A/N: I'm sorry this is late, but I didn't know what to put in it. I still don't. It's not a filler; it's got important information, but it's lacking in the length department. I feel bad for not updating. But I'm getting to work on the next chapter right now. And I have a break coming up. So. Yeah.
The Scribe's Resurrection
Part Three: Chapter Twenty-FourMinistry of Magic
Saturday, July 8, 1989
"Selena, is that you?"
"Oh, hi, Damocles!"
"I haven't seen you in forever. How are you?" Damocles Belby forced himself not to look surprised at Selena's appearance. But a lot of people were going to be looking at Selena this way; many hadn't seen her for five years or more.
"I'm fine. How's your wife and that potion?"
"My wife's fine. We're expecting our third child in August."
"Really?"
"Yeah. Pregnant werewolves are something to reckon with."
Damocles, in a bout of pride and happiness, pulled out several pictures of waving children and a woman with a very round tummy. And then he frowned.
"But the potion's awful."
"Really?"
"Yes. I just can't seem to get it right. I've tried ginger in varying amounts, different bases of the aconite, but I can't get it."
"What about belladonna?"
"Belladonna?"
"Yeah. Nightshade. It's got a lot of atropine in it. I bet it's got a more isolated form of atropine to counter the aconite."
"True. I didn't think of that. I'll try it."
"Well, I've got to get home, Damocles, but it was really nice seeing you. Tell your wife and kids I say hi."
"Nice seeing you too." They said their goodbyes, and Selena moved on.
The Black Residence
Sunday, July 9, 1989Alrescha Polaris Black was growing to be a very interesting child.
She had her biological mother's voice, very smooth and authoritative, yet delicate when singing scales; she had her biological father's ability to hoodwink and work in secrecy. She had her Uncle Sirius' giant grey eyes, which were always playfully distant and twinkling, and his knack for marauding and knowing things one shouldn't. She definitely had the Black family demeanor: carelessly beautiful, disarming smile, and charming speech.
Yet there was one thing about her that proved to be, time and time again, distinctly Selena. And that thing was her personality. Alrescha was raised by her surrogate mother, and of course, would always be a miniature Selena Riviera.
Strange, Alrescha was only nine.
"Mum, he's here," she said, scrambling to answer the door. "Mum, hurry up!"
"I'm coming, sheesh." Sometimes Selena thought Alrescha was just like Sirius. But Selena didn't realize that the part of Alrescha that was Sirius came from Selena.
"Hi, Uncle Remus!" Alrescha opened the door and called out into the morning sun.
"Hello!" Remus stepped in. "I haven't seen you in ages!"
They embraced each other.
"Mum's being late. She keeps triple-checking everything."
"Hmm. How is she, by the way?"
"She looks normal to me."
"Remus!" Selena came from the kitchen; Remus gasped and pursed his lips. Then he compelled himself to smile.
"Selena," he calmly said. They hugged. "You look-"
"Gaunt, apparently." Selena had lost a lot of weight; her face had grown strangely pale; her body looked emaciated and unhealthy. But Remus could still feel her warmth, smell her spearmint skin, and see her fiery eyes. They hadn't seen each other since Alrescha had started primary school.
"Different, is what I was going to say."
"Oh. Well, I guess we look the same now. Gaunt, defeated, and thin." Selena's nose twitched. "Do you smoke, Remus?"
"On and off…" Selena opened her mouth to protest. "So, you're moving."
"Ish."
"When did Dumbledore offer you the job, anyway?"
"Actually, the first time it was before I was an Unspeakable. The second time was after Frank and Alice… You know. And third, last month."
"I think the title suits you. Selena Riviera: Master Spellcaster."
"You sound like Alrescha."
"She's moving with you?"
"Yes. Dumbledore said she'd be welcome to stay in Hogwarts with me." Selena was starting a new chapter of her life as Spellmaking Professor.
"You must be, what, the youngest professor there? Twenty-nine years old?"
