A lot of things could have had him strolling out across the lawns to the training grounds. His main reason? Snape. Since the bah-humbug had taken over Defense classes, the intensity of the classes had gone up drastically. Jaxon wasn't complaining. Once you got past the rough exterior, you had to admit the harsh git knew what the hell he was talking about.

The Gryffindor ignored the rude jabs and quips aimed his way or towards Gryffindors in general and tried to just learn what he could from the older wizard. Snape wasn't as bad as when he had been teaching potions, so it wasn't a bad trade off in Jax's opinion. Potions he was great at, but his Gryffindor bravery mixed with his reckless clowning around in that class made is so when the man had taught that class it had been a constant stream of abusive remarks and sneers.

Being naturally talented at defensive magic meant in the class Snape now taught Jaxon excelled and gave barely any reason to be singled out as an imbecile. Except for his usually start of class jokes. Secretly the Gryffindor was sure Snape enjoyed those, but he wasn't stupid enough to say that aloud. In front of the man. He enjoyed having his head being connected to the rest of him. He kind of needed it for the practical work didn't he?

He strode into the training grounds with a purpose. Today was shields. Snape had mentioned one in class that Jaxon had wasted no time in looking up in the library. Sure. He knew where that was. Last year he had had to avoid it for nearly two weeks when Granger had hexed his arse silly for disturbing the peace. Merlin forbid someone try to lighten the mood with a bit of book juggling gone wrong. Jaxon honestly hadn't meant to nail her in the head with a book.

Shrugging out of his robes and dropping them off along with his bag to the side of the arena like grounds, the Gryffindor rolled up the sleeves of his whit oxford and pulled his wand from his trousers pocket. He flourished it in a swishing motion with a slight jab at the end, practicing the movements a few times to make sure he gotten it down well enough. On the fourth try, he combined it along with the incantation and a proud grin was brought forth to his face when a green tinted shield exploded from the tip of his wand.

He held it there for a good minute, trying to gauge the stress it took on both his magic and strength. It definitely was no protego and would take a hell of a lot out of you to keep it going for much longer than a minute. As it was he had already developed a slight pant after that. Now how was he supposed to see if it actually worked right? He should've brought someone with him to test it out. That would've been the smart thing to do.

As that thought struck, Jaxon heard footsteps approaching and turned to see who the newcomer was, an open and friendly grin on his face. "Hey hey hey. Care to help a bloke out?"

Training on Dark magic and strong curses was all well and good. It was exactly what Harry would need in some of the fights that he was sure to be up against, both soon and until this war was over and life resumed whatever it normally was. He might even need to duel dangerous wizards on a regular basis then. Harry had never had the opportunity to live a normal life as a wizard before, so he wasn’t exactly sure. So yeah, the special training was a good thing to have.

Still, if he wanted to keep doing alright in classes and in day to day life, he needed to make sure his regular jinxes and curses and shields were just fine, too. It wouldn’t do well to spend so much time focused on the big stuff that his regular magic faded until he was merely ordinary. That meant that every once in a while he needed to leave his bag, robes, and tie up in his dorm and head down to the training grounds with rolled up sleeves and determination on his face.

Today he had only intended to set up a dummy of some kind and launch minor jinxes at it to make sure he could still get all of them to work right. Instead, a familiar voice greeted him before he had even made it properly into the training area. When he made it into the space, his emerald gaze settled on a boy that he had sat in almost every class during his time at Hogwarts with, on account of being in the same house and year. Still, he had never really hung out with Pierce, or even spoken to him much, probably on account of the fact that the jokester had usually done something or other to anger Hermione. He was probably only still alive because she was usually distracted by the twins or some other problem before this year. Harry should start a pool about whether she killed him or kissed him when things finally came to a head.

Still, he gave his classmate a friendly enough smile as he walked into the area. Pierce had always struck him as an alright sort of a guy that had never done him any harm. It was just loyalty to his bushy haired friend that kept him from trying to be good friends with the guy, and that loyalty was thinner now than it had been at any point since their first year. Hermione was fairly clear that she was not entirely happy with Harry only wanting to be friends with her, and the raven haired boy had no idea what he could possibly do about that.

