Chapter 27
"So, Mr Potter, we've spent the last three weeks practising anything you want to practise. I have the same question I had for you before the last task. Do try to answer it fully and honestly this time. Is there anything that you're doing towards this task that you haven't actually told me about?"
Harry and Snape were in the Room of Requirement. It made practising blasting charms safer. Harry had got quite good at them in his own opinion.
Harry's face flushed.
"You should never, ever play cards, Mr Potter," confirmed Snape. "What are you and your friends up to?"
"Um, how much do I have to tell you?" replied Harry.
"Well, the result of you not telling me last time was that you received electric eel burns and you passed out. Please use some common sense, Mr Potter."
"Well, what if we had an idea which is great for the task, but you might object to it in general?"
"Dancing pineapples are great for a task, Mr Potter, but I do object to them in general. Why don't you tell me what you're all up to and I promise not to go spare as you'd put it?"
"Does that include not going spare at Sirius or Remus?"
Snape pinched the bridge of his nose. He had to hand it to Potter for getting help from non-professors, but he had a feeling something was heading towards the conversation he wouldn't like.
"Time to get on with it, Mr Potter."
"They're helping us make a map like theirs," said Harry nervously.
There was a very long silence.
"Please take my next words as the compliment they're meant to be, Mr Potter," said Snape, "How very Slytherin of you."
"Are you not mad with us?"
"I would only be 'mad' if you used the map for nefarious purposes. Purposes that have nothing whatsoever to do with mentoring you. Purposes that would get you a non-declinable invite to my office," he purred. "You wouldn't use it for anything like that, now would you?"
"No, sir," squeaked Harry.
"He approves?!" exclaimed Hermione.
"He was even complimentary about it," said Harry.
Harry, Hermione, Ron and the twins had found a very quiet corner of the library. Hermione and the twins were looking up all sorts of charms for their respective maps. Harry was stunned by the fact that the twins really could study hard when it was in their best interest to do so. For the past month they'd spent a lot of time in here. Madam Pince had kept a very close eye on them for the first two weeks, but since then had realised that they were actually simply studying.
"What does a compliment from Snape sound like?" asked Ron.
"'How very Slytherin of you,'" replied Harry.
"That's a bit back handed," grouched Ron.
"No," disagreed Fred, "From him that's a proper compliment!"
"I wonder what he really thought," said George, "I'd love to be able to read his mind. Just think of all the ways he'd have thought to use the map. He's a very sneaky bugger."
"How do you mean?" asked Hermione.
"Well," said Fred, "We've got a map of the maze. We've added charms to detect people, and they work. You've exchanged a couple of letters with Sirius and we've added a charm that detects other living things. We know that works because Mrs Norris was in there the other day chasing a squirrel and both her name and the squirrel as a species was shown in the maze. But what else can we do?"
"We've already plotted the four ways to complete the maze and drawn them on the map. We know which routes Harry can take," replied Ron.
"Right, but is that sneaky enough? You're the chess player, you do strategy, what happens when you strategise without rules?"
"Well," said Ron, "It's a maze, a straight line would be ideal. In some way go under, over or through the walls. A straight path to the centre."
"Not bad," said Fred, "What else? Think people, pretend we're snakes."
"Accio!" said Hermione, "The aim is to get the cup in the centre. Accio the cup instead."
"Bet they thought of that," said George, "But Harry, you could outright ask Snape that."
Harry nodded.
"Avoid whatever obstacles there are?" asked Harry. "Ron's idea of going under, over or through. I could try to bypass danger, but stay on one of the routes in the main."
"Those routes are where dangers are," said Hermione, "You want to avoid those routes."
"Accio my broom and fly over the top?" asked Harry, "I've got good at Accio recently."
"Again, ask Snape, but I bet they've stopped that contingency, I mean, Krum's a professional," said Fred.
"My cloak would save me from being seen by things in the maze," said Harry.
"Won't stop them hearing or smelling you," said Ron.
They all thought some more.
"Do you think the hedges are protected from spells?" asked Ron.
"Why?" asked Fred.
