[Outskirts of Inverness - December 2001] Hard as stone, cold as ice (Volker)

He was not a member of the Elemental Council anymore and it felt liberating. He had never cared about law and order set up by the Ministry of Magic either. Now there were no rules for him anymore at all. The only rules Nolan lived by these days were the ones he made up himself and those basically meant that he did not have to answer to anyone anymore and that he could do whatever he felt like doing. If he felt like an earthquake then he could make one happen. If he wanted to kill an annoying person he'd send stone arrow heads at them. Life could be simple as that.

The old stone elemental, however, realised that in order to keep his strength he had to spend a lot more time in his elemental state. Sometimes he spent entire weeks as a pebble in the Scottish Highlands. It gave him a strange satisfaction to morph right outside the Elemental Council. He couldn't really say why but it had become an obsession. He liked to take walks around Inverness, always hoping to find a troubled soul there, a younger elemental who doubted the authority of the Council. Someone whom he could convince or maybe just persuade to follow him and leave the Council. It was his ambition to gather fellow elementals to weaken and, if possible, overthrow the Council altogether.

Nowadays the old man's dream was to defeat the wand wavers and subdue them and their ministry. He wanted to make history. Voldemort had been a pathetic excuse for a person striving for power. He was nothing without the proper wand. He, Nolan Cairns, however, had more power than Voldemort at his best or so he told himself. First the weaker, the wand waving wizards had to be dealt with and then, as a next step, he'd take care of the muggles. They were outnumbering the elemental wizards, and wizards in general, of course, but they had nothing to oppose him and a crew of loyal followers. The only drawback now was that he lacked these loyal and powerful followers.

As usual when he was about to morph back into his human shape, the Nolan pebble shook a little, threatening to roll over. He liked to do that before morphing back. It was a little like stretching his limbs that felt stiff firstly because of his age and then because he had spent some time as a stone. A moment later the man stood there in the meadow and stretched his limbs for real now. He took a deep breath and looked around, trying to figure out which time it was and if he was all alone or if there was, maybe, another person around. He was in the mood of scaring a muggle by causing a minor earthquake but there was no one around. Not like last time when he had found himself facing a muggle with his dog.

He felt stiff as he made a few steps along the meadow. It was cold, there were white patches of snow on the green but it was not uncomfortabe as there was little wind. Nolan felt relieved by this fact. Had there been a storm he'd likely have morphed back into his pebble shape again to wait for spring and better weather. He looked at the sky, making out the sun sheltered behind some grey clouds. Judging by its position it was late afternoon. Just a perfect time for a little walk.

As he came closer to the Elemental Council, Nolan felt excitement. He could sense the presence of another elemental not too far away. His steps became faster now, making the ground tremble a little.

"Good afternoon," he said in a booming voice in order to make his presence known. He said nothing more as he waited for the reaction of the far younger man.

@Volker Blauvelt <333

It was the perfect day for a walk.

It had snowed the previous night and Volker had been excited to go outside. He hadn’t gotten the chance to do so in the first half of the day, as the ice elemental suddenly found himself extremely motivated to sit down at a desk and do some runic research. However, after hours of work and study, Volker was extremely keen on going outside, take a deep breath of that cold December air, and overall just unwind while going for a walk around the Council. And so he did.

Much to his please, it wasn’t sunny at all, the clouds protecting the newly gathered snow from its warmth. While the weather wasn’t too cold, it was still good enough for the ice elemental. One thing he actually enjoyed regarding Scotland was actually its weather. Truthfully, if there hadn’t been generally cold there, Volker wouldn’t have been keen on moving at the Council and spending a lot of time there, regardless of the many sources of knowledge it possessed. However, things have worked in his favour in what concerned that matter.

As soon as he was outside, Volker took off his boots, wanting to walk barefoot on the fresh snow, because, truthfully, there was obviously nothing better than that. He also let down the outer cloak of his robes, deciding that the less layers, the better. After placing his belongings next to a lonely tree, the ice elemental started his afternoon walk, particularly enjoying the feeling of snow and frost on his bare feet. His dusty purple robes were also thin enough to allow him feel the coldness of the day, which just added to his satisfaction.

It wasn’t long enough until Volker decided to go to the meadow nearby, to check out if the water froze or not. If it had snowed, perhaps not, but one could always hope. As he made his way around though, the German could feel a tiny bit of trepidations in the ground. Should this have happened on the continent, Volker’d have been concerned regarding the matter, however, considering that he was on an island, such things were considered the normal and not the unusual. In addition to that, he did sense the presence of another elemental around, however, he was in close proximity to the Council, and therefore it was yet again simply normal to just assume that someone from there had also decided to take a walk that day.

