CHAPTER 16: MORNING SUN
(Severus POV)
"Are you ready?" the white-haired girl inquired.
It is now 4am, 25th of August. After a little over three weeks of physical training, Ilya was finally going to start teaching the raven-haired young man about magecraft.
Severus merely nodded, as Ilya activated the cloaking spell and barrier of the Boundary Field around his house to prevent anyone from entering or noticing anything.
The raven-haired man had done his end of the bargain. While Ilya made him run around the neighborhood, doing incredulously difficult physical exercises, Severus had been busy teaching her how the ways of his magic, but mostly focused on teaching her how to cast spells.
In no time at all, Ilya was now able to cast a number of spells with her wand, including the Disarming Spell, Stunning Spell, and the Impediment Curse, both with and without using her wand (I can't believe it took me twice the amount of time to learn all that, and I was even a faster learner than most of my classmates, thought Severus.).
While the raven-haired man did instruct her, Ilya had been doing studying on her own, reading not only the school books, but also all of the books that Severus' mother had left behind. The white-haired girl was determined, trying to learn as much as possible, as quickly as possible.
One thing that Severus had been surprised about though was the fact that even though Ilya has been using the magic of his world, the Ministry had not been sending them any letters. At first, he thought it was probably because the Ministry does not know about Ilya's existence, but then…
Severus also remembered that the summer before, the Ministry had wrongfully accused him of casting a Summoning Charm, when in fact it had been Lily who had done so. Ever since his mother Eileen died, Severus had been unable to cast a spell without a warning letter, because there was no longer an adult in the house. Severus thought this as trivial, sure it would not cause him expulsion. He suspected that the Trace on Underage Use of Magic, however it worked, seemed to detect magic on an area rather than an individual basis, but shrugged off the thought, thinking it was irrelevant.
The worse that Severus got was one weeks' worth detention at Hogwarts, when he decided to use an Impediment Curse on a neighbor's dog that was wreaking his yard (One detention each for three instances, four for a Hair Loss Curse on the dog, which made it lose all its fur.).
Therefore, after a while, Severus decided to confront the white-haired girl about it.
Flashback
(Severus POV)
"How do you do that Ilya?" the raven-haired boy inquired.
"What do you mean, Sev?" the white-haired girl inquired back, as she was levitating plates towards the kitchen sink with her wand.
"I mean, you've been using magic all this time, yet the Ministry hasn't detected anything," Severus began. "As far as I know the Ministry, they would have probably sent a dozen warning letters by now, and I would have probably gotten a month's worth detention at school by now as well, with the number of spells you've been casting."
"You really want to know?" Ilya asked teasingly.
"Yes, I do," replied Severus, seriously curious.
"Then, why don't you try casting a spell then," chirped the white-haired girl.
"What?" the raven-haired boy asked incredulously.
"Come on, Sev, just cast a spell," repeated the girl. "As long as you're inside the yard, you won't be found out. Any spell you know will do."
Severus pondered for a moment…
"Alright then," sighed the raven-haired boy, and pulled out his wand.
"Impedimenta!" he cried, pointing at a crow perched on tree that was annoying him.
The black bird fell to the ground and was still.
Then...
"So what now?" the raven-haired boy inquired of the white-haired girl.
"You wait…" replied the girl, smiling. "You can wait a hundred years, forever if you want, but no owl will come flying here, since the Ministry would not have detected anything."
"What?" said Severus, surprised.
"That's right," began Ilya, in her 'Professor Emiya' tone of voice. "I have discovered how the Ministry supposedly detects the use of underage magic. There are two ways actually. First is this so-called Trace. I do not know exactly how it works, but it latches itself onto anyone possessing magic who is under the age of seventeen. It serves a purpose similar to a tracking device."
"A tracking device?" Severus inquired.
"Yes."
"And you said it will detect any underage wizard possessing magic?"
"Yes."
"Then, how come it did not detect you?" asked the raven-haired boy.
