#older magic users only use wands for more precise spells

[averagesmw]

Merula Snyde x MC- Not now, not ever

Game: Harry Potter Hogwarts Mystery

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The year was 1997, a second wizarding war was in full effect thanks to the resurrection of the dark lord Voldemort, the incompetence of the Ministry, and worst of all, Dumbledore's death

These were truly dark times for the world of magic, and even worse for a certain witch who was related to Death Eaters

Merula Snyde had a relatively peaceful life after graduating Hogwarts in 1991, but as soon as the mass breakout in Azkaban happened, she became a target. Turns out her family wanted her back and assist in the war

Over the course of seven years, and thanks to the influence of a certain student, Merula's views changed quite a lot, and these changes did not align with the Death Eaters's philosophy

Hence why she was on the run, not even getting a place to call her own for the moment. Her campaign to remain hidden led her to a pub, just to take a small break to eat and drink something

Currently, she was looking out the window, contemplating the rain that covered the seemingly empty streets, when a waitress approached her table with a butterbeer in her hand

"Your order, miss"

Confused, she turned to see the woman

"I didn't ask for this"

"Our client over there ordered it for you"

She pointed at someone sitting by themselves, with a trenchcoat that covered most features of their figure, thus forcing Merula to stand up and approach them, her wand at the ready

"Nobody just invites a drink like that. Do I know you?"

This made the figure turn around, making Merula step back in shock, her tired purple eyes wide as the figure smiled at her

"I believe you do, yes"

The young woman couldn't believe what she was seeing. It was the curse breaker themselves, just a bit older and a few more scars, but still them

"...L/N? Y/N L/N?"

They smiled upon hearing their name being said

"Hello, Merula"

She was speechless. It had been years since they last wrote and even more since they last saw each other

It was too good to be true if they just happened to be in the same pub she was using to rest. And so, her mistrust got the better of her

"How do I know it's not someone using a Polyjuice potion?"

The coated person laughed at this, a sound that was different from what she remembered but felt just the same somehow

"Pfft. Come on, you know how awful I am at making potions"

"...It is you"

The curse breaker smiled and suggested to get a table together. While still somewhat reluctant, Merula took a bit to comply, but eventually led them to the table she was using

Now, they were sharing a drink while looking out the window. Or at least Y/N was, Merula's distinct eyes were fixed on them

The scars they had received through the years. While not alarmingly noticeable for someone normal, Merula spotted it right away

She had been running away from this war this entire time, but Y/N? They had been risking their neck out there. Legilimency wasn't needed to guess that

It wasn't long until they noticed her remaining completely silent while staring at them

"What?"

"It's just that...you look terrible. What have you been doing?"

Y/N laughed nervously, scratching the back of their neck

"Saving as many people as I can. There isn't much I can do to end this war, but I can reduce the fallout"

Yes, at the cost of your own health"

"Careful Merula, that almost sounded like you cared about me"

Y/N laughed at this and for a while, she couldn't help but chuckle at this. At least their sense of humor was still intact... although she wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not

"And you? I take it you've been 'traveling' a lot?"

Merula nodded slightly while taking a sip from her drink, brushing it off

"Maybe I do. It doesn't matter"

Then, Y/N leaned closer to her

"Actually, that's why I'm here"

This statement caught her attention, making her look at them

"What do you mean, L/N?"

"I'm here to help you, Merula"

This confirmed some of her theories. Y/N L/N has always been a busy person, so it wasn't a coincidence to just find them in the same pub she was in, but the reason for it wasn't the one she suspected

And she wasn't exactly fond of that

"Excuse you? You've been looking for me instead of helping the people that actually need you?"

"That is precisely what I'm doing, helping"

The witch let out an angry huff. She didn't like what she was hearing and it wasn't getting any better either

"You must've been hit with too many charms. I don't need your help, L/N"

Just after saying that, she finished what was left of her drink and got up

"Although I appreciate the sentiment"

She didn't even let the curse breaker explain themselves, although that might have been for the better. With that, she left the establishment and headed back to the streets under the disguise of the rain that was still hitting the scene

Merula might have left them at the pub, but Y/N was still in her thoughts. That student that earned her disdain during their first years at Hogwarts, that selfish, arrogant magic user that...

