the 'talk'

Professor Mcgonall sat in her seat behind her bench looking at me with an unreadable expression. Her quill kept tapping on her parchment in a rhythmic tap, tap, tap as if to increase the already explosive tension in the room. We kept staring at each other in a this deadlock, increasing the uncomfortableness by a huge margin.

Finally I had had enough. I decided to break the ice:"sooo...."

"Mr potter, do you take me for a fool?" asked Mcgonall abruptly catching me completely off guard. Where did that come from.

"n-no ma'am. I would like to think I do not." WHAT? What the hell am I SAYING? A simple no would have sufficed.

Mcgonall replied her voice turning sterner:"then pray tell me potter, why did you waste the entirety of the period, not even trying that spell even once, before I actually asked you to?"

I cringed:"you noticed!"

"yes Mr potter, I did. Now please enlighten me what possible reason you could have had for wasting MY entire period, on a spell you could have accomplished in a single try."

Well let's see. You need reasons? How about the defense against dark arts teacher, that Dumbledore hired, with the current Dark Lord, sticking out of the rear of his head? I needed his entire attention this year to be on Neville and Neville only. A prodigy, especially one that was close to being a candidate for the child of prophecy can catch too much heat.

But of course, I can't tell her that. That will cause a whole other set of problems. So for now,-

"ma'am I knew I could cast the spell as soon as you taught it to us."

Mcgonall scowled at that:"then why didn't you?? "

"because" I took a fake deep breath and replied:"I didn't want my new friends to think I am some sort of know it all. "

The professors expression softened at that.

"I have always been smarter than the children around me so I always had had trouble making friends back in my muggle school." HA! As if! :"then I got the invitation to this school of magic and I thought that maybe that was it. The reason for my alienation was due to status as a wizard. I thought coming here might change things. And it did. So I was too scared to risk my newly formed friendship by intimidating my friends. I just wanted to fit in. " I said my voice slightly breaking. Damn, I was GOOD! that was some Oscar shit

Minerva replied with kindness all sternness vanishing from her voice:" Harry you needn't hold yourself back for your classmates. You posses a gift, Harry. Earlier I clearly saw it. You precisely summoned magic from within you. Usually kids are taught this throughout the years, using the aid of wand movements, until they are finally able control the amount of magic without it. But you evaded that step completely. Do you know what the amount of control required to perform this is?"

For the first time since the beginning of the conversation I was left absolutely stunned. That means... That means... All those of years of magic telekinesis practice wasn't a COMPLETE waste! I let loose an internal woo-hoo and almost burst a vein trying to suppress my desire to jump in the air and celebrate. Fuck yeah. Suck on that, Hermione and your stupidly convenient wingardium leviosa!

"Harry. In the end the decision is yours to make. Do you understand me? "

I blinked myself out of my internal euphoria and smiled:"of course professor."

Mcgonall gave a rare gentle smile:"then you may leave. "

I nodded and was about to turn around when I rememberd somehing. A question I had been burning to ask since I came to hogwarts:"ma'am I have question."

Mcgonall who had gone back into her book immediately raised her head and replied:"well, ask away child."

"why hasn't pure magic ever been used in direct telekinesis. After all pure magic is in essence an extension of our own body isn't it. I find it weird no one has considered this connection practically. You know, in a hypothetical situation?"

A curious and surprised smile bloomed on her face as she replied:"you have already tried it, haven't you?"

This woman! First the transfiguration thing, now this. She has got to be the second coming of Sherlock Holmes.

"well go on then, show me!" Minerva asked me with a curious smile on her face.

I sighed. It's not like I have anything to hide. I raised my hands in Darth Vader force choke style and extended it at the quill in Minerva's hand. Minerva's eyes followed my hands and saw it being pointed at the quill. Suddenly her eyes widened as the quill disappeared faster than her senses could follow. She looked up to see me holding the quill in my hand. A curious expression occupied her face.

"that was an impressive technique Mr potter." Mcgonall said to me.

I replied to that:"I know. Which is why I don't understand why it isn't more widespread!"

Mcgonall smiled:"Mr potter would you use a wand as Firestick?"

I blinked at her in confusion:"n-no ma'am. I would not."

"exactly. Because the wand I such a valuable resource and this task is beneath it by so many degrees it's not even funny." Minerva said with a stern expression.:"same being the case for magic being used like this. You see magic gains value when it is changed. Pure magic in and itself is nothing but a tool for a greater purpose. It only becomes of value when it is changed to something of value. In muggle terms think of pure magic as gasoline. In its pure form it is a cheap, everyday usage substance. It has no value. But when necessary conditions are achieved it creates one of the most valuable resources to their kind. Fire!"

That euphoria high I was having earlier. I could FEEL it dying down within me.

"it was quite ingenious to incorporate it into your telekinesis technique. But there ARE telekinetic techniques which do not require this level of magic control OR focus to operate. Transfiguration at its higher levels could be used as a form of telekinesis too."

Hope is a lie. It's a sweet beautiful lie crafted by the devil to make the fall afterwards all the more painful. And the sole escape from this cage of lies is the sweet escape OF DEATH!

and before I could go any farther down the rabbit hole of Emo-ness mcgonnal interrupted me:"but I would not say it's completely without it's merits."

'Don't do that. Don't give me hope! ' my inner Clint Barton pleaded.

"Harry your control over your Magic Power exceeds certain fourth years in this school. Even though this technique is impractical in real life casting you could continue to do it improve your magic control."

My eyes slightly brightened slightly at that. I gave a slight smile and replied:"thank you ma'am."

Mcgonall smiled and nodded at that:"you can go back to your dorms."

I nodded and slowly turned back to leave. But I turned around once more and asked with simple curiosity.:"ma'am you said Hermione completed it on her first try like I did."

Mcgonall nodded her face stern:"yes! "

"sooo... Who finished it first."

Mcgonall gave a slight chuckle:"Harry your control over magic is undoubtedly the highest we have in your year. But that girl? Her talent is simply monstrous!"

AN: I am thinking, Neville will have the highest reserves, Hermione the highest talent, and Harry the highest control.