Chapter 61

"The dark magic thingy in you scar can't be removed because it is stuck in your scar. Try to remove the scar from your head and the dark magic in the scar moves to another part of your head or posses you," Xander said.

"And?" Harry asked.

Laughing Xander continued. "It's so easy. If my friend, a Zero, leaches of the magic in your scar she can keep it passive and so weak that an ordinary Muggle trained surgeon can remove the whole dark thingy. No more need for you to catch a... you know that curse," Xander said.

They all blinked.

Albus frowned and then grabbed his Arithmancy equipment, he started to calculate. Looking back at them he said, "Yes, I'm so intimidated now by all of you and will arrange an alternate task. If you would please leave, while I calculate this idea? It should work I think, but before you get happy Harry I need to check it out on paper first. I also need to see if its correct using these Arithmancy numbers for a Zero ability."

Xander jumped up sitting beside the old man on the desk. "Your numbers for a Zero are wrong. Your people know nothing about them, do you?"

"You have better information and numbers?" Albus asked.

Xander nodded. "Sure do. The thing is they stabilize magic and can pull magic inside of them and force it to return to the mana lines. They don't destroy magic as your numbers say. Think of them as a big sinkhole pulling the magic inside, clean it and sent it back to nature again. In fact a Zero's ability was so powerful that even if he or she was born as a human and could have normal human children with another human there where no way a Zero could be human. If anything they where super-humans, but a Zero was always born from normal humans, magic or non magical parents, never from another zero. There was never more than one Zero born in any family."

Hermione quickly jumped up. "That looks fun."

Harry blinked. "Alright, I'm so angry over not having my Grimoire that I could kill. But I'm also so happy over the chance to remove the scar that I can't be angry." He looked at the rest of the gang. "Help... I am confused."

Albus waved his hand dismissively. "Yes, yes your Grimoire. I'll send the blasted book to you." He had tried to keep the book away from poor Harry to make sure the boy was not lost in the past and to make sure he would live in the now and not in what could have been. "HUGO," he yelled and as a House elf popped up Albus said quickly, "Bring the Potter Grimoire to Harry Potter's bed when he calls for you or his Grimoire" He turned back to the calculations. "Alright Hermione, take these numbers for Harry's life energy and run them against the number for a soul part. Xander run the soul part number in combination against the power of a Zero. If the Zero fails it may awaken the Horcrux and I would like to see if Harry could survive that. I start focusing my calculations on a Zero removing the Horcrux."

The two nodded as they all started to do calculations, ignoring the others.

Viktor grabbed the younger champion's shoulder. "When confused I become I go and fly. Cedric, Harry both of you are seeker like me. Let's go for a race. It will clear your mind and soul, as we become one with the sky again."

"Now you're talking," Cedric said grinning.

"That could work," Harry said with a smile on his face.

Viktor nodded as they walked out of Dumbledore's office...

"I could join them," Dawn said. "I know that wing spell, this will be so fun."

Inside the headmaster's office a working table was transformed and the three of them started doing difficult Arithmancy and having quite fun doing it.

+T+

Inside a different part of the castle

"I don't understand it," Willow wailed. "I tried to understand Xander's Arithmancy calculation in both Wand and High magic. It makes no sense and it is impossible to solve. Math formulas, not that there are many in Wiccan, work, but not these. Why?" She was close to tears now.

"Hmm," Janna said. She had managed to solve one or two of Xander's calculations. They were not illogical. She pulled up pair of scrolls. "This is written by Xander, a high-magic spell. It will show you what potential you have in magic. You need just one drop of blood."

She demonstrated it to Willow.

Wiccan: Strong.

High Magic: Null.

Wand-Magic: Null.

A short prick and a drop of blood came from Willow's finger.

Wiccan: Extreme high potential.

Wand-magic: Null.

High-magic: Incompetent.

"I'm incompetent," Willow cried almost in tears.

"Just like Xander is incompetent in Wicca. Each time he tries to do something Wicca what happens, Willow?"

"Something goes wrong. It works, just goes wrong." She blinked and said. "You mean I am like him, but reverse."

Janna nodded. "And null means you don't have a magic core like the Wand-users. But extreme high potential in Wicca? No wonder the white witches trained you slowly."

"Hum... why slowly?" Willow asked.

"The greater the potential is the greater is the chance that something will go wrong and that the witch will be lured to the dark magic. Witches that are so strong are often trained slower so that they can learn wisdom and book knowledge first and only then powerful magic spells. Kind of like why non-magical engineers are real careful when they build an Atomic bomb and that no idiot plays with the activation button."

Willow wanted to protest. That was so unfair, but then she nodded. "Do you think I should learn slower so that I don't go boom?" she asked worried.

