May 7, 1991
Myrddin Manor
9:23 p.m.
By the time the movie started, Harry was running out of steam. He had made it through the dentist, an eye examination, several hours of shopping, lunch, the library, more shopping, dinner, and considerably more human interaction than he was accustomed to having in a single day. Now he was curled into the corner of one of the sofas in the smaller family sitting room, wearing one of his new shirts and a pair of jeans that actually fit him. His repaired glasses were back on his face until the new lenses came in, and a blanket had migrated over his legs sometime during the first half hour of the movie.
Josh had claimed the other end of the sofa with a bowl of popcorn balanced on his stomach while The Blues Brothers played across the television. It had seemed appropriate. He had turned the Stream on shortly after the movie started, mostly because several members of Chat had apparently never seen it and Tony had expressed disbelief that Josh considered that a character flaw. The viewpoint currently faced the television from somewhere behind the sofa, giving Chat a clear view of the movie without putting Harry on display.
BillionairePlayboy: I still maintain that driving through a shopping mall is not an acceptable escape strategy.
It worked.
BillionairePlayboy: That doesn't make it a good strategy.
disinterested_doorknob: Results disagree.
momfriend.exe: Please do not encourage him.
most_interesting_demigod: Shua would absolutely drive through a mall.
Josh's eye twitched. Stop calling me that.
most_interesting_demigod: no
cartoon_nightmare: shua
Brad.
cartoon_nightmare: sorry
cartoon_nightmare: Shua
Josh took a slow breath through his nose, grabbed another handful of popcorn, and decided that neither of them deserved the satisfaction of a response. Harry shifted beneath the blanket beside him, but his attention remained on the movie. Good. Josh could conduct an entirely separate conversation through Chat without looking like he'd started arguing with voices nobody else could hear.
A few minutes later, a small icon pulsed at the edge of his vision.
Josh ignored it.
It pulsed again.
He frowned. The notification had been sitting there since that morning in the Rolls, when he had seen enough to recognize an optional Outer Quest and decided that whatever fresh bullshit wanted his attention could wait until after Harry's dentist appointment. Then the dentist had turned into glasses, shopping, lunch, books, measurements, more shopping, and everything else that had filled the day.
Apparently the damn thing had been waiting patiently.
Josh glanced at Harry, who had sunk farther into the sofa and looked about five minutes from losing his fight with consciousness. Then he looked back toward the notification.
Fine.
He opened it.
[OPTIONAL OUTER QUEST]
Issuer: Death, the Artificer
Josh stopped chewing.
Well.
That changed things.
BillionairePlayboy: Something wrong?
Remember that quest notification from this morning?
LawLord: The one you decided could wait?
That's the one.
BillionairePlayboy: You finally opened it?
Death issued it.
Chat went quiet for several seconds before Harry finally responded.
LawLord: Ah.
BillionairePlayboy: That's probably important.
Thank you, Tony.
The display shifted before Josh could read any farther.
[QUEST TYPE UPDATED]
Josh frowned. Updated?
The original header disappeared.
[SIMULTANEOUS CHAIN QUEST]
[ADDITIONAL PARTICIPANTS REQUIRED]
Searching…
Josh's eyebrows climbed. What the fuck?
Two names appeared beneath the message.
BillionairePlayboy
LawLord
Josh sat a little straighter as messages from both of them appeared almost immediately.
BillionairePlayboy: I just received a notification.
LawLord: As did I.
Well, shit.
most_interesting_demigod: lol
Josh ignored Hunter and kept reading.
[DESIGNATED PARTICIPANTS]
OffScript
BillionairePlayboy
LawLord
Participants Required: 3/3
Quest Chain: 0/3
Preparation Period: ACTIVE
The next section appeared beneath it.
Three worlds carry wounds that remain unresolved.
You will enter each world together.
Each participant will receive an individual objective upon entry.
The world objective will require all three participants.
Complete your objectives. Resolve the condition. Return alive.
Failure by one participant may constitute failure by all.
Josh reread that last sentence. May?
BillionairePlayboy: I noticed that too.
LawLord: Presumably there are circumstances where an individual objective can fail without compromising the larger objective.
Or Death enjoys fucking with people.
BillionairePlayboy: Both can be true.
Josh couldn't argue with that. He continued down the display until another section unfolded.
[STAGE ONE]
Status: LOCKED
Availability: Following OffScript's next maturation threshold.
That was specific. Josh would turn fourteen at the end of July, and Percival had already taught him enough about magical maturation to know that age and physical development were not necessarily the only things being measured. Whatever Death meant by the threshold, though, the important part was obvious.
They weren't leaving tonight.
Looks like we've got some time.
BillionairePlayboy: How much?
Probably until around my birthday. End of July.
BillionairePlayboy: Three months. Plenty of time.
Of course that was Tony's reaction.
The final section expanded.
[CHAIN CONDITIONS]
Stage One must be completed before Stage Two may begin.
Additional requirements will be assigned following completion of each stage.
Stage Two: LOCKED
Stage Three: LOCKED
Final Objective: LOCKED
Standard Completion Window: Before OffScript completes his current magical education.
Accelerated Completion Bonus: AVAILABLE
Josh's attention caught on the completion window. Not months, then. Potentially years. Whatever Death had planned, nobody expected the three of them to tear through three worlds over summer vacation.
That's a long fucking quest.
LawLord: Potentially several years.
BillionairePlayboy: Or considerably less.
Josh rolled his eyes. There it is.
BillionairePlayboy: It explicitly offers a bonus for early completion.
We're not speedrunning Death's mystery scavenger hunt.
