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Locating Lyric Morgan (as Hugo Grelleir)
Author: Forest
Date: 05-25-07 10:04
Hugo suppresses an impatient sigh, not at the victim Viktor Krum but at the slightly overbearing, dilitante nurse who has decided that Hugo's one question of, "Are you able to name your assailant, Mr. Krum?" is more than enough for her patient to endure this morning. The nurse once again tries to usher Hugo from the room. He holds his ground. She physically pushes him. He casts her a dismissive glance.
"Do you really wish to be arrested for obstruction?" Hugo retorts.
"Do you really wish to be banned from St. Mungo's for disturbing patients?" she counters.
"Stop! Both of you!"
For the first time the nurse and Hugo actually hear Viktor Krum's protests. To the nurse Krum says, "Vhile I am not at my best I am most certainly able to answer some questions."
To Hugo, Krum says, "I left Lyric Morgan locked in the same room where she was holding me captive."
Hugo immediately understands the need to find Ms. Morgan has just increased. If she's locked up, someone needs to get her within the next few days before severe dehydration, and possibly death, sets in. "Can you pinpoint the location, Mr. Krum?"
"I am thinking so but am not 100% sure. I vill need to do a side along apparition to take you there," "No, no, you can't leave, Mr. Krum. You aren't well," the nurse protests over Krum who keeps on talking to Hugo as if she isn't there. "I did make it outside but could not tell anything from the surroundings. Apparating is the only vay."
From the doorway Krum's healer announces, "If that's the only way then I suppose I've little say in the matter, eh, Mr. Krum? Someone's life is at stake. I'm not sure if I were the one in your position I'd be so charitable as to want to rush off and save the person who tortured me."
Krum's face darkens. "I vould not mind if something happened to Lyric but I am no murderer."
The healer walks further into the room. "Understable." To the nurse he orders, "Go get a dose of pepper up potion for Mr. Krum. Even with it he may end up splinching but if he's insistent on doing this, he'll need it."
Several minutes later Krum is dressed in clean clothes and the pepper up potion is kicking in. Hugo takes hold of Krum's arm. "I'm ready when you are, Mr. Krum."
The last thing Hugo sees as Krum disapparates is the nurse's lips pursed with great disapproval. If Hugo lands in the hospital anytime soon, he really hopes she's not the one assigned to his care.
Writing The DADA OWL
Author: Coco Nutt
Date: 05-25-07 15:44
Coco dips her quill into the ink bottle supplied then frowns when she goes to write and there's no ink. She picks up the ink bottle and holds it up for Professor Sacheverelle to see. The Divinations teacher is proctoring the written portion of the Defense Against the Dark Arts OWL and NEWT and will be the one at the Great Hall doors after lunch giving the go ahead to enter to the awaiting fifth and seventh years. Professor Sacheverelle is quick to reach Coco, switching out the empty bottle for a new ink in a bottle that like all the other bottles, the quills, and the examination papers themselves is charmed against cheating. Coco supposes the anti-cheating charms are a necessity though she herself would never be compelled to cheat no matter how dicey her chances at passing were.
While waiting the short time for new ink, Coco had shaken out her writing hand. With this being the fourth day in a row of so much writing, her hand cramps up more quickly than it did on day one. She imagines that's true of everyone else who's had testing each of the four days. Tomorrow's Ancient Runes and Arithmancy. Coco finds both course interesting but her electives have been Muggle Studies and Care of Magical Creatures. That means Coco has the day free and clear of exams tomorrow but Fritz isn't so lucky. He chose to take Arithmancy this school year. Of course, that means next Thursday when Coco has the Muggle Studies OWL, Fritz gets to sleep in if he wants. They do have History of Magic a week from tomorrow but Coco imagines it would be nice to have a break just before the last exam.
Dipping her quill into the new bottle of ink, Coco rereads the question she'd been about to answer. Read each of the five scenarios given then pick one of the five spells and charms listed as the best to use in the given situation. Explain why the charm or spell you choose is the best fit for the scenario. A spell or charm from the list may be used more than once.
