The Last Kefsen by Jardyn39
Chapter 18: Ron the Hero
For a long time Harry and Hermione sat in silence with their four Slytherin guests.
Harry quietly observed Draco and tried to imagine what he was feeling. Would he be brave enough to turn away from his father, as his friends had done? He could see Draco looking around the Gryffindor common room, as if searching for a sign.
As Harry looked on, suddenly Draco's impassive face distorted with fear and he silently fell off his chair. Pansy looked at him curiously and looked around to see what Draco had been looking at.
Harry could understand Draco's reaction, but was not alarmed. Jen, in her spider form, must have still been in the common room. She had silently crossed the room and climbed over the back of the settee where Pansy sat, in full view of Draco.
By the time Pansy looked around, she was facing her twin smiling down at her and gently touching her shoulder.
"Hi," Jen said brightly. "Sorry, I was dozing. It's so nice to have company."
"This is Jen. She's been our guest this term," Harry said. "Jen this is Pansy Parkinson, Gregory Goyle, Vincent Crabbe and Draco Malfoy. They are visiting from Slytherin House."
They each nodded as they were introduced apart from Draco who was still sitting on the floor staring at her. Jen then crossed back across the room but quickly returned with a tray of butterbeers which she proceeded to serve to everybody. Finishing with Harry, she answered his quizzical look whispering, "The house elves sent them. I think the Fat Lady told them we had company."
Jen placed the tray on the floor and sat down next to Pansy who seemed quite transfixed to find she suddenly had an identical twin. Goyle and Crabbe, who looked like they hadn't seen Jen before she transformed, were looking at Draco with mild concern.
"So the stories are true," Pansy said simply.
A long pause followed and Harry decided to pick up the conversation.
"Have you considered joining our defence club?" asked Harry.
Draco snorted loudly.
"We are anti Voldemort, not anti Slytherin, you know!" retorted Hermione immediately. The four of them had given horrible involuntary shudders as she spoke.
Pansy, composed herself quickest and said, "Well, we did try to form our own group. Professor Snape agreed to teach us Slytherins some duelling techniques. The trouble is most people took it as an opportunity to settle some old scores. Most of the time the sessions just ended in a brawl."
Draco was smiling to himself, presumably remembering some of the old scores that he had settled.
"Well, perhaps we could arrange some private lessons. The others wouldn't have to know anything," suggested Hermione hopefully, glancing over to Harry.
"You only have to ask," said Harry but he missed Hermione's warm smile at him.
"No," said Pansy abruptly. "I mean, no thanks. If we do this, it has to be as part of a non-house thing. It would be worse if someone found out …"
They were interrupted by a loud banging on one of the dormitory doors followed by a muffled moan of frustration. All of them rose to their feet knowing that their meeting had come to an end.
"I'm sure we can find a way around Harry's declaration requirement," Hermione said hurriedly.
Pansy shrugged and said, "Please make sure he," she pointed over to Ron, "understands we were never here tonight."
They all moved towards the portrait hole and Hermione thanked them for coming and bid them warm goodbyes individually. Crabbe and Goyle appeared genuinely abashed to hear her effortlessly address them by their first names as if they had been friends for years. Even Draco managed to remain civil and Pansy graciously thanked them for being their hosts.
When they had gone Harry went up and unsealed both the dormitory entrance doors. Whoever had tried to come down had gone away again.
Harry rejoined Hermione and said gently, "Well, that was an interesting evening. Don't forget we have to return Malfoy's wand."
"That went well, don't you think?" said Jen, still looking like Pansy. "We should definitely invite more people from other Houses over!"
Hermione wasn't listening.
"What do you think he'll do?" she asked seriously.
They all turned when they heard a low moan from Ron.
*
To Harry's relief, it took Ron some time to recover from the stunning spells he had received the night before. Ron's dazed state allowed Harry to get his best friend down to breakfast in the Great Hall without too many problems.
Once there, however, Ron began to recover. He sat staring angrily at the plate of sausages, bacon and eggs that Harry had piled up for him. Usually nothing could distract Ron from breakfast.