"I guess. Snape's older by a couple months. But I'm not the youngest to be accepted as a professor."
"Oh. Well, I'm here to help."
"Thank you. I missed you."
"Missed you too."
"Alrescha, make sure you have everything, okay?"
"But I already-"
"Check again."
"Fine." Alrescha sighed and flitted away.
"She's not going to be Alrescha Black for a while. Dumbledore thought it'd be best if we both used my maiden name."
"Understandable." Remus decided not to bring up the new taboo subject- Sirius Orion Black.
"You smoke, Remus? I don't think I like you smoking."
"Hmph."
"Messes up the way you smell." Selena sighed. "Oh, what happened to us? They tell me it is life, but I cannot help but think it is destiny."
"Aren't they the same?"
"Oh, most definitely not." She looked out the window. "I can't bear to be in this house." Remus stiffened, but tried to think of how the emaciated woman was feeling. He wondered how much she had cried.
Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry, Seventh Floor
September 1989Selena chewed the inside of her lip. She could hardly remember a time being nervous, but here it was.
"Mum."
"Yes."
"What am I to do all day?" Alrescha whined.
"I don't know. What do you want to do?"
"Can I sit in class and be your assistant? I can wear those fabulous clothes the muggle magic assistants wear." Selena sniggered. Oh, Sirius, can you hear your child?
"Um, no, but you can sit in class."
"Bugger." Alrescha paused. "Can I go to the library?" Selena squinted her eyes at the girl. She knew exactly what she was going to do. She had the House of Black running through her veins. Troublemaker.
"Don't you dare bother Madame Pince. If I even hear you were bad, you are confined to this area, you hear me?"
"Yes, Mum." Alrescha skipped away just as Selena's first class entered. Back to chewing the inside of her lip.
"Watch, watch this." A sixth-year Hufflepuff beckoned for her friends' attention. The two looked. The girl's hair turned bright orange with flecks of blood red. Very impressive, Selena thought, a Metamorphmagus.
A light buzz was in the air, but it soon died down when they saw the look on their professor's face. Selena was leaning on the podium for support; the silver-topped walking stick hovered at her side.
"Good morning," Selena said quietly. "I am Professor Selena Riviera."
"Good morning," some murmured. Selena removed her wand from behind her ear and tapped the board. The title of the class and her name appeared.
"This is Spell Making. Please, put away your quills, but keep your books on your desks." Professor Selena smiled a little as her eyes grazed the room. "This class is not hard. It just requires memorization and willpower. I am sure you are all capable of earning a wonderful E at the end of this course. I have a bit of a speech. And then afterwards you can ask questions about the course.
"First: This is the study of Spell Making, and in here we will test spells. Outside of this class, you may not use the spells you concoct in here unless I give you a stamp of approval. Again, using spells you have just made up outside of this room is not allowed.
Second: I know that in other classes you will be studying nonverbal spells, but in this class, for this year, you will always, always say your spells. I do not care what we are doing, I do not care what frivolous thing it is. If it is dark in class and you need a light, I want you to say the incantation aloud. It is very important that you do so.
Third: This class can be quite dangerous sometimes. Maybe a spell will go wrong and suddenly your ears will be on your toes. Do not panic; I will rectify the problem. Fear is not allowed in this classroom. If you are afraid, the spells you use will lack force and power, and they could backfire.
Fourth: If any of you have any problems with your wands, I suggest you tell me immediately. If it snaps, if it is having an offish day, I do not care. You do not want to know the terrible things that can go wrong with a wand. Also, if your wand does have something wrong with it, do not use someone else's.
Lastly: If you don't understand something, please ask me. I need you to ask. Alright. I'm finished."
Hands shot up.
"You there, young man in the third row. Name?"
"Mr. Grey."
"Hello, dear."
"Well, I was wondering what a stamp of approval was for a spell."
"Ah. I got my certification to be a Master Spellcaster some ten years ago. If I deem it so, a spell can be certified by me. I've got a special quill that certifies spells you make by the Board of Spell Masters- if they are well done."
