“Hello, Fledgling,”
Harry jumped as he heard a voice behind him. He quickly turned and saw a large thestral standing there staring at him. Its milky white eyes and black skin was emaciated on its horse like form. Its batlike wings on its back flared slightly as its large beak opened and closed slightly. Harry blinked as he looked at it. His language sense told him that the creature spoke only Ascendant.
“Hi,” Harry replied, “You snuck up on me. Are you the Alpha? You seem much larger than the other Thestrals I saw…”
“Yes, I am the Alpha,” the thestral replied, “I am glad to see you have recovered from your wounds. And developed your soul well, it has grown much since we’ve last seen you.”
“You can see my soul?” Harry asked in surprise, staring down to his navel where he knew it floated, “Do you know what I am? About my… other form?”
“No,” the Alpha said, “But we can recognize those like us. You are not as tethered to this world as the other humans. You have seen beyond the veil of life and death like we do. Come, follow me to the herd and we can discuss. I’m sure we have much to tell you.”
Harry glanced between the castle and the thestral. Hagrid had told him to wait but…
“Thank you,” Harry said, “Lead the way.”
The Alpha turned and walked deeper into the forbidden forest and a moment later Harry followed after it.
— — —
“You speak of this other form. What do you refer to?” the Alpha asked once they came in view of the main herd. They eyed Harry a little warily but didn’t seem overly fearful.
“It is a little frightening, can you promise not to attack me if I show you?” Harry said.
The alpha waited for a moment, “Make no hostile motions and we will do the same,” it said shortly, seemingly a little wary at Harry’s response.
Harry quickly stripped out of his robes and placed them and his wand carefully to the side where they would be safe. The forest was cold and damp and Harry’s bare feet sunk slightly into the mud below him between the trees’ roots. The herd of thestrals watched him silently as he found an open space a little distance away from them. The Alpha stood inbetween the main group and Harry.
“Here I go,” Harry said before transforming into his soul eater form. The thestrals all edged away for a moment, but as Harry remained still seemed to relax. The cold and dampness of the forest no longer bothered him.
“Interesting,” Alpha said, “I see your concern. I understand now, you consume the souls that would otherwise pass beyond the veil for your own growth.”
“Is that a bad thing?” Harry asked a little nervously.
“No, it simply is so long as you do not target any thestrals for your consumption,” Alpha said, “It seems you will receive your first teaching from us. What do you know about the veil of life and death?”
“Not much. It divides the earth from the empty void beyond where the disembodied souls live?” Harry guessed.
Alpha tilted its head as if considering, “Good enough. All souls leaving this world must pass through the veil for their own good when entering this world. Each soul has a compatibility with a certain selection of forms. Such as a human, tree, or thestral. In its wisdom, the veil seats those souls in the bodies most suited to their disposition and integrates them with their proper vessel. This is the veil's most important function. To give life to all that is.”
Harry looked down to his own chest where he could now see his floating soul in his core. What did that mean for him with his artificial body?
“The veil also works after the death of the vessel,” Alpha continued, “If a soul wishes to pass on then the veil helps put them in a dormant state so that when they enter the void they are not driven mad by the isolation. These dormant souls can reenter the cycle again or even drift to other worlds if they remain in the void for long enough.”
“There are other worlds?” Harry asked, “How do you know all of this?”
“Yes, there are other worlds,” Alpha said, “Unlike other beings, the veil has chosen to not erase our memories upon our deaths. Perhaps because these bodies have a close connection with death, only able to be seen by those that have witnessed it. We can remember even portions of our time in the void on occasion. I myself have glimpsed the edge of other worlds and almost been drawn in to be embodied there. But none had thestrals living on them, so my soul refused. Each of us is at least a thousand generations old, our souls picky enough that they will only allow themselves to be housed in a thestral alone. Each new generation that comes is the greeting of an old friend rather than the introduction of the new.”
“A thousand generations? How long have you lived?” Harry asked in surprise.
“Thestral generations,” the Alpha chuckled, “We only live fifteen years on average. We have always kept our population small intentionally, it is always disorienting for any newcomers if our population goes over the previous maximum. And none of us want to wait alone in the void any longer than we have to, away from our friends and bodies. The first time I became aware was roughly twelve thousand years ago. It was very uncommon to ever see a human in a full lifetime back then.”
“Twelve thousand years ago…” Harry said in shock, “Wow… But I don’t understand. Wouldn’t that make you care about me eating souls more? Since they could eventually return to life?”
