Author's Note: Thanks for all your reviews. This chapter was tough to write, because I was trying to find a good idea that would fit into the main plotline. I've had a lot of stuff going on, so I'm sorry if this chapter took a while to post. Well, hope you enjoy it. Ferretfriend
Harry looked down at his watch. It was 4:00 P.M, so Harry still had some time to kill before dark. He decided he would train some more. It would be good idea to try to hone some of these new skills more. Sure, he had created that ice slide, but he didn't know the full extent of his powers.
Walking inside, Harry walked up the flights of stairs, heading for the training room. He reached it, and looked around. There were several potential spell targets, and the volley wall was glowing. He decided to perfect his ordinary magic first, and turned to the volley wall. It glowed ominously, daring him to try it.
Harry took a deep breath. "Expeliarmus!" The red light shot out of Harry's wand, and slammed into the wall. The wall shot the spell back at twice its original speed, and Harry was forced to dive to the floor. He stood back up, smothering the sparks that had landed in his hair.
He tried again, and had the same result. Again and again he tried, each time almost lighting his hair on fire. He had gotten to where he could dodge okay, but some sparks still got him occasionally. He tried again, but this time didn't get any sparks. He tried again, more confidently, but got a face full of sparks. He had gotten to cocky.
He worked with dodging for a while, dodging various spells sent at different parts of his body. He had improved, but was sporting several burns and bruises. He decided to take a break, sitting down on a chair. He surveyed a cut on his arm, and was about to perform a basic healing spell, but remembered that odd healing power. He had vowed to work on that, so he would.
There was just one problem; he had no idea where to start. He tried envisioning the cut healing itself, prodding it with his wand (This did nothing, except doubling the size of the cut), and holding the cut like he had before. Nothing was working. Frustrated, Harry said, "Oh, just heal, you stupid cut!" To his utter amazement, the cut began to heal. The skin closed around the gash, and turned the same color as the rest of his skin. He mentally told his other cuts to do the same, and was shocked when they did.
He would have worked more on that, but he had just healed all of his cuts and bruises. He had finished dodging, and was confident he could dodge a spell given a millisecond's warning. Now it was time to move onto shields.
Facing the wall, Harry grimaced. This was going to be tough. He raised his wand, preparing to perform a stinging hex. The spell shot out of his wand, and Harry tried to produce a shield. He succeeded, but it was very feeble. The hex shot back, shattering the pathetic shield.
Rubbing his arm where the hex had hit him, he tried again. And again. And again. By the time he was able to block this simple hex, he was completely covered in stinging circles. He performed his healing exercises again, and moved up to the disarming spell. It took him a couple dozen tries, but he was finally able to block it.
He continued, and found that it was getting continually easier. After about an hour, he could deflect all of the more common spells, and even a few of the really mean ones. He was covered with various burns and marks, but he was essentially okay.
He performed his healing spells, and as he did, he noticed something. Looking up at the ceiling, he saw that one patch was a different color than the rest. He rode the wind from the climate control, and investigated. The mysterious patch felt different too, as if it wasn't made of the same thing.
Harry thought it must have been where someone was practicing, and a spell went rogue. But that wasn't right; the room had an auto repair spell. It would have repaired it to its original state. This must have been done on purpose.
Placing his hand against the rough texture, he muttered, "Reducto!" The patch blew apart, showering him with plaster and cement. When the dust had cleared, he looked up and gasped. It was a passage. A secret passage, obviously. Why else would someone want to cover it up? But why did they want to cover it up?
Harry rose into the passage. A thick layer of dust covered everything, and it was extremely dark. Harry resisted the temptation to use his new fire powers, but it was extremely difficult. He only prevailed because a nagging doubt told him he might burn the house down. Flying farther along, he saw a light at the end of the tunnel.
Flying out of the tunnel, he looked around. The room was very dusty. Harry muttered the cleaning spell under his breath, and the room instantly cleaned itself. Looking around, Harry found himself in what looked like a giant study. There was a fine desk at the far side, and books lined every wall, except around a fireplace. Pacing down the row of books, Harry saw a few that looked like they would be very interesting reads. Taking one down, he examined the cover. It was dubbed Songs for the Sorcerer.
Opening it up, he looked at the date. It had been written almost six hundred years ago! Poking through the first few pages, he found out a few things. Apparently, music held great magic, and songs were like spells. Songs carried a magic of their own, and muggles could play music, but would get no result. When a wizard played a song, however, mysterious things would happen. Some people had figured out that certain songs got certain results.
Looking down the list, Harry saw several songs that the dragons had taught him, and a few they hadn't.
The Song of Healing- Heals any wound, no matter the severity.
The Song of Passing- Turns day into night, and night into day.
