Surprise

As April rolled in, I discovered the difference in difficulty between modifying an existing memory and building a new one from scratch was enormous.

My first attempts were complete failures. I was essentially fumbling around in the dark, trying to figure this out. When I finally cobbled a memory together for the first time, it was a mitigated disaster.

If I thought that my attempts at modifying a memory were terrible, it was nothing compared to the first fake I created. At least in my modified memory, I could see hints of the original memory, even if it was a little fogged up, and the words were out of order.

The fake memory I put together didn't have anything to see. When I opened the book, I was suddenly in what looked like an infinite white void that held no borders, and then my voice narrated what was supposed to be happening. Needless to say, I was embarrassed and glad no one would ever see that particular memory because I erased it from existence.

I started experimenting with what worked and what didn't. At first, I assumed I needed to act like I was modifying a memory, so I was vague with what I wanted the memory to be and tried to let my mind form the memory without much input.

A week later and hundreds of attempts with no visible progress, I decided I was at a dead-end and needed to switch things up. This time, I went in the opposite direction and tried to obsessively craft details into the memory.

The results were a bit mixed. I did have some results in creating a fake memory. There were two main problems I had came across when crafting a memory. The first was the time it took to create one, the amount of detail I had to overlook increased the amount of time I used when creating a memory. I could spend endless hours rendering features in the memory. I needed to get to the point where I could throw one together in seconds, not hours.

The other problem was, no matter how much time I worked on the details. It was never enough to be convincing. Some parts of the memory would be normal, but other parts were full of gaps, which gave away that it was fake. I suppose if someone spent enough time on the details, it's possible to end up with a coherent memory. But, the amount of time it would take makes it a unfeasible idea. There has to be a way to speed things up.

After a ton of experimenting, I finally figured out the trick to crafting a fake memory the night before we headed home for the spring break. The key was to strike a careful balance of concentrating on details of the memory, but also letting the mind fill in the gaps on its own.

The reason why I failed when trying to create the memory by acting like I was modifying was that when you edit a memory, the framework is already there. But when creating a memory from scratch, you have to work a lot more on the details. Likewise, if you concentrate solely on the details and try to control every aspect of the memory, the memory will be fuzzy and have gaping holes in it, which makes the memory feel artificial. Whereas by using a careful mix of both strategies, crafting a memory that will fool somebody becomes possible.

Now that I had reached the point where I could make fake memories, I could say I had mastered occlumency. Part of me wanted to immediately charge down to the common room and call forth the door that leads to the trial. But, in the end, I stopped myself. I felt like I could still improve on my memory crafting. It still took me far too long to create a memory. I needed to get to the point where I could throw one together in seconds.

Opening my eyes, I examined the bearded mushroom, which lately had chosen to close its eyes whenever I was around. Now that it couldn't affect my thoughts, I think it was trying to pretend to be a regular mushroom. Athena had been toying with it for the last few months, trying to get it to react. One of her favorite methods was to push it to the edge of the table like she was going to knock it down to the floor.

The next day on the Hogwarts Express, Anna leaned forward in our cabin and excitedly asked, "Are you ready for the tournament?"

I shrugged, I had practiced some dueling over the past few months. But, I had spent most of my time working on Occlumency. "I don't know. The international competition is going to be very different from what we experienced in December. There will be participants from all over the world competing. And not just from the eleven major schools of magic. There are going to be people from smaller and less known academies attending as well. With all the people in attendance, I bet it will be far more difficult to advance to the finals."

Anna shot me an accusing look, "I bet we wouldn't have as much trouble if you had practiced with me more."

It was times like these that I cursed the stupid contract. It wasn't the first time I had been asked. I wanted to drop hints, but as soon as I tried. The geas kicked in and stopped me from acting.

"I'm sure you will be fine." I soothed. "Did you ever master that chain series I used in December."

Anna shot me a disgruntled look, and complained, Once or twice, but now that the other Dragon Fangs in my year have seen its potential. They've been copying me, plus they've figured out that the best way to stop me is at the beginning before I get ramped up."

I shook my head. Anna had fallen into the trap that a lot of new duelers fall prey to, they become so obsessed with the point system that they lose track of what's important in a duel.

Wanting to put her back on track, I explained, "That's because you're trying to stay in the starting ring. Practice moving around while casting the chain-spell and abandon the circle. Remember, while it's important to get points. Winning the duel is really all that matters in the end. I was fourth in overall points, and yet I went undefeated."

Anna nodded, "I know, I know. It's just everyone likes to focus on the rankings."

"That's because you can make it to the international competition by being in the top two in points. But, at the international competition, there is nothing to be gained by trying to rack up points other than pride."

Joining the conversation, Cedric asked, "Have you heard anything about how the tournament is going to be set up?"

Turning to Cedric, I replied, "From what I've been told, due to the sheer number of participants. The tournament will be single-elimination, so if you lose once you're out. And unlike the last tournament that was over in a day, this time, the tournament is six days with each year being given an entire day. Why do you want to know?"

