For days after Halloween, all the students could talk about was the prophecy that Professor Trelawney had made. Similar to the Chamber of Secrets incident, there was a rush to check out books related to prophecies from the library, and those taking Divination found themselves beset by their schoolmates wanting to know more about the matter.
The Hogwarts Herald saw a boom in business as Luna interviewed person after person in order to get materials to write articles regarding the issue, its readers tolerating her nonsensical explanations of what this or that meant in order to learn what other people had to say. Most of it seemed to be rumors or random nonsense that each had its share of believers despite their absurdity, but one that stood out the most was the mention of Unspeakables from the Ministry's Department of Mysteries coming to Hogwarts to consult with the Headmaster. Since it was known that the Department of Mysteries worked with prophecies, the general consensus was that it was an actual prophecy.
On the teachers' side, things mostly continued on as normal; as long as the students paid close attention during class, they didn't care if there was some discussion, with the exception of Snape, who absolutely refused to let anyone mess around in his lessons, and Professor McGonagall, whose stern look increased in intensity whenever Divination was discussed, which kept such talk to a minimum. Professor Trelawney, however, found that the number of interested students in her class had risen sharply, and occasionally some students who weren't taking Divination tried to sneak in, something which she welcomed warmly.
Even Harry's group of friends was trying to find out more about the prophecy.
"According to this book I managed to get from the library- it's the last one, actually," Hermione explained, "Prophecies usually have no time frame as to when the predicted event will occur."
"So it might not happen anytime soon, or it might already be occurring?" Su asked.
Hermione nodded. "Some prophecies indicate some event as the start of a huge change, just like the one we heard."
"A new branch of magic though... how does that work?" Lisa asked.
"Well, there's Charms and Transfiguration for starters," Hannah volunteered, "I think Potions counts as well."
"Alchemy is another," Hermione added, "And so are Runes, which can be used in setting up wards."
Harry sighed quietly as he listened to his friends list the branches of magic they could think of. Of all the ways for his magecraft to be revealed, he certainly hadn't expected a prophecy. Feeling nervous about the attention that everyone was giving it, Harry had added several more layers of protection around his research lab and notes. The chances of anyone finding the place was low, but it wasn't a zero possibility, so he reasoned that it was better safe than sorry.
Born in blades and flames... the first one is definitely referring to your Tracing ability, Archer. Harry spoke in his mind. So I suppose the flames is referring to the seven flame types I found from the gems.
Oh, do tell?
Harry rolled his eyes, aware that Archer was asking for his full analysis of the prophecy in his usual indirect way. The words 'born in' probably means that just discovering the flames isn't enough. I think there is something else I can do with them, and that is the new branch it's talking about.
I see... What about the next line?
Harry cast a look at his friends discussing the same line; they were of the opinion that the 'light' and 'dark' in the words meant that it was drawn from Light magic, which was good, and Dark magic, which was bad, and were currently thinking of how something like that would come about.
Well, it could be what they're thinking of... or it could just mean that the things I'm learning openly, like in classes, and the things I'm learning secretly, like magecraft and sealing, help to improve this new magic.
That's an interesting opinion, Archer commented.
It certainly sounds more plausible than the Light and Dark magic idea to me, Harry retorted.
As the discussion showed no sign of ending anytime soon, Harry decided to sneak away to visit his workshop, hoping to put the finishing touches on his first ring prototype. However, before he turned the second corner, he heard someone running down the way he came. Deciding to find out who it was, Harry stopped and turned around.
It was Luna, who stopped running when she noticed his attention on her, and switched to walking quietly instead.
Somehow, I have the feeling that I'm not going to like what she has to say. "Did you need something, Luna?" Harry asked mildly.
"I've been wanting to talk to you about the prophecy, of course. Do you know of any place where we can conduct this interview in private?" The blonde was the image of innocence as she replied to his question.
Harry stared at her for a moment, before sighing and leading the way to an empty room nearby that he knew of. Once the door was closed, he put up several privacy wards, and settled down on a chair to await her questions. Luna looked unconcerned at being alone with a boy, and instead took a seat of her own, not bothering to pull out her notepad like she would have if it was a real interview.
However, her opening statement was blunt and to the point. "How does it feel to be the subject of a prophecy?"
"What makes you think that I'm the subject the prophecy referred to?" Harry countered.
"Being the Boy-Who-Lived certainly means you fit the bill." Luna tilted her head slightly. "But mostly it's how cautious you have been acting ever since Halloween."
I thought I was acting like I normally do though... Harry thought.
This is a girl who could tell that you were speaking to someone in your head just by watching you carefully, Harry. Archer pointed out. You might as well admit it, or she'll just annoy you by figuring out whatever you're trying to hide.
"What did the spirit in your head say, Harry?" Luna asked him. "It looked like you were listening quite attentively to what he had to say."
I don't think I'll ever get used to that, Harry shrugged. "It's nothing much... just telling me to be honest."
"Oh, that's good." The blonde smiled. "So what are your plans? A lot of people are already looking for the holder of the new magic."
He didn't ask how she knew that. "It's not done yet. So I'm going to stay hidden as long as I can."
"That's a good idea," Luna agreed. "Being controlled by other people sounds like it's not very nice."
The way she stated that obvious fact made Harry blink, but before he could say anything, Luna continued speaking.
"Of course, since you're my friend, I wouldn't want to see that happen to you either, so I won't say a thing to anyone else."
Harry felt a warm emotion in his chest that took him a few moments to recognize as gratefulness. "Thanks, Luna. Was there anything else you wanted to know?"
"Oh, there is. Quite a lot, in fact." Luna replied promptly. " But I'll only ask one now."
Somehow, that doesn't fill me with confidence... Harry awaited the question.
"What does it mean, when the prophecy mentioned being born in blades and flames?"
Guessed as much that she would ask that, Archer murmured in Harry's mind. Are you going to answer it?
Harry thought for a moment, before saying, "Give me a second, it's a long explanation, and I'm thinking of where to start."
In the end, he didn't even take a whole minute before giving his answer. He kept it simple; Luna already knew about the spirit in his head, so a display of Tracing a blade was enough to explain one part of the line. However, he didn't have the bracelet prototype, so Harry was stuck having to use words to explain the other half, which he found surprisingly hard to do.
After keeping it secret for so long, I'm not surprised either, Archer reflected quietly, Maybe this might be good for Harry. He needs more friends he can trust.
"Mm hmm, I see," Luna said interestedly, "So the magical power filtered through jewels produces colored flames with various effects?"
