Heart of the Eclipse, Book one: Ascent

Chapter 4

Terra Arcana, Evans family realm

Four sets of eyes were looking around at the landscape. They stood at the edge of a large clearing in a dense forest. The irregular, gently curved piece of plain grassland was roughly bisected by a small river.

"This will be our home until you leave for Hogwarts, children. Maybe even longer than that."

Harry nodded, followed by the girls. It was tradition, after all – the godparenting was to take place in an isolated realm. Children entered such a realm with only their godparents and some standard issue wizarding tents – in this case, one for Lily and one for the children. The godparents then taught the children everything they needed to survive.

Shaping this bare piece of land into a home would be the children's responsibility. They would get enough food to survive, the river contained clean water to drink and the tents contained utilitarian bedrooms ans bathrooms. For comfort or even luxury, though, they would have to work – the godparents were only there as teachers, they were not allowed to do the work for the children.

"Right. Let's move a bit closer towards the river to set up our tents – water is important, and we don't want to have to walk too far for it. Not too close, though."

All four started to walk, and Lily kept talking.

"Most people start with small spells, because children are generally not used to conducting any amounts of magic. They need to get used to the feeling, and they need to slowly learn to guide that magic with their intent. The three of you will probably have the opposite problem: Magic flows through your bodies in such great amounts, you already need to keep it calm using your minds. What you will probably have trouble with is fine control, and nothing else."

"So we will have to start with larger spells?"

"No, Hermione. You will learn the same spells as other children your age, and you will need longer to do so. Your magic is strong, and it helps with keeping your bodies in shape. What we will need to train is mostly your minds and souls. Both need to be strong enough to keep your magic under control."

They stopped and set up their tents, about fifty meters from both the river and the forest. When they were done, they went and sat at the river's edge.

"Let me demonstrate why you will need control, and why I will not help you find a focus until you have learned enough. One of the basic arts of magic is invocation, which uses your intent as a guide and a word as a trigger."

She held out her hand, palm up, so all three children could see it.

"For example, I can focus my intent on a small, cool flame, imagine it in detail, visualize it as it dances in my hand. With a clear picture in mind, intending to create such a flame, I trigger my magic with an associated word – any associated word. Flame, for example."

As she had said the word flame, the small flame she had described had suddenly appeared in her hand.

"If I were to lose control, though..."

She threw the handful of flame towards the river. It grew into an actual fireball, the heat noticeable even when the fire was already several meters away.

"There are other arts, some more precise, some easier to control, some quicker to use. Hogwarts teaches all of them. In the next four cycles, though, you will only use one form from me. Most children learn spellcraft, which uses a specific word, a focus and not really all that much intent in order to achieve a predefined effect. The three of you, though, will learn magery – the art of using nothing but your will to guide your magic."

"The most basic magic, and the one we will begin with, is to create light. This is probably the first magic ever done, and it is always the first magic taught. So close your eyes, take a deep breath, and focus on all your memories of light. Everything you associate with light, every memory, every feeling... Try to build your own concept of what light is, what it means to you, how it makes you feel. The more you understand what you try to do, and the more you want to do it, the easier it will be."

It took a while, but slowly, the three started glowing. Hermione began glowing golden, Flora silver, and Harry was fluctuating between the two. After a while, Lily had to look away because the light got too bright.

"That's enough, children! Carefully open your eyes and you will see why you need to learn better control."

The children did as asked and were nearly blinded by the amount of light each of them emitted.

"Most children use a focus, meaning they start by emitting light from a small area, like the tip of a wand, a stone or even a playing card. Even then, it's a comfortable, soft light. You, though, did this as an aura, making your whole body glow, which is a much greater surface. Using only a negligible part of your real power, you still glow bright enough to get sunburned."

Flora and Harry nodded, but Hermione had a question.

"Why was Harry's light composed of our colours? And what do the colours mean, anyway?"

Lily sighed.

"The colours... well, when magicals use enough power to create light, the colour of the light is somehow connected to their magic. Some people, for example, use small amounts of elemental magic regularly enough, the elemental magic starts to... well, it starts to stain the magic with the element's colours. You, though... It isn't Harry's magic which is composed of your magics, Hermione. It is your magic which is a part of Harry's magic."

This confused Flora.

"What's the difference, mum? Doesn't it mean the same?"

"No, Flora. It's because of that ritual. It's Harry who was initially charged with that magic, and since you touched him when it was still unstable, it now flows between the three of you. But it flows from Harry to the two of you, not the other way around... And the direction of that connection will probably matter."

Harry looked at her. Carefully, already fearing the answer, Harry spoke to his mother for the first time since that night, surprising all three females around him. It was just a single word.

"Why?"

Lily looked at him sadly.

"I don't know, son. I only know that you are their source of power, while they are your focus... or at least a focus for your magic. It would explain why you lose control if neither of the girls is around, while neither of them ever did magic when not around you. Well, not after..."

She sighed.

"They might never be able to use magic without you... and you might never be able to control yours without them."

By unspoken agreement, lessons were over for that day. Flora and Hermione led Harry to their shared tent, where they held him even tighter than usual as all three of them tried to fall asleep.