Runes
"Mr. Potter what are you doing under that loom?" said Professor Babbling.
"Warping err re-warping heddles?" said Harry.
"I'm wondering, more specifically, what gave you the idea to use eight colours on the thirty dent comb, I'm almost certain it's going to bind up into a horrible knot, and you'll only end up wasting material."
"We're keeping careful track," said Harry, "I'm paying for the material."
"How many sashes are you using!"
"All of them," said Ginny, "That's why we need the big loom."
"Alright, but what is the project?"
"New tapestries," said Ginny.
"Tapestries are usually a NEWT or Journey level project, and no one does them anymore because the arithmancy is horrendous and they don't gain anything over cut marble or granite."
"They're prettier," said Harry, "also we figured out how to eliminate four colours from the weaving without also removing them from the artwork."
"Ah, that will be interesting to see, if you don't just jam it up completely using too many sashes on the high dent comb."
(As usual, invoking 'artistic merit' had managed to redirect Professor Babbling away from her obsession with minimising the number of runes used and amount of power required by an inscription.
'Why didn't you substitute this phrase for that phrase? Aren't you solving for least runes?' the answer that would end the discussion fastest was along the lines of, 'Yes, I saw that solution, but this solution is more symmetrical / artistic.')
"I picked mercerised cotton for a reason," said Harry, "It may be shiny, but it is also slick, and easy to weave."
"That won't give the correct look or texture at all."
"Nice customs curtsy to great kings," said Harry.
"What?"
"I said, 'I set the fashion,'" said Harry.
"Well I never!"
So much for arguing artistic merit.
"Professor Babbling, would you like to check our arithmancy?" said Ginny holding out the notebook she'd been dictating from.
Good save, Ginny.
She came over and glanced at it for two minutes, then huffed, "Fine, I'll wait to see how it turns out. How big is it?"
"One yard, by two," said Harry, "four layers."
"What good is four layers? You won't be able to see the inner two?"
"No, but that won't stop the runes from working," said Ginny.
"Oh, of course," she said, "Oh you're making one of those tapestries."
"Yes, ma'am," said Harry.
"Hmm," she said, "well, if it turns out well, I'll have to recommend you to the guild for apprenticeship."
"If I tell you that we worked on the arithmancy together," said Harry, "And we'll probably take turns doing the weaving, and for the other tapestry Ginny will do the warping. Will you write her a recommendation also?"
"Again, If it turns out well," said Professor Babbling.
"Thank you," said Ginny, "I'm sure it will."
"May I see the intended design?"
"Let me bookmark," said Ginny, "Here."
"A crup facing a bulldog, with two cats in between, on a red background; a snake or lizard facing a lion with a terrier in between, on a yellow plain with green scrub; a monkey in a tree, sky behind of course; and next on red again: A golden winged horse facing … white would be pegasi or abraxan, or gold is tulpar or … you've got the wings in back for balance, so … Al Buraq?"
"Maybe, maybe not," said Ginny, "I was trying to draw an astropin."
"Don't remember those."
"Theory is: a blood alchemist was trying to recreate Al Buraq's form, and got several things wrong."
"I take it they never caught on?"
"Something about being really hard to chase down to harness or saddle up," said Ginny.
"It's not like anyone rides zebras either."
"Basically."
"Well drawn, though."
"Thank you."
"Will the legs be done with lifting, or did you manage to solve that into your sash progression?"
"No, we couldn't. The legs will need to be managed by needle lifting. Maybe finger lifting, it will depend on what tension turns out to be required for best sash movement."
She nodded, "Of course."
"We tried a design with the legs upright to simplify the arithmancy but it looked all wrong," said Ginny.
"Yes, I'd imagine that would make Al Buraq unrecognisable. Hum do astropins have telescoping legs also."
"I don't think telescoping is the right description, but yes."
.
...-...
Animagus Seminar
"Alright!" said Professor McGonagall, "My my, we have a big group this year, How many of you are returning from last year for more practice?"
A few hands went up.
"How many of you have attained your form, but are just here for more practice?"
Harry and Parvati raised a hand. They got more than a few looks. Harry did his best to ignore that. The other hand up was a seventh year Hufflepuff that Harry didn't know.
"How many of you have mastered at least one living-to-living transfiguration?"
The rest of Lion's-Keep raised a hand.
"That looks like almost everyone, good, put your hands down, If you haven't mastered at least one living-to-living transfiguration, raise a hand. No one? Miss Abbot, fine, stay after class. That might shave a week off our course. Which leaves more time for practice at the end."
"Last question, how many of you have taken Circe's vision or a similar potion to determine your animal?"
"Everyone, good, how many more than once?"
That made things more mixed, She counted, suggested they might be two sessions ahead of schedule.
"How many took it in the last month?"
Basically no one.
She nodded, "we'll be doing that next week, bring clothes that you don't mind getting dusty."
.
She started her lecture on what the animagus transformation was, and the ways it differed from most other transfiguration. She'd given a summary at the beginning of third year, along with shaping and repairing, but now she went into much more detail, about the processes and techniques involved instead of only the dangers.
