Disclaimer: Even with the aid of FireWhiskey, I highly doubt that anyone would be gullible enough to believe that I own any part of the Potterverse. In the event that I'm mistaken, would anyone like a drink? Don't mind that...a little smoke on a drink never hurt anyone...
A Small Demonstration
The DA meeting that night had gone well. Harry had taught the now much larger group a new, highly advanced, shield charm. The only drawback to it was the fact that it took more energy to cast than protego. What made up for that was that, unlike the more common defensive charm, once it was active, it stayed that way until the caster canceled it out. Also, unlike any other shield, it didn't draw any energy once it was in place. Another advantage was that it allowed hexes, jinxes, and even a few curses to pass through from behind, while still maintaining it's integrity.
Hermione had warned about the consequences of teaching such a powerful shield to so many people.
"After all," she'd reasoned, "what if we have a spy in our midst, and they tell the wrong person? Wouldn't that negate it's usefulness?"
Harry shook his head, amused that his research skills had outstripped hers, this time.
"Actually, no. The reason it works so well for us here is that it can only be used by someone who is firmly on the side of the Light."
"What? How?"
"Because of the way it works. Most shield spells, like reflectum, work by reflecting the spell back at the caster, or like protego, by allowing you to choose to reflect it back or absorb the energy back into yourself, effectively stealing it. Diffusium,on the other hand, absorbs the energy and diffuses it back into the environment, minus the little bit it keeps to power itself. Once you release the shield, the remaining energy goes back into the earth around you."
Hermione still looked unconvinced, she he tried another tack.
"Alright. Try this for size. D'you remember what Flitwick told us at the beginning of the year, about the difference between light and dark magics?"
"Of course. Dark magics are those used by someone to achieve their goal at the expense of others. The cruciatus benefits the caster by draining the magic from one person and funneling it straight into another. The reason it's so painful is that it rips the magic loose forcefully, while shutting down the endorphins producing parts of your body, not allowing any pain relief. Light magics can only be used to protect, heal, or help in some way. Basic stuff, really. Why?"
Something over her shoulder caught his eye for a moment, then he was looking at her, the amused glint still in his eyes. "Tell you what, Mione. I'm going to go give Luna a hand with the wand motion, and I'll be back. Think about it, and if you haven't figured it out by the end of the night, I'll tell you then. Alright?"
She nodded as he walked towards the sometimes dotty blond witch. As Hermione thought about what he'd said, she practiced the new shield charm. While she was practicing, she noticed, almost without realizing it, that few of the students around her were doing the exact wand movements, or pronouncing it exactly right. That wasn't unusual, especially as this was the first time any, save Harry, were trying it. For most students, a new spell always took a while to work. Almost all of what they'd learned during their time at school required three things to work. Practice, practice, and more practice. Even Hermione, with her natural talent and tendency to study things until there was nothing left to learn about them, still had to practice most things.
What was highly unusual was the fact that, no matter how mangled the pronunciations she was hearing from around the room, or how random the wand movements of some might seem, not one student was failing to conjure this shield. She put this seeming anomaly together with what Harry had said, and decided to try an experiment.
Releasing the shield she'd already successfully cast, she concentrated on wanting to protect herself and Ron, and deliberately mispronounced the incantation. "Defusie." Instantly, a light blue shield shimmered around her. Releasing it, she tried again, concentrating on the same thing again, but this time she barely flicked her wand. Once again, the shield sprang to life around her, just as if it had been text-book perfect. In a bit of a daze, she decided to try one more thing.
This time, she concentrated all her thought on trying to harm Draco Malfoy, maybe in revenge for all of the slights she and her friends had endured from him over the past few years. She used the exact wand movement, as well as perfect pronunciation this time, just as she'd been shown.
Nothing. No shield. She tried it once more, with the same result.
On her final attempt, she concentrated on keeping Ron safe, and did the spell just like she'd seen Harry do it. This time, the shield that came up seemed almost solid, a deep blue for the first second or so. Then it settled down to near invisibility, just as it should. Her theory, as far as she could tell, had been borne out. She turned to find Harry and ask him about this, but she didn't have to go far. As she turned, she found that he'd been standing right behind her. Though startled, she nevertheless went to ask him a question, only to be brought short, as she received the next shock, in a night that seemed full of them already.
