Chapter Seven: End of training
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Yannick stood alone on the Hogwarts grounds, the fresh morning air finishing to fully awaken him. If he wanted to fully complete this last task on his teaching, he would need to be fully awake. His treeshaper training with the Elves had taken five years. Five long years almost cut from the world due to the need of secrecy. It had affected his relationship with his friends and most importantly for him, with the one person he truly cared for.
Alex had not been easy on him, but he could not say he blamed her. She had been avoiding him during the entire reunion feast the day before, making her intentions clear. Yannick had not tried to impose himself and had respected her decision, even this morning, by waking up early to go out for his training.
He chased those thoughts away. They were not really going to help him if he was to achieve what he was planning to do. He was standing near the one thing that had awakened his abilities seven years ago now, during a cold winter blizzard, the Whomping Willow. That tree he had learned had been planted on the grounds when Remus Lupin had entered Hogwarts, to provide him a place where he could painfully change into a werewolf once a month, without endangering any Hogwarts student. He had been surprised to find out that the tree had been found and given to Dumbledore by none other than Gran.
During his training he had learned about the trees plants and their life force, getting used to feel that force and through his power and influence it. He had found out that Elves were very much linked to nature and had very high regards towards life. Being able to shape plants, rocks, metals or heal persons was considered an honour in their realm. Few were the Elves that had been graced by such powers and even fewer had these been recorded in their human descendants. His teacher had however told him that there seemed to be an increase of people getting such powers in the recent century. Magic seemed to be changing.
He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, letting his power flow through him. He sensed the plants around but was amazed to feel the Willow's aura. It was bright, shining like a golden beacon. He took a few steps towards the tree. As he did this something changed in the aura and the tree quivered. It was aware of his presence, Yannick was sure of it, but it also knew that he was out of range, and thus did not move. A bird passed by the willow, trying to land on one of the branches. The branch it was aiming for suddenly moved away and another came towards the bird, meeting it mid-flight and sending it spinning away.
Looks like the original command is still there, Yannick thought, but the tree is applying it too broadly now.
He felt the tree's aura again and detected a feeling that he had been suspecting for a while now, pain. The tree's command to not let anyone near the secret entrance, with the pain, had changed over the years to, not let anything near me. While still true to the original order, it prevented birds from approaching the tree and left it open to insects and parasites that would have normally been taken care of by them. If it was not remedied soon, the tree would gradually become more and more dangerous, until it died from it not receiving any care due to its behaviour.
Yannick smiled slightly, this was where his powers would be coming handy. He started again to walk towards the willow, feeling its aura. As he passed a certain place the aura changed and a branch lashed out in his direction. He avoided it by ducking and then rolling on the ground as a second branch tried to nail him. His roll brought him out of the tree's range and he stood up again, facing the willow, which was now very well aware of his presence. Breathing slightly heavily from the little test, he set out to try to find the tree's range. He soon found that while it might be sick and dying, the tree was still intent on keeping its perverted order and would not let anyone approach him.
"A treeshaper does not only shape plants," his Elven teacher, Oromir, had told him, "He can talk to them, learn their pains and cravings, know what is wrong with them and uses his power to help as best he can."
This was something that he found hard to do. Reading a tree's aura was tricky but in the years of his training he had gradually learned to do it. Shaping had come almost as a second nature to him. Understanding the tree and talking to it was something very different.
"When you are able to talk to them," Oromir had said, "You will have truly become a treeshaper, and your power will only grow stronger from then on."
He had not yet reached that point. Could it be different now? In front of the one tree that had started it all?
I am not your enemy, Yannick thought, looking at the willow.
It did not show any reaction to that and its aura did not change.
I am not your enemy, he thought again, taking a few steps in the tree's direction.
The aura changed suddenly and the tree lashed out at him again, darting a branch in his direction. Yannick avoided and stopped.
I am not your enemy, he thought again for the third time, I have come to help, he added, moving slowly towards the tree again.
It started to tremble, apparently fighting the urge to lash out again at him. Yannick took a deep breath and kept thinking appeasing thoughts towards the willow, coming closer with every step. He was now only a few feet away from the trunk. He extended his hand, trying to touch it. After a few more steps forward his fingers grazed the bark.
