After a long afternoon of wandering the school grounds and hallways Harry decided to pay Hagrid a visit, as he reached the small one room gamekeepers hut however Harry saw that there was nobody home, the curtains where drawn and there wasn't the usual smoke coming out of the chimney. In fact it appeared as though there hadn't been anyone there since the end of the school year, figuring that Hagrid would probably be back before school started back up Harry decide to head on back up to his room, resolving to ask professor Dumbledore during tomorrows lesson.
That night Harry spent hours in his mental plane, it appeared that the laws of physics really didn't apply there, Harry spent hours wandering the forest and grounds as a stag and flying the sky's over the quidditch pitch and around the towers and turrets of the school as a phoenix.
The next morning Harry woke up from the regular nightmares he'd come to associate with Sirius, images of black veils blowing in a non-existent breeze and barks echoing from somewhere deep in his mind.
After a quick shower and a hurried breakfast Harry rushed through the hallways all the way to Dumbledore's office and up the spiral staircase after a mumbled "Berty Bots every flavored Beans", just as he was raising his hand to knock on the door a voice came from within the room "come in Harry". Harry entered the room and sat in his customary chair in front of Dumbledore's large claw footed desk, "good morning sir" said Harry.
"Good morning Harry, I thought that today we should begin strait away, there is much to discuss, I believe I told you that we would be discussing the theory of magic today, so, let me ask you this, What is Magic?" asked professor Dumbledore.
"Err, well, to be honest I've never really thought about it, it was always just there" replied Harry.
"You would be surprised at the amount of even fully grown wizards who have never considered that question. I will tell you what I have come up with over the years" said professor Dumbledore taking in a deep breath as he began, "Magic in its most basic form is nothing more or less than energy, very similar to muggle electricity except that it has something of a mind of its own, it often decides the best course of action and acts upon that decision, this is most often seen in younger children who are not as able to protect themselves, this is of course accidental magic, when directed and focused it can do wondrous things, it can also do terrible things, you must remember, magic changes as you use it, if you use it for evil it will invariably become evil it's self, do you understand me so far Harry?" asked the professor.
"Yes professor. That certainly explains why Tom Riddle became Voldemort after he started using the dark arts" replied Harry.
"Yes Harry. The dark arts really are a slippery path, a path that is very difficult to distance yourself from once you have started down. I want you to try an exercise Harry, I want you to enter your mental plane whilst we search for the source of your magic" instructed Dumbledore.
"Now enter your mental plane and I will use legilimency to join you there, when you are ready Harry".
After a short while of silence Harry gave a small nod of his head, "legilimense" intoned Dumbledore. Once again he found himself sitting in his office only this time he was quicker to note the changes, after hurrying through the corridors down to the great hall Dumbledore once again found Harry looking at the ceiling into the old wizened face with twinkling blue eyes.
"Come Harry, we must find your magical core in order to prepare your defenses".
Harry snapped out of his thoughts only just realizing that the professor had approached him, although he was expecting him, he'd just seen him enter his mind after all.
After recovering from his shock Harry asked "how do we find it?"
"That depends entirely on how you answer my questions. Tell me Harry, where do you feel the most powerful in this castle, where do you feel strong and safe?"
Casting his mind back to his previous years at Hogwarts, Harry thought back to the first view of the castle as he approached on the small boats across the black lake, he thought of the carriage ride up the castle and the feel of welcome as he crossed the threshold.
"As I step through the doors to the castle every year on September the first, I feel like the castle is welcoming me home" answered Harry with glazed eyes, lost in his memories.
"Ah, I believe Harry that you have something with you, something that you didn't bring with you onto this mental plane".
Harry looked confused for a second but after thinking about it, he just new that he had an iron key around his neck, tied there with a piece of yellowing string.
Harry pulled out the Key and examined it. It was a big key, almost the size of the palm of his hand and made of iron, brown with age and decorated with gold, inlayed into the tough metal in an intricate design, flowering ivy spreading across it like a spiders web, covering every inch.
"Come" said Dumbledore, Heading for the great oaken front doors of the castle. Harry followed along in his wake wondering what Dumbledore was taking him outside for. Once outside and with a wave of his wand the two large doors slammed shut with an echoing bang.
"Place the key in the lock Harry and unlock the door".
Harry was confused, the door was unlocked. After all they had just walked through it, hadn't they? But as Harry pushed against the closed door he found that it was indeed locked, so he placed the key in the key hole underneath the huge wrought iron handles and turned it.
The key turned surprisingly easy and the door opened to reveal a large cavernous room that seemed endless, not the entrance hall to the school as he had expected. The cavern was truly huge. Stretching as far as the eye could see was a huge lake leaving only a small ledge all the way round that was only large enough for one person to walk over at a time. The water in the lake wasn't water as it first appeared, it seemed to shine with its own light and it sparkled as though the setting sun was reflecting off it surface with small waves lapping at the shore.
"What is this place?" asked Harry with no small wonder in his voice. The place seemed to welcome him, it was the same feeling he got whenever he entered the castle.
"This, Harry, is your magical core; it takes a different form with every person, some see a ball of light while others might see an animal that reflects the characteristics that their magic takes on" answered Dumbledore.
"Now I believe you need some defenses for this rather formidable castle". Harry followed Dumbledore back out of the cavern, onto the school grounds resolving to keep his questions to himself for the moment, at least until he had some mental defenses in place.
