The Witchy Wireless (fiction)

It was a bright cloudless morning, as Sparrow could see out the bay window of the tea nook. The kind of morning that Sparrow always liked to share with her beloveds – but not this morning. As much as the Dorm Room of Requirement had judged that Jill needed company over the evening, Sparrow woke up feeling uncomfortable that she had accepted the over-ride of Jill’s feelings. So she had hopped out of the bed, made her Animagus Incantaiton, dressed for the day and made her way to the tea nook as swiftly as she could.

It still didn’t feel right, either staying far away or staying close. Never more than an arm’s length, that was the promise. She might as well fulfill her part of it. She squared her shoulders, preparing to return to her dormitory –

Someone tapped her on the shoulder. Sparrow jumped, and whirled around, a translucent golden barrier springing into existence between her and…Cleo Sassoon, who was stumbling backward after the shield spell had pushed her. Sparrow dismissed it with a wave of her hand. "Sorry," she said, taking Cleo’s hand to steady her, "I’m really sorry, I didn’t even mean –"

"Did you not?" said Cleo, as she found her footing. "You didn’t go for your wand, but that was wandless casting. Was that your Magical Sign Language?"

Sparrow shook her head. "I wasn’t trying anything, Cleo, I swear. It just happened."

Cleo’s eyes flew wide. "Unmediated wandless casting! And here I thought it was only Patil and Carrow that had so much power, but from what I hear of that outburst up on the walkway, their forms are without control. You just – you did your regular shield spell without a wand. We’ve been learning about that in Budge’s class, it’s a seventh-year elective subject – and you just do it, without any trouble. At your age. How?"

"Perhaps you can calm your nerves with some tea?" said Sparrow, nodding to the open door of the kitchenette.

"Oh!" said Cleo, turning to the door. "Yes, you’re right, I was just going to ask." She bustled through it and got busy brewing.

In the meantime, Sparrow sat herself down at the table and brooded. Maybe it wasn’t a good idea to return to the dorm just yet. Jill had not been moving when Sparrow had risen, but she knew the girl’s breathing patterns to be able to tell when she was awake. Yet she had not responded to Sparrow caressing her shoulder. Likely she needed more time. Maybe leaving an empty space between Jocasta and Jill would make them feel better.

Thus it was that Cleo was once again the first person she was speaking to in the morning. Not all that unworthy a conversational companion, judging by last time. Ah, and here she was with the tea service – the full service once again.

Cleo set the tray down upon the table, and sat in her own chair delicately, not taking her eyes off of Sparrow. She looked as if she were about to say something. But all she did was wring her hands in her lap.

"Did I frighten you too much?" said Sparrow. "I am sorry for treating you like a danger."

Cleo laughed nervously. "Oh, it’s not that. I’m sorry." She took up the teapot and poured out two cups, dropping a few lumps of sugar into one and handing it to Sparrow. Sparrow set the cup back down and picked up the unaltered one. Cleo laughed again. "I should apologize for presuming your tea preferences." She took the cup with sugar in. "And I should apologize for failing to understand that you would be jumpy. Especially after all you’ve been through...honestly, I have no idea how you survived the far depths of the Forbidden Forest. Was it just with your shield?"

Sparrow sipped her tea, staring into the liquid. "No," she murmured low. "I was...forced to employ a curse, for the first time in my life."

"Oh," said Cleo. "You – I can’t imagine how hard that must have been, for you of all people."

Sparrow sipped her tea. "The worst part is that harming someone actually got easier past that point, in spite of my vows. Not that it was necessarily a curse, what I did to Jocasta –"

"Oh yes," said Cleo. "No curse indeed, just a repurposing, if I remember correctly? Very clever wandwork – when did you even come up with that spell?"

Sparrow shrank a little to hear Cleo speaking of a terrible moment so nonchalantly. "It was in the moment."

Cleo paused, in the sipping of her tea, glancing up at Sparrow. "In the moment. Hm. Well, I suppose I should feel very lucky that you can’t cast curses, then, you might be the utter terror of the world."

"What do you mean can’t?" said Sparrow. "That spell –"

"Was blunt force," said Cleo. "Not a lingering magical effect. And your wand core is unicorn hair, not remotely suited for curses."

