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Distracted
Author: Charisma Stone
Date: 12-11-11 17:11
For about the hundredth time since last Saturday I sat in the Gryffindor common room attempting to focus on my assignments. I had to focus or I risked getting cut from the house team and grounded when I got home for getting horrid marks. Sliding a hand through my hair I sighed, F&A had been canceled last week, and I'd heard from a couple of first years that Pyhrrus was covering in the interim.
There were still practices, and in fact it was Monday and there was practice tonight at five, so I'd grab something quick for dinner before I headed down to the pitch for another practice. I knew that my teammates and the others who were on the house teams were struggling to deal with the death of Coach Batuti. There were a couple of students who had seen what had happened that Saturday in the village, I hadn't been there when it happened as Blake and I had already headed back to the Castle.
I checked the clock and shook my head, closing my Charms text I head up to my room and dropped my stuff on my bed. I needed to get to the Great Hall and grab something before Quidditch practice started at five. I met up with Blake in the Great Hall and we talked for a few minutes over dinner before we headed out to the pitch for practice.
Finally Finding Fallon
Author: Arlington J Montgomery
Date: 12-11-11 20:12
Arley and Seb arrived in England a few days ago. They had let their friends know they were in town, but wanted to meet up with Arley's sister first.
Ever since their kidnapping, and subsequent rescue, Arley hadn't seen much of his sister. Fallon had been hiding out in her old house in Hogsmeade. The boys agreed she needed to get back into playing Quidditch, or something. She seemed depressed the last time Arley had seen her. She wouldn't talk to them, but maybe she would talk to one of their friends?
Sebastian rested a hand on Arley's back. "She may have just stepped out, she knew we were coming."
"Yeah, she knew we were comin' an' she ran off! Somethin's wrong with her Seb, and she needs to talk." Arley sighed and knocked again on the bright blue door. They had been waiting for over an hour, and still no sign of Fallon.
"Alright, I give up. Let's just get over to Bron and Toby's, we can see if we can stay with them for awhile."
"They did offer us the room. It's a nice place, they were very kind when I stayed with them before. You know we should have been good guests and gone to see them when we arrived, they are our friends."
"I know but we're bad guests who only send letters saying we'll stop by after the wedding." Arley couldn't help but roll his eyes and Seb elbowed him in the ribs. "C'mon." The boys picked up their bags and turned to leave before they spotted a familiar brunette.
Fallon slowed down as she approached her house. "Oh, hey guys. I wasn't expecting you."
Arley growled lightly. "Fal! You knew we were coming! You were supposed to be here an hour ago."
"Oh, about that…I was dealing with some things at the Ministry."
Arlington and Seb exchanged glances, something was up. "You okay, Fal? What were you doing at the Ministry?"
"I'm fine boys, it's a long story. Maybe we can talk about it later? Hey, are you heading over to see Bronwyn and Desi?"
"Yes! Would you like to join us? You look like you could use some time out of the house." Seb smiled brightly at Fal, and offered his hand. "We can apparate there now."
With that, the trio apparated to Bronwyn and Toby's house. Seb knocked on the door and waited for someone to let greet them.
Tuesday is Just Another Day
Author: Adina Blackwood
Date: 12-12-11 12:35
I was so glad that it was acceptable for me to roll out of bed thirty minutes before Herbology and I changed into my favorite pair of fuzzy pajama pants and kept them beneath my robes for the trek to the greenhouses. My favorite sweater was beneath my robes as well, and all in all I really, really didn't want to go out to the greenhouses, but I couldn't afford missing class and the points that would be deducted for me skipping simply because it was getting colder.
At least when I got out of Herbology I didn't have anything to do until two when I had Charms and then Care of Magical Creatures - which made me wonder if Professor Kent would be moving class indoors at some point or if we would merely be huddling in the barn, which I had to admit was much warmer than the outside area where we usually had class.
In Herbology we were going to be discussing the porcupine shrub, I had already done some research for my essay that was due on Thursday, and read a bit more on the self-pruning shrub. This is what happens when I get sick, I get caught up and move ahead a bit on my assignments. Truth be told, I already had a couple of paragraphs written on my essay for Herbology.
I would probably spend some time during my break practicing the flame-freezing charm just in case Professor Fairchild decided to give us a quiz on proper casting of the spell. I also had read some information on Impervious and had been attempting to practice it in my own, but I was careful in my practicing just in case something went wrong.
As far as Care of Magical Creatures, I had not yet determined the breed of goat that I would be writing my short essay on. I was currently debating on the pygmy and Oberhasli goats for my essay. Mainly because they were interesting from some of the research that I'd already done before class today.
