"If spell swatting was that easy, everyone would do it."
Ginny's shoulders dropped. "Okay. So what's next?" "Sit down."
Ginny sat down.
Harry sat opposite her, cross-legged on the Aztec pyramid stone floor. He held out one of his hands. It started to glow red. "What is this?" "It's a stunning spell."
"Is it? How do you know that?" Ginny hesitated "It's red."
"Lots of spells are red." "You're forming it in your bare hand. The only wandless spell you know that's red is stupefy."
Harry tilted his head. "Ginny?"
"Yes, Harry?"
"This is a dream."
"Oh." Ginny felt her cheeks warm up. "I forgot."
"Quite." Harry pointed his red glowing hand to his left, loosed the spell, and they both watched as it connected with the sand beyond the stone they sat on and left a streak of glass where it hit.
Ginny stared. "Was that…?" "An alchemy spell? Yes."
Ginny turned back.
"Now," Harry continued, "close your eyes." Ginny closed her eyes.
"Reach out with your hand."
She did so.
"Open yourself to magic. Allow yourself to feel the spell like you learned to feel for the wards in the Burrow."
Ginny nodded. She felt a small tingle of magic and breathed in sharply. "I feel it." "Good. What is it?" Ginny frowned. "I don't know." "Open your eyes."
She did so. Harry's hand glowed red.
"That was a stunner. Now, close your eyes again."
She did so. Again she felt the slight tingle of magic, but this time, it felt slightly different. She opened her eyes. Harry's hand glowed white.
"That was a stinging hex. Did you feel the difference?" Ginny nodded.
"Good."
"But," Ginny frowned. "Am I supposed to learn what every spell feels like so I can swat it away? What if I run into a spell I've never seen before?"
Harry smiled. "Don't worry. The point is not to assemble an encyclopedia of what spells feel like, but rather to discern the intent that spells contain. It's the intent that makes a spell what it is. That's the theory anyway. Like with everything magic, it could all be rubbish. At the end of the day, magic is magic."
Ginny nodded slowly.
"You'll see what I mean in a moment. Close your eyes."
Ginny closed her eyes again.
She waited a moment. Then she gasped. Peace, love, and belonging swept over her. It surrounded and wrapped her and she felt like she could face down the greatest evil and laugh.
"What is the purpose of this spell?" Harry asked.
Ginny didn't even need to think. "Protection — Protection from evil."
"Open your eyes."
Ginny opened her eyes and saw Harry's hand was glowing white, but it wasn't like the white of a stinging hex. This white was misty, pearl-like, silvery.
"This is patronus intent. It's a defence against dark creatures such as lethifolds and dementors."
"It's amazing," Ginny whispered. "Yes, but notice that you instinctively knew what the spell was for. The intent behind this spell is so pure, so refined, that figuring it out was easy. Close your eyes again."
Ginny closed her eyes.
She waited. Then, a feeling crept into her body and froze her heart. Fear gripped her. Her whole body started to shiver. Something was right in front of her. Something that wanted her destroyed, to be nothing, to rip her soul from her body with no chance of reversal. "H-Harry?"
"What is the purpose of this spell?"
"D-Death."
"Open your eyes."
She did so, and gasped. Harry's hands were bathed in green — emerald green. Little ethereal skulls of green mist orbited his finger tips, chasing each other and snapping their jaws.
Harry's face was grim. "The killing curse."
Ginny shuddered.
Harry waved the spell away. "Those were extreme examples. You now know what we're looking for. We're going to work on two things — Detecting intent and increasing your sensory range. Ready?"
Ginny's jaw firmed. She'd come this far, hadn't she? She nodded.
"Then close your eyes."
Ginny regarded the distance across the Burrow pond. She bit her lip. Her eyes narrowed. She turned, walked back a way, turned back, planted her foot firmly behind her, lowered her self to the ground, exploded towards the pond, hit the edge, jumped, extended both legs below her, hit the edge on the other side, swung her arms wildly, tried to get her balance, failed, and fell backwards, hitting the water with an almighty splash that shattered the otherwise quiet October morning.
She climbed back onto the shore, soaked, dripping, and shivering.
"Ginny! What were you thinking?!"
Ginny groaned.
"What is this?"
"A stunner." "What is this?" "A stinger."
"Good." Harry sounded pleased. "Take a few mores steps backwards."
Ginny backed up a few steps, still with her eyes closed.
"Now, what is this?"
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