- Location
- California
Birdsie, on the discord, has clarified that they would not even be listed if we did not have Sovereign.
Harry Potter and the Scabbard of Excalibur [AU]
OctarineShrike
Avatar of Mandos
The Exact exchange for clarity was
Q: BTW @Birdsie, how much would instant Master Runes cost without the doubling from Sovereign?
A: beyond your means
So Eternal Ancient Runes Mastery in first year is competitive with or superior to a 50 gnosis pick in 1st year that doesn't benefit from Sovereign if we're going off Gnosis values alone.
Edit: My apologies for unnecessarily @ing you Birdsie
Q: BTW @Birdsie, how much would instant Master Runes cost without the doubling from Sovereign?
A: beyond your means
So Eternal Ancient Runes Mastery in first year is competitive with or superior to a 50 gnosis pick in 1st year that doesn't benefit from Sovereign if we're going off Gnosis values alone.
Edit: My apologies for unnecessarily @ing you Birdsie
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- Location
- Louisiana
[X] Plan Runes
Eh that's true I guess, we did pick sovereign might as well leverage it. I'm more for runes power than astrology, plus runes mastery will probably make astrology a lot more tempting. We could make use of the runes better. If we wait too long to cash out we might just die, our specialties aside from dark arts are all about prep work and rituals. We'd be forced into some unoptimal stuff if we wait too long.
Eh that's true I guess, we did pick sovereign might as well leverage it. I'm more for runes power than astrology, plus runes mastery will probably make astrology a lot more tempting. We could make use of the runes better. If we wait too long to cash out we might just die, our specialties aside from dark arts are all about prep work and rituals. We'd be forced into some unoptimal stuff if we wait too long.
Birdsie
Sharp Talons Cleave The Worthy
- Location
- Poland
Alrighty - vote is locked.
[X] Plan Save and Investments
-[X] Focus Your Studies On Runes
-[X] Homework - A dedication to your studies and student duties; not only do your homework, but go an extra step and a half for every assignment, and then do some ahead-of-curriculum reading for the topics involved, simply to be prepared and ahead of the curve. You're now learning the second year curriculum.
-[X] Group Study - Organize regular group study sessions to do together with your friends from now on. Teach and learn from one another while building friendships.
-[X] Father Figure - Tell Sirius you want to do something with him regularly from now on, like at least once a week. Eat a private meal, go for a walk, practice spells, anything he'd like to do, whatever. Anything that's an excuse to talk and share what's going on in your lives. Maybe he could tell you stories about your parents? You don't know much about them. And maybe he might enjoy talk about the non-secret stuff you're working on and learning. It'd be something to get conversation going, anyway. He is an adult wizard, he'll surely have insight, too.
[X] Plan Save and Investments
-[X] Focus Your Studies On Runes
-[X] Homework - A dedication to your studies and student duties; not only do your homework, but go an extra step and a half for every assignment, and then do some ahead-of-curriculum reading for the topics involved, simply to be prepared and ahead of the curve. You're now learning the second year curriculum.
-[X] Group Study - Organize regular group study sessions to do together with your friends from now on. Teach and learn from one another while building friendships.
-[X] Father Figure - Tell Sirius you want to do something with him regularly from now on, like at least once a week. Eat a private meal, go for a walk, practice spells, anything he'd like to do, whatever. Anything that's an excuse to talk and share what's going on in your lives. Maybe he could tell you stories about your parents? You don't know much about them. And maybe he might enjoy talk about the non-secret stuff you're working on and learning. It'd be something to get conversation going, anyway. He is an adult wizard, he'll surely have insight, too.
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- Location
- 1
...Y'know, the argument seems to have been made we should study runes because Not-dementor said to decipher its runes, but uh. Not-Dementor's dialogue was written with adhd put through a woodchipper and then fed through google translate- so to speak. Runes could genuinely just mean "words" or "letters"- "Decipher my [cryptic warnings], for they [describe your life between now and a long time from now]". In which case the point isn't "Study up ancient languages boy good thing that was one of your trismestigus slots" but rather "Heed my cryptic warnings".
OctarineShrike
Avatar of Mandos
Six of one half a dozen of the other. It's also powerbuilding before a potentially dangerous event and without Thrice Great Sovereign the value of that pick was literally beyond measure/impossible for our situation.
It is better to focus on at least some information than to guess and wait for the weather by the sea.
Besides, I doubt that a non-dementor accidentally got into one of our specialties. Because this entity is probably from the future, so he knows who Harry can become in the future.
