Pre-Chapter A/N:I think at this point, we just have to accept that I will inevitably show up with two chapters a week. As for when those chapters show up, I think it's best I not make any particular promises. If you haven't already, I recommend turning on notifications for my stuff so you can see when new stuff drops right as it drops. More chapters on my patreon(https://www.patreon.com/c/Oghenevwogaga)— same username as here and link in bio.
The day the seventh month died began like any other. I woke up and stretched, preparing myself to head out to begin the day's first duelling session. After weeks of training—more like months with all the time that we had passed in the time turner—I'd managed to get Nicholas to begin moving. But if I had thought that getting him to move would make things easier for me, then I was very wrong.
But still, I could feel it with every training session. I was getting that tiny bit sharper, my spells were moving that tiny bit faster, my shields were lasting that tiny bit longer. Gradual improvements building on and working off of each other were seeing to it that even if I couldn't beat him yet, I knew that myself from the beginning of the summer would be easy prey.
I cleaned and freshened up with a wave of my wand before reaching for the potions on my nightstand. I chugged two down and stood, heading down to the beach where I knew Nicholas would be waiting. He matched the strenuous schedule I was setting with an ease that almost embarrassed me. How could I be tired when a man so much older was doing just the same as I was doing, and probably doing it on less sleep? Because he was still working on his own projects even as we worked on this.
And whenever I arrived to begin the day, he was there waiting, energetic as usual. At least that was usually the case. This time, he wasn't there. I arrived at the beach and there was no Nicholas Flamel to speak of. Was he late, I wondered. I conjured a beach chair, sitting down to enjoy the view as best I could.
I stayed there for close to ten minutes before I decided to seek out the Alchemist myself. Was I being a tiny bit impatient? Probably. Ten minutes late wasn't that late in the grand scheme of things, but when you considered the added context that he was almost never late in all the time that we had been training together, that ten-minute delay suddenly started to feel a whole lot more substantial.
Approaching the villa, I waved my wand over it, casting a silent hominem revelio. There were three people in the dining room. No one else in the house. So that was where Nicholas was. But what was he doing in the dining room with both Perenelle and Sirius? The sun wasn't even done rising.
If they were having some sort of weird breakfast party without me, then there was going to be hell to pay. I walked into the villa, navigating my way to the formal dining room—the one Sirius and I rarely used, much preferring to just take meals in the kitchen or even in the living room if the situation called for it.
Sirius. He wasn't dealing with my training as well as he could have been, I knew. He was bored just being here and having nothing to do. But somehow he also wasn't willing to leave, as just leaving me alone with the immortal alchemist and his wife was not a possibility he seemed all that willing to accept.
With that on my mind, the walk to the dining hall passed without much note. Pushing the door open, I felt a flash of panic. It was all I could do to draw my wand and shield myself from the attack?
The confetti that surrounded me sparkled with glitter that I knew I would hate having to wash out of my hair.
"Happy Birthday, Harry!" the three of them screamed at the top of their voices. I looked around, noting all the decorations. Someone had managed to create a set of fireworks that spelt out 'Happy Birthday, Harry' and then kept it in suspended animation, casting a green glow on the immediate area.
"What the hell are you guys doing?" I asked before I was practically wrestled by Sirius deeper into the room, towards a faux-throne at the head of the table.
"It's your birthday, silly boy. Did you think we would forget?" Nicholas asked.
"Perish the thought," Perenelle added, waving her wand and sending a cake over towards me. I looked up as it approached, a black cake with a lightning bolt on the center.
"Perenelle spent all yesterday baking the cake. Nicholas and I have been decorating the place all morning, Harry," Sirius said, adding his own two knuts, before plopping me down on the throne.
"Happy Birthday to you…" All three of them sang in unison, each one managing to get the key wrong in their own way—giving me fond flashbacks to the Hogwarts anthem where everyone would try to get it wrong in as unique a way as possible. Well, 'get it wrong' was subjective since there was no official key, but the consensus seemed to be that whoever could go the farthest away from what Flitwick and the choir were doing was the automatic winner. At least this lot managed to finish their song around the same time.
The cake dropped in front of me, and I noted that it had fifteen candles, each one lit with a different colour of fire.
"Make a wish, Harry," Perenelle said.
"Wizards do that?" I asked, somewhat surprised. That seemed to be the type of tradition that wouldn't have made it to the wizarding world.
"No, but you're not just a wizard, are you? Now blow that candle out before we blow you out."
"Phrasing," Sirius and I said in unison before looking at each other and laughing our arses off. How the hell had Nicholas not seen the landmine he was stepping on with that choice of words.
