Chapter 46: Don't Speak
The tired group of third years sat down to dinner when they were joined by the Weasley twins.
"Have you had him yet?" The asked excitedly.
"Who?" Ron asked as he loaded his plate up.
"Lupin," Fred said. "We just came from his first lesson. He's amazing; he actually knows his stuff and can really teach it to us."
"We don't have him until Monday," Harry said. "We have him and our first Runes class that day."
"Too bad," Fred said. "We'll be seeing you."
After dinner, Harry met with Daphne as scheduled. Inside the room she designated, they found a long conference table. Harry stood at the middle of the table with Hermione by his side. Daphne was on the other side with Tracey standing by her side. At her gesture, they sat, Harry allowing the ladies to sit before he took his as was the norm.
"Thank you for meeting with us," Daphne said, cutting straight to business. "My father has tasked me with a special task, one that I and only I can achieve."
Harry just inclined his head, silently imploring her to continue.
"During the last war, my family was pressured by the Death Eaters. My family has always been neutral since our arrival from Sweden centuries ago. We worked hard to stay out of the conflict but that wasn't good enough for the Eaters. The Death Eaters had two options: join or pay.
"When You-Know-Who fell, the Death Eaters had to back off which was good since our gold was running low," Daphne fidgeted with the table. "Listen, my father has seen the signs and the last two years, the Death Eaters are getting bolder once again. The rumor is that You-Know-Who isn't actually gone, that he was merely defeated."
Daphne never asked the question yet she asked for confirmation all the same.
"You are correct," Harry said. "First year, he thumbed a lift on the back of Professor Quirrell's head. Second year, it was his diary that was coercing a little girl into opening the chamber. He's not gone."
"We figured as much which means it is only a matter of time before the Eaters come knocking."
"What do you need?" Harry decided to take a leaf from her book and be direct.
"We, that is to say my father and I," Daphne began to fidget with the table again. "Would like to form a formal alliance with House Potter. With an alliance to the Potters, they would know not to bother us, not unless they want to experience fully armed and operational wards around our properties."
"That seems rather straight forward," Harry leaned his elbows onto the table. "Why do I get the feeling it isn't, actually?"
"Potters have always been a part of the light faction," Daphne's hair danced around her head as she cocked her head from side-to-side. "For them to formally align with a grey house would be unprecedented. There's not much you could do for the time being seeing as you are underage but it would still be gigantic. We would align our political and financial interests."
As well as keep him from having sell off me or my sister, Daphne finished inwardly.
"If that is to be the case," Harry leaned back again. "How does your father feel about First Gen Witches and Wizards? What is his stance on the blood bigots?"
"He's not a bigot," Daphne said. "Though he is still old-fashioned. He thinks too much change, too quickly would rapidly devolve our society."
"In the same respect," Harry turned his head as Hermione spoke for the first time. "If a society fails to adapt, it will collapse from within. Just talk to the Romans."
"That is something we can discuss," Harry cut across the argument before it devolved into a circular one. "As for House Potter joining forces with a neutral house, I am fine with that. I've had thoughts regarding the reformation of the Great Alliance- which I would not have learned about if you had not recommended that book so thank you- and growing it. I want to cut Voldemort off at the knees."
Tracey and Daphne flinched at the name but still looked intrigued.
"I am told he gained a lot of power by building a following and then dividing the rest of Wizarding Britain. If he is going to rise again, and I have reason to believe he will one day, it is my goal to make the landscape harder for him to gain a foothold. I can only do that by forging new alliances and building bridges where Voldemort would have us build walls.
"You can tell your father that I am amenable to an alliance where we strive to work together to achieve our political and economic goals, provided he can accept that my closest friend and confidant is a First Generation Witch and, if he has a problem with it, have him talk to Gripclaw at Gringotts. Tell him I sent him and that he should ask about our investments. That should change his point of view."
"I will pass the word along," Daphne looked surprised. "Oh and this might feel tacked on but House Davis would come part-and-parcel to the deal."
Daphne, always reserved in her physical actions, reached out and took the hand of Tracey.
"I figured," Harry chuckled. "She wouldn't have been here unless you trusted her implicitly. Plus, she's the only one I've seen who can make you laugh. That's a bonus, for sure."
