Saturday September 7, 1991
Holly was almost a nervous wreck as she made her way up the winding staircase to the Headmaster's office. Any anger she might have had the day before was gone, replaced by a nauseating feeling in the pit of her stomach as her nervous mind worked overtime, imagining the punishments the Headmaster of a magical school could give.
"I'm not being expelled," She whispered for the tenth time that morning. "I'm not being expelled."
She reached the top of the stairs and was about to knock when the Headmaster's voice called out, "Come in, Miss Potter."
Holly opened the door and stepped into the office. The room was large and round. The walls were lined with many windows and several portraits of aged witches and wizards; the previous headmasters and headmistresses, all of them sound asleep. Along the walls beneath the portraits were several tall book cases; all filled to capacity, the shelves buckling under the weight. Holly also noticed several spindly legged tables with strange, silver devices that whirred and clicked and produced an occasional puff of blue smoke.
Standing close to the doorway was a glass case, inside which was a gleaming sword. It was fashioned from pure silver and inset with rubies, the blade looked new, untarnished even with dust. Another ruby, slightly larger than the one adorning the hilt of the sword, sat in the case as well, the light from the windows reflected oddly on its faceted surface. She was so transfixed by the stone that she forgot the reason she had entered the office to begin with, and when she heard a soft cough from behind her, she jumped.
"Sorry Headmaster." She said, turning to face Headmaster Dumbledore.
"It is quite alright," He assured her. "Please, have a seat. We have much to discuss today." All the tension from before came flooding back into her body as she sat down opposite Dumbledore, fighting to keep it from showing on her face.
"First off, I have asked you to my office under false pretenses." Dumbledore said. "You are not being punished for helping a fellow student. In normal circumstances your actions would have earned you merit, however your situation is a unique one." He paused for a moment before continuing. "Do you happen to know what a magical core is, Miss Potter?" Holly shook her head. "A magical core is what separates Witches and Wizards from Muggles. They are the source of our magical nature. Even squibs possess one, though theirs can never develop properly."
"I thought our source of magic was a wand, Headmaster." Holly said.
"The wand is a necessary tool, but magic comes from within." The headmaster explained. "The wand serves as a focus, providing a connection to your core and allowing you to manipulate your magic into tangible effects. This is why in the hands of a muggle a wand is nothing more than a carved piece of wood.
"Every Witch, Wizard and Squib contains a magical core of varying size, and the amount of power a Witch or Wizard has is directly impacted by the size of his or her magical core, hence a squib with an underdeveloped core has no magical ability. A Witch or Wizards core grows as they do, allowing them to become capable of more powerful spells and in quicker succession."
"What does this have to do with me, though, sir?" Holly asked.
"Everything." Dumbledore said simply. "Your core is already much larger than a fully qualified Witch's core would be, according to Madam Pomfrey, and is still growing."
That's good though, right?" Holly said. "I mean…A large core means that I'm really powerful?"
"Yes, you are powerful." He said, trying to ignore the blatant enthusiasm in her voice. "And that is the reason for this meeting. That amount of power can eventually cause serious injury. Either to yourself or others."
"I wouldn't hurt anyone!" Holly said.
"Need I remind you of the events on Monday afternoon?" Holly blushed. "You reacted instinctively and stunned four students before you fell unconscious. Luckily, your core was not completely depleted and you suffered severe magical exhaustion. If you had drained your core completely, you might not have woken up so soon, or at all."
"So…what do I do about this?" Holly asked, not wanting to think about his last words.
"The most direct action would be to bind your core magically. This would make you just as advanced as a witch of your age and experience."
"Will it hurt?" Holly asked nervously, slowly slumping in her seat.
"There will be a moment of discomfort," the Headmaster conceded. "Although, it shouldn't be painful."
Holly considered it for a moment before nodding. "I don't want to hurt anyone on accident. How does somebody bind a magical core?"
"First, relax." Dumbledore instructed, pulling out his wand. "The amount of magic in your core means that your body's natural resistance to magic is greater than normal. This simply means I will have to over-power the spell to get the desired results. By making a conscious decision to allow the spell to be performed, you will be giving up most of that resistance. Do you understand?"
"Yes, sir." Holly said, trying to relax. After a moment she nodded to let the Headmaster know she was ready.
"Coarcto Magia" A bolt of blue energy erupted from Dumbledore's wand and before Holly could so much as blink, the spell hit her directly in the chest and rebounded. Dumbledore was knocked off his feet as the entire room was bathed with a bright blue light.
"That's…not possible." Dumbledore said as he pulled himself off the floor.
"Sir," Holly said, moving to help him up. "I'm sorry…I…"
"It is not your fault," Dumbledore said. "Though now we are presented with a problem. It would seem that your core cannot be bound, and that means the threat you pose to yourself and others is a great risk."
"There must be something else that can be done." Holly pleaded.
"There is one other thing." Dumbledore said slowly. "The goblins have methods of binding magic that wizard kind has never been able to replicate. It would be temporary, and less than ideal for that reason alone. Not to mention the cost."
"What is it?" Holly asked.
"A pair of enchanted cold iron bracers," Dumbledore said. "The runes that are etched serve as a means to contain magic and block access to a Witch or Wizard's magical core. They were used as a means of transporting dangerous criminals, though since the Dementors were placed as the guards of Azkaban, the bracers have fallen out of use."
"I thought the point of this was so that I could continue learning and using magic," Holly said. "How can I do that while wearing something that prevents me from using my magical core?"
"Your core is larger than average and has the potential to become even larger," Dumbledore reminded her gently. "There is a possibility that you will still be able to use a portion of your core and perform spells at the same level as your class-mates."
Holly considered for a moment before saying; "I do want to stay at Hogwarts, and if asking the goblins for help will make that happen, then I'm willing to give it a try."
"Do you distrust the goblins?" Dumbledore asked.
"Just on principle." Holly replied. "They care nothing for witches or wizards and control all our gold. If they wanted to, they could ruin us all financially."
"I see." Dumbledore said, recognizing the same words voiced by many pure-blooded families before her. "Well, so long as you are willing to work with them, I will send a letter to Gringotts. Until then, I suggest you find a way to expend some of your magical reserves before you have another incident."
"How do I do that?"
"I have it on good authority that you already know at least one spell that is not taught in our curriculum. I believe you used it on Miss Granger on the train." Holly had the decency to blush as she remembered the event in question. "Just be sure not to use it on any students."
"Then what do I cast it on?" Holly asked. "It requires a target."
"I believe I have kept you long enough, you may go enjoy the rest of your Saturday." Dumbledore's eyes seemed to gleam with amusement. Holly blinked, and then realized she had been dismissed and would not be getting any answers. She stood and made her way out of his office and down the spiral stairs, thinking about how to cast the spell without casting at a student.
She was so distracted by her thoughts that she nearly tripped over Mrs. Norris, the caretaker Argus Filch's cat. The cat narrowed her eyes and hissed threateningly at Holly before running off down the corridor. Without thinking, Holly raised her wand and said "Pax."
Mrs. Norris stopped in her tracks and swayed slightly before rolling over onto her side and purring loudly. Holly grinned.