"That is because I prevented the Trace from latching itself onto me," replied Ilya conversationally.
"Is that even possible?" asked the raven-haired boy incredulously. "How did you manage to d…?"
"I will tell you later," the white-haired girl cut Severus off. "Now, the second way they detect magic is something similar in nature to a Boundary Field, and according to your books that I've read, they are called magical wards."
"Something similar to a Boundary Field?"
"Yes, these Ministry wards do not detect underage magic. They detect any magic cast in general, and is able to recognize certain spells. Even if a spell it does not recognize is cast, it is still able to detect that magic is used," said Ilya. "And as far as I can tell, there are so many of these wards cast around us. They interlink with each other, thus not leaving any area unchecked. I believe it probably covers the entire country, if not most of the populated areas," the white haired girl finished.
"WHAT?" Severus was shocked. In all the time he had been living in the magical community, this was the first time he heard of this.
The raven-haired boy was quiet for a while, his brain trying to process the information he received.
"So, these Ministry wards," Severus began. "You said that they only detect magic being cast? Not the one who cast it?"
"That is correct," said Ilya.
"Then, if for example, there are five underage wizards in one place, the Ministry would not be able to tell who exactly cast the magic?"
"Correct."
Upon hearing this, Severus was upset. He realized what it meant.
'That confirms it. So they did not actually know it was me who did it, they did not actually know who it was performing the magic,' thought the raven-haired boy bitterly. 'The damn Ministry simply assumed it was me who cast the spell simply because they know I'm there because of the Trace, and it was my home. The same as when I cast an Engorgement Charm on a frog at Lily's to scare Petunia, and it was Lily who got sent a letter, causing another fight with her sister, who managed to get her hands on the letter first.'
'And the reason why the letters were not sent while my mother was still alive was because she was an adult, and thus the Ministry assumed it was her performing the spell,' thought Severus, getting even more upset.
"The Ministry is indeed using a most effective and fair underage magic detection system," Severus said, sarcasm and bitterness in his voice.
"Indeed they do, Sev," the white-haired girl added mockingly.
A few moments of silence passed between. Then, Severus decided to ask another question.
"How come the Ministry could not detect you performing magic?" the raven-haired boy inquired. "And how come you said that as long as I'm on standing in the yard it won't be able to detect me using spells as well?"
The raven-haired boy was curious, and at the same time, anxious. He really wanted to know…
"It is because I removed the Ministry's ward," replied Ilya automatically.
Severus blinked. It took him a few seconds to process what the white-haired girl said. And then….
"YOU TOOK DOWN THE MINISTRY'S WARD?" Severus yelled, half-impressed, half-panic- stricken.
"Yes I did," said the white-haired girl, without a change in tone or volume.
MERLIN, thought the raven-haired boy.
Severus was alarmed. To take down powerful magic like the Ministry's ward is indeed quite a feat, but it could end up landing them in Azkaban, wizard's prison…
As if the white-haired girl knew what he was worrying about…
"Oh, don't worry," said Ilya cheerfully. "They'll never know."
"What do you mean they'll never know?" cried Severus, unable to control himself. "For Merlin's sake, you took down a Ministry ward. It's impossible for them to not detect one of their spells missing. Merlin, we're in deep trou…"
"Oh, don't be such a drama queen," said the white-haired girl, completely dropping her teacher persona for an instant, (as Severus noticed that the white-haired girl was looking at him with amused eyes)."The Ministry won't find out."
The white-haired girl looked Severus straight in the eyes, as her face got close and closer, until their noses were almost touching. Then the girl said two words.
"Trust me."
"Okay, okay, I trust you," said Severus, as he realized that he was blushing, and quickly turned around to hide it from Ilya. For some reason he could not help but believe in the girl's word, especially when she reassures him. "Anyway, could you at least explain to me when you did it, and how?"
The white-haired girl sat down and began explaining, back in 'Professor Emiya' mode.
"Oh, I removed it on the Second of August, before we went to rescue Lily Evans," said the white-haired girl.
