Sensing Magic
by Teddylonglong
Please refer to chapter 1 for my disclaimer and warnings. Thank you.
Harry thoroughly enjoyed his birthday party. Even if he did not overly like being the centre of attention, everyone attending the party was extremely friendly, and the food was delicious, reaching from specialities of the island to several sorts of cake. However, for Harry, the highlight was the live music played by a group of five young islanders.
'They're really good,' Harry thought, however, was too busy talking with his friends and several children from the island to offer playing the Suikan together with them.
'I look forward to playing together with BABA again soon,' he thought. 'Just about two weeks, before I'll meet them again.'
HP
The two weeks passed much too quickly for Harry's liking. Apart from the occasional visits to Marvolo's or Sirius' home, he spent much time in the potions lab studying for the mastery together with the twins.
On the one hand, he was sad that the holidays along with his freedom was going to end soon, but on the other hand, he was looking forward to having his friends and classmates back at Hogwarts.
'Second year will be somehow much alike the first with the same professors and the same subjects,' he thought, somehow feeling slightly disappointed. 'Only in third year, we're going to have our elective subjects. Perhaps, we should make some changes in the future.'
HP
On August 30, a group from Hogwarts travelled to London. At the Leaky Cauldron, the group consisting of Severus, Regina, Harry, Felix, Lucy, Teddy, the twins and Ginny met with Ginny's friend Luna.
To Harry's surprise, they left the pub through the back door leading into muggle London, where two large, black cars were already waiting to pick them up.
While Harry had occasionally sat in the back of Vernon Dursley's car, he was surprised that these cars were not only extremely comfortable, but they had drivers, who were wearing officially looking uniforms along with white gloves.
'This somehow feels so strange,' he thought, while Regina, who was sitting on the passenger seat, made polite small talk with the driver. There was much traffic, and it seemed like a long time to him, before the driver finally announced that they were reaching Buckingham Palace now.
'I could have simply popped us,' he thought in annoyance, as he followed his parents and the twins inside, where they had to pass security and show their invitations. To his relief, Lucy behaved herself and stayed very close to him, apparently sensing the group's excitement.
They walked along a long flight of beautifully decorated corridors, and Harry looked around in amazement. 'This place is beautiful,' he thought, as he admired the artistic ornaments on the walls.
In the room, where the party was going to take place, a large table was set, and Harry eagerly skimmed the name plates on the table, realising in relief that he was supposed to sit between his father and Felix with his mother on his brother's other side. The twins as well as Ginny and Luna were sitting to Severus' left.
'Luna seems to be a bit strange, but nice,' Harry thought. 'She looks like an angel in her golden-white one-piece and golden hair.'
Looking further along the table, he realised in horror that the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, was present as well; however, he was fortunately sitting far enough from him to not be able to bother him with anything.
When the doors opened marking the arrival of the Queen, Harry looked up with interest. To his surprise, however, the monarch behaved in a similar way to how the former Minister of Magic had, when she had invited them to the Ministry of Magic to award his father and him the Order of Merlin first class.
She profusely thanked Harry, Severus and the twins for curing the remaining werewolves in muggle Britain and awarded them the so-called 'Order of Albion', emphasizing that it was even higher in rank than the Order of Merlin first class.
'I wonder when BABA are going to show up,' Harry thought, feeling slightly impatient, when the first course of dinner popped up on the table. However, he should realise soon that the concert was only going to take place after dinner, which took ages due to the number of courses they were served.
By the time the table was cleared from the dessert, Harry had the impression as if he could not stomach any bit more. With a flick of a wand, the table was banished, making space for a dance area with small tables and chairs around it, and the group BABA was announced.
HP
Huge applause greeted the four musicians, when they entered the room.
"Good evening and congratulations to the four recipients of the Order of Albion. Today, we will not play as BABA. Instead, we have asked Order of Albion recipient Harry Prince to join us tonight in BABAH."
Harry rose from his chair and quickly enlarged the Suikan, which he was carrying shrunken in his inner robe pocket. Under applause, he joined the musicians and readied himself to play.
Playing together with the group, he enjoyed himself so much that he did not even hear the applause. He completely lost himself in the music and his happy thoughts. 'Music is almost better than brewing,' he thought, smiling, 'and BABA's music is so positive. I really like it.'
He did not notice that someone was crouched behind a pillar right next to him, hidden from the view by the pillar. He only noticed someone's magic nearby, but did not take further notice, before a small voice whispered to him.
"Imperio. Go to St. Mungo's and heal Lucius Malfoy and Dolores Umbridge. Do not tell anyone about it, and see to it that no one will miss you. Do it within a week."
'What?' Harry thought in shock, before he suddenly felt confused. 'What was that?' he wondered, as he tried to concentrate on the music he was playing.
As he played on, he completely forgot that something happened just for an instant. He only remembered that there was something he had to do as soon and unobtrusive as possible.
BABAH was a huge success, and when the group took their leave, they thanked him profusely for playing together with them, and one of the wizards pressed an envelope into his hand with the instruction to take it to Gringotts.
"We'll contact you again soon."
"Thank you so much. It was much fun, and I look forward to playing together again."
HP
It was only, when he was in bed late the same evening that Harry decided to pop to St. Mungo's right away. 'I better get that done as soon as possible. Perhaps, everyone will be asleep now.'
tbc...
Thank you so very much for the kind reviews for the previous chapter.