A Song of Lightning and Fire

Arc I: Hogwarts

Part IV: The Rune of Ekrizdis

The Months of the Summer Holidays passed by fairly quickly, all things considered.

It was September 1st this morning, and Harry was doing better. He wasn't as snappy anymore, not since he'd apologized and told Sirius and Remus everything he knew about Voldemort, and about his memory of his Mother's death.

Remus and Sirius, while initially in a state of Shock, had agreed to help Dumbledore if they were called. Harry had seen the two Marauders share a long look, and a silent conversation, but he wasn't able to figure out what it was.

Was this how everyone else felt when Harry did this with Ginny?

The very next day, Sirius had gone to Gringotts in his Adam Parker disguise to visit his Vault. He'd returned with a bunch of files and some keys, and together, Harry, Remus, and Sirius had been able to find the Location of the Black Manor.

Black Manor was also where they'd spent their summer. It was a large house with extensive grounds, well kept gardens, and a full size Quidditch Pitch, along with a Lake.

Sirius had also started teaching Harry the Tempest Jinx. It was even harder than Sirius had previously said, so much so that Harry couldn't even begin to cast it without his Wand flying away from his hand due to the sheer force of the Magical Resistance, which was a phenomenon that resisted the casting of a Spell when it affected the nature on a large scale.

Sirius had still encouraged him to practice it, though, saying that it was only natural, and that they would learn to overcome the resistance with time and practice.

Sirius had also given him The Talk two days ago. It had- without a doubt- been the most embarrassing two hours of his life, especially when Sirius went into all the ways to please a woman…

Thankfully, he'd saved the soppy, emotional stuff for last so that Harry wasn't just left with thoughts of sex.

Harry wasn't sure how to feel about the stuff he'd thought and discovered about… feelings. Specifically, his feelings about Ginny. Everything Sirius had said made him believe that he had a crush on her, but that wasn't right, it couldn't be. She was Ginny, his best friend, who was absolutely brilliant, very smart, and very pretty- Oh for Fuck's sake… he thought.

"Harry?" Sirius called. Never had Harry been this glad that anyone had interrupted his thoughts.

Harry opened the door and yelled, "JUST A MINUTE!"

It was around 10:40, and Harry and Sirius were going to King's Cross to catch the Hogwarts Express. Remus wouldn't be joining them since it was a Full Moon tonight, and he would not be sociable today.

Harry walked downstairs after packing his Nimbus 2004 in his Trunk. Sirius had gifted the broom to him last Christmas, and he intended to make the most of the gift this year. Sure, he wasn't on the Quidditch Team, but flying was still fun.

"Finally," Sirius said. "What took you so long?"

"I was… thinking," Harry replied vaguely.

Sirius wasn't fooled for a second apparently. "Thinking about Ginny?" He asked with a smirk.

This was another thing Sirius had been doing all summer, dropping hints and comments at the most Random moments.

"No," Harry lied, managing not to blush and look Sirius straight in the eye, daring him to say that Harry was lying. Which he was, but that was a topic for another time.

"Alright," Sirius said, clearly struggling not to burst out laughing. "I believe you."

"For fuck's sake Sirius, stop tormenting the kid, and get going," Remus said, walking into the kitchen in a robe that barely covered his privates.

"At least he isn't fully naked like last time," Sirius muttered when he was out of earshot.

"I HEARD THAT!" Remus yelled, apparently not out of earshot.

"Let's go," Sirius said urgently, throwing in the Floo Powder in the Fireplace and stepping into the Green Fires after calling out 'King's Cross'. Harry quickly followed suit, repeating the same process.

Harry and Sirius took a seat on one of the benches near the door to the train that was closest to the Compartment Harry and Ginny usually sat in.

"I've got something for you," Sirius said, pulling out a miniature package, and enlarging by tapping it with his Wand.

He gave the package to Harry, who gently untied the string. He felt Sirius' eyes on him, and looked up to see the man watching him with a raised eyebrow, clearly not buying the fake politeness he was showing.

