In the Shadow of Seventh year

Chapter 15: A Begin to your Background

Shocked faces were staring back at you once you finally finished re-telling what had happened early in the morning.
   From the time you woke up feeling alarmed, to finding the portraits burned, to meeting the man that told you he was your uncle and how you managed to escape the magical cage. 
   You were thankful no one interrupted, even when you could see Sebastian opening his mouth then closing it when you told them about running off on your own, or Ominis frowning when you relayed what MacMillan had told you about your parents. 
   Poppy and Anne had tears in their eyes when the full truth of the orphanage came out and Sebastian had finally stopped his distant demeanor to take your hand in his and giving it a squeeze for comfort. 

"So you made a key? With Ancient Magic?" Natty asked incredulously. "And you crumbled the cage around you...that could be a very useful talent."
   "It took a lot out of me though." You admitted. "It's what got me in the state you guys found me in." 
Garreth looked thoughtful for a moment. "But he created that cage without breaking a sweat right?" 
   "He did." You answered, trying to figure out where he was going with this. "Why?"
"Well, like any form of magic, you must train to shape it and let it become an effortless thing. It's why schools like Hogwarts exist." The Gryffindor explained.

Sebastian perked up. "That means you can train yourself with this newfound magic so you can use it to your advantage without getting burned out!"
   That sounded very logical. "But how will I do that? I'd rather not end up in the Hospital Wing every time I try to mold my magic in a solid object."

"You start with something small." Poppy said. It didn't escape your attention how she was still holding hands with Ominis, fingers intertwined while they sat on one of the couches the Room had provided. 
   "The key I made wasn't any bigger than any other key." You pointed out. 
"Then you just have to aim for something even smaller." She shrugged her shoulders. "And didn't you also break the whole cage? That probably took more effort than the key did."
   Thinking back you remembered how that actually took less of you than the key. Which didn't make sense. The cage was much bigger than the key.

When you explained that, Nerida spoke up. "What made it so it took you more energy to make the key than to destroy the cage?"
   Again you tried to think back to those moments. "I think it was because I had to actually visualize the key in detail, while it wasn't that hard to imagine the cage crumbling."
   "There's your answer then." Ominis nodded his head. "I'm guessing it also had to do with it being your first time using your magic in that way when you made the key, while when you had to do it the second time, you had a better idea of what to do."

That was certainly a fair point. 
   "You could try and make something like a needle or a dice." Nerida offered. "Something small like that and once that goes smoothly you can move on to something bigger."
You wish you could argue there was no need for you to make something bigger, but you knew there was. This kind of magic could help you out a lot when you would undoubtedly have to face MacMillan again once he made his move. 

"Should we tell a teacher about this?" Anne asked. "Surely they would help protect the school and the repository whenever he'll strike?" 
   She made a good point, but judging how Professor Weasley had reacted after the battle with the Golden Grounds, your instincts told you not to tell them unless it was absolutely necessary.
   "I reckon they would, but if they would find out now, they'd never leave her out of her sight and it'll become a lot harder for any of us to figure out what he's planning together with that buyer and those poachers." Sebastian countered, basically voicing out your thoughts on it. "However if he ever does get to the repository, I do think we should have a way to strike an alarm or something so they can come and help when we need them most."