FicWad

Escape


by malko050987


Chapter Eleven


Disclaimer: I didn't, don't and won't own Harry Potter.


A/N: Thanks LunaMoon224 for all her work on making this chapter a better work. As always, reviews are appreciated :) Many thanks to all of you who have read and reviewed. Who do you guys want me to pair Harry with? I am leaning towards one particular pairing, but it would be great to hear your thoughts on the matter.


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It was a somber Harry that made his way to the breakfast table the next morning. He couldn't remember ever having such a bad birthday, not even from the times before Hogwarts. He responded with a apathetic nod at the greetings of his friends, and began filling his plate, even though he had absolutely no desire to eat.


Two bites later, he pushed his plate away and let his head fall on the table. Tonks eyed him worriedly, and then glanced at the Keeper. 'We have to do something,' she mouthed at him, nodding towards the still form of Harry.


Dudley watched the interaction between the two with large eyes, pausing in his eating to do so. The sudden stop of Dudley's chewing made Harry look up. "What's the matter?" he asked, seeing Tonks' worried face.


"You," she said bluntly.


Before he had a chance to reply, the Keeper spoke up. "Harry, today we will be doing something new. Now that you are 16, you are ready to begin weaving the threads of your tale in the tale of the world." It was said in a formal tone of voice, and Harry reacted instinctively. His back straightened, and he looked towards the old man with an eager expression.


"Let us first gather outside, and then we shall begin. Changeling, if you would join us." With that, the Keeper turned and left through the large doors. Shrugging, Harry went after him, followed by a curious Tonks and a still chewing Dudley.


They descended towards the river, stopping a few yards from it. Once there, the Keeper turned to Tonks. "Work your magic on that rock," he said, pointing at a large rock near Harry. "Lift in the air, and hold it there."


Tonks nodded and then levitated the rock to an haieght of about a dozen feet, holding it there. Meanwhile, the Keeper had Harry enter a trance so he could activate his magic sight. It was getting faster and faster now, and Harry was confident that soon he would be able to do it instinctively, without entering the trance.


"Now, look at the rock, Young Master," the Keeper said when Harry was out of the trance.


The rock was clearly outlined in his eyes, a blob of barely magical nature. It was plain as day to Harry. He had seen stone and rock before, and didn't know why the Keeper wanted him to do this.


"Now, look beyond the natural, wild magic. Look at the controlled force, surrounding the rock."


Harry thought for a few moments, wondering how he could do this. He had wondered before about the differences between the natural magic and the wand magic, and why he could only see one of them.


His question was answer when the Keeper made a motion and Harry saw a veil of magic lift from his eyes. He had to close his eyes and give them a bit of time to adjust before he opened them again.


Magic is bright, was his first thought. Natural magic, wild magic came in all colors, but none of them were bright, or hurt his eyes. But the magic that was currently surrounding the boulder, connected to Tonks, looked like a furnace would. A burning, sizzling, spitting furnace.

"In a few moments, your eyes will adjust to seeing controlled magic, and then we shall proceed."


Harry nodded and did his best to keep looking at the magic-engulfed boulder. The dull colors of the natural magic were almost invisible when compared to the brightness of the spell. The spell itself was bright gold color. Harry followed the line, tracing it with his eyes to Tonks, and he shielded his eyes with his hands.


If the spell was a furnace, Tonks was a star. Bright shades of gold formed her shape, impossible to watch with the naked eye. However, after almost a minute, Harry saw the brightness diminish, until it wasn't unbearable anymore. Tonks was still very bright, as well as her spell, but Harry found that it didn't bother his eyes. He took that as a sign that his eyes had adjusted.


"You can see properly, now, yes?" the Keeper inquired.


Harry nodded. "It doesn't hurt my eyes anymore."


"I am sorry for the bother, but I had to place that block there before we began our training, or you wouldn't have learned properly," the Keeper explained, seeming truly sorry for his action.


Harry smiled and nodded. "No need to apologize, teacher."


He missed the look of surprise and approval that appeared in the Keeper's eyes at his words.


"Now," the Keeper said after a few moments in which Harry turned his head all around to take in the new way things looked, "you shall attempt to affect the controlled magics."


"Attempt?" Harry asked, raising an eyebrow at the Keeper.


"Attempt, yes," the old man replied with a smile. He backed away a few steps, motioning for Dudley to follow him. The boy couldn't do magic or help in any way, but everybody agreed that it would help if he knew how magic worked, so he could escape it, or know what to do. Tonks followed the two men away from Harry, keeping the stone in the same position. Soon, there was a large clear space around Harry, and the Keeper nodded at the boy. "Now, change the Levitation Charm, but leave the rock the same as it is."


Harry gave a curt nod of acknowledgment and turned to the rock, squinting. He willed a counter to the Levitation Charm to appear and a dark, almost black, blue shimmer formed around the boulder.


The next moment, he was chocking on dust from the disintegration of the boulder. A large cloud of dust was still in the air, help by Tonks' spell. However, most of the boulder was strewn all around him, in the form of fine, gray dust.


