A/N: Hello! Thank you to all of you who have replied in the last weeks, I hope that all of you continue to enjoy this story. I'm not completely sure that I'm too happy with the last few chapters, I've been extremely busy this past year and it seems that my writing has been suffering for it. Lack of time, and in some cases, lack of attention can do that I guess. But now that book 6 is coming out, I'm trying to catch up and finish this story. Maybe after I'm done, I'll go back and revise it and I'll make the changes I think it needs. But with the next book so near publication, I guess I can safely say that this story is completely out of cannon and into the AU world. I suppose it was always that, but not so much AU as others I've read. Well, enough of my rambling, I hope you enjoy the story.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or anything within the Harry Potter World, all of it belongs to the wonderful JK Rowling. The only thing I can claim to are some of the secondary characters and some of the new places that Harry has visited.

Chapter 14 Halloween Night

Two months had passed and Harry was settling into his busy schedule. Every day he attended his assigned classes before spending the rest of the afternoon in the common room or the Quidditch Pitch.

The Quidditch Season was in full force. Gryffindor stayed in the lead but Ravenclaw wasn't too far behind. Harry trained his team as hard as he could, and so far, his efforts had paid off.

The weekends were just as busy for him. After training sessions in the morning, he had to prepare Neville's lessons after D. A. meetings. As Ron and Hermione usually attended Prefect meetings on Saturday evenings, Harry and Neville decided that they would take advantage and do their training at that time. By the time Ron and Hermione were back from their meeting, Harry was to be found to be working quietly on their usual table.

Harry didn't want to keep secrets from his friends, and he knew that if they found out, as he was sure they eventually would, they would not be too happy with him and would be hurt by his secrecy. But, he thought, considering that there were other things that he kept to himself, especially about the prophecy, he was sure that he would be able to keep it secret for as long as he needed to.

His training with Brenna was due to commence on Halloween night after the Feast. He didn't know yet what he would tell Ron and Hermione, but he was sure he would think of something if they asked.

Halloween started like any other day. They attended morning lessons, beginning with an exhausting Transfiguration lesson where they had began studying human transformation and followed closely by Charms were they had began their study of Muggle Repelling Charms.

Luncheon was just like always. Harry ate heartily while Ron did the same at his side. Hermione had spent most of the meal reading from her notes and discussing their lessons as she did so, not that the boys heard anything she said.

Afternoon was spent in Double Potions, where Snape had started to introduce advance healing potion making, making each student, especially Harry unprepared for the task.

"That was grueling." Complained Ron as they walked back to the Gryffindor Tower to leave their bookbags before returning to the Great Hall for the Feast.

"But it is very important." Hermione said. "Every wizard should be able to do some sort of healing potions whenever becomes necessary."

"And with my luck." Harry said. "I'll need to learn it."

"We all do." Hermione said vehemently.

"Yeah, alright." Ron said. "I accept that, but why do we have to do it now, we're only in sixth year! This looks to me like something seventh years should learn."

"Oh, honestly, Ron. Everybody needs to know how to do healing potions, they're important." Replied Hermione. "Besides, we'll learn other healing potions next year."

"Yeah, and I wager they'll be even worse than the ones we're doing now." Mumbled Ron.

Hermione seemed not to have heard him as she continued speaking. "I know that we'll learn to do the Wolfsbane Potion next year. Professor Lupin told me so." She said.

"We will?" Harry asked with interest.

"Well, it is advanced, that's for sure." Ron said. "And only a few are skilled enough to make it properly."

"We've known that." Said Hermione. "That's why Snape prepares it for Professor Lupin every month. Professor Lupin is not very good at them."

"We know." Ron replied testily.

They mingled with the other students who were trudging back to their common rooms in preparation for the Feast.

The Feast was always at the top of Hogwarts' social calendar, it wasn't very often that the school's inhabitants met in celebration, except for this one meal.

"I wished we could have a party instead of a dinner." Harry heard Lavender complain to Parvati as he joined Ron and Hermione in the common room a few minutes later. "It would be more exciting."

"A dance would be nice." Parvati agreed as she and her best friend stepped out through the portrait hole.

