Chapter 5

Revelations

The three youths made their way back to the weathered castle. They walked in silence and headed down into the dungeons. Cassandra stopped at a door a short distance down the hall from the Slytherin entrance. She placed her hand on the door, which had no handle, and it swung open. Harry knew he would have over looked this door if he had not been led to it.

The room was about half the size of the boys' dorm in Gryffindor tower. There were three other doors in the room. The one to the right was bolted shut, the one to the left was opened partly to reveal a tiled floor, and the one directly across the room was open enough to reveal a closet. The room was simply furnished and not as obviously magical as the dorms. The bed was a simply dressed full sized bed to the right of the closet. The desk was heavy oak and pushed against the bolted door. It was covered in books, parchment and muggle spiral bound notebooks. There were quills and ball point pens in a cup on the desk as well. To the left of the entrance there were three looms with projects in varying stages of completeness. On the floor around the looms were baskets filled with yarn and needles.

As they stepped into the room, Cassandra dropped her knitting needles and ball of yarn into a basket. Draco closed the door behind them. While Harry stood, feeling uncertain, Draco walked to the bed and flopped down on it. The act was childish and caused Harry to start in surprise. Cassandra just shook her head with a slight smile gracing her lips. Draco's voice came muffled and petulant as he looked up over the pillow he was gripping at Cassandra. "So I guess this means our relationship is over."

"No that is not what it means," Cassandra said as she waved her hand to conjure chairs for her and Harry. She sat on one and continued, "What it does mean is that a new dimension has been added."

Draco scowled, "Potter is your other half; I'm nothing."

"What are you talking about?" asked Harry as he sat on the other conjured chair.

"Harry do you know what a mage is?" asked Cassandra gently. When Harry shook his head Draco muttered and flopped onto his back on the bed. Cassandra smiled at that action and said, "Well then, I'll start with a definition and story."

Draco turned onto his side so he could watch Cassandra as she began to speak to Harry. "A mage is a witch or wizard born to wyld magic, with a 'y' not an 'i'. Wyld magic is the chaotic, creative, destructive, primal force which resides in all of creation. A normal witch or wizard is born with the ability to channel a set amount of this power to be shaped with wand and will. The amount they can channel never shifts, never fluctuates and can never be cut off unless tragedy strikes the witch or wizard.

"A mage differs from a normal witch or wizard because they have no set amount of magic they can channel. The mage is like a limitless vessel for wyld magic to flow through and there are no boundaries or limitations. A mage is only limited by their will as to how much power they can use. If a mage has enough will the mage can literally destroy or create worlds."

"You mean a mage is virtually a god?"

"Yes Potter that is exactly what she means. Obviously you haven't heard the children's story "The Mage Who Cried"."

Harry shook his head, "No I haven't."

"Why don't you tell it Draco?" suggested Cassandra.

Draco nodded and sat up, "Once long ago magic and muggle worlds were one and the same. Wizards were the rulers of society and all was paradise. The one day an average wizarding couple gave birth to a wizard child who defied current understanding. As the child grew the parents learned that their son possessed power and abilities beyond any other witch or wizard. His moods seemed to affect the world around him. This boy, this mage, was very happy with his parents. He loved his parents very much and as he grew his depth of attachment to them grew as well. Then one day when he was in his late teens disaster struck. In one afternoon his parents were both killed. The young mage was inconsolable and cried constantly. The next day it began to rain, not just by him, but all over the world. Eventually the mage could cry no more so the skies cried for him. They cried for forty days and forty nights. The world flooded and all would have been lost if not for wizards like Noah. Finally the rain stopped and no one knew what had happened to the boy. Some people say the flood drowned him as he was drowning in his sorrow others say he just came to his senses and became a hermit. No one knows what happened to him, but everyone knows that the world flooded because of the grief of one mage."

"Actually his Control found him and helped him heal," said Casey quietly.

"How do you know?" asked Draco.

"What's a control?" asked Harry.

Casey smiled, "I know because I am a mage. All Mages have the memories of the mages who came before them. And I'll explain what a Control is in a few minutes. First you need to understand a few truths about mages which only mages themselves know. A mage cannot be born less than 25 years after a mage has been born. No mages who were alive at the same time were closer in age than this. A mage cannot be touched by magic they do not wish to touch them.

"Whenever a mage is born, their Control is born within the next lunar cycle. A mage's Control is a witch or Wizard who is capable of grounding their mage's chaotic energy. The presence of the control is often enough to divert imminent disaster due to the mage loosing control of the Wyld magic."

"So Potter's your control," spat Draco as he started to get up.

