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74.28% Harry Potter: outlier / Chapter 52: 52 Lesson

章節 52: 52 Lesson

Harry sat in stunned silence as Lucas's words sunk in, a mixture of frustration and unwillingness coursing through him.

"Then let's actually start. How much do you know about emotions? You had a teacher about Occlumency, if I am not wrong?"

Harry nodded slowly, his mind forcefully calmed down from the rollercoaster of emotions he had just experienced. "Yeah, I had a teacher," he replied, his voice tinged with bitterness. "But apparently not a good one."

Lucas regarded him with what could be called a pleading look, "may I look through your memories, to speed up the process?"

"No!" Harry's answer came like a shot, "not after what you just did."

Lucas blankly stared at him for a second or two, "very well, then tell me everything he or she told you."

The boy who lived looked at him sceptically, expecting Lucas to already having looked through everything. "Four years ago my dad hired Ms. Ravenwood. She tutored my sister and me on how to construct a defence against someone like you, as well as the other uses of Occlumency. However, she was payed to mainly focus on the former."

Lucas listened intently as Harry recounted his experience, his expression betraying no hints of it changing as he absorbed the information. "I see," he said simply, his tone neutral. "And what did she teach you about emotions and Occlumency?"

Harry furrowed his brow, trying to recall the lessons he had learned all those years ago. "Well, she taught us that to construct anything in your mind you have to be free from emotions," he began, his voice thoughtful. "And that it is best to keep your feelings under control, because it boosts your defence further."

Lucas nodded, his gaze unwavering. "That's somewhat correct," he said, his tone encouraging. "And how did she instruct you to do that?"

Harry hesitated, trying to remember the specific techniques Ms. Ravenwood had taught him. "Um, well, she said that the key is to clear your mind of all emotion," he replied slowly, his brow furrowing in concentration. "To focus on nothing but an empty void, like a blank canvas."

Lucas nodded along, "good, you remember at least something. Even though you are not using it."

Harry felt a flicker of satisfaction at Lucas's acknowledgment, quickly replaced by annoyance, as his expression hardened. "Yeah, well, it's kind of hard to focus on nothing when your mind's constantly racing with thoughts and emotions," he retorted, his voice tinged with frustration. "Especially after what just happened."

Lucas regarded him with a calm look, his demeanor unwavering. "I understand, Harry," he said softly, his tone sympathetic. "But that's precisely why it's important to learn how to control your emotions. To master your mind and not let it control you."

Harry's frustration bubbled to the surface as he listened to Lucas's words, his anger threatening to overwhelm him. "And how exactly am I supposed to do that?" he demanded, his voice laced with bitterness. "When I've spent my whole life being told to suppress my emotions and ignore how I feel?"

Lucas looked at him with a mocking smile, to him Harry sounded like an entitled child, who thinks that everything will work out for him. Just like it always has been. "Suck it up. The world doesn't care about how you feel. To a skilled wizard in the mind arts you are an open book, ready to be exploited."

Harry's frustration flared at Lucas's blunt response, his jaw tightening as he fought to keep his emotions in check. He knew Lucas was right to some extent, but that didn't make it any easier to swallow.

"Suck it up?" Harry repeated incredulously, his voice rising with indignation. "Easy for you to say. You don't know what it's like to live with this constant pressure, this weight on your shoulders. You don't have to proof anything. You are not expected to inherit a noble house."

With cold eyes, Lucas stared at him. Harry had no idea how many weeks he had slaved away in the Room of Requirenments, how it felt having eyes on you wherever you went, watching every step you take, judging your every move. He couldn't comprehend the pain and suffering he had gone through. All for the sake of a better future.

"You are correct. I have no idea how that feels, but what I do know is that you are lazy and weak. Do you even know how your mind looks like?"

Harry bristled at Lucas's words, his anger flaring up at the accusation. "Lazy and weak?" he shot back, his voice laced with indignation. "You have no idea what I've been through, what I've had to endure. You have no right to judge me. In my first year I fought against Voldemort and in my second I killed a Basilisk. I AM NOT WEAK."

