Capítulo 18: Patronus
A/N: Pat-reon: HelloDarkness07
Two chapters today. This is the first one.
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My 6th Year of Hogwarts. Well, 5th year of learning, but the 6th Year of the Hogwarts Curriculum. It had begun with just introduction to NEWT level classes, and in the middle of December, we had begun speeding things up. It was February now, and my 6th year was just a few months shy of ending.
My last summer had gone just like usual. Only this time, I used the Vanishing Trunks to move between Hogwarts and my orphanage, learning different things. I brought the trunk with me, obviously, since I don't want anyone to find it and use it. The RoK won't stay hidden if anyone does. Granted, the protection spells might delay them some, but there's nothing like a perfect defence. Other than the Fidelius Charm, which I can't cast yet.
So, yeah, I learned, a lot. I finally managed to create my first Time Spell! Well, I modified an existing Time spell, but same thing. It's just as exciting!
The original spell was one I had learned to study for 5-6 hours inside the Room, while only half an hour passed outside. Damn useful when I had to study different Sorcery Primers from the Room of Knowledge for 9 hours a day, and still have 6 hours of sleep.
That was an Enchantment Ward, called the Time Slowing Ward, and was basically a charm that you cast on the Room you want to affect.
My own spell was a Runic Ward combined with a charm. The Runic Scheme had to be carved in metal, and worn around any single body part. But the thing is, the metal ornament had to be enclosed, and not stay open.
I had found a set of Gold Bangles, uncarved, in the Room of Hidden Things, after a lot of searching, and used them for the ward. A really weird thing to lose in Hogwarts, really. The owner must've really gotten punished when they returned home.
Carving Runes wasn't hard, I just had to heat the scalpel, a lot, and cast a metal softening charm on the un-enchanted gold.
11 errors, and 4 melted bangles is all it took for me to carve the Runes perfectly on the bangle currently around my left wrist. The bangle was too eye catching though, and the Runes visible, so I covered it by rolling a strip of leather around it, and shrunk the bangle till it fit perfectly around my wrist.
I could have carved runes on the inside, I suppose, but I didn't exactly mind doing so on the outside either. I'll figure out a way to completely hide it later, though, or improve the enchantments.
Once the Time Slower is activated, it makes you twice as fast as everything else. Or everything else moves half as fast as you. So, it's practically useless in public, unless you want to be known as a Speedster or something.
But, for learning, it is a Godsend. It can also be used in parallel with the Time Slowing Ward, meaning I got 10 hours every half hour.
I've already managed to learn to access the Astral Planes through Sorcery, with the help of my Time Slower.
My telepathy allowed me to only enter the Astral plane, travel to places, and stay awake without needing to sleep.
Sorcery, however, allowed my Astral Form to do a lot more than that. Searching for specific Magical signatures, possession, and entering dreams of other people. I could also now use my Magic while in the Astral form, which happened only after I connected with the Universe.
Plus, I was now learning to bring my Astral Form in the Physical Realm, although it'll only be for a short while. Before that happens, though, I'll need to master the Mirror Dimension, for which, I'll need a Sling Ring. Slytherin, for some reason, didn't have an alternative for the Sling Ring, (or if he does, I haven't read about it yet,) even if he did say that after some time, Wizards can stop using them.
Which still meant I had to actually use one before getting used to the feel of creating portals.
Yeah, it's on the back burner for now, since I don't want to be stuck in the Mirror Dimension, even Astrally, without a Sling Ring on hand. Portals will be handy too, I'm sure of it. So, my Personal Magic was currently limited to Astral Projection, Mind Arts, and the now slowly developing Telekinesis.
Yup, my constant use of the Accio, Depulso, Wingardium Leviosa, was finally getting paid off. The control over those spells was slowly, but surely evolving. Soon, in a few years, I won't even have to cast the spells to use the spells.
