Learning to Fly

Despite the excellent stress relief that being in the company of his… girlfriends- Merlin, it was still difficult for him to accept that all these gorgeous, wonderful witches were his girlfriends.

You flatterer. Ginny teased.

Despite their support, the scrutiny of the Hogwarts student body was becoming difficult to bear. Honestly, he could no longer give a jot what they thought of him, but it was hard for him to stand by while his girls were being treated this way. He wanted to do something, but he couldn't figure out what he could do that didn't just make the situation worse. Honestly, he just wished he could support them right now, but he knew any display of affection would just put fuel on the fire.

Suspiciously, Dumbledore was absent at dinner, but even that rare occurrence couldn't shift the rumor mill away from them. At Katie's instruction- Hermione and Ginny were sitting on either side of him, while Katie and Demelza were sitting across, as if forming a protective barrier between him and the outside world. As if he was the one that needed protecting.

We weren't the ones just dosed with love potion. Hermione pointed out. Don't blame us for being protective!

Harry projected nonchalance but he had been using that newly learned spell to test his food and drink for potion. Their presence was comforting, even if he felt that he should be the one shielding them.

Harry's attention was drawn to Luna, who'd gotten up from her spot at the Ravenclaw table and was now walking in his direction. The look on her face captivated Harry, the mix of determination and mischievousness was something he'd seen from her before, but only when they'd been intimate. Seeing it on her in public was captivating, and Harry found himself frozen in place as Luna approached him.

Ginny obligingly shifted to the side, thinking that Luna wanted to sit with them, but the girl instead wriggled into Harry's lap. At this point, a good portion of the hall was looking at them, but Luna didn't seem to care.

"Er.." Harry uttered, and Luna took advantage, weaving a hand through his hair and pulling him to her. Her tongue easily slipped past his parted lips, and Luna quickly threw everything into the kiss, turning it into a full out snog. Simultaneously, her other hand patted his crotch, almost in acknowledgment that yes she knew he was hard and she wasn't about to forget it.

Finally, Luna pulled back with a satisfied smile on her face. She turned from a gob smacked Harry to Hermione, and quirked an eyebrow as if to say 'you next?'.

Hermione caught Luna's implication and instantly flushed red. Harry had only just become aware that the hushed whispers around them had turned into a dull roar. A camera flashed… god, had Colin gotten a picture of that? Ginny was laughing. Katie sighed in resignation. Demelza seemed to be shrinking in on herself. He caught a glimpse of Susan, who had smacked a hand to her face.

Order was falling apart, despite the teachers best efforts to restore it. Well, at least some of the teachers, Snape was looking at him with an expression of unusually intense loathing, even for him.

"Why did you do that, Luna?" Hermione asked with what Harry knew was immeasurable patience given the situation.

"I figured if everyone was going to assume we were together anyway, what's the point of keeping it private when I could kiss Harry whenever I want?"

There was something to be said about getting everything out of the way and just facing it head on. It was actually a very Gryffindor thing to do, Harry mused. "Well, at least it can't get any worse." Harry shrugged.

Moments later, the pandemonium in the Great Hall was startled to silence at the unmistakable sound of a nearby explosion, followed by another, and another. You had to jinx it, Potter.

It was getting closer. Guess its going to be one of those days. Harry knew all too well how quickly things could fall apart, how the facade of peace could be shattered in an instant. He had no illusions about how fragile what they had here was, and he viewed the end of it almost with resignation.

Harry breathed in, mentally switching gears. Everything unimportant fell away, gossip, the stress, even concerns about Dumbledore. Within seconds, he was in a state of almost complete focus. "Get down!" He barked, picking Luna out of his lap and placing her on the ground as he crouched beside her. His wand was in hand, and he was gratified to see that his girls had mirrored him. Hermione and Ginny's faces had hardened in determination- this wasn't their first rodeo, but Katie and Demelza were both looking to him uncertainly.

A door exploded outward, unleashing fire and… sparks? It took him a moment to recognize the sight of Weasley Wizarding Weazes fireworks… but something was off. This wasn't a prank. His instincts were screaming at him.

He could tell that some of the other students had recognized the fireworks as well, and had begun to relax, but the girls all looked to him, and seeing the steel in his eyes, kept their guard up.

The fireworks twirled in the air for a few moments, before simultaneously careening downwards. One went to the center of each of the Huffelpuff, Gryffindor, and Ravenclaw tables, one went to the center of the teacher's table, right where Dumbledore would have been sitting, and the last was… heading straight for him.

Of course.

In an instant, a dozen courses of action were considered and discarded. The fireworks were nearly impossible to dispel (as Umbridge had learned last year), and attempting to do so could result in them multiplying or becoming more dangerous. They were probably heavily modified to be lethal. He didn't have time, and the amount of collateral damage was going to be horrific if he didn't act fast. The hall was in chaos- there was very limited maneuverability. If only he had a broom!

