A/N: Hello again everyone. Bad news. The hiatus may come back for a bit, and will be effecting both Sphinx Club and Heart of a Hero. I'm sorry to do this immediately following saying "we're back on schedule" but life gets in the way sometimes. The friday before this was posted, my grandmother passed away, and given that I live with her, this hit me pretty hard. I'm trying to get back into writing again, but it's a bit difficult to keep focus. I am not giving up on either story though, updates will just be more sporadic than usual. Thank you all for understanding. For those who may not have noticed last time, I did start a Discord for fans of my stories to come and chat about them, as well as get insider scoops on what's coming next. You can find it at: / R4532jk5gq Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter.
"Again, Harry." Sirius said, watching as Harry performed another repetition of the explosive Bombarda Maxima charm. The explosion caused the ground around them to shake, and the crater that formed where their target had once been certainly implied a successful casting. "Good, how tired are you feeling?"
"Very." Harry said, leaning down and placing his hands on his knees, attempting to catch his breath. Extensive magical training sessions conveyed similar types of tiredness as long study and exercise sessions. Harry's mind was someone frazzled, partially overwhelmed by the whirlwind of information that ran through his head for proper spellcasting. His body also cried out, his limbs having the slight burn of overexertion, although Harry had done little to physically push his body beyond a few laps of the Black Lake. To use magic cost the body energy, how efficient someone was with that energy varied from person to person, with study making it easier, but raw talent being one of the largest factors. Harry's immense output naturally was already known to his teachers, and his training was allowing him to be even more efficient, as well as increase his raw supply, but it was still finite. "I think I need to call it today, Sirius. I MIGHT have another round in me, but I'm pretty sure I'd be unconscious before the last one made contact."
"Not surprising, you've already expended twice what I think I could do." Flitwick said as he surveyed the area, filled with long trenches and pockmarks from repeated explosive charms. "Unless I miscounted, you've managed to increase your output by roughly twelve percent. That's very impressive, given our short time working this spell. While we do teach the lesser version of the explosive charm during our fourth year classes, it isn't something I typically expect students to ever be able to cast more than once or twice during a day. The Maxima variant you are working with is something I would struggle to imagine most seventh year students managing more than a couple volleys. You've successfully managed six volleys. And each one contained an extra explosion. You continue to astound me with your output, Mr. Potter." Flitwick beamed, pride overflowing in his eyes.
"Will we be working this spell more tomorrow? Or working on something else?" Harry asked as he took a seat on a nearby bench, reaching to grab his water bottle to try and rehydrate.
"Something else I believe. This is a good method for expanding your output, but you need to work a bit more on your fine control. Don't think I haven't noticed you tend to put more magic than necessary into every spell." Remus said, checking over some of his notes. "I suppose the best thing for precision is going to be using the cutting spell on some wooden blocks. We'll see if you can carve some figures. I do need a new chess set." Remus chuckled, and Harry gave him a small glare. "It's a good exercise. Your raw power is impressive, but if you're expending it too loosely, it won't matter. You'll run yourself dry faster than a weaker wizard with greater control."
"I'm aware, I guess I just hoped I'd be learning something NEW." Harry said, a little dejected.
"Ah, that I do understand." Sirius said, smiling at Remus a bit. "Tell you what. You manage to get your control to a satisfactory level tomorrow, and I'll teach you a fire lash spell." Sirius said, whipping his wand around his head and summoning a whip-like rope of flame which he sent forth towards a nearby tree branch, and cut it cleanly. "A little ostentatious as a spell, but handy in a pinch. Should be a good enough reward for you I'd think."
"It certainly looks interesting. Kind of like what I've seen Marianne use." Harry said, his mind flashing back to his Veela friend from Beauxbatons. He wondered how she was doing, and if she and Ivan had ever managed to work out their feelings for each other.
"Not surprising. Outside of Incendio, it's probably the most well known offensive fire charm. A veela like her will have a great natural affinity for it, and she'd probably have control over it in ways I'll never be able to." Sirius nodded.
"Sirius knows ALL about how good Veela can get with that charm… he was on the receiving end of it once." Remus chuckled, causing Sirius to burn a bright red.
"I'll have you know that Veela girl was very receptive to my advances." Sirius defended himself, crossing his arms not unlike a petulant child.
"I have no doubt she was. The problem was that you were on a date with her sister… who you were ignoring." Remus rolled his eyes. "So instead you elected to hit on MY date."
"You weren't!" Sirius retorted, the redness leaving his face. Gone was any embarrassment or anger, now there was just the joyful bickering of two old friends.
"Because you made me, I wasn't exactly looking for romance, Pads." Remus said, rolling his eyes.
"No, you were too busy moping to realize she was into you." Sirius shot back, rolling his eyes.
"Oh, no. I realized, it was hard not to when she tried to press her chest into my arm every opportunity… I think she even enlarged them once." Remus said, his face flushing a bit at the memory. "I think she might have been expecting a… dual performance."
"And I believe such talk is inappropriate around a young mind such as Harry's." Flitwick said, the little man's face flushed heavily as he tried to dissuade the two younger men.
"I think the boy is well and truly corrupted, Filius." Sirius barked, laughing at the situation. "He's got five girlfriends, one of which is a Veela, and a fiance. I think he's well past any point I could corrupt him."
"I do well to stay out of the lovelives of my students Professor Black, I'd advise you do the same!" Flitwick said, trying to sound stern and professional, but it was hard to take the small man who was turning more and more red by the minute seriously.
