…
Harry Potter is the property of our fandom's liege lady,
Mrs. Joanne K. Rowling.
Long may she live, in prosperity.
My only complaint about her great work is
that she could have done so much more with it…
hence, this story!
Enjoy!
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The Other Side of the Sky
Little is known about the place or phenomena Shamans refer to as The Other Side of the Sky. Perhaps even more frustrating is the fact that, at the asking, every Shaman that has been interviewed on the matter has been evasive and vague in their responses. I will try to sum up what is known, though I hesitate to speculate without further evidence that proves this oddity's existence.
In Northern Canada, Inuit Shamans, both Mundane and Magical, declare that The Other Side of the Sky can be viewed through the Aurora Borealis; observations written by naturalists, mages, and Glimmervale Journeymen out on expeditions during the Age of Discovery theorize that this phenomena (the viewing of ancient cities, people, animals, and sundry in the Aurora's shifting light) is a form of passive, natural Divination. Most Seers have sought to disprove these notions whenever mentioned for a variety of reasons.
Russian woodsmen, particularly those who enjoy the company of Spirit-familiars, call this most vexing place the Realm of Earth's Dreams, where the planet itself dreams of ages gone by; Eastern mage-philosophers call this report proof of the Akashic Records (see page 214), despite Shaman Jander the Sky-Sailor's (c.1377-1490 CE) repeated insistence, in the writings he left behind, that this is not the case.
Shaman Jander writes (syntax edited; original writing in Appendix), "…the Fade, or Other Side of the Sky, is not a repository of human knowledge… Rather, think of it as Paradise for Spirits, their memories and dreams of life… and, verily, it is where Gaia herself remembers the past ages and glories that have passed by."
Further research into this subject, as it deals with what appears to be a fundamental property of our planet, should be approached with extreme caution, if at all.
-Entry excerpted from Strangest Magical Phenomena and Mysteries
By Various Authors
Nicol and Sons Publishing Co., Warsaw, 1922
BOOK BANNED IN ALL COUNTIRES BY I.C.W. ARTICLE 17, CLAUSE 3 (DARK CLAUSE)
GENEVA CONVENTION OF 1956
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Chapter 4:
Khepri, the Serpent of the Sun
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[..O..]
One moment, James was excitedly finishing the spirit-construct that would cleanse the darkness from the forests.
The next, he was lying on his back, head ringing and feeling like he'd been hit in his everywhere with the world's biggest frying pan. 'Owwwwww… Maybe we should've tried something smaller,' groaning painfully, as his whole body felt like one huge bruise, James tried curling into a ball, only to stop as a white-hot lance of pain in his belly made him gasp, "Ah!" 'Oh darn! I hope that explosion didn't hurt me too badly…'
Replacing his spirit-rattle in its belt loop holster, James patted himself down to make sure he didn't have any bad injuries; other than feeling like he'd fallen down a couple dozen sets of stairs, though, he seemed to be perfectly okay. 'Wow, it's really bright now… Was I out all night?' thought James; though he hadn't opened his stinging eyes yet, he could tell that everything around him was bathed in intense golden light that turned his closed eyelids red; how long had he been out for? 'Okay… easy now.' He took a deep breath through his nose, figuring that scents were easier to find out about than sight right this moment.
He could smell… a smoky incense, and a heady, dry smell that he wasn't familiar with… and raisins? A breeze flitted across his face, bringing warmth and a graininess that reminded James of sand. No forest-y scents or twitters of birds; where was he? "Vera?" James called carefully, only to receive no answer.
'Oh no! Did the faeries kidnap us? Is Vera being held prisoner? Oh, I knew we should've rested before bringing Yavanna into being,' replaying the last few minutes in his head, something began to confuse James; how had he known when to add the rose quartz "heart" to the mix? How had he known how to do any of those things, especially how to bring a compassionate spirit into the world?! It didn't make any sense!
"Makes perfect sense, actually," came a lady's voice off to James' left; the stinging leaving his eyes, James opened them…
He was lying on a wooden bench, padded with soft leather, in a room made of red granite and limestone; the ceiling, which he was looking at, had the two stone types swirling together to create a falcon-headed man with the sun behind his head, an ankh in one hand and an ornate staff in the other, sitting cross legged and looking down at James with eyes of lapis lazuli, a serpent encircling the sun behind the being; hieroglyphs made a ring around the image, which seemed to have been woven into its image from the surrounding stones.
