Chapter Sixteen
THE MAGIC POWER
"Your grandma's really cool, you know?" said Lily while they were walking toward the main entrance.
"Yeah, she's great. She even played on the Quidditch National Team!" giggled Clara proudly
"Quiddi-what?"
"YOU'VE NEVER HEARD OF IT?! Quidditch! It's the most beautiful sport EVER!! How can you not know it?" questioned Clara, astonished.
"Well, you know, my parents are nor... Muggles. And I didn't even know I was a witch until three mounths ago," explained Lily with an embarassed smile. Clara was the very first person talking to her, and she really wanted to be her friend.
"I see... well, I'll have to explain you then!" The blonde girl began explaining the basis of Quidditch: the seven players, the Quaffle, the Bludgers, and the Snitch, as well as the game play. Lily was trying to figure out exactly what kind of game Quidditch was, but she really wasn't succeeding.
"I don't think I get this game... I mean, what's the point of the Chasers and the Beaters if everything depends entirely from the Seeker?"
"You forgot the Keepers. It's untrue that everything is in Seeker's hands. Of course, the Seeker is the most important of all players, but sometimes a team wins the game when the other gets the Snitch. You have to take under consideration that Quidditch matches can last hours, even days... Oh, no! We have Defense against the Dark Arts now! And we're late!" the two girls took off as fast as they could, and they managed to get in the class in the very moment when Professor Dumbledore had began speaking.
"Excuse us, professor," said Lily, panting. All the students were staring at them. The old wizard smiled quitely.
"Don't worry, don't worry. Please sit down, now. So, what was I saying? Ah, yes. It is good that you clearly understand what Dark Magic means," the professor was standing in front of the class, partially leaning against the teacher's desk "First of all, Dark Magic means absolute absense of respect for rules. Any kind of rules. Written rules, spoken rules, and, mostly, moral and conscience rules." He paused for a moment "During your seven years here, you'll learn how to duel. Duelling is good practice; it is useful for learning spells and how to interact with a partner, but nothing else. A Dark wizard will never DUEL with you. He will NEVER respect the procedure, nor will he give you any time to prepare for the fight. If he can take any advantage of you, he won't think twice about doing so... Yes, Mr...?" James Potter had lifted his hand.
"Potter. James Potter. Excuse me for interrupting, professor. I was just wandering why we have to learn how to duel, if it won't be of any use, in reality...?"
"Good question. I was waiting for someone to do it. Let me answer with another question: what does 'reality' mean?" asked the wizard with a knowing smile. James remained stuck a moment; he had not expected that reply.
"Well... I guess it means when you face a Dark wizard that wants to kill you."
"Yes, that could be an answer. And what would happen, then?"
"I guess that... one of the two..."
"...remains on the floor. Correct, Mr Potter. So, can we let you have 'real' fights here at school?" Dumbledore smiled and James gave the smile back. "We wouldn't have so many students if we did! No, duelling is a good practice. A good game, sometimes," he said, another smile playing on his face, "but nothing more. If or when you face the Dark Arts, there's only one good rule to follow: be prepared. Expect the unexpected. A little demonstration to show you what I mean, perhaps? Mr. Potter, would you come here, please?" James blushed as the whole class watched him approach the old wizard.
Meanwhile, Professor Dumbledore had taken a big stick from behind the desk. It was a weathered wooden stick, grey in color, that looked like a tree branch, and Dumbledore leaned against it as if he was tired.
"We will duel. Don't worry, I won't hurt you, Mr. Potter," assured Dumbledore as James paled. "I am on the side of evil, and Mr. Potter is fighting for the general good. Now," said the seasoned wizard, placing his wand on his desk, "what do you think I can do? I don't have my wand, while Mr. Potter... please take your wand out. Thank you. While Mr Potter still has his. He is also much younger than me, and thus has the agility of youth on his side. He could easily cast a spell against me before I could even take a step, right?" The class nodded together.
Dumbledore made an quick movement with the stick, and James felt he was unable to move. Then, with another movement, the old wizard lifted him in the air, above his classmates' heads. After two circles, James gently landed and took control of his body again. All the students were astonished.
