Brian Rogers (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
subplotkudzu) wrote2008-07-28 06:05 am
subplotkudzu) wrote2008-07-28 06:05 am
Entry tags:
and the Root of All Evil VI
Chapter 6: Juliet’s Monster
As winter descends on the school the Witches’ Bowl tryouts start. Castor, Pollux and Juliet all attend, along with dozens of other students. Much to the second years’ disappointment they learn that there’s no way to make the main team this year – McGonnagal and Vector are polite but firm on that point. Each school in the competition fields two teams of four, for a total of six teams in the tournament. Newer students are on the practice teams, with the best of them being promoted in later years. The two teams are right now a sextet of 6th and 7th years, with the holes no doubt being filled by 4th and 5th years. Still, our heroes acknowledge that they have to start somewhere if they want to compete later. The questions are insanely abstruse.
Some examples:
“As part of the ’Crystal Belles’ she was first heard as back-up singer on the song ‘His Basilisk Eyes’ in 1954, before spending 10 years as one half of the novelty act Brimstone and Treacle. For 10 points, name this singing sorceress.” Which Wolf Ryordan will get after the world “Crystal”, much to everyone’s amazement. He may be a socially awkward git, but Ryordan has a vast memory.
“Named after the infamous Florentine swordsmouse against whom it was first used, this elixir produces human diminution by the puddling of excess body mass. For 10 points, name this potion.” Castor makes a game try, buzzing in with the word “Puddling” with the Mouser’s Potion, but it’s Svivoimlo’s Bane.
“The only thing that did not pledge to harm the brother of Hod, its magical potential is best maintained when harvested with a silver sickle under a full moon. For 10 points please name this plant.” Juliet gets this one right, buzzing in after the word “Hod”, securing her position on the practice team.
While this is going on Jasmyn and Juliet are bringing Daisy up to speed on the audition process, with the bouts of fatigue striking the other finalists, the vampire theory and other things. Juliet is silent through most of this until she suddenly starts yelling about how the auditions are a joke, how she’s taken steps to make sure that Jasmyn –pathetic creature that she is – is sure to win as long as the brainless pretty girl didn’t mess it up.
To say the Fontaine girls are stunned is an under-statement. When Daisy tries to get Juliet to calm down the diminutive Ravenclaw becomes physically violent, flipping the oak table in the dining hall before storming towards the dungeons in the ensuing silence, a hundred eyes on her. Daisy and Jasmyn stare at each other for a minute before simultaneously saying “what was that?”
It only takes them a few minutes to right the table and then locate Juliet, who is just finishing up in the Witches Bowl tryouts. There were two professors and dozens of students who saw her there, and fifty or more students who saw her explode in the dining hall. Jasmyn is quick to accept her friend’s alibi, but that makes one wonder who, or what it was in the dining hall. Just to be on the safe side, the students agree on an identifying magic word for Juliet – Agoraphobe – that they can ask her for in the future to tell who’s who.
The next morning Rex Faust doesn’t come down for breakfast. His mates, Gryffindor 5th years Gregory Gregorian & Julian May, stomp over to Juliet & Jasmyn at breakfast and demand to know what’s going on: Rex won’t get out of bed, he’s exhausted and there are muddy footprints all over their room. “Whatever you two big brains are up to, cut it out –you can’t face some honest Gryffindor competition for the part. Is that it?”
Both girls are surprised to be blamed but suspect a Nosferatu attack. They plead with the Gryffindors to take Rex to the infirmary right away, while swearing their own innocence. Julian sneers back “Oh, we’ll be bringing Rex up to see Madam Pomfrey, but this had better be set to rights quickly, GOT IT?” it seems the not-Juliet’s little outburst last night, with the statements about rigging the selection process, are gossip fodder.
Shortly thereafter Theo and Annamaria converge on Daisy, letting her know that they need to ride herd on this problem. There are starting to be rumors throughout the school about the competition, and Professor Trelawney is already making noises about seeing an evil force in the form of a small girl that will kill all who block her path. Daisy, indignant, defends her sister against the rumors, and makes some headway with Theo – the incongruity of tiny little Juliet flipping that table works to her defense – and the Hufflepuff head boy makes it clear that he wants to identify who is responsible, not just pin the blame on someone convenient. Daisy is hardly mollified.
She also learns that the Professors aren’t worried, as Pomfrey is marking this down to exhaustion, and perhaps a touch of Mono. Rex was clearly pushing himself too hard, as are the other students trying out for the Movie. Too much stress is bad for them, leading to this small rash on the neck and the exhaustion. She’s got Rex on bed rest, and is sure that the boy will recover quickly. The others are tired as well, but not as bad. There’s no call for tales of a monster.