With a grin on his face, Cedric revealed, "I talked to my dad about going, and he sent me an owl yesterday informing he was able to score tickets for Alicia and me to attend the competition."

Anna shrieked with joy, "What! Why did you wait so long to tell us?"

A sheepish look appeared on Cedric's face, "Well, the original plan was to surprise you there. But, when Alex told me how expansive the tournament was, I figured we should coordinate our travel plans. Speaking of which, where is the tournament being held?"

I replied, "The location rotates every year, this year it's being held in the middle of the United States. Someplace called the Ozarks."

Next to me, Jessica spoke up, "Really? My aunt lives deep in the Ozark mountains. Maybe, I should ask my parents if I can go for a quick visit."

Anna glared at Jessica and said through with a forced smile, "Cedric only got tickets for him and Alicia."

Jessica countered with a smile and replied, "That's ok. I'm sure I can work something out with my parents."

Not wanting to get involved, I turned to Cedric and said, "Speaking of coordinating our travels, this time I'm traveling with my parents. We're going on my uncle's ship. There is a water-way that he can use that will take us to a secluded area at the Lake of the Ozarks. We should find out if you guys can come with us, that way we can all go together."

Cedric grinned, "That would be great, I've never been on a ship before."

I shook my head, "Just wait until you see the ancient water pathways. We're not sure who constructed them, but they are an impressive sight to see."

The rest of the trip passed smoothly, and when we got back to the platform. I told everyone to speak with their parents and to contact me tonight after I had a chance to talk with my parents and my uncle.

Dad was the only one at the station. The twins weren't feeling that great, and even though Mum gave them a potion to heal them. She decided to keep them at home for the day.

When I brought up the idea with Dad, he thought it was a great idea and when we got home. He went through the vanishing cabinet that connects our living room to our uncle's ship.

After dad returned with the ok, I told my friends as soon as they contacted me. Everyone was coming aboard except for Jessica. Her parents had their own method for reaching the tournament. Winking at me, she said with a laugh that it was mainly because her father had an unreasonable fear of the ocean.

Two days later, my friends arrived with their parents in tow. Anna and Cedric's parents were already familiar with our family. The only ones that needed introductions were Alicia's parents.

A short while later, the vanishing cabinet's door swung open, filling the room with the smell of the salty sea. Uncle John strutted into the room wearing his long leather duster. I guess he was feeling particularly ornery today because he had added a full-blown pirate hat to his ensemble. Seeing his Cheshire cat smile, I'm guessing that it won't be too long before he adds an eye patch.

While Cedric and Anna's parents found it funny because they understood Uncle John's sense of humor. But, it had the opposite effect on Alicia's parents, who looked like they were debating grabbing their daughter and fleeing from the crazy looking pirate-wizard.

Thankfully, Aunt Nefret came through after him. She was always a calming influence on Uncle John's eccentric personality. Most of their worries seemed to evaporate when they started speaking Arabic with Aunt Nefret. Eavesdropping on their conversation, it looks as though Alice's parents had grown up in Cairo and been to the shop that Aunt Nefret's father ran.

Excited to show my friends the ship, I motioned for them to follow me as the adults planned out our schedule. On the other side of the vanishing cabinet, we arrived at the small wooden room that was deep within the bowels of the ship.

Waving for my friends to follow, I said, "Come on, the view is better from the deck."

As we made our way through the magically enlarged ship, I couldn't help but notice that there were more of Uncle John's crew aboard than I thought. They usually were scattered throughout the world, expanding the extensive smuggling operation that Uncle John ran. Each member of his crew had a grudge with the Whithorns, and they were slowly expanding their influence in the underworld.

When we got to the deck, Cedric whistled while admiring the three towering mast that rose into the sky, "I didn't think they used ships like this anymore."

Weighing in, Alicia remarked, "This ship looks like one of those pirate ships in the old tales we hear about."

I rolled my eyes, "Don't tell Uncle John that it would only please him to no end. I once tried to convince him to use a modern ship, and from the look he gave me, you would have thought I cursed him."

It didn't take long for everyone else to arrive. When it was time to set sail, I whispered to my friends, "You're going to love this part."

Uncle John took his place at the helm and started waving his wand like he was a conductor for an orchestra. Immediately, there was movement around the ship as it began to prepare for a descent. Then the ship shuddered as it began sinking below the surface. A shimmering shield appeared, preventing water from flooding the ship. Once the vessel was fully submerged underwater, we headed towards a bright stream of light, and John shouted. "Everyone hold on."

As soon as the ship entered the steam of light, the ship's speed rapidly increased. The stream of light didn't head in a straight line, sometimes it was near the surface, and at others near the bottom of the oceans, it even backtracked a few times.

My friends were amazed at how we were traveling. I couldn't blame them. The first time I rode the underwater pathways, I was amazed as well.

