Chapter 25: A Mother’s Love

Hogwarts Castle, Somewhere in the Scottish Highlands

November 23rd, 1992, 11:45 AM

Harry Potter was doing a fine impression of a fish outside the water at the moment. What he just saw was some very amazing stuff, even when magic is taken into account. But then, he only knew this magic world for a little more than a year, so he didn't have much of a base to compare. Harry Potter then looked at his Head of House, and paused. Even if she was not doing a fish outside the water impression, she was looking at Erik with wide eyes.

"I hope that you didn't mind, Mr. Potter, but I just sent my memories of you telling us about your last year's adventure to my friends, the Flamels."

Erik said. Harry Potter looked back at Erik, and managed to close his mouth.

"No problem, sir, It was their stone that was in danger, after all. But Professor Dumbledore said that he had already told Mr. Flamel about the… ahn… incident."

"And I don't doubt that he did, Mr. Potter. It's just that, sometimes, it is better to hear it directly from the person that had a direct participation in the incident."

Erik explained the situation better. He then checked his wrist watch, and talked again.

"Now, before we can get out of here to eat a delicious lunch, there's one more thing that I have to ask, Mr. Potter, and that is to let me cast a diagnosis spell on you."

"Diagnosis spell?"

Harry Potter asked.

"Yes, Mr. Potter. The effect that your touch had on the possessed Professor Quirrell was very strong and unusual. I, in my thousand years of experiencing magic, had never seen something like that."

Erik said and waited for an instant before continuing to talk.

"I don't doubt that your mother's love left a powerful protection on you, I could see that. But, I could see that Professor Quirrell had a strong effect on you too. Everytime he touched you, you felt pain."

Harry Potter lowered his head, and talked, as if he was ashamed of admitting it.

"I… I had headaches during that year. Every time I was around Professor Quirrell, I felt like a nail was burning and trying to bury itself into my head."

Harry Potter made a little pause, and continued.

"And it was always in the same region, in my scar."

He finished saying. Professor McGonagall was looking at him like a doting grandmother that wanted to hug his grandson, but she was holding back.

"Yes, your scar. One of my wives, Joan, the black haired lady with armor, due to the inclinations of her magic and blessings, is very sensitive to corrupted and dark forms of energy. And she told me that she had sensed a student with a piece of corrupted magic centered around his head that was trying to corrupt his pure magic. It seems that it was you that she was talking about."

Erik said while looking at the boy's scar. Harry Potter's hand immediately went to his scar and he was looking back at Erik with wide eyes.

"But you don't have to worry too much about it. Joan said too that there was something keeping that piece of corrupted magic at bay. I imagine that it is your mother's protection, her love, that is still protecting you."

Erik said to Harry Potter, who gave a wide smile to Erik. The knowledge that his mother was still protecting him gave the boy a warm feeling in his body.

"So, Mr. Potter, can I cast that diagnosis spell on you?"

Erik asked again, and the boy nodded his head in confirmation.

"Good, now just sit back and relax, and try not to move too much."

He said to Harry Potter. The boy sat back on the sofa and got to a more comfortable position. Erik raised a hand to the boy and 'pointed' his palm to him. A moment later, a blue magic circle with the figure of a raven appeared above the kid's head and started to slowly go down his body. Harry Potter wanted to talk, but held back when he remembered that he was asked to not move too much. Erik noticed that.

"You can talk, Mr. Potter."

"Thank you, sir. I wanted to ask what kind of magic is this that you are using?"

"It's called magecraft, Mr. Potter. While wizards and witches use a wand to focus their magic and cast spells, magecraft is an advance use of magic. It doesn't require a focus to use when you are an advanced user, but most people still use a staff. Magecraft differs from wizardry and witchcraft in the way you shape and use your magic. Where wizards and witches use mainly intent and enchantations, mages use heavy math and knowledge to construct the magic circles for their spells. Like this blue one that I am using to examine you."

"So I can learn magecraft too?"

Harry Potter asked after hearing Erik's explanation. The dark blue magic circle had already gone to his feet and up to his head, and it was now going down again.

"Of course you can. Every person that has a little of magic energy inside him can learn magecraft, even squibs. It just requires a lot of study."

"Squibs can learn magecraft too?"

This time, it was Professor McGonagall who questioned.

"They can. Another difference between the two types of magic, is that when you are building your magic circle for your spell, you can designate from where it will pull the magic energy necessary to activate it. This allows you to use a little of your own magic, necessary to maintain the control of the spell, and to designate it to take the rest of the magic energy from the surroundings to fuel the spell. Of course, this method has its own cons. It takes much more time to cast the spell as it has to collect the magic from the air around. So much time that some kinds of spells above a certain level are unfeasible to be cast by squibs due to the time that it takes to charge them. Imagine needing a shield for personal protection and taking half an hour to cast it."

Erik replied to the Professor. The blue magic circle faded as it reached Harry Potter's feet for the third time. Erik then looked at the boy and said.

"And that's done, Mr. Potter. I have a conclusion now, do you want to hear it?"

The boy nodded his head fervently.

"It seems that your mother was a really smart woman, and was learning magecraft. The protection in you is the result of a mix of sacrificial magic and magecraft. She must have started to prepare the protection for her entire family, but didn't have enough time to fuel it. When the danger came knocking at her door, she must have reached the conclusion that she would not have the time to fuel the protection and used her own life force to fuel it."