BillionairePlayboy: I didn't say we were.
disinterested_doorknob: You thought it loudly.
That got a grin out of Josh. Aidan was already considering the less entertaining implications.
momfriend.exe: Three worlds means three unknown environments, governments, medical risks and groups of people who may want to kill you.
BillionairePlayboy: Finally, someone is thinking positively.
momfriend.exe: That was not positive.
She wasn't wrong. They had no idea where they were going, but unknown destinations didn't prevent them from preparing for the things people needed almost everywhere. Food, water, medicine, shelter, clothing, tools, weapons, communications and anything else that might become useful.
Josh had an inventory.
That simplified his end considerably.
BillionairePlayboy: How much can you carry in that inventory of yours?
Josh considered the question. Yes.
BillionairePlayboy: That's not a unit of measurement.
It's the relevant one.
LawLord: I assume you're planning to bring everything useful.
Why wouldn't I?
Tony immediately started asking about weight, volume and power requirements. Josh answered what he could, but the important part was simple. His cyberware was part of him. His magical equipment was already his. Everything else could stay in inventory until he needed it. Nothing in the quest suggested that any of them would lose access to their normal equipment or abilities, and Josh had no reason to assume otherwise. He had used magic perfectly well in Night City. If Death intended to fuck with the rules this time, Death could damn well put it in the quest description.
most_interesting_demigod: shua packing for the apocalypse
I have been to Night City.
most_interesting_demigod: and came back with a gun collection and robot legs
They're not robot legs.
most_interesting_demigod: sure shua
Josh decided Hunter no longer deserved acknowledgment.
Tony had already moved on to putting together a shared equipment list, while Harry suggested they compare what each of them could carry independently rather than assuming Josh's inventory would always be available. That was reasonable enough that Josh didn't even argue. Medical supplies, environmental protection, food, water purification, communications, shelter, navigation, surveillance, tools and weapons quickly formed the beginnings of a list they could worry about tomorrow.
Harry shifted again beside him.
Josh looked over and found that the boy had finally lost the fight. Harry was asleep in the corner of the sofa with the blanket pulled almost to his chest and his repaired glasses sitting crooked across his face.
Tomorrow, Harry would finally see Diagon Alley.
Not because somebody was rescuing him. Not because adults had decided where he was going without bothering to explain anything. They were taking him because it was part of his world, and it was time he actually got to see some of it.
The multiverse could wait.
Apparently, for once, it was willing to.
Josh looked back at the quest display and asked the few questions that actually mattered tonight. They could postpone entering a stage after it became available. They could refuse a stage. They could not replace one of the designated participants.
That last answer made him study the three names again.
Joshua Myrddin.
Tony Stark.
Harry Potter.
Three people from three different universes who had absolutely no business being put on the same team.
Death apparently disagreed.
LawLord: We should discuss this properly tomorrow.
Agreed.
BillionairePlayboy: I'll start a preliminary equipment list.
Of course you will.
BillionairePlayboy: You're welcome.
most_interesting_demigod: shua needs snacks
Josh paused. He hated giving Hunter credit for anything.
Actually, yes.
most_interesting_demigod: HA
momfriend.exe: Water too.
Inventory.
disinterested_doorknob: First aid.
Inventory.
cartoon_nightmare: cheese
Absolutely fucking not.
cartoon_nightmare: coward
Josh dismissed the display. Three worlds, three participants, and potentially years to figure out what Death wanted from them. For tonight, that was enough.
He carefully reached over and removed Harry's crooked glasses, setting them on the table where the boy wouldn't roll over and crush them. Harry stirred but didn't wake. Josh settled back into the sofa, grabbed another handful of popcorn, and returned his attention to the movie.
Enough multiversal bullshit for one night.
BillionairePlayboy: I have several criticisms concerning the mall chase.
Of course you do.
LawLord: I would like to hear the defense for driving through a department store.
Josh smiled as the Bluesmobile continued its rampage across the television.
Simple.
They're on a mission from God.
most_interesting_demigod: hit it shua
Josh raised his middle finger toward the television.
Hunter couldn't see it.
That was probably for the best.
May 8, 1991
London, England
10:17 a.m.
Harry stopped in front of the brick wall behind the Leaky Cauldron. He looked at it, glanced around the cramped little courtyard, then looked back toward the door they had just come through.
"Here?"
"Yep."
Harry looked at the wall again, and Josh couldn't exactly blame him. Magical Britain had apparently decided that the best entrance to its primary shopping district should be hidden behind a pub, past the trash cans, and through a brick wall. Josh had been living here long enough that shit like this barely registered anymore, which was probably more concerning than the wall itself.
He pulled his wand. "Watch."
Harry's attention immediately dropped to it as Josh counted out the bricks and tapped the right one. For a second, nothing happened. Then the brick moved, and Harry took a small step back as the opening spread outward. Bricks folded away from one another, reshuffling themselves with the steady scrape of stone against stone. Sunlight reached through first, followed by voices, footsteps, and the distant rustle of wings.
Diagon Alley opened in front of them.
Harry didn't say anything, and Josh didn't either. There were some things you only got to see for the first time once, and Josh wasn't about to fill this one with his own commentary. Harry finally stepped through the opening, his head turning slowly as he took everything in.
The Alley wasn't particularly crowded. It was Wednesday morning in May, Hogwarts was still in session, and most kids anywhere near Harry's age were either sitting behind a desk somewhere or doing whatever wizard-raised children did. Most of the people moving along the crooked street were adults going about their business. Witches and wizards carried bags and packages between stores, a man in dark blue robes stood outside a storefront arguing with another wizard over a stack of cauldrons, and someone farther down the street was unloading cages from a cart. An owl swept overhead with a narrow package tied beneath it, and Harry followed it with his eyes until it disappeared behind a roof.
