Title: Harry Potter and the Summer's Secret

Author: Japhu

Beta Reader: Chameleon

Pairing: HPSS

Rating: R

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter and his world and don't make any money with it.

Summary: For one week in summer Harry disappears without trace. When he comes back he claims to have no memory. But something happened and it changed him. It remains to be seen if for the better or the worse. (will be HPSS)

Category: action/adventure/angst

Feedback: highly appreciated

Chapter 18 - Feasting Magic

Entirely exhausted, Harry drove both hands through his hair and rubbed his eyes before sitting up straight. The overly enthusiastic DADA teacher was magically forced back into his seat by Dumbledore; he could not seem to find an end to his animated speech about his teaching methods and general virtues. Most teachers actually looked amused. The students did not give a damn and after Dumbledore's obligatory, "Tuck in"; there was no holds anymore. Ron yelped out in glee when the table was finally set and he found right in front of him a big bowl of hot pumpkin jelly. Harry himself preferred to bite into an apple. He closed his eyes. Sweet and juicy. This was heaven. But not everyone was eating.

"Wow!" Seamus was still staring at the head table, open-mouthed.

"Oh, Seamus, he was sitting there for the whole time during the sorting."

"But I didn't see him then." The boy kept staring. He was not the only one.

"Seamus!" Hermione reprimanded. Ron sniggered.

"What?" with a blank look he turned to Dean. "I mean, have you ever seen anyone more ridiculous? Well, save Lockhart of course."

"I'd say." Harry murmured. Due to the curious glances he received, he furthered an explanation: "He reminds me of Dumbledore without lemon drops and that crazy long beard."

"Harry!" Hermione looked at him indignantly. "That's not very nice."

"What? That I think they look alike, or that Dumbledore has that beard?" Harry really believed they looked alike. It was there… but not. It was all in the eyes. Hermione stared at him incredulously, but Ron did not seem to mind.

"Do you think he's another one of Fudge's lackeys?" Again, the people surrounding them grew silent. After the experience with Umbridge, there was a keen awareness to save one's own neck. He shrugged wordlessly.

"Harry?"

"Perhaps, but I don't think so." Harry blinked away the swirls of magic coming off every person like mist rising from a lake's surface. He was having more difficulty in distinguishing between separate people. They were too close together, and Harry's attempts to ignore the castle's magic were futile; it made his whole body tingle even more than before. Harry watched Brado out of the corner of his eye.

"His head is filled with one of Neville's potions gone awry," he thought aloud. "Nothing but goo."

"Yeah, Neville, nothing but goo." Evidently, Seamus found it hilarious, despite Dean boxing him warningly.

"Sorry, Neville." Grimacing, Harry looked over to the boy.

"It's alright, Harry," the other boy smiled shyly. "It is goo most of the time," he said good-naturedly and shrugged.

"I'm sure you won't be as bad this year, Neville." Hermione tried to soothe. Harry only shook his head when he saw the other boy's cautious glance.

"I'm not taking Potions, Hermione." Neville swallowed visibly.

"Oh, I'm sorry." She was the only one. Everyone else was congratulating Neville, patting the surprised boy on the back. It was not often that he got so much attention. Harry frowned. Had not Neville said that he needed Potions to get a better understanding of Herbology? He could not remember.

"Let's talk about that later." Harry shook his head.

"Why?" Hermione jerked her head back to him. "Have you gotten into Potions?" Harry mumbled something inaudible and stuffed himself in the same manner as Ron did at every meal. A day without food is not deadly; however, it is not pleasant either and is as annoying as hell. Besides, this way he could not answer any questions. Harry did not like the curious looks he was getting, but he was always getting them; so no real harm done. He did not like talking about OWLs and courses. Hermione bloomed of course. It was not that Harry had not bothered to read the letter; it reminded him of a future far, far away. Harry had serious doubts, whether or not he might still be present when his scores were needed.

The hair on his neck stood up. As if pulled into the right direction, Harry's eyes sought – o nly for an instant – the figure of Dumbledore. Harry did not reply to the smile he received. He just stared back at him. If the old coot knew why his magic was changing and had not told him; Harry would not simply destroy his office. The old man would not know what hit him. What Dumbledore recognized in his eyes, Harry could not say. When he looked away the twinkle in the headmaster's eyes had miraculously dimmed.

Angrily, Harry picked at his food, his free hand closing and opening without conscious thought. He did not like to be left in the dark. It did not help him with his task. The fact that he could not control the power he had made him anxious; even though, he did not want to admit it. He was more aware of his power than before, but he was still a teenage boy and he needed to sleep; among other things. He did not like the way the castle was closing up on him. For a moment he had managed to forget, but now it was almost as bad as before.

His eyes hurt from seeing nothing accept the glaring light of magic. It had been an ordeal to find his plate. If he had not known that it would be right in front of him, he possibly would not have found it. When the food had popped out of thin air it had hurt for an instant. Luckily, the magical flash had been gone before he had time to flinch away. His nerves were raw and tense. Harry sensed something was about to happen; and somehow he doubted that it would be to his advantage. Hell, nobody could have prepared himself for magical places like Hogwarts. He wished he could go back to Diagon Alley. There the magic was just taxing, but did not have a life of its own.