Severus couldn't help but let out a gasp.
The white-haired girl began her explanation.
"As to how I did it…well… first, I temporarily disabled the prana, or magic, detection ability of all the wards in the area. Second, I removed the ward that was placed around the house, and replaced it with my Boundary Field. Now, one the many features of the Field I placed is that its frequency and behavior would be exactly like that of the Ministry wards."
Ilya took a deep breath then continued.
"After that, I connected my Boundary Field, disguised as a Ministry ward, to the others around it and created a false link. It is connected, but it does not in fact share any information to the ward network. It is for that reason that any spell cast, as long as you're within my Boundary Field, will not be detected. And all the Trace can do is pinpoint the exact location of an underage wizard, not the magic they perform," the white-haired girl ended.
Severus remained silent, as his brain once again started processing the information he just received.
'So in other words, Ilya replaced a Ministry ward with her Bounded Field that mimics a Ministry ward…ah my head hurts', thought the raven-haired boy to himself.
"Okay, I think I now get it for the most part," the raven-haired boy. "Now then, you said the Trace allows the Ministry to trace the location of any underage wizard?"
The white-haired girl nodded.
"How come you did not have it?" inquired the raven-haired boy. "And what do you mean you prevented the spell from latching onto you?"
"Well…um…" Ilya began, mubling, and for the first time since their conversation started she appeared reluctant to say something. "As I think you already know, I…um…came from a different…um place…um…country…"
"Mmmm?" Severus was puzzled by the girl's sudden reaction.
The raven-haired boy, did not yet know at this point, just where exactly Ilya came from. Severus wanted to know, he really did, but he did not want to be the one to ask…
A forest…frozen…cold as hell…a white-haired girl standing all alone.
The raven-haired young man was suddenly reminded of that nightmare. It was a clue. Still. Severus wanted Ilya to be the one to tell him herself, so he would wait…
"Anyway...the Ministry's wards do not stretch to the place I came from," said Ilya in a snappish voice, irritated with herself, as Severus noticed.
"As for how I managed to prevent the Trace from affecting me," the girl continued, her voice now regaining a calm demeanor. "It was because of my magical resistance. The Trace is a spell that is passively and constantly cast through the Ministry wards. As far as I could tell, the magi from where I came from, and the wizards here all have some form of magical resistance. Magical resistance is a form of passive defense against magical attacks aimed directly at a target. However, as the Trace spell does not do any harm to the person it is placed upon, then the natural reaction of the magic in your bodies allow it, as it is not considered a threat. I, however, recognized it as such, and therefore I actively rejected the spell. My magic now recognize the Trace as foreign, and therefore, all attempts of it latching on to me are prevented by reflex, even when I sleep."
'So, in other words, Trace spells are constantly cast by the wards on underage wizards,' thought Severus. 'And the reason Ilya is unaffected is because her magic is also constantly rejecting the Trace from being put on her'.
"I see," Severus said finally, although it did take him a while to process the thought. "Then, Ilya, could you teach me how to remove it?"
The white-haired girl paused for a while.
"I could," Ilya said finally. "It's actually quite easy, even you will be able to do it…"
Severus could feel his face light up. 'Finally', he thought.
"But even if you learn how, I would advice against removing it Sev," added the white-haired girl.
"What?" said Severus, surprised. "But why? You told me I could…"
"Yes you could," said the white-haired girl. "You could remove the Trace on you, but your case and mine are different. As far as your magical system, which is used by the Ministry, is concerned, I do not exist, I am an enigma. Therefore, I simply prevented it from finding out about me."
The white-haired girl then took a deep breath and continued.
"As for you…the Ministry has already kept a tab on you, as well as the other underage wizards around. As far as I can tell the Trace registers your name, how it is able to do so I do not know yet exactly. Still, if you removed the Trace on yourself, the system will immediately detect that one of the wizards in the records suddenly disappeared, even though they have not yet turned seventeen."
