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

[canicide]

Heine watches while Jade casts another Shield Charm. It holds, but not well.

"Why's it easy to use your wand?" he asks. For Heine personally it's more difficult with a wand when it comes to quicker casting, though it serves as sort of an amplifier when he needs it. But it's hard for him to imagine not finding wandless magic easier.

[alittlemirror]

"I don't know," he replies honestly. And, again: "Protego."

It feels a little easier this time, but the shield is as weak as it was before. It's only a matter of time before this one gives out as well, but Jade will use this brief respite to try answer Professor Rammsteiner more fully.

"It feels natural. It's just easy."

[canicide]

Shouldn't it be easier to just use what you already have? Crossing his legs at the ankle, Heine hunches over a bit more to watch closely as the shield drops.

"I guess you just need to practice until it feels 'natural' without a wand," he finally remarks, gaze sliding off. "How long are you planning to work on it?" Tonight, he means. He doesn't expect Jade to be proficient by the end of the day, but he also doesn't know what else to say or do. He'd learned all his magic through force of necessity—and even if it may seem necessary to Jade, it doesn't to Heine.

[alittlemirror]

"As long as it takes." To master the shield charm. To master wandless magic as a whole. Jade doesn't sound determined, just - factual. He'll master it, because he has to.

He looks at Professor Rammsteiner as another projectile bounces off the shield, creating ripples of light in front of him. "I can use the slingshot by myself. You don't have to stay."

Did he just dismiss a Professor from his own classroom? Yes, yes he did.

[canicide]

Fortunately (?) Heine isn't offended, because... he didn't want to stay anyway. He makes a sound of acknowledgment and goes back to sitting behind his own desk to grade papers.

It's hellishly boring. From time to time Heine looks up and watches Jade practice. It's sort of a nice distraction, because god forbid he work properly on grading for an entire ten minutes.

By the time he's done, it's late at night and he's ready to turn in.

"I'm locking the classroom. You can take that with you, but you can't stay here."

[alittlemirror]

It's a little easier to cast the charm successfully, and his shield lasts for longer, but it's still not good enough. He's not ready to be done yet. When Professor Rammsteiner breaks his concentration, Jade looks up at him with an expression of clear annoyance.

"Why not?" He asks tersely.

[canicide]

"Because I've got things in here." He waves a hand vaguely. He might be referring to all the filed papers, or the items used in Transfiguration class, or the few personal effects still on the desk. In any case, he just doesn't want Jade there. At least not without being within earshot.

"Can't you practice in your room?"

[alittlemirror]

"I don't want to." He's comfortable here. He had just started making progress. He doesn't want to move and break his flow.

And besides: "You run classes here. You can't be that worried about your things."

There are few things more destructive on this earth than a class of young witches and wizards with too little control and too much mischief on their minds.

[canicide]

"I'm here when there are classes happening," Heine points out. He shuffles his papers into a neat enough stack and starts reaching out to the makeshift slingshot. It stills as his hand approaches.

"Just take this back with you or something."

[alittlemirror]

The projectiles stop coming, so that's the end of this particular exercise. Jade is frowning, irritated and making sure Professor Rammsteiner knows it, but he doesn't try to reactivate the slingshot.

"Fine." He taps on his own shield, shattering it, then steps towards the table. He picks up the slingshot, holding it carefully.

Time to go look for a deserted classroom he can use. He's not about to practice in the Ravenclaw common room - Ravenclaw is full of too many eccentrics up and working at all hours of the night.

But before that...

"Thank you," he mutters, not looking at Professor Rammsteiner. That's what the Professor - Professor Nebilim, that is - would have wanted him to say, isn't it?

[canicide]

Heine holds his papers under his arm, watching to make sure that Jade is going to leave the room. The thanks takes him by surprise, a bit, though it's not unwarranted.

"Sure," he says in reply after a brief pause. It hadn't been too bad. At least Jade isn't that annoying.

Without further fuss, Heine herds Jade out of the classroom in front of him before shutting and locking the door behind them.