"That about sums it up, I guess?" Harry replied awkwardly.
The blonde fingered her odd earrings thoughtfully. "I see... blades and flames..."
Harry couldn't help feeling curious at her reaction. "Do you have any ideas on how I might combine the two?"
"None at all." Luna replied brightly, causing Harry to nearly fall over from the shock of the letdown. "But maybe you should give it a try first."
"Yeah... I'll do that." Harry got up and dispelled the wards. "I'll be leaving first then."
"Goodbye." She waved as he left through the door.
Harry thought he could make use of the fuss caused by the prophecy to finish up with his research, but he had forgotten to account for someone, someone who cared about Quidditch more than a mystery prophecy.
That person was Oliver Wood.
With the first Quidditch match of the year fast approaching, Oliver was adamant on having more training sessions, and not even the team united could stop him. Since none of them were willing to escalate the dispute to the next level, they eventually gave in and participated in the training sessions. Just like last year, it was an unpleasant experience trying to fly while cold rain was pouring heavily.
Visibility was also nearly zero since they could only train in the evenings after classes, as Oliver had his NEWTs, and Angelina, Alicia, George, and Fred had their OWLs. For the Chasers and Keeper, it wasn't so bad as the Quaffle was red, but for the Beaters and the Seekers, whose balls were black and tiny respectively, every session tested their eyesight to the limits. Another problem was the wind, which blew hard enough to cause them to go off course occasionally, and was more severe given Harry's light weight. Luckily for the three of them, the twins had their bond to help them cooperate well enough to compensate, while Harry's skills at archery not only gave him the vision he needed to pick out the Snitch among the raindrops, but also the knowledge of how to identify and counter the blowing of the wind.
"Seriously, Harry, how do you do it?" Fred asked him as they got changed in the locker rooms.
"Do what?" Harry replied as he used his wand to siphon off the water soaking his body.
"Catch the Snitch, that's what." George continued the line of questioning. "We can barely see the Bludgers in the rain, but you always catch the Snitch within a few minutes of its release."
"You could play for the national team with skills like that." Fred added. "Just look at how Oliver's acting."
The three of them turned their heads to look at the seventh-year muttering about how none of the other Seekers would ever be able to beat Harry Potter, and that Gryffindor was going to win the Quidditch Cup again this year.
Harry finished drying himself, and started doing the same for his Quidditch robes. "Let's just say that with this weather, I have a lot of motivation to end things quickly," He whispered to the twins.
George glanced back at Oliver again. "We see your point."
Still, as Harry expected, the Divination craze eventually faded away to be replaced by the Quidditch craze, as the Gryffindor-Slytherin match approached. Harry's Slytherin friends were supporting their own House as part of House loyalty, but the other two Houses backed Gryffindor.
Because of the polarized situation, Harry had very few chances to continue with his research, as other students accompanied him around as bodyguards against possible Slytherin attempts to take him out before the match could happen. Personally, he thought that it would be an interesting training experience if they did try to attack him, but Archer reminded him that it wasn't worth the risk.
The weather continued to worsen as the day of the match approached, forcing Harry to move his training activities indoors. Nearly all of the other students who had a choice did the same, due to the unpleasant sight of the Dementors, who could be seen sometimes even though they were banned from coming onto the castle grounds; Harry sometimes wondered if they were affecting the weather negatively. Still, with Professor Lupin's cooperation, Harry started teaching some of his friends how to cast the Patronus Charm, though only Hermione had any success beyond a faint wisp of gas. Harry himself had yet to manifest a corporeal Patronus, though his repeated practicing led to him being able to produce a Patronus of consistently large size, nearly half the size of his body, instead of the smaller one his second attempt had yielded.
Another effect of the bad weather was Harry's reluctance to send Ilya out into it, so the flow of communication with Madam Bones or Black had slowed down significantly. The last bit of news that had come through was that the preparations for a trial was still facing a delay, forcing Black to remain in hiding.
Then, during a team meeting that Harry persuaded Oliver to hold instead of having a training session where the team would have to brave the stormy weather, the seventh-year delivered a piece of bad news.
"We're not playing Slytherin!" He told them angrily. "Flint's just been to see me. We're playing Hufflepuff instead."
"Why?" The rest of the team chorused the question.
"Flint claims their Seeker, Higgs, injured himself during their training yesterday," Oliver was grinding his teeth. "But it's obvious why they're doing it. Don't want to play in this weather. Think it'll damage their chances."
I don't want to play in this weather either, Harry thought, but kept it to himself.
Oliver sighed. "We've been practicing all those moves assuming we're playing Slytherin, and instead it's Hufflepuff, and their style's quite different."
"So I should try to catch the Snitch as quickly as I can," Harry interrupted, causing the others to look at him with smiles appearing on their faces.
George grinned. "That's right, we've got Harry here."
Fred had a similar smirk. "Don't worry, Oliver, he's got this in the bag."
"But Hufflepuff's got a new Captain, Cedric Diggory-"
The three girls suddenly giggled, causing Oliver to frown at them for the sudden frivolous behavior. Harry was well aware that Cedric was considered quite good-looking among the female students, earning himself several fans from the four Houses. But he hadn't realized that his Chaser teammates were among them.
"It's not just Diggory, you know!" Oliver exclaimed, shutting the rest of them up, "He's put together a different team, a very strong one! We mustn't relax! We must keep our focus! Especially you, Harry! He's an excellent Seeker, he'll snatch the Snitch out from under your nose if you're not careful!"
"Oliver, calm down!" The twins were alarmed by their Captain's behavior. "We're taking Hufflepuff very seriously. Seriously."
When Cedric dropped in on the study group next time, Harry took the chance to ask him more about the switch in matchups.
"I don't believe it any more than you do, but since Snape's vouched for it, Madam Hooch made the decision to have another House play instead," Cedric explained. "Roger Davies, the Ravenclaw Captain, didn't want to play in this weather either, but we Hufflepuffs aren't the kind to back down from hard work."
Over on the other side of the room, the Hufflepuffs cheered in agreement with his words.
Harry shook his head. "In some ways, you guys are the braver ones."
"Actually, I'm not really confident myself," Cedric admitted. "Like you guys, we've been training to play against Ravenclaw, so having to face Gryffindor instead..." He trailed off.
"Guess that means we're playing against each other on an even field." Harry straightened up and held out his hand. "May the better team win."
Cedric looked amused. "I should be doing this with your team's Captain, shouldn't I?" But he shook Harry's hand anyway.
