Sequel to The Journal of a Mysterious Witch. You must read that first before you read this, coz this'll make no sense.
Entry 1
Today is the first day that wizards and witches walk amongst muggles once again. For the first time in nearly two centuries, we are walking in daylight, cautious, wary but not in hiding.
I cannot explain how I feel as I wander in these new – old streets. Their very make up is something familiar, but different as well, patched up and strange. The muggles had gone through some wars, according to their library.
They watch us as we wander and it is unnerving. Once, they had watched us in fear and our world had burned. Today, they watch us in curiosity because we are new discoveries, a cold people, a new race that had remained undiscovered for ages. Space exploration had nothing on us, according to the thoughts I am pilfering from these muggles.
It is hard to attempt nonchalance, but we manage it. My companions and I make three. We find strength in this number because it was what the Head Druid said, to always stay in three when we wander to watch and compare what was different from the stories to what was real. It is all so strange.
The government – no, the world offered us things when they discovered what we could do. We only asked for one thing, and that was freedom to see things undiscovered. They erected structures for us to stay in every country in the world, but they underestimated how truly vast we are for a people. We were the subject of a holocaust, and it nearly decimated us. We do not settle and restrict our numbers.
But we did not tell them that. Even now, as I speak, several wizards are digging under the structures. We are adept with digging; it is in our blood and magic. There, we will grow many.
Of course, some countries did not agree. They were wary of our powers and gifts, our seemingly peaceful faces and placid words. So they rejected us and we made doubly sure to reject them. None of those who rejected us will ever find a wizard willing to help.
I find those countries wise. After all, the muggles truly do not know how powerful we are. If we wished it, we could subjugate them and they will kneel.
Ah, pardon my temper. My master, the twelfth Druid of Herbology always says that my temper is my worst trait. I agree with him so I strive to control it.
Truly, it is hard to feel much except contempt for these creatures. Our history is long, and unforgotten. It is engraved in stone walls, written in preserved paper and told to us as soon as we could understand words. We are a long-lived race and so our memories are long as well. Forgiveness is not easy. Mercy is even harder. I pray to the First every night to gift me such, so that my master shall finally stop looking at me with worry.
Entry 5
I am assigned in the larger continent, Europe, I believe it is called.
It was a disaster.
The Head Druid looked at me and sighed. I feel my stomach curling in disappointment as well. He knows as well as I do that I am a truly logical person. That does not go very well with my temper so I attempt to subdue it. Doing so just causes it to get worse and I explode in a truly magnificent way. According to Rothschild, my friend.
"You would make the First weep herself to sleep, child," the man says. He is truly an ancient, but it would not show in his face save for a few white hairs. It is his eyes you have to watch. They are the very depths of a well, the passing of seasons and the fog of a howling blizzard. "Read this," he continues, handing me a scroll. "The Second wrote it, for his own vices."
My eyes are wide as I accept it. I am holding the greatest treasure of our kind, Knowledge. I do not know if my hands tremble as I open it. Ah, how strange. The title says Occlumency.
Entry 6
Every child, as soon as any Druid deems him/her capable, is taught Legilimency.
It is not for any nefarious reason. If I remember right, centuries ago, they thought this art to be evil incarnate, for thoughts are the most sacred part of any person, the mind far more fragile than anything. But the First changed their minds.
She used it sparingly, and only for the most important reasons. It was very useful and she created her own code to follow, since no one else wanted to violate others. She never dug deep, she never sought to hurt and she never revealed what she saw, except if it would endanger the people.
They all changed their minds when she saved the people from a group of explorers with dynamite. She may not have known what to do, but the man whose mind she skimmed did, and she disabled those that they misplaced by the entrance of the caves.
Our people learned it and learned it, until Magic went and made it a part of our very being.
So we could already read the minds of every person who met our eyes since birth and the Druids decided to teach us the moral code of the First. That probably saved our society from having mind criminals.
