Chapter 20: A Taste of True PowerSummary:The fallout still hasn't stopped, and Hazel learns why some wizards hold back.
Notes:(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter TextThe rest of October went by in a rush of homework, studying, Quidditch, and duels, except that Sirius was sending owls every other day with a followup to Lupin if she didn't reply promptly.
"Your godfather is worried," he told her one day after class, showing her the note he had sent. "Apparently you aren't honoring your filial duties in a timely manner."
"Ugh, that tosser." She grabbed the note and flicked her wand, burning it to ashes in an instant. "Tell him I'm busy! Too busy keeping my head above water, too busy studying, too busy to fuck about with the Unforgivable Curses anymore!"
"Will you never watch your tongue?" he replied, putting some papers in his battered old briefcase. "You don't speak that way to your other professors, or you'd never be out of detention."
"Sorry sir," she muttered, putting the issue aside to rationalize later.
"He's only worried, you know that's all it is."
"No, it isn't!" She didn't know why she was so angry, or why Sirius was an acceptable target all of a sudden, and she didn't care to question it either. "He was just fine leaving me alone for twelve years! Twelve years,Professor! This isn't about filial whatever, this is-"
"You know perfectly well that Dumbledore made him promise to stay away," he said reprovingly. "No doubt this is exactly why, I'm sure, you didn't need an overbearing godfather back then."
"And I don't need one now! And don't act like the Dursleys were any better, they hated me when I was very little! Besides, he still found a way to come check on me, he was in his dog shape a few times!"
"Indeed?" He stroked his mustache thoughtfully. "Well, I can't say I'm surprised, he was always looking to circumvent the rules."
"Of course he was! He was a Gryffindor, when they break the rules it's brave and chivalrous, but when webreak the rules it's underhanded and sneaky!"
"You mean, when you get caught breaking the rules, yes?" He was smirking slightly. "I know what the Slytherin ways are, Hazel, and as a teacher I'm glad there's enough lion in you that you seem to struggle with not getting caught. But as a family friend, I do wish you'd show a little discretion and consideration for the others."
That was too close to the same lecture she'd heard repeatedly for the past month, and she was getting sick and tired of it. But it was no good arguing with a teacher. "I'm gonna be late for my next class," she muttered sullenly, gathering her things and storming out of the room. He didn't try to stop her, he just watched with that infuriating smirk on his face.
The memory of that smirk lingered the rest of the day, leaving her temper on a short fuse. She desperately tried to reconstruct her Occlumency barriers, and she had some success, but even with the runed chip they hadn't quite been where they were before she started dabbling in the Unforgivables.
So she distracted herself by thinking about why she swore around Professor Lupin so much. Was it because she'd known him before school as a friend of Sirius and her family, even for a few weeks? She had swore around Lockhart too, but that was because she didn't respect him. But she respected Lupin, didn't she? Respect or not, she felt more at ease around him than around her other teachers; that had to be why.
In time she learned some good news, when Gemma found her one evening. "Been a good little girl lately, Hazel?" she asked playfully, taking a seat on the couch next to her.
"Trying anyway, Gemma," she replied with a smirk. "What's up?"
Gemma looked around to make sure no lower-year students were in eavesdropping range. "Halloween's on a Sunday this year, so we're doing our things that day as usual," she explained. "Make sure you've got your head on straight, do I make myself clear? We won't tolerate instability, not even from an Heir."
"Of course, I understand." It stung, but she understood. She'd have to go to Snape ahead of time if she really wanted to make sure. That meant she had to start seeing him during the week again, ugh. "Can you teach me the words to the ceremony? I still have that snake dagger from last year."
"Do you, now?" That seemed to amuse Gemma. "Well, it's unusual for a third-year to lead, but if anyone's earned it it's you. I'll write down the words and motions, and I'll be there watching in case you slip up."
"Okay!" It meant more homework of course, but hopefully it wouldn't be too hard. She took the parchment and studied it thoroughly, doing her best to commit the words to memory. She also started practicing the spell to summon rats, too.
A few days later she sighed and gave up putting it off; there was nothing else for it. She caught up with Draco after classes and went to Snape's office. "I thought you didn't need his help anymore?" he asked, though he didn't try to stop her.
"I do now. I've been putting it off, but Gemma made it clear to me that I had to have my head on straight before Samhain," she told him. "You've noticed how snappy I've been, right? Occlumency was supposed to help with that, but ever since that day…"
"Isn't that just part of growing up?" he asked in an entirely too reasonable tone of voice. She glared at him for daring to not snap at her, and he feigned dismay. "Go easy on your minion, o mighty Heiress!"
That made her laugh, and they proceeded to Snape's office in good spirits. She knocked, and the door swung open even though there was no answering call. "Hello?" Hazel called, stepping into the office. "Professor Snape?"
"Through here," Snape called, his voice drifting through a second doorway she'd never noticed before then. The door led to what had to be Snape's private potions chambers, where he seemed to be busy with a rather complicated potion. "I wondered when you would be back, Potter."
"Yes sir." Now that she was here, she was nervous, and she hated being nervous. To distract herself she examined the potion instead. "Is that aconite, sir?" And ginger, and turmeric… a silver cauldron…
"Indeed it is." The table was strewn with small quantities of many ingredients, prominent among which was a large and worrisome amount of aconite. "Never mind that, however."
Hazel shrugged and filed the mystery potion away for now. "Well, you know why we're here, sir."
His eyes glittered unpleasantly. "Perhaps. However, I wish for you to explain your presence in my workroom, Potter."
She flushed and looked away, doing her best to ignore Draco's enjoyment of the scene. "I've been doing Occlumency every day and every night, sir, just like you told me. But ever since I d-did those spells, it's fallen apart, and I can't get it back to its full strength."
"Which spells did you do, Potter?" he inquired in that low, silky voice of his. Draco was openly trying not to laugh, and Snape did nothing to quell him.
"The Unforgivable Curses, sir, we've been over this."
"Indeed. You have learned, I trust, the consequences of meddling with magic you do not understand." His gaze flicked to Draco, who subsided at once. "The curses themselves take little effort, but to use them properly takes skill, power, and a depth of hatred and fury; to use them safely takes focus and self control, else you wind up little better than Bellatrix Lestrange, the Dark Lord's vindictive attack dog."
"Aunt Bella, sir? I'd heard she was quite accomplished at Occlumency," Draco replied, sounding confused.
Snape made a dismissive gesture with his fingers. "At a certain level of skill, defenses can be raised and lowered at will, rather than broken and arduously reconstructed every time. Now." He turned to his desk and sat down, pulling a sheet of unusually heavy-looking parchment to him. "I am unfortunately busy, this potion is delicate at this stage and cannot be neglected. I will send for the Headmaster, however, and your Occlumency lessons will continue without me."
