Disclaimer: Harry Potter is owned by J.K. Rowling and her various corporate partners. Keldorn Firecam is owned by BioWare, Atari, or whoever it is that owns the rights to Baldur's Gate 2: Shadows of Amn these days, although I have taken several liberties with his character. I own nothing, and I am making no profit by my little ventures into the shadowy realms of fanfiction. I do so purely for enjoyment. I would, however, like to thank JKR for allowing us all to play in her sandbox.
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Harry Potter and the Knight of the Radiant Heart
XIV
Shortly thereafter, Harry and Hermione arrived at the gargoyle that guarded the entrance to the Headmaster's office. The statue, however, refused to budge.
"I don't suppose you know the password?" asked Hermione.
"No," answered Harry. "We could always guess though."
"I don't think guessing is going to work. Dumbledore's too smart to pick an easy password," replied Hermione.
"Lemon Drop," said Harry.
"Besides, he might not be in there."
"Ice Mice."
"Maybe Professor McGonagall knows where he is…"
"Blood Pop."
"Oh… why is there a password to the Headmaster's office anyways?"
"Cockroach Cluster."
"Shouldn't he be available to students at all times?"
"Acid Pop."
"I mean, what if there was an emergency?"
"Chocolate Frog."
"How are we supposed to let the Headmaster know if something is terribly wrong if there's a stone statue barring the way to his office all the time?"
"Licorice Wand."
"Oh, this is just infuriating!"
"Sugar Quill."
The sound of stone grinding on stone filled the air as the gargoyle stepped aside.
"How did you do that?" queried Hermione.
Harry shrugged his shoulders.
"It was 'Sugar Quill,'" he said.
"You mean to tell me that the greatest wizard alive uses sweets as the password to his private office?"
Harry just nodded.
"As far as I can remember, the password's always been some sort of sweet. I figured I would guess it eventually," answered Harry.
Hermione shook her head incredulously.
"Unbelievable."
"After you, my lady," Harry said with a sweeping bow.
"Oh, you're such a gentleman," Hermione said with a roll of her eyes as she stepped onto the magical staircase.
"Hey! Why're you mad at me? You're the one who cut short our day in Hogsmeade to run back to the Headmaster!"
Hermione sighed, "You're right. I'm sorry, Harry. I'm not mad at you; I just can't believe that the password was so easy to guess."
"Well, you did just say how the students should have access to the Headmaster's office. Maybe this is his compromise; easy to guess passwords."
They arrived at the top of the stairs and Harry knocked on the heavy oak door."
"Come in," said Dumbledore.
Harry held the door open for Hermione before following her and closing it behind him.
"Good afternoon Harry, Miss Granger. What can I do for you?"
Harry just pointed to his best friend who was standing beside him.
"You'll have to ask her. I've no clue why we're here."
"Well, then, have a seat," said the old wizard who then conjured a second armchair in front of his desk. The two students took their seats before Hermione launched into her explanation.
"I think I know what the 'power he knows not' is," said the witch.
Harry's mouth fell open in surprise.
"You figured that out while we were playing footsie in the Three Broomsticks?" Harry asked.
Hermione blushed at Harry's mention of their activity in front of the Headmaster.
"Never mind what we were doing," she responded, "the point is I think I might have figured it out."
"Do tell, Miss Granger," said Dumbledore with a twinkle in his eye.
"It's Sir Firecam."
"I think you'll have to explain a bit more, Hermione," Harry said.
"Just think," continued Hermione, "he's a paladin, a type of holy warrior that our world as a whole has no experience with. He has magic-like abilities that have never been seen before by anyone. For example, the way he healed me was almost miraculous. Who knows what else he's really capable of? Certainly not Voldemort. Thus, the new abilities that Sir Firecam has brought to our universe are 'the power he knows not.'"
Dumbledore leaned back in his chair in silent thought with his fingers steepled in front of his face. Harry, however, was quick to bring up an objection to Hermione's theory.
"That's all fine, Hermione," the young wizard began, "but I'm the one mentioned in the prophecy, not Sir Firecam. I'm supposed to be the one with 'the power he knows not,' not Sir Firecam."
