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The Speech
Author: Sirius Padfoot Black 
Date:   09-06-11 16:36

The Eternal-Black family had arrived about a half hour before the End of Term Feast was slated to begin. This gave Drucilla and Sirius time to walk around chatting and the twins to run around soaking up attention. Unfortunately, it also gave Mira time to pester Ethan, Saffron and Aaron, and Marzipan and Weston about their respective babies, being somewhat disappointed that such little ones weren't going to be onhand for the entire feast for her to dote on. That is, Mira was a little disappointed until she realized that would leave more time for her to be doted on by students and staff and to spend time playing with the other young childen who would be there for the duration or at least a good portion of it.

When the food started appearing on the table, Dru and Sirius got the twins settled with plates then took their own seats. Both knew it was only a matter of time before Mira ended up at one of the House tables but for now she's content beside Miranda Weasley. Sirius thinks it's too bad that Miranda's birthday is late September. That will put her a year behind Mira when each begins school. The big question, Sirius supposes, will be whether James and Mira get Sorted into the same house. Sirius can see the pros and the cons of it and also understands that between now and then, the relationship between the twins might change enough that they won't want to be in the same house.

Beside him, Dru makes a sound indicating indecision then says, "I'm having both."

"Both of what?"

"That roast chicken and whatever that casserole is."

"Have more than that if you want."

"I might. I am eating for two afterall. Or so that's my excuse when I do overeat lots of things I really shouldn't have, particularly when the desserts are sent out."

Sirius passes Dru the casserole in question, holding it so she can spoon some onto her plate. "Give me some too, please," he requests and then passes it along the table for others to have, his eyes taking in all the other dishes nearby, deciding what else he would like.

Shortly after Sirius has dished up some rice pilaf onto both Dru's and his plates Albus, who'd not been present when the food began arriving on the tables, moves to a podium in front of the head table, directly across from the headmaster's chair. He waits a full minute, standing in silence, allowing staff and students alike to notice he's there and pass that fact along. Albus clears his throat a few times after that then raises his hands and flutters them each several times in a quiet down gesture to bring about complete silence. Even the small children dutifully stop their chatter, eyes fixed on the grandfatherly looking man wearing robes of midnight blue with stars twinkling in reds, greens, yellows, pale blues, and white, and wearing a matching hat to boot.

"Welcome to the End of Term Feast for the 2004-2005 school year. As dinner has already commenced I shall be brief. First, let us all congratulate Slytherin for winning this year's House Cup. Very well done."

Albus pauses to applaud the Slytherins and Sirius can't help notice that Severus has a bit of a smug expression. The house point tallies this year are Slytherin with 131, Gryffindor with 120, Ravenclaw with 104, and Hufflepuff with 74. Not the closest of competitions but also not a runaway. Slytherin could easily have lost 11 points this week while Gryffindor could just have easily earned 12 to take the cup.

Albus does a quick wrap up of those tallies then says, "Second, I want to thank the entire student body for conducting itself so well at all the International Quidditch Tournament matches. Hogwarts did not receive a single report or complaint of unbecoming conduct at the matches. The tournament itself was a huge success and there are talks already in the works for another, though that will not be for few years. Next year is a return to regular Quidditch so do be practicing over the holiday those of you hoping to make your respective house teams.

Third, we must bid farewell to two professors. Filius Flitwick is taking a year long sabbatical. Revenant Croghan has accepted a research and teaching position at a new college in Ireland. Also, Cuthbert Binns, while still with us at Hogwarts, will not be serving in a teaching capacity. Let us bid Professor Croghan best wishes on his new job and Professor Flitwick a bon voyage and safe return."

Albus again pauses to allow for the expected clapping while Filius and Revenant stand and nod at everyone, acknowledging the farewells.

"Fourth, I would like to introduce Karma Davyd, Adriana Fairchild, and Dante Knight."

The three stand at a gesture from Albus. "Ms. Davyd is taking Lower Years History of Magic. Ms. Fairchild, who taught here approximately 10 years ago as Muggle Studies professor, will be teaching Lower Years Charms. Mr. Knight, who some of you have noticed around Hogwarts already, is teaching Upper Years Charms. Let us give them a hearty welcome."

After a moment Albus raises his hands again for silence. He then says with a smile. "I have not been as brief as I thought but let me conclude by saying I bid you all a wonderful summer. Seventh years, the staff and I wish you the very best in your endeavors. First through sixth years, we hope you return safely to us September 1st. Now, let the feast continue!"

Little encouragement is needed to carry on. Within seconds the noise level has risen again filling the Great Hall with talking, laughter, and the sounds that go with a large room of people eating.

