Chapter 9
1 Madam Pomfrey refused to let Harry out until the next morning. When Harry entered the great hall at breakfast there was a long silence, then conversation returned just as loud as before, Harry ignored the people standing up to look at him as he sat down at the Gryffindor table.
"How do you feel?" Ron asked him, as the food appeared.
"I think my back is still a bit bruised. Other than that I'm fine. What's our first class tomorrow?" Harry checked the teachers table, Snape looked unusually quiet and was concentrating on his food, Dumbledore was talking with professor Figg, but he gave Harry a long look, as if to make sure he was okay, thankfully Madam Pomfrey didn't usually eat with the rest of the school.
"Ah, Defense. Professor Figg, we're doing defense against the rotting curse, whatever that is." Ron said, checking his schedule.
**
"Class, the rotting curse is a curse often used by dark wizards so you might want to pay attention. It rots your opponent from the inside out once it hits. The only way to get rid of it is to shoot another rotting curse right at it. However you must make sure not to hit your opponent, if possible. Using this curse on another human or any intelligent life form can easily earn you fifty years in Azkaban, even if it's not functioning there's enough residue from the dementors to keep it the same for a decade. Now the incantation is Rotarus, easy enough, but it takes a lot of power to perform. We'll start on the blocks of wood, then plants, and lastly scorpions." Professor Figg gave them some notes on the curse, when it was invented and by who, and how to perform it. Then they split into groups to try it.
"Rotarus! Rotarus! Argh! I can't do it!" Ron complained, his block of wood looked exactly the same as it had before he used the spell. Hermione was doing a little better, she was atleast producing small beams of orange, but they weren't strong enough to reach the wood from her spot two feet away.
Harry lifted his wand "Rotarus." He said simply and snapped the wand down to point at the wood, a beam of orange light hit it and before their eyes it rotted away to soil.
"Ah! Class, Potter's got it! Good job Harry, ten points to Gryffindor, perfect, and your spell was strong enough to rot it all the way to soil, good!" Professor Figg said, turning everyone's attention to Harry.
"When did you learn that?" Ron asked, as Hermione tried again and succeeded in making a small patch of rot appear on her wood.
"Over the summer, you don't even have to concentrate really, just snap your wand down and will the object to rot, and say it firmly." Harry said, petting Tiger who was sitting on his lap. The cat had refused to be shut out of any of Harry's classes, at first the teachers threw him out, but by the end of class he always ended up inside. Eventually they just stopped trying, and, much to Harry's amusement occasionally petted the cat as they taught.
"Rotarus!" Ron said firmly and snapped his wand down, slowly, very slowly, the wood began to rot. It stopped when it was only half gone, but Ron was ecstatic. "Rotarus!" Soon his former block of wood resembled Harry's, but Hermione just couldn't get it, finally near the end of class hers rotted away.
"I've got to find time to practice that spell! It might be on the exams, I was the last one to get it work you know! Maybe I should go for extra help." Ron rolled his eyes.
"Hermione it's just one spell, relax, Harry?" Harry nodded and they both ducked into the shadows, they leaned back against a painting "Marauders." Ron muttered, and they both fell through and into a secret passage, Hermione soon followed.
"Okay, what are we doing today?" She asked them, Ron held out some fire works.
"In the staff table's food." They followed the passage down tot he kitchens.
"Hey Dobby, how are you?" Harry asked the house elf as Ron and Hermione set up the fireworks.
"Harry Potter sir! Dobby is doing fine sir, how are you? Dobby heard you was injured sir." The house elf said, looking very worried.
"I'm fine Dobby, just came to see you, good bye!" They left again, and hurried to lunch with everyone else, ducking back out of the passage and into the crowd so that the only one who saw was Neville.
"Uh oh, what did you do this time?" He asked warily.
"Just wait and see, nothing to terrible, just a few fireworks in the teachers food." Harry said, smiling like a cat with a canary. Neville shook his head and grinned, the truth was that the whole school enjoyed the Marauders pranks, so long as they weren't the receivers of it.
