Order Only: Need a hand

[alt_sirius]

Quickly, anyone who's available: What do we know about loyalty compulsions?

I've stupefied Strangeweale. He was supposed to be visiting his father but it turns out he's safeguarded his home by keeping Timothy under some sort of compulsion that makes him unnaturally loyal whenever his 'master's' safety is threatened. (It's almost admirable how effective it was: he went from complaining about Strangeweale to the friendly hound, to hounding the dangerous fugitive while setting off a notification spell on his wrist, in about a second and a half.)

I had to stun him. Fortunately it wasn't much of a fight. But by then, Strangeweale had come through the Floo. Of course, Timothy was no longer awake to warn the bastard that I was standing ready to stun him.

So, anyway. I've got an unconscious Strangeweale here to be interrogated when we like. But meanwhile we've got to do something to reverse what he's done to Timothy. I don't dare let him wake up, either, until we've got an idea how to keep him from fighting us all the way.

Comments

[alt_sally_anne]

It MIGHT be the talisman but it's not going to be the bracelet because the imperatives are too conflictory, 'loyalty' and 'message sending,' the magics get in each others' way and there's no particular reason it would HAVE to do both, you know?

It probably is not the talisman because this sort of magic works best if it's something that encloses. Like a bracelet, or a ring. Although the talisman might reinforce some other magic on him.

But if I wanted to put a loyalty spell on someone with an object it would always be a ring. Rings are much better suited to that sort of magic than pretty much anything else. Oh, wait, or an earring. Something that went INTO your body like an earring might also work pretty well.

[alt_sirius]

Yes, but he's also a muggleborn. No earrings, no rings.

The talisman looks like the head of a bull. Maybe it's his astrological sign? Hard to tell.

I've a feeling it's not something he's wearing, too. He seemed to be fighting himself when he was alerting Strangeweale, as if he really wished he weren't doing it.

It did remind me of a house-elf going against orders.

[alt_sally_anne]

It wouldn't matter if the person were a muggle, muggleborn, pureblood, if you were giving them a magical object to make them loyal the same principles apply. You want it to be worn constantly, you want it to be difficult to take off, the circular nature of a ring or a bracelet significantly enhances the magic because it 'encloses,' and -- oh, the other reason it wouldn't be the bracelet he used to send an alarm is that the materials would be different. For loyalty magic you want gold or iron and you want a pure metal whereas for communications magic there are loads of things that will work but you usually want a MIX of materials and not pure gold or pure iron.

The talisman, hm, I mean you CAN make a talisman with that sort of magic on it but I also don't think you'd use a bull. And especially if the person were able to fight AT ALL a talisman would just be stupid, because they could pull it off. Rings, you can make them impossible to take off. (You can make them really hard to take off even WITHOUT magic.)

Anyway my point is just that it's probably not an object. Unless -- well it could be invisible or with a VERY strong notice-me-not charm but then you wouldn't be able to tell without touching. If you DO want to check him over with your hands use a silk cloth so you don't touch the item accidentally and DO NOT touch the bracelet even with the silk cloth.

[alt_alice]

It could enclose something else, though -- an ankle, perhaps, or a toe.