Chapter 17: Newfound Abilities

After a quick detour to an unused broom closet with Ginny, Harry arrived at Professor Dumbledore's office, out of breath and with a grin that refused to slide off his face. Harry's recent time with Ginny, though short, left Harry feeling ecstatic and ready for whatever challenger Dumbledore had prepared.

Dumbledore was reading an open book sitting on his desk. Harry, not wanting to disturb him, walked quietly up to Dumbledore's desk and waited for the headmaster to address him. Dumbledore looked up and gave a curt nod to Harry before returning back to his reading.

Harry, who had never been acknowledge by Dumbledore by anything less than a friendly greeting, knew that whatever Dumbledore was reading was quite important and took a seat in front of the desk.

Harry watched as Professor Dumbledore's eyes quickly flew over the pages of the book. Dumbledore was reading at an alarming rate, one that even rivaled Hermione's, and Harry wondered how he was able to absorb all that he read.

Dumbledore continued in this manner for several minutes until he finally looked up from the book and muttered, "Concipio Libri Eruditio."

Harry raised an inquisitive eyebrow at what Dumbledore had said and the headmaster laughed at Harry's bemused expression.

"I see that Hermione never revealed this spell to either Ron or yourself."

Harry, unsure of how to respond, merely shook his head. "What was it?"

Dumbledore gave Harry a sympathetic smile before responding lightly, "It is a spell that allows the caster to briefly skim any section of text and, after the spell has been cast, know the text in its entirety."

Harry sputtered as he unsuccessfully tried to bite back a growl. To think that Hermione had made them Ron and him work twice as hard all through school! Harry never knew how Hermione found the time to read all of those books, but the possibility of her using a spell had never occurred to him.

"Why that little — She — I can't believe that — To think of how much time I wasted…"

Dumbledore smiled as he heard a little bit of Ron coming out in Harry now. Ron had always been the hothead, always quick to jump into a situation without thinking. Schoolwork had never been one of Ron's priorities as it was and Dumbledore knew that Ron was turning over in his grave right now knowing that Hermione could have made his life so much easier. However, Harry's tirade proved that Ron wasn't just lying six feet under. The dead never really leave us; they remain in our hearts and thoughts and show themselves, through our actions, from time to time to remind us that they are always there.

Dumbledore let Harry continue on his rant for a while longer before interrupting the young man.

"However, the spell is temporary. The caster is only able to hold the information in his mind for twenty four-hours before the spell wears off."

"Oh—So Hermione did end up reading ALL of those huge books?"

"As Miss Granger has quoted from several books that even I have never read, I am quite sure that she did take the time to read them."

"But still, that spell could have made school so much nicer."

"Harry, it was me who taught Hermione that spell. I trusted her to do what she saw fit with it and I am quite proud of her decision. School is not just about memorizing facts before a test, but is a quest for knowledge; a quest that we must all embark on so that we will be prepared for whatever comes our way in the future."

Harry nodded knowing that Dumbledore was right of course, but couldn't help but respond.

"But still, that spell could have made school so much nicer."

Dumbledore gave an amused chuckle and pushed the book across the desk to where Harry sat.

"I usually don't use the spell myself—like Hermione, I enjoy being in the company of books—but a recent event came up at school that required my attention. I regret that I was unable to read all of the text about what I am planning on teaching you today, but, as it was the fifth book that I have read regarding this subject and I already have a little experience in the matter, I think that I might be able to get the point across."

Harry smiled and replied nonchalantly. "I suppose that will be adequate Albus. Do take the time to read it all next time please. I can't have some crackpot old fool trying to teach me magic tricks without him at least knowing what he is talking about."

Dumbledore collapsed into a fit of chuckles while remembering what Uncle Vernon had called him on Harry's eleventh birthday. Harry was quite glad that he wouldn't ever have to live with the Dursleys again. It had been a relief when Harry had finally been able to leave Privet Drive for good after he had graduated from Hogwarts.

"Hell, the only people that were happier than me about leaving were the Dursleys themselves."

Harry knew that he wouldn't ever be forced to visit the Dursleys again. However, Harry thought that he might make a trip to see Dudley some time in the future. Harry hadn't ever paid Dudley back for all of the hell he had given Harry and Harry was looking forward to the day when he would see Dudley again.

When Harry was finally able to pull himself together and glanced across the table at Dumbledore who still had a smile plastered on his face.

"Well, on to business then," Harry said in a very professional manner.

Dumbledore nodded and motioned for Harry to read the chapter Dumbledore had left the book open to.

"Modern magic is conventional in many ways, but the most important characteristic is how little actual magical talent that modern spells require. Today's spells have been modified so that they provide peak performance while requiring as little magic as possible. Most spells hardly tax the caster at all and any mediocre witch or wizard would be able to string together numerous spells without pausing.

Magic, however, has been around since the beginning of human civilization. The spells were few and far between at that time and each spell required massive amounts of concentration and time. Only witches and wizards that were extremely powerful were able to perform these spells without killing themselves. This Ancient Magic was refined over the years, but it wasn't until Merlin was born that Ancient Magic finally became useable by anyone with magical talent. In the days of Merlin's lifetime, many new spells and curses were created. The witches and wizards of the time had finally achieved unbelievable powerful magic without requiring too much energy. While the magic required is still exponentially greater than that of modern magic, the 'new' ancient magic provided a way for mediocre witches and wizards to able to cast spells without killing themselves from exhaustion after casting the spell.