Oh well, Harry didn't really care about the packaging anyway. He did take a moment to appreciate the effort Sirius put into it, though, before tearing into the package with absolutely no regard for the wrappings, causing Sirius to snort.

Sirius vanished the wrappings as Harry pulled out two mirrors from the package. They were both very similar looking in design, but one of the mirrors had green lines going through the frame while the other had red lines.

"Mirrors?" Harry asked. What did Sirius think Harry did in his spare time? Apply make-up?

"It's a pair of Two-Way Mirrors," Sirius said. "Well, technically, they're Four-Way Mirrors. They're connected to each other, and to the other two I've got at home. It will let us see and talk to each other."

Harry's jaw dropped. "You're having me on," he said.

"Am not," Sirius said, smiling at his reaction. "James and I used these types of mirrors when we were in separate detentions. I would have given you his, but Remus will be using it soon… it's got better connectivity since it was the one originally paired with mine, and he and I are going to need that pretty soon."

"Should I assume that these two are primarily paired together?" Harry inquired.

Sirius nodded. "I added mine and Remus' later since ours were already paired. Give the one with the red lines to Ginny when you're alone."

Harry's eyes went wide with surprise. "Are you serious?"

Sirius smirked and Harry recognized his mistake instantly, but he was unable to stop it. "Of course I am!" Sirius said. "I'm very insulted that you do not remember this, Harry. We've spent the whole summer together, after all."

"Yeah, yeah," Harry interrupted him. "I got that, but you're not joking about it though, are you? This one's for Ginny?"

"Yep," Sirius said. "I'm serious, pardon the pun."

Harry nodded in understanding and not a little excitement. Sirius had just opened so many windows of opportunities for Harry and Ginny…

"Thanks, Sirius," he said, giving him a one armed hug.

Sirius returned it. "These last 2 months have meant everything to me, Harry, and I'm glad I could spend this time with you. I'm hoping you're up for more next summer, or this Christmas?"

"Definitely," Harry said immediately. Those months had meant a lot to him, too. Living with Two Marauders would have been enough to convince him to stay for longer, but it was the fact that he felt like he belonged with them, with Sirius and Remus, despite the latter's weird mood once every month.

Sirius grinned at him and Harry grinned back as he saw a Red haired boy stumble out of a Fireplace a good distance away from him. Upon further observation, Harry recognized him as George. Soon enough, Fred and Ron tumbled out of the Floo, followed by Ginny and Mrs. Weasley.

They made a beeline for the train, and Harry saw that it was almost time for the Train to leave. "Go," Sirius told him.

"How do I use the mirrors?" Harry asked.

"Oh, right," Sirius said. "Forgot to tell you that. You just say the activation phrase. So for mine, it's Sirius Black, for Ginny's it would be Ginny Weasley, and so forth. And yes, I had to change the phrase for James' Mirror to Remus Lupin. To close the connection, just tap it with your Wand twice."

"Got it," Harry said, standing up and putting the mirrors in his Trunk. He got onto the Train and turned back to Sirius.

"See you this summer," Sirius said, hugging him tightly. "Call me tomorrow night, yeah? I'll be out with Moony tonight."

"Alright," Harry said when Sirius let him go. "Please don't get into any trouble, and make sure Remus doesn't hurt himself."

"Aye, Aye captain," Sirius responded as the Train started moving.

Harry chuckled and stayed in the doorway for a while waving at Sirius, and later Mrs. Weasley, as the train turned a corner and the two adults weren't visible anymore.

Harry turned and made his way to the compartment Ginny would probably come to find him in. He opened the door and stepped inside, seating himself on the left side, next to the window.

He didn't have to wait long for her to arrive, though. Not two minutes later, the compartment door opened and Ginny stepped in, saying Goodbye to a Second Year Hufflepuff who Harry recalled was named Lucia.

"Hey," she said, turning to him with a grin.

"Hi," he replied. "How've you been?"

"Dreadful," Ginny answered, sitting down next to him and hugging his arm. "Remind me to say 'no thanks' the next time my family decides to visit Muriel."

The Weasleys had gone to France for a month and a half to visit their Great Great Aunt Muriel, a woman Ginny had described as a horrid, petty, cranky, old bitch. Ginny would always deny that she'd used those words, though.

