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What Are You Doing?
Author: Kissy Isuki
Date: 08-02-07 19:47
Kissy waves her wand and one of the obstacle walls in the rooms she has used for DADA practical applications folds itself up with a clap, clap, clap. Another wave of her wand has it joining a growing stack near the door. Turning to fold up another obstacle, Kissy starts running through her list of options for where to store everything. With the clatter of the obstacle folding, Kissy doesn't hear Ryland Yaxley enter the room. When she directs the obstacle to the stack, Kissy gives a start at seeing him standing there watching her.
Yaxley, who must have been waiting for the noise to subside, looks from Kissy to the stack. "What are you doing?"
"Professor Snider told me not to use the practical rooms with my classes."
"Right, but I will be using them. I suppose that never occurred to you."
Kissy turns to start another obstacle folding. "I did occur to me."
"Then why are you taking packing up the rooms?"
"These things are mine."
"Pardon?"
"The charms and spells for changing the settings go with the rooms. Certain items go with the rooms. Most everything else, however, is mine. If I'm not to be allowed the use of these rooms for practical purposes, then I am packing up my belongings."
"I wasn't aware these things were yours."
"Now you know."
"You're starting to sound a tad flip."
"Am I? And here I thought it was more than a tad. I shall have to try harder."
"Have I done something to offend you?"
Kissy laughs bitterly. "You're not serious."
"I take it that is a yes. We've hardly spoken and try as I might, I cannot think of what I have done to offend."
"You knew what was coming. None of the changes have shocked you."
"If I recall, you weren't at the feast when the changes were announced."
"No, but I've heard a number of times how you were not surprised, were in fact pleased, and had a wonderful time during the feast itself when most everyone else wanted nothing more then for the feast to be over. There's also the fact that you're now deputy headmaster. You knew what was to come and support all the changes."
"I should think that as a pureblood you would be more supportive as well. Wait, is it that you are stuck with the nons? Are you wanting to switch with me? You wouldn't need to move the rest of your things from these rooms."
Kissy counts slowly to ten before saying through gritted teeth, "No, I don't want to switch with you."
Yaxley shrugs. "I'm not sure I understand then what the problem is. Pity about most of the items being yours. I was looking forward to using the rooms this week. Looks like now I shall have to see about ordering some things or having a few items made."
Yaxley walks out, leaving Kissy hissing sarcastically under her breath, "Yes, looks like. Poor you."
Hiding and Talking
Author: Alex Whitmen
Date: 08-02-07 20:05
Alex smiled when he saw her come out, he walked over and hugged her, she seemed kind of surprised but didnt say anything.
"Hi" she said turning red, he smiled.
"Sorry, I missed you. I mean you are one of my few friends here" he told her. He wasnt sure if they would get into trouble for talking so he grabbed her and and pulled her out the door.
"Follow me" Alex said as the walked dow the steps and into the garden. Skyler had shown him a pretty empty spot next to the lake, she told him if anything happened she'd find him here.
"Wow this is nice" Cailyn said, he released her hand and sat down.
"Yeah Skyler showed it me, she said if something happens come here" he told her. She sat down next to him and smiled.
"Your cousin right?" he had mentioned her a few time but never said much about her.
"Yeah" he answered, "I wish they hadnt seperated us, I would've liked hanging out with you, instead of only being able to talk through letters" he told her honestly. She nodded,
"I know, I hate it too. You're my only friend" she told him. He looked at her, she was nice how could she not have any friends he wondered but didnt say anything.
"If I dont count my cousin I have one other and I dont know her that well" he said with a shrug, no or hardly any friends was normal for him.
"Alex, I thought you're mother was a pureblood" she said, he nodded.
"She is but my father was a muggle" he added. They hardly talked about his father sometimes it was hard to talk about it.
"Oh" she said they sat quietly together for a moment, when Alex finally spoke up.
"I wonder what happened to Dumbledore?" Cailyn said "He just disappeared"
"I know the school seems to be falling apart without him doesnt it? Who is this Snider lady she's terrible!" Alex said angirly. He had to hide to talk to his friend it was stupid.
Finally talking with Alex
Author: Cailyn Spicer
Date: 08-02-07 20:45
“I think Professor Snider works for the Ministry of Magic. At least that’s what everyone is saying anyway. But I don’t know much about the Ministry of Magic. I could ask my dad I guess.” Cailyn said. She looked over at the castle and then back at Alex. It was so stupid that she had to hide her friendship with him simply because she was a pureblood and he wasn’t.
