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Alexandra Potter
Chapter Five: Summer Magic
… and so, according to Hague, the history of Britain can be cleanly divided into two epochs: before and after 1689, when the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy was passed. Prior to this event, wizarding and Muggle history are one and the same: wizards publicly practiced their magic, held positions at court, even fought in armies side-by-side with Muggles. "Magical History", therefore - as opposed to history in general - is the study of wizarding societies after 1689. It is now a widely accepted proposition, among wizarding historians, that magical history began in 1689. That is not to say that there are no significant magical events before 1689 - there are indeed many. However, these events are part of a greater web of mixed wizarding and Muggle history, and so cannot be considered pure wizarding history. The modern period will thus be the subject of this book, which should be remembered to be a mere overview. The author encourages the reader to investigate beyond this brief summary, and for this purpose each chapter concludes with a list of worthy volumes for further study.
Alex paused to think, taking the opportunity to stroke Dumbledore. Though it was now August and beautifully sunny outside, she was shut away in her bedroom, reading A History of Magic for the second time. On her first read she'd skimmed the introduction, wanting to get to the good stuff, but she'd noticed, as she read the book, that Muggles were barely mentioned - and when they were, they were dismissed without much consideration.
Take Grindelwald, for example. He had practically masterminded the whole of the Second World War, with both the Nazi and Soviet governments under his control. But in the end, international wizarding forces hadn't shut him down because he was killing millions of Muggles. No. When the war was over, Grindelwald was charged with breaking the Statute of Secrecy.
Returning to the introduction made it explicit. It was simple: wizards weren't interested in Muggles. Even when the history of wizards mixed with Muggles, they weren't interested. It wasn't "pure", so it wasn't magical history.
But Alex thought the idea of wizards openly practicing magic before 1689 was fascinating. She grinned, remembering Vernon's face when she told him that the storm which sank the Spanish Armada had been sent by British wizards, at the behest of Queen Elizabeth. Such nuggets of information about wizards from before the Statute were few and far between in A History of Magic. Alex already wanted to return to Diagon Alley, to find out more.
She was about to return to the book when Petunia's shrill voice sounded from downstairs.
"Dinner!"
Alex noted the page number before carefully putting the book away. Given how much she'd paid for it, she refused to fold the corner of the page, or, even worse, leave the book spread-eagled.
"Alexandra!" - Vernon, that time.
"Coming!" she shouted, and ran downstairs.
Dinner was some kind of barbecued chicken with salad. Alex took her seat at the kitchen table - they never really ate in the dining room, except at Christmas - and helped herself to a generous amount of meat. She scowled at Dudley when she saw he'd taken all the pieces with crispy skin. She knew better than to argue, though. Separating Dudley from his food was like trying to get Vernon to say 'magic'.
"You seen the news, Pet?" said Vernon as he tucked in. He looked excited - like he'd been waiting to ask about it all day.
"Not yet," she replied, taking a delicately small bite and chewing it for ages. Alex heaped a load of chicken and coleslaw onto her fork and shoved it into her mouth. "Manners, Alex. No, Vernon, I was in the garden all day. Do you know, Mrs. Holliday's been-"
"Never mind that now!" said Vernon, glancing quickly at her and Dudley. "Anyway, some Soviet state declared independence from the commies! Everyone's saying the USSR's about to collapse."
"Oh," said Petunia. "How... nice."
"Victory at last!" declared Vernon, with such relish that you'd think he was personally responsible. Privately, Alex wondered if wizards had anything to do with it. She remembered reading about how Grindelwald gained control of Russia after defeating the sorcerer Rasputin.
"Did you know," Alex began, intending to inform Vernon exactly of that fact, "that the Russian revolution was started by-"
"No more!" interrupted Vernon, wagging a chubby finger. "I've had enough of your fairytale rubbish!"
Alex speared a piece of chicken violently. Did Vernon actually not believe what she said, even though he knew magic was real? Or did he just not want to believe it?
Either way, he was stupid.
The rest of dinner passed awkwardly. Dudley, as usual, was just wolfing down as much food as he could. Vernon alternated between glowering at her and struggling to make sure Dudley left enough food for his own seconds. And Petunia filled the silence with gossip about half of Little Whinging.
Eventually Dudley had taken his last bite and Alex got up to leave, intending to return to her reading. But Petunia had other plans.
