A Cultivating Inquiry PV Pericles Finished

"The ides of March are come."

March was an especially magical month for Pericles Dralt. This year, he had become privy to many a strange scheme simmering under Hogwarts' surface. There was the debatable incarceration of Harry Potter, as well as the disappearance of their Headmaster to consider, and something to do with hags on the premises. Each subject sent him diving deeper into the library. At times, his search only took him so far, and he would often be spied casting wistful glances towards the Restricted Section. Thus far this afternoon, its secret tomes were not needed. He had gone about erecting one of his infamous book fortresses, gathering a selection of literature into short towers. This meant many trips back and forth between table and shelves were necessary, and so he coasted like a ship at sea, ever drifting to his little isle with many shipments of information. It was on one such voyage that an eye-catching spread of imagery intercepted him.

Coasting by Willow's table with a faraway expression, the lad's strange silver stare was aimlessly exploring passing surfaces. He, too, still wore his uniform robes. Though class may have concluded for the day, the Ravenclaw simply did not have time to change. It would have meant precious minutes wasted on appearance alone, and Pericles' priorities lay with work over wardrobe. He had, however, rolled his sleeves up into tight cuffs at the elbows. This allowed for faster page turning. His present prize was tucked under an arm: The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self Protection by Quentin Trimble. Its leather was worn and the golden engravings had dulled with time, yet he carried it close, secure as precious treasure. One would think him utterly preoccupied, what with his purposeful gait and distracted expression. Yet he had seen something simply destined to catch his eye: an Ouroboros. It was an image which had followed him through life, saturated into his everyday experience at home, snagging him by the subconscious. His step slowed, eyes blinking as if roused from a dream. The symbolism was like a lighthouse, glaring enticingly through the murk of more familiar studies. Hardly realizing he had slowed to a crawl some paces away, he let his focus dance across the open books, curiosity called by moon cycles, herbology, ritualism.

As if by afterthought, he belatedly spared a glance at the one leaning over it all. Their eyes met, and upon finding himself at the other end of a kindly smile, the young wizard was bolted from his haze. Oh, a person was reading all of those books! Now, in the coming months, Pericles would have plenty of encounters with which to hone his social graces. But those experiences had yet to come. In the month of March, his interactivity was still rusty at best, and- rather than simply say hello like a normal young man- his head scrambled to compose a socialization strategy. He was staring, for one. More rudely yet, to the budding academic, he was interrupting her work. Yet how his hungry mind leapt at the opportunity to learn something new! He would apologize for the first bit, surely, though he would divulge in departure from etiquette for fascination's sake. Yes- that sounded like a tactical approach.

"Sorry," Pericles stated suddenly, then smiled, mouth making a relaxed curve though his eyes focused with a weird intensity. He spoke politely and with pristine enunciation, albeit with a gentle mellowness that belied formality. "Hello. Are you studying alchemy?" Perfect execution, the tiny voice of reason in his mind assured, golf-clapping. While intimately associated with potion-making and transformation, alchemy was an advanced branch all its own. It surely was not something meant for the younger Years....

@Willow Anderson

Reducio

Interacting with @Pericles Dralt

Willow wasn't aware that being at the library today came with a side of bird watching. She caught occasional glimpses of the young boy gathering stats upon stacks of books, as if today was the last day he could ever read. There was something to admire about the House of Eagles, their dedication and continual thirst for knowledge seemed never ending. Even if they might not be completely enthralled with the subject. The dedication was one Willow couldn't match, if she wasn't interested in the topic then she found it to be an extremely hard one to focus on. Much was the case for her and transfiguration, it was absolutely her worst subject. With Herbology, of course, being her best one.

Eventually the boy wandered close to her own table and let his gaze wander over all of the materials she had chaotically laid about the table. While their gaze met and she smiled he still seemed, well, not quite in reality. She returned her gaze to the page in front of her. She didn't mind a silent audience, and she didn't want to force him into a conversation that he may not want to be a part of or start. Well, until he did start one with an apology.

Her eyes flickered back up, this time setting down her quill and leaning back into the chair she was in. If there was any a time to take a break, it was now. When there was a new friend to be made. "Ah, no need to apologize!" She stretched her arms out to loosen her limbs from being crouched over journals and paper. A small giggle coming out when he mentioned alchemy, "Nope! But I definitely see how you could think that." She took a deep breath before launching into a well practiced and rehearsed definition for what she does at home.

