Crystal Ball on the Table, Showing the Future the Past

Parvati stuck around for about an hour after Rabastan managed to drag himself from bed. Lyra loaned her a dress, so she could leave in properly fitting clothes. As she was professing that it had been very nice to spend the morning with them, Bellatrix's mind turned to her own plans for the day.

She still hadn't managed to work out the intended use for the crystal pendant that Gellert had allowed her to study. That's when it clicked. Parvati was a psychic! Wasn't that part of the reason Gellert liked her around?

He was a powerful seer, but he could not bring visions on by choice. Parvati had her abilities in scrying, if Bellatrix recalled properly. This meant that at times she could bring on her visions via scrying them out rather than waiting for them to come to her as Gellert had to do.

"Wait," Bellatrix said as Rabastan was rising to walk Parvati out.

The young woman stopped, turning to Bella with an oddly hopeful look in her dark eyes. Eyes as raven dark as those of everyone else in the room, Bellatrix couldn't help but notice.

"You are aware of the items Gellert and Blaise got from Merlin and Nimue's cave, are you not," Bellatrix asked.

Parvati nodded. "I haven't seen many, other than whatever the two have been wearing in the way of jewelry because they don't bring them to work, but yes, I am aware."

Could she actually be the first to consider using Parvati's abilities to discover the secrets of the treasures in Merlin's cave, even before Gellert?

"Gellert allowed me to keep one of the crystals for a bit to see if I could figure out what it does," Bellatrix said. "Rabastan had luck with the blasting rod, so we thought if more people tried to help sort what the artifacts do, we'd learn more faster. Blaise and Gellert admitted to only having ten or so minutes a day to study them due to their Delphini sized workload," Bellatrix explained.

"I have the crystal here." She touched the large raw crystal quartz point pendant that hung on a heavy silver chain just below the raven skull necklace from Rod that she never took off. Parvati stepped closer to have a look.

"I was wondering if you could have a look at it...psychically that is," Bellatrix asked. "Any impressions you get would do, but if you are able to detect what it was used for specifically, that would really help."

A look of surprise flickered over Parvati's face, but she nodded. "I'm flattered that you asked, actually. If I'd thought of it I would've suggested it to Gellert, but I didn't and neither did he or Blaise for some reason."

Bellatrix smirked, not hiding that she was pleased with herself. If nothing else, this entire Delphini madness had been very good for pushing her limits, and causing her to think outside of the box.

From discovering her skill in working politically with other countries when guarding the Bulstrodes to things like this, she was uncovering levels of mental flexibility and creativity of which she was previously unaware. Of course she'd always highly valued her own intelligence. She, Rod, Rabastan, and Regi were among the brightest and best, and they knew it. She believed she knew all of her strengths, but of late she was discovering new talents, and that was honestly invigorating.

"I usually work with tea leaves to tap into a situation, but I have used other drinks and herbs," Parvati said. "I've never just held an item to see what I could get from it, but I'd love to try."

Bellatrix lifted the chain over her head and cautiously passed the crystal over to the other woman. Parvati chuckled. "You have this 'be careful' look on your face! Don't worry, I'm not going to drop it."

Bellatrix had never been good at keeping her thoughts off her face. "Thank you," she murmured drily. Then feeling a bit rude as she was the one to ask Parvati to look at it, she shrugged uncomfortably. "I feel oddly attached or personal with it, which is unfortunate as I have to return it to Gellert. Either way, if anything befell it, he'd have kittens so I must be cautious."

Parvati snickered at the idea of Gellert having kittens, then frowned thoughtfully at the stone as she resumed her seat at the table. "I think it likes you too. Stones, being magical, can feel sentient, at least to me," she added, a slightly embarrassed expression flickering over her face.

Bellatrix nodded in understanding. "Working with gemstones in such a way is a bit new to me, but I'm well aware it's an old art, just one I've never paid much mind to until recently when we met Mag and got our wands."

Parvati's face relaxed as she smiled, glad of a bit of common ground on the matter. "I got into stones because of Mag as well. Though my people use them, those in India do so far more than the British branch, so I had little knowledge before Mag."

Bellatrix nodded. Rabastan helped himself to another cup of coffee from the pot on the table as Parvati wasn't leaving yet. Mug in hand, he resumed his seat, curiously watching Parvati and the crystal in her hand with raven-like interest.

"Is there anything you need to facilitate your...viewing or whatever you call it," Bellatrix asked a bit awkwardly.

"I'm not really sure," Parvati admitted. "I've never done this before in such a way. It feels right to just hold the stone and see what impressions I get from it. If nothing happens, I can try to scry with tea leaves on what the stone does. Did the chain come on it, or is it yours?"

"It is my chain," Bellatrix replied.

Parvati nodded, then unfastened the chain and removed it from the pendant, carefully placing it on the dining table. "I'll put it back when I've finished, but as it's yours, any impressions I may pick up from it will not answer the current question, and its energy would only be in the way."

That made sense. Bellatrix nodded.

Parvati leaned back in the chair, one slender hand wrapped around the crystal so that it vanished inside the cocoon of her fingers. Her face relaxed as she took several slow deep breaths in and out, seemingly turning her attention fully inward and toward the stone in her hand. Everyone watched in hopeful silence as several minutes passed.

"Nimue wore this crystal a lot," Parvati murmured at last. "She used it for prophetic dreams of the past mainly, but at times the future as well. It enhanced her spells and gave mental clarity and focus. It will work with Gellert, but it would prefer to go to you, Bellatrix. It would most prefer to return to Nimue, actually, but as we have no idea how to physically reach the world in which she and Merlin are hiding, you're the next closest it prefers."

Hearing that the stone to which she'd felt so connected was basically hers filled Bellatix with relief.

Parvati slowly opened her hand from where it was clutching the crystal as she straightened in the chair. Replacing the chain she extended the stone to Bella.

"Thank you," Bellatrix said. "I'm telling Gellert you said it wants me too. Hopefully he will acquiesce."

Parvati shrugged. "I should think he would. He has a ton of other items from Merlin and Nimue, after all, and if it prefers you, I should think it would work better with you anyway." She smiled. "That was interesting! Thank you for the opportunity to discover that my psychic can work when I tune into items like that."

Bellatrix nodded. "I suppose circumstances force us to expand our potential. I've discovered quite a bit about myself of late as well."

"Hopefully I can help Blaise and Gellert to make more progress with the other items now," Parvati said excitedly. "I can't wait to get home so I can write and tell them."

"So can you, like, psychically see if my parents will ever let up on me and Cassius," Lyra asked Parvati hopefully as she stood for a second time to go.

Parvati smirked. When she spoke her tone was flamboyantly mystical, causing Bellatrix's lips to twitch in amusement. "Given enough time, even the strongest mountains crumble to the sea," she intoned.