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Pendragon: The King Stag
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Chapter 2
"History of Magic 101"
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December 1st, 1976
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"Why aren't you going home?"
"I told you, Padfoot, I'm taking an ancient magic course during the holidays."
"I've never heard of that," said Remus.
"Yeah," piped up Peter. "No one's ever given me the opportunity to join anything like that…"
"Well, none of you would want to do it! Normally, Hogwarts students aren't allowed to take this thing, but Dumbledore knows I like ancient magic, and he invited me."
The other Marauders were watching James with puzzled looks. Normally, this kind of strange behaviour could be attributed to a girl, but that wasn't the case now. He stayed at "Dumbledore's office" until very late, woke up very early in the morning, and could be often caught staring off into the distance… It was very, very odd.
"This whole thing sounds strange…"
"I'm serious, you guys."
"Your parents aren't going to want me there!" whined Sirius. "They just let me stay because -"
"Nonsense, Padfoot," James interrupted smoothly. "They love you to death. Don't worry."
Sirius had run away from home last summer, and since then had lived at the Potters'. Remus was going to spend the holidays in Godric's Hollow with him, but James would have to stay. He was going to profit from the Christmas break to study like he never had before… And he'd never thought that he would ever be looking forward to something that, but he was.
Dumbledore had already warned Mr. and Mrs. Potter that James would be staying at Hogwarts for a magick course. This information was to be kept a secret, though - no one wanted Voldemort to know that Hogwarts students were now being trained in the Ancient arts -, and they had been told to keep this all hush-hush.
James was leaving with everyone else aboard the Express, and then Dumbledore would pick him up at his parents' and take him to Avalon. He couldn't go straight from Hogwarts, or someone could get suspicious… The Hogwarts headmaster had been adamant that no one know the truth about James' training… And, of course, the thought of disobeying the Merlin didn't cross his mind.
James was beginning to behave like a Druid - he was determined to do his best to become one. That whole Pendragon thing… Well, he'd think about it later. Right now, he just wanted to worry about his Druid formation. Not to mention, of course, remembering that he was sworn to kill Voldemort someday chilled him to the bone.
"So, Prongs, I was thinking of putting some Itching Potion in Snivelly's drink before dinner. What do you say?"
James looked at Sirius, and he couldn't help but feel a little guilty. He was slowly growing distant from all the pranks and stuff… The Marauders' old jokes just didn't seem that funny anymore.
Obviously, he still disliked Severus Snape. That wasn't the point. The thing was that, right now, James would much rather ignore the slimeball than duel with him or humiliate him in front of all his colleagues.
James was aware that he was exceptional for a reason - a reason far more important than these petty little feuds. Learning even the most complicated charms and potions had always been a piece of cake… well, now he knew why. It seemed almost sacrilegious to put his talents to such puerile use.
Plus, all those lessons on self-control he was receiving from Dumbledore were starting to pay off. He didn't get angry so easily anymore, and was able to keep his temper in check most of the time. The only person in the school who was still able to knock him off balance was Lily… Of course. Always Lily.
Well, she was different from everyone else. James sincerely hoped that at some point Dumbledore would give him some kind of tip on how to get rid of this crush. Seriously. James had fancied Lily since fifth year, and she'd never given him the time of the day. It was a hopeless situation!
After all, if James was going to be a strong-minded, reserved Druid, then he had to stop thinking about her! And he also had to be able to behave normally - coolly - around her! Why did he always have to stutter, or make some stupid joke, or ramble, or make a total fool out of himself? James was ordinarily very self-confident… What was it about her that unbalanced him?
'Hm… Note to self: somehow manage to introduce this topic in next conversation with Dumbledore. Surely Druid teenagers must also go though this at some point…'
"It'll be fun, I'm sure," he said at last, grinning. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go."
James stood and went to Dumbledore's office. The other Marauders were left pondering his latest change of attitude.
