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(Belinda) Sympathy
Author: Sophie McCourt
Date: 06-14-20 01:18
"Mr. Ellis, you are with Professor Huntingdon," Professor Ravenscroft, indicated.
"Wait!" Belinda called Conrad, before he had time to stand. She pulled him into a fast kiss. "Good luck."
Conrad smiled and walked into the Great Hall. Professor Ravenscroft was nice enough not to say anything about the good luck kiss. Belinda waited for her turn, next to the other fifth years. This afternoon it was the practical DADA OWL, and she hoped she would do well. She needed the highest marks she could get in an attempt to mitigate the poor result she was going to have in Transfiguration.
Maurice's orders at Hogsmeade had been for Belinda to fail her Transfiguration OWL. He told her she didn't need to get a Troll but she still had to fail. She knew failing was going to bring her troubles at home. Her father would be mad, and Belinda knew she would be grounded. Ian McCourt didn't demand his children to get Outstandings but he didn't tolerate poor grades. There would be consequences.
Ironically she was more nervous on Tuesday, then she she was now. It would look suspicious if she let her parchment in blank on the Transfiguration written examination, so she had to make up wrong answers, or at least incomplete ones. It had been hard, for she wasn't feeling particularly creative at the moment. Trying to fail on purpose was much harder than trying to pass.
There had been a girl who had a panic attack and Belinda had watched as Professor Snape went to assist her. She decided that maybe she could excuse herself to her father and tell him she got very nervous during the exam, and that the nerves blocked her thoughts. In the afternoon it came the practical part. Once again it would look suspicious if Belinda simply refused to do any spell. She also couldn't afford to miss the basic spells, like turning a match into a needle. Someone could question how she had made all the way into fifth year without being able to manage simple spells. So when it came to the tricky spells, Belinda did her best to mess things up in a clumsy and grandiose way that she wouldn't eve get some points for her effort.
As she waited, she touched her choker. More than once Conrad had wanted her to remove it and she didn't allow him. Belinda was glad the OWLs had diverted his attention, and they had been so busy with studying that there hasn't been much time for anything else.
Professor Ravenscroft called Belinda's name and she told her she should go to Professor Elgin. Belinda walked slowly. Professor Elgin had been the one who evaluated her during Transfiguration. He looked at Belinda with a mist of concern. He hasn't forgotten how bad she had been on Tuesday.
"I wish you the best of luck, Miss McCourt," he told her in a kind voice.
"Thank you," Belinda said, taking her wand out of her pocket, indicating she was ready.
The practical part of her DADA examination begun and when Belinda was done, Professor Elgin had a surprised expression on his face.
"Impressive, Miss McCourt. It seems that Transfiguration was not your forte."
"I am just really bad at it," she lied, offering her best smile to him in the hopes her sympathy would grant her some extra points.
Monitoring
Author: Marzipan
Date: 06-14-20 07:25
Marzi stood in the entrance hall and sent students into the Great Hall for the practical portion of the Defense Against the Dark Arts OWL & NEWT exams. The morning's Theory of DADA exam had gone smoothly. No student experienced a panic attack or anything worse than a broken quill. Even the students congregated in the entrance hall right at this moment seemed oddly calm. Perhaps they were numb on this fourth day of exams.
Marzi hoped her expression didn't show her own feelings. She had gotten another letter from Heathcote this morning. Like in the letter intercepted by Eunice Smirt, Heathcote wrote nothing offensive or threatening, only that he hoped she was well and that she could forgive him for deceiving so many people.
Marzi didn't know what to think about this change in behavior? Was it just a tactic to get her to soften towards him and become less vigilant overall, or had Heathcote truly changed? She didn't know if Azkaban offered rehabilitation and continuing education programs for its inmates. She didn't know if Heathcote met with a counselor, or if his time behind bars had made him hyper aware of his faults and given him inspiration to change on his own.
Whatever was going on, Marzi had no intention of corresponding with him. She'd ignored his first letter and would ignore this one too. She just wished he would stop writing altogether.
"Do you have any summer plans, Professor?" The question came from Reginald Price. He was clearly trying to distract himself from thinking too hard about his fast approaching practical exam.
"I'm going to take my kids to Australia to show them where I grew up." She'd gone with Carter and Vallon to Sydney only once before, when they were very young. Now that they were older, she thought she might be able to show them more and have them actually remember the trip.
