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Weapon (Possession Chapter LXXV)
Chapter XXIV - DADA OWL
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Harry blinked as he entered the Great Hall for his practical DADA OWL. There was someone watching... He shook his head... Of course there was someone watching, he told himself irritably. The examiners, one or two of the staff, Blaise and Millicent... they were all watching him...
-And the vampire up on the third beam to your left.-
He didn't even look, he just pointed as he turned to the Head Examiner, "Is he meant to be there?"
The wizards looked up to see a flicker of movement as the vampire dodged, flinching back, further into shadow. The quicker of eye tracked the movement and several raised wands, an assortment of charms half voiced.
There was a chuckle as the vampire realised he'd been caught and with a graceful movement he dropped from the beams, landing neatly near the centre of the Great Hall. "Would it be better if I watched with the other Professors?"
"It would be better if you didn't watch at all," Marchbanks snapped.
"My master ordered me to watch, so I've got no real choice."
-Which one is it?-
-Ikhan. One of Xeoaph's older children.-
"It's all right," Harry spoke up again, smiling at Marchbanks. "I don't mind him watching, I just wondered if he should be. And the Order has a deal with his master, so it's okay if it's not against any of the rules, or something like that," he added.
"Are you sure?"
"If it's okay with Blaise and Millicent, then it's fine by me," Harry shrugged.
Marchbanks turned towards the two Slytherins with as grandmotherly pose as she could manage. They nodded. Neither of them wanted to get into trouble and neither of them had even sensed the vampire.
"Thank you, Mr Potter," Ikhan said smoothly, moving to stand with the watching Professors, but leaving a small distance between himself and them.
"Don't thank me just yet, Ikhan," Harry said, his tone cool. "This is the DADA practical and you are after all one of the things we learn to defend against."
"Is that a threat?"
"Just a warning... But one more thing, tell your master, I don't like things that hide in shadows."
"Very well, Sha..." Ikhan paused at the pulse of warning he felt from Xeoaph. -Master?-
-Not yet, my childe... Potter is not yet the Shadow Lord.-
-I understand.-
-Be careful.-
-Humph... He can't hurt me.-
-Shield anyway, because if he hurts or kills you, I will not be able to object.-
-He's just a child.-
-Who will, and is beginning to, wield one of the most dangerous gifts known to wizards. Even my creator will respect him at full power.-
Ikhan gulped, nodding mentally in sudden humility. -I will be careful, Master.-
"Have you told him?" Harry interrupted their conversation before he turned back towards the examiner, disinterested in the answer.
In a darkened room in Hogwarts, Xeoaph blinked as his link to Ikhan was cut. "You'll be dead," he whispered to himself, knowing somehow that the fledgling Shadow Lord would find a way to kill Ikhan. It might only be a few rebel Shadows who served the Dark Lord but it appeared they all shared the hatred of vampires and had transferred that hatred to their true master. It was a pity that they would not acknowledge the vampires as the true Masters of Dark, they could have done so much together and it would be a shame to have to crush Potter utterly when the time came but the power of dark did not rest with a mortal.
Harry looked over to Tofty and smiled reassuringly. After all it wasn't the examiners fault the vampire was there and it didn't really affect anything.
Professor Tofty, who had examined him on his Herbology Practical smiled back at him, albeit a bit wanly before he drew himself up, and with a determined shrug motioned that Harry should go over to the table.
"We'll start this off with the usual charms, Harry, and then," he cast a significant glance at Blaise and Millicent, "once the other's leave we'll move on to the more advanced things."
Both Slytherins had worked out that Harry was being tested more extensively than them. They would have had to have been complete imbeciles not to have noticed that his practicals, even though this was only their third one, were taking longer, and that during the written phase he was writing much more than them. Neither of them had said a word. He didn't expect them to say a word, but he was slightly curious to know if they really thought anything odd with the situation, or had just written it off as something that was happening simply because he was Harry Potter.
"That sounds good, Professor," Harry said. "What should we do first?"
Tofty smiled, that vague wishy-washy smile one got from old people but there was nothing vague about the ancient wizard. "Mr Potter, if you would please demonstrate the charms that work on a Doxy."
Harry smiled. He recognised a trick question when he heard it. "There are many charms which will work on a Doxy," he said, "and if you get bitten you should take the antidote but is there any particular charm you would like to see?"
