Words for Wednesday, May 29 ~ Part 2 ~ Gylfi & Thora 5

Well even though the weeds are growing and the sun is shining, I could not pull myself off the keyboard before this was done. I hope you like it. Now I'm off to weed and enjoy the nice weather. 
The second batch of Words were:

Earned
Sense
School
Pester
Owner

And as usual I used them in the order, they were given.

That earned him much praise from Tähti, and as Thora and Gylfi heard just what this spell was, from them as well.
In a sense it was a key to magic. It was a spell to know which brand of magic a person was endowed with, or more to the point to make a utensil that could tell this.
"I thought it over this morning," Tähti said, "I think we have to open a school for magic ... shush, hear me out, she said as the other three began to talk. "After I'm done, you're welcome to pester me with questions, objections and so on. Agree?"
They nodded, and Tähti continued: "Magic was in the olden days an integral part of daily life in Finland, and I reckon in Iceland as well. But it was a rogue magic, people learned from grandparents, masters, whomever knew a bit, and often they were badly taught, and even worse in the application of magic. To the detriment of the magic society as a whole. Think of witch hunts, burning at the stakes, trials by water and so on and so forth. If we need to revive the magic - and I think we have a moral obligation to do so - we should do so in a ... let's call it scientific way. Shoot!" She stopped and sat back in her chair.

Taavi began: "I think you're right. We have to revive the magic. More and more the wizarding people are coming to realize what they are, we saw this in our travels. And the scientific approach sounds just right for our days."
"Yes," Thora said slowly, "this tally with what we have seen. But why limit our school to Iceland and Finland?`I'm sure the situation is roughly the same in Sweden, Denmark, and Norway as well as on the Faroe isles."
"But first we have to teach ourselves," Gilvi said. "only yesterday I did not know of wandsinging, and we still do not know if it can even be taught, or if it is something only you can do. So much to do, so little time!"
"Yes indeed," Tähti said, "We have books, yours here and ours in Finland, we have our wands, we have to study diligently, but time ... we need more time."
"How old are you?" Gylfi asked bluntly.
Thora said "You know how old I am, 51 at my next birthday, soon."
"We're both 62, having had our birthday this year," Taavi said.
"And how old am I?" Gylfi asked.
"You're 70-something," Thora replied. You retired only a few years ago."
 "That sounds about right," Taavi and Tähti said in unison, a twin habit they had done their best to unlearn, but it surfaced now and then when they became passionate about something.
"I am 104 years old," Gylfi said, his face immobile as a mask. "I was old already at the time of the Great War, WWI as it was later to be called. I wanted to join, but my then wife, a non-wizard, did not want me to. And as I was busy at the newly founded University in Reykjavík, I was fine with this." He looked at Thora, "Yes, I was one of the original teachers at the university, I worked there from 1911 until I retired now 14 years ago."
"How did you manage this?" Thora asked.
"Faking my dates? It was easier in the days of old, than it is now. And then ... back then, in 1911, when the university was founded, the owner of an old mansion donated his library to the university. I was, am still for that matter, able to read all the old handwriting and old Icelandic and a smattering of odd, old languages, having studied these subjects at other universities in my youth. Hence I was given the job of sorting the books and adding them to the catalogue. But I did not hand in all the books, some of the books on magic in my house ... I found them in a chest in that old library. And one of the books contained potions, recipes for potions. I only ever tried one of them. A potion of youth. The ingredients are simple, but the brewing is really complicated. It does not restore your youth, or make you even one day younger, but it makes you age slower. I have drunk sparingly of this potion ever since, and I expect to celebrate my 300th birthday if nothing kills me before then. This potion will give us all the time needed to learn, study and find a place for the school."
"Go get it," Thora said. "We have a busy time ahead!"

... to be continued.