Chapter Two

Wandless

It was Christmastime in America.  The Exters were sitting in the living room and enjoying the night.  Lee Exter was watching his son while Aryn Exter was getting Tom's bed ready.  Little Tom was in front of the couch, playing with his Christmas presents. His father took the utmost enjoyment from just watching him play.  Aryn came down the stairs and activated the child-safe wards on them.  She then kissed Tom on the cheek and he giggled, and she snuggled up to her husband on the sofa and asked.

"When do we put him to bed?"

"Soon, my dear, very soon." He waggled his eyebrows, something his wife always found very funny, and the both chuckled to themselves.  Then they heard something, the wards had been tripped, they were under attack!  Thoughts ran rampant through Lee's head.

It can't be him, but he would send someone on Christmas, wouldn't he.  Just think of what he tried to do to the Longbottoms when they came over for thanksgiving with little Neville!

Aryn took young Tom towards the steps, and Lee drew his wand, ready to fight.  He couldn't see where the Death Eater was so he looked out the window.  He then heard a noise and, turning around, he saw both his wife and son in a Death Eater's grasp.  They had almost made it to the stairs.

"Put the wand down and I'll let her go."  Lee had no choice but to comply.  While he was a powerful wizard, he would not gamble with the lives of his wife and son.

The Death Eater shoved his wife away and put his son down.  Aryn moved to Lee's side, but the Death Eater had a full-body-bind on Tom.  He couldn't even cry.  The Death Eater began to chant, the words not making much sense to Lee until a wisp of memory made it clear to him.

The Death Eater was trying to reduce – to STEAL – Tom's power.

Lee acted before he thought, his rage acting as a fuel for his strength (which was considerable for a man of almost fifty).  Lee tackled him.  His tackle was low, but it didn't matter, the Death Eater was pushed back until his foot caught on the slight step that started the staircase.  The way he landed on the man made the bastard's entire knee shatter into pieces and the lower part of his leg was sent a direction it was never meant to go.  Aryn grabbed Tom, who looked at the man who hurt him.  Lee got up and walked towards his wife and son to make sure that they were allright.  The Death Eater somehoe rolled over and pulled a second wand out of his pocket.  They were dead, Lee's wand was across the room and Aryn had left hers upstairs.  Tom just looked at the Death Eater and said. 

"BAD.  NO!"  At that, a disarming spell and a stunner flew from his hands.  The Death Eater fell over, unconscious.

In the aftermath, the man was sent to Hangleharrow, the most infamous American Wizarding Prison.

Obviously the curse that Lee interrupted showed no signs of having succeeded.  Over time it seemed to have a reverse effect, increasing Tom's power.  Examples of this happened all the time, starting with the disarming spell and stunner.  Tom couldn't use a wand, as they were damaged or even destroyed by the amount of power he had.  Tom attended the New York Wizarding Academy and instead of the normal six years there, he graduated in three, at the age of fifteen.  It took a long time for the boy to come to grips with the powers he had control over.

Thomas's Mother and Father died when a drunken Muggle driver went well off the road and hit them while they were walking in a park.  The only good thing about it was that Tom was old enough to look after himself when this happened.  And, while intensely saddened and grieving, he never forgot how much his parents had loved him.

Tom developed the ability to 'see' magic.  He could teach it to others and, when learned, one could see how magic connected to the world around them.  To tom and those he taught, magic looked like strands of hair.  An aura surrounded every individual like small fuzz, but when a witch or wizard used a spell, longer strands shot forth and manipulated the world around them.  Tom learned that even Muggles had magical auras, even if they couldn't use them to actually cast spells.

Eighteen months after his parents deaths, Lord Voldemort rose back to power from the almost-dead.  Tom didn't need to be told.  He could feel the pull of the man (if he could still be called that) on the magical weight of the world.  A Day after that, Thomas recalled to service the Order of the Gryphon with his mentor and friend, Amrathon Garadon.