- Come on, just a bit more Mirus!
Sweaty and breathless, Harry turned to Luna who was bouncing up and down encouragingly. These few seconds of inattention were enough for the dummy to succeed in hitting him with a cutting spell. Immediately, he picked himself up and cast several spells at an impressive speed.
The Room of Requirement had been used at least three times a week for the boy's training for almost four months. And Harry had been busy. He had started, the first month, by mastering most of the spells present in the defense book recommended by Marvolo and was now working to improve his speed and accuracy. He could now cast several nonverbal spells and a few simple spells without using his wand. It was still rudimentary and only first-year spells worked at the moment, but he didn't give up hope of improving.
And during these practices, he knew he could count on Luna and her enthusiasm. She accompanied him every time and did not fail to motivate him when he was about to give up.
A real friendship had been woven between the two young people, to the greatest astonishment of the brunette who had sworn to himself not to become attached to anyone. What was at first an alliance he deemed beneficial changed on Halloween night when he found Luna being attacked by several Ravenclaw girls in a hallway.
oOo_Flashback_oOo
- So Loony, are you alone today?
- Oh, hello. The weather is nice today but be careful, the storm is not far away.
- What is she saying, it's dark? I don't understand what she's doing in our house, she's just crazy.
The three girls approached Luna until her back was against the wall.
- I like your socks, Loony. Makes you wonder where you put your shoes, huh?
- Oh, it was the nargles who took them from me, but I'm going to find them eventually.
- The… What?
- Ahem.
Hearing someone clear their throat behind them, the three girls turned around.
- Cho Chang, Marietta Edgecombe and Lisa Turpin. I should have known.
-Harry! How are you, Cho simpered, batting her eyelashes.
- Forget it Chang. Even if you were the last girl on Earth, you would still be so uninteresting.
- What ? No… But… How dare you?
- I dare because you don't matter. Luna, sweetie, are these girls bothering you?
-Hello Harry. You know, I think they do.
- Well the shrews, you leave Luna alone. She's so much better than you three put together. Wondering why she's in Ravenclaw despite her being first in her year? You really don't have much in your brains, huh. Luna is quirky, she doesn't care about boys or makeup and doesn't care about other people's judgment so she's stupid? Poor idiots that you are. You wouldn't recognize intelligence if it was dancing naked in front of you.
Harry continued to insult them for several minutes before Professor Snape arrived to make his rounds before curfew.
- What is happening here?
- Oh, Professor! Harry and Luna have been insulting us for a while, Cho whimpered.
Lisa, who had felt the wind turn, slowly moved away from her comrades.
- Is that right? Mr. Potter, what do you have to say in your defense?
- Well, professor, I would say that if they didn't have jelly instead of brains, they would have understood in less than five minutes that bullying doesn't lead to anything good. And I wouldn't waste my time explaining it to them.
- Bullying? Explanations. Now.
- These ladies thought it would be smart to be three against Luna here. Looks like the Sorting Hat make mistakes sometimes.
- Miss Lovegood, are these young girls harassing you?
- I don't know, professor. They weren't very nice, they call me Loony and they make fun of my missing shoes... Harry is nice. He came to help me.
The teacher looked at the five students in front of him. He still couldn't stand the Potter offspring on principle but he couldn't deny that he hadn't caused any problems since arriving at Hogwarts. Young Lovegood was an original like her father but wouldn't hurt a fly. She was brilliant in class even when she seemed completely inattentive.
Chang, Edgecombe and Turpin on the other hand totally fit the cliché of teenage girls picking on those that don't conform to what they think is the norm.
- I see. Ladies, we'll see each other tomorrow at seven o'clock for your detention. I would deduct a lot of points too but it would be unfair to your victim and her knight in shining armor, he added with a sneer. Hurry back to your common room, it's almost curfew.
They learned the next day that a group of Gryffindors had found Mrs Norris petrified in a hallway next to a message announcing the return of "the heir of Slytherin".
Since that day, Harry and Luna systematically left the Great Hall together in the evenings and met up whenever their schedule permitted it.
oOo_oOo
- Well done Mirus, you are going faster and faster.
- Thank you Luna. Well, it's going to be curfew. Let's stop training for today.
Luna approached him once the dummy came to a complete still, signaling the end of the session. She waved her wand over the wounds on her friend's body, casting healing spells. She had been studying these spells intensely when Harry explained his plan to her and the girl seemed to have a particular affinity for them.
The two young people quickly left the room, the door of which disappeared as soon as it was closed. Luna was humming quietly, Harry being too tired to carry on a conversation.
It was then that two pairs of arms came out from behind a tapestry and led them into the corridor that it hid. The surprise prevented Harry from immediately defending himself and he mentally berated himself for his reckless attitude.
- Shhhh, it's nothing little ones...
- … we mean you no harm.
These words whispered by their kidnappers seemed to be enough for the young girl who displayed a big smile.
- Fred and George Weasley. You could also have talked to us normally, no need to surprise us like that, Harry growled.
- But where would be the fun...
- ... if we did this?
