>>5831320

In the previous night you had just babbled some excuse for your sorry state, trying to leave Potter’s room. He had stopped you, then…

“Ah, I’m sorry, Elliot,” he had said, tears falling down his face. “I… I don’t know what came over me. I apologize but… I think it’s best if we talk about whatever it is tomorrow.”

He had cried, he had grieved, all for someone he should have never known. If you had to guess, Ginevra Potter had also had the same reaction.

If a parent’s love could protect a child from death, then a child’s death could hurt a parent, even if they didn’t remember her.

And Taylor… As far as everyone knew, he had simply vanished overnight. But you knew the truth. Lily’s death couldn’t undo Taylor’s. So Time had simply made him vanish when no one was looking, just as it had made the Resurrection Stone disappear from the Potter vault. He would never reappear, or if he did, he wouldn’t be alive.

You stand up, putting your clothes on mechanically, still in a daze. You walk out the dormitory, stumbling through the dungeon’s corridors, then up the stairs. It is only when you arrive that you understand where you were going all along.

The door to the Room of Requirement awaits you, already materialized. The Resurrection Stone weighs in your pocket.

You push it open and see a small cafe with pink decorations and dainty teacups. Sitting by its table is Raven, though she is different. She doesn’t have her white and black makeup, her long dark hair flowing freely. She is reading a book.

“Raven-”

“‘Meanwhile, the second brother journeyed to his own home, where he lived alone,” she read out loud. “Here he took out the stone that had the power to recall the dead, and he turned it thrice in his hand. To his amazement and his delight, the figure of the girl he had once hoped to marry, before her untimely death, appeared at once before him.

“Yet she was sad and cold, separated from him as by a veil. Though she had returned to the mortal world, she did not truly belong there and suffered. Finally the second brother, driven mad with hopeless longing, killed himself so as truly to join her.

“‘And so Death took the second brother for his own.”

>>5831323

She closes the book and looks at you.

“You’re going to use it, aren’t you?” She asks. There is a strange expression on her face. It is… unbearable sadness… but also peace. No. Acceptance.

“Raven, I-”

“No,” she says, shaking her head. “My name is Linda. It’s about time I accept that. I… I spent too much time daydreaming. Too much time desperately looking away at some fantasy of a perfect invocation who’d love me unconditionally to see what I had right in front of me. And when I found it, I lost it. I can’t… I can’t do that anymore. I’m not Raven. I’m not a dark witch. I’m just… a girl who couldn’t save someone she took far too long to admit she loved.”

Your heart breaks all over again.

“Are you going to use it?” She asks once more.

“I… I was thinking about it.”

“Then we’re going to use it together. I’m not going to let you die alone.”

“It can’t kill people, it just…”

“The second brother, Cadmus Peverell disagrees. So does Potter. He may have come back, but he walked towards his death right after using it. And Dumbledore, whether he used it or not, his final plan hinged on him dying in the right hands.” She stands up, walks towards you, then wraps you into a hug. It lasts for a long, long time. When she speaks again, her voice is shaky and strained. “That’s three for three. And if you’re going to die, I’ll die with you. We’ll meet Taylor together, or not at all.”

You hold the stone as you hold her in your arms. It could be a coincidence, you think, that all three wielders of the stone had their own death in their minds right after using it. It could be they were all in terrible situations, that they were all desperate.

But, then again, to say you are of sane mind would be a stretch.

So it could be that it could make you want to kill yourself. Or maybe it could allow you to see your friend again. Maybe seeing Taylor would make you want to join him. That was the problem with Artifacts of Power. That was the problem with myths. They were rarely clear with the details.

> I won’t use it. Taylor wouldn’t want us to do it
> We’ll use it together, whatever may come
> It’s too powerful an artifact for us to have. We should return it to Potter.
> Other (Write in)

>>5831330
>Maybe in the future, when everything is over. But right now...we still have existence to save
We still have to work on like actually KILLING the Beast, right? Plus won't killing ourselves still release it, since we're still it's prison? Or did I read that wrong from last thread

>>5831330
>So it could be that it could make you want to kill yourself. Or maybe it could allow you to see your friend again. Maybe seeing Taylor would make you want to join him. That was the problem with Artifacts of Power. That was the problem with myths. They were rarely clear with the details.

>Other
There are other ways. There are always other ways. The apples from Avalon, water from Shanghai-la, the holy grail. This is an Artifact of Power, tied to death. We will find something else. We will get him back.
Try not to cry.

>>5831330
>Maybe in the future, when everything is over. But right now...we still have existence to save

>>5831330
>Maybe in the future, when everything is over. But right now...we still have existence to save
>Maybe there are other ways. There are always other ways. The apples from Avalon, water from Shanghai-la, the holy grail. This is an Artifact of Power, tied to death. We will find something else. We will get him back.
>Try not to cry.

>>5831330
>> I won’t use it. Taylor wouldn’t want us to do it
We're back!

>>5831330
> I won’t use it. Taylor wouldn’t want us to do it
Suffering Quest is back, nice

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>>5831330
>> I won’t use it. Taylor wouldn’t want us to do it
and
>>Maybe in the future, when everything is over. But right now...we still have existence to save
oh man, feels great to be back! im ready to panic over shitty rolls all over again!

>>5831432
the dice have been mostly good to us

>>5831433
not me, i tell you that...
i was the one with the shittiest rolls back then

>>5831436
Well you know what they say: new thread, new dice luck!
(they do not actually say that)
Maybe the fresh slate will turn everyone's luck around

>>5831451
for the sake of everyone, lets hope it does...

Also, because I forgot on the first post:

Archive: https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?tags=Disappearing%20Hogwarts

Character Sheets: https://pastebin.com/2LCnVtgj

Twitter: https://twitter.com/head_qm

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>>5831330
> I won’t use it. Taylor wouldn’t want us to do it\
We're too busy to die right now.

>>5831457
oh god i am dreading opening character sheets

>>5831457
>Lily
>dead

isn't she more then dead?

You hug her tightly and she holds on to you with the same strength, each taking strength in the other.

“I won’t use it,” you say. “When we see him again… And we will see him again… It will be flesh and blood. It will be real. I promise you.”

“Elliot…” She pulls back, looking you in the eyes. “He’s… He’s gone…”

“We can get him back. I don’t know how, but the old wizards, they could do so much! If they could-”

“They’re gone, Elliot. They’re gone! There’s no Atlantis! There’s no Thule! They’re just stories. Stories for children. Stories to make us forget that the world is terrifying. And those that aren’t stories are dead.“ She says, and there are tears and pain in her eyes. “And we can’t get them back, Elliot. We… we can’t get him back. We can’t pretend that we can.”

“We can, Raven. It’s just-”

“Linda… It’s Linda.”

“Linda… I… There must be a way. I know you don’t believe it, but we will. We’ll stand on the moon, and we’ll do it together. All three of us. Magic makes the impossible possible. We know it does. We know there are ways to fight death. Reversing it must be possible, too.”

“And if you’re wrong? If you spend your life seeking an impossible dream?”

“Then… Then maybe someone else will reach it. All it takes is one person succeeding. All it takes is one. I… I have to believe that.”

She hugs you again, burying her face on your neck.

“I… I miss him, Elliot. It’s been just a day and I miss him so much it hurts. I keep thinking about the things I should have done, the things I should have said, that I should have gone to the Astronomy tower with him more often. And I don’t want to think about it, because it hurts like a knife every time. But I don’t know… I don’t know if I want the pain to pass. I don’t know if I ever want it to get better. Because it’ll mean I love him less.”

“And I know it will,” she continues, her tears wetting your robes. “I know he was only my first love. I know I’ll find someone else, some day. But right now it just feels like there is this ball of hurt where he used to be, and it hurts if I look, but I can’t not look because not looking means I’m not with him and that hurts more, and- and…”

She breaks down crying and… so do you. The torment you held back, the things you forced yourself not to feel during your search for Merlin’s Last Light, the suffering you shut away, the hurt you didn’t think about for your own sake, it all comes pouring back, and this time you allow yourself to cry.

[Cont.]

>>5831811

You don’t know how long you and Linda spend in the room, trying to find the will to face the world again, but once the tears dry you feel… normal again. Saner. Sane-ish. Hogwarts moves on, Taylor’s disappearance barely a footnote on most people’s conversation. Everyone knows that nothing really bad happens at Hogwarts, not since Lord Voldemort at least, so everyone expects he’ll reappear in a few days with a hilarious story about how he’d slipped on the toilet and ended up in the chamber of secrets, or something like that.

It was odd, to know what they didn’t.

Your friend has died.

You accepted that. You felt it. You knew it would still take days or weeks or months for you to stop expecting him to be in the Ravenclaw dormitory, but the grief had found a path to flow through. It had found a path to begin to heal. The blockade of angst you’d formed inside yourself had broken and you had allowed yourself to wash over you.

You just wondered if the grief would fully heal before you found a way of getting him back.

Time moves on like normal, and your week is yours to create. Even with your Monday having been spent processing what happened and grieving, the rest of the week awaits you. Your only scheduled event this week is a Battle on Friday.

Pick two:

> Research the Fifth Founder
> Study your Potion books (+2 to Potions)
> Study with Linda (+2 to Muggle Studies)
> Study another subject (+1 to another subject)
> Other (Write in)

>>5831814
> Research the Fifth Founder
> Other (Write in)
> Research bringing the dead back to life without dying and with the dead having their facilities and being normal people and just give us Taylor back.

>>5831814
>a Battle on Friday.
ooh those are still a thing then? alrighty, i wasnt sure if those were coming back
>Research the Fifth Founder
> Other (Write in) i want to study alchemy, or whatever we can find about alchemy, thats what created the Philosopher´s stone, so in a way it would be:
>Study another subject (+1 to another subject)

>>5831814
> Research the Fifth Founder
> Study with Linda (+2 to Muggle Studies)

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>>5831814
> Research the Fifth Founder
>Research necromancy and notable necromancers
I doubt there are any books that teach necromancy even in the restricted section surely Hogswarts staff isn't THAT retarded but learning about what necromancy is and who it's most notable practitioners were might be useful. Lets get necromancing!

>>5831834
the time rewriting didn't touch their memories of being suspicious towards us or any of the other related shit

We also wanted to talk to Falere and the second year who replaced Lily. I'd think Elliot would want to take a break at least from last light things for now (though now that I think about it, Lily-related things might also not be pleasant)

>>5831875
it's unpleasant, but important so that we can learn more about anything that changed or that we now shouldn't know

>>5831834

>a Battle on Friday.
>ooh those are still a thing then? alrighty, i wasnt sure if those were coming back
I mean, you can always just say fuck it and say you no longer want to participate, but classes continue as normal. The battles are simply a way to hone your battling skills and increase your prestige in Hogwarts and with Potter.

>>5831875
> We also wanted to talk to Falere and the second year who replaced Lily

When it comes to knowing disparities between the new and the old reality, if it is something you were present for you can just ask. It is is something more detailed, for example seeking out the people who occupy the positions Lily used to, that would take an action of the week.

>>5831814
> Research the Fifth Founder
> Study your Potion books (+2 to Potions)

>>5831814
> Research the Fifth Founder
> Study your Potion books (+2 to Potions)
Wasn't there literally a potion that brought Voldemort back from the dead?
Granted, it was dark magic, while we're looking for ancient magic, but there is already some sort of basis for it on Potions, so we should probably resume our potions studies.
>>5831834
Tempting, but to be honest +1 to a subject seems a bit low to justify branching out. We're better off gaming the system by getting friends for the +2 bonus to their favorite subjects(e.g. Transfiguration for Apollo and Magical Creatures for Arty later on, hopefully).

>>5831895
Actually, this does make me want to ask something: when it comes to our "non-existence", did Falere take Lily's place when it comes to luring us to Potter? And consequently, does that mean she knows about our situation, and if so, how much?

>>5831976
it also used Harry's blood, so it's not possible unless we find a way around that, and he also technically wasn't dead

>>5831989
It didn't specifically need Harry's blood, just the blood of an enemy's. Though I'm not sure why I'm defending it, since the point I was trying to make was that if one method existed(even if Voldemort wasn't dead because his Horcruxes saved him) then it's not too much of a stretch to assume there lies another method, albeit more difficult/complicated.
Hell, maybe we can start with phoenixes as a lead, since they're capable of taking a Killing Curse and still coming back to life. Or if we go away from potions entirely, there is still the "Master of Death" thing that reuniting the Three Deathly Hallows has going for it. Though I'd assume no one but Harry has any idea where the Elder Wand is, so maybe that's something we leave on the shelf.

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>>5831814
> Research the Fifth Founder

> Study with Linda (+2 to Muggle Studies)

She probably needs a friend. Taylor dying made her change her whole ass name back. She even changed her make up back.

