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How Many Cursed Objects Can Fit Into One Room?
Author: Harry Potter
Date: 08-15-12 15:32
Using his lit wand to ease up a floor length pale blue with dark yellow flowers tablecloth, Harry peer into the small gap between floor and the rest of the tablecloth. "Got another booby trap."
Off to Harry's left Damian Freeman says to no one in particular, "Bloody paranoid bloke."
Jaidan Peters, working along the wall just beyond Harry and Damian, looks back at Damian. "Not a bloke."
"Right. I keep forgetting. Bloody paranoid bird."
Female or male, describing the house's owner as paranoid seems to be a major understatement. So far the aurors have only searched an small entry hall with a closet, umbrella stand, coat rack, and one of those small tables people use for putting things such as the mail. They are also about halfway through the search of the sitting room. So far, they have found 17 booby traps and 32 cursed objects. With the rest of this room and the other rooms on this floor, a second floor, attic, and cellar according to the house blueprints they're using as reference still to be searched, if the owner has the entire house safeguarded, Harry has a feeling by the time they are done, the total tally will be in quadruple digits.
Harry asks Jaidan, the lead on this, "When does the curse breaker get here?"
"Ten minutes ago so I am starting to wonder what the hold up is."
"How did this lady live like this?" Damian asks, immobilizing then putting a marker on another cursed object - a coffee table book from which four feet had suddenly erupted as the book began snapping at Damian with nastily sharp teeth, putting Harry in mind of The Monster Book of Monsters.
In reply to Damian's musing, Harry theorizes, "Perhaps she either has a particular route she takes to move around the rooms."
"Could be there's a part of the house she actually lives in where nothing is cursed or booby trapped." Jaidan says this before sighing and turning to look at both men. "If having more people around wouldn't increase the risk of tripping one of these traps or stumbling into one of the cursed items, I'd call for help. As slow going as this is, we may very well be here for days to find everything."
Damian dryly comments, "Thrilling," before asking, "How'd we even find out about this place?"
As she carefully inspects a large oil painting Jaidan tells him, "A neighbor's child was playing with a ball. The ball came through a window, which set off one of the traps. Luckily, with the ball having been thrown, the child was far enough away to not be injured by a spray of concentrated bubotuber powder. Kid that size, the powder as strong as it was and in the amount that was sprayed, probably would have killed him."
Harry, meanwhile, is now at a shelf containing several books. Tilting his head sideways he reads the first title aloud. "Effectively Marketing Human Body Parts. Tell me we have this woman in custody."
"After we identified who owned the house, a team was dispatched to pick her up from the apothecary where she works. I've not heard from them yet but let's hope they were able to pick her up without a problem. Somehow, though, based on what we've found here so far, I'm thinking as soon as they identified themselves, she put up a fight."
At that, they all go quite for a moment, hoping that their coworkers were able to arrest the woman without serious incident.
Ella for the Ethical Treatment of Rabbits
Author: Ella
Date: 08-15-12 18:26
Ella stroked the soft fur of the white rabbit on her desk. It didn't seem the least bit bothered by the ruckus going on around it. The other seventh years in her Transfiguration class were busy transforming their rabbits into top hats. The lesson was a review in anticipation of the Transfiguration N.E.W.T. practical exam, slated to take place in less than a month. Ella had already transfigured her rabbit into a silky top hat several times during the course of the class period. She didn't see any reason to do it a few more times.
Seated next to her, Francis dutifully transfigured his white rabbit into a top hat and back again, over and over again.
"Miss Harville," said Professor McGonagall, coming to a stop next to Ella's chair. "I believe the assignment is to transfigure the rabbit, not to pet it."
Ella frowned. "Isn't it a bit cruel, Professor, transfiguring these rabbits nonstop? They must be dizzy or sick to their stomachs from the constant changing."
"Nonsense," Professor McGonagall said. "Rabbits don't get dizzy."
Ella's frown deepened, but she dropped her hand from the rabbit's soft fur and picked up her wand. A tap and the proper incantation transformed the rabbit into a black top hat. It even had a silky black ribbon around it.
Professor McGonagall nodded and moved on to inspect another student's handiwork. Ella tapped the top of the hat, reversing the transfiguration. It morphed back into a rabbit. Its nose twitched fast and furiously.
Ella slouched in her seat and watched Francis give his rabbit/top hat a few more goes. Shortly thereafter, class ended and Professor McGonagall allowed everyone to leave. Ella carried her rabbit to its cage and then stepped into the hall to wait for Francis. He joined her a moment later.
