|
Post by Alexander Archer on Nov 26, 2007 1:18:34 GMT -5
Listening to D’rorah’s own account of what had happened, and presuming it to be completely correct since she herself had been present, Alex realised that, yet again, Caira had failed to mention significant details. Details that would have, and did indeed, cause his opinions of Professor Kade to lighten. Students of a competent spell-casting level, who both volunteered and realised the potential occurrences of such a venture, were of course greatly needed allies in any attempt to defeat some of the Shadows and Dementors residing within the forest. LaPointe had, quite significantly, failed to mention such a thing.
Noting the act of rubbing a hand over her sleeve, a sleeve which, as per usual, stretched right to the wrist, Alex‘s eyes resided on that point with a slight dawning of comprehension. He had heard tales of the few unlucky enough to be captured and taken into the Shadow Realm, of those who had survived to tell the tale; all of which had been heavily scarred, both physically and mentally. This, coupled with her final comments of ‘taken’ being an understatement, gave him the distinct impression that D’rorah had not, in fact, gone willingly.
He noted her last comment on the creatures within the forest, noted the meaning behind it. “You believe something may be coming?” he questioned quietly. Certainly, things had been very quiet on the Forest front lately; Alex simply had no comprehension of what such a thing might mean. He was still very new to this business, and trying to gain all the information he could. The young woman before him, it seemed, was a very good provider of such things.
|
|
|
Post by D'rorah Philosophy on Nov 26, 2007 20:10:04 GMT -5
D’rorah regarded Alex with a wary eye at his last question. “Something is most certainly coming, Professor Archer.” She turned to regard him more fully after a moment. “You understand, Professor, I am speaking of a war—one of many climactic events in a struggle between light and darkness which has been raging for millennia. The end goal of those who serve light is not the obliteration of darkness, but a balance between light and dark. The end goal of those who serve darkness is the obliteration of light.” She paused, for a moment, as though weighing her words carefully. “If I continue and tell you anything further, you become a part of this war and more subject to the dangers involved in it. I offer everyone the choice. Know and become a part, or walk away and remain relatively safe. Though we need allies, I always recommend safety to those who are not already inextricably involved. The enemy we face is a dangerous one who has had centuries to perfect her craft and has no moral compunction about using it against others.”
She paused, wondering which path he might choose. Wondering what she herself might have chosen had she had the opportunity to decide. For the lightfighters, there was no way around participation in this conflict… there was a choice of which side to join, but no such room to simply decide to abstain from the conflict. She decided a final warning was prudent as well. “If you decide to join and fight for the side of light. Yes, Professor, I fight for the side of light,” she reiterated, as she hadn’t really yet made that clear, “I must warn you that I do not take well to betrayal.” The words were spoken as emotionlessly as one might read a lunch menu. She wasn’t trying to intimidate, really, but rather to make sure he understood all sides of the decision before him. “I fear certain people who are involved do not fully understand the gravity of the situation or the fact that the very realm of Earth itself is what is at stake.”
There she stopped. She had told him as much as she could without actually telling him anything important or revealing any names other than her own. She had done enough o relay the gravity of the situation. Whether or not he received further information would rely solely on his response to everything she had said so far. Reading his facial expressions and the tones of his voice, she did not detect any hint of imminent betrayal… truly, one did not need telepathy if one was observant. Luckily, she had observation and telepathy at her disposal, and would use the latter if she felt it necessary to assure the safety of her teammates. She had already erred once in trusting Gat before the year had actually begun. It was a mistake she would not make again.
|
|
|
Post by Alexander Archer on Nov 26, 2007 20:47:09 GMT -5
Attempting to absorb the information she was presenting him with, he found no surprise to finally hear her state her side of this seemingly endless battle. If she was right, however, it should soon come to a close. Knowing only what he knew, he could already decipher that there would be a great loss of life during the climax of this war. His eyes were cast down to the sill beneath him as he thought of times to come, and what this meant for life as he knew it. Everything was going to change, though to what extent or in what direction was a matter completely out of his grasp at this point.