Eventually she passed out real rats (rather than the usual conjured mice) and taught them to transfigure them into rabbits.
It was about as hard a spell, as any transfiguration spell Harry had ever learned, and more so than Be Leona, because he didn't know the anatomy of a rat or a rabbit.
Ron on the other hand succeeded shortly after Hermione. (Two tables away, Susan apparently had been first by a long margin, she had merely put her rabbit quietly back in the box and turned to help Hanna.)
.
Harry eventually succeeded with the transformation. After only a few more tries, he also managed to remove it and reapply it. Which he did a third time just to make sure he knew it.
He turned to help the others, but they also were already done, and Hermione was giving him a look, like she wasn't sure she should reprimand him for showing off, or copy him because extra practice was good.
But then McGonagall went back to lecturing.
.
"Potter and Patil, Parvati," said McGonagall as class ended, "I want to speak with each of you before next class, you know where my office hours are posted."
"Yes, Professor."
.
.
.
"Hello, Harry," said Parvati, "fancy meeting you here? Seems our scheduling algorithms match."
Harry nodded, "The first moment that Hermione's schedule didn't have us busy that also was McGonagall's office hours."
Parvati nodded.
Professor McGonagall swept up the stairs from lunch, a small silver sphere hovering along behind her, a swish of her wand unlocked and opened her office door, just in time for her to step through. She put her papers down and waved her wand to direct the silver sphere to her desk where it unfolded back to a platter of nuts and cheeses.
She sank into her chair and stared at them, "Well? Come in and sit down."
They obeyed.
She sat back and crossed her arms, "Well Potter," she said.
"Professor?"
"May I ask where, when, and with whom, you studied the animagus transformation?"
"Um, self study on and off since before third year, some revising together with … Hermione, and the Patils."
McGonagall nodded, "So your first transformation was unsupervised?"
They shook their heads, "There are two animagi among … my adult acquaintances," said Harry, "Both of them were present when I transformed the first time."
McGonagall nodded, and turned to Parvati, "same question?"
"I've been seeing my animagus form in most of my symbol dreams for as long as I can remember, I … his …" she turned to stare at Harry, "He's unregistered?"
"Of course he is," said Harry.
"Why?" said Parvati.
"Because he thinks it's hilarious," Harry shrugged, "you notice I'm not."
"Not unregistered," said Parvati, "Neither am I, what's funny about not registering?"
Harry shrugged.
She shrugged back, then turned back to their professor, "I transformed an hour after I took Circe's Vision the first time, and realised that my animagus form was the same as my symbol vision form. I …"
She looked at Harry and back at McGonagall, "I was assured that my animagus form is so large, and my wand-less un-transfigurationswere sufficiently competent, that the Circe's Vision overdose method would be safe."
McGonagall nodded, "Sirius Black oversaw both of your first transformations?"
Parvati flinched. They both nodded.
McGonagall, pinched the skin between her eyebrows, "should I assume that everyone else in your clique, are small animals?"
"Except Ginny," said Harry, "But she's vaguely convinced that magical creatures of no determined size, that she's never met in real life, isn't a safe thing to try too hard to turn into."
"She's an occamy?"
Harry shook his head, "Astropin or something similar."
McGonagall's eyes widened, "can't be an astropin, they're not a natural animal, they were the product of blood alchemy, … also they're believed extinct."
Harry shrugged, "The first thing she said was Buraq, because of the way her legs worked and where her rear wings sprouted, but after more meditations she says, she has four wings not two, and from the length and mass they seem more natural to use for balance rather than for lift. And she says the balance thing fits both astropin and Buraq, but it is not reported that Al Buraq had four wings."
"Four wings doesn't fit anything," said McGonagall.
"It fits astropin," said Parvati.
"And astropin aren't natural," said McGonagall, "and are extinct. Therefore should not be a pattern available to the sympathetic least distance selection that brings us our shapes. Remind me about buraqs?"
Harry shrugged.
"Al-Buraq was the magical winged horse or horse-shaped angel or whatever she was, that carried the Prophet Mohamed on his grand tour of heaven or whatever," said Parvati, "Ginny was extremely disappointed when she realised that, … umm, she wasn't going to become another of whatever species that was."
McGonagall shrugged, "Abraxans and Tulpar have had a breeding presence across most of the hemisphere for most of recorded history, animagi with their forms are only a little more common than hippogriff and griffins." McGonagall frowned, "from my limited experience, she seems like she'd make an excellent hippogriff, I'll speak to her more about which characteristics she's most sure of," McGonagall scrubbed her temple, "If she's something sufficiently rare and sufficiently large, The 'Circe's Vision overdose method' might be her only choice. Though in that case she should probably take a single dose every other night for two weeks before attempting it. Just to be sure that she has a clear idea in her head, not something half way between the real thing, and her idea of a horse or abraxan."
"Should I tell her that?" said Harry.
"I will," said McGonagall, "I notice that she wasn't at the seminar yesterday. Is she disheartened because she's never met one, or merely disinterested?"
"Maybe both," said Harry.
