ext_25779 (![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png)
blankmeridian.livejournal.com) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
31_days2005-09-06 11:49 pm
blankmeridian.livejournal.com) wrote in 31_days2005-09-06 11:49 pm
[September 6th] [Harry Potter] Fairy Godmothers
Title: Fairy Godmothers
Day/Theme: Sep. 6/"Hogwarts: A Life"
Series: Harry Potter
Character/Pairing: Salazar, Rowena, potential Salazar/Rowena?
Rating: PG
*crack!*
Salazar jumped as Rowena apparated behind him, grinning madly about whatever she had learned on her latest pursuit of knowledge.
"You know," she began (and merlin, she had that tone of voice that consistently led to either trouble or brilliant discovery, often both), "Muggles have some very interesting ideas about magic."
Salazar sighed. He could at least pretend he wouldn’t indulge her.
"I’m sure they do," he replied, trying to sound as if he had no intention of continuing the conversation. His feigned indifference only fueled her determination to lure him in; he could practically see her calculating his role in the next big scheme she was plotting. She plopped down on the grass beside him.
"Take muggle folklore, for instance. It’s filled with references to magical beings—usually women," she added slyly, "--with very idiosyncratic characteristics. In a number of cultures, you can find tales of beautiful maidens who trick villagers and turn into monsters--"
"I wonder where they get that idea," Salazar muttered.
"—or who wield power over snow and ice, or even,"—she paused significantly—"benevolent beings who appear in people’s times of desperate need to grant whatever wishes they have in their hearts."
Salazar snorted. "That’s because they don’t know a thing about real magic, do they? First of all, it would take an immensely complex spell to assess what it was the person needed or desired--"
"—As for example, the legilimens incantation that you’ve been elaborating for the past few months?"
"—another spell to produce the thing needed, and some sort of enchantment to link the two together."
"Don’t forget that the person’s wish could consist of multiple items, or abstract variables like ‘good health,’ ‘freedom,’ and that sort of thing." Rowena sounded positively delighted. Salazar decided that now would be a decent time to start worrying.
-o-
He shook his head. "I’m telling you it’s impossible. The amount of magic required to conjure that much at any given time couldn’t be contained within a single spell!"
She turned an exasperated glower onto him. "No one said it had to be a single spell. Besides, you’re going about this the wrong way. Conjuring takes up far too much power. Even novice conjuring spells require a good deal of strength. If getting something from nothing were simple, the entire system of magic, the entire system of living, would break down." She looked him in the eyes. He felt that not squirming was rather an accomplishment.
"The principles of Transfiguration, on the other hand, are much less complicated."
He wasn’t intrigued. Really, he wasn’t.
She continued smugly. "Giving something by taking something away is just the basic process of nature. It’s not even magic; it’s science."
"Oh, science," he scoffed, "You’ve been spending too much time in muggle communities."
She raised her eyebrows.
"Nonetheless," he conceded reluctantly, "Breaking down a strong transfiguration spell into its rudimentary components would result in the ability to create just about anything, as long as the exchange ratio was equal." She beamed at him.
"But...harnessing magic on such an elemental level could be difficult. I mean, you said it yourself; this is the basic process of nature we’re dealing with. That kind of power is just a step away from ruling over life and death."
A smile spread slowly across her face, dazzling and audacious, and he could feel his heart pounding with the thrill of what she was suggesting.
"Why do you think I came to you for help, and not Godric?" she teased.
"Because Godric’s too busy making eyes at Helga, maybe?" Her laugh rang out, distorted by the wind, and Salazar could almost imagine it, the raw forces of magic streamlined to his will, infinite in possibilities—
Exhaling, he regarded Rowena with quiet amusement.
"It’ll never work," he declared lightly. But he was smiling, and even someone less perceptive than Rowena could see that he was starting to believe it would.
-o-
In the end they kept the project to themselves, preferring each other’s company to that of Godric and Helga. Salazar alternated between his ongoing work on legilimency and experimenting with various approaches to transfiguration. Rowena would often go missing for days, researching ancient spellwork and wandless magic, both of which seemed to function on the primary level of magic that they were hoping to exploit.
Between the two of them, they managed to create in incantation, abeora, containing the simple power to transform any one thing into something else. The spell was unpolished and unpredictable, and while Salazar could occasionally sway the magic to his will due to all the mental training he had put himself through, such control took an amount of focus that usually left him panting heavily. More often than not, all they could do was point their wands and watch (Rowena curiously, Salazar dubiously) to see what the spell churned out. Aside from being difficult to control, it had other limitations, and often went awry when living things were involved. Two months, a raging hippogriff, and one broken nose later, Salazar came to the conclusion that direct wandwork was not the way to go.
"What we need is something to bind the spell to, something that can hold the magic for an indefinite amount of time, rather than channeling it like a wand does," he theorized, wrinkling and unwrinkling his nose while Rowena performed a healing spell. His skin tingled as her wand glowed greenish-blue against his face.