Janna hummed. "That's a good question. We gypsy bind our magic to the tribe. It's almost impossible for a tribal witch like me to go dark. On the other hand most of our strength is shared by all other magical users in the tribe. A strong Witch would be weaker than she should have been and a weak Witch would become stronger then she normally would have been and the effect of the Threefold law is shared by all the people in the tribe and I am always under the command of the elder of our tribe. That is not always a good thing. Just think about if the leaders turn dark," she finished with sadness. She had earned her right to move as a free agent by the elder. That was a life time gift. Not even new generations of Elders could remove it. As long as she was loyal to the ideals of the tribe and supported them and send part of her earnings back she was free as a bird. How much and how often she needed to send back money to the tribe was actually her own choice.

If anything bad happened to her, the tribal leader would send help, she wouldn't even need to ask. They would know and send help. They were hoping she would marry outside the tribe and if she had children that they could convince her husband to allow the children to join the gypsy tribe.

The magical tradition clearly said the father of the child would and could decide where and how the child would be raised. If she got a child and was married or engaged with him then they had no right or claim to the child unless the father agrees. That was a law she approved of. It would protect any child she had and she hoped her plots of catching Giles would work soon.

"I don't want to go dark, but I want to learn faster and help my friends more," Willow almost whined. "Why can't just anybody give me an honest advice that I find useful on my options?" she said. Her Wiccan talent power, and the huge free floating magic inside Hogwarts and the fact it was build on top of a nexus of ley lines made it into a spell. The air shimmered around them.

"Ops," Willow said.

"Don't worry. You asked for advice on you options. An Honest and for you useful advice," Jana said and she hoped it would be good advice. "The best 'Ops' you ever made."

"Beautiful is correct cutely," a man in a pimp suite said.

"Whistler... Buffy is not in this room," Willow said.

Whistler sat down beside them. "The moment Buffy became a dragon girl she was outside my jurisdiction. I can't help or advice here anymore and I wish I could. Now you asked for advice and I can give them to you, honestly and useful for you."

Willow nodded then turned to the cookie jar she borrowed from Xander. "Cookie?" she asked the balance demon.

Whistler blinked. "Sure, why not?" He said, having been informed about this jar. Its legend had spread thanks to Leo. Pulling up a cookie he ate it. "Hmm baked on tears from the guilty taken by force and spiced with the blood of the innocent willingly given."

Janna swallowed.

"Hey I'm a demon of balance. Good cookies taste a bit fake, but good. Can I take another one?"

Willow nodded a bit pale. "Sure. So my options?"

"Right, first you know how Xander is a High-human bred to use High-magic? Well, all those natural born witches you've seen, they are our worlds version, created and bred to handle Wiccan magic better than normal and so are you Willow. Your mother and father are not witches. We know it jumped a generation, but you are a natural born witch. Like the High-humans a Witch-human blood does not easily carry other types of magic like sorcery. It's rare for a witch-human to do both types. Just like High-humans and a Witch-human automatically becomes incompetent in High-magic. Just like a High-human is incompetent in Wiccan. Balance... cute stuff." He took another bite of the cookie. "Now that you are away from the Hellmouth whatever natural ability in spell casting you have should manifest itself."

Willow swallowed, closed her mouth and swallowed again. "So I'm a witch human?"

Janna grinned. "Wonder what a child between them would be."

"No idea, but it would be born with enemies that fear it, whatever ability it could have," Whistler replied.

"So what are my options?" Willow asked again.

"You can learn magic the way you have. Slow and steady or find a more powerful mentor or group of mentors like the Charmed ones. They would help you reach more power faster without turning to the dark. Last you could go on it by yourself and risk the darkness and then the priestess option exist. Find a god or a goddess and become her or his personal Wicca or priestess, drawing power from only one source would keep you balanced and the source of the power would make sure of that."

The balance demon considered how to formulate what he was to say. "Being a priestess would limit your powers in some areas and increase it in others and the casting speed would increase. Depending on what type of god or goddess you would take as a champion, so chose carefully. Except for Hearn and a rare number of Voodoo cults it has been a millennium since a true priest or priestess has existed on Earth. If you take the standard Wiccan approach, be careful what path you chose. Going on alone with no one to guide you I can't recommend as it terrible dangerous, but if you chose that way I would recommend that you save a pair of innocent girls I know about. You would also gain an anchor for your heart that will keep you in the light, unless she dies by murder."

'Damn it, she couldn't let some innocent suffer,' Willow thought. "Can I combine the priestess thing and saving the girls?"

"Yes," the balance demon simply said.