Hermione wasn't deterred in the least by Harry's objection. Instead, she smiled as she looked over at him.
"And that's why we get him to teach you how to be a paladin," she replied.
"Don't be daft," said Harry, "do I look like a knight in shining armor to you?"
Hermione actually blushed a little bit before answering.
"That's beside the point," she replied. "Remember, Sir Firecam has mentioned on several occasions that being a knight is different than being a paladin. He's a knight because of the order that he's in, but he was a paladin long before he joined his order."
"We don't even know if I'm capable of doing the things he does," Harry said as his temper started to rise a bit. "Do the things he does even work through magic like ours? You might as well try teaching a fish to breathe on land!"
"But it could just be a different way of accessing the same magical foundations that underlie the multiverse. There has to be a common set of laws that governs everything. And if that's the case, it's likely that he would be able to teach you in whatever way he would teach any other new paladin on his home world."
Harry was not convinced; in fact he didn't like the idea at all, but he couldn't come up with any other arguments against Hermione's idea. She was the brightest witch of their generation after all; Harry had no delusions that he could actually argue with her and win about a real, important topic. So he instead turned his attention to Dumbledore to see what he thought.
The Headmaster had clearly been following the discussion between his two students but had made no interruptions. He only spoke up when Harry and Hermione both finally turned to him.
"I think," began Dumbledore, "that Miss Granger's idea might have some merit."
Hermione broke into a triumphant grin.
"I said might, Miss Granger, and I meant it. We do not know if Harry here or any other witch or wizard from our world for that matter would be able to learn to wield the type of magic employed by Sir Firecam. It may be possible, but then again it may not."
Hermione's grin faded a bit at that but didn't disappear entirely.
"I certainly see no difficulty in asking him if he thought you could learn his type of magic, Harry," continued Dumbledore, "or if he would even consider taking you on as a student."
"Great," grumbled Harry, "I get to sign up for even more classes."
Dumbledore merely smiled enigmatically, his ever present twinkle sparkling in his eye.
"If our dear Miss Granger is in fact correct, Harry, I do not think that this will be something to grumble over. Rather, it could be the key to saving our world. Besides, we can worry about your class schedule when the time comes. You certainly wouldn't be the first student in Hogwarts' history to have an odd course of studies."
"But how is learning how to miraculously heal someone going to help me fight Voldemort?" protested Harry.
"Harry," responded Hermione, "there's more to what Sir Firecam can do than just healing people. He's a warrior after all. He's sworn to fight against the most evil and vile beings in the world. And from the few stories he's told, it sounds like his world has even more dangerous magic than our own. He's got to know a thing or two that would be helpful in our fight."
"Besides," said Dumbledore, "this theory seems to fit in well with some of Voldemort's recent activities. You already know of Professor Snape's role as a spy for the Order. Well, he has discovered that this past summer's attack on you in Diagon Ally was not really aimed at you, Harry, but was rather meant to test Sir Firecam. It appears that Voldemort was quite disturbed by our friend's appearance and abilities during the battle at the Department of Mysteries. I believe that Voldemort is hesitant about this new opponent about whom he knows almost nothing.
"In any event," said Dumbledore, "I do think that the idea is worth investigating. It is certainly a better candidate for 'the power he knows not' than anything I've been able to come up with."
"Great," grumbled Harry once again. Hermione narrowed her eyes and glared at him but didn't say anything.
"Harry," continued Dumbledore, "I think you should approach Sir Firecam about this idea, and I think you should do so soon. We don't know how long Voldemort and his Death Eaters will remain inactive after all."
"Right," said Harry as he rose to his feet, "well if that's all, I suppose we should be on our way then."
Once the two students had said their goodbyes to the Headmaster and were back in the corridors of the castle, Hermione grabbed Harry's arm and spun him around to face her.
"What exactly was your problem up there?" the irate witch asked.
"I don't know what you're talking about," responded Harry.
"I' talking about the fact that I had an idea that just might help us fight Voldemort and all of a sudden you're completely opposed to it. What's so terrible about it?"
"I just don't think it will work."
"Why not? Professor Dumbledore thinks it has merit. I thought you liked Sir Firecam and that you'd jump at the chance at learning more from him. You certainly seem to like learning swordsmanship and riding from him."
