Chapter 29: Forms Revealed
August 5 - Grimmauld Place - 6:25am
With the battle at Azkaban, and the losses and injuries incurred, Harry and Neville's birthdays passed with little attention. Dobby and Ginny surprised the two with a large chocolate birthday cake after dinner on the 31st, while others produced hastily wrapped presents mostly books on defense and advanced magic. Remus and Mad-Eye gave them both a set of swords and knives with the promise to teach them how to use them. Training sessions grew longer for the young people, and Harry and Hermione found themselves struggling to ready a lesson plan for the defense classes they continued to teach at Hogwarts.
The bodies of all the aurors from Azkaban appeared in the atrium of the Ministry the day after the battle. Rufus Scrimgeour insisted on the removal of Fudge from office to prevent further deaths and a vote of no confidence occurred with barely two thirds of the Wizengamot in attendance. Amelia Bones was appointed as interim minister until an election could be held. Scrimgeour had announced his candidacy just before Acting Minister Bones.
Dumbledore steered Draco's request to sit as a member of the Wizengamot through and the sixteen year old Slytherin became an official member of the Wizengamot on August 2. As Narcissa had petitioned for Draco to have the seat as a descendant of both the Malfoy's and the Black's, and he also had Dumbledore's support, the underage wizard had a surprisingly easy time despite still being underage.
Harry's request was submitted immediately after Draco was approved, along with a copy of Sirius's will granting Harry his emancipation. Dumbledore insisted that he expected no problem with Harry's claiming a seat based on the Potter family. Neville had plans to meet with his uncle to get his own emancipation papers signed. Once that was done, he too, would apply for a seat on the wizarding counsel.
At the moment, several members of the Order were gathered around the kitchen table of Grimmauld awaiting the latest updates on Death Eater activity, events at the Ministry, and the condition of Arthur Weasley. Harry ran a hand through his messy black hair as he sat at the kitchen table beside Hermione. She squeezed his free hand softly in encouragement. The losses from Azkaban weighed on him. She could feel the guilt and sadness he felt through their strengthening link. She debated saying something but Dumbledore's sudden appearance with a soft pop of apparition ended that thought, at least for the moment. She only hoped he had good news this time.
Albus Dumbledore looked around the table at the sad and tired faces of those Order members in attendance. He could see all too clearly the psychological edge that Riddle was gaining through the upsurge in activity in the last few months. Attendance at meetings had dropped along with the attendance at defense classes. With the loss of so many aurors, everyone feared for their family's safety and wondered how much longer it would be until the Ministry fell. He only hoped that his news this morning would help counter the losses. He took his usual place at the head of the table to address the group.
"Thank you all for coming. I have just come from St. Mungos, and they are beginning a new treatment on Arthur Weasley that appears to be working. He has not awakened yet, but he is not sleeping so deeply." The good news did serve to ease some of the despair in the room. "With the recent attack on Azkaban and the loss of so many aurors, the Ministry is accelerating the training of those already in the auror apprenticeship and are calling for volunteers to assist the aurors through patrolling their own neighborhoods and reporting suspected and known Death Eater activity. I would like to ask that each of you continue to patrol and report back to the Order any activities that you note. I will then pass along information to my contacts within the Ministry."
"Is the Order not working with the Ministry?" Bill Weasley questioned. His injuries had healed quickly. He hadn't even missed any work.
"Not officially. Amelia Bones and I have discussed the matter, and we are in agreement that the Order should continue to operate on its own. We will of course, help where we can do so," Dumbledore replied smoothly.
"What is happening with the upcoming election? Will Interim Minister Bones be able to secure the position, and if not, is Scrimgeour any more competent that Fudge?"
"I suspect it will be a hard fought election. As for Mr. Scrimgeour, he has been an effective leader of the aurors, though that is almost all that I know about him," Dumbledore answered diplomatically. "The important thing for now is that we must remain on the alert. Voldemort has been particularly active in the last few months. Although we were seemingly prepared for the attack on Azkaban, we still suffered substantial losses when we consider the lost aurors. The defense classes have helped to lower the casualties when families and towns are attacked, but we need to work on strengthening our numbers and on our information gathering skills." Dumbledore paused and looked around the room staring into the faces of those around him.