Occlumency, how strange. It is the very opposite of our being, the anti-thesis to what we are. The Head Druid wishes me to learn it.
Ah, sadly, senility cannot be an accusation in a society like ours. Such diseases, sadly, do not affect the elderly.
Entry 10
It is a hard art to learn. Perhaps he has given this to me to learn patience?
Impatience, however, is not my vice. But it is truly maddening to learn so slowly.
Entry 17
Progress is still slow in learning Occlumency.
For the moment, I have placed one of the more socially-inclined to greet those who are curious and those who need something. That is probably going to be one of my better ideas, because I have not lost my temper at the moment, what with the lack of stupid, curious questions.
No, we are not vampires!
Entry 18
I re-read my previous entry and I remember that I have not done Occlumency in a while.
I do have a reason for that. Somehow, I have had to attend a meeting between the world leaders and all of the Druids to discuss the matter of helping the military and their peace-keeping ilk.
I objected quite loudly to my master. We do not need to concern ourselves with their affairs. He once again gave me a disappointed look.
What have I done wrong?
Entry 25
I succeeded in the first step in Occlumency today. I finally understand why my master has asked me to learn this art.
Truly, there is nothing more capable than an Occlumens in keeping ones temper. They seem to enter into this state that separates emotion from the situation, does not repress it but just goes back to experience and examine it again later.
It is a blessing. My memory is now sharper.
I give my master a gift of my own hand stitched robes. I find myself having a difficulty meeting his eyes.
Entry 27
The receptionist – that word was something new we learned to day from the mind of a recently visiting diplomat – came down with a fever.
Illness does not usually touch our kind, but when it does, it strikes hard and fast. Healing is considered a noble profession, not because of what they do but because of how terrible wizards are when it comes to being ill. We are, generally, disagreeable patients.
This means, however, that I will have to greet the ones who enter our building and answer questions and queries.
I ask Rothschild to prepare me a really strong brew of ale for consumption once I am done with my shift.
Entry 28
My mind pounds. I cannot muster the concentration to even attempt Occlumency. I will do this again at another date.
Entry 33
How dare they!
Filthy muggle creatures!
I understand their fear of the unknown, but to accost a child and subject him to what amounts as research, is truly inhumane.
They are not worthy of such a title as human.
Entry 34
Forgive me, I was distraught.
One of the more remote muggle villages was rife with muggle-borns. We were not able to reach it because of how soaked the land was with ambient magic, we could not sense the child's magical core. So they grew up in a village called the Demon's village.
Scientists have set up camp there, trying to copy their magic and to give it to the world.
Filthy creatures. Magic goes to whomever deserves it. You do not force it to go to you.
Entry 37
Thank the First that the Head Druid took charge. He is a truly formidable wizard and I understand, from the gossip that filtered through our abode today, that he managed to cow the leader of that village and coerce the children to learn from us.
I cannot understand human stupidity. Everyone in our community contributes for the continued survival of our race. These creatures seem to be content in destroying one another.
Perhaps they should experience another genocide to get their priorities in order? It certainly worked wonders for us. I cannot imagine the picture painted in the histories etched in our walls. I cannot imagine us ever having a civil war.
Entry 42
The hardest part, I suppose, is blending in. We cannot use too much magic in front of these creatures, lest they begin to fear us. And we cannot allow ourselves to appear weak lest they begin to have ideas that we are prey.
Entry 50
Rothschild performed handfasting with the witch he was eyeing. I suppose I truly am a Druid's apprentice and my master made no error in choosing me, because I spent the next few hours pelting the both of them with questions.
Make no mistake; I do not opposing handfasting like some of the other Druids. I do, however, oppose the troubles that come in a courtship gone wrong. The headache!
Entry 57
There was a strange request, today. Something about reviving a doll. This girl-child has magic. I feel it acutely. Why does she not do something about it herself?
