How to bottle movement?
Since his first year at Hogwarts, Thomas had spent many hours in the library, sometimes to fetch material for his homework, and sometimes just to pass the time as there really were all kinds of books to be found here. Today however, Thomas had left the comforts of the Hufflepuff common room for a different reason. For a long time now, Thomas had always dreamed of being able to enter the world he had drawn countless times. He wasn’t sure if it was even possible, but he figured he’d at least try, after all he owed that much to his younger self. But before even thinking of doing that he wanted to make his art move. After all what was the point of entering a static picture?
In the wizarding world, there were different means of animating static images, the many portraits and tapestries of Hogwarts were one such example, yet the magic behind it was beyond Thomas’s grasp, with him being a twelve year old and all, much to his chagrin. However charms and enchantments were but one way of animating things, and he knew well enough of magical photography. After all, the pictures in the journal moved, and there were also moving family pictures at home.
While painting a magical portrait required well, magic in the form of enchantments as well as a magical subject if only because a portrait’s sentience depends on the magical prowess of the subject, and not that of the artist. Magical photography was, as far as Thomas knew much easier. You take a picture, apply a certain mystery potion, wait some time and voilà, you’ve got an animated picture. With that in mind, Thomas was looking through all kinds of books on potions in search for, well the name of the potion, and if luck permitted it, a recipe.
The potion he was looking for was called the Developing Solution, a brew that had the ability to develop any kind of film into a moving photograph. Now of course, looking for something without knowing it’s name is a very tedious process, as Thomas was beginning to realise. I should have asked mum about this… Or Professor Asmaralaya really… This is like looking for a needle in a haystack. Surrounded by piles of books, Thomas sat at a table near the potions section, not his usual seat, but that way he wouldn’t waste time putting the books away.
OOC Notes: I'll add a banner when I've made it
Suspended in a frigid fantasy
Sta 6 . Eva 7 . Str 5 . Wis 10 . Arc 6 . Acc 6
Prodigal Charms | Calming Presence
How to bottle movement?
26 September 2026, Library
With @Thomas Lancaster
365WC
As year go by, Millie's curiosity grew even more. First, clearly for the magical subjects she never know about. About magic's existence itself. How could it be become the biggest secret society ever. The magical beings too. That kind of supernatural things she heard the rumor of, actually, maybe, part of the magical world too. Who knows? She actually still learning about that. She can't swallowing all that informations just in one sitting.
For now, her curiosity landed on how magical's chemistry worked. Potions. And honestly, she secretly admitted that it slightly looked like how she imagine about the witch brewing that suspicious thingy concoction. Stirring something that beyond imaginary inside the cauldron which god-know-what was inside that. Although some potions, from what she had learnt in the class, actually used as a medicine; yet using ingredients she still have a big question on it.
Circling the potions shelves, Millie casually pulled out one of the books she realized that wasn't, yet, on her next potions' project. Love Potions. Reading it briefly, she then make that crooked grin on her face. That was quite pathetic, she thought inwardly. She remembered something she read from one of the fiction book just last weeks, using something similar like this love potions mentioned. She just ... didn't like the idea. She thought that person was chanted by consuming that concoction, yes? So whatever the potions had effect on, was merely fake, is it not? It was not their true feelings. Why they still wanted to used that?
Millie put back the book to its place. Ready to leave for another interesting books she could reach for.
However, her step halted when she saw a boy sitting not far from this potions section, reading something Millie thought was interesting from how the page was opened show the moving picture. Video? Picture's gif? But then she remembered she ever saw that once when she went to Diagon Alley.
"How could that happened?"
The girl widen her eyes once she realized she asked that question out of her breath and not only in her mind. She quickly pursed her lip, pretending to be busy looking for another books so she's not considered to be nosy.
Stealthy little one, who has
cat's Grace & Sixth Sense
cat's Grace & Sixth Sense
How to bottle movement?
After making little to no progress, Thomas had the idea to look at books on photography, an idea that proved more productive than just skimming every potions book the library had. For one Thomas had learned that muggle photography and wizarding photography were pretty much the same, the difference being the developing process, which did involve a potion, though he hadn’t yet found out it’s name, to his displeasure. Not that the history of photography was boring. Well it was, but Thomas had read more boring stuff in other tomes.
Thomas was looking at examples of moving pictures when he heard a girl’s voice. She was asking how that was possible. Now considering the proximity of the sound, it was likely that she was asking about what he was just reading. So just to be sure, he turned his head slightly to confirm things, and once he was sure enough, he actually replied.
“Wizarding folk can make photographs move thanks to a certain potion whose name I’m looking for. As for the book, I’m guessing it’s the work of enchantments, to simulate a moving photograph. It could also be the work of the potion, I suppose, though I’d need to learn more about it to be sure.” As he finished his sentence, he turned to properly face the girl. She had fair skin, ash-brown hair, sitting at shoulder length, her eyes were greyish-brown, and she looked like she was doing something else, but being the only other person around, it was clear she was the one who asked.
Suspended in a frigid fantasy
Sta 6 . Eva 7 . Str 5 . Wis 10 . Arc 6 . Acc 6
Prodigal Charms | Calming Presence
How to bottle movement?
26 September 2026, Library
With @Thomas Lancaster
353WC
Is that so?
