CHAPTER 11
OBSTACLES AND GIANTS
Aeryn was sitting on the grass staring at the lake as the sun was raising the next mourning. It was very early and as it was Sunday most students opted to sleep in. Draco Malfoy came a sat down beside her. Both were unknowingly being watched from the Gryffindor boy's dormitory, as the sleepless Harry gazed out the window. Harry still hated that Malfoy. No mater how hard he punched his own father the night before. No Malfoy was to be trusted. He looked back at the DA meeting when he had tried to tell Aeryn what Malfoy was really like. She had said that she knew him longer then Harry had, and was still puzzled about it. He was puzzled about a lot of things that happened the night before. He and Aeryn had performed a very powerful magic without the aid of a wand. And to be truthful to himself, he was kind of scared of this new found power. More information was swirling though his brain. He had found out that he was a descendant of Godric Gryffindor. Harry watched his sister and his enemy sitting by the lake. They looked to be in a very serious conversation. Harry quietly thanked Merlin that they were not having a very serious snogging session.
*
Draco sat down beside Aeryn.
"Mourning, Kit Kat." He greeted her.
"You know I actually like that pet name, it suits, don't you think?" she smiled.
"What was with the `Thank you'?" he asked her.
"You reminded me that McGonagall had my registration papers, I had to change my last name on it. Luckily she had not sent them yet. I really didn't want to have to wait extra long for new Animagi Registration Forms." She answered.
"I'm surprised the famous trio hasn't become Animagists. Them and all their glory." He snickered.
"They were surprised when I told them last night. But I still haven't told them what animal I can turn in to. I plan to surprise them with that one. But don't worry I didn't tell them that you were an Animagist too. McGonagall said she would send the papers tomorrow mourning." She smiled as she looked out toward the lake, resting her head on his shoulder. "I'm scared."
"Of what?" he asked.
"Of what happened yesterday. The magic, it was so powerful."
"You saved my butt." He said. She laughed a bit and laced her fingers with his.
"Still, I don't know if this new power is good or bad," She paused, "I'm glad I can talk to you. I think I'd go mad if you weren't here."
"I'll always be here." He said quietly to her.
*
"Now ladies and gentlemen, before you is an obstacle course. I am not going to tell you what is going to happen on the obstacle course. You will have to start at one end and work your way though. This is what I like to call a Pop Quiz. No studying ahead of time, you will show me what you have and have not learned over the past 5 years." Professor Lupin walked back and forth in front of the lined up students the next morning, they were up in the bleachers of the Quidditch pitch where the obstacle course could be seen from above. A single hand shoot up in the crowd. "Yes, Miss Granger."
"Professor, if one person has completed the course won't we know what is to come if we watch?" she asked.
"I see your wits are still about you. Don't think I didn't think of that. I have placed a simple charm on the obstacle course so that once a person has completed the course it will automatically change into an entirely different course. So some things could be repeated, but you still don't know what is to come." Another hand was raised. "Yes, Miss Evans?"
"Potter."
"What?"
"My last name is Potter." She smiled noticing many heads turn. "Is their, a specific order or can anyone volunteer to go first?"
"By all means." He motioned her to take the stairs down to the pitch. She left the class and headed sown the stairs. "Now, because you each will have a different course, I don't see why we can't talk about what Miss Potter is doing."
The class looked on as Aeryn started the obstacle course. Lupin was commenting how well Aeryn was doing with each task.
"Now comes the finale task." Lupin announced. Aeryn was walking up to a wardrobe cupboard. The cupboard shook a little and when it did Aeryn stepped back for the first time starting the course with hesitation. She backed away slowly.
"Professor, what exactly is in the cupboard?" Draco asked cautiously.
"Boggart," Lupin simply replied as he looked on.
"Bloody hell," he muttered under his breath as he bolted down the step towards the pitch.
"Mr. Malfoy, get back here!" Lupin yelled. Draco was halfway down the stair but was too late to cupboard door had opened and the Boggart tuned into a 20 foot giant.
She didn't scream she was too scared. Harry could feel how terrified she was and went after Draco, and was followed by the rest of the class. Everyone was on the pitch; Draco was running at top speed towards Aeryn and the increasingly growing Boggart giant. Suddenly Harry could not feel what Aeryn was feeling; he did not know what she was thinking. The class observed a blue light emitting from Draco's wand as the Boggart was banished back into its cupboard. Everyone hurried across the pitch where Draco was making sure Aeryn was ok. Harry could see that Draco was snapping his fingers in her face. She had no reaction; her expression was blank and her eyes looked empty, her wand forgotten lying in the sand.
"What's wrong with her?" Hermione said quietly breaking the silence. Draco lifted one of Aeryn's arms, he let go and her arm did not drop, it stayed in the same position.
"Well it appears that she has a slight case of `I've gone completely catatonic!" Draco snapped.
"But why?" she asked.
"Honestly Granger, you're the smart one, tell us the 411 on Magical Phobia." He sneered as he wrapped Aeryn's lifted arm around his neck and swept her off her feet to carry her off the pitch.
Hermione looked defeated as she looked towards the ground. "I don't think I've come across any information regarding that subject."
Malfoy laughed quietly. "Finally, something that Miss Know-it-all doesn't know about."
"That enough, Malfoy." Harry warned, defending Hermione.
Malfoy backed down, "Magical Phobia is a very, very rare condition among the Wizarding world. Very few have it. In Aeryn's case, it's Giants. She doesn't have anything against them; it's just their magical presents that send her into a catatonic shock. It can't be helped. She can look at pictures of giants, talk about giants, but when it comes down to being in the presents of one, it magically affects her."
"Maybe you four could take her to Madame Pomfrey while we continue with the lesson." Lupin said to Harry, Hermione, Ron and Draco. They nodded and left, heading towards the castle.