Chapter 7 – The colour of magic.
Green. Blinding, filling. It was everywhere outside the house. As Harry watched it pulsed slowly. Whirling and milling swirled with blue around in a dome that appeared to encase the house snugly. To say Harry was shocked was an understatement. He had never before seen magic of this magnitude even when he witnessed the duel between Voldemort and Dumbledore. It was a dance of colour as the pattern continued in its choreographed movements. 'Wow,' breathed Harry as the thoughts that he had held upon entry vanished. He just stood enraptured by the spells that where covering the house.
It was only after a few minutes that his brain began to click into gear. As it did so it began to register the fact that he hadn't seen the dome upon his arrival at the house and in fact he had never seen anything of this kind even around Hogwarts. It was then that he noticed the faint pressure in the back of his head and sure enough,
Beautiful, isn't it? That Harry is pure magic. You will notice as your powers grow that you will begin to see the residue of magic that is left on people. The colour of magic as its known. Now I'm not talking about the colours that come out of the end of your wand, there just built into the spell to make them easier to aim. No, I'm talking about the colour of the raw magic as it is in effect. You will begin to notice that some areas take on four different colours according to the type of spell that has been cast. First as you can see, Protection spell such as Protego and the other spells you will become familiar with are green in colour, this includes protection laid on an item. So for example you will be able to see items under the Fidelis, as they will appear as a green mist where an object should be. Now the next type of spell is attack. This will appear as a red colour and again wounds caused by these types will have a red glow to them so you will know what caused them. The Third type is only seen on transfigured items though it only shows that and item has been transfigured. It won't tell you what from. Lastly and the most common of all is the colour blue which represents the magic of charms that don't fit into the other three categories. Got it-
'Er I think so. Red – Attack, Yellow – Tranfiguration, Blue – Charms and Green – Protection spells,' replied Harry as he ran the information through his brain.
Now that I've got you started can you tell me the difficulties with this, - spoke Merlin.
'How can I know what to answer. I've never heard of this before.'
Think my boy. Concentrate on the knowledge you have and your mind should automatically give you the bit you need. –
So Harry closed his eyes and concentrated hard on what Merlin had just told him about the colour of magic and suddenly as if a switch had just clicked on in the back of his mind he knew the answer, it was so simple now he had the knowledge. 'The problem is that the colour responds to the users intent. So like normally the levitation spell is blue but if the user is using it to levitate someone of a tall building then it would appear blue with a mix of red. Or if someone transfigured something into a shield it would be yellow with a hint of green,' Thought Harry amazed as the new knowledge on the Colour of magic began to flood his mind. Hermione really was going to be annoyed that he had learnt more than she ever would without opening a single book.
Very good. I hadn't expected you to get it so quickly. You training will indeed be swift. Now then, your training will start at six o'clock sharp so if I was you I would have a look around then head off to bed. -
So that's what Harry did for the next two hours. He started on the ground floor and discovered that off to the right of the entrance hall was a lounge/reception area that joined on to the dinning room the ran down the west side of the building and had a separate door to the kitchen that took up the north west corner of the ground floor. To the left and consequently east of the entrance hall was the library, which contained row upon row of books all leather bound. It contained several small round tables made of mahogany and the only other door in the room was to a small study that only contained a few empty shelves and a walnut writing desk. But Harry largely ignored these rooms. In fact he largely ignored the ground floor entirely except for a room that was accessed by some steps leading down below the entrance hall. When he had opened the door at the base of the steps he stood shocked for the second time that day. The room was plain stone and the walls shimmered in a faint green. In the centre of the room was a raised platform and lining the walls were a series of mannequins in all shapes and sizes that were obviously meant as sparring partners. But even this room Harry largely ignored, felling that he would be spending far too much of his time there any way. Instead Harry dragged his stuff up the stairs and towards the large double doors off to the left that turned out to be the master bedroom. In it the largest four poster that he had ever seen was pushed up against the rear wall so the it pointed out into the centre of the room and therefore dominated a large area of the space. The bed was hung with rich red drapes and had a think soft duvet. The only other furniture in the room was a large vanity mirror on a chest of drawers and a couple of bedside tables. Harry was so exhausted from his shopping and the meeting with the wizards the previous evening that he failed to notice the large folding doors that led to a walk in wardrobe and a second door that led to the bathroom. Instead he lay fully clothed on the bed an fell in to a deep and mercifully dreamless sleep.
In the morning Merlin playing a very loud ringing inside Harry's mind rudely awakened him. 'Alright I'm up already, gees it's only four thirty'
Yes and if you don't hurry you'll be late to your first training session. So have a shower and get into the library-
'Yes sir,' replied Harry before he hurried to have a shower in his new bathroom.
Twenty-five minutes latter found Harry sitting in the library waiting for Merlin to finish with giving Harry a run down of his training schedule and start teaching him.
Now Harry, - continued Merlin –Once you have unlocked the knowledge in your head, the training will be largely up to you, especially when you return to the Wizarding world. You will mainly need to train physically and use the knowledge constantly for the first few months, perhaps teach your friends some of it to keep it fresh. But you will mainly need to practise endurance and such. The knowledge for which is in your head. -
'You keep telling me that the knowledge is there but so far I have only been able to access it subconsciously or through a great deal of effort. How do I get it such that it is easily accessible,' spoke up Harry irritated by the long-winded explanations.