Millie pondering hard. Still many questions lingered inside her head. Somehow, she also thinks that if those moving pictures in the corridors can be categorized as moving pictures by enchantment like the boy said, or the original individual who captured on it just morphed into it themselves after they passing ... Yes, that was a wild thought, but who knows?
Then again, it could used potion too? She admitted she didn't know much about potions yet nor she intend to mastered it for the next future, but just think of it can makes the picture moving until the paper shred by time, that'll probably a quite potent potions, is it not?
Or ... that come from its tools. Enchanted camera? Enchanted brush and paint?
"You sound like you know a lot about that, or maybe you just really interested in it," she said as she running her finger to the books in the shelf before her, maybe with that she can help him looking for more books related to the topic he just mentioned earlier. "That's cool. Say, do you prefer photographed picture or drawing picture?"
Once she asked that, she pulled out some books of potions that maybe he looking for, also with charms books just block away from the potion section. She bring the books to the table he was occupying, sitting right before him. She did that so casually like it was just her routine with herself alone, like he never been there; only realizing that fact once she rise her head and the boy still looking at her with silence judgement on his eyes. Worse of it, she knows nothing about him nor she introduced herself first like her parents always told her as a form of good manners.
"Uh, sorry for the late introduction. I'm Millie," she said with a polite, brief smile. Her hand reaching for one of the charms books she put on the table right in the middle of their reading space. "If you feel uncomfortable with me being here and just want to be alone, I can move to another table?"
Stealthy little one, who has
cat's Grace & Sixth Sense
cat's Grace & Sixth Sense
How to bottle movement?
The girl didn’t reply immediately, though judging by her reaction Thomas could tell something had piqued her interest, or at the very least puzzled her. At any rate, she spent some time to mull it over, her fingers running down the spines of the books in front of her. At some point though, she asked him whether he preferred photography or drawing. This was, by all means an easy question, one that Thomas didn’t need much time to think about.
“I’m actually not that big on photography. I mean, it’s pretty neat and all, especially the fact that every shot depicts something that’ll never happen again. So it’s basically like freezing time in a way.” And that was true, any moment captured in a photograph was a snapshot of the present, something that preserved scenes exactly as they were, but… photography wasn’t where Thomas’s heart was. Drawing felt more freeing, he could draw whatever he wanted and that would make it real. Photography was the other way around, you have to capture something that already exists.
“I much prefer drawing, it’s just more… me in a way. Um… Sorry that’s kinda vague. What I mean is that I’m more interesting in fiction, and drawing lends itself more to that.” After he gave his two cents on the matter, he noticed that she had brought over books from both the potion section as well as the charms section. Was she helping him? Or maybe she was looking for something else entirely. That’s probably it, right? I mean she did come here for a reason…
Then the conversation stopped, and she sat down in front of him putting down her own pile of tomes. Thomas watched in silence, curious though he didn’t let it show, his face a blank canvas. It wasn’t long before she broke the silence, hastily introducing herself with a polite smile on her face. It wasn’t particularly warm, then again it was more than enough for introductions, at least it was by Thomas’s reckoning.
“Don’t worry, I haven’t introduced myself either. I’m Thomas, by the way.” He offered a small smile, before continuing. “Feel free to stay, it’s a public place after all, not like I own the table. Besides I wouldn’t be here if people made me uncomfortable.”
Suspended in a frigid fantasy
Sta 6 . Eva 7 . Str 5 . Wis 10 . Arc 6 . Acc 6
Prodigal Charms | Calming Presence
How to bottle movement?
That was clear and to-the-point remarked, she thought.
Not that Millie hated it. Rather, she prefer people acts like that with her. Open. Not two-faced. And definitely not a drama queen. She somewhat felt relieved knowing this boy, Thomas, certainly not the type she will worry about. Although his silence is sometimes still too obvious for her even though she can tells that no judgment on his eyes whatsoever, she just ... have this odd sense of calm and safe around him, like he really is an innocent soul whom in entire life never ever hurt an ant or fly.
So with that, Millie makes herself comfortable at her spot and mind her own things while Thomas doing his owns too.
The bold title on one of the books she brought reads Legilimency. Mind reading, to put it simply. Another one of talents which quite a few people would certainly skeptical about it, if she talking about her hometown people. Honestly, including her. Actually, she half believe it now. Not because now she is part of that questionable, magical world herself that everything impossible now possible. Not that simple.
People can be more complex than that. Also, they can be more simple than they thought themselves. Confusing, yes. They cannot exactly be said standing on the white or black side. It is gray side. Equally have their own good and bad side each, depends on individual if they are on brighter gray or darker gray.
Same as fiction (recalling his reason why he likes drawing more than photography). It is indeed imaginative products. But where the idea came from? From what they ever had seen. The reality itself, combine with a creativity. Unicorn and Pegasus: imagination if the horse has a rhino's horn and big bird's wing.
She never really contemplated herself with those topic. Rather, Millie intrigued by them both. Non-fiction to gain more her knowledge, while fiction gain more her creativity and imaginary.
26 September 2026, Library
With @Thomas Lancaster
326WC
With @Thomas Lancaster
326WC
Stealthy little one, who has
cat's Grace & Sixth Sense
cat's Grace & Sixth Sense