Harry Potter and the Mind Mage

By James Milamber

A/N: Massive, MASSIVE thank you to Whimsical Firefly, who is the single reason this chapter is posted and not stuffed in the Recycle Bin. So in honour of that fact, this chapter is dedicated to her. THANK YOU! (Bows in the general direction of Queensland)

Whimsical Firefly

Dree: That's an interesting one, actually. Spellcheck didn't like it either, but I'm pretty sure it can be used both ways, like an expression. Hmm…oh well, too bad. ;)

charmedunderharry'sspell: Ye gads, that's a mouthful. And you English suck at every sport, not just Rugby. Look at you Cricket team, and you INVENTED the bloody game! The Aussies are unbeatable. Just telling it like it is. Sorry. :p

Iain Alkatrallm: I grew up in the Blue Mountains, so greetings to an ex-neighbor! Well, almost…

Poohdog: Isabelle's past will be revealed soon. As for your other questions, well, you'll just have to wait and find out, won't you?

CreativeQuill: That, my friend, was called a super mild cliff hanger. And whoever said Isabelle was brought up in the Death Eater inner circle? Her mother was in Azkaban, and her father (CENSORED) Oops… When she said the younger Slytherins would come to her and not Harry, she meant because he's a Gryffindor, and Harry Potter to boot. They would be more likely to come to someone of their own house.

Lets get on with it! There used to be lyrics in this chapter, and it made a whole lot more sense with them in here, but since is being so bloody anal I removed them. If they still have a problem, I'll quite happily tell them where they can stick it.


Darkness.

Silence.

Slowly Ginny's eyes opened. She knew immediately where she was. Hospital wing…

Her head was throbbing painfully, and her eyes hurt. Not from light, because there was none, but just…pain.

The even sound of breathing came from one side of her bed, and she tilted her head to get a better look. Harry was slumped in a chair, his head lolling forwards and his hand still loosely gripping her own.

He's here. He's with me.

Suddenly the pain didn't seem important anymore. She settled back down, a contented smile on her face, and drifted off to sleep.

Sunlight was streaming in through the windows when Harry suddenly bolted upright. His neck cracked alarmingly, and his free hand rubbed it absently. He hadn't meant to fall asleep, but he had been exhausted after…whatever he'd done back in the village.

He could feel it there now, like an awakened serpent. A mass of power just beyond his reach, but ready to strike on his command. He didn't know what the hell it was, and frankly he didn't care. His thoughts dwelt on the girl in the bed before him.

It may have been his imagination, but he was pretty sure she hadn't been smiling in her sleep last night.

The next time Ginny became aware of her surroundings, bright light was making her eyes prickle even through her eyelids. She squinted them tightly shut, and heard movement next to the bed.

'Ginny?' Harry's voice seemed abnormally loud on her ears. She tried to open her eyes but the sunlight was like twin daggers stabbing directly into her brain. She squinted them shut again.

'Hurts…' she mumbled. Harry muttered something, and the room was suddenly soothingly dark. She opened her eyes and found that Harry had sealed all the windows shut with a layer of stone.

'Harry…' she breathed, mutely raising her arms slightly. He sighed with relief, leaning forwards and taking her into his arms. There was a brilliant flash of light, and before either knew what was happening they both blacked out. When Hermione and Ron entered the Hospital wing a few minutes later, both had vanished.

Once again Harry found himself on the featureless white plane, but this time Voldemort was nowhere to be seen and Harry wasn't alone.

Ginny stood at his side, her eyes wide as she looked around in confusion. Sirius stood slightly off to one side, a dark look on his face. Only James looked at ease with their predicament. His arms were folded as if he were waiting for something.

'Harry?' Ginny asked nervously. 'Where are we?'

'The Dream Plane,' a voice answered. Harry looked up to see a man striding towards them across the emptiness. He wore long, archaic robes of a deep scarlet, his sweeping chestnut beard was longer than Dumbledore's, and a very familiar sword was belted at his waist.