Given the need to protect her sister and Juliet, Daisy starts her own investigation – and given that the targets of the smear campaign are Peri’s worst enemies, the young Miss Undulata looks like the prime candidate. Never mind her strange absence from social circles this year. Laying out her concerns to Regan she convinces her fellow prefect to look into Peri’s day to day actions.
Regan clears Peri of suspicion, but she’s a little scattered. Having spent considerable time on memory charms since the incident with Reg Slaughter last year Daisy spots the signs; Regan’s been charmed. Daisy starts asking leading questions that might work around it, and learns that Peri spent the summer at The Macbeth Witches Summer Coven for Ambitious Girls. Regan’s a graduate from there as well, and is able to produce their pamphlet: “Learn how to turn the lesser magical races to your will; how to brew age potions for disguise or eternal youth; how to sharpen your tongue and quicken your eye! Give your daughters a leg up in the hard world by teaching the values of patience, planning & decisive vengeance!”
Convinced the false Juliet & Peri are connected, Daisy starts looking into duplication: polyjuice potions, simulacra spells that create a false image of someone (often used in theater), illusions, and anything else that might account for Juliet being in two places at once.
Castor, on the other hand is investigating the other person who benefits from the attacks – Robbie Mardling. The first year Slytherin is overconfident and loose lipped, indicating that Peri had all but promised him the part, what with them both being Slytherin and her being on the steering committee. He’s also blasé about the other finalists’ exhaustion, attributing it to their lack of staying power and proper attitude. Why yes, he is Owen Mardling’s younger brother. Where’s Owen? Working in finance, of course. At Gringotts.
During all of this Pollux is continuing his private researches: he thinks he’s got the air mapping spell functioning (enhanced by borrowing from Indian and African traditions) and would love to try the Locusanimus spell but he’d not allowed in any building other than Hogwarts at the moment. Pollux has several theoretical notes on how he might reduce the spell to limit it to a single room rather than a structure, but, again, there’s nowhere to experiment where a failure might not burn out his brain with the force of Hogwart’s millennial personality. And he’s no Gryffindor or Slytherin to let his wants overcome his common sense.
Pollux biggest disappointment is the discovery that in the middle of the century several other people wrote their own thesis disproving Slaughter’s ideas of magical to cultural connection – the perils of a ghostly professor are clear here, as Binns will never abandon them – so he won’t be blazing a new trail. Still, they’re good reads, and one has to start somewhere. His own Taxomancy masterpiece is still on the agenda.
As winter descends on the school the Witches’ Bowl tryouts start. Castor, Pollux and Juliet all attend, along with dozens of other students. Much to the second years’ disappointment they learn that there’s no way to make the main team this year – McGonnagal and Vector are polite but firm on that point. Each school in the competition fields two teams of four, for a total of six teams in the tournament. Newer students are on the practice teams, with the best of them being promoted in later years. The two teams are right now a sextet of 6th and 7th years, with the holes no doubt being filled by 4th and 5th years. Still, our heroes acknowledge that they have to start somewhere if they want to compete later. The questions are insanely abstruse.
Some examples:
“As part of the ’Crystal Belles’ she was first heard as back-up singer on the song ‘His Basilisk Eyes’ in 1954, before spending 10 years as one half of the novelty act Brimstone and Treacle. For 10 points, name this singing sorceress.” Which Wolf Ryordan will get after the world “Crystal”, much to everyone’s amazement. He may be a socially awkward git, but Ryordan has a vast memory.
“Named after the infamous Florentine swordsmouse against whom it was first used, this elixir produces human diminution by the puddling of excess body mass. For 10 points, name this potion.” Castor makes a game try, buzzing in with the word “Puddling” with the Mouser’s Potion, but it’s Svivoimlo’s Bane.
“The only thing that did not pledge to harm the brother of Hod, its magical potential is best maintained when harvested with a silver sickle under a full moon. For 10 points please name this plant.” Juliet gets this one right, buzzing in after the word “Hod”, securing her position on the practice team.
While this is going on Jasmyn and Juliet are bringing Daisy up to speed on the audition process, with the bouts of fatigue striking the other finalists, the vampire theory and other things. Juliet is silent through most of this until she suddenly starts yelling about how the auditions are a joke, how she’s taken steps to make sure that Jasmyn –pathetic creature that she is – is sure to win as long as the brainless pretty girl didn’t mess it up.
To say the Fontaine girls are stunned is an under-statement. When Daisy tries to get Juliet to calm down the diminutive Ravenclaw becomes physically violent, flipping the oak table in the dining hall before storming towards the dungeons in the ensuing silence, a hundred eyes on her. Daisy and Jasmyn stare at each other for a minute before simultaneously saying “what was that?”