Stores crowded together along the uneven street, their windows packed with things Harry had no names for yet. Robes moved by themselves behind one pane of glass. Brass instruments turned slowly in another. A stack of books rearranged itself without anyone touching it, while farther down the street a broom hovered in the middle of a display window. Josh shoved his hands into his pockets and let Harry stare.
"All of this is…" Harry trailed off.
"Magic?" Josh offered.
Harry shook his head. "Hidden."
That wasn't the answer Josh had expected. He looked down the Alley again, suddenly seeing a little more of what Harry was seeing. An entire community had existed alongside the world Harry had known for his entire life, and until two days ago, he hadn't even known where to look for it.
"Yeah," Josh said. "All of it."
Harry stayed quiet for another few seconds before taking another step, and Josh fell in beside him, letting the kid set the pace. It was a slow pace. Very slow. Harry's attention bounced from one side of the street to the other, but he didn't ask many questions at first. Mostly, he watched. Josh answered when he did ask and left him alone when he didn't. There was no reason to turn Harry's first trip through Diagon Alley into a guided tour with Josh running his mouth the entire way.
Harry stopped at a window full of telescopes when one of the brass instruments slowly turned toward him. He leaned slightly to one side, and the telescope followed. He moved the other way, and it followed again before Harry finally looked up at Josh.
Josh shrugged. "Awwww. It likes you."
Harry looked back at the telescope, which tilted upward as if pleased with itself. A small smile appeared on his face before he moved on.
They made it another twenty feet before something twitched inside a glass jar in an apothecary window. Harry stopped so abruptly that Josh made it another couple of steps before realizing he'd lost him and backing up.
Harry pointed at the jar. "Is that alive?"
Josh looked at it. Something inside moved again. "Possibly."
Harry stared at him. "Possibly?"
"I don't know what it is."
"You don't?"
"Nope."
That seemed to surprise him almost as much as Diagon Alley itself. Josh raised an eyebrow. "What?"
Harry hesitated. "I thought you'd know."
"Harry, I've only been studying magic for a few years. That doesn't mean I know every weird thing somebody sticks in a jar." Josh smiled slightly when Harry looked back toward the window. "Anybody who tells you they know everything is either lying or trying to sell you something, or both."
Harry considered that before nodding, and they continued down the Alley. A few people glanced their way as they passed, but nobody stopped them. That was the point. Harry's hair had been combed differently that morning, with enough brought forward to keep his scar hidden without looking ridiculous. His glasses had been temporarily altered as part of the disguise, changing their appearance without interfering with the prescription he needed to see. Between that, his new clothes, and a little magical help to discourage casual attention from lingering on his face, Josh figured Harry Potter could walk through Diagon Alley without every random asshole on the street realizing the Boy Who Lived was ten feet away.
Harry was still Harry. People just weren't being observant enough to notice, and that was enough.
Harry slowed again when they passed Ollivanders, and Josh noticed immediately. The store looked almost exactly the way Josh remembered it, narrow and old, with the faded gold lettering above the window announcing Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C.
"Is that where you got yours?"
"Yep."
Harry's eyes dropped briefly toward Josh's wand before returning to the window. "Do all wizards get one there?"
Josh shook his head. "No. There are other wandmakers. Ollivander's just the big one around here."
Harry nodded and continued looking through the window. "Can I see them?"
Josh knew exactly what he meant. "We can look, but you're not getting one today."
The little bit of hope that had appeared on Harry's face faded. "Why?"
"Because you're ten. When it's time for your wand, we'll come back and do it right. You don't want me picking one off a shelf because it looks cool. Plus Garrick won't let you."
Harry looked through the window again before asking, "How do you know which one is the right one?"
"The wand picks you."
Harry turned toward him, and Josh grinned. "Yeah. I know how that sounds."
Harry looked back toward the window, curiosity clearly fighting disappointment. "Yours picked you?"
"Yeah." Josh rested a hand near his holster. "Mine was complicated."
Harry waited, clearly expecting more.
"Long story."
Harry's mouth tightened slightly. "Later?"
That caught Josh. He'd heard versions of that word used as a dismissal plenty of times growing up. Adults said later when they meant no, when they didn't want to explain something, or when they just wanted a kid to stop asking. Harry was watching him like he was trying to determine which version Josh meant.
"Yeah," Josh said. "Later. I'll tell you about it."
Harry nodded, and they moved on.
Flourish and Blotts wasn't much farther. Harry noticed the windows before Josh said anything, and his pace slowed before he stopped completely. Books. Lots of books. Some were stacked normally, while others stood open in the display with pages turning by themselves. One large volume appeared to be arguing with a smaller book beside it by repeatedly slamming its cover shut whenever the smaller book opened.
Harry looked up at the sign. "Flourish and Blotts."
"Bookstore." Josh nodded toward the door. "Thought we'd start somewhere fun."
Harry looked through the window again, and this time he moved first.
The bell above the door jingled when they entered, and Harry stopped just inside quickly enough that Josh nearly ran into him. The store smelled like paper, leather, ink, dust, and several things that had absolutely no business being ingredients in a book. Shelves climbed toward the ceiling, packed tightly enough that ladders were positioned along several aisles, while displays occupied the open spaces between them and books covered tables near the front counter.
Some of them were chained down, which Harry noticed almost immediately. "Why are those chained?"
One of the books snapped at a clerk who got too close.
Josh pointed at it. "That."
