Underwing Fin.

@Mahlioz Evethisawe

Pericles glanced up at the sound of her voice. His smile was instant, matching the note of pleasant surprise in his speech when he said "Oh, good. You're here." He pushed himself up to a lanky height, reaching out with an upturned palm, treating this hilltop rendezvous with the same respect as a formal proposition. Criminally pureblood, this guy. One thing they shared was an aversion for small talk. Small talk was for friends burning time at the dinner table. They had come here with a purpose, and he wasn't about to waste time for either of them. Only this time, pleased as he was that she actually showed, he reasoned it wasn't too soon to bother with names. "Pericles Dralt," the boy stated mid handshake. When asked about the spread of notes, Peri sank into the corner opposite Mahlioz, folding his legs and opening his arms in a half-heartedly theatrical gesture.

"'All this' is an introduction. I've been trying to piece together what I call animagi cornerstones: things to take into consideration before pursuing the ability, namely the risks and rewards." The Ravenclaw spoke with a level, lecturely cadence of one who had given this subject much thought. He motioned between the papers while explaining himself, as if somehow, the scattered parchment followed a filing system that only he knew. Starting with disclosures was a good way to weed out anyone uncommitted. "In my second year here, I created a group for students hoping to become animagi. I've been studying the process since, meeting with those who've undergone it, and training to take it on myself. My ritual succeeded just two months ago." Which was to say, if Mahlioz was going to approach this by the book, she'd come to the right place. Before the stranger could get the impression that he was going to bore her to death through exposition overload, Pericles added with a less serious, more humored drawl, "S'posed it would be easier for others if I made an abridged version of my notes."

With the way his fingertips came to hover over the array, he looked like some sleepy-eyed fortune-teller about to read her fate through cards. "Any questions off the top of your head?"

Banner was made by the great Fang Yun-Xin

Date: 21 October 2023 Time: After lunch

Interacting with: @Pericles Dralt Mentions: @Irina Shevel

English | French Thoughts

All three of Mahlioz's previous worries disappeared in an instant when the bird boy greeted her. His smile was genuine and his words sincere - he didn't think her an idiot, nor had she misunderstood his invitation. And that made being social a million times easier. Thank the stars. He held out a hand to shake and Mahlioz did so, relieved there would be no awkward standing around wondering how to go about this interaction. Surprisingly, his next words were (presumably) an introduction, and Mahlioz got to know his name a lot earlier than she was expecting. Pericles. That was quite the name. It sounded greek, though she couldn't be sure. It also fit him like a glove.

Returning his smile, she said "Mahlioz. Mahlioz Evethisawe." Then she added "She/they," just in case. Had she done that wrong? Was that how you were supposed to introduce yourself? No, wait, she was overthinking things again. She pushed her thoughts aside, and eagerly awaited Pericles' explanation of the texts surrounding him.
Animagi cornerstones. The risks and rewards of becoming an animagus. Of course, it wasn't all sunshine and rainbows - she'd forgotten that, when she'd first met him, too awed and impressed. But she'd done her research - she knew how much work went into something like this. Still, she'd never thought of comparing the pros and cons.

When she first realized the papers he'd brought were about animagi, she first worried that he had brought them all here for her, and felt mortified - but that couldn't be the case. He had invited her; he couldn't have been sure she would come. And he thankfully confirmed this when he told her he had created a group for people who wanted to undergo the process of becoming an animagus. In his second year. He had been her age! "Woah," she said, unable to keep the amazement out of her voice. And he'd only been an animagus for two months? It seemed like he'd been a bird boy his entire life.

Although she was trying to decipher his notes and texts ardently, there were quite a lot of them, and most of them she didn't exactly understand. Also, they were upside down from her point of view, and she didn't want to touch them, for fear that she would mess something up and they would somehow disappear or something. Pericles added that it probably would have been better for others if his notes were a little shorter, to which Mahlioz laughed, but to be honest, she didn't mind. More notes meant more information, and more information meant understanding more, and that was exactly why she was here. Or why she did anything, at that.

And of course she had questions. When he asked, she took a few moments to reorganize her brain so she wouldn't spew them all out at the same time. "How old do you have to be to become one? Is it possible to know what animal you're going to be beforehand?" She paused, another question coming to her mind, which wasn't as related, but she was still curious. "If you have a patronus that's an animal, will your animagus form be the same one? And also, what happens to your clothes when you transform?" If Pericles had been worried about boring her earlier, now she was worried she may have been overwhelming him. Well. He'd asked!

