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(Happy Haven) Break Broke Broken
Author: Johanna Steele
Date: 09-29-08 13:30
Johanna was shivering. She was outside, without any extra protection, cleaning the windows. She had orders to only leave the place when the windows were completely free from snow.
Till now it had been impossible to reach that goal: it was snowing. Every time she passed with the brush on the frozen glass, small particles of snow flakes replaced the ones that have been removed. It was frustrating.
Colin was there too. He cleaned furiously the glass. It was useless. They would only do their chore well if it stopped snowing.
Johanna was doing the possible to not loose heat. She moved quickly and brushed very hard to keep a constant movement. She didn’t want to die frozen. No one had bothered to give the students an extra coat, a scarf or a pair of gloves. Nothing.
While cleaning she made an inventory of the lasts weeks. She and Gus had won Professor’s Pince trust. They now spend some time with him at the end of the Muggle Studies classes. He was delighted to hear them talking about how impure and inferior they were. Johanna and her friend didn’t mind spending some extra time on the class. It was better being sat and say some absurd sentences than being doing the useless chores they were in charge.
Godfrey Prince told them that his colleagues didn’t believe that some of his students have really learned what they were.
He said he was going to set an audience with the Headmistress herself to show her the results of his work. Johanna didn’t know what to expect from that.
She continued to clean the window.
A few time later she was called to Headmistress’s Carrow office. She walked slowly. She was still shivering, although this time it wasn’t because of the cold.
Gus was also there with other two students. Apparently Johanna and Gus weren’t the only ones who had foolish the Muggle Studies Professor.
“Ah, here’s the last one headmistress.” Said Professor Prince.
“So Godfrey , you’re telling me that these Nons have finally understood their status?”
“Yes. They know how impure they are Headmistress.”
“Hum… are you sure?”
“Yes Headmistress.”
“Very well. You know I believe in you, Godfrey. But in these days we need to be sure if this isn’t a trick. I want them doing the test.”
“The test?”
“Yes… Do the test to them Godfrey. Here. Now.”
“Yes Headmistress.” He waved his wand “ Accio Johanna Steele’s wand. “
Johanna saw her wand coming in Prince direction. He grabbed it. He made the same thing to the other three students’ wands.
“Drink these!” Demanded Carrow. Johanna was so concentrated by the arrival of the wands that she didn’t noticed what the Headmistress was doing. On her desk there were four cups with a grey liquid. They hesitated.
“Drink!” repeated Carrow. One by one they took a cup and drank.
It had a horrible taste. Johanna felt a chill. What if it was poison?
“You have just drunk a potion of strength. Since I only gave you some drops of it your physical strength will grow just a bit for about 10 minutes. What I want you to do now is simple: Pick up your wands and break them. And don’t think in curse us.”
The room falls in silence.
“I can’t do it!” said Iris Audley after a while.
“All right. So you’re an impostor!”
“No! I think we’re inferior but…”
“Enough girl. Go and wait outside! I’ll deal with you later.”
She left the room. Irish was from the 7th grade. Maybe she was too attached to her wand. But Johanna wasn’t. She only received her wand last year. It didn’t mean much to her… She could buy another one later.
She picked up her wand. Gus and Jasper Hood did the same.
It all ended with three “Cracks”.
It was strange. She felt like she lost a part of her. Maybe she was also too attached to her wand.
Alecto Carrow smiled.
“Good, I see you learned the lesson. Congratulations! Good job Godfrey. Now since you’re aware of what you are I think you don’t mind doing some extra chores. What do you think? I’ll tell to the staff what you’re chores will be. You’re an example for all your colleagues!”
Presents, Runes and Headaches
Author: Cailyn Spicer
Date: 09-29-08 17:27
Cailyn wandered down into the dungeons and through the familiar hallway to where the Slytherin House had once been before the change of the houses had taken place. With the change of houses, there had also come a change of decorations for each house. So, it was as if the houses themselves had never existed. She missed being high up in the castle and the familiar coziness of the Gryffindor House. She even missed the Fat Lady’s painting.
With a sigh she slumped up against one of the plush chairs in the dorm she shared with the ever cheerful Gaia Goyle and gently rubbed the temples on her forehead to help with the pounding headache she had. It felt as if a million trains were driving through her head and the concentration she had needed for her Ancient Runes class had not helped her headache either. She had what felt like tones of homework already and it was only Monday. She couldn’t wait till the holidays. At least then she would have a break from her busy schedule even if she had to deal with Simon. That was if she decided to go home.
