Chapter 101: Inner Demons (5)

"What's on your mind tonight, Catherine?" – Dumbledore's voice carried a slight note of concern, startling the girl out of her reverie. She realised she had been absentmindedly holding her hands above the Headmaster's wounded palm, without truly focusing on mixing her magic with vital power.

"I'm sorry, Sir." – she quickly apologised – "I'll concentrate harder!"

"This isn't important, my girl. You appear rather fatigued and pale. Could it be the strain of your end-of-year examinations?" – asked the wizard with a kind smile, making Catherine shift uncomfortably on her chair, wondering if the Professor knew about the few illegal activities she was heavily involved in, together with her friends.

"I'm fine. Perhaps it's just the aftermath of my recent haircut." – she said, attempting a joke, earning a sympathetic glance from Dumbledore.

"It's quite unfortunate that we couldn't hasten the re-growth of your hair. I must confess, I could have done without the three howlers from your mother." – he remarked with a twinkling amusement in his eyes.

"I had hoped she wouldn't find out for a while." – the girl lamented – "Although I suppose it could have been worse. At least I didn't set Snape on fire. Otherwise, she would have come to personally drag me home."

"Curious, isn't it?" – remarked Dumbledore, reclining back in his chair. A soft blue light enveloped his hand, mending the wound without leaving a trace.

"What is?" – Catherine inquired, puzzled.

"That oftentimes, when we're hurt deeply by those who mean something to us, our reliance shifts from our magical nature to our inherent humanity." – the Headmaster elucidated, his hand unconsciously tapping his crooked nose.

"I'm afraid I don't understand, Sir." – the young witch admitted honestly.

"Don't fret over an old man's rambling." – Dumbledore said, winking at Catherine – "However, I see that you're still a bit anxious about your elemental inclination. You're doing great for someone who hasn't been trained at all yet! In my own school days, I once inadvertently set the curtains of my bed ablaze during my fourth year! Needless to say, I became significantly more cautious thereafter. Yet, such fears are not uncommon."

"Was anyone hurt?" – the girl asked, her mind drifting back to the scent of smoke lingering after her nightmare.

"Fortunately, no harm befell anyone, though poor Elphias Doge was so startled that he dashed from the Dormitory, convinced we were besieged by a horde of Hebridean Black dragons." – the wizard responded with a chuckle.

Catherine wasn't exactly certain whether Dumbledore was joking, but she was positive she couldn't hold that secret anymore. She needed someone to reassure her that everything would be alright, and regardless of whether she liked it or not, the Professor was the only one she could truly trust, who knew her identity, and who actually possessed knowledge that could be helpful.

"Professor, I need to tell you something." – she murmured, staring at her hands.

Dumbledore listened to the girl's account about her nightmares without interrupting her. Once she was done speaking, the Headmaster stood up and started pacing around the room, deeply in thought. After a few minutes, he approached the trembling girl and gently put his hand on her shoulder.

"How much do you know about the nature of the demon you carry, Catherine?" – he asked, his tone surprisingly gentle.

The witch lifted her teary eyes, the weight of her dreams unearthing buried emotions within her.

"Not much, honestly." – she confessed, trying to remember everything she had ever been told on the matter – "Actually, most of what I know comes from those dreams. Besides that, I have only been told the bare minimum – that Morgana le Fay foolishly entered into a contract with a demon when she was fifteen in order to finally be able to overpower her greatest rival, Merlin. She borrowed the strength of the demon for her lifetime, but once she died, the contract was passed to her female descendants in the main branch of the McMahon family. They became vessels of the demon and a barrier to prevent it from roaming free into our world. However, all girls were driven mad by their power and went on killing sprees before they could even reach adolescents. I believe this Erin I dreamt about must have been one of the oldest. Forced to eventually kill their daughters anyway, and in order to prevent the loss of innocent lives, my ancestors swore to kill every McMahon daughter on the day she was born. This is what they wrote in the Pact the aristocrats concluded after the Last Noble War that ended in 1558. Of course, our family used all kinds of spells and ancient magic rituals to prevent the birth of girls. With time, they really improved the tools they were using, and the last unfortunate vessel born was in the early 18th century. Well, I guess until…"

"Until you were born." – Dumbledore finished her sentence.

"Yes." – the girl nodded.

"What you've just shared largely aligns with the information your father provided me." – the wizard noted, resuming his pacing around the office – "However, I believe there are significant gaps in this narrative. I suspect that a misunderstanding of the nature of Morgana le Fay's contract lies at the heart of all the terrible events that unfolded afterwards."

"What misunderstanding could there be?" – asked Catherine, her heart pounding wildly.

"For starters, demons are very versatile kind of Dark creatures, ranging from simple and relatively weak servant-class spirits to entities akin to demigods." – explained Dumbledore, absently petting Fawkes who had alighted on his shoulder – "Additionally, your family appears to have operated under the assumption that the girls serving as vessels should be devoid of human emotions, which I feel is a grave mistake."

"You told me this before." – the young witch recalled – "When we first met at my home."

"Indeed." – smiled the Headmaster – "And I'm more than certain, after observing you, that I was right not supporting this approach. Suppressing your emotions deprives you of your greatest strength, my dear – your humanity."

"So you believe that embracing my humanity, even if it means acknowledging feelings like anger or hatred, could help contain the demon?" – the girl asked tentatively.

"Yes, though I sincerely doubt you are truly capable of hatred." – Dumbledore replied.

"I think you greatly underestimate my Slytherin blood, Sir." – the witch retorted with a smirk.