"Cut them down, crawl under them, make a hole in them," said Ron.
"Probably," said Fred, "Surely someone thought of that, we are after all, coming up with these ideas and we're not seventh years."
"What about muggle methods?" asked Hermione. "What's to stop Harry shrinking an axe or a saw, resizing it once he's in and cutting his way through?"
"I like that," said Ron, "Wizards don't think like muggles. That might work. You can also destroy trees using fire, do we think they're protected from fire spells?"
"Maybe," said Hermione, "But paraffin and matches are a different matter. Another shrinking and resizing task for you Harry. Do you think a pint of petrol shrinks?"
Harry had visions of siphoning two-stroke out of Vernon's lawnmower. "I'm not sure I want to try to buy petrol, or try to shrink it," he said.
"Petrol?" asked Fred.
"Never mind," said Harry
"You could ask Snape how to do it," sniggered Hermione.
"I like sitting down in class, thanks," said Harry with a grin.
"Do you think Snape would grant you access to the restricted section for this research?" asked Hermione.
"Oh, yes please," said Fred, "There's a couple of charms we'd like for our map that might be in there."
"Just asking isn't going to make him go spare, is it?" asked Harry.
"There's only one way to find out," replied Hermione.
"And why would I do that, Mr Potter?" asked Snape.
"It might help keep me safe, sir," replied Harry.
"Or in the case of the last task, too much knowledge made you over confident," Snape countered.
"What if you gave me access, we researched, but I asked you about what we find?" asked Harry.
"Negotiation, Mr Potter? Perhaps there's hope for you yet." Snape reached for a parchment and quill. "I presume you want access for Miss Granger, and so he's not left out, Mr Weasley?"
"Yes, please, sir. Um, is there any chance you could add the twins? They've been really helpful about the map."
Snape looked up and skewered Harry with a stare. "Have they now?" he asked. "You want me to give the twins access to the restricted section?"
"It really would help, sir. Please?" begged Harry.
"Here's the deal, Mr Potter. Anything any of you find, you bring to me. I'm not an idiot, I am aware that Misters Weasley must be planning their own map. I want to know what they find. I also want to add, Mr Potter, and you can explain this in whatever terms you like to your friends, they are not covered by the concept of mentoring. They really, really, do not want to do anything I would disapprove of!"
Harry swallowed. "Yes, sir, absolutely. Thank you," babbled Harry. He really would have to explain that to the twins.
Snape passed Harry a signed piece of parchment that did indeed grant Harry and his friends access to the restricted section until the final task.
Harry ran back up to the library where he'd left them all, armed with his permission.
"He actually bloody did it!" breathed Fred, holding the piece of parchment reverentially.
"You did hear what I just said about telling him everything and you having no protection from punishment if you do anything, well twin-like, didn't you?" asked Harry.
"Absolutely, my favourite youngest brother," replied George.
"Hey!" said Ron.
"Have you ever got us access to the restricted section?" responded George.
"Please can I be the one to give this to Madam Pince?" asked Fred beseechingly.
"Sure."
The group went to Madam Pince's desk. Fred and George smiled their best smiles and Fred handed over the piece of parchment without a word. Madam Pince read it and reached for her floo powder pot.
"Professor's Snape's office!"
"Good evening, Professor," said Madam Pince, "May I confirm something with you please?"
"Against my better judgement, Madam Pince, I gave the twins permission to access the restricted section. Please remind them I will come down very hard on any abuse to this permission, assuming they aren't eavesdropping on this conversation!"
"Madam Pince closed the connection.
She turned to the group. "I presume you heard that?"
"Yes, ma'am," chorused the twins happily.
They spent the rest of that week coming up to the library and digging through all sorts of books. More than once they deliberately avoided looking at what the twins were reading. There was such a thing as plausible deniability.
"Hey, guys," said Hermione, "I think I've got something." They all looked up from what they were all browsing. "There's a charm and more importantly it's counter-spell, in case it gets out of hand."
"You know," said Fred, "When someone starts a sentence like that, it makes me wonder where it's going." George nodded.
"Have any of you heard of fiendfyre?" she asked. They all shook their heads.
