Chapter 6: Of Sight and Vision

I was led to the sofa by Harry who was looking concerned at me, after my brief spell of dizziness as we had come down the stair from his office. He quickly waved his wand over me and I presume found nothing out of the ordinary as I heard him call for Kreacher to bring a Pepper-up potion for me.

"Drink this, Dudley, it'll help! I can't find anything wrong with you except for a slight bit of exhaustion and some things a little odd with your vision, I think you should see an optician or a magical oculist if that continues."

I looked up at him and was surprised by what I was seeing; my cousin was perfectly normal there in front of me, but the silver outline that I could see around him was definitely not normal. Kreacher came in with the requested Pepper-up and I looked up to thank him and immediately closed my eyes again.

If the outline around Harry could be described as bright, Kreacher was blinding, and gold not silver, but that gold was streaked with black that seemed to pulse through it. "What is wrong with Master Dudley; is Kreacher needing to fetch healer for him?"

"I don't know Kreacher; are you alright, Dudley, if you need more help I can get a healer here at once."

"Don't know. I can see you perfectly normally and yet you're different, it's like you're outlined in silver. Kreacher is a blinding gold, with streaks of black!" I looked around at the room and there were shimmerings that I could perceive on almost every wall. "The walls are shimmering like a heat haze, but that's not exactly the right way to describe it either."

I heard a gasp from Kreacher, "Master Dudley, if I is asking you to do something for me, could you be doing it?" I nodded at this and Kreacher produced a black piece of cloth from somewhere. "Please Master Dudley; be putting this over your eyes and tying it tight."

"Kreacher, what are you...?"

"Master Harry sir, I knows what I is doing!"

I quickly tied the blindfold around my eyes and nodded in the direction of Kreacher, "ok! Now what?"

"Please look at Master Harry and myself, what does you see?"

"Just this blindfold, what should I be seeing?"

"Master Dudley, you is to please ignore the blindfold and look at Master Harry and myself, what do you see?

I tried to do what Kreacher was suggesting and gasped in shock, "I see a silver light that I know to be Harry, and a gold light that I know to be you Kreacher, I can't say how I know how it's you that I see, but you look like Kreacher as if I was seeing you differently; does that make sense?"

"Yes Master Dudley, it is making perfect sense," said Kreacher as he clicked his fingers and the blindfold vanished from my eyes. "Master Dudley is having the Mage Sight, it is extremely rare and precious gift, the last person to have the gift known to Kreacher was Phineas Nigellus Black, the infamous Hogwarts headmaster!"

"Kreacher, you mean the same Phineas Nigellus Black whose portrait is downstairs in the Black tapestry room, the same person whose picture Hermione and I carried around for nearly a year?"

"Yes Master Harry, that Phineas Nigellus Black, it was not for being a good teacher that he was appointed headmaster of Hogwarts, he was having the Mage Sight and could be seeing the enchantments and wards around the castle."

"Kreacher, please bring the portrait up from the tapestry room and put it so we can speak to him please." Kreacher bowed to Harry and vanished with a crack and returned with a picture frame showing just a chair and a curtained wall behind it and placed it on the wall where it stuck. "Professor Phineas Nigellus Black, I need to seek your advice, could you come to my aid, please?"

To my weird vision the picture seemed to shimmer for a moment and a distinguished though rather pompous looking gentleman walked into the frame and took a seat. "What can I do for you Harry? I wasn't expecting to have to speak to you until after you had a second son to make a formal request of you!"

"Sorry what? No, nothing like that, it's my cousin Dudley, Kreacher says he has Mage Sight and you were the last person he knows to have had it."

"I don't appreciate being the butt of a joke young Harry, the only relatives that you had were muggles and I refuse to believe you would think to try and pull such a stupid prank on me. I will be leaving and will return when you are in a more respectful frame of mind."

"Master Phineas, please Master Harry is telling the truth, his muggleborn cousin is Lord Dursley of the Wizarding Court of Charlemagne."

