Chapter 22 Dropping Bombs on Neville
"Hey, Neville, I just remembered something." Harry said, turning to the sandy-haired boy. He was going to let mind crew go over what to do about the Moody impostor. They'd think of something. "You know how I was telling you about my mum's diary? Well, there's a prophecy, and it pertains to both of us, so we'd better get started on that project."
"Really?" the shy boy asked, a bit fearfully. Being raised as a wizard he had a healthy dread of prophecies, which was one of the reasons he took Divination. Not that Trelawney was any good. He certainly didn't know if he liked the fact that he could be part of one. "What does it say?" he asked.
"Well, I don't know the exact wording, but something about only a boy who was born at the end of July could 'vanquish' Voldemort. It states that it is either the boy's life or the Dark Lord's," our hero said, rubbing his chin and ignoring the flinches. "There is a bit about being marked as an equal, which could mean my scar, so you may be in the clear. But, why take that chance?" He really didn't want the other boy to be caught unawares. He really didn't understand prophecies, but with Luna being a seer, he wasn't going to take the chance that it was bogus. While he got Neville up to speed on wandless magic, maybe he could help fortify his mind.
"Right, I'll study that book harder," Neville stated with a firm nod of his head, as he firmed his shoulders. He was determined to get that book read tonight. Maybe, if he did, they could start tomorrow. From what he skimmed of that book, he could go really far and then he wouldn't be such a wuss at magic. He was really glad he had Harry as a friend, because only a friend would lend out such a priceless artifact.
"Yeah, get back to me when you're done," the dark-haired teen stated as he bit into some scalloped potatoes. He had to admit the house elves really knew how to cook.
"Don't worry, Harry, I plan on finishing it tonight," the other teenager stated, then he too returned to his dinner.
"What book?" Hermione asked carefully. She really wasn't winning any good points with her friends today, and she didn't want to rock the boat any further.
"Just copy of a book on Magical Theory that I let him borrow," Harry lied, waving it off as unimportant. He took out the Wicca books that he read earlier and gave them to the bookworm to hold her over. Perhaps, it would slate her curiosity for now. "These are what I was studying today. I've done with these, so you can look at them. Maybe we can practice some of those rituals," he added with a wink and a wiggling of his eyebrows.
Neville blushed when he saw one of the covers. Those were some very fit women.
"Pervert," Luna giggled, seeing the scantily clad woman on the front of the first one.
"Teenager," Harry laughed. He loved their little byplay.
"Harry, some of these women are indecent," Hermione gasped, as she looked at the females praising the moon with only robes and bit of cloth to cover the essentials.
"All the right bits are covered," he disagreed with a frown. He didn't think they were offensive at all. To him they were visions of loveliness. They all had pretty decent clothes on in his opinion. Sure one to the books had women in open robes and nothing underneath, but like he said, all the right bits were covered. They rest of the books had women and men in Renaissance clothing, flowing gowns, cloth pants and tunics and such. He had no idea what was offending her.
"Fine, I'll look through them, but I don't see what could be so important about a minor Muggle religion," she said, glancing at the index.
"I got it mostly for the meditation techniques. The lady in the store said there were good ones in there that I hadn't tried. I'm trying to see if I can get my memories back with them," he added taking a sip of his juice. "Here Luna, here's one on aura reading. It might help clear your mind up a bit," he added, handing the book to his blonde friend. "Seriously, let two me know if you want to try anything," he said again with smirk as his mind went to thirteen sky clad females dancing in the moonlight. His eyes glazed over, until Luna hit him on the head.
"Pervert," she said again with a huge grin on her face.
"Guilty," he finally conceded. "Something was bugging me earlier and I was wondering if you guys had any insight," he waved at pure-bloods surrounding him, who all perked up. "I noticed there aren't a lot of overweight people here, at least not compared to the non-magical world, and was wondering why. It's not like there is an abundance of exercise. Except all those damn stairs." Which he really was tired of climbing. "That and look at all this fatty food," he added, indicating all the roasted meat, the gravies, the sauces, and the excess starches.
