Catch The Snitch

The golden rays of the late afternoon sun streamed through the high windows of Classroom 1B as Professor Nigel Dextera entered, a levitating wooden chest following obediently behind him. There were no Transfiguration lessons at this hour, but he had chosen to arrange for additional classes for the students to refresh their knowledge. Participation was voluntary – he had been careful to avoid the word “encouraged”, for it was often perceived by students to be synonymous with “mandatory” – and those who chose to attend would be able to ask any questions and practice their spells in a more casual setting.

Nigel wondered briefly what kind of questions the students would throw at him this time. When he first started these extra classes, the students happily exploited a loophole and asked him about his previous job as an Unspeakable. To be fair, Nigel hadn’t explicitly stated that the questions needed to be related to Transfiguration. Besides, that particular class was catered to the N.E.W.T.-level students, and many of them were concerned about their future careers. As such he didn't patch the loophole – or more accurately, he deliberately left it there for the students’ benefit.

With a casual flick of his wand, the chest opened, and a seemingly random selection of items began to magically arrange themselves neatly on the workbench near the front of the classroom: a tray of cauldron cakes and fairy cakes, a few teacups, a chessboard populated only with pawns, and a couple of feather dusters and bowling balls. These were all objects associated with spells taught to Sixth-Years, for the session today was meant as a refresher for the Seventh-Years and a sneak preview of what was to come for the Sixth-Years. However, nothing was stopping the younger students from dropping by and seeing for themselves what N.E.W.T.-level Transfiguration was like.

The classroom thus set up and readied, Nigel sat on the teacher’s table just behind the workbench, and waited for the students to arrive.

Martin wasn't a NEWT student yet. But he was the overachieving sort who thought he might manage to glean something from attending this session, even if it was just some insight into Prof. Dextera himself, since he had a free period anyway. There were many less-productive ways to kill an hour, after all.

He arrived a few minutes before the event was to start, as was his habit. Showing up late would be disrespectful and unthinkable. He was still dressed in his Hogwarts robes, as it didn't seem appropriate to dress down into anything more comfortable, since Prof. Dextera was hosting this in his capacity as a professor, even if it was voluntary.

"Hello, Sir," he called to the professor upon realizing he was the first student present. He stepped toward the front of the classroom and paused beside a desk in the front row as he quickly surveyed the items arranged on the workbench. The cakes looked delicious, but the chessboard held his attention for a longer moment. "That's a peculiar chess position," he commented, referring to the pawns-only arrangement.

The sound of footfalls alerted Nigel to the arrival of the first student. The professor looked up and recognised him as Martin Bishop, a Fifth-Year. A true-blue Ravenclaw, Martin had a thirst for knowledge that exceeded most of his peers, and always made it a point to deliver more than what was expected in his schoolwork. As such, it was only natural for him to be curious enough about N.E.W.T.-level Transfiguration to turn up for this session. “Good afternoon, Mr Bishop,” Nigel greeted the student. “I must confess, I was expecting to see you here today. Not that this session is in any way mandatory for anyone.”

As Martin surveyed the assortment of items laid out on the workbench, his gaze lingered on the chessboard and the thirty-two pawns that stood upon it. The position was so curious that he commented on its peculiarity. “Technically that is a transfiguration exercise rather than a legal chess position,” Nigel replied. “That said, there’s probably an obscure variant of chess in which this position makes sense. Some sort of pawn-only variant, or one where the identity of each player’s pieces are concealed to their opponent.” That was his best guess, and sadly it was beyond his knowledge to name any specific variants. “Perhaps you would be better acquainted with chess than I am?”

In the meantime, more students streamed into the classroom. Most of them were N.E.W.T.-level students, like Kyle Winters who had just arrived alone and immediately made a beeline for a seat on the second last row. There were a few younger students too, more than what he had initially anticipated, but he took that as a welcome surprise.

As the classroom filled up, Nigel reckoned that most of the students had arrived. He glanced at his wristwatch; there was still a bit of time left to go. Any stragglers would need to hurry, for the professor always started his classes on the dot.

Prof. Dextera's comment about having expected him to be there made Martin relax a bit. While he knew he had a reputation for being overtly academic, sometimes he worried that he was pushing himself too hard, that he would be advised to temper his ambitions, that he shouldn't appear so...obsequious, that he should loosen up and socialize more while he had the advantage of being surrounded by those his own age. But that comment made him feel invited.

"I assumed as much," he replied regarding the chessboard being a transfiguration exercise. "I'm vaguely aware of obscure variants that do use pawns as the only materiel, but they practically require a photographic memory to keep track of what each piece represents. Sometimes grandmasters might play like that to demonstrate their prowess and humble their spectators. I do have a good memory, but I don't think I'm at that level...it would be too easy to make an illegal move and then, in a panic, lose track of the board's state."

