[X] Beyond - Seek behind the locked gate. They probably went into the least convenient place, if they're doing anything Dark Artsy.
Harry Potter and the Scabbard of Excalibur [AU]
ThatGazzer
Minds Eye Bind
- Location
- PNW
- Pronouns
- They/Them
I swear if he has an imp tucked behind his shirt
- Location
- Louisiana
I'm kinda miffed Neville is taking our schtick. We're supposed to be an unparalleled genius in three fields, why are we paralleled in all of them.
I mean he is a kid of ministry super agents.. He's bound to pick up useful things here and there growing up immersed in magic. Also this is what we get for missing out on secret spy dungeon adventures and studying like a good boy.
Also it's unparalleled genius potential. We still need to put in the work and time and resources. And also we won't hit our caps like the others in those fields. We just learned Runes by ourselves and got an Astrology teacher last month. Dark arts summoning thing was pretty unparalleled so far for a first year dipping his toes in magic for his first attempt..
You know this makes me wonder if the others got their own House blessings - Heir, Champion and Sage. I love that everyone has their own thing going on just like us.
Also it's unparalleled genius potential. We still need to put in the work and time and resources. And also we won't hit our caps like the others in those fields. We just learned Runes by ourselves and got an Astrology teacher last month. Dark arts summoning thing was pretty unparalleled so far for a first year dipping his toes in magic for his first attempt..
You know this makes me wonder if the others got their own House blessings - Heir, Champion and Sage. I love that everyone has their own thing going on just like us.
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- Location
- Poland
- Pronouns
- He/Him
I can't wait to meet the (not)evil ghost in Neville's head.
Also, yeah, voting:
[X] Beyond
Just seems like a clever (for them) thing to do.
Also, yeah, voting:
[X] Beyond
Just seems like a clever (for them) thing to do.
The Ambush
Birdsie
Sharp Talons Cleave The Worthy
- Location
- Poland
The Ambush
"Alohomora." A yellow spark shot into the lock from Neville's wand, casting the interior of its cylinder with golden light. The gate shook, bars of iron vibrating intensely, as though a madman was clutching and jostling them. Harry made out a few clicking sounds as the lock's tumblers fell down, and then its hinges released.
The gate swung open. It revealed a path somewhere deeper into the dungeons, on another path.
No one seemed eager to move forward and be the first to encounter any potential dangers. Neville, deeply amused at their juvenile fear, pushed onward with Gryffindorian boldness and resolve, stepping into the darkness without a modicum of fear; surefooted and confident, as if he'd done this before a hundred times. The casual behavior, eager confidence, and abundant knowledge of magic were much to consider. Harry was forced to ponder exactly what manner of things Neville usually got up to down here, in the deepest parts of Hogwarts, but extracting secrets from his friends was unfair, especially when Harry wasn't being completely forthright about his own nightly deeds either.
"I have to ask," Neville stated calmly as they walked - he was leaning slightly, to observe ancient brass piping and hear the hisses of steam taking place within better. Harry could hear them as well. "Why do you even think Daphne would be down here?"
"It's the default place for doing anything dodgy, innit?" As he responded, Ron was distracted looking around, a trace of curiosity mixed with a great deal of anxiety, both flickering in his eyes. The walls surrounding them were almost invisible, concealed under hulking masses of thick piping, suspicious valves, locked hatches, protruding taps, and similar mechanisms. Above, the endless length of the ceiling was occasionally plated with steel panels, and on those panels was a symbolic tracery of odd metal - not runic, but similar, like curlicue filigree dragging on and on. Maybe decorative, but then who'd decorate a place like this?
Although he was leading the group at the front, Neville occasionally took a look back to make sure they were following him. Noticing the direction of Harry's gaze, Neville glanced up. "Oh, that's beryllium bronze. The traceries."
"Beryllium copper," Hermione said in a corrective fashion. "At least, that's what it's commonly called."
"No," Neville said, insistent, "It's beryllium bronze, trust me."
Hermione raised an eyebrow. "There's a difference?"
"A big one, yeah." Neville didn't elaborate at first. After a moment of silence, he sighed, aware that he'd drawn everyone's curiosity. "It's something that ancient civilizations figured out, some time ago, and that Salazar Slytherin liked to put around the castle. Apparently, he stuffed a whole bunch of beryllium bronze down here to protect the dungeons and what's in them, so if anyone launched a magical attack that wiped Hogwarts off the map, this place would remain secure and relatively unbroken. As for the bronze itself, well... it's a special material and it has some... magic-reducing properties."