"So, at home I actually practice muggle witchcraft. Specifically green witchery, which means focusing on elements and plants. But, I've been doing my own research outside of that which is why I have... so much. Most of this is from my home collection. Right now I'm focusing on transcribing the old notes, into my own notebooks. Illustrations done by yours truly~" She nearly sang the last part with pride, and gently pushed the old one towards the curious Ravenclaw. "I'm Willow by the way. Do you want a friendship bracelet?" A kind smile turned into a bright one that glanced towards the bracelets in question.

Laughter, a smile, reassurance- all were queues he hadn't just invaded upon a moment of crucial study, and for that, Pericles was relieved. His smile stretched at the sound, blooming from a small casual thing into a grateful grin. Had she shooed him off, he would have understood, though this was a far more favorable outcome. Not only was she not cross with him for snooping: the girl launched into a premeditated explanation. The smile faded, not due to dwindling happiness. Passing inquisitiveness had turned to wide-eyed wonder while Willow regaled him with the generalizations of her practice. The lad had nearly reached for a book, but his hand hesitated upon hearing these belonged to a family collection. Few students dragged more books to school than what was on their required materials list. If she had taken the trouble to bring literature from her family's stock, they were surely significant, and it was no wonder why; he had a feeling this library would not have an abundance to say on the matter.

Pericles had a vague knowledge of "muggle magics"; his father- who was typically more than willing to indulge his inquisitiveness- spoke very little of it. Questions about how the wizarding world regarded these devotions was always brushed off. Political business, the man would gruffly digress, evidently assuming Pericles wasn't at an age for such societal complexities between their kind and muggle mages. Those words, muggle and mage, had once seemed like perfect antonyms to him. Though the more he learned with time, the more he was bewitched (pun intended). Willow's introduction to the topic was answered with a low "Oh" of intrigue. It seemed he needed a moment to absorb it all, and more importantly, to think of how he could ask questions without offending her in some way. His father's reluctance to address the topic left him feeling it was too taboo to pry. Yet pry he must- how couldn't he, when this witch seemed so inviting and open about it all? She gave her name, even offering out a bracelet, and his smile returned twofold for a flash of pearly teeth.

The colorful heap was silently scanned before he plucked, from its midst, a simple band of blue and grey. He did so with a "Thank you" which somehow managed to be both quiet and enthusiastic. "Pleasure to meet you, Willow. I really like your drawings." He'd taken a gander at the picture pushed his way, yet was still reluctant to touch anything. It all radiated importance now that he knew what it was about. "I'm Pericles, but most folks call me 'Peri'." Sliding on the accessory, Peri took a moment to admire it on his wrist before cautiously, carefully, ever so warily venturing: "Could I... ask you some questions? About 'green witchery', I mean." He rested a hand on an empty chair's back, met her eye with a hopeful look, and tacked on hastily: "If you don't mind."

@Willow Anderson

Interacting with @Pericles Dralt

Willow felt like she was witnessing a careful curiosity. One that didn't want to go too far. Hands hesitant to touch what might be considered artifacts to her, questions held back instead of immediately blurting out. Perhaps that was the difference between Willow and the newly introduced Pericles. She was always the one to jump to involving herself into other people's lives without an invitation, without a pending acceptance at that. Peri had seemed to master the art of asking permission in friendship and questioning. Perhaps while she taught him, she could learn from him as well. How to be courteous in invading what appears to be a studious and productive space, rather than one that begs for questions and conversations.

She always loved talking about this magic, especially to others within the school that could never see muggles as magic in their own sense before this. There were a lot of people who seemed to be in complete denial of muggles even deserving to be at the same school as purebloods. Her thoughts momentarily flashed to a particularly venomous snake, Percival Gray. What started as an interaction of concern out of the goodness of Willow's heart turned into a battle of if muggles deserved what they had in terms of being welcomed and accepted into this new and unfamiliar world. It was something she quite struggled with herself, wondering if her muggle background would always be something that would hold her back.

For now, she was the expert in this subject. For once, she held the magical knowledge that others lacked. The advantage of being wizard born suddenly flipped, making her the one with the secrets of the energies on this Earth. She was the keeper of the secrets that she continually tried to distribute to others, as if it would be the muggle salvation of equality.

