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Fun Class
Author: Marzipan
Date: 04-14-16 09:33
The Gryffindor and Hufflepuff third year students stood around the work table in the greenhouse. A number of leafy green plants with plump red fruits on them were situated on the table. Some of the fruits appeared to be pulsating.
"Good morning, class," greeted Professor Ravenscroft. "Please put on your aprons."
The students knew this particular lesson could wind up messy. Any time their teacher asked them to don aprons, somebody wound up getting squirted with fruit juice, or worse.
"Today, we will discuss Euonymus americanus, also known as the American strawberry bush, Hearts-a-burstin and Bursting heart. This plant is a member of the Bittersweet Family, or Celastraceae."
She went on to describe the characteristics of bursting heart. It was a deciduous shrub that grew as tall as 12 feet. Its twigs turned purple in the sunlight, and its flower petals started off green before turning dark red. When the flowers opened, they revealed dark orange seeds. Mundane bursting hearts bloomed in May and June, and the process was far from dramatic. Magical bursting hearts bloomed any time of year and did so in spectacular fashion.
"We are going to prune our plants," Professor Ravenscroft said, after discussing the various characteristics of bursting heart. "Please do so very carefully," she advised, "for some of the fruits are overly ripe and may burst."
She wasn't kidding. As soon as Nichole Fisher touched the leaf of her plant, one of the pulsating fruits exploded, covering the Hufflepuff's apron and parts of her face with bright red juice. Nichole was also pelted by the orange seeds, which shot out from the fruit with the explosion.
At least the juice and seeds were harmless, and they tasted like strawberries instead of blood.
It turned into a game. The students tried hard not to get hit by exploding bursting heart fruits. They worked as carefully as possible on pruning their plants, but sometimes careful simply wasn't good enough. Nichole ended up being one of many students splashed with red, strawberry-flavored juice.
Family Matters
Author: Dante Knight
Date: 04-14-16 15:29
Dante sends the seventh years off with the reminder to, "Practice, practice, practice."
The expected grumble and groans are the reply, the students knowing that they have a practical exam soon and have no idea which of the charms they've studied to date will be the one or ones each will be expected to demonstrate.
Once alone, rather than tidy up then go to the Great Hall for lunch, Dante goes to his office. His sister's been in contact, keeping him updated on their parents. Neither are doing well.
When Rainy and Bruno began having healthy issues, Dante wondered if they had inherited bad genes. He only knows a little of either side of the family, his parents rarely speaking of their own parents or other relatives. Dante has done some research on the family tree since going off on his own but hasn't found but a few in the tree who suffered from chronically bad health or a tendency for a particular disease or disorder.
His mother is now only 57 and his father recently turned 60 yet at the moment both are practically at death's door. Rainy never truly recovered from being hospitalized for a few weeks in Marbella, Spain. Bruno has had ups and downs over the years but lately he's been on a steady decline. Dante couldn't understand all the health problems for people their ages who don't have cancer or been diagnosed with some sort of degenerative disease.
He didn't understand until recently. After Sunny's first letter about the latest illnesses, Dante met with his brother and sister with their parents. Lorraine and Terrence Vickers took turns filling in some blanks.
The experiments they did all those years ago with potions and spells, the experiments that often led to the deaths of their unwilling test subjects, have taken a toll. They sometimes tested potions and spells on themselves if the test subjects lived and didn't show harmful side effects. Neither gave thought to potential effects in the long term. The failing health each has increasingly experienced must be from those long term effects.
Writing a reply to the latest letter to let Sunny know he'll leave Hogwarts tomorrow between 2:30 and 3:00 to come see Mum and Dad. He knows he should alert Isreal or someone else at the Ministry but given his parents are literally dying, he doesn't see the point in having this arrested at this juncture only to die before either ever made it to trial.
After owling off the letter to Sunshine, Dante finally goes to the Great Hall. He's not all that hungry at the moment but knows he should eat something as he skipped breakfast, going for a run instead. As he eats half a sandwich and has some soup he contemplates cancelling his Friday afternoon office hours and going early tomorrow. He debates going for a visit today. He has no office hours on Thursday, no scheduled appointments for today, and there is the fact that either of his parents could go at any minute. They are that bad now and neither has shown any signs of improving this time around.
Reaching for a pitcher to fill his cup, Dante decides he will go today, as soon as he's finished eating, and will go tomorrow as well.