"She's not disinterested," said Parvati, "she's disappointed about not being the first thing she thought of, and under-confident about her abilities in transfiguration so far."
"I'll talk to her," said McGonagall.
"I can pay for her potions, if that's an issue," said Harry.
McGonagall nodded, "the first three are covered with seminar attendance. Are you willing to cover the rest?"
Harry nodded.
"And I suppose you won't be needing any for yourself."
"True," said Harry, "Unless additional visions will help me pick up the other skills that … I feel I may be missing."
McGonagall shrugged, "we'll get to that in a moment."
She took notes for half a minute, "Now then, Parvati, you've transformed with Circe's Vision, have you also transformed without?"
Parvati nodded, "Several times over the summer, not in the city, just in the country. Um, I could do it wandless by the end of last year."
"Impressive," said McGonagall, "Why are you attending the seminar? What else do you wish to learn?"
Parvati shrugged, "There were … kind of a lot of safety rules in the registration paperwork, and not all of them made sense, I thought it behoved me to attend and hear the real meaning of them, and maybe the reasoning behind them, would be wise."
"Certainly," said McGonagall, "I'm glad you thought to avail yourself of this opportunity."
Parvati nodded.
"Potter, stop giving her that look, safety is not a dirty word."
"It's not that," said Harry, "I've … been reading enough on the topic, I understood everything in the registration forms, I didn't realise she didn't or I'd have either tried to explain, or shown her which books to study."
"Ah," said McGonagall, "So are you attending the seminar with learning goals in mind, or are you only here to support your friends?"
"Both," said Harry.
McGonagall gave one nod, "And what are your learning goals?"
"It might be an arithmancy question actually," he said, "I can transform. People say it's possible so I tried, and I can transform with my clothes, though certain materials seem to cause the transformation to seem more difficult. Or … And I've seen you transform while moving, but so far I have to be still. People hint that it's possible so I tried, and I can transform wandlessly."
She nodded, "Wandless magic is very rare, Mr. Potter. The animagus is already by nature wordless, I wouldn't push yourself too hard on that front."
Harry shrugged, "I think not enough people master the arithmancy of their spells enough to understand how a spell should be shaped different for emerging from anything other than a wand. And I think not enough people practice finding their magic any other time than with the act of drawing a wand. Which seems an easy conclusion to draw from the fact that the most common discipline that people sometimes manage wandlessly is legilimency."
"Hmm," she said, "and are you a Legilimense?"
"No," said Harry.
"But you're aware of the discipline?"
"Professor Snape suggested that occlumency might help me sleep, in spite of two familiars, bickering, hunting, and competing in the back of my head."
"Ah, yes," she said, "I imagine that could be a problem, and does it help?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"And does it help keep legilimency out?"
"I'm not sure," said Harry, "I don't know that I've ever had the chance to try to keep anyone out."
She looked at him oddly.
"I do think it helped me develop the skill of being aware what I was doing with my magic, such that I eventually managed the animagus transformation without a wand."
She nodded.
"Is it possible to do both wandless and transform with my clothes, because … so far my success has been very unreliable. So … I guess I know that it is possible. I'm just not reliable, and I wonder if there's a concentration technique or a difference in arithmancy that I should have changed."
"Alright," she said and sat back, "Most people are content to manage one or the other. The wandless method is rarely taught, mildly more common in those that learn via the Circe's Vision Overdose method, the cynical are known to suggest that the ministry disapproves of any method except the one I teach, because the ability to transform without a wand is one less method for them to control us."
Harry's eyebrows rose.
McGonagall shook her head, "Many methods have been discovered over the centuries. Of course, given the dangers, only the most reliable methods survive to be passed down."
"Makes sense."
"The method that is standard in Europe, which I teach, is the only one believed never to have killed anyone."
Harry nodded.
"The overdose method, if used without careful screening for which animals are big enough or hardy enough to handle the metabolites of the potion, is generally predicted to kill roughly two thirds to four fifths of its practitioners."
Harry held up his hands, "I'm not going to encourage anyone to …"
McGonagall held up her hand.
He stopped.
"The third most common method involves one of several very very horrible rituals that try to induce the transformation via accidental magic. The survivors of those methods are almost universally scarred for life, their creatures are almost always predators and scavengers. That method is generally preferred by dark organisations, often with less intent to achieve the animal forms in question, but to winnow out the conscripts for those willing to kill."
Parvati gripped her holster.
"Ugh," said Harry, and nodded, "I saw references to many animagi having preferred emotional states to make the transformation, but that …"
McGonagall nodded, "I just wanted you to not give more credence to the cynical view, than it warrants."
Harry nodded, "I presume that … just like the Circe's overdose method can be made safe by careful screening. The accidental magic version could also?"
McGonagall shook her head, "perhaps. Or perhaps similar rituals could be custom tailored to each species, or perhaps to each breed within each species, for those species with breeds of well known temperament. But again that method is generally used to winnow, not to edify, the dead were unwanted anyway."
"Winnow predator animagi from the regular mage population?" said Harry, "Or winnow muggleborns from muggles in a society that doesn't track accidental magic from birth?"