He was quick to write his letter, then he stepped to the fire and threw a pinch of Floo powder down. "Headmaster's office!" he called, throwing the letter into the flames. Then he turned back to the potion. "Wait aside, you two."
Hazel watched and fidgeted while Snape continued his brewing, one eye on the cauldron and another on the various ingredients. He was truly a Potions Master, she reckoned; he commanded phial and beaker and pestle with ease, flicking his wand to combine ingredients and pour them into his cauldron. She did not have long to fidget; the fire flared green again, and the tall, bearded figure of Professor Dumbledore himself stepped out of the grate. "Severus," he began, straightening his glasses. "Hazel and Draco as well, how lovely."
"You received my query, Headmaster?" Snape asked, not taking his eyes off his work.
"I did indeed, and by your leave we shall occupy your classroom." Snape nodded tersely; Dumbledore nodded back, drew his wand and gestured the two students to precede him. "I must beg your pardon, Hazel. Severus wrote me to ask permission to place you under the Imperius Curse, thinking it would help your learned defenses reassert themselves."
"What?" She couldn't help her confusion. "How is thatsupposed to help?"
"You seem to be able to resist it naturally, without any artificial barriers," Dumbledore explained, clearing a space in the room with a flick of his wand. "His theory is that if this resistance is triggered, it will aid in your Occlumency being restored."
"Oh." She couldn't even pretend it made sense, but if they thought it would help… "You won't get in trouble?"
"Limited exposure to the Curse is essential in defending against it, of course," Dumbledore said. "Typically we wait until a student's sixth and seventh years, and the process is monitored by the Ministry, but none of us in this room put much stock in the Ministry, do we?"
Draco chuckled, so Hazel felt safe in nodding along. "Sir, be that as it may, I'm not sure I was resisting the Curse? I mean, Riddle had me under it, for sure, but Ginny was helping me fight him off too."
"Perhaps. Would you allow us to try, Hazel?" After a second she nodded, and stood there with wand in hand. "Very well, on three." Dumbledore raised his wand, met her eyes; she had a second to wonder where else she had seen eyes like his recently, until- "One, two, three! Imperio!"
Like before, that sense of floating serenely on a cloud came over here, though a small part of her panicked over how she'd resist without Ginny's voice there. Do a cartwheel, a male voice said, a voice of infinite persuasive power. Do a cartwheel…
She felt her knees bending obediently in preparation, and the panicking part of her grew louder. You don't need to, she told herself sternly, fighting to push it off. That compulsion bore down on her, whispering all the while, and she felt like a ball being compressed, in and in, pressure mounting until-
"GET OUT OF MY HEAD!" she shouted, blindly slashing her wand through the air. There was a ringing sound and a thump of something striking something else; she opened her eyes and saw Dumbledore, standing there with wand up, and the remains of some fiery effect or other collapsing in the air before them. She also had a splitting headache yet again, and a sneaking suspicion she had just attempted to attack her Headmaster.
"Well done, Hazel." Dumbledore flicked his wand and the shields dissipated, along with the last of the flames she had apparently thrown at him. "A bit more violent than usual, but to be expected considering your heritage and upbringing, yes?"
"If you say so, sir." She was winded and wore out, unable to catch her breath, as if she'd been playing Quidditch for three days and nights without pause. "I- I'm sorry, I didn't mean to… whatever I did…"
"All is well, I trust?" Snape asked, poking his head through the doorway. "You aren't attacking the Headmaster, are you, Miss Potter?"
"Merely a reflexive counterspell, no doubt," Dumbledore said dismissively, withdrawing a familiar green bottle from inside his robes; Snape shrugged and returned to his work again. "Drink this, rest a minute, and we'll try Occlumency again."
Hazel took the bottle and went to sit down, gratefully chugging the fluid back. "Sir, could you try that on me, too?" Draco asked, pale but determined. "I want to see if I can resist as well."
"Are you certain, Draco? There are others way we could-"
"No! I have to know!" he insisted, gripping his wand and glaring fiercely up at the Headmaster. "Please just curse me, sir!"
Apparently choosing to disregard the momentary disrespect, the Headmaster shrugged and turned to face Draco. "On three, then. One, two, three, Imperio!"
Hazel saw Draco's eyes go slack and unfocused, and he seemed to be struggling with himself. After a few moments the Headmaster said the spell again, as if that would cast it more strongly; this time Draco seemed to be trying to sing something, but he kept catching himself, and it came off like he was choking…
A few more moments went by, and Dumbledore lowered his wand. "Not bad," he announced, "but then, you have been exposed to this curse before. You must maintain Occlumency at all times if you fear attacks of this nature, for you do not seem to have any innate resistance to the Imperius Curse."
"Yes sir." Draco looked to Hazel for a moment, then back to the Headmaster. "How could Hazel resist it even though her Occlumency was weak, sir?"
"The ways of the mind are vague and inconclusive," he explained airily. "It may be that she inherited it from her parents, both of whom had some success in repelling mental invasions. Or it may be that some factor of her upbringing lends itself to resilience, which yours, dear boy, possibly lacks."
They all knew what the old man meant. Hazel grew up in adversity, Draco was spoiled all his young life; she hardly knew real love, he knew nothing but love for many years. She was glad he didn't spell it out, and could tell Draco felt the same way.
Dumbledore cleared his throat. "Hazel, you may attempt to reinforce your mental barriers against intrusion now," he offered, motioning Draco to one side so she could stand before him again. This time, weirdly enough, it went much better; it felt like the effort needed to force him away had somehow blasted out whatever crud and muck had infested her mind, and she could renew her defenses as easily as anything.
"I'm ready, sir." And she was; the Legilimency found no purchase in the fog-bound vaults of her mind. "Well? I feel like everything's just fine, now."
"So it would seem." A smile curved the corner of his mouth. "Let us hope you need not resort to such measures again in the future, shall we?" They both nodded, and he turned to the door. "Severus, we are done for the night, I am taking them back to their common room now."
"Thank you, Headmaster," came the reply.
"Very good. Your health, Severus." Hazel moved to hold the door for them, and they left the classroom in good spirits.
It wasn't far to walk, but it was still long enough for Hazel to realize where she had seen that precise shade of piercing blue eyes before. "Er, Professor, do you know the barman at the Hog's Head?"