"What does it do?" asked Harry.
"Insert obvious answer involving fire here," replied Fred.
"It creates tongues of fire that take the shape of animals," said Hermione. "What if it's like a fiery patronus? You could send it in a particular direction. This text says strong wizards can fully control the flames, so that they burn only where aimed. Harry, you could take out the maze walls and walk straight to the centre."
"Can I question the control part?" asked Ron, "Call me boring, but burning down the maze that you're standing in doesn't seem like a good strategy."
"Yeah, that," said Harry.
"Well we could practise," said Fred.
"Well we could ask Professor Snape," said Harry.
"Well that's dull," said George.
"I didn't ask him about stuff before, and I properly screwed up the last task. I don't want to do the same thing again," said Harry.
"Is he likely to show you how to cast it though, if it's a new spell to you? Even if it's a good idea, I mean, that's teaching you, getting help from a professor, isn't it?" asked Hermione.
"I will ask him," said Harry. "It's late, and we've got classes tomorrow, as well as a mentoring session, I can ask him then. Come on, we can put these books away and call it a night."
Next evening Harry asked Snape about fiendfyre.
"Sir?"
"Five days," said Snape, "Five days into the restricted section and they've started with the questions. What is it, Mr Potter? So you've found the maze removal spell?"
"Is there one?"
"Sarcasm, Potter, sarcasm."
"Can I ask you about a particular spell we found?"
"As ever, you can ask," replied Snape.
"How does fiendfyre work?"
Snape blinked. Then Harry grew afraid. He'd not been scared of Snape in a very long time but there was something in the man's eyes that suggested Harry wasn't getting out of here alive. Snape leaned forward, putting his elbows on his desk and interlocked his hands so that his index fingers remained straight. They pointed directly at Harry's face. Harry couldn't look away.
"Never, ever touch that spell, Mr Potter," he said. 'Said' didn't quite cover Snape's tone. It wasn't anger, it was the intensity of his voice. It terrified Harry to his core.
"Where are your cronies right now?"
"Common room, I think, sir," said Harry, taking hardly a breath.
"Dobby!"
Dobby popped into the office.
"Please could you fetch Miss Granger, and the three Misters Weasley straight away?"
Dobby popped back less than twenty seconds later with the other students.
Snape hadn't stopped staring at Harry in that time. When the other students arrived you could cut the air with a knife. None of them spoke.
"I don't know how to explain to you all exactly how bad that spell is. You will have no control over it whatsoever. The most likely outcome is that you will set light to yourselves first. You won't have time to cast the counter, because you'll be on fire. It will burn you, and anyone and anything near you. It burns through anything. Imagine the hottest thing you can think of, and it won't come close. Water and standard fire extinguishing spells won't even touch it. There won't even be ashes left to go in an urn."
Harry didn't move. He didn't blink. Neither did anyone else.
"I am aware of your Gryffindor propensity to try it out first, or ask why first and eventually get round to listening to the answer. Why is quite simple. Go near this spell and you will die. Do you understand?"
They all nodded.
"I'm not even going to make a threat about whatever punishment I could invent if you go against me. Because you'll be dead." Snape looked at Harry's friends. "You four may go."
They hurried out leaving Harry in the office with his very intense mentor. The door closed behind the last one out.
"The only reason I'm not revoking your access to the restricted section is that there are things in there that will be useful to you." Snape's voice had returned to normal. "I was not expecting your first foray into that section to produce quite that calibre of spell. Tone it down, Mr Potter, there are plenty of non-lethal things that can help you."
"I've got another one!" announced Hermione next evening.
"One that doesn't end with me wetting myself in Snape's office?" asked Ron.
"Shrinking charm," said Hermione, triumphantly. "You could fit under the hedges."
"That's just for objects," countered Fred.
"Not if you alter the spell as shown here, in this restricted section book that says you can apply it to humans and animals."
"Is it safe?" asked Harry. "Can I apply it to myself?"
"Any spell can bounce back onto the caster off a shield," said Fred. "Put a shield in front of you then cast. Same to resize yourself… there is a counter spell, isn't there Hermione?"
