81 Chapter 78

But there was an even bigger problem! A real Dark Lord was coming after the stone!

"Damn it! Damn it all to hell!" Harry said angrily. He couldn't let it fall into the hands of the one person his parents gave their lives fighting! He had to go after the stone anyways!

But one thing was clear. While Snape and Dumbledore seemed to have good intentions, they were not to be trusted, and in the meantime, there was something else to worry about.

Halloween was coming.

The next few days passed in a sort of a hazy blur, mostly without event except for the times Harry's subject skills leveled up due to some difficult classes.

Potions, Lv-6 (75%)

Your skill in brewing and creating potions with your magic is shown in this skill.

Transfiguration, Lv-6 (2%)

Your skill in transfiguration branch of magic with your magic is shown in this skill.

Charms, Lv-7 (18%)

Your skill in the art of charms with your magic is shown in this skill.

For some reason, he'd never had a skill show up for entirely theoretical subjects such as History or Astronomy. It was a shame really, since he could've used some motivation to go sit in Binns's classes.

On the morning of Halloween Harry was feeling a bit out of sorts, so at breakfast he'd gone up to the Head table and informed Professor Flitwick that he'd be unable to attend the extra classes that had been set to take place that day, to which the tiny professor had given a sad smile and told him not to worry about it.

He'd wandered around the castle's corridors for a while with no particular destination in mind, letting the ever-changing stairs and corridors guide his way wherever he went.

Eventually, he wound up in the Astronomy tower, which had the nice benefit of being always empty during the day. The non-stop chattering, celebrating, and cheering that his classmates seemed to be partaking in was starting to sour his mood a little bit.

He didn't begrudge them their joy, of course. The Wizarding World had seen the end of a war to end all wars on this day, and they deserved to celebrate it. It just so happened that the day of the greatest celebration in the Wizarding World coincided with the worst tragedy of his entire life.

Deciding that it would be best to spend his Halloween up here in the tower so that he wouldn't end up putting a damper on the celebrations, Harry pulled out a book from his inventory and settled snugly onto the ledge of one of the windows overlooking the Great Lake.

The afternoon soon passed and the moon had just risen when Harry heard someone's footsteps coming up the spiral staircase of the tower. Hurriedly, he jumped off the ledge of the window and onto his feet, barely in time before the door opened and a woman walked in.

It was Professor Vector.

"Oh. Mr. Potter! What are you doing here this late? Shouldn't you be getting ready for the feast?" she asked, noticing Harry from over her stacks of books.

"I was feeling a bit unwell Professor," Harry said in a perfectly level tone, although it seemed the Professor had made the connection already, since her face wilted and her expression turned into one of pity.

There was a moment's silence, in which Harry turned back towards the window, not wanting to see the pity in her eyes anymore.

"Did you know Mr. Potter," she said after a moment's pause, putting down her books on the table and walking over to where Harry stood next to the window, "that most wizards believe that the veil between life and death is the thinnest on Samhain night."

Harry looked at her questioningly.

"Professor Snape had mentioned to me that you seem to have an aptitude at sensing magical currents. Is that true?"

He hesitantly nodded.

"Then I'm sure you wouldn't mind me teaching you a little trick," she said, before pulling out her wand from up her sleeve and using it to scribble onto the glass of the window a little circle with a little triangular symbol inside it. Harry didn't know much about Runes or magical symbology, but he decided to hazard a guess that the symbol was some sort of magical rune when it started glowing with a gentle white light.

Professor Vector then took Harry's hand and placed it upon the rune. Its shape was warm, almost hot, against Harry's cold skin.

"Close your eyes," she said, "and feel."

Harry, slightly puzzled, did so, letting his mana sensing abilities unravel around him. He didn't feel anything for a moment.

But then suddenly, a wisp of magic floated around his senses, hauntingly familiar, and lovingly caressed his cheek. A small gust of wind seemed to pass through the tower, ruffling his hair. Harry's throat choked up.

He opened his eyes and realized that his cheeks were wet. Leaning against the wall, Professor Vector was looking at him with a sad smile.

"It's an Arabic runic spell called the Cahstremend. The Breath of the Ones Lost. When my father passed away, I was only a few years older than you are now. This helped me make peace with it. One thing you learn as you grow older Mr. Potter, is that the thing about loved ones is…they will always be with you."

Harry could do little more than nod.

"Now, I will see you at the feast won't I?" she asked, ignoring Harry's attempts at regaining his composure.

"Yes ma'am," Harry said quietly, and she left after giving him a small smile. After taking a few minutes to pull himself together, Harry left for the Halloween feast.

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