Chapter 61- Takin' Care of Business
The warmer weather continued into March, bringing sunny days and clear grounds. However, at this moment, four teenagers did not have the time to enjoy the outdoors.
They were inside the Transfiguration classroom inspecting Professor McGonagall's gramophone.
"Of course," Hermione pushed the hair off her face. "This is an old one that still uses a hand crank to power the motor. That means it'll take very little to run the motor."
"Meanwhile modern record players and stereos use power," Dean leaned in close to examine the music machine. "What I still can't figure out is why magic and electricity interfere."
"What if it's like lightning?" Harry wondered aloud. "If lightning strikes a building, the surge of power overloads all the circuits. It's possible expending magic is similar to that."
"But why would directed magic interfere?" Padma said. "It isn't like we're casting directly at the circuits."
"Well I've experienced it before," Harry shuddered when it came to this particular memory. "I had a burst of accidental magic that ended up exploding out of me. When it happened, I could almost feel the magic in the air, like ozone.
"Do we know what happens to magical energy once it is used?" Harry said. "Where does it go?"
"Well here the magic we use feeds the ley lines upon which the castle rests," Hermione's eyes narrowed in concentration. "So the potential energy must go somewhere. We have magic within us and when we exert it, it recycles back to the ley lines the same way a rainstorm feeds the earth."
"Yes and if the magic is in the air," Dean tapped his chin. "Then that magic would look for anything similar. Since electrical circuits power a device very similar to how ley lines power wards, it would make sense that magic would look to infuse the circuit to power it. However, it is too much power and it overloads the circuit."
"It is a compelling theory," Padma leaned closer to the gramophone. "How do we solve the issue? How do we keep the magic out?"
"We'd need a lightning rod," Harry idly stroked his scar.
"That's brilliant!" Hermione stood up and rushed to her bag. "We need to design a way for the excess power to move along the exterior of the object without passing through."
"Maybe we also need a surge protector," Dean supplied. Padma was lost at this point but nodded along anyway. "That way any excess energy is absorbed."
"Excellent idea," Hermione had her Runes syllabary out and she was rifling through pages.
"We could carve a rune cluster on the outside that combines Protection with Absorption, ending in Transfer," Hermione was roughly sketching a diagram. "However, we would need to add another absorption on the power source. The next thing we would need is a way to turn that power into something the machine could use. Once we do that, a simple bit of magic would work to power the machine."
"But we would have to channel the magic directly into the rune cluster. We would also need to weave protection runes along the outside to keep the ambient magic from getting inside," Harry looked over the clusters she was drafting. "What we need is a way for the rune to only transfer enough power to run the device while letting the excess burn off."
It was an enticing lead but still a ways from a workable prototype. They kept postulating and running through different ideas until the sun was setting. It was only when Dean's stomach rumbled that they ceased what they were doing in favor of dinner.
It was at dinner that Luna gave them their breakthrough. They were still struggling with handing off power when Luna spoke up.
"You just need a siphon," Luna said. "Something to take the power and deliver it where you want but not too much. That way you put as much power into as you need and can control how much power is delivered to the item."
"Luna I could kiss you," Hermione said. "By wrapping another Absorption around our cluster into Power, that would cut the amount of power going into the circuit. By doing that, we could keep the device powered indefinitely."
"Seems simple," Luna said between spoonfuls of her Tattie soup. "You could also make the device impervious to outside spells the same way Fred and George do with their pranks."
"Luna you are a genius," Harry hugged her tightly.
"I know," Luna smiled wryly. "You don't almost get put into Ravenclaw by being anything less."
Hermione finished her sketches over dinner, sliding them over to Dean to work on the final versions. Now that they had a workable idea, they needed to get a record player to use as protype.
After showing Professor Babbling their idea and the clusters they were designing, she gave them approval to move into testing. First, they carved the run on a piece of wood to see if it could absorb magic. At first it worked but figuring out how to get it to stop was an ordeal. Eventually, it would absorb too much and the magic would burn its way through the wood. Adding runes for induction around it, however those also overloaded. As they continued to work, the Quidditch season pulled the focus of the school. There were two matches during the month: Slytherin vs. Hufflepuff, followed by Slytherin vs. Gryffindor. After dusting Ravenclaw in their matchup in January, Slytherin was poised to face the Badgers.
The game was close with the Slytherin Chasers outmatching the Hufflepuff attack line but Diggory showed off the speed of his Firebolt to the crowd. Combined with his strategic thinking, he baited Malfoy into committing to one end of the field. Once Malfoy committed to following him, Cedric swung about, missing the blonde seeker by inches. Before Malfoy knew what was happening, Cedric caught the Snitch floating just above the teacher's section.
Harry woke two weeks later to the sweet smells of spring. It was the day of the Gryffindor-Slytherin match. Harry arrived in the common room and he could feel the energy coursing through the common room. Hermione sprinted toward him and jumped into his arms, kissing him passionately.
