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Author: buzzzz Story: The Gryffin Councilor Rating: Teens Setting: Pre-HBP Status: WIP Reviews: 4 Words: 56,992
“I want fifteen inches of parchment on similarities between a witch or a wizard and their Animagus form by next week,” Ginny called out, as she watched the students leaving, cursing her on the large amount of homework she had just handed them. Ginny had hated doing homework when she was a student, but it was impossible to cover everything that the syllabus required in class. She smiled, realizing once again how a switch in position could change the way one looked at things. Ginny sat on her desk, waiting for the last student to leave before heading back to her quarters. She was gathering her books when she noticed one of her students had stayed back. Ginny looked up at the brown-haired witch standing in front of her, and asked, “is there something you need Miss Brown?” “I need a note allowing my team to skip the class after lunch so that we can discuss our schedule, Professor!” replied the Gryffindor Quidditch captain, Gart Brown. Gart was a confident and extremely intelligent girl who was one of Ginny’s favorite students. She was one of the front runners for making Head Girl next year and Ginny was pushing for her during the staff meetings. Ginny had managed to develop a good rapport with most of her students, but Gart and Ginny seemed to share a special bond. Ginny smiled at the young woman in front of her and replied, “You know you have to ask Professor Evans for that Gart. I'm not the Head of Gryffindor anymore.” “I am unable to find Professor Evans, Ma’am,” replied the girl. “It is already almost lunch time. We need to discuss our time tables as I need to present them at the Captain’s meeting later. ” Ginny sighed and considered her options. She liked the girl, and she had a special attachment to the Gryffindor team for obvious reasons. Usually, she would have agreed to this request, but Evans was a newcomer and, despite the fact that they had become good friends recently, she didn’t know if he would see it as interference. Also, she could not see what the rush was. “You should have asked him earlier. I am sure you will find him in the Great Hall, he usually takes his meals early,” Ginny told the girl, and began to gather her books. “We had taken permission, Professor Weasley, but I lost the note. The Captain’s meeting was announced only this morning and all the other houses are getting the period off. I would have asked Professor Evans if I could find him, but I know for sure that he is not there.” Gart refused to be dissuaded and stood there look at Ginny expectantly. “What do you mean? Is he not in the Castle?” asked Ginny, suddenly curious as to why a Professor would leave the Castle on a working day. “Actually, he is at Professor Hagrid’s hut. It seems an Auror interrupted his class earlier in the day and both he and the Auror have been at the hut since then,” Gart said, giving her most pleading look to Ginny. “They are refusing visitors right now. Please, Professor Weasley, all the other houses have permission and I am sure no one will mind.” Ginny was no longer thinking of the permission. She had instinctively looked out of her window towards Hagrid’s hut when Gart had mentioned it and was now staring at it her jaw hanging open. Gart noticed the look, and began to plead again. “Please, Professor, I already had permission. I am sure Professor Evans won’t mind.” Ginny looked at the girl and composed herself before hurriedly giving her the note and asking her to leave. Then she locked the classroom door and cast a Disillusionment charm to hide herself from the group of wizards that she had seen outside. She pulled out a small blue object from her pocket and tapped it with her wand. The latest version of the Extendable Ear was a masterpiece of the Weasley’s Wizarding Wheezes. Not only did they allow total anonymity while spying on others, they even picked up on the gestures of the people targeted. Ginny always kept one in her pocket and found herself using them with surprising regularity. At this moment, however, she could not hear anything. Either the group was standing very quietly, which in itself would be a very strange thing for a group this large, or they were under a very strong secrecy charm. After trying a few more spells Ginny turned back and sat down, now even more curious as to what was going on. What had surprised Ginny earlier was not the number of wizards standing with Evans outside the hut. After all, Evans did usually have a large number of strange visitors. It was, instead, that particular group which was surprising. As far as she knew, that particular group of wizards hadn’t stood together inside Hogwarts since they were students here, which was nearly nine years ago. Standing beside Evans was Ron. As far as Ginny knew, Ron had never visited Hogwarts without telling her first. And right now he was supposed to be in the middle of a particularly difficult assignment. Standing next to Ron was Tonks. Since Tonks had become the Head of Auror Division at the Ministry of Magic, she had usually been far too busy for any kind of social life, which meant that whatever was happening outside was definitely an official meeting. Completing the group were eight wizards Ginny was sure had not visited Hogwarts for a long time. In fact, until this moment, she had not known that they had kept in touch with each other. Seamus Finnigan, Neville Longbottom, Dean Thomas, Katie Bell, Colin Creevey, Oliver Wood, Luna Longbottom and Zacharias Smith stood around the other three with their wands out and their faces grim. It was like seeing a reflection from her years at school. Each of them had been hurt in one way or the other by the war and had all found lives and friendships outside of their Hogwarts friends. Ginny had met them all occasionally in the past few years, but they avoided the social circuit and had myths surrounding their names. No one, as far as Ginny knew, could have guessed that all of them would ever be found standing together. Seamus had left the school in their Sixth year, soon after Harry. Ginny hadn’t heard of him for several years after that except for his marriage to Lavender. Five years ago the couple had suddenly appeared, opening a pub in Hogsmeade. Though Ginny had run into them several times at the pub, Seamus was known to stay away from his fellow Gryffindors. Several times there had been news of him disappearing for long periods