TaliesinSkye
Occasional Editor
- Location
- Northeast Ohio, United States
Given that the supernova is time travel, not-dementor-probably-Harry might be from 1000 years in the past or 1000 years in the future. Or both.
Deciphering a message left in the past would make sense, though. We've been kind of giving exploration short shrift in terms of finding anything to decipher, haven't we? That's another thing we should do more of.
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- Location
- California
I think it is 6000 years ago, given the text of the choice and the Bronze Age timing, but I would not discount the millennial supernova facilitating time travel in millennium-long jumps.
We Solemnly Swear We Are Up To No Good
Birdsie
Sharp Talons Cleave The Worthy
- Location
- Poland
We Solemnly Swear We Are Up To No Good
"Hey, mate, I only wanted to say I'm really grateful for the group study sessions, they really helped with my Charms," Ron said, jogging to catch up with Harry as they left the Charms classroom. "I aced that exam. You're a proper good teacher, you know that?"
"Heh," Harry chuckled, as momentary self-consciousness came over him. Nonetheless, someone of his reputation couldn't afford to be humble - it'd make him look even more excessively admirable, especially to people eavesdropping on them. "Well, yeah, can't deny that. I... guess I know how to get things across pretty clearly."
Ron nodded in agreement. "Where you off to now?"
"Oh, I'm meeting with Sirius," Harry said.
"Yeah, I should probably get cracking too," the redhead answered in sudden realization. Glumly, he said, "Fred and George mentioned they wanted me for something. I'm not eager to help with whatever scheme they're cooking up, you know? I'll probably end up the patsy. Can't do anything about it, though, since I owe 'em."
Harry nodded. "See you later, then. Plunkballs in front of the Great Hall, as usual for Friday evenings?"
"Yeah. If anything changes, I'll write you." Ron paused, once more realizing that he'd forgotten something, then remembering it just as fast. "Oh, actually, a buncha blokes from Slytherin want in. Second Years. What do you think?"
Harry's nose wrinkled up in complete disdain. Although there was nothing inherently wrong about Slytherins playing plunkballs with them, they'd heard rumors about a Slytherin team that habitually cheated with extraordinarily subtle Levitation Charms. "What are they betting?"
"A tenner through head," Ron answered; code for ten Galleons per individual. "And six eggs."
"Hm. I'll give you my answer in an hour."
"Alright. See you later." Ron nodded, then broke off to use another hallway - moving upstairs.
Amazing. Harry, you already know that I hate teaching you spells because I believe I should foster independence, but I'll make you a deal - as long as you donate... half of your winnings, to a charity of my choosing, I'll teach you an advanced Charm that can make detecting cheating much easier. I'm not sure you can learn it by evening, though.
After reaching the overgrown and slightly messy Clock Tower Courtyard - deprived of any student presence. His guardian and godfather, Sirius, was standing by the rickety, wooden bridge, leading in the direction of the Forbidden Forest and Professor Hagrid's house.
"There you are," Sirius remarked. A keen, suspicious overtone shone over his eyes, and Harry immediately understood that Sirius was having doubts about the cause of Harry's tardiness. "It took you a while, Harry... You didn't stay behind in the classroom to help others cheat on the Charms exam, did you?"
"Obviously not," Harry said. "There'd be no point. I know they're bewitched to prevent cheating."
Hesitantly, Sirius nodded. "I shouldn't have doubted you."
My, are you shaping up to be a magnificent liar.
I'm not lying, Harry noted. I'm twisting the truth. I didn't help anyone cheat, technically, and what I said is true. I know you don't approve, and I don't care. I'm not letting my friends achieve anything less than an Outstanding grade.
Right, right. Keep telling yourself that, you little sociopath.
Harry frowned externally, and Sirius must've thought it was a frown directed at him, from the sudden change of expression - a sad frown of his own. Harry, immediately, grinned at him sheepishly and said, "I'm not angry or anything. Just thinking."
"Yes. Me too."
Wordlessly, they began a most tranquil and companionable stroll across the wooden bridge's length. Its storied floorboards creaked loudly under their shoes. Across to his right and left, Harry saw the deep and magnificent ravine that ran parallel to the castle's southern wing. A gorge of natural basalt and gray slate rock, with not a dribble of green anywhere. A small, sky-reflecting pond ran its length, transforming into a stream and river at various points as the water's paths compressed and opened up, before finally, its rushing waters terminated in the picturesque Black Lake, waters glittering with crescents of refracted sunlight. The bridge was fortunate to have a roof over it, shielding them from the worst of the yellow-bright rays.