The classroom changed before Harry's eyes as Lucas's words hung in the air. The familiar stone walls melted away, replaced by a swirling mist that enveloped Harry in a shroud. He blinked, trying to make sense of his surroundings, but the mist only thickened, obscuring everything beyond arm's reach.

"Where are we?!" Harry demanded, his voice echoing in the eerie silence.

"You don't know? Does it not look familiar to you? How long has it been since you were here last?" The voice of Lucas sounded like it came from every direction.

Harry's heart pounded in his chest. The swirling mist seemed to press in on him from all sides, disorienting him further. He tried to focus, to push past the panic that threatened to overwhelm him, but it was like trying to grasp at smoke.

"I... I don't know," Harry admitted, his voice shaky with uncertainty. "I've never been here before. What is this place?"

Lucas's voice echoed through the mist, sending shivers down Harry's spine. "This is your mind, Harry," he said, his tone somber.

Harry's mind raced as he tried to process Lucas's words. This was his mind? This swirling mess?

"But why am I here?" Harry asked, his voice still as loud as before. "What do you want from me now?"

Lucas's voice echoed through the mist, its tone calm yet insistent. "I brought you here to show you something, Harry," he explained, his words cutting through the eerie silence. "To show you the truth about your mind."

Harry's heart pounded in his chest as he listened to Lucas's words, a sense of unease creeping over him. What did Lucas mean by "the truth"? And what did he want Harry to see?

As if in response to his thoughts, the mist began to calm down. Eventually, it lessened enough for him to see a structure in the distance. It looked like a hill.

"What is that?" Harry asked in confusion.

Lucas's presence seemed to materialize out of the remaining mist, his figure looming before Harry like a specter. "That is your defence." he said bluntly.

Realisation dawned on him. He recognised it now, but it looked so different to how he remembered it. 

"When did you last visit this place?" Lucas asked more for Harry's sake than his own.

"A... about two years ago." 

Lucas nodded, his expression unreadable as he regarded Harry. "And what do you see now?" he asked, his voice calm and steady.

Harry's gaze remained fixed on the structure in the distance, his mind racing with a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions. "It looks... different," he replied slowly, his voice tinged with uncertainty. "It's like... it's been abandoned. Neglected."

Lucas regarded him with a knowing look. "Yes, that's because it has been," he said simply, his tone matter-of-fact. "You've neglected your defences, Harry. You've let them fall into disrepair."

Harry's brow furrowed in confusion as he processed Lucas's words, a sense of guilt gnawing at him. "But... but I thought...," he began, his voice trailing off as he struggled to find the right words. "I thought I was doing everything right. I thought I was protecting myself."

"Two years can do a lot."

Harry's heart sank at Lucas's words, a sense of shame washing over him. He had always prided himself on his strength and resilience, but now he couldn't help but feel like he had failed.

"What do I do now?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

"You could demolish everything and reconstruct it from ground up. I could also help you repair it, but for that I would need access to your memories. Or, although I wouldn't recommend it, you could try it on your own." Lucas offered, a faint sinister smile forming at the corners of his lips, which disappeared as quickly as it had appeared, hidden from the person in question.

Harry, still staring at his mind, couldn't help but ask, "How long would it take to bring it back to how it looked before?"

"That depends solely on you. If you go for the first option a little shorter than it took you with your teacher. If you choose the second, then we will do it during our sessions and make it even stronger than it had been. The last one is the most fickle, it could get better or worse, depending on how skilled you are, which I wouldn't choose if I were you considering that you haven't done anything in the last two years." 

With a reluctant nod, Harry finally replied, after thinking it over for a few minutes, "Okay, you can look through my memories."

Closing his eyes, Harry braced himself for the invasion of his mind, his thoughts racing with a mix of apprehension and determination. He reminded himself that this was for his own benefit, a necessary step.

As Lucas delved into his memories, Harry felt a strange sensation wash over him, like a distant echo reverberating through his consciousness. He tried to focus on the memories he wanted Lucas to see, the ones that would help him understand his predicament.

