27 Harry Gaunt - Chapter 27

"Professor."

Harry walked slowly up to McGonagall's desk once the final student had left through the door. "Could I have a moment of your time?"

He'd decided to wait so he could speak to her.

"If you have questions about the syllabus, please wait till our next lesson. Time is short." McGonagall was rifling through bits of parchment across her desk, appearing busy as she spoke without looking.

She begun arranging an untidy stack of crinkled parchment, then with a clack straightened them out against the table.

"It's not about the syllabus. It's about you."

McGonagall looked up him. "Me?" she said, pausing as she clutched the stack of parchment. "We are not familiar, Mr Gaunt."

Harry nodded. It was true, he didn't know this McGonagall. "I wanted to apologise for any offense I have caused you. My actions of late have been misguided and unwise." Harry dipped his head, even McGonagall clearly didn't believe him. "And…"

He looked up at her.

"…and I hope you feel better soon." Harry took a step back. "I'll go now."

He turned swiftly around and walked down the aisle towards the door.

"Mr Gaunt." McGonagall's voice carried over to him. "Wait a moment."

Harry expected the worst as he looked over his shoulder, but instead he simply saw McGonagall write something on a loose bit a parchment. "You'll need this."

She flicked her wand and sent the small slip of parchment floating towards him, which Harry caught in a single hand.

He glanced over it.

"Thank you, Professor."

Harry smiled gratefully as McGonagall nodded, then shooed him away with a waving hand from behind her desk.

Harry didn't delay as he left the room and arrived in the empty corridor, holding firm to the note that he'd seen so many times before.

'Mr Gaunt is hereby excused from being late to the second lesson of the day.'

Signed M. McGonagall

"She'll be all right," he said aloud as headed towards Charms, his time running low as he looked for the nearest loo. He'd forgotten how long these lessons were, 90 minutes stuck in his seat. "How on earth did I manage it."

Harry was clearly out of practice when it came to sitting down for lesson time, just as he would be during many other things Hogwarts had to offer: Quidditch for example, clubs he'd never attended and assuming all was well, probably one of Slughorn's get togethers.

At least the Triwizard Tournament was off the table as Harry arrived in the boy's bathroom, that had certainly been the most trying time for Harry of any given Hogwarts year.

Flush.

Harry flicked the cubicle door open. Even the loos were different as he washed his hand in the elegant sink.

He skipped the paper towels as he applied a drying charm, then left at a leisurely pace towards his second class of the day. There was nobody about now, just the feint footsteps of people hurrying off further down.

They were probably first-years. Harry wondered how Martha was doing. "I don't even know what house she went in," he mused, getting close now as he climbed a flight of steps towards Flitwick's office.

She'd was probably in Hufflepuff.

Knock Knock.

The door was already closed as Harry waited, listening for the curious squeak that was Flitwick's voice.

"Come in!" it said jovially. "Who is it today?"

Flitwick looked from atop his pile of books at the centre of the classroom, which was like being in a theatre, with students rising up in rows on either side.

"Harry Gaunt, sir." Harry came to a stop as he was revealed to the room. "I have a note from McGonagall." He presented it in his hand.

"Oh, that was good of Minerva." Flitwick flicked his wand and summoned it to his hand. "Ah yes, this is hers."

The note was then folded and stowed away, no doubt because of how often people tried to reuse them. "Come sit down by the front so I may observe you," he said good-naturedly, gesturing to the open seat beside Lily, who had to crane her neck just to see him. "Dumbledore says that I am to assess you, see if you can't be moved up - yes?"

Harry had something to say. "May I sit with Trimble instead?" he asked, pointing to the boy sitting up by the rafters. "We agreed to practice together."

Flitwick followed Harrys finger towards Mr Trimble.

Trimble nodded. "That's correct, sir." Trimble glanced down at Harry and then to Lily. "Gaunt and I had agreed to practice together."

He didn't mind doing Gaunt a favour.

"I see, excellent initiative you two." Flitwick was completely clueless. "But I won't be able to see you up there, so for now Mr Gaunt please sit here." He once again gestured beside Lily. "You can sit with Mr Trimble next time."

Harry begrudgingly agreed as he headed over, hearing someone snicker as he walked down the narrow aisle. Harry could practically see the looks of sympathy being sent his way, as if they knew full-well what a bother dear Lily was. Then as well, Harry spotted his father with his friends along the higher rows.

It was him that had laughed, and it was him who now burned with jealousy.

"Excellent!"

Flitwick hopped between his pile of books to adjust his footing. "I wanted to begin with a recap of what we covered last term, which for convenience I have listed on these."