"In a manner of speaking," he replied airily. "Poor Aberforth and his goats…"
She didn't want to think about goats! "I only ask, sir, because you and he seem to have the same sort of look in your eyes." Come to think of it, though… Albus, Aberforth…
"Fascinating your thoughts may be, my dear, I am afraid we must part ways for now," he said gravely, though his eyes sparkled behind their glasses as he bowed to them. "Hazel, Draco, may your sleep be restful and deep on this night."
"Same to you, sir," Draco replied, bowing in return. When Dumbledore was out of sight, and the two of them were safe inside the empty common room, he yawned and stretched. "Long day, eh? I'm ready for bed."
"Sure, sure." It was on the tip of her tongue, but her brain didn't seem to want to make the connection between Albus and Aberforth. Their eyes, their names… no doubt it was terribly obvious, but… "See you in the morning then, Draco."
She retreated to her dorm, feeling drained but much better than she had before. The poison of the Dark Arts was gone, at least for now, and she went about her routine with a light feeling in her chest. Occlumency came quickly, and she slipped away into darkness.
Notes:Work is kicking my ass, I nearly missed my new deadline! Sorry everyone, but we're back on track now!
Chapter 21: Back to the Old WaysSummary:Hazel has a peaceful Samhain, and afterward kicks serious Quidditch ass.
Chapter TextThe day of Samhain was wonderfully quiet, and Hazel took care to get ready for the ceremonies in the Slytherin common room. She had the silver dagger of course, and the parchment with all the things she had to say and do; she couldn't yet understand it, of course, but at least she could say the words, and she was certain their ancestors would appreciate the effort.
She was pouring over the parchment when Draco sat down next to her, in the common room. "Gemma said you're gonna lead the ceremonies today?" he asked.
"Huh? Oh, yeah I am." She waved the parchment around. "I don't know what the words mean, of course, filthy halfblood that I am."
"Let me see." He took the parchment, scanned the words. Then he reached for quill and ink to scrawl more words down. "There's a translation, if you like. And read this at some point, too." He handed her a small paperback book. "It describes the rituals and their meaning in more depth, along with others we can't do anymore. It might help if you knew your way around these, too."
"Thanks, Draco." She smiled at him and accepted the book, flipping through it briefly. She'd feel better if she had some idea of what she was saying, that was for sure. It was a little late to dig too much into it, so she had to hope that their ancestors would understand.
Like the year before, most of Slytherin sat in their common room, with pictures or mementos of passed loved ones before them. Gemma had lunch sent up, and after everyone ate Hazel hunkered down for some last minute preparation. She had finally got the hang of the rat conjuring spell, thankfully, and she was pretty sure she had the words and phrases of the ceremony ready too.
More meditation followed, and finally it was showtime. "Ready, kid?" Gemma asked, patting her on the back. "Don't stress too much, I'll be watching."
"Yeah." Wand in hand, Hazel stood before the fire and recited the words, trying not to wince as her tongue rolled over the strange phrases. But apparently she must have done okay, because no one seemed to indicate otherwise. And at the apex of the chant she conjured and stunned a rat, stabbed it through the neck and threw it onto the fire.
"Not bad for your first time, Potter," someone said, as they all bowed and Gemma waved her wand to banish the smell of burning rat.
She nodded back and returned to her seat, glad to have it over with. After that they broke off to do their own things, though Hazel remained by the fire, watching the last of the rat be consumed; her friends sat down nearby, and she smiled, secure in knowing that Slytherin was at her back.
The next day, as she went about her classes, she smiled at the skies beyond the windows. It had been the first Halloween in a long time that she remembered being at peace, and nothing was going to ruin it for her.
"Where were you guys yesterday? We missed you at study group," Hermione said to her at breakfast that morning.
"Sorry. House meeting, took all day," Hazel explained with a shrug. It wasn't strictly a lie either, so she didn't feel bad about saying it.
And even though she felt a little uneasy as the day went on, her Occlumency was strong enough to keep it at bay, along with knowing her friends were there too. "I like this," she told Draco in a low voice, at dinner that evening. "Even knowing what happened, that I can sit here with my friends and not feel bad."
"Yeah." He patted her shoulder. "I didn't know them, but I'm sure they wouldn't want you feeling bad. No parent wants that for their kids."
That serenity she had found didn't last long, naturally. The stress of classes and homework built back up, as usual, until the middle of the week when she was on the verge of snapping at anyone and everyone. Sunday was too far away, she had to blow some steam off and soon; so when she went with Draco to meet with Snape that evening, she had a different plan.
"Good evening, Professor," she said as they were allowed in. "How did it go with that potion?"
"Potter, Malfoy." As usual he swept the desks aside with his wand. "It went as well as could be expected. Shall we get to it?"
"Er." She should have brought this up with Draco before they got here. Dammit, oh well. "Actually, sir, I was wondering if you wouldn't mind observing while Draco and I had a quick duel?"
Snape arched an eyebrow and Draco gave her a questioning look. "I mean, we missed the club last weekend, and I don't want to fall behind."
"Hm." Snape was inscrutable as usual. "Do you object, Mr Malfoy?" The boy shrugged and drew his wand. "Very well then. Two minutes, then we must return to our original purpose here."
"Thank you sir." She drew her own wand and stood across from Draco, watching his eyes. She knew he liked to open aggressively, which she'd been trying to break him of, and nothing she saw indicated he'd do any different tonight…
Sure enough, as soon as Snape stepped back, his wand flicked ahead! "Stupefy!" he cried, but she was ready for him, dodging to the side and- "Expelliarmus!"Draco cried again, firing his spell right into her path!
"Protego!" she grunted, barely deflecting the red jet. He had been learning! "Tarantallegra!"
The spell struck him directly, but he fired off a Severing Charm before he fell over, and a chunk of her hair was cut loose from the rest of her head. And in the second it took her to figure out what had happened, he managed a Counter-Spell to stop his feet from frittering around. "Take this! Bombarda!"
"Oh yeah?" She dodged the spell and ignored the debris of a desk exploding behind her. "Bombarda MAXIMA!"
Her wand thrummed and her chest seared slightly, but Snape said "Protego!" before it could strike. "Are you trying to destroy my classroom?" he inquired, giving them both a dour look.
"Er. Sorry, sir. Got carried away."
"Are you alright, Hazel?" Draco asked, putting his wand away and approaching her. "I didn't get too much of your hair, did I?"
"I don't think so." She looked down at the long black lock of hair on the floor, and reached up to feel where it had fallen off of. "You're lucky I've lots of it, Draco." She turned to the broken desk and flicked her wand: "Reparo!" And it repaired itself in a cascade of wood and metal.
"I trust that neither of you were seriously injured?" Snape asked. They both shook their heads, and he handed them a green bottle. "You will each take one sip, then we shall proceed with Occlumency."