Hermione raised an eyebrow. "How do you know all of this?"
After considering her question for a second, Neville shrugged, lips pressed together in thought.
Unsatisfied, Hermione trotted up to him. She caught Neville by the elbow - a gesture he didn't seem to appreciate, staring back at her with exasperation and a degree of annoyance. Their march onward stopped. "Hold on, Neville - you know about runes, and you wander down here..."
"You're nuttier than Harry," Ron finished her thought. At his friend's grass-wilting glare, he added, "No offense. But you can get pretty nutty, and, uh... secretive. All that whispering to yourself when you think nobody's looking..."
Oh. Whoops?
"I don't think we should press Neville on this," Harry said. "I mean, he studies a lot, and he's smart, so knowing about how to use runes is logical. Anything else he knows that we don't is probably his own business. And I'm not nutty. I like to talk to myself sometimes, get my thoughts in order. Doesn't make me insane, Ron."
Ron cringed. Hermione let go of Neville's arm. Draco stayed eerily quiet.
A minute later, they finally reached the end of the hallway - ahead of them sprawled an immense chamber with a domed ceiling, completely plastered in the beryllium bronze that Neville had mentioned. In the room's center, there were four statues of the same metal, showing cobra snakes; their hoods unfolded to maximum extension, mouths open with serpentine tongues rolling out and spitting water into a kind of fountain. The pipes and machinery they'd followed moved up, sticking along the ceiling, and forming into a suspended pile under the dome. There was no one else in the chamber, though.
"Nothing here," Ron said. "Maybe we should've actually split up, after all."
Harry didn't like something about this place.
"Let's go," Neville said.
"Hold on." Everyone looked at Harry, as he stepped down the stairs and began to scan the chamber.
Do you recognize this place?
I've been here, Geist confirmed. As much as I appreciate your curiosity and natural skepticism, there's nothing special or hidden about this room. I spoke to the statues in Parseltongue. They are not a secret entrance and do not engage in conversation. All the machinery in the ceiling is simply an unused prototype for Hogwarts plumbing. After deciding it wouldn't be useful, I assume Slytherin didn't know what to do and decided to simply build this chamber and store it here because he could. Ancient wizards rarely need a reason to do things outside of fleeting urges to store their inventions.
Yeah, Harry said, in agreement with everything Geist said so far, But then why protect this place with beryllium bronze? Why inoculate it against magic?
I haven't the foggiest. Do you think there might be secrets buried here?
"Harry?" Hermione asked, a tone of worry rising in her voice.
"Coming!" Harry spun around and began to ascend the stairs. "Sor-ry...?"
As he looked up, a sudden yet overwhelming cold popped into his chest.
His entire body tensed, a snake of watery lightning descending then going back up his spine. A combat instinct - amateurish yet budding and strong, honed over several lessons with Flitwick - almost made him reach out and draw his wand, to cast a spell, or at least to not be completely unarmed. His logical instinct - the one he'd been filing and sharpening for almost his entire life, ever since he could rationalize basic decisions - made him stymie that urge as fast as it came, very much aware it'd be a mistake.
Neville, Hermione, Ron, and Draco were standing in a short row, hands raised in apparent surrender. None other than Bellatrix Lestrange stood next to them, having silently confiscated their wands. She was holding them like a bundle of twigs in one hand, gently and rhythmically tapping them against a bare thigh projecting out of her short, practical dress. Another man stood behind them, in a silver-white skull mask and dark robe with matching leather gloves. He wasn't doing that much, seemingly barely even concerned, but the wand held in between his own fingers - one that he was playing with - was a major cause for concern.
"Hello there, young Harry Potter," Bellatrix greeted him cordially, a warm smile on her face. Then, her smile dropped, to reveal an expression fractionally colder - one that revealed much, without a single word. She wasn't here to hurt him, but wouldn't hesitate to respond, should he prove aggressive. "Your wand, please."
"I, uh, I don't feel safe doing that kind of thing," Harry answered very casually. "I could give you my wand, and then you'd shoot me."
"Boy, if I wanted you dead, you'd be a corpse right now." Bellatrix blew a single, kinked hair away from her forehead. Almost a snort; amused. She smacked her lips twice in rapid sequence, almost like she was attracting or taming a wild cat or dog. "Wand. Come on. We don't have all night."
