|
|
(Colin) The Last Potion
Author: Johanna Steele
Date: 09-01-13 07:35
Colin had always thought he was good at brewing potions. But that was before he had come to Hogwarts. By having classes with the other NEWT students and having Professor Snape as their teacher, Colin realized he was not as talented as he thought he was.
Of course that he could brew decent potions. In fact, he was very meticulous. He followed the instructions carefully, paid attention to the way he cut and prepared the ingredients, made sure he used the right dosage and respected the time imposed. However, there were two things he lacked of: passion and intuition.
Colin realized that some of his colleagues worked on their potions in a very comfortable way. Their movements flowed, as they chopped, selected and inserted the right ingredients into the cauldron. They always seemed to know when was the right moment to mix the potion or to raise the cauldron's temperature. On the other hand Colin did things in a more mechanical way. His potions were average and they worked, but they weren't as good as the majority. Even if he wouldn't need a grandiose result at the Potions NEWTs since he had decided he was going to apply for Law, at the Merlin College in St. Emrys, Colin wanted to have a good mark on it. It was a matter of pride.
Finally his turn to be evaluated has arrived and Colin walked towards the Great Hall in order to meet with Professor Marchbanks. First, she asked him to identify several potions that were displayed on a table. Colin felt the intense scent of caramel from the first cauldron and he knew right away he was in the presence of Amortentia. He sent a glance to his left, where his girlfriend Jenny Gabble was brewing a potion under the watch of Professor Brecknock. Her blond hair was a mess, as a wave of steam came out of the cauldron. He couldn't help to wonder if she had some connection to caramel or not.
Colin's attention went back to his exam. After identifying correctly all the potions (or so he thought) ,Professor Marchbanks asked him to brew an Invigoration Draught. Colin pushed the sleeves of his shirt up and got ready to work.
Time seemed to fly as he worked and he ignored everything around him, just focusing on what he was doing. Maybe this would be the last potion he would ever have to brew in his life. He doubted he would feel the necessity to brew anything else. He could always buy potions in a shop in case he needed them.
Finally Colin considered that his potion was ready and he put a sample on a flask that Professor Marchbanks labeled with his name. He did not forget to use his wand to clean the cauldron and the working table. Such procedure was not obligatory but he thought it might give him extra points.
"Thank you, Mr. Hawke," Professor Marchbanks said.
He nodded, happy to be finally dismissed. Tomorrow he had a free day and then on Wednesday he would take his final NEWT, Astronomy. Colin was already getting ready for the summer and he was also thinking about his move into St. Emrys, considering that his application would be accepted.
Jenny was waiting for him outside the double doors of the Great Hall.
"How was it?" he asked her.
"Not good. The liquid was light green and it was supposed to be brown. I don't know what I have done wrong…" Jenny seemed very frustrated with herself.
"Well, it's not worth it to dwell on it. There's nothing you can do now to fix it."
"You're right. I better just focus on Care of Magical Creatures for tomorrow. Do you want to help me with it?"
Colin didn't felt like lock himself at the library with Jenny. He and Angus had planned to go outside to the grounds and just relax. Angus had his Care for Magical Creatures NEWT as well but he said that he could use a break of a few hours and that he was ready for the exam. The only thing he needed was to do a few revisions and he could do so in the evening. Colin didn't question him. He didn't really care if Angus had a good or bad mark. That was his friend's problem not his.
He said goodbye to Jenny, promising to see her at the common commons later and he waited for Angus to be done with his exam so they could go outside and enjoy the nice weather.
(Kate) Taking a Breather
Author: Bronwyn Dewhurst
Date: 09-01-13 10:29
Kate lounged near the shore of the Black Lake and tried not to think about anything. This morning, she had written her Theory of Potions O.W.L. exam, and after lunch, she had taken the practical. Kate felt good about the written portion of the exam, but she worried that the slight mistake she had made during the practical portion would bring down the mark she otherwise would have made.
It had been a simple matter of cleaning off the knife she had used to cut up different ingredients. Kate had been nervous enough that she had forgotten to do exactly that, which the directions explicitly required. This resulted in the composition of the potion being altered by a minuscule amount. Kate knew that some examiners, such as in the case of the Apparition Exam, failed a person for even the tiniest mistake. Kate didn't think she'd failed, but she wasn't convinced she'd earned an Outstanding.
She sighed and rolled onto her side, watching the clouds pass over the surface of the water. There wasn't much sun today, but Kate supposed that was a good thing. She would hate to be cooped up indoors for hours and hours each day and miss out on nice weather.
