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The Least I Can Do
Author: Aaron Miller
Date: 03-01-08 17:54
"No homework over the spring break," I tell my fourth years as they prepare to leave the last class of winter term. "I'll have your exams graded by tomorrow afternoon if you want to find out how well you did before the break. Yes, Matilda?"
Matilda Flanders asks, "Will we be able to have classes again at Cloud's Kiss?"
"Unfortunaely, no. At least not in the near future. Professor Snider has forbidden the use of the manor and grounds for instructional purposes. She's even had the one Floo conduit from here to there closed."
"At least the Pures aren't using it either," I overhear William Reade tersely say to Edward Croft.
I don't scold for him saying that, only say, "No, they aren't using it either, William. It's privately owned property that I allowed Hogwarts to access for educational use. If my students aren't allowed to go there, then I'm certainly not going to give the school permission for Professor Marcasite's use."
The students get up to leave and that's when I notice Geoffrey Ludlow is cradling one arm. I hadn't noticed when he came in because I was talking with another student and after that I probably didn't notice because he had the desk to rest his arm upon.
"What's wrong with your arm, Geoffrey?"
Geoffrey, who's near the door, sticks his head into the hallway, looks both ways, then turns to tell me, "On the way here Yaxley stopped me and said I looked slovenly."
"Cruciatus curse?"
"No, sir. It still hurt though and I hit my arm on a statue."
"Let's get you to Madam Pomfrey. I wish you'd said something at start of class."
"It's not that bad. Really."
"Edith, will you gather my things and take them to my quarters? If Professor Sacheverell isn't there yet, please wait for her. Thank you and five points to Ravenclaw."
I take Geoffrey's bookbag, which is extremely light since it only has what he needed for Muggle Studies, and he and I walk to the hospital wing. Geoffrey tells me again this isn't necessary but I think it is.
Every student of mine is a Non. Except for the ones who are Muggle born, each of them has at least one parent who is now missing, off wherever the Ministry's taken Nons if they are in fact still alive, or in hiding from the Snatchers. Almost all of these same students have other relatives missing as well. Every single one of these students lives in daily fear now of pain inflicted for the tiniest thing. The least I can do is make sure one gets to the nurse without encountering another problem.
It's the least I can do, escorting Geoffrey, when I'm not even sure I'll see him again after this week. I promised Natalie I'd try to get Cora away from Hogwarts, away from Great Britain over the coming break. Saffron, Deak, and Sage as does Drake. Once Cora's safely with her parents back in the States, I'll return and get Deak. Saffron and Sage are joining us while Drake's trying to decide between the States and Australia.
Ophelia Darling, who as an Australian simply attending St. Emrys and not a resident of Great Britain, was able to avoid the whole labeling of Pures and Nons at first. Then someone realized that her mother is English and a Non. Several days after term ended at the university, Ophelia decided it was best to return home.
It's a good thing she did. With six relatives gone to wherever the Nons are being sent and others who would be picked up and given relocation assistance, whatever the hell that really is, if they were in Great Britain, Ophelia didn't need to be hanging around. I seriously doubt that once picked up by Snatchers, the committee gives a flip if you're British or not.
Geoffrey and I reach the hospital wing where Poppy very quickly concluded that he's got a fracture to his ulna. Leaving him in her care, I start the walk to the quarters I still share with Saffron, wondering how long it's going to take Snider to inform us that we may not continue living together as we are not married in the eyes of the Ministry and must set an example for all the good little Pures at Hogwarts.
Not So Happy Birthday
Author: Viktor Krum
Date: 03-01-08 19:00
Looking up at the knock on door of his broom closet of an office, Viktor's eyebrows raise at the sight of Theodosia Batuti standing there with a small round cake with lit candles on top.
"Happy Birthday!"
Viktor says nothing. He just continues giving her the raised eyebrow look.
Theodosia asks, "Aren't you going to invite me in? Blow out your candles?"
Viktor still says nothing but waves a hand at her in the universal come in gesture. Theodosia is grinning in that way people do when wholly pleased with themselves. She sets the cake in front of Viktor. "Blow them out."
Viktor does at bid then asks, "Are ve done now?"
Theodosia frowns deeply and sits, her frown deepening even more at how cramped the confining space of Viktor's office is. "It's your birthday. You should be happy. Look. I even brought you a gift."
