55 Fourth Year Part 1

Waking up at six in the morning is no easy feat, especially when you do it every day. I used to wake at five to get more reading time, since I am on a very tight schedule, with a war coming and all that. Now I don't need to do much reading, just more practice with my magic. The most important now is to get my control over magic back. It might not sound like a big deal, but it is. In a fight, throwing overpowered spells can be deadly, since the opponent can just throw them back at me, then I'd overpower the shield too, which means I tire easily. Not to mention I won't be able to use Dark Magic, whose main requirement is control. I am not looking forward to trying Fiendfyre in this state.

I got up, dressed in my work out clothes and darted out of the Ravenclaw tower towards the black lake. Even though the Room of Requirement can provide better scenery, the feeling that none of it was real remains, and it reduces the quality of the experience in my opinion.

It was cold in this part of the country, especially this early in the morning but it didn't really matter. As long as you were proficient with magic, you can be naked and be perfectly warm, provided you had your wand, or were proficient with a wandless warming charm, which was the case for me. Normally, it would be a problem given my lack of control, as I could burn myself in the process, but I am no longer a beginner when it comes to magic. I can just modify the spell to add a limiting parameter to it, so no matter how much mana I feed it, it would do its job the way I intend it to.

I ran around the lake, looking for a good spot to practice my magic without being interrupted, and soon enough, I found a nice spot, I set up a few basic warning wards in case of an ambush or unwanted visitor. Better safe than sorry. And I began my routine.

First the stunning spell: "Stupefy". In the movies, the spell would knock back anyone who came in contact with it, however it wasn't the purpose of the spell. Once it hits you, you just lose consciousness. There is a variant that's a mix between the banishing charm "Depulso" that also pushes you back, but it's not necessary. I pointed my wand, and focused on making the spell flow out, trying my best to limit the output. I just send them towards the lake where they'd just dissipate when they run out of energy. Once I felt it reached a decent level of control, I moved to the next spell. That didn't mean I mastered the spell yet; for that, I'll need a lot more practice.

The next spell would be the Shielding Charm: "Protego". This spell as its name implies can stop physical and magical attacks. It can deflect anything it makes contact with like a mirror, unless it can't be repelled for various reasons. Unfortunately, there are spells it can't repel, so it's not fool proof.

Fun fact: do you know why Wizards don't just use machine guns instead of complicated and energy consuming spells? It's this particular charm. The moment the bullets make contact with the Shield, the caster can just send them back at your face, especially since he'll be ready for it. So, you would have the opportunity to send one shot at him, maybe, before it hits his shield since he's expecting you to do just that. (Guns aren't exactly invisible, unless you make them so, which is just not very possible.)

Most believe that Grindelwald lost the war, that his ideals died with his loss. The truth couldn't be farther from the truth. Grindelwald actually won the war when it comes to ideals, because say whatever you want, the man was right. All non-magical government are controlled by their magical counter parts nowadays. They have finally admitted the danger muggles represent, so they needed to keep a tight leash on them, in case a madman decided to test nuclear weapons on neighboring countries. That also includes keeping track of all their inventions, especially their weaponry, and trying to find a way to counter it.

For guns' case, it's fairly simple. A modified shielding charm that activates whenever a small metallic object flying at deadly speed is near the target. Enchant a trinket with that effect, and you are bullet proof. It can be a bracelet or a necklace you wear. That's the reason no one even bothers with guns.

I followed it by the Shield Breaking charm, another reason why the Protego spell isn't foolproof, then the Levitation charm, Banishing Charm Depulso, Disarming Charm Expeliarmus, and concluded my session. I saved the more lethal spells for another session, when I am not in the open where anyone can see me; I wouldn't want to give people the idea that I'm dangerous.

It was seven thirty by the time I was finished. I felt a bit tired, but it's nothing breakfast won't fix. I ran back towards the dorm. I passed by several students on the way who gave me weird looks, probably because of my outfit, and the fact that I'm jogging, but I didn't mind. I expect there will be all kind of rumors flying around, however I have Tracey on my side, so long as I tell her the real reason (at least, my version of it), they would disappear quickly enough.

I did notice on the way, a redhead who seemed to desperately want to go back to sleep, but was being dragged by her blonde friend, Hannah. Though upon noticing me, her eyes suddenly opened, no trace of sleep left in them. She grinned widely, and waved at me. "Good morning!"

"Hello!" I stopped for a moment to greet them, it wouldn't do just run past them, I'm sure they'd be offended.

"Where were you?" Hannah gave me a puzzled look. She knew I was weird, but this was apparently a new level of weird for me. "And why are you dressed like that?"

"Um, I was just practicing my spells. I need to go now; I'll see you guys later." I said before darting towards the Ravenclaw tower. I quickly took a shower and put on my school uniform. Coming down from the boys dormitory, I noticed Daphne sitting on the common room, eyes glued on a book.

"Hello Daph. Waiting for someone?"

"Yes, actually." Daphne closed her book and turned her attention to me. "I was waiting for you."

"O-Okay…"

"I already got us our time tables from professor Flitwick." Daphne presented me with said parchment. "We have potions with Snape first."

"Great. You want to partner again this year?" I grinned at her. We usually outperformed everyone in potions, the most difficult subject taught at Hogwarts.

"About that…" I frowned. Daphne wanted to say something but seemed hesitant. I can only guess I won't like what she would say.

"You can tell me. What is it?"

"Hannah and Susan usually pair together for potions…" I did not like where this was going. "And they didn't do that well last year. So, they had a little request for us."

"Where are you going with this, Daphne?"

"They asked, since we are both doing so well, we could pair with them instead. It would help them pick up their grades." Daphne did not sound very confident relaying this particular request to me, which was really unlike her. I guess she was uncomfortable with the suggestion too, or at least with the part where she would have to relay it to me.

"And what did you tell them?"

"I said I'd speak with you first." Great, now I'll sound like a d-word if I say no.

"Daph… You know how much focus is required when dealing with potions…"

"Yes, and I did mention it when they asked. But she promised this has nothing to do with her crush on you." Daphne answered truthfully. "Hannah was the one who came up with the idea." She added.

"And you think this is a good idea?"

"Yes." She said without hesitation. "I have no reason to doubt their sincerity. Besides, they wouldn't be stupid enough to mess with a Ravenclaw's school work." She does have a point. Ravenclaws are not forgiving for those who mess with their studies. I've seen hexes being thrown at Gryffindors in the library because they couldn't keep their mouths shut when the exams were close.

We walked together towards the Great Hall in silence, while I was pondering over this situation. On the bright side, we get to help two friends who really need it, but if she ends up being distracted most of the time, or worse, distract me in the process… I guess I'll have to try it first, worst case scenario, we'll just switch back.

"Alright, we can switch partners." Daphne nodded. We entered the Great Hall, and as expected, I was already receiving those looks, along with some hushed discussions. Regrettably, minding your own business was not a skillset they taught here.