Tuesday July 26th, 1994
True to their agreement, Arcturus Black opened the gates of his estate to Tom Baker and his parents, Andrew and Kim-Joy Baker. Despite being at Sirius' mixed wedding, it still took seeing it to believe that Lord Arcturus Black would open his home to muggles. That said, Melissa made sure to suppress her surprise as the trio made their way from the lawn to the building itself.
"Welcome to my home," Lord Arcturus said smoothly. His hands were clasped behind his back in a way that expressed seriousness, (though Melissa thought it was so no one would try to shake his hand.) For the sake of politeness, she followed his lead, offering a curtsy in lieu of a handshake. The Bakers were thankful unfazed, and returned the greeting without making a move for contact. "I have arranged the parlour for your appointment, if you would follow me."
As they walked, Melissa made small talk with Mister and Missus Baker. She asked about their jobs, their hobbies, how they felt about Tom's schooling, etcetera. They answered easily and Melissa etched their answers to memory. Knowing about your clients' personalities is a major factor of name divining, she read. That, plus their hopes and dreams for the babe will have an impact on how the child will be. Nature vs Nurture, and all that. Well, Nature and Nurture; she wanted to do this experiment with an open mind and that meant balancing out the science of personality with the gift of magic.
Hey, if she's going to have Arcturus Black shadowing her for a job opportunity, she might as well give this whole thing an honest shot!
On reaching the parlour, Tom got a chair ready for his mother, allowing the heavily pregnant woman to join them comfortably for some tea. After taking their first sips, Kim-Joy asked, "So how will this work? My dad says that, in his culture, people wait until after the baby is born and use astrology to pick a name."
"That is one way," Melissa agreed. "English seers have three well-used methods, one of them being astrology. I have a stronger affinity for numerology and tarot, so I will be using that method. We'll start by using a five card spread that will give an overview of the baby's life."
"Why five cards?" Andrew asked curiously. "Do they all have specific meanings?"
"That's exactly right," she answered with a smile. "There will be the Main card, that's an overview of her life. Then there will be a card each for Love, Career and Money, Health, and her Home Life. Seeing these cards together will help me find a… theme, if you will, to look out for. I'll then use this book," she tapped on a book called Onomasiological Names, Arranged on her side of the table, "to get a chart of the best names to fit that theme. Once I have that list, I'll plot out ideal numbers to seek out for the numerology spell, and then perform the spell."
"And numerology is…?"
"Think of it like Myers-Briggs, except every letter of a name has a number, and the full name is added together to result in a number that signifies a personality type. …There are five additions to consider. The Destiny, Active, Hereditary, Soul, and Personality numbers." She described the purpose of each category at length before continuing. "So once I know which numbers best fit with the tarot reading, I check which names have matching numbers - or as close to those numbers as possible. Sometimes one name will be the obvious best choice, but if you're lucky there will be a few ideal choices, so you still have legroom to pick a favourite."
The muggles mulled over the explanation, nodding and humming with intrigue as they considered the full process. Heh. No wonder Tom's in Ravenclaw.
"Will you have to do this for a middle name, too?" Kim-Joy asked. "Or will you be picking two names from the list, with one being better for a first name?"
"Ah," Melissa bit her lips bashfully. "If it's alright with you… how do you feel about the middle name Rose?"
"Rose?"
"Why Rose?"
"Well…" She looked over at Tom briefly before answering. "Back when Tom asked me about your offer, I sort of got a vibe that you would want Rose or Christopher as a middle name to compliment Tom's name."
They looked at each other, then back to her in confusion. Though it was Tom who asked the next question, "Does this have to do with what you said about 'the next regeneration'?"
Her hands rolled haphazardly. "Technically, for the sake of timing…" the hands dropped, "yes."
A look was shared among the Bakers, and all three snickered at the inside joke. From the corner of her eye, she found Lord Arcturus regarding her with a curious look.
"Well who are we to argue against Time?" Andrew teased.
"Especially for a jelly baby," Kim-Joy agreed with an eye waggle. "Alright then, Rose it is."
