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Old Photographs
Author: Mildred
Date: 09-10-13 03:53
"Wake up!"
"Just five more minutes…"
"Do you want to arrive late to Flint's class?"
"I don't mind skipping it at all."
"Amelia!"
Melpomene was losing her patience and she used her wand to pull the covers from Amelia's bed down. Queenie laughed as Amelia sat on the bed, wearing her pink pajamas decorated with Puffskeins. Her cheeks turned red with the fury. Mildred placed a bowl with porridge above her bedside table, while Melpomene went to the wardrobe in order to fetch Amelia's robes.
"If you had gone to bed earlier last night, this wouldn't have happened."
"Yes, mother," Amelia teased, eating the porridge in a rush.
Now it was Melpomene's turn to get mad and she dropped Amelia's clothes on the bed without any care. Then she picked her bag with her books and marched out of the dormitory. Amelia looked at the door a bit guilty.
"She is just very nervous about the upcoming exams," Mildred explained, while Queenie used her wand to sort the right clothes from the pile on the bed. "You saw how she freaked out last night at dinner, when she couldn't remember who had done the opening speech at the International Warlock Convention of 1289. She rushed back to the Gryffindor tower to check her History of Magic notes, at the middle of her meal. She didn't return to finish her dinner."
"We are all nervous but I think Melpomene is exaggerating. I already told her Alcmene is going to give us last year's exams so we can practice. My sister said they weren't that hard."
"That's because we didn't have Professor Flint last year, Amelia," Queenie replied.
Amelia changed her clothes and went to wash her teeth and face and comb her hair, while Mildred and Queenie waited for her at the Gryffindor common room. The room was almost desert, a proof that classes were about to start. Once Amelia was ready the three witches ran to their classroom, ignoring the protests of the portraits that wanted to sleep but couldn't do so with all the running. They arrived right on time to class.
Professor Flint started his usual lecture. He was revising several contents that would be on Wednesdays exam, but Mildred had the feeling she was seeing them for the first time. She had no idea what he was talking about. But she was not the only one. Looking around she could verify that almost everyone was in the same situation as she was. That made her feel better.
Making sure the teacher wasn't looking at her, she went to her bag and took an envelope from it. Inside there were several photographs that her grandmother had sent to Mildred. She said she had found them when she was doing some cleanings at her house and she thought about throwing them to the garbage but at the last minute she thought perhaps Mildred would be interested to keep them.
Most of the photos didn't have a good quality and they represented her mother during her times at Hogwarts. They were black and white and it was hard to identify the house crest on her mother's school robes, but Mildred knew she had been a Ravenclaw. However, one of the photos was more recent. It was a photo that was taken in the Muggle World with a Muggle photograph camera.
Mildred recalled that day since her mother had bought the device just for fun and was trying to see how it worked. She had asked an old woman to take a picture of the two of them in the street. The photo was taken a couple of weeks before her mother died and Mildred wondered if this was the last photo her mother had taken during her life.
She studied the photograph carefully, trying to absorb all the details. She still had the blue blouse she was wearing that day although it was too short on the sleeves now. She had no idea what had happened to her mother's clothes. She was dressed like a muggle on that photo. Then she looked at the street where the photo was taken and that was when she noticed the car parked nearby. It was a silver car and somewhat familiar. Mildred had the feeling she had seen it before somewhere.
But before she could think more on the subject, Queenie hit her with the elbow, because Professor Flint was nearby. Mildred put the photographs under her book and she muttered a thank you to her friend who replied with a 'No problem'.
(Madeline) Beginning of Finals Week
Author: Sy Tremont
Date: 09-10-13 13:09
"Only one exam today, and the rest of the week is going to be crazy. I am definitely looking forward to the End of Term Feast and the trip home."
"Is that hottie brother of yours going to be meeting you at the station?" Calliope Quinn said as she dropped down onto the floor next to where we'd set up to study for finals.
I couldn't help but roll my eyes, it seemed like all of my friends had a crush on my half-brother and guardian Sylvain, or Sy as he liked to be called.
