Part 3


“I was right; Draco is in serious trouble, he is being detained by Voldemort.” said Harry in a low hush as they left the potions classroom, about to head down towards transfiguration.

“You don’t think we will be asked to help him do you?” asked Ron with concern.

“I don’t know.” replied Harry, shaking his head.

“I think the Ministry of Magic will have to act with this one and get everyone on board, after all, he’s a sixteen year old student, so he is classed as a minor, they will have to take this seriously!” said Hermione, while continuing to struggle with her bag.

“I am going to buy you a bigger bag Hermione, that thing is ridiculous!” said Ron in passing.

“For your information Ronald I put a charm on it to make it bigger inside, but the thing is, I still have too much stuff!” she replied in exasperation, while shaking her bag violently.

Ron looked at Harry and shook his head while rolling his eyes. “Women.” He muttered under his breath. Harry smiled; he understood how awkward they could be; especially now he had a girlfriend of his own.

Harry and Luna had now been with each-other for two weeks; it seemed a little odd at times because he wasn’t used to the attention in the way that she showed him, but he liked it, and he couldn’t wait to see her at lunchtime.

“By the way, we have a meeting in Dumbledore’s office at seven tonight, we can’t be late.” said Harry, to Ron and Hermione, but there was no questions, no reply at all from his two best friends. Harry turned around to see that they had stopped a few feet behind him, embracing one another tightly, while enjoying a long enduring kiss.

“I give up on you two; it’s like trying to talk to a bloody brick wall!”

“Did you say something Harry?” asked Ron, pulling away.

“Ah, forget it, I’ll tell you at lunch!” Harry turned away and carried on down the hall, but little did they know, he was expressing a large grin on his face.

-

Lunchtime approached and Harry was walking slightly quicker than usual. “Wait up Harry, what’s the hurry?” asked Ron, with Hermione following closely in tow.

“Oh uh…, I’m hungry.” He stuttered

“Liar, you just wanna see Luna so you can have a quick grope in the corner!”

“Oi!” shouted Harry, while hitting Ron in the arm. “I do no such thing, we are not as bad as you two, and besides we haven’t been together long enough to even think about things like that, I’m a gentleman Weasley, unlike you!”

“Oh, he’s just teasing you Harry!” chuckled Hermione, nudging Ron playfully in the ribs.

Harry shook his head and sighed in amusement, but his expression changed when he saw her. Luna was striding up toward him, eyes wide, her tangled mousy hair unnoticeable due to it being covered with a blue shawl, tied around her head in the style of a mexican bandana.

“Luna, what on earth do you have stuck on your head?” asked Ron.

“Oh, shut up freckles, I like it!”

“That’s right Luna, take no notice of him!” said Hermione, while shooting Ron a sardonic glimpse.

Luna put her arms around Harry’s neck and quickly kissed him on his expectant lips. “Do you mind me wearing it around my head?” she asked quietly.

“Not at all, you wear it however you want to, it’s yours!” replied Harry with a beaming smile for his girlfriend, the person he had been most wanting to see all day.

She squeezed him tighter and then he took her by the hand, and together they sat and ate a hearty lunch at the Gryffindor house table.

-

“I can’t believe Draco has been captured like that, I know he’s a prat but even still, I don’t wish it on him.” said Ron, while trying desperately hard to open a fortune cookie without it crumbling all over the table.

“Har-ry?” questioned Hermione slowly, with a vague expression as if her mind was in another place.

“Yes Her-mi-one?” replied an even slower Harry, which amused their small gathering group.

Hermione sat up straight and came back to her senses.

“How do you know for sure this is true, we haven’t spoke to any of the Professors about it yet!”

Harry leant closer into his friends and whispered “Ah, well I have. Snape and I had a little one to one via occlumency.”

Hermione looked flabbergasted. “Harry, that’s amazing!”

“What is?” asked Harry while shoving a large spoonful of jam roly poly and custard into his mouth.

But Hermione didn’t have the chance to reply. Karis had come belting into the great hall and ran straight up to the Gryffindor table.

“Harry, Professor Snape just told me, I am so proud of you.” she said, grabbing him by the shoulders.

She then nudged herself onto the bench in-between Harry and Neville.

“Uh, what’s amazing? I only did occlumency!” stated Harry, a little confused.

“You had a conversation, you didn’t witness memories Harry! That’s a whole new quidditch game!”

“Er, OK, you got me now, what are you talking about Karis?” asked a perplexed Harry.

Karis sighed and rolled her eyes. “Harry, you have done it, finally you have mastered the art of telepathy!”

Harry’s eyes grew wide, and his mouth gaped open ever so slightly; he forgot. How could he forget?

“I thought Snape seemed a little shocked when I spoke to him.”

“Yes he was Harry.” chuckled Karis. “It’s because Severus isn’t telepathic, but as you managed to speak to him you tapped into a part of his mind that allowed him to hold a conversation with you. It did however drain him, he’s had to go and lay down.”

“Way to go Harry!” said a beaming Luna.

“You see the thing is Harry, to use occlumency it is generally only to tap into memories, but what you did was remarkably powerful, and I am so pleased you finally did it. You are just like me now!” said Karis with a wide grin on her face.

“Does this mean we can communicate without being in the same room?” asked Harry

“Yes, it does.”

“But it was Severus who did the legilimens spell, what was he hoping to see if I didn’t speak to him?”

“He wanted to find out if you already knew about Draco before he mentioned it to you, but you pit him to the post by actually introducing speech into your connection.”

“I guess I showed him didn’t I!” said Harry proudly.


Karis, Ron, Hermione, Luna, Neville and Ginny all let out a small laugh.

“Yes you did. But we are to keep this between us! Tell the rest of the DA if you want, and the Order will also have to know, but keep this quiet Harry please, it is better that no-one else outside our ranks find out about this!” said Karis importantly, her large brown eyes holding Harry’s gaze, her forehead creased with stated lines.

“OK.” replied Harry, while the others nodded.

“Right, well get back to lunch, I will see you three at seven!” said Karis, gesturing to Harry, Ron and Hermione.

“Bye Karis.” Harry whispered. “Thank you Professor Karis.” said Hermione as two Ravenclaw students passed by.

Karis smiled, following with a nod and quickly walked away. Harry noticed she had a spring in her step and he smiled to himself.

As Karis walked away she felt relieved. She had come here to teach Harry the art of Occlumency and at a push try to open his mind to telepathy.

Not just anyone could learn it though, it was a very rare and exceptional gift that she had been given at Birth, and it had proved very hard for her to train Harry, but she had succeeded.

She felt proud of herself as she walked towards her classroom, a relaxed smile on her pretty young but tired face. Before she had arrived at Grimmauld Place and had taken her seat at the Professors table of Hogwarts, Albus had expressed concerns and showed doubtfulness about whether she could succeed in her intended venture, which made her feel on-edge and doubt the power she beheld in her own mind, but it also made her more determined, and the lack of confidence held by her Grand Father and that of other members of the Order had sustained her.

“I guess I showed him didn’t I.” she relayed Harry’s words in her mind and smiled. Then quietly muttered to herself. “We showed them all Harry, we showed them all…”