As the next week started up, the student population was chattering excitedly on two topics: the Yule Ball and the upcoming Hogsmeade weekend. Despite their distracted students, the professors continued to plow through their lessons, assigning out copious amounts of homework, especially to those who were struggling with the concepts, which, in Harry's classes, was pretty much everyone except him and Hermione. But even they had their fair share of essays to write at this point in the term.
In Transfiguration, they were focusing on conjuring complex objects right now. Harry and Hermione were both ahead of the class, already progressing to conjuring multiple objects at the same time. After that, there was only permanent conjuration to cover before they moved on to the next subject. Most conjured objects would disappear or dissubstantiate after a period of time. It took a great deal of concentration and magical power to conjure something that would last for an extended period of time. It was unknown if anything could truly be conjured permanently, but it was possible to conjure something that would last for years, though the skill was not common. The average witch or wizard could conjure a moderately simple object that would last up to a couple months before it vanished.
Hagrid's Care of Magical Creatures classes had actually been relatively tame thus far, for which Harry was eternally grateful. They had spent a couple weeks studying phoenixes, with Fawkes being a regular guest to the class. Harry took great interest in these lessons and was pleased when Fawkes spent as much time on his shoulder as he did on Hagrid's. Harry wished he could talk to Fawkes the way he could Hedwig, but he remembered what she had told him about the magical creatures. She had explained to him that all magical creatures can mindspeak, but not all creatures understood human languages. She went on to say that phoenix's had a language all their own, unknown to any other creature.
Harry continued to excel in Potions class, much to Snape's consternation. The man had backed off his snide comments during class slightly, seeming to lose interest at Harry's lack of response. The Slytherins in class still occasionally tried to ruin his potions, but they had yet to succeed. His potions weren't usually up to the standard of a potion's master like Snape, but they were more than adequate for the class. Harry usually managed an Acceptable, which by Snape's exacting standards combined with his bias against Gryffindors in general and Harry in particular, he took to be somewhere between and Exceeds Expectations and Outstanding. Harry was just glad that Snape had no part in the actual grading for NEWTs.
They rarely covered anything new in DADA. Most of the stuff he had already covered in his HA classes, and almost all of the rest he had learned on his own at some point. But Harry understood that not everyone had all the extra training that he and his friends received, so he couldn't hold it against his professor. The class was just a cake walk for him.
That left just Charms class left. Right now they were going over animating charms. Each student was given a little toy doll, much like a muggle action figure, that they were to animate to walk across their desks. Most people in the class were struggling to get their dolls to move at all. Hermione's doll was able to walk back and forth relatively smoothly. When no one else was looking, Harry's doll would tiptoe across the edge of his desk or else run laps. He kept such theatrics private though, and kept the doll simply walking about whenever eyes turned upon him.
Harry seemed to have a sixth sense about that. He could always tell whenever someone was looking at him. It was an ability he had always had, but it seemed to have become more pronounced in the past year. It had other uses than allowing him to play around with dolls during classes. It had kicked in several times when Draco Malfoy had been lingering nearby, and he had a feeling that the blonde haired boy was keeping an extremely close eye on him, closer than was normal for him. He had a feeling that the blonde had been ordered to keep an eye on him, but there wasn't much Harry could do about it except be careful about what he did or said in his presence.
Harry met with his Headmaster on Thursday once again to practice Occlumency. It went to similar results as the last time. The Headmaster poked around his barriers for an inordinate amount of time, then attacked rapidly and precisely, tearing a whole and entering his mind. He once again allowed himself to be pushed out without a fight. The two talked for a little while, and the Headmaster explained that Harry must reinforce his shields against pinpoint assaults, not just general battering. His shield was only as strong as its weakest point.
Before Harry left his office, Dumbledore informed Harry that there would be several aurors and Order members in Hogsmeade over the weekend. He warned Harry that if he noticed anything suspicious, he was to notify one of them immediately and not do anything dangerous. Harry only nodded his agreement before exiting.
The next day, Harry was recruited by Professor Caldwell yet again to help grade essays. This time they were third years' essays that he needed by Wednesday morning. Harry told him it would not be a problem. That night, after dinner, Harry was walking back to Gryffindor Tower and spotted Ginny ahead of him, talking to one of her dorm mates whom he thought was named Melissa. He could just barely make out their conversation.
"… Gladrags tomorrow?" asked Melissa.
"I guess… have enough. I'll just have to hope something's on sale. I only have 10 galleons….", Ginny said back somewhat dejectedly.
"I'm sure we'll find something," her friend encouraged.
....
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