"Yes Calliope, he will be meeting me at the station, he's already said he would. Him and his new girlfriend Elizabeth Larkin."
Calliope's eyes went as wide as an owls at the mention of her name. "You mean, stunningly gorgeous heiress Elizabeth Larkin?"
Again, I rolled my eyes and nodded. "The very one Calliope. Now, are you going to sit there and turn into an addle-brained twit, or are we going to study for astronomy tonight?"
Calliope stuck her tongue out at me and flicked a Bertie Botts bean at me. I got the distinct impression it was a pepper or sardine flavoured bean, and thus I would not be eating it, merely dumping it in a trash bin.
"Aww, and here I thought you liked sardine flavored beans Maddie."
It was my turn to stick my tongue out at her. "And deprive you of all their fishy flavor? Not a chance."
The pair of us burst into a fit of giggles that lasted for several moments and had us both reaching for our glasses of water, before things turned serious and we got back to the task at hand – studying for the Astronomy final that was going to start at ten-thirty this evening.
It would be close to dinner before we left the Common Commons, heading to the Great Hall – thankful that the OWLs and NEWTs were over for the year and dining hours returned back to their normal schedule without the interruptions in between.
"So, what exam do you think will give you the most trouble this year?" Calliope asked after dinner as we headed back to the Common Commons this time for a game of wizarding chess, because neither of us wanted to over-tax ourselves and ultimately forget something important for the exam later. There would of course be going over notes and the like between now and then, but for now, we intended on relaxing for a bit.
"I am thinking that it will probably be History of Magic, though I think I've got most of the dates nailed down so that shouldn't be too much of an issue. I am just hoping that there are no more hiccups for the school year and that Professor Morgan's next term will be less hectic than this one."
"I know what you mean. Three kids and all that nonsense that Skeeter published, I think she's one of the ones that is having the most backlash for it – especially with the whole black-market adoption accusation. Seriously she does not seem like the type."
"Then again, do we really know that? I mean, the hangover story was true and all, but as for everything else. That is not really our business."
Calliope shrugged and we both turned our attention to a game of wizarding chess and some pumpkin juice to pass a few hours time. Currently we were listening to something random on the WWN, while others around us either studied for exams as well, or if they were fifth or seventh years discussed how they think they did on their OWLs or NEWTs.
(Anton) Gorgons
Author: Phyllida
Date: 09-11-13 13:54
Anton rubbed the bridge of his nose, staring at the convoluted sentences forming themselves on the chalkboard, while Professor Flint dictated long reams of theoretical instructions. For a few minutes, he had been too preoccupied staring at various individuals in the class with him (attempting to ignore how often his gaze strayed to Valeria's long, blonde braid) to focus on the lesson at hand. He watched the piece of chalk spell out the word 'Gorgon' before the professor paused to explain, in a meandering manner, how the Gorgons managed to transfigure living flesh to pumice, granite, basalt, and so on.
"You know who I think looks like a Gorgon?" Anton whispered into Valeria's ear, low enough that the professor did not notice the interruption.
Valeria shot him an amused look from the corner of her eye. "Marks?" she murmured back, equally quiet while she took notes. She had learned, over the course of the year, to decipher the important bits of Flint's lectures, and was probably the only reason any of the Slytherins were passing. Professor Flint's mention of rare books he had come across detailing the theory of turning someone to stone had her attention turned back to the front again.
"I think she'd make a better gargoyle than most of the existing lot," he smirked.
"You might be right," she said. She bit down on a corner of her lip as she tried to turn her attention back to her notes and not admire the way Anton's eyes sparkled so maliciously when he smirked. Absently, she wrote down what Professor Flint said about the books he had circled back around to, and a wicked smile spread across her lips. She circled the notation with her quill and pointed to it. "Think we should ask to see the books?" she murmured.
"Ask?" the dark-haired boy stifled a laugh with the back of his hand. "Didn't he just say they're highly restricted...possibly illegal?"
