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Exploring...Dangerously
Author: Adina Blackwood
Date: 06-10-10 08:01
Adina had nothing to do, seriously. SShe hadn't been able to spend time with Marlow recently, and hadn't been invited to the Hogwarts Quidditch Cup championship, which she had heard about from Marlow the day after. Boredom had set in. Now, she was shifting into her wolf form, and with a quick motion she was leaping out the window of her bedroom and heading carefully down to the street below. She would weave carefully through the patrons, none actually seeming disturbed that there was a wolf wandering about.
No one in the area knew it was the young witch, and didn't really start or seem perturbed by her presence or the fact that the wolf turned and began lopping down Knockturn Alley - this was the safest way she could explore the darker alley that was just off the main length of Diagon Alley. Tail flicked back and forth as she padded, looking at dark, bleak empty storefronts.
"Are you sure the curse will work?" The words pulled Adina's attention and she sank back into the shadows all the more. She kept quiet, listening to the conversation between the young witch and the older wizard. They were talking about cursing the woman that the young witch's husband had cheated on with. Making her life miserable or something of the sorts. Adina wasn't certain the curse.
"I...I won't end up in Azkaban for this will I?" The young witch asked with a terrified tremor in her voice, it had replaced the earlier venom that had laced her tones. The older wizard laughed darkly and patted her on the shoulder.
"Only if you are stupid enough to leave a trace behind that can be detected by magical or muggle means." He said, which meant that whatever curse the woman was talking about flinging about at the other woman was something that could perhaps carry a lengthy sentence within the wizarding prison Azkaban.
Adina shifted, finally coming out of the shadows, however, moving away from the group. It would be the last thing that she remembered before getting hit by a petrificus totalus spell, and falling over on the ground. A whimper escaping her, unable to shift back, unable to escape...what in the hell had she gotten herself into?!
Earning an Outstanding
Author: Georgia Copperpot
Date: 06-10-10 15:27
"To Professor Tofty," Professor Declan Douglass instructs, pointing me in the right direction.
Approaching the table, I remind myself not to clutch my wand so tightly my hand cramps. During the Charms practical yesterday, Professor Huntingdon was nice enough to help me after my hand muscles locked up. Was tres embarrassing.
Yesterday had been the Charms Ordinary Wizarding Level exam, with the morning devoted to writing the theory of Charms portion and the afternoon to the practical. Today is Transfiguration and even though we had a lunch break and even though I wasn't the first to be called for the practical, my hand is not recovered. I told Izzy I am going to propose the exam schedule be lengthened to a full month so that for the Nastily Exhuasting Wizarding Tests, we might better be rested and recovered between the examinations.
Izzy told me I'm barmy.
I think she is just vair jealous not to have thought of it herself.
And she still doesn't have a sex god boyfriend.
Or any boyfriend.
I suggested that second year titch Luke Dawson. He is tall so looks older. He's vair cute as far as second year titches go and could even possibly be a growth spurt or two away from fledgling sex god. As he is only a second year titch, she will be able to train him up properly when it comes to kissing and buying le gifts for his elderly girlfriend.
Izzy slapped me on the back of the head.
The stress of exams must seriously be getting to Izzy.
I will give her some spot cream tonight to help with any lurkers so that when she's free of exams her face will not be a road map of the Himalayans when she tells Luke the double cool with knobs news that he gets to date up.
Oh.
Professor Tofty is telling me something. I'd best pay attention. I am a Ravenclaw. Ravenclaws are always expected to do well on exams earning Outstandings and Exceeds Expectations. Acceptables are, well, acceptable. Also, were I to earn only a Poor, Dreadful, or Troll, I would not be able to do anything after the owl bearing the vair horrid news arrived at home as I would be deader than the deadest dead thing.
Uh oh.
Professor Tofty is staring at me as though waiting for me to do something.
I think I was supposed to be paying attention to what was being said.
I shall just stand here a moment as if gathering my thoughts.
Yes.
I am full of sheer geniusosity.
That will buy me some time to think.
Professor Tofty has said, "Blah blahnoon, blah Copperpot." Good afternoon, Miss Copperpot?
Yes! That had to have been it.
After that was blah whinny blah blah da groans blah.
???????
Wait!
Not whinny as I am sure the good professor did not ask me to give my vair best horse impression. Whiny maybe? Oooooeerrrr. I have it now! Wine!
Wine blah blah da groans blah.
Da groans? Ooooeeer. Dragons! YES!!!
My eyes go to the table and there were wine-gums there. WINE-gums! Wine-gums to dragon's teeth.
I shoot Professor Tofty my vair bestest, most winningest smile, then set about transfigurating wine-gums to dragon's teeth.
I will pay vair close attention to the next request Professor Tofty gives me.
Really I will.
Mustn't think about Izzy getting spots and dating titchy Luke Dawson.
Nope.
Mustn't do it.
At all.
Blast!
Professor Tofty's just said something else.