"Hey, so am I!" Reginald exclaimed, truly distracted now that he had found common ground with Professor Ravenscroft. "Well, I didn't grow up there, but you know what I mean. We're gong to Melbourne. I've never been."
"Melbourne is nice," Marzi said.
She got the signal then to send Reginald in and said, "We can talk more about Australia later if you want. Professor Stow is ready for you."
Reginald had a fleeting look of panic in his eyes, but then he squared his shoulders and said mostly to himself. "Okay, I can do this."
With a small smile on her face, Marzi closed the door quietly behind him.
Eternal-Blacks Dining Out
Author: Sirius Padfoot Black
Date: 06-14-20 19:13
Sirius asks Zaria, "Where are your shoes?"
The eight year old rolls her eyes at him for the sixth or seventh time since picking Regulus and her up from school. "You said we were going to Saucy! and then to eat supper somewhere. You didn't say I needed shoes for that, Dad."
Sirius ticks off on his fingers. "One, since when do you not need to shoes when we go out to eat? Two, be quick about it as Mum is waiting. Three, roll your eyes at me like that one more time tonight and you're grounded until your birthday."
"Until my birthday?" Zaria's eyes widen. "But my birthday isn't until Halloween!"
"Right, so best not to get grounded tonight for eye rolling. Shoes. Now."
Zaria turns with a huff, but no eye roll, to run back up the stairs to her room for her shoes. Sirius can tell without asking that she's crabbily wondering why if they're in such a rush why he didn't just use his wand to summon shoes down to her. Standing at the bottom of the stairs, Regulus points to his feet. "Got my shoes." Then he inquires, "Do they have to match?"
Sirius pinches the bridge of his nose, exhaling loudly. While Reg's shoes aren't a matching pair they are similar so he ends up saying, "No, I guess not tonight. Maybe you'll start a new fad."
"What's a fad?"
Sirius tries to explain what fad means but as Reg is only five so the only part he fully understands is that it's something a lot of people like. When they arrive at Saucy! at short time later Reg is listing things he likes with Zaria giving her own commentary on each of those things. For example, "I like playing in the mud." "Boys can be soooo minging!"
Drucilla is outside speaking with a man holding a clipboard. He bashfully smiles, nods, and walks away looking back and forth from his clipboard to the businesses he's passing. Acting as though she's dismissed the man entirely from her thoughts she turns to her family. "Hi! How was school?" Dru asks Reg and Zaria, crouching slightly to be more on their levels.
Reg points to his mismatched shoes. "Mummy, I'm starting a new fad."
Slightly confused she maintains a smile. "Oh? How lovely. Zaria, how was your day?"
"Okay. Passed a quiz," she shrugs.
"Excellent. I am very proud of you. Now," Dru says, straightening up, "what do we want to eat?"
She and Sirius are both expecting clamors for Burger Wizard so are surprised when Zaria requests, "Brews & Stews?" and even more surprised that rather than chiming in with somewhere different just to annoy his sister Reg nods. "Yeah, there." His agreeableness is explained when he declares, "Cheesy ham soldiers!" in reference to his favorite off the Brews & Stews children's menu.
Once at the restaurant and food ordered Dru and Sirius draw the kids out more on their respective school day. It's only after the food has arrived and everyone's digging in that he asks his wife, "Who was that man with the clipboard?"
She gives him a blank look for half a second before recalling who he means. "Oh, him. He's with one of those pro-pureblood groups that are cropping up again. He was wanting to know a little about the Saucy! owners."
Based on the man's happy, almost blissful, expression Sirius can guess what took place. "You turned on the charm and told him he should mark Saucy! as safe on his list and to be on his merry way."
Dru gives a low, throaty laugh. "Something like that." Her face changes, taking on more of an astounded expression.
"What?" Sirius asks, looking around to see if he can spot whatever it is.
"Far corner," Dru says, her voice just above a whisper. "Don't be obvious," she adds when he swivels to look. "I've seen her at any number of meals since she and her brother showed up for Start of Term Feast but I can't say I remember ever seeing her actually eating."
The she is Eunice Smirt, currently digging into a large bowl of what looks a chunky soup or stew. Engrossed in her meal and a open book to one side of her bowl she has given no indication of seeing the Eternal-Black family. That's just fine with Sirius. She kept popping up yesterday while he was proctoring the Herbology OWL and NEWT. During the written examination she showed up in the Great Hall three different times, once even pacing the aisles as if doing proctor duty herself. During the Herbology practical Eunice twice lurked around the Great Hall watching the students and him and three times made a circuit around the Great Hall observing the examiners putting fifth and seventh years through their paces. He cannot wait until the term ends and they can be free of her and her brother, at least for the summer but hopefully forever.
