|
|
(Arielle) Charms Practical
Author: Jolyon
Date: 07-09-17 13:10
Arielle stood before Professor Stow and demonstrated how to perform the repairing charm, while also answering questions about it. For example, she knew that the charm had been invented by Orabella Nuttley, who'd used it to repair the Colosseum after it had been accidentally destroyed. Arielle had only had to repair a broken teacup for Professor Stow. She couldn't really imagine using the charm on a grander scale, though she'd never had the opportunity or necessity to try.
This morning's written exam had gone well enough, she supposed. She'd answered every question with some time to spare, allowing her to review some of the answers she hadn't been 100% sure about. Arielle hadn't changed or added to any of those answers, though, so hopefully they were at least partway right.
Professor Stow asked her to demonstrate the fire-marking spell next. Arielle pointed her wand at a pile of straw in a fire-proof case and carefully enunciated, "Incendio!" The straw caught fire and burned a stream of gray smoke out of the top of the case.
"Good," said Professor Stow. "Now extinguish the flames with the spell of your choice."
Arielle used the freezing spell. She demonstrated a couple more charms and then was dismissed from the practical portion of her Charms O.W.L.
Arielle went out the side door and decided to go to the Commons to wait for Malden, who she had last seen in the entrance hall, waiting for his time in the Great Hall in front of one of the Ministry of Magic examiners. They had made plans to meet up during the summer, though the only thing they'd agreed upon so far was to meet in neutral territory or at his house. Her house was out of the question because of Asher.
Her brother was bound to be even more ornery than usual, what with their parents expecting another set of twins. Arielle would rather not add to his irritation by bringing his former best friend into their house.
Asher, meanwhile, got sent into the Great Hall by Professor Black. He went to the open examiner, Professor Audley, and got ready to start his practical Charms O.W.L. exam.
Millionth Cup Of Coffee
Author: Sirius Padfoot Black
Date: 07-09-17 19:32
Sirius suppresses a yawn. Thanks to earaches Zaria was restless and crabby all night. The drops and potion the pediatric healer had given them had had little effect. Before sunrise Sirius had Zaria at St. Mungo's looking to see if there was anything else that could be given her. Something with a more immediate effect.
Dru hadn't taken her instead of Sirius because she'd done the last early morning at St. Mungo's when Regulus had such bad congestion from a cold they were worried he'd get pneumonia.
Zaria and Sirius had returned home to Hogsmeade as the others were finishing up breakfast. Despite the end of school being near, Mira was complaining about having to go. Zaria, on the other hand, was complaining about not getting to go even though her ears were still hurting. Not hurting as much by then thanks to what she was given at St. Mungo's but still hurting some.
Sirius did a quick shower before walking the twins to school, a large cup of coffee in hand. From there he'd come to Hogwarts, able to get something for breakfast before the Great Hall was cleared for the Theory of Charms OWL and NEWT. The written portion of the exam was largely uneventful. The usual broken quills. A couple of students on the verge of panic attacks but Sirius was able to calm them. When he'd called time there was a flurry of activity as a few tried to finish answers before handing in their exams.
After lunch, standing at the Great Hall doors to send students in to one of the four practical exam administrators, Sirius had to chuckle at himself. His initial reaction when the proctor list was sent around was to think, "Bloody hell! I'll have to get someone to cover. Wonder if Hagrid would do it?" only for it to sink in a few seconds later that his two Monday classes, both in the morning, are fifth and seventh years. No need to get someone to cover for him after all.
He motions to one of the few seventh years remaining. "Penny, you'll see Professor Elgin. Good luck."
Before long he's sending the last seventh year in for the Charms NEWT practical. This time he doesn't bother suppressing a yawn as he follows the student into the Great Hall, veering over to a table where there's tea, coffee, and a few other refreshments for the examiners. Pouring himself what seems like his millionth cup of the day, Sirius sips the hot beverage until all students have exited the Great Hall then begins putting the room back to rights for supper, which will begin being served shortly. Mondays he often stays, or returns if he's left, for supper but this evening he walks back to Hogsmeade to pick up the takeaway he'd told Dru he'd get. Hopefully, Zaria had a decent day and will sleep tonight. If not, he can at least nap a bit in his office in the morning as his first class would normally be one of the fifth year sections. As they will be occupied with another OWL, he doesn't have to be lucid until 10 am for the sixth years. As he leaves the Hogwarts grounds Sirius thinks that even if Zaria does have a good night, he may take a nap in his office tomorrow morning anyway.
