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Summer Cold Coming On (AJ)
Author: Furnella Hodfuffer
Date: 08-16-11 16:09
AJ takes a sip of tea that he's just rewarmed, finding the honey he added to be soothing to his scratchy throat. If he just had to get a summer cold couldn't it have waited a week and a half before coming on instead of in the middle of last night? At least today is a relatively easy day. Promptly at 9 he got the Potions OWL and NEWT underway, feeling empathy for the tired and stressed looking 5th and 7th years.
Since the examination began he's only had two anti-cheating quills to exchange, one round of hyperventilating that turned out to be fairly easily to get control of and the student calmed, and one who has looked green enough that AJ's kept an eye out for any signs that nauseous looking is becoming actual nausea. He's periodically strolled the aisles and rows as a decent proctor should. AJ feels like hell but he's coping for the moment. It's going to be a question of how well he can hold up this afternoon when he'll be more likely to want to go crawl in bed.
If worse comes to worse, someone can cover for him this afternoon. Kissy's covering his 3rd and 4th years this morning. That worked out really well for him as she had her 6th years from 9 to 10 while his first class this morning, the 3rd years, didn't start until 10. The 4th years came after that. His usual afternoon class took their Ancient Runes NEWT on Friday. He doesn't have his 6th years until 9 am on Thursday so he's hoping that between now and then this cold has cleared up some so that he's at least not feeling quite so miserable; but, if he is, at least it being a morning class means he'll be fresher for it and can crash afterwards since his 5th years won't have a class meeting directly after.
AJ changes the time remaining written on a blackboard then walks another circuit around the room, glad that it's nearly time for the written portion to end as that means he can go lie down for a little while before having to be back here to oversee the practical portion of the Potions exam, which means mainly keeping an eye on when the examining professors are done with their respective students then sending other students in for their turns. And then home to crash on on the bed. Or maybe just his office couch. It's closer. Yes, his office couch. Where he would like to be this very second.
Returning to the front table to get more tea, AJ decides he should continue walking around for a bit. The urge to close his eyes is great enough at the moment that sitting down is probably not a very good idea!
Big Brother Deak
Author: Kody
Date: 08-17-11 15:41
His last Monday class, Arithmancy & Divination, over Deak heads for Aaron's and Saffron's quarters. Saffron isn't there. She insisted on meeting what classes she has this week because of this being the last week of classes before final examinations. She's taking her office hours in the flat though she has said by week's end she might be back in her office and simply have baby Brandon there with her.
It's Brandon and Niccola that Deak's going to see. Two and a half year old Nic loves it when big brother Deak comes to shower her with attention. Deak thought she might like to go out for a walk, or run rather as Nic's at that toddler age where running beats walking every time. It's good weather for that and Deak could certain stand to get out in the air. This next week will be spent in extra study and preparating for exams. He'll grab what outside, goofing off time he can even if it's with Nic and not Etta, Jack, or Wiggy, who are beyond stressed with OWLs. Deak's got other friends to be sure but since he'll have Nic, he figures he'll give her some one on one time unless they run into someone who wants to tag along.
Deak shifts his bookbag so he can better grasp the door knob going to the flat. As he opens the door he softly calls out, "Knock knock."
From the kitchen Ophelia comes into view. "Deak! Hello, how are you?"
She moves to hug him and he waits until his sister-in-law has broken the hug before replying, "Hi, yourself. I'm good. How are you? Is Drake here too?"
"I'm excellent, thank you. Drake will be here later. I volunteered to watch after Brandon and Nic while Saffron met your class. Is she right behind you?"
"Shouldn't be long. Geoffrey Ludlow had a question for her but he's got Care of Magical Creatures so couldn't take overly long to talk with her."
As they've been talking a whirlwind has been at Deak's legs, grasping his left one while jumping up and down. Now he addresses the bundle of energy. "Nic, if I didn't know better I'd say you are happy to see me and are trying to get my attention."
Nic grins at him, arms moving to the universal pick me up gesture. He does but has her upside down before spinning her upright as she squeals in delight. After she's choked Deak around the next in her version of a hug, Nic points, "See baby."
Brandon is conked out in a small bassinet, probably the same one Saffron's planning on having with her in her office as the week goes on. Deak stands peering down at his little brother, as he thinks of the newborn just as he considers Nic to be his little sister. "I saw him at breakfast and I swear he's grown since then," Deak comments.
Ophelia's moved to look at the sleeping baby as well. "He's so cute."
Nic says, "Kisses."
"Brandon is sleeping right now but when he wakes up you can kiss him again," Ophelia tells her then says to Deak, "Nic has kissed him so much when she's allowed near that Brandon's head stays wet."
