the Path of Control

The day after Halloween was a Friday. It started pretty ordinary; breakfast with the study group saw me eating a lot. I didn't speak because I was so hungry and tired. I chugged coffee and ate sausages and eggs and hashbrowns till I was full and looked up every one staring at me. "Sorry about that, I was just so hungry", I burped.

"We were discussing what happened last night." Tim said, "When did you learn the stunning charm?" he asked.

"Few days after I was attacked" I answered. "So potions then rest day off, so we'll meet after lunch to learn the Disarming charm," I said. "Unless there is something else?"

"Nope, sounds good, Eddie. Do you still have extra lessons with Snape after dinner tonight?" Said Hermione. I nodded with a frown.

"How are they going?" Tim asked.

"Bad, I still can't get a hang of it; it feels like focusing on two different thoughts simultaneously," I said.

I had told every one in the study group about snapes traps so there were vast improvements in the potion making class, with Neville and Seamus, seeming to fix there problems they will probably get an exceeds expectations this year. Potion-making is not hard if one is calm and understands. To actually invent a potion was difficult; you had to study ingredients and understand how they reacted with one another. I could see myself brewing lots of potions in the future, but actually inventing a potion would be way beyond me. We were brewing Wiggenweld potions, a healing potion for minor injuries and also a stimulant that works against sleeping draughts. It was a pretty simple potion, and the entire class had managed to complete it. Snape was impressed he didn't outwardly show it, but I knew he was happy with the student's progress.

Lunch quickly passed, with everyone chatting. Ron had apparently apologised to Hermione and said he was just frustrated at him getting left behind.

I led the study group today; we took turns depending on who was good at a subject. Seeing it was a charm, and I was really good at them, I would teach it. I got everyone in pairs and demonstrated the spell, explaining the various ways it worked. The Disarming charm of a brilliant tool to learn how intent affects a spell.

"The Disarming charm, like all spells, is the focus of intent. I explained some of this, but the Disarming charm really needs the intent to work effectively." I started pacing up and down the line. "Magic isn't a tool. It's a part of you, a limb." I started to explain what I had been thinking about when it came to my problems. "It is a combination of intention and emotions, and your magical power is given metaphysical form to achieve great things. The Disarming charms can have many different effects depending on the intent of the wizard. For example," <Expelliarmus > I cast the spell at Tim. His wand left his hand and flew towards mine. "Being able to disarm someone and have their wand come to you. Or " <expelliarmus > I cast it at Hermonie, and her wand flew off, spinning behind her. "Just spinning off away from someone. The thing is you need clear intentions, you need to disarm your opponent, not stun them not stop them, disarm them, with weak or no intention" <Expelliarmus > I cast the spell at Neville and his wand just twitched abit "the spell will fail."

"Now each pair will take turns trying to disarm their opponent, I want the people being disarmed to focus on the feeling of being disarmed and apply it to your next spell imagine that feeling happening to your opponent." Soo the study group was casting spells at each other, this went for good 20 minutes till the door burst open.

"Well, we'll we'll what we have here?" Filch said as he walked in, Draco following him.

"Mister filch, welcome to the first-year study group, is there a problem?. "

"Yes mr carter you lot are using magic between classes and using a room with out permission" he snapped at me.

"Whoever told you we didn't have permission is wrong, and the rules say in the corridors; really, you should know the rules, mister filch," I told him.

"Where is the proof you have permission," Filch said. I took out the permission form from my robe pocket. He read it over and muttered something.

"Very well, Mr. Carter", he started to walk away. Draco, who was looking around the classroom, started to say something, but I cut him off. "Mr. Filch, while my friends and I in the study group have permission to use this room, Draco does not. Can you escort him out, please?"

"Come along mr malfoy, mr carter is correct " filch said. I heard Filch say, "This is the second time you have given me a false lead, Malfoy."

