Helvegen | Dark Arts Lesson 3

Wednesday, May 11, 1921
10:30 PM
The Forbidden Forest
⛦

Julia led the way through the tree line, the cloak of her hood pulled up over her head and a candle in her hand. The forest greeted them with a soft, gentle silence - a far cry from the howls, snaps and shuffles that normally rang through the trees. It pressed in form all sides, carrying the scent of moss and damp bark while the warm night air breezed around them.

"Mind your step," Julia's voice drifted back to her students who followed closely behind. "The forest is always watching and listening." Reverence and respect was due not only to the forest itself, but to all those who resided within it - creatures and spirits alike.

Each student had been prepared for this night. Over the course of term, Julia had slowly built them up to the idea of what a true blood ritual would look like, entail and how it pertained to their daily lives. Each of them wore their cloaks, each of them a slow-burning tapered candle in their hands.

The further they ventured, the more it felt like the world behind them had fallen away entirely. No castle lights. No curfew bells. Just the rhythmic crunch of boots against soil and the flicker of candles weaving small orbs of light.

As they came upon a clearing, the students would see a broad sigil had been marked into the soil in chalk and salt, curling around a low stone basin.

"When wizards and witches in the old traditions sought strength, they didn't always look upward. They looked down, to the soil, to Mother Earth herself." She looked at each of them, noticing a bit of nerves in an expression here or there. "You've learned what it means for blood to bind, and now you'll learn what it means for blood to awaken."

She stooped down, taking a handful of soil into her hand and running it along her palm and fingers. "Beneath your feet runs a ley line. A current of power that stretches across the land, older than Scotland itself. The Druids and early Celts believed these energies were manifestations of the gods, or of the Earth's spirit. Their temples and ritual sites were often built along these lines to align with solstices and moon cycles. Wizards who know how to listen can feel them, humming beneath the ground." Standing again, she brushed the soil from her hands. "It's believed that ley lines are where your magic is most powerful. It's why ancient magical families built their estates where they did. Why battles were fought on certain fields."

She wandered through the circle a bit, giving her students a chance to take it all in. “Magic is not just in your wand or your spellbooks. It is in the earth, in your blood, in the very spaces where life and history converge. This lesson, is about learning to hear that current, to understand how our power is strengthened when we acknowledge the cycles of giving and receiving.” She paused a moment, deciding whether her students were ready for the next challenge she'd put to them, but after everything that had happened after the carnival, it was time for them to start thinking for themselves.

"The Ministry fears these rites because they cannot be owned or contained. They are yours, solely and for no one else. Once you drain your magic into the soil, it becomes part of the world itself, and while humans forget, the world never does."

She set her candle down on the edge of the basin, indicating for each of them to do the same. "Questions before we begin?"

---

*OOC: Last class of the term! Look at us.

Pretty straightforward. Julia has led all of your children out to the forest to be sacrificed to Odin in hopes of a good harvest.

Kidding. You'll all follow her into the clearing. There's a low stone basin (think a fire pit without the fire) and in the ground there's been sigils written in chalk and salt. You'll listen to her lecture, place your candle and ask any questions you may have. How does your kiddo feel about the Ministry following the events of the carnival? Are they more open to hearing Julia's criticisms? Are they less so? How do they feel about the idea of blood sacrifices and leywork? Or about the history of battles, temples and castles being placed along the ley lines?

Next update (with the starting practical) will be on 11/7.

Post curfew was the best time for a lesson. On the walk over, Rae had heard some of her classmates grumbling about wanting to be in bed, while there were some who muttered about finally being dragged away as sacrifices. Rae wasn't moved by either. Even without this lesson, the girl might have found herself near the forest or otherwise out on the grounds finding for herself (and Echo) some form of distraction. And if Julia really had intended that night to be the night she sacrificed them in mass, the Slytherin liked to believe that she would've been one of very few slipped a note earlier in the day asking that they not attend.

Rosie and Benji were there and she didn't think the woman would've been willing to sacrifice her child or her cousin for the sake of being considered unbiased.

Evidently, this was another part of the ritual, one that required them to actually be out in nature like Julia was always talking about. It had all seemed a bit like mumbo jumbo at the start, if she was being honest. Her love and respect for the woman was what had kept her going in the initial weeks where there had been talk of ancestors and earth spirits and the like. Now? With too many classes under her belt to remember, Rae was starting to think that the woman may have been on to something.

At the very least, she was certain she wasn't completely off her rocker and just leading them off to ther deaths.

No. Julia would never. When Thayer had done what he did, she'd been one of them helping to keep the others safe. Granted, she could just be a really good pretender--even now, holding down the fort--but Rae chose to believe, for the sake of avoiding a sudden panic attack, that they weren't being carried away for nefarious reasons.

It would take some time for her to fully trust in the intentions of the staff again, but the Slytherin didn't want to walk around seeing shadows everywhere. She would lose half her life consumed by that sort of worry.

Rae pulled her cloak close as they continued through the trees, always sure to keep close to the group. By now, she was unlikely to get lost, even if she went wandering, but she wasn't trying to run into anything else that might be lurking. Seldom was the forest really empty; one could never be sure of what might be lurking.

The sigil piqued her curiosity when they entered the clearing. Of course, whatever they were doing had already been set up. She drifted closer, deposited her candle when the others began to before stepping back to take another look around.

"Is that why young wizards can perform magic accidentally, professor?" It was in their blood and the ground and probably everywhere else? "I've always wondered why they force us into using wands when we were perfectly fine doing it before. Just a bit of refinement, that's all that would've been."

All that fuss about a first wand and then having to learn to cast even the most basic spells when all they had to do was play in the dirt.

"And if it's as simple as finding and using the ley lines, how come muggles don't. It'd make their lives easier."

He might have been the only one thinking this, but...didn't Miss Laurence now have...better things to do after curfew than potentially sacrificing children?

Cassian had heard some of the others talking on the walk over, somehow managing to convince themselves that this was their final march. The Ravenclaw found himself doubtful that most of them actually believed it. He couldn't imagine them willingly putting one foot before the other as they went ever deeper into the forest had they actually thought this was where it all ended. Surely, at least a few of them would've made a run for it by now, or at least attempted it.

He got it, really, he did. Nothing like a sensational story to pass around while they made their way through the dark, an injection of drama, a sprinkle of suspense, and the otherwise potentially dull late-night class was suddenly abuzz with baseless but entertaining theories.

