|
|
Trouble
Author: Griet
Date: 01-13-07 08:27
Griet had completely grown used to the fact that Gervaise Taylor and Oberon Smith hated her for ratting them out to Dumbledore, though she'd never owned up to the fact. They knew better than to give her a difficult time in public for fear of losing Slytherin even more House Points, but they had no problem giving Griet hell in private.
At the present time, she found herself cornered in a fairly deserted corridor. Both boys hurled insults at Griet and threatened her with physical harm, though neither actually raised a hand or wand against her. Griet stood stoically in her corner, keeping her face as neutral as possible. She wasn't afraid of what the two might do to her, but she was always worried that they'd discover her secret. Griet didn't want anyone to know that she was different from them. She didn't want the sympathy, if there was sympathy to have, and she really didn't want people to think she was a freakshow.
Gervaise and Oberon tensed suddenly, as if sensing that someone was nearby. The Bloody Baron floated through the wall just inches from Griet's body and hovered there for a moment, while the boys debated what to do next. In the end, they stalked away, leaving Griet and the ghost alone for a moment. She sighed quietly to herself and brushed past the Bloody Baron, moving in the opposite direction from Gervaise and Oberon.
Griet had time to kill before her first class, so she went to the Slytherin common room. She found Cornelia sitting on the sofa in front of the fireplace studying a journal she'd been keeping about Fido, her acromantula.
Griet plopped down on the sofa next to her little sister and let out another exasperated sigh.
"What's wrong with you?" Cornelia asked without looking up from her notebook.
"Gervaise and Oberon cornered me in the corridor again."
"Did they do anything?"
"No."
"Are you going to tell Dumbledore?"
"I don't know." Griet shot her sister a sidelong glance. "Should I?"
"It might lose us more points," Cornelia said, "but they need to be shown who's boss." She looked up with a glint in her eye. "Want me to take care of it?"
Griet knew very well what her sister was capable of. She shook her head. "Just leave it be. I'll figure something out."
Cornelia shrugged her shoulders and said, "Suit yourself."
Griet quirked an eyebrow suddenly. "Don't you have class right now?"
"SHOOT!"
Cornelia jumped up so fast she knocked her notebook to the floor. "It's Transfiguration too. McGonagall's going to kill me." She ran out of the common room as quick as she could, leaving Griet to scoop up the notebook from the floor. She got up from the sofa and went to her sister's dorm room to throw the book on Cornelia's bed. Then she went to her own room to take a cat nap before it was time for her to get to class herself.
Breaking Up
Author: Sage Porter
Date: 01-13-07 17:29
Following Jim, Jared, and Titus into the Great Hall Sage's steps slow, his eyes scanning the large room for both Aubrey and Euan. He could do without seeing Euan while eating lunch and at the moment Sage doesn't really want to see Aubrey either. History of Magic at 12:30 will be soon enough.
Just before breakfast this morning Aubrey and Sage had been talking about the upcoming Hogsmeade weekend. Aubrey had stated as if fact that they'd go first to Madam Puddifoot's. Sage had made a face and said, "I would prefer not to go there at all. If you really want to go how about I meet you outside later?"
"One of the points in going is to go as a couple," Aubrey had insisted.
"We've been dating long enough now we don't need to show off to anyone that we're together. I don't particularly care for Madam Puddifoot's so if you don't mind I'll skip it."
"I do mind," Aubrey had replied, a stubborn edge in her voice.
That's when Euan had interrepted, demanding to know what Aubrey and Sage were talking about that had Aubrey looking unhappy. Sage had expected Aubrey to tell Euan to keep his nose out of her business like she normally does. This time though Aubrey looked at her brother and said in such a way that made it clear she expected Euan to back her up, "Sage refuses to take me to Madam Puddifoot's on Saturday even though he knows how important it is to me for us to be there together."
Giving Sage the usual threatening glower Euan had archly replied that if Sage wasn't interested in escorting Aubrey where she wanted to go in Hogsmeade this weekend then perhaps he's not as interested in Aubrey as he claims to be. Sage had rolled his eyes at how ridiculous Euan sounded and walked off without another word, returning to Hufflepuff House without eating.