Theodosia produces a medium sized, rectangular, wrapped box and places it beside the cake.
Viktor stares at both it and the cake before looking up to meet Theodosia's gaze. "You shouldn't have."
"Open it!" she urges like a child who can't stand wrapped packages.
Suppressing a sigh, Viktor picks up the present and unwraps it. The gift is a name plate with a stylized looking Viktor swooping around after a snitch.
"Thank you. You didn't need to do anything, not even the cake."
"I know but I wanted to. I keep hoping you'll see I'm not a bad person, Viktor. Can't you at least smile that it's your birthday?"
"Vat is there to smile about these days? Students are being tortured in the halls and classrooms of Hogvarts. A voman died and her baby vas injured. Friends are missing, including member of my Quidditch team. Others are in prison on false charges. I vas questioned tvice on vether I know vere Hermione Granger, Harry Potter, and Ron Veasley are. Vile I appreciate your efforts, Theodosia, this is such a happy birthday."
"You're right. I wasn't thinking of any of the negative."
"You vere thinking of yourself and how ve are still not friends."
Theodosia stands quickly, but not so quickly that Viktor doesn't see the shine of unshed tears. "I tried to do something nice and you see it as selfish," she huffs.
Viktor pushes away from his desk, not very far as there isn't much space, and stands up as well. "I'm sorry, but yes. Stay though. Have some cake. I have some butterbeer. You've mentioned siblings back in Africa you are supporting. Tell me about them."
Theodosia wipes at her eyes with the back of her hand. "You're sure?"
"Yes, sit. Ve vill have dessert before ve even get to the castle for supper."
Theodosia sits back down as does Viktor. With a wave of his wand two bottles of butterbeer are on the desk and with another wave so are two places, a knife, and two forks.
Wednesday Morning
Author: Marzipan
Date: 03-02-08 07:54
After carefully arranging a number of plants on the main table in the greenhouse, Marzi settled into her seat at her own small worktable and drank a strong pull from the tall coffee mug she'd placed there upon arriving at the greenhouse earlier in the morning. She'd charmed it to stay hot but not so hot that she couldn't drink it comfortably.
While she waited for her first class to arrive (sixth year NEWT students), she thought about how she and Illyria had continued to ponder ways to get their non students to safety. After their initial discussion about it at Hogwarts, both had agreed to move any future talk offsite, in case someone or something listened in on their conversation. Sometimes they met at The Three Broomsticks or even The Hog's Head, but a lot of time they went somewhere in the Muggle world where they were less likely to be overheard by the wrong sort of person.
So far, they hadn't come up with a viable solution. After all, how could they successfully smuggle out the vast majority of the student body without anyone noticing?
Sighing into her mug, Marzi took one last sip and then set the mug on the table again. She rose to her feet just as the first sixth years came straggling into the greenhouse. They pulled off their winter cloaks, hung them on a stand near the doorway, and came to the main table, where they took their seats. On Monday, they'd started a review session on all the dangerous plants they'd learned about since the start of Winter Term. Today, they would conclude the review session in time for Friday's comprehensive exam.
When it looked like everyone had arrived, Marzi smiled and welcomed the class. It became harder and harder to stay cheerful in these dark times, but Marzi tried to keep her spirits up, if not for herself then for her students.
Protest
Author: Anthony Beck
Date: 03-02-08 11:39
Even though classes at St. Emrys weren't currently in session, Katherine was desperate to protest in full. She'd grown tired of challenging the system anonymously via quill and parchment, especially when none of her efforts had brought about any sort of change. Katherine felt particularly moved to action in light of the increase in bogus arrests and the countless wizards who had been missing for several weeks now.
Despite being between terms, St. Emrys wasn't by any means deserted. Administration continued to work, and many professors came daily to prepare for Trinity Term or work on the many projects they had less time for when classes were in session. Some students milled about as well, working on special projects or thesis and dissertation papers.
