Chapter Text
The classroom had been rearranged into something that looked suspiciously like a lecture hall designed by someone who had only ever heard the word modern whispered through a locked door.
The desks had been pushed into four uneven rows. A white projection screen hung across the blackboard, though it was not made from cloth and did not appear to be attached to anything. It floated three inches away from the wall, glowing faintly blue at the edges. Beside it stood a tall brass cabinet with dozens of narrow drawers, spinning crystal dials, and a glass dome at the top containing what looked like a miniature thunderstorm.
The cabinet hummed.
Every few seconds, one of its drawers snapped open and shut by itself.
Sirius Black watched it do this for the fifth time and leaned towards James.
“I reckon it eats people.”
James, who had been trying to flick a folded scrap of parchment into Peter’s open bag from three desks away, did not look up.
“Only people with no measurable prospects.”
Peter immediately moved his chair farther from the cabinet.
Remus sighed.
“It’s a careers assessment device.”
“That sounds like something designed to eat people with no measurable prospects,” Sirius said.
“It’s not going to eat you.”
“You don’t know that.”
“I do, actually.”
“How?”
“Because even machinery has standards.”
Sirius stared at him.
James snorted so loudly that Lily Evans turned around from the desk in front of them.
“Could the three of you behave for one lesson?”
“We are behaving,” James said.
“You’re throwing paper into Peter’s bag.”
James glanced at the crumpled parchment currently hanging from Peter’s collar.
“Educational paper.”
“It says Snivellus smells like boiled socks.”
“That’s historical documentation.”
Lily closed her eyes briefly, as though asking some distant and thoroughly exhausted god for patience.
Across the aisle, Mary Macdonald had already claimed the best view of the floating screen. She sat with her chin propped on one hand, watching the brass cabinet with open suspicion.
“If that thing starts asking about childhood trauma,” she said, “I’m leaving.”
Marlene McKinnon tipped her chair backwards onto two legs.
“If it starts asking about childhood trauma, Black’s profile will take the rest of the year.”
“Which Black?” Alice Fortescue asked.
Both Sirius and Regulus looked over at the same time.
Alice smiled pleasantly.
“Exactly.”
Regulus, seated in the last row between Barty Crouch Junior and Evan Rosier, stared at her for a moment before turning back towards the front without a word.
Sirius, meanwhile, pointed at himself.
“Mine would be concise.”
Remus raised an eyebrow.
“Would it?”
“Yes. It would say, ‘Parents unbearable. Brother strange. Face excellent. Spirit unbroken.’”
From the back row came Regulus’s flat voice.
“It would say, ‘Delusions persistent.’”
Sirius twisted around.
“You spoke to me voluntarily.”
“I spoke near you.”
“That still counts.”
“It does not.”
Barty leaned across Regulus’s desk, grinning like something recently released from a cage.
“I’d count it.”
“No one asked you,” Sirius said.
Barty’s grin sharpened.
“No one ever has to.”
Evan, sitting on Regulus’s other side, had one ankle resting over his opposite knee and appeared entirely uninterested in the lesson, the machinery, and most of the people in the room.
Pandora Rosier, however, was sitting forward with both hands folded on her desk, staring dreamily at the storm inside the cabinet.
“Do you think it can predict death?”
Dorcas Meadowes looked sideways at her.
“It’s a careers machine.”
“That does not answer my question.”
“It wasn’t meant to.”
At the desk nearest the windows, Fabian and Gideon Prewett were attempting to determine whether the glowing screen could reflect hand signals.
Fabian raised two fingers behind Frank Longbottom’s head.
Gideon squinted at the screen.
“Nothing.”
Frank turned around.
“What are you doing?”
“Science,” Fabian said.
“Being idiots,” Gideon corrected.
“Collaborative science.”
Frank looked towards Alice for support.
Alice had begun organising the provided quills by length and was pretending not to know him.
At precisely ten o’clock, the classroom door swung shut.
Every scrap of parchment James had folded into ammunition unfolded itself in midair, turned into a flock of tiny paper birds, and flew directly into the bin.
James watched them go.
“That was unnecessary.”
Professor Marchbanks—not the elderly examiner of the same family, but her nephew, a broad-shouldered wizard with silver-rimmed spectacles and the unshakable air of a man who had never laughed accidentally—stepped behind the lectern.
He rested both hands on its edge.
The class slowly quietened.
Mostly.
Fabian whispered, “He looks like he personally invented consequences.”
Gideon nodded.
Professor Marchbanks glanced at them.
“I heard that.”
Fabian sat straighter.
“Compliment, sir.”
“I did not take it as one.”
“Then that was my mistake.”
“It generally is, Mr Prewett.”
A ripple of laughter moved through the room.
Professor Marchbanks waited for it to end, then gestured towards the brass cabinet.
“This,” he said, “is the Vocational, Academic and Developmental Projection Archive.”
Sirius raised his hand.
“No.”
Professor Marchbanks stared at him.
Sirius lowered it slowly.
The professor continued.
“For the sake of preserving what little remains of my sanity, we will refer to it as the Projection Archive.”
“What does it project?” Peter asked.
“Possible post-Hogwarts pathways based upon academic performance, practical aptitude, magical disciplines, personality structure, physical capability, creative reasoning, leadership potential, vocational preference and predicted qualification outcomes.”
Peter blinked.
“Oh.”
James leaned towards him.
“It tells you what job you should get.”
“I understood that.”
“You looked frightened.”
“I’m frightened by how many words it took him to say it.”
Professor Marchbanks tapped the lectern with his wand.
A series of words appeared across the floating screen in neat silver letters.
POST-HOGWARTS PATHWAYS
HIGHER EDUCATION
SPECIALIST TRAINING
APPRENTICESHIPS
VOCATIONAL LICENSING
INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMMES
INDEPENDENT CAREER ENTRY
“This lesson,” he said, “exists because an alarming number of students appear to believe that life ends when they leave Hogwarts.”
“Does it not?” Marlene asked.
“No.”
“What if the N.E.W.T.s kill us?”
“They will not.”
“Have you seen the Arithmancy syllabus?”
“Yes.”
“Then you can’t promise that.”
Professor Marchbanks ignored her.
“Some of you will pursue higher education. Some will enter Ministry training. Some will seek apprenticeships with healers, wandmakers, curse-breakers, archivists, potion masters, magical engineers, legal scholars, creature specialists, international organisations or private institutions. Others may pursue careers that do not require formal education but do demand licensing, professional examinations, supervised experience or specialist certification.”
He tapped his wand again.
The words shifted.
MAGICAL UNIVERSITIES
MUGGLE UNIVERSITIES
APPRENTICESHIPS
SPORT
THE ARTS
MEDIA
PUBLIC SERVICE
RESEARCH
TRAVEL AND FIELDWORK
TRADE AND INDUSTRY
CHARITABLE AND COMMUNITY WORK
Mary raised her hand.
Professor Marchbanks nodded to her.
“Are we actually allowed to go to Muggle universities?”
“Of course.”
Sirius looked appalled.
“You mean there are more schools after this one?”
“Universities are not schools in precisely the same sense,” Lily said.
“Do they have homework?”
“Yes.”
“Then they’re schools.”
“They have lectures and seminars.”
“Schools.”
“Independent research.”
“Pretentious schools.”
“Degrees.”
“Schools with certificates.”
Lily turned to face the front.
“I hope the machine recommends silence for you.”
“Can silence be a career?”
“For you, it would be public service.”
Professor Marchbanks flicked his wand towards the desks.
A stack of booklets appeared before every student.
They landed with sixteen simultaneous thuds.
The classroom groaned.
Each booklet was nearly as thick as a standard spellbook.
The title read:
COMPREHENSIVE APTITUDE, PREFERENCE AND PROJECTION ASSESSMENT
PART ONE OF SIX
Marlene stared at it.
“No.”
Professor Marchbanks said, “Yes.”
“Six?”
“Yes.”
“This is cruelty.”
“This is a questionnaire.”
“It’s a questionnaire with chapters.”
“It is divided into areas.”
“It has a spine.”
“Begin.”
A clock appeared above the floating screen.
Two hours and thirty minutes glowed beneath it.
Every face in the classroom changed.
James lifted the booklet and allowed it to fall open.
The pages continued flipping for several seconds.
“Sir.”
“No.”
“I haven’t asked anything.”
“You were going to ask whether all six sections were compulsory.”
“I was actually going to ask whether death was an acceptable alternative.”
“It is not.”
“Then yes, the first thing.”
“All six sections are compulsory.”
Sirius looked at Remus.
“Do you think we could start a fire?”
“We’re surrounded by witches and wizards.”
“A convincing fire.”
Professor Marchbanks raised his wand.
The classroom doors locked.
Sirius slumped.
“Oppression.”
For the next two and a half hours, the class was subjected to the most thorough examination any of them had ever encountered outside an actual examination hall.
The first section measured academic strengths.
The second assessed practical and physical capability.
The third was devoted to creativity, communication and pattern recognition.
The fourth asked about preference, values and motivation.
The fifth involved magical demonstrations performed one student at a time before the brass cabinet.
The sixth appeared to have been written by a sadist.
Question thirty-four asked:
When presented with a difficult task requiring prolonged independent concentration, do you:
A. Begin immediately and follow a structured plan.
B. Delay until external pressure becomes unbearable.
C. Become distracted by a more interesting problem.
D. Delegate.
E. Argue that the task is philosophically unnecessary.
F. Complete it efficiently while resenting everyone involved.
Regulus circled F.
Remus circled A, paused, then added a small mark beside C.
Lily circled A with such force that the parchment nearly tore.
James circled C.
Sirius circled E, then drew a crown beside it.
Peter hovered between B and D until Professor Marchbanks passed his desk, at which point he anxiously circled A.
Mary circled F.
Marlene wrote, Set it on fire.
Alice circled A.
Frank circled A, erased it, circled B, erased that, and eventually wrote, Depends on the task.
Fabian circled D.
Gideon circled C and added, unless Fabian has already done D.
Barty circled C, E and F, then wrote, I reject the premise.
Evan circled F.
Pandora wrote, Ask the task whether it wishes to be completed.
Dorcas circled A and F.
Question eighty-one asked whether they preferred stable environments or constant change.
James wrote, Stable people, changing environments.
Sirius wrote, Chaos.
Remus wrote, Predictability with occasional variation.
Peter wrote, Stable.
Lily wrote, Purposeful change.
Mary wrote, Depends who is causing the change.
