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Determination Theorem


Everyone in the castle was talking about the flying squid for days.

James was quite proud of himself, having managed to only receive a week’s detention and a reprimanding from Dumbledore, who had gone on for some time about how old and rare that squid was. “Although your cheek is quite healthy, I must ask you to please refrain from talking back to teachers… and most especially the headmaster, if you please.”

“All in all, that’s not bad,” Sirius said, at dinner in the Great Hall that night “A week’s detention for flying a squid!”

“An unlicensed squid no less,” James snickered.

“And that sassy response - turns out I’m quite good at aviation - bloody hell! I thought Dumbledore would transfigure himself into a dragon just to burn you to a crisp with his fire breath! He was so tossed!” Sirius snickered.

“And seeing as the collateral was a date with Evans, I’ll have plenty to think about during my detentions,” James announced loud enough for her to hear him down the table.

“You levitated it,” she snipped, “You did not make it fly.”

“A technicality, Evans,” James announced, “You owe me a date and you know it.”

“I do not, Potter,” she replied huffily, turning away.

“Oi now,” James called, “Don’t you go backing down just because I managed to do something you thought was quite impossible. That’s not proper sportsmanship, Evans. The proper thing to do is to agree to go on a date with me. You know, the Yule Ball’s coming up and I’m still unassigned…”

Sirius grinned, “Yeah, Lily, if you don’t go with him he’ll have to go… stag.” Sirius, James, and Peter cracked up, hooting with laughter.

Lily made a face, not sure what exactly they all thought as sooo hilarious.

“You sort of do owe him a date, you know, Lily,” whispered Ali Prewitt, who was sitting beside her, playing a bit of footsy with Frank Longbottom beneath the table.

Lily flushed. “Who’s side are you on?”

Ali shrugged, “You told him when squids fly and really the squid flew.”

Levitated,” Lily persisted.

Ali said, “I think it’s romantic he did something so courageous.”

“How is levitating a helpless animal courageous? It’s horrible. That squid was probably scared to death, the poor thing!” Lily shook her head.

Frank Longbottom said, “It was still pretty fantastic, you have to admit… I imagine not just anyone could go down there and levitate the giant squid like that… Kingsley Shacklebolt’s been talking about it in classes… says it’s a good example of the determination theorem.”

“The what?” asked Ali.

“Determination theorem,” said Frank, “It’s a theory made up by some blighter from the 1500s that any bit of magic can be made more powerful by the determination of the witch or wizard casting it, regardless of the skillset of the caster. Meaning a particularly determined first year could potentially let off a powerful protego that would rival Dumbledore’s if they were determined enough. A good example might be a mum protecting their child. They could potentially set a spell more powerful than the greatest wizard alive, based purely on the level of determination to protect the wee one. He said it ties in a good lot with love and all that more complicated, higher-magic stuff. We’re learning about it in Defense.”

“So you’re saying that James Potter managed to levitate the giant squid by sheer determination to win a date with Lily?” squealed Ali.

“That’s what Kingsley says.”

Lily rolled her eyes as Ali squealed and pushed her arm excitedly. “I don’t care how determined he is,” she replied, “I’m still not going on a date with him.”




It started snowing more profusely out on the grounds that afternoon and the wind was whistling about the tower where the divination classroom was located so that it was nearly too loud to hear the low-voiced Mopsus as he told them all how to meditate most effectively to gather different results from their crystal balls. “If you’re lucky enough to be one of the rare folks that will see past, present, and future equally clearly, you will be able to direct your balls toward one of the three easily by the style of meditation you use when gazing…”

Sirius was playing a bit of a game, rolling his crystal ball back and forth across the table from palm to palm. James was almost asleep, leaning against Sirius’s shoulder. Only Peter was taking the lesson seriously, staring down at the ball with a funny, far-off sort of expression on his face.

“This class is so bloody pointless,” Sirius muttered. “I’m dropping it next term. I can’t handle this stupid muck anymore. Especially not from the blind codger, making up stupid little rhymes about things that’ll happen just to sound like he knows everything…”

Peter looked over, “Mopsus isn’t a fake. Remember, he knew what it said in your book first day. Knew it was Derek Bell’s book once.”

Sirius shrugged.

“And remember he said we’d lose someone among us come November?” Peter persisted.

Sirius rolled his eyes, “We’re not going to lose anyone --”

“I’m sorry, is Remus just invisible?” Peter asked.

James raised an eyebrow at Sirius. Peter had a point, there was no denying that. Sirius didn’t know what to say, so he frowned and turned back to the game with his ball, pushing it one way and then the other way.

“I’m still dropping it next term,” he said.

“I like this class,” Peter murmured.

“So you take it. I’m dropping it.”

“I will,” Peter replied.

“Maybe you’ll grow up to be a crazy seer too, just like Mopsus. Just be sure to check your arse at the door and try not to be an insufferable shriveled up windbag like he is,” Sirius added.

James snickered.

“Mr. Black, are we studying or gossiping?” called Mopsus from the front of the room suddenly.

Nervous at having been caught at that particular moment, Sirius’s ball slipped and he scrambled to catch it, his hand just barely grazing Peter’s ball. “DON’T!” Peter shouted, snatching his ball away from the table in a panic. Several people turned to look, “DON’T TOUCH MY BALL, YOU’LL UPSET THE ENERGY!!!”

James snorted awake at the shouting, looking over blearily at Peter.

“Bloody hell, Pete, it was an accident,” Sirius said, “Calm down!”

Peter balanced his ball on his knees, looking at it with concern, running his hands over it, “Don’t go.. Don’t go…” he begged it, staring down into the glass.

“Don’t go?” James asked.

Peter ignored him, rubbing the ball desperately.

“Do you actually see something in there?” James demanded.

Peter looked up, and he nodded solemnly.

Sirius’s eyebrows raised, “Do you really? What do you see?”

Peter looked down at the ball and he murmured, “I see my … my mum.”

James looked at Sirius. “Memories, then.”

Peter was still staring, his eyes unfocused, “Sort of, I guess, I dunno. It’s not really a memory I’m seeing, though. She just… she just says my name, like she’s calling me… and… she looks a bit different. She looks… sad. I dunno. But… but sad or not, I see her, and I rather like being able to see her…”

“I’m sorry I touched it,” Sirius said, “I really didn’t mean to. I wouldn’t want to upset the energy on you. I’m really sorry.”

“It’s okay. She’s still there,” Peter said, staring at the ball on his lap.

James and Sirius were suddenly much more focused on class after that, both realizing that if Peter Pettigrew was seeing something in the crystal ball that they ought to be also, seeing as he was the least talented of the three of them. Sirius wondered if Remus had seen anything in the crystal ball yet. He wondered if he could see Remus in the ball if he tried hard enough, so that’s what he tried to concentrate on doing for the rest of the class, but he never did get Remus’s face to appear in the glass.