Herbology went quick enough and no sooner had I left the greenhouses than I wandered to the common commons, and curled in one of the chairs while Arthur ran to the owlery to post a letter to his parents. I reclined after obtaining a mug of cocoa with marshmallows and a couple of fresh chocolate chip cookies that had been delivered from Briar's. Arthur joined me and we snuggled for a little while, debating on leaving the warmth of the Common Commons to head to the Great Hall for lunch. Ultimately my desire for a hot shower had us separate, and we met up for lunch at one fifteen and then headed to Charms and then Care of Magical Creatures.
We met up with Kida and Whitney just outside Charms and the four of us went in together and found our usual seats. It was good to be in class, and more so it was good to be in class without feeling like I was going to fall asleep.
The Week of Nasty Smells or The Unmentionable Landing Spot
Author: Rylee
Date: 12-12-11 12:56
After Monday's disgusting accident, I swore that I would pay more attention to what I was doing, especially since I had no desire to have a charm or anything else blow up in my face. Singed eye brows and ruined clothes was not something that appealed to me. I was glad that I had chosen my Ralph Lauren suede pants and my favorite Cashmere sweater for today because it was getting chilly and the colder it got the more I began to fall into my favorite winter fashions - all of which were in season and from some of the top Muggle and Wizarding designers.
Lixue had dropped a package on the table this morning at breakfast that I'd instantly had to take back to my room because it had been some new clothes that my Mum had purchased from Narcissa's for me for the colder weather, as well as a few new bangles and jewelery items. It also reminded me that I needed to reorder my make-up palette and get a fresh bottle of perfume - though there was a considerable chance that I would be getting something along those lines for Christmas from one of my sisters.
Speaking of my sisters, I'd received a letter from Charlotte inquiring how my term was going in Hogwarts along with the package from Mum. I'd write her later when I had a break, probably between DADA and Herbology - which I was not going to be looking forward to as the snows began to fall later in the season. It was already October and it was getting cold, which did not bode well for when the snows finally started falling.
I managed to get through Charms without a casualty with my casting, and I survived DADA without injury either. However, it was on my way to the owlery that I fell - I had no desire to discuss what I managed to land in, but I removed the school robes that I had on, simply because they were the main thing covered with the unpleasantness. After sending off my letters I returned to the common room and got fresh robes before heading to lunch and my last two classes of the day, at least until Astronomy tonight.
(Adriana) The Rose
Author: Bill Weasley
Date: 12-12-11 18:41
As soon as her second class of the morning ended, Adriana left the Charms classroom and walked with purpose down the corridor towards the great interchange of moving staircases. She easily navigated two sets and came upon the marble staircase, which was congested due to the fact that a lot of students and staff were en route to the Great Hall for lunch. Adriana swept past them all and walked out of the castle. She continued purposefully across the grounds.
When she entered Hogsmeade, she flicked her wand at her plain, cranberry-colored robes. They vanished, revealing what she wore underneath: a short, white, boatneck cashmere sweater and a pair of jeans.
She bypassed every establishment in the village except for Gringotts Bank. Adriana went straight to one of the open teller counters and produced the key to her vault. "I would like to see my vault," she told the goblin on duty.
"Very well," the goblin said. He hobbled off of his stool and came around to the front. "Please follow me, Miss."
He led Adriana to the spiral staircase that led to the vault system underneath the bank. None of the vaults in Hogsmeade were walk-ins, but perhaps another expansion to the bank would see their addition. The current vaults came in three sizes: large, medium, and small. Adriana owned a small vault in Hogsmeade. It was on the first underground level, so she didn't have far to go.
She inserted her key into the vault, while the goblin did the same with his master key. The locks clicked and then the door swung open slowly, revealing contents quite the contrary to what she kept in her vault in Diagon Alley. Here she only kept a handful of coins, a notebook and a quill.
She took the notebook and quill out of the vault and then looked down at the goblin. "May I have a moment?"
"Yes. I need to return to my station in any case. If you need assistance, do ask."
The goblin took his key, then turned and walked away. Adriana waited until she heard his footsteps on the staircase before opening the notebook. It was filled with scribbled notes, a few sketches, and some hand-drawn maps. Adriana flipped to the first blank page and wrote down a few thoughts she had swirling around in her head. The last word she wrote was Nurmengard. She studied the word for a long moment, then shut the notebook and raised her arms to return the notebook and quill to her vault.
"A rose."
Startled, Adriana let out a yelp and pressed a hand to her chest to still her heart. She saw Bill standing where she'd last seen the goblin.
