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Another Perspective
Author: Abdul Hazrat AlGunud
Date: 08-16-12 19:02
A pungent smell permeated the room. It did not seem to bother the lone occupant. Thinning grey hair slightly eschew, he sat hunched over a table contemplating a cup of cloudy liquid. He had been sitting for several hours, but could not seem to find the energy to stand up or even raise the glass to swallow more of the vile stuff. He sneered at the glass. That is what he got for buying rotgut.
He suppressed an impulse to hurl the glass across the room. One of instructors might become concerned at the noise and come to check on him. Instructors! Those jumped up, pompous fools! So high and mighty, thinking they were better than everyone else. And the brats at the school were just as bad. Putting on airs, they did. What did any of them know? He had tasted true power. Not magic filtered and adulterated via potions and wands.
This led his thoughts down a well trodden path. He had been so close. Power, limitless power, had been in his grasp. If only he had been allowed to deal properly with that swarthy skinned little wog, none of this would have happened. He would still have the power and his beloved cat would still be alive.
The absence of both left him empty. Like losing a leg but still feeling a phantom pain from the missing limb. Unfortunately, cheap liquor could not replace what he had lost. And he could not afford to dull his wits. Dumbledore, Stumbledore being a more appropriate name, might want to ask him questions tomorrow. Wouldn't do to be a lackwit in his presence. He might be pompous, but Dumbledore was shrewd enough to see through most lies.
With a sigh and a forlorn look that would have astounded most of the student body, Filch stood and carried the cup over to the sink. Pouring out the cheap liquor, he watched it run down the drain...just like all of his hopes. Setting the cup aside, he shuffled off to bed.
A Soldier's Birthday
Author: Fritz Schnackenpfefferhausen
Date: 08-17-12 17:19
Fritz exits his Magic in the Dark Ages class behind a group of his classmates. Most everyone is walking the halls accompanied by a friend, but those who happen to be on their own seem to be perfectly safe. Law enforcement officers from the Ministry of Magic are spread out through the entire school. Some are easy to sight, but many are supposedly posing as undercover students or teachers. Then there are the university security wizards, whose numbers appear to have inflated since last term's student attacks.
Fritz himself doesn't feel too vulnerable on his own. The alleged victims had all been women, though perhaps that doesn't mean anything. Maybe it's purely coincidental. Either way, Fritz is being extra cautious.
The group of students ahead of him in the hall seem to have the same destination in mind, the lunch room. They file into Yellow with Fritz following behind them. Once inside the cafeteria, the group dilly-dallies in a huddle as it decides where to sit and what to eat. Fritz sidesteps the other students and queues up right behind Coco.
"Hi," he says, hoping not to startle her.
She doesn't jump and instead turns and smiles at him. "Hi," she says, and then leans in for a quick kiss. "I wasn't expecting to see you."
"My professor had a prior engagement, so I'll have to ask him my questions later," Fritz explains. He has a major paper assigned in his history class and has come up with a broad topic for it. Fritz has some ideas for narrowing it down but wants to get his professor's opinion.
Coco slips her hand into his. "Did you schedule an appointment with him?"
"No," Fritz says with a shake of his head. "He was in too much of a hurry, but he did tell me to ask him after next class."
She frowns. "Will that be a problem for you?"
Fritz chews the inside of his cheek. "The paper isn't due until the end of term, so I have time, but at the same time, I would love to have an extra weekend––this weekend––to get started on it."
"I hope he can meet with you next time and that something else doesn't come up!"
"Me too."
The line inches forward. They are soon able to grab trays and then choose what they want to have for lunch.
A few minutes later they find a table and sit down across from each other.
"Today is Otto's birthday," Fritz announces.
"Have you called him yet?"
Fritz shakes his head. "Not yet. We're planning on having a video conference with him later this afternoon."
For the last two months, Otto has been in Kunduz, Afghanistan. The family is very worried about him, especially since only last month, three soldiers were wounded in action when a roadside bomb exploded very near to camp.
"I'm sure he'll be happy to talk to you," Coco says. "It must be lonely out there."
"And scary," Fritz adds. He went through hell at Happy Haven and even fought with the Resistance Movement after his liberation, but he has a feeling what Otto is experiencing must be much more frightening and brutal.
Coco nods but doesn't say anything, concentrating instead on the chili she is eating. Fritz tucks into his own cup, silently thinking to himself that it tastes remarkably like beans even though it supposedly doesn't have any in it. Then he wonders what Otto is doing on his birthday. Will the other soldiers bake him a cake? Do they even know that their comrade in arms is turning 21 years old today?