"Which means we may have to wait until we go home for break and can talk someone else into it. But surely, in the interest of academics," Valeria whispered. "After all, shaping young minds and all that rot."
"Yes," Anton murmured thoughtfully. "I'm sure dear Professor Flint would be all too glad to encourage extra study in his favourite field..."
"Exactly," Valeria murmured, wicked mischief slipping into her eyes as she risked a glance toward him before guarding her features and turning her attention back toward the professor.
****
After class, it had taken just a few ambiguously worded requests for Professor Flint to agree to let them see the books, under his supervision. A time and date were set and just a few moments before found Valeria peering curiously at the office door. "It looks dark. I wonder if he's forgotten," she said, glancing at Anton.
"More likely he just doesn't want to take responsibility for this...if we get caught, I mean, or something goes wrong." Anton tried the door handle, and found it locked. "At least he doesn't take us for imbeciles. Alohomora!"
The door opened easily under his hand, and the children stepped inside.
"That or he's one who thought a simple locking spell would keep anyone out," Valeria murmured. The books weren't hard to find, sitting in plain view on the professor's desk, as if he'd set them out for them.
"I don't think he wanted to make it too hard for us, but it could be suspicious if anyone had found the door unlocked," Anton mused, stepping towards the pile of books. He touched the spine of one of them, as though cautious of a hex.
Valeria nodded, approaching the books cautiously. A noise outside caught her attention and she froze, eyes immediately flicking to the open door. "An," she murmured, color draining out of her face. There was no mistaking that bawdy song or the obnoxious voice singing it.
A bell-covered hat descended, upside-down, from the window frame. As the rest of Peeves the Poltergeist came into view, Anton grabbed Valeria's unresponsive hand as they bolted into the corridor, followed by their jingling pursuer.
"Two ickle firsties, sitting in a tree...hee, hee, now they flee!"
The corridor was dark and empty as they raced towards the dungeons; but a dark-robed shape emerged from an adjacent hall, blocking their path.
Valeria's gaze flew upward but she didn't breathe a sigh of relief. Instead, she weighed the options. They could truly be in trouble now, but there was also a chance that they'd found the one person who might possibly believe that their Transfiguration Professor had set them up.
Illegal Volumes
Author: Severus Snape
Date: 09-11-13 13:59
"Breaking into a professor's office is a grievous offence," clipped Severus Snape, stepping in front of the guilty pair. The two young miscreants gazed up at him sheepishly, their hands hanging limply over their robes. "And so is being out of bounds."
Avery was the first to defend them. "We weren't breaking in, Professor. Professor Flint said we could borrow some books. He left them on his desk for us."
Snape raised a brow. "He could not give you these in person? He required you to sneak around after hours and disturb the poltergeist?"
"We asked him about them after he mentioned them in class. We thought he was going to be there, but when he wasn't, we were worried something might have happened to him, so we thought it best to check his office, just in case, and then we saw the books and then we heard Peeves," Valeria said, the quick response coming easily. It was even mostly true, so she had no trouble meeting Snape's eyes.
The professor regarded Valeria's eyes, gauging the trustworthiness of this story. "Come," he said darkly. "I want to see these books for myself."
Valeria looked at Anton. If the books were as bad as Flint had hinted in class, this could be worse.
The boy returned her worried gaze as they trudged towards the office with the open door. Peeves, standing under the threshold, gave a jingling bow and capered off.
"Lumos!" The professor picked up one of the old volumes, squinting at the faded letters on the cover. His mouth was set in a hard, grave line. These hexes had been rediscovered in the Renaissance by dark wizards intrigued by the powers of their ancient counterparts; they were just short of Unforgivable.
"Perhaps if I was certain you were seeking theoretical knowledge in these books, I would let this incident off lightly. But, knowing the both of you as well as I do, I can guess that you were fully intending to turn someone into stone - irrevocably, irreparably. That, Miss Mockridge and Mr Avery, would be a crime that would bring you before the Wizengamot." He paused to allow the gravity of his words to sink in.
"I had no intention of even trying to turn anyone to stone," Valeria protested, though she couldn't deny being interested in the idea.
