Disclaimer: Everything belongs to J.K Rowling.

Chapter 14: Striding

"Focus," urged my master.

I directed my wand at the small matchstick on the table in front of me and imagined it turning into a small, but beautiful, butterfly. Unfortunately, I had no more success here than I had had in my transfiguration class.

I sighed and leaned back in my chair. I really tried to stay positive despite my lack of success but it was proving increasingly difficult.

"If I can't even do this, how on earth am I supposed to manage to do anything else? I am lightyears away from doing anything useful in a fight!" I stood up and started pacing, it felt like I was getting nowhere. I sent a glance towards my master and had to suppress a wince.

Her being angry was manageable. Irritation was fine. Outright disappointment was the one thing I really didn't want to feel radiating from my mentor.

"Transfiguring things into living objects is very much like breaking a dam," my master began dispassionately. "Once a single crack is formed, all of the dam will break with it. Stay persistent."

"I've literally tried to learn this one transfiguration for months. I have had no success at all." I slumped down in my chair and sighed. "Perhaps I'm just not very good at transfiguration, I should learn another way to fight."

My master pinched her nose at my declaration. "I'll have you know that my favoured way to fight is with transfiguration," she snapped venomously. "I won't have my apprentice anything other than a master in the subject."

I stared at her incredulously. "I think you're getting just a little ahead of yourself. We can't talk about me reaching the stars when I can't even leave the ground."

Rowena only observed me neutrally as I ranted on. "You won't just reach the stars under my tutelage, you'll explore unknown galaxies, but it is as you say. I will have to teach you how to jump and, in time, fly before anything else."

"Yeah, I'll be a great explorer of galaxies," I agreed sarcastically.

Rowena raised a brow to show how unimpressed she was with my behaviour. "When transfiguring an object into a 'living' object, the object won't be alive. It'll simply be moving, you can not create life with transfiguration. Your focus lies in the wrong place," she lectured and I found myself listening intently. This was quite a different approach from McGonagall's methods. She had explained it as if that was the case and to make it possible, the anatomy had to be perfect. "Don't focus on making the butterfly sentient, that is irrelevant. Focus on making a perfect butterfly and your imagination will do the rest."

"Let me guess, I'll need to be creative to succeed?"

"Definitely, you've learned everything about a butterfly. You don't have the time to learn as much about everything, therefore you'll need to be creative."

I watched her, confused. "What? Am I supposed to just invent new anatomies for every moving object in tranfigure?"

"No, but the inside is usually irrelevant in short term situations, like in a battle. As long as your transfiguration has the needed basics, like a brain, a heart and so on. It should work." Rowena raised her wand and pointed at the matchstick. With a little flick and the only trace of the piece of wood was the butterfly left in its wake.

"That butterfly won't survive long," my master explained coldly as we watched the pretty, purple butterfly flutter around the room. "It lacks a digestive system and reproductive system. Should you want to use it in a fight, it'll survive for the time needed, not much longer."

I picked my wand back up as the butterfly was turned back into the matchstick. My piece of holly was pointed at the object which had been plaguing my transfiguration lessons this year.

"I'll give it a try then."

-()-

"A maze?" Ron asked, clearly confused. "But won't that be as awful as the second task."

I sent him a glare over the table for mentioning my…lacklustre performance in the second task.

"I mean for the audience," he corrected quickly. "We couldn't see anything but the surface, could we? Most boring hour I've ever had."

I doubted that many actually found the hour that boring, it wasn't that hard to guess that me lying unconscious would be a large source of amusement to the crowd. I could see where he was coming from though.

"I think this task will be more…enjoyable to the audience," I stated mysteriously and watched Ron and Hermione perk up.

"Have they said something?" Hermione demanded curiously.

"No," I answered with a mischievous smile. "But I've got the feeling that some people will share your frustrations and do something about it."

"Alright, that wasn't vague at all Harry." Hermione looked very unamused by my less than forthcoming statements.

"Exactly," I responded with a smile, completely ignoring how her statement had been obviously sarcastic. "Anyway, how is your studying for your exams going? Did I mention I didn't have any this year?"

Hermione smiled sweetly as Ron scowled, "You've mentioned it. Once or twice."

"More like seven hundred times," came a muttered comment from Ron.

