|
|
(Ash) Discipline
Author: Rowan Westwick
Date: 11-25-13 11:38
Ash had spent the morning in the Slytherin common room completing some of the homework he had due next week. Despite it being nearly three decades since he had last attended school, Ash had little difficulty falling back into the habit of attending classes, doing homework, and studying. Being in his sixth year also meant his classes were more demanding than they had been even during his O.W.L. year.
Ash had always been disciplined and never the procrastinator. If he hadn't been sorted into Slytherin, then surely he would have ended up in Ravenclaw House, just like Rowan. After finishing a substantial amount of work, he decided to wander down to the Great Hall for something to eat and to check out the various clubs Hogwarts offered these days.
Like his sisters last year, Ash was a bit of a curiosity to those who recognized him as someone they had never seen before and yet he didn't appear to be new, or he would have been sorted with all the other transfers at the Start of Term Feast. As of yet, no one had outright asked him his backstory; the knowledge that he was the older brother of Rowan and Willow seemingly answer enough for the moment.
He entered the Great Hall to find it quite crowded, particularly where the refreshments tables were located. Although he was hungry, he decided to take advantage of the relative vacancy at the club booths to see if there would be any of interest to him.
There hadn't been a Club Day when he'd last been at school. Back then, one learned about the clubs from notices posted to the boards in the common rooms. Ash had never joined a club before, though perhaps he would this year.
He made the rounds, talking to the professors, outside sponsors, and past members of the various clubs. Some didn't hold his interest in the slightest, while others were more his style, though he didn't want to overwhelm himself by signing up for too many. In the end, he allowed himself one club, the Chess Club sponsored by Professor Black, whose student years at Hogwarts had overlapped Ash's own.
Ash turned to queue up for something to eat when he saw Rowan and Beatrix approaching.
"There you are!" Beatrix exclaimed. "We were wondering if you would come to Club Day."
"Didn't Willow mention that I was studying this morning?" he asked Rowan.
"Yes, she did say something before she ran off with Amorica," Rowan replied, glancing around him to see which booth he had just left. "Did you sign up?"
"Yes, and you both?"
Being in their fifth years, the girls hadn't wanted to overdo it either. Rowan had signed up for the Art Society and the Dueling Club, while Beatrix had only signed up for the latter. However, Beatrix was already eyeballing the sign-up list for the Chess Club. For now she restrained herself from the impulse and followed the others to get food.
(Ariella) Vienna, Austria
Author: Beck
Date: 11-25-13 14:05
The Austrian Ministry of Magic was located on Ringstraße (Ring Road), where many Muggle buildings of importance were located, such as the Austrian Parliament Building and City Hall. Muggles couldn't see the wizarding governmental building, most of which lay under Rathausplatz Park. Instead, they saw the many trees that made up the green space.
Ariella had arrived in Austria Thursday evening with her boss, Christiana Chadd, to discuss international security. Yesterday, they had sat in meetings on and off throughout the day and were scheduled for more on Monday. Currently, they also sat in a meeting even though it was Saturday, but the afternoon and all of tomorrow would be reserved for guided tours of the city with Ministry officials.
Ariella's job mainly consisted of taking copious notes, but occasionally she was tasked with fetching coffee or whatever else the more important meeting attendees needed. She liked her position, even though as an assistant, she was more errand girl than active participant in the decision-making process. With hard work and dedication, Ariella believed that could all change.
Representative Chadd glanced at the watch on her wrist and asked the others, "Shall we break for lunch?"
Alexander Jung of the Austrian Security Task Force looked surprised at how late it had gotten and remarked, "Yes, but I think we can continue our discussion on Monday. Ute, make a notation so we know where to begin next time," he said to his own assistant.
He turned back to the others and suggested a place where they could meet for lunch. Ariella carefully finished her own notations and then put away her parchment, quill and ink bottle.
The plan was to return to the hotel, change into something more comfortable, and then meet the others at a local pub.
The hotel was on a side street off of Ring Road, a street overlooked by Muggles because to their eyes it looked narrow and uninviting. The pub Der Goldene Wasserkessel was on the same street, located on the other end.
Ariella carefully stowed her briefcase and then changed into a pair of jeans, a peasant top, and a cardigan. While she waited for Representative Chadd to finish getting ready, she thought about the letter her husband had gotten. He had not received any others to her knowledge, but the single one that had arrived for him had been very unsettling. What exactly did the sender know, or was it all lies meant to intimidate Lawrence for some reason yet unknown?
