Harry Potter Clock - Table and Alarm Clocks

Harry Potter Hogwarts Wooden Pendulum Clock It's time to enter the wizarding world of Harry Potter! Magical wooden pendulum clock. Hogwarts School image and crest on the face and pendulum. Wouldn't this look terrific on your wall? Enter the wizarding world of Harry Potter any time you'd like… literally! This wooden pendulum clock measures 15-inches tall and features the premier institution for magic education-- Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry-- right on the face, while the pendulum displays the Hogwarts crest. Isn't it time you ordered yours? $21.99

Harry Potter Ron, Harry, and Hermione Wooden Pendulum Clock The world's favorite magic students! Wooden pendulum clock features Ron Weasley, Harry Potter, and Hermione Granger. What an enchanting timepiece! The world's favorite magic students-- Ron Weasley, Harry Potter, and Hermione Granger-- are featured on the face of this wooden pendulum clock, all poised with wand in hand and purpose in mind. They'll be there for you whenever you check the time. In addition, the Gryffindor Crest appears on the pendulum. This enchanting, 15-inch tall timepiece will provide a constant reminder of your favorite Harry Potter and the… adventures for many years to come. $21.99

Harry Potter Desk Clock Reading the time becomes a magical event with this Harry Potter Desk Clock. When the alarm goes off light appears and music plays. This clock measures approximately 4.25 x 6.25 x 2.5 inches. 2 AA batteries required (not included). $19.99

Harry Potter Weasley Family Clock What time is it? Just like in the films! It's high time you owned one of these! Now you can keep track of the time in true Harry Potter style with this splendid Weasley Family Wall Clock. The 2 working hands on this unique timepiece feature Ron and Ginny, with the rest of the family's pictures printed on the background. This creates the image of the actual clock seen in the films. The body is made of glossy high-quality cardboard, measures 12-inches square, and requires 1x "AA" battery (not included). Isn't it about time you owned one of these? $19.99

