The Art of Peace

Chapter 4

A Destiny Perceived

Training the mind

Is like bending water;

It cannot be stopped

But it can be redirected.

The next morning Harry awoke to sorer muscles than he had ever had, even after an intense quidditch game. Groaning, he rolled out of the sleeping bag and after a good breakfast, he and Sifu left for work. After the previous day's experience he had settled into a routine that made the work go by a little faster, although the work was just as hard. The day passed uneventfully, though, and before he knew it, Harry was walking home with Sifu for dinner. After eating, Harry got up.

"I'm going to go for a walk," he announced.

"Need any company?"

"No, not really. I'm going to look for a wizard's store and Mu... errr, normal people can't see them."

"Oh, all right. Go on ahead then, I'll do a few things here."

It was a beautiful night, and Harry enjoyed in the relaxing splendor as he walked along. He was walking along the street towards the restaurant they had eaten in the night before, hoping to see some of the wizards he had seen that night. Sure enough, he spotted a group of them walking down the sidewalk. Following them from a distance he watched the group enter a small storefront labeled Howden's Books - Spellcasting from the Ancients. Making sure his hat and sunglasses were set, he slipped into the store. It was a dimly lit building full of ancient books with dubious names such as "Unknown Curses and Hexes". Obviously, the clientele was of a somewhat shady nature, which suited Harry's purposes perfectly. If the owner was used to keeping identities secret, they probably would not look twice at his disguise. Knowing this, he approached the owner, a dusty looking old man sitting at the front of the store.

"Excuse me sir."

"Ehhh? What's a Muggle like you doing here?"

"I'm not a Muggle - I am looking for a book though."

"If you say so. What kind of book?"

"I need something on wandless magic."

"Those are very rare, you know. What would a child like you want with something like that?"

Harry's voice dropped a level as he took a step closer to the man.

"Why I want it is none of your concern, old man. Keep your nose out of my business, you will live longer," he said with a growl.

Howden took a step back involuntarily as the temperature in the room dropped a few degrees.

"Anything you say. Come over here, I might have something for you."

They approached a shelf in the back of the store. It was filled with old books that had not been touched for years. There, in the middle, was a group of five books on wandless magic. Harry did not even bother looking through them other than a quick perusal to ensure they were really on wandless magic. He just picked them all off the shelf, bought them, and left the store. His next stop was a Muggle department store to get things for his disguise. Once there he walked into the cosmetics department and bought hair dye and colored contact lenses. He did not know a way to cover his scar yet, but he was sure that with practice he could do it with the wandless magic he would now be forced to depend on.

Sifu asked no questions that night when he got back and immediately went into the bathroom, only coming out when he had short blonde hair and brown eyes. As it was then quite late, they went to bed. The next two weeks went by quickly. Work was difficult, though the money and the muscles starting to stand out on Harry's body made it worth it. The people he worked with were great as well. Sifu had been right, working in the dockyards like that forced Harry to learn a new language, and even with the limited experience he had had previously it was starting to come easier, although he was still stuck with a few stock phrases and some very colorful curse words that the other workers were more than happy to tell him. Each night Harry studied his books, learning new ways of focusing his power into a usable form. His minor charms became more powerful, and he was even getting limited results with transfiguration exercises he remembered from his first year. It was a liberating experience to not have to depend on the wand for his magic, and Harry relished the feeling of power it gave him. Sifu was a help as well. Granted he did not know magic, but Harry had let him read the books he was not using, he could not do any harm with them after all. He quickly found that Sifu was like Hermione, devouring a book for the knowledge alone. He understood things Harry did not due to his better grasp of the French language as well, easing the laborious load of translating the texts into English. One day, in fact, they had a conversation that would change Harry's life and his perception of the world around him forever.

Harry was taking a break from his reading and watching Sifu do a set of exercises that he did every night. It was a series of flowing motions almost like dancing but for the deadly intent that was inherently obvious in each flash of the hand or foot. Finally, Harry's curiosity got the better of him.

"What are you doing?"

"This is a form from aikido," Sifu said without slowing his movements.

"And what is aikido?"

"It is a type of martial art that allows you to feel the universe in balance around you, to use it in making your attacker fail in even his attempts to touch you."

"Are you good at it?"

"Aikido? I must say that I am. It isn't the only style I know though. I grew up in a rough neighborhood and early on I decided I needed to protect myself. I started studying the martial arts when I was ten and I have been doing so ever since."

"Why don't you do them with anyone here then? Aren't there schools you can go to?"