McGonagall raised an eyebrow fractionally as if he'd just said the blindingly obvious.
Harry shivered, and held Parvati's elbow.
"The death eaters didn't do that?"
McGonagall shook her head, "while they claimed to be anti-muggle, and anti-statute, their rhetoric was more predominantly anti-muggleborn. Which is to say, they don't care about what happens beyond the boarders, only they dislike the need to interact with immigrants. The survivors of such a winnowing would not have found a place among their ranks, but might have been an excellent source for our side to recruit from."
"So, I'm taking note that you-know-who is significantly less evil than he could have been?"
McGonagall raised an eyebrow, "'England's most dangerous dark lord ever,' compared to 'Western Europe's worst dark lord since Grindelwald,' are both titles he earned. 'The world's worst dark lord'?" McGonagall shook her head, "The world is a big place, Africa alone probably has a worse dark lord every other decade, sometimes two at once. Though, they seem to have gradually been slowing down for most of my lifetime."
"Hmm," said Harry.
"Hopefully we'll all slow down to match Asia and North America before many more centuries."
"Um?" said Harry.
McGonagall shrugged, "This has gotten rather morbid, I meant to inform you that I know what I'm teaching and what I am not teaching you, and that I have reasons behind my methods. I will work to help you attain the skills you've requested, and while I cannot guarantee results, I can guarantee that what I teach first will be the ideal method, and only if that does not help you will I offer any of the less ideal methods."
"Alright," said Harry.
"You're taking arithmancy and runes."
Harry nodded.
"You are not, to my knowledge on track to take ritual magic."
"I never noticed that in the course offering."
"It's not listed," said McGonagall, "It's not available until sixth year, and only to those who pass astronomy, arithmancy, divination, and potions OWLs with EE or above, and a letter of recommendation from their head of house is required."
She turned to Parvati, "Will I be writing such a letter for you?"
Parvati shrugged, "I have no idea if I'm interested in that."
"Then you are probably not," said McGonagall, she sighed, perhaps with relief.
"How would I decide if I'm interested in that?" said Parvati.
McGonagall rubbed her forehead, "are you expecting to pass all of those courses with EE or above?"
Parvati shrugged, "I mean, I hope to, but … only because I'm always aiming for EE or above."
"Hmm," said McGonagall, "And do you think you would enjoy a subject which requires doing arithmancy on dream symbols and potions ingredients, to determine the optimal time of month and/or year and/or decade, to enact a ritual or brew a one-off potion, to cause a shift in reality or the local texture of magic?"
Parvati sat back and picked up her feet to tuck them under her knees.
She held her right hand above her head and her left hand out vertical above her shoulder.
Harry wasn't sure if she was stretching, because she needed to stretch, or to cover a wince, or because she sometimes danced to help herself think and was trying to give in to that desire without standing up and walking away, or for some other reason.
She put her hands down and opened her eyes, "probably not," she said, "But I'd rather not have to decide before I … see how well I can keep up with the classes I already have."
McGonagall nodded, "we can discuss it after you sit your OWLs, or once you have your results, whichever will make you feel most confident."
"Thank you," said Parvati, "Why did this come up?"
McGonagall glanced a glare at Harry.
"It's … just … usually something I already know about my students before they take the animagus seminar," she said.
"Um," said Harry, "Because the background knowledge helps us understand, or because the academic overachiever status helps you tailor your explanations for maximum efficiency?"
McGonagall shook her head and looked at Parvati.
"Who's the professor?" said Parvati.
"Traditionally those four professors teach it round robin, lately it's just been Professors Sinistra and Vector. Professor Trelawney isn't … strong enough on the arithmancy."
Parvati sighed, nodded, "Um, that makes me vaguely twice as interested."
McGonagall's eyebrows twitched up, then she smiled, "alright then, that will be something for you to look forward to next year."
Parvati relaxed.
McGonagall glared at Harry again.
"What?" said Harry.
McGonagall sighed, "I'm proud of you for ploughing through two years of arithmancy last year. And I'm impressed by what I hear from Professor Dumbledore about your grades in Survey of Magical Law." She seemed to have something else to say, but unwilling to say it.
"Thank you," said Harry.
"May I see your animagus form?"
"Do you want to see it wandless, or keeping my clothes, or for me to attempt both? … Oh, or for me to attempt transforming while in motion?"
McGonagall cleared her throat, "Start with keeping your clothes."
Harry stood, walked to a clear area of floor and transformed.
McGonagall slumped back in her chair, and blinked several times, then sprang up and approached and circled around him at a respectful distance.
"Alright," she said, "that's enough."
Harry shifted back and stood up.
She nodded, "I notice that not only can you keep your clothes, you can keep the braids in your mane."
"Yes, Professor."
She nodded, "and from the way your ears twitch, you can allow your instincts to remain alert, without giving in to your instincts to … shall we say, distrust me behind you."
"You're saying he's a tame lion?" smirked Parvati.
"Not necessarily," said McGonagall, "Harry? Are you a tame lion?"
Harry shrugged, "That's not quite the way I'd put it."
"And how would you put it?" she said.
