Eclipse Transit

[Tom Marvolo Riddle]

Slowly but surely I was starting to understand the reasoning behind all the euphemisms that Nealaphh had been employing in regards to the being known as Omni. And worse I was readily agreeing the more he learned how things worked. While magic was known to usurp a number of practiced practical methods it also followed a reasoning that could be mapped as its own technological progress.

It surpassed that of muggles for one very simple reason, provided you continued to study a single person could in theory take the place of a nation. That little spark of talent was all that was required to make a light shine from a wand or to end a life just as quickly as snuffing out said light. Power incarnated into the form of a wooden wand imbued with a magical substance of sorts. Only now it wasn’t just wood.

And for better or for worse the technological progression I was so used too was utterly skewed.

But a least that said progression wasn’t entire gone by Nealaph’s own admittance. And there was opportunity in such as well which had me thinking. Dean. Such a simple term. “I had no plans as of yet. Though there is the inclination to pick up where I left off in my last world. “ I said faintly, no doubt Nealaphh heard it but it was more a subtle admission that I had been too distracted so far to know what I wanted. And what did I want? Hogwarts.

“So a Dean of scholarly facility would be most appreciated, maybe even applicable to some future pursuits.” I said with a glib smile. A force of habit from the memories of my creator, or rather me who had been whole. A habit used to make me seem more normal that I could empathize fully with my surroundings. I never really realized how often I did it until after I had been separated from my other and since then I never needed to do it. From then on I had been a book and a shadow of memory given form by a young girl’s life. I needed to focus however on the intent of what I was doing. Though those memories of Ginny giving true sustenance for some reason helped, maybe some emotions and vitality granted by her and her other had altered me but it did seem to give me perspective.

A fresh set of eyes or imagination?

I settled on what Nealaphh had said regarding his knowledge and it source. If such was the case then repeating the feat would be simple enough. Maybe expand upon it.

I gave my wand a flick, drawling out an incantation and fixed in my mind my goal. It’d need to be unassuming useful and if the destination was anything to go by, windy. A good hat would be convenient to my purposes, and more importantly a hat that could sort information. Calls and contacts. A sorting hat.

What I was doing now was a work worthy of the Founders but more so. A part of me was annoyed at how easy it would be. I had labored in understanding the Sorting Hat for years as the basis for my Diary, backed up by study into pensieves. Previous attempts at what I was doing now always failed but here I knew I could succeed. I would succeed? And why? Because I deemed it so, but for the first time that did not reassure me.

I sketched more in the air leaving ripples of and whirls of chromatic light. It was magic and omnilium. With each whip here and a swipe there, runes, patterns and shadows flickered through the air. I added more omnilium, dispersing it as floating chrome globules rather than mist that I kept pushing even as we walked. My legs were set to autonomously move as I worked on something far more pressing of my simulated upper brain functions.

I muttered a decisive, “mutatius ineruptio” before slicing my wand down through one of the largest orbs of silver. It splattered like so much mercury but it also started spinning in an elegant mockery of planetary orbits. At its center was a pinprick like star that was pulling a number of runes, and other abstract imagery from earlier into it even as the omnilium that was swirling around it as it center began to take shape.

The final touch, I invoked another spell this time non-verbally, that cause silver strand of gossamer to fly from my robes where my robe had been hidden. Memory. A core memory of the time I had been sorted in front of the Great Hall. It was a short one, though it was only by my own intellect and challenging nature that had managed to stall the Hat long enough to give me a second of its time. Within the confines of my head it had been a longer period, though most everyone claimed it was an instant sorting. Only a spark of what could have been Ravenclaw had even entered the conversation.

It would have to be enough.

Breathing out the last incantation, “Iliceto!” I slashed my wand through horizontally, upsetting the natural order that had only just begun to form. Immediately the pinpoint nova started sparking and darken, pulling the shell of omnilium and conjured material into it like a hungry hole in space before flaring outward in a hiss and pop.

With a practiced motion I grabbed what appeared to be a rather well-worn but stylish wide brimmed hat with loose almost hood like point top that was several hands in length. It was made of black leather like material but the insides had fine silk etched with the same runes I had cut into the air. Upon the outside silver embroidery and an emerald stud formed an eye at the center right before the weight of the tip caused the whole thing to crumple backwards. Near the base where it became a brim looked to be wrinkles. Wrinkles that were created by a silver sash were what could be mistaken for a mouth if it were animate.

It wasn’t thee Sorting Hat, but it was A sorting hat. I imagine if I did my work right it would act much the same.

Placing the newly formed artefact upon the crown of my head, I gave Neal a look as I could see that he had been watching me for a while. “It is as you say, far to easy. Disturbingly easy. And I imagine I took it one step further.” I began and continued with a weary tone, “It should able contact this Dataverse and also be able to connect with devices similar to its own for direct private communication.”

And then the ramifications of Neal’s last words had been, “Just how powerful of a weapon are you planning to make?”