Welcome to TB, an all levels Harry Potter roleplay with no word count. Our purpose is to go through the books with one exception: the addition of original characters and what changes that makes.
We accept all beings and creatures in the Harry Potter verse including ghosts, veela, muggles and even centaur.
We have many active events ongoing for both students and adults and many characters and locations around the world.
Come join us and discover how your character can grow and evolve in the world of Harry Potter.
Post by NIKLAS FAULKNER on Apr 24, 2023 12:38:24 GMT -5
Ever since he had discussed learning to duel and do Dark Arts magic with Maeve he had been diligently searching for the room or requirement. It wasn't hard to do so as he had no friends, and his Professors didn't seem to expect much from him in the way of homework. Plus he wasn't a prefect or on the Quidditch team, so he had a lot of free time on his hands. As such, his room finding turned out to be completely an accident. Walking up and down the same corridor frustrated, he couldn't find it had apparently been enough to do the trick.
When the door had appeared he had been confused at first before excitement had set in. Now that he had found it he could invite Maeve here, and they could get down to learning new things out of prying eyes view. So instead of entering, he had gone to the owlery to send her a note, deciding it was best if they weren't seen together too often in case Professor or Prefects got curious about where they were going. Absolutely nothing suspicious about two students walking alone, after all.
Niklas had then gone there on a Saturday morning when they did not have a Hogsmeade trip and had imagined what they would need. Once the door had appeared, he had been sure no one was watching before going inside. The room had target dummies and mats, areas for brewing and even places to store other books. It was a mixture of both duelling and dark arts, and he hoped it would be sufficient for their needs. He had just breathed a sigh of relief when he heard the door open behind him. Turning he relaxed again when he saw it was just Maeve. "It seems to have a range of possibilities, I was not sure what we would actually need, but this should do to start?"
Post by MAEVE THORNE on Apr 27, 2023 2:21:31 GMT -5
Naturally, after their first encounter in the courtyard, Maeve made some inquiries about her new acquaintance. It wouldn't do to associate with the wrong kind of people, especially for a new student who didn't yet have close connections to the right kind. Niklas' reputation was a disappointment. He was a pureblood, yes, but he had apparently been caught snogging a muggleborn... a male muggleborn, who claimed he had been forced. That would have been enough for the Durmstrang transfer to sever any ties with Faulkner, had it not turned out that the 'victimized' boy was Daniel Fowell. There was no way anyone in their right mind would want to snog him, especially against his own will. No, she could see right through that tale. The situation must have been the exact opposite, with Fowell being the... aggressor. Why Niklas hadn't told anyone was the only mystery. Perhaps he got blackmailed or simply thought nobody would believe him. With the whole wizarding society fawning over muggleborns, it might just have made it worse for him to try and accuse the self-proclaimed victim.
Still, Maeve had spent a good while considering whether it was worth befriending someone who is currently viewed as an outcast. A few times she noticed other students mocking, hexing, shoving him... Even if she knew it wasn't truly his fault, the fourth year was wary of being seen hanging out with someone half the school seemed to despise. In the end, she decided to proceed with their hastily arranged plan - provided Niklas even succeeded in finding the Room of Requirement - but without forming a close bond with the boy. They would train together, she would teach him what she could in return for having someone to practice with secretly, but that's all. Outside of their sessions, she would be merely civil towards him - no more.
A few months passed since she made that decision, and the redhead was beginning to doubt they would ever find the room. Not that she was even looking for it - her schedule was far too full to wander the castle and she didn't dare to ask around in case someone got suspicious. It was a surprise to get Niklas' note one Saturday morning; she was starting to think he simply abandoned his efforts.
"This is perfect, much better than any dueling hall I've been to," she declared, grinning despite herself as her eyes swept around the room greedily. There was everything they needed, more than they needed, in fact, at least at the beginning. And enough space for a dozen duels to take place at once. "You did great, Niklas, the room is amazing." A few extra compliments wouldn't hurt. He had done well, this space was much better than anything she had imagined.
"I suppose we could begin right away. Determining our skill levels might be a good start..." As though she didn't know her skill level already - higher than most of her peers' thanks to the Durmstrang curriculum, albeit possibly degrading due to lack of practice. She didn't want Niklas to feel like she was doubting his abilities while completely confident in those of her own. Even if that was the case. "You could cast some of your best spells at one of the dummies, show me what you can do?"