It was a comforting silence that hovered between them; the knowledge that you didn't need to speak to have a friend with you. Harry decidedly thought his friendship with Sirius was much different from his friendship with anyone else. Whereas Harry's conversations with Ron were built on a foundation of mutual babble about Quidditch and chess, or other shared interests, and his conversations with Hermione were mostly centered on book recommendations and thaumaturgic debate, Sirius was a quiet soul. There didn't have to be any conversation between them, for them to find company among themselves. It was a very unique relationship. A kind of paternal love that was different from Uncle Vernon's cheerful remarks and daily advice.
"I should probably tell you about our Hogwarts exploits sometime," Sirius, uncharacteristically, spoke.
"Yours?" Harry asked the question, with emphasis on the subject being plural.
Sirius nodded sagely. "Me, James, Peter, and Remus. And, somewhat later on, your mother, Lily. You're quite different from... us, Harry - you're a diligent student, you don't get in trouble, and you most definitely aren't a menace to the school. We used to call ourselves the Marauders, and we had a creed: 'we solemnly swear that we are up to no good.' It... somehow feels like that was ages ago. An entire lifetime, you know? And yet, it hasn't really even been two decades."
"Peter?" Harry noticed the familiar name. "Do you mean Professor Pettigrew?"
"Yes... Actually, I never mentioned this to you, but I'm also an Animagus. All of us were - your father was a magnificent stag, and Remus, well... I'll tell you about Remus another time. As for me, I was... I am a black dog. It's rather appropriate, given my name."
"Sirius - the dog star, of the Canis Major constellation," Harry recognized absently, drawing a glance from Sirius, who probably made note of his godson's insane aptitude for Astronomy at some point. "And you ended up a black dog. If I were to become an Animagus, would I be... a hairy pot?"
Sirius laughed. "No, I don't think so, Harry. The Animagus transformation doesn't make you into... inanimate objects, only animals."
The boy hummed in deep thought. "How about a dragon?"
His guardian's reaction was that of a steady blink, and then a contemplative glance downwards. "A dragon, you say? I think the last time anyone held such an odd form was over a thousand years ago, historically. No one is sure whether it's true, though."
The conversation lagged there, before Harry brought up something else, "So, the Marauders, huh? Tell me about them."
"Ah, there's not much to tell, I'm afraid," Sirius answered. "We became Animagi to support Remus with his unique condition. And then, we got up to all sorts of mischief for the duration of our stay at the school. I'm afraid those funny years are over for me. I don't think I could ever again muster that much disrespect for authority anymore."
A thought - stray, unbidden - that Harry sensed in Sirius' mind. He wanted to speak it very much, but couldn't - not in front of Harry.
'Something died in me when they died.'
A clever plan hatched in Harry's mind, with languid slowness and incapacitating hesitation. Its enactment was almost as anxiety-inducing as kissing a girl used to be, though Harry managed to forge ahead with his resolve - his sulky guardian needed some cheering up.
"Hey, don't worry," Harry said brightly, skipping ahead with a smile and spinning around with a proud grin. He called upon a youthful cheer that hadn't been fully in him ever since the night when the Dursleys died. "I'll be your James Potter, how about that? I'm pretty much the same guy already, no? And we can get up to some mischief together, on my credit. Actually, you know what? I can pull double, even triple duty - I'll also be my mom and that Remus guy as well. And then we invite Professor Pettigrew and we have the Marauders reassembled, no real problem! Who do you want to prank?"
A snort of confusion emerged from Sirius' nose; he was looking at Harry with amused disbelief - a kind of incredulity that his godson would even propose such an inane scheme. "Harry, come now, I don't..."
"No, no, no!" Harry waved a chastising finger. "Don't think you're getting away that easy! We're pranking... Professor Snape, and that's final, okay!? If you don't help me, and if Professor Pettigrew doesn't help either, I'll report you both for becoming unregistered Animagi in your teens. Then, Veritaserum will do the rest. I'll do it myself after that."
Sirius, doubtful of his godson's threat, snorted again.
"As if, Harry. Peter will never agree to something stupid like this."
Later, in Pettigrew's office, among ticking clocks and sitting in comfortable chairs -
"I admit, it sounds quite fun. I've never been a fan of Snivellus." Harry's Transfiguration Professor leaned forward, intrigued. "When do we begin?"
Heh, Snivellus - I'll have to remember that one, Geist said.
"I can't believe this insanity is happening." Sirius pressed a hand to his forehead, concealing his eyes in shame. He pulled it away, glaring at them both, especially at Professor Pettigrew. "Peter, have you ever maybe considered we're in our thirties and... should behave like it?"
