**I have a new policy. Read it after the chapter. I hope you like this one.
**I am having the worst luck! My phone was disconnected so I can't go online! It's horrible! (I have dial up) It's a nightmare!
Thanks go to all of my reviewers. I would write messages to you but I want this out as soon as possible. I'll write my messages next time for this and last chapter. How about that
******Enjoy the chapter! It's not one of my best but I just had to write something.
**Give me ideas on what you want to happen during the classes, the Quidditch match, or things in general like if you want them to play ice hockey that might be in the next chapter. Whatever you want. Do you want Ashley to sing? Do you want to make the ability to sing rare in wizarding folk? Whatever you want to see in these pages, let me know.
**********************************************
In the Gryffindor common room, Harry was writing in a notebook. He was given the job of teaching dueling. Jake had decided who would be teaching the classes. Harry was teaching dueling with Ashley. They were also going to teach healing magic on Tuesday nights. Jake wanted at least two people to teach each thing. Caroline and Liz buddied up to teach Magical self defense. Jake and Matt were going to teach physical self defense. They were all going to teach Sword Fighting together.
Harry looked down at his notebook. It was a list of things that should be taught. Dumbledore was going to make the announcement at lunch. Tonight was the first class. Harry looked down on the list crossing off things and adding others. Finally satisfied with the list, he stood up and headed out towards the Great Hall with it. He walked over to the Gryffindor table and sat down. He handed Ashley his notebook. She opened it and looked down at the list.
"We should teach the basics," she said pointing to a couple of words on the list.
"We should quickly go through them though," Harry responded. "We don't have years to train them."
"What are you talking about?" Ron asked.
"It'll be explained later," Harry said as the room went quiet. Dumbledore stood and looked out over the students.
"Before your stomachs are filled," he began. "I have an announcement to make. The students of Hogwarts have been given an amazing opportunity. For the past few months, we have had six people here to protect us. Together, they decided to aware students of the outside world and teach them to be ready for it. After dinner on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, the opportunity to defend your selves from the dangers of the world is offered. Mr. Malon, would you like announce what you're planning to do?" Jake nodded and stood up from his seat. He headed to the front of the Great Hall.
"The others and I decided to teach the rest of the students skills that will help them deal with the dangers of the wizarding world today," he said. "On Mondays through Thursdays, a different skill will be taught. Tonight and all Mondays, Harry and Ashley are going to teach dueling here in the Great Hall. On Tuesdays, they will teach healing magic. On Wednesdays, Liz and Caroline will be teaching magical self-defense. Matt and I will be teaching physical self defense on Thursdays. For those that we feel are responsible, sword fighting will be available on Fridays. We encourage all the students to come by. It will definitely be helpful." After finishing his speech, he started walking back to his seat.
"As Mr. Malon said, we encourage all students from all houses to come by tonight after dinner at around eight," Dumbledore said before sitting down and beginning to eat himself.
"Told you it would be explained," Harry said to Ron, smiling.
"This is going to be interesting," Hermione remarked.
"So you two are teaching tonight?" Ron asked taking a bite of his sandwich.
"Yea," Ashley remarked. "We'll be teaching dueling."
"Are you going?" Harry asked.
"I am!" Hermione answered.
"So am I," Ron responded.
"I'm going to plan for my class," Caroline said.
"We have to figure out what were going to do," Liz added.
"Trying to get people to be able to defend themselves I see," a voice sneered from behind them. They turned and saw Draco sneering down on them. "No one will be ready for the dark lord's attack." Harry decided to play along. Even though they were on the same side, only a few people knew it. Draco was trying to tell him something through his words.
"Really Malfoy?" Harry asked as he stood up. "I think we'll be ready."
"I beg to differ," Draco said. "The dark lord will attack soon. Just you wait Potter. You're first on the list. Beware Potter," Draco laughed as he walked away. Harry watched him go. He tried to look angry but inside, he was thinking about what Draco's message was. What he could come up with was 'Do you seriously think that everyone will be trained enough by the time Voldermort attacks? It's impossible. He's ready to attack. You're first on the list. You need to be careful. He's going to attack sooner than you think.'
"What was that about?" Liz asked as Harry turned and sat down.
"We need to train fast," Harry responded before the students were dismissed to go to their next classes. Harry headed to the common room to brush up on his spells. Picking up a few advanced books, he read through them but already knew everything in them.
"Ah, trying to be better but not finding anything new," a voice said. Jake walked up to him. "I had the same problem."
"Then what did you do?" Harry asked.
"Came down here to ask if you found anything," he replied sitting down on one of the couches.
"You're pathetic," Harry said laughing.
"Well I thought that since we were both looking, we might actually find something."
"Well I didn't find anything new."
Jake sat up. "Maybe were looking in the wrong books," he said.
"Then you go find the right books while I go and practice for the Quidditch game this weekend."
"When was the practice suppose to be?" Jake asked.
"I might make one Wednesday," Harry replied. "I don't have to teach then." He stood and ran to grab his Firebolt and ran back down to the Quidditch field. The wind was blowing slightly on the field. It was perfect weather. Harry mounted his broom and kicked off. He raced around the goal posts and the field. He then raced up straight in the air before turning around and heading straight down missing the ground by inches. He tried that a few times before grabbing a few balls he brought with him. He raced up high in the air and let them fall for a few seconds until racing after it and catching it. He did it a few times until landing and heading into the castle once again. He ran up to his room and took a shower quickly before heading to dinner.
The Great Hall was as noisy as ever when Harry arrived. "Hey Harry!" Ron shouted as Harry approached them.
"Hey Ron," Harry replied.
"I have the greatest idea!" he exclaimed. He pushed a book towards Harry. Harry looked at it and at Ron shocked. "Give it a rest, Harry, I look at books."
"Ok, ok, what am I looking at?" Harry asked looking over it.
"My brothers found this." Ron pointed to a subtitle on the page. Harry's eyes widened as he read the title as he smiled. 'How to make anyone squeak like a mouse.'
"You're not thinking what I think you're thinking are you?" Harry asked. Ron smiled.
"I think my answer will be yes if I know what you're thinking," Ron replied.
"Who were you planning this on?" Harry asked grabbing some food on his plate.
"The master of grease balls, duh!" Ron exclaimed. Harry laughed.
"And who else?" he asked knowing it wasn't only the terrible potions teacher.
"A few Slytherins." Ron trailed on.
"When were you planning on doing this?"
"Whenever I can accomplish the spell," Ron replied looking down at the page. Harry pulled it over to him and read it.
"It looks simple," he remarked. Ron's eyes widened.
"This will be great!" he exclaimed. Hermione glared at him.
"What are you planning this time?" she asked. "You're going to get expelled if you keep on causing trouble! The teachers have enough to worry about with You-Know-Who."
"Give it a rest Hermione," Ron said. "We have people here to protect us from You-Know-Who. He's not about to attack a place with protection!"
"If you suggest that a bunch of fifteen year olds is enough to hold off the dark lord and scare him into not attacking, you're wrong Ronald Weasley!" She said before storming off.
"Hey!" Jake yelled after her. He had an offended look on his face.
"A bunch of fifteen year olds and a Dumbledore and teachers," Ron said.
"Hey!" Jake yelled again. "We're more powerful then we look you know!"
"Yea," Matt added. "I don't think he'll ever forget the time Caroline lit his hair on fire for saying something." The group broke into laughter.
"Are you going to the class tonight?" Ashley asked Ron.
"Definitely," he replied. "I think Hermione's going also."