Ron was looking at their retreating backs in horror. "Who would want to dance when we've been in classes all day long?"

"Halloween is not always on a weekday, Ron." Said Hermione. "We went to Hogsmeade on Halloween three years ago."

"Hasn't happened again, has it?" Replied Ron.

Harry didn't say it, but he could clearly remember that day as it had been the day Sirius first got into the castle and tried to get past the Fat Lady while the rest of the school was dining in the Feast in the Great Hall.

They walked down the corridor, along with other students making their way to the Hall. Everybody seemed eager to join in the Feast and celebrate that the school day was over.

The Great Hall was decorated as it always was. The giant pumpkins Hagrid had been growing had been carved and lit and were now hovering among the house tables. The live bats were fluttering near the enchanted ceiling while the ghosts floated around the room greeting each other.

Harry, Ron and Hermione quickly made their way toward the Gryffindor table. They found a space near the front.

"I thought you lot would be here before me." Said Ginny as she turned to look at them curiously.

"We're not too late." Said Ron.

"Don't pay him any attention. He's just being a bear because Snape gave us a large paper to write." Said Hermione.

"He just did it to spite us." Ron said. "I don't know why we have to write that paper in the first place, he talked about it long enough, I don't think there is anything else to learn from it."

"Oh, quit your complaining and eat." Exclaimed Hermione.

Ron grumbled some more and started to pile food on his plate.

Harry sat quietly letting his friend's voices wash over him. He was thinking about his meeting with Brenna later that night. He had agreed to meet with her after dinner. He had said that it would be better if he sneaked out of the Tower after midnight, once everybody had fallen sleep, but Brenna had been adamant about meeting earlier. Harry had not understood why she had done so, but he had agreed. Now, he had to figure out how to make his escape without his friends asking too many questions.

He could tell them he was taking some special training, but they would ask who would be teaching him and he didn't think he could lie very convincingly. He didn't want to mention Brenna, he knew that they might had forgotten her presence in the castle. Nobody had seen her around, and he knew nobody else but the three of them knew of her existence. He often wondered why she kept to herself. Not even Professor Holmes mentioned her. If he hadn't seen them together at their arrival to Hogwarts, Harry would've sworn Professor Holmes didn't know of Brenna either. It was a mystery, and he wanted to know about it.

The Feast was soon coming to an end, and Harry had to start making his excuses.

"I got to go." He said and quit the room quickly before the others could say anything to him.

He had tucked his invisibility cloak and the Marauders' Map into his cloak. He took both out as soon as he got out of the Great Hall and hurried to a darkened corner to put the cloak on.

He had just slipped it over him when he heard rapid footsteps. It was Ron, Ginny and Hermione.

"Where did he go?" Asked Ginny.

"The common room." Panted Hermione as they followed Ron toward the Gryffindor Manor.

"I wonder what's wrong." Harry heard Ginny say as they turned toward the staircase.

Harry waited a few minutes until he was sure that his friends were well on their way to the Tower. He knew that he had a lot of answers to give once he returned later that evening. But he hadn't been able to concentrate on an excuse to give.

He hurried up the staircase and started making his way to the South Tower, he could hear the clamor of the voices as the Feast was over and the students started making their way to their common room.

The deeper he got into the South Tower the silent the corridors became. It had become obvious to Harry on the first time he walked this way, that this side of the castle was mainly inhabited, which was why, Harry thought, Brenna must have chosen it to live in.

Soon enough, Harry found his way to the corridor he had been looking for. He walked to the door to the room he and Neville had been using for their secret training.

He slipped the key on the knob and found himself in the isolated room. He and Neville had tried to make it comfortable for their needs. Lotty and Dobby had helped by bringing pillows and mats to the corridor. Harry thought it would be best if they thought it was the corridor they were using and not know about the room, in case others asked. Harry had transfigured some of the pillows into chairs and the mats and the rest of the pillows had been spread around the floor. They had become handy once they started practicing their dueling.

He wasn't in the room alone for long.

Finally, he heard the knob twist and the willowy figure of Brenna made its way into the room.

"I'm glad to see that you could make it so quickly." She said.

"You wanted to start early." Harry said.

"So I did. Shall we begin?"

