Disclaimer; I do not claim to own the characters herein nor am I making any money from this piece of fanfiction.
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"Any wizard with a wand can turn a glass of water into steam, can summon a pillow, or levitate a crate," Jack was in his element again, teaching Harry the basics of weather magic. "A weather mage does not waste energy making steam when he only needs mist. You do not need to levitate the mist, warm air rises on it's own, and a cloud for all it's massive size and power is easy to move. Just give them a gentle pull in the right direction and they'll come on their own eventually."
"But how should I make the cloud? Should I try to wandlessly transfigure the water into mist? Cast a heating charm on the whole ocean?" Harry sighed for the tenth time as he closed his eyes and sought the proper mindset. He was, after much practice, to the point in his training that he could reach that inner harmony in only a few moments but the secrets of weather magic still proved illusive.
"No, you have everything you need all around you, the water below and the sky above. Just sort of put some of your magic into the air and some down into the water, then stir it up a bit. The ingredients are there you only need to mix them together and guide them where they need to be. Don't try to cast a spell, just move your magic around and let it interact with nature as it will," Jack caused the wind to stop blowing and almost immediately the hot, humid air became oppressive. "Release your magic, wrap the winds around you and let that warm wet air rise to the heavens."
Harry took several deep breaths and focused on letting his magic loose. Inside his mind he could feel his thoughts and emotions deep below him as his consciousness floated on an endless sea of sky and water. Harry pulled on his magic and let it flow outward like an oil slick between the two. In the outer world a very slight breeze began to blow and Jack slowly released his own magic's hold over the weather.
The trade winds which were typical for the latitude returned and Jack sat back to watch his student. Inland, where the warm wet air passed over the cooler mountain and jungles, a grey mist started to gather. Determination was evident on Harry's face as it grew ever so slightly. Within minutes the wispy cloud floated overhead and delivered a few drops of rain on its way past. Jack was expecting Harry to jump for joy but instead his forehead only crinkled with strain and sweat began to form on his brow.
Ever so slowly, the cloud stopped and moved back towards them against the wind. In the mindscape Harry had dug in his heels and was pulling for all he was worth. He could see and feel the cloud, floating as a ball of his magic, but he did not want to let it go. More and more his mind and magic tried to chain the cloud down and bring it back to him. Inch by inch, it slowly moved back towards the two men on the beach. Once it was finally back overhead, Harry reached out and stripped the magic out of it, pulling it back into himself. With a soft crack the cloud collapsed instantly and the two men were soaked as if with a bucket and Harry fell backwards exhausted.
"Is there a reason you decided to waste your strength?" Jack asked his student.
"I wanted... the magic... back..." Harry panted from where he lay on the ground.
"Then why didn't you take it? You made the cloud form at a distance, why couldn't you disperse it at a distance?" Jack shook his head but kept a joker's grin. "Furthermore, if you wanted to move the cloud, why didn't you divert the wind around it? Pulling several tons of water is hard, changing the wind's direction so you don't have to is easy."
"I don't know how."
"Nonsense Harry, come look at the water," Jack knelt at the edge of the surf and made a V shape with his hands. When the next wave rushed in, the water rushed down either side of the V and then swirled in from behind moving against the general flow. "You see, if you move the air in front of your cloud to either side ever so slightly it forms an eddy and pushes in the other direction. It hardly takes anything at all to move against the wind if you know how. If you keep diverting the wind in the same place the cloud will stop and hover in an area."
Harry tried making a few other shapes in the waves and watched how the water flowed, considering how he could move the clouds once he really got the hang of making them. It was rather like flying on his broom and sticking his hand out to the side, he could feel the pressure differences and how they wanted to move things. Idly, Harry summoned a few leaves and dropped them one at a time into his magical maze to see if he was getting it right. Seeing that his student was taking the next step on his own, Jack stood up and moved out of the surf.
"Your homework for this week is to water my garden. Be careful though, my herbs are delicate and I don't want them drowned."
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Since he only had weather magic once a week, Harry filled the rest of his time with other endeavors. He and Odette tutored Gabrielle in magic and they tutored him in French and how to function in polite society. Odette had never been very successful in Defense or Charms, so Harry worked with them as best he could. They probably focused more on practical spell casting than a school would have, but theory could be looked up in a book and experience was more useful to everyday life. Because of that they managed to burn through the Standard Book of Spells Grade One in only a few weeks.
Since it was summer they also took time off to enjoy themselves, but Harry kept his eyes open for anything new he might want to learn about. It was on one of these trips that Harry found a second teacher. He'd been sending letters to curse breakers, museums, and heritage groups asking for names of people who were proficient in Incan or Aztec blood magic. Initially he thought that with so many ruins in this part of the world that a curse breaker might be able to show him the basics, or that a museum might have an expert they called in for help. Instead he found that whoever knew, wasn't talking.
