Chapter 6
“So, how old are you?” Severus Snape asked as he meticulously prepped his ingredients in the lab of Martin’s tower. “Is ‘Martin’ even your real name?”
“It is my current legal name.” After a brief pause, Martin continued, though Severus did not look at him, he could feel Martin’s gaze on him. “I don’t want to tell you the name my mother gave me just yet.”
By Severus’ side, Gaius rolled his eyes, and Severus quirked his lip. “Ahh, Elliot implied something like that. So - How old are you? I understand you are old enough to be Elliot’s father.”
“Hmm… Will you believe me if I say I don’t know? I haven’t exactly been keeping count.”
“You must have an approximation, since you claimed to be older than Hogwarts.”
Martin blinked, “How old is Hogwarts?”
“What year is it?” Gaius jumped in.
Martin pursed his lips and slowly turned to Severus, who sighed. “1995.”
“You would be 1591 winters then, my boy.”
“Ah.” Both Severus and Martin said.
“Indeed.”
“There are many older than me.” Martin said reassuringly, making Severus finally look up at him incredulously. “I’ll shut up, then, shall I?”
~~~~~~~
The night was eerily quiet as Harry slipped out of the Gryffindor common room. The unsettling dream had returned, plaguing his sleep with vivid scenes and an unshakable feeling that lingered even when he awoke. Determined to clear his head, he roamed the empty corridors of Hogwarts, the dimly lit torches casting flickering shadows on the stone walls.
As he walked, the twisting hallways led him to unexpected places, eventually leading him to a door. He smiled to himself and patted the wall beside it twice. Recently, after watching Martin interact with Hogwarts, students and teachers had taken to treating the castle as a sentient being.
Beyond the door, Harry found himself transported into the most enchanting garden he had ever witnessed. Beside him stood a towering, paper-thin plant, its presence brooding and mysterious. A chorus of black flowers, radiant rubies nestled within their petals, serenaded the surroundings with soft lullabies.
Deeper into the garden, amusement danced in Harry's eyes as he observed two bushes engaged in a gentle nuzzle, seemingly oblivious to the ever-changing climate of the constantly blooming and wilting plant as it went through all the seasons in the span of a minute beside it.
As Harry strolled through the enchanting garden, he stopped occasionally to marvel at peculiar plants, their fragrances wafting through the air. The vibrant colours and mysterious shapes seemed to cast a spell, and he felt the tension in his shoulders gradually dissipate.
“Hello, Harry.”
Startled, Harry gasped, his hand instinctively flying to his chest as his heart raced. Turning slowly, he met eyes with Martin, seated on a bench with a warm smile, a book loosely held in his grasp.
“Martin! You surprised me.”
Martin's smile widened. “No more surprised than I am.”
Harry blinked. “Oh, sorry, Martin. It seemed like Hogwarts guided me here.” He turned to leave, but Martin's voice halted him.
“Nonsense, Harry. Come, sit. In cases like this, our Lady Hogwarts knows best.”
Harry nodded and warily joined Martin. As he settled onto the bench, Martin's gaze held a comforting assurance and Harry relaxed at the sight. The bench was nestled beneath a massive tree, its thick leaves providing a sheltering canopy.
“It’s a baby Yggdrasil!” Martin exclaimed joyfully. When Harry turned to look at him, Martin wore a childlike charm, gazing at the tree. “It’s as old as I am, you see, so it’s yet to mature fully. It’s my favourite among every plant here.”
Leaning in, Martin whispered as if sharing a secret. Harry chuckled when a seed suddenly shot at the back of his head. Martin sat up, yelping out an apology before silently mouthing that it was the truth.
“Is this your garden, then?”
Martin looked around proudly. “Yes. Beautiful, isn’t it?”
Harry agreed, “Why did Hogwarts lead me here?”
“Well, I’m not sure about you, but I find that coming here calms my mind.” Harry gulped, avoiding Martin’s knowing gaze. “Or… It could be that Hogwarts knows I’ve been meaning to talk to you.”
Harry smiled gratefully at the change of subject. “Talk to me?”
“Yes. Elliot, that is, Professor Aurelianus, tells me there is something peculiar about your magical signature.”
Harry nodded, confused. “He said it was similar to his own, but I didn’t think much of it. I mean, isn’t all magic the same?”