"How do you know about my wand core?" said Sparrow, glaring at Cleo.

Cleo looked nervous. "I...I heard it from someone, I don’t know why they cared or where they got the info." She blew on her tea, not meeting Sparrow’s gaze. "I’m sorry, I can see how it could be considered personal information. It does tell on one’s character."

"Fair enough." Sparrow set her tea down. "As for how I have been casting wandlessly, I did note that I’ve had a huge amount of practice with this one spell. I don’t expect I would be able to avoid using my wand for anything else."

"Yes," said Cleo. "Your...shield of love."

Sparrow raised an eyebrow. "Are you mocking the concept?"

"Is that what I sound like?" said Cleo. "I do apologize again, only, it sounds such a sincere thing, so...heartfelt. I confess that a cynical person such as myself has more trouble with the concept. But…" She set her tea down and placed her hands in her lap. "I am. Not unfamiliar with the concept. It is simply difficult for me to deal with these days."

"What is?"

"Love," said Cleo, eyes firmly fixed upon her hands.

"You’ve fallen in with some fellow then?"

Cleo raised her head to meet Sparrow’s gaze, looking affronted. "Do not mock me either, Miss Jones. I consider this matter as serious as your own relationship."

Sparrow took up her tea and sipped it. Oh, tea was such a wonderful little prop to avoid meeting someone’s gaze, to look poised and elegant despite one’s embarrassment. She glanced up at Cleo. "Go on, then."

Cleo took a deep breath. "I...Sparrow, I must ask, how is it exactly that you got your girlfriends to love you?"

Sparrow raised her head, frowning in confusion. "Get?"

Now it was Cleo’s turn to look embarrassed. "Not, I mean, I don’t – I would never use a love potion, those are stupid, I just mean…" She let out a long breath. "Look. Last time we spoke, I joked about wanting Herbert to ask for my hand in marriage. But it wasn’t a joke."

"I didn’t take it as one," said Sparrow. "Bit flippant, but ultimately sincere. Alright then, you’ve really got eyes for Herbert?"

"I have strong feelings for him," said Cleo. "I’ve had them for so long – I try to ignore them, to be respectful and cautious – dammit, I should be the one asking for a hand in marriage. But I can’t."

"Too shy?"

"I did say I wanted to be respectful," said Cleo. She sipped her tea. "And it’s clear to me that my dear Herbie only has eyes for Frankie. If I could somehow get him to fall for me too – but I could never say an open word towards that end. God, this is stupid. Maybe you of all people would know what to do. I don’t."

"I of all people," murmured Sparrow. "With my meager years."

"And your two girlfriends."

Sparrow thought back to the events of last night and the silence of this morning. She thought back to her conviction that her future with Jill and Jocasta was the most certain source of her hope and pride. She didn’t know what to think now.

"Do I need to be hotter?" said Cleo. "Is that it? I mean look at you, you’re the cutest thing in school and you managed to pull the Lady Knight and the Prankster Queen. But how you kept them – "

"We need each other," said Sparrow. "Whatever else we do with each other, we desperately need each other. We always have, even in the years where we hadn’t come to understand it – between me and Jill never more than an arm’s length apart, or Jocasta never being able to quit pranking me or dueling Jill – we’ve always kept each other sane, or as sane as we can. Sticking together because he know that we can keep each other from hurting other people."

Cleo snorted. "Clearly you need your shield for that."

"It was the first thing that attracted Jill to me," said Sparrow. "Both of my girlfriends are just so scared of themselves...were I not there to be their bulwark, What would they do? Explode. We’re a bunch of steam boilers about to blow, you know? You wanted to know where my power comes from. I think it comes from being magically stifled after stunning trauma."

"Like Arianna Dumbledore," murmured Cleo.

"Who?"

"Albus Dumbledore’s kid sister," said Cleo. "It’s an old story that I only heard from Professor Binns. Apparently living in a muggle area, having a lot of power, fearful to use it after a bunch of muggle kids attacked her – she kept having outbursts…" Cleo’s eyes flew wide. "Goodness, you could go the same way as her."

"My primary area of magic is safe to exercise," said Sparrow. "Jill’s, not so much. But you see, Miss Sassoon, that what Jill and Jocasta and I have isn’t portable. It can’t...necessarily apply to your situation. Can it?"

