Saturday, November 5, 1920
Spellcaster's Society Club Room
2 PM
Was it already time to throw students into challenging situations to test how well they adapted and cast on their feet?
It would appear so.
In his new role of Charms Professor, Maddox was finding himself more interested in the outcomes of the drills he hosted. After all, he was now partially responsible for their competence with magic. Watching would also provide him the opportunity to see where any might be falling short and whether there was content that might be better covered again during a class review.
There would be much to consider, but only after this proverbial checkpoint of sorts.
With clipboard in hand, he stood before the group of gathered club members. Some still shot him sceptical side eyes as if anything he'd thrown at them in the previous term was really that bad. Some of the others looked ready and rearing to go. The latter might find that the drill wouldn't...quite be what they were expecting, but it would be a good test of their magical competence all the same.
"It's a beautiful afternoon for a drill," he said dryly, no particular urgency to be found in his tone. "Nothing that'll send you to the hospital wing or make it hard to fall asleep tonight. Just enough to keep you on alert." And perhaps reconsidering any thoughts of children.
He stepped aside, clearing the way to the clubroom's door.
"One by one, you'll enter. The room has already been set up. This won't be the door you exit through, turning back won't be an option. You'll have to make your way to the other side as always. Now then, who's first?"
They could begin when they were ready.
Round One
You've come prepared for a spellcaster's drill but instead find yourself standing in the middle of what is a rather mundane-looking library. The ceiling rises high above the ground. Not to be outdone, the shelves rise just as high. Rows and sections stretch before you in all directions. It's not the Hogwarts library; you're at least sure of that. This place is solemn and ancient, its heaviness weighing down on you with each moment that passes.
Surely, the professor doesn't intend for you to read your way to the end, but there are no immediate indications of the way forward. The floor is not collapsing; the walls remain in place. With each monotonous tick of the large clock on the far wall, you might begin to think it really is only a library.
Just when you might be considering that this isn't the right place, an ear-splitting scream rings throughout the echoing aisles.
What at first sounds like distress becomes audibly irate.
A clatter draws you into the neighbouring aisle: a toddler bearing a striking resemblance to the professor's son. The little boy runs along the shelves, grabbing at the spines of books and yanking them to the ground in the tantrum of the century. Red-faced and ornery, he stomps his way along. His shrill screams – horrendous as they are – don't constitute the real problem. He's a walking tornado of destruction, one that wiggles away every time you get close enough to grab hold of him yourself.
The little boy bolts down the aisle, where he grabs another book. This time, he pries it open before his little hands rip away mercilessly at the pages.
Talking won't help; he's obviously not listening, but something must be done and quickly, before the entire library suffers his tiny wrath.
OOC: Hi friends! Welcome to the first of 2 drills for the term! If you haven't already, take a look at the guidelines for how they'll work. Even though it's one student at a time, please just assume it was your character's turn and they headed in. No need to wait for anyone else to be finished. In order to qualify for full points, you must post in 3 rounds plus an ending post for a total of 4 posts. The drill will run for 9 days, and I'll be updating on a more frequent basis than lessons. This means that the more frequently you post, the sooner you can complete the drill. After 9 days, the thread will close for grading. Think of this as a somewhat 'timed' event. There's no one way to complete any round, as there are a few acceptable options, so get creative and go with your gut! Please don't RP the result of your spell, only the attempt of it. The results will be posted by me whenever I give updates. If I update before you've posted, don't worry about it! This is all within your time (within the 9 days). Only one spell is allowed per round, so choose wisely. Please make an OOC note at the very end of your first post (only) stating your character's magical strength for the drill. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out <3
This drill ends on January 28.
Matilda arrived at the Spellcaster Society, ready for their first drill. Overall she had fun with it last term, so she was looking forward to the new set of challenges.
Entering the room, she was surprised to see a library. Nothing seemed very interesting or magical, just a very old building with a lot of very old books. Julia would love this place for sure. And then the scream rang out, echoing off the stone walls.
Wand in hand, waiting for danger to pop around a corner or come raining from the sky, Tilly was on high alert. And then she saw Blobby… No, not Blobby, flippin Morgan with her names. Evander was running a muck.
“Evander. EVANDER! What are you? NO, not the books!”
Running after him, but realizing he wasn’t going to listen to a thing she said she went to point the wand at the chubby little toddler. Logically, she knew this was part of the drill, but casting a spell on the Professor’s child was some scary shit. Do it wrong and she would definitely get detention for… well, ever.
Hoping that the boy was part of the drill and not a real little boy, Tilly pointed the wand and the destructive preschooler and said “Locomotor!” In the end, she thought that levitating him away from the stacks was better than freezing him and potentially causing discomfort.
If you tell a redhead
NOTto do something
She’ll do itTWICE and take pictures....
The first Spellcaster's came around sooner than she expected. It wasn't because it was off its self-defined schedule but because the last few months had seen her running ragged with her other duties. With both the hospital wing and library requiring shifts and dedicated time, Rae would be the first to admit that she hadn't been spending as much time in the club room practising as she should've.