"No but it is occasionally fun to see what charms some students try. I should have known that you would have been aware already. On to something that isn't a trick. There are very few charms that work on Graphorns, please demonstrate two."
"None of the charms work very well against them," Harry sighed. "But an impediment jinx with enough power behind it will have some effect, similar to how multiple stunning charms on a dragon will take effect."
"Very good," Tofty said. "Please demonstrate on this tea pot." With a flick of his wand he cast the Locomotion charm on the tea pot and it began to run around the table quickly.
Harry giggled before raising his hand. Despite everything, he still wasn't happy with using Voldemort's yew wand... At least that's what he was telling everyone. "Impedima," he said clearly, pointing towards the happily running tea pot.
Its little legs froze as the small pulse of power hit it. It trembled on stiff legs before they gave way and it literally plonked back on to the table, its lid making a little tinkle as it fell.
"Wonderful!" the examiner said as his charm was cancelled. He was used to Harry not using a wand now but it had been a surprise during the first exam. "How about the second charm?"
"Cataract curse," Harry said easily. "The only problem is aiming," he added.
"That shouldn't be a problem this time," Tofty said as a rabbit appeared on the table next to the tea pot.
Harry smiled at the memories as he gathered his power again. This was the very charm Sirius had been about to suggest to him to fight the dragon with in his fourth year. It was amusing that he would be tested on it now. Of course his Godfather had never been able to suggest it, but it was still a good memory.
The charm hit the rabbit neatly and very quickly its red eyes clouded to a milky white. It was perhaps a misnomer to call the curse a cataract curse when essentially it caused blindness through the milky white film not cataracts but it was effective either way.
"Good," Tofty said as he dismissed the charm and the rabbit and tea pot disappeared, no doubt thanks to the efforts of the House Elves.
A chest appeared in front of them. It rattled slightly.
"A boggart?" Harry questioned.
"Exactly."
Harry grinned. The conversations with his Godfather were a good memory, but they wouldn't serve now.
Oh shit, Harry thought with unfamiliar vehemence remembering something that should have been obvious. The boggart would turn into what he feared and right now his biggest fear was being found out. He wasn't sure how the boggart would transform to show that but he wasn't eager to find out.
"Confundus" he whispered under his breath, pointing towards the chest. All he had to do was confuse it, and that was easy if you knew how. After all, Barty Crouch had done it to the Goblet of Fire which technically speaking was a magical being, so why couldn't he do it to the boggart?
At least, he hoped he could. At least let it turn into something believable, Harry sighed desperately as Tofty flicked open the lid and stepped back to stand behind the box so that the boggart would only see Harry. He could decide what to do to make it funny once he saw it.
There was a pulse of darkness as the lid rose. Harry's eyes narrowed as he looked at the emerging energy.
There was one thing he feared more than being found out he realised belatedly... and it was a fear so strong his Confundus charm would not be enough.
Harry gulped. Icy tendrils wrapped themselves around his heart as the boggart began to take shape. It wavered for a moment, lurking in the darkness as it seemed confused but then there was no hesitation as it finally took the shape of a man.
"No," he whispered taking a step back. Around the Great Hall, Harry was only vaguely aware of all eyes turning towards him to see his fear.
Emerald eyes looked at him sparkling happily, black hair was as messily alluring as always and cherry lips were curved in a smile that mirrored the eyes happiness. Black robes fell around the man not obscuring but only enhancing his lithe beauty.
"I killed her."
-I killed him.-
A pale hand reached out, palm upward and smeared with a tacky redness, and Harry could see in the other hand the knife that had split the blood with terrible clarity. A snake pattern was etched into the blade although it was partially obscured by blood and rubies and emeralds adorned the hilt.
He knew that dagger.
"See? Isn't her blood beautiful?"
-See? Isn't his blood beautiful?-
For a moment all Harry could see was red, the red of blood, freshly split and his pupils contracted, becoming mere dots in a sea of green.
"No," he repeated, although this time not in fear. "It's not beautiful," he growled, as he raised his hand, forcing his mind away from the fear and rage that was consuming him, forcing himself to think of an appropriate picture.