"I have, Sirius, but... I'm sorry to remind you that the Marauders are eternal," the man said wisely, then turned to Harry. "And quite besides - our duty as teachers is to educate, and this counts as prime education. It's a rite of passage for the next generation of mischief-makers. Do you have any friends you'd like to invite, Harry?"
A difficult query - Hermione was too uptight, Daphne was too diffident, Ron was too busy with his brothers... "Maybe Neville and... hm."
"Hm?"
"Draco Malfoy does owe me a favor..."
Professor Pettigrew burst into delighted laughter. "Do you hear that, Sirius? We may recruit Malfoy's boy into a camorra yet, and not to mention; against the Slytherin Head of House? Doesn't this sound indulgently devilish to you?"
"Ugh, fine," Sirius relented, sounding as though he was stuck in a limbo of disbelief at his own immaturity. "We'll prank Severus. But nothing major, alright? No stealing his underwear, vanishing his robes in a public place, or anything of the sort. He's a teacher now, for Merlin's sake, and so are we. If anyone finds out we're even seriously planning something like this, and on the behalf of a First-Year student's harebrained proposition, to say we and our careers are cooked would be the understatement of the century. "
Harry and Peter nodded in agreement. The Transfiguration Professor said, "Alright, so let's figure out the plan of action. We'll plan ahead - a fast operation, in and out before dinner." Mr. Pettigrew moved his wand and summoned an old scrap of folded-up paper into his open hand.
"You..." Sirius looked actually stumped by the action, or rather, its product - he was astonished, eyes wide in equal parts childlike wonder and speechless, gobsmacked disbelief. A second later, he continued, "You, you still have that old thing?"
"I've kept it with me, yes," Peter said, then unfolded the paper scrap and tapped his wand on it. "We solemnly swear we are up to no good."
In front of Harry's eyes, a geometric mess of sharpened outlines appeared on the parchment, fading into existence as though in response to Pettigrew's words - dark ink formed into a... map, one that displayed a system of branching corridors and chambers, as well as phantasmal footsteps with hovering name-banners, gently bobbing across the map. All of them seemed to be moving around, going about their day. It was a map of Hogwarts, and the people within, rendered in real-time with magic.
Woah, Geist sounded genuinely, deeply woah'd. I'll say, that's some advanced enchanting. Even I'd have encounter slight problems making something like that. I wonder how it works. Is it maybe tied to the castle defenses or something?
"It's the Marauders' Map," Sirius clarified, noticing Harry's astonished puzzlement. "It shows you the castle's floor plan, including who's where. It also contains all of the secret passageways, though not the method for entering them. We used this to plan our... operations in advance."
"It appears that Severus is in his office, grading papers," Pettigrew said, having located Snape. "Now, what do we do..."
---
As Sirius said, your plan shouldn't be too complicated or offensive - maybe blow something noxious up in his classroom, something that's resistant to Scouring Charms, so he'll need to clean it up with his own hands?
[ ] Boom - Detonate an alchemical mixture of particularly sticky and resilient qualities in the Potions classroom that can't be easily removed, as mentioned above. It's sure to get on his nerves, as it cannot be easily removed.
[ ] Snivellus Sux - Paint the obnoxious mantra, 'Snivellus Snape Sucks' all over the dungeon walls. Make sure to hide some of them in creative places, so people will keep finding the writing for weeks to come.
[ ] Bewitch His Cauldron - The next time he starts up the fire to brew a potion, it'll be twice as hot. It's sure to ruin whatever he's attempting to make, and Severus, for all his flaws, is competent enough in his craft to not be harmed should the potion go unstable.
[ ] Write-in
If you wish, you may formulate a custom prank - and reveal your possession of the Invisibility Cloak (or your other skills) to your partners-in-crime.
Also, who else do you invite to help you with the prank?
[ ] Nobody - OG Marauders only, even though you're an OG only on a pure technicality of standing in for the OGs who are missing-in-action.
[ ] Neville - He'll probably agree; it's Friday, he's got nothing better to do, and it sounds like an exciting way to spend the afternoon.
[ ] Neville and Malfoy - As above, but also with Malfoy for dirty work (and being a scapegoat if you're detected.)
"Hey, mate, I only wanted to say I'm really grateful for the group study sessions, they really helped with my Charms," Ron said, jogging to catch up with Harry as they left the Charms classroom. "I aced that exam. You're a proper good teacher, you know that?"
