Bab 21: Finding troubles at the source
A cataclysm.
This was the only term to describe the scene in this hall.
A huge sheet of dust smoke billowed into the room as McGonagall stood up, her glasses broken on her nose. The teacher struggled to get to her feet, leaning with one hand on the burnt carpet. Looking up, she saw her fellow professors lying on the floor. Severus Snape, the potions teacher, was kneeling beside her, a gash on his cheek bleeding profusely. At her feet lay the charred body of a small man with a burnt moustache dotted with flaming embers.
And in front of her, slick with smoke like a funeral shroud, a figure stood broad-shouldered and holding in his hand a wand blazing like fire.
"H-How is this possible?" babbled the Professor of Transfiguration, her eyes filled with dread.
***
Ten minutes before….
A silence reigned inside the hall, the light coming from the windows continuing to shine lightly on the room. The row of Professors watched intensively a squatted blond haired boy who looked at a small person standing on his toes while trying to match the same level of eye contact as the young man. Without success…
"...I don't get it…" finally sighed Dudley while looking at his Professor of Charms.
"Hum? Did I summarize the subject too much? What did you not understand, my boy?" asked Flitwick.
"I would like to say everything for the pun… But to be honest, it's mostly the 'Source' thingy that I can't rack my head on." said Duldey in response while scratching his check.
"Oh! Hohoho… I understand. Do not worry Mr Dursley. It is true that this concept is a bit… complex." smiled the little Professor laughing cheerfully.
Since he had finished his speech on magic, the Professor of Charms, Flitwick, began to discuss a fascinating but contradictory subject.
For several minutes, the little professor had been explaining to Dudley that magic originated from Nature and that only certain people could wield it, the Wizards. Magic was not a power that was possessed by wizards, but it was their ability to manipulate this mystical force or power that differentiated them from Muggles.
It was when he had finished talking about this subject that the professorial staff, represented by Flitwick in this case, began to talk about a concept that contradicted everything he had just mentioned.
The Sources.
Flitwick had in fact begun to talk about this aspect of magic, aided from time to time by another professor, to young Dudley. But once the lesson was over, the young man found himself completely confused.
"As I was saying, Magic as we know it is an element of Nature present everywhere in different degrees. But as you also know, there are also fascinating strange beasts in our world with exceptional gifts. These beings are different from some other creatures because of their deep nature. Like wizards actually, most magical beasts have learned to manipulate magic to survive. But others, much more powerful, are truly endowed with magical powers that originate from within their very being. These fascinating animals are different because of their deep nature which binds them intensely to magic. Their powers are innate to them and make them Fantastic Beasts, but their strength must be taken with great care.
Dragon, Phoenix, Unicorns,... these magical creatures, although different in many ways, all have one essential point in common that puts them in a very special category.
The Sources.
Indeed, thanks to a lot of research about them, it has been detected that these creatures hold a spark of true magical power. This aspect they share is unique to all known Sources in the world and is the exact opposite of wizards. They do not manipulate magic, they are magic.
In all the informations collected about them, it has been proven that these fantastic creatures are the very force of magic and that they are also inseparable from each other. It's a bit complex to understand, but take the phoenix for example. This fabulous bird is as intrinsic to fire as fire is to the phoenix. Bound by magic, the phoenix is the physical embodiment of the living fire of our world.
"That's a lot of complicated words for my eleven-year-old self, Professor," Dudley said, massaging his temples.
"Just a moment, my boy. Let me put it this way. As long as fire exists in our world, the phoenix will continue to exist. For one is the magical embodiment of the other's nature. That is why the phoenix is immortal, my dear Dursley. The phoenix is not a fire-handling bird... He is fire."
Dudley tilted his head sideways as he watched the Professor of Charms lecture him on Zoology. For his part, Flitwick smiled at the young man, eagerly awaiting his reaction. The tall blond man scratched his head at all this knowledge and tried to understand at least two things.
"So Professor, if you let me summarize; Magic is an element of nature that wizards and some magical creatures manipulate for various purposes."
"That's right my boy" replied the little Professor.
"But exceptions exist, such as the phoenix, which are fantastic animals imbued with magic that instead of manipulating magic... represents it?" continued Dudley, still more confused.
