Chapter 69: A Very Happy Return
Harry's Room, Jan. 11 th
Opening the door to his room, Harry looked at his already magically expanded room in surprise. In his rush to leave Durmstrang over the Christmas holidays, he had obviously forgotten to remove the expansion charm he placed upon his receptacle. The fact that the receptacle actually managed to continue working throughout the entire Christmas holidays was rather shocking and it gave Harry a great sense of accomplishment. Clearly, all the practice he did over the summer had paid off.
Placing his trunk at the foot of his bed, Harry went to his desk, removed his older receptacle, and placed it in his bag. After quickly inspecting his room, Harry didn't think anything would be irreparably damaged in case the receptacle were to fail suddenly, resulting in the space expansion charm being canceled. Walking back outside Harry made his way back down the boy's hallway and down the main staircase. Once on the second floor, he quickly found his way to Professor Kosarev's office and knocked patiently on the door.
"Come." The sharp voice of Kosarev commanded, prompting Harry to turn the handle and open the door.
"Ah, Mr. Potter," Kosarev said pleasantly, a smile gracing his face. "Welcome back. I trust you had a pleasant holiday?"
Stepping forward and closing the door behind him, Harry couldn't help but marvel at his professor's office. The room almost felt alive with the amount of magic that was actively taking place. Just slightly to the right of Kosarev's desk, two enchanted suits of armor were casually sitting in chairs playing a game of wizards chess as an enchanted train flew around the room. As soon as he entered the room, a plush chair seemed to move of its own accord away from the wall and situated itself directly in front of the professor's desk.
Sitting in the chair, Harry looked up when the flying train's horn blew, and his eyes immediately drifted to a new addition to the room. Floating around an impressive chandelier in the center of the professor's vaulted ceiling was a startling rendition of the solar system. At first glance Harry thought the planets were simply stationary, but as he continued to watch them, he noticed they were in fact moving very slowly.
"I see you're fond of my latest enchantment," Kosarev commented lightly. "It took quite a while to figure out how to make the planets mimic their actual counterparts rotation and movements around the sun, but, fortunately, I found myself with some free time over the holiday."
Reminding himself that he was in the professor's office for a reason, Harry forcibly turned his eyes away from the impressive enchantment. "Well, sir, I just returned from England, and it appears I forgot to remove the space enhancement spell from my receptacle before I left Durmstrang in December."
"Ah," Kosarev said knowingly, "and what is the damage to your room?"
"Actually, none sir," Harry said, a slight smile on his face. "The receptacle managed last throughout the entire holiday."
Slightly surprised, Kosarev asked, "Do you have the receptacle with you by any chance?"
"I do sir." Harry reached into his bag, carefully removed the quill, and placed it on Kosarev's desk.
Kosarev held the quill in his hand, looking intently at the object while tapping it. After a few moments, he said, "I would say this receptacle will last another eight to ten days Mr. Potter. Still, this is a most impressive improvement."
"How do you do that?" Harry asked curiously.
The Charms Professor simply raised a curious eyebrow, inviting his student to elaborate.
"How do you always know how much magic is left in the receptacle? You're always so accurate. The revealing spell my mother taught me will only show in vague terms how much magic an object contains."
"Yes, Specialis Revelio can be a most frustrating spell. Oh, it has its uses I suppose, but it's not exactly ideal."
"So, what is it that you do?" Harry pressed. "What spell is it?"
"Harry, there is so much more to magic than spells and incantations," Kosarev said authoritatively. "If you learn nothing more from me during your time at Durmstrang, remember that. What I do is magic at a much deeper level. You see, a truly talented wizard can reach out with their senses and feel the lingering hints of magic. With enough practice, they can interpret and manipulate these traces in a number of ways. So while I held your receptacle, I did my best to sense the magic that emanated from the object. And because of my familiarity with how to create a receptacle, I can give you a fairly accurate estimate of how long your spell will remain intact."
"That's incredible," Harry said in awe. "I've never even heard of magic like that. When will we learn how to sense magic? Is there a book on it that I should consider reading first?"