Minutes passed like hours as Lucas sifted through every single one of Harry's memories, his expression focused and intense. Harry could only feel a part of what he did, for him it felt like Lucas looked only at the the memories he wanted him to see.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Lucas withdrew from Harry's mind, his expression thoughtful and contemplative. "Interesting," he murmured, his voice barely audible.

Harry opened his eyes, feeling a sense of relief wash over him as Lucas withdrew from his mind. He couldn't help but feel a little exposed, as if his innermost thoughts had been laid bare for Lucas to see.

"What did you find?" Harry asked, his voice tinged with curiosity.

A warm smile formed on Lucas' face as he replied, "It's not as bad as I thought, it shouldn't be too hard to repair everything and make it stronger than before."

The mist reappeared and enshrouded both. Shortly after the stony walls and floor of the abandoned classroom reappeared. 

"I think this is enough for today."

Despite the unsettling experience, which Harry had unconsciously already pushed to the back of his mind, he felt a newfound sense of determination overshadowing the rest of his emotions.

"Thank you, Lucas," Harry said, his voice sincere and full of warmth as if he were talking to a childhood friend. "For showing me the truth and helping me understand what I need to do."

Lucas nodded, his expression unreadable as usual. "Of course, Harry," he replied, his tone calm and composed. "It's my job to help you."

With that, Lucas turned and began to make his way out of the classroom, leaving Harry alone with his thoughts. As he watched Lucas go, Harry couldn't help but feel a sense of gratitude towards him, which quickly turned into horror, because a sentence resounded in his head. 'Next time pay attention to your emotions during the session as well.'

Only now did he notice his unusual behavior. It is true that he was rather impulsive and emotionally driven, but not to this extent. Neither would he change his mind on someone this fast as he had done here.

He was played like a fiddle.


章節 53: 53 Follow up

"See it wasn't that bad, was it?" Lupin reckoned. "You just talked a bit."

Harry looked at him incredulously, had he not heard or seen any of it?

"I guess..." he said before leaving the classroom as well, unwilling to talk about what had happened with his uncle.

----

"How was it?" Holly asked as Harry entered the otherwise empty Gryffindor common room. The only ones present were his sister, Hermione and Ron, who expectantly looked at him.

Harry took a deep breath, trying to gather his thoughts after the overwhelming experience with Lucas.

"It was... something," Harry didn't know how to describe it. On the one hand he was at a loss for words, but on the other he was angry. Yet that anger seemed to be unable to surface. "We did a lot."

Harry then summarised what happened to the best of his abilities.

Ron was furious, "I can't believe that git had the nerve to invade your mind like that! It's not right, Harry, it's not right at all! We have to do something."

Hermione thought back to her encounter with him on the train and had to admit to herself that Lucas hadn't changed at all. He continued to lie and manipulate. She had made the right decision.

Holly's expression morphed as an alarming realisation hit her, her eyes widening into disbelieve. "You said you let him look through your memories."

"Yeah?" Harry was confused. Why would she worry?

"How much?" Holly pressed further.

"What do you mean?"

"How much did he see?" A tumultuous feeling now formed in Harry's stomach. Holly got up from her chair and strongly grabbed his shoulders. "Did you let him see our family magic?"

Harry was unsure and had to go through his lesson in his mind.

Hermione had never heard of family magic and couldn't help but ask Ron. "What is that?"

The ginger answered without thinking about it for a long time. "It's very strong secret magic."

"It's more than that," Holly butted in as she let go of Harry, after seeing that it was helpless. "Let me explain: Britain is one of the oldest magical settlements with thousands of years of history. Over time powerful wizards specialised into mostly a single branch of magic. That knowledge was then passed down and improved upon. It is also the reason why most wizards with a noble background don't really care about grades. They go through what is called the Heirship Test at 11, which determines if they are the one to inherit all that knowledge once they turn 17. Harry is one of them, as well as I. Sometimes the surname has something to do with their specialisation. For example; as Potters we have a history in potion making, Daphne Greengrass is connected to druidism. There are also those with no connection, like the now extinct Gaunts with their connection to snakes or the Longbottoms with their herbology."

