AN: "Use the force, Gandalf!" - Lex Luther, yelling at Hodor from easternmost Hogwarts spire just before being blown up by a creeper with six fingers on its right...
Harry, Thana, Ron, Hermione, and Neville exited the train together, greeted by a big, bearded man at the front of the train, yelling "Firs' years! Firs' years, this way!" and waving his hands.
Thana, curled around Harry, said, "That man is too loud." A comment that Harry ignored, not wanting to spread that he was a parselmouth too fast. He actually liked the big man. His kind eyes gave him a gentle-giant look. When all of the first-years gathered in front of him, he introduced himself as Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts. He seemed to be looking for someone in the crowd until his eyes landed on Harry. He smiled, nodding.
"Everyone! Four to a boat! Let's go!" He said, moving into the crowd, putting a hand on Harry's shoulder, and moved him to the front of the group next to him, walking down to a lake with a harbor and several small boats. Harry looked back to his friends, who appeared very confused. Hagrid and Harry sat in their own boat (which happened to be slightly bigger than the others). Hagrid shouted "FORWARD!" when all of the first years were in their boats. Hagrid waited for a couple of minutes and then said, "I remember when you were just a wee lad, Harry." This perked Harry's interest.
"Really?"
"Well, yeah, but ye might not remember me. I took you from yer house after You-Know-Who an' took you to yer Aunt n' Uncle's on a motorcycle."
"Hey! I had a dream about a motorcycle! It flew!" This made Hagrid laugh
"Yep, that was the motorcycle I was just talkin' abou'."
That made Harry absolutely sure that he liked this man, but it also reminded him of another topic. "Who dropped me off at the Dursleys?"
"Er, well I brought ya', but Dumbledore is the one that decided you should be there. McGonagall said that the Dursleys were the wors' a muggles, and I was really torn between what ter do. The moment Professor McGonagall got yer letter she almost showed up at yer house to torture yer Aunt n' Uncle to death. I was flaming mad when I read it, had to isolate myself in the forest fer a while. So, just to appease me, Dumbledore said you n me could have a little chat about questions you may have of our world an' I'll answer 'um. He also gave me the letter you sent to start things off."
Hagrid took out the crumpled envelope and began reading what Harry wrote. He kept his face calm and started asking questions.
"I hope you know what Hogwarts is now?" Harry nodded. "OK, what about how your parents died?" Harry nodded. Hagrid looked relieved at this. "Do you want us to take you away from the Dursleys?"
"Actually that will be welcome." Hagrid nodded, looked at the bottom of the letter, and looked worried again.
"Y-Ye got all yer stuff, right?" Harry nodded, relieving Hagrid's stress. Another look at the paper made his eyes widen, "How can ye not know 'bout flyin' brooms?"
"Did you just say flying brooms?"
"Why yes, I sure did! Have ya never heard of Quidditch?" Harry shook his head; Hagrid looked astounded at first then looked up and said, "Duck!" Harry looked behind himself and saw moss hanging over an opening in a rock. He ducked and the moss slid over him. Hagrid said, "It looks like we need to cut this conversation short, Harry. After you get to yer house and know where it is n' all, make sure to see professor Dumbledore in the great hall, which is the big place with four tables. He wants to speak with you."
Hagrid got out of the boat and knocked on a huge set of double doors. They immediately opened to reveal a rather severe-looking woman in emerald green robes wearing her hair in a tight bun.
"You're late." She said to Hagrid. "Follow me." She said to the first years. We followed, Hagrid stayed behind. She led us directly into a set of massive double doors on our right and opened them, revealing the Great Hall. It was….well….great. Huge, in fact. All of the first years entered the great hall, anticipating what was to come. There were four very long tables with different colors, likely house colors, and, in the very back, there was another table with a bunch of experienced-looking witches and wizards, the center of which Dumbledore sat. Harry was also able to pick out Professor Snape, as well as the man with the turban that he ran into in the Leaky Cauldron. Suddenly, his scar flashed in blinding pain, briefly forcing him onto his knee. Getting up again, someone behind him grabbed his shoulder,
"Are you ok?" It was Neville.
"Yea. Fine. Thank you." Harry said absently, wondering why his scar was hurting. Looking back up at the table, Harry could see Snape giving him a worried look. McGonagall put a stool in front of Dumbledore's elevated spot at the table, then put an old hat on the stool, saying.
