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Post by Sirius Black on Jul 28, 2009 8:02:58 GMT -7
Lily gave a slight cough and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath before extending her wand hand again. She had decided to practice by the Whomping Willow (but out of reach of it's branches) at lunchtime because it meant that the other students wouldn't see her, especially since she was near a tree that was reputed for trying to brain anyone near it. Lily was also slightly vain- she was trying to conjure a patronus, and she didn't want her fellow students (especially James) to see her fail at something. She was the best girl in her year, the second best student (the first being Remus Lupin, and she couldn't even feel irritated about that. He was like a walking encyclopedia.) The idea of failure was unacceptable to Lily, but all she had achieved so far was a cold from her practicing, and a keen sense of annoyance.
But, should she succeed in making a patronus, she would have achieved something way beyond her years, and she would have a good tool to scare the crap out of James. He would never expect to see a giant, silver animal come charging at him.
Lily cleared her head of all thoughts except the memory she was concentrating on. "Expecto Patronum!" She watched her wand expectantly, but nothing. Lily sniffled and resisted the urge to beat her head against the wall. Why wasn't this working?
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Post by Tirona Lee on Jul 29, 2009 1:29:00 GMT -7
Tirona was taking a walk around the grounds, Lit wrapped comfortably around his neck, examining everything close to them. The boa constrictor tended to draw some attention to him, which was why he tended to take him out to places where not to many people went. Or the dungeons, they didn't seem to mind as much.... Not that he particularly cared. Lit wouldn't hurt anything, unless they tried to attack him, or Tirona said they were dinner.
"Maybe I should ask Professor Dumbledore to help me," he muttered to himself, and then immediatly dismissed the idea. He had to be able to do it himself. It wasn't like he was trying to become an animagus or anything, it was just learning to do magic without a wand. He was most likely just over complicating it again.
He heard a familiar sound over by the tree. 'Patronum.' There was only one spell that ended in that particular word. There was no silver light that he could see, and a frustrated groan from the same area. Most likely a younger student attempting to perform a spell a little over their head. Wouldn't hurt to see though....
He glanced down at his robes as he went, Lit's tail flitting past the Hufflepuff shield on his robe. Why Hufflepuff, he really didn't know. Although, now that it was his 7th year it didn't particularly matter anymore he supposed. Why question the hat? "Shall we intrude?" he said to Lit quietly.
He wasn't really expecting an answer. It just seemed less insane than asking himself a question. He took a step around and spotted someone younger, 3rd or 4th year, he supposed. And from the red, Gryffindor. "Having a little trouble?" he asked. If you asked him, he was humble. But he was probably the best in the Hufflepuff House. Maybe farther.
"You seem to be a little young for such an advanced spell," he said. He removed the 11 inch duel core wand from his pocket and spun it on the edge of his finger. "Planning on fighting a Lethifold?" he asked. Most went right to 'Dementor' with the spell, but he knew the other, more common creature that would be repelled with it. Although, if there was a Lethifold anywhere on campus, it'd probably be in Hagrid's Hut, where he would most likely attempt to tie it to a leash.
"Unless you're going to be paying a visit to Azkaban," he thought back for a moment. The disadvantage of a photographic memory, was it occassionally took a moment. 3 years ago... sorted into Gryffindor.... "Lilian Evans."
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Post by Sirius Black on Jul 29, 2009 5:47:36 GMT -7
Lily only jumped slightly when she was addressed, her pale cheeks taking on the slightest flush. She had hoped no one would catch her out here- even students she didn't know. This one she couldn't place, so she presumed he was above her year, and judging by the shield on his robes, he was a Hufflepuff. Lily studied him closer, merely raising a brow when she noticed the snake. She had seen some pretty weird things at Hogwarts in the past three years, so a pet snake wasn't entirely a crazy concept to grasp. Still, it was unusual.