Marlene wrote, Constant change, unless it’s my bedroom.
Alice chose stability.
Frank chose stability and then looked embarrassed by it.
Fabian wrote, Adventure.
Gideon wrote, Adventure with adequate food.
Barty chose constant change.
Evan chose stable environments and then crossed it out so violently that the quill split.
Pandora wrote, Time is not constant, so neither option exists.
Dorcas chose purposeful change.
Regulus stared at the question for nearly a full minute before writing, Control over both.
Question one hundred and twelve asked them to rank thirty possible career areas.
Question one hundred and thirteen asked them to rank the same thirty based not on interest, but on probable competence.
Question one hundred and fourteen asked which careers they would pursue if money, family expectations, academic requirements, location and risk were irrelevant.
That question silenced even Sirius.
For a while, there was only the scratch of quills.
James glanced towards Regulus.
The younger Black was bent over his booklet, black hair falling across his forehead, one hand holding the page flat while the other moved in quick, precise strokes.
He had not complained once.
He had not asked how much longer remained.
He had not attempted to communicate with anyone.
James found this deeply suspicious.
He whispered, “What did you put?”
Regulus did not look up.
“For what?”
“The one about careers if nothing mattered.”
“Something.”
“That’s informative.”
“I was not attempting to inform you.”
“Was it professional murder?”
“No.”
“Assassin?”
“No.”
“International jewel thief?”
“No.”
“Spy?”
Regulus paused.
James grinned.
“I knew it.”
“I paused because I was considering whether strangling you would alter my answer.”
“Did it?”
“Marginally.”
Barty leaned around Regulus.
“He’d be excellent at espionage.”
“I would,” Regulus said.
James pointed triumphantly.
“There.”
“That does not mean I selected it.”
“What did you select?”
Regulus turned one page.
“You will survive not knowing.”
James looked wounded.
“I might not.”
“That would resolve several problems.”
When the written assessments were complete, Professor Marchbanks collected the booklets by levitating them directly into the brass cabinet.
The drawers began opening and shutting at impossible speed.
Pages vanished into one drawer, calculations emerged from another, and the miniature storm beneath the glass dome changed from grey to bright electric violet.
Next came the magical demonstrations.
Each student had to perform a sequence of spells testing precision, power, adaptability, nonverbal casting, memory, invention and control.
Lily produced flawless textbook charms and corrected one of the assessment instructions when she noticed an outdated wand movement.
Remus performed with quiet competence, making almost no errors and adapting quickly when the cabinet deliberately altered the target.
James blasted the first obstacle apart instead of levitating it around a marked course.
Professor Marchbanks pinched the bridge of his nose.
“The instruction was to transport the sphere without damaging the barriers.”
“The sphere arrived.”
“You destroyed the barriers.”
“They were obstructing the sphere.”
“That was the point.”
“Poor design.”
Sirius transformed a wooden cube into a silver crow, despite being asked to turn it into a cup.
The crow flew around the classroom, landed on his shoulder and pecked his ear.
“Still better than a cup,” Sirius said.
Peter completed the basic sequence after three attempts, his hands shaking less once Remus quietly told him to breathe.
Mary was surprisingly good at auditory spells and performed a difficult echo-locating charm on her first attempt.
Marlene demonstrated excellent reflexes by casting a Shield Charm before the cabinet had finished launching a practice hex.
Alice showed strong restorative magic.
Frank’s Herbological diagnostic charm was accurate enough to identify a fungus hidden beneath the bark of a potted tree across the room.
Fabian and Gideon both scored highly in cooperative casting and were immediately told that the test was individual.
“That seems narrow-minded,” Fabian said.
“You will be entering the labour market as individuals,” Professor Marchbanks replied.
Gideon gestured between himself and Fabian.
“That seems optimistic.”
Dorcas displayed sharp tactical reasoning and handled a changing defensive sequence with calm precision.
Pandora solved a pattern test by casting a spell that had not been part of the expected solution.
The cabinet made an uncertain clicking sound.
Professor Marchbanks checked its dials.
“What did you do?”
“I asked the symbols where they wanted to go.”
“You cannot ask symbols where they want to go.”
Pandora tilted her head.
“Then why did they answer?”
Evan performed efficiently and without flourish, ending each task in the fewest possible movements.
Barty turned a colour-matching exercise into a chain reaction that produced green fire, a flock of glass butterflies and one deeply offended porcelain badger.
Professor Marchbanks stared at the badger.
Barty stared at the badger.
The badger sneezed smoke.
“Technically,” Barty said, “the colours match.”
Professor Marchbanks wrote something on his clipboard.
“Is that good?”
“No.”
“Is it interesting?”
“Unfortunately.”
Regulus went last.
His test began with precision charms.
He moved a dozen silver rings through a changing geometric course without touching the edges. He performed the first six movements with his wand and the remaining six nonverbally. When the mechanism increased its speed, he adjusted without hesitation.
The next test measured control.
A glass sphere filled with water rose from the cabinet. Regulus had to separate the water into individual droplets, suspend them in a spiral, freeze every second droplet, heat the remaining ones into steam, then reverse the sequence without cracking the glass.
He did it.
The classroom had gone quiet by the time he finished.
James sat forward.
Sirius’s expression had changed from bored amusement to something more guarded.
The cabinet produced three targets.
Regulus hit all three before they fully appeared.
Professor Marchbanks checked a dial.
The cabinet produced five.
Regulus hit them.
It produced eight, positioned around him at different heights.
Regulus pivoted sharply, wand flashing. Two targets shattered. Three folded into paper. One transformed into a moth. The final two froze in midair and dropped neatly onto the floor.
Barty whistled.
Evan’s mouth curved very slightly.
Dorcas muttered, “Show-off.”
Regulus returned to his desk.
“You missed one,” James said.
Regulus looked at him.
James pointed towards the moth, which had landed on Professor Marchbanks’s shoulder.
Regulus said, “No, I changed it.”
The moth spread silver wings.
Professor Marchbanks removed it carefully and placed it on the lectern.
“That concludes the practical assessment.”
The class collectively exhaled.
Marlene dropped her forehead onto the desk.
“Are we free?”
“No.”
Her head lifted.
Professor Marchbanks turned towards the brass cabinet.
“The Archive will now compile your projected profiles.”
Sirius folded his arms.
“And then we’re free?”
“Yes.”
“Promise?”
“No.”
“Cruel man.”
The professor tapped three crystal dials in sequence.
The storm within the glass dome flashed white.
Every drawer slammed shut.
The glowing projection screen darkened.
A silver circle appeared in its centre, spinning slowly while thin lines of writing flickered around it.
PROCESSING SIXTEEN PROFILES
CALIBRATING ACADEMIC PROJECTIONS
CROSS-REFERENCING INTERNATIONAL REQUIREMENTS
ASSESSING VOCATIONAL COMPATIBILITY
ESTIMATING QUALIFICATION OUTCOMES
Peter swallowed.
“Do we all have to see each other’s?”
“Yes,” Professor Marchbanks said. “The purpose is to demonstrate the diversity of possible routes.”
“Can mine be private?”
“No.”
“Can I leave?”
“No.”
“Can I become invisible?”
“Not with your current Transfiguration marks.”
James patted Peter’s shoulder.
“Brutal.”
The screen flashed.
PROFILE ONE: PETER PETTIGREW
Peter made a noise resembling a mouse being stepped on.
His name appeared at the top of the screen. Beneath it were his academic projections, strongest skills and suggested pathways.
PROJECTED N.E.W.T. OUTCOMES:
THREE TO FIVE PASSES, SUBJECT TO CONSISTENT STUDY
STRONGEST AREAS: PRACTICAL HERBOLOGY, ROUTINE CHARMS, MAGICAL ADMINISTRATION
SUITABLE PATHWAYS:
— MINISTRY CLERICAL APPRENTICESHIP
— RECORDS AND ARCHIVES ASSISTANT
— GREENHOUSE TECHNICIAN
— OWL POST LOGISTICS
— SHOP OR STOCKROOM MANAGEMENT
— COMMUNITY SERVICES SUPPORT
Peter stared at it.
“That’s not terrible.”
“No,” Remus said. “It isn’t.”
James nodded.
“You’d be good at logistics.”
Peter looked at him suspiciously.
“Do you know what logistics means?”
“Organising things.”
“Yes.”
“Then yes.”
Professor Marchbanks gestured to a smaller section.
“Mr Pettigrew’s profile suggests that he performs better with defined expectations, practical repetition and supportive supervision. An apprenticeship may suit him better than a highly independent university course.”
Peter read the final line.
ESTIMATED HIGHEST LONG-TERM POSITION: DEPARTMENTAL OPERATIONS COORDINATOR
Sirius grinned.
“You could coordinate operations.”
Peter brightened.
“What kind?”
“No idea. But they’d be coordinated.”
The screen changed.
PROFILE TWO: FRANK LONGBOTTOM
Frank sat rigidly upright.
PROJECTED N.E.W.T. OUTCOMES:
FIVE TO SEVEN PASSES
STRONGEST AREAS: HERBOLOGY, DEFENSIVE MAGIC, CARE-BASED PRACTICE
SUITABLE PATHWAYS:
— AUROR PREPARATORY TRAINING
— MAGICAL LAW ENFORCEMENT SUPPORT
— HERBOLOGICAL RESEARCH ASSISTANT
— ST MUNGO’S PLANT-BASED REMEDIES APPRENTICESHIP
— CONSERVATION OFFICER
— DEFENSIVE MAGIC INSTRUCTOR
Alice turned to him.
“Auror training.”
Frank’s ears turned pink.
“It only says preparatory.”
“That is how Auror training begins,” Lily said.
Marlene leaned across the aisle.
“Longbottom, you’d look excellent in those red Ministry robes.”
“I don’t know if I want to be an Auror.”
“You don’t have to,” Alice said. “The plant remedies one suits you too.”
Frank’s shoulders lowered slightly.
Professor Marchbanks nodded.
“Profiles are recommendations, not instructions.”
“Tell that to my mother,” Frank muttered.
The screen shifted.
PROFILE THREE: ALICE FORTESCUE
PROJECTED N.E.W.T. OUTCOMES:
SIX TO EIGHT PASSES
STRONGEST AREAS: RESTORATIVE CHARMS, ORGANISATION, INTERPERSONAL JUDGEMENT
SUITABLE PATHWAYS:
— HEALER TRAINING
— MAGICAL MEDIATION
— WIZENGAMOT ADMINISTRATION
— EDUCATIONAL SUPPORT
— CHARITABLE PROGRAMME MANAGEMENT
— LEGAL ASSISTANCE APPRENTICESHIP
Mary smiled.