When the Spanish had come, Cortes had ordered all texts on Blood Magic burned as his predecessors had done to the Mayans. The Spanish viewed the magic soaked in blood to be Dark Magic of the worst sort and drove the practice underground. Modern books agreed that only a few rituals required a sacrifice and fewer still a human one.
It was a surprise therefore when on a trip to Venezuela to see some ruins their teacher found them. Harry and Gabrielle were exploring an Inca outpost when a woman hurried up to them. Neither of them spoke Spanish or Portuguese however and she did not speak French or English so communication was a bit difficult. It was easy to see that she was excited to meet them though and Harry was beginning to fear that his fame was well known in this part of the world.
After shouting something to her friends, a man came running with two more sets of the lovers necklaces Harry and Gabrielle wore. This was what really set Harry's mind running. Those necklaces were not cheap and since they could only be used by one person, using them for just a conversation was beyond wasteful. Soon Harry and Gabrielle were wearing a second pendant and the woman was chattering away again.
"We're so happy you've finally come," She gushed. "The priests will be very pleased to hear that Tlaloc and Xochiquetzal's children have come at last. This is so exciting! The prophecy..."
"Whoah!" Harry clapped his hand over the woman's mouth to stop her from saying something he didn't want to hear. "If there is a prophecy about me, please don't tell me. I will appreciate all the help you might want to give me, and I am usually happy to help others, but please leave Divination to the experts."
"But if you do not hear it how will you know what it says?" The woman asked.
"Once you hear a prophecy it changes how you would act. If you hear that you will become a great leader you will probably study hard and work to achieve that goal. But when the time comes are you a leader because of your own skills or because of a prophecy?" Harry explained. "But if you never hear the prophecy and it happens anyway, that was a true prophecy. I would prefer to let what happens happen. I do not want to be the one to change the fate of nations, but if I do anyway then I will deal with that when the time comes."
"If you can avoid telling him the prophecy, I am curious to know why you think we are these people. We haven't even been introduced yet," Gabrielle inquired politely. "This is my husband and Mate, Harry Potter, and I am Gabrielle."
"Maria Sanchez de Santos," she introduced herself. "There is a prophecy about the children of Tlaloc and Xochiquetzal. Tlaloc is the god of thunder, Xochiquetzal is his wife and goddess of pleasure and sex."
"Swear to Merlin I should just cut this bloody scar off and save myself the trouble!" Harry traced his lightning bolt scar ruefully. "And there is no way this could be about some other couple?"
"Maybe for your wife but we've been certain about you for several years. May I tell you just one small piece to tell you why?" Maria waited for his reluctant nod before continuing. "The prophecy says that Tlaloc's child will be one that death failed to take. Hasn't Grand Sorcerer Dumbledore mentioned our letters? The priests have been asking him about letting you come in some kind of student exchange program for several years."
"Alright, you win," Harry threw up his hands in defeat. "We'll be happy to learn whatever you or the priests want to teach us. We'll try to do what we can in return but under no circumstances do I want to hear that I have to do something just because of some prophecy."
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Harry woke up unexpectedly one night, late in September. He was exhausted from the day's lesson in blood magic and needed his strength for weather magic the next day, but for some reason he woke from a deep sleep to full alertness. Something felt different but he couldn't place his finger on what. He breathed deeply for a few seconds and focused on himself, going through the exercises he'd been taught. He focused his mind and magic on his blood first, if there was something immediately deadly that was where it would be. He became aware of the network of veins and arteries, the blood running through them and the magic that burned like a banked fire, ready to flare into life at his command. When he could find nothing there out of order, he looked to the objects he had linked to him by blood. There was nothing missing there either.
Then he felt something, a powerful pull on his mind. A wind ruffled his hair and heard a soft voice whisper to him, too soft to make out. The sound of waves crashing filled his mind and an ethereal wind blew through him, pulling him, leading him. Without bothering to put anything on over his boxers he followed the wind. A few minutes later he found Jack standing waist deep in the surf.
"What's going on?" Harry asked.
"Shush," Jack raised his hand. "One last time you must listen. You still have much to learn but I cannot teach you. You have the knowledge, now you must use it. You've made the wind blow, the rain fall, and you heard me calling on the wind. Practice these skills because there are more ways to combine them than there are stars in the sky."
"Why can't you teach me?"
"Things came up," Jack said simply. "There's some group in Dominica trying to build a new resort that will just wreck the local flavor so the Garifuna leaders put out a request for all weather mages to come help out. We're going to make sure there's not a single ray of sunshine there until those money hungry developers leave. Maybe working together we can brew up a few really big storms or a hurricane at just the wrong time."
