July, 11th. 1892

Basil read the news of the lockdown in Irvingly with as much aplomb as his cousin all the way in London, and frankly held the same concerns for the same reasons. Worse, perhaps, since he did not have the delicate sensibilities that were blocked from reading the full context of the article. He hated not having an owl of his own, as Merlin was off in London with the rest of the family, and so he made quick work of finding his way to the post with his letter.

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Ms. Chang,

I've heard the news about Irvingly. Please send word if you are in need of assistance and I shall do my best to aid in any way I can.

cheers,
B. Foxwood

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Ida Chang

  

Ida was usually prompt with her letters, though her usual morning to writing had proved to be eventful to say the least. She sat at her desk now, appreciative of her mentor's unexpected and kind note, but honestly a bit embarrassed to reflect on her current state. Her broken ankle had been healed, though still tender to walk and weak, and she was poised to flagrantly blow off at least a dozen rules, regulations, and municipal codes. It was actually astonishing that she was alive and capable of writing at all, and now the person responsible sat somewhere in one of her sheds. This was a story she wasn't even sure she could commit to writing for the girls in her burn journal! Certainly it doesn't make sense to bring it up here. ...Not fully, anyway.

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12th of July, 1892

Dear Professor Foxwood,

I'm happy to hear from you, though wish it were better circumstances. The news has come quite as a shock to everyone in Irvingly, especially as many of the wizarding families here are so tight-knit. Many are angry with the handling of this situation as well, which only mounts tensions. But rest assured, my little brother and I are staying far from it all and taking extra caution and keeping indoors.

Although, since you do mention the matter of assistance, I wonder if I might ask for your opinion on a purely hypothetical scenario. In this hypothetical scenario, a man is turned into a dog. I've taken note of my formula here, where we can suppose the proportions listed are quite accurate for both man and desired dog, based on a real dog comparison subject. Assuming one's wandwork is on point, do you see any grave mistakes? Or perhaps any guesses for how long the man would remain a dog if otherwise left unattended?

Sincerely,
Ida Chang

Sent along with the letter, are Ida's neatly-taken notes of her work and formulas used to work out how she intended to transform Clifford into a dog with... hopefully great success.

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Basil Foxwood

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   Basil Foxwood

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stefanie made this beautiful set <3

July, 12th. 1892

It was with great amusement that Basil read Ms. Chang's return of post, after of course, having been much relieved to receive word from her at all! He was pleased too that she was mostly prompt; his worry had been growing after not hearing back yesterday evening and he responded as quickly as he was able, considering her 'hypothetical' seemed very much 'experimental.'

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Ms. Chang,

I'm glad to hear it! Yes, the Ministry certainly does seem to have a lot to answer after all this. I can only hope your father's business pursuits remain unaffected.

As for your hypothesis, I am - as always - quite impressed with your formulation. I see no grave errors, save for the fact that likely a transfiguration of this measure will need an expert hand to be undone. If this man wishes to become human again, he will likely need to be aided, and not by a witch or wizard of trifling talents.

Am I to expect a dog of such means sometime soon?

cheers,
B. Foxwood

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Perhaps it was a bit presumptuous of him to tease her at the end and think she might send her little experiment to him, but this was their way now. Basil felt no real qualms with his protege as he might have otherwise.

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Ida Chang

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   Ida Chang

The owl couldn’t have arrived with better timing, zipping past but then double-backing to find Ida sitting on the ground of her horse’s stable. She snatched up the letter, reading it a few times with a glow of pride, pleased to know that… well, she probably wasn’t going to accidentally kill anyone with this. Just make his life a bit inconvenient for an extended period of time.

She found it a bit disconcerting that he seemed to call out her “hypothetical situation” as a bluff, however. It took only one second for her to  decide she would rather die than send Cliff her esteemed mentor’s way. Absolutely not. Cliff would be on his own for solving that one, it was even written in to the terms of their agreement.

But since Professor seemed to be in a sporting mood, Ida returned his post the following day with a good laugh.

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13th of July, 1892

Professor Foxwood,

Rest assured that you will find no such dog on your doorstep! As I mentioned, this is a purely hypothetical scenario, one of those very curious questions I simply had to work through before I could move on from it. And, no doubt, a helpful reference point should I require a more overtly defensive maneuver during the Season. I hope not.

Things have settled a bit here in Irvingly now, though there is no end in sight for the lockdown. I am certain you’ve seen by now the news that this is all owed to an Acromantula, which is quite startling indeed. We will be staying indoors for the time being, and so I will be unoccupied for most of the time. Please know that I am at your disposal for the next phase of your research project.

Sincerely,
Ida Chang

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Basil Foxwood

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   Basil Foxwood

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stefanie made this beautiful set <3

July, 14th. 1892

Basil couldn't help but smile despite Ms. Chang's denial; he wasn't so sure he believed her, but the idea of her transfiguring a suitor into a dog made him chuckle anyhow.

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Ms. Chang,

I should applaud your creative use of transfiguration in the ball room, but recommend a rat rather than a dog. Less mess.

The news is, in fact, alarming; at risk of sounding too parental, I appreciate your staying indoors. There is plenty I have to occupy your time should you need it.

As it goes, I wrote to an old colleague of mine - a Ms. Jupiter Smith - a few weeks ago to see if she had ever come across anything in her research regarding the following. (Ms. Smith is an avid archeologist, one who very much reminds me of you. The next time she is in London I'd love to make an introduction.)

In an olde text by a sir Larry Boyd, the gentleman states: "ancient creatures once evolved into a certain clan of witch and wizard known to the modern day as amazonians." Ms. Smith has spent some time in the South, but unfortunately could not refer me to anything new. I mention this now in case you come across anything in your own reading that may align, or warrant further investigation.

cheers,
B. Foxwood

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Ida Chang ( Jupiter Smith fyi)

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