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(Not yet beta'd. Please PM me with any corrections and I'll edit them in.)
Tuesday couldn't come soon enough for James. The Quidditch and potion making plans for the afternoon and evening made it difficult to pay attention in his classes, except for Transfiguration. He didn't want to get a detention from Jacobson, and tried very hard to participate in class enough to stay out of trouble, but not draw attention to himself.
Right after Transfiguration ended, the boys headed back to the Library to show Philip the Quidditch books that featured Professor Krum, or pictures of him playing for Bulgaria. Serena had overheard them and decided to tag along. James slipped away to the Potions references and read up on the Draught of Peace before they all headed out to the Quidditch pitch.
Krum emerged from Hooch's office with the broom cart trundling along in front of him. His own broom was in his hand, a different model than any James could identify. Sean recognized it immediately to be the famed Krum Special, an extremely limited model custom made for him by a Bulgarian company eager to make a name for themselves among the giants like Firebolt and Nimbus. Sean and Carson both asked for a chance to ride it, but Krum chuckled and shook his head.
"Too much broom for you boys," he said with a wink as he mounted.
Serena mounted a broom and took to the sky with Krum and the boys while Philip watched, content to stay firmly on the ground. James felt sorry for him, but could soon see that Philip was enjoying the show from below. Every time James looked down, Philip could be seen waving, or holding his hand above his eyes to block the afternoon sunlight from his view. Philip was appreciating the show by Krum, at any rate, hiding his eyes or clowning around by faking an enormous retching at one of Krum's lightning fast loop-the-loops. He disappeared at one point, only to come out from behind the broom cart dragging a quidditch box. He opened it and held up the quaffle while Carson landed briefly to chat and take the ball back with him into the air. Krum motioned to them all to fly lower so they could show Philip some moves and fouls, allowing Sean and Carson to demonstrate Blagging and Blurting. They hovered in a cluster near Philip, explaining the game.
"… vith a cushioning charm that makes it more comfortable and easier to stay on. The charms are different for professional brooms than recreational vons. They're fery complicated charms and companies keep them rather secret, or else efferyone vould be charming their own household brooms."
"That makes sense," Philip nodded. James imagined Lockhart trying to charm his own broom. He'd watched his grandfather tinkering with brooms in his spare time, trying to reverse engineer them so he could apply the charms on other objects, but other than the old story of a Ford Anglia, James didn't think he'd managed to make anything else fly well or consistently.
Philip must have thought of Lockhart, too. He changed the subject. "Professor, what's wrong with Professor Lockhart?"
Krum looked at James and hid a half smile. "James didn't tell you?"
"Well yeah, but… well… how is it that he's teaching now? I mean, no disrespect, but he's not very…er.. with it, is he?" Philip tapped his temple and raised an eyebrow, causing Krum to chuckle.
"I heard that you're heading a Charms study group, Philip. Good for you! Your parents must be fery proud that you're fitting in vell here," Krum said, watching Sean try to collide head-on with a reluctant Carson.
"Someone had to," Serena chimed in. "Professor Lockhart can't remember where he is, half the time. If it weren't for Philip and James, none of the rest of us would've learned anything yet this year. I'm so surprised Professor McGonagall hired him. Was there really no one else? My father said that since Professor Lovegood broke the DADA curse and the old Charms professor left, Charms has been the hardest position to keep filled. My aunt Hermione…"
"How is your aunt, Miss Veasley? I haven't seen Ron and Hermione in a fery long time. It vill be good to see them this spring ven they come. Your father too, James. I vould fery much like to spend some time catching up vith them. I'd particularly like to learn more about your cousin Duke's family."
"Oh," James' face fell. "I don't know much about them, Professor. They're muggles, and they were horrible to my dad when he was growing up, though. They hate magic and they hate us. I never even met Duke before the train ride to school."
"I see." Krum looked pensive. "Interesting that they allowed Duke to join the Vizarding Vorld then, don't you think? He must be fery brave." Krum looked at James.
"Doesn't look that brave to me, the way he lets his housemates push him around," Allen remarked.
"Brave enough that he'd rather pick fights with us than accept help." James added. "I don’t get him, Professor. He hates us so much that he lets those guys embarrass him and get him into trouble rather than talk to us. On the train, even, they were bugging him. Philip and I tried to help, but as soon as he knew who I was, he was all 'I don't need your help' and 'stay away from me,'."
Krum sighed. "Some people are too proud to accept help, even from family."
James snorted. "He's barely family, if you ask me. His dad and them made that clear enough before I was born."
"Still, he's just a boy, like you, James. He really is a good boy, he just needs a little encouragement, I think. You should gif him a chance, James."
"Yeah, a chance to let his buddies beat us up, you mean." Philip muttered.
After supper that evening, James prepared ingredients with Krum in the Potions classroom and they talked about the Draught of Peace. Krum enjoyed hearing more about home and Harry, and James was surprised to discover that he didn't mind talking about it with him at all. Krum had an easy, relaxed way about him that made James comfortable. He treated James like a whole person, asking him more about his feelings and thoughts than Harry's accomplishments. When James asked about what it was like to compete in the Triwizard tournament, Krum saddened in his reflection. He didn't hide his feelings of shame about having been used and allowing such danger to befall Harry and Cedric Diggory.
"I beleef your father is a fery great vizard, James. I admire him fery much. Efen back then, ven ve vere children… but I vas foolish and fain back then. It vas Diggory's death and Harry… I changed then, and hope that I haff become more than I might haff because off it."
James was awed that Krum would talk of such intimate things with him. "That's what my dad says too. He said that night when Voldemort came back, he started becoming a man and he wasn't ready for it. It's odd, knowing about my dad's old life. He's this great, famous hero with all this history, and then he's just my dad. I don't know if I could ever handle what he had to, and still be a normal guy."
Krum seemed to shake off his memories and smile at James. "God villing, you von't haff to. Now let's look at the brewing procedure for this potion."
James didn't have to brew a test batch. Krum was satisfied with James' understanding and memory that they prepared enough ingredients for a large cauldron and began brewing the first of three which had been requested by Madam Pomfrey. Krum commented that he suddenly seemed to be missing the last of his stock of Wit-Sharpening Potion, and that they could brew more when they got together next. James was proud to be invited to brew another fifth year level potion, and more so that Krum seemed to like him and enjoy his company. It was past nine when they finished labeling and packing vials, and Krum wrote a note for anyone who might stop James on his way back to Gryffindor tower.
More to come as its written.
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Hogwarts Journeys; Ch. 9-25, To be written!
evlpez Hogwarts Journeys; Ch. 9-25 Jan 17 2005, 08:05 PM
