12:44pm
Saul Croaker had a thing about time. Well, he actually had several things about time, as he wore two wrist watches, carried a pocket watch, and had a little sundial on a cord for emergency purposes, but at the moment he was more concerned with other people's consideration of his time. In other words, Smith was late. Again.
After checking the big Ministry clock - now reading 12:43 - Saul rolled up a sleeve, comparing the two watches. One was a sleek modern thing that showed the astronomical time by way of a model solar system, something that was incredibly accurate, if not very practical. The other was a Christmas gift with little swords for hands that shouted on the hour. It was less precise, but infinitely more practical. As it was, it seemed the Magical Maintenance Department still refused to acknowledge that the Ministry clock was two minutes and forty-two seconds off. He made a mental note to write his weekly complaint about that fact.
Saul's fingers tapped restlessly on his arm. The Ministry cafe wafted the smell of burnt coffee and pre-packaged pastries. He supposed it was supposed to be enticing. It mostly made his stomach roil.
A witch in a large sunhat and purple skirt suit crossed the atrium floor carrying a stack of folders. She waved at a man in a kilt, who Saul recognized from the muggle liaison office, and promptly dropped her folders. Papers spilled across the floor, small currents of air buffeting them further. One fluttered over towards the cafe, sliding next to where Saul sat. He caught a glimpse of the words muggle baiting and something like a list of names.
Looking exasperated, Sunhat pulled out her wand and flicked it, causing the papers to soar back into her arms. The paper by Saul's chair fluttered away last, landing neatly on top of the stack.
A tray slid onto the table in front of Saul, soon followed by a wizard in the empty seat across from him.
"Do you think," said Smith, finally arriving, "that's what muggles actually wear?"
Jebidiah Smith was tall, blonde, and handsome in an aristocratic way. He wore fitted robes from expensive materials, and a gold watch he received from the Ministry for "Exceptional Services", though Saul knew that the services had been in relation to organizing a large conference, rather than any actual work in his department, Experimental Spells.
"Tell me, does that watch tell the time, or is it just pretty to look at?" Saul said.
Smith looked confused, "What? It tells the time," he took a sip of coffee from a tiny paper cup.
"You're six and a half minutes late."
"There was a line," Smith shrugged, "I'm here now, aren't I?'
"A lot can happen in six and a half minutes."
"Yeah? Well I guess it didn't, because you're still sitting here waiting for me."
Saul eyed Smith, now taking a bite of a sandwich that looked like it had been sat on.
"It's about respecting -" he began, but Smith waved him silent.
"As a reminder, I'm doing you a favor," he said, spraying crumbs across the table, "you don't get to complain."
Saul frowned, but didn't say anything. Smith took another bite of the sandwich, and washed it down with coffee. Some spilled over the edge of the cup, rolling down the side to pool around the bottom where it made a ring. A minute passed, then two. The sandwich was three quarters gone. Saul's fingers tapped.
Smith sighed, "Now what's wrong?"
"Nothing. I'm being polite and giving you time to eat."
"Oh for fu- just tell me what you wanted," Smith aggressively slammed his coffee cup down again, adding to the ring forming on the table when it sloshed over.
Saul checked his watch. 12:51. He nodded, mostly to himself.
"Three years ago we collaborated on a project, code name Chronospell," he began.
"I remember," Smith said, "The notes from you and Black were so tidy Macmillan nearly hung them on the wall."
"Right. What became of that project? How far did you end up pushing it?"
Smith shrugged, "Worked our way through some obvious categories. Transfiguration, simple charms, jinxes, that sort of thing. I think we had just started on more complex charms when the project was shut down for a lack of funding."
"Did you do protection charms?"
"What, shield charms and the like?" Smith paused, and Saul could almost see the gears turning in his head, "Yeah, I think so. If I remember those were interesting, because we expected them to fade after the time transition - you know, most of the concentration based spells did that - but those didn't. You could cast a shield charm, leave the room, wait an hour, go back in time to cast it again in a different location and end up with two shields"
Saul leaned forward, "Did you try a Patronus?"
Smith frowned, "I don't think so. Like I said, the project got shut down pretty quickly after we moved from the basics."
"Conceptually, do you think it would work the same way?"
"Not sure. It's likely, as the Patronus is in a similar category as a shield charm, but there's the extra semi-sentience factor that comes into play."
"Why would that change things?"
Smith settled back in his chair, getting into the swing of the explanation, "Think about it. One person could, in theory, maintain two separate shield charms at once, right?"
"It would be difficult, but I suppose it's possible."
"But if that same person were to cast a Patronus twice, the first would fade as soon as the second appeared because they require the same aspects to function, and that can't be divided."
"What aspect?"
"Of course, I always forget most people don't know the aspects of spell casting," Smith said rather smugly. He pulled his wand out and drew a glowing triangle in the air.
"In Experimental Spells we break spellcasting down into three main components: will, ability, and concentration," as he spoke each point of the triangle glowed, "Will is how much you want to cast the spell. A half-hearted cast will leave a half-hearted spell. Ability is, of course, can you cast the spell at all - this is why we don't teach first years shield chas, for example. They simply lack the ability. Concentration is how long you can maintain the spell. Every spell cast requires at least one of these aspects, and more complicated spells require multiple aspects."
