|
|
Half-breeds
Author: Griet
Date: 07-29-07 10:43
In a moment, Griet went from feeling unsure of her status under Professor Snider's leadership to absolutely certain that she was worth less than the dirt under the Headmistress' shoe. She'd been born a pureblood, but because a werewolf had bitten her, Griet was now deemed a half-breed and unsuitable for education alongside her sisters, Cornelia and Aleydis.
Cornelia had managed to get over the fact that Aleydis got sorted into Hufflepuff House and not Slytherin, but only because of the realization that Griet would suffer under the new regime at Hogwarts. There had been a time when Cornelia might not have minded if Griet had a rough time at school, but they'd bonded a lot over the past year and a half and were like best friends now.
"You should talk to her," Cornelia suggested, "or if you won't, I will. Mum and Dad will. You're a pureblood, just like me and––" she shuddered "––Aleydis."
"Not anymore, I'm not," Griet replied stiffly. "My blood was tainted the moment Fenrir Greyback bit me. Everything changed for me then, you know that."
She realized that Marcus, who sat across from her at the Slytherin table, was watching the entire exchange quietly and with great interest. Griet had known from Marcus himself that he intended on attending Hogwarts, but she supposed she never really expected to actually see him show up, much less end up in Slytherin House with her. Her thoughts were completely on the new developments at Hogwarts that she hardly recalled how she'd witnessed Marcus hunt down a deer right in her own backyard.
The realization that she and Marcus were probably the only Half-breeds in all of Hogwarts suddenly struck Griet. He was part wizard, part vampire. She was part witch, part werewolf.
She looked across the table at Marcus and said somewhat sarcastically, "Welcome to Hogwarts."
Looking Ill
Author: Plum
Date: 07-29-07 11:29
Evan had been quiet through most of the feast. Mary had said a little to him, much ot herself under her breath, and talked with Bambi Fandango on her other side. Neither had eaten much.
Mary fiddles with the stem of her goblet for a few seconds then asks in a low tone, "Are you ready to leave? I think we've sat through this travesty of a feast long enough."
Rising to leave, the two make their way along their table and walk past the end of the head table. As the parents of an active eight month old, the only ones who look questioningly after them are the new professors. Mary's betting some of them, by their expressions of shock earlier, would love an excuse to leave a little earlier than everyone else.
The couple don't speak on the walk through the castle to their quarters. There castle would normally be quiet at a time like this, with nearly everyone in the Great Hall. Tonight though, there's an eerie, tainted quality to the quiet. They pass Peeves, who even seems to be affected. All the poltergeist is doing is floating along, talking to himself in a near whisper.
Entering their quarters, Mary nearly jumps when Plum and Anthony are one second locked in an embrace, snogging like there's no tomorrow, and the next are on opposite ends of the couch attempting to look like they've not been doing anymore more than discussion philosophy. In truth, Mary had forgotten all about Plum and Anthony being there. All she'd been thinking about was whether she wants to keep the St. Emrys flat now and live there. Evan could Floo there every night.
Plum, an expression coming to her face that clearly shows she intends to defend the kissing of her boyfriend on her parent's couch, takes one look at Evan's face then Mary's and promptly shifts gears. "What's wrong? You both look ill."
Evan sit down heavily in a chair and Mary sits in its twin. "Ill is a good word for it," she replies.
Anthony, sitting up straighter and leaning forward slightly asks worriedly, "Is it word about Professor Dumbledore?"
Evan shakes his head. "If only there were." He takes a deep breath, the type people take to calm themselves. "Hogwarts has thirteen new professors, new heads of houses, and a new deputy headmaster."
"What?" Plum exclaims, then instantly drops her voice so as not to be so loud she wakes Alex sleeping in the next room. "You mean you're fired? You're all fired?"
Mary's turn to shake her head. "Worse actually. Your father still has a job. He'll be teaching Arithmancy to any students who are not pureblooded."
"Pardon?" Anthony asks, confused.
"Not purebloods?" Plum asks at the same time.
Between them, Evan and Mary tell Anthony and Plum everything Harriet Snider said in her speech and about the new professors coming in. When done, Mary looks from Plum to Anthony. "I'm sorry to say that that young man you both know from Hufflepuff, Lawrence Masterson, is the new Herbology professor for purebloods."
"Do you think he knew?" Plum asks no one in particular.
"He looked dumbfounded," Evan tells her.
At hearing Lawrence Masterson is part of the new staff, Anthony had gone even paler. Now he says, "He told Ariella he had gotten a job at a brand new school in Switzerland. He was really excited about it. I can't see him being the type to romance my sister and lie to her if he knew he was really going to be here and she be his student."
