November 5, 1978

Two weeks had passed since her encounter – it couldn't be called a confrontation – with Dumbledore at Hogwarts, and since then Remus still hadn't been found. It was making her antsy and nervous, but Althea knew that Dumbledore and the Order were trying their best to find him. It just seemed like the Death Eaters, this time around, had been more crafty than any of them had anticipated. Althea fiddled with the ring on her left hand, staring unseeingly at the yard in front of the house James and Lily were sharing. Sirius had come by to her apartment one day and told her that it was no longer safe for her to live there, so she had taken up residence with James and Lily, which she was now regretting. She loved Lily like a sister, and she was happy that Lily and James were together. But seeing them every day and being so in love made her miss Remus even more and made her worry even more for him than she already did.

Lily and James didn't understand just how worried she was or how much seeing them together made her feel just a little bit jealous. They were oblivious to it all. She couldn't blame them for being so in love because that was how her and Remus were as well. It just hurt. The door opened and Lily stumbled in a bag of groceries from the Muggle supermarket piled in her arms. Behind her, came James, his face flushed as he brought in even more groceries. Althea raised a brow, watching them curiously as they went into the kitchen.

"What's all of the food for?" Althea asked curiously, tucking a strand of hair behind her ears.

"For when Remus comes back of course, and we know he will be found," Lily chirped. The cheery sound of her voice grated on Althea's nerves but she plastered on a smile for the redhead who was staring at her with a soft look in her eyes. "And well, Thanksgiving is coming up too, Thea. We have to celebrate that!"

"I suppose," Althea hummed.

"Don't be a Debbie Downer," James chastised her. Then he turned to Lily, "That was the correct Muggle phrase, wasn't it?"

"Yes, it was," Lily cooed, stretching up on her tiptoes to press a light kiss to James's lips.

Althea turned away, jealousy burning in her chest, stamping down the tears that had suddenly sprung to her eyes and the angry flush that had lit her cheeks. It wasn't right for her to be jealous just because James and Lily were happy, and she wasn't. But Merlin help her, she was and she didn't know what to do about it. Behind her she could hear Lily and James talking in soft voices obliviously to each other, in their happy little bubble of love, and she clenched her fists, scolding herself. She was such a terrible person.

"Thea, do you like mashed potatoes and gravy?" Lily asked, scooting around James and standing in front of her.

Althea shrugged indifferently, "Yeah. Why?"

"I'm trying to think of what we could have for a Thanksgiving meal, or for when Remus comes back," Lily explained. She smiled, "I need something to occupy my time since you and James are always so busy with Order missions, and James is busy with Auror training."

"I might actually be getting a job, soon," Althea hesitantly whispered.

Lily and James both looked at her in shock and she flushed. She hadn't planned on confiding in them so soon about it, because it had just been a silly, stupid little idea floating around in her head. But it was one that she couldn't quite get rid of. She quite liked the idea of inventing her own spells, and knew the Order had one such person within their ranks – a woman by the name of Aubrey – so a few days ago, she had written a letter to her requesting that she take her on as an apprentice. To her shock, Aubrey had agreed right away, citing her stellar grades at Hogwarts and the glowing recommendations that she has heard from those in the Order, and from her professors at Hogwarts. Of course, Althea knew that she would need a back-up plan – Aubrey had insisted on one – and so, she was also set to take up an internship at the Ministry of Magic, on their research committee.

All of these plans had come to fruition in the last forty-eight to seventy-two hours, so it was quite sudden and maybe she should have consulted with her friends – or Remus, if he was here – first. But, Althea needed something to do, and she couldn't keep mooching off of Lily and James, or continue to live with them. It was with the greatest amount of trepidation that Althea unveiled her carefully laid plans much to the astonishment of James, and the anger of Lily.

"And when did you think that you were going to tell us?" Lily demanded hotly, her hands on her hips. "Perhaps, when you were attacked at the Ministry? Or when a spell that you're trying to invent goes all wrong?"

Althea swallowed, staring at the hard, green eyes of her friend. She had never seen Lily this angry before. "Aubrey works at the Ministry, and she was the one who suggested the Research Committee to me, since she is the head of it. Besides, You-Know-Who's influence doesn't quite cover the Ministry. Yet. But as soon as it does, I will quit working there." She shifted on her feet, "I was never planning on hiding this from you Lily, I just wasn't sure on how to tell you because I feared a reaction like this." She wrapped her arms around her middle, "I can't continue to sit here and do nothing. Dumbledore hasn't sent me on any missions lately, and as much as I enjoy your company Lily, I need to go and do something else. I can't sit here stagnant, all the time."

"I understand that," Lily ground out through clenched teeth. "But it's a ridiculous notion. The wizarding world is at war, Althea. And you want to get a job?"