My master took one look at her and took over. I shall probably have a fellow apprentice soon, with the way he was looking at her. I suppose I understand what he saw in her. An unbiased mind, a creative imagination and very, very strong magic. The latter is not really important, I suppose. There was a rumor that the First was not overly powerful.
Entry 63
The inevitable has happened.
The country's leaders have tried to pit us against each other, in hopes of furthering their own international petty arguments.
Foolish, simple-minded creatures. No wizard will ever turn against another wizard. Not after the oaths that bind us that exists deep in our very blood, bones and soul.
We will never turn against each other.
I hope the Head Druid has something in mind to act against that.
Entry 67
It is a difficult thing to keep ones impassive expression in the face of such stupid and ridiculous questions. I succeed in keeping myself professional.
I dare anyone else to keep a neutral mask in the face of that boy asking for a potion to turn his sister into a frog because she was an annoying little gnat.
I mark this day down. This is the first time someone mentioned frogs in my vicinity. It would come eventually. The next thing would be rabbits and top hats.
Entry 75
The histories written upon our walls sometimes make me feel unworthy. I look at all the First accomplished, the vision she had for us that our ancestors were too short-sighted to see and I feel unworthy.
I do not feel like I could ever hold the title Druid. My master assures me that I am skeptical and cynical enough to be a Druid. However, I know that I lack vision. I cannot see as far as the others.
Oh First, please grant me wisdom.
Entry 83
Something has happened today that I know shall be marked in our history.
Someone has sought refuge in our dwelling. It is a criminal.
I do not know how to deal with it, yet I am the Senior Apprentice Druid here.
If I were the leader of this country, I would demand for this man's return. It would speak true if any of our prisoners escaped as well and sought refuge in the muggle world.
Yet he has asked for help.
Oh First, I pray for your guidance.
Entry 85 (there is the mark of tears here.)
I am a foolish apprentice.
I disregarded the outside world, for I said that it would not affect us.
Foolish!
It is one world, after all. What separate us are marble walls and a few differences in blood.
Magic, I hope I have done well in asking the government to allow our dwelling to punish the man. We are doing our best to reform his evil and to give him penance.
He weeps every night and brightens in the sunshine. He looks younger everyday, all his pain dripping away as we tear it from him with our soft words.
It is easy. After all, he cannot hide his thoughts from our eyes.
Entry 87
My master praised me.
I feel like a hypocrite.
I did not do what I did out of wisdom. I did it out of fear. That criminal had entered, carrying a knife. He looked like a frightened animal. I whisked his weapon away and I accidentally read his mind, such was my fear that I momentarily lost control.
I read his desperation, I read his penance. Most of all, I read his grief.
And I spoke, using what I read and he crumpled like wet parchment, easy to herd not needing anything to bind him.
I cannot speak to Rothschild about this. I think I finally understand the melancholy in the eyes of all Druids.
There are things that you can never speak of to those who are not Druids. After all, they wouldn't understand.
It is a lonely path, being a Druid.
Entry 90
Marlowne, the criminal, has become one of our initiates.
I call them initiates because it is more polite than rehabilitation projects.
He sweeps our yard, does groceries and wipes the walls. Also, he greets our customers and screens the requests.
I thank magic that this has done away the requests for love potions and toad potions.
He is the first. He will not be the last, not with the success we had with him. The government system has already asked the Head Druid to include us in their punishment systems anyway.
I do not know how I feel about this.
Our dwellings are not penitentiaries.
Entry 99
My master has recalled me to the mountains.
Once I enter, I inhale the scent of earth and hear the sweet clinking of the chimes. It is home and I had missed it.
But I receive the shock of my life when I finally make my way to the central meeting room.
All Druids are there, including the Head Druid. I thought he was still sequestered with the World Leaders?
Whatever has happened?
Entry 100
My rank has risen. I have been appointed Druid. More specifically, I have been appointed the 13th Herbology Druid.
My master is retiring to join the Council of Elders.
By the First! I am not ready for this!
Please R & R.
Don't worry, this is not finished. There is a next chapter.
~Hallen