Despite the power he had or could have in the future, now Harry was just guessing what his next step should be. He knew that his next move could be wrong, even fatal. Harry felt the magic of the others around him though he could not see anything except this damned whirlpool of light. However, when he concentrated hard on the people next to him, it seemed almost possible to recognize different auras. Unfortunately, it hurt his eyes and head, causing his hands to tremble with exhaustion. He felt his friends' magic reaching out to him even though he could not see them. Harry put his fork down and pressedhis hands together, until the knuckles stood out white.

He just had to get used to all the magic that was infusing even the tiniest stone here. With such a lack of magic at Privet Drive, the castle's presence was proving to be somewhat overwhelming. The wards at the Dursleys' were strong, but they were a fixed constant. And Mrs. Figg? Well, despite being a squib, she still had a magical aura – it was a weak one though. Her cats could do more magic than she.

Always guessing his way around was not what Harry preferred to do. He had read a lot of books. It was like in the case of Tom; he had some knowledge of him. However, it was a whole lot different to know about things than to really do them; and to live through them. He could not change it for now, so it did not bother him much… well, it did; but Harry did not want to think about it. He needed to puzzle out what the castle – damn stone box – was doing to him.

Suddenly, the magic surging through his body increased frighteningly. Looking around to see if someone realized that something was going on; Harry bit his teeth to see his friends talking animatedly. He did not dare to look at the head table. He knew the headmaster was already watching him; just waiting for Harry to give him ammunition to work with. Harry had more pressing matters to deal with and frankly he did not care what thoughts the headmaster kept turning in that crazy marble he called his head. From moment to moment, Harry began to have more difficulty controlling the amount of magic the castle was now sending to him. His head ached with raw energy. His skin burned where it touched something.

Harry was not sure if anyone could pick up on the magic also. Probably some of the other students near him could feel a thickening of air around them and perhaps a light tingling in their wands; which were inexplicitly magically drawn to the high magical power surrounding them. Harry was not certain, and he could not ask anyone. The teachers were out of the question. Dumbledore and Snape he did not even take into consideration. He would need to be careful in their presence; lest he give himself away. At least, he would have to be careful in the old man's presence. Harry grinned ruefully. Snape would already suspect something. That man was always thinking that Harry was plotting something. It would be fun; if Harry did not overdo it. He looked at Hermione and saw her thoughtfully wrinkled forehead. She furrowed her brows and looked sceptically around. She felt it too. That was a given. Harry bit his teeth, snatched up his fork and stabbed at his food viciously. His hand trembled with effort not to let the gleaming golden tool drop.

It did not feel right to be so absolutely defenceless and weak. Harry depended on something he could not understand or change and it scared him. The anger and fury surging through his system were not helping. Some of these feelings had to be Tom's but not all of them. Harry bit the insides of his cheeks until he felt blood. He could not let go. He must not! Putting his head in his hands to keep it from falling onto the table, Harry blinked with alarm when profound darkness began to close in front of his eyes. It was all he could do to sit still and not call attention to himself. What was this stupid stone box up to now?

The castle pondered over the new development and sudden changes that had occurred in so short a time. However, Hogwarts could adapt fast. It analyzed all the patterns it received from this promising cluster. Anger, confusion and hurt. Luckily, it did not know an insult if it was right in front of its face; a fact Harry would be glad about – if he knew. The darkness of the cluster was undeniable. Light and darkness in their purest forms were present within this one. In this dichotomy, the castle found the one destined to fulfil its greater purpose.

Hogwarts stilled itself. It had found what it had been searching for over the centuries. However, haste was of no importance. Time was time. More information was needed in order to act. A final decision required all the facts to be gathered and weighed. After all, refusal was not a consideration. There was no way for anyone in its clutches to get away. Once Hogwarts made its decision and furthered its task; the results were incontrovertible and eternal. Nothing could ever change it. Nothing had ever tried to change it.

Beginning to examine the intentions of this odd cluster, Hogwarts did not detect anything that threatened its own existence. It would not do anything to intervene in things this entity would do in the future as long as it did not change in its intentions. The castle would be prepared. Hogwarts probed the cluster further. The magic of the one core it intended to use was not fully developed yet. Even unschooled, the magical power was exceptionally strong. It reacted almost on an instinctual level.

A bond was discovered existing between the two magical cores. They battled for dominance within the magic cluster. Hogwarts would watch and see which one of the two cores got the upper hand. If the ill one triumphed, it would be a matter of moments to assimilate the danger. Should the pure one stay on top and true in itself, the castle would bond with it; for this was the one able to unite what was broken.

This bond was one of the darkest the castle had ever been witness to. It made Hogwarts think. It worked in only one direction; to the benefit of only the caster. However, this bond held something else hidden that should not be possible. Something not even Hogwarts could read. This was old magic, seen generations ago when the castle had still been blazing brightly in a new garment of enchanted stone. It united numerous different entities.

