Okay, then can I have their emergency contact information so they can come save me when an Outsider shows up?
Makes me glad that in RPGs the general rule of thumb is that the rules are Guidelines and not carved in stone.
Please be aware though that I am not arguing that a raw rank apprentice should be involved in this kind of study. I can see the Merlin and Senior Council believing that only someone who is already very well grounded and stable, with decent experience, should be involved in this kind of research. But if they are going to ban all research then I sincerely hope that they are making information available on what defenses do work.
That aforementioned well grounded and stable person has already been defined. He was nice enough to stick up for Harry. He trained him too, interspersing the training with wetwork for the Council.
The point is that we know at least two people who have a fair amount of knowledge about the Outsiders, being the Gatekeeper and the Blackstaff (incidentally, it wasn't lost on me that both of these folks are titled wizards, fully trusted by the Senior Council to deal with the most extraordinary menaces...) It is likely that both have the purview of keeping an ear and eye open in such research. They would be folks of sound character and wisdom who would konw when to march forward and when to stop. When enough information is enough and what knowledge is actionable and which isn't.
It is painfully obvious that Merlin doesn't keep Harry in his confidence. Heaven's sake, Eb was honest and forthright with Harry, but only up to a degree. Knowledge is always power. Power in untrained, immature and emotive hands is freakin' dangerous. Hence, Harry has hard rules given to him.
Regarding RPGs, the GM or Storyteller is the one who determines which rules are guidelines and which are set in stop. If they say that the earth is in a binary system, hooray for "our two Suns". If you are running the game, make it the way that you will maximize your enjoyment as well as your players. If you are player, be vocal about what your interests are, but be ready to comprimise, as you are not the Storyteller or GM, who has to do that balancing act. No GM in their right mind is going to have Outsiders appear without some tools given to help defeat them. It wouldn't be fun for anyone but perhaps the GM.
(Rule 0: GM is always right. Rule 1: If the players aren't having fun, then the GM has to adapt.)
-LN