Order Only

[alt_neville]

I was stupid and left Professor Desai's assignment until tonight because I just wasn't sure who to pick. Or how much to reveal.

My goal is to keep her underestimating me as much as possible. For myself, I'll say that since I haven't been in CCF, I'm behind in knowing as many defensive spells as the rest of you lot (I don't intend to let on about the old school auror stuff I've been learning from Dad and Kingsley).

Ron, I'm going to name you as the friend, and do what I can to make you look good.

Justin--maybe this is a little weird, but I'm going to name you as a rival. If I do this right, maybe I can give her the impression that I'm the odd man out in our dorm room; that Ron and I aren't really as close as I'd like because you're better friends with him than me. After all, you two PM each other a fair bit, and not all of it is under the Order lock. I'm hoping maybe she'll pick up the idea that I'm jealous about it.

I'm going to have Evelyn look over what I've written, to see if I'm shading the hints just right.

Comments

[alt_ron]

Yeah, alright. Anything you need to ask about it, I'm in the common room playing chess with firsties.

[alt_justin]

Neville,

Yes, of course, old man. Whatever you think best for yourself.

-Finch-Fletchley

[alt_luna]

You did the Devil's Snare in your first class operating under Salazar's Rules, didn't you?

Sally-Anne is right; Professor Desai is clever. Perhaps it's not so much that you need to convince her that you're pants at Defence. If she talks with the other Professors (such as Professor Sprout) she might discover that you're really brilliant at Herbology, so she might wonder why you can't do well in her class. But you might be able to play it as if you really are obsessed with Herbology, so you stick to Herbology-based defences.

Of course, you can't conjure mandrakes and lob them at your classmates. Madam Pomfrey would be very upset, wouldn't she? But there are other aggressive plants you could conjure, like venomous tentacula. Or you could try the Sleeping Beauty spell.

[alt_neville]

Well, she ordered me to work with Ron on at least ten quick spells, so she'll expect to see some of those. But yeah, I suppose I could try to think of more Herbology-based hexes.

(What's the Sleeping Beauty spell?)

[alt_luna]

Oh, that's just what I call the idea; I don't think it really has an official title. I suppose you don't know the Muggle fairy story by that name, do you? I read it in a book on the shelves at the Burrow when I was being home-schooled by Mrs Weasley.

Anyway, in that story a young princess is cursed so that she falls into an enchanted spell for a hundred years. To protect her, the witch who is her godmother causes a huge wall of thick briars and brambles to spring up all around the castle where she sleeps, so dense that no one can cut their way through. I suppose you could think of it as a Herbology-based shield spell.

[alt_neville]

No, I've never heard of that story. Interesting idea, though.

They'd have to be REALLY thick briars and brambles to keep out hexes. Still, if the texture was woody enough, and tangled enough, perhaps it could work.

[alt_neville]

Of course, it'd really limit what you could do, if you're stuck in the middle of the circle. Your enemy might not be able to see you, but you can't see him, either.

[alt_luna]

That's true. I suppose you'd only do it if there was no other hope. Or if you thought there was a good chance you'd have reinforcements soon; then you could banish it.

[alt_ron]

You think you could get brambles to grow fast enough to work as a shield?

I mean, if you really could, then I'd use it the other way round: trap your opponent. Make it start behind them.

[alt_neville]

Yeah, that would be better, I expect. Especially if you could set the parameters the way that Luna describes, so that each time your enemy tries to slash his way out, it would actually make the brambles thicker. He'd be forced to stop casting spells entirely so he wouldn't smothered and punctured to death. If you practised enough, you might get to the point where it would bind his wand arm up, tie him up, effectively. It'd be like Devil's Snare, except with thorns. Which could be--

Urgh. It'd be effective, anyway.

[alt_luna]

Oh, another thing I remember now: if someone DID try to cut their way through, new growth would spring up from each halved branch. So each cut actually made the hedge thicker.