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First Day of December
Author: Marzipan
Date: 01-01-15 14:58
On the first day of December, Marzi unveiled an Advent calendar of sorts to be used all month long as a symbol of the Christmas season but also to make Herbology class a little more fun. Instead of windows to open day by day, the calendars, of which there were four, one per year, contained square boxes nestled in a Christmas-tree shaped frame. Each box that marked a class day was filled with a plant pertaining to the subject to be taught that day.
For the third years, the box marked 1 contained different wood chips because they were learning about wand trees. Box 1 for the fourth years contained small red berries, since they were learning about Jerusalem cherries, a type of nightshade that was also sometimes considered a Christmas plant.
Marzi waited for the Ravenclaw and Slytherin first years to file into the greenhouse and get settled before pointing out their Advent calendar. She allowed Susan Fricks to pull Box 1 from the Christmas tree frame and guess what the contents were. It was quite obviously peppermints and enough for every student in the class.
While they unwrapped the peppermint circles, Marzi lectured about peppermint the plant, which flavored the Christmas-time treat.
"Historically, peppermint was considered its own species of plant, but nowadays it is considered a hybrid of which two mint plants?" she asked the class.
Ingrid Hyland pushed the peppermint in her mouth to the inside of her cheek and said, "Watermint and spearmint."
"Well done," Marzi said. "Two points to Ravenclaw. Watermint, as the name suggests, grows in or around water. Spearmint, as I'm sure you know, is used to flavor toothpaste and sweets, among other things. The hybrid peppermint grows in moist habitats just like watermint, and it is used for its flavor, just like spearmint."
She went on to describe peppermint in great detail and showed off various examples of the live plant or dried parts of one. When class ended, she sent her students out the greenhouse door with a homework assignment, to sketch and label the parts of the peppermint plant.
Before setting off for the Great Hall and lunch, Marzi made sure Box 1 for her remaining class of the day, the second years, had the proper contents. Out of all the boxes opened today, it was her favorite because it was the prettiest. Nestled inside the second year box were a handful of colorful flower blooms, since her students would be learning about everlasting flowers.
With everything in order, Marzi left the greenhouse via a corridor in the castle rather than braving the cold by walking across the grounds.
Forced Conversation (Justin)
Author: Plum
Date: 01-01-15 15:03
Bracing against the cold and the steady snowfall, Justin steps from the castle, hunching over slightly when hit with a gust of wind. Right on his heels, Hunter Green says something about wishing he could have slept in then closing the small distance to Justin asks, "Where'd you vanish to the rest of the day after that one chess match yesterday?"
On Justin's other side roommate Kay Dunlap says, "I knew there was something I meant to ask you at breakfast."
Pulling a stocking cap more firmly over the tops of his ears Justin replies, "Funeral."
"Yeah?" Though Kay only says the one word, Justin hears an unspoken, "You never said anything about someone dying."
"An uncle by marriage. Evan Lancaster. My cousin Plum's father. I only met him once. Or that's all I remember anyway."
Both Kay and Hunter say a few words of condolence and then after an short, awkward silence, start talking excitedly about the Hogsmeade trip at the end of the week and about participating in this year's Secret Santa gift exchange. Justin half-listens, not saying anything, his mind mostly on a conversation Betsy forced on him yesterday.
At a gathering after the funeral service for Uncle Evan, Betsy had cornered Justin. "You know that Luther was put on probation and has had to do a huge number of community service hours? Among other things."
"Why would I know that? he'd asked.
"Owls from friends back home. You being curious what became of him after I told you he'd been expelled. Curious as to why."
Justin shrugged. "I don't keep up with Luther Wenk."
His eldest sister had made a show of rolling her eyes in disbelief. "Much as you claim that and that he had nothing to do with you leaving Sydney's, we both know differently. It's getting bloody tiresome you pretending otherwise."
"At the risk of repeating myself, I have no idea what you're talking about."
Betsy's jaw jutted out a little, as often happens when she's moved past the point of irritation. "Repeating it doesn't make it true, much as you want it to be. Think about this, Justin, if Sydney's won't eventually take Luther back and he and his parents start looking for somewhere else, Hogwarts could well be on that list."
Justin had shrugged again, increasing Betsy's ire. "I can't make you believe me but as I keep telling you, I don't care about Luther Wenk or what's going on with him."