>>5831814
> Research the Fifth Founder
> Study with Linda (+2 to Muggle Studies)

>>5831814
> Research the Fifth Founder
> Study with Linda (+2 to Muggle Studies)
Friends are needed when your hurt. We are hurting rn.

>>5831983
> did Falere take Lily's place when it comes to luring us to Potter?

Interestingly enough, it was still a Weasley. Hugo, in this case, who asked to meet you saying there was a Gryffindor girl interested in you. Same thing for your meeting with the Minister. He was the one who was at the restaurant, though there you believe he was simply leading his mom to the right place.

>>5832013
>Though I'd assume no one but Harry has any idea where the Elder Wand is

You do know where the Elder Wand is. You overheard Potter tell Lily the wand was in Dumbledore’s hands, and when you connected with the repository you felt it there.

--

You and Ra- Linda… You and Linda go to the library, ignoring the comments towards her. No one knew what had made her decide to drop the makeup and the hair, and so people pointed and asked. But she ignored them. She followed you and you two poured over the books, searching for any mention of anyone that could be called the Fifth Founder.

In the magical world, there were only four people that carried the title of Founder, as basically the entire magical Britain as you knew it had been built atop their backs.

They were Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw and Salazar Slytherin. To mention a Fifth was akin to heresy. It was nonsense.

Courage, Loyalty, Curiosity and Ambition. To speak of a Fifth…

More than once you raise your eyes to ask Taylor something before remembering he wasn’t there. It's three hours into mind-boggling nonsense and nothing even close to anyone called a Fifth founder when Linda stands up.

“We’re being stupid,” she says, slamming her book closed. “We know who the Fifth is. We see him every damn day!”

“What? What are you talking about?”

“Accio ‘Hogwarts: A History’,” The book flew from a nearby shelf directly into her hands. “Follow me.”

She takes you out of the library and through the corridors of the castle. You thought she’d take you to some dark crevice or hidden secret but she goes down the stairs, through normal paths until you’re standing at the Entrance Hall. She stops by a large golden statue of a man with a long beard and fancy robes. In one hand he holds what looks to be a long scroll, and in the other what appears to be a small model of Hogwarts itself.

“The Architect of Hogwarts,” she says, reading the title of the shortest chapter in the entirety of the book. “The Architect of Hogwarts was a wizard who lived during the Middle Ages and planned, designed and oversaw the construction of buildings of Hogwarts Castle, along with Founder Rowena Ravenclaw, who devised the ever-changing floorplan. Very little is known about him, but there are rumors he may have been either the husband or the lover of Rowena. End of chapter.”

“Him?” You ask, confused. “He’s barely a footnote in history. No one even knows his name!”

[Cont.]

>>5832076

“He helped build Hogwarts, Elliot. If he could do that… I’m guessing he wasn’t too far behind the others. Do you really think he could plan all of this if he couldn’t see and use some of that ancient magic you saw?”

“If he’s really the Fifth founder… We’re fucked, R-Linda. I looked into him before, in my first year when I was trying to absorb everything I could about Hogwarts and the magical world. But there’s nothing about him. There’s Hogwarts: A History and the three books it references, and that’s it. There’s so little about him that there aren’t even wild stories about him because you can’t make stories about someone whose name you don’t know. The guy’s a ghost. Less than a ghost.”

“That’s our only lead,” she says. “Unless you really think there’s a mystery fifth house hidden from everybody, but I think that one has been disproven about twenty times in the last three centuries. Though I figure you can always put on the Sorting Hat and ask him, like in the last five times.”

“Don’t try me, I’m sure I could convince Potter if I tried hard enough. But there’s another option. When I was down there, when I touched the repository, I felt the whole school. Every hidden passage. A lot has faded already, but I remember seeing a hidden library. Behind one of the burnt portraits.”

“Down there?” She asks.

“Yeah. Not all the way to the end, before even the cave with the goblins but… Yeah. Down there. I assume if there’s anywhere that can have incredibly secret information we can’t find anywhere else… it’s there.”

She looks down and away from you, but doesn’t protest.

--

The rest of your free time you spend with Linda. She needs you and you need her. As the week passes, the school starts to realize Taylor’s disappearance is taking too long to be resolved, and the well-wishers come around. You stay together and you study together, pulling each other up when neither of you want to face the day, trying to pretend you know as much about Taylor’s whereabouts as they do.

> +2 to Muggle Studies. New Total: +4

Potter calls you and Linda into his office on Friday morning.

“Elliot. Linda. I know I’ve already spoken with you about Taylor,” he says. In the original timeline, he hadn’t. In the new one, he had asked you about it on the night he’d disappeared. “But it has been five days now and there is no trace of him. Are you two sure you know nothing about it? That he never said anything? Any new or strange friends or anything like that? Anything at all that could help us?”

Linda looks at you. You’ve told her again and again the consequences of telling Potter anything. And she awaits your cue. The problem is, you’re not sure if those consequences still apply.

[Cont.]

>>5832077

“Don’t trust Potter,” Faith says in your head. “I can’t see the future, not anymore with all the threads of fate so jumbled up together, but I don’t think the danger he posed is gone.”

“You can talk to me when I’m awake now?” You ask.

“Not all the time. Once every few days, at most. Our connection is strong enough for that. But that is not important. What is important is that he’s still a danger.”

“You don’t know that,” you think back. “Not anymore. He could help us. His allies could help us.”

“Or kill us. If the problem with him reaching Last Light was him gaining the power stored within… I have no doubt that the power of the Fifth Founder will be an even bigger threat.”

“He doesn’t have Lily to grieve over anymore.”

“And you’re sure that if he somehow interacts with ancient magic, that he won’t remember her? We were shielded from the immediate effects of Lily’s death because of it, so what is to say it can’t revert them?”

That… Wasn’t impossible.

“What do you know?” You ask. “”Not what you think you know, what do you objectively know about Potter ending the world?”

“Only what I told you,” she says. “There were three kinds of future I could see. The ones where neither you nor him knew about Last Light. In those, the voices from the future simply ended abruptly. There were those where you knew about it and he didn’t. Some of those led to where we are right now. And then there were those where he knew about it. And in every single one of those I heard an endless ocean of pain for a long, long, long time, and then complete silence. Not a single thread of the future where he knew about it led to safety. Not one. That is what I know.”

“Are you willing to bet the future on him having changed?” She asks.

> Tell him everything
> Tell him you don’t know anything
> Tell him something else (Write in)

>>5832078
> Tell him you don’t know anything

>>5832078
This might actually be a good way to tie Linda's little slip at the end of the last thread together, now that I think about it.
She said something along the lines of "the two of them are gone", and I believe Potter heard that. Perhaps we can use that somehow and get them off our backs for now?
I was thinking of using it to tell them about the demon, but say there was two of them, but I think it might be too late for us to use that now.

>>5832076
Oh right, that's incredibly convenient actually. So Master of Death Elliot is on the table, but would be pretty difficult to do, for potentially no gains.
Though Hugo being the one to invite us out is...interesting. I'm assuming we found the bugs and removed them on our own, but if that's the case does that mean we now know all the spells "Lily" used to detect and remove them beforehand?

>>5832078
> Tell him you don’t know anything

>>5832078
> Tell him you don’t know anything

>>5832078
>Tell him you don’t know anything
if Faith is correct about this, then Potter as an option is an automatic no

>>5832085
Okay I can't actually think of a way to tie it in, so here's my vote:
> Tell him you don’t know anything
I would like to phrase it as Taylor not having said anything(which is the truth) though, but if that requires a separate vote just count it as:
> Tell him Taylor didn't say anything that could possibly help find him.

>>5832078
> Tell him something else (Write in)
Timey wimey wibbly wobbly bullshit. Fuck it. We make our own fate.

>Sir, it's a complex situation, and I don't how much I can or am allowed to explain. But it has something to do with why you were crying last time I saw you. Someone else that's disappeared. Do you want to know more?
Put the ball to Potter and see if he wants to go that way. We subtly push him to realise that something's afoot without us explaining it directly ourselves. And, if he wants to know more, we use the Resurrection stone to show him Lily, or what's left of her, to get him to realise that shit is indeed really fucked up.

So if the conditional is him knowing about the last light and the unimaginable power, and even Faith can't see the future clearly anymore, that suggests we have some wiggle room. Things obviously have changed, even if time has tried to fix it as much as possible, and there's a lot of stuff between telling him about the secret complex underneath hogwarts with UNLIMITED POWER and everything else that's happened in-between, like the resurrection stone.

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>>5832078
> Tell him you don’t know anything

We have got this far by trusting the Mind Lady. Potter can't access the repository of ancient magic any longer but he could still fuck with us.

Also guys, what is our next immediate goal? Like finding an ancient civilization and bringing Taylor back is an end goal but what about before then? We know Cocksucker is still alive so hunting him down is probably part of it.

>>5832078
>>5832182
>Sir, it's a complex situation, and I don't how much I can or am allowed to explain. But it has something to do with why you were crying last time I saw you. Someone else that's disappeared. Do you want to know more?
She got Taylor killed. So I'm ok with going against her wishes a little bit.

>>5832313
Immediate goal is totally 'get Taylor back and fall into pit of depression and obsession'. Immediate goal that will not fuck us is totally hunting down that cocksucker.

>>5832182
+1

>>5832182
Bad idea. Very bad idea. That gets Potter actively motivated to decipher our stuff if he finds out about Lily. It doesn't matter if we only tell him about her, since as soon as he finds out about her he'll demand we tell him everything we know and read our mind if we don't, which means he knows everything anyway.

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>>5832081
>>5832088
>>5832090
>>5832095
>>5832100

> Tell him you don’t know anything

Very well, writing. Also, the image of the Architect of Hogwarts, which I forgot to post.

You'd really think a figure that helped literally build Hogwarts would have a wiki entry that is longer than two paragraphs, or have received any mention in the books, right? But no. Two paragraphs in the wiki from a random interview, that's all this fundamentally important character in the ancient lore of the world gets.

>>5832182
if we tell him anything that lets him know it's connected, we're fucked, since he didn't forget anything about it that he already knew

>>5832085

>Though Hugo being the one to invite us out is...interesting. I'm assuming we found the bugs and removed them on our own, but if that's the case does that mean we now know all the spells "Lily" used to detect and remove them beforehand?

After a harmless trip in Hogsmeade, you returned to Hogwarts, where the school’s enchantments expelled them from your body.

--

You shake your head.

“I’m sorry, sir. I want him back as much as you, but… I don’t know where he is. If I did, I’d tell you. Have the wards of Hogwarts shown you anything?”

“No. His records are in place, he didn’t vanish from them like you did. But that is not to say what happened to you and what happened to him are not related. In fact, I suspect very much they are.” He sighs, turning to look out the window, watching the fields of Hogwarts. “The Minister wants me to send you to the Unspeakables.”

“What!?”

“She says you’re a danger to the school. She knows something is going on with you, though I’m unsure how much she knows. Now your best friend disappears under mysterious circumstances… She thinks I know what is going on and that I’m not telling her because it would put you in harm's way. In a way, she is at least partially correct.”

“What… What exactly does she want to do with me?”

“Who knows? The methods of the Unspeakables are unknown even to me. I am using all my influence to stop her, Elliot, to convince her that to do so would be a crime which I would not allow to pass. But even my influence has limits. If things get worse… Have you two finished the preparation steps of your Occlumency training?”

It hadn’t been too difficult for you. A human mind, you book had said, was only exposed to a Legilimens along certain surfaces. If you failed to defend your surfaces, the Legilimens would go through and be able to access any part of you which their own mind was able to comprehend… Which wasn’t too much, as human minds were hard for humans to understand on any level but the shallowest.

For Occlumency, then, the first step was to imagine yourself to be a different person, immersing yourself thoroughly in your alternate persona. The Legimilens would try to read you, but you’d instead supply them with your fake self instead. If you were good at doing that, you could simply pretend to be a rock, or something equally stupid, and have a perfectly good Occlumency barrier which you could learn how to maintain as a background habit.

Or, if you were really, really good at that, you could instead be a perfect Occlumens, racing ahead of the Legimilancy probes, answering the questions it asked as fast as they came, so that your attacker would see a mind indistinguishable from whoever you were pretending to be. As such, even the most skilled Legilimens in the world could be sure he wasn’t being fooled.

In terms of mental attack or defense, defense had won so definitely it wasn’t even fair.

[Cont.]

>>5832516

“I’m… I’m pretty sure I’m done.”

“Me too.”