Post by NIKLAS FAULKNER on May 2, 2023 2:46:45 GMT -5
There was a fair bit of relief when Maeve said the room was perfect. All he had for reference was the Duelling room here at Hogwarts, which seemed a bit insufficient. So he had made the room, well, roomier in order to squeeze everything in here that he thought they might need. After all, the Dark Arts spanned quite a number of topics, and he was very eager to get involved in each and every one. The drive to find at least one thing he was good at led him to hope it was this.
"I am glad it is suitable." Her compliments made him uncertain; it was so rare that he ever heard good things aimed at him after all. Plus, she was pretty which was confusing in a whole other direction. Ignoring that he looked to the training dummies on the far side of the space. "I can do that. I am afraid I am not very...skilled." Niklas felt it was best to be honest when it came to learning new things. Especially since there was no way he would be able to hide the fact that he was not very well-versed in more advanced spells just yet.
Still he turned to face the dummy and got a bit closer to avoid the shelves and brewing-like areas. Niklas then took his wand out of his pocket and took his wand out. With a little swallow, he decided to just run through what spells he knew. "Expelliarmus. Protego. Stupefy. Rictusempra. In...Incarcerous." The last one was a bit hesitant, and ropes did fly out, but they flopped at his feet rather than wrap about the dummy. That was embarrassing, but he had also not practised that one nearly as much as the others. "That....well those are the spells I am most familiar."
Post by MAEVE THORNE on May 9, 2023 4:11:12 GMT -5
After asking around about Niklas, Maeve had set her expectations low. Very low. She had a lineup of empty compliments and consolations ready, her face carefully neutral. Only, it wasn't needed. The older boy's performance wasn't anywhere near as bad as she had expected. True, most of the spells were very fundamental ones any beginner duellist should know, but they were carried out well. Except for that last one.
"Looks good so far, all of these are powerful charms to use in combat." An experienced opponent would expect most of those but that did not make them any less vital. So, they would not need to go over the basics. This was already going better than she had anticipated. "Clean fighting, very respectable. A lot of rigid duelling competitions might require just these sorts of spells." Even at Durmstrang, they first learned these staple offensive and defensive bits of magic before proceeding to the more tricky and harmful ones.
"I'll show you some of mine, and you tell me if they have been taught here at Hogwarts." She slid her own wand out of its sheath and targeted a dummy nearest to her. "Anteoculatia. Renis Velo. Furnunculus. Reducto!" Her motionless opponent went through some bizarre transformations - first growing a pair of antlers, then becoming covered in fur, sprouting a batch of wooden-looking pimple-like growths, and eventually collapsing as a piece of the floor was blasted from under one of its feet. The last spell had been far weaker than she had intended. Perhaps the floor here was enchanted with some durability spells.
"Hexes, jinxes and curses are all part of Dark Arts, all of them need increasing levels of intent to inflict harm. If you don't wish to cause your opponent humiliation, discomfort or pain, such attacks might come out quite feeble. Pity, because sometimes, just making your rival look funny with one of these would be enough. They're likely to become flustered and self-conscious, especially if there is a crowd and they start laughing. Have you ever tried any of these?"
Post by NIKLAS FAULKNER on May 13, 2023 15:48:12 GMT -5
It was strange how praise made him more uncomfortable than other words. Perhaps it was simply because he was not used to them, but he was not really thinking about that nor did it occur to him. No instead his cheeks pinked a little and he sheepishly nodded as she said the spells looked good so far. "Hogwarts is very adept in the basics of respect in duelling."
That was where the problem lay for him really, while the school taught for duelling it was hardly useful in a real fight. If he were to follow the rules of competitions he would never win a real fight when it came down to it. As she cast spells there were several he did not know and he decided to only voice the one he did to save time. "I know of furnunculus, I have not yet heard of the others."
Niklas found that this was far more exciting than any of his classes, and the spells were far better upon sight than he could have expected. Her explanation made sense as well. Luckily for him, or unluckily depending on one's viewpoint, he had plenty of experiences that would make dark spells work well. "Would it be alright if you helped me with those? I think starting with them would be a good stepping stone...if you think so as well?"
