Order Only - Private message to Evelyn
Jan. 6th, 2015 08:47 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
alt_sinistraRight. Like I promised, writing this out, so we can both refer back to it. As much as I can, I want to do things so that if there's ever a time in the future when we're not, well, fugitives, it will be simple and obvious for the Guild to understand and recognise the work you've done.
The simple part is the next few months. I think we can quickly get you through the rest of the OWL material, then start on the NEWT content. I have old exam copies, so you can sit one or two of those, and that would give us some documentation for later.
In the normal way of things, you'd spend the first 2 years or so after the NEWT continuing broad education in the field (though apprenticed to a Master who worked in your general area of interest.) It's only after that you'd think about focusing on a particular topic. But that seems idiotic here, when specialising sooner might be very helpful to the Order in various ways.
As I think you know, the basic divisions of the field are observation, theory and cosmology, locational magics, chronological magics, and design of telescopes and related devices. We'll continue to work on observation, and the NEWT material is the beginning of work on theory and cosmology. Clearly, locational and chronological magics are more practical use in many ways.
I've done a lot more with the locational magics. They include the Octoboros work, location-based wards, or apparation by coordinates. Also the Floo Network and Portkeys, but there's a lot of specialised knowledge for those I don't have. I've been starting to see what I can work out about how the initial wards in 83 were cast. Whatever else we do, your help with the equations as I work through possibilities would be very useful.
Chronological magics encompass everything from time-based triggers for something (either short term, or longer term) to cyclical magics. Some agricultural magics, potions that require specific astronomical conjunctions to work. Also things like the effects of comets on systems, long-term magics, herbology, potions, etc. I've done rather less here, but I do know most of the theory.
I'd suggest one of those two as the most likely to be useful, but I don't know if it's better for you to do locational (where you've done some and I'm stronger) or focus on the chronological (and start getting comfortable with practical applications I haven't done much with.) Which is the bit where we could both talk to other people about what would be best.
More in a minute, about the traditional bits.
The simple part is the next few months. I think we can quickly get you through the rest of the OWL material, then start on the NEWT content. I have old exam copies, so you can sit one or two of those, and that would give us some documentation for later.
In the normal way of things, you'd spend the first 2 years or so after the NEWT continuing broad education in the field (though apprenticed to a Master who worked in your general area of interest.) It's only after that you'd think about focusing on a particular topic. But that seems idiotic here, when specialising sooner might be very helpful to the Order in various ways.
As I think you know, the basic divisions of the field are observation, theory and cosmology, locational magics, chronological magics, and design of telescopes and related devices. We'll continue to work on observation, and the NEWT material is the beginning of work on theory and cosmology. Clearly, locational and chronological magics are more practical use in many ways.
I've done a lot more with the locational magics. They include the Octoboros work, location-based wards, or apparation by coordinates. Also the Floo Network and Portkeys, but there's a lot of specialised knowledge for those I don't have. I've been starting to see what I can work out about how the initial wards in 83 were cast. Whatever else we do, your help with the equations as I work through possibilities would be very useful.
Chronological magics encompass everything from time-based triggers for something (either short term, or longer term) to cyclical magics. Some agricultural magics, potions that require specific astronomical conjunctions to work. Also things like the effects of comets on systems, long-term magics, herbology, potions, etc. I've done rather less here, but I do know most of the theory.
I'd suggest one of those two as the most likely to be useful, but I don't know if it's better for you to do locational (where you've done some and I'm stronger) or focus on the chronological (and start getting comfortable with practical applications I haven't done much with.) Which is the bit where we could both talk to other people about what would be best.
More in a minute, about the traditional bits.
no subject
Date: 2015-01-07 02:01 am (UTC)The usual thing is that I'd be responsible for feeding and housing you, a stipend, making sure you had all the equipment you needed, and access to books and charts and reference materials. Introducing you to other people in the field. Arranging projects for you to assist with, so you got breadth of knowledge and experience.
And I can't do much of that. Obviously.
I have most of my library and I'll show you how the book trunk works and where things are shelved. And I've got spare blank books for you to use for research notes, and plenty of quills and chart parchment and ink and such, at least for the moment. (One thing I am going to insist on is the habit of daily record keeping. It really is a help later.) And whatever you want of my time or what resources I have, barring the other things we both need to do.
Chances being good that the unexpected will become very urgent sometime.
