The Long Road

"Professor? Could I ask a question?" Neville asked during their next lesson.

"Of course, Neville. What is it?"

"Well, I, we actually," Neville said as he gestured to the group of Gryffindors around him, "were wondering why none of us have ever heard of the Force before and why it is being taught to us this year."

"Ah, that is something that I should have answered long ago. Sit back and get comfortable, this might be a little while." Messina turned a chair around backwards and crossed her hands on the back of it, facing the class. "As I said at the start of the term, the Force and the Jedis predate magic as we know it by thousands of years. It has been called many different names by many different people, but it is all the same; the manipulation of the energies that purvey everything around us, for better or for worse."

"Over time and for whatever reason, the number of people born with the ability to use the Force began to dwindle. There were never any large number of them at one time in Europe, maybe as many as the four houses of this school combined. Picking off one or two per generation might not seem like a big deal, but over the years the ones and twos add up to a large number. The number had declined to perhaps as few as are currently in this room around the turn of the eighteenth century."

"While the number of true 'Force Mages' as they came to be called fell off, others had discovered ways to augment their remaining powers with wands and other such things, beginning the lines of the more familiar witches and wizards. It would seem that the latent ability had remained with the people, but their ability to access it had faded. With a wand it was again possible. So, while the 'Age of Magic' began, Force users sank into obscurity."

"Weren't there any textbooks left by the early teachers?" Ron asked, now thoroughly intrigued by a new bit of history.

"No, Ron. The Force is something that is nearly impossible to put down in print. The Masters showed their students through experience, not a textbook. Can you think of a way to accurately describe how you feel the Force?"

"Well, not really," Ron said after he considered it for a moment.

"Nor could the Masters. It is a much simpler way to show than to read."

"I have a question then, Professor," Hermione said after she digested that.

"Yes?"

"I see why we haven't read any text by them, but surely there are some sort of stories about them, right?"

"Oh, of course there are. You must look a little deeper into what you are reading. You've probably read hundreds of them without knowing them as such."

"Ah," Hermione said. "They're not called Jedis, but other things."

"Correct. Time has long forgotten the true nature of the events of the story, so they have changed them around to fit the current mind frame. Are you familiar with the tale of the ancient wizard Jesse Wallin?"

Of course Hermione raised her hand, surprising no one. "He defeated the dark wizard Arkhopov in a fierce duel hundreds of years ago, right?" She sounded a bit worried about her answer after what she had just heard.

"That he defeated Arkhopov is true, that he defeated him in a duel is also true, but the rest of the story is made up." The class looked questioningly at her. She smiled. "They dueled in the ways of the Jedi, nearly two thousand years ago, not hundreds, with lightsabres and the Force, not with silly spells. They were both Masters of the Force, Wallin of the light side and Arkhopov of the dark side. What else does the story say, Hermione?"

"It says that upon Arkhopov's defeat the land cleared of blight and the sun shone brighter than it had in years."

"That does have a glimmer of truth in it after all. Once Wallin defeated him, the remaining practitioners of the dark side of the Force fled England. Allegorically, the sun did shine brighter once the Dark Side was gone from England." The class fell silent, obviously rethinking many of the stories they'd heard as children.

"It has always been said that the Force works in mysterious ways," Messina said after she gave them time to think, "and it seems to still be holding true. About two hundred years ago the numbers began to swing upwards again. When I was born forty five years ago," quite a few boys gasped as they realized their female idol was older than their mothers, "it seems that the floodgates were primed to open." She got up and walked around to stretch her legs.

"Our numbers are still small, but growing. The gathering of the Force in this room is larger than any in hundreds of years. Open your minds and feel the power sitting in this room, the harmony, the peace." She did so herself and felt relaxation fill her, easing away any remaining stiffness in her legs. "Do you feel it? The old Masters would be proud."

Harry closed his eyes and let himself feel the Force. He did feel a sense of power in the room, also a feeling of purpose. He shifted his attention to his Professor and felt a bit of unease and foreboding deep below the surface. He and the rest of the class basked in the feeling for a good minute.

"Professor, has there ever been someone who was considered the most powerful of them all?" Ron asked, finally breaking the silence with his curiosity.

"There have been many who have been immensely strong in one facet of the Force, but there has never really been a single person considered to be the best of the best." Ron almost looked sad, but his face perked up as she continued. "If I were to have to choose a single person to name as the most powerful all-around, I would have to choose Julian Gryffindor. He and his line have always been quite strong."

"Would he be kin to the Godric Gryffindor that helped found this school?" Dean Thomas asked, a bit surprised.