"Now, how could I do that without a wand, without saying any charm, without conjuring any spell?" The disbelief in his students' eyes told him that no one was going to answer. In truth, for Lily that demonstration was just another one in her long list of the odd things she had seen lately, but she was not going to show her lack of wizarding knowledge again in front of James' group and the rest of the class.
"My stick! Of course, many of you know that in the past some wizards used sticks instead of wands, but, from your faces, I can see that none of you anticipated that the use of a stick would forgo the need for words." Lily was beginning to understand, as were the others.
"Excuse me, professor?" A brunette boy had raised his hand.
"Yes, Mr...?"
"Albert Swalloney. I thought that the use of sticks was outlawed some years ago," said the little boy shyly.
"Correct Mr. Swalloney. It was outlawed before any one of you was born, but I don't think they'll arrest me for making this little demonstration," said Dumbledore, laughing.
"But why is it illegal? I mean, it looks like it could be very helpful in some circumstances not to use spells" asked James. He was still standing near the professor.
"It is helpful, but it is also very dangerous. A stick is very difficult to control." The class was staring at him with questioning eyes "Well, I guess I'll have to explain now... I should have expected this... Mr. Potter, thank you. You may take your seat now." James took his place near Sirius once more.
"Where should I begin? Hmmm... okay. You all know that magic simply refers to the power within the witch or wizard. It is within in each and every one of you, and that is why you are here. It does not come from a wand, a stick, or a spell. They are only conductors.
"Imagine a fire. It illuminates what is near it, right? If I wanted it to enlighten just one single corner of my room, I would have to place a screen in front of it so it would only illuminate that corner. Now, imagine that we are that flame, our power the light, the screen the wand or stick or spell.
"The difference between wands and sticks is that sticks can conduct, or bring out, much more power. This is why you don't need to associate them with spells. This makes things very dangerous. The power freed can be more than what you can control, and it could end up destroying you," said Dumbledore, the twinkle temporarily gone from his eyes. "The more powerful a wizard is, the more difficult it is to control his power, but don't think that lack of control makes him a bad wizard. Power likes to be exercised." He paused a moment, watching his students
"I hope it's now clear why sticks are forbidden, or even other things. You'll study it one day in History of Magic, but you should know that the wizard that gives the name to your house, Godric Gryffindor, used a sword to concentrate his power."
The students shared astonished looks. Sirius grinned at James. "Awesome!" he whispered excitedly.
"And other wizards used even more unconventional weapons, like axes and rings, even bows and arrows!" Dumbledore looked satisfied at his students' amazed expressions.
"All right, now... Oh, my! It's later than I thought! Well, I would like you to write a brief essay on the argument against sticks." A chorus of weak protests arose from the students. Dumbledore chuckled. "It's really not that big of a deal! Now, leave! It's lunch-time!"
All the students packed up their things and walked toward the door.
"Did you already know anything Professor Dumbledore said?" asked Lily to Clara
"No! I didn't even know about that story of the 'magic power'! People usually don't care about how those things work. They just know they do," answered the little girl, smiling "Let's go, I want you to meet some of my friends!"
"Oh, I don't know if that's a good idea..." whispered Lily. She was worried that Clara's friends had avoided her up until that point because of James and his friends. And it just seemed too good to have a friend, finally. Despite Lily's fears, Clara giggled.
"Don't worry. We know all about those stupid things that 'Mr. Potter' said, and I can assure you that my friends won't care at all," concluded Clara, grinning. Lily felt her heart filling with gratitude.
The two walked toward the Great Hall, talking about how stupid James was.
Meanwhile, that same boy was playing Godric Gryffindor with Sirius and Peter. "Ah! I am the invincible Godric Gryffindor, with his amazing sword!" called James, wielding his pen-case "Yooo! Take this, evil Molodor!" He thunked Peter on his head. The boy pushed him back, and he ran into Remus, who was walking in front of them.
"Oops! Sorry! What are you looking at?" asked James, seeing his friend glancing down the hall. "Oh, it looks like the Slytherin girl finally found a companion," said James with a smirk.
