faderift | Our aspirations are wrapped up in books

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Our aspirations are wrapped up in books

WHO: Hermione Granger and Open!
WHAT: There's a new ~~witch~~ mage wandering around Skyhold. Come say hello?
WHEN: Backdated to her arrival near the end of Guardian and onward throughout Drakonis.
WHERE: ~~The library.~~ All over Skyhold. ~~But mostly its library.~~
NOTES: Feel free to run into her pretty much anywhere, or have her run into you. And be prepared for all the questions about your character and Thedas/their homeworld and everything in between.

If not for the fact that Hermione had spent so many of her formative years in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Skyhold might have been overwhelming

As it was, the sprawling fortress was a little hard to get used to, since the academic environment that had given Hogwarts some sense of structure amidst the chaos wasn't present here. There was a library, thankfully, and she spent much of her time there, though it was so small that she was certain she'd end up reading every book in there in two weeks' time if she didn't actually go out and explore the rest of her surroundings.

And so every so often, she pried herself away from the cold little corner she'd set aside for herself and wander the rest of the area, though granted, she more often than not was carrying at least one book with her. Usually it was one of the books that had survived the trip through the Fade; anyone who might spot her in the garden or tavern or a safe distance away from the sparring going on in the training grounds might notice her engrossed in such unfamiliar titles as Hogwarts, A History or occasionally digging through Spellman's Syllabary in the vain hope of finding recognizable runes on various inscriptions throughout Skyhold.

After all, just because she was endlessly fascinated by all the new people and cultures and history and magic, it didn't mean she didn't occasionally need a bittersweet reminder of home. Especially when her other major reminder was her wand, which - despite the fact that she'd taken to finding the most solitary places she could find and practicing with it harder than she ever had the night before an exam - still wasn't behaving properly at all. Apologies to those of you who end up slipping on some wayward ice or getting sprayed with pebbles from a spell gone wrong.

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Smiling a little at that enthusiasm, Hermione gently shook her head. "Thank you, but I really don't know what you'd be able to find here that would help me with my specific kind of magic. I have some books from home here, and I don't know that there are many ingredients for potions that could be found around here."

Shrugging a shoulder, she added, "But if you happen to come across any books that might relate to using magic without utilizing the Fade, I suppose that would be incredibly helpful. So long as it doesn't involve going out of your way."

"I'll look," Ariadne chirped, straightening her spine.

She knew next to nothing about magic. Only what she'd seen the Elf students studying in the mission school while she was relegated to a corner to read or do lines or solve arithmetic problems.

It all looked so interesting.

And more than that, Ariadne felt the need to be needed. She hated being useless in Thedas. It wasn't a color she understood.

"What? No, of course not!" It's not quite offense, after all Hermione doesn't really know her, and a good number of people are very outspokenly anti-mage. It's more the idea that someone so new to this world is already fully aware of how ugly things can be.

"Has someone treated you poorly?" Her expression darkens, even as he moves a piece forward, almost absently. Her opening moves are ones she could pull in her sleep, and this is a far more pressing issue.

All things considered, it's a bit odd for Hermione being on this end of things. Oh, she's used to being looked down on, but that had been because she'd bee raised a Muggle. Now, some Thedosians will likely look down on her because she can do magic. People will never be satisfied.

Frowning a little at the mention of Emma's parents, Hermione's face takes on a look of genuine sympathy, with a bit of dread mixed in. She'd heard of people being surprised that her own parents hadn't abandoned her because of her magic, but she'd never spoken to anyone who'd actually experienced that sort of thing. "I'm... sorry. Do you just mean that they think magic complicates things, or do they bear some sort of actual grudge...?"

She can't help smiling at the enthusiasm Josephine exudes as she talks about her country. Hermione can't imagine ever getting so excited about England, though maybe she can understand eventually missing the wizarding world so much that she just wouldn't be able to help it. So she lets Josephine speak, not seeming to mind having someone else babble for change. Besides being polite, it all also happens to be fascinating.

She manages to hold off her questions for the end, since she wouldn't want to interrupt the woman in the middle of a flow. There's a pause, since she notices that little swell of... something near the end. Is it emotion? It certainly sounds like it. She supposes there can be any number of reasons for the people here to be emotional, but if Josephine is willing to work past it, the least Hermione can do is respect that and try to help her along.

"That's all very interesting," she murmurs, tilting her head curiously. "No standing army? Really? I was beginning to get the impression that all of Thedas has been in the middle of various wars for ages; but I suppose that just comes from the fact that the vast majority of the people with the Inquisition are constantly armed. I should like to visit Antiva sometime before I find a way back home."

