It took a few days but Harry was eventually able to schedule a meeting with Dumbledore. They agreed to meet in his office after dinner, but when Harry gave the gargoyle the password and walked up the stairs he found that the door to the office was closed. He listened closely to see if he could hear anything to indicate that Dumbledore was inside but heard nothing, Harry decided to try and open the door to see if it was locked, but when he put his hand on the doorknob he froze and looked at in with a confused look on his face. The doorknob felt different in some indefinable way. It was not hot or cold and it wasn't moving at all but there was something about it that made his fingers tingle when they touched it. The feeling most reminded him of the time when he was much younger and had accidently touched an electrical cord with some of the protective covering stripped off and had received a brief but painful shock. Unlike that sensation though, this was not painful. Just different.
Harry took his hand off the door and the feeling faded, but when he put his hand back on the door it returned. Still curious about what he was feeling, Harry put his hand on a different spot on the door and found that it felt the same. While he was thinking about what it could be the sensation suddenly stopped and Harry heard the lock on the door click open. There were also voices inside talking. One was obviously Professor Dumbledore and though the other sounded somewhat familiar he could not place it. A few moment later the door opened revealing Professor Dumbledore.
"Right on time, Harry. I apologize for the delay." the Headmaster said. Harry took a step into the office and saw who Dumbledore had been talking to. It was the large, black Auror that had questioned him after the Dementor incident. Harry thought he had remembered being told that the man was Auror Shacklebolt at some point.
"Thank you again, Albus. I will begin work on the issue we previously discussed at once." Professor Dumbledore nodded and the Auror turned to leave. As he walked past Harry he paused and smiled at the young man. "Mr Potter." he said as a greeting before continuing out the door, shutting it behind him.
"I trust you remember Auror Shacklebolt, Harry?" Professor Dumbledore said while motioning for him to sit down.
"Yes, sir. Why was an Auror here?" Harry asked, wondering if perhaps they had heard news on Barty Crouch Junior.
"Kingsley is an old friend of mine and was here to see me. Unfortunately there is no further news either on the Dementors which you drove off or Barty Crouch Junior." Dumbledore replied. Harry looked up in surprise but then smiled, the Headmaster seemed to know what everyone was thinking.
"I see. Sir, when I tried to open the door earlier I noticed that it felt odd. Whatever was wrong with it went away right before you opened the door though." Harry said, which drew a large smile from Dumbledore.
"Indeed? I'd like to try something, Harry. I am going to cast a spell on this box and I want you to tell me if it feels similar." Harry nodded as Dumbledore pulled out his wand as silently cast a spell on an ornate wooded box that was sitting on his desk. Harry reached out and laid his hand on the box and found that the sensation was very similar but different.
"It's not the same, sir." Harry said as he frowned in frustration. "They're close, but it almost feels like this one is missing something."
"Very well done, Harry!" Dumbledore replied, briefly clapping his hands in congratulations. "What you sensed on the door and what you are now sensing on the box are in fact active spells. You were exactly correct in commenting that they are different because this box only has a locking charm on it while earlier this entire room including the door had both locking and silencing charms."
"This is the first time I've felt something like that. Why?"
"The ability only manifests itself once a wizard begins to grow comfortable with his magic. While all witches and wizards can do this, many never do." Professor Dumbledore explained, though Harry was still confused.
"I'm not sure I understand. I don't think I've ever been uncomfortable with magic." Harry said, still thinking over what the headmaster had told him.
"I believe you, but think back to when you first began your education. Were you not only aware of the magic in and around you while casting spells or seeing magic performed?" Dumbledore asked.
"I guess so. I haven't really thought about it." Harry answered honestly.
"The magic inside of you is always there, not only when you are using it. If you concentrate, you will likely even be able to feel it within you." Dumbledore responded. "From now on I would like you to think about what your magic feels like both when you are casting spells and when you are not. You may also consider what the magic surrounding enchanted objects such as your broom feel like. With practice and experience you will eventually be able to identify which spells have been used merely by the sensations they provoke."
"Really? I'll try and do that." Harry said with an eager nod.
"Now I assume that was not the reason you sought this meeting. How can I help you, Harry?
"I wanted to ask you about the training I've been doing. According to Daphne, they way I've been doing it isn't exactly normal." Dumbledore smiled, happy that Harry wanted to talk about this subject that he had been considering bringing up for some time. Dumbledore knew that there was something different about Harry and was very interested in finding out what it was.
"I see." Dumbledore answered. "Please Harry, explain what you have been doing to prepare for the tournament."
"Mostly I have just been learning the spells that I would normally learn in my fifth, sixth, and seventh years. That has been good, but it isn't really what I wanted to talk to you about. Some of the times when I'm practicing I will keep casting spells as strong as I can until I can't do any more magic."
"That is not wise, Harry." Professor Dumbledore said, interrupting him. "Doing so could potentially stunt your magical growth. Magical exhaustion can also be painful to recover from and can take up to a week."
"I know, at least that is what the books all said. But when I do it I wake up the next morning feeling just fine." Dumbledore frowned, thinking about what Harry was saying.
"Are you sure you are actually reaching the point of magical exhaustion?"
"Well once I'm done it takes all of my strength to cast even simple spells like Lumos. Is that close enough?" Harry asked.
"Indeed it is." Dumbledore answered. It did sound as if Harry was exhausting himself, but the rest of his story made no sense. Doing so should damage his body, not help strengthen it. "How exactly do you feel after one of these training sessions?"
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