However, Oliver's strong intent to win only caused him to worry, which he expressed on the day before the match by looking for his team members in between their classes so he could give them tips he thought up, usually taking up enough time to make them late for their next class. Recognizing the pattern after the first time, Harry took to using the secret passageways to avoid the older teenager on his way to his classes. Using them also allowed him to reach the classrooms before the rest of his classmates did, which was why he was currently waiting alone outside the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom.
While Harry wouldn't say he was friendly with Lupin, the man treated him well enough that they could act courteous to each other. Being a good teacher didn't hurt either.
Come to think of it...
Harry perked up at hearing Archer talk in his mind. What is it?
Wasn't the full moon just last night?
What does that- Harry realized what the spirit was driving at. Oh, I see what you mean. Lupin should be recovering from the transformation, so he won't be coming today.
If he was taking time off from classes, the students would be informed, Archer said.
Which means someone should be covering his classes, Harry concluded. Wonder who it'll be?
The other Gryffindors soon arrived, and a minute before the start of class, Snape suddenly came around the corner, causing nearly all of them to freeze up. Harry was the only one who didn't show any signs of shock when Snape opened the door with a flick of his wand and told them to get in. From the look the man was giving him, he found it odd that Harry didn't have the same reaction as the others.
Once they were all seated, Snape started speaking.
"Professor Lupin says he is too ill to teach today, so I shall be teaching you." He looked around at all of the stiff-backed students, his upper lip curling derisively. "Though I don't expect much, seeing as how he has not left any record of the topics you have covered so far."
Hermione opened her mouth to speak, but Harry quickly stepped on her foot, causing her to close it and remain silent instead.
"First, let's see where you are so far. Pass your homework to the front."
Once all the essays were collected, Snape flicked through them before putting them away in the drawer of the teacher's desk.
"Grindylows... I would expect first years to be able to deal with that." Snape drawled. "Today we shall discuss-" He flicked through the textbook, right to the end of it, which they naturally had yet to cover. "-werewolves."
Oh, I see. Harry let out a soft sigh. Right at the start and that is what he tries...
But Snape's sharp ears, trained through the years of catching careless students, had caught it. "Potter, do you perhaps have something to complain about with regards to my teaching this class?" He asked silkily.
"None, Professor." Harry coolly replied back. Surprisingly, there wasn't any mental probe when their eyes met.
"Sir," Hermione interrupted, no longer restrained with Harry distracted, "We're not supposed to do werewolves yet, we're due to start Hinkypunks-"
"Miss Granger," Snape's voice was calm, but carried an underlying tone of deadliness. "I was under the impression that I was teaching this lesson, not you. And I am telling you all to turn to page 394. All of you! Now!"
Harry already had his open, as did Hermione, but the rest of the class opened their books with an air of protest.
He's acting more of a git than he usually does... Harry thought. Wonder what's the reason?
"Which one of you can tell me how we distinguish between the werewolf and the true wolf?" Snape asked.
Hermione had a look of determined indignation in her face as she raised her hand straight in the air. Harry knew the answer as well, but was holding back to see what would happen.
"Anyone?" Snape wore a twisted smile, and it was obvious he was ignoring the only hand up. "Are you telling me that-"
He didn't target me because he's aware that I would know. Harry exhaled, more quietly this time, and raised his hand as well. Let's see what happens if I volunteer.
"-Professor Lupin hasn't even taught you the basic distinction between-" Snape ignored his raised hand as well.
"We told you," Parvati suddenly spoke up, "We haven't got as far as werewolves yet, we're still on-"
"Silence!" Snape snarled. "Well, well, well, I never thought I'd meet a third-year class who wouldn't recognize a werewolf when they saw one."
Both Harry and Archer recognized this was another attempt of the man to instigate the students into researching werewolves, which would increase the chances of them finding out more about Lupin's secret. Both boy and spirit swapped places without any hesitation.
"I shall make a point of informing Professor Dumbledore how..."
"He should be hiring better teachers?" Archer aimed that comment at the man standing at the front of the class, his hand still up.
Next to him, Hermione closed her mouth again, having been about to blurt out the answer. The rest of the class held their breath; everyone present knew that Harry was making a dig at Snape himself.
Snape stared impassively at Harry, who stared right back. "You seem to have a bad habit of interrupting your betters while they are talking, Potter. Five points from Gryffindor for that disrespect."
Yep, looks like he's still annoyed about what you did to get around them trying to stop me from going to Hogsmeade. Harry spoke from the back of his own mind. Odd that he isn't trying to sneak into our head. Maybe he's given up.
For now. Archer put his hand down, and Hermione followed his cue.
Throughout the rest of the lesson, the students sat in their seats making notes on werewolves from the textbook, while Snape prowled around the desks, making snide comments about the work they had done under Lupin. When the bell finally rang to signal the end of the class, he held them back to give them a large amount of homework; two rolls of parchment to be done in two days. With the Quidditch match tomorrow, the amount of time could be counted as one day instead.
The Gryffindors waited until they were well out of earshot before bursting out with their complaints about Snape.
"Why did you do that, Harry? If you didn't say anything, he wouldn't have taken points from you!" Hermione said to him.
Archer had withdrawn, letting Harry resume control over his own body. "Then he would have taken them from you instead, for speaking out of turn." He glanced at Hermione, who had went silent with the realization of the truth of his words.
"I agree," Seamus said from behind them, "At least this way, Harry managed to say something back. Nice one, Harry."
"But doesn't it seem like Snape's got something against Lupin? I don't recall him acting like this with our other Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers," Neville wondered.
Harry had his suspicions about that. Maybe it's because Lupin was a friend of James Potter, whom Snape hated. He turned the next corner.
"Hey, Harry!" Oliver was coming down the corridor. "You know, about Diggory-"
Harry made a U-turn and ran away before Oliver could catch him.
On the morning of the match, Harry woke up early because of the noise of the thunderstorm. After looking at the clock and realizing it was just after five, he judged that he probably couldn't fall asleep again and decided to get up. After wasting a few minutes waiting in the common room with his Nimbus Two Thousand, where the sound of the storm was louder, Harry decided to spend his time more effectively and snuck out of the portrait hole to go to his workshop.
After getting past the sleepy man on the painting guarding his workshop, Harry set an alarm clock to let him know when to go for breakfast, before going to work on the ring prototype. He had been working on it whenever he had the chance, and it looked like he could complete it soon; the ring itself was held in a clamp so that it wouldn't shift while Harry inscribed the runes and sealing script .
