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dgl_2

subtle manipulation

Aug 22nd, 2022
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  1. I sat with Mouse, stroking his head gently. "Okay," I said to Molly. "What happened?"
  2. She sat up and looked at me. She looked like she wanted to throw up. Her nose was running, now.
  3. "I... it occurred to me, Harry, that... well, if the traitor wanted to really set the Council at one another's throats, the best way to do it would be to force one of them to do something unforgiveable. Like, maybe force Morgan to kill Wizard LaFortier."
  4. "Gee," I said. "That never once occurred to me, though I am older and wiser than you and have been doing this for most of your life, whereas you've been in the business for just under four years."
  5. She flushed. "Yes. Well. Then I thought that the best way to use that sort of influence wouldn't be to use it on Morgan," she said. "But on the people who would be after him."
  6. I lifted my eyebrows. "Okay," I said. "At this point, I have to ask you if you know how difficult it is to manipulate the mind and will of anyone of significant age. Most wizards who are eighty or a hundred years old are generally considered more or less immune to that kind of gross manipulation."
  7. "I didn't know that," Molly said humbly. "But... what I'm talking about wouldn't be a severe alteration to anyone. It wouldn't be obvious," she said. "You wouldn't make someone turn into a raving lunatic and murderer. I mean, that's sort of noticeable. Instead, you make sure that you just... sort of nudge the people who are chasing after Morgan into being a little bit more like you want them to be."
  8. I narrowed my eyes. It was an interesting line of thought. "Such as?"
  9. "Well..." she said. "If someone is naturally quick to anger and prone to fighting, you highlight that part of their personality. You give it more importance than it would have without intervention. If someone is prone to maneuvering politically to take advantage of a situation, you bring that to the forefront of their personality. If someone is nursing a grudge, you shine a spotlight on it in their thoughts, their emotions, to get them to act on it."
  10. I thought about that one for a second.
  11. "It's how I'd do it," Molly said quietly, lowering her eyes.
  12. I looked at the young woman I'd been teaching. When I saw Molly, I always saw her smile, her sense of humor, her youth, and her joy. She was the daughter of a close friend. I knew her family and was often a guest in their home. I saw my apprentice, the effort she put into learning, her frustrations, and her triumphs.
  13. I had never, until that very moment, thought of her as someone who might one day be a very, very scary individual.
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  16. Turn Coat Chapter 34, page 320-322
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