Author Notes: Computer and internet access a lot less convenient here than I expected. I'll post this chapter but next chapter and responses to all the reviews will have to wait till I get back home. Thanks to all the readers and reviewers. Answers/replies to questions and comments are/will be posted at www fanfiction net/topic/135718/89507238/1/
Previous Chapter - 9. House Elves: Harry and Tom learn when Snape started at Hogwarts from Hagrid. Harry and Hermione run their first self study defence class and everyone enjoys learning though they only practice a few simple jinxes and a jinx shield. Harry and Tom sneak into the DADA classroom late at night carefully bypassing the wards and locking charms but can't find any clue about what has been causing problems for Tom. Time-turners are mentioned. Hermione gets upset about house elf slavery and Harry is less than impressed.
Chapter 10 - Quidditch
A few days had passed and still Hermione was sulking, though the hunger strike was over. She still hadn't apologised to Harry and he was getting a bit short with everyone. His sleeping had also been affected. Tom had gone so far as to suggest that he be the bigger man and go and talk to her, but Harry wasn't having any of it. He was of the opinion that he had done his best to explain the situation and it was only her stubbornness that had prevented her from listening to him. Tom hadn't bothered to pursue the topic.
They both still attended the same classes and even partnered up as per normal, but they kept their rather stilted discussions focused on their school work. In their study groups, they were barely civil to each other and overly cheerful with the others. Hermione had at least stopped trying to involve the others in her 'save the house elves' project. She spent her spare time researching, making notes and planning.
Even though Harry was spending less time being social with Hermione he hadn't gained any spare time as Tom had quickly used that extra time to have him practicing non-verbal spells. The focus was on detection magic. Complex spells to cast at the best of times.
'Don't worry Harry, you're making progress. This magic is quite difficult and it wouldn't be expected of anyone prior to their fifth or sixth year.'
"Wish I could wait till fifth year. Can we go do some more combat magic?"
'Soon, but you do need spend some more time on general spell casting techniques first before I can teach you more combat spells. I understand you are concerned about the Slytherins, but they are still just children and are much less capable than they pretend to be. Snape is an irritation but hardly a threat. Maybe read a few more back issues of the Daily Prophet for a bit before you practice any more magic.
"How is that a break? You have seen how many there are! It's going to take forever! I'd prefer to keep casting those stupid spells than read that trash." Harry knew his frustration with Hermione was making him a little short with everyone but he couldn't help it.
'Not stupid Harry. Just difficult. Remember it's not just for sorting out the mystery about Quirrell, those spells will also help you when you go after the horcruxes. Those wards were complex and magic is rarely static. You can't just depend on my memories of those wards to get past them.'
"But I won't need to cast them non-verbally when I go after those."
'Indeed, but this practice will help improve the way you cast them verbally and nonverbally.'
"It's boring and I'm tired."
'Fine, there doesn't seem to be any immediate threats. Go borrow a school broom and practice your flying. I know you want to prepare for the quidditch trials tomorrow.'
That brought a smile to Harry's face. His flying prowess had been noticed by Madam Hooch and he had been allowed to try out for the team. Madam Hooch had later given him the news that Professor McGonagall had said not to worry about a broom as something could be arranged if he got on the team. Madam Hooch was hopeful that meant maybe some of the school brooms could be replaced with something half decent.
After collecting his chosen school broom from Madam Hooch's office he quickly made his way towards a nearby balcony and mid step mounted and was airborne. He enjoyed the fact riding a broom felt so natural and easy.
Harry whooped as he dived towards a lone tree near the lake . He pulled a hard turn between the branches close enough that the leaves brushed his hair. He then took off straight up pushing the old broom to its limit. He couldn't imagine anything more exhilarating, though whilst he was flying his mind was empty except for the feel of the wind in his face and the sound of his robes flapping about as he pulled tight loops and barrel rolls.
After a few minutes of free flying he pulled out the three small coloured conjured marbles. He had made sure he was out of sight of anyone when he created them, as conjuring even small items was certainly not taught to first years. Harry certainly didn't want anyone to know that he had even a few basic NEWT levels spells under his belt. He released the bronze, silver and gold marbles and spent the next thirty minutes catching them in order as they flew randomly about over the deep lake.
'Dinner time soon, Harry.'
"Thanks, Tom." Harry quickly collected the marbles forgetting the catch order he had set himself and, after returning the broom, headed down to the Great Hall.
Upon entering he spotted Hermione sitting by herself once again. She was already filling up her plate. As he approached the table she glanced up, then turned her body slightly as she made sure to face away.