"Ah, the first class," Sirius said walking over. "Nervous?"
"Yes," "No," Harry and Ashley replied at the same time. They looked at each other.
"Well that answers my question," Sirius answered smiling a crooked smile. "So you two are teaching a class tonight. I wonder how many people are going to go."
"Are you going?" Liz asked.
"I wouldn't miss it," he replied. "I know Remus is coming as well and some if not all of the teachers."
"When do you think Stacy will get back?" Caroline asked.
"When Dean has learned enough, I'm guessing," Matt shrugged.
"She said she would return in a few days or a day," Ashley pointed out.
"Maybe tomorrow we'll see her," Harry said. "She'll come definitely before the game. Dean wanted to see it."
"I doubt that she would miss it," Liz said. They talked through dinner until everyone finished. A few people left the room but most stayed. Many of the Slytherins left. They all shot glances at the Gryffindor table. All the Gryffindors remained. Dumbledore stood.
"I'll say now that all of those who want to stay for the class remain but for those who don't want to, a class is about to take place." He sat back down. Harry looked over at Ashley who looked back.
"Think we should move the tables?" Ashley asked looking around the room.
"We'll need the room," Harry answered as he stood. Everyone looked at him. Ashley stood as well. They headed to the front of the Great Hall. "Everyone!" Harry yelled. "We need the tables to be moved so stand up!" Everyone did as they were told as they grabbed their things off of the tables and stood. With a wave of his hand, the tables disappeared but the chairs remained. They needed something to sit on. People started taking their seats. Ashley walked over to a remaining table in front of the room and placed her notebook on top. She flipped through the pages and read a few things. Harry walked over. He put his notebook down. He also remembered to bring his wand. Many times he forgets it because he really doesn't need it. The group was quiet. Even the teachers were quiet as they waited for the couple's next move.
"This feels strange," Harry remarked.
"What does?" Ashley asked as she picked up her wand.
"For the first four years, I'm used to listening to the teachers. Now the teachers are listening to me," Harry answered.
"Yea that would be strange," Ashley remarked before turning to the group. "Welcome to the first official class of dueling! Most of you know the disarming spell but for those of you who weren't able to learn the spell, it won't be a problem because we're going to start with that." She twirled her wand between her fingers as she walked around the room. "Does anyone know the spell?"
"I do!" Jake yelled from the Gryffindor table, his arms waving in the air. Many people smiled.
"Someone who doesn't train all summer?" Ashley asked. A few hands went up. Hermione was one of them, of course. Knowing that Hermione knew it, she looked for a new person. Seeing a boy in Ravenclaw with his hand up, she called on him.
"Expelliarmus," the boy answered.
"Very good," Ashley said. "Watch." She turned to Harry who was sitting on the table. "Expelliarmus!" She yelled with her wand pointed to him. His wand went flying out of his hand and over to Sirius who caught it.
"Sometimes you can control where the wand will go," Ashley explained as the students watched the wand go over to Sirius. Harry hopped off of the table to retreat his wand. Sirius gave it back.
"We're going to practice that for awhile until everyone gets the hang of it. Then we'll move on. Today is basic introductory." Everyone paired up and started practicing on each other. Many were getting it in the first tries. After all, many learned the spell a few years back when Professor Lupin taught them. Harry sat back on the table observing the class. Especially looking for people who are doing more than disarming. Ashley walked over to him.
"Everything seems fine so far," he said.
"Yea. I can't believe the teachers stayed!" Ashley exclaimed.
"I guess they're just curious," Harry responded. "What's the next spell we're teaching next?"
"It was the stunning spell but most already know that."
"How about we teach them the disarming, stunning and awakening spells today so they can pair up and duel with those three spells. They'll need to try and dodge them but if they are stunned, they can be awakened," Harry suggested.
"That'll work," Ashley said before walking back over to the group. She stopped everyone and had them take their seats.
"Ok, that went really well," she said. "Now I know most of you know the stunning spell but we're going to practice that and the awakening spell. Who knows the stunning spell?" Many hands went up. She called on a Hufflepuff.
"Stupefy," the girl said.
"Very good. Who knows the awakening spell?" More hands showed.
"Ennerate," was the answer. Ashley then had them paired up and let them duel with each other. Glancing over at Harry, Ashley saw him looking over the students. She pointed her wand at him and said the stunning spell. Many teachers saw her do it. The spell hit Harry as he fell back on the table. Smiling, Ashley pocketed her wand and walked over to him.
"You should never let your guard down," she said to the stunned form of him.
"Neither should you," Harry replied back. He opened his eyes and pointed his wand at her and sent her back a few feet. Then he disarmed her. She looked at him shocked.
"I thought the spell hit you!" she exclaimed. In the corner of her eye, she saw the rest of the shapeshifters trying to stun each other. They were running around the room.
"I blocked it with a shield," Harry said simply as he sat up and hopped off the table.
"I thought that I'd finally hit you because you didn't seem to notice me."
"How could I not notice you?" Harry asked. "You're my girlfriend!" He handed her back her wand. She took it but held it out in front of her.
"But I'll get you now!" She exclaimed as she tried to stun Harry again. Harry sent it back. They were both smiling at each other as they circled the ground. It was a game to them. Suddenly a bubble appeared around them. Harry had cast it. It was a shield spell. It was for creating a shield over a large area. Many students stopped dueling with each other to watch the couple circling. The other shapeshifters smiled as they watched.
"We'd better make this interesting," Ashley remarked.
"What are the rules?" Harry asked.
"Do you want to show them what a real duel is?" Ashley asked smiling.
"Against Shapeshifters?" Harry asked.
"Why not? In a duel, the duelers give it their all. We should too," Ashley remarked as she stopped circling. Harry stopped as well. Some of the teachers started to call out in protest but Dumbledore stopped them. It was a great learning opportunity for the students who are just learning to duel well.
"So we're basically doing anything we can," Harry stated.
"Exactly," Ashley answered.
"How do we determine who's the winner?" Harry asked.
"Well, since we're not using anything to harm ourselves it can't be first blood. How about the person who is awake at the end wins?" Ashley suggested.
"Fine by me," Harry replied. He held out his hand and Ashley shook it. They agreed on the terms of who wins.
Ashley was facing Harry but was talking to the class. "The first thing you do is agree on the terms of who wins. Then once they are agreed on, you bow to each other in respect."
"When bowing," Harry added. "It is important to always remain eye contact. Remaining eye contact is useful so you know what your opponent is doing when you bow. For all you know, they might decide to cheat and shoot curses while you have your head down." He and Ashley bowed while keeping eye contact at all times.
"Once that's done, you can announce when the duel is starting," Ashley said.
"Okay, the last person conscious is the winner," Harry stated.
"Are you ready?" Ashley asked. Her wand was posed and ready.
"I'm ready," Harry said positioning his own wand. "How would you like start?" Ashley thought for a moment before turning to the class.
"When one of you tells us to start, we'll begin," she said. They faced each other. A few seconds later some one shouted. Before they stopped shouting, curses went flying.
"Stupefy!" Ashley shouted. Harry wiped it away with his hand. Pocketing his wand, he waved his hand. Ashley's wand came flying to him.
