p style="text-align: center;"Better Halves Prologue /p
p style="text-align: center;" /p
p style="text-align: center;"The township surrounding the Institute for Conjuring and Craft of the North American Continent lay quietly tucked away in central Canada. The campus itself was quiet this time of the year; spring melting the snow drifts and "closed till dawn" signs hung on most of the shoppes. This particular afternoon was a delightful 45 degrees overcast as fifteen year old William and his best friend Avelia walked hand in hand to the cafe; the only business open between the school years next to the floo transit and the bank of North American Wizardry😏/p
p style="text-align: center;"The dorms evacuated gave these two a lot of freedom as their families down south near the Great Lakes had better things to do than loft their magical children at home. /p
p style="text-align: center;"Avelia hummed noiselessly to her boyfriend and his hand held hers tight as they swamped past a playground, past the magical equivocal of a public garage and up to the candlelit CAFE ORDINAIRE. /p
p style="text-align: center;"Inside was mostly put away; chairs stacked on the hardwood dance floor and curtains hung over modern light fixtures used for the same thing you'd think the dance floor was for. There was a broom upright on it's own, sweeping away owl pellets on the second floor balcony. At a pair of couches parallel to each other was a man with a brown mustache neatly groomed and a ten year old boy with black hair and green eyes. They sat across from a twenty five year old man dressed in beige snow pants and matching fleece with a little brother around Williams age and an even younger sister who could be about eight. Their conversation filled the cafe with seriousness. /p
p style="text-align: center;""We may be interrupting something private." Avelia said to William as he paid no mind and unscarfed his house colors from his neck while he pulled out a barstool with a flick of his wand. /p
p style="text-align: center;" /p
p style="text-align: center;""There are still a few knots to sort out," the mustached man was saying. /p
p style="text-align: center;""I realize the technology isn't something I know anything about." The other said while his teenage brother picked up the newspaper headlined 'Seven Dead in Werewolf Attack Near Vancouver' and beneath that a photo captioned 'Nineteen Muggle Witnesses Obliviated by Ministry Personelle'. The same newspaper lay on the bar countertop where William and Avelia were approached by the barista. /p
p style="text-align: center;""Two butter beers and two shots of Rugabye Blackouts" he'd ordered while Avelia flipped the newspaper over and pushed it away. /p
p style="text-align: center;""ID's?" The tender asked with an inquisitive raise of his bushy eyebrows and a Russian accent that'd make any witch blush. /p
p style="text-align: center;""If the Muggle American Research of Magical Creatures hears about another attack, they might cut funding and start hunting." /p
p style="text-align: center;"Avelia looked rather ill at the conversation behind them, while William put valiant effort into ignoring them completely./p
p style="text-align: center;""Ah, I thought you guys looked a bit fourteen.." the bartender chided as he handed them their School Identifications and raised his wand to a few not so dusty glasses stacked on the end of the bar nearest the staircase. "Accio pints..."he grinned as the glasses floated from their neat position within reach. He turned about to the keg and poured; while Williams gaze never left Avelia. Though both pairs of ears wandered to the troupe of regular looking people deep in converse./p
p style="text-align: center;" /p
p style="text-align: center;""I know, John." The man with the mustache took a hearty gulp of tea and made a quiet look to his son. /p
p style="text-align: center;""Come on, Marie," the ten year old stood and the girl did so too with a pursed smile and a little laugh. "Let's see if the ravens in!" /p
p style="text-align: center;""Yeah!" As kids do, they thundered across the cafe and giggled up the stairs and even frightened the broom from its suspended state of sweeping. /p
p style="text-align: center;" /p
p style="text-align: center;""Walace," the American in Beige pressed. "We both know the ministry cannot wipe that many memories clean without anybody else noticing. Word will spread. The internet has already got most of the governments attention; and I bet that in a few years from now once every muggle has their head in the clouds if something like this happens again... your world will definitely be exposed."/p
p style="text-align: center;""I suppose you're right... hot air rises."/p
p style="text-align: center;"The fifteen year old boy seated next to his brother in beige cleared his throat with cautious figuratism. /p
