"Hello, all." Harry greeted the members of his little secret society via projection on one of the phones he'd given to Ron and Hermione, which was set in the centre of a semi-circular desk in front of most of the group.
Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Neville and Luna were seated around the desk, facing the rest of the group.
"Those of you who couldn't or wouldn't come to the meet up in Muggle London over the Christmas holiday really missed out on a lot. Not only did we enjoy ourselves rather much, but I got to show off a bit with the magic that I've been learning over here..." Harry said.
Some of those in the crowd who didn't go looked rather sceptical about it, others looked sorry that they hadn't gone and others had neutral expressions.
"Since I'm not there, I can't really demonstrate the spells for you- at least, not effectively. I can show you what they look like a bit, but to actually help you..." Harry shook his head. "Perhaps if there's an opportunity to come visit the school while it's actually in session..."
Many of them perked up at these words.
"Anyway, I'm sure you all have a lot of questions you'd like to ask of me about my time here in Magix. Keep in mind that I do reserve the right to refuse to answer some of them."
Tracey Davis raised a hand and Hermione (who had taken the role of official unofficial moderator) acknowledged it, allowing the Slytherin girl to ask the first question.
"Aren't you the slightest bit concerned that You-Know-Who will find out that you're still in active contact with your friends here? I mean, for all we know, he might think you just randomly show up. Like with the attacks on Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade... He might think you have some sort of odd 'Potter-sense' or something..." Some of the others burst out snickering at that. "...when it comes to him attacking, not that you have an active way of communicating..."
"Which is why I never announce when I'm coming. I visit randomly when I can get away from school and as our holiday dates don't match up, he can't exactly pinpoint an exact time that I'll be there."
Hestia Carrow raised her hand next. "Wasn't it a big risk then, calling for a big meet-up in the Muggle world then? Suppose the word had gotten out to him that you were there? He could have attacked you out there and exposed our entire world just like that!" she exclaimed.
"It was a chance we took and it paid off. Let's not worry about that." Harry shrugged. "If we meet up outside of school in the future, we can always be more cautious. Have any of you told anyone outside of the group about that meeting though?" Harry queried.
A loud chorus of NO! passed through the room.
"Good. The more we keep this under wraps, the better. I am safe here in Magix, but you're not there. Anyone is a target for Voldemort these days though I'm guessing you'll draw his attention even more if you were part of a resistance group..." Harry reminded them.
They all shared looks at this.
"What's with the looks? Surely you must have considered the consequences of being a part of this group! Did you all think it would just be a fun, secret society, like some people who were a part of it in my Fifth Year did?" Harry raised an eyebrow.
"Anyway," Hermione cut across her best friend. "let's move on. Questions about Magix. Questions about the spells there. Things Harry can tell us about this different magic that the media here can't..." she looked slightly irritated as she spoke (likely because of the discussion going somewhere off course) and Harry noticed this, but felt entirely unapologetic. Things had to be set straight. This wasn't a game...
"What if I wanted to travel someday to Magix?" Padma asked. "The inter-dimensional travel that you've become capable of since leaving Hogwarts... That's not exactly widespread knowledge amongst our kind yet..."
"She's right!" Parvati spoke up. "Magix looks like an interesting place that I'd love to visit someday, but we have no actual way of getting there!"
"You know," Luna spoke up, for the first time since the meeting started. "I would like to visit Magix someday. Tir Nan Og as well. The things that we could see, do, learn..."
Nearly everyone present made noises of agreement.
"I think that Queen Nebula wants to make that sort of travel... inter-dimensional travel, that is... more widespread among our kind here on Earth one day.. The anti non-magical barrier around Magix wouldn't keep you out. It certainly didn't keep me out..." Harry shrugged. "It's not a priority right now though. Her people are still recovering from what the Wizards of the Black Circle did to them and we all know that they're also having a small issue with a certain wizard who fancies himself Dark Lord attacking one of them at the moment..."
"Small issue he says," Ron snorted. "If that's a small issue, then what's a big one for them?"
"So basically, they're restricting travel to Magix through them until they've got their issues sorted out?" Susan asked.
Harry nodded. "You're exactly right, Susan. I can't blame them. I got lucky when I ended up in Magix. Tir Nan Og is letting very few people from Earth go through them right now. It's not just Britain, but even the United States, where Roxy was born..."
Neville whistled. "They're really bloody serious about their security..."
"They are," Harry nodded. "All the protective charms and spells they can think of are on that island. If they don't want you there, you're never going to even find it, far less get in..."
"Wish I could know a few of those to put up around my home..." Ernie murmured.
There were many other questions asked, answers given and even more discussion about the various kinds of spells of both Magix and Earth before the conversation managed to veer off topic once again- despite Hermione's best efforts not to let it get that way.
"What else would you all like to know?" Harry asked.
"What's school like for you there? What's life like there?" Lavender asked.
Hermione sighed, having given up her moderation efforts and Ron rubbed her back soothingly as Ginny giggled at the bookworm's beleaguered expression. Neville looked somewhat sympathetically at her and Luna's expression was impassive.