Saffron enters the flat then, looking tired a little tired. She has to do her own checking of the baby then sits down with Nic as the child rattles off a bunch of things that Deak can hardly understand. When Nic seems to be done he asks, "Niccola, would you like to go out on a walk with me?"
"YES!"
She grabs up a tattered looking stuffed bunny that had been Aaron's and runs to the door, clearly ready to go right that second. Going to the door Deak tells the Saffron, "I'll let Nic run off some of her energy."
"Thank you!" Saffron says, leaning further back into the couch cushions, eyes closing.
Deak swings Nic up onto his shoulders, keeping a firm grip on each of her hands even though it means having the bunny hanging down against his face, and sets off with her for their walk.
Hiding In The Backyard
Author: Ron Weasley
Date: 08-17-11 19:33
Ron scrunches down further into the reclining lawn chair he's occupying along with Crookshanks. Normally the large cat does not get so cozy with Ron but when Ron sat down earlier while eating an ice cream snack, Crookshanks decided to not only make Ron his new best friend but would allow Ron to share a generous portion of that ice cream with him. From inside the house Hermione calls out, "Ron, let's change that bandage now."
Ron doesn't answer, in no hurry to go have the wound across his shoulder aggrevated more than it already is, especially after bumping into the door frame on his way outside a little bit ago.
On Friday when Daniella Baatz had fired off a spell at Ron just before disapparating from the flat she shared with her brother, he'd been able to dodge the full force of the spell but it raked across his shoulder. He'd grabbed hold of Dani Baatz as she was apparating away, ending up in a large open field with a stand of trees off to one side and far in the distance in another direction what looked like an old barn or similar storage structure. She'd had some choice words for Ron upon realizing she had a tag along, kneeing him in the side while simulataneously shoving him away. Having a knee to the ribs didn't feel spiffy but by then the pain in his shoulder made him not noticed the bruised ribs quite so much.
Baatz was in the process of pummeling Ron when he zapped her with a Petrificus Totalus. He had no idea then and has no idea now why she'd not tried using her own wand, which was intact and clutched in one hand. His best guess is that she panicked, which isn't something he would have expected from a serial killer who'd kept law enforcement in a number of countries busy, leaving few clues behind.
Ron had hauled Baatz's immobilized body first back to her flat where his colleague Kristofr Giannakopoulos had been injured. He wanted to get Kristofr medical treatment and also needed to see if Baatz's brother Caspar was okay, which he was though in a state of shock to have his sister attack to Aurors as she did. That shocked only deepened when learning she was wanted for multiple murders in countries all over the world.
Kristopfr had already sent for others by the time Ron returned, leaving them to search the flat for evidence and to question Caspar Baatz about his sister's comings and goings while Kristophr and Ron went to the main Wizarding hospital there in Rotterdam. Danielle Baatz was taken into custody. Since Ron made the actual capture, Great Britain gets first dibs at her. Greece next since Kristofr was with Ron. The other countries participating in the task force come after that, though they were still working out in what order. Only then will any of the other nations get her for questioning and subsequent trial.
Kristofr, whose wound was also to the shoulder, had taken a deep gash that was fairly easy to patch up. It was a straight forward wound and when Ron saw Kristofr yesterday, other than a puckered pink slash, the spot it healed but Kristofr is still stiff and a little sore there. The spell Baatz used that got Ron was a different one and not as quick to be mended. It will fully heal but is taking longer. Both are lucky she wasn't throwing curses, which can be the devil to heal if they heal at all.
Hermione had not been overly pleased to have Ron leave home fine three days ago only to come back with a shoulder wound, some bruised ribs from being kicked, and a purple goose egg on his head from being hit by Baatz's suitcase. If you ask him, she seems to like changing the shoulder bandage just a wee bit much. Sort of a pay back for coming home wounded and causing her to worry that it was worse than he was letting on. Ron had tried being nonchalant about it, putting it down to a hazard of the job. That hadn't gone over so well with Hermione, so that's another reason he thinks she secretly enjoys his suffering when insisting the bandage be changed at least twice a day. More if she can pin him down long enough.
"There you are. Didn't you hear me calling?"
"Um, sorry. Must have been lost in thought."
"More like you're being a baby," she replies, that imp of a grin playing on her lips.
"Well it hurts."
"Then you shouldn't have gotten injured."
"It's not like I tried to get hurt. I tried avoiding it actually."
Hermione motions for Ron to change how he's sitting so that she can sit down next to him and get the bandage changed. Her mouth still turned up in that sort of smirking smile she says, "Just remember one thing. If you get killed on the job, Ron Weasley, I'm going to murder you."
"Yes, ma'am," Ron winces as she peels the old bandage off. "Can you at least kiss it and make it better when you're done."