Little did he assume that the one walking around was demin Zealot Nolan Cairns. Volker didn’t recognise the voice that addressed him at first, but upon turning around to face the interlocutor, it was impossible for him not to recognise the stone elemental. It had been so obvious yet he had decided to ignore it all; the trepidations, along with the feeling of another presence around, of course it had to be a stone elemental. Nonetheless, Volker was definitely not expecting to see Nolan there that day.

As he had been away most of the time during the past two years, Volker didn’t know much about what had occurred at the Council. He could’ve easily found out, however, it was better to stay away from gossip. Still, what he did know for sure was that the demin Zealot was not part of the Council anymore. Volker had never been particularly close to Nolan, and therefore knew almost nothing about his beliefs, but it was still a slight shock to see someone who used to roam around the same hallways as he did, outside, as a rogue. Last time he had seen a rogue elemental had been at the Beauxbatons attack. Suddenly, Volker found himself not knowing how to act, only because the sole thing he could associate rogues with was death, pain and loneliness. He probably didn’t know better, but only because Volker had never had contact with rogues before.

Taking a deep breath, Volker straightened his back and decided to approach this situation as diplomatically and courteously as possible. “Good afternoon, Zealot Cairns.” He replied, with the same amount of respect he had always treated the older man with. However, suddenly the ice elemental found himself wondering if the title of Zealot still applied. Hopefully, Volker hadn’t offended Nolan without even knowing. “It is such a surprise to see you here. I hope you are doing well.” He continued, a small smile appearing on his face, mostly out of gallantry than anything else. And yet, despite his calculated, calm behaviour and reaction, there was still something cold about Volker’s features. His icy cold demeanour was still present, despite him acting with his most polite comportment. 

Volker noticed that Nolan ignored the ‘zealot’ address, fact which he didn’t know he was particularly pleased about or slightly bothered by. In the end, the older stone elemental had left the Council, so Volker was now unsure if he should have used that title or not. However, what else could he have called the man? ‘Monsieur’ sounded a tiny bit too much, particularly in the British Isles, and Volker wasn’t the type of person who wouldn’t show respect for the ones that deserved it. And, regardless of affiliation, Nolan was a powerful elemental who deserved his respect no matter what.

He could feel himself becoming a bit tenser than before, the present situation being something Volker never thought he would find himself in. His experience with rogues was not good; it narrowed down only to the attack on Beauxbatons and that was already automatically associated with death to the ice elemental. Would Nolan, just by retrieving from the Council, be connected with that concept too? Volker really doubted someone could immediately be labelled as malicious. It just couldn’t possibly work that way. For, eventually, even within the Council, people had varied opinions regarding certain issues and theories, and yet nobody was wrongly labelled with malevolent titles. 

Somehow, he suddenly found himself torn as to how to act around the stone elemental. Ultimately, Volker decided that if anything were to happen, he would be the one at an advantage, his own element being the one most predominant in the surroundings. Predominant enough for him to escape, if needed.

The German enjoyed how Nolan phrased his inquiry. Perhaps he wasn’t trying to be charming, which was most likely the case, but the smoothness of the words did feel that way. Volker enjoyed that kind of approach and choice in words in general, and offered Nolan a polite smile in return to his own. “I’m Volker Blauvelt.” Garth advocate. The German introduced himself, deciding to keep the last comment just for his own persona. In the long run, he did not desire to particularly emphasise that he was literally in his own element, as that would come off as unnecessarily defensive. Nolan had done nothing to him, and yet he was sceptical because of a mere title, or lack of. Volker was starting to find his inner struggle regarding the ‘rogue’ concept a bit tedious and somehow ridiculous.

Of course. Volker immediately told to himself, upon realising that he didn’t even need to emphasise it personally, as it was quite obvious from his appearance and attire. However, he did not regret his previous gesture from when starting to take this walk, as walking barefoot when there was snow was the most pleasant of things. And especially when finding himself in such a confusing situation, Volker definitely needed the comfort of the snow, and that of coldness.

“Yes.” He let out of a soft chuckle, before placing a lock of his ash blonde hair behind his ear and straightening his back. “It is nice to be in my own element, even if not for long anymore.” Spring would come soon and while at Inverness it was quite cool still, the temperatures would still be in the positives, which didn’t necessarily please Volker. At all for that matter. The passing of winter was always a sad event, however, he did assume it would be quite differently for the older elemental there. Volker’d guess that spring was always the best season for stone and earth elementals. Maybe summer too, for the stone ones.

