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Taking a Break
Author: Lysander Stratford
Date: 09-13-10 18:54
Lysander stepped outside the bookshop and perched on the thin ledge in front of the large windows that faced High Street. He sipped a warm mug of hot cocoa and basked in the wonderfully sunny day. Fall was definitely here. The air had a chill to it that would prevent Lysander from staying outside for too long, but for the moment he was quite content to be there.
As he perched there and sipped his cocoa, he gazed in the direction of Hogwarts. Julian was there to promote the Drama Club, which he had volunteered to sponsor. Once upon a time, Lysander had also had business at the school, but he had long completed the assessment of the library collection initially for Professor Snider and then for Professor Dumbledore upon the latter's return.
Lysander's gaze inadvertently swept to Gringotts next. He had heard about the mysterious note Bill Weasley had received that seemed to have something to do with Helena Tufton and perhaps Adriana Fairchild as well. As tempting as it might be to mess with the Weasel's mind in that way, Lysander would never involve Helena. Even that was a line he wouldn't cross.
He started to wonder who might be sick enough to taunt a person with the memory of someone long dead when something else caught his eye, an owl making a beeline straight for Twice Told Tales. At the last moment, it flew past Lysander and the shoppe and continued on through the village. Curious, Lysander got up and followed it. He watched as it flew over to the cemetery and made a few confused circles before it turned around 180 degrees and went back the way it had come.
It was an owl Lysander didn't recognize. It was large with a powerful wingspan, though it only carried a small load, a thin envelope. Unfortunately, it was too far away for Lysander to see if he could make out an addressee. He'd walked back to Twice Told Tales and kept his eyes trained on the owl as it grew smaller and smaller. When it was out of sight, he shook his head and went back into the store.
Oh The Drama!
Author: Julian Valentine
Date: 09-13-10 20:32
The table at the Drama Club's booth is covered with a piece of red velvet draped so that it resembles stage curtains. On display are costumes from last year's productions. The really big event had been Boreas and Kalandra but there had been a few other things through the term as well. There are also props, photos, and handbills. Julian has a sign-up sheet and in information sheet that he'd put together based on the most frequently asked questions on last year's Club Day.
Julian's also got information on the productions he's hoping to have the club do term. Because of Briar's being raised by an Auror with one foot firmly planted in the Muggle world, she'd come to love many of the Muggle fairy tales and fables. She even picked the name Briar from one. Due to her love of these stories it was natural for Briar to want to share them with Grace. Although Julian has had far more contact with the Muggle world than would be expected of someone with his background, including having gone to Muggle university, he wasn't all that familiar with even the most popular of the Muggle tales until exposed to them by Briar through Grace. Julian now reads them to both Grace and Charlotte, and Grace is starting to read some of them as well on her own. Even Caerwyn has sat through listening to Julian or Briar reading to one or both of the girls.
When Julian first began gathering copies of these stories in play form, his mother raised her eyebrows and tsk disapprovingly. "Muggle plays, Julian? Honestly. I thought I raised you better."
Each time she'd brought it up, Julian replied, "Mum, there's magic galore in these stories."
She'd always tsk again and say, "But they are Muggle."
"With lots of magic, some of it challenging at that for a stage production."
Lisette would roll her eyes and delicately shrug, hands turned palm up as if to say, "Hopeless. Utterly hopeless. Where did I go wrong?"
One of the stories Julian has listed is one called Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. It should be fun doing a mix of stage make-up and transfiguration to achieve a look for each dwarf. There's a magical mirror. In one part the evil queen transforms into an old, ugly crone. Julian thinks that the combination of a story new to the audience along with some interesting magic in the form of charms and transfigurations will make the play a success. If enough students who try out for it have the voices for it, they could even do the musical version.