"So what should I do?" Harry asked.
"Well you were my apprentice right?" Harry nodded. "Then consider this your promotion. You're a Journeyman now, so journey. You've got the basics so go out, wander around for a bit, tinker some, and come find me if you think you're ready to call yourself a master."
Before Harry could find a response, the wind whipped up exponentially and began to swirl around Jack. Thunder cracked and lit up the night allowing Harry to see a dark shape descending from the sky, causing him to scramble back. A second later, the water around Jack rose to meet it and suddenly Harry found himself struggling to stand on his feet as a waterspout formed a dozen yards away. The waterspout began to move at an amazing pace to the north and Harry watched the weirdest form of magical transport yet carry his former mentor off into the night.
It would be a long time, Harry realized, before he could claim to be a master at this new art. If he ever could, he corrected himself quickly.
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The rest of September and October worked much the same. Harry dual-apperated himself and Gabrielle to Venezuela twice a week for lessons in Blood Magic while the rest of their time was focused on traditional subjects. Because of the distance involved Harry had to make a layover on Trinidad both ways but the more times he made the trip the easier it became. Depending on when they visited Maria's home, Priests and scholars came from either Peru or Mexico to meet them half way. Maria had studied at one of the main temples in Mexico but mainly she played host and translator for her distinguished guests.
Blood Magic and Weather Magic actually had a lot in common it turned out. Neither relied on fixed spells but both required a lot of self discipline and will power. As Weather Magic focused the mind and magic outwards into the environment, Blood Magic focused them inwards through the body. Blood magic acted on the principle that the body, mind and magic were all one. It was possible to separate some of the blood from the body, infuse it with magic, and then control it to some extent with one's mind. One example of this was tying important objects to oneself magically through blood. By allowing some of his blood to soak into his wand and fiddling the magic just right, Harry was able to summon his wand to his hand the same way he could steer a cloud, careful concentration and a lot of willpower. In essence the wand became an extension of his body and his mind controlled it like everything else.
That was just the tip of a very large iceberg and Harry found himself working like Hermione after a few cups of coffee. Gabrielle on the other hand took to the discipline like a duck to water once she was taught the proper meditative exercises. It seemed that because of her veela powers her body was more receptive to the mind-magic-body gestalt.
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The day before Halloween the Potter Family in exile were treated to the desperate pleas of Remus Lupin calling from the mirrors.
"Harry, thank Merlin you heard me!" He said as soon as Harry's face appeared in the mirror, "We need help and we're calling everyone who is at least sympathetic to our cause."
"What's going on?"
"Voldemort is launching an attack on the school."
"What are you talking about? He can't, it would break the contract and he'd lose his magic," Harry nearly yelled. His face became pensive as he tried to think of what Voldemort's real goal was.
"Just because he can't hurt the children doesn't mean he can't take over the school," Remus corrected him. "Most of the Order of the Phoenix are here including Dumbledore. So long as you're alive Voldemort knows that Dumbledore can't kill him so he might be the target."
"Damn, that's clever," Harry admitted. "He's attacking somewhere he knows Dumbledore will fight to the death to protect and can't flee if the battle turns against him."
"It gets worse. So long as he doesn't hurt them, Voldemort can take the children hostage and use them against us or if he's willing to wait, against you."
"But why are you calling me? You know I can't fight him."
"So don't fight," Lupin said simply. "We're going to need everyone we can get, and that includes stupidly brave people who can run into the fight and help anyone that get hurt."
"And if I'm there someone might get cocky and make me defend myself. Sounds like a job for a Gryffindor," Harry said cheekily. "As if you didn't know I was coming as soon as you mentioned the school. Should I take my time and arrive as strong as possible or do I need to get there now even if it kills me?"
"We need help now. We don't know when to expect the attack but our new spy tells us that Voldemort sent his men to gather his troops last night."
"Alright, let me see if Grandmum is willing to help and we'll be right there." Harry promised as he turned the mirror off. As he walked through the house, Harry summoned his wand, obsidian knife used for blood magic, and invisibility cloak to him. He doubted any of his blood magic would be useful offensively but having a last ditch weapon was always a good idea.
In the end Gabrielle insisted on coming with him and Odette backed her up. They couldn't leave her undefended and she might be of some use running errands. Reluctantly Harry agreed and waited as his wife and her grandmother gathered everything they could think of that might be useful. As soon as everyone was ready, Harry had them grab on to him and he closed his eyes. Centering himself, Harry reached out with his mind and pulled...
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A/N; Not much humor in this chapter, I'll have to work on this in the future. The Blood Magic is something I was developing for my original fiction piece and we'll see other uses eventually (and one of these days the story it comes from will be available, probably after I stop hating it). Next chapter... Humor, excitement, blood, guts, and dead baby jokes.