“Sure, Pierce,” he said pleasantly. “What is it that you need help with?” On further thought, the choices were a little bit limited. “Someone to shoot spells at, someone to shoot spells at you, or a combination of both?”

"Haha! Potter, I like the way you think." He responded in kind with his own pleasant tone of voice, looking completely at ease with the wizarding world's wonder boy. For five years he had shared a dorm room and classes with the other boy which gave Jaxon time to adjust to things like the celebrity next door so to speak. Mostly known for his charming flirtations with witches and joking easy going ways, most didn't associate Jax with any observation skills.

That didn't mean he didn't come with a pair of eyes and a brain that could add one plus one when it was necessary. He wasn't oblivious to things even if he didn't call attention to them, and sharing living space with a bloke for five years meant you just learned things whether you wanted to or not. Jax didn't have any problems with Potter. They never really associated a lot but he had avoided it mainly because Granger was always with or around the other boy and that usually meant near death for Jaxon. If ever there was a witch who needed to loosen up it was that one. Not to mention he didn't want to step on any toes as far as mates went even if Jaxon had wanted to bust a few heads last year on Potter's behalf and the year before.

"A bit of both, since I'm sure you'll want to give it go too." He answered cheerily, friendly grin plastered on his face. "Been doing a little extra research on a few things Snape mentioned in class. I know you don't ever see eye to eye with the man, and who could blame you really, but the bastard knows his shit." The Gryffindor's shoulders rose and fell in a goodnatured shrug and his words carried no real venom even as he cursed. Jaxon didn't like Snape any better than the next person so he didn't think it made sense to put extra effort in actively hating him. That would only give the bloody man some hold over him whether it was intentional or not and Jax wasn't that stupid.

Without further ado, he performed the shield from a few moments before again for Potter's benefit, holding it only long enough for the other boy to really view it and then let it die. "It's more advanced than anything we're learning and takes a hell of a lot more out of you, but if it works right the pros should outweigh the cons. It's supposed to absorb the spells that hit it, and before you ask I haven't figured out why yet. Didn't read that far in the book. I'm more of a kinesthetic learner." Jaxon's unrepentant and slightly sheepish look made him look like a kid who had broken some rule and wasn't the least bit sorry he broke it but was sorry he got caught. He was sure if anyone could understand his position it was the other boy though. Who broke rules better than Potter? Jax was sure that if there was one rule left unbroken by the other other boy hell would freeze over. Crazily enough he admired that about Potter.

The main thing that struck Harry about his longtime dorm mate was the same thing that always had, really. The bloke was incredibly easygoing. In the past he had considered this a sign of weakness in a lion, so he hadn’t really paid him all that much notice. It was all well and good to hear ‘bravery comes in many forms’ over and over, but if you surrounded yourself almost entirely with people who equated a hot temper and the ability to face evil all the time with true bravery, it was bound to color what you thought the proper kind of Gryffindor was.

Somehow the things he himself had said to Neville numerous times didn’t count. Or maybe he was misjudging Neville entirely. His months of watching and waiting for things to blow up beyond repair with Ron and Hermione both had given him a new appreciation for the quiet, steady bravery of lions like Neville and Remus Lupin. It also made him regret taking people like Jax Pierce for granted instead of getting to know him better.

He grinned at the notion that he would want to try whatever this was out. Of course he would. No matter what it happened to be, really. Harry would want to experience whatever his dorm mate was working on, and with any luck use it to stay alive a little bit longer. He could manage no more than a noncommittal shrug at the other wizard’s comments about his old nemesis. Sure, the greasy git knew what he was talking about, but Harry would rather learn it from anyone else. Jax counted as anyone else, right?

His eyes grew eager as Jax described what the shield was supposed to do. He had never heard of a shield absorbing instead of deflecting, but it would be dead useful. Maybe once he mastered it, he could even tweak it to give himself control of the stored magic or something. It had to be going somewhere, right? He watched with fascination, but couldn’t make heads or tails of the shield, except that it seemed to be really hard work. Still, if Jax was right about what it did, he was also right about it being totally worth it. Even more so if Harry or one of his friends could figure it out enough to tweak it.

His eagerness got the best of him and he was practically bouncing and yelling. “Well, what are you waiting for? Put it back up. I want to shoot some spells at it and see what happens!”

