10 points to whoever finds the quote!
Chp.2
Harry
Walking down the street with Dumbledore was quite the experience, and I wondered how many other people had the opportunity to do so. Now I don't mean simply walking with the headmaster, but rather walking with him while he was showing a bit of his true self. While obviously not completely unrestrained, I could feel Dumbledore's magic pulsing around us, not seeming agitated, but not calm either. The way he moved was also slightly different. Usually Dumbledore, being a rather tall wizard, took the long quick steps of someone who while confident, had no desire to remain where they were for long. Now however, it simply felt off. At first glance it didn't seem like much was different; he still had a quick stride, although not in the same way as before. Where before it appeared as if he was in a hurry, now he moved with apparent superiority, as if nothing and no one had the power to stop him. Curious, but not enough so to say anything, I decided to stay quiet and just enjoy being away from the Dursleys.
For quite a while we walked in silence, both of us lost in our thoughts. I wondered why exactly we were traveling so far on foot but I figured Dumbledore had some reason other than to simply enjoy the warm summer night so I stayed silent. Eventually the headmaster paused and looked around studying the area, his magic pulsed a bit, and felt like it was examining our surroundings, although for what I had no idea. Trying to figure out what Dumbledore was looking for, I too started looking around hoping to see what was so special about this part of a muggle neighborhood.
"Here should be far enough Harry." Dumbledore finally spoke, bringing me out of my own investigation. "As you may know, I shall be taking you to spend the rest of your summer with the Weasleys, although they are not at the Burrow and are instead staying with your godfather for the time being. First however, we must get you a wand."
I had sort of assumed that was why the headmaster had decided to come collect me himself. However, that did not explain why we had to go so far from the Dursleys before we could head towards Diagon Alley. But what if…
"Sir, we aren't going to Ollivanders for this are we?" I asked, a bit hesitant, not wanting to sound presumptuous.
Dumbledore started chuckling as he lead us towards an alley across the street. "No Harry, we are not going to Ollivanders. In fact we are not going anywhere in the United Kingdom, hence the reason we needed to be far enough from your relatives home that no one would assume this burst of magic is in any way related to you."
I stared a bit uncomprehendingly at the headmaster, trying to figure out what burst of magic he was speaking about. As far as I could tell, there weren't any remnants of powerful magic anywhere near us. "Sir, what burst of magic are you talk…'' before I could finish my question, Dumbledore grabbed me by the shoulder and with a violent jerk the deserted alley surrounding us disappeared and we appeared surrounded by unfamiliar landscape.
Albus
As soon as my feet touched the ground, I released my hold on Harry and stepped away from him. Breathing deeply, I allowed my eyes to wander over the forest that surrounded us, relaxing in a way I had not since before that day in the ministry. Slowly I made my way towards the closest tree, and laid my hand upon it, letting my magic mingle with the forest. A feeling of unimaginable hurt and anger washed over me, coming from the forest. I did my best to soothe it as I did not want to frighten Harry overly much.
Behind me I could feel Harry's magic snap into place around him, shielding him from anything that would wish him harm. Turning slightly, I glanced at the young man and saw that although he looked a bit threatened, for the most part he did not look to be under too much stress. "There is no need to be so protective Harry. No harm will come to you here." I tried to reassure him.
"Really, Professor? The forest seems to be pretty pissed off right now." He responded a bit sarcastically.
Chuckling a bit to myself, I could not help but be amused by Harry's caustic attitude. "Not with you, my boy. Unfortunately there are those that are hurting her, and she does not take kindly to those hurts. You see Harry, this forest is old, very old. Full of memory, and anger." I finished as I turned to fully face him.
Harry looked thoughtful for a moment before slowly circling around and really looking at the surrounding area. "And where is 'here' professor?" he spoke quietly, nearly too quietly for even me to hear.
"There is no name for this place, it has never needed one. Those that know of it's existence could not simply mistake it for somewhere else, and therefore no name was ever given." I stared at Harry, trying to figure out if my oath would prevent me from explaining the next part. "Tell me Harry, what do you know about the history of the world?"
"I know that muggles believe that it began as a chunk of rock that slowly evolved over billions of years. I also know that that is incorrect, and that there was none of this slow evolution they believe in. It is, and it always was, as is the way with magic."