"Until next time, Potter," Daphne waived lazily as she strode from the meeting room.
"If it would help," Daphne paused as Harry spoke and looked over her shoulder. "I am having the goblins harvest the Basilisk I slew last spring. You are welcome to be there to see the creature and relay any information and observations to your father. That might should convince him if his meeting with the goblins doesn't."
Daphne nodded and turned away. Tracey leaned in and whispered in her ear, to which Daphne laughed.
"What did she say?" Hermione's curious mind couldn't resist asking the question.
"She said, and I quote 'I thought this meeting would be normal,'" Daphne said, making Hermione laugh.
"It's becoming a common phrase," Hermione said in between laughs. "Harry Potter doesn't do normal."
Harry facepalmed, leading to more laughter from the three girls.
The next day, Harry and Hermione had their first Charms class after which Flitwick, true to his word, asked them to remain. Per his request, they were going to both be studying Advanced Charms under him. That night, he took them through everything they were going to learn.
"This class is going to be called Advanced Charms but what this basically is," Flitwick said, his tone serious. "Is a precursor to an apprenticeship. Usually a professor will only take one apprentice at a time, sort of an unwritten Rule of Two thing but I am bending it for you. You both are adept at Charms though Miss Granger your strength comes in gaining knowledge and memorization while Mr. Potter, you are more adept at casting. While Miss Granger will learn the theory quickly, you have a unique brain for learning how to cast it. Your two paths to the same endpoint allows for one of you to have more exacting precision and the other to be more flexible and powerful.
"It has been my goal to one day find a student who can challenge on the dueling circuit and one to advance the theory of Charms beyond where it is. I believe I have finally found what I am looking for, oddly at the same time. The two of you are well-suited to one another.
"Taking this on will not be easy. I am going to push you to your very limits and beyond them," Hermione looked awed while Harry's eyes shone with determination. "Just this year, you will be moved on to curriculum I do not teach until sixth year.
"I think you are ready but you also have be willing to commit to this," Flitwick said.
"Count me in," Harry said firmly. "I can't wait to begin."
"Where he goes, I go," Hermione nodded fiercely.
"Excellent!" Flitwick clapped his hands and stood up from his desk. "First things first: you both have good repertoire for spells and we will continue to build on that by allowing you to build more and increasingly more complex spell chains.
"What we will also focus on is silent casting," Flitwick flicked his wand to push all the chairs up against the wall. "What do you think would be a benefit to silent casting?"
Hermione, the practice ingrained into her very being, shot her hand toward the sky.
"There's only three of us, Miss Granger," Flitwick smiled at the now crimson brunette. "You can just call out your answer."
"By doing the casting silently, you keep your enemy from knowing when the curse is coming, allowing you possibly get the drop on someone."
"And?" Flitwick looked to Harry. "What other advantages might there be?"
"Well," Harry looked pensive for a moment. "As you are not saying the words, it will be harder for your opponent or adversary to know what you are casting. They won't necessarily know what the counter curse would be. All you have are the movements and the color of the spell. Red could be a stunner, a disarmer or any other range of spells.
"Furthermore, silent casting probably relies more on intent than anything, giving you more flexibility in the casting."
"Excellent summary," Flitwick said. "You lose a little bit of power in casting silently and there are some spells you cannot cast silently, like the Unforgiveables. Those rely on power and emotion. Casting it silently would be pointless. Now, I'd like to start with the most simple spells and work our way up. I want you to light your spells wordlessly."
For the next half hour the young duo had a look of intense concentration as they tried to light their wands. The only sounds were of Flitwick writing and the cracking of the logs in the fireplace when finally…
"I did it!" Hermione had her wand lit.
"Nicely done," Flitwick said. "Why don't you move through the first year catalogue of spells and get familiar with this way of casting."
Ten minutes later, Hermione was levitating papers and books while Harry was sweating, trying to get his wand to light.
"Take a break," Flitwick ordered.
"I just can't do this," Harry fumed in frustration. His legs gave out and he collapsed to the stone floor. "I know the movements, I know what I need to do but I just. Can't. Do it!"