There are lots of others, such as Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, Jack and the Beanstalk, and Rumpelstiltskin. Some have less magic than others and some aren't very long. Julian figures that one production could be comprised of several of these shorter stories. One story he'd like to tackle that would most likely be a production unto itself is one called The Wizard of Oz. It's one he learned about through Aaron Miller. The story is actually one from a series of books by some Muggle named Frank L. Baum. At least Julian thinks he was a Muggle but having now read most of the books in the series, he wouldn't be at all surprised to learn the man was a Wizard. Of all the books in the series about a land called Oz, The Wizard of Oz was adapted into a stage play and then was made into one of those Muggle productions called a movie. Aaron invited Julian to come watch the movie at Cloud's Kiss and he'd taken Caerwyn, Gus, Charlotte, and Grace with him. They'd all enjoyed watching it though Julian did note some changes from the book version to the screen version. Aaron explained to him that it's not that unusual for film makers to do that and in the case of the Wizard of Oz, some of the changes were because of the technical aspect of Muggles taking the story from page to stage to movie screen. Or in the case of the silver slippers Dorothy has in the book to the ruby ones she wears in the movie, it was due to the color showing up better for what was then a still very new innovation, color in film. No matter what color of shoes used for the Hogwarts Drama Club production, Julian thinks it would be a rousing success.
He's putting cut out, decorated sugar biscuits on a plate when Caerwyn approaches carrying a mug of tea. He hands it to Julian, careful not to slosh the hot liquid. "Mmmmmm. Did Briar make those? They smell yum."
Julian swats at the hand Caerwyn's using to reach for one of the biscuits. "Yes, Briar made them and knowing you'd want to eat them all she sent you some." Julian retrieves a Briar's Bakery box and hands it to his son asking as he does, "How were Quidditch tryouts? What's the word on the team?"
"Tryouts went really well I think. Don't know who's been picked though. Coach Batuti hasn't made the announcement. You sent back the permission slip for me to go to the matches whether I'm chosen for the team or not?"
"Nope. Don't want you going all those places."
Caerwyn looks crestfallen. "So why'd you let me try out for the team then?"
Julian smirks. "You actually believed me just then?"
Caerwyn makes a face. "Don't joke about something so seriously important," but then he laughs good naturedly.
Julian takes a sip of his tea before asking, "How was trying out? What did you do?"
Caerwyn explains, "We got put into groups and then did a lot of drills and exercises."
"What sort of drills and exercises?"
"Oh, you know, things like sprints. Trying to hit moving target with a bludger. Catching and passing the quaffle. Dodging bludgers. Catching snitches. Flying an ostacle course for speed and manurverbility."
"Maneuverability."
"That's what I said," Caerwyn grins, knowing full well he'd managled the word somewhat. "Anyway, I signed up only for beater. I don't love the other positions as much and decided that I'd rather someone who did love them get chosen for them."
Caerwyn's thoughtfulness even when it comes to making the Quidditch team is yet another way he's so different from Julian, or even from his mother Afton for that matter. Julian would have put his name in for every position to increase his chances of being selected and thought sod all about whether someone should be chosen for a position over him simply because that position wasn't his favorite. He doesn't voice any of this aloud, however, instead asking, "Was that all to there was to trying out this year?"
"No, we did scrimmages again. Because I only signed up for beater, I was put in as beater for each scrimmage. You should have seen one of the matches, Dad! I had such a perfectly timed shot the bludger hit the quaffle and knocked it off course before it went through the hoop for a goal."
"Sounds like an excellent hit." Julian finds himself grinning at his son's enthusiasm.
"In the three scrimmages combined my bludgers enabled ten steals and helped stop five goals! If I make the team, will you come watch me play even though there's only one match here at school?"
"You know I will and Grace would want to come with me. Briar probably too and Charlotte. If Lysander wants, we can have one of the employees run the shoppe those days or just shut down altogether."
"Excellent!"
A couple of girls who look to be either first or second years approach the Drama Club booth so Caerwyn gives Julian a grin, says, "See you later, Dad," and munching on one of the sugar biscuits, goes to see what's keeping Gus Hodfuffer.
