AN at the end of the chapter
Book II
Small Gods
Chapter 1
Reality Is What We Make Of It
"III"
May 16, 1997
"We connect to the magic — or dark energy — that is inherent in the world around us. This is the sole trait that separates us from Muggles. Our connection to magic is subconscious, a part of our homeostatic impulse — our involuntary processes. As witches and wizards, we need to maintain a connection with magic to remain healthy.
"One misconception that is quite common these days, is the concept of a 'magical core'. It is currently in fashion among the blood supremacists as propaganda for their 'diluting magic' theories.
"Wizards do not have a magical core and neither, quite obviously, do muggles lack one, since there isn't one to lack in the first place. Magic doesn't come from inside a wizard, magic is constant and unchanging; and, as we have previously established, it is external.
"We, that is to say wizardkind, merely act as a channel. The difference between wizards and muggles, lies in our nervous system."
"So, when Professor Babbling told me that my magic was still growing at the age of 12, she was just mistaken?" Ginny asks.
"Yes. It still is quite a common misconception. General Magic Studies has been continuously kept apart from the accepted curriculum, thus many people are unaware of the true nature of how we are tied to magic. The board of governors maintains a strict hold on the curriculum taught here at Hogwarts...
"Moving on — we must first categorize the energies of magic: as we have it in its natural form — dark energy. This is its basic form throughout the universe. It is a polar force acting against normal matter and energy.
"We then have it in our interaction with it. As we engage with the dark energy and submit it to our will, it causes an action, or reaction, based on our intentions. This first takes the form of potential energy. Potential energy is the energy of position, or stored energy.
"And finally we have magic in its actionable stage — or what happens after we cast a spell, charge a rune, etcetera. This takes on different forms of kinetic energy. Particularly, but not limited to, either radiant, thermal, or electrical energies.
"I'd like to come back to the concept of energies in a later lesson, but now, before we move back to our nervous system, do you have any questions Ginevra?"
"I don't really understand… In purely muggle concepts, dark energy converts to normal energy when wizards interact with it?"
"Ah, excellent question my dear. The short answer is no, no it doesn't. Dark energy acts as the force whose actions we perceive as normal energy in terms of the reactions it causes. Let us use a very basic example — say, when you cast a levitation charm on a feather. When you see the feather moving about, you are observing motion energy. However! There is no physical object moving the feather. It is the caster's will engaging with magic that causes the feather to move. Dark energy acts as the link between the caster and their intended action.
"The muggle's have another concept. That all possibilities — every potential thing that will happen, could happen, or has happened — exist simultaneously until forced to assume a single possibility through observation. As wizards, we are able to force a singular potential through our observation. Now let us not be confused by the term, observation. In this case, observation means our force of will. By the sole means of we wish something to be so, we make it so.
"Does this make sense?"
"I think so…" Ginny replies, "So observing something, doesn't mean literally looking at something?"
"No. The best way to break down the concept is to think of this way: If something is required to be, it will be. If our universe's natural physics require this desk," he says, as he raps against the top of his desk, "to be solid, it will be solid. In this case, the observation is not done by you or I, but by the natural limitations of our world. However, that does not mean in some other plane, this desk is not solid, that you or I could not just walk right through it."
With a wave of his wand, Dumbledore stands, and walks directly through the desk. "As wizards, we are able to force that reality into ours."
"III"
March 21, 2008
The room is overflowing with the hum of conversation. It's Friday evening and the bar is crowded with office execs and government officials. They're all sitting and standing around deep leather De Sede sofas, holding whiskeys, discussing the topics of the day. The walnut wood of the paneling gleams in the low light. Slow jazz fills up the rest of the space in the room.
Ginny lounges on the leather brown sofa, taking a careful sip of her drink. To everyone watching, she is the picture of casual elegance. She is wearing a black Le Smoking jacket over a sheer white lace vest and high waisted black trousers. She has an arm across the back of the couch, and one leg crossed, a red sole glinting from the bottom of black boot stilettos.
"Ya know, you're a hard one to track down."
"I asked you to meet me here," Ginny retorts dryly, "I couldn't have been that hard to find."
The man sitting down across from her gives her an unamused glance. "Look, let's just get this over with," he says, "I'm not sure why you wanted to meet here anyways, it's far posher from the places we usually meet at."
"I have more than information for you this time Gareth," she replies shortly, "this room is important."
He glances around appraisingly. "Who exactly we here for then? Let's hear it."
Ginny doesn't like Gareth, but he's been a necessary contact for her over the years. A squib who was unwilling to let his lot in life be determined by the blood supremacy ingrained in so much of the wizarding culture, he had left for the muggle world. His stint in the RAF has made him a man with use. And that she can't ignore.
"That there," she says, pointing, "is Admiral Ruthbert Fields. He's a liar. Bring him to Botley Road. I'll meet up with him there."
"Wouldn't you be better suited? Ya know, looking like that an' all?" He gestures up and down.
She purses her lips, "Just do it, Gareth."
He rolls his eyes and pushes off of the sofa with a huff.
Ginny sighs into her martini as he slips into the crowd. He'd better not fuck this up.
At least he knows how to blend in with the crowd. He came dressed appropriately for the lounge, and quickly disappears among all the other blue blazers.
She is so fully distracted watching Gareth disappear that she doesn't even notice Harry until he sits down right next to her. So close that the couch tilts her towards him under his weight.