Harry let loose a little sad sigh and his good mood evaporated. He sat heavily down beside Neville who greeted him with a broad smile. "Hiya, Harry. Had a good afternoon? Didn't see you around."
Harry managed a small smile back, "Hi. Neville. Finished up some homework then went flying. Pass the pork would you?"
"Sure. You going to watch the tryouts tomorrow?"
"Trying out. Hoping to make chaser or seeker."
Neville's eyes open in surprise, "Thought you couldn't join in first year?"
Harry shook his head and swallowed a piece of gravy coated carrot, "Can't bring your own broom here but you can still try out for Quidditch if Madam Hooch thinks you are able to handle it. I hear it's pretty unusual to be selected as a first year, especially since you have to be on a school broom but Oliver Wood, he's the captain, came and told me I better be there. Said that I had a good chance and that Madam Hooch suggested I was okay."
"Said you were a natural, she did." The voice came from right behind Harry.
"Best flyer she had seen in many a year, as Oliver quoted." A very similar voice came from behind Neville.
The two boys twisted to see the twins grinning down at them.
"Little Harry made one of the school brooms look like a professional broom, was her words."
"She was gushing. We'll be watching out for you Harry. Fred and I are the Gryffindor beaters."
"Indeed we are and we're in need of a good seeker so make sure you get a good night's sleep, young Harry."
The twins clapped the two boys on their shoulders then went to join their friends further down the table.
"Wow, Harry! Seekers are really cool. I'll be there cheering you on!"
"Thanks, Neville." Harry smiled but he snuck a glance down the table to the one person he really wanted cheering him one and his face fell. He caught a glimpse of her face before she turned back to her food.
'If she's that important to you, just go say sorry.' Tom's voice was flat and strangely emotionless.
"But I didn't do anything wrong."
'Why does that matter? I take back my suggestion to forget about it and let her grow up in her own time. This whole lover's tiff over a few worthless house elves is distracting you.'
"It's not a lover's tiff. We aren't like that." Harry stabbed his fork into a piece of beef hard enough to knock the plate back a little.
'Your concentration is suffering,Harry. You know you could have done better with those non verbal spells earlier.'
"But you said there is no rush?"
'Indeed, but that's not the point. You need to either learn to ignore distractions or deal with them. Since my efforts to have you ignore this particular distraction have failed you need to resolve it. She's getting up now. Forget the meal and go talk to her.'
"But I.."
'Now, Harry!' Impatience was very evident in Tom's tone and Harry was more than a little shocked. He couldn't remember a time when Tom had been as forceful with his words.
He pushed his half finished meal away and moving quickly managed to get right behind Hermione as she was exiting the Great Hall. He had just managed to say, "Hermione could I have a word please," when she came to an abrupt halt forcing him to do the same.
Malfoy and his sidekicks were blocked their way.
"Well well if isn't Potter and his little mu... ggleborn." The sneering Malfoy slowly drew out the last word so it was obvious what he really meant.
"Get lost Malfoy. Don't want to make another fool of yourself do you?" Harry was frustrated, he had just worked up his nerve to speak to Hermione and now he had to deal with this idiot.
"You'll be the only fool when I crush you!"
"Crush me, Malfoy? Not such a coward when its three on two then. Are you going to try and hex me again?" Harry grinned.
Malfoy glanced at the open door to the Great Hall behind Harry and his sneer faltered for a moment before reappearing, "One on one then. Wizard's Duel. You and me, Trophy room at midnight. Bring a second."
Harry tried his best sneer, "You don't have a hope of winning, Malfoy."
Malfoy returned the sneer with interest, "Know the penalty for not turning up for the Wizard's Duel do you Potter?"
Harry nodded, "Of course. Now, if you don't mind, I've got better things to do than trade insults with you."
Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle roughly pushed between Harry and Hermione and entered the Great Hall. Hermione turned and glared at Harry, "You shouldn't have accepted, Harry. Wizard's Duels are dangerous."
Harry just gave her a small smile, "I didn't accept, Hermione. With his wand away and without the correct words he was only just making talk. He probably thinks I don't know the difference. It'll be a trap and I have no intention of going."
Hermione looked thoughtful for a moment as she run through the conversation in her mind, a small smile started to form but, before it got very far, it faded to be replaced by the scowl that had returned in force.
Harry's smile also faltered as he pleaded with her, "Hermione, just a moment, please. I still want to talk to you. There's a classroom just up a level that'll be quiet. Please?"
Hermione's scowl didn't shift but she motion for him to lead the way.