Dueling Club
Author: Ethan Somerset
Date: 09-14-10 18:28
Ethan and Kissy stood on either side of their booth for the dueling club and spoke to anyone interested in finding out more about it. The dueling club had been popular last year, and already this year a number of students crowded around the booth to sign up or pick up one of the flyers describing the club.
After a busy start to the morning, the crowd near the booth temporarily thinned, allowing Kissy to excuse herself for a moment to get something to drink.
"Do you want anything?" she asked, as she started to move away from the table.
"Please. Whatever you're having."
"Back in a tick, then," Kissy said. She disappeared behind a group of sixth year girls, who were congregating around the table Julian Valentine had set up for the drama club.
Ethan grinned, noticing how they giggled and blushed around the Hogsmeade bookseller and then gave a start when he realized that someone was standing directly before him.
Penn Ellison's gaze was devoid of any expression, which along with his pale complexion and dark attributes made him seem all the more disturbing. Ethan still found something off about the boy, though he had no legitimate complaint about him. Penn did all of his assignments diligently and extraordinarily well. He really was a model student.
Ethan made an attempt to relax and offered the first year a smile. "Are you interested in joining the dueling club?"
Penn replied, "I am. Very much. Can you tell me more about it?"
"Certainly." Ethan reached for a flyer and handed it to Penn as he explained about how the club worked and what sorts of spells they practiced. When he finished, he asked, "Is that sufficient enough explanation for you?"
Penn nodded and then paused, cocking his head to the side. "Do we ever get to practice against adults, or do we only ever duel other students?"
"Professor Isuki and I do demonstrations, often with each other but sometimes with students," Ethan replied, curious to know why Penn had asked that question.
"I only ask because you and Professor Isuki are more experienced than even the oldest students in the club and would be more like any real opponent we might face."
Ethan could find no fault with Penn's reasoning and said only, "True."
He felt an awkward silence come between them and looked over to see Kissy approaching with two teacups. Penn, in the interim, stepped forward and bent over the table to sign his name to the list.
"A new recruit?" Kissy asked, as she passed Ethan his teacup and smiled at Penn.
"Penn is one of my best students," Ethan said very geniunely.
"That's good to hear. I look forward to seeing what you can do in our club!"
"Thank you, Professor," Penn replied. His gaze flicked from Kissy's to Ethan's and then he backed away to visit another table.
Busy Schedule (Jack)
Author: Kody
Date: 09-14-10 19:49
Jack Emerson had eaten breakfast in the Great Hall a few hours ago. He'd left to crawl back in bed for a little longer, then had made himself hole up in the library doing research for a paper. With today being Club Day, he figured a lot of people would go straight away to have a look around once the Great Hall was open to them again, it having been closed for the short time it took to get all the booths in place and those working first shift there to man them. That in turn meant an increase in the likelihood that the particular book Jack's needing to finish this report will be available since it's an in library use only reference book. To his relief, it was available and Jack was able to finish his paper. The five pages are parchment are now neatly tucked into a folder for safekeeping and Jack, though with homework still to finish, is standing just inside the entrance of the Great Hall. There's OWL prep work to do as well but Jack thinks it's a little early for his mum to be so stressed about it that she's constantly sending him study materials and articles she's cut out with tips and advice.
Starting at one of the tables offering up snacks and lunch items such as sandwiches even though it's not yet time for lunch, Jack mulls over what clubs there are this year. He thinks they're all the same from last year with no new ones in the offering and doesn't think any from last year are missing today. Chewing on a rich, buttery bite of some sort of cake, Jack's mind goes to the OWLs again. If he's as busy this year as he was last, then maybe getting a head start isn't a bad idea afterall, especially with each of his classes ratcheting up expecations and loading him down with work. If Jack makes the Quidditch team, there's practice to factor in and the extra time away for matches, as the team will go earlier than anyone else from school attending an away match so as to better adjust to any time differences and get in at least one practice on an unknown pitch. A person might think that if you've played one pitch you've played them all. Not true. There are differences in wind currents. The altitude of the pitch can also mean the air around it is thinner than what one's used to. Even angles of the sun coming into the pitch can make a difference. A pitch on a fairly straight east-west axis means time of day and location of the sun makes a world of difference. With a north-south axis, there's still sun to consider but not like with an east-west aligned pitch. The location of the pitch can play a role as well. Is the area wetter? Dryer? Colder? Hotter? Lots and lots of things to take in so if the Hogwarts team is playing at schools in vastly different regions from here, that time practicing at a foreign pitch can be very important.