Cleo sat up straight and breathed in deeply. "And did I not make it clear to you that I have feelings that cannot find a safe outlet? I feel as though I am likewise about to explode, Miss Jones. Only I can’t even do magic to release the pressure. I don’t want to hurt anyone more than you do. But if I...if I try to explain myself to Herbert, I don’t think I can do it delicately. What’s left?"

"To do what you can for him," said Sparrow. "If you love someone you do the best you can for them, and never expect anything in return."

"That sounds excessively self-sacrificing," said Cleo. "Are you saying you’ve been protecting people at this school without any sort of return favor?"

Sparrow paused. Then she nodded.

"Your advice might be coming from a rare place, then."

Sparrow shrugged. "It was all about fulfilling my oath. Which...sounds self-centered, now that I say it out loud."

"I’ve always done what I can for Herbert," said Cleo. "He’s always done the same for me."

"Keep at it then," said Sparrow.

"Even though he’ll never have eyes for me?"

"He clearly loves you in his own way," said Sparrow. "Isn’t that enough?"

Cleo sighed, and turned to gaze out the window, looking pensive. "I...I don’t know."

"You’ll never lose his company," said Sparrow. "You don’t have to worry about that."

"I don’t know that!" said Cleo, glaring at Sparrow. "I don’t know if he just focuses on Frankie, and leaves me behind. I don’t know! You have your steadfast friends, but do I have mine?" Tears were shining in her eyes. "I am sorry, Miss Jones, I do not know if I can apply your advice." She stood abruptly, and swept out of the tea nook, leaving the tray on the table.

Before Sparrow could process what had just happened, there was a small thump of air, and Jocasta appeared sitting on a chair. She looked stern, causing Sparrow to sit up straight, preparing to give the girl another lecture for eavesdropping on her again.

But Jocasta’s eyes were not on Sparrow, but on the tea service. She shook her wand out of her sleeve and pointed it at the pot, muttering a few different spells. She paused, frowning, wand still held at the pot. Then she pointed her wand at Sparrow’s sternum, casting a cone of green light, which caused Sparrow to shiver.

She dismissed the spell and slid her wand into her sleeve. "Nothing. I don’t get it."

"You honestly think Cleo Sassoon was trying to do magic on me?" Sparrow crossed her arms. "Really, Jo. Can’t you be charitable?"

"Charity is your business," said Jocasta. "Cynicism is mine."

"And...how’s my core, then?"

"Steady," said Jocasta. "Not like mine. Not like Jill’s."

"What do you –"

"I’m taking her to Brother Ealdwine this morning," said Jocasta. "Nothing is going to be burned down, nothing is going to be smashed or hurled about. But I think Jill needs to have a chance to talk about certain things with someone who isn’t you or me."

"Not even you?" said Sparrow.

"Ah well." Jocasta shrugged. "I did play a large part in stoking her flame all the way to explosion yesterday, didn’t I?"

"As did I," murmured Sparrow. "I’m sorry about...about setting her off like that."

"Well now you know," said Jocasta. "Just like you know not to look too long into my eyes. Live and learn. And for what it’s worth – I did learn something interesting about you, in that incident."

"What do you –"

Jocasta lunged forward, planting a kiss on Sparrow’s lips. She pulled back, a grin on her face. "I learned that you fill me with warm sunshine."

"Oh I see," said Sparrow. "Stealing my energy, I see how it is. You’re a vampire! Go on and take care of Jill, don’t let me detain you!"

Jocasta giggled. There was a small thump of air as she disappeared, and then the fading sound of a fly’s wings.

…

The two were not at breakfast, nor at the morning’s study session, causing Iphis to grouse and grumble. For neither were Wren, off in their workshop, nor Miranda, off in her workshop. It was only Sparrow and Iphis, practicing the locomotion spell. All in all a rather desultory morning.

They were at the afternoon’s detention, of course, neither Jill being so grieving nor Jocasta being so guilty that they either was willing to cross McGonagall. But though they completed the day’s course better than Iphis or Miranda, they offered no great creativity as they had done before.

