"Well, I see you're ready," I nodded. - Then let's begin.
Having collected myself mentally and looked at the world with magical vision, I prepared for something. I don't know why exactly, but something tells me that "it" will be quite interesting.
The room responded to the Spirit's words. From all over its space, as well as from outside the room, mana began to flow to the "star". Having reached the circle, she stopped, waiting for something.
Every second it became more and more. Now, in ordinary vision, a distortion has appeared. There was no clear picture of what was behind this "shaft" of magical energy. Behind the distortion, a radiance appeared that grew stronger every second.
An indicator of mastery in ritualistics is the absence of visual effects during the ritual itself. It might seem that this ritual is not very good, or that the Spirit is not the best practitioner of this school, but this opinion is erroneous. The ritual has not yet begun. All these distortions and radiances are just preparation, raw materials for the work process of the upcoming action.
Having reached a certain concentration, the mana froze. There was no longer any change visible in her. It did not increase, but it did not decrease either.
Finally the elder began to act. Having flown up to the magic circle, he stopped, concentrated, and then pointed his hand at his feet, to where one of the rays of the star was located.
After saying something I couldn't understand, the Spirit retreated. In contrast to him, mana began to act. Like a chained dog receiving a command, she rushed into the drawing. Every facet, every rune absorbed magical energy. Their appetite was incredible. They were like black holes that could swallow all things, devouring magical energy.
All this continued for an infinitesimal, but seemingly infinitely long time, until finally the mana ran out. The glow disappeared, followed by the distortion. All that was left was pure space.
Not knowing what to expect, I continued to monitor the runes until, finally, they began to act. In an instant they flew up. Each of the four stars lost their runes. They all hovered in space next to me.
Looking around, I noticed more and more new elements of this ritual. Each rune was special, not a single one was repeated. They were individually, infinitely similar, but different in essence.
A certain vibration emanated from each of the runes, which approached me, and then plunged into the depths of my body, to where my soul was. As if responding to all this, she trembled in some of them, but I could not understand which of them.
In an instant, the runes began to move, they began to dance in a circle next to me. First one, then another rune flew to me, passing through my body. When this stage ended, they rushed to the altar, which, in an unprecedented way, turned out to be close to the star, although recently it was much further away.
Having gathered into one lump, the runes ceased to exist, merging into one. Only a large ball that emitted different colors of light remained in their place.
After hovering for a moment, it separated and scattered in different directions.
"The ritual is over," said the Spirit, after all the parts of the whole hovered in one place. — Are you ready to find out the results?
"Yes," nod.
"Well," he waved his hand. - Let's find out what is part of you.
Separating from its fellows, the gray ball flew towards us. Hovering in front of me, he began to retract into himself until he finally exploded. I closed my eyes in surprise. After struggling, I stared at what had formed.
"Quite interesting," said the elder, observing the result with me. - What do you think this is? - Looking at me, he asked a question.
"Space," I answered, watching the dance of the glass, which, when broken, revealed the absence of anything - emptiness. Each fragment was no less important than the other. They scattered, thereby revealing the emptiness, and then returned, closing it back. An incredibly beautiful sight.
- Right. You have a predisposition in this school. It's quite interesting that not many people can boast of this. Space is very difficult to feel, let alone control it," looking at the "glass" he thought about something of his own, far away. - Anyway. Continued?
- Certainly.
The further picture repeated itself. Still the same ball, still the same action, only the color was different, as well as the result. It had no color as such, but was constantly changing. I think I know what it is. The result confirmed the guess.
In front of me hung a "figure" that was constantly changing its shape, as well as its essence.
"Metamorphism," we said in one voice. Looking at me, he smiled at the corner of his lips. "I don't know whether it was with you from the very beginning or was acquired as a result of training, but you have abilities in this school."
- Is it possible to buy them? – I asked the question in surprise. All this time I thought that this gift was innate and not acquired, but it seems I was wrong once again.
- Certainly. Mana is the energy of the world and soul. Why is it that when you change it, you cannot thereby change your soul? Every action has a certain effect. "Don't forget about this," the spirit gave me another piece of advice, continuing to look at the changing figure.
The next two "gifts" confirmed his words. Two balls, one green, the other purple. One was in the shape of a ball, which radiated calm and soft light, and the other was a diamond, which inspired stability by the very fact of being here. Healing and Mentality. Two schools that I began to study consciously and those that left a mark on my soul. I wonder why the diamond is a symbol of mentalism?
"As you can see," he waved his hand at my "gifts." "You innately had abilities in space magic, since you did not study it. With others, things are not so clear. Neither element oppresses the other, so I can't give you an exact answer," he threw up his hands guiltily. - Well, we still have two more supposed gifts left. Are you ready?
— Yes.
- Then let's get started.
One of the two remaining balls flew towards me. It emitted a "cold" blue-white glow. Exploding once again, a crystal of the same color appeared in place of the ball. A barely visible white fog rose from it.
— Cryomancy. The magic of cold. The ability to freeze everything to a temperature of absolute zero and even lower.
