/hi/=One person speaking to another //hi//= One person speaking to everyone

Gwydion's Conservatory of Magical Arts

Chapter Seven: Of Communications

This is not what Harry had imagined a retreat to be like. He (and his

new class mates) were on the most beautiful palace on the most beautiful island that

any of them had ever seen. And for one glorious wonderful day they had been able

to enjoy the palaces many pools in the warmth of the Mediterranean Sea. That,

however, had only been one day. Now the eight of them stood locked in a large

room that had a spider web with eight holes spread in front of them. The holes were

at various heights and they were all different sizes. Ria had explained what they

needed to do before grinning, taking their wands, and then locking them in this

room. They would not be allowed to leave the room until the task was complete.

The over enthusiastic 'headmistress' of their school had left a single sheet of

parchment, repeating the instructions that she had told them. Which was good,

because not a single person had been awake enough to remember what she said, after

all it was only around five in the morning! Fiona was the first to recover from

sleepiness. Grinning, just like Ria she took the instruction sheet and began to read

aloud to the group.

The Web of the Spider

You're task is to get every member of the team to the other side of the web, while sticking to the following rules:

At no point may any team member touch the web. If you do the entire group will be sent back and you must begin again.

No two people may pass through the same hole. The hole will be closed up as soon as someone has passed through it, but if someone does touch it then the team will have to begin again.

No magic.

I wish you all the best of luck on this task and remember that only teamwork will get you through this task. Play with each other's strengths to eliminate weakness. Food will be sent at eight, noon, and six, until this task is complete. Again the best of luck to you all. -Meria Solange

"We have to what?" Krisalyn (who preferred to be Kris but never Lyn) asked,

suddenly awake.

"You're task is to..." Fiona began again.

"I know that the paper said! How in the world are we going to get through?"

"Like this," said Aidan, as he headed straight into one of the bottom hole. "Come on

everyone its easy!" He called from the other side. Nadia went through shortly after

her brother, in one of the other bottom. With only one bottom left Ondra went

through. Fiona, who had become the unoffical leader, said, "Mac you should go

next, you're tall enough to fit through the next level." Without any words he went

through. "Alaphonce you next. Then Harry, you dive through the top hole."

In went Alaphonce, but when Harry tried to get through the hole he touched the

rope. By magic all of the people on the other side of the web found themselves

pulled rather fast back to where the remaining three were.

"Well that didn't work," remarked Kris without much surprise in her voice.

"You try it then," Aidan practically yelled, as it had been his idea in the first place.

"I will. Fiona why don't you go through the most left one." She started to dictate.

And everything went well, only Kris had made the highest hole, the last one, and the

last person left could not get through it alone. The group found themselves slapped

on the group on the wrong side of the web, yet again. Next Ondra tried, but she kept

forgetting what holes had been gone through and ended up trying to send two people

through the same one! One by one each of the students attempted to figure out how

to get through. When it was Harry's turn he sent the wrong people through holes

that they could never fit through the hole he assigned them, making them touch the

rope. It wasn't until around three in the afternoon when Mac realized something.

"Alaphonce hasn't tried to lead yet." Everyone in the group nodded. They were

willing to give anything to get out of this room at this point.

"I don't really know if I should..." he began in a quiet voice.

"You can do it Al!" encouraged Ondra. She gave everyone else in the room a

pointed stare and everyone chorused, "Yeah go for it Al." Not quite as enthusiastic.

"Why don't we try starting in the middle so that there are people to help on the other

side?" He asked unsure of himself. Everyone nodded. "Harry you go through that

one, just one up. Mac help me give him a hand up."

Harry was through! Next he put Fiona through one of the top ones, and then with

both Harry and Fiona to help he sent Kris through the next top one. Nadia and

Aidan went through the two middle holes with no trouble whatsoever, making it easy

as ever to get the last three through the bottom holes. With that the web disappeared

and the door unlocked. Ria re-entered that room with the largest grin that Harry

thought he had ever seen.

