Re: Muhe Common Room

[Guest]

"I'm good on defense. I made sure to study for that properly before lending out my notes," the witch replied automatically, reaching for her book again. "And DA is easy, and extremely interesting. I was just reading up on magic definition when you decide to come in and be childish." She wasn't lying either, Prof M's subject fascinated her to no end and that just made her want to dig deeper into what "Dark" really meant.

It also helped that Lehrer M, while strict, was also generous with praise for those who tried their best. No one would ever think her lenient but at least she appreciated work her pupils put into their assignments.

"If you need help with DA, you can always ask me. Not only do I have a mountain load of notes on it that I know you will never read but I can also summarize it all verbally." She grinned, stretching her arms out behind her and arching her back, trying to snuggle more comfortably in the armchair.

[Guest]

Tarragon leant forward, placing his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands. If ever there was a time to be open with Alys, it would be now.

"Alys, I don't really understand the whole Dark Arts thing, I mean I... I've seen the Dark Arts in p-practice." He paused as his bottom lip trembled. He looked up at Alys, trying to decipher what to say next. "I just... don't... understand."

[Guest]

Alys had often noticed Tarragon flinching at words like "curse" and "dark arts" but the witch had been too polite to ask. After all, she hated it when someone pried in her business so why should she pry in anyone else's? But now, seeing him shaken like this, the witch extended a slim arm towards him and patted him on the shoulder.

"Tarragon, a lot of the time, people confuse "dark arts" with "evil" or "harmful" spells. That's really not the case." The witch looked up at the ceiling for a moment, trying her best to explain. She was sure Lehrer M would do a better job but she had to try.

"You see, magic has existed in this world since the beginning," she began, closing the book in her lap and adopting a story teller's tone. "Magic is all around us, in the environment, in the earth, in the elements. It's a part of us. However, only witches and wizards can properly channel and bend it to their will. that's why we have Muggles too. They're the same as us exactly, except they can't sense or channel that magic.

If you remember really old stories where wizards used staffs and witches used special magical objects. Well, they were using them like we use wands nowadays. Wands were discovered to be a particular good conductor of magic about a thousand plus years ago and made popular. But wizards and witches existed way before that? How do you supposed they managed to get everything done without a wand."

The blonde paused, making sure he was listening.

[Guest]

Tarragon felt Alys' hand on his shoulder. He'd wanted to reach up and hold it but thought better of it. Alys was the only one he found comfort in, though he wouldn't want to admit that to him.

He listened to her tell him about how magic had first started, something he hadn't really thought or known about, sure he knew that wizards hadn't always used wands, but he hadn't done much research into it. He nodded as he listened, but didn't speak out, in fear of sounding silly. He understood what she'd said and waited for her to carry on.

[Guest]

Sure that he was paying attention, the witch continued her tale.

"They used "wild" magic, or so the term was labeled because every individual had their own way of channeling it. You see, the way you use your magic is up to you when its not been standardized with things like wands, incantations, and the likes. So you wouldn't, for example, need to wave a wand to make things happen, you could use any other object that you feel comfortable with - or no object at all. Because when all is said and done, magic is in you, not in an object. At the end of the day, a wand is simply a conductor. If you give it to Muggles, they won't be able to do a thing with it because magic doesn't run in their blood.

However, when the wand was popularized, things became easier. It was easy to hide and blend among other household objects, convenient to carry and for the less able wizards, an excellent conductor. The combination of the magic in the trees themselves as well as the highly magical core gave spells a boost and made everyone's life easier. Most witches and wizards were happy to trade in their big and bulky staff or chamber pot in exchange for a much more accurately casting wand that they could take anywhere. However, there was a group who was against this.

Can you guess which group?" the blonde asked, leaning back into her chair as if she was looking far back into the past. Finally in her element, Alys was doing what she liked. Recounting her research in a way that made it interesting.

[Guest]

Tarragon had followed Alys up to the point of her asking him a question. The wand cores made sense and he'd been nodding throughout, only to stop abruptly at the question. He looked up shyly, Alys made him feel stupid when she got into her books. He shrugged.

"I've followed you til then. I don't know, Alys, sorry." He said his head back in his hands, but still looking at her.

[Guest]

A mysteriously smile on her face, Alys replied "the group who never needed magical objects as channels in the first place, naturally." The statement was delivered with simplicity and impact.

"Why would a group of people who could channel magic through their own bodies without aid of an object want to be burdened by a wand? To them, a wand just limited their power. They held the view that wands were putting limitations on magic and and that they neither needed nor desired a conductor. These people eventually were labeled as "wild" because they chose a different way of living. Newly established rulers and scholars started rousing propaganda that these people were harmful, that they lived differently, that not hosing a wand was, in fact, harmful to the person's health in the long run. To this day, we don't know if any of those claims are true or were they just made up to ensure the "wild" witches and wizards embraced wands.

What we do know is that wands can be registered, classified and controlled. People can't. The ministry can catch you, regulate your use of magic and identify you from your wand. But if you don't have one, you're not in any category, dangerous, unclassified. You don't follow the "normal" rules. Which is why they worked so hard to ensure everyone used wands, so they would be easy to keep track of.

