Saturn Exalted
A magical place as wonderful and enchanting as Hogwarts made a certain impact on a young boy's psyche, Harry soon noticed - he'd been studying and living within its boundaries for not even so much as a semester. And yet, he now possessed an extraordinary motivation to research every facet of magic he could get away with, though he preferred to stick to drawing on knowledge from certain areas of endeavor that he rapidly found a particular talent for - Astrology and Ancient Runes. His stupendous alacrity with these subjects appeared to gobsmack even Geist, who only provided half-hearted commentary, that Harry should maybe slow down and take it a little easier.
His rate of advancement once he focused on the subjects was, in Geist's own words, terrifying. Maybe it was because of the subject matter, or maybe the power of the castle had awakened a spark within him, but Harry found himself exerting every iota of willpower and time to learn more about magic. His thaumovorous nature seemed to have no limit, and there was no slope that he would have not attempted to climb in those constrained zones of interest. All in the span of several easygoing weeks, he learned what wizards more advanced than him would have spent months studying laboriously.
A long glance at a protracted rune and effect chart in a beginner's tome that he scavenged from the library, and Harry managed to formalize an instinctive, simplistic but efficient method of correlating wand motions into written runes, allowing him thereby to sketch runes with the effects of any wand spell he'd learned to cast. After an hour of intense and somewhat annoying experimentation and going through multiple iterations and failures, he made a runic mechanism that would cause the Jelly-Fingers Curse to affect any person that looked upon it. Although rather primitive and not good for much aside from pranks, it could perhaps be refined into something better in the future.
An hour reading into the nature of divinatory horoscopes, some time grilling Geist on the date and circumstances of his own birth and subsequent glorification, and several weekends spent practically without sleep, subsisting entirely on ground coffee beans and flash-heated water - an item that Geist insisted was very unhealthy - and Harry assembled a horoscope for the month of October, that foretold in this year, on this month, Harry would discover much, and none would dare stand in his way. Already, he supposed that much, but he decided it was pleasant to have some semi-definitive confirmation.
Also, due to Geist's abrupt insistence and subsequent incessant nagging, Harry surrendered and decided to continue his meditations on Occlumency, although eventually, his training stalled in the absence of a partner to attempt invasion into his mind.
At the end of it, however, another idea crept into Harry's mind. It was another school week, another Wednesday, another Herbology lesson shared with Ravenclaw; and he was sitting near the back, dragonscale gloves and shielded cloak on to protect him from potential hazards, hand cupping his cheek, eyes a little glazed over from lack of sleep.
I have an idea, he thought.
As always, it took a couple of seconds, but Geist was ultimately roused from the depths of Harry's consciousness, called to respond.
An idea?
In order to appeal to Geist's sensibilities, Harry inserted eloquence and aplomb to his words, attempting to sound mature and serious.
I've attempted a solid taste - a whiff or lick - of every subject that Hogwarts can offer me, to see how much I liked them. There's one I haven't tried.
The Dark Arts?
Yes.
Oh, Harry, you can't be serious. I mean, aren't you concerned about the legality and morality of it?
Harry considered the question. Maybe a few months ago, he would've been. However, he'd learned a lot since then, and now had a better context for what the Dark Arts actually seemed to be - a comprehensive list of magical techniques no different from any other, save they were banned from polite society. It wouldn't hurt to try.
After all, many of those techniques were banned for a reason.
No, I'm not - not really. I mean, you used the Dark Arts - and you were an advocate of them, even - but despite what people say, you don't seem particularly evil or corrupted. Actually, probably the opposite. I have no clue why you came to my parents' house and, apparently, killed them, but unless you've been lying to me for my entire life - and I see no reason why you would since you've had lots of opportunities to have me killed or captured by your former allies, which you didn't take - but at this point, I'm confident when I say that you didn't plan on killing me or anything. At least, I'm sure it was more complicated than simple baby murder. And besides, Geist, who am I to judge you? I rarely admit it, but I do see a little bit of sense in a lot of what you say, even though I don't find those things particularly interesting or compelling. You haven't been steering me into any kind of agenda, either, as far as I can tell, so...
Harry only shrugged.
Geist, it seemed, was speechless after Harry's soliloquy.
Also, Harry added,
if there is anyone who can teach me to use the Dark Arts in a safe and undetectable manner, it's probably you.
Geist, it seemed, was even more speechless after that.
After recovering from his inability to say anything, Geist stated only that he'd consider the proposal. As the day's end approached, he'd come to his decision.
Several minutes following midnight on the next weekend, Harry wandered into the dungeons under Geist's watchful guidance and conscripted the aid of several helpful rats to locate a remote and dark place on the sub-level beneath the classroom where Potions were taught. A small, dingy room - barely wider and longer than a broom closet, with a set of manacles and chains attached to the wall opposite from the door, easily indicating what it had been used for in the past. It'd be Harry's job over the incoming months to patch this place up and furnish it to his heart's desire, or so Geist said.