Her hand reached up letting wavy tresses of blonde unleash onto her shoulders and back and give her scalp a break from the tight hairstyle of concentration. Her smile somehow grew even more when he plucked an almost house colored band and quickly put it on his wrist. She started to close and stack up some of the books to make room for him and his what she expected to be a barrage of questions that she could hopefully answer or at least, find the answer within the worn pages. "Peri~ I love your name. It suits you too." Sometimes names seemed to just not quite fit within the persons personality, but looking upon this bright young scholar, she couldn't think of a better one.

With a dramatic flair of her arms widespread as a 'come at me' motion she spoke, "Hit me with all you got! Feel free to look through any of these too, they're old, but not so old that they'll just fall apart at your fingers. Although," She cast a glance at where he kept disappearing with stacks of books, seemingly abandoned at this point. The poor house elves. "You don't seem like the kind of person that would just like destroy a book with a single read either. Those kids at my primary school always made me quite cross." She pushed once more, the family's spellbook that she had been working on towards him. "This is a collection of my family's tried and true spell work if you want to start there. We create most of them ourselves." While they did use various resources from the world wide web, often they relied on their own knowledge of basics and genuine intuition to guide them in what they needed to set their intentions forth into the energies of the world.

Politeness was an art form, or so Pericles' parents often said. In order to improve upon it, one must practice regularly, though this was always easier said than done when one was so young. Innate curiosity had been held back by the harness, gripped tightly in etiquette's hand. For all his tranquil airs and delicate tones, the gleam of fascination in his odd eyes implied his inquisitive nature was positively chomping at the bit now. Pericles wasn't one to take his upbringing for granted. A youth saturated in staunch tradition and magical mysteries had prepared him for Hogwarts, for wizardry, for his future. Yet he was all too aware of his lacking knowledge beyond his family's lifestyle. Finally in a "public" school of sorts, he at last had the opportunity to mingle with mages from many backgrounds. He had befriended a half-blood, raised all her life in a muggle environment, who had all sorts of slang and traditions he did not understand (but wanted to). He had befriended a fellow pure-blood, and found comfort in their similarities, though seen her clash terribly with the aforementioned individual. Differences were not always pleasant, though they were always an opportunity for learning. A witch who practiced both the magic he knew, and the sort his father would not so much as speak about, practically glowed with potential knowledge.

The compliment inspired a crinkle on his nose's bumped bridge, brought on by another toothy smile. "I like your name as well," the boy enthused at a library-appropriate volume. "Very clever of your family- you're far more informed than me, I'd wager, but my mother once told me that willows were called witch's trees, back when their thin branches were popular for binding broom twigs and the like." Permitted, he drew out the chair, sliding into the seat across from her. His hands remained hesitant to touch the tomes. Tempted though he was, Pericles looked between they and their owner, scanning her drawings while carrying on quiet conversation. "And, in ancient Greece, they used to associate the willow with the afterlife because of the way a broken cutting could create an all-new tree." That was his in: abstract knowledge. Symbolism. History. He may have been deprived much muggle information, but he had fragments of experience, and he always pursued new slivers of fact with which to fill the gaps between them. Mind divided between their table and home, Pericles dreamily recalled, "She keeps a garden, my mum. She believes there's iotas- traces of magic- in most all living things. Even plants that aren't potions ingredients. I always thought that-" a falter, caution catching up to him again, and he peered over the rim of his spectacles towards Willow the witch, "-that muggle magic was, a sort of means with which muggles sense those iotas, or... something to that effect?" He was doing his very best not to blurt How does it work?

@Willow Anderson

Interacting with @Pericles Dralt

The sharing of knowledge was one that she valued, obviously not enough to warrant entry into the house dedicated to that, but she felt quite at home within the badger den so she didn't exactly mind. She pulled her legs up to sit criss cross on the chair, any sign of intense concentration was gone from her posture. Her eyes had softened in intensity, now talking to a friend rather than glued to careful strokes upon parchment. It was a release she needed without realizing it. She could often get stuck for hours doing green witch work without giving her mind and body a break.

Willow eagerly leaned forward, placing her head propped up in her hand as the boy relayed information about her namesake. Her eyes glittered with interest as he gave her information that she never knew. Especially the tidbit that willows used to be called witch's trees. The name seemed to fit her better than she ever knew. "My mom just told me that she named me Willow because those are her favorite trees. Her name is actually Owena after my grandma Rowena, and my middle name is Rowena to kind of keep that going but she wanted my first name to be something else so it didn't get too confusing in the house. I'll have to tell about this! I wonder if she knew that but that's really neat that you know that. How do you even remember all that on top of studies here?" Her brain constantly felt crowded by the ever shoving force of new knowledge into her mind that seemed to always be working to accommodate the new while keeping the old. Although, it hadn't been nearly as flooded as that first night she walked into the Hogwarts castle. She had felt like she could just explode from how overwhelming that first night was.