"Impossible, the last wizarding lord was Nicholas Flamel, made so some years before my birth, are you suggesting that a muggle could become a wizarding Lord, I really must protest, that really is beyond a joke. I will be leaving now and I will not be returning until the head of this house apologises to me for this ridiculously insulting prank!" He got up from his seat and prepared to leave."

"Please, Professor Black, if I may?" I took out my wand, and held it up for him to see. "I Dudley Vernon Dursley, muggleborn cousin of Harry James Potter do swear by my life and magic that I am a lord of the wizarding court of Charlemagne!" there was a bright flash from my wand as I made the oath, I then waved my wand, thinking of my patronus as I did so, the resulting silver short eared owl flew round the room and straight at the picture. The figure of Professor Black was knocked out of his seat as the patronus went into the portrait and knocked him and his chair over."

"Bloody hell young man!" he said picking himself up and straightening the chair and sitting himself back in it. "How did you do that, nothing can influence a wizarding portrait like that. I offer my most humble apologies and utmost respect to you. You are obviously a wizard, there must be some mistake about you being a muggleborn though, even though you are still alive after your oath and still have your magic. It must be that you truly believe you were muggleborn and believe that in your heart of hearts, that is the only explanation for your not dropping dead of swearing a fake oath!"

"I'm sorry to disappoint you there, Professor Black, but up until the year that my cousin went on his quest to destroy Voldemort's horcruxes I was a complete muggle, it is only through several twists of fate that I am able to perform magic."

"Pardon, my boy!"

"Huh! What are you talking about Dudley?"

"If I may tell you some things I have learned; please try not to interrupt as I don't fully understand it all myself." There were nods from the seated figure in the portrait and Harry. "When Harry received his Hogwarts letter on his eleventh birthday I was cursed by the teacher who came to collect him." there was a gasp from the portrait and I gave it a stern look and again he nodded for me to continue. "I was given a pig's tail and I'm not sorry to say I probably deserved it; hell I definitely did. I was a fat overweight pig who had started to stuff the birthday cake that Hagrid had brought into my face as soon as I could get my hands on it. This tail was later removed by a muggle surgeon. I am reliably informed by someone that this incident 'infected' me with magic so to speak, this magic was mostly inert until the year that we went into hiding. Exposure to magic in the town of Tinworth coupled with the wand / ID card that I was given by the people who were responsible for hiding us, somehow had the effect of bringing that magic to the surface, much like a wizard child's first use of accidental magic. Later, Harry adopted me as his brother, through blood and magic, this produced a major power boost to the weak magical core that I possessed and here I am today."

"Fascinating young man, a remarkable tale and it bears a good chance of being right, how did you learn of all this?"

"That would have been in the island state of New Sparta in the United States of America."

"You mean that there is actually a proper wizarding community in that colonial backwater, well will wonders never cease?"

"Oh! There is definitely more than a proper wizarding community, there are complete states in the union that are almost exclusively magical, their muggle shops sell magical books in special sections protected in similar ways to Diagon Alley. They have some quite impressive Schools of Magic as well, that could possibly give Hogwarts a run for its money." This was a slight stretching of the truth, in my opinion from what I had seen, they were far and above Hogwarts standards, but this Phineas Nigellus fellow seemed a bit of a snob. I rubbed at my eyes, this mage sight thing, whatever it was, was giving me a bloody headache.

"I apologise my young lord, while it is fascinating to discover that the colonials are making good for themselves, it is obvious that you are new to your mage sight and it is causing you some distress, how may I help? How new exactly is this to you?"

"Very, this is the first time I have ever heard of mage sight and the first time I think I have ever experienced it. I was thinking about the differences between my house and Harry's when my vision altered and I stumbled against him whilst coming down the stairs to this lounge."

"I see, very new then, I will do my humble best to help! Place a hand over your eyes and picture your newfound mage sight falling back behind your eyes and your vision returning to normal. You may find this a little tricky at first!"

