Harry Potter and the Mind Mage

By James Milamber

A/N: Sorry about the delay, but my computer died – and took all my files with it. I've had to re-write this from scratch. Still, the first version was crap, so I'm not too worried.

ANYWAY…I've been an evil bastard again, and gone a completely different direction to what everyone was expecting…aren't I nice?

This particular chapter is dedicated to Merusa – I was reading her story Brethren of Ares, and it inspired me to get this out. So, why don't you all go thank her by reading her stuff and, of course, leaving reviews full of praise?

Darkness.

Silence.

Ouch.

Harry groaned, opening his eyes to find himself once again in – surprise, surprise – the Hospital Wing. Dim light filtered down through the high windows, indicating it was either early morning or late afternoon. His whole body seemed to burn, almost as if a million tiny fires had been lit inside him. As the icing on the cake, he also had a splitting headache.

He turned his head slightly, wincing as he did so, to see the blurry form of Isabelle sitting in a chair beside his bed, her dark eyes watching him intently.

'Hey,' she said softly, picking up his glasses from the bedside table and sliding them onto his face. 'How're you feeling?'

'What the hell happened?' Harry asked in a hoarse voice. 'Where's Ginny?'

Isabelle laughed softly. 'One track mind, I see. Gin's just gone down to the kitchens to get something to eat, she'll be back shortly.' She paused a minute. 'Well, actually, Ron, Alex and Cassie quite literally dragged her down to the kitchens, but the end result is the same.'

Harry chuckled, and stopped immediately when the movement made his head thump painfully. 'What happened?' he repeated his earlier question when the pain had died down somewhat.

Isabelle sighed heavily, slouching down in her seat. 'You don't remember anything?'

Harry thought a moment – and came up with a blank. 'The last thing I remember is walking out into the ring with Hermione for our match…where is she, anyway?' he asked, realising her name hadn't been in the list of people that had taken Ginny to the kitchens.

Isabelle's eyes raised to look at the bed next to Harry's, and he turned to follow her gaze. The mass of bushy hair immediately identified the bed's occupant.

'Isabelle,' Harry growled, turning back to stare at the ex-Slytherin. 'What happened?'

'You kinda…lost it, a bit,' she said finally, chewing on her lower lip nervously. 'When Blaise Zabini, the bloody braggart, hit you in the back with a Reductor Curse. There was this big…explosion, almost. The crowd was protected by the shields, although they almost failed, but everyone in the ring was knocked out. Then you just…collapsed.'

'Is she alright?' Harry asked, his voice steady.

Isabelle nodded slowly. 'She's fine, physically. It's just…Madam Pomfrey couldn't wake them up. Any of them.'

She gestured to the beds beyond Hermione's that, Harry now saw, contained the inert forms of Blaise Zabini, Cho Chang, and the Hufflepuff seventh year.

Harry was saved from having to comment as the main doors crashed open and a furious Ginny stormed in.

'Ron, I'm not hungry, you bloody great prat!' she yelled over her shoulder. She stopped abruptly when she saw Harry watching her, a faintly amused look on his face.

'Even if you're not, Mum would kill me if she knew you're not eating properly.' Ron came charging in after her, also stopping when he saw Harry was awake. 'Finally,' he said, wandering over to Harry's bedside. 'You've really gotta stop doing this, mate.'

Ron's reaction surprised Harry a little – he'd expected to be yelled at for hurting Hermione, at the very least. That his friend took it so calmly was slightly disconcerting.

Ginny finally started moving again and followed her brother. She climbed onto Harry's bed and wordlessly enfolded him in a hug. 'Umm…' Harry glanced up at Ron nervously. 'I'm sorry…about Hermione, and all.'

'Ahh,' Ron waved the apology away. 'Not like you did it deliberately, is it?'

'But if Madam Pomfrey can't wake her up…' Harry trailed off, not able to continue speaking. His worried expression was more than enough. Ginny squeezed him tighter, before letting go and sitting back.

'But you will,' Ron emphasised. 'You always do, in the end.'

Harry thought the faith Ron had in him was a little misplaced, but welcome all the same. 'Then I'd better see what I can do about that.' He threw the covers back and eased himself into a sitting position, aided by Ginny.

'You sure you're up for it?' she asked in a worried tone. 'If Madam Pomfrey catches you out of bed –'

'I have to fix this,' Harry said firmly. He swung his legs shakily out of bed, and Ron moved forward to take his right arm. Ginny took his left, and together they helped him stand.