Alpha shook its head, “Even if the soul is the same when it is reembodied, the individual is not. The memories and experiences are erased. Their identities and egos die when they pass through the veil as surely as when they pass through your stomach. This is true of most except special cases such as us thestrals, and a few others including you possibly.”
“What about ghosts?" Harry asked, "How do they fit into this? Aren’t they people who are dead?"
“Many choose to stay behind the veil, in this world,” Alpha replied, “They do not wish to be erased and reborn. The veil leaves them be until the last living person forgets them as they were in life. When the last living person forgets then the veil takes them and they pass through it. Those floating constructs you call ghosts are made with the magic generated by their souls. These ghostly forms are to make sure that people remember them, to prevent themselves from being forgotten long after their natural deaths. But it is merely a delaying tactic, all of them will eventually be returned to the void through the relentless march of time.”
But then what happened with the portal straight from the void to Harry’s unsouled body? Was he passing through the veil then? Harry asked Alpha and the creature paused for a bit.
“I see there is more to your story. Tell me your journey,” Alpha said before sitting down on the ground and furling in its wings. Harry followed its example and sat cross legged on the ground as well opposite it.
Stolen story; please report.
“It all started when I woke up as a disembodied soul in the void…” Harry began.
— — —
“...and then I discovered that by manipulating the soul strings that I could intentionally turn myself into and out of this form on command,” Harry said, finishing his long story. The sky was getting dark and the area was shrouded in gloom. Alpha looked up and noticed the late hour.
“You have given me and the herd much to think about,” Alpha said, “Why don’t you get some rest? You know so little of this form. Does it even need sleep? How long does a given soul that you consume sustain you? You must spend longer times in this form rather than as a human to discover this.”
Harry nodded and thought about it a little. He really did know very little about this form. He had been tempted to turn back into a human several times, but had decided not to due to the cold and wetness of the forest floor that would be uncomfortable as a human. Something that wasn’t a bother at all in his soul eater form.
Harry stood and walked over to the herd who cleared a sleeping spot for him near the center. They all still eyed him a little suspiciously, but more in ‘might trip and hit someone accidentally’ than a ‘rampaging monster’ way.
Harry laid down curled up on the sleeping spot, knees curled up to his chest. He didn’t have physical eyes in this form. He imagined going to sleep, of him feeling drowsy as a human. Almost like a switch was flipped his consciousness began to fade. He had been wide awake before, but now he could feel his consciousness winking out in seconds. Before Harry even knew it, he was asleep. Turns out this form did sleep after all.
— — —
Harry came to awareness just as quickly as he had fallen asleep. It was bright in the sky and the sun was directly overhead. Did I sleep that long? Harry wondered as he looked around to the herd of thestrals that were milling around him. He was still in his larger form as he uncurled and made his way to his feet.
The larger Alpha turned in the distance and walked over slowly.
“Awake I see,” Alpha said, “It seems you needed it.”
“I guess I did,” Harry replied, inspecting himself briefly. He did feel a little more energetic than before, even if the difference wasn’t nearly as large as when he was a human. More like a human having a few cups of coffee than anything else.
“The herd have discussed your situation, and have decided to give you context,” Alpha said, “Insight on your situation. And perhaps provide a warning.”
Harry nodded and sat down again.
“I see you have learned already,” Alpha said with some amusement as it sat as well folding its four legs beneath it as it lowered itself to the forest floor, “This portal you describe that you’ve passed through to return to your body, is a tear in the veil of life and death. A direct passage between the void and this world. I did not tell you before, but many worlds do not possess a veil of life or death or something similar. Those who die in such worlds' have their souls sent into the void, fully aware of themselves until they drift to a world that accepts them or is unprotected from intrusion. They are often driven mad in their desperation to inhabit a body, any body, at all costs, no matter how compatible it is with them. Now, after the other souls from the void entered this world through your portal then they transitioned into ghosts. Short lived ghosts I’d imagine given their lack of any living connection to this world. What do you think would have happened if these rampant souls had discovered a creature freshly conceived and not properly bound to a soul yet before being converted into ghosts?”
“Would they… bond to it? Like I did to this body?” Harry asked.
“They would attempt to. Many might even succeed and properly join with the host,” Alpha replied, “But the soul ideal for a tree would be disastrous to be put in a human. Because the souls are randomly picking bodies, it is far more likely that they are highly incompatible with their hosts. If that happens, then the host will die.”
“Did that happen when I went through the portal?” Harry asked hesitantly.