I followed the instructions given and definitely felt something, a curious itch in my eyes, I removed my hand and glanced around, everything was back to normal, no halos around anything. It felt a lot better and the headache that had been forming was receding as well. "My thanks, Professor Black; that has helped a great deal. But could you enlighten me, as to exactly what mage sight is and do you have any ideas how I may have suddenly been given it or possess it so to speak?"

"My dear boy you ask much and there is much that is not known about mage sight. It occurs only rarely and usually manifests in someone for no known reason. If what I believe to be true is correct then the mage sight is given to an individual as a gift from someone; who this someone is I am unable to say. The mage sight is the ability to see magic. The field of energy that powers our spells and indeed the spells manipulation on the normal world. Of course this is my own observation from my own experience, there was no one I could speak to when I was alive."

"That makes sense, I can understand that magic is a field of energy that is analogous to electromagnetism and radiation, after all it can affect muggle technology, but how did I acquire it so to speak?"

"I'm glad you understood what I said, because I'm afraid to say, young man, that I understood not a word of what you said. What is this eklecomagnets and radiation, and techology? Sounds like you're speaking a different language!"

"I'll try to explain in ways to make it easier professor, electromagnetism is the power of the lightning and magnets which all work together. Muggles have learned ways to tame the lightning and make it able to light their homes and cities, harness this energy to make heat and even communicate over large distances much the way wizards use the floo..."

"I find that hard to believe young man, oh that the lightning is this electromagics sounds logical, but that muggles could make their own floo network, I find hard to credit."

"Very well professor, I think a practical demonstration is in order," I pulled my mobile phone from my pocket and showed it to the portrait. "This is essentially a fireless floo connection I cannot travel by it, but I can make a call to someone and ask them to come over, shall I do that for you?"

"Yes please, this I must see, it sounds intriguing!"

I dialled a number on the phone and put it onto loudspeaker so we could all hear. The phone on the other end rang a couple of times and Gabby's voice came over loud and clear, "hello Dudley, is there a problem I thought you were only going to be a little while at Harry's; it's been over an hour?"

"Things have got a little complicated, could you take the floo to Harry's and bring your mobile with you, keeping this call active at the same time!"

"Ok, Dudley, you've got me curious, I'm coming across!" the fire in the grate flared green and she stepped through into the lounge where Harry and I were talking with the portrait. "What's all this about?"

"Please Gabby, bear with me, this is going to seem daft, but can you put your phone on loudspeaker and stand a bit closer to the portrait," she did so, "so what do you think professor?" my voice could be heard quite naturally in the room, but also through Gabrielle's phone near the picture. I shut my phone off and gestured her to do the same.

"Quite impressive, but it could still be a slight hoax on your part, how did the young lady know it was you calling her; no offence my dear but I must make sure I'm not being had here, you understand?"

"I understand professor; Gabby could you hold your phone so the professor can see the screen/ you needn't answer the call." She did so and I dialled her phone and she let it ring. "Now, professor, you see the screen it is showing my name?" he nodded at this and I ended the call and looked to Harry, "could you dial Gabby's mobile the same please?" Harry pulled out his own mobile and dialled the phone and now the display showed Harry's name. Whilst it was ringing, Harry left the room and went to the hallway; the phone stopped ringing for a second and then began again with a different ringtone.

"Marvellous, it now say's 'the Potter's', this is brilliant how does it know who's calling?"

"Every one of these phones has its own unique number, much like each fireplace on the floo network has its own name, when I or anyone else dial Gabby's phone this number is sent ahead so she knows who's calling, so can decide whether to answer it or not."

"Extremely clever, but shouldn't be necessary, after all there must only be so many people who have one of these portable floo thingies. I mean you shouldn't need that many numbers."

"Professor, this is a muggle device and there are approximately 6 billion muggles on this planet, theoretically every muggle on the planet could phone this phone from anywhere in the world. If someone I didn't know rang me, I would get their number, but no name, but the idea works the same."