Jack catches sight of Theodosia Batuti, wanting for the millionth time since tryouts last week to go up and ask if the team roster is ready to be announced. He doesn't though, knowing she's getting really tired of being asked that question even after having made it clear that as soon as the roster is ready, the team will be announced.
Last Saturday, Jack had tried out for chaser. He'd thought about putting his name in for other positions but once he was actually signing in for the trials, he decided no, he only wants chaser. If he can't play in that position, he'll just have to be content to be a spectator. He put forth 100% effort no matter whether a drill was more geared toward chaser or not. Jack's not the type to half-ass something unless he's got a bloody good reason for it. He did do best at the drills centered on sprinting, having to think fast in flight, maneuvering, and anything involving the quaffle.
During the scrimmages, Jack played chaser each time he was selected. In one match, his squad lost but Jack scored two of his team's three goals with one of them entirely unassisted. In another match, he made three goal attempts without success but helped with each of the goals his team made for a win. In all his scrimmage matches, Jack did his best to get along with some players who don't have reputations as being team players or easy to get along with. He blocked, passed, raced up and down the pitch, dodged bludgers and got hit a few times as well, and all in all feels he did really well. With there being more slots on the team than normal, though how many he doesn't know, Jack feels that despite there being a lot of other kids trying out for chaser last week, he's got a good shot of being selected for the Hogwarts team.
Grabbing another slice of the buttery cake off the table, with Quidditch on the brain, Jack decides to head first to the Athletics Club table. Dueling Club is a definite and he's thinking of Drama Club. The Muggle Studies Club might be fun but then a few others interest him as well. Problem is, with OWLs this year, Jack has a lot less time than he's had in the past for extracurriculars. Still, it doesn't hurt to at least check them all out.
Astronomy Club
Author: Illyria
Date: 09-15-10 19:10
A midnight blue cloth made of velvet and speckled with silver stars covered Illyria's table in the Great Hall. She sponsored the Astronomy Club, wherein students who wanted to learn more about astronomy and conduct viewings on the observation deck outside of class could join her every Friday evening. Neither Illyria nor Professor Quigley had class on Friday nights, so the observation deck was available for club use.
On the table Illyria had a sign-up sheet, pamphlets, and then items like a telescope, an astrolabe, and other tools modern and historical astronomers have used to study the night sky.
"How is the astronomy club different than astronomy class?" one student asked Illyria.
"Well, for starters, there's no homework or any tests in Astronomy Club. It's purely for fun," Illyria explained. "Also, we talk about whatever you want to talk about. There's no syllabus to follow or anything like that, though if there's an important celestial event happening one time or another, then I will want us to have a look at it. Some things are once in a lifetime and not to be missed!"
"Like what?"
"Like the transit of Venus––that's when the planet moves between the Sun and Earth––which happened just this summer and which hadn't happened in 122 years. Also, there are comets that only visit every x number of years or meteor showers that are only viewable every so often. There's a lot that happens out there," Illyria went on, sweeping her hand up to where the enchanted ceiling in the Great Hall showed a blue sky with puffy white clouds, "that are rarer than you might think."
"Do we get extra credit for class if we join?" the same hopeful student asked.
Illyria smiled. "Sorry, no."
The student decided to debate her other options and wandered to another table.
Illyria took the opportunity of not having anyone at her table to sit down and nibble on a sweet she'd picked up at the snack table. Her mind wandered first to Ronan, who had recently started a new job he seemed to enjoy, at least so far. Then she thought about Roland, who had gotten himself in trouble for his part in the illegal gambling ring in Knockturn Alley, though it seemed unlikely that he would see any time in prison. He'd found himself a decent solicitor and would likely only have to do a certain amount of community services hours.