It probably wasn't enough to make her rusty...maybe, but it certainly left her feeling less on top of her game than she had the term before. What a time for such things, too. OWLs year, and this was the one she chose to fall behind on her spellwork. In some ways, she supposed the drill springing itself on her—scheduled as it was—was for the best. One way or another, she'd be forced to see where she was and if her focus would need shifting until the end of the term. Rae was sure that she could shuffle some things around if she really needed to.
For now, she had to focus.
When her turn came, she tugged the door open and let herself into...the library?
Huh.
The Slytherin turned to look back at the door, wondering if she'd fallen asleep during a shift or had really shown up for the drill. Either way, true to the professor's words, the door was sealed.
Well. The library was never sealed, contributing to the assumption it was either a dream or the professor was luring her into a false sense of security. Until she could figure out which it was, Rae walked. Her feet took her further into the library with its towering shelves, trying to find the anomaly that might give her a clue about what she was meant to be doing. A book out of place, a misaligned shelf...maybe something more obvious, something that clearly didn't belong.
It found her.
The scream pierced through the echo-y library with the sort of rage that was difficult to ignore. That had to be it. Rae gripped her wand tighter as she headed off in the direction of the screaming. What she found was...probably more confusing than the setting of this cryptic place.
"What in Merlin's beard...?"
The kid had lost his mind! Had Barlowe really let his son run around a drill, causing chaos? No, she quickly surmised. Not if he was the obstacle they had to neutralise. The professor hadn't let them cast on inanimate objects within the paddocks. Doubtful he'd let them cast over and over on his son. Whatever stood before her, red-faced and tantrumming, couldn't have been Evander Barlowe.
"Oi! Knock it off!"
Rae reached for the little boy, but he was a wiggly thing. No matter how she tried, she couldn't get a proper hold on him, almost like he'd been dipped in grease. He was not.
"You're gonna make a mess!" And the professor would have to clean it. Not her. Never her. The girl wasn't in the habit of fixing messes she didn't make.
As if in utter defiance of her, the boy grabbed a book and went to town. He was not to be reasoned with, and that suited her just fine. If that was how he wanted to be then, "Petrificus totalus!"
That ought to slow him down – if it worked.
Magical strength: Power
Round Two
Tilly
Fail!
Before he can figure out what's happening, the little boy finds himself being forcefully moved away from the shelf he'd been terrorising a moment earlier. He flails his limbs wildly, kicking and punching at the air in a show of his frustration. Her efforts do indeed separate him from his desires, but not for long. The locomotion spell is excellent for moving things and people, but not for keeping them in place afterward. This opens an opportunity for Evander to run back to the shelf and return to his tantrum unimpeded the moment he comes to a stop where Matilda has directed him to.
The little boy remains free and is able to continue his rampaging, but he doesn't. Instead, he looks at you with clear betrayal in his eyes. In his world, you have become the villain, casting spells at him without just cause.
'How could you?' his eyes seem to ask. Liquid blue irises look at you with sincerity in their hurt, but they soon solidify into something more...potent.
It's safe to say that the small child didn't appreciate your disruption. While he no longer reaches for the books on the shelves – seeming to have learned his lesson there at least – he does return to his earlier screaming. A missed nap or a spawn of Satan finally being unleashed – it's hard to say as his lungs fill with air, then he unleashes an unholy scream. This time, the entire library is affected by his foul mood.
The louder he screams, the more the ground shakes.
Sparks erupt, then entire flames, controlled by the force of his ire. Accidental magic. Raw and rageful. He doesn't mean it, but that does little to change the outcome. Spiteful or fussy, the library is now quickly catching fire.
Best not be burned alive.
OOC: No magical strength selected.
Rae
Success!
Rude. Effective, but rude.
The once-screaming toddler goes stiff as a board, and immediately, the screams and destruction come to an end. With his entire body bound, those little hands can no longer rip through books and decimate entire shelves. With a little more endurance, the spell may have lasted longer, but already, little 'Evander' begins to twitch.
Nothing lasts forever. That includes your spell. The little boy is freed and able to return to his rampaging, but he doesn't. Instead, he looks at you with clear betrayal in his eyes. In his world, you have become the villain, casting spells at him without just cause.
'How could you?' his eyes seem to ask. Liquid blue irises look at you with sincerity in their hurt, but they soon solidify into something more...potent.
It's safe to say that the small child didn't appreciate your disruption. While he no longer reaches for the books on the shelves – seeming to have learned his lesson there at least – he does return to his earlier screaming. A missed nap or a spawn of Satan finally being unleashed – it's hard to say as his lungs fill with air, then he unleashes an unholy scream. This time, the entire library is affected by his foul mood.
The louder he screams, the more the ground shakes.
Sparks erupt, then entire flames, controlled by the force of his ire. Accidental magic. Raw and rageful. He doesn't mean it, but that does little to change the outcome. Spiteful or fussy, the library is now quickly catching fire.