"Yes, it's just like the engorgement charms we know, both altered slightly," said Hermione smugly.
"Just think of the fun," said Fred, "Shrink down to little, sneak under the Slytherins door, hide and get back to size again. Just think of the carnage."
"Can you spell plausible deniability?" asked Ron.
"Yeah, S… O… D… Space… O..."
"Where could we practise?" interrupted Hermione.
"Have you been in the Room of Requirement?" asked George.
"No," said Hermione and Ron as Harry said "Yes."
Harry looked at them. "Snape took me there one evening to practise blasting spells, but said I wasn't to use it without him."
Fred rolled his eyes. "Spoilsport. Well, what if we tested it for you?"
"What if I just ask him about this spell?"
"Because, last time happened, and Ron wasn't the only one in danger of wetting himself."
"Yeah, but Snape had a point," said Ron.
"He can't stop me and Fred using the room, he hasn't told us not to," said George.
"But he told us to tell him about anything we found in the restricted section," said Harry. "I'll just ask him next session. There's plenty of things I want to work on between now and then anyway."
Before it turned into an argument they agreed to stop for the evening.
The evening in the library when Hermione had discovered the spells had been Thursday. In Friday's class Harry had accidentally switched two instructions on the board and had ruined his potion. Snape had told him to stay over lunchtime to finish his second attempt. He'd only miss the first ten minutes of lunch finishing it.
Harry was cleaning down his workbench. There were only him and Snape in the room.
"Found anything less lethal yet, Mr Potter?"
"Yes, I was going to ask you on Monday. We found a shrinking charm that works on people. Could I go under the hedges? And is there a ceiling to the maze, I mean could I just Accio my broom? Or the trophy? And are the hedges fireproof?"
"Which one of you is the strategist?"
"Ron, sir."
"Yes, yes, no, no, and depends."
Harry thought about his last word vomit, he'd got a bit excited instead of one question at a time.
"So, could you show me the shrinking charm?"
"That would be help from a professor, however I would like to be on hand when you experiment in case of accidents, although I'm sure your know-it-all friends will repeat the instructions at you ad infinitem."
"Can we go practise in the Room of Requirement?"
"With me, yes, otherwise no. Mr Potter, do not, any of you, attempt a new spell, especially one from the restricted section without a professor present, do you understand?"
"Yes, but…"
"But what?"
"Nothing, yes, sir," said Harry. What he'd been about to say was, 'Yes, but the twins might'.
"Hurry up, Potter, then go to lunch before you run out of time."
Snape pondered after Harry had left his classroom. That boy really should never, ever play cards.
"Dobby!"
Dobby popped into Snape's classroom.
"Are you able to monitor the Room of Requirement?"
"I could, sir, but it's part of the castle's design that it is a requirement for need, sir. Someone's need for privacy might be great."
"I understand, Dobby, I wasn't asking you to spy on people who just need to get away from people. I want to keep Mr Potter safe. He wants to learn a new spell and I don't want him to do it without a professor with him. Him or his friends."
"Oh, that's good, Professor, sir!" said Dobby.
"If they go in there before Monday, could you bring them straight to me?"
"Of course, sir," said Dobby, and he popped off.
Severus briefly considered making all the elves prefects. It would make life so much simpler.
It was Sunday afternoon when Dobby popped into Snape's office with a twin's arm in each hand. Dobby popped away.
"And what spell were you both just casting?" asked Snape.
"The twins were silent. They knew not to lie to Snape, that made things worse, but they also didn't want to incriminate themselves.
"Accio!"
Both their wands flew to Snape's hand.
"Priori Incantatem!"
The three of them watched the effects, the Twins looking decidedly green.
"Do you know what that looks like to me, gentlemen?" purred Snape. "It looks to me like the two of you were practising restricted magic outside class. Would I be wrong in that assumption?"
Fred swallowed hard. "Should I just bend over your desk now, sir?"
"Oh, no, Mr Weasley, this incident is going to Professor Dumbledore,"
George squeaked.
"But he'll send a message home!"