“Good. Your tutor will meet you in Hogsmeade on the weekends. He has made an Unbreakable Vow to reveal nothing, and will be Obliviated after every session. Do bear in mind this is an extremely expensive service, which I would not be personally paying for it did I not believe this to be of the highest importance.” He says, serious. “You told me I am not to know the things you know. If that is true, then you will need to hide it from others, too. You two will learn it, and if you have allies to whom you have trusted this secret information, so will they, so inform me if more people require these services.”

“If there is a crisis to come and if you are to be a part of it, you will need allies, I’m sure.” He gives a short, mirthless laugh. “Even Voldemort took three teenagers to beat, after all.”

--

You fought in the forest. You fought in the unknown heights of the castle. You fought in the known heights of the castle. Now, a few hours before the battle started, you had all been informed of your new battlefield.

Sixteen brooms and sixteen Potions of Slowfalling had been delivered to the Raider’s room. You’d be fighting in the air.

“I fucking hate Potter,” Amalia says.

“You should have anticipated this to come sooner or later, my lady,” Elend says.

She takes a moment to fall back into character.

“Why? Why should we bother learning how to skirmish atop what is fundamentally a mere line segment? If you’re in the air, you can just aparate away!”

“Except in the presence of anti-Apparition jinxes, such as in assaulting an enemy fort,” Talon adds. “We are still unsure of the actual nature of the battle, are we not?”

“Indeed,” you say. “ We’re even unsure if the other teams will also be flying.”

“The Lions will,” Elend says. “I overheard Hugo talking about it because he’s a prat who can’t keep his mouth shut. Or something like that, but sounding more posh.”

You issue some orders, but you still have another issue to solve.

Namely, you’re one lieutenant short.

“We could split his soldiers on the other teams,” Elend says. “Or have you command them personally.”

“Or we could promote someone and have them lead a smaller team,” Talon agrees. “We’re only fifteen people now, at least until they find Taylor.”

> Command Taylor’s old squad personally
> Redistribute them among the other teams
> Promote someone from Taylor’s team to Lieutenant
> Other (Write in)

Also, what will you prepare for this battle?

> Girding Potion, (endurance)
> Edurus Potion, (rocky skin)
> Shrinking Solution
> Erumpent Potion (explosion)
> Garroting Gas (choking)
> Alchemist’s Flashbang
> Other (Write in. Non-cannon, made up potions with reasonable effects are allowed)

>>5832521
>Command Taylor’s old squad personally
maybe we could give them a small inspiring speach? something to raise their morale, we are a commander afterall, maybe using Taylor´s absence could be a nice source of inspiration
>Edurus Potion, (rocky skin)
i feel this is gonna be the best option to tank hints since we wont be having much to protect ourselfs in the air

>>5832521
> Command Taylor’s old squad personally
> Edurus Potion, (rocky skin)

>>5832521
> Command Taylor’s old squad personally

> Shrinking Solution
Oh god, aerial combat. Apollo's going to fucking beam us all.

>>5832557
we don't know for sure how good Apollo is at flying, don't think his wizard birth defects affect it though
would be easier to dodge in open air than in confined spaces like before though

>>5832642
He was keeping up with us during the first battle while also casting at us. Apollo is accurate as well as powerful so I'm more worried about how much cover we'll have to hide behind once he starts blasting. I think the shrinking solution is a better choice, it'll make dodging a lot easier.

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>>5832521

So if we are going to confide in Arty and or Apollo, we need to at least get them to read the Occlumency manual we have. If we are being protected by Potter, that is great but technically both of them are wards of the state. The wizard gov't probably has more power over them.

>>5832521

So do we just have to fight with one person missing? Cause it is a bit messed up if we are down a guy. Like did we not have a couple of back up fighters? Regardless:

> Command Taylor’s old squad personally
> Girding Potion, (endurance)

Having rocky skin won't help if we get swatted off our broom.

>>5832521
> Promote someone from Taylor’s team to Lieutenant
We work better as a big picture boss, I think.

> Shrinking Solution

Smaller targets are harder to hit in the air, without a scattergun or the like. Just ask the PLA. Damn sparrows!

>>5832663
That is true, but at this point our options are rather low. You could argue that we can get our generals in on things but at this point it might take too long for us to verify if they'll blab about it or not, and anyone else would take even longer for us to even build a rapport with them. The key here is speed, since we need to find out all we can about our next steps before Cocksucker resurfaces.
Normally I'd advocate to tell all of them + Arty and Apollo but I think that has a high chance of information leaking like Faith said it would if too many people knew.
>>5832557
+1

>>5832657
we're going to be in the sky, doubt there will be much of any cover to begin with

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60 KB JPG

>>5832667
So an issue with the shrinking potion is that sure, it makes YOU smaller. Does not affect the broom. So we turn our self into a Ken doll but we still have to maneuver a full sized broom.

>>5832668
I think we are going to have to tell Arty at some point what we are involved in. Its not fair to her if we are doing shit that can either get us killed or black bagged if we intend on deep dicking her. I can say from experience, girls do not like it when you leave them out of the loop, even if you have good intentions.

While I like Talon, Amalia, and Elend, I do not think telling our lieutenants about this stuff is ideal.

It seems
>Command Taylor’s old squad personally
wins, but on the potion there's a tie, so I'll wait a little more on that.

>Edurus Potion, (rocky skin)
>>5832539
>>5832550

> Shrinking Solution
>>5832557
>>5832667

> Girding Potion, (endurance)
>>5832663

Also, another question for you to discuss: How does Elliot handle the scars covering his left arm? As far as everyone else is concerned, it is how he's always dealt with it.

> He's always worn a black glove just on his left hand. Only some of the faculty knows he has scars, while the other students think it's just a part of his weirdness
> He doesn't hide it, it is well known he's had an accident as a child which scarred him.
> Other students know about it, but he still wears a glove
> Other (Write in)

>>5832697
> He doesn't hide it, it is well known he's had an accident as a child which scarred him.
First one is tempting for me though since wearing a glove sounds cool (and it not affecting too much could be useful).

Also I think you missed a vote here QM >>5832668 (to be fair it's easy to gloss over since it's a +1 without replying to the update).

>>5832697
>He's always worn a black glove just on his left hand. Only some of the faculty knows he has scars, while the other students think it's just a part of his weirdness
i like this not only because it can give us a small disctintive touch, but could also have possible tactical advante by hiding stuff in it or enchanting it for protection or something like that.

>>5832697
>>5832705
Actually yeah on second thought I like
> He's always worn a black glove just on his left hand. Only some of the faculty knows he has scars, while the other students think it's just a part of his weirdness
more

>>5832406
More room for you to cook!

>>5832697
> He's always worn a black glove just on his left hand. Only some of the faculty knows he has scars, while the other students think it's just a part of his weirdness
We're so chuuni.

File: 1684735233946635.png (1.83 MB, 1897x1728)

1.83 MB PNG

>>5832697
>> He's always worn a black glove just on his left hand. Only some of the faculty knows he has scars, while the other students think it's just a part of his weirdness

Mom and dad just had him wear like a jacket or maybe a long tee shirt before he started wearing robes. The weird glove is probably why Raven talked to him for the 1st time. We were chunni before being chunni was cool.

Mom and dad buy him a new one every year; his favorite is a lamb-skin driving glove. It shows a bit of the top of his hand but it is thin and well made.

So in this timeline, how do you think we got our scars? Accidental use of magic? Fucking around in the wood shop dad has in the back? Cursed by a dark wizard when we are on vacation with our parents?

>>5832705
Ah, indeed I did miss it. Thanks for the heads up. Shrinking potion it is.

--

You and all your fighters are in the air, high, high in the air. A kilometer higher than Hogwarts highest tower, in fact. A fall from this height would be fatal ten times over.

All of you are perfectly safe having drunk the Slowfall potions, of course. The fact that no one had bothered to inform your nervous system who was gripping your broom with both hands so hard it hurt was irrelevant.

“I. Fucking. Hate. Potter!” Amalia shouts over the wind. She is shaking from head to toe, practically hugging her broom.

“Oh, come on, it’s not that bad!” Elend says, not even bothering to even hold his broom. “We’ve had flying classes since first year!”

“Elend, please shut the fuck up,” Talon says, looking only slightly queasy. “Not all of us are members of the Quidditch team.”

The only people who don’t seem bothered by the ridiculous heights are, in fact, those that played Quidditch regularly. The rest of you, the ones who treated flying classes as a muggle would treat gym class, are very much not enjoying the experience.

Surrounding a huge area of the now darkening skies are hundreds of small luminous green dots, demarcating the arena, and even with a broom it would take anyone at least a couple of minutes to cross the whole thing in a broom. With the quickly fading light of the sun, you can see the other three armies from where you are, and they seem to be having as much fun with it as you.

Right in between all of you, there is a strange glowing sphere the size of Quaffle, floating mid air.

“Hello everyone!” Echoes Harry’s voice through the air reaching all your ears with perfect clarity. “I hope you’re all enjoying the view! The idea of today’s battle is simple. Quite often you have to infiltrate somewhere that is protected by anti-apparition magic, grab something, then leave. Quite often, the leaving part goes awry and you are forced to do a mad dash, flying away from your enemies. This is what will be happening today.”

“Not every battle is about strength of arms, and as such your goal today is not to eliminate the other teams. Your goal is to take the glowing Quaffle in the middle of the arena and take it outside of the area demarcated by the glowing points of light. Once it is touched by someone, gravity will start acting on it and it will fall normally. If it falls off the arena without anyone being in possession of it, you all lose. In this battle, and only in this battle, feel free to cast any spells you wish on anyone flying. They will be secured by the potions you drank earlier.”

[Cont.]

>>5832845

“This just sounds like something made for people who play Quidditch!” You hear Brighton’s voice, amplified so everyone could hear it. “That’s bullshit!”

“Why, yes, Brighton. Some battles require skills that some commanders do not possess, very well observed. That’s what makes them interesting.” You can hear the smirk in Potter’s voice, knowing full well both he, his wife and their entire family tree is composed of flying prodigies. “The battle will begin when the sun sets and I sound the gong. Good luck.”

“Right,” you shout to your team. “Any ideas?”

“How about we give up and go home!?” Amalia screams. “That sounds like a fantastic idea to me!”

“Come on people! This is going to be a short one, but we need a plan.”

“Sorry, boss. I’m trying to think but there is a voice screaming in horror inside my brain who isn’t really letting me come up with any ideas,” Talon says somewhere below you where you’re doing your best to not look at.

“Right. Linda?”

You look at your friend but she doesn’t answer. She’s looking up, up at the stars that are showing up. Your heart tightens in your chest, but this is not the time to miss Taylor.

“Elend?”

“We can’t wait to see what happens,” he says, ready. “If we wait here and someone takes the glowing Quaffle and darts in the opposite direction, there’s no way we’re catching up. We need to be there, take it and bolt as fast as we can. Everyone focuses on protecting the person with the Quaffle no matter what, even if it means taking a hit.”

“But we could surround them,” you say. “Spread everyone around the main conflict, try to pick on anyone who’s trying to get away.”

“Could be,” he says. “But remember, the goal is to get out. This means that when one person moves closer to the border, everyone moves closer to the border. We can take the Quaffle a meter away from those glowing lights, lose it and have another team win. If we want to avoid that, then we need to focus on dropping everyone in our sights, and spreading out our team isn’t the way to do that.”

> Everyone protects the person with the Quaffle, even if it means losing a soldier
> Surround and wait for stragglers
> Focus on eliminating everyone, regardless of the Quaffle
> Other (Write in)

>>5832847
>> Everyone protects the person with the Quaffle, even if it means losing a soldier

>>5832847
> Everyone protects the person with the Quaffle, even if it means losing a soldier

>>5832847
> Everyone protects the person with the Quaffle, even if it means losing a soldier
How potent is the shrinking solution anyways? Would it still work if we rationed it out to our team to make them harder targets?

>>5832697
> He's always worn a black glove just on his left hand. Only some of the faculty knows he has scars, while the other students think it's just a part of his weirdness
I'm gonna throw my vote in with the Chuunis

>>5832847
> Everyone protects the person with the Quaffle, even if it means losing a soldier
Does anyone know Reducio? If we grab the quaffle, shrink the carry and AND quaffle down, hide the person with the quaffle in one of our robes, and scatter... It'll be tough for our enemies to even know WHo to target!

>>5832753
>Mom and dad buy him a new one every year; his favorite is a lamb-skin driving glove. It shows a bit of the top of his hand but it is thin and well made.
Rock fall when trying to get into Merlin's cave, or somewhere else suitably ancient and mystical.

>>5832847
>Everyone protects the person with the Quaffle, even if it means losing a soldier
this should be an "In and Out" type of deal, if we are lucky enough, this one should be short and easy...
...its never short and easy

“You betting that Quaffle can’t be accio’d?” Talon asks, having decided to simply stare directly forwards instead of down.

