"Young son of the magical, listen to this words, the magic contained in this pages, for good shall be used, self defence and protection, to keep evil away. But the magic written with night, is advanced as the wizard should be, your knowledge, I see, is poor, and surprised you shall receive. Now for the last time I warn thee, first learn to wave the stick, and the sparks that fly from it, shall tell thee if thou art ready to cast the spells"
Ron looked at the book, his heart beat at a high rate from the shock received, it actually looked as if the book was directing its words to him, but that is impossible since books don't talk. Ron passed towards the next page, it was also glowing brightly and, like the previous one, it was hand written. The page was decorated with a large black and white picture, also hand made, it was the picture of a man dressed in strange long robes and a pointed hat, in his had was what looked like some sort of wooden stick. From the pointed end of the wooden stick came out some sort of string that surrounded the man, Ron turned his gaze towards the letters and started reading:
"Protection Sphere-
this charm is easy to work out, and the subject doesn't need to find itself in real danger to perform it.
Procedure: take the wand and point it at the sky, and draw a circle in front of thyself while saying with determination and power, "Sferus Luna". If done correctly a bright white line shall appear in front of thou and immediately wrap thee, making it look as if thou art inside a crystal ball.
Important notes: this charm works better at night during full moon, it will still work during the day but most likely not as efficiently.
Contradictions: this charm is very efficient against small spells and curses, however it will easily be overpowered and the shield broken by powerful curses or a self defence spell such a the Purity Charm or Sanctus Leonis."
Ron couldn't hide his fascination and a wide smile spread across his face, connecting both ears. He passed the page and observed the pictures carefully, there was another picture of a strange man, but this one held the wooden stick as if it was a sword, and seemed to be moving forward like a ninja, with both legs curved and bent. The stick's end shone like if it had stabbed a glittering star from the night's sky. Behind the man was the most magnificent creature ever, a large, thin horse, with a long horn on its forehead that, like the wand, seemed to have caught a bright star. The animal's body looked much like a deer's and the tail was long a thin, and lion like, with a bunch of curled hairs. The horse's mane was long and curled like the tail. The legs were stretched forward, like as if the creature had frozen at the time of jumping across a large cannon. The hooves seemed to be cut in half, and a stream of curly hairs decorated the feet.
Ron stared at the animal, he swore the creature's silvery eyes had watched him. The red haired child could feel the purity of such magnificent entity wrapping his head, and for a brief moment, he felt as if he was an angel, light and pure, without a sing of evil or vice in him. He opened his eyes and turned to read the title:
"Purity Charm-
One of the hardest charms, since the subject must not only be advanced in the arts of witchcraft, but must also be pure in heart, and loyal, plus the intentions of casting this charm must be good.
Procedure: hold thy wand up high, and concentrate on a happy thought. Focus all your happiness and your finest moments in your heart. Once you feel the pureness and power of the unicorn in your heart, throw your hand forward as you say "Cristalerum".
If the spell worked, you shall know since you feel as if thine heart was liquid and flowed towards the wand. Also the tip of the wand shall glow with a very pure and white light, and a beam of light will be fired.
Important notes: be careful when using this charm, since its power, although not nearly as much as a unicorn's, is still very high, and could kill a person.
Contradictions: very hard to perform, and only those with a pure heart will be able to cast it. It only works at night, and it doesn't work in some areas. The witch or wizard will be exhausted after the incantation is preformed. It can take a long time to perform, if thou art a beginner, which lets thine opponent the opportunity to attack, but if thou hast experience, it is quick to perform."
Ron smiled as he stared at the creature for a second time, he was enjoying the book and somehow a warm feeling flowed through his veins. He felt as if the letters, the style, the words and the pictures were familiar to him, as if he had always known about this, as if he had actually seen the spell being casted. He kept passing the pages and reading carefully every word in it, he was trying hard to keep every single word in his mind, to memorize every picture, to avoid missing any letter in the paragraphs. He reached a page that made his heart sink, and suddenly the image of a large, icy blue, white lion, roared in his mind.