"I will put this hat on your head, it will look into your mind, and you will each be sorted into your houses. Keep in mind your defining characteristics, as well as what houses you favor, because this will decide what house you are sorted into. I will remind you that Gryffindor house is a house for the courageous. Slytherin house is for the cunning. Hufflepuff house is for the loyal and just. And Ravenclaw house is for the intelligent." And the sorting began.
Harry found Hermione and told her to choose Ravenclaw. "Ok, Harry." She said, looking nervous.
McGonagall got down the list of people to sort and eventually got to "Granger, Hermione."
She ran to the stool, jammed the thing onto her head and squinted as if it hurt. The hat looked as if it was about to say something the moment it touched her head, but paused, seemed to frown, then yelled out; "RAVENCLAW!" -cheers from the Ravenclaw table. Many stood up to shake her hand before she sat down. A few more names were called as Harry looked at the ceiling. Wonder how they did that?
"Potter, Harry!" The room filled with curious whispers and all eyes were searching the crowd of first years. Professor McGonagall was staring directly at Harry. So was Dumbledore. Harry hesitated before moving forward, considering every likely outcome. He slowly stepped forward. When he broke from the crowd, all eyes were drilling holes into him. Everything he did today would be remembered, all because he was at the right place at the right time to kill Voldemort without lifting a finger. He wouldn't go to Slytherin or Hufflepuff, he knew that. His loyalty only went as far as the truths he knew and he wasn't interested in taking control through deception, though he knew he was highly capable of doing so. He killed Voldemort, had a thing for deadly animals, wasn't affected by the opinions of others, frequently broke social boundaries, and was willing to topple a great character in public in order to see justice be done, giving Gryffindor a chance at him. But there was one thing he had in common with Ravenclaw that he didn't have in common with Gryffindor; a supreme thirst for knowledge. He hungered to know everything there was to know about everything. He had for a long time. It seems that the book he skimmed over on Unaided Magic had resurrected a long-dead passion for knowledge, but not just for magic. He wanted to know about Voldemort. He wanted to know about the dark forces, and destroy them using this knowledge. He knew that nothing could sway him from this. That is why it surprised him when he put on the hat and it didn't immediately put him in Ravenclaw.
A voice spoke in his ear, "You obviously have good reason to despise Slytherin, given your past. Hufflepuff isn't for you; you are too different from them. Gryffindor holds great promise for your future, something you should consider. Ravenclaw has the thirst you seek, but the level to which you seek it is that of a Gryffindor. Ravenclaw would help you on the way to greatness, there's no doubt about that, but you would be accepted wholeheartedly in Gryffindor, while Ravenclaw would attempt to study you, finding you an object of science rather than an actual person."
Harry thought in his head, "I do not want to be welcomed by Gryffindor, and I already have friends to welcome me in Ravenclaw. Let them study me and criticize me, for I will grow in the face of adversity and become great because of it."
This seemed to impress the hat, though only a little, saying, "What a very Gryffindor thing of you to say, Harry."
"RAVENCLAW!"
Cheers came loudest from Ravenclaw. Thana twitched under Harry's cloak, making him comfortable. Harry shook several people's hands before sitting down next to Hermione. Everyone was looking at him. Someone asked him if he preferred a board-game. He said chess. Many people smiled at this. Chess was a game many of them liked. He said, "When we get to our house, I have an announcement for the first year Ravenclaws, though I won't be back for a while. Can you guys pass it on to the rest of the table?" Hermione looked at Harry questioningly. "It's about the DA."
"Oh." She said, looking excited again, then quickly asked in a whisper, "Why did you trust us so quickly on the train?"
"It is how I got Dudley to be my friend. I showed him magic and he was so amazed that he wanted to be a part of my life, and then I threatened that he would never see anything like it again if he betrayed me. He never did. Eventually, we started talking about our feelings about Vernon and Petunia, and that's when he started respecting me and considering me his friend, abandoning his friends at school for me. It's all about trust, Hermione. If I trust you with one of my most sensitive secrets, the surprise and unique pleasure of being considered one of the few to know this secret will be what motivates you from making it common knowledge."
"But it opens you up to betrayal. How can you -?"
"Hermione, the very fact that you are saying this tells me that you will not betray me." This made her blush. Dumbledore stood to make announcements. They were warned about the Forbidden Forest, the third-floor corridor, and first-years not having brooms. They had a feast and were led to the Ravenclaw common room. The door asked a question.