"That bad?" Harry asked. He already knew the answer, but he suspected she just needed to vent a little.

"Yes," She muttered darkly with a scowl. "Asked about you a lot, then told me I shouldn't be going and doing unladylike things."

"Unladylike things?" Harry asked in confusion with a furrowed brow.

"Oh, you know, sex before marriage and all that," Ginny said that as though it wasn't a big deal at all. "As though I'd ever do that at 13," she added, thankfully oblivious to Harry's attempts to control his blushing.

"Did you know she even implied I was getting fat?" She continued. "If anything I've lost weight, even my Mum says I'm skinnier. And Muriel has no place to talk about being fat, the horrid cow."

Harry looked at her properly, and noticed that she was actually skinnier than she was last year. It wasn't too noticeable at first sight, but still… "Are you eating well?" He asked worriedly.

"I am," she said. "I'm just not too hungry nowadays."

"Alright," Harry said. "So… in conclusion, you hate your Great Great Aunt?"

"Yes," Ginny said, nodding firmly.

"I might have something to male you feel better, then," Harry said, taking out his Trunk and taking the mirrors out from it.

"A mirror?" Ginny asked when Harry gave it to her.

"It's a Four-Way Mirror," Harry said. "You can use it to see and talk to me. Kind of like a Telephone that allows you to see the other person as well."

Her jaw dropped open. "No way," she said, holding the Mirror much more gently now, as though she was afraid she might break it.

"Yeah," Harry said. "Sirius gave them to me just a few minutes ago. You can use it to see and talk to them too, by the way. You just have to say our names and it will work."

"Have you tried?" Ginny asked, receiving a shake of his head. "Well, then let's do it now!" She said enthusiastically.

"Alright," Harry said, pulling out his own Mirror. "Ginny Weasley," he intoned, looking at the mirror.

Ginny's mirror vibrated, and she touched its surface with her finger. Both mirror's rippled and their faces became visible in the others.

"Cool," Ginny breathed in wonder, standing up and moving toward the seat across from him. "Hi," she said into the mirror with a huge grin.

"Hey," he replied with a grin just as large.

"This is going to be so cool!" She exclaimed, practically jumping with excitement as she came back to the seat next to him, sitting cross legged so that she was facing him

"I know," Harry said, turning and mimicking her position. "We can even talk to each other at night, plan our nighttime strolls…" he trailed off, wondering about the possibilities.

Ginny nodded in response, eyes wide and filled with excitement.

He was hearing her voice from two sources, now though, so he tapped his mirror twice with his Wand. Both mirror's rippled again, and this time it showed the faces of those holding the respective mirror.

"You might want to put it in your trunk," Harry said. "I don't think we should advertise this."

Ginny nodded and quickly pulled out her Trunk, opening and gently storing the mirror inside. She closed the Trunk shut and quickly put it in her pocket as Harry did the same.

"I've never heard of anything like these," Ginny said. "Did Sirius make them?"

"I think so," Harry answered. "He said that he and my Dad used Mirrors like these to talk to each other when they were in separate detentions."

"Cool," Ginny said, grinning at the mental image.

"Yeah," Harry said with a wistful smile of his own.

"How are you now, Harry?" Ginny asked.

"I told you in the letters, I'm fine," Harry said. Just because she was out of the country, didn't mean that Harry and Ginny didn't write to each other often.

"I know," she said. "But can you really blame me after the last time we spoke?"

Harry shook his head with a wince. He had been so depressed, he couldn't even hear or remember things properly.

Harry was about to give her a reply, but the compartment door opened again, effectively ending their previous conversation. To Harry's surprise, it was Draco Malfoy who was standing in the doorway.

"Potty," he growled. "It's all your fault!" He cried pointing at him.

"What is?" Harry asked, frowning. He had no idea what he could have done that pissed Draco off now.

"My Father is on the run for his life!" Draco yelled.

"Oh, that," It took a moment for Harry to realize he'd said that out loud, but Draco had already drawn his Wand out.