“I didn’t know your dad worked for the Ministry of Magic.” Alex said.
“Yeah that’s why we moved here.” Cailyn said unhappily.
“So what are we going to do about this Snider lady?” Alex asked changing the subject.
“I sent a letter to my dad about her. But I don’t think he will be able to do anything. He isn’t high enough in the ministry. We could all band together and go against her. But I don’t think we could get enough people to do that. But something just has to happen.”
“I bet we could get enough people together to go against her. I don’t think it would do anything though.”
“Yeah. Me neither. This never would have happened at Waltings.” Cailyn said pulling up her knees. It was obvious that she missed her old school.
“It wouldn’t have happened in a Muggle School either.” Alex said softly.
“Alex, I have a question. I don’t know if you know the answer or not. But who is this You- Know- Who, person that everyone keeps talking about?” Cailyn finally asked. Alex was the only person she dared ask this question too. She had so many questions to ask. But she didn’t trust anyone enough to talk to them. Expect for Alex.
Secret Meeting
Author: Ariella Beck
Date: 08-02-07 21:08
Clutching Lawrence's note in her hand, Ariella swiftly navigated through the corridors to get to his quarters, though her heart beat violently in her chest because she just knew that someone would catch her entering her Herbology teacher's private rooms. It being well into evening, Ariella had long stripped off her school robes in favor of jeans and a casual peach-colored blouse, though she almost wished she'd have left her prefects badge on simply because wearing it gave her the false confidence that she could do no wrong. Unfortunately, the badge had become a symbol of all the bad things happening at Hogwarts, since just that morning, more than half the prefects and even the Head Boy himself had been stripped of their honors in favor of pureblood replacements.
Rounding the corner to Lawrence's rooms, Ariella almost collided into Peeves's ghostly back, only to dodge behind a suit of armor when Peeves turned around abruptly and asked, "Who's there? A wittle firsty lost his way?"
Finding no one, Peeves turned around and zoomed away, leaving the corridor deserted. Ariella crept out from behind the suit of armor and continued on her away, eventually coming to the alcove that contained the door to Lawrence's personal quarters.
She raised her fist to the door, hesitated for the briefest of seconds, and then knocked.
Lawrence seemed to have been hovering just inside the door because he opened it almost instantly. He stuck his head out into the corridor, looked in both directions, and then gestured Ariella inside.
His quarters were very spacious, much bigger than Ariella had ever imagined. She accepted a kiss from him on the cheek but instantly felt a bit guilty of fraternizing with someone she shouldn't, even though they'd started dating before they ever became teacher and student.
Lawrence had cooked spaghetti and meat balls and had already set a table for them both. Ariella sat down, accepted some pumpkin juice, and started serving herself. She was suddenly starving.
"I think," she started, before Lawrence could even begin, "I think that this is dangerous, us meeting like this. If someone were to see..." She pushed the spaghetti bowl across the table to Lawrence and started heaping meat balls onto her plate. "I almost ran into Peeves. Imagine if he'd have seen me. The whole school would know the truth by the time dinner's over in the Great Hall."
"I shouldn't have asked you to meet me here," Lawrence reasoned. "Maybe next time..." He hesitated, gaging Ariella's reaction. When it seemed that she wasn't adverse to them meeting again he ploughed on. "Maybe next time we can meet in my office or casually on the school grounds."
"Yeah. It wouldn't be as... intimate... as this, but it's all we can do to get through this school year without... without..."
"Me losing my job and you getting expelled," Lawrence finished.
"Yeah," Ariella replied.
They were grave for a long while until Lawrence broke the silence by asking about Ariella's day. For a moment she forgot that she was in her teacher's private rooms. It was just like it had been during the summer when they were just barely getting reacquainted with one another and starting to realize that they had feelings for each other.
A Little Sharing
Author: Alex Whitmen
Date: 08-02-07 21:35
Alex looked at her for a moment wondering if he should say the name.
"You-Know-Who was a dark wizard named...Voldermort. He was a terrible and I mean terrible guy. I heard he tortured and killed people for fun. Snider is nothing compared to him. All my mother told me was he's gone and not to worry about him anymore. I don't know what happened to him, but she was afraid of him too," he told her. It was really all he knew about the guy. He shuddered thinking of all the stories he heard.
