Errand Mysteries

𝕸aybe this wasn't such a good idea. You know, wearing parts of the school uniform to give off the impression that he's treating this event very seriously. At least I'm not wearing the robes or the vest, Robin reassured himself. Those are the items that can really increase your body temperature, built for cold Scottish winters. The school shirt and pants themselves are actually quite breathable, that's how the boy persuaded himself to wear them in the first place.

The profession of "Unspeakable" had intrigued Robin since he first heard of the word. After developing a passion for research himself, the boy visualized a clear future for himself—graduate Hogwarts with an above-satisfactory grade, go through graduate education, become a researcher, then eventually apply to become an Unspeakable once he's sure he has something to offer the secretive academia network. Learning more about the Department of Mysteries was the single aspect of this summer camp he looked forward to. None of his immediate family worked in those types of research, and the only ones who might—those in the Nightingale family—were blocked by his mother's worries. Worries that Robin can't justify however closely he analyzed the situation. Sure, Myrcelle thinks her family is suffocating, but Robin hadn't exactly been subtle about his interest in academics. She can tell, right? That I would like to connect with her side of the family? I know almost all of them are researchers, there's a high chance that someone is an Unspeakable! Robin caught himself overthinking and took a deep breath. If his mother doesn't allow him to access House Nightingale's knowledge, he'll just have to build his own library, which was equally appealing to say the least.

As Robin arrived at the table hosting his department's activity, he straightened his clothes even though there weren't any wrinkles to begin with. Everyone here is interested in mysteries, anyone here can be his future colleague, boss, even. That thought was at the same time nerve-wracking and exciting. The boy took a seat playing an album of moving pictures in his head, some with him confidently presenting at a conference, others him debating interesting topics with his associates, and many more futures to look forward to. He can feel his heart pounding, and every note in that rhythm contributes to the ceremonial drumbeat announcing his progress on this pre-destined yet self-actualizing journey.

Robin slid into a bench neighboring the main table in the area. He usually didn't like sitting with a big group of people when alternatives were provided, but having a table is just easier for note-taking and all the research publications were stacked here. The boy breathed in the air, the stimulating aroma of paper, parchment, and various drinks blended well with the relaxation wild herbs provided. This isn't a time for commenting on the environment though, and the young Ravenclaw quickly transitioned into a zone of pure focus.

He had already read the contents of the black envelope he received upon entry. Questions, many philosophical in nature that he can already think of numerous answers to share. Still, the even dedicated some time for personal research, and he would much rather see if there's anything he hadn't read yet in those books. Robin poured himself a cup of unsweetened black tea and started looking through the titles, eyes set on one discussing the contrasting effects of love and apathy on one's abilities. Works involving the discussion of indifference would always be where his gaze is drawn first. His cat's name is Meursault, and that alone sends a message to whoever knows about a certain muggle novella. Robin didn't bring the feline menace with him tonight just in case he goes on a rampage and ruins the books or other people's times. The young tom is currently—or rather, should be—safely huddled in the cabin with food prepared in an accessible spot for him to nibble on.

With Love and Apathy: Stimulants or Inhibitors in one hand and his tea-filled cup in the other, Robin flipped through the pages with a quiet eagerness about him. His expression, as always, not giving away any information aside from his undivided focus. Even someone with the dullest of intuitions can tell that this is a boy with a goal. A young boy who seemed to have already predicted his ultimate achievement in life.

His eyes, however, shine with a glint of genuine fascination only found on a child who believes he can always learn something new. A humble yet fierce appreciation for all knowledge.

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When Jeremy had agreed to come to summer camp, the chance to get to be part of the ‘department of mysteries’ (even the make-believe kind) was part of the reason why. Sure, it wasn't real, but who cared? There was no job cooler than being in the department of mysteries, because their job was so mysterious, nobody even knew what they did. A job where nobody knew what you did was obviously the coolest job, because you could imagine whatever you wanted, and it could possibly be true.

So far, they hadn't really done anything very mysterious, but there had been a lot of books, ones Jeremy had never read before, and he had already learned about three things he was certain his mum didn't want him to know. So all in all, it had been a good summer.

