CHAPTER EIGHT: WANDLESS WORDLESS MAGIC
~~~~~September 7th, 1996. Hogwarts~~~~~
Harry was thankful that it was a Saturday because weekends equaled sleep-ins. He hadn't been that tired when he returned from his occlumency lesson, but then again they hadn't done much. He had, however, been disturbed by his memories and that caused a constant stream of nightmares throughout the night.
Hermione hadn't come to his bed and he couldn't help but feel a bit sad. He was happy she'd had a rather peaceful night in that she didn't see fit to need his comfort, but he had wished she'd been there for when he woke up.
He used the extra hours the weekend supplied and caught up on some sleep. Finally rising at eleven a.m. he prepared for the day and made his way to the common room. The room was scattered with various Gryffindors, but Harry found Ron and Hermione over at a corner table.
"Mornin' Harry. I wanted to wake you sooner, but Herms told me to let you sleep."
"Well, I'm thankful for that." Harry said as he sat down.
"Goodmorning, Harry." Hermione smiled at him. "Rough night?" She asked, a look of concern flittering across her features.
"You could say that. After the occlumency last night all my memories seemed fresh, so they kept me up for most of the night."
"Well, you'll need to rest up today." Hermione told him.
"Why's that?"
Hermione held up a small tear of parchment. "This came for you about an hour ago, from Professor Brodsky."
Harry read the short note, "Harry, wandless, Prof. B. F. B."
"Not much detail," Ron said, looking around to see the note, "What's it mean?"
Harry started to explain, but Hermione beat him to it, "That at tonights lesson the Professor will be starting to teach Harry wandless magic."
"Bloody hell, can you really do that?" Ron exclaimed.
"Professor Brodsky says I have the potential."
"Well, you'll need all of your strength, Harry." Hermione said. "It's very difficult to perform wandless magic, and very draining. A simple stupefy without a wand can leave you weak if you don't have the stanima."
Hermione had been right. That night when Harry had entered the Room of Requirements Professor Brodsky had given him a strengthening potion and told him to discard his wand.
"Now this takes alot of effort Harry and not many wizards can do it, so don't be disappointed if it doesn't work. The strengthening potion should help, but we'll only be using that to begin with. As you get better then we'll use less and less until none is needed at all."
The levitating spell is one of the first and easiest things taught at Hogwarts, therefore they started there. Brodsky put a feather on a table across the room from Harry and then moved away.
"Like we did with occlumency Harry I want to start with focusing your mind. But this time don't think of a memory. I want you to close your eyes and dig for the magic that runs through your veins."
Harry closed his eyes. He completely and totally focused inwards, the rest of the world faded away. He couldn't see, smell, taste or touch anything. He cleared his mind of thoughts so that the only sound he could hear was the beating of his heart, the rushing of his blood. A picture of that heart swam into his head, and his minds eye focused on the blood; his mothers blood, his fathers blood.
He followed the blood as it made its journey through his circulatory system, crackling more and more with power as it went. After quite a bit of time Harry could literally feel the magical power inside of him. It enveloped him like a warm, familiar blanket, making Harry realize that it was familiar, it had always been there, he'd just never focused on it before.
"I can feel it." Harry said quietly.
"As can I." Professor Brodsky voice broke through his internal voyage. "Open your eyes, Harry."
The world came back into view as Harry did, and although the power he had just came into dissipated, he now could still feel the magic.
"Very good, Harry, very good indeed."
"What happened, Sir?"
"Harry have you ever noticed that if you're in a muggle populace, and a witch or wizard comes near you, you know instantly that they are a witch or wizard?"
Harry thought for a moment then nodded his head. "I do."
"Well, have you ever noticed that when Dumbledore walks into a room you also know instantly that he is very powerful?"
"Yes, Sir."
"I could feel your power increase as you focused, Harry. You most definitely have the potential to do wandless magic." Brodsky smiled at him. "Now, focus on your magic again, but keep your eyes open and split your attention to focus on the feather."
Harry did so, feeling the magic crackle in his veins and watching the feather so intently he thought it would spontaneously combust.
"Now will it to move Harry. Use your will to put that feather into the air. Send that magic at the feather and levitate it."
Harry did so, willing the feather with everything he had just to get a little into the air.
"Keep focused, Harry, and now say the incantation."
"Wingardium Leviosa." Harry muttered, but nothing happened. A little more forcefully, "Wingardium Leviosa."
