loyalotter | 1st Gryffindor Note - [Text, then audio post]

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1st Gryffindor Note - [Text, then audio post]

[Have a really, REALLY shaky handwriting, as though whoever's writing this hurts quite a bit or is exceptionally scared... or hey, why not both. And there's an ink splotch on the top.]

.../looks like a diary. I can't tell.

[Another ink blot, but this one's apparently intentional.]

It's not like what Harry described Riddle's diary as being. I don't suppose it responds to voice commands. My hand hurts too much to write.

[Oh hey, it's swapped to voice here. Have a thumping sound and a soft 'oof.' She's fallen off the bed. And her voice next is really soft, as though she's not aware the thing is recording.]

My handbag. Bellatrix's wand. They're -

Gone.

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[She pauses and looks up at her companion with a searching gaze.]

I understand. We have several like that as well. But that's no reason to fear magic. There are plenty of other people who use it only to do some good in the world.

[Like herself as she so kindly told the old Minister for Magic not that long ago.]

That's the problem--your intentions might start out all hunky-dory, but what if it just keeps snowballing? Eventually you're using the whammies to get everything done. Talk about dependency.

Not all of us are like that.

[She makes a vague gesture with a free hand.] I didn't mean--no, sorry. Just...magic's really tricky back home. Even the good kind can be right on the cusp of terrifyingly dark. There are always, always consequences. Prices to be paid.

Oh I see. Ours is relatively easy to tell the difference between normal magic and the Dark Arts. Dark Magic is usually frowned upon as you can almost always tell what's a Dark spell and what isn't.

[She pauses, but then the Ravenclaw in her just can't let the opportunity pass.]

What kind of consequences?

Stuff back-fires easily--and then, there are the oh-so-fun demonic hitchhikers.

[Hold it, what...]

Demonic hitchhikers?

[She looks mildly uncomfortable about this one, and tries to deflect the explanation to make it look as though it could happen with just about any spell. Not simply a very specific and dark spell.]

Yeah, you cast a particularly trying whammy and whoosh a little wormy-demon thing comes along for the ride, starts possessing your friends. Not fun.

[Hermione blinks in surprise.]

I don't suppose that would be very good, no. We don't really have anything like that.

[No, we just have Horcruxes, which are worse in her opinion. Oh wait, and Inferi. How could she forget those?]

We have something else but it's extremely Dark Magic.

Sadly, in my neck of the woods? There's a very small minority of magic that isn't extremely dark. Or, at least, that's what I've encountered.

It's the opposite where I'm from. Most of our magic is neutral or good, and Dark Magic is mostly forbidden. Using any kind of Dark spell, especially the Unforgivable Curses is one of the worst things you could ever do in our world and is subject to the most stringent of our laws.

Unforgivable curses? [She pulls a face, which only becomes more skeptical at the mention of laws.] You make it sound like this is all...out in the open, and stuff? Like, not underground?

Well, it is to an extent. We, the Wizarding World, keep ourselves hidden from those who don't have magic in order to avoid unnecessary conflict over what we can and can't do, but in order to keep track of what we do, there's a magical government in every country that works independently of the non-magical world. We have all kinds of laws set in place to keep our existence a secret and keep everyone safe.

[Have a pause for breath finally.]

It's really a good idea, but sometimes it's difficult to completely hide the fact that there are witches and wizards.

[Okay. Now she's flabbergasted.] If you ask me? That sounds like some kind of wacko fantasy novel that Willow would read. And--get this--she's actually a witch, so go figure.

[She actually kind of chuckles a little.] It's not a book world. All we have are biographies and all kinds of documentaries, but that's it.

Books? So not my domain. I've had one too many musty volumes stuck under my nose. I think I've developed an allergy. Thank goodness there's been no real serious call for research mode, here.

You sound like my best friends. I'm the one who always spent hours in the library. As soon as I can, I'll be doing the same here.

Then you sound like one of my best friends--the one I already mentioned, the witch? Willow. Girl's second home was anywhere with books.

Guess I'll just have to go back to being the researcher. [She smirks a little bit.] It's a position I know well and enjoy.

If I need some looking-up done, I'll know who to find. Once you're all healed up, of course.

I'd be glad to. It'll certainly keep me busy here, even if I should be fine in a day or so. [She smiles again, glad she's met someone who is proving to be really nice rather than mean about her wide store of photographic knowledge.]

[Hey--Buffy knows a good resource when she's found one.]

So--without a wand you're really mojoless? That's...unfortunate, I guess.

Well if I got really upset over something, there's a chance I could use magic without my wand, but it's really inconsistent and rather dangerous. So, I suppose I'm without magic for now. I really hope I can find a wand, even if it isn't mine.

The shops here sometimes have stuff from back home. Clothes, some weapons, things like that. But if that's no good, there are some people with magic in these parts. Maybe they can put something together? I dunno much about wands, really.

I think I'll look around as soon as I can. Even if I have to look up wandlore myself, it'll be good knowledge to have. [And hey, she might learn more about the Elder Wand while she's at it.]

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[action] - now you've done it XD have exposition~

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