"Perfect!" Melissa said with a small sigh of relief. This will make the reading far easier; and result in a partial guaranteed success, at the very least. "Alright, if you're all ready, we'll begin."
They began with Kim-Joy shuffling the deck. The mother-to-be was asked to think about her hopes for the child as she shuffled, and to only stop once it 'felt right'. When that moment occurred, she handed the deck back to Melissa. Moving automatically, Melissa flipped a card at the top, then four cards in a row underneath the first.
Two more cards followed.
The Bakers and Lord Arcturus watched in confusion as Melissa divided the row apart and layered the two new cards half onto each other just below the first card.
"What are you doing?" Tom asked.
"I don't know," Melissa murmured. "They just wanted to come along. That happens, sometimes."
And, weirdly, there was enough of a pattern that she could see why.
"Her main card is The Star: symbolic of hope, faith, and bright prospects. It's also representative of the blending the past and present, and an awareness of two worlds. No surprises there, considering your family is situated between the magical and non-magical worlds. That duality is being enforced by these extra cards." She pointed at the sixth and seventh cards. "Both The Lovers and the Two of Swords share an emphasis on duality. The first in love and trust, and the second in the precariousness of balance and the choices one has to make the best of that balance. I haven't looked at the others yet, but I have a feeling your daughter will be the type to seek a 'marriage' of the modern and magical worlds for her life.
"Hmph. Her love card is the One of Cups. That also fits the Lovers card in her having a happy and fulfilling love life. It also wouldn't surprise me if she becomes a mother. A card like this indicates her having several children.
"...Interesting. The Devil for her career and money card."
"Isn't that a bad thing?" Andrew asked.
Melissa gave a peculiar smile. "That depends on your morality, actually." She gave a soundless laugh. "In the case of finances, The Devil more strongly hints at greed, and possibly taking advantage of others in order to succeed. True, it could mean that bad influences will try to sway her, but ultimately a card like this suggests that she'd do well in a job that uses underhanded tactics, like a politician, a businesswoman, or a lawyer."
They looked somewhat bewildered by the casual statement. The muggles even seemed somewhat amused by it, though a throaty cough from Lord Arcturus made her duck her head in embarrassment.
Right. Don't actively insult the host.
"Six of Wands for her health card is good news overall," she said quickly, keeping her eyes on the cards. She paused, giving her enough time to realize that that card isn't really good at translating to 'health', but she had to make it work. "It's a card of great expectations, so it's safe to say she'll live a long, healthy life.
"Lastly, we have the Nine of Cups for her home life. She'll want for nothing, and have an enjoyable and fulfilling life." She actively avoided the words "satisfaction" and "sensual pleasures" in the reading; because, honestly, what parent (or older brother) wants to hear that?
"Overall, it looks to me like she will be blessed with a healthy, loving, and successful life. Her success in life will be… morally grey, with the option to pick the lesser of two evils to achieve her goals. That said, with your guidance she'll get on the best path for herself and be clever enough to find a way to balance the modern and magical aspects of her life. That's not everyone's cup of tea, or even something many can succeed at; but she'll be one of the lucky few born with the right drive and opportunities to pull it off."
With the reading finished, she looked up to regard the Bakers. All three were looking at her with rapt awe. Even Lord Arcturus, from her periphery, was regarding her with thoughtful intensity. No one said anything, even after it was clear that she had finished the tarot portion of the appointment. It was starting to make her nervous.
"Right," she said with a nervous cough. Her left hand fumbled towards the book. "All of that considered, our best options will be to look at names that herald wealth and success." She checked the index and flipped towards the section of names fitting exactly that section. "Question, how do you feel about unconventional name spellings?"
They looked at each other with a shrug before Kim-Joy said, "We can take a look at those, too."
"Okay, good. Let's work with that." Oddly there weren't a lot of options for names of wealth and success. …Then again, sexism is a thing. Still, she can work with what they've got. She wrote out an arithmancy query that fulfilled the ideal and mid-tier numerological numbers, linked it with the book's list of names, and had the list work into the missing variable of '? Rose Baker.'