And then there was the business with Bronwyn, who had been missing for two whole months now. Ariella held fast to the adage that no news was good news, but she wished that her sister-in-law would make it home safely very soon. She worried about Toby, knowing how much he suffered without Bronwyn by his side.
Representative Chadd emerged from the bathroom in a casual set of russet-colored robes and fixed Ariella with a concerned look, "Are you all right?"
Ariella blinked and nodded, getting up from her perch on the end of her bed. "Yes, just hungry, I suppose," she replied.
"Well, let's not keep the others waiting then," said Representative Chadd. They left their hotel room and walked the short distance down the side street to the pub where the Austrian Ministry workers had already secured a table.
Quidditch List Posted
Author: Viktor Krum
Date: 11-25-13 17:51
After making sure the Athletics Club booth was well stocked with information to hand out to interested students, sign up sheets with ink and quills set out and the signage marking what the booth is looked as he wished, Viktor posted the long awaited Quidditch House teams. Before coming to the Great Hall, he'd posted the name notice on each house's common room board.
The list is done alphabetically by house and then alphabetically by now. Normally, Viktor would have had the teams announced soon after the trials but so many had tried out and so many were worth consideration, the deliberations took longer than usual. Most of the teams do have many players returning from last year but there are some new faces as well.
Gryffindor
Campbell, Mildred - Chaser
Carter, Cai - Seeker
Green, Hunter - Keeper
McGonagall, Madoc - Beater
Owens, Max - Chaser
Rabnott, Hunter - Chaser
Steele, Edgar - Beater
Hufflepuff
Hodfuffer, Glori - Keeper
Hodfuffer, Gus - Beater
Jenkins, Jasper - Chaser
Mickle, Sadie - Chaser
MacDougal, Marlow - Chaser
Valentine, Caerwyn - Beater
Vanderbilt, Aleydis - Seeker
Ravenclaw
Carter, Aderyn - Beater
Green, Jade - Beater
Hyland, Bran - Seeker
Jenkins, Alastor - Chaser
Mickle, Ramona - Chaser
Vanderbilt, Beatrix - Keeper
Vanderbilt, Franciscus - Chaser
Slytherin
Farnon, Mark - Beater
Green, Olive - Chaser
Jeffers, Mason - Chaser
Kent, Asher - Beater
Marks, Rylee - Seeker
McGonagall, Malden - Chaser
Van Tassel, Gus - Keeper
As a number of students were either already out of their respective houses or left their houses without paying attention to the new notice on their bulletin boards, once Club Day began word quickly got around that the list was up. As he'd thought to put a copy of the list on the wall near one of the refreshment tables, the Athletics Club booth wasn't as mobbed as it might otherwise have been.
The initial surge didn't last long and soon Viktor and his various helpers through the day were answer more questions about the club than they were fielding questions about the list.
Wanting To Sign Up For Too Many Clubs (Justin)
Author: Plum
Date: 11-25-13 21:39
Justin and two of his roommates considered coming to Club Day together but Nathan Stewart was already up and out of Hufflepuff House when Justin got up. Kay Dunlap was still passed out when Justin returned from breakfast to change shirts after spilling chocolate milk when his elbow had been jostled. He'd tried a cleaning spell on the stain but either he did it incorrectly or it's not one that's effective on chocolate milk stains on t-shirts.
Leaving Kay to his sleep, Justin looked around for Nathan, even checking the library, not Nathan's favorite place, as he'd not seen his new friend while eating breakfast. Not finding him, Justin had returned to the Great Hall alone. If he runs into Nathan or another friend Justin may yet end up going around to some of the club's booths with a friend but if not, he doesn't mind. Being alone means going at his own pace and being able to ask however many questions he wants should a club interest him.
Though Justin misses a few people from his school in Sydney, he's stayed in touch with them, which makes not seeing them somewhat easier. All in all, though, he has no regrets about convincing his parents to allow him to attend a different school. Not after what happened.
Upon entering the Great Hall, greatly changed from just the short time it had been since he'd been there for breakfast, he'd gone to one of the tables off to the side where food and drink is available. Justin gets himself something to drink then while snacking on a ham and cheese biscuit taking stock of what was what.
Too young to take Alchemy the course, Justin decides to check out the Alchemy Club to find out if he had to be a sixth or seventh year for it as well. Professor Fanshawe is friendly and enthusiastic. Justin takes the information she has on the club then continues on to another booth, not wanting to commit to anything until he's fully checked out all the clubs that are potentially interesting. He doesn't want to sign up for so many he has no time for anything else, like studying and doing homework.