(Alanna) Ariella's Idea
Author: Beck
Date: 07-10-17 18:27
"I think I want to quit my job."
Alanna looked up from the sandwich she was eating and said, "Come again?"
"I said," Ariella said, heaving a heavy sigh, "I think I want to quit my job."
"But why?" Alanna asked. "I thought you liked working for the Ministry of Magic."
"I did, but I guess I'm just not feeling it anymore. You've quit your job––"
"I wouldn't exactly put it that way," Alanna grumbled.
"And the SAT is over––Can you believe Hogwarts won again?––But mostly I think I need a change," Ariella said. "It's hard forgetting about certain things when I'm doing the same routine day in and day out."
Alanna hung her head. "I understand." She could never go back to the Ministry of Magic, not after how Reed had turned her whole life upside-down. Alanna didn't want to see her old colleagues everyday, and she didn't want to chance running into Jared because she was almost certain that he hated her.
"Lawrence is never coming back," Ariella went on. "I've finally accepted it. So, I think I want to just start fresh."
"With a new man?" Alanna asked. She really didn't want to have a discussion about new relationships with anybody. She wasn't ready for one herself and she doubted she ever would be.
"No, don't be silly!" Ariella exclaimed. "I'm technically still married, anyway." She spread her hands over the formica table top and said, "I was thinking about maybe going back to baking."
"Baking?"
"Yeah. I learned a lot from Briar when I worked for her all those years."
"So, are you going to see about getting a new job with her at one of her shoppes, then?" Alanna asked.
Ariella shook her head. "I was actually thinking about going into business myself. It's just an idea at this point, but I was thinking about pies. Maybe tarts as well, but mostly just pies. What do you think about that?"
"I like pies."
"I just need to read up on running a business and all that, and then of course find the money to pay for my start-up, and then I'll need a building, supplies, and ingredient suppliers…"
"Don't worry about the money," Alanna found herself saying, thinking about the coins collecting dust in her joint account with Reed. "And I can help with the legal stuff. Let's talk about this some more at home tonight, okay?"
"Okay, yeah." Ariella smiled. "So, I don't sound crazy?"
"No, I think it's a great idea, actually. But our lunch hours are up and we need to head back to our jobs." Alanna quirked an eyebrow at her older sister. "Unless you're quitting yours on the spot?"
Ariella shook her head. "No, I plan on finishing out the day at the very least." She grinned.
Transfiguration OWL & NEWT Runs Long
Author: Declan
Date: 07-11-17 19:05
Declan sends the second to last of the 7th years into the Great Hall to Professor Stow for the Transfiguration NEWT practical. There is one student left and then the Great Hall gets reverted back to normal for dinner service. Some gathered earlier in anticipation. Now they are growing slightly impatient because it's a few minutes past the announced time for the exam to end and the meal service to being. As more arrive he says, "We're running slightly behind but it won't be much longer though.
Spotting Rand among them he offers a smile. "Hungry?"
"More like famished." Over the past few weeks Rand has grown more than an inch and his appetite has grown with his height.
Declan sends the last 7th year into the Great Hall before turning back to Rand. "Have a good day?"
"Mostly."
"Why only mostly?"
"A few others were talking about taking Arithmancy and Divination. I started thinking I should have signed up for it."
"Do you want to change it for one of your other electives?"
"I don't know. I like the two I chose but now I sort of wish I could take Arithmancy and Divination too."
Declan has to leave Rand with that thought while he goes into the Great Hall to help put it back to its normal state. In the short time it takes it to reach the main doors again and open them to the waiting students, eager to get their dinners, platters and bowls of food are already appearing on the tables along with plates, cups, and utensils.