"What do you think is going on, Moony?" asked Sirius, grabbing Chocolate Frogs from underneath his bed and tossing one to each of his present friends.
"A girl," Peter suggested, unwrapping his candy. "He has a crush on a girl."
"Well, of course he does," replied Remus. "But I don't think Lily's behaviour around him has changed at all. I mean, they don't argue anymore… They haven't since they negotiated that truce, in the beginning of the school year."
"But… ancient magic, you guys," snorted Sirius with his mouth full. "Studying is what's making Prongs this light-headed? Come on!"
They grinned.
"Oh, he's getting some. I'm sure of it."
"Either that or he's maturing," said Remus quietly. "I mean - he doesn't like to get involved in pranks, he doesn't hex anyone just for the sake of it anymore, and he's trying to take school more seriously…"
Sirius threw him a look.
"I'm just saying - maybe he's trying, I don't know, to get Lily to like him?"
"Come on, Moony. James Potter? Mature?"
"Oh, I know!" squeaked Peter. "He wants to become Head Boy!"
Sirius and Remus stared at the shortest Marauder for several seconds before his statement sunk in.
"Damn… You're right."
"His father was Head Boy, and so were his grandfather and his great-grandfather… He's got a tradition to uphold, so he's trying to get into Dumbledore's good graces! Of course!"
"Hence the summer course! Of course! Wormtail, you're a genius!"
Peter looked very smug, and accepted the compliment with a broad grin.
"I knew there was some ulterior motive… A lot of people - namely, Lily and some Slytherins - complained when he was chosen as a Prefect. I mean, if I were a teacher, I'd choose you as Head Boy, Moony."
Remus laughed. "Do you think that's why he hasn't talked to us about it? He's afraid of the competition?"
"Probably."
"Poor Prongs… He's going to have until June to destroy six years' worth of reputation. We should help him do it."
"Or," proposed Sirius, "we should wait until he asks us for help. He'll need it at some point… We should wait until he confesses it."
"You're right."
"Padfoot," said Peter with a smile, "you're a genius."
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"She will teach you mostly History, James," said Dumbledore quietly as they walked to the old Charms classroom. "There are some things you must understand… But talking to you about that requires an enormous amount of time, and there are people who can do it as well as, or even better than I. I will continue to teach you, of course. But you will have lessons with this priestess until it is time for you to go to Avalon."
"Yes, sir."
Dumbledore opened the door and his Acolyte entered. "Learn as much as you can."
James nodded. After the Merlin left, he turned to look at the priestess.
She was standing by the window, her dark, curly hair glittering in the moonlight. When she sensed his approach, she turned and - there was no other word for it - glided towards him.
"James Potter," she greeted softly. "I am Isarma."
He had already learnt how to speak in that tone: it betrayed no emotion, and was politely distant. He automatically raised his thumb to his forehead and bowed slightly; this wasn't the Lady of Avalon, but he had to salute her with reverence nonetheless.
Lily responded to the signal properly and pointed at the floor, motioning for him to sit down. Her light blue eyes purposefully avoided his; even though she was well disguised, there was no guarantee that he wouldn't see through the façade. She had to get used to him, see how developed his powers were, and then she'd allow him to get to know her better. For James was the Pendragon; even though Lily disliked him, she knew that he had powers perhaps even greater than her own.
James watched in respectful silence as Lily traced a circle around them and purified it with salt. Around them were four small basins; two were empty, one contained earth, and the other, clear water. Muttering some spell, she touched the empty ones, and immediately fire was kindled in one and a small whirlwind started gyrating in the other. Earth, fire, water and air: the four elements.
James had only formed a circle with Dumbledore once before; the Merlin felt it was more urgent for him to learn the Druid bearing than to start practicing magick per se. James knew reasonably well what to do in this situation, but he still felt slightly apprehensive. He breathed slowly and deliberately, banishing his nervousness. There was no reason to worry about this; she knew he had only been acquainted with magick a little over a month ago.