p style="text-align: center;" /p
p style="text-align: center;"William and Avelia exchanged glances as they simultaneously sipped their butter beers and the bartender poured the alcoholic espresso shots... a tattoo of a typical American coffee pot sloshing around near his elbow./p
p style="text-align: center;" /p
p style="text-align: center;"Wallace nodded. "I don't doubt your authority as a representative for an entire race of people." Johns' jaw shut with a click and a sharp look to his younger, magical, brother on the couch next to him. "I'm just saying I need a little more time to finish." /p
p style="text-align: center;"To this, the brother grabbed his hot chocolate from the table separating the adults and relaxed his face from any quarrel in front the teacher from the Institution. He knew how important the time knit was for everyone. Time turners were one thing; the user can ultimately split up and remain consciously unanimous with oneself while the rest of existence follows the linear timeline of reality. What the teacher named Wallace Fortname had been developing was what he called a Time Knit; something that synchronizes many individuals around a future event, that natural occurrences would bring them to the target place/time./p
p style="text-align: center;"And what the fifteen year old wizard named Galileo had little interest in. /p
p style="text-align: center;" /p
p style="text-align: center;" "I've never seen a magic tattoo before?" Avelia inquired, trying to relieve the awkward tension she knew was boiling under Williams skin. He was, legitimately, a werewolf. She loved him anyway; but he not always himself./p
p style="text-align: center;" /p
p style="text-align: center;"Marie laughed upstairs as her companion, the teachers son, spoke up in a laugh of surprise. It was like they laughed to one another in their own language. /p
p style="text-align: center;" /p
p style="text-align: center;""So you DO talk!" The raven squawked. More laughter followed that took Williams attention and he swallowed his alcoholic shot; leaving his girlfriend hanging in a toast by herself as the sharp sound of shot glass on hardwood bar rejoined him to her presence and so rudely he asked for another. /p
p style="text-align: center;""Sorry," he looked down at his hands. /p
p style="text-align: center;" /p
p style="text-align: center;""That's okay." The barista shrugged. He poured another. "Yes, I had gotten this tattoo done on a trip to the islands of the Tasman." William, clearly needing something to focus on, found Avelias' face the only reason to be here, right now. The barista could sense Williams unease and so he poured himself a Rugabye Blackout. "There's an Indian Wizard who developed his own magitattoo art. It's really fun. He's even got the spells so you can get ink without the pain. And the charm to flash freeze em'" he explained "is a technique that I've never seen before. You just think it in your head and the pictures stop moving. Handy for the occasional muggle run in." The three at the bar toasted their shots... /p
p style="text-align: center;" /p
p style="text-align: center;"John and Wallace stood and shook hands, the details of their unfinished discussion lost to the racket of the children upstairs who'd begun to chase each other and the Raven who'd repeatedly started shouting "Chisel and Stone! Chisel and Stone!"/p
p style="text-align: center;"While Galileo attempted to finish his hot cocoa, he thought deeply on the goingson around him. A young wizard like himself could only think of the pretty blonde witch in the company of another student. It's a small school, and something was distracting her date. /p
p style="text-align: center;" /p
p style="text-align: center;""Marie!" John called out. "Time to go. Say good bye to your friend." /p
p style="text-align: center;" /p
p style="text-align: center;"The children stopped their galloping and laughing. The boy grabbed Marie by the hand and lead her down the stairs so fast that his father hardly had time to straighten out his tie. /p
p style="text-align: center;""Are you my friend?" Marie asked the raven that had perched on the balcony railing. A look of panic struck Wallace's son as he maybe thought she was asking him, and to his relief the raven said "yes, laughing dog!" /p
p style="text-align: center;" /p
p style="text-align: center;""Judith..." the bartender warned the graying coriander. "That was rude."/p
p style="text-align: center;""I don't mind," Marie forgave. "Goodbye bird! And goodbye Kannik."/p
p style="text-align: center;" /p
p style="text-align: center;""Bye Marie."/p
p style="text-align: center;""Bye Marie!" The raven called. /p
p style="text-align: center;"Bye Marie, William couldn't help but echo in his head sarcastically./p
p style="text-align: center;" /p