"I see your point, but what has that to do with wizards, I mean most muggles wouldn't want to speak to a wizard would they?"

I pondered for a moment, looked at the time on my watch dialled a number on my phone, again switching to loudspeaker, "Caller, you have reached the Ministry of Magic, all our offices are now closed, however if it an emergency please listen to the following options for further assistance; if you require the Aurors, please press one on your phone; the Obliviators, please press two;..." I hung up the call; after all it was only to prove a point.

"I concede that this technolowhatsit stuff has even affected the ministry, but why should any witch or wizard need to use it; after all they have magic on their side and could use the normal floo connection?"

"Good point professor, but just imagine for a moment you are out for the evening and are mugged by some anonymous muggle, before you realise it, he has broken your wand and you need to call St. Mungo's for help, this phone requires no wand, you could even use another muggles phone to call the hospital for assistance if you knew the number, and all without a wand or floo connected fire."

"You make a very convincing case young man and I think I understand what you are trying to say, this electromaginics is quite interesting, and as I understand it can affect the world in a similar way to magic. It's a field of energy that most people cannot see, but muggles have learnt how to use like wizards have learnt to manipulate the magical field to power their spells." I nodded at this and the professor sat in thought for a moment. "If these mobile phone thingies are so numerous, how come we do not see lightning flashing everywhere as people make these calls, can you explain that?"

"I think so, professor, if you imagine that lightning is like an unforgivable, a very high powered spell that can't be blocked, the amount of energy used in making a phone call is about the same amount of energy that it takes to light a candle with your wand, there is no other way to put it."

"Quite alright my boy, I understand, I understand your meaning, it's like the difference between a hurricane and a sigh!" he sighed and grinned at us. "Both in their way are the movement of air, but on such a vast difference of scale, correct?" I nodded to him and his face brightened with understanding. "Very well young man to go back to our original discourse and mage sight, you are with your mage sight able to see the energy behind the spell, and indeed the lasting effects of any cast spell, like the many enchantments laid about this house to make it bigger and stronger than its muggle counterparts on either side. That is the distortions in the air that you saw as you looked around you, they are all visible, to you, manifestations of the cast spell and the energy used to do so; you don't for the most part see the everyday things like a candle being lit, because as you say, it's like a sigh, no visible after effects. The spells on the house however are like a strong wind that can knock trees down and are visible to you as they affect the world around you."

I nodded this was making sense. "How did it suddenly switch on, so to speak and how did I turn it off, and of more importance how did I get it?"

"Such interesting questions you pose young man. I must ask you young Harry where you have been hiding this fellow, he really does make a portrait's day? I believe from what you have said that as you were coming down the stairs you were wondering why this house is bigger than yours and your mage sight switched on, so to speak, to allow you to see how. Much in the same way that your eyesight would adjust from looking at my portrait to reading someone's name off of your phone. It's a natural reaction. The first time, it happened to you was slightly disorientating and you needed a friendly word to 'focus' your eyesight back to normal. With practice you should be able to see magical fields in much the same way as you see the portrait on the wall or the phone in your hand. It will come naturally with time."

"I understand, but why was Harry silver and Kreacher gold, with streaks of black?"

"What? Kreacher is what the young man said true? Are you dying?"

Kreacher who had been standing quietly listening quietly the whole time listening to our conversation, nodded to the portrait. "Yes Master Phineas, Kreacher is dying, but does not want to be forgotten, like some old pan. Master Harry removed all the old elf heads from the walls and buried them in the garden. Kreacher wants to be honoured as having given good service as an elf should." He bowed his head and looked at his feet in an embarrassed way.

"Why would you do that Master Harry? You do understand what an honour it was for a house elf to have his head mounted on the wall in this house?"

"Yes and no, Phineas. I understand that Kreacher saw it as an honour, but no disrespect to yourself and Kreacher I saw it as degrading, treating those honourable house elves as no more than a hippogriff or sphinx that you might hunt for sport and display its head as a trophy on the wall." He knelt by Kreacher. "Kreacher you say I buried the heads in the garden have you ever been up the garden to look where I buried them?"

