Professor Granger

Chapter 51: The Mind

          NOVEMBER 1, ASTRONOMY TOWER, HOGWARTS

Agatha glided slowly across the balcony under the full moon as she spoke, hand swaying through the air as if conducting her words. "...And once the salt is poured, the prepared text must be spoken with a careful focus on intention," she continued. "The ingredients, words and the space must all be intertwined and focused for spell circles."

Hermione's hand scrawled quick notes in her notebook, glancing at an open Ancient Runes textbook for reference. Draco sat beside her, arms slung casually across his lap as he listened and occasionally nodded.

An owl swooped across the open sky behind Agatha, letting out a loud hoot that made the room turn. "And with that- let's begin," Agatha smiled with a nod. She turned quickly to the large circle drawn into the floor, surrounded by runes and the glow of the candlelight reflecting off of crystal clusters and glass dishes of herbs. She stood before it, taking a deep breath as she turned to look up at the bright full moon that hung in the starlight out the open balcony.

With a clatter, Hermione's quill and notebook tumbled from her hands as she lost her balance on  her floor pillow while adjusting. Draco's hand quickly found her arm, steadying her as she resettled. The other attendees- a pair of quiet sixth year Slytherin girls and Hufflepuff boy- didn't seem to notice, all preparing for Agatha's next instructions.

"Has everyone found their runes? Prepared their incantation?" Agatha turned back to the room, looking expectantly around. Everyone glanced around nodding, ready.

"Sorry," Hermione winced as she swung her legs around to find a new position on her floor pillow, her feet smacking into Draco's hip. His hand found her ankle, sliding his finger across it slowly as his grip collected both legs and moved them forward to settle where Hermione' had been aiming. She looked up at him apologetically, smiling as she noticed the curve in his lip as he bit back a grin.

"Now find your corresponding stone from here...," Agatha nodded to a table covered in different stone clusters, bathing in moonlight. "...and then come sit at your point around the circle."

Draco's hand instantly reached out, capturing Hermione's as he moved to stand- pulling her along with him. Looking at him out under the moon and starlit balcony, she allowed herself to examine him more completely as they walked. His hair looked silver in the cool light, rustling with the stray breezes that serpentined around them as they waited for the students to choose stones first.

"After you," Draco nodded to her when the table cleared. 

"Join me," Hermione nodded back with a smile, letting her eyes glance over his body one last time before turning to the stones. 

Their hands drifted around the table, Hermione letting her pinky slide against his purposefully as she moved to a large, dark stone that reflected into a rainbow as light moved across it. Deciding with a nod, she picked up the labradorite- pausing to watch Draco's hand closely to see what he chose. 

Hermione smiled as Draco's long fingers closed over a large, light pink cluster- rose quartz. Whatever his intention was, she knew it was about love based on Agatha's earlier descriptions of the stones. He picked it up with a nod and turned quickly to return to the room without catching Hermione's stare as she followed closely behind him.

"Now we set our collective intention in creating this circle together...and recite the text on the parchment I gave you all," Agatha spoke slowly, lighting a candle at the center of the circle.

The room spoke in slightly-staggered unison, reciting Agatha's spell. Hermione's fingers drifted along the side of her stone as she spoke.

"Now individually," Agatha nodded.