"I do hope so, Mr Weasley. I believe you both know your way to the Headmaster's gargoyle by now?"
At dinner on Monday evening Harry received a note.
Room of Requirement. 7pm. Bring Miss Granger and Mr Ronald Weasley only. SS.
"I wonder why the twins aren't invited," said Ron.
"Perhaps they didn't do their homework," said Harry. They looked for the twins at the table but didn't see them. "Odd."
They thought nothing more of it and turned up on time to the room. At precisely 7pm Professor Snape arrived.
He had created the room like last time, but with one addition, a very comfy looking armchair. He sat in it. The students looked at him expectantly.
"Well? I see Miss Granger has a book with her. I am merely a silent observer. Carry on."
Hermione took charge. She had them practise on objects first, then they altered the charm for people but practised in fresh air. When Hermione thought the three of them had got the action consistently correct she turned nervously to Snape. He was still sitting in the armchair, one ankle resting just above his other knee, his elbows on the arms of the chair and his fingers steepled. He did say anything, not even a twitch of his eyebrow.
"Do you think I should practise on you, Ron, first?" asked Hermione.
"Why me?" asked Ron, "Harry's the one who's doing this damn thing!"
"Is that like saying you're expendable?" asked Harry.
"Dickhead," said Ron, then he clapped a hand over his mouth and stared in horror at Snape.
Snape didn't even twitch.
"Yeah, on second thoughts, do me, the professor might find it harder to hit a smaller target," said Ron.
Hermione briefly glanced at Snape again before casting the spell. And suddenly there was a four inch high Ron in front of them.
"Half a point to Gryffindor," came the voice from the armchair. Harry sniggered.
"This is so cool," said Ron. He approached them. He ran to cover the distance a bit quicker given the length of his legs.
"Your voice is higher pitched," said Harry. "Is that normal?"
"Yes, Mr Potter, perfectly normal."
"So why did I only get half a point, sir?" asked Hermione.
"You've only done half the task, Miss Granger."
"Oh!"
Hermione pointed her wand at Ron.
"That is a bloody scary sight from down here," squeaked Ron. Then squeaked even higher pitched when he realised he'd said that out loud.
One spell later and Ron was back to size patting himself all over to make sure he was all there.
After that the three of them practised on each other for twenty minutes until they could all do the spell each time. It wasn't a difficult spell because they had learnt the object variation years ago.
"Sir, why is this spell restricted?" asked Hermione. "I don't think you'd let us practise on each other quite so, um, casually, if we could hurt each other."
"It's a spell that changes the human structure, Miss Granger. Pretty much all spells that do that are in the restricted section, just on principle. So, how were you going to cast it on yourself, Mr Potter?"
"Fred suggested using a shield in front of me to reflect it back at myself, sir," replied Harry.
"Carry on," replied Snape.
A shield was harder, but they didn't have to maintain it for long, and the shrinking and engorgement charms were quite effortless.
Surprisingly, Ron got his correct first, although perhaps not. He'd deliberately slightly concaved his shield so everything bounced inwards.
Harry had a panic a few minutes later when he shrank himself but then couldn't form a shield when he was small. Hermione brought him back to size and Harry practised his shield charm on its own some more before trying again.
They didn't realise it was after curfew by the time the three of them had successfully managed a there and back transformation each on the first attempt.
Snape called a halt to the evening.
"As much as it pains me to say this, five points each to Gryffindor. Come, I will escort you back to the tower before Mrs Norris sniffs you all out."
It was the next day they bumped into the twins. They'd been keeping to themselves for the last 48 hours.
"What happened to you two?" asked Ron.
"We got a visit from Dad," replied Fred.
"Um, ouch?" suggested Ron.
"Yup," confirmed Fred. "Snape caught us testing out those charms on Sunday afternoon, sent us to Dumbledore who floo'd Dad. I think Dad is a bit annoyed at having been summoned again."
"You think?" said George, "I think my bum might twinge on cold days forever more after that."
"Well, have you considered staying out of trouble?" asked Hermione.
"Not a chance," said the twins together with the same impish grin.