"Yes, all of that is true, but that is not everything. You see Harry, our planet is very much alive. In the beginning, wizards were born as those to keep the peace, and to ensure the well being of our host. However, something happened and that is no longer the case. I cannot tell you exactly what that was yet, but know that this forest remembers. Remembers what it was like before, when wizards and witches would sing to the trees, the rocks and the seas; and they would sing back. This forest weeps for its loss, and rages against those that made it so. One day you and I, and two others will make it so again." Feeling the forest's sorrow at my words, I turned back to the tree and once again tried my best to help in what limited way I could. "Come now Harry, let us go get your wand."
Harry
Ok, what the fuck is that supposed to mean? Singing trees and rocks? The only thing preventing me from questioning whether or not the old man had finally lost it was the fact that I know his magic would prevent that from happening. However, that does not mean what he says is any clearer or explains why it sounds like something out of some muggle fantasy novel.
I stared after the Headmaster while he walked away, trying to figure out what he could possibly mean, even though I was pretty sure there was no way I could reasonably know the answer. Sighing, I tightened the protective shield I had raised around myself to make it more like a top layer of skin, and followed the professor through the trees.
As we walked, I tried to take in my surroundings, but with how dark it was under the thick canopy of leaves, it was hard to see more than about 10 feet in any direction. From what I could see, the forest we were in was fairly similar in appearance to the Forbidden Forest at Hogwarts. There was not much undergrowth, just some sparse grass and a few shrubs here and there. However, the trees were a little more interesting. The biggest difference I could tell was in the trees themselves, more specifically their size. The trees of the Forbidden Forest were old, definitely the oldest forest in Europe, if the books in the library were to be believed. One only had to travel a few steps into the forest to see for themselves that the old, twisted trees of the Forbidden Forest had most definitely outlived anything else that we have ever seen. Hell, I'm sure that the forest was old even before Slytherin's basilisk was born. Regardless of how old that forest was, this forest was something else entirely. From what I could see, these trees were easily two to three times larger than the biggest tree I had ever seen in the Forbidden Forest, and they felt so ancient that it made the Forbidden Forest feel like a freshly planted grove of apple trees in comparison.
Apart from the vegetation, I could hear all sorts of animals in our immediate vicinity. There were, at the very least, 6 different types of birds near us, or at least near enough that I could hear their distinct calls. Squirrels, chipmunks, and other small critters could also be heard running around, so many in fact that I did not want to even know how many bugs or other slimy things lived here if so many animals could make this area their home. I swear I also heard at least two snakes, slithering around somewhere to my left.
Not afraid, but not particularly comfortable either, I extended my magic around me to try and see if there were any threats near us. Nothing immediately felt off but I decided to keep my guard up just in case something tried to sneak up on us here.
For about the next hour, or as near as I could figure, we continued in much the same way as before; the headmaster leading and myself carefully following, making sure nothing tried to eat me. At this point, I honestly wondered why the old man hadn't just apparated us closer to where we needed to go, but it was at this point that something changed. The trees didn't get larger or smaller, and the animals did not disappear, in fact, there may be more around right now, but something had changed. I could not tell exactly what it was, maybe a change in air pressure, or maybe a storm was getting ready to set in, but whatever it was it unnerved me more than anything that had happened so far.
It was at this point that the ground started to slowly dip down, feeling as if we were walking down a gently rolling hill, although I couldn't really tell since I still couldn't see much past the headmaster. Lower and lower we walked, and it was about ten minutes later that I noticed an increase in the amount of snakes around us. I couldn't see most of them but I could hear them conversing with each other, or just speaking in general. Nothing revealing about where we were was mentioned, just some idle chatter about hunting and the odd comment about us every now and again.
It was at this point that the Headmaster stopped. In front of us was easily the largest tree I had ever seen, and considering the size of the trees surrounding us that was saying something. At least twice the size of any tree I had seen so far, it looked as if you could fit the entirety of the great hall at Hogwarts inside its trunk. It also had what looked like several giant knots in its roots right in front of us. Turning towards the Headmaster, I gave him a slightly inquisitive look and then asked how I was supposed to get a wand in the middle of the forest from some giant tree.
"Tree?! Thisss isss no ordinary tree hatchling…" was hissed from near the base of the tree.