Those green eyes she'd watched since that day six years ago on the Hogwarts Express, held something new. Since that first train ride, she'd learned that the most reliable gauge to Harry Potter's mood, good or ill, lay in his eyes. The darker, more clouded, they appeared, the darker his mood. She remembered all too clearly how his eyes had gone to a dull, almost flat, dark jade color, almost closer to a granite grey, during the terrible time after the loss of his godfather. The week following the balls-up at the Ministry had scared her, almost more than hearing of the return of Voldemort.
At the other end of the spectrum, when he was happy, those orbs were the clearest, most vibrant and lively emerald color. There had been precious few times when she'd been able to see them like that. That was one of the reasons she enjoyed going to his and Ron's Quidditch games. When he was looking forward to flying off into the air, anticipating the freedom it brought, that was how his eyes looked. She loved him like the brother she'd always wanted to have, and anything that made him that happy was a good thing, to her.
What she saw now was something so different though, that she didn't initially know what to make of it.
His eyes were twinkling, but even more brightly than Dumbledore's ever had. She saw every shade of green in there. He was happy, satisfied, anticipating,...was that...teasing? One thing she knew for sure was that he wanted to hear what she had to say. She didn't let him down.
"The wand movements and the words don't mean much. It's the intent behind it, right?"
He nodded and replied, "Got it in one. Always knew there was a reason we call you the brightest ever." He grinned at the slight blush that washed over her cheeks at this.
"Harry, where did you find this spell? It's not in any spell in the library, not even the grimmoires in the Restricted section."
"No, it's not. I have a confession to make. Remember all those paperbacks in my trunk at the Burrow this summer?"
"Wait. Hold on a minute. You mean to tell me that you found the most powerful shield spell I've ever seen in some golden-age, pulp-fiction, penny-dreadful, science-fiction story?" Her jaw hung open so far, it looked like it had become unhinged, somewhat akin to her mental state at this prospect.
Harry chuckled and said, "Hermione, if you don't watch out, birds are gonna nest in there." Waiting for him to continue, she closed her mouth with an audible snap.
"No, I didn't find the spell in there. What I found was the inspiration for the idea that led to it. In one of those books, one of the better ones by the way, by Anne McCaffrey, there was something about how the shields on a starship would work. In her book, the shields seem to work by breaking down anything that hits the shield into it's component parts, down past a molecular level, and scattering those components. That got me to thinking about the shields we use. Why wasn't there something like that for our use?
"So, I asked Moony to tutor me a bit on Arithmancy over the summer, sort of an 'Arithmancy For Dummies' if you will. When we got back to school, I started taking a good close look at reflectum, a couple of severing charms, an obscure banishing hex, took parts from each, and combined them with a protective geis. That's why it works as well as it does. No matter the power level of the caster or how badly they do it. All that matters is the intent of the person using it."
Hermione was flabbergasted. "Y-y-you created the spell? How? When?" In her amazement, she seemed to forget that he'd already told her most of what she'd just asked for.
Harry's eyes twinkled again, as he replied. "We'll talk more tomorrow. Right now, I have a demonstration to perform."
With that, he walked away, leaving a thunderstruck witch behind him. The last thing Hermione noticed in his eyes as he turned away seemed to be dread. On his way to the platform at the front of the room, he stopped to talk to Dennis Creevey.
"Dennis, could you give me a hand with something?"
Hermione was thoroughly confused now. What would Harry have to dread, that had to do with Dennis?
At the younger boy's nod, he led the way to the dais. Once he was there, everyone's attention focused on him. The room quieted so quickly and thoroughly that he didn't need to use a sonorus to address the group.
"I'd like to show you a quick demonstration of the effectiveness of this shield. I'd imagine that most of you are curious as to why I'd choose Dennis as an assistant on this. By his own admission, he's not exactly the strongest wizard of his year. In fact, to hear him tell it, there's second years that could take him in a duel. Personally, I think he's exaggerating just a bit.
"In actual fact, the reason I chose Dennis is that he is the closest to the average, in regards to his power and his control over his power, his abilities as a wizard. Dennis may have started a bit behind some of his classmates, but he's done a good job of catching up, since we started this group.