"Wicked." She could see the gears turning in some of their heads.
"How old are you!?" A voice asked. Selena did not know who it was at first.
"Ah, Mr. Ames. Don't try to do things anonymously- I know things." Selena took her cane and hobbled from behind the podium. "I am twenty-nine. I was in Gryffindor, just like you, Mr. Ames. Played on the Quidditch team too. Beater."
"Awesome. What did you do after you left school?"
"Unspeakable."
"Bloody hell." "Really?" "Wow." Selena nodded.
"What happened to your leg?"
"Miss Romilly, right?"
"Yes."
"Well, see, I was flying my broom at home one day, and I lived in a community of mostly muggles, but we had a lot of wooded land, so I'd fly through the trees, you know… Well, some muggle boys saw me and shot me down."
"With what?"
"Guns."
"My grandpa works in the Ministry for Magic, and he's had to confiscate them when they're bewitched. They shoot little pellets of metal at the speed of a snitch, I swear."
"Mhm," Selena nodded. "They shot me down from the sky- and get this- I was taken to a Muggle hospital."
"NO!"
"Yep. They healed me wrong, and the Healers at St. Mungo's couldn't fix it."
"That sucks something awful."
"Yeah, well."
Hogwarts
Nighttime, Sometime In Winter"This is stupid, I don't get to do anything around here," Alrescha muttered. Her mother was in bed; Alrescha was supposed to be doing the same thing. But Hogwarts was still a mystery, and Alrescha had been daydreaming for hours, wondering what was behind every door waiting for her to discover. It was a simple, simple equation. Finishing "housework" for her mother early plus boredom plus a vast imagination plus her mother's watchful eye plus a curiosity equaled the itch to walk around the school at night. Because daytime held nothing. Nothing ever, ever happens in the day, when everyone's in class with the light shining everywhere. Darkness is better.
"I'm leaving. Oi, Panache, what're you doing?" Twinkles had died some years ago on her tenth birthday. Now Panache, Dash, and Flash followed Alrescha around. Effie always hovered around Selena.
"Shwee. Shwoo, shwee."
"Yeah, well, if you get me caught I'll kill you."
"Shoom."
Alrescha danced down a staircase, heading to the kitchens to find some food. She ran into someone.
"Oi!"
"Shh, Fred, keep your voice down."
"Whoa, twins," Alrescha murmured.
"Who're you?" One asked.
"I'm Alrescha Riviera-Black. I'm Professor Riviera's daughter."
"Oh. Well, I'm Fred. This handsome bloke is George." Two boys, no older than her, with fiery red hair introduced themselves.
"Pleasure to meet you. And why are you up?"
"Boredom. I'm trying to find the kitchens." Alrescha looked at them for a hint as to where she was supposed to go.
"Exactly where we're going, mate. Want to accompany us?"
"Sure."
The three headed down into Hogwarts' kitchen and began searching for food.
"Oh, wow, never seen so much food in my life," said Fred. They began loading up plates.
"What house are you in?"
"I'm only nine," the girl explained. "My mum didn't wanna leave me at home by myself. Headmaster Dumbledore made special arrangements for me to come."
"That's cool. So you pretty much live here and don't go to classes. Wish we could do that. So much more time to do things."
"So much more time to explore this castle. How often you walk around at night?"
"Well, this is my second time. I'm afraid of getting caught by that awful Filch bloke."
"He's a right mess, isn't he?"
"Nastiest git I've ever met."
"How often do you two come around?"
"Pretty much every night. Except for when we're studying or whatever."
"How d'you manage that?"
"This." George took something out of his sweatshirt pocket.
"Parchment?" Alrescha inspected it. "Really old parchment?" Fred put his hand up. Alrescha stood silently over it while the twins jabbed their wands at it.