Shocked, I jumped slightly and looked back at the massive tree. What I had thought were knots were turning out to be the largest snakes I had ever seen before. Every one of them looked to be larger than the basilisk I had killed within Hogwarts. Tightening my shields and closing my eyes, I slowly started backing away.
"Peace Harry, they mean us no harm, and their gaze is of no danger to you" the Headmaster spoke when he noticed I was getting ready to run. "As a matter of fact, it is them we are here to see."
I froze, but did not relax in the slightest. I do not care what the Headmaster says, I had witnessed the danger of one of these ancient serpents. Another four on top of that did not make me feel any better.
Seeing that I was not relaxing the Headmaster sighed and mumbled, "I guess I better explain."
The next words that came out of the Headmaster's mouth shocked me more than anything ever had during my nearly 15 years on this earth.
"Hello old friendsss. It hasss been too long." He hissed at the basilisks.
"Albusss. It is wonderful to sssee you, but why hasss it been ssso long sssince you have visssited usss? And where isss your mate?" The lead basilisk was now nearly upon us and I was still debating running, but the Headmaster having the ability to speak parseltongue had shocked me enough that I was willing to stay and listen for at least a while longer.
"I will anssswer all your quessstionsss Zaltysss, but firssst we are here for Harry, my companion. He isss the last of the four, and ssseeksss hisss wand."
"They have all been found?! Yesss Albusss, we will do asss you sssay. Now come, come hatchling, ssso that we may look upon you."
Trusting that anyone that knows the Headmaster would not immediately try and kill me I cautiously moved towards the massive snakes.
"How may I asssissst you Great One?" A little bit of flattery never hurts when dealing with something that could kill you with one bite.
"We have waited many yearsss for you to come. And now that you are here, it makesss us want to sssing again. We know there isss ssstill sssome time before that happensss but it isss close upon the horizon. But firssst a wand you mussst have."
"I had a wand before Great One, is it possible to fix it?"
"Ha, that 'wand' wasss no more than a ssstick in your handsss. Sssomething that can harnesss your true power isss what you need hatchling. A wand of old you ssshall have, a wand that, apart from your companion and hisss matesss, hasss not been ssseen in millenia."
Finally starting to relax, I became fairly curious as to how a wand would be made by a basilisk, and asked as much.
"We ssshall not be making your wand, you will hatchling. First you will merge your magic with the Heart Tree, asssking for a gift. Then, we ssshall perform a ritual that hasss not been ssseen in living memory. And then, you ssshall have a wand.
"How am I sssupposssed to merge with a tree Great One?"
"Please, call me Zaltysss, hatchling. And asss for the tree, sssimply walk up itsss rootsss and lay your handsss upon the trunk, and you will know what to do."
Listening to Zaltys, I carefully made my way up one of the massive roots towards the tree. I could hear that the Headmaster had started to tell his story to the basilisks, although I could not make out any words. Refocusing on the tree, I finished climbing the rest of the way up, and somewhat tentatively layed my right hand upon the trunk.
Nothing could have prepared me for what the simple act of laying my hand upon this tree felt like. First, the tree was warm, and had a sort of pulsing to it, not unlike a heart beat. Second, the instant that my skin made contact, I could feel my magic reach out of its own accord and sort of intertwine with the tree.
With my magic connected, I was getting a sort of general sense of the tree, and something else that I wasn't sure about. After a few minutes, I realised that it was the feel of the forest. I could feel, in a rather broad way, how the forest was doing. It was nothing specific, but then again I had a feeling that if I tried I could focus on more than what I was currently experiencing.
However, I was supposed to be getting a wand. Not entirely sure how to do that, I just kind of mentally asked, hoping that the tree would understand me. As soon as the question had formed in my mind I felt the tree reach out to me, and pull some of my magic away from my body. Trying not to panic, I was about to yank it back, and leave when I noticed what it was doing. The tree was taking my magic deep inside itself, and appeared to be crafting a wand in the center of it's core. No longer worried, I started actively feeding the tree magic, seeing as it was still pulling some out. With my cooperation, the tree started using up a ridiculous amount of my magic, but I could sense the wand nearing completion so I simply kept up the stream.