Looking about, James saw he was in a large room dominated by a huge, purple silk-curtained bed; a large desk of gold-trimmed wood, groaning beneath heavy tomes and stacks of yellow paper(?), sat by closed filigreed doors of silver that led to a balcony, which was the source of the bright light. To the left of the doors, an urn smoked steadily with sweet-smelling incense, and further along the walls, which were painted with images of people hunting in a forest of reeds…
Someone, presumably the one who'd spoken, was sitting with their back to James before an expansive vanity covered in clay pots of every color, someone with long hair, black as midnight and woven with golden threads; as he watched, a hand of burnished bronze rose and ran an iron comb through their ebon mane, a ring with a roughly cut citrine gleaming on her middle finger. It had to be a woman, James figured; the voice that had spoken was a woman's, and there was no one else in the room…
Then her words hit him; sitting up carefully, as the pain in his gut had lessened to a dull ache, James said, "But… But it doesn't make sense!"
"Yes it does, dearie," the woman replied, her voice like cool water in the heat of the room, though she didn't turn or cease in her combing, "You're just having trouble putting all the pieces of the puzzle together."
Blinking, James remembered what the yew in the circle told him about Shamans, "Does… Does it have something to do with… me being a… conduit or whatever?"
She laughed, the sound a music he'd thought could only come from his rattle, placing her brush back on the desk and reaching for a silky yellow robe that was folded on the vanity's desktop, "That's the first half of it, James Stormcaller," the woman rose, revealing that she wasn't wearing anything but a gold anklet, a jeweled bracelet on her left wrist, and painted hieroglyphs spiraling down her arms and legs; thankfully for the boy, her long hair hid her body from view, and the robe she swiftly slipped into did wonders to temper his embarrassment.
Though not by much, as he flushed red and looked at the floor, gripping his staff tightly and babbling, "I-I'm terribly sorry, ma'am, for-for, um, for intruding on you like this. I'll, err, I'll just find my friend, Vera, and be on my way," he looked around, anywhere but at the bronze-skinned beauty in the room with him, half-expecting his bubbly friend to come bouncing around a corner and humming a tune.
The woman sighed, replying with tired patience, "James, dear, I assure you, this is hardly an imposition on your part; it is more an… intercession, an intervention if you will, on our part, mainly due to your foolish, though pure and well-intentioned, actions."
Wincing at her soft chiding, James looked toward the woman, an apology on the tip of his tongue; however, that apology died in a breath of awe as he took in her full appearance.
The yellow robe with green trim she wore hugged her hourglass figure, leaving little to the imagination; it was open in the front above her midriff, and matched her bronze skin well, the silk shimmering as she moved. Her nails, sharpened to fine tips, were painted turquoise, hands slender but clearly strong. Between her full breasts was a golden scarab pendant hanging from a fine chain of the same material. Her slender neck led up to the most beautiful face he'd ever laid eyes on; from her strong jaw to her full, gold-painted lips, her perfect nose and high cheekbones and thin eyebrows, all framed in straight black hair that fell to her waist. And her eyes… they were a pleasant light green, her lashes long and heavy, framed with thick black kohl in a pattern of small, gleaming scales, giving James the impression of a snake, which was highlighted by the golden circlet on her brow: it was fashioned to look like a cobra, scales and all, encircling her head. She was the most beautiful lady James had ever seen, and her appearance left him gaping in awe.
She smiled at him, eyes softly regarding the boy before her, and said teasingly, "You are also hardly the first male to be struck speechless by my beauty, though you're certainly the most handsome," and she laughed gaily while James averted his eyes again and felt as though his entire body blushed, such was his embarrassment!
It took James a moment to get ahold of himself, during which the woman raised a hand and beckoned to a simple chair and large wicker basket, both of which flew over and rested in front of James; watching as she sat regally and crossed a long leg, James asked carefully, "Um… Where am I, ma'am?"
Tapping a finger to her lips in thought, the woman replied after a brief pause, "In a moment, dear James."
Frowning, he asked, "Wait… how do you know my-?"
She raised a hand, saying in a calm tone with a small smile, "In a moment, James; first, I need you to hold out your hands in front of you, like this," and she held out her arms, palms upraised, as though she were going to catch something.
Hesitantly, as he still had no idea what was going on, and was getting more confused by the second, James did as she asked; holding the position for a few seconds, it didn't seem as though anything would happen. Right as he opened his mouth to ask why he was doing this, James heard a familiar voice screaming with fright, coming from far off but getting steadily closer! "Vera?"
"…yaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH-oof!" and the kitsune fell back-first out of thin air, right into his arms! It was the first time he'd touched her, and he was surprised that she felt less like a furry creature, and more like a soft mass of solid water; not like ice, or even snow, but like both and neither, solid yet slippery, a feeling of warmth and a chilly tingle where his skin touched her fur. It was at once weird and comforting to feel her, both alien to his senses yet, somehow, as familiar as meeting an old friend.
All these things, though, were far from his most immediate concern, which was for his friend, "Vera! Oh, you're not hurt, are you?"
Shaking her head and blinking away her shock, Vera looked up in surprise at an equally stunned James, "JAMES!" And tackled him onto the bench, licking his face and crying with worry as he hugged her and stroked her back, trying to calm her down, "Oh, James, I'm so sorry! I should've let you rest, or-or started on something smaller! Oh, we've gone and done it now! Our Bond nearly broke!"