“Yep. Would make it too easy if we could just summon it from here.”

“Shame.”

“Elend, I know shit about Quidditch. Do they have anyone we need to worry about?”

“Brighton and Apollo never set foot on the field, but Hugo is good. Don’t know why he never made it into Gryffindor’s team. The ones you need to look out for are Chasers. They know how to handle Quaffles and pass them to each other. Seekers are small and fast, but they’re not used to being the center of attention when inside the field. Now it’s obvious Potter gave each team at least one Chaser on purpose.”

“Everyone who plays Quidditch or knows enough about the game to recognize the players, focus on those familiar faces and try to take them out!” You shout to your army. “Once we get the Quaffle, that person becomes the single most important thing out there. You protect them with your life! Now, ready up!”

All five squads tense up as the sun dips below the horizon. Your three soldiers stand behind you at the ready. A gong echoes through the air and all four armies dart forward towards the Quaffle.

It’s easy to see who’s on the Quidditch teams and who isn’t. Namely, they’re at the front of their packs, flying forwards towards the Quaffle in fromper form instead of fumbling around with their broom holding on for their lives. The wind wails in your ears as your knuckles grow white from how hard they’re gripping both the broom and your wand.

As soon as the three other armies are in range, spells start flying, but they’re far and go wide. Yet the gap between you shrinks and soon three of the armies clash in the middle of the field, and you see several soldiers collide with each other, some getting thrown off their brooms and falling down harmlessly into the void below. Weasley’s army pulls back at the last second, however, instead focusing on firing at the mess of soldiers in front of them, taking down as many enemies as they possibly can.

You pull back, trying to see in the mess that the battle quickly transformed into, when suddenly a form bolts out of the swirling mass of students, a single soldier flying away with a glowing ball under its arm.

“He has the Quaffle!” Someone screams, and the entire swarm turns and flies towards the single Claw soldier who is booking towards the edge of the arena.

> Roll a d100+12 (+22 from Battle Rolls, -10 from being in the air untrained). Best of 3 vs Brighton, Apollo and Hugo.

Rolled 66 + 12 (1d100 + 12)

>>5833480

Rolled 25 + 12 (1d100 + 12)

>>5833480

>>5833480
please dice, be nice to me

Rolled 24 + 12 (1d100 + 12)

>>5833510
>forgot to roll
oh boy, not a god sign

Rolled 66, 66, 93 + 10 = 235 (3d100 + 10)

>>5833493
>>5833505
>>5833511

Your roll:
82 37 36

Right. Rolling for Brighton (+15 from Battle Class, -5 from being the one being chased)

Rolled 59, 38, 62 + 15 = 174 (3d100 + 15)

>>5833527

Brighton's Roll:
76 76 103

Rolling for Weasley (+10 from Battle Class, +5 from his Flying skills)

Rolled 14, 11, 96 = 121 (3d100)

>>5833529

Weasley's roll:
74 53 77

Fucking Merlin, Weasley. The dice really don't like you a lot.

Now rolling for Apollo (+0, as he's currently trying his best not to throw up)

>>5833531
>apollo got fucked
have we found his one weakness?!

>>5833531
even in the new world the dice still hate him, lmao

>>5833531
I'm guessing he's utterly failing in the "not throwing up" department

>We suck
>Weasley is mid
>Apollo sucks
GG Brighton

Brighton and his soldiers immediately fly off, chasing their man with the Quaffle to protect him while the rest of the armies try to reorient themselves. Apollo is currently fallen over his broom, not stunned but emptying his stomach contents into the thankfully empty air below him, yet he’s apparently learned how to trust his army more to the point where one of his lieutenants shouts, points, and immediately leads a charge towards the departing forces.

While Elend and Talon fly off in the same direction, you take your team of three and fly in a wider curve, avoiding the mob of brooms swarming towards the glowing quaffle like moths to a flame, trying to get a good angle to fire while Amalia and Raven stay behind, fighting what remained of the other forces.

Weasley, with his incredible luck, apparently had chosen exactly the wrong side of the fight to wait on, and is now having to fight against the combined halves of the three other armies to make his way through to the Quaffle.

It is an incredible sight to see, thirty robed figures crossing the air against starlight, multicolored bolts flying in every direction, adrenaline overriding fear, making the soldiers ignore the distance between them and the ground, making them force their brooms to their limits to catch the head flier.

But the problem with battling while flying is that it is much, much harder to aim when you are the one in the front. The claws are doing what they could to defend, but they have zero angle for attack, while all their chasers see is an ocean of asses to fire their spells on. Unfortunately for them, however, Longbottom either spent a long time training avoidance maneuvers in the air or their tailwind is making it hard for the other armies to aim, as the Claws refuse to go down, until-

“Bombarda!”

A stray spell gets past all of Brighton’s men and hits the boy with the Quaffle in the back of the broom, exploding the wood into a million splinters. But the boy spins mid-air and tosses the ball towards one of his compatriots before plummeting to the floor (and slowing back down once outside the arena). One of the Claws catches it in mid air, their advance barely halted as they fly towards the horizon.

“Carpe Retractum!” You shout, and your spell hits the broom of a girl from another army in front of you, pulling you forwards, faster than your broomstick can go normally. Of course, with the girl being simply mounted atop the moving broom and inertia being a bitch, she shoots forwards into the void with a horrified scream of absolute terror as the broom is ripped out from under her.

> Carpe Retractum your way through the brooms until you catch up to Brighton
> Try to join forces with one of the other armies
> Other (Write in)

File: 1692567860124120.gif (3.38 MB, 700x285)

3.38 MB GIF

>>5833800
>Of course, with the girl being simply mounted atop the moving broom and inertia being a bitch, she shoots forwards into the void with a horrified scream of absolute terror as the broom is ripped out from under her.

>>5833800
> Try to join forces with one of the other armies
I don't know anything about magic broomsticks. If anyone has any good ideas I'll probably switch to supporting that.

>>5833800
>> Carpe Retractum your way through the brooms until you catch up to Brighton

>>5833800
>Other (Write in)
>Get a quidditch player who can cast a full patronus to fly ahead as a spotter
>then have everyone else artillery fire the claws with bombarda (like a mortar)
>have the spotter tell us how close we got and where to shoot next
Battleship. Or battlebroom, I guess.

>>5833903
Ha! I like it. Supporting.

>>5833800
I'm >>5832930 on mobile.

>>5833800
>Carpe Retractum your way through the brooms until you catch up to Brighton

> Carpe Retractum your way through the brooms until you catch up to Brighton
>>5833893
>>5833968

> Patronus and Bombarda
>>5833903
>>5833905

> Try to join forces with one of the other armies
>>5833873


Rolling a d2 to decide between option 1 or 2

Rolled 2 (1d2)

>>5834622
If only I could roll properly

Fucking hell this battle is difficult to write. Don’t know why it’s so much more painful to come out than the others.

--

You swerve to join in with the rest of your army, swooping by Talon who’s doing his best to keep up with the other fliers.

“Talon! We need to stop them!” You shout over the wind.

“Any ideas?”

“Your patronus is a lion, right? Tell Elend to fly low, then send that bastard up front a message!”

Talon looks confused for a moment, before nodding and turning to his team. “Cover me while I cast! Expecto Patronum!”

You keep flying forward and hear as the great lion of silver light leaps from his wand, then disappears, appearing by Elend for a few seconds. Several meters in front of the pack of brooms, it reappears once more, a roaring beast made of light jumping towards the flier with the Quaffle, who screams horrified and raises his arms to protect his face, throwing the ball over his shoulder before passing through it harmlessly.

“Now!” You shout to your squad. “Bombarda!”

Four explosions rock the skies, sending the Quaffle and the fliers tumbling over as they scramble to grab it, the blasts sending it flying away from their grips, down where Elend’s team is waiting. The Gryffindor batter dives down, catching it mid-air before shoving it under his arm, doing a twirl and flying in the opposite direction and downwards, making headway as the other teams realize what just happened.

“Incarcerous!”

Thick ropes come flying in Elend’s direction and one of his soldiers throws herself into it, being immediately bound and thrown off her broom. Weasley, who had finally managed to get off the scuffle in the center of the arena, is whooshing in hot with a handful of his own soldiers in tow, slinging spells with fury as Elend pushes his broom downwards, going down towards the ground in almost a straight line.

You follow him, too far behind to make it, but just in the right height to slam against Hugo with all your strength, nearly toppling him from his broom. He fires a stunner at you, which you block before sending another one back and diving.

> Roll a d100+12 (+22 from Battle Rolls, -10 from being in the air untrained). Best of 3 vs Brighton, Apollo and Hugo.

Rolled 20 + 12 (1d100 + 12)

>>5834672
I forget if we still have our stored super effective battle roll or not.

Rolled 33 + 12 (1d100 + 12)

>>5834672

>>5834675
You already used it last battle and didn't study Muggle War Strategy with Linda after that, so not this time.

>>5834672
Rolling.

>>5834684
I thought our two actions were learning about the Fifth Founder AND studying with Linda?

Rolled 89 + 12 (1d100 + 12)

>>5834725
I said ROLLING, 4chan!

>>5834725
QM ended up differentiating between studying Muggle War Strategy and doing Muggle Studies with Linda. One gives the replacement roll, one has a +2 to Muggle Studies.

>>5834751
Ah, fair. Must have missed or forgotten that.

Rolled 80, 55, 50, 40, 1, 65, 94, 28, 74 = 487 (9d100)

>>5834751
Indeed. I didn't include the "Study War Strategy" option in the last weekly choice as Raven/Linda wouldn't really be up to studying more death and destruction so soon.

Rolling for Brighton (+12), Weasley (+15) and Apollo (+0) in order.

>>5834877
Common weasley L.

>>5834877
>a fucking ONE
holy shit weasley is fucked lmao

>>5834877
> a fucking 1

Jesus christ, Weasley can't catch a fucking break, can he?

Elliot: 32 45 101
Brighton: 92 67 62
Weasley: 45 1 80
Apollo: 94 28 74

>>5834888
Looks like a relative tie except Weasley definitely eating shit, with us having the highest single roll but brighton having the most consistency and the highest TOTAL.

>>5834877
I come and check on the quest and Weasley rolls a fucking 1. This one fucking ginger cunt just can't get a win.

>>5834877
> I didn't include the "Study War Strategy" option in the last weekly choice as Raven/Linda wouldn't really be up to studying more death and destruction so soon.

Makes sense. :( Poor Linda.

Both you and Weasley dive at the same time, pushing your brooms to the limits of their acceleration, diving faster than gravity to try to reach Elend, the wind blowing so hard it is difficult to breathe much less aim a wand. You push your hand against your chest, using it as leverage to point and cast, but all your stunners go wide at such impossible speeds. You need something in an area, whatever minimum effect you can get that doesn’t need to be precise, just a general cast-

“Arresto Momentum!” You shout and Hugo comes to a full stop, his broom whooshing downwards without him as he gives you an outraged glare of utter hate before being hit by five different stunners.

You turn your attention back to Elend, scanning the skies searching for his glow, only to see your troops swarmed by Fours. Apollo is nowhere to be seen, probably stunned long ago, but his army is fighting a good fight, blocking any attempts from your army to move forward while fighting off Brighton’s moves on the other side.

Suddenly, as if a switch had been flicked, a torrential rain starts pouring over what appears to be a fifty foot area centered directly on the main scuffle. You hear a shout of triumph and look back just in time to see Brighton toss away a can with the label “Weasley's Wet Weather” on it and fly directly into the localized storm. You groan and dive along with them.

It soon becomes apparent that fighting on a broom, at night, in the middle of a storm, is an even bigger clusterfuck than any of the armies were ready for. In an instant it becomes impossible to see who’s an ally and who isn’t, everyone being reduced to sopping wet blobs of spell-slinging fury.

Except for whoever is the poor bastard who’s currently holding the Quaffle, who becomes the only reasonable target. They try dodging, but a spell hits them in the chest and someone else picks it up, someone who could, as far as everyone is concerned, be of any of the three remaining armies. Seven different stunners from all armies fly at them, then ten at the next idiot who grabs it, then the next, as everyone is simply trying to survive and be the one to get the damn ball out of the arena, the end just a few dozen meters away.

It could be anyone’s game at this point.

> Final roll for the battle (all 3 remaining armies are tied for points)
> Roll a d100+12, Best of 3 versus Brighton and Apollo

Rolled 30 + 12 (1d100 + 12)

>>5835111
GLORY

Rolled 13 + 12 (1d100 + 12)

>>5835111
Petition to use the potion on the quaffle as soon as we get a hold of it, to make it that much harder for anyone else to get it and to let us store it in our robes.

