Chapter 37
"So, wait, let's go over this again," I massaged my temples tiredly, not entirely understanding what one of my best friends in this life wanted from me this time. "Your parents, and your mother in particular, want to meet with me and... talk about hiring me as your tutor?"
"You caught the very essence," the blonde nodded to me with a smirk, crossing her arms over her chest. "I recently told them about your successes in magic and my desire to join your training sessions. Mother became very interested in this, and even if the reply letter shows that father doesn't particularly approve of my venture, but... My mother knows how to be persuasive when she really needs something. I wouldn't be lying if I said that she is the one in charge in our family."
"Looking at you and Astoria—I willingly believe it," I stretched my lips into a mocking grin, however, immediately calming down and returning to a serious conversational manner. "It's just that... did you really tell your parents about my reluctance to train you for free? And after that they decided to officially hire me as your tutor?"
"Do you find this strange?" the pretty Slytherin finally deciphered the reasons for my surprise, looking at me with a slightly strange look.
"Not that it's strange, but... I didn't expect this. I thought that if you really got fired up with the idea... of taking additional lessons from me, then in exchange you would offer something similar. Help me with Potions, agree to write all those annoying DADA essays instead of me, or something similar. Even ask for lessons on credit, promising to do some favor in return in the future," I sighed heavily, honestly conveying my thoughts on this matter to the girl.
"Well, I thought about it, but... I already help you with Potions, receiving help with Transfiguration and Charms in return. Here I am already somewhat in your debt. Writing essays instead of you is not the worst idea, but I hardly can take much upon myself here, and the option with favors... To be honest, everything I can help you with even in theory, without involving my parents, is too cheap for me to seriously count on paying you off for your help with training," the young witch answered my questions easily, albeit a little self-critically, surprisingly clearly making it understood how seriously she took the opportunity to fully train in my company.
"I... understand you," and after a second of thought, I still had to admit that there was a certain logic in my friend's words. Looking at it soberly and ignoring our friendship—Daphne really had nothing to offer me in exchange for even minimal mentoring on my part. In terms of knowledge and skills in magic, I had already pulled too far ahead of my year.
Moreover, this is not about some abstract study of the school curriculum several years in advance. Something similar, of course, also happens, simply due to a certain linearity in the study of that same Transfiguration. In this regard, the school curriculum is very simple and ordered—it goes from simple to complex. But... even casting aside the far less linear Charms or DADA, I always primarily tried to grow in breadth.
If it was transfiguration from wood to metals—then into the most diverse metals, of the most diverse shapes, multiplied by playing with volume and mass... and then also working on the speed of the transformations being carried out. So, even if right now practically everyone in class could already make some kind of copper figure out of a wooden block, I could do it faster.
And my figure would be more detailed and elaborated. And the transfiguration itself would be more durable and resistant to form disruption. At the same time, I would spend many times less power and energy on such a trick than Draco could have spent, who is actually also quite the straight-A student... There's no need to even mention the fact that from a wooden block I can make not only a copper, but also a steel, bronze, aluminum, and even silver figure with an intricate pattern of oxidized silver.
This is simply a different, deeper level of mastering the exact same material... Which at first glance seems to be something not particularly useful, but in reality, true mastery is manifested precisely in such nuances and the very ability of a mage to create completely different things with the exact same magical formula.
McGonagall, who is terribly jealous of Flitwick because I ended up in his house, wouldn't let me lie! This old, prim witch, even if she tried not to show it, had long since written me down as one of her favorites, sparsely and inexpressively, but regularly and invariably suggesting what else I should work on to improve my own skills and overall understanding of her subject.
But somehow I got distracted from the main issue... Damn mental magic with its ability to accelerate my own thoughts breeds rather bad habits in me. And I'm still not cool and skilled enough to seriously speed up my consciousness, which is why the silence between Daphne and me was already starting to drag on.
"It's just, you know, speaking about my possibility of being your tutor... I'm not sure that involving your parents and some real payment in our friendly affairs is a good idea. More accurately, I simply find it quite strange," gathering my courage and thoughts, I still managed to describe a little more specifically the reasons for my doubts about this whole venture with her training.
"Is that so? And what if, say, Draco offered you something similar?" Daphne Greengrass, nodding thoughtfully to the beat of my words, asked a rather unexpected and simply strange question for me.
"Hm? If Draco asked me to do extra tutoring with him for money?" I drawled somewhat thoughtfully, as if visualizing such a situation. "You know, actually yes... I would easily agree to that. The thought of taking money from that little shit for some reason doesn't cause any rejection in me... Although if it came to an agreement with his parents, I would rather try to get some not entirely publicly available knowledge in return for my help. I just happen to have accumulated a few questions on topics about which there is deplorably little information in the school library. Well, or I simply don't know exactly where to look for what I need."
