APPRENTICE

At the dinner Banquet on the day everyone returned to Hogwarts I first met Daphne just outside the great hall, she held my hand shyly said she missed me and gave a small peck on my cheek before returning to sit on the Slytherin table. I met Hermione in the afternoon when she returned and she too gave me a hug and explained how she spent the holidays doing mundane things with her parents rather than studying and how satisfied seeing their smiles was.

Hermione had also handed me a hundred Galleons that the goblins had sent her along with the huge number of additional books on the basics, but not before making me promise that every book that was not being used will be given to her to study as she was already quite bored during the daily lessons and wanted a proper book to read so that her time is not wasted.

I handed the book to the weasley twins along with giving them the hundred galleons which they could spend on themselves during the time they were creating this product. He handed them the the account number and the relevant authority that they could use when they order the required materials for tests and practice. Harry also asked them to find him if they were to face any troubles in procuring anything so that he could contact the relevant authorities and his connections, but to ensure the quality of any product that they start designing.

Harry knew that the next four months would be rather peaceful as he did not have to participate in quidditch or chase after a mysterious enemy with a hot headed friend, so he had prepared to use this time to complete their basic mastery over healing and start on Runes. Hermione after coming from the holidays had discussed with him that even if they could understand runes in theory they would require to someone to teach them the basics and since they could not ask the teachers they had to look for their seniors and who better than the weasley twins who could provide everything for a price.

The weasley twins knew of many senior students who would love to gain a few additional galleons to teach a few juniors two hours a week. Though most seniors were not in desperate needs of cash, everybody would like a few more Galleons to spend on their weekend trips to Hogsmeade. We did not wish for others to know that we were learning something like this so it was decided that two senior would be contacted who would separately teach me and Hermione on weekends and the rest would be upto us.

It was mid february by the time Quidditch season had come to a point where everyday at least a dozen students on the various teams head to the infirmary for cuts, bruises and concussions after practice and severe injuries after a pumped up game for treatment. Poppy was extremely glad to see that both Harry and Hermione were already proficient in the treatment of minor injuries and had informed the duo that even though Hogwarts did not have Healing as a subject she would request Dumble's to allow her to teach advanced healing magic to both of them after they complete the normal classes, if they were willing.

They both knew that the advanced subjects were not something they could master on their own and would require the guidance so they readily agreed. Harry knew that Dumble's would allow thinking that this will help Harry and indirectly his plan to have harry confront Voldi at the end of year, but he was unaware of the fact that harry had no plans to go anywhere near that mess. After getting their permissions Poppy started to teach them various aspects regarding healing and its wide application.

Harry and hermione had read the books on healing, but they were only basics and so their view on the subject was also limited which was why they were so shocked when Poppy gave them a basic lesson on how wide the topic was. Healing does not include only spells and potions that affect the basic constitution, for example if a leg is broken, healing magic does not just re-adjust the bone but rather reverse or accelerate the very process of cellular regeneration and formation so that the affected part does not leave any complications for the future.

The potions, though beneficial in treatment were not good for the long term as unlike the spells that is pure energy and slowly but surely dissipates with time, potions tend to accumulate and were therefore recommended only in cases where one is not able to hold on to a treatment.

She explained how every known disease or condition in the muggle world was mostly affecting a person's cell and how easy it was to treat but in the magical side the diseases tend to not only destroy the cells but tend to occupy their very places, which in turn makes them difficult to be cured. This in addition to the presence of varied degrees of magical creatures led to the diseases multiplying at a speed of unlimited potential.

Apart from diseases of the body, mind was the one area where even magicals were not able to fully uncover its marvels and every small achievement in this field would lead to glory. She explained that every qualified healer found the problems caused by spells to be the easiest to treat and the problems of mind and rituals to be the toughest. This was because spells being pure energy were never permanent but every mishap of mind and rituals tend to leave a more permanent mark.

She had us officially register with the ministry as apprentice healers and had us take the magical oath of healers. She also informed us that in our third year, when we take additional subjects we both would have mandatory healing in our timetables but since we were already apprentices we would have Healing OWL'S in our third years as everyone takes this after three years of learning and if all goes well we would be having our NEWT's in our OWL year.

This was how both me and Hermione started spending the next four months, with our time totally occupied from dawn to dusk. Morning basic exercise followed by classes and then heading to Poppy for two hours of healing lessons and then returning to the common house before dark where we spent the time till dinner completing our homework and/ or revising the day's classes. After dinner we spent the next few hours reading and discussing Runes till it was time for bed. It was only on weekends that we went our separate ways during daytime but still came back to the common house before dark and studied runes while discussing what we each had learned from the seniors.