It was definitely an odd start to the day for Lexy Masters but then again when wasn't it. As of late, everything had been weird is slightly excluding. The others were all involved in some big plan about Umbridge which had fizzled out when she'd tried to get involved. However, that morning was particularly testing, even compared to the others. Firstly, Aubrey managed to walk into exactly seven corners due to being so wrapped up in her thoughts. Apparently, something big was coming but nobody would tell Lexy what. Just when she'd managed to get Aubrey to class safely, the other half of the couple showed up.

"Oh my God, Fred ... I know you're standing there, watching me. Please come out or I'll get George to hex you."

"How did you see me - the hair, it's the hair..." Fred emerged before casually leaning against the wall, "So ... how have you been? I feel like we don't talk as much as we did last year ... then again, I was in your best friend's body ... so yeah, makes sense come to think of it. Anyway - "

"Oh my God, Fred! Can everyone stop being so cryptic especially this early in the morning! My brain gets tired and it's all your fault!" She replied dramatically.

"Yeah because of all the late nights with George - "

"Fred Weasley, no!" She couldn't help but giggle, "But yeah, that's a factor... What do you want?"

"You're probably wondering why I had to catch you alone. I would have got George to do this but he's useless when it comes to you. I'll tell him to do something and he'll be like 'Oh sorry, Fred, I forgot! I was gonna but then we almost shagged' or - "

"OH MY GOD, TO THE POINT, PLEASE, FRED! Talk to George about this, not me!"

"I'm just saying, nice job on that, very few can make my brother un-smart - "

"If you don't get to the point I'll start digging into your lack of sex life with Aubrey and I can get real personal," She narrowed her eyes, "Girls tell each other everything so I suggest we just move on. What were you hiding behind the wall for?"

 This made Fred cringe, "If only I were a sexy book ... okay! Okay! Last week we spotted Saskia walking down to the Forbidden Forest after Astronomy," Fred said, "I was just wondering if there's a schedule for when she goes so me and Aubs can follow her."

Lexy thought about this for a moment before shrugging, "Come to think of it, she doesn't have one really. She sort of just vanishes when Aubrey does  sometimes or after Astronomy, I think so if you wanted Aubrey to go with you, you're out of luck."

"But she has to - "

"Saskia never goes when she knows Aubrey's around. Anyway, she just sort of ups and leaves sometimes and other times she doesn't. There's no planning about it, you've just got to seize the moment," Lexy shrugged, " I thought you'd moved past this a bit - "

"Things have changed, I need to follow her down as soon as possible," Fred replied ominously, back at it with the damn crypticism again.

She sighed, "So I've heard ... well, not really. Nobody tells me a thing anymore. I guess it's damage control, the less people who know, the less danger. Still, you guys all have your own adventures, it would be nice to have one of my own sometime..."

• • •

The day passed by quickly for Aubrey, meaningless hours until tea that evening. Today, Saskia wasn't in the mood to wander down to the Forbidden Forest so Aubrey walked alone. However, this turned out to be a good as it meant she instantly heard the voices emanating from the Umbridge's office. Usually, the office was silent before Aubrey arrived, at least since the first time, yet they were definitely back today. Trying not to make a sound, she leant in, her ear a mere few millimetres away from the door.

" - do you want me to stop talking now? I get told I ramble on and on and nobody cares what I have to say," Umbridge said.

The same faraway voice from before cut in a little before she'd finished, "No, keep talking, I always get tired after these. I just want to listen right now. You don't have to though, I'd just prefer it. It's late and I wouldn't want you to get into trouble - "

"if you want me to stay, then I want to stay as well," At this, Umbridge nervously laughed, "I don't know why you're so nice to me, hardly anyone else is. Most people tell me to be quiet. Is that just me? I don't think anybody would ever tell you to be quiet. When you talk, it's always amazing."

"I'm not so sure about that, Dolly."

"No, it is! You tell amazing stories, create new spells ... it's brilliant, just like everything else you do. Nobody would ever want you to shut up, Gil, not like me."

