Disclaimer: These people don't belong to me...wish they did, but I can't write as well with them as Joanne K. Rowling does. I just own this little scene:
The day before the Quidditch match between Gryffindor and Slytherin, Harry and Ginny were found in the common room with two tables in front of them. Both surfaces were covered in open books and parchment.
"Okay, so all we have to do is the spell we've been practicing? And then we just cast all the spells that will enhance the magical properties?" Ginny asked Harry, holding up the two way mirrors.
"Well, we have to bind the mirrors first. That way, they'll work together. Then we apply all the different spells to make them work," Harry said, reading from a book about repairing magical objects.
"Okay, let's just fix this one," Ginny said, pointing her wand at the broken mirror and all it's pieces. "Repairo," she muttered. The mirror was instantly fixed.
"Alright, now let me cast this..." Harry said, taking out his wand as well. He cast a spell to bind the magic of both mirrors, and then said, "Applikatory!" Both mirrors gave off a faint blue glow.
"We have twenty minutes before the spell wears off," Ginny said, reading from another book. "Okay, here's the list of spells we need to cast--"
They worked for twenty minutes, casting every necessary spell. Then, the blue glow flickered and died. Harry picked up one mirror and gave the other to Ginny.
"Do you want to try--?" Harry asked Ginny. But she interupted:
"No, you do it. They're your mirrors."
"Alright then. Ginny Weasley," Harry said clearly to the mirrors. Instantly, the mirror changed. Instead of showing his face, it showed Ginny's. He smiled, and she smiled back.
"Wow, you got it to work!" Hermione said. She and Ron had been doing prefect duties, and had just appeared behind Harry's chair, looking over the top of his head at the mirrors.
"Don't sound so shocked," Harry said, even though he was quite as surprised as she was that it had worked. For weeks, he and Ginny had been trying to find the correct spells to use on the mirrors. They had even skipped Hogsmeade weekend, choosing instead to work in the common room.
Ron sat down and began talking to Harry immediatly. "The match is tomorrow, Harry. Don't we need to get some last minute practice in?"
Harry laughed. He had become a bit like Oliver Wood over the last couple months. The Gryffindor Quidditch team had practiced twice a week since mid-September. Of course, he didn't spend nearly as much time talking in the locker rooms. Instead, if he wanted to try a play, he'd explain it out on the field.
"I think we're ready to beat the Slytherins into the ground," Harry said.
"Alright then. But we'd better get some rest. I'll be up at 5:00, I'm so nervous," Ginny said, standing up.
"Good idea, Gin. Hey, TEAM!" Ron yelled. Harry didn't mind Ron taking some responsibility in leading the Quidditch team. He felt he had enough work to do as it was, with Voldemort perfectly healthy again. Ron was yelling out to the common room again, "Get to bed, we have a match tomorrow!"
Harry smiled. Saying good night to Ginny and Hermione, he and Ron went upstairs to the very top of the tower. Entering the dormitory, Harry pulled off his robes, got into his fourposter, and closed the curtains.
"Reckon we'll win, Harry?" Ron muttered sleepily from his own fourposter next to Harry's.
"Yeah, I hope so..." Harry said, drifting off into a very deep sleep.
But his sleep was interupted the next morning at the break of dawn. He wondered what woke him up, but didn't find anything unusual. Thinking he must've been nervous, Harry got up and dressed. Ron started to wake as well, so Harry went downstairs to the common room to wait for him.
Ginny was already awake, looking as if she hadn't gotten any sleep.
"Ginny, are you feeling well?" Harry asked.
"I just couldn't sleep, Harry. It's--" she yawned before finishing, "It's nothing."
Ron came downstairs moments later, dressed and tired. The rest of the team was still asleep, so the three went down to breakfast alone. Once there, Harry took a seat between Ron and Ginny.
"Why don't we have some coffee?" Harry suggested. He poured them each a drink and then took one himself. Normally, he didn't enjoy coffee, but seeing as they were going to need the energy, he decided on drinking it. As soon as he did, he felt warmth spread to his fingers, and energy waiting to be used out on the Quidditch field inside him.
