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Guilt
Author: Anthony Beck
Date: 03-11-08 18:12
Alone in a booth at Delia's Deli and Restaurant, Anthony picked at a grilled chicken breast sandwich. He'd been hungry earlier but had quickly lost his appetite upon hearing the conversation of a passing couple. Although it had been over two weeks since the protest at St. Emrys University, it had been mentioned again in the Daily Prophet just that morning. The focus hadn't been so much the protest itself but the fact that more and more purebloods were openly standing up for the rights of the impure.
In the beginning, pures acting out against Ministry regulations received a mere slap on the hand. Times were starting to change, though. Katherine, a pureblood, had been tried by the Wizengamot early last week. They'd branded her a blood traitor and sentenced her to half a year in Azkaban. The other pures who'd been arrested with her at St. Emrys had also received prison terms, albeit shorter ones, Katherine having been singled out as the leader of the protest.
The nons, not surprisingly, had received stricter judgments. Their prison sentences were longer, owing not only to the fact that they'd participated in the protest and vandalized St. Emrys but also because they should have been long-carted away by the RAC. And, of course, simply because they weren't pures.
Anthony felt a deep pang of guilt for knowing Katherine was in prison and he, who by all rights should be, wasn't. Time and time again, he'd thought about turning himself in but he knew that Katherine wouldn't approve. She'd refused to give up the names of the participants who'd gotten away, perhaps hoping they would continue what she'd started without her.
He didn't want to disappoint his half-sister, but Anthony didn't plan on doing anything else. He considered himself a first-rate coward and while ashamed, didn't want to do anything to change himself. He didn't want to go to Azkaban, and he for sure didn't want to go wherever the hell the nons were now. He just wanted to fly under the radar and keep himself and the rest of his family safe.
Studying
Author: Griet
Date: 03-12-08 19:01
After an extremely mediocre dinner in the Great Hall, Griet went straight to the Slytherin common room and collapsed into an empty chair in a corner of the room. It being the first day of Spring Term at Hogwarts, Griet had finally begun to realize that the O.W.L. exams were just two months away. She had spent a good portion of the day in her various classes and then the few hours before supper in the library. Now she had no intention of resting, as there were still several good hours left in the day before bedtime.
Griet had another reason for wanting to put all her efforts into her studies. She still hadn't gotten over the mortification of being put on display as a werewolf, an uncontrolled one at that, during the last full moon. It had been over two weeks since Professor Yaxley had brought some of his students to Griet's safe room to give them firsthand experience with a live werewolf, and yet, she still hadn't recovered from the incident. Griet had always preferred isolation to companionship during the full moon and had certainly never wanted to be treated like a beast in Care of Magical Creatures class. She knew Professor Yaxley would probably return with his students in two weeks for her next transformation and wished above all that he wouldn't.
"Can I borrow your notes from Potions from this morning?"
Griet looked up to see Gervaise standing before her. He'd been noticeably absent from Potions, probably because he'd received a severe punishment in his earlier class, Transfiguration, and had felt too unwell to attend. He'd gone to all his other classes and looked considerably better now. Griet guessed that he, like many nons, would rather skip a class with the Carrows and deal with the repercussions of their absence later than face one extreme punishment after another.
"Sure." She dug through her notes and handed them to him. He sat down in the vacant chair next to her and started copying her notes onto a piece of parchment.
She said nothing else to him but wondered where his other half, Oberon, had gotten to. Gervaise and Oberon were rather apart. Just when she started to get back to her own studies, the devil himself entered the common room.
"What's this?"
Griet raised her eyes to Oberon, who looked accusingly at her and then questioningly at Gervaise. "A study date, is it?"
"Shut up, Oberon," Griet responded calmly before lowering her eyes back to her notes.
"I didn't ask you, freak show."
"I'm borrowing her notes from Potions. I can't ever read your handwriting, Oberon," Gervaise answered.
"You didn't miss much. Just more of Carrow torturing whoever he felt like."