The tree reacted suddenly and with lightning speed, snaking a vine around his feet and snatching him in the air. It took Yannick a few seconds to recover from the surprise and by then, the tree was making him turn in a circle, as if to get some momentum before to let him fly far away. Knowing that he had very little chances to survive such a flight, Yannick gathered his will again.
"STOP!!!" He shouted, willing every ounce of treeshaping power he had towards the tree.
It stopped mid movement, letting him hand face down from the vine. Ignoring the discomfort of his position, Yannick thought again.
I will not hurt you! I came to relieve the pain.
Pain? The reply came. It was very faint, as if it had been very long since the tree had communicated with anyone.
Yes, the pain, Yannick thought again, I felt you from afar. You are hurt.
A picture flashed in his mind, lightning striking the tree and a wave of pain filled him.
I can mend this, he though at the tree's intention.
Another picture flashed in his head, a flying Ford Anglia crashing into the tree and its response to get rid of its attacker, almost hurting two students in the process.
I can mend this too, Yannick though again, "And any other hurt that you may have."
You may help then, the faint response came.
You might need to let me down first, Yannick thought, smiling slightly, I work best when I stand on my two feet.
The tree let lowered the vine and gently put him down on the ground. Yannick stood up, thanking it.
I will need to touch your trunk with my hands, he thought, It will not hurt but it will make it easier for me to help you.
The tree agreed and Yannick approached it, gently resting his hands on the trunk as he reached it. There he let his treeshaping power flow through him and through the tree, feeling each of its many limbs and determining exactly what needed to be mended. He found a burned gash on one of the main branches, most probably where the lightning had struck. While the tree had tried to mend itself, he could see that parasites and insects had settled there, preventing the healing to complete. Using his power he shooed the insects and killed the parasitic plants. Then, he set out to mend the now clean gash. After a good moment it was done and the branch looked like new. Smiling he went on to find the next of the tree's injuries.
It took him long, longer than he would have expected, but after more than a good hour he finally felt that all the injuries were mended. Smiling he reached again with his power to add the finishing touch, the command. It had been perverted over the years and it now needed to be renewed. After a few minutes he opened his eyes and stepped a bit away from the trunk.
How do you feel? He thought at the tree's intention.
Alive, it replied.
What is your purpose here?
To prevent people from entering the secret passage.
Remember, people, Yannick thought, Not 'anything'.
I will, it replied, Thank you, it added, a branch coming to brush on Yannick's shoulder.
"You are welcome," He said aloud, touching the branch, "I'll come to check on you whenever I pass by Hogwarts again."
The tree pulled its branch away and Yannick turned walking away for a few meter. A blackbird caught his attention in a nearby tree, singing and obviously enjoying the morning sunshine. He smiled and decided to test something. Using some of his power, he caused the branch the blackbird was sitting on to shake, startling it and sending it to fly in the willow's direction. After a bit of hesitation, the bird settled on one of the willow's branches and soon was singing again.
Yannick started to smile at his success when the sound of a twig snapping caused him to wirl around quickly, his hand reaching for his wand. He relaxed when he saw a tall young wizard, looking a bit surprised by his move.
"I'm sorry," the young man said, "I did not mean to startle you."
"No, its okay," Yannick said, relaxing a bit, "I did not expect anyone to be here in the morning."
In truth he was angry at himself for not having detected him sooner and allowed himself to be caught unaware.
"I like taking morning walks," the young man said, "It helps to start the day well."
"Very true," Yannick agreed, "I'm Yannick Silverleaf," he added, extending his hand to the young man.
"Alexander Lockenburn," the young man answered, taking his hand and smiling.
"I guess I know you from reputation. You are the Entropist," Yannick said, "The papers seem to be quite avid to report your exploits," he added, smiling back.
"Take the glorifying bits away and you might have the truth," Lockenburn said.
"I did not know that you had attended Hogwarts though," Yannick said, "Entropy was not amongst the subjects that was taught while I was here."
"It was not," Lockenburn said, "I had special lessons with some teachers and then with Dumbledore at the end."
"You're the one who would call the thunder upon Dumbledore, right?" Yannick asked, suddenly remembering the headmaster's speech.
"I think Dumbledore exaggerates," said Alexander, grinning "I would merely zap him," he added.
