Author's Note: I'd just like to mention a couple of things quickly, both because I suspect some people are curious and because I felt an explanation was needed. First of all, the swordplay lessons that Kailyn gives (there's another in this chapter), while not taken directly from experience, are loosely based on techniques I've picked up as a fencing coach. Great sport, I highly recommend it. Secondly, my next HP fic will be a continuation of this story, so don't worry about that.
Anyway, in this chapter, Harry and Hermione make up, skip class, Harry gets confused, everyone around him seems to be acting oddly - in his mind, anyway - and Harry and Hermione get another lesson from Kailyn. Then Malfoy steps up to the plate and insults Harry, Hermione, Kailyn, and finally the memory of Sirius before Harry snaps. The resulting detention for Harry is served with Talisien, while Malfoy's is served with Hagrid…
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Chapter Thirty Two: Gravity
Harry was only dimly aware of actually waking up the next morning. It was probably around six, just before dawn really, that he felt a strange warmth curl up around him. Still in his hazy, sleep deprived state, he smiled and snuggled in a little closer to the warmth, letting his mind relax again as he closed his eyes.
It was actually much later that he started to stir again, and that was to the whispering in his ear. *C'mon, Harry. It's time to wake up, for real this time...*
*Too early,* he purred back, reaching around blindly to bring the warmth back. He froze at Hermione's giggle, and knew instantly that he hadn't grabbed the blanket like he had assumed - the feel of Hermione's silk pants was quite obvious.
*It's a little late to be doing something like that... we'll miss class...* When he opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was his glasses dangling in front of his face. Putting them on, he sat up slowly to find Hermione sitting next to him now, her knees pulled up to her chest. *Morning...*
Now, given how drastic a change this was from the previous night, Harry was a little leary of what was going on, and looked around first. The curtains were still drawn around them, and Hermione's brown hair definitely still looked like she had just gotten up - his own, he knew without a doubt, looked no messier than it had before.
"What's going on?" he asked slowly, still not sure of things.
"We've really got to get up now... Transfiguration starts in about twenty minutes, and we really have to get there in time!"
"Transfig..." Harry stopped as his brain kicked into gear. "It's Wednesday, though. That means Care of Magical Creatures is first, remember?"
"It's almost ten in the morning, Harry," Hermione explained. It could have been his imagination, but she looked almost contrite and sheepish as she explained that. "I thought we could both use a bit of a lie in..."
"But... after last night... Hermione?"
She stopped him with a gentle kiss. "I'm sorry, love," she whispered as she pulled back. "I shouldn't have pushed you like that... you had just had a really hard time telling everyone about the prophecy, and then I had to go and ask about..."
"No," Harry said quickly. "No, I won't let you take the blame for this one, `Mione. I hurt you last night... I know I did, you had to cry yourself to sleep! I... I'd say sorry, but I don't think that's really strong enough. All I can do is promise you that I was wrong - and tell you that if you live through this war, then I will too. And that's one promise I don't intend to break!"
"Oh, honestly Harry, it's just..." Apparently she couldn't come up with just what it was, exactly, but she threw her arms around him and pulled him close. "I understand what my mum meant now," she whispered softly. "Last night was just so..."
"I know," he whispered. "I know." He paused for a minute, and then pulled her even closer, engulfing himself in her presence. "Are we okay, `Mione? Are we..."
*I love you,* she purred into his ear before he could say anything else. *And I always will... even if you are a prat sometimes.* After a few minutes, Hermione pulled away again and looked at him seriously. "Just don't think you can get away with talking like that again, you hear me? Getting yourself killed won't get us anywhere!"
"I can live with that," Harry said solemnly, well aware of the irony of his choice of words.
"Good," she said firmly, stretching a little before swinging her feet over to climb across him. "Now, I've got to get to my dorm to get a change of clothes... I'll meet you in the common room in five minutes?"
"Right," he said simply, watching as she pulled back the curtains and flew out the room. Wonder how Hagrid took it that we weren't there... did Ron say something? He stopped that line of thought when he noticed the small scrap of parchment on his night table next to his belt.