The boy was here for them all, of course. Cass had never been one to turn down a good story and may or may not have convinced a group of third years that having them walk through the forest was the best way to stew them in fear before the sacrifice but for the most part, he was busy trying to figure out how he ended up needing to lose some sleep given the...things he'd learned.

But he supposed it was none of his business. No, he was meant to follow the crowds deeper and deeper into the forest in a lesson reminiscent of one he'd had in divination a few terms back. The boy had been far too infatuated with the professor then to worry about whether she was leading them to their doom, even while Rosie had been panicking about centaurs and clinging to Elmer.

Older, wiser, perhaps a little more jaded, it was still difficult for Cassian to feel any real apprehension about the direction of the lesson. The first thing he'd done was check that Rosie was attending. If Rosie was there, then it wasn't some nefarious plan by some muggle loving cult to whisk them away by moonlight and ransom them for the loon of a former headmaster.

This was probably fine.

Cassian walked with the group into the clearing, attentive while Julia spoke of the olden days, and the people who had learned to wield some ancient form of magic. He'd done a bit of reading on the subject himself. The Picts had been of particular interest to him nearing the end of the previous term. It all fascinated him and while he could've done without this late night rendezvouz, he was a sucker for where this was going.

Cass placed his candle then stood in wait, hands buried in his pockets. No questions but he was interested to see where this was all going.

Everything about this term can go to hell.

H.E.L.L!

Since the Easter holiday, nothing had gone her way. Everleigh was slipping farther into herself. A shell or her normal personality. She stopped reading, attending most of her classes, working in the Library and she never hung out with her friends. It worried Tilly, but she had no idea what to do about it.

As if that wasn’t enough for the usually happy, spirited, fun-loving ginger lion, she was also single. Verrrrrry single. So single in fact that she hadn’t snogged anyone since Christmas. Talk about DEPRESSING.

She missed Ren. A lot, but she also knew he was exactly where he needed to be. Japan was a great opportunity for him. He loved potions and was excellent at them, so it was a great place for him to learn and grow in his skills. Unfortunately, it was a serious program, which meant very little correspondence.

Sigh

Walking into the Forbidden Forest for their next Dark Arts lesson, Tilly didn’t even think twice about the location or the potential lesson. At this point a little dark magic in the scary forest was par for the course for her spring.

Finding Rae, a pleasant constant in her life these days. Strong. A rock in the rough seas. How she maintained her strength after the tower she would never understand, but almost losing her made Tilly value their friendship even more.

As class got started and Julia began talking about Mother Earth, blood magic and ley lines, Tilly’s brain went in and out of focus. “Magic is not just in your wand or your spellbooks. It is in the earth, in your blood, in the very spaces where life and history converge. This lesson, is about learning to hear that current, to understand how our power is strengthened when we acknowledge the cycles of giving and receiving.”

Tilly set her candle down as instructed, adding nothing to the conversation. She did however, consider her words and think about what she said. The Ministry was an interesting place. Gramps worked for the Ministry, and she trusted him implicitly, but after the events of the Tower, she was far more critical. Was there something the staff could have done to prevent the torture? Or maybe the Ministry should have taken more action against the followers of the previous Headmaster. It was a lot to consider, and Tilly had come to no answers.

As Bear stepped forward with the group holding his candle there was a part of him wondering if they all were to be sacrificed. He said nothing, but he overheard others muttering about wondering the same thing.

If Hogwarts hadn’t had a former headmaster that went crazy last term, and then a professor this term kidnap students he wouldn’t be questioning things so much. Though of all the classes he had this term he found Dark Arts to be surprisingly the most interesting. It was pure curiosity and interest driving every footstep he silently took.

He decided to show up to the cumulation of what Professor Laurence was building up to all term. Even if it was in the forbidden forest which he’d avoided till this point in his Hogwart career. A struggle considering the sheer number of people who wanted to enter a place that was known for being forbidden, and most importantly dangerous. He resisted all of them till now.

He gulped as he looked at the light of his candle as he continued walking forward. With every step more nervous about the dangers that surrounded him, and the ones the Professor would likely bring.

Hopefully the couple of lessons he skipped wouldn’t hold the information he’d need today. As for the mention of the Ministry he had little care for it. With a set of grandparents who lived on Knockturn Alley and the mess happening at home in Belfast while he supported the Ministry he wasn’t the type to blindly follow them.

He found Rae’s questions interesting. Being able to do magic without a wand could have its advantages. He’d certainly been better with that altar than he’d ever been with a wand. Had he been sitting in class over a ley line? That seat hadn’t done him that well any other time in the year so he doubted it.

He said “ When we die is that why we are buried so our magic goes back into the earth. “ He could practically hear his mother adding in a comment about that is why he should eat his vegetables.

As far as draining the most important question about how to protect himself from it being too much went unasked. He'd let others go first.

The term was continuing in a blur for Alice. Not because she was busy, or hyper focused on her studies or anything, but because she was so worried about Everleigh. It killed her that she wasn’t in the same House as her little sister, because she felt she could do more for her if she had also been a Ravenclaw. Or if Ever had been a Hufflepuff.

Either would have worked for her.

Alice found herself struggling to focus on school. She knew that her sister had been exposed to all sorts of trauma in the Dark Tower due to Professor Thayer, so she was sure that what she was going through was mostly psychological. But she wouldn’t have put it past the now dead man to have somehow cursed her sister as well.

Gods, please don’t let that be the case.

The girl followed the group through the Forbidden Forest, an uneasy feeling in her stomach. It was dark, so while she held the candle provided to her by Professor Laurence in her left hand, she held her wand tightly in her right hand, lumos glowing from the tip.

Alice wasn’t scared of the dark. But after realizing she’d been in a castle with a dark wizard – or two – she felt… unsure about the Dark Arts class. She trusted Professor Laurence, of course… she knew that the woman would never put them in danger. But now it seemed extra risky to be messing with the Dark Arts.

When they came to a stop, Alice situated herself next to Matilda and listened to the woman explain leylines and why they were important. She thought she could feel the heightened magic around her, but it also could very well just be her nerves.

She bit her lip.

And placed her candle.

Then Alice looked over at Tilly, the unsettling feeling growing in her stomach. Blood magic was dark. Everyone knew that. So logic said that she should not touch it.

Right?