Coco picks Stupify for two of the five situations, Petrificus Totalus for one, Protego for another, and the other she picks Expecto Patronum. That one was the easiest decision to make as the scenario involved a confrontation with Dementors.
The next question isn't a difficult one really but it is one that requires well constructed sentences. Why are the Unforgiveable Curses unforgiveable and are there ever any exceptions to any of them being used? Why?.
Coco had been expecting something along these lines. She'd been told by one of the 7th years to expect something like that on the OWLs, the 6th year final examination, and probably the NEWTs as well. Coco can understand that. It's important for students to leave Hogwarts knowing that under no circumstances ever is an Unforgiveable Curse all right to use. One causes death. One inflicts great pain. And the one that turns a person into a puppet is used far too often for dark magic purposes to ever justify using it for supposedly good reasons.
Turning to the last page of questions on the exam, Coco is glad to see the end is in sight. She's getting hungry and she misses having Pea in her pocket all the time. He's spent the bulk of each day since Monday with Fang down at Hagrid's hut. If she's got time during the lunch break after eating, Coco's going to run down to visit him but then she'll have to leave him there or leave him elsewhere while she takes the DADA practical exam this afternoon.
Dipping her quill in ink for a countless time this week, Coco gets busy answering the last questions of the written portion of the DADA OWL.
Hearing A Voice
Author: Jet
Date: 05-25-07 19:21
"You all right, Jet?" Jewel Reily's soft voice carries into Jet's thoughts.
"Pardon?"
"Are you all right?"
"Yes, just a little bit of a headache. Thanks for asking."
Professor Miller walks up at that moment and overhears. "Headache? Do you need some aspirin, ibuprofen, or some of Madam Pomfrey's heachache relieving potion? You may Floo back to Hogwarts for that."
"Ibuprofen, please. I have trouble with asperin."
"What are aspirin and ibuprofen?" Jewel and Titania Bennett both ask.
"Two Muggle pain relievers," Professor Miller replies, walking over to one of the many cupboards in the large, main kitchen at Cloud's Kiss. He pulls out two different bottle, opening each and spilling some tablets into his palm. "There are both in tablet form but they also are available as pills. Aspirin isn't always agreeable with some people and it's also a blood thinner."
Titania asks Jet, "How come you always seem to know so much about Muggle things? You're a pureblood, right?"
Jet accepts the ibuprofen tablets and some water to wash them down then says to Titania, "Yes, I'm pureblooded but my father's job is a Muggle one. We even live more like Muggles because of it."
Professor Miller directs them back to the task at hand, reviewing for the Muggle Studies final examination. A short time later the professor leads the 6th years from the kitchen outside to the garage area. It's while going over how to change a tire that Jet hears a voice calling his name in a sing-song fashion, making his one syllable name sound like two.
"Jeee-eeet. Jeee-eeet."
Jet stops what he's doing and looks around. Everyone else is gathered around one of the automobiles, working on changing tires. Professor Miller is walking from group to group. Jet frowns and looks back to Peter Allen, Lee Henderson, and Daria Matthews, the others in his current group. Then Jet hears it again only this time the voice is accompanied by a spike in his head pain.
Jet winces but says nothing. When the voice comes a third time with an even greater increase in pain, Jet knows he can't push in any longer. Pulling Professor Miller aside Jet whispers, "There's a voice in my head and it seems to have something to do with this headache."
Professor Miller, well aware of Jet's situation, nods and announces to the rest of the class. "I'll be back in a few minutes. Mr. Bingley," the professor nods at one of the estate caretakers who's been assisting with the automobile review, "will be here if you have questions or need help."
Going with Jet to the Floo conduit connected to the Muggle Studies classroom at Hogwarts, Professor Miller makes sure Jet gets back to the school and sees Jet to Professor Dumbledore's office then returns to Cloud's Kiss. Jet sits on the stairs leading to the office, waiting for the headmaster to arrive and wishing for the pain in his head to go entirely away.