"You can do it," Flitwick walked up to the teenager.
"Sure," Harry said. "In sixth year, I'm sure I'll get it."
"You've done it before," Flitwick said. "Part of the perks of my unique heritage is my ability to be accepted by the Goblin Nation. As such, I was fortunate enough to watch the orb of your battle with the Basilisk. The blue flame balls you shot at the Basilisk- something I have never seen before, by the way- were conjured and shot without you saying a word."
"I… never realized," Harry said. "I was running on adrenaline so I guess I just never noticed."
"I did," Hermione said. "I was initially miffed that you learned silent casting before me so I studied up on the theory. You're a great wizard, Harry but you are at your weakest when you are forcing an issue. Relax and you will get it. I know it."
"Okay," Harry stood up, rolled his shoulders and brushed his bangs back. Lumos, he thought. A light shone from his wand, brighter than Hermione's before.
"Excellent!" Hermione clapped.
"Most excellent!" Flitwick shielded his eyes from the light with his hand. "Now both of you work on regulating and controlling the light, like we did in your first lesson."
Hermione silently lit her wand and focused on the beam. She made it brighter and then dimmed it. Meanwhile, now that he was relaxed, Harry's mind was changing the color of the light from bright white to pale yellow, ending in an amber glow. He lengthened the light before focusing it into a single point while making it shine all the brighter.
"How are you doing that?" Hermione asked with her light flickering.
"I am just imagining the light in different ways," Harry said, turning his light green for effect. "I was curious how flexible the spells would be after Professor Flitwick mentioned it so now I'm testing that."
"Ugh!" Hermione's light would only flicker, her rigid mind incapable of allowing her to envision it as something other than the light it usually is.
"Close your eyes," Harry said. Hermione huffed and finally relented. "Picture the light in your mind."
Hermione pictured light in her favorite color of Periwinkle Blue.
"Now push that idea into your wand," Hermione had no idea how to do that. "You know how to feel for your magic and its connection with your wand. Connect your visual with your magic."
Hermione was trying to make her vision become reality when she felt Harry come behind her, smelled his cologne and heard him breathing. She could picture his emerald green eyes. Exhaling out slowly, Hermione pushed with her magic.
"You did it!" Hermione opened her eyes to see a Periwinkle ball of light at the end of her wand. Smiling at last, Hermione willed the ball to grow and then to shrink.
"Excellent!" Once again Hermione forgot about their professor. "Just as Mr. Potter struggles on the front side, you struggle with intent after the spell is cast. Your mind is brilliant, one of the better I have ever seen in fact, but that brilliance is also extremely rigid. One of the reasons the dynamic of you two works so very well. The only word I can use to describe it is harmonious.
"Now that you have the basics on silent casting, we will spend the first half of our time on that and the second building spell chains," Flitwick said. "I think that will do for tonight, however. I know you have an early morning for the goblins to render down the Basilisk for you.
"One last thing: I have been told you have had the Nation craft daggers for you and that your plan is to dip it into Basilisk venom?"
"Yes, sir," Harry nodded. "We were hoping you would teach us how to wield them."
"I can teach you the basics but to become a master takes time," Flitwick laced his hands behind his back as he paced in front of them. "Before you become a master and even after, it is not outside the realm of possibility that you would cut yourself.
"Tell me, Mr. Potter. What is the antidote to Basilisk venom?"
"Phoenix tears, sir," Harry said, cottoning on to where the half-goblin was leading them.
"Do you plan to carry a vial of Phoenix tears around with you, in case you should you cut yourself or another?"
Harry paled as he had not considered the side effects of his desired weapon.
"We just wanted something that could kill a werewolf," Harry said. "If we ever needed to defend ourselves."
"The only way to fight a werewolf is to train," Flitwick said. "Your best weapon is, and always has been, your mind. It was your mind that turned a wooden club into a spear-sized knitting needle that incapacitated a full-grown troll. That was you at 11; that was what drew my attention.
"A dagger might be a good second option," Flitwick drew a dagger from an ankle holster. "I myself carry one just in case I need a second weapon. I will teach you to wield it; I just recommend that you forgo the venom."
