ORDER ONLY: Centaurs and wand ingredients

[alt_charlie]

Right, then, I've got good news and bad news.

The good news is, I've just come back from another go-around with the centaurs, and I've finally got them to agree that it's all right for some of our people to have free passage through the whole Forest, including their territory, for the purpose of scavenging wand parts like by checking bushes for unicorn tail hairs and the like. They even gave me a list of places that would be good to look.

The bad news is a little more complex. First off, they won't provide any kind of escort or guard -- anyone who goes in will be at-their-own-risk. Second, they were very concerned about the well-being of the other inhabitants of the Forest, so whoever goes scavenging can't kill anything while they're in there, for any reason at all -- not even self-defense.

Third, they said they'd only accept "foals" who were "pure of heart, body, and magic", and they'd consider it a breach of the agreement if anyone who wasn't came through. This was the sticking point for a long chunk of the conversation, because I couldn't figure out what they meant. I thought at first they meant "pure" like, you know, acceptable-to-unicorns pure. (If you know what I mean.) Turns out, yes, that's part of it, but not the whole: they want our emissaries to be under the age of adulthood (the younger the better) AND virgins AND to have never "acted with hatred towards another in their hearts" AND to have never cast any Dark magic. Which I tried to get them to define, because from how they were talking I didn't think they just meant the Cardinals, but all they'd say was that whoever we sent must not have been "corrupted by the touch of the magic ruled by Mars", whatever that's supposed to mean, Merlin I am so tired of trying to get them to make bloody sense

So. On the one hand, hurrah for getting them to agree to allow some of us in to collect supplies. On the other hand, that's a bloody inconvenient set of restrictions, and it doesn't escape me that our youngest members -- the ones most likely to meet their requirements -- are also the ones who are least likely to be able to take care of themselves in the Forest, which is bloody dangerous at the best of times. And given the state of the Hogwarts curriculum, do we even have anybody who's never cast Dark magic?

I'm not going to ask about the virginity thing, that's just awkward all around, but can any of you say for sure that you've never cast Dark magic and have never "acted with hatred towards another in your heart"? (And how would they tell about that last, anyway?)

Comments

[alt_evelyn]

I cast confundus on Cormac McLaggen once, when he was trying out for Quidditch.

It was awfully petty of me, but I don't think it was with hatred in my heart, though. I might have to think further about it, so I can be sure.

[alt_evelyn]

And there's theoretical Noble Arts, which is different from Practical. We mostly study theoretical backgrounds, write papers, and watch demonstrations.

[alt_frank]

What about Hagrid? Can he keep an eye out?

Private Message to Charlie and Colin

[alt_frank]

Not going to happen.

No bloody way.

Not without supervision.

Re: Private Message to Charlie and Colin

[alt_charlie]

Not gonna argue with you, mate, you're her father and I'm not, but ask yourself if that's the father talking or the soldier. What will you do if she's the only one of them who qualifies?

Re: Private Message to Charlie and Colin

[alt_frank]

The NEWT level students who are the top of their classes and competing for places on the council couldn't cut it in there. And they went in teams, for

And yeah, not having the centaurs actively attacking might make it slightly less dangerous.

But even if we could be sure that she meets the requirements, the vague as hell requirements that we wouldn't be sure she met until she tried it and didn't get

It'd still be a risk I'm not sure we should take.

Re: Private Message to Charlie and Colin

[alt_frank]

I don't like the idea of Luna out there alone either.

Re: Private Message to Charlie and Colin

[alt_frank]

(Mr L, Charlie, I might also qualify. I'm Luna's age, and they didn't say it had to be a girl, did they?

If all three of us gave it a try as a team, we'd fare pretty well, I think.)

[alt_charlie]

Yeah, I asked him to keep an eye out a while back. He says he hasn't seen anything -- apparently the unicorns have narrowed down their territory quite a lot after that time Voldemort and the Death Eaters went hunting them. The spots they frequent now are the spots Hagrid won't go, because it's deep in centaur territory. He's on good terms with them, but not that good.

[alt_draco]

I think I speak for almost everyone when I say no, none of your younger members meet that set of criteria.

[alt_hermione]

Luna might.

And I'd trust her to handle herself against almost anything in there.

Except maybe the spiders.

[alt_draco]

Perhaps. But why not the spiders?

The rest of us will simply have to continue along the path of utter degradation and debauchery.

[alt_pansy]

An enormous hardship, to be sure.

[alt_hermione]

Because they're giant spiders.

[alt_draco]

I'm aware, but I have an feeling that even the spiders might leave her be.

Not that I think we should put that to a test.

[alt_frank]

(I was just saying to Mr L and Charlie that I might be able to lend a hand as well, and that if it was all three of us, we could have a fair chance at keeping safe.)

[alt_frank]

(That's to say

I don't intend to presume on behalf of Luna and Evs.

But I believe I'd qualify. And I'd want to put my name forward.)

[alt_evelyn]

That is a thought, yes.

[alt_sally_anne]

What about Neville? He's also avoided Dark Arts, anyway.

Can any of you younger lot (other than Neville) apparate? Because, at least you'd be able to get away from the giant spiders, if you ran into them.

[alt_sally_anne]

And I mean it's Easter hols so if Luna and Colin and Evelyn haven't learned apparition yet it's a good time to do some lessons.

[alt_evelyn]

I'm practicing over hols, and Colin Apparates with dad all the time, so I'm pretty sure he's solid on side-alongs.

[alt_frank]

(You can Apparate in the Forest? That makes things easier, hey?

I'm used to taking Mr L all over the place, I'm pretty sure Evs or Luna would be easy.)

[alt_sally_anne]

I guess I don't know. It's Hogwarts grounds that are the boundary, and I don't know if the whole forest is on the Hogwarts grounds, or just part of it, or none of it.

Mr Macnair would know.