"Is that why young wizards can perform magic accidentally, professor? I've always wondered why they force us into using wands when we were perfectly fine doing it before. Just a bit of refinement, that's all that would've been. And if it's as simple as finding and using the ley lines, how come muggles don't. It'd make their lives easier."

The Hufflepuff nodded, wondering what the muggles would do if they knew this world existed. That the monsters in their fairy tales were real. That there were professors at their school who liked to torture children.

She frowned and moved a bit closer to Tilly.

Rosalie, like most of the others, was quiet as she trailed along with the class. Her hand cupped around the flame to keep the breeze from snuffing it, her steps falling in line right behind Cassian's. She'd heard the whispers and murmurs as the weeks went on; students questioning which professors they could trust and who they still felt wary of. Thayer had exposed a fault line along the trust her peers held for the adults in charge of them, and in some ways she of course couldn't blame them.

Julia had been one she'd heard questioned more than others. Something about the Dark Arts unsettled the others in the wake of the astronomy and runes professors' exposure, whereas Rosalie knew better. Julia was loyal to her friends and family. Getting caught up in some strange cult and torturing children as a means of getting people to recognize it wasn't her style. Her cousin loved the Dark Arts as much as she loved any other subject. She was just the person who had enough courage to actually teach it.

Then again, maybe Rosalie, having grown up with Julia and surrounded by dark magic, was simply biased.

Still, if the Dark Arts professor were going to sacrifice them all, she'd certainly have left Rae off the list.

She actually liked her.

As she placed her candle along with the others, she already had an idea of where this was going. It looked like a similar ritual she and Edith and Julia had done two summers ago when they'd stood over Benji and emptied their own blood and magic into him. The Gryffindor knew that blood was the conduit between life and death, so as she listened quietly to Julia's lecture she didn't find herself hearing anything she hadn't already.

Julia's mother's family had been very in-tune with the old ways and Julia had carried those practices, beliefs and traditions into the Laurence family. Edith as well, had been raised similarly and she and Julia - despite their butting of heads in the beginning - worked well together, and had been teaching Rosalie since she was small.

Where her peers shivered with apprehension, the quiet and soft-spoken girl merely watched with tempered interest.

"The Ministry fears these rites because they cannot be owned or contained. They are yours, solely and for no one else. Once you drain your magic into the soil, it becomes part of the world itself, and while humans forget, the world never does."

Her eyes flickered amongst those gathered, wondering how they felt hearing Julia's words so soon after everything that happened, but she remained quiet.

Her family very rarely surprised her these days.

Julia wasn't ignorant to the way her students looked at every professor now with a healthy amount of suspicion. What they'd all experienced and the way they'd had their trust betrayed by someone who was supposed to care for them could point to nothing less.

Still, it didn't mean she would be changing her curriculum or deviating from what she'd had planned all term. Halloway's crazies didn't get to have that much control over her, or her students for that matter.

Ruth's question was an interesting one, with an answer she hoped all of her students would be equally as interested in hearing. "As we've discussed your magic is innate to you. It's something you're born with, rather than something that is later obtained. Ley lines can certainly help amplify a little witch or wizard's natural abilities. And while not always true, when they first show signs of magical ability, it's often because they were near a ley line." She paused a moment, drawing her own wand and holding it flat in her palm as she mulled her words over. "Young magic is erratic and unpredictable," she explained, "Until one has a good grasp on their magic and understands how to control it, a wand is what keeps it contained and manageable."

As far as muggles went? "Some muggles are aware of ley lines and have built their religious buildings along them. British Parliament and Westminster Abbey both straddle one such line. It just doesn't work in the same way for them."

“ When we die is that why we are buried so our magic goes back into the earth. “

Julia hadn't given this idea much thought before. All cultures had their own death rituals, and they varied even amongst the magical communities throughout the world. Bear's question was a valid one, however and it did beg the question - did many of their traditions that carried on through today originate in some form of magical reverence? "I believe in most cultures, the way a loved one is sent off lies more in practicality than magic. Humans were buried or burned so as not to spread diseases, for the most part, but it does lead to an interesting question. Perhaps one we can research during library hours."

As it seemed all the questions had been asked, the professor was ready to move into the practical part of the lesson. She motioned for them all to step forward and peer into the wide round basin, where several small withering wormwood cuttings had been transplanted. Even in the dark, amongst the candlelight the students would be able to see the browning of the few leaves on each plant and the small dark spots that indicated some sort of blight.

"Dark Arts is called such because it often takes on practices that have become feared or less understood as the world modernizes." She indicated to the plants, "Traditionally, we would take our time with these plants, work to bring them back to a healthy level and hope for the best." She glanced at Rosalie who knew all too well where she was going with this. "But blood is healing. It carries your magic and lifeforce within it, and when it is transferred to another, it has the ability to revive with the right intentions." She pulled a small bag from inside her cloak containing several small clean sewing needles. She handed the bag first to Matilda, indicating for her to take one.

"Blood sacrifices were a staple practice in ancient magical cultures. In what we now call Britain, the Celts and later on Norse drained the blood of their animals and even themselves into the earth, calling upon it in hopes of good harvests, illness relief, or strength before battles. In combination with the ley line that runs beneath your feet, we'll bring a little life back to these plants."

When everyone had their needle, Julia took a small dagger from her pocket and ran the edge of it along an old worn scar in the middle of her palm. While her students would only prick their fingers, she would draw a little more, allowing her more advanced magic do some of the heavier lifting. She barely grimaced, clenching her fist and holding her now bloodied hand over the basin.

"Prick your fingers," she indicated softly. "Offer the blood to the plant and soil beneath it. Focus. Pain is fleeting. Think of the power you inherited, and the strength of the currents beneath your feet."

As her own blood dripped from her hand into the soil, she nodded for each of them to step forward.

---

*OOC: Hooray for updates! Sorry for the delay. Just wanted to offer a little more time.

Again, fairly easy. Lecture and then practical. Step forward, prick a finger, drop some blood. Remember I love to see the internal! What is your character thinking, feeling, observing? Do they have hesitations, reservations? Does this go against everything they're taught? Does this somehow feel...familiar or right?

Plant reactions will be in the next update on 11/12!

Unpredictable wasn't inherently bad. If it really was the reason to force them into the use of wands, then it seemed to Rae that starting their magical education earlier was the real solution.

