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Birthday
Author: Sage Porter
Date: 01-18-09 10:13
Just after Ancient Runes ends, Jared and Sage walk slowly down one of the lesser travel corridors. Their next class, Herbology, doesn't being until 11 while Ancient Runes ends at 10:30. As they walk Jared fumbles in a pocket before pulling out an envelope.
"Meant to give you this at breakfast. Happy Birthday."
The envelope contains a gift certificate to Windweaver's in Hogsmeade. Sage gives Jared a hearty slap on the back. "Thanks, mate. I already know what I'll get. You're coming to Saffron's quarters at lunch aren't you? She's got a cake from Briar's?"
"Do I ever pass up a chance for free cake from Briar's Bakery?" Jared laughs.
Sage lowers his voice. "Something's up with her."
"How do you mean?"
"Yesterday I'd gone to ask her something and walked in on a conversation she was having with Professor Hodfuffer. They both immediately shut up."
"Probably something to do with your birthday."
"Maybe but I got the feeling it was something else."
The way Sage says "something else" he hopes Jared gets that he means something to do with the Resistance.
Jared's silent for a moment then says, "It's frustrating. Being stuck here."
"Yeah. If not for Saffron stuck here and Deak, I think I would have snuck off when you first told me about the plans to help those friends," Sage says in a round about reference to Jared and his family having contact with Coco Nutt and that contact leading to the rescue of students at Happy Haven School For Nons.
"I started to but then thought about Mum and Dad having to go through tons of questioning and Etta still being here. I might have ended up hurting the effort rather than helping."
The two young men reach a hallway that tends to see more traffic. They switch to talking about the Herbology homework and what to expect next from Professor Farnon. They've reached the doors to start the walk down to the greenhouses when several owls wing their way to Sage and drop envelopes in his hands. One is a birthday greeting from Da and Birdie along with a small package. A second is from Sasafrass, Neil, and Jordon with a birthday card and the promise of a gift. Sassy wants to wait until she sees him in person to give the gift.
The third owl's envelope is thicker. It contains a card from Drake and Ophelia Darling. There are tickets to a Quidditch match in Australia. There's also a note that reads:
A friend who used to be at a happy place asked sent this to another friend who passed it along to me to send to you.
Drake
Jared looks at Drake's note then peers at the card Sage is now opening. It's a funny birthday greeting that's not signed but does have the handwritten message
We share the same birthday. Vair cool.
Jared mouths the question, "Georgia?"
Sage nods. It has to be. Who else who uses the word vair would be sending him a card? He hadn't known they share a birthday. He'll have to send her one through Drake.
As Jared and Sage continue their walk to Herbology, Sage totally forgets about opening the package from Da and Birdie as he wonders where Georgia is staying now.
Looks Can Be Deceiving
Author: Ella
Date: 01-18-09 10:58
Professor Grubbly-Plank lectured on cross-species switches, a form of transfiguration in which one changed an animal into another kind. The blackboard positioned behind her desk was full of diagrams taken straight from Professor McGonagall's lesson plans. Although transfiguration wasn't her field of expertise, Professor Grubbly-Plank knew more than enough on the subject to teach it well, as she'd done any other course she'd substituted for in all the years she'd worked at Hogwarts. She was like Professor Farnon, the current Herbology teacher at Hogwarts who was rumored to be knowledgeable in every subject, but whereas Professor Farnon showed without a doubt that he was an expert at none, one didn't get the same impression from Professor Grubby-Plank.
To demonstrate a cross-species switch, Professor Grubbly-Plank removed a guineafowl from one of the massive cages in the classroom. The bird was an adult, with dark feathers spotted white, a mostly blue face, and a dark yellow crest on the top of its head. She tapped the guineafowl's back with the tip of her wand and carefully enunciated the incantation to change it into something else. Within moments, the bird shrunk and altered shape until a dark furred guinea pig with a tan patch on the top of its head stood in the guineafowl's place.
Professor Grubbly-Plank's fourth year students were quite impressed––all except one who altered between doodling in her notebook and staring out the window.
Suddenly, Ella was aware that the classroom had grown quiet. She turned her head to the front of the class and saw that Professor Grubbly-Plank's eyes were on her.
