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Harry Potter and the Ritual of Love's Memory | ||||||
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Category: Post-HBP Characters:All Genres: Action/Adventure, General, Romance Warnings: Death, Mild Language, Mild Sexual Situations, Violence Rating: PG-13 Reviews: 259 Summary: After the horcrux hunt implodes leaving most of those Harry loves dead, he starts a new life with a few fellow survivors far away from wizarding Britain. But the discovery of an ancient ritual that promises to send a single memory back in time sparks hope that maybe things can change. Dark ending to DH followed by a tweaked retelling of GoF through DH. Harry/Ginny. Friday updates. Original Timeline Voldemort's Victory - Chapter 1-5 (Feel free to skip if you don't like major character deaths) Tenochtitlán - Chapter 6-9 New Timeline Harry's 4th Year - Chapter 10-28 Harry's 5th Year - Chapter 29-68 Harry's 6th Year - Chapter 69-Current Hitcount: Story Total: 169429; Chapter Total: 1369 Awards: View Trophy Room |
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"Good afternoon, class," came Professor Flamel's weathered voice as she wheeled into the room. The quiet chatter ceased at once when she entered, as every student fixed their eyes upon her. "I am Professor Perenell Flamel and I will be your instructor for Defense Against the Dark Arts. My husband, who is now teaching History of Magic, is the only person in the last millenia to have successfully created a Philosopher's Stone." An excited murmur grew in the classroom as students whispered about what that could mean. Harry saw Hermione lean forward in intrigue, hoping for an explanation. "Though I would hope that sixth years would be wiser and more prudent than my younger students who have asked such ridiculous questions, we will not provide you with any Elixir of Life, nor will we turn any of your lead into gold. With that clear, you can expect an immediate detention should you forget yourself and make such a request. Is that clear?" Hermione and a number of other students chanted, "Yes, Professor Flamel," in the same monotone that they'd used whenever answering Umbridge the previous year out of habit. Harry sighed in frustration. Threats of detention within the first five minutes of class seemed an inauspicious beginning to the term. "Fair enough. Before we begin in earnest, I'd like to apprise you of some of my credentials. Albus has briefed me on how the last year went, and I would prefer for you each to understand the expectations of this class right away while there is still time to switch your schedules. I intend to teach this class as it is meant to be taught, which may prove challenging to any students who are unprepared or have fallen behind." Harry had been listening to what the professor said too carefully to notice right away, but his eyes drifted to the wheelchair in which Professor Flamel was seated. It glided across the ground without any touch from its user. He wondered if the magical world had a variety of magical wheelchairs, or if she had charmed it herself like Neville's great-grandfather. "Mr. Potter, would you repeat back what I just told the class?" A rush of heat filled Harry's cheeks as he met Professor Flamel's gaze. He fidgeted for a moment before answering. "You're going to teach how it was meant to be taught?" Snickers from a few other students and an audible sigh from Hermione let him know that he had missed something while his mind contemplated other things. "That will be four points for not paying attention, Mr. Potter," announced Professor Flamel, a slight hint of frustration in her tone. "For half the points he lost, will someone help him?" Hermione's hand shot up at the same time as Susan's. When the professor nodded to Hermione, she explained that the first class of the week would be held here in the Defense classroom, while the second would be conducted in the Defense Chamber. Harry slunk down in his seat as multiple eyes looked at him askance before Professor Flamel continued her lesson. "My husband is a supremely gifted alchemist, which created a great deal of danger for our family. My prowess at defensive and offensive magic was burgeoning at the same time as Nicolas began to make breakthroughs in his field. The promise of everlasting life and limitless gold is enough to tempt the powerful, the brazen, and the sly. I have spent centuries defending my husband and his creation from those foolish enough to risk their lives on such a gambit. As some of you have already come to find, necessity can be both an effective and cruel tutor. "Unfortunately, necessity has found each of you," she continued, not allowing her gaze to linger on Harry. "A war is upon you and war rarely spares the young or the old. My intent is to train you to better defend yourselves and those around you, so that you may survive the rising storm." The mood of the room grew somber as she spoke. It was a far cry from the simpering Umbridge had subjected them to the previous year, and her demeanor more closely resembled the gruff manner of Moody or the stern McGonagall. "As I understand, most of you have not been exposed to much in the way of nonverbal spellcasting. What are some of the benefits of using spells wordlessly?" Again, Hermione and Susan were the first to raise their hands, but several other students joined them in volunteering to answer, including Harry. Professor Flamel nodded to the Hufflepuff. "Your opponent doesn't know what spell you're casting, which gives you an advantage," answered Susan, earning a nod and three points to her house before the professor called on Ron. "If you're somewhere dark or hiding behind cover, it could be helpful to stay silent so you don't give away your position." His answer earned three points for Gryffindor as Professor Flamel continued. "Both answers are correct. There are other benefits that we will explore later in the term, but these two are the