He sat down in the front-row seat beside which he had been standing. Some more students had arrived, but the classroom was still sparse, so he supposed he could engage the professor with brief conversation. "I gather that if one plays chess long enough, or practices any discipline long enough, they'll naturally develop a better memory regarding their area of focus. A chess grandmaster can re-create an entire game from memory, for example--provided all of the moves were sensible, since that allows for a sort of mental shortcut. But a game against a novice player, one who made frequent mistakes, would be harder to memorize because there wouldn't be any natural rhythm to it. It would be chaotic."

He continued, "I've read that muggles have developed some meditative disciplines for improving one's cognitive skills in various ways--such as the notion of creating a 'mind palace' to improve memory and recall, or to compartmentalize their knowledge. Do you happen to know whether the art of occlumency has similar benefits, or is it specifically limited to protection from mental invasion? I haven't been able to find much information on the subject in the library. I presume that's because it's potentially dangerous for a student to take it upon themself to practice...but I also gather that the younger one learns the art, the easier it is to master."

In his youth Nigel had been a casual chess player, and so he had heard of some of the more difficult variants of chess that Martin spoke of. Indeed, as the student had rightly pointed out, such variants were often used by grandmasters to showcase their mastery of the game. “It takes more than a good memory to pull that off,” Nigel said. “Even when playing a regular game of chess, grandmasters are able to see multiple moves ahead and analyse various potential positions. In contrast, most of us would struggle to even memorise a single position, much less analyse it or look ahead.”

When Martin mentioned how a novice chess player could inadvertently throw off a grandmaster with seemingly senseless moves, Nigel nodded. “I agree, though I also believe that the grandmaster would be able to win the game nonetheless. Still, an opponent who seems to be defying established conventions would present an unusual challenge for the grandmaster’s ability to memorise the positions of all the pieces.”

Soon the conversation progressed to the topic of memorisation techniques and compartmentalisation, and whether Occlumency could confer similar benefits to these Muggle techniques. “And here I was wondering when you’d spring a difficult question on me. But don’t get me wrong; that is a good thing.” The professor pursed his lips as he pondered over how best to address the question.

“The short answer is yes,” Nigel began, and it was clear as day that there was a huge ‘but’ somewhere in those words. “There are two main aspects of Occlumency: concealing one’s thoughts and feelings, and building up a false mental landscape to throw off any Legilimens who attempts to pry into one’s mind. There exists other techniques similar to the compartmentalisation of knowledge and the ‘mind palace’ that Occlumens can utilise, and it is these techniques – rather than Occlumency itself – that confer benefits that are similar to those from the techniques you have mentioned.”

“As for the potential dangers, most of them stem from the improper compartmentalisation of knowledge and emotions,” Nigel continued. “Some people, in their attempts to hide their emotions from others, end up going too far and becoming completely numb to their feelings. As for those who attempt to build a false mental landscape without proper training, they could easily lose track of what is real and what is fictitious. I believe I need not elaborate any further on both cases.”

Finally, he came to the last part of Martin’s question. “Generally speaking, children and teenagers learn more quickly than adults. That is, unfortunately for you, not necessarily true when it comes to Occlumency. Younger learners have better memory, which is critical when it comes to building a false mental landscape, and adopting it in short notice to defend against a Legilimens’ mental attack. Adult learners, on the other hand, tend to be more emotionally mature and better at managing their feelings and thoughts.” While those words might not be what Martin wanted to hear, the student had no reason to despair, for Nigel added, “That said, it is always better to start as early as possible, simply because Occlumency is a complex art that takes a long time to master. Based on your questions, may I presume you are interested in learning Occlumency?”

"Difficult questions tend to have the most interesting answers," Martin replied when Prof. Dextera joked about wondering when he'd spring one on him. "Sometimes the answers are interesting because obtaining them involved great cost or risk; sometimes because of the insight required to arrive at them, sometimes because of their complexity and subtleties; sometimes because they inspire more questions; sometimes because they taunt us with ideas. All things considered, I'd feel insulted if I never got asked the occasional hard question, wouldn't you?" He smirked.

Martin leaned forward with his arms folded on his desk and listened intently to what Prof. Dextera had to say on the topics.

"So if I understand you completely, there are magical analogues to the muggle disciplines I mentioned, and while they can contribute to the development and practice of Occlumency, the art itself is more focused on those two defensive strategies you described--concealment of thoughts and presenting a facade to mislead the attacker," he half-said, half-asked. He always found it easier to check his understanding by rephrasing something as succinctly as possible. It was also great for making notes more compact, as they could be reviewed more quickly.