Afternoon Meeting
Author: Hermione Granger
Date: 04-15-16 11:21
Hermione sat in a booth at a coffee shop in Muggle London and with her spoon swirled the foam floating on top of her mug of hot cocoa. She had taken the day off from work, first having a healer's appointment to check on the progress of her pregnancy and then to meet with various members of the Order of Phoenix to discuss the latest happenings in the wizarding world.
Of course the biggest piece of news was the fact that Kingsley Shacklebolt couldn't go into the Muggle world at all without risking recognition or capture. There was even talk of some unscrupulous wizards potentially turning him in to the Muggle authorities with the hope of some cash reward. As a result, he had more security around him these days.
Going hand in hand with the situation was the fact that diplomatic relations between the Muggle and wizarding governments had become strained. There was minimal worry that the Muggles would declare war on the wizarding world, since it was believed that the Prime Minister still kept the existence of wizards a secret. Who would believe him if he told the truth, after all?
Besides, Muggles couldn't find most wizarding places due to spells in place, so they wouldn't even know where to look to find the Ministry of Magic. Then again, what if an unscrupulous wizard agreed to show them the way? What if unscrupulous wizards, such as the Death Eaters, made an alliance with the Muggle government?
It was a worst-case scenario and probably unlikely, but it was certainly not outside the realm of possibility. And if the Muggles did declare war on wizards, what then? There were more of them than wizards, and the Muggles already lived in a culture of fear due to problems within their own world. People of different races, religions, and ideals were always in the news and under attack whenever something bad happened. It would be no different if the wizarding world became publicly known.
With all the potential issues surrounding what happened on the 4th of March, various members of the Order of the Phoenix were going undercover to find out more. If not for her pregnancy, Hermione would volunteer her services, especially since she was Muggle-born and knew her way around that world and its customs. She would love to pose as a secretary in the Prime Minister's office, if given the chance. Alas, that would have to be a job for someone else.
Late Night Study Session Ends (Caerwyn)
Author: Julian Valentine
Date: 04-15-16 20:29
Nell closes her notebook, shoving it into her bookbag. "I'm done. If I don't get some sleep I won't be able to stay awake during the exam."
Caerwyn, the only other member of the study group still at the diner where they'd met to quiz each other for what will be a monster of a final examination tomorrow, bids her goodbye. He's leaving soon as well but wants to finish the few remaining items on a platter some of them had gotten a little earlier. Studying always makes him far hungrier than usual for some reason. He continues studying while munching and when someone sits down a few minutes later he things it's Nell coming back.
"Forget something?" he asks looking up only to see the person is not Nell.
He sighs heavily. "Iola."
"I need to talk with you."
"I don't have time for your lies, Iola. It's final examinations weeks and I have two more to write."
"I HAVE to have the pendant, Caerwyn. I'll die if I don't get it."
"Being overly dramatic again." Caerwyn begins packing up his things.
Quicker than he thought she could be Iola grabs one wrist. "I'm serious, Caerwyn. I will die if I don't get it."
"And I've been serious, Iola, when I've said that until you can tell me why you are so bloody obsessed with the pendant, I want nothing to do with you."
"I'm telling you why. I need it. I'll die without it."
"That's it? No explanation on what a pendant has to do with your imminent death?"
"There's no need to be sarcastic."
Caerwyn shakes his head with an exasperated sound escaping his lips. He makes sure the money the others left for their share of this evening is visible and adds his own to it. "Goodnight, Iola. I'll probably see you again soon." He refrains from adding, "Unless you die between now and then."
Iola makes her own frustrated sound but with the diner surprisingly full at this time of night - most likely many of them also St. Emrys students like Caerwyn, getting in last minute studying - she chooses not to create a scene. She will locate him again tomorrow after his exams and try again.
(Miranda) Easter Plans
Author: Mildred
Date: 04-16-16 14:49
After her last exam of the term, Miranda went to her dorm to pack her things. She was going to spend the Easter break at her roommate's family house. After graduating from Hogwarts, Miranda and Perdita had taken a gap year. They had gone to France to visit some friends they had left behind from the time they had studied in Beaxbatons, before they had gone back to England. After the gap year, they had both enrolled in St. Emrys. At first, they were inseparable, sharing a bedroom, as well as the same course. But after the first term, Perdita concluded that Linguistics and a higher education was something she did not want to pursuit for now and so she quit.
