Wisdom Waits Within (open)

[simanus]

Of all the muggle inventions Simanus could not understand, computers were the worst. Speed of access surely could not replace the smell and feel of a book. Books made you earn their knowledge, you couldn't push a button and find the words you wanted; computers gave up what they contained like a cheap hooker, a book gave its knowledge only to the persistent and its wisdom only to the worthy.

Today was Saturday and as such Simanus was devoting her hours to the study of the only one of her favorite subjects allowed. She had long felt that her romantic preferences would not go over well here, she doubted she would be run out or have the ugly words she'd heard in the US thrown at her but she had decided not to rock the boat nonetheless, the school robes meant a lack of legs to watch anyway. Today was for her true love, wandlore.

Simanus thought fondly of the generous indulgence her parents and relatives had shown for her "hobby", though she was all but decided that the study and experimentations of wandlore and magical theory would become her career. The gifts of materials and texts she'd been given over the years (not to mention a few more exotic components her sister had "liberated") along with her own voracious persistence had added up to enough experience that she'd been able to craft herself a wand. This wand didn't have the power the one she'd purchased from Madame Proctor had, but it responded to her will much better and much faster, power could wait, perhaps one day enough to earn approval from some government or other to do a few breeding experiments here and there without being considered a threat or a criminal.

Magical husbandry was a fascinating subject, but modern wizards both here and back home were too protective of their precious secrecy to allow anyone outside government service to pursue it in any real depth. This hardly mattered to her, the make-up of living things had its tune, but wand components and magic itself (what she called "the makings of power" or "the Fae") sang their song to her of their own accord.

"How tragic," she sighed to the empty study carrel with mock melodramaticism, "that most of my house so misunderstands power." She try to stifle a giggle but her efforts only worsened it and her voice finally let go with a short but loud burst of her silvery laughter. Once the mirth had passed, she tucked a stray lock of her hair, silvery like her laugh but golden in equal measure, and returned her attention to the notes she was taking on Arcius LeBahn's treatise on esoteric wand woods. That comment she'd made stuck in her mind, though, and she was soon staring out the window, lost in her own head.

They don't just misunderstand power, but power's place as well. They think it's a means to whatever their ends are. Power is an end unto itself and carries its own rewards if it isn't divorced from its rightful partners, wisdom and insight. "Heh, listen to me," she said wryly, "I've become quite the pontificator...gods I miss women. Oh well, the niceties must be obser....." A moments silence after this sudden stop, then she sniffed quietly once or twice to confirm what she'd just noticed. "Not to alarm you with thoughts of my having superhuman capacities," she said, louder than she ahd been speaking before, "but I can smell you...anywhere else I'd not have noticed, but we're quite alone in the library and living things smell quite different from books. Please join me, I could use a little company, solitude breeds megrims."

Rather than turn immediately to see who had followed the sound of her aimless to-self banter, she waited until she heard the creak of the bench opposite hers before turning her gaze from the window. "Lovely day, isn't it?"

[Atticus Kaine]

Atticus strolled out from behind the book case where he was stood clutching a large black leather bound book he took up a seat opposite Simanus and looked across to her as she spoke

"Its to bright out" Atticus replied to her question the girl he was sat opposite was Simanus a fellow 5th year slytherin " Sorry for lurking the literature i wish to study isn't to everyones taste so had to test the water shall we say"

Oppening the book to a page marked with a book mark and traced a line with his finger as if looking for something tapping the page he smiled as he found what he was looking for.

Looking up he looked over to Simanus "so what your extra curricular subject of choice ?" He laughed poining at her book

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[simanus]

Another tittery giggle escaped her and she held the book up so he could see the cover Collected Studies in Wandlore edited by Winifred Harlow. "Wands are a favorite of mine, incidentally the book belongs to me," she let her smile linger a bit more before letting it go, "I know it sounds old fashioned, but I find the aroma of a library to be an excellent mental stimulant." Her eyebrow cocked as she titled her head to one side, trying to see the cover of Atticus' book. "And what tome brings you to our fine library on this fine," she paused for a moment and then smiled again," if overly sunny Saturday?"