She reached out to hold his hands, and then sang a few words in an ancient tongue - James did not speak it, but understood instinctively that she was calling on the God and the Goddess.
He did not face her. After a few deep breaths, she spoke, and her voice was now melodic, enchanting; for a moment James fought the spell her words seemed to weave on his mind, but he gave up soon afterwards. She just wanted him to focus fully on her, and block out all outside influences…
"I am here to teach you the history of my people," she said.
My people. Lily had long since stopped thinking of herself as a witch, and least of all a Muggle-born witch. Avalon was her home, and she was first and foremost a priestess, a servant of the Goddess. And that was what she was doing there: the work of the Lady. Certainly an unpleasant thing… James Potter was the last man on earth whom she'd chose to be the Pendragon.
But it was not up to Lily to criticise the Lady's decisions. She had already learned that lesson well…
"I will not say that all you have learned is a lie, but you will have to put aside much of what you think you know. When the wizarding world grew distant from Old Ones, much was forgotten. Accounts of times when Druids walked hand in hand with wizards were lost in the mists forever… All that has survived is but a small fragment of what has vanished. For we do not use writing to transmit our knowledge, relying solely on word of mouth, and in the Dark Days, soon after we parted ways, the amount of novices decreased drastically."
She paused for a second, and James seized the opportunity to ask, "Can I take notes? Because then I'll be able to study doing boring classes or something… I won't leave them lying around, promise."
"I don't see why you should. You don't need to memorize all this - you are not meant to be a Druid. You just need to understand."
"But Du- I mean, the Merlin already doesn't give me any books or anything to study. Can't you at least -"
"I'll see what I can do," intervened Lily in a definite tone that shut him up.
James' willingness - eagerness - to study had surprised her a bit. But then again, now that she thought about it, that made sense… He'd just been told that he would have to battle the worst sorcerer that had ever lived; he wanted as much help as he could get.
He tentatively decided to ask one last question. "Where will you start?"
Lily inhaled sharply, realising that she hadn't given this any thought. When she had first found out that she would have to train James, the least of her concerns had been the actual History she was supposed to teach him. After all, Lily had been studying eagerly since she'd first come to Avalon, and had managed to learn in one year much of the knowledge normally taught during many years of priestess training.
But now she had to decide. Indeed, where to start? There was no point in going over the earliest details; this guy just needed the rough overview. It had taken her a while to get to know all this well… The Pendragon didn't have that sort of time.
"Atlantis," she replied after a while.
James had never studied about it before, but he'd heard of that blessed land, which had sunk for apparently inexplicable reasons. He had a feeling that he would learn with detail just what those reasons were… And he now knew that he would never again be able to face History with the same thoughtlessness he always had.
His thoughtful look provoked Lily's curiosity, and she cast her senses out, discerning James' feelings. He looked up to meet her eyes, startled, and instinctively resisted her probe. She grinned.
'Good,' she evaluated appreciatively. He was sensitive enough to know what she was doing. But he definitely should get used to this… It would be much easier to teach him if she kept her senses tuned to his reactions; that way, she would be able to tell when he didn't understand something.
"You can trust me," she assured him, touching the blue crescent on her forehead. "I am sworn to the Mother; I will not use my powers to harm you."
He was ashamed to have reacted so belligerently. Of course she wouldn't harm him! Why had he been so defensive? She was there to help him…
"I'm sorry, it's just - What was that? I mean, I know what it was, but -"
"It's called 'casting your senses'. I can usually read your feelings in your eyes, but it's easier to do it this way. Not to mention I can also do this from a reasonable distance, and it's more precise."
"I see."
"Before we start History, I think I should give you some introduction on -" she hesitated, realising suddenly that he would have a hard time understanding some of the tales if he weren't properly acquainted with magick. "Do you have any ancestral memories?"
His eyebrows shot up for a second, but he quickly controlled his facial expression. "I'm - not quite sure. I sometimes feel that some situation is familiar, but I've never really -"
"Have you started your spell work with the Merlin yet?"