Best not be burned alive.
Round Three
N/A
Finish Line
N/A
Who was first?
Definitely not him. Benji had heard about Spellcaster's last term and had pointedly avoided it, happy to not give Professor Barlowe yet another opportunity to have him mangled or maimed. He'd settled on the idea that death wasn't in Barlowe's agenda for Benji Laurence, but otherwise, he figured it was fair game.
Julia on the other hand had insisted he keep himself busy with as many extra curriculars as possible, and he figured as long as it wasn't sorting books, it had to be better.
And if Benji did in fact die, he'd never have to step foot in the library again.
Win, win he supposed.
Until the door shut behind him.
A library.
Benji groaned, letting his head fall back in exasperation. This had to be a joke between his mum and the Charms professor. Merlin knew they had plenty of them.
It wasn't the Hogwarts library; rather it seemed much older and foreboding in its ancientness. The boy stood, taking in his surroundings, wondering what sort of obstacles were possibly going to find him here? A boy who couldn't find a Charms book in the Charms section? A girl who wanted to complain about dust mites? An overabundance of gum needing to be scraped from beneath a table.
Exhilarating.
A scream suddenly broke through the silence of the library - one he was fairly familiar with over the years of his mum and Rosie looking after the boy. "Ev?" Benji called, his eyebrows coming together in consternation. Had the professor forgotten his son in here? He wasn't a careless man, as far as Benji had always know him, but...
The scream grew angrier, and as Benji turned a corner searching for the boy, he found Evander racing down an aisle, tearing books off the shelves and making an enormous mess. Toddlers had tantrums. They went hand in hand, but this one looked epic. His eyes widened as the red-faced screeching heathen yanked a book open and began tearing pages out.
"Oi mate, look. I feel you, libraries are the worst but - " he rushed towards Evander to try and grab him, but the boy was quick and wiggly and evaded his capture easily. Huh. The little guy usually came to Benji easily, but then again the Hufflepuff had never seen him quite this perturbed.
He had to stop him - surely that was part of this whole thing, but he wasn't of the mind to hurt the kid. Maybe a distraction? Benji wasn't sure he wanted to petrify him.
Professor Barlowe wouldn't want anyone to freeze his kid. Right? The kid liked animals. He knew that much, considering his dad was the former CoMC professor and he'd spent plenty of time around them. Maybe something like that would calm him down, or at least give him something else to focus on.
"Avis," Benji said as he drew his wand, and flicked it just above the little boy's head.
Power <3
i'm always ready for a war again
who's gonna save me from myself
The look might have worked were Rae not wholly convinced that the little boy standing before her was nothing more than a careful illusion or conjuration from the professor. She couldn't have been the only one who thought the answer was casting at the boy, and as reckless as Barlowe tended to be, he was also surprisingly careful where it mattered. No way he'd risk Evander being mangled by an errant spell from an overzealous first year or a seventh year that didn't know their own strength.
The image before her, with his big, sad eyes, wouldn't have her regretting what she'd done even for a moment. She'd gotten him still and not shrieking his lungs out like a cornered banshee.
Zero regrets, except maybe that her spell didn't last as long.
No sooner had it worn off than the boy had returned to full distress. If only his crying was the worst of it. Somewhere in the middle of his little tantrum, he'd caused the library to catch fire. Had this spectre of a boy never been told "no" a day in his life? Rae found that hard to believe with how firm Barlowe happened to be, but he supposed that never extended to this magical embodiment that had clearly been sent to test their patience as much as their wand work.
She and the man would need to have some words when this was over. This wasn't exactly a glowing endorsement to anyone who wanted to offer him their babysitting services.
For now, the smoke was rising and the flames were growing hotter. If she didn't put a stop to things, both she and Evander would find themselves roasted alive – her being the only one to actually suffer the consequences.
There was a spell that conjured water. It would've been easy enough except...she...didn't know how to cast it.
Shit.
Rae took a step back, realising that the easiest and most logical route was already out. She could make the attempt but didn't think she wanted to see what happened if she failed in the middle of the drill.
No water then, but maybe...shit, she had no choice but to try, she supposed. "Glacius duo!"
Ice didn't put out fires, true, and was overall less effective than water, but Rae hoped that if she could sufficiently coat everything in ice, the fire would have nowhere to go and no way of spreading. If anything, it would make it too difficult for everything to remain flammable and lower the heat enough that it would flicker out on its own.
If that didn't work. Well, she supposed she'd just have to grab the kid and run.
Round Two
Benji
Fail!
The birds sprout from Benji's wand, magnificent and colourful. They chirp and swoop, oh so charming and beautiful. The boy had a knack for conjuration; that was clear from how well they had turned out. Fully formed, their movements fluid, there is something to be said for the boy's ability with such difficult magic.