Considering his options, he found only two. To hide from what was happening, to stay out of it and watch while the braver stood their ground and fought. Or to fight, to stand beside D’rorah and her companions and aid them the best he could. Really, it was no choice at all. Alex was not a man to cower behind his own fears, and while he dreaded the prospect of what might happen in the forthcoming war, he knew that he would need to be there, within everything. For if the Shadow Mage took over, there would be no more hiding; he needed to do what he could, while victory was still possible. Realising fully the possible consequences, the injury, the loss and the death that was imminent for anyone caught in this battle, his eyes met hers as he raised his head once more.
“I will aid you the best I can,” he commented quietly. He realised, too, that he had been asked to fill in for Defence lessons because he had gained excellent marks for it in both his O.W.L’s and N.E.W.T’s, and had carried those abilities through his life after education. Noting her last few comments, he surmised that she was quite serious about her thoughts on betrayal. “I will fight,” he concluded quietly, his mind rolling over the events that were surely to come. He wondered what use she might put him to; he had assumed, obviously, that D’rorah was largely at the forefront of this movement against the Shadow Mage.
|
|
|
Post by D'rorah Philosophy on Nov 26, 2007 21:02:46 GMT -5
D'rorah nodded grimly as Alexander stated that he would help as best he could. "The most important think you can do now is to begin helping to gather students who show exceptional ability, who are trustworthy and willing to join in this fight, and begin training them to fight. They must all be able to readily conjure corporeal patronuses for their own protection. If you know of anyone who speaks foreign languages, I could use more help with my own research... it would be quite helpful to pass off things in more common languages so that I might focus on the ancient and more obscure languages. Our side has much to learn and only a short time in which to learn it."
She shifted. This was the sort of conversation she should have been having with Mordred, planning to gather students and train them for the battle to come. But, as he had managed to get himself sacked, there really was no possibility that he would be able to do so. Dien, it seemed, had his own problems of late and hadn't been available much for such planning. Rising form her seat on the windowsill, D'rorah easily took on the role of leadership she had been molded to assume. "After extensive research, I have reason to believe there is a large, powerful rift being formed in London. My belief is that the Mage intends to strengthen this rift until it is large enough, powerful enough, for Yang to be brought into our realm along with her army of Shadows, Shadow Soldiers, Wraiths, and Reapers. We must find the exact location of this rift and gather the Shadow Warriors together to close it."
She realized as she was speaking that perhaps the Professor did not actually know what he was talking about. She wondered whether he had ever heard any of the legends regarding the previous generations of Lightfighters. It was an obscure branch of magic, certainly... and one which most self-respecting witches and wizards disavowed as the poppycock of children's stories. "Do you understand what I have said so far?" she asked, wondering just how much, if anything, she would have to explain.
|
|
|
Post by Alexander Archer on Nov 26, 2007 21:23:37 GMT -5
Nodding at her words, his mind began searching for students of such a caliber. A few coming immediately to mind, he wondered if they were already involved or not. In any case, he would keep a mental list of desirable traits and attempt to find students which would fit such a bill; professors, too. Unsure as to who was already involved apart from D’rorah, and he assumed Dylan, he would need to find out in order to focus his attentions on students and staff that were not already involved in this battle. “Who might already be involved on either side, just so I can know who to trust and who to be wary of, and to focus my efforts on those we need to convince rather than those already… enlisted.” He could think of no other word as apt.
“Languages?” he inquired lightly. “Well… I don’t know how much help it’ll be, but I’ve been learning the basics of Jurchen in my extensive free time,” he commented softly, thinking back over the hour or so each day he had set aside. With only two classes to prepare, teach and go over assignments for every second day, he had quite a lot of free time on his hands of late. Being the efficient worker he was, he was easily able to get through all of his work for classes and still have plenty of time in the day to slip in a few hours of language. The dead language was a bit of a challenge for him, but that was exactly what caused him to strive further in it. “I’m afraid I’m quite new to it, however, and I don’t speak any other languages past the very basics,” he added, slightly regretful about this fact.
