Harry Potter and the Legend of Imlach

Chapter 10

Harry woke up and smiled. It was Monday and today was the day. He left while Moira was still sleeping. He had told her had a practice this morning. Ron was waiting for him when he stepped out of the wall.

"I thought you would never get here."

"I am ten minutes early."

"Yeah, well I have been up for hours. Let's go see if the package from my brothers is here yet."

The two made there way down to the hall to grab a bite, but stopped dead in their tracks before they had made it half way.

"Hey George look at the two early birds you would think they were up to something."

"George, Fred!!"

Harry and Ron ran up to the twins and they all shared a round of hugs excited to see them.

"What are you guys doing here?" Harry finally managed to get out.

"We didn't want you two sick love puppies to mess up our fireworks display so we decided to come make sure it was done right."

"Man, guys this is great, but they can't see you... they will know something is up."

Fred was quick to jump in.

"Don't worry we worked it all out with Dumbledore. He is going to keep us busy in the forest today. Apparently some of the creatures there are upset over something they saw last night and we figure we can help him out. It should be rather easy."

"Yeah, glad to hear someone is keeping up with the mischievous way around here."

Fred was looking at Harry when he said it and Harry smiled. Everyone except Ron laughed. Ron looked shocked.

"I don't get it."

"Although," Fred said to George, "I am not sure I approve of this asking for permission thing."

Ron was quick to jump in.

"I think we would have done it anyway, but this way we can't lose points."

"Yeah, we have done enough of that in our day."

The twins laughed. They talked for a few minutes about the details and then the halls started to become busy.

"We'd better go, see you tonight."

Ron and Harry were in the middle of breakfast when the girls showed up. Ron and Harry stopped talking.

"What were you guys talking about that you did not want us to hear?"

Hermione was sitting down and looking at Ron with a "you'd better tell me" look. They tried to get it out of them, but they both just sat there smiling and acting like they knew nothing. Despite all of their efforts they could not get a straight answer out of them. They made their way to Defense Against the Dark Arts it was a double class today so that meant practice time, something they all liked. Sirius smiled as they walked in.

"Welcome students. We are starting a new lesson today. We are moving onto how to get out of entrapment spells. There are many kinds of entrapment spells. The basic concept of any entrapment spell is to stop you from moving in one way or another."

Sirius went on to ask them about all of the spells that had been in there reading and how to overcome them.

"Now it is time to put them to use. I need a few assistants."

This is the reason why everyone likes this class. It was simply fun trying to get out of this spell or that or trying to defeat some king of magical creature. There was simply always something fun to do. Sirius did a good job of teaching the students and also helping them have fun in process. They went on for a while trying everything out.

"Alright that is enough everyone back to your seats."

The student complied and everyone looked around. There was still some time left in class and they usually practiced until the bell rang.

"Who can tell me what the most powerful entrapment spell is?"

Hermione's hand went up as usual.

"Yes Hermione."

"It is the freeze spell Professor Black."

"That is correct, one point for Gryffindor."

"Now the thing about the freeze spell is that it freezes your ability to both move and speak. You can't do any to get out of it yourself; someone else has to get you out of it."

Sirius was looking around the room and noticed that Moira was shaking her head no.

"No, Moira. Are you saying you know how to get out of it?"

She simply nodded her head yes.

"Would you mind demonstrating? I have never seen nor read that it was possible."

Moira walked up to the front of the class. The students were all whispering to one another. Moira never participated in class. This was strange to say the least. Moira walked up to Sirius and nodded. The words simply floated across his mind.

"Put the spell on me and see."

"Are you sure about this Moira?"

She simply nodded.

"Very well students. Watch what happens with the curse. She will not be able to move nor speak."

"Not that she ever does." Malfoy chided from the back of the room.

Sirius gave him a glance and then turned to Moira. He held out his wand.

"Geladium totalus maximum!"

Moira closed her eyes as she felt the coldness wash over her. She could not move, she new that was coming. Her thoughts were still with her though. She thought of the warmest thing she could. She imagined herself in Harry's arms and feeling the power in him. She felt the warmth collecting in her heart. She pushed that warmth outward and slowly the feeling returned to her body.

"Look she moved her head."

"There her hand too."

"She is fighting it!"

