A/N: I know I should be updating SS, ok? I know. But this is finished, so I figured I'd post it. There are no review replies here; I'm sorry but I just don't have the time. But a huge thank you to everyone who reviewed, it means so much to hear someone actually liked what I spent so long trying to improve.
As a general warning, this chapter is where things start getting weird. There is a long passage that could be quite confusing, but I hope you get the gist of it. There is another note at the end, but I don't want to give everything away before you've read this abysmally short chapter.
Enjoy!
Chapter 5: Trial and Error
Harry wrote out his name on a piece of parchment, gave it to Hermione to collect and then started to think about how he would connect with the elements. He had read that because so much of elemental magic was to do with focus and meditation, so in the end Harry decided that an old fashioned ritual would be best. Harry went to the room of requirement after lunch and started by making a circle to meditate in. At the north he placed a crystal for earth; at the east he placed some incense for air; at the south he placed a candle and in the west a small bowl of water. And he began to mediate.
Harry had no idea how long he had been meditating for when it happened. He was just completely relaxed, and imagining having deep roots that went deep into the ground. But as he began to concentrate on each element in turn, he felt that something was wrong. And then it hit him: there were another four elements that were not noticed so much that held the balance, rather than four.
Harry had no way to know what he could do. None of the books had mention having a sudden flash of truth like he had just had. Deciding that cautiousness was generally a good policy, Harry silently asked them their names, and then-
A second, an eternity passed and Harry could feel everything, and how it was all connected. The other elements revealed themselves to be metal, lightening, ice and shadow, and he seemed to not only be a part of them, but he could feel them as a part of himself. It was as if he had suddenly woken up and it was so-
'Harry? Harry? Oh my god, Ron get someone, anyone, no not, HARRY! Can you hear me? Look Malfoy, just, look I don't know, Harry?'
Colours swirling, blues, greens, yellows, oranges-
'What's wrong with him?'
He was flying and dancing and jumping and sitting and floating and swimming and falling and-
'Someone help me! Harry!'
Sounds of birds and running water and vibrations that were odd but familiar-
'Why don't you just-'
Orange like a sunset and like a painting and like piece of ripe fruit-
'Malfoy don't, it looks like-'
Tangy and sweet and sour and salt and bitter all at once and the entire thing felt so-
'Harry? Professor, we just found him like this and-'
Soft but feathery in the texture that was so incredibly-
'Oh my god, Harry, what happened?'
Wonder and voices and laughter and peace-
'Go away Colin.'
Wet but grainy and there was an underlying feeling that was just pure-
'Someone help me, we've got to-'
Snow, cold but happy, and all coloured and Harry could hear for the first time-
'What did Potter try to do?'
Warm leather and the smell of charcoal and-
'Potter? I think he's-'
Heat and cold and soft and power and weakness and of course there was always an underlying feeling of-
'Why are you here, Parkinson?'
Voices and emotions and not quite knowing which was which but still a nagging feeling was forming into something that could only be called-
'Do you think he's having a-'
Bliss and pain and laughter and tears and-
'Get Professor Snape!'
Right there he could feel it, warmth and Harry reached out to touch it and was engulfed-
'Snape? Why in ten hells would anyone want Snape-'
But there was a problem, a scar, a tear, a problem but he was stretching and then-
'Shut up, you aren't helping in the slightest just do what I tell you-'
Laughter and kisses and hugs and he could finally see-
'What's so exciting?'
Water rushing from somewhere to somewhere else a terrible feeling of hurry yet so leisurely and there was something out-
'Potter-'
Just a tiny bit but everything was suddenly being bent and stretched and changed and broken-
'Why is-'
Smooth stone and cool as if it hadn't been touched or even seen for a hundred, a thousand years-
'What's-'
Flashes of something and this was outlined with power and greed and need and desperation-
'How-'
Mercy and guilt and pleading and apologies all at once-
'Where are those teachers when you need them-'
The laughter was still there but there was something extra-
'Colin we need-'
Warmth and power and strength and safety and-
'Malfoy what do you think you are-'
Echoing voices that couldn't be heard or understood but Harry was sure he could feel-
'I recognise-'
An end, a cave, a field green and at the same time black and red and burning but under it all was beauty and-
'There is nothing we can-'
An answer-
'Potter? Weasley, what is going on?'
