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Surprise Quiz
Author: Majandra
Date: 05-20-16 20:16
As the first year Gryffindors and Slytherins arrive Majandra wonders, not for the first time, how professors managed when they taught both upper and lower years. As full as he schedule is now she sometimes thinks they all used Time Turners. She really has to remember to ask Severus about that.
Once the students are seated Majandra pleasantly smiles. "Everything off your desks but ink, please."
Confused at such a request when this is only their second class meeting since returning from break, some are slow to do as requested. Majandra waits, eyeing a couple of them who haven't moved at all. At her look they both clear their spaces, one putting away the textbook she'd gotten out and the other, frozen for a second in the motion of taking out ink, sets the ink bottle down then returns parchment and quill to his satchel.
Maj passes out anti-cheating quills without comment. It's when she's picked up a stack of parchment to hand out that she explains. "Surprise quiz. Do not turn over your exam until I say. Each exam has ten questions. The order of those questions is not the same on every test and the ten question one has may not be the exact same ten questions another has. Each question pertains to a potion you've brewed. You have a multiple choice option for each question so if you read a question don't immediately know the answer from memory, the answer is there given to you."
The exams passed out Maj gives the okay to begin. As she passes by two students on her way back to the front of the classroom she overhears one say to the other, "I thought Snape is supposed to be the mean one."
Maj's pleasant smile remains in place as she tells that student, "If I were mean like Professor Snape, each question would be short answer and there would be fifty of them." To the class as a whole she reminds, "No talking unless you've raised your hand to speak to me. You have a half hour though you should not need it. Should you complete your exam before then, after making sure your name is on it, you may bring it to me then sit quietly at your seat, reading, doing homework, or even napping until time is up."
As she's already told them to begin she finds herself speaking to the tops of the first years' heads. The smile growing slightly she double checks the information she's written on the blackboards for the second half of class then begins a slow circuit around the classroom, a handful of quills in hand should anyone need a replacement.
Dinner, Nap, Then One More Class
Author: Plum
Date: 05-21-16 21:14
Nathan drops his bookbag to the floor then kicks it under the table in front of where he's going to sit. "I hate that some classes run until almost five. Oh, looks like steak and kidney pie. One of my faves."
Taking the spot to Nathan's right Justin rolls his eyes. "You've had two classes today. Why are you complaining?"
"Because my two classes both could have been earlier."
Kay points out, "But you're done for the day. Justin and I still have Astronomy."
"No one made either of you take Astronomy for sixth year." Nathan practically has half the steak and kidney pie mounded on his plate prompting fifth year Edgar Zhou to grumble, which in turn has Nathan saying matter-of-factly to the younger boy, "There are other pies up and down the table and if this tin goes empty I'm sure the kitchen elves would be more than happy to send up another. Or, you can pinch one from another table."
Edgar's reaction is much like Justin's a moment ago. He rolls his eyes. He also reaches for the steak and kidney pie before Nathan decides to take the whole thing. Easier taking what's right there than having to ask up and down the table. Or trying to take one from another house's table.
Kay heaps his plate as well, though with some of the other dinner selections while Justin gets a much more moderate serving of roast chicken and a couple of vegetables. He's had four classes today and with Astronomy not until midnight he'd like to take a nap. If he loads up now he might fall asleep so heavily he doesn't want to get back up. Not that after a nap he'll really want to get up either but based on past Wednesdays he knows he'll do better not eating like there's no tomorrow as Kay and Nathan seem to be doing.
Justin's napkin drops from his lap so he leans to retrieve it, noticing that the latest letter from Luther is starting to work its way out of the pocket of his pack where he'd stuffed it this morning. Taking a second to shove it back down, he sits up, napkin back in his lap.
Most of Easter holiday was spent back home where he had a couple of near misses with Luther. Justin had avoided him both times and is fairly sure Luther hadn't seen him. There had been a day at the beach when he'd been unable to avoid Luther's sister. She'd made a point of telling Justin he should speak with Luther or at the very least reply to one of the letters. Justin had given her a mostly neutral though a tiny bit terse, "Thanks for the advice," before walking away. Thankfully, she'd not followed or attempted further contact. Also thankfully, Luther hadn't come by the house while Justin was home nor written him there.