"Heh," Harry chuckled, as momentary self-consciousness came over him. Nonetheless, someone of his reputation couldn't afford to be humble - it'd make him look even more excessively admirable, especially to people eavesdropping on them. "Well, yeah, can't deny that. I... guess I know how to get things across pretty clearly."
Ron nodded in agreement. "Where you off to now?"
"Oh, I'm meeting with Sirius," Harry said.
"Yeah, I should probably get cracking too," the redhead answered in sudden realization. Glumly, he said, "Fred and George mentioned they wanted me for something. I'm not eager to help with whatever scheme they're cooking up, you know? I'll probably end up the patsy. Can't do anything about it, though, since I owe 'em."
Harry nodded. "See you later, then. Plunkballs in front of the Great Hall, as usual for Friday evenings?"
"Yeah. If anything changes, I'll write you." Ron paused, once more realizing that he'd forgotten something, then remembering it just as fast. "Oh, actually, a buncha blokes from Slytherin want in. Second Years. What do you think?"
Harry's nose wrinkled up in complete disdain. Although there was nothing inherently wrong about Slytherins playing plunkballs with them, they'd heard rumors about a Slytherin team that habitually cheated with extraordinarily subtle Levitation Charms. "What are they betting?"
"A tenner through head," Ron answered; code for ten Galleons per individual. "And six eggs."
"Hm. I'll give you my answer in an hour."
"Alright. See you later." Ron nodded, then broke off to use another hallway - moving upstairs.
Amazing. Harry, you already know that I hate teaching you spells because I believe I should foster independence, but I'll make you a deal - as long as you donate... half of your winnings, to a charity of my choosing, I'll teach you an advanced Charm that can make detecting cheating much easier. I'm not sure you can learn it by evening, though.
After reaching the overgrown and slightly messy Clock Tower Courtyard - deprived of any student presence. His guardian and godfather, Sirius, was standing by the rickety, wooden bridge, leading in the direction of the Forbidden Forest and Professor Hagrid's house.
"There you are," Sirius remarked. A keen, suspicious overtone shone over his eyes, and Harry immediately understood that Sirius was having doubts about the cause of Harry's tardiness. "It took you a while, Harry... You didn't stay behind in the classroom to help others cheat on the Charms exam, did you?"
"Obviously not," Harry said. "There'd be no point. I know they're bewitched to prevent cheating."
Hesitantly, Sirius nodded. "I shouldn't have doubted you."
My, are you shaping up to be a magnificent liar.
I'm not lying, Harry noted. I'm twisting the truth. I didn't help anyone cheat, technically, and what I said is true. I know you don't approve, and I don't care. I'm not letting my friends achieve anything less than an Outstanding grade.
Right, right. Keep telling yourself that, you little sociopath.
Harry frowned externally, and Sirius must've thought it was a frown directed at him, from the sudden change of expression - a sad frown of his own. Harry, immediately, grinned at him sheepishly and said, "I'm not angry or anything. Just thinking."
"Yes. Me too."
Wordlessly, they began a most tranquil and companionable stroll across the wooden bridge's length. Its storied floorboards creaked loudly under their shoes. Across to his right and left, Harry saw the deep and magnificent ravine that ran parallel to the castle's southern wing. A gorge of natural basalt and gray slate rock, with not a dribble of green anywhere. A small, sky-reflecting pond ran its length, transforming into a stream and river at various points as the water's paths compressed and opened up, before finally, its rushing waters terminated in the picturesque Black Lake, waters glittering with crescents of refracted sunlight. The bridge was fortunate to have a roof over it, shielding them from the worst of the yellow-bright rays.
It was a comforting silence that hovered between them; the knowledge that you didn't need to speak to have a friend with you. Harry decidedly thought his friendship with Sirius was much different from his friendship with anyone else. Whereas Harry's conversations with Ron were built on a foundation of mutual babble about Quidditch and chess, or other shared interests, and his conversations with Hermione were mostly centered on book recommendations and thaumaturgic debate, Sirius was a quiet soul. There didn't have to be any conversation between them, for them to find company among themselves. It was a very unique relationship. A kind of paternal love that was different from Uncle Vernon's cheerful remarks and daily advice.
"I should probably tell you about our Hogwarts exploits sometime," Sirius, uncharacteristically, spoke.
"Yours?" Harry asked the question, with emphasis on the subject being plural.
Sirius nodded sagely. "Me, James, Peter, and Remus. And, somewhat later on, your mother, Lily. You're quite different from... us, Harry - you're a diligent student, you don't get in trouble, and you most definitely aren't a menace to the school. We used to call ourselves the Marauders, and we had a creed: 'we solemnly swear that we are up to no good.' It... somehow feels like that was ages ago. An entire lifetime, you know? And yet, it hasn't really even been two decades."