Sage knows he could easily have gone to the common commons at some point or even to Saffron's flat and gotten something to eat at either place but every time he thought about going he'd decide he'd rather stay in his room. He simply didn't want to run into either Aubrey or Euan until he'd had time to fully cool off. If not for being famished Sage probably would have stayed in his room until time to leave for History of Magic.
Sage sits down beside Titus, Jim and Jared sitting across from them. They're at the Hufflepuff table because Jared had seen Aubrey at the Gryffindor table and suggested they sit at Jim's and Sage's table. Jim is in the process of passing a platter of sandwishes across to Sage when a shadow falls over their part of the table.
Aubrey places a hand on Sage's shoulder to get his attention. "Now that you've had time to think about it, have you reconsidered?"
Sage shakes his head. "No. I don't want to go and you shouldn't try to pressure me into it just so you can make some statement to people at Madam Puddifoot's that doesn't need to be made."
Aubrey glares at him. "I can't believe you're being so selfish!"
"Me?" Sage asks incredulously. "Selfish would be if I'd told you not to go either."
"Why are you making such a big deal of this?"
"I'm not. You are. You even got Euan involved."
"You're not being reasonable. Selfish and unreasonable. I wouldn't have thought it of you, Sage."
Sage's mouth drops open and he senses his friends having similar responses. Sage turns in his chair and stands to face Aubrey even though it means towering over her.
"I think when you make those accusations you need to look in a mirror, Aubrey, and add something else to it. Self centered."
Despite his stomach shrieking for food, Sage snatches up his bookbag and stalks off to History of Magic early, knowing that he can consider Aubrey and he to have just broken up.
Quidditch for next year? Or the Ministry of Magic for the year after?
Author: Thessily
Date: 01-13-07 18:35
I had to work out. I just had to work out. For no reason at all of course I wasn’t about to try out for the quidditch team next year. My adopted family would kill me if I did that. No quidditch Thessily! I could hear them saying. No teams. No clubs. No getting into trouble. You are to go to Hogwarts and ace all your classes. Then when you get bigger you will be in The ministry of magic. Just like the rest of the family. That was the whole game. Or it was to them. No fun. School wasn’t about fun. It was about getting good grades and getting a job in the ministry of magic. Well, that was just all good for them. But I wasn’t apart of their family. The only thing that made me apart of their family was those adoption papers. That was it. That and the fact I just happened to be a witch.
I felt tiny tears coming into my eyes as I continued to work with the jump rope I had bought before I came back to Hogwarts from Christmas break. Yeah, they could say whatever they wanted. But I wasn’t about to live the life they wanted me to live. Wasn’t life met to be lived the way you wanted to live? Not the way others wanted you to live it?
As I put the jump rope away and grabbed a glass of water from the dresser near my bed I crashed to the floor. Okay, so if I was going to live my life the way I wanted to live it, then what was I going to do? I laid down on the floor of the dormitory thinking. Well, I supposed whatever I was going to do it wasn’t going to be in the ministry of magic now was it?
“ Thessily!” I heard my best friend call my name as she suddenly appeared in the door way. “ Thessily come on! We’re gonna be late!” She cried.
“ Late?” I asked looking at the clock. “ Late, for what?”
“ For class!” She cried as my strange little friend looked at me and I stared at her. She was all set for our transfiguration class. Suddenly the whole scene was just funny.
“ Krystal, today is Tuesday.” I whispered sitting up trying not to giggle. Krystal stared at me. Then she suddenly started to laugh too and sat down on the floor.
“ I really thought today was Friday.” She said giggling. Leave it to Krystal to always make me feel better. I thought as I sat up.
“ You always get your days mixed up. And everything else.” I said with a giggle. “ Come on, lets go get our home work done. “
Krystal got up and stared at me. “ Oh come on, all you do is home work. Lets go have some fun instead.” She said as she pulled my arm. Pulling me up and forcing me out the door. Yup, leave it up to Krystal to make me laugh. I thought letting her pull me out the door.
The Sinistra Sisters
Author: Charlie Weasley
Date: 01-13-07 19:33
After his morning class and a meeting with some of the other professors from Marjoribanks College, Charlie had Floo'd home to have an early lunch with Hendrika and the boys. Charlie had fixed sandwiches to go with a thick, hearty stew his mum had brought round the night before. When Charlie left again for the university, the boys were both asleep and Hendrika was cozy on the couch, nearly asleep as well.