Morning Conversations
Author: Drucilla Eternal
Date: 05-25-07 20:33
I opened one eye slowly as I unconsciously held my breath. I waited. I closed the eye again and then opened them both. I stared at the ceiling. I waited. And then sighing softly, I sat up and got out of bed.
Every morning I went through the same ritual, and every morning I awoke without a single regained memory. The only thoughts that seemed to remain, were the memories I started making after waking up in the storage room after goodness knows what had happened down there. Physically I was healthy. But mentally?
I sighed again. Mentally… I’m sure my husband would have a mouthful to say on that topic.
Walking down the stairs in my night-robe, I entered the kitchen. The only thought on my mind was getting a strong cup of coffee. And after that? I didn’t even want to think that far ahead. One moment at a time – that was all I could handle right now.
Hearing a scrape on the floor I looked up in surprise. Sirius was sitting at the table. He was cradling a coffee in his hands, and seemed like he really needed it considering the dark circles under his eyes. His eyes were slightly red, and his face was set in a stern frown. Again. But what was new? If anything, the only constant to my day was my moody husband.
Pushing my uncombed hair out of my face, I sighed again. Better to deal with this now then later. So looking up, I asked tiredly, “What?”
I watched wearily as Sirius placed his cup down carefully. It was an innocent gesture but I could see the control in his movements. I could have sworn he wanted nothing more than to throw his cup against the wall. Or better yet, at me. In a calm, even voice though he started to speak.
“We need to talk, Drucilla.”
I pulled out the chair furthest from him and gingerly sat down. Sirius had never hurt me, but I felt uneasy around him. It was almost as if there was a controlled anger in him just waiting to burst out. More than likely on me. And the way he spoke now brought up these feelings ten-fold.
“So talk.” The words came out a bit more harsher than I meant them to, but stress could do that to a person.
He smiled lazily and I felt a chill go through my spine. “There’s the Dru I remember. I knew she was in there somewhere.”
Ignoring his words, I lifted an eyebrow pointedly waiting for him to get on with it.
The smile vanished as quickly as it appeared. He reached into his pocket. I was expecting him to pull out his wand, but instead he dropped a piece of parchment on the table. I stared at it, the dark writing jumping off the parchment. It looked familiar…
I gasped in surprise.
“You recognize it?” Sirius asked quickly, correctly interpreting my reaction.
“Y-y-yes,” I whispered. “That… that piece of parchment was in the storage room. It was one of the first things I saw when I woke up.”
“And why didn’t you mention it before?” asked Sirius quietly.
I blinked in surprise. Why hadn’t I mentioned it? I almost laughed at the question. Obviously I had other things on my mind seeing I had awoken in a strange room, with an angry stranger looming above me not to mention a screaming baby in the backroom. Gee, I wonder how I forgot to mention the parchment?
Before I could answer though, Sirius had stood up quickly, letting his chair fall over behind him as he trapped me in my chair by placing both hands on my chair’s armrests. “Do you know what is on the parchment?” he asked with a slight edge in his voice.
I felt my throat go dry as my eyes darted to the parchment. A number. A word. An… address? “An address?” I said in a high pitched voice, appalled by the obvious squeak in my voice.
Sirius seemed momentarily taken aback as his eyes darted to the parchment. Apparently this was not the answer he was expecting. Seeming to recover, he looked at me again and asked, “What else do you see on the parchment?”
I looked at the parchment again. Really looked. And that’s when it struck me. The lettering. The dark, reddish-brown lettering. It wasn’t ink that was on that parchment. It was blood.
I stared up at the man who was looking at me with anger in his eyes. Who the hell was this guy, and what sort of dark magic was he doing in this house? I was almost afraid to know the answers to my unasked questions.
Solstice Sacrifice
Author: Bronwyn Dewhurst
Date: 05-25-07 21:19
Exactly at sunrise, Bronwyn found herself roused to her feet. The dozen or so other girls who'd also been kidnapped over the last few days were likewise jostled up from the ground and forced to stand side by side. Most trembled where they stood, Bronwyn included.