"Alright, folks, let's see what the numbers bring." She tapped the query and then the book with her wand as she spoke the spell, "Optimum numerum nominis revelare!"
With a final flick, magic burst from the query. It shot to the book, lighting the names with magic; and all watched in wonder as the magic arced back to the query parchment. A list of names and numbers assembled below the query. The group craned their heads closer as the list grew. It appeared almost like a spreadsheet, yet the order of names didn't appear in any logical order to the Baker family. When the spell finished, Melissa looked thoughtfully over the results.
After some time analyzing the list she announced, "Looking at these results, I'd say that you have two optimal choices and a decent third option. Tyche, Tallula, and Jessie."
"Taichi?"
"Tie-Key," Lord Arcturus said loudly. The group turned to the man, finding him wearing a haughty expression. "Tyche," said again as Tie-key, "is the Greek goddess of good fortune. A perfectly respectable name for a witch destined to have a happy and successful life."
"Makes sense," Melissa murmured. She caught the Baker's dubious expressions, and spoke before they could say anything to insult their host. "Plus there's still Tallula. Though I have to emphasize that that's Tallula with three Ls and no H. Tallulah with an H had a really bad result, so you'll wanna be careful to emphasize the spelling. If not- there's always Jessie. The soul number was more of a hit or miss, but the rest of it looks good, so it's an acceptable option."
Kim-Joy furrowed her brow. "What does its soul number symbolise?"
"It's a 9, which is good for someone with a love of life or wants to learn, but it's better suited to someone more patient, introverted, and generous - which doesn't really match her career card."
"What about the other two?" Andrew asked.
She glanced back at the numbers before answering. "Well they have the same Destiny and Active numbers - a person seen as special who wants to unlock the mysteries of life. The rest is different, with Tallula being someone who engages with the public, like in politics, yet has a mysterious vibe to her. Meanwhile Tyche is good for some with a special talent with a drive to excel, and is seen as wise."
Andrew narrowed his eyes. "So, when you think about it, Tallula would better match that Devil stuff, while Tyche would fit having that 'balance of modern and magical' to be successful. Do I have that right?"
Huh. That's a good point. "That's about right. -but, again, it's not like you have to pick a name today. How about this; I'll write out everything I got from this reading, and you two deliberate on a choice before she's born? You still have a few weeks to decide, right?"
"That's fine with us," Kim-Joy answered. "This is a lot to think about. Thank you for your time."
Melissa smiled brilliantly. "It was my pleasure. Your little girl has a great future ahead of her. No doubt she'll be as wonderful as your son."
Said boy ducked his head with a blush and a shy smile. His parents, too, smiled kindly at her words. They talked amongst themselves as Melissa wrote out the results of her tarot and numerology readings on a few sheets of a muggle notebook. Then, when it was complete, she exchanged the sheets for a lovely cheque that would go straight to her bank account!
After the Baker family was escorted out of the estate, Lord Arcturus approached the girl as she cleaned up her cards and books. "I must say, that was an impressive performance. I can see how you achieved the top marks of your class."
"Thank you, sir," Melissa said demurely. Okay, that's weird. Arcturus Black just complimented me! Me! "Is it weird to say that I enjoyed myself? Going through the numbers and puzzling out a name is a lot more fun than I figured it would be."
"Hmm. I suppose for a seer with a sharp mind, that does make for a… fun form of divination. Certainly better than prophesying tragedies and divining over the mundane woes of life."
"Mhmm. That's for sure." She finished putting everything in her bag then clasped her hands on the table. "Based on how today went, what have you decided about your… client?"
"I believe," he said slowly, "that a name divining from you is exactly what my client needs."
She nodded wordlessly. With a small, nervous gulp, she straightened her back and offered the man a tight smile. "Then consider me at your service, Lord Black."
Author's Commentary: This chapter blossomed an enjoyment of doing name divining (because, yes, I actually did the tarot reading and numerology when writing this chapter). My family thinks I should make a job out of doing them for expectant mothers. What do you all think?