main reasons to master the skill. How many of you have attempted nonverbal casting prior to this class?" Not many hands raised, though Harry wasn't surprised to note that Hermione and Blaise accounted for two of them. "Very well. Have any of you had success in your attempts?" Hermione and two others who had raised their hands shook their heads, but Blaise merely smiled. "Not as much success as I'd like, but I made some progress." "Then I will be watching you closely to see how you fare today," replied Professor Flamel. With a flick of her wand, she whisked a large button onto each student's desk. "We will begin with simple charms that you should have mastered during your first year, and work our way up to stronger spells. You must concentrate much more in order to cast without using the crutch of verbal incantations. Perfect your wand work and focus on how it feels to cast the spell. Everyone will use the Levitation Charm aloud to refresh their memory, then we will begin our work toward casting silently. Wands out and begin!" While none of the class had any trouble levitating their buttons when saying "Wingadium leviosa!" aloud, all buttons stubbornly remained sedentary without the impetus of the students' voices. Harry strained and concentrated to no avail for five minutes with nothing to show for it. He thought Blaise's button may have shifted slightly once, but it could have been a false alarm. "Alright, students, that's enough for now," called Professor Flamel as she wheeled back to the front of the classroom after moving back and forth among the desks to observe. "You will each need to be more precise with your wand movements and more focused when you concentrate on the spell in order to succeed. Fortunately, there is a simple trick that can help guide you as you build toward this skill. Silencio!" With a wave of her wand, the myriad of small noises coming from the students were quieted. Harry could no longer hear his own breathing or the anxious tapping of Hermione's foot. "Now you may each attempt to cast the spell while using the incantation, but the silencing charm will prevent you from making a sound. Though not the same as casting wordlessly, this can serve as a bridge to picking up a challenging technique. Additionally, knowing you can perform magic even if silenced could be helpful under adverse circumstances. You may restart your attempts." It was odd to try to say a spell aloud repeatedly only to hear nothing come out of his mouth, but Harry quickly noticed that he enjoyed more success in this manner. After a few tries, his button lifted on one side before falling back over. He looked up from his desk to find Professor Flamel watching his progress. She gave him a small nod and indicated for him to keep trying. After several students got their button to hover above their desks, the professor announced that she would remove the silencing charm on anyone who raised their hand. With a little practice under their belt, she believed it would be more likely that they could feel out how to cast the spell truly wordlessly. Harry was one of the students who raised a hand and spent most of the remainder of the class working to repeat his success without the charm as a crutch. Both Blaise and Hermione were able to make it work near the end of class, but Harry's button refused to budge more than an inch or two. Still, the professor said that it was a good start. Even though he was used to being a top performer in defense from his time with Lupin and Moody as professors and in Defense Club, Harry was pleasantly surprised by how helpful the class had been. Professor Flamel taught a valuable skill that Harry wasn't yet proficient with and did so in a way that made sense and helped him improve. He wasn't ready to anoint her as a top defense professor yet, but he felt a spark of hopefulness that the class would be a good one. ~RLM~ When Hermione asked Ron how his class had gone, Harry listened intently. In truth, he wasn't nearly as interested in what the Care of Magical Creatures class had covered as he was in how Hagrid was coping with losing two of his three favorite students. "Well, he looked pretty sad when it was just four of us," admitted Ron with a shrug. "Me and Dean are the only Gryffindors, but at least there aren't any Slytherins taking it at NEWT level." Harry's face fell. He thought four students made for the smallest class size in the school. "I knew we should have gone to talk to him beforehand," groused Hermione, looking as frustrated at the situation as Harry felt. "He probably thinks we don't want to be in class with him anymore." "I bet he was devastated," added Harry with frustration as guilt began to build in the pit of his stomach. "I really did consider taking his NEWT class, but then Professor Dumbledore suggested taking Advanced Defense instead and I just didn't really think much more about it over the summer. I probably could have squeezed it in, since Hagrid never assigns much homework…" "We could go talk to Professor McGonagall about adding it back into our schedules…" suggested Hermione, though there was more than a little hesitation in her voice. "I smoothed it over as best I could afterward, so he's a bit more understanding now. You're already taking almost twice as many NEWT classes as me and Harry; I don't think you need to add another just to make Hagrid feel better. We don't want you to have any more terms like in third year, right?" Harry had to agree with Ron's assessment. He and Ron were both taking five NEWT courses, as long as they got into Advanced Defense. Hermione, on the other hand, was scheduled for eight. She'd signed up for Defense, Potions, Transfiguration, Charms, and Advanced Defense the same as Harry, but had also taken on Ancient Runes, Arithmancy, and History of Magic. Her prowess in theoretical subjects as opposed to more practical classes had led her to not continue in Herbology and Care of Magical Creatures. "But I might really