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At The Second Job
Author: Charlie Weasley
Date: 09-16-12 16:40
Charlie runs a hand over the top of his hair, finally successful in flattening a few hairs that had been persistently sticking up all morning. He'd come close to zapping them down with his wand at one point. After double checking the time he announces to those remaining in the classroom, "That's it. Wrap it up, folks."
There are a smattering of groans, sighs, and muttered oaths as the students face the inevitable of turning their exams in or having them forcibly collected. As they prepare to hand over their exams and pack up their things to leave Charlie says, "Don't forget, anyone needing an escort, I'll be happy to see you to wherever you're going."
When all exams are gathered and Charlie has his own things ready to go, he and a handful of students exit the classroom. The group gradually gets smaller as students break away to enter other classrooms, to Floo from the university, and to go into the school's shoppe to get in line to sell back textbooks. The rest continue to one of St. Emrys's two cafeterias, Yellow.
Charlie had considered going elsewhere for a bite to eat but decided he'd rather not lose the time involved. He wants to get these exams graded so he can finish averaged grades and get all the associated paperwork turned in to the Marjoribanks College Dean's office. Hendrika finished her exams yesterday. This morning Charlie took the three kids to Blossom's, leaving Hendrika the house in peace. He's thinking that once finished here, going home to curl up for a nap before having to pick up the kids sounds like a great plan. Ava's been cutting another teeth and has been extremely fussy, making the week even more stressful than it would have been anyway.
Taking the lasagna and green salad he's selected to a table, Charlie is thankful to have one stress removed. The mystery of the dragon deaths in sanctuaries around the world has been solved. The cause of death was at the cellular level. Sub-cellular really. Someone has been attempted to rearrange the dragon DNA. Still a mystery is who that someone is, why they are screwing around with genetics, where the dragons are from, and why when one dies its body is dropped off at one of the sanctuaries.
Also still undetermined is what method is being used to transport the dragon carcasses. The MacFusty Preserve has apparition detection charms all over as part of the security against poachers. Not that poachers are easily deterred. Speculation ranges from flying the dragons in to apparating into pockets missed by the charms to portkey.
As someone would have to have extremely good inside information on a number of dragon sanctuaries to be able to apparate into such pockets, Charlie doesn't see this as being the likely method. Levitating a corpse and flying it in is possible though it would have to be done under cover of darkness and still run the risk of being spotted over whatever distance has to be covered from where the dragon died to the preserve its being taken to or someone has a honking huge invisibility cloak. Of the theories floated so far, Charlie's is on portkey.
Rather than wasting time continuing to think about the mystery of the dragon bodies, Charlie pulls out a few of the exams to be graded and starts reading over the first page of the test on top as he eats his lunch.
Bringing Alex to the Aurors at St. Emrys
Author: Orion Howell
Date: 09-16-12 21:02
Orion had been somewhat shocked by the Professor's reaction to Ember Morgan's behavior. He knew the other man was aware that the girl had been out for the last few classes because she had allegedly been raped. After witnessing the behavior in the classroom, where he was serving as a TA while undercover, he had no doubts the boy was guilty, but until he was convicted, it was best to be safe. But while the professor escorted Ember to the Auror's, he restored order in the room, reminding them all that that sort of behavior was not encouraged at the University. Orion took the young man at the center of the mess by the arm, lifting him off of the floor and escorting him outside the classroom. Once the professor returned, he explained that he was going to go to the Ministry, with Alex and the accusations and see if he could get them to straighten out what was going on. The professor, being fully aware that Orion was not an ordinary teaching assistant, but in fact, a Ministry official, there because of the rash of other attacks, agreed easily.
His excellent hearing, and discreet use of an Extendable Ear, had given him the name of the Auror that Ember had spoken to, though the professor told him anyway. He thought it best to go straight to the Auror office and hope to catch Ms. Diamond when she returned from speaking to Ms. Morgan. He didn't know her well, though he'd seen her around the Ministry on his rare visits outside of his own Department.