“Did you remember to pick up your Secret Santa gift when we were in Hogesmede?” Gaia asked from her perch in front of her bed.
Cailyn plopped down on her own bed and nodded her head as she twisted to open her trunk. “I did remember and I gotta sneak my gift to her too. Wish I had an invisibility cloak.”
“Yeah that would be wicked.” Gaia agreed. “I got mine too. Who did you get again?”
“Catriona Amherst. She’s a tiny second year. I got her a doll. When I was that age I loved to play with dolls.” Cailyn said while rummaging for the doll she bought for Catriona. After a few minutes, she finally found the pretty little figure and popped her out of the trunk. “See?” She said pulling her up so Gaia could see.
“Very cute! Want help wrapping her?”
“Sure!”
(Mark) Gift Giving
Author: Isolde
Date: 09-29-08 17:47
Professor Douglass quickly ended his lecture and pointed out the homework assignment for Wednesday on the board. Mark jotted the information down in his abominable handwriting and then tucked the parchment between the pages of his Wizarding History, Volume II textbook and then grabbed it and his quill and booked it from the classroom.
He intended on grabbing lunch in the Great Hall before his next class, Transfiguration with Professor Grubbly-Plank, but he needed to stop by his dorm room first to exchange his morning-class books with those he needed for the afternoon and to grab the Christmas gift he'd sloppily wrapped before breakfast.
Mark had entered the Hogwarts Secret Santa, mainly because he wanted to get an extra gift for Christmas. He didn't particular care about getting gifts for anyone else, but receiving presents he liked very much. Mark didn't know Oreileah McCoi, but he'd asked a few people around school about her. Few of the students in his own year knew her either, and Mark didn't talk to too many older kids, but he eventually found out that Oreileah, or Orei as she was called by close friends, was in her seventh year and used to be in Gryffindor House. Both facts were obvious reasons why Mark didn't know her.
Oreileah being a complete stranger to him and someone he wouldn't normally associate with anyway made finding a Christmas gift for her difficult. In the end he'd picked up a box of chocolate chip cookies at Briar's Bakery on Saturday, when he'd been allowed to go to Hogsmeade as a special treat, since second years couldn't ordinarily go on Hogsmeade trips.
Mark had more or less forgotten about the gift until just this morning.
He raced up the many staircases to what formerly had been Ravenclaw Tower and went to the dorm room he shared with Hunter Rabnott. He dropped the books and supplies he no longer needed onto his bed and searched his bedside table and beneath the imposing four-poster for the books he needed after lunch. After collecting them, he swiped Oreileah's gift from the floor and carried everything all the way down to the common common room, where a Christmas tree with many packages underneath stood tall and festively decorated.
Mark slipped Oreileah's gift between two larger packages on the floor, gave the labels on the others a quick once-over to see if any bore his name, and then started to leave the room for the Great Hall when his uncle Rivalen came through the door carrying a small, flat, shiny, silver gift-wrapped box.
"Hullo Mark."
"Uncle Rivalen. What's that you've got?" asked Mark, nodding his head to the box in his uncle's hand.
"Oh, this?" Rivalen asked, looking down at the slim box he carried. He met Mark's gaze again. "It's my Secret Santa gift."
"Oh, who did you get and what did you get him?"
"Professor Sacheverelle––a beautiful necklace for a beautiful woman."
Mark pulled a face. He was still at an age when he didn't think of girls as pretty. "She's married you know."
"Doesn't bother me," Rivalen replied, grinning handsomely. He walked past his nephew to deposit the gift underneath the tree. Like Mark, he looked at the labels of the other packages, especially the bigger ones, for one bearing his name. When he didn't find one, he shrugged and turned back to Mark.
"Going to lunch?"
"Yeah. You?"
"Yeah. Let's go eat."
Uncle and nephew left the common commons for the Great Hall.
Playing Santa
Author: Zabrynna
Date: 09-29-08 18:57
Coming from Potions with the perpetually bad tempered Amycus Carrow, Zabrynna overhears some of her classmates speaking wistfully of someone named Snape. Apparently the consensus among them, at least based on what Zabrynna hears, is that they all wish Snape were back at Hogwarts, once again teaching Potions.
As obvious as it is to everyone how much Carrow hates kids of all ages, no matter that all his students are purebloods, it's really no wonder students are wishing for a former professor. Zabrynna has no basis of reference to compare this Snape with Professor Carrow but surely he has to be a better educator and more caring of students. Even that blood status snob of a Potions professor, Didrika Gruenewald, at Durmstrang does more than yell and belittle students like Carrow does.