p style="text-align: center;"Galileo took her and their older muggle brother by the hands and apparited their departure./p
p style="text-align: center;"The black haired, green eyed not-quite-a-wizard young man looked down at his shoes, then as if to have known his presence to be fleeting he looked to the teenagers at the bar. "She's not a dog." He sneered. Wallace scolded him quietly and started to lace one of his son's shoes. "Do you want anything else before we go? A pastry or something?"/p
p style="text-align: center;"Avelia sighed into her mug. "Definitely a cool charm." She sipped and eyed William./p
p style="text-align: center;""Uhh, no I think there's cake from your birthday at home." Wallace nodded, left a tip among their empty mugs and nodded again as he strode out the door, Kannik in tow./p
p style="text-align: center;" /p
p style="text-align: center;"The door closed and a quiet followed. /p
p style="text-align: center;""What? Oh erm the magitats? Yeah, definitely a cool charm." The bartender reached into his robe for a pen to doodle mindlessly, much like he used to when he was in school. Though he attended Hogwarts. /p
p style="text-align: center;" /p
p style="text-align: center;"William had nearly one gulp left of his pint while the silence fell from awkward to comfortable. He could smell his own toes from their earlier walk in and crinkled his nose... it sucks most of the time to be a werewolf. /p
p style="text-align: center;""What's up with the raven?" He asked finally, eyeing the cross and skull doodle their bar keeper had scratched aimlessly between talkings. The bird had landed onto a handle to pull off a keg./p
p style="text-align: center;""I'm Judith!" The bartender look cross before introducing her. "Yes that's Judith. I don't know where she came from but she talks and is an eternal moron." /p
p style="text-align: center;""Don't look down!" Judith said. From Williams perspective it looked like she spoke just to Avelia. /p
p style="text-align: center;""Eternal, like she won't die?" He asked./p
p style="text-align: center;""At least I don't think so. My great grandpa passed her down to his son and so on to me. I asked her how old she was and she la ughed and said 'if crows feet could chase me I'd be 600 years and a day.'" Expressionless, he shook his head. "I can't say I don't believe her. She's a fine friend. Though she's not keen on explaining herself."/p
p style="text-align: center;" /p
p style="text-align: center;" /p
p style="text-align: center;" /p
p style="text-align: center;" /p
p style="text-align: center;"The township surrounding the Institute for Conjuring and Craft of the North American Continent lay quietly tucked away in central Canada. The campus itself was quiet this time of the year; spring melting the snow drifts and "closed till dawn" signs hung on most of the shoppes. This particular afternoon was a delightful 45 degrees overcast as fifteen year old William and his best friend Avelia walked hand in hand to the cafe; the only business open between the school years next to the floo transit and the bank of North American Wizardry😏/p
p style="text-align: center;"The dorms evacuated gave these two a lot of freedom as their families down south near the Great Lakes had better things to do than loft their magical children at home. /p
p style="text-align: center;"Avelia hummed noiselessly to her boyfriend and his hand held hers tight as they swamped past a playground, past the magical equivocal of a public garage and up to the candlelit CAFE ORDINAIRE. /p
p style="text-align: center;"Inside was mostly put away; chairs stacked on the hardwood dance floor and curtains hung over modern light fixtures used for the same thing you'd think the dance floor was for. There was a broom upright on it's own, sweeping away owl pellets on the second floor balcony. At a pair of couches parallel to each other was a man with a brown mustache neatly groomed and a ten year old boy with black hair and green eyes. They sat across from a twenty five year old man dressed in beige snow pants and matching fleece with a little brother around Williams age and an even younger sister who could be about eight. Their conversation filled the cafe with seriousness. /p
p style="text-align: center;""We may be interrupting something private." Avelia said to William as he paid no mind and unscarfed his house colors from his neck while he pulled out a barstool with a flick of his wand. /p
p style="text-align: center;" /p
p style="text-align: center;""There are still a few knots to sort out," the mustached man was saying. /p
p style="text-align: center;""I realize the technology isn't something I know anything about." The other said while his teenage brother picked up the newspaper headlined 'Seven Dead in Werewolf Attack Near Vancouver' and beneath that a photo captioned 'Nineteen Muggle Witnesses Obliviated by Ministry Personelle'. The same newspaper lay on the bar countertop where William and Avelia were approached by the barista. /p