Saul nodded, "I'm following you."
"A simple charm like lumos," the tip of his wand lit, "only requires the will to cast it. A more complex charm like the shield charm requires all three - you need to want to cast it, you need to be able to cast it, and you need to concentrate on it in order to keep it up. A shield charm taps into those aspects for the duration of the spell, so in theory someone could divide their will and concentration and make two shields. They might be less powerful, but there will be two."
The tip of the wand went out.
"And a Patronus is different how?"
"Semi-sentience. The Patronus is a manifestation of all three aspects of the caster, given a sort of animation. This is why they can act on their own, to a small extent. However, if you were to try and cast it again, you will find you can't divide a manifestation in half without it disappearing. A Patronus requires complete use of a casters' aspects."
"So you don't think a Patronus would work the same way as a shield spell?"
Smith shook his head slowly, "No, I don't - another common way people think about the Patronus is that it is linked with the soul, and therefore there is only one Patronus per soul at a time."
Saul nodded, "That makes sense."
"I wonder though…" Smith trailed off, eyes seeing something in the distance.
Saul let him think. Ideally he'd like to do a few tests, see for himself. He wasn't sure he could get the permission to reopen the experiment by himself, but if he could bring Experimental Spells on board, then Unspeakable Jones would be that much easier to convince.
Smith suddenly refocused his eyes, "Let me talk to Bode," he said, "I think he might have some notes that didn't end up in the official report."
"Let me know," Saul said, "If possible I'd love to run some experiments."
Smith crumpled a napkin, shoving it into the now empty coffee cup, "I'll be in touch," he said.
Saul watched as Smith rose from his chair and disappeared into the flow of people around the elevator. It had been easier than he expected, convincing Smith to reopen the files. Lyra, Saul thought, would be pleased.
Rising from the table, Saul checked his watch for a final time. 1:04. He pulled out a notebook and pen, and scribbled some notes.
12:51pm -1:04pm, conversation on Patronus charms and travel.
The next week was a whirlwind in the castle. Like after Halloween, several of the older students seem tired. Lyra overheard Cedric Diggory emphatically squash a rumor that Sirius Black could apparate in and out of the school grounds due to a deal he made with You-Know-Who. Gemma Farley informed her with a heavy sigh that a second year was repeating a story he heard from a third year that Sirius Black could turn into a pumpkin. Even the Weasley twins seemed more subdued - though perhaps that had more to do with the fact that it was their brother who narrowly escaped being violently murdered.
Still, at least everyone seemed in higher spirits than after Halloween.
"It's just Hogwarts," Lee Jordan told her, when she checked in with him after class on Tuesday, "We're all starting to expect the second term to be a little crazier than the first. Last year there was a giant snake petrifying everyone, and the year before that the Defense professor turned out to have You-Know-Who on the back of his head. What's a mass murderer compared to those?"
While Lyra was happy Jordan seemed to be doing better than before, she wasn't exactly reassured by his words.
"What happened at the end of the last two years?" Lyra asked Charity as they walked back to the school on Saturday. It had been a Hogsmeade weekend, and Charity had made good on her promise to buy Lyra a round at The Three Broomsticks.
"What, the Basilisk and poor Quirinus?" she asked, lacing her arm through Lyra's, "Harry Potter happened."
As if that explained it. It was cold and windy outside, and the grounds were a muddy mess from melting snow. More than once one of them slipped, and by the time they reached the stone steps into the castle, Charity was red-faced and breathing heavily. They came into the Entrance Hall with some relief, just in time to see Remus and Potter himself come up the steps from the dungeons.
"Ohh, Potter," Charity giggled softly, "I wonder what he's done now."
"You're incorrigible," Lyra said, rolling her eyes.
Remus waved at them to wait, and turned back to Potter, speaking soft enough that Lyra couldn't hear him.
"What do you reckon?" she asked, turning to glance at Charity.
Charity's smile had slipped slightly, and she was biting her lip, "Oh - I don't know," she said, before falling quiet.
Remus sent Potter off up the main stairs, and hurried over to them. Close up, Lyra could see he was clutching a piece of parchment.
"Thanks for waiting," Remus said, "Charity, do you mind if I borrow Lyra for a moment? It's rather important, otherwise I would wait."
"Is that what I think it is?" Lyra asked, focusing on the parchment.
Charity huffed, "Of course it's important," she said softly, disentangling her arm from Lyra's, "Fine, Remus, take her."
Something in Charity's voice made Lyra look up at her. Her face was red, her eyes narrowed at - at Remus? Had something happened between them? Lyra looked at Remus, who wore an apologetic smile.
"I would say it won't take long, but I'm not sure how long," he said.
Charity nodded stiffly, then touched Lyra's hand, "I'll see you later, Lyra," she said, "Thanks for lunch."
Lyra shook her head, "No, thank you," she started, but Charity had spun on her heel, and was walking away.
"That was… weird," she said, frowning.
