Remus slowly turned the pages of the book, until he came to the entry about
the orb. He didn't bother to reread the sentences that he had glanced at
earlier; he simply jumped ahead to the next page of text.
While the sphere appeared to be a valuable magical tool, the original creator discovered a vital flaw in the manufacture of the orb soon after creation. It was revealed that the artifact would only work for one person: the initial activator. To compound matters even further, the link to the spirit realm was much narrower than expected, and far more permanent. Only one spirit could be channeled from the orb, and after the initial conjure, the identity of that spirit could not be changed. In this respect, the project was a total failure.
Based upon the information contained in the few surviving documents from the time, it has been concluded that the invocation to activate the sphere was actually quite simple, if draining. The user had only to focus on the deceased person, saying the full name before beginning. Using concentration as a focus, the caller's life energy would be transferred to the orb. Once enough energy had been stored in the orb, it would begin the task of searching in the spirit realm for the specified identity. As soon as that spirit had been located, the orb would create a pathway back, using the caller's own energy to bridge the gap between planes. The soul follows, and can temporarily reside in the physical realm by using the stored energy in the orb as a resting terminus.
While the procedure requires very little magic power on the side of the user, there are obvious drawbacks. The power to activate the orb comes from inside the caller. Thus, if there is not enough energy to sustain the search, over-draining and even death is likely to occur. Secondly, in order to create the sending, the orb ties itself magically to the activator. At the time of the artifact's creation, there were very few willing to subject themselves to the unknown side-effects of a powerful mystical bond. This, coupled with the massive amounts of mental energy needed to power the orb, made it very dangerous to wield.
The Orb of Amina has been lost for centuries, and there is no known record that even hints at the methods of its creation.
The entry ended there. Remus didn't mind; he had more than enough information to play with for now.
The Orb of Amina. He had never heard of such a thing in all of his magical studies, but that hardly meant that it was untrue. Many things in the wizarding world were hidden from public knowledge, accessible only to those who knew where to look. Could it be the same with this one?
But in a Muggle book! The whole situation was implausible.
Still.the information in the entry seemed well-documented and thorough. Completely different in feel from the ridiculous 'gold-circle' spell. What if there was more here than met the eye?
Remus mentally berated himself. He was acting like a fool. If there was an actual way for normal wizards to communicate with the dead, it would have been long exploited by now. This passage had to be a fraud, just like the rest of the book.
And yet.he didn't put the book away. Remus continued to stare at the page . Because even while he dismissed the orb as utter nonsense, his mind continued to wander, evaluating likelihoods and possibilities.
If one were to assume that the information in the book was true, the details about the orb made sense. It could be possible to use personal energy to search and call for a particular thing or item. Or spirit, in this case.
And.the incredible drain that the link would put on the activator, that could have been a sufficient enough deterrent to those interested in going through the process. It must have been a disappointing realization to the initial creators of the orb, to discover their creation's limitations.
Assuming, of course, that this thing really existed in the first place.
But such pessimistic thoughts were not helpful, and Remus tried to ignore them. If the orb was fake, then nothing would come of this line of reasoning. But if it was real.
Remus stopped. If it was real, then what? Why did he care about this orb? Why was he fixating so strongly on it?
He knew why, of course. It was obvious, after a minute of internal searching. But the conscious realization of why made him stiffen in shock. And perhaps dread.
He wanted to use the orb to talk to Sirius. To call his spirit to this world, to be able to laugh and cry with him once more. There was no other reason why he should care about the possibility of truth in a silly Muggle book about magic.
Groaning, Remus buried his head in his hands. He really was serious about it. If he had the orb in his hands at that very moment, he would have invoked it instantly, regardless of the energy drain on himself.
What disturbed Remus was not that he wanted to use the artifact, but the mentality that his actions implied. He was behaving exactly like an old, grieving widow; looking for any chance to reunite with a loved one.
I have lost all semblance of an individual will, he thought to himself, horrified. The only thing that matters to me is Sirius. But Remus didn't even know if that was true. With the loss of his emotional stability, his thoughts had become confused and chaotic. He used to have a strong sense of self-awareness. But now.
I don't even know myself anymore.
His thoughts were running in well-worn tracks of misery and pain. He tried to exert a bit of self-control, to call his mind to order. At this point, his motives were irrelevant. He had a more pressing concern.
The orb had been destroyed millennia ago. To make matters worse, there had been no detailed records on the steps of its creation. It was a complete mystery, lost in time.