>>5835158
this, the robes should block the glow enough for it to be inisible under the covver of Brighton's rain

>>5835158
Actually, small alteration to that suggestion. Hand the potion off to the person on our team most experienced with flying/quidditch, and have THEM do that. I'm not THAT confident in our own flying and sleight of hand.

Rolled 69 + 12 (1d100 + 12)

>>5835165
Supporting this plan.

>>5835111
Rolling!

>>5835181
Now is not the time for a wardrobe malfunction...

Rolled 76 + 12 (1d100 + 12)

>>5835111
dammit, i think i rolled to late

Rolled 77, 95, 64, 12, 38, 43 = 329 (6d100)

>>5835113
>>5835158
>>5835181

It wouldn't work on the Quaffle as you're meant to drink the potion, but the rider could use it to make himself a smaller target, so let us add a +5 to the bonus of the roll, which would make it

47 30 86

Very well, rolling for Brighton (+12) and Apollo (+0)

>>5835190
Damn, Brighton's on a fucking roll today. Piece of shit.

>>5835190
Is the quaffle immune to Reducio?

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14 KB JPG

>>5835190
Well, good game everyone. I think Brighton’s got this in the bag. Unless we get one bonus round of combat?

at least Brighton worked for this win instead of pulling something like the mandrake shit again

The darkness around you is making it impossible to make any plans, reducing the battle to simple and utter chaos. So you close your eyes, raise your wand and cast a spell you were not supposed to know, because the person you’d seen use had been erased from time.

“Lumos Solem!”

A blinding flash of light explodes out of your wand, lighting the darkness and blinding everyone around you. The brief remnants of the spell lets you see the battlefield of people blinking hard and rubbing their eyes, trying to find themselves while half blind, the person with the Quaffle blindly flying forwards in a random direction, the wrong direction. Then the exhaustion crashes on you as you feel your body sway on top of your broom.

Now you know why this spell isn’t usually taught to students. It’s terribly energy-inefficient.

But you still have a battle to win, so you lean forward and fly towards the Claw girl with the quaffle, almost stumbling through the air as your head feels filled with air. Summer Nott, one of Brighton’s two sidekicks. You raise your hand, trying to fire spells at her, but your magic fails you. Instead, you use the only remaining resource you have, your body, slamming against her mid air, sending both tumbling off your brooms.

You fall, the Slowfall potion kicking in and slowing your descent, so you two struggle to take the quaffle from each other as you gently drift down towards the edge of the arena. You pull it from her grip, then kick her away, sending her spinning. You’re meters away from the edge, the rest of the armies finally able to see once more and fly directly towards you, but it’s too late, you’re only moments away from victory.

And that’s the moment you notice there’s a hair tie seemingly glued to the surface of the quaffle with some sort of sticking charm.

Summer, still spinning around in the air, hair loose and sopping wet, shouts “Accio hair tie!”

The wet quaffle slips out of your hand directly into hers just as she crosses the threshold of the arena, the gong rings and the match ends.

--

You all reach the floor wet, cold and miserable, except for Brighton and his team who are all cheering and throwing Summer up and down. Weasley is getting particularly severe glares from his team while Apollo is sitting in a corner still looking sick, getting nursed by Arty.

“Well, this fight was crap,” Talon says.

“Thank fucking Merlin it’s over,” Amalia says, looking furious. “I don’t want to fight in a broom ever again!”

“Tough luck,” you say. “We’ll start training everyone on them next week.”

“Oh, come on!”

“Do you want to lose the next aerial battle too? Because that’s what happens when we don’t train. Brighton trained his, that’s why he won.”

“But… But flying sucks! It’s miserable and cold and my hair goes everywhere!”

“I agree wholeheartedly, but I’d take a messy hair over a spell to the face any day of the week, wouldn’t you?”

[Cont.]

She groans in acceptance before leaving to get the hot chocolate and tea Potter had made available for the teams. You take the opportunity to go to Apollo.

“Not a fan of flying, I assume?”

“Don’t… don’t like it,” he says, still queasy. “Ground… better.”

“I gave him some Wiggenweld, so he should be getting better soon,” Arty says, smiling at you. “He was never good with brooms.”

“I’ll be good…” He says, closing his eyes. “Just need… a nap.”

“Aaaand he’s out cold,” Arty says. “Slept like a rock since we were kids. Never met anyone else who could just turn off like that.” She turns to you. “You look miserable.”

“I am miserable.”

“Would a gift from me make it better?” She asks, shily.

“Always.”

You bend down, she stands on her tiptoes and gives you a peck on the lips.

“So, I was thinking…” she says. “I spoke with Hannah and since exams are coming next month she’s giving me Sundays off to study.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

“It would be a shame to waste this next one doing nothing.”

“Depends on who you do nothing with.”

“And is there anyone who you’re planning on doing nothing with?”

“Might be.”

“Is he handsome?”

“Quite handsome. And good with potions too.”

“Damn, I need to pick up the slack. Next thing I know you’re telling me he’s also going to find Atlantis soon.”

She laughs, and it’s music to your ears.

“I have no doubt he will. So, is it a date?”

“It’s a date. Where are we going?”

“It’s a surprise. Somewhere I need company to go to. Just meet me in Hogsmeade at lunch.” She gives you another peck on the lips, then glances past you. “Now go, your army is staring.”

You turn to see at least half of your army looking in your direction and giggling, so you go shout at them.

--

The weekend arrives and so does your first meeting with your Occlumency teacher. She’s a plain woman in her thirties, black hair tied up in a bun, black-rimmed glasses and a kind smile.

“Hello, Elliot,” she says. “I’m Constance Pickering and I’ll be your Occlumency teacher. Do you have your barriers up?”

“Should I?”

“Always. You will learn, with time, to always maintain them up so you will never be vulnerable. Now, prepare yourself.”

Who will you pretend to be?

> Lord Hallaster, discoverer of Atlantis
> Elliot Hallaster, a simple slytherin boy who does not, at all, have an entity stuck inside their head.
> A rock. You are a rock. No thoughts. Only rock.
> Other (Write in)

>>5835774
> Other (Write in)
>Taylor Cycad. That… shouldn’t be too hard.

>>5835774
>A rock. You are a rock. No thoughts. Only rock.
as much as i wanna roleplay as Lord Hallaster, we need to take this one seriously, lets start with something easier and take the rock, once we have a better understanding of this we can go full autist
also, fuck, what a shitty way to lose, almost feels like we were destined to lose that one

>>5835785
Bad rolls are bad rolls are bad rolls.

>>5835774
>Apollo. We hate Brighton. We want to protect our sister. Don't think about much more than that.

>>5835774
> Lord Hallaster, discoverer of Atlantis
If occlumency is basically mentally wearing a false identity to fool invasive mind magic then the Lord Hallaster persona would be easy for Elliot to mantle. Easier than trying to pretend to be a rock, at least.

>>5835774
> Lord Hallaster, discoverer of Atlantis

>>5835774
> A rock. You are a rock. No thoughts. Only rock.
We don't need to make the fact that we have Occulumency barriers up hidden. We just need to have some up. This is the simplest way to achieve that.
Also Hermione will definitely think we're evil if she hears our alternative self call himself "Lord" Hallaster

>>5835774
>A rock. You are a rock. No thoughts. Only rock.
Rockchad gang

>>5835774
>Taylor Cycad. That… shouldn’t be too hard.

>>5835774
>You've read muggle comic books. Make your alternate persona The Question, from DC Comics.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkEBvqaXXHc

>>5835774
>> Lord Hallaster, discoverer of Atlantis
Tally ho.

>>5836166
This is not Gotham Beat Cop.

>>5835785
at least Brighton actually earned the win this time, that mandrake last time was bullshit

>>5835774
>> A rock. You are a rock. No thoughts. Only rock.

>>5836159
I'm sure she'll realize shortly after we're trolling her around the time she sees the ostentatious clothes, mustache and top hat.

You are under the sun. It is scorching hot here in the desert. There is a gentle stream a few meters away, which over the ages made you rounder and smoother before you were kicked off it by a stray camel.

Not that you know any of that, of course, because knowing that would take you thinking about stuff. Which you don’t. Because you are a rock.

Rock.

Rock.

Rock.

Somewhere far away, someone shouts “Legilimens!”

And then you can see-

“There’s another being inside you?” Clemence asks, surprised. “Potter had a daughter that was erased from time?”

“Ah…” You say, trying to find some way of explaining what she just saw. “I- it’s not…”

“I see why Potter insisted on my obliviation afterwards,” she says, raising an eyebrow.

“You can’t tell him!” You say, quickly.

“Indeed I can’t,” she says, amused. “That’s why I took an Unbreakable Vow to not reveal what my Occlumency students show me.”

“Aren’t you worried about it?” You ask, as she seems remarkably calm for what she’s seen.

“That’s the beauty of obliviation, Mr. Hallaster. No matter what I discover in your head, I know I will only remember it for an hour, and as such I can only worry about it for an hour. And, why, if I can only worry about it for an hour, I might as well not worry about it at all. Ignorance, after all, is bliss.” She says, giving you a knowing smile. “But for all that it is worth… I am sorry for your loss.”

You nod, thanking her silently.

“Now, pretending to be a rock was a good choice, but I would suggest trying simpler. For a simple occlumency block, simpler is better. Don’t give context to your existence as a rock, simply be a rock. Now, did you feel me enter your mind?”

You shake your head.

“Very well, then. Pay close attention, this time.”

And so follows an hour of excruciating learning where all your secrets and thoughts are exposed to her, along with a variety of memories and trains of thought. Every time she peers into your mind you think of something else you don’t want her to see, which only makes her see it with glaring obviousness. By the end of the session, you are blushing terribly.

“Do not worry, Elliot,” she says with a sly grin. “The dreams and wonderings of what exactly you thought about doing to so many of your female classmates shall stay only between us, and only for this hour. You are a teenager, after all. It is only natural.”

You thank Merlin for Potter hiring someone who would be obliviated. It is an awful and partially humiliating experience, but the last few times you’ve at least managed to feel her presence in your brain.

“Now, I was being blunt during my entrance and making as much mental noise as possible. A real attacker would be much more discreet. Still, it was good progress for a first session. Would you be a dear and call the obliviator in?”

[Cont.]

>>5836479

An hour later, Linda comes out of the room looking shaken.

“Mister Obliviator?” She asks the serious looking man waiting by you. “She’s ready for you.”

The man goes into the room to erase the past hour from the woman’s head, while Linda sits by you.

“Bad?”

“Bad.” She says. “I… I remembered things. From Last Light.”

“It’s fine. I did too.”

“I… I saw Taylor again.”

You nod.

“What did you try to be?”

“Raven Everdark, the most evil witch this side of the Atlantic. It almost worked. Surprised her, at least. But then I thought about him and… And it all crumbled away.”

You put an arm around her, rubbing her shoulder as she rests her head on yours.

“But she said I had potential. Said I could become a perfect occlumens if I tried hard enough.”

“I hear those are really rare.”

“Uh-huh.”

“What did she say about the demons and the things you store in your second secret trunk?”

Linda snorts a laugh, and for a moment you hear a bit of the old Raven in her voice.

“It made her blush.”

“Never doubted you for a second,” you say, grinning.

--

The first day of the last week of November arrives with a snowstorm, winter seemingly eager to make itself known. By the time you wake up, white covers the grounds of the school, though the caretaker has already cleaned the paths that lead to the main gate. You dress up with a thick coat with a warming charm and make your way to your date, reaching the entrance to the cozy village a few minutes before mid-day. You sit on a nearby bench, waiting for Arty.

Then a snowball sploshes against the back of your head.

You turn around, searching for the source, scanning the snow for your assailant.

Chuf-chuf-chuf-chuf…

You hear the sound of feet quietly shuffling through the snow, and briefly see a streak of auburn flash against the white before another snowball hits you in the face and a familiar feminine giggle after it.

> Start making snowballs
> Summon her clothes (along with her) to you
> Dash towards her and tackle her to the ground
> Disillusion yourself and sneak up on her
> Other (Write in)

>>5836480
>Disillusion yourself and sneak up on her
Followed by!:
>Grab a handful of snow and shove it under her clothes through her clothes neck hole

>>5836487
this

>>5836480
>>5836487
+1
I knew we should've become the good Lord Hallaster.

>>5836480
>>5836487
+1
inb4 we end up seeing a Thestral on this date with Arty

>>5836529
would we still be able to see them if us seeing their deaths got wiped from time?

>>5836546
Well, we witnessed Taylor die, and he didn't get entirely time-wiped.

>>5836480
+1 to >>5836487

>>5836623
in the new timeline we didn't witness his death, he just "disappeared"

>>5836671
Yes, but we still remember watching him die, and he IS still 'dead', and without his existence having been memory-holed. I think it'll still count for thestral purposes.

