Harry Potter and The Shadowed Light

Secret chambers and sacred maps

Previously

Harry frowned. "How did we get onto this? I have no plans on being the next Dark Lord. I honestly just wanted you to know why Dumbledore is obsessed with me."

Filius, who had taken a step back as he listened, laughed slightly. "Sometimes you don't have a choice."

"I trust you will all keep this information to yourselves?" Harry asked.

"Yes," they all agreed.

"I will also watch out for you around Dumbledore. I have been doing so more diligently this year but now that I know why, I will try harder," Filius said.

"As will I," Severus said.

Harry nodded his head. His privacy wards would make it so they kept their words, but he liked to hear them vow their silence. He trusted them.

~

After the conversation, Harry left the room and returned to Ravenclaw Tower. In the boy's absence, Sirius looked around at the shocked faces of the other men.

"So, any questions?" he asked, clicking his fingers and asking an elf to bring a bottle of firewhiskey and some tumblers.

"His power—how?" Lucius said. As Harry was leaving, he had re-masked his power and it was then that Lucius finally realised just how much magic he was hiding.

"I honestly don't know. He wasn't lying when he spoke about being able to learn a spell in a few minutes - I've seen him do it. I've never seen somebody so in tune with their own magic; it's as easy as breathing for him."

"How advanced is he?" Filius asked. He knew Harry was beyond his year group and, as a teacher, he knew the boy would be bored in classes. Still, he feared pulling him out and gaining Dumbledore's attention.

Sirius tilted his head in thought. "He could probably take his OWLs and get Outstandings, however his knowledge is mainly based on whatever he finds interesting. He probably knows more obscure rituals than anybody in the UK, but he probably knows next to nothing about household charms - that type of thing."

Severus nodded. "I can continue to give him different potions to brew in my lessons, but I doubt you want to draw much attention to his skills. It would be unwise to pull him out of his other classes as well," he said, picking up on Filius' concern.

Lucius, however, was lost in his own thoughts, not concerned about the boy's classes.

Sirius flashed Severus a bright grin that startled the dower Potions professor; he hadn't expected Black to look at him with such genuine happiness.

"Thank you. Harry said he doesn't mind the classes - the work is easy and usually things he already knows, so I think he can cope. Before he left for the year, he had mentioned doing his own studying and magical training; I forgot to ask about it, but I'm sure he's stretching and using his magic."

"I know he performed the Samhain ritual," Filius said. As a half-goblin he was sensitive to Olde magic - it was similar to goblin magic. While Filius himself didn't possess much goblin magic, he was more gifted with his witch mother's magic, he did have goblin sensitivity when it came to picking up magical traces.

Sirius nodded. "He told me about it in his letter a few weeks ago."

"Yes, Draco mentioned being involved," Lucius said, drawing himself out of his stupor. He had invited Sirius and Remus to join him and Narcissa on Samhain, but the animagus had declined, instead choosing to celebrate alone.