“You’d make a terrifying administrator.”
Alice looked offended.
“I would make a kind administrator.”
“You alphabetised the sugar quills at Slughorn’s Christmas party.”
“They were in the wrong jars.”
“There were four flavours.”
“And no system.”
Frank pointed at the screen.
“Healer training.”
Alice read it more carefully.
“That might be nice.”
“Nice?” Fabian echoed. “You’d be elbow-deep in magical injuries.”
Alice looked at him.
“You once tried to leap from the Astronomy Tower onto a broom held by your brother.”
“Yes.”
“I would enjoy being the person authorised to sedate you.”
Gideon nodded.
“She’s perfect.”
The next profile appeared.
PROFILE FOUR: FABIAN PREWETT
PROJECTED N.E.W.T. OUTCOMES:
FOUR TO SIX PASSES
STRONGEST AREAS: ADAPTIVE COMBAT, TEAMWORK, RAPID DECISION-MAKING
SUITABLE PATHWAYS:
— AUROR TRAINING
— MAGICAL RESCUE SERVICE
— PROFESSIONAL DUELLING
— FIELD SECURITY
— DRAGON RESERVE SUPPORT
— ADVENTURE TOUR LEADERSHIP
Fabian slapped both hands on his desk.
“Dragon reserve.”
“No,” Gideon said immediately.
“You haven’t seen yours yet.”
“I don’t need to. I know enough about you.”
“Professional duelling.”
“You would get disqualified.”
“For winning?”
“For biting someone.”
“That happened once.”
“It happened twice.”
“The second was self-defence.”
“The second was during breakfast.”
Fabian turned towards Professor Marchbanks.
“Does adventure tour leadership involve mountains?”
“It can.”
“Caves?”
“Yes.”
“Danger?”
“Moderate, if properly managed.”
Fabian looked disgusted.
“Managed?”
The screen changed.
PROFILE FIVE: GIDEON PREWETT
PROJECTED N.E.W.T. OUTCOMES:
FIVE TO SEVEN PASSES
STRONGEST AREAS: STRATEGIC THINKING, COOPERATIVE MAGIC, PRACTICAL PROBLEM-SOLVING
SUITABLE PATHWAYS:
— MAGICAL RESCUE COORDINATION
— AUROR TRAINING
— CURSE-BREAKING SUPPORT
— EXPEDITION PLANNING
— INTERNATIONAL PORTKEY OPERATIONS
— DEFENSIVE EQUIPMENT DEVELOPMENT
Fabian pointed.
“Expedition planning. You plan, I adventure.”
“You mean I prevent you from dying.”
“Exactly. Family business.”
Gideon studied the screen.
“Curse-breaking support sounds decent.”
“It is demanding work,” Professor Marchbanks said. “Often international.”
Fabian leaned over.
“International danger.”
“International paperwork.”
“Dangerous paperwork.”
“Forms do not become more exciting because they are completed abroad.”
“You lack imagination.”
The screen rolled onward.
PROFILE SIX: MARY MACDONALD
PROJECTED N.E.W.T. OUTCOMES:
FIVE TO SEVEN PASSES
STRONGEST AREAS: COMMUNICATION, AUDITORY MAGIC, SOCIAL PERCEPTION
SUITABLE PATHWAYS:
— WIRELESS BROADCASTING
— MAGICAL JOURNALISM
— COMMUNITY ADVOCACY
— LEGAL INTERVIEWING
— PUBLIC RELATIONS
— PERFORMANCE AND VOICE MAGIC
Marlene slapped Mary’s desk.
“Wireless.”
Mary stared at the words.
“Public relations?”
“You’re good at telling people they’re wrong without making them leave,” Lily said.
Mary looked at her.
“Am I?”
“No,” Marlene said. “But you’re good at making them stay long enough to hear the rest.”
Mary pointed at performance and voice magic.
“What exactly is that?”
“Enchanted theatre, vocal projection, sonic spellwork, magical recording, stage performance,” Professor Marchbanks said.
Sirius cupped his hands around his mouth.
“Presenting live from the scene, Mary Macdonald, where James Potter has once again been arrested for public stupidity—”
James turned.
“Why am I arrested?”
“Pattern recognition.”
Mary smiled.
“I’d take that job.”
PROFILE SEVEN: MARLENE MCKINNON
PROJECTED N.E.W.T. OUTCOMES:
FOUR TO SIX PASSES
STRONGEST AREAS: PHYSICAL COURAGE, COMPETITIVE PERFORMANCE, FAST RESPONSE
SUITABLE PATHWAYS:
— PROFESSIONAL QUIDDITCH TRIALS
— MAGICAL LAW ENFORCEMENT
— RESCUE AND EMERGENCY RESPONSE
— SPORTS COACHING
— PROFESSIONAL DUELLING
— STUNT PERFORMANCE
Marlene pushed her chair back.
“Stunt performance.”
Mary laughed.
“No.”
“Yes.”
“You already perform stunts without being paid.”
“Exactly. Wasted talent.”
James pointed towards professional Quidditch trials.
“You could play Beater.”
“I do play Beater.”
“Professionally.”
“I know what it means, Potter.”
Sirius nodded gravely.
“The machine is confirming that your primary marketable quality is violence.”
“Yours will say hair.”
“My hair has international value.”
Marlene looked at Professor Marchbanks.
“Can I actually become a stunt performer?”
“With appropriate training.”
“What kind?”
“Falling safely. Aerial broom work. Controlled spell effects. Stage combat.”
Marlene sat back down, suddenly thoughtful.
“That sounds brilliant.”
PROFILE EIGHT: REMUS LUPIN
Remus went still.
The screen hesitated for half a second.
A small warning symbol flickered at the top before disappearing.
Remus noticed.
So did Sirius.
So did James.
Professor Marchbanks’s gaze rested on the screen for a moment longer than before, but when the profile appeared, his voice remained level.
PROJECTED N.E.W.T. OUTCOMES:
SEVEN TO NINE PASSES
STRONGEST AREAS: ANALYSIS, LITERATURE, DEFENSIVE THEORY, TEACHING APTITUDE
SUITABLE PATHWAYS:
— MAGICAL EDUCATION
— ACADEMIC RESEARCH
— EDITING AND PUBLISHING
— DEFENSIVE THEORY DEVELOPMENT
— ARCHIVAL SCHOLARSHIP
— LIBRARY AND CURATORIAL WORK
— POLICY RESEARCH
James beamed.
“Professor Lupin.”
Remus’s face tightened.
“Don’t.”
Sirius leaned across Peter.
“Professor Moony.”
“I mean it.”
“Professor R. J. Lupin, renowned authority on telling James to stop touching things.”
“I would pay for that lecture,” Lily said.
Remus glanced back at her.
“You wouldn’t have to. You’ve heard it daily for years.”
Professor Marchbanks pointed to the academic projection.
“Mr Lupin’s results suggest strong suitability for university-level study, particularly in magical history, defensive theory, literature or education.”
Remus read the profile quietly.
ESTIMATED UNIVERSITY ACCEPTANCE:
MODERATE TO HIGH, DEPENDENT UPON FUNDING AND HEALTH ACCOMMODATIONS
His eyes stopped on the last two words.
Sirius’s joking expression vanished.
James looked towards the professor.
Professor Marchbanks simply said, “There are institutions with flexible attendance structures.”
Remus’s fingers tightened around his quill.
“Are there?”
“Yes.”
“Magical ones?”
“Some.”
The answer was quiet and matter-of-fact.
Remus looked back at the screen.
James nudged his shoulder.
“Professor Moony.”
Remus exhaled through his nose.
“You are unbearable.”
“But employable.”
The screen changed before Sirius could add anything worse.
PROFILE NINE: LILY EVANS
The profile expanded immediately into more sections than the others had received.
PROJECTED N.E.W.T. OUTCOMES:
EIGHT TO TEN PASSES
MULTIPLE OUTSTANDING GRADES LIKELY
STRONGEST AREAS: CHARMS, POTIONS, ANALYTICAL REASONING, ACADEMIC DISCIPLINE
SUITABLE PATHWAYS:
— HEALER TRAINING
— POTIONS RESEARCH
— SPELL DEVELOPMENT
— MAGICAL LAW
— EDUCATION
— SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH
— MUGGLE UNIVERSITY STUDY
— INTERNATIONAL ACADEMIC PROGRAMMES
The class murmured.
James looked delighted, as though he had personally contributed to Lily’s results.
“I knew it.”
Lily frowned at him.
“You knew what?”
“All of it.”
“You did not.”
“I knew you’d get about nine thousand options.”
“It says eight.”
“Eight categories. Each contains options.”
Professor Marchbanks nodded towards the screen.
“Miss Evans is among the stronger academic candidates in the year. Her Muggle educational background may also allow her to pursue certain non-magical routes more easily than students unfamiliar with that system.”
A list appeared beneath her profile.
POTENTIAL MUGGLE FIELDS:
CHEMISTRY
MEDICINE
LAW
LINGUISTICS
EDUCATION
BIOCHEMISTRY
Mary stared at Lily.
“You could become a Muggle doctor.”
“After about a hundred years of training,” Lily said.
“Would you?”
Lily considered the question.
“I don’t know.”
James raised his hand.
“Could she study Muggle chemistry and then use it to become even better at Potions?”
Professor Marchbanks looked faintly surprised.
“Yes. Interdisciplinary applications between magical and non-magical sciences are uncommon but increasingly valuable.”
James turned to Lily with unbearable triumph.
“You should do that.”
Lily narrowed her eyes.
“You sound as though you’ve arranged it.”
“I’ll write the university.”
“You will do no such thing.”
“I’ll write several.”
“You don’t know how Muggle post works.”
“I’ll learn.”
“That is somehow more threatening.”
The next name appeared.
PROFILE TEN: JAMES POTTER
James sat up and ran a hand through his hair.
Sirius whispered, “Here comes professional arrogance.”
PROJECTED N.E.W.T. OUTCOMES:
SIX TO EIGHT PASSES
STRONGEST AREAS: TRANSFIGURATION, ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE, LEADERSHIP, ADAPTIVE MAGIC
SUITABLE PATHWAYS:
— PROFESSIONAL QUIDDITCH
— AUROR TRAINING
— ADVANCED TRANSFIGURATION
— SPORTS LEADERSHIP
— MAGICAL INVENTION
— ENTREPRENEURSHIP
— EMERGENCY RESPONSE
James pointed at the screen.
