The Impossible Being
Chapter 31: The Impossible Being
The day's entertainment was over for now. The first round was finished. 21 competitors went into the next round while the other 21 left the race.
"What an entertaining day! Out of 42 students, 21 were successful in securing their place in the next round. Tomorrow they will duel again to proceed to the third round. Come again tomorrow at the same time to see the talented students of the wizarding world show off their skills and powers." Bagman's amplified voice announced with excitement. The arena was filled with indistinct noises as the people talked with each other while exiting the arena.
"You all go ahead. I need to talk to Jasmine." Harry said to Fleur, Iris and Astoria. He didn't wait for their response and quickly left to find Jasmine. It was urgent. He really needed to see if she was going to be a problem. If she was going to be a threat.
He found her hurrying with Ron and Hermione in the corridor, they were talking amongst themselves. Ron and Hermione were praising her for the great performance.
"Jasmine! Wait up." He called loudly, running a little to catch up with them. She stopped and turned a little to face him. She smiled when she saw him. Now, she fully turned around and stood in front of him.
"Harry, what's up?" she asked, crossing her arms under her chest. Hermione smiled at him, waving her hand at him. Ron on the other hand just gave him a nasty look.
"I need to talk to you. Are you free right now?" he questioned her after sending a smile at Hermione in greetings before again looking back at Jasmine.
"Sure. Lead the way." Jasmine agreed, sensing that he was talking about a private conversation.
"Are you sure, Jasmine? He might try to harm you so his friends can easily win the competition. What else can you expect from this dark lord!" Ron promptly stood before her, bravely shielding her from him. Or stupidly shielding her from him. Depends on the perspective. Hermione sighed and exchanged an exasperated glance with Jasmine. Ron was still pissed at Harry for cursing him blind and deaf. His fear was definitely less than the burning rage.
Usually Harry would have found this amusing and might have prolonged the entertainment but right now he was feeling oddly vulnerable from finding out that he wasn't the only ONE, that there was another with the similar power as him. Because of that he was severely annoyed from the redhead distraction. He was in a hurry and had no time to waste. He glared murderously at the ginger haired boy.
"What will you do? Do you have the power to protect these two from me? Are you capable of confronting me, who, I proudly might add, has already dirtied his hands with the blood of his victims? Have you what it takes to smile while plunging a dagger in the enemy's heart? Are you going to kill me? KILL ME IF YOU-"
"Harry!" Jasmine interrupted his tirade, grabbing his hand. It was then that he realised that he had his wand in his hand, clutched tight in his grasp, sparks flying from it. Ron was trembling in fear and was hyperventilating. Hermione was also shivering and looking properly cowed. There was a black shadowy miasma emanating from his body, making him look terribly dark and devilish. His snarling face also wasn't helping in the least. He knew he had overdone it but right now he didn't have the total control on his emotions. He took a deep breath and the atmosphere wasn't oppressive anymore. He put on a practised smile and sent an apologetic look to Hermione.
"Sorry, Hermione. I am just in a testy mood today. Will talk to you later in the library. Come on, Jas. If I stay a single more moment in this stupid's company, he will experience what Draco experienced." he beckoned Jasmine and started walking, not looking back to see if she was following him or not.
They both entered an empty classroom and closed the door behind them. The classroom was barely lit and it smelled of dirt and mould. Harry applied his Deus in the room so no one could hear their conversation. He snapped his fingers, filling the room with bright white lights.
'Let there be light.' Jasmine thought with equal parts awe and equal parts amusement.
"Spill. Now." he said, looking expectantly at her.
"Excuse me?" she asked, giving him an innocent look. She knew she was pushing it but she needed to be careful. She wasn't going to reveal anything without a direct question.
He stifled an urge to break through her mind and read all of her thoughts. But that was a forbidden act, he couldn't do that. He would never do that to a friend. And he really considered Jasmine a friend. Not at the level of his Slytherin girls, but she definitely was in his friends category. And that was enough to protect her from him.
That was an unbreakable law. Never ever hurt your friends intentionally. It was that rule which prevented him from acting like a total psychopathic animal. For someone like Harry Potter who didn't always follow the common societal guidelines and laws, his self imposed rules kept him from becoming a total unredeemable demon.
"Jasmine, I am really not in the mood." Harry growled, his eyes flaring eerily. Jasmine tilted her head a little and gave him an intense look. She internally sighed.
"I see. It's time then. So, it is about the mist magic which only we two can use." she said, lightly pressing her back against the wall behind her.