"Hungry?"
"Yeah," Ella said. "Tired, too."
"You've had a busy morning."
"And until the N.E.W.T.s are over with, we won't catch a single break."
"That's not entirely true," Francis reasoned. "We have the Spring Social and last Hogsmeade trip to look forward to."
"Time better spent studying, probably."
"Starting to feel the pressure, Ella?" Francis teased her. He knew well that she had been putting off studying for the end of year exams.
"No, I won't panic until the day the exams start," Ella replied, "but I already know I've fallen behind. What do you think will happen to me if I fail them all?"
"You won't."
"How do you know?"
"I don't, but I'm pretty sure you won't fail them all."
Ella punched him in the arm. "Oh, but I might fail some?"
Francis grinned. "I didn't say that. Come on, let's relax in the Great Hall and worry about N.E.W.T.s after Ancient Runes class. We can go to the library and make flashcards."
Ella nodded. "Whatever you say, Professor Yao."
Francis put his arm around her shoulders, steered her into the Great Hall and then over to the Gryffindor table.
Overbearing
Author: Errol
Date: 08-15-12 22:36
When Potions ends Errol goes not to the Great Hall with the majority of the other fifth years streaming out of the dungeons but, hitching his bookbag further onto his shoulder he turns at the top of the stairs. In the walk along the dungeon corridor and up the stairs he briefly considered going to the Commons but just as quickly as the thought entered his head he rejected it. Too many others would be around despite the lunch hour.
Just as rapidly, Errol had discarded the idea of going to his dormitory room in Ravenclaw house. Although not in the same year as Abdul Hazrat AlGunud and therefore not one of his roommates, going to spend time in his dorm where he'd have the room to himself as the other fifth year boys would probably be eating seems strange. Errol could understand the feeling if Abdul had vanished from the 6th year boys dorm or from the Ravenclaw common room. With that not being the case, that he considers being alone in a room that wasn't even Abdul's just makes the thought of going their now all the stranger.
The library holds no current appeal, which is also odd because generally anywhere with that many books is somewhere Errol always finds inviting and feels comfortable. He goes to the unused classroom he'd found weeks back with the ever changing ceiling mural. With now less than an hour before Defense of the Dark Arts, he sets the charm on his watch in case he falls asleep then settles on his back with a pillow he'd brought to the classroom just after his first visit here to make mural watching better.
Between ten and fifteen minutes after separating from the masses on their way to the Great Hall Errol hears someone's footsteps drawing nearer to the classroom. At the doorway the steps pause for a second or two then enter the room. Without taking his eyes from the ceiling mural Errol asks, "What is it, Megara?"
"You're skipping meals again. I brought you a sandwich."
"Thanks, but you didn't have to."
"I know I didn't but for some reason I have not yet figured out I have this urge to watch out for you since you won't take care of yourself. You know, like you're my specially challenged little brother."
Knowing by now that Megara should be a sixth year but isn't because of being sent to a prison with the misnomer Happy Haven he asks, "Was it horrible?"
"Thinking of you as my specially challenged brother? No, not terribly so."
"Sorry. I meant that Happy Haven place."
"It was not ... good. A topic for another time. You are deflecting."
He's the one confused now. "I am? From what?"
"From what has you not eating again."
"No big complication. I'm not hungry."
"This is an excellent opportunity to use an old fashioned word that kept cropping up in a book I read over the weekend. Balderdash! You're a fifteen year old boy. You're supposed to be hungry all the time, a veritable bottomless pit."
"Sixteen."
"Huh?"
"I'm sixteen now."
"Since when?"
"The fourth."
"Of this month?"
"Yeah."
"Why didn't you say something?"
"That would be like begging for presents or a cake or whatever."
"Nothing wrong with drumming up more gifts on your birthday. Or for Christmas come to think of it. Did you get anything good, like a special pass to go into Hogsmeade this next trip?"
"I didn't get anything."
"Nothing?"
"Not even a card."
"So that's it."
"What's it?"
"The reason you're all gloomy without appetite again. You think your uncle forgot your birthday."
"He did forget."
"You don't know that."
"Not even a card. That pretty much speaks volumes."
"You're back to being convinced he hates you, right?"
"Wouldn't you think that in the same position?"
"Don't know. Maybe. What if he just was so busy with work the calendar date hasn't sunk in for ages?"
"He's never forgotten before, no matter how busy he was or how crazy work was being."
