Chương 137: Chapter 137: New Brooms Sweep Clean (2)
Catherine entered Dumbledore's office and took a seat in the familiar burgundy armchair in front of the Headmaster's desk. The wizard finished writing a few lines, set his quill aside, and sealed the parchment. Fawkes, perched behind the door, swooped down, grasped the letter in his beak, and disappeared in a burst of flames.
"I didn't know phoenixes can be used for carrying messages." – Catherine noted casually.
"They usually aren't." – the Professor responded with a smile – "But I prefer to use him when sending letters to certain friends. It's safer. How have you been these past weeks, my dear? I heard you fainted."
"Yeah, once." – the girl admitted – "I was nauseous and felt very tired. I haven't tried to use my elemental power, and I've been feeling better these last several days, although the exhaustion persists. It could be from the lack of sleep, though."
Dumbledore observed the pale face of the student in front of him. "Do you clear your mind before going to sleep?" – he asked.
"I try, but last week I had a terrible nightmare. I mean, they're all terrible, but this one was again linked to some past life of mine, or whatever that is. When I woke up, the rug in the dormitory was burning, and all kinds of objects were flying around. It's me, Professor! I'm the one causing all this! In the dream, they mentioned something about 'leaking magic' and nightmares as signs of the awakening of the demon… I think I'm not going to make it!"- the girl exclaimed, almost in one breath.
The release of the tension she had been holding inside for the past week, combined with the fears she was too scared to admit even to herself, caused a torrent of tears, which she quickly tried to wipe away.
The Headmaster stood up and quickly approached the young witch, placing a comforting arm on her shoulder, his blue eyes filled with empathy. "Take a deep breath, my girl." – he said gently – "You need to tell me everything you remember about your dream. The details are important."
Catherine obeyed, recounting her nightmare in a detached manner, as if describing a movie she had recently seen. When she finished, she noticed that Dumbledore had returned to his chair and appeared deep in thought.
"I believe we can confidently assert that these particular nightmares provide us with an accurate depiction of the demon's nature and your ancestors' reactions to it." – the wizard remarked, tapping his crooked nose thoughtfully – "The Skyfall Athame, it seems, is an immensely significant artifact in the struggle against that dark creature. However, it appears to require all four kinds of elemental magic to function. Judging from your previous dream, it is probably in the possession of either House Prince or the Council. As for the term 'leaking magic,' it is unfamiliar to me. It could be connected to your nightmares, or it might be something else entirely. For now, I do not perceive anything unusual in your power. Nonetheless, I will instruct Madame Pomfrey to administer Dreamless Sleep Potion to you once a week. It is not much, but we must avoid the risk of addiction, which could be fatal, as you likely know."
Catherine pressed her lips tightly together. Dumbledore's cautious approach left her with few options to address her sleep deprivation. She felt like a test subject in his research. She was certain that taking Dreamless Sleep Potion up to three times a week would be safe and preferable to choosing between sleepless nights or nightmares with unknown consequences.
"You should continue to try to clear your mind before bed." – the Headmaster continued – "This exercise is crucial until we begin studying Occlumency in a more structured manner."
"When will that be?" – the girl asked, a bit sulkily.
"That depends on your progress with true fire." – the Professor responded with a smile, his eyes suddenly turning red as he opened himself to his element – "Shall we commence with that task?"
The young witch found no difficulty in summoning enough anger to open herself to her element. She had started to love the feeling of power and heightened awareness that came with the connection. Trying not to ponder the colour her eyes were glowing, she instinctively stretched out her arm and attempted to create a fireball, mimicking how she had seen Greg work with the soul of the water. A massive burst of flames erupted from her open palm, nearly exploding in her face. Opening her eyes, she realised Dumbledore was standing next to her, containing the fire and slowly letting it die out.
Catherine collapsed to the ground, barely able to hold her dinner. Her head spun violently, and she couldn't shake the sensation that she had made a foolish mistake.
"I believe you are relying a bit too much on your instincts and assumptions, my dear." – the Headmaster stated firmly, using his wand to conjure a bowl of ice cubes, which the young witch immediately took advantage of – "Fortunately, the fire you summoned was merely ordinary flames, although the quantity was quite impressive. What exactly were you trying to do?"