Kreacher looked up at Harry, "no Master Harry Sir, I has not. I is not wanting to see where Master Harry disposed of honourable elves." Again he looked at his feet, this time with a slightly fearful look on his face as if he had said something wrong and would be punished for it.

"I think I understand Kreacher, you will follow me to the garden now," he glanced to me. "Dudley please bring the professor's portrait with you, he needs to see this too. I nodded, took hold of the portrait and followed Harry who was holding Kreacher's hand into the garden. Kreacher went with Harry a little reluctantly it must be said, but he did what his Master ordered. We arrived at the top of the garden and I noticed a small headstone set in the lawn in front of the fence.

Here lie

Toady, Lackey, Ugly & Bucket,

Faithful elves who served with Honour

And are Honoured as

Elves of The Noble House of Black.

"They are not dumped Kreacher, they are buried with honour in a plot that I especially set aside for them, when you leave us, I would bury you here alongside them, the last of the elves to serve the Blacks and first to serve me as Lord Potter. It is no dishonour, I believe it is more of an honour to be buried as an elf, a proper burial, rather than be mounted on the wall as a trophy, an animal." Kreacher fell to his knees at the graveside and began to cry.

"There you see, young Harry, you have upset him now," said the portrait of Phineas.

Between his sobs, Kreacher spoke. "No Master Phineas; Master Harry is truly a great wizard, he is treating house elf as real person, I is seeing that now. House elf is buried with proper headstone like Dobby, and Mistress and Master Black before him. Master Harry is saying that house elf has honour of their own and are remembered as family, meaning lots more to Kreacher than mounting his head on wall."

"My word, young Harry, I apologise to you, you seem to have impressed Kreacher here, but I still must ask him a question. What are you going to do about a new elf to serve the noble house of Black / Potter?"

Kreacher sat up on his knees and rubbed the tears from his eyes, "I not know if I father any kits, but maybe; when Kreacher was at Hogwarts with Master Harry, fighting Lord Moldyshorts, he was friendly with house elf working there called Winky, maybe she can help?" He glanced at me and Gabrielle, his eyes closing for a moment and drawing a breath, maybe find house elf to help Master Dudley and Mistress Gabrielle too. They is needing help soon to help with little one of their own.

"There was a gasp from Harry who looked at Gabby and I, "is this true, are you pregnant Gabrielle? Am I going to get a nephew or niece soon? You are a sly pair; I thought you waited till you were married."

Gabrielle blushed bright red, "not that is any concern of yours. Harry Potter, but we did wait until after we married, I conceived on our honeymoon, on the 5th night or 6th morning, whatever, and you will soon have a niece, Veela always produce female offspring when mating with wizards."

"Ah! Master Dudley, then I am afraid your line will die with you, without a son to carry on your family name, such a pity, so few wizarding noble families survive to become Ancient and Noble Houses, a family needs to be Noble for at least 20 generations for that to be happen, the Blacks were a Noble house for 50 generations, before they came to an end, but there is hope if my adopted heir; your cousin can manage a second son, I hope he will allow that son to become a Black rather than a Potter and continue the honourable House of Black!"

It was Harry's turn to blush slightly now, I will speak to Ginny about it, if she is willing we may do it if we have a second son, but at the moment we have no plans for a second child. When it happens, it happens."

We all began to make our way back to the house, me still carrying the portrait of Phineas Nigellus Black and Kreacher looking slightly happier over the future. He looked up at Harry, "Master Harry; should Kreacher see about getting new elves for yourself and Master Dudley's family?" Harry gave me a glance and I looked at Gabrielle who nodded at me, I in turn nodded to Harry.

"Yes please Kreacher, and if Winky is not carrying a kit of yours, please see if another elf is willing to conceive a child with you, I would be honoured if a son or daughter of Kreacher would be the house elf for the House of Potter!"