Today's Sin: Gluttony
Author: Karma Davyd 
Date:   09-06-11 17:10

Never before had I been presented with such a bountiful selection of wonderous foods to sample at will. When I'd told Bronywn and Toby about the invite to the End of Term Feast as I'd be teaching there next school year, they both provided me with the same advice. "Do not eat anything the entire day before, there will be so much food there." They were right.

Already I'd sampled a bit of beef wellington, a sheapard's pie type dish, roast chicken, and a bevy of vegetables. Now, as Dumbledore was finishing his speech, and I stood at the mention of my name and that of the other two professors who would be joining the staff in the following school year, I spotted a delicious curry that simply called my name.

Once everyone settled back into the consumption of the delicious dishes, I leaned over and motioned to the gentleman on my right, who I quickly learned was Declan. "Would you mind passing that curry dish there, need to see if it compares to my mum's."

He passed the dish and I helped myself to what was offered, before allowing it to be settled back upon the table. Beyond that, I added a delicious, and still toasty yeast roll and some steamed veggies to my plate. Beyond that, I settled into various conversations with those around me.

"I think my one saving grace, is that when the school year starts, I will be too busy for my mother to play matchmaker and attempt to set me up with a 'nice Indian' boy." I said after finishing a mouthful of curried lamb, which was actually, if it was possible, better than my mother's.

There were several chuckles from those on either side of me before things fell silent for several moments as we all focused on our plates and the wealth of food that could fill them numerous times over, and it wasn't even time for dessert yet.

End Of Term Feast
Author: Lawrence Masterson 
Date:   09-06-11 17:40

With the hall done up in Slytherin colors of green, black and silver Serverus Snape had quite a bit to be smug about, though his house had not won by all that many points and Gryffindor, as Dumbledore had said, could have easily made up the twelve point difference, just as Slytherin could have lost points over the past week.


The speech had come late, for reasons unknown, and that meant that well before Dumbledore went to his podium the tables were heavily laden with an abundance of food of all varieties. There was literally something there for everyone, and it was in truth, the first time that each and every student was present in the Great Hall for a meal. Lawrence nudged Ariella and asked her for the curry dish that Karma had just put down, and she took some for herself as well to sample it.

Lawrence had pondered changing his lesson plans, but ultimately had decided to only make a few modifying tweaks to them before the start of next term on September 1st. He had two weeks planned where he and Ariella were going to be out of country, and he had no intention of spoiling the surprise, by telling her where they'd be going until a day or so before they left, however, they would be home for Emry's Fest at the end of July.

Talk Around The Table (Mason)
Author: Pyrrhus 
Date:   09-06-11 18:24

Using his fork as a pointer Mason says, "Pass that."

Arthur Fu hovers his hand over a dish of mashed potatoes. "This? Or this?" he asks, moving his hand near a narrow platter of what Mason takes to be sliced pork loin.

He grins at Arthur. "How about both?"

Arthur, who's across the table and one seat down from Mason, obliges. Mason grunts, "Thanks, mate," accepting first one dish then the other.

Directly across from Masonm and on Arthur's left is Gaston Gallagher who is talking with Daisy Khan, who's sitting on Gaston's other side. As Mason puts down the plate with the pork loin he hears Gaston saying, "I wish each of us got a small House Cup for ourselves."

Mason nods along with Daisy in agreement and chimes in, "That would be great if we did. I could display it alongside my IQT trophy."

To Mason's right, his best mate Boris stops in midreach for a plate of grilled sausages and peppers to say, "I like that we're going back to regular Quidditch but it was so bloody awesome to travel this term. I only wish we'd gotten to see more of the other schools and visit places like you lot on the team did."

This leads to a debate of which of the other IQT teams had the most wicked school, with Mason torn between Escola Mágica de Brasil and Danal de Magie Académie. The Brazilian school is in the middle of a tropical rainforest teaming with exotic wildlife and is right on the Amazon River but the Canadian school is literally made of ice, has the Northern Lights, polar bears, and they play Quidditch in a massive underground cavern.

Eventually, talk turns to other things, including summer plans and the adjustment of going from second year to third with the addition of two electives to their coursework. Mason turned in his elective choices ages ago, right after spring holiday, but now can't remember for the life of him what he signed up for. He'd thought about Muggle Studies because as a Muggle born it would be a breeze but then thought maybe he wouldn't take it because he could take something else that he didn't already know, which in turn might help him get ahead in the Wizarding World. Now, he can't remember which way he ended up going.

Mason shrugs. He could ask to be sure but he'll just wait. In a few weeks he'll get an owl listing all his course requirements. An elbow in his right side has him looking questioningly at Boris.