Looking Ahead
Author: Hermione Granger
Date: 06-15-20 17:58
"Mr. Shacklebolt will see you now," announced Kingsley's secretary from her desk near his office door.
Hermione got up from her chair with a smile on her face and said, "Thanks."
Even though Kingsley was expecting her at that very moment, Hermione nevertheless gave a polite knock before she entered his office. She crossed over to a small table, where a lunch spread was waiting for them.
"I'm glad you could squeeze me in, but if you would rather have a peaceful lunch without me, I completely understand," Hermione said as she slid into one of the chairs.
"Nonsense," Kingsley replied, waving his empty hand. His other held a sandwich half. "I've got so many meetings today I've lost count, but I can always make time for you, even if it's during my short lunch break. You're incredible punctual, so I'm not worried I'll be late to my next engagement… even though I really would rather skip it altogether. The department heads are convening to discuss the quarterly budget and once Kent Murdock gets going, it's difficult to get him to stop. The man loves to hear himself speak."
"He's with the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, right?"
Kingsley nodded. "I made the appointment with some trepidation because he rose through the department ranks rather quickly, but he's politically savvy and gets the job done." He pointed his sandwich half at Hermione and said, "Enough about me and mine. Tell me what's on your mind."
Hermione carefully spread some butter on a piece of bread and said, "I think we need to consider pulling back from the Muggle government. There's growing unrest and discomfort with my being there, especially at cabinet meetings. Things aren't quite the way they were when I first came onboard and there was fear of the unknown. Frankly, it's worse."
"It would seem that the Muggle and wizarding worlds mirror themselves occasionally. Do they distrust you because you are a witch?" Kingsley asked.
"I believe I still have the trust of the PM and some of the established members of Parliament with whom I've worked these last years, but the newer blood… well, they're of a certain mindset. It's not just witches they distrust, but I suppose being magical is exponentially different than being a foreigner, a different race or sexual orientation."
Hermione frowned and added, "Despite having the PM's trust, I don't think he can support my being there for much longer."
Kingsley sighed. "That's unfortunate, but given our own troubles, perhaps severing our ties is the right direction to take. I suppose it'll revert back to the old manner of introducing each other… completely in secret."
"On that note," Hermione began, "what should we do to protect the secrecy of the wizarding world?"
"The only thing we can do," Kingsley replied. "Obliviate them all."
The Commons (Grace)
Author: Briar Rose
Date: 06-15-20 19:06
Grace asks, "Do you suppose that by the time we take our NEWTs there will be one for Alchemy or for Fitness & Athletics?"
"Where would they fit them in?" Rand reaches for his drink. "Merlin, I'm famished. Is it time yet?"
"Nearly." Oliver looks up from the History of Magic notecards they're sharing. "Though the sooner we can go to lunch the sooner it will be time to write the History exam."
Grace vocalizes a sound of agreement, reaching for her own drink. They all go silent again, each steadily working through a stack of the notecards. They'd started out quizzing each other aloud but at some point began working quietly independent while remaining together. In close proximity are some of the other fifth years who don't take Ancient Runes, the course those taking it as an elective are currently sitting for an OWL. For the three friends, their elective course OWLs are all next week. All three have Care of Magical Creatures on Tuesday, Grace and Oliver have Arithmancy & Divination on Thursday, and Rand has Muggle Studies on Friday.
Of the four examinations she's taken so far Grace is certain she's aced them all. At times she wishes she could show the examiners the fully extent of what she's truly capable of doing simply so they'd give her a pass from having to go through the tedium of sitting the exams, perhaps skip on to university or a job of some sort. On the other hand, Grace very much wants to be considered just a regular student.
Grace's thoughts stray to how easy the Transfiguration OWL was, which in turn makes her think of the Scholastic Aptitude Tournament. She should have taken first but ended up as the third person eliminated, which equated to twelfth place. To this day she's not sure if she let herself get distracted from the task, resulting in a simple yet stupid mistake or if she subconsciously threw the competition after years of having it drilled into her that if others knew exactly how gifted she is, her life, and that of her family members, would be turned upside down.
"Grace?"