Severus' mouth fell open.
"And if they find out that an underage wizard breaks the Trace placed on them before they turned seventeen, well…I think there's no need for me to elaborate the consequences of such action," Ilya ended.
"I see…so even if I could remove the Trace… it would still be pretty much useless since the Ministry already knows I exist…" said Severus, unable to contain the bitterness in his voice.
"Oh, don't be like that Sev," said Ilya consolingly. "Even if they know where you are, as long as you're here, the Ministry will never know that you've been doing magic."
"Yes, I guess you're righ.." Severus began, almost completely reassured, but then he remembered something. "…Hey, wait!"
"What is it?" Ilya inquired, looking mildly surprised at his sudden outburst.
"Ilya…Could you tell me again, since when have the Ministry been unable to detect magic spells cast in my house and yard?"
"Um…since the second of August?" replied Ilya, curious at his repetition. "Why?"
"Why didn't you tell me?' the raven-haired young man said exasperatedly. "All this time I've been holding back from practicing spells because we're not allowed… I could've been able to do a lot of things had I known…Why didn't you tell me about it?"
"Um…because you didn't ask?" was the white-haired girt's response to the question. "And besides, you've seen me casting spells for days now. I thought you had already figured it out on your own…Sev?"
Severus Snape fell to his knees, feeling weary.
'It wasn't Ilya's fault…she gave me more credit than I deserved…ah, why was I so slow to see it?' Severus thought to himself.
"Anyway," he heard Ilya saying, as she looked at her recently bought wristwatch. "It's nearly four o'clock, it's almost time for your running exercises. You better get ready…"
End of Flashback
Looking back now, Severus knew there was no point crying over spilled milk. Therefore, he will just focus on moving forward instead.
-BREAK-
(Severus POV)
"Here, swallow this," said Ilya to the white-haired boy.
"What is it?" Severus inquired, as he looked at the red, candy-like object in the girl's hand.
"Just do it," said the white-haired girl, and before Severus could react, she had shoved it into his mouth.
Having been caught by surprise, Severus had no problem swallowing the small red sweet.
"What is it?" Severus asked again.
"It's a jewel. A ruby, to be more precise," replied the white-haired girl conversationally.
Severus froze for a split second at that piece of information.
"What? You made me swallow a jewel? Are you crazy? Are you trying to ki…?"
"No I'm not crazy, and no, I'm not trying to kill you," replied Ilya, in her 'Professor Emiya' persona. "It's the opposite. As I already told you, using magecraft is dangerous, even to the user himself. That jewel might actually help you survive."
Severus gulped.
"Now then," said Ilya. "Although there are still so many things I do not comprehend, there are a few key points I learned about your magic. First, is that you normally channel and focus od and prana through a wand, using it as a magic circuit, and then releasing it in the form of a spell. The wand itself, having a part of a magical creature as a core, possess a certain amount of magic which is similar to od, and it perpetually recharges itself from the prana in the air, which means that the wand, having a store of magic on its own, amplifies any spell cast using it. Second, as for your wandless magic, I noticed that it usually involves focusing od and prana on a certain point in the air, normally with hand movements, utilizing it as an imaginary wand, and then releasing it into a spell."
Severus nodded silently. He already knew about some of the things the girl said, except that she was using the words od and prana, instead of magic.
"I must admit it is a safe method," continued Ilya. "There are magi in the place I came from, whose magecraft utilize the same concept your witches and wizards do. Even one of the spells I use, Gandr, should you know how it works, can be cast through your methods.
The raven-haired boy was listening intently. Gandr, as his memory served, referred to those black ball spells Ilya used to pummel the Death Eaters. To be able to learn how to use it would of great help.
"However, there is one main thing that I noticed different about your witches and wizards," said the white-haired girl. "It is the fact that while your witches and wizards seem to possess a huge amount of od, as well as the ability to control mana, they do not seem to know the basic difference between them. It really amazes me that you are able to cast spells without even grasping these two basic concepts."