The lesson proceeded as they always did, Snape using Legilimency to probe their defenses. Both students had come far, and could keep him out with a reasonable effort even when he pressed them.
"Could you teach us Legilimency as well, sir?" Hazel asked when he withdrew from her mind.
"Why would you wish to learn such skills, Miss Potter?" he replied, eyes gleaming slightly.
"Er." She hadn't actually thought of a reason why, she'd just asked, and now she was on the spot. "If we could use it on ourselves, we could save you some time?"
"What Hazel is really saying, sir," Draco said smoothly, "is that we don't want to keep taking up your time every week, and it might be a little more efficient if we could test ourselves."
"Er, right." It sounded good to her, anyway. "Also, if we knew how to attack, it'd make sense that we could defend that much better, right? Since we'd know what we were defending against?"
"Hm." It was hard to tell what he thought of that. "I will confer with the Headmaster about your request, and next week you shall learn what we decided. For now, you should be off."
"Yes sir." They gathered their things and bowed before leaving. "What do you think, Draco? Legilimency?"
"I think you were full of shit," he replied with a smirk. "But it's not a bad idea, and it would make sense for us to learn it after all this Occlumency stuff."
She just laughed and knocked his shoulder, and by the time they got back to the common room she was feeling better. She did her homework before bed, and her nightly routine came easily from so much practice.
Most of the rest of the week was taken up by Quidditch practice, since the first match of the season was on Saturday. All four teams were practicing hard, but none as much as Slytherin and Gryffindor, who were slated to compete that weekend. As usual, Flint worked Hazel and Draco extra hard, drilling them on strategies and maneuvers for all four positions, and rotating everyone from one slot to the next.
"Why can't we just stay in one spot, Marcus?" Derrick whined. "I'm no good as Chaser!"
"Because it's stupid to have only one team of players, that's why!" Flint roared, his hoarse voice carrying across the practice green. "You've never seen what happens when your only Seeker gets sick, have you? Or when your best Beater takes a hit too many to the head? No, we're gonna have solid backups, and everyone's gonna know at least one other position as well as their main! Be grateful you aren't the third-year roster!"
Hazel, Draco, Blaise and Millicent all rolled their eyes at each other.
Saturday morning dawned cold and stormy, and Hazel had a grim feeling in her stomach as she got ready for the day. It turned out to be a premonition, as Flint came over to them at breakfast. "Good news and bad news," he said as he sat down. "Bad news is fucking McGonagall's got me in detention with Filch today, said I've been turning in too much shitty homework! Good news is that prat Oliver Wood is also in detention with Filch!"
"Both teams without their Captains!" Draco sounded startled. "Not a good look for the opening game."
"Fuck that!" Flint made an impatient, dismissive gesture. "Wood's a weak captain, he tends to rely on one good team of players and lets his reserves languish, when he bothers getting any lined up. So they'll already be down a Keeper, and they'll put your mate Weasley in his place but he's got a serious problem with nerves, so I'm sure one of his brothers is gonna hover over him to make sure he doesn't cock it up."
Hazel nodded. "And if Millicent happens to disable their Seeker early on in the match?"
"There ya go, you're getting it now." He clapped her on the shoulder. "Bletchley's off the team too, until he gets his grades back up, so I've already spoken to Puglia about filling in until then. You remember her, she trained with us last year too."
She recalled a pretty and vaguely Hispanic girl a year or two above her, and nodded. "She should be fine. Anything else?"
"Take out their Seeker as soon as you can, keep up the harassment, and this match'll be in the bag. You've got this." He wandered off again, leaving Hazel and Draco to stare at each other in horror.
"Didn't think we'd be captain-ing so soon," he said with a shudder.
"Me neither." Resolutely she finished her eggs and bacon, determined to power through. "Well, we'll show them, won't we?" She thought hard for a few moments, the Quidditch gears spinning in her head. "Millicent, you focus on harassing their Seeker, Grant, keep him off the Snitch. Draco, you and Blaise and Warrington rack up those goals as fast as you can, I want a big lead going into the season."
"Grant? Didn't the Weaslette take his place this year?"
"Who's the- you mean Ginny?" Damn, she was probably a lot better than Grant was. "Well, do your best to take her out early anyway, and Grant too if he's their reserve."
"I'll knock them both clean off their brooms," Millicent countered toughly, narrowing her eyes and flexing.
"If you can do it without getting fouled by Hooch, be my guest," Hazel replied, shrugging. "We've still got Bole, right? He's to keep after their Chasers, they'll run circles around all of us if we give them half a chance!" Bell, Spinnet and Johnson were solid Chasers, but without Wood and with only one Weasley to watch out for bludgers, the team would be weak. Their only hope was Ginny, and she knew she could handle her even if Millicent had to cover the others.
Draco and Blaise stood up to deliver her orders, and she drained her last goblet of milk before heading out to the pitch; the Gryffindors and Ravenclaws all looked like they hadn't slept well, which served them right for having their common rooms in drafty old towers. It was brutally cold and windy outside, and the storm showed no sign of abating any time soon. "This is stupid," she muttered, drawing her wand and casting a Warming Charm on herself before setting off in earnest.
If it were Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff she could count on them wanting to get it over with sooner, since the weather was enough to get anyone down. But the Gryffs were as bad as her own team was, they wouldn't give up for anything; hell, with their Captain in detention the other two would have forfeited rather than play understrength! The entirety of both Houses always got nasty in the lead-up to a match, and she usually kept out of that sort of thing. But if she was to be Captain, she'd have to dive into the fray and be as nasty as any snake.
She was at the changing room by then, and quickly got ready before the rest of the team. The other six players joined her shortly, shivering and soaked through but all the more determined. Once everyone was in their uniforms, she waved them in. "Alright you lot, Flint's got detention so you'll have to put up with Draco and I for today, got it?"
"Both of you? We can't have two Captains, can we?" Puglia asked. "Anyone else think that's stupid?"
Hazel just shook her head. "What do you want us to do? Flint's out and he's been teaching Draco and I how to be Captain. It's just for one match anyway, suck it up."
"No, she's right, two captains is stupid," Draco said reluctantly. "Let's just-"
"Potter for Captain!" Puglia crowed, and the team cheered in response.
"Fine, I'll be Captain!" she snapped, and the rest of them clapped. "We don't have time to argue about it! Now, I'm not gonna bore you all with some stupid speech, I'll just say that Gryffindor has a solid team this year and we can't afford any mistakes! But we're better than them and we're gonna kick their asses, 200 to nothing!"