When neither Griet nor Gervaise responded to Oberon's comment, he stormed off, only to return with an arm full of books. He pulled a chair near Gervaise and sat down into it, perhaps realizing that he, too, needed to get serious about his classes since the O.W.L.s weren't far away.
(Mark) Carefree
Author: Isolde
Date: 03-13-08 17:03
After sliding into a seat at the pureblood Slytherin table in the Great Hall, Mark helped himself to a burger and seasoned chips. Taran Tremaine, one of only two other Slytherin first years still considered purebloods, sat down next to Mark. Although they'd considered themselves friends since first meeting at the beginning of term, they hadn't really started hanging out with each other until the last few months, when many of their closests friends lost their statuses as purebloods.
Glancing across the room where the nons sat, Mark spotted Gus seated by himself, picking at a sandwich that looked extremely unsavory compared to Mark's juicy hamburger. It had surprised Mark how quickly he'd been able to drop his former best friend, but it had shocked him even more to discover that Gus had somehow become friends with Kate Dewhurst.
Gus had been especially cruel to Kate since the very start of term and yet had somehow found an ally in her after becoming a non himself. Mark wasn't quite sure who baffled him most, Gus seeking out friendship from someone he'd tormented relentlessly or Kate seemingly forgetting what Gus had done and acknowledging his present feelings.
"What are you going to do with the rest of your day?" Taran asked, drawing Mark's gaze away from Gus and back to the friend seated next to him.
Mark and Taran had only had one class this morning, Herbology with Professor Masterson. They had the rest of the day to themselves and weren't the least bit concerned with any homework they might have to complete for tomorrow.
"Not sure yet," Mark replied, taking another bite of his burger. He chewed, swallowed and went on, "It's a nice day outside. Might sit out by the lake."
It was such a nice day outside that when Mark finally finished his lunch, he did walk out to the banks of the lake and stretched out on the lawn, where he took an afternoon nap.
Who Is The New Professor?
Author: Aaron Miller
Date: 03-14-08 09:52
As I pace my small cell for the millionth time I wonder if pureblood prisoners at Azkaban get bigger cells or if this miniscule space is the size everyone gets. Or perhaps mine is smaller as added punishment for not answering questions about Cora's whereabouts.
At least Saffron, Deak, and Sage are safe. I have to think that when I didn't show up for the rendevous with them and Drake that they'd know I was arrested. The same goes for Jill and Alastor. When I never came for either of them, they'd would know things went bust and I couldn't get to them. I don't know what any of them know. I wasn't given a trial. I was taken to the Ministry, questioned for hours, then brought to Azkaban.
Or maybe there was a trial as far as the Ministry is concerned. As the questioning finally came to an end, someone said to me, "We would have preferred your cooperation; but, no matter. The outcome is the same."
I guess that could be viewed as a sentencing of sorts. Maybe I simply wasn't considered worthy enough for an actual visit to a courtroom. Maybe they didn't want it known that a student was smuggled out of Hogwarts.
There's no window in the cell so the only way I have to mark daily progress is by meals served. It's a little cliché but I've been scratching lines in the wall to serve as a calendar. Lunch has come and gone and I think that it's somewhere near the time I'd be meeting my first class of the new term if I had been going back after smuggling the kids out. The third years will be filing into the classroom, all of them wishing that Snider hadn't cut off Cloud's Kiss for use in Muggle Studies since it's a whole lot more useful than the Hogwarts classroom.
I really hope that whomever has replaced me isn't as awful as the Carrows. What I don't know is that right this minute a former Hogwarts student, who might not be as vicious with a curse as the Carrows or Yaxley but who is a stuck up pureblood through and through who enjoys watching those who aren't wallow in misery, is being introduced to the third years.
Harriet Snider is standing in front of the classroom, her smile making her furry upper lip look twitchy, which in turn makes it look as though there's a caterpiller undulating across her face. "As you all know by now, former professor Aaron Miller deserted you all without so much as a goodbye. He was in such a pout that he couldn't use that home of his as a classroom that he preferred to abandon you, his not so beloved students. Let me introduce now your new Muggle Studies professor. I am certain she will do a splendid job!"
