[x] Follow Quirrell to the Headmaster's Office
[x] Follow Quirrell to the Headmaster's Office
[X] Follow Quirrell to the Headmaster's Office
With every choice going by and not picking helping the boy I feel worst and worst as the possible threat grows. But Shinji still has an issue going back on his own to help them and really what can another first year do. Best to go with Quirrell and then be able to bring them up at the Headmaster's Office where a Phoenix ride might speed up travel to them and bring someone that could actually help them.
I know that Patronus is a hard spell for most people but it seems like no one remembers that they can use the spell as a means of send messages.
And was it just me or did Shinji just have a tsundere moment about Hermione of all people?
Last edited by Skull Leader; January 23rd, 2018 at 02:08 AM.
Neither Quirrell or Pomfrey are on record as being able to cast a Patronus. As for Patronus Messenger, that's something that was only really used by the Order, since others didn't have a high enough concentration of Patronus casters to warrant it or to make it properly two-way communication.Originally Posted by Skull Leader
Thus, the only way is to go by foot, especially since no one thinks of the house elves!
"You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think." - A.A. Milne
[x] Follow Quirrell to the Headmaster's Office.
Albus can apparate within Hogwarts (headmaster privilege) so it may be faster to tell him of his friends' situation himself and warp there, rather than run back.
Last edited by Daiki; January 23rd, 2018 at 06:53 AM.
[x] Go back to the bathroom to check on his friends
What is wrong with you people.
Don't let the boys alone.
[x] Follow Quirrell to the Headmaster's Office.
Shinji hurries to catch up with the longer-legged Quirrell, who raises an eyebrow as the wayward student joins him, but says nothing as he makes his way through the castle to where a large, ugly stone gargoyle sat against the wall, glowering menacingly at the approaching wizards.
"Sherbert Lemon," Quirrell declares, whereupon the gargoyle leapt aside, revealing a slowly ascending circular staircase. "After you, Mister Matou."
The two ascend briskly, reaching a oaken double door which swings upon at a touch.
The room within was quite interesting for Shinji, given how large and spacious it was - the size of a full classroom, perhaps, or larger, and splendidly furnished. Elegant wooden furniture could be seen here and there - large bookcases almost overflowing with tomes, an enormous claw-footed desk, overstuffed chairs. And all around the room, portraits of old headmasters and headmistresses stared down at the visitors who had dared to intrude into the office of the master of Hogwarts, serving the function of making any visitor seem small in comparison to the occupant of the office.
"Quirinus, and Mister Matou," the Headmaster says kindly from behind his desk, where he had apparently had been working on some paperwork. "What brings you here?"
Shinji was about to explain when--
"Argus is in critical condition," the Defense Professor interjects quickly. "Poppy requests a emergency Floo connection so he can be taken to St. Mungo's."
"How...?" he asks, though Quirinus cuts him off.
"Mister Matou will explain later. Unless of course, you value knowledge more than Argus' life..." Quirrell lets those words hang in the air, as Dumbledore stiffened.
"Fawkes!" the man barks, and in a flash of light and a flapping of wings, the Headmaster disappears.
"Ah, yes, I'd nearly forgotten," Quirrell says with a slight smile, as Shinji just stares at the space where Dumbledore had been sitting. "The headmaster's familiar is a Phoenix, which confers upon him abilities some might consider...unnatural."
"Now now, I say. Don't go slandering the Headmaster, Quirinus," a nasally voice declares from a shelf behind the desk. Looking more closely, Shinji can see that it seems to be the shabby, tainted witch's hat that had been used for the Sorting.
"Now now, it is hardly slander if it is true," Quirrell rebukes mildly. "Nor do I necessarily consider a natural state to be a good thing. We are but animals when we are born, just like the Muggles, and only through our efforts do we become something...more."
"True, from a certain point of view," the Hat concedes. "I trust the coming explanation will at least be entertaining? Albus is entirely too quiet when he does his work. Never puts me on or talks to me at all. A tragedy, really, since Godric did not gift me with sight."