Yannick chuckled at that. "Seeing the way you took care of Malfoy yesterday, I would not want to be the one stepping on your toes," he said, "That was a nice intervention."
"Thank you," Lockenburn said, "I am puzzled however. I cannot recall of any Silverleaf being in Hogwarts during my time. However, you must have been in your second or third year by the time I graduated," he added.
"Actually I transferred to Hogwarts in my 6th year," Yannick said, "My parents had moved to London to help in the Ministry during the second war. I was in the same year as Harry Potter, but in Hufflepuff."
"Seeing how you talked of Malfoy," Lockenburn said, "I guess that you had you own run ins with him."
"Quite a few, yes," Yanncik answered, "One of his friends, Zabinni, led a group of Slytherins against our house. We defended ourselves well against them but not before one of our housemates was killed by Zabinni. I defeated him and he is now serving life in Azkaban. I was furious to see that Malfoy escaped justice after all he had done to mastermind this rebellion."
"I can understand you fully on that," Lockenburn said.
Yannick nodded but said nothing, looking at the Whomping Willow that was gently rocking in the morning breeze. The tree looked more alive than it had when he had started to work on it. Another bird flew past them and landed on one of its branches, starting to sing soon after.
"Well that is quite a change," Lockenburn commented, "I am used to see the willow bat at birds when they pass by."
"It will not do that anymore," Yannick said, "But I still would advise anyone to stay away from it."
"Anyone except you, right?" Lockenburn asked, smiling slightly.
"Amongst a few others," Yannick replied, not really knowing how open he could be with him. Had he seen him working on the willow?
"I have seen you working on the willow," Lockenburn said as if reading his thoughts, "As an Entropist I'm able to read the magical aura of others. I must say that I never encountered one like yours before."
"I have a rare power," Yannick said.
"The power to communicate to plants?"
"Yes," Yannick admitted, "But also being able to heal them, shape them and in a way control them. I am a Treeshaper," he added.
"A fitting name for such power," Lockenburn said.
Yannick was about to add something when he suddenly saw water speeding in the air towards him. He whipped out his wand and with a swift move froze the water in the air before it hit him. Lockenburn looked at him raising a questioning eyebrow but Yannick shook his head chuckling softly.
"That was a very old trick Wena," he said out loud in the direction the water had come from, "And I do not need this water you know. I am already enough awake."
"It was worth the try," Alwena said, coming in view from behind a tree.
"Maybe… but I kind of expect better from a Hogwarts second year," Yannick said.
"You got lucky, that's all," Alwena shot back.
"Oh really?" Yannick answered. He made a wave with his wand and the frozen water transformed into a water clock. "Well you see this?" He asked his cousin, "when the water disappears from it, I will set out to find you. You can hide anywhere but in the castle. We'll see if I get lucky again. You better hide well. Because if I find you… tickle time," he added, grinning widely.
"You wouldn't," Alwena said, taking a step back.
"Oh yes I would," Yannick replied, tipping the water clock, "The water is starting to disappear, Wena. You better start running," he added.
Alwena gave a little laugh and was soon out of sight. Yannick chuckled and turned to Lockenburn, who was looking at him with an amused expression.
"My cousin, Alwena Silverleaf," he explained, "She's in her second year at Hogwarts. We are very close but she always tries to get me with some harmless tricks since she got her wand. I get back at her by catching her and tickling her. She a real little devil."
"I see," Lockenburn said, "And how long does she have to hide herself?"
"I would say roughly five minutes," Yannick answered.
"That's a lot of time for someone to hide," Lockenburn said, "Especially on Hogwarts' grounds."
"I know," Yannick replied, "But why do you think I forbid her to hide in the castle?"
Lockenburn thought for a minute and then seemed to realize what he meant. "Clever," he commented.
"Thank you," Yannick said, grinning mischievously.
She was running away. Her attempt at drenching her cousin had failed miserably and now he was soon going to be coming after her. No hiding in the castle he had said and with less than five minutes to spare before he would start searching, her only option to hide now was the grove before the forbidden forest.
She smiled as she thought of that. She was used to forests, as Silverleaf manor was right in one itself back home and they were like a second home for her. The grove had been one of the first places she had explored after the castle when she had arrived to Hogwarts. She knew of quite a few spots that were bound to make her unfindable.