"How long have you been standing here?" she asked him, once she'd recovered somewhat. Then she said, "A rose?"
"Not long," Bill said. He was holding onto his wand. "Just checking for curses."
"Don't you have peons who can do that sort of thing for you?" Adriana asked. She slammed the door shut to her vault and retrieved her key.
"I like curse-breaking," Bill replied, "as to your other question, I saw your tattoo. The rose."
Adriana looked down. The hem of her sweater barely touched the top of her low-cut jeans. When she lifted her arms, it had probably raised up to show off her tattoo.
She smiled and looked at Bill. "Busted. Remember that procedure I told you about last summer? It wasn't so much a medical or cosmetic necessity as a guilty pleasure. Do you like it?" She raised her shirt, revealing the tattoo.
Bill took a few steps closer. Although the vault area was lit, it was still dark in the underground.
Adriana's tattoo was a single rose, very intricately designed, with a short, thorny stem.
"It's pretty fantastic, actually," Bill said. "I bet it hurt."
"You have no idea," Adriana replied, chuckling, "and I was sore for weeks after." She lowered her shirt and asked, "Have you had lunch yet? I don't have to be back at the castle till 2."
"I haven't," Bill replied. "Want to go to the Imperial Crown & Cauldron?"
"Sounds great."
Forty-Three Minutes
Author: Phyllida
Date: 12-13-11 02:07
Following the previous week's accidental case of spontaneous conflagration, Miss Azaelia Bramble had seen it fit to pen a sign that now hung above her desk: 'No tempers in the Library, please'.
Other students might be puzzled by this addition, but Phyllida Grimshaw-Spore was better informed of its relevance. Her cousin's 'flare' of temper, as it were, was not unknown in the long and noble lineage of the House of Spore. She kept her unwavering gaze focused on her Muggle Studies textbook, trying to make sense of words like 'mortgage' (a deadly disease afflicting many Muggles, it would seem) and 'broadcast', which she theorised applied to the casting of a net while fishing.
No, she would not lose her temper.
They had been set a list of words and phrases relating to Muggle banking and money to define, and the only advice Professor Miller had given them was to consult the Glossary of Muggle Terms and Objects if in doubt. But Nathaniel had borrowed her Glossary last week; he should have been here forty-two minutes ago.
Forty-three. She stared at the clock, and it stared at her – not my fault you have a friend who can't be punctual.
She had hardly spoken to him over the past week – since Hogsmeade, in fact. Things had been awkward between them since their visit to Madam Puddifoot's. And then, as the week progressed, it seemed that Nathaniel had begun to avoid her. He was habitually late to class, as though to avoid sitting next to her, and at all other times, he seemed to be too busy escorting that new girl – oh, whatever her name was – from class to class. And he might not think it, but Phyllida had seen them eating lunch together several times at the Hufflepuff table. She'd seen how the new girl hung on his words, laughed at his stupid jokes (and how stupid they were!). Looking up from the list of Muggle terms, she felt sick. She closed the book, wary of starting a fire. Miss Bramble might never let another Spore set foot in the library again.
She really didn't know why this made her feel so out of sorts. Her attempted definition of 'stock exchange' was veering on a sharp diagonal across her page, and her quill etched so deeply into the parchment that she was probably scratching Muggle terms into the desk. She'd blunt her quill if she continued like this.
As she paused to sharpen her quill, a pile of books landed next to her.
"Hi!" blurted Nathaniel, short on breath. "I'm so sorry – I lost track of the time – I got lost on the second corridor stairs – I had to –"
"You were with that, that girl, weren't you?" inserted Phyllida coldly.
"I – I no, I wasn't!" Nathaniel put his bag down. "And her name's Maggie. But I wasn't!"
Phyllida felt rage trickling through her veins, spreading from the violent pit in her stomach. "I'd rather continue this conversation elsewhere." She swept her books into her bag.
"Where are you going?" He moved after her.
"Outside. Out of here. Anywhere."
They stumbled through the library doors.
"I'm really sorry, I shouldn't have kept you waiting –"
"Shh. Not here!" She glanced at a few fifth years on their way to the library whom they passed. "Everyone will hear us."
"Come with me."
He took off down the corridor, and down a staircase. When they had reached a dark landing in a circular chamber, Nathaniel took her hand – she felt herself being pulled into a tight space, and the door was shut on them both. She collided with a rack of long, wooden objects; one of them rattled to the ground loudly.
"The broom cupboard! – are you out of your mind?"
"Just relax, I always come in here when I need to get away. Lumos."