He pointed his Wand at Harry, but whatever Spell he cast was countered by Ginny's Shield. She raised her Wand again, but two muffled grunts behind them caught the attention of all three of them.

Peeking behind Draco, Harry saw that Crabbe and Goyle were lying on the floor face down. Devon and Jessica were standing behind them, Wands raised at Draco.

"Out of here," Jessica slowly said to Draco in a tone Harry was sure she had learnt from him.

Draco reddened in Anger and promptly turned around and disarmed them both. With a Single Charm.

Harry wasn't able to keep his jaw from dropping open, but he did Summon Draco's Wand to him Wandlessly when he turned the Wand on Ginny.

"Your Father is on the run for his own actions," Harry said, stepping close to Draco, who swung a fist at him.

Harry moved and caught his arm, twisting it behind Draco's back and shoving him against a wall. He leaned in and whispered, "I only wish I could have made him squeal like I did those Dementors."

"What on Earth is going on here!?" He heard a female voice ask.

Turning to the source of the voice, he saw Cho Chang rushing toward them. She was a very good looking Asian girl who had been sorted into Ravenclaw. She was two years above Harry, and he'd heard many boys in the Dungeons say how they'd love to 'have' her. She was also a Sixth Year Prefect.

"Just a minor disagreement," Harry said, letting Draco go.

Chang didn't look like she believed him, and for good reason. There was no way he could have convinced anyone with that lie.

"Leave," Harry hissed to Draco. "And if I see you troubling me, or my friends… well, this will be like a walk in the park compared to what I do next."

Chang was gaping at him in surprise as Draco glared at him. Harry ignored the girl for now, staring back at Draco with a cold smile and a blank stare. "This isn't over," Draco hissed.

"It is," Harry said. "It's been over for years, you just can't keep the past where it's supposed to be."

Draco turned and left after that, prompting the rest of them to breathe a sigh of relief. "You okay?" Chang asked.

"Yeah," Harry said, still staring at the spot where Draco had left.

"That was pretty cool, I won't lie," Chang said. Harry turned to her as she started speaking again. "But I'm gonna need to tell McGonagall something."

"Do you really?" Ginny asked, coming up next to him.

"If he complains-" Chang started.

"We've got proof that we didn't start anything," Jessica interrupted her. "Draco pulled out his Wand first."

"Ew," Harry muttered, loud enough to be heard only by Ginny, who snorted but covered it up with a cough. Jessica seemed to have heard it, though, judging by the blush on her face.

"Well," Chang began. "Sure… but-"

"If it comes to it, we'll tell her you stumbled upon us while everything was settling down," Harry said. "Which… wouldn't be a lie."

"Okay," Chang conceded, still kind of hesitant about it all.

"It will be okay," Harry said. "You won't lose your badge over it. Promise."

She looked at him for a moment before nodding. "Alright," she said slowly. "I've worked hard for this, Potter. You won't like it if I do lose it."

Harry raised an eyebrow. "That's the best you can come up with?" He asked with a fake horror struck expression. "Come on. I've heard better threats from Draco."

Chang looked at him weirdly before shaking her head and walking away, leaving them alone. He noticed Jessica staring at him oddly now. "What was that?" She asked slowly.

"What was what?" Harry asked, frowning.

"You and Chang," Jessica replied slowly.

"What about us?" Harry asked. "Give me some context at least."

"You seriously don't see it?" Devon asked, furrowing his brow. He reached out with a hand, seemingly concerned that he had a fever.

Harry batted the hand away. "See what?" Harry asked.

"Never mind," Jessica said, shaking her head in apparent disappointment. "You can connect the dots later on."

Harry frowned in confusion but shrugged and entered the compartment after Jessica anyway. Ginny was looking at him weirdly, too now. What was it with people today!?

Thankfully, her look didn't last long, and they easily slipped back into their old routine of catching up with their summers. Nothing interesting had happened this year, though. Everyone was scared to leave the house because of the fact that the Dementos were free.

They soon reached the Hogsmeade station and Harry and the rest quickly got out of the Train. Harry looked around for Hagrid and found him when he loudly called for the First Years.