Spooning some eggs onto everyone's plate, Harry began to eat even though he didn't feel hungry. The rest of the Gryffindor team arrived shortly, as well as Hermione.
"Well, be sure to beat Slytherin today, Harry!" Hermione said, sitting beside Ron.
"That's what I was trying to do," Harry said. But in reality, he knew they had better players than Slytherin. It only depended on brooms and bludgers.
After a few moments of silence, the entire team stood up and exited the hall for the locker rooms.
Once they all had their scarlet robes on, Harry tried to say something to the team, but couldn't think of anything. Oliver and Angelina had always been good at giving talks before a game, but Harry's throat had gone dry, and he couldn't say a word.
So, when the time came to walk onto the field, Harry nodded at the team. They nodded back as one, and the Gryffindor Quidditch team walked onto the field to a thunderous applause.
Madam Hooch shouted over the noise, "Captains, shake hands!"
Harry shook hands with a large sixth year Slytherin. Then, as Madam Pomfrey blew her wistle, he kicked off the ground and flew higher than the other players in search of the Snitch.
It was a cool clear day, and Harry spotted the small golden ball in minutes. Taking a steep dive, he stretched out his hand and was about to catch it when Goyle swung his bat at a speed bludger. The heavy ball collided with the back of Harry's neck just as he pulled out of the dive. Hanging onto his broom, Harry vaguely heard someone announcing a penalty to Gryffindor.
"Harry, are you alright?" Ginny called from her broom.
"Y-yeah," Harry stuttered, fighting to keep his eyes open. He didn't plan on starting the game with an injury. The pain in his neck was creeping down his back like a dissillusionment spell. But it was much more uncomfortable than any spell. His back felt like it was being ripped in half; like someone was pulling his arms in opposite directions and stretching them as far as they could go.
Ginny sped off to intercept the Quaffle. After she had left, Harry began to look for the Snitch again. He hardly noticed that Malfoy wasn't tailing him like usual. Harry took a second to search the match. Malfoy was no where in sight...
While looking for any bit of gold in the mass of red and green, Harry's nerves mounted. He didn't like the fact that Malfoy was no longer in sight. But no one seemed to notice that only one seeker was on the pitch.
It was long after the game begun when Harry saw the Snitch again. Taking another dive, Harry reached out his arm.
"Just a bit further," he told himself, stretching his fingers out as far as they would go. Finally, he closed his hand, wings poking between his fingers. He had the Snitch. They had won.
The crowd was ringing with applause. Harry was so cheerful, he took a lap around the pitch...but something happened. Both the surprise and the pain of the next event sent Harry forward in a burst of speed.
Someone from below him said in a cold voice, "Crucio!"
Harry was in agony. He vaguely felt himself collide with a wall, but it didn't hurt as much as the Cruciatus curse. He slipped from his broom, screaming, and blacked out before he hit the ground.
Harry awoke to the smell of several potions. He opened his eyes and saw that Ron was reading a book on the next bed. Hermione was sitting next to him, sleeping, her head on Ron's shoulder. Ginny was in a chair by Harry's bed, leaning over his bed completely so that her head rested on her folded arms.
Harry took his glasses from the bedside table and put them on. Everything came into sharp focus, and Ron suddenly looked up from his book.
"Harry!" he whispered excitedly. Harry supposed that Ron was trying not to wake the girls. "You're awake!"
"Of course I'm awake. How long was I out?" Harry asked, dreading the answer.
"A week. For a while, Dumbledore was really worried. But eventually, we knew you'd come out of it. You actually woke up a bit earlier than expected."
Harry sighed, then said, "What are you all doing here if I wasn't supposed to wake up yet?"
"Because, mate. Everyone thought you were dying for a while there...we just sort of had to make sure you were okay."
Harry laughed grimly. "So, do you know what happened?"
Ron looked down, and talked to his feet. "We didn't catch the person...but I'll tell you what happened when you fell," he added, looking apologetically at Harry.
"Alright then."
"Well, you hit the ground from a fifty foot drop, and this time Dumbledore didn't have much time to slow you down. It was really sudden and all...Anyway, when you hit, he, McGonagall, Snape, and Lysander all hurried out of the stands. They sort of stood in a circle around you, facing out. They all had their wands out, but we dunno what that was about. It was like there was someone there...invisible,"
"I think there was someone there," Harry said.