Meanwhile, for the Universal Energy, I was just practicing different spells for Sorcery, and hand to hand fighting. The second was needed, because a lot of spells were actually dependent on my footwork, hand gestures, and my physical form.
The strength of my shield depended on how well I can hold a physical shield to defend myself. Unsurprisingly, this also makes my Wizardry spells better, who'd have thought?
But it wasn't just shields I was using. There were other Mystic spells to create weapons like whips, swords, fans, threads, chains, etc.
Then there were the elemental spells, which don't summon elements like Wizarding spells do, but they can help you manipulate the elements. There are actual spells that can conjure the elements, but that's only possible if you make a pact with another Dimension related to those elements.
Yeah, no. I'm definitely not doing that. Like Salazar wrote, a Wizard's magic is his own. Another being cannot be allowed to access it. And I agree with it. I'll use my own Magic, and the Magic of my own Universe. Other than that, if I do somehow end up becoming the Ruler of an entire Dimension, then I'm using only that Dimension's Energy.
Cyttorak, Raggador, and the rest can depend on the Sorcerers to use their magic.
Finally, there was Transmutation, but I was waiting to completely master the other Sorcery spells available to me, before trying Transmutation. Plus, I think, learning Wizarding Alchemy before that will be helpful.
There were a lot more spells, rituals, and other practices in Sorcery, but most of them depended on getting Magic from other Dimensions. And we all know how I feel about that.
Along with that, however, I was trying to learn something else.
Apparation. The Magical art of disappearing from one place, and reappearing at another. Every 6th year student has the option of taking the Apparation classes, and the classes start in February.
Luckily enough, age is not a constraint here, at least now. So, just being in a NEWT level class is the requirement for taking the Apparation lessons. Which means, despite being just 15, I couldn't be barred from Apparation lessons, thanks to their own laws.
Granted, I couldn't apply for a license until I turn 17, or pass my NEWTs in at least one subject, which immediately makes me eligible to emancipate as an Adult Wizard. But that was okay.
There's no way I'm waiting another year to learn teleportation, so obviously, I elected to take those lessons this year as soon as the notice was put up.
"You sure they'll let you?" Ana asks, incredulously, seeing me sign my name on the sheet.
I shrug, and say, "There's nothing in the laws that prevents me from taking the lessons. They can, however, prevent me from having a license before I turn 17."
"Right, and they're not exactly stupid enough to have a Wizard capable of Apparition go out there without a licence? Which means they'll be forced to give you a license too, if you pass the test." Ana says, and shakes her head.
The need for Apparition license is two fold. One, it allows you to legally apparate wherever you want, other than the places specifically warded against it. And two, it helps the Ministry determine which one of the Licence holders was there near a Magical crime scene.
The Licence given to you can track your Apparition, if the ministry tries it within a few minutes. After that, the trail goes cold, and the spells fail. But they can only do it in cases of crimes. Public won't trust the government at all otherwise.
There's an entire sub-department in the Department of Mysteries, that works together with the DMLE to track Apparition in cases of crime. So, no robbing banks by apparition when you have a license. They can, and will track you down.
And refusing to get a license isn't an option. The punishment for apparating without a licence is 5 years in Azkaban, along with a 5000G fine. 'That's if they catch me.' you might say, but don't forget, they have Time Turners and an entire army of Aurors.
That's not even mentioning that splinching in Muggle areas incurs even more fines and punishments.
I put my 12 Galleons in the pouch provided for the Apparition lesson fees payment, and say, "The only thing the Ministry might try, is making sure that I don't pass my test this year. But they're not stupid enough to fail me without any cause, so they'll have to find a valid reason to fail me."
Well, that's assuming that they allow me to sit my NEWTs this year. If I don't pass my NEWTs, I'm not an adult, and I don't get to even try the test. Which means, I'll have to convince Merrythought that I'm ready to sit my NEWTs this year itself, skipping another year at Hogwarts. Should be easy, given my OWL results.
