capeandcowllogs | We don't need no education!

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We don't need no education!

WHO: Two wizards and a ve ry different witch
WHERE: An unspecified location outside the city; far from people might possilby hex.
WHEN: Friday afternoon, September 9
WARNINGS: Snape's a dick. Draco's not far behind him. Gemma's got a temper.
SUMMARY: Snape wants to do some magical comparisons as he continues to try and help Gemma find a teacher, or help her master her magic before screws anybody else up, herself included. Draco needs to keep up his studies, and he'll be a useful guinea pig...
FORMAT: wooooooooooooords.\

[It was a good space to meet; he had gathered his prospective students together; Draco and he were still -- tense after the Magic*Con, but perhaps simple, normalacy; private lessons in various works, to further explore how the other's magic works. It was good and remote, unlikely to be discovered, where they could maybe blow up some trees or what not if they needed to.]

[The autumn chill was biting, so Snape was back in his very warm frock coat and cloak, scars hidden as much for his peace of mind as Draco's now. Another day they'd work on things like potions and enchanting things; for now, they'd have a little bit of simpler show and tell with charms, some defensive and offensive magics, and so forth.]

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[Draco was unaware he was being considered as a useful guinea pig, else he wouldn't be so pleased to be out. He hadn't gotten on that well with this Gemma person on his first call to the network, but he still wanted more practice with his mother's wand, without a bunch of people stopping him and getting all goody-goody on him for trying to enlarge squirrels.

He stood, looking gorgeously bored as he is wont, musing to himself before she showed up. He vaguely asked Snape:]

Is she any good?

[The late afternoons and evenings weren't quite cold enough for full coats yet, so Gemma had grabbed her school cloak on the way out the door, leaving her red-gold hair loose to keep her neck warm. It didn't take her long to find the spot he'd told her about. Quiet, out of the way. Gemma saw him after just a few moments, and she raised her hand in greeting. She wasn't sure who he was with, but she was sure he'd explain. The boy looked somewhat familiar. She offered a smile, though it was a bit wry. She had heard the blonde's comment. It was only natural, but it still irked her a bit.]

Hello, there. And I like to think so.

[Snape was bland-faced at the question; he just cocked an eyebrow. Would the Head of House of Slytherin bother with someone not any good? Please. You'd think he'd invited Longbottom or something else equally ridiculous.]

[But he doesn't have to answer as Gemma does it for him. He's kept his distance some since their -- episode, with the magic sharing -- and nods once as she approaches.]

Draco, this is Gemma Doyle. Gemma, this is Draco Malfoy, my godson.

Draco, please give Gemma the attention and care you would a Housemate. She's no thuggish Gryffindor, I assure you. She also gave me a great kindness upon keeping me alive when I first arrived in the City.

[He gestures, drawing his wand from a sleeve.] Unlike ourselves, Miss Doyle's magic does not require a focus such as a wand. It remains, however, as potent -- and in some areas, outstrips us. On the other hand--

[He flicks his wand, uttering a harsh word-- and one of the trees explodes.]

We have not explored Miss Doyle's combat capability. We not be doing that today, however. We're simply going to explore how our magics differ, and where they are alike, as well as keep you in practice, Mr. Malfoy.

[He jumped a bit at the sound of her voice, not embarrassed to be caught asking a rude question, just startled. He turned toward her as Snape spoke, eying her up and down as Snape praised her--which was interesting since he wasn't a man usually quick to do so. It was also almost as odd being introduced as his godson and not student. He furrowed his brows at Snape blowing up a tree so early on, but turned back to Gemma unfazed:]

Pleasure, I'm sure. No wand, hm, like a house-elf or something? That must be quite handy.

[Gemma still wasn't completely a hundred percent certain on what the houses at that strange school were about, but it pleased her that Severus told his godson to treat her as a housemate. That should establish them a bit, she decided.

Her lips did purse a bit as the elder destroyed the tree. She had developed something of a soft-spot for nature ever since Kartik had been taken by the Tree of All Souls. At least she knew that there hadn't been a person trapped inside the one that was no a pile of splinters. She thought she knew, anyway.]

I'm not sure what a house-elf is, but yes it is, as you say, quite handy.

[As if to demonstrate, she held out her hand. First, a candle appeared. She blinked, and it was an ivory comb. Blink, a handkerchief. Blink, a snow white rabbit. She crouched and let the creature hop out of her hands, its little pink nose twitching as if confused as to why it was no longer some inanimate object. It started away from their odd little group, apparently wanting to get beneath the cover of shrubbery.]

[Snape stepped back, watching Gemma go through her conjuration, and nods once as she creates, transfigures and then releases the creature.]

Will the rabbit last as it is? Has it become permanent? Living things are constructs -- illusions, mostly-- for us. We cannot create life with magic anymore then we can defeat death with it.

[He glances at Draco, and nodded once. Your turn to show her what a young wizard her age can do with a wand.]

[Draco looked impressed by what Gemma was doing, and vaguely jealous that he couldn't do such controlled things without the need of a wand.

At Snape's prompt he pulled his wand free from his sleeve, and felt a bit of trepidation. He and the wand still didn't quite get one another, but their relationship, if one could call it that, was better, so hopefully... He flicked his wand at the rushing rabbit, silently saying the incantation, and blissfully the creature was turned back into a candle, complete, waxy and he lit the flick just to show off a little more.]

Simple enough.

[A little shrug is all she can offer.] As far as I'm aware, what I create stays. Here, at least. [Not in her own world... but that was always a different, difficult story.

She watched Draco and was... well, rather impressed as well. She could see the need for a wand as a point of focus, and wished she was able to use something like that. She thought to offer a compliment, at least to show as much:]

You're very skilled.