That book on engraving runes really helps a lot, Harry reflected as he worked with a Transfigured tool. When to use a spell, when to use a tool, how to use a tool... one of the luckier finds I had.
He had just finished setting a topaz in the ring when the alarm rang. Letting out the breath he was holding, Harry stood up and stretched his back. He looked down at the completed prototype and released it from the clamp.
Last check... Harry looked it over one last time, trying to find any mistakes he might have made, and found none. Okay, time to test it.
Make it quick. You don't want to miss breakfast, Archer advised. You'll need it for the match, especially in this weather.
Harry slipped the ring onto his right middle finger, and focused on sending prana to it. Though he had expected and hoped for it, it was still a shock to see the ring suddenly burn with a sparkling yellow flame, constantly flaring and flowing around his hand. He laughed softly as he waved his hand around, appreciating the light effect it created.
Harry would have continued to enjoy the uplifting feeling the flames were causing in him, if not for Archer's sharp reminder about the alarm. With a small sigh of disappointment, he cut the flow of prana, which extinguished the flames. As he was about to pull the ring off, Harry noticed his body was feeling remarkably energetic, and decided to keep it on his body as a good luck charm of sorts.
Was there a reason you chose the yellow gem? Archer asked him as Harry left the room. The pseudo-Reinforcement effect it's had on you aside.
The main reason is the effect the flames have, and how that effect might appear on my body, Harry replied as he hurried towards the Hall. Red would have been a bad idea given its destructive effect, blue as well because it's sedating.
The purple flames had caused swellings on the branch Harry had tried them on, and he didn't want to see that effect replicated on his body, while he still had no idea what the orange flames did. That left the indigo, green, and yellow flames. He already knew that the indigo flames solidified illusions, while the green one hardened physical objects. That was why he felt that the stimulating yellow flame was the safest to go with.
Good to see that you're careful. Though this effect could be counted as doping... Archer went quiet as his host reached the Hall.
None of the other members of the Gryffindor team was there yet, so Harry chose to have a large bowl of porridge first. The rest of the team turned up just as he was starting on toast. All of them were reluctant to play in face of such horrendous weather; Harry and Oliver were determined to go through no matter how bad it was, while the twins and the girls tried to laugh it off as 'a bit of rain'.
But it was considerably more than a bit of rain. Quidditch was popular enough that the whole school turned out to watch as usual, but the wind was strong enough to make students bow their heads down and tear umbrellas out of their hands, to say nothing of the rain. Harry couldn't help looking enviously at the large umbrellas his friends were under when they came to wish him luck for the match, knowing that he would be flying without any such protection.
Oliver was so worked up that he couldn't even give them his usual pre-match pep talk; he opened his mouth several times, but all that came out was an odd gulping noise. In the end, he just shook his head and beckoned them to follow him. As Harry reached for his gloves to put them on, he felt the outline of the ring in his pocket. Realizing that it might fall out if he wasn't careful, he decided to put it on his finger instead.
The wind felt even stronger when they left the locker room, causing them to stagger sideways as they walked out onto the field. Harry's ears could barely make out the cheering crowd, and the rain was covering everything in a thick veil of grey; the four House banners looked nearly alike to Harry's eyes when he glanced around.
The Hufflepuffs approached from the opposite end in their canary-yellow robes, and the Captains walked up to each other to shake hands. Cedric flashed a smile at Oliver, who seemed to try to match his opponent's mood, but failed. The Hufflepuff's eyes scanned the Gryffindor team before settling on Harry, who was obvious because he was the shorted among the group, and Cedric's smile widened slightly.
"Mount your brooms!" Madam Hooch's voice was tiny compared to the wind, but the whistle blast was shrill enough that they all heard it, and off the players went.
Get to a safe spot first, I don't want to get hit by a Bludger while I'm looking for the Snitch. Harry rose quickly, fighting to hold his broom steady against the wind and rain. This is ridiculous! Who in their sane mind would play in such conditions?!
Hasn't the wizarding world given you enough evidence to doubt their sanity? Archer sounded amused.
Ha ha, very funny. Harry gritted his teeth and continued searching.
He made sure to cast a charm on his robes to guard against the rain, but fifteen minutes into the match, the charm wore off and Harry was quickly soaked to the skin. During that time, he was searching for the tiny Snitch, occasionally helping out the Chasers against the other team by pretending to be one of them. It was incredible how Lee Jordan could see well enough to commentate on the match, especially when the crowd themselves were hidden beneath cloaks and umbrellas.
As the match wore on, the sky continued to darken, making it harder for all the players to see.
In the end, Harry had enough. Archer, please help me out here.
Harry rarely asked Archer for his direct help, due to his desire to be independent and not be overly reliant on the spirit other than getting advice. That was why it was a difficult thing for him to ask Archer for help, as it required him to discard his pride.
Archer knew that as well, so he didn't comment on it. Alright, Harry. Reinforce your eyes further.
Underneath Harry's gloves, the ring sparked to life, but neither of them noticed as they were both focused on looking for the Snitch. The chill of the weather vanished, but Harry attributed it to his intense mental focus shutting out unnecessary sensations.
There. The two of them chorused at the same time, their shared eyes locking onto the small golden ball struggling to rise against the rain and wind.
Despite those two factors, it still moved with a great deal of speed and unpredictability. One blink, and it would have moved a quarter of the length of the field.
Go, Harry, Archer told him. You know what to do.
Harry bent lower over his broom, and sank into the quiet part of himself whenever he practiced his archery. It didn't matter that he wasn't using a bow and arrow; he wasthe bow and the arrow. The target moved erratically, but its spiritual existence was a part of him as well. Already he could see the outcome: the Snitch was in his hand. All that was left was to make it reality.
With a single thought, Harry shot towards where the Snitch would be.
Somebody nearly crashed into him, but stopped just in time. A Bludger narrowly missed his head. The rain itself threatened to cut off his line of sight, except that Harry didn't need to see anymore.
He stretched out his hand, which was just as wet as the rest of his body, and turned it so that the palm faced sideways.
The Snitch flew smack into his palm, and Harry closed his fingers over it. Pulling his broom up, he dug his feet into the muddy ground, throwing up a spray of water as he came to a stop.
There was a flash of lightning, accompanied by the sound of Hooch's whistle, which snapped Harry out of his trance. Looking around, he caught sight of Oliver flying towards him.
"I called for time-out!" Oliver yelled to be heard over the rain, before catching sight of the golden ball in Harry's hand. "You, you caught it! HE'S CAUGHT THE SNITCH!" Oliver grabbed Harry's wrist and raised it up, roaring the last few words out towards the crowd.