"Harry, your enthusiasm is, as always, refreshing." Kosarev chuckled. "Unfortunately, I will not be teaching you this magic." Before Harry could open his mouth to protest, Kosarev held up a hand, indicating he was not done speaking. "This is magic far beyond what we expect even in our seventh years to accomplish this type of magic, Harry. It does not belong to any specific field, and there is no real book, wand movement, or potion that can help you learn it."
"So how did you learn it?" Harry asked.
"Perhaps I am explaining this wrong. This isn't an ability that is learned, Harry, yet it's not a magical talent, like a Seer's clairvoyance. I believe anyone can achieve this connection with magic, if only they push themselves to discover it. It is, of course, still quite difficult to achieve, and it requires the ability to clearly discern one's own magic, as well as the experience to understand and command various types of magic at a high level. Tell me, Harry, what do both of those requirements have in common?"
Taken slightly aback, Harry said, "Err, I'm not exactly sure, sir."
"Time, Harry," Kosarev provided. "It takes time. Time that often goes well beyond the seven years of training at a magical school. Did you know, Harry, that it used to be traditional for exceptional wizards to not take jobs after they graduate?"
"No," Harry said, slightly surprised. "Why not?"
"It was seen as a waste of their talent. Why should a student with great potential be forced into a menial job in government. Why, even an Auror or Healer program would be too restrictive. One hundred years ago, it was commonplace for the top students of the day to ignore work and go travel instead. It was expected that the best would want to see the magical cultures of other nations, to seek out forgotten lore or uncommon magic. Only after they spent time abroad would the person come home and seek a job or a family."
"So...what changed?" Harry asked curiously.
Kosarev scowled. "The Ministries grew tired of watching the best and brightest leave. There was always the chance that the witch or wizard might not ever return from their travels. Should they settle in another country, the ministry would lose the benefits of his or her talent. Of course the subsequent rise of Grindelwald didn't help matters. Everyone knew Grindelwald traveled extensively following his expulsion from Durmstrang. It is now commonly believed that during his travels Grindelwald searched for rare dark knowledge and crafted his plans for domination. Since then, traveling abroad for 'self study' has had a somewhat negative connotation."
"Oh," Harry said, frowning somewhat. "So I won't be learning how to sense magic anytime soon then."
Laughing slightly, Kosarev said, "You are a long way away from such magic Harry, but, if you continue improving, it is certainly not out of your reach."
"When do you think I'll be ready?" Harry couldn't help but ask.
"I will make you a deal, Harry. You are on pace to finish your Charms class at the end of your fifth year. Typically, students who finish a class early are tasked with a period of self study to continue expanding their knowledge of the class. Should you actually manage to complete your Charms classes early, I will do my best to teach you how to sense magic. As I said, I don't believe the magic can be taught, but I will do my best to guide you. Now, not to push you out, but I do have some last minute lesson plan adjustments I need to make."
"I understand. Thank you sir," Harry said, placing his old receptacle back in his bag and leaving the room.
As he walked down the boys' hallway towards his room, Harry decided to drop by and visit with Viktor before the feast. Reaching his friend's door, Harry was about to twist the doorknob and walk inside when he remembered to double check the doorknob's color. Seeing that it wasn't red, he opened the door and casually walked inside the room, only to be treated to the sight of Kira viciously snogging Viktor against a wall. Fortunately, this time they were both fully clothed.
Harry's rather un-masculine 'eep' when he saw the two alerted Kira and Viktor to his presence.
Before Kira could so much as say a word, Harry blurted out, "It wasn't red. I checked!"
This seemed to give Kira a moment's pause as she leveled her wand at him. "They say once is an accident, Potter."
"And twice is still just a coincidence," Viktor reminded his temperamental girlfriend as he guided her wand back down to her side.
Kira growled as she pocketed her wand. "Fine. But the next time you interrupt us, Potter..."
"Err," Harry said uncomfortably, "I could come back, or rather, I'll see you at the feast, Viktor."
"Don't bother leaving Potter, the mood is ruined," Kira grumbled. "Viktor, you need to learn some better locking charms."
"Actually the door was unlocked," Harry said before immediately falling silent under Kira's rather pointed glare.
Viktor laughed. "Well, to be fair, Kira, you did spring the snogging on me rather suddenly."