It might seem odd that the other bloke he found himself grinning back at currently and himself weren't exactly mates. Jaxon was sure that even the term 'friend' couldn't rightly describe their relationship, even when applied loosely. But it really wasn't when one added in all the factors. Such as life, and other friends. Not to mention Potter seemed to spend a hell of a lot of his time either trying to stay alive, save someone or something, or getting bad public reviews no matter what he did.

None of this really mattered to Jax though, as far as his opinion of the other guy went. For as long as his Hogwarts career as, the boy had sat back and watched as the so called Golden Trio ran off doing their thing together. For a brief period, he had even found himself a little jealous, until reality kicked him in the head and he realized none of what they did was fun and games. That had become even more painfully obvious the previous year during the reign of the toad, and Potter had started his underground group.

Not one to be left out of any kind of rebellion, especially against the toad, Jax had participated with eagerness. It had been worth it to him even after they had all gotten busted for it. Going against authority? Breaking the rules? And learning Defense? Those were three things the boy would sign up for any day of the week. And sign up he did. Right on the dotted line that had ended up being cursed. Not that he had ever needed to worry about that. Jax was anything but a rat.

But the whole experience had managed to open his eyes a bit to provide some insight into his fellow Gryffindors. From that point on, a new camaraderie within the sixth year boys dorm, and even if they weren't all best mates, the lines that had separated them before didn't seem so solid as before, if they didn't completely disappear. For sure, it was something Jax missed this year, but hey, it was great while it lasted, and all good things came to end at some point. Besides, it was rather fun to be on the opposite end of the teaching this time around.

Considering they were both extra good with defensive magic, the larger of the two boys was excited to be practicing again with Potter. "Well alright then Potter, keep your knickers on mate." The Gryffindor joked easily with the other boy, though his own brown eyes reflected his own excitement. Jaxon took his stance, knees bent a bit and big grin on his face as he waved his wand in the correct movement, focusing his concentration on actually performing the shield now rather than on his excitement as he muttered, "Homminus veritatum!"

The shield exploded from his wand as it had before, and erupting in front of him, now between him and the other Gryffindor. It seemed to flicker a bit at first, as Jaxon found himself a bit too excited and let his concentration slip a bit, but he rebounded before it could completely fade out. "Let 'em rip, Potter!" He half grunted, half yelled out. This shield really was a tough one, requiring more focus and energy than any other one he had ever tried, and he hoped he could keep it up long enough to see what it did exactly. Maybe he should've read that part after all...

Even with Jax’s playful suggestion that he calm down, Harry could barely rein in his excitement. Of course, it wasn’t like he would have this reaction to anyone. If most people asked Harry to work on a new shield, the raven haired boy would have to struggle not to laugh at them, assuming that the shield would be something that he had mastered in 4th year or earlier.

Jax was different, though. Harry respected everyone that trained with him last year, but other than Neville Jax had probably impressed him the most. Before, he had regarded his house mate as someone in the mold of Lee Jordan, a good-spirited jokester who would likely be somewhere else if any real trouble came. When they got going it was clear that Harry was very wrong. Jax reminded him more of a person like Bill Weasley than anyone else he had seen in action. Sure, he had the good looks, the easy smile, and the jokes. He also really knew his defensive magic and how to go about his business when the time was right. Harry was growing to greatly admire him and realize that he needed more people like this in his life. He had the shouting pretty well under control. Quiet, helpful confidence and the ability to put people at ease her struggled with a little more.

Harry managed to restrain himself, not shooting spells at the shield as soon as it went up. This wasn’t a duel, it was a learning experience. His patience turned out to be a good thing, as the shield flickered a little before Jax got it under control. When he got the all clear Harry nodded and prepared himself, then shot three spells at the shield, a stunner at one of the edges, and a reducto followed by a jelly legs right at the center. He honestly didn’t know what to expect, but hopefully if anything got through, it would be the last one.

To his mild shock and great pleasure, the shield did exactly what it was advertised to, seeming to absorb the spells that hit it instead of deflecting them. Weirdly, it also seemed to be getting easier to hold up as each spell hit it, though he wasn’t sure if that had anything to do with the shield or if Jax was simply getting used to it and holding it up more easily. He would have to try the shield for himself to find that out, probably, but that needed to wait just a little bit.

