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Monday Morning DADA
Author: Kissy Isuki
Date: 08-09-07 11:29
"Morning everyone," Kissy cheerily greets her second years. A quick scan of faces tells her all six are present, if not exactly wide eyed and ready to go this Monday morning. She knows what might get them more eager and awake.
Kissy waves her wand and the broad pillows she uses to cushion student falls when dueling whisk through the air to line up in two neat rows. "Let's start off with some practice, shall we? Olive with Abigail, Sadie and Cora, Luke and Wilbur."
They scramble to get into the two lines facing their respective dueling partners. Kissy says, "Right. Left side, that's you Olive, Sadie, and Luke, you're Expelliarumus for now. Right side, Abigail, Cora, and Wilbur, you're Petrificus Totalus. Ready. Steady. Go!"
About ten minutes into the exercise, Kissy has them switch, with the left side doing Petrificus Totalus and the right the Expelliarumus spell. Ten minutes after that Kissy says, "All right. Excellent everyone. Now, let's try one that most of you are familiar with but probably haven't yet tried, Tarantallegra. Who can tell me what Tarantallegra does? Yes, Sadie?"
"It makes your legs go crazy."
"Correct. Five points to Hufflepuff. Wands to your sides while you practice saying it. Why is saying it correctly important? Olive?"
"Said incorrectly, a spell might not have any effect at all or it might have an effect but not the one the spellcaster wants."
"Very good. Five points to Slytherin. Everyone together, Tarantallegra."
Kissy has the second years repeat the word several times then steps back. "Being dueling."
Kissy gives them ten more minutes before calling a halt and whisking the pillows back to their storage spot. The six second years, much more awake now, return to their seats, ready to discuss some of the points of defensive strategies she'd introduced on Friday. When the class comes to an end, Kissy lets them go with only a reminder to finish reading the chapter they'd begun last week.
Her next class, third years, begins trickling in as Kissy once more gets out the pillows. She also brings out an aquarium containing a grindylow. She'll let the third years get in a little dueling practice to wake them up as she did with the second years then they will being discussing grindylows.
First customer on a rainy day
Author: Alice Cullen
Date: 08-09-07 15:20
I stood motionless in the door frame watching the rain come pattering down. I scanned the street in front of me. But no one was outside, not in the rain. Of course, I would open my store when Mother Nature decided she wanted it to rain. Rain was always a bad sign for a business. Things were always slow on rainy days. I sighed and walked back into the store. I had not sold one item yet. I had not even had a customer.
“It’ll be all right darling. You’ll see.” The witch who I had hired said in a comforting tone as she brought me a glass of warm tea.
“Thank you Maggie.” I replied taking the tea and sitting up on the counter next to my register. “ I had hoped that my store would be bustling with people the first day it opened.” I felt tiny tears come to my eyes “ There isn’t anyone here but you and me. I hope this doesn’t mean that no one will come to my shop. We’ve worked so hard on it.” I whined.
“Sh.” Maggie said as she came and put her arm around me. “ It’s just a bad day to open a store, that’s all. People will come. You’ll see.” She popped a sweet lemon candy in my mouth and I couldn’t help but smile. Whenever I was upset as a child, my mother would always pop a piece of sweet candy in my mouth. And whatever I was upset about soon became forgotten.
I sucked on the sweet tasting candy and smiled at Maggie. She was right. Just because, I had yet to have any customers didn’t mean I would never have any. And besides, I could always get Jasper or my parents and siblings to buy things from my little shop. Just to make myself feel better.
As if she had read my mind, Maggie suddenly stood in front of me holding out a book, and a deck of cards smiling.
“I’d like to buy these from you if don’t mind.” She smiled. My eyes grew wide and I shook my head.
“Oh Maggie, you don’t have too!” I cried delighted even though I knew it was wrong of me to hope Maggie would really be my first customer. She laughed and laid her coins in front of me.
“And, you can keep the change Dear.” She said kissing my cheek and disappearing into the café. I squealed delight and clapped my hands. Yay! I had my first customer and it was raining.
