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Consequences
Author: Fritz Schnackenpfefferhausen
Date: 07-04-12 10:58
Fritz puts a few bottles of ready-made potions and ingredients into a sack and then clocks out from his shift at J. Pippin's Potions. Since Hilary term ended at St. Emrys University, Fritz has been working more hours at the potions retailer. The longer shifts mean more money in his pocket but less free time.
He steps outside with the sack of supplies he purchased for himself (at an employee discount, of course) and listens to the noise carried into the village from the Quidditch Pitch at Hogwarts, where Fritz knows a match between his old house Ravenclaw and Gryffindor is taking place. Instead of apparating for London right away, Fritz walks for a bit in an effort to find out what the score is. Sometimes he can hear the announcer clearly, especially when something exciting is happening, but other times the voice is fairly muffled.
When it seems like he'll just have to wait and read about the match in the newspaper tomorrow morning, Fritz apparates to a location not far from his home that he knows is safe from prying, Muggle eyes. A few steps later he enters his yard and finds his mother working in the flower bed.
"Hallo Mutti," Fritz greets his mother.
"Hallo Fritz," she replies, looking up from the springtime bulbs that have sprouted and bloomed over the last couple of weeks. "How was work?" she asks in German.
"Not too busy," Fritz replies. He shifts the sack he is holding and says, "I'm going to work on a project in the basement, okay?"
His mother knows this means he wants to concentrate and shouldn't be disturbed unless it can't be helped. She smiles at him. "All right. Your father went to the hardware store. He wants to build a shed for the backyard."
Fritz nods and then heads into the house. Domino is perched on the kitchen counter, where he's absolutely not supposed to be. One look from Fritz sends him scurrying off the counter and out of the room.
Fritz continues to the basement, turning on the light before he descends the staircase. He heads straight for the work table where he so often performed chemistry experiments before starting at Hogwarts. He makes some room by clearing away some of the old flasks and test tubes and then empties out the paper sack.
Then he grabs a few other items he stashed in the basement, including the book by Jacob Grimm Frau Hockenheim had given him. He places it flat on the table and stares at it for a long moment.
He has severe doubts about doing what Berthold Beatenberg asked him to do. Fritz knows that Berthold isn't really alive. He doesn't have a human body, after all. But killing him, his spirit or whatever it is that inhabits the book, is still murder, isn't it?
Then again, Beatenberg had murdered countless innocents on the mainland. Death is certainly what the wizard deserves.
"Now I shall tell you how I came to know Henrietta Hockenheim," Beatenberg suddenly says, startling Fritz from his internal deliberation.
The book flips open on its own to one of the blank pages towards the front of the book. A sketched drawing suddenly appears, showing some of the landmarks of the city of Trier, the Black Gate and the nearby Romanesque cathedral. A woman in a dress from the 1940s or so, wearing a hat and carrying a basket, hurries down the street keeping a constant eye on the sky.
A few of the shops she passes are closed and boarded up. She navigates past a bit of rubble and then bumps into a man who is dressed not like a man of the same time period but like a wizard. He looks out of place, but Fritz can tell that the wizard doesn't feel out of place. He moves with determination and has the look of superiority on his face. He catches the woman by the shoulders to steady her on her feet, but then relaxes when he looks into her eyes.
The page goes blank again. Then another sketch appears, this time of a street café. The wizard and the woman are seated at a table. The wizard places his hands on top of the woman's. She smiles at him.
The page goes blank again. Then another image appears. It's of the woman this time, staring out the window looking very sad. A postman suddenly approaches the house, carrying a square package. The woman opens the door and accepts the parcel. She carries it to a side table and uses a pair of silver scissors to cut through the twine. Then she rips through the brown paper revealing the book Deutsche Mythologie. She opens the cover and sees the nameplate with Berthold Beatenberg's name. She sighs and touches her lips with her fingers before clutching the book to her chest.
The page goes blank again, and then the book shuts. Berthold's face emerges from the front cover. "Do you understand now?"
"You were in love with her," Fritz says. "You knew her when she was young, during the time when you were murdering Muggles across Europe. Did she know who you really were?"
Berthold's eyes gleam. "No, she never knew."
"Did Grindelwald know?"
Berthold says nothing. Then, "I knew I couldn't see her anymore, so I stopped. My last gift to her was the book."
"With you in it?"
Berthold doesn't answer that question either. "I've told you what I promised to tell you. Now it's your turn to help me. You have all the ingredients?"
Fritz hesitates, but then nods his head.
"Good. Follow my instructions to the letter so that I may join my Henrietta in death."
The ritual is complicated, but under Berthold's guidance, Fritz is able to execute every step flawlessly. The last step involves plunging the book into the cauldron, where it is to be kept for no less than a week but up to an entire month.