The whistle sounded out once again in two short bursts, signaling the end of the match. The rest of the players came flying down, and Harry found himself being hugged from all sides as his teammates chattered about how amazing he was.
"What's the score?" He asked Katie.
"Two-thirty to twenty!" She squealed back.
Somebody tapped his shoulder, and he turned to see Oliver mouthing something, but he couldn't hear anything from the older teen's mouth.
Harry! Dementors! Archer barked in warning.
Harry realized that it wasn't just Oliver; an eerie silence was falling over the entire stadium, as though someone had turned the volume all the way down. The cause of it was a huge number of Dementors coming out onto the field through the ground entrance, and from the looks of it, they were heading right towards him and the other players. Both the Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs had noticed as well, and were currently backing up as a group.
Through the rain, Harry could see some of the teachers rushing down towards the field, but at the rate they were going, they wouldn't make it in time before the Dementors reached the group.
The cold hasn't set in yet, so I have to act fast! Harry yanked his glove off and flicked his wrist, which sent his wand shooting from the wrist holder into his hand. Happy thoughts, and... "Expecto Patronum!"
If anyone noticed his ring suddenly bursting to life with a huge yellow flame, they didn't react to it. But everyone certainly paid attention when instead of the silvery mist Harry had been expecting, something huge, silvery-white, and covered in an aura of sparkling yellow came bursting out from the end of his wand, charging directly at the Dementors, who made an abrupt about turn and began to flee.
From Harry's point of view, the whole experience had a surreal feel to it. The flames from the ring were much smaller now, but there was a thick golden thread extending from the tip of his wand to his Patronus, clearly energizing it. For some reason, he had difficulty making out what shape it was through the rain, other than the fact that it was wreaking havoc among the Dementors.
Then, with one last spurt of yellow sparkles, the ring shattered. The shards fell from his hand, to be swallowed up by the muddy ground.
All of a sudden, the sound came back, causing Harry to wince from how loud everything sounded after the silence. However, the only sound there was came from the wind and rain. Everybody was staring at Harry in shock.
I'm quite sure that neither of us were expecting everything that just happened, Archer observed.
"To our amazing Seeker, who has won us yet another Quidditch match!" Oliver announced with a cup raised in the air. "To Harry!"
"TO HARRY!" Everyone else in the Gryffindor common room chorused, raising their own cups.
Feeling slightly embarrassed from all the attention, Harry ducked his head. He had just returned from the hospital wing, and was immediately sucked into the party that was already ongoing. It was just after lunch, but people were digging into the food that someone had brought up to the tower.
The next few minutes were filled with people coming up to him to congratulate him personally on making such a great catch in that horrible storm that was still going on outside, while he listened in on recounts of what was going on between the other players during the match, such as who intercepted or prevented what play by the other team.
Eventually, the questions that Harry had been expecting came, after his friends managed to pull him aside to a quiet corner. He sat in an armchair, facing Hermione, Neville, Ron, and the twins.
"That was incredible, Harry!" Hermione gushed. "You managed to cast a corporeal Patronus!"
"I did?" Harry asked. "What did it look like? All I could see was that it was kind of gold in color."
"We couldn't really see either because of the rain," Neville confessed.
"It had four legs, that's for sure." Ron volunteered. "But I couldn't tell what it was."
"How did you do it, Harry?" Hermione wanted to know.
I'm pretty sure that I succeeded because of the yellow flames, but I'm keeping that secret for a while longer. Good thing I now have a reason. "Well, you know, it's because of a happy memory, right? We just won the match, so..."
The rest of the boys broke out into broad grins while Hermione just huffed and shook her head. "Boys...!" She said exasperatedly before changing the subject. "So what did the teachers want to talk to you about?"
"About that..."
After the events at the end of the match, Harry was whisked away by Professor McGonagall to the hospital wing, where Madam Pomfrey gave him a checkup, because of his previous bad reaction to Dementors. She also questioned him on his use of the Patronus Charm, and Harry told her about how he had approached Professor Lupin for lessons, and that the match was the first time he had that much success with the spell. Flitwick came in around that time to check on him as well, and congratulated Harry for casting the charm successfully. In the end, Harry ended up earning forty points, for both the spell, and using it to protect the Quidditch players.
He also asked a few questions of his own, and found out that Dumbledore and some of the other staff were dealing with the Dementors, who shouldn't have been on the Hogwarts grounds in the first place. Unfortunately, it didn't seem like they would be withdrawn because of this event.
In the end, Madam Pomfrey released Harry after forcing him to finish a whole bar of chocolate despite his assurances that he was fine, and Professor McGonagall escorted him back to Gryffindor Tower.
"Oh yeah, we heard Dumbledore," Hermione shivered. "He was really angry..."
"Hey! Hey, look!" Fred exclaimed, causing them to turn around. "It's not like Harry's, but this is the best I've done so far!"
The redhead had a thick silvery mist hanging in the air in front of him; he had tried casting the Patronus Charm.
"Cool! Let me try... Expecto Patronum!" George produced a similar misty cloud. "Awesome! Winning the Quidditch match really fuels the charm!"
"Hey!" Percy's voice rang out across the common room, causing all of them to freeze. "Fred! George! Stop it with the spells in the common room!"
At dinnertime, Harry went up to Cedric in the Great Hall and thanked him for the good match. The good-natured Hufflepuff invited him to join their table, which Harry accepted, and they spent the time talking about Quidditch. When Harry explained how he applied his archery philosophy to going after the Snitch, Cedric asked if he could try it out himself.
After a long period of time, Harry finally got some peace and quiet, which he spent by lazing in an armchair staring at the unadorned middle finger of his right hand.
So like Reinforcement, putting in too much prana will cause it to break. Not just the metal ring, but the gem as well.
Apparently so, Archer replied. Looks like you've got a long way in front of you.
Anyway, besides actively applying the flames, it seems like I can use them to power my own spells, Harry concluded. Next would be to see if I can manipulate them directly, or if I can infuse a physical object with them.
The idea of the latter would have a lot of possibilities if it worked.
Right? That's why I want to see if it's possible. Harry felt a bit of excitement when he thought about what he could do with it.
By the way, Archer's innocent tone didn't fool Harry, What are you going to do next?
Apart from the flame rings research? Harry asked and received confirmation in reply. I suppose that with the term ending soon, I should go grab some of the books in the Chamber, so I can store them at home. There's also the snake too.