"What I would like to show you tonight is that, no matter the power level of the one casting the spell or the one trying to break through, all that matters is the intent of the person using the spell."
He turned to face the younger student, gave him an encouraging smile, and said, "Dennis, concentrate on protecting yourself and your family while casting the shield spell."
Watching the shield flare into life around Dennis, Harry took ten paces away, then drew his wand, mentally preparing himself for what was to come. He wasn't looking forward to the finale of this particular act, but it would be the only way to prove his point.
Harry started out slowly, with small jinxes and hexes.
"Tarantallegra."
Blocked
"Diffindo."
Blocked
"Petrificus Totallus."
And so it went, for the next ten minutes. Slowly but surely, he worked his way up the scale, each spell stronger than the one before. At one point, Harry was even using hexes that rarely saw use in battle, construction hexes, used to bore holes in stone, to blast stone in a mine. By the end, he was throwing one spell after another, barely waiting for the previous one to clear his wand before starting the next one.
The shield took it all. Nary a flicker appeared in the shield, no matter what Harry sent at it. The only real effect all the spells had was that the very air around the dais seemed to be charged with magic, so much so that you could almost see it.
Finally, he paused. He saw Dennis send him a questioning glance, asking if the demonstration was over. Grimly, Harry shook his head. He had one final point to make.
He summoned up all the fear, all the hate, he felt for Tom Marvolo Riddle, letter it build along with the magic he was summoning at the same time. It built to the breaking point before he finally released it, pointing his wand at Dennis, uttering one of the most feared, most loathed words in the wizarding world.
"Crucio!"
Gasps were heard through the hall, as well as a few screams. The sickly green light flew from the end of his wand, only to be stopped, not a foot from the younger student. The force of the spell dissipated, just like every spell before it.
Harry lowered his wand, carefully re holstering it. He nodded his thanks to Dennis and asked, "Alright, mate?"
The younger boy nodded back, smiling back a bit weakly. "No worries."
Harry grinned at this and motioned for Dennis to rejoin the rest of the group. He then to face everybody.
"What you have just seen will, I hope, prove once and for all that, no matter how powerful either opponent is in a duel, we now have a tool that will protect even a poor-to-average wizard or witch from the darkest of wizards. No Death Eater will hesitate to use that last spell I cast on anyone, whether student, auror, teacher, muggle, oldster, or baby. With this shield, we have a way to defend against anything they may bring to bear. Until now, there was no way to block or protect against the Unforgivables. The only shield that worked until now was rock or metal, and those could be shattered. With Diffusio, the dark will stand no chance against the Light. We will win!"
The cheer that greeted this pronouncement was enough to to shake the very walls in this room. They were nearly deafening in their intensity. Harry let the jubilant students continue for a few minutes, before dismissing them to their dorms.
By the time all but Harry and his closest friends had left, he felt the last of the iron control he'd exerted over himself crumble away. He fell to his knees, trembling, and felt what seemed like everything he'd eaten in recent memory rushing to get out. Luckily, the room provided a bucket just as the escape was made good. The other five remaining students came to offer support, standing close, just letting him know they were there for him. Somehow, their show of support helped, and he'd started to make a recovery by the time they heard a commotion by the door.
Minerva McGonagall was seated in front of the huge oak desk in the Headmaster's office. She and Albus Dumbledore were going over school business. They'd just finished the last of the arrangements for the upcoming ball, when a deep gonging sound rang through the office. They both knew what that sound was, and that it heralded nothing good. It was the alarm the wards on the castle gave when one of the Unforgivables was used within these walls.
The headmaster closed his eyes and expanded his awareness to his link with the wards, needing to discern where the disturbance was. With a start, he realized that the alarm was centered around the seventh floor corridor. Who had used the Cruciatus in the Room of Requirement? He informed McGonagall, and the two of them took off at a run.
When they reached the Room of Requirement, Dumbledore was first in the room. He saw the teens gathered around Harry at the end of the room. McGonagall was the first to speak, as the headmaster was still a bit winded from the run.
"What in Merlin's name is going on in here? Why are the wards telling us that an Unforgivable used in here? Who was it?"