Ana just shakes her head, and goes back to writing on the parchment in front of her. We were currently sitting in the Ravenclaw common room, on a table near the walls. Looking at the parchment, I ask, "What are you working on?"
Sighing, Ana says, "Rowle gave us an assignment, to write 9 inches on the Patronus Charm. I've gotten three inches, and I don't know enough about it to write more."
Hmm.. the Patronus Charm.
"You're hoping I teach it to you, aren't you?" I say, seeing Ana discreetly look at me with her quill just poised over the parchment.
Ana just pouts, seeing me smile in amusement, and says, "Can you blame us? You haven't even told us what your Patronus takes the form of?"
Ah-hah! "So, it's not just you then. Dorea and Darla too?" I ask, because of course it's them.
Shrugging, Ana says, "We offered Charis, well Dorea did, but Charis refused to study under a privileged cheater like you."
I blink, and then snort. Charis Black is a Ravenclaw, the same age as me. She had taken the offered Time Turner to study all the classes in the third year, and managed it pretty well. But in 4th year, she was forced to give it back after some psychological issues she faced. Not getting enough sleep was one of the major reasons for that, along with her snapping at a teacher out of frustration.
And she absolutely hated, how without even a Time Turner, or hours and hours of studying, I was offered the chance to give my OWLs early, and how I came second in the entire year. My marks were at the top in every subject I sat, but I simply did not bother with Muggle Studies, Divination, and Care of Magical Creatures, which ensured the Hufflepuff girl came at the top.
"God forbid, she burns herself out again, and blames me. Anyway, when's the assignment due?" I say, deciding to finally let them in on some of my secrets.
"Next monday." Ana immediately answers, straightening up.
Looking around, I ensure that no one's paying attention to us, cast a simple Notice-me-not on us, and say, "Come on, I'll show you something."
"Ooh! An adventure! I feel like a Gryffindor right now!" Ana says, whispering to stay silent.
Shaking my head, I start walking towards the Gryffindor common Room to get Darla. On the way, I stop in an empty corridor to Ana's curiosity, and call out, "Dippy?"
Almost immediately, a loud crack of Apparition sounds in front of me, and a pillow case wearing House Elf stands in front of me. Dippy the Hogwarts House Elf.
"Young Mason Sir calls for Dippy?" Dippy says, happily looking up at me.
My heart aches for her once again, at how much the Wizards have messed with their psychology. My studies haven't gone well, when it comes to House Elves. Not even Rowena knows about how they came to be.
Bending down, I pat Dippy on her head, and say, "Thank you for coming, Dippy. I wanted to ask for a small favour, if you will?"
Dippy rapidly nods her head, excited, and says, "Dippy always be ready to do small favours. What can Is be doing for young Mason Sir?"
Ana giggles, which I ignore, and say, "I need you to send a message to a girl in the Slytherin common Room. Dorea Black is her name, and she should be in the Fourth Year dorms, or the Common Room. Can you do it?"
Dippy nods again, rapidly, and bangs her fist on her chest. She exclaims, "Of course! Dippy be sending the message secretly!"
Sighing, I say, "Thank you, Dippy."
With the wave of my hand, I summon a piece of parchment from my bag, and with another wave, cast a spell to write on it.
'Come to the second floor girls bathroom. And wait- M.L.A'
Handing the note to Dippy, I see her apparate once more, and marvel at how powerful they are. Wizards have been trying to stop their apparition for centuries now, and the only one successful was whoever built the Azkaban prison, which no one now knows how it works.
Nothing Wizards tried every worked in stopping the Elf Apparition, not even the darkest of the wards. Well, they do harm the ones who aren't allowed in, always very darkly, but they can't be stopped.
Ana's voice brings me out of my fascination, as she asks, "Since when do you have a House Elf? I thought they'd all died in the fire that killed your family."