Rowena sat back on the ground, exhausted after their recent adventure with magical wildlife. "Well, what about curses? That’s how they work, isn’t it? Or enchantments in general?"
Still twitching his nose about ("Stop that"), Salazar considered the idea. "That might work. I’ve seen some fairly powerful enchantments, especially when it comes to security. We could attach the spell to a magical object, or a door, or a trunk—"
"Or a room," she finished. Salazar stopped paying attention to his nose and looked over at her.
By sheer coincidence, Godric proposed the creation of a school not two days afterward.
-o-
The framework of the enchantment was one of the most intricate either of them had seen, certainly the most impressive they had ever designed. It began with legilimency, honed by Salazar to read only the subject’s foremost desire. A tricky linking spell (Rowena’s chief contribution) followed, the sequentus charm, which enabled one thing to set off another, and jointly retained the material or information gained in the initial action and connected it to the subsequent one.
This set into motion the crux of the plan, a refined version of the abeorum spell. Whatever the occupant desired was transfigured instantaneously from the previous occupant’s wish, and a careful network of magical precautions ensured the equal exchange rate necessary to maintain the spell. Of course, the material basis that the first transfiguration would proceed from had to be substantial, not only in mass but also in magical power, since wishes for wizarding items were sure to come up. Rowena donated half of her private book collection (the half that wasn’t going to the school library), and Salazar supplied a number of highly potent family heirlooms.
Binding the enchantment to the walls of the room took a full eight hours, and another three were spent setting up specifications and a hidden entrance. By the time the pair finished, they looked as if near-death conditions were typical, and breathing a luxury.
Salazar stepped back, wiping the sweat out of his eyes. "Well," he rasped, "Now all we need is a catalyst. One person walks in thinking about their wish, and the trigger responds to that action every time hereafter." He winced, hand moving to a stitch in his side. "Rowena?"
She flashed him a sardonic smile, tired but triumphant.
"Coward," she chided, walking through the wall. A few seconds later (during which Salazar admittedly held his breath), she came back through, and an enormous, cushiony pillow covered the floor of the room.
Rowena let out a sigh of relief, and both wizards collapsed onto it promptly.
Several minutes passed. The room was silent, save the soft sounds of slowly deepening breaths.
"...Salazar?"
"Hmm?"
"Have you ever thought about controlling the weather?"
A/N: Shut up, it is SO not past midnight. Also, it's been a while since I read OotP, so I may have some facts, mind-whoppingly wrong. Eheh.
Day/Theme: Sep. 6/"Hogwarts: A Life"
Series: Harry Potter
Character/Pairing: Salazar, Rowena, potential Salazar/Rowena?
Rating: PG
*crack!*
Salazar jumped as Rowena apparated behind him, grinning madly about whatever she had learned on her latest pursuit of knowledge.
"You know," she began (and merlin, she had that tone of voice that consistently led to either trouble or brilliant discovery, often both), "Muggles have some very interesting ideas about magic."
Salazar sighed. He could at least pretend he wouldn’t indulge her.
"I’m sure they do," he replied, trying to sound as if he had no intention of continuing the conversation. His feigned indifference only fueled her determination to lure him in; he could practically see her calculating his role in the next big scheme she was plotting. She plopped down on the grass beside him.
"Take muggle folklore, for instance. It’s filled with references to magical beings—usually women," she added slyly, "--with very idiosyncratic characteristics. In a number of cultures, you can find tales of beautiful maidens who trick villagers and turn into monsters--"
"I wonder where they get that idea," Salazar muttered.
"—or who wield power over snow and ice, or even,"—she paused significantly—"benevolent beings who appear in people’s times of desperate need to grant whatever wishes they have in their hearts."
Salazar snorted. "That’s because they don’t know a thing about real magic, do they? First of all, it would take an immensely complex spell to assess what it was the person needed or desired--"
"—As for example, the legilimens incantation that you’ve been elaborating for the past few months?"
"—another spell to produce the thing needed, and some sort of enchantment to link the two together."
"Don’t forget that the person’s wish could consist of multiple items, or abstract variables like ‘good health,’ ‘freedom,’ and that sort of thing." Rowena sounded positively delighted. Salazar decided that now would be a decent time to start worrying.
-o-
He shook his head. "I’m telling you it’s impossible. The amount of magic required to conjure that much at any given time couldn’t be contained within a single spell!"
She turned an exasperated glower onto him. "No one said it had to be a single spell. Besides, you’re going about this the wrong way. Conjuring takes up far too much power. Even novice conjuring spells require a good deal of strength. If getting something from nothing were simple, the entire system of magic, the entire system of living, would break down." She looked him in the eyes. He felt that not squirming was rather an accomplishment.
"The principles of Transfiguration, on the other hand, are much less complicated."