Nathan nudges him with an elbow. "Pass those potatoes, will you?"
His mouth full with a combination of buttered roll and even more buttery carrots, Justin grunts in response and reaches for the potatoes. Yawning as he passes the potatoes, making sure he covers his still full mouth as he does, Justin decides that although he's not even halfway done eating he's ready for that nap.
Smart Crystals
Author: Rowan Westwick
Date: 05-22-16 10:20
"Come on, come on, come on! Hurry, hurry!" urged Lon, as he swiftly led Rowan by the hand down one of the lesser used corridors. It was after breakfast but before their first class, Herbology, for which they would both undoubtedly be late.
"Why do you have to show me now and not when we have more time?" Rowan asked.
"Because it's ready now!" Lon exclaimed. He seemed awfully excited and very proud of himself.
"What is?" Rowan asked.
Instead of answering, Lon pulled her around a corner and stopped in front of the third door on the left. It led to an unused storage room. The chamber wasn't very big, but it wasn't too small either. In fact, when Lon opened the door and ushered Rowan inside, she saw that it comfortably contained several cauldrons, flasks and beakers, and various herbs and what looked like sweets from Honeydukes.
"Does Professor Snape have you working on a special project?" Rowan asked.
Lon chuckled. "Oh, no! I'm not sure he'd approve."
Rowan quirked an eyebrow. "So, what exactly are you doing here?"
"Remember one Hogsmeade trip when you mentioned wanting to get some Pepper Imps to keep you energized for all the extra school work we have this year?"
"Yeah…" Rowan looked at the cauldrons, which were each simmering with a different color liquid. "Wait, is this what I think it is?"
Lon beamed. "It sure is, Rowan. You're looking at the making of Smart Crystals, copyright Lon Irwin."
Rowan laughed. "Smart Crystals?"
"Smart Crystals!" Lon affirmed. He reached over for an ornate pill container and handed it to Rowan.
She eyed him with an amused expression and then popped open the lid of the container. Inside was a sheet of wax paper around a pile of what looked like yellow rock candy.
"Go ahead and try one. I bet you'll be super alert during Herbology class today. Take two and you'll stay up for Charms class."
"What exactly are Smart Crystals?" Rowan asked. She didn't think Lon had ventured into the illegal drug market, but she wanted to be sure before she tried one.
"Sugar, mostly," Lon said. "Pepper-up Potion. Some variety have cocoa or hot chillies. Citrus. A few other natural uppers. It's all totally safe, trust me."
Rowan popped one of the yellow crystals into her mouth. "Lemon," she remarked. "This is tasty."
Lon nodded and smiled. "They're all good, depending on what you like. Now that I've got a lot of this ready, I'm going to market it. With the O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s just around the corner, I think we've got prospective buyers. I figure we target the students who have mental breakdowns for sure, but for those harder sells, we've got to convince them that this stuff works. Will you help me with that? I bet I can get Pablo on board, and if he helps, Beatrix surely will."
"Do you think Professor McGonagall would be okay with this?"
"No," Lon admitted, "especially if we prey on the mental ones. She'll think we're just taking advantage."
"So, we've got to keep this underground."
Lon grinned. "You got it. So are you in, Rowan?"
Rowan said, "Okay. Can I keep this tin? I forgot to get Willow a birthday present."
"Sure, and give her this one," Lon said, handing over another old-fashioned pill container. The crystals inside were pink and tasted like bubblegum. "Maybe she can convince her fellow fifth years that they really need Smart Crystals to survive the O.W.L.s."
"Good idea. Thanks!"
Rowan tucked both tins into her bag and exclaimed, "Shit! We're late."
Lon had a solution. "We'll just tell the good professor that we had to stop by the Hospital Wing because we're freaking out about the N.E.W.T.s."
