It was an unsettling thought, for most of the remainder of the day, that Sparrow’s own actions had led to the messy end of multiple living creatures. She had not expected it – none could have expected it, and yet – Sparrow was reminded of those most minute of arachnids, the little pinprick red ones, that could not be blown off one’s own skin, but would become a tiny red streak if one tried to gently brush them away. Sparrow was utterly embarrassed each time this happened, no matter how tiny and seemingly insignificant the life was that she had snuffed, nor any matter how accidental and yet inevitable it was – so it was with the books of the Forbidden Section. Only, not inevitable – how much did Sparrow need this book, after all? It had been her greed and her desperation that set all those books up for obliteration.
It was, in a way, little different than what had happened to the Nark, at the far back of the Forbidden Forest. Sparrow tried to console herself with the thought that at the very least, she had not cast a curse this time – but it was small comfort.
She might have prevailed upon the mercy of her beloved girls, if she had wished to trouble them with such thoughts; as it was, she had been spending her time with Iphis, going over the finer details of the MSL textbook, in the Room of Requirement, and with Iphis things were mostly the straightforward matter of getting work done.
Mostly. He still had that bandage on his cheek. He wouldn’t answer any direct questions about the incantations he’d used that had bought him the scar. Nor would he say if he had even let Wren in on the secret of his forbidden magic.
Sparrow knew a dead end when she saw one. So she let the book distract her from troubled thoughts. As she flipped past anything that looked like a diagram for spell signs, she began to feel that in its context the book was terribly odd. It had been published in the 1950s, which Iphis said was a decade before the codification of BSL – and yet it had most of the elements of BSL that Sparrow knew. And it had been devised by one Arctus Pentaphrask, obviously a Wizard from the name alone, let alone all the magical signs in the book. Apparently Arctus had seen no trouble in enlisting the signs he knew from the Deaf muggles he readily interacted with.
Sparrow supposed that, if there was any Wizard who was going to be overlooked by the people sniffing out Statute of Secrecy violations, it would be a Deaf one. Goodness knew if most Wizards of that era even understood deafness at all.
More curiously, the book was not a work formatted in popular style, but an honest-to-God textbook, complete with end-chapter quizzes, discussion questions, and even sidebars on grey backgrounds. And it was here at Hogwarts, as if it had once been part of the curriculum. The thing was even marked "teacher’s edition" on the cover.
"And yet it was in the Forbidden Section," said Iphis. He closed the book and looked at the spine. "With a forbidden-section call number."
"Some kind of forbidden that is," said Sparrow. "But, it looks like this book will solve a lot of my problems. I think I’m about ready to hit up the Slug Club." She shuddered. "Or as ready as I’ll be."
"You sure you actually want to use this thing?" said Iphis, not yet handing the book back to Sparrow. "If it’s that dangerous for us to use…" He grimaced. "You don’t know what it would do to someone with a normal amount of magical power. Maybe they couldn’t handle it."
"Or maybe they could," said Sparrow, "because they didn’t have too much power to control properly, unlike...huh. Actually, try casting a spell from this thing."
Iphis looked disturbed. "After what we saw you do?"
"Go on," said Sparrow. "Just a little stunning spell, or something."
Iphis sighed, and rose to his feet, turning to face the wall. He raised his hands and made the sign for the stunning spell.
Sparrow found her ears ringing too much for her to hear anything, but she could certainly feel herself coughing up half her lungs in the resulting cloud of plaster. And then Iphis was dragging her out the door and slamming it behind him, before pointing his wand at her mouth and murmuring, "Spiro!"
A small cloud of dust blasted him in the face as it was ejected from Sparrow’s lungs. She fell to the floor, breathing hard but cleanly. "Thanks," she signed. "I might be right. Looks like you’ve got as much power as me."
"We’ll need a control group," said Iphis aloud, as he swiped the dust off his face, swaying on his feet. "Someone who isn’t one of us poor overpressured people."
"Perhaps Inigo?" said Sparrow.