Taken care of.
-Ron
"And just what is that supposed to mean?" Harry asked himself as he pulled out a fresh change of clothes. Once he had pulled his robes on and done up his belt again, he grabbed his cloak and stuffed the parchment in his pocket as he took off downstairs to meet Hermione. When he found she wasn't down yet, he took a moment to actually don the cloak, but pushed the hood down again automatically - it seemed to have a mind of its own in that regard, and always seemed to start up first.
"Knut for your thoughts?" He looked up from the ground to find Hermione looking at him from the girl's staircase. "I can't read you so well anymore..."
"Sorry," he said softly, taking her hand as they ducked out of the portrait hole.
"It's not your fault... we just haven't been spending as much time just being recently. There's always something going on, and we haven't had a chance to talk about it," she replied as they came to a stop before the classroom. There was no one else around yet, and the door was still closed, which said they still had plenty of time left.
"I don't want to talk about it, though," Harry mumbled, half to himself, but half so she could hear him. "Besides, half the reason you can't read me so well is in a sheath at my side, remember? It blocks everyone off, regardless of what I have to say on the matter."
"Have you asked Talisien about it yet?"
Harry shook his head. In truth, he had forgotten about such things - dealing with the DA, Quidditch practices, and classes had actually pushed the thought out of his mind. "Sorry," he said again.
"Don't be sorry, just fix it," she suggested with a smile. "Now, did you finish your essay for today? It was on the Effects of Concentration on Transfiguration, remember?"
"That was due today?" Harry asked in surprise. When she glared at him, he grinned. "That's odd, because I finished it two days ago... I didn't even have to stay up half the night working on it."
"Good job," she whispered, leaning up to give him a quick kiss.
"Guess I'm learning," he replied glibly. "I get more kisses with you happy." He then remembered the odd note he had found sitting on the nightstand, and dug into his pockets to pull it out. "Any idea what this was all about?"
"Taken care of?" Hermione read quickly, looking up to meet his questioning gaze. "No idea."
"No idea?" Harry repeated. When she shook her head, something clicked in his brain. She always had an idea about everything... not even offering a theory about this unknown didn't seem like her at all. "You sure?"
"Er... well... could it be about something from last term? Maybe it's been there for a while, and we just didn't notice it. Like, Ron saying he had looked into the status of your broom one day last term?" she suggested at his prodding.
Harry shook his head. "No, that doesn't make much sense. If that was what it was, he'd have either told me directly, or maybe scribbled a note that said `still broken,' not `taken care of.' "
"Well, I guess you'll have to ask him yourself over lunch," she explained, putting the scrap back into his pocket with a shrug. "Probably nothing, though."
"You're probably right," he said with a nod as Professor McGonagall opened the door to the classroom. Just down the corridor, the rest of the class was on their way, so Harry and Hermione started inside. He couldn't help but think that maybe Hermione knew exactly what the note was about, and she had asked Ron to let Hagrid know that neither of them would be in class that morning... but perhaps that was wishful thinking. She was probably still mad at him, that was all, which explained why she wasn't helping.
Of course, if she had asked Ron, then he would have known that she had spent the night in Harry's bed - even if it was a horrible night - and there was no telling how their friend would take that.
After the pop quiz given at the beginning of the class, not to mention the grueling tasks they were put through, Harry had essentially forgotten about the scrap of parchment. Even when he put his hand in his pocket to pull out an extra quill, he didn't feel it there, and so didn't even realise that Hermione had actually held on to it, and simply made him think she had put it back.
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It was the following Sunday, the last day in January while Hermione was studying in the library that Harry again thought of the odd note that Ron had left him. It wasn't really that he noticed the note itself was missing, more like he saw a few things that he didn't think made a whole lot of sense to him, and added the note to that list.