Do I run or fight?
Neither, unless you're into making terrible choices. I trained Bellatrix myself, Harry. You don't stand a chance against her.
He wasn't going to surrender. "Digitus-"
"Accio." She didn't even have to gesture. Harry's wrist couldn't finish the first motion of the spell, before his wand launched across the chamber at blinding speed, slowing down as it neared her waiting hand. Bellatrix glanced at her capture. "Roman wand wood, hm? How rare. Come here and line up with your friends."
Her casual spell and his equally ignoble defeat were the crushing realization - he'd been studying in Hogwarts for almost a whole semester, working himself down haggard and breathless. At night, as Harry slept, his eyes ached from the constant reading of small letters, the study of runic symbols; he'd written so many arrays he should've developed carpal tunnels a long time ago. And yet, he'd grown no stronger, no more powerful; no more able to defy his captors and the wizards around him than he'd been after living with the Dursleys for his entire mortal existence. He was as powerless right now, as he'd been that night.
Harry obeyed the witch's command almost on autopilot, feet moving up the stairs in a dance of slow hesitation, feeling slightly numb.
"I admire your bravery, boy," Bellatrix remarked, casting a dismayed, pitying look at him. "But bravery is for Gryffindors, Harry. You don't have anything to prove. And besides, we aren't a threat to you - we came to make sure you wouldn't disrupt our activities. Your friends are safe."
"Is Daphne safe?" Draco asked; voice slow, afraid.
Bellatrix sighed. It was the protracted sigh of someone used to accusations and doubts. "I sometimes can't believe, you children. Yes, yes, she'll be alright. Daphne Greengrass isn't even involved in our actions here tonight - I made sure that she would have an alibi. I'm not entirely sure what gave you that idea." She stared at Draco.
He didn't answer, looking down, too nervous or tense to reveal the truth.
"Oh, whatever," Bellatrix said. "It was probably your father. Nothing to cry about. However, you children should know better than to wander around in the dark of the Hogwarts dungeons. Don't you know it can be dangerous, down here?"
"Shouldn't you know better than not to be a terrorist?" Neville asked.
Clearly, she didn't like that. She pointed her wand at his chest, almost point-blank.
"Stupefy."
A red bolt slammed into his heart with a noise like a crack of lightning or the bark of a gun. All strength lost from his muscles and eyes rolling up, Neville's entire body sagged as he promptly flopped and then fell onto his back.
"Any other smart comments?" she asked them. "No? Then you can lie down on your backs. Then, at least you won't wake up with bruises."
Already, Draco was lying down, but the others showed a degree of hesitation - he wasn't sure why the others didn't want to, probably fear, but Harry wanted to speak with her first; ask what she wanted from him before, and why Daphne was spying for her. He couldn't do that when everyone else was conscious, though.
"So that's your plan?" Ron asked, unmoving. "Stun us, do whatever you're doing, deliver us upstairs, and then we'll wake up after it's over?"
"Not exactly. I'll remove and modify your memories," Bellatrix said. "After that, I'll wake you up and you'll continue about your Halloween. No reason a merry celebration should be ruined over a Death Eater action in the dungeons. Stupefy."
Hermione didn't quite react in time to Bellatrix raising her wand, and only managed to get down on one knee. It caused the girl's body to flop forward. She would've fallen down the stairs, but Bellatrix moved her wand to stop that from happening, then dragged Hermione back to be lying down next to Neville.
"Any other questions, or will you finally lie down?" Ron complied. "Stupefy. And you, Harry?"
---
Right now, you have 6.75 Gnosis.
[ ] Knock Me Out - Alas, you allowed yourself to be flanked by a superior caster, with greater experience and power. There's no reason to cry over spilled milk, especially when the milk admitted it won't actually dissolve you like acid. Allow Bellatrix to stun you and memory-charm you.
*Harry's memories of the event will be suppressed and replaced with some drivel about socializing with the others in the group.
*It doesn't matter, since Geist remembers every second flawlessly and can fill you in as soon as you wake up. As a matter of fact, it might even be possible to go down here again to stop this from happening, depending on how viscerally Harry will react on awakening.
*Also, Harry's Occlumency training grants a small resistance to this kind of thing; even without Geist, Harry would begin to grasp the pieces of what happened, eventually.