There was already one magical castle in the countryside and even with their 'sterling magical education', there were still Gryffindors blowing shit up by accident--AND on purpose. Potions exploded all the time, and some of the accidents that made their way to the hospital wing were...something. Surely building a second school for younger witches and wizards wouldn't have been too much of a strain for the Ministry that had come up with a whole conservatorium that only ran during summers back when there'd been a war.

Rae liked her wand. They'd been through a lot together, and once she got over the initial learning curve, the girl had found that her magic flowed freely. It still didn't seem like a worthwhile trade-off when now the thing they once did naturally came only with the realest of efforts.

Wandless magic was where it was at, but it required the sort of dedication that she was already putting into becoming an animagus. Had she never been tied to her wand in the first place, there was every chance that her magic would have stabilised by now, and she could get on to real business.

Former Headmaster Halloway was out there, worried about Muggles getting access to magic (which didn't seem like it would work based on Julia's parliament comment) when he should've been working towards the emancipation of wizarding kind from wands.

It was certainly dramatic, she'd give it that, and sometimes the swish and flick was satisfying. For her, it was no longer a problem as her wand had stopped resisting her requests, but there would be times when she didn't have her wand on her, and Rae didn't like the way it effectively turned her into a Muggle herself.

Rae didn't hesitate when the needles started being handed out, but the Hufflepuff next to her did. Seeing no need for all the fuss, the girl took a second needle and shoved it into the other girl's hand.

There, now she wouldn't be left behind. This was top-tier prefect work on display.

When instructed, there was an equal lack of hesitation when it came to pricking her finger. It hurt, as did having most anything pierce skin, but there had been far worse in her life. Compared to the mountains she'd had to climb, this was little more than a molehole. Rae didn't fear pain; often, she embraced it, and while her relationship to it had grown...strained following the events before Easter, this was a simple task.

Pricked, she extended her finger to allow the blood to drip onto the soil and plants and waited to feel whatever connection would come.

Cassian got the feeling that as the professor continued, several of his classmates were growing unsettled. He understood the hesitation to an extent. Labelling something dark often made it difficult for some to accept and wrap their minds around. It wasn't so difficult for the boy who often fell into more obscure reading on his own. There were a few times when his interests had taken him into the territory that would have some raising their eyebrows--especially recently.

Before, it was all a means of sating his Ravenclaw curiosity. Cassian liked learning as a principle. He enjoyed gaining knowledge and insight into the things of the world and magic. Now, his future was on the line, and it had forced him into the sort of reading that most wouldn't talk about in polite company.

Both Ruth and Bear had asked interesting questions. They were things that, in hindsight, he figured might be worth knowing, even just for personal gain rather than either possessing any value to his plans.

There had been times when Cassian, too, wondered about the tethering that had happened to wizarding kind, especially after his reading on the Picts. As for burials...he supposed he'd never given it much thought that way before. Could magic work like that? Did it really seep out of a corpse and find its way back into the leylines to become a part of the larger system of magic again? The thought was an interesting one, but Julia dismissed it pretty quickly.

Disease.

Yeah...he could see why they might not want to have the dead just hanging around, especially in the earliest days when medicine wasn't so advanced and the lightest breeze could bring a fever that put someone 6ft under.

It was an interesting thought, all the same.

The needles...he was less thrilled about. It had been a long year, and Professor Laurence had already gotten them to do several things his father might raise an eyebrow at if he knew, but the things that required something from him were his least favourite. Whether it was pain as a sacrifice, or in this case, blood, Cassian was learning that he preferred the magic he already possessed, the one that depended on his ability first and foremost.

It was an unfortunate discovery, all things considered. Whether he liked it or not, these were the things he would soon have to rely on to keep him and Rosie safe.

He grimaced as he pricked his finger but remained otherwise composed. This was probably nothing compared to what he would have to do someday. If he couldn't handle this, the future was already starting to look a little shaky.

Tulip lazed at the back as the class as they wandered through the forbidden forest, she'd been here plenty of times. She hadn't meant to be, but that was part of the fun, there were lots of good contraband hiding spots in a place that everyone was told was off limits. She was however surprised that this was the place of a school trip after curfew, especially given what had happened earlier in the term. But she supposed that after murderous terrorists breaking into the school the forbidden forest was probably a 'safe place'.

"The forest is always watching and listening."

Tulip barely even looked up at this warning from their professor, of course the forest was listening, and most of the things in it would take a bribe if the price was right. Part of her considered wandering off, going to have strange conversations with the creatures of the forest, things she found far more interesting than Dark Arts. Especially if it was anything like the week the professor had them hurting themselves by deliberately breaking promises. But she figured Rose would snitch on her, anything to win praise from her favourite teacher.

They trudged on through the darkness, not that it was actually dark there was enough light to see by and Tulip was busy looking for some of the creatures she knew existed here, some she would like to set on her sister for a laugh. The forest was peaceful, well as peaceful as this place ever was in the dark, you were either predator or prey here and after 4 years she'd managed to be mostly predator here, but she kept her wand in hand knowing that there was always something that could go wrong. They eventually came to a clearing where, low and behold someone had drawn some form of sigil in chalk, well that would annoy things like the Centars they were easy to piss off on a good day.

"You've learned what it means for blood to bind, and now you'll learn what it means for blood to awaken."

"Not with the blood again." Tulip groaned, everything seemed to revolve around blood lately, at school and at home there were endless discussions around proper and pure blood and in this class they were one step further actually using blood for magic. Tulip wasn't a fan, the endless picking of fingers was absolutely not for her.

"The Ministry fears these rites because they cannot be owned or contained. They are yours, solely and for no one else. Once you drain your magic into the soil, it becomes part of the world itself, and while humans forget, the world never does."

Tulip was glad of the dark as she rolled her eyes, detentions for the motion of her eyes always struck her as pointless. She poked her sister in the back "I told you she was loco!" she whispered, "Lets all learn shit that the ministry doesn't want us to know". Tulip stepped back quickly avoiding her sisters swipe at her. And the loud "Shushhh" from her sister. "You know I'm right" Tulip muttered.

They were asked if they had questions, Tulip had lots of questions, all of which would have gotten her in bother so she kept her mouth shut. They were going to mess around with weird magic power lines, in a forest which had it's own mystical agenda on a good day, with a bunch of teenagers..... what could possibly go wrong.

She listened when Ruth's question got answered, Ruth always asked smart questions but in a way that was way less caustic than Tulip could ask the question.