"Yes. About the Deus or mist magic as you call it." he nodded.
"Deus? As 'god' in latin? Talk about being too pretentious and arrogant." she mused, a smirk on her face.
"My arrogance and bad names aside, I want to know how you can use the Deus." he questioned, staring at her.
"Just like I breathe, just like my heart beats. It was always there." she answered, shrugging her shoulders nonchalantly.
A vein bulged in Harry's forehead from the useless information. He gritted his teeth in frustration. He really wanted to know. He needed to know why Jasmine was blessed with Lady Magic's unique essence. He knew how she was able to use Deus. That was easy. Only those who had the true essence of Lady Magic could use Deus. But he wanted to know 'why'. Why did she have that essence in the first place? That wasn't how it was supposed to be. Only he was supposed to have the true essence of Lady Magic and no one else. Only he was worthy to have it.
In a sense, every witch and wizard had Lady Magic's essence but it was in a very diluted state, passed down to them by their parents. Harry on the other hand had the true essence, the pure essence, directly given to him by Lady Magic herself. Undiluted, Pure and Powerful. Then why suddenly Jasmine too had that? The unanswered questions were too frustrating and annoying.
He really wanted to hurt someone right now to vent his anger. He took a long breath, controlling his impulsive urges. He needed to be calm and rational to be able to question Jasmine properly.
"Okay. How powerful is your mist magic?"
He wouldn't have to ask that if he could see her Deus just as he could see her normal magical essence. But the Mage Sight was of no use here. Her Deus was hiding her specialities from him. He could see her normal magic but not her Deus.
"Why should I reveal my secret powers when you won't do the same?" she asked, giving him a bland look. His eyes narrowed.
"Fair enough, I guess. Next question then, are you planning to be a threat to my friends or sister? And answer that honestly because I will know if you are lying." he utter coldly.
"No." she answered succinctly and honestly. He nodded slowly, finding no deception in her words.
'But I am a threat to you.' she thought sadly behind her emotionless mask.
"Then all is fine. We are not going to talk about this ever again. And how immune are you to my Deus? You must remember the Quirrell incident if you already know about my Deus." he thought out loud, giving her a pointed look. She smirked.
"I remember everything. Your killing of Quirrell. Your mist magic removing mine, Hermione's and Ron's memories. But my memories never went away. They were just suppressed for a short time." she answered with a grin. Harry remained silent, just looking at the girl, observing her. He knew he should kill her, he knew she could become the greatest threat to him. But she was still his friend and thus exempt from his usual ruthless response.
"I hope you won't make me your enemy, Jas. You are a friend. And that designation makes you one of the safest and most powerful people in the world."
"But, if you do decide to go against me, then understand, understand that you will see the monster inside me. I will stoop to the lowest level to humiliate you, to torture you, to break you. I will do such things to you which will make the most depraved criminals in the world puke in horror. I am the kindest person to my friends and the vilest being to my enemies. That is, if you decide to go against me. Otherwise nothing will change. You will remain my first friend, my dear friend." he explained in a soft tone, his eyes never leaving hers. Jasmine gulped down her nervousness and just nodded, stifling an urge to tell him the truth, to ask for his help.
"See you later, Jas. And I hope you never have to see the real monster." he whispered tonelessly and whirled away from the room, taking the lights away with him, leaving her in the dark.
~~~
Daphne and Tracey reached the girls just as Harry left. They both shared a look and nodded. Their friendship was strong and deep enough to understand what they were thinking without expressing it into words.
"Let's go to the Room. We will wait for him there." Daphne instructed.
"But Fleur is here. Are we going to show her the Room?" Iris asked neutrally. Not exactly against or in favour of that. Daphne hummed in thought and stared at the other blonde who was giving them curious looks, not knowing what they were talking about.
"It's fine. Harry trusts her." Daphne slowly nodded. "Come on Fleur, we will show you something that will blow your mind."
"Lead the way, Daphne." Fleur smiled in amusement, not totally confident about her claim.
"Merde!" Fleur mumbled as she stood in the room which could become anything. Right now, it was a small cosy room with three comfortable sofas facing each other. The walls were deep maroon while the floor was covered with soft green silky carpet. There were no windows in the room but it was pleasantly lit. Fleur confessed to herself that her mind was blown from the ancient and yet such an advanced magic.
Daphne and the other three girls gave her a smug look as Fleur couldn't put the words to the magical experience.
"So, Fleur, do you like it?" Daphne asked, sitting on a sofa with Tracey. Astoria and Iris sat on the sofa in front of them. Fleur herself sat on the separate sofa which was perpendicular to the both sofas. She just nodded, speechless for a moment. They all were silent for a minute, lost in their own thoughts.