"What do you mean?" inquired Severus.
"Let me explain," said Ilya. "Mana, is "magical energy which is abundant in nature and is all around us, while "od" is magical energy that a magus, or in your case, a wizard possess. Tell me, Sev, how do you start casting a spell?"
"Well, we would concentrate, try and concentrate energy and when it seems sufficient, we launch the spell," replied the raven-haired boy.
"What type of energy do you focus on, what is present within your body, or what is present in the surroundings?"
"Well…I don't really know," Severus replied honesty. "What we do is focus magical energy.."
"Without knowing where it came from," Ilya completed the sentence.
"Well, wizards possess magical power, so if it is in your terms, I guess we are using od for our spells."
"That is true for most wizards, partially true for some, and not for a few who use mana for their curses." sighed the white-haired girl. "As for you, Sev, you belong to the first group. You, by reflex, use od for your spells."
"What do you mean?" asked Severus again. He was confused. He could not exactly comprehend everything that Ilya was trying to teach him.
"What I mean is that you wizards simply focus magical energy without knowing where It came from'" Ilya repeated. "When we fought against the Death Eaters I noticed this fact."
"What do you mean? How is it important?" asked Severus again. "I mean, we are able to successfully cast spells with magic, we can focus it properly, so why is it important to know where it came from?"
"That is true in a way," the white-haired girl replied. "Despite not knowing about these concepts you are able to cast your spells. However, wizards who by reflex use od, the magic within the body, tire really quickly, the ones who use a mix of the two are able to maintain casting for longer, and the ones who use mana have the greatest amount of stamina when it comes to casting."
"I see," nodded Severus, finally understanding something. "So you mean I have to learn how to use prana to cast magic?"
"Yes, that is one aspect. However, when it comes to speed, od users have a great advantage over those who use mana, since they are able to cast their spells faster. While it is true that practice and experience make up for the difference, you have no extensive knowledge on the subject, and each wizard receives similar education. In other words, od users have an advantage in short-term fights while mana users have an advantage in long-term battles, though of course if it is a duel, then the faster one normally wins."
Ilya then took a deep breath, before she spoke again.
"Not knowing about the concept of od and mana has caused a great setback to your type of magic," she stated.
"What do you mean?" inquired Severus again. He noticed that he had been asking the same question over and over, but he couldn't help it. He was really curious.
"Because of the flaw in your education…" began the white-haired girl. "…which chooses safety and convenience over power and effectiveness, fearing the dangers it might bring. You have never tried to explore further, and your progress as wizards is thereby hindered and limited."
Severus felt a sudden chill. This type of thinking, it was so similar one of the Dark Lord's own. "To experiment, and delve deeper into the knowledge of magic."
No…no…this is different…it does not involve hurting other people…only yourself…thought Severus as shook his head. And that is far from the Dark Lord's methods, which is hurting others.
-BREAK-
(Severus POV)
"Now Sev," said Ilya, awakening the raven-haired man from his reverie. "I told you before that magecraft is unlike the wand flicks and swishes that you are used to. Learning, as well as using it, if you are unprepared, can be very dangerous. Even the most basic, the most meager form of magecraft that will probably do no more than your type of Levitation magic, could make you lose an arm. Do you wish to proceed?"
"I do," said Severus.
"Are you willing to risk your life for it?" asked Ilya.
"I am," replied the raven-haired boy.
"Why are you willing to risk your life for it?" the white-haired asked another question.
Severus was starting to get nervous and irritated.
"What is this?" asked the raven-haired boy, exasperated. "When I was teaching you my kind of magic I never gave you such a hard time."
"Well, that was your choice," replied Ilya, her voice cool. "As for me, though, Sev, I wish to know your intentions. Please, tell me honestly. What is it that you want? By learning magecraft, what is it that you seek to accomplish?"
The white-haired girl was now staring Severus straight in the eyes, emerald pair on black.