at a stretch. Lavender had started socializing after enrolling their son at Hogwarts last year, but had never told anyone about the five years when they had gone missing. Neville was another strange story. Neville and Ginny had become friends in her fifth year and Neville had supported her through the break up with Harry. He had been vocally against the students who had left Hogwarts after Harry. Then, when Ginny had come back for her sixth year, she had learned that Neville would not be returning. In a crisp letter, he had informed his fellow Gryffindors that he too had lost confidence in the school and would complete his education elsewhere. The next time she had heard of him had been when Ron had completed his Auror training and Neville had been present at the graduation ceremony. She had learned then that he had been awarded the Order of Merlin, Third Class for his role in the defeat of Voldemort. He now taught at the Auror academy and though she did not know what it was that he taught, she was pretty sure it would be something close to Herbology. If he was teaching there, she figured, he must also have completed the Auror training for only Aurors were allowed inside the academy. What she found most strange about Neville, however, was his association with Luna. Luna and Ginny had gotten along well in school especially in their sixth and seventh years. Luna’s crush on Ron, their short but eventful relationship in Ginny’s sixth year, and the subsequent break up had been an emotional roller coaster that had brought Ginny and Luna much closer. When Luna’s dad had died in an attack on The Quibbler's office, Luna had leaned heavily on Ginny for support. They had remained close for several years after that. Then, around five years ago, Luna had met Neville and the two had hit it off well. Luna had been strangely excited by the whole thing. One day, Neville had invited Luna for dinner and Luna had been sure he was about to propose. Ginny had helped her get ready and they had had a great time dressing up and planning a girl’s night out later. However, something had gone wrong. Though Neville had, as expected, proposed and Luna had accepted, Luna never came back for a girl’s night out. In fact, Luna had since become a recluse like Neville, avoiding Ginny, and as far as Ginny knew, all her other friends. What could possibly change the girl in such a drastic manner, Ginny could never guess. Ginny glanced at the other five that made up the group. Dean worked at the Ministry though Ginny hadn’t kept in touch with him at all and had almost never seen him at any of the gatherings. Zacharias, Katie and Oliver were all professional Quidditch players and Ginny had met the lot a few times at games she had attended. None of them had ever been close to her so she did not know much about them. Colin was the last in the group and stood slightly off from the others and was clearly tense. As far as Ginny knew, he was now a photographer for Luna’s paper but she had never seen a photographer look so battle weary. He almost had the gait of an Auror. Colin and Ginny had been very close at school but somewhere along the way he had disappeared and she had, until this moment, almost forgotten about him. Now that Ginny considered it, all of them had seemed to be doing nothing till about five years ago. Then, in what Ginny now thought was a massive coincidence, they had all appeared back in the wizarding world and found jobs. She also noticed that each one of them was a recluse. The more she thought about it, the more similarities she could find in that group. Even Ron had been working for some special unit among the Aurors and had rarely interacted with anybody, disappearing for days at a time. Then, when Hermione had had her babies, Ron had changed jobs and become much more available. That had also happened exactly five years ago. Ginny looked at her watch, and saw that it was almost time for lunch. She sighed thinking that maybe she was over-reacting. All of them were sure to be present for lunch, and then she would know why they had suddenly decided to visit Hogwarts, all at the same time, and why they were standing there holding their wands as if preparing for an attack. Ginny’s last thought, before she left the class for lunch, was that she needed to have another talk with Hermione. ……………………………………… Harry Potter was sitting inside Hagrid’s hut among members of the Gryffin Council. They were all sitting quietly drinking tea and Harry was reflecting on what had happened. He had not expected things to start happening so soon. He had thought it would be several years before things escalated and he was sure by then he would have solved the last remaining mystery surrounding Voldemort. Now Lavender had been attacked and Harry couldn’t help but blame himself. If only he had spent less time on his personal matters and more time doing his duty, there was a chance he would have found the last piece of the puzzle by now. Harry looked around at his fellow Gryffins. He was proud of them. They had stood by him and trusted him through his battle with Voldemort and the subsequent years. They had had to sacrifice much for his cause and they had all willingly given up years of their lives. Even today, they had all left their jobs and come to him, ready to jump back into battle if he needed them. Of course, the attack meant that they were all vulnerable, too; fortunately they were capable of defending themselves and had no real need to come here to stand by him in whatever he decided to do next. They were now waiting for his word. What was he to do? Six years ago, after Voldemort was safely imprisoned and most of his Death Eaters had been caught, Harry had made the decision that he was beginning to doubt. Harry had decided to have a life of his own. Only a handful of the Councilors were Weapons and very few of them had made an attempt at a happy life before. None had ever been successful in having a good family life. The Weapons carried far too much responsibility on their shoulders without adding the burdens of a normal life. Besides, family and friends were weaknesses they could ill afford. But Dumbledore had persisted and convinced Harry to make an attempt. Dumbledore had worked his entire life at making sure his successor would be able to attempt a normal peaceful life. Dumbledore had attempted one himself in his younger years but had failed because of the constant threat on the wizarding world. But he had convinced Harry that things were getting better and it was