"What were you shrugging about?"

Mason had thought he'd given a mental shrug not a physical one. Now he shrugs again, physically, and tells Boris, "I don't remember what electives I put in for."

Boris laughs. "I'm glad I'm not the only one. Pass those peas, would you?"

Romance
Author: Hermione Granger 
Date:   09-06-11 18:44

"My boss told me I've been working too hard and sent me home," Ron said, after he came in through the front door. He threw his briefcase onto a side table in the hallway, but it promptly fell off and landed with a thump on the hardwood floor. Ron considered picking it up for a moment but then left it there with a dismissive wave of the hand.

"You know, I can't say I've ever heard anybody in all the years I've known you say that you work too hard," Hermione replied. She was curled up on the couch with both cats snuggled against her and a book in her lap.

Ron leapt over the back of the couch, unsettling the cats, and plucked the book from Hermione's grasp. "What can I say, Hermione. I've grown up a lot since we first met, and besides, my career is far less boring than any homework assignment you slaved over at Hogwarts. What is this?" he asked, quirking his eyebrows at the cover of the book. It contained an illustration of a witch and wizard from olden times. The wizard had the witch in an embrace and pulled her robe down from her shoulder.

Hermione's cheeks grew a bit pink. "It's a romance I picked up at the library. I went to see about the new biography on Mungo Bonham, but unfortunately it's got a terrible waiting list. I perused some other books and just stumbled on this one by chance. I've never read a romance novel before and thought I might as well give it a try."

Ron passed Hermione the book back. "So... is it just hugs and kisses, or what?"

Hermione felt herself flush again and promptly changed the subject. "Why did you come through the front door and not the fireplace?"

"Because I knew the End of Term Feast was going on tonight and I wanted to see the castle lights," Ron replied. He edged closer to Hermione, forcing Crookshanks, who'd only just settled back into place at Hermione's side, to jump down from the couch and stalk away to one of the cat beds littering the house.

"Is it a romantic romance or a steamy romance?" Ron queried.

"Ronald."

"What? I'm showing an interest in what you're reading. The least you can do is have a discussion with me about it."

Hermione couldn't help but laugh. "You're something else, you know that?"

Ron was nothing but serious. "Have you... learned anything... interesting?" he ventured.

Hermione stared at him for a long time before thumbing back a few pages and then indicating to a certain paragraph. "Start there."

Ron started to read. The tips of his ears started to color, and before he was done, his face was as red as his hair.

He passed Hermione her book back and after a long, silent moment asked, "Can we do that?"

Hermione arched an eyebrow. "Your boss sent you home because you were working too hard, which to me says that you shouldn't do any work of any kind tonight. You just need to relax."

"Oh, trust me. I'd feel so relaxed if––"

"Yes, fine. Come on, then."

Hermione unfolded her legs from beneath her and tossed the romance onto the coffee table. Hero, who'd not yet been booted from the couch, left the scene in a hurry.

Ron kicked off his shoes and pulled Hermione towards him, brushing her hair from her shoulder. He put his mouth in the exact place on her neck where she'd gotten bitten by the pretend werewolf weeks earlier. No mark of that encounter remained, but her neck seemed unlikely to remain unblemished after tonight.

A Little Bit Of Summer Planning
Author: Adina Blackwood 
Date:   09-07-11 16:39

Leaning against Arthur I closed my eyes, a sigh escaping my lips as I gave my body a few minutes to digest what I've already consumed. Arthur's hand slid beneath the table and our fingers joined, content to simply be at the feast together because after tomorrow's trip on the Hogwarts Express we wouldn't see each other until Emry's Fest as I would be flying out to Greece on a muggle airline two days after getting home to the flat on Daigon Alley. Maybe I could talk mum into house hunting in the village, and get out of my Aunt's apartment and the hub of the shopping area.

After a few minutes, and some water later, I turned my attention to the bevy of choices that accompanied feasts at Hogwarts. It was fantastic that the banners in the Great Hall were the Slytherin colors, and I know it made everyone else at the Slytherin table quite happy as well. "Pass me the roast beef please and the mash?" She looked to Whitney who passed the platters down once at a time, helping herself to some of the mashed as well.

"I seriously think that it may take a pair of house elves to roll me out of here by the time the feast is done..." I said grinning, as I ate some of the beef and mashed potatoes after covering both with gravy. A fluffy, still warm yeast roll helped mop up some of the remaining gravy. I debated on if I wanted more because that would be my third plate and there was still dessert that would be presented. Seriously, I didn't want to make myself ill, but then again there were things that I've not tried yet.