"It's your turn to wash up today, Alexandra," said Petunia, stacking the plates by the sink. Of course, it was always Alex's turn and never Dudley's. For a moment Alex felt like refusing - she had her own money now. The Dursleys couldn't control her with the offer of pocket money. But she still needed them to drive her to King's Cross.
Perhaps there was another way...
"Of course, Aunt Petunia," said Alex, in the sweetest voice she could manage. "I know just the spell for it."
The Dursleys' reaction was immediate. Petunia squeaked, and spun to face her. Dudley gaped. And Vernon -
"ENOUGH," he roared, standing up. "What have I said about the S-word? Go to your room, now! And you won't be getting your pocket money this week, mark my words!"
Alex fled before she could start laughing. It was just too easy! She wasn't even sure if she could have cast the spell, if Petunia had called her bluff: though she had read her Charms book three times now, she hadn't yet tried a spell - the book was full of warnings about the danger of magic gone wrong.
She opened her door to find that Dumbledore had curled up and gone to sleep on her pillow, enjoying the last of the day's sun. She smiled and sat next to him, running her hands through his fur, telling him all about what had happened in the kitchen. Eventually, however, he got bored of her and wandered out. Alex pouted slightly, but let him go - he'd come back if she called, after all.
She flipped herself around and opened her trunk, which she had put at the foot of her bed. Everything was within easy reach that way. For a few minutes she just looked at all her stuff, stroking the spines of the books, feeling the robes, riffling through her ingredients. But eventually she turned back to the books and pulled out her Transfiguration book. She'd read all of her books at least once, but she found herself always returning to Transfiguration, Charms and Potions. She'd read each of them at least twice - three times for Charms.
She took her wand out of its case and settled back on the bed, flipping to chapter two. The title, "Articulations in Transfiguration", was printed in calligraphic type at the top of the page, and either side of the title a decorative wand was printed.
In the study of Charms, there exist twelve principle wand positions, seventeen secondary positions, fifty-five variants, and twelve varieties of motion. Transfiguration, however, is a far more elegant discipline. Students of Transfiguration need use only seven of the twelve principal positions, none of the secondary positions, sixteen variants, and five motion archetypes. This unity reflects the more advanced state of theoretical knowledge in Transfiguration. The fundamentals of Transfiguration are well understood and the discipline is considered almost complete. By its very nature Charms is a more varied area of study, and as such has not yet lent itself to theoretical unity. Students of Charms will find themselves learning a variety of spell theories and models, some of which are contradictory, and different Charms reflect different aspects of each. Very often a student must learn a large body of new spell theory for a single Charm. In modern Transfiguration, however, one uses a mere handful of spells, each of which can be extended and modified to suit the caster's need, all of which are backed by a single body of spell theory.
The prospective student should not think, however, that this means Transfiguration is easier than Charms. Indeed, many find the opposite to be true. Theoretical unity has been bought at the cost of difficulty: much of the theory underpinning Transfiguration is extremely advanced. Many find true understanding (necessary to achieve complete Transfiguration) to be beyond them. However, most students should, with an appropriate level of commitment, be able to effect a partial Transfiguration.
In order to perform Transfiguration, complete or partial, one must have a good knowledge of the wand positions and motions mentioned above. Though there are fewer than Charms, the theory of each is significantly deeper. If one wishes to perform the best Transfiguration one can, one must do more than be able to replicate the wand motions precisely and accurate, though this is certainly necessary. One must truly understand the significance of each part of the spell: the rules which govern its usage, whence it draws its power, how it combines with the other positions, and how it contributes to the final effect. As this book is an introduction to Transfiguration through the path of inanimate Transfiguration, only those theoretical elements which are relevant to inanimate Transfiguration will be outlined. Articulation theory of Animate Transfiguration is more advanced, and Human Transfiguration and Conjuration more advanced still. These will be covered in later books. Transfiguration Fields are beyond the scope of this series: an excellent introduction to this advanced topic is "Spontaneous Morphosis" by A.L. Terring.
The subject of this chapter, given the importance of understanding of Articulation, is a detailed discussion of each wand position, variant and motion. Full illustrations are provided to aid the reader assume the correct position. However, it is recommended that students do not attempt Transfiguration without appropriate supervision: both to guide learning as no book can, and also to reverse any unfortunate accidents which may occur.
