wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure

[alittlemirror]

To say Jade is displeased would be an understatement. It's not that he cares about this detention tarnishing his record, no. He doesn't really care about his record. What he does care about is how it cuts into his studying time. He had just come across a particularly fascinating snippet on the nature of death and the soul...

(And besides, those Hufflepuffs had started it with their incessant chattering. They're like a less annoying version of Saphir, and nobody had ever really objected when he hexed Saphir. And it's not like he used a serious hex; he just sealed and removed their mouths. Easily reversible, if they knew what they were doing - and knew how to use nonverbal spells.

After all, what kind of first-year doesn't know how to use nonverbal spells?)

But someone had taken offense to his hex, and now he finds himself trudging to Professor Rammsteiner's office, growing increasingly irritated at the loss of his study time. From what he's heard of detentions, they usually entail doing useless, mundane tasks easily accomplished with a little creative wandwork. He's thought about ignoring Professor Rammsteiner's orders more than once, but he's also been told that it would just lead to more detentions and thus a bigger waste of time.

Oh well. He's here now. With one last irritated sigh, he raises his hand to the door and knocks.

"Professor Rammsteiner? This is Jade Curtiss."

Comments

[aseptic]

Jade doesn't hesitate to sit by the warmth of the fire, although it would be more accurate to call it a scorching heat. It'd be easier to sit by Professor Eichel's fireplace, even if the magical flames had already been extinguished with the passing of its owner. Jade could still have easily lit it up again. But he chooses not to. Instead, he settles down, watching the Fiendfyre consume every scrap of his former teacher.

"We could do that," he says, remembering another fire, another teacher whose death he had inadvertently caused. "I don't think people will look hard for him."

Professor Eichel had been respected. Feared, even. But nobody liked him much, except for those students he had charmed, and even then their attraction inevitably gave way to wariness, once Professor Eichel begins his mindgames.

Maybe it's sad, but Jade is simply of the opinion that Eichel had dug his own grave.

[canicide]

They probably won't. Professor Eichel might be a professor, but even during their stay for the Triwizard Tournament, Heine has gotten the impression that people mostly stay out of his way.

So it'll be dealt with. Except for Jade.

"What are you going to do?"

Jade had just witnessed him murder a professor at fairly close range. Heine wonders why he hasn't run away yet.

[aseptic]

He lifts his shoulders in a slight shrug, not looking away from the fire. "Look for another source of information, I suppose. I'll practice with what I know in the meantime."

Maybe he'll have to start practicing with Professor Rammsteiner again. He doesn't know. But he can decide later.

"We should forge those letters first," he states, finally looking at Professor Rammsteiner.

[canicide]

Heine meant about the curse. Or the effects of it. But if Jade isn't saying anything, maybe it's all right for now.

He nods silently in response and goes towards Professor Eichel's desk. Keeping the Fiendfyre contained where it is, he casts Accio on letters and comes up with a small stack.

At least three of them are from students. They're already opened, and Heine senses no energy from them, so he takes out the letters inside for a quick read.

[aseptic]

The sight of the letters is enough to rouse Jade from his spot on the floor. He gets up, walking to Professor Rammsteiner. "What do they say?"

[canicide]

"Uh..." Heine shrugs, skimming over the text. "Telling him they miss him. Asking if they can visit."

Odd, that there would be multiple people who wanted to return to Professor Eichel. But Heine really doubts that Eichel would keep any unflattering letters. He picks out one of the letters, Conjures parchment, and leaves the rest lying on the desk if Jade wants to read them.

At least blackmail letters don't have to be that detailed.

[aseptic]

Naturally, he wanders over to he desk to give the letters a quick skim over, brow furrowing the more as he reads. Some of these words...they seem to border on infatuation. He wonders if that's what these unfortunate students really think, or if that's what they were manipulated into believing.

"Did you know any of these students?" He asks, putting the letters back into their envelopes.

[canicide]

"No." There weren't any names he recognized. But as the dog points out: You came back. Of your own free will.

Heine tells himself it wasn't free will, just coincidence, but the dog doesn't buy it. He stays quiet while finishing up the letter (it's fairly generic) and starting a second.

While waiting for the message to be written out in someone else's hand, Heine looks at Jade again. He's aware of the blood drying on his face, and he brushes flakes of it off when he feels them.

"After the Tournament," he starts. "You probably shouldn't come near me."

[aseptic]

Of all the things Professor Rammsteiner might say, Jade expected this the least. Surprise flickers over his face, but it's quickly quashed.

No. Maybe he should have expected it. It's just like Professor Rammsteiner to turn away from him immediately after something important happens.

"Why?" His voice is flat.

[canicide]

"I can't control the curse completely." It's too strong, too fully a part of him that he had embraced when he was younger. Now, he can't always suppress it.

"I might hurt you."

[aseptic]

...Oh. Surprise shows on his face again, and it's less quick to fade this time. He didn't think Professor Rammsteiner would actually be worried about him, or be so straightforward about that fact, for that matter.

"It's fine," he says, after a pause. "You haven't hurt me so far."

Not permanently, at least. Absently, he rubs at his neck.

"You've let me get close," he adds, with the beginnings of a wry smile. If Professor Rammsteiner really cuts him off... Who else is there? No one. He'll have to continue his research on his own again. "It's a little too late to go back on that now."

[canicide]

He'd let Jade get too close. After Professor Eichel influencing them both, Heine wants little to do with them.

But it probably is too late.

Heine doesn't say anything, and goes back to the letters, putting them into envelopes and placing the new ones with the old ones back inside Eichel's desk.

"Unless you want to watch, you can leave." He needs to clean up the mess of ashes afterwards. It would be easier for him if Jade wasn't around.

[aseptic]

"I can help," Jade replies immediately. He doesn't want to leave yet; he'd like to see this through to the end.

[canicide]

"Fine." If he wants to do something, Heine trusts that he'll do it well, at least. Whether or not he should do something is another question.

[aseptic]

Professor Rammsteiner isn't being particularly encouraging, but Jade is used to it by now. Without further comment, he goes back to sit by the fire, warming his hands.

"Have you done this sort of thing before?" He asks, honestly curious.

[canicide]

Isn't that a question. He's killed someone before, yeah, but he's never had to really get rid of a body before.

So, "No."

[aseptic]

"Really?" Somehow, Jade finds he had been expecting Professor Rammsteiner to have experience with this. "In that case, are you sure this will work?"

[canicide]

"It'll get rid of the body." He knows that for sure. The blackmail he doesn't have any firsthand experience with, however.

"Besides, no one knows you know him. Right?"

[aseptic]

That's not particularly reassuring, but... His shoulders move in a half-shrug. "Not unless he told anyone."

[canicide]

...good enough. Heine grunts and stokes up the Fiendfyre a little more. The remains are down to a crumbled mass now, close to just ashes.

[aseptic]

He's quiet as the unrecognisable mass in front of him continues to crumble, the heat of the fire powerful enough to eat through bone. He's quiet even as bits of the ash begin to break away from the whole, the fine granules drifting through the room. And still the Fiendfyre burns, the magical flames not needing any fuel to survive.

Idly, he flicks his wand, Vanishing some of the ash.

[canicide]

Heine stays by the desk, letting the knowledge that he's killed someone else settle inside him. The dog is delighted at the prospect of fresh blood, at the door he's opened after leaving it locked for so long, and Heine is... tired. Just tired. No matter how much he's told himself he doesn't want to do it again, isn't this proof that he can't hold the desire back forever?

He knows he should stay away from Jade. He'll try, in the future. But for now, they wait together for the remains of Professor Eichel to turn to ash, and then to nothing.