Martin gaped at him with squinted eyes. “What are they teaching you in History?”
“They’re not,” Harry said with a snort.
Martin hummed before shaking his head. “I’ll deal with that later. Now, Magic is not restricted to how you know it. Even in this age, there exist many forms of Magic; think, for example, goblin Magic, unicorn Magic, or druid Magic. Elliot was referring to the types of Magic most predominant in wixen of the past.”
“The past?”
“Oh yes, Wand Magic—the type taught now at Hogwarts—is a more recent branch of Magic that takes the most from the New Religion than any other. It started to become the main form of Magic in the 1300s. But before Wand Magic, Elemental Magic was more prevalent, and before that was the Magic of the Old Religion. Of course, such types of Magic still exist today as a minority. Elliot speaks as a practitioner of Elemental Magic.”
“Oh, great,” Harry sighed. “Another reason for me to be different.”
“I suppose it can get… lonely. However, it can also be a thing of wonder to have the potential for things greater than us.”
~~~~~~~
“Harry! Get up or we’re going to be late!”
Harry blinked from where he sat staring at his blank homework sheet. After the chat with Martin in his magical garden, Harry was finally able to sleep without the haunting dream.
He groaned and tossed his head to drop onto the sofa behind him, “Late for what? It’s Saturday.”
“Remedial DADA with Professor Aurelianus!”
Harry snapped his eyes open and threw the blanket off him, paying no mind when it crumpled onto the floor. “Why didn’t you say so?” He hurried to their room leaving Ron rolling his eyes to himself.
Outside the new tower, Hermione stood with pursed lips, tapping her foot in exasperation as she watched the two boys run to join the crowd. “Honestly, you two. I thought you were excited for this.”
“It’s not like we’re late, Hermione.” They gave her a cheeky grin and turned in time to watch as the tower’s door opened revealing the excitedly chatting 4th years as they passed Professor Aurelianus. Harry and Ron shared a smile at the sight, anticipation warming up inside of them.
Professor Aurelianus turned to their group of 5th years, of which everyone was present, and smiled. “I am happy to see all of you, I thought for sure the prospect of remedial lessons would turn people away.” He held the door open and motioned for them all to enter, nodding to the chairs where their robes awaited similar to the last time. The chairs awaited them, each adorned with a set of robes, reminiscent of their last visit.
Once everyone was seated and robed, the Professor ascended the duelling platform, his blindfolded gaze sweeping the room.
“Welcome, everyone, to 5th year remedial DADA. I didn’t get the chance to introduce the tower to you all last time, so please bare with me as I explain everything about the tower.” He paused.
“Behold, the Dragon's lair!” His hands swept across the room, emphasising the grandeur of the space. “The first three floors are open to students for DADA practice, the floors above them belong to Martin, but Lady Hogwarts is known to often guide students to specific floors if she thinks it best. In cases like those, Martin will welcome you wholeheartedly, so long as you do not abuse this trust.” His blindfolded gaze scoped the room, as if to make sure they understood.
“The rooms along the right are open at anytime, they are private rooms and so will only allow one person inside. These rooms are designed for spell practice, it has protective wards that absorb stray curses and a target that you can choose to have a duel with or use as target practice. The rooms along the left are group duelling practice rooms where you are allowed to duel formally and informally as long as all members of the group consent. To access these rooms you need permission from me or Martin, I do not care if even Headmaster Dumbledore himself gives you permission. The reason for this is because these rooms do not have any protective wards, instead me or Martin will assign an Emrys elf to silently watch over the group.
Wear your robes the moment you step in. Unforgivables are an not tolerated and the tower will immobilise you immediately if you use them. No warnings, no second chances. Break the rules, and you're banned from the entire tower, regular DADA lessons included. Am I understood?”
The class nodded, grinning to themselves and each other, each of them excited at the opportunities offered. The Professor huffed a laugh at the sight of the vibrating children in front of him and pointed to his right, “Let us move to a group practise room to begin our lesson.”
A door opened then and they they piled in watching as the room rearranged itself right in front of their eyes. The blue and gold room became larger, the duelling platform that was in the middle of the room sank into the ground, disappearing. In its place, numerous white target dolls their size popped up in front of a teachers desk.