Seeing her rise from her seat, his eyes followed her minimal progress as she began speaking once more. Taking in everything he could, one word in particular tugged at his senses. “I understand somewhat… Yang? This is the age-old battle of the Shadow Mage seeking the Elemental Masters, then? I thought the Elemental Masters were all killed?” He himself had been quite interested in the concept and reduced many libraries of their contents significantly in his light-hearted quest. He had conducted his brief search a few years ago now, but he still recalled the stories quite well.
|
|
|
Post by D'rorah Philosophy on Nov 26, 2007 21:45:55 GMT -5
D'rorah paused thoughtfully as Alex asked who was involved. Here was the real moment of truth. She would be revealing the identities of her fellow fighters, placing them in grave danger is she were wrong about his trustworthiness. As he moved on to speak of languages, her ears perked up at the mention of Jurchen. "Excellent, you will concentrate then on Jurchen. Translate what parts you can, marking everything you are uncertain of, and I will go back to finish the translation. If we are able to work together, I will do what I can to tutor you in that language. I have many texts in Jurchen."
That answer flowed into his next question about the nature of the war he was entering. "Yes, this is that same battle," she replied, somewhat relieved she wouldn't have too much explaining to do. "And you are correct, the previous generations of Elemental Masters have either died out or been killed. The appearance of Elemental Masters has historically occurred whenever the balance between Light and Dark shifts to far towards Darkness. The last generation of Elemental Masters was killed by the current Mage. In fact, the past three generations were killed before any of the Elemental Masters found their Shadow Warriors. The fact that we have already managed to bring together most of those pairs in the current generation is a favorable sign for us."
She thought to return to his previous question, of who their allies were in this battle. "Well, Mister Soldier is most decidedly an agent of the Mage," she remarked. Though her facial expression did not change, her eyes darkened considerably at the mention of his name and the recollection of how he had tortured her at the behest of the Mage while she had been imprisoned in the Shadow Realm. "I also suspect there are others who have acted more subtley, but I have no concrete evidence of their allegiances in either direction. It is possible Professor Cage is aligned with them... or, at the very least, that he has leanings in the direction. I would prefer that our allies are revealed to you at the proper time. They will makes themselves known once you have proven your trustworthiness." She paused, deciding she would at least eliminate the mystery of her own role, certain that he was wondering who she might be in all of this. "I am the Shadow Warrior of Wind. I trained with the Masters of the Order of Light from the time I was very young with the intention that I would be a scribe of the Order. Of course, having been tainted by Shadows made service within the Order itself impossible... however, upon the realization that I was in fact a Shadow Warrior, I was quickly brought back into the inner circle of the Order so that I could continue to prepare for this war."
|
|
|
Post by Alexander Archer on Nov 26, 2007 22:17:28 GMT -5
Accepting her aid in Jurchen gratefully, he simply hoped his limited knowledge was enough. As much as he might wish it, he was just not that accustomed to learning foreign languages and he was probably significantly slower at it than she might like. He would get straight to work on the texts she provided him with, however, and decipher what he could. He couldn’t imagine many students bothered with the learning of new languages; it was predominantly a Muggle activity and he himself didn’t know of any other wizard or witch to learn such things.
Glad that he was somewhat aware of what she was talking about, or at least on the right track, he listened carefully to her expansion of his own knowledge. Learning of Mister Soldier’s allegiance didn’t surprise him all that much, given what the boy was obviously capable of and willing to do. His eyes considering the sill beneath him, they completely missed the darkening of her eyes. Professor Cage was not someone with whom he had interacted much; in fact, he knew very little of the professor. Being new to teaching this year himself, he really didn’t know any of his fellow staff members very well and sought to correct that rather soon. If he was to begin his attempts at recruiting members for their cause, it would be ideal to know someone for as long as possible before presenting them with such ideals.
