The conjuration is a grand success but Ermintrude feels proprietary. Gain a HANGER-ON.

When you TRY TO ACHIEVE YOUR GOAL, on a 7-9, choose an alternate complication:

• Your success is shared by someone who feels proprietary about their contribution. Gain a HANGER-ON.

Ermintrude Cachalot has arranged for the use of one of House Draconis' conjuration rooms, with yourself as subject and Fay as guest conjuress. House Draconis' Tutor, Barnaby Ffoulkes, stands by outside the conjuration room, in case something needed dismissing. Though the principle at Boarbristle was "Don't call up anything you can't put down," in practice, it happened all the time, and good practice meant that you'd work with anything touchy or ambitious under controlled conditions, with suppressive wards and someone standing by.

There were plenty of stories about what might happen if you didn't follow good practice. Stories you didn't want to be part of. And every term, there'd be another one or two.

You and Fay have followed Ermintrude's directions on reading up and preparing, and since this is to be your hair and your animating spirit, you will be leading the conjuration. Ermintrude has helped you pick the conjuration formula and has written the ritual, to serve as her fourth-year practical project. That's the Tutor's other role, to examine the results of the conjuration and certify Ermintrude's success.

After a ritual bath and cleansing, you join Fay and Ermintrude in the conjuration chamber. The three of you go through the usual nine yards approach for Big Magic, cleansing with salt, water, and incense, banishing contrary influences, and invoking harmonious influences.

Following Ermintrude's ritual plan, you invoke power into yourself and then set about conjuring a suitable spirit into your hair. You feel the power rising and then things get hazy.

You come to yourself as you speak the final syllable of the banishing that releases the energies and closes the ritual.

Your hair is alive and responsive to your will now. As you put away the ritual tools, your hair curls down and picks up objects, holding them as you stow them away.

"Morgan," Fay says. "It worked."

"It was a revelation," Ermintrude says. "Everything happened just as I planned!"

"Give Morgan some credit," Fay says. "She was leading the conjuration."

"Please," you say. "I'm, well..." you begin, spreading your arms, palms up. Your hair splays out to either side, echoing your shrug.

"Perfect!" Ermintrude exclaims. "Everything I hoped for!"

Fay bites her lip.

Once you're finished tidying the tools and the space, you troop out together for Ermintrude to display you to Barnaby Ffoulkes, who agrees that yes, indeed, Ermintrude's fourth-year practical was a grand success, don't you know, and such honour to our beloved Miss Cachalot.

Fay holds her peace.

You and Fay spend the rest of the day with Ermintrude as she volubly expounds on how the pieces of the ritual went together and what ancient and modern sources she drew upon, alternating with Ermintrude caressing your newly enlivened hair, a disconcerting sensation now that it feels like a lively, strong, and sensitive part of your body.

You worry a bit about brushing your hair. Or maybe you'll never have to do that again? And what happens if you cut it? Will it bleed? Your hair lifts up into a tight, anxious curl as you ponder.

But here it is. Be careful what you wish for. You wonder if Emily Leopard will even know that she was the one that put this in motion.

Fay finally insists that you're getting tired and drags you back off to House Leontes, after making a wrong turn toward Minerval, noticing that you're no longer wearing black and white robes but rather red and gold, and correcting herself.

After a quiet evening, you and Fay fall asleep together, wrapped in your hair, which feels like a dozen hands hugging your own shoulders and caressing Fay's soft skin.

Gain +1 XP. You now have 3 XP.
Gain +1 Bravery. You now have +2 Ambition, +0 Bravery, +2 Cunning, +0 Diligence.
You can now use your hair as if it were another pair of hands for most purposes. If it is cut short, you lose this ability and take -1 to Bravery until it grows back.

You have a one-time FAVOR that you can call on by using the special power of your animated hair in an appropriate circumstance.

Gain a HANGER-ON, Ermintrude Cachalot of House Draconis, who is fascinated with and proprietary toward your animated hair.

Your FRIENDS are Fay Applebum and Grace Winterthorn, both in House Leontes and formerly of House Minerval like yourself.