As she entered the grove, she stopped for a little moment, thinking which hiding spot would be the best. A tree was out of the question as it was the first choice a person would take to hide and he was bound to look for her in one of them. On the other hand, the grove was full of thick bushes and hiding in one of them would be certainly more clever. Just as she was thinking this, she heard a howl echoing from the grounds. She recognized Yannick's voice in it. That was the signal that he was starting to look for her. She had not much time left.
Moving a quietly as she could she started to move through the bushes. She had just remembered of one place she was quite certain only she knew of, her little secret place. The spot was not too near from the entrance of the grove but not too far as to bring her inside the forbidden forest too. She remembered that she had spent a few quiet movements sitting on the large stone that overlooked the little stream that passed through the spot. There were plenty of bushes for her to hide there.
She continued moving towards her secret spot, hoping she would be able to reach it before Yannick would enter the grove himself. She know quite well that he ws bound to look in the grove sooner or later and she wanted to be well hidden when this would happen. Relying on the skill her father had taught her on moving silently she passed through more bushes until her ears started to pick up the sound of the water from the little stream. Her secret spot was only a few meters away. It would be very easy to hide now. Smiling she arrived to her destination, only to freeze when she saw what was there.
On the large stone where she usually sat to think was a pure white wolf. The animal was laying there looking at her with is two golden eyes, as if it had been expecting her to come here. It made no movements, just continuing to look at her. Alwena did not know what to do and to say the truth she felt a bit afraid of this wolf. She had played around with Yannick's companion back home but this was not the same. This one was a wild wolf, and she did not really know what it would do should she attempt to back away.
"Her name is Nimloki," a voice whispered right in her ear, causing her to jump and scream in fright. She fell on the ground, instinctively backing away and turning to face the voice, Yannick. Her cousin was laughing out loud, apparently very proud to have been able to catch her unaware.
"How the hex did you manage to sneak behind me like that?!?" she asked, trying to recover her senses from the shock.
"Well," Yannick said, "let's say that five years with the Elves tend to teach you very useful skills."
"But how did you know I was here?" she asked, "You cannot just have guessed."
"Nimloki heard you approaching," Yannick said.
A cold chill ran through her back as she realized that in her fright, she had moved away from Yannick, but also closer to the wolf. She turned slowly to see that it was still laying on the stone, its head now on its paws and its golden eyes still looking at her. Was it her imagination or did the wolf look amused?
"Her name means white dragon," Yannick said, coming near Alwena, "she won't hurt you, Wena. She's from the same pack as Altair's."
"But then, does that mean that Altair did not make it?" Alwena asked, feeling sadness filling her at the though.
Yannick only smiled. "Look behind you again, Wena," he said.
Alwena turned to see that there were now two wolves on the stone, a pitch black wolf having joined the white one and standing near it.
"Altair!!" Alwena exclaimed happily as she got on her feet, only to be knocked down again by the black wolf, who clearly showed he was happy to see her again, nuzzling her and licking her cheeks.
"As you can see, Wena," Yannick said smiling, "Altair definitely made it. The magical power of the Elves healed him from his injuries and he was back at his prime a few months after his arrival there."
"But then, why the second wolf? Is that part of your training too?" Alwena asked, scratching Altair behind the ear.
"Not at all," Yannick said chuckling, "I met Nimloki during my training with the Elves. She only chose to come with me after for one good reason; she's Atair's mate."
Alwena looked at Altair. The black wolf had clearly understood what Yannick had said and was looking back proudly at her.
"I am very happy for you, Altair," she said, giving him a kiss on top of his head.
As she did this a small growl was heard and Alwena saw that Nimloki had lifted her head from her paws and was looking at her. Altair trotted back to his mate and lay by her, gently rubbing his head against hers.
"She's a bit possessive, isn't she?" Alwena asked her cousin.
"I cannot say that I blame her," Yannick replied.
"I am so happy to see that Altair is alright," Alwena said.
"I must admit that I was afraid for him after the events of the rebellion," Yannick said, "He was badly hurt by the spells that hit him. So much that I even thought he was dead at one point."
"But isn't he imune to spells?" she asked.
"He is to the most basic ones," Yannick said, "But his resistance goes down if he is physically hurt. That is what hapenned and he was afterwards hit by several spells at once, one of them that cut him from any magical powers. That is the reason I thought he was dead as I could not anymore feel my bond to him."