Hearing her desire to keep the identities of what he assumed were her, and only her, allies, he felt as though he would need to prove himself. Of course, such a thing was only wise in times like this; one never did know who to trust. Still, it aggravated him slightly that he might waste time dwelling on recruiting those who were already fighting for the side of light, especially when she had mentioned what little time they had as it was. Resigning himself to the fact that he may have to go above and beyond to prove himself, he just hoped the chance might come soon. The less time he wasted, the better.
The admittance of her identity, however, set him slightly more at ease. At least she herself was willing to reveal her true nature; which, surprisingly, was tied directly in with everything. He had previously assumed that perhaps she was a bystander who had taken an active role in fighting for what she believed in; now, however, he saw that she had no choice in fighting this fight. Not quite knowing what she meant by ‘tainted’, he decided perhaps it was prudent to avoid asking. “Well, Miss Philosophy, if you would like to provide me with some Jurchen texts, I can start on them tomorrow after lunch,” he said quietly, recalling that he was teaching Defence in the morning.
|
|
|
Post by D'rorah Philosophy on Nov 26, 2007 23:00:42 GMT -5
"Certainly Professor. The texts are secured in my dormitory. If I am able to have my way, a great deal of my free time will be spent in the infirmary with Mister Cooper. However, I will have my own research with me there." She started to leave the room, intent on leading him to the common room so that she might hand over a couple of the Jurchen texts. "Have you any experience at all with martial arts? Or hand to hand combat?" she asked curiously. "If not, I would recommend learning. If so, I could also use assistance in training fighters... that is, once I have spoken with them about revealing themselves to you." She tilted her head as her eyes squinted. "I would so hate to find myself mistaken regarding your trustworthiness. It would be rather tedious to have to kill you when we seem to get on so well."
With that, she smirked a bit and turned to head from the room. "Come, I can give you two of the texts tonight. And I may as well return to my own research for a bit, as sleep does not seem particularly likely at the moment." She crossed the room headed toward the door. Her footsteps made almost no sound, the product of years of training to be light on her feet. Within the Order, even the Scribes were excellent fighters, for it was their job to protect the texts they were charged with keeping.
As her hand closed around the doorknob, she turned back to face Alex. "This may be somewhat inappropriate, but I have a favor to ask as well. Seeing as I do not have time to properly brew the potion myself at the moment, I was wondering if I might be able to convince you to sign out a dreamless sleep draught from the infirmary for me." She shook her head, her expression becoming somewhat somber. "It really would be nice to have a night of uninterrupted sleep for a change."
|
|
|
Post by Alexander Archer on Nov 26, 2007 23:19:32 GMT -5
Nodding in agreement, he found himself quite eager to put his learnings to the test. Hopefully, he would not be completely lost when it came to the translations; despite his brief shelf of learning in the language department, he hoped he might be able to aid her in her research. Mirroring her movements to leave the classroom he so adored, his eyebrows quirked slightly at her queries. “I’m afraid you’d find me quite inept at fighting, Miss Philosophy. Though, I have never found myself in a situation to test such things,” he commented softly. Indeed, he had not held any kind of relationship with another that might require… what was the term… beating someone to a pulp. He’d hit somebody once, out of sheer anger, but such a thing had never been repeated since.
He felt a slight buzz of excitement coming over him. Learning languages and putting them to use, starting to be integrated into the world of lightfighters, and the prospect of proper training all whirled within him to create an ultimate sense of tingling eagerness, despite the reasons for such things. He realised fully, of course, the implications of choosing a side in this war. But what else could he do; he was simply a pawn of prophecy. Producing a light laugh at her comment about killing him, he was only a quarter sure that she was joking. In fact, no, there was very little doubt that she was serious. Her tone held a slightly teasing lilt to it, however, and the smirk evident on her face added to such an impression. “I’ll do my best to avoid such an instance, then, D’rorah,” he replied in a joking manner. Unwittingly, he had traced into first-name basis with the prefect. Pondering this for a moment, he could only assume that on some level, he regarded her as a friend.
