starcrossed minds

[xiodeleon]

frenziedollivander·:

He chuckled, impressed at the trick. Most of the metamorphus he knew used their powers for little tricks or to get out of scrapes, but she had excellent control, and figured out a smart way to use her powers. “I stand corrected, you will go far.”

“We shouldn’t, but they care about it.”  he was stopped in towns, his skin made people turn and look at him, and sometimes he had to get out of places a little faster then he planned. “They don’t listen to every men.”

“I hope so, I traveled to the mouth of the Nile and back, couldn’t do that without a few fair tricks.” Transfiguration had always been a neat skill of hers, she was proficient now in the spells to morph her features and change the image of herself. She traveled so often as Navi that at times she could look herself in the mirror and be startled that a man wasn’t staring back. 

“No they do not,” Xio had seen the world at the worst, walked through villages in the wake of a travelling army, and knew horror herself. But she was confident in the fact that learning took precedent, that knowledge was her hound that kept her running. “Sometimes you lose a battle, but you keep moving don’t you? What’s the use in letting them win?” Xio was never going to lose.

[xiodeleon]

sgiobalta·:

“It’s lovely to travel when you’re young, it opens up the whole world to you.” Rowena smiled, leaning forward. “Unfortunately, aristocracy seems to plague the whole world, of course I say this as part of it myself.” She listened on to Xio’s stories a bit more, wishing she had had the horizons this girl did. “Well, you’ve certainly learned a lot, I think that’s pretty amazing. You’re lucky to have gotten to see the original Greek, when I was there many of the gentry were taking down the old temples and selling the valuables, it’s sad what might be lost because men don’t respect it.” She chuckled, “As far as astronomy goes, unfortunately there is a lot that must be memorized before one can really get to the good stuff. But I like it because it reminds me that the whole universe is not separated but one great unit and that we are all connected to everything else.”

“Well I’m afraid that I started off to just learn,” she though to her adventures as ‘Navi’, “and then it was to outrun all the armies and wars, the borders change and it’s hard travelling alone as a woman, let alone with all this rage.” Xio had spent months of hard travel, many experiences were not pleasant, so many times she was sure she’d die, so many times that she was sure that it was over. But in the end it wasn’t to be. She was here in Hogwarts, surrounded by learning and never more content. “They have taken much of Greek’s splendor, that’s true, but there is so much still to be found,” the Greek magical beings knew magic in connections with ceremony, and beauty, in art and philosophy. “You can’t help but realize how connected the world is, a ripple in one area can spread forth. I learn a method, I teach it along, they teach it along, knowledge travels. You see the stars,” Xio smiled, “which are beautiful, gorgeous things, but the world the connection of minds and people from place to place. That’s the chart I adore.”

[xiodeleon]

wizardkniight·:

[ WHEN NERDS ATTACK ]

“That could change the lives of so many people,” George wasn’t just impressed, he was in awe of what the possibilities this change could bring, his mind already running through the numbers, through the stories he heard of broken wells and lack of water. “Do you think you are making progress?” his eyes darted to the cloak he loaned her, she was obviously having some trouble right now, but… “Anything you would need an extra send of hands to help you with?” he wanted to stick close to this project, to see it done. 

“I hope so, I suppose, this all started because I wanted to prove I could do it.” Xio cracked her back, she’d been bent over the metal tube for what felt like hours, trying to cut it just right. “I believe so, the way that their metal looked... it was different, I’m not sure how they did it. They couldn’t quite explain it right, different languages. But I think I am very close,” it was frustrating, to see something she didn’t understand, though she could speak several languages it was hard to exchange theories and thoughts through the barrier. But she made do with watching, note taking, and working through it, with an almost obsessive manner. “Not sure, have you ever worked in a forge before? I might take a break from it, let it rest and move onto the next project and then come back when it’s less... hectic up here,” Xio tapped the side of her skull with her knuckle, though she was more at home in any sweltering furnace than any place else in the world, even she needed to step back. 

“I think it’s something in the heating process.” she replied honestly, “India is a very different world than here, I think even what type of metals they use might be different.” she leaned back over to look at the metal tube, it was dark, but not quite the same color as the ones she’d seen. 

[xiodeleon]

sgiobalta·:

“I don’t think anyone does.” Rowena chuckled. She could have conjured some food from the kitchens, but Rowena wasn’t one to limit one-on-one time with a student. She performed the spell admirably and Rowena clapped her hands together in surprise. “That was amazing! Truly!” She said, never failing to be mystified by her students. “You learned that in France? I’m impressed!” Perhaps it was her Scottish pride, but Rowena rarely gave other countries the credit they deserved. “Oh you wound me,” She mimed being shot in the chest, “Astronomy isn’t an easy subject, but it provides enough skills to assist in many other subjects. Your marks in ancient Runes speaks for itself, however.”