Harry and Ginny waved at the man. "Alright, Hagrid!?" They called.

"I'm alright!" He yelled in answer. "How about you!?

"We're fine!" They yelled back.

"Great!" Hagrid said. "I'll see you two tomorrow! ANY MORE FIRST YEARS!?"

Harry and Ginny followed their friends up to the carriages, which led them up to the Gates of the Castle. They all entered the Entrance Hall where they were stopped by Peeves the Poltergeist, who dropped a huge bucket of Water Balloons on them.

Harry had the foresight to cast a Shield Charm over his group of Friends, but pretty much everyone else was soaking from head to toe.

"HAHAHAHA!" Peeves cackled in glee. "Everyone's DRIPPING! And look, Little Malfoy peed his Pants!"

It wasn't actually pee, but Draco was one of the ones on whom the water had splashed in such a way that the only area that was wet was the crotch and the area below it. This, of course, caused everyone to burst out in laughter, which died instantly when McGonagall came in and banished the Poltergeist, drying them off in the process.

Harry and Ginny were led into the Great Hall, where they had to go to opposite sides of the room, since the House Tables had been brought out this time.

Devon and Jessica were sitting near the Quidditch Team, and this was one of the times when Harry preferred solitude, so he sat near the end of the table.

He was all set on ignoring The Sorting Ceremony this year, but when the name "Sean Lewis," was called, Harry couldn't help but pay attention on the boy's sorting.

The kid was blind, but he was walking up the stairs with ease, tapping his cane to the ground with every step. The boy couldn't disguise his nervousness too well, though, and it was plain for Harry to see.

The boy walked up the stairs and put the Sorting Hat on. Three minutes later, the Hat called out, "SLYTHERIN!"

No one clapped, though. The whole Hall was staring at the boy in shock, and Sean didn't move the Hat off his face until he took a deep, calming breath and let it out.

Harry was reminded vividly of his own sorting, no one had clapped for him either, and despite the support from Ginny, he did still feel like he didn't belong, like he never would…

And thus, he couldn't help but clap a few times for the boy, prompting a few other Slytherins, and a lot of students from the other Houses to do the same.

It wasn't enough, but at least he wouldn't feel as though he was all alone.

Sean walked over to where Harry was seated. "Can I sit here?" He asked in a nervous voice.

"Of course," Harry answered. He gestured to the seat next to him, before his face flushed in embarrassment as he remembered that Lewis couldn't see him.

Thankfully, the other boy only chuckled. "It's alright," he said, sitting down. "People do that sometimes."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked.

Sean sighed. "People… forget sometimes. But I'm okay with it. You don't have to treat me differently."

"Okay," Harry said slowly, shaking his head. "How did you know I gestured?"

"I could sense your embarrassment," Sean said.

"Sense my embarrassment?" Harry asked with a raised brow. "Like, with Aurumsense?"

Aurumsense was a powerful branch of Magic that allowed the practitioner to sense the others' Aura, which changed in intensity with the changing of emotions.

"Yes," he responded. "Professor Dumbledore taught me."

"Really?" Harry asked, his own interest piqued. "When?"

"He's been teaching it to me for… what, 5 years now, I think," Sean said. "I live near where he does, and I got into a car accident as a Child. He was able to save my eyes, but I couldn't gain my Vision back."

"I'm sorry," Harry said sympathetically.

"It's alright," Sean said. "I learned about Magic that way, and I'm used to it by now."

"So… what? He taught you Aurumsense so that you could sense the World around you?" Harry asked.

"Yes," Sean replied. "I was only five when the accident happened. I'm glad Dumbledore found me."

Harry was glad, too, even though he didn't say this outright. Sean reminded Harry a lot of himself. Too much, some would say. But they basically had the same story. Two boys who'd led horrible lives, rescued by the Most Powerful Wizard of their age…

"You use Wandless Magic too," Sean stated.

"How'd you know that?" Harry asked. As far as he was aware you couldn't detect whether or not someone was capable of it just by sensing an Aura.

"Your Aura seems like it's practically one with your soul," Sean said. "Which means you've got a better connection with your Magic, which means you probably practice Wandless Magic. It also seems… powerful. Like Dumbledore's."

