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Summertime
Author: Bronwyn Dewhurst
Date: 05-19-07 10:31
Bronwyn was glad to have her second year at St. Emrys University behind her. She'd done reasonably well, though not as well as her father would have liked. He was extra hard on her these days, because she had only one year of schooling left before she would have to fend for herself in the real world. Bronwyn hadn't really discussed with him what she might like to do, and he mainly thought her stint at the WWN station was nothing but a hobby. In his opinion, she would have to find a real job very soon.
"You can't expect to get by in life by simply floating around aimlessly," Wotan chided over his morning tea. He had the Daily Prophet open, giving Bronwyn a perfect view of the front page. There was an article about the job market with the bold headline ST. EMRYS GRADUATES: ARE THERE JOBS AHEAD?
"I'm not floating around aimlessly," Bronwyn replied. "I have plans."
"Such as?"
"Well... I really do like my job. I thought maybe I'd try to get into professional broadcasting."
"If that's the case, then you ought to start looking for opportunities now. One isn't going to wind up in your lap upon your graduation."
"I know that," Bronwyn replied, becoming a little exasperated. It was times like this that she realized she missed being out of the house. She knew she needed to stick out the next year at home but after that, when she got her real job, she'd find a place of her own.
"Bronwyn?"
She got up from the kitchen table and padded into the living room, where Theodore's head protruded from the fireplace. "Hey. What's up?" She knelt before the fireplace.
"Can you meet me in Diagon Alley? There's something I want to show you."
"Sure. I'll be right there."
"Great!" Theodore's head disappeared into the fireplace.
Bronwyn rose, padded up the stairs to her room, and slipped on a pair of flip flops. She grabbed a small purse, made sure she had all her essentials inside of it, and then left her room.
"Where are you going?" Wotan asked, as she passed by the kitchen table.
"Out. See you later."
And with that, she apparated for Diagon Alley.
Surprise
Author: Bronwyn Dewhurst
Date: 05-19-07 10:55
When Bronwyn got to Diagon Alley, she realized that she didn't know where she was to meet Theodore. Luckily, it was still early enough in the morning that Diagon Alley wasn't bustling with people. There were plenty of wizards around, though, most of them being Ministry workers stopping by the Flour Shoppe or Delia's Deli to grab a cup of tea or coffee before heading to work. Bronwyn allowed her feet to lead her in whatever direction they chose to go and eventually found herself staring into the window at Narcissa's.
"Hey."
She didn't have to turn around to know Theodore had found her. She could see his reflection in the shop window and had recognized his voice.
"Hey." She turned and smiled at him. "So, what is it you wanted to show me?"
"It's a surprise." Theodore smiled and gestured for Bronwyn to follow him. He turned the corner at Narcissa's and stopped so that they were standing at the mouth of Knockturn Alley.
"You can't be serious about going in there, can you?" Bronwyn asked, eyeing the darkened street warily.
"I know Hufflepuff is generally considered to be the wimpiest Hogwarts house, but I pegged you for being an unusually brave alum. Do you trust me?"
Bronwyn nodded. "I trust you, but that's only because for an ex-Slytherin, you're unusually nice." She shot him a sly smile.
He grinned at her and led her down the steps into Knockturn Alley. Bronwyn had never in her life gone there before and moved close to Theodore's side, not sure what to expect. She'd heard stories about Knockturn Alley and none of them had been good, but she couldn't say how many of those stories had been fact or pure fabrication.
She slowed to a stop outside Borgin & Burkes. In the window stood a mannequin wearing the most beautiful wedding gown Bronwyn had ever seen. "Wow..." she murmured, picturing herself wearing it at her future wedding to Toby Beck.
"Don't fall in love with it," Theodore warned. "It's probably cursed."
"Oh. Right." Bronwyn quickly put the dress out of her mind and followed Theodore to the Hanged Man. She quirked an eyebrow outside its door. "Isn't it a little early for drinking?"
"We're not here to drink," Theodore replied, laughing. He held open the door for her and said, "After you."
Bronwyn sucked in a deep breath and then stepped over the threshold. It was dark and musty, sort of like what she imagined the Hog's Head to be although she'd never once stepped foot in there before either. She made it about two steps into the pub when something struck the middle of her back and she fell to the ground.