"I can see how that sort of existence would be a torment," Quirrell notes. "Being powerless to change your fate. Always being at the mercy of others. Taken for granted. I could not bear such a thing."
"...sometimes I still wonder if I should have sorted you into Slytherin, Quirinus, given the scope of your ambitions. Your reach always did exceed your grasp."
"Well, if it doesn't, what's a heaven for, I say?" Quirrell replies. "In any case, I like to believe I did well enough as a Ravenclaw, what with becoming learned enough to become a Professor."
"That I cannot dispute," the Hat concedes.
With that, the Defense Professor turns to Shinji.
"As for you, Mister Matou...it would best for all involved if you were to remain here so you can explain the situation to the Headmaster when he returns. I will go to check on your friends, if that is acceptable? Unless you would prefer for me to remain here, of course. The choice is yours."
What does he do?
[ ] Agrees to let Quirrell check on his friends
[ ] Asks to go with Quirrell, since he feels uneasy
[ ] Asks Quirrell to wait with him - Dumbledore can get them when he returns
[ ] (write-in)
Last edited by alfheimwanderer; January 23rd, 2018 at 10:33 AM.
"You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think." - A.A. Milne
[x] Asks Quirrell to wait with him - Dumbledore can get them when he returns
Things are getting worse and worse.
[x] Agrees to let Quirrell check on his friends.
Let him take care of the boys. He wouldn't want to harm students from his special class. Not at this point anyway.
Shinji's clearly shaken after seeing what happened to Argus and wouldn't be of much help in case of danger. (Unless he freaks out upon seeing something that doesn't suit well with him and turns Berserk - but I don't think that's something we want either)
Also, staying where he is allows to interact with the portraits and the sorting hat. Perhaps learning some interesting Hogwarts intel (like what the hell is the CoS, for example) from previous headmasters, or maybe even find out the pensieve.
I'd rather have Albus with Shinji when he goes down.
Last edited by Daiki; January 23rd, 2018 at 11:47 AM.
[x] Agrees to let Quirrell check on his friends.
I agree with Daiki here. Thought I do not like trusting Quirrell at all but there is no reason in character to doubt him. And honestly if we did not have out of character knowledge we would be treating him far differently.
I have to ask Skulkid is there a reason why you are choosing to wait with Quirrell here? I would think you would want Shinji and Quirrell to go now. At this point I can swing in any of the three choices as the part I felt strong about has been done and now its a matter of how we want to finish wrapping it up.
Last edited by Skull Leader; January 23rd, 2018 at 01:48 PM.
Because I don't trust in that guy, the boys find the chambers of secrets and we don't what Quirrel is gonna do with that information.
I know than he is gonna do something to the boys if he find the chamber of secrets, maybe not now but later.
I would be ok to go with him if you want only because I want to see his reaction to the chambers of secrets.
You make a fair case on that front. If we have both stay it feels like a waste and Shinji not caring about the boys. If we let him go, who knows what he will do. And if Shinji going with him is not going to make him act differently.
I realize that we do in fact have a few options that open up being in the Headmaster Office that might help at the moment. My following write in idea might have some risks to it and be a little more than I suspect Shinji might come up on the fly but it can be done I believe.
[X] Write In: Plop the Sorting Hat on Shinji head and bring it quickly up to date with events. Then summon an House Elf and have the elf deliver the sorting hat to Dumbledore. And then go with Quirrell to check on his friends.The idea here is that bring the hat up to speed to the past events and current game plan will happen much faster due to its ability. Granted it might not be the greatest of ideas if Shinji has to lower his mental defenses to do this when Quirrell is around but its fast and time might be of essence. The House elf speeds up Dumbledore receiving the hat rather than waiting around for him to get back to his office. This allows Dumbledore as backup when he is done with his current task. An issue I see with my idea is that Dumbledore gets the version of events from the hat based on what it can grasp from Shinji so it likely will spoil any spin we want to put on the events recount.
