Chapitre 29: Harry Potter : Chapter 29: Committed to Change III
The singularly tall student had taken the habit of disappearing for hours on end during the weekends, suspiciously matching the sortings into Hogsmeade of Tom Riddle.
But since Hagrid hadn't been seen into the village, there had been no reason to investigate, even if he tended to appear to class with heavy bags under his eyes more often than not.
...
Albus distractedly stroked his beard, letting his thoughts move lightning quick among his considerations.
Horace had proven himself well suited to interacting with those two, if only because he offered the discussions about esoteric or advanced branches of magic that both Tom and Rubeus appeared so eager to learn.
Since he came to Hogwarts, Riddle had completely abandoned his previous misbeaviours, likely judging it a wonderful exchange for the opportunity of learning magic.
Albus took yet another turn, nearing his office, when he came into hearing of one of his favourite students: "... hink you had to be here."
"Why wouldn't we?" another voice, a male's, laughed as an answer: "Your research is sound! I want to assist so we can celebrate properly!"
"Indeed." a third voice added, making Albus' step falter minutely.
It would happen to anyone, if those that were occupying his most recent thougts were suddenly in eavesdropping range.
"Well..." Miss. McGonagall's voice faltered in the empty corridor that led to Albus' office, "... thank you."
"And he also wants to see if his theory is sound, using you as a Trojan Horse to ask his questions." Riddle's tone was amused, if controlled.
"I'm just curious to see if my method could work better!"
"And you couldn't ask Professor Slughorn?" Miss. McGonagall's voice had turned curt at the hasty defence of Mr. Hagrid, who seemed unconcerned about the dangers of annoying a witch.
Especially one as talented as young Minerva. Albus felt his lips twitch as he imagined the upset face of his student.
With that thought in mind, the Head of Gryffindor House blinked in surprise at the exchange he just heard, and once his eyes landed on the three he had been hearing, he almost stopped walking completely.
Waiting on a wooden bench right in front of his office's door, was the unreasonably tall form of Mr. Hagrid, his Slytherin tie loosened and his white shirt sleeves rolled up just shy of his elbows, showing the slightly tanned colour of his skin.
Tom Riddle was standing with his full uniform by the windows, his sharp features kissed by the sun even as he kept himself partially turned towards Minerva, the third and last member of the small group.
Miss McGonagall, very much like Tom, was the image of propriety, wearing even her witch's hat while she stood right besides Albus' office.
As soon as Albus' eyes landed on her, she noticed him, and immediatey straightened herself, minutely checking for non-existent imperfections in her attire before smiling primly at the Transfiguration Professor.
"Professor Dumbledore, sir!"
"Good afternoon."
"...'fessor..."
The trio of mismatched greetings came in a chorus composed of an eager voice, a carefully respectful second, and a genuinely amicable, if deeper third.
"Well, good afternoon." the Transfiguration Professor strode forward with raised eyebrows, "What might you be doing here in this sunny day, hm?"
"Well..." Miss. McGonagall took a small step forward, her eyes meeting briefly the two Slytherin students before returning to the tall profesor's form.
"if it's not a problem, and if you have time..."
"She's ready to become an animagus." Hagrid's voice cut in, stopping her from going forward, "And it would be better to have a master on the craft on hand before taking the plunge, so to speak."
"Rubeus!" Minerva hissed in his direction while Riddle seemed to be smothering a grin under the palm of his own hand.
"What?" Hagrid shrugged while rolling his eyes: "You were going to take hours to ask, and since you want to respect the law, might as well do it quickly."
"She was being respectful and polite." Riddle earned himself a flat gaze from the unusually tall Slytherin, which seemed to say 'your point?'.
Albus chuckeld at the dynamic, it was an endearing exchange, and one that did wonders for the grim turn that his thoughts had taken.
"Is it true? You've researched how to become an Animagus? It's extremely complex, even more so considering your age, Miss. McGonagall."
The witch, still galring daggers at her tallest companion, simply offered to Albus a thick roll of parchment and a potion vial, one that had been painted black as to hide the contents from the inquiring eyes outside.
"My research and the potion I've brewed."
Albus carefully took both before gesturing to his office: "Well, I'll ask you a few things and we'll test the potion, if all is in order, I don't see why I shouldn't be able to make time to assist you in this fantastic endeavour."
The four mages made their way into the office rather quickly, and Albus twitched his wand without really thinking about it, conjuring a trio of comfortable armchairs in front of his desk, on which he delicatedly placed the potion he had been given.
Once they were all seated, the Transfiguration Professor unrolled the parchment containing his student's research, his blue eyes quickly scanning the document, finding it rather well done, if only from a presentation's Point of View.
"Since the secondary components of the potions are mostly to keep the mixture from poisoning you, and to tie together the Changing Principles, I'd say we focus on the main ingredients, and once I'm satisfied you know what you're walking into, we'll check the potion itself."
The teacher spoke idly, his eyes darting on his three students before returning to the parchment in his hands.
"Well, the chrysalis of a Death's-Head Hawk Moth's purpose is rather straightforward..."
"Yes, professor!" Miss. McGonagall smiled egerly, "The crysalis is the centre of the potion, it symbolizes metamorphosys, and the..."