"That is a very intelligent observation," Luna commented, looking over the people around her. She never really thought of it. She knew she never gained any weight, and with her love of pudding she really should, but that could be a family trait. After all, both of her parents were willowy. Her mind was going over what she knew, making her less attentive to the rest of the conversation.
"Well, our mum is on the heavy side, but she doesn't get much exercise, what with keeping house all the time," Fred said, rubbing his chin. "That and she cooks enough to put a house elf to shame. We never want for food in our house."
"Now that I think about it, Dad's not the epitome of heath either," George stated, thinking over who else negated Harry's statement, like Professor Sprout, Minister Fudge, that toad of his, and Bagman.
"Do they use a lot of magic?" Harry asked tentatively, not wanting to offend.
"Mum uses quite a bit for chores," Fred said with a nod.
"Dad might use a lot in one day, but most days are slow," George stated.
"Oh, I never asked him, but what does he do?"
"Head of the Department of Misuse of Muggle Artifacts," they said proudly.
"I'm going to take that means what it sounds like," the messy-haired amnesiac said with a smile.
"I'm not one to ask," Neville lamented, bringing Harry's attention to him. He hated being pudgy. "I can say since I've been here my weight has dropped a bit, but I can't seem to get that last bit of baby fat off," he said with a frown. Yeah, he had a few body issues.
"Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to make you feel bad, I was just wondering," our hero stated, keeping the rest of his theory to himself for now. He'd have to scan the other boy's magical use. Harry really wanted to help his new friend, and hoped it was his self-confidence that was holding him back.
The shy boy waved it away. "It's alright, it's something I want to look into too," he said, now that he was thinking about it. If he could get rid of the fat, that would be awesome. It was another thing his gran always got on to him about. She'd point out how fit and strong her son had been, and how Neville wasn't measuring up.
"Great, we'll add it to things to research," Harry said as he rubbed his hands together, and then changed the subject. "I want to prank Snape, any ideas?" he asked, looking to the twins and Neville.
"Well," the sandy-haired boy started reluctantly, "Snape is my greatest fear and when we faced the Boggart, to make it funny, I had him dressed in Grans clothes. You can possibly jinx him with that," he said as his face held a hopeful look. The scene played out in his head, making him chuckle.
"What's a Boggart? And how does your gran dress?" were the excited questions. Snape dressed as a woman would be great, and if he could get it to be random that would be funny as hell.
"A Boggart is a creature that takes on the guise of what you fear most. Only laughter will make it fade. We learned about them last year. Your Boggart is Dementors," Hermione informed him with a frown. She didn't like the idea of pranking a teacher, but she held her peace for now.
"Right, Madam Bones told me about them," Harry said, thinking that he needed to get the Patronus down quickly. Waters had told him all about them, and what they were used for. He'd have to ask the twins if they knew it, so that messages could be sent if he went walkabout again. He could already hear his mind crew going over the spell, so he would know it completely soon.
"Yes, it was Professor Lupin who took his time to teach you the Patronus Charm. He was ever so kind, and one of the best DADA teachers we've had. Though, Professor Moody isn't bad," the bushy-haired girl stated, wanting Harry to understand that Lupin was good guy.
Harry frowned at that both those statements, until Neville brought his attention to him.
"Gran dresses in an old-fashioned woman's suit. It's tweed and has a knee length skirt and a matching jacket, and she has a buzzard hat. She pretty much has the same suit in many colors. I'll get Dean to draw it for you, so you can get a better picture."
"That'd be bloody awesome," the twins said as one. They had heard about the incident, but could never quite get a spell down to replicate it.
"Right, I'm knackered, so I'm headed up. You guys coming?" Harry said with a yawn. It had been another long day. He really hoped Sirius got his leg over, the man deserved to have a good time.
Sirius' POV
Poor Sirius sneezed in his sleep and continued to dream. He was chained to a desk and there was a huge pile of paperwork in front of him. His account manager was cackling to the side; saying that he would never be able to leave. The rubber hoses would hit his hands whenever he stopped signing something. There were women to the other side the room, calling him to come and play. He rolled over and mumbled in his sleep, "I'm trying. Wait for me, my beauties." His legs made a running motion as he went nowhere.