Zabrynna walks into the common commons, making for the large, festively decorated Christmas tree under which there is a pile of gifts. Zabrynna looks for any with her name, not expecting anything from anyone since she's new to Hogwarts. That is, not expecting any gifts other than from her Secret Santa. Not finding a Secret Santa, or any other, gift to her, Zabrynna tries not to feel a little let down. Afterall, whomever drew her name might not even give the gift while they are still at Hogwarts. The present might come by owl while Zabrynna's home for holiday.
Turning to her bookbag on the floor beside her, Zabrynna takes out a carefully wrapped gift. Inside the box the item is even more carefully protected from breakage. Zabrynna had drawn Alanna Beck's name and after careful consideration chose a cool, funky perfume bottle in which she'd put some of Alanna's favorite perfume. She'd learned the name of the perfume from, of all people, a guy, Jared Wynbourne. Zabrynna supposes that what her roommate, Anne Kendrick, has said about Jared having a not so secret crush on Alanna must be correct if he knows what Alanna's favorite perfume is without having to think twice about it.
The gift placed under the tree, Zabrynna contemplates going to eat lunch before her DADA class starts at one.
Gift Delivery Then Waking Up The Fifth Years
Author: Kissy Isuki
Date: 09-30-08 15:43
During her break between the end of the fourth years' class and the start of the fifth years' class, Kissy went to the Great Hall for lunch, taking a detour to what used to be the Pures Only common room. The room is now simply the common commons and the room that had been used as such before this term has been put to use for indoor Fitness & Athletics instruction.
Kissy had entered this year's Secret Santa draw, more relieved than there are words for that she did not end up with Ryland Yaxley's name. Even if it is a blind, totally random draw, the odious man would have found some special meaning behind any gift Kissy would have given and taken it as an invitation to increase his requests for dates with her.
The name Kissy did draw is that of seventh year Madeline Miller. Although she's known Madeline for a few years now, Kissy still found selecting a gift to be difficult. Yesterday afternoon while at Diagon Alley Kissy found what she thinks is a cute necklace of an owl and hopes Madeline will like it.
After depositing the gift wrapped in gold and red striped foil (both colors of Christmas and the colors of Madeline's former house, Gryffindor), Kissy had gone to the Great Hall where she sat talking with AJ and Theodosia until nearly time for the 1 pm classes to begin.
Shortly before the fifth years arrive, Kissy looks over the items she's got on display, making sure she's not left out any that she wishes to include for today. There's a Sneakscope, Secrecy Sensor, invisibility cloak, a Shield Cloak from Weasley's, and a Foe-glass and a few other items.
The fifth years arrive, some looking ready for a nap after having had lunch. Kissy's sure that the extremely cold weather out is also helping with the want-to-curl-up-and-nap expressions on a few faces. Perhaps starting off with a brisk defensive workout on one of the obstacle courses will get their blood going again and wake them up, at least enough to pay attention to the lecture portion of class.
Kissy scans the faces of her students, saying their names aloud as if calling roll, "Albert, Philippa, Stephen, Anne, James, Zabrynna, Victoria. Right. To course #3."
Even though they don't know what they'll be doing on the course yet, starting off class going to one of the courses instead of turning in homework or having lecture first serves to wake the sleepy ones up a little bit and has those who weren't sleepy looking extremely energetic.
"No teams, not even pairs. I'll give you thirty seconds to find a starting position anywhere in the first section. After that you have five minutes to get past your classmates to me. Be creative in what spells and charms you use to advance through the course. I'll be somewhere in the red section. First two to reach me get ten points each. When I call time at the end of those five minutes, freeze where you are. If none of you have reached me, the two closest to where I am located will get five points. If only one person reaches me, then points will be split ten and five. Got it?"
There's a chorus of yeses then Kissy dispatches the students to find starting positions while she walks through the course to pick out a location in the red section where she'll wait. Five and a half minutes later, a breathless Zabrynnay is by her side. Stephen is just short of having reached Kissy, literally half a finger's breadth away. Kissy awards Zabrynna ten points and Stephen five.
"Quick drinks of water for those needing them then let's get to work in class."
A couple of minutes later, Kissy is holding up a mirror-like object. "Who's able to tell me what this might be? Yes, Victoria?"
"A Foe-glass?"
Kissy smiles. "Are you asking me or telling me?"
"Telling?" Victoria says, the question still in her voice.
"You don't sound very sure, Victoria."
