Chapter 9; Newton's Folly

The first few weeks following the botched ritual were not easy on Harry. For one thing, his eyesight was all wonky. The strange effect that he had picked up would come and go, often at the most inopportune times. It was very difficult to brew potions when the moonflies glittered in Technicolor light. He had discussed the matter ad nauseum with Charlus and the old painting had cursed and swore up a storm, muttering to himself about ungrateful urchins complaining about developing 'mage-sight' before their balls had dropped. It took no little cajoling for Harry to find out what mage-sight was. When he found out, he had to admit to being a little impressed. It was a rare gift and usually only came to much older, more experience wizards.

The other thing that was bothering him was his magic. It just wasn't working for him like it used to. Once Charlus sent him upstairs to find a silver cauldron for some project he had planned and while Harry was trying to search the attic, he had attempted to cast a lumos spell with his wand and nothing happened. Not even a spark. Harry couldn't understand it. He had been casting that spell successfully for years with no problem. But now it was like his magic wasn't even there. He knew it was, of course, but it had him vexed. The ritual was supposed to stabilize and strengthen his core, but something obviously went very wrong. None of the few spells that Harry knew were working properly. He, Charlus and Remus had discussed it at length and they were all at a loss.

Even more bothersome for Harry was the presence of Remus Lupin. He had all but moved into the house. Harry wasn't sure how he felt about the older man. For all intents and purposes, he appeared a kind and gentle man. He had a good sense of humor and held his own against Charlus and Harry's often ascerbic repartee. He obviously doted on Harry and tried his upmost to be helpful and solicitous. But, whenever Harry looked at him, he couldn't help but picture Tippy's glassy eyed and bloody body, laying in a shallow grave. Harry knew it wasn't fair, but he couldn't help the way he felt.

Sometimes it led him to be short with his father's friend and often he would be overcome with emotion and have to scurry off, pretending to be off on some errand or other around the house. If Remus had caught on to his pretense, he made no mention of it and for that, Harry was glad.

When Remus returned from Azkaban he filled Charlus and Harry in on Sirius' tale. They were all shocked at the story and the horrible fate that Sirius had endured. They redoubled their efforts to find a way to free him. Remus still pushed for them to take the case to the Ministry, but Charlus adamantly refused. He contended that without Pettigrew, there was no case to be heard and reminded Remus that it was the same Ministry that had sent Sirius to prison without a trial. Remus wasn't altogether happy with the decision, but he didn't press it. Instead they spent many long hours trying to figure a way to breach to fortress' wards and attempt a rescue. It was that hope that had Harry and Remus scouring the Manor's library for all the information they could find on wards and ward breaking. Three weeks of intensive study resulted in short tempers and sleepless nights. On the fifth day of the third week, they finally had a breakthrough.

The day found the three around the kitchen table, the surface of which could barely be found under the mountain of books they had collected. Harry was reading a treatise written by Charlemagne Cobblepot entitled The Artful Use of Artifice; a Beginner's Guide to Burglary, when he came upon the discovery.

Harry was having a hard time keeping his eyes open at the time. He was a bright boy, but much of what he was reading was hopelessly beyond him. He was about to throw the book down in disgust, when his eyes fell on the entry on the opposing page.

The Null Field Effect

The Null Field is a very useful tool in the Artificer's arsenal. It is thought to have been first discovered by the celebrated researcher Sir Isaac Newton when developing his theory on magical resonance. According to some accounts, Newton became frustrated while attempting to map a particular spell matrix because he kept picking up interference from the magical saturation present in his laboratory. His cunning solution was to inscribe a small diamond with an inverted Egyptian Power Glyph on each of the diamond's facets.

It was widely known at that time that crystals were excellent storer's of magical energy. The Pharoah's, in particular, made frequent use of them to power the wards and curses in their tombs. By enlarging the diamond and inverting the glyph, Newton was able to create a diamond that drew in power, rather than expelling it. Newton discovered its effectiveness when he attempted to shrink the diamond back to it's original size and was drained so rapidly that he was left, little more than a squib, for the better part of a week. An interesting side note to this was that the contraceptive charm that he regularly applied to himself failed as well. Newton's prolonged bed rest left him at the mercy of his starved-for-attention wife and the formidable Mrs. Newton took advantage of her husband's convalescence. They were both quite surprised when, three months later it was discovered that Mrs. Newton, aged 93 years, was pregnant with twins.

Newton was able to counter the drain by placing a series of identical diamonds at precise intervals around the shielded area. The result exceeded his wildest expectations. When constructed in such a manner, a null field was created at the center of the construction. All magic, either ambient or directed in the vicinity was drawn into the diamonds while the center, which lies outside (or rather, inside) the diamonds' effect remains completely free from all magical emanations.

For the properly prepared purloiner, the applications of this invention are astounding. A single drain can draw power from wards and shields, weakening or collapsing them over time, depending on their strength and the quality, size and purity of the gem. The Null Field however, can render all wards and even offensive spellfire, completely obsolete. If disapparation or anti-portkey wards are erected around the null field, they have no affect within the shielded area.

For further information on the correct construction of the Null Field, see the diagram below:

The further Harry read, the more sure he was that this was the answer they were looking for. He knew if they could nullify the wards around Azkaban, then they would be halfway to freeing Sirius.

"I think I found something!" he yelled.

Remus looked up from his heavy book. "What've you got?" he asked.