If his grip on Alex's arm was tight, he didn't seem to notice. As far as he personally was concerned, he'd prefer the boy to trip and break a few bones on the way. But that would raise far more questions than he was ready for. When he started to whine about his injuries, Orion raised an eyebrow. "I am less concerned with that than with the accusations Ms. Morgan was screaming. If those are in any way true, I suggest you start worrying about the consequences of your own behavior," he said as he stepped into the Auror office and looked around.
"Is Ms. Diamond available?" he asked, his voice carrying slightly through the office. When told that she had gone to St. Emrys, he nodded and asked where they could wait. Perhaps he could at least figure out if Alex was a viable suspect for the other attacks they had been investigating.
Questioning Ember
Author: Desdemona Diamond
Date: 09-16-12 22:21
"Desi, you need to go to St. Emrys. Some girl just attacked a guy, then asked for you by name."
"Wait, wha?" I asked, "I guess, I'm off to school."
I walked out of the Ministry and headed to St. Emrys. I was met with a teacher's aid who filled me in on the rest. Ember attacked a guy named Alex. I could only guess it was the same Alex from earlier. I guess I was partly at fault, I had been sorta teaching her how to beat people up. The aid led me to the class that Ember had been taken to after the fight.
Ember looked up when I walked in, "I didn't mean to hit him that hard, I just kinda snapped."
"I didn't even ask you any questions yet," Said to her, and sat down.
"Yeah, I know...Am I in trouble?"
"You did just assault someone."
"Yeah, and he deserved it, you know he did!"
"Is the man you attacked the same man that attacked you?"
"Yes, he's the man who raped me."
"Then, you should have excused yourself from the room and called me. You are not getting trained to attack. Only defend if attacked first. Your anger is a weapon that others can use to put you in the wrong. That's just what happened. He will get his. However, you now have to answer for what you have done to him."
"Yeah, I know." *hangs her head* "I'm sorry Desi..."
"It's ok. Now, start at the beginning. What caused you to attack him?"
*Takes a deep breath* "It was hard enough even going into that class...Well right when I walked into class he was bragging to his friends about the girl he'd just hooked up with, and something about having to break a girl down to tame her and get her into bed. Then the attention turned to me, they kept saying how the other guys should have sex with me and stuff." *She shuddered at the memory, tears starting to flow down her cheeks* "I just lost it, I ran over to confront him and before I knew it I hit him in the jaw, he fell off the chair and I kicked him. That's when my professor drug me out of there."
"It's ok Ember, You're going to be fine. Besides, last I heard he still sounded like a girl and had one hell of burse on his jaw."
*Smiles up at her* "Thanks Desi! I owe you for helping me out again."
"I haven't really done much yet, and I can't do much if you have charges filed against you. All I can do is provide what was said to me. I'll have to talk to others in the room to see if anyone can back your story up."
"I understand." *sighs and hangs her head*
"Listen, you'll be ok..." *sighs* "I just have to figure out what to do with you... Listen, would you be willing to stay here while I go make sure that guy is dealt with? Then I'm afraid I'm going to have to take you to the Ministry for a bit because of the assault."
"Yeah, that's fine Desi...I know I have to get taken in..." *she sighed again and stared at the table*
"Thanks for understanding Ember. I'll be back as soon as I can."
"You're welcome Des." *sits quietly, waiting for her*
I got up and left the class room. I was led by the same teacher's aid to the class where the attack happened. The mess had been cleaned up, and things looked like they had returned to normal. The professor walked over to me.
"Hi, I'm Desdemona Diamond, the Auror Ember asked for."
"Yes, hi, I had been told you'd arrived," he replied.
"I was looking for the man who was attacked," I informed him.
"Oh, he's was taken by one of your associates already."
"Ah," I said trying to hide a mixture of confusion and anger, "Good. Then let me ask, did you see what happened?"
"Well, Alex and his friends were talking, when Ember stood up, yelled at them, and attacked. I really didn't see much else."
"Thanks for your time then," I said to him with a polite smile. I left the room and headed back to the class where I had left Ember.
I walked into the room, "Ok, let's go."
Ember looks up and asks "What happened?" I guess she could tell something had just made me mad. She got up to follow me to the Ministry.