"No."
"It would be rather hard for you to tell so soon, then," she stated. "Perhaps - well, you might have some flashes from other lifetimes every once in a while, and it'll certainly help you."
He was looking at her curiously, obviously wondering what exactly his past lives had been. That, she wouldn't tell him - not that she knew or anything. He would have to find out on his own.
Obviously, one of the reasons Lily didn't want to talk to him about that was because she had Seen - and the Lady had confirmed it - that she had known him back then, too. And probably more than once.
She definitely didn't want James finding out about that any time soon.
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December 10th, 1976
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"Wulfric the Wild killed him, and took the leadership. His ideals differed radically from those of Yeleah the Youth; in his opinion, only goblins over 20 years old, and not 19, should be allowed to apply to positions in the lower council of their town. Therefore, the revolution took on a new face; the revolutionaries had a new agenda, and proceeded to act accordingly."
A few Gryffindor sixth-years had begun the school year determined to pay more attention in History of Magic class; they were starting to worry about the NEWTs they'd take next year. But by December, the students' resolutions were already forgotten. Most of the students were dozing off as Professor Binns droned on and on about yet another goblin revolution.
Last year, the Marauders had remained awake during most of these classes. They had taken advantage of that time to plan the pranks they'd pull during the next class, which used to be Potions, with the Slytherins. Now, however, History of Magic was the last class of the day, so no one really bothered resisting the drowsiness provoked by Binns' boring voice. Not to mention that the holidays were less than a week away. At this point, no one really cared about studying anymore.
One notable exception was James Potter. He was studying more than ever, finding History of Magic incredibly fascinating - even more so than his former favourite subject, Transfiguration. Oh, not Binns' endless, dull drone! That, he still abhorred. No one in his right mind could ever find that class worthy of note.
But Isarma had given him several rolls of parchment, and he just couldn't stop reading them. Before his eyes, a whole new world was appearing, and he couldn't wait to find out more and more about it. This History of Magick seemed close, personal, familiar somehow… She had hinted that perhaps he - in a past life, obviously - had participated in some of the events he was studying, and he was eager to know more details.
There was only one other student awake in the classroom, and that was Lily Evans. James was one row over, two seats in front of her, and she could see that he was engrossed in reading something… She had a pretty good idea of what that something was.
With a grin, she looked down at the piece of parchment on her desk. Eight rolls, and counting… She wasn't even halfway through Ancient Egypt history! Oh, Mother, this was really going to take a while. Well, it would certainly take longer to teach him History if she restricted her lessons to the time she and James spent together. Having him read all this stuff actually made her job easier.
They were going to meet again tonight. With an inward grimace, Lily was forced to admit that James was a natural. He grasped and memorized all the facts quickly, and hung eagerly to what little magick she was willing to teach him.
James was insatiable. Knowledge Lily didn't even know she possessed often surfaced to answer his complex questions, and she found herself wondering where all this information had come from. Lily had planned on giving him only a History outline, going through the main events, but she was actually telling him everything she'd been taught, and even more than that.
Lily now felt that they hadn't quite given Atlantean history all the attention it deserved. Seeing how thoroughly they were studying other events, she couldn't help but feel a bit guilty for devoting only three days' study to it. Well, it was too late to go back now.
Troy, on the other hand, had been a piece of cake. Lily had already gotten to know James better, and she was able to get information through to him a lot faster. She'd also started writing long essays for him to read beforehand, and now their time together had less narrative and more questions and answers.
Despite herself, Lily was slowly beginning to realise that James Potter wasn't all that bad. He was even amusing at times. When he was around her - that is, when he was around Isarma, he was another person altogether. The same person, Lily knew, that he was around his friends and family. The real deal.
He'd always acted differently when he was around everybody else: he flashed dazzling smiles; he was pleasant and flirty all the time. Lily was the only exception; around her, he had always been sarcastic, offensive, and overconfident. She was only now discovering that other guy - the nice one, the sweet, strong, and genial one behind the mask.
