Extra: Grey Arts

The full moon illuminated the Highlands, unhindered by the lack of clouds, its light gently draping the beautiful landscape.
Margaret had just completed her latest Potions assignment: gathering special ingredients under the full moon to be used in tomorrow's lesson.
The pale girl's skin was almost glowing, bathed in the gentle light, she breathed in deeply, enjoying the natural smells of the highlands, far enough from their source that she could stand them.
Holding her heavy basket, she was walking briskly along the road, on her way to the castle.

That's when she saw it.
A pale blond Slytherin boy, slumped on a log in front of what appeared to be two goblin bodies, his long hair covering his face.
Hearing a sniffle, she approached slowly, stepping on a fallen branch to make her presence known, he turned around, eyes slightly red, visibly distraught.
She tried speaking up but words wouldn't come out, she instead offered the student a bottle of butterbeer, waiting for him to speak up.
"...Go away..." he mumbled, sniffing slightly.
She observed the scene, the two goblins were laying in a pool of blood, they were Ranrok Loyalist, one of them had been clearly stabbed to death but the other was still breathing - but not for long.
Easily deducing what happened, Margaret spoke up, her voice coming out quieter than she had wanted "You were taught the Imperio Curse."
The boy turned his head suddenly, an angry look on his face " You should be proud, not many Wizards react this way to the Dark Arts.", she looked at the dying goblin.
"They're very dangerous and extremely demanding, a wrong thought, a sudden lapse, and everything goes wrong." the boy put his head back inside his crossed arms.
Margaret pulled out her wand, trying to seal the dying goblin's wounds, hoping to save him, in vain. "But a tool is only as bad as its user, I can teach you to use them in ways that would surprise you." she winced slightly, closing her eyes, before whispering "'Avada Kedavra."
A bright green glow engulfed the goblin.
"Check his pulse, you'll understand." she said, as the boy obliged, backing away in surprise : the goblin's heart was still beating. "I like to call them 'The Grey Arts'." she paused "They are much harder to master, because one wrong move could be disastrous, and they are still Unforgivables." the boy approached, curious. "But one day, they may save innocent lives."

"Using the Unforgivables for good?" the boy thought, entranced at the idea, as the girl sat on a nearby log, waiting for him to speak up.
"Tell me." he said, steeling himself.
"All three have very specific purpose and are fundamentally evil, but the way they work make them...Mutable." she said, caressing her wand. "The Killing Curse, you often hear only a weak wizard can't kill with it, but in fact, it required tremendous willpower and purity to not kill with it." she said, pointing her wand at him "Imperio." a soft, gentle wave of calm penetrated his body, overriding the surge of dread the words evoked, his body relaxed, his jaw unclenched, and his worries floated away, before returning to his sense.
He stood up, slightly angry but happy "What was that for?!"
"Imperio, a truly horrifying spell, but what does it do, really? It makes you think and do things, you believe you want them." she paused, waving for him to sit down.
He obliged, slightly mesmerized. "But what if you only nudge the person towards what -they- want, and not what -you- want?" he nodded as the girl spoke.
"What I made you do, was what you wanted to do, but couldn't." her strange staggered speech annoyed him a little but he couldn't stop listening. "Using Legilimency, willpower and sheer goodness, you can turn a horrible curse into something quite beautiful."
As he nodded, the blonde boy started gritting his teeth, he knew what she was going to say next.
"Crucio." his eyes wide open, he sighed in relief as he realized she didn't cast the spell. "There is hardly anything to do with that one." she shook her head. "I can turn it into pleasure, I can dampen the effect, but it's still a very cruel incapacitation curse."her face looked grim.
Seeing his eyes go wide she added "I would advise you not to play around with it, pleasure and pain, especially this intense, are the same. Knowing it saved our lives but it's unlikely to happen again..."

A few minutes passed by, the silence only interrupted by the crackling campfire, as the unconscious body slowly approached death.
Margaret spoke up "I couldn't save him, I'm sorry. At least he's not in agony.", the boy nodded, shaking.
"This is not something you should face alone, but I hope my insight have helped you realize you are not doomed." she was standing up, looking at the faraway castle.
"I don't like these spells, but if knowing them can save lives..." she looked down. "I'll think about it, thank you." said the young boy.
As he started smiling, she softly bowed "Evil takes root, it is not innate, do the right thing." she said, as she turned away.

The young man thought for a few second, watching the goblin slowly stop breathing next to the warmth of the fire.
He quickly jumped up, running after the girl "Wait! You didn't tell me your name!" The pale girl turned around, her short white hair illuminated by the moonlight, her inexpressive pale green eyes focused on his chest, avoiding his eyes. "Margaret, Megamelons."
The cover of the night was hiding the boy's slight blush as he answered "Addie. Thank you, sincerely."
Two soft strands of warm water turned his lips into a smile as she winked "Good luck."
The witch jumped on her broom and rushed towards the castle, a dark shape in front of the beautiful full moon.

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Pub: 04 Apr 2023 10:56 UTC
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