"Yeah..."
THE MAGIC POWER
"Your grandma's really cool, you know?" said Lily while they were walking toward the main entrance.
"Yeah, she's great. She even played on the Quidditch National Team!" giggled Clara proudly
"Quiddi-what?"
"YOU'VE NEVER HEARD OF IT?! Quidditch! It's the most beautiful sport EVER!! How can you not know it?" questioned Clara, astonished.
"Well, you know, my parents are nor... Muggles. And I didn't even know I was a witch until three mounths ago," explained Lily with an embarassed smile. Clara was the very first person talking to her, and she really wanted to be her friend.
"I see... well, I'll have to explain you then!" The blonde girl began explaining the basis of Quidditch: the seven players, the Quaffle, the Bludgers, and the Snitch, as well as the game play. Lily was trying to figure out exactly what kind of game Quidditch was, but she really wasn't succeeding.
"I don't think I get this game... I mean, what's the point of the Chasers and the Beaters if everything depends entirely from the Seeker?"
"You forgot the Keepers. It's untrue that everything is in Seeker's hands. Of course, the Seeker is the most important of all players, but sometimes a team wins the game when the other gets the Snitch. You have to take under consideration that Quidditch matches can last hours, even days... Oh, no! We have Defense against the Dark Arts now! And we're late!" the two girls took off as fast as they could, and they managed to get in the class in the very moment when Professor Dumbledore had began speaking.
"Excuse us, professor," said Lily, panting. All the students were staring at them. The old wizard smiled quitely.
"Don't worry, don't worry. Please sit down, now. So, what was I saying? Ah, yes. It is good that you clearly understand what Dark Magic means," the professor was standing in front of the class, partially leaning against the teacher's desk "First of all, Dark Magic means absolute absense of respect for rules. Any kind of rules. Written rules, spoken rules, and, mostly, moral and conscience rules." He paused for a moment "During your seven years here, you'll learn how to duel. Duelling is good practice; it is useful for learning spells and how to interact with a partner, but nothing else. A Dark wizard will never DUEL with you. He will NEVER respect the procedure, nor will he give you any time to prepare for the fight. If he can take any advantage of you, he won't think twice about doing so... Yes, Mr...?" James Potter had lifted his hand.
"Potter. James Potter. Excuse me for interrupting, professor. I was just wandering why we have to learn how to duel, if it won't be of any use, in reality...?"
"Good question. I was waiting for someone to do it. Let me answer with another question: what does 'reality' mean?" asked the wizard with a knowing smile. James remained stuck a moment; he had not expected that reply.
"Well... I guess it means when you face a Dark wizard that wants to kill you."
"Yes, that could be an answer. And what would happen, then?"
"I guess that... one of the two..."
"...remains on the floor. Correct, Mr Potter. So, can we let you have 'real' fights here at school?" Dumbledore smiled and James gave the smile back. "We wouldn't have so many students if we did! No, duelling is a good practice. A good game, sometimes," he said, another smile playing on his face, "but nothing more. If or when you face the Dark Arts, there's only one good rule to follow: be prepared. Expect the unexpected. A little demonstration to show you what I mean, perhaps? Mr. Potter, would you come here, please?" James blushed as the whole class watched him approach the old wizard.
Meanwhile, Professor Dumbledore had taken a big stick from behind the desk. It was a weathered wooden stick, grey in color, that looked like a tree branch, and Dumbledore leaned against it as if he was tired.
"We will duel. Don't worry, I won't hurt you, Mr. Potter," assured Dumbledore as James paled. "I am on the side of evil, and Mr. Potter is fighting for the general good. Now," said the seasoned wizard, placing his wand on his desk, "what do you think I can do? I don't have my wand, while Mr. Potter... please take your wand out. Thank you. While Mr Potter still has his. He is also much younger than me, and thus has the agility of youth on his side. He could easily cast a spell against me before I could even take a step, right?" The class nodded together.
Dumbledore made an quick movement with the stick, and James felt he was unable to move. Then, with another movement, the old wizard lifted him in the air, above his classmates' heads. After two circles, James gently landed and took control of his body again. All the students were astonished.