Birds, however, will not stop this enraged toddler, not when he isn't the boy Benji is trying to appeal to. A hollow doppelganger given instructions to destroy, it doesn't share the sweet little boy's temperament or sentiments. This one has tantrumming Evander down to a 'T' but little else. The small boy tossed the book in his hands at the birds before turning to grab more from the shelves. Over and over he hurled them, as if the birds were the source of his irritation.
Unreasonable toddlers tended to remain unreasonable, especially when charmed to be so.
The little boy remains free and is able to continue his rampaging, but he doesn't. Instead, he looks at you with clear betrayal in his eyes. In his world, you have become the villain, for no other reason than that he finally realises you're there.
'How could you?' his eyes seem to ask. Liquid blue irises look at you with sincerity in their hurt, but they soon solidify into something more...potent.
It's safe to say that the small child didn't appreciate your disruption. While he no longer reaches for the books on the shelves – seeming to have learned his lesson there at least – he does return to his earlier screaming. A missed nap or a spawn of Satan finally being unleashed – it's hard to say as his lungs fill with air, then he unleashes an unholy scream. This time, the entire library is affected by his foul mood.
The louder he screams, the more the ground shakes.
Sparks erupt, then entire flames, controlled by the force of his ire. Accidental magic. Raw and rageful. He doesn't mean it, but that does little to change the outcome. Spiteful or fussy, the library is now quickly catching fire.
Best not be burned alive.
Round Three
Rae
Success! [hidden attribute: power match]
It's...one way to put out the fire. What might have been an otherwise difficult task is made easier by the potency (power) put into the cast. It generates enough ice to coat the entire aisle, spilling over into the aisles that sit on either side. Without anything to latch onto, the fire fizzles and hisses until only the wispy tendrils of smoke remain.
A lucky break, perhaps; one the professor wouldn't have recommended for the gamble it might have been, but it pays off in the end.
What's left is smoke, and a lot of it. The thick plumes are suffocating, bringing down visibility but not so much that you can't see. You can still make out the form of the little boy, now obviously frightened by the turn this drill has taken.
The charred shelves remain, too.
Compromised by the flames that have eaten through the wood, they begin to crack under the weight of what they still carry. The books, while burned, have not been destroyed. Their weight that was once easily supported now becomes their undoing. The shelves make loud, sickening cracking noises, and they begin to tip over. The left crashes into the right, the frame barely holding in place to form an unstable arch above you.
It won't last much longer.
Unless you find a way to prevent the collapse. You and Evander are on your way to being crushed into the linoleum and becoming a permanent fixture within these old and sacred walls.
Only swift and decisive action will make a difference now.
Finish Line
N/A
Now he'd done it. Of course, he had. The accidental fire wasn't enough; the toddler had to try bringing down the entire library.
Sweet Merlin.
Rae's eyes widened at the crackling sounds that burst from the snapping shelves as they crumbled under the weight of the charred books. It didn't sound good. Seconds later, there was visual confirmation that things were quickly going to hell in a basket, and she had seconds to decide how much she cared about this little illusion child. If Barlowe thought she'd go out of her way to save his unreal son in the middle of a burning building, well, he must not have paid good enough attention to the colour of her robes.
No matter, he would see soon enough that concepts of chivalry—especially when tied to hypothetical situations—went right by her.
Fake!Evander would be fine. She was the one in real peril.
With the smoke filling her lungs, it didn't take long for the fifth-year to start coughing. If she stayed much longer, her insides might resemble a tar pit, and she'd done too much to avoid smoking to end up in the same boat as half the 7th years.
It was time to cut her losses and find her own way out.
At least...that was the thought. Turning, a section of shelves came clattering down to block her path. The Slytherin barely managed to jump back before it all went crashing to the ground, creating more smoke and dust.
She coughed harder, feeling the way her lungs began to contract.
Leaving Evander wouldn't be the answer then. Fine. Rae moved toward the terrified fake boy, ready to see if he might have some secret key to some hidden door. No such luck. Even worse, the shelf collapsed, creating a smoking arch above them. It wasn't sturdy enough; she knew that much. If the shelves were already snapping, it would only be a matter of time before the outer structure began to crumble, too.
Barlowe sure knew how to pick his drills. Ugh.
There was no more time for pausing over spells she knew she didn't know. With each crack, the pair came closer to being splattered along the floor. With a final Hail Mary, Rae lifted her wand above them and uttered, "Evanesco!" If it worked, the shelves would disappear, and she'd – uh...they – would no longer be in such inconvenient trouble.
If it didn't work. Well. Barlowe would never let her die.
Green eyes looked at her father, debating if she really wanted to go through one of his drills. He hadn’t made her, but she knew he’d love it if she participated more. Seeing as this was her first time ever at a drill, she listened to his directions. The last thing she wanted to do was completely screw up. That’d be embarrassing; she put a lot of pressure on herself since she was his daughter, of course.
After entering the room, she looked around. A library. Not the school one either, so Julia wouldn’t be here.
Morgan jumped at the sound that was distantly familiar; she covered her ears with her hands and looked around. She hadn’t heard that in a long time it seemed. She heard a ruckus in the next aisle and she immediately jumped into Big-Sister mode.