"Red Fountain... I really bloody like it here. The classes are interesting and my performance in Potions has certainly gotten better since I got away from the clutches of a certain greasy bat..." Harry chuckled to himself. "No offence, Slytherins..."
Many of the Slytherins had also been chuckling along with the others at Harry's description of Snape.
"No offence taken, Potter." Daphne spoke after composing herself. "Even as a capable Potions master, he is still lacking in the hygiene department."
"He's also lacking in the teaching skills department, but that's an argument for another day..." Ron rolled his eyes.
The Slytherins present that actually liked Snape all by an unspoken agreement, decided to let that one slide.
"There are a lot of different classes here. Some are in common with what it's like over there. There is a Care of Magical Creatures equivalent, there's Potions, History... among others..." Harry counted them off on his fingers. We all sleep in dorms here, just as you do there. They're also rather nice dorms for a military academy... We also wear uniforms here as well, although the other two nearby magic schools don't."
He proceeded to tell them a bit more about the school, then he spoke of what he knew about Alfea and Cloud Tower.
"I wish I could attend one of those schools..." Astoria said dreamily.
"Me too..." another girl (also in Slytherin colours) agreed.
"There's nothing to indicate that with our type of magic you could make the change so I don't think it's possible. Sorry." Harry shrugged.
They (and other girls) looked rather disappointed.
"Males may be able to attend Red Fountain though. Even what we call Squibs are in attendance at the school and do just as well as those of us here with active magical ability. They do even better than us in some cases. My friend Lucas for instance. He's bloody brilliant..." Harry said.
Some of the wizards in the meeting (particularly the Muggle Borns, Harry noticed) seemed to get particularly interested at this.
Hmm... Just something to file away for future thought...
They continued asking him about Magix in general until Luna brought up something else.
"Harry, why don't you tell them about the heroics you've been getting up to over there? They'd love to know about it, I'm sure..." the blonde witch suggested.
"No, Luna." Harry insisted. "They don't need to know about all of that..."
"I'd like to know all about it..." Seamus grinned mischievously up at Harry's projection. "Especially as Harry doesn't seem to want us to know..."
Ginny's expression was similar to Seamus' as she spoke. "Oh, why not Harry? Why can't we know of our precious saviour's heroics? It just proves that our Chosen One is capable of the job that Fate decided to give him..." the red-haired girl grinned.
If Harry had been seated in a chair, he'd have sunk down into it.
Neville, Ron and even Luna chuckled at the turn of the events.
Traitors.
"That was months ago!" Harry objected.
Sometimes, he well and truly wondered why he was even friends with any of them.
Honestly.
Ungrateful lot they were...
"Ooh! What's this?" Lavender and Parvati seemed to get especially interested.
He was doomed.
Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil, the Gossip Queens of Gryffindor House had gotten wind of some potential new gossip. If they knew, everyone outside Gryffindor would know for sure...
"In October, he was on a school trip and together with his little squad, he helped to rescue a thirteen year old girl and her nine year old brother from a group of four very armed kidnappers." Hermione shot a glance at him.
Good grief, he was truly doomed...
"Without the use of magic, might we add..." Neville piped up. "Since it was an area that active spell casting doesn't work in..."
Well, at least they weren't going to rat out him using wandless magic to do it. He really would prefer to keep that newfound ability a secret around these parts for now... As long as he could...
Oh, no.
No, no, no...
The looks of awe that some of them were throwing him... Even some of the Slytherins... The bloody Slytherins...
If even they were interested-
"Is that so?" Nott spoke for the first time since the meeting had started, raising an eyebrow. "Do tell us more about this, Potter... I like to know that the person I'm allying myself with in a dangerous situation really is capable of being more than just a not-so-pretty face..."
Doomed.
"Come on, Harry. Stop being so bloody modest..." Ron glanced at him. "You gave a bloody press conference over there and everything! With all those cameras and microphone thingies in your face, you remained calm! Why not here with just a bunch of teenagers?"
"In many ways, teenagers are much, much worse..." Harry muttered darkly.
Ron pulled his cell phone out of his pocket.
"There's a video and everything on this of that press conference!" his red-haired former friend waved the device around.
At the puzzled looks from some of them, Hermione explained what the device (and videos) were.
Harry really wished that he could jump out of this phone right now and snatch that phone out of Ron's hands.
He looked entirely too smug about it all.
"I don't see what's so bad about them really knowing what a hero you are, Harry." Luna said. "It won't make much of a difference in the grand scheme of things, would it?"
Harry sighed.
"Fine," he relented. "Tell them all. Tell the entire bloody castle about this story, for all I care. You could cover it up by saying that someone in this group heard you, Ron, Hermione, Neville and Ginny talking about it somewhere. I don't care."
"Well then, since you don't care..." Ron tapped the screen of his phone a few times, pulled up the video and started playing it in projection form, setting it beside the phone displaying Harry's projection.
Honestly, the things he put up with sometimes...