"You're quite expressive today," Harry laughed. "Not that I'm complaining."
"Why shouldn't I be?" Hermione said brightly. "The sun is shining, the flowers are blooming and my boyfriend is going to stomp Slytherin."
"Here here!" The Weasley twins rejoined from behind them
"Oh Harry, hold me!" One of them said.
"Can we stop at the nearest the broom closet before the match, Harry?" The other said. "You know how excited I get for Quidditch.
Hermione whacked them both in the head, her smile removing any sting from the action.
"Oh that looks like fun!" A female voice said. Harry then realized it was Luna when she joined the hug, prompting the Chasers to join the group hug.
"Go!" Katie slammed into them next.
"Fight!" Angelina almost knocked them over.
"Win!" Alicia finally did make them topple, sending everyone to the ground.
"Alright, alright!" Wood made his presence known. "We can't very well beat Slytherin if our team lands in the infirmary right before the game now can we?"
Wood hauled Harry up from the ground and patted him on the shoulder.
"Don't worry about this one," Wood's smiling face said. "You've worked hard, harder than anyone else. I can't wait to see us losing today. Now let's go show them how unstoppable the Lions are."
Harry laughed as he turned to make sure Hermione was fine.
"I'm not hurt," she giggled.
"Good," Harry replied. "Because this really was your fault."
Hermione put a hand to her chest in mock affront.
"Well just for that," Hermione crossed her arms, the corners of her mouth twitching to hold back a smile. "I'm not giving you a good luck kiss."
"Can't have that," Harry laughed as he held up his other hand, holding one of his older jerseys. "Would you accept this as an apology?"
Hermione snatched it out of his hand before he could rescind the offer and hastily pulled the jersey over her head, noticing it still smelled like him.
"It'll work," Hermione said. "Now go kick some Slytherin butt."
"Of course, my lady," Harry said as they walked out the portrait hole hand-in-hand.
Meanwhile, down in the dungeon, a different scene was playing out.
"You ready, Malfoy?" Flint's voice roused Malfoy from his thoughts. He had been sitting in an armchair staring into the fire.
"Let's do this," Draco pushed himself up and held his head high. "Let's go kick their ass."
"You better," Flint stepped closer and stared down at the smaller boy. "I've had enough of losing to Gryffs, not to mention your play against the Puffs. Lose this one and you're done. Am I clear?"
"I got it," Draco's pale cheeks took on a pink tinge. "Now shut the fuck up and let's play some Quidditch."
As both seekers took their position at the center of the pitch, everyone could feel the tension in the air. Fred and George's knuckles were white on their bats, Wood's eyes narrowed on the red ball in Madam Hooch's hand and Harry rolled his shoulders, watching the gold ball flutter off into the distance.
"Hey Draco!" Harry called out, bringing attention to his rival. "Good luck."
Harry smirked at Malfoy as the Quaffle was tossed up and the game began in earnest. As the Quaffle started to descend, Malfoy charged straight for him. Harry rolled to avoid contact before pivoting away as the two Slytherin Beaters each launched the grey balls toward him.
"I think you got their attention," George said as he launched a Bludger back toward the Slytherin Beater while his twin launched a Bludger at the chasers.
"Aye," Harry smiled. "Now I just have to keep their focus on me!"
Harry whirled around and charged straight toward Draco. He heard the crack of a bat and the sound the grey cannon ball moving toward him.
"Behind you," Harry called out to Draco. Draco jerked his head around and his eyes bulged as Harry put on a burst of speed before barrel rolling passed the blonde Seeker. Draco watched him pass, not paying attention to the company Harry brought with him. The black ball slammed into Draco's back with a sickening crunch.
Harry smiled as his plan worked perfectly. He swung around again and charged Malfoy again, forcing the blonde to swerve… right into the path of Fred's Bludger. George laughed as he watched the Chaser Trio move in toward the Slytherin end. A quick Tic-tac-toe passing play later and the Gryffindor team was up 30-0. With the focus Harry was getting, Angelina, Katie and Alicia were having no issues.
The match soon turned brutal as the Slytherin Beater Derrick ran straight after Alicia, trying to run her off her broom. When Katie flew close to support her teammate, the other Beater elbowed her in the face. George responded by diving at Montague and hitting a Bludger at Bole, breaking the latter's nose.
Two penalties were called for Slytherin and one on Gryffindor. One Wood save and a score from Katie ran the score to 40-0. Slytherin settled in shortly thereafter to bring the game back closer at 60-40, using their faster brooms and bigger size to muscle in a few goals. Everyone in the stands kept an eye on the battle above as Draco's determination was on full display. With the Beaters busy elsewhere, it was just the two of them, each player shifting between circling, diving and the aggressive posturing.
"Having fun, Potter!" Draco snarled as Malfoy buzzed right by Harry once again.
"Actually," Harry smiled as he banked to come up next to Draco. "I am. You're making me work, I'll give you that."
