Chapter 3
"Now, you are all probably wondering why one might need a portable black mirror. From what I can tell of your divination curriculum, you have already covered black mirrors and the section was woefully short, in my opinion." The professor caught Ms. Parkinson's eye just as she worked out where the lecture was heading. Her furrowed brow straightened and one questioning eyebrow rose and a sly smile creeped over her features.
"Can anyone tell me what black mirrors are commonly used for? Miss Parkinson, perhaps?"
Pansy straightened up in her seat and folded her hands primly on the desk. "Well, professor, they are used to contact non physical entities and allow you to make face to face contact without inviting them past the veil."
"Exactly right! Take a point for Slytherin for that succinct reply. Black mirrors are commonly used to contact ancestors and the beloved deceased beyond the veil." She took note of the students that took a painfully keen interest in the notion. She hesitated for a moment before dashing their hopes. "However, as you may know if you took divination, The Guardian at the Gate is not very generous. There is an unspeakable toll to even send a message through, let alone establish a strong enough connection to see and speak to your intended. There is also no guarantee they will be there to pick up, after you've paid the price. They may have moved on to one of the many afterlifes, or reincarnated, depending on what they believe. It's unlikely that they would remain within reach, unless they have a reason to stay." With this, the professor paused to take stock of the energy of the room. The one with the disheveled mop of inky hair visibly deflated when he realized that his dearly missed are still out of his grasp. She scanned the rest of the room and noted with a heavy heart that the ravenclaw girl's unfathomably gray eyes were more misty and unfocused than usual. The ginger girl who always sat with her, probably another Weasley. also noticed her partners dejection and placed a light hand on her thigh under the desk. She thought she was subtle, and the Professor thought they were cute together, so the public affection went intentionally overlooked.
Professor Nebulosa turned back to the front of the room and walked to her desk to pick up an oversized mug. Her students couldn't see what was inside, but they did see the shimmering golden steam gently curling upwards to obscure her face. She took a sip and allowed the students to settle their hearts before continuing.
"Y'know, there are accounts of necromancers remaining in what is commonly known as purgatory, in order to give their coven enough time to gather their resources and make contact one last time to sort out any unfinished business. In some circles, that is the only way to gain access to a master necromancer's heavily warded grimoires. If the seeker is capable and willing to perform the ceremony, then they are likely capable of handling the knowledge with the appropriate amount of decorum."
"However, there are much better reasons to use a black mirror. The dead are not the only spirits you can contact, but they sure are the least accessible." With that, her eyes gleamed and she impatiently placed her mug back on the desk.
"As we will learn later in the semester, there are many pantheons containing multitudes of Gods, deities, entities, Angels, Demons, and Fae. Black mirrors allow them a blank canvas to manifest their visual image upon and allow the practitioner the least strenuous manner of visualizing the entity. Historically, most black mirrors were actually reconstructed for every use, out of very specific bowls containing very specific potions and conducting very specific rituals. The details of which will not be available to you until I have personally deemed you prepared to handle any consequences of trifling with forces unfathomably more powerful than you are." She made sure to catch the eye of both of the Weasley twins, knowing in her bones that they believed themselves to be experimenters immune to consequences. They both gulped under her piercing gaze and had the near identical mental image of a predatory bird determining whether its prey would fit in its talons, or more importantly, its beak.
"The reflection of the water would allow the witch to project the image onto the swirling depths. She would be aided by the fumes, and also by ingesting a different potion three days before attempting contact. Those three days would be dedicated to preliminary rituals, like cleansing and warding the space, gathering offerings and enchanting protecting talismans." The professor fiddled with a long necklace, one nearly engulfed under the copious velvet robes draping every which way across her shoulders.
"I cannot stress enough how important it is that you do not take it upon yourself to summon the first entity that catches your fancy because you think it'll make you rich, or it'll make so and so like you back. These are ancient, immortal beings with millennia of magical experience. You are but a clever little bumblebee to them, so please don't think that you are the chosen one capable of wrangling them to appease your every whim. You may be a wizard, but they have outlived entire bloodlines and societies. Time does not move the same for them. They are capable of being in multiple places at once and inhabiting various vessels. However, there are certain limitations they must abide by that you would do well to note and remember...." She trailed off as her students scrambled for their quills and fumbled with their ink bottles.