The young Ravenclaw shook his head in disbelief. The Weasley twins were renowned for their pranks and light-hearted attitude. He quickly noticed that the twin who had grabbed Luna was holding an old parchment in his hand.
- Say, Ravens, where do you disappear to?
- You get lost all the time in this hallway.
- How do you lose us?
The two redheads looked at each other, sharing a silent conversation. The twin holding the map finally nodded and explained the principle of the Marauders Map to the two younger ones.
- Impressive invention. No wonder on their part, however.
- On their part? Who are you talking about, young Potter?
- Marauders. Padfoot is Sirius Black, Moony is Remus Lupin, Wormtail is Peter Pettigrew, and Prongs is none other than my father, James Potter. I found one of their joke books in my vault.
The gaze the two brothers had on Harry was intense.
- You mean, little Raven, that you are…
- … the son of a Marauder. They are our...
- … heroes since we found the Map.
- And the godson of another. Sirius Black is my godfather. Going back to why you kidnapped us, I will give you this information in exchange for the Map.
- Oh 'Ry, are you sure we can tell them?
- Yes Luna. As much as I dislike Ronald and distrust Ginerva, I have a good feeling for those two. As far as where we're going, anyway.
Uncertain, Fred and George watched the two Ravenclaw students. Was knowing how they disappeared from the map there worth giving up their precious Map? On the other hand, Harry Potter was the heir to two of the four Marauders, so it should logically be his.
- Okay, Map versus Information, sighed the twin holding the map.
He handed the artifact to the young boy who then explained to him what the Room of Requirement was and how to enter it. The brothers were impressed but decided to visit the Room another day. Curfew was approaching and, without the map, they preferred to return quickly to their Tower.
Part of the journey was common to get to the two Common Rooms, so they decided to walk together. Since little Creevey had been found petrified the day after the first Quidditch match, the teachers preferred that the students moved in groups.
It was just before parting that they came across an astonishing sight. A student was lying motionless on the ground, and a ghost was floating beside him. The ghost, Nearly Headless Nick, had lost its white color and turned grayish.
Harry leaned over the boy and recognized him as Justin Finch-Fletchley, a Hufflepuff student in his year.
Fred decided to stay with Harry near the two petrified beings while George and Luna went in search of an adult. They returned quickly, accompanied by Professor Snape who observed the scene with a neutral face.
- Potter, Weasleys and Lovegood, can one of you explain to me what has happened here?
- We were on our way to our common rooms when we found Justin and Nick. We didn't touch anything.
The teacher leaned over his pupil and sighed lightly when he concluded that the child was only petrified. His dark gaze fell on the ghost. He seemed more worried about his condition than that of the little Hufflepuff.
He cast a spell that conjured up a silver doe which he sent to fetch the Geadmaster and the nurse. When they arrived, the Potions professor insisted on escorting the students back to their dorms, surprising the twins who weren't expecting the grumpy professor to take care of them. Dumbledore looked disappointed as he watched Harry leave with the group, as if he would have preferred to be the one accompanying them back. No one paid attention to the glint in his eyes now that he had an excuse to talk privately with the boy.
Once safe in his bed, Harry cast silencing charms on his curtains.
- Mirus.
Within seconds, he received an answer to his call.
- Oh, Mirus. It had been a long time since we had spoken to each other.
- Not for lack of trying. You haven't answered since I called you last time.
- True, true. But the information you gave me troubled me and I had to investigate. It seems that Lucius has committed an act that I disapprove of.
- How so?
- You informed me that the 'Heir of Slytherin' was rampant at Hogwarts and petrified a cat and a student.
- Yes, and my stupid brother brags about it… Moron… To say Slytherin is supposed to be the house of cunning…
- He does show a certain degree of immaturity. However, it is impossible that the heir of Slytherin is currently at Hogwarts since I am the last heir.
- A hidden child?
- Unlikely, I've always been careful. So I investigated, as I told you and it turns out that your stupid father gave one of my most precious artifacts to young Weasley. He thought it was a dark artifact that would cause problems to her father.
- Ouch. Not sure I want to be part of this family with a father and a brother like them...
- Don't judge them too quickly, young Mirus. Lucius' action does not reflect his whole character and I can tell you that he bitterly regrets his mistake. But it is absolutely necessary that I recover this object.
- Ok, what is it exactly? Maybe I can get it back.
- This is a diary. More specifically, from a diary that belonged to me when I myself was a student at Hogwarts.
- Oooooh. How cute.
- Don't cross the line, Mirus. I have a very high tolerance towards you but do not push me to the limit.
- Sorry, sorry. Just surprised the big bad Dark Lord could have had something as normal as a diary during his teenage years. So I need to get a diary from Ginerva Weasley. Hmm… It would be easier if we were in the same house.
- It seems to me that the little girl feels a certain attraction towards you.
- True… But if I could avoid getting closer to her… Although it might be worth it…
- I see that gives you something to think about. I trust you to get my diary back. But, above all, do not write in it. That would have…unpleasant concequences.
- Find the diary but not write in it. Got it.
- Good night Mirus, I hope to hear from you soon.
- Good night Marvolo. Surim.