Joy and there was something beyond it and Harry was laughing so much in his happiness and there was an answer-
'Harry, can you hear me?'
An answer, a feeling, pain but it was washed away in the sand storm that was all around him-
'We have to get him-'
Hope.
'Professor? Oh thank god, look there's something wrong with Harry-'
He was alive, awake, totally aware for the first time and so overwhelmed he felt he could just burst with joy-
'Serverus do not touch him-'
A message-
'We think that-'
A flower-
'Get these students back Weasley-'
A being and Harry reached out and touched the warmth that was-
'Harry?'
Conciousness.
'What the hell? Potter?'
Beautiful, painful, soothing and gentle and sharp and bleeding and-
'Someone get Dumbledore!'
Dry like the pages of a book-
'What's going on?'
Running and flying-
'Oh my god, he's bleeding!'
Smooth like a crystal ball-
'Ron, keep these idiots back I'm going to-'
We will see you soon Harry, do not worry for it is the truth-
'Malfoy will you please-'
Beauty and perfection-
'Honestly, Parkinson-'
True peace-
'Don't touch him!'
The truth will set you free…
'We have to do something!'
Slowly, slowly, Harry Potter, we must leave you…
'Give him some space-'
Happiness, joy, laughter, life, all starting to fade away…
'Leave!'
Harry opened his eyes briefly, long enough to find that he was in a hospital bed, and there were at least fifteen people all around him, and then he fainted again.
Harry woke up again, and immediately saw there were loads of people all around him.
Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Neville, Luna, Colin, Dean, Mark, Michael, Malfoy, Nott, Pansy Parkinson, Cho Chang, Professor Snape, Professor McGonagall, Professor Formia, even Dumbledore. And the memories were fading as fast as the experience had, but leaving its peace and joy behind to fill him…
He sat up. There was a Theresal next to him. He glance at it and wondered why it was there. So that was what he asked first. 'Why is there a Theresal here?'
No one had seen him wake up, they were all half asleep, and several girls shrieked. Luna didn't, she just said, 'We had to know that you weren't dead. If you died everyone would be able to see it.'
And then there was a stampede to get to him. Ginny won, and Professor Formia made a close second. 'What happened?' Harry asked blearily.
'That's what we'd all liked to know, actually.' Professor Snape asked. 'What did you do, Potter?'
Harry thought and then asked, 'What time is it?'
'4.43,' Hermione answered. Then she coughed and added, 'AM.'
'What? Why am I here? What went wrong, anyway?'
'We don't know.' Professor Formia again. 'Ron told me that you went to the room of requirement after dinner, and then at eleven you still hadn't come back to the common room, he and Hermione went to look for you, and they found you in this dome thing, and you looked, well, you looked dead, and they tried to get help, and several people got badly burnt, no one could get to you, and then suddenly you just absorbed this light and we had to get Dumbledore.'
'He came really quickly, and he saw you, and we couldn't touch you, so he changed the room into a kind of hospital wing, and we've been here for the last four hours.'
And Harry suddenly realised how strange the situation really was. Not only was Cho there but so were some of the worst Slytherins, and Snape. He looked at Malfoy questionably.
'We burnt our hands when Weasley suggested that we try to move you.' He explained.
'Well I told you it couldn't be done, didn't I?' said Ron.
'May I suggest,' interrupted Dumbledore, 'that since Harry appears to be fine that you all get to bed? You can all talk in the morning.'
And they filed out slowly, until Harry was left alone with Dumbledore.
'I had no idea that you were that powerful, Harry, or I would never have let you attempt that. When I said that you should try to connect to the elements, I'm sorry to say that I thought maybe one or two…'
'What happened sir?'
'I'm not entirely sure. Why don't you tell me what you remember?'
Harry sighed. 'I was trying to think how to join with the elements, and I thought I would just meditate for a while. And I set up a circle, but I added the elements, but it still felt slightly wrong, and I realised that there were eight elements, not four, and then.' Harry sighed as words failed him. 'It was beautiful.'