Just a bit of advice, dead things decompose. And it has been down there for several months already.
Harry recalled that the shed skin he had seen seemed to be in quite good condition. However, back when he had encountered the Basilisk, it ended with him drilling a hole straight through one side of the head, laying the insides open to the air. He shivered at the thought of how horrible the stench might be now after all that time.
With that motivation backing him, Harry blew through his homework on Sunday morning, and devoted the rest of the day to researching spells for the upcoming scavenging trip. There were a lot he could think of; spells to strip the Basilisk carcass down, to copy and translate the text in the books, and to store anything he brought back. The Bubble-Head Charm he already knew, but it would need some practice. He would have missed dinner if not for Cedric chancing upon him among the bookshelves and persuading him to give that archery demonstration.
The older teenager was awed at how Harry could hit the target so accurately from across the length of the entire gallery, when he himself struggled to do so at a quarter of the distance. Archer took over to deliver a lecture on how one should strive to apply the philosophy to daily life, something that Cedric apparently took to heart.
Neville and the rest of the Student Council were working on a plan for the first-years to experience what a proper Quidditch match was like, instead of the nearly blind and deaf experience that was the Gryffindor-Hufflepuff match. On the overall, things looked like they were going well for them, so Harry let them be.
On Monday, Snape treated them all like he usually did during the Potions lesson, with a few verbal barbs thrown Harry's way. But what was on everyone's mind was the upcoming Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson.
"If Snape's teaching again, I'm skiving off," Harry overheard Ron say as they headed to Lupin's classroom after lunch.
Harry opened the door, and turned to look at Ron, and the rest of the students behind him. "It's okay." Explosion impending...
Lupin really did look like he had been ill. He seemed thinner, and there were bags underneath his eyes. In spite of that, he still greeted the students with a smile as they filed in and took their seats. Then all of a sudden, there was a sudden burst of complaints about Snape's behavior while Lupin had been ill. In the end, Lupin told them they didn't have to do it, saying he would talk to Snape.
"I've already finished it!" Hermione said, disappointed.
Harry looked at her sidelong. That probably means she might be aware of Lupin's condition.
The lesson continued on as per normal, and Lupin introduced them to Hinkypunks, frail one-legged creatures who lured travelers into bogs by giving them false signals with the lantern it carried. Apart from that, it was weak to direct confrontations, so as long as its lies were ignored, nothing would happen. All in all, it was an interesting lesson.
At the end of the class, Lupin requested for Harry to stay back for a while, and Harry noticed Hermione casting a worried look at the two of them, which strengthened his suspicions that she had already uncovered Lupin's secret.
"I heard about that match," Lupin said as he tucked books away into his briefcase. "Normally it sounds unbelievable, but if it's you, I'm willing to believe that you could cast a corporeal Patronus at your age."
"I think I only managed it because I just won that match. I tried again later, and it wasn't corporeal."
"Really? That's interesting."
"What I want to know is, why did the Dementors come to the match?"
"They're getting hungry," Lupin answered coolly, closing his briefcase. "Dumbledore won't let them into the school, so their usual supply of human prey has dried up. The large crowd around the Quidditch field must have been irresistible to them. All that excitement... emotions running high... it was their idea of a feast."
"Wait, so there isn't any ward keeping them out? They're just staying outside because somebody ordered them?" Harry asked."An order that they've already disobeyed once?"
Lupin nodded soberly. "I'm afraid that's correct. That's why I'm glad to know that you and your friends are learning the Patronus Charm. It will give the teachers enough time to come to your aid in case the Dementors go out of control again."
Harry frowned in annoyance. Seriously, in what way is this the safest place after Gringotts?
"By the way, Professor," Harry started, "You do know why Professor Snape set that homework, don't you?"
Lupin paused, an odd look resembling resignation on his face. "Yes. Yes, I do. What of it?"
"Hermione probably figured it out already."
The tired-looking man shook his head tiredly. "She really is an excellent student. But I've been fired from enough jobs for my condition many times already, so I'm sort of used to it."
"Well," Harry replied with a wry smile, "I guess the Defense lessons are going to continue for a while longer then."
Lupin looked puzzled as Harry headed for the door. "Wait, what do you mean?"
"You've been a great teacher so far, so that earns you a chance in her books, or something like that." Harry looked over his shoulder as he opened the door. "Right, Hermione?"
On the other side of the door stood his first friend, wide-eyed at being caught eavesdropping.
Had her pegged perfectly, Harry patted himself on the back.
After that, Harry left Hermione with Lupin so she could hear more about how he had caught lycanthropy, and how he dealt with having to live with it. While she was distracted, he headed off to his workshop to start working on another ring prototype. When he returned, Harry found Hermione sitting with the rest of his friends, oddly subdued and somewhat sad.
"Harry? Can I ask you something? Privately." She asked him as they were returning back to Gryffindor Tower.
"Sure." Harry gestured for Neville to go on ahead first, before leading Hermione to somewhere quiet. "What do you want to know?"
"When did you find out about Professor Lupin being a... you know." The girl asked in a quiet voice.
"You remember our first class?" Harry received a nod in response. "Most of the class thought that it was a crystal ball, right? But I saw that the orb wasn't like a crystal ball, it had craters and other things, which was when I realized he was afraid of the full moon."
"Oh." Hermione gasped in understanding.
"The first thing that came to mind that was related to full moons was werewolves. After that, I went to the library to read up more," Harry continued to explain. "Professor Lupin saw me there reading a book on werewolves, and his reaction clued me in to the rest of it."
"You know... I used to think that werewolves were bad..." Hermione played with the sleeve of her school robes. "But Professor Lupin was bitten when he was young, just because a werewolf happened to be nearby. And because of it, everyone is scared of him. They think he's a Dark creature, but he didn't ask to be one!" She sounded like she was on the verge of tears.
Harry looked at her sympathetically, and on an impulse, gently put his arms around her and hugged her body. "Sometimes the world isn't kind, Hermione..."
He felt her arms go around his waist again. "I know... it's just not fair..." She sobbed. "I wanted to help, but he told me not to..."
For Hermione, being faced with such a situation without being able to do anything to change it was hard on her, especially since she always tried to follow the rules of what was right. All her friend could do was to provide her support in her current state.
This is part of growing up too, huh, Archer? Losing one's childish innocence. Harry looked up at the ceiling. It's seriously awkward though...
It certainly is... The spirit agreed, greatly amused.