"Young magic is erratic and unpredictable," she explained, "Until one has a good grasp on their magic and understands how to control it, a wand is what keeps it contained and manageable."

"This just gets better and better" Tulip muttered "Surely if we have unpredictable and erratic power magnifying that is kind of stupid." she said much louder, "I mean is annoying the creatures here with unpredictable magic really the best thing we could do?" she couldn't help herself sometimes her mouth just got away from her. Plus she didn't want to piss off the creatures here, some of the Red Caps were useful little murder hobos, they were good at hiding things if you were willing to pay. She didn't want to be seen here derailing fragile truces.

A needle was passed to her by a Ravenclaw she didn't notice which, she took it. Perhaps if she just dropped it and claimed not to be bale to find it in the dark. She looked at the point only half listening to the lecture on leylines, buildings and human sacrifices. She could chuck it in a bush, but no doubt the professor would conjure her a new one.

"Prick your fingers," she indicated softly. "Offer the blood to the plant and soil beneath it. Focus. Pain is fleeting. Think of the power you inherited, and the strength of the currents beneath your feet."

"We're blood sacrificing to plants?" Tulip exclaimed, she was well aware how ironic that was as someone who came from a family were all the daughters were named after flowers. She watched as her sister dutifully pricked her finger and fed the blood to a plant, trying to look all mysterious and proper. Tulip poke her in the back, "You're such a teachers pet" she remarked.

But she would not be outdone by her annoying older sister and stabbed her finger with the needle, it stung like a wasp or some other sharp thing and even though Tulip was expecting it she didn't expect to hurt so much "Fuck! that hurt" she exclaimed flicking a drop of blood on some unsuspecting plant before putting her finger in her mouth. She didn't know why she did that, but it was a reflex like when she stabbed her finger mending tares in her Quidditch uniform.

He looked at his candle watching the light flicker as he listened to what was being said and observed his classmates. With an affirmative nod of his head and a smile he indicated interest in library research into his question. Though he said nothing as he didn’t want to interrupt the lesson further. He’d leave that to Tulip and her muttering. A muttering that he’d never admit that in todays class he partly agreed with and found refreshing that someone was questioning this all.

Though he was not going to question anything today. What was the worst that could happen. Well obviously the worse that could happen was death, but he doubted it would be him all things concerning. He also doubted that Professor Laurence would be the one to kill them as she was rather obvious in her views.

When motioned to move forward he did. Though still he held back slightly to ensure he wasn’t in the very front of the group.

Then when someone* tried to hand him a needle he stepped back. He wasn’t touching it. He said “ I’m good, hand it to the next person. “ He’d spent too much time at his grandparents shop in Knockturn Alley to use a needle someone else handed him for anything resembling a blood ritual.

As was the ritual the professor having them focus on the main ritual. Or was collecting students blood on needles which he assumed would go back to Professor Laurence the goal.

He pulled a small knife out of his pocket he usually used for carving bits of wood for his clocks. It was clean, as he certainly wouldn’t let odd substances touch his clocks. Hoping for the best, he moved forward and made a small cut in his finger letting the blood drip onto the plant like the others.

Then he moved back to observe again.

OOC: free free to be that someone*

Did Tulip ever stop her complaining?

Rosalie cast a brief glance in the younger girl's direction before rolling her eyes, turning back to the lecture at hand. Honestly, there were some that could never be pleased with any ideas set before them or presented to them. Rosalie didn't necessarily buy into everything her professors said or did, but she was hardly the type to be disrespectful in the middle of class. How hard was it to just listen and do what they were asked?

Very, apparently, for Tulip.

"But blood is healing. It carries your magic and lifeforce within it, and when it is transferred to another, it has the ability to revive with the right intentions."

Rosalie caught Julia's eye when she glanced at her, understanding what she meant. She knew she should be more engaged in the class - be willing to ask more questions, but there was a part of her that knew it would be for others' benefit rather than her own. She had already seen this sort of magic in practice and knew well what it could do and how completely drained it had left her.

"Blood sacrifices were a staple practice in ancient magical cultures. In what we now call Britain, the Celts and later on Norse drained the blood of their animals and even themselves into the earth, calling upon it in hopes of good harvests, illness relief, or strength before battles. In combination with the ley line that runs beneath your feet, we'll bring a little life back to these plants."

Rosie took a needle as they were passed, imagining the ancient druids and seers out there in woods like these. Decorated in animal bones and flora with tribal markings on their faces, they must have been a fearsome sight to behold as they made their offerings. The girl often thought she would have loved to have lived in that timeframe instead, living in the wild with her people, learning and practicing magic openly and choosing her own path.

“ I’m good, hand it to the next person. “

Bear...didn't want a needle? She looked at him for a moment, watching as he drew a small dagger. Apparently he was going to do this his own way, which was much better than Tulip's yammering. She shrugged slightly, figuring he could suit himself before leaning over and passing it to the person next to him.

"Scared are you?" Rosie whispered, nudging Cassian playfully with a little smile, before holding out her index finger. With a fast little stab, the blood drop rose to the surface of her skin before she turned her hand over and let it drop onto the plant and soil beneath it.

"Young magic is erratic and unpredictable. Until one has a good grasp on their magic and understands how to control it, a wand is what keeps it contained and manageable."

Alice bit her lip and looked down at her wand. It was a crutch. But she’d never been very good at casting magic, so the likelihood of her ever being able to cast without the piece of wood was very small. That was disappointing.

As Professor Laurence continued on about ley lines and the fact that muggles knew about them, she found her thoughts drifting. Maybe she’d be able to cast without her wand on a ley line. Which, as their professor said, is where they were currently standing. She could feel the increased magic, though she didn’t know how to harness it.

She stepped forward and looked down at the basin, at the small plants, and listened as the professor continued.

“Dark Arts is called such because it often takes on practices that have become feared or less understood as the world modernizes. Traditionally, we would take our time with these plants, work to bring them back to a healthy level and hope for the best. But blood is healing. It carries your magic and lifeforce within it, and when it is transferred to another, it has the ability to revive with the right intentions."

That made sense. But she still felt hesitant, especially as the bag of needles made its way to her. Everything inside of her said to not do this, because it was dark. Even if it was called dark only because it was less understood, because ‘dark’ didn’t necessarily mean ‘evil’. She knew that there were witches who were more connected with nature, just look at Tilly. But she wouldn’t consider her dark. And certainly not evil.

