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Cover Image is Severus Snape by eliz7 on Deviantart
I braced for a bang.
I got a sizzle.
That rather aptly summed up the next week of my sordid existence.
There was no cumulative incident nor any great civil unrest amidst the midgets surrounding me.
I was not pulled aside, there were no suspicious glares, I didn't slip up, I didn't run my mouth...
Development? Nah. Plot? Can you eat it?
One would expect transition; an event or interaction to smoothly progress the story, giving one the motive to change scene, develop character and interpersonal interaction.
That is how a book reads. The passage of pages moved by the almighty concept of plot.
Conflict, climax and aftermath...
Nada.
Some story's aren't so interesting.
Some story's aren't so convenient.
In conclusion.
Nothing of note occurred.
I may be living in someone else's story, yes. My life may be a story, yes.
But unfortunately for you, dear reader; I'm a shit story teller.
Bad luck mate.
My new favourite place, the Hogwarts library.
The smell, silence, touch, warmth and sight of the place have no doubt engraved itself deeply into my psych by now.
It is Grand.
Seated in my cosy small corner, nestled between two towering bookshelves barely a metre apart, I am hidden, I am protected.
I relax as the smell of parchment calms me. The warmth is almost lulling me to sleep.
Closing my eyes and retreating into my mind, I review what I came here for...
'In the West the "Magical Mind Arts" are commonly split into five subsections.'
Four "Orthodox" and one external "Unorthodox"
The four Orthodox Mind arts are as follows:
Occlumency - pertaining the defence and concealment of one's own mind.
Legilimency - pertaining the reading and communication of another's mind.
Augeomency - pertaining the discipline and self-control over one's own mind.
Incitomency - pertaining the hastening and acceleration of one's own mind.
'These four Orthodox magic are the oldest structured magic in the West, created by Magical Roma as far back as BC.'
There were of course previous iterations of structured Mind Magic practised far earlier by the Greeks, Egyptians, Vedics and the ancient Shang Dynasty.
But these four are first that the Occidental people could lay claim to, and have thus been treasured dearly throughout the ages.
The fifth "Unorthodox" Mind magic is Obliviation. The destruction of the mind.
The only reason it is revered to as Unorthodox is because it was "made" (structured) at a later date. Officially dated as "only" a few hundred years old.
Well, compared to the two millennia of the four orthodox arts, I suppose it is only "only"...
As a result of it being "only" a few hundred years old, some die hard Traditionalists (read: idiots) disdain it, refusing to put it on the same level as the Four. Thus labelling it with the term "Unorthodox", which in Pure-blood society is as derogatory as you can get without profanity.
Bah!
'I personally believe it's just because it doesn't end in 'mens''
Not to mention that "Unorthodox" branch is the most widely practised Mind Art in the West due the formal formation of the Obliviators employed by the Ministry of Magic and the Magical Congress of the United States of America.
There is also the fact the the one who developed the Memory Charm Obliviate was a woman, Mnemone Radford.
Sexism is not actually as widely spread in the magical world as it is on the muggle side (something to do with females being just as able to hex you balls off as any man), but it is there. In the dark little corners that still practice inbreeding, the bigotry is... intense, to say the least, as much to make up for it's rarity.
Fortunately, this is rare.
'It's still there however...'
Back to topic.
'To I, Augeomency and Occlumency are paramount.'
The rest are secondary.
'I should begin soon...'
My eyes open and I take breath.
The parchment sprawled over my desk before me are largely filled.
Setting down my quill in it's pot (must remember to buy some muggle conveniences), I lean back into my chair with a creak.
Under candle light I can spy the dust particle drifting around the ceiling of my dimly lit room.
Unlike the Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs, Slytherin students have the benefit of single rooms that, although slightly small, are private. I hear Ravenclaw students get single rooms Fourth year and above, but have to bunk with at least one other for the first three years.
Being Slytherin does have it's perks.
The room isn't even that small, for my former body certainly, but for the me of now; it's just right. Pretty cosy too once you've got used to it.
Although the walls are cobblestone and the dim ambience of the room makes it seem like a prison cell at first glance, it does have it's own charms.