The first was when he looked out one of the large windows to peer down at the cool winter grounds. In the pumpkin patch - that was usually lightly dusted with snow by now - sat the time wolf Rozan, but he wasn't alone. Both Ron and Luna were down there with him, neither wearing their usual warmer cloaks at all. In fact, if he didn't know any better, Harry would have sworn that in that little area it was summertime, not winter. Both Ron and Luna appeared to be almost asleep, practically curled up together.
Not knowing what to make of it, he simply shook his head and continued towards the library. Kailyn had told him earlier that she wanted to give he and Hermione a bit of a lesson, and he had promised to get her quickly. He knew that that was probably the only way to get her out of the library that afternoon anyway...
Harry paused again at the top of the stairs as an odd sound caught his attention. Turning, he looked down one of the narrow corridors, and thought he saw Neville and Lavender walking slowly along it, with Lavender singing to Neville. Singing? He stopped completely and doubled back, but there was no sign of either of them anymore. I must be losing it... didn't get enough sleep last night, that's all...
The last thing that was definitely out of place was Ginny and Colin just outside the library. They were moving quickly and whispering to each other, though to Harry it was rather obvious that Ginny was trying not to burst into laughter with every step.
"What's up you two?" he asked, stopping before they would actually run into him. He suspected they hadn't even noticed he was there, given how high Colin jumped at the sound of his voice.
"N... nothing!" he said quickly, but that just made Ginny laugh harder.
"It's not nothing!" she squeaked out. "I had no idea that potion was so powerful, though," she giggled. "They probably sent an extra powerful batch when they found out what the plans were..."
Harry raised an eyebrow to ask for an explanation before either of them started making any sense. While Colin seemed apologetic for it, Ginny couldn't have been happier.
"I managed to convince a couple of house elves to do me a bit of a favour for lunch, that's all," Ginny said with a broad grin. "Just a drop of potion in every goblet that appeared on the Slytherin table..."
"Potion?" Colin reached into his robes and pulled out a small vial to show to Harry. He assumed Colin had it, given that he was probably the least likely person to be searched in the event that it came to light. "Putrid Pink?"
"Turns hair colour pink for twenty four hours!" Ginny managed before laughing again.
"All the Slytherins?" Harry asked with a smile of his own.
"I tried to talk her out of it, Harry, honest," Colin said quickly. "But she had her heart set on it, saying that this was the best way for her to relax... and so I couldn't really talk her... wait, you're not upset?"
"Why would I be? I'm no prefect - though both of you are, in case you've forgotten. Besides, I've never passed an opportunity to laugh at those green goons," he said easily. "But why outside the library? The kitchens are in the other direction, right?"
"Just saying hi to Hermione," Ginny said easily. "Thought she'd get a good laugh out of it, too. She didn't, but she's not mad either. Can't ask for more from her when pulling a prank, right?"
Oh, I'm fairly certain that if I wanted to, I could get her to join in a prank, Harry thought to himself, but nodded anyway. "Right, well, I'm here to get said lovely lady," he explained. "We've got a bit of a lesson to have, after all."
"You are going to teach the rest of us at some stage, aren't you?" Ginny asked right away. Harry had the immediate suspicion that Colin was still quite worried about the prank, and keeping as quiet as possible.
"You've got Kailyn on your team, why not just ask her to teach you?"
"You're the leader of the DA," Colin said instantly, to which Ginny nodded.
Harry just sighed and ran a hand through his midnight locks, trying to relieve a touch of his own tension. Everyone else seemed to be trying to relax today - and in truth, seeing that was helping him do the same, if he stopped to think about it - but being reminded how he was leading a group of students to become fighters didn't help matters.
"Later, alright?" he suggested. He didn't wait for an answer from them before sweeping passed them and into the library, his green cloak billowing behind him in the breeze caused by the doors. For some reason, he didn't think he'd ever get tired of that sensation.
He spotted Hermione easily, and went to her table - he had almost no doubts that Madame Pince had actually engraved Hermione's name into the surface by now - and sat down beside her before she even noticed him.