Ahh, cutting to the chase I see. Very well, close your eyes and like yesterday think of what you want. This time though don't think specifically of a particular thing like you were when I gave my explanation earlier about the colour of magic. Think only of the fact that you want all the knowledge on a broader subject such as Tranfiguration etc. Avoid trying to get too much at once or you'll black out and we don't have the time for that. - With that Harry began to meditate on what Merlin had just told him. He thought deeply on gaining all the knowledge on Tranfiguration he could, willing it to come to him with every fibre of his being. After about twenty minutes of fruitless effort Harry was just about to give up and was preparing to voice his opinion to Merlin when suddenly he brain was flooded with information to topics Harry had no memory of ever having read or in some cases even heard about. The one that excited him the most though was the knowledge of the Animagus transfer and he wanted that to be his first line of business once he had unlocked all of the knowledge.
Several hours latter and exhausted Harry collapsed onto one of the soft chairs in the living room. Harry was however incredibly pleased that he had managed to unlock all of the information he had gained in the transfer and though he was exhausted he was keen to put the new information to the test. He had memories of various strategies from single duels to multiple combat. He knew every stealth technique available as well as several new stunning spells that he knew no longer existed in his time. It truly was an invigorating felling that he was perhaps the only living person to posses some of this knowledge. He was now well and truly worn out with the exertion he had to extend to unlock all of the new information. So he sat in the living room and watched the T.V he had surprisingly found there. Most Wizarding homes didn't have electricity let alone any muggle appliances, though Harry supposed that his mother's own background had had an influence in the items of the home and in such the use of electricity in stead of gas and magic.
Tap, Tap, Tap. 'One minute Aunt Petinia.' However the tapping continued and Harry awoke and suddenly remembered that he was no longer staying at the Dursley's but at Potter Manor so he looked around the room for the source of the tapping and found that there was a disgruntled looking snowy owl perched on the window sill. Hurrying over he threw the window open and allowed the bird entrance. 'Hedwig. It's so good to see you,' exclaimed Harry, though in truth he had shamefully forgotten the fact that he had left he at the Burrow what with all the excitement. 'I'm sorry I left so suddenly but I was really angry and needed some space. Can you forgive me girl.' Hedwig gave him a clearly exasperated look but nibbled his ear affectionately any way. 'Thanks..' but he stopped when he caught sight if the smouldering envelope the was tied to Hewig's leg. With much trepidation he removed the letter using as much care as if the thing was about to explode. However the Howler wasn't set of because in the knowledge he had gained he had learnt the counter charm to the Howler and as such had rendered the item as regular as and everyday letter. Opening the red envelope carefully, just in case, he pulled the parchment from with in and read the scathing report:
Harry James Potter. How could you? Mums worried sick when you pulled that disappearing stunt and all you left was some cryptic note about needing some space and about people always interfering. To top it all off you lied to me. You said you were just stretching you legs. Well if you don't get back here soon with a good enough response then I will stretch them so far you'll be twice the height of Ron. Now get your sorry arse back here now.
Love Ginny.
Harry just stood there. They had barely talked in five years and here she was venting her spleen at him. Boy she had guts and admired her for that at least. He felt if anyone else had sent him the Howler then he would have ripped it up and thrown it away. But now he just sat and contemplated Ginny's words. Something in the letter made him stop and think for a moment with out immediately over reacting with anger. He re read the letter before putting it down on the small coffee table and trundling upstairs to get washed and changed. She was right and he thought that he should visit the Burrow and apologise in person. As such he felt he should be properly attired. He also made a quick check to see if there were enough rooms to house the Weasleys and discovered the there was room for everyone to have their own room, including Hermione, and also a few rooms to spare for any extra visitors. With that he apperated neatly into the front yard of the Weasley's. Felling again that this new knowledge really was a blessing.
As Harry slowly trudged towards the front door of the Burrow he contemplated what he was actually going to say now that he was he here. Now that he thought of it the letter had been incredibly vague about where he was going or why. Except that he needed some breathing room and would eventually go to Diagon Alley. So he understood why the Weasley's might be upset, after all he had taken quite sometime to get to Diagon Alley and so he could imagine the conclusions that they might have drawn. He may have been temporally angered at Dumbledore's idea but that was no excuse to worry the Weasley's and he felt he should say as much.
He found his thoughts drifting towards the feisty red head that had sent him the Howler and how she had changed so much since he had first seen her. Five years ago she would have never dared to have sent him the letter, but over the years she had grown out of her infatuation and shyness and had shown her true colours. In some ways this had disappointed Harry, though he had never said as much. He had always liked the fact that no matter what anyone else felt or said there was always someone who would constantly believe in him and admire him, sometimes he wished that she could have held on to those feelings. Over the few days he had spent at the Burrow his feelings for the youngest Weasley had definitely beginning to creep past what he knew was acceptable for friends and he knew that unlike with Cho it wasn't just about looks. In fact if he was truly honest that was one of the lesser reasons for having left the Burrow. He just hadn't been ready to face those kind of feelings at the time. What really had scared Harry though had been the speed at which these feelings had crept up on him.
So it was that a nervous Harry knocked on the wooden front door at the home of the object of his new found desires.
'Oh Harry. I'm so glad you're here, we've all been so worried. Come in,' said Mrs Weasley the moment she opened the door before wrapping him in a massive hug that made him instantly aware that she didn't begrudge his need for space only his means of acquiring it. She ushered him hastily into the living room before disappearing to make some tea. It appeared that Ron and the twins were at the shop already and that Ginny was upstairs. However she had obviously heard the door because no sooner had Mrs Weasley disappeared than she appeared in the door with her arms akimbo. 'WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU WERE PLAYING AT, DISAPPEARING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT WITH HARDLY ANY EXPLANATION AS TO YOUR ACTION…'
However she never finished her rant as Harry, seeing no means of escape or any way to get a word in, did the only thing his teenage hormone influenced brain could think of. He kissed her soundly in the lips.
A/N – Thanks again for taking the time to read this it means a lot. As always please read and review.