time to change the myth that the Weapons had to die unhappy. Harry had finally agreed to attempt what Dumbledore was insisting on when it had become clear, that with passing time, the most powerful leaders needed to be happy. Hogwarts was difficult to control if one had unresolved issues and the difficultly was increasing with every generation. It was the same with all the other magic that the Wizards banked upon. He had decided that he would first ensure that the Gryffins, Malfoy, and others who were fighting with him get back to wizarding life. He would be the last to attempt it, and only when he was sure it would have no negative consequences. Five years ago he had asked his friends to return to normal life, make friends, and live happily. He had put in place measures to ensure that the Gryffins would still be able to fight if need arose and that their existence would continue to be secret. And this year, Harry had finally decided that it was time for him to try it. Today, though, he doubted if such a time would ever come. Ron’s voice brought Harry back to the conversation. “I don’t think it’s a good idea for all of us to be seen together. It’s sure to raise eyebrows. Let’s discuss this further at tonight’s meeting.” Ron then gave a questioning look to Tonks and said, “meanwhile, I will file it at the Ministry as a regular Death Eater attack?” “That sounds just fine as long as I am kept in the loop on what is happening here,” replied Tonks and looked hard at Harry. “Harry, I trust you to keep me completely informed.” Harry Potter nodded his head and said “I need everyone to go back to being extra careful. No two members of the Council are to be seen together, at least till I figure out if this is a serious threat.” He then turned towards Seamus and said, “I am sorry, Seamus, I have been too involved in getting my own life together and this comes as a surprise.” “Come on, Harry, it’s hardly your fault. No one expects you to stop every attack.” Seamus said and then hesitated a little before continuing. “But I would like it if you can keep me in the loop. We need to be prepared for the next attack.” “I know, Seamus,” replied Harry, and took a deep breath. “I wasn’t really expecting this right now. Trust me, next time we will be ready.” Seamus nodded his head and everyone sat silently for a few moments before Seamus asked again, “So, all you can tell us is that one of the Councilors who had helped Voldemort is now looking for another wizard to replace Voldemort? Why are we not looking for the Councilor then?” “Actually, the Councilor in question is within his rights to teach the Dark Arts and we really have nothing more on him,” replied Harry. “But I don’t get why the Death Eaters are attacking us?” Oliver asked while pouring himself some more tea. “We believe that the Death Eaters take it as a sort of contest,” said Tonks. “They believe that the Slyth Councilor will pick the most dreaded and evil wizard to train…” “Which is, of course, not true,” interrupted Harry. “I believe he will pick someone unknown but well read and powerful, just like he picked Tom Riddle.” Tonks gave Harry a nod and continued. “The Death Eaters believe that getting rid of the Gryffins would be the kind of thing that would bring them to the good graces of the Councilor. Your group is, after all, believed to be leading the fight to punish the Councilor for teaching Tom Riddle.” “Not just teaching, Tonks. He assisted Voldemort in several ways,” explained Harry. “Voldemort never had resources for the kind of attacks he managed after our fifth year.” Harry got up, his face flushed. “Remember the battles! Where did he get the men and money from? I have no doubt that Councilor Blarney was assisting Voldemort then and all through the later years. He is not looking for another student; he is looking for another general for his Dark Armies.” “We have believed that for a long time now, Harry,” Neville spoke up. “I have repeatedly asked that if he is responsible why can we not take action against him?” “We have no bloody proof!” Harry was furious now. “The Wise are extremely powerful; we cannot take action against a Councilor unless the Wise approve it. You cannot just attack a Councilor, Neville; that is what I have always said.” “Then let us get the proof, Harry. Why are we just sitting here?” Neville snapped back. Harry looked at the furious Neville and noticed once again how much his old friend had changed. Harry couldn’t remember when the stumbling, nervous young boy and become a powerful and angry wizard. “I have been working on it for several years now, Neville, and I have made no progress,” replied Harry. “After Voldemort’s death I was convinced that Councilor Blarney would not take action for several years. It just seemed more important to secure Hogwarts right now.” “The attack today was well planned,” Oliver Wood pitched in. “The Death Eaters must have regrouped, and they must have a new leader. I didn’t even know so many of them were still on the loose!” “Actually, there aren’t many of them left,” said Ron. “Today’s attack, though organized, involved only one or two well trained wizards. Most of them were untrained, probably novices.” “As I see it,” Dean began. “It was definitely wrong for us to become so casual. We need to remain prepared. We did not know the kind of threat that the Slyth Councilor was. Harry you need to keep us informed, and we need to regroup and become active again till we get rid of the man.” “You all must understand that Voldemort was a very special case.” Harry was now standing next to the window, looking out. “He was heir of Salazar Slytherin himself. There was absolutely no reason to believe that the Slyth Councilor had any evil intention when he taught Tom Riddle about the Dark Arts. Dumbledore always suspected him of helping Voldemort but no one else has ever believed it.” Harry turned around and took a deep breath. He needed these people to trust him, and he was going to tell them what was needed for it. “I have never had any reason to believe otherwise. That has, however, changed recently.” Harry looked at Hagrid and nodded. Hagrid had been sitting quietly until now, helping everyone with their tea. On Harry’s signal he cleared his throat loudly and began to speak. “Grawp’s seen some wizards come to the Giants. Dark Wizards those were, I tell ye! Grawp heard them talk to the Giants. They think the Councilor controls them Dark Armies.” Harry thanked Hagrid with a slight nod and explained, “The Giants have fought with