“Blobby!” she yelled over the scream, lowering her hands as she ran to the next aisle. The boy, who was usually so happy and calm, was destroying the library book by book. And while Morgan didn’t feel any particular way about libraries or books (despite what Benji had done – signed her up to help in the library without even asking – such an ass), it pained her to see her brother like this. Especially when she knew he was usually happy.
“What are you doing?! Come here!” Morgan ran after him as he began destroying a book, pulling the pages out. She didn’t know what to do at first. She could wingardium leviosa him but she recalled, vividly, how horribly that had worked out her first year when she had a friend levitate her. Or try to levitate her.
The boy didn’t stop destroying the book. “Evander Harrison Barlowe! Arresto momentum!” she attempted, hoping that if she were able to slow him down, she could grab him. He loved tickles, so if she could get her hands on him, she’d tickle him until the anger was gone.
Despite always calling him Blobber, Morgan truly did love the little guy and did not want to see his head explode in anger. Gruesome thought, but in her head it was entirely possible with the level of pissed he was.
Power
Well shit…
That DID NOT go over well. Tilly loved children, but she was by no means adept at working with them. As an only child, she really didn’t hang around with babies or toddler, as was obvious, looking at the outright LIVID face of little Evander.
Little Man was PISSED. Apparently Julia hadn’t taught him about screaming in the library.
“Sorry, sorry, it’s ok!”
Yeah, he wasn’t listening. In fact, his face was getting more angry. It didn’t take long and his little baby brain was exploding with a major magic tantrum. If this exercise taught her anything, it was going to be that children were crazy and to not have them. Cats. Tilly would be the crazy aunt with lots of cats.
“Shhh, I’m sorry. Sweets? Want some candy? I’ll get you a bucket load. NO, NOT FIRE!”
And now the library was on fire. SHIT! Watching in abject horror as the fire started to spread. Pointing her wand at the flames, Tilly yelled “Aguamenti!” Hoping to spray a stream of water to extinguish the flame. Over the screams, growls and grunts of the littler terror, Tilly looked at the little boy. “Julia would be Irate if this were really her library. Be happy I don’t see any baubles.”
Power
If you tell a redhead
NOTto do something
She’ll do itTWICE and take pictures....
Round Two
Morgan
Success!
Rude. Effective, but rude.
The once-screaming toddler suddenly has his actions slowed until they grind to a halt, and immediately, the screams and destruction come to an end. His entire body becomes much too heavy for him to move; those little hands can no longer rip through books and decimate entire shelves. With a little more endurance, the spell may have lasted longer, but already, little 'Evander' begins to twitch.
Nothing lasts forever. That includes your spell. The little boy is freed and able to return to his rampaging, but he doesn't. Instead, he looks at you with clear betrayal in his eyes. In his world, you have become the villain, casting spells at him without just cause.
'How could you?' his eyes seem to ask. Liquid blue irises look at you with sincerity in their hurt, but they soon solidify into something more...potent.
It's safe to say that the small child didn't appreciate your disruption. While he no longer reaches for the books on the shelves – seeming to have learned his lesson there at least – he does return to his earlier screaming. A missed nap or a spawn of Satan finally being unleashed – it's hard to say as his lungs fill with air, then he unleashes an unholy scream. This time, the entire library is affected by his foul mood.
The louder he screams, the more the ground shakes.
Sparks erupt, then entire flames, controlled by the force of his ire. Accidental magic. Raw and rageful. He doesn't mean it, but that does little to change the outcome. Spiteful or fussy, the library is now quickly catching fire.
Best not be burned alive.
Round Three
Tilly
Success! [hidden attribute: power match]
It's a sensible choice, albeit a reckless one for the girl who didn't actually know the spell. One might have thought it crazy to be so reckless when surety was the better route, but Gryffindors never shy away from risk, and Nordstrom is no different. Heedless of her lack of ability, she casts. The power behind the spell quickly sends the flames into retreat, all embers disappearing under the geisers.
A lucky break, perhaps; one the professor wouldn't have recommended for the gamble it might have been, but it pays off in the end.
What's left is smoke, and a lot of it. The thick plumes are suffocating, bringing down visibility but not so much that you can't see. You can still make out the form of the little boy, now obviously frightened by the turn this drill has taken.
The charred shelves remain, too.
Compromised by the flames that have eaten through the wood, they begin to crack under the weight of what they still carry. The books, while burned, have not been destroyed. Their weight that was once easily supported now becomes their undoing. The shelves make loud, sickening cracking noises, and they begin to tip over. The left crashes into the right, the frame barely holding in place to form an unstable arch above you.
It won't last much longer.
Unless you find a way to prevent the collapse. You and Evander are on your way to being crushed into the linoleum and becoming a permanent fixture within these old and sacred walls.
Only swift and decisive action will make a difference now.
Finish Line
Rae
Success!