"Congratulations! You passed you're first challenge."

"First?" Ondra asked ruefully. "You mean there are more?"

Ria grinned. "Of course, that wasn't hard at all. They hardest are yet to come...

Now off you all go, you have the rest of the night off, but be ready to get started

bright and early tomorrow!"

There was a collective groan as the tired teenagers made there way back up to their rooms, dreading the next day.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"After yesterday it is apparent that you all need to learn to communicate with each

other if this is going to work out this year." Ria said grimly, just after the students

had finished their breakfast. (Which they were quite happy to take at 8:30 instead of

being woken up too early to even eat it) 'How did she know what happened

yesterday?' Harry thought to himself. It was Kris, however, who had become the

voice of the group who voiced Harry's question.

"Were you watching us?"

Ria smiled evilly. "Yes, I was, and I must say that the pictures came out beautifully."

Everyone stared at her with horror.

"You took pictures?" Nadia asked.

"I most certainly did! But that is beside the point...as I was saying we need to work on you're communication skills, so follow me please."

Harry and others followed Ria in silence. 'I wonder what we are going to do today,'

thought Harry. He was still not completely over the shock of being here and not at

Hogwarts. The funny thing was that Harry felt more at home with these people in

this house than he had ever felt at Hogwarts. No one was following him around,

taking pictures and asking annoying questions, no rivals to make his life as miserable

as possible, and no one was jealous. Well, no one was taking pictures except Ria, but

Harry found that he didn't care about that. Today they were led to a very different

room. In this one there was a large glass window with a view of the sea, and the walls

were painted yellow. In the middle of the room lay a huge stack of newspaper, and

several rolls of duck tape. 'How strange,' Harry thought.

"If everyone would turn their attention to me." Ria called over the now chattering

students. "Today you much build a house out of this newspaper and tape. With

nothing else, not even magic. The house must stand by itself, and you have to fit all

of you under it. With that I only have three more things to say; Accio Wands, and

Silencio!"

At the silent protests from the students Ria smirked. "Did I forget to mention that

you can't talk?" She left the room, leaving the stunned students behind to start their

task.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

'This is pointless!' Harry thought, frustrated. They had been in this room for three

hours now and nothing had gotten done. Ondra and Fiona were having a silent cat

fight with each other about what to do at the same time that Nadia and Aidan were

also fighting. Kris had gone so far as to start a small fist fight with Mac, after they

had come to a disagreement. Harry and Al sat on the side, watching.

'We are never going to get ANYTHING done this way!' Harry thought in a rage.

/I quite agree./ Came a voice inside his head. Harry looked around, trying to figure

out who had spoken.

/Hello? Whose there?/ He thought in his head. Beside him, Al jumped a little.

They started at each other.

/Was that you Harry?/

/Yeah. How are we doing this?/

/I don't know/ Al responded, just as confused as Harry. /I wonder if we can communicate with the others through their heads?/

/Let's try. I'll take Ondra, Kris, and Nadia. You talk to Aidan, Mac, and Fiona./

/Alright./ The other boy thought back.

/Ondra this is Harry, can you hear me? Al and I discovered something.../

Ondra stopped fighting with Fiona.

/Why are you in my head?/

/I don't know, it just happened. I'm going to try and talk to everyone at once./

//Can everyone hear me?// Harry asked, to everyone.

//That is so weird! But now we can get this task done in no time, is everyone here?//

There was a series of yes and yeahs.

//Then let's get to work!//

AN- I finally got this chapter up! Thank god for that. I'm trying really hard on my characters and any comments you want to make about how to make them better, feel free to do so. REVIEW!

Next chapter-

-Harry and co. return to the school

-The press discovers Harry is missing

-Sirius, Sirius, and more Sirius

-We visit the town near the school and meet a very interesting person who happens to be betrothed to a Mr. Draco Malfoy.....