It was uncomfortable as the conversation dragged on and Harry felt more and more isolated. Eventually, Harry stood. His friends looked up and Hermione spoke,

“Oh, Harry. Where are you going?”

Harry wrote on the parchment and showed her.

‘Library. Lots of reading to do.’

Hermione glanced at the other two boys.

“We should all go. We can study with you, Neville and Ron need to practice more anyway.”

Ron and Neville groaned.

“Hermione.” Ron said, “Not all of us are glued to the library. What’s so wrong with taking a break every once in a while?”

Hermione sniffed in disapproval.

“Well, I’ll go with Harry anyway.”

Neville stood up.

“I’ll go too. I should study potions more, Snape was all over me on Friday.”

Ron grumbled and stood too.

“Well, I’m hardly going to just stay here by myself, am I?”

Harry threw the group a thumbs up and they walked together to the library. The place was largely empty as they walked in. Not many people were studying on a Saturday. Harry began writing on his parchment as they approached the Librarian standing behind her desk. His friends wandered off to find a good table to sit at. Harry handed the librarian the parchment after they were close enough.

She raised her eyebrow.

“All of the first and second year textbooks? Ambitious, aren’t you? It’s rare to see such diligent students these days. Choose two from the list to check out, and come to exchange them out when you need another one.”

Harry considered before pointing to the transfiguration and charms books on the list. Most of Professor Snape’s recipes on the board were slightly different from those in the textbooks anyway, so learning them was a much lower priority than the others.

There was a moment's pause before two books floated out of a nearby bookcase and floated to the counter.

“Two books for Harry Potter. I hope for your swift recovery young man.”

Harry took the two books under his arm and gave her a thumbs up before leaving. His friends had found an isolated corner. Harry sat down in the corner and opened his charms textbook. He flipped to his last place and began to read. The world faded away as he blazed all the way through it in no time at all. Far faster than it had taken him to read even the first chapter before.

Harry snapped the book shut and picked up the transfiguration book. He would make sure he would never struggle in his classes again. He didn’t want to have to think about it ever again.

Harry read for a long while, not tracking the time as he went.

“Hey Harry?” Ron said.

Harry looked up. He had read about three more chapters of the transfiguration textbook.

“Neville and I are heading out, go outside. You want to come?”

Harry considered it. But he just wanted to get this over with now rather than having it hanging over him in the back of his mind. Harry shook his head.

Ron nodded.

“Alright mate, see you later. It’s good having you back, even if you dragged us to a library first thing.”

Harry gave him a thumbs up and then Ron and Neville left, leaving only Hermione writing out what appeared to be some sort of essay on her parchment. Harry returned to reading his book.

— — —

It was the next day, Harry had spent the whole time reading his textbooks. It was Sunday night now and Harry was halfway through his second year Transfigurations book.

“Hey Harry, It’s dinner time. Let’s go, don’t want to miss it.” Hermione said.

Harry hesitated. He had just started on the second year set of books. He was a little hungry, but there would be so many people in the great hall… Who knows what they would think of him now that he was mute? Yesterday he had just kept his head down and left quickly but who knew how long that would last? He wrote down his thoughts and passed the slip of parchment to Hermione.

‘Not that hungry. You go, I’ll stay here. I’m enjoying being able to read so easily. Can’t stop now.’

Hermione stared between the note and Harry hesitantly.

“Are you sure? I like the library too, but even I don’t skip dinner… ”

Harry gestured to the door with his hand and Hermione gathered her things.

“Well, I guess I’m not your boss, but don’t stay too long. We got class tomorrow and all.”

Thumbs up. Hermione left, and Harry kept reading. He didn’t exactly understand everything in the book very well, but it was all saved in his brain for later when he eventually did learn enough to understand it all.

— — —

Harry turned in his books back to the librarian and left. He had managed to finish both the transfigurations and Charms textbooks before curfew. He blinked hard, tired after focusing on reading for so long. His head hurt like he had pulled a muscle he hadn’t used properly in a long time. The hallways of the castle were dark, only lit by sets of magical torches mounted on the walls. He glanced to the side and saw the forbidden forest and Hagrid’s hut in the distance. The place was practically abandoned as Harry made his way to Gryffindor Tower.