They cheered even louder at that. "Millicent, you keep after Ginny, like we discussed! Draco, Blaise, Cassius, do your thing and keep those lions from doing theirs! Lucian, back them up and don't give them an inch! Amy, if you let one goal through those hoops…"
She let the sentence hang there unfinished, and shouldered her broom to head out to the pitch. "All of you cast Impervious Charms on yourselves, or else you won't see shit out there! Don't let the rain slow you down, I won't accept any excuses!"
She could barely hear the crowd over the crashing thunder and lightning, and even with the Permanent Impervious Charm on her glasses the rain made things impossible to see. Was it seriously not even noon yet? Goddammit, who'd had the bright idea to set the biggest wizard sport ever during the cold, dark, wet months of the year!
"Captains, shake hands!" Hooch yelled.
Hazel looked up at Angelina Johnson and shook her hand briefly, ignoring the way the older girl tried to squeeze her fingers.
"On my whistle!" She blew the whistle and kicked at the heavy trunk, and four balls soared into the air; Hazel kicked after the tiny Snitch, but of course it disappeared quickly…
It was hard to hear the commentary over the storm, but she kept an eye on her players as best she could, while tracking Ginny and the bludgers. The rain and thunder didn't help, but her job was made easier when Millicent followed up on her promise and sent a bludger smashing into the side of Ginny's head; she fell to the soggy earth below, and it was a few seconds before anyone else noticed.
Hazel couldn't help a stab of regret at the harm to her friend, but did her best to shrug it off; this was Quidditch, after all. "Nice one, Millicent!" she called at her friend, while the match was on pause to get Ginny off the field. They evidently hadn't planned for this, as Johnson had to pull Grant off the bench and onto Seeking, and barely twenty seconds later he got Bludgered off his broom too; that forced Johnson to put Katie Bell as Seeker, and without a full wing of Chasers the entire team's performance suffered.
Twenty minutes later, Millicent floated up to her. "We're fifty points up! Catch the fucking Snitch already, I'm frozen to my broom!" she yelled, bashing a bludger away and toward Bell.
"Got it! Mind the team!" and she zoomed away to finish the match off. Seconds later she caught sight of a tiny golden flicker hovering above Ron's head; she was over there in seconds, flying so fast Ron and George had to dive out of the way (leaving an opening for Draco to score, of course!). The golden flicker caught her eye again and she flew straight up, catching it by the edge of her fingers! "Fuck yeah!"
The whistle blew and the two teams floated downward, the wet and miserable game finally over with. The Slytherin side of the stands couldn't stop screaming and cheering despite the cold and wet, and Hazel looked forward to being dry before the huge party that was no doubt being planned right then and there.
But the best part was when Luna broke off from the other Ravenclaws to run over and throw her arms around Hazel's neck. "You were amazing, Hazel!" she declared. "The lightning bugs didn't stand a chance of catching you!"
"Thanks, Luna!" she laughed, wishing she could take her in her arms. Instead she took her hand and hurried back up to the castle, followed by the rest of the Slytherins.
Chapter 22: Two Against OneSummary:Hazel's friends have funny ways of showing how they care. But she perseveres anyway, because to give up is unthinkable!
Chapter TextThe party was loud, and it went on far later than it should have. Flint was flabbergasted when he finally burst into the common room and beheld the raucous festivities before him. "No way! Two hundred and ten to ZERO?"
"Millicent did it, she knocked both their Seekers out of the sky in about five minutes!" Hazel explained gleefully. "After that, Johnson pulled Bell off Chaser duties, but she didn't have any reserves so the rest of the game was easy!"
"And the Slytherins in the crowd had some kind of chant going too, whenever the Quaffle went toward the Gryff's hoops," Draco put in smugly. "It really messed with Ron's nerves!"
"What idiots," Flint muttered, shaking his head sadly and snatching a bottle of butterbeer. "Isn't it just like I was saying, though? You can have the best team in the world, but they won't do shit if your reserves aren't up to snuff!" He popped the top and toasted Hazel. "What a score, eh? Perfect opener for the season, I should let you captain the next match!"
"Aw, Flint, you're the real Captain, I was just standing in," she replied modestly. "Who's ever heard of a third-year Captain, anyway? Besides, they were down a player!"
"If Wood has any sense he'll be making up for it pretty soon, mark my words," Flint warned. "The other captains thought I was mad, cross training you guys in multiple positions and keeping the reserves in play. Well, this'll show them! Two-ten to zero…"
He wandered off to celebrate with the other upperclassmen, and Hazel turned to Draco. "Alright?" She raised her drink and they toasted the match. "Hey, sorry about that, I know you wanted to be captain."
"You did alright," he replied. "Hell of a score, too! I won't be surprised if you get the badge next year."
"Come on, I was only following Flint's gameplan," she protested. "Besides, the Gryffs didn't have their captain either!"
"Doesn't matter, all anyone's gonna see is that you were in charge when we clobbered them clear under the table." Draco looked excited. "They might not even be in the running for the Cup anymore, we beat them so bad!"
Hazel's expression must have been obvious, because he laughed again when he looked at her. "Come on, you saw how quick they picked you over me, right? There's no way I could step in after that!" He shook his head a bit. "I won't lie and say it didn't sting, I really did want to be Captain. But I'm not gonna sit here and wallow in it, that'd be stupid."
"Stop acting like I'm already Captain, will you?" she snapped, getting up for more snacks. "It'll be next year at the earliest, regardless of how many games I sub in for this year."
"Oh yeah? Watch this!" He jumped up on the nearest table and raised his hands in the air. "OI! Potter for Captain!"
Everyone cheered and clapped and stomped at that, and several people crowded around to clap her on the back or congratulate her on the win. "I didn't-! Ugh, fine," and she gave up and accepted the accolades, thinking that if it was this much when she wasn't even captain yet, how much would it be next year?
The next day, the Gryffindor table was sullen and quiet at breakfast, in contrast to the boisterous Slytherins. Oliver Wood came over and offered stiff congratulations, and even though it was clear that he was only going through the motions of good sportsmanship, Hazel and Flint still accepted his goodwill.
She was more worried about the Weasleys, to be honest. She considered them all her friends, from Percy on down to cute little Ginny. Hermione was her usual self, though. "Everyone was so depressed last night in the common room, I was actually able to focus on schoolwork," she told Hazel while they were studying. "I'd watch your back if I were you, though, some of them were plotting revenge."
"How'd you do it, anyway?" Ron cut in, listlessly turning a page of his Herbology textbook. "You've barely been playing for two years, and you outplayed a whole team who's been living and breathing Quidditch all their lives!"
"It wasn't just me, Ron, I had a whole team behind me too," she replied patiently. "It's just like Flint was saying, your reserves weren't up to snuff and you didn't have a capable Captain waiting in case yours was removed. And look what happened!"