Alice glanced over at Tulip as the girl cursed from the pain of stabbing herself with the needle. She bit her lip and looked at her hand, then the needle. She then poked her finger and as she watched the blood come to the surface of her skin, she realized it hadn’t hurt. Instead, a strange tingling sensation washed over her. It had been brief, and was not replaced with pain. The feeling that Alice then had, as she watched her blood drip onto the plant, was curiosity.

"Well done, all of you," she praised them as Alice stepped up last to drip her blood into the basin. "It's not always easy to give something so personal of yourself for the benefit of something or someone else," she nodded towards the basin where presently, nothing seemed to be happening, "But it is the selflessness of the sacrifice, the bravery behind it that gives it so much power."

She glanced up at the canopy of trees where small streams of moonlight shown through. "These things take time. We'll give your magic the space it needs to work. With any luck, in combination with the ley line beneath us, we won't have to wait long." She smiled at all of them, indicating they should draw their wands. "If need be, all of you can cast a quick healing charm. Episkey should do the trick. Otherwise on we go."

She picked up her candle and started to lead the way back to the path they'd just traversed, before pausing and pointing her wand at Tulip. "Langlock," she said easily, fixing the girl with a pointed look. "If you must behave like a tantruming toddler, Miss Asquith," a small smile curled at the edge of her lips, "do so quietly. I'll not have you disrespecting the forest or your classmates."

The professor pulled her hood back over her head, indicating for the group to follow. "I'll remove the charm tomorrow. Give you an opportunity to think before you speak."

---

The Next Morning
6:00 AM

"Alright," Julia said as the brisk morning air permeated the forest, awakening them all to the fresh scents of earth and oak. "We're nearly there. I know you had a long night and it's an early morning, but you'll all survive." A little lack of sleep never hurt anyone. In a few short years, they'd all be adults in the working world and would need to get used to sleep no longer being a priority anyway.

As they entered the clearing, this time with the faint light of the sunrise illuminating the area of the previous night. The woman moved swiftly, glancing over the wormwood before turning back to face her students. "I think you'll all be quite excited to see what you've accomplished with nothing more than your raw magic." She stepped aside, letting all of them move closer to the plants they'd claimed just a few hours ago.

Ruth would find that her lack of hesitation in her offering moved something within the earth. Grateful for her willingness and generosity, her blood, strong and untamed fused with the powers of the ley line, seeping deep into the roots of the plant. Here, flourished a robust plant, three times the size it had been just hours ago. Its leaves were a deep, vibrant green and seemed to shimmer with an unearthly quality.

Cassian's level-headed composure and quiet offering was respected by the forest, even in spite of his slight reluctance. His blood, clever and steadfast, seeped along the the withering leaves and stems of the wormwood, infusing it before it could touch the soil. His wormwood responded strongly, its stem stocky and sturdy now, capable of carrying twice the amount of leaves and flora it normally would.

Tulip - if she bothered to return after last night's scolding - would find that despite her yammering and fussing, the soil had accepted her adequate offering. Her blood, stubborn and rebellious, seemed to have fought against the ley line's vibrations, insisting it could manage well all on its own, thanks. Her plant seemed a little spikier than the others, its leaves pointed and sharp and not as full as some of her peers. Perhaps a little more enthusiasm next time would yield better results, but it was a decent first attempt.

Oilibhéar's eagerness and unbothered determination to give his sacrifice on his own terms would see the fruit of his labors. His blood, inquisitive and rather accepting fell to the soil with little fanfare or fuss, seeping deep to meet with the roots of his wormwood in easy agreement. Little yellow flowers budded along the plant that had grown a good six inches, soft and delicate and ripe with new life, grateful for the ease in which it'd been able to flourish.

Rosalie's ease and familiarity in such rituals was recognized by the forest, a child of their own teachings. Her blood, modest but determined dripped lightly along the wormwood, centering amongst the leaves that had now spread outward taking up space that moved into Cassian's and Bear's plants. The stem remained delicate but was deceptively strong, able to manage its leaves' far-reaching ambitions.

Alice would find that her obvious hesitation was questioned by the earth, even as her offering was made. Had she really meant it? The forest didn't typically accept offerings that weren't made in full consent. However, her blood, earthy and introverted deepened and thickened as it skipped the plant entirely and sunk directly into the soil beneath it, where it weaved along the hum of the ley line. There was a recognition there, different from the others in a way, and her magic responded in kind. Intertwining along thin and dying roots the plant drank eagerly from the offering, growing upward by several inches. Its leaves held a new deep green, almost black in color, but healthy and thriving.

"As you can see," Julia said, admiring their work as her own hand swept over the plant she'd spilled her blood into. "Each of you have had different outcomes. All successful in their own ways, but very tailored to you, your approach and the emotions you were feeling while you made your offering." She smiled at them, pride in her students apparent all over. "Dark magic doesn't mean evil. It doesn't mean bad. It's just different, and oftentimes misunderstood. Without the dark, the light can't exist."

Julia walked around to each of her students, looking over their plants with them. "What you've done is offered a piece of yourself and your magic in exchange for renewed life. These plants were all withering and dying away. And with a little blood magic and ley line amplifying, you've saved them."

The plants were for each of them to keep, to dry out and save as ingredients for their potions class, or if they were feeling generous, to donate to the Hospital Wing.

"Before we dig these up and pot them to take back to the castle, there will be one additional ritual." She moved past them further into the clearing, indicating them to follow with a beckoning of her finger.

A large circle made from ash lay in the soil and she indicated for all of them to kneel down along the lines. "You've learned how to utilize blood to heal. How to give, how to revive. Now you'll learn how to take." The bag of clean sewing needles appeared again for distribution. "Any questions before we get started?"

---

*OOC: Ayyyyy. Second update! Thanks everyone for your participation. I hope you've enjoyed this as much as I have so far.

So look at your pretty plants. What are your character's thoughts? How does all of this make them feel? What questions do they have? Are they impressed? Frightened? Couldn't care less?

Next up, you'll be kneeling down along the ash circle and taking a needle. We're gonna be pricking our fingers again in the next update which will come through on November 17th before the final closer!

<3

The whole exercise left Alice a bit restless once she made her way to bed. She kept thinking about how Professor Laurence was teaching them blood magic, which she had always thought was evil.

But as far as she knew, Benji’s mum wasn’t evil.