Monday - Long Day (Catriona)
Author: Fionna
Date: 08-09-07 16:00
When preparing to attend Hogwarts, Fergus had filled his cousin's head with stories about the school. Some of those stories Fionna had verified. Some she'd laughed at. Others Fionna hadn't known about until after Cat left for school. Cat had written her all about the things Fergus had said, including the whole "there's a fifth house at Hogwarts" fib.
Nothing they'd told Cat, truth or lies, had prepared her for the new way of doing things at Hogwarts. When Fergus and then Fionna attended the school, nothing at all was remotely as things are now. Cat had been keeping a list of things to put in a letter to Fionna, one she owled off this morning. Cat has written to Fergus and her Aunt Moira and Uncle Angus more often. Her father has so far received a single, short letter since Cat's been at school; Leslie, Cat's sister, has gotten a slightly longer one. Cat's mother has, as yes, gotten nothing in the week and a half Cat's been at Hogwarts.
Cat, realizing her mind is drifting, gives her attention back to Professor Pilliwickle. Her History of Magic professor seems nice enough she supposes but Cat had really been looking forward to having Professor Binns. Fergus had made having a ghost for a teacher sound interesting and being able to nap without getting in trouble for it would have been simply lovely. Cat sighs thinking how a nap would be nice right about now.
Mondays are Cat's least favorite day of the school week. Of her seven classes, she has six of them on Mondays. Fergus had made it sound like her classes would be more spread out. She said something in one of her early letters to his last week and he'd replied that the schedule seems to have been changed. In the letter she sent to Fionna today, Cat asked her as well, wondering if maybe class scheduling changed after Fergus left but while Fionna was still here.
Professor Pilliwickle finishes giving out today's homework assignment then Cat and the other first years in the Pures section of History of Magic quickly gather their things. Transfiguration is next. Cat likes Professor Whitehorn better than Professor Pilliwickle but she thinks maybe that's because Transfiguration is far more interesting then History of Magic. She really can't see why some people take it all seven years they're at Hogwarts. Is there really that much Wizarding history to cover? Why don't they offer something else around year four, like art or music or broom making? Guess broom making would have to be a short course.
That gets Cat to thinking. What if they offered short courses that allowed a student to take three or four courses over the entire school term? Broom making. Snitch creation. Chocolate frog candy making. Fanged frisbee manufacturing. You know, shop classes. Far more interesting and practical than history. At least in Cat's opinion.
Reaching Professor Whitehorn's Transfiguration classroom on the second floor, Cat takes her seat. She hopes the time flies by. Thinking about chocolate frogs has made her hungry and now she can't wait to get to lunch. Of course that means she's that much closer to Potions at one and Defense Against the Dark Arts at two. Cat sighs. She really doesn't want to go to DADA. Professor Yaxley might be handsome but something about him gives Cat the creeps. Besides, she hears that Professor Isuki's DADA classes are loads more fun.
Professor Whitehorn calls class to order. Cat, her mind already drifting again, gives herself a mental scolding and makes herself pay attention.
In Potions
Author: Gabrielle Delacour
Date: 08-09-07 17:59
Gabby dices one ingredient for today's Potions assignment, stops suddenly when she thinks perhaps she's dicing the wrong thing. Maybe she should be coarsely chopping. Looking at the blackboard, Gabby reads each line of instruction carefully, relieved to read she's so far done each step correctly.
Professor Spudmore walks past, glances at the color of the liquid lightly bubbling in Gabby's cauldron then continues on. She stops at the person next to Gabby, Curtis Fiennes. Although the woman speaks in a low tone, Gabby can plainly hear the professor brusquely saying, "Wrong color. Start over." With a wave of her wand, Curtis's cauldron is emptied.
Gabby shoots Curtis a sympathetic look then continues on with her own potion making. Gabby hadn't been widely fond of Professor Slughorn last year and who could ever love Professor Snape, but Gabby can't help thinking at times that she might actually prefer being in Snape's class this term. Professor Spudmore is someone Gabby thinks she prefers over Professor Slughorn but it's hard to prefer the woman over Snape given the circumstances that has her teaching at Hogwarts.