Inside the empty classroom Hermione snapped, "Well?"
Something flickered across her expression and Harry hoped that there might be a still a glimmer of hope in that.
"Hermione, I'm really sorry. You're my best friend and I'm sorry I argued with you. Maybe we won't always agree on everything but I shouldn't have just walked out on you like that. I still want to be your friend."
The scowl vanished, "Oh, Harry. You're still my friend. I'm.. I'm sorry too. I just wanted to make things better."
"That's okay Hermione. Nothing wrong with that but just baby steps to begin with, okay? If you want help I'm there for you."
"Thanks, Harry." Hermione shyly held out her hand.
'Give her a hug, Harry.' Tom's voice was casual.
Harry didn't question Tom's suggestion since it sounded like a fine idea and, ignoring the hand, gave her a very brief hug. Hermione's slight blush and big smile were a very nice reward and he smiled.
After releasing her he quickly asked, "Can we go for a walk?"
Hermione nodded cautiously before she followed him out of the classroom.
"Thanks, Tom."
'You're welcome, Harry. Anything to get you focused again.'
Harry led Hermione down two levels, "I've got something I want to show you."
'Harry. If you are taking her where I think you are, please don't.'
"It's fine Tom. It'll be good for her."
'It'll probably end in disaster.'
Harry didn't answer and soon led a curious Hermione to a large painting of a silver fruit bowl. He gave her a cheeky grin.
"What's this, Harry?"
"Tickle the pear, Hermione." Harry was smiling widely now.
"What?"
"Tickle the pear." Harry folded his arms and waited.
Hermione narrowed her eyes but she seemingly didn't want to upset Harry right now, so she tentatively did as he asked. Her jaw dropped as she watched as the pear squirmed, chuckled, then turned into a green door handle. She looked at Harry who made a motion to open it.
As soon as the door opened Harry grabbed her hand and dragged her inside. Hermione gasped as she entered the massive room that was as wide and as long as the Great Hall.
At least a hundred house elves were skipping about carrying dishes stacked crazily high to and from cupboards and massive cauldrons where magical brushes and clothes cleaned and dried them.
"Welcome to the Kitchen, Hermione. You won't find a single unhappy elf here unless you talk to them about taking away their livelihood. In here you can learn a lot about how they are treated and how you can improve their life without upsetting them. How about we sit down and work out a list of questions we can ask them about their life?"
The broad smile that split Hermione's face was reassurance enough for Harry to believe that this had been the right move.
"Will they mind if we sit in here?"
Hermione had no sooner asked her question than a house elf noticed them. Within moments, a dozen of the excited house elves had dragged Harry and Hermione to one of the massive tables. Mere seconds later a multitude of desserts and drinks were set out.
Harry stayed there with Hermione til curfew discussing which questions he thought were acceptable to ask the elves. When Tom alerted Harry of the time the two sprinted back across the castle to their tower once again only just making it in time.
-my-friend-tom-
The next morning at breakfast Harry spotted a disgruntled Draco sitting by himself at the Slytherin table. He seemed to be glaring daggers at his eggs. Crabbe and Goyle arrived a little later, but choose to sit beside some of the other first years. Harry wondered what had happened but since there was no way he was going to go and ask he decided he should just try and ignore it.
The Twins turned up just minutes before breakfast was finished, stuffed their mouths with pancakes then grabbed Harry and lifted him off the bench.
"Time to show us what..."
"...you are made of Harry." they mumbled past pieces of half eaten pancake.
Rolling his eyes at Hermione, he let the two boys half lead half drag him off to the Quidditch pitch.
Madam Hooch was already there with Harry's chosen broom and a selection of other brooms for the few others trying out that also didn't have a broom.
A burly fifth year already dressed in Quidditch robes introduced himself, "Good morning, all. My name is Oliver Wood and I am the captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team. We already have a fairly strong line up but we are short one chaser and our seeker. Still we are going to have tryouts for all positions in case there is a hidden star player amongst you lot."
He waved Fred over as he continued.
"First of all, let's get an idea what kind of flyers we have here. Everyone on their brooms and follow Fred for a couple of laps around the pitch."
The laps were followed by some weaving around the Quidditch hoops and then some dodging around a few simple balls that vaguely resembled bludgers.
Harry was having fun, he didn't care that much for the competitive part, he just loved the feel of the rushing air. More than a few times he was tempted to forget the tryouts and just fly off by himself. Still, Hermione was there with a few of his other friends to watch him so he made sure to listen to the instructions and go through the actions along with the other hopefuls. He found it all rather easy and, when it came down to chasing the snitch, the others were no competition.