Hermione's answer to that requests is to grin even more mischieviously at him.
Vivid Dream
Author: Bronwyn Dewhurst
Date: 08-18-11 18:34
Bronwyn had slept fitfully during the night. It had come as little surprise to her because of what day it had become when the clock had struck midnight. June 21st. The Summer Solstice. The day when a dozen or so more innocent girls would die.
Sometime in the early morning hours before she usually got up for work, Bronwyn started to dream. It began with her having an argument with her father about her future. Somehow, the words had felt all too familiar. Then, she heard somebody calling her name. Bronwyn went to the fireplace and saw Theodore Nott's head engulfed in green flames. He asked her to meet him in Diagon Alley, because there was something he wanted to show her.
The dream changed and suddenly she was standing with Theodore at the mouth of Knockturn Alley. He asked her if she trusted him. She said yes. They passed by Borkin & Burkes, where a beautiful wedding dress was on display in the window. Bronwyn felt like she'd seen it somewhere before. They continued on and entered The Hanged Man, a pub.
And then everything went black.
In the darkness of her dream, Bronwyn felt fear. And then she saw herself standing in a room with a bunch of other scared girls. Theodore stood in front of her, and there was exactly one guy for each of the imprisoned girls. Suddenly, one of the men grabbed his girl and dragged her to another man sitting in a throne-like chair. He used his wand to slice open her throat. Her blood sailed through the air and went into four crystal bottles floating in the air. The girl died and the bottles filled with her blood were sent to a shelf built into the wall of the room.
Then another girl was brought forward, and then another. It went on and on until it was Bronwyn's turn. But Bronwyn didn't die. Instead, Theodore unraveled a bandage covering his hand and revealed a pentagram burned into his palm. The wizard on the throne had one too, only his looked older. Recognition dawned in the wizard's eyes, but before he could do anything, Theodore killed him with Avada Kedavra.
The dream changed again and suddenly Bronwyn found herself sitting on a bench at a train station...
She woke up with a start, her heart pounding wildly in her chest. Bronwyn turned to Toby and shook him awake.
"Toby, Toby! Wake up! I remember everything! I..."
And then she remembered what day it was. "Oh, no! I'm probably already too late!"
Toby managed to wake up quickly, despite the fact that he never got up as early as Bronwyn did when she was working.
"Throw on some clothes and let's go to the Ministry of Magic." He threw off the covers and swung his legs over the side of the bed. "I'll feed the cats and wake Anthony up."
A short time later, the pair were at the Ministry, waiting on Anthony. Toby sat in a chair, but Bronwyn paced. She went to a bulletin board on which some photos had been pinned. There was one of Anthony and Desi celebrating the close of one of the cases they'd both worked on together. There was also one of one of the men she'd seen in her dream.
Anthony flew into the Auror Office. "Bronwyn. What can you tell me?"
She pointed at the photo of Hudson Hayes. "This man is a murderer!"
Anthony pulled the picture of Hudson off the bulletin board. "Are you sure?"
"Yes! And we need to get to Knockturn Alley right away!"
Anthony, who looked worse than he'd ever looked, nodded. "Let me get a team together and make sure another is on standby in case we need backup. I'll just be a minute."
Bronwyn nodded, though she felt impatient. A minute might be too late.
Outside the Barn
Author: Marzipan
Date: 08-19-11 17:07
This afternoon's practical examination was the first of term to take place outside the Great Hall. Professor Ravenscroft was stationed a short distance from the barn where Care of Magical Creatures class was typically held. The four Ministry of Magic examiners were inside the barn, administering the O.W.L. and N.E.W.T. Care of Magical Creatures practicals.
Thankfully, it was a rather pleasant day outside. The students awaiting their turns lounged in the grass. Maybe not lounged, as none were particularly relaxed––one even went as far as plucking blades of grass from the ground and shredding them nervously between her fingers––but on the whole, the O.W.L. and N.E.W.T. candidates looked comfortable.
Periodically, Professor Ravenscroft had to send somebody else into the barn. She sent the last O.W.L. student over to Professor Marchbanks and then surveyed the seventh years, whose turns were next.
They were all adults. Soon they'd be Hogwarts graduates and off to university, a career, or even marriage and children. The thought made Marzi's head spin a little bit, because in her eyes, they were still kids, even if they really weren't.
And then she got to thinking about her kids. Carter was at the age where he was really starting to show some personality. Vallon, who was very close in age to big brother/cousin Carter, wasn't quite there yet, but that day would come.
She'd recently looked in on the renovation of the old classroom that would eventually become a nursery for all the young children living at Hogwarts. The renovation would get completed sometime this summer, probably in between the end of the current school year and the start of the next one.