"First, they are not capable of lying. Outright lying, knowingly falsehoods, is a uniquely human trait. This is important to keep in mind, especially because you will run into a fair handful of tricksters, imposters, and mischievous jokers. They are masters of twisting words and turning phrases. You must be careful and mind your words around them, because words are reality to them even though they are usually just symbols for humans. If symbols are mutable, therefore reality is mutable. They are well aware of this and they will be delighted to use anything you say against you to trip you up if you aren't. There are ways to determine the true nature of the entity you're communicating with, and I will insist on a very rigorous identification process before any relationships are established and pacts agreed upon."
"The second thing to remember is that they are incapable of going against the word of any agreement made between the practitioner and the entity. When you are formulating agreements, do be wary of loopholes. One common stipulation included in nearly all pacts is 'do no harm, active or passive, direct or indirect, in word or action, against me or mine'. I suggest you commit that to memory and make sure it is the first thing you establish with literally any entity you contact. I mean it, the absolute first thing, even before introductions."
"And speaking of introductions! Do not simply give them your name. Giving someone your name allows them power or ownership over you. You should all start considering your alias, because they will want them to be able to refer to you, especially if you intend to establish a mutually beneficial relationship. When you introduce yourself, say 'you may call me' or 'I answer to' your chosen alias. Remember, this flows both ways. To have the true name of an entity allows you power over them in return. In this sense, we are at a distinct advantage when summoning because we are capable of controlling who we contact. It starts to get tricky when you begin to dip into more advanced divinatory states."
"If you are frequently in trances or astral travelling, you are likely to encounter entities. They may have sought you out or they may have simply been in the same place at the same time. Either way, that's when it starts to get tricky, especially if they have ulterior motives or bad intentions. Many entities will happily take advantage of an unsuspecting human, even the benevolent ones. They will test you to determine if you are worthy of their respect and time, and they expect you to test them back. It is an odd sort of courtship, a dance of formalities where stumbling usually has worse consequences than scuffing your shoes. I hope you are all brushed up on your vocabulary, because they will use esoteric or ancient terms you might not know. Sometimes its done to trick you, and sometimes its because its the only word they know or the concept died with the word. They have seen many eras and may not have talked to a human for many an era and they simply haven't caught up with the times."
"With all that said, I want you all to consider the middle point between wary and suspicious, respectful and grovelling. You must hold yourself confidently enough to not be steamrolled, but humbly enough to not be cocky or insulting. Treat them much like you would a professor. Respect their experience and knowledge, because those are the most valuable things they could possibly offer you." The professor paused her lecture to allow her students to catch up. Some were frantically scribbling every word, like the Granger girl and the Weasley twins, oddly enough. Some others were gaping and she could nearly see steam coming out of their ears from how fast their gears were churning. She saw worlds of possibilities blooming in their eyes. A soft smile graced her thin lips. This would be a curious bunch of hellraisers, she mused.
"I think that's about enough for today, I'll let y'all stew on what we've learned today and consider any questions you have for me and bring them to the next class. After this, we will begin our survey of the various non corporeals you may encounter. As you slog through the mountains of reading you will have to surmount, I will let you in on a little surprise to motivate you." She saw her students' hands still, their impatience to pack up overruled by their curiosity.
"I will not tolerate any independent practical study. I have scouts and crawlers all over the castle with the sole purpose of sensing any magical indications that you are engaging in unsafe rituals. I implore you to come to me should you have any burning curiosities you simply can't abstain from. I am here to supervise and support your explorations and I want you to flourish in this field."
"I will be available until 8 pm most evenings. My office door is always open and I have a truly exceptional selection of tea, even for British standards. Once we come to an accord and I feel you're prepared, I will offer each of you a single free summoning, on the house. I'll play promoter, bouncer, and bartender. I'll help you determine the proper entity to suit your personality and your ends, I will take on the brunt of the ritual and the responsibility, and I will be present for all conversations and on standby in case my intervention is needed."
"Please consider this deeply and wisely, because after that first one the weight of the ritual and responsibility will be on your shoulders. You'll have to do the grunt work next time you need to make contact. I guarantee there will be a next time, and I guarantee most of you will need multiple tries to successfully part the veil. I cannot stress enough that I will be present at every step. I will remain available to supervise, and you are required to have my supervision until you are certified, so don't worry too much because you'll still have your training wheels."
"We are here to break boundaries and expand upon the craft. There is nothing you could get your hands on that would be grounds for punishment. You'll find that i have significantly fewer hang ups than your average stickler englishman, so don't worry about offending my delicate sensibilities. I promise you, in my many years of practicing, I have seen enough nonsense that you're unlikely to surprise or disturb me. So don't be shy! Stop by for a cuppa and we'll have a little chit chat and a jolly blasphemous time!"