Harry stared as the book snapped again. "Oh."
Josh had to bite the inside of his cheek.
They moved farther inside, and Harry's initial hesitation began to fade. This, at least, was something he understood. A bookstore was a bookstore even when some of the merchandise tried to eat you. Harry started reading titles, keeping his hands mostly to himself until he found a shelf marked Magical Creatures of Britain and Ireland. He pulled out a thin book, checked Josh almost automatically, then opened it when Josh made no move to stop him.
Josh pretended not to notice the check.
There were more customers inside than he'd expected for a Wednesday morning in May. Not a crowd, but enough that Josh had to step aside twice while Harry worked his way along the shelves. He didn't think much of it until he noticed the display near the front counter and realized there might actually be a reason for the extra traffic.
Josh stopped. "Oh, you've got to be fucking kidding me."
Harry looked up from his book and followed Josh's stare. There had to be thirty copies on the display, maybe more, and Josh's name was printed across every goddamn one.
Harry's eyes widened before he looked back at Josh. "You didn't say they'd have it here."
"I didn't know they were going to build a shrine to the damn thing."
Harry looked back at the display, hesitated, then carefully returned the creature book to the shelf before walking toward the stack. Josh followed, already regretting every decision that had brought him to this moment.
What appeared to be a handwritten sign stood above the display announcing the new release. Magic out the wazzoo and they wrote it by hand smh.
Several other books had been arranged around it, apparently chosen as recommended reading for anyone interested in the subjects Josh had covered. Harry picked up a copy, looked at the cover, then looked at Josh.
"You really wrote a book."
Josh shoved his hands into his pockets. "Apparently."
Harry turned it over and read the back before opening it. Josh grimaced. "You don't have to read it while I'm standing here."
Harry immediately looked up, and Josh caught the uncertainty that crossed his face. The kid was trying to figure out whether he'd done something wrong.
Josh shook his head. "I'm messing with you. Read whatever you want."
"Oh."
Harry looked back down. A few seconds passed before he asked, very carefully, "Are you embarrassed?"
Josh stared at him. Harry's eyes stayed on the page, but there was the smallest hint of a smile trying to appear. There it was. Not confidence, not yet, but Harry was testing the water and seeing what happened when he poked back.
"No," Josh said.
Harry glanced up.
Josh reconsidered. "Maybe a little."
The smile grew, and Harry looked back at the book. Josh let him have that one.
Then Harry's attention shifted, and the smile disappeared.
Josh noticed immediately. Harry was staring past him toward another display several shelves away. Unlike Josh's, this one sat lower to the ground and was clearly aimed at younger readers. The covers were bright, colorful, and arranged face-out rather than spine-first.
Every one of them featured the same black-haired boy with round glasses.
Josh followed Harry's gaze, and his stomach dropped. "Oh."
Harry carried the book toward the display, and Josh followed more slowly. The first cover showed a boy riding a broom above a castle while something large and winged chased him through the sky. Harry Potter and the Dragon of Dreadful Dale. Beside it sat Harry Potter and the Goblin King's Gold, followed by Harry Potter and the Haunted Tower.
Harry didn't touch any of them. He just stood there looking from one cover to the next. The resemblance wasn't exact. The kid on the covers was older, cleaner, brighter, and looked considerably more pleased with his life than the actual Harry Potter had any reason to be, but there was no mistaking who he was supposed to be.
Harry finally turned toward Josh. "Why is my name on those?"
Josh looked at the books, then at Harry.
Well…
Shit.
"I don't know the whole story," Josh said. "But I know enough that we should probably talk about it."
Harry looked back at the display. After a moment, he placed Josh's book under his arm, then he reached for the first book. He turned it over, read the back, then opened it and began to read. Josh left him to it, watching as Harry made it through the first few pages before his expression slowly changed. His eyebrows drew together. He flipped back a page, checked something, then stared at the book as though the words might rearrange themselves into something more sensible if he gave them long enough.
"What is this utter rubbish? I fought a dragon when I was seven?" Harry looked up at Josh, disbelief written plainly across his face. "I've never even seen a dragon. How was I supposed to fight something I didn't even know was real a week ago?"
Josh snorted. "Yeeeaah. That part might be slightly exaggerated."
"Slightly?"
"Okay, complete bullshit."
Harry looked back at the book, flipping ahead several pages and skimming now rather than reading. Whatever he found apparently did nothing to improve his opinion of it. "Why would someone even write this?"
"Money, boredom, a sense of purpose, restoring some hope to a country that had just finished tearing itself apart over pure stupidity and lies. Money again. Take your pick."
Harry lowered the book. "You don't know?"
"Nope. Those are guesses." Josh nodded toward the book in Harry's hands. "I haven't looked into who started these or why. What I do know is they didn't ask you."
"I was a baby."
"Exactly. Which means the adults responsible for protecting your interests should've handled it. You're the heir apparent to the Potter family. Somebody should've been able to put a stop to this before it ever got this far."
Harry looked down at the painted version of himself on the cover. "Could they?"
"Unless the laws have changed since publication started, then yes they should have been able to. Exactly who had the authority at the time and what all they could've done about it, I don't know yet. I'm planning to find out."
Harry nodded slowly and turned his attention back to the display. There were enough of the damn things to fill most of a shelf, each promising another increasingly ridiculous adventure Harry clearly hadn't experienced. He pulled out another, looked over the cover, then returned it before going back to the dragon book. Whatever else he thought about strangers writing stories about him, curiosity had apparently won enough ground that he wasn't putting that one back just yet.
"The dragon one's pretty good."