'I'll go tell Dumbledore you're awake, shall I?' Isabelle offered. Without waiting for an answer, she left.

With Ron and Ginny's help, Harry hobbled over to Hermione's bedside, ignoring the pain that racked his body to the best of his ability. He still didn't know what had caused it in the first place. Not quite sure how to proceed, he laid one hand on Hermione's brow, willing her to wake.

For a long moment, nothing happened.

'So much for that idea,' Harry muttered, and was just about to withdraw his hand when there was a flash of green light, and instantly he felt his pain vanish. At the same time Hermione's eyes shot open, and she looked around wildly, calming when she realised where she was.

'What happened?' she asked Ron, her eyes narrowed as she surveyed the room. His reply was cut off as the doors swung open.

'Very nicely done, Harry,' Dumbledore said as he entered the Hospital Wing, his eyes bright and his beard twitching, with Isabelle trailing along behind. 'You seem to be progressing nicely.'

'Progressing nicely?' Harry asked in confusion, gently shaking Ron and Ginny off him – with the pain gone, he could stand easily enough. 'Professor, I could have killed them!'

'But you didn't,' Dumbledore said, nodding decisively. 'You merely put them to sleep, which makes me believe the integration process is nearly complete.'

'Integration process?'

'Indeed, Harry,' Dumbledore sat on Harry's abandoned bed, flipping his long beard over his shoulder to get it out of the way. 'There is a reason I did not start your training earlier. I must say, I am impressed – most wizards take a full year, sometimes two, to reach the stage you have in mere months.'

Harry didn't quite know how to respond to that.

'So, I shall speak to Professor Milton, organise an official schedule for you to start your training next term. I'm sure he won't mind giving you some extra tutorial.'

Dumbledore stood again, his bright blue eyes resting on Harry. 'I feel I can say with absolute certainty, Harry James Potter, that your parents would have been immensely proud of you right now.' The Headmaster nodded and then swept out of the room.

Harry blinked, as the silence in the wake of Dumbledore's departure grew longer. 'But I didn't do anything!' He finally protested.

Ginny rolled her eyes, nodding to Ron. They both grabbed a pillow, Ron from Hermione's bed and Ginny from Harry's, and proceeded to wallop him with them.


When Harry was finally released from the Hospital Wing – Madam Pomfrey had insisted on keeping him in overnight, "just in case", he found a school that was annoyingly reminiscent of the previous year, when he had been vilified and made to look like an attention seeking braggart. Every student he passed broke off their conversations to stare at him, and began muttering in hushed tones when they thought he was out of earshot. Hermione, who had been released at the same time, laid a calming hand on his arm as she saw him scowling at a group of second year Slytherins who were opening pointing at him.

'Just ignore them,' was her frequently repeated mantra as they made their way through the castle towards Gryffindor Tower. Harry thought she was asking a lot.

'So who actually won the tournament, anyway?' Harry asked in an attempt to distract himself.

Hermione glanced over at him, a slightly amused smile on her face. 'I was with you in the Hospital Wing, remember?'

'Oh. Right.' Come on Potter, get a bloody grip!

Hermione just laughed and shook her head.

When they finally reached the seventh floor corridor, they were almost bowled over as Cassie came hurtling towards them.

'Thank God I found you,' she panted, sliding to a stop. 'Come on, we have an emergency.' She grabbed Harry's hands and tugged him towards the Fat Lady, which was wide open. Harry could vaguely hear shouts coming from within, and hurried to follow Cassie.

The scene that greeted them in the Common Room was complete pandemonium. Ron and Ginny stood in the middle of the room, being restrained by Alex and Isabelle respectively. Across from them stood Hayden, his expression smugly triumphant as he addressed the Gryffindors who stood around watching the scene unfold.

'You all saw what happened!' he bellowed, his arms spread akimbo. 'Does a real Gryffindor do that sort of thing? Did any of the other Gryffindors entered in the contest do what he did? No, it was only Slytherin boy Potter!'

'I'm going to pound your bloody head in, Hayden,' Ron growled, twisting around to try to get out of Alex's grip.

'You!' Hayden said, spotting Harry as he made his way through the crowd. 'You've got a lot of nerve showing your face here, when you're more of a Slytherin than she is!' He spat in Isabelle's direction. Her dark eyes stared daggers at him, but she didn't release Ginny, whose expression was one of pure fury.

'You're full of shit, Hayden!' a voice called from the crowd. Harry thought he recognised Aaran's voice.

