Chapter 259

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The end of the year holidays were almost over, which meant that before long I would have to go back to school.

I knew that after going back to school I would be very busy, as we would be getting close to final exams, which would be more difficult because of the elective classes.

I wasn't worried about my exams, as I was still an excellent student in my main classes like Charms and Transfiguration, and was also considered an excellent student in my electives.

As I had chosen electives that I really liked and that I had already studied a bit about before going to Hogwarts, I managed to do very well in these classes when they started, so I knew that the exams would not be a challenge.

However, my problem was not the difficulty of the exams, but the amount of lessons and homework that the teachers would give us in preparation for these said exams.

And besides, I wasn't too excited to go back to school as the dementors were still on guard looking for Sirius, and feeling the sad and depressed emotions of the other castle residents wasn't something I looked forward to.

It would be nice if Sirius' trial happened as soon as possible so the dementors would go away and I could relax again, but I knew things couldn't always go the way I wanted.

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-My bedroom-

"Damn, I can create new spells and have a lot of abilities, but why is figuring out how a Thestral's core works so hard?" I grumbled, resisting the urge to rub my temples.

I was sitting on my bed surrounded by books and notes detailing my research into a Thestral's ability to filter magic.

I was trying to replicate this ability since morning, but whenever I felt I was close to making a new discovery, my magic returned to its original form, thus causing me to fail.

No matter how many times I tried or how much research I did, I still couldn't figure out what the last elements needed to be able to replicate this ability were.

I didn't know if it was my lack of information about magic cores, or if this ability really was exclusive to these winged horses of death.

If it was the first option, I knew that with time I could unlock the secrets of the cores so that I could have that ability for myself too, but if it was the second option, everything I was working on would have been a waste of all my time and effort.

Magical abilities given by magic itself were at best defined as a special gift, which could not be replicated or taken away.

And with the thought that that was the most likely option, I groaned in frustration, throwing myself onto my bed and knocking over the books that were around me.

"I should have expected that it would be difficult to create a spell of this level" I mumbled, "If it were that easy to create a spell that would nullify all other types of magic, then probably some other witch or wizard would have discovered or created it... Actually, someone may have already created such a spell, but it may have been forgotten or lost due to the passing of time."

And with that in mind, I groaned in frustration again.

*Knock! Knock!*

Hearing someone knocking on the door, I sat up again, trying to push aside my feelings of frustration.

Using my senses I realized that the one knocking on my door was Nick, and I started to wonder what he wanted.

"I can enter?" Nick asked.

"Sigh... Yes" I said, and after that he opened the door and looked into my room, seeing how messed up it was.

"Oh, I see you've been a little busy," he said, stepping in and closing the door.

"Yes, you could say that," I said dryly, causing Nick to look at me with a raised eyebrow.

"Apparently whatever you're working on doesn't seem to be going well," he said, and I sighed.

"Yeah, apparently studying a Thestral's core is more stressful than it looks," I said, and Nick looked at me confused.

"Core of a Thestral? I never knew that magical creatures had magic cores" he said, and I then remembered that his Magic Insight didn't have as much power as my Magic Vision, besides that my Beast Power allowed me a connection and better understanding of creatures.

"Oh, I think I see their core because of my Magic Vision... Well, it's not exactly a core, but it's the closest thing I can think of" I shrugged.

"Sometimes I envy that skill of yours" Nick murmured in amusement and I smiled at him, "But well, would you like my help?" He asked.

Hearing his question I began to reflect, realizing that if there was anyone who might be able to unravel this mystery of magic, it would be him.

Looking at Nick, I started to wonder if I should accept his help, but I knew that if I accepted his help I would have to tell him about my Beast Power, which was one of the main reasons besides my Magic Vision that it allowed one to see the cores of magical creatures.

With him knowing this ability of mine, maybe he can help me somehow with my problem, but I still wasn't sure if I really wanted anyone else to know about my Beast Power.

Thinking a little more I started to face Nick, with many thoughts coming to my mind, and meanwhile he looked at me confused, I don't understand why my silence and my stare.

Even though something in the back of my mind said it would be best to keep my abilities a secret, my instincts still told me that the right choice would be to trust him.

