Hulloo, it's been a while since I've posted anything but since I've been noticing a number of people joining the fandom increasing, I thought I'd post a couple of links to my older posts!!
A bit about me: I am the local lore-digger/master of arts (courtesy of @storkteller), if I dare to so myself, because I've not only found references to many of imagery seen and found in HL, but also found sources of said imagery.
Ever wondered what were the scribbles on the boards found in the Undercroft? have you ever stumbled upon symbols in the Forbidden Forest? or strolled in classrooms and thought, wait what do those writings mean? I have answers to many of these inquires.
BOARDS FROM THE UNDERCROFT
SYMBOLS FROM THE FORBIDDEN FOREST
BOARDS FROM PROFESSOR FIG'S CLASSROOM
THE ART FROM THE SCRIPTORIUM
HOGWARTS LEGACY OUT OF BOUNDS AREAS EXPLORED
These aren't all of course; check my pinned for stuff, like my ramblings about the lore or random HL things, my did-you-know little series, my HL MC, and many more. Feel free to leave research requests.
It has been a long while since I have posted anything like this for HL, with some expressing that I have abandoned the game. I have not!!!!! I have been consumed by Hadеs 2!!!!!!!!!! and life, too.
I didn't cover the Scriptorium at all, besides, I think, this post from October of the past year. I should fix that.
As I have demonstrated before with the Undercroft's boards and boards from the Fig's classroom and have discussed with @the-magiarcheologist under the post about pages from the Keeper's Book where I think I've recalled this little post from 2023, seldom will you find imagery bearing a resemblance to medieval or ancient art that has been specifically created for the game.
It is rather underwhelming. I have qualms with it (re: Boards from the Fig's classroom post), but when the team behind the visuals is as big as just seven people, doubtless they should be cut some slack; they had to work with what they could find, and fast. But.
Their choices – the decisions that were made rather – do puzzle me.
This is the Salazar Slytherin's spellbook we find at the end of the Scriptorium. It is said to be as old as had been written in the 10th century AD.
But it bears a galdrstafir (the circular sigil). Galdrstafirs are not so old.
I must warn: under the cut is a wall of text with bits of graphic language, so beware.
When you are forced to create or continue to develop a setting that isn't yours under crunch, to do that without a hiccup you should be familiar with its inspiration and sources. Otherwise, if we think of the narrative as of a river you set loose and of your audience as of people travelling on a raft downstream, you will have to rely on ignorance of the topic of theirs – and hope they will take rapids for terrain and not a dismembered corpse of missed potential.
Why? It sits on the eye level yet usually carries no meaning.
We scrutinise medical drama for its flummoxing overuse of heavy CPR routine each time someone flatfucks on the floor; when people are walking anachronisms in period dramas we don't shy or cower and we say harsh things about art directors; when duduk is heard whilst dunes comes into view how's not to wonder when will this idea of using duduk for desert scenes will finally be abandoned. Likewise, the pieces put in this game are as confusing as those are often used simply to create a visual idea of something the audience may feel like has an association with magic than serve as an element of the visual storytelling.
It's a filler.
Whilst I am able to recognise and understand the intent and I am well-aware of the use of literary devices, I prefer things that are made into importance not to be a full equivalent of the 'sesame chicken' tattoo (i.e. something that only looks cool for as long as no one in the room is familiar with, in this case, Chinese).
The game uses symbology and pieces of art found in real life. And it creates a problem as it always carries historical context of its use.
An example before I move on to the items from the Scriptorium.
I am not sure this particular bit of text is found in HL, although I recall thinking it is commonly used as a placeholder text; just look at it:
It is not a fragment of some obscure manuscript about magic.
It is a fragment of a page from the Auraicept na nÉces, a manuscript written in Old Irish and compiled in 14th century, some parts dating back as far as 8th century. Contains genealogical, topographical, biblical, and hagiographical material, including variations of Ogham.
Yet, because it uses unfamiliar language written in a bygone script, some might think it could be used so crudely. I say it shouldn't be.
As I have said, magical insignia has Context. Context so far has been dictating magic as thus: the manifestation of ill will, therefore the very engagement with its numerous practices is forsaken thereby forcing its practitioners to hide not only their work but contents, too.
