Chapter 14 – The Seer of CaerMyrddin
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Sirius left Harry at the base of the golden stair leading to Dumbledore's office, taking up a guard position at the base of the tower as Padfoot while Harry continued on up. The office door swung open for him, revealing an empty office. Fawkes trilled a soft hello to Harry before replacing his head under his wing and returning to sleep.
Harry yawned, wishing he could join the phoenix, and looked about the Headmaster's office. The portraits of previous Headmasters and Headmistresses dozed sleepily in their frames, barely acknowledging the boy as he stepped up to look at the fascinating things behind the glass of a large cabinet.
Now, sitting next to the Pensieve, was an ancient, tattered and travel-stained book. Curious, Harry carefully picked it up and opened its crackling parchment pages. Spidery script flowed across each page. Harry turned to the very end and noticed yet more entries appearing. Obviously the book had been charmed to fit massive amounts of writing into its slender volume. He finally rested on one page and began to read.
And that same night, the night of the New Year, was Arthur born, and all as soon as born delivered at a secret postern-gate to me, to be held far apart Until his hour should come; because the lords of that fierce day were as the lords of this, wild beasts, and surely would have torn the child piecemeal among them, had they known; for each but sought to rule for his own self and hand, and many hated Uther for the sake Of Gorlos.Harry blinked. Arthur? King Arthur? Before his mind had time to process this information the door to the study opened. Harry whirled, almost dropping the diary, to face the smiling face of Professor Dumbledore.
"I'm sorry, Headmaster. The cabinet was open and I . . ."
Dumbledore held up his hand. "Curiosity is not a sin, Harry. Though you should know better than most that some books are better left unread." Dumbledore smiled and took a seat behind his desk. "So, have you discovered the secret of that book you now hold?"
"No." Harry admitted, studying the tattered volume more carefully. "But it's a book about Merlin. Where did it come from?"
"Many close friends have left important possessions in my care from time to time;" Dumbledore said. "Especially during the previous reign of Voldemort. Things they don't wish to entrust to the Goblins."
Things like invisibility cloaks. Harry thought, remembering Hagrid's comments before his first year: 'Gringotts is the safest place ter keep anything . . . 'cept maybe Hogwarts.'
Dumbledore smiled his merry eyes twinkling. "This, Harry, is the personal diary of the wizard Merlin. Quite a fascinating read, actually."
"You said that about 'The Subtle Life of the Ethiopian Earthworm', Professor." A silvery voice laughed from the doorway. Harry started slightly at the unfamiliar voice and turned as Dumbledore greeted the newcomer. The dark-haired veela Harry remembered from the Leaky Cauldron entered, her silvery-black hair shimmering slightly in the candlelight.
"Ah, Morgaine."
"Good evening, Headmaster. Hello again, Harry Potter." She nodded cordially to both of them then looked behind her expectantly. "Grandfather?"
"Right here, Morgaine." A tall wizard entered the room, his impressive ebony beard sweeping almost to his knees and his deep blue eyes watching the room keenly from beneath heavy brows. Despite the coal-black beard and hair of the wizard, Harry felt this wizard was at least as old as Dumbledore. An odd sense of antiquity and patient wisdom surrounded him like a winter cloak.
"Good evening Albus, Mr. Potter." The old wizard greeted them amiably in a deep tenor voice. Fawkes woke up properly and glided to the old wizard's shoulder with a haunting trill. "Hello to you as well, Fawkes." He scratched the phoenix's crest affectionately as he turned "Albus, is that magnificent creature downstairs Padfoot?"
"As a matter of fact, Merlin, it is." Dumbledore agreed, gesturing the two guests into armchairs in front of his desk.
"Merlin?" Harry blurted, green eyes wide. The old wizard's dark eyes twinkled with amusement.
"Yes, Mr. Potter, Merlin Myfanwy. I've aged quite well over the last 1500 years, wouldn't you say?"
Harry flushed and stammered an apology, realizing how utterly silly that sounded. Even wizards didn't live for millennia. Morgaine shot a daggered look at her grandfather, though her mouth twitched in suppressed laughter. Merlin merely chuckled and assured Harry he'd taken no offense. Then his keen eyes bore into Harry's face for a moment, as though noting something amiss. "Are you all right, Harry?" Merlin asked. "You seem out of sorts. Distracted. Have you had another dream of Voldemort?"
Harry blinked in surprise at the observations and hesitated before speaking. He finally kept a close eye on Dumbledore for clues and chose his words very carefully. "No dream, sir. It's about Padfoot."
"Morgaine and her grandfather know about Sirius, Harry." Dumbledore assured him. "You may speak freely." Harry relaxed visibly and quickly related the odd confrontation between his godfather and professor.