Illyria only knew about it because a blurb on Marcus Hubbs had appeared in The Daily Prophet not too long ago, and Roland had gotten himself a small, unflattering mention. Hopefully he would learn his lesson now and try to become the person she once knew and loved.
She perked up when another student came over to the table and asked about the telescope. Illyria got up and allowed the student to look through the eyepiece while she talked about that particular model and telescopes in general.
Checking Out The Clubs (Olive, Jade, Hunter)
Author: Emerald Green
Date: 09-15-10 19:29
On the previous Saturday, Olive had gone down to the pitch not with her friends but with her brother and younger sister. In a way, Olive was envious of their having had more exposure to the Wizarding World than she'd had before beginning Hogwarts. That envy extends to their having had years to practice flying. Where Aunt Blythe and Uncle Woody live, the Green siblings have more freedom to play around on brooms than a lot of other kids. This meant that Jade and Hunter have had a few years to learn Quidditch and like their two older sisters, they are athletic and took to the game right away. Olive wasn't the least bit surprised when both announced their intentions at summer's end to try out for their house team. At the time, they were sure they'd be sorted into the same house and had no idea there wouldn't be house teams this school year. There was a brief moment after the Sorting Ceremony but before the Interscholastic Quidditch Tournament announcement when both Jade and Hunter tried to find the positive in being put in separate houses by thinking that at least their individual chances of making their respective house teams were increased by not having to compete against the other.
Once at the pitch, Olive gave them each a few tips then went to join her friends in waiting for Coach Batuti to begin tryouts. Jade and Hunter sat nearby with some of their friends, eager to get things started. Hunter, who Olive's friends have taken to calling HG because of Hunter Rabnott, repeated over and over to himself that he'd be fine if he didn't make the team this year. There are lots of others trying out who are older and more experienced. Jade kept reminding herself she's only a first year and she'd been told repeatedly that while first years do make get selected at times, it's not as common.
The Greens had ended up in three different groups but did many similar exercises and drills, with each starting off with various warm-ups and stretching. Hunter's group started off more with flying, having to manuever through rings and around other objects. Next came a variety of drills using the quaffle. These were followed by bludger drills, then keeper oriented drills and lastly excercises involving snitches. Hunter wasn't sure what position he'd most like to play. At various times playing with his sisters and friends he's played each position and likes them all for different reasons. Also, he figured that if he put his name down for each of the four positions, his chances of actually getting picked went way up so Hunter paid close attention to each type of drill and did his best on every one.
Jade doesn't care much for playing keeper or seeker so only put her name down for beater and chaser. Of the two, she's hoping more for beater. She's not sure why that is other than Emerald was a chaser and Olive has been and probably will be this year too. Jade doesn't mind so much being identified as a twin but she doesn't like to show herself to be unique from her sisters. Jade gave her all on those drills that clearly had seekers and keepers in mind but she gave a little something extra for those involving bludgers and quaffles as well as the straight up flying drills. When it came to hitting a moving target with the bludger, Jade hit at least part of the target every time. She loved having a professional Quidditch player tell her, "Keep that up and hone your other skills and you can go pro after you've graduated."
Olive only put in for chaser. It's what she knows and what she's good at. She wants to get even better at it without having to take a year off to play some other position were she to put down for another position and then actually get chosen for whatever other position she might have put down. That doesn't mean she slacked off when it came to doing anything other than what a chaser does. She worked hard, even doing her least favorite exercise of blocking quaffle shots just as a keeper would do. Olive long ago concluded that even though it's her least favorite thing, if she's decent at her herself, or even downright excellent, she will have a better idea in a game what the opposing keeper might do when she's throwing the quaffle for a goal.
