Defence, Pretence, Offence (Hecatemus Book #2)

Chapter 38 - A Plan of Sorts

It had been just over a week since their very long library stint the previous Monday, and they had been busy days. September was always frantic with everyone getting back into the flow of things. Normal school business didn't simply stop because he and Draco had a project, much to Harry's annoyance. It wasn't that Hogwarts wasn't important to him, it was that, just at the moment, the conundrum of Sirius was more so.

It had been a long day, but Harry was reading over his notes yet again as they prepared for bed. They had so many pieces, but no whole.

"Time to sleep," Draco said, climbing into the bed beside him; "that will still be there tomorrow."

"Hmm," Harry agreed.

He'd read the same part five times and it was getting him nowhere. With a sigh he closed the book, pulled off his glasses and lay down.

"Nox," he said and the lights went out.

Draco turned on his side and snuggled down into the covers, shuffling over so his back was against Harry's side. It was nice and relaxed and cosy and it almost had Harry closing his eyes and drifting off. However, his brain wasn't about to give up that easily.

"You do remember I can feel you thinking, right?" Draco asked after about ten minutes.

"Sorry," he apologised immediately, "I just know I'm missing something."

Draco turned back over.

"Okay," he said, "then explain it to me, maybe it will help."

They really did need to sleep; they had another long day tomorrow, but Harry didn't need inviting twice.

"The conclave managed to summon the magic," Harry said; "it didn't blow them up or destroy everything in sight, so why couldn't they control it."

"Simply not strong enough," Draco suggested.

Harry hummed; he wasn't sure that was quite right.

"What if it's simply not possible to control wild magic at all?" he said.

"Well it has to be," Draco said, "or no one could use a wild wand."

"But a wild wand has the crystal lattice," Harry countered and it was like a little light went on in his brain. "Oh," he said, "oh, maybe that's it."

His thoughts started spinning with possibilities.

"Harry, what is it?" Draco asked and Harry realised he was leaving his soulmate out.

"What if the magic has to change itself?" he said.

"I don't understand," Draco admitted.

"What if the reason it's impossible to control wild magic is that it's fundamentally incompatible with us?" Harry said as he tried to think through the ideas in his head. "What if it's as incompatible with us as our magic is with Muggles?"

"But all the theories say wild magic is just our magic in pure form," Draco said.

"What if the theories are wrong?" Harry said.

It was probably horribly presumptuous, but he just had a feeling. Draco didn't seem to know whether to agree or disagree.

"Okay, forget that part," he said, "but let's just say in its pure form it's impossible to control. In the wand it needs the crystal to be useful, so what if we made something that stood in for the crystal and changed the magic as it passed through it?"

Draco was silent.

"You're talking about a spell matrix," Draco said.

"I don't know what that is," Harry admitted.