[ ] Hold On... - Ask her questions - what does she want from you, why doesn't she want it anymore, what's she doing down here, and so on. A lot of mysterious things are happening, so it'd be a decent idea to dig for secrets. However, it's likely that Bellatrix might want something in exchange.
*Depending on how the conversation goes, she might not memory-charm you. She probably will, though.
[ ] Fight Anyway [7 Gnosis] - She defeated you without even trying, so it might seem hopeless to even contest her - but inside of you, the soul of Harry Potter knows other secrets. Grit your teeth and summon it. Prove that you are not helpless, ever.
*Learn: Expecto Patronum (Wandless, Non-Verbal) at [Proficient] level, as is your birthright as Lord of Hufflepuff.
*Assures that you'll be able to, at the very least, escape from this situation without loss - also probably saving your friends and their memories in the process. However, outright defeating and knocking out Bellatrix might be asking too much; making her flee is the best you can hope for.
*Although you technically can't afford this, I'll make an exception as you're extremely close and will make up the difference by next chapter anyway.
*Don't get used to this, however.
[ ] Write-in - If you have a reasonable idea by which you might escape or fight them, you can execute it.
"Alohomora." A yellow spark shot into the lock from Neville's wand, casting the interior of its cylinder with golden light. The gate shook, bars of iron vibrating intensely, as though a madman was clutching and jostling them. Harry made out a few clicking sounds as the lock's tumblers fell down, and then its hinges released.
The gate swung open. It revealed a path somewhere deeper into the dungeons, on another path.
No one seemed eager to move forward and be the first to encounter any potential dangers. Neville, deeply amused at their juvenile fear, pushed onward with Gryffindorian boldness and resolve, stepping into the darkness without a modicum of fear; surefooted and confident, as if he'd done this before a hundred times. The casual behavior, eager confidence, and abundant knowledge of magic were much to consider. Harry was forced to ponder exactly what manner of things Neville usually got up to down here, in the deepest parts of Hogwarts, but extracting secrets from his friends was unfair, especially when Harry wasn't being completely forthright about his own nightly deeds either.
"I have to ask," Neville stated calmly as they walked - he was leaning slightly, to observe ancient brass piping and hear the hisses of steam taking place within better. Harry could hear them as well. "Why do you even think Daphne would be down here?"
"It's the default place for doing anything dodgy, innit?" As he responded, Ron was distracted looking around, a trace of curiosity mixed with a great deal of anxiety, both flickering in his eyes. The walls surrounding them were almost invisible, concealed under hulking masses of thick piping, suspicious valves, locked hatches, protruding taps, and similar mechanisms. Above, the endless length of the ceiling was occasionally plated with steel panels, and on those panels was a symbolic tracery of odd metal - not runic, but similar, like curlicue filigree dragging on and on. Maybe decorative, but then who'd decorate a place like this?
Although he was leading the group at the front, Neville occasionally took a look back to make sure they were following him. Noticing the direction of Harry's gaze, Neville glanced up. "Oh, that's beryllium bronze. The traceries."
"Beryllium copper," Hermione said in a corrective fashion. "At least, that's what it's commonly called."
"No," Neville said, insistent, "It's beryllium bronze, trust me."
Hermione raised an eyebrow. "There's a difference?"
"A big one, yeah." Neville didn't elaborate at first. After a moment of silence, he sighed, aware that he'd drawn everyone's curiosity. "It's something that ancient civilizations figured out, some time ago, and that Salazar Slytherin liked to put around the castle. Apparently, he stuffed a whole bunch of beryllium bronze down here to protect the dungeons and what's in them, so if anyone launched a magical attack that wiped Hogwarts off the map, this place would remain secure and relatively unbroken. As for the bronze itself, well... it's a special material and it has some... magic-reducing properties."
Hermione raised an eyebrow. "How do you know all of this?"
After considering her question for a second, Neville shrugged, lips pressed together in thought.
Unsatisfied, Hermione trotted up to him. She caught Neville by the elbow - a gesture he didn't seem to appreciate, staring back at her with exasperation and a degree of annoyance. Their march onward stopped. "Hold on, Neville - you know about runes, and you wander down here..."
"You're nuttier than Harry," Ron finished her thought. At his friend's grass-wilting glare, he added, "No offense. But you can get pretty nutty, and, uh... secretive. All that whispering to yourself when you think nobody's looking..."
Oh. Whoops?
