Half a minute later, Vincent returned to reality. "A piece of good news..."
"And a piece of bad?"
"No — another piece of even better news."
Bernadette paused in towelling her hair. "Say it."
Vincent laughed. "The good news: in our current situation, you can also add weight to the Scale on my behalf."
Bernadette's eyes widened. "Of course — you're currently inside my body, fused with it as one. Which means you're participating in everything I do. Transactions and partnerships I personally facilitate would naturally count as yours as well."
She frowned slightly. "But I haven't done anything in the last two days that would... wait. Did Nast already go and find Jadleya?"
"No. That's what I'm calling the even better news."
Vincent's voice carried audible joy. "Today, you did facilitate a transaction — and the other party involved is a deity."
"???"
A startled pause. "You mean... you and Hugh?"
"Exactly. The Scale just gained a significant amount of weight — and the source is the 'partnership' or 'transaction' between me and Hugh. Remember: within the Realm of Chaos, I hold a divine standing."
"Wait." Bernadette said. "If you're adding weight to the Scale because you're inside my body, then effectively it's you facilitating this transaction. But the condition for adding weight was facilitating transactions between others, wasn't it?"
"Perhaps the real-world Vincent and the Lord of Chaos within the Realm of Chaos aren't the same individual. The transactions Vincent facilitates — what do they have to do with the Lord of Chaos?"
As he said it, Vincent thought back to how he had completed the Shadow Merchant potion's digestion days earlier — by exploiting the relationship between Klein and Mr Fool. It had worked by treating two identities of the same being as separate individuals.
Two different ways to look at the same identity. And both were real.
The whole game was making the rules bend in your favour.
Which is exactly the nature of the Realm of Chaos's authority — the exploitation and Distortion of rules.
I understand it now.
And wait — wasn't this just him exploiting another loophole? Was he on the Chaos Mist Pathway, or the Error Pathway?
"So in the future, after each advancement, we can use this method to rapidly add weight to the Scale?"
"Correct. You could call it a silver lining. The one limitation is that because we're distorting and exploiting the rules, the actual weight added doesn't quite match what you'd expect from a true 'deity-level transaction.'"
Otherwise, the Scale would have reached equilibrium immediately.
Still — if they weren't currently sharing a body, none of this would ever be possible. And as the Sequence advanced, the time required to facilitate qualifying transactions would grow exponentially. Even with more Gift recipients contributing, the uncertainty was vast. Nothing as clean and direct as this.
"We're only a small amount away from equilibrium now?"
"Yes."
Bernadette raised a hand and summoned the Invisible Servant. "Ask Vivian whether she can arrange a Beyonder gathering tomorrow evening."
"Hmm, isn't that a bit rushed? Vivian mentioned last week that Backlund was still running hot right now."
"Oh? And who made Backlund run hot?"
Vincent: "..."
"Don't worry. It won't be a problem."
She walked to the window and looked out at the red moon hanging at the edge of the sky.
"I just want to move a little faster."
In the world of Harry Potter.
Bernadette had not, of course, genuinely refused to study Ancient Magic.
It was true that Ancient Magic wouldn't be of direct use in her own world — but she understood perfectly well that mastering it here would give her considerably more safety and security while she remained in this one. The reason she had turned Babbling down so decisively that day was because Babbling had been transparently preparing to leverage her interest into demands. The more eagerly Bernadette showed interest, the more leverage she'd hand over.
From the conversation between Babbling and the four keeper portraits, Bernadette understood clearly: with the Ancient Magic lineage so difficult to pass down, those portraits would never let a newly emerged heir slip through their fingers.
Exactly as predicted — over the past several days, Babbling had approached Bernadette multiple times. While she hadn't yet transmitted any Ancient Magic knowledge directly, she had guided Bernadette's Ancient Runes practice with remarkably attentive instruction, significantly accelerating her progress.
Whenever Bernadette practised carving a rune, the cat that had taken up permanent residence near her always displayed intense interest and looked absolutely ready to try it herself.
Bernadette had initially been curious whether this unusual magical creature might have some genuine potential in this area. The answer had been a swift and total disappointment.
This cat was simply fascinated by the magic that resulted from mastering a rune — she had absolutely no interest in actually learning and understanding the runes themselves, let alone the more complex process of inscribing and internalising them.
Truly an unintelligent cat.
Wednesday. For reasons no one could clearly articulate, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Malfoy had all managed to enrage Snape at once. He promptly docked a hundred points from two Houses simultaneously, then assigned all four of them detention at eleven o'clock that night.
At half past ten they found Filch waiting for them, lantern raised, his face wearing the most self-satisfied expression he'd managed to produce all year.
Behind him was a small extra figure: Malfoy. Which they had almost forgotten.
Right — he's got detention too.
Magnificent.
"I've said it for years — people like you, always making excuses and telling lies, deserve to have your wrists bound and be hung from the ceiling for a week at a time."
Filch grinned nastily. "Follow me!"
They marched across the darkened grounds and out of the castle, straight toward the Forbidden Forest. Harry and company knew this route well — they visited Hagrid here regularly.
"I thought detention only happened inside the castle," Ron said nervously.
"Of course not, boy. Tonight's detention was specially selected by Professor Snape — the Forbidden Forest! With any luck you'll come out in one piece. With any luck."
Malfoy's face had gone white.
Harry said quickly: "Don't worry — Hogwarts would never genuinely expose students to direct danger."
"That you, Filch? Hurry up — I'm ready to set off."
A large shape stepped out of the shadows. Beside it stood a figure holding an enormous "wand." Harry felt a rush of warmth — Hagrid, and Professor Moriarty.
Bernadette was there because Hagrid had invited her when they'd had drinks together; they'd agreed that the next time Hagrid went to see the centaurs in the Forbidden Forest, he'd bring her along — she had some genuine interest in magical creatures with prophetic abilities on par with a Divination professor.
"What have they done this time?"
Bernadette walked up and asked mildly.
Filch immediately arranged his face into a smug smile. "These little terrors breaking rules all day, getting Snape in a temper again. A good lesson is in order!"
Her gaze passed over each of the children in turn and settled on Malfoy. "Alright. I'll take them. Unless you'd like to come in with us."
"Certainly not."
Filch looked at the children with dark satisfaction. "Good evening to you all. I hope you're still in one piece when I come back in the morning."
Hermione paled. "I read once that the Forbidden Forest contains all sorts of dangerous beasts and magical creatures. Even werewolves."
Hagrid laughed immediately. "Don't you worry, children. The forest is perfectly safe. Just some lovely little creatures."
His reassurance did nothing whatsoever for Hermione or Ron, both of whom knew exactly what Hagrid's definition of "lovely little creatures" involved.
Especially the giant spiders. Ron shuddered.
"I'm sorry, Professor Moriarty."
Harry said quietly. "I... just accidentally mentioned in front of Professor McGonagall that Snape was my godfather, and then—"
To be continued…
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