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Talking With Jewel
Author: Sirius Padfoot Black
Date: 12-22-07 16:10
An attractive young woman who introduced herself as Jewel stands looking over the various brochures and pamphlets Sirius has for the different colleges of St. Emrys University. After picking up one of each she looks straight at Sirius. "I've friends at St. Emrys. I've heard how it is there. Why should I apply to attend?"
There is it. The question Sirius has been expecting all afternoon. Many have danced around the question but until now, none have out and out asked it.
Sirius leans against the table he's got set next to the classroom's wall and runs a hand through his overly long hair, his mind wandering briefly with the thought that he's overdue for at least a trim. He so hadn't wanted to do this today. Sirius already spends far too much time doing university business. It annoys him no end that of all the possible people who could have been tapped for career day, he was chosen. Another Saturday away from Dru and the twins. At least today hasn't been spent tutoring purebloods who don't deserve the extra hand holding. Sirius doesn't mind helping the ones who do deserve it but somehow he always gets stuck with the whiners who think that with the current Ministry policy, they should pass their classes simply because they are Pures.
Today at least Sirius has the opportunity to talk to students, both Pures and Nons, who still find the thought of a Wizarding university interesting and not just a place to spend yet more years doing lessons. Unfortunately for the Nons, St. Emrys may not be the place for them. He's not supposed to be doing it but Sirius has information he's been giving out on the sly on even newer universities in countries that aren't dividing people based on whether they have a pureblood lineage back to five generations. With Jewel's question, it's not lost on Sirius that she isn't wearing the purple ribboned pin on her cardigan that Pures not in their school robes are supposed to wear. She might be a Pure but somehow he doubts that, particularly given her question on why she should apply to the school, knowing what she knows from friends there.
Jewel cocks her head to one side, still waiting for Sirius to say something. He smiles wanly. "You should apply in the event that come fall things are back to how they should be. There's nothing that says you have to attend should you be accepted."
"Yet," Jewel dryly replies.
Sirius's smile brightens somewhat. He likes this girl. Reaching to take the brochure from her hand, he asks, "Is this the college you'd be hoping to attend should you go to St. Emrys?"
As he asks, Sirius slips in the packet of information on other universities. Jewel's eyes dart to what he's doing but quickly flick back, her own lips breaking into a smile. "Yes, that's the hope. My marks are very good but we'll see how I do on the NEWTs."
Handing back the now fatter brochure along with a St. Emrys admissions packet with an application form, he comments, "It's good to have a back-up plan so be sure to check out the brochures to see what the other colleges have to offer."
Jewel grins, "Yes, thanks, I'll definately do that."
As she leaves, Jewel stops to pick up a few more of the brochures along with a couple of the quills representing the St. Emrys college of her choice as well as dropping her name in for a drawing of different university related items such as a St. Emrys jumper and tickets to a Quidditch match during the Hogwarts spring break.
Mortimus Flister - Muggle Expert
Author: Harry Potter
Date: 12-22-07 17:23
Mortimus sighs when another student walks by his booth without a glance. Oh, he's had students stop by, to be sure. Just not as many as in past years. A big part of that is because far fewer students are allowed in to view the booths spread throughout the Great Hall. A small part of it is that of those who are allowed to this portion of Hogwarts Career Day 2008, some of them have an overwhelming disdain for Muggles.
Mortimus isn't even sure how much longer his department will be around. He was quite shocked when he learned that both portions of career day would have a Muggle Relations booth. Sadly, it means that Hecubia is off in that classroom alone making this career day even more depressing then Mortimus would have found it otherwise.
So depressed at the thought of having to find another job, even if it's just another position at the Ministry, and so depressed about knowing that some of the students he'd be dealing with today would have nothing to do with Muggles unless paid a huge sum and for some, not even then, that Mortimus chose to dress like a mortician. A mortician circa the 1880s, right down to the tall, somber, dark hat.
Hecubia, on the other hand, decided to wear one of her all time favorite Muggle outfits. She's decked out in a rainbow of colors and has flowers in her long, flowing hair. A 1960s to early 1970s flower child.
A boy starts to walk by Mortimus's booth but stops and turns to inspect everything. He even walks around so that he's "inside" the booth. A little bud of excitement grows as the boy continues showing interest so with his friendliest smile in place Mortimus approaches to field any questions the boy might have.