There was a noise behind him, and Harry pulled out his wand. Three boys in green robes rounded the corner. Draco Malfoy trailing behind two older students. Harry had seen them, they were seventh years and near graduation. Before Harry could do anything one of the large boys flicked their wand and he was paralyzed. The other one darted to the other end of the hall and began doing something. Preventing people from seeing what was happening? Harry tried to move, but no matter what he did, nothing would happen and Harry couldn't budge. Draco pointed at Harry and spoke with a smug voice,

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“That’s him! He’s the one I was telling you about.”

The one that paralyzed Harry glanced at Draco in disdain.

“Everyone knows who he is, firsty. This isn’t about you, but the honor of our house. Be quiet unless I ask you something.”

The older boy flicked his wand again and Harry rose into the air suspended off the ground. The older student came forward and Harry saw his face curled into an ugly sneer.

“You think you can just snap someone’s wand and walk away free? I’m here to teach you a lesson.”

He sent out a yellow bolt of light from his wand into Harry’s right side. He groaned as he felt it grow hot and something wet began dripping down. Harry still couldn’t move to look, but it felt like his blood. Something stirred within Harry. His magic. As he struggled internally to move, do anything. Draco Malfoy was looking queasy.

“I… I thought this was just a lesson. Not this far…”

The older one turned to Draco and shouted.

“Shut it, firsty! Do you have no pride? He snapped your bloody wand and you want to go easy on him? After all your big talk? No, he’s going to pay the full price. Just as promised.”

Draco opened his mouth again, but the older one raised his wand and spoke again.

“You want to stop now? Maybe I can explain to the professors what exactly you asked us to do?”

Draco shut his mouth and stepped back. Harry struggled more and his finger twitched. The seventh year turned back to Harry.

“Now back to it. You have anything to say for yourself, Potter, before the fun begins?”

He waved his wand and Harry’s mouth could move again. He started shouting immediately.

“Let me go! This is against the rules, you can’t possibly…”

The boy waved his wand and Harry’s mouth was frozen again. Harry’s hands slowly began curling into a fist.

The seventh year shook his head.

“Don’t think you’ll get out of this by acting crazy. I guess I’ll start then.”

Draco shifted in place and looked conflicted as the seventh year flicked his wand and Harry’s arm burst into pain. He shifted his eyes and small strips of his skin were slowly being peeled from his forearm as if by a claw. It was extremely painful, but Harry couldn’t scream.

Harry realized… he realized that this boy might really kill him. Harry could see the delight in his eyes as another strip of skin was slowly peeled away from Harry. Something in Harry snapped and the spell paralyzing him was blown away.

“GRRAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH.”

The windows shattered as Harry fell to the ground. His roar of rage no longer contained words. He could hear his roars and bird screeches coming from his throat now. They grew even more high pitched as he began to stand. The ground began to shake around him.

“GAAAAAAAHHHHHHHSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHRRIRIRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!”

Draco covered his ears as the seventh year cast a spell forming a magic bubble shield around himself. He sent out an orange spell and Harry’s cry spluttered as he felt something cut deeply into his intact side. It was like someone had slid a blade all the way down his side.

“IIIIIIIII *cough* GRRRaaaaaaa."

Harry stumbled as his hand came back warm with blood. He felt a little woozy. Answering cries came from the forbidden forest and Harry turned his head to see a flock of black creatures rapidly approaching. Harry couldn’t focus properly in his woozy state.

The seventh year was shouting and cast a spell at one of the things as they approached, but its batlike wings folded inwards and it dived to dodge the spell before flaring its wings out again to keep approaching. Harry blinked. It was the thestrals. They were coming.

They screeched on and Harry understood them.

“WE ARE COMING, FLEDGLING.”

The seventh year glanced at Harry and sent a beam of red light at him offhandedly after a pause in his barrage of spells aimed at the flock of rapidly approaching thestrals. Their dark shapes ducked and weaved as the spells appeared to miss their skeletal forms. The seventh year's offhand spell stuck Harry, and he fell to the floor unconscious.

— — —

Trevor gritted his teeth. Damnit, the professors would be here any second. He had to get out of here. That little shit Draco and Trevor's backup had already run as soon as Harry Potter had broken free from his petrification charm somehow. He wasn’t even touching his wand when he did it.

Trevor sent a last wave of spells at the thestrals. He had killed some muggles with his father a few years ago, it had been good practice for his Cruciatus curse when he was first learning. But he had never thought the ever passive thestrals would attack like this. It was clear they were after him as he ran deeper into the castle and the flock turned to track him.

