Chapter 14, Year 6, Part 1: Newt and Lyra

After summer break, school returned in full force. Lyra had received her O.W.L. scores along with the other members of her class, and she had done surprisingly well (she thinks that she did better with the theory part.) She had received an O in History of Magic and Care of Magical Creatures, since no spells were required. Potions had been her next best score with Exceeds Expectations. Newt had gotten an O in Care of Magical Creatures, and the rest of the classes he'd received passing grades. Leta had done the best out of all of them by getting all Os but three.

In Transfiguration a few weeks after school started, Professor Dumbledore asks Lyra to stay behind after class. She agrees, waiting until everyone except Newt had cleared out (she had told him about the Professor's request.)

"You may go, Mr. Scamander," Professor Dumbledore said.

"Please Professor, can he stay?" Lyra asked "I'm going to tell him anyway. He's my best friend."

The older man smiled, aware of the friendship between the two students. "Very well, he can stay. It would be good for him to help, if he wishes."

"What can I help with?" Newt asked curiously.

"Well," Professor Dumbledore said, standing up and beginning to pace, "I have been doing some research over the summer, and it appears that there is a way to channel excess magic."

Lyra blinked, startled. She hadn't known that this was where the talk was going. Was there a way to prevent explosions? "What do you mean, Professor?"

"Have you ever heard of wandless magic, Ms. Maywell?" he asked

"Um, I think so. I mean, it's kind of self-explanatory, isn't it?"

"Yes, the definition is simple in and of itself, but have you ever seen it happen?"

"I don't think so."

"I'm not surprised, as it is very difficult to achieve. The Wizard or Witch that masters this must be very powerful indeed," the older man said.

The curly-haired girl sighed. "It's hopeless then. If I'm no good with a wand, what can I expect with this?"

"That's exactly my point. You don't need a wand. Your natural excess of magic is more than enough to make up for what might be considered a lack of power. Now, I'm not saying that you're untalented by any means. It is just to say that talent is an unnecessary variable in this particular situation."

"So since Lyra has extra magic, she can do wandless magic more easily than a trained Witch or Wizard?" Newt asked

"Yes. Of course, she will need to be able to channel into a smaller area in order to use it, but I am able to help with that if you wish."

"I can help too. Well I don't know how, but I'd like to. What do you say, Ly?" he asked

The girl in question hadn't said very much during the discussion, trying to process the fact that there was a way to control her curse. After realizing Newt had addressed her, she asked, "sorry, what? I was trying to process everything. I mean, I'm always afraid that I'm going to seriously hurt someone- or myself- some day."

"It's alright, Ly. I was just asking if you wanted me to help."

"Oh, yes. I'd like that. No offense, Professor, but sometimes it's better when instruction or support comes from someone your own age."

The older man smiled. "I quite understand, Ms. Maywell. Why don't you come Friday afternoon? I don't want you to fall behind in your other classes, although this will undoubtedly help you eventually. Mr. Scamander, you may come as well."

The girl's eyes gleamed with excitement- maybe she could use spells like a normal magical person, eventually! "Thank you very much, Professor."

Friday afternoon found Lyra and Newt heading to the Transfiguration room. After knocking on the door, they entered the classroom and were surprised to find the room nearly empty, as the desks had been pushed back towards the wall.

"Good afternoon, Ms. Maywell, Mr. Scamander," Professor Dumbledore's voice came from the stairwell up to his office.

"Hi, Professor," Lyra replied, while Newt nodded in greeting.

"Are you ready to begin?" the older man asked

At the student's consent, he walked down the remaining stairs. "As a reminder, this is advanced magic; most Wizards or Witches don't even attempt to learn it, so I wouldn't be surprised if you are unable to use it right away. There is also a slight risk that you might cause damage to yourself, as I'm sure you've been warned with your excess magic."

Professor Dumbledore stood in front of the curly-haired girl, surveying her quietly. "I don't mean to alarm you, but you should know the risks. Do you want to continue?"