"Just get on with it before I turn one or both of you into a frog." Nicholas' threat was laughed off. At least until the immortal alchemist drew his wand and both Sirius and I sobered up very quickly. I'd dueled the man enough, and Sirius had watched enough of our duels, to know that when it came to transfiguration, the man was practically unbeatable.
"You can't turn me into a frog. It's my birthday," I contested, only to see him starting the beginnings of a wand motion.
"Okay, okay. I'm blowing it out," I said, and then blew on the candles with all my strength. The candles went out, and then the cake exploded, covering both Sirius and I in its innards. I wiped some of it off my eyes before I looked towards the Alchemist and his wife and found them laughing their arses off, completely spotless. Not a single bit of the cake had gotten on them. So that was how it was.
I turned to Sirius to find him watching the situation with narrowed eyes. He was also drenched in cake from head to toe like I was.
"New one," Nicholas said, waving his wand, and a new cake seemed to appear from nowhere. It was multiple layers, reaching so high that I had to crane my neck to look at the top of it from so close.
"Did you conjure this?" I asked, forgetting my rage in my amazement.
"Of course not. This is what Perenelle actually spent all of yesterday working on. The other one was just a gag between us to lighten the atmosphere a little bit," he explained.
"Please forgive me, Harry. You'll forgive me, won't you? It was all Nicholas' idea. You know how he can be when he wants to get his way. I didn't have any choice in it, really," she began.
"Hey," Nicholas objected, but no one paid him any mind as Perenelle took hold of a small plate and animated a knife to cut a healthy slice before laying it out in front of me.
"You'll forgive me, won't you, Harry?" she asked, batting her eyes.
"Of course, of course," I said, not sure how I could say no with her so close and staring so intently.
"Good. Now just let me know when you want to get revenge on Nicholas and I'll help as best I can," she said, whispering the words into my ear before planting a kiss on my cheek.
I took a bite of the cake, barely able to stop myself from moaning as the cake seemed to melt in my mouth. I had never had something so delicious.
"Yeah, everyone has that reaction the first time they taste Perenelle's baking. She can't cook for the life of her but damn it, my wife can bake better than anyone out there," Nicholas said, whispering the sentence into my ear.
"Can't cook for the life of me, you said, Nicholas?" Perenelle said, revealing that she had been able to hear every word.
"Hide me, Harry!" The old man turned, running around to my other side.
"Don't even think about it!" Perenelle yelled after him, and so they were gone.
"Those two," Sirius said, shaking his head.
"They're surprisingly laid back," I commented. He nodded in turn.
"Well, I guess after you've lived for so long you realise there's no real point in taking things all that seriously," he said.
"Fair enough. They've probably seen everything a dozen times by now," I added.
"Uh-uh. It's been a minute, Harry."
"Yeah. Feels like I only really see you for brief spurts during the day."
"I see you for like half of mine, but since yours is so much longer, I guess that makes sense. But I wasn't talking about seeing you."
"Oh?"
"I meant talking. Like this. We haven't had the chance to do this in forever," he said.
"I agree. Well, we'd have all the time to do it after I get out of Japan." That statement had been meant to make him feel better but it seemed to have the opposite effect as his face fell.
"Japan, yes fucking Japan. Can't forget Japan, can we?" he said, reaching up and rubbing the bridge of his nose.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing. It's just— Lily is so going to kick my arse when I eventually bite it, you know? Letting you go to Japan? Fuck."
"Well, I wouldn't really see it as you letting me. I do tend to do whatever I want to regardless," I said.
"You think I don't know that?" he asked, voice rising briefly. I lifted an eyebrow. That was an... interesting tone.
"I'm- I'm sorry," he said, scratching at the bridge of his nose.
"It's just so frustrating, you know. Your parents made me your godfather so I could be there for you when they wouldn't, and it feels like I fail more and more with every day that passes. It feels like I missed your childhood and got another chance last year, but leaving was a mistake. Because it feels like you've grown a decade in the time I was gone. I should have stayed. Damn Fudge, and damn fucking Snape. I should have stayed. I shouldn't have gone gallivanting around the continent or anything. Or even if I had to, I should have taken you. Because it feels like you will never forgive me for that mistake. And not that I'm saying I deserve forgiveness or anything. It is perfectly understandable that you don't treat me as your godfather or anything. Because I have not acted like it. I've disappointed everyone and anyone who cares, haven't I? That's why Remus hasn't even answered any of my owls in so long," he said, the words pouring out of his mouth like a tap that refused to close, and I wondered what I could do to help. Could I even do anything to help?
His conclusions were wrong, of course. But with the information he had at hand, I could see just how he had arrived at them. And to be honest, it was better he thought this way than began trying to look into things too closely.
"Sirius," I called, but he kept talking.