She tilted her head at the mention of his mum and how she felt about nature. She couldn't be a green witch right? Then Peri wouldn't be so interesting. "I still don't know whether this is rude to ask... but were you wizard born Peri? Or are you a muggle?" Some people seemed very touchy about their bloodlines. Some interactions she had previously had with some very proud purebloods made her usually stray away from the question, not wanting to be looked down upon for her own heritage. "But I mean, you're on the right track yeah. Or, I guess your mom is. It's not so much that we sense the.. uh, what did you call them? Idahoas? Aota? Um, those." A blush creeped across her face as she faltered on the new word.

"There are different kinda of witchery, right? So there's like kitchen witches that bake their intentions or cook up what they'd like. There's witches that work mainly with astrology and astronomy and the stars and stuff like that." Quickly she flipped through her book that listed out the different types of witches and energy work they did and slid it over to Peri. "It's all about kind of manipulating the energy of the universe to work with what you want. So, if you need a little extra happiness, or some health. Maybe you have a test coming up, or honestly, I've started doing a lot of protection work since coming to Hogwarts, just some extra alertness and awareness since everything is so new."

She grabbed another journal of spells and flipped open to a tried and true protection spell. "That's the one I usually use. So yeah, there's energy in everything. Everything comes from something right? Like tables can be made from trees, that has energy. Candles from wax from bees, those have energy. Crystals from the Earth, those have energy. So it's about using those energies in ways that benefit yourself, family, friends, et cetera." She paused, tucking some hair behind her ear and looking up at him. "Am I going too fast? I know this can be a lot to some people." She thought if there was anyone who could handle an info dump like this, it was a Ravenclaw. But she didn't want to make him disinterested because of all of her rambling.

@Willow Anderson

As Willow's posture slackened, so too did Peri's. He folded his forearms atop the table, formally straight spine bowed as intrigue pulled him in, body relaxed but eyes attentive. It seemed that the pair shared a devotion to study. Now both were due for a break, or in the Ravenclaw's case, learning through socialization rather than being buried in books. Naturally, his smile sprang wider when she mentioned the name Rowena. "Sensible," he agreed with an amused hum, glancing at her Hufflepuff house crest. The irony would have been sublime had they shared his House. Before he could delve into the Germanic roots of that name, she'd asked how he managed to juggle obscure factoids with school stuff. That toothy smile turned shy. Pericles gave a short shrug, briefly considered the contents of the table, then shook his head and met her eye as he answered. "Memorization exercises. I haven't been to public school before, but I had a ah, academic upbringing."

It was as much an invitation as any. Pericles breathed a light "Oh," straightening slightly, eyebrows arched as he insisted "No- no that isn't rude a'tall. I don't mind." That wasn't to say that most would mind a great deal, and he didn't need to know about Willow's poor experiences to know as much. The lad practically scrambled to be an exception. "My parents are pure-bloods: a Dralt from my father's side, and mum's a Saltgrave. Our manor's in Plymouth." This was explained cheerfully, nonchalantly, as if the names were known and everyone had an ancestral manor lying around. Despite how happily he had replied, it was his turn to be tentative as the young wizard asked- intuition at work- "If your family practices muggle magic, are they... do they practice this magic as well-" he pointed vaguely at the library ceiling "-like you?"

The boy didn't bat an eye at the mispronunciation, only nodding his encouragement. Pericles remained rapt, still save for when he propped his jaw atop left knuckles, forehead furrowed gently in concentration. The parallels were striking and made matters easier to absorb. There was kitchen witchcraft in their world, certainly. But he had a feeling the type which Willow mentioned wasn't quite the same as what he'd read about in Greta Catchlove's Charm Your Own Cheese. And of course, they had their own Astrology class here at Hogwarts, though the way Willow described theirs seemed more intimate, somehow. It was more like a means of communication with magic as opposed to putting reins on it. There was no jotting of notes, nor the distracted daydreaming look he wore in class. The Ravenclaw was vividly trying to fold her words into his memory, though the seriousness faded to talk of improved happiness or health, and- having managed not to interrupt up intil this moment- he softly squeezed in "Protection work...? What do those rituals look like?"