Panicked Friend
Author: Briar Rose
Date: 08-17-12 19:05
Business has been picking up again after the morning rush, people wanting a sweet to go with lunch or even, in some instances, to be lunch. Though busy, the bakery isn't as busy as it tends to be most mornings. Because of this, when Kristen Leach enters, spots Briar and walks over to ask without even saying hello, "May I speak with you? In private?" Briar is able to reply, "Yes, of course," directing Kristen through the kitchen to the space she uses as an office.
Kristen seems agitated and doesn't move to sit once inside the office. Briar pulls the door too, concern growing that something is wrong with Kristen's son Matthew McQuillen, her husband, or even one of her stepchildren. "What is it? What's wrong?"
In the short span of time since entering the office Kristen has begun pacing. She pauses mid-step, biting her lower lip. "I don't know what to do, who to tell."
"Tell what?"
"After those photos and then speaking with Albus Dumbledore and coming to the realization my memory and the memory of everyone else alive in those photos whom I've contacted has been tampered with, all memories of Kellen Fitzmorris gone, I could not stop thinking about the motives someone would have to do that."
"That's natural. Anyone would be curious to know why memories were obliviated."
"Knowing what Albus has said about Fitzmorris having been deeply involved with You-Know-Who, which I knew, really, based on that first photo I found and everyone in it being one of his followers to one degree or another at that time, the reasons for obliviating memories to such a great extent must be truly horrible. I should have just dropped things there but the need to know more was so very nagging I found I could not. I hired an investigator."
"And he found out something horrendous?"
"Nothing specific, no. Hints here and there of the work he did for You-Know-Who. The investigator compiled Fitzmorris's early life information, what he could find out about joining You-Know-Who, and records from the Ministry for the times Fitzmorris was taken in for questioning concerning various events. He and I met once a week whether he had anything new to report or not so we could discuss other avenues he should follow. That is, we met weekly until a few days ago when he did not show up for our meeting. I've heard nothing from him nor has his business partner or his wife. He's vanished. What if it's my fault? What if he found Fitzmorris and was killed for it? What if Fitzmorris comes after me next? Or you because you are the one spoke with Dumbledore about that one Christmas photo?"
With every word the pitch of Kristen's voice rises slightly. By the time she finishes speaking she's in full panic mode. Briar approaches Kristen, putting her hands on the older woman's shoulders, stopping the pacing. "First, you need to take a deep, calming breath."
Only after Kristen has taken several such breaths does Briar continue. "Second, you will go file a missing person report if one has not already been made. The Ministry needs to know that Kellen Fitzmorris may be alive and may be behind your investigator's disappearance."
"Yes. Yes, I'll do that. You will come with me, won't you?"
Under the circumstances, Briar isn't exactly sure how she could say no to Kristen's request. "I'll go with you, just let me tell my employees I need to leave and let me ask Julian to pick up Grace from Blossom's in the event this won't be a quick trip."
A short time later, the two women floo from the bakery for the Ministry.
(Evelyn) Protection
Author: Johanna Steele
Date: 08-18-12 04:00
Evelyn read the instructions written on her Foundations in Potion Making book for the hair-raising potion. Professor Weasley had given them one hour to brew the potion and in the end some of the students would try it out. She said the Hufflepuffs and the Ravenclaws had a lot of fun in class the other day with it and she hoped there would be some laughs in class today as well.
Evelyn recalled seeing Winifred Hicks at the Hufflepuff table with her long hair all up. The same thing had happened to Bartholomew Kimple, but it hasn't been as fun as Winifred's hair since his was shorter. She hoped she wouldn't be the one drinking the potion and have people point out and laugh at her hair at the Great Hall.
Evelyn was not in a laughing mood. The death of that sixth year Ravenclaw as well as Mrs. Norris had some impact on her. It made her think about Professor Somerset's wife who died last year in front of everyone. It made her think about her colleague Penn Ellison, that strange boy who always seemed to be ahead of everyone else at class. Evelyn tried to be his friend but he had shoved her away like he did with everyone else. He was a loner. She didn't really miss him but she could not help to feel some discomfort when she thought about him and how he vanished from the school.
"Ev…I think that's enough of rat's tail…" Luke said.
She looked to her cousin and nodded. They were working together this time. When Professor Weasley announced they would be working in pairs today Evinrude and Dinah paired up right away so they would not have to work with anyone from the Gryffindor house. Evelyn tried to pair up with Barontaine but he was already seated next to Vinny and so she ended up working with Luke. She would rather work with him than with Madoc or Hunter. Edgar ,as always, was working with Alcmene. The two of them were inseparable. Sometimes it made Evelyn jealous because she and Edgar used to be somewhat close when they were younger and it felt like he had replaced her with Alcmene.
"Sorry, you're right…"
"You're not very focused today, are you?" Luke pointed out.
