Chapter 30. Fire and Mystery
"Tell me, Harry, what do you think are the most important requirements for mastering elemental magic?" Proserpina asked, sipping her tea, her other arm neatly folded in her lap.
They were sitting face to face in the living room of the Greengrass Manor, just like yesterday. And as usual, she was wearing a designer sunflower-yellow gown instead of some comfy clothes as normal people ought to do in their homes.
He stared at her fair face and expectant clear blue eyes, thinking about the question deeply.
What was required to become an Elementalist?
He frowned at the thought.
The simple answer was, he did not know. He hadn't ever read on that subject. Elementalists were not common, they were rare. He doubted there were any more than 50 Elementalists in all of Britain. Their numbers had decreased vastly in the last couple of centuries. So had the books in relation to them. But he was sure there should be a couple of tomes on it in Potter Library. He might just read them after today's lesson.
Still, he did not want to just blurt out 'I dunno'. That would be asking to be branded as a lazy moron. Which he obviously didn't want if he ever desired to impress his blonde aunt.
He decided he would rather give a generic answer than a no answer. At least she would see him trying in place of throwing in the towel.
"Power. Magical Power is one of the necessities to become an Elementalist." He replied seriously as if he hadn't just given the most basic answer.
"Yes. That's true. Power is necessary everywhere. Be that for normal day-to-day tasks or special magical branches. What else?" She prodded gently in an encouraging manner.
"How about control?"
"Are you asking or answering?" She said, her voice laced with exasperation.
"Control. It is another necessity to become good at elemental magic." He repeated confidently.
She offered him a small smile. "Good. What type of control?"
"Uhm… control of mana?"
She shook her head with a knowing look. "No, on the list of requirements to become a good Elementalist, mana control is at the bottom of it."
Harry was stumped by that. Wasn't power and control the only things required to excel in everything?
Apparently not.
Proserpina stood up and gestured at him to follow her. "Come, Harry. We will go back to my training room. And no funny business this time. Keep your dirty thoughts inside your head and your hands away from me. Got it?" She finished with a pointed look. He didn't find any heat in her glare, or in her tone for that matter.
Harry laughed briefly, getting on his feet. "Fine. I won't bother you." He said, giving her body a quick appreciative scan.
Her straight blonde hair fell behind her shoulders, and her red kissable lips held his attention, which he had kissed yesterday. The memory sent a shiver of thrill up his spine.
The small amount of cleavage on display showed him the beginning of her white smooth swells and the line of her valley, her moderate-sized bosom covered by the snug yellow dress. And the way it fit around her waist and hips tantalisingly was drool-worthy. He was waiting for her to turn around so he could see how it accentuated her lovely arse.
"Good boy." She nodded, ignoring or not noticing his leer, leading him to her bedroom and then into the 'secret' training room. If she sensed him staring at the alluring movements of her hips, she didn't mention it.
She took him to the centre of the long room where she stopped. She unholstered her wand and stood beside him.
"The most important skill a master Elementalist requires is total emotional control while performing this harmful magic. Observe. Agni!" She hissed the spell.
A dark hot red wyrm of fire rushed out of her wand, taking shape and getting bigger and bigger, flying towards the end of the room and colliding against the wall in a wave of burning red. Even though the fire-wyrm smashed against the far wall, Harry was singed by the heat wave. "Fire feeds on anger, Harry. It feeds on hatred. The more you give it, the more powerful it becomes."
He had seen how her eyes had darkened. How her lips had curved into a hateful sneer. He was curious to know what she thought at that moment to look so angry.
She waved her free hand, collapsing the enormous fire-wyrm into a small flickering flame, then even that vanished into nothing.
It wasn't over yet.
Before Harry could excitedly question his aunt, her blue eyes gleamed like the shining ocean.
" Jal!" She whispered softly and swept her arm up. A sudden tide of water surged forward from the floor in front of them, gaining mass and speed until it crashed against the burnt wall, shaking the whole room. From the ground to the ceiling, everything trembled, as if a big earthquake had enveloped the entire house. Then the water swiftly evaporated with a flick of her wrist. "Calmness feeds the water. The silence of the calm mind creates the biggest and loudest of tsunamis.
"For both fire and water, you need to manipulate your own emotions. Fire is like a starving rabid dog on a leash, you need to command it, and you need to keep holding onto the leash, otherwise, it would free itself and would turn on you, trying to consume you in its ever-growing hunger.