Morgaine's pretty face grew grave and concerned, clearly worried about her sister. Dumbledore said nothing but Harry though he saw the briefest flash of irritation flicker across his merry blue eyes. Merlin's face remained schooled and unreadable.
"Well, there's nothing to be done about it right now." Morgaine finally sighed. Merlin shook his head and rose, displacing Fawkes.
"Morgaine, begin the ritual without me." He instructed, removing a palm-sized stone from his robes and placing it in her hand. "I will return if I can."
"What ritual?" Harry asked curiously, wondering why they needed him.
"A scrying." Morgaine answered looking up from the stone into his eyes. "This is a Seer Stone." She held up the Stone, allowing Harry to see the ghostly runes reflected in its translucent depths. "With your help we're hoping use it to spy on You-Know-Who's activities."
"What do I need to do?" Harry regarded the veela-witch suspiciously. He'd already had one bad experience with complicated rituals. Morgaine's eyes flickered in understanding and she glanced at Dumbledore before returning her attention to Harry.
"Harry, I won't force you, but I need you to touch the Stone. Your link to Voldemort may be crucial to a clear vision." Harry paled slightly, a phantom ache shooting through his arm where Wormtail had stabbed him to bring Voldemort back to life the year before.
"This is a gift that must be freely given or not at all." Morgaine assured him. "If you want extra time to think about it that's fine, but I would also remind you that time is not something we have a surplus of."
"Will this help us stop Voldemort?" Harry asked, swallowing his fear. Morgaine nodded mutely, still watching him. Harry hesitated, considering how important better knowledge of the Death Eaters could be, before asking another question. "Can Voldemort perform this spell too?" Morgaine shook her head.
"No. The scrying I intend to do is very difficult - more difficult by far than, say, brewing a successful Wolfsbane potion or summoning a Patronus. Voldemort doesn't have a seer to perform the ritual." Morgaine said.
"And you're a seer?" Harry asked, a touch skeptically. Morgaine smiled slightly at him.
"Yes, I'm a seer."
Dumbledore interrupted them gently as he studied his pocket watch. "Morgaine, you're losing the starlight. Harry, you must decide."
Harry thought for another moment before setting his face determinedly and nodding.
Morgaine removed a slender crystal vial from her robes and poured a measure of clear liquid over the Stone. He held her hand out, the glistening water dropping like silver from her skin and the Stone. "Touch the Stone, Harry." She requested. Harry glanced to Dumbledore nervously before hesitantly reaching out to lightly touch the Seer Stone.
A red spark arced between Harry and the Stone, startling them both. Morgaine frowned slightly at him. "Are you carrying a charmed object?"
Harry shook his head; thinking over what he'd had time to put on: his shoes, glasses, bathrobe and . . . Harry pulled the gold Egyptian amulet Bill Weasley had given him for his birthday out of his collar. "Maybe this?" He asked, pulling it over his head. Harry placed the amulet on Dumbledore's desk and reached out for the Stone Morgaine held.
A slightly cool breeze whispered through the tower room, stirring the robes and hair of the two participants. Morgaine breathed deeply and closed her eyes in calm concentration. When she finally spoke, Harry could have sworn even the stars were listening.
"Stone of the Master, newly awakened, you will obey my call." The Seer Stone under Harry's fingers stirred to life, a pale silvery glow quickening within its depths. Harry started slightly, wondering at the feeling of living warmth he felt emanating from the stone. It was comforting in an odd way, and very powerful.
"Soul of the ally, willingly given, you will reveal your foe." Harry watched in fascination as the Seer Stone wreathed itself and their hands in glowing mist as Morgaine spoke the ritual. Shadowy shapes flitted through the fog, teasing them with partial visions of cloaked figures and far off buildings.
"Sight of the adversary, foolishly gifted, you will dispel the shroud." As the last echo of the words faded the mist around the stone shattered, falling toward the stone floor like prismatic diamonds. The Seer Stone lay calm and almost dormant in Morgaine's hand. A faint glow deep within the stone was the only indication of the new magic it now contained.
"What happens now?" Harry asked, slightly breathless.
"I will return the Stone to the Pools of CaerMyrddin." Morgaine answered, slipping it into a pocket of her robe. "Then Grandfather and I will see how much information we can glean from your peculiar link with You-Know-Who." The veela-witch turned to Dumbledore, looking slightly tired from the ritual. "Now, Headmaster, if you don't mind, I shall go see if my sister has finished flinging the unbreakables."
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The "Diary Entry" above comes from Tennyson's Idles of the King.