Remus hummed, watching Charity disappear up the marble staircase, then gave another apologetic smile, "Sorry, it really is important - I've got the map," he said.
The strangeness of her fellow professor forgotten, Lyra leaned forward to take a look. The parchment was old, and starting to yellow, with tattered edges that looked almost burnt. More importantly, it was completely blank.
"How does it work?" Lyra asked. The need to run diagnostic spells on it burned hot, and she had to quash the urge to snatch the parchment.
Remus glanced around. Though largely empty still, the entrance hall wasn't private, and a few students milled around, likely waiting on others to return from Hogsmeade.
"Not here - your office, perhaps?"
She nodded, and led the way up the stairs.
As soon as the office door shut behind them, Lyra turned, "Show me," she said, pulling out her wand.
Remus smiles slightly, "Here," he said, passing the parchment over, "See if you can get it to work."
The parchment was folded, and maddeningly blank on both sides. Frowning, Lyra touched the tip of her wand to the paper, muttering a diagnostic spell.
A flash of colors - red, blue, purple - streamed off the connection point. There was the homunculus charm, there a modified protean charm, and there something that Lyra didn't recognize but she suspected was a variant of the labyrinth mapping spell.
"This is a really good bit of magic," she breathed.
Remus seemed somewhat smug, "Well, it's just a map," he said.
"Fascinating, and if I were to…" Lyra trailed off, moving the tip of her wand. Slowly, words started appearing across the page.
Mr. Moony thinks you're quite clever for getting this far, but begs you to leave this parchment where you found it.
Mr. Prongs agrees, and adds that even though you are related to Padfoot, you don't get to peek.
Mr. Wormtail thinks you're quite pretty, but strongly suggests that this is a No Girls Allowed zone.
Mr. Padfoot says to return the parchment or he will put ants in your breakfast cereal.
A smile broke across Lyra's face, "Oh this is too good - when did you say you finished the map, sixth year?"
Remus had colored slightly, but nodded, "Sorry, I'd forgotten we bewitched it to react to other people that weren't Sna- ah, Severus. His were somewhat less… complimentary, as he found out earlier."
She nodded, "Oh I can imagine - a "No girls allowed zone, honestly," she moved her wand again, "So that did that, and this…"
The parchment shook, and then unfolded, revealing yet more words.
Mssrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs are proud to present: The Marauder's Map
Lyra laughed, "Very good," she said, leaning over to take the map in.
Remus looked a bit put out, "You didn't even say anything."
"Sorry," she said, not sorry at all, "Look at the little names - here we are - oh dear."
Two dots in an office on the sixth floor were labeled Remus Lupin and Lyra Black.
Lyra looked up, "Black, not Rosier. I suppose that makes sense, but how likely is it that Potter realized?"
Remus bent down to take a look, and swore softly, "Knowing Harry, could go either way. But if he knows, Ron and Hermione know as well."
She shrugged, "I'm not sure how much it matters, the name was only ever to prevent parents from worrying."
"Still, worth keeping an eye on."
Lyra hummed in agreement, now watching a dot labeled Charity Burbage pace around an office on the fourth floor.
"Did something happen with you and Charity?" She asked, absently.
Remus spluttered, "What?"
"Earlier she looked at you like you put a dungbomb in her office."
Based on the very vivid shade of red Remus was turning, Lyra suspected she was onto something.
"I, er, may have done something I told her I wouldn't?"
"Have you apologized?"
"What?"
Lyra sighed, "Have you apologized? We're thirty, not thirteen, I suspect apologizing might help."
"I haven't exactly had the chance." Remus was staring forcefully down at the map.
"Well, she's in her office, you could go now."
He let out a choking laugh, "I have a feeling she really doesn't want to see me at the moment."
Lyra shrugged, "If you say so," her attention was wandering, now following what looked like a tunnel from somewhere on the grounds to outside the boundaries of the map. A thought occurred to her, "Could we charm it to alert if a name appears?"
Remus seemed eager to change the subject, "The map? We never tried, but it might be worth a shot."
"I don't think it would be hard, just an alert for a name…" she tapped the parchment with her wand, muttering a spell under her breath.
The map glowed slightly, then faded back to normal.
"Won't know if it works until he appears on it, but in theory all I did was link the name to a noise."
"In theory?"
"In practice you never quite know how well an older artifact will react to new spells. I suspect it will be fine, though. It's not that old," she hesitated, "Does it work if you copy it?"
Remus shook his head, "No, we made sure of that. One copy is easier to keep track of."
"I suppose by all rights, it's yours, but would you mind terribly if I kept it for a while?"
A look of guilt flashed across his face, "Er, well…"
Lyra quickly shook her head, "Nevermind, of course you do. Like I said, it's yours."
"You can borrow it, of course, just… not now," he said quickly.
"Of course, Remus, I understand," she flicked her wand over the map again, clearing it, "Here you go."
With a nod, Remus folded up the map and tucked it into a robe pocket, "I don't understand how you're doing that without saying anything - I swear, it took us weeks to decide on the proper wording, and you just bypass it all."
Lyra smiled, tapping her nose knowingly, "Artificer, don't forget."