Where the wild creatures are (Aurum)

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It was a new year, a new feast, a new start. Not that Silver was determined they needed one. They summer had been quite off after the disaster at quidditch and their dad had grown a little coddling and protective. He'd kept Silver from his homework for a good week! That was far too long and Silver was convinced it had done more harm than good. He wasn't as far ahead on his studies as he normally was and thus he'd be a bit short tempered around all bit Aurum.

At this moment he was reading his tranfiguration book while feasting on the delight of the start of term feast. He glanced over at Aurum as he got to the part about animagi. The both of them loved a challenge and were huge transfiguration fanatics. "Hey Rummy..." Silver started thoughtfully. "Do you think we should set ourselves a real challenge for once?" He said with a small smile playing on his lips.

If she could have read his mind she would have instantly known his deep plan, although sometimes it seemed they didn't need legilimency to understand each other. A very special connection between twins, even though they were fraternal. "Because I have something special in mind..."

@aurum

Ooc, from phone, might add gif later but sorry if it sucks x.x

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The week before start of term, Aura had been positively shaky with anticipation. The twins had already tucked a few years at Hogwarts under their belts, but this year would be different. They weren’t wide-eyed second-years now, fresh from Beauxbatons and new to everything English. Now they were fifth-years: older, more responsible, more mature (although this last point could be debatable for some). And the twins: Prefects. In their OWL year. Aura was so nervous she could vomit – or maybe that was from the excitement.

At any rate, everything was going to be different now. This wasn’t a year to throw away – every grade mattered, and this was even truer for their exams. The twins were going to take advantage of every possibility to stay on top – in their grades and their personal endeavors. Aura had spent the train ride uncharacteristically quiet as she contemplated the year ahead (and finished designing her first set of flash cards, of course). Now, at the feast, the twins had naturally sat together, but each focused on their own activities. The food was first-rate, as always, and Aura shuffled through the flash cards as she ate.

Her concentration was shattered as Silver called for attention. The tone of his voice prevented Aura from being annoyed about it – his tone was contemplative and she could see he’d propped open his book on Transfiguration. Aura matched his smile with a smirk of her own at his question. She briefly considered responding with something to tease him but his expression and final dangling thought (something special) had sparked her curiosity. So she went with her usual – simple and snarky.

“That depends, Silver. You think you can find a challenge in there? Doesn’t seem there’d be anything in Transfiguration too far out of reach for us.”

@argentum

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Silver knew Aura hated being disturbed during her studies, since he was much the same. Still, transfiguration was without a doubt the subject they were both most interested in so it kind of went without saying that the idea he wanted to share with her was totally going to be up her alley. He chuckled slightly as she suggested there was no real challenge in the book. He supposed she had a point in that. He shrugged slightly. "Let's not get too arrogant too quickly. The books mention a lot of subjects that would be challenging, even for us. It just doesn't instruct us on how to do those things as it assumes they are beyond our skill set. Now the same easily goes with what I had in mind...." He trailed off and an oddly wicked smile played on his face that was not at all common for him to display.

He then flipped through the pages, searching the reference that he intended for Aura to read. It didn't take him very long as he was fairly good at remembering the general lay out of his books after reading them as often as he did for his essays and other study oriented walk through. He shoved the book under her nose somewhat unceremoniously and tapped the paragraph for a moment, giving her some time to read it. Not that she'd need much. "Animagi. It's insane to try it as fifth years, so naturally it seems like the perfect kind of side project for us." He said with a careless kind of shrug. It would certainly work out fine.

@aurum

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Aura rolled her eyes at her brother. He had a point, naturally, about keeping a cool head about new subjects, even in an area like Transfiguration. Arrogance usually led to sloppy spellwork. But… “It’s not arrogance, Tumzy. It doesn’t matter how challenging a subject is at the beginning. If you have the brains for it and a penchant for finding alternative solutions, then nothing is out-of-reach.” Especially in their favorite subject. There was something captivating about Transfiguration – the precise science behind the magic, the adaptability and complexity of the spellwork involved…there was a reason they chose to pursue a hobby like Transfiguration Club outside of mandated classes. It was a subject practically created for the twins.