At this point, Ginny started to wake up. She lifted her head, saw Harry sitting up, and screamed, "Harry!" Then, she threw her arms around him in a hug.
"Ow, Gin--" Harry gasped. His back felt like it had been stripped raw.
"Sorry, Harry," she said. "It's just been so horrible..."
Hermione had woken at Ginny's voice, and she came over to Harry and gave him a much lighter hug.
"Are you alright?" Hermione asked worriedly.
"Yeah, I'm fine--" Harry started. But Madam Pomfrey had just reached his bed and was staring down at him.
"You are not fine, Mr. Potter," she said stiffly.
"No, really, can't I go to the common room and--"
But Madam Pomfrey took hold of him, leaned him forward, and prodded him sharply on the back. Harry said, "Ow!", and Madam Pomfrey smiled slightly.
"Now, Mr. Potter...when that feels better, you may leave." She turned on her heel and left to her office.
"When did she become so caring for her patients?" Ron asked saracastically. He was grinning at Harry.
"You know, Harry, you DO always say you're fine when you aren't. I expect Madam Pomfrey just wanted to get it through your head that you aren't always fine," Hermione said, grinning as well.
Harry tried to get out of bed, but three pairs of hands pushed him back against his pillows.
"I'm fine!" Harry tried to protest, but they just looked down at him, a bit more seriously than before.
The next week, Harry was given several potions to take, and the teachers came up to give him his homework after their classes were over.
Professor Lysander came in after the Gryffindor sixth years' Defense class. He had a broomstick and a Snitch in his hand. The Snitch was fluttering its wings madly, trying to get free.
"I thought I'd bring you your homework," Professor Lysander said, smiling.
"What--" Harry began.
"Basically, I wanted to tell you that since you're the top of your year, you hardly need to practice the next spell, I'm sure. We've just practiced Stunning Spells, but I know you already know that one. So, if you're up to it, we'll do a bit of a practical and then I'll just leave."
"Sure, I'm up to it," Harry said.
"Alright. I only brought your broomstick because I thought you'd like to know it's safe. The Snitch, however, is what you'll be stunning."
Harry's mouth dropped open.
"A--a Snitch?"
"Yes. We can't do it in here, however. Madam Pomfrey would force feed me a few potions if I tried to have you do a practical lesson in the infirmary. Let me just ask her if I could borrow you for a second..." Lysander said, leaving for Madam Pomfrey's office, putting the fist with the Snitch in his pocket.
When Lysander came back, he was grinning. "We've got a classroom just down the hall that we can go to if you're feeling well."
"I'm fine," Harry said again. He stood up and left with Professor Kiron Lysander.
They reached an empty classroom, and Harry walked into it with his wand out, wondering how he was going to stun a Snitch.
"Alright. I've taken the charms off this particular Snitch so you can stun it. Normally, there's an sort of spell on it that repels stunners. It may take a while to stun it, but we have plenty of time before dinner, and I'm sure you've been wanting to get out of the hospital wing," he said, holding up the Snitch.
"Okay, so I just need to try and stun it while it flies around the room?" Harry asked uncertainly.
"Yes," Professor Lysander said. "Ready?"
Harry nodded, Professor Lysander let go of the Snitch, and it flew around the room, obviously looking for a way out.
"Stupify!" Harry said, following the Snitch with his wand. It missed, and the Snitch flew upwards towards the ceiling. Harry shouted the incantation again, but missed.
After about 30 minutes, Harry was starting to get tired. His throat hurt, and his legs were tired. He'd come close to stunning the Snitch twice, only missing by an inch or two, but he hadn't actually gotten it.
"Stupify!" Harry said for about the hundredth time. It missed by less than half a foot. "Stupify!"
This time, Harry's aim was true. His spell hit the Snitch, and it froze in the air for a moment before falling to the ground.
Lysander blinked, looked at the Snitch for a moment, and then looked at Harry, smiling.
"Good job, Harry."
