Chapter 29

Registration

"What does it say, Patience? I am not a Legilmens, you know. Just read the thing to me and slide the jam over. Your house-elf does make these dry."

Patience peered round the long, official looking parchment in her hand to find the jam pot and shoved it towards to her brother before returning to the letter. "There you are and I like them dry. 'Mrs Snape'…still so odd to think that is me really…'after assessing your results from the appointment examination of Saturday last, the Royal Astrocartographic Society is very pleased to offer licensure registration to such an extraordinarily qualified candidate.'"

Luther paused in the midst of spreading a thick layer of gooseberry jam over his muffin to say with a snorting laugh, "Well that was blatant. I should think that their heads are still spinning after seeing you handle an asterothen."

Patience, who rarely received compliments on anything but her looks, flushed deeply as she stared at her brother. "Well they weren't too impressed with my knowledge of theory and I couldn't do a single calculation."

Luther swallowed his bite of muffin and then said in a sneering drawl, "Since the calculations are only for making predictions that you can do as easily as breathe then the calculations are essentially irrelevant."

Patience turned her bright pink face back to the parchment and returned to reading aloud. "The Society would also like to request a further conference with you regarding your membership status with the Society. Since admittance to full membership would require at least a year's study and proof of competency in the traditional three areas of Astrocartography, the Society would like to offer to you an alternative plan of study through an apprenticeship of 18 months after which time you would be offered an associate membership in the Society. A letter detailing this proposed apprenticeship is enclosed. The Society is very pleased to admit such a distinguished young witch to the Licenced Astrocartographer Registration List. You will find a letter of registration enclosed and should receive confirmation of listing from the Ministry of Magic within the week."

Patience dropped the letter on the table and looked across at her brother. Luther wore an expression of extreme distaste as he set down his coffee cup and snarled, "That is the most pompous, egregious…"

Patience interrupted her brother, saying, "Oh, you think so, too? I wondered if I were being unreasonable. The way they worded it was like a slap in the face. They as good as tell me I am too thick to handle full membership studies. They are probably right, but they could have at least tried to be polite. Did they really think that I was supposed to be gratified that they are offering me an apprenticeship where I would work 18 months instead of a year and then I'd only be offered an associate membership?"

Luther reached out his hand to take the letter from the table as he replied, "I think that they are expecting you to be too thrilled, frankly. Of course you will tell them where to stuff their associate membership."

Patience nodded fervently and waved at her brother one of the smaller pieces of parchment, which had been enclosed in the letter. "You know what they are asking me to do for the apprenticeship is to do research?"

"Really?"

"I mean that I would be doing their research on the calibrated asterothen, probably because almost no one ever uses an asterothen properly. Master Rowentree was so slow that I wanted to reach out and take it from him. I know I shouldn't be so arrogant when I'm a useless witch for most everything else and they are full members of the Society, but Luther, seeing someone else making a muddle of something so simple makes me want to scream."

Luther laughed loudly and said, "Good for you, Patience. There is nothing wrong with knowing when you are better than another wizard at something. I spent half my seventh year correcting Quirrell. He was especially useless at predicting nonverbals."

Patience threw aside the parchment describing the proposed apprenticeship and said, "Well you take arrogance into a new dimension, Luther. Everyone knows that you are clever, but you don't much mind reminding them either."

Luther smiled at his sister, entirely unfazed by her criticism. "That is true, but I only do that with wizards or witches whom I do not respect. I find so many people a dead bore and I don't see why I should waste any effort pretending otherwise when most people are either fools or lazy or both."

Patience wrinkled her nose and suggested, "You might try a little tact, Luther."

Luther shrugged and returned to eating his muffin. After several moments, Luther said brusquely, "Let me see the apprenticeship letter?"

Patience passed it to Luther and, when she was sure her brother was not looking, dropped her entire muffin onto the rug for Biter.

"I saw that. Human food isn't healthy for him, Patience. He needs proper Crup food, such as Erumpent hide or rubber strips or even pickled Whargle feet if you want to spoil him."

Patience huffed and Summoned another muffin for herself. "He likes muffin and it keeps him quiet."

"Hmm. Do you know, I think that your precious Society has realised that your skills with the asterothen could help them perform advanced readings for their research. Do you understand what that means?"

"Not really. They want me to do their important readings, but they'll only give me an associate membership?"

Luther pushed the letter back across the table and reached for his coffee cup, saying, "Yes, that is essentially correct. What one can read between the lines, Patience, is that they need you. You can do what none of them can and if they have you on board then they can do far more with their research than now."

"Oh! Are you certain? I just can't imagine being part of any research or doing anything important, Luther. I just wanted to be registered, really, and maybe take on a client or two because I really do love being able to plot and look ahead to the next solar cycle and that sort of thing."

Luther looked appraisingly at his sister, "It is amazing how unlike you that sounds. Is that really what you want, Patience?"