"I have been thinking about other things. "
"Like what?"
"That Ravenclaw boy and Mrs. Norris…"
"I know. I never liked that cat but now that she's gone, I sort of miss her. But I guess there's nothing we can do."
"What if someone else dies? Imagine I am walking down a corridor and I get attacked…"
"That's not going to happen. If you want, Ed and I can protect you."
Evelyn started to laugh. She told Luke she knew more defensive spells that he and Edgar together and if something happened she would be the one protecting them not the contrary. But she thought Luke's idea about having some protection wasn't that bad. Maybe she should start hanging out with Johanna. She was older and her knowledge in magic was bigger than hers.
Besides being with Johanna meant being also with Gus Van Tassel. He was tall and muscular and she thought he would be the perfect bodyguard for her. Evelyn decided to tell Dinah and Evinrude about this plan once the Potions class ended. She was sure they were going to like it. But for now she decided to focus on class. Time was running out and there was still a lot to do before she and Luke finished their potion.
Breaking News
Author: Carys
Date: 08-18-12 07:56
Carys stood on the lawn at St. Emrys University with Obedience Riggs, one of the reporters on staff at Emrys Everyday. Carys held her camera, while Obedience held a quill and notepad and scribbled down everything she observed. They stood back from a small crowded of individuals, most of them affiliated with law enforcement, either through the university itself or the Ministry of Magic.
Just a short while ago, Carys had swung by the newspaper's office after a quick bite to eat in Orange. A second later, Obedience had burst into the office and exclaimed that another body had been found on campus. Wasting no time, they'd set off together to get the story as it unfolded.
"I wish we could get closer," Obedience murmured, standing on tiptoe to better see what the law enforcement officers and security guards were doing.
Carys could barely see the badly decomposed body between the legs of the wizards standing around it. In her opinion, they were quite close enough. The stench was probably awful.
"What did you hear earlier before you came into the office?" Carys asked. She held up her camera and snapped a photograph of the congregated wizards. When she lowered her camera, she noticed a very important looking university official hoofing it across the lawn from the main building.
"I wanted something from The Wyrding Way," Obedience said, "and when I left, I saw a couple of the officers digging up the earth with their wands. They were very careful about it, removing dirt layer by layer. I stopped to watch them for a bit. I wasn't the only one either. It's a nice day and there were a lot of other people lounging on the grass and others walking across it either to or from the building."
"What happened next?"
"Well, I could see better then since there weren't as many people as there are now. The officers were kneeling next to the hole they'd made. One pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and pressed it to his mouth and nose."
By now, the official had arrived upon the scene. She looked upset by the discovery of another dead body on her campus but seemed cool and collected despite the gruesome situation.
"That's the chancellor of the university," Obedience said.
Carys snapped another photo and asked, "But how did you know earlier that they had found the body of a person?"
"By the shape of the hole they'd dug. It looked like a grave, Carys."
Carys frowned and wondered if the body belonged to one of the two missing persons still unaccounted for, Dacia Osterberg or Ekaterina Larin. She couldn't tell if the body belonged to a male or a female, but then she couldn't see it very well and it was terribly decomposed.
She and Obedience watched as what appeared to be a forensic healer joined the group. The wizard knelt beside the body and touched it with gloved hands.
"I wonder who it is," Obedience murmured, furiously scribbling in her notepad.
"Yeah," Carys solemnly agreed.
Weston's Plan
Author: Marzipan
Date: 08-18-12 09:24
"I've been thinking," began Weston, who was perched on the edge of the main work table in Greenhouse One. He had taken the week off from the Ministry of Magic for no reason other than to rest and relax.
"You mean you do have a brain?" Marzi teased. She was carefully arranging basil and clove plants around the table.
"Funny," Weston replied with a grin. He shoved away from the work table when Marzi moved in his direction with a potted basil plant.
"I was thinking about looking for my grandmother," Weston finished.
Marzi set the plant down on the table and turned to look at her husband. "Really?"
She had gone down a similar path several years ago. The reunion with her mother, who had abandoned her at birth, had brought with it both positive and negative results. After all, if Marzi had never pursued finding her mother, her father would likely still be alive.
"What do you know about her?"
"Next to nothing," Weston said. "She disinherited my mum when she found out she was having me. Seems Grandmum was very old-fashioned and didn't think it proper for her daughter to be an unwed mother."
"Do you think she would want you to find her?" Marzi asked.
"After all these years, I don't know. I know Mum misses her."
"I guess the first place to start is with your mother."
"Yes. I just hope I won't be sorry I brought it up. Mum rarely talks about her parents."
Weston's grandfather had died when his mother had been just a child. She had been very close to her father, and his loss had affected her in a profound way.