"Do you think Harry will hurt Jasmine?" Astoria questioned, staring at Daphne and Tracey, knowing that they were the most qualified of their group to answer that.
Both the girls shook their heads.
"Harry is...very extreme in everything. Even in his relationships. If he is your friend then he will do anything for you. Anything. But if you were his enemy then…" Tracey thought out loud.
"You are a dead man walking." Daphne finished Tracey's sentence. "Jasmine though, is his friend. So he won't do anything to hurt her. Not unless she becomes his enemy."
"What are you all talking about?" Fleur frowned, not totally understanding their conversation.
"As you must have guessed or suspected. Harry is special. He has his own brand of magic, which he calls 'Deus'. It basically makes him the most powerful being on earth. Up until now, we thought only he had the Deus. But we were wrong. Jasmine too has the Deus. Now the question is how and why does she have that? Hopefully Harry will return with answers." Daphne explained in brief.
"Congratulations Daph and Tracey. You did brilliantly in the duels." was the first thing Harry said as he went inside the room of requirement. He hid his surprise well at seeing Fleur in the Room. And sat between Daphne and Tracey who immediately made some space between them. He smiled at them proudly and put his arms around them, hugging them to his sides.
"Thank you, Harry." the aforementioned girls replied, cuddling to his sides.
"What happened, Harry?" Iris immediately asked after he got comfortable between the two girls, thinking it was time to ask him the most important question.
"Nothing. I just warned her against making me her enemy. I can only hope that she adheres to my word." Harry responded, his arms wrapped around the backs of Tracey and Daphne.
"Do you think she is against you?" Astoria questioned him curiously.
"I don't know. If you had asked me this same question a year ago then I would have instantly stood up for her, defended her but something has changed this year. Jasmine is a bit different now." Harry answered in a thoughtful voice.
"Then we must be careful around her." Iris suggested. Harry nodded, not voicing his concerns.
"So, since Fleur is now allowed in this room, she and I can finally use this room for practice instead of the forbidden forest." Harry said, glancing at the French girl who nodded excitedly.
"Girls, do you need this room for practice? If yes, then we can leave so you can practice for tomorrow. Also, Jasmine can be a strong opponent. Remember and prepare for that." Harry advised.
"Hmm, yes. But for now just stay like this. I am comfortable." Daphne responded, pressing her face on his shoulder. Tracey mirrored her action.
Fleur smiled at the touching sight. She could see how close the three were. It made her heart ache. She remembered Harry's words regarding his relationships with the two girls. She understood why Harry had revealed that to her. She knew why she was allowed to enter this secret room. She knew why Iris acted defensively around her. It was all because Harry was hopeful that she might join them in their open relationship. Now the question that remained was, did she want that? Did she want to have a romantic relationship with Harry? Did she like him enough to do that? To try that?
~~~
Dear Diary,
Today was a disaster. When I was losing the duel, my body once again decided to rebel against me. It made me use the mist in front of everyone. I never intended to show this power. I never intended to come out like this.
Now all of my plans seem to be falling apart. How can I trick Harry into coming to my house when he is suspicious of me? What to do? I don't know. I am lost. And I am scared of what Harry will do to me when I finally go against him. The look in the eyes when he threatened me was frightening. I wish it was different. I wish that I never had to stand against him. He is so powerful, so ruthless. What am I supposed to do? I am ashamed to say that the idea of surrendering to him gets more and more appealing after each passing second. Hoping that tomorrow will be a better day.
~~~
Harry found himself in a familiar darkness. The darkness of death. He didn't get much time to observe the blackness. As everything suddenly changed.
The nothingness quickly cleared and white gloomy room formed around him. The walls were all white while in a striking contrast, the ceiling and the floor was an evermoving cluster of black mist. Two comfy chairs facing each other appeared out of nowhere in the centre of the room.
"It's been a while since we last met, Harry Potter." a monotonous voice greeted him. The unnaturally beautiful woman was sitting on one chair regally with her hands folded in her lap. Her whole body was covered in black robe, hiding all of her body but her face and neck.
Harry sat on the remaining chair which was placed in front of her.
"Hello, Lady Death. I agree, it has been a while since we last interacted." he smiled. She on the other hand just nodded. He took the time to admire her beauty. Her pale skin and darkest hair were beautiful enough to make any professional model jealous.