Stepping out of the way of the rush Declan tells Rand, "Give it some serious thought and if you decide you definitely want to switch electives, I'll talk with Professors McGonagall and Flitwick."
"Okay. Thank you." Rand starts to go into the Great Hall but stops. "Anything more about my mum?"
"No, nothing since the update early last week." The update had been more of the same from the private investigator and her associates. Photos of the "cult" showing various members, some including Melanie and the man they call Father aka Harvey aka Galvin Gamble. Written reports of the activities seen in the photos along with other observations. Nothing that would indicate Melanie is not actually Melanie or is Melanie but under some sort of spell.
Rand and Declan go into the Great Hall, Rand asking, "Is Zabrynna coming?"
Declan shakes his head. "She and Mariposa decided around 4:00 to treat Nolan out for supper. She stopped by on her way out just after her office hours ended at 4:30."
"Tell her I said hello."
Declan chuckles. "You saw her in class just today." One of Rand's History of Magic class meetings is Tuesdays from 12:45 to 1:30."
"I know but that was as Professor Ravensdale not as Zabrynna."
With that Rand breaks away to head to the Gryffindor table where his friend Oliver is already seated. Shaking his head and chuckling again at Rand's logic, Declan continues on to the head table, finding himself suddenly much hungrier than he thought he was.
DADA Class
Author: Ethan Somerset
Date: 07-12-17 15:55
Ethan walked around the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom and observed as his first year Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw students practiced the Tongue-Tying Spell on each other. This was the last new lesson of the school year for the students. Next week would be dedicated to reviewing for finals, which would take place the following week.
Earlier, Ethan had held a discussion on counterfeit protection with his Gryffindor and Slytherin fourth years. That lesson had been a little less exciting than the current one, since it had consisted of lecture rather than practice, but Ethan felt that the topic hadn't been too boring to keep the students engaged.
Ethan only had one more class today, second year Gryffindor and Slytherin students, who would be practicing the Stretching Jinx. After that, he planned on holding his regularly scheduled office hours, followed by dinner with Lilly and Briar.
Following dinner, Ethan had agreed to meet up with some of the former members of Project 25 for drinks. Ever since news broke of Adriana Fairchild's death, the Project 25ers were anxious for news, of which there was very little. The main question on their minds was what did her death mean for the supposed resurrection of Project 25? The general thought was they were all in the clear, but they didn't have any proof of that, of course.
Ethan tried to imagine what had led to Adriana's passing. Had their been dissent in her ranks? Had she fallen victim to an entirely different dark wizard, or perhaps someone else to whom she'd done harm? Were the Death Eaters now floundering without someone to lead them, or had someone else already stepped up to the task? That was the question that had Ethan worried. If the Death Eaters were still active, who was in charge, and what was that wizard's agenda? Was Project 25 anywhere on the To-Do list?
Time would only tell.
Herbology OWL Incident
Author: Furnella Hodfuffer
Date: 07-13-17 19:35
This morning, promptly at 9 am AJ instructed the one student still standing to be seated then welcomed the fifth and seventh years to the written portion of the Herbology exam, OWL for the fifth years, NEWT for the seventh. With a wave of his wand he then said, "You may now open your exam booklets and begin."
He'd put out the exams once the desks were in place after the Great Hall was cleared of breakfast service and the long tables normally found in the massive room. A spell ensured students couldn't break the seals on their respective exams before the official start. He'd also put out ink bottles when he put out the exams and handed out quills as students came in to find their seats.
AJ wishes he could say the time flew by but it crept along as slowly for him as it had for those writing the Herbology exam. He did have the day's paper to read and a book as well as a manuscript to read through for his editor's comments and suggestions. He could not, however, lose himself in any of those items as his purpose for being in the Great Hall is to proctor the exam. The anti-cheating quills are helpful but not entirely foolproof. From time to time during these sort of exams a few students will try helping each other through a series of signals. Though he's never personally heard whispering he knows of a few examples of students who thought they could get away talking in low tones. When he's proctoring he's wondering at times how many ever got away with their efforts no matter the method.