"It's not your fault, Vera; I insisted, didn't I?" burying his face in the side of her warm, fluffy neck, James let relief flow through him at finding his new friend unhurt, "It's okay, we're both okay," he pulled back carefully and looked at the woman again, who was smiling fondly at boy and fox, "Um… right?"
Vera pulled his attention back as she gasped, looking around fearfully, "Oh no! James… we're in the Fade!" James blinked in confusion, then broke out in goosebumps when his kitsune friend explained, "It's where spirits go when they die! Oh, James, I'm so sorry!"
The woman laughed, "Calm yourself, young kitsune! Neither of you are in danger here; indeed," her smile turned from humorous to one of mirthful reproach, "you would not have found yourselves here if you were not, firstly, a Shaman and his spirit-familiar, and secondly, channeled the raw power of Gaia. Though every Shaman ends up here at some point in their lives, usually through deep meditation, none have been as young as you, or achieved the action so spectacularly."
Remembering what he'd done to create Yavanna, James quickly tried to apologize, "I-er, we didn't mean to! I just wanted to help the forest!" Vera nodded swiftly, tails twitching in nervous agitation.
"I know, and neither of you are at fault," the woman soothed, face showing her sad understanding, "Truly, few Shamans start out with formal training, though you are both the youngest of your kind, spirit and Shaman, to ever come here. Oh! Where are my manners? I am Khepri, the Serpent of Giza, High Priestess of Ra, Arcane Advisor to Queen Cleopatra VII Philopator, and Shaman of the Daystar." She delivered her introduction with perfect poise, sitting up straight and smiling at James in a most disarming way.
While the young Shaman and kitsune in question gaped at her; after a moment, James managed to reply disbelievingly, "Cleopatra? But… but that was over two thousand years ago!"
Khepri nodded patiently, "Yes it was, James. Though, to answer your earlier question, I know your name because… well," she smiled sheepishly, "this is all happening inside your heads. To keep it simple, you are dreaming."
Vera gasped while James continued to stare at the beautiful Shaman in wonder; when neither spoke, Khepri continued, "When you two created Yavanna, you expended quite a lot of magic, all while channeling the raw power of nature itself; were you an ordinary mage, or were you, Vera, not Bonded to James, you would both have burned. As it was," her gaze turned serious, making James and Vera quiver under her serpentine stare, "your Bond, a sacred joining of your souls and magic, was strained to the breaking point; had you not asked the spirit to join you, that is, had you forced it…" the female Shaman's face remained firm as she trailed off, which made James fearful at what horrors could have happened, if he had been so cruel.
But young James wasn't cruel, and replied quietly, "We wouldn't have forced her…"
"Yeah!" Vera agreed with a glare, "James is really nice! He wouldn't have made the spirit come against its will!"
"I am aware, that was simply a warning," Khepri's face softened, "For there is much neither of you understand about the path you've chosen, the road less traveled; had myself and the others not assisted you in your great work, neither of you would have realized your potential."
"Our potential?" chorused child and fox, glancing at each other before looking to the other Shaman for an explanation.
And, boy, did they get one! "I shall start at the beginning. The place you are in is, to Shamans, known as The Other Side of the Sky, or the Fade, as it is known to most Spirits; it is where dreams take place," Khepri grinned happily, showing off her perfect white teeth, "where Spirits go when their time comes. Additionally, it acts as a sort of repository for Gaia's memories, which are tied to the bones of her being. Because of this, it is a place of history, an ever shifting Realm of memories, made from the lives of countless Spirits and the experiences of every Shaman that has ever lived; and that, James, is how I am here, talking to you, two thousand years after my death," she finished with a smile and a shrug that mad the gold braids in her hair clink together.
While James continued to stare in awe at her; he had no idea that such a thing could ever exist, not in all his reading about the world! None of the books on Shamanism even touched on things like this, most of them talking about healing, conversing with spirits, and shapeshifting into animals! Maybe this was a more advanced extension on the, admittedly simple, explanations he'd gotten from books. Looking down at Vera, he asked her, "Did you know about any of this, Vera?"
But she looked as confused as he felt, if her head shake and quiet response were anything to go by, "No… my Mima told me the Fade was where kitsune who use up all their magic in Mundus go."
"And she wasn't wrong, little Vera," chimed Khepri, still smiling, "In fact, all Spirits come here eventually; indeed, the bench you're sitting on, the walls and the floor? The light pouring through the walls? It's all alive," the Egyptian Shaman's eyes glittered with happiness as she concluded, "Everything around us has been made from the lives and memories of Spirits, given purpose through Mother Earth's limitless power; they mimic Mundus, to preserve what has been lost to the millstone of Time, while the Spirits themselves return to the world to nurture new life."
