Harry grinned at his housemates and nodded his greetings to the people he knew from other houses as he made his way to the Great Hall for breakfast. His ears caught snippets of whispered conversation about why Haiden Potter hadn't been at the feast and why Severus left with Professor McGonagall only to reappear with Professor Dumbledore later. Harry shook his head at some of the stories that people were able to come up with in under a day.
"Good Morning." Luna Lovegood, a first year Ravenclaw, said airily as Harry sat down across from her. The young girl had shoulder length platinum-blonde hair and ice blue eyes. The second Harry had first laid his eyes on the young girl during the sorting ceremony, he panicked believing that he was in one of his dreams again.
"Morning." Harry said shyly to anyone who could hear him as he reached out for the toast in front of him. As he nibbled on his toast he watched the people around him, mainly Luna. She was reading a newspaper, The Quibbler, upside down. Harry wanted to ask her what The Quibbler was, where she had gotten it, if he could get it too, and why she was reading it upside down. However, he was too scared to really talk to her. This girl had been in a couple of his dreams last year, dreams that had scared him and kept him from wanting to sleep. And that had to mean something. Harry wanted to know what that something was, while at the same time he was too afraid to find out what it was.
"Mail's gonna be a little loud today." Luna suddenly said, and everyone around her gave the girl a weird look before going back to what they had been doing, which in Harry's case was watching her. A minute later, there was a rushing sound overhead and a hundred or so owls streamed in, circling the hall, and dropped letters and packages into the chattering crowd. Harry was shocked when a package addressed to him was dropped onto his plate. Confused, Harry picked up the package to see that it had been sent by Narcissa, he glanced at the Slytherin table to see Draco had gotten his usual package. He looked back at the package and began to open it with a small smile, when a roar of sound filled the huge hall, shaking dust from the ceiling.
"RONALD WEASLEY! HOW DARE YOU STEAL THAT CAR! I WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN SURPRISED IF THEY'D EXPELLED YOU! YOU WAIT TILL I GET HOLD OF YOU! I DON'T SUPPOSE YOU STOPPED TO THINK WHAT YOUR FATHER AND I WENT THROUGH WHEN WE SAW IT WAS GONE–"
Mrs. Weasley's yells, a hundred times louder than usual, made every plate and spoon rattle on all of the tables, and echoed deafeningly off the stone walls. People throughout the hall were swiveling around to see who had received the Howler. Harry looked over at the Gryffindor table to see Ron sinking low in his chair so that only his crimson forehead could be seen.
"WHEN WE GOT THAT LETTER FROM DUMBLEDORE LAST NIGHT, I THOUGHT YOUR FATHER WOULD DIE OF SHAME! WE DIDN'T BRING YOU UP TO BEHAVE LIKE THIS! YOU AND HAIDEN BOTH COULD HAVE DIED!"
Harry looked at his brother in confusion when his name was brought up. Haiden looked as though he couldn't hear the voice that was making Harry's eardrums throb with how loud it was.
"I AM ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTED – YOUR FATHER IS FACING AN INQUIRY AT WORK, IT'S ENTIRELY YOUR FAULT AND IF YOU PUT ANOTHER TOE OUT OF LINE WE'LL BRING YOU STRAIGHT BACK HOME!"
The howler that was floating in front of Ron in the shape of a mouth turned towards Ginny and said, "Oh, and Ginny dear," Every eye turned to look at the very embarrassed girl who looked like she wanted a hole to appear under her and suck her up, "congratulations on making Gryffindor. You're father and I are so proud." Silence fell over the Great Hall as the howler turned back towards Ron and stuck it's tongue out at him before shredding itself and them burst into flames. Harry felt awkward and embarrassed, as if he was the one who had received the howler, or been mentioned in it, as whispers began to spread like wildfire.
Harry jumped when a hand was placed lightly on his. He looked at the hand's owner to see that it was Luna, and her ice blue eyes felt as if they were trying to look into his soul. Harry didn't know how to feel about that, it was weird. The only people who had ever looked at him like that was Professor Flitwick and Severus. Harry didn't know if he should open himself to Luna like he did with Flitwick and Severus, or to run away and never look back. Without Harry realizing it, his hand under Luna's balled up and his body began to fold in on itself, as if trying to make himself as small as possible.
"It's all right." Luna whispered soothingly to him as she began to gently pat his hand. "You don't have to do anything if you don't want to." Suddenly she grabbed his hand and forced him to flip it over, causing Harry's had to open, and began to gently run a finger over his palm. The sensation of her finger running over the palm of his hand created a strange feeling in his body, but Harry didn't hate it. Harry felt his eyelids start to drop as a wave of peaceful balance washed over him. "There you go." Luna whispered to him, giving him a smile and Harry sent a lazy smile back at her. Harry was so calm and at peace that he didn't even mind when the other Ravenclaws around him and Luna began to whisper about the both of them holding hands. Nor did Harry mind when those whispers and rumors of Harry and Luna liking each other spread over to the Slytherin table and into Draco's ears.