'Am I?' Hayden attempted to sneer. 'Well then, why is it that Potter never told us he was supposed to be sorted into Slytherin, hmm?' The room filled with mutterings at his words, and Harry tried as best he could to not take offence.

'And what is wrong Slytherin, exactly?' Harry asked in a quiet voice, which nonetheless succeeded in instantly silencing the entire room. 'They're no different to us, except they wear green instead of red.'

'What about Malfoy?' Another voice called out.

'Every House has it's bad eggs,' Isabelle answered the question. 'I mean, just look at this moron.' Her gaze flicked back to Hayden, who glared at her.

'Says a Slytherin.'

'What in Merlin's name is going on here?'

Professor McGonagall entered the common room, and immediately silence reigned.

'Well?' she asked impatiently. 'I'm waiting for an explanation!'

'Sorry, Professor,' Hayden said, sounding anything but. 'The truth must come out,' he served Harry a glare.

'Oh? And what truth would that be, Mister Hayden?'

Hayden pointed triumphantly at Harry. 'That Potter should be in the dungeons with the other snakes, not here in this tower! And so should she,' he added, pointing at Isabelle.

McGonagall's expression turned cold. 'I see,' she said frostily. 'Detention for a week with Professor Snape, Mister Hayden. Perhaps it will teach you not to speak of things you know nothing about.'

Hayden gaped at her. 'But Professor…'

'A further two days for talking back,' McGonagall snapped, and Hayden wisely shut his mouth. 'Mister Potter, Miss Lestrange, I'd like to see you both in my office in ten minutes,' she finished curtly, then left the room.

'You might have McGonagall fooled, but you don't fool me,' Hayden hissed at Harry as the crowd began to disperse. 'I'm going to prove it!'

'I really don't think anyone's going to be very interested in what you have to say after this,' Isabelle said calmly.

Hayden glared at her. 'Shut up, snake,' he sad harshly. 'I don't give a damn what you have to say.'

'You'll speak to her with respect, or you'll not speak to her at all,' Alex said in a dangerously quiet voice, his fists clenched.

'Why would I want to show that Slytherin whore any respect? She's just the bitch daughter of a Death Eater!'

Alex let out an enraged roar and leapt at Hayden, but Isabelle grabbed the back of his robes, and hauled him back. Ron hurried over to help her restrain him.

'Hiding behind the Slytherin's skirts, how very Gryffindor,' Hayden taunted Alex.

Cassie rolled her eyes, taking a step forward. 'Hayden. Shut up.'

Hayden switched his glare to the older girl. 'Make me.'

'If you insist,' Cassie shrugged. Before he could react, she pulled her arm back and punched him cleanly in the jaw. The stocky boy staggered back from the force of the blow, his eyes glazed.

'Now, unless you'd like another, I suggest you follow my instructions and shut up!' Cassie snapped, then spun on her heel and stalked back towards her twin, who had been released from Ron and Isabelle's grip and stood grinning at her.

'Nicely done,' he smirked, clapping her on the shoulder as the group headed out of the common room, away from the scene.

'Thanks,' she smirked back at him, then raised one eyebrow at the other five students, all of whom were staring at her with their mouths hanging open – they'd never even seen her raise her voice at anyone, much less lose her temper. 'What?'

'You just punched that little snot,' Ron managed to get out.

'Thank you for that blinding grasp of the obvious, Ron,' Cassie smiled sweetly at him. 'Now, we need to find somewhere to go, as I'd really rather avoid the common room for a while, and Harry and Isabelle have to meeting with our dear Head of House.' She stopped walking as everyone continued to stare at her. 'Have I grown another head or something?' she asked, jokingly looking herself over.

'Remind me never to get on your bad side,' Isabelle shook her head, earning a laugh from the older girl.

'I'll keep it in mind,' she said, an amused smile on her face.

When Harry and Isabelle entered McGonagall's office a few minutes later, they found not only her sitting behind her desk, but James seated next to her. The two were holding a tense discussion.

'Please sit,' McGonagall indicated the two chairs in front of her desk. When they had seated themselves, she fixed them with a piercing gaze. 'Professor Milton informs me that there have been problems along these lines in the past,' she began without preamble.

'Yes, Professor, there have been,' Harry nodded, keeping his expression carefully neutral.

'Why was I not informed?'

'That was my decision, Professor,' Isabelle said reluctantly.

'And why is that, Miss Lestrange?'