It was Wren alone who was excelling this day –

By something a test-setter might have considered cheating. But there were no grades in this detention, only demonstration of ability, and so, as Wren’s cloak snapped out straight and taught behind them in their flight, letting them glide a great distance before landing, Sparrow could only applaud, and McGonagall could only offer a nod of approval.

"It might interfere with making swifter maneuvers," was McGonagall’s only word about it, as Wren came in to land on the windowsill.

"Suppose I could add flight feathers and a tail then," said Wren. "But then I could just buy a broom – oh, but those are expensive these days, aren’t they? And woven fabric is easier to come by." They winked.

Jill and Jocasta, wrapped up in their own silent discussions, offered little more than a thumb’s-up, but Iphis was beaming with admiration, and for Miranda’s part, she had a faint smile upon her face as she lifted the hem of the cloak. "These are complex runes," she murmured. "How long did they take to embroider?"

"Couple hours over a couple days," said Wren.

Miranda froze, before slowly looking up at Wren’s unassuming expression. "You...only took a couple hours?"

Wren shrugged. "I know my runes and I don’t waste time."

"Speaking of which," said Sparrow, "how is that remember-ball coming along?"

Wren’s nonchalance vanished, replaced with a frustrated scowl. "I ought to show you how it’s going." They grabbed Sparrow’s hand and turned to Iphis. "Iffy dear, may I borrow Sparrow here in place of our usual study time?"

Iphis let out a long sigh. "Well, if Jill and Jocasta here aren’t even going to be studying in the afternoon, then I guess our usual study time is shot. I should hope to go over things with four of you tonight then. We can’t waste any time now that we’re taking breaks on Sundays." He turned to Miranda. "In that light, my friend, if my presence would not be monumentally distracting, I ought to go over study materials with you while you’re brewing potions."

Sparrow had expected Miranda to scowl at Iphis for asserting this intrusion, but curiously enough she nodded without a word of complaint. And then she departed the office first and beckoned Iphis to follow. It boggled the mind.

But Sparrow had no more time to let her mind be boggled, for she was being dragged along by Wren, out the office, down the stairs, into the hall, along the corridor around and around.

And here at last was the Room of Requirement. Wren opened the door into a small vestibule. "Clean hands please," they said, waving their wand over Sparrow’s hands, bathing them in bright light for a brief moment. "I don’t want to get any smudges on the material."

They opened the door into their workshop –

Which was more difficult to navigate, now, for what had been a large amount of open space beside the bench was taken up by a most curious structure. It was a metal archway, a circular hoop whose full circumference was cut off by the part where it met the floor. Then through the archway was another arch, only a bit smaller – then through that one, a smaller arch. Each one bore a string of glowing runes.

"Great," said Sparrow. "Some kind of teleportation gateway? Given your rate of progress I would expect that of you."

"I sincerely wish you could," grumbled Wren. "Let me attempt to show you what this is supposed to do." They marched forward through the archway.

As they moved through one to the next, Sparrow was startled to see their form shrinking – just by an inch per arch, but it was unmistakable. Sparrow had only ever seen wizards shrinking with the Reducio spell, unstable without a great deal of practice and notoriously unsafe to cast upon human beings. And yet, here was the same spell effect, clearly not injuring Wren –

Until the air within the third arch visibly wavered, and threw Wren straight back at Sparrow with a bwommmmmmm. Instantly a glowing golden translucent disc sprang into existence between Sparrow and Wren, and Wren thumped into the disc, their head snapping back against the surface hard, before they slid down to the floor with a groan. Sparrow yelped and dismissed the spell, kneeling to put her hands on Wren’s shoulders and gently lay them down. "Oh my God," she said, "Wren, I am so sorry –"

"I shoulda told you to stand aside," murmured Wren. "Ow. Give me a second." They shook their wand out of their sleeve, rolled over and pointed the wand at the back of their head. A brief glow of light emanated from the wand, and then they were rolling back over, sitting upright, looking less the worse for wear. "Whoof! Boy, I’m glad to be learning stuff from Madame Abbot, otherwise I’d have bandages all over by now."

Sparrow frowned. "What do you mean?"

Wren gestured upwards towards the table. "Take a look at the walls, eh?"