"What do you mean? It took me half an hour to stun that thing," Harry said, leaning against a wall and brushing his hair away from his eyes.
"Yes, but see, Harry, this was a little game my friends and I used to play when we were in school. They'd sneak a Snitch into an empty classroom, take off the charms...see, several of us were in Ravenclaw, and a few of my friends--including myself--knew some handy spells to break charms like the ones on Snitches. But anyway, we'd take turns trying to stun the Snitch. Well, we rarely succeeded. I can only recall one instance when a Gryffindor stunned it. It took everyone--even the person who cast the spell--by surprise."
"So...what's that supposed to mean?" Harry asked slowly.
"It means that there's something special about you, Harry. Either that, or you're a very lucky shot," he said, grinning.
Harry didn't know what that was supposed to mean, so he just nodded. They left together, and Harry went back to the hospital wing, greeted by Madam Pomfrey.
"Well that took a bit more than a second," she said, a bit flustered. "What on earth were you doing?"
"Professor was just catching me up on some lessons..." Harry said.
"Well, I believe you're fit to leave now, let me just check on you a bit more..."
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Harry's first day out of the hospital wing, he decided to announce a D.A. meeting. He was looking forward to it more than ever, mostly because now everyone knew about it. He and the rest of the defense group had spread the word, and he was expecting a few more people to arrive.
Even Draco Malfoy, who was constantly screaming and falling in the corridors whenever Harry was near, wasn't getting on his nerves. Harry was in a better mood than usual.
That evening, Harry walked past the Room of Requirement three times, thinking as he walked by, "I need a place that'll fit several people...somewhere where we can learn Defense..."
And as he walked into the room through the door that had appeared, he saw that the room was the same as before, only bigger. He still had his whistle, still had his Marauder's Map (which had been left there since the end of last year), and still had all the books he needed.
Just then, the door opened, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny entered, and they all greeted Harry. He smiled, told them to sat down, and wondered if anyone else would show up.
What if no one cared about the D.A. now that there was a decent teacher for Defense Against the Dark Arts? What if no one wanted to practice hexes and curses?
But just as these doubts started to creep into Harry's head, the door banged open again, and 50 people entered, mostly Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs, but a few Ravenclaws and one Slytherin girl. Harry had never spoken to the girl, but knew her name was Alyssa Eudocia.
When everyone sat down, he said in an undertone to Hermione--who sat at his feet, "Is the Slytherin trustworthy?"
Hermione gave one short nod, but didn't say anything. Harry supposed that once they started the meeting, he could ask her about Eudocia.
And sure enough, as all the old D.A. members partnered up with new ones (to review Patronus Charms) Harry went to Hermione and started asking about Alyssa Eudocia.
"I asked around about her because I figured you'd ask. She's appearently unlike all the other Slytherins...as you know, you don't have to be evil to get into Slytherin, just ambitious. Snape was in Slytherin, and he wasn't evil--" she began. Harry snorted.
"He isn't evil!" Hermione said impatiently.
"Close enough," Harry said, grinning.
"Anyway, she's got an okay reputation. She's said to be the nicest Slytherin since Markyl..." At Harry's bewildered look, she just said, "Read Hogwarts, A History!"
They didn't get another chance to talk, as Harry was teaching them a curse to force an opponent's eyes shut.
At the end of the meeting, Harry was happier than he'd been in weeks. But his dreams were not as peaceful.
A/N: I have a VERY good reason for this being so late! I promise! See, I had this chapter 3/4 of the way done, when we had a blackout! I would have been able to recover the document, but I've been using WordPad, not Word Processor. WordPad can't recover documents, so I was stuck trying to rewrite this. Well, it doesn't sound as good as the first one, but if I try and fix it now, I'll make it worse.
Anyway, yay! He's had the first Quidditch match, his first hospital visit, and his first D.A. meeting! That's a lot to achieve in one chapter, if I say so myself.
Okay, I'll let you all try to find out what the name Alyssa Eudocia means. I'll post any login names in the next chapter if you get it right! But if no one tries, I'll just post the answers.
Anyway, I'll post the meaning of Kiron Lysander right now. Kiron means "A wise teacher" and Lysander means "The liberator". Let's see what you make of that.