Harry gently grabbed Luna's finger that was petting and used it to gently pull her hand closer to his to be able to thread his fingers through hers. "Have you been to the library yet?" Harry asked her. Luna laughed airily and shook her head. "That's a shame, it is such a wonderfully calming place. Shall I show you it?" Harry asked letting his hand slip from hers to stand up. Without a word, Luna stood up and the two of them walked out of the Great Hall.
~Keep Me In Your Memories~
By the time Harry's second class (Transfiguration with Gryffindor) rolled around, the calmness that Luna had managed to give him had completely worn off. Harry was now feeling scared and unsure of himself once more. It didn't help that he hadn't been able to talk to the Weasley Twins or Draco. And it was that fear and Harry questioning himself that made turning a beetle into a button harder than it should have been. It wasn't that he had forgotten everything he had learned last year, he remembered it perfectly and could even recite every lesson by heart, it was the fact that his magic was refusing to cooperate with him.
Harry laid his cheek on his desk so that him and his beetle could stare at each other. He gently ran a finger along the back of the beetle and sighed. No matter how much he wanted to, Harry couldn't blame the beetle, it wasn't the poor things fault. Nor could he blame his wand like Ron could with his broken and taped up wand. No, for some strange reason, Harry just couldn't get his magic to do as he wanted, and that was scaring him.
Harry glanced up at Professor McGonagall when the woman stopped at his desk while making her rounds. "Is there a problem with your beetle, Mr. Potter?" She asked him. Harry, with his head still laying on the desk, shook his head.
"No, ma'am, I'm just having a little difficulty with my magic right now." He told her and noticed his fellow Ravenclaws around him tensed up and looked over at him in worry and fear, even Professor McGonagall tensed up. The memory of when Harry lost control of his magic last year fresh in their memory.
"Shall I send you to Madam Pomfrey for a checkup?" Professor McGonagall asked, fear and anger shot through Harry as his mind pulled up the conversation he had overheard between Severus and Dumbledore the last time he was in the Hospital Wing. That fear and anger made Harry shoot up in his seat.
"No!" He cried out shocking everyone. "I mean… There's no need. I'm sure I'll be all right." Harry rushed out. "I'm just having trouble calculating how much magic is needed for the spell, I'm positive that I'll be able to figure it out. Just give me a little more time." Professor McGonagall gave him a look that told Harry that she didn't truly believe him.
"I see, if that truly is the problem, then continue." McGonagall all but ordered him and stayed next to him, her piercing eyes never looking away from him. Harry swallowed the lump in his throat, turned his attention to his beetle and tried to pretend that Professor McGonagall wasn't standing over him. Harry pointed his wand at the beetle, recited the incantation, felt his magic start to flow toward the beetle and, seconds before it touched the beetle, it slammed back into him. Harry glanced up at McGonagall, waiting to see if she had noticed everything his magic had done. However, before she could say anything about it, Ron was asking for another beetle because he had accidently squished his again.
Harry let out a small sigh of relief when the bell for lunch rang. He slowly packed his stuff, so that by the time he was done, the only students left in the room were him, Haiden, and Ron who was whacking his wand furiously on the desk. "Stupid – useless – thing–" He was muttering with each whack.
"Write home for another one." Haiden suggested as Ron's wand let off a volley of bangs like a firecracker as Harry began to walk by them.
"Oh, yeah, and get another howler back." Ron snapped at Haiden, glaring at Harry as he passed them, as if he were blaming Harry for his broken wand. And had Harry not been feeling the way he was, he might have glared back. Harry hurried down the hall to get to the Great Hall, hoping to be able to sit with either Fred and George or even Draco. As he got closer to the Great Hall, Harry was shocked when a hand grabbed his and began to pull him away from the Great Hall and outside into the overcast courtyard, passing Draco who had a pain filled look on his face.
It took Harry's frazzled and distracted brain a full minute to finally realize that it was Luna pulling him along by the hand. And, as if hearing his mind register that she was there, Luna glanced over her shoulder at him with a soft, airy smile. Luna led him to a tree where she sat down and pulled Harry down beside her. Without a word, Luna began to run her finger along the palm of his hand once more, this time while humming a soothing song. A peaceful fog covered him, and Harry allowed himself to just float.
Harry didn't know how long he sat there in that fog, but when the fog cleared a little he noticed that another person had joined them. This person was a first year Slytherin girl with shoulder length midnight-black hair and hazel eyes. She was leaning up against Luna, her legs bent to allow one of Lockhart's books to lay on them. Harry remembered from the Sorting Ceremony last night that this girl's name was Myari Rose.
"Finally back with us, then?" Myari asked, never looking up from her book.
"I went somewhere?" Harry asked sluggishly, it felt as if he had just woken up from a deep, restful sleep. Myari chuckled at him while turning a page.