the Dark Armies several times. We have always known the Dark Armies did not answer to Voldemort. The last remaining question was how did Voldemort get them to fight for him? I believe now that Councilor Blarney is the missing link. Unfortunately, even though I have known this since returning to Hogwarts, I have not done anything about it. That is where I owe you all an apology.” Harry was now looking at all of them with wet eyes. “When Voldemort and Dumbledore died that night three years ago, I had no reason to believe that there would be a threat so soon. The only place still vulnerable was Hogwarts, which was sure to become a target as soon as we released the true story behind Voldemort’s death. I therefore decided to concentrate on making Hogwarts safe again. I apologize for the oversight.” “It was hardly your fault, Harry,” Katie Bell insisted. “You made your decision based on what you knew then.” Harry dropped his head a bit and continued. “That is not all, Katie. Truth is that I am nothing but a Weapon for the good side. There have been others before me, Dumbledore for one, and they have all accepted their fate. We Weapons do not look for friends, family and happiness. Since ancient times the chosen wizards have lived lonely lives with their individual destinies; their only purpose being the fight against evil. I have wanted for more, and in doing so I have let the important things slip. Lavender could have died today. You all are my only friends, and I ask you for forgiveness.” With that Harry got up, nodded to Ron and Hagrid and walked out of the hut. He had barely walked about ten yards before the door opened again, and the entire Council rushed out and followed him. “Don’t be too hard on yourself, Harry,” Katie shouted out, trying to stop him. “Dumbledore talked to us about this. We know about his fight among the Wise. We all agree with him, at whatever cost.” Harry stopped and turned around. He gave a sad chuckle and said “I know. However, I have pledged that my personal fight would come after the fight of the good.” “Let’s discuss further this at the meeting tonight,” pointed out Ron. “Someone may see us all together and I am sure we don’t want that as long as this last threat is unfinished.” Everyone nodded and began saying their good byes. Harry Potter, however, stood looking at a window on the Castle where he thought he had just seen someone standing. He knew it was the Transfiguration classroom. With a sigh, he turned and walked back inside. He was barely in control of himself and needed to think this through. He had let Lavender be attacked because of his carelessness. It had never happened before and he was determined that he would never let it happen again, even at a heavy cost to himself. He had always felt guilty about his decision to seek friends and family and it was now clear to him why the Weapons before him had always chosen to be single and to lead lonely lives. He had lived alone for years, and if it was needed to complete his duty, he would live alone for the rest of his life. ………………………………… The Black Death In the early 1330's an outbreak of deadly bubonic plague occurred in China. Plague mainly affects rodents, but fleas can transmit the disease to people. Once people are infected, they infect others very rapidly. In Muggles, plague causes fever and a painful swelling of the lymph glands called buboes, which is how it gets its name. The disease also causes spots on the skin that are red at first and then turn black. For wizards, the plague was a much more deadly disease. It infected the magic itself and spread through the use of magic. Since China was one of the busiest of the world's trading nations, it was only a matter of time before the outbreak of plague in China spread to western Asia and Europe. The beginning of the disease in Europe is said to have been at Sicily where, in October of 1347, a ship appeared at the wizard docks. The particular ship was said to belong to a powerful dynasty of wizards who were one of the key links in trade with China. Several of those on board had lost their magic and were now infected by the Muggle plague. The wizarding doctors tried to use magic to control the disease, little realizing that the act itself caused the spread of the wizarding plague. By the following August the plague had spread as far north as England, where people called it "The Black Death" because of the black spots it produced on the skin of the infected. A terrible killer was loose across Europe and medieval medicine, both Muggle and magical, had nothing to combat it. After five years, 25 million people were dead. One-third of Europe's population both Muggle and Wizarding was deceased. But the bubonic plague was nearing its end. While several theories have been proposed as to what caused the plague to end, the major factor remains the Council of the Wise. After the first few years of the plague it was realized that the most powerful wizards were never infected. In fact, the use of cleansing magic by the said wizards could cure people of the disease. Thus, to combat the disease a confederation of the most powerful and the most skilled wizards of the time from across the world was created and called the Council of the Wise. They studied the essence of magic inside man and it is believed in legend that they could control the creation of magic in wizards. Whatever means they may have used, in five years they managed to cleanse most of Europe’s wizards. The act is also said to be the birth of light magic or cleansed magic as it is called today. The discovery, while ending the reign of the Black Death, created another big problem for wizard kind. If wizards could control the creation of magic and its power inside a man, they could create wizards so powerful that the destruction of the wizarding world was imminent. It is not known what was done but the Council decided to hide the method for ever. No longer was the work of these wizards open to common folk. Only those chosen few, called Councilors, would be treated to become the most powerful of their times. They would, however, only be able to use their powers for specific purposes, all of which were for the good of the wizard kind. How a Councilor is chosen is unknown. The author has heard, in his research, of The Purple Mist as the selector of the Councilors. No details on what it is could however be determined. Since then, the Council of the Wise has become a legend that no one knows the truth of. That it exists, however, is certain. It is