Before Fritz slides the book into the bubbling liquid, which is currently grass green in color, Berthold says, "Thank you, Fritz. Goodbye!"
"Goodbye," Fritz replies. He submerges the book at the same time he hears a loud pop and the basement light goes out.
Fritz swears and checks the breaker, which he can make out thanks to the shaft of light coming in through the narrow basement window. None of the switches look tripped. He glances at the cauldron, still bubbling away, and swears again. Brewing always involves a certain amount of magic, but Fritz didn't think he'd blow the power for the entire house. At worst, he thought he might ruin the little radio plugged into the socket on the work table, but it wasn't even on.
He trots upstairs, where he finds his mother standing in front of the microwave with her hands on her hips. "I was just warming up my coffee," she starts.
Fritz says, "It's my fault. I think we need an electrician." And there would go all the money he made at J. Pippin's over the break, too. He should have known that nothing good would come out of helping Berthold Beatenberg!
Rabnott, Not Green (Hunter)
Author: Aaron Miller
Date: 07-04-12 16:00
Since the last goal was made both teams have come close several times to scoring again but as Hunter Rabnott has heard his cousin Aaron say a few times, "Close only counts in horseshoes." Hunter really needs to remember to ask what in Merlin's name that means.
At the moment Ravenclaw has the quafle again. Hunter, or Rabnott as the game announcer often says to distinguish him from Gryffindor keeper Hunter Green, is massaging a spot on his leg where Alastor smacked him with a bludger, slowing him just enough to miss intercepting a pass from Jack to Ramona. Hunter doesn't mind the bludgers most of the time but every now and then one hits him just right to aggrevate every nerve in whatever part of the body the ball touched. This had been one such hit.
Ramana drives towards that other Hunter, quaffle ready to throw. The wind buffets the quaffle but not enough to screw up Ramona's throw. Green volleys the quaffle away with a fisted hand. The ball shoots right to Hunter but Deak is also right there. The two grapple with for it but Hunter's hold is a little more firm, a little more assured. He pulls it completely from Deak, pivots his broom around to race away.
Marjani, Etta, and he carry the quaffle towards Beatrix via a series of passes, ducking and dodging bludgers sent by Jade and Alastor while Ramona, Deak, and Jack look for openings to retake possession of the red ball. Ella yells a heads up warning to Hunter as she blurs by in front of him heading off a bludger sent by one of the Ravenclaw beaters.
The three Gryffindor chasers slow slightly as they near the three hoops where Beatrix is alert and ready for them. It's Etta who takes the shot, lobbing the quaffle on a high arc. Beatrix reacts quickly, gaining altitude, hands reaching upward to get fingers on the ball. It's a good effort but just shy of being a success. Gryffindor takes back the lead with the score now at 40 to 30.
Grumble (Alastor)
Author: Aaron Miller
Date: 07-04-12 16:52
Not the least bit please the Gryffindor has retaken the lead Alastor alters course to fly beneath his team's seeker, Christopher Chant. Coming up on the bludger he's after, he does a quick check of everyone's current positions as well as to make sure that Jack still has the quaffle. Check made, Alastor bats the bludger at Etta, the Gryffindor who is, for the time being, the biggest threat to Jack's continued possession of the quaffle.
The hit is a nice, solid one but Ella Harville ruins everything when she puts herself between the bludger and Etta, swatting the bludger away. It gets Deak instead just as he's taking a handoff from Jack. Alastor gives a low grumble seeing Marjani swoop in to grab the quaffle away.
The Gryffindor is off in a flash as is Alastor. He runs down that bludger again, intent on targeting Marjani before she's able to get very far. Luckily, the bludger isn't that far from him so lickety split he's on it again, bat connecting with a loud crack. The aim and timing are on spot. The bludger gets Marjani in the middle of her back. Unfortunately, seconds before the strike, she'd passed to Hunter Rabnott.
Hunter zigs and zags, avoiding a bludger sent to Jade and the efforts of both Ramona and Deak to steal the ball away. Alastor speeds forward, racing Blake to get one of the bludgers. The other boy gets there first so Alastor does what Ella did just a moment ago, he zooms in front of the bludger at Blake's hit it, sending it to hit Hunter instead of Ramona as Blake had intended.
The hard ball gets Hunter on the hand holding the quaffle. He reflexively loosens his grip, allowing Ramona to pluck it away. Only then she gets hit by the second bludger. Hunter is is all too happy to retake the quaffle from her as easily as she'd taken it from him.
By now Gryffindor has the ball in scoring range again. Alastor hurries to get to one of the bludgers to try and disrupt any goal attempt. Jade's already sent one at Hunter but he's now passed off to Marjani. Alastor gets to the other bludger just as Marjani takes a shot. Beatrix blocks but the quaffle bounces away, straight into Etta's hands.
