Chapter 24: Third Year Part 7

"Magic is directly linked to a wizard's soul. A wizard and his magic are both the same entity, therefore do not require you treat it as an external tool. You are taught that the most important aspect of magic is Intent and Will, and, assuming you heeded my warning, you have discovered yourself how difficult it is to manipulate your 'Will'.

Unfortunately, wizards cannot reach such level at a very young age, especially not without practicing any magic. The lack of results most often destroy their motivation and their future potential, so a method was devised to circumvent this issue.

Trick your subconscious mind that the 'magic' resided in the wand movement and the loud incantation. This way, they do not need to exert themselves as much, and have the enough results to have first hand experience with magic. This method, however, does not work with every spell. Even worse, you cannot make any new spell.

….."

Is what the book basically said. Kaiser finally reached the level in thought casting where he could safely read the rest of the books on Magical Theory, and he was glad he did so. It answered so many questions he had before. It all made sense.

The books talked about various new subjects for him, including theories about the limits of magic, magic and its connection to the soul, theorized soul components. For examples, the mindscape was directly linked to the soul, and while some think the place where memories are stored is in a human's brain, some others believe that the soul was the true container of memories. And that would explain to a degree how the Ressurection Stone can bring back the dead with their memories intact, if that's what it does, or if it simply projects what the user knows of the person.

'Speaking of the Ressurection Stone, I should get my hands on it. It's on the Gaunt Ring isn't it? That's another horcrux I have to get rid off.' The subject of horcruxes still worried Kaiser a lot. What if he destroyed all the horcruxes, but Voldemort just kept making new ones? What were the conditions to even make them? And how is he going to deal with the one taking Harry as a host…

The Great Hall has always been a loud place, but today, it seemed even louder for some reason. As Kaiser entered the hall, he saw where the source of the noise was coming from, and immediately noticed it came from the Gryffindor table. 'Typical…' he thought.

But on second glance, he noticed it came from the golden trio, and that made him stop for a moment, he remembered something like this happening in the story, and decided it was time to interfere.

As he approached, he could see a broom sitting quietly on the table, probably the Firebolt, he thought to himself, not that he was knowledgeable about broom types.

"… not be trusted! We have to take it to the professors!" He heard Hermione say passionately, while Ron Weasley looked at her as if she murdered his family.

"You just don't want him to have it, do you! What do you even know about brooms! Besides, how is Harry supposed to play Quidditch if he doesn't have a broom! He just lost his!" He argued, but Harry was apprehensive about the whole thing. He didn't know what to think, probably afraid he would offend one of his friends.

"What's going on?" Kaiser interrupted.

"Kai! Thank god you're here! You have to make them see reason! Harry received a broom from an anonymous person, and they don't suspect anything is wrong with that!" Hermione said frantically.

He turned to Harry to see what he has to say, but he remained silent. Perhaps part of him still wanted to have the world's fastest broom?

"You know, if you submit it to the professors, once they find nothing is wrong with it, you'll have it back." Kaiser reasoned. "There is no need to take such an unnecessary risk. Best case scenario, you've got yourself a new broom after a few weeks. Worse case scenario, you avoided dying an idiot's death."

"What about Quidditch?! The matches are coming up! How is he supposed to fly with no broom? Gryffindor will lose without a seeker!" Ron said angrily.

"I'm going to pretend you didn't just compare your friend's life to Quidditch. ('though playing Quidditch isn't any different to be fair')" Kaiser frowned at Ron's inability to use his head when the situation called for it. You must have sinned several lifetimes if you ever get a friend like him, but maybe that's a little harsh.

That seemed to convince them. Even though Kaiser knew the broom was safe, he didn't want to set a precedent for them, where they relied blindly on luck on everything. Even more, he didn't want to set a precedent where Ron Weasley was right. That was a very dangerous idea.

Five weeks passed uneventfully, but Kaiser has been busy this whole time. His meditation training especially seemed to finally have some results. He had been trying for ages to 'feel' his magic, and he was finally able to, though the connection seemed very faint. But the results were clearly visible: he was now able to cast a Lumos spell wandless, albeit the resulting light orb was so tiny, it could only be seen in total darkness, but for Kaiser, it was cause for celebration. It meant his efforts were finally paying off.

His Occlumency training was also progressing very well, as he was now able to challenge more difficult levels in the RoR. That did not mean he was on the level of a master, but he would be able to easily ward off beginner Legilimens. Master Legilimens, however, he wasn't so confident of facing them.

That night, he was practicing his Legilimency / Occlumency training with Hermione, and she seemed upset and unfocused for some reason.

"You don't look well, Hermione, is something bothering you?"

"I'm sorry. It's just… the boys. They lack risk management skills." Hermione sighed tiredly.