He lowered his wand and bounded forward, a wide grin on his face. “Alright, Jax?” he asked, full of energy and wonder at this amazing shield. “I need to cast that and see what it feels like for myself. I think it will be dead useful for something I’m doing right now. First there’s something I need to talk to you about, though.”

His voice dropped to barely above a whisper and he looked all around to make sure that they were still alone. “I know you’re interested in the war at least a little, because you were with all of us in the DA last year.” Harry paused, taking a moment to smile with pride at all they had accomplished before he grew serious again. “If there’s a fight coming, a real fight with all the real dangers and threats, do you want a piece of it?” He held a finger up, signaling for Jax to wait another second, hoping that he could stop some of the questions that were probably coming. “I don’t know all of the details yet and I can’t tell you everything that I do know, even if it looks like no one is listening. I just want you to think about how in you are. No pressure or anything.” He paused, then thought of one more thing that he needed to say while they were on the subject. “Oh, and stay safe on Halloween.”

With that he took a step back, preparing himself to conjure the shield Jax had just tested. He hoped his mate got the hint about Halloween, and that he would at least think about a greater role in the war that was coming up way too fast. Jax seemed to be a great man, or on his way to becoming one at least, and Harry wanted as many of those on his side as he could get.

Jaxon couldn't help the rather impressed grin that spread across his lips as his fellow Gryffindor shot off his spells. It wasn't that he hadn't ever seen the other boy in action. He had seen Potter duel in a controlled environment atleast, so he had some idea as to what the other lion was capable of. But it was still surprising when the spells, which Jax only recognized due to their color, hit the shield with such precision. It was clear his year mate had aimed for each spot they hit specifically, testing the shield's durability, searching for weak spots. Most people would've needed to be told to do that sort of thing. Potter always took the initiative, and that more than anything was one thing Jax both liked and respected in the other boy.

The effect was instantaneous. The moment the spells hit their targets, instead of being deflected, as was the case with most shields, the one Jaxon was straining to keep up absorbed them, and one could see them being taken in and fizzle out throughout the shield. As that happened, the shield seemed to become nearly completely self-powered, making it so that, had he wanted to, or really, had he been less stunned by this new revelation, he could have shot back his own spells while still being protected by the shield that was apparently using the magic from the spells shot at it to keep itself up.

"Bloody insane.." He muttered to himself in awe, brown eyes gaining a gleaming look of triumph as he lowered his wand to see how long the shield would remain on it's own. His amazed grin only grew when it stayed up for about as long as it took for his dorm mate to cross back over to him with excitement. It wasn't an incredible amount of time, but Jax was probably one of the few people who understood just how useful the small amount of time it gave could be in a duel or battle of some sorts. He matched Potter's excitement as the shield finally fizzled out and disappeared.

"Alright? Am I alright? Potter, are you alright? Did you see that mate?" He took a moment to reign himself in so that he didn't get completely carried away by his own excitement. "You bet your arse you gotta try it. I'm not going to tell you what exactly happens though. Think it'll be fun to let you see it first hand." The taller of the two said with a wink, and opened his mouth to ask the other boy what exactly he was working on, but closed it again and nodded when Potter said he had something else he needed to say.

Considering this was Potter he was talking to, it really shouldn't have surprised him that this was coming up. But it did. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that before then, the other boy had never seemed to feel the need to include anyone else in his circle except for the Weasleys and Granger. Not that Jax particularly minded. He wasn't the type to go looking for trouble. But neither was he the type to back down from it when it came looking for him. It was probably one reason he was a Gryffindor.

All in all though, he had to give it to the boy-hero for finally seeking out other potential allies that could help him in a victory. It's what they all wanted wasn't it? Jaxon couldn't pretend there wasn't a war going on, or that he didn't plan on standing on the right side of it, no matter what that might mean. Sure, that may be a chance for neutrality somewhere, but that wasn't for him. That was for people who stood for nothing in his mind, and Jax sure as hell stood for something.

In the end, it was an easy decision, and the Gryffindor male found it was one he didn't even really have to make. As it seemed to have already been made, and just waiting for a moment to make itself known. He did have quite a few questions for the other, but apparently those would need to wait for a later time, as Potter didn't seem to think their current location private enough. That more than anything had Jax feeling the full weight of what he would be agreeing to. His shoulders straightened in reaction, his head nodding to the warning he was given about Halloween, though he couldn't stop the rueful grin he gave the boy.