Kreacher looked even prouder now and with a bow, disappeared with a loud crack as we passed into the house. I placed the portrait over the fire place and Harry paused to make three cups of coffee and bring them with him into the lounge. He handed a cup each to myself and Gabrielle and sat himself in an armchair, Gabby and I sat next to each other on the sofa. "Sorry, if Kreacher embarrassed the both of you with his announcement, and if I caused any embarrassment myself with my comment about waiting till you were married, it was only meant in jest!"

Gabrielle took hold of my hand, "we understand Harry, we were planning on telling you eventually; not even my family know yet; you're the first apart from the paramedics who Dudley called on when I wouldn't wake up that morning!"

Harry looked at me and raised his eyebrows in question, and blushing furiously I told him the tale of that morning on our honeymoon when I couldn't wake her and phoned the emergency services in a panic.

He sniggered and put his hand in front of his mouth, "sorry Dudley I shouldn't laugh it must have been terrible embarrassing for you having those questions asked and having to be so forthright about such things and having them know what you had been up to; but you have to see the funny side of it too?"

"I can, and do, but if I ever hear that you repeat that particular episode to anyone else you might see a return of 'Big D' and 'Harry Hunting' so no spreading the story around at work." I winked at Gabrielle as I said this and she tried to look intimidating to Harry as well. I doubt either of us thought Harry would actually spread the story round, but we needed to put an end to that particular strand of the conversation.

Gabrielle looked thoughtful for a moment, "I have noticed that Ginny is not around with young James, where is she, nothing is wrong I hope?"

"Nothing too bad, no, she's at her parent's, George finally proposed to Angelina last night, and Molly is already planning the wedding, she's waited long enough for this. At one point after the war, we all thought that George would never come out of his shell. I must say that him proposing to Angelina was a bit of a shock. I knew she worked for him at the shop, helping him with the accounts and general record keeping; she was Fred's girlfriend when they were at Hogwarts or that's how I remember it. She went to the Yule Ball in my fourth year with him anyway."

"I remember Molly from that New Year that I spent at the Burrow, she'll smother the poor couple, suggest to George that he take the option his brother gave out at Bill's wedding or so you told me. Tie Molly up until everything is over and let the guests turn up as they like."

"I don't think that'll be an option for George, he thrives on the attention of his family; it seems to make it less painful for him and brings Fred closer to him. I think sometimes that he still thinks Fred is alive. He's not crazy, or confused in any way, just seems to speak of having Fred helping him, when he shows me some new product for the shop. As I understand it, Fred was more of the ideas man, and George was the get up and go fellow who would put these ideas into practice. Quite the genius with potions is George, surprising anybody in Gryffindor passed their potion's N.E.W.T.'s with Snape teaching. He hated everything to do with the house of the lions, when he was alive. Strange when I met him that time you installed the phones at Hogwarts, he was a changed man. Seemed almost pleased to see me, in an odd sort of way; well at least he was smiling when he saw me that day. Bit unnerving actually."

We sat in the lounge as I contemplated this 'mage sight' I had been gifted with, maybe it could be useful, I wondered why I was given this gift; when suddenly there was a flare from the fireplace and Kingsley's head appeared there, "what were you needing to speak to me that was so urgent and couldn't wait until the morning...?"

AN. This seemed the logical stopping point for this chapter, which seemed to almost want to be written. I'll get the next chapter out as soon as I finish typing it up, but don't expect it this fast, unless I get divine help like Dudley. Many thanks to the reviewers who have offered their condolences and good wishes, I wasn't expecting that from relative strangers, who know me through this little story.

I read the name Moldyshorts in the story "Throwing Away A Hero" by gredandforgerock and couldn't resist having Kreacher use it to show how his attitude had changed after the truth about Master Regulus was known to him. If you haven't read this story, I recommend it, it tells of Harry's defeat of Voldemort at the end of OOTP and the action that happens when Dumbledore tells the Dursleys that he is now surplus to requirements and they should make sure he doesn't return to Hogwarts for the next year; it's quite funny in places.