Last edited by Skull Leader; January 23rd, 2018 at 01:42 PM.
Just a reminder, Shinji has no idea of house elf capabilities. Nor would using the sorting hat as a messenger come to mind, really.
"You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think." - A.A. Milne
Like I said, Quirrell has no reason to harm the boys at this point. There are his potential pupils.
But if you are that worried, you can ask the help of the portraits, who would have ways to travel faster across Hogwarts, to request Dumbledore to retrieve Ernie and Phelan.
I did state that it might have been a leap too far but I would think that Hat as a messenger idea would of popped up when it was talking to Quirrell like a person just now. So IE it can talk to Dumbledore and inform him of what they are planning on doing because its holding an conversation and can remember information given to it. Maybe the hat wearing part is too much sure but thinking the Hat can repeat a message to Dumbledore? I think that not too far of a jump.
And the entire wizard world seems like they don't know what the House elves can do. At any point so far someone could have summon and elf and relay a message to the other but at last, wizards do not pay attention to the lowly House Elf and their ability to pop around, ignoring wizard wards.
I know that JKR's Hogwarts is not the most rational place in the world by any means imagine but you would think with the number of people that get almost killed over the course of the time Hogwarts have been open that they would have an standard operation procedure in place that allows the Hospital Matron to be able to establish a connection to Murgos in an emergency and/or have some form of a hot line connect by portrait or something to the Headmaster's Office.
Magic - It can do so much yet no one ever can seems to use it to it fullest ability.
Last edited by Skull Leader; January 23rd, 2018 at 01:53 PM.
[x] Asks to go with Quirrell, since he feels uneasy
Ofc Tom would perfectly handle the task alone - but don't think a bit of burden would affect the dark lord much. Let's be more interactive, take part in the rescue.
It can do that, but without a means of transport...
It has been many years since the House Elves were vanquished, and so, like many conquerors, the wizards have become complacent concerning the abilities of their slaves - or of other inhuman beings. There is more than a whiff of wizard supremacy among their policies, after all, which the Ministry under Voldemort was only a symptom of.And the entire wizard world seems like they don't know what the House elves can do. At any point so far someone could have summon and elf and relay a message to the other but at last, wizards do not pay attention to the lowly House Elf and their ability to pop around, ignoring wizard wards.
Why worry about beings who have been bound to obedience, after all? And who probably don't go out of their way to show how they flout wizard wards?
Only the Headmaster has the ability to allow/disallow Floo connections, and most disallow it due to security reasons. They don't want random people popping in and out. They have never seen fit to give someone else the ability to set up such a connection - mostly because such is rarely needed, especially with a wizard's passive reinforcement. Besides, what real injuries would one normally suffer at Hogwarts? Nothing quite as bad as what Argus has, except if you come face to face with a troll or dementor or other being who shouldn't be at Hogwarts in the first place.I know that JKR's Hogwarts is not the most rational place in the world by any means imagine but you would think with the number of people that get almost killed over the course of the time Hogwarts have been open that they would have an standard operation procedure in place that allows the Hospital Matron to be able to establish a connection to Murgos in an emergency and/or have some form of a hot line connect by portrait or something to the Headmaster's Office.
Of course, when you're dealing with a squib, who has no magic to fall back on, well...
But again, wizards don't consider non-wizards very much. Why would they?
Consider that they are human, and thus...fallible. People tend to be products of their societies, and someone like Albus Dumbledore, as powerful and learned as he may be, is no real exception.Magic - It can do so much yet no one ever can seems to use it to it fullest ability.
Last edited by alfheimwanderer; January 23rd, 2018 at 02:02 PM.
"You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think." - A.A. Milne
[x] Asks to go with Quirrell, since he feels uneasy
I'm not sure how Ernie and Phelan will act if they see Quirrell alone, so it probably will be better if Shinji explain what happened.