I completely ignored Ron's sullen comment and broadened my smile, "Your education is important," I scolded sternly. "Are you sure you're studying enough?"

This time, Hermione sent a glare at me which promised that I wouldn't receive any help with homework again. She knew, that I knew, that she was studying several hours each day. The colour coded timetable had returned in full force, only this time I hadn't received one. Still, we were only in early May, which meant that there was just shy of a month until their exams, and my crucible.

We slowly trudged out of the heated great hall on our way to transfiguration class. It was one of those spring days where you would hear comments about 'how summer finally was here', only for drenching rains to subscede only a couple of days later. That didn't change the fact that the Hogwarts robes were ill designed for warm weather.

The corridors didn't have the warmth of the food radiating out however, which meant it wasn't suffocating. I was also quite sure that McGonagall had charmed, or knowing her, transfigured, something to omit a cool breeze. As long as that particular piece of magic was removed before the impending unslaughts of water and thunder, it would be just fine.

We reached the classroom early, but there were still a fair few students milling about outside the wooden doors which lead inside McGonagall's room. All three of us were panting slightly from the arduous walk, it shouldn't have been that tiring. We all were flushed slightly pink, partly from exhaustion,but perhaps also from embarrassment. There was a legitimate argument to introduce a physical education class at Hogwarts, with flying lessons cancelled, this became more obvious.

I felt a slight twinge of concern over my physical condition, my new health regime wasn't anything majorly different from my previous meal and exercise tendencies, eating more was the instruction in essence, apparently, me being underweight was the primary issue. But standing and panting after a five minute walk did not smoulder the ember of discomfort at being this physicallyweak so close to a tournament.

It was a can of worms to open another time, since my musings were rudely interrupted by Malfoy deciding that peace and quiet was obsolete.

I couldn't quite make out what he was screaming about down in the corridor but based on the first year who was shrinking in fear beneath him, it was not unreasonable to assume that said first year had done something to offend him. Malfoy would have been offended by breathing from the wrong person so that didn't say too much.

My battery of enthusiasm for saving first years had been almost depleted this past year. Almost was the key word. I could save this one person, one last person saved from the seemingly terrifying Malfoy. Terrifying to people three years his junior, that is.

I strided over to where Malfoy was standing with his den of snakes behind him. It looked as if a bottle of ink had been destroyed on the floor. The black liquid had left a stain Filch would be hard pressed to remove.

"Ferret! I shouted to garner his attention.

The death glare I got in return was almost tame. Shame, it seemed that he had been desensitised to that insult. That was a good thing to remember for the future.

"Come to save the day again, Potter?" he asked tiredly. "I think you forgot your shining armour."

"I don't need any armour to deal with harmless hobs," I declared with a sweet smile. "Their teeth are laughably dull."

"How amusing," Malfoy declared. "Thing is, this…person here doesn't deserve to be saved."

I raised my eyebrows. "Really? What has he done? Looked at you oddly?"

Malfoy clenched his fists. "No, he tried to throw a bottle of ink at Daphne."

"It seems like he missed," I remarked with a nod towards the very ink-free Greengrass.

"That's besides the point," he said resolutely. "It is very rude to throw bottles of ink at people."

I rolled my eyes. "How righteous of you to deliver justice to the poor souls of Hogwarts."

He shook his head and stepped away from the silent first year who immediately ran away. "See what I did there?"

I snorted and walked away to begin the lesson.

The best way to win a fight is to never start it.

"Today, we are going to attempt inanimate to animate transfiguration, again," McGonagall announced as soon as everyone had seated themselves.

A general groan followed that statement, but I didn't join in on the complaining. The matchsticks were levitated to each and every desk as they had many times before. They were met with everything from death glares to threats, it was an interesting idea; threatening an object into obedience.

"We have attempted this before." McGonagall stood with her chin raised and surveyed the classroom.

"That's an understatement," Ron muttered, drawing a few snickers from the others.

McGonagall didn't hear or chose to ignore that comment and continued on. "I didn't expect anyone to succeed the first time around, nor the second and third."

Internally, I was questioning the purpose of metaphorically banging our heads on a wall made of the hardest of diamonds. Surely, if no one came even close to managing the assigned task, then it was clearly out of our league.