She had never been sure about this one. That he had skill could not be denied, and his understanding of power was to some extent at least similar to hers. Innocent until proven guilty her sister's voice rang out in her head. She hadn't interacted with this fellow a great deal, but life was nothing if not opportunity.

[Atticus Kaine]

" Well the main reason is not everyone approves of my taste in books" He lifted the top of the book up so the spine became visible revealing the ornate old gold script spelling out the title Magicks Moste Evil

He had encountered Simanus in several lessons over the year but had never really interacted with her "Agh wandlore a most interesting subject with such depth and room for interpretation cant say i have ever studied it the undefined sense if something is wrong or right has always put me off"

looking back down at the book he produced a pencil from his robe pocket and underlined a small section.

A thought struck Atticus and he looked up and spoke to Simanus "I been doing some research into a certain charm and wondered if you have ever come across it in any of your study of wandlore I believe it is called the Fidelius Charm?" Atticus looked at Simanus wondering if she could be of any assistance to him

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[simanus]

"Ah yes," Simanus replied, shutting her book gently, "The Fidelius. a fascinating bit of enchantment, that." She readjusted herself so as to be more comfortable while speaking, this had the added benefit of squaring her up with the young man across from her. "The Fidelius is a means of magical security. Like most powerful magic, its power comes not from the enchanter or the subjects or even the object but rather from the connection between subject and object." She stopped, realizing she was getting into theory and skipping over the basic practical information.

"The purpose of the Fidelius is to hide a location. Obviously unplottability and other concealment charms exists, but the Fidelius offers near-perfect security. The charm hides the knowledge of a location within a single person, doing this makes it impossible for anyone other than the 'Secret Keeper' to to disclose the location and no one in whom the Secret Keeper has not confided in can access the location. Persons who know the location already will still know it, but will be unable to reach the location unless given the information by the Secret Keeper." She paused again, partly for breath, partly to assess from this point where Atticus' interests lay before pressing on.

"The Fidelius Charm is the praxis magicale extension of trust and loyalty. The spell embodies a binding magical contract of incredible power fueled one way by the protected's trust of the Secret Keeper and the other way by the Secret Keeper's loyalty to the protected. Of course the Secret Keeper's loyalty can falter, but that won't break the spell; small comfort to the protected as a disloyal Secret Keeper makes the protection worthless." She smiled again, "What, if I may ask, is your interest in it?" She considered for a moment and then added, "And what, if I may further presume, are you looking for in there?" She pointed to the book in his hands, "Or were you merely browsing?"

[Atticus Kaine]

Atticus nodded he had known the majority of this through his research since he had been back at school

"I was aware of most of that I more was intrested in how the charm is preformed and if the charm can be used to conceal a plan opposed to a location so no one other than the secret keeper can give away the details of the plan" He looked out of the window the sun was high in the sky and it was quiet bright out

Loosening his tie slightly he looked up at Simmanus "Uhm" Atticus stuttered as she asked what he was looking at in the book "Oh I'm not looking for anything I've found it I'm just doing a bit further research into the subject so it can be implemented into my plans" Atticus hopes he was vague enough that he hadnt given anything away

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[simanus]

Simanus' smile sank a little, "I'm afraid I can't help you there, the Fidelius is an exceptionally complicated bit of magic. I would imagine there are books with the information you'd need one section over," she pointed to her left.

"If it isn't to nosy of me, might I inquire as to what plans you need Messier Godelot's help with?" at this she raised an eyebrow and cocked her head in the direction of his book, "please don't think I'm judging. As professor Dumbledore says, 'It is our choices that show who we are far more than our capabilities.' Any darkness to magic, with a few unforgivable exceptions, comes from the user; I had an aunt who was a master at controlling fiendfyre and made use of it in a number of pyrotechnic displays at children's birthday parties."

[Atticus Kaine]

"I'm sorry I don't know where you stand on certain issues so I don't want to tell you incase we dont see eye to eye on the issues and my plans are stopped before they have even started."

Looking down at the book he smiled then looked up "some wisdom still comes out of the overated old fool then, lets just say there is no grey area in the magic I am doing it is some of the darkest of the dark "

He looked across to where she had suggested the book he required maybe "Thank you I'll go look in a moment" he want to wait and see where she sat ethically on his use of magic [/color][/size]

[simanus]

"We have a saying in my home country," she said and then adopted a southern belle accent for a moment, "There's always a bigger fish." She slid her book back into her bag, "By the same turn, there's always a deeper darkness. Your point, however, is taken." She was unsure whether he would take the casualness of her tone for approval, feigned disinterest or something else and eager to see where his interpretation would fall.