However, the initial step to effectively practicing the Dark Arts was not interior decorating but rather, ensuring one would have uninterrupted privacy during the practice.
Harry carved a number of simple markings for the detection of living beings onto the walls and floors of the corridor leading up to the room, and a connected rune within the room itself that would begin flashing a deep scarlet light should anyone pass the threshold for a couple of seconds. Another set of precise runes went onto the door, in order to make it nigh-immune to an Unlocking Charm not cast by his own wand, as well sturdy enough that most basic spells wouldn't be able to break down the door. Another rune for the ceiling, to produce a small font of light, keyed subtly to draw into the Hogwarts illumination grid.
After that night, Harry returned time and time again after dark, to make a couple of other, minor adjustments; tearing apart spiderwebs, spraying everything down with a powerful but general monster repellent he'd acquired from an older Hufflepuff, and cleaning up the layers of dust and sand on the floor.
At last, the fruit of his labor emerged: a small chamber with less-than-Spartan accommodations, but clean and personal. A guarded and private asylum, a sanctum to which Harry would be able to retire and not even the other Hufflepuffs would know about. It'd be where he practiced everything that Geist was about to teach him.
Before I teach you anything, Harry, I need you to make a promise.
"Alright?" he whispered.
Promise me, Harry Potter - promise me, promise me... Geist repeated the words over and over, as if thinking carefully about what should follow them.
I know. Promise me that you will be responsible with the powers I shall impart onto you, those knowledges and talents which are forbidden.
I promise.
An effortless promise - he already intended to be as responsible as he could, right from the start.
Say it out loud and with meaning. Burn this into your memory. And not only, 'I promise,' but the whole thing.
"I promise that I, Harry Potter, at the moment sound of body and mind, will endeavor to the best of my willpower and ability, to act with utmost responsibility in every situation where I utilize the powers of the Dark Arts, that I shall learn from the ghost of Tom Riddle dwelling in my mind and soul. I shall never attempt to use them for meaningless or frivolous pursuits, nor to harm an innocent, barring situations where I absolutely must do so to protect the world or the things that I greatly care about."
Good enough for me. In that case, let us begin.
---
As Harry learned to assemble basic horoscopes for himself and other people using Astrology, you'll now be aware of any major, let us call them... 'spiritual themes' for the upcoming months, as seen from the perspective of specific people's lives. As far as Harry was able to determine, his
November shall be: slow, tedious, dreadful, safe.
Due to necessity, Harry's learned the Rune-Hiding Charm, a relatively popular spell that pastes an illusionary semi-material over scribed runes in order to render them effectively invisible, having the same consistency, texture and depth as the surrounding material. Its dual purpose is both in order to allow someone to carve runes onto walls or floors whilst allowing those surfaces to remain aesthetic, as well as to hide runic arrays. He's also learned several - fairly complex - spells in purely runic form, though his knowledge of runes might allow him to reverse-engineer them into the appropriate Charms and Transfigurations under the right conditions.
Also, because Harry's now learned more-than-basic Occlumency techniques, he's actually capable of producing false images and sounds for potential mental invaders. As such, the next time Professor Snape attempts to read Harry's thoughts, he might find himself looking at
this delightful sequence.
Now, choose your initial studies in the Dark Arts, not for the next month, but for the remnant of this whole semester (which is to say, until after Christmas.) As you are
supremely talented in the Dark Arts, you may select any
three (3) of these, but no more. Geist will attempt to teach Harry them concurrently.
[ ] Dark Spells - Tutoring in Dark Charms and Transfiguration. A versatile study course in various forbidden spells. Many of them have great potential in combat or other various utility. As a couple of examples of what Geist is likely to teach you at this point:
- A spell that makes the victim completely blind and deaf. Also ruins their balance and proprioception as a consequence. Strongly disrupts smell, taste, and touch. An imperfect sensory deprivation chamber with the flick of a wand.
- A spell that fires a wad of smoking black tar which sticks easily to surfaces or enemies. It burns with excruciating pain into whatever it touches, is almost impossible to remove (even using magic,) and the wounds and scars it leaves behind do not seem to heal even with help from a proficient magical healer.
- A spell that relocates the caster's wound to somewhere else, including the bodies of other people. May be used to rid oneself even of wounds caused by particularly nasty spells that do not heal easily. If you don't like hurting people but want to get rid of wounds desperately, it also works on animals, but the target must be alive.
- A spell that lets you bind a Dementor to ignore you completely and weakly direct its attention towards other, particular targets. Obviously, useless without a Dementor, but Geist claims it'll be completely priceless once you inevitably end up in Azkaban.
- A spell that fills any discrete mass of food a given subject attempts to eat with various unsightly worms, maggots, and other disgusting creatures which induce aches and pains on consumption. The curse is somewhat easy to remove once detected. It's not particularly useful for combat, but can be used to seriously ruin somebody's week.