"Acclaro!" Tonks said, making a sweeping motion with her wand. All the dust cleared, except the particles that had landed on Harry. He was still rubbing at his tearing eyes when he felt a bolt of magic head straight towards him.


Instinctively, he created a barrier in front of the spell, and dived out of the way. He heard a gasp and a sizzling sound. He rubbed at his eyes a bit more and then decided he could see well enough and look around him. Dudley was gaping at him. Next to Dudley, the Keeper was watching him with an approving look. Tonks, on the other side, was looking at the barrier he'd created, wand still pointed. To his naked eye, it was visible only as a large oval, with a burnt, sizzling mark in the center, where the spell had struck.


Squinting, he looked at the magic of his shield. It was a large, golden oval. The same golden color as Tonks, the same color of her spell.


"Every magic controller has a different color. In order to affect them, and their magic, you must use compatible magic," the Keeper said, nodding towards Tonks, who was still staring at the shield.


Harry looked at the shield as it slowly dissipated, a frown on his face. "But then, how do spells affect other people?" he asked, squinting his eyes to catch the very last bit of magic as it vanished.


"That is how spells are worked, Harry. Magic users, especially through wands but wandless as well, can use their magic, their controlled magic, to affect their environment. But it is controlled magic. As you've seen, it doesn't affect the magic of the items. It simply covers it. Overwhelms it."


Harry agreed. The spell had been bright, much brighter than any natural magic he'd ever seen. "So that's why natural magic and obstacles won't work on controlled magic?" he asked, running a hand through his dusty hair.


The Keeper paused for a moment, as if pondering as to how best to frame his answer. "Yes and no. They are both magics, and everything is connected. Deep down, magic is magic. Through natural magic, one can change the controlled magic. Tell me, what would have happened if, instead of attempting to nullify the spell, you would have enlarged the boulder?"


"The - the spell would have gotten wider."


"And weaker," Tonks said. At Dudley's look, she elaborated, "Once cast, a spell is just that. A spell. You can't change its power, or form, effect... or anything. At the Auror academy, we had to cast different spells on all sorts of thing, so we became familiar with what spell it took for different situations. One of those tests was a Levitation Charm on a large table. Once in the air, the other Aurors would levitate things on the table." She shrugged. "If you didn't make the charm strong from the start, it would fail almost immediately."


Silence followed her words, as Harry thought about the implication of what he'd just learned. That meant that if under a trance, he could overwhelm and destroy any spell? But what had made the shield appear? And why had the shield succeeded in stopping the spell?


"Keeper, does that mean that I can destroy any spell?" Harry asked. "Or at least block them?"


"I do now know. Yes, it would be possible, but it would take massive amounts of concentration, and it may be years, even decades, before you are ready for such a feat. But I am certain that if you want to, you would be able to block most wizards, save for the very powerful ones, such as-"


"Voldemort," said Harry, at the same time Tonks whispered, "Dumbledore."


The Keeper nodded at them. "Yes. Those two are perfect examples of that which I speak of."


"Um... what about Harry's shield?" Dudley asked. "How did he made it appear when Tonks cast a spell at him? And why did it stop the spell?"


"What spell, exactly?" Harry whispered to Tonks.


"Cleaning Charm," a blushing Tonks answered just as the Keeper began talking.


"I believe that Harry raised that shield on a purely instinctual level." At Harry's nod, the Keeper continued. "To deflect, or neutralize, controlled magic, such as spells, you need to use the same type of magic. On pure instinct, Harry imitated Tonks' magical signature and wove it into his shield."


"Fight fire with fire," Dudley concluded, a frown on his face. At Harry's surprised look, he shrugged sheepishly. 'I've had a lot to read,' he mouthed, and Harry nodded in understanding.


"Yes, Dudley. Of course, Harry, you could imitate any other magical signature, including yours. This is what we will be working on tonight. It would be much easier for you to simply use your own magical signature, instead of duplicating other people's."


The Keeper glanced at the sun and turned towards the woods. "I shall let you have lunch. After lunch, we will continue training in the hall. Changeling, I would require your assistance."


"Of course," Tonks said, grinning at the old man. He had said that he'd never accept to call her by the name 'Tonks' and she had forbidden him to call her Nymphadora. But she loved the term 'Changeling'. 'It's who I am. It's what I am,' she had explained to Harry, who had first thought it was insulting.


The three climbed back towards the building they lived in, talking of the new discoveries they had made.


--


That evening, Harry crashed onto his bed and groaned. He heard his door open behind him and Tonks' snigger at his position. He tried telling her to go away, but it came out as a mumble, causing Tonks to laugh.


A few seconds later, she sat on the edge of his bed and waved her wand over him. Immediately, he felt a lot more rested. His muscles were still aching, and he was still very, very tired, but it was much better than before. The training had lasted for six hours, leaving Harry completely drained, magically and physically. He was now able to focus on the Sight with only five minutes of preparations, and he could easily intercept and deflect or destroy most spells that Tonks threw at him. But through the pain in his limbs, it was very hard to feel grateful.