Someone had taken the chance and decided to ride on luck. In a moment that shouldn't have been possible, fate smiles in the Slytherin girl's direction. The unfamiliar spell bursts from her wand, and the crumbling shelves disappear from overhead. With a bit more control, it would've been a clean vanishing. Instead, chunks of charred wood come crashing to the ground. They're much smaller than the original danger, but they rain down as if taunting the girl for a job only half well done.
A victory is a victory, however, and there's no need to dwell when the work is already done.
The burning shelves aren't the only ones to disappear. The library hollows itself out, creating a large, open space. The echoes have increased with the sound of each step you take now bouncing off the high walls and ceiling. Curiously, the little boy is nowhere to be seen. He's disappeared with the furniture, almost as if he'd been nothing more than a dream.
Across the wide expanse, a door appears with a sign above it that reads 'exit'.
Heading through, you find yourself in the often-hidden observation deck of the club room. The professor is seated in the front row, his toddler beside him doodling on spare parchment with contentment. He exhibits no signs of an earlier tantrum or of having been anywhere but right next to his daddy.
The man himself makes a few jottings on his clipboard but looks up when you exit to congratulate you for making it through.
Stay, if you'd like, to watch the others. Otherwise, you were now free to go.
Thankfully, the fire was out, but that just brought the smoke. The thick acrid smoke went into her lungs, causing a round of coughing that made breathing impossible. Tilly took a knee, getting lower to the ground where the air didn’t have the potential to choke her.
Thankfully Evander was already small and low to the ground.
Tilly rushed over to the little boy, pulling him into her chest, watching as the smoke continued and the water soaked, charred shelves began to creak and move. Well that wasn’t good. With an arm around Evander, she began to move back, away from the shelves, watching as the first shelf finally decided what it was doing, cracked, and began falling towards its neighbor.
They were going down like dominoes.
Without thinking, acting on instinct, Tilly pointed her wand at the shelves and yelled “Arresto Momentum Duo!”
This seemed like one of those situations where the standard spell wouldn’t cut it, so she went for the Duo version. She hoped it worked, stopping the shelves from moving, but just in case she continued to move backwards with Evander still clutched in her arms. He might not like it, but it was for his own good.
If you tell a redhead
NOTto do something
She’ll do itTWICE and take pictures....
Wait...it...worked?
Oh, thank Merlin.
As much as Rae knew the drills were just that—drills—and that the professor would step in if the situation truly called for it, there was a part of her worried the man wouldn't make an appearance until after she'd already been crushed beneath rubble and in need of saving. If it didn't cause enough damage, she could see the man justifying it as a learning experience. Thankfully, it never came to that. Despite the small chunks of wood that indicated an incomplete job, the bulk of the shelves had been varnished, saving her and the fake boy from being too intimately acquainted with the linoleum.
Rae sucked in a deep breath, heedless of the smoke that remained. Such was the level of her relief. Even coughing from the sooty intrusion, her muscles still felt lighter for having evaded a uncertain death.
Her shelves weren't the only ones to vanish, though. One by one, the others faded into nothingness until she was the only thing that remained in the entire room. The place had hollowed itself out. The door on the other end signalled the conclusion of her drill.
Good.
As much as she adored Evander, his double was a menace spawned from Satan's hidden pits, and the girl didn't reckon she was too interested to see what else he might have been able to destroy if given enough time and perceived provocation.
"Come along, Ev. Your daddy and I will need to have strong words when we get out...of here..."
Where'd he go?
The boy had spent the entire drill screaming, and now that they were free and clear to bolt, he was nowhere to be found? You know what? It wasn't her problem. Nope. Her drill was done. Let him play hide and seek with himself.
She was leaving.
Rae made her way through the door and into the observation deck, ready to go off on the professor when her eyes caught sight of baby Evander doodling to his heart's content. Well, she'd known that he wasn't real – not inside anyway – but it still caught the girl off guard, enough so that the words disappeared in the back of her throat.
She shook her head at the man who looked up to congratulate her. "...Nevermind."
She didn't know if it was still worth it.
Morgan watched as her baby brother came to a stop. She felt good about herself for a moment, pleased that she was able to stop him from destroying the place.
Or so she thought.
The next thing that happened was… a lot worse than just ripping up books.
For one thing, the look in his eyes when he looked at her was pure malice. He was pissed that she had used magic on him. Sure, she would be too, but yelling wasn’t doing anything. And it’s not like she had hurt him.
And anyways, she could have thrown him up in the air but she hadn’t done that either. Her father should be proud and the child should be grateful.
But he wasn’t.
He took a big breath and then scrumped a scream so loud it… shook the ground.
No, not just that.
Morgan’s green eyes widened in horror as sparks appeared, which gave way to actual flames. She liked fire just as much as any girl her age, but coming from a toddler? No thanks.
“No, no, Blobby, no screaming!” she yelled, and looked around. Perhaps she should have let him continue to destroy the books. Perhaps that’d be much better than going to battle with flames.
What the hell was she going to do? Would he even let her grab him at this point?