Before we examine the individual wand positions, however, it will be beneficial to cover some general wand handling information for Transfiguration. Articulation in Transfiguration tends to involve a rigid grip; many otherwise competent students who find that their Transfigurations lack power will find that it is because their grip is too loose. Although the spell-complex of Transfiguration is delicate during the formation stage, once cast Transfiguration is some of the most powerful magic around. As such, a rigid grip is needed to propel that power...
Already familiar with this part, Alex skipped forward a few pages to the wand positions themselves. She rested the book on her knees and raised her wand, copying the pictures.
...The first position is the most simple. The wand is held out in front of oneself, with the tip pointing away from the body and towards the spell target. The hilt of the wand should be held between the thumb and third knuckle of the forefinger for precision, with the other three fingers providing stability. There are three variants: closed hand, open hand, and half hand. Half hand may be considered to be the default first position, as it is the most balanced.
The first position is the most common position, and features in almost all spells which take a physical object. The role of the first position is assignment of the spell object. Sometimes this occurs at the start of a spell, or in the middle, but it is most commonly associated with the end of a spell, and often coincides with the finishing of the incantation. The object of the spell derives not from the physical direction of the wand, but from the intent of the caster. A spell must never be cast with confused intent: at the point of the first position, one must be certain of what one wishes to do with the spell, and indeed, that one wishes to use the spell at all. If not, the spell may backfire.
Another source of confused intent can be the physical position of the wand. This is normally not a problem, as the wand will be pointing in the general direction of the object. However, every so often one reads in the paper about some poor soul who tried to cast a spell at a 180 degree angle to the direction of the wand, with uniformly unpleasant results. Casting spells in a contradictory direction to wand direction is an advanced casting technique indeed, and even then only possible with spells without a direct vector (that is, spells that form in a straight line between the subject and the object). Admittedly Transfiguration spells tend to take an indirect vector, but students should nonetheless be extremely careful with not confusing their object intent at this early stage of study.
The position of the elbow and shoulder are important, too. The first position is a lowered-arm position. One should generally use a straight arm, and the arm should never rise above the position of parallel to the ground. A bent elbow can, if used in a certain way, imbue the spell with more power than is wise, and a higher arm position transitions one into the third position, not the first. Both of these casting methods are associated with Dark magic, and are dangerous.
Alex quickly lowered her elbow, looking around nervously, as if the Aurors would burst through her door at any moment. Sitting as she was, it was all too easy to raise the elbow up, especially as she wanted a good look at her own hand. Still, elbow aside, she thought she had the first position down well.
Alex spent the next several hours practicing her wand positions, reading and re-reading the book's advice. Eventually, though, she wanted to try a spell.
She thought she was ready. She'd read the book several times now, and thought she understood a lot of it. She would start with something very simple: a reshaping. The Transversion spell, which affected substance, was a lot more complicated than the Mutation spell.
She looked around her room for something that she could transform, before her eyes landed on a glass. Perfect: should could try to change the shape of the glass. She remembered that glass was one of the easier materials to transform, second only to wood. She grabbed the glass and brought it over to her bed.
Okay, here goes, she thought, trying to contain her excitement. Her first spell! She quashed the feeling down. She had to think the spell through. She was transforming just one object, so she wouldn't need any taps: you used taps if you wanted to combine multiple objects. The first position would be sufficient to give the spell its object. She quickly decided that she wanted to increase complexity, so that meant a jab, not a reeling motion. And a twist would be needed too, to symbolise transformation.
Okay, so, twist from open first to closed first, then jab. All she needed now was the Latinate marker for glass. She rummaged for her Latin book and looked through the appendix. Aha! Vitro.
She was ready. She pointed her wand at the glass, rotating her wrist slowly, thinking about how she wanted the sides of the glass to ripple. Then, when the twist was complete, she gave her wand a firm jab towards the glass, making sure not to bend her elbow, nor to actually touch the glass. "Mutato Vitro!" she said, firmly, and watched with wonder as the glass transformed before her eyes. It was if it had turned liquid for a moment, rearranging itself, before resetting in a new position: instead of straight, the sides of the glass were now wavy. Not quite as wavy as she had thought, and perhaps it was a bit uneven, but still: it had worked!