Plum slides over to sit closer to Anthony. "Do you think your grandfather could do anything? Find some laws that show none of this is allowed?"
Evan sighs, "Even if there are such laws, this has the Ministry's backing. That means Euphemia Smythe-Jones is in support of it and she'd work quickly to get laws made to allow this shite."
Mary stands up, "I'm going to make tea."
Evan, for the first time in a long time, wants a real drink. Something strong, that burns the back of his throat going down. Sensing this, Plum moves to kneel by her father. "Be strong, Dad."
"I badly want to get drunk right now, but I'm not. I'm just now really getting your trust back, Plum. I'd lose it forever, lose your mum and Alex, if now when I need to be the strongest, I give in to the craving to live in a drunken stupor."
Behind them, Anthony gets up. "Plum, I think I should go tell my grandparents what's going on. I'm sure Ariella and Alanna will be writing as soon as they can after the feast ends. I think though that this is something my grandparents should hear face to face."
Plum stands back up, "Flooing or apparating?"
"In the time I could walk to the gates and apparate, I could already be home by Floo."
Plum moves to hug Anthony and kiss him as Evan also rises to get some Floo powder for him. After Anthony leaves, Mary, Evan, and Plum drink the tea Mary made and talk about the state of Hogwarts, all of them wishing Albus Dumbledore were able to return and set things right.
(Mark Farnon) No Complaints
Author: Isolde
Date: 07-29-07 11:59
Mark Farnon had been pleased to be sorted in Slytherin, just like all his family before him. He was, however, a trifle disappointed that the girl he'd met on the Hogwarts Express, Kate, had wound up in Hufflepuff. Oh well, at least they hadn't become friends or anything in the relatively short span of time they'd had to get to know each other. Mark would consider her only a passing acquaintance and make his true friends in Slytherin House.
Unlike many, Mark was actually quite pleased by the changes coming to Hogwarts, although being a first year, he'd not had first hand experience with the old ways of the school. Still, he quite liked the idea of being educated among others just like him rather than with Muggle-borns and Half-bloods. He'd been raised to believe that wizards were more superior than any other group. They deserved bigger and better things, while the lower classes could get whatever scraps remained.
He glanced around the room, noting the faces of the other students. Mark spotted Kate at the Hufflepuff table, looking very sad and afraid. She'd been relatively quiet on the train, but a few times she'd smiled. Now it looked as if she'd never smile again.
Mark turned his head to face the high table, where all the new professors sat. He knew what classes he was taking this term––Astronomy, Charms, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Herbology, History of Magic, Potions and Transfiguration––but he couldn't remember which professor went with which course. Professor Snider––that's one name and face he could remember––had introduced the others so quickly, that it was hard to remember who was who.
He looked forward to tomorrow morning, when he'd get his purple hem attached to his robe to signify his superior blood status. His gaze turned back to Kate at the Hufflepuff table. It would be a very difficult school year for the nons, as Professor Snider called them. A very difficult year indeed.
Cases to Solve
Author: Nymphadora Tonks
Date: 07-29-07 14:03
The Records Division in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement kept records produced by all the offices within the department, from court proceedings to case work and much, much more. The archivists who worked in the Records Division knew the archival system backwards and forwards and, when given a task, could find anything on any given subject or in any given time frame, though the sheer number of documents often made it a lengthy process.
Just like Weston Ravenscroft had guessed, very little documentation on Percival FitzRoy's slaying of Daniel Lyttle existed. All the relating paperwork stated was that there'd been an incident at Hogwarts among a few youths named Bors Blackmore, Percival FitzRoy, Daniel Lyttle, Constantius Ravenscroft and Lionel Wickham. During the incident, FitzRoy had killed Lyttle, but it had been overwhelmingly ruled an accident and no charges had been pressed against FitzRoy.
That much Tonks had already known. She'd busied herself thereafter researching the boys, now men, who'd been involved in the incident.
Bors Blackmore had allegedly worked in a wizarding pornography shop in Knockturn Alley (which had been raided by authorities at least twice while he worked there and had since been shut down) before moving on to a respectable career as a curator at the Royal Museum of Magic in London.
Percival FitzRoy taught Ancient Runes at Sydney's School of Wizardry and had done so for over twenty years. His daughter, Marzipan, whom Tonks had met, taught Herbology at Hogwarts.
Curiously enough, the pureblood wizard Constantius Ravenscroft worked as a real estate broker in the Muggle world. He lived in a stately Muggle home in South Kensington with his pureblood wife and their children. Tonks wondered why a man said to have such a lofty opinion about wizards over Muggles would choose to live as a Muggle.