Sorry for the long A/N!
The day before the Quidditch match between Gryffindor and Slytherin, Harry and Ginny were found in the common room with two tables in front of them. Both surfaces were covered in open books and parchment.
"Okay, so all we have to do is the spell we've been practicing? And then we just cast all the spells that will enhance the magical properties?" Ginny asked Harry, holding up the two way mirrors.
"Well, we have to bind the mirrors first. That way, they'll work together. Then we apply all the different spells to make them work," Harry said, reading from a book about repairing magical objects.
"Okay, let's just fix this one," Ginny said, pointing her wand at the broken mirror and all it's pieces. "Repairo," she muttered. The mirror was instantly fixed.
"Alright, now let me cast this..." Harry said, taking out his wand as well. He cast a spell to bind the magic of both mirrors, and then said, "Applikatory!" Both mirrors gave off a faint blue glow.
"We have twenty minutes before the spell wears off," Ginny said, reading from another book. "Okay, here's the list of spells we need to cast--"
They worked for twenty minutes, casting every necessary spell. Then, the blue glow flickered and died. Harry picked up one mirror and gave the other to Ginny.
"Do you want to try--?" Harry asked Ginny. But she interupted:
"No, you do it. They're your mirrors."
"Alright then. Ginny Weasley," Harry said clearly to the mirrors. Instantly, the mirror changed. Instead of showing his face, it showed Ginny's. He smiled, and she smiled back.
"Wow, you got it to work!" Hermione said. She and Ron had been doing prefect duties, and had just appeared behind Harry's chair, looking over the top of his head at the mirrors.
"Don't sound so shocked," Harry said, even though he was quite as surprised as she was that it had worked. For weeks, he and Ginny had been trying to find the correct spells to use on the mirrors. They had even skipped Hogsmeade weekend, choosing instead to work in the common room.
Ron sat down and began talking to Harry immediatly. "The match is tomorrow, Harry. Don't we need to get some last minute practice in?"
Harry laughed. He had become a bit like Oliver Wood over the last couple months. The Gryffindor Quidditch team had practiced twice a week since mid-September. Of course, he didn't spend nearly as much time talking in the locker rooms. Instead, if he wanted to try a play, he'd explain it out on the field.
"I think we're ready to beat the Slytherins into the ground," Harry said.
"Alright then. But we'd better get some rest. I'll be up at 5:00, I'm so nervous," Ginny said, standing up.
"Good idea, Gin. Hey, TEAM!" Ron yelled. Harry didn't mind Ron taking some responsibility in leading the Quidditch team. He felt he had enough work to do as it was, with Voldemort perfectly healthy again. Ron was yelling out to the common room again, "Get to bed, we have a match tomorrow!"
Harry smiled. Saying good night to Ginny and Hermione, he and Ron went upstairs to the very top of the tower. Entering the dormitory, Harry pulled off his robes, got into his fourposter, and closed the curtains.
"Reckon we'll win, Harry?" Ron muttered sleepily from his own fourposter next to Harry's.
"Yeah, I hope so..." Harry said, drifting off into a very deep sleep.
But his sleep was interupted the next morning at the break of dawn. He wondered what woke him up, but didn't find anything unusual. Thinking he must've been nervous, Harry got up and dressed. Ron started to wake as well, so Harry went downstairs to the common room to wait for him.
Ginny was already awake, looking as if she hadn't gotten any sleep.
"Ginny, are you feeling well?" Harry asked.
"I just couldn't sleep, Harry. It's--" she yawned before finishing, "It's nothing."
Ron came downstairs moments later, dressed and tired. The rest of the team was still asleep, so the three went down to breakfast alone. Once there, Harry took a seat between Ron and Ginny.
"Why don't we have some coffee?" Harry suggested. He poured them each a drink and then took one himself. Normally, he didn't enjoy coffee, but seeing as they were going to need the energy, he decided on drinking it. As soon as he did, he felt warmth spread to his fingers, and energy waiting to be used out on the Quidditch field inside him.
Spooning some eggs onto everyone's plate, Harry began to eat even though he didn't feel hungry. The rest of the Gryffindor team arrived shortly, as well as Hermione.