"Oh, I'm glad he's gone then," she said.
"Yea, me too. I'm sure it would be worse if he were here," he told her. She nodded in agreement. She was quiet a moment. Alex figured she was thinking about You-Know-Who and what he told her.
"I think I can tell you about my dad now," Alex said firmly. He had made up his mind. He didn't even talk about him with Skyler, not yet anyway.
"Okay," she said and looked at him. He had her full attention.
"Well, I look just like my dad, except he had shorter hair. He kept it cut. He was in the army so it caused me and my mom to move a lot but we were happy. He was the coolest. I remember right before he died, we decided to make grocery shopping a family trip and he climbed into the back of the shopping cart and I pushed him around the aisles following my mother while he was saying, "Can I have that? How about this? No? That?" It was funny. People were taking pictures because he looked that stupid!" Alex told her laughing.
"I had a bad feeling about him going to war before he even left. Looks like I should have trusted my feelings. He died three weeks later," Alex told her.
"I'm sorry about your dad," she said softly. Sometimes he blamed himself for not saying anything. She touched his shoulder. He nodded his head his head and gave her a half-hearted smile.
Longest Day Ever
Author: Oreileah McCoi
Date: 08-02-07 21:43
Orei let out a sigh, running her hand through her hair, Mom and Dad still hadn't owl'd back and she knew Brett was busy so she didn't expect an owl from him quickly either. The changes were all over the Daily Prophet so basically now the entire wizarding world knew what was going on at Hogwarts...some of them were no doubt quite pleased at the Ministry's decision to segregate the school, now with Dumbledore MIA and all.
Her classes went by easily enough, her first two classes were taught by those who had taken Professor McGonagall's position as Head of Gryffindor and Deputy Headmaster of Hogwarts: Carmella Flume and Ryland Yaxley, Charms and Defense Against the Dark Arts.
Potions was weird though, being down in the dungeon without Snape being at the head of class...Ok, so the lack of Snape made things odd, but Snape hadn't been there last year, or was that the year before. Either way, this was someone completely different and the class wouldn't be the same without the mix of students in it. Who was this Augusta Spudmore anyway? None of these new professors, save Lawrence, had she -ever- heard of before, surely they'd taught at other schools right?
Transfiguration with Nina Whitehorn, wasn't all that bad, but Orei again would have rather had Professor McGonagall as her teacher. New syllabi tucked in her bag she headed to the great hall to sit at the divided Gryffindor House table...she -hated- that they had to be segregated even at meals. It was so stupid.
She still had astronomy at midnight, so that meant she wasn't going to bed early tonight, and at least her first class wasn't until ten so she would be able to sleep in a little bit. However, a catnap would be good and get some homework done before Astronomy. To Gryffindor tower she headed right after dinner, curling up in her bed she let out a frustrated sigh before rolling over and falling asleep for a couple of hours.
Cornered
Author: Havana
Date: 08-02-07 21:58
Isadora had always been a well mannered, and obedient child. She was the youngest of four children, and idolized her elder sisters and brother. Their parents were supporters of the pure blood movement, and little Isadora accepted those beliefs as the truth. She looked down on others less fortunate, and detested those of muggle heritage. Throughout her time at Hogwarts, she was the envy of every student, in Slytherin that is, with her gorgeous features and charismatic personality. Aside from bullying fellow students to do her bidding, she held top marks in every class.
Soon after graduation; however, she met a young woman who was everything she had been trained to hate. “Hate…” the word now made her feel cold. How could she have ever been so imprudent as to believe her parents? The two girls wandered down a busy street, oblivious to the women that followed. Isadora turned to her new companion and a soft smile broke into her formerly upturned features. “You’re right, Nyx. They were wrong all along. My father, my mother, my sisters and my brother. Blood status shouldn’t matter! I’m no longer going to do as they see fit. As of today my life changes!” Her soft smile had grown into a full blown grin and she pulled her muggleborn friend into a bear hug.
The companion smiled, and leaned into Isadora’s hug. “First we should get you a new name” Nyx flashed her a grin before she was untangled from the hug. She pulled out a quill, a small scrap of parchment, scribbled a name, folded the note and slipped it into Isadora’s hand. “You keep that, and restart your life.” Nyx rested a hand on Isadora’s cheek, but her eyes suddenly went wide and she screamed as a flash hit her square in the back.