"Things are going to get worse and we need to stand together and help each other. Please seek out others who you think would be willing to help us, and if you have ideas for how to help, come forward and share them with me and others. That said, I would like to present you all with one of these packages from the private stock at Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes with some rather interesting new devices to help aid us in this battle," with a wave of his hand a simple brown wrapped package appeared in front of each person at the table. Some members reached out to touch the items, while others leaned away form the seemingly harmless packages. Dumbledore smiled at the reactions.
"Many of you have already seen how most of these devices work at previous meetings. If you have any further questions, Fred and George have assured me that they will be happy to answer them," He paused again before finishing by saying, "Headmaster's duties await me, but you may reach me at my office there." With that the meeting broke up as members started conversing among themselves, while others examined their packages more closely. Most left for work, home or patrol duties within minutes of the meeting ending.
Harry, Hermione, and Neville followed Mad-Eye down to the basement for another training session. The three had advanced rapidly in their fighting abilities, although Moody would never reveal that to them.
"Alright, you three, anything goes except the killing curse. I've invited some others to help join in the training session this morning, but I'm not saying who or how many or when they might arrive. Begin your usual drills, and remember constant vigilance!" With that the grizzled auror clumped off to his usual place along the wall to watch the three spell each other as they practiced attacking and blocking. Occasionally, he would fire a spell at one of them to make sure they remained aware of their surroundings in addition to the opponent they currently faced.
"He loves this stuff," Neville murmured shaking his head as he prepared to face off against Hermione. Harry nodded moving further away from his friend to avoid any blocked or redirected spells. He scanned the room taking careful note of all of the places where a witch or wizard could hide and mount an attack, while Hermione and Neville sparred. Moody sent a stunner in his direction that he easily avoided. A slight movement from the opposite side of the room caught his attention, and he immediately sent a reductor curse that way. A crate blew apart as the curse hit its target. When there was no further movement from that way, Harry wondered briefly if he had imagined the hint of movement earlier. Perhaps he was becoming too like Moody and firing at shadows.
A diffindo curse opened up his shirt sleeve and removed his doubts as he ducked even as he countered. Hermione whirled as well raising a shield to protect the three friends. Neville fired a stunner around her shield at Harry's unknown assailant as well. The three moved as one in search of cover. Spells charged at them from numerous directions and the three found themselves furiously countering and blocking the spells. Hermione fell to a cruciatus that broke through Harry's shield. Neville hit Rogers with a petrificus totalus spell that broke the spell on Hermione and froze the newer Order member who fell to the floor his arms and legs locked tightly to his side. Harry held out a hand helping Hermione to her feet. She trembled slightly in the aftereffects of the curse, but that didn't stop her from sending a chain binding curse after her former attacker, who found himself not only locked in place, but tightly bound.
Harry dispatched another opponent with a stunner that sent the order member skidding across the floor. Hermione pushed him out of the way of a bolt of yellow, and returned the fire with a freezing spell that locked the assailant and their hiding place in a block of ice. From the side of the room where he observed the fight, Moody struggled to contain his surprise. Granger had just frozen an opponent without evening seeing them. His magical eye stared at Tonks in her frozen state knowing that none of the three had seen the auror behind the old wardrobe where she remained hidden, and yet, there she was completely eliminated from the battle, frozen. The battle continued for another ten minutes before the three managed to overcome their attackers.
"Cancel the spells," Moody ordered making his way to the middle of the room. The three crept slowly from their hiding places as they each said the incantation to cancel their spells. "Nicely done, but it took too long," he told them as the others made their way out of the basement. He couldn't tell them that he was amazed that they remained standing, while their opponents, several of who were trained aurors, had been defeated. The three stood in silence awaiting more feedback.