"You could say that." She said, finally glancing at him. "I think that's enough for now Luna, we wouldn't want him to get dependent on that." Harry hadn't even realized that Luna was still running her finger along the palm of his hand until she had stopped. The second Luna's finger stopped, everything around Harry snapped back into focus and seemed to be brighter and more colourful.
"What was that?" Harry asked more alert.
"A special technique created by my clans people; it's usually only taught to people in my clan. This technique is to help balance a person out emotionally, mentally, spiritually, and magically. It is taught in my clan that if a person is out of balance in anyway then bad things can start to happen to them and around them. However, this technique should only be use as an absolute last resort, for it is only a temporary fix." Myari explained placing a bookmark in her book and closing it.
"If it's only used as a last resort, why use it on me?" Harry asked in concern. Was he in danger? Was there a way to fix him? Was there anything to fix?
"Because you, Harry, are so far out of balance that it was becoming life threatening, and not just to you but to everyone around you as well." Luna told him softly. Fear shot through him. Would he lose control of his magic again? Would his magic hurt or kill someone this time? Harry jumped when he was whacked on the head by a book.
"Calm down." Myari ordered with a soft, understanding smile. "I don't know what happened to make you so out of balance, but I couldn't just sit back and watch your aura wreak havoc to you and everything around you." Harry began to panic; would she demand to know why he was out of balance? Harry didn't even know, himself, what was making him out of balance! How could he tell her if he didn't even know?
"And I'm not going to ask, because I understand that somethings can't be explained, because I should have been the one to use that technique on you. However, I am a little out of balance myself right now, and if I had tried to balance you while out of balance myself, it would have made you even worse and could have possibly killed you. So, I had to teach Luna, here, how to do the technique to balance you out." Myari said with a sigh as Luna turned and wrapped an arm around Myari's waist before running her fingers through Myari's hair. Harry smiled at how adorable the two girls were when Myari all but melted into Luna's touch.
"Myari comes from a clan that rarely interacts with people outside of their clan. Though, there are a few exceptions, like me and my father. It is not uncommon for a person in her clan to never even travel outside their village, and those that do leave the village only do so for a few days at most." Luna explained before resting her head on Myari's. "Our Little Shadow here has been away from her clan for just under two weeks."
"I see. How do you like it here?" Harry asked and Myari shrugged her shoulders.
"It's over whelming." Was all she said on the matter. "Anyway, you know my reason, do you want to talk about yours?" Myari asked and Harry froze. Could he tell these girls that he had just met that day everything that was going on in his life, about everything he had overheard last year? Harry hadn't even told Draco or the Weasley Twins about that night in the Hospital Wing. Harry didn't know these girls; he didn't know if they wouldn't go and tell everyone or not. Would they see him in a different light? Would they look at him with pity? Would they laugh and tell him that being a shield for his brother was all that he'll ever amount to?
"'The sword does not depend solely on the shield. Nor does the shield solely depend on the sword. The shield may act alone, or it may act alongside the sword. The shield can defend, or it can attack. The sword will break. The shield will chip but never break.'" Luna sung with an airy laugh, and (even though Harry had no idea what the girl had said) it calmed him. A shadow fell over the trio and Harry tilted his head back to see Draco standing behind him, glaring at Luna. "Oh, hello there." Luna said with a knowing smile as Myari shifted, looking as if she was ready to jump up and attack Draco. Draco sneered at Luna before turning his attention to Harry.
"We've got Double Herbology. Come." Draco said, holding out his hand for Harry to take. Harry took Draco's hand and allowed the boy to gently pull him up and lead him towards Green House 3 for their Double Herbology class. Harry could tell that Draco was in a bad mood, had him and Haiden gotten into another fight?
"What's wrong, Draco? Is everything all right?" Harry asked. Draco's hand tightened around his for a second before relaxing again.
"You were holding her hand." Draco growled out confusing Harry.
"What's wrong with me holding Luna's hand? I hold Fred and George's hands all the time. Why is me holding her hand any different than holding theirs?" Harry asked.
"Fred and George are like older brothers to you. However, that girl," he said the word 'girl' as if it were the most disgusting thing in the world, "wants to take you from me. I know it! Everyone knows it! It's clear as the night sky! And I will not allow that!" Draco told him. Harry saw that the back of Draco's neck and ears turned bright red. It reminded him of every time Ginny had turned red whenever Haiden was around her and knew (thanks to Fred and George) that it was because Ginny had a large crush on Haiden. As he allowed Draco to lead him to class, Harry let his mind shift through every memory he had with Draco, every time the boy turned red around him. Did Draco have a crush on him?
Harry felt his face heat up and his heart begin to race. What was it like to have a crush? What did it feel like? How did one know they had a crush on someone? Was it possible to have a crush on someone and not know? Harry opened his mouth to ask Draco, however the words caught in his throat and all that came out was a small squeak. At hearing the squeak, Draco looked over his shoulder at Harry, to check on him. Their eyes locked. Harry's face became hotter, and he looked away from Draco. What just happened? Maybe he should ask Fred and George, or maybe even Severus.