"Sirius," I tried again. No dice.
I flicked my wand, creating the sound of clapping thunder to draw his attention. His head snapped to me, the expression of shock on his face comical.
"What'd you do that for?" he asked, picking at his ears.
"You weren't paying attention to me," I said.
"What?"
"I was trying to tell you that I am fine, and you can't do anything about any of that stuff you're worrying about, so what's the point of worrying?" He turned his head to me, looking confused.
"We don't worry because we think it changes things, Harry. We worry because we are human, and it's human to worry," he said.
"Well, stop it then. You're worrying me with all your worry," I said with a smirk that he returned once he got the joke.
"Fine. But I still want to see you more often. I don't know how we'd fit it into your insane schedule, but you can't just be seeing your lonely old godfather like once in a while," he said.
"Fair enough. I'll speak to Nicholas. Maybe he'll add some duels with you to my routine. Might as well duel with someone I can beat a few times as well."
"Uh-oh. Someone's cocky. You should know now that my recovery is complete and I've been doing my own training since we last dueled," he said.
"I don't expect that to make much of a difference," I said, returning his smirk.
"Want to go right now?" he asked.
"Sure. Let me just finish this," I said, turning back to the cake.
"It's that good?" he asked.
"You should try it."
"Not really sure if I should. Have you had her pasta?" he asked, lowering his voice.
"I heard that, Sirius. Once I'm done with Nicholas, you're next," Perenelle's voice called out from deeper in the villa.
"How the hell—" Sirius asked.
"Listening charm on the cake," I said, before taking another bite.
"On the—"
"Yup. No idea why, but she has a listening charm on the cake for some reason," I said.
"So I'd know if Nicholas tried to steal any of it," her voice came again. This time from even deeper in the villa.
"Well, I guess that makes some sense," I shrugged.
XXXXX-
"Now, what do you think is the most important part of a spell?" Nicholas began our spell learning session of the day with a question.
"Intent," I said instantly. "It was drilled into us from a young age."
"That is the most important thing for casting the spell, yes, but does the intent constitute part of the spell?" he asked.
"What do you mean by parts of a spell?" I asked, trying to find what he was driving at.
"That is a better question. Can you make an attempt at answering it yourself?" he asked. There came that insufferable teaching method again. It was annoying, but perhaps the thing that made it most annoying was how effective it was. I wasn't a slow learner or even someone with a bad memory by any metric, but when Nicholas taught something, it just seemed to click in the way few things could.
"The incantation and the wand movement?" I asked. Those were the closest I could think of to what he'd mean by parts of a spell.
"Close, but not quite. Can you separate them? The incantation and the wand movement?"
"Well, yes. Silent and motionless casting are a thing," I said.
"Good. So how can they be parts of the spell if we don't need them for every spell?" he asked, and then he proved his point by holding his wand up. He said no words and made no movements, but still a glowing specter of bright white light shot from his wand, forming into a familiar creature. Its human face was perhaps the most striking feature—that was Perenelle's face. My lord. What an expression of pure love. For his patronus to take on her face. And the rest of the body was similarly, albeit to a lesser extent, notable. The lion's body rested against the ground; the ethereal sinew and muscles were coiled like springs preparing to engage. The mane that framed Perenelle's face was long and shaggy, reaching down the body until it stopped at the wings. Large, feathery wings that seemed to stretch to both sides of the room at the same time, making the massive space feel just a little more cramped. And then behind the wings lay the tail, as it swung from side to side. A sphinx. Nicholas Flamel's patronus was a sphinx.
So taken in by it, it took me a fair second before I could get my thoughts in order enough to say anything else.
"I— I don't know."
"And that is because they cannot. So now tell me, what is the most important part of the spell?" he asked again. I stared at the lurking patronus as I racked my brain, but I kept coming back to my old answers. Intent, wand motion, and incantation. But his refutals had been both solid and logical, so I had to change tracks. But what else could it be?
"A trick question. A spell has no parts," I said it as the thought came and knew I was right. Nicholas' smile was bright and proud, his teeth shining in the light of his patronus.
"Exactly. Rather, a better way to put it would be to say that a spell is nothing but intent. It is the means through which we—the powerful—exert our influence, our will unto the world itself. A spell is naught but intent," he pressed the point.
"Okay then," I accepted. It was an interesting way to see things, but I still couldn't see what that had to do with anything.
"No. Not 'okay then.' This is important."
"Why?"
"Because it is the final step you need to take before you can make spells of your own."
A/N: And so we round things up here with a lesson that tells us how things will be going from here. Next four chapters up on patreon(https://www.patreon.com/c/Oghenevwogaga) (same username as here and link in bio), support me there and read them early.