He gasped in surprise and he found himself sitting on his dark room, reading the glowing book. He arched an eyebrow and focused his gaze on the pictures, there was the picture of that same strange man that appeared in every page. However in this page he held the stick up and a string of light emerged from the tip, creating a large white lion that was in a jumping position. It's jaws were wide open, showing a set of large, sharp fangs, and a collection of hooked claws decorated each finger. It looked like the animal will leap out of the picture in any second, and attack the reader. Ron was surprised, although his conscious mind couldn't understand why, he feared this lion, he feared the fangs, and he feared the claws, however he felt an uncommon sympathy towards the man that casted it. He continued to read the charm:
"Sanctus Leonis:
this is, without doubt, the hardest protection charm existing, and also the most powerful. The advantage this charm has is that thou can decide if thou want to kill thine opponent or let it live.
Procedure: the charm is had to cast, but the procedure is easy. Hold thine wand up high, clear your mind from all thoughts and focus all thine bravery towards thine heart. Once you feel the time is right, pulsate it towards thine wand, as if it was blood, the wand shall shine icy bluish white. Once the wand's tip is bright white, throw thine hand forwards and say "Sanctus Leonis" with power and determination. It will work properly if a large white lion, such as the one in the picture, appears and, controlling it with thine mind, does what thou wish.
Important Notes: hardest spell and only master wizards have been able to cast it. It will work only with a wizard's own wand. The Sanctus Leonis works only under mind control, so if thou kill thine opponent, don't say it got out of control.
Contradictions: hard to cast, and any little fear or sided thought can make it disappear. Like the Purity Charm, it can take a while to cast, but shall be easy once thou have experience. It will slowly drain thine energy, so keeping a Sanctus Leonis for a long time can completely exhaust or even kill the sorcerer/ress that casted it."
Ron stared at the page, and if hypnotized by it, he let his thoughts drift off to another land, a land where he was a wizard, and he managed to cast the Sanctus Leonis to save a beautiful princess in danger. He had seen the princess wearing a beautiful long black dress and her dark blue eyes, like two pieces from the night sky, looking at him gratefully. In his imagination she had kissed him on the cheek, as a thank you for being liberated from the dark wizard that wanted to kidnap her. Ron saw the figure hidden with a black cloak, the only thing he could see apart from his hands holding a wand, was a malicious smile lit by the icy blue glow emitted by the Leonis.
Suddenly he felt something strange, he felt an anguishing fear, but it wasn't a fear inside him, but a fear around him, something bad, very bad was happening. He suddenly felt himself as if he wasn't a person, but a spirit, a ghost floating over a room. The room was a large living room, there was a big striped sofa, beautifully decorated. The sofa was situated in front of a flaming chimney, that heated the homely place. There was a large wooden table behind the sofa and eight finely carved wooden chairs stood staring at each other, waiting to be used, waiting in vain to hear the cheerful laughs and smiles of a family. Pictures of all kinds decorated the room, landscapes, porcelain vases with bunches of roses in them, mythological animals, dragons, griffins. A picture called his attention, the mysterious gaze from the violet eyes of a unicorn seemed to stare at him, and it looked at if the oil painted picture was alive.
He looked through the room's windows and saw a large garden hidden under a thick white rug, it was the freezing snow, so it had to be winter. He saw a small crib which contained a small baby with flaming red hair, Ron recognized this kid, it was himself.
Two people entered the room in a frenetic jog, there was a man and a woman. The woman was tall and slim, she was wearing casual jeans and a T-shirt with a Pegasus drawn on it. Her hair zigzagged all the way through her back, and it was of a flaming red colour, like the baby's hair. The woman's eyes were green like two emeralds, large but a bit superficial, however the panic that they showed made Ron's heart shrink. The woman's lips were coloured with a violet lipstick, they were beautifully shaped, and shone with the glittering fire from the chimney. Her nose was of a normal sized and a bit spiky, and her face was long, with fleshy and pinkish cheeks. She leaned over to hold the small child, whose deep, light brown eyes stared in every direction, observed every detail. Ron recognized the woman, he couldn't believe his eyes and he couldn't understand what was going on.
He turned to look at the man that had entered the room, he stared at the door with bravery and determination. He seemed to be holding something, something long and which a sharp, pointed end, as Ron floated nearer to stare at it, he notice it was some sort of magic wand. Ron gasped as he noticed the similarity he had with this unknown person. The man's hair was slightly long, with the line going through the middle, the strands of hair were raised a bit with hair gel placed in the roots, and the tips fell naturally over the sides of his eyes. His face was thin and he could see the bones belonging to the jaw, his lips were long and rosy. The thing that surprised Ron the most were his eyes, they were big and light brown, very deep and penetrating.
The man turned to the woman and stared at her with a desperate look.
