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Make-Up Exam
Author: Kissy Isuki
Date: 12-05-17 19:18
"Time."
Bernard Ollis puts down his quill double checking the exam when Kissy tells him, "Be sure you wrote your name on it."
"I'll have your score for you tomorrow when I return everyone else's," she says, accepting the exam from him.
"Thank you," he replies, gathering this things.
"You're looking much better than the other day," Kissy remarks.
"I mostly feel better but I'm tired a lot."
Bernard had missed an exam when on his way to class Thursday, with no warning he threw up several times then passed out. He'd spend the time until just before curfew last night under Madam Pomfrey's supervision, and at the insistence of Bernard's parents, also seen to be a healer from St. Mungo's. He'd had a nasty form of the flu that was thankfully short-lived. Also thankfully is that while other students have had the virus, none have been as badly affected as Bernard was.
Bernard takes his leave, probably heading for the Great Hall for dinner. Kissy soon goes there as well, taking the exam in a folder to take to the flat to grade after she eats. With Cameron filling in an evening shift for a sick colleague - likely with the same strain of flu as Bernard had - and with Everett and Callista spending the night with their Weatherby grandparents, she won't be ignoring anyone once at the flat during the short time required to go over the exam.
Reaching the Great Hall, Kissy realizes she's much hungrier than she knew. Taking a seat at the head table, she's glad now that she didn't grade the exam first and then come to eat.
(Aleydis) On the Job
Author: Griet
Date: 12-06-17 08:18
Aleydis ducked down the narrow, uneven stairs to Knockturn Alley. Ever since starting her job at E.L.M. and Wizards Undertakers & Embalmers, she had taken to clutching her wand in her pocket––just in case. She'd never once had to use it or brandish it as a warning to the unsavory types who tended to congregate in the darkened alley, but she didn't want to be caught unaware.
She'd almost not applied for the entry-level mortician position at the Knockturn Alley funeral home because of the area's reputation and the belief that the establishment itself lived up to the stereotype, but she had and was very glad in the end. Although in a seedy part of London, the funeral home was actually a legal, upstanding business.
Whether it was true or just a thought in her mind, Aleydis supposed the establishment's location had to do with the unpleasantness of its business. Diagon Alley seemed full of wonderful and whimsical shoppes. Dealing with the death of a loved one and planning a funeral didn't seem to fit that mold. Aleydis had not visited any of the other shoppes in Knockturn Alley to know if any of them were decent, but the general vibe of everything was dark and depressing.
She hurried to the funeral home, loathing how winter made the sun come up late in the morning and set early in the afternoon. The constant darkness made Knockturn Alley all the more spooky. Aleydis let herself into the lobby and went to her locker to stow her cloak and other winter accessories. Then, she went into the break room to fix a cup of coffee.
Aleydis found her coworker Anya Epperson already there, nursing a giant cup between her hands. Anya was slightly over forty years old, with reddish-blonde hair cut just below her ears. She had brown eyes and a pretty face.
"Morning," Anya murmured.
"Morning," Aleydis said. She grabbed a much smaller mug and poured herself a cup of coffee.
"I was thinking we should get hot takeaway for lunch. What do you think?"
Aleydis liked the idea very much. Maybe she could even convince Basil to stop by with the meal. "Soup, or stew?"
"Either is exactly what I was thinking. Something that will warm us up from the inside." Anya drained her giant cup of coffee in the same amount of time it took Aleydis to finish her much smaller one. They took turns washing out their cups in the sink and then got to work.
A deceased, elderly witch who had died of natural causes had come in overnight. The funeral home had a 24-hour attendant for such instances. The body was currently on a slab, magically refrigerated to temporarily prevent decomposition. Aleydis and Anya donned their gear, which included smocks and gloves, and then used their wands to begin the embalming process.
Wednesday Lunch
Author: Saffron
Date: 12-08-17 18:26
Jordan looks up from reading over Herbology, his only Wednesday afternoon class, fork halfway between plate and mouth, as Erik slides into the spot next to him. "Some of us are thinking of getting up a Quidditch game after Herbology."
"There time before the house teams start practice?"
Erik shrugs. "Depends on who's seeker and getting the snitch, doesn't it? Anyway, if we aren't done by then we can move to another part of the grounds or just quit and go by who's got the most goals."
"Sure, okay, I guess."
A little father along the table Jaclyn Rex requests of Abraham Albright, "Read over this, please. I'm missing something but can't put my finger on it."
Abe takes Jaclyn's Charms homework, reading over the part she's indicated. "Yeah, something's off but," he gives a shake of his head, "I'm not sure exactly what. Vincent?" He shoves the parchment at the person on his other side, Vincent Oliver.