During the course of her brief captivity, Bronwyn had gleaned from overhearing the various men who passed through the room in which she was held that June 21st would be the culminating day. She didn't have to be a genius to understand that Solstice Sacrifice meant that she would probably die today, or else suffer in some other sacrificial way.
Bronwyn had also come to understand that one girl matched each man in whatever evil group this was. Each man had a sacrifice to make, and to whom?––their leader, who hardly seemed older than Bronwyn herself.
She was understandably upset that Theodore had betrayed her. Bronwyn had honestly come to believe that he was her friend and that he didn't fit the stereotypical Slytherin mold. She'd also never pegged him for a follower, as she'd never seen him hovering around Draco Malfoy and his minions as long as they were at Hogwarts together.
Bronwyn eyed Theodore angrily. He stood before her, his eyes cold upon hers. The other men arranged themselves before their girls, while the leader of the group sat down in a chair against an adjacent wall.
Without any spoken words, the man farthest away from his leader stepped forward and seized his captive firmly by the wrists. She screamed and tried to wriggle free but was unable to fight off his grip. He dragged her before his leader's chair and forced her to her knees.
Bronwyn wasn't feeling entirely brave but longed to move away from the wall. Her wrists were still bound, and she found herself magically frozen into place, unable to run no matter how hard she tried.
The wizard brandished his wand in the air and then gripped the girl by the hair, yanking her head upwards. He slashed at the air with one quick stroke. Bronwyn heard a distinct whoshing sound, followed by the girl's gurgling cries. It only took her a second to realize that he had just cut the poor girl's throat, only no blood spilled onto the floor. It magically filtered into a crystal bottle that had been conjured and hovered near the girl's shuddering body.
Bronwyn had never witnessed anyone being drained of her blood, though had heard of it happening once before––to her ex-boyfriend Owain Hanham-Beauvais. Had it occured in the same manner for him, or were there other sinister ways for draining a person of his life-force?
It took just under a half hour for the girl to die. She fell forward, so pale her skin was positively translucent. The last of her blood swiveled through the air and into a fourth crystal bottle hovering in the air. The wizard waved his wand again, stoppering all four bottles simultaneously. He sent them to a shelf built into the wall, where they settled, one next to the other, clinking together as they touched.
"Thank you, Hamm," the leader said.
Hamm nodded his head once and then pocketed his wand. He knelt beside the dead girl and seized her by both wrists. As he dragged her to another room, the next man in line grabbed his victim and pulled her before his leader. She screamed hysterically until she, too, found her throat cut. Bronwyn felt sick to her stomach. She always knew she'd die someday but she never expected it to happen like this.
Theory of Defense Against the Dark Arts
Author: Fritz Schnackenpfefferhausen
Date: 05-25-07 21:48
Fritz puts down his quill and massages his writing hand. He's been writing for a couple of hours but hasn't finished his Defense Against the Dark Arts O.W.L. yet. There's still another hour to go and plenty of questions left to answer.
So far, Fritz feels he's doing fine on the exam. Most of the questions he answers with relative ease, though he answers none without giving them serious thought beforehand. There are a few that have him partly stumped, and at least one he felt he couldn't adequately answer at all. On the whole, however, Fritz thinks he's doing well.
He picks up his quill and tackles the next question. It's a short essay question involving a real-life situation and requiring a response. Fritz leans back in his seat, considering the possibilities and their potential ramifications. Then he starts writing about the method best suited for the situation, justifying why one defensive spell might work better than another.
Before Fritz knows it, the remaining grains of sands filter into the bottom of the hourglass. Professor Sacheverelle calls out "Time!" Fritz lowers his quill and before he can even close his test booklet, it flies off his desk and lands in a neat pile next to the hourglass on the table.
Fritz files out of the Great Hall with everyone else and collapses against the wall in the entrance hall. Coco sits beside him and leans her head onto his shoulder. They wait in silence for lunch, and then rise and follow everyone back inside the Great Hall to eat.
They try to make the most of the brief time they have before the practical portion of the DADA O.W.L. It's only the fourth day of finals and while neither have lost their sanity yet, they are fairly tired of test-taking already!