Xio blinked, her lips curling into an excited smiling for having done something correctly before a Founder. She so admired them for how they had built the school, this temple of learning that Xio could worship at for all the days she could here, “I did, I spent time there when I was in still in my youth,” she had traveled quite extensively, the world was broad and beautiful, “I found it beautiful, but boring, quite the aristocracy there, even among the magical folk. So I went south to Italy and what has become of the Great Romans, there are an interesting bunch, magical theory thrives.” she sighed wistfully at the memory of her time, before letting out a bright laugh. “Oh don’t be too upset, I just cannot wrap my mind about Astronomy, you are welcome to change my mind, Miss Ravenclaw. Oh... thank you, I studied quite a bit of Greek runes while I traveled into Macedonia and onto Athens. Fascinating honestly. I can’t imagine where I’d be without learning out there. So I can hardly take all the credit.”

[xiodeleon]

bribolt·:

The last thing Bri expected while walking through the empty courtyard was for a blast of energy to come shooting towards her. Quick reflexes - Dayo would quip about catlike reflexes - had her rolling out of harms way, although the same couldn’t be said about a statue in the courtyard. Bri stayed on the ground, waiting to see if there would be a second blast, but instead she heard a voice. “I’m alive.” She warily sat up, looking towards the hole the blast had come from. Seeing the woman standing there, Bri stood up, the dust disappearing from her dress due to a spell she’d put on it. “Spell gone wrong?” She suggested curiously, some amusement colouring her voice. She knew that magic could be unpredictable, so she wasn’t too upset. “We should put the window back together, I don’t think the founders need to worry about this.”

Xio let out a sigh of relief at the not-scorched figure of the woman who popped up in the hole she’d made in the window. She winced a little, though it was an easy fix with magic, she really didn’t want to hear a lecture about breaking property. “Of a kind,” Xio lifted the wand, “Lightning Spear, a combination of runic magic, charms, and transfiguration of a sort, it’s... testy right now. I got annoyed the magic seemed to just... go boom,” She glared at the stick of wood that was still sparking, the little bit of electricity rolling down to pop little burns on her skin, her feeling in her hands had long since been shot since she was young, working in a forge left one with a high pain tolerance. “I swear I wasn’t trying to murder you, ahhh.... sorry I’m Xio, Xiomara de Leon,” she held her hand out, with a bright smile. 

[vanessaiivves]

[xiodeleon]

sgiobalta·:

Rowena wondered for a moment if she had overstepped but Xio’s eventual agreement made her smile. “I’m sure you’ll feel better once you’ve had something to eat.” She suggested, letting the young woman stand up. She also noticed Xio’s eyes going to the bottle skeptically. “You can perform the spell yourself if it makes you feel better. Has Helga taught you this in Charms yet?” Extracting memories was not difficult, the problem was extracting the right memory, not performing the spell itself. Often new wizards struggled to extract a memory that wasn’t how to perform the spell, an ironic catch of the magic. “Well I’ve planned to stay up, I have an astronomy class later.” Rowena chuckled, “Don’t you worry, Miss De Leon, I took a long nap this afternoon.”

Her stomach growled so loud it was almost comical, “You’re probably right, I don’t work well on an empty stomach,” In truth Xio often forgot to eat meals, so often in fact that until someone mentioned food she’d stave off her hunger for whatever she was pursuing, a single-minded focus that made her forget certain needs. “I already know it,” she smirked, “I learned it while I was in France,” Xio produced her own wand, beaten and well-loved, the last link to her missing sister. Placing it to her temple she let out a slow breath, gently dragging her thoughts, the schematics, the runes and magic from the last two hours of study and gently placed it into the vial. “Astronomy has never been my forte I am sorry to say, I know enough to not get lost, I’m much more interested in Transfiguration, charm and runework in conjunction with magical items.” Xio’s time was spent forging and creating, magic was the power, her tinkered items the conduit. “I shall worry, can’t have my favorite teacher falling victim to yawns.”