"It wasn't fair, we had the best team," he muttered, shaking his head. "You just wait for the rematch, Hazel, when we've got everyone back on. We'll show you."
"Oh Ron, will you get over it already?" Hermione snapped. "You lost, they won! So what?" Ron looked scandalized, and Hazel agreed with him, but at least he stopped muttering under his breath.
When the dueling club met up, Fred and George cornered her on the stage. "There she is, folks! The big bad Snake who walloped us lions a new one yesterday!" Fred declared, falling all over himself from melodrama.
"But we were outnumbered!" George went on, tipping her a subtle wink. "So today! Today we're going to give her a taste of what it really means to be outnumbered!"
"You think you can outnumber me?" Hazel countered, shooting a glance at Professor McGonagall. She only looked back, blandly but coolly, and made no move to intervene. And Hazel understood then that this was planned in advance. "Well bring it on, boys! No jumping off the stage, then?"
"And we duel until one of us gives up!" Fred went on, brandishing his wand. "No first blood or disarm this time!" McGonagall pointedly cleared her throat, and he blanched a bit. "But we shouldn't intentionally maim or injure one another, agreed?"
"Agreed." The entire Slytherin class lined up behind her and glared daggers at the twins, and Hazel waved them off. "It shouldn't go without saying what happens if we cheat, hm?"
"Of course! No one cheated yesterday, we won't cheat today!"
"On three, then!"
All three of them counted off, and Hazel's mind raced for a strategy. She knew the twins were well synched with each other, and were likely to use their combined force to try and overpower her. Matching Stunners, no doubt… she'd have to stay on her toes, get between them…
By the time they all shouted "THREE!" she knew what to do. As she guessed they both cried "Stupefy!" and sent two red jets of light her way, which she evaded to the side.
"Fumos!" she shouted back, and the stage was instantly choked off with thick smoke! She dashed forward, crouched low to keep her profile slim, saw a figure scrambling about. "Petrificus Totalus!"
The figure went down, and on reflex she went down too, evading a stream of silver light from the side. "Fred? Fred, where'd you go?" George called, fumbling towards them until he tripped over Hazel.
She didn't hesitate, and put George under another Full Body Bind curse! Then she stood up and swung her wand through the air to dispel the smoke. "How's that?" she drawled, curtsying to the ecstatic Slytherins.
"Well, I do believe that concludes this brief demonstration," McGonagall said briskly, releasing the twins with a flick of her wand. "Never be afraid to think outside the box, students, creative use of all your spells may very well save your life one day."
"Well played, Potter," Fred muttered, grinning as he and George bowed. Hazel grinned and bowed back, and then it was time for the regular dueling club activities. She was certainly glad Fred and George were good sports, and even more glad she was so good at Shield Charms considering the amount of trip and knockback jinxes sent her way that afternoon.
Later, after dinner, the twins bracketed her in the hallways again, cutting her off on the way back to the dungeons. "We need to talk, Hazel," Fred began, steering them into an empty classroom. Her friends looked alarmed, but she shook her head and waved them off; these two weren't gonna do anything to her.
"And it's high time we did, too!" George went on, shutting the door and locking it. "Twice you've kicked our asses, Hazel Jade Potter!"
"Twice you've humiliated us in front of the whole school!" Fred declared dramatically.
"Oh come on, I didn't humiliate either of you," she countered, trying not to giggle. "That match wasn't your fault, and there was no way you were dueling seriously earlier, either. I mean, that took like twenty seconds!"
"Twenty of the most educational seconds either of us had ever endured, little snake," Fred countered gravely. "You taught us a valuable lesson."
"We're glad not to be at odds with you, but mark our words," George warned, "if that ever happens again we'll duel seriously."
"In the meantime, we wanted you to have this!" and Fred produced the Marauder's Map with a flourish, handing it to her in the same motion. "We know all the passages by heart by now, and we don't need to spy on everyone, so it's all yours from now on."
"Wow, thanks guys!" Hazel took the map carefully, turning to spread it out on a desk and activate it. "There's us, there's Snape in his office, McGonagall grading papers… ha, Filch and Mrs Norris are over dealing with Moaning Myrtle!"
She looked for the Chamber of Secrets, but like the Room of Requirement it wasn't there. "I wonder how new areas get filled in?"
"I think you just have to go there with the Map?" George mused. "We're pretty sure whoever created it were all Gryffindors like Fred and I, since our common room is all detailed in and the others aren't." He pointed down, and sure enough, where the Slytherin dungeons should be was just an undefined area with a stack of names inside it.
"And your common room is up in the tower, I see." That explained why Ron and Neville wanted to meet where they had. Though she already knew where the lions' common room was anyway. It seemed the Ravenclaws had another tower, and the Hufflepuffs were down by the kitchen; theirs was likely the warmest, and she shivered at the mere thought of her chilly dormitory right by the freezing lake.
"And with that Cloak of yours you could get more use of it than we ever could," Fred was saying. "So use it well, little Marauder."
"Thanks guys!" She grinned up at them. "Come on, we should get going." She dismissed the map and stowed it in her bag, and left the classroom ahead of the twins.
The first thing she did when she got back to her dorm was to pull the curtains and get the map back out, calling it up to study its appearance again. The detail was so intricate! And even as she looked on, it was filling in bits of the Slytherin dungeons. She looked back up at the names, Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs, and wondered about the four of them. When had they been students here? What sort of people were they?
Well, considering the evidence it was safe to assume they were Gryffindor boys, glancing at the detailed and well-defined Gryffindor Tower. She wasn't sure why she thought this; the writing seemed masculine, to her, and those nicknames too…
Casting an eye over the rest of it, she saw several passages leading away from the castle, that were marked differently from the rest. "Secret passages?" she mused, tracing one of them with a finger. A couple were crossed out, which she assumed meant they were no longer viable. And one such passage seemed to start from the grounds? From… beneath the Whomping Willow?
Sure enough, a rough caricature of the murderous tree could be seen above the mouth of the mystery passage. She rubbed her eyes and yawned, it was getting late but she had homework still to do. So she dismissed the map and put it away at the bottom of her bag, then got out of bed to do the rest of her assignments.
Chapter 23: On CuriositySummary:Habits die hard, and they don't have to be old ones either. But when your favorite teacher has your back, what else can you do?
Chapter TextNovember proceeded in fits and starts, punctuated by irregular moments of crisis or joy. Charlie had them studying salamanders, which mostly consisted of standing back from an absolutely massive bonfire while the little creatures scurried about in the logs and flames. "This is nice," Hazel remarked, kneeling down with some peppers in hand to try and lure one of them out of the fire so they could sketch it.