Post by MAEVE THORNE on May 17, 2023 4:42:20 GMT -5
She refrained from comments on respect in magical combat, as she had little good to say about it. Bowing to an opponent at the beginning of a duel should be the end of all politeness. From what Maeve had seen at the local duelling club, however, one was expected to remain considerate throughout the entire encounter. She had avoided using anything darker than the Knockback Jinx, so as not to be judged as some sort of Durmstrang villain. It was good to finally practice some of the nastier spells.
"Sure, we can start here. If only I could write down the incantations..." Her eyes scanned the room and almost immediately landed on a mobile blackboard. Was that here before or did her mere wish conjure it? Not particularly confident in her Summoning Charm - she tended to do it so aggressively that the items just kept hitting her instead of flying into her hands - the redhead walked over to the board and pulled it closer to the center of the room. Its tiny wheels squeaked in protest, possibly not having been oiled in decades.
"It's usually easier to get the pronunciation right when you can see the words written down," she explained, picking up a piece of chalk. It was funny how often students, especially those in the younger years, failed to properly hear what the professor was saying and ended up shouting nonsense words when it came time to practice casting.
In large, neatly curving letters she wrote the four incantations and underlined the syllables that should be stressed.
Renis Velo
Anteoculatia
Furnunculus
Reducto
"The Fur Curse doesn't have a special wand movement, you just point at your target. For the Antler Jinx, you draw your wand up to the left diagonally, then make a spiral at the end, like so." Maeve demonstrated with her own wand, slower than when she was casting the spell, and careful not to point at Niklas - even though she had never succeeded with a nonverbal spell, accidents could happen. "The Pimple Jinx - start moving the tip of your wand downward, then make a half-circle to the right before moving down again." She showed this one as well. "And finally the Reductor Curse, this one's easy - you just draw a right-facing arrow like this," she moved her wand diagonally down from left to right, then diagonally down from right to left.
While explaining, it dawned on her that maybe teaching multiple spells at once wasn't the wisest choice. If this was her first time learning them, would she be able to grasp all four - remember the movements and get the pronunciation right while at the same time focusing on wishing ill upon the dummy she targeted? Probably not. She was a quick learner but not as phenomenal as that. Oh, well. There will be a chance to break the lesson into more manageable chunks if Niklas struggles too much.
Post by NIKLAS FAULKNER on Jun 5, 2023 0:15:28 GMT -5
This whole room really was an amazing bit of magic. Things they were looking for either were here or could be found almsot immediately after thinking of it. How this room could do that was well outside his understanding of magics, but he could greatly appreciate the room's function while in it. Getting started somewhere was certainly where his own interest lay, and being able to pronounce the spells was the most important bit. "I can agree with you there, I have always found it easier to sound out if I can see where the emphasis needs to be."
As she wrote on the board he got closer so he could read the cursive easier. Quietly he mouthed them as she wrote, trying to be sure he could get it into his thick skull how they were said. It was lucky that the fur curse didn't require a wand movement and just a point because he could remember that very easily. The Antler jinx might be harder because it required movement into a spiral. The pimple jinx was going to be difficult to remember too but with practice and patience he thought he could get it. The one he was most excited to try was the Reductor Curse.
"Thank you." Niklas meant it too, there were not many people who would take the time to explain things to him, let alone to stand by and see if he could do them. Despite being excited for the last spell he decided destroying the dummy right off the bat was not the best choice. "I think starting with the fur curse will be the best start. I just point at the target and..." He moved to face the dummy while peering over to the incantation. He repeated it a few times to try and get it right before turning his attention fully to it.
"Renis Velo!" With a bit of luck the dummy actually sprouted fur and he felt a slight thrill at knowing he had gotten it. It really shouldn't have been that exciting but he was not that great with most classes so he was, just a tad, happy that he wasn't a complete loss. "That one worked quite well. Let us try...Anticoolatia." The Antler spell did nothing because he had both mispronounced it and had moved too slowly through the movement and put the spiral first accidentally.
Post by MAEVE THORNE on Jun 26, 2023 21:36:48 GMT -5
The curse Niklas tried out first worked splendidly, which made Maeve feel proud for some reason. She was completely certain that she was not teacher material - working with little kids sounded like a terrible career choice... but perhaps instructing older students in dueling wasn't too bad. Not that it would be anything other than a fallback option if she failed at all her more glamorous plans.