[xiodeleon]

sgiobalta·:

“You forgot breakfast!” Rowena said with real concern.·“Did you eat anything yet today? Come on, let’s get something for you.” She looked at the sketches and saw the look on her face. Poor girl was clearly exhausted.·“If your ideas are really that good you will remember them in the morning.” She paused, then sighed.·“If not…” She pulled out a small vial.·“Focus on your thoughts and close your eyes.” She said,·“I’ll extract the memory and then you’ll have it whenever you need it. Does that sound like a good idea?” The question caught her off guard,·“I have to make sacrifices for the health of my students.” She smirked.·

Xio winced, she had gotten similar lectures about not-eating or forgetting when she was still young and Valencia was upset with her tinkering in their father’s forge until the wee hours.·“I well... okay?” the concern was nice, and Xio finished gathering her things into her bag, and setting the books on a bobbing flight path to their stations ont he shelves. The Spanish woman took a step back at the vial, narrowing her eyes a little, Rowena Ravenclaw was a kinda woman, the kind of woman Xio knew she could trust.·“Yes, that would be fine, I’ve lost many a thoughts and plans to sleep. So I suppose this would be a good way to remedy it.” The witch couldn’t help her hapless exhausted giggle,·“Oh so me not sleeping isn’t good but you missing it is alright, after I get a bite, you have to go to bed. We can’t be taught by a ghost after all.”

[xiodeleon]

wizardkniight·:

[ someone CARES about this !!! ]

The explanation was fascinating, he hanged on to her every word, wishing he had a quill and a paper to take notes of what she is saying. “Oh, no! don’t skip the details. I would love to know how they can prevent that. Muggles have been trying to do that for years, my blacksmith constantly complains about it.”

“Mister Former Knight is good, but if you would like, you can call me George.”

The young woman grinned and pushed up her sleeves, more than happy to explain, “I had traveled to Constantinople a few years ago, and while there made contact with metallurgists and alchemists from Indie, they have this way of tempering the steel and heating it in order to minimally change the properties. They forge welded wrought iron, they also don’t use lime in their forging process. I am trying to figure out how to do it on a small scale, and quickly, as their forging process took a long period of time.” Xio took a breath, having quickly run through her explanation, and then out of breath.

“George, well it’s nice to meet an equally quizzical mind.”

[xiodeleon]

frenziedollivander·:

[ naviiiiii ]

“Teaching the british muggle blacksmiths. You think they are going to listen to you? Accept what you are saying. They will laugh at your face, or even worse, you will be branded as a witch and persecuted. So, have you thought this through Xio?” he asked again, eyebrows raised as he waited for her to come to her senses. 

Xio chuckled briefly before picking up her wand, a friend, a constant companion through her hectic travel-rough life. She tapped the wand to her nose, “Metamorphus,” her features slowly began to change, a young man’s scruffy jaw, her body creating the illusion of a wiry form, a cheeky grin on a lighter face. In the place of a pretty girl, was instead a pretty young man. “My name is Navarro de Leon, a  travelling blacksmith, and this,” her lips flicked, “is how I can get people to listen to me.” Tapping the wand to her nose again the features melted away.

“Everyone listens to men like they know everything, I travel as often as ‘Navi’ as I do as ‘Xio’. Besides, I’ll teach everyone, British, French, African, anyone who wants to know. I don’t care about borders, they change, often. War is constant, why should I care if someone is British or something else?”

[xiodeleon]

emmelinelongbottom·:

“Well sheltered is one word I don’t think can describe my life.” Emmeline smiled, “It’s nice to meet you, Xiomara,” She held up her book by way of greeting. “Longbottom. Not…that sort of bottom…” She blushed  a little, feeling that such an introduction was a little rude. “My grandmother taught us a lot about potions. It’s a lovely subject and you can use so many useful things. What do you think?” She handed her the book. 

>“Oh have you lived a far-flung type of life,” Xio leaned forward, a glint of excitement in her eyes, she loved knowing everything she could about everything. She let out a hearty chuckle, and nodded her head, taking the book and flipping it through. “You’re grandmother is an accomplished witch? This is an interesting book,” she leaned forward and squinted her eyes, “the illustrations are marvelous, and there are some potions in here I’ve never heard of,” excitement laced her tone. “Are you good in potions? What type of magic do you practice? What level are you at Hogwarts?”

[xiodeleon]

sgiobalta·:

“Now, now,” Rowena smiled, unable to be really angry at a student that was so intent on working even so late at night, “Miss. De Leon, please. I know exactly how you feel, you want to finish everything right this very minute. But you have been awake far too long.” She placed a gentle hand on the girl’s shoulder. “It is past midnight, and I know from experience that your brain has probably stopped functioning properly by now.” She teased. “Come on, I think it’s time for bed.”

