Harry Potter and all characters, etc. belong to J.K. Rowling, not me.
Harry McGonagall - Chapter 31 - Summer of Learning
"It's good to be home," Harry exclaimed as he crossed the threshold of the house he was raised in, carrying his trunk. He, Aunt Minnie and Brianna had just flooed to O'Hare airport to be met by Mark and Cindy McGonagall, who drove them home. Once the rest of his family was inside and the door shut, Harry put down his trunk and got his wand out of its holster. "Wingardium Leviosa," he said while performing the appropriate swish and flick, causing his luggage to float up the stairs as he followed.
"You don't need to use magic for everything," commented his mom before Brianna followed her brother's example. "It wouldn't hurt you to get some exercise."
"What for?" asked Harry, indicating his slim build. As he walked back down the stairs, it was clear he was not gaining weight to justify a comment like that.
"I'm not saying you're getting fat, Harry, because you're not. I just don't think it's healthy that the only exercise you get at Hogwarts is walking to class, especially since both of you have those special back-packs to make sure your books don't weigh you down."
Turning to his father, Harry asked, "When did mum get obsessed with exercise?"
"I'm not obsessed," she replied.
"She started watching a health program on TV a few weeks ago," said Mark. "She also bought a treadmill."
"And I think you kids should spend time on it every day this summer."
"WHAT!?!" exclaimed both kids together.
Sighing at seeing their reactions, Cindy walked toward her children. "It's only because I care about your health. I love you both and want you to live long, healthy lives."
Harry turned his face toward his aunt. "Do you think we could go back to England?"
--HM--
The next morning, Harry was rudely awakened to find out his mother wasn't kidding. "Get up, Harry."
"Er, what?" he asked wearily. "I thought it was summer."
"Good morning," he mom said happily.
"It was until a minute ago."
"It's time for you to exercise."
"No."
"Yes, you will, Harry. Now get up."
"Fine, but then I'm going right back to bed."
"That's alright." She then handed him a pair of shorts and a sleeveless t-shirt. "Now, put these on while I get your sister."
It wasn't long afterward that Harry found himself stepping onto the treadmill after doing a few warm-up exercises. "Now, kids, I want you to realize that I am doing this because I love you." Brianna was on an exercise mat and had been instructed to follow the instructions on a video their mom had purchased. Once the video was done, they'd switch places. "This should be the right speed for you."
The machine started working, causing Harry to start jogging. What Cindy hadn't told the kids was that she was worried about all the trouble that seemed to find Harry, not to mention the new prophecy that said Voldemort would return. It sounded like Harry, and probably Brianna by association, would end up fighting for their lives at some point, and she wanted to help them prepare as much as she could. As she understood it, most of the Death Eaters never did any exercise at all, instead relying on house elves. She thought that being in good shape would give her children a definite advantage in dangerous situations. Besides, it was healthy to exercise like that anyway.
Harry was actually surprised to find that it only took ten minutes for him to start panting for air, and his ribcage was hurting after fifteen when his mom finally let him stop, telling him that he'd soon be able to handle a half-hour of that easily. While his sister got on the treadmill, he started watching the exercise video. While he'd never admit it to his mother, he did like watching the women in the video exercise. However, he didn't like joining in the torturous exercises.
It was less than an hour after he'd been woken up that he emerged from a shower, knowing he was far too awake to go back to sleep. So, naturally, he went back downstairs to play video games.
--HM--
The rest of the week went by with that routine. On his nightly calls to his girlfriend, Hermione told him that she was happy he was exercising, and that she looked forward to seeing the results of that up close. To make him feel better about it, she even started exercising at her house. She also told him the good news that brought him and his mum back to Chicago on Saturday, exactly one week after Hogwarts let out. The Grangers were visiting America again. However, Hermione informed him that they would not be watching any baseball games. He wholeheartedly agreed, and so it was with great enthusiasm that Harry greeted his girlfriend with his arms wide open.
"Hello, Herm…" he said before she crushed her lips against his at the airport. He quickly responded until the clearing of a throat brought him back to reality. They separated so they could see Hermione's father standing next to them, frowning.
"You two look really good together," said Hermione's mum before her husband could say anything. "I always knew you'd end up dating." Although they'd been dating several months, this was their first time seeing each other's parents since then.
"Yeah," said Harry nervously. "Hermione's really special."
"Why don't we get to the car?" suggested Cindy.
While they were exiting the airport, Harry could hear Marissa Granger whispering a bit louder than she'd intended to her husband because he was very close behind them and concentrating as he held Hermione's hand. "You know that Harry's a nice boy, and I'm glad they were friends for a few years before they started dating. That means he cares about her. He's not just some random boy that thought she was pretty. You like him, too. Admit it."
"It's part of my job description as a father to hate any boy my daughter dates," he countered. After a glare from his wife, Adam admitted, "but I'd rather she date Harry than some of the other boys from Hogwarts I've heard about."
"Remember that. Also, remember that you can't threaten him because he could do a lot more damage with his magic than you can do with your fists."
"But if I get him in a dental chair…" he countered with a gleam in his eye. Harry gulped and made a mental note to never set foot in the Grangers' dental surgery.
"Daddy!" yelled Hermione. Apparently Harry wasn't the only eavesdropper in that relationship.
The older couple stopped dead in their tracks and turned. "Oh, er, you heard that?" asked her father. "We thought you were a bit further back."
"Don't make excuses, Daddy. You know what you just said!"
"Oh, that. Well, honey, I was just kidding. I'd never…"
"I think you should apologize to Harry," said Marissa. "He's the one you threatened to torture."
"That's okay," said Harry. "I know he was joking."
"But still," countered Hermione. "It was a terrible thing to say. It would be like you talking about putting a Cruciatus Curse on Daddy. He wouldn't like that."
"A what?" Adam asked. After that curse was explained, the group got into the car and made their way back to Lansing, Illinois.