The duo left the classroom slowly as they absorbed everything as they meandered through the halls toward their common room.
"Shall we start on our homework?" Hermione asked as they reached stairway to the portrait of the Fat Lady.
"Can we take the night off?" Harry asked. "It's Friday night so we'll have Saturday and Sunday to work through it."
"We shouldn't procrastinate!" Hermione argued. "We have a heavier class load and as such we need to work to stay up on everything. We can't afford to fall behind."
"I agree," Harry said. "But we also need to keep ourselves fresh. I don't know about you but my mind is wiped from everything today. I don't feel I would be very productive and my quality of work would be poor."
"That's why we'll revise our homework on Sunday before it's due," Hermione said brightly, thinking she had won the argument.
"How about," Harry turned to her. "We work for an hour and then find something to do to relax thereafter. We'll get enough done we won't fall behind but we also won't burn ourselves out.
"I'm worried, Hermione," Harry said. "With all of our classes, plus Quidditch for me and the Potions Club and the D.A., I don't want to become an overstressed husk whose only value is warming the classroom. I need to relax; I need some time away from all that so I can actually enjoy my time here."
"Okay," Hermione let out a breath that pushed her hair away from her face. "We'll work for one hour and then go from there. Does that sound good?"
"Yes," Harry said. "And let me know if you're feeling rung out, if you need a relaxation break as well."
"Well that was adorable," Harry startled as the Fat Lady addressed them. "Now are you going to give the password or shall I start to perform Madam Butterfly."
"Umm sorry. Carmina Burana" Hermione gave the password hastily, knowing the Fat Lady's singing prowess matched her own (non-existent) singing skills. True to her word, they spent an hour on their assignment which turned out to be enough to complete a rough draft of the Potions essay Snape assigned before relaxing with Lavender, Parvati and Neville. With the five of them, Lavender broke out MagicAsk a card game similar to Go Fish which, if you guessed wrong, you had to draw a punishment card laced with a compulsion to do what it said. Hermione had to chirp like a canary, Harry had to bay like Fang and Lavender chittered like a chipmunk, among the other punishments doled out.
"This is fun!" Hermione said after watching Neville imitate a Giraffe.
"Yeah," Lavender agreed as she laughed at Neville's misfortune. "There's even an adult version of the game. Let's just say the punishments aren't much of a punishment."
"Probably not a game to play in the common room, then?" Parvati giggled at the embarrassed looks on Harry's and Neville's faces, to say nothing of the nervous giggles Hermione was giving off.
After a few more rounds of the game, the group all decided to turn in, especially since Neville, Harry and Hermione needed to be up early to receive the goblins. The next morning, Harry was buttering a piece of toast as the doors to the Great Hall burst open with a loud bang.
"Dumbledore!" Malfoy shouted as he entered the Great Hall at breakfast the next day. As it was Saturday, the hall was sparsely populated. Harry, Hermione, Neville, Colin and Ginny were in the hall, waiting for the goblins to arrive. Invites had been sent out to Cho, Filch and Justin with only Justin replying he had no interest in seeing the corpse of the snake that attacked him.
"How may I help you?" Dumbledore didn't even bother to rise from his chair. He simply set down his fork and steepled his fingers as Malfoy stormed up to the head table. The younger Malfoy strutted from the Slytherin table to join his father.
"Why have you not responded to my letters regarding the beast that almost killed my son?" Malfoy shouted.
"Ah yes. I heard of the incident from our Care of Magical Creatures professor," Dumbledore indicated Hagrid's presence with his hand. "According to my professor, your son didn't listen to the professor's warning and antagonized the hippogriff in question."
"He did not!" Malfoy's pale cheeks took on some color. Usually he was calm, collected and in control. "Fine then I'll just have to take this to the ministry. I'm sure the Department of Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures would love to investigate this."
"As I'm sure is your right," Dumbledore said. "We'll just call them to my office right away, use my pensieve to watch your son's memory as well as the memory a few of his classmates to corroborate what happened."
"My memory?" Draco whimpered out. At this point, Harry and Hermione were silently laughing. Neville was biting his hand to keep from laughing out loud.
"Yes," Dumbledore said. "We'll just watch that memory and it'll be easy to decide just how dangerous this creature is."