Sparrow rose to her feet, and looked at the walls about the table, noticing what the arches had distracted her from. For there were yet more scorch marks on the wall, and now, glittering bits of metal embedded in them. "Still no luck then?"

Wren gripped the edge of the table and used it to haul themselves upright. They pointed to the corner, where a ball of silvery metal lay against the stone. "I at least manage to make the shape. I get the runes on. I try to get it working. It takes in a certain number of my memories. Then...boom."

Sparrow looked back at the arch. "No success there either?"

"I worry I’m reaching the limits of my abilities." Wren leaned over the table, thumping a fist on the wood. "I thought I was on a roll, here. All my rings and earrings and embroidery, I thought I was an artificer extraordinaire! And now look at me. Defeated."

Sparrow peered closer at Wren’s earrings. "Are those real gold?"

"Yes?" Wren turned to Sparrow with an innocent look. "Hundred karat, I was able to conjure it out of seawater when I visited Aberdeen with Iffy. I know wearing it might seem highfalutin’ and all, but –"

"I’m just saying it’s a lot easier to carve runes into softer metal," said Sparrow.

"What do you mean?"

Sparrow pointed to the archways. "Those things are steel, right? Plain old steel?"

"Yeah? Not like I was going to be able to fish up enough seawater for that much gold."

Sparrow moved to the first archway and peered at the glowing runes. Up close, their edges were just a little ragged, and the glow was just a little flickery. "Your craftsmanship is just a smidge sloppy. Maybe that’s all it takes to screw up an advanced spell effect. You know?"

Wren peered at the runes. "By golly, you’re on to something. And that first remembrall, the band was brass. But –" They fished in their pocket and brought out the ossoscope, with its band carved all over with runes. They peered close at the metal. "These ones are perfect, do you see?"

Sparrow peered at the runes. Though they were far smaller than those on the archways, the lines carved through the gleaming reddish metal betrayed no flaw. "This band is of copper. That’s another soft metal."

"And I’ve been doing the Remember Ball out of steel," said Wren. "Dang, my caution has betrayed me!"

"Or you’re just not taking advantage of muggle ways," said Sparrow. "Etching might get you cleaner results than carving, in the harder metals."

Wren’s eyes flew wide. "Muggle ways. Heavens to Betsy, how could I have ignored them?"

"Because you’re so entranced with a magical method that involves manipulating solid objects," said Sparrow. "You artificer extraordinaire, you."

Wren giggled. "Oh, stop, I’m not there yet."

"But you’re getting there!" said Sparrow. "By Jove, old friend, you’re getting somewhere alright, I never would have thought of any of this stuff. You’ve got ideas galore, now you need execution. That’s all." Her eyes lighted on an object far down the table, a silvery book-sized box with rounded corners and brass knobs, its edges lined with carved runes. "And I daresay soon enough you’ll get that Wireless working too."

Wren grabbed the Wireless and pressed it into Sparrow’s hands with an eager gleam in their eye. "Go on, try it, try it."

"Oh?" Sparrow flipped a switch, and the runes glowed violet. "Oh!" She turned the largest dial, and out of a small grille in the center hissed a great deal of static. "It does work!" She turned the dial further, until a distinct voice came through. Citizens of Aberdeen! The moment of our glory is – Sparrow scoffed and flipped the switch off. "It works very well. Wait, did you manage to get a signal across the sea yet?" She looked all over the box for any kind of button that might indicate switching signal frequencies.

Wren shook their head slowly. "That’s the next thing to try. But...if Iphis and I can streamline the process of making a Wireless this way, and get enough crystals, we can make a second one quickly and set up direct communication between here and London. Between you and your parents. Swifter communication than an owl, that’s for sure. And more secure."

"Anything has to be more secure," grumbled Sparrow. "Except...we just picked up an open signal from Aberdeen, didn’t we? If the Wizarding Wireless Network gets back on its feet, they could pick up our own signals. We’d have to be transmitting in code. Which would be complicated, and not unbreakable."

Wren looked crestfallen.

"But wait," said Sparrow. "You haven’t managed to get the long-range signal working, right?"

"Not yet," murmured Wren.

