31 The Myth!

"Gryffindor, Gryffindor,.....!!!!"

"Harry, Harry, Harry.....!!!"

The entire common room was shouting and cheering for the victory today.

They didn't just win, they crushed their opponent and all their future opponents will have a shadow of today's game in their heart when facing Gryffindor. Today's final score was 330 - 90. This means even without the 150 points of the snitch, they were at 180 - 90.

This was a steamroll victory over their opponent and now Gryffindor could very easily win the Quidditch cup. All they need to do now is focus on catching the snitch. As long as Harry can catch it in the next two games, it was almost guaranteed for Gryffindor to win in the points table.

Moreover, today's game has shown everyone that Harry possessed his father's talent or even exceeded it to a certain extent. So, the opposing teams would have to find someone who was better than him at flying and with a better control over his broom and body. This was almost impossible as Harry had already confirmed it with Ron and Neville about the mechanics of broom flying. Ron told him that it was just an instinctual feeling when he steps on the broom and nothing like a conscious effort. Whereas Neville told him that he had to visualize the way he wanted his broom to move and then control it to move that way. He even talked to his team and all of them said what Neville said except Angela Johnson.

This proved Harry's theory of majority of the players being the 'brutes' while exceedingly few being 'naturals'. Ron could also be categorized under the naturals like his entire family.

'Seriously, that's some messed up gene pool the Weasleys have', sighed Harry everytime he thinks of just how talented the Weasley family was.

Anyways, the party went on till late night and today Harry didn't go for his usual training. He decided to take a break and enjoy this victory he had earned.

The next morning, Harry made his way towards his class. It was back to usual routine for the next few months for him as the next game against Hufflepuff was in March.

After the classes, Harry went to the headmaster's office for his appointment. He had decided to get his reward for the first challenge and also talk to Dumbledore regarding the issue of wandless spell casting.

As he walked into the office, he saw that Dumbledore was waiting for him at his desk. He greeted Fawkes and gave a snack to the bird.

Fawkes cheered at him and ate the snack quickly.

Harry laughed seeing Fawkes' antics and then went and sat in front of the old wizard.

"So Harry, I assume you have something important to talk about since you are missing your lunch by being here at this time?"

"Yes Professor. I needed your advice on something important."

"Oh? Ha ha ha! The genius Harry Potter needs advice too huh?" smirked Dumbledore with a little surprise in his tone as this was the first time Harry had asked for his advice directly. Rest of the times it was frustrating to see such a young wizard already in control of everything in his life.

"There is nothing to be surprised about Professor. This is something that I couldn't find anything about in the library. So, I decided to talk to you about it" replied Harry in a slightly embarrassed tone.

"Well then, tell me, Harry, how can this old man help you today?" asked Dumbledore with a kind grandfatherly smile on his face.

"As you know Professor that I have been training my magic from a very young age. I didn't have a wand at that time so I practiced all the spells without a wand. Now that I do have a wand I am facing a huge difficulty.

All the spells that I cast using my wand are more powerful than my wandless casting but the speed of casting is much slower.

I have done a lot of experiments on this and I can safely conclude that for some reason I feel that it would be better for me to focus on wandless casting rather than using a wand", said Harry.

Dumbledore kept listening to what Harry was saying without any reaction on his wrinkled face. He had already stopped being surprised by this boy's actions. Even this time he was cursing inside his mind over how casual Harry sounded when talking about his so-called problem.

"So what you are saying is that you can cast the same spells without a wand that you can do using a wand but what you gain in casting speed, you lose out in power. So, you need my advice on what avenue to pursue.

Am I correct?" asked Dumbledore.

"Yes Professor, that's correct."

"Sigh. Harry, do you know how many wizards out there can do what you just said?" asked Dumbledore with a helpless sigh.

"Zero. Yes, zero. There is no wizard who is equally good at wandless casting as he is with a wand. The last person I know who could be considered a talent in this aspect was Gellert Grindelwald. Even I can't compare to him when it comes to wandless casting. Tom Riddle also had some talent in this but he also couldn't keep it up with his growing strength. He had to eventually give it up and use a wand.

