The Celestial Guidance

by FlyingPixie

Disclaimer: Everything in this fic belongs to the wonderful J.K. Rowling (save for my OC's). If I were her I would not be here writing on this site, I would be hurrying up and writing the next book!

A/N: This story takes place in Harry's sixth year, after OotP. H/G, R/Hr, PG-13 rating.

Unleashing the Magic

Man could not live if he were entirely impervious to sadness. Many sorrows can be endured only by being embraced, and the pleasure taken in them naturally has a somewhat melancholy character. So, melancholy is morbid only when it occupies too much place in life; but it is equally morbid for it to be wholly excluded from life.

- Emile Durkheim

Bright sunlight streamed through the windows as Harry woke up. He couldn't believe how late he'd slept in! He felt wide-awake and ready to start a new day. He hadn't had such a good night's sleep in ages. He was definitely glad that he had made the choice not to subscribe to the Daily Prophet once again, since it was all a load of rubbish, and he no longer had to wake up at five each morning.

Well, it had improved a bit since Fudge now believed Dumbledore and himself, he would admit this much, but it still left much to be desired. He would leave Hermione to know what 'the enemy was saying' as she had stated last year.

Harry took a quick shower and made his way downstairs for a quick brunch, having already missed breakfast with the rest of the house's residents. He popped several slices of bread into the toaster and poured himself a glass of milk as he waited.

He took his toast and enjoyed his meal quietly, still mulling over the events of the previous night. He wondered if he would still get Voldemort-induced nightmares, and decided to ask Merlin tonight.

As he thought about it, something just wasn't clear. Merlin had explained what everyone in the council would teach him, but he had left out what his own role in the council was! Perhaps Harry would be able to learn wandless magic! He really hoped that this was the case, but he didn't keep his hopes too high: wandless magic was very difficult and required both a lot of concentration and a large reserve of magical power.

Harry resolved not to think about any of this. He would, after all, find out tonight. He went upstairs to refill Hedwig's food and water, and then decided to take a nice, long walk. Fresh air would do him good, and hopefully clear his mind, now that he no longer needed to study as much during his waking hours.

He went outside. While the weather had much improved from last summer's heat, today seemed to be particularly more humid than yesterday. Harry turned a corner and began walking along Magnolia Drive. Halfway down, he passed the alleyway where he had first seen Sirius.

Memories came flooding back to him. He saw Sirius falling through the veil again, and again, and again before his eyes. He closed them quickly, and yet that did nothing to stop the images still flashing through his mind. He opened his eyes again, but he could not help but stare transfixed at the narrow passage down the side of the garage. Sirius had understood what he was going through last summer, and he needed him now more than last year.

After several minutes, Harry began to notice people staring at him. Let them stare, he thought to himself with unusual bitterness, but all the same he decided it best to start moving again. All thoughts of a nice, calm, peaceful walk vanished, and the rest of his walk was filled with gloomy, morose thoughts.

He crossed Magnolia Crescent, which turned into Magnolia Road, and he headed towards the same playground he had last summer, trying to keep Sirius out of his thoughts. Harry bounded over the low gate and sat on the grass (to his dismay, Dudley's gang had managed to destroy the last swing in the park). He lay down and stared at the magnificent sun overhead.

Harry closed his eyes and let the warmth of the celestial fireball flow through him, dissipating his anger at the world – and at Sirius for abandoning him right when he needed his most. He could do nothing about that for now. He had to make do with what he had.

Harry clenched his fists, as renewed vigor flashed through his body. He would make Bellatrix pay for what she did to Sirius. He would make Voldemort pay for making his life a living hell at times. The prophecy was right: neither could live while the other survived.

Harry lay there in silence, until the humidity became almost too much to bear. As he sat up, lightning tore through the sky and the thunder deafened the ears. It's going to rain, he stated the obvious to himself, and stood up.

Dark clouds reigned the sky, and the brilliant sun, which had shone but two seconds ago, was nowhere to be seen. Without any other warning, the rain began to pour. Harry made no move to leave, and simply stood still as the heavens dumped bucket after bucket of water onto the world.

All around him Harry could hear people running to reach the sanctuary of their homes. He, unlike so many others, absolutely loved the feeling of freedom brought on by the rain. He knew he would probably have to pay for this after (Aunt Petunia would have a fit if he dragged water throughout the house) but he decided to enjoy it while he could.

One drop of rain. His concerns began to ebb away. Another drop of rain. His worries began to subside. Another drop. His sadness began to leave him. He raised his head and allowed the rain to fall directly on his face. Another drop, and another, and another. His anxieties, his sorrow, his tenseness, his self-doubt, his anger, his pain. They flowed away as the rain that flowed down towards the sewers. They would all come back afterward, but for now he let his body ease and relax.

He became calmer as the storm around him grew fiercer. Thunder roared. Lightning flashed. The rain kept on pouring. The pitter-patter soothed him, as it had long ago, when he called the cupboard-under-the-stairs his home.