As she does about all the new professors, with the exception two of the new professors, Gabby wonders how many of them knew they'd be coming to Hogwarts to teach classes of strictly pureblooded students. The two exceptions are Professor Yaxley who at Start of Term Feast knew clearly what was going on and Professor Masterson who'd made it known to his students that he'd been unaware he'd be teaching at Hogwarts and unaware that there would be rules implemented based solely on blood status.
At times Gabby wishes she'd not been so stubborn and resolute about attending Hogwarts. Much as she's come to dislike Beauxbatons, there are no blood status rules segregating students. If things get intolerable for her, maybe she'll swallow her pride and ask Maman to let her change her mind about attending Hogwarts.
Gabby nearly cuts a finger. Paying closer attention to the task at hand, Gabby doesn't mind that the hour for Potions seems to be taking forever, not when she still has three classes ahead of her after lunch. At least tomorrow is a very light day. Something to look forward to.
Putting the last ingredient into her cauldron, Gabby stirs the required number of times counter clockwise, waits two minutes, then gives additional stirs, clockwise this time. By the time class comes to an end, Gabby's pleased with her results, passing up a vial with her name on it while trying to tell who the vials with odd colored potions belong to, fairly certain that Curtis's is one of them since he hadn't had time to remake the potion from scratch in the time given.
Grabbing up her bookbag, Gabby exits the dungeon classroom that used to belong to Professor Snape and heads for Hufflepuff House to change out textbooks and to get the homework due in her afternoon classes. After that, she'll go to the Great Hall for lunch.
What's the point
Author: Cailyn Spicer
Date: 08-09-07 18:54
Cailyn sat at the breakfast table toying with her food. She had not had much of an appetite since she had set first set foot into Hogwarts. Nor did she think that her appetite would return anytime soon. She knew that her lack of appetite was do to the unexpected change at Hogwarts. Cailyn, still had a hard time believing that the separation of the pure bloods and the others was actually taken place. She could not for the life of her see things changing soon.
Cailyn continued to write her father daily on the struggles she was going through at school. Her father wasn’t of much help, in fact, he was furious and wanted to take her out of Hogwarts. But Cailyn, had comprised with him and told him she wanted to stay until Christmas. Nicko, knowing his daughter well, decided that it was best to let her have her way on this. He knew she would just pitch a fit if he tried to take her out of the school before she wanted to leave. And he really didn’t want to make a scene.
During her first week at Hogwarts, Cailyn had not made one friend and kept to herself. She also didn’t do any of her homework and she was really dreading Herbology that morning. She shifted in her seat to look down at her bag. She was thinking about possibly attempting to start her homework but decided against the idea. There wasn’t any point anyway. She doubted that she would be at Hogwarts next term so what did it matter if she didn’t do her home work?
To top it all off, she had not heard anything on the matter of her competitions. She had totally given up on the idea of competing with Moon Dancer this season. And this disappointed her more then anything else. Cailyn really enjoyed her competitions. She had thought about trying out for Quidditch. But once again, the idea was pushed back because she didn’t think she would be at Hogwarts after Christmas. Though, she didn’t like the thought of leaving Alex alone at Hogwarts.
Cailyn, looked over at Alex and then lowered her eyes back to her plate. She wished they didn’t have to hide their friendship. This whole thing was so stupid. It was all she could do to keep herself from ripping those stupid purple ribbons off her robes.
Finally, Cailyn pushed her plate away. She still had a while before her class started. And even though she knew she should be doing her homework, she decided to read a book written by a Muggle. Just to spite Professor Snider.
Tell Us What You Know
Author: Kody
Date: 08-09-07 20:29
"You've met her, Plum, is she as bad as she looks in the pictures?"
Kody taps today's copy of the Prophet with yet another picture of Harriet Snider on the front page. Kordelia takes the paper from Kody as Plum replies, "Yeah, she's pretty bad. In fact, she looks better in the pictures."
Anthony shudders and nods, "I saw her a couple of times when I was with Plum. The pictures really be a great deal better."
"Personality wise," Plum shrugs, "worse then she looks is the best way I can explain it."