"Another Auror grabbed Alex. Nothing to worry about," I told her.
"Oh, cool," She said. I walked with her until we were outside and apparated to the Ministry. I placed Ember in an interrogation room and walked over to my desk. There were no messages on there.
"Hey, someone asked about you," Anthony said coming up behind me
"Oh really?"
"Yeah, just after you left for St. Emrys. He had a guy with him, large black and blue spot on his jaw. You didn't break another one did you?"
"Nope, wasn't me this time," I said, "Where is the guy that asked for me?" I asked, irritation slipping into my voice.
"Interrogation room I think," I started to walk off without saying anything, "Don't hurt him too much!" Anthony called as a goodbye. It didn't take long to find out which room my suspect was in, and the man who stole him.
Isolation
Author: Wendy Mills
Date: 09-17-12 02:43
After Mrs. Mulberry paid a visit to their apartment, Wendy's father had decided to confiscate her wand until the day she would depart to Hogwarts. She had protested but he did not change his mind, locking the wand in the first drawer of his desk. Peter had loved this situation and he teased his sister saying she should be happy she wasn't as much as a freak as before without her magic wand.
Lately he had been insupportable, mocking Wendy whenever he could. The worst part was that their parents did nothing to stop him. She could not understand why they let Peter hurt her by calling her a freak and always taking his side when an ugly fight burst between the two.
Without her wand Wendy had her new school books to distract her. She thought about brewing one of the potions from her Foundations In Potion Making, V1 by Olivia Brewer, but she doubted her mother would find it a good idea to put her new cauldron above the cooker and use ingredients such as cockroach, rat tail and frog brain.
Wendy then picked up a book called One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore and on her way to school she would pass by the public park using the book to try and identify any of the plants presented there. Quickly she realized there was no such thing as a Mandragora around or a Mimbulus mimbletonia. Disappointed, Wendy had to put almost all her books aside because she could do nothing with them at the moment.
It seemed that she had a very good dream about being a witch but now it was turning into a nightmare where her brother made her feel like a freak and she wasn't able to use her wand to try some simple spells. Now, her only connection to the wizarding world was the owl that she bought at Diagon Alley, Erwin. Wendy never had pets before and she got proud to be able to take care of one.
She had found Erwin at the Eeylops Owl Emporium. When her parents found out there were no phones or computers at Hogwarts, or the ordinary mail system, they decided to buy Wendy an owl of her own, so they could communicate. Wendy remembered to enter the dark store, and how her eyes had spotted Erwin right away. Her father seemed reluctant to give 15 Galleons for a screech owl, when there were other cheaper species for sale. However the shop keeper was willing to do a discount since one of Erwin's legs was misshapen. He guaranteed to the Mills that Erwin could still fly and deliver mail, but all his clients preferred normal owls and so he had been on his shop for a while now. Wendy could not take her eyes from the poor owl and she wanted to take it home with her. Finally her parents gave in, thanks to the discount, she thought.
Another thing she had bought from Diagon Alley was a book called Hogwarts, A History. Wendy's mother told her to pick anything she liked that was not on the school list. While she had picked the book at Flourish and Blotts, Peter bought a flask filled with worms from Slug & Jiggers Apothecary. Of course now they worms had been forgotten after he had showed it to all his friends, but Wendy was inseparable from her new book.
It was a fascinating reading and it made her built a calendar in her bedroom with the days she had left until Hogwarts. She took the book to school and she read it during recess at a corner of the playground, away from everyone. Her friends had noticed how distant Wendy had been lately and none understood her interest for such a dumb book. Marcy Gray, one of her best friends, had made Wendy angry when in a nice gesture she tried to show interest for the book she was reading and ended up laughing about it. She called Wendy a baby for liking books about a silly school that was a castle and had an enchanted ceiling.
Wendy started to feel isolated from the other children, but that did not bother her. She was aware that she was different and next year instead of learning mathematics and English she would learn how to brew potions and cast spells. And she was also going to be able to make new friends that were wizards and witches just like her.