Harry turned toward the voice. A round-faced boy stood a few feet away with another of the adventure books in his hands. He looked about Harry's age, which made him stand out among the mostly adult customers on a Wednesday morning in May. The boy shifted slightly when he realized he'd interrupted them. "Sorry. I've read that one."
Harry looked at the book in his hands. "It's utter rubbish. He fights a dragon when he's seven."
The boy considered that before glancing at the cover. "The dragon's still good."
Harry looked down at the painted creature swooping across the front. For all his objections to everything else about the book, he was still ten years old, and the dragon looked pretty damn cool. "I suppose the dragon's all right."
The answer seemed to satisfy the other boy. He came a little closer and turned the book he was carrying so Harry could see it. "There's a sea serpent in this one."
Harry leaned closer to look. "Is that supposed to be him too?"
"I think so."
"He doesn't look the same."
"They never draw him the same."
Harry frowned and compared the two covers. Josh stayed out of it. A few minutes earlier Harry had been trying to make sense of finding an entire shelf of books supposedly about him. Now he was discussing the quality of their monsters and artwork with another kid who had no idea that the boy standing beside him was the same Harry whose name was printed across every cover.
"I'm Neville, by the way. Neville Longbottom."
Josh recognized the name immediately but kept his mouth shut. Harry looked at the hand Neville offered him, then took it. "Harry." He hesitated for just a moment. "Just Harry."
Josh turned his attention toward the nearest shelf before his expression gave him away.
"Nice to meet you," Neville said.
"You too."
That was apparently enough introduction for both of them. Neville opened his book and showed Harry something inside, and their conversation continued with considerably less difficulty now that they had something to talk about. Josh moved a few feet away, giving Harry room without letting him out of sight. Neville knew the adventure books and Harry didn't, and whatever Harry thought about their existence, he was still curious enough to ask about the sea serpent.
Josh occupied himself with the nearby shelves while listening just enough to know where Harry was. It was the first chance he'd had to see the kid talking to someone his own age since getting him out of Privet Drive. Harry was still reserved, but he wasn't looking to Josh before every answer or waiting for permission to keep talking. Neville didn't seem to expect anything from him beyond an opinion on monsters, which probably helped.
"Neville?"
"Here, Uncle Algie."
A man rounded the end of the aisle carrying several books under one arm. Josh had a hunch he recognized the name. Algernon Longbottom. A.k.a. Neville's Uncle Algie. He looked first toward Neville, then took in Harry and Josh as he approached.
"There you are. Find anything?"
Neville held up the adventure book. "I was showing Harry the drawings in this one."
Algie glanced toward Harry, who became noticeably quieter under the attention of an unfamiliar adult. He didn't retreat, though. "Algernon Longbottom. Neville's uncle."
"Harry."
Algie gave him a polite nod before turning toward Josh and offering his hand. "And you are?"
"Josh Myrddin."
Josh shook it. The name took a moment to register before Algie's expression changed. His gaze dropped to the books beneath his other arm, and Josh noticed a copy of his own among them at about the same time.
"Myrddin." Algie pulled the book free enough to check the author's name. "Joshua E. Myrddin?"
"That'd be me."
"Well, that's unexpected." Algie looked at the book again before returning his attention to Josh. "I've heard enough people arguing about this thing over the last few days that I decided I ought to see what everyone was shouting about."
"Probably a good idea," Josh replied.
"The section on the importance of understanding magical traditions convinced me to actually buy it." Algie tapped the cover lightly with one finger. "I had a look through the contents and read a few pages before Neville decided he'd exhausted everything interesting near the front of the shop."
"I did not," Neville protested.
Algie looked toward him. "My mistake."
Neville accepted the correction with a nod and returned his attention to Harry, who had managed to hide most of a smile behind the book he was holding.
Algie turned back to Josh. "It's an interesting choice of subject. Most people I've heard discussing that chapter seem to have decided what you meant before reading it."
"That happens more often than not."
"So I gathered. I thought I'd see what you actually wrote before joining the argument."
Josh nodded. "Probably safer that way."
There wasn't much more to say until the man actually read it. Josh had already spent several thousand words explaining what he thought about British magical traditions, why separating their magical purpose from the pureblood ideology that had accumulated around them mattered, and why replacing them with new holidays could backfire. Standing in a bookstore summarizing the argument to someone already holding the book seemed unnecessary.
Neville had been following enough of the conversation to finally look away from Harry. "You wrote that?"
"Yeah."
Neville's eyes moved to the book under his uncle's arm and stayed there for a moment. "The whole thing?"
"Yeah. Took a while."
Neville looked impressed, apparently by the simple fact that someone close to his age could sit down and produce that many pages on purpose. Harry's expression suggested he found Neville's reaction considerably more entertaining than Josh did, but he had the good sense not to say anything.
The bell above the front door rang while Algie tucked the book back beneath his arm. Josh glanced toward the entrance mostly out of habit. A blonde woman had entered with a girl who looked to be around Harry and Neville's age beside her. The woman continued toward the counter while the girl slowed almost immediately, her attention wandering toward the shelves.
"Lady Malfoy. Good morning."
Josh looked back toward the woman as the bookseller greeted her.
Narcissa Malfoy.
He hadn't met her, but he didn't need anything beyond the title to know who she was. Narcissa acknowledged the greeting and began speaking quietly with the bookseller while the girl who had entered with her wandered a little farther along the shelves. Josh returned his attention to Algie and Harry until Narcissa's voice carried across the shop.
"Cassiopeia, don't go too far."
The girl glanced back. "I'm not, Mother."
Josh's attention returned to her.
Mother.