"No he's not," Casey said quietly. Draco sat back down in surprise. "I'm getting to Harry, just please be patient. As I was saying a Control helps a mage contain the wyld magic when events cause the powers to get out of hand. I had desperate need of my Control earlier, but due to complications he wasn't as effective as he should have been. Those complications are created by the fact that certain mage rules have been broken with this generation's mages."

"Did you mean to use the plural?" asked Draco into the small silence following her comment.

"Yes I did. I said mages because there was another mage born at the exact instant I was. I've always been connected to the other mage. When I was very young I could hear him cry; I could smell and taste his tears. The other mage was raised by muggle relatives who hated him and tried to beat the magic out of him; to some extent they succeeded. Their constant emotional and verbal abuse eventually caused his connection to the wyld to narrow, more narrow than the weakest wizard. Only by coming to Hogwarts was the connection opened more, but not nearly as much as it should be." She looked at Harry as she finished speaking.

"Me?" he squeaked quietly, "Is that why I remember a girl's voice always trying to comfort me when I was little?"

"Yes and when you spoke to me earlier in Hogsmeade you consciously knew it."

"Your voice… I used to dream it was my mothers."

"You muggle relatives abused you!" asked Draco in scandalous shock. He felt an odd kinship for Harry at that moment, but knew it would never be returned.

"Yeah " Harry said bitterly, "The physical was very minor, mostly they just let Dudley beat me. It was the verbal and emotional abuse that left the deepest scars. When I came here I was convinced I was a useless waste of space. There are still some moments when I think that."

"You're far from useless Potter," said Draco in an attempt to comfort and help him but hell badly short as his voice was thick with sarcasm.

Harry scowled and in an equally sarcastic tone said, "Thanks Malfoy."

"Harry, Draco may not be the best at comforting people, but he is correct when he says you're not useless. You are a very special person."

"Yeah right, I'm a freak even among wizards. The Dursleys are right I am a waste of space."

"Shut up Potter! Stop wallowing in stupidity. You're the bloody boy who lived, savoir of the wizarding world. You're a mage who needs training and the only one capable of killing the Dark Lord. You are not a freak anymore than Cassandra or I am. You had a shit childhood, well you know what, you're not the only one. My father was never adverse to using Crucio as punishments for any offence. For my father any thing that showed I wasn't the perfect little copy of him was reason for punishing me. And another thing you've been lucky enough to have two steadfast, loyal, loving friends since you entered this school. Did you know I was jealous of you up until this year? I was jealous because you had two friends who would never truly abandon you, while I have toadies who would turn on me in a minute."

Harry looked at the flushed blond in something akin to shock. Draco had moved from the bed and was standing in front of Harry as he stopped his rant. Harry stood and moving on something deeper than instinct enveloped Draco in a hug. "I'm sorry Draco," he whispered to the frozen blond, "Thank you."

Draco returned the embrace. Tears leaked from his eyes and he buried his head in Harry's shoulder. Harry continued to hold Draco as tears leaked from his own eyes. They shared in one another's grief, shame and insecurities. Cassandra stood and moved to the bed. Finally both boys pulled apart.

"You look like hell, Drake," Harry said with a kind smile.

"Look in a mirror scar head, I guarantee you look far worse than I," responded Draco.

"Why don't you both shush and come sit by me?" asked Casey.

Both boys moved to the bed and sat to either side of her. She took her gloves of and took their hands into her own. Harry and Draco felt themselves surrounded by acceptance and love. The all encompassing sensation faded and Cassandra smiled. "That was the start of own bone," she said softly.

"What bond?" asked Harry.

Draco understanding what was happening rolled his eyes and said, "The mage Control bond."

Harry's mouth formed a little "O". Cassandra nodded. Harry then said, "So what's next?"

"The abilities of a mage's Control become stronger after intimacy. Because there are two mages and only one Control, Draco's abilities won't awaken until intimacy." Draco glanced wide eyed at her while Harry blushed. "Unfortunately before either of the mages can be with him I feel we need to be together, either that or all three of us at once."

Draco glared, "Malfoys don't share."

Harry stumbled, "I can't…"

Cassandra sighed, "Harry, when you are ready you won't have any trouble." She turned toward Draco, "And Draco, you are not sharing, per say, rather you will have two lovers who will also be with one another occasionally."

Draco, knowing since fourth year that he was bisexual, couldn't help the desire he felt toward Harry but the idea of sharing Cassandra still disturbed him. He thought over her words carefully.

