A/N: Crossed chapter 100 on P@treon.
The days following our visit to the Tonks household passed quietly.
For most people, the Christmas holidays were a time of relaxation. For me, they became an excuse to bury myself in work.
From the moment I woke up until long after midnight, I remained locked inside the study or workshop, surrounded by parchments, prototype components, enchantment diagrams, and discarded notes. Every waking moment was devoted to the projection device.
The closer I came to success, the more obsessive I became.
I told myself that was the reason.
The truth was far less flattering.
It was easier to focus on research than on the questions that had taken root in my mind after speaking with Ted.
Questions about my goals.
Questions about my future.
Questions about myself.
The more I thought about them, the more uncomfortable I became.
For twelve years I had moved forward with certainty.
I had known who I was.
Known what I wanted.
Known what needed to be done.
Now, for the first time since my reincarnation, I found myself questioning those certainties.
Was I really Alastair Salvius?
The name belonged to me.
The family belonged to me.
The memories belonged to me.
Yet every time I thought about my future, I found myself comparing it to a life that no longer existed.
A world that no longer existed.
The realization left me unsettled.
Perhaps that was why Ted's reaction had affected me so deeply.
Until now, I had viewed this world through the lens of a reader.
I knew the future.
I knew the characters.
I knew the major events.
Reality Check had shattered that illusion.
These people weren't characters.
They were real.
They had suffered.
They had fought.
Some had killed.
Others had died.
And I was expected to stand among them.
The thought made me feel strangely small.
So I did what I always did when faced with uncertainty.
I worked.
Fortunately, the work was producing results.
The projection device had reached the final stages of development. The physical design was complete. The projection quality had improved dramatically. The image stabilization enchantments were functioning consistently.
I was close.
Painfully close.
Every instinct told me the answer was sitting somewhere in front of me.
I was simply failing to see it.
Some piece of magical theory I had overlooked.
Meanwhile, Blake was making far better progress.
She had already solved the voice transmission problem and moved on to developing command recognition enchantments.
Pause.
Play.
Replay.
Fast-forward.
Simple commands on paper.
In practice, they required incredibly precise magical interpretation.
To my annoyance, she was succeeding.
Quickly.
At this point, I wasn't entirely sure whether I was leading the project anymore or slowing it down.
The thought was both irritating and oddly reassuring.
Just as I finished reviewing another failed enchantment sequence, a knock sounded at the door.
Before I could respond, Blake's voice came from the other side.
"The twins are here."
I blinked.
For a moment, I simply stared at the parchment in front of me.
Then I looked toward the window.
December 31st.
New Year's Eve.
Somehow, several days had vanished while I was buried in research.
A small smile appeared on my face.
"Coming."
Setting down my quill, I pushed aside the questions that had been haunting me for days and rose from my chair.
The twins were already making themselves at home by the time I came downstairs.
Fred was sprawled across one sofa while George had somehow acquired a plate of biscuits from Kreacher despite only arriving a few minutes ago.
"Hey Al, finally."
"About time."
"Mum sent us to invite you home for New Year."
"Before that, we want to visit Muggle London."
"You should know all the best places, right?"
The two spoke one after another so seamlessly that it sounded like a single conversation.
"Alright, alright," I said. "We'll go. Though didn't your letter mention bringing your little sister along?"
The twins immediately looked offended.
"We did."
"But Mum rejected the idea."
"Apparently we aren't responsible."
"Can you believe that?"
I stared at them.
Neither seemed to appreciate the irony.
"Instead," Fred continued, "she told us to bring little Ronnie."
"We immediately escaped through the fireplace."
"That's why we came so early."
I laughed.
"And the fact that you don't want to go back immediately has nothing to do with it?"
"That too."
"Mostly that."
Having failed to convince me of their innocence, they immediately shifted their attention toward Blake.
"You're still coming, right?"
"Please say you're coming."
Blake smiled apologetically.
"Sorry. I'm spending New Year with Aunt Andy and Dora."
The twins looked genuinely devastated.
"Blake, how could you?"
"We trusted you."
"You promised."
"I never promised."
"Details."
"Minor details."
The pair clutched their chests dramatically as though they had suffered a terrible betrayal.
Blake merely rolled her eyes.
"Please send my greetings to Mrs. Weasley and thank her for the sweater."
That finally broke their act.
"We will."
"She'll be happy to hear that."
Before they could begin another performance, I grabbed both of them by the backs of their robes and started dragging them upstairs.
"Come on."
"Where are we going?"
"What did we do?"
"If we're going to Muggle London, you two need proper clothes."
The twins immediately looked horrified.
"You mean no robes?"
"No robes."
A short while later, after much complaining we finally left Grimmauld Place.
The moment we entered Muggle London, the twins became impossible to control.
Every shop window.
Every advertisement.
Every passing vehicle.
Everything fascinated them.
I eventually guided them toward a cinema showing Tango & Cash.
Trying to explain the concept of movies beforehand had proven pointless. The twins had spent the first ten minutes searching for hidden wizards behind the screen and the next hour loudly discussing how useful some of the film's explosions would be for pranks.
Afterward, we wandered through several streets and visited a number of novelty shops specializing in magic tricks.
Ironically, these excited them far more than the actual movie.
The twins spent nearly an hour examining trick cards, disappearing coins, spring-loaded flowers, hidden compartments, and countless other devices.
To them, it was a completely different approach to magic.
One that relied on deception rather than spells.
Naturally, they loved it.
By lunchtime both of them were carrying bags full of purchases and enthusiastically discussing how to combine Muggle tricks with wizarding pranks.
The fact that some of their ideas sounded genuinely dangerous did not inspire confidence.
After a quick lunch, we finally returned to Grimmauld Place.
By then Blake had already left for the Tonks residence.
The house felt noticeably quieter without her.
Not that the twins allowed that quiet to last very long.
After gathering our belongings and saying goodbye to Kreacher, we made our way toward the fireplace.
"Ready?"
"No."
"Excellent."
Before I could reconsider the wisdom of spending several days with the Weasley twins, green flames engulfed my vision.
A moment later, we were on our way to the Burrow.