Translations:
tres = French for very
barmy = usually means mentally unbalanced but Izzy misuses it when speaking about me so, in which case it means one of the following:
highly intelligent
beautiful
sex kitten
full of geniusosity
vair = very
sex god = Mine's name is Sage Porter. What's the name of yours?
titch = can mean a younger person, a smaller person, or a younger, smaller person
spot cream = special potion to help keep lurkers from erupting and to help make erupted lurkers go away faster
lurker = pimples just below the skin, ready to make an appearance at the worst possible time
double cool with knobs = very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very cool
Pensive Proctor
Author: Illyria
Date: 06-11-10 10:55
Illyria sat at the very front of the Great Hall and looked out at the students busily scribbling away at their exams. The Theory of Herbology OWLs and NEWTs had started a short while ago, after Illyria had passed out all of the test booklets and made sure that everyone had an anti-cheating quill. Although it was only the third day of exams, a fair number of the students looked totally exhausted. Illyria wondered how many of them had gone without sleep the last few days.
The hourglass near her steadily poured sand from top to bottom. Right now there was still more on top. Illyria propped her elbows up on the table and cupped her chin in her hands, watching the kernels fall onto the increasing pile.
She wasn't bored by any means, if her looks suggested otherwise. She wasn't tired either. On the contrary, Illryia was alert enough to see the occasional hand go up in the air for a replacement quill or something else. She just found that she had a lot to think about when all that was required of her was to sit and wait.
The ordeal that had resulted in a frightening situation on top of the Astronomy Tower was more or less over. Marcus Hubbs was currently in Ministry of Magic custody, awaiting trial. Illyria knew that she, and likely Ronan and Professor Dumbledore, would get called in to testify their involvement in the incident. Their part would be small, and even hers wouldn't be all that large, but larger still then the others.
There was still one missing piece of the puzzle, though. Roland Gray still hadn't resurfaced, and truth testing proved that Marcus had no involvement in his disappearance. it seemed more likely than ever that Roland had merely gone into hiding. Now it was only a matter of if and when he might return.
Marcus Hubbs was the leader of an undergound gambling ring that usually met in the cellar at The Hanged Man in Knockturn Alley. He had grown very powerful and wealthy from his enterprise. He was known for going to great lengths to take care of a problem, no matter how minute, if he felt it necessary to prove a point.
His reason for going after Illyria wasn't so much about the money, which she hadn't even known about initially and which he did get back, but more about sticking it to Roland. Marcus believed that harming Illyria would no doubt weigh heavily on Roland's conscience. The pair had had a very serious relationship once upon a time and their split had been mutual and on amicable terms. That they still cared for the well-being of each other wasn't impossible to believe.
At any rate, Marcus had a number of other pending charges against him and would likely go to Azkaban for many, many years, if not for life. Illyria was certainly pleased by that prospect, and she was very ready to move on to a normal, non-exciting life.
A hand shot in the air, drawing her attention away from the hourglass and at the fifth year who had just snapped a third quill. Illyria immediately brought her a new one and silently wondered whether there would be a pile of broken ones on her desk by the end of the written exam.
Waiting
Author: Ella
Date: 06-12-10 06:56
The fifth, seventh, and some sixth years met in the entrance hall following lunch and formed a line of sorts. Professor Jones arranged them in alphabetical order by year. A group stood just outside the Great Hall, while other pockets of students stood or sat around here and there.
Normally, Ella would have spent the time before the exam with Francis, but since H and Y were no where near each other in the alphabet, and because Ella really didn't want to hear him talk about how great Ashleigh was, she found herself sitting on the floor between Sophia Hall and Isabella Hastings. Isabella waved at Georgia Copperpot, who stood at the doors to the Great Hall, and mouthed "Good luck!"
A moment later, Professor Jones sent Georgia and the three students before her, Adelaide Adams, Henry Appleton and Deak Bennett, into the Great Hall. A hush immediately fell over those waiting in the entrance hall. Ella strained her ears to see if she could hear what was being asked of the students inside the Great Hall, but like on the two previous afternoons, she heard nothing.
She leaned back against the wall and shut her eyes. In the next few minutes the stillness of the entrance hall gradually dissipated, as some of the students had whispered conversations with each other and others frantically went through everything about Herbology that they could rememeber. Beside her, Sophia muttered under her breath the common names and corresponding biological names of every plant she could think of.
Ella tried to tune it out and forced herself to think about something else, but the only thoughts that came to mind were ones she really didn't want to think about on a day like today. She didn't want to think about her parents never getting back together again and Dunstan perhaps one day marrying Delilah. She didn't want to think about Zane and what she would do about resuming their relationship. She didn't want to think about Francis and his new infatuation with Ashleigh.
She opened her eyes when she no longer heard Sophia's voice in her ear and saw that she stood at the rear of the next group slated to enter the Great Hall. Ella didn't have a watch and there wasn't a clock in the entrance hall, so she had no idea what time it was or how much time had passed since the first group went in.
In the interim, the entrance hall had gotten very quiet again, as everyone waited to see what would happen next. Ella climbed to her feet, knowing that she would get called in after Sophia. Maybe she still had another fifteen or twenty minutes, but the time would no doubt pass by very quickly.