need more background knowledge about magical creatures if I go to work for the Ministry after Hogwarts," argued Hermione, unwilling to give up the point. "I've been thinking about how an advocate within the government might be really helpful in fighting for house-elf welfare." "Oh, are you restarting S.P.E.W.?" asked Ron. His voice stayed conversational, but Harry thought he could see a little nervousness in his friend's eyes. Truth be told, Harry felt some of the same trepidation whenever Hermione brought up the plight of house-elfs. Hermione frowned slightly and shook her head. "No, I just don't think it was doing much good. I still want to do something to help them be treated more humanely, but it might need to be through more official channels. I figure that it'd be easier to get a coalition of wizards, witches, and house-elfs behind a law prohibiting physical violence as opposed to mandating fair wages, at least for now." That seemed much more reasonable to Harry, but Ron beat him to respond. "I like that! I had no idea that house-elfs got treated as bad as Dobby. Maybe he could give a testimonial about how the Malfoys treated him as a way to convince more people about why it's important." Hermione's eyes lit up at Ron's idea and she began to smile. "Exactly! If everyone knew how house-elfs were treated by families like the Malfoys, it could build groundswell to enact some sort of law protecting them. Even if most house-elfs don't want to be paid, a law could help keep them from being abused." Part of Harry wondered how Kreacher would feel about a law against the Black family's old practice of mounting elf heads in the hallway, but he thought that point wasn't the most helpful to bring up at the moment. "You're seriously considering adding a ninth NEWT course?" asked Harry, slight worry still in his voice. She pursed her lips and let out a long sigh, only for her eyebrows to dart up in excitement. "No, Professor McGonagall already convinced me not to overdo it on my NEWTs, but I've got a better idea! I'd gone back and forth all summer about whether Ancient Runes was worth the hassle. It's just so much homework for something that I'm not likely to use in any career I might pursue. I'll drop Runes so that I can pick up Care of Magical Creatures!" Harry watched a look of happiness tinged with relief spread across Hermione's face at her decision. Though he had been looking forward to a few extra free periods each week, Harry couldn't help feeling like he could manage one extra class. Six NEWTs wasn't impossible, especially if Hagrid didn't assign much homework. If Advanced Defense was similar to what they'd done the previous year, it might not require as much essay writing or homework, either. "Well, I can't be the only one who skips out on him," sighed Harry with a smile. "Let's go make sure we can do it with McGonagall, though. I don't want to get Hagrid's hopes up and then find out switching classes isn't allowed." Hermione grinned before gathering her things and speeding off toward her Arithmancy class, looking determined yet excited. Harry gave Ron a small smirk. "Looks like you'll have another class where you need to find a way to stay off of her bad side. Think you can handle it?" "Shut it!" exclaimed Ron, shoving Harry's shoulder. "I can get along with her just fine, thank you very much!" Harry looked at his friend skeptically, one eyebrow raised. "Mmhmm… At least she'll have more time to help us with our homework without Runes." "Too right. Maybe we'll pass our NEWTs after all!" Despite the challenging coursework, Harry thought that the three of them had more than a fair shot of succeeding in their classes. Even when their professors were going over advanced material, he felt like the training he'd already undergone had laid a solid foundation. Transfiguration contained much more difficult spellwork, as most of what they were doing built upon the work they'd done in previous years that felt a bit rusty to Harry after such a long time off. Repetition was McGonagall's prescription, and he often left her class feeling drained from exertion. Each spell in Charms was more its own thing, which was challenging in different ways. He didn't need to remember as many rules of magic while learning new charms, but each one had its own wand movement and incantation. The wide variety of charms and the maddeningly convoluted steps to cast them correctly posed difficulties for many of the students, but Professor Flitwick was quick to help them perfect their form. Now that Potions was only seven students, Harry found himself seated in the second row instead of in the very back of the classroom. This provided Snape easier access to loom over his shoulder ominously, but without as many cauldrons belching various colors of smoke between him and the blackboard, Harry had a much easier time reading and following the written instructions. It wasn't a fun class, by any means, but the promise of learning more about antidotes this term kept Harry engaged and trying to absorb what he could. The practical Defense lesson that met in the Chamber further impressed Harry. Professor Flamel instructed her students to pair off and attempt to cast one of several approved spells wordlessly. She had chosen a variety of low-level options meant to hone their ability to feel the magic flowing through them when not speaking an incantation. Harry found that he caught on a good deal faster while practicing in the Defense Chamber than he did when sitting at his desk in the classroom. Something about standing across from Ron and willing himself to conjure magic just seemed to work. He managed a weak tripping jinx after only twenty minutes of practice, eventually seeing at least some results for each of the low-level spells he attempted. Ron wasn't far behind him, and both were among the best performers in the class. Hermione and Blaise had been paired up by Professor Flamel as two of the most successful at the technique in