"Water on the other hand needs you to constantly provide it with cool gentle calmness. It needs your total concentration and peace of mind. It will vanish at the first hint of fickleness." She explained, undoing the damage that was wrecked upon the room before holstering back her wand.
Honestly, Harry already had similar powers through the system. The Mage Skills [Firestorm] and [Hurricane] were pretty devastating and beautiful in themselves. He was impressed but not that impressed by her show.
Still, learning it the natural way was not going to hurt. And since becoming somewhat independent from the system's power was his shtick now, he didn't have much choice but to pay attention to her words and give her his absolute attention.
"Isn't that unproductive in the fight? How can you remain calm during a volatile fight? It is almost impossible to use elemental magic when you really might need it." He asked thoughtfully. Not that he would have that problem. He had [Gamer's Mind] that while wasn't working 100 percent, still helped him enough. But if he didn't have these system benefits, the goal of becoming an Elementalist would be nigh unattainable.
She smiled at his query. "And that's the reason why not many opt to learn elemental magic. Although it is significantly more powerful than spells and curses, people with the ability to use it in dangerous situations are very rare. To make the impossible achievable, some Elementalists only choose a single element and dedicate their life and magic to mastering it. That is comparatively easier than trying to learn all the four elements."
"Any hacks to make it simple?"
His lazy question elicited an amused chuckle from her. "While I would like to say no and preach to you about hard work and dedication, there are some ways to save your time and learn faster. Occlumency helps massively. It makes you very familiar with the feel of your own mind and body, with your own soul. I would recommend you read about it if you want to succeed in this endeavour. And the types of memories you associate with the emotion, with the elements, also play an important part in elemental magic."
"I see. Let me try then." Harry hummed, his wand shooting into his grasp.
"It will take time, Harry. You can't be thinking of learning the elements in one try. First study Occlumency, then try the spells." She advised gently, not wanting to crush his childish hope. It had taken her years to figure out the mental space and the memories she needed to properly use the elements. She didn't think Harry would be able to achieve any of that in a single month. But at the minimum, he would understand the basics and know the elements. That was all she had planned to impart since the moment she agreed to teach him.
"I'll be the one to decide that. Just tell me how to do it." He said stubbornly.
"Fine. Don't cry when nothing happens."
"If you are so sure about my failure then why don't we bet again?" He smirked, his eyes gleaming with surety.
Proserpina pursed her lips, recalling how that had ended for her the previous day.
"It is not that I don't believe you capable–
"Bet." Harry interrupted her and then started chanting the word.
"You are a prodigy. A genius, but even you can't hope to learn–
"Bet."
"A decade's worth's study in a single day, you–
"Bet."
"Fine! Have it your way! What's the bet?" She threw up her hands with an audible groan. She hated how easily he broke through her calm facade and made her act like an emotional bimbo.
He heard her mutter 'arrogant boy' under her breath.
"If you win, I'll show you something extraordinary. The likes of which you've never seen before. Something only my family knows about. A big secret if you wish." He baited her with a sly grin.
He had made a recent discovery about her. She liked collecting and hoarding secrets as a dragon does with its gold. Maybe it was necessary for her profession where she rubbed shoulders with slimy politicians every now and then, where she needed to know all the dark confidential information about others to keep herself on top. But somewhere along the line, secrets had become more than a necessity to keep her family afloat. It had become a passion. An obsessive hobby. A thing which she was drunk on.
She narrowed her eyes, staring at him, seeing through him, knowing his intentions before she even asked. "And what will you get if I lose?"
"If I win, you'll strip down to your waist and give me five minutes to play with your boobies." He announced nonchalantly.
His smile was far more innocent than his words.
She glowered angrily and asked in a calm cold voice. "What did you just say?"
"You heard what I said. I'm not repeating it." His smile somehow remained, adding fuel to her fire. He would be hiding underneath a bunker after that glare if he hadn't sensed the spike in her lust. And it was peculiar since he didn't even influence her arousal.
It was all natural.
"Harry, this is getting out of hand. It is getting irritating real fast. It has ventured far from the realm of innocently curious. I will not tolerate your inappropriate advances any further." She said, scowling at him.
He would have been cowering if he didn't know her actual feelings.
"Do you want to bet or not? Just say no if you doubt your own judgement. There's no need for a lecture." He laughed contemptuously.
She sneered, taking a step forward and poking his chest. "I see what you are doing, child. I am not a fool who will fall for your trick."