"Why would he bother sending you something at Easter if he hates you? With you not there, time probably got away from him more easily."
"Maybe." Errol is hardly convinced.
"Were you expecting gifts?"
"Not really. Maybe some candy like at Easter. A present would have been nice, sure, but under the circumstances, I could hardly expect one. Mainly, I thought he'd send a card, acknowledge the day. I really wish I knew what was going on with him. These long silences aren't like him at all so the conclusion is that he can't stand having to communicate with me anymore."
"You're wrong and you know it. That's your poor pitiful me depression talking and don't you dare tell me you are not depressed. Denial does not become you, especially when you know you are depressed and have been depressed since even before getting to Hogwarts."
Megara is right. Errol is depressed and has known he's depressed for months now. What he still refuses to do is admit that to anyone, even the psychological healer he's been forced to see each week since he'd ended up sick in the hospital. However, rather than tick Megara off by verbally denying the depression yet again, he takes the path of least resistance and remains silent.
After a minute Megara holds the sandwich over his face as he's still on his back looking at the ceiling mural. "Here. You've enough time to eat before class."
Lighting batting her hand away Errol insists, "I told you I'm not hungry."
"Don't make me hold you down and force you to eat the sandwich."
"Right."
"You are weak from hunger. I am more fit than know. Test me."
Prompting himself up on his elbows Errol glares at her to childishly say, "You are not the boss of me."
Megara gives an amused snort. "Did I not just say earlier I feel some strange sisterly obligation to take care of you? That makes me the boss of you."
"Does not."
Holding the sandwich out to him with one hand, her wand in the other, Megara affirms, "Does to. Now eat the sandwich willingly or I'll use you to get in some binding charms practice followed by me forcing the sandwich down your throat."
"If this is what having an overbearing sister is like, I am damn glad I'm an only child."
Megara smiles sweetly in reply, the sandwich still shoved at him. Grousing more but knowing it won't do him any good at this point, Errol takes the sandwich and begins eating. When it's time to go to DADA, he's still pissed enough with her that the entire walk to class is done in silence on his part as Megara chatters on as if nothing had happened.
Study Buddy
Author: Cai Pembroke Carter
Date: 08-16-12 14:02
Earlier today I'd caught Eric coming out of the Great Hall, most likely heading back up to the common room to grab his stuff for his afternoon classes and asked him if he'd be willing to help me with some issues that I was having with the assignment for Herbology that was due tomorrow morning. He agreed, and said we could study after dinner because he had some plans between the end of charms and dinner.
We agreed to meet in the library at six thirty, which would give us an hour and a half before the library closed for the night to get things done. I'd already had one draft of the assignment done, but I was missing something and wanted a differing opinion on it, so I could get the corrections done in time, or obtain more information if needed from the various sources that I had at my disposal before the library closed, or if needs be I could pop in there earlier in the morning after breakfast and look for something and finish it if I got a spare moment during potions (which wasn't all that likely, so it had to be done tonight).
At the moment Eric and I were pouring over my essay and he was currently giving me some very good advice concerning my essay and as well as information that I could use for my up coming projects for the rest of the class. We also did a little bit on potions as well because we finished with my herbology essay.
He had just returned to the table after grabbing a couple of books that he needed for his own project in Muggle Studies, and looked over at me for a moment before turning his attention back to his research for a minute or two.
"Cai..."
"What's up?"
"Well, you know the Spring Social is coming up soon, would you want to go with me?"
I blinked a moment and distracted myself with rummaging around for a new quill, before composing myself and answering his question.
"Sure. I'd like that. It beats having to go with my brother, or worst of all hang out with my annoying half-sister."
Eric smiled and after a few minutes of talking more about plans for the spring social, we headed back to studying and worked throughout the remainder of the evening before heading back to the Common room and ended up playing a couple of games of wizarding chess before calling it a night.
Excuses and Misunderstandings
Author: Phyllida
Date: 08-16-12 14:12
Phyllida hurried to the dungeon after classes, cradling an armful of her books, her scowl darker than the forbidding gloom. It had been weeks since she'd spoken to Nathaniel. He seemed to be dodging her when the passed in the corridor; she would sit next to him in class, and write notes in his books, but he'd remain silent and evasive, making excuses to leave quickly - oh, he had forgotten to do his Charms essay, no, it was really boring, she shouldn't help him with it. On the rare occasion in which she managed to catch his gaze, the mirthful brown of his eyes seemed tainted with guilt, a lingering blush of shame marred his genial face.