Marzi stepped into Weston's arms and rested her head against his chest. "Maybe everything will turn out all right."
Weston said nothing and simply breathed in the scent of his wife's hair. After a moment, they separated, though Weston held onto Marzi's hands. "I better check on the boys and leave you to your students. It's about that time, isn't it?"
"Yes, just about."
They kissed, and then Weston left the greenhouse. Marzi went back to arranging basil and clove plants around the work table. Her first years had begun studying basil last Tuesday and would discuss the same topic a bit more today. After that, they would learn all about clove.
Animagus Question (Caerwyn)
Author: Julian Valentine
Date: 08-18-12 10:14
With no Thursday afternoon classes, Caerwyn and best friend Gus Hodfuffer usually spend the time after lunch completing any work due on Friday, getting any studying for an exam in, and goofing off playing Quidditch or chess or whatever else they can find. Today is a little different in that when a girl asked Gus over lunch to help her with an assignment, Caerwyn did not tag along to the library with them. He knows Gus likes her and she was being a little flirty with Gus so Caerwyn is going to give them plenty of room without him being right there in the background.
Deciding the time would be great to practice is animagus transfiguration, Caerwyn returned to the fourth year boys dorm in Hufflepuff House where, with none of the other roommates around, he shut the door and stripped down to his boxers. For the next hour or so Caerwyn repeatedly made the transfiguration from in shape 15 year old teen boy wearing boxers to a young, in shape, and slightly shaggy furred Golden Retriever wearing boxers and back again, Gus's and his cat Velvet imperiously perched in the middle of Caerwyn's bed, giving what appears to him as a pitying look. She probably feels sorry for him that he's a dog and not a cat.
He was getting hungry so after that first hour only made a few more of the transformations before returning to his normal self and getting dressed. Caerwyn doesn't know if it was all that changing back and forth or if it's simply because time has passed since lunch and he'd be wanting a snack anyway. After going to the commons to see what food was available there today, he'd selected a few pieces of fruit, a handful of biscuits, and a slice of chocolate caramel cheesecake along with some milk. Wanting to get some reading done and knowing he'd be asked to play one of the games going on around the large room, he took his food to a nearby empty classroom where he could sit at one of the windows with the action adventure story to read as he ate.
Caerwyn also keeps track of the time and at 3:15 deposits trash in the bin and tucks his book under one arm. He goes to the third floor to wait outside of Professor Black's classroom where he waits for the professor's last class of the day to end. Standing out of the way of the third years streaming out, when the way is clear he takes a step into the class. "Professor Black, do you have a minute?"
"Sure, Caerwyn. What do you need?" Professor Black replies as he goes about changing the information on the blackboards, probably getting things ready for his first Friday class.
"I have an animagus question."
Turning from a blackboard, eyebrows a little arched with interest, Professor Black is giving Caerwyn his full attention. "Yes?"
"When an animagus changes, how are the clothes changed too?"
"Animagi generally become skilled at transfiguration as a whole. An animagus has the option to transfigure clothing with the change or not. With practice it can become as second nature as the transition from human to animagus form. Some always do the full change, others never do, and in some instances it simply depends on the situation when one is transfiguring from one form to the other."
"So, it would just be a matter of practice for a new animagus to not have to worry with clothing," Caerwyn restates the gist of what Professor Black has just said.
"Yes, that's right. Is there a reason for asking these questions or did something simply set off your curiosity?"
"There's a reason. I can turn into a dog, a Golden Retriever. Want to see?"
"You need to ask?" the professor chuckles.
Caerwyn puts his book down on a nearby desk then, looking behind him, decides to shut the classroom door, explaining as he does, "I don't know how to change with my clothes so I do it in my underwear so that when I do change back I'm not going to flash anyone who happens to see."
Door shut and stripped of shirt, shoes, socks, and pants, Caerwyn transfigures into his Golden Retriever form. After Professor Black looks him over, seeing if it is indeed an totaly transfiguration, Caerwyn changes back and redresses.
"Excellent, Caerwyn. Keep practicing, concentrating on your clothes making the change with you. If it helps, start with just your boxers. When you can shift to your animagus form with the boxers making the transfiguration with you, add another article of clothing, such as your trousers. Work your way into it if you need."
"Thank you, yes, I will do that. Will I need to be registered?"
"That is the legal thing to do so yes, in time."
"You aren't, are you?"
"No, not officially, but it's not really a secret any longer. I will speak with Professor McGonagall on us helping you get registered if you like."
"That would be helpful, thank you. I should let you get back to your work. Thank you again, Professor Black."
"I'm glad I could help, Caerwyn."
Caerwyn leaves with a final, "See you in class tomorrow," before deciding to see if Gus is done flirting or if he needs to find more to do on his own until supper.