p style="text-align: center;""Two butter beers and two shots of Rugabye Blackouts" he'd ordered while Avelia flipped the newspaper over and pushed it away. /p
p style="text-align: center;""ID's?" The tender asked with an inquisitive raise of his bushy eyebrows and a Russian accent that'd make any witch blush. /p
p style="text-align: center;""If the Muggle American Research of Magical Creatures hears about another attack, they might cut funding and start hunting." /p
p style="text-align: center;"Avelia looked rather ill at the conversation behind them, while William put valiant effort into ignoring them completely./p
p style="text-align: center;""Ah, I thought you guys looked a bit fourteen.." the bartender chided as he handed them their School Identifications and raised his wand to a few not so dusty glasses stacked on the end of the bar nearest the staircase. "Accio pints..."he grinned as the glasses floated from their neat position within reach. He turned about to the keg and poured; while Williams gaze never left Avelia. Though both pairs of ears wandered to the troupe of regular looking people deep in converse./p
p style="text-align: center;" /p
p style="text-align: center;""I know, John." The man with the mustache took a hearty gulp of tea and made a quiet look to his son. /p
p style="text-align: center;""Come on, Marie," the ten year old stood and the girl did so too with a pursed smile and a little laugh. "Let's see if the ravens in!" /p
p style="text-align: center;""Yeah!" As kids do, they thundered across the cafe and giggled up the stairs and even frightened the broom from its suspended state of sweeping. /p
p style="text-align: center;" /p
p style="text-align: center;""Walace," the American in Beige pressed. "We both know the ministry cannot wipe that many memories clean without anybody else noticing. Word will spread. The internet has already got most of the governments attention; and I bet that in a few years from now once every muggle has their head in the clouds if something like this happens again... your world will definitely be exposed."/p
p style="text-align: center;""I suppose you're right... hot air rises."/p
p style="text-align: center;"The fifteen year old boy seated next to his brother in beige cleared his throat with cautious figuratism. /p
p style="text-align: center;" /p
p style="text-align: center;"William and Avelia exchanged glances as they simultaneously sipped their butter beers and the bartender poured the alcoholic espresso shots... a tattoo of a typical American coffee pot sloshing around near his elbow./p
p style="text-align: center;" /p
p style="text-align: center;"Wallace nodded. "I don't doubt your authority as a representative for an entire race of people." Johns' jaw shut with a click and a sharp look to his younger, magical, brother on the couch next to him. "I'm just saying I need a little more time to finish." /p
p style="text-align: center;"To this, the brother grabbed his hot chocolate from the table separating the adults and relaxed his face from any quarrel in front the teacher from the Institution. He knew how important the time knit was for everyone. Time turners were one thing; the user can ultimately split up and remain consciously unanimous with oneself while the rest of existence follows the linear timeline of reality. What the teacher named Wallace Fortname had been developing was what he called a Time Knit; something that synchronizes many individuals around a future event, that natural occurrences would bring them to the target place/time./p
p style="text-align: center;"And what the fifteen year old wizard named Galileo had little interest in. /p
p style="text-align: center;" /p
p style="text-align: center;" "I've never seen a magic tattoo before?" Avelia inquired, trying to relieve the awkward tension she knew was boiling under Williams skin. He was, legitimately, a werewolf. She loved him anyway; but he not always himself./p
p style="text-align: center;" /p
p style="text-align: center;"Marie laughed upstairs as her companion, the teachers son, spoke up in a laugh of surprise. It was like they laughed to one another in their own language. /p
p style="text-align: center;" /p
p style="text-align: center;""So you DO talk!" The raven squawked. More laughter followed that took Williams attention and he swallowed his alcoholic shot; leaving his girlfriend hanging in a toast by herself as the sharp sound of shot glass on hardwood bar rejoined him to her presence and so rudely he asked for another. /p
p style="text-align: center;""Sorry," he looked down at his hands. /p
p style="text-align: center;" /p