"Yeah, well, whatever."
"Don't you 'whatever' me, Harry James Potter!" Hermione shrieked.
"You're not my mother," Harry responded petulantly.
"What has gotten into you?!"
Harry looked down to his feet and fumed in silence for a few moments.
Hermione took a step closer to him and reached out to lay her hand on his arm.
"Harry?" she asked in a much softer tone of voice, "what is it? What's wrong? Tell me what's really bothering you."
Harry glanced up at her for a moment before looked back at the floor and allowing his anger to deflate.
"Why did you have to bring this all up now, today?"
"I don't understand, Harry."
"We were having such a good time in Hogsmeade. It was fun, you know, just spending the day with you. Why'd you have to cut it all short and come back here to talk about the bloody prophecy?"
"You're angry because I brought you back to the castle to talk to Professor Dumbledore?"
"Yes!" Harry exclaimed to the ceiling before looking down at his feet and continuing in a softer voice. "I'm always thinking about that damned prophecy. But today, in Hogsmeade, well, I was kind of able to forget about it for a while. It was almost like I was normal. Just a kid out in the village spending time with his… friend."
"And then I ruined it all by dragging you back here to talk about it. Oh Harry, I'm sorry!" Hermione said as she wrapped her arms around his neck in a tight embrace. "I didn't mean to ruin our day like that. I guess I could have waited until tonight, or tomorrow for that matter. But you know how I get sometimes; I get an idea and I just have to act on it right then."
"Yeah, I know," Harry sighed as he returned the hug. "You wouldn't be Hermione if you didn't rush off to research in the library or run your ideas by a professor."
Hermione pulled back just far enough to look Harry in the eyes.
"So do you forgive me?" she asked.
"Yeah, I suppose so."
"Thank you, Harry," she said before leaning up to give him a light kiss on the cheek which brought a small smile to Harry's face. "I guess I'll have to make it up to you somehow."
"Oh? And just how do you intend to do that?"
"I have no idea really," she said as she looped her arm through his and began walking in the direction of Gryffindor Tower. "Do you have any suggestions?"
That's not something a pretty girl should ask a teenage guy, Harry thought to himself.
"None that immediately come to mind," was what Harry actually said.
"Well, I suppose I'll just have to think of something then," Hermione answered as she leaned her head against Harry's shoulder. "And just for the record, I had a wonderful day today too, Harry. I'm sorry I cut it short. You can be surprisingly fun when you're not either being all sulky or swinging an overgrown stick around," Hermione said mischievously.
"Oi! You're supposed to be nice to me right after apologizing," Harry said with mock indignation.
"Oh fine."
"That's better. Now let's go see if Ron and Lavender are terrorizing all the firsties by snogging in the common room."
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Harry's next riding class started off normally enough. Hermione decided to wear her new red breeches, which put a goofy grin on Harry's face. Hermione seemed rather pleased with that as well.
The students were all waiting near the stables for class to begin when one of the other girls came over to Harry.
"Hi Harry," said a Gryffindor girl that Harry didn't immediately recognize.
"Hi, err…"
"Romilda, Harry," said the dark-haired girl as she batted her eyelashes, "my name's Romilda Vane."
"Err… nice to meet you," responded Harry.
"Thanks, Harry. I asked Sir Firecam if I could switch to this class instead of the one for third and fourth years. It's at a better time for me, not to mention that there are so many more interesting people to talk to."
"Oh really?" asked Hermione from her place at Harry's side.
Romilda only spared the older witch a glance before addressing her response to Harry.
"Well, I can think of at least one person in this class that I could talk to all day and all night if need be."
"Err…"
"What do you think of my new breeches, Harry?" the younger girl asked as she spun around. "Gladrags had a sale you know. I think these are much better than my old pair; they allow for much more movement. Did you know I'm rather flexible? I can quite easily bend down and touch my toes."
And with that, Romilda turned her back to Harry, bent over, and touched her toes right in front of him. Harry's eyes widened in surprise at the rather brazen display put on by the young witch.
Hermione, on the other hand, narrowed here eyes into a frightening glare and then grabbed Harry's arm and pulled him to the other side of the barn, grumbling all the way.