James still annoyed her, no doubt about it. He was harsh and irksomely methodical sometimes. In fact, they - well, he and Isarma - had had a bit of a confrontation just yesterday. Their tempers were similar, and they both tended to be extremely stubborn. That was, of course, part of the reason why they had so many arguments so often.
But that didn't matter. The fact that James exasperated her couldn't stop her from doing what she was supposed to, and it didn't. In truth, Lily was even enjoying these classes a lot more than she had thought she would; she was dedicating herself to him in a way that she had thought impossible.
Spending time with James had turned out to be less unbearable than she'd predicted.
Getting a smaller piece of parchment, she wrote a note and tossed it onto James' desk: 'What you're reading must be really interesting… it's keeping you awake through this class! Is something wrong with you, Potter? I mean, you're actually studying. It seems weird.'
James was startled when her paper plane landed on his desk. He unfolded it and grinned upon reading its contents. He turned to look at her. Their gazes locked for a second, and Lily felt James' newly acquired Druid instincts kick in: Don't look embarrassed, don't look away, show no unexpected reaction, just smile nicely and act normal.
He succeeded. Lily was the one who looked away this time. She found this fact slightly disturbing. But then again, it would have felt weird to keep looking into his eyes for such a long time.
After a few seconds, he turned and threw the parchment back.
'Note-passing? Oh, shame on you, Miss Perfect Prefect. And what makes you think I don't study? I'm a Prefect too, you know. I'm actually studying History of Magic, for your information.'
She read the note and her left eyebrow shot up theatrically. Lily had of course known perfectly well what he was studying, but she had to act like she didn't, just in case he was watching her. She glanced up quickly - he was.
'Oh, really? How boring of you. Don't you already know all this rubbish?'
When he read her note, he laughed.
'How arrogant of you, Evans. I have a feeling we're switching roles: I'm taking my studies seriously, and you're boasting around. It feels strange…'
'I'd almost believe your newfound modesty if I didn't know for a fact that you dumped one of my friends last week with some patronising 'we-can-still-be-friends' talk. You haven't changed at all, Potter. And as for me… I'm just starting to relax a bit, since everyone else is starting to freak out about their studies. I guess I am a bit confident - but not nearly as much as you.'
'One of your friends? Carol? Oh, come on, Lily - should I call you Lily? It's shorter -, admit it. You hardly ever talk to the girl. She's a ditzy, giggly bimbo… I was with her for three months, but honestly couldn't take it anymore. I actually endured her for longer than I should have, just because I felt like I owed it to - well, not to her, but to myself. Because I have changed. And if you're the only one who doesn't see that, well, that's too bad.'
'That was pricky. You endured her? Merlin, James, please remind me never to let you put me in one of your pigeonholes. It feels weird calling you 'James'. Should I stick to 'Potter'? Oh, well, since you apparently have changed drastically - I didn't notice, but for once I'll take your word for it and accept that fact -, I'll call you 'James'. How about that?'
James, grinning, grabbed his quill to answer. What should he say now? For the first time in years, Lily actually seemed friendly and willing to talk - that is, write - to him without any hostility or even that aloof civility she'd recently taken to.
'All right then. Lily. You're right, it seems weird to call you that, but it won't be long till I get used to it. Anyway, what are you doing? I refuse to believe that you're paying attention to Binns.'
'Well, I couldn't pay attention to him now, could I? I'm writing this. I don't pay attention to Binns. I stopped doing that in first year. I like reading during his classes.'
'How do you manage? I mean, most people find his voice very lullaby-ish.'
'I just… block him out. I don't know, I just don't focus on his voice. I can still hear him in the back of my head, and I usually remember everything he says, but I don't really think about all that information until I actually need it.'