"I solemnly swear I am up to no good." As they said this together, Alrescha's eyes narrowed. She'd heard this phrase in a bedtime story, from some years before. Her mother had called it something- but Alrescha put this in the back of her mind. Ink had begun to appear.
"Blimey, that's us!" She peered over the map, inspecting the little dots.
"And there's Filch." George pointed to a corner far from the kitchens.
"Bloody hell. Where'd you get this? And who made it?"
"Nicked it from Filch's cupboard."
"Thank Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs." Alrescha could've sworn she'd heard her mother say those names before. Another name was on the tip of her tongue. Quick- Quicksilver? She pursed her lips.
"Something wrong?" George asked.
"No. Nothing's wrong. What's it called?"
"The Marauders' Map." Definitely heard it already. And to wipe it away, one had to say-
"Mischief managed," said Fred. "Well, that's how we've been getting around."
"Brilliant invention, yeah? I expect Moony. Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs are going to be our idols by the time we've learned all its secrets."
"Yeah."
Hogwarts, Spellmaking Classroom
A Week Before Finals"Alright. Recap. I'm pretty sure you've already taken notes on this, but I want to make sure we're prepared for the final exam. Alright. Let's start at the basics. As we all know, there are three things one needs to perform a spell. Can anyone tell me what they are?" Hands shot into the air.
"Mr. Grey. I haven't heard from you lately."
"Well, you need a properly working wand." His contribution wrote itself on the board.
"Yes. Five points to Slytherin. Another? Mr. Kirby."
"A spell with the correct inflection and pronunciation."
"Exactly. Thank you. Five points to Ravenclaw. Don't forget the flourish or wave that goes along with the spell. And last one? Miss Tonks." Selena smiled every time she called on Nymphadora Tonks. She was Selena's most diligent student, not to mention a cousin.
"The intent behind the spell."
"Very nice. The most important thing, as we all know. The willpower. Five points to Hufflepuff. Before You-Know-Who went away… I can recall a Death Eater who hesitated when performing the Cruciatus Curse. Nothing happened. Some spells require a lot of will in order for them to take place. Specifically the ones that harm another person or protect you from harm. This is why using defense spells can be tricky. They're best learned and performed you're using them in the moment need." Selena looked at the clock.
"Ah. Well. Time is over. Remember to look over your notes. For homework I'd like an eleven inch essay on the theory surrounding the nonverbal spell. Why is it that you can use a nonverbal spell to begin with? We are replacing the spell with something else. Tell me what that is and why it is important. See you tomorrow." Selena looked down at the papers on her podium, shuffling through them.
"Professor?"
"Miss Tonks."
"I've got a question."
"I can probably answer it."
"I want to be an Auror."
"Good for you! That's a field we'll need within the next ten years, believe me."
"Thanks, um, I was wondering if you could help me? Sometimes my spells tend to do weird things, and I've heard it's easier if you've got a professor helping you who knows things. I mean, you were an Unspeakable. That's right up there with Auror in the Ministry."
"You want me to sponsor you, is that it?"
"Yes." She blushed lightly. "I mean, my parents think I can do it, but they can't really help because they don't have that kind of magical training."
"I can help you." Her eyes lit up.
"Oh thanks Professor!"
"Time's running out though. Come back to me when you come back from the summer holidays. You should write down a list of concerns and such. And I'll talk to my Auror friend to ask him what the test is like."
"Okay. Sure."
"You should go- you don't want to be late." Nymphadora Tonks left the classroom, her hair turning a fierce pink.
Selena frowned slightly. Absentmindedly, she reached for a shelf and brought down her journal and its quill. She had a few minutes to write.
"I'm worried I may not be doing the right thing, teaching here at Hogwarts. So many people around, so many young lives to touch. But I need to be here, I feel. The wheels are in motion, and I've got to watch. I must. Maybe give them a little push if they get stuck in the mud. Dumbledore requests that I be here for a while. However, I do not think I will ever leave my post as professor of spellmaking. Sincerely-"
Selena Riviera signed her name and sat down to grade papers.