James gasped, "So-So someone could learn everything about history from here?! Even what's been lost to time?" To his disappointment, Khepri shook her head sadly, "But why? You said-"
Vera cleared it up for him, "She said they mimic Mundus, James. Some of what's here really was, and some is what could have been… um, right?" she finished sheepishly to the amused Shaman before them.
Who laughed, the sound like wind-chimes in a gentle breeze, "Yes, but not quite; you see, Vera, James, this place, while strange in its history, is also a… library, I suppose is the best term for it, of every Shaman's memories, from one end of human history to the other. That is how we were able to help you survive channeling Nature: we are Nature's conduits, Her messengers if you will, so it follows that I, along with three other Shamans, sent some of our memories so the two of you would not only be successful in your venture, but survive the act."
The boy before her frowned, before realization hit him, "Oh! I get it now; I've read that a Shaman can speak to the spirits of the Shamans who came before them! You're saying it works the other way around?" Khepri smiled and nodded, happy that James understood, "Wow… I had no idea! But wait…" now James thought back on what little he'd learned about the Ancient Egyptians in school, "I've never heard of you before, and my teacher at school told us all about Egypt and Cleopatra when we started on world history, this past year!"
Khepri sighed, and explained patiently, "History is written by the victors, dear James; the Romans who conquered my people ensured I would not be remembered, and my Queen's name was dragged through the silt; if that were not enough, another reason such things are not remembered is due to the magicals, witches and wizards, hiding their storied and long history from Mundane society; indeed," she continued while James stared in shock, "all magicals have been hiding, sustaining their own society apart from the one you've grown up in, for nearly 300 years."
Vera looked up worriedly at her stunned Shaman, "You really didn't know, James?"
He slowly shook his head, not looking away from the… Spirit? Shaman? Which was it? The enormity of what he'd learned today felt too large to comprehend. Three hundred years… Magic was real… His Power was magic… He was Nature's messenger, at only nine years old, the youngest Shaman ever… Vera was bound to his life, and he to hers; did that make them siblings? A fox was his sister… James started laughing to himself, 'Figures; I put up with my stupid cousin for years, wishing I had a brother or sister, and I finally get one, but she's a bubbly little two-tailed fox spirit! Not that it's a bad thing, but blimey, what a day!'
He must've started laughing a little hysterically, because Vera dropped a large ball of water on his head, "GAH! COLD!"
"Well then you shouldn't've worried me, laughing all crazy like that!" Vera nearly sobbed, looking at him with shining eyes and a trembling lip. Not only that, but James found he could feel her concern and sadness, and her worry that he wouldn't want her as a familiar! 'Oh, my heart!' James felt a tug at something inside him at the very thought at being parted with Vera, 'Who cares if she's a fox-spirit? She's my fox-spirit, my crazy, funny, foxy sister!'
"Oh, Vera, I'm sorry… This is, well, it's a lot to take in, you know?" he placed his hand on her neck, stroking Vera's soft, watery fur as he assured her, "I… I never had something like this," he gestured between them with his free hand, "before, but I know for sure that I won't let it break, ever! We have to set things right, after all!"
She sniffed, then smiled up at him, "Of course we are! Someone's gotta keep you out of trouble too, you scatter-brained Shaman! May as well be me, the toughest kitsune since the Kyuubi!" and she puffed out her chest and smirked superiorly.
James grinned, "Have at thee, you silly fox-spirit!" and started tickling his foxy friend, who squealed in delight.
After a few minutes of engaging in a tickling fight, James looked up to find Khepri smiling warmly at the two of them, "So, erm, what happens now?"
The older Shaman's smile slipped a bit, "Well, the two of you are here so that your bodies can heal; my three associates are taking care of that. So!" she pulled over the tub-sized wicker basket and smiled impishly at James, "It would be remiss of me to send you back into the world without teaching you any magic, so how would you like to learn a type of magic I perfected while alive?"
James and Vera nodded eagerly, though James thought he could hear hissing voices coming from the basket, and asked, "Are there, um, snakes in there?"
Vera licked her chops, "Does that mean its snack time?"
Khepri laughed again, "No, silly kitsune! I'm going to teach you Parselmagic, the Art of the Serpents!" and she lifted the lid off the basket. Leaning forward while holding Vera back (he didn't want the possible snakes to get scared and bite her), he found the basket was filled with adders, vipers, asps, cobras, and a large black mamba coiled in the center, all of them looking up at both Shamans curiously; looking down with him, the older Shaman hissed, "Sssay hello to Jamesss, deariesss!"
"Hello!" "Nice ssspectaclesss." "Looksss a bit ssscrawny, Misssstresss." "Oh, what a cutie!"
Feeling giddy at learning some actual magic, James looked up at Khepri, "You're going to teach me how to talk to snakes?" That sounded useful!