--HM--
After Hermione had levitated her luggage into Brianna's room (like the last visit, she was sharing with Harry's sister while her parents had the guest room), she walked downstairs to find Harry just sitting down on the couch after having just put her parents' luggage in the room they were using. Harry indicated the spot next to him on the sofa and turned on the TV while she sat down.
"Have I said how great it is to have you back here?" he asked.
"Once or twice," she replied with a grin as her ears turned pink.
"Well, it…" At that moment, a tapping noise started coming from the window. Harry got up to see a small brown owl tapping its beak lightly on the glass. It had a rolled up piece of paper tied to its foot. Harry opened the window and relieved the bird of its parcel. "Stay here and I'll get you one of Hedwig's treats."
He walked over to the kitchen, where they were stored. As he pulled the box out of the cabinet, Hermione called out, "Better make it two. Another owl just arrived, and from the look of it, I'd say it just flew across the ocean."
"That's impossible," Harry replied as he put the box of treats back. "Owls can't make that flight."
"It could've stopped on a boat or something on the way," she replied as he reentered the living room.
"I will admit it looks exhausted." The poor thing was panting as it lay flat on an end table. "When will those idiots learn to use something other than owls to deliver messages?" He took the rolled up parchment from that owl, and it promptly fell asleep. "I guess I'll give the other one its treat." Once he did that, the first owl flew out the window.
"I guess that one didn't need a reply."
Harry opened up his first letter. "No wonder. It's an advertisement for some kind of combination carnival/workshop type thing in Little Salem next week."
Hermione's eyes widened at the thought. "Let me see!" He handed her the ad, which described rides and games, but also lessons on several things such as the basics of Enchanting where as a final project the student has to enchant something muggle to act in a magical way. One example given was a broom to fly or a pen to take dictation. It had dueling and other activities advertised as well. Hermione also noticed, "It starts in a few days, but it's going to last for a month. It costs…a bit expensive."
"What are you two talking about, and why aren't you kissing?" came a voice all-to-familiar to Harry.
"Brianna, kissing isn't all we do. Sometimes we talk."
"I'm glad to hear that," said Adam Granger, who'd just entered the room with the other adults. "But what are you two looking at anyway?"
"This advertisement for a really great opportunity to learn," said Hermione.
"And have fun," added Harry, who was now unrolling his other parchment. Hermione began describing what would be happening at the workshop while Harry read,
Dear Mr. McGonagall,
We understand that you had some exposure to American magical education for a few years before you began attending Hogwarts, and now that you have been a student there for three years, we would like to know how you would compare the two approaches. Also, we'd like your opinion on the underage wizardry laws of England, which we know are not part of American laws, along with a list of any incidents you are aware of where representatives of your magical government had to interfere as a result of underage magic and how the situation was resolved.
Included is a list of questions that we request you fill out before signing and mailing it back to us. If you opt to not take this survey, please sign at the appropriate place on this form and mail it so that we'll know you received our letter.
Hoping you are well,
Mafalda Hopkirk
Harry looked further down to see that she was an employee of the British Ministry of Magic involved with underaged magic and thought they were possibly considering modifying those laws. He shrugged his shoulders and decided to fill out the survey, but first would participate in the discussion going on around him, since his mom was calling his name.
"Harry!"
"What?"
"Brianna sounds like she wants to go to this workshop/carnival thing instead of the Quidditch World Cup. What do you think?"
He took a deep breath while he considered it. "Remember that game last year that took so long? That was boring most of the time."
"Exactly," said Brianna. "At least with this, we won't be sitting there doing nothing. We could actually be doing something!"
"It is an excellent opportunity that I'm afraid the age restriction for magic in Britain prevents," interjected Minerva.
A thought occurred to Harry. "What about Hermione? She's only supposed to be here for two weeks."
"That's something we're discussing," said Marissa. "The plan was that we'd take Hermione with us to a dental conference in Spain, but…"
"But she'll probably be bored most of the time," said Adam.
"I will have my books," argued Hermione, but Harry could tell her heart wasn't in it.
Knowing where this was leading, Harry figured he might as well be the one to suggest it. "Why doesn't she stay here for the whole workshop?"
"Could I?" she pleaded with her parents and his.
"It's fine with us," said Cindy. "Hermione's no trouble to have here." Harry noticed Adam Granger's eyes going between him and his girlfriend before his mom added, "We'll make sure Harry and Hermione stay out of trouble."
"Are you sure you can?" Adam asked.
"Daddy!" interjected Hermione, clearly offended. "You know I wouldn't…"
Before Mr. Granger could reply, Mrs. Granger said, "We have to trust them at Hogwarts most of the year."
"How about you go to the first few weeks and see if you like it?" Adam suggested.
"Thanks, Daddy," she replied, getting up and hugging him. It was obvious to everyone in the room that, despite his protests, Adam Granger was really wrapped around his daughter's finger.
--HM--
After early morning exercise (which Hermione graciously joined to spend more time with Harry) and the necessary showers, a group consisting of all the Grangers and McGonagalls except Mark, who was working, took the Eagle Bus to Little Salem. The plan was to have only one adult with the kids after this, but they all wanted to see what kind of set up they had.
They'd only taken a few steps into Little Salem when Harry saw a huge banner floating overhead advertising the workshop/carnival. The background color was switching between all the colors of the rainbow while a large message scrolled across it.
Wizarding World Gone Wild!
Learn Enchanting, Wizard Dueling, Magical Tailoring and more in our Workshops!
Compete for incredible prizes in our games!
Ride our thrilling magical roller coasters that defy muggle physics!