Katherine had made arrangements for those keen on participating in the protest to meet at the Wyrding Way at 10 o'clock in the morning. Ever since first launching The Daily Riot, Katherine had gathered a fair number of supporters, non and pure alike. Unfortunately, the bulk of the nons were among those wizards missing, which was another reason why she intended to voice her opinion loud and clear. Those few who did appear at the Wyrding Way looked haggard and weary beneath their disguises, as they were in hiding or on the run. Katherine wished for them to stay out of it, only because their fate if caught would be far worse than that of the pures, who might just get a slap on the hand. But the nons had no intention of turning back. They wanted to fight for their rights alongside their pureblooded friends.
A total of around twenty students met Katherine at the Wyrding Way, Anthony included. He was very nervous about participating and knew there was a great chance he could get arrested and sent to Azkaban. He recalled that the same thing had happened to Siegfried Dewhurst, although Siegfried was a non and Anthony a pure, so maybe the outcome would be quite different.
After running through the game plan, the group flooed from the Wyrding Way to the nearby campus of St. Emrys University. They marched through the corridors shouting loudly about equality and humanity. Some used their wands to graffiti the walls of the building. Anthony was somewhat surprised that Katherine encouraged that sort of behavior. He shouted slogans along with the rest of them but had no intention of being a vandal.
At first, they drew little attention, but the further they went, the more wizards came out to see to the racket in the halls. It was only when they neared the administrative offices that some wizards took action against them. The witch to Anthony's immediate left was felled by a stunning spell. More flashing lights bounced off the walls, taking out some of the protesters. Those remaining scattered, some defending themselves. Anthony's only instinct was to run, especially when a group of armed wizard arrived and shouted, "Freeze!"
"Aurors!" someone in the group shouted.
Anthony ducked, narrowly avoiding a stunning spell that bounced off the corner of the wall just over his head. He dared a glance behind him and saw Katherine expertly dueling with someone. Through it all, she continued to shout out her slogans. When she found an opening, she tried to make a break to freedom herself but an auror stunned her square between the shoulder blades. The last thing Anthony saw before he took off running was Katherine's falling face forward onto the floor.
Meeting on the Grounds
Author: Emerald Green
Date: 03-02-08 12:45
From a blanket spread out in a brightly lit spot Emerald keeps looks towards the greenhouses. Phin had asked her to meet him out here after his Herbology class. Noon is still a little way off but Emerald can't seem to stop herself from looking that direction. It beats struggling to finish the Potions assignment. Even if Amycus Carrow did not use curses and other harsh disciplinary measures on students for the tiniest little thing, often something imagined, he would be a complete bastard. Alecto Carrow is equally horrid; a real bitch inside and out of the Transfiguration classroom.
Tearing her eyes away from the greenhouses, Emerald forces herself to write another paragraph for the Potions homework. She knows all too well what will happen if she doesn't have it done or if it's shorter than Carrow instructed. More like ordered. Neither that man nor his sister are capable of instructing in a professorial fashion. They dictate as if their classrooms are their own personal little kingdoms. If not for the pain and terror they instill, Emerald would it amusing just how much the most maniacal of the Pures come off as thinking of themselves as royalty when the British Wizarding World does not have titled nobility.
The time until noon crawls by but at last it's here. Emerald puts her books aside and watches Phin as he makes his way across the grounds to where she sits. He plops down beside her but, both of them being extremely cognizant of eyes all around, makes no move to lean in for a hello kiss. They don't even let themselves touch in case the wrong person were to see and they are accussed of breaking a rule. Phin would probably get a slap on the wrist but Emerald, shuddering to think about it, would fare much worse, and painfully so.
Phin keeps to one edge of the blanket, as far from Emerald as possible without being off the blanket and onto the grass. "Have I mentioned lately how much I hate this bloody place?"
"That sounded very British of you," Emerald laughs.
"It's rubbing off?" Phin suggests. He lies back and stares up at the sky. "We have to do something."
"Yes, but what? The whole defying of the rules thing died out before it had hardly even begun."
"Anything we do is going to be bad for the Nons. You, Olive, Wiggy, Jewel... ," Phin's voice trails off, leaving it understood that while he's worried about others, the four named just now are the ones he worries about the most.
"It's too bad we've never been able to get another meeting together, somewhere that we wouldn't have to worry about eyes on us."
"If Aunt Bambi hadn't been fired, I'd suggest that secret room Uncle A.J. found. He'd probably kill me though for revealing his favorite work space to half the students."
"How is Miss Bambi?"