Finally the warmth overcame her entire body. She straightened in front of Sirius, smiled and nodded.

"Very good. I want a parchment on how to overcome that by tomorrow...umm...no Wednesday. We will put it into practice next week."

Moira nodded. The bell rang, no one is class moved. They just sat there staring.

"Well, I believe that was the bell."

The students started leaving. Harry was sure this would take no time to get around the school. Moira went back to her desk and picked up her bag. She smiled at Harry who had not gotten up. He was smiling at her. She smiled back.

"Did you feel like showing off today?"

"No, my dad simply figured out how to beat that one, but never got a chance to make it known. I thought it was time to help him out."

"Glad to know I was part of the solution."

"Well maybe you should write the report then. You didn't have to tag along."

"I think he asked you to do it."

Sirius came over to them. They were the only three left in the room. Moira realized that he had closed the door.

"I don't want to wait to know how you did that. Please tell me."

"Have you ever had that curse out on you before?" Harry asked.

"Only once. I felt a horrible coldness come over him. It was almost like the Dementors." Sirius shuttered. "Only you can think, it's just cold you know what is going on, but can do nothing about it."

"True, so what is the opposite of coldness?" Moira asked.

"Well the opposite of ice is fire...right?"

"Right."

Harry was sitting back just listening.

"Then simply create the fire within you to overcome the coldness."

"It is matter of thought then."

"Yes, focusing your thought to the most powerful love and passion you have ever felt and pushing using it to push all the coldness out of you."

"Do you have to be telepathic to do it?"

"I don't think so; you just have to have a positive greater than the negative that is being cast on you."

"And if you don't?"

"Then like you said, you'd better have a friend nearby."

"Don't worry about the report that explanation will do. How did you know?"

"My dad figured it out. It was used on him. When he realized my mother was in danger he thought of her and was able to break free of it."

"I will see if I can master it so that the class will be able to do it."

"I would suggest starting with minimum instead of maximum."

"That I will. See you guys later."

Sirius smiled at Harry who smiled back. He liked having his godfather around.

They made their way back down to the grounds. They ran into Ron and Hermione waiting for them just down the hall.

"He wasn't mad was he?"

Harry laughed.

"No he just wanted to know how she did it."

Malfoy and his two bodyguards stepped out from around the corner.

"As would I."

All four of them rolled their eyes sighed. Ron was the first one to speak.

"Why don't you just give it up, Malfoy?"

He took a few steps toward Moira and faced her squarely.

"I was not talking to you Weasley. I'll ask you again Moira, how did you break the curse?"

Moira stood her ground. She could feel Harry's anger rising. She told him to calm down and trust her to handle it. He folded his arms and smiled. Malfoy noticed.

"What is so funny Potter?"

"Nothing."

Malfoy turned again to Moira.

"So?"

Moira simply looked at him. After a few seconds he started to feel uncomfortable, but stood his ground. Ron and Hermione were trying not to laugh.

"What is so funny mudblood?"

Ron looked at Malfoy like he was going to attack him, but Moira's voice came across his head.

"Patience let me handle this."

Ron smiled and looked over at Hermione. She had heard it too. They smiled at Malfoy, and both folded their arms deciding to see what was going to happen. When Malfoy realized he was not going to get an answer he turned back to Moira.

"Out with it!"

Still she said nothing. A few seconds later, Professor Snape came down the hall and came over to the group.

"What is going on here?"

No one volunteered any information.

"Malfoy speak."

Malfoy smiled as if he had won and looked up at Professor Snape.

"We were in Defense Against the Dark Arts and it appears that Moira here is the only person alive that knows how to over come the most powerful entrapment spell know to the magical world."

"The freeze curse?"

"Yes."

Snape turned to Moira.

"Is that so?"

She nodded. He turned back to Malfoy.

"That does not explain why the seven of you are standing here."

"I am simply waiting for her to tell me how she did it."

Snape looked at the seven of them again. Just then Sirius came down the hall and joined the group.

"Let me guess Professor Snape. Draco was too impatient to wait for class next week to learn how to overcome the freeze cruse?"

Snape turned to Malfoy.

"Is that so Draco?"

Malfoy turned to look at Moira.

"Why can't she tell us now?"

Moira could feel the anger rising in Snape when he turned to look at her. He was once again torn between two opposing desires. Moira turned to look at him and decided to let him in on how she felt.

