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Tweak says, "We don't need rings."

Albus Dumbledore (oddmenttweak) wrote in hogwarts_dawn,
@ 2021-06-24 10:06:00

Entry tags:

character: albus dumbledore, character: james s. potter

RP: Albus & Jamie
Who: Albus Dumbledore and Jamie Potter
What: Things are getting back to normal
Where: The library
When: April 24, mid morning

It had been a long twelve days. The transfiguration professor had spent most of it working, helping as and when requested. That had mainly translated into research, although his beloved school had proven itself surprisingly inadequate when it came to keeping records of bird infestations. Albus thought that may be something for them to look into, all things considered.

He'd stepped into the hospital wing now and then, usually with a bundle of papers or supplies. There had always been people there. Sitting quietly next to one of the petrified patients, talking earnestly to those who were still awake. Even sat away from the beds, just quietly watching. A never ending stream of love and concern.

If he had allowed it, it might have made Albus feel a little lonely.

But he didn't, and so instead he went about his work quietly, diligently, until those who needed help had received it and the note of anxiety which had run through the castle and died away. Now Albus walked the stacks in the library on a quiet Thursday morning, carefully sliding books back into their places.

He'd amassed quite a collection in his rooms over the last few weeks - without a librarian sending him passive agressive reminders, the piles had built up almost without him noticing. It had taken a rather impressive bruise on his left shin to prompt him into returning said book mountains. Most of them had already been delivered safely home, and now Albus was returning the last volume to the Transfiguration section.

Placing 'The Fabric of Gold' back into it's place, Albus hesitated, his gaze drawn to a newer looking book a few inches to his right. Carefully, he slid it out, flipping it over to examine the cover before taking a couple of steps back, ending up perched on the edge of the table as he skimmed the contents page.

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curseseeker
2021-06-28 10:53 pm UTC (link)

Jamie had been focused on two things for several days: Al's recovery and a spell for Scorpius. After his brother had been brought out of the petrification, Jamie had tried not to show up at the hospital wing too early. He wanted Al to get well after all, and he needed his rest for that without Jamie hovering too soon in the morning. So, the mornings were for research, the afternoons for visiting both brother and brother's best friend.

This particular morning, Jamie was searching the library for any references to a particular 'curse' that was promising by description, but the specific casting methods and components were proving elusive. While he doubted he would find the curse in the volumes open to teenagers in a normal world, he was hoping for some sort of a reference to it's existence that might provide him with a clue to where to find the particulars. If he couldn't find anything by the weekend, he'd talk to Regulus or Sirius about maybe borrowing some of the books Jamie remembered being housed in the library at home...if his dad had given those to the Black brothers, yet.

Turning toward the transifguration section (best check that first before heading to the Restricted Section, which was more likely to yield results), Jamie was surprised to find he wasn't alone in the Library. Not that others didn't use the space, but there were relative few of them in the castle with a researcher's mindset. Of course, the young would-be-headmaster was one of those.

"Hello, Professor." He offered a grin as greeting. "Wasn't expecting to find anyone else in here. Promise I'll try not to disturb you while I'm here." Pursing his lips together, he began scanning the titles on the shelves in search of a likely candidate.

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oddmenttweak
2021-06-29 10:16 am UTC (link)

Albus looked up sharply. After the small text on the page, it took him a moment to focus on the dark haired man walking towards him. While he had spent time with both Al and Lilu, the professor hadn't had much to do with the third Potter sibling, although he supposed they knew each other as well as two people forced to share a castle would do.

"Good morning," he replied, automatically tucking a long, ink-stained finger between the pages to make his place. Albus offered a faint, polite smile, nodding absently in the direction of the the towering transfiguration shelves. "Oh, there's little chance of that. Please, go ahead."

He ducked his head a little, turning his attention back to the page and skimming a few more paragraphs. The book looked and felt old, but it had been added to the library long after his time. Albus vaguely flicked over the pages, looking for the chapter on conjuration.