Betsy stalked off to a table loaded with food, shooting him glares from time to time after that but not speaking one-on-one with him again other than to tell him goodbye when it was time for Justin to return to Hogwarts.
Reaching the greenhouse for Herbology, Justin pulls his mind from that conversation with his sister with the last thought before giving full attention to class that though he has repeatedly denied any care or concern about Luther Wenk to Betsy, and Martha for that matter, he is very interested. Luther is, after all, as both his sisters have pointed out many times, the reason why Justin left Australia, refusing to return to school at Sydney's.
Teenage Drama
Author: Valeria Mockridge
Date: 01-02-15 06:04
Valeria stabbed her quill into the ink pot, furiously working on homework while stealing glances across the common room to where Anton stood casually chatting with a handful of other people. To those who didn't know the male third year well, he appeared fine, but the few who knew otherwise could see the tension in his back, the careful guarding of his emotions and the lack of his normal companions.
"Now what did that bit of parchment do to you?" Petula asked her cousin, sitting down beside Val. The blonde didn't respond, she simply raised one eyebrow in question and turned her attention back to the assignment.
"You really shouldn't let him see you stewing over this," the brunette added more quietly. "It will only egg him on. You're both ridiculously stubborn, and the more it bothers you, the worse he's going to be."
"Yes, well, I've tried to ignore it. At least until he was making plans with that little bint for the party we'd agreed to keep each other company at, since otherwise our parents start talking about matchmaking and introductions."
Petula winced. She couldn't blame Valeria for being angry, but at the same time, she was glad that she didn't have that sort of issue. It might be horribly old-fashioned, but her betrothal contract with Niccolo really made life a great deal simpler in many ways.
"So why don't we take a look at the likely guest list and see if there's someone else who might keep you company? After all, if Avery's determined to be an idiot, perhaps seeing you having fun on someone else's arm will at least add to his discomfort."
Valeria's expression brightened and the two girls shared a smirk before the blonde turned back to her homework, much less savagely this time.
(Titus) After Ancient Runes
Author: Tiberius Nott
Date: 01-02-15 14:34
Titus left the Ancient Runes class and went to the Common Commons. It was cold outside and he opted to stay inside the castle and avoid a possible snowfall. He served himself with a scone with strawberry jam and installed himself at one of the comfortable armchairs. Then Titus opened the Rune Dictionary and started searching for a few words that he would need to translate as homework. He finished eating the scone, adjusted his position at the armchair and continued to read, trying to memorize each rune. A shadow was cast behind him and he looked back to see who was taking a peek at his dictionary.
"That looks complicated…" Susan Fricks observed, leaving the back of the armchair and approaching Titus even more.
"It's not that hard," he assured Susan. "But I just started it myself, and we've only been learning the basics so far. Probably it's going to be more complicated later."
"But I know you can do it. You're clever."
"Thanks Susan."
"You're welcome Titus. See you later!"
She smiled at Titus and left, going back to her group of first years friends that were gathered around another set of armchairs. Titus couldn't help to smile and went back to work. Moments later Bruno Tate joined him and started to tease him asking where his girlfriend was, clearly talking about Susan. Titus told him to go and comb a troll. Bruno grinned and opened his Transfiguration textbook, not making any more comments about Susan.
Since that day when they played Gobstones together, that the first year Ravenclaw girl seemed to have gained some sort of odd fascination over him. At first she annoyed Titus, always greeting him at the school corridors, waving at him from her house table at the Great Hall as if they were friends, and occasionally popping up at the Common Commons, asking him things. She wanted to know about classes, Quidditch or things related to the school. Sometimes she would even sit by him and read her Book Group book, becoming a silent but pleasant company.
Titus found himself enjoying these moments with Susan. He was used to be alone most of the time, and he liked how she came to him seeking for advice and hearing out his opinions. It made him feel important and he felt like he could influence her since he was two years older than her. Susan always listened what he had to say, and he liked the attention she gave him. He started enjoying even more hanging out with her when he discovered that her older sister, Andrina, was against it. Susan confessed to him that Andrina thought he was a bad influence to her.