But when he heard there was going to be a summer event just for their cabin? Even though he knew that it was probably just going to be some kind of game, and that they'd never let them REALLY know any Unspeakable secrets, he'd barely been able to sleep the night before.

When the afternoon came, Jeremy hurried down to the campgrounds, ready to find out what their secret task was. (He walked quickly, as he'd heard rumors that Magical Law Enforcement were patrolling the camp, and the last thing in the world he wanted to do was to run into @Kahira Valerian with a ‘badge’).

As he arrived, Jeremy found himself gravitating towards those that were in his cabin - taking a seat beside them. He didn’t really know why. He didn’t know if he would call them 'friends' yet, but they were people he knew. And that counted for something.

Unfortunately, what happened next was a series of disappointments.

First of all, he had eagerly tried to pore through the books they'd been given, only to find out that this wasn't REALLY very secret books at all. It wasn't that they weren't interesting...it was just that they were the kind of interesting he had already seen before. That MIGHT have been fine, if it wasn't for the secret envelopes.

Of course when he'd been given a secret black envelope, he'd been elated. It seemed they really WERE going to learn some kind of secret nobody else got to - maybe they'd each get their own one - just ONE cool fact that nobody else know, and be sworn to magical secrecy, being told they'd drop dead if they even told one of their cabin-mates.

Instead, what they got was homework.

Jeremy squinted. This wasn’t fair. How come the magical law enforcement cabin got to boss everybody around, and all they got were questions?

The second disappointment was that they weren’t even HARD questions. Anybody could answer these, you barely needed to research them at all. If they had to answer things, he at least wanted it to be the kind of things that only he could answer. Couldn't it at least be good homework?

Still, he did have to take it a LITTLE seriously. He couldn’t afford to get them wrong. It probably wasn’t true, he knew it wasn’t, but what if the kid who got the most answers right got the REAL prize? The REAL envelope with the REAL secrets inside? Just in case, he had to try.

So Jeremy hunched over his parchment by his cabin-mates and began to take the easy quiz. “If you could change one moment in your past, should you? he read out loud. "…Well sure, if it was really bad." Sure, he knew it might change things for the worse, or erase stuff that happened after, but there were just some things you couldn't imagine being worse. And so he continued to read through the questions, writing down his answers as he went. He didn't really need to think too hard, most of the answers were obvious (and if there was any doubt that he thought so, his tone sure gave it away).
"What exists beyond, that you cannot see?
'Probably just more space'.
Is any thought truly original?
'Well, yeah, because nobody’s me, and nobody else thought it'. That one’s obvious.
What makes love powerful enough to overcome magic? 'Because love IS magic'.
What makes something truly gone? 'When you forget it ever existed'.
If you knew the future, would you still choose it?”

Jeremy thought about that for a second, before scrawling down and mumbling his answer. “Only if it was good. If it was bad, I wouldn't choose it.”

That was it? Too easy. He didn't get why philosophers made this stuff sound hard. He heard they spent years on this kind of stuff, and he had solved it in about thirty seconds.

Word Count: 795
Reward Choice: Department Badge and Chocolate Frogs

𝕽obin was sucked out of his little bubble by the girl's voice. He did not immediately recognize it, so they must not be too familiar with each other, but he thought he heard it somewhere. The boy looked sideways and realized that he was facing someone he first met under . . . unusual circumstances. An experiment by a senior student, at the time about two years older, that tested their self-control under influence of a sedative. Robin shuddered thinking about it. This girl in front of him was a fellow participant, Angel Dayes, he came to know her as. The pale girl was quite pretty, but Robin couldn't tell if he was supposed to feel pleased or unsettled when she addressed him directly.

Robin blinked once as he was still processing Angel's question. The concepts . . . right, the questions we were given. He slid the parchment out from underneath the book he was reading and read its contents again.

"I've had my own answers since quite some time before this activity," he gestured towards the book, "I just wanted to see if there's anything else I can learn before offering my opinions to other people." A slight head shake announced that he felt like nothing new entered his brain. The works selected by the organizers of this camp were quite basic in their theories. They contained articles readily available to anyone at common magical bookstores, after all. Robin couldn't blame anyone, since it was unreasonable for him to assume they'd be able to access secretive mysteries even if it was just for a limited amount of time.

