The Raven

Dark Magic

Harry found himself standing in the Chamber of Secrets with a Dark Arts book tucked underneath his arm. After spending several days studying the basics, he decided it was time to try it himself. 

Castor offered to help him learn, but his instincts told him to try learning alone first. 

He didn't know what it was, but he felt it in his gut that he was meant to learn dark magic. The feeling had been eating away at him since he started learning his first dark spell for the tournament. That complex spell had been easy for him. Way easier than most other spells. 

He asked Draco about it earlier that morning, and found out some witches and wizards have affinities for dark magic. Apparently it was rare, but not impossible. Harry didn't know if he had an affinity for dark magic, but he wanted to find out. 

He chose the Chamber of Secrets to practice because it was impossible for Dumbledore to catch him there. He felt comfortable enough reading disguised Dark Arts books throughout Hogwarts, but actually practicing Dark Magic was something else entirely. He didn't feel like spending the rest of his life in Azkaban. 

Plus, Harry felt a strange connection to the chamber, despite the fact that he had almost died there. It didn't feel cold or dangerous anymore. Now he felt welcome. His theory was that the chamber could sense his change in magical allegiance. 

Harry dropped his backpack on the ground and took out the blanket he had stuffed within. He spread the blanket over the stone floor and sat down, laying the Dark Arts book open in front of him.

The rare book, a gift from Draco, focused on offensive and defensive elemental spells. He chose a spell at random from the chapter on earth spells and practiced the wand movements for the next several minutes. 

When he thought he was ready, he stood and conjured several dueling dummies the way Castor had demonstrated earlier. 

His books recommended he close his eyes and focus on his emotions before casting a dark spell, so he did just that. He didn't try to clear his mind or push his emotions away. He brought his emotions to the forefront of his mind while keeping them under control. He allowed his emotions to mix with his magic. It was a strange sensation at first, but after a while it felt comfortable. Natural almost. 

Prior to the start of his journey down this path, he hadn't realized how different the two types of magic were. How different they felt in his body. 

Dark Magic felt like a churning sea. He could feel its untamed nature, wild and free. He loved the way it danced underneath his skin, and he felt a deep connection to it. Harry himself had an overwhelming desire to be free. He never realized how restrained Light Magic was until that moment. 

He stood there quietly for a long while, just basking in the feeling of the magic. 

Eventually he opened his eyes and pointed his wand at the nearest dummy. He focused his emotions and murmured, "Fractionis terrace," and the ground beneath the dummy began to tremble. He focused harder and pushed his magic forward. The ground trembled further and collapsed inward, swallowing the dummy whole. 

He was breathless as he surveyed the damage, both from exhaustion and shock. He realized a spell like that could be potentially devastating in a battle if done on a wide enough scale. However, it took an immense amount of magic to perform, so he doubted he would ever be able to do it more than once in a duel. 

He took a moment to recover before repairing the damage to the stone floor. 

He chose another earth spell from the book, and focused before casting it on one of the dummies. "Vitam faciunt laminis."