"I thought you said you had no interest in learning Arithmancy," she said with a grin as she looked up from her books. "But you did promise me some time to teach you a bit about Ancient Runes at some stage, given that it's one thing like language that you can't understand without trying. Sorry, right now, it's..." She was forced to stop as Harry pressed his lips against hers lightly, eliciting a soft purr of appreciation from the back of her throat. "Not in the library," she whispered as he pulled back. "I thought I told you that before..."
"Sorry," Harry said with a grin as he leaned back, though he wasn't the least bit sorry and she knew it. "Kailyn sent me to find you, actually. She wanted to give us a bit of a lesson involving escaping, like she promised a couple of days ago," he explained. "Seemed to think we'd find it useful, given how I faired against Snape in that duel a few weeks ago, remember?"
It had been the first time either of them had mentioned that lesson, or anything surrounding it, since the morning after when Hermione had said she forgave what he had said. He saw her face darken briefly, but when she looked back to him, there was no trace of it again. "So, now then?"
He nodded and leaned in a little closer. "I'm not going to do anything stupid to end this, `Mione," he whispered, looking directly into her soft, earth toned eyes. He could literally see the light come in from behind them at his words, watch the cinnamon that had been missing for the passed couple of days come back to life as she smiled to him. "Like you said, I've got a promise to keep you, remember? Your dream... I want it to."
If he was startled to see the tears spring to her eyes suddenly, he didn't show it. He did find her hand on the table easily and gave it a little squeeze to reassure her that he meant what he had said. Though he had promised it the morning after, he suspected that she thought he was just saying it to keep her happy. He meant it, though.
She wiped her eyes just as quickly as she stood up, piling her books into her bag so they could leave to find the classroom that Kailyn had chosen this time. Harry admitted that he didn't know where it was for once, which was probably part of what she expected - they had to find her, and then be ready.
They made their way back to Gryffindor tower first to drop off Hermione's bag and for her to retrieve her cloak. Once she had pulled it on over her school robes, she saw that Harry had pulled his hood up, and did the same. It was surely one of the stranger sights for the first and second years who were lazing about the common room - seeing two older students with dark green cloaks hiding themselves as they crept from the room and through the portrait hole.
The one thing that they knew for certain about Kailyn's lessons now were that they were real - she might not be going full out by any means, but she wouldn't hesitate to actually hurt them if it would help improve their abilities, either. Hermione was just thankful for all the tutoring she had been given by Talisien thus far.
They also knew that she wouldn't go to certain parts of the castle - being interrupted by Snape in the dungeons would not be a good idea, and they all knew it. While that did significantly decrease the grounds to search, they still had a lot of areas to cover.
Harry and Hermione moved and searched without words. There was the occasional glance and one or two sharp hisses - *This way!* or *Been that way!* - but otherwise, they moved completely in tandem with the other. It was another testament to how well they knew each other and how easily they could work together.
It was for that reason that, when Harry motioned Hermione into a classroom urgently, she darted inside without even thinking about it. He followed immediately thereafter, but rolled to the side quickly as he drew his dagger from the sheath. She still felt it a little wrong to be calling a weapon with a foot long blade a dagger, but it wasn't the time to think about such things.
Kailyn attacked almost instantly from the open doorway. It was immediately apparent that they hadn't been tracking her, but rather, the other way around entirely. As she forced Harry backwards, rolling onto his back, but not giving him a chance to recover before attacking again, Hermione drew her own weapon and shot into the fray to help.
Kailyn met her charge with one of her swords, while keeping the other trained on Harry as she held his blade against it. Without warning, she suddenly flitted out of sight, and Hermione buckled, ending on her knees next to Harry as he pulled himself up. They grasped each other's hands to help each other stand again, and then tried to figure out where the half elf first year had vanished to.
It was in that moment that both decided that they really didn't like that particular talent.
She reappeared behind them both, and the only warning either of them had was a slight prickling sensation on the back of their necks. Hermione pushed Harry one way as she leapt the other, hoping to save them both and give them enough time to figure out what was going on again.
