The Neverchanging Story
by Gary D. Snyder
Part 9:
Headmaster Tremblemoor half-led, half-dragged Jimmy down the hall and into a large and well-appointed though somewhat old-fashioned room. Three of the walls were lined with shelves, each of which was filled with numerous dusty volumes of all sizes. The fourth wall was completely covered by a large green velvet curtain that hung from the high paneled ceiling all the way to the thickly carpeted floor. A long table of some dark polished wood was set in front of the curtain, and on the far side of the table sat a dozen or so men and women dressed in robes similar to those worn by Miss Trelawney and Headmaster Tremblemoor. As the Headmaster moved around to take the single empty seat in the middle of the table Jimmy surmised that the seated figures were all faculty or administrators of the school. After glancing at the solemn figures on either side of him the Headmaster spoke.
"Mr. Fodder," he began, "you are no doubt curious as to why you are here?"
"I assumed it has to do with the Tureen of Turin," Jimmy answered.
"Very true. Very true in indeed. Its theft is a matter of grave concern to us all, here at Hogsnorts and elsewhere. It must be recovered, and soon. And to that end, we need your help. Those here before you, your schoolmates, and others like them all around the world."
"But how can I get it back?" asked Jimmy. "And why me?"
The Headmaster and a number of others at the table looked troubled. "We can give you guidance on how to get it back," the Headmaster finally answered. "But as to why you are called is a matter that we cannot reveal at this time."
At these words an especially ancient man who had seemed asleep roused himself and fixed a bleary eye on the Headmaster. "The boy has a right to know," he wheezed, and then seemed to nod off again.
"Impossible, Professor Perdicious" said one of the women. "Unthinkable."
"Tommyrot!" snapped the ancient fellow, who was apparently Professor Perdicious, as he roused himself again. He feebly pounded the table before him for emphasis, and lapsed into a fit of coughing. "Tommyrot," he repeated when the coughing fit passed. "He'll be going into danger beyond imagining, alone and untried. A danger, I would remind this esteemed council, which is of our own doing. If we are to ask his help, he should know full well what lies in store, and why."
The others at the table leaned together and conversed in low tones for several minutes. At length Headmaster Tremblemoor raised his head and spoke. "Agreed." At this Professor Perdicious closed his eyes and appeared to return to sleep.
"As you know, Fodder, the Tureen is a very treasured relic from the First Concourse of Wizards, which took place after the end of the Great Shadow War. What is not gnerally known is that at that Concourse were many of the great nommie heroes who had aided the wizards –"
"And witches," spoke up the woman who had spoken before.
Headmaster Tremblemoor gave her an irritated look. "Yes, Professor Harridan. And witches," he amended, "during the war. At this gathering it was decided to reward those nommies who had aided our kind. To this end all the wizards – and witches – merged their powers to lay a great and powerful spell upon the Tureen so that the nommies there would receive magical abilities of their own."
"Why a tureen?" asked Jimmy.
"Because the Concourse decided on their plan during the soup course, I think," replied the Headmaster. "And its shape and metallic composition made it ideal for the necessary enchantments."
"But wouldn't the infusion of an unknown and therefore alien factor into an inherently chaotic and non-deterministic organic system result in unpredictable and potentially catastrophic consequences for the recipients?" Jimmy went on.
The council members looked blankly at Jimmy and each other. "Umm…yes," the Headmaster responded eventually. "To put it plainly, the Councourse did bugger things up. Unable to control the powers given them many of the nommies died or went hopelessly insane. The few who survived became what we know today as tweeners. A descendant of one of the first tweeners is in fact Lord Cordemal Folderol. For many tweeners the abilities come and go without warning, but in Lord Folderol's case his powers were and are very nearly constant. So it was that he was able to enroll at the Hogsnorts School in the guise of a true wizard. While here he met your father and they soon became close friends.
"If fate had been kinder things might have gone differently with Lord Folderol, but one day during a Criquet test match his powers failed him. Your father saved him from a fatal fall, but the inquiry exposed Lord Folderol as a tweener and he was expelled. He vowed revenge on the school and on your father in particular. Your father knew how dangerous it would be for his friend to pursue the path of a wizard with unreliable powers and so testified against Lord Folderol for his own good. Lord Folderol, however, only saw this as betrayal, and hated your father most of all. When the opportunity arose, he killed both your parents."
"Okay," said Jimmy, digesting what had been said and wondering what Criquet was. "So Lord Folderol hates the school and me because of my father. But how does that fit in with the Tureen?"
"The truth, Larry," said the Headmaster gently, "is that you are a tweener also."
"What?" Despite not believing in magic the news surprised Jimmy. "But I thought the books - I mean, I thought that I was one of the better students of magic at this school."
"Yes, indeed," replied Headmaster Tremblemoor. "Although you were born a tweener your father passed his powers to you when he died. With your tweener abilities, and the wizard powers and birthright from your father, it is quite possible that you are potentially the most powerful magical being on this planet. Lord Folderol knows that and wishes you out of the way for that if for no other reason. And only you can possibly stop his plan with the Tureen."
"I still don't get it," commented Jimmy. "How does my being a tweener fit in with stopping Lord Folderol?"
"The Tureen was enchanted to transfer magic from wizards –" began the Headmaster. Then, noticing that Professor Harridan about to comment again, he exploded, "For mercy's sake, Professor, will you kindly stop being so politically correct? I think that Fodder is bright enough to realize that when I say 'wizards' in some contexts that I mean 'wizards and witches'!"
Professor Harridan sniffed with disdain. "Very well."
"As I was saying," the Headmaster continued. "The Tureen of Turin was enchanted so that it would transfer magic from wizards to tweeners. That is precisely what Lord Folderol plans to do. We here are powerless to stand against him, as the Tureen would drain us of our powers and transfer them to him. But you, as a tweener, would be immune from the Tureen's magic. Armed with certain items we can provide you could even transfer the energies drained by it to you rather than to Lord Folderol."
"We must hurry," said a woman who, with most of the others seated at the table, had remained silent up to now. "A second teleportal has been opened. Three of the students have joined Smegleigh Toadspittle with Lord Folderol or been taken."
"Who?" Jimmy demanded, although he was sure he already knew.
"Cholmondeley Snives, Crinoline Chumbucket, and Calliope Fernthistle," the woman replied as she stared with unseeing eyes into empty space. "Time grows short. His plan comes to fruition with the full moon."
"And the full moon will be…?"
"Tonight."
Perfect, thought Jimmy in disgust.
End of Part 9.