We got back to studying. We did an hour of the Disarming Charm and then worked on our homework. On the homework topic, I had to explain to Hermonie why mine and grants were always marked better than hers. "It's simple, harmony; what have you written about the Venomous Tentacula?" I asked. She started to recite the textbook pretty much word for word. "Stop; that's why the homework isn't about whether we have read the book but understood it. Write it in your own words and any additional observations and theories you have." I said, "Go beyond the textbook; the textbook mentions that its leaves are used in potion no.7, but what is potion no.7? What ideas can you derive from it being used in it." I continued to explain "look at Neville's page, he's written the basic information but also a bunch of his notes from the scent to what it movements remind him of, and why he thinks they would be kept as pets. It's applied knowledge they are looking for, not retention," I said, pointing at Neville's homework.

"I think I understand." Hermione frowned. She and everybody else were listening to the exchange.

"So, ah, I don't need to memorise the text, just prove that I understood what was taught," Ron said.

"Pretty much; just make it sound smart as well. Do not put the Venomous Tentacula, which is a green viney plant that waves its vines like noodles searching for dinner." I chuckled. While that will pass, you won't get higher than an A," I said.

Dinner was a delight, Ron was ecstaticly telling harry about study group. Harry would love to join, but with all the quidditch training he's been doing, he should slow down after his first game. I ate and read more of bewitching strings, thinking about what problems I'd been having.

Someone tapped me on the shoulder; looking up, I saw Snape. I pulled down my headphones, "sir?" I asked

"Come, it's time for your lesson," he limped away. Packing up my stuff, I jogged to catch up to him. We walked at his pace, "sir? you okay?"

I asked, "I'm fine, just a bit of a sore leg." He said. I nodded.

We got to Snape's office. He sat behind his desk, and I sat on a stool, grabbing the guitar I had left here this morning. I strummed and tuned the guitar. I started to think about controlling my magic.

"Eddie", Snape's voice pulled me out of my thoughts. "We having been doing this for a month, and you have made little progress, tell me your thoughts."

"When I play music, I focus on it, so my magic goes out of control, and when I focus on controlling my magic, I can't play music, and I can't focus on both simultaneously."

I said, annoyed.

"How did you exhausted your self last night, from what I understand you casted the stunning spell with pretty much all you magic."

"Music alters my magic," I held out my wand <lumos >. I started to hum a slow song. The light turned soft and lovely; then I hummed a fast-paced song, and the light turned chaotic and a swirl of colours.

Snape rubbed his forehead. "Congratulations eddie you just controlled you magic while doing music" snape said.

"No I didn't" I said unsure "I controlled my spell. With music"

"Were there any other effects other than the spell changing ?" Snape asked.

"No, I mean.." I drifted off.

"Eddie what do think spells are" he looked at me "controlled magic, did I tell you not to do magic while playing I told you to control it." He said, "Make it do what you want".

I tapped the guitar, I thought. <lumos > I cast again. I held my wand under the, neck of the guitar, it was awkward. I started playing a song, Lynyrd Skynyrd. It took a couple of days to adjust to the wand. But as I played, my Lumos spell started to pulse with the music. •Simple Man by Lynyrd Skynyrd•

♫Mama told me when I was young

"Come sit beside me, my only son

And listen closely to what I say

And if you do this it'll help you

Some sunny day"

Oh, yeah♫

After the first verse I fell into the music and snape saw something wonderful, the lumos spell shifted and detached from .y wand and floated and shifted it was dancing to the song, swaying back and forth. The lyrics of the song invoked memories of his mother.

♫And be a simple kind of man

Oh, be something you love and understand

Baby, be a simple kind of man

Oh, won't you do this for me son, if you can?♫

Memories of his mother's love and warmth and her hopes and dreams for him came to him. He knew this wasn't Legilimency or some other mind spell, but just the music had installed him.

When I ended, I looked at snape who had a complexed look on his face, I noticed a tear running down his cheek.

"Keep practising eddie you will be great" snape said in a whisper. Then he dismissed me.