For equipment - I think you've figured out my personal telescope is precious to me for both professional and personal reasons. But good equipment makes such a difference, and I do want you to use it when appropriate. I know you'll tell me immediately if something doesn't seem right, and you'll be careful with it. (Mind, this assumes I can get a couple of the charms behaving again.)
The traditional apprentice responsibilities usually involve a lot of tedious things like filing and copying and observations on cold nights when your Master would rather be somewhere warm. I'm rather more likely to ask you to check my arithmancy for me, which you don't seem to mind at all.
Beyond that, well. Maybe I should tell you some stories of my own apprenticeship sometime. Alde did a lot to make me who I am, and not just about astronomy. Watching other people and their apprentices, I always thought that was a good model.
no subject
Date: 2015-01-07 02:22 am (UTC)You're right, checking arithmancy seems like it'd be straightforward enough, and I wouldn't mind at all.
I wish I couldAnd I'd love to hear more about your apprenticeship.
no subject
Date: 2015-01-07 03:01 am (UTC)(And - I'm not Septima, but I'll do my best to do right by you on the Arithmancy. She was alway praising your skills there. I'm decent at it, but I had to work for every bit, not like those of you who have the gift for it.)
Alde was a grand old Slytherin witch - over 110 when I met her, plots that ran decades, very clear about her ambitions and her standards and her ideas of how the world should behave. Absurdly high standards and expectations.
Terrifying. I spent most of the first year in tears every night, because I felt stupid all the time. But I knew she'd taken me on as a favour to Alcor (my predecessor, teaching) and I didn't want to let him down, so I kept slogging through it.
It wasn't the Astronomy that was the thing, but all the other skills she thought I needed. Latin. German. Grammar. Rhetoric. Etiquette. How to talk to people at parties. All the social things I'd need to manage the Guild, being a Master. (And as it turns out, being married. She would have laughed and laughed at that.) It got a lot better, after that first year, and I have so many fond memories of sitting by the fire in her library talking on cloudy nights, and her putting music on, or talking about literature and plays and all sorts of things.
She's the one who pointed out that if I was going to teach, I should train as a generalist, so I worked on her chart project as her apprentice, but she also set it up so I worked on projects with other people, did things to demonstrate I really knew what I was doing. Well, half a dozen reasons for that, one of them named Alexander Donnelly.
no subject
Date: 2015-01-07 02:19 am (UTC)I know that as they are both gaps, though, it might be tricky both in terms of equipment and references on hand, as well as the fact that neither are your primary area, and chronological is a bit further afield.
I suppose I'm just a bit uncertain as to whether we'd get to a certain point, but really get stuck or something. If that makes sense. But that'd be something you'd know far more than me.
I'm certainly not afraid to dive in to something unknown and muddle through. I just want to make sure to use our time effectively.
And maybe we could come up with a more concrete list of applications for the chronology side of things that could be useful before we settle, only because I don't know as much about it, and sorting out portkeys would be an obvious need but I don't want to dismiss chronological magics out of hand until I know a little more.
no subject
Date: 2015-01-07 02:32 am (UTC)Portkeys - they've always been rather tightly controlled, is the problem.
If I could talk to people in the GuildThere's several pieces. There's making the thing itself - that's the bit no one really talks about. There's the programming it for where you go. (That part, I'm fairly sure I could sort). And there's the part about adapting for the effects of the wards (Which is a thing we could work out how to test. Carefully. In a large open space.)Possibly also the part about whether MLE has figured out how to track them specifically or any of the other security concerns.
Chronological is a bit easier to play with, at least in the smaller applications. And we might get stuck, but that's part of learning, and either we'll figure it out or go work on a different problem. It's not like we've got a shortage.
How about I lend you some books and you can work through some of the different applications and make a list, and then we'll go through it and figure out which ones you might make some headway on in a reasonable amount of time?
no subject
Date: 2015-01-07 02:35 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-01-07 02:39 am (UTC)That you're taking all this extra time with me.
And that you're willing to take me on like this.
It's an honour, it truly is.
I know
I know this wasn't what you had in mind.
But I am grateful that you're here.
Truly.
no subject
Date: 2015-01-07 03:08 am (UTC)After we escapedI thought thatIt helps a great deal to know you want to learn this. With me. From me.
To look forward to teaching you new things. Seeing what you make of them. That's why I like teaching.
And I'd much rather fill the spare time I have with that than with almost anything else.