Harry sighed. "Look Ron, I'm really sorry about last night. It's just …"
"I just cannot believe you did that," Ron said shakily and Harry knew he was about to loose his temper. Perhaps it had been a bad idea to bring Ron down to the Great Hall.
Just at that moment Luna rushed up and sat on the other side of Ron.
"Ronald! I'm so proud of you!"
"Er, what?" asked Ron, clearly wrong footed.
"Hermione just told me. She said she couldn't give any details but that thanks to you we stand a good chance of getting some of the Slytherins to join some of the defence groups and maybe persuade some of them not to support You-Know-Who!" she said in an excited whisper as Harry fought to keep his face straight.
For a moment Harry thought Ron would just explode.
However, Ron's weak attempts to deny he had done any such thing were quickly exhausted and in the end he appeared to accept Luna's assertions that he must have made a heroic sacrifice.
Hermione sat down next to Harry. He smiled to her and mouthed, "Thanks," to her as Luna prattled on, oblivious to anyone else.
*
Hermione gave a great sigh of frustration. She and a somewhat muddy Harry were down in front of Hagrid's house showing Dumbledore their progress, or rather lack of progress, at wand-less magic.
Harry had just made his own attempt. Without meaning to, he had managed to rip a sizeable area of turf, complete with roots and a good deal of topsoil, out of the ground. Ducking as it flew over his head, he had turned just in time to see a surprised Hagrid catch it. The stick he was trying to summon remained, of course, in the hole left behind.
They had been practising whenever they could but the best time had been on Thursday afternoons when they both had a free study period. Harry found he still couldn't control what he was doing but he was making progress now. If he ever needed to summon mud and dirt he was sorted! The objects Hermione had tried to summon had wobbled a little but that was all.
Hermione had been uncharacteristically nervous about the prospect of performing magic under the critical eye of Dumbledore.
"You just need to relax a little," said Dumbledore kindly. "Stand in front of us so there are no distractions." Behind her back he drew his wand and with a small wave Harry noticed a quiet descend on them. Harry looked over to Hagrid sitting on his front steps. Hagrid gave him a knowing smile and a small nod.
"Concentrate. Reach out with your mind. Just think what you would do with a wand in your hand. Just imagine the movements and think the incantation."
Suddenly the small branch a few feet in front of Hermione jumped up and flew to her. Catching it she yelled, "Hah!" as Hagrid and Harry cheered.
"Very good indeed, Hermione. I want you both to practice hard. This is just the first stage but mastering simple things like this will help train your mind so you can learn close transfiguration. With hard work it will come."
Hermione looked at him doubtfully.
"You have seen for yourself that you have this ability. It would be unusual for someone who applies herself with such mental discipline not to have some wand-less ability. Harry here, has been performing wand-less magic, for some time. In his case, however, he rarely knows what will happen or how he did it."
Hagrid managed to stifle a short snigger.
"The point is you can give yourselves an advantage but it will require hard work. Hermione, you will find it difficult to perform wand-less magic when you are emotional or stressed. Harry, you on the other hand perform best when you are emotional and stressed. Your challenge is to control and direct your abilities and not rely on your subconscious."
They both nodded.
"It can take decades to become truly proficient. Many witches or wizards resort to amulets and the like to help them channel the magic. Neither of you need such focusing aids nor do you need to become expert in the short term, although I am sure that will come later."
Hagrid interjected at that point saying "Yeah, but if you ever find yourself away from yer wand, y'know, bound or shackled and wot-not, you'll to 'ave a chance to get free on your own."
"Professor Dumbledore, why are there wards in the castle to prevent us practising inside?" asked Hermione.
"Ah, I'm afraid the house elves insisted. Some time ago a student decided to show off by summoning their wand to them. Unfortunately they were a little off and managed to uproot several trees of the same species that the wand was made from. The trees stomped around the castle for hours and made quite a mess, and you know I think," he added with a smile, "I still owe quite a few detentions for that."
Hermione just looked at him shocked while Harry burst out laughing.
Dumbledore answered her unasked question.
"Well, I got a few more detentions after and they lost count after a while."