"I can see how those risks would lead a cautious person to prefer to learn from a practitioner rather than from self-study," he continued. He had already imagined that undisciplined practice would risk developing a mental disorder of some kind, so nothing surprising there, just the specific prognoses.

"Yes...it seems advantageous to learn as much of these mental disciplines as I can--since I'm always striving to make the most of my potential, and I also want to protect myself. But I'm not sure where to go from here. I suppose once I'm finished with Hogwarts and gainfully employed, I might be able to hire someone to tutor me, as I probably won't be able to accommodate tutoring during my remaining summers. It may only be three years away, but sometimes, that seems awfully distant to me. As a fifteen-year-old, that's another fifth of my life I'll have to wait."

Martin had speculated that both Prof. Forrester and Prof. Dextera were trained in Occlumency (as a known ex-Auror and a rumored ex-Unspeakable, respectively)--that's why he'd approached one of them for more information. Although he doubted either would be in a position to provide extracurricular lessons, he hoped one or both of them could at least give some him some direction or insight so he'd know where to go from there, or what options he should consider.

Martin’s witty response about difficult questions made Nigel crack up, especially the last part. “I must agree,” he replied, “although I cannot help but feel that that was a leading question.” Still, it was undeniably true: having to answer hard questions meant that the students were thinking about what they learnt, rather than blindly accepting what they were told and parroting the so-called right answers.

And as Martin paraphrased Nigel’s explanation, the professor quickly realised that perhaps there was one part which he hadn’t been too clear about. But Martin was still largely correct, save for that one bit. “generally you have the right of it. But just to clarify, there are both magical and Muggle alternatives to the disciplines – no, methods – that you mentioned. The mind palace is but one type of mnemonic that can be used to improve recall; personally I feel that music mnemonics can be just as helpful in certain cases. As for the concealment of thoughts, thinking in a different language is a somewhat unorthodox but surprisingly effective method.”

The tone of their conversation became more serious when Martin expressed his wish to learn the various mental disciplines, but didn’t know how to go about doing so. When he raised the possibility of hiring someone to tutor him after he graduated and got a paycheck, the first thought that came to Nigel’s mind was that nobody should have to delay their education because of financial issues. Every student should have access to the same opportunities regardless of their backgrounds, and the school and staff should do everything within their power to help the less privileged students.

“You shouldn’t have to wait. Nor any other student, for that matter.” Nigel had, in fact, taken Occlumency lessons while he was still a student at Hogwarts trying to chart his career path, and he saw no reason to deny Martin the same opportunity he had been offered. “I can teach you Occlumency if you’d like. The school has provisions that allow for professors to conduct extracurricular lessons. So please, do let us know if there are any other magical disciplines that you’re interested in.”

A quick glance at his watch told Nigel that it was time to begin the session. “Let’s proceed with this session first, shall we?” he said to Martin. “But feel free to ask me anything that comes to mind.” With that, he looked up at all the students who were gathered in the classroom, and cleared his throat before he addressed all of them.

“Good afternoon,” he began, “and thank you for joining me here today for this informal question and answer session. For the benefit of those who haven’t attended any of these sessions before: this is the time for you to ask me any questions that you have, and I will answer them to be best of my abilities. Just a quick show of hands: how many of you are here for the first time?”

Sweeping his gaze across the room, he saw quite a number of Fifth- and Sixth-Years raising their hands. A Seventh-Year sheepishly raised his hand a second later; Nigel recognised him as one of the poorer students in his Transfiguration class. The fact that the student was making an effort to improve his grades was heartening.

“Quite a bit more than what I was expecting,” he noted, before continuing on with his introduction. “Contrary to what these objects might suggest” – he gestured towards the various items laid out on the workbench before him – “your questions need not be related to Transfiguration.” Already, some of the students were beginning to murmur amongst themselves, and a couple of them probably already had a question in mind. With his preamble thus concluded, he announced, “The floor is open, so please, fire away.”

Martin nodded as Prof. Dextera clarified his understanding. "I see," he responded during a pause.

Martin jolted in surprise when the professor extended his offer. "R--really?" He knew that the teachers of the core subjects had very busy schedules, and this was therefore something he should accept graciously. The professor must have sensed his determination and desperation. "Thank you, Sir. I don't know how to express what this means to me."

And then he realized that Prof. Dextera had offered not only to teach Occlumency, but other magical disciplines as well. He wasn't sure how to react--it seemed too good just to get the promised Occlumency lessons. Immediately he thought of his ambition to become an animagus. He didn't know if Prof. Dextera was an animagus himself, though if anyone on staff was, he was likely to be, given the reliance on Transfiguration. "Well...there is one other thing I can think of, but I expect it wouldn't be any less intensive, and I feel like I'm imposing upon you already. But...perhaps we could meet later and discuss it?" It was about time for the Q&A session to begin, after all.