'Godric Gryffindor, at your service,' the man bowed grandly as he reached them, sweeping one hand out in front of him. Harry and Ginny could only stare in dumb disbelief.

'I was wondering how long it would take,' James commented.

Gryffindor smiled knowingly. 'You always were too clever for your own good, James. Or should I say, Joseph?'

'It's James in this particular time and place,' James said firmly.

Gryffindor shrugged. 'As you wish.'

'What are you doing here, Gryffindor?' Sirius growled. 'This isn't what we agreed on.'

'Sometimes even the best plans change,' Gryffindor sighed. 'It has become necessary that we tell them, now, so that they can take full advantage of the opportunities being presented to them.'

'Excuse me?' Ginny said politely. 'Tell us what?' Harry could tell from her voice that she thought she was going insane.

Gryffindor looked at her penetratingly. 'She is fit,' he said finally. 'She has beauty beyond our expectations, but also a hint of steel. She will be perfect.'

Ginny blushed at his words, her eyes lowering.

'And Mister Potter,' Gryffindor turned to Harry, who was still staring at the scarlet robed man in disbelief. He couldn't quite persuade himself that what he was seeing was real.

'I'm quite real, Harry, at least on this particular plane.' He smiled indulgently. 'I believe you are more than ready to accept full responsibility for who and what you are.'

'Are you sure…' Sirius started, but Harry cut him off.

'Who am I, then? And where's Voldemort?' he demanded.

Gryffindor chuckled lightly. 'The Dark Lord is not the only one who can create a Dream,' he said, then stepped forward and placed one hand on Harry's shoulder and raised his free hand, placing the palm against Harry's forehead. 'As to who you are…you are my heir,' he said simply, and blue light engulfed his hand, flowing into Harry's head.

Several things clicked into place in Harry's mind, and quite suddenly he knew.

It was as if a door had suddenly opened in his mind, a door that led to unimaginable power that had always been sealed tight. His eyes wide and his breath coming in sharp bursts, he felt power beyond his wildest dreams coursing through his veins, and his mind shied back from the immensity of it.

'Harry?' Ginny took his hand, seeing the almost frightened look on Harry's face.

Harry closed his eyes, and suddenly the hair on the back of Ginny's neck stood on end as a massive wave of power radiated out from raven-haired boy. Suddenly it wasn't an empty whiteness anymore. They stood in the middle of an immense forest, surrounded by massive trees fully a thousand feet tall. Flowers the size of cars bloomed nearer the ground, and brightly coloured birds flitted through the lower branches, their calls filling the forest with noise. The whole scene just reeked of life, and Gryffindor looked at Harry proudly.

'You see, my son?' he beamed, throwing his arms into the air. 'You see what you will be capable of?'

Harry was staring at his outstretched hands in disbelief. 'How?' he whispered.

Gryffindor's face grew guarded. 'Now that I cannot tell you,' he said regretfully. 'You must learn this on your own.'

'I don't think you'd want to know, anyway,' Sirius said bitterly.

Gryffindor caught Harry's eyes. 'A thousand years ago, on the thirty-first of July, a Prophecy was made. It spoke of a boy who would defeat a great evil that would engulf the land. It was very specific in how we would recognise this boy, and who would help him on his quest. It mentioned a Guide, a Mentor, and a Huntress, amongst others.'

'A Prophecy about a Prophecy?' Harry asked, a little incredulously.

'More like a set of instructions,' Gryffindor corrected, 'a map to help the one who would come to stop the great evil which, quite obviously, is you, Harry.'

'Who made the prophecy?' Ginny demanded.

'I did,' Gryffindor said simply. 'We have identified these three main helpers, and we felt it time for you to know.'

'Who?'

Gryffindor smiled. 'Your Godfather Sirius Black is the Guide.'

Sirius snorted. 'And I'm doing a bang up job, too,' he said bitterly.

'Mr. James Milton is the Mentor.'

'Speaking,' James said with a faint smile.

'And Miss Ginevra Weasley is the Huntress.'

'Me?' Ginny's eyes went very wide.