Producing a light, questioning sound as she broached a subject that she considered might be inappropriate, he smiled. “We could get some from my own sleeping quarters along the way, if you wish. I myself, as you might be able to tell, have trouble sleeping sometimes, but I can’t be up here each night getting steadily wearier with every minute that passes,” he replied quietly.
|
|
|
Post by D'rorah Philosophy on Nov 26, 2007 23:33:05 GMT -5
Alright, so he wasn't a trained fighter. But then, neither were most of the lightfighters... yet. Perhaps she would take the opportunity to test him on that one day soon. If nothing else, he would need to join training with those who were already involved. She would need to speak with Keaira. After her return from China, she was certainly prepared to begin training the new members of the Order in combat. Hearing that he had caught the slightly joking tone of her voice, a hint of a smile crept onto her features at his joking reply. Though she was serious, she was pleased to see that he wouldn't take the matter overly seriously... any more forceful reaction from him would have merited suspicion on her part of his true motives.
"Ah, was that an admonishment against my own habit of losing sleep, Professor? I do believe it was." She fell into step alongside Alex. "I suppose even an incomplete sleep is better than none at all," she admitted. "Though, I worry that using sleep potions is something which becomes habitual far too easily. If you do not mind sparing a dose for me now, I will be certain to repay it within the next week."
She was turning over in her mind the possibilities for once again having a teacher as an advocate. One who hopefully would not get himself dismissed from the school or would not become to entangled in his own personal issues as to render him nearly ineffective to the group. As they reached the main corridor of the seventh floor, she followed Alex's lead. She assumed they would get the draught first, and then would continue on to the Ravenclaw common room so she might retrieve the texts in question.
|
|
|
Post by Alexander Archer on Nov 26, 2007 23:58:15 GMT -5
A teasing expression rising onto his features, he descended the spiral staircase at D’rorah’s side. “No need, D’rorah.” There it was again; it just slipped out. Somehow, it seemed more natural. “I restock my supply every couple of months or so anyway, you don’t need to worry yourself with repaying anything,” he commented in a friendly tone, intended for his own sleeping quarters. Reaching them seemingly faster than the departing trip had been, he assumed it was the presence of another that made the walk that much quicker.
Leaving the door open as he entered his cosy little abode on the seventh floor, he went through his office and into the quarters behind. Re-emerging a minute or so later, he held in his hand a small, corked jar full of a decidedly less than viscous, purple liquid. “Here we are,” he said with a small smile, offering her the container and closing the door to his office behind him. Locking it with the small flick of his wand, he departed, intent on reaching the fourth floor with a relatively direct route. “How long have you been doing this research?” he questioned quietly, genuinely quite intrigued by the notion. It was always good to have a support system, a net of knowledge to aid in any fight against an opponent of any level.
His mind briefly flicking over what professor was due to do curfew rounds tonight, he found that he couldn’t quite recall who had been on the roster. This wasn’t much of a surprise, however, given that he usually just checked when he himself was scheduled the peaceful business of patrolling the castle. For some reason, a lot of the other staff members didn’t find it as enjoyable. Their progress was certainly not slow, but not incredibly quick, either, as they walked side by side through the deserted corridors of Hogwarts.
|
|
|
Post by D'rorah Philosophy on Nov 27, 2007 13:26:44 GMT -5
D’rorah waited quietly as Alex headed into his private quarters to retrieve the vial of dreamless sleep draught. She thought as she waited that she obviously trusted him… she was certain she wouldn’t be accepting potions from him if she didn’t. Luckily, the last instance in which she had felt similarly trusting of someone had been with Dylan, and that had worked out quite well. Professor Archer seemed like someone who was genuinely nice; a part of her hoped that the Shadow War wouldn’t ruin him in that regard, while another part quickly dismissed the first part as being inexcusably sentimental.