Lionel Wickham was currently serving a five-year term in Azkaban for being caught up in a prostitution sting.
Despite the lack of information provided in the Ministry records, the journals Weston had given Tonks gave a wealth of incriminating evidence against Constantius. If she could obtain interviews from the others involved in the incident, perhaps she would have enough to close the cold, almost forgotten case.
She blew out the candle at her desk and padded the few feet to her bed, into which she climbed and settled against the already sleeping form of Remus. He stirred at her touch and rolled over to take her into his arms.
"You work too hard," he murmured into her hair.
"Only when I have a case I desperately want to solve," she replied, snuggling closer to him.
"You don't get paid to work at home."
"No, but crime doesn't stop at five in the afternoon. It never stops, you know that." She sighed quietly. "I wish we knew where Dumbledore was. I wish we knew if he was all right."
"Me too," Remus replied. "I wish we had more to go on to help lead us to him."
"Do you believe the rumors, that he might be dead?"
Remus hugged Tonks closer, as if to reassure her that everything would be all right in the end. "No. I think Dumbledore's still out there somewhere, and we'll find him, or he'll find us first. I haven't given up on him yet, and neither should you."
Tonks hadn't given up on Dumbledore yet, but with each passing day, it seemed more and more likely that Dumbledore wasn't coming back and that he wasn't all right. Still, she tried to stay positive. Finding Dumbledore was just another case that she would try to solve.
Is It Time To Finally Go?
Author: Sage Porter
Date: 07-29-07 17:37
Sage has hardly touched his food. Around him, others also have barely eaten. Looking up, Sage can just make out Saffron as one of the new professors leans over to say something to one of the others. Sage think she looks haunted. He knows she's had a bad feeling about Professor Snider. Guess this was what that was all about. Saffron must be kicking herself for not being able to more fully visualize exactly what the sense of foreboding meant.
Looking away again, Sage jabs his fork into one of the apple slices of some apple crisp he'd put on his plate knowing he wouldn't really eat it. Sage has a sudden surge of feeling bad for the House Elves. They worked so hard making all this great food for the feast and now hardly any's been eaten. Only Snider and that prat Yaxley appear to have appetites. Sage doesn't know if the man is a prat but if he was in on the surprise announcements - and of all of them, he appeared to not find anything a shock - and can sit up there eating heartily and laughing with the headmistress, he must be a prat.
Sage had another sudden thought, causing him to make an odd half smile, half grimace. Tomorrow's paper, The Sunday Prophet will surely carry the story, right? And if not tomorrow, then Monday's regular edition of The Daily Prophet will. His father will finally have something to be pleased about where Hogwarts is concerned.
Lohengrin has never out and out stated a preference for purity in the Wizarding bloodlines. Not that Sage has ever heard anyway. Sage knows though that's how his father thinks. Again, though never stated that Sage ever heard, he knows without asking that one of the reasons his father never wanted Saffron, Sassy, or Sage to attend Hogwarts is because those who aren't purebloods are allowed to attend. From what Sage has gathered about his new step-mother's cousin Dolores, particularly from things Saffron has mentioned, that woman would be in full support of the measures announced tonight.
Pushing his plate away, Sage leans over and asks Alanna Beck, "You think we can start leaving?"
Alanna nods, "Yeah. Looks like most are about done."
As if on cue and reading his mind, a few other prefects at the other tables are also looking around and starting to get up. Seems like a good many are ready for the feast to be over.
A Lot of New Information
Author: Eithne ni Domhnaill
Date: 07-29-07 17:45
Eithne had been straining to see the new girl, Aleydis, who had been sorted into Hufflepuff. Cornelia's sister. Her arch-emeny - she still thought of Cornelia that way, even though her Audrey...Eithne couldn't help but look a bit smug at the thought...had resoundly beaten Cornelia's spider - had a sister sorted into Hufflepuff. Eithne hardly heard a word that Sheri, sitting to her left, said to her as she sized up the new girl. She had to admit that Aleydis looked nice and, she argued with herself, the Sorting Hat must have known something to put her in Hufflepuff. She couldn't be pure evil...like Cornelia.
But her examination was soon cut short by the exclamations of everyone around her. Eithne turned questioningly to Sheri and found her suddenly looking sullen. She wouldn't make eye contact.
"What happened?" Eithne asked, poking Sheri in the ribs.