"Potter, Longbottom, you're dismissed. I believe you have a lesson with Minerva now. Granger, stay with me." Hermione had expected to be dismissed as well to study. She no longer took the animagus lessons with Harry and Neville, so she generally used the time to practice other spells or research ways to defeat Voldemort. She gave Harry a reassuring smile when he hesitated to leave her alone with Moody.
"You'll be seventeen soon, correct?" Moody questioned once the others had disappeared up the stairs.
"Yes, sir, September 19th," Hermione replied. Moody walked around her as if looking for something he had overlooked. He waved his wand and several practice dummies appeared in the middle of the room.
"Take out the center dummy with your freezing spell," he ordered, and she complied, easily encasing the dummy in a block of ice. Moody examined the dummy and the ice surrounding it. Walking back to Hermione, he asked, "Do you know any offensive fire spells?"
"I know incendio, of course, but surely you don't want me to set the dummy on fire?" Hermione asked incredulous.
"Humor me, it's just a practice dummy after all," Moody said. Hermione took a deep breath, and then did as he asked. The dummy burst into flame at her silent incantation. Moody had cautioned them against speaking any spell aloud as it revealed their position during a battle. "Now put out the flames," Moody added. Water drenched the dummy dousing the flames.
"Good," Moody stated moving closer and examining the remains of the burned dummy. A book appeared in his hand and he gave it to Hermione. "Read this and begin practicing the spells contained within it. After our next session, you and I will run through as many of those spells as you can do. You're dismissed." Moody said and disapperated leaving her alone in the basement of Grimmauld.
She looked down at the plain dragon hide book in her hands. Across the front in small gold script were the words, "Elemental Magic: Basic Spells." 'Elemental magic, did Moody really think she could master this elusive area of magic?' She knew her freezing spell was better than Harry or Neville's, but still, elemental magic was an extremely difficult area and required a lot of control since one called upon the magic in the four elements of nature, earth, wind, water, and fire, to increase the strength of their spells. Even books on elemental magic were hard to come by as most witches and wizards lacked the ability to do more than the most basic elemental spells such as incendio or glacio. She wondered briefly where Moody had found the book he gave her, then decided not to worry about it as her curiosity got the best of her. She walked across the empty room and transfigured a crate into a comfy chair. Sitting down, she opened the book and began to read.
* * * * *
August 14 - Grimmauld Place
"Excellent, Mr. Longbottom," Minerva McGonagall found herself saying much to her surprise. Prior to the last few weeks, she would never have thought it possible, but Neville Longbottom, one of her worst students had successfully managed an illusion of his animagus form.
The shy young man before her had only moments ago projected the image of a griffin. Although apt considering his house, she marveled at the personality that lay beneath the previously poor student. 'If only we had realized that his lack of confidence had affected him so greatly,' the older witch thought to herself as she congratulated him again.
"Now that we know your form for certain, it will go much more quickly, and in a matter of months you should be able to change into your other form completely, perhaps even at will. Obviously the more you practice your exercises, the faster this process will go," she reminded him. Neville nodded and reassured her that he would practice as much as possible.
"Thanks, Professor," he added almost as an afterthought.
"Your welcome, I will see you again the day after tomorrow," she replied then turned to her other student as Neville left the room. Normally she kept them both for the full time, but she knew that Neville and Pomona along with Poppy and Luna were nearing a breakthrough in their research related to the curse that had taken out Arthur Weasley. Although the healers had awakened the Weasley patriarch, he still suffered side effects that made him sleep for nearly eighteen hours at a time. Arthur's doctors released him with careful instructions and with their apologies that they did not know how to help him further. She pushed those thoughts aside as she turned to her other student.
"Alright, Mr. Potter, lets see how far you've come." Harry nodded and closed his eyes feeling out his animal form. He went through the incantation that she had taught them to try to reveal their animagus form. Nothing happened at first, and she began to wonder how Neville had managed to out progress Harry, when suddenly she caught a flash of his form.
"Oh my," she said aloud before she could stop herself. Her words broke Harry's concentration and his form faded before he could open his eyes to see it.
"What? What was it?" Harry questioned nervous now. 'Surely, he wasn't going to be a snake or something like Nagini.' Minerva composed herself the best she could. Neville's form had been enough of a surprise for her.