Without warning, Hermione found her dagger lost from her grip as it spun through the air, impaling itself into the wooden door that had been swung shut. It seemed to her that when Kailyn wanted to disarm someone, it was nearly impossible to prevent. That was her cue to bow out of the fight quickly, so she leapt backwards - staying on the toes of her feet as she had quickly learned was the easiest way to do so - and found that the half elf apparently had no intention of letting her off so easily.
"Wepeo lewer!" Harry said in a harsh - but somehow quiet at the same time - voice. She didn't have a chance to ask what that meant before he had thrown himself on Kailyn from behind, tackling the smaller student easily, keeping her from attacking Hermione. For her part, Hermione took the chance to grab her dagger from the door before turning back.
Harry had dropped his own blade, and had a hold of both of Kailyn's wrists now, fighting to keep her swords at bay. With a sudden twist, he pulled himself down so he was beneath her - a move that made no sense to Hermione, given that he had lost his leverage completely - but before she could act at all, he kicked up suddenly, flipping Kailyn off him and into the air.
He grabbed at his dagger instantly as he rolled to his feet again to stand next to Hermione once again. A quick glance to the door before Kailyn could get to her feet was all the encouragement she needed to pull it open and let both of them dart outside before slamming it shut again.
They heard a twin set of thuds before the door was pulled open. Kailyn had sheathed her swords again, and was smiling at them. Harry had already sheathed his own dagger and was pulling his hood down, so Hermione figured it was a good time to do the same.
Despite herself, she breathed a sigh of relief as the blade slide back into the leather case, allowing the magics that always appeared as a living entity all around her to disappear again. It might have been a terrific blade, but it was rather confusing...
"That was a bit unexpected, wouldn't you say?" Kailyn asked with a grin, rolling back onto the balls of her feet as she looked up to both of them. "Caught you by surprise?"
"That's for sure," Harry agreed, shaking his head in amusement. If anyone else even considered trying what she had done to them, he knew that neither Hermione nor himself would have just run away - they would have left the attacker at least stunned first.
Before Hermione could say anything on the matter, there was a loud chime in the castle announcing that it was four in the afternoon. Once the clock had struck four times, Kailyn looked back to them quickly. "Look, I was supposed to be in a study group for Potions this afternoon, and then one for Defense Against the Dark Arts. Granddad'll kill me if I don't ace his test!"
"Alright, see you later then, Kai," Harry said with a wink to Hermione. "We won't tell him you're skivving off your job or anything."
Although it was a fast motion, it looked almost like Kailyn wanted to throw something at them before she giggled in response and took off down the corridors. "There's no running in the halls, Kailyn!" Hermione shouted after her before looking to Harry. "I mean, honestly, shouldn't she know better by now?"
"Well, maybe if the Gryffindor Prefects didn't spend most of their time doing just that, then she might get the hint a bit better," Harry replied. He knew teasing her about her duties no longer phased her, given how the prefects had been organized that year. It really made little sense why the decision was made so late.
"Spending time with first years now, Potter?" Harry look over his shoulder to find Malfoy walking up behind them, though neither of his cronies were with him for once. "Granger not good enough in bed for you?"
"Sod off, Malfoy."
"Or maybe," the Slytherin continued with a smirk as he passed them on his way to the Great Hall. "Maybe, you're just prepping her, for when your mudblood gets killed off. Need someone to run to, won't you?"
It was probably the greatest testament of Harry's willpower not to attack Malfoy from behind at that statement, though he was rooted to the floor and shaking in controlled rage. "No one will ever harm her, Malfoy!"
"No?" The blonde turned around to face them and shrugged. "Well, what do I know, anyway? Planning on skipping Hogsmeade in a couple of weeks, are you?"
"I don't care if there aren't any teachers around, you won't get near the woman who holds my heart, hear me, Malfoy?" Harry demanded, taking a careful step towards him. His left hand - hidden beneath his dark green cloak - was rubbing between the hilt to his dagger and the end of his normal wand, itching to put either to use suddenly. "I've fought with scum far worse than you... like your dear dad! Still on the lamb, is he? Wonder why that is..."