"I don’t know," said Iphis. "Let’s not tell him about this until we understand it better."
Sparrow harrumphed. "We have to tell him eventually. Alright, I have to be going. Thanks, Iffy." She turned and marched down the corridor.
…
As Sparrow reached the bottom landing of the stairs down to the dungeons, she found herself pulled aside into a hidden alcove, and immediately wrapped in the warm embrace of Jill, her textbook letting out a loud clop as it hit the floor.
"Looks like you’re learning things from Jocasta too," said Sparrow in a muffled voice, as she returned the embrace.
Jill giggled. "So many things to learn, yes. But oh, my dear, I have missed you so much today." She gave Sparrow a gentle kiss on the top of her head, sending a pulse of warmth through her bones. "So much trouble you’ve gotten into lately, so many pains, I was worried you might be getting into another one."
"Um."
"Sparrow!" Jill gasped, releasing her and laying hands on her shoulders, looking down into her eyes with a face full of worry. "What happened this time?"
Sparrow couldn’t bring herself to hold Jill’s gaze for long. She hung her head. "Plaster dust in my lungs, but Iphis knew what he was doing, I’m fine. I’m always fine eventually. And hey, I’m getting more used to pain now, right?" She shrugged. "It’s like an occasional acquaintance instead of a distant stranger."
Jill put an arm around Sparrow’s waist and drew her close, putting her fingers under Sparrow’s chin to tilt her head up and meet her eyes. ††††† I HAVE WISHED TO HOLD YOU SAFE, MY LOVE. †††††
⋄⋄ I KNOW.⋄⋄
††††† BUT DO YOU UNDERSTAND? MUST I HOLD YOU FOREVER, JUST TO BE SURE? †††††
Sparrow shook her head, tearing her eyes away from Jill. "I’m – I’m fine, alright? It’s all fine. Just don’t use the MSL to cast spells."
Jill looked disappointed. "A magical tome we worked so hard to find is useless to us?"
"Let me put it this way. If we cast spells with the MSL while doing the old Library Trick, it is entirely possible we could turn a huge chunk of the school into rock dust and splinters of wood."
"Ah yes," murmured Jill. "Power." She let her arms fall, stepping away from Sparrow. "Lack of control, such that one could easily present a danger to others. You are correct, Sparrow, I must not learn the MSL." She sighed. "And here I was looking forward to it."
"So was I," grumbled Sparrow. "But – I didn’t mean you specifically, I meant any of us merry pirates. We’re all pressure cookers. I’m not blaming you personally or anything."
Jill’s eyes were distant. "I know. It is not you who blames me." She let out a long breath. "It is simply you who can protect my heart from the full effects of that blame. And everyone else from the full effects of my flame. As ever." She bent and gave Sparrow a peck on the cheek. Sparrow felt another pulse of warmth through her.
"Oh please," murmured Sparrow. "The lips more often, love. Why not allow yourself some passion?"
Jill looked grave. "To do so at the outset, before I had asked, before I knew you were ready? I might burn you to ashes, little bird."
"I’m asking now," whispered Sparrow, putting her hands about Jill’s waist. She gazed upward into the girl’s eyes. "I’m asking always. Please. You don’t need to hold yourself back any longer."
Jill’s gaze was full of pain. ††††† YOU HARDLY KNOW HOW MUCH I NEED TO HOLD BACK, DEAR. BUT FOR YOU -- FOR YOU I WILL DO WHATEVER YOU ASK. ††††† She bent to kiss Sparrow full on the lips, and wrapped her arms about her, the two of them close enough to be one, and soon they lost themselves in each other.
There was a small thump of air. "You two," said the voice of Jocasta, "are a couple of absolute saps."
Sparrow and Jill at last separated, gasping for breath. Sparrow turned to see Jocasta standing there, just outside the alcove, hand on her hip, with her other hand holding the textbook.
Sparrow chuckled. "Don’t act like you don’t want in on this."
