You're Being Hugged, Harry

by David Silver

14 - Getting Comfortable

So it was that Harry could get from class to class. They did not bother his sleep with strange visits. He couldn't quite put his hoof on if Arnavon or Flurry were to thank for that, or maybe the two of them together?

"She really is colorful." Hermione was standing in front of the bright Flurry. "You know, there are a lot of rules concerning magic beings. Some of them are bigger than others."

Flurry inclined her head at that. "Anything I should care about?"

"A lot you should care about!" Hermione threw a hand at the idea. "Like you aren't allowed to have a wand to start. You belong to Harry, so he could, in theory, do all sorts of unpleasant things. Thankfully, he's also your brother and would never do those things."

Harry twisted an ear back. "Never! She's annoying sometimes, but she is my sister!"

"I'm not annoying." Flurry crossed her arms with denial. "And I only 'belong' to him on a technicality, so I can be here." She lowered one hoof to tap at the ground they were on. "Anything else?"

"That isn't enough?" Hermione raised a brow at Flurry. "No matter how good at magic you are, you can't get any positions. That's for humans only."

"Lame!" She flicked her wings out wide. "I could make an outstanding teacher."

Hermione smiled at the prideful creature. "Maybe after some learning, but you should have that option is all I'm saying."

"Well, I agree." Flurry considered the young human girl. "You are... a human female, right? I'm a pony female, an alicorn to be specific."

"You can just say, girl." Hermione wagged a finger at Flurry. "And if you are a female horse, you're a mare? Or a filly?"

Flurry paled slightly as Harry burst into laughter. "Fillies are a lot smaller!" She stomped in place. "I'm still young for an adult, but I don't like being called a filly! So stop that."

Harry wagged a hoof at Flurry. "Well, you aren't an adult, so filly sounds appropriate to me."

Flurry blew a ripe raspberry at Harry. "If I'm a filly, then you're a colt."

Harry flipped his ears back. "Hey, you take that back!" But she wouldn't take it back.

Hermione separated the two with a warding hand up at each of them. "Calm down. Ponies take their titles differently and that's fine. I enjoy being called a lady instead of a girl, if I have the choice. Still, I am one, a girl that is, and you two are fillies and colts. Nothing wrong with that, promise."

Harry sat down instead of continuing the argument. "Right. She's still a pain."

"As if you aren't." Flurry's eyes were on Hermione. "So, what do you do for these magical creatures?"

"I'm trying to help the ones close at hand." What Hermione was waving towards was a bit of a mystery. "The house-elves, for instance, deserve a lot more than they're getting. They're not trying to be in charge, but they are thinking creatures and most of them only want everyone to be happy. Is that so much to ask?"

Flurry leaned in at the helpful little human. "With a name like 'house-elf', they sound like they're just lending a hoof." She waggled a hoof just to make that clear. "Why wouldn't you show them some kindness back?"

Harry raised a hoof. "Hermione deserves some explaining. Ponies are already used to not-ponies being about doing things. We're friends with yaks and changelings and dragons and—"

Hermione raised both brows together. "Dragons? You've seen a dragon, let alone said hi to one? This I doubt!"

Flurry and Harry raised a hoof in unison. Hermione huffed at the display. "Really? You've both met dragons before? Look, I know you happen to be horse whatevers, but you're stretching things too far!"

Harry adjusted his glasses in a fidget. "The dragons we're talking about aren't that big, if it helps." He raised his hoof above his head. "About this tall. They can breathe fire, and aren't hurt by most fire. Irate, usually, but you can talk to them."

"One of my best friends is a dragon. She's awesome." Flurry danced in place. "I was sad I had to leave her behind to keep an eye on my brother, but what are you going to do?" She fluttered her lashes at Harry. "Family first."

Hermione clasped her hands together. "I'm glad to hear you two are getting along then. C'mon, Harry, we have a class to get to."

Flurry advanced. "Me too! There's no class he goes to that won't have me in it."

Hermione raised a brow. "Can you even use a wand?"

Flurry glanced upwards. "I have one built in. So does he, but he's afraid to use it." She stuck out her tongue at Harry in defiance. "Works just fine, even when you're trying human spells, I can gladly report."

Harry brushed her aside in following Hermione. "You get two ponies for the price of one." They both headed to class to learn.

There stood the dour female professor that led them by the nose down the hallway of learning. "This is the transfiguration alphabet." She was using her wand as a pointer, going along the diameter of the circle of odd characters. "You will have to learn all of them to claim mastery of transfiguration. Some of you have already learned a few, which I'm glad to see."

Hermione sat up, silently proclaiming she was the one ahead, at least one of them.

Flurry was peering at the letters with newfound confusion.

This left Harry quickly doodling down the notes and making notes on where they appeared in his book. Learning and hard work would have to suffice for his needs. "Mister Potter." His attention was broken, looking up at the teacher. "I know she's been around you for some time now, but you know that first-year students are forbidden from the Care of Magical Creatures course, are you not?"

Flurry perked an ear. "I can talk, you know."

"Unfortunately." She set her eyes on Harry directly in an unflinching gaze. "Are you aware of this?"

"Yes, um, ma'am." Harry dipped his head towards the teacher. "Is she causing problems?"

"I can see she's paying attention, but in an odd way. If you would see me after class?" And on she went, walking past him to continue explaining how the rune she was approaching worked.