Leaving Alex with Desi and Slipping Away
Author: Orion Howell
Date: 09-17-12 05:08
Orion had enough time to rule Alex out as a suspect for the other attacks on campus before Desi entered the room. Dark brown eyes looked up as she came in. "Ms. Diamond," he said with a nod of his head. Her anger was clear, but he hoped when she read through his notes, as well as his sworn statement about the behavior of Alex and the other two in previous classes, as well as the small amount he had caught today, supporting Ember Morgan's version of events. "Before you begin, you may wish to review my statement, which you may find helpful," he added, offering her the stack of parchment in his hands.
He had written out his own qualifications, obscuring them from Alex's eyes as he did so, to keep his cover somewhat intact. He included the notes from his discussion with the boy, ruling him out as a suspect in the attacks, and murder, that had heightened security around the University. He still had questions as to why, as this attack had happened more than two weeks previous, there had been no general alert to the aurors and other officials stationed at the university, or why Alex had not been brought into the Ministry sooner, but he had a feeling that it was more due to a clerical error or a lack of proper identification than anything else. He had worked for the Ministry long enough to know that was distinctly possible.
"And now that you are here, I shall leave him in your capable hands and take my leave. My contact information is in the notes, I can be reached easiest via Owl if you need me for anything further," Orion said, deciding that staying was not necessary for the other investigation. He needed to be there to do his share of patrol, else there might be a hole for the murderer to slip through.
Taking Control of Alex
Author: Desdemona Diamond
Date: 09-17-12 15:35
I carefully walked into the room my suspect was in. Carefully for a person who's a little bit more than a little bit pissed off. It seems like I was expected however.
"Ms. Diamond," the suspect thief said with a polite nod, "Before you begin, you may with to review my statement, which you may find helpful." He handed a stack of parchment to me, as he moved past me to the door. "And now that you are here, I shall leave him in your capable hands and take my leave. My contact information is in the notes, I can be reached easiest via Owl if you need me for anything further." With that, the thief made his leave.
He left me standing with a stack of papers, and a suspect. If I wasn't mad before, I sure was now. All I could do was turn to Alex, scowl, and leave. I stalked back to my desk and dropped the stack of parchment down. I went about reviewing the notes. After going through them, there was enough that I could release Ember.
That was the first thing I done. She was happy to hear that there were others who had heard what Alex said and that it wasn't an unprovoked attack. She was also very happy to go leave. I however, had more work to do. I went back to my desk and looked through the parchment once more. Sure enough, the contact information was provided. The thief's name was Orion. I like it. It's more fanciful then Desdemona.
Now that I thought about it, Mr. Orion wasn't that bad a looking guy either. He also did seem to be a bit interested in me for some reason. Or maybe I was reading too much into it. Or maybe not… Either way, I still had a job to do.
It was time for me to take care of a rapist.
Relaxing with Gideon
Author: Rylee
Date: 09-18-12 13:36
"I am not looking forward to having to deal with my parents all summer. However, if I'm lucky I'll be able to go to Boston and spend time with Nicholette for most of the summer. Though, it will probably be after Emrys Fest."
I shifted so my head rested against Gideon's shoulder as we sat in the Common Commons, and I ate the other half of my chocolate biscuit while we listened to one of the sports programs on the WWN that he'd selected.
"Are they seriously mad at you for wanting to do your own thing instead of being a mindless drone?" He asked finishing off another chocolate biscuit.
I sighed and massaged my temples as I felt the beginnings of a headache coming on. "Yeah, they are absolutely not pleased with the fact that I want to take F&A next term and the fact that I want to take Muggle Studies my third year and on."
"They will get over it Rylee, I mean, they did with your sisters who are all doing their own thing. What makes you so different?"
"I'm the youngest and more like my mum than the others in so much that I could easily blow five digits shopping for anything from clothes to furnishings and I'm the one that always wanted to go to the fashion shows willingly and things like that. But, they don't understand what I am dealing with here, and what their attitude at school functions is doing to me."
Gideon and I talked for a little while longer, before I slipped away to grab something healthier to eat than biscuits and then a quick stop to the Hospital Wing for a headache potion and then I headed to my room to begin working on my homework.