"What form does shadow take when it becomes physical?" This stumped everyone.
Harry answered, "Black, scentless smoke."
"Indeed." It said, swinging open. Many people looked at him curiously.
Harry went back to the Great Hall, but not before telling Hermione to have the first years wait for an announcement from him. Dumbledore was waiting for him in front of the doors. He had a twinkle in his eye when he smiled, and he smiled when he saw Harry. "Hello, Harry. I have been informed that you are planning on forming a club."
"And how do you know that?"
"I have my sources."
"Well….yes. Can you help me with that?"
"How?"
"I don't know where the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy is."
"Oh, that's on the seventh floor, just up those stairs." He said, pointing at the moving staircases.
"Also, I need you to enchant a piece of paper that people will sign. When they sign the paper, if they tell anyone other than those who have signed the paper about the location of the club, they get cursed."
Dumbledore smiled, "And I suppose that location is on the seventh floor across from the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy?"
"Um….Yes."
"Very well. You know, I once found a room full of chamber pots on that very same floor. I could never find it again." He said, still smiling. He pulled out a piece of parchment and his wand, whispering incantations. "You will find that those that sign this cannot speak of that location when talking about this club. Do you have any other questions?"
"Who is that man in the turban?"
"That is our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Quirrell."
"Do you have anything to tell me, professor?"
"Yes. I have a feeling that Voldemort is going to try to return."
"Why?"
"To come back to power. And, even if he doesn't, Voldemort had many followers that are still loyal to him."
"So, what you're telling me is to be careful?"
"Yes. I suppose you have an announcement to make?"
Harry had to think about this, and then realized he was talking about the meeting with the Ravenclaw first years, "Yes."
"Off to it, then." He said, smiling again. Harry went back up to the Ravenclaw common room. He was asked,
"What color is the absence of color?"
"That depends on your perspective. If you count clear as a color, then clear. If you count what light is absorbed by an object as color, then the answer is white. If you count what light is reflected by an object as color, then the answer is black."
"You're on a roll!" it said, and then opened. He was met by a crowd of first years, a few second years, and one or two third years. All of them were staring at him. He was surprised that so many people showed. He supposed he should begin immediately.
"Hello. As you all may know, my name is Harry Potter. I want to make an exclusive club that learns about forms of magic they do not teach in school. I have found an amazing resource at this school that will allow me to do just that and I have the support of our headmaster to make the club. It will function less as a club and more as a fun class that we can secretly explore forms of magic that other people couldn't even imagine carrying out. The class will have focuses on defending yourself, light magic, unaided magic, and dueling. If you are not interested, please go to bed." Harry waited for a few seconds. A couple of people went upstairs. Some were looking at him with curiosity, others jealousy, others envy. Some even looked at him in humor. Harry spoke up again, "Are there any questions?" Every hand in the room except Hermione's rose into the air.
After picking one, the girl it belonged to asked, "Are there any restrictions on type of magic?"
"No dark magic of any kind, and no hurting others on purpose. I can heal you, but I would hate for one of you to die. I expect all of you to be responsible in your learning. If anyone proves themselves not to be ready for such a class, I will immediately have Dumbledore erase any memory of these meetings from that person's mind and they will not be allowed to attend ever again. Do I make myself clear?" He got many nods, and many of the humorous faces changed to respect.
He picked another hand, "When is it being held?"
"I was thinking on every Saturday morning from 8-10."
He picked another hand, "Where is the class being held?"
"I cannot tell you today. On Saturday morning, meet here and I will take you to the location."
Picked another hand, "How do we join?" This made all of the other hands, except one, lower. It made Harry smile.
"Sign your name on this parchment." He said, placing the parchment on a table next to him. "By the way, before you sign it, know that it is cursed. If you sign this parchment, you can attend our meetings, you can even tell your friends, but you cannot betray our location. If you do, a number of negative things will happen to you."
"What negative things?" Someone interrupted.
"I don't know, Dumbledore never told me." This earned him a lot of wide-eyes and whispers.
He picked the last hand, "What will our first lesson be about?"
