Wild Magic - Chapter 32

·         NOTE:
I added a 'casting' channel to discord.

~

Harry slept wonderfully after his time with Lavender. She didn't join him in bed, content for the quicky on the couch, but had left him with wink and a kiss. He had a feeling that this wasn't going to be the last time they were together. The sobering thought of getting yet another witch pregnant was enough to douse his good mood. He really needed to be more responsible about that. Potions were probably the best bet as spells would not be a good idea. He needed to speak with Madam Pomfrey for options.

Potions.

He rolled the word around in his head. There was something he had forgotten. It had to do with potions. A small smile crossed his face. It hadn't been listed on his schedule. Dumbledore, or likely Professor McGonagall, had realized it would be a bad idea to have Harry deal with Snape. He couldn't even imagine all the various ways his magic would react to the greasy bastard. Potions didn't require all that much spellcasting in the process, but considering the amount of jinxes sent his way from Malfoy and his cronies would add up. Harry wasn't sure if he was thankful that he didn't have the class anymore. It would have been interesting to see how unguided magic would react to such a hostile environment.

Now that he thought about it, fighting the build-up wasn't actually helping him adapt. What would happen if someone attacked him? They wouldn't stop to allow him to deal with the excess magic. He shuddered at the thought about what the wild energy inside of him would do to someone attacking him.

That meant he needed to find somewhere he could safely practice his unrestrained magic. A whisper tickled his ear. He tilted his head to try to hear it better. The words didn't have any form, but it felt familiar. He closed his eyes and put his full focus on listening. It didn't speak in words. Emotions and intent settled the tension that pressed in on the edges of his consciousness.

Harry felt something beside him wiggle. He smiled when he realized that it was Luna snuggled against his side. Her eyes were still closed while her breathing was slow and deep. He kissed the top of her head and wiggled out from her grasp. She snagged his pillow, hugged it against her chest, and rolled into the warm spot he had just vacated.

He got dressed as quietly as he could, then left Luna to sleep. Nym was waiting for him out in the hallway. Technically, she was the Assistant Professor for Defense. In reality, Percy handled all of the classes and had won over the majority of the students from First to Seventh Years. It left her with plenty of time to watch Harry to make sure he didn't accidentally explode.

"Hey, daddy," Nym purred at him.

"You're going to keep calling me that, aren't you?" Harry asked.

"Yep," Nym replied with a smile. She took his hand and placed it on her lower tummy. "We made a little Potter." She paused. "When do you think it happened?"

"When we had sex," Harry answered.

"Yeah, but which time?" Nym asked.

"I don't know," Harry shrugged. "Maybe we should ask Luna once she's awake."

"Good idea," Nym nodded. "Where are we going? It's too early for breakfast."

"I don't know," Harry sighed. "I'm following a voice."

"Basilisk in the pipes voice?" Nym dropped into her professional voice.

"No," Harry shook his head. "A whisper I can't make out. It doesn't feel bad."

"Is this a 'too much magic' thing?" Nym motioned to his watch.

He held it up to show it was green.

"I realized I need to learn how control when it gets to be too much," Harry answered. "About that time, I started to hear this whisper. It's like a song on a radio that's too low to make the words out."

"And you decided to follow it?" Nym chuckled. "No wonder you're always getting into trouble."

"I don't get into trouble," Harry bumped her shoulder with his own. "Trouble finds me."

"As you follow strange voices without letting anyone know," Nym countered.

Harry started to say something in reply. After a moment, he shrugged.

"Want to come with me?" Harry asked.

"Of course," Nym hooked his arm with hers. "Onward."

Harry strained to listen to the whisper. It swelled into a melody, something that tickled his memory. He couldn't place it, but there was a tinge of longing in his very soul. Harry put it from his mind. It was a mystery he could solve later. Instead, he continued to listen and follow the melody.