There's still time before his second class of the day so Charlie takes his time getting to his office, standing at the end of the hallway for a good quarter of an hour talking to a colleague. When the two part ways, Charlie turns and starts walking to his office only to come to a sudden halt at the sight of two women coming towards him.
One breaks into a very broad grin at seeing him and the other raises her hand in a friendly wave. To the one with her hand raised Charlie nods his head and says neutrally, "Hello, Isabella."
To the one grinning broadly Charlie gives the barest of hard glances while brusquely saying, "Belladonna."
Charlie makes to go around them when Izzy grabs him on the arm. "I didn't expect to see you here, Charlie. It's been ages though Bella has mentioned to me seeing you several times recently."
"I work here, Izzy. I'm with the McFusty dragon preserve but I also work here."
Charlie again starts to go by but Isabella, twin sister to Belladonna, doesn't let up her grip. "You work here too? Did you know that, Bella?"
Charlie spins to face Izzy. "What do you mean too?"
Belladonna laughs, looking Charlie straight in the eyes while replying to her sister. "I did know, Izzy, and thought I'd mentioned it." To Charlie she says, "I'm with the unversity now as well. In fact, I was just showing Isabella to my office."
Given that offices of Blane College professors aren't generally anywhere near those of Marjoribanks College and given that offices of Marjoribanks College are not anywhere on the way to those of Blane College, Charlie finds it difficult to believe that Belladonna's chosen this route to take Isabella to her office. He bites his tongue, refraining from making a sniping comment. Instead he just nods at Isabella again.
"Nice to see you, Izzy. If you'll excuse me I've got something pressing to attend to."
Charlie walks on, continuing past his office as though he does indeed have somewhere he needs to be very soon. If Belladonna with her delusions that she and Charlie will get back together is going to be around more, Charlie's going to have to keep a handful of lies handy to extricate himself from her presence when she shows up at odd moments. Her showing up more is something he's sure will happen and frankly he's surprised she's not shown herself before now if she's been working here the entire term.
Fourth Year Slytherin and Hufflepuff
Author: Minerva McGonagall
Date: 01-14-07 08:53
Professor McGonagall stood at the front of her classroom and waited with hands clasped behind her back as the Slytherin and Hufflepuff fourth years took their seats. It was always difficult getting those students who had class directly after lunch to concentrate. They were either tired and ready for afternoon naps or still animated from their lunchtime conversations.
"Settle down, class."
They knew that Professor McGonagall meant business, though it was no less difficult putting their minds to the tasks at hand.
"We will continue our discussion on cross-species transfiguration," Professor McGonagall began. She unclasped her hands and drew her wand, pointing it at a few bulleted points on the blackboard behind her. "As you've already discovered, cross-species switches are very difficult, because they involve taking one living, breathing thing and transforming it into something completely different. Cross-species transfiguration involves deep concentration. You must be able to visualize your beginning and your end."
She summoned a crate towards her. Through the narrow slats, the students could see birds hopping around inside the box. A few downy feathers flew out of the crate as it settled down on the desk next to Professor McGonagall. The birds inside clucked excitedly.
"Today we will transfiguration guinea fowl into guinea pigs. This is a group exercise. I want everyone to pair up and then one person from each group will come up to my desk and take a guinea fowl."
It only took a few minutes for the groups to form. Then, one by one, a member of each group stepped forward and took a bird from the box. Many of the birds looked similar to each other, but there were a few that differed greatly from the bunch. One had a magnificent blue belly. One was stark white but had black around its eyes, making it look like a panda bear.
When every group had a guinea fowl at his desk, Professor McGonagall took the last bird, a spotted one with a white belly and a partially white wing, and set it freely on her desk.
"Watch and listen closely," she instructed. She touched it gently with her wand, gave the incantation, and watched as the guinea fowl shrunk and transformed into a guinea pig with very similar coloring.
"Now, you try," she said, speaking to the class at large. "Remember to enunciate clearly. Visualize your beginning and your end. Please begin."