A howl from the barn pulled Marzi sharply from her thoughts. All heads turned in the direction of the building, but then all was well. Milo Martin exited the barn, looking somewhat calm. He flashed those waiting in line a thumbs up, while Professor Ravenscroft turned to Anthea Allen, the first of the seventh years, and sent her to the barn.
(Anthony) Aftermath
Author: Beck
Date: 08-19-11 18:01
Yellow tape which read CAUTION in bold, capital letters crossed the front of The Hanged Man pub in Knockturn Alley. Gawkers and reporters stood outside the barrier, which was magically enforced to keep unwanted individuals out. They were desperate for a glimpse of the aftermath of what had gone on inside the seedy establishment earlier in the day.
Anthony exited the building with a tired sigh. He had cuts and bruises and a bit of a limp, but otherwise he'd fared all right.
After pulling together a team of aurors, Anthony had gone with Bronwyn and Toby to Diagon Alley. Although Bronwyn had insisted on leading him into Knockturn Alley and The Hanged Man, Anthony had urged his brother and sister-in-law to go to the ice cream parlor and remain there until he came to fetch them.
Bronwyn had admitted prior to their arrival there that she had blacked out within seconds of stepping foot into the pub. She had no idea where she'd wound up, but why would Theodore have taken her there, only to knock her out and take her somewhere else?
Anthony agreed that Bronwyn had a point. The entrance of the aurors at The Hanged Man had stirred up quite a bit of attention, but they'd come prepared for the possibility of resistance and had easily taken control of the situation within minutes of entering the pub.
Then the searching began. The aurors used all sorts of dark detection devices to locate the entrance to the hideaway downstairs. What they found there was shocking, but what was worse was the fact that they were seriously outnumbered. An auror at the rear, Arnold, wasted no time requesting backup, while the others found themselves in the fight of their lives.
Anthony was careful not to injure any of the frightened girls, who stood against a wall with their wrists bound together. They had large eyes swollen from crying and wide with fear.
The men in the room, including Hudson Hayes, dueled viciously with Anthony and the other aurors. Arnold took a nasty wound to his neck, but he was quickly pulled to safety by the incoming aurors who'd responded swiftly to the call for help.
The battle had felt like an eternity but really hadn't lasted all that long. It had ended with only one casualty, one of the dark wizards. A couple of the girls had gotten injured in the crossfire, one severely when she'd been pulled in front of one of the wizards, who'd intended on using her as a shield. The aurors also had varying levels of injuries.
"How many girls died?! What are the names of all the dark wizards?! What is all the blood for?!"
The questions were shouted at Anthony by the reporters, who had learned of the story the moment it had begun unfolding. How they knew so many details already, he had no clue.
He glanced quickly at the sea of faces to see if his sister was there, but Katherine didn't appear to be assigned to this story.
He said nothing, because an official statement had already been given earlier in the day and other details would get announced later at a press conference.
Anthony pushed his way past the barrier and through the crowd, spotting Bronwyn and Toby across the street. They'd remained at the ice cream parlor as instructed, until they'd noticed wizards converging on Knockturn Alley. It hadn't taken them long to hear snippets of information from everybody congregated there.
Anthony had already spoken with them a few times since the morning, and he was surprised to still find them there.
"Why don't you guys go home?"
Bronwyn opened her mouth to speak, but it was Toby who answered for her. "She's waiting for Theodore."
Bronwyn set her chin at a stubborn angle and crossed her arms over her chest. She was going to say "No, I'm not," but it was true. She wanted to look into the face of the person she'd thought of as a friend, a friend who'd betrayed her.
Those wizards with the worst injuries had already been sent to St. Mungo's, but others, like Theodore, had been continuously interrogated on site. Soon they'd probably get moved to Ministry of Magic holding cells.
"You'll get to say your piece in court," Anthony told Bronwyn.
"I can't wait," Bronwyn said. Her features fell suddenly. "I wish I would have had this dream a night earlier. Then maybe no girls would have gotten killed."
The aurors had stumbled upon three drained bodies and twelve crystal bottles of blood. According to interrogations, the bloodletting had begun at dawn.
"Don't beat yourself up about it, Bronwyn," Anthony said, trying to reassure not only his sister-in-law but also himself. "At least some lives were saved, and we don't have to worry about this ever happening again."
Bronwyn nodded and snuggled into Toby, who had his arm around her. "I know, but..."
"I know," Anthony said. "Listen. I need a break from what's going on in there and I can't stop thinking about ice cream. Want to get some with me, or are you sick of ice cream today?"
"I could never be sick of ice cream," Bronwyn murmured.
Toby smiled and steered her to Diagon Alley. Anthony fell into step beside them. Ice cream was a wonderful pick-me-up.