A young woman enters, practically skipping down the aisle to meet up with Snider at the front of the class. Snider places a hand on the woman's shoulder. "Third years, this is Professor Pansy Parkinson. Professor, I leave you now to get to know your class."
Herbology Class
Author: Johanna Steele
Date: 03-14-08 10:10
Tuesday was the best day of classes for the Slytherins 1st years. They only had Herbology till 10.30 and then they have all the day off.
Johanna went alone to the grounds.
Two Gryffindor girls passed by her. They were laughing. Johanna felt even more unhappy; she hasn’t laughed like that sine long ago.
Yesterday she received a letter from her half brother John. John was studying at St. Emrys University. He was a pure. He was born after their father married the first time with a Spanish witch. They had divorced some years later and her father married again this time with a muggle. Johanna born on that year.
Johanna didn’t know John very well. Since she remembered, he had been in Hogwarts as an Hufflepuff and then in St. Emrys. They only saw each other on Christmas, and some other special dates.
John wrote telling that he couldn’t contact father. He said he was afraid that he had been captured and sent to a Community. At breakfast Johanna heard someone whispering about the absence of Professor Miller, the professor of Muggle Studies, which didn’t help much. In the end off the letter John advised Johanna to behave well at school and to not mess around with pures and teachers. Thank god that he didn’t know what happened with Mortimer.
Finally she arrived to the greenhouse. It was empty. She sat on a table on the corner. A few minutes later some other students entered. Felicia joined Johanna. Gus passed by them but didn’t sit near the girls.
“He still thinks I’m crazy, after I’ve said I wanted to learn the killing curse! What’s his problem? I was joking…”
“You were? You seem to me really sure of yourself when you opened that book.”
“It was a potions book Felicia… Maybe at that time I wasn’t joking but after I had calm down I was. Let’s be realistic: how could I do Avada Kedavra if I can’t even do well Wingardium Leviosa?”
“Gus knows that, but maybe he considers you a danger…Being friend of a student that messes around 6th pures and is learning the killing curse might bring troubles for him and his family!”
Johanna remembers John’s letter. She felt miserable…
“Morning class,” says Professor Fitzroy entering in the greenhouse. “Today we are going to talk about dangerous plants. Miss Flaversham could you read loud the introduction to this topic on page 106 of your book please?”
Felicia opens her “1001 Magical Herbs and Fungi” book and stars reading.
After a discussion on alligator weed students start a repot .
“Tomorrow we have the first charms class of the term. Do you think professor Flume will ask us to do the levitate spell?”
“I hope he does,” answered Johanna. “I’ve practiced a lot and although I’m not good has the others I want to show Flume my progresses.”
Johanna spends the rest of the class in a good mood. “Being sad and worried is a sign of weakness and I’m not like that! They can call me crazy and dangerous if they want but the end they’ll see who is going to be on the top and who is going to make history!”
Oh Baby
Author: Majandra
Date: 03-14-08 17:20
When Majandra first learned she was pregnant, she never imagined she'd not have her regular Healer at hand nor that she'd not have the baby at St. Mungo's. As things in the British Wizarding world deteriorated Maj thought that she might have to have the baby someplace other than St. Mungo's or perhaps at St. Mungo's but in a grim little corner without even a fake window.
Once Maj left with her father to his parents' in the Muggle world she, and George, had the decision to make of her going to a Muggle hospital or going to another country to a Wizarding hospital. After a greal deal of discussion, with lots of input from both sets of grandparents, parents, Molly and Arthur (who checked in as often as they could), her paternal grandmother, Tessa Fine, got Maj an appointment with a doctor who'd once been married to a Wizard. This allowed them not to have to find a believable lie on why a woman at Maj's stage of pregnancy was switching doctors and had no medical records to hand over.
Now however, after sixteen hours of labor, Maj is beginning to wonder if she shouldn't have gone to a Wizarding hospital in another country. Surely giving birth in a Wizarding hospital wouldn't be this painful and draining? Maj is on drugs now to block the pain but in the earlier stages she wasn't. Now she's exhausted and is starting to think that maybe she shouldn't believe the nurses and Dr. Shirodkar when they tell her everything is going wonderfully. Maybe the next time George tries to reassure her, Maj will tell him what he can do with his words.