the previous class. Harry occasionally glanced over to see how they were doing and was unsurprised that both were progressing fairly well. Blaise lost four points for Slytherin after using a tickling hex that wasn't one of the approved spells, but Hermione didn't seem upset about it. Even after the effects subsided, Hermione's smile remained genuine. Despite having more free periods, Harry found that his more demanding classes required extra practice and homework. On multiple occasions, Ginny finished a class only to find Harry huddled with other sixth years in the common room or library trying to keep up with the intense workload of their NEWT courses. Almost all of the sixth year students who were in Professor Flamel's NEWT class showed up to the Saturday entrance exam for the Advanced Defense class. They mingled in the student lounge with Cho and the seventh years who were trying to qualify. Ginny was one of the only fifth years present, though Harry noted that none of the others looked surprised to see her. Her prowess in Defense Club was more than enough to prove that she had a reasonable shot at making it through whatever was to come. She stood next to Luna, who Harry still had a hard time getting a read on. The Ravenclaw had been one of the better of the fourth year Defense Club members the previous year, but he had never really gotten the sense that she felt all that strongly about the material they went over. Instead, she seemed to simply enjoy spending time with them and anything she learned was merely a bonus. From across the room, he watched as Luna dreamily spoke to Parvati and Ginny about something that confused and amused them both. Ten minutes before the scheduled start time, everyone began making their way down the stairs into the Defense Chamber, where they were greeted by Professor Dumbledore, Professor Flamel, and Professor McGonagall. Each appeared to be pleased with the large crowd of students who were jostling to find a good vantage point. On the other end of the chamber, Snape and Sprout were in a quiet discussion while Flitwick and Moody finished the last touches on the gauntlets. Harry thought he could see a twinge of nervous excitement in McGonagall's demeanor as she stood alongside Professor Flamel. From his place near the back of the gaggle of students, he snaked his arm around Ginny's waist. When Dumbledore's bright blue eyes moved in his direction, Harry made sure to survey the other students or look at Professor McGonagall. He wasn't certain when or if things would go back to feeling more at ease between them, but it hadn't happened yet. "Good afternoon, students," called the headmaster brightly, seemingly unaware of Harry's avoidance of his gaze. "The faculty is quite pleased that there was enough interest to restart the Advanced Defense course. You have no need for long-winded explanations about why such a course is necessary, so Professor McGonagall will instead dive right into our entrance exam process." "As the name suggests, this will be a highly advanced course. As such, students seeking to attend will need to prove their skill level merits inclusion. Any students who are unsuccessful today will be given further opportunities to pass on the second Saturday of each month. This is meant to encourage you all to continue to learn and to reward those who put in the work." Out of the corner of his eye, Harry saw Neville release a grateful sigh. Despite the leaps and bounds his friend had made over the past year, he didn't feel especially confident that Neville would make it through the entrance exam. Still, Harry felt proud that his friend was trying out at all. "Each participant will attempt to make their way through to the end of the gauntlet within the time limit of six minutes," continued McGonagall. "If you are incapacitated, choose to give up, or run out of time, you will have an opportunity to retry the course. This will give you time to consider how you can improve and engage with your peers regarding alternative strategies." "You may face different challenges on subsequent attempts," warned Professor Flamel in a serious tone, nodding to Professor McGonagall. "The course is made to change, so you will need to adapt with it." "I must say that we did not expect quite such a full company of participants," admitted Dumbledore with a chuckle. "Professor Flitwick has graciously put in some last-minute work to ensure you aren't kept waiting all day for your turn to take on the gauntlet. Filius, are you ready for us to commence?" "We've just completed a third gauntlet, which will have to do for now," called the diminutive professor excitedly. "None are more advanced than the others, so the students may simply line up behind whichever they like. It will work similarly to how the gauntlet worked in Defense Club: the entrance will be blocked by red flames until the course is ready for the next student, at which time the flames will become green. You may cast red sparks into the air at any point if you require assistance. Are there any questions?" Harry began bouncing on his toes as one of the seventh years asked a question about how the Advanced Defense class would work with scheduling, eager to begin. After McGonagall clarified that the class would be meeting twice a week in the late afternoon, the students were released to form lines in front of the gauntlets. Even though all of the students were quite excited about the challenge, not many moved to the front of the lines. Without meaning to, Harry found himself stationed at the start of the course with others filing in behind him. Cho stood ready to plunge forward in front of one of the other entrances, and Ron was rolling his shoulders while staring into the red flames. Flitwick's magically magnified voice shouted for them to begin as green flames engulfed the red. Harry charged forward with his wand aloft, hoping he was ready for what lay ahead. |
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