“Professional Quidditch.”
“No one is surprised,” Lily said.
Sirius read aloud, “Entrepreneurship.”
James nodded solemnly.
“I have ideas.”
Remus said, “That is what worries us.”
“Magical invention,” James continued. “See? Recognised genius.”
Professor Marchbanks cleared his throat.
“Mr Potter’s creativity score is high. His consistency score is not.”
The screen added:
PRIMARY LIMITING FACTORS:
IMPULSIVITY
POOR RESPECT FOR PROCEDURE
VARIABLE APPLICATION
OVERCONFIDENCE
The class erupted.
Lily laughed before she could stop herself.
James stared at her.
“You’re laughing.”
“No.”
“You are.”
“I coughed.”
“You laughed at my limiting factors.”
“You have a comprehensive collection.”
Sirius was nearly folded over his desk.
“Poor respect for procedure.”
“Shut up.”
“Variable application.”
“You’re next.”
“Overconfidence.”
“I said shut up.”
Professor Marchbanks pointed at the screen.
“Mr Potter’s profile is strong, but it indicates that his success will depend heavily upon whether he learns to distinguish confidence from preparation.”
James leaned back.
“I prepare.”
“For what?” Lily asked.
“Things.”
“Name one.”
“I prepared for this morning.”
“You arrived without your textbook.”
“I prepared emotionally.”
PROFILE ELEVEN: SIRIUS BLACK
Sirius stopped laughing.
PROJECTED N.E.W.T. OUTCOMES:
SIX TO EIGHT PASSES
STRONGEST AREAS: TRANSFIGURATION, MECHANICAL REASONING, CHARISMA, UNCONVENTIONAL PROBLEM-SOLVING
SUITABLE PATHWAYS:
— ADVANCED TRANSFIGURATION
— MAGICAL ENGINEERING
— ENCHANTED VEHICLE DESIGN
— AUROR TRAINING
— PERFORMANCE
— POLITICAL OR SOCIAL CAMPAIGNING
— INDEPENDENT CRAFT AND DESIGN
For the first time all lesson, Sirius appeared genuinely caught off guard.
“Mechanical reasoning?”
James slapped his arm.
“Motorbikes.”
Sirius looked at Professor Marchbanks.
“Enchanted vehicle design is a real career?”
“Yes.”
“You can be paid to make vehicles faster?”
“You can be paid to make them safer, more efficient and legally compliant.”
Sirius’s interest dimmed slightly.
“Could they also be faster?”
“Yes.”
It returned at once.
Remus studied the profile.
“Political campaigning.”
Sirius grimaced.
“I’m not becoming a politician.”
“Social campaigning,” Lily said. “Not necessarily standing for office.”
“Could campaign against my family.”
“You do that already,” Regulus said from the back.
Sirius twisted around.
“Twice in one lesson.”
Regulus looked at the screen.
“Tragic.”
The profile added:
PRIMARY LIMITING FACTORS:
AUTHORITY CONFLICT
SELF-SABOTAGING BEHAVIOUR
DIFFICULTY ACCEPTING STRUCTURE
REACTIVE DECISION-MAKING
James coughed loudly into his hand.
Sirius pointed at him.
“Don’t.”
“Emotionally preparing.”
“Potter.”
The screen moved on.
PROFILE TWELVE: DORCAS MEADOWES
PROJECTED N.E.W.T. OUTCOMES:
SIX TO EIGHT PASSES
STRONGEST AREAS: DEFENSIVE MAGIC, STRATEGIC ANALYSIS, DISCIPLINE, JUDGEMENT UNDER PRESSURE
SUITABLE PATHWAYS:
— AUROR TRAINING
— MAGICAL SECURITY
— INTERNATIONAL DEFENSIVE STUDIES
— LAW
— INVESTIGATIVE FIELDWORK
— TACTICAL TRAINING
— POLICY AND INTELLIGENCE ANALYSIS
Barty leaned sideways to look at her.
“Intelligence analysis.”
Dorcas did not turn.
“Yes.”
“You could spy on people professionally.”
“I already know more than I want to know about everyone in this room.”
Fabian looked interested.
“What do you know about me?”
“That you’ve been trying to open Professor Marchbanks’s locked desk drawer with your foot for the last ten minutes.”
Fabian’s foot withdrew.
Professor Marchbanks looked down at his desk.
Fabian smiled innocently.
Dorcas continued reading.
“Auror training.”
“You’d be good,” Evan said.
Dorcas glanced at him.
“That sounded dangerously sincere.”
“I’ll try not to repeat it.”
The screen shifted.
PROFILE THIRTEEN: PANDORA ROSIER
PROJECTED N.E.W.T. OUTCOMES:
FIVE TO EIGHT PASSES
RESULTS HIGHLY VARIABLE
STRONGEST AREAS: INVENTION, MAGICAL THEORY, SYMBOLIC REASONING, CREATIVE EXPERIMENTATION
SUITABLE PATHWAYS:
— SPELL RESEARCH
— UNSPEAKABLE PREPARATORY STUDY
— MAGICAL ART
— ARTEFACT DEVELOPMENT
— THEORETICAL ARITHMANCY
— INDEPENDENT INVENTION
— EXPERIMENTAL ENCHANTMENT
A second warning appeared.
RISK FACTORS:
LOW PROCEDURAL COMPLIANCE
UNPREDICTABLE METHODOLOGY
DISREGARD FOR CONVENTIONAL LIMITATIONS
POTENTIAL LABORATORY SAFETY CONCERNS
Evan looked at his sister.
“That is the most accurate thing it has shown.”
Pandora gazed at the words with delight.
“Potential laboratory safety concerns.”
“That is not praise,” Dorcas said.
“It recognised my potential.”
“To explode a building.”
“Buildings are temporary.”
Professor Marchbanks folded his arms.
“Miss Rosier, experimental enchantment requires rigorous safety training.”
“Safety is often the enemy of discovery.”
“Safety is often the reason discoverers remain alive.”
Pandora smiled.
“An interesting theory.”
“It is not a theory.”
The screen changed.
PROFILE FOURTEEN: EVAN ROSIER
PROJECTED N.E.W.T. OUTCOMES:
SIX TO EIGHT PASSES
STRONGEST AREAS: POTIONS, PRECISION MAGIC, NEGOTIATION, RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
SUITABLE PATHWAYS:
— POTIONS APPRENTICESHIP
— MAGICAL BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
— INTERNATIONAL TRADE
— PRIVATE SECURITY
— LEGAL NEGOTIATION
— ARTEFACT BROKERAGE
— ESTATE AND FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT
Barty made a face.
“Estate management.”
Evan looked unmoved.
“It pays.”
“You sound eighty.”
“An eighty-year-old with money.”
Pandora leaned towards him.
“Artefact brokerage would allow you to acquire cursed objects.”
“And sell them to people like you.”
“You’d charge me?”
“Yes.”
“I’m your sister.”
“Double.”
Dorcas pointed at negotiation.
“That fits.”
Evan glanced towards her.
“Because I’m reasonable?”
“Because you can threaten someone without changing your tone.”
“That is reasonable.”
The profile added:
ESTIMATED CAREER STRENGTH:
HIGH IN COMPETITIVE OR INDEPENDENT ENVIRONMENTS
LOWER IN ROLES REQUIRING EXTENSIVE EMOTIONAL DISPLAY
Barty laughed.
“It knows you.”
Evan looked at him.
“I can display emotion.”
“Go on.”
“No.”
“Exactly.”
PROFILE FIFTEEN: BARTEMIUS CROUCH JUNIOR
The room became attentive in a way that suggested everyone expected either brilliance or criminal evidence.
The screen flickered twice.
PROJECTED N.E.W.T. OUTCOMES:
SEVEN TO NINE PASSES
STRONGEST AREAS: RAPID LEARNING, LOGIC, SPELL ADAPTATION, LEGAL AND POLITICAL KNOWLEDGE
SUITABLE PATHWAYS:
— MAGICAL LAW
— WIZENGAMOT RESEARCH
— UNSPEAKABLE PREPARATORY STUDY
— ADVANCED SPELLCRAFT
— INVESTIGATIVE ANALYSIS
— POLITICAL STRATEGY
— ACADEMIC RESEARCH
Barty’s grin disappeared.
His eyes moved across the screen.
Sirius looked towards him, eyebrows raised.
“You’re clever?”
Barty looked offended.
“Painfully.”
“I assumed you were just loud.”
“I contain multitudes.”
Regulus said, “Most of them should be supervised.”
The screen continued.
PRIMARY LIMITING FACTORS:
OPPOSITIONAL BEHAVIOUR
INTENSE FIXATION
LOW TOLERANCE FOR EXTERNAL CONTROL
ETHICAL FLEXIBILITY
POTENTIAL FOR DESTRUCTIVE APPLICATION OF HIGH ABILITY
There was a beat of silence.
Then James said, “Ethical flexibility.”
Marlene laughed.
Mary covered her mouth.
Fabian leaned towards Gideon.
“That’s a polite way of saying—”
“Yes,” Gideon said.
Barty looked delighted again.
“High ability.”
Dorcas stared at him.
“It said destructive application.”
“Of high ability.”
“It called you dangerous.”
“It called me talented first.”
Professor Marchbanks removed his spectacles and cleaned them.
“Mr Crouch, I strongly recommend a structured academic route with close mentorship.”
“Because I’m gifted?”
“Because the alternative appears to be a public inquiry.”
Barty put a hand over his heart.
“That may be the kindest thing anyone’s ever said to me.”
The screen darkened.
Only one name remained.
Several students shifted in their seats.
Regulus sat with one hand resting loosely over the other, expression blank, posture unchanged.
He had watched every profile without much visible interest. He had not laughed when Sirius’s limiting factors appeared, though his mouth had twitched once. He had not commented on Barty’s ethical flexibility beyond a quiet, “Accurate.” He had not seemed worried about his own results.
James had spent most of the lesson trying to decide whether that meant Regulus expected nothing or already knew everything.
Professor Marchbanks approached the cabinet.
“This final profile may take slightly longer.”
Barty turned his head.
“Why?”
“The Archive has requested additional processing capacity.”
Regulus’s eyes lifted.
Professor Marchbanks adjusted one crystal dial.
The miniature storm inside the glass dome expanded.