"You could be brilliant like me too, if you wanted. At least you have a choice to be average if you wanted, I was never given one - " 

Just like last time, curiosity overtook Aubrey the moment she heard Gil's name except this time she didn't even knock, merely bursting in. Her heart was pounding, half expecting to find a Saskia lookalike standing in the middle of the floor. Instead, all she found was a shocked Umbridge looking back at her as a glowing blossoms fell around, disappearing the moment they hit the ground.

Instantly, her expression turned to outrage, "How long were you out there? How much did you hear ... my dear?"

"You were talking to her but she's ... she's not here," Aubrey said.

"Close the door, please," Umbridge said, a strange expression on her face as she sat down, "Do you have no memory of it..." Aubrey shook her head, "Come on, at least take a guess, my dear."

"Um ... some sort of memory spell - "

"Exactly," Umbridge smiled primly, "I knew you knew it although you're a still a little bit far off. The Meminissum charm."

"I've never heard of it..." Aubrey replied, taking a seat, her ears peeled for anything she could link old magic.

"Very few have ... she created it," Umbridge explained, "During one of her more creative episodes, she complained that the pensieve was far too passive and archaic so she worked through the night to make it. She showed it to me a few days later: it conjures up a shimmering image of one figure from the memory, right in front of you as if it's really there. I think she intended it to be used for the purpose of winning petty arguments with Jasper, she didn't want immersion which is why you can only see one person at a time. No surroundings, no conversations as a preventative to ensure you couldn't just live in the past. But she made a mistake..."

She paused momentarily, her fingers tracing the flower blossoms. In the half-light with a soft smile on her face, Aubrey wasn't sure if Umbridge was more or less terrifying than when she was angry. Still, that didn't matter, soon these would be over and she'd never have to talk to Umbridge again

" ... I know our conversations off by heart, reciting them so when she came back, it would be like no time had passed."

"She could create spells?"

"Oh, with ease. What was difficult for some was no hard feat for her. Cyrus was talented but she surpassed even him, especially when the voices began to work with her and not against her."

"... what?" This peaked, Aubrey's attention, "Gil heard voices too?"

"Four times in total but then Jasper made her suppress them," Umbridge's face darkened, "But one came back later, even with the spells yet it was different because... sometimes I heard it too. A soft whisper that used to call her name from time to time until she learnt to work with it - "

"How?" Aubrey was on the edge of her chair, "Would she get it to do things for her? Like she'd ask for something and it would just appear or jump into her hand - "

Umbridge's eyes gleamed, "Exactly like that, my dear. Then they progressed even further, she would talk and it would listen to her. I'd hear them some nights as I guarded her door, just ... talking to it. Of course, their conversations never touched upon any of ours ... we're connected in a way that nobody, least of all, your father could ever, hope to reach. It was them that inspired Gil's passion project - "

"Old magic," Aubrey guessed.

"Use the word ancient, my dear, y - she said it was far more poetic," Umbridge corrected, as her face darkened slightly, "It fascinated her so much that ... so much she had to leave me for it - " Umbridge cut off suddenly but it wasn't down to nerves, her eyes widening, "You knew"

"Huh?"

"Old magic. Don't lie or play ignorant with me, my dear, you guessed that before I'd even said a word," Umbridge leant forward, "How did you know?" before Aubrey could reply, Umbridge continued, "The voices ... you heard them. Don't take it back, you did - "

"I did a bit, last year exactly as you described," Aubrey admitted to which Umbridge's eyes gleamed, "But only for a bit - "

"Dualism," Umbridge cut in suddenly, "Do you remember the word? Did you look into as requested?"

"Er..." Between the random puzzles and revelations, she'd actually forgotten something, "No, I - "

"It was a Cartesian idea that the mind and body are separate and can easily be manipulated."

"I believe that could be possible," Aubrey said firmly, "The mind and body can't be the same, it's stupid to think that they're just one. The mind can exist without its body ... I know that for a fact."

