Muggle Bound Chapter 20 Bits and Bytes
Tonks finished a last sip of coffee as the doorbell sounded.
" That will be Hawthorn. Good luck with the Muggle machines. Rather you than me! Oh, hold on. There's something for you, Ron, from a certain lovelorn witch. Oh, and one for you as well, Harry." Tonks smiled at the two red-faced young men before her.
"Oh, Tonks. Hold up a bit. I've got something, too," Ron turned and could be heard taking the stairs two at a time.
Harry and Tonks grinned companionably. Ron returned to the kitchen with a roll of parchment still red-faced, this time from his mad dash.
"Umm, could you give this to her as soon as possible," he stammered.
"Of course I will," Tonks returned with an amused smile. " Any other special messages?"Her eyes twinkled at both Ron and Harry.
Harry looked down sadly while Ron muttered, "No, it's all in the letter."
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Meanwhile the two objects of Ron and Harry's thoughts were being put through an intense morning of practice with Professor McGonagall.
" That's right, a little sharper flick of the wand, Miss Weasley," the Professor instructed. "There, you've got it now."
Hermione focussed frowning in her concentration as she transfigured a pincushion into a miniature hedgehog.
"Excellent work, Miss Granger," the Professor congratulated her warmly.
Hermione smiled, satisfied with herself but also amused with the situation. Here she was supposed to be working on Muggle technology and instead she was honing her magical skills.
"Ginny!" Mrs. Weasley called up the stairs. " Come help with lunch!"
"Excuse me, Professor, " Ginny said quietly. " And thank you for the help." She exited the room and Hermione turned to follow her.
"Wait a moment, Miss Granger," the Professor stopped Hermione." There's something else I'd like to discuss with you."
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"So," Hawthorn stated, " There are two concepts we might work on without your –uh- I mean Miss Granger and her father."
They were set up with Hawthorn's taplop-no-laptop computer and a sheaf of parchment. Ron hoped that Harry's aunt wouldn't object. Harry looked more animated than Ron had seen him for a while and hoped that the project might provide some kind of distraction. The sad look Harry had given when he discovered that his letter was from Hermione and not Ginny had not been lost on Ron.
" First we could examine your idea of staging a battle with projections rather than real wizards," Hawthorn continued. " Then we could see how that would work using a battle plan or strategy."
"Chess," Harry murmured vaguely.
" You alright, mate," Ron inquired worriedly.
"No, Chess!" Harry insisted," Didn't you say that you'd beat the Chess game on the computer?'
Now Hawthorn and Ron exchanged glances both figuring out what Harry was getting at simultaneously.
"Of course," Hawthorn exclaimed.
"Brilliant," Ron breathed.
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After lunch Hermione joined her father in Great Aunt Muriel's library. Dr. Granger had his computer and his digital camera and strange machine that Hermione had never seen before.
" What's that?" she asked curiously.
" That, my dear, is the best proxima projector money can buy – a loan from a good friend of mine. It will project an image from the computer."
" So if you take a photo, this will project the photo- can you control the image?" Hermione was definitely intrigued.
" Absolutely. Here, shall we try it?" Dr. Granger hooked up some cables and then mounted a small screen. He then launched a program on his computer. Hermione watched every step carefully, taking notes and memorizing the order. Soon an image appeared on the screen with startling clarity. Hermione gasped as she viewed her own face and that of her mother.
"Wow!" she said in amazement.
Dr. Granger smiled, "Pretty impressive, isn't it?"
Hermione thought furiously, questions swirling in her mind. Could they use this same technology with magical images? Was it possible to make the screen invisible and still project the images? Could they control the images? She sighed in frustration. She needed to talk to Harry and Ron. That's what she always did and that's what she needed to do now.
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Ron's voice vibrated with excitement.
"So it's McGonagall's giant chess set. We somehow reject-no-project the images of wizards but we play chess."
"Yeah," Harry enthused," but we control the moves, just like Wizard chess or like the chess program on Hawthorn's computer."
"So," Hawthorn stated, "we need to design images of realistic wizards and then we overlay the chess program?"
Ron thought about this for a minute. There was no doubt his mind felt alive and poised on the precipice of many possibilities. But he needed someone to help focus the ideas. He needed Hermione.
"I wonder if instead of a program, we could actually have one of us directing it," Ron mused more to himself than the others.
Harry was wondering the same thing. Like Ron, he realized a program might not deter a Death Eater for too long. After all Ron had beat the program thirty-three times.
"What if we enlisted Fred and George's help?" Harry asked. "They could set up booby traps for whenever a Death Eater made a wrong move."
"Hmm, that's an idea. It wouldn't have to be too big- an exploding firework or a variation on the punching telescope. Just enough to throw them off guard so we could deal with them." Ron grinned to himself thinking that the twins could concentrate on this instead of ways to terrorize he and Hermione about their new relationship.
Hawthorn, looking a little more like himself since the attack, started to develop a plan.
"So, we need some images. I'll contact Dr. Granger tonight to discuss an approach. Also, some software that will allow us to design a new program. Ron, can you get your two brothers here tomorrow?"
Ron looked to Harry for an answer.
"Yeah," Harry said thoughtfully," that shouldn't be too difficult. One of the Aurors always comes round to chat with us in the evening and see if we have any messages."