The Gang's POV
The group all decided that they too were tired, so all of them grabbed their bags and left the Great Hall. They talked of unimportant things and Luna spilt off near the Ravenclaw dorms. Harry made sure to kiss her cheek goodnight, making the twins crow and Neville wonder if he could start doing the same. Hermione just blushed, when Harry did the same to her. They made it to the Gryffindor tower and they all climbed wearily in to their rooms.
Neville settled on his bed, and took out Merlin's book determined to finish it tonight. He could always get a Pepper-up from Pomfrey in the morning. Ron came in, glared at the closed curtain and mumbled something about a traitor. The shy boy was just glad that the jinx was wearing off and the odor was mild. He turned his attention to the wondrous tome and read with fervor.
Hermione was looking through the Wiccan books, and she didn't find what Harry was so fascinated about. The meditation techniques were interesting but could've been found in the school library. She was sure that Harry only got them for the women. Really, boys. She scoffed and put them away with a snort of disgust and went to sleep.
Luna warded her trunks with a new prank ward, which would glamor anyone who touched it into an old woman. It would only last on hour, but those vain girls would cry when they saw their beauty fade. She giggled to herself and went to sleep, dreaming of the stars and the moon. She'd read the aura book tomorrow. There was no great hurry.
The twins were talking to Lee about what they discovered about the night Harry left, but no matter how much they discussed it they still couldn't pin it on Snape. They then talked about helping the other boy with his prank, until Morpheus came and took them to dreamland.
Harry's POV
Harry was in his mindscape going over what to do about Crouch Jr. He made the connection that this was a bad guy, possibly a Death Eater. He thought maybe he could write to Waters and have him and the Aurors come to the first task. Then he could out the man, when he lost his magic. That might clear Harry's name and then he could start getting things that needed to be done.
While in his mind, standing on the main deck of the Enterprise, he pulled all the remaining Wiccan books out and handed them to Data. He wanted to see if the android could read them quickly and process them. Then it would only take minutes to find the best form of meditation.
Data took the books and flipped through them. "It is my opinion that you should start with the candle meditation. I would not recommend the mirror one. My analysis shows that it would be too easy to become trapped in the ever repetitive images."
Harry nodded and said, "Thanks, that's what I thought too." He took the books back and put them in his pocket. He'd give them to Hermione if she asked or to Neville if she didn't.
"I am part of your mindscape, albeit mostly the subconscious part," Data said with a nod of his head. "I will be able to process information quickly and do what I can to give it to you while you are awake."
"Any thoughts on how to get my memories back?" the dark-haired wizard asked, looking at the view screen and seeing the vast white area. He saw the miniature sunset and really wanted to be able to get there.
"Inconclusive at this time," was the answer. "We are running scenarios now. This shield appears to be impenetrable; however, all defenses have a weakness. We just have not found this one's yet."
"Well, that sucks."
"Indeed."
"Well, keep up the good work. I'm going to go to sleep and hopefully dream of hot babes," Harry said, looking at Troi and Uhura on the sly, hoping they didn't see. He then blinked and was in his own bed. He rolled over and went to sleep. He did dream of good looking women dancing around a bonfire, naked. They were all his age though. For some reason Luna and Hermione weren't there, maybe he subconsciously felt it would be disrespectful. Who knows how the dreaming mind works?
The next day the first thing the boy-wonder did, was fix his eyes. It was quite painful as they healed, like someone was scrambling them and then trying to separate the parts with a hooked needle. Perhaps, he should've asked Pomfrey. When the pain finally stopped, he blinked and smiled. "Perfect," he said the empty room, which he could now see clearly. He then made his glasses permanent with plain glass, so he could still use his map. He added some charms that could see through things and vowed to keep it to walls. No promises, he was a teenage boy, after all.
Getting up and dressed he met his friends and they went to breakfast. Luna came down, and sat with them, snickering to herself. When they looked at her inquisitively, she waved to the old looking women in school uniforms, who were coming in to Great Hall. They went up to the Staff Table and complained to Flitwick. They couldn't tell how it happened, since they might get in trouble. The professor waved his wand told them it would fade before their first class. The girls turned crone, went to the Ravenclaw table to much laughter and finger pointing. Harry gave the little blonde a kiss on the cheek for a prank well played.