...that chose to give her a songbook for Christmas, and that same student that wouldn't leave her side when she got hit by the Cruciatus curse

Even the same person that dragged her to a massive party when they graduated. She hated to admit it, but it was one of her fondest memories

But unfortunately, things change,  and as she arrived at the room she had been using to stay for the night, that became clear to her. In this small, wooden room she took comfort by knowing that she would be safe enough to keep moving the next morning

And so, Merula got in her bed, not even changing her clothes, for she was just too tired to do anything else for the day

Or at least that was the plan until the door squeaked opened, that eerie sound was all she needed to grab her wand by the nightstand and aim it at the intruders, only to be blasted into the wall by them, her precious weapon falling to the floor as a result

She found herself unable to talk but was able to see her attackers, the same people she was running away from. Those masks, the robes, no...

They were Death Eaters, and they had found her

"You can't run away forever, Merula Snyde"

"Watch... me..." She struggled to even talk, but her hatred for them was far greater

"This is a waste of time, I'll end her now"

One of these hooded assailants moved closer, stopped only by the other one

"We're instructed to bring her back alive"

"Fine..."

Both of them were now about to capture her, Fear crawled up Merula's spine at the sight of this. She didn't want to be dragged into this, or forced to take others' lives away just because someone ordered her to

Merula didn't even care about this war, yet she was also suffering because of it. Fortunately, the commotion had been loud enough

"Confringo!"

Suddenly, a small explosion took place in the room that sent one of the Death Eaters out of the way with brutal force by an unseen third party. The other turned to face them immediately after this

"Expelliarmus!"

A blast of red energy snatched the wizard's wand away from him and as the other stood back up, a final jinx was used

"Flipendo Maxima!"

With that, both of the Death Eaters were thrown out the window of the already unstable room and back into the streets, with the impact strong enough to break one of their wands upon landing.

It all happened so fast, Merula didn't even see what was happening, only when she fell to the floor was she able to understand

As for the Death Eaters, they stood back up, wounded and caught off-guard by this merciless assault on them

In front of them, was a single person in a trenchcoat, but their smile was replaced with a stern glare

One of the dark wizards leaned on the other's shoulder to stand up. The other had his wand pointed at them.

"You will regret this, Y/N L/N"

"Not nearly as much as you if you mess with her again"

Predicting an attack from the enemy, the curse breaker struck first, making the hand of the Death Eater started to grow spikes in an awfully uncomfortable manner, forcing him to stop his actions

Seeing Merula running back into the rainy alleyway with her hand at the ready, Y/N standing in front of them, and the poor conditions the dark wizards were in at the moment, there was only one option

To apparate

And escape they did, not wanting to spend another second in their presence

And so, it was just Merula, Y/N, and the rain

"What are you doing here?" She faced them with an unsure look on her

She was of course, happy to see them, but was more than surprised by what taken place just now

"I heard the commotion and came to see what was happening. Not that you needed the assistance, of course"

That was one way to put it. Merula wasn't sure of what would have happened if Y/N hadn't shown up, maybe she would break free from the spell and retaliate, or the Death Eaters would take her away after an intense, brutal fight

It was so unclear, thankfully, it wasn't something she had to find out

"...Thank you"

This sentence caught Y/N by surprise, but they chose not to tease her about it. Instead, they just nodded

"Don't mention it"

They were about to leave when the witch's voice gained their attention once again

"...Can I ask you something?"

"Of course"

She gathered the courage she needed to look at the curse-breaker straight in the eyes

"Why me?"

"Beg your pardon?"

"You could be out there helping to minimize the damage caused by the war, but instead you chose to come to my rescue. Why?"

Y/N stored their wand. If it weren't for the rain making it difficult to see, she could have sworn that she saw them smile at the question

"Because I wanted to give you a reminder"

Knowing where the conversation was heading, they approached her, abandoning the alleyway to stand under the roof of the small building, shielding them from the rain

"A reminder of what?"