"Fine then. Just tell me how to do the spell then." He shrugged, metaphorically taking a step back. Maybe being this forward about his intentions would be detrimental. Just because she was getting off on the scenario of stripping for him didn't mean she would have the courage to do so.
She took a calming breath and nodded, patting his head, reminding herself that Harry was just a child even if he didn't look like one. He was merely thirteen years old. He didn't deserve her anger or her arousal.
She then gave him step-by-step instructions to conjure the fire element. It took him a few minutes to understand.
"Okay, I think I'm ready. I can do it now."
Not voicing her doubts she signalled him to go ahead. "Try it."
Harry straightened beside her and pointed his wand ahead. He stiffened and immersed himself in the memory.
The day when Iris had died. The day Voldemort had played with him, possessing his sister's body and snuffing her life in front of him. His lips curled in hatred and his emerald eyes glowed with magic. " Agni! "
The sweat on her neck evaporated. Her throat dried up and her eyes stung as the hottest flames poured out of Harry's wand like a devil's hand grasping out of hell.
It was blue, then violet, then red. The colour of the flames changed every second as the child beside her was barely able to keep them in control.
Unlike her fire element which had taken the form of a two-limbed dragon, Harry's was formless, hungry like the void, trying to consume everything and everyone. Still, she was impressed with how he commanded the fire, keeping it away from them and against the wall.
The wall which had melted into a puddle, giving way to outside.
Before the fire could expand out of the room and latch onto the surrounding forest, she placed her arm on his shoulder. "Enough, Harry! Pull on the leash. Control it."
Harry nodded, clenching his jaw, snapping his free hand into a fist. The fire abruptly guttered out, leaving nothing but a steaming, moistureless atmosphere behind, and a melted wall.
He holstered his wand and looked cockily at her. "You were saying?"
She just stared at him dubiously, taking back her words about his arrogance. She knew Harry was special. But not the extent of it. Even now, she didn't know how special he was. The way he had conjured the fire element on the first try spoke volumes about his magical and mental prowess. It had taken her years to do what Harry had done in a single move.
He was steeped in mystery.
And it excited her. It had been a while since she was challenged. She felt her heart thump rapidly, giddiness bubbling in her stomach.
He was like an onion and she would take pleasure in unravelling every layer of it until there was nothing left to unravel. She would find it. She would find his every secret, his every specialty. Until there was nothing left to discover.
"That was brilliant, Harry. I am so proud of you. While your fire can be more refined, you have already grasped the difficult part. This following week we will concentrate on only fire. Now that I have seen how special you are, I am sure you will master the fire element quickly." She smiled, patting his head, reining in her emotions and not screaming ecstatically as she wanted.
She had been given the task to polish the gold, but she had come to discover that the gold was in fact the most precious diamond. How fortunate that she was given the first chance to use it.
"Thank you, aunty." He smiled happily, scratching his neck, a bit embarrassed by the direct praise.
She chuckled, ruffling his hair fondly. "I think it's enough for today. You can go home now."
"Okay. I'll go see Daphne first before returning home."
Proserpina winced, knowing that he wouldn't find her in the manor. "Daphne isn't home, Harry. She is still out for the family business."
All of Harry's cheer disappeared and a frown marred his face. "What is this family business again?"
"I can't say. Daphne wants to keep it a secret."
Harry sighed, pinching his nose. "How annoying. I so wanted to see her."
He magically checked his friend's health and was relieved that she was fine. It was good that the silver necklace which he had given her would also work like a tracker. It would let him know if she was ever injured. At least she was safe at the moment, wherever she was and whatever she was doing.
"Don't make that long face. She will hopefully be home soon." Proserpina said weakly, trying to believe her own words.
"Let's hope so." He mumbled, fighting against the urge to teleport to her and bring her back, this family business be damned. He would have done that if he didn't fear the ire of his friend.
Instead of being happy, she would actually blame him for interfering in her matters.
He decided he would keep away until she needed his help. There was no need to act like a mother hen around her. Daphne wouldn't appreciate it. She wasn't the type of girl who liked being fussed over. She would just feel suffocated.
"Then I'll go home." He told her.
She nodded, opening the hidden door.
She led him back to the living room where the fireplace was.
"Goodbye, aunty." He said, hugging her.
"See you tomorrow, Harry." She said softly, hugging him back.
"Oh, I think I can spare you this secret."
"What secret?"
"I don't need a floo to get home." He whispered in her ear.