"Stupid cow… Who does she think she is?"
"Umm…" began Harry, "not that I mind you manhandling me like this, but what was that all about?"
Hermione turned her glare on Harry before answering.
"That, that, witch is a stupid cow who's severely lacking in common decency! Not to mention that she probably couldn't string a coherent thought together if her life depended on it!"
"Whoa there, Hermione. Where's all this suddenly coming from?"
"Oh don't be obtuse, Harry. She was clearly trying to come on to you. Bending over in front of you like that. She and the rest of the witches like her are only interested in you because you're 'the Chosen One.'"
"What do you mean 'the witches like her'?"
"Harry," Hermione began in a patient tone, "surely you've noticed the attention you've been getting from Hogwarts' female population lately?"
"What?"
"You mean you haven't noticed all the looks they've been giving you? The smiles and giggles when you walk by?"
"No."
"Well, they're there. Trust me."
"Well, what should I do about them?" Harry asked as he glanced back over to see Romilda pouting at him.
"Ignore them," said Hermione. "Like I said, they're only interested in the Chosen One. They don't know and they're not interested in the real Harry, not like…" Hermione stopped herself from saying whatever it was she was going to say and looked down to her feet.
"Not like?" Harry asked in a whisper.
But, their conversation was interrupted by the arrival of Keldorn who called for attention.
"Right," began the old knight, "get your horses saddled and out into the yard. I want to see everyone at a canter in fifteen minutes or less. Potter, Granger, Longbottom, Greengrass, Li and Abbott, come with me."
While most of the students went into the stables to see to their horses, the six students named by Keldorn followed the knight to another building.
"You six have already proven yourselves to be quite capable on horseback." Hermione smiled radiantly at her instructor's praise. "So I think it's time you moved on. This course is called Riding and Magical Mounts for a reason. Today, you will be starting with the hippogriffs." Hermione's smile faltered and her face paled while Harry grinned. "Hagrid tells me that you should already know how to approach a hippogriff from your Care of Magical Creatures course, so today I want you to pick a hippogriff from those in the yard behind this barn and familiarize yourself with them, much like you did with your horses. As you should already know, hippogriffs are extremely intelligent but also extremely proud animals. So treat them with proper respect or you will regret it. Any questions? No? Then get to it!"
Harry walked through the barn to see several hippogriffs in the yard beyond. He quickly spied the one he wanted and walked up to it. Harry bowed low, a gesture that was immediately returned by the creature.
"Hello, Buckbeak," said Harry. "How've you been? You want to be my mount for the next few classes?"
The hippogriff made a low chirping noise that Harry took for an affirmative.
Harry enjoyed that session spending time with Buckbeak, learning how to care for a hippogriff and the interesting harnesses and equipment that a person could use for riding one of the creatures. He was excited for the next class when he would hopefully get to take Buckbeak up into the sky.
Hermione, on the other hand, didn't seem to be enjoying herself all that much. It seemed to Harry that his best friend would much rather be riding her horse than worrying about hippogriffs. He supposed that the girl's aversion to flying had something to do with her overly cautious approach to the creatures.
After the class was finished, Harry stayed back to speak with Keldorn.
"You can head back to the tower, Hermione," Harry said to his best friend, "I'm going to stick around and talk to Sir Firecam about, well, you know."
"Alright, Harry," she responded, "just don't take too long. I want to know what he says."
With that the bushy-haired witch started walking back to the castle.
"You just wanted to watch her walk away," said a voice from behind Harry that startled the young wizard. Harry turned to see Ginny standing there with a smirk on her face. "Go on, admit it."
"I don't know what you're talking about," replied Harry. However, he did turn back to watch Hermione as she made her way to the castle entrance.
"Yes you do," said Ginny. "You just like watching her cute little bum in those tight riding breeches."
"Ginny!"
The petite witch threw her head back and laughed.
"Just admit it, Harry. You fancy Hermione."
"Shouldn't you be off snogging Dean somewhere?" Harry said sarcastically.
"Shouldn't you be off snogging Hermione somewhere?" Ginny shot back.
Harry glared at her, but she just laughed again.