Harry nodded, he was eager to commence.

"Wandless magic is a very advance sort of Magic." Brenna said coming to the center of the room. "Ideally you would have begun your training at an early age to become a master in the art. As it is, we'll do the best we can."

Harry nodded.

"First thing you have to do is learn to feel your magical core." Brenna sat crossed legged on the floor and Harry sat to follow her example. "Meditation is very important. It increases the connection between your powers and your body and allows you better control of your natural abilities. It also helps when learning Occlumency."

Harry saw Brenna close her eyes and take deep breaths.

"There are many ways to meditate." Brenna said slowly. "Some people need an external source to help them meditate, such as sounds. Others prefer to close their eyes and try to clear their minds, while others use imagination to help in their meditation."

"Which is the best?" Harry asked.

"You must find your own mode of meditation." Brenna said. "You must try to find which is best for you. You might prefer to use music as a background to help you meditate or you can picture a place in your mind to help you. It's up to you."

Harry took a deep breath. He remembered his training with Snape on the last year. He had tried to keep his thoughts from invading his mind but it had not been a successful method. He determined to try other methods.

"Close your eyes and take deep breaths." Brenna ordered.

Harry did as he was told.

"Now try to clear your mind of any thoughts."

Harry groaned.

"Anything wrong?" He heard Brenna ask.

"No, I'm fine." He quickly answered.

"Alright. Now try to pay attention to your body." Brenna continued. "You should feel your breath as it travels down to your lungs."

Harry frowned. He didn't understand what this exercise was supposed to do for him, but continued to do as he was told.

He took deep breaths and tried to feel them as they went through his chest.

"Take deep breaths." Brenna continued. "Do you feel anything?"

Harry was surprised by the question. Was he supposed to feel anything? "Er…no."

"Alright. Continue breathing." Brenna ordered.

Harry continued breathing deeply trying to pay attention to his body, but he still didn't understand what he was supposed to feel by this exercise.

He felt the air travel through his body. He could picture in his mind the oxygen molecules travel through his respiratory system and attach themselves to his blood cells. He could barely remember the biology lessons he took in school before coming to Hogwarts, but he could remember the education movie his teacher had shown them when they were studying the respiratory system.

He had been rather excited to learn how his body worked and he had watched the movie with much pleasure. He had never been allowed to watch anything on television at his aunt's house but this movie had been one of the few he had seen and had stayed in his memory for a long time.

Harry was surprised to find himself feeling something.

He felt a surge of power invade his body. He had felt something similar only once, the time he had blown out his Aunt Marge. At the time, he had thought the surge of emotion he felt had been anger; an anger so hot and strong that had invaded his whole body. Now he knew differently. He had felt anger, yes, but it had also been this deep surge of power that now invaded his body once more.

"Are you feeling anything?" Brenna's voice broke through his mind.

"Yes!" He exclaimed with surprise as well as gladness.

"Good." He heard Brenna say. "Continue breathing slowly and open your eyes carefully."

Harry took deep breaths and opened his eyes slowly. He saw the room had become dark but a source of light lit the space they sat in. He gasped when he noticed that it was his own body that was the source. Both his body and Brenna's glowed a little, giving off the light that lit the room.

"What was that?" He asked as the glow of his body dimmed.

"That was your magical core." Said Brenna.

"It was?" Harry noticed that while his own glow was dimming, Brenna's had not.

"Oh, yes." Brenna replied. "You must learn first to connect with your magical core. Eventually, you'll learn to call it forth without any need of meditation, but for now, it will be the only means of getting in touch with it." She explained.

"How long will it take me to learn to do so?" Asked Harry, happy with himself at having been able to do something he knew no other to do.

"It all depends. But it is a good sign that you were able to connect this early in your training." Brenna said. "Most wizards do so while they are children. The magical core is touched by strong emotions, fear, anger, hate, love. That's why magical children have instances of accidental magic before coming to Hogwarts. Children are emotional beings. They act by instinct, not by logic, and that makes them able to get in touch with their magical core more easily than teenagers and adults."

Harry listened intently to Brenna's lecture.