Low, angry muttering nearby broke him out of his trance-like state. Harry turned in the direction of the sound, and saw nothing. Suddenly, he remembered. How could he have been so dense? Someone from the Order of the Phoenix must have been forced to follow him here, waiting in the rain. He laughed as he recognized Mundungus' voice from under the invisibility cloak.

Harry decided to end the other man's suffering. He ran all the way back to number Four Privet Drive. He opened the door as silently as he could, took off his shoes and quickly ran up the stairs, trying his best not to trail any water. He reached his room and changed into the first pair of dry clothes he could find. He had obviously not dripped any wateras he didn't hear any yelling, and had been lucky enough to escape Aunt Petunia's wrath. Harry doubted that even the threats made by the Order would be enough to keep her from yelling at anyone who spoiled her perfect house!

Harry decided to stay upstairs and study for a little bit. Thinking back to last night, he realized that he would probably be having Slytherin as a Potions teacher. If he had thought that Snape was bad, how would Slytherin himself be?

He took out Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger from his trunk. Might as well start from the beginning, he thought. He opened the volume to the first page and began to read...

Harry looked around, and found himself in the Dream World again. Unlike last time, however, he could freely move about without any ado. He looked around, and as he saw none of his 'council', he decided to explore until they came.

He walked around the large basin and down a corridor, which seemed to be full of mirrors. The one that caught his eye, however, was the one directly at the end of the passage. It was a soaring mirror, with a solid gold frame. The words etched all along the frame were written in some unknown language. The top portion of the frame bore the Latin words: Speculum di Virium.

As Harry approached the mirror, he saw his reflection. The image was fuzzy and distorted, and he could hardly tell that it was himself at whom he was looking. He shook his head, perhaps he would find out what the bizarre mirror meant later on.

After finishing a quick tour, and seeing several of the other strange objects the room held, Merlin appeared in front of him. The wizening sorcerer looked happy to see Harry, and wordlessly led him out of the room.

Several twisting passages later found Merlin and Harry in front of a tall, oak door. Merlin opened it. Harry half expected – well he wasn't sure what he expected, but it certainly didn't include what he saw. The large hall had pale peach walls, and was devoid of any furniture save for a small, round table in the center.

This counter held a small basin half-filled with water, and various gemstones scattered unevenly around the table. Among these Harry recognized an emerald, a ruby, an amethyst, several diamonds, and what he believed to be a sunstone.

"Harry," Merlin began, leading Harry to the centre of the room. "Your training officially starts today. However, before we can begin, you have to receive your powers."

Merlin stated this in such a mild manner that it took several seconds for what he said to sink in. This must be what Merlin will be teaching me, Harry thought, excited.

"What do you mean by powers?"

Merlin sighed, and two plush, leather chairs appeared beside him. He took a seat and motioned for the slightly stunned wizard to do the same. Once Harry was seated comfortably, Merlin began to explain.

"At the moment, while you are a very powerful wizard for your age, no matter how long or hard you train, you would not be able to defeat Voldemort. Your current powers are insufficient. Now please Harry, don't interrupt, and let me explain," he said, as he saw his young charge about to speak.

"Voldemort is in possession of powers beyond what you can imagine. Not only is he a very powerful wizard by birth, as he is the Heir of Slytherin, but he has also been tapping into other people's magic, and using the Dark Arts to attain even higher levels of power. True, these have not come without a price, but we will talk about that later. The importance right now is that Voldemort has now become one of the most powerful wizards of all time, and is growing more powerful as we speak."

"If Voldemort has as much power as you claim, than why hasn't he used it to kill Dumbledore and I? You must be exaggerating. The way you go on, he could already have Hogwarts if he wanted to – " Harry was beginning to panic: how was he expected to defeat him now?

"I did say that he has this much power, but I said nothing about him having the ability to wield it. This is why he has not openly used these powers yet. He must train before he can use them without hurting himself."

Merlin smirked, and his eyes twinkled mischievously, and with more intensity than even Dumbledore himself could match.

"How do you know all of this if he hasn't used these powers?"

If possible, or perhaps it was simply his imagination running rampant and getting the better of him, Harry could have sworn he saw Merlin's eyes sparkle with even more ferocity!

"My dear boy, lest you begin to forget, you are talking to a spirit. Without physical embodiment, I am no longer confined to the earthly plane. I have access to much more information of the past, present and future than is available to the living."

"If you have all that knowledge, why can't you just tell me what's going to happen?" Harry grinned; he was in a rebellious mood.

"There is a difference between being told what will happen, and walking the path itself. There are some things your mind must discover for itself."

Merlin stood, and Harry followed his example quickly (worried that Merlin would find it amusing to make the chair disappear while he was still on it). With a quick wave of his hands, the chairs vanished, and the sorcerer walked up to the table.

"Now that you understand why we must awaken you power, we can now begin the ceremony – "

"Awaken?" Harry interrupted.

"Your power is already inside of you. It lies dormant, waiting. Anticipating. Biding its time until it is awoken; unleashed. The power you have now is just the tip of the iceberg.We have to unleash it before you can use it, of course."