As he returned with a vial of the draught, she offered a smile in return. “Thank you very much,” she replied as he turned to lock the door. She fell into step with Alex as they headed in the direction of the fourth floor, where the Ravenclaw common room was. “It will be quite an experience to have an entire night’s sleep.” The last statement was made in an almost thoughtful manner. It was obviously no secret to someone as observant as Alex that she hadn’t slept well in quite some time. In fact, she hadn’t had a full night’s sleep since returning from Tel Aviv with Dylan. The distance of her own Elemental Master, and the division of his attention between other concerns, meant that he wasn’t as fully anchoring her emotions… which in turn meant that her nightmares had returned. Dylan’s presence had helped, but the effects of that help were long since gone now that they had returned to Hogwarts.
“I have technically been researching for years,” she replied in answer to his question. “However, this research was not the focus of my work until recently, the past twelve months or so. While I was at Falstaff’s, I focused primarily on Unforgivable Curse theory. For my father and the Order, however, the focus was nearly always on the Shadow Wars… their history, the techniques of fighting, many things. It was not, however, until the deaths of my parents and the discovery of what I was that I focused in earnest on Shadow research, rather than indulging my private interests in magic.” As she rounded the bottom of the 6th floor flight of stairs, she was ever alert of her surroundings. It would not do to be taken by surprise and have someone eavesdrop on their conversation. Such a thing was unlikely at this time of night, but not impossible.
“You will need to learn martial arts, combat.” She looked over at Alex as they began making their way down the next flight of stairs toward the fifth floor. “As you may or may not know, regular magic is ineffective against creatures of Shadows… the only spell cast by wand which has any real effect is the Patronus Charm. Actually, it is not technically wand magic, it is truly Light magic, which is why it is effective… and which is why not everyone can cast the spell successfully.” She stepped wide, avoiding a trick stair she remembered being on this particular staircase. “It is a weak form of light magic, actually manifesting in visual light. The chants used by Shadow Warriors are far more advanced, which is why they are the only known magic which can destroy creatures of the Shadow Realm.” She wasn’t sure how much of this he might already know, if any, but decided that it was best to give at least the basics… this very fundamental information would be essential to ensuring his safety as they moved forward.
|
|
|
Post by Alexander Archer on Nov 27, 2007 14:24:33 GMT -5
Smiling lightly at her initial comments on the subject of sleeping, his eyes took to wandering over the portraits and paintings on his side of the hallway. He always quite liked to watch their movement; though at the moment, most of them were either snoring loudly, draped over the sides of their armchairs, or curled up on the floors of their own pictures. Regarding them for a moment, his attention returned fully to D’rorah. Listening to her response in what he might term a fascinated manner, Alex found himself unwittingly impressed by her accomplishments in the realm of research. Obviously, she was also quite advanced in physical combat, too. Just one more thing to add to the list.
Stepping lightly around the subjects of her parents, who he just now discovered to be dead, he focused his thoughts on the undertaking of his own training. He wondered what exactly it would involve… To be quite honest, he knew next to nothing about defending himself, nor attacking, physically. He had always relied on his wand, though he realised that with the gravity of the situation in which he was immersing himself, that would be rather naïve. The main factors in this war for light were wands. As soon as one was disarmed, you were effectively useless to aid yourself or any others. Learning martial arts would indeed be helpful in the situations where a wand could not be utilised. Noting that he would be required to work on his patronus somewhat, just to make sure it was in top condition, he set aside a few more hours each day to practice it, as well as slot in some time for training and the repetition of it.
Mirroring her own actions and stepping wide of the trick stair, he knew that he himself would not have heeded its presence. Afterall, he was only new to teaching this year, his own education had concluded a good few years back, and he never really descended down this far unless he was headed to a lesson of Defence Against the Dark Arts or a meal in the Great Hall, both of which he liked to alternate travel routes to. He liked to go a different way every time, unless of course he was in a particular hurry. As it was, he was usually in his own quarters or the Astronomy tower.