"How are your brother and sister?" he asked Jamie, finally locating the page and glancing up at the other man.

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curseseeker
2021-06-30 02:35 am UTC (link)

Jamie searched the titles in silence, more than happy to let the other man enjoy his studies in peace. He recognized most of the books on the lower shelves. While not as obsessive as Aunt Hermione or Uncle Percy, Jamie had not been the typical Gryffindor who never cracked a book unless under protest. He'd had too many expectations and people watching, waiting for him to fail, to risk actually failing. He might have done a good bit of studying when he should have been sleeping because his days had been filled with social activities when he wasn't in class. But, sleep was over-rated in your teens.

And maybe in your twenties.

Unless it was too early.

He might have startled when Dumbledore spoke, but the man had a way of speaking out of the blue without seeming to be out of the blue. "They're as well as can be expected under the circumstances," he said, summoning one of the floating step ladders. He stepped up to where he could read the titles above his head more easily. "They're both working with Marlene to repair as much of the damage as possible." They would just have to hope for the best and, if there were roadblocks, well, Jamie could find a spell for them same as he was doing for Scorpius.

"I'm sure they'd both love a visit from you, if you're inclined to keep them company for a bit." Ah, Punishing Transfigurations and Transformations from Myth. Those looked promising. Holding out his hand, Jamie summoned them both and balanced them on the top of the step ladder to flip through them. "Big brother gets a bit hovering and annoying after awhile, I'm sure."

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oddmenttweak
2021-06-30 10:43 am UTC (link)

"I'll stop by. I have some things to speak to both of them about, when they're feeling up to it." Albus had been giving Al's trigger charm some thought, and had even managed a quick conversation with a merperson who seemed open to the Professor and Lilu shrieking at him once every couple of weeks. Perhaps now wasn't the time, but he was sure that if he had been in their position, the nod towards normality might be welcomed.

"I very much doubt that." It occurred to him, almost distantly, that he and Jamie were both eldest sibling to a brother and a sister. Although he was in no doubt that this man was much, much better at the role than Albus had ever been. Still holding his book loosely in his grip, perched on the edge of the table with long legs crossed at the ankles, Albus watched as Jamie selected the books. He recognised one of the aged covers as he placed them on top of the ladder, and one eyebrow raised a minute fraction.

"I've used that with my advanced seventh year class." He nodded towards Transformations from Myth. "The theory's solid enough, but if you're looking for a more practical application, I used to team it with 'Transubstantiating the Perpetual' by Colme."

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curseseeker
2021-06-30 02:05 pm UTC (link)

"At this point, I think they'll both take any distraction they can get." Jamie spoke while idly flipping through the pages of the books he'd chosen. Eyes scanning for key words, really. "Al's probably the one of the three of us who deals with sitting still long periods the best. But, usually only if he has something to occupy his mind." And Jamie didn't think stewing over whether he was going to end up resembling Mad-eye Moody was a healthy topic to occupy his brother's mind.

Looking up, Jamie laughed fondly. "You can only say that because you didn't hear Lilu telling me off for hovering yesterday after lunch. She's not the best patient in the world and I am absolutely an overprotective big brother type." He shrugged, not a trace of apology for the trait in his expression.

"I'm looking for references to a particular curse, actually." Not dumb enough to dismiss a recommendation from Albus Dumbledore, his attention returned to the shelves and he summoned the recommended book. "I'm almost positive that it's unuseable in and of itself. But, I'm hoping I might be able to borrow parts of it's composition for something I'm working on for Scorpius' recovery."

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oddmenttweak
2021-06-30 02:36 pm UTC (link)

"There's worse things to be," Albus smiled vaguely. Overprotective, as far as he was concerned, was a big improvement on the alternative. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a scrap of parchment covered in his small, cramped script. Slotting it between the pages as a makeshift bookmark, he shut the volume and placed it on the table beside him. Bright eyes made their way back to Jamie, a glint of curiosity making its way into the electric blue.

