Chapter 9: Journal of the Hero
The Great Hall slowly emptied as dinner came to an end. Professor Sprout stood up, brushing crumbs from her robes. "I'll go check on young William, make sure he doesn't need Poppy's attention."
Harry watched her leave, then turned to see Aunt Min and Uncle Filius waiting expectantly. With a small sigh, he hopped down from his seat and followed them and Grandpa up to the familiar office.
The walk felt longer than usual, especially since he usually flew up to the tower. When they finally reached the office, Harry settled into his usual chair while Aunt Min and Uncle Filius took seats facing Dumbledore's desk.
"Now then," McGonagall's Scottish brogue was more pronounced, a sure sign she was worried. "What's this about fire, Harry?"
"Indeed," Flitwick added seriously. "Fire magic is extremely dangerous, especially without proper training."
Before Harry could answer, Dumbledore raised a gentle hand. "Perhaps I can explain. Harry has shown a remarkable aptitude for wandless magic recently. It seems he's developed the ability to create and control flames."
Harry relaxed slightly, grateful for Grandpa's intervention. When Dumbledore nodded encouragingly at him, Harry held out his right palm. A small flame sprouted above it, dancing merrily in the air.
McGonagall leaned forward, her stern expression softening into concern. "It's not hurting you?"
"No," Harry shook his head. "It feels warm and nice. Like when I'm painting and everything just flows right."
Flitwick circled Harry's chair, examining the flame from different angles. "Fascinating. The control is remarkable for one so young. But Harry, you must promise to be very careful with this ability. Fire can be dangerous."
"I know," Harry said earnestly. "I only use it against someone… or something that wants to hurt me, like today with the ice knights. And I practice lots to make sure I don't burn anything I don't mean to."
"You've been practicing?" McGonagall's eyebrows shot up. "Where? When?"
"Well..." Harry squirmed in his seat, glancing between the professors. "Just out on the grounds... And I had Grandpa watching me the first couple times!"
Dumbledore gave Harry an exaggerated look of betrayal, holding his hand against his heart. "Throwing me to the wolves already, Harry?"
McGonagall turned her stern gaze on the Headmaster. "Albus! You knew about this and didn't inform us?"
"I assure you, Minerva, I kept a close eye on Harry's practice sessions. The ability manifested quite recently, and I wanted to understand its nature before causing undue concern," Dumbledore explained calmly.
"Undue concern?" Flitwick squeaked. "Such a young child wielding wandless fire magic is absolutely due cause for concern!"
Harry made the flame dance between his fingers, trying to show how well he could control it. "But I'm really careful! Look, I can make it smaller than a candle or bigger than a torch. And I haven't burned anything I didn't mean to since I first got it!"
"That's not the point, Harry," McGonagall sighed, rubbing her temples. "We're responsible for keeping you safe. How can we do that if we don't know what abilities you're developing?"
"But I did tell Grandpa!" Harry protested, letting the flame fade away. "And he helped me practice so I wouldn't hurt myself or anyone else."
"Perhaps we should focus on establishing some ground rules," Dumbledore suggested mildly. "Harry has shown remarkable control over both his mist and fire abilities. What he needs now is guidance, not restrictions."
Flitwick nodded slowly. "Yes... yes, that makes sense. Harry, would you be willing to practice with me sometimes? We could work on precision exercises."
Harry perked up immediately. "Really? That would be amazing! Can we start tomorrow?"
"Not so fast," McGonagall cut in. "First, we need to discuss safety measures. No practicing inside Hogwarts without supervision. And absolutely no using this fire against other students."
"Unless they're trying to hurt me," Harry amended quickly. "Like those big Slytherins did that time."
The professors exchanged glances at that reminder.
"Only if they're truly trying to harm you," McGonagall said firmly. "If someone's just being mean or playing pranks, you need to come straight to one of us instead."
"But what if-"
"No buts," Flitwick interrupted gently. "Your magic is powerful, Harry. We don't want any accidents happening because someone annoyed you."
Harry slumped in his chair. "Fine. But can I still practice with you tomorrow?"
"After your lessons with me," Flitwick agreed. "We'll start small - perhaps with candle-sized flames."
"I think that's enough rules for one evening," Dumbledore said, glancing at the darkening sky outside. "I still need to discuss something else with Harry, if you wouldn't mind..."
McGonagall stood, though she looked reluctant to leave. "Very well. Harry, remember what we discussed. No unsupervised practice."
"Yes, Aunt Min," Harry nodded, watching as she and Flitwick left the office.
Once the door closed behind them, Dumbledore turned to Harry with a more serious expression. "Now then, about those Occlumency lessons we discussed earlier..."
Harry's bright green eyes suddenly darkened and glazed over, his small body going still. Dumbledore stopped mid-sentence, instantly alert.
[The Hero's Journal - A Mage Of Sorothustra] – 100CP, 200CP left
This is a simple, handy enchanted item. This journal is bound to your soul and is perpetually scribbling down your journey from your perspective, with an occasional perspective shift to some omnipresent narrator who knows more than you do and occasionally dispenses some wisdom. If you read this journal and study it you will learn of new adventures you could go on, as well as, from time to time, gain a vital clue regarding where to go next.
After a few seconds, Harry blinked rapidly and shook his head. "The special words came again, Grandpa!"
"What did they say this time?" Dumbledore asked gently, though his eyes were sharp with concern.
"It was called The Hero's Journal from something called A Mage Of Soro... Soroth..." Harry struggled with the word.
"Take your time," Dumbledore encouraged.