Lily bristled only slightly when he mentioned the spell being advanced for her. Clearly it wasn't coming as easily as the spells they were taught in class, but Lily wasn't a stranger to advanced magic. She would get it eventually. She just needed more practice. "I'm fine, thank you." Lily said stiffly, her pride stinging all the more at being called out on her inability to produce a patronus.
She watched as he pulled out his wand, her own wand arm falling to her side. "Actually, no." She responded to his lethifold question. (She'd have to remember to look up lethifolds later in the library, but she was pretty certain James Potter wasn't one of them.) "I have other, ah, uses for a patronus."
"Of course not!" The idea of Azkaban made Lily's stomach flop uneasily. Severus had told her all about the wizard prison, and Lily had no desire to ever go there, even on a tour, should one be offered. It sounded like the worst place in the world, though the people that were in there probably deserved it. Well, she'd leave them to it. She'd stay far, far away from Azkaban.
"Lily." She corrected, looking closer at the Hufflepuff. "And you are?"
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Post by Tirona Lee on Jul 29, 2009 23:19:34 GMT -7
The boa constrictor around his neck lazily lifted its head and flitted his tongue in and out of his mouth for a moment, before dropping it again. Tirona figured that he was tired. He'd return him to his case in the dormitories. His 'roommates' weren't exactly thrilled about sharing a room with something that could probably eat them. He didn't care, Lit couldn't get out (and no one could take him out) unless he let him.
He let a small smile flicker for a second when she said she was fine. She sounded a bit like him. When he had his mind focused on learning to do something, he wanted to do it on his own. Like with wandless magic. He was being a bit stubborn, he supposed. However, he had a right to be a little stubborn; a patronus was a little more complicated (at least in his mind) than learning to cast a spell without channeling magic through his wand.
He liked his wand, but he just wanted to learn to perform the spell. It was easier to perform a spell, in a rushed situation, with his hands, than having to reach for a wand. He didn't think that he would be in to many duels anyway.... He turned his mind to a memory... a small smile appeared on his face as he shut his eyes. "Expecto Patronum," he said, his voice barely above a whisper.
Silver burst forth from the end of the wand, a large tiger running forward, before skidding to a stop near the Willow. It sat still for a moment or two, before glancing back and fading. "It's a more complicated spell than you might think," he said. It was difficult for him to learn the spell. It'd taken him almost two years of practice with nothing but books. If he'd waited it might've been a bit easier....
Although, he'd waited until his fifth year. He saw the momentarilly confused look on her face. "Lethifold; A shadow creature similar to a dementor that kills through suffocation during its victim's sleep. The only known way to repell it is through the use of a Patronus Charm. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find them," he said, reciting a paraphrased version of the small section in the book.
"Tirona Lee. And yes, I know it's an odd name," he answered, replacing his wand in his pocket, with Lit looking back at him. "We'll go back soon. I'm the one walking, go to sleep. Lily then," he added, turning from the snake to the girl. The snake just slumped back down, and he presumed it was going to sleep.
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Post by Sirius Black on Jul 30, 2009 18:21:35 GMT -7
Lily watched the tiger patronus walk over to the tree and stare at them before fading, her lips pressing into the slightest frown. It was beautiful magic, certainly, and at any other time she would have complimented him on it. Right now, however, she had a cold and she was frustrated- it seemed almost as if he was mocking her. "Obviously it's difficult." She sighed, her tone stating or I would have done it by now.
Lily nodded slowly at his information on the lethifold, not quite sure what to do with it. If he were someone she knew better, she might have made a sarcastic comment about how useful that would be should she ever meet a lethifold, but as for every day? Well, it would just be a nice little factoid, should the wizarding world ever come up with a form of Jeopardy.
"I didn't say anything." Lily said with a shrug when he gave his name. "If I were to comment on anything, it would be the large snake around your neck. A boa constrictor, right?" Her mother was horribly afraid of snakes, so Lily hadn't had much experience with them, and she couldn't help but be a little bit drawn out of curiousity. "Does he have a name?"