Lightning struck the glass.
Every drawer in the cabinet opened at once.
A ribbon of parchment shot from one and unrolled across the floor.
Another emerged.
Then another.
Professor Marchbanks stepped backwards.
The screen displayed:
PROFILE SIXTEEN: REGULUS ARCTURUS BLACK
PROCESSING…
The silver circle spun.
And spun.
And spun.
Sirius looked towards Regulus.
“What did you do to it?”
“Nothing.”
“It’s having a breakdown.”
“Perhaps it saw your results first.”
The circle stopped.
For one second, the screen went completely black.
Then it erupted.
Text filled the projection so quickly that half the class flinched.
The profile did not appear in one neat set of categories like the others.
It unfolded in layers.
A silver portrait of Regulus appeared on the left side. Around it spun symbols for academic disciplines, athletic fields, creative industries, languages, magical qualifications and international institutions.
On the right, a heading appeared.
OVERALL CANDIDATE CLASSIFICATION: EXCEPTIONALLY HIGH MULTI-DOMAIN POTENTIAL
No one spoke.
The screen changed.
PROJECTED N.E.W.T. OUTCOMES:
TEN TO TWELVE PASSES
OUTSTANDING GRADES PREDICTED ACROSS CORE SUBJECTS
TOP-OF-YEAR PERFORMANCE PROBABLE IN:
CHARMS
TRANSFIGURATION
POTIONS
DEFENCE AGAINST THE DARK ARTS
ANCIENT RUNES
ARITHMANCY
ASTRONOMY
HERBOLOGY
HISTORY OF MAGIC
Sirius sat forward.
James slowly lowered the quill he had been chewing.
Lily frowned, not in disbelief but in concentration.
Professor Marchbanks looked from the screen to the cabinet, then back again.
“That cannot be correct,” Sirius said.
Regulus turned his head.
“Which part?”
“All of it.”
“Compelling argument.”
“You sleep through History of Magic.”
“And still score above you.”
“That is not the point.”
“It is the measurable point.”
The projection expanded again.
ACADEMIC ABILITY PROFILE:
EXCEPTIONAL RETENTION
ADVANCED PATTERN RECOGNITION
HIGH ABSTRACT REASONING
HIGH PRACTICAL ADAPTABILITY
ACCELERATED LANGUAGE ACQUISITION
STRONG INDEPENDENT RESEARCH CAPACITY
ADVANCED WRITTEN ANALYSIS
ADVANCED MAGICAL THEORY
CROSS-DISCIPLINARY APPLICATION POTENTIAL
Mary looked at Lily.
“Is it meant to do this?”
Lily did not take her eyes off the screen.
“I don’t think so.”
Professor Marchbanks muttered, “It is capable of doing this.”
“That was not the question,” Marlene said.
“No,” he admitted. “It was not.”
A map of the world appeared.
Silver stars ignited across Britain, France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Sweden, Egypt, Morocco, India, China, Japan, Brazil, Canada, the United States, Australia and several locations none of them immediately recognised.
INTERNATIONAL HIGHER EDUCATION PROJECTION
ESTIMATED ADMISSION LIKELIHOOD—ELITE MAGICAL INSTITUTIONS:
MERLIN COLLEGE OF ADVANCED MAGIC, BRITAIN — 96%
INTERNATIONAL ACADEMY OF SPELLCRAFT, SWITZERLAND — 94%
SORBONNE MAGIQUE, FRANCE — 93%
FLORENCE INSTITUTE OF ALCHEMY AND ENCHANTMENT, ITALY — 91%
KYOTO COLLEGIUM OF ARCANE STUDIES, JAPAN — 89%
NEW ALEXANDRIA UNIVERSITY OF MAGIC, EGYPT — 95%
SALEM INSTITUTE FOR ADVANCED MAGICAL RESEARCH, UNITED STATES — 92%
UPPSALA COLLEGE OF RUNIC STUDIES, SWEDEN — 97%
Fabian stood halfway out of his chair.
“Ninety-seven?”
Gideon pulled him back down.
“You’re blocking the screen.”
“Did you see that?”
“We all saw it.”
Sirius turned fully in his chair.
“Since when do you know enough about runes for ninety-seven percent?”
Regulus looked bored.
“Since I studied them.”
“You don’t study.”
“I do when you aren’t looking.”
“I lived with you.”
“Past tense.”
The words landed harder than the conversation required.
Sirius’s jaw tightened.
Before he could answer, the screen shifted.
ESTIMATED ADMISSION LIKELIHOOD—ELITE MUGGLE UNIVERSITIES:
UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD — 87%
UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE — 89%
IMPERIAL COLLEGE LONDON — 84%
UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON — 90%
THE SORBONNE — 86%
HEIDELBERG UNIVERSITY — 83%
UNIVERSITY OF TOKYO — 78%
HARVARD UNIVERSITY — 88%
YALE UNIVERSITY — 86%
PRINCETON UNIVERSITY — 89%
MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY — 81%
COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY — 87%
The classroom exploded.
“What?” James shouted.
“Harvard?” Mary said.
“Muggle Harvard?” Marlene demanded.
“There is only one Harvard,” Lily said.
“How would he even apply?” Peter asked.
“Why is Princeton higher than Oxford?” Fabian said.
“Why do you know what Princeton is?” Gideon asked.
“I don’t. It sounded important.”
Sirius was staring at the percentages as though they had personally betrayed him.
Regulus’s expression had finally changed.
Not much.
Just a slight narrowing of the eyes.
Professor Marchbanks stepped closer to the screen.
“These estimates account for projected examination equivalencies, language preparation, private candidature routes and conversion qualifications.”
James looked at Regulus.
“Would you go to a Muggle university?”
Regulus said nothing.
James leaned across the aisle.
“Would you?”
“I have not decided.”
The room fell silent again.
Sirius’s head snapped towards him.
“You’ve considered it?”
“Yes.”
“When?”
“Independently.”
“That isn’t an answer.”
“It is the only one you’re receiving.”
The profile continued before Sirius could press him.
RECOMMENDED ACADEMIC FIELDS:
MAGICAL THEORY
SPELL CREATION
ALCHEMY
POTIONS SCIENCE
ANCIENT RUNES
ARCHAEOLOGY
LINGUISTICS
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
LAW
MEDICINE
PSYCHOLOGY
HISTORY
CLASSICS
ASTRONOMY
MATHEMATICS
PHYSICS
CHEMISTRY
LITERATURE
PHILOSOPHY
POLITICAL SCIENCE
ANTHROPOLOGY
JOURNALISM
Marlene slowly raised a hand.
“Is it going to stop?”
Professor Marchbanks did not answer.
A new heading replaced the academic list.
ATHLETIC AND PROFESSIONAL SPORT POTENTIAL
PRIMARY SPORT:
QUIDDITCH — ELITE PROFESSIONAL PROJECTION
POSITION: SEEKER
ESTIMATED LEAGUE DRAFT POTENTIAL: TOP-TIER
ESTIMATED INTERNATIONAL TEAM POTENTIAL: HIGH
PREDICTED STRENGTHS: SPEED, BALANCE, SPATIAL AWARENESS, RISK CALCULATION, VISUAL TRACKING, REFLEX CONTROL
James slapped both palms onto his desk.
“I knew that one.”
Marlene pointed towards Regulus.
“You’re projected for international?”
Barty answered for him.
“Obviously.”
“It is not obvious.”
“He caught the Snitch in thirty-two seconds against Ravenclaw.”
“That was one match.”
“He did it in forty-six seconds against Hufflepuff.”
“That was also one match.”
“He has a pattern.”
Regulus looked at Barty.
“Stop keeping records.”
“No.”
The screen added:
ADDITIONAL SPORT COMPATIBILITY:
FENCING — EXCEPTIONALLY HIGH
GYMNASTICS — HIGH
DIVING — HIGH
ARCHERY — HIGH
EQUESTRIAN SPORT — HIGH
TENNIS — HIGH
FIGURE SKATING — MODERATE TO HIGH
ROCK CLIMBING — HIGH
MARTIAL ARTS — HIGH
SPRINTING — HIGH
BALLET AND PERFORMANCE ATHLETICS — HIGH
SAILING — MODERATE TO HIGH
James stared.
“Fencing?”
Sirius said, “Mother made us learn.”
Regulus looked at him.
“She made you attend.”
Sirius’s face twisted.
“I learned things.”
“You complained near swords.”
“I won bouts.”
“Against children.”
“We were children.”
“You were fifteen.”
“The instructor was biased.”
“He had one eye.”
“Exactly.”
Marlene pointed at gymnastics.
“Can you do gymnastics?”
Regulus’s silence was an answer.
Barty looked delighted.
“You never told me that.”
“You have never asked.”
“I’m asking now.”
“No.”
Pandora leaned around Evan.
“Can you fold yourself into a cupboard?”
Dorcas looked at her.
“Why is that the standard?”
“Cupboards are universally available.”
Regulus said, “Probably.”
James made a strangled sound.
“Probably?”
Regulus glanced at him.
“I have not tested every cupboard.”
The classroom dissolved into overlapping questions.
“Since when can you fence?”
“Do you know ballet?”
“Have you ever sailed?”
“Can you actually shoot a bow?”
“Why figure skating?”
“How would magical diving work?”
“Do you climb things?”
Professor Marchbanks raised his wand.
A sharp crack silenced the room.
“This is a projection, not an autobiography.”
Barty lifted his hand.
“Can we turn it into one?”
“No.”
The screen changed again.
CREATIVE AND ARTISTIC POTENTIAL
WRITING:
FICTION — HIGH
POETRY — EXCEPTIONALLY HIGH
ESSAYS AND CRITICISM — EXCEPTIONALLY HIGH
JOURNALISM — HIGH
SCRIPTWRITING — HIGH
ACADEMIC WRITING — EXCEPTIONALLY HIGH
TRAVEL WRITING — HIGH
VISUAL AND PERFORMANCE ARTS:
MODELLING — EXCEPTIONALLY HIGH COMMERCIAL AND EDITORIAL POTENTIAL
ACTING — MODERATE TO HIGH
DANCE — HIGH
PHOTOGRAPHY — HIGH
FASHION AND COSTUME DESIGN — HIGH
MUSIC — MODERATE TO HIGH
ILLUSTRATION — MODERATE
CURATION — HIGH
ART DIRECTION — HIGH
There was a moment of total silence.
Then Sirius said, very slowly, “Modelling.”