But then the female Shaman giggled, replying with a smile, "No one can teach you Parseltongue, James; you must be born with it. Oh, but don't despair, dear!" she added when James frowned, then hissed, "Your mother wasss born with thisss gift, and passsed it to you; look at the mamba, and ssspeak." Khepri gestured to the open basket again with a smile.
Filing the comment about his mom away for a later question, James glanced at Vera with a raised eyebrow, silently asking if she understood; the kitsune immediately nodded and said, "It's a bit hard for me to follow, what with all the hissing, but I can understand most of it! Give it a go, James!" and she grinned, tails wiggling in excitement at seeing something new.
So James looked back into the basket; the mamba was looking up at him, having heard Khepri's hissed order. He smiled and said, "Hi. I'm Jamesss." He blinked; that had felt weird!
"Yesss, I know," the male mamba replied patiently, ignoring the adder rubbing against his coils, "Misssstresss jussst told usss your name, after all; well met, Ssspeaker, I am Judecei."
"A wizard who can speak Parseltongue," Khepri explained, "has access to several abilities, one of which is a form of healing; come here, Menin my dear," she finished with a hiss, holding her arm over the basket; one of the vipers, a red and green-scaled affair, rose and wrapped its neck about her wrist, before nimbly coiling the rest of its length about her arm. Lifting him up for James to examine, Khepri continued her lecture in Parseltongue, "Unlike what you ssshall learn of wanded magicsss, Parssselmagic hasss no incantationsss; it isss entirely sssympathic magic, which you have been doing on your own for sssome time. Sssimply reach out with your inner fire, the power flowing through you, and imbue your ssscaly friend with compassssionate thoughtsss." suddenly, Menin started glowing with a shimmering white aura!
"Wow!" pipped Vera, "That's the same color as when Mima does her healing!"
James, meanwhile, had a question, "Would it work to purify the darknessss? There'sss a corrupted foressst back where I am, sssee…"
It was Menin who answered, still glowing, "Only if the darknessss isss sssmall, Jamesss. Big darknessss isss harder for sssmall ssserpentsss like usss to remove."
"Regardlessss," added Khepri, "you have Yavanna, now; ssshe will be able to purify the more… persssissstent darknessss… that you might come up againssst. Ssshe isss quite the powerful Ssspirit, Jamesss; but more on that later. Now, practicsse." And she gestured to the basket again with a smile, letting Menin slither about her shoulders, the large viper still glowing brightly.
[..O..]
So James got to work, calling Judecei up with a soft hiss, and set learning what Khepri had to teach him; it was hard work, but Vera was so helpful, giving him a few pointers on how to mold his magic. Judecei himself was also a great help, being quite intelligent himself, and, as Shaman, kitsune, and snake taught James, the young Shaman found himself understanding the Power within him much better.
There was more to Parselmagic than healing, which James was really glad for! If he put a special type of kohl around his eyes and the eyes of a snake, he could see what the snake saw! Speaking of the kohl, Khepri taught him how to make it, as well as other types that could produce different effects, like allowing him to see in the dark, or see heat and cold, even one that would allow him to see what plants were magic or not! Wearing makeup to do magic was, to James' mind, weird and girly, but Vera thought he looked cool with scales swirling around his eyes, so he let it go; that, and he was learning real magic!
That he could now make a black mamba, the deadliest snake in the world, spit lightning was a major boost to James' enthusiasm to learn all he could about Parselmagic!
It wasn't all snake-based magic, either; the beautiful Shaman taught James and Vera how to make pockets bigger on the inside so he could hold more things in his backpack, along with another spell to make the contents lighter. She taught James the difference between using magic with his staff and his rattle; his staff was good for everyday use, like mending fences or moving earth, while his rattle should only come out in times of great need, or when James felt he might need a Spirit's guidance.
Neither Shaman nor kitsune could wait to wake up so they could start gathering things together and practicing all they'd learned! Well, provided the faeries Vera had seen just before passing out didn't take offense to their tromping about, but James wasn't too worried, especially with what else Khepri taught him.
She'd stressed that, despite being an orphan and living on his own, he should still learn how to 'comport himself in polite society, lest someone think him a barbarian'; Khepri's words, not James'. And, blimey, were there a lot of rules to follow! He had to talk a certain way when speaking to certain people, found out that there were scores of ways to nod his head or bow depending on the situation, and the less said about table manners, the better! But James was determined to do his best, especially with a possible altercation with a bunch of angry Fae Folk in his near future; Khepri had stressed that offending a Fae, even one of the lesser ones, was an unwise decision to say the least, and both James and Vera (reluctantly, for some reason, in the kitsune's case) took the older Shaman's words to heart.
Khepri also taught him about the hieroglyphs on her arms and legs, too. Apparently they were the Runic language of snakes, and protected her from magical harm; she added that it was also part of the magical protection his mom had placed on him when he was little, though Khepri admitted that James' protection was far better than her own.