"Enough with these," he said. He held it out in front of him. Ashley called it back to her and pocketed it. She waved her hand in the air and Harry felt his hair blow around. The wind was picking up. Harry shot a spell from one of his fingers but the wind blew it away into one of the sides of the shield before disappearing. The wind was beginning to push Harry a few inches. He waved his hand as Ashley went back a few inches as well. She lost her concentration as the wind died down. Harry used wandless magic to cast the stunning spell. Ashley rolled out of the way just in time. It missed her by an inch. Using her feet, she jumped up to stand upright. A blue light flew from her fingertips and headed toward Harry but he shot it away. Ashley stood across from him with her arms up. She started moving around as they began to circle around. Ashley stopped and went to kick Harry but he blocked her with his arm.
"As you can see here," Jake announced. "They have resulted to muggle fighting with will be taught later on this week."
Still circling, Ashley tried to attack again using both fists and feet but Harry teleported away and appeared right behind her. She yelped in surprise before turning to him and shooting another spell. It was a spell that didn't hurt as much as Crucio but it hurt a lot. Not having enough time to block it, it hit Harry square in the chest. He sunk to his knees in pain. Just giving him enough pain to immobilize him for a second, Ashley called off the curse and tried to stun him. The stunning spell was sent towards Harry but right before it hit him, it froze in the air. It looked as if it was covered in crystal. Ashley looked up in surprise as well as everyone else. She almost won. Harry even turned to see what happened. He knew the curse was coming but he was in too much pain to avoid it. He saw the crystallized spell and looked around.
"You know that's not fair," said a voice. Going through the crowd, a boy appeared and looked down on them.
"Welcome back Dean," Jake said. Dean was standing in front of them. The bubble disappeared.
"Hey," Harry said. Dean walked to him and helped him up. "How did training go?"
"I earned a nickname," he responded. "My first form was a Tiger."
"You started a duel without me?" another voice asked. Stacy appeared after walking through the students.
"And I was just about to win!" Ashley exclaimed.
"By cheating!" Dean exclaimed.
"But with Wolf, the only way to win is by cheating!" People smiled and laughed.
"Then train with him," Dean suggested.
"We do train together," Harry said. "She's just never been in a professional duel."
"And I can wait for the day when that will happen," Ashley remarked.
"Okay everyone!" Harry addressed the students. "This class is over. Tomorrow at the same time will be healing magic. Good night!" Many of the students left.
"Hi Dean," Hermione and Ron said as they walked over to the group.
"And who is this young man?" McGonagall asked as she, Dumbledore, Remus and Sirius walked over.
"This is Dean Portman," Stacy answered. "He is also a shapeshifter. Dean this is Professor McGonagall. She is head of Gryffindor House and the professor of transfiguration." She turned to the headmaster. "This is Albus Dumbledore. He's the headmaster here at Hogwarts." They exchanged a greeting.
"Will Dean be in Gryffindor?" Caroline asked.
"I think that will be best," Dumbledore answered. Liz yawned loudly.
"What time is it?" Matt asked.
"Nine o'clock?" Caroline guessed.
"Almost," Harry said looking down at his watch. He started to rub his chest. It still hurt.
"What's wrong?" Ashley asked.
"Hurts," Harry responded.
"Was it that powerful?" Ashley asked looking worried.
"It still hurts," Harry responded. "Does that answer your question?"
"I didn't use all of my strength!" Ashley exclaimed. "I just did it to sink you to your knees!"
"Let me see," Stacy said. She looked Harry over. "It's probably just an after effect. It'll hurt probably until tomorrow morning."
"I'm sorry!" Ashley exclaimed throwing her arms around Harry's neck. Harry screamed out in pain. She released at once. She started to apologize but Harry silenced her. It wasn't her fault.
"Come on, Dean," Hermione said. "Let's show you the common room."
"I'm right behind you!" Harry said. He went to follow them but it hurt too much. "Maybe not."
"No, you're following," Sirius said as he walked over to Harry and picked him up and threw him over his shoulder.
"Put me down!" Harry yelled laughing.
"Not a chance," Sirius called back as he started walking out of the Great Hall and toward the Gryffindor tower.
"But this hurts!" Harry said. The others were following and laughing. Harry could see them.
"I'm not letting you down," Sirius stated.
"Then I'll have to get down my own way," Harry said. He stopped struggling and teleported away. He appeared in the air in front of Sirius.
"And how do you expect to make it to the tower?" Sirius asked.
"Easy," Harry replied. "I'll fly."
"You're not riding a broom through the halls!" Hermione exclaimed.
"Who said anything about a broom?" Harry asked she spread his arms and flew up a few feet. "Let's race on the count of three. One, Two," Jake and a few of the others started ahead and started racing down the hallway before three. "Hey! No Fair!" Harry yelled. He turned back to see Sirius, Remus, Dumbledore, Stacy, McGonagall, Ashley, Hermione, Ron, Ashley, Liz and Caroline were left over.
"Are you going to say three or not?" Ron asked.
"Three," he said. The others took off except the adults and Ashley.
"Wanna fly?" Harry asked the others.
"Definitely," Sirius replied.
"Ashley?" Harry asked.
"Let's do it," she said. She reached up and grasped Harry's hand. She instantly felt lighter as he feet rose off the ground. She grabbed Sirius' hand and brought him into the air.
"Are you four coming?" Sirius asked.
"We'll meet you in the common room," Remus answered.
"What are you waiting for?" Ashley asked Harry.
"Absolutely nothing," he answered. "Hold on tight!" Not a second later, they sped through the air at a high speed. It seemed like they were going to crash into walls until they turned. Sirius and Ashley were on for the ride while Harry was steering. They flew up stairs until they saw Ron's group walking ahead. They gave up running. Harry quietly flew them down to the floor so they could stand. They let go of hands.
"Did you give up on racing?" Harry asked. They turned around in shock.
"Not quiet yet," Ron said. "But we're too tired to run."
"Do you think the other group is already there?" Hermione asked.
"Yea," Ashley said. "We'll walk with you."
"I'll fly with you," Harry said as he floated a few inches off the ground. A few minutes later, they made it to the common room. Harry was an inch off the ground. It was tiring to stay higher in the air for a long amount of time. When they entered people were scattered around playing games, doing homework and talking. They found the couch that the others were sitting on and sat next to them. Harry rested his head on his arms on the arm of the couch. A few minutes later, Remus walked in. Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Stacy went their own ways.
"It's so cold in here," Liz said.
"It is," Harry replied.
"Well it does get cold this time of year," Matt remarked.
"I'll be right back," Ashley said to Harry before disappearing up the stairs to the girl's dormitory. She came down a few seconds later carrying a few blankets. She handed a few to the others but she kept a large one for herself. Opening it up, she spread some on Harry and kept some for herself. She laid next to him. He put an arm around her and pulled her close. He wasn't in as much pain as before. Most of it was gone.
"Shouldn't the fire be warming up the room?" Hermione asked. She had a blanket wrapped around her. Many people in the common room were wearing heavy robes.
"It should be," Caroline said. She walked over to it and put her hands near the flame. It wasn't hot at all. She moved her hands closer until they touched the flames. "It's not even hot!" she exclaimed.
"Do you think a freezing spell was used?" Dean asked.
"Maybe," Caroline said. She placed her hands in front of the fire. Flames flew from her hands and into the fire. They became hot instantly but the room was still cold. "That should help."
"Yea later on," Jake remarked. "I'm going to go grab a sweater. Does anyone else want one?" Everyone's hand went up.
"I'll get the sweaters from the girl's room," Caroline said through a yawn. They both headed up the stairs and came back down a minute later carrying sweatshirts.
"I brought you down one of mine Sirius," Jake said. "It'll fit." He handed the boys some sweatshirts while Caroline handed the girls their own. Harry threw his dark green sweatshirt over his head and put it on before pulling the blanket back over him. The common room was becoming empty.