Harry followed Dumbledore all the way to the edge of the grounds by the lake where they stopped and Dumbledore began to talk. "It really is quite lucky that your mindscape takes on the form of Hogwarts castle Harry, it just so happens that I am very familiar with its defenses, you will need to erect wards. Now I need you to draw these runes once we get to our final destination". Dumbledore proceeded to draw a complex diagram containing two runes on the ground in the dirt with one of his long withered fingers. "Simply will the dirt to turn to parchment and the diagram to ink" said Dumbledore
A few seconds later Harry was standing next to Dumbledore holing a parchment with the complex rune diagram on it. "Follow me Harry, and remember the laws of physics do not apply", Dumbledore then proceeded to wade into the lake until not even the tip of his pointed hat was visible.
After Harry got over his shock and finally followed Dumbledore he found that when he was completely under water he didn't need to breath and the water didn't hamper his way in the slightest. The water was crystal clear with sea weed lining the floor and the odd piece floating across his vision. Harry finally caught up to Dumbledore a short while away from the mer-people's colony in the center of the lake. As they approached the village Harry again noticed the lack of life, he began to screw his face up in concentration to create some mer-people when Dumbledore interrupted "Not yet Harry".
Harry nearly fell over in shock, Dumbledore sounded exactly as he had above water, with a kind grandfatherly smile he just continued on to the raised dais in the village center.
"Now Harry, I want you to draw the runes exactly as you see them around the edge of this dais" said Dumbledore handing Harry a blood quill similar to the one he'd used in detention with Umbridge last year.
At Harry's fearful look Dumbledore explained "magical blood quill's are used in the signing of contracts Harry, they usually contain numbing charms but Deloris Umbridge removed them from her quill last year in order to make it a more severe punishment for you, don't worry, this one has not been tampered with and the runes need be written in your blood to tie them to you"
Harry got a determined look on his face and began to copy the runes onto the stone carefully making sure to copy them exactly as they were shown on the parchment. After he was finished, Dumbledore took the quill and drew on a rune of his own, Dumbledore spoke up again "now I want you to visualize these runes Harry and connect them with a thread to your magical core. Just imagine a thin light coming out of your magical pool, stretching across the grounds and connecting with the top of the dais".
As Dumbledore was speaking Harry could see the golden silk like thread of magic traveling all the way from the lake that contained his magic out across the grounds and into the water of the black lake only to hit the top of the stone dais. As it hit the stone it appeared to bounce of, strait up into the sky where it spread to create a large golden transparent dome that covered the entire castle and grounds.
Harry opened his eyes and was met with the sight of Dumbledore standing there looking for all the world as though he had simply been taking a strole across the grounds and stopped to watch the sun set, clearly some time had passed and Dumbledore was surveying his surroundings better. There was no sign of the golden light what so ever.
"Professor" said Harry, snapping the professor out of his thoughts.
"I am terribly sorry my boy, I believe that all we need to do now is to create your guards" at Harry's confused look Dumbledore explained "the mer-people Harry" a look of comprehension dawned on Harry's face and he screwed his eyes up in concentration. The next moment there were whole families of mer-folk moving between the clay huts and warriors carrying spears surrounding the dais.
"That is all we need to do here for now, why don't we go back to my office", Harry began to walk back towards the castle before he realized that the professor meant to leave his mental plane, he turned around with a sheepish grin on his face before willing himself to leave his mind.
Harry found himself sat in professor Dumbledore's office sat in his chair in front of the large claw footed desk again.
"I'm sure you have many questions to ask Harry, so please, ask away" prompted Dumbledore.
"Ok, I think you answered most of them, but there are still a few. First, what did those runes mean that I drew on the dais?" asked Harry.
"A good question, the first rune was a simple duplication rune. You see wards, at least permanent wards, are stored in runes, that rune copied all of the runes that are on this castle onto yours. The second, the one that I drew, was an authorization rune, it gave you permission to use those wards and the third was a rune to tie them together. Your mind is now as well protected as this very castle". Dumbledore then got a look of regret on his face.
"It is a shame that we did not know what form your mental plane took last year or we could have forgone all of your occlumency lessons from last year. Those runes would have taken months, possibly even years to create, on any other place".
"It's alright professor, it's already done and there's nothing we can do to change it now" replied Harry.
"Thank you Harry that is a very mature attitude. Are there any other questions you would like to ask?"
"Just one professor, I went to visit Hagrid yesterday but he wasn't there. It doesn't look like he's been there for a while" said Harry.
"Ah yes, Hagrid, he has gone to France to meet up with Madam Maxine, and to open communication with the giants in the Alps". Harry looked shocked that Dumbledore had been so strait forward with the answer. "I told you last year that I will no longer hide information from you, and I meant it, I simply ask that you do not repeat anything important that you learn to your friends, it is unsafe for them to know when the do not need to"
"Yes professor", answered Harry.
"If that is all Harry, it is getting quite late" and indeed it was. The sky outside was already black, and the half moon was casting a silver glow across the grounds.
"Yes sir" said Harry as he was heading to the door, "oh professor, what will we be learning tomorrow?" asked Harry.
"I will leave that up to you Harry. Good night"
"Good night Professor" replied Harry, heading for the door and back to his rooms for a night of well earned rest. That was the first night since Sirius's death that he slept peacefully all through the night.