Wands and Warframes

Intermission 2

Intermission 2

"Master," Quirrell coughs and spits some blood into a hanky, "the honour of hosting you is becoming too much for my body."

"What of the unicorn blood?"

Quirrell coughs again, "I need heart blood, but the Unicorns have become more adept at hiding since the last hunt where they gathered at that structure in the forest."

"This is disturbing, they shouldn't be able to hide from you. Copy down this ritual, then find someone of weak will, preferably magical."

"What will the ritual do?"

"Why? It will pit your willpower against the person in the other circle. The winner takes the health of the loser, while the loser takes all the ills, including curses. Just remember to stop before they die, otherwise you'll take on their soul too."

Quirrell swallows, hard, "Master..." licking his lips he tries again, "Master, is this, is there no, what about."

"Quirrell, you came to me for power. Yet now you're getting a taste of it you're quailing like a first year?"

"No Master, it's just..."

"Such a very large step? Come now, you were willing to take the life of a Unicorn, what's the life of a person that's fallen to vice in comparison?"

"But my lord, it's soul magic."

"Only if you let it go on too long. I can trust that your moral fortitude won't go that far, can't I?"

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Silvana shudders as something she can't put her finger on changes. Yawning, she stretches and then pauses. The lead stallion of the unicorn herd comes over and nuzzles her face, and she brings her hand up to stroke its head. As she does, she freezes as the fact her hand is a light shade of green registers.

"How?"

The unicorn just nickers as her legs go weak and she collapses to the floor. The forest is still loud in her senses, with the nearby Grineer spreading their poison across the planet. After a while Silvana stirs and stands on shaky legs due to the shock of having a body again. As she does, the stallion nudges her of balance. Reflexively she steps back into the first tree she planted after she returned to earth, and her human sight vanishes once more as her sense of the forest and its inhabitants expands to encompass the entire forest.

Unseen due to the vegetation covering it, the cairn that covered Silvana's remains sinks into the ground slightly. The stone marker that was placed at her head lists slightly away from the cliff edge.

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With the Wizengamot, ICW, and school all having a recess at the same time for the new year celebrations around the world, Albus wakes at the late hour of 8am. Staggering over to his desk he looks at the enchantment diagrams for the Mirror, then yawns. Rubbing his eyes with one hand he shakes his head ruefully, obviously he's too tired to work on it today, so tonight he'll take a dreamless sleep at 10, and then move the mirror tomorrow.

Making his way down to the great hall in his nightshirt, he stops when he enters as there aren't as many teachers as he expected. Making his way to his chair at the round table they use over Christmas, he helps himself to some bacon and eggs before looking over at Septima,

"Vector," must observe proprietaries in front of students, "have I already missed Minerva?"

Septima cocks her head to one side and narrows her eyes, "She has Christmas off, as well you know. Don't bother looking for Aurora either, she's dealing with family business all Christmas."