Chapter 11: Almost Perfect
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of its characters.
Pyxis
The rest of the holidays were spent normally. We either relaxed in the common room or stroll around the grounds. Despite what happened, I tried my best to spend the holidays with my friends. I also never forget to invite Blaise and Draco whenever I go outside.
Once the holidays are over I am very grateful because classes and the final Quidditch match may distract me from what happened.
"How was your holidays?" Oliver asked once he saw us at the start of term.
"Fine." Harry and I said at the same time. They began talking silently and Oliver was looking stressed at first but it disappeared after their conversation.
"Have you ordered a new broom, Harry?" I choked on my bacon.
"Is there a problem, Isis?" He patted my back.
"They both received a Firebolt." Ron butted in our conversation.
"What? For real?" Then we explained him how we got it and how it is being checked for jinxes. He left to talk to Professor Mcgonagall after that. Harry also asked Professor Lupin when we came across him about the lessons and he told us that every Tuesday night at 8 is his available time. Good thing my advanced Occlumency lessons with Professor Snape are on Wednesdays.
At 8 o'clock that Tuesday night, Harry and I are standing in front of a closet in our empty Charms classroom.
"Another boggart?" I asked looking warily at the rattling wardrobe.
"I'm afraid so. It's the closest we'll get to a real dementor."
"Pyxis told me about the Patronus charm during the holidays" Harry said. Professor Lupin looked at me.
"Just a bit of advanced study." I smiled sheepishly. "But we didn't get to practice."
"That's good, Pyxis. A little quiz. What do you know about the Patronus charm, Harry?"
"It's an advanced charm that can be used to fight of dementors. It works by concentrating on a happy, powerful memory and saying the incantation Expecto Patronum."
"That's very brilliant. Thank you, Pyxis."
"Wait a minute, how come you know so much about the Patronus charm?" Harry looked at me, confused.
"Remember Fred asking me if I heard someone scream at the train?" He nodded.
"That was me." I looked down and told him what I see when a dementor approaches me. Not in detail like I did with Draco, but enough for him to understand.
"So that's why we need to learn this, Harry. So if a dementor comes anytime, we'll be ready. We'll be able to do something."
"Right." I could see the determination in his eyes.
Professor Lupin clapped his hands. "That's the spirit! Who wants to go first?"
I looked at Harry and he stood up. He had trouble at first but produced a sliver of light after three tries. I stood up as Professor Lupin gave him some chocolate.
"Ready?" I concentrated on the memory that Professor Dumbledore said I could go to Hogwarts then nodded. He opened the wardrobe and the boggart, in the shape of a dementor, came out.
"Expecto Patronum" I saw a very little silvery light come out of my wand.
"Expecto Patronum" I said concentrating harder but nothing happened.
""Don't hurt her. She has nothing to do with this."
"Expecto Patronum."
""This is all your fault. It's your fault he's dead."
"Expecto Patronum!" A large amount of silver vapour, the largest I've manage since I started, came out from my wand. The dementor backed away from me.
"Riddikulus!" Professor Lupin shut the wardrobe again and gave me a chocolate.
"I've almost done it. Did you see it?" I said smiling. They both nodded.
"May I try again?"
"Go ahead."
I thought of another memory. I recalled a lot of memories, a lot of it involving Draco, but it isn't the one that stood in my mind. I don't think it's a memory. It's the moment in my nightmare before I jump into nothingness. There's something in that specific moment that brings me extreme happiness. Once the boggart was out, I casted the charm. I was in both in shock and in awe when a Patronus the shape of a large dog came out and ran towards the dementor.
"Ridikkulus"" The boggart snapped back to the wardrobe but I barely noticed that. I'm still staring at my patronus. It's so beautiful. It stayed like that for a few more seconds before it disappeared and I fell to my knees in sudden exhaustion.
"Wow." Harry said in awe while helping me up.
"Very impressive, Pyxis. Brilliant! A corporeal Patronus at a very young age. I reckon, someone in our year too managed to do that."
"Who is it, professor?" Harry voiced out for us.
"Perhaps some other time. You two should go back to your dormitories." He said handing us a huge bar of chocolate.
The next evening I am sitting quietly beside Draco who looks like he's concentrating. Professor Snape entered and stood in front of us.
"Draco will be the one testing your Occlumency tonight, Ms. Steller." Draco looked stunned and I just nodded. I began setting up my mental barriers just in time when he casted Legillimency.
He's really excellent but I trust my skills more. Trust in yourself is needed to be good in Occlumency, Professor Dumbledore said. If you don't think you can do it, your mind will easily be penetrated. It felt like hours, which probably is just minutes, when Draco dropped the spell. He looks so tired. Professor Snape just stared at us blankly.
"Again."