You dash behind the nearest tree, and you can’t stop the smile from coming to your face.

“Attacking a defenseless man, Ms. Pertinger?” You shout over the snow. “That’s just unfair!”

“Defenseless, Mr. Hallaster?” She shouts back. “I think that if the leader of a prestigious army such as yourself finds himself defenseless, it’s his fault for not watching his back!”

“Might I remind you that you are also the leader of a prestigious army? In fact, you have a higher win rate than I do!” You ball up some snow and toss in her direction. Then you take your wand and tap it over your head, the sensation of a cold cold egg being cracked over you runs through your body. “You better not complain when you get attacked without warning!”

“Oh, but I’m just an innocent lady!” She says, throwing another one at the tree you were hiding. “Only a villain would ever dream of attacking a defenseless girl without at least giving her the chance to defend herself!”

You don’t respond, standing completely silent, searching the floor for a heavy rock. There are some seconds of silence before she calls out for you again.

“Elliot?”

You don’t answer.

“Eeeeeelliot…” she coos from her hideout. “Come out Elliot!”

You take aim at the roof of a nearby house, nearly bursting with snow, and you toss the rock at it. The snow gives way, starting a chain reaction that brings the whole sheet of white crumbling down with a loud noise, and you use the distraction to run to another hiding place.

You watch as she slowly sneaks her way to where she thinks you’re hiding, two hands filled with snow.

“Gotcha!” She says jumping from behind the tree and throwing the snow at nothing. “Wait-”

“Gotcha!” You say, pulling the back of her thick hoodie and shoving a large chunk of snow into her shirt before hugging her tightly from behind, pressing it against her back.

“Ahhhh! Cold! Cold!”

“You attacked first, Ms. Pertinger!”

“Elliot you arse! Let go! It’s freezing!”

You release her, laughing as she struggles to reach her back while wearing three layers of thick clothing. When she finally manages to get it out, she glares at you with equal parts annoyance and laughter.

“That was mean!”

“I think it was fair retribution for an unprompted attack.”

“A gentleman would have let me win.”

“Didn’t you hear? We’re all for equality between sexes these days. Women have fought hard to earn the right to be equally beaten in snowfights, and it would be ungentlemanly of me to not respect the effo-”

Gives you a painful poke on the ribs.

“Shut up and bend down you prat.”

You do so and she gives you a peck on the lips.

“So, where are we going?”

“Somewhere I shouldn’t.”

“I see. Will there be dangers? Should I bring my army with me?”

“Shush. Come on, give me your hand.”

[Cont.]

>>5836737

You two walk down Hogsmeade slowly, talking about school, the early winter and other non-important things. It’s pleasant, comfortable, her hand holding tight to yours. Her clothes, you notice, are simple muggle wardrobe, thick layers of wool and fabric to protect against the cold, not enchanted to keep a more bearable warmth like yours. Slightly oversized, like anything she bought, so it would last longer and she could grow into it.

“Here? That’s where you want to go?”

“What? Everyone always talks about it, and I couldn’t go before because I was too young and now I can’t go because I’m working at the competition!”

“I went once, I could have told you it’s just a bar for mean looking people.”

“Well, I want to see it for myself!”

You laugh, shaking your head as you make your way into the Hog’s Head Inn.

--

The Hog’s Head Inn is not at all like the Three Broomsticks. The Three Broomsticks is a large bar giving an impression of gleaming warmth and cleanliness. The Hog’s Head is, instead, composed of one small, dingy room that smells strongly of something that might be goats. Behind the bar, a large head of a boar, enchanted to look alive, watching the few unpleasant-looking customers.

But, if the stories are to be believed, it is today a thousand times better than it was with the old owner. Ever since Dumblebor’s brother died a few years ago, a new lady had bought the place and slowly been working to make it properly presentable.

The smell of goats, however, seemed to refuse to go away and there were many rumors that it was actually some kind of curse caused by an old owner pissing off an ancient goat spirit during a full moon. Most sane people, however, agreed that it was just an old smelly building.

“Hey, Snyde! My cup’s empty!” A brutish man shouts from a table.

“So? Go fill it yourself, your fat excuse of a man!” Curses back the witch behind the bar, a middle-aged woman in her fifties, just the first hint of gray touching her brown hair, which has a single blond tuft in the front that consistently falls over her face. She’s wearing greenish robes, and has a constant frown. She turns to you, first surprised to see two students, but the frown is quickly back. “You two, sit down wherever you want, one of the kids will be right with you.”

[Cont.]

>>5836741

Arty looks around, seeming a little overwhelmed for an instant, but you give her hand a squeeze and she perks up, picking a table to sit.

Soon, a girl probably a bit older than you arrives to ask you what you want to eat. She looks much like a younger and bustier version of the woman behind the bar, including the streak of blonde on her hair.

“Oh no, I hate serving other students,” she groans.

“Falere?” Arty asks, surprised. “I didn’t know you worked here!”

“Yeah, and I’d rather you didn’t tell anyone about it. Hard enough being the Head Girl and having to help with the family business without people being in my arse about it being the second best inn in a city with two inns. So, what can I get you?”

You two make your order, and the girl disappears into the back of the inn, leaving you two alone in the cramped bar. You look at Arty and she giggles, excited to be here with you.

What do you two talk about?

> Ask her why she’s so excited to be here
> Ask her about the patronus classes
> Ask about her work on the Three Broomsticks
> Other (Write in)

>>5836742
> Ask her why she’s so excited to be here
because, I mean, we ARE here.
> Ask her about the patronus classes
Because I'm curious how it went.

>>5836222
It's not Gotham Beat Cop yet.

>>5836742
> Other (Write in)
Try not to cry. Hold hand. Know this is what Linda is missing. Just listen to your girlfriend and know, at any moment, you may die. Kiss.

>>5836764
We'll have plenty of opportunity for angst and suffering without breaking down in public during our nice little date.

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24 KB JPG

>>5836742
>Ask her why she’s so excited to be here
also
>Snyde
god damn, HeadQM, you taking characters from everywhere i see, amazing job
Kudos from the Open Mystery General in /vg/

>>5836765
But it's the perfect time!

>>5836773
It brought me great amusement when I saw that the first image of this thread was her.

I started playing it again a while back, remembered the shitty mechanics that caused me to stop playing, then discovered Open Mystery literally a few days ago. It's not perfect, but does the job well enough for me to see the story.

Also, her entry on the wiki says that at the latest point of the game she's working at the Three Broomsticks, so I figured she'd be eyeing a bar of her own (even though that means her ambitions have been severely diminished with age. That's fine though, I'm sure at least one of her children will be just as bratty as she was.)

>>5836780
>she's working at the Three Broomsticks
fun fact, thats like, her 3rd or 4th job after leaving Hogwarts, she spend 7 years talking about she was the best in Hogwarts, yet, after finishing, she cant hold a job for more an extended period of time, as a matter of fact, she quit working at the Three Broomsticks because she got mad and tantrum´d her way out
feel free to ask any information for characters in /OMG/, we could use some engagement since we are a niche and small general
maybe i could do some images with the Poser Tool if you need it

>>5836742
> Ask her why she’s so excited to be here

>>5836742
>>5836747
+1

>>5836742
>Falere works here
Of course she does. At least she doesn't seem to be a total Lily replacement, with her personality seemingly being completely different.
>>5836747
Support

“So, why are you so excited to be here?”

“Well… Because it was here and I wasn’t supposed to come!”

“That’s it?” You ask, raising an eyebrow.

“Why? Haven’t you ever done something you weren’t supposed to do, just because you weren’t supposed to do it?”

“Yeah, but it usually involves danger or alcohol.”

“I’m sorry if my definition of daring offends you, Mr. Hallaster, but not all of us have the magic to go on death-defying escapades. Though I don’t hear about you doing any of those either.”

Your breath slightly hitches in your throat. She had meant it as a joke, but… You had been on death-defying escapades. One that had ended in tragedy, lost you friends and made you wear a glove on your left hand for your whole life.

But she didn’t know that, so she simply laughs at her joke and you laugh with her.

“Here are your drinks,” says someone who you think is Falere, but then you notice she’s younger. In fact, you recognize her from your Battles. A sixth year Gryffindor named Riley from the Lions, she has longer hair than her sister’s, reaching past her shoulders, and a slightly plumpier form. Sill, the dash of blonde is there in her darker hair. “Your food will come in a bit.”

“Thanks!”

She leaves, and Arty turns to you.

“Can I ask something?”

“Already did.”

“Can I ask three somethings?”

“Sure.”

“Why do you wear just one glove?” She asks, pointing at your covered left hand. “I mean, I don’t know why I didn’t think to ask it until now, but… It’s been bugging me for the past week. Or is it a sensitive topic?”

“Ah… I had an accident when I was a little kid,” you say, remembering your alternate past. “There was an electrical… outpost-transmitter-station-thing near my house, and I decided I wanted to see it up close. Found a hole in a fence, walked in and touched something I shouldn’t.”

“Oh no!” She says, covering her mouth with her hands.

“Yeah. I’d probably have died if I was a muggle. As it was, I was left with my left hand and arm covered in scars up to the shoulder.”

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have asked!”

“It’s fine, it was a long time ago. But ever since then I wear the glove and prefer long sleeves. Makes less people stare. They aren’t pretty.”

She sits in silence for a bit, before speaking again.

“Is it too much… if I ask to see them?”

You raise your eyebrow, surprised. It is a weird thing, thinking about those scars. You have both the pain of them being brand new, but also the numbness of years living with them. They were a big deal for half of you, but something natural for the other.

No one besides Raven had seen them. Not really seen them.

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to!”

“It’s fine, Arty.”

[Cont.]

>>5837435

You gently pull off the glove, revealing the ugly, dark criss-crossing pattern of scars throughout your skin. It isn’t like any scars you’ve seen, and you doubt it is anything like actual electricity scars, but it was enough justification for the universe to move unimpeded.

She reaches out and takes your hand into hers, delicately.

“Do they hurt?”

You shake your head. “No. They’re just there.”

“Can’t… can’t healers do something about them?”

“They can’t do anything about healed wounds. If I had been rushed to St. Mungus back then, maybe, but as it is now… It’s too late to change it.”

She looks at your scarred fingers carefully, then… She plants a kiss on one of them. Then on the one right next to that, and on every other one.

“You don’t need to hide them,” she says.

“You don’t think they’re ugly?” You ask, your voice strained.

“I wouldn’t lie and call them beautiful,” she says. “But they’re on you. And I like you. So I like them, too.”

You suddenly feel it’s very difficult to speak, and look away for a while. She intertwines her fingers with yours and simply holds them there, together. When you look back, she’s smiling at you.

“Ah… so… Did the… dementor test happen already?” You ask, trying to change the subject.

“No… Mine will be on Thursday.”

“You’re nervous.”

“Yeah.”

“It’ll be alright. I know it will.”

The food arrives, and half of you picks up a fork with your hand uncovered for the first time in a long, long while.

[Cont.]

>>5837438

You two leave the Hog’s Head, strolling through the city while avoiding going near the Three Broomsticks and risking Hannah seeing Arty using her day off on something other than studying. Still, though small, there’s a lot to explore in Hogsmeade. Eventually, though, you two stroll south, taking the long way around the Great Lake, following the train tracks down its eastern shore.

You two talk about everything, walking hand in hand as you make your way through the snowy landscape surrounding the area. In the distance, the school’s windows glimmer with orange light, promising warmth and protection from the winds. It’s fine, though. You’re already getting plenty of warmth from her hand holding on to yours.

You two are just crossing the small river that comes from the great lake, a little ways south from the tiny Lower Hogsfield, when she stops on the bridge, watching the water disappear from into the woods.

“Elliot… is there still no news from Taylor?” She asks, worried. “It’s been a week already.”

A part of you wishes you could tell her the truth. But you know you can’t. A part of you wants to ask her to take Occlumency classes, so you can share it with someone. But another part knows she’s already using every moment of free time to study and do better in her classes, and it would be unfair of you to ask her to do more. A part of you wants to make sure she never has to face the things you saw, wants her to stay safe and away from danger.

And you know that if you tell her, she’ll be thrust right in the middle of the same mess you find yourself in. The mess you dragged Raven and Taylor into. The mess that cost your friend’s life.

> Say the teachers are working on it. Now is not the time to tell her.
> Say there are news, but she’d need to be an Occlumens for you to tell her
> Tell her the whole truth, deal with the consequences later
> Other (Write in)

> Say the teachers are working on it. Now is not the time to tell her.
Say the first sentence only, if possible. Not so much lying, more so just hiding some things we know. If we want to tell her, I think it's best to tell her(and Apollo) when we're all with our parents for Winter Break.