Temper
Author: Bill Weasley
Date: 12-22-07 17:36
"I heard that to work at Gringotts, you have to know something about Muggle money. Is that true?"
The boy who addressed Bill spoke with a superior tone and had a very snooty expression on his face. If Bill didn't already know better, he could swear the boy was a pureblood and a Slytherin at that.
Bill attempted to answer the boy's questions without showing the annoyance he felt. "It really depends on what position you hold at Gringotts. Goblins generally deal with the money directly––that is to say, they are the ones you talk to when you walk into Gringotts. They run the teller counters and will exchange your currency to whatever you need. Usually a new wizard will come to Gringotts for the first time and exchange Muggle currency, the British pound generally, for galleons, sickles and knuts. Sometimes it's vice versa. A wizard wanting to play tourist in the Muggle world will need Muggle currency if he or she wants to go shopping at Muggle stores, visit Muggle sites, or eat at Muggle restaurants. So yes, to some extent, you need to know something about Muggle money."
"But if the wizarding world is to be completely cut off from the Muggle world, we shouldn't bother with Muggle money anymore," the boy replied coolly.
"Who says we're getting cutting off from the Muggle world?" Bill queried, letting some of his impatience show.
"Are you one of them?"
"One of what? I wouldn't be allowed to step foot in the Great Hall if I weren't pureblood."
"I didn't mean pureblood," the boy scoffed. "I'm not daft. I'm asking if you're a Muggle lover. Well, are you?"
"I'm afraid this conversation as steered away from its intended course. Do you have any other questions about banking or Gringotts?" Bill wasn't going to play into the boy's games, especially when Headmistress Snider lingered nearby at the Twice Told Tales table.
"Then you're no better than they are and you certainly don't belong in here," the boy drawled as he walked away.
Bill clenched his fist together, wishing he had something soft and squishy to squeeze in an attempt to relief his tension. He'd almost let that little snot get to him. And why not? Bill wasn't a self-proclaimed Muggle-lover, as the boy had put it, but he was in love with someone who didn't fit the Minister of Magic's bill of what made the ideal wizard. Ever since learning that his marriage to Fleur was no longer recognized in the country, Bill had been quite angry. He found it quite easy to snap at children, even if they were being little brats.
He turned his gaze to the Botanicals & Beyond table and decided he should visit it and see if he can get a sample of tea that might calm him down so that he could get through the rest of the afternoon without going off on the next snob who visited his table.
Arsinoe, Quin & Olympia
Author: Illyria
Date: 12-22-07 18:14
Arsinoe had been sitting in a worn, wooden chair in the small classroom for the Career Day volunteers catering to the "non" segment of Hogwarts, talking about what it was like to be an apothecarist in a major wizarding hospital. She'd had to excuse herself from the room several times already to visit the loo. Being pregnant meant she had to potty quite frequently. Unfortunately, navigating from behind her table and around the cramped room wasn't very easy. They were all packed in the classroom like sardines with hardly room to breathe, much less move about.
Her husband, Quin, manned the healing table right next to hers. Everytime she eased herself from the terribly uncomfortable chair, he stopped what he was doing––even if he was in the middle of talking to a student––to help her get from her end of the room to the door, which wasn't any great distance to cover.
Olympia also had a booth in the room. She represented the Ministry of Magic and specifically Magical Accidents and Catastrophes, where she worked as an obliviator. Before the new definiton of pureblood, Olympia had always had first dibs on cases. She no longer did these days, being used for tasks such as the Career Day and more often than not, report writing of some kind. She'd always been a very hands-on person and loathed the fact that she couldn't do what she loved anymore. She suspected that was true for a lot of people.
Illyria suddenly appeared in the doorway, hesitating whether to enter and make the room feel even smaller. Ever since learning that Enid Eastwick had gotten released from Azkaban (her murder charges dropped!) and that she'd regained custody of her son Ronan, Illyria had felt rather down. The world wasn't what it used to be, and at this rate, it was only getting worse.
Her frown turned into a smile when she made eye contact with her family. At least some things hadn't changed. She would always have her sisters.