The Song of Time- Transports the player back or forward in time.
The Song of Storms- Creates a storm instantly, type depending on player's will.
The Sun's Song- Clears up any storms instantly.
The Beast Keeper's Song- Calls the player's animal(s) to him/her. Will also calm frightened or angry wild animals.
The Wind's Requiem- Changes the direction of the wind
Ballad of the Gales- Harnesses the wind, transporting the player to his/her desired spot
Minuet of the Forest- Harnesses the power of the forest. Results vary upon power of user.
That was it. There were so many songs there, and Harry had no idea how to proceed. He decided to get some sleep, thinking that would prevent him from acting rashly. He retreated back through the tunnel, and proceeded to his bedroom. He lay down, and fell asleep.
He had a most interesting dream. He was completely surrounded by mist, and was walking aimlessly. He looked down, and saw his feet walking on top of the water. He could hear the waves. He strained his eyes, and saw an outline that looked like it might be land. He kept walking toward it, and it grew larger. Yes, it was definitely land. An island, by the looks of it, but Harry could see the tall outlines of trees.
He awoke with a start, wondering what the dream had meant. It had felt so real, and yet, so impossible. Harry put the dream in the back of his head, and went downstairs for some breakfast. Hohn was there, perched on top of the sugar bowl. Good Morning, Harry. How are you? Harry smiled at the ever-thoughtful phoenix, and was about to reply when Godric's voice spoke out. "Hey, c'mon! I don't know how to work this kitchen myself! Let's have some grub!"
Mira snorted, resulting in a puff of smoke. You're fat enough, griffin. How about saving some food for the bigger, and better looking I might add? Godric puffed up his feathers indignantly. Better looking? I think not, you oversized lizard! And so the banter went. Silver watched amusedly, and Hohn seemed torn between amusement and exasperation.
Harry walked over to the list, and selected Hogwarts. The kitchen went to work, dishing out heaping plates of bacon and eggs, sausage, muffins, toast, a ham, and for Hohn, a plate of assorted herbs, including mint. The argument stopped abruptly at the sight of food, and they hurried over, pushing each other out of the way. (Well, throwing, but it's all fun and games, right?)
As they ate, Silver piped up. What are you going to do today, Harry? Harry thought. He wanted to try out some of these new songs, just to make sure he had it down before moving on to more new material. "I was going to experiment with some new spells outside. Wanna come?" Silver nodded, and resumed eating.
After breakfast, Harry got up from the table and walked outside. It was a beautiful day, and Silver stretched happily. Besides him, Godric and Mira had resumed their argument. Harry took the Ocarina of Dragons out of his pocket, and recalled the notes from the page.
Raising the ocarina to his lips, Harry began to play the Song of Storms, and as he did, thick clouds began to develop. As he repeated the melody, a clash of lightning flashed overhead, and thunder boomed out. The wind was howling, whipping at their faces.
Changing the tune, Harry began to play the Sun's Song. Instantly the storm began to dissolve. In another moment, it was gone completely, and the sun was shining again. Harry stopped his song, and pondered which one to try next.
Making up his mind, Harry began to play the Minuet of the Forest. All of a sudden, a tree popped up beside him, and began to blossom. Nothing could have prepared him for what happened next. He looked down at the Ocarina, and saw that the hands clutching it were green.
He stopped playing, but his hands continued to glow. After a few seconds, they faded back to their normal color. His hands were back to their normal appearance, but something felt odd inside Harry. He was renewed, as if some power had recharged him. He had felt the same way when the dragons had given him their powers.
He tried playing the song again, but this time, nothing happened. He tried again, but still had no result. Growing frustrated, said, "Work, you stupid song! C'mon, summon a tree, or even a weed!" To his surprise, a tree appeared. Harry was completely thrown by this. How on earth did the tree just pop up? He wasn't playing the song at the time. The song… What did it say? Results vary upon power of user? Well, this must have been the result. But what on earth did he do, that tree just popping up? He thought, and could only come up with one conclusion. He must have gotten the powers of the forest. "Strange" he said.
Yes, strange indeed. Jumping, Harry looked around. There was no one in sight. The animals had all gone inside, and the only thing close to him was the tree. It suddenly made a swishing noise, and Harry could make out words. Yes, it is strange that you can speak to a tree. Very few have been able to do that before. Oh, I see you have an instrument! Did you play the Minuet of the Forest?
Harry nodded, and held up the Ocarina. The tree again made the swishing noises. That explains it. A may have just been created, but I know everything your average tree knows. If you got these powers from the song, then you should be able talk to all plant life. I do not know what good this will do you though. Very rarely do flowers or bushes have wisdom to give. But enough of this; Come, put your hand on my trunk.