Remus thought like hitting his head against the desk. All this mental worry and doubt.he was getting upset about a non-existent artifact! There was no way he could create the orb, and he knew no one else who could either.
So that's it, then.This is as far as I can go. Even if I had wanted to use the orb, I have no way to acquire it. This plan is a dead end.
He leaned back in his chair, feeling disappointed and unsatisfied. There was nothing else he could do, but Remus didn't like giving up. Especially when it mattered. Frustrated, he rested his head on his hands and closed eyes. Had he really tried everything he could think of? Was there simply no way?
Remus put aside the problem of the orb and let his mind drift. He thought back to his own days at Hogwarts, where he, Sirius, James, and yes, even Peter had been together. They had been wonderful years. Through their pranks and escapades, Remus had felt welcomed by the wizard world for the first time. He had had friends, and they were loyal to him.
They had even done something extremely dangerous, and difficult (though that was just a perk) in order to show their friendship. They had become animagi, so that Remus would not have to be alone when he made his werewolf transformation.
But that was only the beginning. Together, they had created the Marauder's Map. What a challenge that had been! Finding and plotting every hallway and room in Hogwarts, even the ones unknown to the castle's residents had been quite an endeavor. With the map, they had been able to-
Remus sat bolt upright in his chair. Something in his reminiscing had triggered his full attention. But what was it? He couldn't remember, even though he knew it was very important. Remus took a calming breath and retraced his mental footsteps.
He had been thinking about.life at Hogwarts. His life at Hogwarts. With Sirius and James. Their friendship over the years. Nothing gave him the same shock of excitement that had awoken him from musings. But it had to be there. Remus probed deeper.
What else had he been thinking about? Magical transformations...the all- knowing Hogwarts map.Nothing critical.
And then.it hit him. He knew what his subconscious mind had picked up on. And a seconds later, Remus realized its significance.
The Marauder's Map displayed the location of every room and passageway in Hogwarts, even the secret ones. The secret ones had been the hardest to find, but as a matter of consequence they generally were the most interesting. And in Remus' opinion, the most interesting room they had found was -
The Room of Requirement.
A magical room in Hogwarts on the seventh floor that only appeared when the searcher needed it. Finding it was difficult. Once the room appeared, however, it contained everything that was needed. Everything.
I need the Orb of Amina. If I went to the room, and focused on the artifact.is it possible?
Remus had never heard of the room being used to call an object that had already been destroyed. But that was hardly proof. Amazing things could happen, especially at Hogwarts.
He was trembling from head to toe. He had a possibility.he had a plan that could work. If everything went correctly, a huge "If," he could do the impossible. He could talk with Sirius again.
The question was: should he do it?
There would definitely be danger for him. If he didn't have the energy to sustain the link to the orb, we could perish. And he was weak right now: physically and magically. Very high risk.
He knew he should wait for a week or two, even a month. Get stronger, recover energy and vitality, and then see if his wish about the room turned out to be true, and work from there.
But he could not wait. He would have to do it now, or not at all.
There was no reassurance that he would regain strength. If Remus couldn't find some semblance of support for the rebuilding of his life, he could conceivably get worse.
And also...he did not want to wait. He felt a great urgency in this situation. If he didn't go now, he might not have the courage. Better to do it now, and discover if he was a fool.
Remus discovered that he could not move. It was like he was rooted to his chair, tied down by invisible ropes. Or rather.he could move, but he did not want to, and so his mind provided was providing restraints.
He was afraid, he realized. Afraid of what he would find in the Room of Requirement. Afraid of what would happen there. He wanted Sirius, needed Sirius.But he was still afraid.
Lupin, you're a fool, he thought at himself savagely. If you're going to theorize about the orb, at least follow up with it. Otherwise you're nothing but a coward. Get up. Now.
Slowly, he got up. Remus didn't know what would happen when he reached the room, but it was better to find out, as opposed to sitting mindlessly in a desk chair. He might be confused and hurt, but Remus had never let fear dominate his life.
And he wasn't about to start now.
Remus reached the door, and walked through it without a backward glance.
* * *
There was nothing in the corridor. But that was natural, of course. The room didn't appear until you had specified your need.
Remus closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He let it out again.
No more fear. He was ready.
I need the Orb of Amina. I need it to talk to the one I love. I need the orb, and the necessary equipment to make the spell work. Please, grant me what I need.
He started pacing slowly. Remus was concentrating fiercely on a mental image of the orb, and his need of it. That was the most important trick about the room: convince it that you truly need what you ask for.