Two of the boys had better brooms but Harry found he could easily push his broom to faster speeds, pull harder turns and was quickest to spot the Snitch. The frames of his glasses were a minor irritation and not for the first time he wondered if he shouldn't just get rid of them. Still, even that minor handicap couldn't prevent him from easily outperforming the others. After seeing Harry's flying, none of the other prospective seekers begrudged him getting the position and they and many others congratulated him.
He would have also liked to try out for the chaser position but by that time he felt it would have looked too much like showing off and Oliver seemed adamant that he was going to be their greatest weapon.
A pretty second year by the name of Katie Bell got the chaser position and gave Harry a big hug. "We made the team. We made the team. You're a brilliant flyer, Harry. I watched all the games and most of the practices last year and we are sure to win this year with you on the team! Oliver Wood is a great keeper, the Weasleys are dangerously brilliant and I'm so excited to be chasing with Alicia and Angelina."
"Thanks, Katie."
"Alicia only played one game last year, she was the reserve. Have you ever played before?"
"Ehh.. no. Never flew before coming here." Harry felt a little overwhelmed by the excitable girl but was happy to note that the excitement wasn't anything to do with his scar or history.
"Wow, Harry! You're a natural, then. I started learning when I was young on a kid's broom. Played a few little play games when I was growing up. My dad has taken me to seventeen games."
'Seems like you have a Quidditch fan on your hands, Harry.'
"Better than a Harry fan."
When Hermione came down from the stands Katie quickly discovered how little she also knew about the game and decided to give both Harry and Hermione a run down on various things that had happened last year and what to be aware of. Harry rather enjoyed listening to Katie as, though she was full of information, she was also was a good listener, happy to answer questions and tell funny stories.
After Oliver gave them the schedule for their first practice sessions, Katie gave Harry another celebratory hug and offered to tell him more about quidditch over dinner. Harry happily accepted, though he did notice that Hermione seemed a little hesitant.
-my-friend-tom-
After a fairly uneventful lunch, during which a still lonely Malfoy glared at Harry, Harry and Hermione led the Defence Self Study group through the same exercises outside the castle. They were happy to note a significant improvement. It seemed that almost everyone had taken their advice and had practised their spells at least once during the week.
Once again, when Harry decided to incorporate some physical activities in with their casting, he hit a problem.
"Come on, Harry. We are wizards, not muggles; why do we need run or exercise when we have magic?" Ron was complaining.
Harry noted that a few of the others were nodding as they wondered the same thing and sighed. "Okay let me try and explain this another way. Magic can do just about anything right?"
"Yep." Ron nodded, happily taking the opportunity to stop moving.
"And you use your mind to control your magic?"
"Yeah. I guess." Rod seemed a little unsure about this.
'He probably thinks with his stomach.'
Harry chuckled and got a few odd looks, "Right. Well using magic is all about intent and focus. The better you are able to concentrate your will, the better magic will understand what you want it to do. Now, a strong healthy mind has a lot more control over magic. Healthy mind, more control, better results. So, you understand the need to have your mind healthy?"
"Well, that makes sense. But you have us exercising our body not our minds here."
Harry smiled, "You think your mind is not a part of your body? Exercising any part of your body will improve your general health, including your brain and mind."
'That's a bit of an over simplification, Harry.'
"This is Ron here and it's not like I haven't explained it before."
'Fair point.'
Whilst Tom and Harry exchanged thoughts,Ron was working on his next point, "What about potions? Can't we just take a potion to make us fit and healthy?"
Harry smiled, it was nice to see Ron coming up with actual arguments rather than just whining. "There are a few potions that will indeed boost your strength, endurance and even your memory temporarily. However there are very few potions that can give you a permanent boost. Take, for example, healing potions, they just combine with your innate magic to return your body to its natural state."
"Can't we get some of the permanent boost potions? They sound great."
"From my readings they are either exceedingly rare, expensive or have rather nasty side effects such as increased aging, impotency, rotting flesh."
"Ewww.. What about.."
"Later, Ron. We can chat about potions afterwards. Now let's get back to it. Everyone form three teams. This time we'll work on dodging attacks from multiple locations for a bit then I'll teach you a shield for physical attacks." Harry pointed at the basket of golf balls he had brought down and grinned evilly. The others shuddered.
The rest of the class proceeded without incident and by the end of the afternoon everyone had the Jinx shield working well and Harry had added tripping and slipping jinxes to the end race, which Seamus won. Next week he planned on adding some obstacles.