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Ms. Elsewhere Joined: 13 January 2008 Posts: 878 Location: In role play game of course!	Posted: Thursday 4 March 2010 06 47 20 am    Post subject: Re: The Shadow in topic:The Shadow Jon stepped back as Matthew brought a woman back through the portal he had just disappeared into. He watched as the portal closed up again and decided that he would never get used to something like that. It was very impressive. Jon met the woman's eyes, and he was immediately compelled to sit down. He started backing up and sat down on a chair. The woman approached him, grabbing antoher chair and turning it around. She placed the chair in front of Jon and straddled it. She folded her arms and peered at Jon. This made Jon feel a little uncomfortable. He started. "What was that?" he asked, reaching up to his right ear. "I'm sorry. I'll do this the proper way. I'm Mary." she extended her hand, and Jon stared at it. Then he quickly reached out and took it, shaking it loosely and then looked back at Mary. She smiled. "It's alright! Now, you're going to encounter this sort of thing a lot as you spend more time here. It's better to experience it this way first so you know what to expect. At least I'm not trying to kill you." Mary shrugged at her last comment. Jon jerked his head over to Matthew with an freaked out look on his face. Mathew knodded reassuringly. Jon looked back at Mary, his eyebrows were furrowed. "Trust me." Mary breathed these last words out, and the full extend of her telepathy rushed over him. He slumped in his chair, his eyes rolled into the back of his head and they shook a little like he was looking at all sorts of things passing him. Mary continued to lean on the chair, she closed her eyes too, and even reached out with her hand. The clock ticked on, and when ten minutes exactly were up, she released Jon, who woke suddenly. "Try it, my dear." Mary beckoned. "Try.... try what?" Jon said, his throat croaky like he'd been asleep for ages. "To speak latin now." Mary said simply.
DucksRMagical Joined: 28 December 2006 Posts: 2495 Location: Going through LeakyCon withdrawal	Posted: Wednesday 24 February 2010 11 51 54 am    Post subject: Re: Albus potter and the Path Left Untrodden in topic:Albus potter and the Path Left Untrodden Chapter 24: Darker Times Lunch was very subdued the next day. Most people had slept quite late since it was a Saturday. Every student of Hogwarts had their nose in a copy of the Prophet, be it their own or a friend's. The staff table looked the same, with every professor either reading the Prophet or whispering with another professor, no doubt about what they'd read. Albus was reading Georgia's Prophet as she had finished with it and made a mental note to start subscribing himself. All of his friends were peering over his shoulders. Even Linda was hovering around them, a foot or so away. [i][b]HOGSMEADE SHOPKEEPER MURDERED[/b] A disturbance in Dervish and Banges late yesterday evening that sent one Hogsmeade resident to Hogwarts to find the Auror on duty lead to the discovery of the death of a shopkeeper. Leroy Wisander, 42, the ten-year owner of Dervish and Banges was pronounced dead on the scene by Ministry Aurors yesterday evening. His shop had been broken into and it showed signs of a struggle. Wisander was discovered in the middle of destroyed merchandise with his wand laying a few feet away. Aurors confirmed that he was killed with the killing curse. An extensive search of Hogsmeade, the forest, Hogwarts, and its grounds turned up nothing despite the hours Aurors spent searching. No fingerprints were found on the scene. Aurors will be devoting time to finding Wisander's killer and a possible motive. Leroy Wisander had owned Dervish and Banges for a little over ten years, when he purchased the shop from its previous owners who retired. However, Wisander is more known for the scathing editorials he writes for this very newspaper. Anyone who knew Wisander knew he was a man of very strong opinion and did not hesitate to let others know his opinions. His most recent editorials have explored the subject of werewolf, vampire, and other so called 'half-breeds' rights. Aurors have declined comment on whether they believe Wisander's editorials are a possible motive for his murder. Wisander's obituary can be found on page five.[/i] Albus set the paper down and his friends all resumed their seats. Nobody said a word for a few minutes. Albus didn't know what to think. The article certainly made it seem like Wisander was killed because of his beliefs. However, it didn't exactly say what his beliefs were. Albus hadn't ever read any of his editorials, so he couldn't say either. “What kind of editorials did he write?” Matt asked quietly. “I have no idea,” Albus replied, looking at his friend whose face was quite pale, “Want to go to the room?” “Yeah,” Matt nodded, “I'm not really hungry.” Albus got up and was followed by all of his friends. John and Kaden each grabbed a stack of toast before leaving. Even Rose and Amanda went with them instead of going off to study with Linda. “Have any of you read his editorials?” Matt asked as soon as they were in the Marauder's Den. Nobody had read them. Not even Rose. Matt sighed and collapsed onto one of the couches. “I've got to find out what they were about. I don't even know which would be better, him being for or against werewolf rights. If he's for them, that means some bloke is on the loose killing people for wanting werewolf rights.” Matt didn't even have to continue for Albus to know why that worried him. Matt's dad was possibly the biggest proponent of werewolf rights in all of Britain and everyone knew it. If someone had been killed just for writing about werewolf rights, what would happen to someone who was actually passing laws for them? “That might not be why Wisander was killed,” Rose pointed out. “Why else would someone have killed him?” Matt asked, “He was just a shop owner in Hogsmeade.” “Why did someone kill Professor Torro?” John replied, “He wasn't even writing any editorials or anything.” “To scare people,” Albus said quietly, “The Defense teacher position used to be cursed, back when our parents were in school.” “Well, I don't think you should worry until you find out what the editorials are about,” Rose said to Matt. “The other option isn't much better,” Matt muttered, “If he didn't write editorials for werewolf rights, then he wrote them against them.” Albus thought Matt had a point, but he kept his mouth shut. Any way you looked at it, this murder pointed to the fact that things were changing. Aurors had been patrolling Hogwarts for months, but Albus had quickly adjusted to that and didn't really think much about it, but maybe there was more happening outside of Hogwarts than Albus