Albus nodded minutely as she explained her understanding of the process, of how the times of this particular breed of Moth were ideal to symbolize Change, given their strict relationship with the moon.
The extraordinary professor felt his lips peel back in a smile when he was told that to keep a Mandrake Leaf in the mouth for a month, Mr. Hagrid had suggested a sticking charm to the underside of Minerva's tongue.
It was a good thing that the Gryffindor witch had the sense of doing the charm herself, another's will interacting witha piece of the potion would have had disastrous consequences.
"For the dew taken from a plant untouched by human hand, I avoided keeping the plant under a glass bell, because the 'never touched by human' actually is related to the Meaning of Pure Wilderness, and I thought that while the letter of the procedure would have been followed, the spirit of it would have been completely shredded."
Miss. McGonagall explained, with her two Slytherin friend inching minutely forward on their seats.
"It was indeed the correct choice, Miss. McGonagall." Albus praised her, not bothering with witholding a chuckle when Rubeus turned an expecting hand towards young Tom, who pursed his lips in distaste, only to place a Black King chesspiece into the large hand of the younger Slytherin.
"Oh?" the Transfiguration Professor mused, "I fear that your procedure has been the reason for a betting spree."
"Ugh, don't I know it." the Gryffindor wich sighed, briefly pinching the base of her nose, only to quickly return to her explanation of the process.
She eagerly explained how the Crystal Phial that contained the potion had never been exposed to light in order to keep the assimilating process Hidden, because the exact nature of the change had to happen away from the eyes of man.
"I did the necessary spell every dusk and every dawn, to armonize myself with the potion while exploiting the nature of the change from Night to Day and from Day to night." Minerva explained, her eyes pointing straight in front of herself, as if she was actually reading her own research,
"They're moments of transition after all."
Once Albus was satisfied that indeed the young witch understood every part of the process, and thusly was perfectly aware of the inherent risks, he nodded thoughtfully, his awareness gently spreading over the balck vial on his desk, his touch far too passive and light to interact in any way with the potion.
"And why must the potion be taken during a Lightning Storm?" he finally asked.
"It ties together the whole process." Minerva nodded to herself, likely expecting the question.
"The storm is Wild, and yet controlled, since the only expression of nature happens through Lightning, which is extremely focused power. And it is also chaotic, with the thunders and winds and whatnot.
So it has a dual expression of itself, exactly how the Animagus is attempting to have. Controlled and Chaotic, Human and Animal."
Albus was about to ease Minerva's worry by confirming that he would help her with the last part of the process, when Rubeus cautiously raised his hand: "Could the same be achieved by using the eye of a cyclone?"
"And what would be the uncontrolled part of the cyclone?" Albus asked with a raised eyebrow, "Only the edges of the wind funnel. It is true that the eye of the cyclone is absolutely calm, and likely representing order in your mind, but the cyclone itself is a circle, something that doesn't lack a well defined shape."
At the frown on the unreasonably tall Slytherin student, Albus added: "Do not mistake chaos for violence, Mr. Hagrid."
"So even a hurrcane wouldn't work."
"Indeed it would not." Albus nodded, a faint smile blossoming on his lips as he saw Riddle extend his hand towards Rubeus, who returned the Black King.
"Don't be smug, Tom." Hagrid grumbled as he haded back the chesspiece.
"And portkeying to a location too far from where the ingredients had been taken would be disarmonious with the rest of the potion, likely ruining the whole process." Minerva added her two cents in, eager to return to the main purpose of the meeting.
"A very correct assumption, Miss. McGonagall," Albus nodded with a wider smile appearing on his lips.
"I don't see any reason to stop you from going forward in this venture: luckily, I have a friend on the isle of Mann who's been busy in the last years with the study of the weather, and there will be a lightning storm a few nights from now, I'd be very honoured by the chance of being your escort."
While Rubeus hollered in joy, Tom smiled faintly at the success of the witch, and Minerva eagerly thanked her head of House, whose mind was overjoyed by the interaction among the three students in front of him.
Mhhh, maybe I'll become an animagus myself. Albus considered distractedly, his exceptional mind going over both the discussion he just had, and the notes he had perused while he questioned Miss. McGonagall about her understanding of the process.
He had never seen the usefulness of the process himself, having many better ways to hide in plain sight when it was necessary, but seeing the overjoyed faces of his three students made him reconsider, for a brief moment, the possibility.
He had never bothered because it was a process of doubtful usefulness, all the while being very time consuming.
Then his mind returned to a particular section of the meeting: '...since you want to respect the law...'. The blue eyes of the Transfiguration Professor turned briefly over the large form of Rubeus Hagrid, carefully reconsidering what he knew of the young man.
He didn't seem malicious, not at all, simply... unconcerned by the law. And if on one hand it was a good thing that the young Slytherin managed to break through Tom's shell, on the other there was the unavoidable risk that they would both go gallivanting, uncaring of the limitations ut in place by the governmants.
Oh, Albus agreed that many laws were too restrictive for wizards of a certain calibre, but many others were necessary for the safety of everyone. How will they know which laws to ignore and which to follow?
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État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone