"But Credence, being great doesn't have as much to do with talent or intelligence or power as it does several important qualities that you already have. You are thoughtful, you are compassionate, and you won't hurt the downtrodden. So you'll be great."
Is Quentin's perspective.
"As well as incidentally powerful, but that's an afterthought."
He's struggled with ideas of power and authority, of what makes
greatness, all his life. For all he understands that He is all-powerful
and uses that complete power to better the lives of His creation, in
practice, he's only ever seen those with power use it selfishly and
cruelly. He doesn't have anyone to model this kind of greatness on.
"...does being powerful make people...less good?" he ventures, cautiously.
Maybe there's a rule here he hasn't noticed.
"The truth is it's probably to do with opportunity and temperament. Some people are evil and given even a little power and they'll use it cruelly. Some people are good, but too long with too much power and they lose perspective and do evil things. Rarest of all, the people who attain great power and remember to always do good with it."
"...no, I don't. But I know another, more common type- less talked about but more real. All the good kings and queens I knew tried their best. They remembered this ideal, and they aspired to it. Sometimes they still stumbled, but I think they were good. I would trust them with my lives."
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2017-11-24 01:29 pm (UTC)"I - already have one, it just only works when I'm with Mister Scamander," he explains. "That was something Miss Kinney did for me."
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Date: 2017-11-24 10:20 pm (UTC)Clarifying, quickly.
"With Alec, or with me-"
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Date: 2017-11-25 10:30 am (UTC)"Oh - yes. I asked for that, I don't - I think he will."
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Date: 2017-11-25 12:56 pm (UTC)Quentin agrees.
"So what's the first of your magic you want to do?"
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Date: 2017-11-25 02:06 pm (UTC)"...I don't know. Mr Scamander tried to teach me a spell to repair broken things, I guess that would be - useful, for work."
Not exactly firing his imagination, however.
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Date: 2017-11-25 10:32 pm (UTC)He won't say what, wants Credence to fill in that blank.
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Date: 2017-11-26 04:15 am (UTC)Credence furrows his brow.
"Cool. I, um, I don't know what that would be."
He hears people throw the word around but he still doesn't know exactly what it means.
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Date: 2017-11-26 01:56 pm (UTC)He clarifies.
"Some part of your life you enjoy right now."
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Date: 2017-11-26 02:21 pm (UTC)"Oh." He frowns. "I - I like cooking for people. I like - making things?"
'Excitement' is still some way off.
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Date: 2017-11-27 12:38 am (UTC)Imagining, trying to ponder.
"Basic transfigurations- water into fruit punch."
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Date: 2017-11-27 08:40 am (UTC)Water into anything sounds too close to outright heresy, but cooking in general, he thinks he can get on board with.
"Yes. That - that sounds good, it sounds - helpful."
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Date: 2017-11-27 01:38 pm (UTC)Says Quentin, grinning.
"Did you ever get a spell off the ground with Newt?"
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Date: 2017-11-27 01:41 pm (UTC)He shakes his head, awkwardly. It remains the case that he hadn't really...wanted to.
"Not yet. When I can do more it might be - different."
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Date: 2017-11-27 10:23 pm (UTC)He'd have to guess.
"I can't wait to see you get rolling on it. I think you're going to be a great wizard."
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Date: 2017-11-28 12:57 pm (UTC)Credence can, for a moment, only offer that tied-up-in-knots look he gets when he's trying to work out why Quentin is so nice to him.
"I - I don't want to let you down."
Explicit ambitions of great wizardry are still a step too far.
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Date: 2017-11-28 01:29 pm (UTC)Is Quentin's perspective.
"As well as incidentally powerful, but that's an afterthought."
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Date: 2017-11-28 01:52 pm (UTC)"Oh."
He's struggled with ideas of power and authority, of what makes greatness, all his life. For all he understands that He is all-powerful and uses that complete power to better the lives of His creation, in practice, he's only ever seen those with power use it selfishly and cruelly. He doesn't have anyone to model this kind of greatness on.
"...does being powerful make people...less good?" he ventures, cautiously. Maybe there's a rule here he hasn't noticed.
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Date: 2017-11-29 04:09 am (UTC)Says Quentin, with a light shrug.
"The truth is it's probably to do with opportunity and temperament. Some people are evil and given even a little power and they'll use it cruelly. Some people are good, but too long with too much power and they lose perspective and do evil things. Rarest of all, the people who attain great power and remember to always do good with it."
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Date: 2017-11-29 10:07 am (UTC)"Do you know anybody like that?"
It sounds like a rarity, and by his own admission, Quentin isn't such a person himself.
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Date: 2017-11-29 02:33 pm (UTC)