- A spell that, on first glance, seems to be exactly identical to the Babbilng Curse, but actually pushes the vocal cords of the subject to make them incant particularly volatile and dangerous spells. Can be lethal on unprepared targets, especially if holding a wand. Proficient, you can make them say a particular spell - frame somebody for murder.
- A spell that lets you easily ignore and completely bypass the usual Charms placed on quills in official Ministry exams, which are meant to prevent cheating of any sort. As a result, cheating becomes almost ridiculously simple because teachers rarely pay attention when these quills are in use. Cast it on others in return for monetary compensation.
Also includes some ability to apply Dark Arts in your runes, but mostly as a natural consequence.
[ ] Dark Substances - Tutoring in Dark Potions and Alchemy. An indescribable amount of potential utility, here is only a couple of examples:
- Flask of Rotluck, a potion that has remarkably similar effects to the popular Felix Felicis, but in reverse, and exponentially easier and faster to brew. If you want to seriously fuck with someone, slip them a few drops of this in their morning breakfast and watch the fireworks unfold.
- Dragonblood Elixir, a complex and intricate potion with a multi-stage brewing process, that primarily features dragon blood as an ingredient; temporarily (1-hour minimum, 14 days maximum,) confers a number of potential draconic traits on drinker that differ by ingredients used. May include fire breath, hardened skin, magic resistance, etc.
- Carmilla's Caress, a strong pheromone that can attract vampires from incredibly long distances and make them particularly well-aligned to the user's interests, effects twice as strong as Confundus Charm. There isn't a significant population of vampires in Britain, but if there are any in proximity to Hogwarts, this would allow you to bind them.
- Slithertongue Elixir, a potion that makes its drinker into a natural Parseltongue as a permanent effect. Its ingredients however are nothing short of extreme; Basilisk eggs, blood of seven species of serpent sacrificed over seven nights, flakes of silver held in a flask of molten gold for no less than an hour and then detoxified, and more.
- Auctormali, a potion of infamy that's historically associated with Dark Wizards and would-be Dark Lords; every time it's brewed and consumed, the drinker will automatically and instantly learn how to cast a random Dark spell as if they'd practiced it for several weeks.
- Baruffio's Brain Elixir, a potion capable of greatly enhancing the drinker's mental acuity; correctly prepared, you'll ace any examination with full O's, but incorrectly brewed, it will melt your brain into a slurry. Naturally, Geist can recognize an improper version so there's no harm to you.
[ ] Dark Stars [17 Gnosis] - Tutoring in Dark Astrology and Divination.
At the moment, you cannot afford this. As such, there isn't much purpose to describing the potential effects to you - but among other things, it'd let you allow you to snatch vital power from other beings, curse abstract elements such as institutions or positions within institutions, or even raise dead corpses as zombies.
[ ] The Unforgivable Curses - Not recommended. You don't, and shouldn't, have any need of them, aside from maybe the Killing Curse for self-defense. As such, convincing Geist that you're serious about learning these, you'll need to spend
two (2) selection points on this option.
Naturally, however, the powers of these curses are great.
The Imperius Curse (Imperio) - A spell capable of giving the caster perfect control over any victim. Ignores magic resistance and immunity. As proficiency rises, so does the number of victims that may be controlled simultaneously, as well as range. Apparently, the Dark Lord was able to control up to seventy people within Britain at any given time.
The sign of the Guardian of Hierarchy.
The Cruciatus Curse (Crucio) - A spell capable of inflicting horrendous pain on any victim. Ignores magic resistance and immunity. After 2-5 seconds, most victims will be incapable of movement for several minutes afterwards, after 30-45 seconds, most victims will beg for death, after five minutes victims will be effectively braindead.
The sign of the Guardian of Adversity.
The Killing Curse (Avada Kedavra) - A spell that kills any victim unfailingly. Ignores magic resistance and immunity. Aside from casting speed and aiming precision, there's no variable here to train, as it simply delivers any victim to death's embrace.
The sign of the Guardian of Death.
[ ] Introductory Demon Summoning - According to Geist, a mostly dead and deprecated tradition - most demons were exterminated right down to their least dangerous specimens by the time of the Babylonians, and the majority of the remaining useful demons were sadly bred out of existence by ineffective and misinformed eugenics programs during the medieval times. However, more than a few entities of considerable power and influence remain that you may call upon, and Tom Riddle had preexisting pacts with some of them that he can pass upon you.
*Acquire several helpful infernal entities! Most of them can be summoned to aid you in learning, construction of buildings, acquiring temporal influence, or simply fighting and killing your enemies. They'll serve you with glee and obedience.
*Most of them are sadly lacking in power, though. Anyone on par with a Hogwarts Professor should be able to cope with a demon sicced on them.
*
Acquire a hot succubus girlfriend, perhaps? No. Be responsible, remember?