Ok I change my vote to:
[x] Asks to go with Quirrell, since he feels uneasy
This is not gonna end well no matter what.
[x] Asks to go with Quirrell, since he feels uneasy
A/N: This should be interesting.
"Actually..." Shinji says uneasily, clearly hesitant, though he manages to get the words out anyway. "Could I come with you?"
"Oh? Do you not trust me, Mister Matou?" the Defense Professor inquires, raising an eyebrow.
"Uh, I, uh..." the boy begins, feeling rather uncomfortable.
"No?" Quirrell asks for confirmation, letting his question hang in the air ominously. When Shinji doesn't reply, with the boy looking at the floor, unable to meet his eyes, the man nods, the corners of his lips tugging upwards. "Very good. Trust should be earned, not given, and I have not given you any reason to trust me, have I?"
Shinji blinks, feeling incredibly out of his depth as he looked up to see the Defense Professor smiling.
"What."
In that moment, the boy knew what it was to be truly, terribly confused. He'd said he didn't trust the man - a teacher - so why was the professor seemingly happy about this?
"I remember you as being particularly hard of hearing, Mister Matou, whatever else your faults." the Professor says genially enough. "Impatient, brash, and full of surprises and secrets, but not hard of hearing. If you want to come with me to rescue your friends, come, by all means, but do keep up."
So the man explains as he is already halfway out the door, with Shinji having to hurry to catch up to the Defense Professor's longer-legged stride.
"So Mister Matou, you come from a foreign land, yes?" Quirrell says, turning to the boy, who only nods. "And you have an interest in...potions, yes? Given that you apparently are under the influence of Mopsus."
"Yes?" Shinji hazards, not sure where the man was going with this line of questioning.
"Then let me ask you...did you ever hear the tragedy of Nicholas the Wise?" the man inquires solicitously. When Shinji looks confused, the man just chuckles. "I thought not. It's not a story most wizards would tell you, as it's not one which involves much in the way of wands or duels or impressive magic. It's a tangled yarn about a troubled man, one who gained prestige and power by chance - yet squandered it all."
"Power and prestige?" Shinji echoes.
"Nicholas Flamel, called the Wise, by some, was a wizard who some honor as the greatest Alchemist to ever live. They say he created the Philosopher's Stone, an artifact so mighty and magical that it was said to be able to turn lead to gold, to heal any disease or wash away any curse...even to create life itself. Indeed, with the Stone in his possession, he could even keep himself - and those he cared about - from dying."
"He could actually save people from death?" Shinji asks incredulously, taken aback.
"Indeed," Quirrell confirms. "Alchemy, you see, is a pathway to many abilities the majority of wizards would consider...unnatural." The man smiles. "Even for a man who once made a living among the muggles as a scribe and manuscript salesman, because he had little talent with a wand. But few remember his less than illustrious past, or how his rise to power was due to a...stroke of fortune. You see, one day, he came into possession of a certain set of notes left behind by a Sage from the east, and in reading it, learned enough of the secrets of the art of Alchemy that he could pass himself off as its greatest Master."
Shinji blinks, scarcely able to believe that such things happened in this new world of his - though he supposes he shouldn't be too surprised, since that seems like something a magus would do.
"What happened to him?"
Quirrell chuckles.
"What indeed?" the man asks rhetorically. "He became so powerful that the only thing he was afraid of was losing his power, which eventually, of course, he did. In his fear that others would learn of his deceit, he hid those first notes too well, and in time, forgot the secret of making another Stone. What secrets he did remember he entrusted to his apprentice, and his apprentice...well, you can guess the rest, can't you?"
"His apprentice betrayed him? Stole the Stone?" Shinji fills in questioningly.
"If I say he did, would you say he was wrong in doing so?" Quirrell inquires. "You see, the fame and long life that Flamel enjoyed was not rightly his in the first place, so is his apprentice at fault for claiming from him what he claimed from another?"