"Brilliant," Alex whispered, picking up the glass.
She was about to try another when she heard the sound of heavy footsteps running down the hall and bursting into the bathroom. Seconds later came the unmistakable sound of someone throwing up. Alex pulled a face, trying to control her own sudden nausea. Hearing someone throwing up was almost enough to make her want to puke herself.
More footsteps followed, and then she heard Petunia's voice.
"Oh my Diddy-Dumpkins, are you alright?" she said.
"Yeah, mum," he replied, "I'm-"
Whatever he was about to say was replaced with the sound of more vomiting.
"Oh dear! And with Piers' birthday tomorrow too! Oh my poor boy..."
And suddenly, Alex had an idea.
She replaced her Transfiguration book and pulled out Magical Draughts and Potions. She flipped to the back and found what she was looking for: Regurgitation Repression Potion. She read the instructions and ingredients. I can do this.
She found Dudley standing over the toilet in his pyjamas, Petunia at his side, rubbing his back. Alex hadn't realised it was so late - a quick glance out the window made it obvious, though. It was the middle of the night.
"What do you want?" snapped Petunia when she saw Alex.
Alex almost changed her mind about helping them. But she wanted to have a go at a Potion, and this was her chance.
"It's just, I could, you know, make something to help," she said, avoiding the word "potion".
Petunia's eyes narrowed, and it looked like she was about to say no, but she was interrupted by Dudley throwing up again. Alex spun around, not wanting to see. Urgh.
"You can make him better?" asked Petunia quietly. "In time for Piers' party?"
"Yes," said Alex, turning back around. She hoped she could do it right. Dudley was looking rather green.
"What do you think, Dum-Dums?" whispered Petunia, rubbing Dudley's back once more.
"Do it."
Alex grinned and ran off before they could change their minds. She grabbed her potions stuff from her room and hurried downstairs to the kitchen.
"Okay, let's see..." she said to herself. A kitchen wasn't exactly a Potions laboratory as described in her book. She'd have to improvise.
She placed the cauldron on the stove, lowering the stand so it was right above the gas. Then she cleared a space on the side and took out the knives, before flipping the book open to the recipe.
Begin with a solution of a half pint water and three drops of Adder Venom (for more on the roles of venoms in healing potions, see page 135). Bring to a simmer, but do not allow to boil.
Alex measured out a half pint of water using the kitchen measuring jug and poured it into the cauldron, before adding the venom. She flipped on the gas and started preparing the other ingredients while the water heated.
At some point during the brewing, Petunia entered the kitchen and sat at the table. Alex tried to ignore her, as she needed to concentrate: it was harder than she had thought, when she first read it. She thought it would be easy to follow a list of instructions, but it was surprisingly hard getting all the timings right and keeping your eye on everything at once. It didn't help that many ingredients had to be cut fresh, so she couldn't prepare everything in advance.
Eventually, though, all the ingredients were in the pot and it had turned a pale silver, as the book said it should be. Alex sneaked a look at Petunia: her face had gone extremely white, and her hands were gripping the table tightly.
Alex decided not to say anything. She turned back to the potion, and, when the time was right, gave it three last anti-clockwise stirs, turning off the gas immediately after. The colour stayed the same, but with the last stir the Potion thickened, reducing to about half the volume. Alex reached up to a cupboard full of glasses and filled one with the Potion.
"He should drink all of it," she said, putting the glass down in front of Petunia. "And it's going to taste bad."
Petunia stared at the glass for about a minute, saying nothing. Alex shifted nervously. She was about to offer to go and give it to Dudley herself when Petunia snatched it up.
"I expect my kitchen to be clean in thirty minutes," she sniffed, and walked off upstairs.
Alex grinned. She started to clear up nervously, straining her ears for a hint of what was happening upstairs. Any moment she half-expected to hear a scream - while the Potion looked like the book said it should, she really had no idea if it was made correctly. It could turn Dudley into a pig for all she knew.
But no scream came, and when Alex returned upstairs with her equipment the bathroom was empty. Shrugging, she went back to her room to put all her stuff away. It worked, she thought. It must've. It worked!
Alex yawned, and remembered how late it was. Just as she was about to turn off the light, the door opened and Petunia leaned through.
"Don't tell Vernon," she said.
The door closed before Alex could reply.