Harry Potter and the Galator
Chapter 23
Plans Can Change
Harry's training with Merlin was advancing more quickly than either one anticipated. He was now able to transform into a stag as well as a merlin successfully. He practiced the shielding charm constantly with Merlin as Merlin threw hexes at him left and right. He wanted to make sure that he would be able to protect himself as well as those he cared about when a critical time came upon them. He'd even made the shielding charm into a shielding bubble where people inside would be protected from most curses. He practiced making the bubble so that people within the bubble would not be able to know they are within a shielding bubble and they would be able to hex an opponent without their own hexes being deflected by the bubble. However, the down side of the shielding bubble was that it may not be strong enough to deflect the unforgivable curses. Merlin had explained one day that those curses were so evil and so powerful that even those pure of heart with enough power may not be able to deflect it. But, there was always hope that someone will be able to deflect it successfully. He told him that Harry had done it once, even with his mother's protection, there had to be something else within Harry besides his pureness of heart that helped him deflect the killing curse when he was a mere baby.
Merlin and Harry became close as well. They would joke around when training was over and Merlin would tell him stories of his childhood, even about his childhood enemy Dinatius and how he lost his sight and gained his second sight. Harry learned that Merlin had a friend named Shim who was one of the original giants in the city of Varigal, one of the oldest cities in Fincayra. It was like Harry and Hagrid. He also learned that Merlin's grandmother was a mermaid who died during childbirth and Merlin's mom was well versed in Christianity, druid chants and Greek mythology. In their time together, Harry learned that Merlin also discovered his powers because of anger and that he'd made things happen with his thoughts just like Harry did with the glass cover at the zoo, blowing up Aunt Marge and other things he would recall like jumping up to the roof while running away from Dudley.
He'd learned to focus his healing powers and was in the process of learning how to be a true mage by using magic without the use of the wand. After all, the wand was merely a tool to focus the spell and what not. With Merlin's help he was learning to focus and use his hands to issue hexes and spells.
"Great job, my boy," Merlin told him. "You are getting better each time you visit."
In awe that he was receiving a great compliment from Merlin, all Harry could say was "Thank you, sir."
He made sure that he would relate his adventures to his friends, but would hold back information that he wasn't confident in sharing with them. He didn't want them to know things that would possibly endanger them if Voldemort would use one of them against him. His motto was the less they know, the better off they were.
He did tell them about meeting Merlin's mother and sister. They also spent time with him and told him stories of Merlin's childhood that were probably best left unsaid. But to Harry, although Merlin was only half human, his follies made him as human as everyone else. They told him how he would try to solve everyone's problems and save everything in Fincayra that was in trouble even when the people of Fincayra kept telling him he didn't belong. It reminded Harry of what Hermione had told him once about having a 'hero thing'.
Merlin even told him how he came across his staff. "Just then I noticed the branch in my hand, to my astonishment, its bark started to peel away. At the same time the smaller branches attached at the main stem began snapping off, one by one. The peeling bark rolled into large curls, and then fell away, as if shaved by an invisible knife. It was a sturdy, straight stick, thick and gnarled at the top, tapered at the bottom." *
He went on to tell him about the adventures with the staff and how he received the marks of a butterfly, pair of hawks, cracked stone, sword, golden circle, dragon's tail, and an eye. They all coincided with the lessons that Merlin had taught Harry.
Harry took in everything during those sessions. He was amazed at how well he remembered everything Merlin was telling him, when he had a hard time remembering what the professors talked about in class.
Another one of Harry's lessons was to create a musical instrument. He used many of the natural resources found at Druma Woods. He spent a portion of his lessons making the instrument. Harry was afraid since hadn't really played any musical instrument except for the flute to put Fluffy to sleep back in first year. He thought of that and decided to make a flute as his instrument. Merlin advised him to take his time since he only had one chance to create it and it will either work or not work. The music that would result from the instrument will be its own and will unleash a new level of the Harry's own magic.
Apart from the trainings, Harry anxiously awaited a note from the fake Sirius. He wanted to find out who the person was even if he knew that Voldemort was behind the idea, he wanted to see the real face of the man who dared to play with his emotions and take advantage of him when he was vulnerable. His wait came to an end in a form of a note.
Harry,
Forbidden Forest, same time as before.
Your Godfather,
Sirius
Harry was seething when he read the endearment the impostor dared to use. His godfather, indeed, we'd have to see about that. He showed the rest of the gang the note and as luck would have it, Neville stumbled into their secret meeting once again.
"Oh, sorry. I was busy berating myself for my latest fumbling in potions and the passage opened. I didn't think anyone would be here, and I thought I would be able to use it to study."
"It's all right Neville, you can come here to study whenever you want," Harry answered him. "Have you figured out what the password is?"
"No, but if I stand outside the portrait and berate myself long enough, one of them could open the passage." He smiled and the others chuckled.