Harry, to be able to cast equally good spells with and without a wand is the highest pursuit of a wizard. But even after all these years and innumerable research and experiments, we are nowhere close to mastering wandless casting. And now you come to me complaining about this? How do you think I should advise you, Harry? I would gladly take the loss of magical power of the spell over the ability to cast a spell without a wand" continued Dumbledore in a chiding tone.

Harry was surprised to hear Dumbledore. He knew that normal wizards found it difficult to use magic without a wand but he didn't think it was to this extent. He had always imagined that someone at Dumbledore or Voldemort's strength should be able to cast spells without a wand but didn't do so due to the loss of strength. However, after listening to Dumbledore, Harry understood that he had been a fool. Of course there was nothing in the library on this topic. Because there was no one who could actually write about it.

"But Professor, the loss of magical power during wandless casting can play a major role in my future battles. The dark wizards aren't going to tone down their strength just because I don't use a wand" inquired Harry.

"Harry, my child, it is not as simple as you think. You haven't been in many battles with another wizard so it's understandable that you don't realize your error.

The battles between two wizards are never fought with full power from the very beginning. There are many rounds of probing before you actually start using any powerful spells. Even then, the most powerful spells are never used as they take more time to prepare and there is no point in using them in a one on one battle.

Let me explain it in another way. You must have read about the muggle wars. In those wars, the two nations send out their vanguard armies who fight using normal guns and tanks. You don't fire a nuclear weapon on your enemy right from the beginning.

Besides, you should always remember that nothing can beat true speed. Even a millisecond advantage against your opponent can decide the outcome of a fight. Also, as long as you can solve the problem with an Avada curse, why would you bother using any large area of effect spells. It's an unnecessary wastage of magic power and every dark wizard knows this.

So, what you need to do from now on is to improve your speed and reflexes. If you don't even give your opponent a chance to complete his chant and bombard him with simple spells, you have already won."

Harry didn't say anything for the next few seconds as he mulled over Dumbledore's suggestion. He finally felt a clarity after all this time. He had been needlessly worrying over something this trivial. He had a gift and he was doubting it and almost threw it away. It would have been the most foolish decision of his life. So, now that he understood what he needed to do the cloud in his mind finally parted.

He smiled at Dumbledore and thanked the old wizard.

"Thanks, Professor. I have been confused for a long time now and finally, after talking to you I know what to do."

"Ha ha ha. There is no need to thank me, Harry. It's a privilege to mentor someone of your skills.

Anyways, is that all you wanted to talk to me about?" asked Dumbledore.

"Ah yes, I almost forgot. I have completed your first challenge and am here to get my reward" said Harry.

"Hmm? You have already mastered the Patronus charm? That's surprising.

It isn't something that can be mastered just by having good magical skills. You need enough life experience and emotional control to cast this spell" said the surprised headmaster.

"Yes, Professor I know. But what can I say, I am just that talented" laughed Harry with a smug face.

Dumbledore also felt that it was useless to delve into the mysteries of this young man.

"Fine then, show me your Patronus. I also want to see what kind of Patronus have you awakened."

Harry smiled and raised his hand, "Expecto Patronum".

A bright blue light emerged from his palm and started taking shape in the air.

A few seconds later it was completely formed and released a blinding light inside the office.

Dumbledore was impressed again with the immaculate display of magic.

The Patronus charm was almost exclusive to the white wizards and was a taboo for the dark wizards. Moreover, the conciseness and brilliance of the Patronus depend on a person's magical achievement and the purity of his heart. So, to see such a bright Patronus relieved Dumbledore of his worries finally. He could now believe that Harry was truly on the side of light and will not follow in Voldemort's footsteps.

"Marvelous Harry, your Patronus is truly beautiful. I didn't expect it to be an owl of all creatures. You should know that each Patronus is a manifestation of your inner self and owls are extremely rare. In fact, in all my years I have never seen anyone with his Patronus in the form of an owl.

They are very contradictory creatures. They represent the onset of death but also ward off evil. Some cultures treat them as the symbol of stupidity whereas in some cultures they are the representation of wisdom.