Patience nodded, "I don't want a big career. I would hate it. I don't like doing that sort of thing, you know. I think that if I could spend 10 hours a week looking at my charts and watching the star patterns then I would be quite happy. However, I also want to be able to read Augustina Redwand novels and talk to my friends and when I have the baby I'll want to put most of my time into him or her. I am not like Eva, who relishes the challenges of her work and would hate sitting round at home and letting her housekeeper spend a half-hour on her hair. But I enjoy that, you know?"

Luther seemed slightly distracted as he said, "Yes that sounds more like you, but I never knew you actually liked looking at star patterns. It is a pity that I never read much on the effects of Astronomical forces on nonverbals. Perhaps I will and we shall collaborate." Luther then looked at his sister intently, "Listen, this letter from the Society, it is an offer."

Patience stared at her brother as if he were daft, "Erm, yes."

"Offers can be countered, Patience. They want you, so you have the advantage."

Patience pursed her lips and squinted uneasily at her brother. "I don't know that I'd even want to do any research, Luther. I meant what I said. Ten hours a week is all I would ever want to do. I do not want to spend my life working in an asterodome. If you make a fuss they might not let me be registered."

Luther replied acidly, "They cannot take back your registration without cause. In any case, they wouldn't. They want your skills, Patience. You deserve better than what they are offering you."

Patience was not convinced and she felt quite uneasy about what her brother was proposing. "I do feel as if this is rather an insult, Luther, but I don't think that I'd want to do anything more."

Luther looked with disfavour at the empty bacon platter on the sideboard and said, "Even if being a member would allow you to use the calibrated asterothen?"

Patience looked down at her plate and mumbled, "I don't know."

"Do you want to be allowed to use the better trixulos and quartz rings? They will have the very top equipment, Patience. You won't be able to experience that from home."

Patience sighed and thought how unreal it was that she was even considering asking to become a full member of the RAS. She had never been good enough at anything before and now Luther was suggesting that she could earn her letters. It was as if they were discussing someone other than her. Could she really ever be Eurydice Patience Snape, M.R.A.S. in addition to being a mother at 19 and the wife of a rather enigmatical Death Eater almost twice her age? Patience felt as though she really had enough to be going on with. However, perhaps it could not hurt to let Luther contact the Society on her behalf. "I don't know, Luther. What did you want to do?"

"I intend to write to them, of course, in your name. All you will need to do is sign it."

"Perhaps we could wait until I am sure that I would even want to try for my letters. They cannot just give them to me. I would have to work for them. A working study does make the most sense, although 18 months is nonsensical."

Luther stood up, gathered the pieces of parchment from the table, and then waited beside his sister's chair as she got up and fussed with her thick pink cashmere shawl.

"Are you warm enough?"

Surprised, Patience looked up at her brother and said, "Oh yes, your birthday present is quite perfect—soft enough to use all the time and so much nicer than wearing one's heavier robes. This house must be the draughtiest in Britain."

Discussing her birthday present from Luther quite naturally caused Patience to look down at the new bracelet on her arm. Patience smiled to herself as she walked past her brother, who was holding back the door. She loved the way that her bangle shone in sunlight and how the two varieties of beryl that were set into the gold flickered in the candlelight. She had known immediately when she opened the dark red dragon hide case why her husband had chosen those particular stones, which were meant to protect against evil and malignant curses. Her brother had explained to her the symbolism behind the placement of the stones and their number. Her husband had not given her any explanation in the letter that he had sent with his present, but Patience understood the importance of the gift and had been thrilled by the implication of such thought and care on her husband's part.

"I got a letter from the Ministry requesting another interview about Govan. That means that I shall be in London next Tuesday."

"You don't think that I shall be wanted again, do you?"

Luther allowed his sister to pass him and climbed the stairs behind her, as he responded, "No. If that interview with Snape was not enough to persuade them not to try again, my own information should have sorted that. I told them that you knew less than nothing about Govan, since Govan hated you and you despised him."

Patience gasped, "But I didn't despise him, well…maybe I did, I suppose, but you oughtn't to have said it."

"Why? It is the truth." Luther held open the door to the private sitting room.

"I don't know, but it makes our family look really awful, doesn't it?"

Luther crossed to the gilded edged, daintily carved desk, which had several stacks of books and a pile of scrolled parchments strewn across the light green leather surface, and said carelessly, "Only the truth, Patience."

Luther sat down in the delicate boudoir chair and picked up a large book with a heavy silver lock, which was titled, 'Principles of the Voice: A Phonic Syllabary for Magical Usage'. He placed his finger on the centre of the lock and tapped his wand gently on his thumbnail, causing the lock to open. "In any case, the important thing is that I shall be in London. You have been asking me to take you so that you could look for a wedding present for your friend. I will let you come if you can find a friend to stay with you in a very public place during the time that I will be in the Ministry building; that is unless you wish to wait inside the Ministry."

Patience, who had settled herself comfortably in her favourite chair with her own book: "Primer for the Adult Charms Student," replied, "I will owl Sarah. She might have time to meet me, since she lives in London. Was I supposed to read through the end of Chapter 29?"

Luther nodded his head, already deep into his own subject and uninterested in anything other than his research.