After Hermione calmed down, she thanked him for comforting her, and they headed back to Gryffindor Tower, where Neville was waiting for them in the common room. In some ways, it felt like they had gotten closer to each other. The fact that she wasn't so stressed like she had been before also helped play a part in their improving relationship.
The remaining days of November passed quickly, and Harry found himself once again quite busy juggling his school and social life, though he had already gotten the hang of doing so.
A brief lull in the weather gave Harry the chance to send another letter to Black, who seemed to be pleased to hear from him, given the long reply he sent back. He also took one of Harry's suggestions, and changed his image with certain hair dyes Harry had Dobby procure, and the picture with the results that came with the letter hardly looked like the wanted picture that was being circulated around. As for the manhunt, the lack of any sightings caused the Ministry to recall more of its personnel it had dispatched earlier to help in the search, and some of the students who had contacts within the Ministry mentioned that there was talk of withdrawing the Dementors from around Hogwarts.
For some reason, Susan, Daphne and Su seemed to be sticking closer to Harry more. It was an uncomfortable time, especially when each of the girls appeared to be making excuses to stick closer to him. He was starting to become more aware of how they smelled and their appearance, and more than once had to stop himself before he got caught staring. Daphne was teaching Harry dancing next, occasionally switching out with Susan as his dance partner, and his relationship with Su had developed to the point that he didn't mind sharing the same book.
As for Harry's secret activities, he managed to create and safely test a red flame ring without any damage to himself, and succeeded in cloaking a weapon in the destructive crimson aura, which greatly increased its power on top of the inherent damaging properties. He also developed a ring with indigo flames, which he combined with the new spells he had learned from The Invisible Book of Invisibility to project an illusion to cover the entrance to his workshop, making it look like a completely empty corridor, as well as allowing him to slip in and out without being noticed even if there was someone nearby. However, he had yet to experiment with raising the limit of how much prana a ring could process, so he took special care to avoid overusing them.
He was also just about ready for a foray into the Chamber of Secrets, having gathered equipment and practiced spells for that purpose, such as the Bubble-Head Charm he used the last time he went there. The only issue he had left was when to actually go down there, since it looked to be an extended trip, and he didn't want to tip anybody off by going missing. However, on the other hand, Harry's search for the Horcrux in the Room of Requirement had been put on hold for the time being.
Hopefully, when I do find it, all I'll have to do is to stab it with this spear. With this destructive red flames, it should be enough. Harry ducked and swung the spear alchemical weapon he was holding, deflecting the simulated spellfire the dummies were shooting at him. It's a bit hard having to constantly concentrate on making sure the flames are infusing the weapon.
He switched his grip on the handle around and slashed at the dummies, releasing an arc of red energy that bisected them. Jumping up, Harry gestured with his left hand, sending a burst of indigo flames out to wash over the remainder, who suddenly began struggling against invisible bonds. Landing down in the middle of the group, Harry rapidly twirled his weapon around, and cut them all to pieces.
Several more popped up further away, sending bolts of light that Harry dodged or blocked. Between one move and the next, the spear suddenly transformed into a bow, which he drew back and released. Normally Harry's bow would have shot a Stunner, but the red lights that flew from his bow ripped through the torsos of the dummies instead of bursting against them harmlessly.
You're getting the hang of using the flames, I see. Archer observed as Harry shrank the bow back into its watch form.
The boy made his way over to the washing basin, where he began to rinse off the sweat he had worked up. Yeah, I guess. I still don't see how else I can use them though. I just feel like this isn't what the prophecy was predicting.
For now, just do what you can. Don't worry about what you can't do.
That's good advice. I'll take it. Harry retorted, though in good humor.
Two weeks to the end of the term, the sky traded the dark, gloomy look for a dazzling, silvery white one, and the muddy grounds were covered with a layer of glittering frost. There was a Christmas mood within the castle, and Professor Flitwick's classroom had already been decorated with fluttering fairies that illuminated the place with shimmering lights. The students were all discussing their holiday plans, and Harry found himself receiving several invitations to visit his friends at their houses. Professor McGonagall tried to persuade him to stay at Hogwarts, but Harry had made up his mind about spending his holidays outside of Hogwarts, escaped convict or no escaped convict.
There was also another Hogsmeade trip on the very last weekend of the term, and Daphne asked Harry to accompany her there. It was very well-planned; she cornered him alone while he was on the way back from the library, and made the request while standing well within his personal space, while looking into his eyes beseechingly. In such a situation, the thought of refusing never even crossed Harry's mind.
On the morning of the Hogsmeade visit, Harry was pleased when he was allowed through without any problems. He got on a carriage with Daphne, Hermione, and Neville, and they spent the ride down to the village trying to cast the Patronus Charm, which filled the cabin with silvery mist and kept the Dementors guarding the castle perimeter from affecting them. When they finally reached Hogsmeade, Daphne grabbed Harry's hand and began leading him around the place.
They spent a lot of time touring around the place, enjoying the sights it had to offer, despite the heavy snow and bone-chilling cold. Compared to the last time he had come here, which was with Hermione, Harry didn't spend as much time at the bookstores. Instead, the two of them enjoyed things like trying out samples of the sweets at Honeydukes, drinking Butterbeer at the Three Broomsticks, or listening to the music at Dominic Maestro's, taking their time to appreciate the small pleasures for what they were.
They had fun discussing their shared taste in music, or trying to guess what went into some of the special effects sweets, and all too soon the time for them to go back came.
Taking it easy like this once in a while is good too... Harry reflected as he sucked on a Fizzing Whizbee, levitating along the main street as Daphne pulled him along in the direction of the carriages.
I'm sure your choice of companion matters as well, Archer commented, only to be ignored.
Harry wouldn't admit it out loud, but he thought that the way Daphne was acting as she accompanied or led him around Hogsmeade was kind of interesting; when they weren't around where the other students could see, she would stick close to him, but not to the point he felt uncomfortable, and was a great conversation partner with a lot of amusing stories to tell regarding some of the things they came across. It was quite a difference from how her usual aloof behavior, and Harry found it somewhat refreshing.
"I had fun today, Harry." Daphne told him.
"I had fun too." He grinned at her.
"There you are!" Hermione called out to them as they approached. "Come on! We're the last ones."
There was a momentary frown on her face as she looked at their joined hands, and she quickly grabbed Harry's free one and helped to pull him into the carriage. She continued to hold onto it even as the carriage started to move, causing Harry to look at her questioningly, the sweet still in his mouth.
"You'll float all over if I don't." She muttered, not meeting his eyes.