It is not the influence of Christianity; the very word 'magic' comes to Europe from Old Persian 'magus' (where it meant 'Zoroastrian priest') through being picked by Ancient Greece. In his book Defining Magic: A Reader, Bernd-Christian Otto writes about it as (as it is better at explaining that the word magic has its roots in xenophobia):
During the lаte siчth and eаrly fifth cеnturies ВСЕ the tеrm maguš was picked up and Grаecicized (into μάγoς, μαγεία) by ancient Grееk authors and thereby developed a life of its own.
The Grееk adaptation of the concept implied some fundamental semantic transformations, which may be particularly due to the fact that the Greek city states faced serious military conflicts with the Pеrsian Empire at that time. To the Greeks, the magós represented the religious specialist of a threatening foreign – “barbаric” – culture so that the concept quiсkly assimilated a variety of negative stereotypes. The mágos was regarded as a charlatan and “magic” (i.e., the ritual art of the mágos) a mere fraud (see, e.g., Sophocles, Oedipus Rex 387f; Hippocrates, De morbo sacro 1.10f). “Magical” rites were perceived as strange, unconventional and dangerous (see Hippocrates, De morbo sacro 1.39f; Gorgias, Encomium of Helen 9–10). The extrаordinary, miraculous abilities allegedly possessed by mágoi were regarded as sаcrilegious and suspiсious (see Hippocrates, De morbo sacro 1.28f; Euripides, Orestes 1493f). In line with these notions, the Greek concept of “magic” came to signify all sorts of unsanctioned rites performed by private ritual entrepreneurs outside the institutionalized cults.
That specific ew notion has never gone away. Things historically taken for magic in the following centuries would include writing as an action in and of itself, of all things. Hence you'd always have magic as an underthought for any given magical symbology; removed from its Context, it effectively loses meaning, because hiding is either not required any longer, or the symbology had changed once more with the rise of another practice. That, in turn, include quite a hefty corpus of theological and philosopher text, cultural influences and taboos.
Especially when that symbology is something pertinent to cultures, like writing systems (futhark runes) or art (monograms). In and of itself, these are not magical. If you are a scribe and want them to be magic? Then magic it is. This flexibility is distinctive of magic; it is not dogmatic like religion nor it is rigorous in the same vein as science.
I realise it all may sound funny as magic should feel inexplicable as, strictly speaking, magic does not even have a unanimously agreed upon scholarly definition.
Such deep understanding of the topic isn't really all that necessary to create magic for a setting either. Even for HP, where magic perhaps sits the closest to what it invokes in practice rather than a colloquial idea of what magic kinda is. Yet again I say – But.
We are not playing as a muggle to whom magic sits distinct from science and religion, is about archaic thinking, and that's about it.
We play as a student of the school in the vestige of our world where magic is understood sufficiently enough to be made into a seven year curriculum, that's packed full with both practice and theory, so much of either of them in it, that two levels of exams were introduced.
If you must add a drop of magic to the air, just title boards with things like 'Muggle Ideas of Magic' and you are free to draw anything on the boards. Otherwise you have to explain exactly how a very particular kind of magic – say, goetia, necromancy, apotropaic magic, theurgy, etc etc etc – are practiced within the setting, if at all.
All of this could've been avoided if it didn't sit on the eye level.
Now, about galdrstafirs.
Many of galdrstafirs are found in the manuscripts written in the 17th century, a significant amount had been discovered in manuscripts from 18th and 19th centuries, and the oldest found had been written in the early 16th century.
The triangle and the circle on the skull's forehead is perhaps the Triangle of Solomon.
It's found as a part of the Circle of Solomon in Lemegeton, also known as The Lesser Key of Solomon; it's a fairly well-known grimoire, compiled of a few texts in mid-17th century (its oldest text, Ars Goetia, dates back to 16th century).
Solomonic magic in the form of the infamous Seal of Solomon in and of itself is ancient; it used to be called goetia. However, the current form of this branch of magic, the very idea of granting control over demons and angels alike in the way described in both Lemegeton and Heptameron, is only a little older than galdrstafir.
It's Renaissance magic. It is only a tad bit younger than superstitions of the Medieval period and remnants of pagan rituals – and it is practically a toddler compared to the likes of Greek magical papyri.