"Uh, I...."
Matou Shinji finds that he can't answer such a question, at least, not confidently. What is it that Quirrell wants him to say? What can he say?
"I'll give you a bit a of a thought experiment then, Mister Matou," the man continues. "If you had the opportunity to take the Stone for yourself, without anyone being able to stop you, would you do so? Imagine it - the greatest artifact of Alchemy at your fingertips, one that you could pass off as your own creation with some years' effort, giving you fame, wealth, and power untold. Would you claim it?"
Shinji's mouth goes dry as he imagines such a thing.
To have an opportunity like that...if he was thought to be an Alchemist of that level, a Master without peer, no one would ever laugh at him again. Would ever look at him with pity or scorn or all the things his family once - and still - did.
"I..."
"You don't have to answer," Quirrell says, almost gently. "After all, it is obvious what your answer would be. What anyone's answer would be." The man shakes his head. "The final chapter of the story of Flamel is not yet written, nor that of his Stone. Returned to him, stolen by his apprentice, stolen by another, destroyed? Who can say?"
Shinji felt his chest constrict at the thought of such an artifact destroyed. Such a thing - such a thing which could cure any disease, overturn even death, destroyed? No, that would be senseless, criminal. And yet...
"I can feel your outrage at the thought, Mister Matou," the Defense Professor reproaches him. "But outrage alone accomplishes nothing. Remember, there is no such thing as good or evil, only power..."
"...and those too weak to seek it," Shinji fills in, nodding. "I understand." He clenches his fist, as his body shudders. "Right now, I'm still weak, aren't I?"
"Much like your peers, though you, at least, have the wisdom to realize this," Quirrell says in affirmation. "Know what you are capable of, and know what you lack. Build upon that, and become strong."
"But I..."
"There is no shame in admitting weakness, only in languishing in it, or using it as an excuse," the Defense Professor notes. "Let me ask you - do you know why I structured my challenge as I did? So that one could not use wands?"
"...no. Why?"
"Because too many of your peers believed themselves to be strong. To be worthy, simply because they were wizards. Simply because they had been chosen by a wand, and could do some simple spell," the man explains, shaking his head. "In Wizarding Britain, to wield a wand is to possess power - so I stripped them of their wands, took away what they thought made them powerful, saw what they were capable of when reduced to their wits and their bare hands. So many in Britain look down on Muggles, you know - those born without magic - considering them almost a lesser race. Some consider them toys, some consider them worthy of protection - but none of them see Muggles as equals, even though they have accomplished so much without the so-called benefit of magic." The man laughs, a low, almost sinister sound. "Do you know how amusing it is, that by and large, those who passed were born of Muggle parents? Those who were spared from falling victim to the assumptions that spread from generation to generation? Those who understood that the most powerful weapon a wizard had was not their magic, but their mind?"
"...I'm not a muggleborn," Shinji protests ineffectually. "I'm..."
"A half-blood, but not one so blinded by the thought of your lineage that you forget what you are."
Shinji narrows his eyes.
"And how do you know that?"
"Because I knew your mother, Aisaka Mariko," Quirrell answers flatly, the answer freezing Shinji where he stood as his mind momentarily shut down. The man sighs. "Do keep up. It would be inconvenient if you were to be ambushed by some well-meaning simpleton."
"I...uh...yes."
They reach the bathroom without further incident, making their way to the pipe.
"After you," the man says graciously, gesturing to the opening. "Unless you wish me to go first?"
[ ] Go down the tunnel
[ ] Ask Quirrell to go first
Last edited by alfheimwanderer; January 24th, 2018 at 01:56 AM.
"You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think." - A.A. Milne
It was already at that level. We are starting to have discussions about stone stealing and trust from Mr Quirrell. It has gone beyond that point.
[X] Ask Quirrell to go first
Not that would do anything if Quirrell decided to do something to Shinji but after a talk like that how could you just go ahead and walk in front. He approves of these kind of decisions.
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