Predictably, Neville was left partnerless.

[adjunct]

Hullo, this is Neville Longbottom, I think I've done this right.
Erm, you can leave me a voiceletter. If you'd like.

Comments

[grimmig]

He's not a bad man, I'm not saying that. He's a man who's capable of keeping in close contact with Barty Crouch Jr despite knowing who and what he is and a man whose secrets Barty keeps quite ardently.

He's not a bad man, but he's a man who can and does handle bad men comfortably. Not an active danger maybe, but somebody to rely on? I wouldn't say that either.

Be careful where you place your trust.

[adjunct]

[Well. He's not wrong, is he? And Neville just went with his kneejerk reaction to assume the best of Will, even after the whole mess, without really stopping to question it.]

I suppose that's true.

Do you know him well? Will?

[grimmig]

Not terribly, no. We've flirted once or twice. I've kept an eye here and there.

[adjunct]

You like each other, but you go about warning people off him?

[grimmig]

That's about the gist of it.

To clarify, I'm not saying you should stay away. If you can hold your own around Barty you can hold your own around anyone. Maybe I just believe in equal opportunity and you seemed to be going in with blinkers.

[adjunct]

Well

Well thank you, then. I'll keep it in mind.

[grimmig]

No problem. Feel free to call if you find yourself stuck.

[aw how kind look at this kind new friend neville aw]

action

[palebee]

It is more than a touch frustrating to face such dire circumstance while bereft of familiar tools. [ He agrees, dumping a second toad into his bucket. ] And as worthy as our cause here is, none of us might be properly called volunteers. Can't say that I wouldn't nip home myself now and again if we had the option, I do miss our lovely Scottish weather.

[ Albus grins to Neville, shoving the lid back on. ]

The system as a whole is rather unusual; isn't it? The gods hold power enough to bring us here, but not to raise their own, native armies. It all comes back to the grey plague -- a sort of corruption, or withering of Asgard's natural forces.

Of course, few enough natives remain grey. The number was once far greater. Travelers must have acted as a sort of battery to its reversal, an initial spark of energy to set it all back on course. Our continued presence here means an easy, emergency buffer of energy...and if there is a war to be fought, well, we are a convenient source of troops.

[ One toad interjects its opinion with an outraged chorus of Deine Mutter geht in der Stadt huren! ]

They state to remove our magic for matters of safety, and I am inclined to believe them on that count. There have been incidents which support the claim. But there remain flaws in the system. Travelers come and go at seemingly random intervals, and the gods' own powers have more than once corrupted within Asgard's walls.

All those beings brought here deliberately exhibit the same lack of any innate powers -- Fawkes was affected by his journey, and others discussing companions upon the network report similar effects. Foreign magic is rendered inert, wherever it is purposefully introduced.

Which gives us three traits to bear in mind: origin, capability, and intent. If the three cannot exist together, as we have posited, then that which is both foreign and magical must be accidental.

I do not believe these toads entered Asgard under watch.

[text]

[nukeoleptic]

is harry gone from the contact list for you, too
is that a real thing