Tension
Author: Ethan Somerset
Date: 12-23-07 12:11
Ethan leaned over his table to straighten up the piles of flyers and brochures he'd brought with him for the Hogwarts Career Day. The small room reserved for those not privileged enough to enter the Great Hall this afternoon had seen a lot of foot traffic in the last few hours. After all, most of the students at Hogwarts were nons, not pures. Traditionally, the auror booth was one of the more popular ones. This year was no exception, though Ethan honestly had no idea what to tell the eager students who stopped by to speak with him. As long as the world continued on its path, all of these students with aspirations for becoming an auror would never experience the cases he'd had while an active member of law enforcement. They'd wind up stuck behind a desk in the Auror Office, or, perhaps, not hired at all.
Ethan knew that the man he'd grown up believing was his father, Dorian Somerset, was in the Great Hall right now. The last time they'd seen each other face to face was when Ethan had been at Azkaban visiting Rosamond. He'd been shocked to learn that both Dorian and wife Maren had been released from Azkaban. After all they had done, they were now free as birds and able to continue to do terrible things without any repercussions. It disgusted Ethan fully.
A couple of girls approached Ethan's table. They giggled and blushed when he smiled at them.
"Can I help you ladies?" Ethan asked, putting his adoptive father from his mind.
"We were wondering if you liked your job at the Ministry?" one girl asked.
Ethan's face fell. He really couldn't lie to them. "I used to love it," Ethan began, "but to be honest, it's not what it used to be." He clamped his mouth shut when he saw the man identified as Professor Yaxley enter the room. Yaxley came in often to make rounds and make sure that the volunteers didn't voice opinions that were entirely inappropriate.
Ethan certainly didn't care if he got in trouble. At this point, he didn't even care if he got sacked from his position. But he feared anything he did would wind up affecting the children around him, and he didn't want to cause them any more suffering than they were already experiencing.
The girls, noting Yaxley's presence, seemed to understand. In fact, the entire room seemed to grow more quiet, despite it being chalk-full with people. Everyone seemed uneasy around the Deputy-Headmaster.
Ethan cleared his throat, wanting to ease the tension in the room. "Nevertheless, it is a fascinating field. Let me tell you about the time I..."
Searching for the Past
Author: Drucilla Eternal
Date: 12-23-07 12:31
I looked around the spare bedroom in dismay. Clothes were strewn all over the bed, boxes littered the floor with their contents thrown out, and the closet door stood wide open still too full for my liking. I glanced outside. The sun was setting. Sirius would be home soon.
I bit my lip nervously as I crawled into the closet. My hands groped the floor, the wall, desperately looking for something, anything that would shed some light to my past. My gut told me that if I had hid something, it would be in this room. After all, this was the room that I had taken over after leaving Sirius’s. Not that I could fathom why I had ever left his bedroom to begin with. Sirius was such an amazing person. And Merlin, it certainly couldn’t have been the sex that chased me out of his bed, because as far as lovers went…
I shook my head distractedly. I would have time to moon about Sirius when he got home. Right now, I had searching to do.
I held up my wand, the tip glowing light into the dark corners of the closet. I was about to give up, when I saw something. A small crack in the floor board, showing an uneven fit in the wood. Grabbing the piece, my breath caught when the wood easily pulled off. Edging closer, I shone the light inside the hole.
“Oh my,” I whispered to myself, feeling excited and uneasy all at the same time.
Reaching into the hole, I pulled out a small piece of cloth. Unwrapping the cloth quickly, a small key fell into my hands. I eyed the key carefully. Something about it looked familiar, but what did it fit into? Reaching into the hole again, I felt pieces of parchment. Pulling the papers out, I held out my wand and quickly scanned the writing.
“Harry moves into apartment. Harry’s neighbour is Janine Fox. Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger visit Harry. Harry has Quidditch practice Tuesday nights…” My head was spinning. This writing wasn’t mine. Who’s was it? And why did I have information about Harry? Scanning the dates, it was already quite dated. Notes from before Voldemort’s death. But why would I…
I froze. Was that the front door? Stuffing the parchment back into the hole, along with the scrap of cloth, I quickly placed the floorboard back into place. The key I tucked inside my robe, to be examined closer at a later date. Crawling out of the closet I lifted my wand, prayed my spell would work, and flicked the wand. I almost sagged to the floor in relief as the boxes refilled themselves and the clothes all flew back into the closet.