Professor Aurelianus closed the door behind them and glided passed them, placing his palm onto the desk. As he did so, familiar copies of Professor Aurelianus appeared behind him in a neat line.
The original Professor then spoke as the dolls and copies of himself joined a student each, “During your evaluation I noticed there was a struggle when attempting to shield stray curses, thus the shield charm will be our first focus for the next few lessons. We will aim to master the shield charm and then eventually advance to simultaneous casting of shields and offence spells.”
Harry could see Hermione gasp from the corner of his eye, curiously he watched as she held her hand up straight to get the Professors attention, hiding his smile when her copy slightly wilted from beside her.
“Yes, Miss Granger?”
“Professor, most wixen are not even at the level of performing a basic shield charm and no one has ever been able to cast simultaneously!”
The Professors blindfold moved as if he was raising his eyebrow, “such scepticism is the very barrier that limits your potential. If you continue to believe that mastering simultaneous casting is beyond your reach, you will only ever reach that level.
“Why are shield charms so demanding? The reason lies in the very essence of defence. It is always more difficult to protect than to harm. When you cast an offensive spell, the intent is clear—to cause damage. The magic flows outward, directed towards a target, with a distinct purpose. However, shield charms require a different kind of mastery. Shield charms demand an acute understanding of the magical forces at play, an almost instinctive ability to perceive the type and nature of incoming magical attacks. It requires a rapid assessment of the situation and the skill to erect a shield tailored to counter each specific threat. It's creating a magical fortress in the blink of an eye, a fortress that stands resilient against the ever-changing dynamics of magical assault. Let us recognize the difficulty of the task at hand and understand that it is precisely this difficulty that makes the achievement so gratifying.
“As we hone our skills in shield charms, we will pave the way for a future where each of you can stand confidently against adversity, shielding yourselves and others. Yes, I do not deny, shield charms are among the most challenging spells, even for seasoned wizards and witches. But I know each of you have the potential, and isn’t it a wonder to have the potential for things greater than us.”
Harry quirked a lip to form a curious smile at the familiar words as he and the others felt a flame spark inside them; They will achieve this, they vowed to themselves. They will overcome this barrier.
“Your first task, then, is this: Defend yourself and your target buddy from myself. The only spell required from you is Protego but as you advance you will find that the difficulty and threat level increases with you. Please remember that there is no rush, we will go at your own pace and I am here to help you along the way. With that said - let’s have a productive lesson, thank you.” He bowed and their copies guided them each to a secluded area.
The target buddies at their side came alive and cowered in the face of the copy Professor Aurelianus as it raised his hand and said, “Wand out.” and shot an audible stinging hex that was easily blocked by them all.
They settled into a rhythm of defending the numerous audible low level spells shot their way such that they were quick to advance to the next stage where the target buddies, who had previously been cowering behind them, began to ran uselessly. With this new challenge, students began to falter, often failing to defend either the targets or themselves.
Harry grinned despite the sweat that dripped from his hair as adrenaline coursed through his body. He cast his mind back to the Professors performance during their evaluation and danced around the curses cast at him, noticing how the curse dissipated once it passed him to stop from hitting anyone else as he kept an eye out for his buddy so he could cast the shield for it similar to how he did for Ron, it was like this that he alone successfully defended every curse.
“Damn you, Potter!” Malfoy groaned from where he was hit from the hex his copy sent at him, but he then easily dodged the next similar to Harry and defended his buddy.
Slowly, the students around them started noticing and applying the method themselves and though some were not quick enough or couldn’t erect a shield for their buddy in time, soon they all started easily defending from their copies again.
Finally, after what seemed like a mere 10 minutes but had actually been two hours, the original Professor Aurelianus clapped his hands together once and his copies bowed, disappearing the next second.
“Well done.” He smiled at the exhausted students and held the door open, healing hand ready. “I am incredibly proud of each and every one of you, your shields charms were a magnificent sight.”
They dragged themselves out of the door and walked out the other side healed and refreshed, giddy with pride themselves. The Professor had an amused smile on his face as he watched them replace their duelling robes for their school ones and then gather around him where he waited in front of the exit.
“Thank you for another wonderful lesson, I hope to see you all again next week. Have a lovely weekend.” He bowed to his students, his heart melting when they bowed back, thanking him in return.