I did not respond to his words, continuing to watch the white fog. There was an air of calm and indifference about him.
A smirk appeared on my face:
— This element definitely suits me.
Without reacting to my words, the Spirit once again waved his hand. The last, smallest ball flew towards me. Its color was impossible to describe. It was too dark. And it's not darkness, no. Something eerie and exciting emanated from this ball.
"Let's find out what your last gift hides," the elder said, smiling at me.
The ball trembled. His trembling was different from others. As he began to pull himself into himself, he grew more and more. With every moment, with every second, he turned into something. Until it finally turned into THIS.
There was a black hole in front of my face. She devoured everything she could reach. Every ray, every particle of mana, even space itself - all this could not escape from its "hunger", disappearing in its abyss.
But this was not enough for her, the hole devoured itself, but was immediately restored. An endless process with no end or edge in sight.
- And what does it mean? - I asked without turning my head.
I heard nothing in response. Turning to face the Spirit, for a moment I managed to see an incredibly serious look, which was immediately hidden by the shackles of ice.
-What kind of gift is this? What does he refer to? What school does it represent?
Turning his gaze to me, the elder spoke.
- I can't answer you. Not because I don't want to, but because I don't know what "this" is. This is an anomaly and you better not touch it. "You never know what can happen," he said with a strange intonation.
"Okay," I nodded. - I understood you.
This is where our conversation ended. The spirit, having said goodbye, disappeared. Well, I headed out. After closing the door, one thought came to my mind. But he lied to me, I felt it perfectly. For the first time in our entire acquaintance, he decided to lie, and not just remain silent. And it's very strange.
What kind of magic is this? And what to expect from her?
*****
Fourth of June, Evening, Hogwarts Castle.
The walls of the great castle were filled with joy as never before. There is only one week left before the schoolchildren leave this castle. That's why they were cheerful, and as you know, feelings are quite powerful in the magical world.
Over the past six months, nothing significant has changed in my daily life. My training progressed as usual and my skills continued to grow. During this time, I completely read the available information on the School of Space, as well as cryomancy. During the summer holidays I will have something to do in my free time, if I have any.
Also during this time, Nev had to destroy the poor mannequins more than once. Rest in peace. Hermione wasn't about to give up, and neither was the rest of the trio. I don't know why they need him, but Nev is clearly not eager to have any contact with them and have common affairs.
In the last six months alone, they tried to talk to him five times. Five times, Karl. This doesn't fit into any gates. I'm surprised Nev didn't start throwing spells at them. After all, they even annoyed me, what can I say about them.
But I really like their arguments: "We are your friends, and Wilson is only using you. He's not your friend."
Why am I suspicious?
No, of course, I stand out greatly among my peers, but this is not a reason to blame all human sins on me.
In general, these weeks have been unusually calm. There were no sorties, tests, or anything else. All the exams were incredibly easy for me, so I spent all the remaining time on training and learning magic.
Pomfrey is also worthy of mention. I don't know what gods she prayed to, but she managed to persuade my pregnant mother to let me go on a trip in the summer. They seemed to agree that this was an excursion to a magical part of the world. In fact, she did not lie, but only kept silent about some details. I, being a sensible person (Wrong...) did not even think about telling my mother and father about everything. They shouldn't worry.
- Yes, as much as possible, huh? — once again my friend's voice brings me out of my deep thoughts. It's good that at least I continue to react to external stimuli, and am also aware of everything that is happening, simply not attaching any importance to it. If it were otherwise, this could become a serious problem.
"I can hear you perfectly, Nev." And there's no need to hit me with your elbow," I said, dodging a poke in the side. "And no, I don't understand your fear of the Potions exam at all." Regular exam. All you need to do is answer the questions and make the potion.
"It's easy for you to say, but I'm shaking in anticipation of the exam." And it's already tomorrow - well, here it is. Again he went in a circle.
- Calm down. Better think about anything else. For example, tell me, have our "friends" stopped bothering you?
After thinking a little, Nev replied:
- Surprisingly, yes. For three days now there has been no word or breath from them. And today I didn't see them at all after lunch. And even now they are not in the Great Hall.
"Who knows, maybe they're busy again unraveling conspiracies and mysteries," I answered him with a shrug. Maybe today there will be a canon raid for the stone? It may well be. The director is just not there, and Quirrell has been absent from the teaching table for days.
It's sad to admit, but my memory has not retained complete knowledge about the canon. That's why I'm in this situation now.
After dinner, Neville and I went to the living rooms. Halfway to the faculty tower, I was stopped by a small fairy made of pure white light. She was no larger than my elbow, and her beauty rivaled the best models in the world.
Hovering in front of my face, she stopped for a while, and then said:
"Calder," the Teacher's voice was heard from her lips. - I urgently need your help. Come to the Hospital Wing, - for the first time I hear such a serious voice from her.
Having delivered the message, the patronus, and it was he, the painfully pure emotions emanating from him, dissipated right before my eyes.
"What could she possibly need?" This was exactly the thought that was running through my head as I walked towards the Hospital Wing. We need to hurry.