Defence, Pretence, Offence (Hecatemus Book #2)

Chapter 8 - Not On the Same Page

The staff had not been willing to outright call the incident in the defensive flying class sabotage. The Aurors at the school were looking into it, but there was the faint possibility it had been someone trying to do something else and accidentally messing everything up.

Draco didn't believe it for a second, but he could understand keeping everyone calm, so he didn't say that out loud. Seamus, on the other hand, was taking it personally.

"That was no accident," the Irish Gryffindor said loudly as they sat down for dinner.

They had each been questioned individually and it had taken a long time, so their group had gone straight to the Great Hall when they were finally allowed to leave.

"Seamus, keep your voice down," Hermione warned.

"Why should I? You can't believe..."

"Of course we don't," Draco said, tone low and perfectly even, "but causing a panic won't help."

Seamus looked around the room and finally seemed to realise that more than a couple of people were looking in his direction.

"Yeah, okay," he said, moderating his volume, "I get your point."

"So, Harry," Hermione took over again, also keeping her voice down, "what did you see?"

"It was only out of the corner of my eye," Harry said, "but I had my shields lowered, so I could see whoever it was through the stands. They were running away."

"If that's not a dead giveaway I don't know what is," Seamus commented.

"I don't think I know them," Harry added; "they didn't seem familiar."

[Not at all?] Draco asked silently.

[Every instinct still says stranger,] Harry replied.

Draco had asked similar questions before, but he wanted to be sure. Sometimes it took Harry a while to sort through new experiences.

"You can tell that from their magic?" Dean asked from the other side of the table.

Harry gave a small shrug.

"Everyone's magic is different," he said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Sometimes Draco was sure his soulmate forgot that he saw the world in a completely different way to anyone else these days. This was the second time in two days that Harry had shown his ability to recognise, or not in this case, someone from just their magic. Draco made a mental note to do some investigating.

"So when you do your thing you can tell us apart just by our magic?" Seamus asked.

"I suppose," Harry replied. "It's not something I've tried. Faces are much easier."

"Even your ugly mug," Dean commented and elbowed Seamus in the ribs.

"I'll give you ugly," Seamus said.

"Boys!" was Hermione's comment before it could get out of hand.

Draco couldn't help noticing that Ron looked very impressed with his girlfriend's ability to completely control the Gryffindor seventh year.

"There are spells to reveal a person's magical signature," surprisingly it was Neville who spoke up, "but they aren't much use because, to most people, it just looks like a mess."

"Does it look like a mess to you, Mate?" Ron asked.

"Um," Harry said and Draco grinned; he always enjoyed watching Harry try and explain things like this. "I guess, but it kind of makes sense."