"He thinks that he has won know that you are here. Even if I tried to explain it to him, I don't think he does have enough warmth in him to beat it."

Snape stared harder at her.

"Are you going to share with us how to do this?"

She nodded and Sirius spoke up.

"I have already spoken with her about it, Professor Snape, and she is going to do her best to teach us."

Snape turned to Malfoy.

"Then, I suggest, you learn some patience Malfoy."

With that Professor Snape turned and left. Malfoy looked like he had been shot. Sirius had to smile.

"Well then I guess this conversation is over."

Malfoy looked disgusted.

"What do you mean conversation, she never said a word."

Moira simply smiled at him and walked away. She had managed to do it again and she was pleased with her self. Harry put his hand around Moira's waist and pulled her close as they walked away. Sirius was left standing with the three remaining students. Malfoy was beyond angry. He was not going to lose again! Sirius looked at Malfoy.

"I suggest you quit trying to pick fights and get on with life."

Malfoy looked at Sirius with disgust.

"I will never quit fighting. There is something going on here and I am going to find out what it is."

Malfoy turned and stormed down the hall with his goons quickly following him. Sirius sighed. He knew they needed to be careful. He was sure he was looking at three spies. He turned and tried to clear his mind. He would deal with them in the future. Right now he had another kind of mission to accomplish. However, when he turned, he came face to face with Sabine, who had been standing there for most of the conversation. She looked at him coolly with a disturbing stare. Before he could say anything to her, she slowly walked passed him, not breaking eye contact with him. He turned and watched her walking slowly away from him. He could help be have the feeling that her stare only meant trouble. Her eyes were so cold and piercing! He straightened his robes and set out to find two twins trying to settle down some very disturbed forest creatures.

The four enjoyed their lunch, but this afternoon was still going to have its ups and downs. They had double potions this afternoon, but Harry and Ron tried to keep their thoughts on the fun that would happen afterwards. They made their way to their seats and started to work. They each had three hours to make their potion. Each group was given their recipe and they were not told what it was or what it was suppose to do. They had to try it in the end and if it worked they were happy if it did not...well no one wanted to think about that.

Snape came in and divided the class into what he said was random pairs. Harry did not think so. He was paired up with Neville Longbottom. Harry tried to encourage him, but he hated potions and was beyond console. Harry wanted to spit nails when he paired Malfoy with Moira. He was sure he did to not lose face after the incident this morning. She kept telling him no to worry and that it would all be fine. Snape handed out the potion assignments. He looked over his recipe. He did not recognize it. It always seemed to help if you knew what you were making. Ron and Hermione looked just as miserable as he did. Hermione was paired with Crabbe. At least she knew what she was doing. Ron was paired with some girl from Slytherin that Harry did not know well at all. He hoped she had paid better attention in potions than she had beauty school. Moira and Malfoy were the last ones to get their recipe. Moira looked over at Harry.

"So what did you get?"

"It is a remedy potion for several different sickness and curses, not simple, but not that hard. And you?"

Harry told her what the recipe said and told her it looked like a spell to make someone sick.

"You're right Harry. I hope he doesn't plan to use one to see if the other works. Do you know what to watch out for?"

As she prepared her ingredients she told him to be sure to wait until the potion changed colors to add the last three ingredients.

"Oh Harry, look at the list."

"Oh, I get it. It is the combination of Dillwill weed and wormdust. You must wait for those to react before adding anymore ingredients."

"Bingo, good luck."

"Thanks."

Harry's confidence gave Neville some hope and they started chopping and preparing. Harry made sure he checked and rechecked Neville's work and Neville made sure he did. They waited like they were suppose to and they finished with ten minutes to spare. Harry was sure they had done it right. They waited.

"Stop working, time is up."

The class sighed and everyone stopped working.

"There were basically two different potions passed out. Either you had one that caused a sickness or you had the cure. You are to tell me which you had and then we are going to see if you got it right."

Snape went around the room. Harry felt sorry for the people that did not get it right. He was still in a sour mood and Gryffindor had lost eight points by the time he got to the last two groups, and he had not even tried two potions yet.

"Very well, Potter and Longbottom what is your potion."

Harry stepped forward.

