The Boy The Snake and The Stone

Chapter 14: Halloween

It had been a calm few weeks at Hogwarts, Harry was slowly getting used to all the classes, while the nightmares slowed down to a small trickle. Of course, they were still there, but they were not as bad as they were at first. Harry still didn't talk about what they are about, but kept promising that he would soon. Severus had mentioned that perhaps Harry should see a mind healer, but Harry shot down the idea, not wanting anyone else to know what happened. Severus just frowned and made a deal with Harry if he had not talked to anyone by summer that he would be going to see a mind healer. He wanted to make sure the young boy could be healed, so he wouldn't have to be afraid so much. Harry eventually agreed.

Now it was Halloween, and classes seemed to be a little easier allowing the younger years a break just in time for the celebrations. Charms class was interesting to say the least, they were learning the levitation spell, causing the objects to fly upwards to the ceiling. It seemed that this spell was giving everyone a little trouble. Harry had managed to get his feather a few centimeters off his desk before it started to wobble a bit and fell neatly back to the desk. Draco, of course, had already mastered the spell and was trying his best to show Harry how to do it. It was part way through class that they heard a conversation across the room where the Gryffindor's sat. Ron Weasley was getting upset that he could not do the spell and shouted in frustration, "Wingaradium Leviosa!" Both Harry and Draco snorted, they both thought Ron was acting like a spoiled brat. He was flicking his wand at the feather like a windmill, his face growing as red as his hair.

"He is going to take someone's eye out if he continues this," Draco whispered to Harry as they watched everything unfold.

"It would also help if he would pronounce the spell right, then maybe he could be a proper wizard," Harry replied, getting a laugh from the Slytherins around him. Ron shot the group a glare, that's when Hermione stepped in to help her housemate.

"You're saying it wrong Ronald," Hermione snapped, taking his wand hand and lowering it gingerly. "It is Wing-ger-dium Levi-o-sa, make the 'gar' sound nice and long." Hermione instructed the red head.

"Well if you're so smart, why don't you do it!" The red head snapped back, a smirk spreading across his face, he was just waiting for her to fail.

So that is what she did, she took her wand out and with a swish and flick motion that they had practiced at the beginning of the class along with a proper pronunciation of the spell, she had the feather float upwards and stop about four feet above their heads.

Professor Flitwick gave her a big smile and clapped his tiny hands together, "Way to go Miss Granger! Look here class this is the proper way to do the spell! 10 points to Gryffindor!"

Hermione just smiled at the praise while the red head just sneered and laid his head down upon his stack of books. Upset that he was showed up, by a girl no less.

The rest of the class went by in ease, some students still struggling with the spell while others exceled and didn't have to practice it for homework.

"Draco, do you think you could help me some more before the next class?" Harry asked, turning to look at his blonde companion, before being shoved out of the way by a certain red head. The red head was storming out of the Charms classroom, unhappy because of what took place. Draco quickly caught the smaller wizard before they both could take a tumble, sending a glare the red head's way.

The red head didn't even notice what he just did, he continued to storm his way out into the courtyard talking to two other first year Gryffindors, not caring about who could hear him. "It's a real surprise that she has any friends at all, I mean those snakes don't count for anything," the red head sneered, "she is just a nightmare to be around."