"My father will make sure she pays, Potter!" Malfoy yelled in return. "She's the reason you all managed to escape last year, and she's the reason the Dark Lord had to punish them all so badly!"
"If he's going to go after anyone, it should be me, got it, ferret boy?" Harry growled at him, his voice deep and foreboding almost beyond recognition. "I was the reason it failed last year, and dear daddy Malfoy shouldn't care about anyone but me, got it?"
"It's you who don't get it, hero-boy!" Malfoy laughed and shook his head. By now, a few other people had heard the shouting and had gathered around to watch. "She's the one who gave you enough strength to fight back! Well, her and that damn mutt, and we all know what that got him! The mudblood's next!"
It was the second time in the same year that Harry had drawn his wand without thinking, and the second time a deafening bang sent Malfoy flying backwards through the air to crash hard against the stone wall behind him - though last time, it was the wall of the train, instead. It was also the second time that Harry had no idea what spell he had cast.
He was breathing heavily, trying to calm his anger down as fast as possible. He didn't want to risk looking to Hermione - for fear of invading her mind again by mistake - so he stood there, wand drawn, knuckles white, as he closed his eyes and tried to focus his mind as McGonagall had taught him.
"It's over, Harry," Hermione whispered from beside him, putting a hand on his arm to try and help. "And it's just as well you blasted him - I was about to slap him again..."
He looked down to her quickly in surprise, a grin actually playing at his lips. "Too bad," he whispered. "I'd have liked a repeat..."
"Mr. Potter!" They both looked away from each other to find a rather familiar - if currently unwelcome - being standing before them, shrouded in his green cloak as always. "I understand that magics in the halls are forbidden... that would be a detention, my office tonight at seven. Am I clear?"
"Professor, sir, it should be more than that!" Harry willed himself to remain calm at the sound of Malfoy's voice trying to earn him more trouble. "He attacked me with my back turned and everything! I didn't even have my wand out!"
"Hmm... I knew I was forgetting something," Talisien said calmly, turning to the Slytherin sixth year easily. "Thank you for reminding me, Mr. Malfoy."
"No problem, sir!"
"That's twenty five points from Slytherin for using a term that I will not allow to be repeated, and you are to serve your detention with our Professor for Care of Magical Creatures, for both trying to start the duel and for lying to a Professor..." he said with a simple nod, turning back to Harry and Hermione again as though to say something else.
"What? That's not fair!"
"Not fair, Mr. Malfoy?" The Wanderer whirled on him again so fast it looked like he simply merged to change directions - no movement was seen save for his cloak billowing about him as he turned. "Not fair would be insulting those who can not defend themselves... not fair is threatening those who do not deserve it... not fair would be refusing to fulfill Hagrid's request. I believe he said something about English lessons for a friend of his, come to think of it."
Although the school was somewhat aware of the fact that there was now a giant living in the Forbidden Forest - which was a very good reason to avoid it if there wasn't one beforehand - few knew the full details like Harry and Hermione did. They could have sworn they saw Talisien wink at them as he passed the entire crowd without saying another word.
The encounter was actually all that was heard to be spoken of at supper that night, and in the Gryffindor common room until the clock inside chimed seven times for Harry to leave.
"I still think it's unfair, getting a detention for beating on Malfoy," Ron muttered to him as he passed. "It's not like you transfigured him or anything."
"He did attack him in the halls, though," Hermione pointed out. "But only because he's faster than me," she added in a whisper to them both, earning a grin from Harry and an expletive that she scolded Ron about moments later.
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"Professor?" Harry pushed open the door to the office for his Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom and found it was empty - the fireplace was dwindling to nothing, and the torches weren't even lit. "Hello?"
"This way, Harry."
He turned quickly to find the Wanderer already walking in the opposite direction. It was a struggle to catch up without running, and even to match the rapid pace they were setting made him work a bit harder than he had expected.