@Mahlioz Evethisawe

Though it felt like a lifetime ago, it had only been a handful of years since Pericles was in Mahlioz's shoes. He knew what it was like to roam the school in a state of wide-eyed wonder, and towards the start, he had the immense luck to meet some upper-years who were happy to help him, rather than treating him as inconsequential or obnoxious. With Mahl, he saw an opportunity to pay this fortune forward. He also knew what it was like to have a million questions about a hyperfixation, and how it felt to bottle them, for fear he'd sound strange or uneducated. These days he had learned to revel in his oddity, unapologetic and right to the point. All the easier when there was another oddball to share it with.

Mahlioz, they'd said. Their pronouns were accepted without so much as a batted eye, rather it was the name he'd dwell on. Peri once prided himself on having a knack for names, but this one he couldn't place, evident in his curious smile and a faint (rather eagle-ish) tilt of his head. It was always nice to meet someone else with a standout name. The smile stretched when she laughed at the length of his notes, and he reassured with the warmth of amusement to his mild tone, "Don't worry. I'll paraphrase on the fly." A bird pun? It was difficult to tell with this guy, given the way his mien balanced between mellow and matter-of-fact. With time they might come to recognize the glint of humor that sometimes sparked in his hooded gaze.

"Becoming an Animagus is less to do with age, more to do with grade level. You'll start learning about the process in your third year, but they won't consider you ready to try for it until year five." That explained his newness to it all: even though Peri had prepared for years, acquiring the ability simply wasn't legal until a couple of months ago. A thought struck him and he added on a solemn note, "That's if you're entirely human. My group discovered that the hard way. You wouldn't happen to be a werewolf, dhampir, metamorph, seer, or part-some-other-being, would you?" The rather intense look that followed his question implied he was looking to avoid another heartache. Imagine studying for something years on end, believing it was acquirable, only to discover that it would forever be out of reach....

Dexterous fingers plucked a paper from the spread. Apparently he did have an organizing system, sporadic though they seemed, as he held up an illustrated diagram. It interwove sketches of a dozen or so wixes, their animagi forms, and their patroni. Some were the same animal, others shared a species but not a breed, and others were entirely unrelated. "I won't be able to put the patronus theory to the test until next year, though I've read quite a few cases where an animagus' patronus was the same as their animal form. My grandmother is an exception. She's a black panther animagus, while her patronus takes the form of a bearded vulture. They seem perfectly different, one being a great cat and the other a bird of prey, save the fact that both animals are from her homeland."

The parchment was placed down again. As her questions continued, so too did his answers, with the occasional point towards a page for illustrated reference. "The thing is, you don't get a say in what you become. A patronus animal is the creature you feel a sort of 'spiritual kinship' to, but our animagus shape is more representative of who we are at our very cores. Some say it reveals our 'primal nature'. I didn't know what I would be until I was already going through the change, yet I trained in falconry with a sea-eagle as a boy, and I've had dreams of flying for as long as I can remember." Peri's smile twitched back into place. Clothes were a common concern for those interested in the process, and he didn't blame anyone who asked. "Skilled animagi can leave their clothes behind, but by rule of thumb, our outfits transform with us. Like most magic, it's largely a matter of intention. I've heard of animagi whose glasses became a marking in their animal form, though I only wear mine for reading, so I s'pose they weren't an integral enough part of my wardrobe to show on my eagle."

Banner was made by the great Fang Yun-Xin

Date: 21 October 2023 Time: After lunch

Interacting with: @Pericles Dralt Mentions: X

English | French Thoughts

The more time she spent around Pericles, the more Mahlioz noticed how very... bird-like he was, even in human form. He'd pointed that out at the beginning - how becoming an animagus changed everything, even how you thought and acted - but she hadn't expected it to be so visible. In his slight smiles, the many times he tilted his head lightly, how... peaceful wasn't the word; flighty? quiet? he was.

Not that he was too quiet to respond to her queries, which she appreciated. He didn't give a single sign that she was too curious or bothering him at all, instead answering her questions swiftly yet in detail. As it turned out, age was not so much a problem when it came to animagi, but Hogwarts taught about them in third year and you were allowed to try becoming one from fifth year on. That explained why she hadn't heard much about them in Transfiguration yet. She was suddenly eager to become a third year, even though it'd only been a month and a bit since her second year had begun.