There was one bit of excitement when fifth year Pedro Garcia suddenly jumped up and ran for the door. AJ hurried after, catching up to Pedro who was just outside the double doors, bent over retching. With one eye back towards the Great Hall, and a reminder to kept working as time was ticking on with the exam, AJ had one hand on Pedro's back. When it seemed the boy was done, AJ asked, "Nerves or do you think it's something else?"
Looking a bit green Pedro replied, "Maybe both."
Sending Pedro to the nearby loo to wash his face and get a drink of water, AJ summoned a House Elf to ask Madam Pomfrey to the Great Hall along with an explanation of why then did a cleaning spell to clear the floor and wall where Pedro had been sick.
Madam Pomfrey had come straight away with a potion to help keep Pedro's stomach calm. In the short time they waited AJ kept reassuring the boy that if he needed extra time to complete the exam he'd have it or if Madam Pomfrey thought Pedro should go to the hospital wing, which would mean he was unable to finish it today he'd be given a make-up. Pedro insisted he could go on and once Madam Pomfrey arrived she decided he could take the potion and continue on with writing the exam but if he felt worse or threw up more despite the potion he was to immediately come to the hospital wing.
AJ could understand Pedro's insistence on taking the exam. After making it through half the time allotted for the exam, who would want to have to start over from the beginning on another day? Then again, being able to go curl up in a bed in the hospital wing and take the exam on a day one did not have an upset stomach and could mean scoring better. If Pedro doesn't do well today he can request retaking it. With both AJ and Madam Pomfrey to back up any claim of being ill, he'd probably be allowed a second attempt.
Pedro, and everyone else, made it through the rest of the time without incident beyond the expected broken quills and quills in need of sharpening. After collecting the exams, ink bottles, and quills, restoring the Great Hall to normal so lunch could be served, AJ went to check on Pedro who'd gone on to the hospital wing after having completed the Herbology OWL. He had time to spare and was going to put his head down like some do when done writing one of these exams before time is up but AJ went ahead and dismissed him.
After lunch, the Great Hall ready for the practical portion of the Herbology OWL and NEWT, despite still looking green and according to Madam Pomfrey having a slight fever, Pedro lined up with his classmates. AJ decided that no harm would come of letting Pedro be among the first four into the Great Hall. After Professor Elgin has administered Pedro's practical, the first year returned to the hospital wing. He grumbled about wondering if he could get any studying for the Defense Against The Dark Arts OWL while there though AJ thought he'd probably be happy to have an excuse to just sleep.
The practicals went along at a steady pace and the Herbology OWL and NEWT wrapped on time, unlike yesterday's Transfiguration practicals. AJ is now sitting at the head table relating Pedro's unfortunate incident to Mariposa and a few others within hearing range. Mariposa echoes AJ's thoughts when she suggests, "We should go see him before we go home."
(Malden) Theory of DADA
Author: Minerva McGonagall
Date: 07-14-17 17:25
Malden sat in the Great Hall and wrote his Theory of Defense Against the Dark Arts OWL exam. It was only day four of exams, and Malden was already beyond sick of them. First had been Charms, which had gone okay. Then had been Transfiguration, followed by Herbology. Malden thought he'd done okay on those exams, as well.
His hand was cramping terribly from all the writing, though. Fortunately, this portion of the exam was nearly at its end. Unfortunately, Malden wasn't quite finished yet, but he thought he'd get it done before time ran out.
His current question had to do with Erklings. Malden had to describe the dark creature, give its rating (XXXX), and explain some of the measures taken to curb attacks by it. The question after that asked him to describe the uses of phoenix tears. His next question dealt with the Imperius Curse.
On and on it went until Malden reached the end, which just so happened to be moments before Professor Knight called time. The test booklets were magically swept forward, and the OWL and NEWT students were dismissed from the Great Hall.
Malden and Arielle had an unspoken agreement that they would go their separate ways to freshen up before meeting back in the Great Hall for lunch. Malden and Asher ended up heading to the Slytherin common room together, simply because they had left the same place at the same time and were going to the same destination.
They weren't alone in the corridor, since there were other Slytherin fifth and seventh year students with the very same idea. Malden almost didn't say anything to Asher but then he commented, "We're going to try to meet a few times over the summer. Team Delta Echo, I mean." Just in case Asher thought Malden meant Arielle, although Malden planned on meeting up with her, too.