"That's it, that's it! Have you finally understood everything?" Flitwick hurried on.
"Not at all."
The young man's answer put a grimace on the poor little teacher's face, who obviously didn't know how to make this student comprehend the topic. Behind him, Dudley could watch out most of the teachers, including the Professor of Transfiguration, Minerva McGonagall, and beside her, the Head of Hufflepuff, Pomona Sprout. Most of them looked at him with a thoughtful look on their faces as they tried to figure out how to teach the young man about this particular concept that was obviously the reason for his presence. Finally, a rasping sound drew the crowd's attention, and with a smooth but firm step, Snape arrived at Professor Flitwick's side.
"Thank you Filius, I will continue from this point. The young Dursley just needs a more... direct pedagogy," said Snape in an almost whispering voice.
Listening to the Professor of Potions, Flitwick at first wanted to object, but seeing that his explanations did not succeed in making the young blond man understand the purpose of the issue, the little Professor nodded his head affirmatively, although disappointed.
Dudley, seeing Flitwick siding with the other professors, couldn't help but feel a little sorry for the Professor of Charms, who had made such an effort to teach him about a seemingly complicated matter. A new rasp sounded and Dudley stood up and looked straight to the eyes of his favorite potion teacher.
The black-clad wizard and the yellow-clad young blond boy found themselves face to face in a heavy silence. As the young man waited for his instructor to enlighten him with his wisdom, Snape did something that surprised everyone in the old hall.
"STUPEFY!" thundered Professor Snape, raising his wand to face Dudley.
Suddenly, before the teachers could say anything, Severus Snape cast a spell on their own student. Dudley only had the instinct to shield his face from the glowing lightning bolt that shot straight at him. Upon impact, Dudley felt his arms turn numb and an icy wave ran down the rest of his body, making him feel as if he had jumped into a frozen lake. The shock of the spell crashed into the young student in a blaze of sparks that lit up the room in crimson. Once the last of the sparks had fallen, a long silence fell over the room before Dudley finally lowered his arms and looked furiously towards the potion teacher whose face was still impassive.
"I think, Mr. Durlsey, that the demonstration must have given you a lot of useful information," Snape said without a hint of apology.
"Severus, have you gone mad?" snapped McGonagall.
Snape, as calm as ever, looked at his colleague, as bewildered as the rest of the teachers in the room. The poor Professor Sprout who had brought the young Dudley into the hall even turned livid as she saw her student so easily assaulted. Flitwick seeing the attack even brandished his wand at Snape ready to cast another hex while McGonnagall simply pointed her accusatory finger at the Professor of Potions.
"Forgive me for my display, but I think it was necessary for young Dursley, as well as for us, to understand the reason for all of us being in this room. And before you cast a spell on me, I'd like to point out that the young Dursley is unharmed, if anything," Snape replied calmly.
"Unharmed! I feel like I've had a cannonball thrown at me. And you dare to say that I look unharmed..." replied Dudley massaging his arms.
"Dursley is right, Severus. What you did was unacceptable. What would you have done if the young man had been injured." cried Sprout with a cutting stare.
"Casting a spell on a student is unforgivable, Severus. It is an outrage! An outrage!" exclaimed Flitwick waving his wand straight at the Potions Master.
"Such an act is highly punishable, Severus. After all this time spent working together, I must confess to being highly scandalized by your action." the Professor of Charms shouted.
Posing an imposing calm in front of the opposing counsel, the Professor of Potions endured the sharp judgment of his colleagues without the slightest concern. Delicately tucking his wand into the sleeve of his robe, Snape swept the assembly with his cold gaze before walking calmly towards Dudley, who this time stood on guard against his teacher, ready to retaliate if attacked. The Potions Master took no notice of the young man's aggressiveness, but simply stood beside him before turning to his fellow work colleagues and placing his hand on the student's sturdy shoulder as if to support him, strangely enough.
"While I applaud your work ethic, I would like to point out that young Dursley is, as I said, unharmed...even though he has just received the full force of the Stunning spell. And as you can see, Dursley is more than awake. Isn't he?" asked Snape quietly.
The rest of the teachers fell silent and looked towards their student, turning their heads in unison. At the announcement of the Potions teacher, the other professors were this time bewildered and then transfixed as if they had been hexed as well. Dudley had to admit to feeling uncomfortable at this strange attention. Even stranger was the fact that having Snape by his side at that very moment was... comforting?