I correct her, and say, "Dippy isn't my House Elf. She's a free Elf, who has bonded herself to the Castle of Hogwarts. This is only the 2nd time I've ever asked her to do something for me."
"You're a weird Wizard, Mason Aves." Ana says, shaking her head, and starts walking agait.
While better than most, Ana still has some prejudice against Elves. She thinks of them as Servents, and nothing more. Racist, yes, but she's mostly a product of her raising. I'll change her opinion, slowly.
About a minute later, Dippy pops back in front of us, to tell us that she delivered the message, along with the order, "Young Mason Sir be coming to eat Dinner tonight. To repay the favour?"
I really need to teach her how favours actually work. She just asks me to spend time with the Elves! I just nod, and agree to it, as Ana looks on in open amusement.
Soon, we reach the Gryffindor Entrance hall, and stand in front of the Portrait that hides the Common Room. The Lady in the portrait looks at us two Ravenclaws in distrust, and asks, "What is it?"
Ana takes a step forward, and says, "We're here to meet our friend, Darla White. She's in the Fifth Year."
Narrowing her eyes, the Lady turns around and walks away from us, going deeper into the painting. Soon, she returns, and a few seconds later, the Portrait opens. Darla steps out, sees us, and sighs.
She says, "I won't even ask how you found out about the entrance, bloody Ravenclaws."
As we begin walking towards the stairs, Ana snorts, and points her thumb at me, and says, "This one here's hiding a lot of things, it seems."
"Did he agree to teach us?" Darla asks, ignoring me, even if I was standing in between them.
I say, "HE can answer for himself, and yes, I did. When's your assignment due? Wednesday?"
Darla nods, lifting her shoulders in an apology. After some small talk, we reach the 2nd floor Girls bathroom, and see Dorea standing there waiting for us.
I cast another Notice-me-not around us, and wait for the Bathroom to become empty once again. Say what you will, but Myrtle's death would have been really helpful in keeping this Bathroom unused. Hope she doesn't die this time though.
While waiting, Dorea asks, "So what are we waiting for? You aren't going to perv in there, right?"
I look at her with disbelief, and say, "No! Gods no! Where I'm going to take you has it's entrance inside the bathroom."
They look at me as if they don't believe me, so I say, "I promise! I'm not being a pervert."
"If you say so." Dorea mumbles, while the two nod in acceptance.
Bloody hell, what's taking those girls this long.
Sighing, I extend my telepathy, and without entering their minds, prompt the subconscious minds of the girls inside to leave. One by one, the three girls leave the bathroom, and the bathroom becomes empty once again.
Entering it, I go towards the main sink, while the girls look on in curiosity. Since they are not that close, they don't hear me whispering in parseltongue to open the Entrance, and only see the Sink sinking into the ground.
"What the bloody hell is that?!" Darla exclaims seeing the tunnel.
Smirking, I say, "Follow me and find out."
And then, without any warning, I jump into the tunnel, happy to hear three simultaneous yells of my name.
"MASON!!" the three girls yell, a lot of fear in their voice.
Within a few minutes, I drop down on the cushioned ground at the end of the tunnel, and look around.
I'd changed this cave a lot since the first time I'd found it. Now, instead of a rough ground completely covered in skeletons of different animals, mostly rats, the ground was covered in a smooth cobblestone like pathway. The spot of ground, along with the patch of the wall right in front of the Pipe opening was softened with the help of Runes, to break the fall. Although, it's not needed much, thanks to the Enchantments on the pipe itself, which causes us to slow down at the bottom.
Above us hung a few of my Lumos orbs, which I'd enchanted to always stay lit. I just had to renew the spells every few years.
I'd done nothing to the walls, other than the initial softening and cleaning, because they did set the mood somewhat.
Soon, I hear the screams of the three girls, not of fear, but of exhilaration, and they exit the wall with a slowed down speed. They land on the ground, and laugh a little.