Titus continued studying Ancient Runes. At one moment he glanced to where Susan and the other first years were, but she was gone. He made a mental note to buy her some sweets from Honeydukes next time he went to Hogsmeade: a nice gesture that he knew Susan would love but that Andrina would hate.
Evening Final
Author: Fritz Schnackenpfefferhausen
Date: 01-02-15 16:41
Fritz enters the room where the final for his Medical Potions I class is taking place. This class is a bit larger than his other one, including not only Potions majors but also Healers-in-training. He takes a seat towards the front and leaves his desk clear of everything after reading the instructions his professor has written on the blackboard at the front of the room.
Fritz is glad to get his final out of the way, but he wishes it didn't have to take place in the evening. He's the sort of person who wants to knock things out first thing and gets less motivated as the day wears on. The only positive he sees with respect to writing an exam in the evening is that he had all day to prepare for it.
While he waits for his classmates to take their seats and for the professor to get things started, he thinks about the vault in Vienna that belongs to Berthold Beatenberg. After quite some time of silence from the Austrian authorities, Fritz finally heard something this morning via an owl that arrived to his London home.
The vault, they wrote, is in the name of Berthold's long-deceased sister. It is thought he used her name as a cover, thinking it unlikely the authorities would ever use a warrant to search and seize his things, many of which are dark in nature. The authorities have finished inventorying everything in the vault, and all dark objects have been confiscated and some of it destroyed. Everything else, they wrote, now belongs to Fritz. He is supposed to come to Vienna's Ministry of Magic to sign some paperwork and take custody of everything.
Fritz doesn't know how he feels about that. On the one hand, he's curious to see what Berthold has left him. On the other hand, he's not sure he wants any of it. He's fairly certain the Austrian authorities have done a full sweep of dangerous items and that what's left is perfectly harmless and completely ordinary, but Fritz can't help but think of Frau Hockenheim's book. After all, it's what started the whole mess.
Then there's the whole thought that a murderous dark wizard owned those things. Why would Fritz want any of it? It may all be safe, but it's all tainted by simply having belonged to a bad wizard.
Fritz has more or less decided that he will go to Vienna next week to at least talk to the authorities about the remaining contents of the vault. He'll make his decision about whether or not to keep it after he gets there.
Any further thought on the vault is put on pause. Fritz's professor starts handing out anti-cheating quills and test booklets. Only after every student has one of each and has listened to the professor's instructions, does the final begin.
Finishing Parchmentwork
Author: Griffin Price
Date: 01-03-15 20:10
Griffin tiredly rubs his eyes then tossing his quill onto the desk, grabs his coffee cup. Stretching as he stands causes a yawn. He takes his cup for a refill, reminding himself he's nearly finished with the parchment work. Home and sleep are just behind.
Once back at his desk, Griff stares at the parchments stacked before him, his hand slow to pick up the quill. He'd really rather stretch out on the floor and take a nap but he needs to get this paperwork completed. Taking a nap would also mean getting home to the couch or to his bed would take all the longer.
Yawning again, he reaches for his coffee, takes a big slug of it, then forces his attention to the top page of parchment. Finishing takes longer then he'd thought, close to an hour, but being as tired as he is, yawning frequently, losing focus in the middle of sentences, and frequent refills of his mug the additional time is to be expected.
Hand delivering the file before clocking out, Griff yawns so hugely his jaw hurts. Last night had been the raid on one of the brothels being monitored for sex slavery and drugs. It was one in which Griff and a couple of others have been working undercover. As Griff was the lead on this, the bulk of the parchmentwork fell to him. One might think he could have one or both of the others do it but that's not exactly how things work.
Glad as he is to have the paperwork finished, that sense of relief, the closure that comes with making a case and arresting those involved is absent because this sex trafficking and sex slavery rings are pervasive. Closing down the one brothel last night most likely doesn't make much of a dent, if any, in the overall operation. The Ministry has closed other locations but there always seem to be another.
Adding to Griff's frustration is the lack of progress made in determining Berthold Beatenberg's movements that led to his murder and to the loss of the spindly green hands he had reportedly obtained. A little was established for him but not much and what few leads they had dead ended with the trail going so cold as to be in permafrost.