The beginnings of a plan crystallized in his mind. It was utterly mad, but he was just going to have to try.

"Wingardium Leviousa!" While the levitation charm generally made things float in mid air gently, with the amount of power he put into it, he shot upwards like a cork. He was high enough now that the firework headed towards him had to swerve upwards, nearly hitting the ground in the process.

"Accio fireworks!" The paths of all the other fireworks also began to arc towards him, the level of power put into his summoning charm countering whatever tracking was on those things. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough for the Huffelpuff table. The firework turned but hit the ground a few feet away instead of the table itself. The force of the resulting explosion sent the two nearest Huffelpuffs flying, while other nearby students ( several Slytherins) were blasted backwards with violent force.

The four remaining fireworks were headed straight for him now. You know what to do, guys.

"Accio fireworks!" Several voices said as one. Harry let his own charm fade, and the fireworks turned back down, towards the girls- his girls, who stood together bravely, wands out. Of course, this wasn't a solution, just a stopgap measure. If only he had a broom! His firebolt was locked up in his trunk, there was no way he could summon it. Maybe he could just banish himself?

Before the fireworks could reach them, Harry summoned them back, forcing them to turn back to him. With a final thought towards Ginny and Hermione, he took the proverbial shot in the dark.

The magic was startlingly effective, shooting him through the main doors at reckless speed, which had thankfully been opened in the chaos as students tried to escape. Soon, Harry was tasting the cool night air. A quick look back confirmed that the fireworks were following him.

It felt odd- on one hand, the combination of levitating and banishing himself was taking an unprecedented toll on his magic. If he had tried this a few months ago, he'd have been drained by now. Even with in his current state, he knew he wouldn't be able to keep it up indefinitely. At the same time, there was something that just felt right about this. He was in the air, he was in his element, he was free.

Instinctively, he tapped back on the banishing spell, so that he was moving forward at a much more reasonable pace- and with Hermione's guidance, worked out how to alter the direction he was moving in. Once he had the basic mechanics down, perfecting them was easy, and Harry found that he took to flying without a broom just as well as he had to flying with one.

After about a minute of working out the kinks, he felt ready. Harry re-applied the summoning charm and baited the fireworks for the chase. As he sped off- fireworks in tow, he let out a gleeful laugh. Flying felt good.

-----

While Harry was dealing with the fireworks, the girls had linked up with Susan, Hannah, and Neville.

"Two first years are burnt, badly." Hannah cried "If this is some sort of prank-"

"Its not." Ginny interrupted "It's an attack."

"Y-you mean?"

"Death Eaters" Neville confirmed. "I bet this…" He gestured to the chaos around them, people trying to flee in all directions "Was exactly what they wanted."

"What do we do?" Demelza asked, a tremor in her voice.

"Stick together." Neville said.

"We need to figure out what's going on." Hermione added "That door is probably our best bet." She pointed to the door that had been blown off its hinges- the only exit that wasn't currently swarmed with students.

They set off, with a quick yet careful pace. The path the fireworks had taken was obvious from the trail of ash, but Hermione was wishing that they had the Marauder's Map. Unfortunately, Harry had it, and he was a predisposed at the moment.

What about using your fey sight? Harry queried.

Well, that only really works if I'm… turned on. Hermione admitted with a blush.

Is that a challenge? Harry teased, and Hermione blushed even more.

Harry James Potter! There's absolutely no way I'm going to get aroused in the middle of a death eater attack!

Not even- Harry's joking mood, brought on by his love of flying, vanished in an instant. I know where the Death Eaters are. He told her grimly. The Dark Mark was rising above the astronomy tower.

Harry, Ginny, and Hermione's stomachs dropped. "The astronomy tower!" Ginny and Hermione said together, drawing looks from Hannah and Neville. However, the situation left no room for argument.

It was then that they heard the screams. The group set off at full pelt towards the source, and upon seeing a masked Death Eater putting a young Ravenclaw student under the cruciatus curse, unleashed an overwhelming barrage of spell fire.

The churning feeling was growing in Hermione's stomach. They were using the chaos to pick people off. There could be dozens of Death Eaters in the school, and they had no idea how they got there. There was every possibility that students had already died.

Something to do with the Room of Requirement. Malfoy. Harry seethed. I knew he was up to something. I should have kept a closer eye on him.

It was not lost on Hermione that she had been one of the leading voices telling Harry to drop it. She pushed her own guilt aside, there would be time later. In all likelihood, the Death Eaters had spread out to cause as much chaos as possible. There may be others in the direction of the tower… maybe not. It was a moot point. They were going to meet up with Harry first. No way would they allow him to fight on his own.