"That not everyone is out to get your head"

It was relieving to hear that, but even more, than it was just proven to her, but her gut told her that there was something else in there, hidden meaning or request, and she had a good idea of what was it

"So what, you're expecting me to join your little order and fight my parents?"

"No, you've fought more than enough for a lifetime. I just want you to rest and be safe"

That... that had to be the most caring thing anyone had ever said to her, Merula couldn't even keep up the act at this point

"And what about you?"

"I still have a few things to do, but as soon as I'm done, I'll come back you"

Y/N took a couple of steps closer to her, placing a hand on her shoulder

"Because, contrary to what you believe, I do care about you. I never left your side at Hogwarts, I won't start now"

Merula looked down, even started sobbing a little, but before Y/N could do anything, she looked up at them, with tears in her violet eyes

Y/N wasn't looking at the hardened Slytherin that always seemed to antagonize them

They were looking at the woman who was tired of running away and paying an unfair price for making her own decisions

That same woman that needed just a hint of light to keep going

"...Promise it"

Y/N got a hold of her hand to make her look at them. While they were smiling, she could tell it wasn't the usual friendly or goofy smile

This was different

"Merula Snyde, you have my word that I won't ever leave your side, no matter what"

There was no hesitation or weakness in their voice, and as their eyes looked at her the entire time, it became clear to Merula that Y/N truly meant every single word they said

An do, she responded with the first thing that came to her mind, a hug

"Thank you..."

She muttered, burying her head on their shoulder. This caught the curse-breaker by surprise, but they hugged her as soon as they regained their composure

They remained like that for a minute, no word or thought came out, just this single gesture

"Come on. I know a place where you can rest without getting assassinated"

Merula broke embrace to punch them in the shoulder, making both of them laugh a little

"I missed you too"

[ixvyupdates]

Living at Hogwarts with Apple Pencil and Google Home

Technology is not magic, but Steve Jobs was correct when he described the iPad as “a magical device” in 2010. Combined with the Apple Pencil, which feels like a wand from the wizarding world of Harry Potter, an iPad and the Google Home smart assistant make me feel like I’m truly living at Hogwarts. The powers these digital devices put at my fingertips and on the tip of my tongue to control my environment and extend the reach of my ideas are truly stunning, even for a child of the 1980s who grew up with technology tools and witnessed the dawn of the Internet age in college. These tools are not only amazing for what they allow me to do with my voice and a flick of my wrist today, they’re also remarkable for how they continue to improve and advance in their capabilities. This is particularly true for smart assistants like Google Home, powered by machine learning and artificial intelligence. There is no better front row seat to the transformational changes being wrought in our society by AI technologies than the smart assistant microphone and speaker in your kitchen or in your smartphone.

“Becoming Harry Potter: My Wand (Apple Pencil)” (CC BY 2.0) by Wesley Fryer

In the past few months, I have found myself listening to podcasts more frequently using my Google Home smart speakers, even though I’ve listened to podcasts since the mid-2000s on iPods and iPhones, and still love my smartphone podcatching app, Pocket Casts (@pocketcasts). Podcasting continues to experience wonderful growth among both listeners/consumers as well as creators/producers. I share Larry Lessig’s (@lessig) optimism that podcasting has a powerful potential role to play in the “slow democracy movement” which promises to restore thoughtful and deliberative group decisionmaking to our political landscape hijacked by Twitter-using, illiterate narcissists.

Although “the old tools” of podcast consumption have grown markedly better with the passage of time, podcast listening on a smart speaker is even better and easier in many ways. I love the cloud-synced, sharable OPML backup capability of Pocket Casts, for example. I also love how Pocket Casts lets me jump forward 45 seconds or back 10 seconds with the tap of my finger. On Google Home, however, I can use a voice command to skip forward or backward as needed, in any time increment I desire.