'Yes, you,' Gryffindor said with a smile. 'I have every confidence in your abilities, Miss Weasley. I am sure you will complete your appointed tasks perfectly.'

'What tasks?' Ginny demanded, her eyes afire with curiosity.

Gryffindor smiled faintly in a way so like James that Harry almost laughed. 'That would be telling,' he said with a twinkle in his eye that was very reminiscent of Dumbledore.

'Now,' he continued, 'if you'll all excuse me, I'd like a word with my heir.' James and Sirius wavered and vanished. Ginny wavered, but Harry concentrated briefly and she solidified again. Gryffindor raised one eyebrow.

'Anything I know, she knows too,' Harry said firmly, his arm going around her shoulder. She smiled gratefully at him.

'As you wish,' Gryffindor nodded. He raised one hand, and one of the car sized flowers transmuted into two comfy looking lounges. 'Will you sit?' he motioned to the lounges, taking a seat himself after removing his sword belt and laying it aside. Harry and Ginny sat on the other.

'I imagine this is all coming as a bit of a shock, Harry,' Gryffindor said gently.

'You could say that, yeah,' Harry's head was still spinning wildly, trying to sort everything out. He wasn't making much progress.

Gryffindor sighed, clasping his hands together. 'I'm sorry to just dump all this on you at once, but you have to believe it is necessary. I believe it is better for you to know now, so you can begin to make preparations for later.'

'Yeah,' Harry said, thinking back to his explosion in Dumbledore's office at the end of last year. 'Yeah, it is better to know.'

Gryffindor staring piercingly at him. 'This isn't going to be easy, Harry,' he warned. 'Here on the Dream Plane your powers are easy to control. In the real world it doesn't work like that. The Powers That Be have agreed to amplify your abilities in accordance with the Prophecy, but the human mind cannot handle power of the kind I'm talking about. Perhaps some will manifest under your direct control, but most will stay separate from you, almost as a separate entity altogether. It will obey your wishes, but it will read your wishes from your emotions. You will have to learn self control, Harry, otherwise you could seriously hurt someone.'

Harry nodded slowly. 'I understand,' he said hollowly.

Gryffindor smiled faintly. 'I believe you do. You have felt it already, haven't you?'

Harry nodded again. 'In the village, when Ginny was in trouble. I wanted Voldemort gone, and he just kind of…went.'

Gryffindor smiled at Ginny. 'Already your task has begun,' he said cryptically, then spoke to Harry. 'This is what I mean. If you had wished harm on a student instead of wellbeing, the student would be in trouble. Do you understand?'

'I think so,' Harry said wryly. 'It may take a few days to sink in.'

Gryffindor laughed heartily. 'Fair enough,' he said, his eyes twinkling again. 'Now I believe it is time for you both to return to Hogwarts.'

'One more thing,' Harry said suddenly. 'Why does my power feel like a snake?'

Gryffindor looked startled, then closed his eyes briefly. 'Ah,' he said finally, opening them again. 'Do you remember the Basilisk you slew in the Chamber of Secrets?'

Harry felt Ginny tense beside him. 'Yes, I remember,' he said shortly.

'It appears to have been impressed with you,' Gryffindor said, his smile back. 'Apparently it volunteered to become your Familiar Spirit.'

'My what?' It was Harry's turn to be startled.

'It has become the repository for all your extra power,' Gryffindor explained. 'It is the Basilisk who wields that power for your benefit, and that is why the power feels snake-like, because it is.'

Suddenly Harry felt something thump him in the chest. He almost leapt out of his seat, scrabbling in his robes for whatever it was, and pulled out the amulet Ginny had given him for his birthday. Only now, it had changed.

Before, the amulet had depicted the Sword of Gryffindor, point down, with a crown around the hilt and a snake biting it's own tail surrounding the whole thing. Now, entwined with the sword was another serpent, this one depicting a Basilisk complete with emerald eyes.

'Now is the true form of the talisman revealed,' Gryffindor said softly. He smiled apologetically at Ginny. 'I'm sorry I had to use you to create it, Miss Weasley, but that's how these things work.'

