Deus Fax Machina

Mindfulness Most Wanted

            'Alright, it's all to do with breathing, and emptying your mind.' Sophie was sitting opposite Harry in an empty classroom in a secluded part of the school. Harry sat with his eyes closed and Sophie watched his brow furrow.

'You won't be able to stop thinking but just let the thoughts come and go, don't hold onto them, breathe and feel the distance between us.' Sophie shut her own eye, easily knowing where Harry sat, feeling his disruption in the space around her, and the energy he gave off. Harry radiated more power than Sophie felt from most other wizards, making it easier again for her to find him.

Letting her own mind go, Sophie allowed her subconscious kick in. It made its way into Harry's. Sophie's mind snaking in through the mental barriers Harry had begun to put up with Snape, but really, Harry Potter was an open book.

Sophie began to see flickers of images. She saw an immensely fat boy tormenting Harry; she saw Harry meet the enormous care of magical creatures' teacher when he was much younger, telling him he's a wizard; she saw Ron and Hermione, so young, and them now; she saw visions of what could only just be described as a man, he had a white face and horrid red eyes, more snake-like than human; she felt a grip of fear and anger tighten around her insides, panic rose in her as he approached. She wanted to kill the snake-like man with every fibre of her being.

Sophie broke out of Harry's thoughts, she was panting, she looked up, Harry was breathless too. He looked furious.

'You looked at my thoughts!' He yelled, standing up, withdrawing his wand. 'You're as bad as Snape, you just want to see what I'm hiding don't you? You want truth, well, there here is!' Harry had his wand pointed down at Sophie's face, the end of it quivering.

'Harry, I didn't mean to, I was testing to see how far you'd let me, I told you this wasn't going to be nice.' Sophie had her hands raised, there was no point trying to fight him, he already had his wand drawn and she knew she was no match for him. 'Please, Harry, you asked me for help, I don't know anything.'

'Well you do now.' He snapped.

'What did you think was going to happen? You'd be able to read minds overnight? It doesn't work like that, Harry.'

Harry hadn't lowered his wand and Sophie didn't understand why, he'd asked her for help! She stood up and took a step forward so that Harry's wand press into her chest, her heart thumped beneath it, Harry could surely feel it.

'What are you doing?' Harry faltered a moment, but he held his ground.

'If you're going to point that wand at me then you better follow through, go on, hex me. Do your worst, Potter.' Sophie spat. She wasn't sure where this courage, or anger, had come from but she sure as hell wasn't going to be yelled at by a scrawny boy in glasses. Harry dropped his wand and sat down with a sigh.

'Guess you're as short tempered as I am.' Harry laughed a humourless laugh.

'I said help you, but I won't be spoken to like I'm not worth your time.' Sophie figured out why she was so mad, she sat down too. Harry expected her to treat him like everyone else did, with caution and respect. But he hadn't earned her respect. And Sophie would've bet a few Galleons on herself if it came to a fist fight between her and Harry.

'Want to try again?' Harry sat back and eyed Sophie as he waited for her response.

'You need to stop me getting in. You need to block my mind from finding yours.' Sophie said. Harry looked at her like she'd told him to collect hippogriff eggs. 'Do it by feeling where you end, and where the universe begins. Feel what's you and what's not.'