"This is beautiful," he said as his mind locked on to the image. "Rediculous," he said, releasing his energy at the boggart that had taken his form.
It was silly but there was only a limited number of things he could do without revealing everything. He imagined the black robes to be yellow, with daisy's on them in bright orange, purple and blue. The blood on the boggart's hands turned into petals which fluttered to the ground and the dagger transfigured itself into a single blue long stemmed rose.
"The flower is beautiful but the rest of you is ridiculous. Good bye," Harry said firmly, glaring as the boggart's image wavered. He didn't laugh but the complete lack of fear was enough to confuse the being.
It looked confused before it squealed in a pitch that was so low it was almost a keen before the boggart became riddled with cracks that shattered giving only the briefest glimpse of a shadow that might have been the boggart's true form but could have been nothing more than the after image of fear.
Tofty clapped. "Very good, very good!" He exclaimed happily, pushing the chest closed. He sympathetically patted Harry on the shoulder when he saw that his examinee was still pale. "It won't happen," he said soothingly. "If you fear it that much, it will not happen."
Harry gulped, trying to settle his nerves as he reminded himself that Tofty had not heard all that he had and nothing was considered out of place. He was scared of that though. "Thank you," he said, standing up straighter and casting his eyes around the hall to see the reactions of the others.
Blaise and Millicent had already turned back towards their own examiners and from the looks of things they were almost finished. A few of the other examiners where looking at him curiously, no doubt trying to work out who she was that he would fear so much, while the others were looking away. Well, no doubt they'd find out soon enough who she was since he doubted that such a secret would be able to be kept forever. Not when he had appearances to maintain.
The vampire looked... bored. He looked bored but he wasn't. There were sharp lines of interest around his eyes directly clashing with the lazy pout on his lips. Everything would be reported back to his Master before the day was out.
"Just ignore them and we will continue," Tofty said softly.
Harry nodded, watching from the corner of his eye as the two Slytherin students bowed towards their examiners and left the Hall.
"Given the current situation," Tofty was saying, "I don't think it unreasonable for me to test you on the standard anti Vampire charms. While we don't have one on hand for you to demonstrate on, unless our watcher would like to participate...?"
Ikhan shook his head. "Sorry, not even for the sake of learning."
"Ah," Tofty said smiling. "In that case Harry, just demonstrate there," he pointed. "There are some physical manifestations that can be graded. Is that enough out of range for you?" the Professor asked, looking back towards their vampire watcher.
Ikhan rolled his eyes, "Yes." He hissed shortly.
"Good. Are you ready, Mr Potter?"
Harry nodded, only half listening.
-Be careful, Master,- the shadows warned.
-Why?-
-These are charms of the light, and that is your power. Not even Dumbledore will be able to rival you with these charms.-
-I'll try.- Harry reassured them but he wasn't confident of his ability to fully limit the light. As they had said, it was his power, it over flowed from him, it was him and that wasn't something that could be controlled.
"Solaris," Harry said softly, using as little power as possible.
The light pooled in his hand, like a small lumos charm, only much brighter. It was pure white and shone like a star as the light poured out from between his fingers.
"Wonderful," Tofty cried but then swung around at the muffled gasp of pain.
Ikhan hissed, shielding his eyes from the light. The little globe hurt, it hurt more than the real sun and with another hiss of frustration he ducked behind one of the pillars in the Hall, and watched from the safety of the shadow as beams of light streamed past.
-Weakling,- there was a whisper in his mind and the vampire looked up to see the darkness skittered but he couldn't help but notice that the shadows were also avoiding the still streaming light.
"Humph!" he snorted, deliberately stepping back as the light began to fade. It still stung, still burned his eyes but he was not going to be out done. Vampires were masters of the dark. He might not be a full master, like his sire, Xeoaph or his sire but he would not be out done by a shadow.
He suppressed a hiss at the hint of green laughing at him, as the other two students bowed towards their instructors and left. He was not going to be chased away by the shadow master.
"I think that's just about it, unless..." Tofty smiled looking up at Harry. "There are many charms to deal with many of the dark creatures, however there is one charm that works without fail against any dark creature."
"The Patronus," Harry supplied, already knowing what Professor Tofty was going to ask.
"Yes, and I heard from my dear friend Tiberus Ogden that you could... So now, not that you need it, for a bonus mark..?"
