Chapter 112: "Quiet Days and End of Second Year"

As the school year pressed on, Harry found himself immersed in various activities.

One of his main responsibilities was tutoring Nymphadora Tonks every weekend, who had started to regret permitting Harry to call her by using her full name—a fact Harry exploited a lot to inject a bit of humor into their classes.

Despite the playful teasing, Tonks appreciated Harry's teaching methods, which she found far superior to those of any Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher she had encountered at Hogwarts. Harry's approach was practical rather than theoretical, which suited Tonks perfectly as it aligned well with her hands-on learning style.

Harry was equally pleased with Tonks' progress. She was a quick learner, picking up spells faster than any of his other peers he had casually taught. This made Harry quite confident that Tonks would get an Outstanding grade in her Defense Against the Dark Arts NEWTs, provided she managed the theoretical part on her own.

While Harry could teach spells and combat techniques, memorizing details about dark creatures and their characteristics for the written exams was something Tonks had to tackle by herself.

Beyond his tutoring duties, Harry dedicated significant time to mastering healing magic. The events of Halloween night had highlighted the necessity of this skill for him, especially given Harry's penchant for adventure and the inherent risks involved. Though he continued to study warding and curse-breaking, healing had become a priority.

Harry's nightly forays into the Forbidden Forest were an ongoing adventure, lasting about an hour each evening. The local acromantula population, which wanted to take revenge for the destruction of the other colony, now had given up and tended to flee at the sight of Harry brandishing his sword. It was a testament to the reputation Harry had quickly built as a formidable presence in the forest.

While his interactions with the centaurs hadn't progressed beyond cautious neutrality, the absence of conflict was a positive sign for Harry. He didn't actively seek their friendship, and maintaining peace was enough for now.

These forest excursions weren't always filled with combat. Harry enjoyed the opportunity to observe other magical creatures that inhabited the forest, such as unicorns, Blast-Ended Skrewts, Thestrals, and Hippogriffs. These encounters added a layer of wonder to his nightly activities, enriching his experience of the magical world.

Back at Hogwarts, the school year was unusually calm. The faculty and students alike were relieved to have a year free from chaos and danger.

The only drawback was the lackluster performance of the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. If not for this weak link in the faculty, the year might have been perfect for everyone, marked by a peaceful atmosphere that allowed students the freedom to explore and learn without the usual backdrop of fear and uncertainty that had characterized previous years.

In December, the Weasley twins suddenly remembered the prank war they had declared against Harry at the start of the year. By that time, Harry was busy with more important matters and had lost interest in engaging in petty pranks.

Harry this year had largely stopped pranking the school bullies. Most of them had stopped their bullying behavior, especially the smarter Ravenclaws, and those who persisted were now often targeted by the Weasley twins. Due to this, Harry only resorted to an occasional prank to deal with the most stubborn bullies.

To ensure the Weasley twins didn't turn their prank efforts against him, Harry devised a clever spell. He cast a charm that made the twins' hair turn shiny gold whenever they came close to any of the school bullies or particularly strict professors. This transformation reminded everyone of the embarrassing prank from the opening feast, which many were keen to forget, and often provoked anger.

This not only diverted the bullies' attention towards the twins but also kept the twins so busy with the retaliatory pranks that they left Harry and the potential bullying victims in peace.

The twins, proud as they were, refused to seek help from a professor to reverse the spell on their hair. They were determined to figure it out on their own.

However, the spell Harry used was advanced, and he was quite sure they wouldn't be able to undo it without external help. Secretly, Harry thought they looked quite striking with their shiny golden hair and wouldn't mind if they chose to keep it.

The arrival of the Christmas holidays gave Harry a much-needed break, allowing him to step away from the academic pressures and nightly patrols of the Forbidden Forest. Unlike other times of the year when he might study or train, the holidays were a time for Harry to fully relax and have fun, setting aside all thoughts of Hogwarts and its myriad challenges.

After enjoying a relaxing break over the holidays, Harry returned to Hogwarts and quickly resumed his usual routine, filled with studies and nightly forest adventures.

As the days ticked by, the Quidditch season was drawing to a close. Interestingly, Harry found that his interest in Quidditch was fading. 

The reason for this change was his significantly enhanced physical capabilities, a result of his advances in the Knight Breathing Technique, particularly strengthened by his encounters with the acromantulas. He noticed he had become too strong compared to his peers; bludgers that used to be a threat now seemed harmless, and catching the Snitch had become almost too easy.

Quidditch had lost the challenge it once posed, and it was no longer fun for him. He even stopped joining his friends for casual games, feeling it was somewhat unfair due to his heightened abilities. Instead, Harry chose to enjoy long, solitary flights on his broom, which still brought him joy.