“I assume you are keenly waiting for spring to come though, unlike me. Even if a lot of time would pass by, I see myself always waiting for winter.” It was true; and it wasn’t exactly small talk per se, as much as it was Volker genuinely voicing out his own thoughts. Plus, rogue or not, it was quite nice to have the occasion to actually talk to an older elemental, someone aside from Peter Alva. The older ones were always hard to catch around and it was quite a pity, because their centuries were an experience Volker did not have yet but was always fascinated by.

His feeling of tension was slowly starting to fade away; it was still there, however, unquestionably not as penetrating as before. Nolan was acting quite cordial, so Volker assumed it was not him that should be overly wary of the stone elemental; another stone elemental perhaps, but he himself had so far no reason to be unnecessarily vigilant and apprehensive.

Nolan offering Volker a smile, even if it was merely hinted, managed to put the younger ice elemental at ease. He wasn’t bad, he wasn’t like those rogues in the past. Volker didn’t sense death in him, or any kind of threat. Perhaps he had been too quick to judge, too quick to feel threatened by a danger that wasn’t even there. He let out a quick breath, a bit in relief, but short enough to hope that Nolan didn’t notice or think that he was letting his guard down, for Volker wasn’t in any way doing so. He simply just felt more at ease. Plus, anyone who didn’t truly dislike winter couldn’t be that bad of a person.

“It is.” He nodded in approval, admitting that he did eagerly wait each year for the colder seasons to come. “However, it’s nice here in Scotland throughout all year, so I guess it’s a bit comforting I come here often.” Volker shrugged, more out of instinct than nonchalance, not momentarily realising that the gesture could be perceived as too familiar. Still, the discussion was a comfortable and relaxing one, which made him indeed feel less tense. Nolan didn’t seem like an awful person, or even close to how Volker imagined rogues being. It was strange, this new experience, a rogue feeling so familiar and not discomforting. It was odd, yet exciting – Volker could feel thrill deep within, somewhat enjoying this experience.

He sighed at Nolan’s comment regarding time. It was a concept he was dwelling on lately – Volker was more aware of time passing by quickly, far too quickly, than perhaps most elementals his age. In the end, his better half was not an elemental. He was highly aware that soon enough, within a few years, time won’t spare him nor his soul mate, Émilie. Volker was still tormented by the concept of time, not knowing how to even bring it up to his beloved. In addition to time itself, there was also rebirth that was constantly consuming each and every part of his being, fervently burning him to the core each time he would even think about his second affinity and how the search for runes and regarding how to handle and properly control it was not going according to plan so far.

“Time is a fickle friend.” The ice elemental commented, admitting that Nolan was in the right. Wasting one’s life waiting did not sound pleasing at all, particularly for one who would live longer than others. Volker remained lost in his thought – he wasted already so many years. Basically, there had been nothing going for him rather than his elemental studies and searching for runes, while travelling all over the world. While Volker had been keen on the adventure that awaited for him, the fact that his travels weren’t proving to be particularly successful so far was very disappointing. It really felt like he had wasted time pointlessly and time had passed quickly, far too quickly for him to catch up with his previous life.

Volker arched his eyebrow as Nolan continued talking, a bit puzzled regarding where the discussion was heading. “I do agree…” The German couldn’t exactly voice the ‘but’ that would follow, along with continuing his sentence. The ice elemental wasn’t sure what exactly the older man was hinting at – was it an actual figure of authority, like the Council, or was it their own persons? In the end, not dwelling too much and taking decisions impulsively was also a good means of acting. At times, it was for the best to wait and consider every other factor when taking a decision, but definitely not always. Was Nolan hinting at this philosophical inner-struggle with the self, or something less abstract?

“What did you mean, more exactly?” Volker inquired, deciding that it was for the best to ask for a more ample explanation. “When you mentioned that others are taking decisions for everyone.” The ice elemental then made his way in Nolan’s direction, as he nodded politely in approval at his inquiry regarding a walk. Still, Volker continued asking, obviously confused by what the stone elemental had meant. He surely wasn’t talking about the Council badly and right at its doorstep. Or was he?

By now, the German was positive that Nolan wouldn’t do anything to harm him – in the end, if he had wanted to do so, the man had had many openings up to this point. The conversation was intriguing enough, making Volker quite curious about the stone elemental’s train of thought. Surely, talking more with him wouldn’t be such a bad thing. In the end, socialising with other elementals was encouraged, and while he had a rogue label stuck on him, Nolan wasn’t like any other rogue he had previously met. Volker then could only wonder what had made the older elemental abandon the Council.