"Then maybe neither has any other Wizard," said Sparrow. "Maybe Wizards don’t even know about it. Maybe it’s such a Muggle thing that they wouldn’t even think of it. Especially the kind of people who would be most against us. Am I correct?"

Wren perked up, their face practically beaming with light. "By golly, you could be right! Muggle methods win again!" They grabbed the Wireless out of Sparrow’s hands, set it down on the table, then took Sparrow’s hand and shook it vigorously. "You’re a genius, my friend! A marvelous genius! Almost as good as me! You and I could be business partners!"

"I thought you were going to be business partners with Iphis?"

"I’m an everything partner with Iphis," said Wren. "We can be a business trio."

The two of them departed the Room of Requirement in high spirits.

…

Late that evening, in the Hufflepuff common room, Sparrow was sat on a couch by the fire – a couch long enough to fit three people, but there was only her upon it. She found herself reaching beside her into empty air, as if by reflex, so often was there an arm to find – not this evening, alas.

Which did not mean Sparrow was alone. There before the fire sat Wren and Iphis, examining the Wireless.

"You even made it two-way," murmured Iphis, as he pressed one of the buttons.

"So we can give Sparrow’s parents a second one," said Wren.

"You got the crystal," murmured Iphis. "Down in the lower tunnels…" He looked up at Wren with concern. "And you sound like you’re planning to go down there to get more?"

"Yes?"

"What did you see down there?" said Sparrow. "Did you hear a strange voice telling you awful things? Did it show you horrible things?"

Wren looked away. "It doesn’t bear repeating on."

"And yet," said Sparrow, "you’re going to repeat the experience."

Wren shrugged. "Gotta do what I can for the people I love, right?"

"To that extent?" Sparrow rose from the couch, and came to sit by Wren’s side. This close, she could see what she had not noticed on Wren’s face when she had been lost in the wonder of creation – dark circles under their eyes. "Tell me, Wren dear, have you finished making all that shield jewelry?"

Wren fished in their pocket and brought out a cloth bag of something that clinked, nodding eagerly.

"And between that and the Wireless and the arch and the Remember Ball," said Iphis, "have you been sleeping? No, you haven’t. It’s been days since you came to bed."

"But I –"

"My friend," said Sparrow, "there is such a thing as senseless martyrdom. You need not sacrifice yourself entirely for the people you love, if if means they have no more of you."

Wren raised an eyebrow. "You’re one to talk."

"I swore an oath," said Sparrow. "Now I need must sacrifice myself for the people I love."

"So I’m pulling a you," said Wren. "And, bear in mind, the stuff I’ve been doing is stuff that needs to get done fast. The shield jewelry has a hard deadline, the Wireless plan I want to get up and running as soon as possible, and the Remember Ball...that one’s for me, in a way. If I can get it to all the people...I won’t need to feel so worried about memory charms anymore. Assuming it ever works."

Iphis scooted to sit by Wren’s side, putting an arm around their waist and drawing them close. "Whether or not it does, you have my word I will find whatever counter to memory charms I can."

Wren sighed and rested their head on Iphis’ shoulder. "I know you will, dear."

"Excuse me," said a voice, and the three of them looked up to see the prefect, Sextus McFadden, standing close to the edge of the firelight. "I heard you saying something about a Wireless?"

Sparrow exchanged glances with Iphis and Wren. Wren alone looked eager to reply. "Yes indeed," they said, holding up the glinting silver box, "come see, come see."

"Unless it’s forbidden in school?" said Sparrow.

Sextus snorted. "Now you ask." He strode to Wren and lifted the Wireless out of their hands. "This is quite a beautiful design. The runes are a lovely decoration, I must say."

Wren now looked as nervous as Iphis and Sparrow. "Yes...decoration. Yes."

Sextus turned the Wireless over, to show a grille on the back face. "This is an odd arrangement for the speakers, though."

"Oh it’s going to be two-way," said Wren. "If we can get that to wrk."

Sextus was flipping a switch and turning the big dial. The speaker hissed to life, faint sounds coming out garbled before the dial finally hit upon a clear station. "Loyal citizens of Manchester!" barked a man’s voice. "I say to you, our hated foes shall see us triumph! We shall be victorious over London!" Sextus, startled, bobbled and nearly dropped the box, before catching it, his eyes wide. "I had no idea things were that bad back home," he murmured. "Dad hasn’t said anything about it."