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Post by Tirona Lee on Jul 30, 2009 22:49:34 GMT -7
He hummed slightly at the comment. Wasn't so much what she said, as much as her tone. He was quite familiar with it.... It was like trying to talk to a younger version of himself. Although, she wasn't stopping him to correct something he'd said wrong. Although, he was relativly sure he'd stopped doing that by his third year. Professor Binns didn't exactly appreciate being told that he'd made a mistake.
"My mistake," he said with a nod. "I'm used to everyone I usually meet commenting on how 'odd' 'weird' 'or idiotic' it is." There wasn't a particular group of people that said it.... Mostly everyone he met. Even a teacher or two mentioned how 'unique' it was.
"Yes, he's a boa constrictor. A bit odd for a pet, but a cat or a rat just seemed like a bit difficult to deal with, and if I need an owl I can always use one of the school's. When I leave I will most likely need to get one." He looked over her for a moment, rubbing his chin for a second. She seemed to be looking to prove herself with learning the spell....
He cracked his neck slightly, much to the discomfort of Lit who hissed at him. "His name's Lit." Also an unusual name. He'd actually made that one up off the top of his head. Similar to how he believed his parents had done exactly that when he was born. He hadn't found a single reference of someone else with his name.
"I'll help you learn you to do the spell. Unless you'd like to wait for a few years?" he asked. It would probably be easier with him. Seeing as he already knew how to do it. He was sure he could probably come up with something.
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Post by Sirius Black on Aug 1, 2009 18:59:49 GMT -7
"Lit." Lily repeated before nodding absently. She didn't recognize the name, and it seemed like one of those things that people pulled out of nowhere. Some people were so fond of coming up with unusual names for pets/children/automobiles that were unique, but Lily was more classic in that area. Simple, traditional names were best. Like Susan, or Harry. If she ever got a pet, she'd remember to name it either of those.
"Actually, if you'd be willing to help me, that would be fantastic. I sort of.... never mind. I would like the assistance, if it wouldn't be too much trouble." He didn't have to know why Lily wanted to create one. That would be her own little secret.
((Sorry it's short- I have a rather large headache. X( ))
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Post by Tirona Lee on Aug 1, 2009 19:27:19 GMT -7
"Also an unusual name, but he's not exactly the usual pet. For a Hufflepuff anyway; I'm sure there's a Slytherin or two with a snake back home." It was difficult to keep one in the school, he had to find a place where the case fit of course. Fortunatly there weren't That many Hufflepuff boys in his year. Each year there was one house that got more than the rest, he was relativly sure it wasn't on purpose, it just turned out that way.
His year had been a Slytherin year. Hufflepuff had gotten the third most, Ravenclaw the second most, and Gryffindor the least. He felt Lit shifting uncomfortably and he rolled his eyes. He lifted the large snake off his shoulders and set him on the ground. "You want to go back to the Dormitories, go back," he said.
The snake looked up at him for a moment before moving up toward the school. While he wasn't a parselmouth, he thought that after so many years of having the snake, the pair could understand what the other was saying. He'd probably make it down to the dormitory, couldn't get in of course but someone would let him in eventually. Either that, or he'd slither his way into the kitchens somehow.... He liked how warm it was in there.
"Take me through your process," he said, "How do you prepare to do the spell, what is your memory, and what is your follow through?" he asked. He had to know what she was doing, in order to see how much he needed to work with her. It was more difficult to use a patronus when there was nothing there. Some thought that it would be more difficult the other way though, he supposed. All the happiness draining out of them. He didn't think he would ever have the... 'pleasure' of meeting a dementor.
At least, he hoped he wouldn't.
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Post by Sirius Black on Aug 4, 2009 10:17:56 GMT -7
"Back home." Lily agreed, still eyeing the snake for a moment. "How did you ever get them to allow you to bring him here?"
She turned back to the process at hand and smoothed out her skirt, taking a deep breath before attempting to summon the patronus again. She figured Tirona would understand better if she showed him, rather than if she told him. It didn't work, but he got the idea, she hoped.