"She's all right, or so Uncle A.J. says. Looking for a job outside of Great Britain, mainly back in the States. Uncle Lars would either move too or do the long distance commute by Floo."
Emerald nods, "That's good. I miss her being here but it's good she's got other options and your uncle is supportive. Do you think your mother and he and your Aunt Phlagmelina would let some of us meet in the office at the restaurant during spring break?"
"That's a good thought. I'll ask Uncle A.J. to find out. I've gotten to where I don't want to put anything in an owl if I can help it."
"Can't blame you there. We'd better go in for lunch. Here comes Snider on that flying carpet of hers. How does the chair stay put and why doesn't the carpet under the chair sag really badly under her weight?"
"Must be a really strong spell to overcome her weight," Phin agrees, standing up. He starts to put out his hand to help Emerald up but quickly changes that to bending to start picking up the blanket as Snider sails past on her carpet.
When the woman is well out of hearing, Emerald says rather matter of factly, "There goes one lazy cow."
Held For Questioning
Author: Rolf Haaken
Date: 03-02-08 15:01
"State your name," the horse faced wizard tersely orders.
"Rolf Haaken."
"No ribbon visible," the man notes. "Proof of purity."
"In the bookbag," Rolf tells him.
The bag is unceremoniously deposited in front of Rolf. He opens it, acutely aware that there is now a wand pointed at his head, and fumbles around inside with one hand. His fingers touch the sought after paperwork and he grips the parchment, pulling it out and holding it up. The Ministry seal is clearly visible.
The wizard snatches the parchment from Rolf, intently studying it. With a grunt that Rolf takes to mean he's satisfied that the document is genuine, the parchment is thrust back at Rolf.
"State your purpose here."
"As in why I am at St. Emrys today?"
"Yes, why are you here? Term is not in session. Are you even a student?"
"Yes, Merlin College. I was making use of the library, looking up some maps."
"Project for a course?"
"A project, yes, but not for a course."
"Elaborate."
Rolf's quickly figured out that this wizard, from whatever Ministry department, doesn't like to use more words than absolutely necessary. While Rolf, who's not overly verbal himself, understands that, it does make for a rather brusque, staccato style of questioning.
"I create games. The one I'm working on now is centered around the sixth century Battle of Orpheus."
"Battle of Orpheus?"
"You know, from history. Guy named Orpheus wanted power and in the big battle that resulted in his defeat, he charmed animals and used trees, bushes, and even a river in his efforts to win."
The man has a blank look as he scratches his chin. Rolf can tell when it comes to the man what Rolf is talking about because his eyes light up. "Right. Right. I remember now. You're creating a game about it?"
"Yes, that will be the central theme of the game." Rolf quickly explains about the role play, strategy games he's made, naming a couple of them.
"You're behind those? I thought it was some elderly bloke."
"You know them then?"
"I've played one and some chums and I are going to start another soon. Now, back to what you are doing here today."
"I came to research maps of the battlefield and surrounding area."
"Not to take part in the protest?"
"No." Rolf doesn't mention that he'd heard about the protest and had planned on taking part but got so wrapped up in his research he forgot to go to the Wyrding Way. It wasn't until he heard the growing commotion and others in the library started leaving to go see what was going on that it occurred to Rolf that it was the protest and he was missing out on it.
Rolf had gotten up to go see and ended up caught up in a scuffle. By that time things were out of hand and protesters were being hit with spells. Rolf disengaged from the scuffle and returned to the library to gather up his belongings, deciding it was a good time to leave. With having missed out on the actual protest, he didn't see the sense in hanging around for the aftermath.
That's when the library went on lockdown and that's when Rolf was herded with others still in the vicinity into a classroom. After that it was a matter of having to sit and wait to be questioned.
The wizard checks the clipboard on which he'd been writing Rolf's responses.
"You were in the library itself when you were rounded up for questioning, correct?"
"Yes."
The wizard nods and writes a little more. "You may go but be aware that you may be required to come to the Ministry for a follow-up statement."
"Yes, sir. Thank you."
Rolf grabs his book bag, stuffs his proof of purebloodedness back inside and gets up, slinging the bag over his shoulder. The wizard's parting words to him are, "Look forward to this Battle of Orpheus game."