"I don't think we should press Neville on this," Harry said. "I mean, he studies a lot, and he's smart, so knowing about how to use runes is logical. Anything else he knows that we don't is probably his own business. And I'm not nutty. I like to talk to myself sometimes, get my thoughts in order. Doesn't make me insane, Ron."
Ron cringed. Hermione let go of Neville's arm. Draco stayed eerily quiet.
A minute later, they finally reached the end of the hallway - ahead of them sprawled an immense chamber with a domed ceiling, completely plastered in the beryllium bronze that Neville had mentioned. In the room's center, there were four statues of the same metal, showing cobra snakes; their hoods unfolded to maximum extension, mouths open with serpentine tongues rolling out and spitting water into a kind of fountain. The pipes and machinery they'd followed moved up, sticking along the ceiling, and forming into a suspended pile under the dome. There was no one else in the chamber, though.
"Nothing here," Ron said. "Maybe we should've actually split up, after all."
Harry didn't like something about this place.
"Let's go," Neville said.
"Hold on." Everyone looked at Harry, as he stepped down the stairs and began to scan the chamber.
Do you recognize this place?
I've been here, Geist confirmed. As much as I appreciate your curiosity and natural skepticism, there's nothing special or hidden about this room. I spoke to the statues in Parseltongue. They are not a secret entrance and do not engage in conversation. All the machinery in the ceiling is simply an unused prototype for Hogwarts plumbing. After deciding it wouldn't be useful, I assume Slytherin didn't know what to do and decided to simply build this chamber and store it here because he could. Ancient wizards rarely need a reason to do things outside of fleeting urges to store their inventions.
Yeah, Harry said, in agreement with everything Geist said so far, But then why protect this place with beryllium bronze? Why inoculate it against magic?
I haven't the foggiest. Do you think there might be secrets buried here?
"Harry?" Hermione asked, a tone of worry rising in her voice.
"Coming!" Harry spun around and began to ascend the stairs. "Sor-ry...?"
As he looked up, a sudden yet overwhelming cold popped into his chest.
His entire body tensed, a snake of watery lightning descending then going back up his spine. A combat instinct - amateurish yet budding and strong, honed over several lessons with Flitwick - almost made him reach out and draw his wand, to cast a spell, or at least to not be completely unarmed. His logical instinct - the one he'd been filing and sharpening for almost his entire life, ever since he could rationalize basic decisions - made him stymie that urge as fast as it came, very much aware it'd be a mistake.
Neville, Hermione, Ron, and Draco were standing in a short row, hands raised in apparent surrender. None other than Bellatrix Lestrange stood next to them, having silently confiscated their wands. She was holding them like a bundle of twigs in one hand, gently and rhythmically tapping them against a bare thigh projecting out of her short, practical dress. Another man stood behind them, in a silver-white skull mask and dark robe with matching leather gloves. He wasn't doing that much, seemingly barely even concerned, but the wand held in between his own fingers - one that he was playing with - was a major cause for concern.
"Hello there, young Harry Potter," Bellatrix greeted him cordially, a warm smile on her face. Then, her smile dropped, to reveal an expression fractionally colder - one that revealed much, without a single word. She wasn't here to hurt him, but wouldn't hesitate to respond, should he prove aggressive. "Your wand, please."
"I, uh, I don't feel safe doing that kind of thing," Harry answered very casually. "I could give you my wand, and then you'd shoot me."
"Boy, if I wanted you dead, you'd be a corpse right now." Bellatrix blew a single, kinked hair away from her forehead. Almost a snort; amused. She smacked her lips twice in rapid sequence, almost like she was attracting or taming a wild cat or dog. "Wand. Come on. We don't have all night."
Do I run or fight?
Neither, unless you're into making terrible choices. I trained Bellatrix myself, Harry. You don't stand a chance against her.
He wasn't going to surrender. "Digitus-"
"Accio." She didn't even have to gesture. Harry's wrist couldn't finish the first motion of the spell, before his wand launched across the chamber at blinding speed, slowing down as it neared her waiting hand. Bellatrix glanced at her capture. "Roman wand wood, hm? How rare. Come here and line up with your friends."
Her casual spell and his equally ignoble defeat were the crushing realization - he'd been studying in Hogwarts for almost a whole semester, working himself down haggard and breathless. At night, as Harry slept, his eyes ached from the constant reading of small letters, the study of runic symbols; he'd written so many arrays he should've developed carpal tunnels a long time ago. And yet, he'd grown no stronger, no more powerful; no more able to defy his captors and the wizards around him than he'd been after living with the Dursleys for his entire mortal existence. He was as powerless right now, as he'd been that night.