"But you have all managed to go the other way around, from animate to inanimate transfiguration. Therefore, we will now shift our focus to this entirely. If you do not succeed within the frames of our classes, then I expect that you will complete this in your freetime. Or face consequences." I could hear the slow, rhythmic beat of my heart after her proclamation was delivered. No one uttered a single word, I wasn't even sure that some of my classmates breathed. Lavender looked particularly ashen, perhaps due to a lack of oxygen?

After a few seconds of McGonagall staring at us sternly, Seamus' hand slowly crept through the air.

"Yes, Mr. Finnigan?"

Seamus gulped and took a breath before speaking. "But Professor…er…it's impossible. No one is even close, not even Hermione." Hermione in turn blushed but glared at Finnigan for his public announcement of her abilities, or lack thereof. Many others nodded in agreement and a few 'yeah's and 'exactly' were muttered throughout the room.

"I can assure you Mr. Finnigan that the task is very possible indeed. The headmaster managed this when he was fourteen, which you all are at the very least now." McGonagall received several incredulous stares after that, which I couldn't really fault them for. Using Dumbledore as an example of the standards in transfiguration was…interesting. Dumbledore was generally seen as the best transfigurer alive, expecting an average student to be as proficient was demanding a little too much in my opinion.

McGonagall clapped her hands twice in rapid succession, "Now get to work!"

The benefit of sitting in the back was that you could see everyone else's progress. I noticed that some, including Seamus, refused to even touch their wands.

"Okay, Harry, you go first," Hermione urged tiredly, she seemed about as enthusiastic about this whole debacle as the rest of them. The usual gleam in her eye when met with a challenge was almost completely dulled.

"No, you go first," I countered. "If not even Hermione can do it, how in the devil's snare am I meant to?" I continued with a smile. Ron snorted at the declaration but Hermione only huffed.

"If you have to be so childish."

Hermione raised her chin and pointed her wand at the much hated matchstick. Her eyes were narrowed in concentration, I could practically see her gears turning as she tried to envision all the necessities needed for it to work.

"Bepilio." she whispered softly. To her credit, a somewhat dented wing appeared on the side of the matchstick, that was as far as anyone had come before. Hermione shrieked in delight, quickly drawing the attention of the class. People strained their necks to get a good look at our table. McGonagall strided over and examined the matchstick closely.

"Well done Ms. Granger, take 2 points to Gryffindor. Remember, to have the entire goal in mind."

"Of course, Professor." Hermione was glowing. She had a beaming smile etched over the entire face, I couldn't help but smile at her obvious joy at something so small. Soon everyone returned to their own, futile, attempts to complete the herculean feat.

"Not bad." I remarked as everyone had left. "But not perfect." Hermione huffed indignantly as I took my wand out swiftly, with one simple motion, I aimed my wand at the hopefully would-be-butterfly.

"Bepilio." My muttered spell came with a slightly swoosh. In about a second, legs, wings and small antennas grew from the small form of the matchstick. Hermione and Ron had their eyes wide open at the creature who began to take a few hesitant flaps of their wings. The wings in question were black, with a zigzag pattern of purple. I sent a mental glare at my master for forcing me to make it purple, why did everything have to be purple?

"How…?" Hermione was speechless. Hermione was rarely speechless.

Heads turned and gasps of admiration, or envy, were heard in the classroom as everyone stared at the small, innocuous bug.

I could have sworn that McGonagall had a small smile on her lips as she approached the flying creature, which landed neatly on her palm.

"Excellent pattern, no traces of wood. Dare I say this is a perfect transfiguration," she declared in front of the class. "Exemplary transfiguration, Granger…twenty…"

"No Professor, you misunderstand," Hermione interrupted and turned to the Professor. "I wasn't the one who did it." She raised her hand and pointed at me, "Harry did."

The classroom was silent. As was far too common nowadays, everyone's attention was turned towards me. I didn't know what to say, so I just waited for McGonagall to continue.

"Right, well then. Twenty points to Gryffindor in any case, an exemplary piece of transfiguration.

"Thank you, Professor. And by chance, do you know when our headmaster's birthday is?"

-()-

"I trust Malfoy."

Okay, perhaps that part wasn't entirely true. Hermione and Ron, mostly Hermione, had demanded to know what my plan was for the third and final task. I told them I wanted to win, which actually surprised them. Hermione even had the audacity to raise her eyebrows.