Nevertheless, Harry decided to give his Quidditch career a proper farewell by participating as the Seeker in Ravenclaw's final match of the season against Slytherin. The regular seeker had opted to focus on his NEWT studies, giving Harry, as the reserve seeker, the opportunity to play in what could be his first and last game as Ravenclaw's Seeker.

This game was more about savoring the experience than the competition. Harry took the time to enjoy the atmosphere of the match, appreciating the cheers from the crowd, which was a thrilling and new experience for him. For much of the game, Harry played leisurely, more engaged in absorbing the festive environment than in seeking the Snitch.

After having some fun dodging bludgers launched by the particularly large Slytherin beaters and casually flying around the pitch, greeting the cheering students, Harry eventually spotted the Snitch. With effortless grace, he dove for it, caught it swiftly, and brought the game to a quick close.

The rush of being the center of attention was exhilarating, yet he confirmed his decision to step away from Quidditch going forward.

Despite Ravenclaw's victory in that match, their earlier losses to other houses meant they didn't stand a chance to win the Quidditch Cup.

Ultimately, it was Slytherin who took home the cup this year, thanks to having accumulated more points than Gryffindor, who had the same number of wins.

Harry's experience in the final game was memorable, but it marked the end of his short Quidditch career.

As the school year approached its end and final exams loomed, Harry decided it was time for Nymphadora Tonks to face her graduation test—a rigorous obstacle course he had set up in the Forbidden Forest. The course culminated with a live acromantula, acting as the "final boss," challenging Tonks to apply everything she had learned.

This obstacle course was Harry's way of concluding Tonks' training with him, designed to test her on every skill she had acquired under his tutelage. Despite the grueling challenges, Tonks emerged victorious, albeit exhausted and visibly agitated, her metamorphmagus features vividly displaying her emotions with her hair and face turning a fiery red as she stormed out of the forest.

Harry had injected a bit of mischief into the course, which included full-size cutouts of various people continuously chanting "Nymphadora" repeatedly. Her reaction was immediate and fierce—she demolished each cutout with a burst of angry magic, much to Harry's amusement.

Also, despite all of Harry's training, some of Tonks' natural clumsiness remained. She tripped over several obstacles, one of which involved an extraordinarily sticky glue trap that took her considerable effort to escape.

However, her performance against the acromantula was impressive. Harry watched with pride as she tackled the giant spider skillfully and independently, managing to overcome it without any assistance on her first encounter.

After allowing her some time to cool down from the heat of her initial frustration, Harry congratulated her. He expressed his confidence in her preparedness for the rigorous demands of Auror training, feeling assured that she was now ready to face whatever challenges that career might throw at her.

With the obstacle course behind her, Tonks, like all other seventh-year students, shifted her focus entirely to her upcoming NEWT exams. The following weeks were going to be hectic for her and her yearmates.

Exam time quickly arrived, and Harry breezed through his own tests. Tonks also had her NEWTs and after them, she and her friends got busy with having fun and preparing for the farewells.

While the official results were still pending, rumors quickly spread around Hogwarts that Tonks had excelled in her Defense Against the Dark Arts practical exam. She reportedly impressed the examiners with her adept handling of various spells.

Her performance was notably superior, especially against the backdrop of other students who struggled, highlighting the disparity between her advanced skills and the inadequate teaching from the current DADA professor. Tonks, adhering to a promise she made to Harry, kept quiet about the source of her exceptional training.

As the school year came to an end, Ravenclaw House celebrated a significant victory by winning the House Cup. The quiet dedication of its members to earning points, combined with the unfortunate loss of points by other houses for various infractions, played a key role in their triumph. Harry joined his fellow housemates in celebrating this achievement with joy and pride.

However, looking ahead, Harry couldn't shake the feeling that the fairness of the House Cup might soon be compromised.

Next year, his brother, the Boy Who Lived, would be joining Hogwarts, and Harry anticipated that the unfolding events might mirror those described in the books. He suspected that Dumbledore might begin awarding points in a way that would lead to the Gryffindor house winning the cup every time. However, the house cup did not matter much to Harry so even if it happened, it was not going to bother Harry in any way.

With the school year wrapped up, Harry was eager to head home for the summer.

He was particularly excited about spending time with his new baby brother, Aries Regulus Black, the son of Amelia and Sirius. Although Harry had managed brief visits during the year using the vanishing cabinet, he looked forward to enjoying more extended and meaningful bonding time with Aries.

While on the Hogwarts Express heading back home, Harry reflected on the past year. It had been a rare peaceful year at Hogwarts, but Harry felt it might be the last one for some time.

With the canon events starting next year and Voldemort coming back to the country, Harry knew that his future years at school would be far from peaceful.