"Whaddyawant?" he asked from his prone position.


"I- Harry, we need to talk." She sounded nervous, and he rolled over to look at her.


Her hair was a mousy brown, not the bright pink she favored. She was holding a crumpled parchment in her hand. At his inquisitive look, she handed it to him. He straightened the parchment and his eyes widened in surprise at the heading.


"I thought letters couldn't get here," he half-asked, half-stated, staring at her in confusion.


"So did I," she replied, climbing on the bed and leaning against the wall, knees drawn to her chest. Tears shone in her eyes as she repeated, "So did I."


Harry had no idea how to deal with a crying Tonks, so he latched on the first distraction, and read the letter.


Dear Tonks (and Harry),


I've been trying to send you a letter ever since the two of you have disappeared. For two weeks, I wrote a letter every day, but each came back unanswered. For a while I gave up.


But after our meeting at the Cauldron, I tried again, and I hope that this letter finds you safely.


We did not have much time to chat while at the Cauldron (Happy birthday Harry, by the way, I will give you your gift the first time we meet), unfortunately, so I will ask my questions here, and hope that they will be answered.


How are you, Tonks? Perhaps it is not my place to pry, but these are not easy times, and fate has not been nice to you lately. If there is anything that I can assist you with, let me know. You are not alone, Dora. Remember my words.


Tell Harry that I will help him in any way possible, and that the twins are with me too. He is my last link to James and Sirius, and I do not want to lose him too.


After our encounter at the Cauldron, we spent a few hours at the WWW, discussing our plans. We want to help Harry in any way, but since he's away from us, Fred proposed we sabotage the potions that are controlling the Headmaster.


As of yet, we do not know exactly what potions are used, although I'm guessing at a /Coercere Potion/. For Harry's benefit, this particular potion is odorless, has a slight bitter taste, and renders the user very malleable to outside influence.


George doesn't think that this potion has been used, since he tried convincing Dumbledore to let him set his beard on fire, and Dumbledore was against the idea. If that potion had been used, he would have cheerfully allowed George to set his beard on fire.


There are several other potions, but they all have various disadvantages that we can find no proof of. The /Coercere /Potion/ doesn't need to be administered regularly, once every few months is enough. All other control potions or charms need to be enforced weekly, or even more often, especially on a person as powerful as Dumbledore./


I suggested a love potion, although it is rather obvious that one has not been used. Dumbledore treats Molly in the same way he treats everybody. If she'd used a love potion, he would be acting far more different.


I did some research, and found some more obscure potions, but as of yet, we don't know their exact effect. We are still looking, though, and I hope we'll soon be able to find something. Not having access to the Order library is a great drawback, but being separated from them is much better than being a puppet in Molly's power games.


Fred has felt the air around Ginny, trying to see what she wants from you, and if the potion you were fed is the same Dumbledore received.


Tonks, when you tell this to Harry, make sure to be near him. Fred made a quite disturbing discovery, and I'm certain that Harry will need a friend close to him when he finds out what that little tart did to him.


Tonks, Ginny gave him the /Dominium Caritas/. I have no idea where she got the ingredients from, since that potion is illegal, as well as more than half of the ingredients in it. I do not know if it can be broken, Tonks. Not without a potion even more complex.


Fred and George are contacting everybody they know in search for a book on advanced potion that might have an antidote for the /Dominium. Meanwhile, Harry must avoid Ginny AT ALL COSTS. /


That potion will make him her slave if she kisses him. Once they kiss, he will be unable to feel affection for anybody else besides her, and it is not breakable. Fortunately, this will only be true if he kisses her willingly, and I hope that Harry will understand the gravity of this situation and not so something this foolish.


I will continue trying to find a counter for that potion, and try to find out what other potion Harry has been fed. I'm certain that Molly had another potion in him, something that has been proved by her desperation on the 31st, when she contacted Fred and demanded that he tell her where Harry is.


By her behavior, I believe that Harry was under a time-limited potion, that needed to be taken once every year for it to be effective. Tell him that he should learn food protection charms, and practice them until they are second-nature. I do not want him to become a tool, Dora. He means too much to me.


Your wolf,


Remus Lupin


PS: We have not been able to contact Hermione yet, but George is looking into it.


Harry let the letter fall out of his suddenly forceless fingers. Control him? Use him? Keep him for herself? Cute, smart Ginny Weasley that owed her life to him?


With a cry of anger, he squinted his eyes and willed the colors to flare to life. Once surrounded by the myriads of colors, he began striking at them, systematically destroying all the furniture in his room.


It was only when Tonks' slim arms wrapped around him that he stopped and closed his eyes, letting his tears fall. She held on to him as he dropped to his knees. It was hours before their tears were spent, and Tonks deposited a sleeping Harry on his bed; the bed was the only furniture remaining in the room. All others had been reduced to matchstick size or smaller. After that, she returned to her own room, falling into a restless sleep that left her more tired than she'd been.