The Three Brothers: The Cure

A Dragon and a Plan

'This will be really useful,' he thought. Walking in the aisles, he browsed the various sections. He was surprised to see that most of the volumes were not anything radically different from the books in the non-restricted section. They weren't as exotic and wild as Fred and George had speculated. Mostly, they were just advanced books, kept under lock and key so that they could be used judicially. Some other books were about controlled subjects—like Portkeys—which normally needed Ministry approval to study. Mark guessed that with the Hogwarts Library being the only public library in magical Britain, it made sense that all of these books would be catalogued within it.

Deciding to focus first on the question he had been trying to solve since coming to Hogwarts, Mark began to search the shelves for an appropriate book. After a few quiet minutes, he finally found a book on the subject he'd been hoping to know more about—Legilimency. Taking the thin, leather-bound volume in hand, he wondered if the room could provide a place for him to sit comfortably. Within moments, an armchair and a small seating area materialised nearby.

"Awesome," he said to himself before slumping into the chair. He thought of asking the room for some snacks, but none appeared.

'Must be due to Gamp's Law,' Mark thought. They had been introduced to empirical Gamp's Law of Elemental transfigurations as well as its exceptions by Professor McGonagall. Simply put, food—along with precious metals and magical artefacts like wands—could not be created out of pure magic, and had limitations to the transfigurations that could be applied to it.

Settling in, Mark was quickly absorbed in the book in his hands. After about twenty minutes of reading, he found a passage that seemed to apply to him.

Not much is known about those who have been called 'Natural' Legilimens. It is speculated that the ability manifests in the subjects pre-adolescence. They are thought to be able to read minds without the need for a wand or spell.

It is quite possible that the legilimens spell itself was developed to mimic this ability in the first place. Some evidence even points to the fact that a Natural Legilimens can read the thoughts from an unprotected mind without the need for eye contact, most widely thought to be essential for the ability.

However, the few records that have been found all indicated that such individuals do not make into adulthood, killing themselves to escape the 'voices in their head.' As opposed to Natural Legilimens, Natural Occlumens, however, have confirmed evidence for their existence, with many notable wizards recorded in history as examples.

'Natural Legilimens,' Mark pondered. All the descriptions did match all the symptoms after all. Being able to read minds without eye contact or spells, hearing voices in the head. The part about not making into adolescence sent a chill through his bones. Mark's thoughts went to Edwin, and what would have happened if he hadn't learned to control his ability.

Looking at his watch, Mark saw that it was time for curfew. He got up and kept the book back. He would have to return here to check out everything else. He wondered if he should tell about this to his friends.

'No,' he realised. Maybe Neville, after some time. But not Fred and George. Heaven knew what would happen if the two pranksters got access to the Restricted Section. And in any case, they had a few secrets of their own. This could be his.

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1st March 1992

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"

Ron stood dumbfounded in the middle of his dorm. He hadn't expected his birthday to be celebrated today. When no one had said anything in the morning, he just assumed they had no idea. Seeing the people surrounding him, he realised that they must have been planning the surprise.