It's extremely difficult to have such contradictions and still keep your psyche intact. This is why no one has been able to awaken this Patronus.

I have read about people awakening dragons, Phoenix and even other mythological creatures but never an owl. You have impressed me again child," praised Dumbledore.

Harry was also surprised to hear that he was quite possibly the first person to awaken an owl as his Patronus. But he knew that Dumbledore was still underestimating his Patronus since it was not just an ordinary owl that he awakened.

He smiled weirdly at Dumbledore and said, "Professor, I think you should take another look at my Patronus."

Dumbledore looked at Harry with doubt and turned to see the Patronus again.

"Hmm, I don't see anything different or special, Harry. It looks just like any other ordinary owl."

At this moment Harry willed the 'owl' to sit at his shoulder.

The bright little owl hooted and circled over Harry's head before settling down on his shoulder.

"What now Professor?" asked Harry amusedly. He knew that this was a very suggestive clue for anyone who knew a little about owl myths in Greek mythology.

"I still don't see anything different Harry. What do you....." stopped Dumbledore as he immediately stood up from his seat.

"Is that? No, it can't be. It's impossible. It's one thing to awaken a mythological Patronus, but it's a whole different thing to awaken a 'particular' mythological Patronus. Tell me, is it really what I think it is?" shouted Dumbledore almost going crazy.

Harry smiled brightly seeing Dumbledore's reaction as he also reacted in a similar way when he found out the true status of his Patronus.

"Professor, it's exactly what you think," said Harry looking at the owl on his shoulder.

The blue Patronus was looking around with curiosity and stopped when its eyes met with Fawkes'. Fawkes chirped loudly and started fidgeting on its stand like it just saw something dangerous.

The owl had a look of disdain in its eyes when it saw the way Phoenix was acting. Yes, although it was only a Patronus, it had intelligence in its eyes.

Dumbledore also saw the interaction between the owl and his Phoenix.

This proved his doubts and he could only mumble, "Athene Noctua....the little owl of Athena. The favorite bird of the Greek goddess Athena and the ruler of night."

He was stunned and shocked at what he was seeing. Harry has awakened a mythical creature. But it wasn't 'A' mythical creature but 'THE' mythical creature. There was a difference of heaven and hell between the two.

The first represents that you awakened one of the legendary species. It was rare but there were precedences of many people awakening such Patronus. Many can awaken similar species too. But, there were a few creatures who were very specific even amongst them. They were mostly creatures who were known by a specific name in stories and folklore. They are associated with some God or the other and have very specific significance in the mythology.

They were known as divine spirits.

It was impossible to awaken a similar divine spirit by two people. Every divine spirit chooses their master only once and then they will never appear again. There were theories about these spirits but never any confirmed facts.

The most popular theory was about Rowena Ravenclaw's Patronus, which was a Raven.

It was considered to be a divine spirit and was the symbol of Apollo.

This was the reason she was such a gifted witch. Apollo symbolized prophesy and her diadem which she used to wear all the time was considered to be an artifact blessed by Apollo that gave her the powers of foresight or some measure of control over it.

If something similar was happening here and Harry actually awakened a divine spirit, then it was guaranteed that he was going to be the most powerful wizard in the future. Moreover, since it was associated with Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom, strategy, and war, Harry would also be influenced by the divine spirit and become an unrivaled force on the battlefield. He literally had the blessing of the goddess of war now and the only thing he needed was time to bring out his full potential.

At this moment, Dumbledore had decided to change his plans and rethink his strategies against the dark forces.

He then looked at Harry deeply and sighed, "Harry, I don't even know what to say to you anymore. You might not understand the true significance of your Patronus now but as you grow stronger, you would realize that awakening a divine spirit is very different from an ordinary Patronus. From now on, I would personally train you. I would also talk to the Professors to give you a leeway in your class attendance and assignments. A lot of things will change from now on Harry. I hope you are prepared."

Harry was shocked at Dumbledore's proclamation. He never expected things to be this serious.

"Guess I really awakened something unprecedented. I wonder if it's because of my reincarnation or something else. Well, whatever, for now, I have the strongest wizard alive as my personal tutor. Things are going to get interesting. Very interesting."