Entropy in the System

Chapter 1 · Neglected

Rachel made it to her appointment with Croaker well in time. After all, a low-level unspeakable like her rarely gets to meet with the Director. The door was already open, which by departmental agreement meant she could step right in. She noted she was the only visitor so far. "Oh, am I too early?"

"No, no," her boss' boss' boss said. "Close the door, please."

Rachel closed the door in surprise. A meeting with the Director? With just her?

At his desk Croaker was still playing around with two prisms, the refraction in the prism breaking light into the colours of the rainbow before the second prism recombined it into white light again. "Have you seen this before?"

Rachel smiled. After the ICW intervention, contact with those parts of the Muggle government that were aware of Magic improved considerably. The resulting influx of Muggle science into the Department of Mysteries left at times even brilliant unspeakables like Croaker looking like little children at a science fair.

"I've never seen it myself," she said, "but I have seen pictures, and I know a bit of the science behind it. It's all because the speed of light changes in different matter."

Croaker carefully moved the setup with the prisms to the side on his desk. "You know, Magic is something similar, in that it is made up of different sorts of magic. We don't have the tools yet to split pure Magic into its parts, and merge it back into one. But maybe one day, inspired by such Muggle things, we will create that."

Raven mentally facepalmed and then berated herself. The Unspeakables were no Arthur Weasleys, playing with Muggle batteries and plugs, but the most Ravenclawish people that Ravenclaw had to offer. And Croaker was the chief of them. Of course he would see beyond a mere Muggle gadget. Of course he would see parallels with the magical world, and be able to take inspiration from it. And she had just mentally compared him to a child at a science fair. If she wanted to keep her job here, she couldn't afford these kind of mistakes. Certainly not in front of the Director. She sat up, both physically and mentally, and prepared to pay attention.

"You must have heard about light and dark magic? There is even talk of white and black. But there are more affinities in the magical spectrum then a simple colour spectrum could cover. The most concentrated, or complete magic is the strongest magical force, just like this white light from the prism is the brightest.

"It's fortunate that wizards and witches do have their affinities, their strength and weaknesses. As far as we know, there has never been someone able to cast with this pure magic. In fact, theory suggests that it would be so strong that it's impossible for someone to fully control this magical energy. Unintended, random side-effects would occur. In magical theory we have several names for this complete, all encompassing magic. Sometimes it's incorrectly called White magic, but mostly it's called Chaotic Magic because of this unpredictability."

Raven almost chuckled. She had called Rose a chaos gremlin plenty of times. She would get a laugh— The almost-chuckle turned into an almost-frown. She focused her attention on the Unspeakable again.

Fortunately Croaker didn't notice. "Anyway, that's for some other time. You've been at Hogwarts before." He picked up a folder from the other side of his desk, took out the envelope that Rachel by now easily recognised as a mission briefing, and handed it over. "Go to Hogwarts. Check on the environmental magic there. I want to know if it feels... different."

Rachel opened the envelope. She knew she was supposed to have a quick look, and ask any immediate questions that could come up. A detailed briefing. No cover story.

"What am I supposed to do while I'm there checking on environmental magic? Any cover?"

Croaker got up, a clear sign her meeting was over. As Chief Unspeakable he probably had more important things to get to. "I don't know. You'll come up with something, I'm sure. Be unspeakable."