"One other thing," Ron mentioned," I've got this idea about how we might use a talent of this fellow I know. He can pick up information from people's emotions. If he watches the images of Death Eaters, he might be able to pick up valuable reconnaissance. His name is Herodotus Henckel- maybe he could come the next day?"
Hawthorn cleared his throat, "I'll have to check, Ron. Naturally your brothers have clearance as they are relatives and your father works at the Ministry. But a stranger- we may need to get special clearance from Mr. Davies."
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Professor McGonagall paced worriedly back and forth cross the Weasleys' Aunt Muriel's drawing room. Molly had been more than happy to have her fellow Order member temporarily installed in the household. The Professor recalled her enthusiasm followed by embarrassment.
"By all means, Minerva. With the way things are and Arthur constantly coming and going and now this worry with Hermione and her parents… Well- you see how it is. We'd love to have you stay. But there is a small problem with sleeping arrangements. You see, with the Grangers here and Hermione already in with Ginny. And now Bill is worried about Fleur so she's here, too," Molly's voice trailed off and she frowned at the ceiling as if to manufacture an extra bedroom or two.
"Do not fuss yourself, Molly. It is much more convenient for me to take on my animagus form in the evening when I am doing patrols." The Professor had replied.
" In that case, the drawing room on the second floor may suit you as temporary quarters." Molly smiled with relief.
Now the Professor paced puzzling out problems plaguing her conscious mind. And all the time a niggling at the back of her brain told her that she was missing something important.
A hesitant knock at the door startled her. Smoothing her robes, she called, " Enter."
"Ah, Miss Granger. You are here for our first session. You have thought over what I told you? It will not be easy and could possibly be dangerous if not used with definite precautions."
" Yes, Professor," Hermione replied, a hint of steel in her eyes." I'm aware of all the ramifications and I want to move forward. I'd like to start immediately if you are willing."
"Very well, my dear. Let's begin. Oh, and Miss Granger, given the current situation, I think it would be wise to keep this to ourselves at the moment." The Professor motioned Hermione to a floor length mirror in the corner of the drawing room.
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Two days later, Ron lay stretched out on his bed looking thoroughly disgruntled. In his had he held a long piece of parchment covered with neat precise handwriting. He sighed heavily.
Harry glanced up bemusedly from the latest edition of the Daily Prophet.
"Bloody Scrimgeour!" he muttered under his breath. Then he turned to Ron and inquired teasingly, " What's up with the imitation of a dying Hippogriff? Is Hermione hacked off with already?"
"Nothing like that, you wanker. Just the opposite I'd say," Ron replied smiling at some of the passages that had made his ears go red and other parts of his body react immediately.
"Well, then what?" Harry grinned at Ron's now crimson face.
"She's hiding something-I just know it. I hope to Merlin it's not anything to do with the project. She always thinks that nothing will happen to her!" Ron grew more and more agitated as he imagined several things that could happen.
"But, Ron, " Harry objected reasonably," How can you possibly know she's concealing something from a letter? Don't you think you're being a bit paranoid?"
"Harry, mate. Don't scoff. I just know. You know how she tends to babble when she's avoiding a subject or when she's uncomfortable discussing something. Well- look at this letter – long and babbling. Well, except for a few parts." He finished by jumping up from his bed and pacing the floor.
" I just wish I could talk to her. And not only about whatever she's keeping from us but about the project. We've done what we can do now-we need to put it together with the whole projection thing." Ron threw himself back on his bed and put his head in his hands.
"You're right there, mate. Hawthorn's pretty good but he doesn't have a clue about how to make that projection equipment he borrowed from Dr. Granger work properly. We need a team meeting." Harry said thoughtfully.
Ron chuckled as he realized that Harry now included himself as part of the Ministry team. At least the project had given Harry a focus. The only brooding Harry had indulged in for the last few days was over a note that Ginny had sent him asking him to accompany her to the Wedding – as a "friend." Ron had tried to be supportive by saying,"Better as a friend than not at all." Harry had thrown a silencing spell at him, which Ron had neatly ducked.
"Let's talk to Tonks about setting something up when she checks in tonight," Harry suggested.
Ron nodded and then remembered another piece of news.
"Oh, Hawthorn asked Dad to get clearance for Herodotus Henckel to visit and it looks like that might happen tomorrow."
"Great," Harry responded enthusiastically. " I really want to see him in person. I'd like to see what he could pick up about Aunt Petunia. And we can ask him more questions about your Uncle. And you know, Ron? Does your Great-Aunt Muriel have a telephone? If she does, you could phone Hermione and have a private chat-you know check in with her. It would relieve your mind and maybe your hormones as well!"
"You're a genius, Potter! Great Uncle Ted was a Muggle so yeah, they have a fellytone, I mean telephone," Ron pondered happily having an actual conversation with Hermione.
"Yeah, well. Now we've solved that, let's go out to the garden and play Muggle Ball before dinner," Harry suggested, thinking he might be able to speak for a few minutes to Gin if he played his cards right.
"I'd rather go flying, but I guess that's out of the question," Ron grumbled but nevertheless followed Harry to the back garden where they started a game of catch with Dudley's gloves and baseball.
Unobserved by either, a small songbird perched in Aunt Petunia's prize climbing rose.