Phyllida looked at Nathaniel's face, illuminated by the phosphorescent light of his wand. "Why were you avoiding me?"
"I wasn't…" He sighed. "I just got really bust last week."
"Are you sure it wasn't Madam Puddifoot?"
"What? No…" Nathaniel sighed. "Look, I liked our time at Madam Puddifoot's…at least, before Ferne showed up."
Phyllida massaged her temples. "I have a feeling that's the last date I'll ever go on."
He paused. "I'm really sorry. And it wasn't Maggie today…"
"Argh! Maggie, Maggie, Maggie!"
He hugged her. "Shhh…that's enough."
She felt her rage stifled by the shoulder of his uniform; their robes swished together at their feet. She turned up her hot face to look at him, her hands found their way to the back of his neck…
Nathaniel stiffened in surprise as she kissed him.
(Maggie) Perception Shift and Five Point Deduction
Author: Lawrence Masterson
Date: 12-13-11 08:51
Hanging out with Nathaniel had given me a good grasp of the castle's layout and he was an okay guy, but the other day I could have sworn I'd felt someone's eyes burning into the back of my skull when he and I were eating lunch, or wandering away from class or whatever. So, I'd given Nathaniel some space, because I didn't want some girl who liked him having a snit because I was friendly with him or whatever. Let alone one of my classmates, because well, that could just be a pain in the arse and I had enough drama to deal with right now.
I'd been sitting in a recessed area of the library, people watching when I should have been staring at my notes for my Ancient Runes assignment and working on my translation. I'd just turned my attention to my book when I'd seen Nathaniel rush in, apparently late to meet someone, and then I saw who he was supposed to be meeting. I don't think I'd ever seen anyone have that much suppressed anger directed at one person before, it was almost scary truth be told.
I couldn't hear what they were saying, and part of her wondered if they were having some sort of lover's spat or whatever, but in our conversations Nathaniel hadn't once mentioned a girlfriend, let alone much interest in the Slytherin girl he was currently talking to - if I recalled correctly her name was Phyllida Grimshaw-Spore. As seventh years we pretty much had most classes together at least the core ones, electives were spotty at best and depended on the interest of the student, but I had a couple with her.
I watched from behind my Ancient Runes text as they left, Nathaniel seemed somewhat bothered by the anger that seemed to roll off Phyllida in waves, and something told me that I was part of their argument simply because Nathaniel and I had been hanging out together. Shrugging my shoulders I turned my attention away from the retreating pair and back to my Ancient Runes text, I wanted to get that done before I had to Herbology at two. I'd track down Nathaniel later and see if he was alright after the brief exchange I saw between him and Phyllida, because despite it all he was kinda a friend.
Sighing, and hopelessly distracted I closed my book and slid everything back into my messenger bag and headed out of the library. Phyllida and Nathaniel had been gone for some time, and who knew where they'd ended up. I debated on heading to the Common Commons and grabbing a pumpkin juice and one of the baked goods from Briar's which was fast becoming one of my favorite places to get sweets from. Maybe I could talk Lawrence into having Ariella bring me a slice of that decadent chocolate cake later. I'll have to ask him after class.
Rather than head to the Common Commons I opted for the Great Hall where I had something a bit healthier for lunch than one of the sweet, decadant items within the common commons. Turkey and swiss on rye with a bit of mayo and tomato along with a bowl of baked potato soup topped with chives, crispy bacon and shredded cheddar cheese. I washed it down with a glass of chilled pumpkin juice, tonight at dinner it would be mug of hot cocoa time.
The weather patterns were so different then back in Brisbane. There I'd be gearing up for summer, readying my swimsuit for a trip to the beach over the holiday instead I am donning sweaters and jeans and more layers than I care to admit and more often than not want to remain curled up in front of a fire place with nothing more than a good book.
"Maggie, you coming to herbology?"
A voice snapped me out of my thoughts and checking the time I let a curse slide from my lips, unfortunately Professor Snape had chosen that moment to walk by on his way out of the Great Hall.
"Miss Masterson-Hawthorne, that will be five points from Hufflepuff. Another outburst like that and you will find yourself in detention."
I shot his retreating form glare and turned to the one who had snapped me out of my thoughts. "Hey William. Sorry about that, and yeah, I'm coming. Been thinking too much lately. Now, hopefully we won't loose any more points today. If we hurry we won't be late for class."
With that, I grabbed my messenger bag and William and I quickly headed out to the greenhouse for class. God I was dreading the first snowfall and having to trudge out here for herbology and care of magical creatures.