“I don’t know about long, maybe from before dawn, I forgot to head to breakfast while I was working on some of these runes,” she motioned to the sketches she made. Blinking she noted how itchy her eyes were, and she felt a sudden urge to yawn. “If I stop now then the train of thought will end, and I want to try and get the schematics down otherwise I might forget.” She sat up, her back made a distinctive crackling popping sound and she let out a long sigh, far too deep, before standing. “I suppose you’re right...” twirling her wand the papers began to gather together, “What are you doing up past midnight Miss Ravenclaw,” her grin was cheeky.

[xiodeleon]

wizardkniight·:

[ interested ]

He preened a little at the name, Sir Knight was really cute and, in his humble knightly opinion, a good fit. “George Bigge, former knight, at your service.” he said turning around, stepping a little closer to observe her creation. He always has an eye out for things that can help his lands back home, and this? This would be a game changer. “That’s incredible! How would it work? What material are you using? One of the biggest problems with pumps is erosion.”

Xio blinked before grinning, bright and wide, she strode back over the bucket and the pump. “Okay see here, this is the handle, the handle moves up and down and causes pressure to build, so that water will be drawn through here,” she pointed to the pipe, “and will come through the spout, the pipe can be made as long as the blacksmith can provide. It’ll be mostly made of metal, the pipe itself however comes from iron from India and a way they created metal. I won’t go into the specifics, but they figured out how to prevent long term corrosion during the creation of the iron. I learned how to do it a few years ago, and been experimenting with it. Once I figure it out I’m going to detail it and teach it to others.” finally she took a breath. Her eyes were wide and excited, “Oh, I’m Xio, good to meet you Mr. Former Sir Knight.”

[xiodeleon]

frenziedollivander·:

[ john cena vc: u sure ]

“You want to teach things to muggle blacksmiths?” he looked at the _girl, _her skin, so similar to his own, a brand of otherness that muggles were so wary of. Though, let’s be honest here, wizards can be as racist as muggles and are definetly just as sexist.··“Have you thought this through?”

“We haven’t. I’m Samuel Ollivander.”

Xio raised her brow,·“Yes, I want to. Water is essential to living, besides I enjoy figuring it out. What use is learning how if I can’t teach anyone else how to do it?” She hummed before looking back at the pump, deciding to scrap it and rebuild.·“What do you ‘thought this through’, the mechanics, yes it’s not too difficult its the execution. Or did you mean teaching muggle blacksmiths?”

“Xiomara de Leon, you can call me Xio.” she held out her hand, a little wet still.

[xiodeleon]

sgiobalta·:

Snuffing out the candles at the end of the day was not something that had to be done by hand. The house elves did it through out the castle, and even then it was only in rooms that weren’t spelled to let the candles out on their own. However, in the Library, Rowena preferred to perform the task herself. Tonight, however, she was not alone.  She smiled at the student with their nose in a book. “While your love of the library is admirable.” She said gently, hoping to rouse them from their reverie. “I’m afraid it is very late. Perhaps you should go to bed. 

The scratch of the quill was comforting, and as the night drew around her she couldn’t help but summon a small floating flame to aid her sight. She had a thousand and one ideas mulling, and the book on transfiguration was proving quite useful. She loved creating trinkets, odds-and-ends, and bits of magic wrapped in steel and wood. Xio buried her nose and continued to copy and sketch new ideas on the parchment. She was half-startled by the voice, blinking owlishly in the dimness, “Miss Ravenclaw?” she looked around the place was deserted. “Is it? Should I? I don’t know about that,” a smile played on her lips, “it’s more the love of getting these thoughts finished before tomorrow. Though the library is the most fantastic I’ve ever seen.”

[xiodeleon]

You gave me a spear, so here is one from my people. No special properties, I’m afraid. 

Merry Christmas. 

Love, Bri

Xio smiled, it was a lovely piece of work, she inspected the wood, it was ornate and it was really quite nice. She wasn’t much of a warrior but this piece was amazing, and she was so happy about having gotten a gift, without or without magic embedded it was still incredibly special. She loved it.

[xiodeleon]

(A star chart that is enchanted to move with the stars, throughout the year, a potions’ set, and a strange device are set out before her at breakfast before the feast along with a note) 

Dear Xiomara, 

You have made me proud this year. Here are some items that I hope will assist your studies this year. The central device is something of a puzzle, being in my house, I’m sure you’ll have fun figuring it out. 

Rowena Ravenclaw 

Xio smiled widely immediately grabbing the puzzle, looking it over with a keen eye. She was staying at Hogwarts so when she finished her gift she’d leave it for the woman. She smiled at the potion’s set and the star chart was lovely. Hogwarts was great, she loved this place.