic to trick Harry back. Her Accio worked until suddenly the Portkey stopped midair. Harry had his wand lifted having seemingly spoken his own Summoning Charm.
For a couple of seconds both stood there with gritted teeth trying to summon the object. Suddenly, Harry changed tactics and used the Banishing charm. Because Hermione had used far too much force, it flew right past her several feet away into the dark.
She didn't hesitate and got into hiding thereby able to evade Harry's 'killing curse.' While she jumped she summoned the Portkey, which securely landed in her hands.
Everybody from the DA started to cheer. They all ran into the training room entering the graveyard.
Harry smiled brightly, quickly walked over and embraced her. "Well done!"
Hermione beamed hugging him back.
"You should give yourself points for that," her best friend with the green eyes laughed, "That was brilliant."
"That was unfair!" Zacharias shouted angrily and all cheers subsided. Ron gritted his teeth and took a step forward, but Harry's hand held him back, "With Weasley and Zabini you summoned those puppets. That wasn't fair!"
"Fair?" Harry hoped he didn't sound quite as scathing as he felt, "This is practise in tactics. You can expect me to be fair in duelling practise (which we haven't started yet), while practising new charms or during DA training in general, but tactics? I'm trying to give you a little insight into what Voldemort does, into what Death Eaters do. I was tied upon a tombstone when I was hit first with the Cruciatus curse… Oh, scratch that! I was fourteen at the time, taunted by a sixty-year-old wizard. Is that fair? He tried to kill me when I was one-year-old. Is that fair? You better expect unfairness from me when I say we have tactics. Good thing is that I would do anything trying not to hurt you. Be assured that they will try everything to do just that!" He couldn't suppress a sigh. Today's practise had been emotionally and physically exhausting. They didn't know how frightened he'd been back then. "Look," his voice softened, "Next week or the week after that we'll be starting duelling practise unless something else comes up. Then you can be sure that things won't explode around you. I control these scenarios because I created them. I can make stones explode that I usually wouldn't be able to. Be assured that during duelling practise you'll be fighting me and just me. And not what I'm trying to be in tactics."
"Which is…"
"The last thing in the world I want to be."
A monster.
He wasn't good at it, but he hoped it was enough to train them.
But he had no idea how to prepare them for the Unspeakables; he didn't have the slightest clue.
"Hermione, excellent work! All of you have been great today. I'm looking forward to next week. I'm open to any kind of suggestion to improve this class…" He looked around suddenly facing Tom Riddle's tomb, "Guys, let's leave this place, okay?" He closed his eyes thinking 'All I need is a room with a lot of cushions.'
A moment later, they were in a plain room with wooden flooring covered with cushions. Feeling tired, he sat down.
The others followed.
"Anything you want to comment? Improvements?" Zacharias opened his mouth, but the murderous look on Ron's, Blaise's and Neville's faces made him close it again.
"Just a question," Millicent chimed in, "The killing curse substitute you sent at Blaise… It hit two puppets which I assumed to stand for Death Eaters. Would he do that? Kill them to kill us?"
"It depends on how important your death is to him," Harry explained, "Most likely, he will give the command to one of his Death Eaters whether to kill or restrain. But Professor Dumbledore, for example? He'd sacrifice his own followers to catch him in a heartbeat. They know it, though. They have quite a sense for self-preservation, really. They know when to step away."
"How do you know all this stuff?" Emily (Terry's friend) suddenly asked.
"Doesn't matter," Ron immediately chimed in, "He isn't wrong about the things he's telling us." Ron most likely thought of the times last year when Harry had been wandering into Voldemort's mind. He had no clue about the dreams that haunted his best friend every night.
They spoke for a few minutes, mainly discussing school and very soon there was a lot of chatter and laughing, and Harry felt himself relax. It was their Defence teacher who had to remind them of the time.
Harry thanked them all for coming and wished them a good night. Hermione, Ron and Neville stayed while the others left. As soon as the door closed, Harry couldn't suppress a yawn.
Sympathetically, Hermione laid a hand on his shoulder.
"You were amazing, today. Better even than usual and that means something since you always do a great job." Suddenly the cushion in front of him looked so much more interesting, "Professor, do you want to talk to Harry alone?"
Harry had completely forgotten that their new Defence teacher was here as well and he jerked around.
"Yes, I would like that very much. You may of course wait for your friend. It won't take long."
When his friends left, he had the sudden urge to call them back. He felt like that one time after he'd turned his teacher's hair blue and had been asked to see the headmistress… Or when he'd winded up on top of his school's roof.
Professor Dumbledore never gave him this feeling of having done something wrong. Moraku on the other hand had that talent. It wasn't as if the man was scathing like Snape or as strict as Professor McGonagall, but he was incredibly collected and impossible to read.
"Hadn't Miss Granger said it herself I would've been inclined to report to your Head of House that she grossly underestimated you teaching skills, Mr Potter, and she spoke rather respectfully of them, I must say."
What?
"Your knowledge is vast, your fervour affects your peers and your skill is uncalled for in a sixteen-year-old," it was amazing how the man could still sound so collected while he gave such a compliment.
"My skill is not that great, sir," he said once again examining the cushion he held in his hands, "The Room of Requirement helps me a lot during those tactical trainings."
"I doubt it helps you that much, Mr Potter. Anyway, it was my pleasure supervising you tonight and I'm looking forward to seeing you on Friday. Good night, Mr Potter."
At that, Professor Aikokyushin left the room saying goodbye to Mr Potter's friends once more and walked towards his quarters.
He'd of course listened to Albus, had heard how much his old friend loved that boy, but he hadn't given his words much credit.
Albus saw a lot, but he was blind, just like everybody else when it came to the people he cared about.
It seemed as if he was right in this case, though. In fact, there was a chance that not even his old friend knew just how much potential was in the boy.
Kirei.
Who'd have thought?
This part is very long, but my A/N will be short since I don't have much time.
I hope you had as much fun reading this DA class as I had writing it. I never would have thought that it would be this long, though.
Thank you very much for all those who reviewed. The reviews were very encouraging!
Don't stop now ;-)