"However, because of the gills, you can only cast silently if you need to cast to defend yourself. As such, you need to learn to cast defensive spells, at least, silently."
"Wow!" said Hermione.
Harry nodded and said, "That's why I'll be going with Gillyweed as my first backup, as Daphne suggested, but practicing casting the Bubblehead charm silently for if I end up being down there longer than the hour."
Both girls nodded at learning of the simple concepts Harry would be providing.
"I had thought of just going with the Gillyweed, right off the bat," said Harry. "As anyone with magical power, even a squib, can use Gillyweed, it would be yet another way for me to show the organisers of these events to be idiots. But―"
"But, you've already done that enough, haven't you?" asked Hermione. "Plus if your first plan works, you'll have done that, too."
"Yeah, but that way is using a fourth year charm," he shrugged. "Gillyweed means a competitor didn't need a magical education, at all."
"Herbology," said Daphne.
"Got lucky and read a book," replied Harry. "Or, someone told them."
Daphne smirked and said, "The same could be said for your first option."
"Point," he smiled, while pretending to doff a hat to her.
_‗_
―==(oIo)==―
ˇ
While Harry had laid out his options to both his girls, both still demanded he practiced them. That led to even more time in the Come and Go Room.
For the first time, Hermione had called on the room to provide a large indoor swimming pool and the room had provided. Then she used an ordinary broom and had it weighted to drop into the deepest and furthermost end of the pool.
Once in place, she had Harry stand on the pool edge at the opposite end and attempt to summon it.
Surprising both girls the broom shot off the bottom, through the water and almost skewered him with the handle-tip as it shot out of the water only ten feet from him and right at him. If it wasn't for his fast reflexes, dodging at the last moment, it very well would have.
"Well, colour me impressed, Lord Potter," said Daphne. "I confess to not believing it would work."
"But, he's going to need to practice improving his reflexes," said Hermione. "A bare fraction of a moment of not paying attention and he could end up with his Firebolt skewering him through his chest."
"Indeed," said Daphne.
That then led to practicing dodging. And, during that practice, it also proved more effort had to be made on getting his fitness up. Dodging was hard work.
After talking it over with Professor Flitwick, he told them about the Colourball charm; a charm that shot a coloured ball out of the wand tip that would fly true to what it was aimed at. And, if it connected, would leave a coloured dot about three inches in diameter on whatever it hit. The dot would disappear within an hour.
Over the next weeks, whenever they had time and they weren't otherwise using the room in it's 'gym' configuration, the girls would transfigure the Come and Go Room into an arena and 'hunt' Harry with the intent to tag him as often as possible; though, when he got tired, Harry would allow some of the dots to hit him. So, for incentive not to allow the charms to connect, Daphne suggested to Hermione they start including Stinging hexes in with the dots.
Getting hit with a Stinging hex a couple times truly motivated Harry to move. However, he insisted he also be allowed to cast back the same. That led to more and more intricate arenas, complete with stone barricades and the like that could be hidden behind.
When he suggested they not always be the two girls against him Daphne immediately shut that down. "No, Harry," she said. "This is to aid you in learning to dodge; not us. Besides, haven't you noticed you, on your own, is pretty much a match for the two of us, together?"
"Not quite," he grouched.
"Soon, though," said Hermione. "I don't think Daphne and I working together is soon going to be enough to keep up with you. We might have to invite Tracey to join us."
"If you invite Tracey, I'm inviting Neville," he firmly stated.
He thought he might have headed that idea off, but when both girls grinned he was instantly wary. "What?" he asked.
"What an absolutely brilliant idea," said Hermione. And the looks on the faces of both his girls had him mentally groaning.
"I thought this was for getting my reflexes up so I won't be skewered by my own Firebolt in the Second Task?"
"That's what it started as," nodded Hermione. "But, it's so much more, now."
Daphne asked, "If someone casts a curse at you, what is the best defence?"
Harry sighed and replied, "Not be there to be hit."
Again, both girls grinned. "Exactly," she said. "Which means, learning to effectively dodge when a curse is cast at you benefits us all. We may not have your power to continually cast offensively over and over again for as long as you're able to, but it's within us all to be effective at dodging."
"Which is why you're so supportive of the idea of bringing the other Heirs in on this," he moped.
"Exactly," grinned Hermione.
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