Harry groaned but continued his notes. He wouldn't pass if he skipped them, big colorful sister or not. A few snickers came from other students, with their imaginings of how much trouble Harry would get into later.

"This isn't the first time." Later, after class, Harry walked in to meet with the teacher, with Flurry at his side. "She is not a wizard."

Harry nodded at that, his glasses falling mildly askew. "We never claimed she was, professor."

"But she's watching to learn." The teacher was looking at Flurry. "I know the difference between watching to pass the time and watching to learn."

Flurry leaned forward a few inches. "Can I talk now? You two keep talking as if I'm not right here."

The teacher's eyes flicked towards Flurry. "Very well. You can inform me what exactly you learned today."

"With pleasure." She clapped her hooves as her horn glowed with magic that revealed a new alphabet appearing around her in a circle. "This is the unicorn alphabet. We have to learn it to do unicorn magic any fancier than the basics." She swept a hoof slowly in a clockwise fashion. "They look different, but sound similar. Human magic and unicorn magic aren't all that different. Every class I visit reinforces that idea." She flashed a bright smile. "I told you I pay attention."

Harry did not seem pleased with that revelation. "They're not the same thing, but they are both magic. Of course, there are some similarities."

The teacher brought her hands together. "Most magical creatures do not have any alphabet. All their magic is innate."

Flurry grinned widely enough to squeak from the effort. "Most of them, but not unicorn wizards. We—"

"Magical creatures are not wizards." The teacher rose a brow. "But you are a spell caster, perhaps. Why don't you show me the mastery of your language?"

"With pleasure." Flurry rose to her hooves and looked around the office for a moment. She snagged a figurine off the shelf. "Is this important?"

"Yes." The teacher reached into her desk and drew out a ruler. "Can you work with that?"

"Sure." Flurry put the miniature back where she found it. With a ruler in front of her, Flurry lowered her horn at it as it began to glow with her magic. "Ruler to peach!" With a zap, the rule became a fuzzy peach on the teacher's desk. "Behold and tremble!" She didn't sound like she really wanted anycreature to tremble at her might, though it would be a positive she'd accept.

"Reh-PAR-i-farj." The teacher made a half circle of a gesture and her wand glowed as the peach returned to being a ruler, to Flurry's visible disappointment. "Fascinating."

Harry peered at the ruler that had once been a peach. "What's so fascinating about that?"

"That spell would have been much harder." She set her wand flat on the desk. "—had she cast it innately. That I could easily undo the magic holding it together implies you did cast a spell." Flurry looked quite smug. "But she remains unpermitted to learn our magic, or to wield our wands. I want that perfectly clear, Mister Potter."

Harry patted where he stored his wand. "She won't get mine, promise, ma'am."

Flurry stuck out her tongue. "What do you think I am, Twilight Sparkle? Magic isn't my specialty, but I am good at it. I can only learn what I see, not mix and match." She worked her hooves in slow circles. "But I will keep watching."

"Which is the problem." The teacher sighed softly. "They officially permitted you to escort Mister Potter around. Please don't distract, or harm, any of the students here. This is their first year, and they are already easily distracted enough." She gestured lightly towards Harry. "So they may not own broomsticks, or learn particular classes, which would include you."

A sly smile spread on her face. "Next year, things change. Perhaps he'll learn how to better work with you."

Flurry shuddered. "I do not like the way you just said that. Brother, don't pay attention to her! I'm not a random creature you need to tame."

Harry glanced aside at Flurry. "I don't know. A few taming spells to keep you from acting up sounds like it could be useful."

The teacher laughed along with Harry as Flurry fumed in place. "Be that as it may, thank you both for visiting."

Harry half-turned to the door. "We can go?"

"Nice to meet you, mostly." Flurry dipped her head and turned to go in the same direction as Harry.

They escaped without being told to stop. Harry willed the door to shut behind them. "You are asking to be thrown out or jailed or something."

"They wouldn't do that." Flurry leaned in towards her brother with a smile. "They talk a big game, but they mostly just want all the students to be safe, like you." She bumped noses with Harry. "And it's my job to help keep you safe. I think she knows that."

Harry backed away from her and rubbed his booped nose. "She knows you're dancing really close to breaking a lot of rules and she has her eyes open. If you do any human magic around her, I bet she'd rat you out real quick!"

"Fine, fine!" Flurry burst into giggles as she walked down the hallway. "Doesn't stop me from learning. You take notes about that alphabet?"

"Of course." Harry hurried to catch up with her. "What kind of awful thing are you planning with it?"

Author's Note:

Human magic and unicorn magic aren't that far apart, according to Flurry.

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Comments

[badninja]

Harry you really just need to get these fools to start being more open minded. I say summon Discord and let him have some fun.

[Booster Spice]

Flurry learning is one thing, Discord deciding to release The Ultimate Book Of Baking Spells, aka The Omnomnomnomnicon, into Sweetiebelles hooves?

[harts fire]

a interesting chapter and yet i do agree with.

11181730

11181806

Discord needs to pay every one a viset to get things in to prospective for the school.

[Amethyst Dragonfly]

A very interesting story. It is cute and funny at times, and serious at others.

I am wondering what changes are still in store for things surrounding the prophecy.

[tsaukpaetra]

An odd sort of hazing. All the teachers should be in the know, so this is clearly a weird intimidation act.
Human impression of magical creatures, especially sapient ones, is not looking very good right now.