He looked at the blonde girl again, this time with an entirely different understanding of who he was looking at.
Narcissa Malfoy had a daughter, meaning Draco has a sister.
Well, fuck.
Josh let the thought sit where it landed. Whatever Cassiopeia Malfoy's existence meant, it wasn't something he was going to figure out by staring at a ten-year-old in a bookstore.
Beside him, Algie had opened Josh's book again, apparently returning to whatever he'd been skimming before finding Neville. Harry and Neville had already drifted back toward the adventure books, Harry still holding the dragon one as Neville showed him something in the sea serpent book.
Josh caught a fragment of Neville explaining something about a wizard getting swallowed whole and decided he probably didn't need the context.
"There is something I wanted to ask you."
Josh looked back at Algie. He had one finger resting against a passage near the middle of the page.
"Shoot."
Algie paused at the expression for half a second before turning the book enough that Josh could see the page. "Here, where you distinguish between a tradition and the beliefs that have accumulated around it. If I'm understanding you correctly, you're arguing that the original magical purpose can survive even when the people practicing the tradition no longer understand why they're doing it."
"Yeah, although I'd put an asterisk next to survive." Josh glanced over the passage and nodded. "Magic responds to intent, but intent doesn't exist by itself. Knowledge matters. Belief matters. Repetition matters. If you've got a family that's been performing the same rite the same way for eight hundred years, they can know perfectly well that it works without knowing why it works."
Algie glanced down at the book. "And the explanation can change while the practice remains the same."
"Exactly. Say somebody starts a tradition because a particular arrangement of symbols, materials, timing, and intent produces a magical effect. A few generations later, the people doing it know what their parents taught them. A few hundred years after that, maybe half the original explanation is gone and somebody's great-great-grandfather filled in the blanks with something that sounded reasonable to him."
Josh gestured toward the book.
"The rite can still work. They've preserved the parts that actually matter, even if they don't know which parts those are anymore. Then you've got the opposite problem. Somebody decides one step is old-fashioned or inconvenient and removes it without understanding what it was doing. Maybe nothing happens. Maybe the magic gets weaker. Maybe the whole thing stops working."
Algie's attention had settled fully on Josh now. "Which makes blindly preserving a tradition potentially as dangerous as blindly discarding one."
"That's the point." Josh smiled. "Tradition isn't automatically wisdom, but it isn't automatically stupidity either. You have to figure out what the hell you're looking at before you start tearing pieces off."
Algie nodded slowly. "That's rather different from how I've heard your argument described."
"Yeah, well, 'Myrddin says we should actually study our own magical culture before deciding what belongs in the trash' doesn't piss people off nearly as efficiently."
That earned a quiet laugh from Algie.
"And some of it probably does belong in the trash," Josh continued. "If the only reason anybody can find for doing something is that your great-grandfather hated Muggleborns, congratulations, you've probably found garbage. But if six unrelated families have all been doing variations of the same thing for a thousand years and nobody remembers why, I wouldn't be the first asshole to stop doing it just to prove how enlightened I am. I'd want to know what it does."
Algie looked back down at the page, his thumb holding his place. "So when you separate magical tradition from pureblood ideology…"
"I'm separating the mechanism from the justification people built around it. Or trying to." Josh nodded toward the book. "Blood's a good example. Blood absolutely matters to magic. We know it does. That doesn't mean every political or social belief somebody built around magical blood is therefore true. Those are two completely different claims, and magical Britain has had a bad habit of treating them like they're the same thing."
Algie was quiet for a moment.
"That," he said finally, "is considerably clearer."
Josh glanced pointedly at the book in his hands. "There's a reason the explanation takes more than a page."
"I wasn't criticizing the explanation."
"I know," Josh responded with a chuckle.
Algie smiled faintly and looked back down at the passage. "I think I'll reserve the rest of my questions until I've actually finished reading it."
"Probably smart. Otherwise I'm just going to spoil my own book."
From beside them came Harry's incredulous voice.
"He gets swallowed twice?"
Josh looked over.
Neville had the sea serpent book spread open between them. "He gets better."
Harry stared at him. "He was eaten."
"Only the first time."
Josh decided he still didn't need context.
Algie chuckled beside him and returned to the book. Josh left him to it and looked back toward Harry and Neville. Harry had apparently decided that being eaten once was already pushing credibility, while Neville seemed perfectly willing to forgive almost anything if the monster responsible was interesting enough.
"What happens the second time?" Harry asked, leaning closer as Neville began flipping through the book.
"I don't remember exactly." Neville slowed when he reached another illustration, only for Harry to look at him.
"You said you've read it."
"I have," Neville insisted, turning another page. "There's a lot going on."
Harry stared at him for a moment. "How do you not remember someone getting eaten twice?"
Neville frowned down at the pages as though Harry had raised a legitimate problem with his reading habits, then went back to searching for the unfortunate wizard's second encounter with the sea serpent.
Josh smiled and turned toward one of the nearby shelves. Algie was reading, Harry was occupied, and there wasn't much reason to hover over either of them. Besides, Josh had come into a bookstore. He might as well look around.
Flourish and Blotts offered a different kind of selection than Hogwarts for the extra studious. The school library was enormous, sure, but plenty of what sat on its shelves wasn't made readily available to every student, and new publications didn't necessarily appear there the moment they reached the market. Here, Josh could browse recent releases alongside material that would have required permission or justification to access at school, without Madam Pince demanding to know why a third-year wanted it.
Josh ran a finger along a row of titles dealing with household enchantments before pulling one free. The first few chapters looked basic enough, but the later sections wandered into layered preservation charms, climate control, and methods for keeping separate enchantments from interfering with one another. He skimmed several pages, checked the index, then returned it and pulled down another from the same shelf.