After making the rounds, Justin took the various brochures, pamphlets, and leaftlets to the Commons. There, he goes over everything, taking long enough to have lunch there. He has yet to see Nathan and has no idea if Kay ever dragged himself out of bed. He did talk briefly with one of the other roommates and talking for awhile with Hunter Green and Bart Kimple. A few girls have stopped him to say hello and he spent several minutes in conversation with his cousin Plum, here as a club sponsor but, for the most part, Justin has been by himself. Again, he doesn't mind as it's given him time to think about each club he got information on.
Making a decision, Justin goes to the Great Hall once more, signing up for the Alchemy Club, Athletics Club, the Pet Society, and, because his parents expect it of him, cousin Plum's Language Club. If he thinks he can make time for a fifth club without compromising his schoolwork, he'll either join the Potions Club or the Muggle Studies Club. He's interested in others but knows if he stretches himself too thin, he'll suffer for it when his parents learn of his resultant low marks.
Knowing if he lingers, he'll have an urge to sign up for one or two, or even three, more clubs, Justin takes his leave of Club Day to go out on the grounds just to wander around and get to know the place better.
Snowberries
Author: Josie
Date: 11-26-13 06:00
It was Club Day at Hogwarts and I was pleased to be the sponsor of the Alchemy Club, once again. I was watching the newest addition to the Alchemy Club, Justin Hodges, walking away when a Slytherin boy commented as he passed by my booth:
"I thought only older students were allowed to take Alchemy,"
"That is very true. Alchemy is an advanced subject. It requires previous knowledge from other subjects such as Potions and Herbology. But that doesn't mean you can't be part of the club. It's meant to learn simple alchemical notions using fun methods, such as some practical experiments."
"What sort of experiments?"
I asked him to step closer to my booth, wanting to learn his name. Then I gave him a mortar and a pestle and asked him to use it to turn a small dry berry into powder. As the boy, who was named Maurice Kilman, was doing what I told him, a group of other curious students gathered around to take a sneak peek. Once he was over, I asked Maurice to divide the powder into three different bowls.
"Very well, Mr. Kilman. Now, I want you to use your wand to set the first sample on fire."
Maurice conjured a small flame with his wand and pointed it at the first sample. The powder was set on fire, but a few seconds later, the flames were extinguished. I offered the bowl to some of the other students, inviting them to touch the powder. It was cold. They all seemed surprised, but before I could tell them why this was so, I asked another a girl to frost the second sample. The powder and the bowl were surrounded by ice. Once again it only took a few seconds for it to get back to normal.
"And now for the final one, " I used my wand to shock the powder.
There was a small spark but besides that, the sample didn't change.
I explained to my small audience that the berry used was called Snowberry and they were the only plants known to resist to all three elemental effects: fire, frost and shock. I told them that the powder obtained from those dry berries was often used in alchemy to attenuate the elemental effects when we were mixing other ingredients, during experiments. Maurice wanted to take a sample of those berries with him, but I refused. I didn't want him to set the castle on fire by trying to so with the berries. Not to mention they were a rare ingredient. I gave pamphlets to a few interested students with all the information they needed to know about the club.
When things calmed down a bit at my booth and while I waited for more students to approach, I thought about Jack Crowley, the alchemist I met at Leeds, during the National Alchemy Convention. We had met again a couple of times with the purpose of getting to know each other and tonight he had invited me to have dinner with him at Hogsmeade.
I have learned that Jack owned a service of owl post, with a few stores in Leeds. He planned to expand his business to other cities, including London, although he was worried about the competition. His interests included Alchemy, of course, and like almost every wizard, he was a Quidditch fan. He supported the Tutshill Tornados and he was trying to convince me to start supporting them as well, since despite my liking for Quidditch I had never had a favorite team in the English League. Just like me, Jack had been a Hufflepuff at Hogwarts. He was a few years older than me and perhaps that was the reason why I didn't remember to see him at the castle, even if we had been at the same house. The time spent with Jack was wonderful and I thought the feeling was mutual because he always wanted to meet another encounter.
I was thinking about what I was going to wear tonight, when another student approached with more questions about the Alchemy Club. Promptly I put all my thoughts away, and told the student what she wanted to know.
The Missing Volume
Author: Phyllida
Date: 11-26-13 12:23
A grim, drizzling morning dawned across Exmoor; Phyllida stood looking out the grimy kitchen window, chewing on her fingernails. She didn't hear Tiberius enter.
"What is on your mind?" he asked.
She looked up, startled
"Oh, it's you. I was just thinking about how it feels like it will never stop raining."