"'While you are here, Gryffindor will be your family,'" quoted Harry.
McGonagall's mouth dropped open.
"Am I the only one who took longer than three years to disbelieve you?" said Harry.
"No," said McGonagall, "The line is: While you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. If any of the muggleborns would understand if I said 'your Hogwarts house will be something like your clan' I'd say that instead."
"Oh," said Harry.
"And also not be misunderstood by the Irish and Scottish purebloods to the point of having blood feuds in the halls…"
"Merlin," said Harry.
McGonagall nodded, "but never mind that. Yes, thank you for the compliment, Harry, to trust me behind your back. Now then, about those braids."
Harry nodded.
"It looked as if you are keeping them between transformations, not that you're creating them every time you transform."
"That's correct."
"Good," said McGonagall, "There's no reason you shouldn't always be keeping your clothes between transformations also, if there's a discrepancy, it's about the wandlessness not the difficulty of keeping your clothes."
"Alright," said Harry.
"Regarding motion … I'd suggest just practice, look for anywhere with large amounts of reliably soft ground, perhaps in the fencing arena, you're aware of it?"
"Vaguely."
"Do you know how to schedule it for practice time?"
"No."
"Talk to the prefects. Hmm, you may find it easier to work alone, or with a single spotter. Most people do not find extra emotions (such as embarrassment) to be helpful for learning new meditation techniques or postures."
"Fair enough."
"Then again, once you're mostly proficient, you might find fear of future embarrassment to be an excellent motivation to bring your proficiency to 100%. Many gryffindors do."
"Right," said Harry.
"Speaking of," she said, "Do you have any plans to have your braids removed before the week after next, when, barring unforeseen delays, we will be transforming in class?"
"Hadn't thought about it," said Harry, "I'll run the idea by a panel of my stylists."
Parvati chuckled.
McGonagall rolled her eyes, then shrugged, "Do what you think best," she returned to her desk, "I think that is all, if there's nothing else, you may go."
"Um," said Parvati, "I have another question."
"Go on?"
"You mentioned other methods, and that they are … even farther from the ideal."
McGonagall nodded.
"Are lycanthropy or the various maledictions, leftovers from some of the worse ways that were tried."
McGonagall nodded, "exactly, as are Veela, though given the time line, there's reason to believe that many of the others are attempts to reinvent the veela and vampire creation myths, or doomed competition with high-elf magics. But after the maledicti and lycanthropy disasters, most arithmancers looking for a new solution to the old question, try to solve for a single individual, without passing anything on to their offspring or social connections."
"Hmm, alright," said Parvati, "But … kin?"
"Wilderfolk are caused by reasonably straightforward side effects of mundane actions taken by an animagus, they are not inherent in the arithmancy of the magic itself."
"Alright," said Parvati, "Thanks, that was all."
.
"Um," said Harry as they walked back toward Gryffindor Tower, "What are maledictions?"
"A maledictus is like an animagus, in that it's an animal transformation, except: like the talent of a metamorphmagus, it's usually available from birth (or shortly after: some theories imply, 'from the first time seeing the moon'). What differs is that as the mage's power grows, they are forced to spend more and more of the month transformed, until sometimes adults can no longer transform human any more, or only on the night of the new moon."
"Oh," said Harry.
"It's also different from lycanthropy, in that, some at least, can stay human for as long as they want, as long as they can keep out of moonlight. There's stories of them being kept in basements, or wardrobes, or under beds."
"Ugh," said Harry, "Yeah, I know how that can be."
Parvati spun to face him and glared, "How?"
"Hello?" said Harry, "you know me, my first Hogwarts letter was addressed to 'the cupboard under the stairs'."
She blinked.
"You didn't know …" Harry sighed, "I'd rather all Lion's-Keep knew, and no one else."
"Alright," she said, "I'm not telling anyone, you haven't even explained well enough for me to know what to say."
Harry shrugged, "Yeah, don't… I'll tell everyone, if it ever seems useful."
Parvati shrugged, "Yeah, alright."
"My grandma is a snake maledictus," said Parvati, "half her children were parselmouths, and apparently enough of her mum's family were too, that … so far as they were concerned, the only problem it caused was which chores they could assign her. She … was stuck in snake form most of the time by when she was our age."
"Oh," said Harry.
"Yes, that means she had to be home-schooled, and it implies, she's got amazingly powerful magic. She says her brother does too. Mum's is above normal also, though not by nearly as much, I think."
"Alright," said Harry, "Um, no one trapped her in a basement?"
Parvati stopped walking and stared at him, "She'd shut herself up in Grandpa's basement, whenever she wanted to talk to him more than just one day a month."
Harry blinked.
Parvati shook her head, "I'm under the impression that, her Mum's family kept her trapped more by lies and propaganda about 'how terrible all the other people are,' not with actual locks."
"Yeah, that sounds familiar," said Harry, "it's a common human trafficking tactic in some parts of the world."
Parvati shuddered, "Let's talk about something else."
"You want to bet on who gets their animal forms next?"
Parvati chuckled, "Hmm, let me see … ."
...-...