"Once training with a wand commences, the connection with the magical core is lost. Wandless magic is powerful. The wand conducts magical activity, and controls it. But power is lost in the process. That's why only a few wizards exist who are truly powerful, but it is because they train themselves to be so. Wandless magic allows you to do things no other wizard is capable of, and it must be learned and controlled with care."

Harry knew that Brenna wasn't trying to scare him off, only trying to warn him. And he would heed her warning carefully.

"I think this is enough for tonight." Brenna said abruptly. "You will feel a little drained and perhaps disoriented. Don't worry, it will pass."

Harry nodded. "Thanks." He said.

"I'll wait for you next week." Brenna said.

"Same time?" Harry asked.

"It would be best if you rested a little before coming." Brenna said carefully. "Make it two hours later."

"Good night." Harry said as he started making his way to the door.

"Good night, Harry." Brenna's voice drifted slowly to him just before he shut the door behind him.

Harry walked slowly toward the Gryffindor Tower. He thought about what had happened and what it could mean to his future training.

His thoughts were interrupted a few feet from the Fat Lady portrait.

"Where have you been?" Hermione snapped when Harry came into sight.

"What?" Harry asked with surprise as he was shaken from him thoughts by his friend's voice.

"Where have you been?" Hermione asked once more.

"We looked all over for you." Ron said, sitting on the floor beside Hermione.

"Oh." Harry had been caught unawares and he had forgotten to come up with an excuse for his friends.

"Why did you leave in such a hurry?" Harry had not noticed Ginny sitting a few feet from her brother, her back was rested against the wall and watched him carefully.

"I had somewhere to go." Harry said.

"Where?" Hermione asked.

"What?" Harry stalled.

"Where did you have to go?" Hermione asked.

"Somewhere. Can we go in? I'm not feeling well." Harry said quickly. Brenna had told him he would feel drained and disoriented and he was now becoming aware of the effects from his training.

"Harry, you're not going to get away with this." Hermione warned looking skeptical.

"Hermione, he's looking pale." Ron warned.

Hermione looked at Harry once more and became worried at once. "Oh, Harry, I'm sorry." She hurried to her friend's side.

"Can we just go in? I need to sit." Harry groaned silently.

"Yes, of course. Ron open the portrait." Ginny ordered.

Ginny and Hermione helped Harry through the portrait hole, Ron watched carefully behind them.

"Maybe you should go to Madam Pomfrey." Said Hermione as they led Harry to one of the empty chairs.

"No, I'll just rest for a moment." Harry sighed, sitting back on the chair.

He looked around the room, hoping that nobody else had noticed his weakness, and he was happy to note that they were the only ones remaining in the room.

"Where were you?" Asked Ron with some worry.

"Oh, I was just walking around. There were some things I needed to think about." Said Harry, trying to sound nonchalant.

"But why did you leave so quickly?" Ginny persisted.

"I told you, I just needed to be on my own." Said Harry.

He had started to sound exasperated, which seemed to make his friends wary.

"Did you finish your Transfiguration paper? I still need an inch in mine." Said Ron, quickly changing the subject before either of the girls would continue to plague Harry with their questions.

Hermione was silent for a moment but she seemed to understand that a change of subject was needed. "You had all week to work on it."

"I still need an inch. Let me read yours." Said Ron, quickly turning to look at her.

"No. You need to do it on your own." Hermione replied quickly.

"I told you, I just need an inch. It won't hurt if you let me see it for a moment." Ron cajoled.

Harry listened to their argument in silence. He was relieved that they had stopped asking questions. He knew it was unnecessary to keep his training a secret. They were his friends and they would keep his training secret as they had done with many other things. But he wanted to see if he could do it. Maybe some day he would tell them, as he would about the prophecy. But not yet

--------------------

It was almost midnight, and Harry couldn't sleep. He and his friends had retired to bed almost two hours ago. He could hear the soft breathing of his roommates, and he knew he was the only one who was not asleep.

He had thought that he would instantly fall asleep the moment he lay in bed. He had been so exhausted after his training with Brenna that he had instantly agreed to retire early when it had been mentioned. But the moment he fell into the bed, his exhaustion seemed to have seeped away from his body, and now he lay, in the middle of the night, hoping to fall asleep.