"I can always use a spell to make it stop, if you like."
"Stop showing off." She smiled faintly. "Besides, I like the rain."
"Me too," he agreed. "Better than the insupportable sunlight."
"I miss playing in the sun, when we were children." She looked at him. "But then again, you always preferred to play indoors. In hidden rooms and dark passages."
"And you never seemed to mind about that."
"I liked exploring places we weren't allowed to be in."
He smiled. "So did I. But after inheriting this place and some deep exploration, Endhope Abbey lost a part of its charms. I guess things look more impressive when you are a child."
"I very much doubt you've seen absolutely everything in this house. The places Osky must have known..."
"Divisions I don't even want to set my feet in. Last time I emerged myself into deep explorations I got this," he told her, raising his black hand.
Phyllida noted the dark, charred flesh.
"Where did it happen?"
"Upstairs, northern hallway."
"Can you take me there? To that room?"
"Of course."
"Could there be some clue there? How to heal you?"
"I never thought about that. But it's quite possible. The room is filled with books related to necromancy. Books and...other items. I didn't touch any of those, because they might be cursed. Some I don't even know what they are for. I limited myself to use a book of spells. An ancient one. I do not believe there are many examples of it out there."
"And you never tried to go back and find it?"
"It never occurred to me. It took me a while to realise I was cursed. I thought at first that I had been blessed."
"Do you know where the book is?"
"I brought it to my study..." He paused in thought for a moment. "Osky said he put it away. Because he was afraid Titus would find it. But I don't know where he put it."
"And now Osky is gone. I can't believe you never tried to look for it before." She shook her head.
"I thought I could figure this out on my own. Or that the solution would be on another book."
She frowned. "We've lost so much time, it might be too late. We're going to look everywhere in this house for that book."
He smiled at her. "Don't frown, love. It will be an exploration, just like the old days."
(Titus) Jealousy
Author: Tiberius Nott
Date: 11-26-13 13:01
"It's not fair, Myrtle. Now I will have to just smile at them and congratulate them for making the team. And what if they win the cup? Their names will be part of the school's history…while the only place my name will be on is at the Hospital Wing's records."
The bathroom on the second floor served as the perfect hiding out for Titus Nott to lick his wounds. He didn't see the Quidditch list himself, but the names of those who had made the Quidditch teams had spread all over the school and so Titus had learned that both Asher Kent and Malden McGonagall's names were in it. While he hasn't even had the chance to try out, two of the boys he shared the dormitory with, would now proudly play for the Slytherin house. And if they won, they would have all the glory.
"I bet McGonagall only made the team because he is related with the headmistress! You should have seen the way he played, he wasn't that good. And the same thing applies to Kent: his father is a teacher here. I'm sure he must have told a few words to Coach Krum on his son's behalf. If my father wasn't at Azkaban, they would see…Maybe I should write to Tiberius about this injustice, but I doubt he would do anything about it."
The Moaning Myrtle was silent, as she floated in the air. Titus was walking from one side to the other of the girl's bathroom, not minding the wet floor. Deep down he knew he was just jealous that Asher and Malden had made the team while he didn't. The jealousy consumed him from the inside. He felt like a burning candle.
"I won't even be able to avoid them; we share the same dorm and have the same classes!"
"You foolish little thing, worried about a silly sport like Quidditch," Myrtle replied teasing him. "I don't have time for this," and the ghost girl directed herself to one of the open toilets, ready to vanish into one of the school sewers. "But if it makes you feel better you can use your wand to burst a few pipes of my bathroom. I do it all the time, when I feel angry."
Moments later she was gone, before he could thank her for the suggestion. At first Titus felt like following Myrtle's advice but he didn't want to be caught by Filch, who might be patrolling around this castle area. Instead he went to wash his face on the sink and then he looked himself at the mirror. A drop of water fell down his chin and he cleaned it with his arm. The cold liquid had managed to calm him a bit and after adjusting his hair he walked away from the bathroom, not planning to spend the rest of his Saturday inside of it.
Titus then decided to take a look to the Great Hall, where Club Day was being held. He didn't know if Anton, Valeria or Petula planned to go there later or not. If so, he thought he wouldn't mind coming back, but for now he was going alone. The place was somewhat crowded, but he was able to look around at every booth and even steal a pamphlet or two from a few clubs. He signed up not only for the Herbology club, but also the Language club and the Photography club. Titus was even feeling tempted to join the Hogwarts Pet Society but when he saw Professor Kent at the booth he quickly changed his mind, reminding himself about how he thought he had been the reason why Asher had made the team.