"Shadow magic, which is a form of magic you can use without anything to help you out and has a potentially infinite number of uses. Any other questions...? Very well, if you wish to join the club, sign this piece of parchment. If I ever need to change the time for the meeting or simply cancel it, I will post announcements on the board. I will accept a maximum of twenty members until I become sure I can handle more." Fourteen people signed the parchment, which was everyone in the room but Harry. After they signed, Harry took the parchment and everyone went to bed. He found his stuff next to a bed, covertly placed Thana inside his box, pet Hedwig, and lay on his bed, thinking about the day. The adrenaline rush he got from speaking to a bunch of people was wearing off. Eventually he went to sleep, but he was still thinking. His mind was never quiet.
-oOoOo-
That week, he studied shadow magic deeply, and discovered that it was more useful at killing things than anything else. However, there were a few techniques that actually saved lives instead of killed them. He found that if he twirled the shadow in his palm into a cone that faced outward, the shadow would attract and absorb any spells coming from that general direction. That would be useful to teach. After some experimentation, he discovered that this cone will need to be constantly supplied with shadow in order to neutralize more and more spells, but if the shadow becomes saturated with spells, it lets off a blinding flash of light. Another thing he would teach.
You can wreath a target in shadow, effectively blinding them. A strong wave of shadow can knock your opponents over. Hermione helped him practice these, taking turns learning them. Ron and Neville were included in these practices as well. They practiced in the Room of Requirement. When he thought, "I need a place to learn and teach Unaided Magic." It gave him a perfectly flat forest clearing with a random bookshelf full of books at the edge of it. Harry guessed that the room knew that he would need to practice growth magic.
Quirrell was missing his left hand. When asked, he said that he lost it to a vampire. Harry's image around the school stayed mysterious, and no one but his friends knew about him being a parselmouth. He was talented in every subject, favoring Charms and Defense Against the Dark Arts. The only one who seemed better than him in most classes was Hermione, who helped him frequently, something that he appreciated. Harry was able to snag a few Gryffindors for the DA that Friday morning, maxing out his twenty students. His first lesson was eventful. Several students took the shadow cone trick and used it as a tool to block spells during a duel, freeing up their wands to retaliate, though most of them only knew one or two spells, it being the first week of school. This trend continued throughout his lessons. His students learned a trick and took it one step further.
It amazed him how quickly they learned. His students took the concept of rooting, which is using the nearly infinite amount of shadows underground by sucking it up through their legs and into their hands for use, and combined it with the spell-siphon trick they learned on their first lesson. This bypassed a key weakness of the spell siphon, which is that it takes a lot of shadows to neutralize powerful spells, meaning that the siphon quickly wore off under a barrage of spells from the enemy. However, with rooting, the siphon regenerates much quicker, allowing oneself to focus only on siphoning spells, which stops the enemy from directly harming them, as their dueling partner fires spells at them without mercy, as they are protected by their partner's siphon. The best the enemy could hope for in these situations is a tie.
It soon became common knowledge that Harry was holding these classes, yet the location mysteriously remained a secret. His classes swelled to forty kids within the first three weeks, including all first years, except for those in Slytherin. Who knows how they would use this knowledge? The high-point of his class was when Dumbledore himself appeared to observe him reviewing all that he had taught them. The fact that a first year had done this didn't escape anyone. Several instances around the school occurred where students used shadow magic, which increased the fame of his classes. By the beginning of October, he had to begin to reject several people, most of them third-year or above, because his classes were getting too big (55 and counting). However, he did tell them that he might be adding another class to be held from 10 -12 on Saturdays, something that they greatly appreciated.
Thana, Harry's King Cobra, turned out to not be a normal King Cobra, which explains why it was in Diagon Alley in the first place. At first Harry figured that it was an adult by size. He realized that he was terribly mistaken, because within the first three weeks of school, he was too big for the box Harry had for him and his growth wasn't slowing. Getting food for him was a hassle, and the waste was worse. So, he just decided one day that he was going to set it loose in the forbidden forest. Doing that wasn't very easy, and was even less secret. By the time Harry decided Thana needed to get out of Hogwarts, it was about 15 feet long and as wide as a grown man's thigh. He did it early in the morning, about 4:00AM, hoping to avoid drawing attention to himself, but by breakfast, everyone knew he was a parselmouth, had a giant snake, and that the snake was now in the forbidden forest. By lunch, he had been declared by the general population of Hogwarts as the heir of Salazar Slytherin. Despite the results he expected, it simply made his classes that much more appealing.