The gang didn't talk about anything important over breakfast, though Hermione did tell him what she thought of the books when she handed them back. He just shrugged and said, "Your loss," making her frown. And he handed them to Neville, who did his upmost best to not look at that one cover.
Harry hit Snape with the jinx, though he used what he knew of fifty style dresses. He could tweak it later to fit Neville's gran. It wouldn't activate until the middle of the man's first class. It would last a few minutes and then catch him again an hour later. He made sure to set it up so the times were random and the dresses were different.
Snape sneezed and glared around the Great Hall to see if anyone was paying attention to him. He didn't see anyone looking his way, but he was sure Potter was talking about him.
The rest of the morning passed with everyone, but Harry, going to class. The boy hero went to the library and turned in his borrowed books. He took a few random books off the shelves and tried to get the Enterprise to scan them. It worked; everything he even glanced at was added to the databank for Data and Spock to go over. They would pick out what was useless and evaluate the rest. He did this until Neville had his first break. Using his map he found the boy and dragged him into an empty classroom.
"Did you finish the book?" he asked, looking at his friend's tired face.
"Yeah, I got it all read by midnight. I have to say I've never heard of such magic," the exhausted boy said, taking the book out of his bag and handing it back.
"Great," Harry said, putting the book in his TARDIS pocket and then manhandling Neville to the front of the room. "Stand here and let me scan you," he all but ordered.
"Scan?" the shy boy asked.
"I'm going to see if I can… get a feel for your magic. Then we'll know what we're working with," our hero explained, as he let his magic roam over his friend from head to toe. His eyes widened when he saw Neville's core. It was almost as big as his. Now, he just had to boost the boy's confidence. "Well, we do have a lot to work with. You are almost as powerful as I am," he said with a huge smile.
Neville furrowed his brow at that. "That is good news, but then why doesn't magic work for me?" he asked, not sure if Harry got his 'scan' right.
"Let's see you cast a spell," Harry said, making sure his eyes never left the teen in front of him.
The sandy-haired boy shrugged, took out his wand and levitated a small statue. It wobbled and then slowly rose into the air. He deflated, and put it back down. "See, I am all Muggle," he sighed.
"Nonsense, it's your wand," Harry said after his crew gave him the analysis. The scans showed the magic leaving his core and then stopping at his hand. It would then trickle down the wand and slowly do what it was supposed to.
"My gran told me this is a powerful wand, it was my dad's. She said I should be proud to use it," the other boy debated. He really didn't want to give up his father's wand. There was so very little that he had of his parents. He was still determined to see if there were journals in the vault.
"Yeah, but for some reason it's not connecting to you. Here, try my tricorder," the dark-haired teen said, handing it over. His eyes once more fixed on the boy's core.
Another shrug and another spell later, Neville perked up. He could feel the difference. It still wasn't perfect, but that statue rose higher and quicker.
"See," Harry said excitedly. "Now we just have to get you to do all of that without one. The theory is sound. All you have to do is meditate on your core, follow it when you cast a spell and then channel it through you hand."
"Easy for you to say, I've been told all my life that that is impossible," Neville sighed. He wasn't going to get over his issues in one setting.
"Here, watch," our hero said, as he waved his hand and lifted the statue six feet into the air without any effort.
"Wicked," the other teen said, looking astonished. He knew Harry did different magic with all he had observed since he started hanging out with the boy.
"Right, you have to get to class, but tonight I want you to meditate. Get some books on Occlumency and build your mindscape. Then read those books I gave you this morning. And then we'll work on it some more. I have faith in you, Neville," Harry said, clapping him on the back and leading him out of the room.
"I'll try," the shy boy said, still not convinced that he was all powerful.
"Do or do not, there is no try," our hero quoted, though he had no idea where he heard that from. He thought it might be the guy Yoda from Star Wars, but did he read it or was it on the telly? He didn't know, so he waved it away. It was good advice.
His friend looked at him weird and then shrugged and went to class. Harry decided to go and see if his godfather scored.