Harry walked forward tentatively, and put his hand on the trunk. What do you hear? "I hear nothing, but I feel is the bark. It's very smooth." The tree swished its branches again. Listen not with your ears, young human. Listen with your heart. Feel the inside, pulsing with life. Listen to its vibrations, open your heart.
Harry stopped straining his ears, and concentrated on what he could feel. He felt the bark, and tried harder. He was about to give up when he heard a small thump. He tried again, and heard a steady beat. It was like the tree had a heart, a heart that was beating. He listened farther, and felt a pulsing spirit. It was so fast, so alive.
He took his hand off of the tree, and closed his eyes, thinking about what he had just felt. It was as if someone had just pulled a wad of cotton out of his ears. He suddenly heard sounds, pulsing, rapid, and over-lapping. He listened, and recognized a pattern. It was like that of the tree. He became used to the beating, and everything was like it had been. Yet when he tried, he could still fell the beat of life. For that was what it was. Everything around him was alive in some way, and he had heard their spirits.
By now, the sun was beginning to set. The normally blue sky was dyed yellow orange. Spotting a large beech tree, Harry began to climb. Climbing up to the top, he surveyed the setting sun, lost in thought. Truly, magic was an amazing thing. It wasn't just spells or fancy wand handling. Magic itself was alive, and seemed to be a person of its own, like a spirit.
The sun was setting further, and flecks of purple joined the canvas of color. Magic was like a current, like a stream. It traveled through everything, and left its mark on everything it touched. It carried echoes of events, bringing them to other places. Everything was alive in some way. Even the stones, which could not move and did not have a heartbeat, were alive. And yet, if one listened, truly listened, then they would hear the world like it really is.
The sun had set by now, but Harry wasn't tired. Instead of going back to bed, he walked back up to his study. He lit a fire in the fireplace, and took down a book. Sitting down on the comfortable couch, he began to read. It was very interesting. It was on Merlin, and told of his younger years. He had started out a poor boy, an outcast from the local boys because of the strange things that he made happen.
One day, another boy tried to kill him and his mother. His powers came to his aid, and a fire had prevented their death, at the costs of Merlin's eyes. At the time, he called himself Emrys. He recovered, and left to find his home. He arrived at a place called Fincayra, a magical place neither wholly of earth nor wholly of heaven. It was a sort of in between place.
At this point, his history was completely blanked out, and the next page told of Merlin traveling to Brittan, several years older and now bearing the name Merlin. Harry was mystified, and wondered what could have happened, and why it had been erased.
Putting his book down, Harry glanced at his watch. It was only 9:45, so he decided to do some stargazing. He traveled up to the tower, and looked around. There were star charts all around, all from various times. He started at the beginning of the line, on a chart that was from the time of Christ.
Continuing down the line, he saw changes in the charts. Certain stars had disappeared, and other had been born. Among the missing stars was one called Helion. It had gone nova roughly seven hundred years ago. He memorized the constellations, and learned the paths of certain things like comets and asteroids. Moving to the giant telescope, he looked at a bright blue star. Looking it up on the chart, he saw that it was called Sandon.
After looking at the stars for an hour, he prepared to go down. Before he went, he saw something that caught his eye. It looked like a small telescope, and could fit in the palm of his hand. Looking through it, he received a shock. It was just as powerful as the telescope he had just looked through.
He took it down to his room, and put it in his trunk. Yawning, he lay down to sleep. He was tired, and couldn't stop thinking of what had happened earlier with the tree. He practiced an occlumency technique, closing his mind to unwelcome dreams. With that, he fell into a deep sleep.
Again, he had a dream. Strangely enough, it was the exact same dream. This time he got a little closer to the island, some of the trees coming into sharper focus. He awoke with a start again, and got up. He was hungry, and wanted food. He trudged down to the kitchen, where he saw all off his friends.
Something was different. Hohn the phoenix fluttered down on his shoulder, and trilled a good morning. Harry just stared, and when Hohn asked what he was staring at, Harry replied. "Do you know you're glowing?"
Hohn gave him a look of surprise, and looked himself down and front. Sure enough, the phoenix was glowing a vivid red. To his immense surprise, the phoenix shook his head. What are you talking about? I'm not glowing.
Harry looked to his friends for support, but saw that they were glowing too. Looking down at his own hands, he saw they were shining a bright white. He tried to register this, and couldn't come up with a conclusion. Thinking back to yesterday afternoon, he remembered the tree's lesson. Hohn have a little song, and Harry could see the sound waves, shining that same vivid red. But phoenix song wasn't sound. It was magic. He could see magic! That must be the glow! Each animal's magical aura!
He sat down at the table, and began to eat is breakfast. Looking up at his friends, he said, "Well, today I'm going to try to find something. Something important, It's called the Gateway."