Rowan nodded. "Yeah, okay." She'd been late before, but not as late as they would probably be by the time they reached the greenhouses.
They left the storage room and booked it to Herbology class.
Administering The Potion
Author: Julian Valentine
Date: 05-22-16 20:55
As Caerwyn knocks on Iola's door Julian reaches past him to depress the doorbell. "I still can't get over the fact that Iola lives as a Muggle."
"There are times I can't either but when I'd come here to stay for a few days it seemed to make a certain sense, especially as much as Iola likes the television."
Julian presses the doorbell again, listening for the ring inside. "There is that. Since learning what television is and having seen some telly broadcasts I've thought how great it would be if we had a way to televise Quidditch matches and a few other events."
A full minute passes and still no Iola. Caerwyn knocks louder while his father makes sport of repeatedly pressing the doorbell.
"I don't understand why she's not answering. I let her know we were coming."
They can tell a few lights are on and they can hear voices and music prompting Julian to say, "I think the telly's on."
"Maybe she stepped out for a moment and thought she'd be back by the time we arrived." Caerwyn jiggles the door knob. "Oh. It's unlocked." He turns the knob fully and pushes the door open. "Iola?"
"Might as well wait inside," he says to Julian.
From the small entry hall Caerwyn leads down a hall going past the sitting room to what Iola calls her den. It's here they find the television on and Iola stretched out on a couch under a blanket, her eyes shut, her pallor bloodless enough to be a color of white as to look like she's wearing a layer of face powder. There is a spot of what looks like blood on the corner of her mouth and a blood spotted tissue on the throw pillow near Iola's head.
Caerwyn drops to his knees beside the couch. "Iola? Iola!" He pats her cheek several times, which causes her eyelids to flutter but not open. Over his shoulder he urgently says, "The potion, Dad."
Julian turns looking for the kitchen. There he locates where the coffee mugs and teacups are kept. Selecting an oversized mug he unscrews the cap of the thermos he carries. After pouring the steaming potion into the mug Julian takes from one pocket a small stoppered flask containing goat's milk. After he adds that to the mug, he fumbles through a couple of the kitchen drawers for something with which to stir the concoction. He finds some of the cooking implements, grabbing a metal spoon from there rather than wasting time looking for the drawer holding the forks, knives, and regular spoons.
Walking rapidly back to the den he joins Caerwyn kneeling. "Hold her head."
Together they get just over half the brew down Iola's throat without her coughing it right back up as she did the first two or three attempts. Caerwyn asks, "Is that enough?"
"Maybe a little more to be sure," Julian suggests, tilting the mug up again.
After that evening when Caerwyn had just finished up term at St. Emrys and Iola found him in a restaurant, Caerwyn went straight away and talked to Julian about what she'd said. Iola, without asking, showed up at the bookshoppe the next day with the family journals she'd mentioned that have information about the curse, the potion counter-curse, and the pendant with its key to the potion recipe, as well as where to find that recipe.
Deciding that Iola finally might be telling the truth, Julian retrieved the pendant from where he'd hidden it, giving Caerwyn an unapologetic shrug for never having let on he knew all along where it was.
Julian had insisted on going with Caerwyn to the Carew family vault to locate the jewelry box. That turned out to be easier said than done because apparently the Carews have had quite a thing for jewelry boxes. They'd tried seventy-four of them before the key worked. If asked, Caerwyn couldn't even begin to guess how many they hadn't checked.
The jewelry box the key opened did indeed contain a potion recipe. An extremely complicated potion with multiple stages and takes four weeks to make. When ready, a certain amount of the potion must be poured while hot into a mug or cup or something else from which to drink it with half that amount of icy cold goat's milk poured in after and mixed together.
Julian and Caerwyn end up being able to get all but a few drops down Iola. Her eyes have fluttered a few more times and though her face does not look as deathly pale she has yet to open her eyes or to speak.
They each take a seat and, with nothing much they can do for now but wait, Julian locates something interesting on the telly to help pass the time.