Still, she knit her eyebrows together as Silver practically shoved the book into her face. She skimmed it quickly, lips pursed, before turning to look at her brother. “It is insane,” she responded flatly. Not the technical elements of the magic – becoming an animagus was grueling, difficult work – and the idea of a challenge like that was thrilling. That wasn’t the issue. Aura spoke quietly. “Animagi are heavily regulated by the Ministry. It has to be illegal for underage wizards to even attempt this kind of magic.”

@argentum

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Silver chuckled and grinned. "I just mentioned how they underestimate us, sister-dear. We can easily let them do so, it would offer us a distinct advantage if we'd ever meet them in a battle of wits." He was just sounding like an evil mastermind, it wasn't like he actually was one after all. Though he knew that Aurum was right, they were capable of nearly anything they'd set their mind to. Between them there were two brilliant and talented crafters more than proficient in their craft within their stage of education. Silver pulled the book back towards him slowly, although mostly for dramatic flair. Even he gave in to the more theatrical side from time to time.

He rolled his eyes as she mentioned attempting it was most likely illegal. "Who cares Rummy? We simply opt not to tell anybody and register when we're done. They can hardly take our skills away from us once we've already become animagi. I'm pretty sure they can't exactly regular who is allowed to try to begin with. You and I both know we're fully capable of doing this. The only question seems to be if you have the guts to actually try." He was goading her, clearly so. He knew she would at least be tempted to bite, even if she was more than capable of seeing that he was simply trying to egg her on. He wanted to achieve this and even if she choose not to, he certainly would still be trying.

@aurum

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It was odd how the twins had seemingly switched roles. Silver was usually the one rather set in his ways, and Aura was the one who had to push him to try things and rationalize why it was worth bothering. He could be stubborn, but a logical argument that was properly well-reasoned would always win him over. Now, however…he seemed to be all-in on this insane plan of his, and Aura bit her lip as she considered her brother and his crazy grin. “I care!” she shot back quickly as her brother asked. “What if I want to join the Ministry after school? Surely they’ll have a problem with a mark on my record like this.” It was a hypothetical – Aura wasn’t sure what she wanted to do after Hogwarts – but she wanted to keep all her options available.

Silver was baiting her. It was so, so obvious, and she should know better. But it was working. Aura huffed as she crossed her arms. “Are you calling me a coward or an idiot?” she demanded, although it wasn’t real anger so much as it was annoyance that his obvious strategy was working so well. The idea was certainly tempting – becoming an animagus was a complicated and lengthy piece of magic, and it would require every ounce of cleverness and dedication the twins had. The idea of rising to the challenge and excelling at it enticed Aura. More than she could admit. “But what about our OWLs…?” she protested weakly, although she knew he was already winning the argument. Of course she was going to do this – she couldn’t let her twin outshine her.

@argentum

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Argentum couldn't help but grin wider as her weak excuses started seeping in. "Didn't Harry Potter get into the ministry despite multiple blemishes far more serious than mastering a branch of magic? If they found out without your registration I'd say the blemish would be far worse. If anything it would show your magical abilities." He argued with that same infuriating tone she normally used on him when he was in a stubborn mood. It was extremely satisfying to turn the tables on her. He had to admit it felt like the most fun he'd had in years! Aura wasn't usually the careful one after all.

"I'm calling you a cowardly idiot. Legal or not, how often do you have the chance to do something like this? Who knows how much time we'll have after graduation? If you want to do this together, now is the time." Oh yes, he was going to be fully unfair and apply any sort of pressure he could manage to set his mind to. "As for the OWLs, is there a better way to prepare than to actually master such a part of transfiguration? But if you're not willing.... I'll just do it on my own. No time like the present to prove I'm better than you are, right?" He was taunting her far too obvious but he was certain their friendly competition was going to get this thing going. If not, he actually would be doing it on his own. He wasn't going to let her live it down either. Yet his smile was full of mischief in a friendly light. He would rather do this with her than on his own, although he certainly wouldn't mind beating her either. He just cared too much not to want her involved. "So which animal should we go for?" He said as he started flipping through his book.