Steering his head back to the questions, Robin pointed at the first one, then the next ones as he made his way down. "I think the wording of 'should you' is pretty unique. Most people ask 'would you,' instead this question focuses on the ethics, it seems. I cannot speak for anyone else, but for me, changing pre-written pathways are too risky. The present I am now familiar with would become a stranger, and that creates too much room for uncontrollable variables. In short, no. The second question is quite straightforward. For example, we know ghosts exist but sometimes they disappear. Therefore, they exist beyond what we can see. Many other things too, whether because they're too far into the galaxy or because they simply don't show themselves. As for original thought, sadly, it doesn't exist. Every thought is shaped by your memories, education, values, and many more. When you think you think in a language, and that language itself isn't original. How can your thought be if the building block that helped you conceive it was made by someone in the ancient past and taught to you when you were a kid? The next question . . ." Robin finally stopped his overflowing arguments as his finger moved to this particular topic. His face remained flat, but his brows furrowed like he couldn't understand English anymore. "I've heard stories, real ones, about love overpowering magic. I've read some articles about this too, they mainly argue that love itself is a form of magic, the most primal and powerful one at that. I don't have an answer to why love is so powerful though, logically it should hinder you and decrease your objectivity in certain situations." The boy sighed and moved on, not wanting to dwell on his lack of an explanation. "Depends one what 'gone' means. If the prompt was 'what makes something truly dead,' I'd say physical death itself. In this case, however, the loss of records is probably what makes something 'gone.' When there is no longer evidence of your existence, it would not be possible for anyone to rediscover your memory. Lastly, prophecy. Well, I personally think future is inevitable. That's the point of prophecies, right? Prophecies about yourself, I mean. The point isn't to choose anything, it is just to take a peek at what will happen, and either boost your confidence or shatter your unrealistic hope before you ultimately find out your efforts were in vain. So no, you don't 'choose' your future, you choose the path that leads to it."

Robin took a sip of his tea and licked his lips. That was a lot. He might have said too much, maybe he was even a bit rude, not giving Angel a chance to speak aside from occasional short comments or reactions. He adjusted his glasses out of embarrassment and looked at her for a second before gazing back down at the parchment.

"What do you think?" He decided to throw out the invitation proactively, "Especially about the love and magic thing, I would like some insight. Of course, other topics are great too."

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Interacting With:	✰	Word Count: 1,304/500
Mentioning: @	✰	Date: 08/21/26
Speaking: #2b4c7e	✰	Thoughts: #6b4c7e + italics