The adrenaline goes away, however, and they turn to see me smiling at them.
I say, "You lot sure took your time."
As one, the three girls jump at me, and hug me together with a yell of, "MASON!"
"Well, aren't I a lucky guy today." I quip, to soften the blow I'll inevitably face.
The punch on my chest dissuades me of the notion, however, as Darla yells, "How dare you, you bloody prat! You scared us!"
Ana takes a step back, and folds her hands in front of herself. She says, "You could have given us a warning, Mason."
Dorea stays in my hug, and I say, "You can let go now, Dorea."
"5 more minutes." Dorea mumbles from my chest.
Sighing, I use my minor telekinesis and gently push her away. Ignoring her complaints, I say, "Well, I wanted to surprise you with this. Plus, tell me you didn't enjoy it."
"We did." The three girls in front of me mumble.
Darla says, "We were just going to leave to get a teacher, but the sink started rising again, and we had no choice! We had to jump, you twat."
I chuckle, remembering the nifty little piece of Enchantment. It was already there, I just didn't know about it. As soon as the first person enters, a countdown starts. 30 seconds later, the sink starts closing unless specifically given an order in parseltongue.
"Just be thankful that I clean the pipe frequently. You wouldn't believe the types of fungus that's born in them. One mushroom tried to eat my bloody shoes." I exclaim, and start walking.
As the girls follow behind me, Ana speeds up to stand beside me, and asks, "What is this place anyway? I don't think I've ever heard of such a place."
"In a minute, Ana. You'll soon find out, don't worry." I say, and pat her head.
Ana pouts, and starts looking around, joining Darla and Dorea in examining the cave.
A few minutes later, we come across the second door, and this time, I loudly say, ~~Open~~, to the shock of the girls, and walk through. Inside the room, was the still mostly intact corpse of the Basilisk, and lounging in its empty eye socket, was Sly.
"Welcome, ladies! To Salazar Slytherin's Chamber of Secrets!" I say, walking inside.
The three girls just remain shocked, staring at the corpse of the Basilisk in fear. Ignoring them, I walk towards the Basilisk, and poke Sly awake.
I'd taken the eyes out, along with the venom glands, and the tongue, after I'd read about a few rituals that could use them. The meat was practically useless for humans, since the Venom inside the flesh is too potent for us to eat, and there's no ritual that uses them.
So, Sly was using the Basilisk corpse as a home that he can eat. I did plan to keep half the meat stored away, just in case. Sly spent most of his time in the chamber, nowadays, and only came up through the various tunnels if he needs something, or to crawl around the forest.
~~What?~~ Sly asks, annoyed at being woken up.
As he yawns, I say, ~~I brought guests.~~ and point him towards the frozen girls.
Frowning, I walk towards them, and snap my fingers a few times.
Jumping in place, the girls come out of their shock, and immediately start firing questions.
I smile, my heart feeling a little bit lighter over the single shared secret. A group of secrets. I'm a parselmouth, I'm a descendant of Salazar Slytherin, and I have access to the fabled Chamber of Secrets.
Other secrets might come out in their own times, but there's one secret that won't ever come out. Not to them, not to anyone. The secret- that I'm a reincarnated soul.
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"The Patronus Charm, is one of the Purest forms of Magic. The spell, when cast correctly, forms a shield of Light in front of us, a shield of happiness, that can stop Dementors as well as Lethifolds. When cast perfectly, however, the Shield takes the form of an animal." I explain the next day, standing in the Chamber of Secrets with Dorea, Darla, and Ana standing in front of me.
The last day had gone into explaining my Slytherin heritage, along with what I've found till now in the Chamber. They also met Sly, but he didn't like anyone of the girls touching him, so he was just a sight to see for them.
I'd also shown them the Room above Salazar's head, but since they couldn't read the books in his library anyway, we mostly stayed in the main chamber.
