Harry Potter and the Children of Light

Chapter 4:

Children of Light

Dumbledore's office was the same as it had been the day before. Fawkes was on his perch, sleeping, while the silver instruments on Dumbledore's desk whirled and hissed. The paintings of the past headmasters and headmistresses were all whispering to each other in excited tones as Dumbledore contemplated what he was going to say. Harry glanced at Cho. She seemed curious about her surroundings. That was no surprise, after all, this was probably the first time she had seen Dumbledore's office before.

Finally, Dumbledore spoke.

"I'm glad both of you could come meet me here on such short notice," he began. "I've brought you both here to tell you of some... powers that we have discovered each of you to have."

He paused, his eyes taking them in, measuring them.

"Both of you have shown the capacity to become Children of Light." Harry could hear the capitalization Dumbledore gave the words. "In regards to sheer power, a Child of Light is to wizards and witches what a dragon is to a seagull."

Harry considered this statement. A seagull wouldn't stand a chance against a dragon, in terms of sheer power. Was such power possible? Could someone really be that strong? Harry suddenly remembered Aramil's battle with the Death Eaters, and things began falling into place...

"Voldemort has been growing stronger, his power increasing at an inconceivable rate. Quite frankly, I believe his powers have surpassed mine. There is a war going on out there." Dumbledore's hand gestured, indicating the world beyond the wall. "We need all the help we can get, and your help could, quite possibly, tip the scales in our favor."

"You see, there are not many Children of Light still alive. In fact, there is only one left. That one would be Aramil here." Dumbledore indicated Aramil, who was standing just next to the door, previously unnoticed by Harry.

"Aramil has agreed to train both of you, but, since he will have to continue with certain... missions he has been given in the Fall, you two have only three months to train. Therefore, your training will be... how should I say... strenuous."

Three months? Even though Harry had no idea how long it usually took, he thought that three months was rather demanding of someone. Aramil stepped forward and opened his mouth to speak.

"We will begin training tomorrow," he began. "At 8a.m., and our training will go to 8p.m." Harry's jaw dropped. Twelve hours of training? Twelve hours? He hoped that it wasn't also everyday. As if in response to Harry's thoughts, Aramil said, "And yes, the training will be everyday."

"Now," he continued. "I know that this may seem harsh, and I won't lie to you. It will be. It may be the most grueling experience you have ever had. And when I say training, I mean training. So, if you don't have any questions, I really must get going."

Before anyone could speak, Aramil was gone.

§ § § § § § § § § § § § § § § § § § § § § § § §

Harry woke up at seven o' clock the next morning. It would be the first day of his training with Aramil. He wondered what kind of training it would be. He was certain it would be very difficult, but it was only going to last three months, so no matter how hard it was, he would be able to get through it.

At breakfast, Cho and Aramil were seated at a table 1/4 the size of a House Table. As Harry sat down, he got a better look at his new teacher.

Aramil was carrying the sword he had the day he came escort Harry to Hogwarts. The sword was slightly curved, and had a black hilt, but what made it very noticeable was that the blade looked as though it were made of blue, shattered crystal.

Pulling his eyes away from the sword, Harry saw Aramil also had a ring. The ring seemed to be giving off a very dim light.

Harry once again noticed his mentor's pointed ears. He thought he should ask him about that.

"Er... ummmm... Aramil?" Harry spoke tentatively. Should he call Aramil Professor, Aramil, what?

"Yes?" Aramil responded, seemingly not noticing Harry using his first name.

"Er... Why do you have pointed ears?"

"My father was a High Elf, and a very powerful one." At Harry's quizzical look, he elaborated.

"High Elves are distant relatives of House Elves. They stand as tall as humans, and most of them possess a high degree of magical power, by a wizard's standards. All of them have at least some magical power. High Elves are also closer to nature than Humans, giving them some highly useful... gifts. Does that answer your question?"

"Yes, yes, thank you." It certainly did. The rest of the meal was carried out in silence. When all were finished, Aramil spoke.

"Well, its 7:30, so you two should meet me at the Room of Requirement in half an hour. See you then!"