[Snape watches them impassively from some distance away, before he flicks his wands, and he brings the great, glossy black crows that he'd conjured before.]

Draco asks because some of our creations do not last; conjured 'living' creatures are temporary. Inanimate objects are far more lasting.

[The crows sweep into the trees.]

Would you care to show Draco how your illusions can stretch?

[He looked quite pleased with himself, and her compliment only made him look moreso. He glanced at Snape, thinking about correcting him that he hadn't asked anything. But instead he inquires:]

That would be interesting to see, but what's the point of this again? Do you think I can learn what she can do?

[A nod was all she offered, before she let the magic take hold. It reacted to the environment, this time. The grass beneath their feet became more lush, somehow a brighter jade. Flowers grew, and a tree began to grow. It was as twisted as ever, its bark pale, the veins beneath the wood pulsing in time as if it had a heart, pumping blood to the branches that reached in every direction, reaching, reaching for something unknown. Its leaves were greener, a shock of color against the seemingly muted land around them. The grass and moss near the base was covered in less frost than when she had last seen it, flowers and vegetation struggling to force their way from the hardened earth to new freedom in the dim light. Violet and azure blossoms.

It almost hurt to look at, but she forced herself to. It had come from her heart, after all. The least she could do was look. But speaking... that was different. Staying silent was easier right then.]

I truly doubt it, though it would be both terrifying and fantastic if we could truly learn one another's magics. No. I just want to see control, discipline and power.

[Hers more then Draco's.]

[He watches the display, before he nods once, and then glances to the younger wizard.]

Draco, I want to use whatever charms, defensive or otherwise, you feel necessary to dispell the illusion. It is highly complex and quite rooted in reality, but never the less, this is not real.

[Fantastic would be right, as he watched what she could do. It was quite a sight, and he observed with fascination. Being able to have control without a wand really did seem ideal . . .] Couldn't hurt to try and see, I suppose, unless you already have?

[At Snape's direction his brows furrowed and he tried to think what he could do to combat an illusion on this scale, especially with a foreign wand. Eventually he came to the conclusion to just go for the source. If he broke her concentration maybe it would break the illusion. He flicked his wand at her and hit her with a silent spell that was silly but effective for what he wanted: a tickling charm that would rack her all over.]

[Gemma had more or less stopped paying attention to them. She couldn't stop staring at the Tree of All Souls. It was so beautiful to her, even if no one else could see its stark beauty. She felt as if her heart was beating in time with the heart of the Tree, with Kartik's heart. As soon as she thought his name, there was movement from near the tree. From behind stepped a young man with dark brown skin, and even darker hair and eyes. His teeth flashed white as he smiled at her, and she felt as if something inside her was going to break.

And then it was all ruined in a moment as she felt the strange sensation of being tickled without anyone actually being close enough to do so. The redhead couldn't help but laugh, clutching at her sides, trying to figure out exactly what was happening. However, though the young man vanished instantly (was it just a trick of her eyes, or had he actually gone into the tree?) it took a few moments for everything else to fade. She would have been sad to see it all go if she wasn't trying to keep herself from laughing as boisterously as she wanted. Her words were punctuated by giggles as she tried to speak:]

Wh-what's happening? What did you do to me?

He's using an entirely juvenile charm to break your concentration.

[-10 points from Slytherin for silly wand waving, Draco. How could you?]

But apparently you do need focus to keep them in place.

[He only had a moment to contemplate what he was seeing before the tickling broke it all. He sniffed a little at Snape's words, but looked a little shamed. Haughtily, he said in his defense:]

I don't see how it was juvenile if it was more than effective. [He flicked his wand again to release her from the torturous tickles.] I think it was quite strategic of me.

[It took her a few seconds to catch her breath once the charm was broken. But even after that, she felt... odd. The magic was pulsing through her body, writhing to get free. Obviously, it wasn't pleased that someone had used a foreign kind of magic on its host. She did her best to reign it in, trying not to let the struggle show on her face.]

I wouldn't--do that again. Just fair warning. [She turned to Snape:] And yes, I do.

And that's precisely why he should do it again. You need to maintain control. Weakness cannot be tolerated. Not with the sort of things you can do with your magics.

[Snape is not pleased. The magic must be mastered, or they will never be out of danger where Gemma is concerned. It'll just be a timebomb waiting to happen.]

[It would be awesome for Draco to know all this, but apparently as it was Draco was just going to keep innocently playing with a bomb.]

Why not? Else you'll wet yourself? [He looks a bit exasperated at Snape.] So all of this is purely for her benefit?

[Of course she should have figured out that Severus had arranged this for "her benefit." It had been stupid of her to assume otherwise. Annoyance did bubble up, but she was able to control it. At least, until Draco's insult. Her eyes narrowed. Her mother's temper began to flare. The magic acted along with her, seeping into the ground through her feet.

Just a few moments after Draco had spoken, a root slithered up from the earth, swinging towards his feet to knock him to the ground.]

Children! Enough!

[He will not have any of this idiocy here!]

You are going to master yourself, Miss Doyle.

And you, [He looks at Draco now, frowning] are going to learn that there are hundred of people with strange powers in the City, some of which are very dangerous, and not all of them control things perfectly. They may be dangerous simply by accident. You cannot provoke others without cause, without knowledge. A Slytherin does nothing without understanding what he is up against first. Only the lions leap before they look.

Edited 2011-09-16 21:50 (UTC)

[As soon as he felt something trip him he's shrieking like a veritable little girl. He sits dazed on the ground for a moment before pulling himself back up with a great indignant air, looking like he could throw something else than a tickle charm at her.

But he knew Snape could easily stop him, so he just glowers at both of them.]

Fine. Whatever. So what exactly am I doing here. To observe just her out of hundreds?

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We don't need no education!

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