For a few moments, silence fell between them, as Severus tried to think of a good answer. But Ilya wanted him to be honest though.
"Because I want power," Severus finally answered.
A sudden chill emanated from the girl.
"You want power?" the white-haired girl asked the raven-haired boy, her voice chillingly cold. "Is that why you want to learn magecraft? Because you want power?"
Another moment's silence.
"Yes," replied the raven-haired boy in a low voice.
"I see," said the white-haired girl, her voice still cold as ice' a lot of pressure in it. "Then tell me, Severus Snape, why do you wish to have more pow…"
Severus Snape was one who could normally work well under pressure, especially in class, and when he was making a Potion, which required a lot of patience. However, after all the stress Ilya's questions placed upon him, something in his head snapped, and before he could stop himself, he was shouting.
BECAUSE I WANT TO HAVE THE POWER TO BE ABLE TO PROTECT YOU! BECAUSE I WANT TO BE ABLE TO FIGHT BY YOUR SIDE! I DON'T WANT YOU TO BE ALONE! I DON'T WANT YOU TO DIE! I HATE HAVING TO WATCH HELPLESSLY IN THE SHADOWS, WHILE YOU GO OUT AND FACE DANGER TO PROTECT ME! I DON'T NEED YOU TO PROTECT ME! I DON'T WANT YOU TO PROTECT ME! I WANT TO BE THE ONE PROTECTING YOU! YOU'RE THE WHOLE WORLD TO ME! I DON'T EVER WANT TO LOSE YOU! I,,,
Suddenly the raven-haired boy's mind started to function again, but he realized that it was too late.
-BREAK-
(Severus POV)
Oh, no, what have I done? thought Severus to himself.
He did not remember exactly what he said, but he clearly remembered that he had been shouting at Ilya.
I yelled at her…I hurt her…she probably hates me now, thought the raven-haired boy bitterly, as he looked down on the grass, refusing to look up, ashamed, after what he had done.
A long and painful silence passed…
Now, I've done it…she'll definitely want to leave now…I'll be alone again…no, she'll be alone again…and it's my fault…
Then, the white-haired girl spoke.
"I see, I understand now," Severus heard Ilya's voice, and it sounded as if she was about to cry.
"Ilya…I….I" the raven-haired young man stammered.
"Sev, look at me," he heard the white-heard girl's voice, and it sounded gentle.
Severus did not want to look up. He was ashamed of himself, for what he did. But still, he knew that Ilya was waiting for him to comply with her request, so slowly he did so…
And his heart leapt.
There was Ilya, staring straight at him. Her face with a red tinge, illuminated in the morning sun,as she slowly closed her eyes to shun away the sunlight…her clothes and silvery white-hair hair flowing gently in the breeze…
She was smiling…the most beautiful smile the raven-haired boy had ever seen on her… the most beautiful smile he had ever seen his entire life…and she was smiling at him…smiling for him...she was smiling because of him…
All thought processes in the raven-haired boy's head shut down…all other emotions…everything…Tobias…Eileen…Death Eaters…Lily…Voldemort...his worries…his fears… his sadness…everything else seemed so trivial. In that one moment, which Severus wished would last for an eternity, he forgot the rest of the world, he forgot everything else, nothing else mattered. She was all he could see…Only one thought kept swirling through his mind, heart and soul…
She's beautiful…
The raven-haired young man continued to watch in awe at the sight that greeted his eyes, as two words came out of the silver-haired girl's lips, two words, two words full of meaning, two words of pure honest feelings, two words which penetrated through to the very depths of Severus' heart.
"Thank you…"
AUTHOR'S NOTES
Another chapter up I guess. Well, I must admit it's not really easy writing this kind of stuff, especially if you want it to have a little bit, or a lot of everything, including action, suspense, romance, mystery, etc. etc. etc. Still, I'm sure writers like myself do so, because they enjoy the difficulty.
Anyway I hope you enjoy reading this one.
Later then. ^_^ Oh, and Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year people ^_^