"Suddenly!" she exclaimed. "You tell me that you're going to be starting for the Bulgarian National team and I'm, what? Supposed to just say congratulations and shake your hand? You should have expected the snog of your life."
"You're going to be starting for Bulgaria! How? When did this happen?" Harry asked quickly.
Viktor gestured to an open chair, inviting Harry to sit down. "Well, each national team squad is only allowed to keep one Seeker on their roster. It's a rule that was put in place to make the game fair. If a team has great Chasers or Beaters, but a lousy Seeker, they can aim to knock out the opponent's Seeker and not have to worry about losing because of the Snitch. Well, Bulgaria's Seeker was knocked out during a World Cup qualifying game against Romania over the break. At first they thought it was a slightly damaged lumbar vertebra, which would have kept him out for only a week or two. After they got him to the hospital, though, it turned out that there was some major muscle degeneration and ligament damage around his spine, and if he was to take another Bludger to the back, he would likely be paralyzed."
"And you're going to take his spot," Harry said in astonishment. "What about that Peja guy? You said the coaches liked him more than you, and he should be fully recovered from when you plowed him during the summer."
"Ah, yes, Peja. Well, it seems that dear Peja is still recovering from the emotional trauma of smashing headfirst into the pitch at full speed. He is scared to push his broom to its limits, and he refuses to dive for the Snitch. The coaches had to make a decision. It was either take me, or reshuffle the entire lineup and move one of the team's Chasers to Seeker. After I beat the Chaser to the Snitch seven straight times in my tryout, the coaches all agreed that Bulgaria would have a better chance of winning with me as Seeker."
"Wow, congratulations, Viktor. When is your first game, and how are you going to be getting to practice?"
"My first game will be against Germany in a little over a month, and the Highmaster has been kind enough to give me a reusable Portkey, which will let me bypass Durmstrang's wards to get to practice," Viktor explained with a huge smile on his face.
"Have you told anyone else?"
"Just me," Kira said, wrapping her arm around Viktor possessively, "and you saw what my reaction to the news was."
Harry blushed. "Um, yeah, it was..."
"Enthusiastic?" Viktor offered with a grin.
"Exactly," Harry agreed immediately.
"Well, as much fun as this is, I should be leaving to get changed for the feast. I'll be back in a little while, Viktor," Kira said, planting a kiss on his mouth before departing his room.
"I really don't get her," Harry said, shaking his head.
"Who? Kira?"
"Yeah, one minute she's civil and the next she's sending a curse at me."
"She's just passionate. Plus, she's a girl," Viktor said as if that explained everything. When he saw the confusion on Harry's face, Viktor smiled. "You'll learn someday that girls can be rather prone to mood swings."
Harry looked at his friend in confusion before giving up and shrugging his shoulders "If you say so, Viktor."
"Trust me, Harry," Viktor smirked. "The benefits of a good girlfriend far outweigh any negative aspects. Now, speaking of girls, what have you decided to do about Calypso?"
"I honestly have no idea what I'm going to do," Harry muttered. "My Christmas was bad enough without thinking about Calypso."
"What happened?"
"I really don't want to talk about it right now Viktor," Harry said exasperatedly. "As far as Calypso goes, I know she's taking notes on me and my family, but I can't figure out why. If it was just stuff about me or my brother, then I'd be more concerned, but I don't understand why she would be interested in why my great-great uncle won the Order of Merlin for Research in experimental charms."
"It is strange," Viktor agreed. "Obviously, you could confront her about it, but you still don't know why Calypso is looking at parts of your family history, and it could easily turn out to be nothing. Of course, another option would be for you to simply stop being friends with her–"
"No," Harry said before hesitantly adding, "It's like you said, I don't know what she's doing. It could be nothing."
Viktor looked less than pleased at his friend's adamant refusal. "Very well. I suppose you should simply act as normal as possible when around her then, but keep your guard up. I suppose it all depends on if you think you can trust her, Harry."
"Do you think I can trust her?"
"I think you've shown a great deal of trust in her thus far, Harry. The decision is yours and yours alone," Viktor said firmly. "I won't tell you what to do here, but if it were me...no. I would not trust her."
"I'm going to trust her...at least until I can get some answers."
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