Casino
Author: Lee Sickleby
Date: 05-23-16 16:53
Lee took a flight of stairs that crisscrossed outside a red-tiled stucco building and stopped before a solid door. He wrapped his knuckles on it once, noting that he didn't make much of a sound and wondering if anyone would hear him from the inside. It became evident someone did, when the door opened and a burly wizard in black robes and wand in hand scrutinized Lee.
"Contraseña?"
"Veintiuna."
The burly wizard eyed Lee a second longer and then allowed him to pass into a narrow hallway that opened up in a cavernous, multilevel room. It was dim in the entire building, with sconces and candelabras spaced throughout, providing some light and casting many shadows. Lee walked around the balcony and made his way down a winding staircase to a level filled with blackjack tables.
The room was crowded––filled with employees of the casino and nightclub, as well as wealthy wizards with dubious habits. Lee locked eyes with Newell across the room, who was seated at one of the blackjack tables and appeared to be losing.
Newell subtly indicated with a slight tilt of his head to where Travers sipped champagne and flirted with a Spanish witch. Travers seemed to feel Lee's eyes on him and whispered something into the witch's ear. She gave him a meaningfully seductive look and then traipsed away to flirt with somebody else for the time-being.
Lee, meanwhile, crossed over to where Travers stood and plucked a champagne glass from the tray of a passing waiter along the way.
"Zukovsky is here," Travers murmured behind the rim of his glass.
"Surrounded by bodyguards, I would assume?"
"Naturally."
Zukovsky was a mob boss believed to have made a deal with the Russian government to use the Lada Priada in a criminal act. The exact nature of his plans remained unknown, and there was no definite proof his involvement with the government––at least not yet. Zukovsky lived in Madrid nowadays and was owner of the wizarding casino, which had a dangerous reputation and was only frequented by the rich and the seedy, or those who knew the password.
"How do you suggest we proceed?" Lee asked.
"We need to lure him out of his office via a distraction," Travers explained, "and I've got a plan to do it."
"What shall I do?"
"Get in that office the moment you can," Travers instructed, pointing up the stairs. "Give me about five minutes."
Travers walked away, setting his empty champagne glass on a tray. He left the main room for a hallway where the restrooms were. Lee, meanwhile, made his way back to the staircase and started to climb the winding stairs back to the balcony. He glanced over his shoulder at Newell, who he saw have given up the blackjack table and was casually making his way for the staircase too.
Lee was already on the balcony and Newell was halfway up when a commotion happened on the main floor. There was smoke and lights and spells ricocheted off the walls. Then a man wearing a ski mask jumped onto one of the blackjack tables and brandished his wand in the air.
"This is a stick up!"
Lee knew it was Travers doing it and worried that the distraction wouldn't last because there was no way Travers could feign a robbery on his own when he was vastly outnumbered by the casino-goers and employees alike. To his surprise, Travers wasn't acting alone. A half dozen other masked wizards appeared, carrying wands and sacks to stash jewelry and money.
Suddenly, a set of double doors burst open and a thick-necked, burly man similar in size and shape to the doorman emerged with a posse of equally large wizards. He breezed passed Lee and Newell and made his way all the way down the stairs to deal with the intruders personally.
Lee, meanwhile, inched to the doors, which had clicked shut and probably locked. He hoped he would have no trouble breaking in and that there weren't other guards waiting inside for him. Lee wanted to quickly find what he was looking for and get out before Zukovsky returned with his huge entourage.
Another Interview
Author: Errol
Date: 05-24-16 15:26
Megara sits in one of the three vacant chairs. "Will this take long?"
"No idea. Like I told you last time, you don't have to wait with me."
"The wait for the interview took longer than the interview last time."
"Why did you come? You could have waited at home and then come to meet up with the rest of us at the restaurant or you can go now and get there early, make sure we get a good table."
"And leave you all alone to wait?"
"I can't help that you're bored again, Megara. You need some hobby other than being a pest to me."
Megara grins and leans into Errol, "But it's soooo much fun. Why would I want another hobby? Tell me, why do you want to take another course with this woman when you've said several times you have the impression she doesn't care for you."