"What would be the best god or goddess for me or do you have a list?" Willow asked.

The balance demon cursed the powers that had summoned him as he handed over a piece of paper. "The black names are the evil one that may interest you, the greys are the neutral, the white are the good powers and the red are the chaos gods and goddess. Each has what pros and cons I could think about listed behind them."

"Demon Lord Beelzebub. Pros: improved mind manipulation ability and increased self-confidence. Con: Lose your soul and become an agent of evil when you die," Willow read aloud and then looked up.

Whistler shrugged. "Beelzebub's agents all have great self-confidence. It's an area you lack in and you only lose your soul and become an agent of evil after you have died. I said good and bad."

Willow ignored the black names for now and asked, "Are there any downsides to choose a god?"

Whistler nodded. "All gods and goddess would like you to promote their religion. That is not always a down side unless you chosen the wrong one. Some of them, like Herne, are bond to an area. Herne is bound to English forests and where ever trees are growing inside England, even if it's just a small tree inside a town. Outside of England he is powerless and the closer you are to a real forest in England the more power he can let his priests use. There are plenty of those small gods or half-gods."

He took a breath and then continued to explain. "Other gods like Athena, who you would be great as a priestess off, demand virginity or if you are not cleanse yourself and that you give up on mortal pleasure."

"Mnemosyne for instant would be totally wrong. Her priest and priestess must love to perform. Anything from Poetry to comedy, but they have the ability to channel the nine muses."

Willow agreed. The idea of standing on a stage filled her with dread.

"Idun of the Asir is one possible good goddess. She is the goddess of purity, healing, youth and love. She is the wife of Bragi Boddaso the god of skalds and singers. Her priestess and priest can rebuke the undead and even destroy them with a single spell. They can cure the sick and heal the wounded. Worshiping Idun would suite you well. Apples are sacred fruits among them. Her priest and priestess magic can only kill the unpure like Demons, devils and undead, all others would only be put to sleep by your powers."

"I like apples," Willow threw in before Whistler continued. "An odd choice would be Prometheus, the giver of fire, the god that wanted humans to stand up against even the gods themselves. He only gives his priest and priestess rare gifts like fire casting, healing and curing wounds for themselves and others and the ability to disrupt any magic coming from a god or a demon. In other words...,"

Willow interrupted him. "Wiccan magic."

Whistler nodded his head. "Indeed. His creed for humans is to stand on your own two feet and make you own faith. He is one of the grey gods as he does not care if a person is good or evil. He only dislikes blind faith, good or evil doesn't matter to him. He demands of his follower that they actively disrupt organized religions or assassinate two priests, one from an evil religion and one from a good religion, once during their work as his follower and priest. He also demands that no church is built in his glory. The good part is the priest you have to sacrifice can be a fallen priest or a corrupted one."

They were silent for a long moment. "And you know how the normal way works also, find a witch mentor study under them or study slow and steady with the Wicca here in England or with Janna. It all works, but do not study by yourself, cute stuff. You also could find a tribe and bind yourself, not good for you but possible," Whistler stated. "Listen kid. This completes my advice and is the best I can do as bonded as I'm by the spell you accidentally cast. You wanted something that can help your friends. Make yourself useful and grow strong, happy and all those things. Idun would grant you more happiness than any other religion would. You offensive ability would diminish, but the public good you would be able to do once the secret of magic is public would increase the popularity of magic and that would make you friends safer." He looked at her for a moment and then continued. "If you want to go and save those girls, hurry. The gears and their father are after them. They hide in Chicago. I got to go. I've given you true advice now and tell Buffy from me I wish her well." He sighed and vanished into thin air.

Willow looked at the paper for a moment. "A priest or priestess who breaks with his sponsor may lose his or her powers forever. It also says a priest and priestess power is strongest inside a holy temple and weaker outside." She looked up and then continued. "And a priestess or priest does not suffer the threefold law as long as we obey the wish of our sponsor."

Janna leaned back. "This is interesting. It would make Wicca a divine jack of all trades while the priest and priestess have great but limited powers."

"What should I do?" Willow asked.

Outside they heard the screaming sound of somebody in pure ecstatic joy and as they turned around they saw a flash as Cedric passed their window, hardly more than half a foot of distance followed by Harry. Victor the professional seeker was holding back a little making sure the two talented armatures would not hurt themselves in their tag race and the moment they turned he kicked in full speed and started to hunt them down. Laughing the three seekers hunted each other without mercy, just for fun.

Joy and the madness of flying could be seen in their eyes as they landed this cold February night. Shivering they hurried inside, overcome by the flying they had done all three of them knew one thing they all had in common was that flying was in their blood.

The sun was rising as they went in to sleep.