p style="text-align: center;""That's okay." The barista shrugged. He poured another. "Yes, I had gotten this tattoo done on a trip to the islands of the Tasman." William, clearly needing something to focus on, found Avelias' face the only reason to be here, right now. The barista could sense Williams unease and so he poured himself a Rugabye Blackout. "There's an Indian Wizard who developed his own magitattoo art. It's really fun. He's even got the spells so you can get ink without the pain. And the charm to flash freeze em'" he explained "is a technique that I've never seen before. You just think it in your head and the pictures stop moving. Handy for the occasional muggle run in." The three at the bar toasted their shots... /p
p style="text-align: center;" /p
p style="text-align: center;"John and Wallace stood and shook hands, the details of their unfinished discussion lost to the racket of the children upstairs who'd begun to chase each other and the Raven who'd repeatedly started shouting "Chisel and Stone! Chisel and Stone!"/p
p style="text-align: center;"While Galileo attempted to finish his hot cocoa, he thought deeply on the goingson around him. A young wizard like himself could only think of the pretty blonde witch in the company of another student. It's a small school, and something was distracting her date. /p
p style="text-align: center;" /p
p style="text-align: center;""Marie!" John called out. "Time to go. Say good bye to your friend." /p
p style="text-align: center;" /p
p style="text-align: center;"The children stopped their galloping and laughing. The boy grabbed Marie by the hand and lead her down the stairs so fast that his father hardly had time to straighten out his tie. /p
p style="text-align: center;""Are you my friend?" Marie asked the raven that had perched on the balcony railing. A look of panic struck Wallace's son as he maybe thought she was asking him, and to his relief the raven said "yes, laughing dog!" /p
p style="text-align: center;" /p
p style="text-align: center;""Judith..." the bartender warned the graying coriander. "That was rude."/p
p style="text-align: center;""I don't mind," Marie forgave. "Goodbye bird! And goodbye Kannik."/p
p style="text-align: center;" /p
p style="text-align: center;""Bye Marie."/p
p style="text-align: center;""Bye Marie!" The raven called. /p
p style="text-align: center;"Bye Marie, William couldn't help but echo in his head sarcastically./p
p style="text-align: center;" /p
p style="text-align: center;"Galileo took her and their older muggle brother by the hands and apparited their departure./p
p style="text-align: center;"The black haired, green eyed not-quite-a-wizard young man looked down at his shoes, then as if to have known his presence to be fleeting he looked to the teenagers at the bar. "She's not a dog." He sneered. Wallace scolded him quietly and started to lace one of his son's shoes. "Do you want anything else before we go? A pastry or something?"/p
p style="text-align: center;"Avelia sighed into her mug. "Definitely a cool charm." She sipped and eyed William./p
p style="text-align: center;""Uhh, no I think there's cake from your birthday at home." Wallace nodded, left a tip among their empty mugs and nodded again as he strode out the door, Kannik in tow./p
p style="text-align: center;" /p
p style="text-align: center;"The door closed and a quiet followed. /p
p style="text-align: center;""What? Oh erm the magitats? Yeah, definitely a cool charm." The bartender reached into his robe for a pen to doodle mindlessly, much like he used to when he was in school. Though he attended Hogwarts. /p
p style="text-align: center;" /p
p style="text-align: center;"William had nearly one gulp left of his pint while the silence fell from awkward to comfortable. He could smell his own toes from their earlier walk in and crinkled his nose... it sucks most of the time to be a werewolf. /p
p style="text-align: center;""What's up with the raven?" He asked finally, eyeing the cross and skull doodle their bar keeper had scratched aimlessly between talkings. The bird had landed onto a handle to pull off a keg./p
p style="text-align: center;""I'm Judith!" The bartender look cross before introducing her. "Yes that's Judith. I don't know where she came from but she talks and is an eternal moron." /p
p style="text-align: center;""Don't look down!" Judith said. From Williams perspective it looked like she spoke just to Avelia. /p
p style="text-align: center;""Eternal, like she won't die?" He asked./p
p style="text-align: center;""At least I don't think so. My great grandpa passed her down to his son and so on to me. I asked her how old she was and she la ughed and said 'if crows feet could chase me I'd be 600 years and a day.'" Expressionless, he shook his head. "I can't say I don't believe her. She's a fine friend. Though she's not keen on explaining herself."/p
p style="text-align: center;" /p
p style="text-align: center;" /p
p style="text-align: center;" /p