The silence stretched. Harry was very aware of the warmth of Cassandra's hand in his, the softness of her body beside him. He knew he was attracted to her but couldn't shake the feeling that he was attracted to Draco as well. For a boy who had never considered homosexual relationships the thought was disturbing. He looked at the blond who appeared to be in deep thought. His fine elfin features were rather effeminate. He felt confusing desire rising inside himself.

The silence ended as Cassandra softly said, "Draco, you once thought that I had the eyes of your soul mate, correct?" Draco nodded warily. He couldn't remember ever telling her, but with her being a mage anything was possible. "I want you to do something before you decide if you can accept your roll as Harry and my Control."

"What?" asked Draco.

"I want you to look into Harry's eyes and feel whatever stirs in you soul, okay?" Draco nodded. Cassandra turned back toward Harry, "Take off you glasses and look into Draco's eyes. Don't look away until he does, okay?"

Harry removed his glasses and then moved so that he could look directly at Draco. Even this close, Draco was slightly blurred. "This won't work. I can't really see his eyes." Cassandra took the hand he was still holding and raised it out of his light grip. She waved it in front of his eyes. Suddenly everything became clearer than when his glasses were on. "Wow," Harry said in wonder, "Everything is so clear." He glanced around.

"Your sight was stifled by those muggles just as you magic was," Cassandra said.

Draco moved so that he was looking directly at Harry's face and smirked at the delight glowing there. "You can enjoy your renewed sight later. Now look at me."

Harry glared at Draco and as their eyes met his annoyance vanished. Draco's blue-gray eyes were enchanting. Harry could see silver flecks dancing in the irises. Somehow he could see beyond the mirror exterior and felt the gentleness of a rocking lake. He could see beyond that to the ferocity of a thunderstorm. Suddenly in the heart of the pupil he saw an image of a silver dragon, shackled by a golden chain. As he watched a griffon soared and roared for the dragon to join him, a moment later the dragon was free and soaring with the griffon.

Draco noticed the glare vanish and found himself drowning in Harry's emerald depths. A flash of green, the shade of Avada Kedavra darted across the irises and Draco heard the echo of a woman's scream. A louder echo of a deranged laugh followed. He saw past the green of magical death to a pasture of emerald and jade life. A sense of love, freedom, and hope boiled from the depths of the yes he was lost in. Suddenly within Harry's pupil he saw a griffon take flight while call him to join him in the sky. All the restraints inside Draco broke. He watched as a silver dragon, dragging a golden chain, joined the griffon in flight.

Both boys broke eye contact simultaneously. "Holy shit," whispered Draco in shock. His heart was pumping faster than when he flew after the snitch. He could feel the ghost of the chain about his neck. He could feel the etheric wind of his dragon self's freedom.

Harry nodded in agreement. His heart was beating in time with Draco's. He too could feel the etheric wind rushing about his Griffon self's form. Passions he didn't wholly understand welled inside him and he panted until his breath evened again.

Draco looked at Cassandra after catching his breath, "Did you know?"

Cassandra asked, "Know what?"

"What we'd see and feel."

"No I didn't. What did you see?"

"The part of ourselves that no one else sees," answered Harry.

"Ah, you mean the Silver Dragon and the Golden Griffon," she concluded.

"How did you know?" asked Harry.

"Because she's a mage," responded Draco.

"Because that's how I see you," corrected Cassandra. "Those forms are also the Animagus forms you can turn into."

"You're kidding. It's impossible for witches or wizards to assume the shape of magical creatures," said Draco.

"Mages and their Controls are not bound by the same laws tha bind the magic of other witches and wizards." Cassandra said before transforming into a beautiful black, silver and gold phoenix. She flew about the room and then transformed back as she landed on the bed again.

"Wow," breathed Harry with a smile.

Draco nodded in agreement. Cassandra moved back into her place between them. Without prompting both young wizards moved in close to her. She then said, "Do you want to stay the night? I'm not suggesting we be intimate, hut to sleep beside one another."

Harry said, "Sure."

Draco nodded, "Okay."

Cassandra smiled, "Good. I'll conjure you both pajamas and you can use my private bath to change."

"Thanks," said Harry. Draco simply nodded.

Cassandra waved her hand and two sets of boy's silk pajamas appeared at the end of the bed. One set was dark blue with silver trim and a silver 'D' embroidered on the left breast. The other ser was forest green with black trim and a black 'H' embroidered on it. Draco took the blue set and changed in the tiled bathroom off to theleft of the bed. Harry changed in the bathroom after Draco returned to the bedroom. Cassandra changed last. She exited the bathroom wearing a silken nightgown of shimmering silver. The three wizarding youths crawled into the bed and promptly fell into peaceful dreams.