"Do you need any help?" he offered, finally. Finding references to a single curse, especially one old enough to be quoted in 'Punishing Transfigurations' was almost a literal example of a 'needle in a haystack'.

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curseseeker
2021-06-30 04:44 pm UTC (link)

"Probably. But, to the nineteen year old whose brother is insisting on cutting her food for her because she reacted with her hands instead of her magic, there's nothing more annoying." Jamie's return smile was still unapologetic. "Honestly, I figure if they have energy enough to be annoyed with me, they're doing pretty well."

Looking up again in surprise, he nodded. "I don't want to interrupt whatever you were working on. But, if you don't mind, I'd appreciate it. I'm looking for the Aphroditos Curse. From what little I've read in the past, it's the basis for the myth of Hermaphroditus and Salmacis. Honestly, given the British and European focus of most of Hogwarts' studies, I'm not holding out hope for much. But, I wanted to cover my bases before I go asking to borrow some of the books I remember from the library at home growing up."

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oddmenttweak
2021-06-30 09:44 pm UTC (link)

"I was just browsing, honestly." Albus pushed himself off the table, leaving his own book forgotten on the wooden surface. Crossing his arms neatly over his chest, fingers drumming on the pale skin of his forearm, he ambled over to the base of the ladder Jamie was still balanced upon.

"I might have heard of it." Frowning, Albus did his best to think back to whenever the spell last cropped up in his memory. Certainly not recently, or anything directly related to his work... More than likely he had happened across it while studying something else, and never paid it much mind. Lost in thought, Albus shifted so that he was leaning against the shelves, one pointed shoulder pressed against the old and dusty wood. "Human transfiguration, isn't it? Have you tried the journals? I've found they tend to be better for international research."

Although, of course, that had been back in his day. He supposed by the time Jamie had rolled around, things such as the journals had replaced the paper volumes which arrived religiously on his desk every couple of months. Albus rubbed his nose pensievely, feeling the gnarled ridge of bone as he looked up at Jamie. "What sort of books were you thinking of from your home?"

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curseseeker
2021-07-02 10:28 pm UTC (link)

Jamie nodded, leaning down a bit on the ladder so as not to tower over the other man. "Human transfiguration, yes. From what I've read, it was said to force a person into the opposite gender...rather painfully. Not precisely what I need. But, I'm hoping that if I can study it for a bit, I can extrapolate what I do need from the basic theory."

The last thing he wanted was to give Scorpius something that would basically be like the gender equivalent of being a werewolf. Or something that would just push him from one gender to another. But, Jamie figured he had to start somewhere and gender transformations weren't something wizards generally practiced or wrote about with the rare exception of metamorphmagi. They were still working on full societal acceptance for homosexuality, after all. And Scorpius had already been pushing the boundaries of gender roles before this. So, Jamie needed to work with what he could find, which wasn't much.

"The books I had access to at home were the sort that would probably have reference to that spell. At least some of them. Dad inherited Sirius and Regulus' house when Sirius died," he explained. "So, I grew up there and the library was made up of the Black Family's books. I think Dad gave them back to Regulus and Sirius. So, I'll have to ask one of them for access now. But, I wanted to be sure of what Hogwarts might or might not have had, first." Thinking back on the professor's first question, he shook his head. "I didn't think of the journals. Did Hogwarts keep any? I did my studies, but I wasn't much of a researcher in school, not until I had to be for the job."

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oddmenttweak
2021-07-04 06:28 pm UTC (link)

Albus kept his face carefully neutral as he listened, despite the shiver of curious excitement which ran through him. He rather wanted to ask exactly what Jamie was trying to achieve, but got the impression it was not any of his business.

"I assume you're heading to the restricted section after this?" He asked. The spell in question, if it existed, did not sound like anything you would find in a standard textbook. Even the restricted section might be a stretch - there were only so many things you wanted teenagers to have access to, no matter how carefully policed. Merlin, his sixth year class often managed to do quite enough damage with just the basics.