It only takes them a few minutes to right the table and then locate Juliet, who is just finishing up in the Witches Bowl tryouts. There were two professors and dozens of students who saw her there, and fifty or more students who saw her explode in the dining hall. Jasmyn is quick to accept her friend’s alibi, but that makes one wonder who, or what it was in the dining hall. Just to be on the safe side, the students agree on an identifying magic word for Juliet – Agoraphobe – that they can ask her for in the future to tell who’s who.
The next morning Rex Faust doesn’t come down for breakfast. His mates, Gryffindor 5th years Gregory Gregorian & Julian May, stomp over to Juliet & Jasmyn at breakfast and demand to know what’s going on: Rex won’t get out of bed, he’s exhausted and there are muddy footprints all over their room. “Whatever you two big brains are up to, cut it out –you can’t face some honest Gryffindor competition for the part. Is that it?”
Both girls are surprised to be blamed but suspect a Nosferatu attack. They plead with the Gryffindors to take Rex to the infirmary right away, while swearing their own innocence. Julian sneers back “Oh, we’ll be bringing Rex up to see Madam Pomfrey, but this had better be set to rights quickly, GOT IT?” it seems the not-Juliet’s little outburst last night, with the statements about rigging the selection process, are gossip fodder.
Shortly thereafter Theo and Annamaria converge on Daisy, letting her know that they need to ride herd on this problem. There are starting to be rumors throughout the school about the competition, and Professor Trelawney is already making noises about seeing an evil force in the form of a small girl that will kill all who block her path. Daisy, indignant, defends her sister against the rumors, and makes some headway with Theo – the incongruity of tiny little Juliet flipping that table works to her defense – and the Hufflepuff head boy makes it clear that he wants to identify who is responsible, not just pin the blame on someone convenient. Daisy is hardly mollified.
She also learns that the Professors aren’t worried, as Pomfrey is marking this down to exhaustion, and perhaps a touch of Mono. Rex was clearly pushing himself too hard, as are the other students trying out for the Movie. Too much stress is bad for them, leading to this small rash on the neck and the exhaustion. She’s got Rex on bed rest, and is sure that the boy will recover quickly. The others are tired as well, but not as bad. There’s no call for tales of a monster.
Given the need to protect her sister and Juliet, Daisy starts her own investigation – and given that the targets of the smear campaign are Peri’s worst enemies, the young Miss Undulata looks like the prime candidate. Never mind her strange absence from social circles this year. Laying out her concerns to Regan she convinces her fellow prefect to look into Peri’s day to day actions.
Regan clears Peri of suspicion, but she’s a little scattered. Having spent considerable time on memory charms since the incident with Reg Slaughter last year Daisy spots the signs; Regan’s been charmed. Daisy starts asking leading questions that might work around it, and learns that Peri spent the summer at The Macbeth Witches Summer Coven for Ambitious Girls. Regan’s a graduate from there as well, and is able to produce their pamphlet: “Learn how to turn the lesser magical races to your will; how to brew age potions for disguise or eternal youth; how to sharpen your tongue and quicken your eye! Give your daughters a leg up in the hard world by teaching the values of patience, planning & decisive vengeance!”
Convinced the false Juliet & Peri are connected, Daisy starts looking into duplication: polyjuice potions, simulacra spells that create a false image of someone (often used in theater), illusions, and anything else that might account for Juliet being in two places at once.
Castor, on the other hand is investigating the other person who benefits from the attacks – Robbie Mardling. The first year Slytherin is overconfident and loose lipped, indicating that Peri had all but promised him the part, what with them both being Slytherin and her being on the steering committee. He’s also blasé about the other finalists’ exhaustion, attributing it to their lack of staying power and proper attitude. Why yes, he is Owen Mardling’s younger brother. Where’s Owen? Working in finance, of course. At Gringotts.
During all of this Pollux is continuing his private researches: he thinks he’s got the air mapping spell functioning (enhanced by borrowing from Indian and African traditions) and would love to try the Locusanimus spell but he’d not allowed in any building other than Hogwarts at the moment. Pollux has several theoretical notes on how he might reduce the spell to limit it to a single room rather than a structure, but, again, there’s nowhere to experiment where a failure might not burn out his brain with the force of Hogwart’s millennial personality. And he’s no Gryffindor or Slytherin to let his wants overcome his common sense.
Pollux biggest disappointment is the discovery that in the middle of the century several other people wrote their own thesis disproving Slaughter’s ideas of magical to cultural connection – the perils of a ghostly professor are clear here, as Binns will never abandon them – so he won’t be blazing a new trail. Still, they’re good reads, and one has to start somewhere. His own Taxomancy masterpiece is still on the agenda.