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Below are the 10 most recent journal entries recorded in
Benjamin Forrester's InsaneJournal:
| Saturday, January 31st, 2009 | |
| 9:50 pm | 17 September 1942 I have been having dreams of ravens with broken wings. I don't know what it could mean; where I grew up ravens are admired for their ability to survive the winters and to get out of tight situations. There are no tales where Raven is ever the one to suffer; it's usually quite the contrary. Raven is often a trickster but always a defender of the people. I hope it doesn't mean anything has happened to Makittuq. My father mentioned him in one of his last journal entries, though what could have brought them together I still have no idea. As I have had no more news concerning his killer, our original assumption that he is travelling via mundane cargo transport still stands. Or, given the unsettled state of the school, it could relate to something here. That is far more likely, but still - what could it mean? Woden, Ælfweald, Morrigan... I just don't know enough to guess. Current Mood:  worried |
| Saturday, February 2nd, 2008 | |
| 9:18 pm | 12 Sept 1942 There is nothing in any of the books Barlowe had that explains the bindings on the house elves. I should have researched them as soon as Kyteler told me not to trust them, but there was so much else going on and I'd thought they were just like the brownies Grandmother told me about. But brownies serve people out of choice and leave if mistreated. The house elves have refused to help but they're still here, and from what I've overheard there are students who think that if they don't do as they're told they should be punished. I would never attempt to force another being into doing my will, but especially not if I didn't understand why it was compelled to do so in the first place. No wonder Kyteler doesn't trust them. Monday I think I shall assign essays on house elves. Current Mood: uncomfortable |
| Saturday, December 8th, 2007 | |
| 5:20 pm | Early morning, 11 Sept 1942 As if we don't have enough problems already, Chandrasekhar Lockhart is definitely in contact with someone or something outside the school. Davy might have been able to get more information out of him, but we agreed it is more important for him to guard against the known dangers. I took his advice and asked Mr Lockhart, in the most general terms, if he knew of a way to communicate with anyone outside the castle other than by owl or fire-call, as that could be very useful should we find ourselves under siege - which is true, of course. He denied knowing about any such thing in a way that made it apparent that he was lying. Unfortunately I believed I have raised his suspicions, and I shall have to tell Davy not to continue the investigation as we'd originally planned. I have at least confirmed that this is not an immediate threat to either Mr Lockhart or the rest of the student population. Current Mood:  frustrated |
| Friday, November 2nd, 2007 | |
| 2:14 pm | 10 Sept 1942, shortly after the midday meal A preliminary examination of Mr Baddock revealed no signs of demonic possession, although there are indications that he has been exposed to demons in the recent past. I do not have my partner's skill at misdirection, so I did not attempt to engage him in extended conversation or draw him out regarding any problems he might be having. I shall recommend a watch be maintained on him; something is affecting him, although I cannot tell what it is. The entity that watched my dreams seemed more curious than malevolent, for all that it caused me to remember a painful period of my life. The evidence supports the possibility of tarneerunek, which is not normally fatal but can be quite disturbing. I have asked Davy to take over my class while I investigate further; there may be further evidence to be found in the dormitories, and I shall take the opportunity to inspect and reinforce the existing wards. Current Mood:  concerned |
| Wednesday, September 26th, 2007 | |
| 1:28 am | 9 September 1942 Another student is missing, and once again the people who knew about it said nothing. It isn't the external threats we need to worry about, it's the indifference of the students. I do not know what to think. I cannot understand these people; back home it is simply impossible to survive without relying on the people around you. The world is too unforgiving. Here everything is easy and people just do not care. I take that back - some people do care, even about strangers. Miss Kaplan, obviously, because she told me as soon as she learned of it, and Davy will, of course. I hope we find this girl; if not, he is not going to take it well. Current Mood: frustrated |
| Tuesday, September 18th, 2007 | |