Harry grinned, winnowing through his mind for an appropriately happy thought. The shadows hissed and Harry didn't even see them dodge everywhere in an effort to remain in shadow. "Expecto Patronum!" he called, raising his hand as he remembered warm arms sliding around him and there was a presence in his mind and body that spoke of nothing but love and acceptance. There was a responding tingle in his groin that he ignored as light exploded around him.
The familiar form of the stag shot forth, some how more defined than it had ever been. Every muscle was visible, rippling just below the hide of light and you could almost hear the tap of hoof on stone. Antlers bristled and seemed impossibly huge and draped around the animals neck, rising and falling gracefully as the stag galloped around the Great Hall was a threaded necklace of lilies.
"Bravo!" Professor Tofty clapped happily, turning his eyes back to Harry. "Bra..." the cheer faded in his throat as he looked at the Boy-Who-Lived.
Most wizards when they performed the Patronus were only capable of summoning a vague hazy light. Others could summon something that resembled their Patronus' true form but only about one in ten wizards, unless under great stress, when that number rose a little, could summon a fully defined Patronus but it hadn't been since the days of the charm's creation that Tofty had heard of anyone capable of summoning the aurora sactishieldus - the Sacred Shield of Light.
But that was the only explanation for what he was seeing.
Harry was surrounded by a shining white nimbus. It almost looked like he was burning as it rippled around him in waves, wisps curling upwards in a continuous motion and as he watched he saw the wisps gather together to arch high over Harry's head before they swept back down to the floor. The whole thing was moving, like ribbons being woven together to form some protective barrier. Against the light, Harry's black hair seemed all the more darker, while his robes almost seemed bleached of colour.
Harry didn't notice any of this though, his eyes were closed and there was the softest smile on his lips indicating that whatever memory he was lost within was gentle and happy beyond words.
The knowledge comforted Tofty and he was about to reach out to rouse Harry when a scream caused him to turn back towards the Great Hall.
The stag had found the vampire and with more strength than any Patronus should have was herding the dark being into a corner. It was using sweeps of its great antlers and lightning fast kicks from small hooves as it moved and Tofty and the other watchers couldn't do anything more than stare transfixed at events.
Eventually Ikhan could not retreat any further and for a moment the stag stilled, head raised magnificently before it lowered glowing antlers, pawed the ground and charged.
"No!" Ikhan cried, gathering his power but by then it was too late and the sharp points of the stag's antlers had pierced his vampiric body. Smoke rose from the wounds and Ikhan writhed, screaming as his flesh burnt. The stag was indifferent and Harry was beyond hearing as the vampire reached out, imploringly to him. "Please, Master!"
The desperate plea did nothing and the stag raised its head, the vampire still impaled upon its horns before it turned back and began trotting towards its creator, tossing the still screaming vampire like it was some obscene game. On the wall where Ikhan had been impaled there were now black scratches almost as if the marks had been burnt there but the insubstantial antlers of the patronus.
Halfway back to Harry Ikhan stopped screaming and in true vampiric style his body disintegrated between one toss and the next. The stag danced sideways rather fastidiously avoiding the falling ash before it dismissed the remains with a jaunty flick of its tail and resumed trotting back towards its master who was still oblivious to the world.
It was a slightly worrying sight, having just seen what the stag was capable of, when it carefully lowered its head, tilting its antlers away from its master and bumped its head into Harry's chest.
Emerald eyes flickered open at the contact and almost instinctually he reached out to touch his protective animal. It shuddered under the touch, contact only made possible because Harry was still surrounded by light. The stag seemed content as Harry stroked its nose. After a moment though it drew back raising its head to allow brilliant white eyes to meet with emerald before it vanished.
As the light faded from around Harry there was an almost audible break in tension from the examiners and watchers as Harry returned to normal.
Tofty took a deep breath before turning back to Harry, meeting his eyes but quickly turning away, the blush of a much younger man staining his cheeks as he recognised the cause of the cloudiness in sparkling green eyes.
A happy memory indeed. He would have to warn the young man about such power but for now they had an OWL to complete.
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Impedima - Stops motion
Solaris - summons light that is like the sun. Not good for nocturnal creatures with a severe allergy to sunlight.
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