“Aguamenti!” Morgan attempted, her wand pointed directly at the boy. If it worked, hopefully the flames would be out and the immediate danger would be gone. Unless his screaming burst her eardrums. But that, at least, wouldn’t injure him.
Round Two
N/A
Round Three
Morgan
Fail! [hidden attribute: power match]
Someone was feeling bold enough to attempt spells they hadn't learned. The Gryffindor takes the gamble, hoping her power will be enough to see her through, and for a moment, it seems as if it might, but in the end, the wand sputters in confusion. Aguamenti? It's never heard of it, and the middle of a burning building doesn't seem the time to figure it out. The fire continues on, ready to burn everything to the ground.
From a direction unknown, another source of water appears. It douses the flames, finally bringing them under control courtesy of the man who preferred not to watch his daughter burn.
What's left is smoke, and a lot of it. The thick plumes are suffocating, bringing down visibility but not so much that you can't see. You can still make out the form of the little boy, now obviously frightened by the turn this drill has taken.
The charred shelves remain, too.
Compromised by the flames that have eaten through the wood, they begin to crack under the weight of what they still carry. The books, while burned, have not been destroyed. Their weight that was once easily supported now becomes their undoing. The shelves make loud, sickening cracking noises, and they begin to tip over. The left crashes into the right, the frame barely holding in place to form an unstable arch above you.
It won't last much longer.
Unless you find a way to prevent the collapse. You and Evander are on your way to being crushed into the linoleum and becoming a permanent fixture within these old and sacred walls.
Only swift and decisive action will make a difference now.
Finish Line
Tilly
Fail!
Someone had taken the chance and decided to ride on luck for a second time. It would appear that the Gryffindor felt confident enough to cast two spells she didn't know. While the first had miraculously sprung forth, her wand only sputters this time. It's not familiar with the spell and in no mood to comply. Perhaps with a bit more practice and knowledge of the spell, she could one day cast it. For now, the shelves collapse completely.
Seconds from impact, the bits of burnt wood vanish, as if they'd never been in danger of crushing her in the first place. It would seem that the professor wasn't of a mind to let the girl go 'splat'.
The burning shelves aren't the only ones to disappear. The library hollows itself out, creating a large, open space. The echoes have increased with the sound of each step you take now bouncing off the high walls and ceiling. Curiously, the little boy is nowhere to be seen. He's disappeared with the furniture, almost as if he'd been nothing more than a dream.
Across the wide expanse, a door appears with a sign above it that reads 'exit'.
Heading through, you find yourself in the often-hidden observation deck of the club room. The professor is seated in the front row, his toddler beside him doodling on spare parchment with contentment. He exhibits no signs of an earlier tantrum or of having been anywhere but right next to his daddy.
The man himself makes a few jottings on his clipboard but looks up when you exit to congratulate you for making it through.
Stay, if you'd like, to watch the others. Otherwise, you were now free to go.
Well. The birds had been received.
Not as he'd hoped, but all the same. Evander wasn't normally a child of the devil himself, but at some point, Barlowe had bewitched the kid in order to make Benji's ears bleed.
Or, he was an illusion. That seemed most likely.
"Well you didn't have to smack the birds, yeah? What'd they do to you, mate?" He grinned, but it was short-lived amusement. The child's red face grew crimson, his eyes nearly bulging as his scream started up again, but it was sharper, louder...deeper?
Benji took a step back, realizing this was getting far more 'dark magic' than he appreciated, especially with the sounds that were now reverberating across the shelves. His eyes cast over the library, his feet swaying with the way Evander's screams shook the very floor beneath him.
What the actual fuck was happening?
And then - a different sound. A different smell. Benji's eyebrows raised as the boy seemed to become the embodiment of arcane magic itself. "Shiiiiiit," he muttered as flames sparked and took hold of the books and furniture around them. Thick black smoke enveloped the library, as flames jumped from one shelf to the other, Evander's screams seeming to only strengthen them.
If he didn't act quickly, Professor Barlowe would have to save him, and how embarrassing would that be to be carried out of here like a damsel in distress?
"Aguamenti!" he shouted, rushing for the little boy - just in case it really was him, he wasn't taking chances - and praying the burst of water would be enough.
i'm always ready for a war again
who's gonna save me from myself
Morgan felt deflated; the water spell did nothing except make her feel inept at this. And her father was watching. From somewhere. She knew that he wouldn’t let her die, but she still had no clue what else she was going to do. It’s not like she had many other spells up her sleeves.
But then, as she began to feel really poorly about herself, water came from somewhere (she had no clue where, but knew it was her father’s doing).
“Thanks, dad…” she muttered and sighed, looking at the little boy again. He wasn’t screaming anymore, which was a very very good thing. But there was still the issue of… well… escaping this hell hole of a library.
The fire dissipated, but now the room was full of smoke. It made her eyes burn, and she frowned as she looked around. Her eyes widened as she saw shelves begin to fall into each other. Two shelves arched perfectly above her and her little brother, and Morgan gripped her wand tightly.