'I believe what happened, Harry, is that you were accepted and chosen, not by a couple, but by all the elements, and your conscious was overwhelmed. But the rest is as confusing as anything. I believe you should try to get some sleep, and see how you are feeling in the morning.'
And he left Harry to his thoughts.
When Harry woke up again, he felt several emotions in very quick succession. First he felt happiness, then pain, a feeling of having something he really needed to do, then power, and then a sudden weakness. Harry felt- empty. He hadn't felt like this since he had first held a wand. He sat up and his stomach lurched, so he settled back again, looking for his wand. Because Harry had suddenly realised what it was. His magic source seemed unobtainable. He knew it was still there, but trying to change the way it was reached had shut it off. Harry was suddenly very scared. Could he not do any magic?
He finally felt his wand and clasping it tightly, gasped as he felt the magic flow up his arm, and meet something coming the other way. It was the gift of power that the elements had given him, and it was incredibly strong. But his normal magic was used to his body, and the elemental power wasn't really fighting, and it eventually back off.
Harry had no idea where it went; he could still feel its joy, but as if he was admiring it from a distance. Harry's world suddenly lurched, and it was a good thing that Harry hadn't eaten for the last 24 hours, or he would have thrown up. He settled back on his pillows, thankful it was Sunday, and fell asleep, still clasping his wand.
'Harry?'
Harry woke up for the fourth time. He had dreamed of the peace and power again. As he woke he was filled with a sense of determination, there was something he needed to do… But Ron and Hermione were visiting him and the feeling left as suddenly as if it had never been there. He wondered briefly whether he had simply imagined it before he forgot it all together. He opened his eyes and sat up, gasping as elemental subsided and the magic in his wand rushed back up his arm.
'Are you ok?' started Hermione. 'When we found you-'
'I'm fine, I'm just tired and a bit dizzy, as long as I have my wand I'm fine. Um, what exactly did I look like when you found me?'
Ron answered. 'You were laying down, but it looked like you'd fallen from really high or something, and there were these thing in a circle around you, um, there was a stone, some incense, some water and a candle, but there were also these other things between them, and the first set were glowing red, but the second set were glowing white, and there was this golden dome all around you an no one could get near you to help you.'
'I tried.' Hermione continued. 'It felt really hot and really cold at the same time. There was a bit of a pandemonium then, we all thought you were dead, there was blood everywhere, and then this goldeness was just there around you, and people had some really strange reactions, and they went and got more people, and when there were almost a fifty of us, Dumbledore finally came, just in time to see you absorb all this golden mist, and you kind of sighed, but we couldn't really hear you. And Dumbledore took out his wand, and waved it and some spell went toward you, but these guards were still in place, and they knocked his spell out, so we all left, and he made the room like this because no one could touch you. Dumbledore said no more than twenty people, and that included several teachers, but the Slytherins got in because they had burnt their hands from trying to touch you. Strange though, I didn't burn my hand.'
'And then you just sat up out of nowhere, there was nothing, we were so worried, and you just sat up and asked, 'Why is there a Theresal here?''
'We hadn't known that there was a Theresal there, but when Luna explained it made sense. We couldn't touch you, we had no idea what you did, and you could have died and we wouldn't have understood. Anyway, we thought we'd come and see you, and as were your best friends, we didn't have to queue or-'
'Queue? There's a bloody queue of people that want to see me?'
'Including teachers, actually. I think there are three main groups, the ones that really care about you, then there's like your fan club-'
'Oh god.' Harry interjected.
'- and then there's the people who don't really know why they're there.'
'What? How can they be in a queue of people who want to see me and not know why?'
'Well, a lot of people are more curious or want to check if you're dead, rather than care. A lot of Slytherins in fact.' Ron mentioned. 'But now we know that you are ok, um, there's another reason we had to talk to you.' He took a breath. 'Professor Formia finished the potion, but no one wants to do it without you, and we were wondering if you were well enough to see about Animagi forms?'
Harry grinned. 'Yeah. Hang on, we're still in the room of requirement, right?'
'Yeah…' said Ron uncertainly.