"I get in on this every evening," said Jocasta. "Which is why I speak with confidence, and…" She gave Sparrow and Jill both a kiss on the cheek. "You’re both sweet. But I think we’re going to be late to the Slug Club, so let’s be getting moving, shall we?" She nodded her head at the door to Slughorn’s office, which stood a ways down the corridor. "Can’t miss class if you’re the teacher."
"Class," grumbled Sparrow. "And here I thought we’d got away from that. Alright." She linked her arms with Jill and Jocasta. "Off to see the Wizards, come on."
And so they found themselves knocking on Slughorn’s door, which immediately sprang open to reveal Professor Slughorn himself, looking only marginally less sprightly despite his now seriously advanced age. Sparrow supposed that if there was anything that could still animate him, it would be his beloved Slug Club – and indeed, the chatter of the gathered people behind him in his office showed the party was in full swing.
Slughorn looked surprised. "Miss Jones! My goodness, I didn’t expect to see you here! I also don’t recall offering you an invitation."
Sparrow winced. Among the many things she’d forgotten to take care of in the past month, she’d never figured out how to actually inquire about joining the club. Evidently Percival hadn’t put in any kind of word for her. "Um, I’m crashing the party?"
"Oooh," said Jocasta, "a party-crasher. Don’t you look like a dashing rogue. What are you doing later, cutie?"
Sparrow stood on tiptoe to whisper in Jocasta’s ear. "You know exactly what I’m doing later."
Jill and Jocasta giggled quietly as Slughorn guffawed. "Boldest party-crasher I’ve ever seen! Practically battering down the gate, you are! But that is how the legendary Miss Jones moves, does she not? Not a gate before her but she will bring it down. Very well, Jones, very well, I shall reward your cheek. Oh, and Miss Carrow, delighted you could join us this evening! Come in. Erm. And is Miss Patil your guest, then?"
Sparrow raised her eyebrows. She had honestly not considered the possibility that she would be leaving Jill after finding her. "Um – Jill? Are you interested? Mmmph!" She was bent slightly backward as Jill kissed her hard on the lips, sending the fire coursing through her once more.
Jill at last let go, leaving Sparrow to stumbled backward into Jocasta’s arms in a daze. She chuckled. "Not my place, little bird. At the very least, you know where I will be waiting. Just remember what I offer, if in this trial you despair."
"For Potter’s Sake," said Jocasta. "You’d think you two were going into battle or something. Oh, fare thee well, my love, may I see thee again someday! Come on, let’s just get in. Love you, Jill, see you." She gave Jill a kiss on the cheek, pressed the textbook into Sparrow’s hands, and then dragged her past Slughorn into the office.
The party, in contrast to Sparrow’s usual experience, was mostly chatter. Various groups of students, the majority of them upperclassmen, stood around talking. There was no dancing, nor any Pumpkin Juice Pong, nor any gambling on Wizard Chess, nor indeed was there any music. Sparrow wondered what the point of it all was.
She almost spoke aloud, then remembered it was showtime, and she tapped Jocasta on the shoulder. "Do I actually need to actually be here?" she signed. "Maybe you could have, like, solicited interest for me and got people to come to me later? This whole thing is boring as hell."
Jocasta rolled her eyes. "It’s networking," she signed. "Establishing cynical and transactional connections between the sort of ambitious people who will have the most influence later, as well as marriage arrangements. Basically people arranging who will have which Ministry job and which spouse and how many children. And yes, it’s mostly Slytherin."
Sparrow looked around, and noted that the majority of robe trimming she saw was green. "I feel as out-of-place here as Jill."
"It’s who will be running the government later," signed Jocasta. "You need these people on your side now, more than just the basic acquiescence they offered at the Valentine’s Day Ball. You need to give them something so they can give you something."
"Great." Sparrow looked around. There was Percival Bulstrode, chatting up Ignotius Greengrass and Cleo Sassoon near the – oh thank goodness, there was a buffet table. Sparrow immediately moved towards the end with the plates, little caring that almost nobody else had a plate in hand.