She only had two more O.W.L.s left, Care of Magical Creatures and Astronomy. Kate didn't plan on wasting the rest of her day, but she really wanted a moment of peace before she started cramming for her last exams. She could afford to do nothing for a little while, but then it most certainly would be time to get back down to business.
At least there was a light at the end of the tunnel. Two more days and then she could truly relax!
The Intern
Author: Bronwyn Dewhurst
Date: 09-01-13 11:02
Bronwyn stepped back into the office after spending the afternoon on a business errand to find herself immediately accosted by Milla. "Well, what did you work out?"
She was referring to Bron's meeting with her old friend Dylan Cornfoot at St. Emrys. Dylan organized Emrys Fest every year. In the early years, Bronwyn had co-organized the event with him. Since leaving the university, Bron consulted on the project.
Good to their word, the Morning Show had teased some of the musicians already signed up to perform at Emrys Fest this summer, but a full line-up had yet to be revealed. Among those slated to attend were the wildly popular boy band The Broomstick Boys, the all girl pop group The Sniglets, and Australian sensation Claudia Spellman.
Bronwyn knew that Milla wanted to know whether The Wicked Wizards of the West or Cleaver would be in attendance. The truth was, Bron didn't yet know. She hadn't talked to Xavier in ages, but she had reached out to his agent to see whether the band or side project band would be interested in performing again.
"We're still working things out," Bron said, leaving it at that. As far as she was concerned, Milla was on a need-to-know basis. The Morning Show co-host and gossipmonger was more interested in drama than anything else anyway.
Bronwyn moved past Milla to head to her desk, when Milla said, "Oh, there's something you should know."
For some reason, Bronwyn felt a chill run down her spine. Why did those words sound so ominous? Or was it just her mind playing tricks on her, as it seemed to do lately? Bron slowly turned, stared at Milla and asked, "What?"
"Your intern is here," Milla stated nonchalantly.
"My what?" Bron asked. Her eyebrows rose into her hairline.
"Your intern. She's in the conference room, waiting to meet you."
"No one said anything about me having an intern." It wasn't that the fact bothered Bron. She was just a bit surprised by the announcement.
"Well," Milla said, twisting some hair around her finger, "none of us wanted the burden of showing her around, and since you weren't here to voice your opinion, we elected you to be her babysitter. Good luck!" With that, she spun on her heel and walked away from Bronwyn.
Bronwyn counted to three and then changed course for the conference room. She saw her new intern through the window and blinked in surprise. When she opened the door she asked, "Maggie? What are you doing here?"
"Oh! Hi, Bronwyn. I signed up for a summer internship here at the studio. I received the paperwork through the university…" She trailed off and looked at Bronwyn hopefully. "Am I going to be reporting to you?"
"Looks that way." Brownyn indicated for Maggie to get up and follow her. "Let me give you the grand tour and tell you about some of our projects."
Bronwyn led Maggie throughout the office, introducing her to various WWN personalities and staff. She found an extra chair and placed it to the side of her desk and emptied out a drawer so that Maggie had a space to put things. It wasn't much, but it would have to do!
(Anthony) The Magic Prison Bus
Author: Beck
Date: 09-01-13 12:22
"What is that?" asked Anthony. He stood on the sidewalk outside the Ministry of Magic and stared up at a monstrous vehicle. It was long and white and not unlike the purple Knight Bus, only it wasn't a triple decker.
"That," said Damien Freeman, fellow auror, "is the Department of Magical Law Enforcement's new prison bus. Magic prison bus, mind you."
"It's a little… over the top, isn't it?" Anthony asked.
Damien shrugged. "I suppose, but it was something Oldridge backed before his untimely death. Naturally, some of the other departments collaborated on the effort. I think it looks good, don't you?"
"Yes, but it is rather large," Anthony said. "Just how many prisoners do we ever transport to Azkaban in one instance?" True, there were situations when more than one criminal moved between a Ministry of Magic holding cell and Azkaban in the same day, usually because they were involved in the same crime, but most transfers happened individually.
Damien shrugged again. "We're not just talking transfers to Azkaban. This baby's going international."
"Like the RV at Hogwarts," Anthony said, comprehension dawning.
"I heard about that," Damien said. He pointed at the bus. "They want to use this when that Austrian dark wizard gets extradited. Europe wants him so very badly because he never served any time for everything he did under Grindlewald. I say good riddance. Europe can have him."
This time it was Anthony's turn to shrug. As long as justice was served, he didn't care where Berthold Beatenberg went to prison.
Damien jerked his head in the direction of the building and said, "How's your investigation on the Dragonsblood case going?"