"But he was healed afterwards," Alwena said.
"Yes, but for that he had to be sent to the Elves," Yannick said, "To make sure that he would fully recover. I joined him some time after so I could start my training there."
"And that took five years to complete?" Alwena asked.
"Yes," Yannick said, "And during that time my only contact was Gran. But you know why that was."
"She told me after you left," Alwena said, "But she made me swear not to tell anyone."
"Apart from the family, no one else knew," Yannick said.
"So how was it?" Awena asked, feeling eager to hear about his experiences there.
Yannick smiled. "It was quite an experience," he started, "To be trained by Elves is quite an honnor, Gran made sure that I understood that, but I have never seen people so close to nature."
"You met their King and Queen?" she asked.
"Actually, that specific group of Elves did not have a King and Queen," Yannick said, "It was more like a council of Elders, that took important decisions and made sure that everyone's voice was listened to as well. And you know what I found out there?"
"What?"
"Three of the Elves on that council were there as well when Gran's father, Elessian, was part of it," he said, "They spoke quite highly of him, and of Gran too."
"Wow," Alwena said, "That would mean that they have been on the council for more than few centuries. That's amazing."
"It is," Yannick replied, "But I can assure you that they deserved to be there. I don't think I have ever met anyone so wise."
"Wiser than Gran?"
"I do not think that anyone will ever beat Gran on term of wisdom," Yannick said, "But then... I am a bit biased, am I not," he added, chuckling.
"Right," Alwena said, laughing with him.
"They were very wise and kind," Yannick continued, "They explained to me why they had accepted to train me and what it entitled. Right after they designated one of them as my teacher."
"Really?" Alwena asked.
"Yes," Yannick said, "His name is Oromir Tyulusse, and he was chosen because he had the same power than me."
"Which power?" Alwena asked, feeling a bit puzzled.
"This one," Yannick said grabbing a branch from the ground and holding it in front of him.
Alwena first wondered what he was doing until she saw the branch starting to glow with a soft green light. Biting back a her gasp of surprise she saw leaves starting to grow on the branch and several of the offshoots had gotten longer and were themselves starting to cover themselves of leaves. It was like if the branch was becoming a small tree in itself.
"You can close your mouth you know, Wena," Yannick said, looking amused at her reaction.
"Is that what you learned with the Elves?" she asked, quickly regaining her composure.
"This and other things," Yannick said, taking out his wand.
He muttered an incantation and pointed it towards the ground. A little patch of earth got sheared off by an invisible shovel. Yannick gently put the now small tree in it, covering its root with earth. As he had done that he put his hand on the mound of earth around the slim trunk. The tree seemed to shudder a bit and then stood upright, as if it had always been there.
"They also taught me to respect nature and help it grow anytime I can," he added, stroking the tree's leaves. "I have been trained into what is known as a Treeshaper."
Comprehension dawned on Alwena as he said this. "I heard Gran using this word before," she said, "This is the same power that Aidan Silverleaf had."
"That's right," Yannick said, "And while Nimloki helped me to find you at the end, I also used my power to read the grass on the grounds and the grove to see where you had gone."
"This is so cool," Alwena said, amazed, "So Oromir was also Aidan's teacher?"
Yannick laughed. "That I do not know as he never told me," Yannick said, "But he knew him and respected him as well. He knows Gran well too and from before she started to be known as Gwenaelle Silverleaf."
"What was she called before that?" Alwena asked, "She had an Elven name right?"
"Yes, but you will have to ask her for that. Oromir did not reveal it to me and I have not asked her about it either," Yannick said, "Gran chose the name of Gwenaelle when she married Aidan. Her Elven maiden name was the same as her father's, Elessian Tirielen."
"I heard that last word before," Alwena said.
"I am not surprised. Tirielen is Elven for Brightstar," Yannick said.
"Gran's pendant!"Alwena exclaimed, "She that's what she calls it. And it is shaped as a star too."
"It is a pendant that her father gave her and it shows that he approved of her union with Aidan Silverleaf," Yannick said.
"Amazing."