“Arresto Momentum!” she yelled again, this time her wand pointed above them at the two shelves. Perhaps if she could slow their fall, she and Evander would have plenty of time to scramble out of harm’s way and they – or she, considering she knew her father would never truly put Blobby in danger – could escape.
Dear god, let it work.
Tilly watched in horror as the Shelves kept moving, the action of casting the spell sputtered and fizzled. Well shit. She had taken a chance, tried a spell she didn’t have any right trying yet. It had worked before, but this time it was dud.
Just as she was about to grab little Evander and run out wand blazing, the library and everything in it disappeared. Including Evander. Too bad, she was just getting used to the little man. As long as he wasn’t screaming.
Across the empty room stood a door with the word exit, making it very easy to see where she needed to go. Walking through the door she found Professor Barlowe sitting with a perfectly content little Evander coloring. He congratulated her on making it through, which was a bit ridiculous since she would have been crushed if he hadn’t stepped in.
“You little man, are a lot less destructive then your magical counterpart.” Tilly said, crouching down in front of the little boy. He was pretty adorable, if she looked past the screaming and setting fire to things.
“Your daddy made us think you were a holy terror, but look at you coloring and being perfect. Do you only set fire to libraries when you’re hungry? Or need a nap?” She said in a playful tone, bopping him lightly on the nose. Smile wide on her face.
Ok… Maybe kids weren’t so bad.
If you tell a redhead
NOTto do something
She’ll do itTWICE and take pictures....
Round Two
N/A
Round Three
Benji
Success! [hidden attribute: power match]
Talk about a powerful cast. Jets of water gush from the boy's wand, easily overcoming the flames. The extra oomph behind the spell makes quick work of what would otherwise have been an unpleasant end--as close to one as Benji was likely to get within the drill anyway.
What's left is smoke, and a lot of it. The thick plumes are suffocating, bringing down visibility but not so much that you can't see. You can still make out the form of the little boy, now obviously frightened by the turn this drill has taken.
The charred shelves remain, too.
Compromised by the flames that have eaten through the wood, they begin to crack under the weight of what they still carry. The books, while burned, have not been destroyed. Their weight that was once easily supported now becomes their undoing. The shelves make loud, sickening cracking noises, and they begin to tip over. The left crashes into the right, the frame barely holding in place to form an unstable arch above you.
It won't last much longer.
Unless you find a way to prevent the collapse. You and Evander are on your way to being crushed into the linoleum and becoming a permanent fixture within these old and sacred walls.
Only swift and decisive action will make a difference now.
Finish Line
Morgan
Success!
The wand pauses, as if it might decide not to obey even the familiar spell, but in a split second, light bursts from Morgan's wand. Just like that, the crumbling shelves come to a halt. With a bit more endurance, it would've held up for a longer time. Instead, chunks of charred wood come crashing to the ground. They're much smaller than the original danger, but they rain down as if taunting the girl for a job only half well done.
A victory is a victory, however, and there's no need to dwell when the work is already done.
The burning shelves aren't the only ones to disappear. The library hollows itself out, creating a large, open space. The echoes have increased with the sound of each step you take now bouncing off the high walls and ceiling. Curiously, the little boy is nowhere to be seen. He's disappeared with the furniture, almost as if he'd been nothing more than a dream.
Across the wide expanse, a door appears with a sign above it that reads 'exit'.
Heading through, you find yourself in the often-hidden observation deck of the club room. The professor is seated in the front row, his toddler beside him doodling on spare parchment with contentment. He exhibits no signs of an earlier tantrum or of having been anywhere but right next to his daddy.
The man himself makes a few jottings on his clipboard but looks up when you exit to congratulate you for making it through.
Stay, if you'd like, to watch the others. Otherwise, you were now free to go.
The lack of immediate response from her wand made Morgan begin to think that she and her brother were going to be pancakes. That would be… not good. To say the least. In that brief moment before it worked, she began to think that she was a goner. And Evander – who she knew couldn’t really be her baby brother – would be… out in the void or something.
But then her wand worked. The spell worked. The falling slowed to a stop, though small chunks of charred wood came raining down around her and Evander. She held her hands over her head and after a moment – when the sensation of falling debris stopped, she hesitated with her hands over her.
Silence. Morgan opened her eyes and then lowered her hands. Nothing was there. Not even the toddler. She frowned, shaking her head. She knew her dad took this stuff seriously, but that didn’t make it okay to her. Using her brother for something like that… well, that definitely crossed a line. She didn’t know what line exactly, but it did.
She stood up and marched over to the door that had EXIT above it. She swung the door open and found her dad’s eyes. She shook her head, unimpressed. She loved her baby brother, and even though she knew their dad would never put him in danger – real danger – seeing Evander in that situation still stressed her out.
“That was a bit much, dad,” Morgan commented and sat down next to Blobby as the next student went into the room. She was sure all of the others had done a lot better than her, but… at least she tried. Right?
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