"No?" The professor seemed unconvinced. "What if once you had learned the curse, someone had so excited your rage that you could not help but hex them - as has been known to happen to you in particular, Valeria. No, even the desire to read these books is a crime, and if Professor Flint thought it appropriate for students of Transfiguration, let alone first years, then he is even less possessed of his senses than I perceived him to be."
"He didn't mean anything by it," piped Anton. "Really, sir. He was just trying to encourage our studies."
"I haven't even used the hexes Grandmother taught me, I've stuck to simple ones," Valeria muttered, slightly petulant. "Even when really angry."
Snape couldn't help but smile at the young witch and wizard, but it lasted only a moment before his countenance was steely again. "You will be both be doing detention with me for the rest of the week. I somehow think that assigning either of you to Professor Flint may defeat the purpose. And your parents and guardians will be informed of this incident. I suggest you both keep your stubborn heads down for the remainder of the school year!"
"Yes, sir," Valeria said, looking down at her shoes to hide the smile. Detention with Snape, even when doing horrid things, was bound to be interesting. Perhaps she could learn something new for Potions.
The professor pretended not to notice the hint of a smile at the corner of Miss Mockridge's lip. "I'll escort you directly to your common rooms," he spoke with a hint of weariness.
(Arielle) Astronomy Final
Author: Jolyon
Date: 09-11-13 17:32
Arielle couldn't believe that her first year at Hogwarts was nearly over, and oh, what a year it had been! She had learned so much, both academically and personally, that she almost felt like a completely new person. The best thing to happen to her this year was meeting her father and finding out that they had a lot in common. She couldn't wait to spend time with him this summer!
But first she had a week of finals to complete, starting with Astronomy this evening. Arielle had studied hard, but she still felt nervous. What if she forgot everything the moment the exam started? She didn't want to fail and have to repeat her first year. That would be so embarrassing!
As the evening wore on, Arielle grew antsier and antsier. She wanted 10:30 to arrive so that she could put the exam behind her. She tried to get a little bit of last-minute study done, but she found herself far too anxious to absorb any of the material. Arielle also started to get tired. Just when she thought she might accidentally fall asleep, it was time to go to the Astronomy Tower.
She and the other Gryffindor first years left the common room and made their way there, where they were joined by the Hufflepuff first year students. Arielle's brother Asher's Astronomy final exam was tomorrow night.
Professor Jones greeted them at the top of the Astronomy tower and had them each choose one of the telescopes already set up on the observation deck. Arielle moved to one in the middle of the first row and looked through the lens to adjust the focus. It was slightly overcast, but not so much that she couldn't see any of the constellations.
The air was fresh and a little cool, now that the sun had set. Arielle didn't feel cold, however, but she did feel a little more awake. That would probably change as the exam wore on and the night grew later.
Professor Jones passed out star charts and anti-cheating quills. Arielle took one of each and started her first final exam. She didn't feel nervous anymore, now that the exam had finally arrived.
Playing Cards (Mason)
Author: Pyrrhus
Date: 09-11-13 18:32
Mason reaches into the biscuit tin to snag another sweet, not caring which of the four kinds of biscuits he gets. He likes them all. He's quite sure if his mum knew how big a tin he'd ordered from Briar's to get him through writing exams, she would have cut off his allowance weeks ago.
He's halfway through the biscuit - coconut macadamia chocolate - when Boris finally plays a card. Mason mulls over his own choices as Boris dips into his own tin, filled with a variety of sweets from Honeydukes.
Whitney Widowmaker lightly bumps Mason on the back of the head and taps Boris on the side of his as she passes them by on her way to the girls' dorm. "Better get to bed soon. It's going to be a rough week."
Boris reddens a little, leading Mason to believe that his friend likes Whitney. Then again, Boris tends to blush these days any time a female speaks to him. Mason shrugs it off much like he shrugs off Whitney's suggestion. While Boris had his first exam today, Arithmancy & Divination, Mason's first isn't until tomorrow. Tomorrow afternoon at that, at 1:45. He is fairly certain he's more than ready for the Ancient Runes exam. He studied some for it today and can look over it again in the morning.