This especially appealed to the Slytherins, and he was daily barraged by them, asking for a position in his classes. He asked Dumbledore to search their minds. He found no one who wouldn't use it in a negative way, so none of the The Slytherins were allowed in his classes. Malfoy seemed particularly upset by this, as he began to turn the The Slytherins against him.
Harry was greatly interested in the warning about the third-floor corridor almost instantaneously. It ended in a door that was locked. A few days later, with a little reading he found a spell that let him unlock the door. "Alohomora" was all that was required and the door opened for him. Inside was a huge three-headed dog. This reminded him of a very useful type of magic he could use to bond with it, namely Soul Magic. It took a while, about a week, but he was eventually able to feel its feelings and allow it to feel his feelings. The dog felt very depressed that he was locked up so long. He used the same type of magic to allow thoughts to pass between him and Thana, which allowed him to wander deeper into the forest. Harry asked Hagrid about the three-headed dog, who said,
"How did you know about Fluffy?"
"Oh, he's yours?"
"Well, o'course he is!"
"Why is he in the castle? He should be in the forbidden forest!"
"Because I lent him to Dumbledore to guard the, uh…."
"Yes?"
"I shouldn't a told ya that."
"Hagrid, I have a reason to believe that someone is going to try to get whatever fluffy is guarding, and I need you to tell me what it is so that I can help guard it."
"Oh there ain't nothin' gonna get past fluffy. You don't need ter worry your head."
Changing the subject slightly, "Ok, just trying to help. How'd you handle fluffy, anyway? Did you have to wrestle him to the ground whenever he tried to attack something?"
"Well, no. It's actually just finding out how to calm the great beast. It took a while, but I eventually figured out that if you play 'im a bit a music he falls straight to sleep….I shouldn't a told ye that." Hagrid was now looking incredibly worried.
"Don't worry about it, Hagrid. If I were trying to get at whatever he's guarding, I wouldn't need to know how to calm fluffy. I already found another way. But that isn't important. Hagrid, do you have a thing for big, dangerous animals?"
"What do you mean, 'a thing'?"
"Do you think Fluffy is beautiful?"
"Yes, in fact."
"Have you seen my big snake in the forbidden forest?"
"Why yes, she's gettin' pretty big now. Thought she was an anaconda at first, and that was a week ago."
"Wow. So, when you say pretty big -"
"I mean pretty big. Been killin' off some of the bigger acromantulas in the forest -"
"What are acromantulas?"
"I shouldn't a told ya that. I shouldn't a told ya that."
"Hagrid, honestly I love creatures just like you do. You don't need to worry about me spilling the beans to some ministry suit."
That seemed to calm him down. "I'm glad I can trust you, Harry. So you like big creatures, do you?"
"Yes, sir." Said Harry, smiling.
"Very well. I'll tell ya' when I get another one. They seem to gravitate to me. Guess a lot of people know I like 'em. See you later, Harry." And with that, the conversation ended.
-oOoOo-
When Halloween came around, Harry was teaching about 120 kids the various forms and uses of Unaided Magic in two classes of about 60. Ron, Neville, and Hermione helped Harry with these classes. He was now teaching all of first year, most of second and third year, and some of fourth year, as well as a few from fifth, sixth, and seventh year, excluding Slytherin. The way things were going, Harry would be teaching all of Hogwarts, and would probably have a separate class dedicated to The Slytherins. That would absorb all of his extra time, though. No, he won't do that. The day was going pretty good. They even got to dinner before something weird happened. Then something weird happened.
"TROLL IN THE DUNGEON! TROLL IN THE DUNGEON!" Quirrell came running into the main hall, screaming. Then he stopped in front of the middle of the hall, took a short breath as if he was going to calm down, then said casually, "Thought you ought to know." and fainted, falling on his face. Harry almost laughed, but took it seriously. He and Hermione, as well as most of the people they taught together, remained calm as the rest of the great hall flipped out.
"SILENCE!" Dumbledore said, and the room became deathly quiet. "Would everyone please not panic? Prefects, take your charges to the dormitories. Teachers, follow me to the dungeons."
Harry's mind raced. Trolls are too stupid to accidentally find their way to a castle on top of a mountain. Someone put it there. Whatever Fluffy was guarding is highly secret, meaning that it is important. Dumbledore warned him that Voldemort might be coming back. This all added up to Voldemort's servant using the troll as a distraction to get to whatever Fluffy was guarding. Harry needed to get to the third floor.