Nym stayed with him. She guided him around obstacles that he didn't notice. Harry found his eyes closing so he could focus even more. He followed the sound through the halls and up a few different flights of stairs. Eventually, they came to a stop. He opened his eyes to see they were standing in front of a tapestry of a man trying to teach trolls how to dance.

"That's not something you see every day," Harry muttered.

"How do you think he got them to wear the tutus?" Nym asked as they stared at the tapestry.

"How long to you think he lived?" Harry asked in reply.

Harry started to look around the hall after another moment of examining the tapestry. There weren't that many paintings on the walls. The few that were didn't have any subjects in the frames. He took that to mean they were elsewhere in the castle.

"Now what?" Nym asked.

"I don't know," Harry replied.

He closed his eyes again, trying to find the melody again. The music was so clear he could hear it without much effort. There were whispers mingled among the melody now. Those, unfortunately, were still just noise at the moment.

"It's right here," Harry motioned to the wall. "I can hear it."

Nym shrugged.

"No, wait," Harry paused. "It's over here now."

He followed the sound to the right for a while. The music stopped after a few steps. It shifted back to the way he had come. Harry moved to follow it. He groaned in frustration as it returned to the other side of the hall. The music stopped.

"Harry," Nym called.

He turned to see her pointing to a door that hadn't been there a moment ago. There weren't that many rooms in the corridor. Just a few other classrooms and storage that looked like they had been forgotten. They had doors that looked like every other classroom or closet in the castle. This one, though, was something completely different. It was ancient, ornate, and seemingly formed naturally from the stone. If anything, it kind of reminded him of the Chamber of Secrets.

Harry stepped in front of the door.

"Harry," Nym warned.

"Trust me," Harry said over his shoulder.

He opened the door to find an expansive room that appeared nearly as large as the Great Hall. It should be easy to spot from the outside. There was no way someone would miss a giant room sticking out from the seventh floor. He had spent plenty of time in the air around the castle and had never seen anything that would make sense.

Even stranger than that was the woman that stood in the center of the room. She was tall, with a regal aura around her. The dress she wore made him think of a King Arthur movie he had caught a glimpse of when he was younger. Her shoulder length, black hair had a lustrous shimmer to it. She had a pleasant smile on her face and watched as the two approached. Her appearance clashed with the undertone of evil that hung in the air.

"Hello," Harry said. "Were you the one playing the music?"

"Yes, Harry Potter, it was me," the woman inclined her head. "Nymphadora Tonks, welcome back."

"I don't know you," Nym said as she slid her wand into her hand.

"My apologies," she said. Her smile widened in amusement. "Rowena Ravenclaw, it is nice to meet you."

"As in, the Rowena Ravenclaw?" Harry asked.

"Of a sort," she nodded. "A shade given form from the accumulated magic of Hogwarts."

"I don't have the best experience with shades," Harry tried to keep his body loose as he spoke, just in case he needed to move.

His train of thought was interrupted as the room began to shift. Pillars rose from the floor breaking the line of sight and creating cover. A few half-walls stretched between the new additions. He shook off the surprise long enough to draw his wand.

"Salazar made his 'secret chamber' to house his pet. I created this room to assist students," Rowena strolled around one of the pillars so they could see each other again. "It will provide you with what you need. There are limits, of course, but years upon years of magic has empowered this room to a degree I didn't expect."

She paused as she saw the two of them pointing their wands at her. Her eyes shined with humor, then reached out her hand toward the closest pillar. It passed through the stone without slowing.

"I've been given form," she said. "Not a body."

Neither lowered their wands.

"Why did you bring me here?" Harry asked.

"You needed me," Rowena replied. "I exist only in this room. It was my voice that could reach you even with your magic mingling with mine."

"What?" Harry took a step closer. "How is my magic mingling with your?"

"I have had to improvise," she motioned to the watch on his wrist.

"I don't understand," Harry sighed.

"Rowena made this room, I have taken her form, but it is closer to say that I am a part of Hogwarts," she explained. "An avatar created with the purpose of communicating with you."

"Damn," Nym whispered. "You do live an interesting life."

Harry chuckled.

