This Thing Packs More Punch Than a Wand, Ezio! (Two-in-One Special)

After leaving the Potions classroom, Harry suddenly realized just how...

Well, it was too late to worry about that now.

Harry sighed. He'd just earned ten points in class today, but this might have been the last time he ever earned points in Potions. Though Snape's final look had been directed at Ezio, Harry had a feeling disaster was about to strike him, too.

"What are you worried about?" Ezio smiled at Harry. "Snape won't give you a hard time. I'm the one he hates—he's practically grinding his teeth with hatred for me."

"But after what happened today, I don't think any professor would..."

"At the Leaky Cauldron, you met a lot of people who were excited to see you, didn't you, Harry?" Ezio abruptly changed the subject.

"Well... yes. They were so enthusiastic that I couldn't handle it." Harry nodded. Thinking back on it still gave him a headache. It had been so embarrassing.

"I think you'd find some of their stories interesting if you had the time to talk to them." Ezio led Harry outside the castle, and they sat on a railing.

"I did talk to them, but that was before you arrived. There are plenty of interesting people at the Leaky Cauldron. Buy them a drink, and they'll tell you all kinds of stories about the Wizarding World."

"Some of them were even your parents' classmates."

"Really?!" Harry turned sharply, staring at Ezio's profile.

"Of course. There were just as many students back then as there are now. Gryffindor had at least thirty students in each year. Your parents stood out at Hogwarts. Your father played Quidditch for Gryffindor, and your mother was a prodigy praised by every professor."

"I heard all sorts of stories about them. Would you like to hear some?"

"Of course! I'll listen to anything!" Harry said eagerly.

"Then let's start with your father. He was a troublemaker, a classic Gryffindor: fond of adventure, liked sneaking around at night, and loved breaking school rules as long as he didn't get caught. He gave a lot of professors headaches. He had three companions: Sirius Black, who was like a brother to him; Remus Lupin, a model student in poor health; and their timid little sidekick, Peter Pettigrew."

"The four of them formed a prank group at school called the Marauders."

"That sounds pretty bad." Harry grimaced. "Why do I get the feeling my father was a bully at school?"

"Isn't that typical of Gryffindors? They play pranks on people, just like some Slytherin idiots who think fists are the answer to everything. It's all part of the house's character."

"Fair enough." Harry could only shrug. From what he knew of Hogwarts so far, that sounded about right. "What about my mother?"

"Your mother was beautiful and clever. The professors and her fellow students all thought highly of her. You have the same emerald-green eyes as she did."

"I've heard that before."

"But I bet you didn't know that Professor Snape knew your mother before they came to school. Before she got together with your father, she and Snape... well, they seemed to get along quite well. People saw them talking together and things like that."

"Is... is that true?" Harry asked, incredulous.

"Yes. It wasn't common to see an outstanding Gryffindor girl talking with a Slytherin boy. But Snape wasn't like he is now. He was badly bullied at school. The person who told me all this also shared a shocking detail."

"Oh?" Harry pricked up his ears, looking at Ezio with a gossipy expression.

"Your father once hoisted Snape upside down and pulled down his trousers in front of a crowd. Your mother stopped him, but strangely enough, after that, Snape and your mother—who used to talk together—never had any contact again. Even stranger, your mother, who'd never liked your father, started dating him in their seventh year. They married the year after they graduated, and then you came along."

"That can't be right!" Harry nearly jumped off the railing. "It doesn't make any sense! My mother stopped him from doing that. Snape shouldn't have..."

"Maybe he did something unforgivable because he was humiliated in front of the girl he liked."

Ezio said it simply, and Harry fell silent.

"But we don't know what really happened. Only the people involved do. And don't do anything stupid like asking him about it. Snape would tear you apart."

"I'm not that stupid." Harry scratched his hair. He couldn't make sense of it all, so he decided to stop trying.

"But it's clear Snape feels guilty about your mother. Daffodils symbolize death and eternal rest, while Wormwood represents bitterness and grief. He was telling you he mourned your mother's death and regretted it. Maybe he wished he hadn't let go of her back then."

