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Act II - The Warlock of Hogwarts
Chapter 28 - Think-Tank
It was time for his first class with Professors Babbling and Vector.
Over the last month, Harry had been to Babbling's office three times a week, for two hours right before supper. He had always thought that Filius Flitwick was the most exuberant character in all of Hogwarts's staff, but Bathsheda Babbling had him beat in pure enthusiasm. Over the month, she had ran him through a personalised crash course on runecraft. That he had the cursory knowledge of Elder Futhark helped, but like she had mentioned back in her first class at the start of the term, futhark matrices conformed with standardised magic, and followed the principle of isolating the Abstract from the real.
His power, or Death, as she had begun to refer to it, was an abstract force, and thus, did not conform to the standard rules of magic. Thus, she had made him go through an entire semester worth of learning about Hecate's Principles squeezed into a month. He'd have been neck-deep mugging if not for the fact that the other professor, Septima Vector, had not called him in for a single lesson so far, choosing to wait until Babbling was done with her fun. Professor Babbling had mentioned something about Septima Vector studying Fleur Delacour's ward matrices and her ideas of incorporating Harry's unique brand of power. Something about getting her own impressions before Harry threw her existing paradigms into a serious upheaval.
Her words, not his.
And now finally, he had gotten the green signal from Vector. Apparently, they had overdone themselves and acquired several unused classrooms for this private project, and had the elves redesign the place to make it into a giant workshop on the sixth floor. Babbling had mentioned about other people joining their little group but she had kept the identity a secret.
Knowing her, she probably thought it to be a prank. Pity the Weasley twins had never taken Runes. They'd have found a kindred spirit in the professor. Woman was way too fond of unstable runic matrices for him to be at ease around her.
It was like dealing with a child at times. No, the irony was not lost on him.
Smirking, Harry let his musings fade as he jogged past the stairs and stepped into the sixth floor corridor. Ten steps later, he was standing outside the workshop.
"Come in."
The first thing he noticed was that the place was almost as large as the Great Hall. Only, instead of spatial charms enhancing its size, the room was actually that large. Babbling had once mentioned that performing unstable spellcrafting inside enhanced magical space was a bad idea nine times out of ten, especially since the unstable spell could have all kinds of reactions on the surrounding environment. She had mentioned Pandora Lovegood, an Unspeakable spellcrafter working for the Department of Mysteries who had died under similar conditions. Harry had been surprised when he had found out that Luna Lovegood was her daughter.
There had been something about that girl that he hadn't been able to put a finger on. Nothing bad, just weird. The good kind.
And inside the room satโฆ
"I told you, Harry," said Babbling, who had offered to call her by name, "we'll have a couple of new members."
Couple of new members alright, Harry mused. Truth be told, he had expected Fleur to be there alongside Vector, given her entire project was based on his powers. But the other member wasโฆ
Interesting.
"We went to Headmaster Dumbledore to request permission for doing this project,"began Vector. She had a baritone voice, like an orator, making him feel like he was listening to someone important. "We explained to him the significance of this project and its possible impacts on the way we look at magic, as well as necessary funding that we might need to continue working on this."
"Erm, funding, you say?" Harry asked. "I could always arrange funds from my House vaults."
Babbling smiled. "That's kind of you, Harry, but you're a registered Warlock, and any contributions made by you will be conscripted by the Wizengamot and the Ministry of Magic and made proprietary to Wizarding Britain. So, if you fund it privatelyโ"
"My power belongs to my own family," Harry countered. "It's proprietary to House Pevโฆ I mean, House Potter."
"It is," Vector agreed, "but Family magic stays within the Family, and is worked upon by Family members. This is a public endeavour, and must be supported and financed by the British Ministry of Magic. We asked the Headmaster if an application could be sent to the Minister of Magic which is partly why it took so much time to get this arranged."
Harry arched his brow. "And Fudโ I mean, the Minister approved?"