She held up her wand, vertically and in a loose-fingered grip so her intentions here would not be mistaken, "My wand is made of Alder, which is very pale when it is cut. As you can see, it has turned a red color; many consider this 'bleeding effect' an ill omen. Much 'dark' magic is simple misunderstood or misused, and to my mind any spell can have its uses." She wondered whether Atticus would appreciate a display of her family's trademark spell...

Of course he would, but perhaps not quite yet, she thought, a little more information first. "Tell me, Mr Kaine," she said, leaning back, "does my surname mean anything to you?"

[Atticus Kaine]

"Uses?" Atticus quized laughing slightly "Reanimating a corpse, I can see quiet a few benevelant uses for that" He quiped he was a little bit edgy and shifted his wand out his waste band and onto the desk

"Sorry it was jabbing me in the leg" He then thought about her name for a moment "No I cant say it means anything to me but magical history isn't my strong suit old proffesor Binns sends me to sleep whenever he starts talking."

Atticus looked down at his book then spun it round to show Simmanus the page on Inferius that he had been studying and making notes on

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[simanus]

Simanus was familiar with Godelot's work and so only needed a cursory glance at the page to discern its subject. She returned her wand to her pocket. "Inferi, most intriguing. My family, really Americans in general, have tended to prefer golems. It is preferable to us to have enforcers that embody both an immunity to decay and a capacity for the implementation of intelligence without risk to the creator. Of course, I know European pragmatism takes a back seat to a flair for the dramatic," she tapped the right side of her nose twice with her extended index finger and then immediately remembered that Atticus was English and not likely to catch the reference.

"Might I recommend Reb Lazar Youskevich's Emet Golem, not to worry, the text isn't in Hebrew." Simanus sensed that while the young man might look into the book, he was set on the use of an inferius. This did not concern her, whatever Atticus was planning, it involved magic of a kind Hogwarts' wards protections would stifle before he could get halfway through the incantation.

Dumbledore couldn't create an inferius here, even if he were so minded. But you know he isn't going to try it here;" she thought," unless he's planning to create a variant on the spell that can reanimate dead animals or intends to murder student, he doesn't have access to a corpse while at school anyway. As far as she was concerned, what he did elsewhere wasn't any never mind to her.

"I must say," she said with a grin, "you don't seem too bothered one way or t'other about being found out in whatever it is you're up to. Do you not see Dumbledore as a threat? Or perhaps you're simply researching here for plans to be carried out elsewhere. I only ask because I'd be among those with something to say on the subject were you to pull any upstarting here at Hogwarts."

[Atticus Kaine]

"Depends entirely on what you have to say about the matter" Atticus's eyes flashed almost black a note of pure menace in his eyes that would scare most

"Golems don't conjure the same fear in a man's soul the same way a reanimated corpse does its the knowing it was once like you alive and with feelings." He paused for thought for a moment "dumbledore is one of the greatest wizards of all time course he scares me but it also means he a worthy opponent"

Atticus's hand slowly crept closer to his wand he didn't want to fight one of his house mates but if he needed to to keep his plan safe he would

[simanus]

Simanus' grin grew wider, full-lipped and predatory, not that she expected this to intimidate. "This isn't the place. Meet me in classroom 393 tonight and we can continue this discussion," she leaned to her right and allowed her weight to carry her first over and then up to her feet. "You'll find the Youskevich book in the restricted section," she said, sliding lithely past and turning as she did so that once she was in the carrel's doorway, she was still facing him. "Let's call it 10 o'clock, I have something to show you and it would be best done at a time when most of the school will be in the dormitories but when we won't be at risk of being detentioned for being out of be out of hours." She turned as if to go and then, glancing sideways over her shoulder at him, added, "bring a jacket."

As she passed the next carrel, hand in her pocket around her wand in case Atticus decided to try forcibly detaining her, she saw out the window that the sun had been hazed over and elected to go outside to enjoy the warmth absent the sun's glare in the gardens.