Miranda on the other hand had stayed at the university. She had to change dormitory and she ended up with a roommate named Jenny Gabble. Jenny was a blond girl, with a pleasant smile, who was just year older than Miranda. She had been at Hogwarts as well. Jenny was friendly and the two young women got along well. Miranda learned Jenny was finishing her degree in Restaurant and Hospitality and in the summer she was going to manage her own inn. That was why she was almost absent, since she spent her days away finishing her business project. But when she was around she and Miranda would have meals together at the cafeteria and go for a walk around campus to stretch their legs after several of hours studying indoors.
When Jenny learned Miranda was going to stay at St. Emrys during the entire Easter break, she had invited her to come along with her. Miranda thanked her but she said she did not want to impose her presence and give Jenny's parents any work.
"Nonsense! My mother loves to receive people in her house. Besides there are two beds in my bedroom: I used to share it with my sister, Emilia, before she got married. There's also Tim's bedroom, if you prefer some privacy. He would love to have the chance to brag that he had a girl sleeping in his bed."
"I got the impression you told me he has a girlfriend," Miranda replied.
"He does. Imogen Napier. The girl I was talking to near the library the other day, remember?" Miranda nodded. She recalled the day when Jenny presented her to Imogen, saying she was her old roommate and mentioning that now she was living in a flat in London with Timothy, her brother. "But that doesn't mean he won't miss the chance to brag."
Miranda selected the robes she would be taking with her. At Beaxbatons, as well as Hogwarts, it had mostly be her and Perdita. Of course they had friends, but not the sort of friendship that would include invitations to stay over at someone's house. This was a first for Miranda, and she almost felt like a silly teenager, trying to decide what to bring or leave behind, with a mix of excitement and nerves.
Jenny walked into the dormitory.
"How did your exam go?" she asked Miranda.
"It was all right. I think I got one of the questions wrong, but nothing too bad."
"Good! Are you hungry? I was thinking we could go out for lunch today, since we don't have afternoon classes. Then you finish packing and we can leave campus. The soon we arrive home the better. My mother is looking forward to meet you and I want to present you the rest of my family."
"That sounds good to me."
She put her shoes on, picked up her purse and the she left the dormitory alongside with Jenny.
Last Final Done
Author: Fritz Schnackenpfefferhausen
Date: 04-17-16 13:07
Fritz steps out of the room where his Toxicology final just took place and mulls over some of the more difficult questions. Fritz is fairly certain that he passed the exam, but he's not entirely sure he passed with high marks. The further he goes with his Potions coursework, the more difficult his classes become. At least he feels like he's still learning something.
Now that he's done with finals for the term, Fritz decides to duck into The Wyrding Way for some sort of chocolatey pastry. He's feeling like he deserves a reward for all his hard work, and chocolate is not only rewarding but soothing. After standing in the queue, which really isn't all that long at the moment, Fritz orders a buttery caramel-flavored coffee drink and something called lava cake.
The cake is already prepared, but the coffee needs fixing, so Fritz walks over to an empty armchair and sits down, setting the cake plate and fork on the tiny end table in front of him. Although it's tempting, Fritz doesn't want to dig into the molten chocolate cake until he's got a drink at hand. While he waits for his name to be called, he looks around the coffee shop.
Today is officially the last day of Hilary Term, and most students appear to be letting off steam now that their exams are finished. However, there are a few students cramming for a final exam to take place in the afternoon or evening. Fritz considers himself lucky that he's finished.
His gaze shifts over to a bulletin board hanging against the wall near his armchair. On it are all sorts of flyers––students looking for roommates, schedules of live band performances, job announcements. The one that catches Fritz's eye has to do with donating money to charity. The flyer is labeled in bold capitals STUDENTS GIVE. It lists different charitable organizations the group donates money, time, or items to.
Now that the renovations and additions done to the farmhouse he and Coco share are completed, Fritz has debated what he should do with some of the money he inherited from Berthold Beatenberg. The fact that it's sort of dirty money has never set well with him and is the reason why Fritz never told his parents about the inheritance. He could use the money for good, such as donating to a charity of some kind or doing something like the Hogwarts scholarships both he and Coco received from an anonymous donor when they were students there.
Maybe Coco has some ideas. Fritz decides he will ask her opinion tonight, if he doesn't forget between now and then.
"Fritz!"
When his name is called, he quickly gets up to get his coffee cup, which he then enjoys with the ooey gooey chocolate lava cake.