As she made her way down the table, her ears picked up on a conversation between Astoria Yaxley and Antonine Mulciber, a couple of seventh-years. "My dear sir," said Astoria, "you must procreate before you're twenty-five, it's good form. And who better for you than Daphne Rosier?"
"Anyone," grumbled Antonine. "You know my tastes run towards my fellow wizards anyway. Ah, but I shouldn't disappoint Mother, should I?"
"We need every Wizard we can get these days," said Astoria. "You know that. Why would you join this club if you weren't seeking to arrange that matter?"
Saprrow was simultaneously fascinated and disturbed by what she was hearing. But she didn't have too long to think on the matter before she spotted Inigo Aguirre, in the corner all alone, looking apprehensive.
She
moved towards him – but then she found her sleeve tugged to the side, and there was Percival, looking intrigued. "Sparrow!" he signed. "Good to see you could make it, when you will be beginning the lesson?"
Sparrow hesitated. "I...figured I would talk to Inigo first, so we can both get our bearings?"
Ignotius snorted. "I wish you two would talk aloud so I could know what you were saying. This entire sign-language business, why in Potter’s name do we need it? Was it a favor for getting Iggy into this club?"
Sparrow glared at Ignotius, and Percival looked slightly peeved. "Look Greengrass," muttered Percival, "if you can’t see the more cynical potential for this mode of communication, I should think you never even thought of passing notes in class. Call yourself a Slug Club member!"
"Well why should Jones here be a member?" said Ignotius. "She’s got her own little club that she uses to lord over the rest of us. Her vaunted pirate crew. And even worse, now Inigo is imitating her, and it’s why he even got into the club! What is this place coming to?"
"Wait," signed Sparrow, "What do you mean, imitating?"
"Something about a pirate crew," signed Cleo, to the visible annoyance of Ignotius. "Seeing the world? Something about that."
Percival laughed. "Just the kind of ambition this club requires! And he’s bound to make lots of connections across the seven seas, isn’t he? Just the sort of thing Slughorn can’t resist!"
Sparrow frowned in confusion. She glanced at Inigo, who was now joined in his corner by Belladonna Yamakeg and Johnny Sebastio. They were signing furtively. Sparrow marched over to them, intent on answers.
Inigo looked up at Sparrow as she approached. "Hey Professor," he signed. "You ready?"
"Ready?" Sparrow glowered. "Just what are you up to, young man?"
"You talk like you’ve already been told what I’m up to. What are you up to, young lady?"
"Crashing through a lot of gates," signed Sparrow. "But what the heck is this about a pirate crew? Are you going to go plundering? Sailing the seas? Forcing people to walk the plank?"
"The plank bit seems terribly inefficient," signed Belladonna. "Fun, though."
"Hopefully we don’t actually have to steal anything from anyone as we make our way across the world," signed Johnny. "Who knows, though, we might get desperate. We don’t exactly know what’s actually out there, the geography books are a trifle outdated. Did you know people used to make so much crap that they could just send it to foreign countries for money?"
"But," signed Sparrow, "pirates? Do you really need to call yourselves pirates?"
"Did you?" signed Inigo. "I mean, if you’re going to be a roving band of outlaws and freedom fighters...probably we will be, too, if there’s warlords and the like out there. But the Wizarding communities aren’t exactly connected, these days, and someone needs to re-connect them. So." He shrugged.
"But," signed Sparrow, "you’re stealing my thunder." She pouted.
"You wouldn’t let us into your crew," signed Inigo. "So we’re starting our own."
"Honestly," said Ignotius, as he marched over to the corner. "This sign-language business is really getting on my nerves. Why don’t any of you speak aloud?"
Sparrow had a half a mind to loudly tell Ignotius where he could shove it, but then another student came over – Maximus Montcalm, a seventh-year Gryffindor on track to work at Saint Mungo’s – and said, "the problem is quite fixable, only Aguirre here refuses to accept it. I’m certainly on my last nerve with that." He drew his wand. "Now if you would just hold still."