He crossed the doorway twice. Then three times. Four. He stopped on the fifth, standing where he knew, from previous experiences, where the door would appear.
Remus opened his eyes.
The door was there, directly in front of him.
Without even pausing to think, Remus reached for the doorknob. He turned it, and slipped inside the room.
The room was not well lit, that was the first thing he noticed. On previous occasions there had been more than enough light. This time though, he had to squint to see everything in the room. There were several comfortable chairs in rich purple sequestered to the side of the room. There was also a deep red carpet, that had a large silver circle with several inner circles, each displaying a different set of runes. And in the middle of the circle, in the dead center of the room.
Stood a table with a small glass sphere.
He felt lightheaded. Remus sat down on the nearest armchair, and started taking deep breaths. He closed his eyes. And opened them again.
The orb was there, glistening slightly in the dim light.
He hadn't really believed that the Room of Requirement could show him the orb. He had gone through the motions, but his mind had been in doubt. Only his concentration on the need to be with Sirius had been genuine.
But it appeared that that had been enough.
Remus immediately realized that he could not leave the room until he had tried the spell. For one, there was no guarantee that he would be able to summon the orb a second time. The room could very well decide that once was enough, and ignore his future needs. This was a very subtle, and mysterious room; to the best of his knowledge it had never been in the construction plans for Hogwarts. And yet here it was. Remus could not take the chance; there was no telling what would happen.
It was also too dangerous to take the orb out of this room and study it at leisure. The orb would have to be filled with strange magic..it would be traceable.
No. If he was going to try the calling, it had to be in the Room of Requirement. And it had to be now.
This is too sudden, was his first thought. I can't possibly be ready. But that was a foolish reaction, and he rejected it. If he had even the slimmest possible chance of talking with Sirius, it was worth exploring. And putting it off wouldn't make the situation any better. The reverse was actually true.
There was no reason he couldn't do it right now. The risks were
negligible, considering what he had the opportunity to gain.
I could talk to Sirius.if this succeeds, I will be able to talk to
Sirius!
That was it. The final nudge needed to assemble his courage. He was ready
to try, even if it brought about his death.
As Remus readied himself for the attempt, he felt something inside him
stir. Something he thought that had long died out within himself, but had
apparently come back to life. Knowing that it was there gave him even
more courage and strength.
For the first time in many months, he had hope.
While the sphere appeared to be a valuable magical tool, the original creator discovered a vital flaw in the manufacture of the orb soon after creation. It was revealed that the artifact would only work for one person: the initial activator. To compound matters even further, the link to the spirit realm was much narrower than expected, and far more permanent. Only one spirit could be channeled from the orb, and after the initial conjure, the identity of that spirit could not be changed. In this respect, the project was a total failure.
Based upon the information contained in the few surviving documents from the time, it has been concluded that the invocation to activate the sphere was actually quite simple, if draining. The user had only to focus on the deceased person, saying the full name before beginning. Using concentration as a focus, the caller's life energy would be transferred to the orb. Once enough energy had been stored in the orb, it would begin the task of searching in the spirit realm for the specified identity. As soon as that spirit had been located, the orb would create a pathway back, using the caller's own energy to bridge the gap between planes. The soul follows, and can temporarily reside in the physical realm by using the stored energy in the orb as a resting terminus.
While the procedure requires very little magic power on the side of the user, there are obvious drawbacks. The power to activate the orb comes from inside the caller. Thus, if there is not enough energy to sustain the search, over-draining and even death is likely to occur. Secondly, in order to create the sending, the orb ties itself magically to the activator. At the time of the artifact's creation, there were very few willing to subject themselves to the unknown side-effects of a powerful mystical bond. This, coupled with the massive amounts of mental energy needed to power the orb, made it very dangerous to wield.
The Orb of Amina has been lost for centuries, and there is no known record that even hints at the methods of its creation.
The entry ended there. Remus didn't mind; he had more than enough information to play with for now.
The Orb of Amina. He had never heard of such a thing in all of his magical studies, but that hardly meant that it was untrue. Many things in the wizarding world were hidden from public knowledge, accessible only to those who knew where to look. Could it be the same with this one?
But in a Muggle book! The whole situation was implausible.
Still.the information in the entry seemed well-documented and thorough. Completely different in feel from the ridiculous 'gold-circle' spell. What if there was more here than met the eye?
Remus mentally berated himself. He was acting like a fool. If there was an actual way for normal wizards to communicate with the dead, it would have been long exploited by now. This passage had to be a fraud, just like the rest of the book.