"My, ah, memory is when I got my Hogwarts letter." Lily's cheeks turned faintly pink at how juvenile that sounded, that nothing in her life had made her happier than when she found out she was going to a private school. The thing was, Lily had thought she was a freak until she had met Severus, but even after he explained her odd abilities, she still had a reserved part, back in the corner of her mind, that thought they might both be freaks. The letter, however, had proved that they weren't- and it had been such a relief to Lily, like a breath she didn't know she had been holding.
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Post by Tirona Lee on Aug 6, 2009 22:28:39 GMT -7
"Difficultly," he said. First he'd had to convince the Headmaster. Then the head of Hufflepuff. Then his dormmates. Oddly enough, that had been the hardest part.... The others just saw it as a pet he supposed. They found it something that would eat them if he left the case open.
He hadn't done anything like that though. He hadn't even done so much as try to eat a house elf. Although, he didn't tend to try to nip at them if they came to close while he was basking in the warmth of the ovens in the kitchen. He was well mannered enough. Unlike his mother's cat, who enjoyed trying to eat just about everything in the world. Including the sprites in the back field, which he liked to watch.
He shook his head at her memory, that wasn't strong enough. "That's not strong enough. To create a true patronus, you have to find the perfect memory." He thought for a moment, trying to come up with a way for her to come up with it. "Have you ever had a moment where you were in perfect Bliss? Like... like you felt like you were walking on air?" he asked.
Personally, he'd never had such a moment, but it would be a good place to start for her. Start there, find her perfect moment (if she'd actually had one) and work back from there. Then they could work on technique, and the final execution of the spell. There were quite a few people that couldn't actually finish the spell for a patronus without being confronted with danger.
Some had trouble performing a spell without the conditions, unable to perform the spell on theory alone. It'd take a while... couple of months, maybe a year. All depended on how fast a learner she was.
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Post by Sirius Black on Aug 16, 2009 12:45:05 GMT -7
((sorry it took me so long- family drama.  )) "He seems very well behaved for a snake- at least, the stereotypical idea of a snake. I'm sure that there's plenty of people here who would be more than happy to complain if he ate a pet or went somewhere he wasn't supposed to be. Still, I guess I can see why they weren't so, ah, willing to be convinced." Lily didn't see why people were so phobic about snakes, really. Nothing more scary than a bat or a spider, and those weren't very likely to hurt one, either. It was the cats one had to walk out for, if her roommate' "pet" was any example. "Bliss?" Lily repeated softly. Sure, she had a moment, but she didn't think she wanted to share it. It was happy, but it wasn't... it was more confusing, really. "I think so." She nodded, setting her jaw stubbornly. She would make this work. "Should I try again?"She closed her eyes, letting her vivid imagination take over. Lily never had a problem letting her daydreams get a little too realistic- usually ending up in an embarassing scene when she managed to pull herself out of them. Oh well, maybe for once it would be to her advantage. |
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Post by Tirona Lee on Aug 16, 2009 15:57:34 GMT -7
((Not an issue dear ^^))
"Very. He knows not to attack anything here. Worst he'll do is nip at a house elf if they get to close to him while he's warming up in the kitchens," he said. He wouldn't eat them of course... he prefered smallish animals. Rabbits or something else... occassionally a whole turkey that the house elves would cook up for him. Otherwise he prefered to hunt.
"I believe they are more afraid that he's going to pop out of his case and eat them while they're asleep," he said in a slightly bemused tone. It was always funny when the House Elves, now used to Lit's presense after seven years, were more comfortable with the snake than the roommates who'd been in the same room as the snake for the same number of years. "Don't tell, just think. It's your memory," he said. She wouldn't master the spell right away, even if she had the perfect memory.
"Even with the perfect memory, you won't get it perfect on the first try. If you can manage a small whisp of silver it'll be... well, surprising. The key is hanging onto the memory, managing to concentrate on it no matter the distraction. The creatures that a Patronus fights are some of the biggest... if you ever plan on using it. If you don't... well," he let the statement stand. He didn't know why she wanted to learn the particular spell, and he wasn't going to ask.