He had mixed feelings about this all, feeling uneasy at the idea of hearing unpleasing things regarding the Council. However, his curiosity was getting the best of him, Volker realising he would have felt much more anxious should he have not accompanied Nolan. It was for the best to just calm down his thirst for knowledge and then calmly retire, on peaceful terms.

There was almost nothing Nolan had said that Volker didn’t agree with. Volker was personally quite open about the fact that he was an elemental, especially within his circle of friends, and former Beauxbatons mates. In the end, he’d been exposed during the rogue attack in his fifth year, so it would have been rather pointless to hide something that was already known. However, once his second affinity surfaced, it all became just like before – Volker unable to freely be himself, and simply share with his close ones what was going on with him. For a moment he couldn’t help himself from wondering if he would really call his close ones actually close, especially if they didn’t know many of his issues. And not even the Council knew; at least, not all. There were two or three people whom Volker could state that truly knew him, and yet even then it was because the Council had allowed him to.

He sighed, attentively following Nolan’s words. Volker wouldn’t have gone as far as to say that the wrong people set up the rules. However, the ice elemental figured that it was perhaps because he’d simply hadn’t thought about it. In the end, Volker’d been so lost within his own issues that he hadn’t even thought about the Council as an organisation. Well, not much anyway. He had a lot to process, especially after his travels. He’d found out things of the Council which weren’t especially pleasing, nonetheless, Volker had previously decided not to dwell on those until he’d have his own issues solved. But seeing Nolan there, the older elemental talking in such a way, it was as if somehow he was voicing everything Volker had decided to suppress within.

A school focusing on elemental magic would have been the one factor which would have made his own life much easier. And everyone else’s. Not having to worry about failing exams involving wand magic, and focusing only on elemental spells would have been perfect. Having others you are weak at certain subjects was frustrating, especially since the ones he excelled at weren’t taught in the Beauxbatons curriculum. In the past, as a student, Volker often wondered why exactly he even had to still attend Beauxbatons. However, he’d never voiced the concern – in the end, Peter Alva’s presence at the school had always been something that soothed his apprehensions.

The latter part of Nolan’s speech didn’t stick with him as the rest. He didn’t especially think that elementals were stronger than regular witches or wizards. They were different, but each kind of magical practice had its share of both strong and weak. There were certainly some very strong witches and wizards around the world, which could stand up to elementals quite easily. Perhaps Nolan hadn’t personally encountered such a person in his long life, or perhaps he’d always been on the top of the pyramid, always stronger than all magical folk.

For a moment, he couldn’t abstain himself from thinking whether this kind of thinking had gotten Nolan the label of ‘rogue’. No, it wouldn’t be possible. Right? They were all very legitimate concerns, some of which should be taken with the upmost seriousness. Volker sighed, gracefully running a hand through his long hair, toying with a lock as he continued walking besides Nolan.

“I agree.” Volker replied sincerely, not thinking that his opinion was worth hiding. In the end, while he’d been sceptical at first, Nolan didn’t seem like the rogues he’d previously met. He was legitimately worried about his own kind’s wellbeing. One couldn’t blame anyone for wanting to look out for their own people. He supposed the extent of their passion and moral length of their actions was the one factor which differentiated a noble cause from a disaster. Nolan however seemed that he was one of the individuals with a noble cause.

“I did hear that at Mahoutokoro they study elemental magic, but from what I’ve been told, it’s others trying to use elemental spells with wand magic.” He commented, nodding slightly in disapproval. “Not actual elemental magic being taught to elementals though.” Volker sighed, not fully enjoying the idea. It was fair for others to have access to elemental magic, yes, but it had to be mutual. In the end, elementals also had to be properly taught wand magic, and not at the same level as regular witches or wizards. “I do guess it’s better there than at other schools, but it still doesn’t help elemental students. An elemental school would be best, although I must say, I’m surprised there isn’t one.”

He turned towards Nolan, unsure whether or not he should ask the following question, but as always, his impulsiveness got the best of him. “Is this why you are…” exiled from the Council? Volker finished the question in his mind, deciding that, in the end, it was best for him not to finish it. “So, you believe an elemental school would aid elementals in gaining a certain level of freedom?” He wasn’t too sure about that himself. It would help elementals focus on their own magic with no further frustrations and worries, yes; but attain freedom? No, in the end, a school just for elementals meant a closed circle, and they wouldn’t have contact with regular witches and wizards. Volker wasn’t too keen on that, truth be told. Ultimately, a lot of his friends weren’t elementals, and most of them made the time at Beauxbatons a wonderful and special memory to him.