"But Lily Potter was killed by the Killing Curse, not sacrificed."

Erik explained a little about what he found, and Professor McGonagall added.

"Ah, Professor, but remember what I said about how witchcraft differs from magecraft? Intent is the key here. Her intent of sacrificing herself that night, so that her son could be protected was enough for magic to accept it. She must have offered herself in place of her son's death. And when she was killed, her life force was used to fuel the protection. And that protection is something that is still active on you to this day, Mr. Potter. Even in death, Lily Potter is still protecting her son."

The boy couldn't hold back at that anymore, and some tears started to roll from his eyes. Professor McGonagall was affected by that too and couldn't resist anymore. She pulled the boy to her and gave him a hug. Harry Potter went still for a moment with the hug, but soon he relaxed into the hug. Erik gave a smile at the scene, but took note of the boy's initial reaction. His behaviour matched with some of the reading that he got back from the spell.

After some time, Professor McGonagall finally released the boy, and composed herself back to the image of the strict Professor.

"Sorry for my behaviour, Mr. Potter."

"No problems, Professor."

Harry Potter answered his Professor. He had seen a different side of her today, and he understood that she cared. Harry Potter turned to Erik and asked.

"Sir, and what about my scar?"

"Your scar, Mr. Potter, contin, indeed, a piece of corrupted alien magic in it. And the headaches that you had are the result of said corrupted alien magic 'hammering' the protection. It has something to do with who that piece of corrupted magic belongs to."

Erik replied, with a tone of 'enigma' in the end, waiting for the boy to link the dots. And he did.

"Voldemort?"

Erik nodded at the boy's almost whispered name.

"Can it be removed?"

Harry Potter asked, looking very seriously at Erik. The idea of having a piece of Voldemort's magic in him disgusted the boy to another entirely different level.

"It can. Do you want me to do it?"

Erik replied and asked back to the boy, looking directly in his vibrant green eyes.

Harry Potter nodded firmly at that.

"Yes."

He said. Erik then looked at Professor McGonagall.

"Professor McGonagall, you heard Mr. Potter. But, as you are his 'parent in locus', the final decision is your."

"What are the risks involved in the procedure?"

Professor McGonagall asked, looking seriously at Erik. The news of a cub of her's having a piece of Voldemort's magic stuck in his head had shaken the old witch, and as soon as Lord Ravenclaw could remove it, the better it was. She had linked some of the 'news' with some of the discoveries that gave her nightmares last night, but decided to ask about it later. It was not something that she wanted to talk about in front of a student.

"Some minor discomfort for Mr. Potter that can be redressed by him being unconscious during the procedure. Besides that, none more."

Erik replied to the witch concerns. She nodded to him, agreeing to the procedure.

"Marvelous!"

Erik said while looking at his wrist watch. After checking the time, he offered.

"We would be a little late for lunch, but we could do it now."

"Now?"

"Yes, now."

"Do it."

Harry Potter said firmly, steeling his nerves. Erik smiled at the boy's determination.

"I like your determination, Mr. Potter. You can stay where you are."

Erik said, and got up from the armchair. Doing a gesture with his hand, the center table between them was moved to the side and Erik approached the boy. He then raised his right hand and opened it imitating a claw shape. Erik concentrated, and a brilliant blue magic circle formed around the 'claw hand'.

"Are you ready, Mr. Potter?"

Harry Potter's hands were grabbing strongly the sofa's cloth in a sign of nervousness. He was going to answer, but he felt a hand over one of his. Harry looked down and saw Professor McGonagall's hand over his. The boy relaxed a little and released the sofa's cloth. His hand was then holding the Professor's, like it was his lifeline.

"Yes."

He replied. Erik then addressed his 'audience'.

"One of you can stun him now."

Director Bones took his wand out with a flick of her wrist, and pointed at the boy's body.

"Stupefy!"

She chanted and a jet of red magic was released from her wand, impacting the target and putting him into unconsciousness. Erik then approached the claw hand with the blue magic circle to Harry Potter's head. As the magic circle was about five centimeters of the boy's scar, Erik stopped his hand and pumped more energy into it. The light coming from the magic circle intensified, and a dozen of white tendrils materialised from it. The tendrils then extended and dove into the boy's forehead. They stood there a little, and then they seemed to tense, as if they had grabbed into something. Harry's body twitched, and started to shake in place. The scar in his forehead started to bleed a little. Erik then pumped even more energy into the magic circle and twisted slowly his hand, that was holding the magic circle, in an anti-clock rotation. The magic circle started to rotate and the tendrils tensioned even more, pulling something from inside the boy's scar.

With a final yank of Erik's hand, the tendrils came out while binding a little ball of dark green and black energy. The 'thing' was disgusting. That was the impression that it gave to everyone present. Auror Moody's magic eye was fixated on it, together with his normal eye.

Erik moved away from the lounge area of the office, to the center of it. His 'claw' hand, that was holding the 'thing', was pointing up. Erik looked intensely to it and raised his other hand, with palms up. A small seed of ref fire appeared hovering over his palm and started to grow. A moment later, the red fire was the size of a tennis ball, and stopped growing. The fire itself looked like it was alive.

"Fiendfyre!? You summoned Fiendfyre?"

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