Hermione's First Arithmancy Class
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.
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"What is magic?"
Professor Vector stared expectantly at the group of third year Gryffindors and Ravenclaws, waiting for a response. Hermione Granger sat in her seat feeling confused. This wasn't in the book.
One Ravenclaw raised his hand and Professor Vector called on him.
"Um … it's how we do spells?"
"A good try, Mr. Boot," Professor Vector said. "But you oversimplify a complex question. Tell me, what do you hope to get out of this class?"
Nobody answered.
Professor Vector sighed.
"Most of you, as it would seem, do not know the primary purpose of Arithmancy."
Hermione felt shocked. That wasn't what the Professor had asked! She raised her hand.
"Yes, Miss Granger?"
"The purpose of Arithmancy is to numerically deduce the probability of magical phenomena, create new spells, potions, and other magical processes."
"Very good," Professor Vector said, smiling. "Five points to Gryffindor."
Hermione raised her hand again.
"Yes, Miss Granger?"
"But that's not what you asked, Professor," she said. "You asked what magic is not what the primary purpose of Arithmancy is."
"An astute observation, Miss Granger. Take another five points to Gryffindor. However, what you all must realize now before we even begin to discuss Arithmantics and Arithmantic theory is that in order to successfully predict a magical phenomena or create anything, you must have a fundamental understanding of the force you are working with. That force is what we call magic. In your previous classes, you have learned how to perform spells and make potions, but in this class, you will learn why the spells you cast work the way they do. You will learn about magic at its most fundamental and basic level. I hate to tell you this, but there will be little practical wand use in this class for some time."
A few Gryffindors in the back groaned and Hermione glared at them. This was absolutely fascinating! How could they not realize that?
"Muggles study forces in what they call 'science'," Professor said. "But what they do not realize is that they have only discovered constant forces such as gravity, motion, and air resistance. These forces are called "constant" because they can be trusted to consistently operate the same way no matter what happens. Can someone give me an example of such a force?"
Hermione raised her hand.
"Someone besides Miss Granger?"
Cho Chang, the Ravenclaw Seeker, raised her hand.
"Well, I think I remember hearing in primary school that if you drop two things that have different weights at the same time, they'll fall at the same speed."
"That is correct," Professor Vector said. "Five points to Ravenclaw. The Muggles have deduced through trial and error as well as their own calculations that objects fall at 9.8 meters per second regardless of weight. And as long as they are at the exact same height when they are dropped, two things having different weights will hit the ground at the exact same time."
Terry Boot, another Ravenclaw, raised his hand.
"Yes, Mr. Boot?"
"Why do we need to know about this Muggle stuff, Professor?"
"A very good question, Mr. Boot. And it brings us back to our original question. What is magic?"
Hermione raised her hand and Professor Vector called on her.
"It's a force," she said.
"Precisely," Professor Vector said. "And what can magic do that other forces cannot?"
Hermione thought. There was the obvious answer: Magic could make things fly, make one object become another object, make potions, and more. And then it hit her. And judging by the faces of some of the other Muggleborns in the class, they had realized it too.
"Magic can overwrite other forces," Hermione said.
It was such an obvious answer, but it made her think. If magic was a force like any other, then did that mean that Muggles could one day access it?
"That is correct," Professor Vector said. "Five points to Gryffindor. And from the looks on some of your faces, you realize the implication of this fact. Muggle scientists have made it their mission to learn as much as they can about the universe. They have learned to harness something called 'electricity' to power their technology and weapons of war. And if electricity is an analog of magic, consider what would happen if magic were to be discovered by scientists."
"It would be chaos," someone murmured.
"Exactly."
Hermione had her doubts though. A person was born with magic or they weren't. Everyone knew that. Even if the Muggles did discover magic, they would need witches and wizards to harness it. Unless that was exactly the thing Professor Vector was saying would happen.
Her eyes widened in horror. Witches and wizards had needed to go into hiding in 1692 to protect themselves from Muggle persecution. Now though, the professor had just explained why the International Statute of Secrecy was still relevant. It wasn't just the average Muggle that witches and wizards needed to worry about if they were discovered, it was Muggle governments and scientists as well.
Terry Boot raised his hand and asked, "But Professor, how does this have anything to do with Arithmancy?"
"Arithmancy," Professor Vector said, "is the study of magic as a force. It is the study of why magic works the way it does in order to better use it. However, in order to understand why magic works, we must understand how it relates to the other forces around it."
Hermione quickly grabbed a quill and parchment and started taking notes.
"Magic," Professor Vector continued, "is ever growing and changing. By its nature, magic is not constrained by one set of rules and limitations. Rather, magic operates under an infinite number of constraints that may very based on a variety of factors. Arithmancers, then, look for patterns in magical constraints to discover new ways of using magic. In essence, by learning what they cannot do, Arithmancers learn what they can do."
Some of the Gryffindors in the back had their heads on desks with eyes closed. The Ravenclaws seemed divided between grabbing their heads in pain and being enraptured by the Professor's words.
Hermione didn't blame them. She thought that she might finally be able to use some of her Muggle education at last. She would need to review her notes on the scientific method in case she would need to use it.
"For today," Professor Vector said, "there will be no homework. But now you are aware of what my class entails. As a warning to you all, I will not tolerate people behaving foolishly in my class. We are discussing a very integral part of magic. If you cannot take it seriously, then I would advise you to speak to your Head of House to drop my class. You are dismissed."
The sounds of people packing up filled the room as Hermione discretely pulled a long metal chain from her robes. Keeping it hidden with one hand, she quickly packed up her things and looked to see if anyone was paying attention to her. When she decided that the coast was clear, she pulled out the chain that was connected to an ornate hourglass. Turning it over one time in her hand, she vanished from the present and found herself standing right outside the classroom in the past.
Smiling, she put the chain back in her robes and went off to divination. She was looking forward to seeing Harry and Ron again and telling them about how her first Arithmancy class had gone.