Iola Again (Caerwyn)
Author: Julian Valentine
Date: 04-17-16 15:57
Caerwyn walks into the restaurant, one he's heard about from a few friends and classmates. After he'd finished writing his final he could have joined up with some others but they were going to more of a club and he's not in the mood for that sort of atmosphere. Augustus has plans with Ramona, though tired as everyone is after end of a hard week he wouldn't be surprised if their plans end up being vegging on a couch at the cabin with take away. Caerwyn has thought about just going home but he's too tired to fix anything for supper and as long as he'd have to get some sort of take away he might as well just sit at the restaurant to have it. Besides, if Gus and Ramona are vegging on the couch at the cabin, he sort of hates to be a third wheel.
As he's alone and not meeting anyone, and this being a Friday evening, he's seated at a small table towards the back. Caerwyn doesn't mind in the slightest. If he were right by the kitchen door or something like that he might mind but this table isn't bad at all and being alone and with no need to spread books and notes out to study, he doesn't need lots of space.
Opening the menu he looks over the offerings. The choices are heavy on "American" cuisine. Burgers. Fried chicken. Ribs. That sort of thing. He orders something he's had elsewhere and liked, a cheeseburger with jalapenos and bacon and a side of onion rings.
As he's taking his first sip of the lager he'd ordered Iola Carew sits in the only other chair at the table. "I need to talk with you."
Caerwyn rubs fingers across his eyes and pinches his nose before looking at her. "I'm not in the mood for more of your drama, Iola."
"Whatever happened to you calling me aunt?"
"Is that really what you wish to talk with me about?"
Iola frowns. "You've gotten so sarcastic and facetious with me."
"And probably cannot imagine why."
The waiter appears to ask if Iola would like to see a menu. She shakes her head. "Just a glass of whatever the house red is."
Alone again Caerwyn decides that when the waiter returns he'll ask for his food in a carry out container. As if sensing his thoughts on leaving Iola wastes no more time. "The pendant is a key. It opens what looks like a jewelry box in the family vault. Inside that box is a potion recipe. I need that recipe."
"Because you're dying," Caerwyn says somewhat flatly.
"Yes, exactly. The potion is the counter to a curse."
"Counter to a curse."
"A curse my dear sister put on me."
"Huh? Mum's been dead for years. She came to you in a drea or something?"
"Please don't make light of this, Caerwyn. I'm serious. If you want a not so funny funny, I'm deadly serious. Afton and I had an argument shortly before she died. She cursed me. Nothing happened and I laughed it off, especially as the years went by, until I came across some family journals that made mention of this particular curse. It's slow acting. An odd, unexplained illness here. Another there. Months and years go by and the illnesses happen more often. Each is energy draining and leaves the bone achy. That ache lingers longer and longer after each bout. Eventually, the organs begin to fail. This past week I was at St. Mungo's. One of my kidneys has an infection. I will die and now that I've got renal issues that time will come much sooner than later."
"Why couldn't you tell me this back when you first showed interest in the pendant?"
"Initially, I was hoping to get it and get the recipe for the potion, get it brewed and taken, without having to say anything bad about Afton. She did this to me. I don't know if she would have lifted the curse herself had she lived. I would like to think so but there are days I wonder."
"And as you became more desperate? Rather than breaking into my cabin, going through my things, why couldn't you just be honest?"
"I don't know. Stupidity? I don't have a good answer for you."
"I'm still not sure I believe you, Iola, not after everything and after this little tale of yours I think you probably came back into my life solely for the purpose of getting the pendant."
"No, that's not true. I did want to be part of your life and you part of mine."
"As you recall, we aren't exactly sure where the pendant is. I'll look again but I'll go to the Carew vault and retrieve the potion recipe and bring it to you."
"All right. Fine. Yes, if that's how it must be. Just please get it. I will die and most likely within the next few months without that potion."
Caerwyn notices she has a glass of wine. He hadn't even noticed the waiter returning with it. He looks around to motion the waiter over but it's unnecessary as the waiter is almost to the table with Caerwyn's dinner. "I hate to be a bother but could I get a take away box and the bill, please? Put the wine on it."
"I'll leave. You don't need to."
Caerwyn shakes his head. "I don't want to be here any longer."
Iola apologizes and also thanks him then does leave. Caerwyn makes his exit a few minutes later, thinking he'll either go to the cabin and if Gus and Ramona are there he'll eat in his room or he'll go to Hogsmeade to his dad's. That's not the best option though as he might seem strange him showing up with dinner only for him and nothing for the twins or Dad. Home it is then, at least for now. He'll talk to Julian either later this evening or sometime tomorrow about the pendant and Iola's story.