Harry blinked in surprise, and he was about to reply, but was interrupted by Dumbledore standing up and making his way to the centre of the Podium.

"Welcome," Dumbledore said. "To another year at Hogwarts. I know most of you are hungry, so I shall keep this as short as I can. As always, the Forbidden Forest is Forbidden, The Balck Lake is Big, There is to be no Duelling in corridors, and there are 37 new items added to The List of Banned Items which can be found outside Mr. Filch's office."

"Lastly," Dumbledore continued. "We have a new Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor this year. Let us all welcome, Professor Romulus Grayson."

Romulus Grayson was a man about Hagrid's size, only he looked considerably more fit. He had shoulder length hair with a small beard, there was also a Scar running across his face from the top left to the bottom right.

"That is all," Dumbledore said. "I hope you enjoy your Dinner and have a good Year. Thank you."

The next morning, Harry was waiting in the Common Room for Sean to get down. For some reason, Harry felt very protective of the kid, and he didn't want to leave him alone in the Dungeons, Wandless Magic or not.

He didn't have to wait long, though. Sean apparently woke up just as early as Harry did. Harry got up off the couch and fell in step next to him. "Good morning," Harry said.

"Good morning," Sean greeted back.

"Sleep well?" Harry asked.

"Er…" Sean trailed off.

"Yeah," Harry said as they left the Common Room. Harry understood how bad it could get down here. "Sorry."

"Hey what's your name?" Sean asked him after a few moments.

Harry stopped dead in his tracks. It took a moment for him to realize that they'd never talked about him, or his name last night. "I'm Harry Potter," Harry introduced himself.

Sean's jaw dropped open. "No way!" He exclaimed.

"Yeah," he replied. "Sorry I didn't say anything before-"

"No, no," Sean said. "It's all right. It just came as a shock to be honest. I was expecting you to be… different."

"Different as in the cold hearted Slytherin who's the next Dark Lord?" Harry asked, smirking.

"Yeah," Sean replied, grimacing. "Kind of?"

"Well, you can rest easy," Harry told him, resuming their walk. "I'm not gonna murder you anytime soon."

Sean laughed, and they traveled to the Great Hall getting to know each other a bit better. Neither of them mentioned their families, a fact that didn't go unnoticed by Harry.

He led him over to the table Harry and Ginny usually occupied, noticing that Ginny was already there with Ron and Hermione. "I'm just saying," they heard Ron say. "Divination is much easier than Arithmancy."

"What are we talking about?" Harry asked, sitting down beside Ginny as Sean took a seat next to Harry.

"Electives," Hermione responded, lost in a world of her own.

"Sean Lewis, right?" Ginny asked, looking at the boy in question

Sean nodded. "Yeah," he said.

"I'm Ginny Weasley," she said. "This here is Ron, my brother, and the one next to him is Hermione Granger."

They all said hello, and the topic shifted to their own respective First Years.

"You killed a Troll!?" Sean asked Harry in a whisper.

"She did too," Ron said, nodding at Ginny.

"I did," she said. "I didn't want to… but I did."

"What classes do you have first?" Harry asked Sean, knowing that Ginny still wasn't too comfortable talking about her part in their adventures to anyone else.

"Transfiguration, I think," he asmwered quickly, perhaps sensing the same thing Harry knew. He pulled out a piece of parchment with odd dots on it. Harry belatedly realized that it was in braille script. His assumption was oroven correct when Sean placed a finger on the Parchment and moved from left to right. "Yep," Sean said. "Transfiguration."

"We can take you there since it's your first day," Ginny said. "It's close to the Defence Against The Dark Arts Classroom."

"Alright, thanks," Sean said with a smile.

They quickly finidhed up their Breakfast and led Shawn toward the Transfiguration classroom. There was no one there, though, so Harry and Ginny decided to wait with him, earning a smile from Professor McGonagall when she entered the class.

They would be late for their own class if they stayed longer, though, so they quickly left and ran to the corridor outside the DADA classroom, where everyone was waiting in line.