---

Morning came slowly, if only because Alice didn’t think she slept much at all. She was curious to see what her plant had done overnight. She made her way with the rest of the group to the clearing, yawning as she walked because she was so damn sleepy. Honestly, the girl was considering skipping the rest of the day to catch up on sleep.

Alice bit her lip, as her eyes moved down the line of plants. Until it met the one with the green leaves so dark they were almost black. That one had been hers. The color was darker than her classmates’ but it seemed that the ritual had worked. It looked healthy. She reached out and gently touched one of the leaves.

"Dark magic doesn't mean evil. It doesn't mean bad. It's just different, and oftentimes misunderstood. Without the dark, the light can't exist."

Understanding this now, Alice nodded. She felt much less hesitant. It was amusing, looking back now, at how nervous she’d been. She had half expected the entire Forbidden Forest to have burned down due to the ritual, or at least this little clearing.

But it hadn’t. All of the plants were now thriving.

"Before we dig these up and pot them to take back to the castle, there will be one additional ritual."

Alice touched one of the dark leaves on her plant again before following Professor Laurence.

"You've learned how to utilize blood to heal. How to give, how to revive. Now you'll learn how to take. Any questions before we get started?"

Hmm… taking from the Earth almost seemed worse. Still, Alice accepted a needle easier today than she had the night before. She looked at it, at the point that would be, no doubt, pricking her finger.

“Not really a question, Professor Laurence, but… I almost feel silly for having been so scared of this…” she commented, looking at the woman with a slight smile on her face. She was still really tired, but she felt a new sort of energized from seeing how her blood had helped the plant.

He noticed Rosalie look at him and just shrugged. This wasn’t the place to speak up and get into a debate about the needles. He wasn’t stupid enough to suggest what anyone who grabbed the needles his classmates used might be able to do. Mostly, as he wasn’t even completely sure what they could do.

The catch was growing up he heard enough potential of things that could be done if you got someone’s blood on the right object. There were magical objects he heard that would pull the blood inside. He heard whispers occasionally of deals selling the blood of a person for rituals. Of those potential rituals he wasn’t even sure the voodoo derived ones were the most concerning.

He heard the professor’s words and said nothing. Though again he felt bad for Tulip for the punishment she received.

---

It was too early to be awake. A yawn escaped his mouth as he walked again to the forest to see what had come of the blood he spilled. All he hoped was that blood lost hadn’t been used against him but seeing the plants he smiled.

He saw a rather nice plant growing in the spot he dropped the blood. Squatting down he evaluated the little plant with yellow flowers. It had brought life and wanted to create life. The cycle of time for a plant which was sprouting, creating flowers, making seeds, and then dying.

Hearing Alice he couldn’t resist his words especially with what Professor Laurence just said “ It’s wise to always be cautious. People will show you flowers to potentially distract you from other parts of a ritual. Spilt blood should always have some level of trust to it. “

The implication of his words was that he trusted Professor Laurence to some degree, even if as he rethought yesterday’s lesson he realized the risk he could have put himself in. He was more thankful now he hadn’t used her needles. Though he did feel Professor Laurence should be teaching more of the trust one needed to have as well as the understanding of the rituals involved.

With the idea of a ritual involving taking being more concerning to him risk wise as he didn't want to take any magic into him that would negatively impact his own. He said “ What would we be taking from with this blood ritual? “

At least from what he’d always heard giving was oddly safer than taking.

Bad luck, Tulip.

The Gryffindor had always been keen to sit firmly in the seat of opposition, almost appearing to defy for the sake of defiance, rather than for a cause she personally rallied behind. She couldn't imagine the kind of energy that sort of thing took. Rae was in no short supply of storms and could out-stubborn just about anyone, but it was never because she felt like it. The girl who chased softness like it was the elusive Easter bunny didn't have time to start unnecessary wars.

Gryffindors were built different. There was a reason she didn't like the majority of them--Tulip not included, of course. They disliked that loudness. That brazen, obnoxious brand of burning the world down without rhyme or reason was often off-putting to her.

Chaos for the sake of chaos often became a nuisance to those around them and, green as her blood ran, the Slytherin didn't like to be inconvenienced for the sake of idiots.

Her friend would be fine, though. It was only a little langlock while they made their way back out of the forest. Along the walk back to their common rooms, someone would free her from the jinx. If not, maybe it would wear off by morning. In any case, it certainly wasn't the worst thing that Julia could do. They just had a whole thing about pricking fingers and dropped blood. A jinx to prevent speech was probably a blessing.

---

...

......

This was some bullshit.

It wasn't enough that the professor had her class at 7AM on Fridays, now she wanted the coveted 6AM when they should've been at Breakfast--when Rae would've been asleep. Tired and with her stomach grumbling, Rae was a grumpy girl. She didn't have much to say to anyone, didn't want to be engaged.

Her eyes hurt from the two hours of sleep she'd managed to snatch for herself, her limbs ached with fatigue, and she'd already forgotten all about offering her blood and the plant she'd offered it to. What had been exciting the night before, was the bane of her existence with morning barely taking form.

Rae's steps were sluggish as she followed the group, hanging on near the back while the lead in her legs slowed her down.

Back at her plant, it took her several drawn out seconds to recongise it was hers at all. The combination of fatigue and the plant having grown to thrice its size, played equal roles in forcing her brain to push harder than it was currently capable of. The girl could barely keep her eyes open but she was expected to classify plants by blood connection. It wasn't realistic and it wasn't happening. Rae blinked a few times, patting at her cheeks in the hopes of growing more awake but her eyes threatened to close, unwilling to take in the magnificent glory her blood had produced.

Later in the day, when she was better rested and someone explained to her what was happening, she would be thrilled that apparently the magic within her blood was SO POWERFUL.

Right now?

Yaawwwnnn. No thanks.

The world would make more sense later, probably.

The professor went on, her voice lulling Rae until the girl began to sway on her feet. Something about magic not being dark...blood...magic...questions...bacon...

It went without saying; Rae had no questions. What she did have was her face pressed into Cassian's arm. The boy who'd been standing close by, found himself on the receiving end of a tiny Slytherin who could no longer keep her eyes open. He made for a good place to lean again.

Oh, they were leaving.

Cassian spared a final look at the plant upon which he'd laid his blood. It was evident they were waiting for something, that leaving allowed certain processes to take place without them having to stand for however long it would take. The boy was curious about the outcome but didn't see the need to press. The next time they came to the forest, the answers would be evident enough.