Harry grinned as he followed the floating banner that soon began to move, showing them the way. He noticed another one appearing behind them as they left. He soon spotted a very tall, odd-shaped building in the distance. It was painted in stripes of neon green, hot pink and purple. The top seemed to be shaped like a huge version of constantly rotating tied shoelaces that kept floating up and down without completely separating from the main building, and Harry had a feeling that without magic, the building would be impossible to build. He was completely amazed that it was somehow portable. As they got closer, he began hearing sounds of horrible shrieks and laughter coming from the place. He finally saw the doorway, easily recognizable by the line of people waiting to enter, with someone selling tickets to them before allowing them entrance. They quickly got into the line, which was moving very quickly.
"Hello. How many tickets do you need?" said the sales rep when their turn came. The blonde woman was wearing a tie-dye t-shirt advertising the company.
"We'd like four summer passes and three day passes," replied Minerva. They had discussed it previously and decided that for the most part, only one adult would ever be needed to watch the kids, if that. Therefore, only one extra summer pass was needed to get inside, so the others just needed entrance that day. "Do we get workshop enrollments here as well?"
"No, ma'am. That's inside. It's counted separate from everything else." She proceeded to tell them how much for the tickets and they soon entered the unusual structure.
--HM--
Harry gazed in amazement as they proceeded. He saw a few people screaming in either excitement or fear as they rode flying chairs that were moving around at high speeds as they spun and looped the loop.
"It's a magical roller coaster!" Hermione exclaimed excitedly. "They didn't have to build a track - they just put spells on the chairs."
"It looks like there's a sticking spell on the people, too," added Brianna.
Harry couldn't stop himself from saying, "I wanna ride one of those!"
"Me, too!" declared Brianna.
"I'm…not so sure," said Hermione. "Anyway, first we want to enroll in the classes."
They soon found the sign for the workshops and the kids were signed up, with the first one - enchanting - starting in an hour. "Can we go on some rides while we wait?" asked Harry.
"Sure," said Cindy.
It was just about fifteen minutes later that Harry and most members of his group (except Minerva and Adam - Harry talked Hermione into it) were sitting down on a standard chair. They'd found out the ride was called Accelero Lapsus. One of the employees performed a sticking charm on Harry. He found that he couldn't even turn his head to glance at his girlfriend. "Hermione," he said.
"Y-yes." He could easily tell she was nervous.
"Thanks for riding with me."
"Tell me that when it's over."
"GO!" shouted the employee, and the chairs started moving.
Harry's chair was moving slowly at first as each chair got further apart as they floated ten feet into the air. Suddenly, his chair started spinning in circles as it shot straight up about fifty feet. He briefly realized that the ceiling must have been magically expanded as his stomach got a bit queasy. He found himself making a loop while his chair was spinning at a forty-five degree angle. In the distance, he heard the sound of Hermione screaming and closed his mouth, determined not to do the same.
The chair moved up and down in a zigzag pattern and angles Harry was convinced was physically impossible as the chair continued spinning in random directions. Suddenly, it started darting forward at over a hundred miles per hour. It approached a wall, nearly colliding until the chair moved away at the last second. Harry was breathing hard, but keeping his mouth closed. It approached another wall and Harry waited for the chair to move, but it didn't. He finally screamed in terror as he crashed into the wall, only to find it had been an illusion - like the entrance to Platform Nine and Three-Quarters. He muttered a string of expletives he was grateful his mother couldn't hear.
On and on, the ride went, looping, darting forward, going backward, up, down, all around. Avoiding some obstacles while going through others that turned out not to be real. He had no way to tell where he was, as he was stuck facing forward. Suddenly, the chair stopped accelerating and began freefalling. "AHHHHHHH!!!!" Harry screamed as he realized the magic controlling his chair had gone. He found himself facing the fast-approaching ground as he shouted in terror. When he was five feet from the floor, the chair stopped, straightened out, and slowly floated to the floor.
Harry was breathing hard as his heart was trying to beat its way out of his chest. He barely noticed the employee who released his sticking charm, until the man took his hand and helped him up.
"How'd you like it?"
Harry took another gasp before grinning. "That was AWESOME!!!"
"I've never been more frightened in my life!" declared Hermione between breaths as she approached from the side.
"Exactly!" declared Brianna as she approached with a big smile on her face. "Can we go again?"
"NO!" shouted everyone but Harry.
"What if just me and Brianna go again?" he asked.
"Maybe after your first workshop," answered his mom. "There's too long of a line now."
--HM--
"This workshop covers one of the most important skills in magic - a skill that most schools don't even cover. Enchanting. Almost everything you buy in the Wizarding world besides books - brooms, carpets, mirrors, some quills, garbage cans. Even some books have been enchanted. I even heard of a book that tries to bite people. Can you imagine that?"
Everyone laughed at that statement. The instructor, a short wizard with brown hair named Matt Singer, continued describing how essential that skill was to Wizarding life. When combined with runes, the possibilities of what it could do were unimaginable. All of the rides and games there included some enchanting. He then began instructing them on how to enchant objects, which basically was performing a spell on something that made it store the next spell or combination of spells performed on it, and then performing another spell to tell the object that you were done enchanting it. Sounds easy, but it wasn't. One had to be very careful about the spells because more often than not, the first attempt would have unintended results. At the end of the month, every student would enchant something moderately complicated for a final grade. Harry decided immediately what his final project would be.
--HM--
"I thought that class was very informative," said Hermione as they were leaving. Every student had failed spectacularly at enchanting a feather to float on its own a foot above the desk. Harry's had gone straight into the ceiling as soon as he finished. Hermione's had gone ten feet above her desk and stopped. Brianna's had floated into Harry's face, although he doubted that was accidental. He knew she'd either done or had someone else do some enchanting for the last prank she'd pulled on him. Though he believed she'd had it done, he figured she'd paid attention to how it was done.
"Yes it was. I know what I'm gonna make for my grade - my own racing broom."
"Harry! That could be dangerous!" Hermione looked scared. "If it's not done right, you could fall…"
"It'll be graded before I ride it," he interrupted.
"Promise you won't try it until then?" she countered.