Wednesday and Thursday will be the hardest days. Three exams on Wednesday but one is Fitness & Athletics, which shouldn't be difficult as he's kept up with the various rules and things they've had to learn. Thursday will be the real killer. He'll write Potions and Herbology in the morning, Care of Magical Creatures that afternoon, and Astronomy late that night.
He's got turn around and get up for a 9 o'clock Charms exam Friday morning. His last exam, the one he has the least idea about and has decided he doesn't care, is Transfiguration. Fussbudget Flint is the worst professor ever in Mason's opinion. The man even insisted students show up for regular class today if an exam didn't interfere. Same goes for tomorrow as none of Flint's classes write exams until Wednesday. Neither Boris nor Mason plans to attend class tomorrow. It runs from 12:45 to 1:30. They both have Ancient Runes to write at 1:45 and have no desire to sit through whatever the man has in store for a class that isn't even supposed to be meeting when they need to be getting into the exam writing mindset. And doing that last lookover before the exam. If Flint makes an issue of it, Mason's going straight to McGonagall.
Mason places a card on the table, making the winning play. Boris, his mouth crammed full of caramels, tallies the points while asking, "Another?"
Mason nods, gathering up the cards to shuffle. "I'm not sleepy yet so, yeah, at least one more." After dealing the cards he grabs another biscuit from the tin, this one a soft, chewy ginger molasses, then fans out his cards to study what he got this hand.
(The Jones Twins) The Treasure of the Green Pt. 1
Author: Estine
Date: 09-12-13 07:12
It was a world so still. Untouched by the hands of the modern world, the greenery grew wherever it wanted. It was free, not like the sprouts of grass suffocating under cement in the main town of Old Harlow. Those sprouts had to work to live, to find a crack in their little sidewalk before they even touched the cool, clear air. But the greenery? It had its pasture in Point Alleranty Park. Most of the time, old women kept the green company. True, their attention was more on the fowl that inhabited the small pond, but the greenery still counted them as allies in the war against man's will. There were sometimes others too. Women with strollers or men with briefcases… They enjoyed the green and all it provided. Still, there was terror among the green for every once in a while, a child would find their way onto the cobblestone paths winding through the park. God help the green if the child stepped a foot onto the grass. They were known to be troublesome little varmints whose sole desire was the destruction of beauty. Give them the world and dead plants followed.
Much like previous days now that schools were ending, today was a fearful day in the park. An entire group of villainous youngsters had entered the poor green's home. Most seemed okay, if not polite, and kept to themselves. They listened to their minder, a robust woman with an accent not native to that of Old Harlow, and stayed on the paths as instructed. They even raised their hands and asked questions. In turn, the green was pleased, but as always good things had to meet their end. That happened as three girls near the back of the flock snuck off when they thought no one was looking. How wrong they were! The green was always watching. It observed silently as the girls fell back and ventured away into the wilds of the park. Behind them, lush grass laid victim to such a careless homicide.
"You could try not being such a tosser," a scrawny brunette, now known to the green as Mulberry Jones, spoke as her school issue penny loafers crashed through a small bunch of poor, innocent ferns. "It's not like I asked you to come with me. You could've stayed with Miss Pimperwinkle."
"It's Pintervink," another voice called out as its owner made an attempt to avoid the same fern patch her cohort had walked straight through. It was futile; the owner of the voice, a girl with dark hair and equally dark skin, made her crash landing amongst the plants, smashing them in the process. "Ugh, gross! Dirt! And her name is Miss Pintervink. We've had her for 2 years now and you can't even remember her name?"
It was then that the last girl stepped out from the shadows. Her footsteps were cautious and her balance was right. She found her way to her fallen companion with the grace of a wren and helped her up without actually disturbing any of the green. It made sense that she was instantly its favorite. "She knows her name, Vivienne," this new girl with the straw colored braids spoke a reply. "She just likes Pimperwinkle better. She thinks it's funny."