"I'm sorry, could you repeat the question?" Ella asked, not even sure Professor Grubbly-Plank had asked her one but figured it was a safe beat––that, or Professor Grubbly-Plank had demanded her attention.
"I asked if you could tell me what a cross-species switch does to the subject?"
Ella realized that Professor Grubbly-Plank didn't want her to say that the method of transfiguration merely changed one animal into another. She wanted a more technical, detailed explanation. Good thing Ella had done the reading. True, she'd only done it at breakfast this morning but at least the material was still fresh in her mind.
"Cross-species switches manipulate the animal's makeup to take on the form of whatever animal you are changing it to. It not only involves the biology of the creature but also, in more detailed transfigurations, the physical characterictics, such as its coloring and patterns. For example, while we can see a similar coloring in that guinea pig to the guineafowl before it, namely the dark fur, the guinea pig lacks the blue face or the dark yellow crest that are characteristic for guineafowls but not guinea pigs."
Take that, Professor, Ella smugly thought to herself.
Professor Grubbly-Plank looked surprised that Ella appeared to have been paying attention to her lecture and demonstration. She nodded her head slowly and said, "That is correct. Five points."
She went on to describe a few other things about cross-species switches and then asked everyone to take a guineafowl from the cage.
Ella got up and chose one with a white neck and breast. The rest of the bird was solid black, with exception of its head which was flesh-colored. She took it to her desk and waited for Professor Grubbly-Plank to allow them to practice transfiguring the guineafowl into guinea pigs.
(Cornelia) Out of Her Element
Author: Griet
Date: 01-18-09 11:40
The guinea pig on Cornelia's desk looked unlike any guinea pig she had ever seen in her life. It had something red and crusty on its face and feathers instead of fur. She looked around the classroom to see how the other fourth years were doing, but they didn't seem to be faring any better. A couple of them hadn't even managed to get the incantation to do anything yet. The rest had guinea pigs with some sort of guineafowl attribute, like a beak or a plume of feathers on its head.
"It takes practice," Professor Grubbly-Plank said to the class at large. "It also takes focus and determination. I want you to keep trying until the end of class."
Resolved to get it right, Cornelia reversed the spell. A bird with black and white finely polka-dotted feathers and a helmet of sorts on its head appeared on her desk. (The particular breed Cornelia had was a helmeted guineafowl, which had a red and pale blue crusted face and a hard browning nob on its head.) She put all her focus into transfiguring the guineafowl into a guinea pig that looked absolutely like a guinea pig and unlike anything else. Cornelia tapped the bird with her wand, stated the spellwords necessary for the transfiguration to take place, and watched with bated breath as the animal began to transform. It shrunk, and its feathers changed texture until they were most defiintely fur––all but a handful on the guinea pig's rump.
Cornelia tried and tried again throughout the rest of class, and while she always made improvements, she never got it perfect. As a result of her inability to do the assignment without any problem, Cornelia left the class feeling slightly out of her element. She followed her classmates down the stairs and into the dungeons, where they had Potions with Professor Carrow next.
Professor Carrow had written Wit-Sharpening Potion on the board.
Cornelia slid into the chair at her table and took in the words with satisfaction. She could sure use something to enhance her wits so that maybe she could master cross-species transfiguration.
Not long after she took her seat, being the last to enter the dungeon classroom, Professor Carrow addressed the class.
"We will spend all hour working on a potion. The instructions are in your text. All the ingredients can be found in the cabinet there." He waved his hand in the general direction of the cabinet, causing its double doors to open.
"By the end of the hour you should have a completed potion. It must be bottled and labeled with your name if you are to get credit for the assignment. I expect them on my desk and you will clean your workstations before you may leave the class. Questions?"
When no one said anything, Carrow nodded and told them to start.
Cornelia hauled out her book and thumbed to the correct page. She'd bookmarked it when she read the chapter in preparation for class, but apparently she'd lost the bookmark or had taken it out without intending to do so. Already feeling slightly behind, since her classmates were already up at the cabinet pulling out the necessary ingredients, Cornelia hurriedly read through the ingredient list and then got up to get what she needed, which included scarab beetle, ginger root, and armadillo bile among other things.