Knowing that the voice in the back of my mind was just my paranoia and caution, I decided that following my instincts would be best, as they had never failed me.

"Sigh... Remember when I talked about my Magic Vision?" I asked Nick, who nodded, "Well, it turns out that's not the only skill I have"

After I said that I could see Nick look at me analytically for a few seconds before he nodded to himself.

"That explains a lot," he said.

"Oh really?" I asked.

"Yes... It may not seem like it, but it's kind of noticeable to someone with a lot of experience with magic that your magic is 'different', and even the magic in your surroundings acts strangely around you" he said, and I looked at myself.

"Oh, I never realized that," I said, frowning.

"Which isn't all that surprising," he said, and patting his head with a wink at me he continued, "As I said, someone with a lot of experience with magic."

Nodding, I looked back at my hands, trying to see any kind of difference in my magic compared to other people, finding nothing abnormal other than the density and power of my magic, which wasn't that impressive compared to Headmaster and other older witches and wizards.

"But well, that subject aside, what is it that has you so stressed?" Nick asked me.

And sighing I started talking about how I was failing at trying to create a spell, and that all the research and studying I had done was to no avail.

It was obvious to anyone that I was really upset, both with myself and the situation, and even though I knew it wouldn't do me any good to complain I still couldn't help it, since I was still human, and any human in this situation would get carried away by their emotions.

Realizing how stressed and upset I was, as well as disappointed in myself, Nick began to look at me closely, understanding what the problem was.

And after a few seconds of silence Nick began to speak.

"I guess I never told you about how I created the Philosopher's Stone, did I?" Nick asked me, and even surprised by this question I still shook my head, "Well, actually it could be said that I was only a helper in the creation of the stone, and that the true creator is not me"

Hearing this, my eyes widened slightly as I looked with surprise, confusion and curiosity at Nick.

"But then who is the creator of it?" I asked, "Is he or she famous?"

"Well I don't know if it is a he or she..." Nick started to say with a slightly wry smile, "But I can tell that it is sooo famous" he finished with an enigmatic look.

"It?" I asked, looking at Nick confused.

Nick didn't answer me, instead settling on just snapping his fingers to make the books around me float, and looking into his glowing eyes, presumably from the activation of his Magic Insight, my eyes widened in realization.

"The Magic" I mumbled, and Nick smiled.

"Ding! Ding! Et c'est la réponse parfaite!" he said in French, "Who really created the philosopher's stone was magic itself!"

"But how?" I asked without understanding.

"Well, unlike most witches and wizards, I don't think magic is just an energy or a concept, and I also know that it's not a being. Magic is something more complex and undefined" Nick started to explain to me, "Magic is, in general, life, destiny, body and soul... Magic is everything!"

"Yes, but... What does that have to do with magic being the creator of the philosopher's stone?" I asked, not sure what Nick was trying to say.

"Hmm, that's simple and difficult to answer at the same time" he said scratching his goatee, and after a second of contemplation he snapped his fingers, "Oh, I know!"

Looking at him confused but curious, I saw Nick pick up his wand, and with a slight swing he transfigured one of the books on the floor into a puppet.

"The best way to explain it would be to say that magic guided me, or more specifically, controlled me to create the stone" he said, and then he pointed to the puppet, which started to move on its own, "I'm the puppet in this example, and the one pulling my strings would be the magic."

"So basically you were controlled and forced to create the philosopher's stone?" I asked with a strange face.

"Oh, no, no. In fact, I had already done some research on how to create an object of immense magical power that could heal anything while also granting the user longevity" Nick replied, "And even though I'm saying that the magic was controlling me, remember that I also said that it guided me in the creation of the stone, like a mother teaching and helping her child to take his first steps"

"So does that mean you consciously created the stone?"

"Exactly, but without the magic guiding me, and without it giving a little help in some crucial points, I would probably never have achieved this feat" he said with a slight smile, which ended up becoming a sad and deprecating smile, "And that would have resulted in the worst thing that could happen."

"And what thing would that be?" I questioned.

"Penny's death" he replied, and that made me stop, looking at him in shock.

End.

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(End AN: No important AN here, but you can use this paragraph to comment and discuss with each other what you think of the story so far)