A Little Better
Author: Gigi Martini
Date: 01-14-07 09:04
Dulcia stepped into Gigi's office and handed her boss the director's approved list of Hogsmeade businesses the library could approach about providing incentives for the summer reading program.
"Would you like me to pay each business a visit, or would you like to initiate contact?" Dulcia asked.
"I'll let you handle it," Gigi replied, "but if you need help, ask me."
"Okay. I'll see if I can approach at least some of the ones on this list today. Director Lampwick wants us to get it all finalized by the end of the month. On top of that, I need to finish finding performers for the summer programs. That needs to be done by mid-March, at the latest, so that the system-wide calendar can be ready by June."
"Sounds like you have a lot to keep yourself occupied." Gigi smiled. "Again, if you need to throw some of your weight around, ask me."
"Thanks. So... how are you?"
Gigi nodded. "Better, though sometimes I don't know how I'll take care of everything I need to do. I had to reevaluate everything."
"Any leads on the bank robbers?"
"Not to my knowledge."
"That's a shame." Dulcia sighed. "Well, it's back to work for me."
"And for me," Gigi replied. She had to finish working on the time sheets.
Requesting Backup
Author: Nymphadora Tonks
Date: 01-14-07 09:29
Unfortunately, Tonks had not met Donal Douglas the night Angelica Sanchez had arranged for Tonks to sample the new drugs she'd acquired from her "dear old friend," but she did gain Angelica's trust. Tonks had agreed to purchase a large amount of the experimental drugs and had seen Angelica regularly since their first meeting. Under her alias Jane, Tonks met Angelica in pubs and at clubs, where she pretended to use and be under the influence while they hit the town together and formed a friendship. Of course, it was all an act for Tonks. As soon as she had the information she needed, she'd arrest Angelica and all the other drug dealers and users she'd become acquainted with since meeting Angelica.
Angelica and Tonks sat at the bar at the Rotting Flesh and nursed their third or fourth glass of Ogden's Old Firewhiskey. Angelica had amazing tolerance for alcohol, though her words had already begun to slur. Tonks had feigned drinking every glass, occasionally flicking her wand at the glass to empty it by magic.
"I want some more of the stuff," Tonks said, willing her eyes to look glazed over so that Angelica wouldn't notice that Tonks was completely sober.
"I'm almosht out," Angelica replied, leaning onto her elbows. Her head almost slipped from the cradle of her hands. "I'll have to ask my friend."
"Is your friend cute?"
"Oh, yesh. He'sh very cute."
"What's his name?"
"Donal." Angelica's eyes moved away from Tonks' face and suddenly lit up. "Donal!"
Tonks sat up straight and looked behind her. Donal Douglas had just entered the pub. She would recognize him anywhere.
"Donal! My friend needsh more of the stuff. I'm almosht out."
Donal came quickly to Angelica's side and shushed her. "Not so loud!" he scolded, looking quite upset.
Tonks wanted to arrest him then and there but realized she was probably vastly outnumbered. The Rotting Flesh didn't exactly serve decent clientele. If she tried to disarm Donal, she'd probably find herself in trouble by the masses.
But then again, if he got away again, how long would it be before she found him?
She slipped her hand into her pocket and wrapped her fingers around a small, extendable mouth. Tonks always carried it and an extendable ear on her person, in case she needed to get into immediate contact with someone from Auror HQ.
She couldn't simply take it from her pocket and speak into it with Donal so close. Tonks raked her eyes around the room. She could make for the lavatory, but who was to say that Donal would still be there when she returned? Her eyes settled on her whiskey glass. Without a second thought, she jerked her arm and swept it to the floor. It shattered on the ground next to her stool.
Only a few people looked up to see what had happened, but most ignored Tonks. She quickly climbed off her chair and pretended to pick up some of the bigger shards of glass. While she was on the floor, she surreptiously pulled the extendable mouth from her pocket and whispered, "Tonks at the Rotting Flesh. I have Donal Douglas in my sight. I need back up immediately."
She exchanged the mouth for the miniature ear and quickly stuck it in her own ear, brushing her hair forward so that no one could see the Ministry-supplied gadget.
Tonks climbed back onto her stool and deposited some of the bigger shards on the counter top in front of her. She waited for a response from the Ministry and hoped that Donal would stick around in time for back up to arrive.