"Where are we going, Talisien?"
The elf didn't answer him at all, but Harry had a good idea by then as to just where they were heading anyway. They had passed by the Great Hall already, though had seen very few students anywhere. When the large double doors parted before them, revealing the cool night sky and darkened grounds, his thoughts were confirmed.
"It is not much further now," Talisien said calmly. It amazed Harry that the elf wasn't even breathing heavily after setting such a rapid pace... but then, considering how he usually moved without even being seen, this probably was rather simple for him.
Soft moonbeams fell silently through the thin branches of the trees overhead when the two finally came to a stop inside the Forbidden Forest. They weren't deep enough in to find themselves in total darkness yet, but the grounds were completely hidden from view.
Talisien motioned to the ground next to one of the massive trees, and Harry took that as an invitation to take a seat. Once down, the elf was sitting across from him instantly. "I am sure you have heard that Hermione's detention was not exactly the most normal one in the world, correct?"
"She said that you weren't even there, but Fey was, and she taught her some things about inner magics," Harry admitted. "What are you planning now? I actually did something wrong, unlike her..."
"And what was that, Harry?"
"I attacked Malfoy," he said simply. "He might have insulted and threatened Hermione, but I shouldn't have attacked him like that."
"Would he have attacked you?"
"He was reaching for his wand, I believe."
"But he didn't have it drawn?"
"No."
Talisien nodded and leaned back. The brown orbs of light vanished from inside the hood suddenly, telling Harry that the elf had his eyes closed. "What else did you do, then? That isn't enough to warrant a detention like this..."
Harry was taken aback by the odd approach his teacher was taking. If attacking Malfoy wasn't enough to deserve a detention, what else had he done? It took him a moment or two to think of what Talisien had said in the past would upset him the most. "I called Malfoy ferret boy," Harry admitted. "Long story involved... let's just say I called him a bad name, and leave it at that."
"Very well," Talisien said with a nod. To Harry's surprise, the elf then lifted a hand towards him. He felt a tremendous pressure on his ribs suddenly before being crushed into the tree behind him. The feeling lifted quickly enough, but it had certainly lasted long enough to be considered painful.
"What..."
"You have now been punished. Next time, it will be more severe," he explained. "It is one of the elven punishments - the more you are forced to endure it, the more painful it becomes. Our young learn quickly not to insult others - we live by what we teach, Harry."
"I shouldn't have sunk to his level, then, right?"
"Good."
The two sat in relative silence before the sound of movement behind them startled Harry into a standing position again. "It is safe in the forest like this?" he asked, thinking of all the different creatures he had encountered in previous years. "I mean..."
"Few creatures of the night would dare to approach an elf in the first place," Talisien said calmly. "Besides, they do not fear harm to the forest with me present. Your dagger also has a calming effect on creatures of the woods - like it has a calming effect on your mind."
Without even realising it, Harry drew the foot long blade easily from the sheath at his side to inspect it. "I've been meaning to ask you about this, actually..."
"Let her hold it," Talisien interrupted. "It is as simple as that... if you allow her to hold it, then it will allow her into your mind. If one tries to take it by force, however, it will not bode well for them."
"So, if Hermione holds this, then I won't break into her mind by mistake?"
"Do you trust her?" At the pointed look Harry gave him, he couldn't help but chuckle. "Right, I understand that feeling, don't worry. In that case, I would suggest letting her hold it."
"Why did you have it in the first place, if you don't mind my asking, that is..." Harry said quickly, looking up to meet the elf's gaze. "I mean, it doesn't seem like you'd ever have to worry about a mental intrusion or anything like that."
"Did I ever tell you that that is what the dagger is for?"
"Well, yeah, something like that, anyway. You told Hermione that I needn't fear..."
"And I meant it, don't worry," the elf again cut him off, though more gently this time. "The dagger is meant to provide protection when we need it the most. It saved my life more times than I care to admit, actually. I'm hoping it can provide similar protection to you, should the need arise."