After half an hour of trying anything he could think of, he was not anywhere near as tired or sleepy as he had been at the beginning of the evening.

He slipped quietly from the bed, making sure that he made no noise on his way to his trunk.

He heard Ron mumble and move on his bed. For a moment, Harry was afraid he had woken his friend. He waited silently until he heard Ron's soft snores once more. With a sigh of relief he opened his trunk and rummaged in it for his cloak.

He needed a walk, he thought, and he knew that Ron would want to go with him if he knew what Harry was planning. But he didn't want any company. He needed to do some thinking on his own.

He closed his trunk quietly and slipped the cloak over his body. He tiptoed out of the room, and close the door softly, making sure his roommates were still asleep as he emerged into the corridor.

Sure that his friends were not aware of his absence, he stepped down the stairs and crossed the common room. Luckily, there was nobody in the common room that would thwart him.

He opened the portrait hole slowly, peering out to make sure there was nobody in sight.

He heard the Fat Lady mumble something in her sleep as the portrait closed behind him.

Harry stepped into the corridor and looked around. Now that he was out, he didn't know where to go.

He walked aimlessly for several minutes until finally, he found his way to the entrance hall.

The sweeping stairs were being cleaned and polished by dozens of house-elves. He could see others sweeping and waxing the floor and many others dusting the carved walls and doors.

There was a lot of activity. In all his many nightly roams around the castle, he had never seen the elves at work. He had known they did most of their work in the middle of the night, when they could not be seen by the inhabitants of the castle, but he had never had the opportunity to witness it.

Now he could see the happy creatures as they did their work. They didn't talk, but some were humming happily under their breath while some squealed happily as they slid across the floor waxing the tiles.

Harry smiled. He should bring Hermione one of these nights, he thought, she would change her mind about S.P.E.W. if she could see this.

Suddenly, the elves became quiet and stopped working. Harry frowned at the sight, what had made the elves stop?

Voices coming from above him gave him the reason.

The elves dispersed rather quickly and Harry stepped quickly into a hidden cupboard nearby. He didn't want to risk the chance of being caught out of bed. There were some members in the staff that would be only too happy to make sure he got into a lot of trouble.

Soft steps passed by and Harry opened the door a little to look out. What he saw surprised him.

Three women were sliding through the entrance. The castle doors opened before them as if they had been waiting for the women to pass. Harry knew perfectly well who one of the women was. It was Brenna. She had changed her robes. Earlier in the evening she had been wearing a set of glittering celestial blue robes. They had shimmered and glowed during their session. Now, she was wearing a set of white robes, as were her other two companions. He didn't immediately recognize the two other women, but he had an inkling of who it could be.

He saw them leave the castle, the doors remained open, and he made up his mind on that instant. He was curious, why would these women walk on school grounds in the middle of the night?

Midnight was approaching and Harry knew that wherever they were going, they planned to be there by then. He followed silently.

He was not surprised to see them walk into the forbidden forest, somehow, he had known that the dark forest at the edge of the school grounds had been their destination all along.

He hurried after them, he wanted to stay close enough not to lose them and far enough to not being noticed.

The women before him walked in silence, they didn't look around, nor did they speak a word, but it seemed like they knew perfectly well where they were supposed to go.

Harry glimpsed other beings in the forest, but was surprised that they weren't approached by any. He knew that the centaurs had decreed the forest out of bounds for humans, for most humans at least, Dumbledore had been able to walk into their midst without incident, but tonight they were not intercepted by any.

They went deeper into the forest, until at last they reached a clearing. There was a pool of crystal clear water fed by a small stream that passed through the northern part of the forest. The pool was surrounded by flat stones, some were submerged into the pool, creating natural steps into the pool.

Harry watched in fascination as the women came to a stop. Brenna stood patiently by the pool as the two other women walked around her. Harry could now see the faces of the older women. As he had suspected, one of them was Professor Holmes, who was now opening a bundle she had been carrying through the grounds. She took several things from it, a flask, which she promptly gave to the other woman - whom Harry quickly recognized as the old woman he had seen with Brenna in the train – a crown of golden leaves and candles.