Here's a current, importable OMPL file of all the podcasts to which I'm subscribed via @pocketcasts https://t.co/rcWG4kB0U8

— Wesley Fryer, Ph.D. ??? (@wfryer) December 30, 2018

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It is also MUCH easier, when I want to listen to a podcast, to simply say out loud (within earshot of a Google Home smart speaker):

Hey Google, play the latest episode of the BBC History Hour podcast.

As long as I remember the name of the podcast and can say it in the correct word sequence / syntax (hence the metaphor here to “casting spells” like Harry Potter) I can not only listen to podcasts on my smart speaker, I can also pause, stop, and resume listening on different smart speakers in our home and even using the Google Assistant app on my iPhone, if I leave the house to go somewhere in the car or take a walk. Last year when I “went Android” for a terrifying 8 months (in the opinion of our two teenage daughters, who have typically inherited older smartphone devices from their bleeding-edge technology using parents) I anticipated a better Google Assistant experience compared to iOS. While the Google Assistant is definitely better and more powerful today than Siri, my experiences with “Hey Google” are that capabilities are equivalent on iOS compared to Android when you use Google’s app. Pausing and resuming podcasts on different devices isn’t perfect, sometimes Google can’t pick up on a show where I left off… but usually it can. And that is really a powerful capability. It’s also a capability that is only in its infancy today. It’s just getting better with the passage of time. This is TRANSFORMATIVE for my personal learning, not merely a substitution of an existing capability, because I find myself listening to more podcasts, with greater frequency, because I can use the simple power of my voice to access and control the smart speakers in our home and in my pocket / on my iPhone.

I am not exaggerating or kidding when I say or write this: I feel like Harry Potter at Hogwarts using my voice to trigger podcasts and control their playback wherever I am, as long as the Google Assistant is waiting nearby to respond to my latest verbalized wish. We have not fully jumped onto the smart home / Internet of Things (IoT) bandwagon with lots of web-enabled devices at our house, but we don’t need to for me to feel like a powerful wizard in my own castle. Google Home and the Google Assistant’s capability to let users access and control playback of podcasts via their voice is a magical technology, and I am thrilled to live in the era of earth history when powers like these have become affordably accessible to mere muggles such as myself.

“The Making of Harry Potter 29-05-2012” (CC BY 2.0) by Karen Roe

My wizarding powers attributable to new digital technologies go beyond spellcasting via smart assistants, however. The Apple Pencil not only looks like a wand, it feels like a wand and it ACTS like a wand. Therefore, in my book, the Apple Pencil IS a wand! While my own sketchnoting skills are very rudimentary and not something I’m going to win any awards for, visual notetaking is something I find both challenging and rewarding to do when I can.

“Where Do Good Ideas Come From?” (CC BY 2.0) by Wesley Fryer

I am including both sketchnoting and narrated sketchnoting as chapters in an online book about sharing your faith via media I’m finally going to release as an eBook and printed book in 2019. Visual notetaking, or sketchnoting, is one of my favorite media projects and learning strategies included in the “Show with Media” digital literacy framework. I’ve used a lot of different tablet styluses in the past ten years, and I can say unequivocally that nothing holds a candle to the Apple Pencil. The Apple Pencil version 2.0 raises the bar even higher. I’ve had the opportunity to help several of our elementary as well as secondary faculty at school “make the move” from using an Interactive Whiteboard (SmartBoard) to using an iPad with a stylus, and this transition is SO much easier to make thanks to the precision and stray mark forgiveness which are hallmarks of the Apple Pencil.

If you haven’t personally experienced both the power of a smart speaker when it comes to podcast listening, as well as the Apple Pencil in creating sketchnotes, you need to soon. We’re living in a Harry Potter wizarding world now, for those who are empowered with these new digital technologies. Practice your spells and commit to using your powers for good and not for evil. The world of magical wizardry is here, even for Muggles who grew up in the analog world of yesterday.

When it comes to digitally powered spells and wands, we’re just getting started. Hold on to your hats!

“Casting a Powerful Spell” (CC BY-SA 2.0) by Wesley Fryer

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Living at Hogwarts with Apple Pencil and Google Home syndicated from https://sapsnkraguide.wordpress.com