Worthy Of Magic

Part 46 - The other Side

Time Unknown

"Please," Harry whimpered.

Night was coming and the man was eating calmly, not bothered by Harry's pleas. Creatures of the night stayed away. They could feel the pain of the boy's magic and were scared away by its nature.

"Please," Harry begged. "Please," he whispered through tear stained eyes.

Exhaustion stretched his mind thin.

"Please," he cried.

And then he lost consciousness.

Harry stared at his unconscious younger self in complete bewilderment. This was the forest where he killed Sirius's friend. The werewolf, and in front of him was the man who had caused him the most pain he had ever felt. Since this night, he had been set down a path on which by no control of his own, his green played chaos with his emotions. In a way, everything that had happened since this night had been because of his green. His Pain.

And now, after all these years, it felt calm. It was a part of him and he was a part of it.

The man was exactly how Harry remembered, his hair - brown and matted. Eyes - a curious brown and his pale skin was wrinkled in places over his thin body. He was wearing an orange sheet carelessly wrapped around his waist and was looking at Harry with amusement.

"Are you ready to tell me who are you, child?"

Harry goggled.

The man put down his bowl. "Sit," he said.

Was this real? Was he actually there? Was this some kind of illusion magic had cast upon him? He fiercely tried to expel any external influence on his senses but nothing happened.

The fire crackled, roused by his power, and the full moon light shone bright through the gaps in the thick canopy of rustling leaves.

He had to calm himself. There only two explanations: either time and space was being manipulated - a feat, he had imagined vaguely possible through his study of the language of magic but never really given it much thought as his intention was to strip humanity down to its core instinct and learn what they would do. It was either that or magic was manipulating his senses with the intent to communicate.

He calmed himself and carefully side stepped his now unconscious feeble younger self. A chair materialised in front of the man and Harry took seat, looking at the man in his deep mysterious eyes.

"Why am I here?" Harry asked slowly. The key to unravelling a spell or curse was to first understand its Will.

"You are the one in control. You called out to me."

Harry glanced at crazy Harry. He was out cold but Harry remembered the emotional chaos that had engulfed him this night.

"Who are you?"

"A Guide."

Harry observed him in silence; trying to make sense of the man's colours and the guide patiently waited. "Subconsciously I called out to you to guide me to the source?" It was the only thing that made sense. The setting chosen was just bizarre.

"What's the source?" asked the Guide curiously.

Harry stared. This Guide did not even know what he wanted? This was making lesser sense by the second. But he had to be patient. There was an answer here somewhere. He just had to be patient.

"The source," Harry said, taking a brief moment to articulate his thoughts, "is where the Void comes from," Harry said calmly. "It is the heart of my existence and I want to perceive it, untainted by the perception of an unworthy human society."