My decision was made when I saw Kida wrinkle her nose at a pile of what looked like slimey parcels. I perked up quickly and held out my hand. "Pass me that platter Kida, I wonder if they taste like my dad's."

"What are they?" Kida and Whitney asked in unison making me chuckle.

"Stuffed grape leaves. They are absolutely wonderful. Try one." I waited for each of them to take one off the try and try it, the reactions were unique, and decidedly the grape leaves are an acquired taste, but they were absolutely one of my favorite things. I added four or five of them to my plate and settled the platter down once more.

That is definitely one thing that I was looking forward to, traditional Greek cooking. I would have nearly a month of it when I went back to Athens to spend some time with my Dad, now that the custody battle was done and I could be trusted with my father. From the letters that I'd gotten throughout the term from my mum, dad, and my aunt it was like someone had committed a murder and was being sent to Azkaban or something instead of trying to find away to determine how the custody of their daughter would work.

Basic break down that I'd gotten from mum in her last letter was as follows: School year with mum, christmas breaks with mum and dad alternating, easter hol with Dad, one month summer with dad. Which meant that I would essentially be living out of two houses until I reached the age of majority and ultimately finished with my schooling at Hogwarts. I was only a second year, so I had five years of alternating custody to deal with starting apparently this summer.

"Are you going to just stare at the grape leaves or are you going to pass them back this way?" Came the voice of Kida, that snapped me out of my internal brooding.

"Sorry..." I handed them down to her, and continued eating picking at a few more things before I decided that I would wait and see what appeared for dessert before I ate another thing. Though, Arthur did manage to tempt me with a bit of roasted lamb and vegetables.

"Alright, when I get back from Greece you guys are coming to the apartment and I am going to treat you all to a night of Greek hospitality. That's settled." I grinned at my friends who were more than thrilled with the idea.

Trying Not To Over-Indulge
Author: Charisma Stone 
Date:   09-07-11 17:43

Isma, Blake and Eric sat amidst the Gryffindors at their table in the Great Hall their plates filled with an abundance of different foods. They sampled just about everything they could and had all taken an interest in the new teachers especially the ones that would be theirs next term.

"Hopefully Professor Davyd will be more interesting than Professor Binns...well, she's already got a point in the right direction, she's flesh and blood..." Blake said, and recieved an eye roll from Eric and a jab in the side from Isma.

"You are such a dork." Isma said, as she took a sip of her pumpkin juice and sighed. "It really is a shame that we didn't win the house cup this year, but at least we won the International Quidditch Tournament. I think that this is decidedly my best year at Hogwarts."

Blake agreed and Isma pecked him on the cheek before turning her attention to Eric. "You considering trying out for the Quidditch team next year, since it will only be regular play?" She asked him, she and Blake had already had that discussion and both were going to try out for the team as it had been a good break from studying throughout the school year.

"I'll at least try out, I don't know if I actually want to play Quidditch, but I can at least try it." Eric said after washing down a mouthful of pasta with a swig of pumpkin juice.

They fell into a companionable silence for a little while before Isma broke it. "So, it is still up in the air if I am going to make it to Emry's fest. Because I'll probably still be in the states for a few more days." It was unfortunate because it meant that she would miss her favorite bands and not have a chance to get any new merchandise to wear for the remainder of the summer, most of all she would miss spending the entire day with Blake and Eric.

"Its alright. Just send me some money and I will pick you up a couple more t-shirts and such." Blake said nudging her lightly. "I know you are looking forward to spending some time stateside again, but don't worry if you don't make it back for Emry's Fest, I will see you when you get home okay?"

Isma nodded and smiled lightly, how had she gotten so lucky with Blake, though they'd only been together since the beginning of the school year, it felt like they were meant to be. "Do you remember what electives you are taking next year?" Isma asked, looking between the two and they shook their heads.

"No. I forgot what I said I wanted, got too wrapped up in studying and packing." Eric said and Blake nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, I forgot too, well, I guess we will be reminded when we get our supply lists." Isma said and leaned against Blake, she was getting full and didn't want to over do it any more than she already had as the desserts hadn't even made an apperance and if anyone could glut themselves on a Hogwarts Feast it was during the desserts when individuals were known to form a queue outside the Hospital Wing the same night for something to settle an upset stomach or tending to for the unlucky souls that had lost most of the delicious goodies that they'd eaten.

"I think I'm done for a little while, going to wait for dessert." Isma said and turned her attention to a glass of ice water, sipping intermitantly while the three third years talked about the remainder of their summer plans and prospects of having new teachers in the coming year.

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