"Didn't think it was just going to be you, Granger and the Weasley clan against the world did you?" Jaxon replied rhetorically, and in good humor, but there was a serious undertone to his words that belayed his choice in the matter. If there was going to be action, he was going to be apart of it. He didn't make the decision lightly either. Jax knew was what at stake by joining Potter. He also knew what was at stake if the other boy wasn't the one who came out on top in all of it. Had known for years. Over that time, he had played his part as silent supporter. Now he was fully prepared to have a more active role.

Shaking his head a bit, the sixth year knew it might seem foolish to agree to risk his neck without knowing all of the details, but Jax already knew most of what he needed to. It wasn't blind trust and faith he put in his house mate. For the past five years he had shared living quarters and classes with Potter, and had learned a lot about the boy just from that even if they weren't the best of mates. There were a lot of difference this year compared to years in the past. A lot of differences that were turning heads and making people talk. Differences Jaxon did want explanations to, if only to understand better. The one thing that remained the same was that Potter was still the most trustworthy bloke around. He was a Gryffindor through and through, and had proved time and again he was just as loyal to those that were loyal to him. It was respect that won Jaxon over, as well as a sense of loyalty to the boy he had watched struggle through life for years.

"Not very subtle about things Potter. But hey, us lions weren't made for subtlety. We leave that to the snakes." Jaxon grinned and winked at the other male, then proceeded to demonstrate the wand movements for the spell so that he could try out the shield. "Think you got it Potter? Alright then. The incantation is 'Homminus Veritatum'. Better focus though. It's a a mean bitch to get going at first if you aren't concentrating. Think you'll like the payoff though." With another wink and a knowing grin, Jax backed away with his wand at the ready, sending a trip jinx, a bat-bogey hex, and a stunner when Potter gave the go ahead. The first two aimed at opposite corners, and the stunner aimed at the center. Might as well return the favor and test the durability himself.

Harry was a little bit confused about what this shield did to have the larger boy so clearly excited. Of course, he would feel it for himself soon enough, so there was no real need to get worked up trying to figure it out. He would only guess wrong, probably, and that would take time away from when he could get that excited himself.

Harry frowned a little at the way Jax worded his agreement that he wanted in. If he thought he could still count on Hermione or all of the Weasleys this would likely be a very different conversation. Then again, that would probably mean he was still swallowing the Headmaster’s lies. If that was true, he would be on the wrong side, and he wouldn’t have what he did with Sky. All in all he thought he was better off with what he had now than with the other choice.

He forced a smile in return to the other boy as he took up dueling position again. Whatever was going right or wrong with the war and its sides could be dealt with later. It wasn’t like he had enough information to deal with it now, and besides, he had what seemed to be a really exciting piece of defensive magic to learn and a bond of friendship with someone that Hermione didn’t approve of to solidify.

He nodded once to show that he understood what he was supposed to do, then took a deep breath and recited the incantation, mimicking what Jax had done with his wand conjuring it earlier. The other boy wasn’t kidding when he said the shield required a lot of focus, and Harry had a fight getting it to stay up. Finally he felt like it was stable, and the black-haired boy gave a second, stronger nod.

He braced himself as three familiar spells flew, expecting the magic to only increase the growing strain on the shield. Instead, as the spells hit the shield and were absorbed, it got ridiculously easy to hold up. In shock, Harry gaped and dropped his wand arm loosely to his side. To his even greater surprise, the shield stayed up for a few more seconds, seemingly powered by the magic that it had absorbed.

Harry actually leapt in the air and let out a triumphant whoop. This changed everything about how he would duel superior opponents. He thought of one more test he wanted to make, but this was neither the time nor the opponent for that one. He knew who was, though, and it would be dealt with soon enough.

“That is the greatest thing ever,” he exclaimed joyfully, the smile on his face honest and possibly a little bit crazy. Still, it wasn’t every day that you discovered a shield that let you keep it up while firing spells at your opponent. “Wonder what it looks like for a proper two-way duel with these things?” he asked, quirking a brow. It would surely be a sight to see spells flying back and forth at two shields that were holding themselves up. He reconjured his, grunting with effort as he asked an important question that had just popped into his head. “I wonder how hard it is to move the shield if an opponent tries to shoot around it?”