'Great.' Harry said. And there was suddenly a roaring fire and a box of Floo powder.
'Just hang on.' Harry said again, and he put down his wand.
He didn't know what to do, in fact he had no idea whether he could even do this but he knew what he wanted to happen and that seemed enough for Air as that came forward and gently took his request. He felt something leave, but it wasn't until he had picked up his wand and had far less resistance now he had tried to use them and looked at Hermione and Ron.
'What did you just do?' Ron whispered.
'I used the elements?' Harry hazarded. 'What happened?'
'You, well Harry, you blurred.' Said Hermione. 'Are you sure you're ok?'
'Yes.' Harry answered, standing up. 'Come on then.'
And Harry really did feel fine from then on, except he could kind of feel the power of the elements in a lot of the things that he did. Something had been left behind, and they were powerfully and his, but at the same time there was a feeling that they weren't just a present but had a purpose. He shrugged it off. The Floo powder and the green flame delighted fire.
Finally they were all in Professor McGonagall's office, and although Harry really did feel fine, it was what Ginny asked that both pleased him and ticked him off.
'I was in your queue you know,' she started. 'And then everything went really quiet and I just heard this voice, and it told me to come here. It wasn't you exactly, but there was something about it…I know that you know what it as, because other people heard it too, but they all heard different things. What did you do?'
'I'll tell you later.' He said as McGonagall came in, but she came up and asked the same question, if differently.
'I know that voice had something to do with you, Potter. What was it?'
'Um, I asked the element air to, um, tell people some messages for me, so the queue would go away? So they would be happy until they realised that I wasn't the voice?'
She smiled at him slightly and said only, 'It was good magic at least, Potter. But are you sure you're up to this?'
'I'm fine, really, I feel fine. I'm just interested.'
As Luna already knew her form, she went first, to check everything was fine. She took her piece of parchment that had gone stiff from being soaked and then dried up. She was left handed, so she took the knife in her right hand and neatly sliced the palm of her left. Then she let a couple of drops of blood fall on to the parchment. She grinned as everybody else gasped.
A large, elaborate picture of what was clearly a jaguar was appearing from nowhere, just below her name. As she sealed her small wound her jaguar was just finishing its tail, and she just said, 'And you get a really nice picture.'
After that, everyone wanted to do it, and McGonagall had to bring more knives. But as Harry did it, his hand suddenly shook and instead of a small holed there was a large, if shallow cut and the blood hit the parchment in several different places. It didn't seem any different to the others, but it was Harry hand that McGonagall was worried about. While it had stopped bleeding it refused to heal completely, and that meant that for now at least, Harry had two lightning shaped scars. Lightening itself seemed really pleased, but it was Water that sided with Harry against this imperfection.
It was incredibly strange having presences in his head.
And slowly but surly, their forms emerged. They were slightly surprising, but they did fit their characters well. Hermione was an Owl, Ginny was a she-Wolf, Neville was an Elephant, and Ron was a Kangaroo.
Harry's parchment had done something very strange, it was still forming pictures at an alarming rate, and often seemed to change its mind and start again. Finally it settled, and they went over to it. Hermione gasped first.
'Harry! You must be a Multimagi! Oh my god!'
She was right. There was a circle of animals on the parchment, and Harry realised that there were eight; one for each element.
It was set out well, Harry reflected. In the north, for Earth, there was a bear, and then moving clockwise, the elements were Shadow, Air, Lightening, Fire, Metal, Water and Ice. The animals were Snake, Cat, Falcon, Phoenix, Horse, Dragonfly and Scorpion. And strangely, Harry felt that he recognised them.
A/N: OK, so, like I said things are starting to get weird. I thought I'd just explain now that this is NOT a SuperPowers!Harry fic, neither is it going to be a Harry-can-turn-into-loads-of-cool-animals-with-ease-fic. I know it may seem like that at the moment, but believe, there is a whole lot of plot involved. In fact, most of the plot that I have figured out so far is somehow tied into bits of this chapter. Also, I haven't even started Chapter 6 yet. Sorry, I'll try to have it by easter, but can't promise anything. Again, I'm going to try to update SS before I update this again.
Give me a minute to review!