Harry approached the astronomy tower, and spotted a Death Eater perched on the balcony. With a spike of fury, he urged himself onward. The Death Eater noticed him, but Harry corkscrewed past the hastily cast killing curse. Harry missed him intentionally, passing inches from the Death Eater. The fireworks, however, didn't miss. The massive explosion was grimly gratifying. Harry turned once again, and was surprised at how much of the tower remained. It was probably enchanted to be more resilient, he figured. It wasn't undamaged, but there was enough space for him to land.

With some trepidation Harry made his way down the spiral stairs of the tower. The others had been forced back by a volley of unforgivables cast by a pair of Death Eaters. The group tried to dispatch them without putting themselves at risk, but it was tricky.

"Now, Draco. You're so close! All you need to do is say two little magical words!" Harry felt a chill go down his spine. He'd only encountered her once in person, but he'd know Bellatrix Lestrange's voice anywhere.

Thinking quickly, he whipped out his invisibility cloak, making sure to be quiet as he came into view of them. His heart froze- Bill Weasley was laying on the floor, and from that distance he couldn't tell if he was dead or merely knocked out. Lestrange had a hand on Malfoy's shoulder, and the boy looked positively ill, holding his shaking arm out to point his wand at Dumbledore.

Harry's former mentor seemed very out of sorts, Harry wondered if he'd already succumbed to some sort of curse. The Headmaster's glassy eyes revealed that he was barely aware of the scene unfolding in front of him "Now… Draco…" The old man managed

Bellatrix cackled, her hand went from Malfoy's shoulder to caress his cheek, which made the boy flinch. "Do it! Kill him!"

"A-a-avada Kedavra!"

Harry didn't think, he just did. Even before the words had left Malfoy's mouth, he surged forward, throwing himself at Malfoy in the hopes that he could disrupt his aim, or failing that, intercept the curse. Everything seemed to move slowly as Harry closed in on Malfoy… but he was too late. His wand lit up eerily green. He wasn't going to be in time to stop him, and with a sense of resignation he realized he was in the path of the curse.

Huh, Dumbledore got his way after all.

NO! Hermione and Ginny's voices burst through the link. Harry was assaulted by terror and fury. With the vicious ferocity of a feral animal, Ginny seized control of Harry's body and forced him to his knees. He hit the ground heavily, craning his head upward to see Malfoy's spell… fizzle and die at the tip of his wand.

"A-avada Kedavra! Avada Kedavra! Avada Kedavra!" He repeated desperately, jabbing his wand in the air with more vigor with each repetition. "No! Nononono." He choked out "I can do it! I can do it! Plea-" Malfoy's blubbering was cut off by a stunner from Lestrange, and he hit the floor like a sack of potatoes.

"He's so pathetic!" The deranged woman giggled, and for a moment Harry thought he somehow might have gone unseen, until her gaze turned to him, and Harry realized that the cloak had been sent askew in his mad dive, and his knees were revealed. Her expression shifted to glee "Oh! Has itty bitty Potty come out to play?" She taunted, before sending a killing curse at him.

Harry rolled out of the way, as the floor he was just standing on exploded. He needed to keep her attention on him until help arrived. Dumbledore was a sitting duck, but as long as Lestrange was focused on him... "I'm surprised that Voldemort has you on babysitting duty!" He taunted back "What, is he disappointed in you for, you know, last year?"

She'd sent several other curses at him while he said this, but he was able to duck and weave through them. It was not lost on him that a single mistake could mean his death, but he wasn't going to let that thought disrupt his focus. She sneered at him and shot back "Is Potty holding a grudge? A little upset about the mangy old dog I put down?" She too, was able to block and avoid the spells he sent her way- though Sectasemprar elicited genuine surprise, before she cackled again. "Dark magic! Little baby Potter is growing up!"

"I'm mostly just curious why your precious Dark Lord is sending you on the ferret's suicide mission." Harry retorted. Despite his bravado, he knew he needed a new tactic. Nothing he was using was even phasing her, but it was almost inevitable that he was going to be unable to evade one of her unforgivables, or at least get hurt in the explosion of a killing curse. Thinking quickly, he sent a series of stunners at her as a distraction, while trying to wordlessly summon the debris behind her to him.

It didn't work perfectly, the rubble he summoned wasn't moving as quickly as he would have liked and it hadn't struck her anywhere vital, but it had actually gotten her off balance for the first time. Harry went on the offensive, using a combination of spellfire, summoning, and banishing charms to keep Lestrange occupied.

It was at that point that the others stormed in. Ginny was in the lead, and she looked ready to kill.

Lestrange, realizing that she was hopelessly outnumbered, simply smirked. He, Ginny, and the others rained spellfire onto her location, but it was too late. "Activate!" She hissed, and both she and Malfoy disappeared, presumably taken away by a portkey.

Harry let out a breath. Disappointed that they hadn't been able to get them, but mostly relieved that he was alive. He turned to Ginny, shooting her a smile that faded at the look on her face. It was at this point that Harry experienced something completely new to him.

Ginny Weasley's full fury focused on him.