There were still five minutes to go before Hilde was supposed to arrive, but Harry couldn't help feeling a little impatient. It was their first session since the incident with his uncle and he was still bothered by his inability to protect himself from his relative's wrath. The fact that he had frozen and needed Draco to extract him from trouble had been preying on his mind.
It wasn't that he minded being rescued, it was that if he ever ended up in combat his soulmate could easily end up dead because he was trying to extricate Harry. Being unable to defend himself was as unacceptable as being unable to Apparate. Unfortunately the knowledge on how to overcome the first problem was nowhere near as easy to come by, as it had been to find the solution to the second.
Draco was running his fingers over the back of Harry's neck in a soothing manner as they sat in the Room of Requirement waiting for Hilde. His soulmate chose not to voice whatever he was thinking about, but Harry knew Draco was somewhat worried about Harry's reaction to the incident.
He knew he had a tendency to brood and when they had had no luck looking for a solution themselves, that is what he had begun to do, but it was difficult to curb his instinctive reaction. Harry hoped Hilde would have some kind of response for them. The owl Harry had sent his tutor explaining the situation had not been answered, but it had only been two days.
Harry was so lost in his own worries that when the door opened and Hilde walked in with her usual exuberance and cheerful expression he actually jumped.
"Good evening," she greeted brightly and placed her oversized bag down on the desk.
If he hadn't been so worried Harry probably would have grinned and returned the greeting, as it was he tried not to frown at her. He could not help feeling anxious. He had thought that he was capable of coping with the world by himself and his Uncle's actions had proved that he was as helpless as he had been at the beginning.
"Hello, Hilde," Draco greeted for both of them. "You seem to be in a very good mood this evening."
"I am," the woman admitted and then Harry found himself on the end of one of her appraising looks. "This is really bothering you isn't it, Harry?"
That had to be the understatement of the year, but he nodded anyway. Hilde left her bag where she had placed it and walked over before stopping in front of Harry and looking him straight in the eye.
"You have such high expectations of yourself," she said with an exasperated sigh. "Harry, do you have any idea how much learning you and Draco have squeezed into half a year?"
Harry did not have time to respond since Hilde continued almost immediately.
"Twelve years," she said firmly. "The pair of you mastered the basics in two weeks, even Hecatemae who have been trained since birth usually give it a month before they are ready to return to their lives. Since then you have progressed from simple techniques to those that are supposed to take years to master. Harry, you need to give yourself some credit."
"But I was helpless," he said pointedly as all his anxiety leapt to the forefront of his mind. "We don't have the luxury of time. If Voldemort makes his move and all he has to do is touch me to take me down we are finished."
Hilde appeared a little exasperated at his response and she stood back with her hands on her hips appraising him again.
"I knew you'd say that," she said and shook her head with a resigned smile.
"You found something didn't you," Draco observed from where he was leaning close to Harry.
The woman nodded and Harry felt some of his worry flow away; Hilde appeared quietly confident.
YOU ARE READING
Gold Tinted Spectacles (Hecatemus Book #1)
Fanfiction(Drarry) Harry Potter is about to enter his seventh year, and things are not quite what he expected. He is no longer the angry boy who watched his world fall apart at the end of his fifth year, but neither has he completely found his place yet. He i...