"It's still cold in here," Dean observed.
"Who do you think caused the fire to go cold?" Sirius asked. Jake's black sweatshirt did fit him well.
"The Slytherins," practically everyone answered. They knew it was the Slytherins even if they didn't know how they were able to get into the common room.
"I wonder if outside is warmer," Ron said glancing out a window.
"What time is it?" Matt asked.
"10," Liz answered.
"It's too late to go out," Sirius said.
Jake yawned. "It's too cold to move but I want to go to bed," he said.
Ashley was silent through the conversations. She was tired. She was resting her head on Harry's shoulder who was resting his on the back of the couch. He hadn't moved for awhile and Ashley was convinced that he fell asleep a while back.
"I'm just going to stay here," Caroline said. "It's cold up in the rooms. I'm not going up there again."
"It is cold up there," Jake added.
"That's because there's no heat up there from the fire," Matt said.
"I'm going back to my room," Sirius said. "There has to be heat there. I'll let you guys go to sleep or do whatever. Good night." They said good night as Sirius headed out of the Gryffindor common room.
"What do you want to do?" Dean asked.
"Wanna play some games?" Jake asked.
"I'm going to go up to bed," Hermione announced. "Ron and I have classes tomorrow that we need to attend." She headed up to her room. Ron also announced his departure and headed up to his room.
"Hey Caroline," Jake whispered.
"What?" she asked. Jake nudged his head towards the direction of Ashley and Harry. "What about them?" Jake smirked while quietly getting up and heading towards them. "Don't wake them up!" Caroline whispered.
"Why not?" Jake asked looking back at her.
"Let them sleep," she replied.
"Plus, if you don't let us sleep, we'll be cranky in the morning," the tired voice of Ashley remarked.
"You're both awake?" Jake asked surprised.
"I am," Ashley responded not even bothering to open her eyes. "But I think Wolf fell asleep right after putting on his sweatshirt."
"It's amazing that you can sleep when it's this cold!" Dean said.
"When you're tired, you can do anything," Ashley remarked.
"Who's up for a game of chess?" Jake asked.
"Is that all you ever play?" Liz asked.
"Just about," Jake replied.
"Tiger, did you ever see a game of wizards chess?" Matt asked Dean using his nickname.
"I've seen a regular chess game," Dean replied. "Is wizards chess different?"
"Very different," Jake replied. He picked up some chess pieces that were lying around. They were for people who didn't have their own pieces or were too lazy to get them. They played for awhile as Caroline and Liz talked to each other.
"Maybe you can warm up the room?" Liz asked hopeful.
"I can try," Caroline answered. They headed up to the dormitories. Using elemental magic, Caroline used heat and warmed up the room. "I guess it works!" she exclaimed.
"Should we warm up the boy's room?" Liz asked.
Caroline thought about it. "We should." They walked toward the fifth year boy's room. Quietly opening the door, Caroline quickly warmed up the room before closing it. They headed back down to the common room.
"I can't wait till Christmas," Liz said.
"Me either. I wonder what the castle will look like," Caroline replied.
"It's coming soon. In just a few weeks right?"
"Yea. I need to shop," Caroline said.
"It's going to be our first Christmas together," Liz remarked.
"I've almost been with the shapeshifters for a year," Caroline remarked. "It doesn't seem that long."
"It would be a year in May for me," Liz replied.
"I'm going to go up to bed," Caroline said.
"Me too," Liz said. "What should we do about Eagle and Wolf?"
"Maybe we should wake them. It's warmer upstairs than it is down here. It would be better for them upstairs," Caroline responded. She shivered when she stood. She walked over to the sleeping couple. Caroline could tell they were cold. They were cold to the touch and they were shivering. "So much for muggle sweatshirts," she muttered to herself. She shook Ashley awake. Ashley pulled the blanket closer.
"Ashley," Caroline whispered as she shook her again. "Wake up. It's better upstairs." Ashley groaned as she woke up. She opened her eyes and yawned. She slowly sat up as she tried to move Harry's arm off of her without waking him up.
"What time is it?" she asked sleepily.
"Around 11," Liz responded.
"It's still cold."
"It's actually getting warmer," Liz admitted. "You're just cold because you just woke up. Upstairs is a lot warmer. Caroline figured out a way to warm the rooms without setting them on fire."
"What about Harry?" Ashley asked. She slowly stood and stretched.
"We have to get him up as well," Caroline answered. "It will be better for him upstairs. Being tired and very cold isn't a good thing."
"We should talk to Dumbledore in the morning about this," Liz said. "How are we going to get Harry upstairs?"
"We'll wake him up and then maybe get the guys to help him up the stairs," Caroline answered. Ashley sat down on the couch and gently shook Harry awake. Without opening his eyes, Harry brought a hand up to his eyes and rubbed them. He opened his eyes when he picked up his head.
"Come on Harry," Ashley said. "You need to go upstairs. It's a lot warmer up there." Harry just rubbed his eyes before resting his head back on the couch in an effort to fall back asleep. "Don't go back to sleep!" Ashley said. She shook him again.
"Matt," Liz called quietly. He turned to face her. "Can you help us?" He nodded before telling Dean something. He then stood as Dean took his place.
"Sure, what's the matter?" he asked.
"We need to get Harry upstairs," Liz answered.
"But isn't it colder up there?" he asked confused.
"I was able to warm up our rooms," Caroline replied.
"So what do you need me to do?" he asked.
"We woke Harry up but he went back to sleep. We need you to help us get him to bed," Liz answered.
"No problem. I have an idea. Caroline, you grab one side. I'll get the other. Ashley, you wake him up. I'll grab one shoulder to help him up and up the stairs. I know what it's like to try to walk especially up the stairs when you just wake up. Caroline, you'll grab his other side and help him up as well," Matt said. "Then after this, I'm going to bed. I can barely concentrate on the chess game."
Matt went to stand near Ashley as she shook Harry awake again. "Come on sweetheart," she said. "Wake up. It's time to go upstairs." Harry opened his eyes again after awaking the second time. He stretched and yawned.
"It's warmer upstairs," Liz told him. Harry sat up. He knew he had to go to bed. He was just too tired. He tried to stand and felt people grab both of his shoulders, helping him up.
"Come on," he heard Matt say. "I'm going up too." He was holding Harry up and helped him walk towards and up the stairs. They eventually made it to their room and helped Harry onto his bed.
"Good night Harry," Ashley said as she kissed him on the cheek. "I'm sorry for before."
"I don't feel it anymore," Harry replied back. He kissed her back.
"I guess a little sleep works wonders," Ashley replied.
"Hey Romeo and Juliet," Caroline whispered. "Break it up. Juliet isn't allowed in here and Romeo needs to go to sleep." They said good night before the girls left. Matt stayed behind and headed towards his own bed.
"I'm not even going to bother changing," he announced.
"Me either," Harry said as he laid down and pulled the covers up. "It is warmer in here though."
"Caroline warmed up the room," Matt said pulling the covers onto himself. "What are we going to do to the Slytherins who did this?"
"I think Ron and I have an idea," Harry announced smiling a little. "G' night Shark."
"G' night Wolf," Matt replied back before they both fell asleep.
************************************************
OMG! I can't believe that I wrote this much. This morning I had 7 pages. Now I end at 21. Congratulate me!
**** I have a new policy! How about this, every Sunday, I'll update no matter how much I have. If I finish the chapter before then, I'll update it early of course and that'll be my update for the week. What do you think? Let me know.