"I promise," he replied, looking into her puppy-dog eyes. "What are you gonna make?"
"A book cover that causes the book it's on to float above me in my bed, holding the pages in place so I can read them, that turns the pages on command."
Harry grinned. "That'll be very useful for you."
"I thought so." She smiled at him before turning to his sister. "What about you, Brianna?"
"I haven't decided yet."
"Let's find our families," suggested Hermione.
--HM--
They soon met up with the others and gave glowing reports on the class. Harry and Brianna rode the Accelero Lapsus again before exploring the rest of the carnival. They soon came upon another interesting activity - broom racing. To be fair, all the contestants used the same kind of brooms.
"Want to race?" he asked Hermione, indicating the line for that activity.
"Sounds like fun," she agreed.
"Me, too," said Brianna from behind them.
"Can't you stick with mom and leave us alone?" he asked.
"Nope. Can't do it," she replied with a smirk.
Soon, they found themselves on Silver Bullets (much to Brianna's delight) floating above a track with seven other people, waiting for a signal.
"GO!" shouted the judge, signaling them to start moving.
Harry pushed the Silver Bullet he was on as fast as it could go, cursing the slower acceleration that this model had as compared to his Lightning Bolt. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his sister catching up to him. A few smaller kids were ahead of both of them. For the first time, Harry was unhappy he'd gotten taller because that made him weigh a bit more. However, he was determined not to let his sister beat him. He flattened himself against the broom and concentrated as hard as he could, finding himself getting slightly ahead of Brianna, but still behind the two others. As he approached obstacles, he refused to slow down, barely moving out of the way in time. He passed one as he made his first lap of the two required to win.
He continued flying as fast as he could for the next lap, but then he heard his sister's voice shout, "Let go, you jerk!"
He turned his head to see the boy he'd just passed was holding Brianna's broom to stop her from passing him. He was tempted to use his wand to straighten that situation out, but knew he'd be caught. He decelerated slightly, getting right next to the boy, and elbowed him hard in the ribs, making him let go of Brianna's broom as he slowed down. Without a word, Harry flattened himself back on his broom and accelerated.
He did regain some ground, but couldn't get past the one ahead of him no matter what. That flier was just as insane as Harry, not slowing down for anything. When he finally approached the finish line, he was a foot behind his competitor - clearly second place - and found out that his sister was right behind him. One other stranger crossed the finish line, followed by Hermione.
"At least we get prizes," said Brianna, indicating herself and Harry. "Thanks, Harry."
"Don't mention it," he replied as he glared at the cheater, who was glaring back. After a few seconds, the boy turned around and walked off.
Brianna was correct about the prizes. The first place winner, a Mexican boy named Miguel Rodriguez, who Harry now remembered was in the Enchanting class, got the grand prize - a brand new Silver Bullet. As he took the broom, he looked at Harry's sister and winked at her, causing Brianna to blush while Harry felt himself go into protective brother mode. Harry was given a pair of really good broom racing gloves while Brianna got a broom service kit. The crowd seemed to like that the 2nd and 3rd place winners were a brother and sister.
Shortly after that, they had the workshop in Magical Tailoring, where they began to learn how to adjust clothes. The first rule was, "Conjured clothes will disappear at the worst possible time." Therefore, they had to work with real material. The first lesson was about enlarging clothes to account for growth. Over the course of the month, they'd learn how to shrink clothes down, to repair any holes worn into them, to make precise cutting charms, to apply appropriate permanent sticking charms instead of sewing, and even to change the color of clothes. Most importantly, they'd learn how to secure their clothes magically so that a simple finite wouldn't make them fall apart. When that class was over, they went home for the day.
--HM--
The next day, they had Wizard Dueling and Magical Home Improvement. Every workshop lasted two hours (the first hour was instruction and the second hour was practical) with an hour break in between them on Monday through Thursday, and on Fridays they had one hour with each of the four workshops - just practical. Harry would never forget his first dueling lesson there as long as he lived.
"Welcome to this class on Wizard Dueling. My name's Wanda. I don't like being called Miss Dremara. It makes me feel old." She was an attractive African woman in her late twenties or early thirties. "You may notice that I don't wear Wizarding robes. That's because those things get in the way during a duel." She was actually wearing a pair of shorts and a t-shirt advertising the workshop. "The first misconception I want to dispel is that in a duel, each opponent casts one spell and waits for the other one to cast something back. That will lose you every fight you get into. You keep firing until your opponent is out of the fight, but make sure you don't overexert yourself.
"Another common problem is that people rely on shields that can be easily broken through. First of all, dark wizards use spells that shields don't even block, so reliance on shielding spells could get you killed if you're ever attacked. Secondly, while you're performing a shield spell, you're not blasting your opponent with an offensive spell." She took a breath. "I will teach you the shield charm, but it is only to be used in emergencies. You are to dodge offensive spells or summon objects to use as shields. So, this will be a very physical workshop. One suggestion that goes beyond the scope of this class is to learn to conjure physical shields. However, conjuring is a bit more advanced than this class. Anyway, I'll need a volunteer for my first demonstration."
Harry and Brianna wisely kept their hands down, while Hermione and a few others eagerly raised their hands. Wanda looked from Hermione to her boyfriend, who was sitting next to the enthusiastic bushy-haired girl. Harry softly groaned as he noticed the instructor focusing her eyes on his nametag.
"Harry McGonagall, you just volunteered. Stand up." He noticed a slight look of envy from Hermione as he rose to his feet. It wasn't anything major - he just knew she'd wanted to be picked. He ran his hand through his blond hair as he stood waiting for instructions. "Good, now let's go to dueling platform."
"Okay." He swallowed as he approached the area at the side of the classroom, noting the raised platform and clear shielding to prevent spells from hitting the spectators.
