Bonds Beyond Words

Harry grinned. He still loved hearing about magic he didn't know. Thankfully they had a few really good teachers. Professor Flitwick mostly stuck to the book, but he threw in comments here and there that were new. Little tips, little variations in the spell or ways to use it in non-standard ways, as if they were all training for the dueling circuit someday.

And Madam Spurl didn't have a book at all so everything she said was something new.

"There's a bit of magic called a taboo. Wonderfully complicated, usually used for gruesome purposes, unfortunately. That's what they proposed, those Hufflepuffs. Most of those fourth-years worked on variations of the same idea. Such a Hufflepuff thing to do, share. Perhaps a family member or a book put one of them onto the idea, then one convinced the others. None of them cottoned onto the right trigger word yet, which is important to know for dismantling a localized taboo."

"Can you explain how it works, this taboo?" Hermione asked.

"A person saying a predefined word triggers the spell, but doesn't even have to cast any magic. Just saying the right word makes the thing work. As I said, it's complicated and powerful and devilish to unravel."

Yes, it sounded devilish. Someone had managed cursed a word...

"I'll keep searching. You get to be my age and you'll have patience. Hopefully, you'll still have curiosity. One without the other, they should load you into a coffin and burn you." She speared each of them with a look. "Class dismissed. Don't forget everything I'm trying to load into your skull during the break."

Harry packed up. He resolved to add taboos to his list of things to look up. He'd never come across the term before. Not that he was a Master of Defense or anything, but he had been through a number of good books on the subject.

He felt a tap on his shoulder.

Lavender Brown stood there when Harry turned around.

"Yes?" Harry asked. If she was going to have a tantrum, let her have it now.

"I'm sorry."

"About what?"

"I didn't think anyone would work so hard on it. I didn't think it would be that interesting."

Harry nodded. He had said it would be interesting to study. She just hadn't believed him. How could anyone not find some kind of magic to adore? His happened to be these kinds of spells, but he wondered what Lavender adored.

She was looking at him. She expected him to say something. Harry went for polite. "Well, maybe we can work on a project for a different class together."

She nodded. "Maybe."

Harry walked away. Girls were so strange.

....

Harry was calmer this Yule break. The day after Christmas, Harry woke up and made the journey to his summer suite where he practiced his spells. His mind wandered, but he kept himself relaxed. He knew what he would do for the summer and even had his tent ready. He tucked his wand away. He looked out a window. The sun was out and he couldn't see the trees at the edge of the great lawn swaying.

Harry smiled and went to collect his broom. While he had decided to hold off on trying out for Quidditch until maybe next year (he still thought himself a bit small), he did go flying on a nice day like today. There was snow on the ground, but he could cast a warming charm that would last forty-five minutes or better. The sun and lack of wind was more important.

He arrived outside to see a few others flying. Harry got into the air. Hedwig eventually arrived next to him. She had been teaching him dives, of course. She had some wicked ones, his crafty friend.

Back on the ground, Harry spoke to his owl for a few minutes before she flew off. He had tried to fly with her or visit her in the owlery every day of the break.

As he walked back to the castle thinking about lunch, his mind turned to that odd house elf Dobby and that plot that was supposed to be happening in the school. Harry was grateful it wasn't, of course, but one with curiosity couldn't always direct it very well.

What was supposed to be happening right now?

Harry ran up the stairs to the Tower and left his broom. On his way down, he decided to visit the house elves in the kitchen before he arrived at the Great Hall. They had been so kind over the last summer so he tried to repay it. They wanted nothing but a kind word or a bit of work to do. Harry didn't quite understand that, but he could at least oblige.

When he ate his lunch, Harry saw Hagrid at the Head Table. Harry waved. Later Harry might seek out Hagrid who would have a bit of a story to share. That man and his trips to the pub. He was also good for bits of Hogwarts lore, especially on troublemakers.

Harry learned about centaurs and werewolves from Hagrid as well as a few bits on his father and his grandfather, who had frequently been to Hogwarts when James Potter got into enough trouble.

But he had his afternoon planned. He'd had to skip yesterday because of the holiday, but he'd get what he needed today. During the break, the library was on reduced hours, just open in the afternoons.

Harry had not given up his efforts to discover more about the Potters. He'd finally asked the unpleasant Madam Pince about back numbers of the Prophet. They had the current copies. What about the old ones.

Silly. He should have asked much earlier. For the Hogwarts library had a little-used, locked room where they stored two centuries of fire-proofed copies of the Daily Prophet. (Why was it locked? Harry never did find out.) Harry had now gone back seventy years. He'd spent some more time pulling ink onto his fingers.

He settled into the room with his stack of notes and his references to old newspapers. He was writing what he learned and where he'd learned it from. He wanted one parchment not a stack of copies. Of course, he had learned the copying spell so he could keep photographs of interest.

.....

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