believed, in fact, that as the centuries went by Councilors were created in all the major nations of the world for a variety of specific goals. Some even go as far as to say the Council enjoys legal powers over the local Ministry. Some of the Councilors are also said to have turned to creating dark magic, breaking the rules set at the time the Council was founded. Most of the Councilors remain unknown. A few of them, however, due to the nature of their work, are legends or villains of their times. It is believed that several British heroes across the years, including Robin Hood, William Wallace, King Harold and recently Albus Dumbledore, were all Councilors in the Council of the Wise. Most villains including Jacob, Barthelmus, Billohun and recently Grindelwald were also Councilors. It is unknown what specific role each of these great men held at the Council and it may indeed never be known. Close to my death, this is all I have been able to discover in my quest for the Wise. I leave further revelations to another. Hermione Granger-Weasley closed the book she was reading and whooped with joy. She had finally found something. She had been looking for information on the Council of Wise for several months but despite an exhausting search she had found nothing. It was almost as if information on the Council had never been put down in books. Her search had taken her to an old library in Scotland where travelers kept their travelogues. Nearly fifty years ago, a wizard was said to have died there after dedicating his life to discovering the truth behind the Council. She had hoped that his travelogue would contain something of use to her. She had been correct. In addition to the description she had read she also found several scrolls covered in neat handwriting which contained a lifetime of knowledge. Even better was a list of places where she could look for further information. She was sure this was going to be a breakthrough in her quest for finding out what exactly happened in the past decade. She was determined that her book on the Boy-Who-Lived be an accurate historical description. With a huge smile and a bounce that betrayed her excitement, Hermione left the small library and Apparated back home. Tomorrow, she would go to each of the places listed in the scrolls she had just found and may be her search will finally be over. …………………………….. By the time Harry had finished with his last lesson of the day it was almost dark and the evening was beginning to get cold. Harry gathered his notes and walked purposefully towards the Headmaster’s office. On reaching the stone gargoyle Harry stopped and got down on his knees. He tapped his wand three times on the stone plinth upon which the gargoyle stood and then blew on it. After a moment of silence, with a low rumbling sound, the wall beside the gargoyle began to transform and a door appeared. Harry opened the door and walked down a wooden staircase lit with torches. At the bottom of the staircase stood another stone gargoyle, an exact copy of the one guarding the entrance to the Headmaster’s office. As soon as Harry approached, the gargoyle gave a slight nod and stepped aside. Harry stepped through the entrance to an elegant room furnished in different shades of gold and red. The private chambers of the last Headmaster of Hogwarts reflected his tastes and choices. There were rows of books lining the walls and the tables were covered with strange looking instruments and things. At one corner was an elegant stool on which a red phoenix was sitting staring at Harry. “Hello, Fawks!” Harry exclaimed, and gave a wave to the phoenix which fluttered its wings regally in acknowledgment. Harry hadn’t had a day like this in a long time. He was getting very good with controlling the Castle. He could almost separate his own magic from the Castle’s and prevent his emotions from affecting the Castle. However, he was still at the mercy of his strongest feelings. The attack on Lavender had brought out the worst in him. He just did not know what to do. He had almost convinced himself that looking for happiness wasn’t a bad thing but he was no longer sure, and he was acting very strange because of his doubts. Firstly, he had been avoiding Ginny all day. He and Ginny had become friends now and they met and talked almost every day. He had not yet had the courage to give Ginny any hint of the truth, but he was coming around to it. Today, however, it had just seemed like the wrong thing to do. Secondly, he had been snapping at his students in his classes. Even he realized that he was sounding like Snape at times. He loved his students, and he wanted them to like him. Harry knew he needed to get over his confusion, and he knew what he had to do. He had to remember and walk through his worst memories: his time with the Wise, his training, his time with Ginny, and the incident where he and Ron had lost their childhood. He had to walk through the rest of the summer after his fifth year and Harry knew it was going to be his toughest session. On top of that, he had the Gryffin Council meeting tonight which only gave him about two hours. The Headmaster’s chamber was the place he used for his worst moments as the place was specially constructed to separate him from the Castle. He had left it unchanged from how Dumbledore had kept it. He did not think of himself as the Headmaster yet. In fact, recently he had been trying to come up with a way to let McGonagall remain the Headmistress while he stayed as a teacher and controlled the Castle. He was not old enough for the position yet, he did not think he had that kind of maturity. Convincing the Governors or the Wise, however, wasn’t going to be easy. With a sigh Harry waved his hand and a wooden box with intricate carvings on it appeared on the desk in front of him. He opened the box to reveal a slab of blue crystal with rounded edges. Harry picked up the Emozione and placed it on the table. With his touch it molded itself into a beautiful vase. An Emozione was the equivalent of a Pensieve for emotions. While a Pensieve was used for storing and retrieving thoughts, an Emozione was an enhanced Pensieve that would allow the user to feel the emotions that went along with the thoughts. Harry closed his eyes and touched his wand to the vase. In a few minutes, a connection appeared between him and the Emozione. Slowly it began to get brighter and a rainbow of colors emerged. As Harry focused his thought on a particular memory, all the colors except for one disappeared. The glow