"Um. I am sure it is a Foe-glass," Victoria says, though the firmness of condfidence is lacking in her tone.
"You are correct, Victoria. This is a Foe-glass. Now, tell me what is its use?"
"The enemies of the glass's owner."
"Correct. Three points, Victoria. Normally, one would see shadowy figures in the glass, figures which are the owner's enemies. As the foe gets closer, that person's figure goes from vague and shadowy to more distinct. Why do you think there are no shadow's or distinct images in this glass?"
"Yes, Albert?"
"No one owns this Foe-glass," he ventures.
"Yes, that's right. The last owner of this Foe-glass died recently - of natural causes. He had known family. He never married. However, until a thorough search has been conducted to find out if there is indeed no one to inherit his estate, at the moment there is no clear current owner of this Foe-glass."
Putting the Foe-glass down, Kissy picks up two related items, the Shield Cloak and a Shield Hat. "These look like ordinary articles of clothing but are not. Any ideas on what they are or how they might be used?"
Gift Delivery and Talking (Caerwyn)
Author: Julian Valentine
Date: 10-01-08 16:33
Leaving Herbology, Caerwyn and Augustus discuss the noticeably laid back, easy going manner of Professor Farnon with what they know of the personality of the professor's nephew, 2nd year Mark Farnon. Although neither boy knows Mark all that well, Caerwyn knows him more than Augustus because of having played on the same Quidditch team with Mark during the first match.
"Mark can be really aggressive and he definately hated losing that Quidditch match."
Gus comments, "Professor Farnon seems like the sort of chap who'd not bother expending energy being aggressive."
"Hard to believe they are related," Caerwyn states, unaware of just how different he is from what his mother was or even how, in many ways, he's extremely different from his father.
"Mark's more like his cousin Isolde. From what I've heard she was a bloody brilliant player while here at Hogwarts. I did see her play a few times when she was with the Salisbury Snakes. She was an awesome player."
Caerwyn, not as up on Quidditch factoids as his friend, asks, "Was?"
"Had an accident that was bad enough that the injury couldn't be fully healed."
By this time the boys have reached the commons. Continuing their conversation they let their bookbags drop to the floor at a free table then sit down. Gus is describing in great detail Isolde Farnon's accident during a Quidditch match and how it was purposely caused by a psychopathic, jealous player on the same team. He stops only to request a hot chocolate from the House Elf who'd scurried over. Gus concludes with, "It was all the news for days. It was several years about but, still, how did you miss it?"
"I wasn't always in Britain and when I was, Mum was strict about things like listening to the WWN or looking at magazines; and it's only been this last year that I had any interest in reading any sort of newspaper."
Classmates Marian Rourke and Anita Tuck walk by the boys' table, each carrying packages wrapped in Christmas themed paper. Gus and Caerwyn stop talking, their eyes going to the very large Christmas tree under which presents have been placed. Caerwyn shoves his chair back and gets up. "I can't believe we forgot to check for any gifts with our names."
Gus is nodding, already ahead of Caerwyn to get to the tree. While he's looking for any packages with his name Caerwyn remembers he's not place the one from him to Cailyn Spicer under the tree.
Caerwyn had drawn the Cailyn's name in the Secret Santa gift exchange. The name meant nothing to him so he had to ask around. A 7th year was pointed out to him and he learned that she had a reputation for skipping classes the previous school year and has a winged horse stabled at Hogwarts. It wasn't much to go on when it came to gift ideas.
Caerwyn had thought he might have to ask his father or perhaps Briar, since she might know what a girl Cailyn's age would like, but when in Hogsmeade on Saturday he'd found what he hopes is a perfect gift. Caerwyn hopes Cailyn wears jewelry and will like the necklage with a winged horse pendant.
Not finding their names on any gifts, Gus and Caerwyn return to their table. Drinking the hot chocolate brought by the House Elf and eating a plate of Christmas themed, iced sugar biscuits the House Elf had thought to bring, they boys resume their conversation with Gus asking, "Where all have you lived?"
Caerwyn starts ticking off places, "Hogsmeade now. Three different places in Wales, two towns in Ireland, Brazil, Costa Rica, New Zealand, Kenya, Sweden, the Czech Republic, Turkey, Bolivia... ummmm."
"There's more?"
"Yes, there's more," Caerwyn affirms.
"What was, hmmm, Costa Rica like?"
"Very tropical. Lots of really cool looking lizards, weird bugs, monkeys, and birds. Lots of very colorful birds."
The boys fill the time until lunch with Caerwyn describing the places to Gus that he remembers with any detail.