"Well, Mr. Potter, it would seem your form is a phoenix," she informed him as calmly as she could manage.
"What?"
"A phoenix, Mr. Potter," she repeated firmly.
"Like Fawkes," Harry pressed not quite believing her. She gave him her sternest look. Surely the boy would not think she would joke about something like this.
"Yes, Mr. Potter, like Fawkes. He did take rather a liking to you, perhaps he has sensed this about you," she suggested thinking that over herself. She might just surprise Albus Dumbledore with the news she had for him about both Neville and Harry and their forms. She smiled to herself at that thought.
"Do I need to repeat the instructions that I gave to Mr. Longbottom, or do you think you can remember them?" She asked him breaking the silence that had descended.
"I remember, thanks, professor," he replied excitedly, standing and quickly leaving the room to find Hermione and tell her the news.
* * * * *
Hermione perched on the edge of her seat in one of the many sitting rooms in Grimmauld. She wasn't entirely sure why Moody insisted on meeting her here for their training session, but then Moody's actions were often a mystery. She'd barely been able to put the book he gave her down, and by the time he returned for their next session she had mastered many of the spells contained within the pages. Expecting him to be thrilled at how well she had done, she'd been surprised and a bit hurt when he ordered her to keep practicing and disappeared. So far they had met twice to review the spells in the book, and she had managed to do most of them by the end of their last session. Still, when he called time, he admonished her to keep practicing and disapparated immediately. She remained on the alert wondering if he planned on a surprise attack to test her reaction time. When she heard two soft pops of apparition, she lunged into a crouching position using the sofa as cover while training her wand in the direction of the sounds.
"Excellent, reflexes, Miss Granger," Albus Dumbledore greeted making his way into the room. Moody followed, but only grunted at the headmaster's remark.
"You weren't facing the door," he admonished her.
"I was sitting at an angle to cover both the door and the fireplace, both likely methods of entry," Hermione replied. "I could also see the window through the mirror angled just over there by the fireplace." Dumbledore smiled the familiar twinkle sparkling in his eyes.
"It would appear she has you there, Alastor," he said proud of the young witch. She was one of the most talented and intelligent witches he had ever met, and that was saying something.
Moody didn't answer. Instead he took a sip from his hip flask before leaning back against the wall near the fireplace his magical eye roving over the room. Dumbledore made himself comfortable in a plush red chair near the fire and across from where Hermione again sat on the sofa.
"Lemon drop," Dumbledore offered pulling a small bag of candy from an inner cloak pocket. Hermione merely shook her head. He extracted one for himself and placed it in his mouth, his eyes closing as he savored the sharp taste on his tongue. Hermione waited patiently, though Moody glared in the headmaster's direction as if urging him to continue. The wizened wizard opened his eyes reluctantly.
"Candy, one of life's little pleasures," he remarked shifting slightly in his chair. Moody made a sound that sounded something like 'harumph,' but Dumbledore ignored him. "Well, now, I suppose you are wondering why I am here, Miss Granger. It's quite simple really, Alastor has alerted me to your special talent for elemental magic."
"She hasn't mastered all of the spells, just part of them," Moody pointed out to the other wizard.
"Actually, Professor Moody, sir, I can do all of the spells in the book you gave me now," Hermione spoke up for herself.
"Really? How extraordinary!" Dumbledore remarked. He had not expected this completely, but it did make the scene in his office between Harry and Hermione make more sense. He hadn't paid so much attention before to the fact that the fireplace had flared with her temper and that the wind had responded to her. He'd merely put it aside as a wave of uncontrolled magic, but perhaps it meant much more than he previously thought. "How long have you been practicing?"
"Since Professor Moody gave me the book, so a little over a week," she answered almost subconsciously pushing a stray lock of hair that had escaped her hasty attempt to pull it into a bun back form her face. The two wizards shared a look.
"You can do all of the spells in that book, even the ones you had difficulty with last time?" Moody pressed as if he didn't quite believe her.