"Molly, as soon as he enters, transport, ok?" he commanded with an authorial, deep but still soft voice.
The woman nodded, her frightened eyes focused on the man.
"But what about you Andrews?" she asked him, her sweet voice shuttering with fear.
The man stared at the door with a fierce look.
"I will be fine" he said lowering his voice, making it sound like a loud mumble.
Molly was going to ask something when the front door burst open, and a freezing gust of winter air entered the room, pushing the snow flakes inside, which melted quickly, wetting the floor with crystal drops. Ron saw a man at the door, he was hidden under a black cloak, which was completely covered with snow. Part of his face was lit by the reddish light from the fire, and he could see a malicious smile in his face. A large stick, like Andrews' wand, was held by the dark man's young hand. The dark man walked inside, stepping hard and with confidence, hitting the finely polished wooden floor with black winter boots. Andrews leaned over a bit, staring at the man with rage. The man emitted a chuckle.
"This time you will pay for what you did, Andrews, I'm going to hit you where it hurts!" the man's voice echoed, making Ron feel shivers crawl up his spine.
Andrews growled angrily.
"Leave my family alone, you have nothing to do here!" Andrews screamed.
The man chuckled a it.
"Oh yes I have, traitor, you will pay for it" he said with a tone of evil in his voice.
Ron was stunned by the words that had erupted from the shaded man, this faithful looking man, that looked so much like him, how could he be a traitor? It didn't make sense for the child, and he kept staring at the dark wizard trying to put his thoughts in order. Suddenly the dark man moved his head quickly to the side, making a swishing move with he cloak.
"Oh no" he growled angrily.
Ron moved his head in the woman's direction and his eyes opened wide as he observed a long stick firmly held by her delicate hand. The woman raised the magical item over her head and with a quick wave she screamed, "Transportum". From the pointed end of the light coloured wand fell a film of whitish, almost transparent light, which fell waving around her like a curtain of pure white silk belonging to a rich medieval princess. The film wrapped the sorceress and her baby, and the light grew more intense, turning the comfortable, warm, reddish light emitted by the flames, into a cold, icy, but still comforting white.
The man dressed in black snorted impatiently, and he moved his hand forward, forcing his own wand to point at the tender mother and her cub, who had disappeared inside the intensity of the light. "corp..." the dark wizard started saying, but it was all Ron was able to hear, for his sharp, evil voice was drowned by a loud, manly scream. The sweet but at the same time confident voice vocalized two words the red haired child had never heard before.
"SANCTUS LEONIS", bellowed the young man, and Ron turned to look at him curious.
The man's blond hair shook softly with a gentle breeze that seemed to be coming from the tip of his wand, and his brown eyes hid under two narrowed eyebrows. Ron looked at the wand, and with an unexplainable surprise, he saw the tip of it glow a bright white, brighter than the light that had made Molly disappear. A thin string of icy blue light came out of it, quickly getting thicker, it started to shape a creature, as if slowly filly an glass of very thin crystal with this icy blue, whitish fluid. Ron realized that the creature was a large feline, the size of a small pony.
The round face was finished in a thick snout filled with a collection of sharp teeth and fangs. A thick mane, built out of strands of light, covered the head and part of the chest, making the creature look bigger and more powerful than it really was. The thick, strong, muscular legs were finished in a set of hook shaped claws, and they sustained a large, fibrous body. The only part of the strong body, that seemed out of place, was a long, thin tail, ended in a strand of pearly white fur. At first sight, the creature looked heavy and solid, but the truth was that this animal was lighter than a feather, and its body was semi transparent and formed out of light, its solidness belonged to the will of the creator.
Ron turned to look at the dark wizard in time to see a bright, yellowish white light erupt from the tip of the dark brown wand. A ball of incandescent fire shot from it, and it flew, glowing from bright white, to yellow, to flaming red, with shades of black emerging from the dark core, which laid wrapped by the warmth of the flames. As the ball flew, a tail of fire was left behind, making it look like a small, miniature comet. The small comet flew past the room at an amazing speed, setting all which its devilish flames touched on a destroying fire. The sphere bounced on the frozen crystal belonging to the window, making cracks appear on it, as if a large spider had built a web on it. The sphere returned, flying quickly and disestablished because of the impact.
Right in that moment, Ron lost sight of the flaming sphere, as the great white lion leapt towards the dark wizard, blocking Ron's view, and filling the room with the brightness of its light. Ron felt a wave of fear swim up his spine, as two shrilling, breath taking screams were heard, he recognized one of them as belonging to the young, blond haired wizard, and in that exact moment, Ron's eyes opened with a snap.