Lyra nodded, determined to succeed. "Yes, Professor. I want to be able to control my magic."

"Are you sure, Ly?" Newt asked, worried "I didn't know that there was a risk of causing damage."

She turned towards her friend. "I don't want to be afraid anymore, Newt. I have to do this. If it gets to be too much, I'll take a break, but I won't stop."

"Very wise, Ms. Maywell," the Professor said.

To the student's shock, the desks against the back wall burst into flames. Lyra looked between them and her teacher, but neither changed. The older man was still surveying her through his half-moon spectacles, his hands clasped behind him.

"As you can see," he said, "once you have learned, there is hardly a need for a wand."

The desks extinguished themselves on their own accord.

"How did you do that, Professor?"

"You must focus on a specific area around you while channeling your energy; for instance, I focused on the desks behind me and used Incendio. For you, I would suggest a simple spell and action, such as levitating a quill."

She pulled one out from her bag, which she had placed on the floor and put the quill on the desk that had been moved from the back of the room (still in the same condition, despite the fire from earlier.) She closed her eyes and tried to imagine the quill lifting into the air, pulled up by invisible strings. When she opened them again, she looked at her teacher, who shook his head slightly, indicating she hadn't been successful.

"It's alright not to get it on your first time. Try again."

Lyra kept trying, each time she was unsuccessful. As it got later, Newt suggested to call it a day, because he could see his friend was getting tired from the small, uncontrolled bursts she was able to do. She refused, shaking her head, and used her frustration and channeling it into focus. Letting go of it, the burst turned out to be one of the largest she'd ever done. It shook the entire room, starting from her feet and spiraling outward in its sun-like pattern. After Newt was able to regain his balance, he saw that the curly-haired girl had collapsed on the floor.

"Lyra!" he exclaimed, hurrying over to her. He knelt down next to her, checking to make sure she was okay.

"She'll be fine, Mr. Scamander."

Newt narrowed his eyes at the older man. "How do you know?" he asked, rather angrily, "you're pushing her too much! She can't possibly get it in one day! And then you encourage her to keep trying, when she really should take a break! No wonder she collapsed, the bursts kept draining her energy!"

Professor Dumbledore waited patiently until the sixteen year old finished. "I'm not pushing her at all, Mr. Scamander- she was determined to do it. As for it being dangerous, all magic comes with a risk. She knows that if her explosion is too powerful, she'll run the risk of burning herself up. I encourage her because I know she can do it, not because I want her to get hurt."

Newt stood up with the girl, holding her carefully. "I'm going to take her to the hospital wing, and when she wakes up, I'm going to try and convince her not to continue because I don't want her to get hurt."

He was still furious at the older man- he was supposed to be a teacher and he let a student get pushed beyond their limit, caused them harm, and said he wasn't responsible at all!

A part of him knew that he cared deeply about Lyra, but it was a different feeling he had for Leta. Lyra had, it seemed, always been there. He didn't know what he'd do without her, and she was a wonderful friend. But Leta- when she looked at him, acknowledged him, well, Lyra never made him feel the same way. Leta was more of the exotic sort of bird, like a Phoenix, while Lyra was more of a sparrow.

As he entered the hospital wing, his thoughts were brought to a halt as the resident nurse took the girl out of his arms. She seemed to understand what happened, at least to some extent, because she shooed him out of the room without asking any questions.

Lyra was out of the hospital quickly, only spending two days there. Newt did try to convince her to stop, but Lyra seemed more determined than ever. She began practicing on her own, as Professor Dumbledore seemed to be out of school more often than not.

A/N: I finally updated! Hooray! Sorry about the long wait- while I know where I want to go with the story, getting there is the problem. I don't know when my next update will be, so stay tuned! Next chapter we get a closer look at Leta and Newt's relationship- seventh year, since sixth year doesn't have that much going on for me. I am quite aware that I haven't actually put them in a classroom setting, save for one chapter towards the beginning- don't worry, I haven't forgotten that they are, actually, in school...