Which led back to James' curiosity on how the ancient and beautiful Shaman could have known his parents.
"But," James argued, pausing in his calligraphy practice (needed for writing Runes correctly), "my relatives said my parents were drunks, and died in a car crash."
"You really believe what those bullies told you, James?" snarked Vera, who had covered her blue-furred paws with white kohl and was now walking on the ceiling, "I wouldn't believe anything they told me, even if my eyes told me it was true! Oh, grass is green? The sky is blue? Water is awesome? Balderdash!" and she giggled while James raised an amused eyebrow at her antics.
"While I wouldn't quite go that far, Vera is correct, James; your relatives are hardly a reliable source of information, especially in regards to your heritage." Khepri put in from where she was lounging nearby on a bed of plush pillows, her snakes slithering around her as she regarded the young Shaman looking imploringly at her, "Your mother, while not a Shaman, was quite the accomplished witch. Though we were never properly acquainted, her works were impressive enough to draw the attention of many Shamans here; for instance, she managed to uncover several types of Parselmagic, including the lesser protective spells I've shown you, that were thought lost to time."
James looked down at the Runes he'd drawn so far, his heart pounding in his chest; quietly, he asked his teacher, "Do… do you know how they…" he couldn't say it.
"Yes, James," Khepri had approached while he struggled with this latest revelation, and knelt beside the younger Shaman, stroking the back of his neck in comfort, "Your parents died in your defense, for a powerful and terrible servant of the Dark wished to wipe your family out. Your mother loved you so that she used magics that are forbidden in Britain to protect you from all harm, and your father fought this… abomination with all he had, tooth and nail, despite the monster's greater power and ruthlessness, hoping to buy your mother time to complete her spell. And he did. And she did. And the abomination was slain. And you lived."
Looking up at the beautiful woman with stinging eyes, James whimpered, "Why?" He didn't know what he was asking, just… he wanted to know. Why?
She smiled sympathetically, cupped his face with a warm, soft hand, and answered, "Why did they not run? Because the monster would have chased them to the ends of the Earth. Why your family, why them, why you? Because your parents hated all that the Dark represented, because they could not stand by while the monster slaughtered their friends, because they stood against the monster, and they were not afraid of his power; but, like all monsters, this monster could not abide defiance. Why did they die, why did the beast die, and you live, if the beast was so powerful? Because he underestimated just how much they loved you, Harry James Potter; Lilly and James loved you with all their heart, and would have died a thousand deaths, if it meant you would be kept safe. Their undying love protected you, fueled a protection that still protects you from Dark Magic; the monster was vanquished, your scar a monument to their love for you, and their defiance of the Dark. And I tell you now, surely as the Sun rises, they would be so proud of you, Harry."
By the end, James was clutching Khepri's soft robes as she held him gently, Vera nuzzled up to his chest, her wet nose tickling his face when she licked away his tears as he wept with all his heart. He sobbed with sorrow and bitterness for his lot in life with the Dursley family, cried with grief for what his parents must have gone through when fighting the monster, and… tears of joy streamed down his face, because he now knew his parent's names, knew that they hadn't hated him, hadn't abandoned him, knew that they loved him, and that meant more to the boy than anything else.
He didn't know how long he cried for his parents and himself, there in the beautiful Shaman's arms; it felt like weeks, years, even. When he stopped, sniffling and hugging Vera in thanks, James was surprised to find he hadn't flooded Khepri's apartment; smiling up at her, he breathed, "Thank you… You-you didn't have to, tell me that is, but… thank you."
"Oh, James, you deserved to know," she wiped a stray tear off James' cheek, ruffled Vera's fur with a smile, and stood elegantly, "Though I can tell you little else of what happened, other than that the monster's Master yet lives," Khepri strode toward the light-filled balcony, face sorrowful.
Just as confused as her Shaman, Vera asked, "Why not? You know so much, taught us both so much, why can't you- wait! How long have we been here?!" James' eyes widened as well; he had been having so much fun learning about magic, and history, and (sort of boring) etiquette, and then his parents, that he'd lost track of time! It had to have been weeks since he passed out in the hidden forest!
"Never fear, my friends," spoke Khepri gently from where she grasped the balcony's door-handles, "While it may seem like many months have passed since you arrived, in reality, a day, perhaps, has elapsed. You forget," she turned a smile on them, "this place is magic." And she threw the doors wide, the desert sun blinding both James and Vera for a moment.
But when James' vision cleared…
He beheld a wonder no living man had ever seen, "Miss Khepri… are… are those…?"
Vera was equally awed, "Whoa. Who put those there?"
The Daystar Shaman laughed freely, arms held wide, as though she wished to embrace the vista before them, "Behold, James Stormcaller, Vera Stream-Strider: the Great Necropolis of Egypt, and the city of Cairo, as they were when I still walked the world!"