**I am having the worst luck! My phone was disconnected so I can't go online! It's horrible! (I have dial up) It's a nightmare!
Thanks go to all of my reviewers. I would write messages to you but I want this out as soon as possible. I'll write my messages next time for this and last chapter. How about that
******Enjoy the chapter! It's not one of my best but I just had to write something.
**Give me ideas on what you want to happen during the classes, the Quidditch match, or things in general like if you want them to play ice hockey that might be in the next chapter. Whatever you want. Do you want Ashley to sing? Do you want to make the ability to sing rare in wizarding folk? Whatever you want to see in these pages, let me know.
**********************************************
In the Gryffindor common room, Harry was writing in a notebook. He was given the job of teaching dueling. Jake had decided who would be teaching the classes. Harry was teaching dueling with Ashley. They were also going to teach healing magic on Tuesday nights. Jake wanted at least two people to teach each thing. Caroline and Liz buddied up to teach Magical self defense. Jake and Matt were going to teach physical self defense. They were all going to teach Sword Fighting together.
Harry looked down at his notebook. It was a list of things that should be taught. Dumbledore was going to make the announcement at lunch. Tonight was the first class. Harry looked down on the list crossing off things and adding others. Finally satisfied with the list, he stood up and headed out towards the Great Hall with it. He walked over to the Gryffindor table and sat down. He handed Ashley his notebook. She opened it and looked down at the list.
"We should teach the basics," she said pointing to a couple of words on the list.
"We should quickly go through them though," Harry responded. "We don't have years to train them."
"What are you talking about?" Ron asked.
"It'll be explained later," Harry said as the room went quiet. Dumbledore stood and looked out over the students.
"Before your stomachs are filled," he began. "I have an announcement to make. The students of Hogwarts have been given an amazing opportunity. For the past few months, we have had six people here to protect us. Together, they decided to aware students of the outside world and teach them to be ready for it. After dinner on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, the opportunity to defend your selves from the dangers of the world is offered. Mr. Malon, would you like announce what you're planning to do?" Jake nodded and stood up from his seat. He headed to the front of the Great Hall.
"The others and I decided to teach the rest of the students skills that will help them deal with the dangers of the wizarding world today," he said. "On Mondays through Thursdays, a different skill will be taught. Tonight and all Mondays, Harry and Ashley are going to teach dueling here in the Great Hall. On Tuesdays, they will teach healing magic. On Wednesdays, Liz and Caroline will be teaching magical self-defense. Matt and I will be teaching physical self defense on Thursdays. For those that we feel are responsible, sword fighting will be available on Fridays. We encourage all the students to come by. It will definitely be helpful." After finishing his speech, he started walking back to his seat.
"As Mr. Malon said, we encourage all students from all houses to come by tonight after dinner at around eight," Dumbledore said before sitting down and beginning to eat himself.
"Told you it would be explained," Harry said to Ron, smiling.
"This is going to be interesting," Hermione remarked.
"So you two are teaching tonight?" Ron asked taking a bite of his sandwich.
"Yea," Ashley remarked. "We'll be teaching dueling."
"Are you going?" Harry asked.
"I am!" Hermione answered.
"So am I," Ron responded.
"I'm going to plan for my class," Caroline said.
"We have to figure out what were going to do," Liz added.
"Trying to get people to be able to defend themselves I see," a voice sneered from behind them. They turned and saw Draco sneering down on them. "No one will be ready for the dark lord's attack." Harry decided to play along. Even though they were on the same side, only a few people knew it. Draco was trying to tell him something through his words.
"Really Malfoy?" Harry asked as he stood up. "I think we'll be ready."
"I beg to differ," Draco said. "The dark lord will attack soon. Just you wait Potter. You're first on the list. Beware Potter," Draco laughed as he walked away. Harry watched him go. He tried to look angry but inside, he was thinking about what Draco's message was. What he could come up with was 'Do you seriously think that everyone will be trained enough by the time Voldermort attacks? It's impossible. He's ready to attack. You're first on the list. You need to be careful. He's going to attack sooner than you think.'
"What was that about?" Liz asked as Harry turned and sat down.
"We need to train fast," Harry responded before the students were dismissed to go to their next classes. Harry headed to the common room to brush up on his spells. Picking up a few advanced books, he read through them but already knew everything in them.
"Ah, trying to be better but not finding anything new," a voice said. Jake walked up to him. "I had the same problem."
"Then what did you do?" Harry asked.
"Came down here to ask if you found anything," he replied sitting down on one of the couches.
"You're pathetic," Harry said laughing.
"Well I thought that since we were both looking, we might actually find something."
"Well I didn't find anything new."
Jake sat up. "Maybe were looking in the wrong books," he said.
"Then you go find the right books while I go and practice for the Quidditch game this weekend."
"When was the practice suppose to be?" Jake asked.
"I might make one Wednesday," Harry replied. "I don't have to teach then." He stood and ran to grab his Firebolt and ran back down to the Quidditch field. The wind was blowing slightly on the field. It was perfect weather. Harry mounted his broom and kicked off. He raced around the goal posts and the field. He then raced up straight in the air before turning around and heading straight down missing the ground by inches. He tried that a few times before grabbing a few balls he brought with him. He raced up high in the air and let them fall for a few seconds until racing after it and catching it. He did it a few times until landing and heading into the castle once again. He ran up to his room and took a shower quickly before heading to dinner.
The Great Hall was as noisy as ever when Harry arrived. "Hey Harry!" Ron shouted as Harry approached them.
"Hey Ron," Harry replied.
"I have the greatest idea!" he exclaimed. He pushed a book towards Harry. Harry looked at it and at Ron shocked. "Give it a rest, Harry, I look at books."
"Ok, ok, what am I looking at?" Harry asked looking over it.
"My brothers found this." Ron pointed to a subtitle on the page. Harry's eyes widened as he read the title as he smiled. 'How to make anyone squeak like a mouse.'
"You're not thinking what I think you're thinking are you?" Harry asked. Ron smiled.
"I think my answer will be yes if I know what you're thinking," Ron replied.
"Who were you planning this on?" Harry asked grabbing some food on his plate.
"The master of grease balls, duh!" Ron exclaimed. Harry laughed.
"And who else?" he asked knowing it wasn't only the terrible potions teacher.
"A few Slytherins." Ron trailed on.
"When were you planning on doing this?"
"Whenever I can accomplish the spell," Ron replied looking down at the page. Harry pulled it over to him and read it.
"It looks simple," he remarked. Ron's eyes widened.
"This will be great!" he exclaimed. Hermione glared at him.
"What are you planning this time?" she asked. "You're going to get expelled if you keep on causing trouble! The teachers have enough to worry about with You-Know-Who."
"Give it a rest Hermione," Ron said. "We have people here to protect us from You-Know-Who. He's not about to attack a place with protection!"
"If you suggest that a bunch of fifteen year olds is enough to hold off the dark lord and scare him into not attacking, you're wrong Ronald Weasley!" She said before storming off.
"Hey!" Jake yelled after her. He had an offended look on his face.
"A bunch of fifteen year olds and a Dumbledore and teachers," Ron said.
"Hey!" Jake yelled again. "We're more powerful then we look you know!"
"Yea," Matt added. "I don't think he'll ever forget the time Caroline lit his hair on fire for saying something." The group broke into laughter.
"Are you going to the class tonight?" Ashley asked Ron.
"Definitely," he replied. "I think Hermione's going also."
