Rare Earth Magnets: Why Do North Poles Attract?

[overlook1977]

I have a set of rare Earth magnets. I have two separate stacks of them, emulating two bar magnets. Both magnets' North poles resist each other (obviously). However, if I put a straightened paperclip between both North poles, the wire is attracted to both magnets connecting both Norths via the paperclip. I would have assumed the first magnet would have made the tip of the wire a North pole, thereby repelling the North pole of the second magent. Why does it do this?

 

[Meir Achuz]

The paper clip is a soft FM, so its magnetization is induced by the closest bar magnet in each case. This makes each end of the clip like a S pole.
The magnetization in the clip weakens as you go toward the middle where it is zero.