"Sounds excellent," Lucius said but was stopped by a hand tugging on his robes.
"I don't think that's necessary, father," Draco mumbled.
"But you told me the creature almost killed you, that it was dangerous," Lucius said. Draco wouldn't meet his eyes, deciding instead to stare at his feet. "Irrelevant! I will take this to the Minister himself."
"And my response will be the same," Dumbledore said and finally looked over at Harry. "I'm sure there will be someone who would be willing to step forward and provide their point of view to what happened."
"So long as it isn't your golden boy Potter," Lucius spat.
"I'll be happy to provide my memory," a new voice made both Malfoys turn. Standing there was Millicent Bulstrode, bold as brass against the Malfoys. "I was there for that class. I heard the warning given by Professor Hagrid and heard Malfoy taunt the hippogriff in question."
"Blood traitor!" Draco stepped up toward the bigger girl and regretted it. "I'll have your hide for thi-"
Malfoy's tirade was silenced by a slap heard all the way up at the Astronomy Tower.
"I am the heiress to the Noble House of Bulstrode," she stated proudly. "Our house has a long, proud history of nobility and grace. There is nothing to be gained by lying about the truth of what really happened in class. The fact you wish me silenced says more about you then it does for me."
"10 points from Slytherin for assaulting a student," Dumbledore's voice cut through the both of them. His eyes looked severe until a smile graced his lips. "20 points to Slytherin for having the courage to speak truth to lies.
"Feel free to speak to the Minister at your convenience," Dumbledore's eyes flashed warningly. "I am sure the Minister loves hearing from his friends and I'm sure he'll believe what you say. You word, no doubt, is gold, right?"
Malfoy stewed in rage. His son had lied to him about what happened, hurt his standing in his own house even more and removed any leverage he had.
"This isn't over," Malfoy said. Clasping his traveling cloak around him, he strode from the hall, leaving a dumbstruck Draco in his wake.
"Father.." Draco ran to catch up.
"Not now, Draco," Malfoy Senior never even looked at his son. "We will speak later, I guarantee you that."
Without a second glance, Malfoy strode from the castle.
"Did you see that?" Susan Bones whispered as she passed Harry's spot at the table. She entered the hall right after Malfoy and got a free show before her breakfast.
"Yep," Harry said with satisfaction. "Lucy is slipping. You should let your aunt know. If she is waiting for him to slip up, it might happen soon. I don't know who has made him angrier: me, your aunt, Dumbledore or his son."
"If you'll excuse me," Susan said. "I have a letter to write."
"Or you could just tell your aunt yourself," Harry said. "She's coming to see the Basilisk rendered, right?"
"Of course!" Susan smacked herself on the forehead. "Forgot that was today. You still don't mind if I tag along?"
"Not at all," Harry said. "Luna expressed interest as well. In fact the goblins should be here in about a half hour."
"Sounds great," Susan beamed.
"Well I don't know about you," Neville said in between laughs. "But this day couldn't be starting any better if you told me we just got a new shipment of Venomous Tentacula."
"We did," Hermione said.
"We did?" Neville's eyes brightened.
"We didn't," Harry groaned.
"No," Hermione beamed. "I just wanted to see the two of your reactions."
"You're a riot," Harry groaned as his head slammed into the table.
"I know," Hermione's smile grew even wider. "That's why you love me."
Hermione widened her eyes after her phrase and Neville looked away, suddenly very interested in the stained glass above the Head Table. Harry meanwhile abruptly picked up his head, looking at his girlfriend with wide eyes.
Do I love her? Harry wondered. I mean yes, I love being around her but am I IN love with her?
Idiot! Hermione chastised. We just started dating and you're already hinting the L-word! Idiot!
Breakfast passed in a nervous silence. Luna sat down and struck up a pleasant conversation until the clock rang at 9 and it was time to meet the goblins. Harry appeared to have let the moment drop which finally allowed Hermione to relax. Seeing as the hall was sparsely populated, Hermione chose to snake her hand through the crook of Harry's elbow and together with Neville and Luna on either side, they exited the hall toward the courtyard where they would greet the goblins.