She blinks, looking up from the notecard in her hand. "Sorry, Rand. You said something?"
"We can go to lunch now. Are you coming?"
"I suppose I'd better. I can't imagine trying to get through writing History without having eaten something more than a strawberry fairy cake," she replies with a gesture to the pink paper cupcake wrapper.
They pack up their thinks and trek out of the commons, Grace listening to Rand and Oliver discussing what they hope will be among the day's lunch offerings.
Waiting for Moonrise
Author: Griet
Date: 06-16-20 17:32
Griet was busy clearing the table when Valentijn laid a hand her arm and said, "I can do it. Why don't you relax for a bit."
Griet gave him a quick kiss and replied, "I want to do it. It's a distraction."
Valentijn gave her arm a loving squeeze and then retreated to the play pen in the living room when Gerrit began to fuss.
Griet continued gathering up the plates and cutlery and went into the kitchen to begin washing them. She filled the sink with water, added in a little dish soap, and then set the scrub brush to work with a flick of her wand. She watched the brush swirl around in circles over each dish. Sometimes little soap bubbles drifted in the air. For a brief moment, she was mesmerized and properly distracted, but it wasn't long before worry set in.
She glanced at the time. In another season, she would already be locked up in the attic where she sequestered herself anytime there was a full moon. It being very nearly the longest day of the year, Griet had a little more freedom on her hands. The moon wasn't set to rise until 9:56 pm and would set at 6:15 am tomorrow morning. Griet could almost get up and get ready in time to go to work in the morning, but she had no plans to go in. She always took a sick day the day after the full moon.
After the dishes were properly washed, dried, and stowed away, Griet went into the living room to play a little with Gerrit before it was time to put him to bed. He got a bath, a little milk, and a bedtime story. It wasn't long before he was sleeping soundly.
"I think I might go upstairs already," Griet said, once she and Valentijn were back in the living room.
Even though she took wolfsbane potion and it had never once failed her, she still worried about transforming into a werewolf with her loved ones in the house. It was especially worrisome with a baby under her roof.
"It's still early," Valentijn said, taking her by the hand. "I think I can find a way to distract you before it's time to lock yourself up in the attic."
Griet hesitated, not wanting to but also really wanting to give in to his proposed distraction. He rubbed his thumb around in circles on her palm and looked at her in a way that made her want to push him onto the sofa right then and there.
So she did.
A little while later she sat up with a start and looked frantically around for a watch.
"You're not too late," Valentijn murmured a little drowsily.
"I can see that, but I really should go upstairs now." Griet was only half dressed at this point, so she shed the remainder of her clothing en route to the kitchen, where her vial of wolfsbane potion was in a cupboard with other medicinal potions, like pepper-up. She downed it as she continued through the house. She pulled on the string to lower the stairs to the attic and climbed up, disappearing into her prison with a quick "Love you!" down to Valentijn.
"See you in the morning, Beautiful!" he exclaimed.
She blew him a kiss and then shut the attic door.
Inside the attic itself was a barred area, where she enclosed herself further. There was a slanted attic window in the ceiling. Griet had sometimes thought about having it boarded up, over fear that she might break out of her cell and through the window, but a greater part of her liked seeing with her own two eyes that daylight had come and the moon was gone.
She sank down onto the floor onto a fuzzy dog bed and waited with trepidation for the transformation to begin.
Briefly Before Lunch
Author: Finley
Date: 06-17-20 17:37
"Time!" announced Professor Douglass. "Please lower your quills."
Finley put her quill down as instructed and leaned back in her chair. She had managed to finish the Theory of Potions exam with enough time to spare for reviewing all her answers. For the most part, she thought she'd gotten things right, but there were a few here and there that she thought were only partially correct. Fortunately, there were none that had totally stumped her.
Moments later, her test booklet flew to the front of the room and landed in a neat pile on the table where Professor Douglass stood. Finley wondered how the test booklets didn't bonk into the backs of heads, but somehow they knew to avoid midflight obstacles.
When the booklets were all neatly stowed, Professor Douglass dismissed the fifth and seventh year students. Finley got up and moved to the door while massaging her writing hand. One week of the NEWTs was done. She was at the start of the second week, but fortunately her last exam was Thursday, not Friday.
She debated whether to go to the Gryffindor common room or the Commons while waiting for the Great Hall to get rearranged for lunch. Because the Commons were so very close, she opted to go there.