Anthony turned to follow Damien and told him about his frustratingly lack of progress. As many interviews as he had done, as many family members as he had met with, Anthony felt no closer to finding the dark wizard on the Ministry's wanted list.
Angles
Author: Wendy Mills
Date: 09-01-13 13:01
At Mondays, the Ravenclaw first years didn't have classes in the afternoon. Wendy spent her free time doing homework and study for her upcoming exams next week. Being a Muggleborn, she couldn't help to feel that she had to prove herself and to the others that she truly belonged here, in the wizarding world, and so she wanted to do well.
She studied Transfiguration, the subject that most concerned her. She had no form of predicting what sort of questions Professor Flint could ask of his students and almost everyone was pretty sure he would not evaluate them in terms of spells but only theory.
By the end of the afternoon, her mind was a mush. Andrina had gone to her Hogwarts' Harmonies encounter. She had invited Wendy to come along with her, but she refused. No matter how her best friend insisted, Wendy was very much aware of her lack of musical gifts. Not to mention she didn't know the songs the choir sang, since most of them were popular only in the wizarding world.
"Hey Wendy, want to play Gobstones with me?" Caleb Quigley asked, approaching her. He too had been studying but not in the common room. He used to spend most of his time with Sophie McCourt and Estine Mignon from Hufflepuff.
Wendy had heard that he was very good at that game, although he was not part of the school's club. Several students had challenged him for a match and he had defeated them all. Now it seemed that no one dared to play against him and he could be found quite often begging people to do so, including older students. But of course no one wanted to get their faces and robes hit with the stinky and putrid liquid that came from the marbles. Not even the courageous Gryffindors. Wendy couldn't blame them. However, she had never played Gobstones and since it was still a bit early and she had nothing else to do, she accepted.
Caleb suggested they played in his dormitory, where he had a towel, just in case. Wendy agreed and they went upstairs together. The division was empty and Wendy couldn't help to be surprised with the mess inside, compared with the girl's dormitory. Caleb excused himself, despite his own bed and things were perfectly tidy. It was not the first time that she noticed how organized he was.
He took a velvet beg from the chest and a piece of chalk. He used the chalk to draw the circles on the wooden floor and then he divided the marbles, handing half to Wendy. The rules of the game were simple and she already knew them but Caleb decided to explain it to her again. She patiently listened to him. Boo, Caleb's cat, watched from his owner's bed.
Finally the game started and it was a matter of time until Wendy had her face and robes covered with the disgusting liquid. Ector Newland entered the dormitory and complained about the smell.
"Shhs!" Caleb told him as Wendy had just cleaned her face once again with the towel.
It was her turn to play. So far her performance had been very weak but she had been watching Caleb trying to understand the way he played. The more she observed the way the marbles were displayed, the more she started to think about angles and the force she had to apply with her fingers. She took her time and finally she made a move. Caleb lost his first point of the match and soon his face got covered with the smelly liquid. Ector laughed.
"She got you!"
Caleb was surprised and he blinked a few times. Wendy passed him the towel with a smile. On that afternoon, she lost the match and she was grateful the journey to the shower was short. While she changed into cleaned clothes, she couldn't help to think with confidence that after a few more matches, maybe she would be able to actually beat Caleb.
It was just a matter of learning the right angles.
Potions Proctor
Author: Sirius Padfoot Black
Date: 09-01-13 13:47
One of the last of the fifth years to take the Potions OWL practical, displaying a tiredness that's giving her a shuffling zombie gate, passes the student Sirius has sent in to take her spot at Professor Huntingdon's table. When she reaches Sirius, he gently turns her around and sends her off in the direction of the side door through which all students have exited the Great Hall after completing a practical.
He keeps an eye on her while simultaneously watching for other students completing this portion of the Potions exam and sending in someone who's waiting just outside the hall's main doors where Sirius is on duty. He motions for a seventh year, not needing to call the young man's name as the boy had been intently watching for Sirius to give him the go ahead to enter the Great Hall.
With the major breaking news over the last few days, Sirius finds it's something of a wonder he's able to concentrate as well as he is. He's also been somewhat surprised not to have been inundated with questions, given his connection to the people involved.
As Drucilla has suspected, and warned, her cousin Vasilka was behind the attack on Harry. That she was also responsible for two incidents at the Ministry and an explosion at Harry's former residence several years back was something Sirius knew from Drucilla but information only just released to the public.
Vasilka Rakovski had been caught in the St. Mungo's room where she and most of the rest of the British Wizarding world believed Harry Potter to lie in a coma. She not only walked into the trap but did so wearing Drucilla's face. She refused to talk to they had to wait until Vasilka's appearance changed to get an ID on her. While that was happening, an Auror was sent to the Eternal-Black household to verify that the real Drucilla was not, in fact, involved.