The crown was promptly placed on Brenna's head and the candles lit and levitated surrounding the pool. The older woman sprinkled something from the flask around the pool and Brenna walked proudly into it.

Harry didn't understand what was happening but it was clear that this was some sort of ritual. But if it was so, what did it mean? Why were they performing it now?

Harry gasped in surprise when he noticed that Brenna had not sunk into the pool, instead, she was standing above it, not hovering, not flying, standing above it. Harry shook his head and turned to look again. He noticed that the water underneath her had turned solid. It didn't look like ice, but more like glass. Only the step where she stood had turned to crystal.

Professor Holmes and the other woman were now walking around the pool, both chanting in a language that Harry could not understand.

Brenna's body started to glow, just as it had done during their session, a swirling silvery mist surrounded the pool, the women continued to chant, and Harry remained in his hiding spot as he watched avidly.

The mist stared to glow in concert to the chanting. It didn't last for long and the mist eventually dissipated into the surrounding forest. Brenna remained at the center of the pool for a minute, and then she began to walk back to the edge of the pool. Harry watched as every step turned the water to crystal, dissolving only as her feet took another step.

The chanting stopped and the candles started to blow out.

The older woman, whose name Harry didn't remember, took a bundle of clothes, that had been folded at the edge of the pool, and placed it around Brenna's shoulders. The shimmering cloak glowed for a second before turning to a pearly color.

Professor Holmes gathered the candles and the flask and placed them in her pocket. Soon after, they start their way back to the castle.

Harry hurried to keep up, walking as silently as he could so not to make any noise. Sooner than he had expected, they cleared the forest and crossed the grounds toward the entrance hall.

The doors were still open, and Dumbledore himself was waiting upon the stairs.

"I gather everything went well." He said with a smile.

"Of course, was there any doubt?" Asked the older woman rather snappish.

"It went well, Uncle Albus." Said Brenna looking at the older woman with a warning glance.

"Then it's time for us to celebrate." Dumbledore replied.

"You will excuse me if I don't join you." Smiled Professor Holmes. "But I have classes tomorrow morning and it wouldn't do to show up late and tired for lessons."

"Of course." Said Dumbledore. "Minerva is waiting for us in my office." He said turning to Brenna and the other woman. "You will not go until morning, will you Elspeth?" He asked of the older woman.

"It is best if I wait until then." She said.

"Good, you will be able to join us for a little celebration then." Dumbledore sounded cheerful, and it made Harry more curious about what he had just witnessed.

Harry stayed hidden in the shadows nearby. He knew that Dumbledore was the only one who in the past was able to see or sense him through his invisibility cloak, this was a time he hoped to stay hidden from the Headmaster's awareness.

"Let's meet Minerva, shall we. I expect the night will turn chilly soon." Dumbledore said and quickly led them up the stairs.

Harry remained hidden for a few minutes longer. When he was sure there was nobody around, he started his way toward the Gryffindor Tower.

He walked silently through the empty corridors, and promptly entered through the portrait hole after giving the password to a sleepy Fat Lady.

His roommates were still asleep when he entered the Fifth Years' dormitory.

Harry folded his cloak and silently placed it into his trunk before slipping once more onto his bed.

What had he witnessed? He wondered, and what was the significance of it?

Dumbledore seemed to know what had happened that night, and it seemed that it was cause for celebration, but why? Harry wondered.

Now, Harry understood why Brenna had been so set to having their training after dinner instead of waiting until everybody was in bed. She needed to be free to attend this ritual.

Harry's questions remained unanswered but the walk through the forest and the questions in his mind were enough to make him sleepy once more.

When Ron awoke in the middle of night, he could hear Harry's soft breathing and his body stirring in his bed.

A/N: There you go. I know it's a bit short, but I think of this chapter more of a transition chapter that a whole chapter. There are only so many things Harry can do on one night : )

Thank you all for replying, and I hope that I'll be able to update soon. I haven't been able to finish the next chapter yet, as the holidays and the end of the semester kind of kept me away for a while and I've been having trouble with my internet as well, that doesn't really help : ( But don't worry. I'm not giving up on this story, and neither should you. Once again, enjoy the story and I hope to see your replies soon! : D