Disclaimer: Not her, not making money. Don't sue.
Chapter Four: Just an Empty Heart...
"Sun Tzu said: In the practical art of war, the best thing of all is to take the enemy's country whole and intact; to shatter and destroy it is not so good. So, too, it is better to recapture an army entire than to destroy it, to capture a regiment, a detachment or a company entire than to destroy them"
He heard the tap of the owls at his window, looking up from his Transfiguration book, a letter, and ten owls, obviously under and obscuring charm, laid outside of his window.
Mr. Potter
We hope this finds you in good health, We at Flourish and Blotts have looked for the books that you required, and have found all but a few. Looking at the list, We think we know what your doing, and I'm going to send a few that We think might assist you.
Mr. Michaels of Diagon Alley Branch, Flourish & Blotts.
He got up, starting to accept the books from the owls, stacking them on the floor around his notes, and work. Parchment, pencils, more books, it seemed endless. They had grouped up, discussing the sudden influx of Hedwig, and had grouped together, getting him books. He held the paper with a trembling hand. Someone knew, they understood, and they where supporting him. He swallowed hard, and started dividing up what was there.
His hand bumped into one of the books, and he stared down at it. "The Arte of Occlumency.." he exhaled a breath. Then nodded with determination, and flipped the book open.
"The Arte of Occlumency is hard to learn, it is not simple...to learn how to block your thoughts, you must put all your Will behind it, Will, as always, matters more than Magic. First one must empty the mind of all emotions, let yourself float in nothing, breath in, breath out, mediation is key for this level. Clearing your mind is the first path of Occlumency. Then upon that a landscape will form. He blinked. An O formed in his mind, he could do that...he started reading again, the book was interesting, dragging his mind down, until he was meditating.
He found his mind scape, a barren, burnt place. He looked down, even while imagining it in his minds eye, and continued. Make it somewhere safe, the book said. He made it the safest place he could imagine, A clear night's sky, grass crawled across the ground of his mind scape as his mind moved on with decorating it to his comfort. Clouds drifted by and he expelled a breath, calm. "Congratulations, you have cleared your mind.." and then it started describing defenses, and how to keep someone out of your mind. You built walls around your mind, and when someone tried to get in..."
Hours later, he folded the book closed, a peaceful smile on his face. He started with organization, he started to the library within his mind, the books hanging upon the giant tree like the one he had hid from Dudley and Ripper in. He opened a blank book, touched his fingers to his head, and a memory formed on the page. He started around the outside of the giant tree, the memories that did not matter the most went on the outside of the giant tree, which he placed in a forest of such places. In a forest of forests, in a wide bright sky.
Erecting his defenses took time, and he felt a little better when he came out of it, he had found a vine, from under the root of the tree, pitch black, he had sealed it in thick stone walls, knowing almost instinctively that this was his link with Voldemort.
He continued for a while, then took a break to get food from the kitchen, moving about the house like a ghost, then back to his room to work.
His mind was pondering, as he moved, what the practical way to take Voldemort's people would be. Then a naughty, mischievous smile, one that people might see more often than not, on James Potter's face...
He hurried to his room, and started to write, then another letter was started. Then he continued, scribbling away. "They want to push. I will push back. They want to act like this, they will find out what I am like when they push me into a corner..I will not forget and I will not forgive.." the words soft. "I counted my cost. Have they? If not, let's make them count it, eh Hedg?"
He offered the two letters to Hedwig, who sighed at him, and nibbled on his fingers. "I'm sorry Hedg, I've nothing else for you after that, if you want to take your time getting home..it has to be done. For Sirius, for Mum, for all of them..."
A small grin played across his face, one of the first. "Besides Hedg, this is going to stir up a hornet's nest. Your going to LOVE it."
His lips curled as he watched his familiar wing her way out the windowsill, and turned towards his new books, his face set in a clever, dedicated smile. Almost grim, but determined. He flipped open the next page of his notebook, and the next page, transfiguration, year one. A second notebook was flipped open, which had listed and categorized all of his spells.
A glance towards the calender..his birthday approached. Tomorrow. Tomorrow he would have time, tomorrow he would stir the wizarding world and see what happened. Perhaps it was time. They wanted to leave him here in this hellhole, he would see what they made of it. Satisfaction gripped his smile, and he glanced down at his hand. "I shall not tell lies." the grim smile twitched a moment, almost became a wild grin..and then settled.
His head bent, under the load of his work, and he went back to it, his back ached, and his belly growled, his cousin and aunt had left once more, this morning, as they had the day before. It was becoming the customary. Uncle would leave, then his aunt. He had finished five books, and moved on to Transfiguration, his potions book was next, and the owl he intended to send to the apothecary.
After all, his mother was good at potions, and carrying some on him would make a great deal of sense, and potions, unlike other things, did not need active magic to create. He shook his head, and went back to his transfiguration, re-reading the chapters, noting down the spells, the theory, and categorizing the spells in terms of subject, usefulness, and how they might be used in a battle, and after a battle.
"So much to learn..so little time." the words very soft, as he bent to work.