"Ah, the first class," Sirius said walking over. "Nervous?"
"Yes," "No," Harry and Ashley replied at the same time. They looked at each other.
"Well that answers my question," Sirius answered smiling a crooked smile. "So you two are teaching a class tonight. I wonder how many people are going to go."
"Are you going?" Liz asked.
"I wouldn't miss it," he replied. "I know Remus is coming as well and some if not all of the teachers."
"When do you think Stacy will get back?" Caroline asked.
"When Dean has learned enough, I'm guessing," Matt shrugged.
"She said she would return in a few days or a day," Ashley pointed out.
"Maybe tomorrow we'll see her," Harry said. "She'll come definitely before the game. Dean wanted to see it."
"I doubt that she would miss it," Liz said. They talked through dinner until everyone finished. A few people left the room but most stayed. Many of the Slytherins left. They all shot glances at the Gryffindor table. All the Gryffindors remained. Dumbledore stood.
"I'll say now that all of those who want to stay for the class remain but for those who don't want to, a class is about to take place." He sat back down. Harry looked over at Ashley who looked back.
"Think we should move the tables?" Ashley asked looking around the room.
"We'll need the room," Harry answered as he stood. Everyone looked at him. Ashley stood as well. They headed to the front of the Great Hall. "Everyone!" Harry yelled. "We need the tables to be moved so stand up!" Everyone did as they were told as they grabbed their things off of the tables and stood. With a wave of his hand, the tables disappeared but the chairs remained. They needed something to sit on. People started taking their seats. Ashley walked over to a remaining table in front of the room and placed her notebook on top. She flipped through the pages and read a few things. Harry walked over. He put his notebook down. He also remembered to bring his wand. Many times he forgets it because he really doesn't need it. The group was quiet. Even the teachers were quiet as they waited for the couple's next move.
"This feels strange," Harry remarked.
"What does?" Ashley asked as she picked up her wand.
"For the first four years, I'm used to listening to the teachers. Now the teachers are listening to me," Harry answered.
"Yea that would be strange," Ashley remarked before turning to the group. "Welcome to the first official class of dueling! Most of you know the disarming spell but for those of you who weren't able to learn the spell, it won't be a problem because we're going to start with that." She twirled her wand between her fingers as she walked around the room. "Does anyone know the spell?"
"I do!" Jake yelled from the Gryffindor table, his arms waving in the air. Many people smiled.
"Someone who doesn't train all summer?" Ashley asked. A few hands went up. Hermione was one of them, of course. Knowing that Hermione knew it, she looked for a new person. Seeing a boy in Ravenclaw with his hand up, she called on him.
"Expelliarmus," the boy answered.
"Very good," Ashley said. "Watch." She turned to Harry who was sitting on the table. "Expelliarmus!" She yelled with her wand pointed to him. His wand went flying out of his hand and over to Sirius who caught it.
"Sometimes you can control where the wand will go," Ashley explained as the students watched the wand go over to Sirius. Harry hopped off of the table to retreat his wand. Sirius gave it back.
"We're going to practice that for awhile until everyone gets the hang of it. Then we'll move on. Today is basic introductory." Everyone paired up and started practicing on each other. Many were getting it in the first tries. After all, many learned the spell a few years back when Professor Lupin taught them. Harry sat back on the table observing the class. Especially looking for people who are doing more than disarming. Ashley walked over to him.
"Everything seems fine so far," he said.
"Yea. I can't believe the teachers stayed!" Ashley exclaimed.
"I guess they're just curious," Harry responded. "What's the next spell we're teaching next?"
"It was the stunning spell but most already know that."
"How about we teach them the disarming, stunning and awakening spells today so they can pair up and duel with those three spells. They'll need to try and dodge them but if they are stunned, they can be awakened," Harry suggested.
"That'll work," Ashley said before walking back over to the group. She stopped everyone and had them take their seats.
"Ok, that went really well," she said. "Now I know most of you know the stunning spell but we're going to practice that and the awakening spell. Who knows the stunning spell?" Many hands went up. She called on a Hufflepuff.
"Stupefy," the girl said.
"Very good. Who knows the awakening spell?" More hands showed.
"Ennerate," was the answer. Ashley then had them paired up and let them duel with each other. Glancing over at Harry, Ashley saw him looking over the students. She pointed her wand at him and said the stunning spell. Many teachers saw her do it. The spell hit Harry as he fell back on the table. Smiling, Ashley pocketed her wand and walked over to him.
"You should never let your guard down," she said to the stunned form of him.
"Neither should you," Harry replied back. He opened his eyes and pointed his wand at her and sent her back a few feet. Then he disarmed her. She looked at him shocked.
"I thought the spell hit you!" she exclaimed. In the corner of her eye, she saw the rest of the shapeshifters trying to stun each other. They were running around the room.
"I blocked it with a shield," Harry said simply as he sat up and hopped off the table.
"I thought that I'd finally hit you because you didn't seem to notice me."
"How could I not notice you?" Harry asked. "You're my girlfriend!" He handed her back her wand. She took it but held it out in front of her.
"But I'll get you now!" She exclaimed as she tried to stun Harry again. Harry sent it back. They were both smiling at each other as they circled the ground. It was a game to them. Suddenly a bubble appeared around them. Harry had cast it. It was a shield spell. It was for creating a shield over a large area. Many students stopped dueling with each other to watch the couple circling. The other shapeshifters smiled as they watched.
"We'd better make this interesting," Ashley remarked.
"What are the rules?" Harry asked.
"Do you want to show them what a real duel is?" Ashley asked smiling.
"Against Shapeshifters?" Harry asked.
"Why not? In a duel, the duelers give it their all. We should too," Ashley remarked as she stopped circling. Harry stopped as well. Some of the teachers started to call out in protest but Dumbledore stopped them. It was a great learning opportunity for the students who are just learning to duel well.
"So we're basically doing anything we can," Harry stated.
"Exactly," Ashley answered.
"How do we determine who's the winner?" Harry asked.
"Well, since we're not using anything to harm ourselves it can't be first blood. How about the person who is awake at the end wins?" Ashley suggested.
"Fine by me," Harry replied. He held out his hand and Ashley shook it. They agreed on the terms of who wins.
Ashley was facing Harry but was talking to the class. "The first thing you do is agree on the terms of who wins. Then once they are agreed on, you bow to each other in respect."
"When bowing," Harry added. "It is important to always remain eye contact. Remaining eye contact is useful so you know what your opponent is doing when you bow. For all you know, they might decide to cheat and shoot curses while you have your head down." He and Ashley bowed while keeping eye contact at all times.
"Once that's done, you can announce when the duel is starting," Ashley said.
"Okay, the last person conscious is the winner," Harry stated.
"Are you ready?" Ashley asked. Her wand was posed and ready.
"I'm ready," Harry said positioning his own wand. "How would you like start?" Ashley thought for a moment before turning to the class.
"When one of you tells us to start, we'll begin," she said. They faced each other. A few seconds later some one shouted. Before they stopped shouting, curses went flying.
"Stupefy!" Ashley shouted. Harry wiped it away with his hand. Pocketing his wand, he waved his hand. Ashley's wand came flying to him.