Kordelia turns the paper around for the others to see. "What about the professors? What are they like?"
Before Plum can answer Deak chimes in with his own question for Kordelia. "Sorry to interrupt but what was it like for you, Kordelia, going to Durmstrang where no one considered to be anything but pureblooded was allowed to attend?"
Kordelia screws up her face in a frown. "I didn't like Durmstrang overall but with no one of impure" Kordelia makes air quotes with her fingers around that word, "blood there, there wasn't any overt discrimination or segregation. I think what's going on at Hogwarts would be much worse."
"Deak and Sage have both written and I of course see Aaron and Saffron," Drake says.
"Have you seen Snider yet or have you managed to avoid her so far," Plum asks with a laugh.
"Avoid. On purpose," Drake firmly states.
Kody redirects the group back to the question Kordelia had asked. "And the rest of the staff? And who knows the story behind Lawrence Masterson being one of them?"
"Oh, that's right, you did mention last week when first seeing the list of new staff that you knew one of them," Kordelia says, turning the paper around to take a close look at the image of Lawrence waving from the front page alongside the pictures of the other new staff at Hogwarts. "He's cute."
Ignoring the cute remark, Kody says, "Yeah, Lawrence was a year ahead of all of us, in the same house as Anthony and Plum. Played Quidditch too."
Kody's and Kordelia's mother out onto the covered, terraced patio. "Lunch is about ready. Want it out here?"
Kordelia looks around at the others to gauge what they think then says, "Might as well. It's nice out and we're protected from the drizzle."
Laura nods, "Won't be long. Kody, Kordelia, why don't you set the table and get drinks?"
They both rise, getting their tasks done quickly so that they can hear what Plum or Drake know about Lawrence being a Herbology professor at Hogwarts now and to find out the impressions any of the other three have on the other new professors.
Discovery
Author: Hermione Granger
Date: 08-09-07 20:32
Hermione left St. Mungo's to eat lunch and run a couple of errands in Hogsmeade. Although she didn't want to pester Lysander Stratford to see what he'd accomplished in West Irian Jaya, she thought she might have heard something from him by now. He'd sent her the note about his possible lead on the first of September. It was now the tenth. Surely he had some information for her, whether good or bad.
Hermione stopped by her flat and fixed herself some tuna and crackers, which she shared with Crookshanks. Then she grabbed Lysander's letter and walked across the street to Twice Told Tales. No one was manning the front counter when she entered, and she did a full circuit around the store before Julian Valentine asked if he could help her with something. He looked a bit tired.
"Hi, Mr. Valentine––"
"Julian, please."
"Okay," Hermione said. "Is Lysander in? I was hoping to talk to him about the work he's been doing for me."
"Lysander hasn't been in since Thursday," Julian said quietly. "He indicated to me that his would be a short trip, and should he need to stay longer, he would notify me so that I know Charlotte requires longer care. I haven't gotten any word from him, though."
Hermione frowned. She didn't want to think that something terrible had befallen him in his quest to find the book that had gotten four other wizards killed.
She pulled the note Lysander had written her out of her pocket and read it over again.
"Do you have a quill?" she asked suddenly.
"Yes, of course," Julian said. He went to the counter and retrieved one for her.
Hermione, having followed him there, placed the note flat on the countertop and used the quill to write something under the name Allah Al-Khidad.
"Oh, my god," she said breathlessly, after several long moments of thinking and writing.
"What?"
Hermione looked at Julian. "It's an anagram." She pointed at the name Allah Al-Khidad, whom Lysander had said he was visiting in West Irian Jaya, and then to the name she'd written underneath: Khalid Adallah.
Taking Action
Author: Julian Valentine
Date: 08-09-07 21:21
Khalid Adallah? Did Hermione just say Khalid Adallah?
There was a point in time when Julian ignored things that had to do with the Weasleys. Of the things he would have paid attention to, Julian reveled in the woes that befell them, particularly those befalling Bill.
Now, with Grace thinking that Hendrika Weasley, Charlie's wife, is her mother's sister, Julian knows all too well that bad things that happen to the Weasleys can be emotionally bad for Grace. Things like how Uncle Charlie's brother Bill, whom Grace also calls Uncle, is gravely ill.
