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Disclaimer: The story belongs to Rowling. I just borrowed.

Chapter 3

"Harry?" asked Hermione sleepily.

"Yes, Hermione?"

"Why are you up so early?"

"I never went to sleep. I'm still not used to all the energy in the air."

"Oh." She then pulled out one of her own books, and sat next to him. By now he had read several of his extra books and was working through the rest of what he called the machine book. His opinion was that it was his most helpful one.

The power of one's will is the most important determining factor in most magiks. With a strong enough will, most spells can be done silently, or even without the aid of a wand. There are in fact many magical arts that by tradition do not use a wand. Among these are Invisibility, Legilimency, and Occlumency.

Legilimency and Occlumency, the mind magiks, are the arts of mind invasion and mind defense respectively. A Legilimencer can, with enough force of will, delve into his opponent's mind to recover information. The truly talented can do this undetected, and the masters of the art can even control the will of his opponents; possession. Occlumency is the art of defending one's mind from such penetration. If one is truly talented, one can fool the Legilimencer into thinking he succeeded by providing false memories.

"Harry, it's time for breakfast."

Harry jumped, he had been reading all night without interruption and forgot she was here. "Right. We get our schedules at breakfast, right?"

"Yeah, let's hurry." Harry smiled at her eagerness. Together they made their way to the Great Hall. They made it there after only a few wrong turns. Harry just picked at his breakfast, eating only to have something to do, until the schedules got passed out.

The next few weeks passed easily. Harry introduced Hermione to Hagrid, and they hit it off nicely. Harry also found that at Hogwarts, he only needed about six hours of sleep per week. While that left him a bit bored at night, it also made sure that all his homework was done and gave plenty of time to read.

He had been looking for more books on Occlumency and Legilimency, but had found none. The machine book didn't go into any further detail, and none of the rest of his books mentioned the mind magiks. He was very interested in them. He knew he wanted to protect his mind against intrusion, but he also wanted to learn Legilimency as well. 'So I'm a hypocrite. So what?' He took to looking through the library, but he suspected that the books he wanted were in the restricted section.

Hermione kept trying to talk to the other students, particularly Ron Weasley. Her problem was that, while Harry didn't mind her talkative, know-it-all nature, Ron did. Several times, he and Hermione ended up at each other's throat.

In October, they had flying lessons. Hermione was very nervous (she liked walking, thank you very much) and Harry thought that had a lot to do with her inability to even get the broom into her hand. When at last everyone had their brooms, Neville took off prematurely. He would have crashed, but Harry flew up to him, and grabbed the handle of his broom. Steering Neville to the ground, Harry tried to block out the applause from the students. Malfoy looked jealous of the attention being given to Harry, but chose not to start a confrontation.

A few days before Halloween, Harry and Hermione were visiting Hagrid, when Harry saw an article in Hagrid's newspaper. It mentioned that the vault Hagrid emptied on Harry's birthday was broken into that same day.

"Hagrid, what was that you took out of vault 713 on my birthday," Harry asked innocently.

Hagrid started choking on his tea. When he cleared, he said, "Harry, yeh know I can' tell you tha'."

"Yeah, but you know that I can't help but be curious now that it was broken into."
"Well, I guess I can' blame yeh for tha'. But I still can' tell you."

"Don't you trust me?" asked Harry, with his best puppy dog face. He nudged Hermione and she pouted as well.

Laughing, Hagrid said, "O'course I do, but this ain't my secret ter tell. It's between Albus Dumbledore and Nicholas Flamel."

"The alchemist? ...Oh! Now I see. Shit, no wonder someone was trying to steal it."

Hermione looked like she was thinking, then it came to her. "The Philosopher's stone?"

Hagrid looked uncomfortable. "Shhh! I shouldn' have told yeh about Flamel. Just forget about the Stone, please."

"Calm down, Hagrid. We're not about to steal it. I imagine that's why we're not allowed in that third floor corridor?"

"Yeah, tha's right. It's being guarded by a Cerberus named Fluffy."

Harry asked, "What's a Cerberus?"

"A Cerberus was the guardian of Hades. A giant three headed dog," Hermione recited.

"Fluffy?"

"Well, he had ter have a name, didn't he?"

"Sure. Well, thanks for the tea Hagrid. Don't worry, we won't mention this to anyone. We should go."