"So, who's the hot date?" He asks, smirking. He too is wearing a navy suit, but it's tailored and has light pinstripes. It fit perfectly over a snug woolen navy turtleneck.
Ginny stares at him for a moment. She's not used to this kind of Harry. At Hogwarts he was always slightly nervous around her. Almost timid.
"What" she replies a little loudly. She shakes her head a bit, "what are you doing here?" At least that was a normal level of speaking now.
He's still smirking at her. Stop smirking!
"Ah I had a hot date, but it didn't work out. She left, just like yours did."
"Gareth is NOT a hot date. He's not even hot!" Now she sounds shrill! She's better than this. She takes a slow breath, "Gareth is just an old coworker, we happened to run into each other. That's all."
"Are you sure though? You're dressed like a date"
She rolls her eyes. "I'm dressed, for the location."
"Ah. I see," he says, sipping on his drink, his eyes still sparkling in mirth. "So just over a month ago you rose from the dead, we yanked a guy out of your head, and then I haven't seen or heard from you since! Beginning to worry you died again."
She huffs. "I've been busy," she says shortly
"Mm, I can see that. A lot of coworkers to run into in fancy bars."
She doesn't respond to that. Instead she takes the last sip of her martini.
Harry flags down a passing waiter. "A soda and lime, and a martini, for the lady?" He looks at her questioningly.
She nods to the waiter, "Stoli, dry, lots of olives please."
The waiter inclines his head politely and glides through the crowd with practiced ease.
She watches him go.
Harry clears his throat next to her, his eyes darting to hers. "I have a table upstairs still if you want to stay for a while?"
Why's he nervous now? He runs his hand through his hair in rushed motion. She looks at him, and nods slowly.
His grin is bright. "Great! C'mon." He bounds off the sofa and she follows, still feeling a bit lost at his sudden appearance.
"III"
"You don't drink?" She asks once the waiter has brought them their drinks. The table is actually a booth in the upstairs dining room. The cushions a light rose velvet, a brass lamp hangs low on the wall, casting a warm glow across their faces. The setting seems plush and luxurious.
"Ah," he says, looking away in something like discomfort. "I do. Just usually only one drink a night."
"Why?" She asks, a bit bluntly.
He looks at her, "I don't like not being in control of my own mind."
It's her turn to look away.
They stay away from the hard subjects after that.
He asks her what her work was with Gareth. She asks how he knows Gareth's name. He squints at her and says she just said it downstairs.
She blushes. "Right."
She asks how his date went. He shrugs and says she was nice but it was a blind set up. A friend of a friend he says. He did it out of decency.
She laughs. "Ah, Harry Potter going on pity dates! Oh how the mighty fall."
And then the banter is back. He replies with something witty and delightfully sarcastic and she quips back, smirking now too.
She slowly feels like she's gaining her footing again. When he sat down next to her it was like worlds colliding, like the edge of a cliff tumbling out from beneath her feet. Why was it so startling to see him here, she keeps on asking herself. But no answers easily appear.
As they're gathering their coats from the maitre'd, much later in the evening than she expected to be out, he says, "don't let it be another month, yeah?"
And she nods, not knowing if that's something she can do for him. He holds her coat out for her so she can slip it on and just in that quick moment, life feels easy; like she has a normal life and just happens to go out to lounges with a friend, with a guy, and he can hold her coat for her. But then they're out the door and he nods at her and they slip off in opposite directions, and she apparates home, alone.
There's a note, pinned to her door, waiting for her as she arrives home. It reads, it's done.
And her life crashes down on her shoulders again. With a sigh, she shoulders her way through the door, ripping the note off as she does.
AN - My life is quite busy at the moment, so I'm not sure how my updating schedule will look. I do have plans for this story so please stick with me as I work my way through it! I hope you all have enjoyed this newest update: The first chapter of Book 2!
Book 2 signifies the growth of a plot that has been hinted at in the first part.
There have been a lot of lovely reviews since I last updated!
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Dusk - thanks for your support and reviews, they're all so lovely! I'm excited that Harry is here now too!
Scrappy8 - you're great, never stop doing what you do.
Mat94 - Thanks for keeping up with the story! And it was never was explicitly stated, but I kind of hinted at it what with her power over the diary instead of vice-versa. And yes, I agree that Egypt is still a possibility what with them winning the lottery and wanting to visit Bill, but I've always taken it as a way for the Weasleys to help out Ginny, get her away for a while. In my mind, if she hadn't gone into the chamber, the money would have been used for more practical things, like new wands for her and Ron.
BV - Wow! Thank you for your review, I appreciate it more than you can know. This is my first time ever writing creatively (besides my start at Stunned) and I love the constructive feedback. I too hope you find that connection you're looking for in this story. Maybe as you reread it, you'll find it lurking somewhere between the lines. I like your idea of where to start for a rewrite, and maybe one day down the road that will happen! But for now, we trudge on.
Thank you for your feedback, I always love to hear from the readers!
Nisha - Wow, I absolutely love this review! I've also been looking for a story like that, so finally I said, heck, I'm just going to write it! I hope this update culls your desperation! Can't have you pining for too long - so I'll try to keep up with this regularly.
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Thank you to each and everyone of you for keeping up with my story, please read, rate, and review!
And until the next update, your friend,
- Upstater -