Before she could question him further, his hands slipped down her waist, pressing over her silky long skirt of the yellow dress, causing her flesh to tingle as his palm slipped over her tight round buttocks, his fingers spreading to encompass the vastness of her curves but failing laughably.
She stiffened as he tightened his embrace and squeezed her bum. She gave out a shuddering moan, unintentionally pressing into him, burying her face in his neck, breathing in his masculine scent.
And then he loudly slapped her cheeks.
She let out a scandalous yelp and jumped back, rubbing her stinging arse.
She looked around for Harry, to give him a piece of her mind and glower until he would piss himself.
But he was already gone.
How?
That was a mystery.
Her annoyance vanished as she tried to figure out what happened.
She doubted he had apparated.
Maybe it was another secret of his, like he had said.
She licked her lips, smothering an animated grin.
'I will figure it out all soon.' She vowed.
~xXxXx~
Harry snickered as he teleported home. He was curious to see how she would welcome him tomorrow.
Would she lecture him about his shameless behaviour or would she ignore it in favour of asking how he had disappeared?
Whatever she chose, he would have an answer. While he couldn't disclose about the Gamer System without accepting her into his Party System, he could still say some half-truths.
He trusted her enough to show off some of his abilities in her presence.
"Harry! Why are you smiling like that?"
The suspicious voice of his sister brought him out of his thoughts.
It looked like he had subconsciously walked into his sister's room where she sat at the desk with a crusty old notebook open before her.
"What are you reading?" He asked instead, moving behind her and resting his chin atop her shoulder, peaking at the book.
"Mum found her old notebook in which she had written all her favourite spells. She lent it to me once I asked her to teach me some cool spells." She answered idly, not minding as he nuzzled her neck and stared at the book.
"That looks promising. Give it to me when you're done with it."
"Sure. So, will you tell me why you were smiling creepily when you entered my room?" She asked again.
"Well, I might have been thinking about grabbing you and having my way with you. Mum's promise be damned." He laughed, lifting her off the chair and dumping her on the bed, climbing onto it himself.
She rolled her eyes at him, sitting up with her knees tucked in and crossing her arms under her chest. "Don't lie. I know when you lie to me."
Harry grimaced, knowing there was no other way but to tell her the truth. But he also knew that she wouldn't like what he was planning. Iris was extremely possessive of him. Just like he was of her. He was surprised she had even let him lay with their mother without much complaint.
She was going to blow a fuse after she knew what he had done with their blonde aunt.
"Uhm, I might have groped aunt Proserpina before running back home and I might be planning to fuck her soon." He said with a strained smile, preparing for her anger.
It didn't come.
She just heaved a disappointed sigh, shaking her head at him. "I knew that was going to happen."
He shot her a surprised look. "You are not angry?"
"No, Harry. I'm just disappointed. While I'd like to have you all for myself, I know it is impossible with your 'trait' butting in. According to it, you need sex every day. And however much I like the idea of sleeping with you every single day, I know there'd come a time when it wouldn't be feasible due to one or another reason.
"So, you being totally faithful to me was never an option. That's why I already prepared myself for the letdown. I know how greedy you are. I know you better than anyone else. I know you'd never leave mum's bed once you have had a taste of her. I know you'd run after all the pretty women you see. I understand it. I know it's your nature. But it still hurts. It hurts thinking that instead of me, mum was your first. It hurts thinking that even aunt Proserpina might sleep with you before I get the chance. Can you understand how much it hurts, brother?"
Iris bit out in half-anger and half-sorrow, trying stubbornly not to cry. But tears still overcame her, spilling down her cheeks.
Harry groaned angrily, aimed at himself, feeling his chest constrict with pain. "I'm sorry." Not knowing what else to say to make her feel better.
She nodded mutely, opening her arms. He collided with her swiftly, sweeping her into him, embracing her tightly, and pressing his face in the crook of her neck.
He held her firmly. He felt how strongly her arms coiled around him too. "Just tell me, Harry, that I'm still your favourite. That I'll always remain so."
"Of course, you already know that."
"Repeat it again then. I just want to hear it."
"I love you the most, Iris. More than anyone." He said earnestly.
She relaxed, drawing in a shaky breath. "Good to hear that."
Harry couldn't help the snort that escaped him.
"What was that for?" Iris grumbled, backing a little so she could see his mirthful face.
"No, nothing. I just found it funny that you needed to hear that when you already know how I feel about you." He laughed, pushing her down on her back.
He was taken aback when she rolled them over so she was on top.