"Yes," Hermione replied confidently, "Harry practiced them with me." Dumbledore's eyebrows rose at this.
"Tell me, Miss Granger, could Mr. Potter, do many of the spells?" Hermione looked at him strangely for a moment.
"Yes, it took him longer than it did me, and he wasn't able to do all of them, but he did quite well." Hermione said proud of the fact that both she and Harry could do spells in this difficult area of magic.
"Miss Granger, you do realize that most witches and wizards never advance beyond a few of the more simple spells in that book, like the incendio," Dumbledore stated watching the witch carefully for her response.
"Yes, I know, that's why I was surprised when Professor Moody gave me the book, but I found most of the spells to be surprisingly easy, and once I had the basics down the others became easier."
"Miss Granger, neither Alastor nor I can do all of the spells in that book," Dumbledore said simply stating a fact. Hermione could not hide her shock.
"But headmaster, surely you can…" Hermione began only to stop at the headmaster's shaking head.
"No, Miss Granger, elemental magic is a very rare inherited gift. I can do a great many of those spells, far more than your average witch or wizard, but there are still a few that I have great difficulty with," he informed her.
"But I'm a muggle born witch, how could I have inherited this ability?"
"Perhaps both magic and this gift run in your family, but as with some families it may skip whole generations. The point is, Miss Granger, it would appear that you are an elemental magi." Hermione's eyes widened at the term. She'd seen it in books a few times, but they were incredibly rare.
"How do I know which element I control?" Hermione questioned thinking about what she'd read. Most elemental magi had a special kinship with one area of elemental magic.
"I believe you may be a multi-elemental magi," Moody said gruffly. "You seem to control each element equally well, and despite the element involved in the spell, you've managed to master it."
"Alastor has come to me because this means you will require a real teacher in this to help you learn to control your magic, and soon," Dumbledore added.
"What do you mean, sir?" Hermione questioned biting her lower lip in consternation.
"You come of age in mid September and your powers as a full multi-elemental magi will vest. It's always been a part of you, but like when you turned eleven and you could feel and control the magic inside you, your magical ability and potential will greatly increase when you reach majority in the wizarding world." Hermione nodded. It made a lot of sense really.
"But can't I continue to learn to control it after my birthday?"
"You can and your powers will likely continue to increase for some time, but if you do not have some kind of control over your powers as they increase it could cause severe changes in the world around you. Remember, as an elemental your powers are increased by the world around you, whether you deliberately call upon them or not. Should you lose control, the results could be devastating," the kindly headmaster pointed out, pausing to let Hermione think about this for a moment. The level of responsibility seemed daunting. Understanding her concern, Dumbledore continued, "Miss Granger, I could think of no better witch to be entrusted with this kind of power. You have always been a very powerful witch and I have no doubt that you will handle the challenge of balancing this new power with grace."
"What about Potter?" Moody said breaking the silence that had descended on the room as Hermione thought about her new powers and what they would mean. "Control has never been his strong suit," Moody continued his mind already considering the possibilities of Potter also having some elemental abilities.
"They have bonded," Dumbledore revealed to the auror and began to explain, "Bonded couples may call upon the powers of their mate, and this is most likely why Mr. Potter can do some of the spells. He will never master all of them the way that she can, but he will be able to do more than your average witch or wizard because of his link to her. I am confident that Miss Granger will be able to help temper Mr. Potter's tendencies. He will have to train with her to improve his own control as well though."
"It's going to be an interesting year," Moody observed thinking about the fact that a teenage witch and wizard would soon have the ability to control the elements of nature at will. He only hoped Albus was correct and that Granger was up to the challenge of both controlling her own burgeoning powers, and that of Potter's as their link deepened. He didn't envy her the task, but he also found himself agreeing with his old friend that if anyone could, then it would be her.
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Author's Note: No the characters are not mine. They belong to JK Rowling. I hope those of you enjoy this attempt at a longer chapter, and a returned focus on Harry and Hermione even though there's not really any fluff in this chapter. Let me know what you think. And thank you to all of you who have done so already.