"Will Sam show up?" Asher asked.
"I think so. He's eager to get together with us again, especially with the news and all that," Malden replied.
"I suspect so," Asher murmured.
They reached the Common Room. Someone ahead of them gave the password, "Mico nigriceps." The boys slipped passed the portal and went the bathroom and their dormitory room before retreating back to the Great Hall for lunch.
Just a Scratch
Author: Sophie McCourt
Date: 07-15-17 03:42
The Great Hall's double doors opened and Caleb left, little drops of sweat over his forehead and a few scratches in his arm and neck. It seemed like he had tried to tame a cat. Sophie, who was waiting for him, ran in his direction.
"How did it go?" she asked, referring to the practical part of their DADA's OWL.
"Barbaric. They launched two Red Caps at me. I knew exactly which charm to use to repel them, but they ran at me so fast that I panicked. I was able to hit one, but the other attacked me. "
Caleb showed his neck and arm to Sophie and he asked her to check his hair as well, has he believed the Red Cap was able to rip part of it. Sophie decided they should pass by the Hospital Wing just in case. Caleb wanted to go straight away to the Ravenclaw tower so he could prepare himself for his Ancient Runes and History of Magic OWLs tomorrow, but she insisted.
The OWLs so far had been painfully hard, but Sophie thought she would be able to get satisfactory marks. Caleb on the other hand was excelling everything, especially the theory exams. He only struggled with practical DADA so far.
They arrived at the Hospital Wing. Madam Pomfrey wanted to clean Caleb's superficial scratches, just to be sure they were not infected. She was about to do so, when another student walked in with a more serious medical condition and she passed the task to Sophie. She used the cloth Madam Pomfrey provided her and she passed it over Caleb's arm.
"That burns!" he complained.
"It's just a scratch," she replied, but she tried to be gentler.
"That's what I told you, but you're the one who suggested we should come here."
"Well, imagine your arm got infected during the night and in the morning there would be no other thing to do but to amputate it. Then you wouldn't be able to finish your OWLs, since you're right handed."
"I don't think it would go that far….but then again those Red Caps were pretty nasty. Who knows what sort of infections they might carry…"
Sophie smiled, as Caleb was no longer focused on the pain, and was now imagining a scenario where without his right arm he would prosecute the Ministry of Magic and perhaps make a little fortune out of it.
Many Meetings
Author: Hermione Granger
Date: 07-16-17 08:36
Hermione had been in and out of meetings with both the Prime Minister and the Minister of Magic ever since news broke of Adriana Fairchild's death. She still found it hard to believe that the witch who was Harry's cousin, had twice been a teacher at Hogwarts, and had eventually become the most wanted witch in Britain, was now dead. It was a tragic relief.
Unfortunately, Hermione couldn't provide the Muggle government with any sort of assurance that dark activity would stop now that the leader of Britain's notorious faction had died. No one knew the circumstances surrounding Adriana's death. Hermione feared that she'd been overthrown by someone like Bellatrix Lestrange.
There was absolutely no news about the Death Eaters, however, to have any idea what might have happened. No one knew if or how they were handling the death of the witch who had been in charge these last few years. Some groups adapted seamlessly to new leadership, and some didn't need a leader at all. Hermione remembered that immediately after Voldemort's fall, the Death Eaters more or less went inactive. She hoped the same would happen now that Adriana was out of the picture.
She thought about how Harry must be feeling. He was Adriana's only known family and therefore had the responsibility of deciding what to do with her body. It couldn't be easy making such a decision for someone with whom he never formed any sort of bond and who also turned out to be most evil. Adriana had killed Albus Dumbledore, among others. She'd led a blitz attack on Hogsmeade and had wreaked utter devastation at the Ministry of Magic. Who knew what other nefarious deeds she'd been plotting prior to her death?
"Is it possible to provide mug shots of other members of this Dead Eater group so our law enforcement agencies can be on the lookout? Do you even have mug shots?" asked the Prime Minister. He was seated at the head of a conference room table.