"It is different. It makes me happy when you say that." She pouted, straddling his hips, her arms on either side of his face, supporting her body weight.
"Okay then. I'll start professing my love to you every day." He smiled softly, pulling on the string that held her hair, letting it fall free, framing her beautiful face.
"I won't say no to that." She returned his smile, sitting up on his hips, shaking her head as her red hair flowed behind and over her shoulders.
Harry raised up his arm, caressing her face, trailing his thumb down her chin. "I love you."
Her eyes twinkled at this, she curled her fingers at the hem of her t-shirt and took it off.
She wasn't wearing a bra so when she threw the t-shirt on the bed, she was naked from the waist up.
The two mounds caught his gaze. They were significantly smaller than his mother's, but they were more than a handful. Too big for her age, some might say. The dark pink stiff nipples were surrounded by the two circles of light pink areolas, at the peak of the mounds.
His breath left him as his arms moved on their own. His palms pressed into her bare breasts, his fingers sinking into the abundant flesh. It was smooth and warm and firm.
"Harry…" She gasped, her eyes gleaming with lust, "Take off your top. I want to touch you too."
He did as asked, sitting up, his back propped against the headboard.
Iris took in every inch of his skin when he lay half-naked before her.
"Come here." Harry asked, spreading his arms. She didn't need to be told twice.
Iris sat in her brother's lap, his hands on her boobs, squeezing and teasing her nipples while her own on his muscular torso, getting familiar with every contour.
Their lips met in a passionate kiss while their hands roamed over each other, tracing the skin with thumbs and nails.
She moaned loudly when he took her nipple in his mouth. She trembled, pulling on his hair as he sucked on it. His tongue swirling around her stony nub, his lips clamped on her areola. She threw her head back, her hair bouncing, her spine curving as she mashed her tits on his face, letting him feast on her.
She growled when he pulled back, leaving her unsatisfied.
"Lay on your back. Now." He ordered. She immediately fell back. Her eyes widened, and a gusty lustful sigh left her when he spread her legs and pulled her black knickers down to her ankles.
Somehow her eyes widened some more when his head slipped under her skirt and his mouth latched onto her womanhood. "Oh fuck!"
She groaned, the sight of Harry's head hidden underneath her blue skirt made her wet like nothing else. It was erotic to not be able to see him, but knowing that he was working on her nether lips.
His hands came out of nowhere and grabbed hold of her breasts, his thumbs trying to push down her stubborn hard nipples and his fingers cupping her tits.
With his lapping mouth and his aggressive fingers, she didn't last long, bucking her hips and trapping his mouth on her pussy as her mounting pleasure exploded from the core.
~xXxXx~
Daphne jumped from the boat and into the shallow waters. She swam the rest of the distance until she reached the beach. She waved at the ferryman who waved back.
Minutes later, the ferry turned around to head back.
If she didn't complete this mission, she would need to survive at least one week on this island before the ferry would come back.
She looked around and when she was sure there was no one, she took off her wet clothes. She pulled out her wand from her enchanted bag and used a drying spell on herself before putting on clean black slacks and a comfortable white shirt.
She tied her long blonde hair in a messy bun and walked towards the narrow pathway that lay between two rocky mountains, the only entrance into the island. At least that's what the boatman said.
The entire island was a large oval-shaped plain with its border guarded by the mountains.
She minimised the bag and put it in her pocket. She had the two things she needed to succeed in this quest. Her wand and her ancestral ruby.
The ruby which had been in their family for thousands of years. The mythical Crimson Eye of the Atros Clan.
It glowed weakly when she pointed her hand forward and stopped glowing if she directed it at the sea.
Knowing that she had no choice but to go through the fissure between the mountain, she began walking towards it.
She hadn't even taken ten steps forward when a long black girthy snake advanced toward her. It was too fast for her to use her wand properly.
She looked down contemptuously at the first obstacle between her and her goals.
"Die." She said softly.
The snake abruptly stopped moving, dying the second the word left her mouth. She stepped over it and approached the entrance. She would win this time. She would succeed where all her ancestors had failed.
She was of house Greengrass, the last line of Clan Atros. She would give meaning to all the deaths of all her predecessors who had lost their lives for this quest. She would make them proud.
She would be victorious. She had no doubt about it.
She would finally have the power she always craved. And she would finally meet the Queen Mother in her tower.
She coughed violently and when she touched her mouth, her fingers came red. She glared at her weak body and drank the healing potion.
"I will finally have my wings." She consoled herself.