Harry Potter and the Mind Mage
By James Milamber
A/N: A bit of fluff, a bit of humour, a bit of plot, a bit of…well, that's it, really. Bah.
Dree: There's no slipping anything by you, is there?
Tuesday's class was easier, although there were even more students than before; obviously word had spread of Harry's exploits. It was unavoidable, really, and if it helped the students learn, then so be it.
Harry split the students up into pairs and told them to practice their Disarming Hexes, much as he had on the first DA meeting. He appointed Hermione, Ron and Ginny to help he, James and Tonks as they circulated amongst those practicing, offering advice and demonstrations as they went. As he found other members of the DA he pressed them into service as well, and by the end of the class he had a small army of helpers.
Malfoy's scowl seemed to deepen as more students leapt at the chance to help Harry, who made a special point of loudly pointing out what Malfoy was doing wrong when he failed to Disarm Crabbe, culminating the lecture with a demonstration that sent Crabbe's wand soaring across the hall to hit Pansy Parkinson in the nose. As Harry was walking off, a pleased smile on his face, Malfoy leveled his wand at Harry's back but James spotted him.
'Twenty points from Slytherin, Mister Malfoy, and if that spell is launched it will be fifty and a detention,' he said calmly. Malfoy spluttered in rage, whirling and stalking off to a corner to sulk. Pansy glared at the Defense teacher before following.
'Lucky he's so annoyed at you,' Ginny whispered. 'Otherwise he wouldn't have been so obvious.' She frowned. 'It's funny though. I'm sure he knows how to disarm someone.'
At the end of the lesson, Harry and the DA members that had been helping him gathered near the front of the room with James and Tonks. Harry was the first to speak.
'Bad,' he said.
'Pitiful,' Hermione sniffed.
'Worse,' Ernie Macmillan agreed.
'Shocking,' Ginny finished.
'So what do we do?' Harry asked, his expression pained.
'Work with them,' James suggested. 'That's what this class is all about. Not getting through the exams, but actually being able to use these spells to defend themselves in the real world.'
'Yeah,' Ron agreed, 'a lot of these twits will need it.'
'Ron!' Hermione scolded.
'What? It's true,' Ron defended.
'He's right,' Tonks agreed. 'Umbridge did more damage here than I thought. Most of these students haven't cast a defensive spell in over a year, and they're woefully inept. If Voldemort attacked tomorrow, it would be you lot and the teachers against the Death Eaters. The rest of the students would be worse than useless.'
'So let's change that,' Harry suggested firmly.
'That's what we're here for,' James confirmed.
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The following day, the Daily Prophet reported another mass breakout from Azkaban. Harry sighed as he watched the picture of Bellatrix Lestrange glaring up at him, and he couldn't help but glance at Isabelle, who was scowling at her own copy of the Prophet. The breakout confirmed yet again, in Harry's eyes, Minister Fudge's incompetence.
As Ron had rather pointedly reminded Harry, Wednesday was Hermione's birthday, and there had been a huge party in the Gryffindor common room when someone "accidentally" let the date slip. After Harry's story, Hermione and Ron were almost as famous as he himself, and most of Gryffindor turned up. Someone had apparently been talking to the Milton twins, as they disappeared for an hour or so and returned laden down with Butterbeers and Honeydukes sweets, and followed by Dobby and several other house elves all carrying assorted food and drinks. When questioned, all they would say was that they had help from Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs, and it confirmed Harry's suspicions, as he had yet to show the map to the twins. Dobby, of course, was ecstatic to be providing food for one of Harry's friends, even as Hermione looked the other way and pretended not to notice, a disapproving look on her face. She did eat the food, though.
By the end of the week, Harry was up to date with his school work. A particularly lenient Friday meant he had almost no homework for the weekend, and he stayed up late on Friday to get the small amount he did have done.
On Saturday morning there was a distinct cold snap in the air, announcing louder than words that autumn was well and truly here. Harry and Ginny went for a walk around the lake after lunch when the temperature had risen slightly. They walked in companionable silence for some time, just enjoying each other's company until Ginny finally spoke.
'I used to dream of this,' she said wistfully, linking her hand with his. 'The two of us, just being together like this. I never thought it would actually happen.'
Harry laughed quietly. 'Neither did I,' he admitted. 'My dreams tended to involve Cho, actually.' His voice was sad as he spoke, and Ginny squeezed his hand. 'But when I woke up in the Hospital wing, you were there. I don't think Cho would have done what you did.'
Ginny groaned. 'I can't believe I screamed at Dumbledore!' They shared a laugh, but it didn't last long.
'Cho would have been really logical,' Harry said pensively. 'She would have decided there wasn't any point in waiting in the Hospital wing for me to wake up, and would have asked Madam Pomfrey to get her when I did wake.'
'I couldn't stand it,' Ginny said in a small voice. 'Knowing you were lying there going through God knows what and I couldn't help you. I just wanted to scream. I couldn't leave, I had to stay in case you woke up. I thought…' She trailed off, gazing out over the lake, and her eyes filled with tears. 'I thought I'd lost you,' she whispered.
Harry stopped walking and pulled her into his arms. As during his duel with Hermione, Harry could feel another awareness behind his own as he held Ginny close. It was gentle, compassionate, but with a touch of fire. It seemed to guide his hand as he stroked her hair softly. Ginny sobbed quietly, her arms sliding around his neck. She lifted her face and kissed him, and Harry could taste the saltiness of her tears on her lips.
'I'm not going anywhere,' Harry assured her gently, catching her chin and lifting her face.
She sniffed. 'Promise?'
