RP:Hall of Records

[pb_zacharias]

Characters: Zach Smith, Luna Lovegood
Location: Godric's Hollow
Date: 06 November, 1999
Status: Semi-Private
Summary: Zach and Luna investigate the Hall of Records
Completion: Incomplete

Zach apparated to Godric’s Hollow he was a little nervous. When he found indications of an old record hall, it had been very exciting for him. Professor told him not

Comments

[pb_luna]

Luna was still shaking grass from her hair when she Apparated to Godric's Hollow. She did not mind the gnomes having their fun as long as it didn't involve stealing her wand while she was distracted. That was rather rude.

Twisting her hair up into a knot, she pinned it in place with her wand. Perhaps that would hide any remaining grass. She added a pencil and a clean quill after further thought, realising that if she needed her wand her hair would do as it pleased and that was often inconvenient. Spellcasting was harder when one could not see to aim.

"Zach," Luna beamed as she caught site of him by the pub. "I'm sorry if I'm late; gnomes took my watch in exchange for my wand."

[pb_zacharias]

Luna arrived in a disheveled pop and Zach watched with amusement as she fixed her hair up and stuck her wand, quill and pencil into it he guess to hold it up. Although he did think, it was very pretty down.

“Hi Luna, don’t worry about it. I haven’t been waiting long.” He blinked, finding her explanation a little different before he responded. “So how did you negotiate the return of your wand? I’m just curious as to what interests a gnome?”

[pb_luna]

"Visuals? ... The watch is bright pink," Luna said, gazing off to one side as she considered the question. Her wand was certainly not quite as aesthetically pleasing. She had not really taken the time to really watch the behavioural patterns of gnomes. That was another thing to add to her To Do List. "I don't think they liked the way it misfired, though."

She snapped out of that trail of thought and smiled, "Have you discovered any more variables?"

[pb_zacharias]

“You gave them your watch?” Zach looked at her incredulously, why would she give them something so valuable? Still the idea of the wand backfiring on the gnomes made him laugh. “Well maybe next time your wand won’t seem so enticing. I wouldn’t want it getting away from you.”

He grinned but shook his head. “Not yet but I have the idea of comparing this new census to the ones done in the past. Perhaps there is a pattern. What do you think?”

[pb_luna]

Luna shrugged, though her smile remained the same. It didn't really matter to her. "I don't always like to know the time," she said, "Too much passes by unnoticed." And that lead her to wonder what she had done with it - which took up yet more time. She automatically raised one hand to make sure her wand had not slipped away again. "I suspect it was a game..."

"I think that's a good idea," she answered in earnest. Many people waited for the future to happen to find their answers when it was often a lot easier to look into the past. There was also the fact that Luna really did want to know what sort of questions had been asked in the past. "And the most logical place to start."

[pb_zacharias]

"Hmmmm, interesting." Zach didn't think he could survive without his watch but at the same time he could see her point. Sometimes just losing yourself in a moment was nice, but not usually the best use of time. "They were playing a game with your wand? What doing the limbo?"

Zach nodded, at least by looking at past census they would be able to see what they should have been asked rather than what they did. "Right, then the record hall over this way. I'm not sure how far back we should look though. Think early 20th century far back enough?"

[pb_luna]

"Tag?" Really, Luna could not think of another reason they would run off with it. The gnomes seemed to like annoying people just to be chased, although it often earned them eviction from the garden. Although she did give a belated laugh at the mental image of the little creatures doing the limbo with her wand.

"I think so." Although in truth she wasn't sure. She knew a census was supposed to be issued periodically, but not how long the intervals were. But if many of the Ministers had conducted a census when they rose to the position, they might have a lot to look at.

Luna beamed. "This is exciting."

[pb_zacharias]

“Hmm ok,” Zach shrugged, that answer was as good as anything else he might come up with on his own. He could remember the gnomes from home but it had been so long since he had, had to deal with one.

With Luna’s assent Zach reached for the book starting in 1901, it was dusty and he couldn’t help but sneeze as he brushed it off. Since Zach no longer spoke to his family, he didn’t have their experience to draw from. He was glad that she was enjoying herself, not many girls would find going through old records exciting

“It is a bit isn’t it?” he asked with a grin. “Did your dad ever talk about the last census he too? Or find this new one really odd?”