"Enough with these," he said. He held it out in front of him. Ashley called it back to her and pocketed it. She waved her hand in the air and Harry felt his hair blow around. The wind was picking up. Harry shot a spell from one of his fingers but the wind blew it away into one of the sides of the shield before disappearing. The wind was beginning to push Harry a few inches. He waved his hand as Ashley went back a few inches as well. She lost her concentration as the wind died down. Harry used wandless magic to cast the stunning spell. Ashley rolled out of the way just in time. It missed her by an inch. Using her feet, she jumped up to stand upright. A blue light flew from her fingertips and headed toward Harry but he shot it away. Ashley stood across from him with her arms up. She started moving around as they began to circle around. Ashley stopped and went to kick Harry but he blocked her with his arm.
"As you can see here," Jake announced. "They have resulted to muggle fighting with will be taught later on this week."
Still circling, Ashley tried to attack again using both fists and feet but Harry teleported away and appeared right behind her. She yelped in surprise before turning to him and shooting another spell. It was a spell that didn't hurt as much as Crucio but it hurt a lot. Not having enough time to block it, it hit Harry square in the chest. He sunk to his knees in pain. Just giving him enough pain to immobilize him for a second, Ashley called off the curse and tried to stun him. The stunning spell was sent towards Harry but right before it hit him, it froze in the air. It looked as if it was covered in crystal. Ashley looked up in surprise as well as everyone else. She almost won. Harry even turned to see what happened. He knew the curse was coming but he was in too much pain to avoid it. He saw the crystallized spell and looked around.
"You know that's not fair," said a voice. Going through the crowd, a boy appeared and looked down on them.
"Welcome back Dean," Jake said. Dean was standing in front of them. The bubble disappeared.
"Hey," Harry said. Dean walked to him and helped him up. "How did training go?"
"I earned a nickname," he responded. "My first form was a Tiger."
"You started a duel without me?" another voice asked. Stacy appeared after walking through the students.
"And I was just about to win!" Ashley exclaimed.
"By cheating!" Dean exclaimed.
"But with Wolf, the only way to win is by cheating!" People smiled and laughed.
"Then train with him," Dean suggested.
"We do train together," Harry said. "She's just never been in a professional duel."
"And I can wait for the day when that will happen," Ashley remarked.
"Okay everyone!" Harry addressed the students. "This class is over. Tomorrow at the same time will be healing magic. Good night!" Many of the students left.
"Hi Dean," Hermione and Ron said as they walked over to the group.
"And who is this young man?" McGonagall asked as she, Dumbledore, Remus and Sirius walked over.
"This is Dean Portman," Stacy answered. "He is also a shapeshifter. Dean this is Professor McGonagall. She is head of Gryffindor House and the professor of transfiguration." She turned to the headmaster. "This is Albus Dumbledore. He's the headmaster here at Hogwarts." They exchanged a greeting.
"Will Dean be in Gryffindor?" Caroline asked.
"I think that will be best," Dumbledore answered. Liz yawned loudly.
"What time is it?" Matt asked.
"Nine o'clock?" Caroline guessed.
"Almost," Harry said looking down at his watch. He started to rub his chest. It still hurt.
"What's wrong?" Ashley asked.
"Hurts," Harry responded.
"Was it that powerful?" Ashley asked looking worried.
"It still hurts," Harry responded. "Does that answer your question?"
"I didn't use all of my strength!" Ashley exclaimed. "I just did it to sink you to your knees!"
"Let me see," Stacy said. She looked Harry over. "It's probably just an after effect. It'll hurt probably until tomorrow morning."
"I'm sorry!" Ashley exclaimed throwing her arms around Harry's neck. Harry screamed out in pain. She released at once. She started to apologize but Harry silenced her. It wasn't her fault.
"Come on, Dean," Hermione said. "Let's show you the common room."
"I'm right behind you!" Harry said. He went to follow them but it hurt too much. "Maybe not."
"No, you're following," Sirius said as he walked over to Harry and picked him up and threw him over his shoulder.
"Put me down!" Harry yelled laughing.
"Not a chance," Sirius called back as he started walking out of the Great Hall and toward the Gryffindor tower.
"But this hurts!" Harry said. The others were following and laughing. Harry could see them.
"I'm not letting you down," Sirius stated.
"Then I'll have to get down my own way," Harry said. He stopped struggling and teleported away. He appeared in the air in front of Sirius.
"And how do you expect to make it to the tower?" Sirius asked.
"Easy," Harry replied. "I'll fly."
"You're not riding a broom through the halls!" Hermione exclaimed.
"Who said anything about a broom?" Harry asked she spread his arms and flew up a few feet. "Let's race on the count of three. One, Two," Jake and a few of the others started ahead and started racing down the hallway before three. "Hey! No Fair!" Harry yelled. He turned back to see Sirius, Remus, Dumbledore, Stacy, McGonagall, Ashley, Hermione, Ron, Ashley, Liz and Caroline were left over.
"Are you going to say three or not?" Ron asked.
"Three," he said. The others took off except the adults and Ashley.
"Wanna fly?" Harry asked the others.
"Definitely," Sirius replied.
"Ashley?" Harry asked.
"Let's do it," she said. She reached up and grasped Harry's hand. She instantly felt lighter as he feet rose off the ground. She grabbed Sirius' hand and brought him into the air.
"Are you four coming?" Sirius asked.
"We'll meet you in the common room," Remus answered.
"What are you waiting for?" Ashley asked Harry.
"Absolutely nothing," he answered. "Hold on tight!" Not a second later, they sped through the air at a high speed. It seemed like they were going to crash into walls until they turned. Sirius and Ashley were on for the ride while Harry was steering. They flew up stairs until they saw Ron's group walking ahead. They gave up running. Harry quietly flew them down to the floor so they could stand. They let go of hands.
"Did you give up on racing?" Harry asked. They turned around in shock.
"Not quiet yet," Ron said. "But we're too tired to run."
"Do you think the other group is already there?" Hermione asked.
"Yea," Ashley said. "We'll walk with you."
"I'll fly with you," Harry said as he floated a few inches off the ground. A few minutes later, they made it to the common room. Harry was an inch off the ground. It was tiring to stay higher in the air for a long amount of time. When they entered people were scattered around playing games, doing homework and talking. They found the couch that the others were sitting on and sat next to them. Harry rested his head on his arms on the arm of the couch. A few minutes later, Remus walked in. Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Stacy went their own ways.
"It's so cold in here," Liz said.
"It is," Harry replied.
"Well it does get cold this time of year," Matt remarked.
"I'll be right back," Ashley said to Harry before disappearing up the stairs to the girl's dormitory. She came down a few seconds later carrying a few blankets. She handed a few to the others but she kept a large one for herself. Opening it up, she spread some on Harry and kept some for herself. She laid next to him. He put an arm around her and pulled her close. He wasn't in as much pain as before. Most of it was gone.
"Shouldn't the fire be warming up the room?" Hermione asked. She had a blanket wrapped around her. Many people in the common room were wearing heavy robes.
"It should be," Caroline said. She walked over to it and put her hands near the flame. It wasn't hot at all. She moved her hands closer until they touched the flames. "It's not even hot!" she exclaimed.
"Do you think a freezing spell was used?" Dean asked.
"Maybe," Caroline said. She placed her hands in front of the fire. Flames flew from her hands and into the fire. They became hot instantly but the room was still cold. "That should help."
"Yea later on," Jake remarked. "I'm going to go grab a sweater. Does anyone else want one?" Everyone's hand went up.
"I'll get the sweaters from the girl's room," Caroline said through a yawn. They both headed up the stairs and came back down a minute later carrying sweatshirts.
"I brought you down one of mine Sirius," Jake said. "It'll fit." He handed the boys some sweatshirts while Caroline handed the girls their own. Harry threw his dark green sweatshirt over his head and put it on before pulling the blanket back over him. The common room was becoming empty.