Since he'd already gotten so much attention from the professor, Martin allowed the other students to pose a bunch of questions before he felt comfortable enough to ask his own. Even then, it was difficult to think of something academic that he hadn't already asked in the appropriate classes. He supposed that left the "un-academic". He knew he couldn't ask anything related to Prof. Dextera's time as an Unspeakable. But what about...

He raised his hand. "Purely out of curiosity, how does one become an Unspeakable? Does the Unspeakable office even accept applications, or do they proactively vet whomever they think may be qualified--I presume they have access to everyones' N.E.W.T. scores--and then surprise people with job offers? Do they obliviate you if you decline?"

Seeing Martin’s face light up made Nigel feel happy on the student’s behalf. The role of an educator was to open doors for their students and help them realise their full potential, and for now he was glad that he was able to resolve an issue that had been weighing on the boy’s mind.

Nigel could almost see the wheels in Martin’s mind turning as the latter realised that he had essentially been offered the opportunity to learn any magical discipline that he might be interested in. He probably already had something in mind right now. But any further discussion would need to wait till after the Q&A session, which was due to begin. “Sure,” Nigel replied with a nod. “While I’m as curious about your interests as you are excited about them, let’s continue this conversation later.”

As Nigel announced the start of the Q&A session proper, several hands shot up into the air. He called upon the eager students in turn, and listened as they asked about what the N.E.W.T.-level Transfiguration exam would be like, and whether certain difficult topics would be included in the exam. They were all valid concerns, and pressing ones especially for the Seventh-Years who only had one year left to prepare for the exam. After all, transfiguration was known to be one of the more rigorous and difficult branches of magic, and on top of that many professions required a good grade in the subject. Nigel announced that, for better or worse, the exam format was the same as always, with a theory paper and a practical. Unsurprisingly, the students would be tested on some of the most difficult spells during the practical, but Nigel was quick to reassure them that, as long as they worked hard and practiced their spells often, they would not be fazed by the exam.

“Any more questions?” Nigel asked. For a few seconds, none of the students raised their hands. The professor swept his gaze across the room, lingering on a few students whom he thought might have something to ask. Right then, Martin raised his hand, and posed a question that Nigel was hoping someone would ask.

“Thank you, Mr Bishop. That’s a very good question – and a relevant one, for those of you who are considering a career at the Ministry of Magic.” Over the years, Nigel had came across quite a number of students whom he felt would make for a good Unspeakable. Alas, the general lack of awareness about the job and the public’s inaccurate impression meant that only a mere handful of students would express an interest in that position, and fewer – if any at all – would actually pass the stringent tests. There was, however, a good reason why so little was known about Unspeakables and the aptly-named Department of Mysteries. The work was so secretive that divulging any information could lead to severe repercussions. That said, there was a Ministry-approved answer to Martin’s question that conveniently omitted certain sensitive details.

“Some of you might have came across rumours about how the Department of Mysteries only recruits internally from the Ministry of Magic,” he began. “Generally speaking, that is true. For those of you who want to become an Unspeakable, you will first need to join the Ministry of Magic, and then apprise your superiors of your wish to join the Department of Mysteries. Should you be deemed suitable, you will then need to pass a series of tests and interviews, after which you will be offered a position as an Unspeakable.”

“That was the route many Unspeakables took, myself included,” Nigel continued. Technically that was not entirely true: a fair number of Unspeakables had never expressed any interest in joining the Department of Mysteries, and were instead approached directly because they possessed the right qualities. Nonetheless, that was what the public was allowed to know, and thus Nigel was obliged to stick to that narrative. “The work of an Unspeakable revolves around the study of various esoteric fields of magic such as love and time, so it’s generally a good idea to apply for a position at the Ministry of Magic research committee.”

“Having prior knowledge about an esoteric field of study is helpful, but not necessary. The Department of Mysteries will provide additional training where required, so what matters most is a positive attitude and a willingness to learn.” This time round, what he was saying was perfectly true. Granted, there were a few Unspeakables who were either blessed with a rare talent or were familiar with a highly niche field of study, as he had been with horology. In fact, no candidate had ever been turned down because they lacked a certain gift or had insufficient knowledge in a niche field of study. Rather, the candidates' character and integrity were usually the primary deciding factors, and almost every candidate who had failed in their application had been rejected on the grounds of being too dangerous, volatile or untrustworthy to be allowed to join the Department of Mysteries.