Where the other five students had been facing in towards Harry a moment ago, they were now facing outwards, looking at the two professors. They all wore identical expressions, ones of grim determination. Ginny Weasley was the first to speak.
"That's because that's just what happened. Harry had to demonstrate that, with the new shield he taught us, even the weakest among us couldn't be taken out by the strongest. He was the only one who could do it."
She explained the demonstration that had taken place, as well as the aftereffects. Once she was finished, she moved to one side, allowing them to see an obviously drained Harry Potter slowly straightening, a haunted expression on his face.
"What you see before you is the effect that casting a dark spell has on him, and he didn't sustain it for any length of time. It's all the proof that any of us will ever need, as to how good he is." She shrugged. "Just one of the reasons we believe in him as we do."
It was plain to see that Professors McGonagall and Dumbledore were deeply shaken by all of this. Strangely enough, at seeing the look on Harry's face, they were reassured as well, though neither was quite sure why. It was a few minutes before either could formulate a response. Finally, looking over the top of his half-moon spectacles, Dumbledore asked.
"I would assume from the united front we see in front of us, as well as the jubilant students we encountered on our way here, that the shield worked as hoped?
Harry fielded this one, looking exhausted, yet in a strong voice. "Yes sir. It worked beyond all expectations."
Ron was next. "Stopped the curse right in mid-air, it did."
"If my parents had had this available to them..." Neville mused sadly.
"Or Harry's, for that matter." Hermione's eyes gleamed with unshed tears for both of her friends.
"Actually, that was a huge part of why I invented it. So that nobody else would have to end up like the Longbottoms. I know what it's like to grow up without parents." He looked to Hermione. "As to the killing curse, only time will tell. There's only one way to test that, and I don't know about you lot, but I really don't fancy bringing a Death Eater here to try it out."
Murmurs of agreement went through the little group gathered here. Harry gave a bit of a cynical smile before continuing. "Of course, with the way things usually go for me, I'll probably be the one to test it, the next time I face the snake-faced idiot."
Everybody shuddered as they realized the truth in that statement.
The headmaster responded to this speculation with, "Hopefully, dear boy, we will be able to delay your next confrontation with Tom for a while yet."
Harry shrugged. "We can hope."
Dumbledore stood up and looked around at the remaining students. "Unless I'm greatly mistaken, I believe that curfew is quickly approaching. I bid you all a good night."
McGonagall stood with him. When the reached the door, she turned back to face the group, her gaze not giving anything away as her eyes settled on Harry. "Mr Potter, it sounds as if you gave an impressive demonstration tonight. In future though, please try to refrain from activities that have such a high potential for causing heart failure. Namely, mine." With that, she turned and swept out the door.
Neville and Luna stood to go next. The four that were left spent a few minutes more discussing how the meeting had gone, before Ron and Hermione left for their nightly patrol. Harry was unsure of how much 'patrolling' would get done, and mentioned it to Ginny. They shared a grin over that as she gathered her things to go.
Harry asked, "Where are you going? We have time yet."
"Back to the tower, Harry. That is where I keep my bed, you know."
"I thought you wanted help on your patronus. Weren't we going to do that after the meeting?"
She looked back with a doubtful expression. "I know that took a lot out of you tonight. Are you sure you're up to it?"
"I'm feeling better now. Listen, if nothing else, at least you'll get a chance to practice a few times, even if you don't get it to work all the way. Besides, I have a way for you to try it with a dementor. I got a boggart out of Professor Vector's classroom earlier."
"Alright then." She set her bookbag back down and withdrew her wand.
"Okay, Gin. Before we start, I want to see how you do under optimal conditions. There's no dementor at the moment, you're safe in the castle, and with a friend. You know how this works. Just picture your happiest memory firmly in your mind, and cast the charm."
Ginny took a moment to summon her happiest memory, that of waking up to seeing him at her bedside the previous morning. Giving all of her concentration to it, picturing the look of love she was sure she'd seen in her eyes at least twice so far, she opened her eyes and drew her wand, casting the spell.
"Expectro Patronum!"
A large silver form burst from her wand. The shape was indistinct, though there seemed to be a shape that wanted to form from the mist. There almost seemed to be a suggestion of wings, as well as bulk. The silvery shape faded out of sight after a moment, not giving her a chance to make out any more than that. There seemed to be something familiar about it, but she couldn't put her finger on it.