"Could have happened in the week the owls have been on strike," grumbled Sparrow.

"And this is supposed to be two-way?" said Sextus. "Can you...do you think you could make one for me? Just so I can get a message from home?

Wren looked like gears were turning over in their head.

"One project at a time," said Iphis.

"Pace yourself," said Sparrow.

Wren pouted. "But someone needs my craft."

"You will have to make an order sheet then," said a voice from a chair farther from the fire. For there sat, of all people, Miranda, scribbling in her notebook. Why she had come to the Hufflepuff common room this evening, she had not told Sparrow. "Make a schedule and refer to it whenever anyone demands you move faster."

"Do you want to come and see the Wireless?" said Iphis.

Miranda shook her head.

"Do you want me to bring you the Wireless?" said Wren.

Miranda nodded.

"Hang on," said Iphis, "You just said –"

"I’m a little jumpy about fire lately," said Miranda. "You’re lucky I even came here, instead of staying down in my nice cold dank dungeons."

And so three witches were soon engaged in doing everything they could think of with a device that Sparrow had never expected to see at this school. A device that, if it could work, would be a proper solution to her problem, if she could get it to her parents. If she could bell that cat.

It would be a good reason to take up the port key, after all. Wren loved her – why not let that love come to good use? As they seemed to so deeply desire?

But she still had her safer magical option, if she could get it to work.

Nothing for it. She closed her eyes, let out a long breath, and focused on her image of her parents. How strong they were even without magic, how calm and collected they seemed even with all the troubles about them. Their appearances slowly began to take shape –

Pain split her head once again, pain that would not end, and the images would not fade –

Until it did, as vision came to her eyes once more. She was staring straight into the folds of elaborately bordered robes, as she lay upon what seemed to be a hard carpet – in fact it was the back of Wren’s robes, where she had fallen over to pin them to the stone. Hands were roughly shaking her. She rolled over and stared up into the concerned faces of Iphis, Sextus, and Miranda. "Sparrow," whispered Miranda, "are you alright? What happened? What were you doing?"

"Something stupid," groaned Sparrow. "My own little Wireless, I guess? But it sure doesn’t work long-distance. Ow."

And then there was a warm hand on her shoulder, and Sparrow looked up into the eyes of Jill, as they caught the fire’s dying light. For all the concern on her face, she made no word, but gently lifted Sparrow into her arms.

Sparrow chuckled. "Give me a recharge?"

"Do you actually need one," murmured Jill.

"If it’s a good excuse," said Sparrow, "then yes."

But as she carried Sparrow to the stairs, she did not bend to kiss Sparrow, nor meet her eyes again, nor speak a word. Sparrow was worried that if she spoke first, Jill might not answer. And yet it would be rude to steal a kiss just to get a reaction. That was Jocasta’s domain.

She finally pulled herself up and gave Jill a kiss on the cheek. Jill came to a halt halfway up the steps. "I hardly deserve such consideration," she murmured.

"Leave such self-doubt aside," said Sparrow. "You’re here for me, I’m here for you. Forget what happened last night. Just give me what you want to give."

Jill let out a long sigh. Then at last she bent to give Sparrow a gentle kiss on the lips, long enough for Sparrow to hear an "awwww" from everyone still down at the hearth.

And though Sparrow was far from the fire, still she felt warm, inside and out. "Ooh," she giggled, "maybe I need another recharge."

"Best recharge is sleep," whispered Jill. "Giving you the quick version too often...well, I’ve seen how it leaves you dazed, when we kiss for long. So I worry."

"Can I at least enter your dreams tonight?"

Jill made no reply, until she was opening the door to their dormitory and setting Sparrow down upon the bed beside Jocasta’s sleeping form. "I will not bar you from them," she murmured, "but I ask that you not enter my domain. I need more time. As ever."

She said nothing more, not even a "goodnight", as they lay with Jocasta between them.

…

In dreams that night, the whirling fire had gone at last.

But still Sparrow sat up on the mountain of bones, holding Jocasta’s hand, saying nothing. Only watching as Jill’s plain of hellfire was slowly swamped by a rolling expanse of glowing lava.