Harry used a form of Shadow Magic that allowed him to fly so that he could get to the third floor as quickly as possible without having to wait for the stairs to change. When he got there, he was dead quiet, not daring to tread on the stone and make noise. He floated to the door at the end of the corridor, opened it, and found Fluffy awake. He recognized Harry and barked, excited that his friend was back.
"Hey, Fluffy." He said, going inside of the chamber and sitting next to Fluffy. Whoever entered here would find something more dangerous than a three-headed dog to deal with; an eleven year old wizard heavily trained in Shadow Magic. It took a while, but the door opened. Who Harry saw come through the door was the second to last person Harry would suspect.
The door was opened by none other than Severus Snape. Harry, feeling Fluffy get angry, asked, "What are you doing here?"
"What are you doing here?!" He asked, looking at Fluffy like he would attack Harry at any moment.
"Trying to guard whatever Fluffy is guarding. Fluffy and I get along just fine, but I don't think he likes you." Harry said calmly, attempting to read the professor as the dog stood and growled long and deep. "I suggest you leave before you lose a limb or two. Perhaps you could stand guard outside or help deal with the troll." The dog charged and Snape left, locking the door behind him. Harry attempted to sooth the beast with calm thoughts of rest and dreams. Fluffy eventually settled down next to him and fell asleep. A few minutes later, when Harry was sure Fluffy wouldn't wake, he left. On the other side of the door, Harry was met by a strangling hug from Hermione.
"What were you thinking?" Hermione said into Harry's ear. Harry couldn't do anything to stop the hug. It was funny how he could do more than most can dream of, yet was powerless to something simple as a hug from a worried friend. He guessed that was the beauty of friendship.
"I was thinking that I didn't want Voldemort to get a hold on whatever is down there."
"Down where?" Hermione asked, Letting go of Harry and looking him in the eye. The distance between them now allowed Harry to see who else was in the room. Most of the staff was there, including Snape, Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Quirrell. In seeing Quirrell again, his scar twinged. Dumbledore was smiling in his 'I can see the future and everything's fine' sort of way. At least someone thought so.
Harry spoke to Hermione. "The three-headed dog I was telling you about is guarding something. It's likely something able to bring Voldemort back to life." He said, giving a knowing look to Hermione. She understood. Harry wanted her to find out what. He had a feeling Hermione would spend a lot more time in the library than usual, which was saying something. He then said, addressing the professors and headmaster, "Has the troll been taken care of?"
McGonagall spoke, or rather bellowed, "Taken care of?! That troll, at least it was a troll, is in pieces! When we got there, about half-dozen students had already surrounded it! Most of them FIRST YEARS! I almost fainted when I got there, because it had tried to hit Weasley and the club passed right through him! Then Miss Granger stuck out her hand and vaporized a hole into its stomach with lightning, then hit it with another spark, and the thing blew up in a fiery explosion!" She seemed livid, and was right to be. A first year being able to dispatch a troll in such a way wasn't typically a good thing. Especially not for the troll.
Harry's eyebrows were arched in an amazed look as he turned to Hermione, "Remind me to never mess with you." She seemed very pleased, and somewhat embarrassed, at this comment. She gave Harry a nervous smile, which he returned. He resumed his professional demeanor, stating, "Yes, she is particularly skilled in the Elemental Magics."
Snape interrupted their moment by saying, "Harry, I believe that there needs to be a teacher overseeing your lessons to ensure that you are not turning our students into killing machines. What we saw today was the worst-case scenario as far as wizarding education goes. Adolescents tend to be particularly emotional at times, and for an adolescent to have such great power is spelling doom for those around him or her, as well as the child in question."
That is when Dumbledore spoke, "An excellent assessment, Severus, but I know it to be false. I personally have him show me his lesson plans and now regularly observe his classes. Harry only teaches his students defensive techniques that do not require a wand, as well as a myriad of other useful tricks that will help preserve the life of our students. As for Hermione Granger, Harry had made a special request for me to search her mind, as well as Neville's, to see if Harry can teach them how powerful Unaided Magic, as Harry calls it, can be."
"And do you attend those classes as well?" McGonagall asked
"Yes."
"Well? What material are they covering?"
"Material that I am very glad is in their hands only, Minerva." Dumbledore responded cryptically.
Severus broke in, outraged, "How can you defend this? Underdeveloped children holding more magical power than some of the strongest witches and wizards of their age? Do you realize how serious this is? What the ministry would do? What the school board of directors would do?"