So for a book that has supposedly spent almost a millennia in the Scriptorium – Salazar Slytherin's personal study! – it's too modern.
The book's contents though – necromancy – is an ancient art.
But it isn't connected to galdrstafirs. Not directly.
Galdrstafir is s form of apotropaic magic – it is used to ward against evils and to promise luck. It is not a seal that seals an objects shut. You should use it as a talisman for your per aspera ad astra kind of journey and carry it along with yourself. It has nothing to do with necromancy, albeit it can be argued that since few Icelandic magical staves have been inspired if not informed by Christianity, creators of the staves may had meant protection from exactly what Christianity deems evil. Yet. As I have just said. You don't put it on a book.
Moreover, that particular one is a variation of the Ægishjálmur stave – Lukkustafir (found at the bottom of the page). It is designed to bring you luck, specifically.
Solomonic magic has no connections to necromancy either. If you need to be granted workforce of divine origin to build a temple, summon it with the seal of Solomon. No corpses used. Only demons.
Here it is where I say: whilst neither of these things have connections to necromancy through that particular symbology, there is a tiny and indirect one – goetia magic.
Now, these four symbols:
are a bit of a mystery.
I will be bold; I will say these possibly are house marks bar the first one (it looks like another lukkustafir).
The runic shape that does only resemble a runic alphabet is usually the dead give away of a monogram, a mason's mark, a merchant's mark, or a house mark, since all of these would also be carved in to the stone, just like runes. Neither of those are really related to magic.
And there are whole entire catalogues of them.
About goetia and necromancy…
Necromancy is not necessarily about raising the corpse of the dead. Necromancy has never been about this, in fact. This is a very recent development in contemporary culture of ours.
Necromancy was a form of divination: The caster sought assistance of the dead through summoning them in a spiritual or corporeal form.
It was quite widespread in the ancient world; to seek guidance of the deceased, to achieve their hindsight, to try and foretell the future through the atsral astral realms may ring a bell as it sounds like a shamanistic practice or something spiritists do but it's known since times of Babylon and Ancient Egypt, and Ancient Greece as well.
Stories about Orpheus and Odysseus include katabasis – a physical visit to the Underworld. Ovid's Metamorphoses mentions it as well.
Conversing with the spirits of the dead was called nekyia. The rituals pertaining to nekyia would include sleeping on the grave, enter into trance near places of burial or on battlefields, or place a katadesmos – a curse tablet – near it and, usually, buried. These rituals aren't all there were; the biggest hint of them is being at somewhere where someone had met their (untimely) demise.
Granted, the practice of placing curse tablets perhaps should be renamed into swearing tablets because often people would scribe these to insult other people, usually, dead people.
Imagine being a Greek person who had done nothing wrong in their life and died in peace at the relatively old age but once you enter Hades and check your neat little mailbox you see an anon hate sent by your neighbour who wishes ill on seven generations of your family because uh your house stands in a cosy shadow.
Expansion of Christendom eventually lead to the condemnation of necromancy as it was forced into association with summoning of demons and evil spirits guised as the spirits of the diseased.
I am focusing on this seemingly minuscule detail, because it matters in the context of this game's reality.
People in it take ancient for archaic and freely conflate the two despite either meaning the rift between the old and the obsolete. This distinction warrants an explanation, and I could only wish the game's art would nicely and favourably play into this debate, but alas.
What we have are two symbols that call for very thematically different things in history of magic besides one – goetia.
Goetia doesn't exclusively refer to the book of the Lemegeton, Ars Goetia. According to Blavatsky, it is the counterpart of the branch of magic called theurgy in Ancient Greece. It along with the natural magic were referring to the benevolent magic, e.g. healing, whilst goetia was the black magic – the low magic, of malevolent intent.
Another excerpt from the book Defining Magic: A Reader (p.250):
I quote it thus because technically that wink at Solomon could be extended into a glint on the katadesmoi mentioned here.
This practice is although not linked to Solomonic magic, yet either thing has been linked to invoking spirits and deities and in case of the katadesmos – potentially, the dead. Thus it is a hint at necromancy in the sense I've mentioned.
But I have a very… aye, it feels like fitting a square peg into the round whole. Especially that if you view it thus you practically shoehorning. I don't enjoy any such stretches.