Isadora screamed, and lightly shook the limp body of her friend “NO! NYX! Nyxie wake up! Look at me, please!” She cradled the girl in her arms, tears poured down her cheeks, and she looked up at the attackers. Two women stood there, both hid in the shadows of a nearby building.
She laid Nyx on the ground then jumped up, backed into a corner and screamed, “Who are you?! What do you want with me?” A trembling hand reached for something in her robe, but she stood frozen to the spot. “Don’t…” her voice trailed off as the younger woman smirked.
“Oh, were you looking for this, dear?” this one was a bit shorter than the other woman, and she held out the girl’s wand. “Well look at this, Annis, little one here needs her wand. I think she’s planning on attacking us.” The younger of the two women sounded bitter, almost resentful of the girl.
“You’re right, Sidra dear. She’ll never be as good as the rest of us. Our perfect little witch has decided to forgo the family ideals! YOU need to realize that pure bloods are superior to those other…things…they have tainted our bloodlines and uprooted our family trees!”
Isadora stood in shock, and watched the two women move closer, their wands drawn. “You hurt Nyx…she is my best friend. She’s never done anything, but help me realize the arrogance of pure bloods. Not to mention the stupidity of our family! You are arrogant fools, and by the way, Voldemort is DEAD!” Her eyes narrowed, she was through with the arrogance of her sisters. No one had a right to judge others, that’s what Nyx had taught her. She kneeled next to her friend and kissed her hand. “I’ll fight for you, Nyxie. I will never forget…” before she could finish a third figure approached behind her.
“Forget, eh? Now that’s a novel idea. I think I know just the punishment for you, girl.” The cloaked man smiled right at his baby sister. “Have fun with your new life, we will have you disposed of soon enough.” He raised his wand and fired right at her head. “Obliviate!”
Isadora yelped and fell to the ground beside Nyx’s seemingly unresponsive body. Her siblings laughed and quickly disapparated, leaving their little sister behind. Little did she know that Nyx was not dead, but hit with a stunning spell. Her hand fell to her side, the note Nyx had written fell to the ground, her broken wand lay next to it. Inscribed on the wrinkled parchment was a single word, a name. “Havana.”
Dinner with Ariella and Now Attempting to Figure out a Plan
Author: Lawrence Masterson
Date: 08-02-07 22:01
Lawrence and Ariella talked over dinner, he didn't want to keep her too long because he didn't want to risk her getting in trouble, which would no doubt get him in trouble. They ate and talked as friends, and he hated that they couldn't have the intimacy they'd had before the term had started.
"We'll figure something out Ariella, I promise." He said as they finished up dinner and he cleared the table and resisted the urge to tug her over on to the love seat and simply sit with her in his arms.
"I..should.." Ariella started, hating that they had to sneak around just as much as he did.
"I know, you need to get back." He said, drawing her into a hug and pressing a soft kiss to her cheek. "We'll figure this out, I know we will." Yes, he was clinging to that hope that this would survive, that they would survive the nightmare that the changes at the school had thrown at them, the lie he'd been told and the ultimate result.
"Good night Ariella, I will see you tomorrow." He left off in class, because for now, he was her boyfriend, tomorrow, he could be her teacher again...that would work wouldn't it? At least for the moment?
"Good night Lawrence. See you tomorrow." It seems that they were both leaving things out, wanting this to be simply an intimate meeting between boyfriend and girlfriend, not some sneaky meeting between teacher and student.
He saw Ariella out and spent a few moments leaning against the closed door eyes closed. He pushed away the nagging feeling that this would end up just as stressed as his relationship with Vera had been...No, it wouldn't. This would be different, he wouldn't let this one fall apart, he -couldn't- let this one fall apart.
Pushing off the door he headed to the bathroom and took a cool shower before looking over his lecture notes for tomorrow's classes, tomorrow was his busiest day, opposite it seemed of Ariella's who had the bulk of her classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays and he had the bulk of his Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. They would work something out.
As the mantle clock struck elven, Lawrence shut the book he'd started reading after his lecture notes and headed to bed. His copy of Murder at St. Mungo's by Artemesia Stafford falling off the side table, he'd pick it up in the morning. For now, sleep was what he needed and he'd get it, restless as it would be.