The Forging of the Bonds

Chapter 35. Two Lessons.

Elizabeth entered the prefects' bathroom, somewhat afraid. Not that she thought Mike would do anything untoward--or that she'd let him--but still...

She removed her robes, but did not undress completely. The place was dark and quiet. She took a breath and slipped into the pool.

She expected to find a dry bottom, but to her shock, the pool was already full of warm water. She fell in, ungracefully.

Standing in the water, she reached for her wand, so she could light the candles. But then a pair of hands covered her eyes--although it didn't make much difference in the dark.

"Guess who?" Mike whispered.

"Weasley, where were you?" Elizabeth demanded. "There's no place to hide here."

"I could lie and tell you I've got an Invisibility Cloak," he said.

"Weasley, turn on the light, I want to see you."

"Do you?" he asked.

"Shut up," she said, secretly glad that he couldn't see her blush. "Just--"

"Okay, okay." The candles lit up. Mike laid his wand on the floor next to him and grinned. "And you're quite wrong. There is a place you can hide here."

"Where?" Elizabeth demanded.

"In the water."

"In the--"

Instead of replying, Mike took his wand and dropped beneath the surface. He then activated the Bubble-Head Charm, stretched himself out underwater, placed his wand to the bubble, and shrunk it so it just covered his nose. Then he muttered another spell--a group of bubbles emerged from his mouth--and the bubble extended into a long, thin pipe, opening up at the surface. Mike took in a deep breath.

He then ended the spell and came back up. "Something I learned to do last year," he said. "Can stay underwater indefinitely. Well, not indefinitely," he corrected himself. "But it won't be lack of air that's the problem, it'll be lack of food."

"Show-off," Elizabeth muttered, but she was pleased.

"Well," Mike said, either not hearing, or pretending not to hear her, "we'd better get started. Even if the third task doesn't involve water, it's very useful. How come you never learned to swim?"

"Just... never got to it, I guess. Why?" she demanded, catching his stare.

"Your father... trains you as an expert fencer... and doesn't teach you to swim?"

"I am not an 'expert' fencer. That's for one. And swimming... it's just something we never considered. The scariest moment in my life--"

"What?"

"When I found out what the first task was," she said.

"Come on," he said. He got out and pointed his wand at the pool. "Circulato." Elizabeth felt a current form around her.

"What's this for?" she asked.

"To help you learn to swim, of course," he replied, jumping back into the pool. "Try to move against the current."

Elizabeth took a few steps in water that was up to her neck. "It's difficult," she said.

"Now, don't fight it," he said. And he lifted her up, supporting her lying on the surface with his arms.

"I probably look really stupid right now," she said.

"Forget how you look. Just move your arms and legs as if you were swimming."

Elizabeth did so. She supposed it'd help her learn, but she certainly couldn't have kept with the swimming motion if Mike let go. When he did, she immediately panicked and sank. Mike lifted her.

"Elizabeth," Mike said, "you're trying too hard. Swimming is a process, not a goal."

"How old were you when you learned?"

"Three," he answered. "So?"

"So, it's difficult."

"It's also difficult to learn new spells. You seem to have no problem with that--well, except for Transfiguration."

"Ha, ha. If you think the job I did on Goyle will stick with me for the rest of my life--"

"It will. Unless you do something spectacular to cancel it out."

"Swimming lessons with you are one thing, but Transfiguration--"

"You know something?" Mike said thoughtfully as he sat on the edge of the pool. "I think we'll end the lesson tonight and continue next week... on the lake."

"What?!" Elizabeth shouted, and her voice echoed loudly. "No, Weasley. No."

"And what are you going to do about it?" he asked, splashing her.

Elizabeth moved towards him and pulled her wand out. "This," she said, and pulled him into the water, casting a spell at the same time. They kissed. "I do know how to do a Bubble-Head Charm," she whispered before they locked lips underwater again.

XXX

Just don't do the Goyle and Nott on us, okay?" Nadine told Elizabeth.

"We won't."

"In that case, I hope you don't mind if I sit with Longbottom."

Elizabeth was surprised--even one pair of Gryffindor and Slytherin students sitting together in class was bound to be talked about. Two in one class...

"Sure," she said, as she headed for Mike's desk.

"Hey," she said.

"Hey yourself."

Before she could say anything else, Potter strode into the classroom. "Good morning, everyone. Today, you will be practicing the Avada Kedavra curse on each other."

The entire class fell silent at that pronouncement. All right, Potter's gone nuts, Elizabeth decided.

"Uhm... sir?" a Gryffindor boy said. "Did--"

"Sir, that's not funny," David Jordan interrupted.

"Not--" someone said.

"OH," a collective sigh came from the class as they realized that today was April 1.

"Sir?" Jordan tried again, but Potter gestured to him.

"It wasn't meant to be funny," he said. "Ten points to Gryffindor, Mr. Jordan, for realizing it and speaking up."

"Now, everyone, close your eyes. Everyone," Potter said.

Elizabeth did so. "Those of you who believed me, raise your hands."

Elizabeth raised hers.

"Thank you," Potter said. "You may open your eyes."

"Most of you did believe me. Why?"

"What?" Kate Longbottom blurted out.

"Why?" Potter repeated. "You know who I am, you know I'd never teach you how to perform Unforgivables, much less on each other. And yet, in the entire class, only two people refused to believe me. Why?"

"Uhm..."

"Go ahead, Miss Zabini."

"Because you're a teacher, sir."

"Bingo," Potter replied. "Ten points to Slytherin. More precisely, I am an authority figure. You've gotten used to doing what I tell you to. And that is why I am dangerous."

"I don't understand, sir," Elizabeth said.

"I will never ask you to do something like that," Potter said. "But you have--and will have--other authority figures, and one of them might. And then... what are you going to do?"

The interruption came from Patricia Nott. "What does that have to do with Defense Against the Dark Arts?"

"Everything, Miss Nott. Do you think Voldemort announced his intention to become the greatest Dark wizard in history and had people flock to him? No. He had a dedicated group of followers, and he established himself as an authority figure for them as early as their own school days. And then his demands on them progressively escalated, but for most, it was already too late to get out. Also, there were those--in the Ministry, mostly, but certainly not just there--who were willing to fight Voldemort his way--killing, torturing, manipulating. They managed quite a bit of that, too, and innocent people got caught in it. And they could because the Ministry had people willing to obey an authority figure--the Minister or someone just below--in anything. That's why the two Voldemort wars are not remembered as the Ministry's best times--although they might have been. Authority figures can change, they can be impersonated, they can be put under the Imperius Curse, and they can be just plain wrong! Without dedicated followers, Voldemort would have been rather insignificant--no matter how powerful he was on his own. Another Voldemort is inevitable, another army of Death Eaters is not. Always make sure you are allowed to disagree with your authority figures. If you aren't, it's time to start."

The bell rang. Elizabeth and Mike stayed behind. "Sir, when--"

"Do you think you're ready?" he asked them.

They nodded. "Is it bad?"

"You could say that," Potter replied. "Saturday night at eight. It isn't pretty, that's for sure."