| 12:00 am | Late evening, 8 Sept 1942 It appears that my letter to Magister Kyteler crossed paths with his; he had already directed Professor Goyle to take steps regarding the security of the school. Naturally I shall take responsibility for the areas outside the castle, but I also will need to become more familiar with the castle itself in the event that I have to lead my students to safety. I confess this is something I have been avoiding; I still find the way the castle changes unnerving. I have yet to ascertain a pattern in the way the stairs move, or the way rooms appear and disappear. Not only have I been unable to find the room with the exotic birds which Mr Loveday showed me, I have found no mention of said room in Professor Barlowe's notes. I had intended to ask Miss Peverell if she could be of assistance in this matter, but she was engaged in conversation with Constable Nutter and I felt it wisest not to intrude. His appearance tonight would have been startling had I not seen the same intensity while we dealt with Miss Jeannot's revenant. The opportunity to do something constructive will be good for him, I think. I find myself worrying that he is taking the situation too personally; he seems to be a man of passionate extremes. |
| Sunday, July 29th, 2007 | |
| 12:59 am | 7 September 1942 The animals in the bestiary are doing well. The house-elves have seen to their basic needs, though the more domesticated ones were quite eager for my attention. While seeing to the beasts that live on the fringes of the Forest, I discovered indications that someone has been going in and out of the forest frequently. The exit point lies roughly on a line between the castle and the point at which Claudien de Kernoël vanished; though I did not have time to investigate it further, I would not be surprised if that was in fact the terminus of the path. As I had no students show up for my office hours - hardly surprising, given that I have yet to teach any classes - I was able to spend the entire time searching Professor Barlowe's records for indications of activity in that area. It will take additional investigation to determine whether what he recorded was out of the ordinary. I have given Constable Nutter my sketches of Ailise Kyteler and sent him to ask the house elves who took care of the bestiary whether they ever saw her, as he is more comfortable dealing with them than I am. |
| Saturday, July 14th, 2007 | |
| 7:52 pm | 6 September 1942 In preparation for taking over Professor Barlowe's teaching duties, I have spent the afternoon tidying his office and going over his notes. The books that came from the Academy library appear to have been returned, but that still leaves his personal collection, which is quite impressive. My grandparents' library concentrated on New World magickal beasts, of course, so I have a great deal of studying to do if I am to keep up with my students. Not that this is a hardship; I have to keep reminding myself that this is part of my job, not a chance to indulge myself. Davy Nutter was here earlier. He did not bring up the subjects we discussed after leaving Professor Mathers' office, other than to give me a somewhat disjointed description of how the four houses are meant to relate to each other, interspersed with comments on whichever of Professor Barlowe's notes happened to catch his attention. I now know more about the disadvantages of toads as familiars than I'll ever expect to need. I finally convinced him that Mackenzie was in need of exercise - which is true, his assurances that he did not have any of the cake from Miss Polly's tea notwithstanding - and sent them both off. |
| Sunday, April 8th, 2007 | |
| 11:18 pm | Early morning, 4 Sept 1942 Someone was watching my dreams last night. I was dreaming of home, in all its beauty and danger; of the ice fields, smooth and deceptive under the stars of an endless night. She was there, suddenly. I don't know what brought her there; that territory was as alien to her as the city where we met was to me. She seemed unaware of her danger as she called out to me, and for a moment I forgot as well, until I stepped out to follow her and the ice shifted beneath us. I've had this dream before, but I never let it go past this point. Cowardly, I know, but I cannot bear to watch her face as she falls. It's my fault. If only I hadn't tried to follow, if only I'd been able to convince her there was another way out. I cannot believe she had gone so far that she couldn't have turned back. This time, I couldn't stop. Someone else was with me, someone who wanted to see everything, someone curious yet impersonal. |
| Wednesday, February 14th, 2007 | |
| 11:28 pm | 2 September 1942 My father once told me that, given a choice, a wise hunter would prefer not to pursue his quarry but to discover where it must go and wait for it there. I do not think this was an area in which he followed his own advice. In this we were similar; I have always preferred the more active course, though I can be patient if I must. And in this case I have no choice; the trail is too muddled on the other end. The British wizards have promised their help, though, and in the meantime they have enlisted my aid in tracking a lost child. He is tied into the magic of the land in a way that I have read about but never experienced - back home, the land is indifferent at best and hostile at worst. But this makes him valuable to both sides, and is one of the reasons they think he still lives, though divination indicates he is no longer in this world. If he had vanished on the tundra I would suspect an ijiraq. I would not expect to find one here, but the world is so unsettled now that anything is possible. |