'I'm the reason behind all this…chaos,' she said quietly. 'You already don't like me much, I didn't want you to think I was just trying to cause trouble in your House.' In a slightly uncharacteristic move, Isabelle lowered her head and stared at the floor.

'I see.' McGonagall gazed at the despondent girl for a long moment, then sighed. 'My dear child, I do not dislike you personally. You are now a member of my House, and I want you to know that you can bring your problems to me, and I shall listen if you do.'

Isabelle slowly raised her head, an indiscernible look in her dark eyes. 'I…' she started, then swallowed hard. 'Thank you, Professor.'

McGonagall smiled thinly. 'Now, would one of you care to explain what that little display in Gryffindor Tower was all about?'

Harry and Isabelle exchanged a glance, and Harry launched into the story behind the stocky fourth year.

'So, Mister Hayden has threatened both Miss Lestrange and now you,' McGonagall summed up when Harry had finished speaking. 'I'll ignore your rather unorthodox method of revenge, I should have expected no less from the son of James Potter. But something must be done about this troublemaker. I shall have to speak to the Headmaster, but I believe his actions might be grounds for suspension.'

'I'd say so, yes,' James spoke for the first time.

'Now, both of you may go,' McGonagall dismissed them. Harry was about to open the door when she spoke again. 'It will be interesting to see what a new generation of Marauders can do…although please try to leave the school in one piece.'

Harry grinned innocently at her as he followed Isabelle out of the room.

'You know, I believe the true essence of the Marauders is contained within that boy,' she said to James, who raised an eyebrow. 'He has Potter's leadership, Black's loyal streak, and Lupin's quiet dignity.'

'You might be right,' James said, letting out a sigh. 'Here's hoping he fares better than they did.'

A/N: Come on everyone…I have support services now, so I know how many people read this and don't review. I had 2,500 hits in the first three days…that's my total number of reviews! Please leave a review…even if it's only to say you hated it. Reviews feed my Muses and make them work faster, lazy gits that they are. Come on, you know you want to…

Review Responses:

Once again, many, many thanks to everyone who reviewed. If I could, I'd respond to every single one…but I think ff .net might have a fit if I did.

Oz: What? I like the Matrix…

ulkser: There's not much of Ron and Hermione, you're right – mostly because I suck at writing them. I'm trying to put more of them in, but…

Jenn the Freak: Wowzers…that's a lot of questions! First things first…where did you get the idea that I'm a Pom? I'm an AUSSIE! Zith will come into it a bit more later on…Sirius' role will also become clear very soon, I'm hoping…Lupin, again, is coming into it soon…a fic I'm going to publish very soon will explain the relationship between James and Tonks (it's NOT what you might think!). Umm…I think that's all I can safely say… :s

Cleo Starre: Computer got washed away is close…and I nearly had Herm beating Harry, but then this came out instead…I dunno, blame my Muses.

Lizai: LOL! A fellow February-ian, eh? I'd agree with you about the pronunciation, but I'm an Aussie…do you know how hard it is to pronounce that right with our accent?

GnatGirl13: Yes, I know, it's quite deliberate. If you want to complain about it, I direct you to David Eddings' series The Mallorean, in it's original print. If Eddings can do it, I certainly can.

RinnaMarie: Cassie saw your comments in the last chapter, and this is the result…I think she's trying to prove that she IS Alex's twin, after all…

jwhit-moony: So dead, Josh. So very, very dead.

compulsivereader: If you want to link to HPMM, go right ahead. I think I have read that story, some time in the dim past…(ponders)

Merusa: Oh ye of little faith. I finally finished Brethren of Ares! (is proud) And you got a dedication…

Ilana: The spell is entirely reliant on the Will of the caster and the castee…and Isabelle isn't perfect, she'll get her own little kick in the rear…eventually.

MsMissProngs: Cheeky little chit…:p

Dree: A tie? Now where's the fun in that, exactly?

FreeMeFromMyself: Yeah, CQ is still my Beta…that is, if she'd stop vanishing on me.

Amoxx: It does indeed…I read Magician years ago, and just loved the name…so I nicked it.

dress-without-sleeves: LOL! Down, girl…

Larna Mandrea: Is Cass still your favourite character:p "Hippogriff of my heart"? Good grief, now that's some quality sucking up. A bit redundant now, though. Of course, I'll also be Beta'ing the sequel…(smirks evilly) And who you callin' half blood?

magickk: Ungodly hours? Dear sister, it's currently 8:30AM, and I haven't been to bed yet…