"No," said Babbling, "but the Department of Mysteries did. Upon condition that one of their representatives would be visiting us from time to time and keep track of whatever experiments are being done and their results. They claim that given the nature of yourโฆ powers, and the fact that it's a school, we need to be doubly sure of things, and they're right. But they've allotted us an initial draft of five thousand galleons to get started, so long as Hogwarts provides us the necessary space and facilities."
Of course they did. Harry mused wryly. Croaker was probably exhilarated at an open opportunity and took care of it.
"So, erm," said Harry, looking at them and then at Fleur hesitantly. Their last conversation hadn't exactly ended in the best of terms, and to be honest, he couldn't totally blame her for reacting the way she did. "How are we doing this?"
"First thing you need to keep in mind, Harry," began Vector, "is that this isn't a class, and you aren't a student. This is a think-tank and all of us are important contributors to the cause. You, Harry, are our resource-provider and will demonstrate and supply whatever amount or form of Death we require for our experiments. Bathsheda is our runesmith, and she'll help you apply Symbology to see if we can bind this energy using sigils, in the same way as runes and hieroglyphs do for other elements and sorcery. I'm the arithmancer, and it's my job to try to use the symbols Bathsheda derives and try to set them into proper formations. Fleur is the wardcrafter, and her expertise lies in using my formations and Bathsheda's symbols to craft a tangible ward barrier that operates on this energy. Of course, we'll need you to supply more of this power for testing it. And finally, our other member Aurora, our astronomer becauseโ"
"Because the celestial bodies affect the elements, ley-line shifts, and magical anomalies. And it's always better to ensure that Astronomical conditions are conducive to the nature of the experiment you are working on."
"Yes," said Aurora Sinistra, "though I didn't expect you to know this, Mr. Potter. I was under the impression that you didn't appreciate the subtle art of Astronomy."
His lips twisted. "People change."
Sinistra gazed at him. "I suppose they do."
He looked at Babbling. "I'm surprised that you don't have a Divination expert too, just to count off Fate and Destiny from affecting your calculations."
"I have some minor talent in cartomancy," Sinistra admitted. "I suppose if we need extra help, we will have to consult the Department of Mysteries for it."
Harry wanted to chuckle. Looked like even the professors did not think much of Sybil Trelawney. But seeing them all in one place got him thinking.
Harry coughed. "Thatโ that will take some time getting used to."
He glanced at Fleur's annoyed face. The veela tended to be territorial about the smallest things. That he had openly declared his engagement with Daphne had not gone well with her. Which was surprising, since she had been the one asking me to give it a chance in the first place. Harry assumed that Fleur had not expected things to escalate this further and had been rather annoyed at the outcome.
And she had extracted a hefty retribution for it too. By the time she had left his room last night, he looked like a freakin' vampire, utterly drained and spent.
Bloody veela!
And the worst part, she was not going to like what he was about to suggest.
"I have a condition though."
Babbling stiffened and looked at him. Vector arched a brow. Sinistra just looked curious.
"If I'm the resource provider for this think-tank, then shouldn't I also get something from this in return?"
Babbling quirked an eye. "What do you want?"
"I want to add an extra research-goal to this group. A private andโฆ important one."
"Importantโฆ" Fleur began.
"More important than developing the thaumaturgy. More important than this think-tank even. If we cannot have it, then I don't want to be part of it. I'll fund it separately, and all research-reports on it will be proprietary to House Potter. I am even willing toโฆ pay you for doing the extra work, if necessary."
""I see," said Vector, eyeing him curiously. "And it has something to do with your Death magic?"
"Not entirely, but yes. And I'll need everyone's help. Including and especially yours, Professor Sinistra."
"Interesting," murmured the Astronomy professor. "Well, go on. What's it about?"
"Say profโ I mean, Bathsheda," said Harry, "our objective is to identify how my power reacts with other magics, right? Especially those that do not conform with Hecate's Principles?"
The woman nodded, while the others looked at him curiously.