On top of that, though Jacob has lasted longer than healers predicted, Griff's uncle is at St. Mungo's in his final days, possibly even only hours. Griff's already made the funeral arrangements, using Jacob's money as the older man had promised he would be able to do. If Griff had had to pay for any of it, Jacob's final resting place would most definitely be in a pauper's grave.
Stepping from the lift in the atrium, Griff heads to one of the outbound Floos, too tired to consider getting home by apparating.
(Anthony) Keridwen Dragonsblood
Author: Beck
Date: 01-04-15 08:15
After grabbing a quick bite to eat from the snack cart in the Atrium, Anthony immersed himself in his investigation of Keridwen Dragonsblood. She was the wife of Landon, who had been arrested in Brussels, Belgium, after a lengthy search and then a standoff with aurors. Anthony had a few pictures of her, some of which he had gotten from Landon's mother and uncle.
Keridwen was tall like her husband and exceptionally beautiful, but the physical similarities ended there. Where Landon had wavy brown hair, Keridwen's hair was long, white blond, and loosely curled. She was rumored to be part Veela, though according to those who knew her and with whom Anthony spoke, Keridwen had always denied it. Having been released from Azkaban during a time when she would have been transferred to a community for nons for not being a pureblood witch suggested there was no truth to the rumor, though perhaps she had merely had the right connections to avoid further imprisonment.
Landon, of course, had been questioned about his wife's whereabouts but had not been able to tell the investigators anything about Keridwen's present location. Even under the influence of polyjuice potion, Landon could not tell them where she might be, but it was determined that they had seen each other sporadically since going into hiding. They were not estranged, despite the fact that they had been apart more than together in recent years.
Anthony couldn't imagine spending so much time away from Plum, even if doing so meant protecting her if he found himself in Landon's position. Because Landon only ever met his wife in a neutral location and never brought her to his hideout or vice versa, Keridwen could remain in hiding with less risk of getting caught.
Anthony wondered what she was going through, now that her husband was in custody of the law. Did she even know? Had they already had another meeting arranged, or was one pending in which she would wait and wait for him to never appear? Would she do what he wanted and stay low, or would she try to rescue him?
There was no doubt that they loved one another and would do anything to protect each other.
Anthony leaned back in his chair and thought about Plum. Even though her relationship with her father had been strained, she mourned him terribly. Alex also felt sad, but more so because he saw Plum feeling down and couldn't help but mimic her actions. Anthony did his best to support them both in their time of need. Only that morning he sent Plum a bouquet of flowers to work, and he planned on making hot chocolate with little marshmallows for Alex as a treat tonight.
Date
Author: Illyria
Date: 01-04-15 16:22
Illyria slipped into The Three Broomsticks and made her way over to the bar, where Nathan sat with a tall frothy drink and the menu. After receiving his letter to meet for supper, something Illyria normally didn't do on a Tuesday evening despite the fact office hours ended at five, she gussied up and made her way into the village with the thought that perhaps tonight would be the night he popped the question.
She tried not to appear too eager when she crossed over from the door to greet him at the bar. He got up to take her coat and help her onto her stool and then sat back down and picked up the menu again.
"Do you always look so nice on a school night?" Nathan asked, eyeing the midnight blue, form-fitting robes she wore and the crystal jewel that hung low around her neck. "If you'd been my professor, then I think I would have made more of an effort to attend class!"
Illyria swatted his arm and said, "Stop it. You don't seem the type to cut class on a regular basis."
"Let's just say I've matured since my younger days," Nathan replied, grinning. "Be honest with me. Did you dress up for our date or is this what you were already wearing?"
Illyria shrugged and said, "I may have thrown something else on before walking out the door. Does it bother you?"
"Not at all, but you didn't have to," he said, glancing down at his own attire, which consisted of slacks, a shirt and tie, and a coat. It was what he'd worn to work today. "It's not a special occasion or anything," he added.
Without realizing it, Illyria started to pout. She had thought tonight might be a special occasion, but apparently Nathan didn't have any plans to propose marriage this evening.
He didn't notice the change in her demeanor because he was still studying his menu. He said, "I found out when the company Christmas party will be and wanted to see if you might like to go. They want to know by tomorrow, so I thought I better catch you today." He looked at her finally and said, "It's the Friday after next."
"The last Astronomy club meeting of the year is this Friday, so I'm free to attend the party if you want to go," Illyria said, still feeling a bit crestfallen but also realizing it was silly to think he might propose tonight instead of some other night in the near future.