"Well, be sure to beat Slytherin today, Harry!" Hermione said, sitting beside Ron.
"That's what I was trying to do," Harry said. But in reality, he knew they had better players than Slytherin. It only depended on brooms and bludgers.
After a few moments of silence, the entire team stood up and exited the hall for the locker rooms.
Once they all had their scarlet robes on, Harry tried to say something to the team, but couldn't think of anything. Oliver and Angelina had always been good at giving talks before a game, but Harry's throat had gone dry, and he couldn't say a word.
So, when the time came to walk onto the field, Harry nodded at the team. They nodded back as one, and the Gryffindor Quidditch team walked onto the field to a thunderous applause.
Madam Hooch shouted over the noise, "Captains, shake hands!"
Harry shook hands with a large sixth year Slytherin. Then, as Madam Pomfrey blew her wistle, he kicked off the ground and flew higher than the other players in search of the Snitch.
It was a cool clear day, and Harry spotted the small golden ball in minutes. Taking a steep dive, he stretched out his hand and was about to catch it when Goyle swung his bat at a speed bludger. The heavy ball collided with the back of Harry's neck just as he pulled out of the dive. Hanging onto his broom, Harry vaguely heard someone announcing a penalty to Gryffindor.
"Harry, are you alright?" Ginny called from her broom.
"Y-yeah," Harry stuttered, fighting to keep his eyes open. He didn't plan on starting the game with an injury. The pain in his neck was creeping down his back like a dissillusionment spell. But it was much more uncomfortable than any spell. His back felt like it was being ripped in half; like someone was pulling his arms in opposite directions and stretching them as far as they could go.
Ginny sped off to intercept the Quaffle. After she had left, Harry began to look for the Snitch again. He hardly noticed that Malfoy wasn't tailing him like usual. Harry took a second to search the match. Malfoy was no where in sight...
While looking for any bit of gold in the mass of red and green, Harry's nerves mounted. He didn't like the fact that Malfoy was no longer in sight. But no one seemed to notice that only one seeker was on the pitch.
It was long after the game begun when Harry saw the Snitch again. Taking another dive, Harry reached out his arm.
"Just a bit further," he told himself, stretching his fingers out as far as they would go. Finally, he closed his hand, wings poking between his fingers. He had the Snitch. They had won.
The crowd was ringing with applause. Harry was so cheerful, he took a lap around the pitch...but something happened. Both the surprise and the pain of the next event sent Harry forward in a burst of speed.
Someone from below him said in a cold voice, "Crucio!"
Harry was in agony. He vaguely felt himself collide with a wall, but it didn't hurt as much as the Cruciatus curse. He slipped from his broom, screaming, and blacked out before he hit the ground.
Harry awoke to the smell of several potions. He opened his eyes and saw that Ron was reading a book on the next bed. Hermione was sitting next to him, sleeping, her head on Ron's shoulder. Ginny was in a chair by Harry's bed, leaning over his bed completely so that her head rested on her folded arms.
Harry took his glasses from the bedside table and put them on. Everything came into sharp focus, and Ron suddenly looked up from his book.
"Harry!" he whispered excitedly. Harry supposed that Ron was trying not to wake the girls. "You're awake!"
"Of course I'm awake. How long was I out?" Harry asked, dreading the answer.
"A week. For a while, Dumbledore was really worried. But eventually, we knew you'd come out of it. You actually woke up a bit earlier than expected."
Harry sighed, then said, "What are you all doing here if I wasn't supposed to wake up yet?"
"Because, mate. Everyone thought you were dying for a while there...we just sort of had to make sure you were okay."
Harry laughed grimly. "So, do you know what happened?"
Ron looked down, and talked to his feet. "We didn't catch the person...but I'll tell you what happened when you fell," he added, looking apologetically at Harry.
"Alright then."
"Well, you hit the ground from a fifty foot drop, and this time Dumbledore didn't have much time to slow you down. It was really sudden and all...Anyway, when you hit, he, McGonagall, Snape, and Lysander all hurried out of the stands. They sort of stood in a circle around you, facing out. They all had their wands out, but we dunno what that was about. It was like there was someone there...invisible,"
"I think there was someone there," Harry said.