"What about esoteric magic? Does that also conform with Hecate's principles?"
"Like what?"
"Likeโฆ say, bloodline curses?"
Fleur's eyes widened.
"It probably does," said Vector, "bloodline curses are esoteric, but they follow proper formations. Why do you ask?"
"And what about bloodline curses that are powered by Family magic?"
Vector opened her mouth, but no words came out.
"I want to know if it is possible to use Death, Symbology, Arithmancy, Structuring and Astronomy to develop a system that could, say, stop, if not completely destroy a curse, without having any other effect on witch or wizard's magic."
"A precision tool," murmured Babbling. "One that destroys only certain things, but ignores everything else." She looked at Sinistra. "Maybe use astronomical conditions to try to inhibit its effect?"
"I suppose that is possible," Sinistra murmured. "You ask deep questions, Potter. Why this interest in bloodline curses?"
"It's for her, isn't it?" Fleur asked.
Harry nodded and sighed. "My betrothed, Daphne Greengrass, suffers from a malediction. A blood curse. I โ We believe it is powered by the Black Family Magic. And if we don't find a way to end it within the next two yearsโฆ" his throat constricted. "She'll die."
That shut everybody up.
"'Arryโ"
"So," Harry asked, looking at everyone's faces expectantly. "Do we have a deal?"
After the newly formed think-tank had agreed to his conditions, they had sat down to plan for how they were going to do it. At one point, Harry had even suggested bringing Daphne into the group, claiming that the Greengrass family magic 'Summer' could be a direct antithesis of his power of Death. Babbling had been on the sidelines with the suggestion, but Vector and Sinistra had cut it down, stating that apart from the fact that Daphne was a mere fifth-year that could not bring anything to the table, she was not a Vessel either, and could not channel the magic of 'Summer' at will. Unless she managed to achieve that, she had no place in the team.
Harry didn't have to like it, but he could see the logic.
After several hours of discussion and random demonstrations, he had bid everyone off and walked down to the dungeons for his 'detention' with Snape. That was how he found himself standing next to the Potions professor, with the man silently evaluating him as he rapidly cast a series of blasting hexes and cutting curses at specific targets.
"Not enough, Potter," said the man, his characteristic sneer missing from his features. "You have the advantage of a larger pool of magic to draw from. Do not waste it in flamboyance and overpowering your opponent. Your magic must be subtle, and highly efficient. Treat your magic like your blood. Every single drop counts."
"I'm trying," Harry confessed, "it's just, I've never known a lot of spells, so I just stuck to throwing all my magic into whatever I knew. It's worked so far."
Snape paused, as if considering his words. He looked up, and for a moment, he thought the man would say something acerbic, but then he just grabbed his copy of Extreme Incantations andโ
โSlapped him in the head with it.
"Oww!"
"Everything you've faced was child's play compared to what's coming, Potter," Snape barked. "Get it in your stubborn Gryffindor head. The Dark Lord is no mindless troll, nor is he a dementor that can be thrown off by a powerful patronus. He's one of the most dangerous dark wizards to ever exist, and unless I'm wrong, he's grown stronger, far stronger than he was the last time around. Your tricks, and your silly habit of overpowering spells might work for the average witch or wizard, but they won't last you five seconds if you face him."
"I faced him, you know," Harry retorted. "Back in the graveyard."
"Yes, and a fluke saved your life."
Harry opened his mouth to reply, but Snape shot him down. "Get it in your head, Potter. It was all luck. Luck and Flukes. Whatever Lilโ your mother did that night stopped him, and even to this day, no one truly understands what happened that night. It was luck that the possessed Professor Quirrel wasn't able to bear your touch, luck that you had the Headmaster's phoenix claw the basilisk's eyes off in the Chamber. I will admit that what you did takes courage, and your skill at the Patronus charm is worth a Defence OWL, but other than that, can you name me one thing that you can successfully use on him next time?"
He stayed silent this time.
