Knowledge is Power

Chapter 65

They slept at Hogwarts that night. Enough was happening the next day that required their presence so it was just easier. When Mag woke at Severus's side in the morning, she didn't ready herself to depart for Areecen's cave after breakfast as she usually did. Last night at dinner, Gellert Grindelwald and Wolfgang Adler had announced today to be their first defense/attack practice meet up. They would use the room of requirement. Mag was excited because this wasn't a typical defense class. This was a class, if one could even call it that, a practice session for skilled dark wizards with ability and talent to learn deadly and protective magic from one another. It was high level and to be included in this felt good.

She was so excited at breakfast that she let Nightshade have most of her food until Severus encouraged her to eat more.
"We will be using a great deal of energy so you will need some to burn," he said.
Knowing he was right, she nodded and ate some more eggs.

After breakfast there was a nice turn out in the room of requirement. There were she and Severus, of course Blaise Zabini and Gellert Grindelwald, never far from one another's side, the Zabini parents, Kereston, Millicent and Wolfgang, and even professor Flitwick. It was nice to see he was interested in learning and sharing information with the rest of them. He seemed to like Grindelwald well enough as well. Mag vaguely recalled Filius speaking to him about stones last night when the blonde German had thanked her for the wand she'd made him.

She was glad he liked it, but in truth would've preferred to do a bit more...to show off her skills a bit more to someone like Grindelwald. Had she the time, she'd have gotten to know him a bit to match him to a more extravagant wand with more stones on it. More stones performed more tasks, a thing that felt like something Grindelwald would appreciate. Instead she'd just gotten him the best strongest quartz and enhanced it so that it would be at double strength for him.

He needed a wand now, and considering that, she did the best she could with the notice she had. He seemed appreciative last night, so perhaps that was enough and he didn't need the fancier more involved set up she'd created for herself and Severus. A few more stones could provide the wand with more attributes, though. Still Blaise seemed very happy with his plain smoky quartz wand for all that so perhaps sometimes it wasn't necessary. She'd also chosen that wand for Blaise without thinking about it. It just felt right. The moment she saw it, the impression of Blaise around it was nearly overwhelming. When it worked like that, matching someone to a wand was always easier. Unfortunately it rarely worked like that.

Usually she had to know the person more and what they needed. If she did not know a person well, they had to be specific about what they needed. I.E just raw power or protection or cleansing or focus added, even happiness could be added to a wand with green aventurine, which could definitely make one's patronus stronger if that was necessary.

Today the room of requirement had made itself large for their lesson, with only a few chairs against the wall near the door. Mag guessed they were there in case someone needed to rest. Grindelwald began by explaining that he wished to teach them a shield that served as both weapon and protection. That definitely sounded useful. He warned them that it took a great deal of strength and focus, but if the caster had used Fiendfyre it should be more manageable. He asked if everyone present had used Fiendfyre before, and when all present indicated that they had, a pleased expression crossed his too pretty face.

He understood that he did not have to trouble himself with weak amateurs and he appreciated that. Of course they were all trained in some forms of advanced magic by their families before they began at Hogwarts. Everyone present excelled in at least one specialty if not more which meant they had quick creative minds.

"The spell is called Protego Diabolica," Grindelwald said.
"Several elements go into forming this shield. The first is an energy signature of the caster so that the spell recognizes who it is protecting. Normally casting a spell makes that obvious enough, but the fact it connects to the caster's friends and foes makes a bit of extra clarity necessary. To achieve this energy signature when casting the spell, merely think very hard about yourself and who you are as you speak the words of protection. The fire transfigures to something harmless when it touches your friends, while quickly killing your enemies so this extra touch of personalization when casting is very important," he stressed.