[pb_luna]

Luna wrinkled her nose and tried to swat the now airborne dust away from her face, though something about Zach's sneeze made her smile, "Gesundheit."

"He's busy with research. A Jarvey was found somewhere in Yorkshire insulting people in Portugese - he thinks they may be migratory." All eyes, she looked at the dates on the other books. This was an old archive. "Of course, it could just be lost," she picked up where she left off.

As she reached for the next shelf along, the disturbed dust caused her to splutter. "Muggle censuses include details of every family member," she said rather absently, the other half of her mind trying to remember where she had learned that. It was intrusive although it made perfect sense. They were also mandatory. She frowned slightly at the book as she opened it at a random page. It clearly was not appreciated enough; even the pages were full of dust.

[pb_zacharias]

"Thanks" Zach gave her a watery smile before pulling out a handkerchief out of his pocket and wiped off his face. Usually dust didn't bother him this much but the records hall didn't appear to have been cleaned in centuries.

The research Mr. Lovegood was doing sounded fascinating. "A Portuguese speaking Jarvey? Wow, that must be an interesting study. I didn't think they lived in the wild anymore?"

Although Zach didn't say anything he had to agree that there was a very good chance what they needed to know had been lost to time. He nodded as Luna talked about muggle censuses.

"See if our census had been about that it would have made sense, but I think that magical creatures at risk. since there are people like Dolores Umbridge still at the Ministry."

He let out a whoop as the pages of the 1903 census were revealed. "We have some luck here Luna! Found the 1903 census."

[pb_luna]

"You're welcome."

"Oh, yes," Luna nodded as she went back to beginning of the book she'd pulled down, "Most people avoid them because they can be quite foul-mouthed. One used to chase the gnomes around our garden." She tilted her head as she followed that trail of thought. The gnomes just wanted to be chased in the absence of a Jarvey to chase them.

Her thoughts drifted back to the census as Zach spoke and his last few words caused her to frown. "There are?" She realised that sounded naive, but she was hoping that somehow the answer would be 'no'.

"Oh!" All of Luna's attention turned to Zack and the book he was holding, "What does it say?"

[pb_zacharias]

Zach eyes ran over the form before reading it aloud to Luna, it was amazing to see something so old and still in legible condition other than being too dusty.

Schedule 1. Free Inhabitants in _________, in the County of ________, District of _________, enumerated by me, on the _____ day of ___________, 1903

[pb_luna]

Her brow slowly creasing into a pensive frown, Luna took note of the questions that weren't asked. The ones everyone would have been concerned about now; blood status, financial details, members of household with magical ability. Nothing of that nature was there. There were no questions here that anyone would 'fear'.

"I agree," she replied. It didn't even mention familiars. Magical Creatures must have become important at some point. But the questions posed were not that different from the questions here - they just weren't aimed at humans.

"These questions are reasonable," Luna said. "This format is functional as it is." Her face relaxed, but she was a little confused and her tone seemed to be edged with a constant 'Why?' that she couldn't shake.

[pb_zacharias]

Zach kept reading over the form and shaking his head How had things changed so much?

"Makes you wonder doesn't it? When did things change? When did blood and family take over?"

He scratch his head and set the census aside, maybe that was the thick of it.

"We need to find the census when magic started to matter. It seems based on that census it just was an accepted fact."

[pb_luna]

Luna answered the first question with a faint smile. She wondered at everything. Like how strong a centaur's muscles would have to be from birth, given that they had such an elongated spine and two chest cavities. But nevertheless, she would have assumed that those in favour of pureblood supremacy were traditionalists.

"It's back to front," she said as she blew dust from her hands. "Social revolution rather than evolution?" The question was mostly for her own benefit (and apparently addressed to her fingers), voicing thoughts helped her remember them. Of course, she could be wrong either way. It didn't really matter; they needed the census.

"Do you want to continue from 1903 or pick a random year?" Really, nothing was random, but that was irrelevant.

[pb_zacharias]

Zach just shook his head, it was a little disappointed to find out that things hadn't always been this way and there had been a time when the ideals like the ones he had grown up with

"That's just so sad, even though the war is over things haven't gotten better. Loosing Minister Shacklebot was like a death knell to any progress we might have made with the deal of the Dark Lord."

Shrugging Zach reached for another dusty book, "I don't see the problem with being random, we now know for certain that things have changed drastically, we just don't know why."