"Bezoar represents protection and redemption. You're your mother's child, and he doesn't want you hurt. Aconite, meanwhile, represents caution and danger. He was warning you to be careful."

"He was paying close attention to you during the Sorting Ceremony, too, Harry. When you were sorted into Slytherin, he nearly jumped out of his seat. You might not have noticed, but I did."

"So that's... what it was?" Harry murmured, seeming to understand a little.

"So, for your mother's sake, Snape won't give you a hard time. As for me, I don't care whether Snape gives me a hard time, because he definitely will."

"When Snape came to interview me before I enrolled, I nearly slit his throat." Ezio grinned. "It's only natural that he doesn't like me."

"Huh?!" Harry seemed to have just heard something astonishing.

"Take a look at this." Ezio reached into his pocket and pulled out a compact MP5SD submachine gun. "Want to fire a couple of shots? It's the real thing."

Ezio tapped the barrel with his wand and loaded the gun.

"You're sure you need to carry that around while you're at school?"

Harry's eyes widened as he cautiously took the heavy weapon.

"Won't this get us into trouble?" Harry asked again, carefully.

"I cast Silencio on it. It's completely silent now. Just aim at the ground, unless someone's buried under it."

"Oh! Cool!"

Harry perked up at once. With Ezio's instructions, he learned how to aim, take off the safety, and fire. He pulled the trigger, a flash burst from the muzzle, and the ground where he'd aimed erupted in a spray of dirt.

"This thing packs more punch than a wand, Ezio!"

Harry reluctantly handed back the submachine gun, its magazine empty.

"But if a wizard is prepared, a single Impediment Jinx can stop every bullet. Magic and firearms both have strengths and weaknesses. Combining technology and magic is the right way to make up for each other's shortcomings. That's why I said what I did to Snape earlier, even if it sounded blasphemous."

"The Wizarding World needs to change. Wizards keep trying to live in the Middle Ages, or even earlier. That's regression—a disgraceful regression in culture and civilization."

"A single Scourgify could clean the mold-covered floor at the Leaky Cauldron, but have you ever seen a wizard do that?"

Harry shook his head. He remembered the filth at the Leaky Cauldron all too well.

"That's why most wizards are lazy. They don't try to improve. They're stuck in the past. Hogwarts is the place most likely to bring about some kind of change. Snape and the other professors at least have the intelligence to think clearly about what's right."

"But it seems like you went a little too far today," Harry said frankly. "Snape will hate you."

"If I'd been all polite and agreeable when I talked to him, he wouldn't have listened at all. I think he needed to be slapped awake with a few hard facts. But if he refuses to change, then I'll just skip Potions and teach myself. Potions are much easier to learn on your own than Transfiguration and charms. Potions are complicated, but they follow rules. Transfiguration and charms are truly experiential subjects. Magic can't be quantified; it's too abstract and subjective. Science can't explain everything—at least, not yet."

"What you're doing..." Harry pondered for a moment, as if he'd realized something. "You're trying to master the power magic can give you as quickly and efficiently as possible, right?"

"Clever, Harry. I've been impatient for a long time. Every extra delay means fewer clues I can find. It's been almost two months since Giovanni died. He must have started rotting by now. Damn it!"

Ezio swore. It truly weighed on him.

Harry was beginning to understand Ezio's actions over the past few days. He still couldn't fully grasp what Ezio was planning, but he understood his ultimate goal.

Some of Ezio's methods didn't sit right with Harry, but he could understand how he felt.

"So, can we start learning how to brew Potions scientifically now?"

Harry suddenly remembered why Ezio had brought him outside.

"Of course. It's not hard to learn. The only difficult part is figuring out how to mix magic into a potion without stirring it with a wand."

"Remember Transfiguration class, Harry?"

"Of course. That was this morning."

"In Transfiguration, aren't we learning how to channel magic out of our bodies through our wands?"