"First, I'm going to teach you what I call a paintball spell - yes, it acts like that muggle game - that will be used in most duels." At the disappointed looks, she added, "Remember, getting hit with any spell could end the duel, so for the most part, we don't have to demonstrate jinxes on each other. However, during the last week, we'll have a dueling competition where real spells are used."
The paintball spell was quite easy to learn, so Harry was then instructed, "Keep trying to hit me with that spell while I do nothing but dodge." She then put her wand in its holster. "The duel will end when I'm hit. You, keep time." She pointed to a nearby boy who had a watch.
When the boy said, "Go!" Harry began rapidly firing the spell while Wanda was dodging even quicker. She was fluid in her motions as she evaded the spells that would've clearly marked her. Harry realized he'd have to be innovative to hit her. He watched her movement for patterns and finally caught one after what seemed like hours. Her eyes would flick to the opposite side she was moving to next one second before she'd go there. Since he was starting to tire from firing too rapidly, he paused, waiting for his opportunity and fired once more, getting bright pink paint all over the front of her shirt.
She calmly took out her wand and silently scourgified herself while asking how much time she'd been dodging. "One minute and thirty-six seconds."
"Not bad, Harry. Usually, it takes over two minutes before I'm hit."
He blushed slightly at her praise before returning to his seat. Wanda went on to explain how simple dodging could win a duel, or even save your life. She lectured for about forty-five minutes more and then had the students pair up for dueling. Harry paired with Hermione and frowned when he saw Brianna pair up with that boy Miguel. He turned his attention back to his girlfriend.
"Since you've already practiced firing, I think you should dodge first."
"Hit me with your best shot," he said with a smirk. Thirty seconds later, he was cleaning pink paint off his face while his girlfriend was smirking. He was glad he had contact lenses now, or else the paint would've been all over his glasses.
They continued to switch places several turns each (and Harry had his revenge by getting Hermione's face) before finally being informed that class was over. Harry was not happy that Brianna gave Miguel their phone number and decided to play the big brother, walking up and saying, "Come on, Brianna. Let's go," while glaring at the younger boy, trying to send a silent message to stay away from his sister.
"I can talk to Miguel as long as I want to, Harry!" she declared as her face turned red. "Why don't you go kiss Hermione? You're always trying to get rid of me, but now suddenly you want me tagging along!"
"Fine," he said, knowing he'd never win that argument and soon they'd create a scene. "Don't forget the next workshop."
"We won't," Brianna replied before taking Miguel's hand and walking off.
"I'm sure she'll be fine, Harry," said Hermione from behind him. "Besides, she was hitting him a lot faster than he was hitting her with that spell."
Harry and Hermione walked hand-in-hand around the carnival, informing Aunt Minnie that Brianna was with a boy her age when asked why she wasn't with them. Minerva decided to find the younger sister, leaving the Boy-Who-Lived and his girlfriend to their devices. They rode a few mild rides and Harry won her a magically animated stuffed unicorn by shooting enough toy dragons with his wand at one of the games.
Brianna was sitting next to Miguel when Harry and Hermione arrived at the Magical Home Improvement class. The instructor looked like a muggle repair man, but his tool box consisted of small white tiles. "These tiles," he explained, "are to inscribe simple runes on and stick onto different places. For example, there are plumbing runes for hot water or cold water that you can stick to normal pipes connected to your sink or shower that will conjure water in a variant of the Aguamenti spell. There are even runes for the drain as well. You can buy them at Magical Menards home improvement store here in Little Salem. There's also a charm to change the color of a wall - much easier than painting. There's transfiguring walls to modify your house. Unfortunately, the space multiplier spell is beyond the scope of these lessons. Otherwise, we could only have older students in the class. Permanent sticking charms work better than any glue, nail or screw for anything you can think of. About the only thing we can't do yet is make outlets that use magic for energy instead of electricity.
He handed out small booklets that had everything he planned to teach them, and began with the plumbing runes, telling them they'd all be able to create sinks for their bedrooms before the month was over.
--HM--
And so it continued that the kids would go to the workshop every day with one of the adults. Harry got annoyed when Miguel would call to talk to Brianna, but was forbidden to interfere by his mom. His dad, however, seemed to be on his side, especially when Brianna was asked to spend Saturday at the mall with that boy. Mark McGonagall immediately volunteered to chaperone when he realized his wife wouldn't let him forbid the date.
When they returned, Harry's dad reported that nothing untoward had happened, but he'd still keep an eye on them. The next week went by uneventfully, although the kids were learning a lot in their workshops. Harry in particular was getting very good at dodging spells, much to his girlfriend's irritation. At the same time the Grangers were scheduled to leave for their convention, Aunt Minnie was called back to England to help plan some sort of big scholastic event the next year. With appropriate hugs and kisses, they left the magical part of O'Hare airport for England. After her first day away, Minerva informed Harry via their mirrors that she was forbidden to tell any students about the event she was now required to help plan until school started and it was officially announced. She did, however, seem unhappy about it.
It was a few days later that Harry's mom called the three kids to the living room and broached a subject that hadn't been brought up since he returned from Hogwarts. "Sirius Black and Remus Lupin will be arriving here tomorrow."
Harry couldn't help the grin that formed on his face. "Cool! I was wondering about that."
"We thought it best not to involve the Grangers. No offense, Hermione, but we thought that the fewer people who knew about it, the better."
"I understand. Besides, they live in England and are far more likely to be asked about it than you."
"Anyway, they'll be in disguise and will be posing as a pair of brothers - my cousins to be exact. Their names will be Seth and Ralph Wilder."
"Okay," replied Harry.
"Will they be arriving at O'Hare?" asked Brianna.
"No. By bus. Oh, and they did manage to return that flying carpet to your aunt. One of the Hogwarts house elves picked it up."