"Really? What did they do this time?"

"They seem to think it's a good idea to venture into the Dark Forest in search for Harry's broom. It's not like there are Dementors roaming the area, or a mass murderer out for Harry's blood." she said sarcastically. Kaiser looked pensive for a minute. He was weighing down his options. Kaiser had plans for Harry, and he was dead in none of them. Not to mention, Harry and Hermione were his friends, so he couldn't let them die, which they would.

Warding off hundreds of Dementors? Surviving against a Werewolf and a Death Eater on sheer dumb luck? It was cool when he read about it in the books, but this is real life now. And the chance of him surviving was ridiculously low.

He finally decided on a course of action. "I'll come with you." he shocked Hermione with his declaration.

"Really?!" she exclaimed in surprise. She did not expect him to say so, he was usually very busy, and she's been meeting with him less and less.

"Of course. I'm not letting my friends die alone now, am I?" He said with a smile, and Hermione almost teared up. She gave him a bear hug muttering 'thank you' a billion times. Kaiser then asked when they were going, and they agreed on a time and place to meet.

Hogwart's library, one of the biggest gathering of books in Magical England, though the books there weren't very rare by international standards. There were some in the forbidden section, but accessing them without permission was wishful thinking. That was one of the perks of being professors, however, as they could freely read them.

A young girl spent the majority of her time in the library, always reading and reading and reading again, even when she finishes her homework. It was surprising that the books she picked were always related to healing. Human body, different potions and how they affect the body, and numerous healing spells….

She had long blonde hair, a pair of light blue eyes shining with determination, hungrily devouring every tiny information she could get her hands on. While her face boasted of such beautiful features, they were clouded by the absence of a smile, and the cold look she excluded. Though some thought it gave boosted her beauty to new levels, and called her the "Ice Queen".

"Daphne, do you have a moment?" Kaiser asked politely. He knew why she was studying healing, and he hoped he could help her some day. Unfortunately, what she truly needed was not in Rowena's library, but he was hopeful they'd find something in the Black Family Library.

She silently nodded and followed him outside. After the usual privacy spells, Kaiser said: "I'm about to do something potentially dangerous, and I'll need your help."

"Alright." she nodded, and Kaiser's mind stopped for a moment. 'Just like that?' he expected her to ask for details at least, before making a decision. She was the careful and calculating sort, after all. He didn't understand why that's changed all of a sudden.

"This is unexpected. I thought you'd ask for the details before making a decision."

"We are contracted. Remember?" she looked deeply into his eyes, and Kaiser felt uncomfortable for a moment. "Besides, I'm sure you wouldn't needless put my life in danger, and would do the same for me had I asked." For her to think that highly of him, Kaiser felt warm for some reason.

Hermione was anxious. She was about to break the rules, and she hated breaking them. They were there for a reason, to protect them. And now, they were about to venture in the woods of the forbidden forest in the evening. And just from the sound coming from that forest, she could tell no good would come from it. But those two idiots would get themselves killed if she didn't go with them. 'Luckily, we won't be going there alone this time…'

"Why is he so late?" Ron complained.

"Will you stop complaining, he's one minute late." Hermione said exasperatedly. For some reason, Ron didn't like the idea of Kaiser coming with them.

After three minutes, Kaiser could be seen from the distance approaching. He was wearing a weird brown outfit, adorned with metal plates in different regions. It looked more like armor than wizard's clothes. He also had a poach attached to his waist. But what surprised the others more, was the presence of another girl at his side, wearing a similar attire.

"Why is he dressed like that?" Harry asked. He was confused, he had never seen such clothes before, and didn't understand why Kaiser chose them of all the other options.

"Why is she with him?" Ron said with a frown. He didn't hold the best of feelings for her, apparently.

"She's here to help. The more the merrier." Hermione said cheerfully. This was looking good for them: more people meant their chance of meeting mishaps decreased.

"Well I don't trust her. The Greengrass were all slimy snakes, my dad told me."

"She's a Ravenclaw now, and she's Kai's friend. Or do you not trust him either?" Hermione lectured him, but he still wasn't convinced. He wasn't a believer in Logic and Reason.

"Hello, sorry for keeping you waiting." Kaiser said, while Daphne merely nodded at them. He saw the looks Ron was giving her, and he was not impressed.

"I asked my friend Daphne to come with us. I hope that won't be a problem?" He looked coldly at Ron, who didn't look very happy.

"Not at all! Thank you for coming, Greengrass." Harry said, praying to all the gods that Ron keeps his trap shut for this one, and the gods didn't fail him. Ron apparently noticed, somehow, that she would be coming regardless of what he said, and kept his opinion to himself.

"Well then, let's get going before the sun sets."