"Sorothustra!" Harry finally managed. "It said it would cost 100CP, and I'd have 200 left. The journal would write down everything that happens to me, and sometimes tell me about new adventures I could go on! And it said there'd be hints about where to go next when I need them."
"I see," Dumbledore leaned back, stroking his beard thoughtfully. "Did you accept this offer?"
Harry shook his head. "Not yet. I wanted to ask you first, since you said to tell you right away when the words showed up."
"Very wise of you," Dumbledore smiled. "This one sounds less dangerous than the zombie offer, at least. A magical journal that records your adventures and provides guidance... What do you think about it?"
"Well..." Harry kicked his feet, thinking it over. "It might be nice to read about what happened today with the vault. And maybe it could help us find more of them! But..." he hesitated, "what if it writes down stuff I want to keep secret?"
"That's a good question," Dumbledore said. "Perhaps we should think about what this journal might do. Would you mind if I wrote down exactly what those special words told you?"
Harry nodded, and watched as Dumbledore pulled out a piece of parchment. He carefully repeated the words: "The Hero's Journal - A Mage Of Sorothustra. 100CP, 200CP left. This is a simple, handy enchanted item. This journal is bound to your soul and is perpetually scribbling down your journey from your perspective, with an occasional perspective shift to some omnipresent narrator who knows more than you do and occasionally dispenses some wisdom. If you read this journal and study it you will learn of new adventures you could go on, as well as, from time to time, gain a vital clue regarding where to go next."
"It says it's bound to your soul," Dumbledore noted. "That likely means only you could read it."
Harry perked up at that. "So nobody else could see my secrets?"
"That would make sense," Dumbledore agreed. "And it might be useful to have a record of these special abilities as they appear."
Harry thought about it. A magical book that could help him find adventures and keep his secrets safe did sound pretty good. And unlike the zombie thing, this wouldn't change him into something scary.
"Could I try accepting it?" Harry asked. "If it turns out bad, I promise I'll tell you right away."
Dumbledore studied him for a moment, then nodded. "Very well. But be careful, and let me know immediately if anything feels wrong."
Harry closed his eyes and thought about accepting the journal. There was a brief warm feeling in his chest, and suddenly a leather-bound book appeared in his lap. It wasn't very big, just the right size for his small hands, with a simple golden clasp.
"It worked!" Harry exclaimed, carefully opening the journal. The pages were filled with neat writing, describing everything from his early days at Hogwarts up to their current conversation. "Look, it's already writing about us!"
"Fascinating," Dumbledore leaned forward to look, but the words seemed to blur when he tried to focus on them. "Ah, it seems I cannot read it after all. What does it say about our conversation?"
Harry skimmed the latest page. "It's talking about how we're discussing the journal right now. And..." his eyes widened. "It says there's another cursed vault hidden somewhere in the castle! But this one's got something to do with... fear? That's weird."
Dumbledore straightened in his chair. "Another vault? Perhaps we should keep that information between us for now. The last thing we need is more students attempting dangerous explorations."
Harry nodded, still flipping through the pages. The writing seemed to flow across the paper like water, recording their conversation as it happened. He noticed some parts were written differently, like someone else was telling the story.
"Grandpa, look at this!" Harry paused, then remembered Dumbledore couldn't actually see the words. "I mean, there's parts in here that talk about stuff I didn't even know about. Like it says Charlotte's been having nightmares about her missing brother."
"That's quite interesting," Dumbledore said carefully. "Though perhaps we should be cautious about information the journal reveals about other people."
Harry shut the book with a snap. "You're right. It feels kind of wrong reading about other people's secrets." He yawned suddenly, the day's excitement catching up with him. "Can we start the mind-protecting lessons tomorrow? I'm getting sleepy."
Dumbledore smiled warmly. "Of course. It's been quite an eventful day. Shall I walk you back to your room?"
Harry shook his head. "No thanks, I can fly back! It's faster and more fun."
He glanced down at the journal in his hands, wondering where he should keep it, when a sudden understanding bloomed in his mind. Harry concentrated for a moment, and the leather-bound book dissolved into sparkling golden lights that flowed into his chest.
"Whoa!" Harry looked up at Dumbledore with wide eyes. "Did you see that? I just knew how to do it, like how I knew how to make my mist!"
Dumbledore leaned forward, intrigued. "And you can bring it back whenever you wish?"
"Yeah! Watch!" Harry held out his hands, and the journal appeared between them in a shower of golden sparks. "It's like... it's part of me now. That's what it meant by being bound to my soul, I think."
"Most remarkable," Dumbledore said. "Though perhaps save the demonstrations for tomorrow. You look about ready to fall asleep in that chair."
Harry nodded, letting the journal vanish again. He transformed into his eagle form with a quiet pop and glided to the window ledge. Before taking off, he turned his head back toward Dumbledore and let out a cheerful chirp.
"Goodnight, Harry," Dumbledore called as the golden eagle launched itself into the evening air. "And do try to stay out of trouble tomorrow!"
oo0ooOoo0oo
Rate of CP gain is still too fast for my liking, so I'll be changing it from 4000 words to 6000 words for 100CP. It's a bit annoying to have to derail current events every 2 chapters because something new popped up. I'll probably increase it even more if it's still getting too much in the way of the story. Aside from that, I'll not include many more scenes of Harry discussing 'offers' with Dumbledore unless it's something disastrous like the Zombie Physiology from Marvel Zombies. Basically, anything that is a big negative in Harry's mind, which shouldn't pop up that often.
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