"No one asked you, Abernathy Jones," the one called Vivienne bit back before brushing off her clothes and clumsily following the first girl in the group. "Mills, wait up!"
The girl who had been previously called Mulberry Jones, but was now being referred to as Mills, wasn't too far ahead. She also wasn't going fast enough so that those behind her couldn't catch up. They did rather quickly in fact, resuming as a silent trio despite Vivienne's occasional grunts of displeasure.
"My feet hurt," she would say one moment. "I got dirt on my uniform, mum's going to be raging," she would say in another. "I'm sweaty. Can we rest?" The other two girls never replied or paid their more annoying companion much attention. The green would notice the occasional glance between the duo, a knowing look as if they were reading each other's thoughts for a quick minute before looking back to the front. It made it obvious, despite the common Jones in their names, that both girls were of the same flora.
"You could always go back," Abernathy finally replied as she gracefully avoided another plant. "If you don't want to be here that is."
"And let you best me, Abernathy Jones? I am just as brave as any bookworm, I can tell you that." Vivienne tried her best to clear the same plant, only to have it smack her nose as it bounced back by its stem. "Oof! Besides, I get tired of the nature walks. It's time to be a rebel, yeah?"
Even the green could see its favorite girl's eyes roll as she shook her head. "A rebel, right. Because there are never any rebels in books. Hey Mills, where are you?"
"Just up ahead," Mills had to call back, as she was officially far enough to be out of sight. More importantly, she was near the green's treasure; it could tell. There was a secret that the greenery in Point Alleranty Park had been holding onto for generations and generations. A trophy that had been undisturbed for so long, though many had come close to discovering it, that the green paid little mind as Mills got closer and closer. "As long as we're – Whoa guys, hurry up! I found something!"
And so the prize was found, for before Mulberry Jones stood a small cement structure. It was ancient in appearance with ivy tracing its every crevice. Dust and spider webs covered everything else in a thin film so as not to take away from the appearance of the build, but to also make it creepy and old and… perfect in Mulberry's mind. She touched a hand to the metal grate the structure used as a gate before letting one slender finger fiddle with its locks. There were four altogether, they themselves rusting heavily while still somehow keeping the door secure. Mulberry let her hand graze each one before the girls finally showed.
(The Jones Twins) The Treasure of the Green Pt. II
Author: Estine
Date: 09-12-13 08:20
"Wow," Abernathy spoke upon entering the clearing where the green's secret lay. "It looks like a really old mausoleum. Like the kind they have in the Old Harlow Cemetery, but what's it doing out here?"
"Maybe this park was an old cemetery," Mills replied objectively as she stepped back to join her cohorts. "It could be like that film mum let us watch last year. The one with the house and the graveyard – Poltergeist! Maybe we're standing on ancient bones."
Abernathy Jones shook her head, though her eyes never left the structure before them. "Not in Point Alleranty. I mean there used to be a house at the back end of the park. It's The Garden's Café now. This could be the family's tomb though. It makes sense if they lived in the house long enough. We should ask and see if the owner of the café knows something."
"Ask them what? Super funny, guys, but even I can tell there's nothing there," Vivienne said as she crossed her arms over her chest and stared hard in the direction of the nothing the other girls were looking at. The green watched as a shiver passed through the girl's body just as she began to look away. It didn't know that she kind of wished there was something in front of her, just so that then there would be a reason to be so uneasy. As it stood, according to the girl called Vivienne, all that stood before the trio at the moment was a clearing in the ever-quiet green. "There's no mauso-whatever. If you're trying to play loony, it ain't working. You just look like a couple of wankers."
"What do you mean? You can't see it?" The question had come from Mills as she turned around to look at Vivienne with a slightly suspicious look. "It's right in front of us. Can't really miss it."
Vivienne rolled her eyes before letting a sigh escape her lips. "There ain't anything there, but a creepy old park, Mills. And I don't like it one bit. We ought to catch up with Pintervink anyway. It might be time for lunch."