Anna turned to Uncle John and asked, "What's the ship's name?"

I groaned and covered my face with my hand as Uncle John smiled delightedly, and replied in a dramatic voice, "I call her, the Jolly Roger. The fiercest ship that ever sailed the seven seas."

"Ooh," Anna's eyes sparkled with excitement.

I rolled my eyes. Uncle John had changed the ship's name after reading some old muggle books on pirates that I gave him years ago for Christmas. I tried to explain that the Jolly Roger was a pirate flag and not a ship's name, but he didn't care.

The trip through the ancient pathways took a few hours. Uncle John spent the trip regaling my friends about adventures on the high seas. After the first few stories. I realized that he had taken old muggle pirate adventure stories, added magic to them, and then repurposed them.

After we arrived, the ship slowly rose above the waterline. We surfaced in a restricted area in the Lake of the Ozarks. The magical community had magically enchanted to the area to be inaccessible by muggles.

The first thing that drew my eye was that there was another old-style ship anchored near us. Sprawled on the side was the name Flying Dutchman. The ship was far larger than the Jolly Roger. I heard Uncle John hiss, turning, I caught a glimpse of dark rage in his eyes before he clamped down on his emotions and revealed none of his feelings.

He wasn't the only one who was tense, Aunt Nefret and my Father were looking at the ship with alternating looks of worry and anger. Seeing their expressions made it clear whose ship that was, it had to belong to Michael's grandfather. Years ago, Uncle John had told me that Declan Whithorn ran his organization from a ship that was always moving.

I shot a suspicious look at my uncle, did he know they were going to be here? I had thought it was strange that most of his crew that was usually scattered throughout the world were on board. Declan must be here to watch his grandson compete or maybe was using the tournament as a cover to establish further connections in the wizard community for his organization.

Soon, it was time for Anna and me to head to the dueling arena. We needed to sign in and meet up with our teams from Hogwarts. Uncle John decided to tag along with us, claiming he was meeting an old friend.

Before we left, I pulled Dad and Uncle John off to the side, "Should we be worried about that ship over there?"

Uncle John locked eyes with Dad for a moment before responding, "No, it's not Declan's style to make a move with so many witnesses. He didn't make it this far by acting rashly. That being said, don't do anything stupid like sneak over to his ship."

I scoffed at the idea, I could be prideful, but I wasn't suicidal. Mounting up on brooms, Anna and I were escorted to the arena. When we got there, it was packed full of young witches and wizards from all over the world. No wonder we needed to arrive early, it was a madhouse.

When Anna caught sight of her team, she and her dad broke off and headed that way. Soon after, I spotted Jean waving at me to join him. "Alex, I'm glad you made it. Come on, I'll show you the room reserved for our team.

As we made our way into the building, I noticed that this building was leagues above what we dueled in back in England. From its size, I was pretty sure this was a professional dueling arena.

Jean led us through a series of hallways that were lined with rooms. Soon a door appeared that had a silver spear engraved on it. When Jean opened the door, I saw most of my fellow duelers already inside. Inside, I had already been assigned a sizable temporary locker where I could store my belongings during the tournament.

We didn't spend long in the room before Jean shuffled me out. He wanted to get me signed in as quickly as possible. Once everything was settled, Dad and Uncle John escorted me back to the ship. Anna was already back on the ship. She had already been given her schedule for tomorrow. Her first duel was at ten in the morning. Jean had promised to get my schedule to me sometime tomorrow.

The next day, we all headed out early to the stadium. Normally, I would have watched the duels with the other Silver Spears to show support for any member dueling. But since no members of the Silver Spears were dueling today, I was free to sit where I pleased.

Before the tournament got started, I leaned over to my dad and whispered, "Cedric and I are going to go and drop my stuff at my locker now rather than at the end of the day. That way, once we are ready to leave, we just leave rather than fight our way through the crowd."

Dad nodded, "Alright, but come straight back."

Cedric and I made our way through the packed stadium, eager to drop off my stuff and get back before the duels started. We ran into Micheal in the hallway, "Are you ready to watch your girlfriend take a beating." He sneered.

"I don't know about that," I drawled. "But, at least she made it to the tournament by winning. Unlike others who barely made it by the skin of their teeth."

Knowing that I was poking fun at his record from the last tournament, Michael stormed off and scoffed, "Laugh while you can Fawley, I bet you don't even make it past your match."

Rolling my eyes, I decided to ignore Michael's taunt. I may not make it to the end, but I am still confident in my abilities.

When we got to the room, I said, "This will just take a second. Heading over to my locker, I noticed it had a small leather pack inside. I guess someone else on the team thought that this locker was theirs.

Reaching in, I picked up the leather bag and turned to move it to the table. A second before I dropped it, the pack started glowing, and I felt a familiar sensation of a hook pulling at my navel. Cedric noticed the glow a second before me and grabbed at the bag. A half-second later, we were both yanked away to parts unknown.