"Yes, there are schools called dojos, but I discovered something last year that completely changed the way I look at martial arts, and I can't go to a dojo until I work it out."

This last sentence Sifu spoke with a slight frown on his face, showing that something still bothered him about whatever he had learned. However, Harry was not about to ask him what it was. He had learned early on that his roommate needed space just as he did and although he was a great companion, he also had his dark secrets that he was not yet ready to tell. Therefore, Harry returned to his reading, not wanting to make either of them uncomfortable with a question that could not be answered. The next night, though, Sifu initiated the conversation.

"I've been reading these books of yours, and although we both know I won't ever understand half of the things it says in it, there is one thing that bothers me."

"What's that?"

"Well, it says over and over again that the wandless magic stuff requires a lot of focus and I've been watching you and you never do anything that increases that focus. Sure, you sit here and do your spells and yes I see that you are getting better, but you have yet to do a single exercise that helps your mind concentrate better."

"I've never thought about that before, but I guess you are right. Do you have anything to suggest?"

"Actually, yes. Have you ever tried meditation?"

"Meditation? No, I haven't. How is that supposed to help me?"

"By practicing letting go of the distractions around you and letting your mind focus on one thing in particular, you open your mind to a greater world without the limitations of the physical one."

"And this works?"

"It certainly did with me, and can with you. I'm certain of this."

"Will you show me then?"

With that Sifu led Harry through a series of breathing exercises designed to clear his head and allow thoughts to flow freely. After he had mastered these a few days later, Sifu moved on to the meditation part. He had Harry sit in a quiet room, eyes closed, as he focused on his breathing. Harry then gradually tensed each muscle in his body, from the head to the toes and relaxed them in reverse order. Once he had mastered this, he continued it while studying solitary objects to focus his concentration. At first he did not notice any difference, but as the days progressed he found it easier and easier to do the minor wandless spells. It still required focus of course, but the amount needed and the time needed to achieve it grew less and less with each passing day. One day, almost a month later, he reached the point where he forgot to say the spell out loud, merely thinking it. To his utter amazement, it still worked! It was not saying the words that mattered, but thinking them with enough clarity, he realized. Just like the wand was used to focus his magical ability, saying the spell aloud focused his thoughts into the necessary pattern to use it. With this new revelation in mind he was able to move on to more and more complex spells. In the meantime he continued the meditations, learning more from Sifu as he progressed. Sifu would meditate with him now, ready to answer any questions he might have. Harry continued to watch the martial arts katas that Sifu practiced; they were beautiful in their deadliness and the peace that Sifu obviously felt when doing them rubbed off on Harry as well. He still missed Hogwarts and everyone from there, but as the days and weeks wore on, he felt more independent from them and they became more of a distant memory.

Harry occasionally pilfered an old copy of the Daily Prophet from a garbage bin behind Howden's Books. From these he learned that all was quiet in wizarding England, making him surer that he was the reason that Voldemort had done all that he had so quickly. With him out of the picture for the last six weeks it seemed that both sides were more content to spy on each other without being goaded into more obvious action. He had yet to receive a return letter from Ginny as well, which he assumed meant that she believed him and had not told anyone. That and he was sure that if something was wrong she would send him a letter via Hedwig immediately. These factors contributed to his growing feeling of independence, until one day he awoke to realize that with all he was doing he no longer missed them and they were but a memory - a good memory, but only a memory.

Hogwarts, the same evening:

"Severus, you know you are the only person I can ask to do this!"

"But Albus! He is a fool, always has been. He gets it from his father; his mother was never like that."

"You are prejudiced in that opinion and you know it. Your relationship with Lily was never a secret."

"Do you have to bring that up now of all times?"

"Yes, if doing so is the only way I can get you to find her son."

"But why now, it has been six weeks at the very least. Even if the body was a golem, he could have died somewhere else. The fool could never mind his own business and you know it."

"He must be found now! Even if merely to ensure his safety, he must be found! Our future depends on it!"

It was rare that Severus saw his mentor this worked up, and it was always over something very important. So with a heavy heart he finally acquiesced.

"Very well, I will go find the boy. But if he is dead do not come to me with your tears, I did warn you."

"Thank you Severus. You know, maybe just once you should admit your feelings for the boy. You love him like a son and have protected him like one since he started here. What would be the harm in telling him this?"

"You know why, Albus. I cannot let the Dark Lord know I have any type of feelings for the boy. My work for the Order is too important."

"Very well, I cannot run your life. Go then and do not delay. Good luck and a fast wand, Severus, I fear you shall need it."