I do not suppose it was the intent of the art direction; the intent likely was built on an expectation that people often associate Ars Goetia specifically with Very Evil Things as – well – he target audience has grown up with certain influence on how to view demonology. As an evil, satanic thing – dark magic.
This is why throwing everything into the sauce can cause a disaster.
This is why you should be clear with your symbology, or one tumblr peep will summon demons by sneezing on a manuscript at just the correct hour of day.
I will say one more thing.
In late Anglo-Saxon England, necromancy was among the witchcraft practices condemned by the abbot Ælfric of Eynsham:
Witches still go to cross-roads and to heathen burials with their delusive magic and call to the devil; and he comes to them in the likeness of the man that is buried there, as if he arises from death.
It happens around 10-11 century AD.
So far I've been writing about necromancy as of what it was.
The game, however, gives us the Relic. To which that book is key, as far as I am able to remember. The necromancy of the Relic would've been considered a desecration even by the ancient standards as the Relic grants the control over inferi – quite literally, walking corpses.
This implies that Salazar Slytherin could've been a desecrator, not a necromancer.
This claim, however, could be disproven by the notes scattered about Feldcroft catacomb, if to assume the diligent student was none other than the Salazar's student.
The note found near the Relic says:
The relic contains abundant potential. Its possibilities could benefit not only wizardkind, but the world. But the Dark sacrifice involved to realise its intent may be too great. Until we know more, please, do not remove this relic.
If Dark sacrifice implies to sacrifice another living being to be granted loyalty of inferi or a wish to cure a curse fulfilled (how so?), early medieval people would've called it utterly demonic and destroyed the tomb altogether, I think. And I don't mean muggles.
I will fit another peg into the hole: may Dark sacrifice imply blood sacrifice or a some kind of promise similar to described in Odyssey?
However, this Relic works surprisingly in line with how the seal of Solomon was supposed to work, except Solomon is granted legions to complete a certain task and Relic offers control over inferi exactly for what – what's the price, where do I say here's the catch?
Neither did Solomon need a sacrifice for the seal to work as it was a contract between him and the Divine (which kinda makes that story of his less exciting as magic turns into a bureaucracy lmao); yet the Relic requires an one. So goetia. Much malevolence.
Anyway.
I already wrote a lot. But all that is necessary to say: everything about this book is dreadfully anachronistic and casts weird shades on the Salazar's grave. Not to defend the man; someone of such murderous mind and a hint of desecration is a strange pick for a founding father.
Three relatively normal people and a tar pit. It must be a joke.
Anyway 2.
One last thing about the book. It was supposed to look like this:
Why must they changed the design and create a hodgepodge of weird contradicting and unrelated symbology is beyond me.
And besides, why an Icelandic stave of all things?
Salazar is implied to have come from Ireland (from fen, as the Sorting Hat put it). Letters R and C sit a bit far on the qwerty keyboards, too.
This question is the transition to the rest of the Scriptorium, because it is… mostly Irish design-wise, early Medieval period Ireland (7-10 centuries AD).
This segment of a wall:
has been copied off the surviving shaft of the high cross from Kells kirkyard, more specifically, it's the west face of the West Cross; the site dates back to the 9th century. Many thanks to this website – irishstones dot org – as well.
Other source is Irish High Crosses (Irish Heritage), by Roger Stalley:
The panels depict, following bottom-to-top order of registers: 1) Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden; 2) the Ark of Noah; 3) Moses and Aaron OR Daniel in the Lion's Den; 4) Moses, Pillar of Fire.
The east face of the same cross has also been placed in to the game:
The panels depict, following bottom-to-top order of registers: 1) baptism of Christ, with two streams representing rivers Dan and Jor; 2) marriage feast at Cana; 3) Magi questioning Herod? 4) Christ the child is bathed? 5) Magi questioning Herod again?
The 6th panel isn't present at the existing shaft of the cross. Possibly taken from another cross.
I haven't been able to identify from which, and I've looked through the entire catalogue on irishstones, Peter Harbison's book Irish High Crosses: With the Figure Sculptures Explained, on megalithicireland, in in the article by Éamonn Ó Carragáin, High Crosses, the Sun’s Course, and Local Theologies at Kells and Monasterboice.