"You do realise that you are dead last?" she had said with her eyebrows perilously close to her hairline.

"I'll only have to make up about five minutes, easy peasy." I countered easily. "Delacour stands no chance."

One thing had led to another and I now found myself being grilled for information about my cooperation with Malfoy.

Hermione looked at me like I had grown a second head after my proclamation that Malfoy was, after all, trustworthy.

"If we wouldn't have been sitting together for the last three hours, I would have thought that you were someone else disguised. Do you realise what you just said?" Ron stared at me incredulously, like I had grown three extra heads, instead of just one.

"I know, I know. He may not look trustworthy…" I trailed off, not quite sure where I was going with that. "But he is kind of reliable here. To an extent, in the right circumstance." Ron shrugged but Hermione was not so keen on letting the matter drop.

"Just to be clear here. You were betrayed by someone which resulted in you being…er…unavailable for the second task."

"That's right." I was beginning to suspect where this was going.

"So your logical decision for the next task is to put trust in someone less trustworthy than the person who betrayed you?"

"When you put it like that, it doesn't sound so smart."

Hermione looked at me triumphantly and Ron's brows were furrowed.

"But you are missing the most important part," I continued quickly. "We share a common interest here. He gains as much as I do."

"Let's assume that is true," Hermione said. "So exactly what is it that you both gain from this…collaboration?"

"You'll find out at the same time as everyone else." I smiled at them sweetly. "Wouldn't want to ruin the surprise."

Hermione was clearly not finished and opened her mouth to say something, but Ron cut her off.

"It better be a good show. Just give Delacour an extra stinging hex from me when you meet her."

"Of course, anything from you 'Mione?" I asked sweetly.

"Ughhh."

-()-

"Harry!" a familiar voice cried out behind me.

I turned around and was met with the familiar visage of Cedric Diggory. "Hi Cedric, what's up?"

Cedric shot a hesitant look at Ron, who was accompanying me on my way to herbology.

"He's safe," I assured him quickly. Cedric still looked uncertain but accepted my words.

"Okay, I won't take much of your time. I just want to tell you that Krum is out for blood." He said it very conversationally, as if talking about how someone desired your demise was entirely normal. "He has not forgotten the…uh…slight to his headmaster."

I chuckled which caused Cedric to frown, "Nor have I forgotten his slights against me."

Cedric frowned further, "But you don't desire blood, right?"

"Of course not," I said with a smile. "I've only landed in the hospital more times than I can count, why would I want blood involved?"

Cedric chuckled nervously, "Right…anyways, I must hurry to charms." With that, he ran off, leaving me and Ron to ourselves again. We fell into step again and had to put a bit more haste in, lest we make Madam Hooch upset at our late arrival.

"You didn't mean the part about seeking blood, right mate?" Ron blurted out suddenly.

I looked at him sideways, "I don't want to kill him, if that is what you're asking." Ron visibly relaxed which made me uncomfortable at how concerned my friends were that I would actually kill someone. I hadn't been that despondent the past year, right?

"They have done everything except killing you," Ron started insightfully. "I can't really fault you if you want to do the same thing back, can I?"

-()-

"There is a fortnight until the second task." Rowena sat as she usually did with her hands folded neatly in her lap. "I think you are adequately prepared to handle the task."

"I sense a 'but' coming." I said as my master said 'but'. She glared at me and sent a stinging hex. Now fully aware of her…violent proclivity, I managed to jerk away from the path of the small spell hastily. Rowena tried to glare at me further, but her lips quirked slightly at the ends. I could tell she was pleased.

"But, your only goal is not to win, is it?"

"No, I want revenge on Delacour as well," I admitted bluntly.

"Does this revenge include you defeating her in battle?" Rowena tilted her head slightly.

"That's a very dramatic way of putting it, but essentially, yes."

"I see." Rowena paused for a few moments and narrowed her eyes at me. I squirmed a bit under her intense gaze but met her eye as confidently as I could. "How proficient do you think you are?" she asked curiously.

"Good enough."

"Really? Because I've trained you for the last few weeks and there are very few signs that you can defeat someone three years your senior," she stated bluntly.

"I'll manage." I glared at her, why did she feel the constant need to belittle my abilities?