"Is that why you paired up Nay Gwilym and Molly Moore every chance you could? Staying out of their lovelife?" Sirius questioned, sending Flitwick into a stuttering spree trying to defend himself. Harry laughed, he was glad he could have moments like this.
In the Sphinx Club room, Harry struggled to keep his eyes open as he glanced down at his Potions textbook. "Proper Newt Eye Pickling techniques not exciting enough for you?" Daphne's teasing voice asked, lightly nudging his shoulder as she glanced at his book. "Not like you to be falling asleep like this… something up babe?"
"Just… tired. Training and studying and prefect duties haven't really been giving me enough time to rest." Harry said, sighing as he closed the book and leaned back for a bit. "Never seems like I have enough hours in the day."
Daphne raised her eyebrow at this, examining Harry's face more closely. "How much sleep have you been getting?" She asked, her tone direct as she gazed into his emerald green eyes.
"Four… five hours maybe? I think I got six the night before last." Harry said, knowing better than to lie to her. Daphne was a lovely girl, but she is also the person Harry knew who was MORE than willing to Veritaserum him if she thought he was lying to her.
"Unacceptable." Daphne said, immediately pulling the book from his hands. "That's unsustainable. I know you've been pushing yourself, but I figured that meant you were just heading to bed exhausted… not that you weren't heading to bed at all."
"Voldemort's not going to just wait for me to be ready, I've got to train as hard as I can. Plus as a prefect, it's my JOB to watch out and be available for the other Claws, I can't just not do that." Harry said, moving to pick the book back up. Daphne kept swatting his hands. "Plus it's not like I can let my grades slip."
"Oh please, like you're at any risk of getting anything less than an acceptable in any class." Daphne said, rolling her eyes as she shot a stinging hex at his hand, getting him to give up his attempts to grab the book again. "You've been the number two student in the school since our first year… have you considered maybe sliding down the pack?"
"Why would I do that? I like doing my best with this, I like being a good student." Harry questioned. He did enjoy being a good student. He wished he was better, but Hermione seemed to just absorb information in ways he couldn't even dream of doing. While Harry could match and exceed her spell for spell, she just knew so much theory, and could write a paper that explained something Harry knew intuitively better than he could express.
"And I'm not saying stop being a good student." Daphne said, sighing. "You're running yourself ragged. It won't do you any good to study if you're too tired to absorb anything going into your head. I bet you're still waking up for your 6 AM runs aren't you?"
"Well yeah, my physical fitness is one of the things that I might have over Voldemort, since he probably just has his servants wait on him hand and foot." Harry said, wondering where she was going with this.
"Yet you still stick out those occasional midnight study groups in the common room even though you know that material like the back of your hand." Daphne said, examining his reactions closely.
"I mean, I guess. I like to be there to help the others in case they need help understanding the material." Harry responded.
"Do you think you are the only person who can tutor them?" Daphne asked, her eyes locked totally on him, daring him to not respond.
"I mean, probably not, but it's my job as prefect to be available to help." Harry said, sheepishly.
"There are 5 other Ravenclaw prefects, plus all of the other students who can also lend a hand with tutoring, plus if a student is REALLY having issues, then the Professors are also available to talk to. Plus the information in the library. You don't have to be the person everyone relies on. You have a lot on your plate, you need to learn to let some of it go." Daphne said in a tone that left no room for argument.
"But… I can help them. Doesn't that mean I should?" Harry asked, somewhat befuddled.
"Not at your own expense like that. I'm not saying give up helping the other students. Just make sure you take the time to help you too. I'm going to talk to your roommates. You're getting 7 hours of sleep minimum a night, and you know Terry and Michael are far too afraid of me to tell me no. Especially if I have Hermione and Padma back me up." Daphne said, her tone final. She was right, all of his roommates had a very healthy amount of fear and respect for Daphne, Hermione, and Padma. If they told them to do something, they'd try and get it done.
"But… won't the other prefects think I'm lazing off? Not doing my duties properly?" Harry asked, starting to worry.
"Almost certainly not. Leaving aside the fact that Hermione, Susan, Neville, and Lavender will all vouch that you've definitely been spreading yourself thin, and Cho will probably second that, it's not like you'll be doing nothing. You'll still do your patrols, still be available for other students, just managing the rest of your time better. You don't need to be the best of us in grades Harry, you can let that position slip as long as you're still doing good. I'm sure even Flitwick would rather you be number 10 and well rested than number 1 and exhausted." Daphne said, rubbing his back. "Now, time for you to take a nap."
"But I'm not tired." Harry said. He was really wound up now, the anxiety in his stomach having pulled him out of the dreariness the potion book had put him in.
Daphne pulled him down, laying his head in her lap as she lightly played with his hair. "Give it time, darling. Let your favorite girlfriend lull you to sleep."
"I don't play favorites." Harry defended, but closed his eyes, enjoying the feeling of her fingers running through his hair.
"I know, just teasing. I'm your favorite Slytherin girlfriend." She said, smiling down at him. "Unless you and Tracey have been going behind my back."
"Don't think Tracey is into me like that." Harry said, his voice giving out a bit as he started to drift off… he really WAS tired, wasn't he?
"I don't think so either, but you never know." Daphne chuckled as she watched her boyfriend drift off to sleep. She continued playing with his messy black hair for a few moments more, enjoying the comfortable intimacy of the moment. It was sweet, tender, and everything she loved about Harry. She knew he pushed himself far too hard, and reeling him in was her job. And it was a job she'd happily do every day for the rest of their lives.