Five minutes passed with Harry focusing, willing and incantating, but still nothing happened. Once or twice Harry thought about quitting right then and there but quickly thought of Voldemort and how he'd need every advantage. Plus, Professor Brodsky wasn't asking him to stop so he wasn't about to give up.
After another fifteen full minutes, Harry quickly closed his eyes and refocused on the magic inside of him. Opening them he also focused on the feather. He almost shouted "Wingardium Leviosa!"
If one had been watching closely, as Brodsky was, it would have seemed that the feather had a breath of wind flow over it, the barbs waving slightly.
Harry however was too far away to see it. He kept repeating the incantation all the while allowing the magic to fill him, while his mind shouted, Move you damn feather! Float!Harry had no idea why his body was beginning to feel drained, but with each whisper that passed over the feather, Brodsky knew why.
Harry was at it non-stop for forty-five minutes and was about to give up when he thought he'd give it one last shot. He allowed his magic to surround him and fill him as his mind screamed at the feather, louder and louder. Then with one more "Wingardium Leviosa!" the feather gave the slightest of jumps off the table.
The young wizard grinned and allowed himself to drop into a chair that materialised behind him, he was utterly exhausted. Brodsky stood from the seat in the shadows he'd claimed and moved towards Harry, also wearing a smile.
"Well done, Harry."
"Well done? It took long enough just to get it to move the tiniest little bit." Harry groaned, but the smile never left his face.
"You weren't paying attention Harry. If you'd been at my vantage point you would have seen with each incantation, the feather moved in the slightest, more and more each time."
"It did?" Harry asked in wonder.
Brodsky nodded, "Yes. And you must remember, not only is this difficult to learn, it is something many are not capable of. Now, go and get a good nights rest, Harry. Mondays lesson will be much the same as this one, only with a wand."
"What will we be doing, Sir?" Harry asked as both of them headed for the door.
"Non-verbal spells. A quality always useful to have."
"Will I be able to do that, Sir?"
"It's not like wandless magic, Harry, any wizard or witch can do spells without an incantation if they practice enough." Brodsky explained.
After a very slow Sunday, one filled with sleep, laying around, playing chess, talking and catching up on some more sleep, Monday rolled around. Harry made it through charms alright, having a rather good laugh with Ron after Professor Flitwick almost fell off his stack of books.
Harry walked out of potions, miserable. Snape seemed slimier today and the room had been really hot due to a potion he was currently brewing so Hermione had loosened her tie and unbuttoned the top of her shirt.
Harry had been too busy chastising himself over the ungentlemanly thoughts that ran through his mind every time Hermione bent over her cauldron and he caught a glimpse of the bare skin on her chest, glistened slightly with sweat, that he'd mixed up his ingredients and almost blown up the room, much to Snapes anger, yet pleasure.
Snape had rattled on and on about how the Headmaster had made "a monstrous mistake" in giving special treatment to the "wonder-boy" and how Dumbledore would be hearing about this "idiots blunder."
"What were you thinking?" Hermione asked as they made their way to Defence.
Harry blushed a little and muttered, "You really don't want to know."
"You know that he's just looking for an excuse to kick you out of his class and if you get kicked out then I leave too."
"Why? As much as the greazy git hates it, you're still top of the class."
Hermione sighed, "Harry, do you really think I want to go down there alone? Or put up with him for neverending lessons without any backup?" She then smiled a cheeky little smile, "Besides, you leave, I become his main target."
Harry rolled his eyes and laughed. They met Ron outside of the Defense class and filed inside when Brodsky turned up. Every lesson for the past week they'd been working on their patroni and by now most of the class had managed it, so this lesson would be focused on getting those few who hadn't finished up so they could move on.
Both Hermione and Brodsky still seemed uneasy in eachothers presence, but only someone who knew Hermione as well as Harry did would be able to tell she wasn't fully okay, she was just dealing with it. She still wouldn't look at the Professor directly, but even if she did she would find that he wasn't looking at her directly. The mystery of the man was still frustrating and unnerving her more than she let on.
By the end of the lesson every sixth year whom took Defence Against The Dark Arts could conjure a patronus.
That night Harry and Hermione got to the Great Hall pretty early. They sat by themselves since Ron was already down one end of the table engaging in a very flirtatious conversation with Lavender Brown.
"So what are two going to be doing tonight?" Hermione asked.