Assistant Head of Research
Author: Hermione Granger
Date: 05-26-07 11:06
Hermione had applied for, interviewed for and ultimately been offered Henry Waltham's old position in the Spell Research Laboratory at St. Mungo's Hospital. Her boss, Alistair Mickle, had known from the start that Hermione would only assume the position temporarily––until the beginning of next October. Nonetheless, he'd had her in mind for the job ever since Henry had announced he'd be leaving in the middle of June to pursue a career in New Zealand.
She'd seen a hefty increase in pay, and it certainly helped that she'd be working full-time until her healing rotations began at St. Mungo's. Hermione really couldn't wait to continue her studies, but at the same time was glad for the opportunity to get more experience in conducting spell research, particularly in the medical field. Hermione also knew that she had endless resources at her fingertips that would hopefully lead her to a solution to Bill Weasley's very grave problem.
His condition continued to worsen, even in his current comatose state. Bill had said that Khalid Adallah had mentioned that he would suffer tremendously before ultimately dying. The healers who treated Bill didn't anticipate that he would lie in a coma for as long as Hermione's father had. They honestly felt that he wouldn't last the summer.
Hermione made it her priority to find out what the powder was that Adallah had used to poison Bill, and at the very least, she hoped to delay death to give herself time to find a cure and ultimately save Bill's life.
"Poison," Hermione murmured, as a lightbulb went on in her mind. Whatever the mysterious powder had been, it acted as a poison.
She immediately thought of her very first potions lesson with Professor Snape, when he'd quizzed Harry in front of everyone on aconite, the Draught of the Living Death, and bezoars.
"Bezoars!" Hermione exclaimed, jumping up from her stool. She went to a cabinet, threw open its doors, and rummaged through the various bottles, searching for the item in question. She found a beaker containing the bezoars and removed the whole thing from the cabinet, quickly closing the cabinet doors before returning to her work station.
"I wonder," she murmured to herself. Had the healers tried to use a bezoar on Bill yet?
If they hadn't, it was certainly worth a shot!
DADA Practical Exam
Author: Ronan Eastwick
Date: 05-26-07 14:12
Sometime before 2 in the afternoon, Ronan found himself in the entrance hall to the castle where the other OWL and also NEWT students waited for the Defense Against the Dark Arts practical exams to begin. Professor Sacheverelle ensure that they line up before the doors in the Great Hall. The OWL students were arranged ahead of the NEWT students, and all students were arranged alphabetically within the two groups. As a result, Ronan found himself in the second group of four between Crispin Cooke and Titus Fitzgerald.
It wasn't long before the clock struck 2 and Professor Sacheverelle admitted the first four OWL students (Aubrey Abercrombie, Iris Audley, Alanna Beck and Cecilla Berenger) into the Great Hall. As the line moved forward, Ronan tried not to panic. So far, he'd managed to do all right on both the written and practical portions of the other OWLs he'd taken so far, but then again, that was his opinion, not that of the judges.
Approximately fifteen minutes passed, and then the doors opened again to invite the next four students inside. Mary went to Professor Marchbanks, Crispin went to Professor Tofty, Ronan went to Professor Brecknock and Titus went to Professor Huntingdon.
"Good afternoon, Mister Eastwick. In this trunk," Professor Brecknock used a foot to tap on a trunk nearby, "is a boggart. I would like you to banish it for me."
"Okay," Ronan replied. He held his wand out, trying to picture something funny in his mind.
Professor Brecknock opened the trunk, and the boggart emerged, taking the form of an inferius who looked like Ronan's dead father. Ronan's breathing grew heavier and for a moment, he didn't think he could carry out what was asked of him. But then he shouted, "Riddikulus!", and caused the inferius to repeatedly stick a finger up its nose.
Brecknock forced the boggart back into the trunk and said, "Well done. Now let's see what else you can do." She gave him another task, and while Ronan still felt a little shaken from the last one, he tried to put it behind him and concentrate on what was asked of him.
It wasn't long before his fifteen minutes were up, and he was heading out the side door with the others who'd just finished their practical exams.