I didn't need to worry about them inadvertently sharing my secrets, since the Chamber highly appreciated its secrecy. Turns out, Salazar Slytherin made it so no one can share the secret of the Chamber, other than a Slytherin, which I am. It's not Fidelius, but it is enough for now.
The Corpse of the Basilisk was in the back of the chamber, close to the exit door, while the part of the chamber near Salazar's head was used by us for our lessons. I'd brought a few chairs, and a few mattresses down, so the girls can rest in between casting.
Ana raises her hand, and asks, "What does the animal depend on?"
I smile wide, and say, "Haven't a clue. No one knows, but speculations are aplenty. Some say it depends on personality, some say it depends on what we think will protect us, while some say it depends on our Spirit Animal, our potential animagus forms."
Waving my wand, I focus on a happy memory, a very personal one, and chant, "Expecto Patronum!"
Immediately, the tip of my Acacia wand glows white, and a glowing white mist starts coming out of it. Within a second, the mist condenses and forms into a ball, which then begins taking shape.
I was purposefully keeping the process slow, so the girls can observe it happening and they can get an idea of what is expected of them.
The orb of white light first forms two legs, and then wings, immediately clueing them in, that my Patronus is a bird. Slowly, the shape becomes more defined, and the orb of light starts flying around us with its wings, showing itself to be an Eagle.
My Patronus Eagle had a white head, and breast, while the top was completely grey, although on the darker side. The under wings were black, and its eyes were golden. White bellied Sea Eagle was the breed.
The eagle screeches a high sound, and looks around for any threats to itself, or its caster, me, and then finding none, comes towards me. I raise my hand to allow it to land, and smile.
I turn towards the girls, and see them looking just as fascinated with it as I am, and say, "Just being in the presence of a Patronus is enough to bring a tiny bit of happiness to everyone, as you can feel."
Seeing them all staring at my eagle, I gently dissipate it, and ignoring their disappointment, I say, "You all can learn how to do that too. It took me 3 days to learn it, and then 2 more to master it. So, let's see how long it takes you, shall we?"
Dorea eagerly nods, while Darla looks at me expectantly. Ana was smiling, still staring at the place my eagly had dissipated from.
Taking a step back, I have them stand an arm's length away from each other, wands out, and say, "First, close your eyes, and begin by digging deep into your mind. There has to be one memory, could be anything, that makes you happy as soon as you think of it. The happier the memory, the better. Once you do find it, keep that memory in your mind, don't think too much, just let it play out."
The girls close their eyes, and I see all of them smile one by one.
Softly, I say, "Now, say the incantation."
Ana is the first one to try, and she raises her wand hand in the air. Smile still on her face, she opens her eyes, and yells, "EXPECTO PATRONUM!"
The wand tip glows white, and for a few seconds it stays like that. Unfortunately, not even a wisp exits her wand and she drops down, exhausted.
"Be careful, the spell takes a lot out of you." I say, handing her a cup of hot chocolate I'd already prepared.
Chocolate wasn't actually a cure for Magical exhaustion, but it did provide a bit of Placebo effect. Chocolate is good after Dementor exposure, and wizards quickly connect Dementors to feeling tired, and drained.
Now discouraged, even Dorea and Darla fail their attempts. I sigh, looking at the three girls silently staring at their cups.
Maybe I should have had them learn it one at a time. That day, I have them try 2 more times, both of which only cause their wands to glow at the tip, and then take them back up through the stairs. I do have them meditate at night, so they can calm their minds, and tell them that the spell is difficult. Doesn't mean there's a reason to discourage yourself.
The next day, Ana and Dorea manage to produce a transparent wisp of smoke, but Darla still stays stuck on the wand glowing stage.
The day after that, Ana produces a shield, but no matter how much she tried, it didn't progress from there. Already knowing the solution, I say, "Try another memory, maybe something happier than this. It should immediately fill you whole being with happiness."