@aurum

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Aura hated it when her brother made good points. This idea of his was starting to sound less like a spur of the moment decision and more premeditated, because there was no way he was coming up with this reasoning on-the-spot. His argument was strong and consistent, from the point about Harry Potter to preparing for their OWLs to the so obvious guilt trip. Aura frowned, arms tightly crossed together as she considered everything he’d said (and she even resisted the urge to roll her eyes as he began to moon about being separated after graduation). His refutation was on-the-nose, and the idea did sound appealing. Not just anybody could accomplish such a tricky task as this, after all. The idea of being able to come out of this process with the ability to transform into an animal and be smug about accomplishing something so difficult…

“Oh please, as if you could accomplish such a thing on your own,” Aura huffed, uncrossing her arms and placing her elbows on the table as she frowned thoughtfully (her father would kill her at the unladylike sight, but she had real thinking to do now). She didn’t actually verbally agree to try, but the implication was clear and her twin would certainly get it. “We’ll need to visit the library straightaway,” she said matter-of-factly, “and check out every book we can on the process. Discreetly, of course. Our textbook said something about a potion as well…” she trailed off contemplatively, but returned to the present when she saw Silver begin to flip through his book. “Is the right kind of animal really something we should focus on right now? We need to worry about the timeline, and where to hide our things…”

@argentum

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Silver knew that his plan was madness and that his sister was right to mistrust it. It was more that his arrogance and confidence in his own abilities hadcaught up with him. Aura claimed he could not do it without her but they both knew that wasn't true. Everything they did could have been done by both on their own. They worked better, faster and far more efficiently together, so together it always ended up being. This was no different, but he choose to ignore her obvious attempt to derail the plan. It wasn't good and she knew it.

"Well I don't know about you but anybody would consider our plan far too unlikely to be more than just an idle daydream, even when it is us they are speaking of. If were are to have a set image of an animal in mind we'd best start with that early on. I'd hate for one of is to pick a mouse so that the owl sibling can accidentally consume them." He packed his books as he spoke, naturally in silent agreement that it was research time. "I researched on the research by the way. I know where to start. I made a list of books and I'm pretty sure Hogwarts has most of them." He said as he stuffed the last book into his bag. "I think I'm going to be an owl. Specifically a snowy owl." He mused as they made their way from the hall. He'd been thinking about this for quite a while already.

@aurum

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The more Silver spoke, the more it became clear that he really had put a lot of thought into this beforehand. It was useful to know which books to start with, and where in the library to begin, but the thought disturbed Aura more than it satisfied her. She wasn’t really sure that this qualified as a secret – because he was telling her now and the twins didn’t have secrets from each other – but it fed into one of her insecurities. The twins did do some things separately, of course, but that was different from acting as separate people. Aura wondered if it would become more difficult to stay together as they got older, and the idea that Silver had been planning this by himself until now fed into that fear.

She didn’t say any of this out-loud, of course. She was a firm believer that success followed self-confidence, and anyway there wasn’t any need to worry her twin. But she’d have to keep an eye on that problem this year. “An owl would be interesting,” Aura echoed her brother as he thought out-loud. “It’s a very versatile animal. Lots of potential with such a useful transformation.” She gazed up at him as he made to get up, and rolled her eyes before tugging at his sleeve. “Where are you going?” she demanded, not moving to stand up with him. “We’re prefects! And the first-years won’t be able to make it past the door without us.” Aura was as eager as Silver to ponder the imminent problem of attempting to become an animagus, and her mind was desperate to wander and consider problems like where to hide their activities or how long it would take. But they had a new responsibility this year. And truly, no first year was going to be able to get inside the common room on their first try. “We can visit the library tomorrow.”

@argentum

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As infuriating as it could be, she was right of course. They now had duties and responsibilities outside the academic parts of school. They'd been given responsibilities that included things like showing a bunch of irksome first years how to get into the common room. Honestly, what kind of Ravenclaws were they really if they couldn't be bothered to pursue knowledge in every aspect of their life? Argentum muttered for a moment, longingly looking towards the door that would lead him to the library, feeling his book bag weigh heavy on him. He muttered a few choice oaths before sitting back down and taking his book back out. "So we can agree on owls then?" He said. Naturally they were not forced to be the same animals but he wanted them to be. He needed to have that bond with his sister and if they could go out hunting mice together every once in a while that seemed like a good bonding time. Not to mention owls were useful, very common in the wizarding world and he would hopefully finally be able to discover what it was about flying that Aura loved so much. In a way part of his desire for a flying animal come from the desire to better understand his sister.

