Username: SilhouetteStation
Kalon Name: Percivan 'Perce' Emill
Gender: male
Prompt Response:
"Look out, Perce!"
The young child ducked at his brothers warning, eyes wide with awe and wander as a bolt of blue, shimmering magic shot over his head and hit the wall with a loud smacking sound. The magic sizzled away, leaving a scorch mark behind, a thin trail of silvery smoke evaporating into the air. He was still staring at it even when he heard his mother yelling, heard both of his brothers laughing as they ran past him and out of the door. He watched them go as his mother appeared beside him, shaking her head and tutting at the charred mark.
"If I've told them once, I've told them a thousand times, no magic in the house..." she muttered to herself, and then sighed. "The sooner they get off to that school, the better. And I don't want them back until they've learn how to control it."
She put a hand on her youngest son's shoulder, smiling down at him fondly. "Good thing you don't have to worry about all that, eh?"
He nodded, still staring through the doorway where his brothers had longed disappeared. It didn't feel good, not really, seeing them run off like that. They'd been close from the start, being twins and all, but they'd only grown closer since they'd discovered their magic. Soon they'd be off to that special academy, learning secrets and skills Percivan could only dream about. And then it would just be him and his mother left at home. Just the two of them. Perfectly normal, perfectly non-magic.
• • • • •
"Look out, Sir!"
He ducked just as a stray bolt of magic, orange and flaming, sailed over his head and hit the wall with a loud fizzing. Here, the walls were protected, and no mark was left behind. If they didn't have protection, by far, the entire academy would have crumbled by now.
He looked towards the doorway, where two meek-looking First Year students were scuffing their feet. "Sorry, Sir," one of them said. "It just got away from me."
"No harm done," he reassured them. "You'll get the hang of it eventually. Now come in, take your seats."
The two of them came in, as did the rest of the class, trailing in behind them and giggling at the mishap. He didn't try to stop their talking. It was their first year here, of course they were excited; he wasn't about to ruin their fun. He was just happy that he could play a part in their learning, to help them along their way.
Even if, technically, he didn't teach magic.
Make no mistake, potion making was a difficult skill to master. You had to learn the ingredients, the amounts to add, how to add them together and not get a sticky, exploding mess; it took time to get the hang of.
It was ironic, he knew, that the only non-magic child of the family would end up teaching at the academy. The thing about this position was that you didn't need magical abilities, you just needed to know your way around a cauldron and its ingredients. Anyone could learn potion making if they put their mind to it. And that's exactly what he'd done as a child.
So desperate to feel closer to his brothers, he'd thrown himself into learning the craft because it was the closest thing he could get to learning real magic. His mother, although she probably knew his reasons behind the passion, supported his decision to go into this field. He'd not been good at it in the beginning, and it had taken many failed attempts to get this far. There had been times when he'd thought about giving it up, but then he'd see his brothers together, using their magic, and it brought back the drive all over again.
Eventually his motivation had turned into success. He graduated his final exam with flying colors. His mother had showered him with praise. Even his brothers had been there, patting him on the back and congratulating him. It had felt good - really good - but deep down, he knew it didn't really change things.
The twins were still the magic ones, and he still was not.
Really, he was lucky that potion making had turned into a genuine passion for him. He loved creating, and he loved teaching. Being at this school, it brought him closer to the world he longed to be apart of, but he knew that it couldn't go further than this. He knew that this place, this position - they were the closest he would get to magic. The students he taught and the staff he worked with, the ones with magical powers - being around them, watching them work, was the closest he'd get.
He did love his job.
He did love his potions, his books, his job of teaching and creating.
He did love being here, seeing the magic firsthand, eyes wide just like when he was a child.
But sometimes, sometimes, he can't help but long for a little bit more.