Theodore, his wand held out in front of him, gazed down at the stunned body of Bronwyn with a small smile on his face. He stooped, pulling her up by the arm and swinging her light body over his shoulder, and then carried her down the steps to the men's lavatory. He walked to the very last stall and stepped inside, placing his bare hand over the pentagram marking on the wall. The gateway opened, revealing the door used to access the secret lair used by Caden Eastwick and his followers.
Theodore wrapped his hand over the knob and instantly drew back his hand, cursing. It had burned his flesh, marking a pentagram into his palm.
Funny, he thought to himself, for as many times as he'd touched the doorknob, not once had it burned his hand like it had just now.
He jostled the unconscious Bronwyn over his shoulder and dug in his robe pocket for a handkerchief. He wrapped it around his burned palm and then tentatively touched the doorknob again. It opened this time without any complications.
Theodore stepped into the lair, noting that some of the other men had already brought their quarries too. Several girls sat against one of the walls, there arms and legs bound and gags in their mouths. Their eyes were wide and swollen from crying. Theodore dumped Bronwyn on the floor beside them and bound and gagged her. The solstice sacrifice was just a few days away...
Theory of Charms
Author: Ronan Eastwick
Date: 05-19-07 12:02
Ronan paced the entrance hall nervously, every once in a while staring at the great oaken doors that led to the Great Hall. Everyone had just been expelled from breakfast to give the professors a chance to rearrange the Great Hall for the OWL and NEWT exams, scheduled to begin in only a few minutes' time. Ronan felt like he'd studied so much last weekend, that he hadn't even come up for air, but now that exams were finally here, he almost felt as if he didn't know enough to do well. He knew he was only nervous and that he'd probably do okay, but still.
Suddenly, the doors creaked open. A collective gasp went through the entrance hall. Some students started hyperventilating. Ronan inhaled and exhaled deeply and then followed the throng into the Great Hall.
Professor Binns hovered near the doorway and ushered the fifth years towards the front of the Great Hall and the seventh years towards the back. Everyone was to sit in alphabetic order within their year. Ronan found himself in the front row between Crispin Cooke of Slytherin House and roommate Titus Fitzgerald. Any items the students had brought with them into the Great Hall were promptly summoned away from them and stacked in a corner at the front of the Great Hall.
Each desk already had two anti-cheating quills on them. Professor Binns announced that if anyone needed a new quill during the course of the examination, he or she simply need raise his or her hand and one would be sent. As he read the Ministry-approved examination procedures, the test booklets magically arrived on every desk. Ronan did as he was told and wrote his name on the front cover. Then, at Binns' instruction, he slid his quill through the seal and opened the booklet to the first page.
The hourglass at the head table started trickling sand into the bottom glass.
"Please begin!" Binns announced.
Ronan swallowed the lump in his throat and read the first question of his very first OWL exam.
Sitting in the Library
Author: Roane
Date: 05-19-07 20:18
Roane felt broody as she sat in the library trying to concentrate on her Muggle Studies homework. The library was filled with tense students who were either studying for the end of term exams or their OWLS and NEWTS. It was easy to tell which was the latter group – the ones with pale faces and dark circles under their eyes from sleepless nights.
The door to the library opened, and Roane felt her attention stray from her books as her eyes followed Jet Obsidian. She watched him as he moved through the room, grabbed a book from one of the shelves and then settled himself at one of the tables. It was strange, he was almost as old as some of the teachers, and yet here he was back in Hogwarts finishing up his sixth year after mysteriously disappearing and reappearing. Strange – and fascinating.
“I know you keep denying it, but I still think you’re kidding yourself.”
Roane almost fell out of her chair as Tranquillina swooped into the chair next to her grinning knowingly.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about”, Roane whispered back feeling slightly annoyed.
Tranq rolled her eyes and then whispered in a sing-song voice, “I think you’re in luuuuuuv…”
Roane felt her face flush. To Tranquillina it probably looked as if she were embarrassed by her comment, but in actual fact she was furious. Waiting until her temper was under control, she turned to Tranq and calmly stated, “You’re wrong.”
Tranq answered her with another eye roll, before moving on to another table where a group of Gryffindor fourth year girls were seated.
