The Weight of the Soul

The portraits, however, were another matter. Salazar had told him that portraits were almost always created to spread information in some way, whether it be knowledge, understanding, or something else. It was the reason that Salazar himself had created his portrait, to teach his heirs - or at least, those that had managed to find the chamber.

It was certainly food for thought. Harry would have to be much more careful when he was outside of the chamber. He clearly remembered how the headmaster's office was practically filled with portraits.

"I'm fine." said Harry, turning back to Professor McGonagall, "I don't need friends right now, I don't want them."

"Potter, don't be foolish." reprimanded McGonagall.

"I'm not. I'm fine."

Professor McGonagall clearly didn't believe him, though she said nothing. She merely picked up a biscuit, before motioning towards the door.

"Bloody hell." muttered Harry upon exiting the classroom, "Dance partners? She's out of her bloody mind!"

Harry supposed that if he really desired he could simply ask one of the chasers to go with him to the ball, although he highly doubted that would be a good solution. He was neutral with them at the moment, nothing more and nothing less. They were not the best candidates for a partner.

Harry was starting to realise that best and good were two very different things.

Sighing slightly, Harry made his way down to the kitchens.

....

Harry made his way down into the Chamber of Secrets, having just finished eating lunch with Hedwig in the Owlery (dinner was the only meal that required students to eat in the Great Hall, something that Harry took advantage of). Harry had a great time sitting by his beloved owl (and likely always would), but he was starting to get rather annoyed by Salazar's behavior.

The portrait had been very wrapped up with whatever he had been researching, and it was not something that Harry appreciated very much. This, combined with the fact that the portrait was clearly researching something that involved Harry's wellbeing, did not please Harry one bit.

He hadn't been overly worried about it during the past two weeks, but that was almost entirely because of Hedwig. Spending time with the beautiful owl had managed to get his mind off things, but that did not apply to the times that he was within the chamber, just as he was right now.

"Will you please just finish whatever you're doing and tell me what's wrong?" asked Harry as he entered the study.

"Funny, I was just about to talk to you." said Salazar.

The portrait seemed incredibly tired, and just as pale as he had weeks prior. He was clearly depressed, which Harry didn't even know was possible for a portrait.

Which likely means that I have an extremely bad problem. Let's just hope it can be resolved.

Salazar had always told Harry that as long as an issue wasn't permanent, it wasn't an issue to worry about. Harry wasn't entirely sure he agreed with the portrait's viewpoint, and had voiced it. Upon hearing that, Salazar had told him that this reasoning was why death was the biggest problem one might ever face, especially the death of loved ones.

Harry hadn't commented on the subject after that, merely informing the portrait that he understood. But the fact that the portrait seemed so stressed at the moment certainly concerned Harry more than a little bit.

"I'm assuming you found out whatever was wrong with me?" asked Harry.

"Indeed I have." said the portrait, his voice growing slightly grim, "Tell me, what do you know about horcruxes?"

"Only that Riddle made them, and that you wouldn't take it too kindly if I chose to make one." said Harry, recalling his previous conversations with the portrait.

"Correct. I had initially planned on waiting a while before I spoke to you on such a subject, but it seems that the subject can not be held back much longer. You are running out of time, and you must be prepared. We will increase the rate of all of your training, so that we might begin properly working on your wandless magic within a few months. I can not continue to keep knowledge to myself; this is your own fight, not mine"

"How bad can it be that you're willing to let me begin working on my wandless magic so soon?" asked Harry uncertainty, deciding not to mention that he had been practicing the very thing for the last few weeks. He hadn't improved by much either way.

Regardless, Harry knew why it was that Salazar had not wanted him to begin practicing his wandless magic. Small things were fine (such as the things he had been practicing within the Owlery), but practicing bigger things without solid control would end dismally. For Salazar to be willing to train Harry in the art so soon - the issue Salazar had discovered clearly was quite a big deal.

"What do you know about the soul?" asked Salazar, ignoring Harry's previous question.

"Er - what?"

Salazar cursed quietly in Parseltongue. For once, Harry did not hear anything about the stupidity of his generation.

"The soul is, in essence, who you are. It is your way of thinking, your consciousness. It is what makes you who you are, what makes you different and unique. One will only ever die when their soul is no longer bound to the earth, which almost always means when their soul is separated from their bodies - Dementors being the exception, of course.

"Now, one's soul is typically not harmed when one dies. It simply leaves its container, nothing more. If you were killed by most magical methods of murder, you would die, but your soul would remain completely unharmed."

"Which would be of great comfort to me, I'm sure." remarked Harry.

"It should be." said Salazar, "Your soul is who you are. As long as it remains, so do you. This remains true, even if you are no longer alive."

"So then what happens after someone dies?" asked Harry curiously.

"The 'next great adventure', I suppose." answered Salazar, "That's what Helga always told us."

"But you've died. How don't you know?"

"I'm a portrait." snapped Salazar, "Portraits are created through a spell derived from soul magic. If your soul ever came into contact with mine, that version of my soul would likely know just as much as I do. I think and act exactly as that soul would. But I am not that soul."

"So do you have a soul?" asked Harry.

"No, I do not." explained the portrait, "I am simply a portrait linked to a soul, using magic. It is a link that will eventually fade, as all magics eventually do. The spell required to create a portrait is derived from soul magic, as I said. Since you have to interact with the soul to create the portrait, a portrait can only be made by the person it depicts."

"That sounds rather complex." noted Harry.

"The spell itself is truthfully quite simple, but I digress. The soul is a very simple yet complex thing, both pure and impure. But whatever the soul does to another will occur onto itself. I am sure you have heard the saying 'treat others the way you want to be treated'?"

"Yeah, one of my teachers used to say that to all of us in class." remembered Harry, "But she always seemed to forget it whenever Dudley and his friends would knock me around."

"Yes, well that is why the saying exists, or at least where it originates from. The actions you take, and in turn the experiences you create or go through, effect what happens to your soul. If you commit horrible actions, you will likely become a horrible person. If you are kind to others, you become a kind person."

.....

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