Because she will find a way home. She's sure of it. She has to be, because if she doesn't assume that her stay in Thedas will be a temporary one, it raises too many questions and concerns, the kinds that even Hermione isn't cut out to address.

Though Hermione quickly relaxes at Mia's response, her question earns an emphatic shake of her head. "No! No, no, nothing like that! I've actually met some very decent people here, and given some of my research and what people have been telling me, I just feel like I'm a bit overdue for seeing that side of Thedas for myself."

Looking down and carefully moving another piece as she tries not to be disoriented by the shape of the board, she murmurs, "Not that that's a complaint, mind."

"Thank you," Hermione replied, smiling a little. "Now that I mention it, though, maybe I should go do a bit more reading rather than attempt anymore practical magic. That's what happens when you end up in a world in which you've never read any of the books."

Moving to stand up, Hermione carefully scooped the little blue fire up in her hands, only to pause as she looked down at the other girl. "Are you cold? I don't know how long the flames will last, but if you're going to spend much time out here, you're welcome to them. They shouldn't spread, and they'll be warm when you hold them but shouldn't grow unbearably hot. If they do, I'd suggest dropping them and covering them up with dirt, since they're waterproof."

She smiled, but shook her head. It was a little cold, but she didn't want to risk taking the fire up into the trees with her. "I'll be fine, but thank you very much."

Ariadne rose to stand in one graceful movement, offering Hermione another bouncy, little curtsy.

"I'm glad to know you now, Hermione," she said. "I hope we can talk again soon."

Nodding in response, Hermione decided to keep the small fire with her, at least until she got back into Skyhold proper. She wouldn't want to cause a fire in the library, after all.

"Well, if you'd ever like to come look for me, I'm more often than not in the library. You're welcome to get in touch with me whenever you'd like."

"Oh. I'm so sorry to hear about that." From how she had talked and smiled about him before, Sam would not have thought that- He falls silent for a moment, giving a light sigh as he rubs the side of his neck slowly.

Good thing they had a change of topic.

Each generation had fewer people who could use magic? Wouldn't the Chantry just love something like that here. "You use a wand to cast magic? How does that work?" He knows of wands, but they're not exactly the best thing for a mage to use to focus their magic here. "Well, I'm not sure what kind of energy you're pulling from. Here magic is tied to the Fade. If you aren't able to connect to it..."

It's sort of surprising how many people she has fond memories of are no longer among the living. Surprising and depressing. But that's what happens after a war.

"If I'm not able to connect to it, then I'm out of luck," Hermione murmurs, smiling mirthlessly as she carefully tugged her wand free from her sleeve, holding it do that he would be able to examine it, if he wants to. "I focus all of my energy through it, as always, but nothing haas been coming out quite right. Of course, I can still do some magic, and I've heard it theorized that those of us who came through a rift have some sort of direct connection to the Fade anyway, but... all I want to know is how to do my basic offensive and defensive charms. I don't like not having any way of protecting myself, especially considering what things had been like when I'd arrived."

He might not have put it that way, but yes, not being able to connect to the source of magic here would leave her in a bit of a bind if magic was what she relied on.

It takes a moment for Sam to realize that the item that she is pulling out is the wand in question, but when he does his brows raise and her carefully takes it to give it a look. The design is certainly nothing he's used to that's for sure. He's definitely still paying attention though - so she has been able to do some magic.

"Well the shard in your hand does seem to give you a connection to the Fade considering we've seen them close rifts. Course I wouldn't suggest trying to channel energy from it to do magic... might just open up a rift." And no one wanted that. "Considering you can do some magic, it sounds like you're just not used to tapping into the Fade. Can you only cast spells through the wand?"

Honestly, this is a rawer wound than Emma is letting on. It wasn't even that long ago that her mother wouldn't trust her to hold her baby brother because of her magic. That losing control and nearly hurting her father had earned her mother's fear and revilement. Emma can't quite imagine what it must be like, if she were in Snow's shoes. She just hopes that her reaction would be a little different. Instead of making her feel like a monster. Or trying to suck all the potential for darkness out of her before she was even born.

"They don't have a great history with magic," she decides on, and that is certainly not untrue. Considering all her parents have gone through at the behest of dark magic and curses, she can sort of see why it wouldn't be an exciting ability in their daughter. "It's fine. Can't be easy, especially when they don't get what it's like."

She holds her breath when he takes hold of her wand, half-expecting for his magic to have some sort of negative reaction with it. Nothing like that happens, of course, so she breathes easier after a few moments.