This 'new' ancient magic is much more powerful than today's and is used in the protection of many of our world's most important places. Gringotts, Britain's Ministry of Magic, and Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry all incorporate ancient magic as a means of keeping the occupants and possessions of these buildings safe.

Ancient Magic, while extremely powerful, is normally not used in wizard duels or any other form of combat. Modern magic is much more efficient in combat and the few witches and wizards who have tried ancient magic in battle are often killed due to their sudden exhaustion after casting the spells. The only notable use of Ancient Magic in battle known today was done by Albus Dumbledore during the final confrontation between Dumbledore and the dark wizard Grindelwald."

Harry looked up from the book and cast an inquisitive eyebrow at Dumbledore.

Dumbledore smiled and replied easily. "Yes, I used Ancient Magic to defeat Grindelwald. He was much too knowledgeable in modern magic, more knowledgeable than myself even, and I could only hope that Ancient Magic was something that he had ignored."

Harry nodded but was sure that the feeling of awe he was experiencing was easily readable. Harry had always known that it had been Dumbledore that had defeated Grindelwald, but for some reason the knowledge hadn't ever truly sunk in until now. Harry suddenly realized that Dumbledore could teach Harry more than Harry had ever dreamed. Dumbledore had also defeated a Dark Wizard, and Harry suddenly had hope that he might actually be able to defeat Voldemort after all.

Dumbledore, somehow knowing what Harry was thinking, replied lightly. "Yes Harry, I am going to teach you magic that even Voldemort does not know. Voldemort has not bothered to learn it because he underestimates its value. He is ignorant to an ancient spell that will ultimately contribute to his downfall."

"Harry, there are three spells that I am going to teach you over the next few months. They will take time, and lots of effort, but I am sure that you will be able to master them before the final confrontation comes. I will also be teaching you how to perform wandless magic for I fear that there will be times that you will desperately need it."

"You can do magic without a wand? I mean I knew that you could do something accidentally, that's how the Ministry finds out if you have magical talent of course, but I didn't know that you could actually control wandless magic."

"Yes Harry, you can perform wandless magic."

Harry caught Dumbledore's emphasis and asked, "But only me?"

"With the exception of a few others, including myself, only you will be able to do it. Wandless magic requires massive amounts of magic and very few wizards are powerful enough to use it. I myself can only do basic spells and even those are extremely taxing. However, I believe that you will have a much easier time."

"Me sir? Why? I'm not anywhere near as powerful as you are."

"Call it an old man's intuition Harry, but I think that you are underestimating yourself. I believe that you would have been an extraordinarily powerful wizard even if Voldemort never attacked you when you were a child. Now, with his powers in addition to your own, you might be surprised at how powerful you truly are."

Harry still looked ready to argue with Dumbledore, but Dumbledore quickly cut him off.

"Time will tell Harry; time will tell. However, we are straying from the point."

"I will be teaching you how to perform wandless magic in addition to three other spells."

Harry nodded, "What are the three spells you will be teaching me?"

"One of the spells is a spell that will be used to make Voldemort mortal for the final battle. As you know, when Voldemort's killing curse rebounded upon himself when he attacked you as a child, Voldemort was not killed. One or more of Voldemort's attempts at immortality was at least partially successful and this spell will be required in order for you to defeat Voldemort."

Harry gave Dumbledore a grim smile and motioned for him to continue.

"The killing curse will not be strong enough to destroy Voldemort. The second curse will be the one that will end Voldemort's life. When the time comes Harry, I have seen that it is you, and only you, that will be facing Voldemort. Your friends will be behind you and will be the source of your strength, but it is you that must defeat Voldemort. Alone."

Harry nodded again and hoped that he wasn't showing the nervousness that he felt. The finality of the last word that Dumbledore said frightened Harry more than he would admit.

"What is the last spell then?" Harry asked in a small voice.

"The last spell is not really a spell at all. It is an ability that some can use and others cannot. I believe that you will be able to use it. There is no incantation that is used to start it, but it is brought forth only by the use of your mind."

Harry looked at Dumbledore and marveled at how much faith the headmaster had in him. Harry considered Dumbledore to be like family; the grandfather that Harry never had. Dumbledore had done so much for Harry and Harry knew that he would never be able to pay him back. Even defeating Voldemort seemed pale in comparison to all Dumbledore had done, not just for Harry, but for everyone whose lives Albus had touched and made a difference in. Albus deserved more than Harry, or anyone else, could ever give back to him, but Harry knew that he would only accept their friendship and, most of all, their love.

Harry returned his gaze from where it had settled on Fawkes and looked at Dumbledore once more. Dumbledore gave Harry that knowing smile that always made Harry wonder how much the old wizard knew before continuing.

"Harry, what I am going to attempt to teach you, even I cannot perform. Only one known wizard has been able to perform this magic and I do not think that anyone since Godric Gryffindor has come anywhere close to mastering it. However, if you are able to master this ability, you will be able to slow down, speed up, or even stop time while remaining unaffected."

Author's Note: Wow! I updated two days in a row and a huge plot element revealed…will miracles never cease. Hope you enjoyed it and I look forward to updating again, definitely before HBP comes out. I think we'll all need fan fiction during the wait!