He kept running as he heard the sounds of spells behind him. Likely the professors defending the unconscious Harry Potter. Or the two traitors as well if they were stupid enough to still stay nearby.

There was a crash in front of him and one of the thestrals crashed through a window in front of Trevor. It was larger than normal. The Alpha, Shit. Its massive frame dominated the hallway as it threw its head back and gave a loud bird’s cry. Its milky white eyes fixed on Trevor and he shivered.

In a panic, he used the most powerful curse he knew.

“AVADA KADAVRA!”

The green bolt of light shot out and struck the thestral as it leaped towards Trevor, its beak sharp and open. The spell struck the thing's chest and the killing curse… did absolutely nothing. Trevor cast a protego bubble shield right before the creature struck. How had the curse not worked? It was supposed to kill… anything.

He cast the killing curse again.

And again.

It splashed off the thestral as if it wasn’t even there. The Alpha’s beak pierced the shield spell, but only part way, stopping the momentum of its sharp beak. Trevor backed away as it began swiping with its hooves and striking hard with its beak. Trevor began sweating hard as each strike strained his shield a little more. He couldn’t hold out much longer…

Then a chorus of thestral bird cries sounded out from behind Trevor and the Alpha briefly stopped its assault and cocked its head to the side as if listening. Trevor took a deep breath and recast the shield spell again. His magic was shuddering, almost running dry even after the short battle. The Alpha turned back to Trevor one more time and he tensed. The Alpha reared up and pecked and swiped his shield a few more times, leaving Trevor gasping. But then it flared its batlike wings and flew back out the broken window, leaving Trevor to collapse onto the floor, his magic overtaxed. He was barely able to move, let alone escape the professors he could hear approaching down the hallway.

— — —

Dumbledore was reading an interesting new treatise on novel transfiguration spells when something triggered the Hogwarts wards. He immediately sat up and kicked off his slippers and put on his shoes even as he investigated what was happening mentally. Hogwarts wards were complex and multilayered, so it was not immediately apparent which portion of the castle had the ward triggered.

He paused as he thought he heard something. A bird's cry, perhaps? But it was night, the birds should be roosting for sleep at this hour…

He finally located what had triggered it. Breaches in the castle windows! Several in fact. Dumbledore spent a few precious seconds clearing himself to apparate freely. A perk to being the master of the Hogwarts wards, but it was something that couldn’t be used instantly.

Dumbledore took the elder wand from his robes and held it at the ready before quickly apparating to the hallway of interest. Professor Flitwick and McGonagall were fighting a flock of enraged thestrals. Dumbledore blinked. They were usually so passive, this was the last thing he had expected. Minerva shot another stunning spell that sent a thestral staggering but not unconscious. They were magically resistant among other things. Minerva sent another stunning spell and another thestral leaped in the way, blocking the first one from being knocked unconscious.

Flitwick finished another barrage of spells into the thestral ranks. Several of the beasts were injured or unconscious on the ground.

“Albus,” Flickwick shouted, “Harry Potter is in the center! He’s injured.”

Albus raised his wand and muttered his spell. His spell pulsed out and all the beasts instantly fell asleep at once. Dumbledore rushed forward to the center, shifting the thestral bodies with a levitation charm making sure not to hurt them. Hagrid would be livid if Dumbledore hurt any magical beast more than he absolutely had to.

There in the center in a pool of blood, was the unconscious form of Harry Potter. Albus leaned over him. There was not a claw or beak mark on him. All the thestrals surrounding him were facing outwards. He leaned in and inspected the wounds only to freeze as he realized they were cursed wounds. The boy… had been attacked by a wizard, and the thestrals had been defending him.

Dumbledore cast a few spells to stabilize the boy. He could heal this, but it wasn’t his expertise and he didn’t want to botch the job. He grabbed the boy’s arm and waited a few seconds before apparating to the hospital wing. Madame Pomfrey jumped and dropped a potion onto the floor, where the bottle shattered and spilled liquid on the floor.

“My goodness! Albus? What’s the…”

He levitated the boy onto a hospital bed and his bleeding wounds became visible.

Dumbledore looked Madame Pomfrey in the eye. “I leave him in your care. He has cursed wounds. I have to return, I may bring more soon so prepare yourself for anything.”

And a few seconds later there was a crack of displaced air and Dumbledore was gone again.