He was breathing hard, and exhausted, as if he had been running across a large field, and a cold sweat wetted his forehead. The scream he had heard still echoed in his head and an unpleasant pressure in hi stomach made him stand up.
"It was all a dream" Ron told himself, panting uncomfortably.
Ron looked around and he quickly realized it was daytime, the morning sun shone brightly in the horizon, and its beams of life penetrated the small room and gave it the wonderful aspect of an adventure ready to start. Ron noticed that the book he had been reading the night before had fell off the bed, and was now laying closed on the floor, with the elegant letters showing the fantastic title. The symbol was illuminated with a shiny white ray belonging to the sun, that lazily made its way through the gaps in the blind.
Ron's gaze met the door, his eyes opened wide with fright and surprise as a deep, manly yawn was heard outside the room. The sound of running water snapped him out of his frightened trance, he quickly turned around and reached out to hold the magical book. His hands shivered and his fingers slipped across the leather a few times, making the action more urgent and frantic. Ron placed the heavy book in the space between the bed and the wall again, and in that instant, the handle moved emitting a scratching sound. Ron turned around in a flash, in time to face a large man wearing a ridiculous pyjama with teddy bears stamped on it. Ron's father glared at him suspiciously, and Ron couldn't help to think that he knew something.
"What are you up to, kid?" he growled in between deep yawns.
Ron stared innocently, but his stomach kept dancing inside, making him feel the disgusting and unwanted feeling of throwing up. He swallowed and tried to keep his nerves hidden.
"Nothing, father, I just woke up." he explained calmly and showing a small, childish smile.
The man narrowed his bushy eyebrows so much his eyes seemed to disappear under them, Ron couldn't help to wonder if he was able to see. The large man resumed a normal position, softening his face, and cleared his throat.
"I better don't see you doing anything weird, or I will not let you stay in this house" he finished with a tone of superiority, with a tiny trace of disgust and even fright.
He then turned around and walked out of the room, closing the door with a slam. Ron heard his heavy footsteps stomping on the wooden stairs, on his way down.
"I wish he rolled all the way down" Ron thought to himself, with his thin, reddish eyebrows narrowed in anger.
Continuously, Ron raised an eyebrow showing a confused expression, and then turned around to look at the small, black fur ball that slept peacefully on his pillow. Ron sighed uncomfortably.
"Why cant he be like my class mates' fathers? He doesn't even seem to like me" he told the cat in a sad and desperate voice.
The small feline raised his head lazily and looked at Ron with his long, Chinese like, green eyes, continuously, he stretched showing his sharp, hook shaped claws, and yawned deeply. His tongue curled between the sharp, vampire like fangs, and the fur from the back spiked on his spine. Ron stared at the cat and chuckled, he always found it funny when Nightpaws woke up. Ron then looked at the door again and tilted his head.
"Do anything weird? What would I do weird enough?" Ron asked himself confused, the vision of the dream started swimming in his head again, as if it was directly connected to Ron's father's words.
Nightpaws stared at him, a knowing grin spread in his small, thin, black lips, showing the sharp, pointed end of his fangs. Ron shook his head getting rid of the scary and discomforting images, and he noticed the cats gaze placed on him, he looked at him.
"You know something" he said in a low whisper, as if thinking talking to his pet could be that strange.
The small kitten stared at the child for a moment longer, and with a graceful leap, he jumped down and walked towards the white, wooden door. He stared at the elongated, golden, snake shaped handle, and with another feline jump, Nightpaws held from it and opened the door with a small cracking sound. With an intelligent move, the black animal held onto the side of the door with his sharp, retractile claws, and with a swift move, the door was opened enough for him to walk out. Ron observed him disappear in the dark corridor that lead to the small room where the cat's things were situated.
Days walked past slowly, warm and boring like every summer, and the red haired child kept reading and surprising himself with the large, heavy witchcraft book, spending entire nights awake. But as his deep, brown eyes scanned across the hidden lecture, Ron's relationship with his father cooled down. Ron came to the conclusion that each word had the power to destroy the relation he had with his father, even though the large, rich man had never liked him in the first place.