Jaxon couldn't help but laugh at Potter's enthusiasm even as a big grin split his face, proud that both he had been able to teach the other boy something new and useful, and that his fellow Gryffindor had been able to perform the shield correctly. Had there really been any doubt that Potter would be able to though? Not really, as Potter was famous for more than just the scar on his head. Anyone who paid a lick of attention would be able to tell anyone else that the boy wonder was especially talented and skilled at Defensive magic, and thrived in classes like Defense Against the Dark Arts and Dueling.

Of course, Jax had his own natural affinity for Defensive magic, and so he didn't feel his competitive streak react when Potter was involved. Then again, Jaxon's competitive streak only really applied to Quidditch, and Potter was on the same team as him, something for which he was thankful for. Otherwise they probably wouldn't be practicing in a friendly manner. That was just how things went typically went when Quidditch was involved. Or males and sports in general. Either way. Jaxon was happy him and the other boy were in the same house and on the same team pretty much all around. That meant there was no real reason for Jax to not like the other bloke. Which was a good thing, as he didn't really enjoy not liking people. It took energy better used elsewhere.

Of course, some people made it difficult to not not like them. Like a majority of Slytherins, for instance. But it wasn't for the typical house rivalry and biased bull that had Jax not liking a good deal of them. The boy just didn't have the patience to deal with ignorance was all, and though he could admit many of the snakes had good qualities, they never seemed to find it in themselves to admit their flaws, or when they were wrong, which was frustrating on the whole, and one reason why he generally steered clear of them for the most part.

This year though, that might all change, thanks to the boy he practiced with now. It hadn't escaped his knowledge that Potter was making moves this year that would've made most people pee themselves from laughing so hard at just thought of them in previous years. Like dating snakes, for one, and not just any snake, but one that shared the last name with the most infamous of terrors to probably have ever walked the bloody earth. Not to mention the significant drop in time he spent with his two best of friends, and even the notorious rivalry between him and Malfoy this year seemed to have all but disappeared.

Most of the lions were trying to figure out what all of this meant, and Jax was about as curious about it as everyone else. Potter didn't seem out of his crazy as the paper would've had them believing the year before, and there wasn't any way he'd be under the Imperious, as everyone knew he could throw that off. No. There was other things at work here. Things others weren't privy to currently, but things Jaxon knew he wanted in on. The time for that sort of thing wasn't then though, when working with the shield was such a better option and the fun of what they were doing greatly outweighed the heavy topics floating through his mind. So he pushed them away for the time being, saving them for another time and different setting.

"'Course it is Potter. I wouldn't waste my time or yours for that matter with anything less than great. What do I look like? A firstie?" Jaxon replied with humor, shaking his head a bit and chuckling, though a roguish grin settled onto his lips at the other boy's ideas. Well, they were really questions, but they had ideas behind them, and ones he was only too happy to test out. "Good idea Potter! See. this is why I decided you would be a good choice for this." Of course, Jax knew he hadn't really chosen Potter specifically for this experiment, and the boy showing up had been pretty much luck of the draw really, but hey, he was just being his normal good-natured self.

When Potter reconstructed the shield again, Jax waggled his eyebrows and began to shoot off stunners, pacing this way and that as he tried to get around the shield to hit Potter behind it. He was excited to see what would happen and how the thing would work in this scenario. This way, they could test it's moving ability. He only sent stunners because he wasn't trying to hurt the bloke. They were just testing out the advantages and disadvantages of the newly acquired piece of magic.

Harry returned his housemate’s easy smile, though it slowly turned into an eager yet triumphant smirk. This was proving to be fun. He had no idea that learning spells like this could be fun. Usually he was doing so in class, in the library in the middle of the night before facing certain death the next morning, or in some other dire circumstance that sucked all of the joy out of life. Life was better with the joy left in it. That just made all of the decisions he was making this year make that much more sense to Harry.

“Of course I’m a good choice for this, Jax,” he nearly shouted, the smirk settling back to a grin. “Shields and keeping people alive are kind of my thing. I thought you would have heard about that by now?” He was teasing, while holding up a shield and waiting to fire spells at someone. If Hermione had seen him doing something like this, she would have smacked him in the head. What an awesome day!