All of Sparrow’s world went golden – mostly for the shield that sprang up between her and Maximus, but as Sparrow glanced around she could see a golden tint on everything and everyone.
Which vanished, along with the shield spell, as Sparrow felt a familiar kiss on her cheek.
"My dear," murmured Jocasta into Sparrow’s ear, "you might want to actually try to start teaching now, instead of raising everyone’s hackles."
"Do they even want to learn?" muttered Sparrow.
All of a sudden Inigo had the MSL textbook in hand and was rapidly flipping through it, looking utterly fascinated. Sparrow tapped him on the shoulder, but he ignored it. Again Sparrow tapped him on the shoulder, again to no avail. It was only when Belladonna rapped her knuckles on top of his head that Inigo finally looked up. He immediately looked about him, then thwapped the book shut, shoved it into Belladonna’s hands, and made the sign for the basic levitation spell. At once the wineglass a seventh-year student was holding was yanked out of their hand, splashing wine all across their front, and began to wobble its way toward the vaulted ceiling.
"Didn’t we want to keep that out of his hands?" whispered Jocasta.
"No help for it now." Sparrow made the same sign for the levitation spell, hoping that keeping her eyes on the object was what targeted the magic – she’d skipped over that section.
All at once, where there had been a wineglass rising slowly into the air, there was a rain of glass shards twinkling down from where the glass had impacted the masonry, and Sparrow felt as tired as if she’d sprinted across the entire length of the castle. She fell backward into Jocasta’s arms.
"Sparrow!" ejaculated Slughorn. "What on earth are you doing?"
Sparrow laughed nervously as she found her footing and shook her wand out of her sleeve. Into the air she wrote, in glowing letters, WHO WANTS TO LEARN THE MAGICAL SIGN LANGUAGE?
There was a sharp smack as Jocasta’s palm met her forehead.
…
It had not taken the members of the Slug Club a significant amount of convincing, for after Inigo and Sparrow’s displays, anyone with any ambition there – which was everyone – could quickly see the potential of power that the MSL offered. Save for poor Sparrow herself, of course, who, in seeing everyone’s initial attempts with the basic spells, had to admit to herself that it was only her and her friends that couldn’t handle the form.
"It makes sense though," said Jocasta, as she stalked up the stairs, holding Sparrow in a bridal carry. The charm to make a body lighter had not needed to do very much work. "From what I read of the text, it appears to be a form of magic that carefully opens up the channels of one’s own power reserves enough to do wandless casting, when that usually requires a vast amount of power."
"Mmmmmm. Sure." Sparrow rested her head against Jocasta’s shoulder.
"So for people like us," said Jocasta, "who already have too much power under pressure, opening any channels even a little too wide would be dangerous."
"Like a spillway on the Hoover Dam," murmured Sparrow.
"The who dam?" Jocasta sounded confused. "Well whatever. The point is I can see multiple reasons for the book to be in the Forbidden Section, regardless of why Tim put it there. We have just completely upended the expulsion system at this school, and possibly the entire wand economy."
"All in a day’s work," mumbled Sparrow, "for us wand wackos." She yawned greatly. "So I’ll teach people language basics an’….an’ Iggy will teach the magic signs. ‘Salright. Lotsa signups."
"Nearly the entire club," said Jocasta. "I am a little disappointed though, I had hoped to keep that particular trick up our sleeves until the last possible moment, when we are attacked and our other means of fighting are cut off – ah, but we are not in this struggle just so we can be selfish."
That Jocasta was certain there would be a "when" flitted across Sparrow’s tired mind. But it was not something she had the energy to consider, now. Nor indeed, when they at last reached the Hufflepuff common room, had Sparrow any energy to even wave to her fellow students.
Nor indeed, when they at last reached their shared little dorm room, and there awaited Jill upon their shared bed, did Sparrow have any energy to do more than faceplant into Jill’s lap.
And there she fell straight asleep.
…
Her dream was of an owl passing across her view of the moon, and the sound of someone calling her name from far off.