Pictures in textbooks didn't do them justice, James decided as he and Vera gazed at the white limestone wonders, unmarred by time, their peaks capped with gold that shone like fire in the slowly setting sun; at their base, a sprawling temple complex covered the Giza Plateau, the glittering blue of irrigation ditches interspersing red-columned tombs, work-houses, and temples to the gods of Egypt, dedicated black granite statues in various poses towering over wide courtyards. Nearer to the… huge palace he was in, James could see the Sphinx of Giza; it was thrilling seeing the famous statue undamaged, its distinguished nose and painted mane one of the greatest sights he'd ever seen. Beneath the balcony, stone houses sprawled in a complex labyrinth of streets and alleyways all the way up to the base of the palace, whose grounds were marked by a high wall and wooden gate, the entire vista before him underscored with green grasses and tall palms, vines clinging to the sides of buildings and ferns edging countless courtyards and market squares.
Mouth agape, James couldn't find words to say, seeing one of the ancient civilizations restored to its former glory; neither could Vera, from her perch in James' arms, though her tails were wiggling madly as her body quivered in excitement!
Feeling a tap on his shoulder, James looked up at a brilliantly smiling Khepri, who pointed north, "Look and see," so he did…
There, barely above the horizon, was a glimmering star; Khepri's reverent voice came to James as he squinted at it, "The Pharos Lighthouse, though this is more a trick of the Fade; truly, you'd have to travel a few dozen miles north before sighting the beacon of Alexander and Ptolemy's Great Work, the city my beloved Cleopatra spent much of her time, learning the ways of governance," her tone was sad at the end; when James finally tore his eyes away (the Pharos! He wondered if the Library was here as well!), he saw his fellow Shaman looked very sad, yet, happy at the same time.
Carefully, he asked, "You knew Cleopatra well, then?" Vera's head swung around eagerly, always ready to hear a fresh story.
Khepri nodded solemnly, "In her youth, I was her chief servant and handmaiden; as she grew into a young woman, I became her closest advisor, her friend even; when she became Queen alongside her foolish brother, I was here in Giza, finalizing my Shaman training. We reunited when she sought to unite Egypt under a single banner; we were lovers," her voice was quiet, as though saying the words would make them untrue, "Despite my devotions as High Priestess to Ra and her own responsibilities as Queen, despite our differences in birth and station… she loved me, an orphaned child of a whore and a vagabond, as the Sun loves the land: with such brilliance and fierceness that I, and all the people, were in awe of her," the female Shaman raised up her arms to the setting Sun, a bright grin on her face, "And though the vile Romans poisoned her mind, violated her body, and ravaged her kingdom, she was a true Queen to her people until the end, ensuring, through me, that their history would never die, that their stories would outlast their usurpers and destroyers. Such was the love she held for her people, a love that burned in her heart like the Sun."
"What happened?" whispered James; this was a much different story than what he'd been taught in school!
Sighing, Khepri concluded, "Never you mind my love's tragedy, dear James; you have enough trials ahead of you without bearing my grief," lowering her arms, she then favored him with a smile as bright as the descending desert Sun, "Though I find myself compelled to tell you this: much of what you've learned of the ancient civilizations is grossly incorrect. The Romans burned a library, not the Library. My final act of defiance was denying those barbarians their prize, and it still stands, all the knowledge gained by the Ptolemaic dynasties and magics of the ancient Mediterranean there preserved for those wishing to learn, dear James."
"It's still there?!" Vera crowed excitedly, James grinning right along with her; if Jean were here, no doubt his bookish friend would faint straight away! He was excited enough as it was: the Great Library still stood! It was still there!
"And one day, you may even see it," confirmed Khepri, looking to the Sun as it touched the horizon; suddenly, her face became grim, "Our time draws to a close, James. A final warning I have for you: the Darkness is relentless. Though your parents defeated one of its servants, it persists, and it will always hunt you; doubly so, seeing as you are a Shaman."
Vera growled, James holding the young kitsune tighter as he asked, "What do you mean?"
"The original Darkness, James. It lives, has been here since the dawn of civilization, and even before. The servant your parents faced was only its latest work; it weaves plots that topple nations, corrupts all that is good, and its spies are countless. It is patient as well, some of its plots taking centuries to reach fruition. It hates our powers, our ability to speak with Gaia's voice, and the love we share with Mother Earth, and covets those things," She looked at him seriously, "You know of the Darkness, a small number of its dastardly works, though my teachings; three more Shamans will you meet, in the coming days, and after teaching you of Earth, Sea and Sky, they will tell you what form the Darkness takes, what it has done, and, finally, you will learn its name."