"Now, how could I do that without a wand, without saying any charm, without conjuring any spell?" The disbelief in his students' eyes told him that no one was going to answer. In truth, for Lily that demonstration was just another one in her long list of the odd things she had seen lately, but she was not going to show her lack of wizarding knowledge again in front of James' group and the rest of the class.
"My stick! Of course, many of you know that in the past some wizards used sticks instead of wands, but, from your faces, I can see that none of you anticipated that the use of a stick would forgo the need for words." Lily was beginning to understand, as were the others.
"Excuse me, professor?" A brunette boy had raised his hand.
"Yes, Mr...?"
"Albert Swalloney. I thought that the use of sticks was outlawed some years ago," said the little boy shyly.
"Correct Mr. Swalloney. It was outlawed before any one of you was born, but I don't think they'll arrest me for making this little demonstration," said Dumbledore, laughing.
"But why is it illegal? I mean, it looks like it could be very helpful in some circumstances not to use spells" asked James. He was still standing near the professor.
"It is helpful, but it is also very dangerous. A stick is very difficult to control." The class was staring at him with questioning eyes "Well, I guess I'll have to explain now... I should have expected this... Mr. Potter, thank you. You may take your seat now." James took his place near Sirius once more.
"Where should I begin? Hmmm... okay. You all know that magic simply refers to the power within the witch or wizard. It is within in each and every one of you, and that is why you are here. It does not come from a wand, a stick, or a spell. They are only conductors.
"Imagine a fire. It illuminates what is near it, right? If I wanted it to enlighten just one single corner of my room, I would have to place a screen in front of it so it would only illuminate that corner. Now, imagine that we are that flame, our power the light, the screen the wand or stick or spell.
"The difference between wands and sticks is that sticks can conduct, or bring out, much more power. This is why you don't need to associate them with spells. This makes things very dangerous. The power freed can be more than what you can control, and it could end up destroying you," said Dumbledore, the twinkle temporarily gone from his eyes. "The more powerful a wizard is, the more difficult it is to control his power, but don't think that lack of control makes him a bad wizard. Power likes to be exercised." He paused a moment, watching his students
"I hope it's now clear why sticks are forbidden, or even other things. You'll study it one day in History of Magic, but you should know that the wizard that gives the name to your house, Godric Gryffindor, used a sword to concentrate his power."
The students shared astonished looks. Sirius grinned at James. "Awesome!" he whispered excitedly.
"And other wizards used even more unconventional weapons, like axes and rings, even bows and arrows!" Dumbledore looked satisfied at his students' amazed expressions.
"All right, now... Oh, my! It's later than I thought! Well, I would like you to write a brief essay on the argument against sticks." A chorus of weak protests arose from the students. Dumbledore chuckled. "It's really not that big of a deal! Now, leave! It's lunch-time!"
All the students packed up their things and walked toward the door.
"Did you already know anything Professor Dumbledore said?" asked Lily to Clara
"No! I didn't even know about that story of the 'magic power'! People usually don't care about how those things work. They just know they do," answered the little girl, smiling "Let's go, I want you to meet some of my friends!"
"Oh, I don't know if that's a good idea..." whispered Lily. She was worried that Clara's friends had avoided her up until that point because of James and his friends. And it just seemed too good to have a friend, finally. Despite Lily's fears, Clara giggled.
"Don't worry. We know all about those stupid things that 'Mr. Potter' said, and I can assure you that my friends won't care at all," concluded Clara, grinning. Lily felt her heart filling with gratitude.
The two walked toward the Great Hall, talking about how stupid James was.
Meanwhile, that same boy was playing Godric Gryffindor with Sirius and Peter. "Ah! I am the invincible Godric Gryffindor, with his amazing sword!" called James, wielding his pen-case "Yooo! Take this, evil Molodor!" He thunked Peter on his head. The boy pushed him back, and he ran into Remus, who was walking in front of them.
"Oops! Sorry! What are you looking at?" asked James, seeing his friend glancing down the hall. "Oh, it looks like the Slytherin girl finally found a companion," said James with a smirk.
"Yeah..."