"Thank you," Harry said simply, though he wished for words that were stronger. The gift that he had been given really was priceless, and he knew it.
"As to how I obtained it... that is a story that would take much longer than a single detention. However, I wish to discuss an opportunity with you, if you are willing." At Harry's nod, he continued, lowering his hood first. "I have seen you using various wandless spells in the past few months, Harry. I say wandless because what you are doing is not inner magics like your Hermione managed... but your normal spells without a wand."
"On occasion," Harry admitted. "But it's nothing special."
"I also heard about your outburst over the holidays... your duel early on this term did wonders to spread that story around, actually." He ignored Harry's groan just as he had ignored his words about the ability. "That ability is even stranger... and one I would like to help you with. It seems to be linked to your emotions."
Harry had the distinct impression that the elf was guiding the conversation in exactly the direction he wanted, regardless of what he suggested. "I can agree to that - say, twice a week after supper? - if you can tell me something about this dagger," he suggested, lifting the blade and catching it in a bit of the eerie glow from the moon
"It is called the Oakrium, and has been in my family for generations," Talisien replied almost instantly. "It is an elven honour blade, passed from father to son whenever the need arose. In this case, I felt you needed it more than my own son."
"Kailyn's father?"
"The same," Talisien whispered. "He's in good hands - the human woman he chose as his mate is simply amazing - and is sufficiently busy leading a castle of his own in a distant land. It is a gathering point for magical creatures that aren't witches or wizards - creatures like elves, cat-people, or others like your goblins..."
"And you're sure he doesn't need it?"
"As surely as Greensleeves no longer needs her Sutadin," the Wanderer whispered. "He is strong on his own, without the power from our bloodline." He then looked to Harry sharply. "I do not mean we had a falling out or anything of the sort - he is simply strong enough without the power of this blade. As am I at this stage. You, on the other hand, have great need of it's strength. Use it well."
"I have been, and I don't intend to stop." As he sheathed the dagger again, something the elf had just said caught his mind again. "The Sutadin?"
"Surely you didn't think that the dagger your Hermione is using would have been without a name..."
"What is it's power, then?" He knew that Hermione had told him it held no power, but he wanted to make sure. "I just know that there is magics involved in it, right?"
"Those who are blind are not kept from seeing." The words meant absolutely nothing to the young wizard, who ran his fingers through his black hair in an attempt not to lose his patience with his teacher. Talisien was probably the most likely elf to speak in such complicated tones - all the others answered his questions directly. He knew that he must have a reason for it, but he couldn't bring himself to ask.
"Is that so?" It wasn't what he wanted to ask, but he couldn't make much sense of what had just been said anyway.
"In our next lesson, I wish to speak to you about the forest of Noyadin," Talisien offered softly as he stood up, offering a hand to Harry in the process. "Until then... you might notice that being in the forest like this can help calm your nerves."
To his surprise, the elf seemed to be right about that. Nothing had really been helping recently with his relaxation, and he was starting to think nothing would let him forget his problems so he could succeed in a complete transformation.
"Would it be alright if I came back to the forest on occasion to calm down?"
"As your teacher, I must forbid such activity," Talisien said solemnly as they started back. Once his hood was in place, he looked down at him again. "However, as a friend, I would strongly suggest it. Good luck, young lyra."
Harry had no chance to ask just how he knew his animagus form before the elf had vanished again.
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I was a bit disappointed by the lack of response/reviews to the last chapter, but I guess it happens from time to time. I haven't had that few since Chapter 16, so I'm sure you can understand where I'm coming from.
Oh well. Here's this chapter, and the next will be out next week on Thursday, regardless. I may post it earlier, but we'll see. It is a favourite of mine... In that one, you will finally see Harry perfect his animagus transformation, and learn more about a few people before they inadvertently stumble upon a secret meeting between Snape and someone else… Chapter Thirty Three: Willow and Tor.
Until the sun sets upon a broken world…
The Shadows
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