Harry obeyed the witch's command almost on autopilot, feet moving up the stairs in a dance of slow hesitation, feeling slightly numb.
"I admire your bravery, boy," Bellatrix remarked, casting a dismayed, pitying look at him. "But bravery is for Gryffindors, Harry. You don't have anything to prove. And besides, we aren't a threat to you - we came to make sure you wouldn't disrupt our activities. Your friends are safe."
"Is Daphne safe?" Draco asked; voice slow, afraid.
Bellatrix sighed. It was the protracted sigh of someone used to accusations and doubts. "I sometimes can't believe, you children. Yes, yes, she'll be alright. Daphne Greengrass isn't even involved in our actions here tonight - I made sure that she would have an alibi. I'm not entirely sure what gave you that idea." She stared at Draco.
He didn't answer, looking down, too nervous or tense to reveal the truth.
"Oh, whatever," Bellatrix said. "It was probably your father. Nothing to cry about. However, you children should know better than to wander around in the dark of the Hogwarts dungeons. Don't you know it can be dangerous, down here?"
"Shouldn't you know better than not to be a terrorist?" Neville asked.
Clearly, she didn't like that. She pointed her wand at his chest, almost point-blank.
"Stupefy."
A red bolt slammed into his heart with a noise like a crack of lightning or the bark of a gun. All strength lost from his muscles and eyes rolling up, Neville's entire body sagged as he promptly flopped and then fell onto his back.
"Any other smart comments?" she asked them. "No? Then you can lie down on your backs. Then, at least you won't wake up with bruises."
Already, Draco was lying down, but the others showed a degree of hesitation - he wasn't sure why the others didn't want to, probably fear, but Harry wanted to speak with her first; ask what she wanted from him before, and why Daphne was spying for her. He couldn't do that when everyone else was conscious, though.
"So that's your plan?" Ron asked, unmoving. "Stun us, do whatever you're doing, deliver us upstairs, and then we'll wake up after it's over?"
"Not exactly. I'll remove and modify your memories," Bellatrix said. "After that, I'll wake you up and you'll continue about your Halloween. No reason a merry celebration should be ruined over a Death Eater action in the dungeons. Stupefy."
Hermione didn't quite react in time to Bellatrix raising her wand, and only managed to get down on one knee. It caused the girl's body to flop forward. She would've fallen down the stairs, but Bellatrix moved her wand to stop that from happening, then dragged Hermione back to be lying down next to Neville.
"Any other questions, or will you finally lie down?" Ron complied. "Stupefy. And you, Harry?"
---
Right now, you have 6.75 Gnosis.
[ ] Knock Me Out - Alas, you allowed yourself to be flanked by a superior caster, with greater experience and power. There's no reason to cry over spilled milk, especially when the milk admitted it won't actually dissolve you like acid. Allow Bellatrix to stun you and memory-charm you.
*Harry's memories of the event will be suppressed and replaced with some drivel about socializing with the others in the group.
*It doesn't matter, since Geist remembers every second flawlessly and can fill you in as soon as you wake up. As a matter of fact, it might even be possible to go down here again to stop this from happening, depending on how viscerally Harry will react on awakening.
*Also, Harry's Occlumency training grants a small resistance to this kind of thing; even without Geist, Harry would begin to grasp the pieces of what happened, eventually.
[ ] Hold On... - Ask her questions - what does she want from you, why doesn't she want it anymore, what's she doing down here, and so on. A lot of mysterious things are happening, so it'd be a decent idea to dig for secrets. However, it's likely that Bellatrix might want something in exchange.
*Depending on how the conversation goes, she might not memory-charm you. She probably will, though.
[ ] Fight Anyway [7 Gnosis] - She defeated you without even trying, so it might seem hopeless to even contest her - but inside of you, the soul of Harry Potter knows other secrets. Grit your teeth and summon it. Prove that you are not helpless, ever.
*Learn: Expecto Patronum (Wandless, Non-Verbal) at [Proficient] level, as is your birthright as Lord of Hufflepuff.
*Assures that you'll be able to, at the very least, escape from this situation without loss - also probably saving your friends and their memories in the process. However, outright defeating and knocking out Bellatrix might be asking too much; making her flee is the best you can hope for.