She hadn't told Ferne, though her cousin's eyes spoke that she suspected the same that she did. How erroneous her trust had been! She had revealed the deepest secrets of her family to him, had even entrusted him with her father's mysterious gift. Phyllida was determined to accost the cheating son of a Hufflepuff; her pride demanded satisfaction.
She heaped her library books on the empty bench, setting up her polished brass cauldron and silver scales, arranging her crystal phials with the precision of a master. A copy of Advanced Potion-Making detailed the instructions to accurately measure the ingredients.
Her first experiment was brewing when she heard quiet footsteps in the corridor. She looked up, watching as a faint shadow fell across the flagstones; a pair of black-and-yellow striped sneakers peeked out of the periphery of a set of school robes.
"Oh, hi," Nathaniel greeted her, switching gait.
"Come back here," she said, thrusting off her gloves. "You keep avoiding me."
He stopped, casting a longing eye towards his escape route. "I haven't been avoiding you..." He edged towards her; she observed his pale, misleading smile, the trepidation that hovered behind his eyes.
"You look frightened to death. What is going on?"
"Nothing...I really don't know what you're talking about."
"Merlin's beard, Nathaniel. Who is she?" She felt the long weight of her wand in her pocket; her palm tingled anxiously. Oh, she thought, I know so many hexes that could break your silence and make you weep for mercy...
Nathaniel was staring at the ground. "No...I, I'm so sorry, Phyllida. You will never forgive me for this."
She felt her hot blood curdle and grow cold. She wouldn't even bother with a wand now, she could just tear him to pieces.
"Just say it," she hissed. He seemed to shrink before her eyes.
"I lost your book...that's why I've been avoiding you. I looked for it everywhere, I had it with me in the library, and then it just vanished. I'm so sorry," he said in a breathless drone, "please don't reach for your wand."
Her cheeks burned red as she regarded him incredulously. "What?"
"I was being so careful with it! I never ate or drank anything near it, you know...I always kept it away from the fire and my potions ingredients. I should never have let it out of my sight...Phyllida, I'm so, so -"
Nathaniel was unable to complete his apology, as Phyllida knocked him into the nearest table, wrapping her arms around him. "I was sure you had a new girlfriend or something!" she explained, once they had embraced. "At least now we can focus on getting the book back. If you lost it in the library, perhaps Miss Bramble has found it?"
Nate shook his head. "No, I've already asked her. I think...I think someone's stolen it."
"Who would steal a mouldy, blood-splattered old book with nothing in it?"
"Someone who knows what it is? You said Snape -"
"Professor Snape! And no, he could not have stolen it. Listen, we'll look for it tomorrow. I'll ask Professor Snape who could have thought it important enough to steal. But for now, I don't want you out of my sight, understood?" She pinched his ear, pulling him into another embrace.
(Aderyn Carter) Can't Focus
Author: Cai Pembroke Carter
Date: 08-16-12 14:25
Today was the day from hell. I could not focus on anything, and that in turn irritated the crap out of my tutor and meant that she spent more time scolding me over every little thing and I seriously couldn't deal with it.
It was around noon that my tutor decided that today simply would be better spent having me work on my language translations. Sliding a hand through my hair I currently worked on pouring over my translation assignments, I was currently studying three languages. Today's work was to be spent working on my Gobbledigook, and then tomorrow I'd have to divide my day between Japanese and French which would probably completely mess up my head before the weekend, and Friday I had a test in Japanese. My parents also wanted me to pick Russian back up, so I am somewhat as fluent as my siblings.
I finished up my Gobbledigook translations, and would set them aside for my tutor to check and attempted to figure out what to do with my evening. I did have a fire chat with a friend of mine in Japan sometime later, and ultimately I was bored out of my mind, and I wasn't in the mood to go shopping. Though I did have some new catalogues to look through and I did need to have a few things ordered. So I grabbed some of the catalogues that I needed, and headed out to sit on the terrace and had Emerica with me so I could send off the owl orders.
I sipped on some pumpkin juice and filled out the order forms, staying well within my allowed ordering budget while idly petting my cat Nigeria that had curled on my lap at some point through my current shopping spree via mail order.
Everything, and I'd have everything well before summer started, and I was probably just as anxious as Cai and Broderick about who was going to be playing in the World Cup later this summer, and then things were going to be interesting if both my favorite teams made it: Bulgaria and Ireland - as both are absolutely fantastic!