And yet.he didn't put the book away. Remus continued to stare at the page . Because even while he dismissed the orb as utter nonsense, his mind continued to wander, evaluating likelihoods and possibilities.
If one were to assume that the information in the book was true, the details about the orb made sense. It could be possible to use personal energy to search and call for a particular thing or item. Or spirit, in this case.
And.the incredible drain that the link would put on the activator, that could have been a sufficient enough deterrent to those interested in going through the process. It must have been a disappointing realization to the initial creators of the orb, to discover their creation's limitations.
Assuming, of course, that this thing really existed in the first place.
But such pessimistic thoughts were not helpful, and Remus tried to ignore them. If the orb was fake, then nothing would come of this line of reasoning. But if it was real.
Remus stopped. If it was real, then what? Why did he care about this orb? Why was he fixating so strongly on it?
He knew why, of course. It was obvious, after a minute of internal searching. But the conscious realization of why made him stiffen in shock. And perhaps dread.
He wanted to use the orb to talk to Sirius. To call his spirit to this world, to be able to laugh and cry with him once more. There was no other reason why he should care about the possibility of truth in a silly Muggle book about magic.
Groaning, Remus buried his head in his hands. He really was serious about it. If he had the orb in his hands at that very moment, he would have invoked it instantly, regardless of the energy drain on himself.
What disturbed Remus was not that he wanted to use the artifact, but the mentality that his actions implied. He was behaving exactly like an old, grieving widow; looking for any chance to reunite with a loved one.
I have lost all semblance of an individual will, he thought to himself, horrified. The only thing that matters to me is Sirius. But Remus didn't even know if that was true. With the loss of his emotional stability, his thoughts had become confused and chaotic. He used to have a strong sense of self-awareness. But now.
I don't even know myself anymore.
His thoughts were running in well-worn tracks of misery and pain. He tried to exert a bit of self-control, to call his mind to order. At this point, his motives were irrelevant. He had a more pressing concern.
The orb had been destroyed millennia ago. To make matters worse, there had been no detailed records on the steps of its creation. It was a complete mystery, lost in time.
Remus thought like hitting his head against the desk. All this mental worry and doubt.he was getting upset about a non-existent artifact! There was no way he could create the orb, and he knew no one else who could either.
So that's it, then.This is as far as I can go. Even if I had wanted to use the orb, I have no way to acquire it. This plan is a dead end.
He leaned back in his chair, feeling disappointed and unsatisfied. There was nothing else he could do, but Remus didn't like giving up. Especially when it mattered. Frustrated, he rested his head on his hands and closed eyes. Had he really tried everything he could think of? Was there simply no way?
Remus put aside the problem of the orb and let his mind drift. He thought back to his own days at Hogwarts, where he, Sirius, James, and yes, even Peter had been together. They had been wonderful years. Through their pranks and escapades, Remus had felt welcomed by the wizard world for the first time. He had had friends, and they were loyal to him.
They had even done something extremely dangerous, and difficult (though that was just a perk) in order to show their friendship. They had become animagi, so that Remus would not have to be alone when he made his werewolf transformation.
But that was only the beginning. Together, they had created the Marauder's Map. What a challenge that had been! Finding and plotting every hallway and room in Hogwarts, even the ones unknown to the castle's residents had been quite an endeavor. With the map, they had been able to-
Remus sat bolt upright in his chair. Something in his reminiscing had triggered his full attention. But what was it? He couldn't remember, even though he knew it was very important. Remus took a calming breath and retraced his mental footsteps.
He had been thinking about.life at Hogwarts. His life at Hogwarts. With Sirius and James. Their friendship over the years. Nothing gave him the same shock of excitement that had awoken him from musings. But it had to be there. Remus probed deeper.
What else had he been thinking about? Magical transformations...the all- knowing Hogwarts map.Nothing critical.
And then.it hit him. He knew what his subconscious mind had picked up on. And a seconds later, Remus realized its significance.
The Marauder's Map displayed the location of every room and passageway in Hogwarts, even the secret ones. The secret ones had been the hardest to find, but as a matter of consequence they generally were the most interesting. And in Remus' opinion, the most interesting room they had found was -
The Room of Requirement.
A magical room in Hogwarts on the seventh floor that only appeared when the searcher needed it. Finding it was difficult. Once the room appeared, however, it contained everything that was needed. Everything.
I need the Orb of Amina. If I went to the room, and focused on the artifact.is it possible?
