Chapter 12
The next week passed in much the same manner and by Friday afternoon, Harry was exhausted. He had dark circles under his eyes and no matter how much time he tried to get to meditate, his head throbbed. School was over with and he was slouching in one of the window ledges in the front hall, half asleep.
"Harry! There you are." He turned his eyes to see Hermione and Draco striding purposely towards him. Harry figured the only reason Emily wasn't right there with them, was because she still had classes.
"What's up, guys?" He asked, trying to keep his eyes open, his head leaning back against the wall.
Hermione fixed him with her patented 'I know you up to something and I will figure it out if it kills me' stare. "What's up with us? What's up with you, Harry? You've been tired all week, and sneaking off."
Draco leaned on the wall beside the ledge. "She's right, Harry. You've been acting strange since your birthday, what's going on?"
Harry closed his eyes and tilted his head forward, using his longer bangs to shield his face. He needed to think. He had foreseen this, but he wasn't sure which of the plans he had come up over the last month he should use.
Finally he just shrugged. "You know, I'm just stressed that this is our last year. After this we gotta get jobs and…grow up." He could tell by their faces they weren't buying it so he cut off their protests. "Look, I'm going to go take a nap before dinner." He said as he slid off the ledge. He walked off and said over his shoulder. "See you guys later."
He did head off to the dormitory, hoping to catch a few hours sleep before he had to face his mother at dinner. Severus had already made a comment about his appearance earlier, and Harry was having mixed feelings about all this parental concern.
Collapsing on his bed he kicked his shoes off and drew his curtains shut. Esme slithered down from her perch on the bedpost, where she had been basking in the sun, and curled on his chest. He had found out she wasn't all that talkative, but there definitely was a bond between the two.
He closed his eyes and was nearly asleep when he felt warmth touch his arm. He opened one eye and was unsurprised to see Dante floating beside him. Dante was a strange apparition as he was insubstantial like a ghost, but unlike a ghost, if you passed your hand through him, he was warm.
"I can't concentrate on lessons, Dante, I'm exhausted." He yawned to prove his point.
"How far are you willing to go?" Dante asked seriously. That caused Harry to open both eyes and sit up slightly, catching Esme as she slid down his chest. Dante had the same look on his face as when he explained his 'magic is magic' theory.
Keeping that in mind, Harry considered his answer. "There is a line I won't cross, but…If it meant defeating Voldemort and protecting others, I would gladly give my own life." He watched as Dante contemplated his words. "Why do you ask? I thought we went over this already."
Dante's eyes locked onto his. "Because there is something…" he pursed his lips as if he still wasn't sure this was a good idea. "I take it you have never heard of the Panacea Optica?"
Harry tilted his head to the side and tried to sift through all his memories. He slowly shook his head. "No, what is it?"
Dante pushed his hair away from his face. "The Panacea Optica is something that was banned several hundred years ago, but it could be very helpful to you now. If you have the Panacea Optica, then you can see magic."
Harry raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. "I can already see magic."
Dante gave him his patented 'You are such an idiot' look. "No, what you see is the effect of magic, or if it is a particularly strong spell, you may see the condensed version. What I am talking about is actual magic."
Harry scratched his head. "What do you mean?"
Dante looked off. "How to explain this? Okay. When you are first taught anything about spellwork, you are taught an incantation and wand movement, correct?" Harry nodded. "That was the theory you believed, that the words you spoke and the movements of your wand 'created' the magic. Now as you advanced in your education, you learned that it is not necessary to say the words. Some advance further and learn that the wand is not needed as well. Most do not advance this far and none advance further, aside from the occasional accidental magic." He gave Harry a significant look. "But there is a way."
"The Panacea Optica allows you to see the very fabric of magic and manipulate it to fit your needs. It allows you to copy and use any spell you see, as well as counter any spell you've seen once."
Harry was riveted. "That's amazing."
Dante rolled his eyes. "Yes, well I haven't told you the downside yet. You see the Panacea Optica takes place of one of your own eyes. Also using the eye tends to drain your energy very quickly, so the majority of the time it would be like you only had one eye. The potion for it is simple enough to concoct, but the ingredients are rather hard to get your hands on. Oh, and it's been illegal for quite awhile now, and if caught, you could have your eye removed."
Harry cringed. "That wouldn't be pleasant." He drew his knees up and wrapped his arms around them. "But, on the other hand…you are the one who told me I should grab any advantage I can get."
Dante glared at him with such intensity that Harry leaned back. "And do you always listen to what others tell you?" he sneered. His glare lessened and he dropped his eyes to his hands, shielding his face with his hair. "Look, it was idiotic of me to mention it."
Harry blinked, his mind trying to keep up with Dante's changing mood. He shook his head; sure that this must be his mind cracking from lack of sleep. Surely Dante wasn't concerned…
There was silence for a few more seconds before Harry sighed. "Look. Let's just put it on the backburner for now, okay? I mean, you said the potion ingredients were difficult to get, that could prove to be Achilles heel of this. We'll just keep working like we are. I just need to manage my time better."
Dante sighed and lifted his head, pushing his hair away from his face. "I suppose you are right." His bloodshot eyes seemed to be staring at something only he could see.
Harry leaned his head on arms. "How did you learn about this?" he asked quietly. He was waiting for the explosion or the flat out refusal.
Dante tilted his head to the side and studied Harry thoughtfully. "A friend of mine came across it in an old…really old spell book. He decided it was worth the risk." He closed his eyes for a beat. "There is another risk I didn't tell you about. If you don't get the potion exact, it will drive you mad." Dante looked down at his hands, clenched in fists. For the first time, Dante seemed young to Harry. He realized for the first time, that for Dante to look the age he was, he must have gotten locked in the book only a few years older than himself.
Harry looked down. "I'm sorry."
Dante nodded. "You need you're sleep." He said as he started to fade back into the book.
Harry looked at his watch, seeing that he had about two hours before dinner. Setting an alarm for an hour and a half, he fell back on his bed and was out within minutes.
When the alarm went off, he staggered out of bed. He pulled out a clean, black button down and pulled it on over his white wife beater. He slid his wand into his jean pocket and slipped his feet back in his shoes. After making his way to the bathroom, he splashed cold water on his face and checked his reflection. Dark circles still marred the skin beneath his eyes, but he figured one nap wouldn't fix that. He ran his hand through his hair, it really was getting on the long side, but at least the extra length made it lay down. Deciding that was as good as it was going to get, he made his way out of Gryffindor tower and towards the Great Hall.
Knowing his mother would want to meet him in the front hall, he trudged through the mass of students headed for dinner, absently buttoning up his shirt. He staggered as a weight landed on his back. He turned to see Emily hanging off his shoulders.
"Heya, big brother."
Harry shrugged out from under her and tickled her ribs. "Heya? That's what you say when you try and squish me?" he asked as she giggled and wrestled away from him.
She smacked him on the arm. "Squish? Are you calling me fat?" her eyes narrowed.
Harry held his hands out in front of him, smirking. "Of course not."
She crossed her arms. "You better not." They continued the rest of the way to the front hall.
Harry found himself under attack once again when Kason attached himself to his leg. "How are you doing, Munchkin?" Harry asked as he swung the little boy in the air.
Kason laughed. "Good…" he squealed as Harry threw him over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
"Harry, put him down." His mother commanded as she walked towards her children. She kissed both Emily and Harry on the cheek. "Harry, you look tired." She said as she studied his face.
Harry shrugged. "It's nothing. You worry too much. Lets eat, I'm starvin'!" he flipped Kason off his shoulder and followed him into the great hall.