Granted, the collection on the megalithicireland is so vast I have likely not found it yet.
Also, nevermind!! :D
This panel is the flipped and 'blurred' variant of the bottom panel:
Whilst searching for the most informative source for the art on the crosses, I've stumbled upon this 3D exhibition of the Market Cross! Fantastic demo. Someone also uploaded the model of the West Cross and the rest of the Kells High Crosses to sketchfab. Fabulous!!
This isn't all. Next, we have a panel depicting horsemen with shields:
The horsemen are from the east side of the Market cross at Kells:
These statues:
are from the bas-reliefs of unknown people situated at White Island, Lower Lough Erne, County Fermanagh, at the ruins of the 12th century church (but the relief dates back to the 9th century).
In the corridor after the second gate lies another replica of the cross found at Kells, but it also shows that decorative panels on the northern and southern sides of the cross weren't forgotten to be featured:
This distinguished wizard? I don't think he's been nicked. 100% original to HL along with the head of Salazar at the entrance.
This little pillar:
has art from the Kilnasaggart pillar stone, the oldest stone monument in Ireland.
A thing about the shaft of the high cross that sits in the wall.
It isn't two separate textures. It's quite literally the wall.
Very accurate to the construction of later churches and settlement buildings (high crosses would sometimes be used in lieu of bricks).
Now.
One last thing.
The relief at the start of the Scriptorium.
I am not sure that it has been taken from somewhere.
My thoughts: it depicts a Cretan woman, possibly a Goddess. Link 1, Link 2. Headwear is the biggest hint but I admit my defeat with this one. Very possibly HL original; uncertain of its source for inspiration.
@the-magiarcheologist I've been digging the game files with Fmodel and DB viewer at last. I've found the devs' commentary on missions. The file in question is: CSV_MIssionList_Phoenix (Content -> Data -> Mission).
Some findings (excuse the formatting, it's a very lengthy cvs file):
We were supposed to learn Oppugno at the very beginning of the game:
"OLI_01_Natsai, OLI_01_Seb",Welcome to Hogsmeade,VS 1D,Hogwarts,Main,Weasley 2,Reparo,2,"UNLOCKED: Spell_Oppugno, *AM Meter + Finishers, Aim Mode (after completed), Dark Arts Combat Challenge (Deluxe and Collector's Editions - after completed)
So goblins do interrupt trade:
Villager asks player for help clearing out a couple of goblin camps interupting the supply of goods to her village.
Very sudden bit of lore about the butterfly lady:
" Clementine Willardsley has a fascination with butterflies and a controlling husband who won't let her pursue her interests. Player must locate and follow the butterflies - and see where they lead.
Arn used to be called Rem (friendly :DD):
" Rem, a (friendly) goblin artiste who dabbles in trade has lost his magic cart. Player must track down the (unfriendly) goblin camp, clear them out to allow Rem's cart to find its way home.
Alexandra's troll has a name and, well, that synopsis is rather grim compared to how it is in the game:
" Alexandra Ricketts is having trouble with Herbert, a Troll she has been trying to train. With the hamlet up in arms, she knows she has to fix the problem - but can't bring herself to do the deed. Player offers to 'take care' of Herbert.
Who's Hyacinth Oliver?
" Hyacinth Olivier needs help with Ashwinders who are infesting nearby castle ruins, disrupting local peace and their trade routes. Player agrees to take out leader of the bunch - Silvanus Selwyn.
Treasure map treasures:
"You find a treasure map in a dungeon. Where does it lead?
"You find a treasure map in an enchanted well. Where does it lead?
"You find a treasure map while searching for the lost pages from the book. Where does it lead?
"You find a treasure map in a dark ruin surrounded by inferi. Where does it lead?
This csv suggests Jackdw dies only 10 years ago:
" The player recieves word about where the missing pages could be. This is different per house, with Gryffindors playing a pumpkin smashing game with the headless hunt, Hufflepuffs going to Azkaban to help solve a decade old murder, Ravenclaws exploring the Owlery for hints the elusive Richard Jackdaw left behind, and Slytherins helping a lovestruck Scrope get back a journal from his previous master. All roads end in meeting with Richard Jackdaw, who instructs the player to go to the forbidden forest to find the missing pages."