The next day is Saturday, where Dorea manages to produce a shield, while Ana's Patronus stays in the shield form. Although, it did look like it will start taking shape soon.
Seeing them have another go at it, I say, "Remember, this isn't a test. Many adult witches and wizards fail to cast this charm. Heck, many Aurors can't cast this spell, and they're the ones protecting us. But don't let that discourage you, ladies. If I, a 15 year old can do it, you can do it too."
Darla sighs, dropping her wand on the ground after another failed attempt at even a wisp, and says, "Easy for you to say. You're a bloody prodigy at everything you learn!"
Frowning, I nod at Dorea and Ana to continue, and approach Darla. Sitting down on the ground, I look up at Darla expectantly. She drops down on the chair in front of me, and says, "Sorry, I shouldn't have said that."
"Yup, you shouldn't have. But I get it." Picking her wand, I hand it to her gently, and say, "Do you know why I find Magic so easy? Compared to you lot?"
Darla shakes her head, so I say, "Because I didn't get used to it. I didn't get used to the novelty of Magic!"
"What do you mean?" Dorea asks, sitting down on the ground beside me, while Ana joins Darla on the chair beside her.
Great job continuing your practice, girls.
Seeing them looking at me in expectance, I purposefully keep my wand on the ground, to the curiosity of the girls, and say, "I've been reading about Magic since I was a child. Legends of Arthur, Merlin, Alice in Wonderland, Wizard of Oz. For years, I've wanted to be a Wizard, use Magic! And then, I found out I was actually a wizard. I wasn't just a normal kid that lives in an orphanage! And I was so damn excited"
It was the first time I'm speaking about my life like this. They knew the basics, but not my actual thoughts at the time.
I say, "But then, I found out that Magic isn't all it's cracked up to be. There are rules on how Spells can't be cast, rules on what can't be done, and rules on what shouldn't be done. And you know what, most of them are actually true. Food cannot be conjured, nor transfigured out of anything but food. There's no coming back from the Killing Curse. You can't create permanent matter out of nothing, etc."
Smiling, I say, "Oh but there's so much more Wizards are entirely wrong about. Like the fact that only the most powerful, most Learned Wizards can use Wandless Magic. You must've learned that, right?"
The girls nod, to which I smile.
"I'm no where near the strongest Wizards, heck a newly anointed Auror with barely any training can outperform me in every way, when it comes to magic. Nor am I the most Learned, because obviously, there are teachers who have forgotten more magic than I have ever read about." I say, and see them nod once again.
Standing up, I ask, "So how is it that I can do this then?"
Without any prompting from me, the water from the pool behind me rises into the air, scaring the girls into standing up. I lift my arm up, and the water rises even more, now completely in the air. The orb of water then freezes, starting from the inside, and once the surface is frozen, it starts melting back to water.
Behind the girls, the ground transfigures itself into different miniature animal shapes, and they start circling around us which prompts the girls to huddle together. My Eagle Patronus comes out of my back, and joins the transfigured animals in circling us.
Out of my left hand, fire starts pouring out, and forms into a circle. The circular halo of flames rises up and stays in the air, with no fuel to burn it.
I ask, "How can I do this, you may ask? Let me tell you. I don't believe anything is impossible, until I've actually failed to do it. I used to believe Transfiguration can't be done without a wand, and now look at me!"
"Okay, OKAY! YOU MADE YOUR POINT!" Darla says, and then yells, looking at the animals in fear, and me in a new light.
I drop my hands back down, and immediately, the spells dissipate. The water falls back down with a splash that soaks us all with a heavy shower, while the flames just dissipate in the air. The transfigured animals, meanwhile crumble to dust, which is then washed away by the water.
I snap my fingers, and with a plop sound, the water gets sucked off our bodies along with any dirt that stuck to it.