'Oh… I do that, too! It's like, why pay attention to him and actually try to analyse what he's saying if I can just memorize it all and only consult the facts during the exam or something?'
'Well, I actually do some review work before the exams… But I guess most people just don't have good enough memories to store all that. Or they just lack the skill for multitasking. Obviously, that is not your case. You've always managed to plan those stupid pranks, play Quidditch, and still keep your average pretty much the same as mine.'
'Was that a compliment, Lily? I'm shocked. As for the pranks, I'm participating in them less nowadays, because I'm actually starting to study. And you could play Quidditch too, if you wanted. I remember you flew really well.'
'Who knows? Maybe now that you're studying, your average will surpass mine. You asked me if that was a compliment. Was it? I'm not quite sure. I don't quite admire you for all that. The Merlin knows I have better things to do with my time. Sports are terribly time-consuming. And pranks… no comment.'
Lily shuddered to think about it. No, there was no way James' average would actually surpass hers. The thought had disturbed her so much that she'd nearly slipped and written 'the Goddess knows'… That would have been unforgivable.
James was now writing on their third piece of parchment. She had never enjoyed note-passing this much, to be honest. It was exciting, in some strange way, to talk to someone who shared her beliefs and personal history- even though, of course, he was not aware of those similarities.
Perhaps, she thought with a smirk, we'll really have a lot more to talk about after I tell him who I am.
The thought startled her. No! To think about that time meant to think about what would happen after they went through the Dragon Isle testing… After they -
Stop thinking about it, she told herself fiercely. Just stop. When she had first sworn her virginity to the Goddess, Lily had had no idea that she would end up sleeping with him - him of all people.
Suddenly, James threw the piece of parchment back at her. He didn't even turn to see if it had landed smoothly; he knew perfectly well that his aim had been perfect, as always.
'You'd kill me, wouldn't you, if my average surpassed yours? That would be strange. Well, don't worry, Lilikins. I'm not going to study that hard.'
'I will kill you if you start calling me 'Lilikins'. You won't surpass my average. I just know it. Professor Blackburn said I have a knack for Divination - I might even be a Seer, who knows? So here's a little prophecy for you, James: you will not surpass my average. Period.'
When he received Lily's message, James was stunned. He'd had no idea of this whole Divination deal. He'd dropped it last year, and Lily had done the same two years ago. He remembered vaguely that she'd complained a lot, and even argued with the teacher, over some kind of historical inaccuracy…
James shook his head. The details were fuzzy. He had to ask her what exactly had happened. Now that he was starting to learn more about the Sight - one of the few parts of magick the wizarding world hadn't yet forsaken -, he was curious to know what had driven Lily away from the class.
'A Seer? Really? Is that supposed to explain why you dropped Divination in fourth year? You were afraid to become yet another teacher's pet?'
Lily hesitated before answering. She couldn't tell him why she and Blackburn had argued - that had happened shortly after she'd started studying in Avalon, and she hadn't yet learned how to conceal all her newfound knowledge.
James waited for her answer with curiosity. What was taking her so long? He glanced at her; she was writing. And she kept on writing for quite a while - by the looks of it, she'd understood that he wanted a full-blown account of what had happened.
Just then, the bell rang. Lily looked up, startled, and immediately started waking up her friends. She cleared the piece of parchment on which she'd been writing with a tap of her wand, stuffed everything on her table into her satchel, and stood.
James threw her a questioning glance as he, too, called his friends.
"We'll talk later, James," she said simply when she passed by him, throwing her bag on her shoulder and walking away quickly.
Both his and her friends were only now beginning to come round. None of the Marauders noticed James staring after Lily, silently rejoicing about the fact that she had actually called him 'James'…
For the first time in his life, James had actually been sad to hear the bell. He didn't know if this newfound friendliness would last… He surely hoped it would.
With a small sigh, he shook Peter's shoulders one more time. Sirius and Remus were already awake. At last, the four Marauders left the classroom.
The best History of Magic class James had ever attended was over.
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