At last, the door opened and Professor Jones sent in Edward Croft. A minute later she sent in Matilda Flanders, and then another minute after that Timothy Gabble followed. Ella took her place behind Sophia outside the Great Hall and felt her nerves start to rise. What if the examiners asked her something she didn't know? She didn't want to look like a fool in there.
In front of her, Sophia frantically muttered plant names. When Professor Jones called her into the Great Hall, she fell silent and became deathly pale. Professor Jones ended up having to give her an encouraging push into the room.
Now Ella stood just outside the doors of the Great Hall.
Prepping for Final Set of Lectures
Author: Lawrence Masterson
Date: 06-13-10 16:13
Even though it was early, he only had one class over the next two weeks because he taught the upper years in Herbology, and two of those levels were taking their major examinations now. As were some of his sixth years, but for the most part, he still had coursework for the remainder of the sixth years who had to take finals.
He moved into the greenhouse that was designated his for the day because Marzipan's classes were meeting in the other. He wanted to ensure that everything was laid out for the lessson on healing herbs and plants that was going to happen later this afternoon.
Setting up the feverfew, evening primrose, garlic and other herbs that he intended on going over for the duration of coursework. He also handed out the study guide that would provide useful information on what was being covered for the final. Which would be reviewed the following week, before the final which was being held on June 28th.
After he had everything set up as he wanted it, he would slip from the greenhouse, and head back to his quarters just in time to bid Ariella good bye before she headed off to the village for her shift at the bakery.
When at School do School Work?
Author: Oreileah McCoi
Date: 06-13-10 16:26
She was off today at the Ministry and currently she was having a bit of trouble with her arithmancy assignment, so she headed to St. Emry's to meet with her professor. There were only two days left of the term. Today and tomorrow, and then there would be a break until Michaelmas term started in October. Hopefully by then Jim would be starting his course work at St. Emry's at that point.
She settled down in her Professor's office, and it would take about fourty five minutes of back and forth before Orei was finally happy with the way things were going. It was nine-thirty by the time she left his office and debated going home and going back to bed for a few hours since she didn't have class until six thirty tonight. She hated her tuesday and thursday courses because she got home the latest - at around ten pm, and had to be up at five thirty to get ready for work at the Ministry.
She however, had the next couple of days off, unless something major came up and she was needed for the trial she'd done translations for. If they needed her, they would summon her, otherwise she was free until Monday morning. Deciding it was better if she said up, she headed to the library and worked on her Gobbledigook assignment, as well as her essay for History of Magic, which required a bit more research into the topic of Healers during times of war. These were her last two assignments, before she had the final tonight, for Gobbledigook and Arithmancy, and then tomorrow she had her final for History of Magic and Ancient Runes.
Decidedly NOT a pet... Escape Time!
Author: Adina Blackwood
Date: 06-13-10 16:50
Adina had come to, growling, still in her wolf form, there was a rope around her neck and it was fastened to a bolt in the floor. She heard the same voice that had been talking to the woman about a curse earlier - and then remembered what happened.
Hopefully he did not intend on keeping her - because well, that would not end well for him as she was not actually a wolf. Her aunt and her mother would no doubt realize that she hadn't come home - and while she'd be grounded until Winter break rolled around from Hogwarts for being down Knockturn Alley - they would have already alerted magical law enforcement about her being missing.
She didn't dare risk changing back, not until she had a plan of escape - not until she could actually get away from the man. She was royally pissed at herself for being caught, and if she could get away without being harmed and ending up in St. Mungos, it would be a wonderful thing. However, she highly doubted the prospect of getting away unharmed.
She took in her surroundings, memorizing them, intent on leading the Magical Law Enforcement agents here, if she managed to escape. She would be certain that the wizard ended up doing time in Azkaban for kidnapping and for whatever else she could blame on him. Well, she was a key witness in the purchasing of a curse and possible assassination attempt of some poor wizard for cheating on his wife.
When the man, who smelled of sulfur and other things she could not identify realized she was wake he came over and grabbed her by the ruff, hauling the silver wolf from where she had been laying.
"Looks like I got myself a new pup...and dun worry, ya won't end up like the last one. I'll take better care o'ya that's for certain." With that he dropped her down on the floor once more and then untied that rope from the floor and tugged on it, choking her slightly before he would lead her outside for a walk. As they strolled up toward the juncture of Diagon and Knockturn, Adina realized she could make her escape. He turned down the length of Diagon Alley and instantly would attempt to reign the wolf in as she pulled on the lead, heading toward an individual that looked like an Auror.
Within moments, she'd shifted, and hands yanked the rope from her neck - lack of clothing didn't bother her at the moment. "Help me..." The words pulled free of her lips, as she clung to the Auror. A pair of them soon grabbing the man and the one that she was clinging to wrapped his cloak around her and lead her off toward home.
This was so not how she intended her weekend to start. Maybe, she'd not actually get grounded since she hadn't been all that far into Knockturn when she'd been zapped and kidnapped...maybe. She could only desperately hope.