Gideon Drake and the Fire Within (Harry Potter Sequel/Spinoff)

Chapter Thirty-Eight: Crisis Management

An uncomfortable silence filled the room. Gideon didn't know how to respond. Then again, he wasn't sure he had fully comprehended what the solemn-faced headmistress had said. She had been the one who sealed his magic?

'I tell you this now, Gideon because I feel you deserve to know the truth,' Professor Dandridge explained. 'Rather selfishly, I also do so in the hope that you will be able to forgive me. It was not a proud moment for me, but I truly believed I was doing the right thing at the time.'

'The right thing?' Gideon questioned. 'From everything the paper has been saying about The Weaving, it's supposed to be dangerous, and lots of people disagree with using it at all!'

'That's true,' the headmistress replied.

'Th-then why?' Gideon squeaked, his throat now dry. He reached for the tea and swallowed a few mouthfuls.

'It was a strained period in our history and the incident was highly publicised. Even so, next to nothing was known about you or your background, or about the attempted kidnapper. The Minister for Magic was under pressure. He proposed the measure but ultimately left the decision to a panel.

'Despite Mr Grimsby's best efforts to spare you from the sentencing, the panel's decision had been made. The spell was going ahead. As a Healer specialising in ritual magic, I was asked to perform it. Naturally, the idea turned my stomach. However, as you say, it's a dangerous spell. It was also one that hadn't been carried out in over a century. I believed I was the best chance at ensuring the spell was performed correctly.'

'It wasn't, though, was it?' Gideon muttered.

'Perhaps not. It was successful but there are reasons why the spell hadn't been used in so long. The magical community deemed it to be unnatural to stop the flow of a witch or wizard's magic. It was never outlawed but there was consensus on the matter, and we have since found better ways to deal with wrongdoers. Another reason was the chance of side effects occurring, and sadly, you developed some. First of all, evidence of the spell remained. You were marked.'

Gideon instinctively put a hand over his left eye, where his patch had been.

'Yes, your eye became the sealing point for the spell. We had no way of knowing at the time how else you would be affected, but at St Mungo's, I got the chance to see for myself. Your health had suffered. You had a weak constitution, several medical issues such as asthma, anaemia and the like, and your growth was stunted.'

'Wait, the spell did those things to me?' Gideon said indignantly. 'It made me short?'

'I'm afraid so,' the headmistress responded glumly. 'However, I wonder, when was the last time you had any kind of episode?'

'Well,' Gideon started, thinking back, 'If you don't count the fires... I don't remember. Not since before the Dementor attack, I guess.'

'I expect that's right. Now that you're free of the binding, your health is improving,' she said with a small smile, then upon guessing what Gideon was about to ask, she added, 'I believe that also means you're owed a growth spurt.'

Gideon looked pleased for a moment. Then, remembering the situation, he asked, 'And if my magic hadn't returned?'

'It's very likely that you would have always struggled with your health. Your magic was never supposed to return, Gideon. You were to live out your life as a Squib. It's only because you experienced a highly stressful life-and-death situation that your magic broke free.

'You were unconscious at the time, of course, but your power forcibly broke the seal in your left eye, which was why you came to St Mungo's with that injury. What happened after was a scene very similar to what occurred when you were a baby.'