After Luncheon, Harry sat at the long table, with parchment and ink and quill.
The hall was buzzing still about the night before and there was still a flurry owls flying into the school.
Harry was trying to write about everything as dispassionately and disconnectedly as he could so that the Herald- Chronicler could add to the Chronicles when he returned home.
As he wrote, his eyes wondered across the tables.
'I have made my choice, I rather be Chosen then their savior like I'm the Gods' own child.' Harry thought as he finished the last line in the narrative.
Several eyes snapped up as he finished that thought and then they dropped faster than a felled bird.
"What?" Harry questions, acting on reflex he threw up a mage-shield around himself and Corina, he also felt the current of magic springing up around the two Companions.
The group he saw began to scribble as well answering letters from the owls and sending off again.
The only table that wasn't doing any writing was the Slytherin table.
Harry grabbed Corina's hand and squeezed –Gift?—
Corina squeezed back, -most knew—
The air around that table was somber and most were eyeing the heralds as if blaming them. The rest of the tables were eating and getting ready for their afternoon classes.
"If it were us, we would know." Corina stated conversationally.
"Well someone seems to have done it but who is the question right now." Flitwick wondered with a worried expression.
"I'm not sure, but I'm going to find out." Harry replies, he stood up and left the hall.
Harry let his mage-sight guide him to where the source of the magic came from.
Corina looked at each student, before standing up and placing her hands on the table, and leaning forward a little. "So tell me, why do you think it was us who did this?"
One first year girl spoke up "Well your partner is the only one to show this strange magic."
Morgan snorted
"Do you think she's going to let him do something that?" Corina questions before nodding over at the Companion mare. "They're worse than our parents sometimes."
The girl just blushed "Well to the truth, I just thought it was some kind of new scanning spell."
"If Harry has spells like that and doesn't inform the Herald-Mages, I can vouch, he will be hot water for a very long time." Corina replies
"Kinda like if one of us starts a duel in the middle of the school." Another student piped up.
"I don't want to deal with Herald-Mage Elspeth or even the Queen's Own." Corina agreed "And I heard stories which are mostly just rumors about Elspeth."
The students nod in agreement. "So how is Herald Harry gonna find the caster?"
Corina looked to the only other creature that was well versed in mage-gift.
"He'sss going to ussse Mage-Ssssight to sssee the trrrrail of magic, then trrrace it back to the sssenderrr." Jerven explains
"Isn't that kinda of dangerous what if the caster attacks him while he's tracking?"
"No, Harrrrry isn't just Mage-Gifted, he hasss Mind-Magic as well." Jerven answers
Corina nods to confirm, "No Herald has just one Gift."
"Still I hope nothing goes wrong"
Corina looked over at Dasher, "Dash says, it will be twice as likely for a kyree to sprout wings then someone getting pass them on guard."
The students all looked at her confused at her metaphor then the nodded in agreement.
"Krrrryee is a larrrrge wolf." Jerven answered
Understanding dawned in their eyes.
"A large mindspeaking wolf." Corina commented
Harry sat in a trance, tracing the magic that happened but so far he found nothing. He spread his senses out further only to find a faint trace of the magic that passed through the students. He pulled himself out of the trance, and mindcalled Corina. :Ask the ones who are going to Valdemar if they felt anything?:
:Okay I'll do that right now.:
A few seconds later, the reply came that the ones that were going didn't have the magic placed on them. With his suspicion confirmed he return to the hall.
Harry resumed his seat and looked grim.
Everyone saw his face and a shiver ran down their spines.
"All I can tell you that its magic." Harry states, "And from the feel of it, I would say its closed to what some Priests can do."
"Divine Magic." Corina gasped
"Yes but to what purpose, I don't know yet." Harry spoke his voice muted.
"Divine Magic?" Hermione pipped up.
"Some magic is born in a person, other times, its God-Granted, and the only ones who have Divine Magic are Sunpriests, Shaman of the Shin'a'in." Harry explains
The two Heralds saw the gleam in their friend's eyes and groaned inwardly.
"Don't bother asking us, we're not priests. We do things by the letter of the law, not the spirit." Harry commented
"I personally like my calling as a Herald, I rather not be a Priest of any sort, and the Lord-Patriarch has a even harder job then ours!" Corina added
"Why is that isn't he a Herald like you?" One of the other students asked curious as well now.
"No, he's the Head of all the religious sects in Valdemar." Harry answers
"My goodness, I wouldn't want that job either imagine someone trying to that here with all the religions."
Corina nods, "Which is why Valdemar's main governing law is..."
"There is "no one true way" both Heralds finished together in unison.
"Well I wish they learn that law here."
"If that were true here, then we wouldn't be here, now would we?" Harry asks "We would be on a normal circuit right now."
Most of the hall sadly nodded in agreement with the Heralds.
"Well maybe not you." Corina teased "We don't have that many Adepts in the Circle."
"I guess so, Elspeth would have me as Speaker for the Mages." Harry agreed
" And then you'll be stuck in meeting after meeting."
"Being stuck in Council Meetings, does have its perks, my dearest. Hot baths, warm beds, and good food without my having to cook it, I spent enough time in the last year and half eating my own cooking." Harry replies
"Harry, your cooking is not that bad."
"Since when did you eat my cooking?" Harry questions "Mero made me chop vegetables for all five years, he didn't trust me with meat."
"I heard about from the others" Corina responds "And your mentor didn't die from it either. "
"Very funny, Ms. Needs-an-Army-to-take-her-down." Harry replied dryly.
"I don't need an army just a unit or two, unless it Kero then I need the army." Corina replied
Harry shrugged.
Corina just smile back to him.