"Only instead of making that magic wrap around something, we'll control it and make it blend with a potion. The steps for scientific potion-making are foolproof. Once we solve the problem of magic, nothing else will be difficult."

"So..." Harry's face lit up with excitement as he suddenly understood. "When I practice Transfiguration, I'm actually learning Potions, too?"

"It's a substitute exercise. The two are closely related. Potions require control over magic, and Transfiguration does, too."

"Then should we start now?"

"You can practice turning a stick into a needle first." Ezio waved his wand and summoned a broken branch from the ground, then cut it into little sticks the size of toothpicks. "Someone's here to see me. I should talk to him."

"Who?"

Harry looked around, but couldn't see anyone.

"Professor Dumbledore, your Disillusionment Charm is truly remarkable."

Ezio spoke to an invisible figure behind him.

"Actually, it's an Invisibility Cloak."

Dumbledore suddenly appeared. "I heard about what happened in Potions today. And while I'm here, I thought I'd give this to Harry."

Dumbledore held up a silvery cloak that seemed to flow like liquid. "Your father lent me this Invisibility Cloak to study. I think it's time I returned it to you, Harry."

"But how did you know I was there?" Dumbledore asked Ezio curiously.

"People make noise when they walk, and they stir the air, too."

Ezio pointed to his ear. "I happened to hear a familiar set of footsteps."

"This is my father's Invisibility Cloak?" Harry took the weightless, impossibly smooth silver cloak.

"Yes. It's a very precious magical object. As long as you're under this cloak, no magic can detect you."

"Unless your footsteps give you away, like mine did."

Dumbledore nodded to Harry, then looked to the side. Ezio stood up, and the two of them walked away together.

They passed through the corridors outside the castle and followed a narrow passage that led to the eighth floor of Gryffindor Tower, where the Headmaster's Office was.

"Hogwarts even has an elevator. It's powered by magic, though."

"People always put effort into finding ways to be lazy. Compared to walking up the stairs, a lift certainly makes things easier."

Dumbledore smiled. "Magic has brought the Wizarding World so many conveniences. It can meet almost every need in people's daily lives. The world progresses because people have endless desires and yearn for the unknown, doesn't it? I have to admit that wizards are indeed inferior to Muggles in that regard."

He opened the door to the Headmaster's Office and led Ezio inside.

"Wizards have so much at their disposal that the burden of that comfort has weakened them and brought their progress to a halt. Laziness is part of human nature, too."

Ezio sat in the chair across from Dumbledore and spoke calmly.

"Yes." Dumbledore sighed softly. "Everything has two sides, or even several. We can't view something from only one perspective. That would be narrow-minded."

"So you've decided to support my ideas?"

"Why not? I can't find a reason to oppose you. On the whole, what you're trying to do is positive. It will benefit Hogwarts, its students, and even its professors. As the Headmaster of Hogwarts, I think it's a good thing."

"Though from a personal perspective, I think your methods are a little extreme, I can't be too harsh on a child who's trying to do something meaningful and good."

"Even what I did in the Slytherin Common Room?"

"Well..." Dumbledore paused to think. "You know, the former headmasters of Hogwarts had an argument in here last night. Headmaster Phineas Nigellus Black in particular was adamant that driving idiots and fools out of Slytherin was the right thing to do, but that it wasn't your place to do it."

"Because I'm Muggle-born?" Ezio shrugged, then turned to look at the former headmasters of Hogwarts, who were sitting in their portraits.

"The Sorting Hat said you were a terrible old thing. I'm starting to agree with it."

"Silencio!"

Ezio swiftly drew his wand and flicked it. A headmaster who'd just opened his mouth, without yet uttering a sound, was struck mute. He hopped around his portrait, furiously gesticulating and shouting something.

"Oh, you've doomed the old hat." The Sorting Hat, perched atop a cabinet, opened its mouth. "But I can't deny that the man was a terrible former headmaster. He actually threw me on the floor and stepped on me! I used to be worn on Gryffindor's head!"