Taking Advantage of a Morning Off (Orion's Flat, London)
Author: Orion Howell
Date: 09-18-12 17:38
Orion pondered the parchment in front of him. He'd sent a note to Desdemona on Friday, apologizing again for not staying on Friday when he'd taken Alex to the Ministry. She had seemed to understand when she realized that he was a Ministry official working undercover. He had been torn when the altercation happened, but even as a TA, with the accusations that had been tossed about, it had been a clear case of duty when it came to escorting someone charged with a violent crime to the Ministry office.
They had exchanged owls over the weekend, and he was fairly sure she wasn't angry at him anymore. His bosses were pressing for information about why the altercation had happened and he had reached a point of not being able to stall any longer, so now he was busy trying to find a way to ask without coming across like a complete wanker.
"D,
I hate to even have to ask, but the powers that be are pressing me about why Alex wasn't already in Ministry custody before Friday's final, as well as why we weren't able to question him before that in regard to the other attacks. But it does give me an excuse to ask if you're free to catch dinner? Maybe tomorrow or Wednesday evening? If another night would work better, that's fine too.
Looking forward to your answer,
O."
He read over it once more and nodded. It was short, to the point, and hopefully wouldn't have him getting his arse handed to him by the Auror. Witches in that profession tended to be scarily dangerous with their wands, which was not a bad thing, as far as he was concerned. Running his fingers through his hair, he nodded and reached for some wax and his seal, a tiny drawing of the constellation he was named for, sealing the letter and sending it off with his owl before settling down to enjoy his morning off before he headed back over to St. Emrys to grade papers and keep an eye on things. Term might be over for students, but that didn't mean the school was abandoned.
Proctoring Potions
Author: Dante Knight
Date: 09-18-12 17:55
So far the written portions of the Potions OWL and NEWT have proceeded without real incident. There have been the expected broken and blunted anti-cheating quill tips. One student knocked over his ink bottle and for some reason it didn't have the charm on the bottle to keep the ink from spilling out. As Dante was easily able to sponge up the river of ink with his wand, leaving the student's examination spotless, what could have been a catastrophe pushing the student to panic or, worse, a breakdown, at having to redo a number of essay style questions was averted.
Dante has spent some of the time proctoring this exam at what serves as the front of the room, the slightly raised dais area where the head table is located. In place of the long house tables are rows of desks, fifth years arranged in the forward rows and seventh years behind. On a blackboard, the time remaining is written in large letters, with Dante updating approximately ever fifteen minutes. There is also the big hourglass he was given to mark the time. Every now and again, he verbally announces the time remaining. It seems to him that each time he's done the latter, the rate of quills scribbling over parchment increases.
When not standing or seated on the dais, Dante has made a slow stroll up and down the aisles. The quills are anti-cheating but that does not mean a student would not attempt something anyway or that the quills are impossible to circumvent. He would hope none of these fifth and seventh years would do such a thing but the stress and pressure of the Ordinary Wizarding Levels and Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Tests are enough to induce a student to extreme measures. He has a feeling that if his brother had attended a physical school such as Hogwarts rather than being homeschooled, Rocky might be such a one to take such a gamble to boost his scores.
That thought brings a visit with Rocky on Saturday to mind. Dante's brother had sent an owl with what amounted to a summons to meet for lunch where he proceeded to increase the pressure already on Dante to rejoin the family. Their parents have decided that with term ending soon, now is the perfect time for additional persuasion. They even claim he could just come to visit for a week or two as if on a normal holiday to visit family. Dante has no doubt whatsoever that such a week or two would be filled with nonstop chatter about familial obligations and how the static life he's chosen is all wrong for one of their ilk and heavy doses of guilt that he might get too relaxed and accidentally slip up on who his parents are.
A hand waving has Dante hurrying over, extra quills in hand. The student, in giving thought to a question concerning the Draught of Peace, had put the quill in her mouth and then, without meaning to, gnawed it in half. Giving her a new quill, Dante sends the two chewed pieces to the bin then resumes his sedate pace turn around the Great Hall.