"It is a potion that causes a sickness. From the ingredients I would say a digestive disorder of some kind."

"Longbottom, what ingredients suggest that?"

"IIIttt is ... the dillwill weed and wormdust sir."

Harry was amazed he got it out. He moved on. He always gave Slytherin a point if they got it right and took a point or two from Gryffindor if they got it wrong. Harry was just happy moved on without saying a word more. When he got to Moira and Malfoy, Harry almost laughed Malfoy looked concerned.

"Hey how did your potion go?" he asked.

"Oh, Malfoy almost messed it up about a dozen times, but it is right. I have flatly refused to talk to him, so he does not know what it does. He thinks he is good at this and it is almost funny. I am really getting the impression that he does not like me."

She smiled, but she was not looking at him so as not to draw attention. Snape came to their table.

"Malfoy what is your potion."

Malfoy looked up at him and smiled.

"I have had a most uncooperative partner in this project Professor. She seemed to want to do everything her way, so I let her. She will also be answering for us."

"Very well. Moira what is your potion?"

She picked up her quill and on the parchment wrote.

"It is a cure. Developed in the mid 14^th century by the English witch Diana Ferril. It will cure all of the different sickness the students have created here tonight, and no thanks to Malfoy - it is right."

She handed the parchment to Snape. Once he had read it he tossed it back on the table.

"You are correct in all accounts." He turned around and said with a sour look and bitter voice. "Five point for Gryffindor."

The class looked at each other in silence. Snape had never given a single point to Gryffindor before. Malfoy picked up the parchment and read it. He looked over at Moira and she simply smiled at him. Snape looked around the room and order returned.

"Now we are going to try the potions. As we now know, all of you have different sicknesses and this is the cure of all of them." He pointed to Malfoy and Moira's caldron. "Let's see what shall we test them on?"

Everyone was scared for a moment, but he brought out some rats and he went around and put a caged rat on each desk. The then took a cup full of potion from the cure caldron and took his first victim. It was over quickly and only a few groups did poorly. Harry was relieved when his worked quickly. Snape seemed a bit disappointed, but moved on. When he was finished there was still fifteen minutes left in the class period.

"All those except the five who have chosen potions for their final project here at Hogwarts may go."

The classroom emptied in seconds. Moira, Malfoy and three other Slytherins remained including the one Ron had been paired with. Ron and Hermione were waiting for Harry at the door.

"Man, am I glad that was over. Margaret is not much to look at, but at least she knew the potion. How did you know?"

"I took a lucky guess, but Moira told me I was right so I was not worried."

"Man, you are lucky! You two can talk without anyone knowing," Ron said.

"But Harry that is cheating!" Hermione squawked.

Harry rolled his eyes and looked at Hermione.

"It would have been cheating if I had asked her what to do and she told me. I simply told her what I thought the answer was and she approved."

Hermione knew he was technically right, but still did not like the idea. She decided not to press the issue. Ron looked at Harry a little worried they had not planned on Snape keeping Moira after. He did not want it to interfere with their plans.

"Moira said he is keeping them to go over the requirements to finish with a potions emphasis. It should not take to long."

Hermione rolled her eyes again.

"Just out of plain curiosity, how often do you guys talk like that?"

Harry looked at her as if she had just asked him the easiest question in the world.

"All the time, Hermione, just like she does with you."

Hermione looked like she had been insulted.

"No, Harry, she only talks to me like that when we are face to face like we are right now. You guys talk when you are on opposite side of the school."

"Oh, sorry I didn't understand the question."

"Obviously, now what is the answer?"

Harry shrugged.

"Honestly, whenever and wherever we want."

Hermione looked at Ron who only shrugged. They had made it out to the bench in the center courtyard where Hermione sat down.

"What it must be like to be able to do that."

Harry sat down beside here.

"Yeah, it has its pluses, but remember there are always two sides to every coin. It also has some minuses."

"Like what?" Hermione asked.

"Well, we've had to tell each other everything. And I mean everything about out lives. It is like she has lived my life and I have lived hers. So there is twice the pain."

"That also means there is complete understanding." Hermione pointed out.

"True, but I had to feel her pain to get it and she had to feel my pain to understand me. It is not just a free gift; we have had to pay a price. The good and the bad, the joy and the pain go hand in hand."