Bonding with another two entities was not possible. The castle noticed the tenuous control the cluster had over the wilder aspects of the unified power. A constant threat of loosing control loomed on the edge. Too much of a strain could cost dearly. The castle would not allow that to happen. For the first time in its existence, the castle deviated from its typical course of action.

It would not bond to this particular magical core – no matter how rare able beings were. At least, not yet. For now, Hogwarts needed a way to communicate with this cluster. However, communication was impossible since the entity was not accustomed to high levels of energy. Everything else could wait. After all, Hogwarts had waited for centuries. It would wait another century if need be.

There was only one thing to do now. Ever so slowly, Hogwarts would make their magic come together; starting now. And every day would bring them a bit closer. It reached out to the cores of the entity. The castle required more than unconsciously worked magic. The cluster was impressive. Oh! The things this could accomplish if it only knew what it was capable of. This astounding cluster of energy could gather magic from its surroundings in a way that left the castle in an equivalent of delight, but still the castle had no problem to close it off.

Without the slightest hesitation, Hogwarts reached out and embraced the cluster of mostly wild – but highly potential – magical energy with care; like an aunt would hug a child she had not seen in a very long time. It kept away from the brightly gleaming inner core pulsing with suppressed energy and attempting to break out of its confinement. It did not want the cluster to burst due to the strain before the fight for dominance in itself was over. The castle directed its attention to the dozen focal points the cluster had built. This would allow easier access to the core's power. It would be easier to control the magic if it had a way it could flow without doing damage.

Hogwarts chose to merge preliminary to a bond. It could be undone and would not necessarily cause lasting magical injury to the weaker participant. Deaths were rare, but not unheard of. The castle's work was fast and resolute, though it had never attempted something quite like this ever before. There was no certainty that anyone had done something similar, at least not voluntarily. What the castle was attempting to do was not far from the position this cluster was already in. To merge a part of magic with another one's would cause the cores to be drawn together. It would end explicitly with the stronger one swallowing the other. Hogwarts would know when this point was reached. Only then it would decide whether to bond or to destroy; another possibility was not a given. The ancient building did not care for either one of the future choices. There would always be another One to come though this one cluster was the most promising it had ever found.

The castle felt the cluster's apprehension as it sent out its magic. Hogwarts felt the jabs and strokes of energy, as if targeting its own being; knowing that it awoke pain in the One time had sent to it. It continued with its work; not stopping even when it felt the conscious mind slip. The castle brought the consciousness back just as fast. It needed the cluster to be aware of what was going on. Hogwarts had to unravel each one of the core's focal points and to build them anew. The new structure was only slightly different as something of the castle was woven into the delicate web.

Whatever the castle was playing at during the Welcoming Feast, Harry fought to appear at least halfway responsive to his friends' constant chatter; not that he actually heard anything they said. He hurt like hell and Harry wanted to scream his throat raw. But he could not. He was not even able to open his mouth. It was like being controlled from the outside. He retained not an ounce of control. Tears of pain and frustration dried in his eyes. The heat of active magic depleting the precious moisture before it reached his cheeks. Every muscle cramped painfully. To the outer eye, Harry seemed to sit relaxed; if a bit crouched. How can they not see? How can they not know? Hogwarts separated him from his surroundings and the rest of the world.

Tom did not seem to like the castle's attack either. They howled in unison within the confines of Harry's aching head. Neither able to distinguish the screams reverberating in his skull. Most of Harry's attention was with Tom. The former Dark Lord's instinct to survive was pushing him to fight. Or – Harry thought it likely – Tom just did not want Hogwarts to use him as if he was a Muggle in Voldemort's dungeon.

Another wave of pain nearly shook the boy in his being. It was like being scrutinized from the inside out. He was not able to sidetrack the castle and Tom still raged like mad; that at least took his mind off things the castle could do with him. Hogwarts' presence was always there in the back of Harry's mind. It drove the incredible magic right through his very being and heightened his sense of helplessness.

The strain to deal with the combined efforts of the Dark Lord and the castle drained Harry. For an instant he almost lost consciousness. Only a sharp pain brought him back from the edge; bringing with it a resurgence of the unbearable agony. Fury bubbled and boiled deep within him. His head blew apart. A magical rush stormed through every cell of his being, leaving him dead to the world and incoherent. For one moment, he longed for death. The agonising torture peaked and a second later he felt only empty; drained to the core and very sore. Cautiously Harry blinked. A moment later he drew a deep breath. He was waiting, not yet ready to believe it was over.

A twitch in his toe told him that his body was back under his control. Harry moved a foot under the table in expectation to meet something substantial – A magical bubble or a shield perhaps? – Something separating him from the hall and people around him. There was nothing. Save a low magical buzz, there was only the warmth, silence and the reverberation of pain.

Merlin! Could it not leave him already? A quivering breath was released as he tried to suppress the tremble of abused muscles. Harry closed his eyes. He just wanted to go to sleep and never wake up.

As if it had been waiting for him to think those thoughts, the castle became a simple building of stone again. Hogwarts drew back its presence to wait; for now. Observing undeterred. It would wait for what it knew to be the one it needed in times to come. This cluster had just stepped into something that made it part of Hogwarts; more than anything else strolling through its halls.