Shortcuts placed
Ron turned the corner to find Harry on a ladder, with Susan bracing it.
"Hi, Harry, Susan, what are you doing?" said Ron.
"Hanging up a tapestry, do you like it?" said Susan.
"How?" said Ron.
"There's this fancy little device called 'picture moulding,' that runs along the top of the wall, and with these hooks we can hang anything up, without using blasting charms on the stone, and then trying to hold a nail in place while casting the repairing charm, you know," said Harry, "and hope the rock shards returning to their proper place will grip the nail, rather than flinging it out of the wall in your face.
"No, I meant, how is there a picture of your and my animagus forms on a tapestry. You haven't even seen my form yet."
"Because Luna and Parvati take divination."
"I take divination," said Ron, "and I'm still surprised."
Harry shrugged and went back to carefully adjusting knots to make the tapestry hang plumb.
"So why are you hanging a tapestry with us on it in the hall?"
"Step between it and the wall, and turn around."
Harry's grin means this was a really cool surprise. Not a malicious surprise like the twins were most prone to come up with.
Ron tried it. The tapestry was not solid on the back, and when his head went through he found himself in a dim corridor almost short enough for him to reach the gauzy cloud of magic on the far side. He stepped in, the floor thumped like wood, so did the walls. He pushed his hand against and through the cloud of magic to feel a stone wall, he pushed harder to feel the wall recede, and stepped down into the gap he knew he'd just opened on the far side, between the tapestry he was inside and the wall. He stepped around and turned to see a familiar painting of fruit overflowing a cornucopia.
The kitchens, an excellent shortcut. … and not just a shortcut to the kitchens but to everything near the kitchens. Most excellent.
Exceeds expectations.
He stepped away from the wall and inspected the tapestry he'd just emerged from behind. A crup with a green cape with silver trim, and a bulldog in a yellow cape with black trim, facing off, with two cats between. The smaller of the cats was Millicent's Cranny, the larger … had silver braid glinting at her sides, as if she also wore a cape to match the green caped crup. But since she was facing, instead of profile, it barely showed … Hmm.
The red background and gold trim hinted that the tapestry was a shortcut to gryffindor tower. Subtle yet artistic use of colour codes.
He stepped behind the tapestry again, it took him only a second to remember that the shortcut was in the back of the tapestry rather than in the stonework, like some of the other secret passageways.
He turned around, stepped into the wood-paved non-existent space, then pushed out the other side, and ducked from behind the first tapestry. Harry was just done climbing down off the ladder to admire his handiwork.
"Wow, this is like a present for my half birthday."
"Actually," said Harry, "It's for Susan's birthday, but it's also for you, or it wouldn't have you on it."
And he was on it. With a red cape with gold trim no less. Just like Harry's lion. Ron raised an eyebrow, If I remember correctly, Susan was a bull dog. He resisted the urge to climb back through for a second look. Instead he said, "Is … Millicent a cat?"
"I think, 'will be someday,' is the operative phrase," said Harry.
"Hmm," said Ron, "Alright," he stood still to watch Harry's progress.
"Oh, um, happy birthday, Susan."
"Thanks, Ron," said Susan.
"And, congratulations on getting to your form already."
"Thank you, Ron," said Susan, "I'm sure you'll get yours soon."
Ron nodded dubiously.
"Um?" said Ron, "So … who is the cruppie?"
"They won't tell me," said Harry.
"Oh," said Ron, "Lovely seers?"
"Basically," said Harry.
Ron noticed the way they were looking down the hall, measuring distances and angles. He looked where they were looking, there was another new tapestry over there.
"Do you want to see the other tapestry?" said Susan.
"Sure," said Ron, "Um, blue for …"
"Ravenclaw," said Susan.
"So are those tiny clouds or demiguise eyes?"
"Demiguise eyes," said Susan, "I'll tell Ginny you recognised them, and without needing to reference Cheshire cats or anything."
Harry grunted annoyance.
"What are Cheshire cats?"
"Cats that grin," said Harry, "and some of them can disappear from tail to head, leaving their grin for last."
"I don't think there are any cats that can turn invisible, unless that's what's so scary about Nundus."
Susan shuddered, "warn a body before bringing up Nundus."
Harry paused, and glanced back and forth between them, "Ron? Did you just make Susan Bones shudder?"
"I guess," said Ron.
"It's not like you haven't done that before, Harry James Potter."
Harry cackled.
Susan poked him just above the hip.
And he winced away … in a good way, not the way he usually winced away from being touched.
Reasons why Susan might need a shortcut to near gryffindor tower, like Ron needed a shortcut to 'near the kitchens.'
Harry's animagus form was on the curtain. And so was a brown ferret, no … a … was that an otter? That was Hermione for sure. Someone lost art points for an otter in the middle of a desert but whatever. Who was Hermione's cruppie!?
"Is it ready to use?"
"We'll only know for sure when someone steps out of it," said Harry.
"Not sure I'd be the first to try it," said Susan, "until I were sure they'd had long enough to get it all hung. What's it like to be inside when it's wrong way up?"