"The Null Field Effect. The author's a bit dodgy but it looks like it might work. Gotta wonder where we'd get ahold of some diamonds though." He said.

Remus came around the table and started reading over Harry's shoulder. "Hmm," he said, " that does seem promising. I seem to remember reading something about that."

As he peered over Harry's shoulder, Harry ducked out of his way and eased himself around the table, uncomfortable with the man's close presence. After a time, Remus looked up from his reading and fixed him with a warm smile.

"Excellent work, Harry! Really top-notch. We'll need to test it out, of course. But I think this might just do the trick!"

Harry gave him a timid smile in return, a faint blush on his cheeks at the unaccustomed praise.

The next day brought with it a sense of excitement and purpose in Harry. He was looking forward to learning some new and fascinating magic. He and Remus started by clearing out the ballroom upstairs. Harry, still unable to perform even the simplest spells, merely watched as Remus scourgified the floor and banished the furniture up against the walls.

After that they searched the house for anything that might contain the high-quality diamonds they needed. They didn't have to look far. The Potters were, after all, a moderately wealthy family and the dresser in the master bedroom contained a wealth of jewelry. They finally decided on a pair of earrings that each held a plethora of small diamonds. There were certainly higher quality pieces in the collection, but neither Harry nor Remus wanted to destroy a family heirloom on their risky venture. Removing their booty to their makeshift lab, Remus quickly removed a handful of the gems from their settings while Harry went in search for materials to use as bracing in their contraption.

Harry knew from experience that there was a storeroom in the barn that had all manner of scraps of lumber and metal used to make repairs around the grounds. Sifting through the dust covered scraps, Harry found some lengths of wood that would suit their purposes. The composition of the material was unimportant. It would only serve as a support to hold the diamonds in the required positions. With some difficulty, he managed to drag them up to the Manor and upstairs into the ballroom. When he arrived, panting and sweaty, he noticed that Remus had conjured a stand for one of the diamonds and had enlarged the stone to many times its previous size. It now was the size of a hen's egg. It was tapered on one end and flat and faceted on the other. Harry thought it rather looked like a top that he and Tippy used to play with when he was younger. Remus had set the glittering gem on the stand and started casting spells at it, stopping every so often to scribble in a notebook.

"What are you doing now?" Harry asked.

"What? Oh, yes," Remus replied. "Well, to create the desired effect, the diamonds need to be identical in size, shape and quality or as near as we can manage. I'm just casting some measuring spells on them. There are a few differences, but not enough to matter. The real question is in their placement. The capacity of each gem must be measured to the upmost degree. Once we have that figured, we'll be able to calculate their placement. I'm going to charge each of them to capacity and then we'll try and measure the amount of magic they can hold as well as their discharge rate. Newton's calculations contain an arithmantical formula for their placement. We just input the proper variables and we should get a solution."

Harry walked over to him. Remus was obviously in his element. Harry had only the vaguest notion of what Remus was talking about. He had studied only the basics of Arithmancy. He could do simple calculations, but little more. He was, however, eager to learn more from this obviously educated man.

"So, how do we charge them?" Harry asked.

"Well, there are several ways. Wizards who have greater control of their magic can simply push their magic outward through their wand and get the proper effect. But, I've never been able to gain that kind of control. The other way I know is to place your wand on the stone and say the incantation expecto magicus. Either way works." He replied.

"Can I watch you do one?" Harry asked with a hint of excitement in his voice.

"Of course! I was just waiting for you to get back so that I could start. It will take a couple of days to do all of them, in any case. It can be pretty exhausting expelling your magic like that."

Remus approached the stone and placed his wand against the flattened face. He looked up at Harry. "Just give the word." He said.

"The word!" Harry laughed.

Rolling his eyes, Remus took a deep and steadying breath. "Expecto Magicus!" he intoned.

As soon as the words left his mouth, a soft glow emanated from his wand tip. Shortly , the gem itself began to glow with a pale blue light that gradually grew in intensity. This lasted for a full minute before Remus released the spell, his shoulders slumped in fatigue. Harry was too mesmerized by the diamond to notice. In the course of a minute it had transformed from a soft glow to a radiant near-white. Harry squinted his eyes and studied it. Suddenly, like a switch was thrown, his vision shifted into mage-sight.

The diamond was even more brilliant under the Sight. It swirled and pulsated in ever changing colors. First green, then yellow and red and some colors Harry couldn't even recognize. It was beautiful. Without knowing, Harry approached the gem. Before Remus could raise an objection, he placed his hands on it. It was slightly warm to the touch and Harry thought he could feel it vibrating faintly against his fingertips. The longer he looked at it, the more he felt drawn into its glowing depths. He felt a connection, not so much with the diamond, but with the raw magic it contained. Something about it answered a question that he had never asked or even conceived. Whatever it was that drew him, it was interrupted when Harry felt a firm hand on his shoulder.

"Harry? Are you alright?" Remus asked with concern.

"What? Oh. Yeah, I'm fine." He mumbled. "Looks like it worked."

"Yes," Remus replied. "Took a fair bit out of me though. I'm knackered. Won't be able to repeat that for some time. What say we go scrounge up some food."

"Sounds good. Lugging those great, bloody beams up two flights of stairs nearly did me in."

"Lead on, Macduff!" Remus said, sketching an elaborate bow. Harry rolled his eyes and lead the way downstairs.