"We should get a few for our fire in the common room," Draco replied, content to just stand there with his hands warming.
"We'd have to be careful not to agitate them, or they'd burn the whole dungeon down," Millicent said, "weren't you paying attention during Professor Weasley's lecture?"
Hazel and Draco were also learning Legilimency from Professor Snape, in addition to their continued Occlumency practice. It felt a bit like using the Imperius Curse to Hazel, though without the element of control that the curse had. Which was an unfortunate connection for her mind to make, as it reawakened the strange thirst for the Dark Arts that had plagued her before. Fortunately she managed to keep it to herself, and distracted herself by looking forward to Sunday, when the dueling club would meet up.
With an extended holiday break about a month away, every class was piling on the homework and assignments, so it was a bad time for her to be under a lot of stress. And she couldn't spend too much time focused on Occlumency either or people stared, wondering why she was all stone-faced and not moving.
She dared to try Legilimency on someone unsuspecting, like Ron, but it was frightfully dull. He was preoccupied with Quidditch until he saw her staring at him, and she looked away quickly, gaze settling on Pansy instead. Pansy was obsessing over creepy plots regarding Draco and Blaise, and Hazel backed off before she noticed her staring. She used it on random students in the hallways and found nothing of any use, just boredom and studying and the occasional panicked or obsessive monologue. Half the time she wanted to scream, the other half she wanted to attack whoever she was spying on right then.
It wasn't until she tried it on Professor Burbage that she met anyone who could block her out. She saw a brief flicker of the day's lesson plans, before a hard white wall came down and left her with nothing to look at; she backed off before the professor could figure out who it was, and spent most of the lesson with her head in her book, not looking around and just barely listening to her lecture.
"A word, Miss Potter, if you would," she called after dismissing the class. Hazel approached with a cold feeling in her guts, though when she dared look up she was slightly relieved to see a smirk on her Professor's face. "Enjoying your extracurriculars, I see."
"Er." She had no idea how to respond to being called out, and fumbled for a reply. "Well, I mean-"
"Just be careful, young lady, not everyone is as pleasant inside as they want others to think," Burbage warned. "And as penance, you can give me an extra six inches of essay for next week!"
"Yes ma'am." She got her stuff and walked out of the room, feeling funny like she always did around the Irish Professor. Not for the first time did she wonder if she knew Hazel had a crush on her. But she doubted she was alone in that, and besides, what did it matter? She wouldn't be any better than Lockhart if they acted on it.
At her lesson with Lupin that week, she had a few questions for him. "Sir, why are you always sick at the end of each month?" she asked, staring down the usual training dummy.
"And who told you I was sick at the end of each month?" Lupin replied evenly.
"I was curious after I overheard some of the others saying Snape had to fill in for a few classes of yours," she replied, in between flicking spells at the dummy.
"Your concern is noted." He flicked his wand and the dummy rolled out of the way. "Now, why don't you try casting spells on a target that'll fight back?"
"Wha?" She looked up at him, surprised. "You mean, yourself?"
"I mean, myself," he said confidently, assuming a dueling stance. "Wand up, Miss Potter! The first move is yours!"
Panicking slightly, she turned and took up her own stance, wand up over her head like Snape preferred. "Stupefy!" she cried, flicking her wand forward and sending a jet of red light at Lupin. He countered immediately with a Shield charm and a Dancing Feet spell in quick succession, forcing her to dodge her own spell and his almost at once.
"No fair, cast out loud! Expelliarmus!" she countered, on alert for his counterspell.
"Very well!" He ducked that spell and flicked his wand again. "Stupefy!"
"Fumos!" she shouted, filling the room with thick smoke. She dashed to the side, hoping to confuse him in the smoke, raising her wand again.
But he was ready for her again! "I can still hear you, you know! Ventus!" he called, conjuring a heavy gust of wind that blew the smoke away and knocked her aim off, and her next spell impacted the wall behind him. "Petrificus Totalus!"
His spell shattered her Shield charm like thin ice, and she felt her body seize up and fall to the floor. "Not bad at all, Hazel," he said, approaching her to dispel the paralysis and help her stand. "For a student you really are a strong duelist, your spells could have broken through weaker Shield charms."
"Thank you sir." She wiped her forehead and grinned up at him. "It shouldn't be much more before I can cast a Patronus properly, sir, don't you think? It's been weeks by now!"
"Not too much longer, no." He offered her a bottle of Wiggenweld, as usual. "Give it a try here, and we'll call it a night."
"Okay!" She drank from the bottle, then raised her wand and focused, remembering the fierce glee she felt while using the Unforgivable Curses. "Expecto Patronum!"
As usual, the silver mist erupted from her wand, and she held on, fighting the pain in her chest to keep it up. The mist was brighter than before, and it seemed to be coalescing into some kind of shape, but yet again it dissolved before it could fully form, and she fell to her knees, clutching her chest and gasping.
"You're getting very close, Hazel," Lupin said, helping her to her feet again and offering the green bottle. "Just a little bit more, I'd say by January you'll have it down." He gave her a tired smile. "Well, same time next week?"
"Yes sir, thank you sir." She got her stuff and left, heading back to her dorm to work on the ever-present pile of homework. She couldn't wait for Christmas break!
Sunday finally arrived, and unfortunately there were conflicts with Quidditch practice and other clubs, so the dueling club was postponed. Hazel wasn't sure what to do with herself, until the idea of using the Unforgivables some more came to mind. "Are you crazy, Hazel Potter?" she asked herself, heedless of her surroundings. "You'll get into more trouble!" Not if she was careful, she rationalized, remembering what Snape had said about lowering Occlumency barriers before doing something that could shatter them.
That thought was curiously soothing. Snape never said things without considering the ramifications, right? And honestly, this whole debacle started because she'd gotten caught, right? She was certain he'd been disappointed in her for being weak enough to let it show, not for what she'd actually done. And with the Map and Cloak she could make sure to avoid unnecessary drama while sneaking around.
In the end she sighed and gave in, returning to her dorm for her mischief tools and sneaking up to the Room to call out the Dark Arts chamber. And of course, everything went perfectly to plan. She had hours to spend by herself, Occlumency defenses lowered while pixies screamed and spiders writhed and danced to her whim. The Room gave her more Wiggenweld to drink too, when she stopped to rest and make sure she could get her barriers back up. She would not be caught off guard like before, that was for sure.
When the time was right she threw her Cloak over herself and crept out of the Room, sneaking through the castle and reappearing several floors below, just in time to join the others. "I was exploring, like always," she said innocently in response to the several questioning glances thrown her way.