After another couple of minutes, I could feel my magic running out, which was honestly starting to worry me. I had never come close to depleting my core, and fear of the unknown started to creep in. However, right before I was about to try and forcefully stop the flow, the tree abruptly cut off the channeling of my magic and sort of pushed me away, at least mentally.
Pulling my hand from the tree, I nearly fell over as I fully rejoined with my body. Looking down, a small shelf had grown from the trunk of the tree, and resting on top was the most beautiful wand I had ever seen. At first glance it appeared to be the deepest shade of black imaginable. However, upon closer inspection I could see swirls of green throughout its length. Apart from the color, there were faint designs flowing around the wand itself, which were very hard to make out but if you looked closely you could tell that they were snakes. It was also longer than my previous wand, somewhere around fourteen inches if he had to guess.
Taking the wand, I turned around and nearly fell again, not having registered how tired I was until I had tried to move. Looking down I could see that my near fall had been noticed by the Headmaster and basilisks, and they watched me descind, their earlier conversation either forgotten or finished.
Once I was off the root, I slowly made my way back to the group, struggling to stay upright. When I had managed to navigate my way back to the basilisks, and also the headmaster, turned and faced me appearing curious as to what my new wand would look like. Without having to be asked I presented my wand to the group, proud to own something of such remarkable beauty which could not be claimed by any other.
The group, quietly discussing before, now made excited exclamations at the site of such a rare and beautiful wand, something this group had been waiting many years to see. Taking their time to examine it's intricacies, each member of the group bent their head forward to take a closer look. At that moment I was extremely proud. I know that I do not tend to be overly emotional, but hey, I had just used an enormous amount of my magic to help the great tree to craft this wand and damnit if I was not going to be proud of the result. However, I did still have questions for the headmaster, and I have a feeling that if I do not interrupt now, these ancient beings would more than gladly admire the wand for hours on end.
"Headmaster, I hate to interrupt but I am still in need of a core for the wand, not to mention the questions I am sure you know that I am going to ask."
Before the headmaster could answer Zaltys started chuckling before forcing out, "Peace youngling, place your wand upon the stone in between us and step back. This will require a bit of room, and remember well for, as I mentioned earlier, this has not been seen in an age."
I looked down and placed my wand on the rock that Zaltys had indicated, and then proceeded to back up a good distance with the headmaster. At first we simply stood and watched the basilisks who surrounded the rock, although they did not appear to be doing anything yet. Several minutes passed and as time wore on I began to feel a subtle shift in the air. With each deep breath the basilisks were taking they appeared to be drawing magic from the surrounding forest into themselves. This continued for what felt like hours, but was in reality no more than ten minutes, at which point it felt like life itself was being sucked from the area. When the feeling had intensified to the point of near pain, that's when it started.
The four giant basilisks suddenly exploded into movement in a seemingly random pattern that was nearly too fast for the human eye to see. After a few seconds my eyes adjusted and I was able to see it as it was meant to be seen. The basilisks were performing an intricate dance, darting backwards and forwards, and up and down, and in every imaginable direction. Entranced by the rapid, yet unbelievably smooth, movements I began to notice a sort of pattern within this complex dance. Regardless of which direction the basilisks were heading, it appeared as if they were moving within circles. Unbelievably, the dance itself also seemed to be speeding up which I did not think was possible given the speed the giant snakes were already moving at, but they must have been building towards something.
For an indeterminable amount of time the ancient basilisks danced, always building towards the grand finale, but never seeming to reach it. Until they did. At the apex of the dance, the movement of the great serpents perfectly lined up and they all rounded a final circle, each from one cardinal direction, at the same time and froze for just a moment with their heads poised high above the ground. Then, as one, they all bent down and opened their mouths and bared their fangs at the wand harmlessly lying on the ground. Again, in a movement so fluid it was hard to believe, their fangs all released a drop of their venom directly onto the wand, which absorbed every single drop. The basilisks held the position for a moment longer before relaxing back down and beckoning both the headmaster and I back towards the group.
Expecting something to have happened when the wand absorbed the venom, I was slightly disappointed that nothing had occurred. "So that's it then?"
Laughing with delight, the headmaster turned towards me, "Pick up the wand Harry!"
Slightly confused as to the headmaster's apparent delight at my wand's lack of reaction, I was a bit miffed. However, I was going to do what he had suggested anyway so I bent towards the wand, and when I grasped the handle the world exploded into light.