"No, you won't." My master smiled at me condescendingly. "You are nowhere near good enough actually."

"I've learned loads the past few weeks, I reckon I could beat most at Hogwarts in a duel," I argued stubbornly. Now that she said it, I felt quite stupid for being that confident that I could. I still thought I stood a fair chance at beating her, my determination would certainly help.

"What do you have that will make you win? Anger? Stubbornness? Stupidity?" Rowena challenged mockingly.

"I have you," I stated, hoping that some flattery would help me get somewhere.

My master laughed at that, but it lacked any mirth. It was a cold, condescending laughter, like you laughed at someone making a fool of themselves publicly. It struck me that this was the first time I had heard her laugh.

She tilted her head and looked at me with a smirk. "Doesn't really matter. Let's say I am a book of information. Then you are the reader who only understands but a fraction of the languages the book is written in. You're an amateur. You have no special ability in anything, yet."

"What do you get out of just insulting me?" I shook my head, if your goal is to shatter my confidence, the congratulations. You're succeeding."

"How astute of you," Rowena taunted sarcastically. "What I am trying to tell you is that you shouldn't go into any encounter expecting to win."

"Not even against a first year?" I asked with raised eyebrows. "I'm not awful, you know."

"By adult wizarding standards, you are worse than awful," Rowena corrected bluntly.

Ouch, that hurt.

"Unfortunately for you Ms. Delacour is an adult, and an above average one in terms of ability." Rowena paused briefly and licked her lips. "Fortunately for you, she has some glaring weaknesses."

"Will you tell me what those weaknesses are?"

"I really shouldn't," Rowena admitted sternly. "But I found myself rather…offended on your behalf after Delacour's stunt. I will help you, of course. I want to make one thing clear though, no matter who you come up against and how strong you perceive yourself. Never go into a fight expecting to win. Even the smallest of spiders can kill a lion."

I nodded mutely, "I'll never be arrogant."

Rowena sighed at my words, "That statement is contradictory. Believing yourself incapable of arrogance, is quite arrogant. Don't you agree?"

I blinked a few times, trying to wrap my head around her logic. "Er, yeah, I guess."

My master nodded and was apparently finished with her more philosophical lecture. "Do you remember your venture into Delacour's room?"

"Yeah, it was awful."

My master actually snorted at that, "I don't think you felt that way back then."

"Perhaps I've had a change of perspective," I eventually admitted.

"Indeed, but to the matter at hand. What do you remember of the room, not what happened or its inhabitant, but what was special about the room?"

"The entire carriage held a large forest, everything was made out of bushes and trees, even furniture," I recalled with my brows furrowed.

"Beauxbatons is renowned for the ability to shape beings of nature, something which we can assume Delacour is proficient in," my master explained rapidly. I nodded along with that, Delacour had said something similar when I visited, if I recalled correctly.

"Anything else of note about the room?"

I furrowed my brows in concentration, trying to recall things about the actual room. My memories of what happened in the room were much less vivid.

"It was warm," I declared eventually. "The rest of the carriage had blue lights and was cool. Her room was warm with orange and red lights," I elaborated quickly.

My master raised her eyebrows and I could have sworn that she looked impressed for a second. It could admittedly have been the flames flickering across her face strangely, my master was not someone who got impressed by anything.

"Astute observation," she complimented slowly. "As it is, Delacour is a veela and they tend to have a proclivity towards fire."

"So if I learn to counter fire and…nature, I will win?"

Rowena pinched her nose. "I think it is thoroughly naive to assume she is anything less than average in every branch, but those are her strengths, yes."

"So I can use water?" I thought out loud. "Perhaps use rocks and other lifeless materials to counter nature?"

Rowena's lips turned upwards in a smile which lacked any real mirth. "You have a lot to learn in the next two weeks…" she paused and stared into the flames for a moment.

"I will do what it takes," I said resolutely. "I will defeat her no matter what."

Rowena arched an eyebrow. "No arrogance, remember?" She sighed heavily, "perhaps it is time for you to stop playing with sticks and stones."

"I've been playing with sticks and stones here?" I demanded incredulously. "You've impaled me twice!"

"You're right. You've been playing with your arms tied behind your back. And in two, short weeks, you must know how to handle a sword."

-()-

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