Regulus closed his eyes.
James looked from Regulus to the projection and back.
“Exceptionally high commercial and editorial potential.”
“Read it again and I will hex your teeth backwards.”
James grinned.
“You’d be on posters.”
“No.”
“Magazine covers.”
“No.”
“Enchanted adverts.”
“No.”
Marlene leaned forward.
“Actually, he would.”
Mary looked critically at Regulus.
“He has the face for it.”
Regulus opened his eyes.
“I am sitting here.”
“We know,” Mary said. “That’s how we’re assessing the face.”
Evan tilted his head, examining Regulus with exaggerated consideration.
Barty immediately pushed his shoulder.
“Don’t.”
Evan looked at him.
“I did nothing.”
“You were thinking commercially.”
“I was agreeing with the machine.”
Pandora smiled dreamily.
“He could model funeral clothes.”
Dorcas said, “Why funeral clothes?”
“He has the eyes of a beautiful widow.”
Regulus stared at her.
Pandora nodded as if this were settled.
Sirius made a sound somewhere between a laugh and a cough.
“My brother, the beautiful widow.”
Regulus’s wand appeared in his hand.
Sirius faced forward.
“Moving on.”
The screen did exactly that.
MEDIA AND COMMUNICATION OPTIONS:
EDITORIAL MODELLING
FASHION MODELLING
SPORTS MEDIA
BROADCAST COMMENTARY
DOCUMENTARY PRESENTATION
PRINT JOURNALISM
CULTURAL CRITICISM
PUBLISHING
PUBLIC SPEAKING
CAMPAIGN WORK
BRAND AMBASSADORSHIP
PHOTOGRAPHIC AND VISUAL MEDIA
INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENCE
“Brand ambassador,” James said.
“No,” Regulus replied.
“You don’t even know what brand.”
“No brand.”
“Broom company?”
“No.”
“Quidditch robes?”
“No.”
“Hair products?”
Sirius laughed into his sleeve.
Regulus turned his wand slightly.
James raised both hands.
“Academic discussion.”
Professor Marchbanks was no longer attempting to interrupt.
He had moved to the cabinet and was checking the calculation rings with increasing disbelief.
The machinery continued generating sections.
TRAVEL AND INTERNATIONAL WORK
SUITABILITY: EXCEPTIONALLY HIGH
RECOMMENDED ROUTES:
INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH FELLOWSHIPS
MAGICAL ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXPEDITIONS
CULTURAL EXCHANGE PROGRAMMES
FOREIGN CORRESPONDENCE
DIPLOMATIC SERVICE
LANGUAGE IMMERSION
TRAVEL JOURNALISM
CONSERVATION FIELDWORK
GLOBAL SPORTS COMPETITION
INTERNATIONAL CHARITABLE PROGRAMMES
MUSEUM AND HERITAGE RESEARCH
DOCUMENTARY FIELD PRODUCTION
A list of language projections appeared.
LANGUAGE ACQUISITION POTENTIAL: EXCEPTIONAL
ESTIMATED HIGH PROFICIENCY ACHIEVABLE IN:
FRENCH
ITALIAN
SPANISH
GERMAN
LATIN
ANCIENT GREEK
ARABIC
MANDARIN
JAPANESE
RUSSIAN
MUGGLE BRITISH SIGN LANGUAGE
INTERNATIONAL MAGICAL SIGN SYSTEMS
Peter’s mouth fell open.
“All of them?”
Professor Marchbanks said, “Potentially. Not simultaneously and not without training.”
Pandora looked at Regulus.
“Can you speak to ghosts in Latin?”
“Ghosts speak English.”
“British ghosts.”
Dorcas rubbed her forehead.
“Do not begin.”
Fabian leaned towards Gideon.
“I’d do travel journalism.”
“You cannot spell ‘accommodation.’”
“I’d travel. Someone else could journal.”
“You have reinvented tourism.”
The screen brightened.
VOLUNTEERING, PUBLIC SERVICE AND COMMUNITY IMPACT
HIGH COMPATIBILITY WITH:
YOUTH MENTORING
LITERACY PROGRAMMES
REFUGEE AND DISPLACEMENT SUPPORT
MAGICAL CREATURE CONSERVATION
HOSPITAL VOLUNTEERING
CRISIS RESPONSE
EDUCATIONAL ACCESS CAMPAIGNS
ANIMAL RESCUE
INTERNATIONAL RELIEF WORK
CULTURAL PRESERVATION
SPORTS PROGRAMMES FOR DISADVANTAGED CHILDREN
LEGAL ADVOCACY
MENTAL HEALTH AND WELLBEING SERVICES
The noise in the room faded.
The recommendations were not glamorous in the same way as professional sport or elite universities.
They sat on the screen quietly.
Regulus stared at them longer than he had stared at any previous section.
Lily noticed.
So did Remus.
Alice’s expression softened.
“You’d be good at literacy programmes,” she said.
Regulus looked at her as though she had spoken in another language.
Alice continued.
“You’re patient when you want to be.”
Barty snorted.
“With books.”
“With younger students,” Alice said. “I saw him helping a first-year with a Summoning Charm last month.”
Regulus’s eyes narrowed.
“You saw nothing.”
“I saw you spend twenty minutes showing him how to fix his grip.”
“He was holding his wand incorrectly.”
“You could have walked away.”
“He would have injured himself.”
Alice smiled.
“Exactly.”
Sirius looked at Regulus.
His expression was unreadable.
The screen continued.
LEADERSHIP PROFILE
STYLE: RESERVED, STRATEGIC, HIGHLY AUTONOMOUS
EFFECTIVE IN SMALL TEAMS AND SPECIALIST GROUPS
HIGH CRISIS COMMAND POTENTIAL
LOW TOLERANCE FOR INCOMPETENCE
UNLIKELY TO SEEK LEADERSHIP FOR STATUS
LIKELY TO ASSUME CONTROL WHEN OUTCOMES MATTER
STRONG LONG-TERM PLANNING
STRONG RESOURCE ALLOCATION
HIGH PERSUASIVE CAPACITY WHEN MOTIVATED
Dorcas leaned back.
“That explains Quidditch.”
James nodded.
“He does captain them without being captain.”
Regulus looked at him.
“No, I do not.”
“You shouted at your Chasers for fourteen straight minutes.”
“They were flying incorrectly.”
“You redrew the entire formation.”
“It was inefficient.”
“You assigned them sleep schedules.”
“They were exhausted.”
“You sound like a captain.”
“I sound correct.”
Barty pointed at the screen.
“Likely to assume control when outcomes matter.”
Evan said, “Which is always.”
“Because everyone else is usually doing it wrong,” Regulus replied.
Professor Marchbanks checked another dial.
The machinery made a high ringing sound.
“Still going?” Marlene asked.
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“I do not know.”
“You built it.”
“I did not build it.”
“You brought it.”
“I am reconsidering that decision.”
The profile shifted into a vast branching map.
Each branch divided into sub-branches, and each of those divided again.
POTENTIAL CAREER CLUSTERS
ACADEMIC AND RESEARCH:
— PROFESSOR
— RESEARCH FELLOW
— MAGICAL THEORIST
— HISTORIAN
— LINGUIST
— ARCHAEOLOGIST
— ALCHEMIST
— SPELL DEVELOPER
— POLICY SCHOLAR
— CURATOR
— ASTRONOMER
— SCIENTIFIC RESEARCHER
SPORT:
— PROFESSIONAL SEEKER
— INTERNATIONAL QUIDDITCH PLAYER
— FENCER
— ATHLETIC COACH
— SPORTS ANALYST
— SPORTS WRITER
— TALENT DEVELOPMENT OFFICER
— PERFORMANCE DIRECTOR
ARTS AND WRITING:
— NOVELIST
— POET
— ESSAYIST
— JOURNALIST
— CRITIC
— EDITOR
— SCREENWRITER
— PHOTOGRAPHER
— MODEL
— ART DIRECTOR
— CURATOR
— DOCUMENTARY MAKER
LAW, GOVERNMENT AND PUBLIC SERVICE:
— BARRISTER
— DIPLOMAT
— WIZENGAMOT RESEARCHER
— INTERNATIONAL POLICY ADVISER
— ADVOCACY DIRECTOR
— INVESTIGATIVE OFFICER
— INTELLIGENCE ANALYST
— HUMANITARIAN COORDINATOR
SCIENCE, HEALING AND SPECIALIST MAGIC:
— HEALER
— POTIONS RESEARCHER
— MEDICAL ALCHEMIST
— CURSE-BREAKER
— RUNIC ENGINEER
— ENCHANTMENT DESIGNER
— MAGICAL PSYCHOLOGIST
— FORENSIC SPELL ANALYST
MEDIA AND PUBLIC CULTURE:
— BROADCASTER
— CULTURAL COMMENTATOR
— PRESENTER
— EDITORIAL MODEL
— SPORTS PERSONALITY
— CAMPAIGN SPOKESPERSON
— INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT
— PUBLISHER
TRAVEL, CONSERVATION AND FIELDWORK:
— EXPLORER
— EXPEDITION RESEARCHER
— CONSERVATION SPECIALIST
— HERITAGE OFFICER
— TRAVEL WRITER
— FIELD DOCUMENTARIAN
— INTERNATIONAL VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR
— CREATURE RESERVE DIRECTOR
No one interrupted now.
There was too much.
The profile filled the entire wall and still continued to unfold, pathways multiplying around Regulus’s name like constellations.
Peter stared at the screen.
“How can one person be recommended for all of that?”
Professor Marchbanks did not answer immediately.
When he did, his voice was quieter.
“The Archive does not ordinarily recommend this many fields.”
“That wasn’t an answer,” Sirius said.
“No,” the professor agreed. “It wasn’t.”
He adjusted his spectacles.
“The assessment is not claiming that Mr Black can pursue every path simultaneously. It is identifying an unusual combination of high academic attainment, physical aptitude, creative capacity, discipline, adaptability and broad interest compatibility.”
Marlene frowned.
“So he could choose almost anything.”
“In practical terms,” Professor Marchbanks said, “yes.”
The words settled over the classroom.
Regulus’s face became very still.
James looked towards him.
There was no grin.
No smug little lift of the chin.
No obvious satisfaction.
If anything, Regulus looked more uncomfortable than he had when the screen announced his modelling potential to sixteen people.
Barty had stopped smiling.
Evan watched Regulus instead of the profile.
Pandora’s dreamy expression had sharpened into quiet attention.