"About what you'd predict," said Harry.
"Maybe I don't like interpreting arithmancy to reality," said Susan, "When it's so much easier to just look at reality and write out the arithmancy for the magic I see."
Harry shrugged, "sounds like I'm going through first."
"I can," said Ron, "If you want?"
"Nah, I'd better," said Harry, and disappeared around, and into the back of the tapestry.
A minute later Ginny squeezed out carrying another step ladder.
"Oh, hi Ginny."
"Hi, Ron! Like our runes project?"
"Yours?"
"Mine and Harry's," she said.
"It's impressive," said Ron.
She grinned, "But have you tried it yet?"
"Only the other one, to the kitchens," he said.
She nodded, "well, they're up now and available to use." Then she picked up Harry's ladder and started walking away. Susan objected that she could do that and started following.
He turned to follow also.
"You should check them both out," said Ginny.
He knew enough to obey that tone of voice.
.
Harry and the Patils were on the other side, admiring how straight they'd gotten the tapestry to hang, also recommending sticking charms to make sure that the hooks didn't fall off the picture moulding from many students pulling out the tapestry to duck behind.
Harry agreed, and ducked back through.
"Did Harry and Ginny really make them?" said Ron.
"Yes," said Parvati, "and I helped them pick out colours that were as close to correct as possible."
"They're amazing," said Ron.
Parvati nodded.
"I've got to go," said Padma, "Don't spend all your time taking shortcuts and neglect to use the time saved to get more revising done."
"Yes, mother," said Parvati.
Padma rolled her eyes, winked, and left.
"Revising is a good idea," yawned Parvati, "Later, Ron." And she ducked behind the tapestry and climbed inside.
Ron waited until there were no more unaccountable swings of fabric from shifts of her weight as she walked through, then he also ducked behind for a two step shortcut most of the way across the castle's seventh floor.
On his way toward the Fat Lady, he found Harry just climbing up onto … what Ron suspected was a third step ladder. It took him only a few seconds to point blank cast sticking charms on the picture moulding hanger hook things.
Harry climbed down and unconjured the ladder.
"Ah," said Ron, "that makes more sense."
"What does?"
"Susan made off with your other ladder like it was valuable, and must be kept, or like it was borrowed, it … didn't make sense."
"Her's was probably transfigured rather than conjured," said Harry, "It was probably a borrowed chair or something."
"Oh," said Ron, "Yeah, That does make sense to return."
"Anyway," said Harry, "Trivia question:"
"Uh oh," said Ron, "What's up?"
"Do you know how to schedule practice time for the fencing arena?"
"Only in theory," said Ron, "Shall we go learn together?"
"Sure," said Harry.
"Sword of Gryffindor?" said Ron.
"Still in Dumbledore's office to my knowledge," said Harry, "I sort of assumed the sorting hat would eat it again while no one is looking. Or however that works."
Ron snorted.
.
"What are you shrimps looking for?" said the huge slytherin they'd just accidentally sneaked up on.
"Oh, Hi Rebekah," said Harry, "We're looking for the fencing arena."
"You found it."
"More precisely," said Ron, "We're looking for the reservation chart."
"Ah," she said, "Ts'over there," she waved across the alcove she was standing in. They went to it and flipped through it to find an empty slot. Each slot had two spaces for instructor names, though most of the reserved time slots only had one, and a bigger blank marked 'students' usually with one to three student names in each. Some time slots had as many as 20 names smushed in.
About a third of the predominantly slytherin looking classes were marked as being taught by 'Rebekah Gamp.' Which was probably the girl's name. At any rate it did match how much time she and Miss Davis could be seen revising near each other, given that they were not in the same year.
"Don't remember either of you being certified to teach swords."
"We're not," said Harry.
"Then you can't practice alone."
"We're not …" said Harry.
She put her hands on her hips, "How much experience do you have? Maybe we can fast track you for the teaching list?"
"I killed a basilisk," said Harry.
"So you're dangerous," said Rebekah Gamp, "can you quote all the safety rules chapter and verse?"
"Err, not for your Kwoon, no," said Harry.
"So … we can't trust you not to kill all your students on your first try."
"I'm not …"
"What?"
"McGonagall certified me to practice my animagus transformation alone or with one spotter, but … ordered me to find somewhere soft to do so. She suggested here."
"Oh!" she said, "Yeah, that makes sense." She shrugged, "I can put myself down as your instructor, and then leave you alone after I lock up all the swords, if you promise not to try to unlock them again."
"I can promise that," said Harry, "for myself, not for my spotter, not sure who that will be yet."
She nodded, "Well, let's see where there's time, and then you can figure out who can spot for you."
"Yield, Yield, I YIELD!" screamed someone from beyond the door.
"Good," chuckled Pansy, "pay up." or … maybe just someone else with exactly the same accent.
"We already laid out, it's all on the table."
"Where?" said not-Pansy, "What are you talking about."
"Sorry, that's my cue, I'll be right back," said Rebekah and vanished into the crowd.
"Um, what?" said Harry.
"There's at least one, maybe several, interlocking betting rings." said Ron.