Pericles was passed his favorite method of learning: books. It was a chance to study the imagery, skim a list of instructions, and admire the care and precision with which the process was written. "Sort of how... wands and brooms of different woods have different capabilities?" He was trying to link the new information to what he already understood. Lifting a page by the edge so as to better inspect the illustration, Peri murmured more to himself, "I wonder how much of our magic correlates with this, or even if it is factored in a'tall...." The considerate question had him blinking up again, smile springing back as he insisted "No! This is... incredibly helpful. I don't mind fast facts, or an abridged version. It's a great deal better than the nothing I was given 'til now. Though, I hope you won't mind if I wind up picking your brain for more details sometime." The expression was more of a grin at that. Willow had opened a door to a special breed of knowledge which wasn't taught at Hogwarts, and he'd be a fool not to seize the opportunity.

Interacting with @Pericles Dralt

Maybe she should hang out with more Ravenclaws... maybe then she would do better in classes. Not that she did particularly bad, but she faltered in details. Big pictures she could work in, but when it came to particular details about spells or potions they would get lost in her mind with the other details she was trying to memorize. Her eyes faltered for the first time in their conversation in making eye contact and diverted to glazing over the pages and volumes in front of her. "Do... Do you think maybe you could teach me those sometimes?" She almost felt a bit embarrassed asking for help in academic work when she could rattle off a million details about the stuff they were talking about now. There was a feeling of constantly being behind as a muggle, and she was tired of it.

A small sigh of relief came from not being chewed out by her question, especially from a pureblood who seemed to be the most uptight about asking. Blood lineage was something that she still didn't quite understand the full... importance of. She nodded attentively as he said his parent's last names. Was that something... people did? "My mom's side is Anderson, and my dad... uh... actually I don't know because he took my mom's last night to carry on the Anderson legacy since he has siblings but she doesn't. So, I think they told me when I was little but I don't remember. Um, is that... do people... say their parent's last names in... wizard culture? Is that a thing I should be doing when talking about my family? Oh goodness, do I have to find out my dad's last name?" Ah wizard culture, if there was anything to make Willow fear being incompetent it was that subject. Hopefully Peri wouldn't mind helping her out in that regard with her helping him in a muggle regard. Tit for tat with culture perhaps.

Her eyes followed his point to the library ceiling, raising an eyebrow in mild confusion. "I mean they taught me- Oh! Oh! Like, this magic? No. They're just a couple of muggles. I'm the only one in my family to have the extra special magic gene." She wiggled her fingers in front of her to emphasis the special-ness of it. "Sometimes I do wonder if that was... a reason for me to get it you know? I'm still confused as to why it's just me in my family with that." She looked down once more. "Sometimes it feels like a mistake that I was supposed to be the first one." She shook the thought out of her head quickly, this was not a time for contemplation about her deserving to be at Hogwarts.

It was nice to be asked questions about what she did, how things worked. It made her feel like Peri was actually interested, even if it was a façade that would end up with him laughing behind her back for it. She would allow herself to live in the brilliant curiosity without fear for now. "Well, it depends on the protection ritual. Sometimes it can be cleansing stones with protection properties to carry around with you. If it's a spell jar that's an entirely different process, casting just a spell in general and asking my God and Goddess for assistance in protection is the most personal one. It's mainly envoking the elements, calling them into the casting circle, asking my God and Goddess to be there with me and assist me, and cleansing and powering everything with intention. Its.. a little bit harder to explain." She watched him actively take in the pages in front of him, he seemed too interested for it to be a joke. That thought slowly left her head.

"Yeah, basically! Everything has different meaning and symbolism." Her eyes were alighted with a fire of Peri actually understanding the material that she put in front of him, and couldn't help but giggle at his comment about magic correlation with hers. "You know, I actually went and talked to Professor Kibitzer, the new Divination professor? My family actually practices some form of divinations, and like pendulum magic doesn't really exist with wizards. But tea leaf reading exists in both, there's just this extra element of... magic. That changes what can happen. It's still... confusing for me to think about how they're different. I doubt that the wizarding world takes inspiration from muggle witches though. I feel like I'd be a lot more of an expert if that were the case."