Harry was surprised to learn that Minerva had taught his mom how to make Wolfsbane, and that she was actually pretty good at it. "Making potions is similar to cooking," she commented. Harry knew his mom was a master of that. He wasn't surprised to find that his mom had decided to try learning other potions as well. She did wonder out loud, "I can't imagine why Mr. Lupin hasn't learned to brew Wolfsbane. Even if he's not that good at Potions and hates the subject, he should've put forth extra effort to learn that one. I'll try to teach him while he's here."
The next day, Harry used a lot of self control to stop himself from laughing at the pair of fugitives with red hair. Their facial features had been slightly altered, but it was easy enough to recognize them if you knew their identities.
"Hi, Cousins Seth and Ralph," Harry said while grinning at them. "It's good to see you again."
"You too, Harry," replied Seth/Sirius before giving him a hug.
"We'd better get back home."
The Marauders took the room that the Granger adults had been using, after an extra bed had been put in it. Harry was quite amused watching his mom forcing Remus to learn how to brew his required potion with the same firm hand she used to make Harry exercise every day.
Cousin Seth and Cousin Ralph accompanied the kids to some of their workshops, and both of them loved the Accelero Lapsus ride. The classes went well and the kids continued learning. Brianna absolutely refused to let Sirius chaperon her and Miguel, knowing that her, "friend who happens to be a boy," would end up turned into a canary or something before the date was over. Of course, Brianna's argument that they weren't dating fell through when they were seen kissing by Cousin Seth. Harry and Hermione both enjoyed endlessly teasing his sister, although Harry was still glaring threateningly at Miguel at every opportunity.
--HM--
When the last week of workshop arrived, Harry was anxious to begin enchanting his own broom, and brought one with him that he'd purchased from a muggle store for just this purpose. When class began, he started the slow process of applying the different spells to every part of his broom. He thought he'd made good progress before the class was over.
In his next class, he was tasked with making a pair of pants with just cloth and his wand. That was very difficult to begin working on. The next morning, he got to begin what he was most looking forward to - the dueling championship.
"Our first duel will be between…" A cauldron full of names that had been enchanted to pick random ones spit a name out right into Wanda's hand. "…Harry McGonagall and…" another name came out. "…Miguel Rodriguez."
Harry was thrilled to death that his very first duel was with Miguel. The Mexican boy almost turned white when his name was called. He hadn't paid too much mind to Harry's glares, convinced that his girlfriend's brother wouldn't touch him unless truly provoked. But now, Harry was being told to fire spells at him. He swallowed hard as Brianna's big brother smiled evilly at him.
"Don't you dare hurt him!" shouted Brianna. No one was sure who she was yelling at - her boyfriend or brother.
"Begin on three, two, one."
Harry began with a simple, "Accio, wand! Petrificus Totalus!" The fight was over before it began, and the kid who was dating his sister was on the floor while Harry held his wand. Miguel had been so distracted with his wand being summoned that he hadn't tried to dodge.
"The winner is Harry McGonagall," announced Wanda.
Harry bent over the fallen boy and dropped Miguel's wand next to him before freeing him from the body-bind. He turned around and walked back to his girlfriend.
"Congratulations on not hurting him."
"Thanks, Hermione," he replied, quickly stealing a kiss. He snuck a glance at Brianna, who was consoling her boyfriend, but saw him and didn't appear angry. Harry hoped that Hermione wouldn't be paired against Brianna. He was interrupted from his thoughts by the sound of his sister yelling.
"All he did was disarm you! He could've done much worse!"
"Oh, you think I couldn't take him! He just cheated and caught me off guard!"
"Harry did NOT cheat! He's just really good!"
"I guess you worship your big brother like a good baby sister."
CRACK! Harry couldn't help but smile as he watched his sister slap Miguel.
"Do you two mind if we continue the championship?" asked Wanda sternly, although Harry could tell she approved of Brianna slapping the jerk.
The next duelists were called up and the duel lasted about three minutes. After that, Hermione was called to face a boy about their age. She dodged his first spell before trying to, "Stupefy!" him. He raised a shield just in time. However, Hermione's spell cracked the shield so she sent another, "Stupefy!" at him that knocked him out.
"And that's yet another reason not to rely on shields," announced Wanda to tremendous applause, particularly from the girls.
One of the last duels of the day was Brianna's. She was picked to go against a girl. She started out by aiming a leg-locker curse slightly to the right of her opponent's feet. The girl only got hit because she tried to dodge, and fell to the floor. She shot a spell in Brianna's general direction, but didn't get anywhere near her. Harry's sister hit the girl with a, "Stupefy!" ending the duel.
The next class would have all the winners face off and then those winners face off.
--HM--
"You were all amazing!" declared Cousin Ralph, who'd been watching the duels.
"Thanks," said Harry.
"Yeah, thank you," said Brianna. "I wouldn't…"
"Um, Brianna, could we talk?" came the voice of Miguel from behind them. Harry glared at the kid who had one hand behind his back while Brianna answered with her arms crossed in front of her. She looked furious.
"Let me guess? You're suddenly sorry for what you said because you'd like to kiss again?"
"Um, yeah. I've got something for you." He then pulled the hand out from behind his back to reveal a box of chocolates.
"Oh, so you think I'm for sale?"
"I…"
"My mom told me all about guys like that. They spend money on the girl and she'll do anything for them, like a prostitute. I just didn't think you were one of those guys! Don't ever speak to me again, you jerk!"
"But I…"
She turned to her brother. "Harry, this person is annoying me. Would you kick his…"
"I'm going!" he declared. "Your loss! That girl there is much prettier than you, anyway!" They watched in surprise as he walked up to another girl from their class and offered her the chocolates. She was blushing when Harry turned away.
He heard his sister sniff a bit and knew she wanted to cry but was refusing to. He knew she would not break down while there was any chance that Miguel would see. He had been a bit surprised she hadn't cursed him herself, but then again, she wanted to further rub in the fact he'd lost a duel without even firing a spell.