Dr. Shirodkar tells Maj the words she's been waiting to hear, "One more big push!"
Seconds later the room is filled with lusty squalls as the Dr. Shirodkar places the baby on Maj's stomach. "Congratulations. Your son looks healthy but we've got a few routine tests to do. Do we have a name yet?"
Tears in her eyes as she touches the baby's face, Maj lets George answer the question. As long as it took them to get pregnant and with the possibility it may never happen again, as soon as they found out they were having a boy, they knew what his name would be. George proudly tells those in the delivery room, "George Frederick Weasley."
Questions Questions Questions
Author: Saffron
Date: 03-15-08 11:40
Saffron wearily runs a hand across her eyes. "The first ten times I answered this question wasn't enough?"
"We're being thorough," the short, overly thin officer states a little defensively.
"I've answered questions of some sort nearly every day for two weeks now. Thorough was left behind ages ago."
"Just answer the question, Professor Porter."
"Sacheverelle."
"We recently learned that Gautier Sacheverelle is a Non."
Saffron sighs heavily. "He's a French citizen so does that even matter?"
"To the Ministry, yes. Your marriage to him is not recognized as valid and since there is no change of name form on record for you, the Ministry considers your name to be Porter. Your answer?"
"Fine," Saffron fairly spits out. "As I've repeatedly said, Aaron and I argued. I moved out of the quarters we were sharing"
"How could you continue to live with a known Non?" Officer Twist asks with a visible shudder. "Sorry. Continue."
"After that we only spoke two or three times. A few days later he and his niece Cora Fields vanished."
It's hard for Saffron to keep a quiver of emotion from her voice as she says that last part. She did at least know that Cora is safe. She hopes that Aaron's alive even if in prison. Saffron keeps doing readings for some sign of reassurance but so far all she gets is an indication that Aaron might be alive.
"What did you argue about?"
"I sensed he was up to something and all the signs were pointing to something negative. I warned him but he wouldn't listen."
Officer Twist lets her eyes roam around Saffron's office and then with a slight turn of her head she's looking out the door into the classroom. "Divination is a bit of a crock, isn't it?"
"It's so often misused and abused that, yes, it does seem that way."
"You couldn't give Miller a better warning than something bad's going to happen?"
"Well, first of all, divination is rarely an exact science. Second of all, when it comes to myself and those close to me, I've got a very spotty record. Third of all, since having a brain tumor, that record for myself and those close to me is even spottier."
"That's a no then. I'll be on my way. For now. I'm sure that I or one of my colleagues will have more questions soon."
"Yes, I'm sure you will," Saffron says with a strained smile.
She watches Office Twist leave then looks down at the classwork turned in yesterday by her fourth and fifth years. She can't get her mind on her work though and ends up spending the time until noon staring out a window and thinking about how she shouldn't even be here. Neither should Sage nor Deak.
Before Sage or Saffron could go their own ways from Hogwarts as planned that day Aaron got Cora out, Lohengrin and Birdy had shown up. When they'd finally been able to convince their overbearing father that they needed to go, Ministry officials had arrived and begun quizzing them on the whereabouts of Cora Fields.
Deak had successfully gotten to Amorica's but before he could leave to meet up with Drake and Frannie, officials were knocking on Amorica's door to question both her and Deak.
Alexa, Alastor, Jill, Hadrian, Hunter, and Daniel were all questioned as well with Alastor and Jill, being Nons, taking the brunt of it. They bore it well, neither of them revealing that the plan had been for them to escape as well.
Saffron rubs a hand across her forehead, feeling a headache coming on. It's only going to worse, especially if Snider starts harping at her to go by Porter instead of Sacheverelle. Saffron looks through one desk drawer but nothing she has would suffice for the headache she has. Getting up, Saffron decides to see if Poppy can give her something that help.