"What's happening?" Harry asked Devon.

"We were told to wait outside apparently," he replied.

They waited outside the door for a while longer, until they heard the lock click, and saw the door open outward ever so slightly. None of the students wanted to open it though, so Harry and Ginny shared a glance and opened it themselves, stepping into the room.

Harry only had time to register that the room was completely Pitch Black, before they saw a pair of Red colored Spells coming for each of them.

Harry quickly erected a Shield over him and Ginny as Ginny waved her Wand in the air and turned on the lights. The Spells hit the Shield and dissipated, and Harry and Ginny had already pointed their Wands at the direction the Spells came from.

Ginny quickly cast a Disarming Charm, causing the man's Wand to fly away from his hand, but before Harry could do more than get ready to cast a Spell, he recognized the caster as Professor Grayson.

It was as though someone had cast a Silencing Charm around the room. No one spoke or did anything. Harry and Ginny were looking at Professor Grayson in shock as he started back at them with the sma expression.

"Well, I'll be," the Professor said. "Hagrid said you were good, but he didn't mention anything about your Speed. Or your Spellwork. Take 30 points each for your houses."

Harry and Ginny still didn't know what to do as the rest of the students came in. The man had just attacked them after all. But in the end, they couldn't keep the Professor's Wand from him, no matter how hesitant they were.

They took seats near the back of the class as Professor Grayson started speaking. "Your education in Defence Against the Dark Arts had been very lackluster, except for last year when Professor Lupin taught the Class. This little test at the start was to see who's got the most potential in the class. Dumbledore's hired me to train you lot in the best way I can, so open up your books to page 23, I'll give you 5 minutes to read the section on Deflection, and then we'll get started."

Harry did as he asked, and saw that it was only one page worth of information, stating that Deflection was a type of Defensive Shield Spell that caused a low-medium level Spell to bounce off the Shield instead of dissipating upon contact. The Spell would bounce off in random directions, unless it was controlled by angling the Shield such that it gave you a desired outcome. The incantation if the Spell was Deflectere and the Wand movement was a slash in the direction you wanted your Spell to go in.

"Time's up!" Professor Grayson called five minutes later. "Who's gonna go first?"

No one volunteered so Professor Grayson came over to him and Ginny. "Potter? Weasley?" He asked. "Care to try?"

Harry and Ginny looked at each other and shrugged, stepping forward toward the center of the class.

"I'll defend first," Ginny said to him.

"Alright," Harry replied, raising his Wand when she raised hers. Flippendo, he cast.

Ginny slashed her Wand in an arc from left to right, causing the air to ripple as the Wand went through it. Harry's Spell hit the Shield, but instead of dissipating, it bounced back, straight toward Harry, something she probably hadn't meant to do, judging by the direction of her slash.

Deflectere Harry cast, swinging his Wand in the same direction Ginny did. His Spell deflected upward and hit the ceiling, causing a a large scorch mark to appear on the wood.

"Excellent Work!" Professor Grayson cried. "It wasn't perfect, but it was much better than the other first attempt Deflections I've seen. This is how your Spellwork should look like. Take 10 points each for your houses. Everyone else, pair up, and come forward."

A/N 2: About Sean Lewis… he's an OC, more stuff will be revealed about him soon. What's his purpose? Well, he's kind of a replacement for Devon and Jessica.

Let me explain; when I started this story, Devon and Jessixa were meant to be Harry's Ron and Hermione, except they wouldn't go on adventures with him. But, overtime, I've decided to include Ron and Hermione themselves, so they don't have a point anymore. So, I'm either gonna write them off, or I'm gonna keep them, but have them grow distant from Harry, yet remaining close to each other.

The role I had initially planned for those two in Arc II, will now go to Sean Lewis. I'm not saying anything more than that, but you can expect a lot more of Sean, and less of Devon and Jessica.

Also, Matthew Murdock (Daredevil from Marvel) is a huge inspiration for Sean Lewis, even the blindness comes from Matt.

Having Sean be blind also allows me to set certain limits to Magic.

Please leave a review if you enjoyed it, and I'll see you in the next Chapter.

Byee!!