Categories > Books > Harry Potter > Elementary Calculations

X+Y

by kcourtkat 11 reviews

Category: Harry Potter - Rating: G - Genres: Drama,Humor - Characters: Harry - Published: 2008-04-30 - Updated: 2008-04-30 - 1180 words

5Boring
I disavow all rights to Harry Potter.
Thank you to those who reviewed. Appreciation all around.
And by the way, there will be no horcruxes.

Chapter 2: X+Y


Nimble fingers flew over the keyboard as intense green eyes absorbed the information on the screen. Two hours of research had yielded a great deal of information. It was truly amazing what came up when you input ‘mental and psychic powers.’ Some of it was interesting, like several of the articles on telekinesis, but that alone did not explain seeming ability to teleport.

Not to mention the sheer volume of stuff. How am I supposed to go about figuring out what can be credited and what can’t be? I already know that I can make things move and change color, but so far I’ve only done it unconsciously and in distress. The effects also look to be random and uncontrolled.

A vision of himself reappearing on another road and in front of a vehicle flashed through his head.

Today’s incident could have ended much worse than it did. It’s a wonder I didn’t kill myself. My ability could plausibly come with a failsafe to insure my continued survival. I’d rather not risk it though.

Harry stretched to get the kink out of his neck and took a glance around the half empty library. A ten minute walk away from school, he had been a faithful regular at this location for two years. In that time he had learned a good deal by self study and with the help of the resident librarian. There really wasn’t much else to do when you are by yourself more often than not. While Dudley was in a different class and so had different people to really focus on, he would still bully anyone who spent too much time with Harry on the playground or outside of school. Harry himself wasn’t a regular target, but ever so often Dudley would turn his attention to him, hence today’s scene. Also, why Harry had several casual acquaintances but no real friends.

Turning back to the computer, he sighed. It seemed that all the articles advocated the learning of meditation in order to increase control.

I suppose it makes sense. So far I’ve only made things happen when I’m frustrated or in a rather negative mood. That can’t possibly be healthy, and might contribute to how random the effects are. Or not so random.

He thought back to the shrinking clothes incident. Petunia, about four yeas ago, had been trying to get him into some hideous old sweater of Dudley’s. The sweater had shrunk and kept shrinking until she stopped trying to get him into it. She muttered for the entire day after that.

Frowning slightly, he examined what came after. Up until that point, he had been wearing Dudley’s cast offs, after however . . .

I got new clothes that weekend. Well, not new, they were from a thrift shop, but she stopped giving me Dudley’s outgrown stuff. They were more my size too. Every year after that I would get new clothes once a year, along with the yearly lecture on not abusing their charity.

So, my power manifests my subconscious desires. At least, that’s how it seems now. If I were unconscious and in danger, would I disappear like I did today? Or would being unconscious be enough to keep it from working. I’m not sure which theory I prefer. If my power works while I’m unconscious, then that implies a pseudo-sentience that could, theoretically, work independently of my will. Then again, judging from how things have happened, it would be a symbiotic relationship right?

He looked out of a window at the darkening sky, it was almost time to leave. A quick check in the library catalog revealed that, yes, there were several books on meditation available. Closing the program, he ventured over to the selection of books on meditative techniques.
This brought up another problem. Where exactly could he go to meditate? From what little he knew of the art, one had to have a place where you could concentrate without interruptions. Harry certainly didn’t have that at the Dursley’s, and there were people coming in and out of the library, not that he could use it anyway. After all, who knows what his power would do if he did achieve a meditative state? The local park was out as well, since that is where Dudley went after school.

If it’s not one thing, it’s another. Of course, he mused, there are only two months till summer vacation. It’s not like my powers are going anywhere. I can continue my current schedule of coming to the library during the evenings. I can do most of my home work at lunch, by the time I get here there will only be a little left to do. I will read through all of these thoroughly. By the end of two months I should be well versed in several meditative theories. On the weekends I can go farther afield than the immediate vicinity. There must be somewhere in the surrounding area that is relatively deserted. When summer vacation starts I’ll have the entire days to myself.

Harry picked up his belongings and prepared for the half hour trip back to the Dursley’s. Waving goodbye to the librarian, and wishing her a good evening, he went back to planning the next few months.

I don’t know how long it will take to get the meditation part down. It is quite likely that of the methods available maybe only one will work. I’ll have to see which is the most comfortable and offers signs of improvement. Once I have that covered, I’ll have to use a trial and error method to see what I can and can’t do with my powers. I can lift things, maybe I should find out the upper limits of that. Start out with a sheet of paper or leaves and work my way up.

So the place I find should have stuff I can use to practice on.

I can also change the colors of objects. Are some harder to change than others? Can I change more than the color?

I don’t think I should try the teleport until I have much more knowledge of how my abilities work though . . .


As the boy walked he was genuinely happy for the first time in a long while. With the rest of the school year to prepare, the summer would be both busy and enlightening.

AN: This is just something to set up the next chapter. I won't be going into the search and the rest of the time. The next chapter will have him at his chosen site and ready to start practicing. The Dursley's won't feature too much in this story so if you want something to explain their motivations I can write it if you ask.

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