"Peter?" Harry noticed the familiar name. "Do you mean Professor Pettigrew?"
"Yes... Actually, I never mentioned this to you, but I'm also an Animagus. All of us were - your father was a magnificent stag, and Remus, well... I'll tell you about Remus another time. As for me, I was... I am a black dog. It's rather appropriate, given my name."
"Sirius - the dog star, of the Canis Major constellation," Harry recognized absently, drawing a glance from Sirius, who probably made note of his godson's insane aptitude for Astronomy at some point. "And you ended up a black dog. If I were to become an Animagus, would I be... a hairy pot?"
Sirius laughed. "No, I don't think so, Harry. The Animagus transformation doesn't make you into... inanimate objects, only animals."
The boy hummed in deep thought. "How about a dragon?"
His guardian's reaction was that of a steady blink, and then a contemplative glance downwards. "A dragon, you say? I think the last time anyone held such an odd form was over a thousand years ago, historically. No one is sure whether it's true, though."
The conversation lagged there, before Harry brought up something else, "So, the Marauders, huh? Tell me about them."
"Ah, there's not much to tell, I'm afraid," Sirius answered. "We became Animagi to support Remus with his unique condition. And then, we got up to all sorts of mischief for the duration of our stay at the school. I'm afraid those funny years are over for me. I don't think I could ever again muster that much disrespect for authority anymore."
A thought - stray, unbidden - that Harry sensed in Sirius' mind. He wanted to speak it very much, but couldn't - not in front of Harry.
'Something died in me when they died.'
A clever plan hatched in Harry's mind, with languid slowness and incapacitating hesitation. Its enactment was almost as anxiety-inducing as kissing a girl used to be, though Harry managed to forge ahead with his resolve - his sulky guardian needed some cheering up.
"Hey, don't worry," Harry said brightly, skipping ahead with a smile and spinning around with a proud grin. He called upon a youthful cheer that hadn't been fully in him ever since the night when the Dursleys died. "I'll be your James Potter, how about that? I'm pretty much the same guy already, no? And we can get up to some mischief together, on my credit. Actually, you know what? I can pull double, even triple duty - I'll also be my mom and that Remus guy as well. And then we invite Professor Pettigrew and we have the Marauders reassembled, no real problem! Who do you want to prank?"
A snort of confusion emerged from Sirius' nose; he was looking at Harry with amused disbelief - a kind of incredulity that his godson would even propose such an inane scheme. "Harry, come now, I don't..."
"No, no, no!" Harry waved a chastising finger. "Don't think you're getting away that easy! We're pranking... Professor Snape, and that's final, okay!? If you don't help me, and if Professor Pettigrew doesn't help either, I'll report you both for becoming unregistered Animagi in your teens. Then, Veritaserum will do the rest. I'll do it myself after that."
Sirius, doubtful of his godson's threat, snorted again.
"As if, Harry. Peter will never agree to something stupid like this."
Later, in Pettigrew's office, among ticking clocks and sitting in comfortable chairs -
"I admit, it sounds quite fun. I've never been a fan of Snivellus." Harry's Transfiguration Professor leaned forward, intrigued. "When do we begin?"
Heh, Snivellus - I'll have to remember that one, Geist said.
"I can't believe this insanity is happening." Sirius pressed a hand to his forehead, concealing his eyes in shame. He pulled it away, glaring at them both, especially at Professor Pettigrew. "Peter, have you ever maybe considered we're in our thirties and... should behave like it?"
"I have, Sirius, but... I'm sorry to remind you that the Marauders are eternal," the man said wisely, then turned to Harry. "And quite besides - our duty as teachers is to educate, and this counts as prime education. It's a rite of passage for the next generation of mischief-makers. Do you have any friends you'd like to invite, Harry?"
A difficult query - Hermione was too uptight, Daphne was too diffident, Ron was too busy with his brothers... "Maybe Neville and... hm."
"Hm?"
"Draco Malfoy does owe me a favor..."
Professor Pettigrew burst into delighted laughter. "Do you hear that, Sirius? We may recruit Malfoy's boy into a camorra yet, and not to mention; against the Slytherin Head of House? Doesn't this sound indulgently devilish to you?"