At this point, Ginny started to wake up. She lifted her head, saw Harry sitting up, and screamed, "Harry!" Then, she threw her arms around him in a hug.
"Ow, Gin--" Harry gasped. His back felt like it had been stripped raw.
"Sorry, Harry," she said. "It's just been so horrible..."
Hermione had woken at Ginny's voice, and she came over to Harry and gave him a much lighter hug.
"Are you alright?" Hermione asked worriedly.
"Yeah, I'm fine--" Harry started. But Madam Pomfrey had just reached his bed and was staring down at him.
"You are not fine, Mr. Potter," she said stiffly.
"No, really, can't I go to the common room and--"
But Madam Pomfrey took hold of him, leaned him forward, and prodded him sharply on the back. Harry said, "Ow!", and Madam Pomfrey smiled slightly.
"Now, Mr. Potter...when that feels better, you may leave." She turned on her heel and left to her office.
"When did she become so caring for her patients?" Ron asked saracastically. He was grinning at Harry.
"You know, Harry, you DO always say you're fine when you aren't. I expect Madam Pomfrey just wanted to get it through your head that you aren't always fine," Hermione said, grinning as well.
Harry tried to get out of bed, but three pairs of hands pushed him back against his pillows.
"I'm fine!" Harry tried to protest, but they just looked down at him, a bit more seriously than before.
The next week, Harry was given several potions to take, and the teachers came up to give him his homework after their classes were over.
Professor Lysander came in after the Gryffindor sixth years' Defense class. He had a broomstick and a Snitch in his hand. The Snitch was fluttering its wings madly, trying to get free.
"I thought I'd bring you your homework," Professor Lysander said, smiling.
"What--" Harry began.
"Basically, I wanted to tell you that since you're the top of your year, you hardly need to practice the next spell, I'm sure. We've just practiced Stunning Spells, but I know you already know that one. So, if you're up to it, we'll do a bit of a practical and then I'll just leave."
"Sure, I'm up to it," Harry said.
"Alright. I only brought your broomstick because I thought you'd like to know it's safe. The Snitch, however, is what you'll be stunning."
Harry's mouth dropped open.
"A--a Snitch?"
"Yes. We can't do it in here, however. Madam Pomfrey would force feed me a few potions if I tried to have you do a practical lesson in the infirmary. Let me just ask her if I could borrow you for a second..." Lysander said, leaving for Madam Pomfrey's office, putting the fist with the Snitch in his pocket.
When Lysander came back, he was grinning. "We've got a classroom just down the hall that we can go to if you're feeling well."
"I'm fine," Harry said again. He stood up and left with Professor Kiron Lysander.
They reached an empty classroom, and Harry walked into it with his wand out, wondering how he was going to stun a Snitch.
"Alright. I've taken the charms off this particular Snitch so you can stun it. Normally, there's an sort of spell on it that repels stunners. It may take a while to stun it, but we have plenty of time before dinner, and I'm sure you've been wanting to get out of the hospital wing," he said, holding up the Snitch.
"Okay, so I just need to try and stun it while it flies around the room?" Harry asked uncertainly.
"Yes," Professor Lysander said. "Ready?"
Harry nodded, Professor Lysander let go of the Snitch, and it flew around the room, obviously looking for a way out.
"Stupify!" Harry said, following the Snitch with his wand. It missed, and the Snitch flew upwards towards the ceiling. Harry shouted the incantation again, but missed.
After about 30 minutes, Harry was starting to get tired. His throat hurt, and his legs were tired. He'd come close to stunning the Snitch twice, only missing by an inch or two, but he hadn't actually gotten it.
"Stupify!" Harry said for about the hundredth time. It missed by less than half a foot. "Stupify!"
This time, Harry's aim was true. His spell hit the Snitch, and it froze in the air for a moment before falling to the ground.
Lysander blinked, looked at the Snitch for a moment, and then looked at Harry, smiling.
"Good job, Harry."
"What do you mean? It took me half an hour to stun that thing," Harry said, leaning against a wall and brushing his hair away from his eyes.