was now bright yellow, the color of awe and curiosity. It was with those feelings that Harry’s memories of his first days at the Castle of Wise began. …………………………………. Harry had never imagined that he would be in such a dilemma on his sixteenth birthday. It was fifteen minutes to midnight and Harry didn’t know whether to be happy or sad. For the first time in his life he knew all the secrets, all the missing pieces to the puzzle that was his life. He understood who he was and what he was supposed to do. Unfortunately, what he knew was far more horrifying than what even he had ever imagined it would be. And as if the story of his life wasn’t vast enough for him to comprehend, he was also struggling with the more immediate problems. The events of the last three weeks were more than enough to make him loose his mind. Starting from the daring large scale attack from Voldemort, Harry’s escape from the Ministry of Magic with Ginny, his long escapade with her, and his final battle which eventually led him to the Castle of the Wise, each event of the last few weeks had been an emotional roller coaster. Harry had also become one of the most unpopular men in Britain in the last week. The Daily Prophet had accused him of joining forces with the Dark Lord in order to save his skin. It was widely speculated that it was his betrayal that had given Voldemort the confidence for such a brazen attack. The paper had gone so far as to accuse him of kidnapping Ginny. It was little relief that the Ministry knew the truth as they were unbelievably quiet about it. He now understood why the man he had asked for help in the Muggle city had panicked and he understood why the Aurors had been concentrating on him even at the cost of leaving Ginny unprotected: The Ministry wanted him in their control. It wasn’t this, however, that was the main cause of his dilemma. There had been deaths in the attack but fortunately no one close to Harry had died. Ron had been hurt in his fight at the Auror Department where he had been instrumental in the capture of Wormtail. Harry recollected seeing Wormtail appear there just as he left with Ginny. Kingsley Shacklebolt had died while jumping in front of Death Eaters who were targeting Harry and Ginny as they flew out of the Ministry. Albus Dumbledore had fought against Voldemort and several of his Death Eaters near Privet Drive and had also been hurt. He was recuperating at Hogwarts but it would be days before he was conscious. The Dursley's had all miraculously escaped unharmed, despite the fact that it was Vernon Dursley who had finally sold out Harry to the Death Eaters. Strangely, Harry felt no anger towards them. In fact, he had no feeling whatsoever towards his guardians of the last sixteen years. They just didn’t matter in his scheme of things. As far as he was concerned, they were just too dumb to know any better. Despite all the news that Harry had been given in the past couple of days, his mind was focused on the one question he was supposed to answer by midnight and, at this moment, he just could not decide. Harry could now be a Councilor, if he so chose. In fact he could hold one of the most powerful roles in the Council of the Wise. Harry Potter had to decide whether or not to become the Councilor for Protection of Good or the Weapon as it was popularly called. Harry got up from the bed where he lay and walked up to a door at the side of the room, pushing it open, and walking out to a large balcony. He had a magnificent view of the Castle of Wise from here. The white marble walls shone in the moonlight and the encrusted jewels shimmered. A light breeze blew his robes as he stepped up to the railing and leaned forward on his arms. It was a quiet night and not a soul could be seen moving anywhere in the valley. As he looked out into the darkness, he knew he did not really have a choice. The day Harry had arrived at The Castle he had mostly been allowed to rest. He had been wary in the beginning but, with Dumbledore’s letter telling him his destiny, he had begun to trust Councilor Matheran, who was going to be his main mentor for the years to come if he chose to be a Councilor. Councilor Matheran was the Councilor for Knowledge. Harry had met him as soon as Harry had appeared in front of the Castle gates. Most of the information that Harry now had, he had gotten from the Councilor and the rest from the immense library that he now had access to. The whole thing was rather simple to put together now that he had the pieces. The Council consisted of powerful wizards who had the capacity to generate and control magic. Different Councilors controlled different aspects of magic and thus had different tasks to accomplish. There were Councilors for things as varied as Care of Dragons, Protection of Rivers, Control of the Elements, and several other fields. There were also Councilors for various forms of Dark Arts. What made them special was their ability to control their aspect of magic in a much more powerful manner than common wizards. The Councilor for Protection of Good had the ability to control all the aspects of magic and the ability to use them in deadly forms in combat and defense. The Purple Mist had been devised by ancient wizards to choose wizards capable of such powerful magic and bring them in front of the Council. The wizard then had a choice. He could either join the Council by agreeing to be bound by a magical contract that would allow him to use his magic only for the particular purpose he was to serve. Or he would be made to forgo his ability. That was the choice that Harry had to make. Deep inside him he knew that somewhere among the abilities the Purple Mist had seen in him lay the power that could defeat Voldemort. But he had read of the lives the Weapons before him had lived and he doubted if he could survive what it took to be a Councilor. The Weapons were the most powerful of the Councilors and held control over several aspects of magic. Traditionally, all the Headmasters of Hogwarts had been Weapons. With such great power, they also received a great curse. They were destined to have tragic lives ending in tragic deaths. They would also be responsible for the lives and deaths of others. Some would be lives that they would have to end and some would be those that they failed to save. Then there was the question of his training. Several hopefuls had died before they had completed the first two weeks of being a Councilor. All of those dead had been aspiring to become Weapons. The Council of the