At lunch she was her usual self, mostly reserved but ready with a sharp remark if she saw a chance. "Someone's in a good mood," Millicent noted.
"Yep! All caught up for once, and practice yesterday went great too!" Hazel gushed in reply. The real reason was that she was making progress with both her Patronus and with the Unforgivables, but she couldn't say that out loud.
After the meal was over she darted to a bathroom, threw the Cloak over herself and crept back up to the Room of Requirement, where she hid herself away for more Dark Arts practice. The rush was indescribable; she was brazenly flaunting every rule and pronouncement thrown at her since this mess started, she was using her magical abilities to their fullest, and that dark corner of her mind purred in agreement with every swish of her powerful wand.
Not to mention that it just felt good to be using these spells, forbidden as they were. The feeling of poison being drawn out of her to fuel the Torture Curse, of being in perfect control while conjured creatures danced about under the Imperius Curse… There was no way anyone else would understand what she felt about these things, she wasn't sure she even understood them herself. All she knew was that it was rebellious, and she was in control, and she felt strong and powerful instead of blown about like some common student…
She was the Girl Who Lived, wasn't she? she thought viciously, stabbing her wand at an especially stubborn pixie who refused to fall over. She had defeated Voldemort multiple times, faced down perverts and basilisks and Quidditch teams, why couldn't more people respect her for these things?
She realized it was getting late, so she decided she would try the Killing Curse one more time before heading back to her dorm. This time her spider tried to fight back, lunging ahead with pincers waving frantically; she shouted the spell and knocked it back in a rush of green light, and this time it stayed down. She nudged it with the toe of her boot, and it didn't move, it stayed curled tightly up on itself.
For the second time in her life she had killed another living thing, this time intentionally and coldly. Relief and revulsion warred inside her; relief at managing a difficult spell, revulsion at the spell itself. Relief won out when she told herself it was just a spider, and not even a real one either!
She took some time to raise her Occlumency barriers again, and checked the map and the hall outside before ducking under her Cloak and slipping away, headed for the dungeons. She felt good about herself, a far cry from the gibbering wreck she'd been the first time she used those spells. Snape had been right, her mental barriers were still intact and everything! No one would suspect a thing, even if they saw her!
There were a few prefects along the way, and old Filch wheezing along with a lantern raised high, but she evaded them all, though it seemed like Mrs Norris sensed something amiss as she paused and sniffed the air as they went by her. She made it to her dorm in the end, and it wasn't even curfew yet. But she was quite worn out, so she did her nightly routine and fell heavily into bed.
The following week flew by, and the only noteworthy event was the next Sunday, when Dumbledore himself appeared to coach their dueling club. "Before we begin I would like to demonstrate a number of tactics useful for when your needs would be better served by escaping, rather than to stand and fight," he announced. "I should like an opponent. Miss Potter, if you would?"
Her heart started racing, but she stepped onto the stage anyway. "That's not fair, Professor!" someone from the Hufflepuffs shouted, and it sounded like Cedric Diggory to her.
"Quite right, Mr Diggory, I do apologize," and he bowed graciously. "Mr Malfoy, if you wouldn't mind joining your classmate? Miss Granger and the youngest Mr Weasley, as well!"
Draco, Ron and Hermione stepped up as well, all three of them looking as apprehensive as Hazel felt. There was no way he had picked the four of them out at random, not when there were older students more capable of dueling than they were. The four of them bowed, and Dumbledore bowed back, that twinkle in his eye again that reminded Hazel of the barman at the Hog's Head.
But before she could think too far into it, the duel was on! She shouted "Stupefy!" and flicked her wand, and the other three yelled their spells too, sending a mini rainbow of jets of light toward the Headmaster.
He dismissed their attacks with the barest flick of his wand, though, and said, "Avis! Oppugno!" in quick succession, summoning a swarm of falcons to swoop in and attack the four students en masse. Hazel tried to blast them away before trying to shield herself, but there were too many birds!
"Make it stop!" Ron yelled, trying to get out of the way, but something shattered and he fell to the floor. His shoes had been turned into tea cups! Draco likewise tripped over the vast flowing toga his robes had been turned into, and Hermione had simply crouched over, hiding her head beneath her arms.
Growling, Hazel ran toward the center and fired off as many Fire-Making Spells as she could to blast a way out of the cast of falcons, and advanced on Dumbledore. "Incarcerous!" she shouted, causing thick black ropes to erupt from nothing around the man.
But another lazy flick of his wand turned the ropes to ash, and he pointed it at her in turn. "Levicorpus!" he declared, and she was jerked into the air by her ankle! She couldn't even keep hold of her wand, it happened so fast! Her outer robes flapped downward, and she was quite glad to have worn shorts and an undershirt beneath the school things, or she'd be flashing everyone again.
Again, Dumbledore flicked his wand, banishing the birds and undoing all the spells he had cast. "So you see," he said casually, turning to address the rest of the club as the four of them gathered their wits after that stunning display, "creative use of all your practiced spells can be quite enough to disconcert even the most hardened duelists, leaving you plenty of time to make a timely escape. Give them a hand, however, if you would."
Hazel finally was on her feet, and the rest of the students laughed and clapped. "Never seen anything like it," Draco muttered, waving awkwardly in recognition.
"Me neither," she replied, wishing to learn those spells for herself. Fortunately Dumbledore showed them all how they worked, except the Levicorpus one, and they spent the rest of the club time practicing and studying, as usual.
Afterward, she approached the Headmaster as he was dismissing the stage in preparation for dinner. "You should demonstrate for us more often, Professor," she told him.
"Indeed? You flatter me, Hazel." He twinkled down at her with his eyes. "Alas, if only I had the time these days."
"I imagine you must be awfully busy, sir." Though she had to wonder what he was busy with. "Also, I've been wondering, sir, about the barman at the Hog's Head?"
"There is nothing I can do to make him clean the place up, I am afraid," he replied solemnly.
"Mm. Well, like I said before, you and he have very similar eyes and names. Are you two related?"
"You seem to already have an answer in mind," he chuckled. "What good would it do for me to give a different one?"
"Because until you do give me an answer, the one in my head is just an assumption," Hazel replied firmly. "And I don't like being wrong."
"Very true. Well, if you must know, Aberforth is my brother. Don't count on that to get you out of any trouble with him, though; I have no influence at the Hog's Head."
"Yes sir. And that wasn't why I was asking anyway." It was nearly dinner, she noted, clutching her stomach as it growled. "I appreciate your time, sir, as always."
"The appreciation is all mine, my dear," he responded gravely, giving her a bow before turning for the staff table. Happy to have solved another mystery she chuckled and went for her own friends, eager to eat and move onto a new week at Hogwarts.