Harry Potter and the Year After

Chapter Fifty-one: Midterms

Chapter 51: Midterms

In the weeks following, Harry stopped fighting the urge and started drinking more heavily. At first, he would drink a butterbeer or two while grading assignments or else doing his homework. Then, after a few nights of this, he took a sip of firewhiskey. Then another.

And then, Harry woke up one morning and took a sip of firewhiskey to try to get rid of his hangover. Soon, without deciding to do so, Harry was a little drunk for a week straight leading up to midterms. No one noticed. Not even Hermione noticed, as she was far too busy studying. Harry supposed Ginny would have noticed, but she was too preoccupied with... other things... as well. And then there was also the fact that she didn't talk to Harry anymore.

Hermione only finally noticed when they stood facing each other, wands at the ready. Professor McGonagall was the only other person in the room. It was time for their Occlumency midterm.

"Harry," Hermione whispered, eyes wide as Professor McGonagall finishing up writing something. The loudest sound in the room was her quill scratching against parchment. "Are you drunk?" she mouthed to him.

"Yes, Miss," Harry whispered back, and winked at her. "Just a bit."

"Why are you drunk?" she mouthed back, her eyes wide and, Harry belatedly noticed, frightened.

"I'm... I don't know..." Harry said, shrugging.

"Right," Professor McGonagall said, standing up. Her chair groaned against the stone floor as she slid it back.

"I will be using Legilimency on both of you while you perform the test. Forgive me if I miss something as I have not practiced dual Legilimency much more than either of you have practiced normal Legilimency, I'm sure," she said, pointing her wand at each of them as she said the spell. "You may proceed."

"Do we just--" Hermione began, but Harry wordlessly performed the spell on her as she spoke. The alcohol, if anything, seemed to help his ability to control her mind. He decided on Hermione's memory of the Mountain Troll back in first year since it was innocuous. He played it out in full. Hermione wasn't able to lift the spell from herself.

"Excellent Potter," Professor McGonagall said at once. "Miss Granger, I could tell you were attempting to lift the spell from your mind. I will give you marks for your attempt. Potter, I do not believe I've ever seen anyone achieve true Legilimency on another person like that. Indeed, I myself cannot perform it as well as you just did."

"Indeed," Harry said, pressing his lips together so he wouldn't laugh.

"Yes, Potter, indeed," she said, her eyebrows furrowing. "Now, Miss Granger, your turn."

"Right, okay," Hermione said, rallying herself. She cast the spell on Harry.

Harry shut her out before a memory, even a boring one, was pulled up into the forefront of his mind.

"Did you cast the spell?" Professor McGonagall asked Hermione.

"Yes, I did," Harry said, grinning stupidly. Then he started twirling his wand like a baton and accidentally dropped it. It clattered to the floor. Professor McGonagall and Hermione both watched as Harry tried to pick it up but then accidentally kicked it away from himself. He walked over and picked up his wand.

Just as he was about to pick it up, Hermione cast the spell on him again, catching him unaware. This time, she pulled up a memory--it was Christmas time at the Burrow. Celestina Warbeck was singing about a cauldron full of hot strong love... Straightening up, this time instead of shutting her out of his mind, Harry pulled up a different memory: his own memory of the Troll in the dungeon. He was on the troll's shoulders--his wand went up the troll's nose...