Speaking of that, we're definitely trying to bring Linda with us, right? Before Last Light we could've left her and Taylor alone, give Taylor some condoms and enjoy the break, but now that isn't really an option now. And frankly, I feel sole part of Elliot wouldn't want to leave her alone for that long.

>>5837439
>> Say the teachers are working on it. Now is not the time to tell her.

>>5837439
>Say the teachers are working on it. Now is not the time to tell her.
im protecting our cute lil GF at all costs
WE ARE NOT LOSING ARTY GOD DAMMIT!

also, that was short, but the cutest date interaction i´ve read in a while, nice job

>>5837439
> Tell her the whole truth, deal with the consequences later

>>5837439
>Say there are news, but she’d need to be an Occlumens for you to tell her

>>5837443
She wouldn't be alone she has her own family, remember?

>>5837471
she can't exactly tell them she saw someone get fucking erased from existence

>>5837439
>Say the teachers are working on it.

>>5837439
>> Other (Write in)
Ok, now we cry. Or try not to cry while looking her dead in the eye and tell her we can't tell her, and then fumble and flub into some lie like > Say the teachers are working on it. Now is not the time to tell her.

>>5837443
Also, this. We need to take Linda with us so she can actually express emotion about this and so we can get into a weird sad fight with our GF about no we don't have feelings for Raven.

>>5837506
Why do you want Elliott to suffer so much? Just let us enjoy out wholesome finger-kisses while they last, before the friend-erasing child-molesting temporal demon king returns.

>>5837439
>> Say there are news, but she’d need to be an Occlumens for you to tell her

We can't keep it from her forever. We can't just lie about this stuff for the rest of what ever time we are going to spend with Arty. It isn't fair to her.

And just by being around us, she is in danger. She needs to understand that. Cocksucker would target her in an instant if it meant getting to us. Not letting her know that isn't right guys.

>>5837439
>>5837451
Changing my vote to
> Say there are news, but she’d need to be an Occlumens for you to tell her

>> Say the teachers are working on it. Now is not the time to tell her.
>>5837443
>>5837444
>>5837445
>>5837501
>>5837506 (sort of)

> Say there are news, but she’d need to be an Occlumens for you to tell her
>>5837462
>>5837636
>>5837642

Closing the vote to finish up writing

>>5837443
>>5837439
Changing my vote to:
> Say there are news, but she’d need to be an Occlumens for you to tell her
First choice is still valid, but with our luck I think some shit's going to go down when we're at winter vacation at our parent's place and we either won't have time to tell her or it'll come out on it's own and Arty will be asking (probably with anger) why we never said anything.

Potter is holding the Ministry back from kidnapping us(as far as I'm aware), but his influence only extends so far. It certainly does not extend to the Muggle world all that much.

It's better that we control the narrative with how much we're willing to tell, and how much of a danger we are, than risk Hermione(who Arty was very much looking up to last thread, as a reminder) feeding false information to her and Apollo.

>>5837658
Fuck I was in the middle of changing my vote when it closed.

>>5837663
>than risk Hermione(who Arty was very much looking up to last thread, as a reminder
Dammit, that's definitely going to bite us in the ass. I don't know why people think trying to 'protect' her from the truth is a good idea. It's a bit insulting.

>>5837684
we got told to not get too many people involved, and now is not the time to talk about that

>>5837686
With Potter I can understand, but now Lily and Taylor are gone. This wouldn't be any more dangerous than before, in fact it would be less dangerous since Harry Potter's daughter and (potentially) cocksucker aren't immediately around.
I hope cocksucker doesn't trick Arty or she doesn't accidentally tell Hermione about something critical, since she doesn't know anything about what's going on or what the stakes are.

>>5837684
For me, it wasn't so much that I wanted to protect her from the truth, but more so that telling her anything right now is a bad idea. Thought that any conversation relating to this with new people is better had somewhere not in public, even if we're seemingly alone.

Your grip on the stone of the bridge’s wall tightens, and so does your heart.

No. It’s better to not let her know. There is darkness in the world, far greater than the cruelty of dark wizards and evil men, and she doesn’t need to know it yet. Maybe one day she will, maybe one day she’ll need to know it to be safe, but if you can keep her innocent, if you can save her smile for even just another day…

“The teachers say they are working on it,” you lie, not looking her way. “I… I hope they find him soon.”

“I hope so too. I heard someone mention the ministry could get involved.”

“A student disappeared inside the walls of Hogwarts. Last time this happened there was a basilisk on the loose.”

“Do you think it could it be happening again?” She asks in a small voice. “Could… he… have come back?”

“I don’t think so. Potter would-” You almost say that Potter ‘would be raising an army’, before you can stop yourself. “Potter would know.”

“Have they told his parents?”

“I… I don’t know. I… he…” Your voice shakes. Merlin, his parents. His parents would keep on waiting for their son to come back from school. They’d wait for the wizards who took them to bring him back. And they’d wait forever, forever hoping, forever searching. They’d never know their son was dead. You don’t know what fate was worse, not knowing if he’d return or being sure. “I… I wish I could… I wish he was… I wish he was still here.”

You’re trying your damn hardest to hold back the tears. It comes and goes, grief. You can sometimes put it away for hours, even days, but it comes back. And you and Linda are the only ones who know how real it is, and how lost he is.

“I’m sure they’ll find him,” she says.

And you can’t tell her that they won't. You can’t tell her that he’s just gone. All you can do is hold on to the certainty that you will find a way to bring him back. Because the alternative is having your heart break.

You swallow hard, then give her a forced smile.

“I’m sure they will.”

[Cont.]

>>5837767

“Thank you for the date, even if all you did was take me to a dingy pub,” you say as you finally reach the gates of the castle. “Good to know the types of places I should take you.”

“Hey, no way! This was a one time thing. I want long walks on the beach and cupcakes!”

“Too late. I’m exclusively taking you to cramped pubs filled with ugly people. Fortunately, I live in England, so there is no lack of those.”

She laughs, then gives you a peck on the lips.

“I should go study now. Wouldn’t want to abuse Hannah’s good will. I’ll study and… maybe try the Patronus a few more times.”

“Hope you have a few more happy memories to use from today.”

“From every time I meet you,” she says. A hug, another peck, and she’s running back to her common room, leaving you with a smile only she knows how to put in your face.

So starts the last week of november. You have classes, potions study with Arty and normal Battle Classes with Potter. But you can still squeeze some extra things in to do.

Pick two:

> Research the Fifth Founder
> Study your Potion books (+2 to Potions)
> Study with Linda (+2 to Muggle Studies)
> Study Muggle War Strategy with Linda (Get 1 Banked Roll to Army Rolls, only one per Battle)
> Study another subject (+1 to another subject)
> Other (Write in)

>>5837768
> Research the Fifth Founder
> Study Muggle War Strategy with Linda (Get 1 Banked Roll to Army Rolls, only one per Battle)

>>5837768
>Tell Potter you would like to pass leadership off to someone else. You'll still participate in battles, but you have more serious things to focus on than coming up with strategies for wargames.
I want to open up a timeslot and stop wasting our timeslots on one-time banked rolls that don't provide longterm benefits. They're cool and all, but I think recent events would change our viewpoint a little here. And we can still get battle experience by being a participant. Leading is just cutting into our valuable time too much imo.
As for the two longterm things we should be doing:
>Research the Fifth Founder
>Study Transfiguration, and ask Apollo for tips since it's his favored subject.
If we were better at transfiguration, maybe things could have been different...

>>5837768
>Research the Fifth Founder
>Study Muggle War Strategy with Linda (Get 1 Banked Roll to Army Rolls, only one per Battle)

>>5837780
>You'll still participate in battles, but you have more serious things to focus on than coming up with strategies for wargames.
idunno, if we are still participating then we arent really saving that much significant time, if this were to be an option, i would vote to completely drop out instead of just not leading, its not exactly like we have been THAT tight for time either, so this doesnt feel that too necessary, if we have an extreme race against time, then yeah, i´d vote to completely drop out, but thats only a last resource thing.
Besides, its not like we have spend days planning stuff, nor have we been punished greatly for it

>>5837786
We spend 1 of our 2 slots a week on muggle war strategy pretty much every time, bro. We'd be getting more time to train and do other stuff for sure if we passed leadership stuff off.
Hell, Linda herself would be a great leader since she's already knee deep in the muggle war strategy games herself. And it'd give her something to focus on. I think she'd be a great team leader instead of us.

>>5837789
do you really think that "right now" its a good moment to pass leadership to Linda of all the people? even if its something for her to concentrate, she is still grieving, she was probably THE most affected person by this entire thing and his "disappearance" besides us
AND if we talking about meta gaming, the army battles is one of the 3 pillars of this entire quest besides the romance and THE MAIN quest, i dont think HeadQM would be willing to sacrifice an entire pillar of his quest just to min-max

>>5837768
>Research the Fifth Founder
> Study your Potion books (+2 to Potions)

>>5837780
Maybe it's not entirely time efficient but I like the idea of Lord Hallaster leading the seekers of Atlantis. And we gain some leadership qualities as well as clout with our army, which have the off chance in helping us somehow.

>>5837761
That's a very good point.

>>5837794
Hasn't the QM said before that was can always tell potter we don't want to lead anymore?
And yes, it's exactly because she was so effected that I think it would be good to pass it off to her right now. It's an outlet, but more importantly an outlet for negative urges. I think she would thrive in the position, personally.
And call it metagaming and minmaxing all you want man, I just think IN CHARACTER we would want to prioritize our time on other things after the incident. We were unprepared as fuck and it showed.

>>5837802
One could say that leading battles is some of the best training we could get. Besides, ooc, they’re fun and I like them. If it means that I lose ONE action throughout the week then I wouldn’t call it a great loss.
>>5837768
> Study Muggle War Strategy with Linda (Get 1 Banked Roll to Army Rolls, only one per Battle)
> Research the Fifth Founder

>>5837808
I mean yeah, I think they're fun too, that's why I still want to participate in them. I just don't think it's necessary that we lead them.
I mean, given the squad system, we'd still have our own section of the army to work with, right? I'd assume Linda would put us in charge of a squad at least. It's just giving the overarching leadership and planning duties to her. It's really not something WE have to be doing.

>>5837810
I'd say that if Elliot were drop off leadership of Battle Class, his influence on it would be greatly reduced. One squad can't (usually) win a war by itself. That is why I put Elliot as general, because he is the protagonist and should be in a position where he can effect change.

If he's not the leader and continues to win the battles solely with the weight of his choices, then the role of the general would feel... useless. So if Elliot were to not be the leader anymore, I think the battles would be reduced to just another class done in the background instead of a main event of the quest, only brought up in really important cases or events.


>>5837802
You can choose to not participate in them, yes.

Is it an important part of the quest? Yes.

Can it not be a part of the quest? Also yes.

But as the other anon said, it is one of the three pillars of this quest. If it were to go away, I'd prefer for it to go away from both a narrative reason (Elliot doesn't want it anymore) and a meta reason (The players think it is boring/doesn't add anything to the story/don't like it) as I think eliminating it could push away players who enjoy it and are here for it.

Don't get me wrong, the battles are the hardest part to write in the entire fucking quest and them being gone would make things easier for me, but if the players are having fun I'm happy to write them.

>>5837821
I'd like to keep battle class, and I think that given our battle experiences and training are one of the only reasons we even survived against The Demon, Elliot would see the value in continuing. Also, it's a useful distraction from the angst.

>>5837768
> Study Muggle War Strategy with Linda (Get 1 Banked Roll to Army Rolls, only one per Battle)

> Study your Potion books (+2 to Potions)

I really suggest you guys reconsider telling Arty there are things we know at some point in the future, if for no other reason than so she is aware that both her and Apollo are in danger by associating with us.

>>5837780
I want to keep leading and for the battles to stick around.They are a fun part of the quest. I also have the feeling the army roll bonus is going to come up out of these games at some point.

>>5837768
> Study Muggle War Strategy with Linda (Get 1 Banked Roll to Army Rolls, only one per Battle)
> Research the Fifth Founder
Just caught up and didn't we agree to tell Arty and Apollo about this stuff last thread? Why the sudden second guessing?

>>5837768
> Research the Fifth Founder
> Study your Potion books (+2 to Potions)

>>5837789
>>5837802
train for what? our only real thing to train for so far has already passed, and our unpreparedness for it was mostly due to the shit with the calendar fucking with our plans and the unexpected horde of cursed goblins

You make your way through the corridors, walking a haunted path to the abandoned store-room, Linda by your side. You go down the spiral staircase, though the corridor and into the great ancient room with the four ruined paintings and the glass floor.