Harry stepped forward now. "That wasn't bad, Gin. It was almost corporeal. With a bit of practice, you should be able to get it. The power's there, but it needs just a little push. Let me show you something."
"I ran across something a couple months ago, that I think will help. I was paging through an Experimental Charms Journal Professor Flitwick had left on the headmaster's desk one day, and they had an article discussing using hopes and dreams, rather than just memories, when conjuring a patronus. Because of the fact that real memories fade over time, it can be necessary to find a new memory to fuel it from time to time. However, if there's a particular hope or dream that you've been nurturing for a long time, it only gets more intense, more vivid, as you add detail to it over the years. An additional benefit of doing it this way is that your patronus, well, packs more of a punch for want of a better way to put it. Let me show you what I mean."
He dragged a small trunk over from next to one of the bookcases. The trunk rattled, shook, and moaned, as he brought it over. He stepped back to where she still stood, drew his wand, and bowed his head for a moment, concentrating.
He pictured what he'd seen in the Mirror of Erised, just a couple of weeks prior.
A small home in the country, surrounded by open space, with room in the back for flying; himself, standing with his arm around the waist of a very pregnant Ginny, wedding bands on the ring finger of each of their left hands; a yard full of children, theirs, Ron and Hermione's, Bill and Fleur's, running, playing, all knowing they're loved, all with the childhood he'd never had himself; a much older Harry and Ginny, grey streaking their hair yet still very much in love, still devoted to each other and their family; a real, true, family
Harry's head snapped up, emerald eyes almost blazing with an inner lightHe muttered a quick alohamora, and the trunk sprang open. The shape within quickly assumed the form of a dementor, looming over Harry.
"Expectro Patronum!"
Prongs burst forth in all his glory, heading straight for the dementor. As with the last time Harry had cast this charm, the corporeal form was almost golden, rather than the usual silver-grey. He ran a few laps around the apparent dementor, before herding it back to the trunk. Once it was back in, he cantered over to Harry, dropping his head in salute. Harry reached out a hand to touch the muzzle, and Prongs dissipated.
"Whenever you're ready, Gin, go ahead and try it. If you need to take a few minutes to get ready, that's fine." He moved off to the side and started leafing through one of the books the room provided, seeing if there was anything he hadn't run across yet.
Ginny closed her eyes, thinking for a moment how ironic it was that Harry, the object of so many of her dreams, hopes, and fantasies, was telling her to use those thoughts for her patronus. She put that aside and called up those dreams, not really wondering at all which one she considered her greatest desire.
The war over, the wizarding and muggle worlds at peace; all of her family having survived the war; her, married to Harry; red-headed, green-eyed, children running around a small home in the country, not a shack, but not a manor, just comfortable; growing old with Harry
Bright brown eyes snapped open, her head jerked up, and she cast the charm once more. As the words left her lips, a huge silvery-gold form burst from her wand, taking flight and soaring around the room before coming to a landing before her. A magnificent hyppogriff, easily the same size as Buckbeak, stood there before the stunned redhead. She just had time to register the presence of a strange looking blaze on his chest before he went into a deep bow. She reached out a hand to caress his beak, but he vanished before she could touch it.
A bit in shock at her success, she looked over to Harry. If she was surprised, she had no earthly idea how to describe his reaction. He stood there, mouth agape, eyes wide. He was paler than she'd ever seen him. After a moment, he collected himself and seemed to look at her much closer than he ever had.
That was...erm...certainly...impressive, Gin. I think...that's...all the practice we have time for tonight. Yes, it's quite late. We'd best head for the tower, yeah?"
With a glazed expression on his face, he turned and walked out of the Room of Requirement, leaving a very confused witch in his wake.
A/N: I have to say that I am extremely gratified to see the response this story has gotten so far. It's been a lot of fun to write, though the whole editing process kinda sucks. LOL I hope you all still enjoy my small efforts here. The reviews have been very encouraging and constructive. As I don't want to get in trouble with the management around here, I'll confine my replies to reviews (for now) to simply thanking all of those who've reviewed for their kind comments.