Alastor has to wait for Ella to finish the swing she's made hitting the bludger he's after then chase it down before it can do any damage to one of his team but for the time being, it's too late. Etta's thrown the quaffle, which Beaxtrix's fingers graze across but can't slow. Though it skims the rim of one hoop, the quaffle makes it through. Alastor grumbles again as the new score is announced, "Gryffindor 50! Ravenclaw 30!"
Grit (Marjani)
Author: Viktor Krum
Date: 07-05-12 13:59
A foul just called on Etta gives Marjani a chance to rub at one eye, stinging from grit kicked up by the wind. The goggles she's wearing aren't molding to her face as they should, which is how the dirt or whatever it is must have gotten into her eye. She glances over where Viktor is popping another lozange. The good thing about having a guardian involved in the world of Quidditch, who owns his own equipment shop is that getting replacement goggles won't take any time at all.
Hunter Green not so easily blocks Jack's foul shot. Just as Jack had thrown the quaffle, a strong wind picked up behind the ball, affecting both its speed and the trajectory it should have had. Green ended up hurling himself to the side to get the added inches needed for the block but at least he did block it.
Brief respite over, Marjani guides her broom around Ella, watchful of that bat of hers. Most of beaters are really conscientious about where others are relative to their positions before they go swinging those bats but accidents do happen. Marjani unconsciously rubs the bridge of her nose in memory of a game played before transferring to Hogwarts in which her nose was nearly broken by just such accident.
Hunter Rabnott has the quaffle but he's looking to pass Marjani's way. She accelerates at the same time she veering ever so slightly towards him, eyes on the quaffle. Rabnott passes and it's a very good throw but Deak comes tearing up between Marjani and him at the same moment a bludger, though from Alastor or Jade she isn't sure, pops her on the back of one shoulder. Deak catches the quaffle in her place and is turned back the other direction so quickly if Marjani hadn't know better, she would have thought Deak used magic to do it.
Still near to the Gryffindor guarded hoops and Hunter Green, Deak doesn't have far to go try and score. He looks as though he's going to lob it but at the last second tosses to Ramona. The quaffle's barely touched her fingers when she's releasing it. Green has to dive again for the block only this time he's not quite there. The quaffle clears the ring, putting another ten on the board for Ravenclaw.
What Did I Miss?
Author: Viktor Krum
Date: 07-05-12 14:41
All the coughing and being sick in general with the bronchitis, possibly even running a slight fever, Viktor is experiencing something that's rarely ever happened to him since first discovering the joys of Quidditch. He's ready for a match to end. At least it's because the effects of being ill are incredibly wearing and not because anything about the match is boring. The day Viktor can't find something interesting or exciting about even the slowest, most badly played Quidditch match is the day he walks away from it for good.
Ramona Mickle goes by in a flash of Ravenclaw blue and bronze making Viktor realize his mind had wandered for a second. Etta Wynbourne has just had the quaffle but he missed seeing the turnover. Unwrapping another lozange, apple flavored this time, Viktor looks to Morgana Flowers and John Kensington, glad more than ever that he has others helped as referees today. No telling what he'd miss if on his own in this condition.
Ramona passes to Deak Bennett who passes to Jack Emerson who does a roll to one side to escape a bludger from Blake Halloway. Before he's fully upright again, Majani Batuti is there to snatch the quaffle away. She does a high, overhand toss to Hunter Rabnott, only for him to fumble the catch. Deak's there in a blink to grab it and go.
Still energized from that last goal only minutes before, the Ravenclaw chasers make short work of getting the quaffle back to where Hunter Green is on high alert. It's Jack with the quaffle making the shot, Etta doing her darnedest to steal without committing another foul. There is such a flurry of people right at the goals at the quaffle is being released Hunter Green actually has a hard time following the quaffle's location. Add in a very well time bludger from Alastor Jenkins and Hunter Green fails to block the shot.
The score is tied again, 50 to 50.
In the Stands
Author: Ethan Somerset
Date: 07-05-12 18:14
Ethan sat in the staff box between Filius Flitwick, who'd come to Hogwarts to watch his old house play against Gryffindor, and Aveline Boggs. One year old Lilly slept in his lap, oblivious to the raucous noise around her.
"I wish I could sleep as deeply as she does," Aveline mused. "I wake up at the slightest sound."
"The auror in me does too," Ethan said. "I do get a good night's sleep most nights, but I'm alert when I'm not completely unconscious."
"You sleep with one eye open, don't you?" Aveline joked.
"No," Ethan laughed. "More like one ear open. So tell me again what happened?"