You take a couple steps into it when you notice Linda isn’t following you anymore, turning around to see her standing at the threshold, looking at the stairs downwards into those cursed caves below.

“Linda… It’s ok. We’re not going there.”

“I… I can’t do this, Elliot.” She says, meek. “Sorry.”

She turns around and runs away, leaving you alone.

You sigh. You know you can’t force her, nor change her mind for now, so you turn to the paintings, searching for the secret entrance you know to be behind one of them.

It takes you a while to activate the hidden mechanism. Even though you know where it is, it is still difficult to find and activate. You twist a torch at just the right angle, push the right stone among several hundred and do a couple other arbitrary steps before you hear a click.

“Right,” you tell yourself. “Into unknown knowledge once more.”

You pull the painting open and it gives way to the most interesting collection of tomes and scrolls you’ve ever seen. Much smaller than Hogwarts’ collection, of course, but still quite sizable. Not a single one of them looks younger than half a millennia, but they’re all perfectly preserved with ancient magic. You could probably toss one into the fireplace and have it come out unscathed.

They’re all shapes and sizes and, unfortunately, languages. You trace your finger through the covers, taking note of the few titles you can understand, seeing the vast variety of subjects they cover. In the center of the room, you see a large desk with feathers, long dried inkwells and other writing implements, and by its side a large bookwheel, allowing for up to ten books to be held open and researched at a time.

This was, as clearly shown by the silver and blue bird symbol sprinkled here and there, the private collection of an ancient ravenclaw. An ancient ravenclaw who could control ancient magic.

This… could be more work than what you’d anticipated.

> Roll a d100. Bo3.

Rolled 60 (1d100)

>>5838397

>>5838397
Time to succeed in this roll!
Maybe if I'm confident in it the dice gods will bless me

Rolled 76 (1d100)

>>5838407
didn't even roll kek

Rolled 59 (1d100)

>>5838397

>>5838407
They did!

You first start looking through the books, trying to find some starting point, but the library is unfamiliar to you, and there doesn’t seem to be any particular indexing system to help you. Eventually, however, your eyes land on a book by the desk, an old leather-bound tome with no title. You open it and, to your surprise, find the diary of one Niamh Fitzgerald, apparently the old owner of this place, along with what appears to be an archaic version of a Self-Writing Quill.

You immediately dive into it, though it is a very odd sensation. You feel like you’re invading her personal privacy, even though she’s clearly been dead for several hundred years.

“How many years does a person need to be dead before it’s acceptable to go through their stuff?“ You wonder out loud for no one in particular. Still, you read about it, diving right at the end of this woman’s life, the last of what is clearly a series of diaries, parsing the ancient English as best you can. She speaks about a secret society, the Keepers, all who were able to yield ancient magic. How they had defeated the creator of the repository, how they were creating trials for someone in the future to find it and protect it.

There is nothing in it about the Fifth Founder, but you do find one passage near the end that calls your attention.

“The victims of Isadora are still being treated, but I see no hope for them. A soul torn is… difficult to be mended. Most of the students haven’t been affected too much, but some… Isadora’s father… He’s like an empty husk. Even with our power, we can’t simply pour back what was taken. The spell modifies it, converts, changes it. To return it would be to poison their very souls. I know of no greater sin.”

“Maris Profugi says that the atlanteans believed that those who died would turn into stars instead. I dread to think what sort of stars those she hurt would become.”

Maris Profugi… that’s not a person’s name, you realize. That’s a book, a book in Latin and, though your Latin is rusty, you’re pretty sure that translates to “Refugees of the Sea”.

A gentle chill runs down your spine.

For the first time in your life, someone talking about Atlantis not as if they were something lost long ago, not as a myth, or legend, but casually, as one would about the egyptians or the romans. The first time you’ve ever read a reputable source speak of any single actual fact about them instead of wild ramblings, wanderings and deductions.

It isn’t what you’re looking for, but it’s certainly gold.

You wish you could stay here and search the place for Maris Profugi, but the night grows late and your eyes tired, and returning to this place will have to wait far, far too long for your tastes.

[Cont.]

>>5838635

You watch the scene, fifty miniature soldiers, each representing two hundred men, stand behind a hill, a few hours travel from the walls of the city, their brave commander in front of them. In the city, a single soldier miniature and a commander, a measly fifty men to defend against the attacking force.

“He can’t win this,” you say. “It’s twenty to one and the only thing the city has in its favor is its wall. Liang loses on numbers alone.”

“Ah, but general Yi doesn’t know that,” Linda says. Thankfully, her love of war strategy had been kept relatively intact. “General Yi doesn’t know Liang’s armies have been sent away for the war effort down south. He doesn’t know just how exposed and vulnerable the city really is.”

“So? It’ll take three whole minutes of an invasion for Yi to figure it out.”

“Which is exactly why Liang allows Yi to invade.”

“What?”

”Liang tells his soldiers to clear out the streets, opens the gates wide open and sits on a viewing platform above it playing his guqin - that’s a chinese string instrument - with two kids with him. So what does Yi do?”

“I’m assuming ‘slaughters the entire village’ isn’t the correct option?”

“Yi knows Liang is clever and cunning. And then, when he arrives to fight him, he sees a city open, just begging to be taken, with its general in the open in a place ripe for an arrow to hit him… He retreats, knowing a trap when he sees one.”

“Bullshit.”

“Probably,” Linda nods. “But so the story goes. Liang could have lost it all, but read his opponent and bet it all in an impossible plan. But if he hadn’t tried it, he’d have lost for sure. So between having his village slaughtered and maybe having his village slaughtered… His choice wasn’t difficult. Yi’s choice, on the other hand, was a much more interesting one.”

“Now imagine this,” she says. “You and ten Raiders are in a battle, and as you turn a corner, you see Brighton, simply standing at the end of the hallway, alone, grinning at you. What would you do?”

[Cont.]

>>5838640

“... I see. Do you think any of the other three would fall for something like that?”

“Brighton, maybe. Apollo is too impulsive. Weasley is too clever.”

“Being clever didn’t help him.”

“That’s just because he’s awful at implementing his plans and properly training his armies, so he fails at execution. But his strategies are solid, the best of the four, I’d say. He’d be a good second in command, if he could just find a way of magically removing that stick up his arse.”

You two laugh, then a comfortable silence sets in for a bit.

“I invited Apollo and Arty for Christmas at home,” you say. “Figured they’d like to spend a Christmas outside of Hogwarts. You’re invited too, if you need to be close to someone who you can talk to.”

She shakes her head.

“No… I think that right now I just need… I hate to say it, but… I think I just need my mom. Maybe I can hug her until the sadness goes away. Not that you don’t help, but…”

“I get it.” You say, and you hug her. “You know you can talk to me whenever you need, right?”

“I know,” she says, hugging you back. “You too. If you ever need someone who knows why you’re really wearing that glove… I’m here. Until we find a way through this madness, we keep each other sane.”

> Roll a d100+20, Bo3

Rolled 52 + 20 (1d100 + 20)

>>5838642

Rolled 70 + 20 (1d100 + 20)

>>5838642

Rolled 39 (1d100)

>>5838642

>>5838642
Very endearing and genuine character interactions with Linda and Arty and such. Good job, QM!

> Banked Roll: 90!
> You may use it to replace a single roll in the next Army Battle!

--

It’s Wednesday, close to sunset, and you are studying transfiguration in your common room when a massive glowing bear springs from nowhere right by your side, almost giving a heart attack to half of Slytherin.

“Elliot,” comes Apollo’s voice. “We need to speak. Now. I am waiting in front of your common room.”

And it disappears.

Once your heart calms down from the scare, it immediately starts racing again from wondering what Apollo would want to talk about so badly that he’d send you a patronus.

You hope the conversation doesn’t involve the word “crucio” again.

You walk out of the room while several people glare at you and Linda gives out a “Good luck.” Once you step outside, Apollo is impatiently pacing from one side to the other.

“Where is Arty?” He asks the moment you appear, agitated.

“Uh? What?”

“Did you see Arty?” He asks again. “Today?”

“Uh, no. Why what happened?” You ask, worry rising in your voice.

“No one in Hufflepuff knows where she is. No one saw her since lunchtime.” He says, worried. Then, with an almost accusatory tone. “She’s friends with you. Your friend disappeared. She disappeared.”

“What? No, Apollo! That’s- that’s not-”

“Can’t find her,” he says, more quickly than you’ve ever seen him talk. He’s pacing once more. “My Patronus doesn’t come back when I send it to her.”

“Apollo, calm don’t ! I’m sure we can-” You make the mistake of trying to place a hand on his shoulders, but he lashes out, hits your hand away, then grabs you by the neck with a strength a boy his age shouldn’t have. He pushes you against the wall, eyes wide and wild as he puts his wand against your face.

You raise your hands, honestly scared of him.

“Apollo…” You say, in as calming of a voice as you can, even if it’s still shaky. “It’s me… Elliot. I’m not your enemy. You don’t need to hurt me.”

The feral, violent look lasts in place for several long seconds, before slowly retreating. He deflates, letting you go as he steps back. He seems… almost small.

“I can’t find her,” he whispers, not looking at you. “I’m… worried.”

“I know. I’m worried too. But we won’t find her ourselves. Did you go to any teachers?”

“No. I thought…” He says, but no other words come out.

“They have ways of finding students when they need to. Come on. I’m sure some teacher can help us.”

[Cont.]

>>5838985

“Ah,” Potter says, frowning as you explain. “I see. I’m afraid I might know what happened. She’s fine, Apollo, just… emotionally rocked.”

“Why? What happened?” Apollo asks, wide eyed.

“I noticed Artemis’ patronus attempt would be right before one of her battles, and figured it would be unfair. I offered to reschedule for early this afternoon. Her results… did not please her.”

“Did she…”

“Her wandwork was perfect. She failed once. Once she recovered, she stepped in front of the dementor again. Then again. And a fourth time. I had to stop her from going for a fifth.” He shakes his head. “She’d have been a fine Gryffindor.”

He waves his hand and a piece of parchment flies to his hand. He examines it and mutters some words you can’t hear.

“She’s on the seventh floor, third classroom on the east side on the fifth corridor, but it may be best to… give her some more time.” But Apollo has already taken off running.

You look at Potter, not knowing what to say.

“Why does it happen, professor? Why… why do some people just can’t… not even a spark…”

“I don’t know, Elliot. No one does. Maybe some people just can’t channel their happiness the right way. Maybe they just can’t find the right happy thought. It is one of the most mysterious spells we know, even if a lot of us think of it as mundane. But there are many great people who couldn’t cast it. Godric Gryffindor couldn’t, nor Merlin.”

You had once told as much to Arty yourself. But you knew it for what it was: an excuse on why it didn’t matter. A way to make those who couldn’t cast it feel better about themselves.

Godric’s life had been filled with war and strife. He’d been a brave man, not a happy one. Yet Salazar, with all his hatred for muggleborns, could cast it easily.

“If you wish to try again,” he says. “The dementor will be here until friday.”

“Does anyone ever succeed on the second attempt?”

“Sometimes. Some people gain the ability throughout their lives, some people lose it. It can be a fickle thing.”

“I’ll… I’ll think about it.”

> Go see how Arty is doing
> Give the two siblings some space
> Other (Write in)

The interesting thing is, I had decided this would be the case well before you guys decided to choose it for Elliot. Funny how some things go.

>>5838986
>Go see how Arty is doing (but gently)
Let’s not barge in there, we can let Apollo have a quiet moment with her beforehand.

>>5838986
>>5838989
+1

>>5838989
+1

>>5838986
>> Go see how Arty is doing

>>5838989
Support. If we hear her telling him to leave her alone, we can come in and support Arty in having Apollo give her some time alone. Other than that, no need to be worried. Elliot can probably guess what Arty wants right now more than Apollo can, thanks to having failed his own Patronus test.

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>>5838986
>> Go see how Arty is doing

Remember Apollo came to us, was damn near feral. He can cast it, she cannot. We cannot despite coming from a decent home. She even cheated with the potion we made together.

But still failed. I think she needs to talk to us and Apollo, for different reasons.

While I understand Apollo was distraught, at some point we need to make it clear he cannot threaten us. That is not okay. He might have enough juice to fight an auror straight on, plenty of them have died to people weaker than us.

Do not stick a wand in the face of someone who has fought for his life and seen people die. That is a no no, bad Apollo.

>>5839037
i also agree to this, he may be an autist, but eventually that will fuck him up, either for bad or good, he cant do that shit to us again

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>>5838986
>>5839037
Also accio some chocolate. Might not really help, but it cant hurt.

>>5839049
Thanks, lupin

>>5838986
>> Go see how Arty is doing