A book on magical architecture caught his attention a few minutes later. Josh flipped through the contents, stopped long enough to read part of a section on load-bearing enchantments, then turned several pages farther before returning it to its place. Interesting, but between Hogwarts and the library at the Manor, he had more than enough waiting for him already.
Harry appeared beside him while Josh was still browsing, Josh's book tucked beneath one arm.
"Are you getting any of those?"
"Nah. Just looking."
He watched Josh return the book to the shelf, then looked over the titles surrounding them.
"Your book explains the magical world."
Josh glanced at him. "Parts of it."
Harry looked pointedly at the shelf Josh had just been browsing. "But you still need books explaining the magical world?"
Josh stared at him for a second.
The corner of Harry's mouth twitched.
"You know," Josh said, "there are grown witches and wizards arguing about my book right now because they're discovering they don't understand half the shit they've been doing their entire lives."
Harry considered that. "So nobody knows what they're doing?"
"Now you're getting it."
Harry smiled.
Josh pointed at him. "That was not the lesson."
The smile widened.
Good.
Josh tucked the last book back onto the shelf and glanced toward Neville. "Find out what happens to Captain Lunch?"
"He gets swallowed again." Harry turned and pointed toward the open book Neville was still holding. "Then he cuts his way out."
"Tragic. Both times?"
Neville shook his head as he came closer. "The first time they make the serpent sneeze."
Josh stared at him.
Neville shrugged and adjusted the book in his hands.
"Okay. I take it back. I needed the context."
Harry laughed, the sound carrying across the aisle. The blonde girl Josh had noticed earlier looked up from the shelf she was browsing. Cassiopeia had a book open in both hands, one finger tucked between the pages to hold her place, but her attention had shifted toward Harry and Neville and the brightly colored sea serpent spread open between them.
Neville noticed her looking. "The sea serpent eats him twice."
Cassiopeia blinked.
"You can't just start with that," Harry told him.
"Why not?"
"Because she doesn't know what we're talking about."
"I assumed you were talking about a book." Cassiopeia closed her own around one finger and glanced toward the adventure display. "Is that the sea serpent one?"
Neville nodded and turned the cover toward her. "It's good."
"He gets eaten twice," Harry reminded her.
"I know. I've read it." Cassiopeia returned her book to the shelf and wandered closer to the display. "The dragon one is better."
Neville brightened. "That's what I said."
Harry looked down at the copy he was still carrying. "The dragon is good. The rest is rubbish."
"Most of them are," Cassiopeia agreed, reaching past the edge of the display for another title.
Harry looked up at her while Neville frowned. "They're not that bad."
"They're entertaining." Cassiopeia turned the book over and skimmed the description on the back. "That isn't the same thing."
"Exactly." Harry moved closer to see which one she had picked up. "They're supposed to be true."
Cassiopeia glanced from the book in her hands to the dragon on Harry's cover. "That's the problem. He's supposed to be seven in that one, isn't he?"
"Apparently. And he fights a dragon by himself."
Cassiopeia looked toward Neville. "Have you ever met a seven-year-old who could fight a dragon?"
Neville thought about it while closing the sea serpent book over one finger. "No."
"Have you ever heard of one?"
"No."
Harry gestured toward Cassiopeia with the dragon book. "See? It's silly. He's a kid."
Neville looked down at the sea serpent on his own cover. "It's still a good story."
"That's not the point." Harry turned the dragon book over and tapped the description on the back. "If it said it was a story, fine. It could have the dragon and all the rest of it. But it doesn't. It says this actually happened."
"Like Lockhart," Cassiopeia agreed as she slid the book she had been holding back into its place.
Harry glanced at her. "Who?"
Cassiopeia stopped with her hand still resting on the book. "Gilderoy Lockhart."
Harry's expression remained blank.
"He writes books," Neville supplied, reaching toward the display for another of the Harry Potter adventures.
"About himself," Cassiopeia added. "Mother has several of them. They're supposed to be true accounts of things he's done, but some of them contradict each other."
That caught Harry's attention. "How?"
Cassiopeia moved along the display while she thought about it, trailing one finger across the spines. "The easiest one is the dates. There are three different books where he says what day something happened. In one, he's in Ireland dealing with a banshee. In another, he's in Europe dealing with a yeti. In the third, he's in South America dealing with a chupacabra."
Harry followed her along the shelf. "What's a chupacabra?"
"A magical creature from the Americas. It attacks livestock."
Neville had abandoned his search through the display and looked over. "What kind?"
Cassiopeia paused, apparently realizing she had managed to distract both boys from her point. "Livestock. That isn't important. What matters is that Lockhart claims he was in all three places on the same day."
Harry's attention snapped back to the actual problem. "The same day?"
"The same day."
"Couldn't he use magic to get between them?"
Josh glanced over from where he was looking. Fair question.
"Not if his own books are right." Cassiopeia pulled another volume from the display, glanced at it, and put it back. "He describes what he was doing during most of the day in all three. He's in Ireland that afternoon in one book, with the yeti that afternoon in another, and already in South America in the third. He can't be in all three places at the same time."
Harry frowned as he worked through it. "Then at least two of the books have to be lying."
Cassiopeia nodded.
Harry considered that for another moment. "Or all three."
A small smile appeared on Cassiopeia's face. "Exactly."
Neville looked between them before glancing down at the sea serpent book. "That doesn't mean these aren't true."
Harry turned toward him. "He gets eaten twice."