As the class left, laughing with each other and spirits raised, a trio he was quickly realising was rather infamous from the other Professors stayed behind, two obviously waiting for the other.
“Mr Potter, Miss Granger, Mr Weasley - all of you did extremely well today.”
“Thank you, Professor.” Mr Potter said, nodding to his friends who nodded back and left. “I was hoping to talk with you.”
Elliot smiled softly and nodded his head towards the door, “Let’s move to my office, then.”
The walk to his office was peaceful, Elliot leaving Harry to sort out his thoughts beside him. By the time they passed through the DADA classroom and into his office Harry had a determined spark in his eyes.
Elliot guided them to his sitting area and relaxed into an armchair before directing his attention at the boy in sat opposite him and waited.
“Professor Aurelianus, sir, you mentioned last time about how your Magic and mine was similar and I had a chat with Martin about the Elemental Magic and the Magic of the Old religion of the past. I was hoping you could teach me more about that.”
Elliot winced, his voice carrying a hint of discomfort. “ahh, History and I do not get along all that well I’m afraid, Mr Potter. For the majority of my life I’ve lived with incredibly old beings who take great pleasure in correcting me when it comes to History.” He shivered as he remembered moments with Emrys and The Library. “It’s trauma inducing and I try to distance myself from it. My apologies. Although I’m sure Emrys will be great help in that regard; now there’s a thought…”
Harry smiled to himself, “I was thinking more… What made you say we have similar Magic? Do I have Elemental Magic too? What did you mean when you said there was a block on my Magic.”
“Emrys told you I have Elemental Magic, then?” Elliot sat up. “Indeed, I have an affinity for the Earth Element. Mastering an Element requires a deeper connection and sensitivity to the Magic that surrounds us than you might be familiar with. I, myself have a greater connection and can see Magic and the Magical signatures of others. From what little I can see of yours right now, it’s more similar to mine than it is your peers; this could mean that you potentially have Elemental magic, but I can’t be sure. The same for any possible blocks you might have.”
Harry stared intently at his hands and then looked up at him, nearly meeting his gaze, “How can we know for sure?”
“It’s not an entirely difficult task.” He replied slowly, “All that’s really needed is me looking at you without my blindfold in a Magic void room.”
Harry perked up, “That’s easy, then! Surely we can do it now.”
Elliot pursed his lips, “We could. But, I’m going to have to refuse this time.” Harry’s brows furrowed but Elliot elaborated before he could say anything, “It will be incredibly invasive, Mr Potter, more than it might otherwise be due to my sensitivity. Take some time to think it through, talk about it with someone you trust, bring me some questions you have about it, and after all that, if you still wish to go through with it, I will have a Magic Void room prepared.”
Harry slumped in his seat and nodded.
~~~~~~~
Elliot slammed open the staff room door, a mischievous grin spreading across his face as he locked eyes with his father. “Emrys!”
He laughed when his dad raised his eyebrow at him, memories of the eyebrow of doom from his childhood flashing into his mind at the sight. “Elliot.”
He licked his lips as he leaned over Severus chair to loom over his father, “Since you love lecturing about History so much - you should hold a school wide lecture on the History of Magic.”
Filius jumped up in excitement, “Ooh, yes! That’s a great idea!”
Below him, Severus chuckled, “you would be more than qualified.”
“Isn’t that more of the… History Professors job?” His father asked, looking around the room trying to spot the History Professor.
Elliot paused and looked around the room too, now that he thinks about it, he hasn’t actually seen the History Professor.
“Hah!” Minerva exclaimed. “That damn ghost couldn’t teach a lesson even if it would bring him back to life.”
They gaped at her.
“A ghost?” Emrys asked. “That’s certainly an employment decision. How do you handle salary?”
Elliot quirked his lip, “Shouldn’t you be asking yourself that, Emrys?”
“You little! Yes, the salary of all Hogwarts employees comes from my Gringotts vault, but it is dealt by the account manager and the Headmaster. Not myself.”
“Our salary comes from your vault?” Severus intoned and Elliot loudly cleared his throat at the weird eye contact between the two. Finally, Severus kicked Emrys’ shin, “Give me a raise, damn you!”
They laughed, trading banter between them, often making the awkward pair the but of the jokes. Of course, it was not long until they retaliated, the joint force of Severus Snape and Martin Emrys quickly leaving them in the dust.