"Yes. He was his father. He was extremely powerful in both the Force and magic in general."

"Why did his son found a magical school if he was a powerful Force user then?" Seamus asked quickly.

"I don't know, Seamus. Perhaps Godric started it because he knew he wasn't as strong in the Force as he was in magic. We'll never know, really." The class was silent as they pondered for a few moments. Finally Messina started her lesson.

After class was over the Gryffindors returned to their Common Room and started talking about the previous ninety minutes.

"Harry, do you think that the reason that the majority of the extra class is from our House might be because of, of," Colin started, not quite being able to put his idea to words.

"Because we possess the same ideals and qualities that Godric set down when Hogwarts was founded?" Hermione finished for him, obviously on the same line of thought. Colin nodded at her.

"It might be. I really don't know." Harry put a hand on the bridge of his nose, his I'm-thinking-really-hard-about-something look. "I'm going to go lay down for a little while before dinner," he said as he got to his feet and left the other students. They watched in silence as he gained the steps and disappeared before anyone spoke. Hermione and Ron locked eyes for a moment. Ron got out of his chair and followed Harry to the dormitory. Colin and Neville got up to follow Ron, but Hermione grabbed their arms.

"Let Ron do this," she said and they sat back down. Conversation slowly returned.

Ron stood outside the door to their dormitory for a few seconds, putting his mind in order. He had a pretty good idea of what Harry was thinking about, or at he hoped he did. He slowly opened the door and walked across the stone floor to Harry's bed. Harry had taken his shoes off and was laying spread out on his back. Ron crossed to Harry's bed and sat on the edge of it. "Knut for your thoughts, Harry."

"I'm just thinking, Ron, that's all," Harry said.

"About Godric's sword when you fought the basilisk, right?" Ron asked, hoping he was right.

"Yeah, that's part of it."

"And about the talk that you might be an heir of his?"

"Another part."

"Want to unburden yourself?"

"Do you really want to hear it all?"

"Of course I do. We're best mates, Harry. Spill it."

"Alright. Like you said, I was thinking about all the talk that I might be an heir to Godric. Let's assume that only an heir could pull out the sword like Dumbledore said, or all but said. Now, let's add in what Professor Jade said today about he being one of the most powerful Masters that has ever lived." Ron nodded and let Harry continue uninterrupted. "Finally, throw in something she told me after class a few weeks ago."

"What did she tell you?" Ron asked after Harry went quiet.

"She said that I have an enormous potential, greater than any she can remember hearing about in centuries. She also said that by the end of the spring term she expects me to be more powerful than she is. She's been studying for over thirty years, Ron," Harry said as he looked Ron directly in the eye.

"Well, if she believes all that, then why is it troubling you? I would think that it would be awesome to be a powerful Jedi like that."

"It would be great Ron, but what have we learned always comes with power?" Ron didn't know what Harry wanted to hear, so he shrugged. "Responsibility. I don't know if I am ready for all that yet."

"Why not, Harry?"

"I'm afraid, I guess. What if I make a terrible mistake and people suffer because of it?"

"I don't know what to tell you. Life isn't foolproof, Harry. Something always could go wrong, you know. You just have to go along with it. Feel the Force, like Professor Jade says."

"I try Ron, but I'm still worried."

"Harry," Ron said as he scooted closer to his friend, looking him in the eyes from a distance of less than a foot, "you have the truest heart I've ever known. When the time comes, you'll make the right choice." Ron meant that completely but Harry didn't seem too convinced. He studied his hands.

"She thinks I could be the most powerful Jedi ever, Ron," Harry said after a moment or two of silence.

"Harry, no matter what you become, no matter how powerful you are, I'll be there at your side. I promise."

"Thanks Ron," Harry said and allowed himself a small smile. It felt as it a twelve ton weight had been lifted from him. He sat up and quickly hugged Ron, surprising the redheaded boy.

"Not a problem, mate," Ron said as he patted Harry's back a bit awkwardly, "we'll all be with you through thick and thin. Now, let's go get some dinner. What do you say?" Harry let Ron go and they got up. As they reached the Common Room below, Hermione gave Ron a 'well?' look. He gave her a quick thumbs up.

The first snow of the season had began to fall during the meal and it was falling hard. By the time the Gryffindors were finished eating there was an inch of accumulation on the grounds already. "Things are changing," Messina said to herself as she watched the snowflakes fall past her window, "changing quickly." She had been meditating earlier in the evening and saw complete flux in the Force. Whatever was going to happen was going to happen really soon. "We just need a little more time," Messina said as she pulled her robes closer, hoping that whatever was going to happen would wait until after the Headmaster closed school for the winter break.