With a flick of his wand, sheets from a pile just behind him flew towards the pairs spread across the classroom.

"Stand clear everyone!" Flitwick laughed as the sheets arrived like flying carpets. "Haha!"

He'd charmed them himself, which led Harry to lean away as one crash-landed between he and Lily.

She'd seen it coming too.

"Honestly," she said, arranging the parchment so she could read. "I wish he wouldn't do that."

Harry didn't comment, hoping she wouldn't be inclined to speak to him as the class began reading through the list of charms.

"Would you like to read as well?" she asked, moving it so he could. "Harry?"

Harry twitched. It felt wrong to hear her speak his name.

"It is a bit cold in here, isn't it? Flitwick likes it that way so people stay awake."

She seemed exasperated at that one too.

"I am fine." Harry shuffled slightly as if to warm up. "You go ahead."

He nudged the paper back to her.

"O-okay." Lily got the message, he shouldn't try to speak with Lord Gaunt. "I'll read them through and then we can practice."

It didn't detract from her enthusiasm though, even when Harry didn't respond. He didn't want a personal relationship with her, or anyone else who he wouldn't be able to keep at arm's length.

"Mr Gaunt, how are we doing?" asked Flitwick with a chipper mood as he looked down at them. "You're a fast reader."

Lily was still going as she looked up to speak.

"I am sir," spoke Harry charmingly before she could. "Ms Evans is just catching up and then we'll be ready to practice."

Harry left no room for denial as Lily was forced to nod, biting back the truth that he'd refused to read. "A few minutes sir," she assured.

Flitwick nodded, leaving them to it as he moved on to bother another pair who seemed at odds with one another too. He knew Harry hadn't wanted to sit with his most diligent student, he knew very well what he must think of her.

Lily couldn't hold back anymore. "You could at least give it a glance over," she huffed, sliding it over to him before she'd even finished reading it herself. "Flitwick might ask us to demonstrate. He likes picking on people."

Lily didn't want Harry to be embarrassed, nor herself as Harry ignored her still. "Harry, wh-"

"Gaunt." Harry returned with emphasis. "My name is Gaunt."

He still dreamt of the night Lily had died, still heard her call his name before she'd fallen.

Harry quite agreed with Bellatrix's way of doing things, it was either 'Gaunt' 'Mr Gaunt' or 'Lord Gaunt' for all those that were not his friends or teachers who just wouldn't change. And in that order too.

"Besides, I can already do all these," he declared with a glance down the page, hoping that would deter her. "I'll be fine if Flitwick calls on me."

He slid the parchment back, fully-expecting to hear the same from her once she'd read to the bottom. He'd always been told how gifted Lily was with Charms, of the Gold Fish in Horace's fishbowl or studentship she'd begun under Flitwick before the war had started.

"You know the Patronus Charm?" said Lily instead, askance as her voice raised an octave.

"What?"

Harry blinked around at her. "That's not a fifth-year charm."

Lily expressed that 'of course', why would it be. It rubbed Harry the wrong way. "Flitwick added it here," she said, pointing to a row within the middle of the list. "See, it's as I said."

Harry scowled as read the list again from a distance. "Yes, well." He leaned away. "I must have skipped over that one." Before adding. "And no, I can't do the Patronus Charm."

She was still looking at him, perhaps how she might have done if he were a child telling fibs. "Yes you can," she accused after a moment of thought. "You knew the Avis spell."

Lily knew how hard it was to conjure something different from the yellow birds, and he was Lord Gaunt, even Dumbledore had been impressed by him during his short-lived sorting.

"That's what you've based your reasoning on?" Harry turned back to her, incredulous. "It wasn't something else that you may have heard?"

She couldn't be unaware of what he'd done during the holidays, the name 'Gaunt' had been printed for days across the frontpage of the Daily Prophet, everyone had heard it, it was a given.

But Lily still looked confused.

"The Daily Prophet." Harry stated. "You don't read it, do you?"

He sighed when she shook her head, explaining that as she lived at home with her muggle parents, the Daily Prophet was hard to come by. "Being a Prefect doesn't help either," she added, only speaking to Mary on the train and when at dinner, trying her very best to prevent the first-years from running amok amongst the food. "I really don't know what you're talking about, I am sorry."

Lily found herself shuffling away under Harry's laser like gaze, which for moment stared straight into her eyes.

They were just like hers, she'd not noticed before.

"It doesn't matter," murmured Harry, looking away while his wand appeared from his sleeve. The class were already practicing the first three charms. "Let's just get on with this. Flitwick will be over if we don't."

Harry pointed his wand at a nearby stack of books, which in a second changed to a vibrant blue. Then as Lily quickly retrieved her own wand to do the same, he cast the Growth charm to enlarge the now vibrant books, column now just his eyeline as summoned one to his hand with a vacant flick.

He held it, just barely before he set down. A second later it disappeared, disillusioned.

Lily had seen the whole thing. He hadn't uttered a word.

"What is it now?" lamented Harry, trying not to be acutely aware that his mother was staring at him. "You should know a few nonverbal spells by now."

"Yes, but not all of them." She fired back. "You should be with the seventh-years."

"I am a seventh-year." Harry all but hissed the word as he swivelled to face her. "These are fifth-year spells, stop being so surprised that I can do them."

His mother was turning out to be rather aggravating, how James had put up with it truly boggled the mind as Harry turned away again. Lily of course made a disapproving sound at his outburst, proceeding to complete the spells herself with only the last being cast nonverbally.

Harry could still the corners of the book she'd disillusioned.

Flitwick appeared a moment later.

"Well done!" he squeakily cheered. "Fine work Mr Gaunt, I saw it all. And Ms Evans, excellent progress!" He hopped to another pile of books in his excitement. "And what of the other charms?"

He looked at Harry eagerly.

"Harry knows the Patronus Charm," interjected Lily, doing as he'd done to her as she looked at Harry, smirking secretly by how annoyed he seemed. "He offered to demonstrate for us."

Harry took a sharp breath.

"Oh Mr Gaunt," replied Flitwick with a steamy voice. "You have to show us!" He raised his arms and called the class to attention. "Attention please! Everyone - attention!"

Flitwick waited a moment as the noise disappeared, then turned back to Harry with a lowly voice. "Mr Gaunt has kindly offered to demonstrate a spell for us, one he is more than proficient in," he began. "But before that, can anyone tell me what the Patronus Charm is - Lily." Flitwick nodded at her raised hand. "Go ahead."

"Sir, the Patronus Charm is a shielding charm, used to protect a witch or wizard from Dementors, Lethifolds and other Dark Creatures."

Flitwick nodded, prompting her on.

"But it's extremely difficult to cast," she offered, her eyes glancing with the rest as they settled upon Harry, who was currently doing his best to appear indifferent. "It is also said to become corporeal, and take the form of a spectral animal when the caster is sufficiently powerful."

Lily wondered if Harry's would be like that, or if she'd be proven wrong as Flitwick spoke to Harry kindly, beginning to see that he was far from keen. "Mr Gaunt, if you're still up for it?"

The class waited with Flitwick as they each looked to Harry, many of them including James, Sirius and Remus not surprised that he should be competent with the charm.

Sirius asked James in a whisper from their secluded row. "You think he'll do it?" he asked, the two looking down as Harry sat, doing nothing. "Lily must have really got to him."

Which also wasn't surprising when he looked across to Lily, who could prove most aggravating if you didn't participate properly when in class. It was always worse when they had Charms, it was her best subject. They'd seen the two begin to argue before Flitwick had come over.

"He'll do it." James saw a flash of pride within Harry's eyes that wouldn't be denied. "Here we go."

Harry stood without prompt and in a moment, swept his wand across the space before him. "Expecto Patronum."

In a flash a brightly lit creature flowed from the tip of his wand, widening and bulging as it slithered around Flitwick's platform. It was an enormous snake, its scales so white it looked almost real.

Hissssss.

The class jumped when a loud hiss slipped between its jagged teeth, its eyes like fresh snow as it peered back at them.

"Does that satisfy you?" said Harry beside Lily, both of them now surrounded by a glowing haze of drifting light.

He'd asked only her. She nodded stiffly.

"Good." Harry waved his wand and dispelled the enormous Basilisk. "Don't ever do that again."

Harry whispered to her as he returned to his seat.

"Sublime, Mr Gaunt." Flitwick cleared his throat as he looked around at classroom, surveying for any damage. "You have my sincerest thanks for demonstrating this for us, and might I say how impressive it was."

He bowed in gratitude, affording nothing but respect to such an accomplished wizard.

Harry accepted it with a small nod, saying nothing more as Flitwick moved the class along. They still had things to go through, he'd leave Harry be he begun asking students to demonstrate the first three spells.

Lily meanwhile, didn't say a word as the chill from Harry's magic lingered until the lesson ended. She felt weak, afraid of something unseen that knew she was there.

It was waiting for her, none could escape it as she hurried off through the crowd, unaware as Harry watched her go.

She reminded him of Hermione, yet how she would have been if not for he and Ron's devoted friendship.

Harry let her be, he just hoped it was enough to keep her away and at the same time, open her eyes to what magic could truly do.

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