"It's 'Bloody Idiot' Neville, no need to call yourself that," answered Ginny.
"Um, I'm sorry, but I couldn't help but overhear some of your plans. You plan to meet someone at the forbidden forest?"
The others looked at each other and sighed. They didn't want anyone else involved. Harry didn't want anyone else involved and possibly be hurt because of him.
"Well, I was wondering if maybe there was something I could do to help?"
"Neville, I don't know if it's such a good idea," Ron told him. The ever insensitive git that he was could not have phrased the rejection in a much more milder term.
"What Ron is trying to say," Hermione added, "is that we don't want to see you get hurt."
"But, I can help. Remember last time?" He looked at Harry with pleading eyes. He wanted to feel useful and wanted to somehow do some good in honor of his parents' efforts to destroy the Dark Lord.
Harry looked around the room and knew that he could not deny Neville a chance to help if only a little. He could feel his feeling of inadequacy and didn't want to add to those feelings hurt and rejection. All of them knew that Harry was a softy when it came to people's feelings. No one knew, except for Hermione and Ron, about his empath powers. He remembered when he told Ron.
"So, you're telling me that you can feel what I am feeling right now?" Ron blushed because he had just spent a good two hours of loving Lavender and felt elated and content.
"If I choose to Ron, I don't to do it all the time. I just turn it on in a way to tune into negative feelings most of the time." Ron felt relieved until Harry added, "but Ron, I can feel what you are feeling right now and don't worry I won't tell anyone else." Harry chuckled as Ron's face turned as red as his hair.
They hadn't discussed with words about Ron and Lavender's intimacy, but they had an understanding and kept it at that. It was a private moment between he and Lavender and Harry respected that. He didn't tell him everything that he and Hermione did even though they'd only been kissing, the thoughts that fired up in his mind were enough to make someone's mother blush if one could see into his mind.
"I'm just kidding Ron, but from the looks of your face I'd say that you had a wonderful time with Lavender."
"Oh, shut up. And do me a favor and don't tune into my feelings unless I am in need of some probing, okay."
"I won't Ron. I haven't intruded on your feelings ever since I learned how to turn it off at will." This made Ron's jaw drop to the floor.
"And just how long had you been able to turn it off at will? And when did you learn you could feel others' feelings?"
"Oh, I learned to turn it off just as soon as I learned I could feel others' feelings. It's like the connection with Voldemort when I was able to feel when he was happy or angry and my scar would hurt, only this time I was able to feel everyone else's emotion. Dumbledore told me it was like I was a natural at it or something because I was able to master turning it off or focusing it so quickly."
"But you didn't answer my question Harry, when did you start feeling others' feelings around you?"
"Don't worry Ron, I don't divulge information voluntarily. I was able to feel what you were feeling when Ginny told you about Malfoy, so that far back okay."
Ron seemed appeased with Harry's explanation. "Thanks, I was just worried that you would tell Lavender about other feelings that I am not yet ready to tell her."
"Ron, if you're talking about your love for her I think she already knows that. I don't think people need powers to know that other people love them, mate. It's one of those gut or instinct thing that you just know about."
"I know, but I know it will mean a lot to her if and when I do tell her in my own words."
"That much is the truth," Harry concurred.
However, his empath powers are putting a damper on their well laid out plans. With Neville now in the picture, Harry would have to devise a different type of plan to include Neville and make him useful at the same time keep him safe.
"Well, we could use a look out person," Hermione volunteered and looked at the others for some type of approval.
"That's right," seconded Ginny. "There is one part of the forest where we don't have anyone guarding. Remember Harry?"
Harry caught on quickly. "Hang on, let's review the map. If there is a place where we need someone stationed as watch, then you're in Neville." He pretended to study the map, but he already knew a perfect place to put Neville so that he would be out of harms way. He'd stationed each one of them out of harms way as discreetly as possible, but he also knew that things could go wrong. "Right here, Neville." He pointed at a safe place away from the meeting place near the entrance from Hagrid's hut.
"Um, okay. But what are we doing. Are we out to save someone like last year?"
"No, Neville. We're out to catch us one of Voldemort's followers if we're lucky," answered Ron. Ron had practiced saying Voldemort's name and he could almost say it out loud without cringing too much. Lavender still gasped at the sound of the name and Neville cringed, but not too much.
"Right then, I suggest we go over the plan and train our new member, we have less than two weeks. I suggest we use it well." Harry spoke with authority. He proceeded teach Neville some hexes as well as the others. He wanted them to be ready even if they weren't going to be close enough to any death eaters to try their jinxes out. It was just a precaution on Harry's part. He didn't want them to go in unprepared.
A/N: Thanks for the reviews. I truly appreciate those who take the time to write their comments good or bad. I also want to thank those who enjoy reading this story because I enjoyed writing it.
*Taken from Merlin's lost years series.