Sirius turns his thought back to the task at hand, calling seventh year to go in. With this being Potions, each student's individual exams are taking a little longer than for some of the other NEWTs, and OWLs, because of the potion brewing involved. Despite that, things move at a steady pace and much to the relief of those waiting, they are sent in at regular intervals. When the last seventh year has walked in to be tested by Professor Becknock, Sirius moves further into the Great Hall as well to give assistance to the clearing up and returning the large room back into a dining facility.
With finals looming for the rest of the student body, Sirius should stick around this evening but he knows some reporters are still hanging around the house. He'll go home to give Dru whatever backup she might need and leave word that if any students need him, send an owl and he'll come back to campus. Or, he could use the Floo and help Dru bring the kids here for dinner. Mira especially loves eating with the students. They could even spend the night here at the castle if Dru wants a break.
Yes, he thinks he'll suggest dinner here and a sleeping over if it appeals to Drucilla. Professor Marchbanks is free so Sirius goes to help with the cleaning up of that station. Shortly thereafter the Great Hall is back to normal and students are already coming in hoping to grab an early bite. Sirius makes his exit to use a fireplace on the Floo Network to go home. Not long after that, the entire family is back at Hogwarts, the reporters outside their home unaware the house is now empty save for Wendy the cat.
Lunch Conversation At Devi's
Author: Plum
Date: 09-01-13 15:48
Jordan walks into the employee lounge where many at Devi's are gathering for lunch. He carries a large box in which there are a number of covered containers. Moving to help unpack the contents Plum comments, "That was fast."
"We got the order in before the rush so they had a lot of it ready when I got there."
They put the food in an orderly fashion so that it was easy for anyone eating the takeaway to go through in a line and serve themselves. Drinks were from the stock kept in the office for employees and clients. After going through the line and grabbing a flavored water Plum takes a seat next to her cousin. "This is the first chance I've had to talk face to face with you. How did exams go?"
"Overall, well I think."
"Excellent."
Clementine Whitehorn, who's sitting on Plum's other side leans forward to grin at Jordan. "Yes, excellent. Term is over and you have more time to devote to us."
Jordan returns the grin. "I won't deny I can use the extra money." He gives his attention back to Plum. "Dad said you spoke with the Hogwarts Headmistress over the weekend."
"Yes, I saw Professor McGonagall Saturday morning. Everything's set. Justin will get a letter at some point within the next few weeks with his supply requirements."
Sitting directly across from Doreen Wixted asks him, "Your brother is going to Hogwarts?"
Jordan nods. "For the 2007-2008 term. After that, we'll see."
"Is he as cute as you?"
Jordan blushes at Doreen's question. Plum covers a snicker of humor by replying for him. "Justin's only 14."
"That doesn't mean he can't be a cutie," Doreen reasonably points out."
Clementine asks, "Does this have anything to do with Justin leaving school at home and coming here for a few days?"
Plum confirms, "Yes, something to do with that."
It has everything to do with that but Plum doesn't want to get into the reasons nor, she expects, does Jordan. Justin reluctantly went back to Sydney's School of Wizardry but made it clear to his parents that if he couldn't transfer somewhere else, he'd leave again first chance he had and wouldn't go somewhere like Plum's or Jordan's. He'd make it hard for them to find him.
Malachi and Ava were not happy with having a child inform them how things will be but they also don't want, or need, the constant worry of whether Justin really would leave school or home if he found the opportunity, going only Merlin knows where. They ended up agreeing but only if Justin went to Hogwarts. It's where Malachi attended and both Plum and Jordan are relatively near if needed. With Sydney's being a boarding school, they also reasoned that it's not as if they'd really be seeing Justin any less, to speak of.
Betsy, who turns 19 soon, is in her last year at Sydney's. Martha, who's 18 in August, only has another year after the current Sydney's school year ends. She has no desire to leave but, knowing the full story now, says she can understand Justin's desire to go somewhere else.
As if sensing Justin's reasons for running away and wanting to change schools might be a touchy subject, no one asks prying questions. Instead, talk turns to the holiday Clementine's taking soon to the South Pacific.
Care of Magical Creatures
Author: Celeste Quigley
Date: 09-02-13 03:50
At the Great Hall everything was ready for the Care of Magical Creatures OWLs and NEWTs. The four large house tables had been replaced by individual desks and Professor Tofty was using his wand to clean the large hourglass, making the glass glint at the morning light. At a sign of his head, Celeste who was proctoring today's exams, opened the door of the Great Hall and used the scroll with the names to call the students one by one in alphabetical order.