Shaking off her annoyance, Roane picked up her book again and tried to study. She couldn’t wait until the school year was over so she could study her spell books more often. Lately, trying to get a moment alone was next to impossible. It was like people were purposely making sure she wasn’t alone. Maybe she was just being paranoid, but she felt there was more to it. And she’d bet her galleons that Dumbledore was behind it.
And OWLs begin...
Author: Oreileah McCoi
Date: 05-20-07 00:17
Orei was already seated outside the Great Hall, she'd been there since eight that morning, going over last minute notes in her head for the written Charms OWL which started at nine and lasted until noon with a two hour break before the Practical exam started. She knew this well enough, and the exam wouldn't, or shouldn't be all that hard right?
She looked over at the collective of fifth and seventh year students from all four houses within Hogwarts. Each were in various stages of emotions: fear, nervousness, and there was even a bit of confidence within some of the students, but all in all the air was thick with tension as everyone waited for those large oaken doors to be opened once more to grant them admission into the Great Hall for the exam.
Once the doors opened there were faint sobs, sighs of relief and all in all a collective deep breath taken as the fifth and seventh years moved into the room. Being ushered to the front of the room, Orei settled herself at the end of the row near Katharina Lounders.
"Good luck.." She offered fellow fifth year before Professor Bins' voice broke the air of the room. "Begin please..."
And with that, the clock began ticking on the written portion of the Charms OWL and NEWT.
Charms Practical
Author: Alanna Beck
Date: 05-20-07 10:15
Alanna was very nervous. She and the other students who'd just completed the written portion of the Charms O.W.L.s or N.E.W.T.s stood in the entrance hall in a line that wrapped around the entire room. She was the third person in line, behind Aubrey Abercrombie and Iris Audley. In just a few moments time, the first four students, including Cecilla Berenger who stood behind Alanna, would enter the Great Hall and meet with one of four Ministry officials for the Charms practical exam. Alanna had a basic idea of what it would be like, having grilled Toby, Anthony and Ariella for details over the past few weeks. Her professors had also done their best to make sure that the students knew what to expect.
Still, there was nothing like waiting and waiting and waiting to see how it would really turn out to be. She had no idea how she'd managed to eat during lunch, nor how she managed to keep it all down. Glancing about the entrance hall, Alanna could see that some of her classmates looked a little green in the face.
She swiveled her head forward the second the doors to the Great Hall opened. Professor Binns, who floated near the head of the line, asked the first four students to enter the Great Hall. Aubrey, who seemed as cool as a cucumber, stepped over the threshold and went to Professor Marchbanks. Iris walked stiffly towards Professor Tofty. Alanna tried to put a smile on her face as she met with Professor Brecknock, and Cecilla looked like she might burst into tears in front of Professor Huntingdon.
"Good afternoon, Miss Beck," Professor Brecknock greeted.
"Good afternoon, professor," Alanna replied politely.
"I have a few tasks to ask of your. First, I would like you to turn this rat orange." Professor Brecknock scooped a black rat out of a cage and set it on the table. It seemed rather calm, as if it had had its coat changed different colors a million times already.
Alanna nodded and gripped her wand, visualizing what she'd been asked to do in her mind before actually giving the incantation and using the appropriate wand movements to make the color change happen. The rat turned more of a burnt orange than orange orange but Professor Brecknock seemed satisfied.
After jotting down a notation and returning the rat to its cage, Professor Brecknock pointed to a broomstick leaning against the wall across the room. "Summon the broomstick to yourself, Miss Beck."
Alanna faced the broomstick, pointed her wand at it and said, "Accio broom!" The old Cleansweep lifted itself off the wall and flew right towards her, stopping in a hover at about waist level. Alanna gripped the broom and it fell limp into her hand.
"Very good," Professor Brecknock said. "And for your final task, I'd like you to create legs on this teacup." She indicated to a white cup and sauce patterned with violets on green vines.
Alanna's face blanched. She'd remembered doing the assignment in Charms class but it hadn't been the most easiest spell to master. She set the broomstick against the table and concentrated on the spell. In the end, she managed two little feet on the bottom of the cup but without any legs to support it. She frowned, but Professor Brecknock nevertheless thought she'd done a decent job.
"Thank you, Miss Beck, and good luck with your other exams."