"Can you please explain the mingling magic?" Harry asked.

"Your magical core is growing exponentially each day," Rowena said. "At its current pace it would overtake my own by the time you graduate. Possibly before that if you are exposed to magic outside of your own. That would cause some issues."

"Overtake Hogwarts?" Harry repeated. "That's…"

"Exactly," Rowena resumed her approach. "To prevent this, I mingled our magic." She paused. "Picture your magic as a source of water. That parasite struggled for control every moment of the day and your magic fought it at every step. In this conflict, your core was forced to constantly grow to maintain your strength. On top of that, it had to keep you alive, which required more magic, furthering even more growth." She paused once more, similar to how a professor would allow a student to catch up. "The parasite stifled your output, leaving the only option for your magic to dig deeper. Where others have a pond, lake, or puddle, you have a vast reservoir that is finally able to fill. Eventually, your growth will reach its end, but there is no telling when that will be."

"Ok," Harry understood enough to be confused. "Why does my magic keep overflowing If I've got this reservoir that isn't full yet?"

"It isn't a perfect fit, but let's stay with the water metaphor," Rowena continued. "I mentioned a pond or a lake. Think smaller, akin to a basin, or a sink as they are called now."

An elevated basin appeared in front of her.

"I have to say, the development of indoor plumbing has been amazing to see." Her tangent stopped before it could get going when she saw the looks on their faces. A wave of her hand summoned a jug of water, which she began to pour into the sink. "If you add too much water into a basin it will overflow even if there is a drain. You have found a way to deal with the excess. I have to say it is a rather interesting method."

Harry blushed. He tried to focus on the splashing of the water on the stone rather than her gaze.

"But you didn't come here for a lesson," Rowena saved him from further embarrassment. "You wanted to be able to handle your excess magic."

Harry and Nym straightened up.

"Unfortunately," Rowena said. "The excess is beyond your control. What you need to do is to find a way to safely increase the way your core absorbs the magic."

"And how do I do that?" Harry asked.

"It's rather simple," Rowena said. "You simply must work your magic to the point of exhaustion."

"That'll kill him," Nym spoke up.

"If he was a normal wizard, yes," Rowena nodded. "The average wizard doesn't have a drain, so to speak." The pedestal beneath the sink disappeared leaving the basin hovering in the air. "Their core is a set limit and emptying completely will cause it to create a drain to search for more. This would be fatal as they would be unable to hold even the slightest bit of magic."

They watched as the water in the basin evaporated. Once it was empty the interior of the basin began to dry and crack. The water began to flow once more only to spill out onto the floor.

"Harry has been living with a broken core for the majority of his life and he needs to increase the breakage," Rowena said.

A pipe rose from the floor and connected to the basin. The flowing water began to fill while steadily draining. She stepped to the side to show it flowed into a large, empty pool. The basin began to overflow as the water continued. A strange sound of expanding metal brought their attention to the connecting pipe as grew and the water drained out of the basin faster. The pool filled just a bit faster with the increased flow, but there was still a lot of room to go.

"Damn," Harry whispered. "That's going to take a while."

"Yes," Rowena nodded. "I will help as much as I can."

"Thank you," Harry gave her a relieved smile.

"I'll help too," Nym spoke up.

"Thank you, Nym," Harry pulled her into a kiss.

Rowena watched with an amused smile. She waited until they parted to continue speaking.

"Are you ready to get started?" She asked.

"Yes," Harry replied with a nod. "What do I need to do?"

"Your lover is a Metamorphmagus," Rowen motioned to Nym. "Changing her shape is natural to her, but that doesn't mean you cannot do something similar. Self-transfiguration is a branch of magic that has fallen out of practice over the years. It takes a great amount of power, as well as control, otherwise it can lead to disastrous results."

"And that's what you want me to do?" Harry asked.

"We'll start small," Rowena waved her hand at the room once more.