"Come on, gorgeous," he said, slinking his arm around Rosie's waist as they all began back toward the castle. "Let me walk you to your common room."

There were plenty of detours along the way.

---

Cassian was an early riser but the 6 AM class took him by surprise. With a bit more forward planning, the boy might have woken up even earlier to grab something from the kitchen but it wasn't meant to be. He would just have to endure. Lunch would come soon enough and until then, the boy had a myriad of lessons to keep him busy. Thankfully, none of them were the sort that might require a lot of him. He could move himself to cruise mode until then.

Still, as he walked with the others into the trees, Cassian found himself wondering how true Rosie's little gossip could've been. Either Barlowe wasn't doing a good enough job or nothing was happening at all. He knew better than to ask but that didn't prevent him wondering when the professor continued to have too much time on her hands.

Cass moved back to his plant the moment they arrived. Having seen the visible changes in the others, he was ready to spot the changes and make note of them in his own. His plant was different too, sturdier and no longer looking one gentle breeze away from decimation.

Huh.

Interesting.

Once Julia began to explain, the boy found his interest even more piqued. They had traded blood for life... What he saw now was what his blood had enabled the plant to achieve, a manifestation of what he held within. Cassian crouched before the plant, wanting to get a better look while his brain worked to make inferences on what it all could've meant for him. Was it good enough? Would it come in handy when the road got dark and he needed to be there for Rosie in new ways? Maybe he'd visit the woman during her next office hours to pick her brain a little.

For now, Cassian straightened and...was now propping up Ruth.

Apparently.

Cassian looked down at his tiny friend who had swayed into him when the professor went on with her explanations. Long night again, maybe. It couldn't have been helped by the early morning.

He didn't fuss, just let her...er...sleep while he raised his opposite hand.

"You never told us that was the purpose for our blood," Cassian prefaced his question saying. "Does that mean intent doesn't matter so much? If that's the case, could someone be tricked into a blood contract or covanent or forced into one without their own inner intentionality?"

None of them had been trying to have the results they did yet the plants had flourished. "Would it still have worked had the person been harbouring ill-will toward the plant without knowing what their blood was being sacrificed for?

He could've asked more but could already feel the rabbithole his mind was trying to take him down and decided it was better he stopped.

They could...uh...just move on to the last ritual. He would try to get Ruth awake by then.

Wormwood… Interesting. Her ears perked up and she actually started paying attention now that plants were involved. She was nothing if not predictable. These plants had some issues though, nothing that some time and attention wouldn’t fix, but she doubted that was in the cards for today. This wasn’t Herbology after all.

"Dark Arts is called such because it often takes on practices that have become feared or less understood as the world modernizes. Traditionally, we would take our time with these plants, work to bring them back to a healthy level and hope for the best." Yep, and Tilly would be the perfect person for that job. "But blood is healing. It carries your magic and lifeforce within it, and when it is transferred to another, it has the ability to revive with the right intentions." Ohhhhhhhh Kkkkkkkkk. Did she say blood? Tilly had spilled enough blood for the plants she cared for (and the plants that tried to kill her), her thoughts on this subject were not in line with the Professor.

Tilly took the sewing needle as directed, holding it in her hand. At least the plant wasn’t going to slice into her this time. Well, one could only hope. Shivers ran through her spine and her leg tingled. It had been doing less and less of this in recent weeks, but today she could feel her scar more clearly.

"Prick your fingers, offer the blood to the plant and soil beneath it. Focus. Pain is fleeting. Think of the power you inherited, and the strength of the currents beneath your feet."

Taking a breath, Tilly poked her left ring finger and dropped the blood onto the plant. The thick red liquid dripped onto the leaves and then spilled onto the soil. It was mesmerizing. Focusing her mind on the task, Tilly thought about the ley lines, the plants and life beneath her feet. The small grubs and worms, the roots that snaked out for miles. She could see the way that the roots intertwined and sucked the nutrients out of the soil.

Tilly had always loved plants and the earth, but she felt connected to it more now. Like a root was binding her to the ground. This had been a realization since the Amazon incident. While working with plants now she felt… different. Her hands in the soil connected her more. Grounded her. She didn’t understand it, but she knew something was different.

After much research and studying, she knew that her incident was rare and complicated. She escaped death, that much was sure, but the fact that the vine was connected to her for so long, it stood to reason that she had bonded with the plant. How that was affecting her now, no one knew.

As they left the forest, Tilly didn’t like the feeling. There was a connection formed, the ground called to her. A piece of her was there, absorbed into the soil. Something was happening, she just didn’t know what.

---

Ok, 6am was just rude. She was tired, grumpy and annoyed. She slept horribly. The whole night she felt off in a way she couldn't explain.

Walking out into the forest at this time of the morning should have felt like a punishment, but with every step closer to the clearing she felt better. Like the two parts that were separated were coming back together. Her energy levels were increasing, as was her attitude. Tilly rubbed her chest as they got closer. This had to be something to do with the ley lines, was everyone feeling this? The connection.

As they came upon their plants, Tilly was shocked to see the state of hers. Her plant was tall, lush, healed from whatever blight it was suffering from. The leaves were green and full, the flowers large and yellow. Her hand reached out to touch the plant and only someone truly watching would have noticed the small branch move towards her fingers like a magnet. When her finger touched the leaf, the connection was immediate. Deep in her soul she felt good and healthy. Like a pulse in the pit of her stomach she felt revived. This was not a tired, 6am, needing copious amounts of coffee feeling. She felt revitalized and energized.

But then she took her finger away and the tired girl returned. Ummm… ok….

"What you've done is offered a piece of yourself and your magic in exchange for renewed life. These plants were all withering and dying away. And with a little blood magic and ley line amplifying, you've saved them."

Her mind was listening, but she wasn’t taking in the information. Instead, her entire being was focused on the plant in front of her. Learning that they would be bringing the plants back to the castle was a relief. Otherwise she feared that the forest would be her new hangout spot. The thought of leaving this plant was unthinkable.

“Professor, is it the Ley Lines that make the connection to the plant so strong? I felt almost, I don’t know… disconnected all night. Until we got back here. I can almost feel the plants energy. Does that make sense?”

Tilly followed the instructions and took another needle, waiting for what was next and hoping that Julia could help figure out what this feeling was all about.