'Promise,' Harry said firmly, leaning down to kiss her again, all thoughts of Cho Chang and the strange awareness forgotten.
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The first Gryffindor Quidditch practice went smoothly. Harry was pleased with the way his new team worked together. The Milton twins were superb; almost as good as the Weasley twins. Their intimidation style tactics never ceased to amaze Harry. Instead of actually hitting the Chasers with the Bludgers, they would use the heavy iron balls to maneuver players. The technique worked amazingly well, repeatedly forcing the Chasers to flinch.
Ginny, Melinda and Greg worked well together, too. Although Melinda was only a second year, she was light and speedy, darting through the mass on her Nimbus 2001 with considerable skill. She was much louder than her sister, Harry noticed, yelling complaints or compliments to her team-mates as they practiced, and always laughing. Harry remembered rather painfully the previous year, when every time he had gone near Cho, she had acted like a human downspout. Thinking back, he realised he had only ever seen her really laugh a few times. He firmly closed the door on that train of thought.
Greg, on the other hand, was huge. A fifth year and obviously a gym buff, he was easily twice Ron's size at the same height, and Ron wasn't really all that small. Harry once saw him casually backhand a Bludger and send it rocketing back at Cassie, who grinned and sent it back, until the two were playing a kind of tennis. It had ended about five minutes later when Greg had complained that his hand was starting to hurt. Despite looking like a meat head, however, Harry found him to be a generally quiet boy, with an intense loyalty to his house and friends. He wasn't the cleverest, but he made up for it with his other traits.
For the most part, predictably, Harry's attention remained on Ginny. Whenever he tried to focus on the game, his eyes would almost automatically seek her out, and he would sit idly on his broom watching her play until Alex or Cassie would wake him up by sending a Bludger his way. Then he would fly down the other end of the field and stop to contemplate Ginny again.
She really was brilliant on a broom. Right now she was teaching the other Chasers to perform an accurate reverse pass. Idly he wondered what Mrs. Weasley would say if she saw him ogling her daughter like he was now, and couldn't help but laugh inwardly. Harry was so caught up in watching her that he didn't notice the Milton twins creeping up behind him, holding a small box between them and with identical grins on their faces.
Ever so slowly they extended the box until they were only inches from Harry, and then they touched it with their wands.
Harry almost leapt off his broom when there was a huge sound from right behind him. He dove away sharply, his hand going automatically into his robes for his wand. Without looking he shot a Stunner over his shoulder, then pulled his broom up sharply and turned to look.
Cassie was holding her twin on his broom with one hand, and trying to stifle her laughter with the other. Alex was lolling sideways, obviously unconscious. Suspended in the air in front of them, in red neon letters, were the words "WAKE UP HARRY!"
'He was laughing too hard to see the Stunner coming,' Cassie said through her giggles as Ginny, Greg and Melinda flew over to find out what was happening.
'Wake up?' Ginny asked curiously, glancing sideways at Harry who had suddenly turned a similar bright red to the suspended sign.
'Umm…' he started nervously.
'Oh,' Ginny said, trying to suppress her own grin and failing miserably. 'I see.'
Greg was watching Harry shrewdly. 'Too busy watching your girlfriend to play Quidditch, Potter? Never though I'd see the day. Merlin, you've got it bad.'
The whole team minus Harry cracked up, Cassie so badly that she almost lost her grip on Alex, who swayed dangerously until Harry came forward to take him to the ground, his face and ears burning.
'Aw, cheer up Harry,' Ginny said, following and helping him get Alex safely to the ground. 'They're just jealous,' she breathed into his ear. If anything, Harry blushed harder.
Ginny laughed quietly. 'You're cute when you blush,' she said, kissing him on the cheek, which earned the couple more laughter and catcalls from above, mostly from Cassie. Melinda was just watching the two, a thoughtful frown on her face, and Greg was smiling indulgently.
Harry turned to Alex, of a mind to levitate his body to the Hospital wing, and came face to face with James.
'Professor Milton!' Harry blurted.
'Yes, that's me,' he said with a smile. 'Dismissed,' he said to Greg and Melinda, who flew down and headed for the change rooms. 'I couldn't help but notice that my wayward son is unconscious during your first practice session.' James continued when they had disappeared. 'Care to explain why?'
Harry stared at him blankly, his mind frozen. His mouth, obviously wanting to fill the void, started babbling incoherently.
James grinned. 'Settle, Potter. I saw the whole thing.' He shook his head. 'Honestly, you look like you've been caught doing something you shouldn't have been doing.' He threw a sideward glance at Ginny, who smiled innocently.
'Cassie! Come here,' James called, and his daughter obediently flew down.
'What?'
'Nothing,' James smirked. 'I just wanted you both in range.' Cassie's eyes widened in realisation and she turned her broom to fly away, but James was too quick. He snapped his fingers, and suddenly both Cassie and Alex's black hair turned a violent shade of pink. At the same instant, Alex awoke.
'Whasamatta?' he said blearily as he sat up. A strand of shoulder length pink hair fell into his face, jolting him fully awake. 'Aww, not again.'
'You know the rules,' James said, helping Alex to his feet. 'You can play all the jokes you want, but if I catch you then it's pink hair for the rest of the day.'
'Thanks Dad,' Cassie said resignedly, fingering a lock of her fluorescent hair.
Harry and Ginny glanced at each other and concealed grins.
A/N: Sorry folks, I'm in a silly mood today. Hence the fluorescent pink hair.
As usual, questions, comments, flames all welcome (well, not so much the flames, but constructive criticism never went astray).