The Map Chamber used to be called Haven:
"Player visits Prof. Fig in his office to tell him about the missing pages and show him secret room he discovered beneath Hogwarts called the Haven
San Bakar Tower was Charles Tower:
"Player meets Fig at Charles Tower to begin the first trial. The player learns he/she must adventure alone through and ancient magical test. Fig cannot help him.
The unicorn from the unicorn quest used to be lost, not endangered:
" Betty Bowditch has been searching for her lost Unicorn for years. Word has finally reached her of it's location in the Dark Forest. Player agrees to find Unicorn, capture - and keep in good health.
Florence Green instead of Sacharissa Tugwood was supposed to give the bubotuber retrieval quest:
" Florence Green needs to get her hands on some bubotubers to make her Acne cream for the upcoming student intake. Only problem is, they're hard to find - and in the dark forest. Player agrees to go and find and retrieve them.
Isodora, a shamed keeper (@writeblood):
"Seb and the player follow a clue left by Isodora, a shamed keeper, to her secret lair on the hunt for her personal pensieve. Seb is hopeful it will lead to a clue to help his sister. The secret lair is within a cave by a cliffside overlook. The player finds a portrait piece that fits within the undercroft Triptych.
Relic of the Dead, Cost of Banishment:
"The player and Sebastian enter an old Cairn in search of the Relic of the Dead. After finding it, they return to the hamlet to show Sebastian's sister, Anne, only to encounter a goblin raid. Sebastian saves his sister but at the cost of banishment.
Sebastian's personal quests are shortened to EVL:
"The player and Seb talk about the events of EVL_02 and Sebastian's banishment.
The mountain near the Marunweem lake is called Percival Tower:
"The player and Seb continue their journey to learn more about Isidora and her role in ancient magic and how to use it to help people in pain. The journey takes them to some switchbacks near the coast and within another large cave dungeon, Percival Tower Dungeon. They find the final portrait piece for the Triptych that reveals the pensieve inside the undercroft.
A NEW HAMLET! :
"A secret meeting with Anne and Seb behind Solomon's back - Avatar overhears: Anne divulges Solomon is planning on moving away to a new hamlet! Seb implores her to stall, and promises the reason will be worth it, he's found a breakthrough when it comes to healing curses with this Relic of the Dead! Anne hesitantly agrees, but under the condition that Ominis be consulted.
Relic is used to raise inferi:
"Sebastian is using the Relic of the Dead to raise Inferi. Anne attempts to confront him but it ultimately ends in Solomon's death.
Ohmy, so I was correct about Natty was supposed to possibly die from (Theo)philus Harlow's spell:
"The player and Natsai follow up on another clue about Rookwood's gang that turns out to be an ambush. It ends with a confrontation with Theo Harlow and Natsai taking a potentially fatally blow to save the avatar.
The next entry breaks that supposition (but it still feels like she was supposed to die in Harlow's Last Stand; stakes were too high):
"The player and Natsai talk about her injury and how she cannot blame herself for her father's death.
Hmmm, so it's highly likely Sebastian ends up in Azkaban either way, since there's a warrant apparently (that file is rather old, however, so whether it's true is unknown):
Seb or Ominis conv (EVL_Conv_08a and EVL_Conv_08b) which is about a: thanking player for trusting seb for finding his own way. b: there is a warrant out for Seb's arrest.
I'll say it separately: this file is old so is of very questionable accuracy to the current state of the game. Still, it's an insight in what the devs thought they should include in the game and how the approached it.
Hello, sorry to bother you with this question. I was checking out a fanfiction story, and the name April immediately caught my eye. I wanted to know more about the MC named April Collins. I copied and pasted the link to the story, and it worked—I read up to chapter 4. It looks like a really fascinating story!
Funny enough, my MC is also named April, and one of my friends thought it was about my character, but I explained that it wasn’t. I was just wondering—who is the original author of the story? I really can’t wait to read more of it. I’m guessing they played the free update with Penny the house elf, because I haven’t gotten to that yet.