Dorcas’s eyes moved once towards the door, as if assessing whether Regulus might bolt.
Sirius stared at his younger brother with something raw and confused behind his eyes.
The screen flashed again.
FINAL COMPOSITE PROJECTION
ESTIMATED NATIONAL YEAR RANKING: TOP 1%
ESTIMATED HOGWARTS YEAR POSITION: FIRST
ESTIMATED POSTGRADUATE STUDY POTENTIAL: EXCEPTIONAL
ESTIMATED PROFESSIONAL DISTINCTION POTENTIAL: EXCEPTIONAL
ESTIMATED INTERNATIONAL IMPACT POTENTIAL: HIGH
ESTIMATED CAREER FLEXIBILITY: EXTREMELY HIGH
PRIMARY CHALLENGE:
CHOOSING AMONG MULTIPLE VIABLE FUTURES
SECONDARY CHALLENGES:
PERFECTIONISM
RELUCTANCE TO SEEK SUPPORT
HIGH SELF-RELIANCE
DIFFICULTY IDENTIFYING PERSONAL DESIRE SEPARATE FROM EXPECTATION
RISK OF OVERCOMMITMENT
RISK OF WITHDRAWAL UNDER EXTERNAL PRESSURE
TENDENCY TO UNDERVALUE NON-MEASURABLE NEEDS
The classroom became silent enough to hear the faint ticking inside the brass cabinet.
Regulus’s eyes fixed on one line.
DIFFICULTY IDENTIFYING PERSONAL DESIRE SEPARATE FROM EXPECTATION
Sirius read it too.
The air between the brothers shifted.
Professor Marchbanks looked towards Regulus.
“Mr Black.”
Regulus did not respond.
“Mr Black.”
His gaze lifted.
The professor’s expression had lost some of its usual severity.
“The profile is not a demand.”
Regulus said nothing.
“It is not a list of obligations.”
“I know.”
“Do you?”
The question was gentle enough that half the class looked startled.
Regulus’s fingers curled slightly against the desk.
“Yes.”
Sirius turned around fully.
“No, you don’t.”
Regulus’s gaze snapped to him.
Sirius gestured towards the screen.
“You’re looking at that like it’s a sentence.”
“It is data.”
“You look furious.”
“I am not furious.”
“You’ve got that little line between your eyebrows.”
“I have eyebrows.”
“You get the line when you’re furious.”
Regulus’s voice went colder.
“You are not qualified to interpret my face.”
“I’ve known your face your entire life.”
“You have not known anything about me for years.”
Sirius flinched.
No one moved.
James’s expression tightened.
Barty sat forward.
But Sirius did not turn away.
“Fine,” he said. “Then tell me I’m wrong.”
Regulus’s eyes flickered towards the wall of possibilities.
Professor. Seeker. Writer. Healer. Model. Diplomat. Researcher. Traveller. Lawyer. Volunteer. Scholar. Athlete. Artist.
Every path glowed as if waiting to be selected.
Regulus looked back at Sirius.
“You are wrong.”
Sirius held his gaze.
“You’re a terrible liar.”
“I am an excellent liar.”
“That’s how I know.”
“Can everyone stop?” Evan said.
His voice was not loud, but it cut cleanly through the room.
Sirius looked at him.
Evan’s expression remained calm.
“This is not a family courtroom.”
Barty’s knee pressed against Regulus’s beneath the desk.
Pandora said softly, “Too many doors can still feel like a corridor.”
Everyone looked at her.
Pandora watched the branching profile.
“When every door is open, choosing one means closing the others.”
Regulus’s face shifted.
Only a fraction.
Dorcas saw it.
“You don’t have to choose now,” she said.
Regulus looked towards her.
“You’re sixteen,” Dorcas continued. “That machine is showing possibilities. It is not asking for a blood oath.”
Marlene raised one hand.
“I’d personally choose international Quidditch player, model, poet and dangerous archaeologist.”
Mary nodded.
“Very manageable.”
“Play matches in the morning, model in the afternoon, discover tombs at night.”
“And write poetry during meals,” Mary added.
Regulus stared at them.
“That is the worst schedule I have ever heard.”
“See?” Marlene said. “You’re already eliminating options.”
A laugh escaped Alice.
Then Frank.
Then James.
The tension loosened by a thread.
Barty leaned close to Regulus.
“You could always choose ‘public inquiry.’ Apparently, it’s a viable route.”
Regulus turned towards him.
“That was your projection.”
“I’m willing to share.”
“How generous.”
“I’m known for it.”
“No one has ever said that.”
“I say it frequently.”
Evan looked at the screen.
“You should become a model.”
Regulus’s eyes narrowed.
Evan continued before he could respond.
“Then I could manage your contracts.”
“There it is,” Barty said. “Commercial thought.”
“I would take a reasonable percentage.”
“You would take half.”
“Forty.”
Regulus said, “I hope the Archive catches fire.”
Pandora looked at the cabinet.
“It may.”
Professor Marchbanks immediately moved away from it.
The storm inside the dome gave a threatening rumble.
Lily raised her hand.
Professor Marchbanks seemed relieved by the return to formality.
“Yes, Miss Evans?”
“Are the university estimates really reliable?”
“To a point,” he said. “They are based on historical admissions, projected qualifications, institutional requirements and aptitude comparisons. They are not guarantees.”
“But they’re not random.”
“No.”
Lily looked at Regulus.
“Ninety-seven percent for Uppsala.”
Regulus said, “Apparently.”
“You could study runic linguistics there.”
“I know.”
“You’ve researched it?”
Regulus went quiet.
James’s head turned.
Lily’s voice softened.
“You have.”
Regulus looked at the screen.
“A little.”
Sirius stared at him.
“How long?”
Regulus did not answer.
Sirius’s tone changed.
Not sharp this time.
Not teasing.
“How long have you been looking at universities?”
Regulus’s jaw tightened.
“Since last year.”
James blinked.
“You’ve been researching universities since you were fifteen?”
“Some people plan ahead.”
Sirius said, “You never told me.”
Regulus laughed once.
It was not a pleasant sound.
“When would I have done that?”
Sirius had no answer.
The screen shimmered.
A final recommendation appeared beneath the challenge assessment.
RECOMMENDED IMMEDIATE ACTIONS:
— UNDERTAKE BROAD WORK EXPERIENCE BEFORE SPECIALISATION
— PURSUE INTERNATIONAL SUMMER PROGRAMMES
— SEEK ACADEMIC MENTORSHIP
— CONTINUE ELITE ATHLETIC DEVELOPMENT
— BUILD CREATIVE PORTFOLIO
— EXPLORE VOLUNTEER PLACEMENTS
— COMPLETE MUGGLE QUALIFICATION EQUIVALENCIES IF DESIRED
— PRIORITISE PERSONAL INTEREST OVER EXTERNAL EXPECTATION
— ALLOW FOR MULTIPLE CAREERS ACROSS A LIFETIME
James read the last line aloud.
“Multiple careers across a lifetime.”
Professor Marchbanks nodded.
“That is often overlooked.”
Marlene frowned.
“You can change careers?”
“Of course.”
“What if you train for one thing and then hate it?”
“Then you do something else.”
Mary looked amazed.
“Adults make it sound as though you choose one job at seventeen and are buried in the uniform.”
“Many adults mistake familiarity for permanence,” Professor Marchbanks said.
Remus glanced towards Regulus.
“So he doesn’t actually have to close every other door.”
Pandora smiled.
“No. He can leave windows open.”
Dorcas looked at her.
“That metaphor is almost normal.”
“Thank you.”
“It was not a compliment.”
“I have chosen to receive it as one.”
Professor Marchbanks waved his wand.
The enormous profile compressed, all its branching pathways folding inward until only Regulus’s name and final classification remained.
EXCEPTIONALLY HIGH MULTI-DOMAIN POTENTIAL
Sirius was still looking at his brother.
Regulus noticed.
“What?”
Sirius opened his mouth.
For once, nothing reckless emerged immediately.
He looked back at the screen.
“You could really do any of that?”
Regulus’s expression sharpened defensively.
“That is what it says.”
“No, I mean…”
Sirius stopped.
James watched him carefully.
Sirius tried again.
“You could go anywhere.”
Regulus held his gaze.
“Yes.”
There was something complicated in Sirius’s face then.
Pride, perhaps.
And fear.
And regret.
All mixed together so badly that none could be separated from the others.
He gave a crooked smile.
“Try not to become unbearable about it.”
Regulus’s eyes flicked over Sirius’s shoulder to James.
“I have observed sufficient examples.”
James pressed a hand to his chest.
“I have been attacked.”
“You walked into it,” Lily said.
“I was sitting down.”
“You do it spiritually.”
Professor Marchbanks tapped his wand against the lectern.
“Before you are dismissed, I would like to make one point clear.”
The class turned back towards him.
He looked across all sixteen students.
“Some of you received profiles that were long. Some received profiles that were short. Some were directed towards university. Some towards training, apprenticeship or direct employment.”
Peter lowered his gaze towards his booklet.
Professor Marchbanks noticed.
“A shorter list does not indicate a smaller life.”
Peter looked up.
“Academic prestige is not the only form of success. Nor is professional rank. A person may be happy managing a small shop. Another may find purpose in public service. Another may pursue research, sport, art, family, travel, teaching, healing or work that does not yet exist.”
He gestured towards the now-dark screen.
“These projections measure aptitude. They do not measure worth.”
The room was quiet.
Frank looked relieved.
Alice smiled faintly.
Remus leaned back in his chair.
Even Sirius refrained from making a joke.
Professor Marchbanks turned towards the cabinet.
“They also cannot account fully for choice, opportunity, misfortune, courage, friendship, timing or change.”
The cabinet gave a small metallic ping.
One final strip of parchment emerged from a drawer and floated towards him.
Professor Marchbanks caught it.
He read the line.
His eyebrows rose.
Barty leaned forward.
“What does it say?”
“Nothing relevant.”
“That means it is extremely relevant.”
Professor Marchbanks folded the parchment.
James raised his hand.
“Sir.”
“No.”
“You don’t know what I’m asking.”
“You want to know what the machine produced.”
“Yes.”
“No.”
Sirius raised his hand.
“Sir.”
“No.”
Marlene raised hers.
“Sir.”
“No.”
Pandora raised both hands.
Professor Marchbanks looked tired.
“Miss Rosier.”
“Did it predict its own death?”
The brass cabinet sparked.
Everyone flinched.