"Great," Nathan said, smiling. "I'll let them know we plan on attending. Want to split this meatball platter with me?" he asked, pointing at an item on an insert in the menu that consisted of meatballs smothered in a tangy barbecue sauce and served with bread.
"Sure," Illyria said, "and I'll have a butterbeer too."
She made herself perk back up and pretend like she wasn't disappointed, but it wasn't easy.
(Aleydis & Sadie) Studying in the Library
Author: Griet
Date: 01-05-15 09:29
Aleydis and Sadie shared a table in the library at St. Emrys and studied for their final exams. For both, it was extremely hard to believe that their first terms at the university for wizards were nearly finished. It almost seemed like yesterday that they were still students at Hogwarts.
Aleydis had one exam after lunch today, the one for her History of Funeral Service class. Besides an anatomy class and a general biology class, the funeral service history class was the only one she had so far taken pertaining to her degree. It was really very fascinating, learning how different cultures throughout time mourned their dead.
Sadie thought Aleydis was a bit crazy, being interested in death and dying, but a small part of her was also jealous that Aleydis at least knew what she wanted to do in life, even if her chosen career plan was very weird. The only thing Sadie knew was that she liked playing Quidditch. She played chaser for the Chimaeras and loved every minute of it.
Since Quidditch seemed to be the only thing that held her attention at the moment, Sadie's classes mostly dealt with sports or sports medicine. She also had an exam today, and it was scheduled for the mid-morning, which was why she kept eyeing the clock. She didn't want to be late, or even worse, miss the entire exam! That would not be a good way to conclude her first term at St. Emrys!
The time to take her leave came all too quickly. Sadie quickly packed up her things and said goodbye to Aleydis, who wished her good luck on her exam. Sadie did likewise for Aleydis's own, not knowing if they would see each other before Aleydis had to go. Sadie ducked out of the library and made her way to the classroom where she normally took Quidditch Through the Ages. She took a seat in the middle of the room and briefly thought about how she and Hunter had plans to eat dinner and study together tonight.
Aleydis, meanwhile, continued to study in the library. She looked forward to when her finals were over, because that meant she and Basil could go on holiday together. They had talked about doing a weekend trip to one of the warmer spots in the country, like the Isles of Scilly or Portmeirion in Gwynedd. Aleydis already had a bag packed, ready to go at a minute's notice.
First things first, however.
(Eirene) The Best
Author: Finley
Date: 01-05-15 13:19
Eirene raised her hand high into the air after Professor Weasley posed a question about the properties of ginger with respect to cough remedies and confidently answered, "Ginger, particular spicy ginger, works as an expectorant and helps loosen and expel mucous from the lungs."
"Thank you, Eirene," Professor Weasley said, and then she continued her lecture on the cough remedy they would begin brewing in a few minutes time.
In the brief moments Professor Weasley talked, Eirene's neighbor leaned over and muttered, "Show off."
She shot him a dirty look but didn't say anything because she didn't want to lose points for talking. She much preferred earning points for answering questions correctly, which she did as often as possible. Eirene was intelligent, but she did well in her classes more because she strived hard to be the best. She wouldn't settle for anything else.
"The instructions for the ginger peppermint tonic are on the board. Ingredients can be found in the cabinet," Professor Weasley instructed. "You may start."
Eirene immediately set off for the cabinet to retrieve the items she needed, which included ginger root, dried peppermint, water, and honey. Then she busied herself at her standard size 2 pewter cauldron, preparing the ingredients beforehand just like the instructions said on the blackboard.
She chopped the ginger until she had 3 tablespoons and added it along with 1 tablespoon of dried peppermint to 4 cups of water, which she brought to a boil. While she watched for the bubbles to first begin appearing and then intensify, she suddenly had the feeling of being observed. It wasn't Professor Weasley, but her neighbor Fitzwilliam Bates, who was copying her to make sure he got his potion right. He might think she's a show off, but even he wasn't dumb enough not to realize she was someone to emulate.
Eirene turned back to her cauldron and lowered the heat so that the mixture simmered. Deep down she felt pride at knowing others looked to her to make sure they performed at their best. She couldn't help but allow a small smile to spread across her face.