With the second attempted spell failing, those musings were cut short. The redhead suppressed a sigh as she stepped forward, an optimistic smile on her lips. "You did amazing with the Fur Curse," she complimented, unwilling to begin with criticism. "As for the Antler Jinx, your pronunciation was just a bit off. It's Anteoculatia. An-tee-oh-kyoo-LAY-chee-ah. And you reversed the wand movement - the spiral comes at the end, not the start. Imagine you're drawing a crude pictogram of an antler, starting from the root rather than the top. It also helps to remember that, usually, the pace of the movement is set so that it starts with the first syllable of the incantation and ends with the last one. Matching it requires some practice. Watch me."
She raised her wand again, aiming for a dummy further away and trying to stand so Niklas could see her hand clearly. "Anteoculatia!" The target became adorned with a pair of antlers. Hopefully, the boy had gained something from this demonstration. Although Maeve tried to pronounce and motion clearly, she couldn't perform the spell too slowly without compromising it. It was probably best for him to observe the required tempo anyway. "Alright, care to try again?"
Post by NIKLAS FAULKNER on Jul 10, 2023 19:12:13 GMT -5
"An-tee-oh-kyoo-LAY-chee-ah." Niklas sounded it slowly, carefully, wanting very much to cement this into his head. That and her instruction to picture it like an antler would be put a very good visual in his head. He listened to what she was saying before turning his attention to her fully to watch her perform the spell again.
"Yes, I would like to try it again." All he had to do was pair the movement, the incantation, and his own concentration to be sure they all came together as one. For Niklas there was at least one thing he was good at, and it was Dark Arts. All the quiet anger beneath the surface had proved useful in the execution of hexes and jinxes. And one day he hoped more would come easier.
"Anteoculatia." This time the spell and wand movement came together in perfect sync and antlers burst forth full and long, a bit of relief coming over him as he observed their size. That was a much better result than the first time and as long as he kept practicing this, and the others, he would have them down soon.
"That went much better, thank you." His eyes then went to the board where the other spells were written to see what the next one was. Pimple jinx. He knew this spell and had both seen it cast as well as cast in past too. It was one he suspected he would be able to cast without further instruction at least. "Should I try it again to be sure, or would moving on to the next be better?"
Post by MAEVE THORNE on Aug 11, 2023 3:20:40 GMT -5
In Maeve's experience, a lot of people struggled when casting jinxes and curses. The attitude one had to adopt, the intent to hurt, the desire to see another person humiliated - it wasn't for everyone. It could be trained, of course, but that took time. Niklas was getting the gist of it much quicker than she had anticipated. All the bullying he was suffering must be helping him now.
"That's a splendid set of antlers," she complimented with utmost honesty. Any person sprouting those out of their head was bound to experience intense emotional and physical discomfort. She was quite glad they were practicing on dummies instead of each other. "I think you're good on this jinx, try the next one." Was he planning on using any of these spells against his tormentors? That could be quite an interesting spectacle.
Post by NIKLAS FAULKNER on Aug 11, 2023 9:46:38 GMT -5
"Oh. Thank you." Niklas was not used to being praised for anything, let alone his abilities with a wand. It seemed he had just needed the right spells and the right motivations. Channeling the well of rage inside him seemed to do wonders in this type of spellcasting was the key to getting them right. He was absolutely alright with that as anger was easy to find these days. The next jinx was a bit of a mouthful and he frowned at the board as he sounded it out in his head before trying it out loud.
"Fernunculus...Furnunculus." Lifting his wand he decided he might as well give it a go with the wand movement too. What better way to know if he had gotten it right until he tried them together after all? Concentrating hard on the target he tried his best to combine the steps. "Furnunculus!" The dummy did erupt in pimples but, well, not as spectacularly as the horns had looked.
Post by MAEVE THORNE on Aug 11, 2023 10:25:21 GMT -5
A yet another spell having been executed successfully, Maeve was starting to believe she truly was a good teacher. To a specific type of student, that is - a determined but not obnoxious one. Perhaps she really should look into tutoring. Dark Arts lessons might have a market here, seeing as most Dark spells were not outlawed - but neither were they taught at school.