"Is that how it is?.. Well, that's pleasing," the petite blonde smiled at something of her own, at this moment as if by magic suddenly becoming somehow particularly charming and even cute. "But it's better not to clutter your head with unnecessary nonsense anyway. Believe me, the situation where more or less wealthy parents hire tutors for their children from among the more educated students is almost commonplace. Especially in Slytherin."
"I know. I've bought myself extra lessons from the sixth years more than once myself," I nodded easily, perfectly understanding what Daphne was getting at. "It's just hard for me to remember anyone at all who worked part-time as a tutor in their second year of Hogwarts. And I still don't want to take money from friends who have already helped me out more than once."
"Hmph! How complicated you are... You don't want to teach me just like that, you don't want to for money either... Maybe these are all just excuses and you don't want to spend time with me at all? Luna and Ginny trailing after you like a tail are much sweeter to you in this regard, aren't they?" making an offended face, one insufferable blonde snorted right in my face... nevertheless, overacting too much for me to really believe her offense.
"Luna and Ginny hardly distract me from training, whereas you demand practically full-fledged teaching from me... And I don't really want to spend my time on this. You know yourself, I have a very tight schedule and... there are hardly many things in the world that are worth more than the opportunity to become even a slightly better mage than I am right now," for some reason wanting to be as frank as possible on this issue, I looked straight at my manipulator-friend.
"That... I can understand that," surprisingly easily casting aside her image of insulted and offended innocence, Daphne nodded thoughtfully. "Even if it's not a very popular opinion right now, but... knowing you, I can almost certainly say that you are not lying... and by this you only embarrass me more."
"Yeah, that's how bad, selfish, and generally... what a Potter I am," I calmly tried to turn it all into a joke, knowing perfectly well what kind of reputation about me is currently going around the school... I wouldn't be lying if I said how one of the Gryffindors called me the main nerd of Hogwarts. And this talker was someone from either the fourth or the fifth year, which is kind of telling.
"That's right, you are the truest Potter there is," the young snake exhaled relaxed and with a smile on her lips, looking at me with a slight cunning in her eyes. "Only I am still a Greengrass too... And therefore, you will still have to meet with my parents. They already promised to ask your Head of House to let you go, so... You will show them your magical skills and the fullness of your knowledge. You will describe the training plan in more detail, and afterwards, I am sure, they will approve of you as my mentor."
"Is that so? You mean my opinion on this matter doesn't bother you at all?" I frowned slightly, looking at the sly and almost joyful smile of my friend...
"Well, you still haven't given me a firm 'no', have you?" Daphne almost purred. "And you still don't want to refuse me, so... the question only remains in the price."
"Pfft, just don't turn into Draco. I already said that I don't want to devalue our relationship to a handful of pitiful Galleons," I frowned even harder, looking at the girl with almost undisguised displeasure. It was as if she hadn't listened to me at all for the whole previous conversation!
"Oh, believe me, Harry, I have already understood and appreciated that... No, really, I am very pleased to know that I am much more important to you than money, Draco, or the rest of our friends," this... completely insufferable girl smiled sweetly at me, seemingly having already managed to misinterpret my words more than ever. "Only my parents, if you impress them, can pay you with by no means just Galleons. It is quite customary for purebloods to use magical knowledge or connections in the wider world as an excellent alternative to money. Although in recent decades this has begun to go out of fashion, but that doesn't really bother you, does it?"
"...No, I've always been too far from fashion for it to bother me in the slightest," I sighed heavily, once again that day massaging the bridge of my nose with effort and looking at Daphne with some bewilderment. "Just don't think that I'm still enticed by this idea."
"Don't worry, I know that if you had your way, you would spend days on end doing nothing but your training... an obsessed magic maniac," the blonde snorted mockingly, unobtrusively taking me by the elbow and heading towards the exit of the empty classroom where we had been conversing away from prying ears until now. "But don't mess up in front of my parents anyway... Even if I know the level of your skills, but... believe me, this is really important to me."
"Don't worry, I have no desire to disgrace myself in front of Mrs. Greengrass... Just help me exactly determine what exactly they will want to see from me as a demonstration. Well, at least approximately," I smiled softly at the pretty Slytherin, satisfied with how this whole conversation had come to its conclusion.
If Daphne's family helps me solve or at least grope for a way to solve the mysteries left behind by Crushio—and letters don't reach that bastard, and he himself never appeared once last summer—long before my admission to Hogwarts... Well, more thorough lessons with one snake will definitely be worth it.