Hermione was a few chairs down. "Those Death Eaters who were in prison have mug shots, yes," she answered. They were moving photographs, of course.
"I'll see what I can do," Hermione went on, "but it's important that your agencies don't do anything without wizarding backup. The police isn't equipped to deal with wizards, especially dark wizards."
"Understood, and of course depending on the urgency we would make contact with your government before commencing with any activity," the Prime Minister said.
The conversation went on in the same vein for a little while, and then the Prime Minister shifted gears to other topics. Hermione listened and took notes, concentrating fully on what was said so she could report anything useful back to Kingsley Shacklebolt.
Ancient Runes NEWT
Author: Aaron Miller
Date: 07-16-17 19:34
Eden reads over her response to one of the essay questions requiring a longer answer. Other than any tweaks she might make she's completed the Ancient Runes NEWT. Eden has read through it once already but that was more of a skim than a thorough going over. She'd also taken a bit of a break, closing her eyes and putting her head down.
An advantage of having competed in the Runic Rodeo was all the preparation she did for it. True, the event was back in October but the intense study she'd done for it was immensely helpful for taking the Ancient Rune NEWT.
Making only a couple of changes, actually additions to elaborate on what she'd written, Eden finishes the reread with plenty of time to spare. Once more she puts her head down. Hopefully she won't start snoring or drool or anything like that. And maybe she'll feel more rested for writing the History of Magic NEWT after lunch. That will be her fifth NEWT of the week. For the fifth years taking the Ancient Rune OWL and for some of the seventh years the History of Magic exam will be the sixth of the week. At times Eden has regretted not taking Herbology as one of her seventh year NEWT courses but other times, like this week, she's been fine with the decision not to.
Aaron, Professor Miller, moves to a nearby desk to give Winifred Hicks a fresh quill. Eden smiles at him thinking about how soon, as her cousin, she can call him Aaron all the time rather than Professor Miller. He returns her smile before walking over to one of the fifth years who also needs a new quill.
Squirming and shifting a little to get more comfortable, she closes her eyes. The rustle of parchment and the steady sound of quills scribbling lulls Eden into a light sleep. She stirs when Professor Miller calls, "Ten minutes! There are ten minutes remaining!"
Happy with her answers Eden doesn't do another read through of her exam. Instead, she closes her eyes again, thinking about the Muggle Studies sponsored trip she and many of the other seventh years will be taking this summer and the clothes she hopes to convince her mum into letting her buy to have for the trip.
Summer Plans
Author: Tiberius Nott
Date: 07-17-17 03:22
Titus was aware how poor his answers were in today's History of Magic OWL. He could hear Hufflepuff Emily Murray's quill scratching the scroll continuously. By the corner of his eye he spotted Ravenclaw Ector Newland writing in a frenzy. Titus on the contrary didn't have much to write. He knew he should have studied more, but it was like his mind was drained after his first OWLs week. Maybe he should have taken a sip of his Felix Felicis today. Maybe then his answers wouldn't have been so incomplete. But truth to be told he did not want to waste the so precious potion on an OWL exam. Titus had a plan for the Felix and after a long wait he had finally decided to use it. Things would be different this summer.
It had been Team Delta Echo's meetings that inspired him to act. Although he kept himself at a distance, never socializing much with the other members, he absorbed every meeting's teachings and he was gaining some confidence to do something. Being placed first at SATs Best in Show Magical Plants had also increased his confidence. Things seemed to be working out in his favor and he was not going to waste the momentum. The Felix Felicis would guarantee there would be no flaws in his plan.
Tiberius meanwhile was completely oblivious to Titus' summer plans. As he proctored the exam, announcing the students they had one hour left to conclude it, he was forging his own plan which implied asking for his brother's custody one more time. Judith Foxcastle would not refuse so, now that he had a stable life. There was nothing in his life she could use against him. Even if she had her personal vendetta against his family, he believed she would be able to give up as she didn't have the upper hand anymore. Being a Hogwarts teacher was a prestigious position and he was even prepared to use his colleagues and Minerva's influence to get Titus' back. This time there would be no flaws in his plan.