Suppressing a shiver of fear, James thought of the filthy Darkness in the forest; no doubt it would be his first challenge, removing the source and purifying the taint. Thinking of how this day had gone so far, he chuckled, looking down at Vera and saying, "To think, I thought being a Shaman just had to do with healing cuts and bruises, but it looks like I've got my work cut out for me now!"
Vera laughed back, flowing out of his arms and wrapping her tails around his ankles, smiling up at her Shaman, "Ha-ha! I almost feel bad for the Dark! Between the two of us, those nasties don't stand a chance!"
"Ho-ho, truly!" Khepri laughed with them, jade eyes glittering, the sky darkening, "You've chosen the hard path, but…" here she knelt, coming to eye level and brushing a lock of hair behind James' ear, "I think you're more than equal to the challenge."
Grinning again, James bowed slightly, Vera copying him at his side, "Thank you, Khepri. I'll never forget this, ever."
Then he felt something soft touch his forehead; she'd kissed him! It was so warm… wouldn't it be nice… to fall asleep… eyes drooping, James felt himself tumbling backwards, Vera flowing up into his arms and snuggling close.
As the world turned black, Khepri's voice came to him, one last time:
When you find someone
Who sets your heart aflame
Hesitate not at all
And love them with
The passion of the SUN!
And then he was falling…
[..|..]
Smacking his lips, James slowly came back to consciousness; whatever he was lying on was both soft and firm, and the air was thick with mossy scents.
Eyes opening tiredly, he found himself beneath a huge willow tree whose branches had shattered the stone roof of a house… or maybe the roof shattered first? 'Bahhh, I'm too tired to think.'
Looking left and right, he found he was lying between two of the great tree's roots; distantly, he could feel the tree protecting them both, a steady thrum of warmth covering them and mumbling worriedly to itself. Glancing down at the weight on his chest, he found Vera snoozing there, and there was his backpack, staff and rattle, all propped neatly on a tree root.
Smiling contentedly and rubbing a spot between his familiar's ears, James settled back and returned to sleep. After all, it had been a long day!
He never noticed the narrowed, shrewd eyes watching him from the shadowed eaves of the room…
[..\|/..]
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A/N:
A little more serious in this chapter, though that was necessary for the (honestly gargantuan amounts of) world-building this story requires. We find out a little more about Shamans, James finds out about his parents and is introduced to the basics of the magical world, even a good bit of history thrown in for good measure!
While researching Shamanism for this story, I found an interesting tidbit: Shamans who have died can allegedly speak with living Shamans through trances and meditation, instructing them and offering wisdom as well as advice to further their usefulness to their tribe. I've taken that and expanded it for use in this story, accounting not only for the wider history of the world but also, in my opinion, Mrs. Rowling's rather wanting explanations regarding magic (which I'll be touching on in later chapters). I really hope it comes off well!
Real quick note about that "Dark Clause": bear in mind that the magical world is a lot more complicated than in canon; "Dark", in this case, is defined by 'magic which can cause serious harm to a person or the environment through unsupervised practice'. The book in question had several entries which ended up leading people down a Dark path; bear in mind that it was also written shortly before WW2. Article 17 was created in that conflict's wake. QED.
Reviewer responses, yay!
KitKat97: Building the background alongside the main story is half the fun of writing this fic! That it's infinitely more entertaining than, say, writing a history essay (bleh!), is just icing on the delicious cake! I'm glad you like it!
TBM10: James, or Harry as you referred to him, is, believe it or not, not very powerful. The reason he's capable of so much so early is more due to his experimenting with accidental and intent-based magic than his actual 'power level'; if we're going by just his own capabilities (take away Vera and the spirit-rattle), he's around high First Year-low Second Year in terms of the power he can bring to bear. The spirit-rattle is a game changer, but that gets explained more in depth a few chapters from now (no spoilers!); Vera's Spiritual Bond gives James a better connection to raw Natural magic, allowing him (them) to bring considerably more power to bear, putting him on par with most Seventh Years, though… well, you've seen the "downside". He won't be doing anything on the level of Yavanna again for a very long time. Finally, yes, he'll be going to Hogwarts, but not until the next installment. Thanks for reviewing, I'm glad you liked it!
mizzrazz72: Never underestimate the belligerent niceness of James! Thanks for reading and reviewing!
ghostcrab311: *Vera and James giggling mischievously in the background* I have a feeling you're going to absolutely love First Year! As for the bit about Foxes and Faeries… hmmm, indeed! Tune in next time for more!
Valrew165: Spot on, mate! We're not too far away from that, either! It's only August in the story, so Fall is right around the corner! More chapters soon!
Charlie0925, Madra uzemaki, harvald, everyone I've mentioned so far, everyone who favorited or followed, and everyone who's read this story and enjoyed it:
THANK YOU!
I truly enjoy writing this story for all of you! Next chapter should be out in a week or two!
Thanks for reading!
~Baked (who has a lump of malachite sitting next to his keyboard for inspiration and focus!)