The next class, Magical Home Improvement, was mostly uneventful as each of them was given a faucet and three tiles to inscribe runes on. Harry had the cold water working before the class was over, while Hermione had both hot and cold working and would be getting the sink to connect it to during the next class. As they left, they found out Brianna had the hot water working.
When they got home, Brianna went straight to her room, and after being briefly told what had happened, Cindy followed her daughter. A few hours later, they both emerged and Brianna seemed less sad and angry, but still not happy. Harry figured time would take care of that.
--HM--
The kids diligently worked to complete their workshops for the rest of the week, with Brianna sitting as far away from her ex-boyfriend as possible. When Harry felt his broom was ready, he turned it in for inspection. The Enchanting instructor ran a few spells on it and declared, "It appears safe enough."
Smiling brightly, Harry mounted his broom while Hermione and Brianna watched. It did hold his weight, and his basic cushioning charms did work, he noted proudly. He then leaned forward to make the broom accelerate. Nothing happened for about five long seconds as Harry sweated. Finally, it started to move forward at a speed he estimated to be six inches per day. Harry's ears turned pink as he watched his girlfriend trying not to laugh while he sister made no such attempt.
"You still did successfully enchant a broom to fly," said the instructor, "even if it's not as fast as you'd like, so you've earned full credit for the class."
A few minutes after that, he saw that Hermione had successfully enchanted a book cover to do exactly what she'd wanted - to cause a book to float above her and turn pages on command so that she could easily read while lying in bed.
Brianna surprised them all by making a hoverboard like in the Back to the Future movies. She'd removed the wheels from a skateboard and performed spells on it. Much to Harry's irritation, it moved a bit faster than his broom. However, he did grin when she lost her balance on it and fell. Fortunately, it was only a foot in the air so she didn't get hurt. Although he'd never admit it, Harry wished he'd thought of it and intended to make himself one. He knew the hoverboard was simpler to enchant than a broom, so he shouldn't have any problems. But first, he had to figure out what went wrong with his broom.
Brianna lost her second round in the dueling championship and Hermione lost third round. Harry, on the other hand, was still in the game on the last day. Fortunately for him, the few kids that were older than him were also bad duelers who lost in the first round, so he wasn't at a disadvantage against any of them. He didn't beat all his competition in the first five seconds, but he did beat them quickly.
"And now for the final round - Harry McGonagall versus Steven Grint. Steven was Harry's age and was about a foot taller and heavier, which made him an easier target than most. He had dark brown hair that matched his eyes, and Harry had watched his previous duels with interest, figuring they'd face each other. His wand was out and in a dueling position as Wanda said, "Begin on three, two, one!"
Harry surprised Steven by dodging instead of firing a spell, and it was a good thing, too. He'd just avoided and Expelliarmus. However, Mr. Grint was not one to give up, as was evidenced by his rapid spell fire that kept Harry moving - dodging, ducking, jumping out of the way as his opponent kept up the pace. After thirty seconds of that, Harry knew he'd be gasping for air if it weren't for his mom's insistence that he exercise daily.
"Fight back!" commanded Steven, who, Harry noticed, was sweating profusely. He had heard rumors about the consequences of firing spell after spell without a break, but had never seen confirmation that it exhausts someone that badly until now. Knowing that talking in a duel would distract him, the Boy-Who-Lived said nothing, opting to continue dodging the spells that appeared weaker and weaker. They were even moving slower as Steven's complexion went to pink, red and then purple.
"Are you too afraid to shoot spells at me?" he said, although it didn't sound as threatening as it should've with him gasping for air every few words.
Finally, after about two minutes, Steven was forced to pause in his firing for a second as he wiped sweat from his brow. "Expelliarmus!" shouted Harry, causing the wand to fly from his opponent's hand as he watched dumbly. "Stupefy!" Harry walked up and revived his downed opponent, who appeared upset but did nothing.
Wanda was grinning ear to ear as she announced, "The winner of the Dueling Championship is Harry McGonagall!" to tremendous applause. "This was a fine demonstration of why you shouldn't exhaust yourself in a fight if it's at all possible. It also once again demonstrated the value of dodging. It's my pleasure to reward you this trophy and the prize." She performed a spell on the plastic trophy to put Harry's name on it. It was gold-colored with a figure holding a wand, changing dueling stances every few seconds. Harry was amused as he watched this and was barely aware of being handed the prize - a lifetime pass to all aspects of that carnival/workshop. From now on, he could follow them wherever they set up and participate in every activity for free. He could even get all the drinks he wanted for free. Unfortunately, he still had to pay for any food he ordered.
Cindy, who'd watched the tournament, rushed up to her son hugging him tightly, much to his embarrassment. "I'm so proud of you!" she declared as his face colored, "or should I be afraid of you?" she added as a little joke. She knew he'd never attack her.
"Mom!"
--HM--
His mom insisted on a party at home to celebrate his victory, and the rest of the family agreed, Sirius especially. "James was also an excellent dueler," he commented.
Remus added, "Yes. It seems that you did inherit more than your looks from him."
Even though Harry had enjoyed hearing stories about his birth parents from Remus, he was still uncomfortable being compared to them, so he said nothing. He did, however, enjoy the attention that he was given that night. After the party, he and Hermione had their own private celebration, which left their lips very swollen. Unfortunately, it was also a goodbye because the next day she had to go home to her parents.
"I'll call you everyday," he promised as she got into the line for international floo.
"I'll miss you anyway," she replied.
"Parting is such sweet sorrow," added Brianna in a mock-romantic tone of voice.
"Be quiet," said Harry before turning back toward his girlfriend. "I'll miss you, too."
He stayed and watched until she disappeared into the large floo. He'd never admit to anyone the sense of loss he'd felt, even though he knew they'd be separated for less than a month.
--HM--
A few days later, it was Harry Potter's birthday. Aside from his girlfriend's wake-up call, Harry McGonagall didn't expect any fuss to be made. However, when he came down the stairs, he found the two Marauders waiting with eager looks on their faces.