On his other side, Daphne tightened her grip slightly. "Hermione's right." The Slytherin said shortly.
The white-haired boy had no idea why both girls seemed to be acting weird, but decided to just keep quiet for the rest of the trip, apart from casting the Patronus Charm before they passed the Dementors standing guard around the castle. He also noticed that Daphne's attempt was much better compared to her previous one, but didn't mention anything about it.
Though he did wonder why Archer sighed like he was disappointed.
He finished the Fizzing Whizbee just before the carriage reached the castle, allowing his feet to touch the ground once more. After bidding goodbye to Daphne, Harry and Hermione made their way back up to Gryffindor Tower, only to be stopped by the Weasley twins, who suddenly popped out from a cupboard that Harry knew contained a hidden passageway, and bowed flamboyantly.
"Pardon us, Mister Potter and Miss Granger-"
"But could we have a moment of Mister Potter's time?"
Harry chuckled at their manner and turned to his friend. "Go on, Hermione, I'm pretty much packed anyway."
"Well then, fair lady-" Fred placed one hand on Harry's shoulder.
"Worry not, for your man shall be returned to you soon enough." George mirrored his twin's action.
The two of them pulled Harry into the cupboard and shut the doors, leaving a blushing Hermione standing there stuttering. They eventually came out at the other end of the passageway, and went into an empty classroom which they closed the door to. George turned to Harry, positively beaming.
"We were planning to give this to you earlier, but we decided not to interrupt your fun with the lovely Miss Greengrass." Fred dug into his cloak, and pulled out something that Harry recognized, and laid it on one of the desks.
"Is that the Map?" Compared to the last time he had seen it, it was much more worn.
"I told you he would remember it." George shoved Fred's shoulder lightly. "Proves that he's worthy."
Harry could guess where this was going, but didn't say anything.
Fred coughed. "Anyway, we've noticed that you've been sneaking away occasionally."
"After which you disappear from the Map."
"And there's only one place we knew of where you would go."
"Your secret room."
"Where you do your secret stuff."
They're really trying to strain my neck, aren't they? Harry kept his head facing between the two of them, only moving his eyes to follow whoever was speaking at that moment.
"Reminded us of how we used to be, doesn't it, Fred?"
"I think we still are like that, George."
Harry finally grew tired of the back-and-forth. "Get to the point, please."
"Oh, right." George pushed the blank parchment in Harry's direction. "This, Harry, is our early Christmas present to you."
"You've been a great help to us, funding our dream-" Fred continued.
"And giving us ideas to develop." George finished.
Harry nodded; from what results they reported back, it looked like his investment would pay off quite well.
"We know that you're interested in wards and stuff like that, so while you're not as much of a prankster as we are-"
"You could certainly use this, considering how smart you are."
"After all, your brain was sharp enough to make the Sorting Hat cry out in pain."
The three of them shared a grin at the mention of the excuse Harry gave regarding what happened during his Sorting in his first year.
"We don't really need it anymore, since we know it by heart." Fred threw out on seeing Harry hesitate.
"Thanks, guys." Harry picked up the Map and folded it up before tucking it away into his pocket.
"No need to thank us," Fred waved his hand.
"If anything, we should be thanking you." George replied.
The handing over complete, the three of them returned to Gryffindor Tower. Hermione wanted to know what the twins wanted with him, but Harry deflected it by claiming that it was a pranksters-only matter, and that she as a rule-abiding student was not allowed to be told. She huffed, recognizing that he was making fun of her, but also because he was covering for the twins as Percy was sitting close by. Instead, she extracted a promise for him to tell her on the train back tomorrow.
Back in the common room after dinner, the twins set off half a dozen Dungbombs to mark the end of the term, which cleared out most of the students there. Harry bid Hermione good night as they fled the stench, heading up to their respective dormitories so as to turn in early for the train ride back tomorrow.
However, Harry had other intentions; he snuck back down under the cover of his Invisibility Cloak, and tested his Bubble-Head Charm against the foul air in the common room. Seeing how he could successfully breathe in fresh air, he moved on to the next step and wove an illusion about the portrait hole exit. None of the remaining students in the common room, who were also using the Bubble-Head Charm, even noticed anything amiss.
The journey to Moaning Myrtle's toilet on the second floor was a quiet one with no encounters whatsoever; a quick check of the Map showed that the majority of the students were in their common rooms, protected from the cold, with a few couples tucked away in alcoves or broom cupboards sticking close together for warmth. Through some stroke of luck, Myrtle wasn't around when Harry entered the girls toilet.
The real thing starts now. Harry stashed his Cloak, the Map, and a change of clothes in one of the cubicles; if it was as filthy as he recalled, he would need the latter. Hopefully everything goes quickly.
Harry made sure to come fully equipped. On his back was a specially modified small trunk that came with charms on it to expand the insides and make the whole thing lighter, taken from the Room of Hidden Things. Hanging from his hip was a lantern with an enchantment to increase the amount of light it gave out, so he could use his wand if necessary.
He faced the sink that hid the entrance. "Open." Harry hissed.
The sink moved away to reveal the hidden entrance, and the boy stepped into it, vanishing into the darkness as he fell. Seconds later, the sink reappeared, concealing any sign of his passing through.
And that's another chapter.
After the last one, I was transferred to a new department at my job, so it took me a while to adapt. Then after that, I went on a vacation to Japan that was planned long ago, for slightly over a week. Walked a lot, saw a lot of stuff, a lot of pictures were taken, and bought some things, but I didn't bring my laptop, so no writing was done. Then there was the process of catching back up with things I missed, so I only started writing around the beginning of October. Muse went down a little because of that.
So, prophecy stirs up stuff, overshadowed by Quidditch. Writing like this makes me wonder if Quidditch is the reason why the wizarding world is stupid. Is it some ritual that slowly saps the wizards who go to the matches of their capability for higher thought? Who knows?
The first flame ring was created, and subsequently destroyed due to Harry exceeding its limits. But it represents a milestone, and is the start of many more. Also, it marks the opening of new combination effects...
Harry's still somewhat blur about girls, but he's getting there. As usual, anything I write is on the whims of my muse, and I just felt like slipping more relationship development between Harry and two of the girls in. As for the scene where the twins pulled Harry into a cupboard with them so they could give him a 'present', don't ask me why, because I don't know either. Seems kind of funny to me though.
Running low on sleep now... anyway, going to work on my other fic, which is going to be even harder to restart the muse for. But I'll do my best to update as quickly as I can.
Leave your review and tell me what you think, please.