Of Shadow, Shine, and Shades

Ch.11 Up the Game

Caelum made his decision.

"There were some traces of darkness that attached to you that night your parents were murdered," Caelum explained in a roundabout way and the Master shot him a brief glance at the white lie. "You were hit with the Killing Curse and no one has survived it before. It is a Dark curse and I should have expected it to have some effect but..."

Harry had blanched at the explanation and shook his head so that black locks went flying around. "I... what has it done to me?"

"It can be suppressed so it doesn't affect you in any way," the Mind Arts Master replied solemnly. "It has not directed your thoughts but simply made it harder for you to express yourself and access your magic. If you allow me, I will create a prison for it until it can be removed." The man's eyes flickered to Caelum at that but the mage kept his gaze on Harry. He did not know how to extract it without killing Harry.

He didn't know...

The hole in his chest opened again, the feeling of letting down so many people, but he ignored it and kept his attention on Harry. He rose and stepping to the boy's side he gathered the unresisting form in his arms. He rubbed circles on the boy's back until Harry wrapped his arms tentatively around Caelum's neck and buried his face in the mage's shirt. The mage sat back down, Harry still in his arms and looked at the Mind Arts Master, fully acknowledging his responsibility for the lie. The man gave a tiny nod and Caelum felt the presence wash over him as the old man began his work.

It lasted hours and all the while Caelum held Harry who didn't move even though he must have felt the foreign presence invading his mind. Caelum was both amazed at the work his Master was performing and a little worried that he wasn't sensing it as well as he should have. He had passed most Mind Arts Masters in their profession but last year had been horrible for him in every aspect.

"Done."

The mage looked up to see the brown haired man slouched in his chair wiping sweat from his forehead. He raised an inquiring brow and lowered his shields for the silent answer his Master sent to his mind, "The Dark One was a Master as well. It is no easy work forcing a fighting soul piece into a prison when it has earlier had relatively free rein."

The mage nodded and turned to Harry. The boy's eyes were closed and would have seemed to be asleep if not for the unnatural stillness of his body and the short breaths hissing through his pursed lips.

"Harry, how're you feeling?"

They waited patiently for the answer and were rewarded after a few tense moments. The ten year old nodded against Caelum's shirt and the arms loosened their tight hold.

"It feels... different, I guess. I..." He paused to gather his thoughts. "I know that... Master is where he is without looking. But you're still not there. I mean, I'm not feeling you. Why's that?"

Letting the boy down from his lap Caelum ruffled his hair affectionately and smiled. "I have shields that keep me and my magic hidden. I only lower them when using magic and even then only slightly. It's because," he continued anticipating the next question, "I need to keep myself and my magic under control and I couldn't do that the normal way."

His Master nodded though the hunger for new knowledge never left his eyes. Caelum sighed inwardly at the signs of a future interrogation but knew Harry needed to be the first one to know. If he promised to tell them at the same time it could serve as an incentive for the Mind Arts Master to teach Harry to the best of his ability. He pushed these thoughts through his shields and immediately felt the attention of his Master caught. The man grimaced but nodded all the same.

Harry had stayed oblivious to their exchange and was looking around the room as if it was the first time he'd seen it. His green eyes were sparkling with interest and for a moment Caelum was glad he'd decided against revealing the truth. Harry deserved to have a few happy moments. And he would have to research the extraction of horcruxes so that he could deliver some good news when the time to confess finally was upon them.