Aveline scowled. The reason she was at the match with Ethan and her niece was because she'd gotten benched during the recent game between the Salisbury Snakes and the Montrose Magpies. She'd gotten benched because she'd started a fight with Andrew McFarlan, who'd made some sort of sexist comment she'd been unable to ignore.
Andrew left the match with a black eye. Aveline got slapped with a three-game suspension on top of not being able to finish out the match against the Magpies.
"That jerk McFarlan will be the reason I'm not playing for England," Aveline replied.
"That only matters if England makes it to the World Cup," Ethan said.
"Oh, England will. I feel it in my gut."
"And your gut feelings are never wrong?" Ethan asked, amusedly.
"Hardly ever."
Ethan laughed.
The pair fell silent for a while and watched the action in the air. The quaffle changed hands many times, and the bludgers met their targets on more than one occasion. Only the snitch seemed to avoid detection, at least for the moment.
Lilly stirred in Ethan's arms but remained asleep. He wondered if she remembered her mother, whose death happened almost exactly one year ago. Thinking of that fateful day invariably reminded Ethan of Penn Ellison and Hattie Harsnip. Where was the witch trapped in the little boy's body now? Where was Meadow O'Guinn, who was thought to be with Hattie?
"Do you think you would have played Quidditch, had you gone to Hogwarts, Ethan?" Aveline said, breaking the silence between them.
"Maybe," Ethan said.
"What house do you think you would have been in?"
The conversation turned then to what qualities Ethan possessed that made him suitable for each of the four Hogwarts houses. Flitwick piped in then and laid claim to Ethan, stating that he would no doubt have been sorted into Ravenclaw. Where Ethan truly belonged, no one would likely ever know, but it was fun to speculate.
Final Score 210-50 - Win for Gryffindor!
Author: Charisma Stone
Date: 07-05-12 18:39
The pitch was down beyond her as she hovered over the players moving back and forth between the hoops on either end of the pitch. She was currently keeping and eye on Christopher's location as he was currently hunting the glimmering ball for the Ravenclaw team. Digits swept through her hair after a moment before she continued her scan of the pitch.
After a few moments she went lower, flicking her gaze toward Christopher who was at the other end of the pitch, already she was ready for the match to be over and at this point she didn't care if she caught the snitch or Christopher caught it. She just wanted at this point to go to the hospital wing, get another potion and then curl up in the Gryffindor Common room with a blanket and a book and probably her boyfriend, but he was optional at this point she'd gone down hill that much during the match and it would seem she wasn't the only one that was suffering from allergies or some other infliction of illness - Coach Krum was also popping lozenges and had recently had a coughing fit of his own.
Her internal musings nearly got her hit hard with a bludger on her left shoulder but she managed to shift just enough to the side to avoid it - already the score was tied at fifty and now it was a matter how long the match would go on before she or Christopher would catch the snitch.
Blake currently was slamming his bat into the bludger that had just come toward him and managed to be successful in disrupting a pass between Jack and Ramona allowing Marjani to grab the quaffle and quickly race back toward the Ravenclaw hoops in an attempt to score and put Gryffindor into the lead once more.
After a few moments a loud cheer rose from the Gryffindor box and some action that she missed because she'd caught a glimmer of gold near the foot of the Slytherin box that Christopher hadn't yet seen. Moving forward after a quick moment, after seeing that Christopher's attention was on the other end of the pitch and not on where she was. She barely caught the announcement of who had scored the goal putting the score at sixty to fifty in favor of Gryffindor, but she'd flick her gaze off that glimmering ball when it was in her hand and not a moment sooner.
Within moments, thanks to the announcer noticing her current movements, Christopher was closing in on her position and the glimmering ball of the snitch. She caught the sight of Christopher coming up on her left hand side and leveling out next to her having finally caught sight of the glimmering golden snitch that was worth one hundred and fifty points and ultimately brought about the end of the match.
After a few moments, most of the attention of the spectators was on the pair of keepers that were racing after the glimmering ball. Tight turns and near misses she and Christopher had both nearly caught the snitch a number of times, but after a few seconds of close, neck and neck racing the snitch darted upwards and she pulled up on her broom a split second before Christopher did and raced upward and ultimately her fingertips brushed the glimmering ball and after a slight burst of speed wrapped her digits around the ball.
A scream rose from the Gryffindor box as the announcer made the announcement. "Gryffindor Seeker Charisma Stone has caught the snitch which means Gryffindor has won the match with two hundred and ten points to fifty!"
Triumphantly holding up the snitch she heaved a sigh of relief and was glad that the match was over. They'd have a post game conversation in the locker room before changing and then there was a blanket, mug of hot tea, and a spot on a couch in the Gryffindor common room for her. If she wasn't better tomorrow morning she'd go to the hospital wing.