Sorry if this is a random question! My name is Lynn, by the way. Again, I apologize for bothering you.
template taken from @blue-birdie612. been a while since i've yapped about Julia!! and theory for magic. fig still owes me O in owls and newts. i know he is dead. his graves owes me this much. so, her stats:
Wyrd is something I call wielders of ancient magic. It isn't an official term, just a silly word play I like something to designate them by + ancient magic isn't a kind of magic, it is an ability. A wielder of something is usually called a name, like welders or cobblers, so.
MAGIC
Julia is a wyrd. Her understanding of magic – the feel for it rather, is akin to what feels like speaking a language since birth to us.
Julia does not need to learn a formula or struggle to memorise things like names of the spells or wand movements; these mnemonics are fun but aren't important to her, not to mention each and every spell in the books have been created by someone with an intent, and that intent is nothing less of a whole another layer of a conceptualisation of the spell.
Diffindo is a severing charm. A seamstress created it. Tailoring scissors are sharp but should you imagine scissors before proceeding to analyse what 'to sever' means?.. Julia, sort of, skips the introductions because to sever means to sever; she is fast with conceptualisation and turning whatever that is she thinks about in to a form of magic.
There are limits to this capability. Native speakers of a language are able to speak it freely and quite complexly so, but not many are able to explain why certain things work a certain way or whether something does or does not make sense until they learn why (through philology, linguistics, and the like). Julia's case is the same. Something simple and relatively intuitive to her does not mean she understands what is going on.
As a student, however, she excels, because she is able to cast spells non-verbally, fast and at an astounding complexity; she also learns quick and she's generally intelligent enough to know to when to follow or diverge from given instructions.
Her sense for magic later allows her to become a builder (but before she became a full blown engineer she had to study, well, everything there is to building anything; Julia is a wyrd but she's never unbecome a muggle girl with muggle habits).
The rest is under the tag + another version of the template and the template's background.
STRENGTH
Not like Julia's delicate though. These arms can hold a hammer and can shoe a horse, work the garden and carry a cauldron, churn butter. It's just these arms wouldn't load coal or round a barrel – or moor a ship, or sucker-punch someone, or barehanded hold a horse in place.
SPEED
Julia isn't very fast either; her legs aren't for sprinting.
STAMINA
Her legs are for treading, hiking, jumping, balancing, stepping, trailing – for long walks. Julia can swim for a relatively long time, too. She's very resilient both physically and psychologically.
She grew up outdoors under the harsh weather of northern seas; she ran around Exeter like it was her personal playground until she started attending the muggle school – and then would help around the house of her adoptive family. She's not going to get tired from a walk across the Highlands or among busy town streets, or from doing some form of – often menial – house labour.
Granted, afterwards, she'd need a day to rest. She hates the creeping sense of the future fatigue.
AGILITY
With all that, Julia is also agile. She might not be strong enough or fast enough; she compensates with dexterity and reaction time, plus, she knows how to land herself and has a good sense of balance.
INTELLIGENCE
I don't know how to best describe it, but she is smart – and that smart, intelligent part of herself scares her as much as it makes people believe she is too cold, too sharp, too much of a shrewd, too direct, too blunt, a know-it-all, too unyielding, too demanding, too lax, too attentive, too uncooperative on the matters of sentiments, too stubborn in questions of attaching values to invaluable things, too reasonable, too unbending.
Julia is intelligent. It is her curse and a burden; she wishes she could possess the patience of Professor Weasley's or Aesop's.
CHARISMA
insert the joke about picking the white marble for tombstones Julia is charismatic in her own right!!
SPECIAL MOVE
Not as much as the move as much it is a passive ability. Her scar; it was left with the Expulso spell. Julia felt it like she was hit with a lightning. Since then, because of the residual magic stuck in her, she's able to sense electric currents around her (like a fox; when I compare Julia to a fox, that's what I refer to, albeit foxes use a slightly different mechanism when hunting – they're able to sense the magnetic field of Earth).
She can foretell the weather and read strong emotions of people.
BONUS: another version of the template (more blue)
A thing I am not sure I have ever posted anything about: Aesop's bed chamber.
All of the lamps in his bed chamber are kerosine lamps. There are also two fireplaces, one of which is a hearth:
Yet, his room does not have nearly enough ventilation nor fresh air intake to compensate for both hazardous number of lamps – a single one can cause poisoning if used without proper ventilation! – and the fireplaces, which burn air incredibly quickly whilst giving very little warmth.