"That doesn't surprise me in the least."
"That part is fine," nodded Ron, "the bad part is the subgroup that has been extorting double bets."
"By accepting a paid bet, and recording an unpaid bet?" said Harry.
"That's my understanding," said Ron, "The upper year prefects have been working together to try to get to the bottom of it, some of the rest of us have been asked to pull double shifts to cover for them sticking their noses more places."
"Oh, dear," said Harry, "I didn't realise Rebekah is a prefect."
"She's not," said Ron, "But I take it, she takes a very personal interest in what happens here."
"Plausible," said Harry.
...-...
Inquisitor's report
Supper was just about over when someone stood up from the head table, and cleared her throat (at what was almost certainly sonorous-assisted volume.)
When she had about as much attention as she was likely to get she said, "A number of you have requested access to, or copies of, my findings. Anyone can write for complete copies from the Wizarding Examinations Authority's Records Division at your leisure. I will not be reading my full report here, but I will read a summary now, for those interested. No need to stop eating while you listen.
"The following Professors are not currently credentialed, or have had their teaching credentials revoked, and must be replaced immediately: Sybill Trelawney and Cuthbert Binns.
"The following professors are on probation and must re-certify as professors before the start of next term to keep their positions: Professor Rubius Hagrid and Professor Severus Snape.
"The following professors started the term without proper certifications but are commended for gaining their certifications already: Professor Nymphadora Tonks."
"The following heads of house are on probation and must complete training and certify or re-certify by yule to maintain their positions: Professor Minerva McGonagall and Professor Filius Flitwick.
"Thank you for your time, have a good evening."
For most of five minutes, the roar of chatter and speculation rose even higher than it usually was for the start of term feast.
.
In the weeks that followed it became clear how things were going.
The new history teacher was none other than, Griselda Marchbanks. And the new divination teacher was Firenze, a centaur who held an extremely dim view of stairs.
Parvati reported that instead of concentrating on tea-leaves and crystal balls and meditations, he concentrated on astrology and augury, (though he insisted on calling it ornithomancy,) and seemed to teach concepts from both under the same name. Also watching the habits of more kinds of animals than just birds.
Rumours were that he took sixth and seventh year students on hikes through the forbidden forest, but that was extremely difficult to confirm because no one seemed know who was still taking divination after O.W.L.s.
Parvati claimed not to mind the ornithomancy homework, which involved wandering around outside in the afternoons to observe for birds. But she was happy to note that whenever he did discuss dream interpretation, he was … more careful to explain how each step was completed, and constantly reminded them that the symbolic representations one found in dreams varied somewhat from person to person, but varied significantly between cultures, regions, native languages, and especially species, of the dreamer. And the care he took in guiding them through interpreting their own dreams made it significantly easier to pick up the process.
.
It seemed that no one bothered to explain the situation to Trelawney, and she continued teaching her normal fare in her normal location. And a few students still attended with her, or networked with students who did to compare notes.
Lavender Brown for instance claimed she could not learn anything from Firenze, not because he was a centaur but because he lapsed into Greek at inconvenient moments of technical nuance, (and maybe a little because he refused to wear a shirt indoors.)
But she was happy to exchange notes with Parvati, and discuss both lessons for hours, and accompany her on her ornithomancy hikes.
.
In history on the other hand: When Professor Marchbanks told Professor Cuthbert Binns that she was his replacement, he closed his eyes and sighed, "Thank Lugh and Leir," then drifted to the back of the classroom, where he kept silent vigil for a week, to observe how she ran his class. And then quietly vanished.
.
Among other things, Professor Marchbanks gave out a list of 21 books, each marked with a difficulty number from 1 to 7, and a range of the years it covered, and encouraged them to read them all, if they wished to achieve EE on their certification tests, and it was up to them whether they wished to read in chronological order, or by order of difficulty.
A third of the titles were marked as recommended for those wishing to pass the ICW basic certifications instead of, or in addition to, the British ministry tests.
.
On the one hand, everyone who liked using history for unofficial nap time complained about having a replacement teacher. On the other, everyone who liked learning history or liked the idea of everyone else having to learn it, was pleased to have a teacher who could lecture without putting most of her audience to sleep.
The lectures even began to cover things more recent than when Binns died.
Harry couldn't shake the suspicion that Sirius might have pulled strings. Specifically because he was 'appalled' at Harry's lack of understanding that Grindelwald wasn't a bad guy. Or was a bad guy, but had caused instability in such a way that specific kinds of progress had been made.
.
Instability and change going together might be one of the reasons why history swots seemed to always end up talking about wars, even though they didn't really take up that large a fraction of the time of that large a fraction of the population.
It made Harry wonder if his idea that he and Hermione and Padma might be able to push through legal reforms based on logic and ethics alone might not work.
He wanted it to work. Wanted it to work within the priorities of: there should be no need for violence, but there were also glaring problems in the current system, and to neglect to work on them was in some small way condoning them, at least to the extent that anyone had any power to change them, and Harry was one of the people tasked with having that power. So, if it wasn't his responsibility then whose was it?
...-...
{End Chapter 14}