Pericles paused then, losing his smile as he added that only fully human wizards could become animagi. That was not something Mahlioz had known, and the look behind his eyes made it clear that he and his club had some bitter history with the rule. She'd never been asked whether she was a half-breed before - it was something rarely talked about, and probably something some preferred to keep hidden from the world. Thankfully, Mahlioz had nothing to hide, and she shook her head. "No... but why? How does you not being human get in the way? Can't you transfigure things fine, even if you're not fully human? Wouldn't that mean you could transform yourself too?"

The bird boy picked out a diagram from the clutter of papers, which didn't make too much more sense to Mahlioz than the rest of it all, but she could tell at least that it was supposed to be some animagi and their animal forms. And their patroni as well, she realized with a start. After a closer look, she noted that it seemed there was no real connection between the two. Pericles told her he'd only be able to test it out next year - right, she'd forgotten how old you had to be to get a corporal patronus - but confirmed that from his research, some had the same two animals and some had different ones. "Your grandmother is an animagus?" She wasn't sure why she'd thought it was so rare that it was impossible for family members to be animagi, but the fact that her own mother - probably the person who cared the most about animals in the world - wasn't one might have had something to do with it.

Who you are at your very core. Well that was deep, and a bit too profound for Mahlioz's taste. Did anyone really know who they were at their very core? Maybe that was the point - you weren't allowed to know what your animagus was until you actually undertook the process. "So... you really have no idea beforehand." She wasn't too sure what she'd been expecting, but she'd half-hoped it would be easier than that.
Of course not. It was becoming an animal, for goodness' sake. It was difficult to get much harder than that.

She'd considered not asking the clothes question, for fear of coming off as too childish, but, well, she was a child after all, and it was a question she felt needed an answer before she started anything. Thankfully, it seemed Pericles was used to the question, and he reassured her that outfits transformed with the wizard. That brought on a heap of new questions. Would your outfit have any bearing on your animal? If you wore green one day, would your fur or feathers or scales have a greenish tinge? The Ravenclaw went on to say that some more prominent parts became markings, which probably meant any old thing wouldn't be important enough to become visible on the animal form. But then, what happened to the clothes? Did they just... vanish? How did the magic know to bring them back again?

She was going off track now, thinking about the more logical side of magic, which (annoyingly) often didn't exist. With a nod, she remembered that Pericles had just answered all four questions of hers. "Thank you," she said gratefully, before adding, "...and if you don't mind one more question... what's something you wish you knew, before starting everything? Or something you think people like me, who are considering it, should know?"

@Mahlioz Evethisawe

For one with the well-honed manners of a pureblood, Pericles hadn't hesitated to ask whether or not Mahlioz was human. She was right in interpreting his bluntness on the matter as the result of some trial by fire, some poor unfortunate soul that didn't make the cut, a mistake he wasn't willing to risk again. Why was the question of the hour. The lad looked troubled as he shrugged his shoulders, admitting "It's difficult to say. One would think metamorphs, especially, wouldn't have any trouble with changing their bodies. My current theory is that the animal transformation conflicts with the capabilities of magical beings. If a werewolf was in animal form before the full moon, would their curse not overcome it? If a half-giant tried to change, would their animal be forced to take on an unnatural largeness? Could a seer still see the future if they weren't in the body of a wix?" It was a clever question, and clearly something the League leader had been left to ruminate on at length. "An animagus can never become something they haven't seen, nor something that's been extinct for a long while, so it seems there's deeper levels of particularities and precision to it all."

There was no hiding his fondness when asked about his animagus grandmother. Pericles smiled warmly, a hint of pride to the crease of his eyes, admiration ringing in his voice. "She taught me a great deal of what I know. My father used to be one, too. It's less common in Europe, though I've heard almost everyone at Uagadou learns the process." But once she reiterated the realization that one's animal was a mystery until the moment they became it, his expression darkened. Pericles gave her a long look with a slow, almost ominous shake of his head. It turned into a gracious tilt when she thanked him, and as conversation continued, the weight of the question was left behind.

"...and if you don't mind one more question..." "As many as you like." ""...what's something you wish you knew, before starting everything? Or something you think people like me, who are considering it, should know?" Pericles paused. It was a significant question, and he took his time with answering it, wearing a thoughtful frown as he began idly organizing his papers into four separate stacks. "I think becoming an animagus calls for a great deal of confidence in yourself. Some people don't want to know who they are at their core. Can you imagine what it must have felt like for the fellow who thought he'd become a majestic stag, or a great wolf, only to turn into a rat?" Save in Pettigrew's case, it was well-earned. "You need to be willing to know yourself. Becoming an animagus isn't a means to escape who you are, it's the very opposite."