By the time the homework makes it back to Jaclyn it's gone around to all the other Ravenclaw third years, with two of them able to help her figure out what's lacking. Ignoring her lunch while she hastily makes the required edits, Charms taking place directly after the meal, she gets it done in time to finish eating, though just barely. Taking a last gulp of warm, spiced pumpkin juice, Jaclyn jumps up to join her friends, along with many other students with 1:15 classes, exiting the Great Hall.
One of those others is Ingrid. She enjoys Muggle Studies but at the moment she'd rather be going back to her dorm, to her bed, and taking a nap. She'd slept poorly last night for some reason. Unfortunately, Ingrid has no good reason to skip Muggle Studies or her class after, Fitness & Athletics. Sighing, she hoists her satchel further up her shoulder, thinking she'll get a snack after F&A to take to her room then go to bed early, skipping dinner altogether.
As they pass through the doors from the Great Hall, Bran grins at Kurt and Estella. "Have fun in class."
Estella grumbles, "You say that every time."
"I can't help it that I'm done for the day and you're not."
Kurt and Estella are headed for Ancient Runes then afterwards Estella has Arithmancy & Divination. As Estella and he turn one direction, Kurt reminds Bran, "You owe me a chess match. Meet you around 3 in the Commons."
Leaving the Great Hall not far behind Bran, Estella, and Kurt, Hope and Katheryn reluctantly head for Potions. Though both like learning to brew many of the potions they've covered so far this year, neither is overly fond of Professor Snape. Katheryn tries to see the positive and murmurs, "At least after this we're done with the class for the week."
"Other than massive amounts of studying," Hope glumly states.
"That's right, ruin it for me," Katheryn laughs. Hope grins, which for some reason sets both girls to giggling. It's only with the entrance of a sour faced Severus Snape into Potions class that they are able to stop.
Paper Cut
Author: Susan Fricks
Date: 12-09-17 03:16
Susan was at the Common Commons working on her History of Magic homework, seated by a small table. Titus Nott occupied a comfortable armchair next to the table. The table was full only by Susan's things, such as books, parchments, quills and an ink pot. Susan and Titus had developed this routine, where she would work on her homework and he would provide her some silent company by reading one of his textbooks. Unlike Susan, whose study method included class notes, extra books and dozens of summaries, written in several ink colors, Titus would just sit and read.
They had developed this dynamic, where they keep each other company in silence. Sometimes she would stand and bring snacks for both of them, others he would fetch her hot chocolate or tea. There was also times Titus would close his book with a sigh, and walk across the Common Commons, to give a lecture to some first years who were misbehaving, doing his job as a prefect. One time, he expelled a group of loud third years from the room, because Susan was having a hard time focusing with the noise they were doing. She was aware that if she wanted silence she should go to the library, and she was already gathering her things to do so, when Titus told the third years to leave, under the pretext they were breaking the Common Commons rules not by making noise but because one of them had his feet on the coffee table. Titus considered that he was damaging school property. The entire group was forced to leave. Although a bit shocked by the way he had used his prefect privileges, Susan found Titus' action quite endearing and she displayed a smile for the rest of that evening.
She was researching the name of a goblin leader from the XV century on a book, when the paper cut the tip of her right finger. She flinched, and thin drops of blood stained the book. Ignoring the pain, Susan looked in panic to the book, certain that she would be lectured as this was a library book. She might even loose some house points. Titus made a pause on his reading, noticing Susan's anxiety.
"Are you all right?" he asked.
She nodded.
"It was just a paper cut."
"Let me see," he said, putting his book down.
Susan showed him her injured finger.
"It's a deep cut," Titus declared, gently holding her finger in both his hands. Susan noticed his finger nails were bitten. She never noticed that before. What could he be nervous about?
He ripped a bit of his school robes, and used it to bandage her finger, to stop the bleeding. Susan protested, saying he was ruining his school robes, and he shrugged his shoulders, saying he didn't care. He then pointed his wand at the book, and cleaned its blood-stained surface with a spell Susan didn't know about.
"Thank you," she said.
"You should take a break from homework for a while. And if it keeps hurting, we should go to Madam Pomfrey, just in case."
He held her hand once again, so he could check his work with the improvised bandage. Susan found herself wishing he wouldn't let go of it, as it was such a nice feeling.
Risborough
Author: Hermione Granger
Date: 12-09-17 15:23
Hermione stamped her feet where she stood. She was in the hills between the towns Princes Risborough and Monks Risborough in Buckinghamshire. She had taken the latter half of her afternoon off to rendezvous with Tonks, Dierna ní Cíaran, and Emmeline Vance. They were looking for a purported monastery in the area.