"Yes, but see, Harry, this was a little game my friends and I used to play when we were in school. They'd sneak a Snitch into an empty classroom, take off the charms...see, several of us were in Ravenclaw, and a few of my friends--including myself--knew some handy spells to break charms like the ones on Snitches. But anyway, we'd take turns trying to stun the Snitch. Well, we rarely succeeded. I can only recall one instance when a Gryffindor stunned it. It took everyone--even the person who cast the spell--by surprise."
"So...what's that supposed to mean?" Harry asked slowly.
"It means that there's something special about you, Harry. Either that, or you're a very lucky shot," he said, grinning.
Harry didn't know what that was supposed to mean, so he just nodded. They left together, and Harry went back to the hospital wing, greeted by Madam Pomfrey.
"Well that took a bit more than a second," she said, a bit flustered. "What on earth were you doing?"
"Professor was just catching me up on some lessons..." Harry said.
"Well, I believe you're fit to leave now, let me just check on you a bit more..."
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Harry's first day out of the hospital wing, he decided to announce a D.A. meeting. He was looking forward to it more than ever, mostly because now everyone knew about it. He and the rest of the defense group had spread the word, and he was expecting a few more people to arrive.
Even Draco Malfoy, who was constantly screaming and falling in the corridors whenever Harry was near, wasn't getting on his nerves. Harry was in a better mood than usual.
That evening, Harry walked past the Room of Requirement three times, thinking as he walked by, "I need a place that'll fit several people...somewhere where we can learn Defense..."
And as he walked into the room through the door that had appeared, he saw that the room was the same as before, only bigger. He still had his whistle, still had his Marauder's Map (which had been left there since the end of last year), and still had all the books he needed.
Just then, the door opened, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny entered, and they all greeted Harry. He smiled, told them to sat down, and wondered if anyone else would show up.
What if no one cared about the D.A. now that there was a decent teacher for Defense Against the Dark Arts? What if no one wanted to practice hexes and curses?
But just as these doubts started to creep into Harry's head, the door banged open again, and 50 people entered, mostly Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs, but a few Ravenclaws and one Slytherin girl. Harry had never spoken to the girl, but knew her name was Alyssa Eudocia.
When everyone sat down, he said in an undertone to Hermione--who sat at his feet, "Is the Slytherin trustworthy?"
Hermione gave one short nod, but didn't say anything. Harry supposed that once they started the meeting, he could ask her about Eudocia.
And sure enough, as all the old D.A. members partnered up with new ones (to review Patronus Charms) Harry went to Hermione and started asking about Alyssa Eudocia.
"I asked around about her because I figured you'd ask. She's appearently unlike all the other Slytherins...as you know, you don't have to be evil to get into Slytherin, just ambitious. Snape was in Slytherin, and he wasn't evil--" she began. Harry snorted.
"He isn't evil!" Hermione said impatiently.
"Close enough," Harry said, grinning.
"Anyway, she's got an okay reputation. She's said to be the nicest Slytherin since Markyl..." At Harry's bewildered look, she just said, "Read Hogwarts, A History!"
They didn't get another chance to talk, as Harry was teaching them a curse to force an opponent's eyes shut.
At the end of the meeting, Harry was happier than he'd been in weeks. But his dreams were not as peaceful.
A/N: I have a VERY good reason for this being so late! I promise! See, I had this chapter 3/4 of the way done, when we had a blackout! I would have been able to recover the document, but I've been using WordPad, not Word Processor. WordPad can't recover documents, so I was stuck trying to rewrite this. Well, it doesn't sound as good as the first one, but if I try and fix it now, I'll make it worse.
Anyway, yay! He's had the first Quidditch match, his first hospital visit, and his first D.A. meeting! That's a lot to achieve in one chapter, if I say so myself.
Okay, I'll let you all try to find out what the name Alyssa Eudocia means. I'll post any login names in the next chapter if you get it right! But if no one tries, I'll just post the answers.
Anyway, I'll post the meaning of Kiron Lysander right now. Kiron means "A wise teacher" and Lysander means "The liberator". Let's see what you make of that.
Sorry for the long A/N!