Chapter - 98 : Discovering Hidden Talents

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Harry sighed. "Surely you've noticed by now that wizards don't put much stock in logic. In fact most are downright suspicious of it."

"And that's another thing!" Hermione exclaimed. "I know you've said it's a different culture and I shouldn't impose muggle ideas of progress on Wizarding society, but wizards should at least have caught up with the Age of Enlightenment by now."

"There you go about 'catching up' again." Harry was exasperated - nothing seemed to get through to her. "Look," he said, trying a different approach. "A lot of the differences between the Wizarding and Muggle worlds stem from the nature of magic itself. Casting spells requires a strong mental component - visualisation, concentration and belief. It's not just a case of waving a wand and saying the right incantation."

"I know that, Orion. I read all about it in The Theory of Magic by Brunhilda Bonswick."

"Then you should understand that our classes here at Hogwarts are geared towards teaching us the proper mind-set for performing spells," Harry said. "We train our magic, of course, but also our minds. We learn to focus on, say, a happy memory when casting a Patronus Charm, or an amusing image when forcing a Boggart to change shape. Logic often gets in the way of that. Muggle schools deal with hard facts and train their students to think rationally, but that wouldn't work at Hogwarts."

"Fine, that makes sense, I suppose." Hermione crossed her arms stubbornly. "But it doesn't mean I should have to put up with insults."

"Hermione, it's not that I think you should," Harry said. "I don't deny there are aspects of our world which could do with a change. The bigotry Montague spouted is disgusting, but if you'd just kept quiet you could've hexed him from behind later, letting you get revenge without anyone suspecting you."

"It's not a question of revenge, Orion. It's about what's right!"

Harry rubbed the bridge of his nose, feeling tired and frustrated. "I wish there was some quick and easy way to change our society, but unfortunately there isn't. The change has to be gradual - angry tirades won't solve anything. Outperforming them at school, proving you're just as good as they are, that could help, but what happened back there in the common room isn't going to convince anyone of the importance of good Muggle-Wizard relations."

Hermione bit her lip worriedly. "Montague looked really angry when you deflected that hex. I hope he won't do anything to hurt you."

"Nah, he wouldn't dare," Harry said nonchalantly. With everything he'd already lived through, a third year student didn't cause him any concern. "I'm a Black after all, and I've shown that I can easily stop any spells thrown my way."

"Good, I'm glad." Hermione smiled. "Thanks, Orion. For helping me."

Harry dismissed her gratitude with a wave. "What're friends for? Just tread carefully, yeah? It's probably a good idea for you to steer clear of the common room for a bit. I'm going to meet Neville soon to help him with his spell casting. D'you want to come along, too?"

"Thanks, but no," Hermione said. "I think I'll go join Terry, Lisa and Kevin in the library. They're doing some research on Gamp's Laws of Elemental Transfiguration - it's really quite fascinating."

Terry Boot, Lisa Turpin and Kevin Entwhistle were Ravenclaws, and all three had muggle parents. Harry understood why Hermione would seek out their company, but was concerned by her avoidance of her wizard-raised classmates. He didn't like seeing such segregation between Hogwarts students, whether self-imposed or otherwise.

There was nothing to be done about it, however; he only hoped she would think about what he'd said and would remember that she had friends in Neville, Daphne and himself. They split ways - Hermione heading to the library and Harry making his way to the seventh floor. Neville was already there, fiddling nervously with the cuff of his sleeve as he waited beside the portrait of Barnabas the Barmy.

Harry dredged up a smile as he said hello, then instructed him on how to access the Room of Requirement. "Picture somewhere peaceful and walk past this spot three times."

"Why? I don't-"

"Just do it, Neville," Harry snapped impatiently, then sighed and apologised. "Sorry, I'm a bit stressed. I promise it'll all make sense. Just walk back and forth a few times and you'll see for yourself."

"All right, Orion." Neville did as instructed, squeezing his eyes tightly shut as he paced. He didn't immediately see the door that appeared in the stone wall, jumping in shock when Harry opened it and lead them inside. The room was overflowing with plant life; flowers bloomed underfoot, ivy climbed the walls, and tree branches swayed overhead.

"It's beautiful." Neville stared around in awe. "Merlin, is that a Mimbelus Mimbletonia? They're really rare!" He tore his gaze away from the ugly plant and turned to Harry. "How did you find this place?"

"It's called the Room of Requirement," Harry said. "It becomes whatever you need most. When you concentrated on finding somewhere peaceful, it turned into this." Harry gestured to their surroundings. As always, the Room had delivered exactly what was requested; Neville's round face was happy and relaxed as he turned on the spot, taking everything in.

Harry let him explore for a while, then suggested they begin practicing the spells they'd learned in class. Neville immediately tensed up, but he was still much calmer than he was when in the presence of a teacher. Knowing Charms was one of the Gryffindor's better subjects, Harry led him through the simple steps of the levitation charm, calling a break whenever Neville became too disheartened.

"You're doing really well, Neville," Harry encouraged him. The boy had yet to manage to make anything float, but so far nothing had exploded, which was impressive progress in Harry's opinion.

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