"Thank you," Alanna murmured. She and the others who were just wrapping up their portions of the practical exam stepped out the side door of the Great Hall. Alanna decided she would make a pit stop at the common common room first, to get a snack and something to drink, and then she would go to the library to study for tomorrow's exams in Transfiguration.
Omens
Author: Emerald Green
Date: 05-21-07 22:18
Emerald expells a breath that's loud enough the person to her immediate right shushes her. Raising her hand to get Professor Grubbly-Plank's attention, Emerald looks back down at the broken quill point, her fifth this exam. Emerald thinks that perhaps all these broken quills are an omen to let her know not to expect very high marks on this particular exam of the Ordinary Wizarding Levels.
The professor, filling in on proctoring duty for the mysteriously vanished Viktor Krum, hands Emerald another quill. She starts to walk away then thinks better of it. Handing Emerald a second and then a third fresh quill, Professor Grubbly-Plank whispers, "Take two extras, dear, so that you won't lose even more time waiting on another." She gives Emerald a sympathetic pat on the arm then moves along to calm a seventh year who's breathing has suddenly become the wheezing of an asthmatic, through it's probably more of a panic attack.
Emerald does her best to block out the sound of the loud, irregular breathing and refocus on the exam. She'd already composed the rest of her answer to a question while waiting for the fresh quill. Dipping the quill into the ink bottle, Emerald gets busy writing out her answer before she forgets what she'd thought up. By the time she's done that seventh year is breathing normally again and Professor Grubbly-Plank has moved along to give someone else a new pen.
Emerald scans the next question, trying very hard not to think about how many questions she's got left to answer and how little time there is in that big hourglass shaped timer used to count down the seconds till the end of the exam. Emerald's also trying very hard not to think about the practical exam this afternoon. She'd done so-so in her opinion on the Charms practical yesterday. Emerald feels more confident about the written portion of Charms, which is more than she can say about this Transfiguration one.
Over the course of the remaining time for the written Transfiguration OWL, Emerald uses both of the spare quills she professor provided. As she dots a period at the end of the last sentence of the last question, mere seconds left to spare for the exam, the tip of the second of the spares breaks. Emerald sighs loudly again, this time knowing it doesn't matter if the sound bothers anyone or not. The exam is over and Emerald has a tightness in her chest that makes her fully empathize with that seventh year.
Getting out of her seat, Emerald feels drained and wants a nap. A nap is a luxery that's not to be today. There's lunch and there's the Transfiguration practical then it's go into panic mode in preparation of tomorrow's Herbology exam.
Something To Do
Author: Charlie Weasley
Date: 05-22-07 10:59
Dabney McNeil enterd the large room filled with detailed maps of the McFusty Preserve. Seeing Charlie watching a numbered greenish-blue dot slowly moving along side an equally greenish-blue irregular line representing a stream, Dabney walks over to join him.
"Allo, Charlie. 'aven't seen you in awhile. Been out in the far northeast sector this last week. 'ow's your brother doing?"
With five brothers Charlie has often had to ask which brother when someone inquires about just one and doesn't provide the name of the brother being asked after. Lately, however, Charlie knows without having to ask that questions vaguely phrased are invariably about Bill. Turning away from the map Charlie grimly smiles.
"Not so well, Dabney. Still in a coma and the healers are just as stumped as they've been from the start."
"Sorry to hear that!"
Dabney frowns heavily and gives Charlie a look he's come to know all to well. It's the I don't know what else to say expression. Charlie saves Dabney from trying to fumble for more words by tapping the moving dot of color he'd been following on one of the maps.
"Napoleon seems to be on his last legs if his movements the past few days are any indication. I'd best get out in the field to check up on him. Blythe's wanting us to bring Napoleon's carcass in when the old boy finally goes."
Dabney holds up some papers. "I've got two 'atchlings tagged while I was out. Need to add them to the boards. I'll be free after that if you need 'elp with Napoleon."
"Thanks, Dabney."
Charlie leaves the map room, glad for something that will most likely keep him occupied the rest of the day. He sort of wishes St. Emrys was in term again so he'd have that extra work. Hell, he'd even put up with the insane antics of Belladonna Sinistra if it meant keeping his mind from focusing all his thoughts on the gravely ill Bill.