Harry Potter and the War of Morgan le Fay

Chapter 9

"I won't!" Harry called as he caught up to Cyrus and they continued running, taking the first left rather than continuing up towards the post tower.

"You're going to see Merlin?" Cyrus asked and Harry nodded. "Wicked!"

Harry laughed and they soon reached the huge field on the riverbank at the bottom of the waterfall. Nearly every child from the village was there, circled around Guinevere and Godric who had, thankfully, not begun their duel yet. They hurried over, finding Gillian Brewster and David de Erley, another two Harry had found becoming his friends.

Around the same time he'd started meeting the village kids, he'd also gone around learning wandless magic to be ready for Hogwarts. He'd joined the duelling sessions held by Guinevere and Godric, had worked with Salazar and Helga, and had even gotten a few introductory lessons on swords and archery from Erec and Felix, and done a small duel with Artemus. Salazar had been right and wandless magic was extraordinarily natural to use, allowing him to catch up quickly.

"Do they do this often?" Harry asked, gesturing to Guinevere and Godric who were talking to each other quietly.

"Not at all," Gillian replied, shaking her head. "We beg, but Guinevere isn't usually here this much so they don't usually have the time."

"Where is she normally?" Harry wondered.

"Either Winchester or Tintagel Castle," Gillian told him. "She and Arthur are still apprenticing with Merlin, after all."

Harry nodded and looked back at the two duelling masters of Camelot as they moved away from each other. The conversations settled down even as everyone continued vibrating with excitement. A shimmering blue dome appeared around Guinevere and Godric, separating them from their young audience, before becoming invisible aside from the occasional shimmery ripple across the barrier's surface. When the two bowed to each other, Harry was first reminded of the pitiful duelling club in second year and Severus and Lockhart which made him grin, but then remembered the graveyard and Voldemort forcing him to bow before torturing him. He winced at the memory and shifted uncomfortably, pushing the memories aside to focus on the duel about to happen.

And happen it did and it was spectacular to watch. Harry understood the need for the barrier almost immediately. Magic moved differently in this world. It was often wide and flowing and encompassing rather than the linear nature he was used to with wands. As such, dodged, deflected, and missed magic exploded away from the duellers and crashed into the barrier, causing rapid, glittering ripples to tear across the dome. With every hit of magic against the barrier, the young audience gasped with shock and awe. Guinevere and Godric never slowed or faltered, their duel far more like a dance as they moved and circled their self-imposed arena. No words were spoken; incantations were rare, Harry had learned. They both moved smoothly, confidently, hands flying through the air as they cast spell after spell-intention after intention-in such quick succession that the arena was filled with colourful, glittery magic and its results. Magic didn't dissipate in the same way Harry was used to; here, however magic was used remained until its purpose naturally ended or was ended by one of the two duellers.

It was the most impressive and remarkable thing he'd ever witnessed. He'd seen Severus fight and, once the distraction of fighting for his own life had passed, he'd been impressed at the man's skill and power. Guinevere and Godric, however, were something else altogether, a whole other level Harry hadn't even known could exist. He could feel the way the natural magic of the world reacted and responded to being used. It moved swiftly and washed over them in waves from the sheer power being expelled by Guinevere and Godric. It electrified the air around them, touching each of them as though wondering if anyone else would begin to utilize the available power and magic. The magic wanted to be used which is what Harry found made it so easy to use, even without a wand.