She turned to look at Umbridge who was staring back with an almost ... hungry look in her eyes. At last she spoke, "That's exactly what she believed, that certainty... She said that was the only branch humans could master and the others couldn't as they weren't like us - "

"Who?"

"The ancient dominators of magic or something ... it sounded far more eloquent when she says it. I don't know much more other than that they were trapped, we bound them away. She wanted to free them ... even at the expense of herself. But I'm sure you know far more, don't you," Umbridge leant forward again, "Your little decoy may have fooled everyone else but don't forget that I know ... just give up the act, I know ... Merlin knows I've been waiting - "

A new wave of unease washed over Aubrey who stood up suddenly. This seemed to catch Umbridge by surprise, as if she didn't realise that creeping on a student would scare them, "Professor, I don't understand - "

"Neither did I," Umbridge said, her fingers brushing along the edge of her desk before coming into contact with the wooden handle, pulling it open. As she did this, her eyes never left Aubrey, "I didn't understand until I read Mary's letter ... truly read it. I assumed you were just like Jasper but now I realise that Aubrey being his daughter meant something else ... here."

Aubrey had been so unnerved she hadn't even noticed Umbridge holding out a latter. Cautiously, she took it off her, immediately recognising it from the orange blossom drawn in the corner. Her Mother's letter, the one that had somehow made Umbridge change her tune.

Dolly,

It's been a while, that was a choice although I'm not sure whether it was yours or Jasper. After Gillian left I suppose you had no reason to talk anymore, not that would have done anyway. which is why I'm writing to you today.

The way you're treating my daughter is frankly unacceptable. You know I'm not one to cause a scene like him but rest assured I will march in there and list all of your indiscretions until you've lost the job you've worked so hard to get. I'm sure Cornelius would love to know about all those classified documents that you stole for Gil, the evidence of which is still in Jasper's possession. Not to mention, my arsenic cakes carry quite a punch ... but this is a second choice. I want to talk to you as a person.

I know you always saw me as just that first year who Jasper and Gil took under their wing, silly and snappy who hung off everything her future husband said. But I also watched closely and saw that you weren't the monster Jasper said you were. Misguided yes but not a monster. I saw how kind you were to Gil during the episodes, kinder than Jasper at times. People would whisper and shun her even but you'd sit with her all through the night if you had to. Jasper would say you had different motives for it but it was kind, what you did for her. You were willing to see her for who she was, not her illness or her father or the rumours people conjured up. You looked past the first impression and I implore you to do the same with my daughter

She is not her father. She is her own person and would you believe it, I see more of Gil in her than Jasper. She's kind and hard-working, even too much sometimes with a curious mind just like her. She's not the demon you painted her to be just because you hated us.

Stop this stupid behaviour, Dolly.

Regards,
Mary Jackson

A small warm glow spread through Aubrey knowing her Mother had been there for her but this was quickly quelled when she felt Umbridge's stubby fingers take ahold of her hand. This had to violate some sort of student protection law.

"Do you see now? I understand!" Aubrey shook her head, stepping back a little as Umbridge sighed, "I see now that you're precocious about this. Things will change, I'm different and so are you but just tell me the truth! Please, I've been waiting! - "

"I don't know what you mean," Aubrey said quickly.

"I think ... this will be the last time we have tea together," Umbridge said suddenly, becoming prim once more.

"No - "

"This office is far too visible," Umbridge said, "I understand that ... so instead meet me tomorrow, by the front gates. We can go back there where nobody can hear us and if you still don't want to tell me the truth... then I don't think we'll ever be able to speak again."

• • •

I forgot to update because I have been away in Portsmouth/just out. Unrelated, I am now part of a squad called Coke, Cloaks and Crackers with two guys that are dating two girls I know (one hates me and one is a very dear old friend). I didn't know them well but we stayed up all night because our other friend told us not to, witnessed a drug deal on the docks and declared war on the sea together so we're now bonded apparently - E x