010 - 'Private' Training
Alex stood at the center of the room, wand in hand, with Beth and Tonks flanking him. The air was thick with the lingering scent of spell work, and the tension between them wasn't just about magic.
"Alright, Protego is one of the most fundamental defensive spells, but it's not easy to master," Alex said, his voice calm yet firm.
He was trying to keep things professional, but Beth's playful grin wasn't making things easy for him.
"It's all about control and focus."
Beth, standing slightly in front of him, had her wand raised. Alex moved closer behind her, his hand wrapping gently around hers to guide the motion.
His body pressed lightly against her back, and he could feel her pulse quicken. He tried to ignore the warmth spreading through him, but it was impossible to remain detached from the situation due to intimacy of it.
Alex took a deep breath, feeling the sweet scent of Beth's rose perfume wafting into his nose as his own heart started beating a bit faster.
"Like this," Alex whispered, his lips close to her ear. He drew her arm in a slow, deliberate motion, grabbing her soft wrist with his firm hands as he directing her wand.
"Focus on the intent of protection."
Beth attempted the charm, but feeling Alex's warm and soft breath grazing her ears, her focus faltered, her wand flickering with a weak blue light before sputtering out.
She turned her head slightly, a mischievous glint visible in her eyes. "How long are we gonna do this?" she asked in a sultry voice, clearly liking the intimacy.
Alex chuckled softly, unphased. "As long as it takes for you to cast the spell successfully," he replied, his voice full of shameless confidence.
Beth's grin widened, she turned around to face Alex as her free hand snaked up to tug on his tie, pulling him closer. "I suppose I'm not going to learn it anytime soon, am I?" she whispered, her lips inches from his.
Alex's heart raced a bit more as he felt her breath on his lips. He leaned in, the tension between them palpable, their lips brushed lightly.
But just as they were about to close the distance completely, a loud cough broke through the moment.
"Come on, guys! This is not the time for it!" Tonks exclaimed; her face flushed with embarrassment.
She stood awkwardly to the side, her hair flaring through shades of pink with the intensity of her emotions.
Despite her usual confident, playful demeanor, Tonks was easily flustered by intimate moments. She shifted nervously, but underneath the embarrassment was a twinge of something else – jealousy, perhaps.
As bold as she was in everything else, romance wasn't her forte, especially when compared to Beth's effortless charm.
Beth laughed, pulling back from Alex with a teasing smile. "Poor Tonks. A bit too shy for this, huh?"
Tonks crossed her arms, trying to look nonchalant but clearly failing. Her eyes darted to Alex, then back to Beth.
She didn't want to be left behind, not this time.
Without waiting for another comment, she strode forward and pushed Alex down onto the floor with surprising force.
Alex blinked, startled but not resisting, as Tonks knelt over him, her breath ragged.
Her eyes locked onto his, and before he could say a word, her lips were on his. The kiss was rushed, passionate, lacking the playful tease of Beth's earlier attempt. It was an impulse, pure and intense.
Beth whistled from the sidelines, leaning against a desk with a wide grin. "I didn't know you were direct like that, Tonks. Guess you learn something new every day."
Alex, lying on the cold stone floor, was momentarily stunned by Tonks' sudden boldness, but he wasn't about to complain.
He had learned to let the moment flow and play out naturally as fully felt the warmth of her breath against his skin.
But then he saw the mix of emotions flicker in Tonks' eyes – desire, insecurity and confusion – he knew he had to reel things back before the situation spiraled out of control.
With a gentle but firm motion, he broke the kiss, sitting up as he placed his hands on her shoulder.
"Alright, let's get back to the lesson. We're here to learn magic, not... well, this."
Beth laughed, shrugging nonchalantly, but Tonks quickly scrambled off him, her face redder than her hair ever could be.
She avoided eye contact for a moment, biting her lip. "Yeah, right... magic. Sorry…" she muttered.
Alex stood up, dusting himself off, trying to keep the mood light. "Come on. Protego is all about focus. Let's try again."
For the next hour, he worked with both of them, patiently guiding their wand movements, occasionally teasing but never letting things get too out of hand. By the end of the session, they both managed to cast a faint but respectable Protego charm. It wasn't perfect, but it was progress.
"Not bad," Alex said, giving them an approving nod.
"We'll work on it more tomorrow."
Beth winked. "Same time, same place?"
Tonks just rolled her eyes, though a small smile tugged at her lips. "I'll try not to push you over again," she said, half-joking.
Later that evening.
The Great Hall
Alex, Beth, and Tonks strolled toward the Great Hall, laughing and joking as the tension from earlier has been long diffused by Alex.
As they reached the entrance, Alex stopped, turning to face both the girls.
"Alright, this is the part I'm sorry about, we'll need to separate now" he said with a grin. Before he could say anything more, Beth and Tonks both leaned in, planting soft kisses on his cheeks – Beth on the right, Tonks on the left.
"See you after dinner," Beth said with a wink, heading towards the Slytherin table.
Tonks blushed but smiled as she waved and went off to join the Hufflepuffs.
Alex entered the Great Hall, feeling the weight of several pairs of eyes on him.
It wasn't everyday you see a guy maintaining a healthy working relationship with two beautiful girls at the same time.
Alex ignored most of the eyes but a couple surprised even him.
Dumbledore and Snape.
Dumbledore's smile was subtle, his eyes twinkling with hidden amusement.
Snape, on the other hand, sat expressionless as ever, though Alex could have sworn he detected a flicker of something beneath the professor's cold demeanor – disapproval, curiosity, maybe even concern.
Victor, seated at the Ravenclaw table, beckoned Alex over. "Mate," he said with a smirk, "what's your secret? How can you date two of the most beautiful witches in our year at the same time?"
Alex smiled mysteriously. "Magic."
Victor groaned, shaking his head. "Fine, keep your secrets, then."
The conversation shifted to more mundane topics as they started eating.
"So, OWLs are around the corner," Victor said, his tone suddenly serious. "What electives are you taking?"
Alex smiled, taking a bite of his food. "You'll see."
Victor gave him a mock glare. "You never give a straight answer. You're worse than Dumbledore.
Alex' smile grew even more at the compliment as he used elegantly chewed on the piece on steak in his mouth
As the evening wore on, Alex's gaze drifted to Beth and Tonks, each seated with their respective groups, laughing and talking.
A sense of contentment washed over him. He had come a long way from the novice student of the magical world that he had once been.
Two months of intensive training under Moody and Flitwick had transformed him. He wasn't just a talented wizard anymore; he was a force to be reckoned with.
His mind wandered to the discussions with Flitwick about the under-18 dueling championship.
Flitwick had been eager to see Alex compete, but his commitments at the Vatican during the summer left little room for outside activities.
As the night deepened, Alex reflected on the changes he'd undergone.
He was far beyond most of his peers in terms of magical knowledge and prowess.
His spell work rivaled some of the best that Hogwarts had ever produced, and his strength? Alex had already crossed the invisible barrier and was firmly into the Category-2 of mages.
The experience of transitioning was something else entirely for him. It was like awakening magic once again.
His magical reserves increased, his control over mana increased and the general potency and intent of his spells almost doubled.
Alex wasn't sure that this was something that everyone experienced or it was something only he had, as such, he decided to hide the fact for now, deliberately lowering his power during duels and classes.
Since this was much difficult than going all out as casting spells at full strength, it acted more like a training of fine magical control for him. Increasing the efficiency at which he used magic and the total magical prowess he could display when he deliberately went all out.
For now, Alex was more than satisfied with his progress.
His ultimate goal was to reach the level of a category-3 mage before his graduation from Hogwarts, and for that, Alex considered that he had more than enough time on his hands.
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Protego - The Shield Charm is a spell that protects the caster with an invisible shield. The shield can: Deflect spells back at the attacker, weaken stronger spells, and block physical entities. The Shield Charm is relatively difficult to cast, needing exceptional focus and intent along with sufficient magical prowess. It possesses many variants like Protego Diabolica, Protego Maxima, Protego Totalum and Protego Horribilis
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A/N : Those who give power stones be blessed with big PP.
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