"So to cut to the chase, family magic is the culmination of all the magical knowledge of a family gathered over time." Holly continued her explanation, "it is basically our lifeblood."

"So if Lucas saw Harry's memories related to family magic..." Hermione trailed off, her voice filled with concern.

"No, it's not that easy. It is protected by very powerful and ancient magic." Holly reassured her, "Of course there are exceptions, like when you willingly give permission to someone and share that knowledge, then that protective magic will be nullified. But Harry didn't do that, right?"

Harry was hurt that his sister even suggested it, "no, of course not. I am not stupid. I only showed him what Ms. Ravenwood had taught us."

"That's good." Holly said with a smile, the tension in her body disappearing.

"That leaves just one question," Ron said with a strange expression, "how do we pay him back?"

Sadly, no one present was stupid enough to agree with Ron, not after what Harry told them Lucas was capable of. Yet a plan started to form in his mind.

----

Lucas had walked into the first abandoned classroom he found to sift through all the knowledge he had gotten from Harry. Uncountable hours of potion making and a multitude of recipes. A plethora of rituals, spells and charms. As well as miscellaneous knowledge was mixed in there. Why he was able to access it, when he wasn't 17 didn't concern him. After all, you never look a gifted horse in the mouth.

But what interested him was the other Heirship Test, the normal one that everybody could go through at 15, which was established to either find lost children, or reestablish extinct families.

That was all nice and good, but not the main reason why he did it. He just needed to know what had happened on that fateful night more than a decade ago and what went on with Holly. It was vital for his future.

He dove deep into Harry's past to a time inaccessible to most people. Only naturals in the mind arts were skilled enough to make sense of that mess. Even then most of what he saw was nebulous.

He had appeared in a wooden crib next to another baby, a girl with a tuft of auburn hair. It was Holly, he realized. He watched as the infants lay there, peaceful and innocent, unaware of the man approaching.

####

An explosion sounded as the door was turned into debris.

Two silhouettes, one distinctly male and the other female, stood immovable in his way.

Spells followed as both squirmed and screamed in agony, the reward for defiantly standing in his way.

The man pointed his wand into the crib.

A flash of green.

Miss.

Countered by a flash of purple.

Pain.

Followed by silence.

####

Lucas returned to the present, not any wiser.

'What are you?', he thought back on Holly's eyes flashing the same purple it had a year ago. It did not make any sense.

How did she change the directory of the killing curse?

Even after going through the rest of Harry's memories he did not find any answer to his questions. However, this colour change seemed to happen more often the older she got.

It did not feel good not know what was going on.

Lucas closed his eyes, a storm of thoughts swirling in his mind. He couldn't shake off the feeling of unease that lingered after delving into Harry's memories. The encounter with Holly's peculiar magic only added to his growing list of unanswered questions.

Yet he had no one to ask, no one to speak to, no one to reach out to.

He sat alone on the floor of the abandoned classroom fighting against the growing sense of frustration threatening to overwhelm him.

"What are you, Holly?" he muttered to himself, his voice barely audible in the silence of the room. The question echoed off the stone walls, unanswered and haunting.

He couldn't shake the image of those piercing purple eyes, flashing with power and defiance. It defied everything he knew about magic, everything he had been taught. And yet, there it was, a reality he couldn't ignore.

With a frustrated sigh, Lucas ran a hand through his hair, trying to clear his thoughts. He needed someone to open up to. It wasn't doing him any good to be alone for so long.

But no one came to mind.

----

Lucas walked out of the room along the corridor, hearing the same insults he had been hearing almost since the start of the year. His destination was unknown even to him. All he knew was that he wanted to get outside.

It was saturday, and the grounds were relatively quiet for a weekend. Lucas found himself wandering aimlessly, not a thought going through his mind, as he made his way across the courtyard. The cool breeze brushed against his face, carrying with it the faint scent of the nearby Forbidden Forest.