He flipped through the book for a few moments. "We are Ravenclaws. I think it best we at least partially hide in plain sight. It wouldn't be the first time a cauldron of some higher year student dangles in the fireplace for a few months. Our house always pursues knowledge and brewing the potion wouldn't be that big of an issue. I'd be more worried about trying to hide the plant that we're supposed to have in our mouths for a rotten long time. I don't think either of us can stand to keep quiet in class all that long and that is the bigger risk in terms of getting caught, if you really are that worried that people believe we'd actually do that. Personally I'm more concerned about accidentally swallowing it. That can't be healthy." He wasn't going to mention the poor dental hygiene he expected or the terrible taste they were bound to develop after having one thing in their mouths that long. Those were things he'd let her worry about, if she even thought them up. He wasn't about to let such minor details stand in the way to their becoming greater than they already were and developing their magical skills further.

@aurum

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Now that they’d determined they were going to do this thing, Aura was going to ensure they did it right. Silver was a fantastic resource when it came to academic knowledge – if he didn’t know something off the top of his head, he could find out quickly. He worked hard to be able to breeze through classes, and Aura was certain he was going to be a world-renowned academic someday. But he wasn’t great with the details. He’d be able to work out the potion, she was sure, and the academic theory required to complete an animagus transformation. But Aura was the one who handled the logistics – conducting such an illegal and temperamental process without being caught and getting through their day-to-day life in the meantime.

“Owls,” Aura confirmed. She was looking forward to the idea of being able to fly without a broomstick, and maybe even with her pet owl Helios. She hummed as Silver offered the idea of using their common room for the potion, but the idea still made her a little nervous. “I wish there was somewhere else we could keep the potion. At least, somewhere that a curious first-year can’t get their hands on it.” This was a problem to ponder, but the common room was a good enough solution while they figured out something more permanent. Aura wrinkled her nose as Silver mentioned the leaf they’d have to keep in their mouths. Merlin and Morgana, it was going to be impossible to go to class or play Quidditch if she was going to have to worry about keeping it hidden. The only consolation she could offer was that the end result would be worth it. “I guess just keep it under the tongue,” Aura suggested gloomily.

So they had a plan. A trip to the library tomorrow to do the proper research with the books Silver had found. Then finding the right location for the potion and sourcing the plant. It sounded doable, for now. Aura was sure to be less optimistic in a month. As the opening announcements concluded and the feast ended, Aura automatically got up as the rest of the Ravenclaws began to mill around. “We’ll start tomorrow,” Aura promised her brother in a low tone. In the meantime… “First-years! First-year Ravenclaws over here!” she announced in a raised voice, motioning towards her and Silver.

@argentum
[End post Aura!]

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It was going to be difficult but to Silver that was exactly what made it fun. It wouldn't have been any sort of fun if it was easy. He wanted to do this and do it soon because really, where was the fun in doing something easy? Easy was rarely or never actually worthwhile. It was partially why he'd piled so much work on, to keep things from getting easy. The main challenge he tended to face was juggling all the work but the classes themselves were not insanely difficult. Well, not if you did the homework and paid proper attention in class at least.

Aura did not seem too fond of the idea of walking around with a leaf in her mouth for an extended period of time. It made sense of course, but without sacrifice they would never become animagi. They were lucky enough to be choosing to start the process in a storm season. Trying to do this in spring or summer would be far more difficult. It was part of why he was so keen to get started on the entire process. Yet Aura had a good point. There was more to it so it'd have to wait.

Silver nodded as Aura mentioned starting the next day and got a tiny bit of reading in (like two sentences) before Aura decided it was time to go to the first year gathering to herd them to the Ravenclaw tower. He grumbled only for a moment before stuffing the book in his bag and grabbing a last piece of food before joining Aura. Not that he called out, he left that part to her. He just stood there, sort of like a stone statue, staring down any of his house that looked like they might cause trouble. Between the twins they had most things covered. They made quite the ideal pairing, although not everybody seemed to be equally happy with that. He went by the end of the column to make sure none of their sheep would stray from the flock, mentally going over some of the transfiguration homework he'd have to do for their new challenge.

@aurum
[end post Silver]