Ron finally sat down.

"Wow, I never thought about it that way. You guys always seem so happy together."

"Oh, don't get me wrong, we are. All I am saying is that we had to work to get there. We had to be willing to pay that price and let each other into our lives like that. It was not easy; I'd never wish my life on anyone." Harry sat back. "When I came to the realization that she felt the same way it was something. She has had just as many struggles as I have.

It is amazing really. We really are both so messed up we are great for each other."

Ron and Hermione looked at each other. They had talked quite a bit about their friends' relationship and had learned more in that few minutes than all of their time trying to figure it out.

Malfoy gave her sideways glance when he realized she was staying. He was still upset with her about this morning and even more upset that somehow she had humiliated him again in potions.

"Okay, listen up. If you want to graduate with this emphasis you need to create a completely new potion, one that has never been made before. It can do anything you want it to, but it must simply be original. The better the potion, the better the grade you will receive. He looked over the room. To make sure that there is no cheating you will each be given a truth cerium and asked to explain how you came up with the potion."

The other four looked at each other. It was too late to change their emphasis. They knew they would have to come up with a new potion, but the truth cerium thing was new. Moira tried not to show her pleasure in the others discomfort with the idea.

"I will need your preliminary report before you leave for the Thanksgiving brake. That is all you may go."

Moira walked across the courtyard toward her friends. Harry looked up at her.

"You are the most gorgeous person in this school." Harry told her telepathically as he watched her walk across the courtyard.

"You are biased." She answered as she smiled at him from a distance.

"I don't think any guy would argue with me."

Moira smiled coyly at him as she reached the group. Ron was excited to see she was there. Now they could set their plan into action.

"Hey Harry, let's get to the team meeting. The captain can not be late."

"See you two at dinner."

Moira and Hermione sat down and looked at each other.

"Those two are up to something."

Hermione looked at her.

"Well tell me what it is."

"I don't know. Harry was not telling."

"What do you mean, you can read his mind."

"I would have to do it without his consent and I will not do that."

"Oh"

"Don't worry, my instincts tell me this is a fun secret."

"Fun?"

"Yep."

"Hello beautiful! What are you working on that has you concentrating so hard?" Draco sat down next to Sabine on the green velvet couch in the common room.

Sabine stiffened a little, but tried to relax, chiding herself. Draco would not bite her. "Nothing of much importance," she replied, shutting the notebook that she had been writing in. She had decided that taking notes on her observances of Dumbledore, Snape, Sirius and the Fab Four was risky, but she needed to keep track of everything that was going on. Even the most innocent of things to the untrained eye could prove as useful information for the future.

"Hmmm...I see," Draco knew she was hiding something. He would just have to watch her closer. "You seem a really focused on nothing of much importance. Doesn't seem like you. Are you sure you won't tell me what you are really up to?"

"Draco, please, I was finishing some notes from my previous class. I wanted to write them down before I forgot them is all." She was both lying and telling the truth. She decided she needed to end his line of questioning and the best way to do that is to but him on the spot. "So, I heard about your incident in the hall with Potter and his tramp," she shot him a sideways glance.

The expression on his face changed slightly, but he smoothed it over the best he could. "Yes...well...if there is one person who can almost get to me as bad as Potter it's his girlfriend. She thinks she is so smart!"

"I had no idea you held her in such high regard! I just find it interesting how quickly Potty and his clones have taken to her is all. You are right, though, she certainly does have a high opinion of herself because of her "connection" with them, doesn't she?" The look of disgust on Sabine's face was only matched by the loathing in her voice.

Draco was highly entertained by Sabine's open hatred for Potter and the rest of them. Maybe she would prove to be the kind of wife he wanted after all.

There was a strained silence between them. Both wanted to say something, anything, but had not much to say. Draco was keeping his cards close to his chest, though. So far he physically liked Sabine and now her dislike for Potter held his interest as well. She was smart and he knew that, but he didn't know yet just how deceiving and manipulating she could be. He decided he better do something other than sit there in the uncomfortable silence.

"Well, I have some stuff I have to take care of. I'll see you later, Sabine." He began to get up from the couch, but paused briefly to kiss the back of her hand, and then he left.

Sabine sat in a stunned silence, at once angry at herself for the way her heart raced at his little gesture.