The ability was deeply significant to one's identity, though as much as Pericles placed an emphasis on its magnitude, he didn't want to scare away someone so young. He lost the gravely serious tone in exchange for that gentler murmur. "Of course, it's too early to make a decision on that sort of thing now, and if you have more questions, I'd be happy to answer them." A thought struck him, and he added with a pensive squint, "You should consider coming to the next League outing. I try to provide opportunities to interact with animals, as you won't become a creature you've never heard of, and all expenses are covered of course. It'll help you make a choice, whether or not it's to follow through. You have plenty of time until-... actually, what year are you in?"

Banner was made by the great Fang Yun-Xin

Date: 21 October 2023 Time: After lunch

Interacting with: @Pericles Dralt Mentions: X

English | French Thoughts

If Pericles himself wasn't even sure why half-breeds couldn't become animagi, did anyone know? Mahlioz felt like this was something more people should have looked into. Sure, he had theories, but the fact that he - who had obviously done his research, especially considering how disappointed he seemed about the whole thing - didn't know for sure was puzzling. Wasn't this something interesting enough to have been figured out by now? Was it because half-breeds were so looked down upon by purebloods?

Nodding along to his explanation, she couldn't help but sheepishly interrupt when it came to werewolves. "Wait - does that mean animagi can't be wolves? Or... would they just be able to transform whenever they want, instead of only for the full moons?" Her curiosity was never-ending, because yet another question came to her mind. "And does it hurt? To transform?" She guessed not - Pericles seemed to like it too much for it to cause harm - but that felt unfair to werewolves. Why should they have to endure the pain?

It was also enlightening to learn that becoming an animagus was rarer in some parts than others. She'd read about Uagadou before, but she hadn't known so many of them could become animals. If she'd grown up there, would she already have been one?
The bird boy paused before answering her next question, thinking it through, which meant that he took her seriously, which gave her so much more joy than he could have imagined. She wasn't sure why, it was just - a lot of the time people brushed off her hyperfixations and let her research it alone, thinking it would go away with time. It felt amazing to be able to actually go in depth about it with someone else. That she was looking more and more up to.

Confidence, on the other hand, was not the answer she'd been expecting, nor really one she was very glad about. Sure, she believed in herself... sometimes. But confidence was not exactly a trait she could say she owned. You need to be willing to know yourself. Becoming an animagus isn't a means to escape who you are, it's the very opposite. Did she want to know herself? Did she even know herself at all? Or did not knowing make it easier to handle?

This was definitely something she would be reflecting upon for a while. Was it frightening? Perhaps, but it was also way too interesting for her to give up on it this early. And, as Pericles kindly reminded her, she still had quite some time. "I think I'm good, for now, at least," she told him after a pause when he mentioned having more questions. "I've got enough to think on for a couple of days, I think." She grinned, then thanked him again, before realizing that probably meant the end of their conversation. And did that mean the end of... this? Whatever this was? The questions, the getting to know it all?

Much to her gratitude, though, Pericles wasn't done. Apparently his group - or League, which sounded fancier - was going on an outing, and he suggested she come with. Gods, he'd first found her ring, then invited her to learn more about animagi in his own free time, and now he was suggesting she come along on a trip he'd organized? She would definitely have to make it up to him at some point. "Er... second?" she replied, already imagining what a trip lof the sort would be like. "And that sounds amazing, I would love to! I just - when is it? How does it work? Where will we go?"
She'd certainly been wrong about no longer having any questions.

@Mahlioz Evethisawe

Pericles loosed a low and rare chuckle, shaking his head as he answered. "There are wolf animagi, sure, and they turn at their leisure like the rest of us. If only it were so simple for our moon-bound friends." His laugh wasn't an incredulous or mocking one. He was endeared, and frankly, gladdened to swap unusual hypotheticals. As much as she was enthusiastic about getting answers, he was keen on her questions. Most didn't take the time to dive too deep into theoretics. Yet something strange would happen when Mahlioz asked if the transformation caused pain. A darkness passed over those tired eyes of his, the shadow of a memory, dredging up an echo of agony. There was a stark hollowness to his murmur as he admitted: "The first time, yes." In the same way that a cloud passes in front of the sun, the tone change was quickly gone again, back to something bright and mellow. "But never again after that. Like most body modifications, it's a brief pain, then you have it forever." He felt himself walking the thin line between being utterly honest and not scaring them away.