"Morning, er, Seth and Ralph."
"Happy birthday!" they both shouted together.
"Thanks," he replied, "although I celebrate my birthday on August 12th. Didn't they tell you?"
"Yes, they did," said Remus/Ralph, "and your family will still celebrate your official birthday, but we wanted to do something today - just the three of us."
"Your dad told us about a place you enjoy…" said Sirius.
"…called Six Flags Great America," added Remus.
Harry blinked. He thought only twins could talk like that. Maybe it was only pranksters. He grinned at the mention of the amusement park. "That sounds great, but I think Brianna will throw a fit…"
"It's taken care of," interrupted Remus. "Your whole family will go together, but we'll separate once we get inside."
"So I'll actually get to enjoy Great America without Brianna pestering me?" he asked with a grin.
"Pestering?" she questioned from behind him. Obviously, she'd been listening in.
He turned to face his sister with a grin to see she was smirking. "Exactly."
True to their word, the two groups of three (Mark, Cindy, Brianna & Seth/Sirius, Ralph/Remus, Harry) separated at the entrance. Once they were far enough away, Sirius whispered, "Now it's time to learn the true value of Notice-Me-Not charms."
Harry was positive that his girlfriend wouldn't approve of how they cut all the lines using that charm, along with Confundus, so in a way, he was glad she wasn't there. He made a note to himself to never mention this particular aspect of his Marauder Birthday Celebration. He knew he should feel guilty, but he got to enjoy so many more rides that it was difficult to regret doing it, especially when they pointed out other magicals that were doing the same thing.
"You see that," said Sirius with disappointment as he pointed at the young couple performing a Confundus charm on some muggles. "Complete amateurs."
"Holding wands where anyone can see them. It's embarrassing," added Remus indignantly. The Marauders kept their wands hidden up their sleeves, knowing they only had to touch them to get good enough results.
"They're not even using Notice-Me-Not charms," Harry added.
"You're learning, kid," said Sirius with a grin.
--HM--
The weeks after that flew by quickly. Harry did purchase a skateboard and remove the wheels so he could make a hoverboard while he was at Hogwarts, but for the time being, he was still working on his broom. His official birthday came with a party that included his old friends from primary school. He enjoyed their company, but the distance between them was really beginning to show. Once his muggle friends were gone, he found out that Hermione had left her enchanted book cover behind as his birthday present. When he thanked her via their mirrors, she confided that she'd already made another for herself.
--HM--
"Master," said Wormtail, "Why do you insist on using that particular boy? He is nothing. Anyone else will do."
"Crucio! Do not question Lord Voldemort! There is something about that boy - the way Quirrel burned when he touched him. I suspect…"
Harry awoke with a start. His head was hurting in the same pattern that it hurt when he was near Voldemort. He forced his Occlumency shields forward and the pain was gone. He took a few deep breaths and considered what he'd dreamed, suspecting it had really happened. He wondered what he'd have seen if he weren't an expert at Occlumency for even that small vision to be powerful enough to get through. Naturally, he realized who Wormtail and Voldemort were talking about, and didn't particularly like it. He had to talk to someone about it.
--HM--
"It sounds like that cowardly traitor went straight to Voldemort!" proclaimed Sirius. "I knew we should've killed him!"
Harry stammered, "I-I'm sorry. I…"
"It's not your fault, Harry," he replied quickly. "You were trying to get my name cleared - not trying to let him go."
"It seems that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named hasn't forgotten how Professor Quirrel died," said Minerva, who was participating by means of their mirrors.
"But what could they be planning?" asked Remus.
"I don't know," said Harry, shaking his head.
"Is it safe for him to return to Hogwarts," asked Cindy, "or Brianna, for that matter?"
"I don't think we'll get any answers," said Mark. "We don't even know if they're planning to do anything at Hogwarts. It could be Diagon Alley, Hogsmeade, Platform Nine-and-Three-Quarters, here, anywhere."
Harry got a determined look in his eyes. "So, the question is whether we'll just live in fear and lock me in a vault somewhere so that no can get to me, or to live my life as I want to." He looked at them all. "Voldemort can find this address if he wants to, so there's no way to guarantee that this will be a safe place if he comes looking for me."
"I suggest speaking to the goblins at the local Gringotts Branch about warding this house," said Remus.
"We probably should," agreed Mark. "Once the kids are at Hogwarts."
"But…" said Cindy.
"But what, honey?" he replied. "We have no idea at all what is going on. If we knew he'd attack at Hogwarts, I wouldn't let the kids go there, but we don't. We can always pull them out of that school if it does look like that's what's going to happen."
"I believe that I shall look into improving the wards at Hogwarts, when I have time."
"You're still busy, Aunt Minnie?" asked Brianna. She'd been invited to this conversation mainly because she'd have spied on it anyway. Besides, it could involve her.
"Yes. The Ministry is insisting…I'm not allowed to discuss this stupid…thing that they're doing, but I made my position clear. Fudge wasn't happy about it, but he's not forcing me to host…anyway, I hate to say it, but it looks like for now, we have to wait and see."
With sighs all around, Mark said, "I'm afraid so."
"Would you like me to tell Mr. Dumbledore about your dream, Harry?" she asked. "He might know something that could be helpful."
Shrugging his shoulders, Harry nodded. "I suppose. If you think it would be worthwhile."
"Now, make sure you reinforce your Occlumency every night before bed," she admonished.
"Yes, Aunt Minnie."
"Good."
The next few weeks went by uneventfully, although his whole family was glad they hadn't attended the event when they read the headline, SCENES OF TERROR AT THE QUIDDITCH WORLD CUP. As that event had nothing to do with Hogwarts, it did not change their plans, and so, on September 1st, Harry and Brianna boarded the Hogwarts Express.
--HM--
Please review. Thank you to those who have.
-->