milliways_bar | (no subject)

(no subject)

De Occulta Philosophia, by Agrippa von Nettesheim, was considered a mature compendium of magical practice and theory. Written in the sixteenth century, it was on of the most influential books on magic around.

This is why Morgan is, naturally, sitting a table with a cup of apple tea, correcting it.

Have at.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Might have to read it after you've done editing it," he grins. He puts an arm round her. "Almost Christmas," he says, softly.

"Always spent it at home, always wanted to spend it at Hogwarts."

"Christian stole it, dampened the celebration with Mass."

"Why...why couldn't you stay at your school?"

"Parents wanted me to stay home with them. Well. He did, anyway."

He won't call him father. He has no father.

Barty snorts. "He once got me a propaganda book about fighting dark magic as a present."

Her arm snakes around his waist, and she hugs him closer. Partly for comfort, but partly because he's warm. Morgan's like that.

"But, to fight it, wouldn't you have to know it?"

"Yes."

The DADA lesson plans of his different-timeline future self will bear this out.

"Can only fight against what you understand."

Morgan thinks that over, and then makes an amused sound.

"Can't fight dark with dark, morals are inconsistant."

"Tell that to him. He thinks you can."

He frowns. "Tricky ethical issue, though. Depends on how important means are relative to ends. And how far means are an end in themselves."

"Should argue with Merlion, not me. I don't...get it. You do something, so you do it."

She remembers Belasius, crumpling to the ground.

She remembers the screams in her head, screams of mothers for their sons.

She remembers, and she frowns.

"It's hard, sometimes, I think. Can't call it dark and light, though. Not really. Good and evil are concepts. At least to me."

"I agree. Just concepts. I think." He makes a sound in the back of his throat. "But sometimes I think they're more than that. I don't know; I'm only twenty and I'm not a genius, I don't know for sure."

"What I am sure about is that there's no such thing as inherently dark magic. If there's darkness it's in how magic is used. Not magic itself. Magic just is."

"Mmmm." And she bites her bottom lip.

Almost nervously.

He kisses her on the forehead, then tilts his head and looks at her.

"Morgana?"

Her fingers twist in her lap.

"...well, he was going to kill him."

"Who was going to kill who? And..."

He takes her hand. "You hurt someone?" His voice is not judgemental.

"Belasius. Was going to kill my servant, Ulfin. Sacrifice him to his goddess. Found them outside."

Softly,

"Yes, I hurt him. To make him stop."

"If he was going to kill him, then you had to stop him."

Simple as that.

Almost a whisper, "What curse did you use?"

"Crucio"

Then, a bit louder,

"I was just so angry, and it was the first that came to my head...he had a blood-star drawn, knife to Ulfin's neck, and I'd already told him months ago that Ulfin was mine now, and he just...through sheer pettiness..."

Morgan is, perhaps, still angry.

"Oh, Morgan." He hugs her, kisses her hair. "I don't blame you for using it. You had every reason to. He shouldn't have tried to kill Ulfin!"

A little smile, and she curls in closer. Really, she's lost all pretense of reading her book and is pretty much in his lap.

"Well, he's gone now. Back to his world, where he'll die." She sighs, and just shuts her eyes.

"And I didn't kill him, either. He did that himself. Or maybe his goddess did...I don't know."

"Good. I hope he doesn't come back here! Wanker."

He holds one of her hands, and strokes her arm with his other.

"When did this happen?" There's concern in his voice still, of course.

"Yesterday. Before dawn."

She hesitates.

"You won't tell, Barty?"

"Of course I won't! I wouldn't do that to you. I love you."

"Are you going to tell anyone else?"

Morgan twists her head up, and kisses his jaw.

"Thank you." And then, after a pause,

"Maybe Puck if it comes up - he turned Belasius into a snake, once, for months. Anyone else would probably get me thrown into the cells, and..."

She shivers.

"Not going there, not ever."

"You were saving him, though... but you're right, you'd get put in the cells. And they're - well, I've been in worse, but they're not a nice place."

And she'd be apart from her books, and her friends, and him, and possibly her magic too, and her freedom.

And though all of those are not good, the last two would make her panic. So, she just draws in a shaky breath and shuts her eyes.

After a moment,

"Met another person from your world yesterday."

"Really?" He's very interested. "Who?"

He wants more people from his world that he actually would be able to get along with.