"Seriously, Harry. Go for it. I highly doubt that she would object to a little tonsil Quidditch with you."
"If you'll excuse me, I need to speak with Sir Firecam."
"Oh alright. Be stubborn. Just don't be too stubborn, Hermione might move on. Then where will you find a girl that likes you for you and isn't just some fan girl?"
Harry strode away from the teasing Weasley to find Keldorn looking over the tack and harness in the stable.
"Sir Firecam?" he asked, "can I ask you a question?"
"What is it, Mr. Potter?"
"Well I was wondering, err… that is, Hermione had an idea."
"Yes?"
"Well, what did Professor Dumbledore tell you about me and Voldemort?"
Keldorn's demeanor shifted as he realized the seriousness of the conversation.
"Not very much, Mr. Potter."
Harry glanced around to make sure they were alone.
"You've probably heard people calling me 'the Chosen One', right?" the knight nodded. "Well there's some truth to that. There's a prophecy, you see, that says I'm the one that can beat him. But it also says that I'm supposed to have a 'power that he knows not.' Hermione had the idea that you are that power. Or I guess that being a paladin is the power. So we were thinking, well, could you teach me to be a paladin like you?"
Keldorn regarded Harry for a long, silent moment before finally speaking.
"No."
"What? Why not?" Harry asked in surprise at the knight's short, negative answer. He'd thought that he would at least consider it for a while before turning him down.
"You know nothing of what you ask."
"But you could teach me!"
"Mr. Potter, consecration as a paladin is not a means to an end. I will not set you upon a sacred path simply so you can fight Voldemort."
"What do you mean, 'simply to fight Voldemort'? He's the darkest, most evil wizard in the world! I thought you of all people would want to use every advantage to fight him!"
"I will not consecrate you just to fight one man."
"Why not?" Harry asked somewhat indignantly as his temper started to rise.
"Fine. Let's say that I do consecrate you and you do go on to defeat him. What then?"
"What has that got to do with anything?!"
"It has everything to do with it, boy!" Keldorn said, his voice rising sharply to the point that he was nearly shouting. "Becoming a paladin is not something that you can turn off. Once you're consecrated, there is no turning back. You will be sworn to fight the Darkness for the rest of your life. You will never be able to quit."
"That's fine with me."
"Is it? What do you even know of the life of a paladin? I've told you something of my order; you know that it is a very prestigious, honorable thing for a man to be inducted into it, yes? I've said that very few paladins are ever given this honor, yes?"
"Yeah, so?"
"Do you know what the requirements are for becoming a member of the Most Noble Order of the Radiant Heart?"
"No."
"You must be a paladin who has served the Light faithfully for ten years. That is all."
"So what's your point?"
"My point, Mr. Potter, is that very few paladins survive beyond a handful of years after their consecration. The fight against the Darkness claims us all, without exception. Most die before their first year of consecration is finished."
That comment quickly silenced Harry.
"Mr. Potter," continued Keldorn in a much calmer tone of voice, "I will not consecrate you, I will not lay such a heavy, sacred burden upon you, merely for you to fight one enemy, no matter how evil and powerful he is. I will not see your life destroyed as a means to an end.
"Any paladin would join you in standing against Voldemort. But you cannot become a paladin simply to make that stand. This life is a calling, it is a holy and sacred vocation. Only those who were born for the purpose of standing with the Light against the onslaught of the Darkness can take up the mantle of the paladin. The war we are fighting will never end until the Final Battle at the end of time. Becoming a paladin cannot be done for the merely sake of defeating one enemy.
"Are you ready to lay down your life, to sacrifice everything you hold dear to forever after stand against the Darkness? Are you ready to dedicate the rest of what would likely be a very short life to the service of the Light in almost constant battle? Are you willing to die at a moment's notice in whatever task, great or small, is needed to stem the tide of evil?"
Harry didn't answer. He merely looked down at his feet.
"I know you mean well, Mr. Potter. I know that your desire is good. But I will not consecrate you simply for the fight against Voldemort. The paladin's calling must be much, much more than that.
"So, Mr. Potter, my answer to your question is no."
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AN: And there's Chapter XIV.
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