"It's still cold in here," Dean observed.
"Who do you think caused the fire to go cold?" Sirius asked. Jake's black sweatshirt did fit him well.
"The Slytherins," practically everyone answered. They knew it was the Slytherins even if they didn't know how they were able to get into the common room.
"I wonder if outside is warmer," Ron said glancing out a window.
"What time is it?" Matt asked.
"10," Liz answered.
"It's too late to go out," Sirius said.
Jake yawned. "It's too cold to move but I want to go to bed," he said.
Ashley was silent through the conversations. She was tired. She was resting her head on Harry's shoulder who was resting his on the back of the couch. He hadn't moved for awhile and Ashley was convinced that he fell asleep a while back.
"I'm just going to stay here," Caroline said. "It's cold up in the rooms. I'm not going up there again."
"It is cold up there," Jake added.
"That's because there's no heat up there from the fire," Matt said.
"I'm going back to my room," Sirius said. "There has to be heat there. I'll let you guys go to sleep or do whatever. Good night." They said good night as Sirius headed out of the Gryffindor common room.
"What do you want to do?" Dean asked.
"Wanna play some games?" Jake asked.
"I'm going to go up to bed," Hermione announced. "Ron and I have classes tomorrow that we need to attend." She headed up to her room. Ron also announced his departure and headed up to his room.
"Hey Caroline," Jake whispered.
"What?" she asked. Jake nudged his head towards the direction of Ashley and Harry. "What about them?" Jake smirked while quietly getting up and heading towards them. "Don't wake them up!" Caroline whispered.
"Why not?" Jake asked looking back at her.
"Let them sleep," she replied.
"Plus, if you don't let us sleep, we'll be cranky in the morning," the tired voice of Ashley remarked.
"You're both awake?" Jake asked surprised.
"I am," Ashley responded not even bothering to open her eyes. "But I think Wolf fell asleep right after putting on his sweatshirt."
"It's amazing that you can sleep when it's this cold!" Dean said.
"When you're tired, you can do anything," Ashley remarked.
"Who's up for a game of chess?" Jake asked.
"Is that all you ever play?" Liz asked.
"Just about," Jake replied.
"Tiger, did you ever see a game of wizards chess?" Matt asked Dean using his nickname.
"I've seen a regular chess game," Dean replied. "Is wizards chess different?"
"Very different," Jake replied. He picked up some chess pieces that were lying around. They were for people who didn't have their own pieces or were too lazy to get them. They played for awhile as Caroline and Liz talked to each other.
"Maybe you can warm up the room?" Liz asked hopeful.
"I can try," Caroline answered. They headed up to the dormitories. Using elemental magic, Caroline used heat and warmed up the room. "I guess it works!" she exclaimed.
"Should we warm up the boy's room?" Liz asked.
Caroline thought about it. "We should." They walked toward the fifth year boy's room. Quietly opening the door, Caroline quickly warmed up the room before closing it. They headed back down to the common room.
"I can't wait till Christmas," Liz said.
"Me either. I wonder what the castle will look like," Caroline replied.
"It's coming soon. In just a few weeks right?"
"Yea. I need to shop," Caroline said.
"It's going to be our first Christmas together," Liz remarked.
"I've almost been with the shapeshifters for a year," Caroline remarked. "It doesn't seem that long."
"It would be a year in May for me," Liz replied.
"I'm going to go up to bed," Caroline said.
"Me too," Liz said. "What should we do about Eagle and Wolf?"
"Maybe we should wake them. It's warmer upstairs than it is down here. It would be better for them upstairs," Caroline responded. She shivered when she stood. She walked over to the sleeping couple. Caroline could tell they were cold. They were cold to the touch and they were shivering. "So much for muggle sweatshirts," she muttered to herself. She shook Ashley awake. Ashley pulled the blanket closer.
"Ashley," Caroline whispered as she shook her again. "Wake up. It's better upstairs." Ashley groaned as she woke up. She opened her eyes and yawned. She slowly sat up as she tried to move Harry's arm off of her without waking him up.
"What time is it?" she asked sleepily.
"Around 11," Liz responded.
"It's still cold."
"It's actually getting warmer," Liz admitted. "You're just cold because you just woke up. Upstairs is a lot warmer. Caroline figured out a way to warm the rooms without setting them on fire."
"What about Harry?" Ashley asked. She slowly stood and stretched.
"We have to get him up as well," Caroline answered. "It will be better for him upstairs. Being tired and very cold isn't a good thing."
"We should talk to Dumbledore in the morning about this," Liz said. "How are we going to get Harry upstairs?"
"We'll wake him up and then maybe get the guys to help him up the stairs," Caroline answered. Ashley sat down on the couch and gently shook Harry awake. Without opening his eyes, Harry brought a hand up to his eyes and rubbed them. He opened his eyes when he picked up his head.
"Come on Harry," Ashley said. "You need to go upstairs. It's a lot warmer up there." Harry just rubbed his eyes before resting his head back on the couch in an effort to fall back asleep. "Don't go back to sleep!" Ashley said. She shook him again.
"Matt," Liz called quietly. He turned to face her. "Can you help us?" He nodded before telling Dean something. He then stood as Dean took his place.
"Sure, what's the matter?" he asked.
"We need to get Harry upstairs," Liz answered.
"But isn't it colder up there?" he asked confused.
"I was able to warm up our rooms," Caroline replied.
"So what do you need me to do?" he asked.
"We woke Harry up but he went back to sleep. We need you to help us get him to bed," Liz answered.
"No problem. I have an idea. Caroline, you grab one side. I'll get the other. Ashley, you wake him up. I'll grab one shoulder to help him up and up the stairs. I know what it's like to try to walk especially up the stairs when you just wake up. Caroline, you'll grab his other side and help him up as well," Matt said. "Then after this, I'm going to bed. I can barely concentrate on the chess game."
Matt went to stand near Ashley as she shook Harry awake again. "Come on sweetheart," she said. "Wake up. It's time to go upstairs." Harry opened his eyes again after awaking the second time. He stretched and yawned.
"It's warmer upstairs," Liz told him. Harry sat up. He knew he had to go to bed. He was just too tired. He tried to stand and felt people grab both of his shoulders, helping him up.
"Come on," he heard Matt say. "I'm going up too." He was holding Harry up and helped him walk towards and up the stairs. They eventually made it to their room and helped Harry onto his bed.
"Good night Harry," Ashley said as she kissed him on the cheek. "I'm sorry for before."
"I don't feel it anymore," Harry replied back. He kissed her back.
"I guess a little sleep works wonders," Ashley replied.
"Hey Romeo and Juliet," Caroline whispered. "Break it up. Juliet isn't allowed in here and Romeo needs to go to sleep." They said good night before the girls left. Matt stayed behind and headed towards his own bed.
"I'm not even going to bother changing," he announced.
"Me either," Harry said as he laid down and pulled the covers up. "It is warmer in here though."
"Caroline warmed up the room," Matt said pulling the covers onto himself. "What are we going to do to the Slytherins who did this?"
"I think Ron and I have an idea," Harry announced smiling a little. "G' night Shark."
"G' night Wolf," Matt replied back before they both fell asleep.
************************************************
OMG! I can't believe that I wrote this much. This morning I had 7 pages. Now I end at 21. Congratulate me!
**** I have a new policy! How about this, every Sunday, I'll update no matter how much I have. If I finish the chapter before then, I'll update it early of course and that'll be my update for the week. What do you think? Let me know.