Without time to think of what I had found, I quickly left the spare room and made my way downstairs.
Return to Hogwarts
Author: Carys
Date: 12-23-07 15:18
Carys had no idea why she of all people was at Hogwarts for the Career Day. McMerlin's wasn't exactly a place any wizard strived to work for after graduating, as it wasn't exactly a lucrative enterprise for anyone except the owner of the franchise. She didn't think anyone wanted to flip burgers for life; she certainly didn't. She figured she knew one reason why McMerlin's had a table at the Career Day this year, though––because Burger Wizard had one too. The McMerlin's booth was set up in the room for the Nons, because Carys herself had been reduced to Non status after hearing back from her father about his ancestry. The Burger Wizard table was in the Great Hall.
The last time Carys had been at Hogwarts was as a student, a pregnant one at that. She'd left the castle amidst scandal and intrigue, never to return... at least to finish her education. She honestly thought she'd never come back, and almost hadn't wanted to, but her boss had convinced her to attend. The Cardiff location of McMerlin's had been the very first in Great Britain, and it was only fitting that an employee from that location represent the franchise.
Carys had severe reservations about stepping foot in Hogwarts again. She should have been a seventh year this year, but instead she had a baby and a job and was taking courses on the side. Plenty of students remembered her. They remembered her being a rebellious teen who got knocked up by some foreigner who no longer went to Hogwarts––funny how they still had the facts wrong.
Seeing her old friends had come as a pleasant surprise. She'd seen some of them in Diagon Alley last year, but hardly ever corresponded with any of them anymore. The reunion had probably changed things, though. Carys hadn't realized how much she'd missed Elizabeth, Mindy and Juliet, and they she. Both Mindy and Juliet had long been considered Nons. Elizabeth had only just had her status lowered.
Seeing her friends pop their heads back into the room, Carys decided to take a short break. She put up a sign stating such and navigated through the cramped room for the door. Elizabeth and Mindy linked arms with her and led her to the nearest alcove.
"Rumor is those of us who've just recently lost our pureblood status are going to get bumped into the other classes come February," Elizabeth said, "and I heard the dorm arrangements are going to change."
"Won't that mean there will be only a handful of students in the pureblood classes?" Carys asked.
"Yeah, and the Non classes will be crowded," Juliet replied. "It's too bad you aren't with us anymore, Carys. All four of us would be back together again."
"I know," Carys replied. "I miss the old days."
"Do you have pictures of Tristan?" Mindy asked.
"I do." Carys had purposefully stowed some into the pocket of her robes for this very purpose, in case anyone cared. She was glad to have an opportunity to share them with her friends, whom she hoped to see more often from now on.
Grading Papers
Author: Lawrence Masterson
Date: 12-24-07 05:02
Lawrence sat at his desk in his office, looking over the homework assignments and quizzes from the previous week in class, so he could return them to his students on Monday. Though, from the looks of the new roster he'd been given, his classes were about to get smaller.
There was one student he was worried about, because she'd fallen back into the same routine as earlier last term. Cailyn had stopped coming to class and that worried him. She was not one of the ones that was being shifted into Marzipan's class which was good. He quickly penned a letter and summoned a house elf. "Deliver this to Miss Cailyn Spicer please." The house elf vanished with a loud POP!
Dear Cailyn,
It worries me that you've stopped coming to my class. I'd like to meet with you and see if we can get you back on track, because you've been doing so well up until the last month. Meet me in my office at your earliest convenience. Thank you.
Professor Masterson
With that done, Lawrence turned to his grading once more. He wouldn't deduct points from Gryffindor just yet, but if he could not get Cailyn back into class he'd have to start deducting a minimum five points per class missed from there on out. He also would have to report her continued delinquency to Harriet Snider, and that was something he was loathing to do.
His mind wandered again, drifting to Ariella. He'd loved every moment of Christmas break with her, including waking up on the beach in Sydney in the early morning hours of the New Year. He desperately wanted the term to be over, so she would be done at Hogwarts, and they could actually -have- a relationship instead of an occasional stolen conversation in a shadowed alcove.
Shaking his head clear, he finished up grading the pop quiz he'd given his third years on Friday and set about grading the fourth years assignments.