[d20 Urban Arcana] Harry Potter and the Dawn of Shadow (Prologue)

[Paxus Asclepius]

"Well, that's the trick of it. If knowledge is power, then a Slytherin wants knowledge 's badly's any Ravenclaw. Difference is, he'll use the knowledge. As to 'ow you can trust a Slytherin, 't's the same's any other fellow: make sure what 'e wants is what you want. A Gryffindor might not act in 'is own interest, if it's not "honorable," but you can trust a Slytherin to do what's best for 'imself."

 

[Vendetta]

"That sounds right selfish to me." Basil says, timidly. "I mean... It seems to me that... well, you know..." He stammers, trying not to offend the Slytherin hopeful. After all, none of them really knows what makes a person got to one house or another and he didn't want to sterio-type anyone.

"Its just that..." Basil continues, "I think that putting one's own wants before others. And really, there are many other ways to achieve power than knowledge. Take any bully for example. They can all sod off for all I care, but they use intimidation and brute force to gain their power." Basil turns suddenly green as he remembers the end of his school year when he had blackmailed his teacher, gaining power over her through deviousness and his own selfish lack of regard for her privacy and person, putting his own desires first. "Bollocks!" Basil thought to himself. Was he a Slytherin? Or was he stereo-typing them again?

"Being ambitious doesn't mean you are bad, however." He added quickly, just in case he was indeed a Slytherin.

 

[FoxWander]

"I spose it's all in what you do with the power then isn't it? See I mainly want to learn things- secret things. Go to those places they don't want you to go, learn the stuff they don't want you to know. Like the americans supposedly got aliens and there ships squirreled away out in the desert somewhere. With magic I coould sneak out there and see for myself! Mum says I should get a job in the Department of Mysteries when I graduate from Hogwart's. Course she also thinks I watch the X-Files too much. "

 

[Paxus Asclepius]

""Its just that..." Basil continues, "I think that putting one's own wants before others.

"And so it is. Doesn't mean there's anythin' wrong with that. After all, if'n I don't look after meself, who'll do it? Not to say I won't 'elp my mates, but that's what mates do, 'elp each other. If they didn't do the same for me, we wouldn't still be mates, would we?"

 

[Vendetta]

"Yes, that is true." Basil says, not sure he's totally convinced but feeling much more at ease with the whole concept of "Slytherin"

Looking out of the train window as the landscape passes by, Basil says. "Where do you suppose Hogwarts is?"

 

[Paxus Asclepius]

Looking out of the train window as the landscape passes by, Basil says. "Where do you suppose Hogwarts is?"

"I 'spect it's at the end of the tracks. I doub' it's any more in England than Platform 9 and 3/4s is in King's Cross. It's just sort of . . . nearby, I think."

 

[FoxWander]

"I 'spect it's at the end of the tracks. I doub' it's any more in England than Platform 9 and 3/4s is in King's Cross. It's just sort of . . . nearby, I think."

"Actually, I think Hogwart's is somewhere in the middle of Scotland. It's about a 7 hours train ride, right? So unless were goin' round in circles, 7 hours on a train from London puts you somewhere in Scotland. Plus my Mum told me they took a feild trip to Loch Ness for a Care of Magical Creatures lesson in her 4th year and it took less than an hour to get there by bus. So it's gotta be somewhere in Scotland. And 'old on a sec..." He reaches into his backpack and pulls out a small compass. "This says were heading north, too. Course non o' that means squat though, does it? We could be sitting still back at the station with just an illusion of scenary passing by for all we know. But why go to the trouble.

I think we're using the same train lines as a muggle train, we're just magically shifted some'ow so we've got the track all to ourselves. Like we're just to the side of the normal world and all the people and stuff aren't here. I mean, I haven't seen even one plane in the sky since we boarded. And there are no cars on the roads we go by either. I wonder what would 'appen if you jumped of the train. Would you be trapped outside the normal world forever? Or does the effect only work on the train- so you jump down onto what's an empty road to us on the train, but suddenly it's a busy motorway for you and BAM! You're smashed across the bonnet of some bloke's car! Probably best to stay on the train I suppose."

 

[Paxus Asclepius]

Probably best to stay on the train I suppose."

"I don' care 'ow magic a train is, it's still goin' too fast to leave. I 'spect you know best where we're goin', though."

 

[Vendetta]

Still looking through the book, Basil points to the pictures of the heads of the various houses, specifically Professor McGonnagal and Professor Snape. "Not the most friendly looking people I've seen." He says, a little worried about each of them.

 

[Paxus Asclepius]

Still looking through the book, Basil points to the pictures of the heads of the various houses, specifically Professor McGonnagal and Professor Snape. "Not the most friendly looking people I've seen." He says, a little worried about each of them.

"McGonnagal does look like a strict old biddy, don't she? Don't know about that Snape fellow, though. Sure, 'e could be mean, but could just 'ave 'igh expectations. I mean, 'e's 'ead of Slytherin, right? If they're all s'posed to be ambitious, maybe 'e just doesn't like kids that don't try 'ard enough."