Like most of those trying out last Saturday, Jade and Hunter each played in three scrimmages. In Hunter's three he played chaser, chaser, seeker, and keeper. He would have liked a chance to play beater in a match as well but one can't have everything. Although the keeper position is the most static, it's the one Hunter did best playing in his three matches. He blocked each shot made, much to the delight of his scrimmage team. As chaser he faired okay, making a couple of goal attempts that were good shots even though both shots were stopped. He made a number of assists and passed really well and didn't drop a single pass thrown to him, though he didn't sort of fumble one pass from a girl whose name he can't ever remember. When playing seeker, he supposes he did well enough. He didn't catch the snitch but then neither did the other seeker, plus at one point he got between the other seeker and the snitch. It was well out of his reach but at that point it was more important to get in the way of the other guy and prevent him from catching it.
In two of Jade's scrimmages she was beater and in the other she was a chaser. In fact, she was a chaser on the same squad as Hunter when he was playing seeker. Jade liked playing chaser in the scrimmage but she absolutely loved beater. In both those matches she was all over the pitch, darting here and there to get to the bludger as often as she could. That didn't mean she was hitting them willy nilly, a favorite phrase of her mother's that Jade likes to use in an odd sort of remembrance of her. Jade would either have a target in mind by the time she reached the bludger or quickly assess where the bludger most needed to be sent. She's got deceptively strong arms for a girl her age and build so was able to solidly hit the bludger every time. Her arm did tire a little towards the end of the timed match but Jade figures if picked, she'd work with weights to help with building stamina to heft the bat an entire match. Or until pulled and replaced since the tournament rules, different from regular game play, allow in-game substitutions.
Olive did her usual good job as chaser in four scrimmages. No matter who her teammates were in a match. That's harder than it might seem when someone else is not much of a team player or far more inexperienced, or isn't that well liked. Still, Olive really missed the easy groove Griet Vanderbilt, Alexa Wenlock, and she have established on the Slytherin team. Two of the matches Olive's team lost, once because the other squad's seeker caught the snitch with only a minute left in the match. If not for that, Olive's team would have won on goals alone, or goal rather as only one was made and by Olive at that. The other match lost was low scoring as well, with only one goal made. The other two matches were also won on goals, with Olive scoring one of two goals for her team in one match and though she didn't score at all that other match, the two made by her team would not have been without her help.
Today, walking into the Great Hall for Club Day, all three Greens spot Theodosia Batuti first thing and all three want to run up to her and ask if the team roster will be announced soon and Olive wants to know who will be named captain or if there's more than one, then who will be co-captains. She figures that Griet's got to be a contender for it. They do approach the Athletic's Club table but none of the three ask about the team line-up, knowing by now that Coach Batuti is irritated at being asked so often. They do look at what she has listed for this year's Athletic's Club activities with Hunter in particular showing an interest in those that are swim related.
From the Athletic's Club table, Jade and Hunter head to the Drama Club table, taking a cookie apiece - Jade isn't sure she'll ever get used to calling cookies biscuits. Olive breaks away to join up with Etta, wondering where the others are. Alexa was at breakfast when Olive was but she doesn't see her now. There's also no sign of the other girls they tend to hang out with and Olive's actually a little surprised that Deak isn't there with Etta but she says he's gone down to the pitch for a little while. After a stop at the Muggle Studies Club table they head for the Drama Club table then after talking with that oh so gorgeous Julian Valentine they decide to go talk with Professor Flitwick about the Hogwarts Harmonies group and Olive's also interested in the Charms Club.
After both sign up for Drama Club, Jade and Hunter split up, with Jade wanting to check out the Dance Club table, located right next to the Athletic's Club table as both are sponsored by Coach Batuti. At the moment, there's an older student at the Dance Club table who answers Jade's questions and encourages her to join. Hunter has gravitated to the Gobstones Club and Photography, putting his name in for the latter. He runs into both his sisters again when they all go check out the Dueling Club table. For Jade and Hunter, they can't stop wondering how to only choose a few clubs when there are so many they like and that sound interesting. With lots of clubs still to check out, they all grab food from one of the refreshment tables to munch as they look.