Hermione's research suggested there may have been a pre-Norman conquest monastic house relating to Canterbury in the Risborough hills, but there was very little information about its existence. In fact, Muggle historians seemed to think the monastery may not have ever been established. When compiling her list of places to investigate, Hermione took those sorts of beliefs with a grain of salt. Wizards could make things disappear from the landscape and memory very easily.
The four witches were all dressed as Muggles and carried flashlights instead of wands. Although both towns at the foot of the hills were tiny and it seem unlikely that anybody would be roaming the hills after dark, the ladies didn't want to take their chances. Their wands were stowed to avoid drawing attention from any Muggles they might meet.
"We really should have done this by daylight," Hermione said, glad she had thought to put on a hand, scarf, and mittens, in addition to her long, beige peacoat.
"The problem is there's so little of it in the winter," Tonks said. Her breath fogged up in front of her face.
"And we don't want to delay our search," Emmeline added.
The group had started out at Princes Risborough, which had three churches: St. Mary's (Protestant), St. Teresa's (Catholic), and a Baptist church. Only St. Mary's was centuries old, but it obviously hadn't been taken over by the Death Eaters. The four witches had looked around, playing tourists, and then wandered up into the hills to check for any sign of a hidden monastery.
The hills were vast and marked with trails that seemed endless. There was no way they could make a thorough search in one afternoon, even if they were to split up. It was also really dark, making it easy to overlook things. Nevertheless, the general feeling was that there was nothing to find. The sneakoscope Dierna carried in her pocket hadn't gone off once. If there were Death Eaters in the vicinity, surely something would have happened.
The group decided to wander down to Monks Risborough. The little town had only one church, St. Dunstan's. It had never been a monastery, though it had belonged to Canterbury. Perhaps the purported Risborough Priory was really just St. Dunstan's by another name. If it was, then it obviously wasn't a Death Eater stronghold.
Hermione didn't want to cross the monastery off her list without doing a second look around during daylight. The others agreed. Before departing, they decided to get a drink at a local pub. They went into The Red Lion and discussed their next plan of action over pints.
(Willow) Getting a Head Start
Author: Rowan Westwick
Date: 12-10-17 17:21
Willow and Amorica left Charms for the Great Hall. Both had Defense Against the Dark Arts directly after lunch, but then Willow was free for the rest of the day. Amorica also had Astronomy at midnight.
They sat down together at the Slytherin table and reached for some of the lunch items on the table. Willow grabbed a slice of pepperoni pizza and another one that had assorted meats on it. Then, she poured herself a glass of pumpkin fizz.
After she'd taken a few bites, she wiped her fingers on a napkin and reached for a catalog stashed between her textbooks in the bag at her feet. She and Amorica had both put their names in for Secret Santa this year. All the participants had learned the identity of their gift recipients over breakfast, when Professor McGonagall had gone around with slips of parchment bearing names.
There may be 25 days left until Christmas, but Willow didn't want to procrastinate. She had a lot on her plate already, specifically her many classes and the extreme load of homework she received each and every day. This was also the year she would be taking the NEWTs, which was the main reason why Willow had bowed out of being Quidditch commentator.
This Christmas she had drawn Hope Hyland's name. Willow had also drawn Hope's name four Christmases ago. If she remembered correctly, she'd gotten Hope snowflake-shaped soaps that year. Willow for sure didn't want to duplicate the gift or get Hope something remotely similar, in case she had a good memory of what Willow had previously given her.
That was another reason why she wanted to start perusing store catalogs early. With any luck she'd find something worth ordering, but if not, then she'd have to pick something up during the Hogsmeade trip on Saturday.
As it turned out, the item Willow ultimately settled on, with Amorica's input of course, was a beautiful black skirt with golden embroidery in the shape of tiny stars, moons and pegasi on the hem. It was both classy and cute, and magical to boot. The item was sold at Gladrag's, and if Willow put an owl order in for it, she could pick it up in store on Saturday. She decided to do just that, since it would be slightly cheaper than having it owled to Hogwarts.
Willow made plans to go to the Owlery after DADA class. Not only would she send off the order form for Hope's Christmas gift, but she also wanted to send a letter to Justin. She was going home for Christmas, and hopefully they could spend some quality time together.
Twins
Author: Sirius Padfoot Black
Date: 12-11-17 19:01
Mira leans over James's shoulder. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing."
"Is too."
"No."
"You're throat's sore."
"Wha... how did you know?"