"Well?" Snape demanded. "Some of us have work to do. Don't just stand there like a statue."
"I am working on it."
"It?"
"My power. Death. Peverell Family Magic. Whatever Iโฆ used in the graveyard. I used it again in the summer, and I can call upon it if I really, really need it."
"I see," murmured Snape. "I assume it is the same power that grants you immunity from psychic penetration?"
He nodded.
Snape frowned. "If nothing else, we know for sure that it destroys magic. My advice is to keep finding new ways of using it. Perhaps as a shield against curses? Or a shield-breaker? Shielding is one of the most power-intensive applications of magic out there, and there is nothing more annoying than an opponent who can shatter your defences with a single hit."
"I - I have never quite thought about it like that." Harry admitted.
"Then start doing so," Snape reprimanded. "Minerva McGonagall has mentioned that your attempts at Transfiguration ends up blowing the objects apart. My advice is to use it instead of exploding curses. Apart from the shock value, it will also keep your opponent guessing."
Harry blinked. Trust Severus Snape to develop applications like that out of nothing. Not for the first time, he wondered why Albus Dumbledore had him teach potions when it was an open secret that he coveted the Defense position.
"I assume that just like magic, familiarity is the cornerstone to its mastery," said Snape. "Now," he flicked his wand and a scroll floated from the table towards Harry who grabbed it.
"I have authored a list of morally objectionable curses that are not quite classified as 'dark' by the Ministry. You will study it, practise it in your own time, and demonstrate it before me before two weeks are over. Any further delay and you will find yourself scrubbing cauldron bottoms for the rest of the year."
Harry barked out a laugh.
"Ten points from Gryffindor for improper behaviour."
His mouth snapped shut, and he proceeded to glare at the potions instructor.
. "I'm told, that among your other forms of precociousness, you are capable of apparition?"
Harry nodded.
"In that case, we shall move to the next level of your education. One in which none of your foolish wand-waving shall be necessary."
Harry blinked. "Iโ I don't understand."
"As usual," the man quipped, and tapped his wand at several points on the floor. Harry watched in surprise as rune clusters appeared on every point. His eyes widened as magical lines began to spread out from the rune clusters in every direction, until they all met in a circular periphery.
Snape flicked his wand, and a Quidditch chest of all things zoomed towards them, slowing down as it reached him.
And then the chest began to shake, as a violent something inside it tried its best to escape.
Snape turned around and met his eyes. "Youngest seeker in a century. Almost undefeated streak at catching the snitch. I imagine all that Quidditch training has given you plenty of practice with the Bludger has it not?"
"Um," Harry swallowed, "yeah?"
Snape smirked, and just like that, Harry knew it was not going to end well.
"Inside this, as you can guess, is a bludger. A rather mad one, I'm afraid. I will be stepping out of this circle, raising a boundary to keep it from destroying my office. Your job is to stay within, and survive while it attempts to make you into a paste on the floor."
Harry paled. "You, err, want me to shoot spells at it?"
Bludgers were enchanted to be resistant to almost all conventional forms of elemental or kinetic attacks. And unless he wanted him to freeze it or cast the general counter-spell, he had no idea how he was going to deal with this thing at such close proximity.
"No, Potter," said Snape, the devious smile deepening. " No foolish wand-waving is necessary. You are going to survive it, by apparating out of its way. Constantly."
"Butโ butโ" Harry stammered. "Constantly? I've never โ"
"There is a first attempt at everything. Let's see whatever fluke you can pull off this time around."
"But isn't it impossible to apparate in and out of Hogwarts?" Harry tried, grasping for straws.
The smile deepened. "True. But you aren't apparating in or out of Hogwarts. You are going to apparate within this dome, over and over. The Headmaster bewitched it accordingly."
And then the bastard stepped backwards, until he was out of the boundary line.
Harry watched him with growing trepidation as Snape raised his wand.
The boundary erected around him, enclosing him within a massive dome.
Flick.
And with a roar, the mad bludger went free.
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