He wasn’t intrigued. Really, he wasn’t.
She continued smugly. "Giving something by taking something away is just the basic process of nature. It’s not even magic; it’s science."
"Oh, science," he scoffed, "You’ve been spending too much time in muggle communities."
She raised her eyebrows.
"Nonetheless," he conceded reluctantly, "Breaking down a strong transfiguration spell into its rudimentary components would result in the ability to create just about anything, as long as the exchange ratio was equal." She beamed at him.
"But...harnessing magic on such an elemental level could be difficult. I mean, you said it yourself; this is the basic process of nature we’re dealing with. That kind of power is just a step away from ruling over life and death."
A smile spread slowly across her face, dazzling and audacious, and he could feel his heart pounding with the thrill of what she was suggesting.
"Why do you think I came to you for help, and not Godric?" she teased.
"Because Godric’s too busy making eyes at Helga, maybe?" Her laugh rang out, distorted by the wind, and Salazar could almost imagine it, the raw forces of magic streamlined to his will, infinite in possibilities—
Exhaling, he regarded Rowena with quiet amusement.
"It’ll never work," he declared lightly. But he was smiling, and even someone less perceptive than Rowena could see that he was starting to believe it would.
-o-
In the end they kept the project to themselves, preferring each other’s company to that of Godric and Helga. Salazar alternated between his ongoing work on legilimency and experimenting with various approaches to transfiguration. Rowena would often go missing for days, researching ancient spellwork and wandless magic, both of which seemed to function on the primary level of magic that they were hoping to exploit.
Between the two of them, they managed to create in incantation, abeora, containing the simple power to transform any one thing into something else. The spell was unpolished and unpredictable, and while Salazar could occasionally sway the magic to his will due to all the mental training he had put himself through, such control took an amount of focus that usually left him panting heavily. More often than not, all they could do was point their wands and watch (Rowena curiously, Salazar dubiously) to see what the spell churned out. Aside from being difficult to control, it had other limitations, and often went awry when living things were involved. Two months, a raging hippogriff, and one broken nose later, Salazar came to the conclusion that direct wandwork was not the way to go.
"What we need is something to bind the spell to, something that can hold the magic for an indefinite amount of time, rather than channeling it like a wand does," he theorized, wrinkling and unwrinkling his nose while Rowena performed a healing spell. His skin tingled as her wand glowed greenish-blue against his face.
Rowena sat back on the ground, exhausted after their recent adventure with magical wildlife. "Well, what about curses? That’s how they work, isn’t it? Or enchantments in general?"
Still twitching his nose about ("Stop that"), Salazar considered the idea. "That might work. I’ve seen some fairly powerful enchantments, especially when it comes to security. We could attach the spell to a magical object, or a door, or a trunk—"
"Or a room," she finished. Salazar stopped paying attention to his nose and looked over at her.
By sheer coincidence, Godric proposed the creation of a school not two days afterward.
-o-
The framework of the enchantment was one of the most intricate either of them had seen, certainly the most impressive they had ever designed. It began with legilimency, honed by Salazar to read only the subject’s foremost desire. A tricky linking spell (Rowena’s chief contribution) followed, the sequentus charm, which enabled one thing to set off another, and jointly retained the material or information gained in the initial action and connected it to the subsequent one.
This set into motion the crux of the plan, a refined version of the abeorum spell. Whatever the occupant desired was transfigured instantaneously from the previous occupant’s wish, and a careful network of magical precautions ensured the equal exchange rate necessary to maintain the spell. Of course, the material basis that the first transfiguration would proceed from had to be substantial, not only in mass but also in magical power, since wishes for wizarding items were sure to come up. Rowena donated half of her private book collection (the half that wasn’t going to the school library), and Salazar supplied a number of highly potent family heirlooms.
Binding the enchantment to the walls of the room took a full eight hours, and another three were spent setting up specifications and a hidden entrance. By the time the pair finished, they looked as if near-death conditions were typical, and breathing a luxury.
Salazar stepped back, wiping the sweat out of his eyes. "Well," he rasped, "Now all we need is a catalyst. One person walks in thinking about their wish, and the trigger responds to that action every time hereafter." He winced, hand moving to a stitch in his side. "Rowena?"
She flashed him a sardonic smile, tired but triumphant.
"Coward," she chided, walking through the wall. A few seconds later (during which Salazar admittedly held his breath), she came back through, and an enormous, cushiony pillow covered the floor of the room.
Rowena let out a sigh of relief, and both wizards collapsed onto it promptly.
Several minutes passed. The room was silent, save the soft sounds of slowly deepening breaths.
"...Salazar?"
"Hmm?"
"Have you ever thought about controlling the weather?"
A/N: Shut up, it is SO not past midnight. Also, it's been a while since I read OotP, so I may have some facts, mind-whoppingly wrong. Eheh.