Sheri shied away and said nothing. Eithne thought she was going to cry. She looked up in confusion to find Eleanor sitting with one of her annoying superior expressions on her face. Eleanor offered the explanation, allowing a trace of glee to color the words, "She's probably wondering what her best friend is going to think of her now that she's to be segregated with the rest of the mudbloods."
Eithne winced at the perjorative, but still looked confused, "Segregated? I don't understand."
Eleanor leaned forward and hissed, "Sometimes ni Domhnaill your focus on trivial issues..." Eleanor gave a nod to the Vanderbilt girl at the end of the table, "...is really inopportune. The new Head Mistress just announced that we purebloods are going to be educated amongst our own; the mixed-bloods will have their own classes." Eleanor pointed to the purple stripe adorning the table a few seats down. "We're going to have our own exclusive place in everything here at Hogwarts."
"Really." Eithne said, non-plussed. "That's bloody stupid, isn't it." She turned around to try to catch Francis' eye at the Gryffindor table. He nodded to her, but didn't look happy. Eithne wondered what this boded for Francis - his parents and his grandparents were all wizarding, but one of his great-grandparents had been a Muggle. He was second-generation wizarding - was that pure enough. Well, bollocks the lot of them. She wasn't going to stop being friends with Francis, or Sheri for that matter, just because of some accident of birth.
Eithne turned back to Sheri to find her looking at her expectantly. Eleanor's words finally sunk in. "Is that true - am I your best friend?" Sheri was rather shy and Eithne had really only gotten to know her when Audrey was a chick. Sheri had been there at the birthing and had helped Eithne out when she could. They had gotten to know each other. Eithne liked Sheri but she had never realized the friendship was something special. She smiled benignly at the girl, reaching over to pat her hand, "Well, never you mind. Tell you what, you sit at the head of the non-pure section and I'll sit at the back of the pure section and we'll still be together. How about that?" Sheri smiled and Eithne silently thanked her mother for the practical streak she had inherited from her.
Do You Know The Paperwork Involved?
Author: Harry Potter
Date: 07-29-07 22:07
Kenneth Chancellor pounds his fist on the table in the private dining room currently occupied by Chancellor, Thomas Harcourt and Harry as Harrison Flint, the man Chancellor has the dinner meeting with, Maurice Halburton, Dudley's friend Piers, and another bodyguard who Harry's only heard referred to as Gimp. Kenneth growls, "We had an agreement. For every half kilogram of the powder, you pay me 1000£; that makes 2000£ per kilo. Five hundred kilos, that's 1,000,000£ by my reckoning. Stick to the deal."
Unfazed by Chancellor's show of temper, Halburton says, "I've decided it's too steep. Not when I don't even know what the powder is. I think 150£ per kilo is more than fair. Hand over the keys to the truck with theh powder, tell me where the truck is, and I've got money for you right here in this case."
"Does it bloody well matter? You've tried the powder and all the uses I gave you for it and then some. You aren't renigging now."
Halburton glares at Chancellor. Gimp moves a hand as if to finger the weapon in a shoulder holster under his jacket. Piers looks confused. Tommy and Harry exchange glances. With this deal, if the transaction is completed, they have plenty on Chancellor to give his name and the evidence to the Magical Law Enforcement Department.
The transaction tonight that Tommy and Harry are hoping to witness is for bicorn horn powder. Chancellor is once again illegally trafficking body parts of magical animals to Muggles. They really hope Halburton isn't about to blow the deal. Neither wants to be around Chancellor as he goes through more business proceedings. The man is a pompous jackass and doesn't care what he has to do to make the biggest profit possible.
Chancellor, not liking how quickly Gimp put a hand to his gun, snarls, "It's 2000£ per kilo or the deal is off the table."
Halburton, with some prearranged signal with Gimp, reaches for a gun at the same time Gimp pulls his. Harry throws himself on Chancellor. Tommy pulls his own weapon. Piers stands there looking confused. Shots ring out. From his position of getting Chancellor covered, Harry can't see who's done the actual firing. He does feel a wetness on one leg but can't turn to see what it is and can't reach to feel either. Then the pain sets in and Harry realizes he's been hit.
Under Harry, Chancellor's managed to get his wand out and is shooting off stunning spells. The spells, the gunshots, it all takes mere seconds. With Halburton, Gimp, and Piers out cold from the stunners, Tommy gripes, "Well, hell," then stuns Chancellor.
Pulling Harry up and helping him to a chair to assess the damage, Tommy continues griping, "I hate when they do that. I had it under control. He didn't have to pull the wand. Do you know how much paperwork we have now? I hate having to Obliviate memories. Bloody stupid git he is."
Harry finds himself trying hard not to laugh, despite the fire burning in his leg.