The wooden rafters for one. I have only slept under wooden rafters once in my past life, a wood cabin, and I think only someone who has done so before would realise just how homely a splash of wood makes a room.
The only bad thing I noticed about wooden rafters back in the wood cabin were the bugs and dust, but due to either spells or House-elves (must befriend), probably both, my rafters a spick-span clean!
'This is becoming a House Under the Hammer episode...'
There must be heating running through the walls or a magical equivalent because the stone walls are actually slightly warm to the tough. I'm not sure how it's measured, but room is always just the right temperature for hibernation.
'Which makes doing homework here a bit difficult... I'm always on the verge of falling asleep.'
It is very quite, but not complete silence, I can hear faint thuds and murmurs from the common room down the hallway, perfect for lulling me to sleep.
'Seriously, it's sooo easy to sleep here.'
There is some air circulation spell too, to stop me suffocating and it keeps the room surprisingly airy.
'Magic air-con.'
Finally it's very secure. Or at least feels so. The walls go without saying, having stone makes them feel very solid, and my door I think is oak wood at least five inches thick. Slytherin students are also the only students in Hogwarts with the privileged of locked doors.
'It's up to the students to enchant it to resist the Unlocking Charm (Alohomora).'
A creak of my chair snaps me out of presenting a TV show that won't be aired for at least another few decades.
'Heh.'
Come to think of it the furniture aren't bad either. All wood. Very classy. Would sell for quite a bi-
'Enough already.'
All four legs smack the floor once more as I lean forward. Homework done. Time for bed.
Getting up, cleaning parchment, packing away, cleaning quill, packing away, changing clothes, packing away...
'Routine.'
I can't help but smirk ruefully.
It only took a week. Or maybe thirteen years? Yes. A week and thirteen years to get into routine.
'Heh.'
Routine has saved more than I could count this passing week. Routine and habit.
Movement, eating, talking, pissing, shiting, magic. We don't realise just how much we leave to habit and routine.
The first spell of this life was Lumos. Scared the fuck out of me when it didn't happen first try. Thought I had lost the magic. Looking back that self-doubt didn't help at all.
In the end it happened on accident I suppose. Just when I was about to give up I waved the wand negligently one last time and it happened. After that I got the feel of magic and the rest came much easier.
'I almost cried in relief, it was only my older-self that kept me lucid. Without that the young "Severus" would have no doubt broke into hysterics.'
Today it is Friday, a milestone. One full week since I "awoke" in this land of magic.
It's rather early, but I want an early start tomorrow.
Snuggling into my duvet, I let myself sink.
'Today I sleep.'
The hum of life from the common room continue.
'Tomorrow it begins.'
I can't help but smile at my own melodramatics.
'Tomorrow...'
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AN:
The word Legilimency is made up of the Latin word 'legere' (to read) and 'mens' (mind). Occlumency is made up from 'occulto' (to hide) and 'mens' (mind).
These two above are canon, as most of y'all known.
Augeomency and Incitomency are two I added in.
I didn't want Occlumency and Legilimency to be so "catch all". Rowling doesn't really expand on the matter so we as writers have quite a bit of leeway. I have used my creative licence to flesh things out a bit.
Augeomency is made from the Latin verb 'augeo' (augment, grow, magnify) and 'mens'. Incitomency uses the Latin verb 'Incito' (incite, haste, also augment) and 'mens'.
Augeomency was something I first saw in the FanFiction "Son of the Squib" by Umodin. I later realised it was also in the Fic "0800-Rent-A-Hero" by brainthief which was released earlier so Augeomency probably originated from there. I could be wrong.
Incitomency however is completely mine (I think). There are fics where people use Occlumency to speed up their processing speed which I though was really cool. But Occlumency is only used to hide one's lies and fend of a Legilimency probe in canon. So I made a new branch.
Hope you're not too annoyed.
Anyway thanks for reading, this was meant to go out yesterday, but I just needed to finish it off.
Jeez my deadlines...
Whatever.
I think it's better quality than last chapter.
Do leave a review if you please.
Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed.
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