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The late afternoon had brought Diana to an unusual gathering space. The campfire area had been transformed for the evening with tables and benches scattered around the clearing alongside couches and chairs. Candles flickered on the tables which casted a warm glow over the parchment and writing materials that had been provided. Snacks and drinks had also been set out though Diana's attention was immediately drawn toward the small collection of research books. Being part of the Department of Mysteries cabin had already taught Diana that mysteries didn't always have straightforward answers. Sometimes the most interesting questions were the ones that nobody could completely answer. When a small black envelope sealed with silver wax was handed to her Diana's curiosity immediately grew. She carefully broke the seal and unfolded the parchment inside. Her eyes moved over the six questions. They were certainly not homework questions. Why would there be homework during summer camp? But Diana didn't mind because she loved learning, and she could learn from these questions. Diana picked up a quill and thought for a moment before beginning. I. Time; If you could change one moment in your past, should you? I don't think I would. There are moments in the past that I might wish had gone differently, but changing one moment could change everything that happened afterward. Something that seems like a mistake might have taught you something important or led you somewhere you were supposed to be. If I changed it, I might never know what else would have changed with it. I think the past is better understood than changed. We can learn from what happened even when we don't like what happened. Besides if we spent all our time trying to fix yesterday, we might miss what is happening today. Diana paused and reread her answer. When she was satisfied with her answer she moved onto the second question. II. Space; What exists beyond, that you cannot see? I think there is probably much more than we realize. There are things we cannot see with the naked eye because they are too far away, too small, or simply beyond what we can understand. The fact that we cannot see something doesn't mean that there is nothing. There could be more stars, more worlds, or even things that nobody has thought of yet. I don't think there has to be one definite answer either. Maybe that is what makes space so interesting. Every time we discover something new there is usually something else beyond it that we don't understand. She glanced briefly toward the evening sky when she finished writing her answer. It was difficult not to wonder how many things were hidden beyond it. Diana dipped her quill into the ink again and answered the third question. III. Thought; Is any thought truly original? I don't think a thought can ever be completely separate from everything that came before it. What we think is influenced by what we have seen, heard, learned, remembered, and experienced. Even if two people have the same idea they might have arrived at it in completely different ways. I think that makes thoughts both unoriginal and original at the same time. The idea itself might have existed before, but the person thinking it has their own experiences and their own way of understanding it. Maybe originality isn't about thinking something nobody has ever thought before. Maybe it's about what you do with the thought once you have it. At that answer Diana smiled slightly. It seemed like the sort of question that could probably be debated for hours. Everyone has their own thoughts and feelings so she knew that everyone would be answering the questions differently, especially the third one. Diana then moved onto the fourth question. IV. Love; What makes love powerful enough to overcome magic? I think love can overcome magic because it isn't really something that can be measured like a spell. Magic can have rules, wand movements, incantations, and limitations, but love isn't something they would normally be too afraid to do. It can give people courage when they don't think they have any. Maybe that is what makes it so powerful. It isn't necessarily stronger than magic. It makes people stronger than they thought they could be. Before moving onto the fifth question Diana considered something else. But after rereading what she had written she decided that her answer was finished and moved onto the fifth question. V. Death; What makes something truly gone? This question made Diana's quill hover above the parchment a little longer as she thought about what the question was asking and how she should answer it. When she got an idea for an answer she began to write. I don't think something is truly gone simply because it cannot be seen anymore. A person can leave behind memories, stories, things they created, and the people they affected. A place can be destroyed but can still be remembered. Even something as small as a conversation can stay with someone for years. I suppose something might only be truly gone when there is absolutely nothing left of it which means not a memory, not a record, not an influence, and not even anyone who remembers that it existed. Until then perhaps it is still somewhere even if it isn't somewhere we can see. When she finished writing she looked at what she had written. That answer felt strangely difficult to put into words but she had succeeded at doing so. Finally she reached the last question. VI. Prophecy; If you knew your future, would you still choose it? Diana stared at the parchment. This question felt different from the others. Perhaps because she knew what it was like to experience things that other people might not always understand. Diana is a Seer and while she hasn't seen any visions or any prophecies, she has a very strong intuition which tends to guide her when things are about to go wrong. I don't know if I would like to know my future. If I knew exactly what was going to happen I think it would become difficult to tell if my choices really were my own. I might make a decision because I knew it would lead to something I had already seen rather than making the decision because it felt right. And if I saw something I didn't like I might spend all my time trying to prevent it from happening. I also don't think knowing the future necessarily means that it cannot be change. A prediction might only show one possibility or it might be something that depends on choices people haven't made yet. Even if something seems certain the choices made along the way could matter. So if I knew my future I think I would still try to choose for myself. If I liked what I saw I wouldn't want to follow it simply because I had seen it. And if I didn't like it I wouldn't fear of it to decide how I lived. Maybe that is why not knowing is important. The future is supposed to be something we reach and not something we follow. Diana set her quill down when she finished answering the sixth question and slightly leaned back. She read through all six questions from beginning to end. She still wasn't sure whether they were any correct answers to questions like these. Everyone could look at time, space, thoughts, love, death, and prophecy differently depending on their experiences because everyone is different in their own unique ways. But perhaps that was exactly why they had been given this assignment. Diana glanced toward the books again as her curiosity returned. She had answered all six questions. Somehow she now had even more questions then when she started.

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Curiosity always leads somewhere

Coded by: Avery Gray

Reward: Department Badge and 20 sickles