Harry nodded numbly. He had never asked for any of this. Not for the first time, Harry simply wished that he could be normal. Had he ever been normal? Would he ever be normal? What was normal? Like so many other times in his life, Harry resigned himself to the realization that he would never be ordinary; blend in, go with the flow and simply be another face in the crowd. That he would never be run-of-the-mill, even in the wizarding world. Especially not in the wizarding world. It got tiresome to be a black sheep all the time.

"Now if there are no more questions, we can finally continue." Merlin feigned annoyance, but his sparkling midnight-blue orbs betrayed him.

"Follow my instructions. Are you ready?"

"Yes I am." Harry said in a voice that, thankfully, did not give away his fear. He was, after all, a Gryffindor, and prided himself in his courage.

"Don't worry, I'll be able to help you along for most of it."

With this, Merlin walked up to the table, and began chanting in an unknown language, perhaps even multiple languages. His voice was barely above a whisper, and Harry had to strain at times to hear him. He started to re-arrange the crystals on the table. As he set each stone where it belonged, they began to glow softly.

The chanting became louder and more ferocious as Merlin continued. When all the gems were set, he placed his hands above the golden basin. His hands shone with a pure white light as the water in the basin began to stir. Ripples, starting in the center and moving outwards, formed in the water, becoming more violent as the incantation increased in both speed and sound.

Merlin raised his palms upwards and the crystals began to emit a faint humming sound, rasing above the table. The humming became louder and louder until Merlin's voice could no longer be heard, and only his moving lips proved that the older man was still singing.

The noises became so loud that Harry thought his eardrums would pop, and they continued to increase in volume. He wanted to move his hands to cover his ears, but they were glued to his sides. When he knew that he wouldn't be able to handle it anymore, the humming softened to a murmur. The chanting ceased completely, and the stones floated slowly back to where they had begun.

"Harry. Search deep inside yourself and find your magical core."

Aided by the spell, Harry slowed his breathing and entered a trance.

The humming,

Merlin's breathing,

His own breathing,

His heart beating.

He pushed all exterior sounds in the room until they were faint and distant. He entered a complete trance, and looked inside himself. He saw a white tendril of pure light, and began to follow it. He delved further and further into himself, searching. The tendril thickened as he continued, and he knew without doubt that he was getting closer.

Harry could feel the magic. It was alive. It pulsed and flowed, moved and danced rhythmically to a tune known onlyby itself. When he entered the core, he was dazzled.

This was pure magic. He had never felt anything as wonderful as this in his entire life. He felt drunken with pleasure, and the magic continued to feed his thirst. It just felt, right. There was no better way to describe it than that, because it was simply indescribable. It was as if he had just discovered himself. The true him.

The core was an absolute white light. It was huge. However, as he continued to move about, he noticed that the bottom portion was dimmed. There were black tendrils criss-crossed over it, keeping it restrained. The faint light tried to fight the barriers, but could not succeed.

If the other part of his core was huge, than this was colossal. These must be my powers, Harry thought in awe. Merlin was right; this is so much more than I could ever have imagined. Merlin's voice cut through his thoughts:

"Harry, you will have to cut the barriers loose, and let the rest of your magic free."

"How am I supposed to do that?"

"Relax, and let your magic guide you. It will know what to do."

Harry slowed his breathing again, and did as Merlin ordered. He let his magic guide his actions. He placed his hands in front of him and began to mind-call thick tendrils of magic from his normal core.Having succeeded, he pulled them and began to weave them tightly around their black equivalents. Once done, he pulled on the frosty branches.

The black magic barriers strained, and several of the bonds snapped open. Harry called his magic to himself again and repeated the process. Each time he pulled on the barriers, they crumbled more and more. On his fifth try, the barriers were down completely.

The previously dim light pulsed fiercely, alive again. His magic was finally unleashed. With every beat the light grew stronger and stronger, until the two portions were fused together so perfectly that no one would ever be able to tell that they had ever been separated.

Harry left his trance smiling. I did it, was his last thought as he fell into a blissful unconsciousness. Merlin stared at the young boy in shock. He had been the one to place those barriers on Harry when he was born, to protect him and those around him. They were to remain dormant until he was ready to begin his training.

He, Merlin, one of the most powerful wizards of all time, had made those barriers almost indestructible. If he had tried to take them away himself, it would have taken him at least seven tries. This included the fact that the spell was his own, and the additional magic spirits gained after leaving their corporeal bodies behind.

How had Harry been able to destroy them so quickly? And using only the unblocked portion of his magic? This boy was powerful. Even more so than himself. Merlin was shell-shocked. Tom Marvolo Riddle would sorely rue the day he had crossed Harry Potter.

Another chapter up! Hoped you enjoyed it! I promise more Ginny next chapter! And some Sirius if you're good!

My special thanks to: Harry/Ginnyfan4ever, andrea10, Eternity of Twilight, Lady of the Dragons2, magic-powers, Lady of Masbolle, mysticruby, rahl, and Phoebe-H

Thanks for all your reviews! They really meant a lot to me! A special thanks goes to Phoebe-H! Your advice really helped me out!

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