"Minerva... Severus is right! The Dursley boy is fine! This is more proof!" cried Flitwick as if he had just discovered the magic formula to make the gold appear.
"Calm Filius. It's certainly... disconcerting but there may be more than one reason for Mr. Dusley's condition. And Severus...I expect a long talk with you after we've settled this. In Dumbledore's office," Professor McGonagall commented, her eyes sternly turned towards Snape.
Snape did not respond to the Professor of Transfiguration's comment. The Potions Master simply stepped forward to face Duldey, who was really starting to get impatient with the whole thing.
"Mr. Durlsey...I think there is no need to theorize further. The Sources are magical beings, Dursley. And while that simple definition is rather simplistic, you must understand two things. One, because of their different nature from their congeners, the Sources are not manipulating the magic of our world, but controlling their own inner magic. And two, just as there are fantastic creatures that are Sources, there are wizards that are Sources, too," Snape said, emphasising the last sentence.
Dudley did not respond and took a moment to understand what his teacher was trying to convey. The insinuation was too blatant to be missed, but the boy nevertheless had to take some time to digest the information.
"Professor... Are you saying that I am... a Source?" replied Dudley uncertainly.
"The correct term, Mr. Dursley, would be 'Sourcerer'," affirmed Snape.
"Sourcerer?" replied Dudley incongruously.
"I don't choose the terminology, Dursley," Snape continued, turning back to the other teachers.
"Just as there are specimens of animals with fantastic powers, it has also been shown that there are people with so-called exceptional gifts. We could mention the Metamorphagi, Animagi, or even by extension the Obscurials, but it has been proven that they are simply wizards who have developed the ability to shapeshift by inheritance, training or in the last case... trauma. The Sourcerer on the other hand, are much more distinct. Because of their specific nature, the Sourcerer develop an innate magic that manifests itself differently from the universal magic that wizards use. It evolves in them in many ways, generally manifesting according to the character of the Sourcerer. Or it is the personality which develops according to the inner magic of the individual, that is up for debate, but that is not why you are here, Mr. Durlsey," said Snape, instructing the young Dudley.
Snape paused for a moment while looking towards Dudley to see the young man's reaction and to check whether the information he had given had been passed on. For it was at this moment that the core of the matter and their reason for being in this particular room would be revealed.
"Durlsey, a Sourcerer does not manipulate magic but draws his strength from the one he has in himself. As a result, he instinctively develops extraordinary abilities that can take on very different forms from one individual to the next. This can be the ability to fly, walk on walls, breathe fire and many other examples… like resisting a spell to mention just one more…" continued Snape, with a faint hint of disappointment.
Dudley made no mention of the emphasis, but returned Snape's accusing eye.
"And tell me if I am wrong but, I think without mistake that you have already developed these kinds of abilities, Dursley?" said Snape rhetorically.
As he listened to this, slowly, the young man's emotions began to accelerate as he began to process the revelations of his pale-skinned teacher.
"But at first, what truly indicates that a person is potentially a Sourcerer is their inability to manipulate universal magic, since without prior training, the Sourcerer would find themselves colliding their own magic with that of the world. The result being to... unfortunate accidents," Snape finished, forcing the last words out.
Snape did not continue, giving the young blond-haired boy a moment to access. And Dudley certainly needed it.
As soon as the Potions Master had finished, the torrent of accumulated thoughts rushed through the young man's head, who had not experienced such a storm of emotions since he had been told the truth about Santa Claus.
He had to admit it, Snape was a good teacher. The Potions teacher's explanations had answered many of the questions that Dudley had been holding in his mind for a long time, even when he had first learned about the wizarding world, the moment the giant Hagrid came storming in on Harry's birthday.
A Sourcerer. That was who Dudley really is, the young man exclaimed to himself in a moment of complete enlightenment.
"That's it! That's the answer! I'm not a walking, talking disaster worse than a typhoon but a Sourcerer! It's not me who sucks! It's the world that sucks!,"
PERTIMBANGAN PENCIPTA 
Moustachio
Moustachio Happy New Year!
May this year be a wonderful adventure for you.
See You!
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