That was as far into the joking as he got before stunners started flying at him and he needed to focus in again. Deciding that that was an excellent spell for their purposes he started firing his own back as soon as the shield had enough energy to hold itself up without his help. He also quickly discovered that he didn’t need an incantation or anything to move the shield. He just focused his mind on it and twitched his wand in the direction that he wanted it to go. Thus, he was easily able to alternate moving it where he needed to go and shooting his own stunners at Jax.

“Hey” he shouted out helpfully, “mind control and wand movement to move the shield, mate!” With that he went back to firing spells, aiming a little wider to test just how far it could go. Or to have his dueling partner test it, at least. He kept firing spells until his stamina, both magical and physical were beginning to feel a little thin, and then stopped firing spells, waiting behind his shield to make sure he wouldn’t need to reconjure it to avoid a nap or something.

When he was sure he was safe, he relaxed and felt an actual laugh escape from somewhere deep inside. “Mate, this shield may be the best thing I’ve ever learned at this school.” He felt a little thoughtful moment and a slight twinge of guilt. “What other awesome secrets have I been missing while I was too busy being a judgmental asshat to hang out with you or take you seriously?”

Jaxon laughed at his housemate's attempt at a joke, easy grin settling on his lips once again as he relayed the favor. "Bad dancing and losing points, that's what I thought your thing was Potter." The boy quipped back with a cheeky grin, unable to help himself when the other Gryffindor left himself open to the joke.

He had been there for the Yule Ball, and if anyone was in need to dancing lessons, it was Potter and his two left feet. At least the bloke hadn't fallen flat on his face or tripped up his partner. But then, not everyone could accomplish the things Jaxon himself did. It took a special kind of screwball for such accomplishments. And whenever a mass amount of points went missing from Gryffindor, it could be bet upon that Potter was somehow behind it. Jax would know. He usually made an extra few galleons on such bets.

Of course, that sort of thing had died down a bit since the Weasley twins had left last year, but a few good-natured gamblers like himself couldn't be kept down for long, and it was usually Seamus who came back out of the things with empty pockets. Something Jaxon and Dean always got a laugh at. Jax would tell anyone who listened that they hadn't heard anything until they had heard an Irish bloke swear like a sailer. He could still remember the time McGonnagall had caught his friend at it and dragged him off by the ear. Merlin, he couldn't look at the boy without laughing for weeks! Ah..good times, good times.

But that wasn't the moment to reminisce, since Potter had apparently figured out how to manage the shield and fire spells back, which meant he had to focus on throwing up his own shield. Generally, Jax didn't bother much with shields, but since he had taken the time to learn this one he wanted to get the full effects. It was best to test things like this out so you better knew when to use them, and like Potter helpfully shouted, it wasn't hard to control and move the shield once it was powered up a bit.

He kept at it, moving the shield around to block the other's spells while throwing back his own, wide grin on his face as they each put the thing to the test until they were both rather spent. Even though with this particular shield running around wasn't necessary, using magic for a period of time and adapting it to something new always took it's toll. But that was to be expected and it was well worth being a little gassed after the magical work out they'd just had.

Jaxon chuckled a bit through his panting at the other boy's words, wandering over to his bag and taking out a couple of soda pops that he usually had on hand, courtesy of his mother sending him packs every week. "Now I wouldn't go around calling you an asshat Potter." He started off in response, using his wand to perform a cooling charm on the cans in his hand. "Jackass maybe. Or assclown. Or maybe just plain ass."

With a good-natured and joking grin, he tossed one of the cold cans to the other Gryffindor, popping the top on his own and taking a refreshing drink of the orange fizzy drink. "But never asshat." He raised his can at the boy and winked before plopping down on the ground and stretching his legs out lazily. "You could probably fill a book with some of the stuff you've missed out on Potter, but go ahead and pull up a piece of grass, and I'll regale you with tales and adventures of the boys not in the paper."

Jax waited for his companion to get seated and then started in on the stories, only exaggerating a bit here and there in very obvious and humorous ways, continuing until the pair decided it was time to head back to reality of the life of Hogwarts.