Still, he examined the man balanced on the ladder above him with a renewed interest as he spoke about the Black library. That family had had a reputation even when Albus was a student. Even now, there was still a small part of the professor which tugged him in the direction of the sort of knowledge Jamie was talking about. The part which occasionally offered up memories of fair hair and dim candlelight.

"That sounds useful," he instead replied. "It's good to have a few avenues open to you... it makes you wonder what happened to all the other private collections. We can only hope they're in this vault, I suppose."

"They used to," Albus said thoughtfully. "In my time, not that that means much here." He twisted, rubbing the gnarled ridge of bone in his nose as he glanced towards the western side of the library. "They were under the window... I can go and check. Give me a moment."

Pushing his long body away from the bookcase, Albus strode off between the stacks, hands sliding into his pockets as he disappeared into the hush of the room. When he returned, a few minutes later, it was with a small bundle of tired, dog-eared journals under his arm.

"This is all that's left." He dropped them onto the table he'd been sitting on previously. A small cloud of dust danced in the light where the journals had hit the wood. Albus frowned, pushing a few rogue strands of auburn off his forehead. "I doubt they're much use, but you never know... If nothing else, perhaps you can contact the publishers to see if they're still in print or find you some contacts."

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curseseeker
2021-07-08 07:15 pm UTC (link)

"You assume correctly," Jamie confirmed with a grin before looking back down to finish flipping through the two books in front of him quickly. As he'd feared, neither seemed to have much to offer, even with a text search charm cast over them. It was an old, probably dark, spell and definitely not suited for impressionable young minds. But, Jamie figured it couldn't hurt to look. Hogwarts wasn't known for being overly cautious about what was kept there until Jamie's school years, after all.

Sending the books back to their spaces, he climbed off the ladder. "Dad's let some of the others go make to the manors for their possessions, including the libraries. But, I think a lot of the manors are probably still full of their things that we can't access. Most of the families who would have owned those collections were also the ones in opposition to whatever Dad and the others were trying to stop that landed us all in this mess." Although, it might be worth an attempt to break into some of those manors. With how the pureblood elite intermarried, there were bound to be people there with the right blood connections to be allowed 'inheritance' rights.

While the professor was rummaging through the stacks, Jamie sent the ladder back to it's proper place and took up the position Dumbledore had previous had, leaning against the table. He watched the other man walk back with a bit of a smile, sure this was the most animated he'd seen the reclusive once-and-future-headmaster since arriving. When the publications were deposited on the table, he shifted so that he could stand next to Dumbledore and flip through some of the aging pages. "I'm sure a lot of these probably moved to the journal system along with a lot of the press as that became more popular. I should take a look and see what's being published there other than Scarlet and her ilk." Not wanting to damage the old pages, he flicked his fingers to set them gently floating in front of them, spread out, and cast another text search charm to see what could be found.

"You know, your name is probably in some of these bylines, right?" He cast a glance at his companion. "By the time you taught my dad, you were known to be quite the scholar."

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oddmenttweak
2021-07-12 09:01 am UTC (link)

"I'm sure you're right." Albus moved to the side a little, making room for Jamie beside him. "The journals certainly make a lot of things easier in that regard... Although I suppose they must also make it a little harder to tell fact from fiction." As much as instantly sharing information with the entire wizarding community appealed, Albus had to wonder how much of what was written was actually policed, especially in terms of research. Not too much, if the Scarlet Letter was much to go by.

He watched as the pages gently fanned open, leaning forward a little to see what the searching charm would produce. It was a nice bit of magic. Elegant - especially without a wand. Shooting a sharp, intent glance across at the other wizard's profile, Albus' fingers drummed absently on the wood of the tabletop.

"I started publishing when I was at school," he said finally, looking back at the journals. "It's like anything else - once you get your foot in the door..." Albus trailed off with a half-hearted shrug, the only sign of discomfort a slight tightening in his jaw. "Perhaps I should change my name," he mused, too caught up in the carefully floating pages to really think about his words. "There's a lot of Albus Dumbledore out there to live up to. Or atone for."

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