Harry drowned the slices of roast he had in gravy and answered, "Non-verbal incantations. Professor Brodsky says that anyone can do it and it will probably be easier than the wandless."
"I'm sure you'll have no trouble with it. If a slimy death eater like...like Dol-Dolohov" Hermione stuttered and Harry saw the lingering pain flash in her eyes. "can do it, than I'm sure it'll be simple for you."
"Are you okay?" Harry asked, seizing her hand.
"I'm fine, Harry. It's just still..."
"An open wound." He finished, squeezing her hand tightly. "It's still an open wound for me too."
"Oh, Harry, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to remind you of Sirius."
Harry shook his head and looked into her eyes. "Not Sirius, although that still hurts too. But you." When Hermione looked confused he continued, "I thought you were dead, Mione, and if Neville hadn't of been there to keep his senses and check for a pulse then I would've given up right then and there.
"Mione, I knew that out of all of you that were going to follow me that night, no matter how much I tried to dissuade you guys, you'd be the one to come whether I liked it or not. If I'd had enough time I would've been able to get even Ron to stay back, but I knew you wouldn't. You've always stayed beside me, Mione, even when that great oaf down there wouldn't." Harry said gesturing down the table towards Ron.
Hermione smiled at Harry, "You're right, I would've followed no matter what you said."
"It's gotta' stop, Mione." Harry leaned close and told her softly with eyes as serious as a heart attack.
"What?"
"You can't keep following me into danger. You almost died at the Ministry."
Hermione shook her head and replied equally as serious, "But I didn't. Harry, you know I'll be following you no matter what."
Harry voice rose a bit as he spoke but he quietened down after a few people looked over. "No! Don't you know
how close we came to losing completely that night, just because you were taken out of the fight. Not only were you the
most capable of us, but when Dolohov hit you I panicked, Mione. When you fell and I thought you were dead I lost all
capability of sensible thought."
"Harry, I - -"
"No, Hermione. I can't risk you, I can't take the chance of losing you. If I lost you then - -" He broke off as if realizing what he was saying.
"Then what, Harry?" Hermione asked.
Harry dropped his head and mumbled, "Then my life wouldn't be worth living."
Hermiones eyes widened and her mind raced. He can't possibly mean what he just said. I'm just his friend, I'm not that important to him; more than his parents, more than Sirius.
His head was still lowered so Hermione took hold of his chin and turned him to look her in the eyes. He was still holding his tears back but she could see them threatening to spill. "Don't say that, Harry. You know it wouldn't, you've got so much ahead of you. After this war is over and the good guys have won, and make no mistake we will win, then you can do so much. You can be an auror, or play professional quidditch, you'll get married and have children and your life will be wonderful."
"I wouldn't want to do any of it without you by my side."
She saw her own feelings in his eyes and realized that Ginny had been right all along, he felt the same way she did. They searched eachothers souls for a few long, heartpounding minutes, both discovering that their feelings were not only much stronger than the crush they initially thought it to be, but were returned by the other. The look they were giving eachother made electricity shiver through both their bodies.
"Well, this conversation seems much too serious." Ron broke them apart as he sat down across from them. "Thank Merlin I'm here to lighten things up."
They shared one last look and turned to Ron with smiles on their faces. "Have you asked Lavender out yet, mate?" Harry asked as they all ate.
"Not yet, we've just been flirtin' for a bit. I think I'll ask her to the first Hogsmeade weekend."
"Sounds good, mate. I gotta' get going."
He bid them goodbye and went to the Room of Requirement. It was set up much the same way it was on Saturday night, the feather and all.
"Welcome, Harry." Brodsky said. "Not much to it tonight. You don't need to focus as intently on your magic, this is all rather simple with practice. Draw your wand, point it at the feather and repeat the incantation in your mind, forcefully."
Harry pulled his wand out and held it in front of him. He used all of his power to will against the feather and his mind said, Wingardium Leviosa!
Nothing happened. "More force, Harry. Make it happen."
Wingardium Leviosa!Harry shouted in his head. It took three more attempts before the feather moved, giving a little jump in the air.
"Good, making it move is the first step, now make it float Harry."
It took a while before Harry was able to successfully hold the feather in the air and after a few moments it dropped back to the table.
"I want you to just keep at it Harry, you're doing great." Brodsky assured him.
Harry spent the rest of the lesson making the feather levitate, holding it in the air longer and longer each time. When Brodsky dismissed him he was thankful for his warm bed and what would hopefully be a good nights sleep.
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