"I wanted to create a small ball, like I've seen Water Mages do." – the fourth-year admitted, feeling incredibly foolish for attempting unfamiliar magic without waiting for proper instructions.
"Ah, that clarifies much." – Dumbledore replied with an amused smile – "As I mentioned, the four elements require different techniques. Water bends and flows naturally, but fire requires considerable compression to shape it into forms. We are quite far from that stage. What is most important now is for you to extract true fire. This involves drawing out the essence within yourself rather than attracting and using normal fire from your surroundings."
With that, the old wizard extended his palm, and a golden flame danced a few centimetres above his hand. Catherine gazed at the true fire with adoration. It appeared alive, and she could sense the pure energy it held inside. She knew it could be used for both creation and destruction, making her even more impatient to harness this wild force of nature.
"You almost never use solely true fire because it drains you very quickly." – Dumbledore remarked as the golden flame grew larger and turned bright red – "Such concentration, for instance, is excellent for forming a shield that can withstand most medium-strength hexes."
"But how do I conjure true fire in the first place?" – the black-haired girl asked impatiently.
"This is something you should know instinctively." – the Headmaster replied – "Open yourself to your element and reach deep inside, as if searching for the very core of your power."
Catherine took a calming breath and attempted to follow the instructions of her Master of Fire. Concentrating on herself proved incredibly difficult when her senses were overwhelmed and her power pulsed through her veins, begging for release. Nevertheless, the girl persisted. She tried to turn her inner gaze toward the source of her power, but suddenly she heard a thunderous roar that made her sink to her knees, trembling in fear.
When she came back to her senses, she was lying on a comfortable sofa that Dumbledore must have conjured for her. The wizard was holding an ice pack to her forehead and appeared extremely relieved when she opened her eyes.
"You're finally awake, my dear girl! – he exclaimed, jumping to his feet with surprising speed for such an old man and quickly returning with a glass of iced coffee – "What happened? You just lost consciousness. Was this exercise too exhausting? Perhaps we need to slow down."
"It wasn't a matter of exhaustion." – the young witch frowned, sipping from the cold drink – "I was trying to do what you told me, Professor, but then, all of a sudden, it was too much! I felt scared! It was power I couldn't control, and I felt it was about to consume my very soul. Is that normal?"
"It's much more intense than what I've experienced myself." – Dumbledore admitted, his expression serious – "However, we must consider that you're a female, and true fire might affect you differently. Unfortunately, we have no records on that, but I hope we can establish a connection with another female Fire Mage, even if she's a Salamander Type. It would be extremely helpful."
"I suppose it's hard to find one if we're so rare." – Catherine suggested, without much hope.
"Indeed. Female Fire Mages are very uncommon, and those who are fully trained are often protected and kept hidden." – the Headmaster noted with a crooked smile.
"Why?" – the girl asked, surprised.
"I think this is a conversation for another time." – the Professor deflected, changing the topic – "That's enough for tonight. I don't want to overdo it like last time, especially considering you have your first Quidditch match this Saturday."
"Ah, yes." – Catherine responded, wondering how she'd manage the game if she felt as bad as she did the last time she used her elemental powers.
"It will get better eventually." – Dumbledore stated, as if reading her mind – "Once again, I insist that you don't practice on your own. We'll address any questions you have and try again in two weeks."
"Yes, Sir." – the young witch replied and turned to leave the round office, when she remembered something she had been pondering for a while – "Professor, I wanted to ask you something regarding Elementalists in general. Is it possible to control light and darkness?"
"An interesting question." – the wizard responded, his blue eyes piercing his student from behind his glasses – "Fire Mages can create light and darkness through the manipulation of fire, but that's not quite what you're asking, is it? Some Air Mages possess a very rare ability to change the density of the air around them, thereby manipulating light, even making it disappear completely. It's a unique talent indeed. I've heard Duke Prince was one of the very few in Britain who had it. Is there any particular reason you ask?"
"No, I was just curious about it." – the girl shrugged and quickly headed towards her Common Room, thinking frantically about the meaning behind Carter Thorne possessing such a rare ability.
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