But he wouldn't go in there today. Eventually, as Lucas continued to walk, he found himself drawn towards the edge of the black lake. The rippling water reflected the cloudy sky above, mirroring his own turbulent emotions.

He sat down under a beautiful and old sweet chestnut tree, its branches stretching out like protective arms above him. Lucas leaned against the trunk, closing his eyes and allowing the serene sight to take effect on him. The gentle sway of its branches and the soft rustle of leaves lulling him to sleep.

----

The distinct sound of someone walking on the gravel beach coupled with the sweetness of love woke him up. He slowly opened his eyes to a nervous Susan.

She approached cautiously, her expression a mixture of concern and uncertainty. She hesitated for a moment before speaking, unsure of how Lucas would react.

"Um, hi Lucas," she began, her voice soft. "I... I saw you sitting here, and I just wanted to check if you're okay."

Lucas blinked, momentarily surprised by Susan's presence. He hadn't expected anyone to approach him. Despite his initial surprise, he offered her a small, tired smile.

"Hey, Susan," he replied quietly, his voice carrying the weight of exhaustion. "Yeah, I'm okay, I guess. Just a little tired."

Susan nodded, her eyes avoiding his face out of shyness, a welcomed change from the usual disgust and fear. "Are you sure? You seemed... I don't know, lost."

Lucas shrugged, not entirely sure how to articulate the tumult of emotions swirling within him. "Just... a lot on my mind, you know? Stuff from class, personal things."

Susan hesitated, chewing on her lower lip for a moment before speaking again. "Could I... could I sit down 'next to you'."

Nervousness and anxiety overwhelmed Lucas' senses, but there was also determination. It took a lot of guts for her to even say the first part.

Lucas shifted slightly, making room for Susan beside him. She sat down cautiously with butterflies in her stomach, yet maintained a respectable distance between them. For a moment, neither of them spoke, the silence stretching between them like an unspoken barrier.

"How does it feel?" Susan eventually asked, her tone encouraging.

Lucas looked up from the lake towards her.

"You don't have to answer if you don't want to." she followed hastily, her eyes moving all over the place, except meeting his.

Lucas had never been one to open up, to share his burdens with others. But there was something about Susan's sincerity that made him want to give it a shot.

"No, I do want to." he sighed, he had to be honest in order to connect to people, "It's... strange, I guess. You do know what I can do, right?"

"Yeah, my aunt explained it to me." Susan replied, her voice soft. "But you wouldn't use it to hurt people would you?"

*Flashback to the murders*

"Depends what you consider as hurt." he replied and before she could ask what he meant by that he followed, "I do know for example how you feel towards me. Now would you consider feigning ignorance towards that as hurting someone?"

Susan's eyes widened in shock, her gaze snapping to Lucas's face with a mixture of surprise and confusion. "What... what do you mean?" she stammered.

Lucas leaned back against the tree, his expression unreadable as he regarded Susan with an intensity that made her squirm uncomfortably under his gaze. "I mean that I can clearly sense your emotions," he explained calmly. "I can feel the crush you have on me."

Susan's mind raced with a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions, her heart pounding in her chest as she struggled to keep calm. "You can... sense that?" she repeated incredulously, her voice tinged with disbelief.

Lucas nodded, his gaze unwavering. "Yes," he replied simply, his tone matter-of-fact. "And right now, you're feeling a mixture of shock, confusion, and... expectation."

Susan blushed furiously at Lucas's blunt assessment, her cheeks flaming red with embarrassment. "I... I didn't realize it was that obvious," she admitted sheepishly, her voice barely audible.

Lucas's lips twitched into a faint smile at Susan's response, a glimmer of amusement dancing in his eyes. "Don't worry, you're not the only one I can read," he reassured her, his tone gentle. "People tend to wear their emotions on their sleeves, whether they realize it or not."

"But... that means?" she asked dragging out the last word into a question, her voice filled with hope.


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