"I am fully aware of the consequences of my actions, Severus. I took this to the board myself and the only one who objected to it was Lucius. That is, after I had their full memories analyzed by them, and they launched a full inquiry of the three of them under veritaserum to determine their emotional stability." This was true, of course. Harry would have refused to do it if it weren't for Dumbledore's insistence that it happen. That and the fact that everyone already knew about his giant snake and that he could speak parseltongue by that time. Snape was rather put-out by this and Minerva also seemed displeased. Quirrell was jumpier than usual. Probably imagining being blown to pieces by Hermione, Harry thought. This brought a smile to his face. McGonagall interrupted these thoughts.
"I do hope you aren't going to refuse to teach the Hogwarts staff, are you?" Harry smiled again.
"I was actually hoping you would ask me to teach you. However, I will only permit those I think I can trust. That would be Professor Snape, Hagrid, Sprout, McGonagall, Dumbledore, Flitwick, Hooch, and Madam Pomfrey."
"What about Quirrell?" Dumbledore asked.
"I honestly think someone's going to sneeze and he's just going to flip out and start blasting stuff. Not very good for safety. I think we would be safer without crossing Hermione's power with Quirrell's jumpiness." Even Dumbledore seemed unsettled by that notion. Quirrell was absolutely terrified of it, abruptly flinching when it registered to him.
"Well….Ok, then. So, when are you teaching us?"
"I think I can fit you in on Saturday and Sunday. I'm sure you guys know where the Room of Requirement is?" Everyone but Quirrell looked sure. Then again, he wasn't going.
-oOoOo-
Harry ended up finding out an uncomfortable truth about Elemental Magic. The older you get, the harder it is to learn it. Dumbledore, though he was the oldest there, still nicked Energy Magic. He blasted a tree apart. Everyone else could barely pull a few volts. Growth Magic is the speed of grass with them, fire doesn't hold a spark, and water can't even wave. Shadow Magic is worse with the aged, although Snape can wreath an area in shadow. Soul Magic is dead with most of them, though Dumbledore bonded with Fawkes. It lasted a few seconds and collapsed. Hagrid was able to bond with Fang and was able to transmit feelings. That actually lasted a whole day.
Now Harry understood why the book was worth a Knut. The only people with enough knowledge to know that Unaided Magic exists and had the patience to read it were adults, but adults couldn't use it. Not only that, but if the wrong child got their hands onto it, it could spell disaster to everyone around them when they get angry or scared. Not only that, but some dueling practice with the teachers showed Harry that most of the offensive spells he knew could be blocked by a simple shield charm.
The only magic type of magic out of all types of Unaided Magic that the teachers seemed able to perform were Light Magic. Dumbledore, Madam Pomfrey, and McGonagall were especially good at this, and were able to cast their patronus aura, the hardest Light Magic spell the book allows you to know. Harry had invented a few more spells, but they didn't need to know about them. No one should. Not even he should. Maybe he shouldn't have shared them with Hermione and Neville?
So, the teachers were trained with a focus on Light Magic. Ironically, they learned it quicker than the first years.
Before long, Hagrid showed up early for a class and pulled him aside, "Harry, Meet me in my cabin after class. I got a big surprise for you." He seemed ready to throw a party at how excited he was.
Harry knew that it was big, possibly dangerous, and definitely beautiful. Lucky for Harry, they were only reviewing material today. He could hardly contain his excitement. The lesson ended quickly. At the end, Dumbledore approached him,
"You certainly are a talented young man, Harry."
"Thank you, professor."
"I am sorry that we couldn't learn your material, Harry."
"That's alright, professor. I was wondering. This book that I use for these lessons is called 'A Complete Guide to Unaided Magic, book 1'. Is there any way you can get me the second book?"
Dumbledore's eye twinkled, "I can get you the entire series if you wanted. Do you?"
"Of course, sir. Thank you, sir." Harry said, smiling.
Dumbledore bowed slightly and continued out of the Room of Requirement, following the rest of his colleagues. Harry left just behind them, going to the Ravenclaw common room. When he got there, he dropped his things off and went to Hagrid's hut, petting Hedwig before he left. He felt the tendrils of a bond developing there. Moving to Hagrid's hut, he noticed it was getting dark. Harry knocked on the door to the cabin and heard Hagrid say, "Come in!"
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