"Ugh, fine," Sirius relented, sounding as though he was stuck in a limbo of disbelief at his own immaturity. "We'll prank Severus. But nothing major, alright? No stealing his underwear, vanishing his robes in a public place, or anything of the sort. He's a teacher now, for Merlin's sake, and so are we. If anyone finds out we're even seriously planning something like this, and on the behalf of a First-Year student's harebrained proposition, to say we and our careers are cooked would be the understatement of the century. "
Harry and Peter nodded in agreement. The Transfiguration Professor said, "Alright, so let's figure out the plan of action. We'll plan ahead - a fast operation, in and out before dinner." Mr. Pettigrew moved his wand and summoned an old scrap of folded-up paper into his open hand.
"You..." Sirius looked actually stumped by the action, or rather, its product - he was astonished, eyes wide in equal parts childlike wonder and speechless, gobsmacked disbelief. A second later, he continued, "You, you still have that old thing?"
"I've kept it with me, yes," Peter said, then unfolded the paper scrap and tapped his wand on it. "We solemnly swear we are up to no good."
In front of Harry's eyes, a geometric mess of sharpened outlines appeared on the parchment, fading into existence as though in response to Pettigrew's words - dark ink formed into a... map, one that displayed a system of branching corridors and chambers, as well as phantasmal footsteps with hovering name-banners, gently bobbing across the map. All of them seemed to be moving around, going about their day. It was a map of Hogwarts, and the people within, rendered in real-time with magic.
Woah, Geist sounded genuinely, deeply woah'd. I'll say, that's some advanced enchanting. Even I'd have encounter slight problems making something like that. I wonder how it works. Is it maybe tied to the castle defenses or something?
"It's the Marauders' Map," Sirius clarified, noticing Harry's astonished puzzlement. "It shows you the castle's floor plan, including who's where. It also contains all of the secret passageways, though not the method for entering them. We used this to plan our... operations in advance."
"It appears that Severus is in his office, grading papers," Pettigrew said, having located Snape. "Now, what do we do..."
---
As Sirius said, your plan shouldn't be too complicated or offensive - maybe blow something noxious up in his classroom, something that's resistant to Scouring Charms, so he'll need to clean it up with his own hands?
[ ] Boom - Detonate an alchemical mixture of particularly sticky and resilient qualities in the Potions classroom that can't be easily removed, as mentioned above. It's sure to get on his nerves, as it cannot be easily removed.
[ ] Snivellus Sux - Paint the obnoxious mantra, 'Snivellus Snape Sucks' all over the dungeon walls. Make sure to hide some of them in creative places, so people will keep finding the writing for weeks to come.
[ ] Bewitch His Cauldron - The next time he starts up the fire to brew a potion, it'll be twice as hot. It's sure to ruin whatever he's attempting to make, and Severus, for all his flaws, is competent enough in his craft to not be harmed should the potion go unstable.
[ ] Write-in
If you wish, you may formulate a custom prank - and reveal your possession of the Invisibility Cloak (or your other skills) to your partners-in-crime.
Also, who else do you invite to help you with the prank?
[ ] Nobody - OG Marauders only, even though you're an OG only on a pure technicality of standing in for the OGs who are missing-in-action.
[ ] Neville - He'll probably agree; it's Friday, he's got nothing better to do, and it sounds like an exciting way to spend the afternoon.
[ ] Neville and Malfoy - As above, but also with Malfoy for dirty work (and being a scapegoat if you're detected.)
TaliesinSkye
Occasional Editor
- Location
- Northeast Ohio, United States
Well, didn't expect it to go in this direction, but why not.
Okay thread, here's the challenge. We need to do one better than the Marauders, and their pranks designed for petty vengeance alone. We need pranks with a purpose!
We must design a prank that will teach Snape the importance of being nice to his students. Or at least compassionate and decent.
Go.
Okay thread, here's the challenge. We need to do one better than the Marauders, and their pranks designed for petty vengeance alone. We need pranks with a purpose!
We must design a prank that will teach Snape the importance of being nice to his students. Or at least compassionate and decent.
Go.
- Location
- California
[] Snivellus Sux
[X] Neville
-Edit, as I would in fact prefer a write-in that teaches Snape to not be terrible.
One idea would be to drop runic enchantments on his cauldron to enumerate the flaws in any potion he makes in a synthetic voice, similarly to a Howler? Would be hard to make an enchantment that responsive, especially since we don't know potions as well as Snape.
-Edit 2:
Wait, no, we can just use a textbook; I'm sure Sirius or Peter can get upper-year textbooks if needed.
[X] Howling Pot- Work a runic enchantment on Snape's cauldron, enumerating the flaws in any potion he makes in a synthetic voice, similarly to a Howler. Perhaps include a catalogue of insults to match, e.g. "You added [six drops] [too much] [aqua regia], you [utter buffoon.]