"And gets better," Neville defended, pulling the book a little closer to his chest.
Cassiopeia looked at Neville, then at the sea serpent on the cover. "It is a very good sea serpent."
Neville brightened immediately.
Harry sighed, though the corner of his mouth was trying to turn upward again. "Yes, the sea serpent is good. That still doesn't make the book true."
"I didn't say it did."
Harry stopped.
Neville opened the book again and began searching for another illustration, apparently satisfied that his position had finally been understood.
Josh bit back a laugh and returned to the shelf long enough to pull out another title beside it. He had no idea whether Neville actually cared if the stories were true. As far as Josh could tell, the kid had entered the argument with the position that sea serpents were cool and had successfully defended it against two people arguing about something else entirely.
Behind him, Harry and Cassiopeia had continued down the display.
"The Lockhart books are still worse," Cassiopeia continued, pulling one of the adventure stories free and opening it. "These are about someone else, so whoever wrote them could just admit they made everything up. Lockhart wrote his own books and still expects everyone to believe him."
Harry leaned over to look at the page she had opened. "Why is he so popular then?" he asked, genuinely confused.
"I don't know. It has made me wonder if his readers are missing the forest for the trees," she said. "Maybe it's entertainment for the sake of entertainment."
Harry frowned at the book. "Maybe people have heard stories like this for so long they stopped asking if they make sense."
Cassiopeia gave a small nod of agreement and turned another page.
Harry watched the painted figure on the page run away from a group of goblins before glancing at the cover. "How old is he supposed to be in this one?"
"Eight, I think."
Harry took the book when Cassiopeia handed it to him and checked the description. "Eight."
Neville wandered over to see what they had found. "That one has a really cool sword."
Harry looked at the illustration, then at Cassiopeia. "Twelve goblins?"
"Twelve."
"At eight?"
Cassiopeia leaned closer to inspect the picture again. "Apparently."
Harry shook his head and handed the book back. "Utter rubbish."
"Definitely," Cassiopeia agreed, returning it to the display.
Neville reached for it almost immediately.
Harry stared at him. "You're going to read it anyway, aren't you?"
"There's a cool sword."
Cassiopeia looked at Harry.
Harry looked at Cassiopeia.
Neither of them had an answer to that.
Neville opened the book anyway, and Harry lasted perhaps three seconds before leaning over to look at the illustration. Cassiopeia joined them a moment later, which Josh figured settled the argument well enough. The books could be ridiculous and still have good monsters, swords, and whatever other nonsense their authors had managed to cram between the covers. Apparently those positions weren't mutually exclusive.
Josh returned to browsing while the three of them continued comparing books behind him. He picked up another book on household enchantments, skimmed farther into the later chapters than the first book, then exchanged it for another from the same shelf. A few shelves over, he found a book on "Magical Means for the Mundane in your life" by Gerald Frank Young. Interesting, but still nothing he needed to carry home when the Manor already had more books than he could reasonably work his way through. He returned it to its place and kept browsing.
Eventually Algie closed the copy of Josh's book he'd been reading and tucked it beneath his arm. "Neville, we should probably be going."
Neville looked up from where he stood with Harry and Cassiopeia. "All right." He returned the book he'd been holding to the display and started toward his uncle, only to slow as he passed a section devoted to magical plants. His attention lingered there for a moment before rejoining his uncle.
Harry followed him partway toward the counter. "Bye."
"Bye, Harry." Neville hesitated before glancing back toward the adventure books. "The dragon one is still good."
Harry looked toward the display as well. "The dragon is all right."
That seemed to be enough for Neville. He joined Algie at the counter while Harry wandered back toward Josh.
Cassiopeia had already retrieved the book she'd been browsing before their conversation started. Narcissa remained near the counter with her own purchases, and when she called her daughter's name, Cassiopeia tucked the book against herself and headed toward her mother.
"Goodbye, Harry."
"Bye."
Josh watched her cross the shop before looking toward Harry. The adventure book was no longer in his hands. Instead, Harry had collected the books recommended alongside Josh's book, and Josh nodded toward the counter.
"Got everything?"
Harry looked down at what he was carrying, then back toward the shelves before nodding. "Yeah."
"Then let's get you checked out."
By the time they reached the counter, Algie had finished paying. Neville stood beside him with their purchases, and Algie shifted them beneath one arm before offering Josh his hand.
"I expect I'll have more questions once I've finished reading."
Josh shook it. "No worries. I'd be surprised if you didn't."
"I'll reserve judgment until then."
"Probably the safest option."
Algie gave him a faint smile before heading for the door with Neville, who gave Harry a small wave on the way out. Harry returned it, and the bell above the door jingled as the two Longbottoms stepped back into Diagon Alley.
Narcissa and Cassiopeia were preparing to leave as well. Narcissa's attention settled on Josh before she reached the door, and she stopped.
"Heir Myrddin."
"Lady Malfoy."
"I understand you were involved in securing my cousin's hearing."
Josh nodded. "I was."
Narcissa regarded him for a moment before inclining her head. "Then you have my thanks."
That wasn't quite what Josh had expected from Lady Malfoy, but Narcissa wasn't Lucius.
"You're welcome."
She inclined her head once more and continued toward the door with Cassiopeia.
Josh paid for Harry's books, collected the wrapped parcel from the bookseller, and handed it over. Harry took it, adjusting the package in his arms before following Josh toward the door.
The bell jingled overhead as they stepped outside, and the noise of Diagon Alley closed around them again. Harry paused just beyond the doorway and looked along the crooked street before turning toward Josh.
Josh nodded down the Alley. "Come on."
Harry fell into step beside him.