"Haven't seen anything yet, Potter," Draco rolled underneath Harry and dove for the pitch. Harry knew this was a feint so he lazily turned and followed. That's when he saw it. Deep within another scrum for the Quaffle, Harry saw the Snitch floating just above the turf. Harry flattened to the broom and shot past Malfoy.
"Catch me if you can!" Harry shouted as he passed the boy. He pushed his broom as hard as he could. The crowd started buzzing as it looked like Harry had actually seen the Snitch. He could hear Malfoy's robes rippling in the wind as he pursued. Next thing Malfoy saw was Harry's robes flair out as the Gryffindor seeker broke right before the standings, making a perfect U-turn and pushing off the stands to help his acceleration like a swimmer turning underwater. Harry's vision blurred as he reached top speed and he could swear time slowed as the Snitch fluttered above the turf. Malfoy reacted quicker than Harry thought he would and soon the two were neck-and-neck.
"Not today," Draco said, almost pleading more than anything. Harry flattened himself even more and willed his Firebolt to move faster than it ever had. He saw Draco's arm reaching for the golden ball. Without thinking, Harry banked to the right, away from Draco. Draco responded to once again match him. Harry took his other hand off his broom and reached. Draco did the same and the four hands were fighting for dominance toward the golden ball.
The crowd inhaled as one, the stadium going deathly silent for a single moment as the green and red robed Seekers continued fighting and flying in formation until the red robed player pulled up, his left hand raised in celebration. The stadium exploded as the Gryffindor stands vibrated and shook with the entire house rejoicing at the conclusion. Applause from the two other neutral houses filtered through as Harry descended toward the stadium to meet his teammates at the center. They embraced and the twins slapped Harry on the back hard enough to leave bruises. When they let up, Harry thought they'd be letting him off easy. That was when he felt another body run into him.
"That was bloody terrifying," Hermione shouted as she hugged him tightly. "You were absolutely fantastic!"
Hermione ended her shouting by grabbing his head and mashing her lips to his. Harry smiled down at her and saw she wasn't the only one. Neville's blonde locks he could see, as well as Luna. The rest of the house had followed Hermione Granger's lead and stormed the pitch to celebrate with their team.
"That was wicked!" Lavender shouted. "Katie! They couldn't stop you if they tried."
"And boy did they try," Parvati said.
"Nobody stops a Gryffindor from scoring," Cormac McLaggen boasted. "I mean nobody."
"Except for another Gryffindor, that is," Parvati whispered to Katie who covered her giggles with her hand.
"Gryffindor's good," Seamus and Ron chanted.
"Gryffindor's great," Dean and Neville chimed in.
"Nobody can stop us," the Chasers joined others.
"Our team's first-rate," the twins added. Luna made her lion hat roar to punctate their chant.
In the back of his brain, Harry wondered why nobody was stopping their celebration but he was having too much fun to care. On the other side of the pitch, Flint was dressing down his seeker.
"You know," Flint stood so that Malfoy had to look up to look him in the eye. "I knew you were pathetic but I didn't really think you'd be this pathetic. I've watched Potter and Diggory outclass you on inferior brooms. Now that they have a better broom your deficiencies are readily on display. I'm glad daddy ran off and didn't have to see what a fucking embarrassment his son is.
"Back the fuck off, Flint!" Draco shouted, his face red.
"Or what?" Flint sneered, victoriously. "You'll tell me 'wait until my father hears about this'? Daddy isn't here to cover your ass anymore. Get out of my sight with your spoiled, incompetent ass. Leave the broom."
Harry saw the scene playing out and broke from the group. He decided to do something he never would have considered.
"Hey Draco!" Draco rounded on the voice, waiting for the next attacker to launch their assault. That it was Potter made him cringe all the more.
"What do you want, Potter!" Malfoy spat. "Come to rub your victory in my face?"
"No," Harry held up his hands. "Just wanted to say good game. You fought hard."
"Real smart, Potter," Malfoy saw the Gryffindor team behind him, all looking at him. "Well I don't know what you're playing at but I'm not going to be pranked today."
Malfoy spat at Harry's feet and stalked off. He threw his Quidditch robes on the floor in front of his locker and rapidly dressed, stomping on his kit before walking out of the locker room. His father was on the run, his mother was being less than comforting and now everyone was making fun of him.
Who do they think they are? Malfoy held his head high as he walked through the halls. I am the heir to the Malfoy family, a noble family steeped in tradition dating back centuries. I'll show them.
His head up, Malfoy strut his way into the dungeons, ignoring the stares coming his ways.
(A/N: Not so easy, being knocked off your pedestal, is it Draco?
Was a little fun to conceptualize why magic and electricity do not mix as it is never explored in Canon, just simply stated as a fact and that's that. The title of this chapter came as the track played while I was editing and it worked better than Kanye West's Power. Another chapter will come on Saturday and then I'll be on a short hiatus to the beginning of the year to spend some time with the family, as well as brainstorm some of what Fourth year will bring.
As always, thank you for reading, following, favoriting and especially your comments.)