The process repeated like that for a couple of times. Draco almost succeeded once, but luckily, I was fast enough to stop him. Who knows what he'll see. After that, Professor Snape dismissed us and we walked back to our dormitories. Well, not before Draco placed a kiss on the back of my hand.
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Third Person
February arrived and the weather hadn't change a little bit. The match against Ravenclaw is drawing nearer but the two Firebolts from the Gryffindor Quidditch team is still being checked. Harry resulted to talking to Professor Mcgonagall every Transfiguration class with a very hopeful Ron, and a very calm Pyxis. Hermione was constantly there frowning but was often found in the library.
The anti-dementor classes for Pyxis has already ended after three sessions but Harry is not doing very well. He produces an indistinct patronus from time to time but he sometimes failed to do so.
Pyxis became excellent at Occlumency. She mastered the skill that when Draco tries to get through her mind, he thought he succeeded because he sees her memories. Her reading books, singing in some sort of garden, and her with her brothers doing random things. But he realised that the memories he had seen was willingly given by the girl. She succeeded in suppressing her thoughts, emotions, and memories that she didn't want him to see ("Are you even using Occlumency?" Draco said, tiredly." Pyxis could only smirk.). She was even complimented by Professor Snape… Well, as good as he can give a compliment.
Oliver began their long training again, or torturing as the Weasley twins said, that Harry only got a day to study and do his homework. Pyxis, who could make use of her time up to the last second, willingly helps him in some of his essays and works.
A week before the Ravenclaw match, their captain was losing hope in getting the two Firebolts that he almost gave up and just surrendered. But before he did anything rash, Professor Mcgonagall returned the two brooms to Harry and Pyxis after their Transfiguration class.
"For real, professor?" Harry is so happy he hugged the smaller chaser beside him.
"Potter, I think you should let go of her, I don't want to lose one of the best chasers we had in years." Harry nodded and got the Firebolt excitedly while Pyxis got it calmly and smiled in gratitude to their head of house.
"Do win the Quidditch cup, Potter." She added before the two left. The seeker could only nod to her.
"Wow!"
"Can I have a go on your Firebolt, Harry?"
"Have you tested it already, Isis?"
"Can I just hold it?"
After ten minutes of passing the Firebolts, they finally got to start practicing. The two Firebolts gave the Gryffindor team an extra boost during practice that they didn't realize that they already went through 5 matches until Madam Hooch stopped their practice.
One evening, after Harry's anti-dementor lessons. Only a few people were in the common room, Hermione and Pyxis are among them. They are huddled in one corner with different books around them, furiously writing down on a parchment. Fred and George are also chatting with the very busy Pyxis, who is talking back to them like she isn't doing anything at all. They, however, were all pulled out from what they're doing by a scream. Harry went to the boy's dormitory and found Ron in the brink of tears.
"What happened?"
"Scabbers, he's dead! Look, that's blood." He pointed to where Scabbers was supposed to be.
"And that bloody cat did it!" He pointed to Crookshanks who was licking its paw.
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Pyxis
It looks like the end of Hermione and Ron's friendship.
Ron is very depressed while Hermione still doesn't believe that Scabbers is dead. She even insisted that Ron look for him under the boys' beds. But she finally got angry and took it out on Harry.
"Fine! I knew you would side with Ron! It's always my fault!" Then she stomped away.
"Let her be for now." I told Harry. "I'll talk to her later."
We took our chance in cheering up Ron on our last Quidditch practice. Harry promised him that he would let him ride his Firebolt after. This practice has been the best since we got our Firebolt. We executed our best moves perfectly and Harry caught the snitch fast and with ease. Ron also enjoyed riding the Firebolt after practice. We even raced from the end of the Quidditch pitch to the other end. I won since I have more control of the broom. But I am happy that we fixed Ron a little.
At quarter to eleven, all of us were at the Quidditch locker rooms and preparing for our match with Ravenclaw. I put on an extra jumper under my scarlet robes since the weather is still a little bad. I also kept my wand in my jumper, who conveniently has a pocket. Just in case I need it.
"Just do what we did yesterday. We'll all do fine." Harry nodded and then we were out.
Cheers came from everywhere but the cheer was loudest, of course, at the Gryffindor side.
"And from the Gryffindor team: Bell, Johnson, Steller, Weasley, Weasley, Wood, and Potter." Lee Jordan introduced us.
"Wood, Davies, shake hands." Oliver shook the hands of the Ravenclaw captain.
"Mount your brooms. Three, two, one." We all kicked off hard. The commentary, as usual, was provided by Lee.
"They're off! And not to mention, we will be watching a match with two Firebolts owned by Harry Potter and Pyxis Steller both from Gryffindor, that according to Which Broomstick is the broom of choice for this year's national teams."
"Okay. Professor. Just giving some background information. And there goes Pyxis with the quaffle. Heading for the goal." I maneuvered through the field and threw the quaffle in, making the first score.