"And I think we both know Salazar Slytherin was not a villain. It is very easy to judge someone from the high standpoint of our time." – countered the wizard – "Furthermore, despite your perceived Slytherin qualities, my honest opinion is that you're a true descendant of all Four Founders. Since our first meeting, I've noticed this tireless thirst for knowledge Rowena Ravenclaw had. Your own choice of learning how to mend before learning how to destroy shows a deep connection to Helga Hufflepuff, whose unique method of healing you're already practicing. And if being sorted into Gryffindor does not persuade you how much of his blood runs into your veins, keep in mind he was one of the most accomplished Fire Mages who ever walked this Earth."

Catherine's eyes widened with surprise, completely taken aback by the realisation. First, that the healing magic she was practicing was something Hufflepuff excelled in, and second, that Godric Gryffindor was a Fire Mage. These facts hadn't been mentioned by her father or in the books she had access to.

"It seems to me you prefer thinking about yourself as some sort of a villain, my girl." – continued the old wizard – "Does it make it easier to accept the demon inside you?"

"I haven't really thought much about it." – admitted Catherine – "Maybe…after all, Erin apparently had been a kind and gentle girl, loved by everyone, and she killed countless of people… I am neither of those, then who knows what I could do if the demon takes over. It might be happening already for all I know!"

Dumbledore smiled sadly at the serious thirteen-year-old witch who spoke of her life and death with such resignation. "I understand why these dreams bother you, and I do think they have something to do with the demon. That's why we should start working on your Occlumency skills next year. However, it's important to understand, you're one hundred percent yourself, and the seal is still intact. I told you, it was crucial to understand the nature of the demon Morgana contracted and I happen to know a bit more about this than House McMahon."

"You do? How?" – Catherine almost shouted, jumping to her feet.

The Headmaster raised his hand in a calming manner. "Many years ago, during one of my travels abroad, I happened to encounter a copy of a very old Bulgarian book, called Родословие на демоните or Genealogy of Demons. There, I read fascinating stories and witness testimonies about some of the most powerful demons the Wizarding world has ever encountered. One story that stood out to me concerned Britain. According to the book, in some cave, hidden in our lands, lay a chest made from moon silver, where ancient Greek wizards had captured the demon Alecto after she almost destroyed Troy. Later, Irish druids travelled to Greece and acquired the chest, intending to use it as a weapon. From there, the trail disappeared. When your father first explained your family's curse to me, I immediately remembered that book."

"So, you think that the demon Morgana contracted was that Alecto?" – asked the young witch in awe.

"I believe we have good reason to believe so. This means we're potentially dealing with an ancient being with tremendous power. We need to learn more about her to anticipate her behaviour and keep you safe." – stated Dumbledore with a serene face.

"This dagger Robert used in my dream…" – said Catherine, contemplatively – "…do you know more about it?"

"No." – the Headmaster shook his head – "I have never heard about such an artefact, but from what you told me, I believe aristocrats should have a hold of them. However, your father hasn't mentioned anything about this to me, and if I understand correctly, the dagger seals the already leaked demonic power and kills the human host whose death otherwise would break the barrier if enough power had been released."

"That's also how I understood it." – mumbled the girl, lowering her gaze.

"Catherine!" – Dumbledore's voice was warm and compassionate as he continued – "I want you to know, this is not an option I would ever agree to! You can resist the curse, and I am certain we're going to find a way to end this once and for all!"

"I beg your pardon?" – asked the witch, shocked – "What do you mean once and for all? If there was a way, we would have found it by now!"

"Only death is irreversible, my girl. You know there must be a way to end that contract and extract the demon from you. We need more information and time to gather it. I promise you, we can do it! Would you believe me?" – asked the Headmaster.

"I believe you, Professor." – the witch answered – "I am not certain if I believe myself, though. The odds are not in my favour."

Fawkes silently took off from Dumbledore's shoulder and landed on the floor in front of Catherine, his beady eyes observing her with curiosity as she petted him with a sorrowful smile.

"It seems Fawkes believes in you too." – chuckled the older wizard – "You are not your ancestors, my dear! Regardless of what you saw, you are unique and special. Their sins are not your sins. If you're still looking for a confirmation, be aware that even if a small part of a demonic power, capable of using Fiendfyre, was tainting your magic, a true fire creature like a phoenix would never go near you and could even go as far as attacking you."

This visibly cheered up Catherine, who felt better than she had in a long while. Even her bald head didn't bother her anymore as she carefully rested it against the beautiful red and golden bird.

"It feels good to know this." – she admitted sincerely – "You're such a sweetheart, Fawkes! I can't even imagine you attacking anyone!"

"Oh, phoenixes are capable of causing a significant damage if they want, although they use true fire as a last resort." – explained Dumbledore – "A long time ago, I allowed Mr Olivander to take two feathers from Fawkes, and I'm certain that despite the gift, if it wasn't for me, he would have attacked the wizard."

"What do you mean by gift?" – asked Catherine curiously.

"For a phoenix to present you with a feather, you need to offer it an equally valuable gift. What they usually like are magical stones which are used for the finest enchanted jewelleries, but they don't accept every gift. My theory is that they prefer those bearing traces of someone's feelings like love, loyalty, friendship, etc."

"How astonishing!" – the young Gryffindor exclaimed, her mind quickly assessing where she could find such a stone to offer the unsuspected phoenix. She felt a bit uncomfortable planning this under Dumbledore's nose, but Remus was her top priority at that moment.

"Sir, thank you for believing I can win against the demon. You're probably the only one." – Catherine mumbled as she was about to leave the Headmaster's office.

"I'm not the only one, my dear." – the wizard's reassured her with a smile – "After all, it's our choices that show what we truly are, and you, Lady McMahon, you are everything the Darkness fears – a formidable warrior who could bring both life and death but chooses creation over destruction."

"I hope you're not mistaken, Professor." – responded Catherine without turning back, swiftly leaving the room.