Julian looks again at what Hermione's written. "Khalid Adallah is the wizard who's out for revenge on Bill Weasley, right?"
"Right."
Julian double checks to make sure no one else is in the shop then puts the closed sign up. "I need to ask Briar to get Charlotte from Blossom's this evening. Then I'll start searching Lysander's notes for where in West Irian Jaya they were meeting. Why do you go find Geoffrey Blackwell?" Julian says in reference to the Hogsmeade resident who also happens to be an Auror. "He was in earlier today and mentioned having the day off so you might try him at home. If not there, the library. Maybe Gigi knows where he is."
Hermione doesn't hestitate. She swivels around and leaves walking quickly, purposefully. Julian is right behind her to dash across the street to talk with Briar about Charlotte then is right back into the bookshop, going striaght for the office to start looking through Lysander's research notes.
Outraged
Author: Minerva McGonagall
Date: 08-10-07 10:04
It still stung that Minerva had lost not only her position as Head of Gryffindor House but also Deputy-Headmistress of Hogwarts––both demotions occurring in one night on what appeared to be the whim of a tyrannical new Headmistress. Minerva hadn't liked Harriet Snider from the moment she walked into Dumbledore's office and snatched away the letter Nicko Spicer had sent Albus. Over the past few weeks, and especially on the night of the Start of Term Feast, Minerva had come to realize she had every right to dislike Headmistress Snider.
It was outrageous that Hogwarts should be segregated among bloodlines. Albus would never have wanted it that way. If he were dead, which Minerva suspected he wasn't, since she hadn't seen a portrait of his image appear in his––Headmistress Snider's––office, he would be rolling in his grave. Then again, she hadn't stepped foot in Dumbledore's old office since the day she first met Snider. Perhaps a portrait had shown up in the meantime.
The other professors were just as outraged about all the changes as she, but especially those who had been at Hogwarts for years, like Flitwick, Snape and Hagrid. They met in secret often to discuss ways around the changes and passed along information to the Order of the Phoenix, whose main priorities these days consisted of locating the missing Albus Dumbledore and attempting to reverse the antiquated practice of segregation that was currently not only affecting Hogwarts but the Ministry of Magic as well.
It peeved Minerva royally that Snider had stripped the nonpure prefects she and Dumbledore had selected in favor of purebloods. Minerva was an adult and though upset about her own loss of title and status, she took it all in stride and would ultimately not back down without a fight, but the fallen prefects were students––children, most of them––and it broke her heart to see them so disappointed.
Surely there must be laws against cruelty against children! She knew that those deemed "nons" were living in squalor compared to the others. Bad bedding would just be the start of it, she wagered. Would they be denied good meals in the future? Would Snider start using physical punishment against them, even if they did no wrong?
Minerva was not at all happy about the changes at Hogwarts, but she wasn't about to quit in protest. She had a school to protect, and she couldn't well do it by not being under its roof anymore.
She had just returned from lunch and went into her new classroom, which was considerably smaller than the one she had used for the duration of her years at Hogwarts. It had been an abandoned room, used mainly for storing old desks and chairs that someone had been do lazy to flick a wand at and repair. Minerva had taken quite a lot of time at fixing the place up herself, though it had hardly been ready by the start of classes last week. By now, however, the classroom looked decent, if not better than decent.
The desks were arranged in rows and they were all repaired and relatively clean (there were some gobs of unstickable gum stuck to the bottoms of some). The windows, which had been so grimey that one couldn't see anything at all through them, were crystal clean now, so that one had a perfect view of the lake on the Hogwarts grounds.
Minerva, seated at her desk, which was really just a table and a chair with an old, scratched up lectern set up on one side, had placed little tins of beetles on each desk for her second years, who had only just begun to enter the classroom.
Luke Dawson, Cora Fields, Olive Green, Sadie Mickle, Abigail Tibbs and Wilbur Tremaine sat down in the small classroom and eyed the black beetles scurrying in their tins.
"Good afternoon, class. Today we will learn how to transfigure beetles into buttons."