She returned to her table and set about following the instructions in her textbook. With any luck, by the end of the hour she'd have gathered her wits about her and reclaimed her usual academic excellency.
Istanbul
Author: Ronan Eastwick
Date: 01-18-09 13:27
"What would you like to do today, Ronan?"
He stood at the window of the three-story waterfront home in Istanbul, where he'd begun to reside soon after leaving Happy Haven School For Nons. He had not one caretaker but seven! The Youngham family came from England but had spent the last ten years traveling the world. Being half-bloods themselves, they were happy to help someone like Ronan.
"We could take the boat out on the Bosphorus," Horatia Youngham, the matriarch of the family suggested. "We can visit the Hagia Sophia or the Mosaic Museum. What would you like to see?"
Ronan turned away from the gorgeous waters of the Bosphorus Strait and faced Mrs. Youngham. She always insisted he call her Horatia but Ronan didn't quite feel comfortable enough to be so informal with someone he hardly knew. Not that he didn't like Mrs. Youngham––Horatia. She went out of her way everyday to make sure he had all the comforts he needed. The whole Youngham family did, from the two parents to the five kids, who were all younger than Ronan, but the oldest not by very much.
Mrs. Youngham––Horatia––had soon realized that Ronan liked to keep himself busy. Perhaps it helped him forget the ordeal he'd gone through at Happy Haven. Perhaps it helped him forget the friends and family he missed. Mrs. Youngham didn't really know much about Ronan's family because he didn't talk about them much, but he had divulged that he was interested in finding his mother.
She put the task to her husband, Elijah, who had always been very popular wherever he went and had a lot of friends and contacts around the world. So far, Elijah hadn't managed to make contact with Enid Eastwick, but he felt confident that he would reunite mother and son very soon.
"It looks nice outside but I think it's probably too cool for a boatride," Ronan thought aloud. He remembered quite well how cold he'd been at Happy Haven, until people started smuggling in wands and warmer clothing. "Let's go to that museum," he finally said.
Mrs. Youngham looked very pleased. "Wonderful! Get your coat and I'll gather the children." She turned and started calling out the names of all her kids. Ronan, in turn, went all the way downstairs and opened the closet by the front door, where all the coats were stored. His was a brand new coat Mrs. Youngham had gotten him at the shopping mall soon after his arrival. It was navy blue and very warm.
He slipped it on and sat on the bottom stoop of the staircase while he waited for Mrs. Youngham to round up the children.
(Community Q) Bad Weather
Author: Harry Potter
Date: 01-18-09 13:31
Juliet Davis grimaces as she always does when getting her first sight of the day of Harry's torn and tattered back. "Jason nicked more whiskey to use as antiseptic. This is going to hurt worse than usual," she warns.
Harry, who's gritted his teeth so much lately he's sure his jaw muscles have gotten larger, braces himself but lightly says, "I've just had another round of whipping and Cruciatus cursing. What's a little antiseptic?"
"You have an odd sense of humor, Harry," Juliet dryly comments only to immediately say, "Sorry! Sorry!" when Harry involutarily jerks with the pain of her wounds the fresh wounds with the stolen whiskey.
Outside the wind howls with fury, whipping around the hut, shaking it to the foundations. To take his mind off his back Harry tells Juliet, "I heard a couple of the guards say it's a hurricane. It's really early to have one but I heard them say that it's something called a Category 3 and it's expected to get worse."
Juliet jabs a finger in the general direction of the warden's office. "As bad as she is, I can't believe Bulstrode has us working outside in this. Is a Category 3 bad? I know nothing about hurricanes."
"Yeah, it's a 1 to 5 scale with 5 being the worst. Hurricane season is generally from June to November, at least in the Atlantic. Or I think so anyway."
"The weather's slowed progress on the new raft. You really have to put your name in the drawing, Harry."
"We've been through this so many times already, Juliet."
The noise around the hut intensifies as rain begins to pound. The door whips open and a bedraggled, angry looking guard bellows, "Don't care if your done or not, get your sorry asses to your assignments."