"But give it another try. It'll be our last attempt of the moment, classes will be starting again in a few minutes. Not mine, but I'm sure you don't have a free period. Third year, you'll get them eventually. Not quite that early though," he said, writing out a rough estimate of the time in the air with a light blue colour.
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Post by Sirius Black on Aug 18, 2009 14:58:27 GMT -7
"If I don't get it today... Will you help me again later?" Lily made a face at the pleading note in her voice, but she couldn't do anything about it. She needed Tirona's help, because no one else would help her, and she wasn't achieving much without anyone's help.
She shook her hair behind her shoulders and took in a deep breath, holding her arm steady and remembering those things that Severus had been talking about... dementeys? Demensors? Dementors, right. She made herself believe that one was in front of her, and thought about her memory...
Lily shifted uncomfortably as she moved up to the pedestal with the hat on it, trying to keep herself from shaking too much as McGonagall placed it on her head. She heard the hat's thoughts about her- a totally strange experience- and she tried not to look directly at any of the faces that were staring at her, while the hat went over her better qualities: brains, kindness, intelligence... and a wicked temper.
"Gryffindor!"
Lily stumbled out from under the hat and blinked, disoriented, as her eyes locked on Severus. She smiled only when she saw her friend nod to her. He was the one that supported her when her sister made fun of her, the one that hexed that irritating Potter boy that had been bothering her (even though Lily knew it was against school rules,) and he was the one who would always be by her side.
Always.
"EXPECTO PATRONUM!"
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Post by Tirona Lee on Aug 19, 2009 23:44:45 GMT -7
"Of course I'll still help you. I'll meet you after dinner tonight, or another point if you want," he said, nodding to her question. The Gryffindor was... different; he didn't know why she was trying to do what she was doing. He supposed he could find out if he really wanted to. He just... didn't. She wanted to learn, he'd teach her; he wasn't all that big on gossip or prying.
He watched her focus as she prepared for the spell. It didn't look like it had before, her face wasn't as concentrated and stressed as it had been. It still looked like it, but not as much.... She was probably still concentrating to much. Still, it looked like she was improving... if just a bit. He didn't expect much for a first lesson really.
He watched her raise her wand, looking curiously at the tip as she shouted the spell. He wasn't expecting much, if anything, so he wasn't surprised as nothing shot out of the end of her wand. Still, it would have been impressive if she'd managed to get anything, even the slightest sliver of a silver wisp. She'd get to it eventually, he was sure. The patronus charm wasn't the most difficult charm she could be trying to learn, but it was was one of the more difficult ones... at least she wasn't attempting to become an Animagi or something of the like.
"That was a nice attempt," he said, nodding to her. "We should be going, I believe lunch has already ended." If he was hungry he could just go back to his dorm. He had some packed away for when he spaced out through breakfast... and lunch... and dinner.
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Post by Sirius Black on Aug 23, 2009 20:19:35 GMT -7
Lily tried to remember what her schedule for the evening was, and nothing pressing came to mind. Quidditch practice was tomorrow, she didn't have any large quizzes or papers due in the morning, so she could afford to skip out on a night of studying. "After dinner would be excellent, actually." She gave him a cheerful smile. It was so nice that he was offering to teach her when he knew nothing about her- she would have to find a way to repay him somehow,
She sighed when her next attempt failed, but she wasn't about to give up. That time had felt different, and she knew she was on the verge of getting what she wanted- she just had to wait for it to come naturally. She'd have to think of another, better memory while she was waiting for the clock to tick by that afternoon.
Lily looked down at her watch and nodded. She had Defense Against the Dark Arts next, and she couldn't very well skip it. Besides, Tirona probably had something better to be doing right now anyway. "Yeah, I have class... Thank you for your help, though. Eight tonight sound good?"
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))