"I do get the feeling she doesn't like me much though I don't know why. I was always on time, always prepared, always did all the work required. Anyway, I learned a lot and I made good marks."
The office door opens and Errol more or less gently shoves Megara off him so he can get up. Professor Fairfax gestures, somewhat impatiently it seems to Errol. "Mr. Anderson." She looks then at Megara. "Are you here to see me?"
"No, professor. I'm here with Errol."
Quinn Fairfax acknowledges Megara's response then steps back into her office expecting Errol to follow. Once inside he shuts the door then takes the indicated seat.
"In case you are wondering, despite a previous interview and you being selected for a slot in one of my courses, I do require another face-to-face, Mr. Anderson. Why do you "
They're interrupted by a knock and the door opening without waiting for Professor Fairfax to respond. "Sorry for the intrusion. Quinn, do you have a moment? This is urgent."
"Of course, Elton. Excuse me a moment, Mr. Anderson."
Alone in Professor Fairfax's office Errol sits for a few minutes doing nothing but thinking about possible answers to questions she might ask him, basing those potential questions on the previous interview he had that gained him a space in one of her limited enrollment courses. After a few minutes he shifts then gets up, stretching a little. He takes a couple of steps over to a bookcase and starts looking at the titles there only to end up studying several photos in small frames.
He recognizes buildings and landmarks in three of them. In one Professor Fairfax stands smiling and laughing with another woman. Beside the other woman is a man who is currently turned half out of frame. Something about the man seems distinctly familiar. Errol keeps looking at the photo, waiting to see if the man will turn back. He even speaks to the man's figure but all that happens is the two women laugh more.
Hearing voices outside the door, he hastily returns the photo to the bookshelf, hoping he has placed it just as he found it. Professor Fairfax enters with an apology. "I'm sorry. That took longer than Professor Warner expected. As I was asking before we were interrupted, why are you interested in this particular course?"
Professor Fairfax only asks two other questions, Errol thinking perhaps it's because she's now behind in whatever schedule she has for the day or maybe because she left him waiting for more than a minute or two. He has no idea and, just like last time, he also has no idea whether he's answered the total of three questions to her satisfaction. He won't know if he's made the cut until closer to the start of this next term.
Out of her office when he and Megara are approaching the Floo they will use to meet some friends for lunch, he wraps up the short version of the interview by saying, "I'm not sure because he was only in part of the frame and turned away but I think one of the photos Professor Fairfax has in her office has my father in it."
Dancing
Author: Chance Morgan Lovell
Date: 05-25-16 15:59
It had been a few days since Bronwyn's birthday and the party that they had had at a Club in London; the party consisted of Chance, Justus, Bronwyn and Toby. They two couples had a good time dancing, eating good (greasy) bar food and drinking.
They had all decided that they needed to do this more often because they were having a blast. It was the most fun that Chance had had in a long time. They laughed and talked and told stories about all kinds of things as they just enjoyed each other's company.
*~*~*~*~*
Chance busied herself at work she was trying to get the last of the pictures done so that she could home early. She was going to have dinner ready for Justus when he got to her house and she hoped to suggest that maybe they move in with each other. It was not as if they did not know each other even though they had not been dating all that long. She just knew that she wanted to be close to him always.
An hour passed and Chance was on her way to the store to get some food for dinner. When she was done she headed home and when she arrived there she went inside and began preparing for dinner. She was making 4 cheese tortellini with a white wine and cream sauce. There would also be Caesar salad and fresh bread sticks.
Chance was twirling her wand over a pot of hot water stirring the tortellini when there was a knock at the door. She called towards the door for the person to come in. The door opened and Justus announced himself.
"Honey I'm home." He called.
Chance laughed and strained the pasta before going to the hall where she met with Justus. He leaned in kissing her and they both were smiling when they parted. Leading the way into the kitchen Chance poured Justus a drink and the two talked while she got dinner ready.
It was going to be a good night Chance had a good feeling about it.