*Although you technically can't afford this, I'll make an exception as you're extremely close and will make up the difference by next chapter anyway.
*Don't get used to this, however.
[ ] Write-in - If you have a reasonable idea by which you might escape or fight them, you can execute it.
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[X] Hold On... - Ask her questions - what does she want from you, why doesn't she want it anymore, what's she doing down here, and so on. A lot of mysterious things are happening, so it'd be a decent idea to dig for secrets. However, it's likely that Bellatrix might want something in exchange.
TaliesinSkye
Occasional Editor
- Location
- Northeast Ohio, United States
Harry really needs a proper (ideally concealable) combat loadout. Darkness powder, a holdout pistol, a goddamn knife. Anything else that might be useful in a pinch to fight or flee, because he's too young to be able to defeat many superior opponents, magical or monster, with his wand yet.
How is a Patronus supposed to help in this situation? They're not really for fighting magical opponents with.
How is a Patronus supposed to help in this situation? They're not really for fighting magical opponents with.
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Kufufu
Adequate at best
- Location
- What's it to ya?
[X] Fight Anyway [7 Gnosis] - She defeated you without even trying, so it might seem hopeless to even contest her - but inside of you, the soul of Harry Potter knows other secrets. Grit your teeth and summon it. Prove that you are not helpless, ever.
Time to be interesting!
Time to be interesting!
[X] Hold On... - Ask her questions - what does she want from you, why doesn't she want it anymore, what's she doing down here, and so on. A lot of mysterious things are happening, so it'd be a decent idea to dig for secrets. However, it's likely that Bellatrix might want something in exchange.
Please lets not waste our Gnosis when we can get semi-free answers.
Please lets not waste our Gnosis when we can get semi-free answers.
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Birdsie
Sharp Talons Cleave The Worthy
- Location
- Poland
He's not that bad for his age, you know? Harry could absolutely wipe the floor with any other random First Year (aside from Neville, probably,) and give a decent showing against the majority of Second Years and Third Years. It's simply that he's no Bellatrix Lestrange.
TaliesinSkye
Occasional Editor
- Location
- Northeast Ohio, United States
Yeah, he's in good stead for peer-level opponents in terms of age, but he just doesn't have the luxury of assuming he'll be up against children. Today it's Bellatrix, tomorrow it could be a troll or whatever else. I think Harry needs to defy the typical wizard arrogance of thinking they need nothing more than a wand to handle any situation, and prepare for losing his wand, for spell-resistant creatures, and for opponents he has no hope of out dueling.
The best thing about that magical arrogance and complacency is that they'd be really surprised if a 'disarmed' opponent threw down a cloud of darkness and then stabbed them in the neck, I think.
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- Location
- Poland
- Pronouns
- He/Him
[X] Hold On... - Ask her questions - what does she want from you, why doesn't she want it anymore, what's she doing down here, and so on. A lot of mysterious things are happening, so it'd be a decent idea to dig for secrets. However, it's likely that Bellatrix might want something in exchange.
Use Geist's memory to our advantage.
Or go deeper into dark path. Either or.
Use Geist's memory to our advantage.
Or go deeper into dark path. Either or.
- Location
- California
[X] Hold On...
Rolen von Keng
Sleeping Green Bear
- Location
- The Wilderness
[X] Hold On... - Ask her questions - what does she want from you, why doesn't she want it anymore, what's she doing down here, and so on. A lot of mysterious things are happening, so it'd be a decent idea to dig for secrets. However, it's likely that Bellatrix might want something in exchange.
I rather like all three options so I'm up for all of them, but my preference for the last one is because it's a meme option, and not because it's rational.
I rather like all three options so I'm up for all of them, but my preference for the last one is because it's a meme option, and not because it's rational.
TaliesinSkye
Occasional Editor
- Location
- Northeast Ohio, United States
I have an idea to talk our way out of this, but it's...risky. I'll take the thread's input.
[ ] Write-in - "You are treading on my plans, Bellatrix." Let Geist channel The Dark Lord's speech and mannerisms through you. Command Bellatrix, using Geist's knowledge to convince her of your authenticity. Lead her to believe that her Master, who is extremely irate with her continued bumbling interference, has already returned in the body of this boy, and has plans that shall be fulfilled in the fullness of time if she would cease her interference. Command her to stun those of your friends who remain awake and memory charm them with something believable, then fill you in on what 'your' followers have been doing, and order them to lay low and prepare for your return when your body is sufficiently grown. Hopefully that might buy you a few years and you can deal with them later.