I prompt the girls to sit back down, and this time, Dorea sits on the chair, glaring at me. I say, "My point was, if you believe something to be impossible, or even hard, you won't ever succeed in doing it. You need to let go of the notion that there's anything impossibile. When it comes to magic, everything is possible! You just need to try it yourself!"
Now with a new zeal, Darla stands up and lifts her wand. She opens her mouth to cast the spell, but before she can do that, I stop her with my hand on her open mouth.
She glares at me, so I say, "Good thing you're motivated, but maybe try it tomorrow? Preferably, do it with another, even happier memory."
Darla pouts, but I just shake my head. She was tired, I could see it in her eyes. Dorea and Ana were alright for a few more attempts, but it's better to stop now itself. We still have a weekend before the assignment is due for them.
When we exit the Chamber of Secrets, and enter the castle proper, Dorea immediately joins me at my side, while Ana pulls Darla away. I look at her in curiosity, but Ana just says, "You guys go on. I and Darla have to go over our assignment once again."
Okay, that's a lie, but anyway. I nod, and raise an eyebrow at Dorea, who watches them go with barely hidden joy. She says, "Well, looks like Fate has some plans, doesn't it?"
I snort, and say, "You already know what I'll say, Dorea, don't even try."
Dorea pouts, but drops the subject. Instead, as we start walking towards the Slytherin common room, she asks, "I was always curious. What went on between you and Cassie?"
"Hmm.. why'd you ask?" I ask, wondering why it took so long for her to breech the subject.
Shrugging, Dorea says, "She kept asking me about you this summer, wondering if you've gotten rich all of a sudden or something. When I asked her why, she scowled and dropped the subject. I know she tried something against you, which failed, but since you never did anything about it, I thought it to be just minor. But now, after knowing about your Slytherin heritage, I wondered if it's related to that."
I shake my head, thinking if this is the new plan of Cassiopeia. Try and get her sister to find something about me. I trust Dorea not to share my Secrets, and Cassiopeia is not the kind of girl to try the Mind Arts on her own sister though, so maybe I am actually safe.
Still, better start the girls on Mind Arts training, Ravenclaw style.
I say, "Cassiopeia tried to manipulate me, not with talks, but with spells. It failed to take hold on me however, and I managed to fight her spells off."
"THAT'S ILLEGAL! Oh my God, if Father, or God forbid, Uncle Sirius finds out, she'll get thrown out of the family!" Dorea exclaims, slapping her own forehead and holding her head in frustration.
I drily point out, "I hardly think Sirius Black will punish your sister for using Mind Arts against a muggleborn. She can just say, 'I thought he was a mudblood' and the topic will be dropped. Well, she might be punished for failing in her goals."
"You have a really weird image about my family." Dorea says, frowning.
Well, I did get most of it from Cassiopeia's mind, so I wonder how Dorea remained so sheltered.
I say, "I am a Ravenclaw, researching is my thing. And after Cassiopeia tried that shite with my mind, I sought everything related to your family. No offense."
Dorea shakes her head, so I continue, "Your sister didn't like that I defied her orders, and I didn't appreciate her trying to mess with my mind. But, since I was a little first year student at the time, I let it go. And since what she did was a crime, she let it go, in case I told anybody. She did try to obliviate me, but obviously, it didn't stick."
I shrug at the end, in a 'What can you do?' manner. Dorea looks at me in disbelief, and asks, "My sister's Obliviate Charm… failed on you? What the fuck did you feed your brain?"
"Knowledge, lots and lots of knowledge. Oh, and learning Meditation helps. My Mind cannot be messed with, without my knowledge. And I know that to be a fact." I boast, with some additional fake pride thrown in.
I'd originally planned a soft revenge against Cassiopeia, but Dorea began seeking me out at the time, and then the teachers began looking too closely, so I had to drop it. Not like I haven't done something like this to others, although not to someone so young as me. She'll get her due, but not yet.
For now, I'm just happy with learning at Hogwarts.
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A/N: How was this? Comments and reviews please!
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