Mira just smiles sweetly at him. James rolls his eyes. Swinging around him to an empty chair she states, "You've not been to Madam Pomfrey."
"Not yet."
"Why?"
"Doesn't hurt that badly."
"If you go, it might not hurt at all AND if you're getting sick, she might be able to stop it."
"Maybe."
She plucks at his sleeve. "Come on. I'll go with."
"I'm in the middle of homework."
"It can wait. All you have tomorrow is Fitness and Athletics."
"Why do you care if I go or not?"
"I'm not just your sister, I'm your twin. Duh."
"What does that have to do with it?"
Mira fixes James with a stubborn expression he knows all to well. "Don't make me tell Dad."
Letting out an exasperated sigh, James shoves his things into his bookbag. Mira smiles sweetly again. As James actually feels worse than he's let on but having an obstinate streak himself that had him putting off going to the hospital wing, he's grateful that Mira's forcing his hand. Not that he'd ever tell her that. Besides, she probably already knows.
Michaelmas Term Ends
Author: Fritz Schnackenpfefferhausen
Date: 12-12-17 18:12
Fritz sits at his desk in his office at St. Emrys and eats flaked tuna seasoned with lemon pepper for lunch. He reads some departmental memos while he eats. When he's done, he'll probably go back to marking final exams. He can't believe that his first term as professor at the university is already at its end. It feels like October was only yesterday.
Overall, he thinks Michaelmas Term went well. The nervousness he felt on his first day of lecturing in front of adult students never really went away, but nothing ever went awry. He didn't goof up, and his students didn't give him any sort of trouble. It was a nice start to his new career.
The last departmental memo read, Fritz turns to his stack of final exams, when his eye falls on a Marks & Spencer shopping bag. Fritz did a little shopping in Muggle London for his parents and cousin Otto, and he also came away with a gift for his Secret Santa recipient.
Fritz drew first year Gryffindor student Schuyler Weasley's name. Schuyler is Hogwarts Potions professor Majandra Weasley's nephew. He's also cousin to the triplets Gideon, Larkin, and Seth. Fritz doesn't really know Schuyler since he's too young to be in Alchemy class and he's also not in the Alchemy club, but he was once a little boy himself and has an idea what boys like and need.
While out shopping, Fritz came upon a sale on winter coats. He ended up choosing a black one with gray lining and lime green accents for Schuyler. It is lightweight but also thermal and will no doubt keep the first year warm. Fritz just needs to wrap it up and bring it with him to Hogwarts. He's got office hours there this afternoon, so at the very least, he can bring the jacket and stash it in his office at the castle until he gets his hands on some wrapping paper.
(Azaelia) A Bit Moody
Author: Isolde
Date: 12-13-17 18:30
Azaelia entered the Great Hall and made her way to the High Table, where she sat down next to Majandra. She helped herself to some salmon, rice, and a side salad with a hunk of freshly baked bread. Azaelia ate mostly in silence, though she answered any time Maj asked her a question.
She was in a bit of a mood because she didn't know where Robert was. Ordinarily, she wouldn't mind his absence, since their marriage was basically a sham at this point. The fact that she knew he was being investigated by the Ministry of Magic and that she had been told to act as if everything was peachy between them made Azaelia want to know where Robert was and what he was doing.
Was he meeting up with the Death Eaters instead of sitting down to dinner with his wife? Perhaps he was working late––that was his typical excuse––but Azaelia kind of doubted it. It could be easily checked, though. Azaelia also knew that he wasn't at practice. She had gotten her hands on his schedule. Tweedmouth was on hiatus this week.
Azaelia just wanted it all to be over. How long did Robert need to be investigated before the aurors made an arrest? What line would he need to cross to go to prison sooner than later? Azaelia wanted to file for divorce, but she didn't dare get advice from an attorney while she was supposed pretend her marriage was perfect.
"So, did you get me for Secret Santa?" Maj asked with a grin.
Azaelia tried not to be so glum when she responded, "No."
In fact, she had gotten a Weasley, and a female one at that––just not Majandra. Azaelia's Secret Santa recipient was Larkin Weasley. Azaelia had browsed shopping catalogs since she hadn't had time to venture out to any stores, though she planned on doing so tomorrow during the students' Hogsmeade trip.
Azaelia hadn't purchased anything yet, but she was strongly leaning towards buying Larkin three pair of earrings. The first pair were in the shape of a cat's head, the faces of which were sparkly, purplish stones. The second pair were also cats, but these cats had golden unicorn horns on the tops of their heads. The third pair were unicorns.
The earrings set was super cute, and Azaelia had a feeling that Larkin would not only like them, but she'd also be the envy of all the other girls.