Wise had, in ancient times, developed a method to instill in a wizard the ability to create magic. The Weapons could be instilled with the ability to create some of the most powerful magic but the process to create such ability was torturous. They had to live through weeks of potions, magic, and tests that had driven several wizards insane. The training had been compared to having several Dementors inside your head for days on end and Harry doubted if he could live through that. Then there were the six stages of becoming a Weapon: Love, Betrayal, Loyalty, Power, Death and Contentment. The Weapons had the ability to control the most powerful source of magic -- their emotions. Others controlled magic through mind, blood, or body, each of which was comparatively easy to master. The Weapons controlled their emotions and their magic was the most difficult to master. As a part of development of emotions, a Weapon had to go through six stages in his life. He had to find love amongst his family and friends and spend the first part of his training experiencing emotions. Harry had never had his own family and he didn’t really know what it meant to find love. He had to then to bear and inflict betrayal amongst those he would love, and it was meant to strengthen his emotions. It is in betrayal that he would find the strongest of his feelings. It was said to be the toughest of the stages. Living through betrayal from your most loved and betraying those who love you most had to be the most Slytherin thing to do and Harry didn’t know if he could pay such a high price. The Weapon then had to build two armies of loyal friends, an army of the light magic and an army of the dark magic. These would be led by two of his most loyal supporters, the two who would follow him despite the betrayals. It was by controlling their loyalty that the Weapon would achieve the Power stage: It was only when he had the loyalty of his armies that the Weapon would realize his true powers. It was only then that he would be able to fulfill his duty to protect. The Weapons were then to serve wizard kind till their Deaths. These were the five stages every Weapon had been through, and every Weapon would have to go through. The Sixth stage was reaching Contentment. It was theorized that when a Weapon achieved total control over himself including his mind, body, and emotions, the Weapon would be able to attempt Contentment. True Contentment had never been achieved by any Weapon yet though the Council believed the time was close when one would find it. It would be in this stage that the Weapon would find himself in a position to impart magic in ways that would begin the next age of magic. It was because of this belief that the Weapons had been given the task of leading Hogwarts after their fourth stage. It was believed that some day soon one of the Weapons would achieve Contentment and would begin a new era among Witches and Wizards. He would also be the one that would name the next stage in magic to be achieved by future generations. The idea, that he could be the one to reach that stage, had made Harry’s heart race. But now, with just a minute to go before his sixteenth birthday, Harry Potter doubted if he had enough in him to last through the first five stages. Especially the fact that something could come after death made no sense to him. To add to that, he hated the idea of god knows how many years of his life being predetermined by stupid rules. Harry took a deep breath and looked out at the stars for one last time before heading back. He still had not voiced his decision though he was beginning to realize that he had made one as soon as he was given the choice. His own life meant little in the face of Voldemort and other duties that his powers had placed upon him. He would just have to ensure that those he loved found lives away from his cursed existence. Harry had not yet finished that thought when he heard movement in his room. He turned and walked back inside. The first thing he noticed was two rings lying on the table. They glowed with a golden light bright enough to light up the rest of the room which was now dark. A little outside the range of the light he could make out some other shapes. Harry lit his wand and saw a small pile of gifts lying on one corner. As he began to walk towards them, the glow around the rings intensified and Harry realized that he had to make his choice first. With a sigh he walked up to the table and looked at the rings. Something inside him drew his hand towards the magnificent golden ring with a small griffin carved into its purple stone. Moving on his instincts Harry picked up the ring and slipped it on the second finger of his right hand. As soon as the ring was in place, it began to glow brightly, and fused into his finger. Within moments the ring and his finger were one. The light moved from the ring and surrounded Harry. His body began to tingle and he felt something change inside of him. His head buzzed and Harry leaned on a chair next to him for support. As he touched his chair a pain grew inside him starting from his finger and soon every part of his body ached as if pricked by needles. It was worse than the pain of the Cruciatus curse. Harry fought against it to stay awake, and managed it long enough to feel the pain fade away and see light from his finger dim. The last thing he saw before he lost consciousness was feathers on his arm. …………………………………. Harry felt himself sucked out of his memories and thrown out of the Emozione with a powerful force. Before he landed on the ground he transformed into a large golden animal. Harry landed softly on his paws, now fully transformed as a Gryffin, a magical animal with the head of an eagle and the body of a lion. The king of animals and the king of birds combined into one beast which was the most royal of the magical animals. The Gryffin shook itself and flew to the door of the room, transforming back to Harry while still in the air, and landing as Harry at the door. Harry stood there for a moment, straightening his robes and taking a deep breath. He closed his eyes and relaxed his mind. With a flick of his wand the Emozione was sent back to the shelf and Harry walked out of the room. This time the memories had been too powerful for him to control. He had remembered his first transformation to a Gryffin and it had caused him to transform in real life. Harry had lost control once again. He had no time to ponder over it, however, as he was already late for the Gryffin Council’s