[ ] Write-in - "You are treading on my plans, Bellatrix." Let Geist channel The Dark Lord's speech and mannerisms through you. Command Bellatrix, using Geist's knowledge to convince her of your authenticity. Lead her to believe that her Master, who is extremely irate with her continued bumbling interference, has already returned in the body of this boy, and has plans that shall be fulfilled in the fullness of time if she would cease her interference. Command her to stun those of your friends who remain awake and memory charm them with something believable, then fill you in on what 'your' followers have been doing, and order them to lay low and prepare for your return when your body is sufficiently grown. Hopefully that might buy you a few years and you can deal with them later.
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[] Hold On... - Ask her questions - what does she want from you, why doesn't she want it anymore, what's she doing down here, and so on. A lot of mysterious things are happening, so it'd be a decent idea to dig for secrets. However, it's likely that Bellatrix might want something in exchange.
Finally, a chance to make headway with the Death Eater faction. I'd rather not reveal Geist so directly though.. that way lies to an earlier body rite for him and separation from Harry. You know I wouldn't be surprised if Bellatrix decides to abandon her plans here and spirits away Harry instead.
Finally, a chance to make headway with the Death Eater faction. I'd rather not reveal Geist so directly though.. that way lies to an earlier body rite for him and separation from Harry. You know I wouldn't be surprised if Bellatrix decides to abandon her plans here and spirits away Harry instead.
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I don't think that "Hold On" is a smart choice, since it will give us a chance to slip and reveal Geist (which we do not want to do), and we may very well be stunned anyway.
I also strongly dislike the idea of giving up while there's something that we *can* do, even if we won't actually be directly "hurt" perse, we will still let our friends and us be pushed around by others and I really do not like it (even though it might objectively be the best choice)
Also, I like the Patronus option thematically more than the others, so despite how much I don't like the players spending our Gnosis over every new shiny, in this case I think that I'm going to be hypocritical.
[X] Fight Anyway [7 Gnosis] - She defeated you without even trying, so it might seem hopeless to even contest her - but inside of you, the soul of Harry Potter knows other secrets. Grit your teeth and summon it. Prove that you are not helpless, ever.
This is how I imagine this going:
View: https://youtu.be/O8mvJjBTf94
I also strongly dislike the idea of giving up while there's something that we *can* do, even if we won't actually be directly "hurt" perse, we will still let our friends and us be pushed around by others and I really do not like it (even though it might objectively be the best choice)
Also, I like the Patronus option thematically more than the others, so despite how much I don't like the players spending our Gnosis over every new shiny, in this case I think that I'm going to be hypocritical.
[X] Fight Anyway [7 Gnosis] - She defeated you without even trying, so it might seem hopeless to even contest her - but inside of you, the soul of Harry Potter knows other secrets. Grit your teeth and summon it. Prove that you are not helpless, ever.
This is how I imagine this going:
View: https://youtu.be/O8mvJjBTf94
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[X] Hold On... - Ask her questions - what does she want from you, why doesn't she want it anymore, what's she doing down here, and so on. A lot of mysterious things are happening, so it'd be a decent idea to dig for secrets. However, it's likely that Bellatrix might want something in exchange.
Perfect choice, foolproof. Either we learn something, or go to sleep, like first one suggesting
Perfect choice, foolproof. Either we learn something, or go to sleep, like first one suggesting
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I am convinced. It's better we don't risk losing Geist.
[] Fight Anyway [7 Gnosis] - She defeated you without even trying, so it might seem hopeless to even contest her - but inside of you, the soul of Harry Potter knows other secrets. Grit your teeth and summon it. Prove that you are not helpless, ever.
Patronuses are a bit different. Remember our first Incorporeal Patronus basically wrecked Olivander's store and tore a hole through the walls and hit something in Diagon Alley.
[] Fight Anyway [7 Gnosis] - She defeated you without even trying, so it might seem hopeless to even contest her - but inside of you, the soul of Harry Potter knows other secrets. Grit your teeth and summon it. Prove that you are not helpless, ever.
Patronuses are a bit different. Remember our first Incorporeal Patronus basically wrecked Olivander's store and tore a hole through the walls and hit something in Diagon Alley.
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