Apprentice Tokens

An unusual ability that has manifested throughout the ages, the spectromancer is one who straddles the boundary between vivid life and washed out spectrality. Passed on by word of mouth, or innate talent, the skill of a spectromancer is often coveted by those who seek closure or those who have already passed.

Practitioners of this ability have gone by many names, such as Medium, Shaman, and Spirit Walkers, both in the wizarding world and outside of it.

**Learning:** Though not incredibly rare, books containing information and guidance about the art of spectromancy are hard to come by. The books that contain this knowledge are usually first hand accounts, written by hand by original practitioners of this ability, and were never mass produced. Given the importance that ghosts regard this ability with, they are often willing to give up any knowledge that they may have to anyone seeking for advice and guidance in learning the skill. Rarer than this are cases where a ghost is willing to tutor a practitioner directly. This practice is often restricted to only the oldest ghosts, and the most trustworthy tutees.

**Using Spectromancy:** Practitioners of the art of Spectromancy begin their journey in the subject by becoming more real to those who have passed on. Where normally, the living are to ghosts as ghosts are to them, the spectromancer can interact with both worlds simultaneously, becoming ‘real’ to both human and spectre. It is not uncommon for spirits to feel more inclined to converse in depth with those they can interact with, and so a spectromancer has a far greater capacity for befriending (or snubbing) the ghosts that they interact with. Beware, potential practitioner, of making more enemies than friends among the dead.

**Novice:** You have the aura of the spectral hanging around you. Perhaps you have always been this way, or perhaps it is something you have acquired through hard work and study. Regardless, you now find yourself able to interact with ghosts in a minor way. When you walk through them, you both feel resistance, when you look upon each other you each appear more than as a figment, and in your presence ghosts feel warm, just as you do cold. Being more than ‘just another mortal’ ghosts are more inclined to talk to you, more inclined to take heed of your words, and are less likely to let knowledge of your person slip away from them. The more ambitious among them may even encourage you upon your path, suggesting books to look over, or techniques to attempt.

**Intermediate:** As your practice and knowledge expands, so do your abilities. Whether by instruction, intuition or reading, you have managed to become both ‘alive’ and ‘spectral’. With focus, you can physically interact with ghosts, as if each of you were solid to the other. Ghosts will be inclined to your presence, being a comfortable link to the living, a bout of fresh life to talk with. It is not uncommon to find ghosts talking to you without prompting, to fill the time in their day. Be wary, for at this stage of your development an angry ghost can make their animosity known in painful ways.

**Advanced:** At this stage of your development you are as real as you are ghost. Your ghostly shroud has evolved to be solid to the touch of both living and dead, and the chill of death no longer makes you at all uncomfortable. By now, your repute as a practitioner has likely expanded to all local ghosts, and on occasion those further abroad may seek your aid. To you, ghosts are just as real as the dead. In addition, you may fully interact with ghostly objects, such as instruments or steeds.

**Mastery:** Maybe it was a request from a nervous spirit. Maybe it was an idea laid out in detail in an old grimoire. Maybe it just felt like the correct next step on your path. You have learned the slow and difficult technique of taking real objects and infusing them with spectrality, able to make them entirely exist in a ghostly form. Perhaps an instrument here, a piece of furniture there… a horse to ride, on occasion… However, you cannot make living things ghostly like this.

**Timeframe:** 1 IC year to progress to the subsequent stage. Mastery cannot be obtained until sixth year or later. This is recommended not enforced and you can make it longer, but please avoid making the timeframe too short.

**Note:** You can roleplay this as if it was a natural ability.

Pet XX

## Fifth Year

### Apprenticeships

Apprenticeships within the Wizarding World will give your character experiences and similarities to how the jobs are in post grad. They will give you tasters of what the job entails throughout the summer between years.

Examples include -

* Ministry Apprenticeships
* Diagon Alley Apprenticeships
* Hogsmeade Apprenticeships

An example of an Apprenticeship in Diagon Alley -

An apprenticeship at Madam Malkins Robes for all occasions might include -

* Tailoring Hogwarts robes for students
* Tailoring robes for adults
* Processing purchases of robes
* Robe designer

An example of an Apprenticeship in Hogsmeade -

An apprenticeship in Honeydukes might include -

* Stocking up the candy in the store
* Processing purchases for customers
* Ordering stock for the store

An example of an Apprenticeship in the Ministry -

An apprenticeship in the Wizengamot Administration Services might include -

* Maintenance of court documents
* Handling hearing dates
* Handling judges schedules

Note: While these are under fifth year, you may choose to have them later this. The apprenticeships would be done during the summer holidays until you graduate, you may have your character be offered a full time job after the apprenticeship is over. There are also different apprenticeships available in different years, for example an apprenticeship at St Mungos would be available in seventh year.