However, no matter how much they tried, there was still a group - albeit a very small one - who still proffered the "wild" lifestyle. Eventually, these people separated from normal wizarding society and made their homes among the elements. There were settlements of these people as recently as in the fourteen hundreds but the last of the were wiped out some six hundred years ago. No known groups of "wildlings" are known today.

But until the time these people disappeared, the others had already made a fine propaganda on them and labeled them from "wild" to "dark" to instill fear in people's heart of those who didn't use a wand. Some were rumors, some were true because the wildlings did have a hard time surviving among us. And it became a trend to refer to anything bad as "dark magic" or "the work of dark wizards". And that is how we see it today. The propaganda worked really well, as you can probably see by now. Anytime someone mentions "dark", we automatically think in the negative."

[Guest]

"Right," Tarragon said, "So why do we still refer to the magic as dark if the people who created it are no longer around? I mean I'm not denying its not dark magic, but... I don't understand!"

Tarragon was getting frustrated with himself, he could make sense of what Alys said at the time, but other ideas sparked whilst she was talking that didn't fit into place. He allowed for her to continue and would do the questions at the end.

[Guest]

"Tarragon, think. People die, propaganda don't. For example, Grindelwald is long dead but still, his symbol and the words "for the greater good" live on and continue to scare people. Similarly, the wildling have died out but the concept of "dark" has remained. What it actually means by "dark" is "wild" or "uncontrollable", roughly translated to "without the use of a wand."

The girl stopped, hoping that the message had sunk in.

"The study of "Dark Magic", in its truest form, is the study of "wandless magic", like the art of Soothsaying, Occulemncy, Animagus studies, potions or anything that requires channeling magic trough you, not a piece of stick."

[Guest]

Tarragon nodded, understanding now that she'd explained the dark meaning a little more.

"Okay, I have got that!" He said, still not totally comfortable subject, but relaxing a little more than when the conversation had started.

"I've heard of those subjects, carry on." He said waving Alys on.

[Guest]

Glad that Tarragon had been able to keep up with her, she continued.

"Now, we often take "dark" ti mean "intent" or "intentions". As in, a curse that does damage is "dark". But very few people realize that any spell, even a stunner or even a scurgify can be used in a bad way. Let's say I pointed to your mouth and cast a "scurgify", making soap bubbles choke you to death, that still wouldn't make a spell dark. Just the person casting it. Intent is key but "dark" doesn't refer, in its truest form, to "bad". Lots of good people practice "dark magic", lots of normal people do without even realizing it. Like underage witches and wizards who don't have a wand."

[Guest]

"Okay, but just because it is labelled dark doesn't make it any less so. The spells are horrendous, Alys!" He shivered at the memories. "And the intent stuff I know, if you don't feel you want to hurt the person than you can't or it produces only a mild form of the spell, which usually is worthless."

Tarragon felt at least a little bit more confident in the fact that he knew a little bit about what Alys was talking about. He waited for her to continue yet again.

[Guest]

"That's actually what I was getting at, if people can't be "dark", neither can spells. If they do damage, they do damage, if they do good, they do that. No point in assigning labels that only confuse. In psychology, we learn that nothing is definite so there's no point in labeling. And now, perhaps you will stop reacting so badly every time I mention my interest in the Dark Arts, because now you'll know I just mean "wandless magic"," the witch joked.

"Psychology and the dark arts go hand in hand actually, hence my interest in both subjects."

[Guest]

"But that doesn't change the idea of the Unfo... the Unfo..." Tarragon couldn't bring himself to say it now. He'd gone all clammy in the situation. His parents had used the magic, magic he'd known for so long as dark. "It doesn't change the fact that things of dark natures happen. You don't know about anything but what the books tell you!"

He'd shouted at Alys in the last bit, he didn't know why. He'd made his way to the window, looking far out at the Quidditch pitch, how he longed to be out the away from his troubles right now.

[Guest]

"True, what do I know," Alys said softly as Tarragon moved away. Getting to her feet, the witch pulled the heavy book close to her chest. Quickly deciding not to pick up her entire book bag as she would sure gasp out in pain at the extra weight, the witch left it there as she mdse her way to the girl's dormitory.

Tarragon could do his moody, staring out the window routine to his heart's content, the blonde was not going to apologize for something she hadn't done. And her bed was far more comfortable than the armchair. Or perhaps she'll just crash on Zara's until the other witch returned.

[Guest]

Tarragon turned to apologise for his outburst, he really needed to speak to someone about his outbursts.

"Alys, I'm..." He started before realising she'd gone. "sorry?"

He sighed, turning back to the window, his fist outstretched and smashing through the window. For the first time since he'd been at Durmstrang, he didn't feel the pain as the glass cut his hand. The only pain he felt was the pain inside, he should have known Alys wouldn't understand, let alone want to listen. He'd been right from the start. He sunk to the floor, clasping his right hand in his left assessing his injuries.

"STUPID, STUPID BOY!" He shouted at himself in the now empty common room.

[Sponsored content]