"All righ'. Yeh have a happy Halloween you two."

###########

Lessons thus far had been fun, if a little easy for Harry and Hermione. Apparently, Hogwarts teaches to the lowest common denominator. Harry could understand that, even if it did bug him. He would spend class just sitting there, looking interested, while actually going over whatever he read the night before. Whenever the teacher asked him to demonstrate the spell, he did, but mostly, he just zoned out.

Today, though, he was thinking over what he read in his favorite book, three nights ago. Spells are little more than a burst of magic that has been twisted and manipulated by the caster's will to perform a desired effect. The words are only important as a trigger for one's mind. It helps the caster keep in mind the desired effect, as well as gives the caster a specific signal to release the magic. Harry had tried several times to try to manipulate his magic like this. He would will a desired effect (like changing pumpkin juice into Koolaid; he just didn't like these strange wizarding customs) and then he would try to make his magic bid his will. He could feel the magic within himself forming a spell, but he couldn't get the magic to leave his body to do its work.

Hermione though, seemed to have a need to see everyone around her reflect her outstanding intelligence. Either that, or she was rubbing it in that she was better than them. Either way, she got into many an argument with her classmates for bringing them up to speed. One such case was her favorite pupil, Ron. Hermione was trying to help Ron with his levitation spell, and Harry could tell he didn't appreciate it.

Later, at the feast, Harry was asking the other Gryffindors where they had last seen Hermione. She wasn't at the feast. Eventually, Parvati told him that Hermione was in the girls' bathroom crying. He was just getting up to go get her when Professor Quirelle burst through the doors. Ever since the welcoming feast, Harry has been uneasy around Quirelle. He was still the stuttering idiot he was at the Leaky Cauldron, but his magic was a lot stronger. And it felt like it was decaying.

The school was in chaos at the good professor's announcement of a troll. Dumbledore, however, was able to restore order with a few firecrackers from his wand. He told the students to go to their common rooms while the teachers go fight the troll.

Harry, immediately took off to the girls' bathroom. He didn't think anyone noticed him, but he also didn't care. Hermione was no match for a troll. When he got there, he immediately burst through the door and noticed a very sad Hermione. She didn't see him at first, but when she did, she latched onto him. She went off completely, telling everything that Ron said that upset her.

"Shh, it's alright. Hermione, I know you are upset, but we've gotta go."

"Why? Wh-what's wrong?" she asked, still sniffling, though she was clearing up seeing how urgent Harry was being.

"There's a troll in the school." She didn't answer, but was starring at something behind him. 'Great, it's right behind me.'

Turning around, Harry was only slightly relieved to see that it was not in fact right behind him, but still coming through the door. He shoved Hermione behind him and tried to see away out of this.

"Harry, do something!"

"I don't know any spells that will take a troll!" 'What does she want me to do? Stick my wand up its nose? Wait, I don't know a spell, that will work; maybe I can make one.' Concentrating as hard as possible, he pointed his wand and tried to force his magic to blast the thing in the head. Try as hard as he might, the spell would not leave his wand. That's when he remembered that the words sometimes help to release the magic. Thinking of what he wanted the spell to do, there was only one word that he could think to apply.

"KAAPOW!" With that, a yellow light with a slight spearhead burst from his wand toward the troll. It connected with the troll's forehead with a blast like gunshot. A similar effect too. When the troll fell backwards, Harry and Hermione were left looking at a splattering of red and grey on the wall behind it.

After a brief pause, Harry shook himself. "Hermione, let's go. I don't want to be found here."

Hermione, however, just looked at Harry like he slapped her. "Kaapow?!" 'Figures that is what she is upset about. That spell wasn't in any book.'

"Let's discuss it later. We need to le-"
Right then, Ron burst into the bathroom. "Hermione, there's a troll in...the...........school." He skidded to a stop at the sight of the troll. Hermione looked like she was torn between two emotions. Harry couldn't understand why; his only emotion now was anger at Ron for what he said. 'No wonder she's got no friends. Bah! I'm her friend, aren't I? What an idiot!'

Harry by now realized that they weren't going to leave the bathroom before the teachers got there. He was sure they heard them, and if they didn't, they would just follow the smell to the troll. He was thinking what to tell the teachers when they got there. He could only think of one idea before they arrived. Pointing at Ron, Harry proclaimed, "He did it."