It turned out the majority of students exiting the Great Hall had the same idea, so they moved en masse to the popular school hang out. When there ended up being a line at the bar for snacks and drinks, Finley headed for the nearest available seat and found Phoebus there, reviewing his notes for Care of Magical Creatures.
He looked up when Finley plopped down beside him and asked, "How did it go?"
"Okay, I guess. I'm worn out for sure," Finley replied. She leaned her head back and shut her eyes. She could probably fall asleep if she weren't so hungry at the moment. "It must be nice being a man of leisure," she added. Phoebus didn't take Potions, but his exams would run the rest of the week.
"Says the woman who doesn't take Astronomy or Muggle Studies," Phoebus replied. "Look at it this way. You'll finish before me."
"Yes, I most certainly will." She cracked an eye open and smirked at him.
Both Finley and Phoebus had applied and gotten into St. Emrys University. Finley wanted to be a social worker, particularly someone who worked with orphans, since she had experience with that sort of thing. Phoebus belatedly wanted to be an auror, but he dropped all the wrong courses and probably wouldn't be eligible, unless whatever he took at the university would make up for what he didn't take his final two years at Hogwarts.
"Do you think the Great Hall has been suitably rearranged by now?" Finley asked after her stomach rumbled.
"Yeah, probably," Phoebus replied after consulting his lunch. "Want to go there?"
"Yeah," Finley said. "It's crowded in here and I'm starving."
"You worked up an appetite."
"Unlike you, you lazy lout."
Phoebus stuck out his tongue at Finley. He gathered his study material together and then they left the Commons for the Great Hall and lunch.
An Entire Field of Melons
Author: Viktor Krum
Date: 06-17-20 19:11
Viktor finishes tweaking the final examination his third and fourth years will write next Monday then reaches for the one he gave sixth years last year. He goes through the exam circling the number beside each item he'll use as is, boxing the number for items he'll rewrite, and putting an X on those he's not including for one reason or another. He's almost halfway through when Theodosia knocks on the door frame. Hands at hips, palms spread across her lower back she waddles into the office. "It's getting harder to make the walk. If I hadn't already been in decent shape I don't think I'd be able to do it."
Viktor comes around the desk to give her a kiss and help her into the comfortable chair he keeps just for her. "At least I remembered to tell you the pitch office and not the castle."
She grins. "If you had forgotten I wouldn't have said anything. I'd just wait until you were asleep tonight and hex you into thinking your pillow was a giant, scrummy marshmallow that you just had to eat right then."
Viktor chuckles, "I have no doubt you would at that." Moving back to his chair he requests, "Give me a few minutes to finish pulling what I want from this exam and then we'll go up to the Great Hall for lunch."
"Anything I can do to help? I'm going stir crazy on maternity leave."
"You've only been on it two days." Theodosia's leave began when she left work on Friday.
"And your point is?"
"None. No point. Here, this is the exam for the third and fourth years. I need three versions."
Dosie smiles sweetly and takes the exam along with additional parchment. While Viktor finishes going through the old sixth year exam she uses her wand to make copies of the one he'd given her, rearranging the order of the questions on each one. She's reading over one of the copies, checking for errors on her part and anything of Viktor's that he may have overlooked when he says, "All done for now if you're ready."
After helping Dosie up they stroll arm in arm from his pitch office to the castle, Dosie saying of the Ancient Runes OWL and NEWT, "I forgot to ask how your proctoring when Friday."
"Excellent. Other than three broken quill nibs, there were no issues. One of the Smirts showed up halfway through to take a tour around the hall but nothing was said."
"They're both a bit creepy. The way they always seem to be around, at all hours, and how they manage to be everywhere, do you think they have Time Turners?"
"I cannot say I would be surprised if they do."
The rest of the way they talk of the different things Viktor will have the Fitness & Athletics students do are a sort of practical portion of the final exams. Upon reaching the Great Hall Theodosia is happy to see the day's written OWL and NEWT, Potions, is completed and the room ready for lunch. She's even happier once they are seated, poking her feet and ankles out a moment, "I swear they are ten times larger than they were this morning."
"Not much longer," Viktor assures, helping to gets her chair situated just so in relation to the table.
"Easy for you to say. You're not the one who looks like she's eaten whole an entire field of melons."
Viktor gently squeezes her shoulder and takes his own seat, reaching for a bowl of sliced fruit only to hesitate asking if she wants any of the honeydew, watermelon, or cantaloupe from the bowl.