I'm continued to be encouraged by the reviews left and the details you all are picking up on!
You've given me so many ideas for little side plots or features to the story that I want to include!
While I can't promise to continue updating as quickly as I am lately, I can't seem to stay away!
Here's chapter four!
Enjoy!
Hermione was stunned for a moment, she was sure there was a look of confusion on her face. She had never heard of an Unspeakable actually, well, speaking. The purpose of the position was to only serve the Department of Mysteries and she had no power within those walls.
"The spell is not broken, nor damaged, nor is it defective, Miss Granger, as your research clearly shows." Mr. Croaker interrupted quickly.
"The spell has to be broken. No offense Mr. Croaker, but my results were clearly a mistake!" she interrupted. In her frenzy, she put that familiar voice to the back of her head. She was running on little sleep and surely her mind was looking in mad places for an explanation to the chaos.
"I'm not sure where the flaw is, though. I looked through every layer of the spell! I looked at the pulse, I looked at the genetic scanning component, the parchment charm, the blood requirement. I looked at everything and while it all looks correct, there's obviously an issue somewhere." She knew she was ranting, but she couldn't bring herself to really care about how she must appear to these powerful men.
"Before we discuss where the issue might be hiding, you should know I made a few changes to your spell." She quickly continued, hoping to avoid the argument over whether the spell truly was or was not flawed.
"The spell was designed to pulse Britain for magical matches, and communicate with those the spell has matched the caster with. I've designed a way to turn the automatic communication on and off, as I am assuming at this point you're intercepting those communications by other means, given that I didn't see a particularly blonde man running around screaming after casting my own spell on Monday.
By turning off this component of the spell, you allow testing to continue without creating panic, and those who will be your first willing participants will be able to communicate with their matches in a controlled environment rather than through Ministry owl."
As she looked at the other occupants of the room, seeing no discontent, she continued.
"I've also added a layer to the spell that removes matches from the pulse once they have been made. For example, I've cast and while my results are ridiculous, the spell was working off of my magic and my intent. It would be possible then, that another caster's pulse might scan me and find me fitting, but I already have matches. Removing me from the pulse scan after I have cast or consented to a match removes the possibility that some people may end up with an overwhelming number of matches."
She continued on, barely pausing for breath. "That's just a small change I've made. We all know there are people in Britain who should probably not be marrying and having families. The amount of dark magic that a person has used can corrupt their magical genetics. I imagine we'll find more than one person whose magic will make them unsuitable for the law. You've already got the charm to indicate a red parchment when no matches are found. I've expanded upon that and created a grey glow for those whose magic is determined to be a danger to spouses or children."
She looked to Kingsley as she spoke, "You will need to determine how to handle those cases within the constraints of the law, of course. You'll need to determine where the magic is corrupt, and why. That's not really a part of the spell."
She fidgeted in her seat, uncomfortable with the conversation. "Additionally, as I've previously stated, the change to allow same-sex matches has been layered in as well. You can see a summary of the change on the tenth page of your packets. I've changed a layer of the spell slightly to allow the caster to cast with the intention of picking up matches among their preferred gender or genders. I know St. Mungo's has devised ways to help couples of the same gender to carry pregnancies and safely deliver and I expect it will be used in this case, as I already stated.
I would hope that St. Mungo's would also encourage couples to consider male pregnancy carriers even if it is a female/male match. If I have to be matched with three men, that's six babies in just a few years."
She knew that last part wouldn't go over well and was pleased, a bit spitefully, at the looks of horror she saw on most of the men in the room.
Croaker looked at her differently though. He was pleased with her contributions to the spell, and the changes she proposed to the legislation. "Thank you, Miss Granger, for that addition. It is something that we didn't truly address. Of course, there are going to be members of the community who should not participate in the law, especially among the prisoners within Azkaban, and potentially some who have left Azkaban. We appreciate your concern for those who desire a specific gender as their magical match as well."
"Yes." she replied, "But none of this is useful until we can figure out where the spell is broken."
"Miss Granger," Kingsley began, trying to remain as professional as possible despite his close relationship to the woman next to him. "I've already told you, the spell is fine."
"Minister", she replied angrily, her temper swirling beneath her skin, "you already know my results. You know it is broken."
Perhaps you should share your results with the room?" Augustus Pye questioned.
"Absolutely not!" she shouted, before taking a deep breath to calm herself, hands trembling.
Beside her, Kingsley put a firm hand upon her shoulder. "If you don't explain it, they'll never understand why you think there is a flaw within it."
"But -" she began, "Okay. Okay, fine."
As much as she wanted to scream at the gathered group, she took a calming moment and explained, "You already heard me say that the spell matched me with three people.
The first is Draco Malfoy, although I can't imagine that to be honest, I represented him at his trial, and I suppose we get along well enough now, but we're completely different people! I know he has been out of Azkaban for two years, but no one has seen or heard from him in that time. He's a recluse. He may not even be healthy enough to participate. I don't doubt that he has strong magic, but you'll have to figure out the law in order to get him to marry a lowly muggleborn."
"The other two matches are with men I know to be dead," she hesitated slightly, embarrassed that the spell miscalculated for her matches, of all people. "Sirius Black died in the Department of Mysteries in 1996. Mr. Croaker, you of all people should understand that the veil took him. I was there that night. So you were you Kings. You know he's dead just as much as I do."
Hermione slumped deeper into her chair, feeling a wave of panic rush over her, settling deep within her bones. Weariness played across the plains of her face.
"I watched the other man die myself, a victim of the cruelty of Voldemort. A hero beyond measure, but still dead. Severus Snape was bitten by Nagini several times, and I watched him bleed out on the floor of the Shrieking Shack. There was nothing that could be done to save him. It's one of my deepest regrets, and we must fix the spell to ensure no others have to feel the pain of matching to a person they once respected and idolized so deeply."
The silence in the room was stifling. She knew there would be no demand now that the spell was not inherently flawed.
"The body was never found" a voice came from the only person in the room who hadn't yet spoken, the second of the Unspeakables. She sensed a tinge of humor in his voice that infuriated her.
"Don't be stupid," she responded. "Of course the Ministry said a body was never found. The public despised Snape. They hated everything about him. He killed Dumbledore. Even with the knowledge that it was unpreventable, many people within the public did not forgive that easily. The details of his life and spying were not made fully public for many months and they would have burned his body in the streets if possible. I'm assuming the Ministry just interred the body privately, out of respect, since we did know his truth, right Kingsley?"
The Minister looked at her, baffled by her reasoning, but sadly as well.
This time, it was the man in the Unspeakable robes who spoke again. The man with the familiar voice. "Perhaps it is time, Mr. Croaker."
"Fine." Croaker rasped, eyeing Hermione with trepidation.
The two men stood quietly and lowered their hoods.
Hermione stood quietly as hysteria rose within her. It wasn't possible.
"Severus" she whispered, unaware that in her shock she'd used the man's given name, and without permission. "Sirius?"
She was glad to be sitting because she couldn't feel her legs. her vision swam black. Her voice seemed stuck in her throat as she whispered to herself. "How? How is this possible?"
As the distress ran rampant through her veins, Hermione had only one thought as the room went dark - Harry was going to be so pissed.