The teachers were in shock. How the hell had a group of first years beaten a troll so severely? Ron was in shock too, but for different reasons. It was easy to see when the teachers came out of shock. Dumbledore had a look in his eye that clearly said that he thought Harry's somewhat childish proclamation was funny. 'Well, it is kind of funny.' Snape started sputtering that Harry should be expelled. 'Probably just upset I didn't die. What's his problem with me anyway? And is that blood on his leg?' And McGonnagle looked even more confused.

"How did this happen?" She sat down on one of the closed toilets.

"He did it." There was so much seriousness in his statement, that the teachers looked at Ron for conformation. Naturally, Ron replied with the only thing a child can reply with to that statement.

"Did not."

"Did too!"

"Did not!"

"That is enough, both of you. Miss Granger, how did this happen?" 'Damn, Hermione won't lie to McGonnagle.'

"I went looking for the troll, because I thought I could handle it. I've read all about them." 'Well, there goes that theory. But Ron is not getting away with it.'
"That's bull. Tell them why you were really in here Hermione."

After a bit of coaxing, she told them that she was in here because she was upset because Ron said she had no friends. McGonnagle looked furious, but still thought the troll was a bigger issue.

"And after that?"

"Well, I was in here, when Harry burst in saying that we had to go to the common room. We were just about to leave when the troll came in." Harry was really nervous now. "We were both really scared. I could barely think straight, and Harry was standing in front of me, protecting me. Then he pointed his wand at the troll and said...something...and a yellow spell came out of his wand and blasted a whole in the troll's head."

Professor Dumbledore didn't seem surprised at all, though he was the only one. "And tell me, miss Granger, what spell was it that he used?"

"I don't know" She looked really confused.

"Well, what was the incantation?" Hermione mumbled something that the others couldn't hear. Harry was trying to sneak around the teachers to the door. "I'm sorry, my dear, what was that?" He spared a glance at Harry to let him know not to leave. 'Damn'

Hermione looked like she was forcing herself to say it. "Kaapow." At this, Professor Dumbledore did look surprised.

"Mr. Potter?" He was clearly saying that it was time for Harry to come clean.

"I don't know how I did it. I just wanted to hit the troll and knock it out or something. I didn't know any spells like that, so I just tried to imagine throwing something at the troll really hard and I yelled Kaapow. I didn't expect it to work."

At this, Dumbledore smiled at Harry, much like a grandfather. "I believe, Mr. Potter, that you have just invented a spell, if accidentally. Next time, I would advise not to use so much power. You must be tired."

Harry looked at he floor. If anyone was a legitamencer, it was this guy. "A little, but I think the adrenaline still has me on a bit of a high."

Chuckling, Dumbledore responded, "Yes I suppose so. Now, I think it is time you all were to go to bed."

Finally, they left the bathroom, stepping over Quirelle, who had fainted when he first saw the troll brains. Ron started asking about the troll almost as soon as they left the bathroom. He was trying to walk next to Hermione, but Harry stepped in between them. 'How dare he? It was his fault she was there in the first place!' They answered his questions (Hermione was a little more kind than Harry) and Ron went ahead to the common room with a short "Sorry Hermione" when they asked for a moment to talk. They ducked into an unused classroom.

"How did you do that?!" 'Well, I'm surprised she waited this long.'

"I have been reading on magical theory. The book says that magic can be manipulated using just a person's will. It says that the spells and incantations are not needed if you have a strong enough will power to force the magic to obey your desire."

"Then, why don't they just teach magic that way?" Hermione seemed upset that someone would say that her books were wrong.

"Because their way is easier. Magic can be forced like I did in the bathroom, but it is easier to let the magic flow through the channels that known spells have created. And also, most witches and wizards don't have a powerful enough will to force it or to do so without the incantation as a trigger.

"Now enough about theory. Why does it look like you have forgiven that useless moron?" Strangely or not, Hermione seemed to understand that Harry was talking about Ron.

"Well, he was trying to come warn me, and he did say that he was sorry." Harry got the feeling that Hermione just wanted a reason to forgive Ron. Looking at how badly Ron's words hurt her, even though they were obviously untrue, made Harry realize that Hermione liked Ron. He decided to let it go, but was still unhappy about it. Ron was a dumbass.