'Mr. Gryffindor? Umm…sir?' Ginny started hesitantly.

'I know what you are going to ask,' he said kindly, 'and the answer is no, he cannot.' Ginny breathed a huge sigh of relief, and Harry looked puzzled. 'Let me explain something,' Gryffindor went on. 'Voldemort has no concept of what Love is. Lust yes, but Love? No. It can be one of his greatest weaknesses, if you can find a way to exploit it. Keep in mind that most of his followers follow out of fear alone, they hold no love for him.' He looked piercingly at Harry. 'That is where you are very, very different, Harry. Your people follow you out of love. What you and Miss Weasley feel is entirely of your own making. Voldemort had no part in it.'

He smiled at them as the forest dissolved, and Harry closed his eyes, keeping a tight grip on Ginny. When he opened them again they were in the Forbidden Forest some distance from the castle. Harry was lying on his back on the loam and Ginny was on top of him.

'How did we get here?' Ginny asked, her arms still tightly around Harry's neck.

'No idea,' Harry breathed, his face inches from hers. 'I don't know about you, but I'm not one to waste a happy opportunity.' He smiled up at her, and closed the distance to her lips.

From far back in the trees there came the thudding of many hooves. Harry and Ginny sprang apart and scrambled to their feet, each going for their wand.

Suddenly the trees seemed to erupt as fully fifty centaurs charged towards them, pulling up sharply a few feet away. Bane was leading the group, and he stepped forward now to face Harry.

'You are trespassing in our woods,' he said flatly, ignoring the two wands trained on him.

'They're not your woods,' Ginny shot back. 'They're on Hogwarts grounds, so they're actually our woods!' She pointed to the Hogwarts Crest on her uniform.

Bane's eyes went wide with rage. 'Impudent human!' he roared, and two centaurs grabbed Ginny from behind. She dropped her wand, trying in vain to kick at the centaurs.

'Touch one hair on her head and you will regret it,' Harry said in a deadly voice, and within him he felt the sleeping serpent stir. Suddenly the centaurs released Ginny, shaking their hands as if burned and glaring at Harry.

'You dare use magic on us, human?' one snarled as Ginny grabbed her wand and hurried to Harry's side, who ignored the centaur and sent Ginny a look of concern. She smiled back, although it was slightly strained.

'Move, please,' Harry said in the same quiet voice to Bane, who shifted slightly before his nostrils flared.

'I am not a common mule to be used by a human!' he flared. 'Take them! Kill the girl first!'

As several centaurs moved forward, their bows at the ready, Harry felt a rage within him that flared brightly, forcing the serpent to react. Bane was suddenly knocked off his feet, sent flying into a tree some ten feet away. The centaurs that had been about to grab Ginny again suffered a similar fate.

There was a collective roar of rage from the gathered centaurs, and as one they charged forward, only to slam into an invisible wall and fall backward three feet from where Harry and Ginny stood. By now Bane was back on his feet, watching the two with a mix of awe and fear.

'You are the one,' he whispered. 'He is the one! He has the mark of the serpent!' he cried, and all movement stopped. 'Touch him not,' Bane commanded, then suddenly shocked both teens by bowing to Harry. 'You are free to pass through the forest at any time, Master,' he said wonderingly, and one by one the rest of the centaurs joined him in his bow. Harry stared at them, bewildered, as they rose and melted back into the trees.

He turned to look at Ginny, who was blinking rapidly as if she couldn't believe what had just happened. 'What the hell was that all about?' she demanded. 'The one what?'

'I have no idea,' Harry said honestly. 'I think it's time to speak to my Mentor.'

A/N: Cripes, longest one yet. Finally found a way around the Superman Syndrome! Don't give Harry control over his powers…muahahahahaha! Lots of weirdness and fun stuff imminent!

Thanks again to Firefly! Anyone who doesn't like this chapter, blame her! (Ducks into fallout shelter as the much discused chainsaw comes flying at his head) Ack!