The game continued, Harry almost got the snitch once but was almost hit by the bludger.
"And that's 80 points to Gryffindor!" Lee yelled as I shoot my fourth goal. "Did you just see that Firebolt go? It's truly amazing and it's unstoppable!"
"JORDAN! ARE YOU BEING PAID TO ADVERTISE FIREBOLTS? GET ON WITH THE COMMENTARY!" I heard Professor Mcgonagall shout. I laughed because he's been doing that through the whole course of our match.
Harry and Cho are still on each other's tail, but I barely see what's going on with the match since we need to focus on scoring. But then I heard Cho scream and we all turned down. Dementors. I quickly pulled out my wand.
"Expecto Patronum" The familiar large dog came out along with a huge silver-white light from my side who I realized was Harry's.
Harry wasted no time and flew away to catch the snitch. I heard Madam Hooch whistled and looked down to saw Harry holding the golden snitch. We all zoomed down to him.
"That's my boy!" Oliver yelled in happiness. Katie and Angelina kissed him on the cheek and I hugged him. Fred and George lifted him up while still cheering. Professor Lupin came to us.
"Did you see our Patronus, professor?" Harry looks more excited about the Patronus than winning the match.
"Yes. You both did well. But that's not exactly a dementor." And that's when it hit me. That's Draco, Crabbe, Goyle and Flint. Oh no. Professor Lupin stepped aside and I did saw the last three. But no Draco.
"Congratulations." I voice said from behind me. And there he is, smirking at me. I smiled and hugged him, not caring that we're surrounded by Gryffindors. He didn't seem to either, because he hugged me back.
"Thank you, for teaching me." I whispered in his ear.
"It's nothing. And you did the rest." A flash from beside us caused us to let go.
Fred is holding a camera that he obviously snatched from Colin who is still chasing George, thinking he was the one who stole it from him. Blaise appeared beside Fred, wiping fake tears
"You two are growing up so fast." I just laughed at them. Fred returned the camera to Colin and George declared party in the common room.
We all went to the common room still in our scarlet robes. Fred and George disappeared a few hours and came back with loads of butterbeers, pumpkin fizz and Honeydukes chocolate.
"How'd you do that?" Katie asked as she grabbed a butterbeer. Fred just smiled and gave me one too.
The party went all day and in the night. It was only stopped when Professor Mcgonagall went in the room. I climbed in our dormitory with Hermione who hasn't joined the festivities at all.
"Hermione, did you even eat?"
"Yes."
"Are you alright, 'Mione?" She didn't answer and she has her back to me.
"Ron doesn't mean it, you know. Not everything's your fault. Everything will be alright." I told her as I drifted to sleep. But it wasn't long when I was woken up by a scream. The others have woken up too and we bolted out to the common room where they all are.
"Good. Are we continuing?" George asked, referring to the party.
"Everyone go back to your rooms." Percy was trying so hard to get us back to the dormitories but failed miserably.
"It's him! Sirius Black in our room." I froze at what Ron said. He was here. He went in our dormitory. I mentally smacked myself. I'm so stupid! I could have done something already. Like wait for him in the common room and ask him.
The rest of the night was a blur to me. We all stayed at the common room because the castle is being searched. I am one of the few who didn't get to sleep. The others being Harry, Ron, Fred, George, Seamus and Dean. Hermione fell asleep the moment her head reached my lap. I know she was worried but I know she's very tired from studying. I just kept staring at the fire.
I wish I ended up here during their fourth year. I could have asked Sirius through this fireplace.
We all went to our classes normally the next day. All I hear around me was about Sirius Black. I didn't understand any of our lessons since my mind is not with me right now. I remember Divination, where Hermione walked out of class, but other than that, nothing, I didn't even notice that Hermione is already talking to Ron and that she asked me to accompany her to the common room and that we both fell asleep once we sat on the couches.
"Isis, 'Mione, Wake up." I slowly opened my eyes and found Harry and Ron staring at me and Hermione was just waking up.
"What? Oh no. We missed class!" Hermione exclaimed.
"You both missed the cheering charms." Ron informed. "You two look like you need it more than us."
"What class is it now?" I asked. They both look at each other.
"Charms was our last class. And it's almost dinner." Harry said while looking at me skeptically.
"What happened to you two?" We all turned and found the Weasley twins.
"They missed classes." Ron told them.
"What? Isis and Hermione-"
"-missed classes?"
"That is bloody impossible!" They exlaimed. Then they both dragged us by the arm.
"Come on. You two need food." Fred said and they led us to the great hall, Harry and Ron behind us. They let go of us once we arrived. We sat at our usual place and started eating. I unconsciously turned my head to the doors and I instantly wished I hadn't. But I did and I saw Draco... with Pansy clinging to him.