“Somewhat. The souls you describe all sound rather aggressive and were on the larger side. They may have killed a few rats or smaller mammals, but unless you were unlucky it is very unlikely they traveled far enough to improperly bond with a human child. The portal you used was not much of a problem in and of itself. However, if this James Kensit has the ability to open such portals for a sustained period of time then you must stop him. Or if he wishes to open larger ones even for briefer periods. Such a thing would be cataclysmic for the surrounding area, and even the world in some cases.”
“Why’s that?” Harry asked, “I understand that infertility would be terrible, but that’s not exactly catastrophic. People could just conceive far away from the portal as the souls turn into ghosts and come back when the kid is old enough to be safe from them. Right?”
“Yes, that would be true,” Alpha agreed, “Except for two things. First, the souls will attempt to bind to all newborn life. Including plants and insects if larger hosts are not available, hosts which will die in droves as the souls jump from body to body looking for the right match before they transition into ghosts after the veil takes a hold of them. These body hopping souls would scour the land and prevent any new life from forming anywhere near the portal, collapsing the ecosystem. Not to mention the endless wave of ghosts that could be hostile to those around them before they eventually faded away.”
Okay… that was pretty bad, “What’s the second thing?” Harry asked.
“Everything I’ve told you is true for souls roughly your size or smaller. But the occasional soul can be far more powerful, so abnormally large that they can actively replace an existing soul in a living creature in an attempt to bond. Can you see how that would be a problem?”
“Oh,” Harry said, “They jump from person to person, just killing them on the spot if they’re not compatible?”
Alpha nodded, “Yes. For all life in the area until they find a body they are compatible with, they will do so. Something actually being able to bond to it is unlikely for such massive souls. Such power is much harder to bind to an infant's body and leads to a higher rate of failure of connection even if they are inclined to bond to humans in the first place and the larger the soul the longer it takes for them to turn into ghosts. A soul twice your size could take weeks for the veil to fully finish its transition into a true ghost. And the larger they get the longer those timescales become. All of this happening would be invisible to those without the ability to see souls. None would realize what was wrong until it was too late, and it would be as if those near the portal suddenly dropped dead out of nowhere.”
“If the free floating souls can push out weaker souls to replace them..." Harry said, "...then does that mean…”
“Yes,” Alpha answered, “The muggles would likely die first with the magicals being more resistant due to their larger souls on average to help them handle their magic. But if the wrong soul finds its way through… it could kill anyone it encounters on this planet for centuries before becoming a ghost that is a similarly disastrous being for decades or centuries more. The wizards would not be spared in that case, these souls would pass through their wards like they weren't even there. It is all a random chance if such a disaster would strike or not. This is why you have to stop James Kensit from opening any more portals than necessary, convincing him through words or force. This is why the veil of life and death exists, to protect life on this planet from such chaos.”
“He is very powerful,” Harry said, “Can you help me? You seem knowledgeable, couldn't you convince him…”
“I’m sorry, but I can not risk the herd in confronting such a wizard,” the Alpha said, “As much as it would sadden me to see, such a disaster would not be the end of humanity or even civilization on this planet. I have seen many such events over my long life for many species, and humans always bounce back from disaster given some time. I and the herd tell you this so you can warn James Kensit and prevent the possible deaths of others of your kind. We tell you because while we are wise, we have no true power in this world. Even you could likely kill many of us before we could stop you. It is your decision if it is your duty or not to prevent him from opening another tear in the veil. Or determine if he even needs to be stopped. It is possible he has no intention of reopening such a portal.”
“You really can’t help at all?” Harry asked.
“I’m afraid not, Fledgling,” Alpha said, “You must fight your own battles for this. Perhaps recruit help from the other humans. Together you may be able to stop him. Feel free to come visit us again if you have any questions. It is not often we get to so freely talk with one that is not our own. And best of luck in deciding your path.”
“Thank you for your help,” Harry replied respectfully, “Even if you gave me a lot more to think about.”
“Good. Now, return to the humans. Your presence is scaring off our prey from around us.”
“Sorry,” Harry said quickly, “Goodbye.”
Harry returned to his human form and put his clothes back on. They were a little damp, but still folded on the tree root where he had left them before. He grabbed his wand and after briefly bowing to Alpha, made his way back towards the Hogwarts lawn.
He walked forward and the invisible barrier was gone and he walked right out of the forest and onto the grass. He started walking up to the castle, hoping his friends hadn’t worried about him too much while he was gone…