"I want to invent spells, and Aubrey is the only one who is able to teach me!" Althea snapped, throwing her hands into the air. "Lils, what if I invent a spell and it saves someone's life?" She sighed, "I'm not going this for glory or anything of the sort. I'm seeing it as a way to learn more, and potentially be of use to the Order. More use than I have been." When Lily still looked like she wasn't going to budge, Althea narrowed her eyes. "Fine. I see that I can't convince you, but that doesn't mean I'm not going to do this. I am. Your disapproval won't stop me."

And that was all that was said on the matter. A few days later, with things still icy between Althea and Lily, Althea Apparated to Diagon Alley near the pet emporium where Aubrey had told her they would meet. It was eerie that Diagon Alley was still so quiet and it made shivers crawl up Althea's spine and nervousness flood through her system. A tall, willowy form dressed in a vibrant green cloak, snaked through the figures clad in dark clothing and stopped in front of Althea. The figure pushed down the cowl, revealing auburn hair and bright blue eyes.

"I'm Aubrey, pleasure to meet ya," the girl said, extending a hand to shake Althea's. "I'm about twenty-seven."

"Althea. Seventeen."

Aubrey beamed, "Not much of an age gap then, huh? Well ten years, but that really isn't much, wouldn't you say? Eh, doesn't matter. Hang on tight."

Althea was so disoriented that she barely paid any attention as Aubrey Apparated them away. The first thing she realized as Aubrey led her into the house that the elder witch occupied, was that Aubrey was very eccentric as evidenced by all of the baubles and portraits occupying the house. The second thing, was that Aubrey was very talkative. Since the moment she had met Althea, Aubrey had not ceased speaking. The final thing that Althea realized, was that Aubrey despite all of her eccentricities was a phenomenal spell inventor. Although most of her spells had not yet been approved by the Ministry of Magic, because she was still developing them.

Aubrey handed a stack of papers to Althea, "Read these. They are all about spells I've created and the theory behind spell creation." She smiled, "If you want any hope at all of creating a spell, then you need to understand the theory. Have fun."

Althea gave her a shy, smile back before looking down at the papers. The first few detailed spells that Aubrey had created like Contumesco (a spell that makes one swell up like a pufferfish), Conterreo (a spell that induces terror) and Complaceo (a spell that makes one have an uncontrollable urge to please someone).

"Those are the latest spells I've finished," Aubrey informed Althea, when she set those papers aside. "Alphabetical order."

Althea sighed again, returning her attention to the rest of the stack.

The basis of modern spellcraft, by the standards imposed by the Ministry of Magic, dictates the use of an incantation that is "activated" through the incantation in Latin through a medium such as a wand. However, any wizard that has managed to stay awake through Professor Binn's classes can immediately point out the fact that this could not have been the case over the centuries. It's clearly impossible that Chinese Wizards such as Dzou Yen would have used a latin incantation, or that ancient wizards such as Circe could have used Latin before the language existed in the form it does. Even the wand itself is not absolutely necessary-wandless AND incantationless casting has been demonstrated by particularly powerful wizards. Indeed, the fact that almost every wizard in hogwarts has displayed the use of incantationless, wandless magic shows that 1. all processes involved in modern spellcasting in Great Britain are completely unecessary.

So how do we come to terms with the nature of wizardry? Clearly, the power doesn't lie within the incantation, since the incantation is neither necessary nor consistent from nation to nation-to imagine that Salem or Mahoutokoro Wizards use Latin like Hogwarts students would be most certainly incorrect. Moreover, the power doesn't lie within the wand, for historically wizards have demonstrated their power without the need for a wand. 2. The only constant within the process of spellcasting is the Wizard. However, the adult wizard has gone through years of schooling, and most never move beyond the use of the wand. As such, the Ministry of Magic has done its utmost to study the use of magic not in adult wizards, but in potential wizards. The key to understanding spells lies in understanding underage magic.

Underage magic systematically manifests in children of early adolescence who have only just began understanding their ability to use magic. Generally, they occur in moments of strong emotion, generally in accordance to the wishes of the young wizard-and particularly gifted wizards can consciously control and employ magic without ANY of the theoretical understanding that a wizard who has entered the Ministry-systematized curriculum may receive. Therefore, it seems that 3. the catalyst for spellcasting lies within the mindset of the spellcaster. At the root of it, the ability and capacity of magic lies simply in the ability of the individual to "will" magic into existence, whether consciously or unconsciously.

"Aubrey," Althea asked after she had finished the first page. "Do you create most of your spells without a wand?"

"Of course, didn't you read the paper?" Aubrey chortled. "The only constant is the wizard, and underage magic is a prime example of that. We don't need wands to cast magic, but they are a great conductor for it." She clapped her hands together, "Ready to begin?"

Slowly Althea nodded. She was going to regret it, she was sure.