meeting and needed to rush. Still, he realized that he had a long way to go before he reached the next stage of being a Weapon. He had achieved the first five, including death, despite his skepticism. In fact, in a way, he was still living as a dead man. That fact gave him some confidence that maybe, just maybe, he was going to be the one to usher the new age of wizards. By the time he walked out of the passage and stood in front of the Gargoyle guarding the Headmaster’s office, Harry was again a confident wizard who was sure that he was closer to his goals. Harry smiled and noticed for the first time that he was covered in sweat. He waved his wand, drying himself, and walked purposefully towards his quarters. …………………………………. Ginny Weasley had been waiting outside the door to Professor Evan’s quarters for the last fifteen minutes and he had not yet arrived. She was sure he was still in the Castle and she was determined to find him. Something odd was going on and she needed to find out what. None of the wizards and witches she had seen in the afternoon had turned up for lunch. What had been even more distressing was that when she had Flooed Ron in the evening he had denied visiting Hogwarts. Evans had also avoided her since then and she was at her wit’s end. Just as she was about to give up and leave, she heard footsteps approaching the corridor. She walked a few steps towards the opposite end and began to walk back as if she had just arrived. ………………………………….. Just as Harry turned into the corridor that held the door to his quarters, he saw Ginny approach from the opposite end. Even though he had been trying to avoid her all day and was in too much of a rush to entertain her, he found his smile growing wider at the sight. Ginny was wearing a casual white dress with a flowing skirt that billowed around her as she walked. Her hair was not as well groomed as they usually were and her disheveled appearance made her look that much better. She had a frown on her face and her cheeks were slightly red. Harry knew she was upset about something, but seeing her looking so lovely, so suddenly after the emotional roller coaster that he had just experienced, Harry could only smile. “Hey, Ginny! Forgotten your way?” Harry exclaimed just as he reached the door. “Where have you been? I've been looking for you!” Ginny exclaimed before she could stop herself, and felt her cheeks blush even more. Harry was surprised at the familiarity in her voice. “I was at the Headmaster’s office finishing some work,” he said, and then his face broke into a smirk. He raised one eyebrow. “I must be getting popular if the prettiest professors are looking for me.” “Only to tell you that I gave Gart permission to skip the class after lunch,” replied Ginny. “You came down all the way to tell me that? And I was hoping that you just wanted to see me,” said Harry. Ginny decided to test him a little and said, “Maybe I would when I know who you really are!” Harry stopped himself with a jerk and looked at Ginny with sad eyes, “I wish I could tell you.” “And you cannot because? I'm sure some other people know,” replied Ginny. Harry sighed deeply and finished opening his door. He then turned and took a step towards Ginny. He touched her hair lightly, and tucked a stray lock behind her ears before he spoke, “I'm not sure you're ready to know who I am.” Ginny held her breath and controlled her urge to close her eyes. Her stomach had flipped as Evans had stepped close and that hadn't happened to her for a long time. She looked up at him and replied, “Do I really know who you are?” “You knew who I was,” replied Harry. “I am not sure even I know who I am now.” “When can you tell me?” Ginny breathed out, surprising herself even more. She hadn’t come here for this. She didn’t know Evans well enough for this conversation but something told her she knew the real person in front of her well enough. Harry took a deep breath and stepped back. His heart was beating wildly. “Maybe you should first get to know me as who I am now. What or who I was may not even matter.” He had just let out his deepest hope. Ginny looked at him for a moment. She was surprised at where things had gone. She thought about the man in front of her. They had been spending time together for the last month or so and she did like him. In fact, he could make her laugh the way she hadn’t laughed for years. He made her long for things she had begun to find suffocating. She didn’t know if it was the mystery or if they really shared a connection. She knew whoever he was, he cared for her deeply. But was she ready to accept him despite who he may be? The one name that sprang to her mind made her heart beat faster and made her answer in a very stern voice. That name was Harry Potter. “It will matter if you are who everyone thinks you may be,” Ginny said in a cold voice, then realized and softened a little. “But I would like get to know Harry Evans better.” Harry looked at her and knew she had just thought about the real him. He wondered what she really thought about him as Harry Potter. Their parting had been a disaster to say the least. “I hear you are a good Quidditch player yourself. How about we have an hour or so of flying followed by dinner this weekend?” “Are you asking me out on a date?” replied Ginny. “Just an outing to get to know each other better,” replied Harry, now walking inside his room and peeking out from behind his door. Ginny turned around, giving her hair a flick. Then, with a cheeky grin she replied, “I’ll consider it.” And walked away. Harry closed his door with a grin on his face. He turned around to see the Gryffin robes lying on his bed. The grin left him and he stood there for a long time realizing that he had just taken another step towards the life a Weapon wasn’t supposed to have. All happiness left him and he quickly put on his robes and walked out of Hogwarts. ………………………………………. AN: The Black Death was a real plague that killed nearly two-thirds of Europe’s population in the Middle Ages. It isn’t known what really ended it. I have used that in my story. AN: Emozione is an Italian word for emotions. I picked it up because I wanted a Pensieve where one can feel the emotions that one had at the time of ones memories. AN: Please Review guys. I have revealed lots of stuff in this part, and ended it with some promise of upcoming fluff. Let me know what you think of the story. AN: Thanks a lot to Arnel, Kathy and Katie for beta reading this chapter.
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