She was enthralled by the sudden knowledge Yannick was giving her. He told her more about his stay with the Elves and their customs. He told her of their adherence to the 'Elven Way', the pact passed amongst all Elves that forbade any Elf to harm another. Their reverence to nature and their reference to the health of any Elf as his 'life tree'. He told her of their five feasts held during the year; the Yenearsira or Winter Solstice, the Elven new year. A day of rebirth. TheSheelala or Spring Festival, A day of games and practical jokes celebrated in early spring.
TheEhtele'mele or Vernal equinox. A week of romance and song. He told her of the spells he used to guard himself from being enchanted by the songs chanted during that week and how the forest seemed to heal from these and animals came to rejoice with the Elves, celebrating life itself.
He told her then of the Faradome or Summer Solstice. A celebration of the battle between good and evil. A night of hunting, but never for the game, only what is needed for food. And last he told her of the Yavieba or Autumnal equinox. A week of reflection and a time to remember those who have left this world and the time during which most important decisions and judgments are made.
He told her of the time he passed in the Elven library, reading their text of the history they recorded but also learning Elven spells and then being taught to use them and master them.
'Elves actually write books?" Alwena asked, puzzled, "I don't recall seeing one in Gran's study room."
"That is because she has a spell on them so only her can find them," Yannick said, "She only gives them when she feels one is ready for them."
"Did you learn to write in Elven too?" she asked him.
He smiled and took out his wand again. He paused for a moment, apparently looking for what to write. She then saw him smile more and start write with his wand in the air, the fiery gold letters staying in the air and forming the smooth and flowing text.
Vanimle sila tiri, Alwena. Aa' lasser en lle coia orn n' omenta gurtha.
"This is beautiful," Alwena said, "What does it say?"
"It says; vanimle sila tiri, Alwena," he said, "Aa' lasser en lle coia orn n' omenta gurtha."
"What does that mean?" Alwena asked.
"It means; your beauty shines bright, Alwena. May the leaves of your life tree never turn brown," Yannick said smiling.
Alwena did not know what to reply to that but she could definitely feel herself blush at the compliment.
"Don't feel embarrassed, Wena," Yannick said, "This is a compliment I am sure you deserve."
"Thanks," she replied, still feeling hot from her blush.
"You are most welcome," Yannick said, "It is also a compliment you give to Elven maidens to compliment their beauty and wish them good health," he added.
"I'm not an Elven maiden," she protested lightly.
"You are descendant of Gran, Wena," Yannick said, "And that means that despite the generations, Elven blood flows in you, like in all Silverleafs from her and Aidan's line."
"I never really realized that," Alwena admitted.
"I did not either before I was about your age and Gran started to teach me Elven," Yannick said, "Our Elven parentage is one of the Silverleaf's most guarded secrets, he added a bit more seriously, "Only a few people know about it. People we trust and have proven to be our steadfast friends. Dumbledore is amongst them."
"I understand," Alwena said, "Can you tell me more about the Elves?" she asked eagerly.
Yannick laughed. "You have a mind as eager as a Ravenclaw," he said gently, "It is a wonder the hat did not sort you there. Perhaps because you can be a little devil when you want to?" he asked her, smiling.
"Where is the fun if you cannot play a few tricks once in a while?" Alwena replied, trying her best to look innocent.
"Yeah... right!" Yannick snorted, "Come on Wena, we need to get back to the castle for the lunch feast," he added, standing up.
"Do we really have to?" she asked him, feeling a bit disappointed.
"Yes we do," Yannick replied as he came near her, "But do not worry, I promised Gran that I would teach you about Elves and our parentage, and Dumbledore thought that my being here for the reunion was a very good way to do so," he added, giving her a wink.
"Alright!!" Alwena exclaimed, getting on her feet and hugging him.
"So for now, lets go to eat and we will continue later in the afternoon," Yannick said, giving back her hug,
"And Altair?" he said, turning to the black wolf and Nimloki, "Dumbledore says you two can hunt in the forest but that you make sure you are not seen as this would cause a bit of a disruption. Alright?"
Altair gave a low lupine bark that showed that he understood.
"Good," Yannick said, "We will be back later for Alwena's next lesson."
"That is one lesson I really do not mind having!" she exclaimed happily.
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Alexander Lockenburn is a character created by Entropist in his story "Harry Potter and the Seal of Chaos". The link to this story can be found on my website.
Also, do you like this story? Is it worth your time? Please review. :)