"Angharad Carter-Cardin," she said out loud.
Angharad make wave over the mass of students and entered the Great Hall, sitting at the desk in the front row that Celeste indicated her. Soon she was calling the last name of the list, the school's Head-girl, Julietta Wynbourne. Once everyone was seated and ready, Professor Tofty turned the hourglass down. The theory of Care of Magical Creatures exam had just begun.
Celeste observed some of the students, from her watching position. Roger Gesner from Ravenclaw was scribbling furiously on his parchment as if his life depended on it, while Drizella Radcliff from Slytherin had a confused expression in her face, as she read the first question. On the other hand the Gryffindor Arista Lampwick, was writing at a good rhythm and she seemed confident.
Celeste had never felt particularly interested in magical creatures and she couldn't help to admire these students for have chosen to take such subject. When she was little she had been bitten by a dog during her Muggle childhood, and she couldn't really find the interest to studying beasts and other creatures that were far more dangerous than a mere dog. Instead, she had found she had somewhat of a talent with crystal balls, although these days with the lack of practice, she saw nothing but fog inside of it.
As she walked around the Great Hall, ready to assist anyone if needed, Celeste touched her pocket, feeling Eugene's pocket watch inside. Lately she has been carrying it around with her, although she didn't open it. She had no desire to speak with the portrait inside. Celeste had thought that as the time passed Eugene would forget about the object but instead he was getting more and more obsessive with it. She had been clever enough to charm the pocket watch so her husband couldn't just summon it with the Accio charm. Celeste just couldn't believe he wanted to keep contact with his deceased first wife and only Merlin knew what the two of them talk about.
More and more Celeste was convinced she would have to destroy the object and make it seem like an accident. However, she still wanted to understand the connection between her husband the portrait. Perhaps she could just let the pocket watch in their living quarters and then make sure she was hidden in some place and spy the two of them. But wouldn't all these little schemes very childish?
Perhaps she should just act like the adult she was and confront Eugene. But where was the fun in that? He might lie to her. Or maybe not. Eugene had always been honest with her. Hasn't he?
Celeste couldn't help to feel the irritation and frustration taking over her. Now she doubted her husband. When has this happened? She felt the pocket watch once again. This was all her fault. That dead witch who was still very much alive.
No matter what she decided she would have to do something and fast because all this situation was consuming her.
Unwelcome Attention
Author: Abdul Hazrat AlGunud
Date: 09-02-13 12:27
Filch had been at Hogwarts a long time. He had seen instructors come and go. The Defense Against the Dark Arts position had been like a revolving door. It had gotten so that Filch had not bothered to really get to know the teachers on a personal level. A fair number had been driven from the position by bad coverage in the press. The late, unlamented Albus Dumbledore (unlamented by Filch at least) had frequently been the target of controversy and innuendo.
Until recently, he had never merited any attention from the media. This had suddenly changed. The most recent edition of the Daily Prophet contained an article by Rita Skeeter. In bold letters the headline proclaimed, "Hogwarts Caretaker Linked to Student Disappearance!" The article went on to claim that Argus Filch, a school employee with a dubious background (A squib no less!), might have caused the disappearance of a sixth year Ravenclaw student. The student had disappeared following an explosion that occurred late one evening in the castle, with Filch being the only witness. There was more, an insinuation that the subsequent investigation had been squashed by the intervention of Albus Dumbledore. The late headmaster might have had good reason to prevent an inquiry according to the article. It was implied that both Filch and Dumbledore had been co-conspirators in some sort of slavery ring, selling kidnapped Wizarding children to unscrupulous Muggle families.
Filch did not know whether to laugh or cry. The article, in some respects, was so close to the truth as to be frightening. In other ways, it was laughable. He devoutly hoped that the nasty little wog was indeed dead. And, with Dumbledore gone, there did not seem to be much chance of the actual truth coming to light. Although Flitwick might know more than he had let on. Filch knew that the head of Ravenclaw had conferred with Dumbledore about the student. Unfortunately, Filch had no way of knowing exactly what they had discussed.
Nothing to be done about the entire affair except ignore the article. But in the back of his mind, he could not help but remember the feeling of seemingly limitless power, coursing through his veins like a sweet wine. Maybe one day, he would know that feeling again.
Taking his brown coat from its accustomed hook, he fumbled with the buttons. As Filch struggled with the coat, he called out, "Miss Ophelia, come now my pretty one. Let us go find some misbehaving students." In response to his call, a tabby cat padded silently into the room. The feline's golden eyes looked at the caretaker in a dispassionate manner. Then the cat followed him out the door and into the corridor.