Even as I was reading on the sofa, I could feel the shuddering in my arm. But I tried to focus on the book.

Wandless magic can allow you to cast a certain, unique form of shielding, that really involves narrowing and reduce the intensity of the spell so that the pain or the effect is at a manageable. This is done by focusing on the spell, by forcing it smaller. Aside from enjoying muggle burnings, Wendelin the Weird had an unusual way of duelling - but choosing to take the spells casted by reducing its intensity so that she did not need to use a cumbersome shield, and instead, focus on attacking her opponent.

I thought on this for a little longer, then rose from the sofa. "Toni?" I asked. She sat in front of me, scribbling away on the Slytherin coffee table, no doubt completing yet another Potions essay, which made me feel grateful I had dropped Potions. "Hmm?" she responded.

"Would you mind casting a stinging hex on me?"

She stilled, and looked up. "Is your mind addled?"

"No," I said sincerely. "Just a thought. Maybe I can make the Cruciatus more endurable if I can do this." I showed her the book, underlining the words with my quill, and she hesitantly read it through, then glanced at me. "Are you sure?"

"We both now how sadistic those twins are," I said light-heartedly. "They're not going to stop against me, and I've already proven duelling isn't going to humiliate me. I've humiliated them too many times for them to let it go. The cruciatus...it's perfect for them."

I could see Toni understood by the sigh she made, and she put down her quill, bottled her ink, and pointed her wand at me.

I heard when the first spell came, and focused on the spell. It was still a stinging hex when it hit me, causing my arm to turn red. I casted the counter-charm to ease the swelling down, and turned to Toni. "Again," I said. She hit me again, and this time, it was a lot less red than it was previously, and it hurt less, too. Smiling with satisfaction, I looked at her. "Nonverbal now."

She obliged, and this time it was harder to know where the spell was and therefore how to make it smaller and less potent. It took several tries before it would work. Finally... "Toni, please," I begged, looking at her. "I need to know for sure it would work."

She hesitated. It was a mark of how well she knew me that even though I hadn't spelled it out clearly, she knew precisely what I meant. "Do it for me, Toni, please. Mean it. You have to really mean it. You want to hurt me. I've been a terrible friend, I didn't entrust you with my secrets, I'm forcing you to do an Unforgiveable-"

Sure enough, the spell tumbled out of her mouth. I focused on it, using all my brain power to envisioning squeezing it, cutting it off, and sure enough, the pain was much less intense than Crabbe's.

"Thank you," I whispered to Toni. "You're the only one who would do it for me."

Toni glared back. "Yes, I am. And you better remember that."

We got back to our previous seats, and I once more took over the entire sofa, letting my legs dangle over an armrest, and my head on the other. I picked up my book to read again, thinking about how I could apply these ideas in real life, the question I always asked myself, when suddenly there was a yell of excitement.

Frowning, I swung my legs off the armrest, and stood. There was a whole group of Slytherins jostling on the far end, all jostling to read the notice board, chattering excitedly. Pursing my lips, I studied the crowd, then pointed my wand in their direction. "Accio ecfingo."

Almost instantly, a duplicate copy of whatever it was they were seeing came zooming towards me.

I caught the roll of parchment, studied it, then felt my spirits lift.

"What is it?" Toni asked, watching me closely, so I handed the parchment to her. She looked at it, and sighed. "I suppose you'll want to go for the trials?"

I nodded eagerly.

"Well, I'll be on the stands to support you," she said.

I was tempted to say she didn't need to, but a selfish part of me wanted it, so I grinned and reached over to awkwardly hug her, despite the thick coffee table between us. "Thank you!"

She rolled her eyes. "How much balm have you, left?"

I leaned back into the sofa. "Well, I was going to tell you that I might want more, and that I'm going to buy this bottle from you."

She frowned. "How did you use so much? There was a full bottle when I gave it to you."

I shrugged. "Well, it was very useful, and I don't mind buying more. Where did you get it from?"

Toni sighed. "I'll owl-order it, then tell you to foot the owl bill. C'mon over and help me with this Transfigurations homework, won't you?"

I was still in my Hogwarts robes - button-up shirt, black robe. My sweater was off, leaving on the green and silver tie, loosened around the neck for better breathing, and now I rolled up my sleeves before crouching down beside Toni to look at her work.

My arms were bare as I used my pencil to outline the basics of the Transfigurations work, and then rubbed it away once Toni nodded her head in understanding.

My arms were bare as I used my pencil to outline the basics of the Transfigurations work, and then rubbed it away once Toni nodded her head in understanding.

It was midday, I learned, after all lessons were concluded, that was the best time to study the castle. Precisely because so many people were milling about. It made the lone explorer much less lonely, and less suspicious.

I smiled as I passed yet another teacher, trying to look as innocent and innocuous as possible. This happened to be Professor Flitwick, whom I had passed in the halls twice now, and who frowned at me instead.

"Should I be worried about what you are up to, Miss Burke?" he asked shrewdly.

I looked at him, frowning with consideration, moving my hands to the back, clasping them one over another, my wand held in one fist. "Well, only if you wish to deny my fun and prevent me from better familiarising myself with Hogwarts."

"Oho! Is that what you've been doing with your time then, Miss Burke?" asked a new voice. I looked up, unpleasantly startled, and quickly pressed on a smile as I saw my head of house, Professor Slughorn, appear. "Catching up on everything you've missed at Hogwarts?"

I was about to shrug, but caught myself in time, and just smiled mysteriously.

"I have to say," said Slughorn. "I was quite pleased when I saw your name down. Your father was a talent at Potions, and I was expecting quite the same. Why ever did Edwin not let you come to Hogwarts to begin with?"

The cursed Defence position, a dull ghost teaching History of Magic and poor security numbered quite a few of the reasons, but I smiled as winsomely as I could. "Don't go blaming my father just yet," I answered as charmingly yet sheepishly as I dared. "It was I who wanted a change in environment. I had rather liked the idea of being educated somewhere other than England for a change."

"Is that so?" Professor Slughorn boomed. "Well, well, you've clearly inherited your great-grandfather's visionary, exploratory spirit then, haven't you? Maybe you too will achieve great things, like he did, but you won't forget about your elderly head of house when you do, will you?"

Visionary and exploratory. I couldn't think of two words more distant from my personal impression of Caractacus Burke, except perhaps integrity. The words that jumped to my mind generally were opportunistic and vicious. I had read his diaries, flipped through his records, and I knew very well that he ripped people off, purchasing something at less than ten times it's worth, and then selling it at twenty times it's actual worth. I loved antiquities as much as he did, but I did not like or admire his methods in any way whatsover.

"No, of course not, professor," I said instantly. "I'd be more worried about you forgetting about me, sir. You're a great, accomplished teacher and potioneer, and I'm just young, empty-headed student."

There, then I wouldn't need to actually flatter him by saying he was younger than he was.

"You're too kind," said Professor Slughorn with another booming laugh. "Well, I'll be taking my leave then. Make sure you don't stay in the castle forever!"

I thought it was funny of him to say so, considering he was the one who looked like he barely left it, but I smiled winsomely, and then turned back to Professor Flitwick, who raised a brow.

I winced.

Professor Flitwick shook his head. "Well, I'll leave you to skulking about the castle then, shall I? Just as long as you promise me one thing."

I felt my wand heat and shiver in my hands, but kept my face blank and met his waiting eyes.

"What is it, sir?"

"Never, never flatter me in the way you did with Horace."

I winced again. "Well, sir, if I improved on my technique-"

"Never!"