Remus had never heard of the room being used to call an object that had already been destroyed. But that was hardly proof. Amazing things could happen, especially at Hogwarts.
He was trembling from head to toe. He had a possibility.he had a plan that could work. If everything went correctly, a huge "If," he could do the impossible. He could talk with Sirius again.
The question was: should he do it?
There would definitely be danger for him. If he didn't have the energy to sustain the link to the orb, we could perish. And he was weak right now: physically and magically. Very high risk.
He knew he should wait for a week or two, even a month. Get stronger, recover energy and vitality, and then see if his wish about the room turned out to be true, and work from there.
But he could not wait. He would have to do it now, or not at all.
There was no reassurance that he would regain strength. If Remus couldn't find some semblance of support for the rebuilding of his life, he could conceivably get worse.
And also...he did not want to wait. He felt a great urgency in this situation. If he didn't go now, he might not have the courage. Better to do it now, and discover if he was a fool.
Remus discovered that he could not move. It was like he was rooted to his chair, tied down by invisible ropes. Or rather.he could move, but he did not want to, and so his mind provided was providing restraints.
He was afraid, he realized. Afraid of what he would find in the Room of Requirement. Afraid of what would happen there. He wanted Sirius, needed Sirius.But he was still afraid.
Lupin, you're a fool, he thought at himself savagely. If you're going to theorize about the orb, at least follow up with it. Otherwise you're nothing but a coward. Get up. Now.
Slowly, he got up. Remus didn't know what would happen when he reached the room, but it was better to find out, as opposed to sitting mindlessly in a desk chair. He might be confused and hurt, but Remus had never let fear dominate his life.
And he wasn't about to start now.
Remus reached the door, and walked through it without a backward glance.
* * *
There was nothing in the corridor. But that was natural, of course. The room didn't appear until you had specified your need.
Remus closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He let it out again.
No more fear. He was ready.
I need the Orb of Amina. I need it to talk to the one I love. I need the orb, and the necessary equipment to make the spell work. Please, grant me what I need.
He started pacing slowly. Remus was concentrating fiercely on a mental image of the orb, and his need of it. That was the most important trick about the room: convince it that you truly need what you ask for.
He crossed the doorway twice. Then three times. Four. He stopped on the fifth, standing where he knew, from previous experiences, where the door would appear.
Remus opened his eyes.
The door was there, directly in front of him.
Without even pausing to think, Remus reached for the doorknob. He turned it, and slipped inside the room.
The room was not well lit, that was the first thing he noticed. On previous occasions there had been more than enough light. This time though, he had to squint to see everything in the room. There were several comfortable chairs in rich purple sequestered to the side of the room. There was also a deep red carpet, that had a large silver circle with several inner circles, each displaying a different set of runes. And in the middle of the circle, in the dead center of the room.
Stood a table with a small glass sphere.
He felt lightheaded. Remus sat down on the nearest armchair, and started taking deep breaths. He closed his eyes. And opened them again.
The orb was there, glistening slightly in the dim light.
He hadn't really believed that the Room of Requirement could show him the orb. He had gone through the motions, but his mind had been in doubt. Only his concentration on the need to be with Sirius had been genuine.
But it appeared that that had been enough.
Remus immediately realized that he could not leave the room until he had tried the spell. For one, there was no guarantee that he would be able to summon the orb a second time. The room could very well decide that once was enough, and ignore his future needs. This was a very subtle, and mysterious room; to the best of his knowledge it had never been in the construction plans for Hogwarts. And yet here it was. Remus could not take the chance; there was no telling what would happen.
It was also too dangerous to take the orb out of this room and study it at leisure. The orb would have to be filled with strange magic..it would be traceable.
No. If he was going to try the calling, it had to be in the Room of Requirement. And it had to be now.
This is too sudden, was his first thought. I can't possibly be ready. But that was a foolish reaction, and he rejected it. If he had even the slimmest possible chance of talking with Sirius, it was worth exploring. And putting it off wouldn't make the situation any better. The reverse was actually true.
There was no reason he couldn't do it right now. The risks were
negligible, considering what he had the opportunity to gain.
I could talk to Sirius.if this succeeds, I will be able to talk to
Sirius!
That was it. The final nudge needed to assemble his courage. He was ready
to try, even if it brought about his death.
As Remus readied himself for the attempt, he felt something inside him
stir. Something he thought that had long died out within himself, but had
apparently come back to life. Knowing that it was there gave him even
more courage and strength.
For the first time in many months, he had hope.