Naturally, it was still quite an awful lot to take in, and he wasn't surprised in the slightest when they said they needed time to process it all. While Pericles didn't want to overwhelm her, he didn't seem too inclined on this being the end of their interactions either. He invited Mahlioz to the next League outing, and when doing so inspired a slew of new questions, that satisfied smile surfaced again. The Ravenclaw suspected he was going to get along just fine with this one. "Ireland." He answered with a downplaying shrug, as if going to the Emerald Isle was no different than going down the road and to the left. When one was born into magic, money and distance were of little consequence. "I'll be sending owls out with vials of floo powder, and if we can, I'll have a man with a portkey waiting somewhere accessible. Likely the Leaky Cauldron, seeing as every student's familiar with it. I was thinking December twenty-ninth: after Christmas, before New Years, and on a Friday."

As much as Pericles tried to uncomplicate these trips for those who came along, he put extensive effort into organizing them. Networking, notifying, researching what animals were where and at what point in the day. To have others arrive would be the greatest payoff of all. "Here." Pericles rifled through his notes, picked out an inconsequential sheet, and turned it over to take her name on the back. "Mahlioz... is that... two L's?" He wasn't about to risk a misspell that caused an owl to invite the wrong person, not that there were many Mahlioz's about. A thought struck and he suddenly held up both hands, palm-out, insisting: "Take your time to consider. There's no pressure to come along, and no need to answer the owl when the time comes, but I'd be happy to host someone so enthusiastic about learning."

Banner was made by the great Fang Yun-Xin

Date: 21 October 2023 Time: After lunch

Interacting with: @Pericles Dralt Mentions: @Colin McCoire

English | French Thoughts

Our moon-bound friends. That was the best way Mahlioz had ever heard for describing werewolves, and she couldn't help thinking of Colin, the only moon-bound friend she knew of. And Pericles' laugh hadn't been at all mean or mocking. She hated having thoughts of the sort, but she wondered what his blood status was - he seemed very accustomed to magic and the wizarding world, and quite polite, which was very pureblood-like. But he also spoke about half-breeds kindly, without a trace of prejudice, which went against most pureblood stereotypes. But that wasn't important at all, Mahlioz reminded herself. Didn't she pride herself on not believing in stereotypes? She pushed the thoughts to the back of her mind.

She had been wrong in guessing animgi transformations didn't hurt, or at least the first time. She hadn't ever heard him sound so... hollow before. It passed in a second, the bird boy reassuring her that the pain only happened once, but again she could hear there was a story behind his words and it was hard to refrain herself from asking.
The mention of Ireland, however, distracted her mind quite a bit. The trip was all the way in Ireland! She knew it wasn't far at all compared to how vast the world was, but she had not been expecting a club's trip to take place in another country. Mahlioz listened with great interest as he explained when it would be and how they could get there.

She was definitely going. She would convince her parents, whatever it took. She was not missing out on a trip to Ireland to learn more about animals she may be able to transform into one day.
"Just one," she corrected with a lighthearted smile. "And there's an h; M-A-H-L-I-O-Z." Pericles seemed to feel the need to insist that she need not necessarily come, like her mind wasn't already made up and wishing it was already December. "Thank you, I definitely want to join you, I'll just have to ask my parents. I can't believe you're going to Ireland." That sparked yet another question. "Hey, I read that you have to be familiar with an animal for it to be your animagus. What if you only see it once or twice, like on a trip? Could it still work for you?"

@Mahlioz Evethisawe

Peri could only give a humble smile and shrug as Mahlioz gushed about Ireland. Trips such as this had been a staple all his life, but he was beginning to realize just how fortunate his family had been, and how frequently he took it for granted. He was all the more driven to share these experiences with others. The Slytherin aspirant had one last, especially insightful question: if they'd only seen the animal once or twice, did they still have a chance of becoming it? Pericles canted his head to cast a sidelong look at his notes.

"Well...." He stood, sidestepped from the blanket and nodded his head. "I should think so. You can't become an animal you've never heard of, though I don't believe you need to see the animal often, either. I haven't been around a white eagle since I was very little, though it left a lasting memory on me. If the animal's meant to represent us at our core, and everyone is fundamentally different, then the 'why' for each animagus would be just as unique." He smiled, a sly expression this time, as he added "I like to think that's what separates magic from science. It isn't always so exact."

Peri drew the wand from his sleeve with a flick of his wrist, flourishing it at his notes while whispering the Packing Charm. The papers fluttered together into a tidy stack before diving into his satchel, followed shortly by the blanket as it rolled itself up tightly. "Nice meeting you again, Mahlioz. I'm sure we'll see each other soon," A handshake, then he would transform once more, trading a walk back to the building for a flight towards Ravenclaw Tower.

[Fin.]