HARRY POTTER :flash forward.

"She accepted it," she gleefully reported. The girl turned to look at the head table, for a moment, before she turned back and said, "She's even reading it, now."

Harry glanced at the head table and watched as Dumbledore was scanning his breakfast and other food before him.

Chuckling, he turned to see if the twins were down for breakfast. Seeing them, he grinned and indicated with his eyes the Headmaster. They, too, had seen the old man's antics and were quietly chuckling to themselves.

They were about to wrap up breakfast and head back to the apartment when Professor Babbling intercepted them. Professor Babbling was a young witch, compared to most of the teaching staff. But, that was because she attained her Mastery at such a young age.

"Good morning, you four," she said.

"Good morning, Professor," they chirped back.

"Would you mind walking with me to my office?" she asked. "I've just been over Luna's report and I have a few questions."

"In that case," interrupted Hermione. "Instead of your office, would you mind if we escorted you to our apartment? It's just that we have a working model of what's in the report, there, and we can't bring it down."

"Very well," the Professor agreed with a nod. "Lead the way."

Once in the corridor outside their apartment, Luna and Hermione described the control runes. Then Daphne showed them the small boundary runes that were not normally noticeable because they were not in a normal line of sight.

Once they'd shown the runes they demonstrated that they worked. Of course, the only one they couldn't demonstrate was the anti-Imperius ward. However, both Hermione and Daphne assured her it should as it was based on the same rune concept as the anti-Curse ward.

"But, how do you get it to differentiate between a hex and, say, a shield?" she asked.

"There're two halves to it," replied Luna. "One is that the shield isn't a 'travelling' spell. That is, it's not designed to go from point A to point B. It's designed to form roughly where the wand tip creates it. The second part is intent. It's not intended to harm.

"However, if a spell meets both those conditions, then it's blocked by the ward and negated before it even leaves the tip of the wand."

"And if it's cast into the warded area from outside?"

The three looked at one another before Hermione stalked beyond the boundary. Spinning about, she stared at Harry for a moment before he drew his own wand and cast a shield.

"Reducto!" she cried. It flashed out of her wand but died as soon as it hit the ward boundary. "Well, that answers that question," said the Professor. As Hermione walked back into the warded area, the Professor said, "This is amazing work, you four." And, turning to Luna, she said, "Keep up your normal exemplary work in my class and there's an Outstanding Plus in this for you, Miss Lovegood. This," she said, waving the report in her hand, "Assures it."

With a bit of a squeal, Luna jumped forward and wrapped the Professor's waist in a hug. "Thank you!" she gushed.

Amused, the Professor waited for Luna to get it out of her system. "Yes, well," she said. "I want to show this to a few other members of staff. Do you mind if I do that?"

"Professor Flitwick is alright," said Harry. "We'd like to know from him if we can set up the same ward scheme for the area outside the Ravenclaw common room entrance. But, we're not ready for the Headmaster to hear about it yet."

"Professor McGonagall?" she asked.

"As long as she promises not to go running to the Headmaster about it; yes, that'll be alright," replied Daphne.

"She won't," replied the Professor with a bit of a forced smile.

Harry wondered what was going on there. Had the staff become more aware of Dumbledore's manipulations, and were beginning to baulk at them?

The Professor left a little while later. When a knock on his office door was heard, while he was currently working on grading assignments, Professor Flitwick called, "Enter!"

Professor Babbling stepped in and closed the door behind her.

Surprised by the visit from his colleague, Professor Flitwick said, "Bet! This is a pleasant surprise. What brings you to visit an old wand-waver such as myself?"

With a matching smile, Bathsheba Babbling walked over and sat in the chair her diminutive colleague offered her.

"I've just come from a very interesting discussion and demonstration from four of your 'Claws," she replied.

"Oh?" he asked. "Yes. Are you aware some of your 'Claws had been up to no good by Confunding the Eagle guardian to the Ravenclaw common room?" she asked.

With a frown hovering near a scowl, the Charms Professor replied, "I was aware that it had been going on. However, I believe I'd managed to stop that by punishing all the culprits."

"Oh, it hasn't happened recently, as far as I'm aware, Filius," Bet replied. "But, that it had happened led to the development by Miss Lovegood of a way to stop it from ever happening again."

"Oh?"

With a nod, she explained, "Young Miss Lovegood then took her idea to Miss Greengrass, Miss Granger and Mister Potter. They then told her that they had found a listening charm affixed to the wall next to the Alcove that contained the entrance to their apartment. They believe it was put there by Albus.

"Clever," said Filius, but still clearly upset that Dumbledore had done something like that.

"Mmm," replied Bet. "So, the four of them set to work, starting with Miss Lovegood's initial concept, and developed the most amazing ward scheme.

"The main two purposes are to block the Confundus charm and the use of listening and other monitoring charms," she explained. "However, they then took it further and added a workable anti-Curse and Hex ward that works on spells that are cast; that travel from one point to another while allowing charms that don't travel, or are not intended to harm, to still work.

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