"So you finally saw how Jasmine Zinan differs from others." she stated, getting right to the point. Harry grimaced at the unpleasant topic.
"I don't understand why she has the essence of Lady Magic. But I am sure you will explain it." Harry answered, shrugging his shoulders.
"Magic is a wild, unpredictable but a very powerful natural force. On some occasions, its power can even rival mine. So as expected, Lady Magic is also a bit like that. Wild, rash and unpredictable. She had this stupid idea that she can cheat her way around. Before you, she with the help of Lady Life tried to solve her dilemma. She made a homunculus, an artificial human body with the help of Lady Life. A vessel in which she can reside and roam freely in the mortal world. But magic is not always stable. It doesn't always go as planned. It can be calm as a sea or as explosive as a volcano. So instead of getting a body without a soul as planned, she got something else. The body was uninhabitable. Lady Magic couldn't put her essence into it because there was already a broken soul inside it. So instead of creating a soulless husk, a vessel to be occupied, she and Lady Life created an artificial soul. An impossible and wondrous thing, I personally think. But an artificial soul is not a natural soul."
She paused for the dramatic effect. Harry was totally immersed in her story. An artificial soul? What the hell! He never thought it was possible.
"So instead of a lifeless husk, a baby girl was born. A girl with the brightest and most beautiful blue eyes. Two women were strangely able to create a child. Jasmine Zinan is the immortal child of Lady Magic and Lady Life. Lady Magic and Lady Life were exuberant after creating something so unique and precious. They were also quite proud to create the impossible. But their happiness was short-lived. The child suddenly vanished in golden lights, away from the Eternal Chamber of Seven and into the mortal world. Away from the reach of the shackled immortals. Jasmine Zinan is not exactly a stable being. Her body will not always be in her control. She can act like a human, talk like a human, feel like a human but she will never be a total human. She doesn't have a natural soul."
That brought a long silence. Harry took his time processing the new information. Jasmine was an immortal being making her more of a threat to him. Now he understood why she could use the Deus. She had inherited it from her mother, Lady Magic herself. But as far as Harry knew, she was barely skilled in using the Deus.
"I can now understand why she can use the Deus. So what did she inherit from Lady Life?" he asked curiously.
"The curiosity of death. That is what she inherited from Lady Magic. All human beings have half death and half life inside them. In their soul. Even we, the immortals, don't know where souls originally come from. So it was expected that the artificial soul which the two immortals created would be damaged. And Jasmine, she had 100 percent life inside her. Just as darkness seeks the light. Life seeks death. And vice versa. There must always be a balance, which she lacks. She is suicidal, curious and obsessed with the unknown. Death. Which she will never get to understand, get to know, as she is already immortal." Lady Death explained in a melancholic tone.
"Why didn't you tell me this earlier? Why suddenly now?" Harry asked, leaning forward, staring at the darkest shade of black eyes.
"I would have never shared this information with you if it wasn't critical to your mission. Jasmine Zinan has none of me inside her. She is exempt from death. She is not one of my subjects. So I can't interfere in her life. But since she may prove a hurdle in your goal, I have freedom to help you. After all, you are the champion of Death along with the champion of Magic. I am obliged to help you."
"When did I become your champion?" he asked incredulously.
"Since I decided so." she answered in the same monotonous voice. Still, he could feel her amusement and giddiness. He didn't know why he was always able to see her moods even through her emotionless face.
"Whatever. I don't care. So what do you want me to do with her?"
"Keep an eye on her. I can't reveal her personal details. But she can become a massive thorn in your side if you take your eyes off of her."
"Okay. I will be careful. I already have the two artefacts and only need one more. Then our deal will come to fruition. Tell me, what would you get out of it?"
"I will get something precious which every immortal desires. I will get freedom." she replied, her eyes alight with greedy want. "Goodbye! Harry Potter. We will see each other again soon. Hopefully when you have the third and final artefact."
With that she snapped her fingers and everything went black.
Harry woke up with a smile. His final plan was nearing with the passing of each day. If he couldn't kill Jasmine, both because she was his friend and obviously an immortal being, then he needed to keep her in control.
The sun was just starting to rise outside the castle. As usual he was lying on his side naked with a naked Iris pressed against him, her back flushed against his chest, her soft arse lightly touching his hips. He caressed his sister's arse as he sat up, loving the feeling of her tight yet soft flesh on his fingers. He leaned forward and placed a kiss on her cheek.
"Good morning, Iris." he mumbled so as not to wake her up and slid off of the bed, quickly putting on his exercise clothes, readying himself for the daily training session with Fleur.