"I'd rather not have any interaction with this Fade or these rifts if I can help it," she murmurs. "It's not impossible for someone like me to cast spells without a wand, but wandless magic is usually more difficult and requires a huge amount of focus. I'd rather work my way up to that, if I ever attempt it at all. If I can't even handle the spells I've been performing as a child, there's no sense in getting ahead of myself."

"So they know it exists, and they've seen the dark side of it?" Hermione can understand that, she supposes. She'd done something that she'd considered unforgivable in order to keep her parents safe during the war, erasing their memories and giving them new lives so they could effectively keep their heads down. Once the war had been over, she'd been terrified of going out in search of them to undo the spell, not wanting to see the look of hurt and betrayal on their faces when they realized what had happened.

But her parents hadn't looked that way at all. On the contrary, they'd been happy to see her, to remember her, and they still hadn't thought of magic as inherently evil, even with the way it had completely disrupted their lives for so long.

"Have you tried talking to them?" she asks carefully, not wanting to make it seem as though she's glossing over Emma's problem. "Parents can be more understanding than their children give them credit for, sometimes. Maybe if they knew how you feel about what you're going through, they won't worry about whatever their history is with magic. After all, they have to know that you wouldn't hurt them, right?"

He can understand not wanting to have anything to do with the Fade or rifts, but he's not sure how that will work. Just ignoring the shard on her hand wouldn't help, and as for the Fade, that's where they got their magic from here - unless there was something else Rifters could draw their magic from? Hm.

Handing back the wand he hums some in thought. "Have you considered trying to use a staff? That's what we use here to help focus our magic."

"Korrin suggested that to me," she tells him as she takes the wand, carefully slipping it back up her sleeve. "It seems a bit more... cumbersome than what I'm used to. Besides, my wand is made from magical elements found in my world; if I use a staff crafted here, I have no way of knowing whether I'd still be able to do any magic with it."

Unless she draws it from the Fade in earnest, in which case, she couldn't just ignore it anymore. She's not sure that's an option she really wants to consider at the moment.

"I'm not suggesting that you give up on using your wand, but rather work your way up to it? Like you just said. It might be beneficial to practice with something from this world as well as your wand just so you know how." If the wand had magical elements it could have reacted in some way with coming through the rift - they had to figure out what now.

"Think you can show me how you unusually cast a spell?" He's not used to mages from other worlds so he's a bit curious.

"Yeah." To say the least, her parents have seen the worst magic has to offer. Thanks to the curse, it had stolen decades away from them and kept their family apart for so long, it was hard to feel like a proper family anymore. Her mother was stuck with a woman that had grown up all on her own and didn't turn out quite the way she'd hoped. Emma frowns and looks down, because this wasn't the way she expected the conversation to go — especially not here.

It's sweet of Hermione to be concerned. Emma doesn't think that the cracks in her relationship with her parents will be fixed with words, though. She hopes that, for the most part, things are well. Granted, that had been before she took on the curse. If her parents had been afraid she couldn't handle her magic before, were the chances really that great they could trust her with dark magic thriving inside of her?

"Hard to talk when they're not here," she says, and it's mostly an evasion. The conversation has gotten a great deal more personal than expected, and that means Emma is quick to change it to something else. "Has practicing your magic made it easier to use it here?"

Hermione nods slowly, clearly thinking it over carefully. "I just don't want to end up doing anything that will upset the natural balance of things; that's how magic tends to work, isn't it? There are certain limits, and attempting to stretch those limits could have some... unfavorable consequences." Granted, she doesn't plan on doing anything as drastic as building a Horcrux or seven, but she'd still rather not risk anything going awry when the mage situation is already so precarious here.

The request surprises her a little, since most mages don't seem overly interested in seeing her magic in action. "Um... all right." She turns away, then, not wanting to end up pointing her wand towards where people are still sparring, and looks around for something she can safely use her magic on. Deciding to take both his and her own advice and start small, Hermione gets out her wand again and gestures towards a rock by a nearby tree. In a low, careful voice, she flicks her wand and murmurs, "Wingardium Leviosa."

It had taken a few tries when she'd first arrived to get it right, but now that she's more familiar with how to direct her magic, it's no trouble at all to get the rock floating several inches off the ground, even rotating slowly in mid-air. Even so, she's careful to keep her wand trained so it doesn't end up flying off and hitting anyone, just barely managing to split her attention enough to say, "This is one of the first charms I've ever learned, and even this takes a bit more concentration than it should. Its very basic spellwork, and we'd started off with a feather, just to make sure no one in the class hurt one another. I've been able to lift much larger, heavier objects; and people, too, but I don't much like doing that. It scares them."

Hermione knows this is a somber sort of conversation to be having, but if it's been brought up, then it's certainly worth having. She can tell by Emma's body language that it's been weighing heavily on the other woman's mind, so she's glad to help her talk it out, if she feels that's what she needs.