She nodded happily knowing he wasn't getting overwhelmed. "I'm giving you somewhere between the fast facts and abridged version. You can borrow some of my books if you'd like, especially the ones I'm not using right now. Or, I could even owl you some beginner's books. Or I suppose I could just find you in the Great Hall and deliver them during a meal. I always love teaching people about this, so I'm just glad that you're interested." She started looking through her stacks of books and creating a small stack of just two beginner's books that she had on hand for him to take. "This is one about herbology, but make it muggle magic. The other one is the basics of how someone would cast a spell, and some of the basic spell outlines."

@Willow Anderson

Houses, like horoscopes, were to be interpreted with a grain of salt. Though the scene unfolded true to the tones of "Hufflepuffs are friendly" and "Ravenclaws are studious", there was a little more magic to the matter. Willow was humble and accommodating, generous with her unique branch of study. Pericles was open to learning, showing little shame in acknowledging that this was a subject he knew little about. The moment she asked if he could share his memorization techniques some time, he visibly perked in his seat, sitting straighter as his smile renewed. "I would be glad to," the boy insisted. He offered a tidbit in passing. "Generally, I try to make what I call 'memory webs'. You find a way to tie new information into what you already know, such as... I remembered that willow was called witch's wood because my mother has a willow wand, and now, I will remember your name because- well, you're a witch named Willow!" This was among his simplest (and in his opinion, cleverest) tactics of retention. It seemed an unfair trade compared to the wealth of knowledge (plus bracelet) which the witch provided, but Peri internally insisted that the next time they had a flashbomb study session, it would be his turn to literally and metaphorically spread his expertise on the table.

Willow's spontanious visitor was utterly attentive as she shared her surename, though his eyes went wide on hearing that her father had taken her mother's name. "Really?" It was unheard of among his ilk, but bold and deeply selfless. Then, lest she mistake his astonishment for disapproval, Peri was quick to tack on: "That was extraordinary of him." His enthusiasm once more halted in its tracks when Willow asked whether or not exchanging last names was a common pratice. "Oh," he murmured softly, "I... I don't know. Maybe it's more common among purebloods? Come to think of it, I don't know how often other magical families place stock on surenames.... It's something of a tradition to make connections with family businesses, to sort of, uphold mutual traditions." That was how his father had explained the matter of lineage to him, in short. Yet there always lingered that unnerving, pervasive concept of "purity", particularly the twisted ideology that old-blood families had some biological advantage. It was a conflict which twisted the young heir's stomach into knots, something he was more inclined to ignore than confront. For now. Thus it was with a coy, contrite style of smile that the lad asked about her parents, trying to emphasize the innocence of his curiosity: "I hope you don't mind my asking."

Willow's patience held out against the strange, overly-inquisitive little wizard which had sprung upon her research and heckled her with inquiries. She indulged him on matters both factual and personal, even sharing the fact that she was the only magical person in her family, a tidbit which elicited a wondering stare. It was traded in for shock when the witch admitted she often wondered if this was a mistake. That silvery stare rounded, then averted, and a pensive crinkle formed on the boy's brow. It seemed to him that what followed was an attempt to pretend the sentence never slipped out, and he would permit it to be pushed aside, but Pericles wouldn't lose sight of it. His studious face was donned once more while she spoke of rituals, prayers, elements and intentions. He sensed he was being given the framework for something nuanced and elaborate, though this was more than enough for an introduction to the topic. "My mother's a diviner!" It was the one compulsive interruption, interjected in an attempt to relate. "I've watched her do readings, particularly the astrology-based methods, though I don't know if she's ever practiced with pendulums."

To borrow a book on a subject Pericles had been denied was equal parts honor and scandal. As when he'd first scanned the tomes, there was an air of fragile reverence for the materials she so casually handed him, both herbology and spell books cradled carefully close. "I'm just glad that you're interested." His answering nod was almost over-enthusiastic as he insisted "I am." A shift of materials and he was writing on a scrap of parchment, scrawling "Pericles Dralt" followed by the names of both books. "A mentor once told me that we take notes as an excuse to forget things. There's less responsibility to remember something when it's written down... but frankly, I think we have enough on our minds at school to warrant keeping some notes." Having finished, he passed the parchment to her. "So you don't forget who has them. Thank you, Willow. I'm really grateful. These are thins I've wondered over a for a long while. If it's okay with you, I might owl you with some questions while I read. The next time we meet, though, I would like to return the favor. Anything 'wandy' you want to know about, you need only ask."

Exiting thread.