Absorbing what he could, he found a vague recollection of the chants she mentioned, though he couldn’t quite bring it to the forefront of his mind. Deciding to focus his words on what resided the most within his mind, he spoke quietly, desperately wanting to remain unheard to anyone else who might be lurking within the corridors. “What might this training consist of?” he asked in a hushed tone.
|
|
|
Post by D'rorah Philosophy on Nov 27, 2007 21:05:14 GMT -5
“I will pair you with one of my more advanced Shadow Warriors, one who has recently undergone training with the Order herself and should be at an acceptable level to begin your training.” She thought for a moment. “And perhaps we could see if you have any aptitude with Elemental Magic. Our Elemental Masters will need to gather as much help as they can.” As they reached the fourth floor and the entrance to the Ravenclaw common room, she stopped speaking, thinking it was more likely they would be overheard as she began to feel the mental energy of her housemates in the area with her.
She waited as the brass knocker recited its riddle, still thinking the exercise rather tedious.
What English word is nine letters long, and can remain an English word at each step as you remove one letter at a time, right down to a single letter. Tell me the letter you remove each time and the words that result at each step.
"The word is 'startling'... remove the second 't' for 'starling'... remove the 'l' for 'staring'... remove the 'a' for 'string'... remove the 'r' for 'sting'... remove the 't' for 'sing'... remove the 'g' for 'sin'... remove the 's' for 'in'... remove the 'n' for 'I'," she answered after a moment's thought. "Or, if that word displeases you, I could do much the same with either 'cleansers' or 'splatters'." The knocker huffed a bit and its etchings twisted into a parody of a displeased expression.
One day, D'rorah Philosophy, I'm going to have the fortune of denying you access to this room.
"Well, you should hurry then, the year seems to be moving along rather swiftly." At this, the knocker laughed amicably and swung open to reveal the Ravenclaw common room. D'rorah set off across the room, bound for the entrance to the girls' dormitories. She disappeared past the door and headed up the stairs, returning several minutes later bearing two heavy tomes. "Here we are, my apologies for keeping you waiting, Professor," she remarked simply.
|
|
|
Post by Alexander Archer on Nov 27, 2007 22:00:54 GMT -5
Wondering to whom she might be referring, Alex nodded in response. “I only hope I’m not useless,” he commented, a light laugh intertwined with his words. “Elemental magic? I don’t believe I’ve noticed any inkling of myself towards any of the elements in particular, but my method of judging such things may be slightly off,” he added quietly, his eyes still scanning the seemingly deserted corridors for any eavesdroppers or students out of bed who might just incidentally be passing their way. It would not do for them to be overheard, afterall.
Approaching the area he knew to contain the Ravenclaw common room, he found himself pleasantly surprised at the way of entry. A riddle, how clever. Glad that he was with someone who could answer such a thing, because it was completely lost on him, a small smile rose onto his features as he admired the brilliance of using such a system. He’d only ever been privy to the Hufflepuff common room, previously being a member and currently being their Head of House, and found that he rather enjoyed the concept of entering through riddles. Of course, it made them slightly vulnerable, for anyone of remote intelligence that was placed in another house for more predominant factors could still gain legitimate entry to the tower. However, it was an undeniably fun concept.
Smiling at the banter between student and door-knocker, he caught a brief glimpse of the Ravenclaw common room. It was quite different to that of Hufflepuff, and he supposed it was due to the setting. Down in the dungeons, the common rooms had more space to utilise, more room to spread out. For the two Houses residing in towers, however, there was probably a significant lack of lateral space. He supposed the dormitories were further up in the tower, noticing that D’rorah had indeed ascended a spiral staircase.
His eyes found her once more as she departed the common room, two large tomes within her arms. Accepting them with a smile, he shook his head slightly. “No problems,” he said simply in response to her apology. “Thankyou for these… I’ll get to work on them tomorrow,” he stated happily, though his voice was still subdued due to the lateness of the hour. “You should perhaps attempt sleep, I think. What might any teachers say if they caught you roaming around at this late hour? A prefect and all. I do hope the potion is able to help. Goodnight, Miss Philosophy,” he finished quietly, a smile still evident on his features. His feet turned and he began to walk away, intending on reaching his own sleeping quarters once more. The return journey, however, saw him bearing two heavy volumes within his grasp.
|
|