Of Shadow, Shine, and Shades

Ch.10 Changes to Non-Existent Planes

Harry James Potter had had the best Christmas of his life that he could remember. Not only had a relative of his father's come and rescued him from Privet Drive and the Dursleys but also he'd found out he was a wizard and could do magic! And it wasn't a dream because in his dreams everything would have gone perfectly and there wouldn't have existed an evil wizard who'd killed his parents or an old wizard who'd attacked him and Caelum. And he'd already slept and woken up with everything being real - even the talking snake and house elf named Kreacher.

Now, he had eaten his breakfast that Caelum had cooked - Harry apparently wouldn't have to cook anymore, figure that - and had been left alone because Caelum had to go and have breakfast with some important people (that he didn't like).

Caelum's a weird name, Harry mused as he turned the page on the book A Guide To Wizarding World. It was currently talking about the differences between a pureblood, half-blood, muggleborn, squib and muggle. He read the chapter slowly and concluded he apparently was a half-blood because he had muggle grandparents through his mother.

His mother. He wondered if Caelum could show him a picture of her. Harry hoped she did not look like Aunt Petunia. That long horsey-like neck hopefully wasn't a family trait...

Turning the page on the book again, he let his mind wonder about Caelum. The wizard had first said he was a relative of his father's but then told him that other people thought he was the half-brother of his father's best friend Sirius whose room Harry was using and who was in prison though he was innocent. And he was Harry's godfather. It was all very complicated but apparently some wizards could read minds in the wizarding world and Caelum had secrets that he would tell Harry once the man knew Harry could protect those secrets.

Crunching his forehead in thought, the boy remembered Caelum promising to teach and train him. At least until he went to that school, Hogwarts. He grinned at the thought of the place being guarded by warty hogs and had got its name from those. But Caelum would probably teach him magic and Harry was eager to learn about that. He hadn't been able to believe it when he'd held the wand and changed the cup. He, Harry Potter, was a wizard and famous! But he supposed he might have been happier as just a normal wizard. Wizardry was pretty special in itself.

Harry noticed the snake, Syl, slithering on the table and followed him with his eyes. The snake stopped just before the book and lifted his head off the table to take a better look at the boy before him. "Caelum hasss gone and you are now alone?"

If he concentrated Harry could actually hear the hisses as well but he could barely wrap his head around the fact that he was speaking to a snake as if that was nothing special. Though, it was supposed to be a rare talent, and also Dark.

"Yesss," Harry answered, nodding. "But Citala and Kreacher are here asss well." He glanced at the hawk sleeping in her nest on top of the ice box but Kreacher was not in the kitchen at the moment.

"Ssstupid wizard. To go to an enemy lair without me. My ssscalesss will dim..."

Harry realized with a start that the snake was probably talking to himself. Huh, I guess even snakes do that, he thought and went back to his book once he was sure Syl had nothing else to say to him. The snake had actually wound himself around his own body and had his eyes closed.

The boy read until the clock struck eleven. He looked up and thought about his room where the bed had not been made. Caelum probably wouldn't mind but... Better safe than sorry.

He climbed the stairs to ground floor and then up to the fourth floor - or topmost landing - in the main staircase. Caelum was right, this place felt really dark and Harry shuddered. He was happy that magic was real and he could practice it but it might have been better without the bad things. Not candies and sunflowers Caelum said, Harry remembered as he finally arrived to the door of his own room. One peek inside let him know someone, probably Kreacher, had already made his bed. But now that he'd climbed all the way up he might as well use the loo.