Juliet jumps up, careful not to spill what's left of the whiskey. She pretends to drop something and bends, sliding the small container with the whiskey behind a bedpost. Harry very gingerly pulls a new shirt on, new meaning it's really worn and lost its color but isn't in shreds. He'd prefer to go shirtles but with is back as it is right now, he needs with little protection the shirt offers from exposure to sun or, as is the case now, wind, rain, and flying debris.
Following Juliet out of the hut, Harry trots down on well worn path to join those working hard to bring in some of the ripe crops before they are ruined by the weather.
Forgive but Can't Forget
Author: Desdemona Diamond
Date: 01-18-09 23:01
Sitting in one of the break rooms, I sat in silence, poking my food. My mind decided to wander to the conversation Bronwyn and I had had two days earlier. I had finally confronted her about the invasion of privacy. And things went about as expected.
She had asked me to forgive her, which I did. She did what anyone would have, even me, given half the chance. We hugged and sat in silence for a moment before I broke it.
“So, since you already read the diaries, I figured, wouldn’t hurt to let you ask about what you read. So, ask what you wanna know about what was in them.” I offered.
“Hmm…” Bronwyn thought a moment, “Your boyfriend, what was his name? Where did you meet him? Was he cute? Was he a good kisser? Who was the girl he cheated with?”
I laughed at her, of all the things… “Alright, his name was Jason. He was actually a muggle. I met him in a mall. Yeah, he was cute. He was taller then me, close to six feet. Brown wavy hair, blue eyes. He had a nice build, almost no fat on him. I guess he looks kinda like Toby in build. Just not as muscular.”
“He cheated on me with some girl I’d never seen before. No idea who she was to this day.”
“What happened when you found out?”
“Well I came in on them… doing it… And of course, got mad. He came over to me, grabbed me, and I broke his arm and then the girl came at me. I almost broke her nose and gave her one heck of a black eye. Because he grabbed me first, I didn’t get charged with anything because it was self-defense.”
Bronwyn nodded a little. She seemed to be thinking about something. It took a while but finally she said, “So.. Umm.. What.. What made you think you were into girls? And how did you realize you like guys?”
“Ahh… I was wondering when you’d ask. Well, I figured since I wasn’t into guys that much in school, that maybe I might not like guys that way. And… well, I started thinking that I like girls instead. Then I happened to find the picture I took of you in Germany, and remembered that you were attractive normally. After all, you asked me to tell you if you had done your make up right, or are wearing the right thing so many times…
“Then, I met Jason, and realized, I actually did like girls better.”
“So… did you ever actually date a girl?”
“Nope. Did not date any girls.” Bronwyn didn’t to ask anything else just sat quietly, “No more questions? Not even about Angela?”
“Hmmm…” Bronwyn paused to think, “So, have you gone to the naked sushi thing before?”
“Once before,” I answered, “When Angela took me.”
“Why does she hit on you so much?”
“Cause she thinks I’m apparently hot. Apparently she likes girls that have my taste in clothes and stuff.”
“So… have you two done anything?”
“She’s tried, several times, some of them after a few drinks. She didn’t get anywhere though. Anything else?”
“Hmm… Would you have tried anything with me? Back when you thought I was hot. And… do you still think I’m hot?” Bron was nervous about asking.
“Well… Not back in school, didn’t think of girls that way. Afterwards, when I did think you were hot, probably. Only if you weren’t married though. And… yes, you’re still hot. Only in the attractive person way, not the ‘I want to date you’ way. I’d only think of you in that way if I were a guy. Which, I’m not.”
“Did you think you’d actually get to do anything to me if you tried?”
“No, not really. I don’t think it’s possible for any girl to get you to look away from guys. Didn’t stop the fantasy or two I had.”
“I don’t want to know.” Bronwyn responded quickly.
“You know, I don’t blame you. I think it would be awkward. I haven’t thought about it in a long time though, before I went to Australia to visit you.” There was a bit of silence as Bron thought. “Alright, since I guess you’re out of questions, I’m taking you to the Supermall.”
After the conversation that had happened, I figured the Supermall would help Bronwyn cope with what she had found out. Which did do wonders. Somehow I’m not sure she was completely over it, even still. I know I wasn’t quite yet. Can’t just forget when someone reads about your personal life just like that.
I sighed and got up. We’ll just have to see what happens.