"You seem to have a strong willingness to cause pain," she commented, her tone making it clear she viewed it in a positive light. "I bet you would even be able to cast the Unforgivable Curses... on small creatures, at the very least." Maeve was convinced the trio of sinister spells was not covered at Hogwarts, at least not until the Dark Arts theory classes that were only taught on N.E.W.T.s level. But morbid curiosity often led young people to finding information about such things on their own. She, for one, had found out the incantations months before they were revealed in a lesson at Durmstrang. "Have you ever tried using them?" This was a dangerous topic to talk about, she knew. The three curses scared people so much they sometimes forgot the fact that it was only illegal to use them on Beings (humans, predominantly), but not on lesser creatures. Even she, although open to most misunderstood types of magic, was too anxious to try those spells - not even on something as insignificant as a beetle. Just in case it went wrong somehow.
Post by NIKLAS FAULKNER on Aug 11, 2023 12:02:17 GMT -5
"I do?" Niklas had been at first a tad hesitant to admit as such but her tone did not seem to be condemning the notion. When she mentioned the Unforgivable Curses he got a slightly strange look on his face, not of contemplation but closer to an uncertainty in what he should admit. While he had been upset about hurting animals when he was a child that had dissipated as he grew and he had, in fact, experimented with spells here at Hogwarts on some of the small animals. "Small creatures are easier to practice on."
Considering he had all but confessed to trying them he decided there was really no need to beat around the bush with telling her. Besides they were here to learn and practice Dark Arts so there was really no reason not to talk about the big three illegal spells. "I have. I have had...limited success. Imperio is the one I have not been able to do." Controlling others even small animals, was a lot harder than he could have imagined. Not that he was overly upset by this, he really had no desire to inflict his will on anyone in that manner. "Have you?"
Post by MAEVE THORNE on Aug 11, 2023 13:36:18 GMT -5
Though not an expert face reader, Maeve was able to note the change in Niklas' expression. She did not have much time to try and analyze it, however, as the older boy answered her question after only a brief hesitation. He had been brave enough to try out the spells, and she hadn't. Maeve did not like that at all, even though she had fairly good reasons for not venturing into that risky area. It made her feel as though she was falling behind in some obscure race, one in which she wanted to be ahead.
"I haven't, though I was always curious. My mother used to check the spells I was casting with Priori Incantatem, and I thought that if she found signs of me being cruel to small creatures she might... not take it well." There wasn't much that Maeve did which would be taken well by her mother. Secret practice of forbidden spells, using animals as test subjects, would probably have made the woman question Maeve's sanity. But she wasn't living with her mother anymore; from what she'd gathered, Father was much more open to such endeavours. Yet she still never attempted it. "And when I moved here, I was too busy to try something like that... it's not safe to do so at Hogwarts anyway." Those were just excuses, she could have found a private place if she'd really tried. Perhaps not one quite as private as this room, but still...
"The Imperius Curse sounds the most complicated," she conceded after a moment's pause. "The other two are fairly one-sided and have instant effects. But controlling someone, or something, requires more lasting focus... it's different from most curses. Doesn't necessarily inflict bodily harm on the victim." It was also arguably the most useful of the three taboo curses, at least in Maeve's opinion. Having total control over another person could yield so much better results than merely torturing or killing them.
Post by NIKLAS FAULKNER on Aug 12, 2023 13:06:09 GMT -5
"My father does not pay much attention to me in that manner." Niklas was fairly sure his father would have scolded him for not getting them right, not for having practiced them had the man cared enough. The attention had never been on his studies but his grades and the 'nonsense' with the boy he'd been caught kissing. In Maeve's case it sounded like her mother was more than involved, to the point of monitoring what spells she cast. That was a worry he had not even contemplated before. "Does your mother not approve of Dark magics?"
When she mentioned it was not safe to do at Hogwarts he blinked slowly and thought about that a moment. He had, as of yet, not been caught even if in his younger years there had been experimentation on animals, both wild and domesticated. Even if no one had been able to draw that back to him. Regardless it sounded like Maeve was worried about being caught practicing the three unforgivable curses. Easily remedied. "If you wish to try them we could do so here, no one would be the wiser and with our other practicing we could easily hide the use of such spells from any prying."
Niklas did nod when she spoke on the Imperius Curse. There was no need to agree or disagree as he had tried it and learned first hand he might not have the ability to use it just yet. Like everything else it might take practice or it was simply out of his reach. "I have found it to be that way. The other two are....far simpler." All one needed was the desire to do harm to be able to cast them, and Niklas had the sort of building blocks to work them. "Perhaps we could try them, if you want?"