One hot afternoon Ron was alone in his house, his mom had to go shopping and his father was working in the bank, like every day. Ron was laying on his bed, with his legs crossed and swinging back and forth behind himself, shading the book, his face sustained by both hands situated under his chin. In front of him was the fascinating witchcraft book, and his eyes scanned fascinated across a chapter titled "protecting the loved ones", which made Ron emit a moan of disgust. Ron's mind took off towards a land of thoughts, thoughts of depression and hatred, thoughts of sadness and misunderstanding. Ron sighed heavily and sat up placing his head over his hands again.
"I cant understand it, why does everyone seem to hate me? I'm not special, I'm like every one else" Ron said to himself disappointed.
His conscious mind sailed off towards old memories, he tried to remember any little time he and his father had spent together, enjoying like father and son. His mind went back to his last birthday, his father hadn't been there because he had an important appointment. Ron could have been sad, but he was used to it, it wasn't the first time his father had missed either his birthday or an important event. Ron remembered the time he brought his grades home, he had got the best grades in his class and his teachers had even given him "the title of honour" a diploma that was given to those students with the best marks. But his father didn't even look at the paper he was so proud of, he didn't even congratulate him, he only yelled at him and told him not to disturb him. Ron felt a tear tickle him on his cheek.
"Maybe he is not even my father!" Ron suddenly snapped, the words came from his unconscious.
Surprised at his sudden words, Ron's eyes opened as wide as could be, and he stared at the wall, as if trying to look through it into the next room. Ron jumped off his bed and raced out of the room quickly, jogging all the way across one of the infinite long corridors of the manor, until he reached a delicately carved, white door. He opened it and a dancing, bluish light glowed on his face, making him turn around and cover his hurting eyes.
He entered inside a very large bathroom, the walls and the floor were completely covered with very white, shinny, marble tiles, the bluish light reflected on them, dancing, like waves formed by a swimming pool in an Arabic palace. In the middle of the bathroom was what looked like an overlarge bathtub, or a very small swimming pool, the water in it was calm and two small lamps were situated at the bottom, it was the Jacuzzi his father was so fond of, but Ron had been forbidden to use it. the Jacuzzi's tap was shinny and golden coloured, with a delicate curved shape, the handles looked like flowers with four leaves, it had been carefully polished and cleaned, and Ron could see a deformed reflection of himself.
A pair of toilets covered with a fury creamy cushion, were lined against the wall, behind the Jacuzzi, they were of a shinny white marble, and oval shaped, and looked as if they had never been used. On the wall at Ron's left was very elegant looking sink with a tall mirror placed on it. the sink was built out of shinny white marble, surrounded by pinkish marble which drew waves across the smooth surface, another golden tap decorated it, with the same shape as the one located at the Jacuzzi.
The mirror was very big and tall, the frame was old, pale reddish copper with a few greenish patches across it in some areas. The frame had the shape of tangled vine, with star shaped leaves carved on it, some of them finished in spiralling threads, and a few bunch of grapes sticking out the sides. A pair of naked children with wings were flying on the corners of the mirror, they were touching the delicate cords of a small harp, and from the sacred instrument, two ribbons fell and curled around the vines.
Ron walked towards the magnificent mirror, pacing slowly and carefully, as if frightened it my break by just looking at it. He stared at the pale child with flaming red hair, who stared back at him with a surprised and frightened gaze. The only sound heard in the whole silent room, was the sound of his sport shoes stepping insecurely on the luxury tiled floor.
As soon as Ron was at the same level as the mirror, he stared at his reflection, his brown eyes gazed deeply into those belonging to the child in the mirror. He moved his hand and saw the reflection do the same, imitating every single movement. Ron gasped silently as his eyes stared in every single detail of his body.
"I don't look anything like my father" Ron realized as he concentrated on the image.
He stared at his eyes, he had always been fascinated by his eyes, they looked so mysterious, and they seemed to have locked a small light in them, like if their eyes hid a strange magic inside, a magic waiting to be released. To Ron's surprise, his reflection started to wobble and suffer a distortion, as if a stone had fallen inside the mirror, and it had a liquid nature which created waves. When the mage cleared it seemed to have become another person. Ron noticed that the eyes remained the same, but…
To Be Continued…
AN: What is it that Ron has found out in the mirror? Keep reading and find it out in the next chapter. Read and Review, and don't miss to read my other stories, like Family Secret, where Hermione's and Ron's daughter finds some obscure secret in her family. And Genetic Fox, where magic disappears, and Ron has to lead a muggle life with some curious changes overcoming him.