Smoke began curling from beneath the glass dome.
Professor Marchbanks stared at it.
Pandora lowered her hands slowly.
“Ah.”
The storm inside the dome turned bright green.
A drawer shot across the room and embedded itself in the wall above James’s head.
James ducked late.
“Is this meant to happen?”
“No,” Professor Marchbanks said.
Barty stood.
“Can I touch it?”
“No!”
The cabinet began shaking.
The screen flashed back to life.
SYSTEM OVERLOAD
EXCESSIVE CROSS-DOMAIN PROJECTION
PROCESSING CAPACITY EXCEEDED
Every face turned towards Regulus.
Regulus stared at the message.
Then at the smoking cabinet.
Then at Professor Marchbanks.
“I did nothing.”
The cabinet emitted a miserable mechanical groan.
Marlene pointed at Regulus.
“He broke the future.”
“I did not break the future.”
“You had too many careers.”
“That is not my fault.”
James laughed.
“You’re so employable you destroyed the careers machine.”
Sirius folded over his desk.
Barty began applauding.
Evan joined him with slow, deliberate claps.
Pandora looked enchanted.
Dorcas covered her mouth, but her shoulders were shaking.
Lily tried to remain serious for three seconds and failed.
Mary leaned against Marlene.
Fabian and Gideon both stood to get a better look at the smoke.
Frank pulled Alice’s chair away from the cabinet.
Peter ducked beneath his desk.
Remus watched the machine spit out another foot of parchment and started laughing so hard that he had to remove his glasses.
Regulus remained seated in the middle of it all, his expression caught somewhere between offence and horror.
The screen flickered one final time.
CANDIDATE RECOMMENDATION:
CONSIDER CAREERS IN DATABASE DEVELOPMENT
The classroom erupted.
James hit the desk with both hands.
Sirius could no longer breathe properly.
Barty shouted, “It wants you to replace it!”
Regulus stared at the screen.
His ears had turned pink.
“I hate every person in this room.”
“No, you don’t,” Pandora said.
“I am developing the skill.”
Professor Marchbanks pointed his wand at the cabinet and shouted a containment spell.
The glass dome burst.
The miniature storm shot upwards, struck the ceiling, and rained tiny silver application forms over the entire classroom.
One landed in Regulus’s hair.
James reached across the aisle and plucked it free before Regulus could stop him.
He unfolded it.
“Professional modelling apprenticeship.”
Regulus lunged.
James leapt backwards with a laugh, holding the parchment over his head.
“Give me that.”
“Application requires two photographs and a statement of experience.”
“Potter.”
“References preferred.”
“I will kill you.”
Sirius snatched the parchment from James.
Regulus spun towards him.
Sirius scanned it.
“International travel required.”
“Black.”
“Competitive compensation.”
“Sirius.”
“Flexible scheduling around athletic commitments.”
Regulus drew his wand.
Sirius threw the application towards Barty.
Barty caught it.
“Oh, this is excellent.”
“Crouch.”
Barty passed it to Evan.
Evan folded it neatly and placed it in his pocket.
Regulus went still.
“Give it back.”
“No.”
“Evan.”
“You may want it later.”
“I will not.”
“You have difficulty identifying personal desire separate from expectation.”
The entire room made the same dangerous, delighted sound.
Regulus’s face turned cold.
“Rosier.”
Evan’s expression did not shift.
“The database said it.”
“I will remove your spine.”
“Modelling may improve your public image.”
“I do not need a public image.”
“Everyone has one.”
“Yours is about to become a memorial.”
Dorcas stood and slung her bag over one shoulder.
“This is the most useful careers lesson we’ve ever had.”
Mary gathered her things.
“I’ve learned that Peter should work in logistics, Sirius should build illegal vehicles and Regulus can become the entire labour market.”
“They would not be illegal,” Sirius said.
Remus looked at him.
“They would be illegal within a week.”
“Within a week is still legal at the time of construction.”
“That is not how design responsibility works.”
Fabian picked an application form off Gideon’s shoulder.
“Dragon reserve support.”
Gideon snatched it.
“No.”
“It found me.”
“It fell randomly from the ceiling.”
“Fate works in mysterious ways.”
“Fate cannot spell your address.”
Alice handed Frank a Healer training leaflet.
Frank looked at it, then at her.
“You think I should?”
“I think you should read it.”
He folded it carefully.
Marlene found a stunt performance application beneath her chair and shoved it into her bag before Professor Marchbanks could ask for it back.
Lily collected three university leaflets from the floor.
James peered over her shoulder.
“Oxford.”
“Do not start.”
“I said nothing.”
“You were about to.”
“I was going to offer encouragement.”
“You were going to say we could attend together.”
James paused.
“We could.”
“You do not have a Muggle qualification.”
“I have time.”
“You do not know what a GCSE is.”
“I’ll get one.”
“It is not a single object.”
“I’ll get several.”
Lily stared at him.
James smiled.
“One of the universities might appreciate initiative.”
“One of the universities might call security.”
“Then I’ll apply for emergency response.”
At the back, Regulus was attempting to retrieve the folded modelling application from Evan’s pocket without appearing to care about it.
Barty watched with shameless amusement.
“You want it.”
“I want to destroy it.”
“Same first step.”
Pandora picked up another form.
“This one is for archaeological fieldwork in Alexandria.”
Regulus stopped.
Pandora looked at the page.
“Summer research placement. Applicants must demonstrate knowledge of Ancient Runes, magical history and at least one classical language.”
Regulus’s gaze fixed on it.
Dorcas saw.
She took the application from Pandora and held it out.
Regulus did not reach for it immediately.
Barty nudged his elbow.
“Take it.”
“It is a projection.”
“It is paper.”
“I am aware.”
“You’re staring.”
“I am reading.”
“From three feet away?”
“My eyesight is excellent.”
Evan took the archaeological application from Dorcas.
He handed the latter to Regulus.
Regulus took it.
Evan kept the modelling form.
Regulus noticed.
“You are still holding that.”
“Yes.”
“Destroy it.”
“No.”
“Why?”
“For balance.”
“There is no balance.”
“There is now.”
Sirius had stopped beside their row.
Regulus looked up at him.
For a moment, neither brother said anything.
Around them, chairs scraped, bags closed and the rest of the class continued arguing over leaflets.
Sirius glanced at the application in Regulus’s hand.
“Alexandria?”
“Potentially.”
“Egypt.”
“I know where Alexandria is.”
“I know you know.”
Regulus waited.
Sirius pushed his hands into his pockets.
“You’d like that?”
Regulus looked down at the page.
The answer took a moment.
“Yes.”
It was a small word.
Quiet.
But it was the first clear personal choice he had made all lesson.
Sirius nodded.
“Then apply.”
Regulus’s eyes lifted.
Sirius shrugged, though there was nothing careless in it.
“Worst they can do is say no.”
“The profile estimated ninety-five percent admission to their university.”
“Fine. Worst they can do is say yes and make you spend a summer brushing dirt off cursed bowls.”
Regulus’s mouth twitched.
“They would not assign a student to cursed material without supervision.”
“You sound disappointed.”
“I sound informed.”
“You sound like you want to go.”
Regulus folded the application once.
Carefully.
“I may.”
Sirius nodded again.
“Right.”
Neither of them seemed to know what came after that.
James solved the problem by throwing an arm over Sirius’s shoulders and leaning across the desk towards Regulus.
“If you go to Egypt, bring me something ancient.”
Lily appeared behind him.
“He absolutely should not remove artefacts from Egypt for you.”
“I didn’t say an artefact.”
“What did you mean?”
“A souvenir.”
“You said ancient.”
“An ancient souvenir.”
“That is an artefact.”
“A small one.”
Regulus slid the application into his bag.
“I will bring you sand.”
James brightened.
“From a tomb?”
“From the ground.”
“Near a tomb?”
“From outside the airport.”
“That still counts.”
Professor Marchbanks finally managed to stop the cabinet smoking.
He turned to find half the class still standing, papers everywhere, and Regulus surrounded by students debating whether international Quidditch training could be combined with archaeology.
He raised his voice.
“The lesson is over.”
No one moved.
Professor Marchbanks looked around.
“You are dismissed.”
Still no one moved.
Marlene was asking Regulus whether fencing involved dramatic capes.
Mary wanted to know whether he had ever written poetry.
Fabian was trying to convince Gideon that they should establish a joint rescue company.
Alice was discussing Healer entry requirements with Lily.
Frank had begun reading his plant-based remedies leaflet.
Peter was organising the fallen application forms into subject piles, apparently proving his logistics projection before leaving the classroom.
Remus had found a brochure for an educational fellowship and was reading it with an expression he had not worn when his own profile first appeared.
Sirius was examining a vehicle engineering apprenticeship leaflet while pretending not to be interested.
James was attempting to add himself to every conversation at once.
Barty had acquired a Wizengamot research application and was laughing at the entry requirement concerning “demonstrable respect for legal process.”
Evan still had the modelling form.
Pandora was collecting rejected applications because she believed discarded futures ought to be preserved.
Dorcas had taken the intelligence analysis brochure and folded it into her pocket without comment.
Regulus sat at the centre of it all, one hand resting over his bag where the Alexandria application had disappeared.
The wall behind him still held the fading ghost of his profile.
Athlete.
Scholar.
Writer.
Artist.
Traveller.
Researcher.
Volunteer.
Too many doors.
Too many paths.
Too many futures pressing bright against the dark.
But, for the first time, they did not look like expectations lined up to swallow him.
They looked like exits.
They looked like choices.
They looked like distance and movement and whole countries waiting beyond the grounds of Hogwarts.
James dropped into the seat in front of him, facing backwards.
“So.”
Regulus eyed him.
“So?”
“What are you going to be?”
The noise around them softened.
Not entirely.
Sirius paused over the engineering leaflet.
Barty stopped laughing.
Lily looked over.
Everyone, in one way or another, listened.
Regulus glanced towards the floating screen.
The final remnants of his profile dissolved into silver mist.
He looked down at the closed bag beneath his hand.
Then around at the classroom full of people who had spent the afternoon shouting over his future as though it were a Quidditch match, an argument, a dare and a miracle all at once.
His expression settled into its usual calm.
But there was the faintest spark beneath it now.
Something private.
Something almost pleased.
“I haven’t decided.”
James smiled.
For once, he did not argue.
“Fair enough.”
Regulus leaned back in his chair.
“I have time.”
And around them, sixteen futures waited to begin.