"Mills," Abernathy interrupted before the other Jones could actually reply. It wasn't like she had really been paying attention to the conversation anyway. No, the green knew that Abernathy's eyes had yet to leave its trophy. Those eyes so blue had slowly been investigating the mausoleum the entire time, tearing it apart as best they could without actually ruining anything. "Look at that, above the entrance. What do you think it says?"
It didn't take long for Mulberry Jones to whip her head around to look once more at the green's treasure, though the green supposed it was their shared prize now. Mills found what Abernathy had meant at once. Above the locked gate sat a strange set of characters. They were carved deep into the cement of the mausoleum, but also seemed to glow without any form of electricity connected to them. Of course, both of the girls knew what it actually was. They had seen magic before. They had just never seen it like this – never in what dad called 'muggle town' Old Harlow.
What was even stranger was how the characters felt to each girl. It was as if they were saying something ominous, which in turn made the Jones' stomachs crawl yet also peaked Mills' interest further. Not that the characters didn't already. They were a mystery, one of Mulberry Jones' most favorite things, and not just a fake one. This was a real mystery in need of a little solving.
In Mulberry's mind, there was no one else more perfect for the job.
Rita Skeeter Strikes Again
Author: Dante Knight
Date: 09-12-13 15:26
Since the morning edition of The Daily Prophet was delivered Dante has been closeted in his office. He'd be holed up elsewhere if not for needing to be around should any sixth year come asking a question in anticipation of Thursday's 9 am final exam.
Alone in shadow, ample light coming in through the fourth floor window but he's as far from it as the office space allows, he sits on the pretext of not only being available for any sixth year in need but of studiously going over the exam, looking for poor wording, typographical errors, and that sort of thing. What he's really doing is working hard at not grabbing up the newspaper to yet again read over the latest Rita Skeeter article. It's not a very long article, not really. It does the damage though so Dante doesn't think it being somewhat short matters in the grand scheme of things.
Dante Knight. Hogwarts History of Magic professor, upper years to be precise. Athletic. Friendly and charming but somewhat shy. Or is that shyness simply a means to avoid revealing information about himself?
Dante Knight. Imposter.
A source has revealed to me that this pleasant young teacher has a sinister background. Knight's birth name is Garrett Vickers, son of two of Britain's most wanted criminals Terrence "Bruno" Vickers and Lorraine "Rainy" Vickers.
The Vickers are wanted for robbery, possession of illicit dark arts materials, dark arts experimentation using Muggles, and murder, no less than seventy-two deaths attributed to them as well as possible others, and the injuring of dozens more.
Bruno and Rainy escaped a Ministry raid, fleeing with their two children, Gabriel and Guinevere. Other than unconfirmed sightings over the past twenty-seven years, the fate and whereabouts of the Vickers and their children has remained a mystery.
Dante Knight, aka Garrett Vickers, was born after the family went on the run. My source also revealed that Knight has been in contact with his family since being hired by Albus Dumbledore as a History of Magic professor for Hogwarts. Knight has not, however, shared the location of his family with the Ministry.
Do you really want your children being taught by someone who was raised by people who believe that performing dark arts and killing others in the process is acceptable? Someone who will not divulge information leading to the whereabouts of those two very people?
The article ends with a handful of more questions along those same lines. Nowhere does Skeeter indicate that Dante has been fully cooperating with the Ministry nor that he has no idea of his parents' whereabouts.
There is a knock on the office door but when Dante is slow to respond, whomever it is raps again while turning the knob. Pulling his mind back together enough to stand and invite in whichever sixth year is needing help, he's surprised when the door opens on his friend, Hit Wizard, and former Ministry shadow Isreal.
Bypassing any sort of a greeting or inquiring how Dante is, Isreal's first words are, "I'm not the source and neither is Ron Weasley."
Not Isreal or Weasley. Not Minister of Magic Shacklebolt. Not Minerva McGonagall. The only people other than Dante that Isreal was able to confirm knew the story. If not any of them, then who?
Dante beckons Isreal in, the answer to that question immediately answered in his mind. "I think it was either my brother or my father."