But given the sudden shift in the conversation, that's not how she feels at all, and Hermione's willing to accept that. "So-so," she answers with a bit of a shrug. "At least I know not to put in so much energy in some of them and to put in more in others. Part of how I direct magic is with the movement of my wand, you see, so I've had to experiment a bit with focus and directional shifts. So I'm slowly relearning even my most basic charms. It's been helping, more or less. I haven't started any fires or blown anything up, so that's a start!"

She's not sure how facetious she's really being, and that's sort of depressing, so she shakes it off with, "If you'd like, maybe we can practice our magic together. I'm sure there must be other rifters who know magic; if they've figured out their way around the initial bumps in the road, they can surely help us and any other people who might come in later down the line."

Don't worry, Hermione, it's not personal. Emma struggles even admitting upsetting things to herself, when it comes to other people her track record is even worse. She's more likely to tell her boyfriend than she is her parents, and that's because she suspects she's not going to get any judgement from him. She's experienced first hand, multiple times, that's not the reception she gets from her parents. Maybe that's the problem with being the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming — there's no way to measure up to the standard they'd left behind.

"That's got to be hard, not to have it," Emma frowned. She had used a wand a grand total of once, so her magic wasn't really predicated on it. If that was what Hermione was used to, it had to take a lot of dedication to circumvent the way she had learned. Dedication, and bravery; what if something went wrong?

At the offer, Emma is quite conflicted. Being open about the fact she has magic does not seem like a good idea to her, not when it's discouraged in the natives and she's not exactly welcome in Skyhold just being a Rifter. That said, it would be good to have an ear to the ground, and an understanding of how others were able to manipulate their magic in a new world. Maybe it could help her manage her control a little better. "I don't like everyone to know, not with things the way they are." She doesn't regret that decision, either. "But if we can find a way to be careful, that might help."

"Oh, I still have my wand. It's just... slightly better than useless here, unfortunately." In all fairness, it might be broken, but she doubts that anyone here would be able to repair it properly. Unless someone wanted to take on a project of searching for vine and dragon heartstring, but she doubts she'll find anyone who'd take that upon themselves, and she certainly isn't going to ask. "I've been told using a staff might be easier, but I don't know; potentially running for my life with a staff strapped to my back or in my hand just sounds like a recipe for disaster."

At Emma's confession, Hermione's about to explain that she'd be in no more danger than the entire Council of Mages combined, since Skyhold doesn't exactly seem to hold much of a grudge against them. But it's Emma's choice to keep her magic under wraps, and the least Hermione can do is respect that.

"Fair enough," she tells her. "It doesn't have to be advertised that you can do magic. After all, from what I know about your world, it would make complete sense that you'd be interested in magic whether or not you could do it, so no one who isn't a mage would have to know what you're capable of. Or no one outside a smaller group of mages, if you really feel the need to hide."

"Not sure what the natural balance of things are here, but I'm sure you can't do worse than what we've already experienced. We've had a giant breach in the sky that probably would have destroyed our world if left open, rifts are opening left and right letting demons in from the Fade, we've got people dropping in from other worlds... Unless you can manage to top any of that, pretty sure you'll be alright."

Well he's a bit strange, not like most mages. The surprise has him smiling, raising his brows to see if she'll actually do it, which grows when she agrees. Seeing her turn away he takes a step back, just in case considering she's mentioned she's not used to casting in this world yet.

It takes a moment for him to catch sight of what she had done, but when he does he gives an approving hum. Looking to Hermione he can tell it's taking a lot of concentration. "That's impressive. I have to ask though... those words. You have to say something in order to cast a spell?"

"Huh." That's all Emma has to say as she contemplates the idea of a magical item from a different world not working in this one. It makes her wonder if that means if the dagger ever showed up here, it wouldn't work the way it was supposed to. That is sort of a terrifying thought, because Emma desperately believes she needs something that is capable of stopping her if she needs to be stopped.

It is her curse that keeps her more evasive about her magic. In a better circumstance, she might be willing to participate or be open about what she was capable of. Not now, not when she was basically a monster, haunted by darkness that always clung to her thoughts. She wasn't sure it was wrong to be afraid of her, yet she didn't want people to know and try and do something to protect themselves from her. So far she'd managed to control herself, if she had to try and fend off attacks... she couldn't know what would happen.

"Sounds good to me. Thank you." Emma wanted to learn more without painting a target on her back. Hermione was a great deal braver in that respect.

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Page 12 of 15

Our aspirations are wrapped up in books

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she's always been good with magic words! o/

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