Another detail: Carpets.
Both his bed chamber and the office have carpets marking a desired path of sorts:
Some areas of the floor are spotted with likely the pressure from cane he uses or have used for walking (@mrs-sharp posted about them a while ago; hope they're visible on my cap, and these aren't the only ones, they're everywhere in his bed chamber including an one sitting under the bed (has been moved?)):
I suspect these almost-dents were caused by the size of this cane as to use it would force Aesop to slouch and put too much pressure on it with each step; it does not look like it has been made with his height in mind (he is taller than Ronen, and they're both are ~6' tall men):
A section of Aesop's bed chamber has a very dirty floor; you'll leave footprints if you walk on it:
anyway i have a hl thought. i have a vague recollection of typing a similar post but
MC, under the guise of Phineas Black, tells Matilda to give Fig more leeway—likely had been thinking the professor had too much hours assigned to him to be able to pursue links to Ancient Magic freely.
But was it really the case?
From what little we know about Eleazar, he:
can call up the favour the Ministry of Magic owes him after he had defeated a graphorn near the Stonehenge;
could get in contact with the Minister, and did, when inquired him about the goblin uprising *directly*;
seems to be Black's errand man?;
not to mention Eleazar was the one to accompany him to meet with a Ministry's liaison—or could've done so in the real scenario;
knows not just a lot about magic—he has a bunch of unorthodox theories and frequently goes on some 'foolhardy adventures', likely to prove some of them or seek for evidence to support them;
has access to Black or to his office—he had to acquire his hairs somehow, and perhaps discretely so, correct?;
teaches Theory for Magic;
yet pupils are hardly aware, if even heard of him teaching anything, and most are confused about his subject as in, they straight up have not a clue about what he actually teaches.
Long thought train past, I think Fig isn't a teacher—at least, not by the time MC is enrolled in Hogwarts. He is likely the Curriculum Director(?), or a Methodologist(?)—the person behind composing and designing Hogwarts' curriculum and studying programmes.
This is why he answers directly to Black, is slightly above the staff as he designs their study plans (or at least, he is very respected among them even if some have a thorn for him e.g. Sharp and Weasley), and is a bit of a pain in everyone's arse.
Because imagine having both a limp and an urgent need to track down that bloke who must revise your lesson plan before you can submit it to the deputy headmistress or to the headmaster for… утверждение, блядь, как по-английски сказать-то, the approval, so it could be put at the table of a person who draws the timetable?
Because imagine doing the headmaster's job for the deputy head's salary and expecting one of your most long-standing colleagues to maybe help you a little here and there, but they are constantly away and also likely putting the life of a newly enrolled student at risk—and for what, for some silly extracurricular projects that absolutely must include venturing into the Forbidden Forest and meddling with the Rookwood's lot?
So, when MC asks Matilda to give Fig more leeway, it causes Matilda to flinch and clock something.
Fig does not answer to her as he isn't her subordinate—first; he is her equal. Second, Matilda isn't concerned with Fig as much as she is with MC, as MC is a student and thus is her direct responsibility; Fig could do anything at this point, but how does that concern a pupil?
Fig has warned MC at the start of the year: Matilda, in theory, could knew something about the Ancient Magic debacle, but Fig and MC's use of time to pursue AM would raise concerns, forcing Matilda to feel compelled to report it all to Black.
Black becoming increasingly more aware was out of question.
Black was clear: he does not believe rumours and will not care for some fairy tale nonsense about repo and ancient magic, he would have forbidden MC exist (as it would save him oh so precious nerve) and that would've been about that.
In other words,
imagine you wanting to talk about your colleague's absence that also strangely coincide with absence of the newly enrolled student, which is all so peculiar, and you *know* it is, and your boss is not pleased with it either—and then your boss is suddenly alright with it.
lmao.
HOWEVER,
MC's talking out of their arse inadvertently turns Matilda against ever confronting the real Black about anything; if it's in vain and he is all aright with everything as it is, why bother? Matilda isn't compelled to report anymore—she takes the reins instead (and is likely pissed). Fig wasn't happy.
lmao.
So,
I have always said HL needs more staff room drama.