1 Madam Pomfrey refused to let Harry out until the next morning. When Harry entered the great hall at breakfast there was a long silence, then conversation returned just as loud as before, Harry ignored the people standing up to look at him as he sat down at the Gryffindor table.
"How do you feel?" Ron asked him, as the food appeared.
"I think my back is still a bit bruised. Other than that I'm fine. What's our first class tomorrow?" Harry checked the teachers table, Snape looked unusually quiet and was concentrating on his food, Dumbledore was talking with professor Figg, but he gave Harry a long look, as if to make sure he was okay, thankfully Madam Pomfrey didn't usually eat with the rest of the school.
"Ah, Defense. Professor Figg, we're doing defense against the rotting curse, whatever that is." Ron said, checking his schedule.
**
"Class, the rotting curse is a curse often used by dark wizards so you might want to pay attention. It rots your opponent from the inside out once it hits. The only way to get rid of it is to shoot another rotting curse right at it. However you must make sure not to hit your opponent, if possible. Using this curse on another human or any intelligent life form can easily earn you fifty years in Azkaban, even if it's not functioning there's enough residue from the dementors to keep it the same for a decade. Now the incantation is Rotarus, easy enough, but it takes a lot of power to perform. We'll start on the blocks of wood, then plants, and lastly scorpions." Professor Figg gave them some notes on the curse, when it was invented and by who, and how to perform it. Then they split into groups to try it.
"Rotarus! Rotarus! Argh! I can't do it!" Ron complained, his block of wood looked exactly the same as it had before he used the spell. Hermione was doing a little better, she was atleast producing small beams of orange, but they weren't strong enough to reach the wood from her spot two feet away.
Harry lifted his wand "Rotarus." He said simply and snapped the wand down to point at the wood, a beam of orange light hit it and before their eyes it rotted away to soil.
"Ah! Class, Potter's got it! Good job Harry, ten points to Gryffindor, perfect, and your spell was strong enough to rot it all the way to soil, good!" Professor Figg said, turning everyone's attention to Harry.
"When did you learn that?" Ron asked, as Hermione tried again and succeeded in making a small patch of rot appear on her wood.
"Over the summer, you don't even have to concentrate really, just snap your wand down and will the object to rot, and say it firmly." Harry said, petting Tiger who was sitting on his lap. The cat had refused to be shut out of any of Harry's classes, at first the teachers threw him out, but by the end of class he always ended up inside. Eventually they just stopped trying, and, much to Harry's amusement occasionally petted the cat as they taught.
"Rotarus!" Ron said firmly and snapped his wand down, slowly, very slowly, the wood began to rot. It stopped when it was only half gone, but Ron was ecstatic. "Rotarus!" Soon his former block of wood resembled Harry's, but Hermione just couldn't get it, finally near the end of class hers rotted away.
"I've got to find time to practice that spell! It might be on the exams, I was the last one to get it work you know! Maybe I should go for extra help." Ron rolled his eyes.
"Hermione it's just one spell, relax, Harry?" Harry nodded and they both ducked into the shadows, they leaned back against a painting "Marauders." Ron muttered, and they both fell through and into a secret passage, Hermione soon followed.
"Okay, what are we doing today?" She asked them, Ron held out some fire works.
"In the staff table's food." They followed the passage down tot he kitchens.
"Hey Dobby, how are you?" Harry asked the house elf as Ron and Hermione set up the fireworks.
"Harry Potter sir! Dobby is doing fine sir, how are you? Dobby heard you was injured sir." The house elf said, looking very worried.
"I'm fine Dobby, just came to see you, good bye!" They left again, and hurried to lunch with everyone else, ducking back out of the passage and into the crowd so that the only one who saw was Neville.
"Uh oh, what did you do this time?" He asked warily.
"Just wait and see, nothing to terrible, just a few fireworks in the teachers food." Harry said, smiling like a cat with a canary. Neville shook his head and grinned, the truth was that the whole school enjoyed the Marauders pranks, so long as they weren't the receivers of it.