The pillars and half-walls disappeared as the vast room shrunk. It stopped at the size of one of the common rooms. The place was decorated with the colors of all four houses. Bookshelves were silver and blue, the couches were gold and black, tables were black and green, and the rugs were red and gold. Harry idly wondered if the books were real and if they had actual text if he were to open one.

"Please, sit," Rowena 'sat' on a comfy chair that was near a fireplace.

Two other seats appeared nearby for them. Harry and Nym followed her instructions. For the next few hours Rowena walked Harry through the basics of self-transfiguration. It started with changing the shade of his hair before moving to the entire color. Taming the constant messiness took more focus than he had expected. Nym gave the occasional tip if he started to struggle. It wasn't like she could demonstrate a spell, but she could explain how it felt. Considering they were working silently, guided solely by will and magic, it helped more than he had expected. They finished their session as Rowena's form before to fade. She wasn't completely transparent, but she was noticeable 'less' than before.

"Are you going to be ok?" Harry asked.

"Yes," Rowena nodded. "I need to gather more magic before we meet again."

"How long will that take?" He asked.

"Let's wait a week, just to be safe," she replied.

"Thank you," Harry stood as he spoke. "How do I get here again? There wasn't a door when we arrived."

"Walk by the wall by the tapestry three times while focusing on what you want," Rowena explained. "A door will appear after the third pass. You can use it for just about anything."

She gave him a coy wink. Harry blushed and cleared his throat.

"Come on, daddy," Nym waved for him to follow. "Stop flirting with the ghost."

"I'm not flirting," Harry replied.

"This is my 'I believe you' face," Nym pointed to her face as it shifted into McGonagall.

Harry rolled his eyes. A pulse of dark magic echoed through the room as Nym opened the door. He had been so focused on Rowena that he had forgotten about it.

"Wait," Harry said.

"What's wrong?" Nym turned to face him.

"I don't know," Harry spoke slowly.

He turned in a slow circle. There wasn't any music this time. In fact, it felt completely different than Rowena calling him. He was thankful for that. Banishing a spirit, let alone one of the founders, was not something he wanted to do.

Harry closed his eyes and let the magic flow around him. He reached out with his own, trying to find the source. The sounds of the room shifting and changing around him tempted him to open his eyes. Instead, he stayed focused. The sound finally stopped after a few minutes. He could feel the evil much stronger now.

"What the hell is that?" Nym hissed.

"You can feel it too?" Harry asked.

He opened his eyes to find a statue had appeared in front of him. Atop its head was a crooked tiara that radiated malicious intent at such a level that there was a visible miasma around it. To make matters much worse, it felt familiar. He felt his magic surge forward in reply to the evil energy. A spike of pain lanced through his forehead, directly where his scar had been. Right where that parasite had taken root. That was why it felt so familiar.

Harry's hand snapped forward, his wand already in his grip. A bolt of pure magic crackled through the air. It struck true, destroying the statue and sending the tiara skittering along the stone floor. The piece of jewelry bounced as it hit the wall.

He screamed as another jolt of pain lanced through his skull. His magic roared inside of him, desperate to destroy this poisoned thing. Harry directed another bolt of pure magic at the tiara. It struck true this time. The piece of jewelry shattered. Black smoke erupted from the pieces. For a brief moment it seemed to form a face before it vanished in a retched scream.

"Damn," Harry took a couple of deep breathes. "Almost killed by a tiara. That would be embarrassing."

"It's a diadem," Nym spoke softly as she moved to his side.

"What?" Harry asked and turned to face her.

The movement made the room spin. Something wet dripped down his face. He wiped at it and his hand came away bloody. Nym noticed and cleaned his face with the sleeve of her shirt.

"Ravenclaw's Diadem," Nym shook her head. "It's one of the founder's relics that everyone thought was lost. I don't know what that smoke was, but it possessed the diadem."

"That was one of those parasites," Harry took her hands in his. "We need to tell Dumbledore about this."

"Yeah," Nym nodded. "Good idea."

"I have them from time to time," Harry smiled at her.

"Even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while," Nym replied.