[X] Neville
-Edit, as I would in fact prefer a write-in that teaches Snape to not be terrible.
One idea would be to drop runic enchantments on his cauldron to enumerate the flaws in any potion he makes in a synthetic voice, similarly to a Howler? Would be hard to make an enchantment that responsive, especially since we don't know potions as well as Snape.
-Edit 2:
Wait, no, we can just use a textbook; I'm sure Sirius or Peter can get upper-year textbooks if needed.
[X] Howling Pot- Work a runic enchantment on Snape's cauldron, enumerating the flaws in any potion he makes in a synthetic voice, similarly to a Howler. Perhaps include a catalogue of insults to match, e.g. "You added [six drops] [too much] [aqua regia], you [utter buffoon.]
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[X] Neville
[X] Howling Pot- Work a runic enchantment on Snape's cauldron, enumerating the flaws in any potion he makes in a synthetic voice, similarly to a Howler. Perhaps include a catalogue of insults to match, e.g. "You added [six drops] [too much] [aqua regia], you [utter buffoon.]
The cauldron should make a point of commenting on how it can do Snape's job better than him.
[X] Howling Pot- Work a runic enchantment on Snape's cauldron, enumerating the flaws in any potion he makes in a synthetic voice, similarly to a Howler. Perhaps include a catalogue of insults to match, e.g. "You added [six drops] [too much] [aqua regia], you [utter buffoon.]
The cauldron should make a point of commenting on how it can do Snape's job better than him.
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- Location
- Singapore
[X] Howling Pot- Work a runic enchantment on Snape's cauldron, enumerating the flaws in any potion he makes in a synthetic voice, similarly to a Howler. Perhaps include a catalogue of insults to match, e.g. "You added [six drops] [too much] [aqua regia], you [utter buffoon.]
TaliesinSkye
Occasional Editor
- Location
- Northeast Ohio, United States
I wonder if we could take it to the next level by having it be in Snape's voice.
We could also link it to a page in our dairy to get free Snape grade potions recipes.
TaliesinSkye
Occasional Editor
- Location
- Northeast Ohio, United States
That's magnificent. I doubt he'll use it very long, but clever.
Although if we can make this it could make a useful commercial product. 'The Safety Cauldron' or something, it warns you if you got the recipe wrong so you don't use the result. Alternatively just a teaching tool.
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As long as the commercial version still uses Snape's voice, I don't mind patenting it.
Orion Ultor
Everything’s Got A Price.
- Location
- East Coast
- Pronouns
- He/Him
[X] Howling Pot- Work a runic enchantment on Snape's cauldron, enumerating the flaws in any potion he makes in a synthetic voice, similarly to a Howler. Perhaps include a catalogue of insults to match, e.g. "You added [six drops] [too much] [aqua regia], you [utter buffoon.]
Hans Grueber? Metatron?
I'm sorry, don't you mean...
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TaliesinSkye
Occasional Editor
- Location
- Northeast Ohio, United States
There is an established magic kind of close to this already; magically animated portraits. Instead of magicking paint, we just need to enchant a cauldron with a fairly limited piece of Snape's personality. Might be easier than treating it like a programming project.
Yippie ki yay.
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[] Plan Snape wears only pink.
- Put a spell on all of Snape's clothes that makes it seem to others that she is pink
We still won't be able to shake Snape's confidence in his skill, in the plan with the screaming cauldron. But the option with a pink mantle will sting very much according to his conceit. Because Snape can't afford to be ridiculous, because it's not for nothing that he's been creating his dark reputation for so many years.
In fact, his reputation is his armor protection from others who are unpleasant to him and with whom he does not want to interact. But since he is a proud man, he wants to do it on his own terms, now we will force him to react, because of the pressure on his comfort zone..
- Put a spell on all of Snape's clothes that makes it seem to others that she is pink
We still won't be able to shake Snape's confidence in his skill, in the plan with the screaming cauldron. But the option with a pink mantle will sting very much according to his conceit. Because Snape can't afford to be ridiculous, because it's not for nothing that he's been creating his dark reputation for so many years.
In fact, his reputation is his armor protection from others who are unpleasant to him and with whom he does not want to interact. But since he is a proud man, he wants to do it on his own terms, now we will force him to react, because of the pressure on his comfort zone..
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TaliesinSkye
Occasional Editor
- Location
- Northeast Ohio, United States
He modifies his recipes so much they probably have little in common with the textbook versions.