was aware of. “Let's go to the library,” Rose said as she stood up, “They'll have old copies of the Prophet there.” Everyone agreed with this and they set off to the library. When they arrived, they were surprised to find how crowded it was. Usually Saturdays were the days everyone put off their homework and then Sundays were spent in the library. Once they stepped inside, Albus saw that everyone was looking through old copies of the Prophet. Nearly every table had a few newspapers on it and a few students poring over them. Madam Pince was bustling about, no doubt worrying about whether the students would rip her precious newspapers. “Might not be any left,” John muttered. “This is good,” Albus replied, “Now it won't look suspicious for us to be investigating.” John was almost right. There was a very small stack of newspapers left. Albus grabbed them all and then they went to a secluded table towards the back of the library. Albus, Matt, and Rose each took a newspaper while John, Kaden, and Amanda played tic-tac-toe on a spare bit of parchment. Albus leafed through his newspaper, which was about two years old, until he got to the editorial section. In the very middle, in the biggest font, was an editorial by Leroy Wisander. [i][b]HEALERS, BREWERS TO BLAME, NOT MINISTRY OFFICIALS[/b] As I was locking up my shop last night, I noticed that it was a full moon. I could not help but think of the poor people plagued with lycanthropy currently shut up while attacking themselves. Now, I know what you all are thinking. Wolfsbane. The stuff works miracles if taken correctly. However, it does no good if it's sitting in St. Mungo's and not being used by witches and wizards with lycanthropy. The stuff is expensive. I myself did the calculations and discovered that it would be extremely difficult for anyone with a low income to afford it. And what kind of jobs are lycanthropes often stuck with? Menial, low-paying ones. The jobs where they make hardly enough money to pay the rent and buy food, let alone purchase a potion that could alter their lives for the better. I am absolutely appalled that Healers and potion brewers charge for this important potion. They must be making a nice profit. They can use the profits to take extravagant holidays while the poor witches and wizards who buy it struggle to afford it. There is only so much Ministry officials can do. Head of Werewolf Support Services, Walter Eckerton, says he would love to give away free Wolfsbane, but there just isn't room for it in the budget. What do I propose? I propose that Healers and potion brewers give it away for free. They have the abilities to brew it, not the Ministry. Most Healers claim to love helping people, but often it is those who need it most, such as those with lycanthropy, are often forced to go without, all because those with the abilities to brew it like to have a little extra spending money.[/i] “Nothing in this one,” Rose said as she shoved hers aside. “This one's got one about vampires,” Matt said as he set his paper on top of Rose's. “Read this,” Albus handed Matt his paper, “Wisander even mentions your dad.” Matt took the paper and he and Rose began to read it. John, Amanda, and Kaden peered over as well. Albus sat and waited while they read. “Let's go back to the room,” Matt said as soon as he'd finished reading it. Albus nodded and they returned the newspapers and walked as fast as they could back to the Marauder's Den. “Bloody Hell, that bloke must have had so many enemies!” John shouted as soon as they were back. “I know,” Albus agreed, “And that one's from two years ago. Imagine what he's written recently.” “Why did he have to mention my dad?” Matt groaned, “He made it sound like my dad agrees with that editorial and he definitely doesn't.” “He was just trying to stir something up,” Rose replied, “And look where it got him.” “Healers aren't like that. Most of the ones I've met would give away free Wolfsbane, but it's more complicated that that. The ingredients are expensive and it takes forever to brew. Not to mention how difficult it is. There aren't many Healers who can brew it and even most brewers can't brew it,” Matt explained. “That bloke didn't know the half of it,” John agreed, “My dad's a Healer and he'd love to give away free potions. It just doesn't work that way.” “My dad's linked with that bloke,” Matt said quietly, “And now that he's head of the entire department, he'll be passing more laws. Whoever killed Wisander's not going to be happy.” “Your dad's a really good wizard, though,” Albus pointed out to his worried friend, “Plus he works at the Ministry, where there are loads of Aurors milling about. And your house is more protected than any other house I've seen, well, except the Minister's Mansion.” “I know, but it's still not good,” Matt sighed. Albus couldn't argue with that. Something was going on outside of Hogwarts. Something far more important than the Quidditch tournament and the dueling tournament. ****** Albus and his friends scoured the Daily Prophet every morning the following week. Every day there was an article about Wisander, the investigation, or both. So far the investigation had turned up nothing. The Aurors had questioned quite a few people, namely those very outspoken against werewolf and vampire rights, but the search had proved fruitless. The articles about Wisander were far more interesting. It seemed that his editorial about Wolfsbane Potion was one of the tamer ones. Each day little pieces of his various editorials were being published. In one, he stated the reasons why werewolves shouldn't be locked up on full moons. The reasons were quite absurd, but the Prophet had printed it anyway. Another editorial talked about why vampires should be allowed access to humans to bite. He suggested using prisoners and allowing vampires to suck them dry. Thus helping vampires and reducing prison costs at the same time. “I reckon this bloke was off his rocker,” John announced at breakfast the following Sunday. He had just finished reading an article about how Wisander spent a year living with a vampire tribe in Turkey when he was young. They were some of the few people actually up at an early hour, as Albus had Quidditch practice and John had a morning detention with Filch for putting dungbombs in the toilets in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom the previous day. “That's a nice way of putting it,” Albus said as he served himself more eggs. “What are you doing after Quidditch practice?” John asked. “After Quidditch?” Albus laughed, “You mean, I'm going to get to leave eventually? Wood won't make us practice for the next week? I thought he was going to keep going until the actual match on Saturday.” “He's got to let you out for class,” John grinned. “What a shame,” Albus rolled his eyes, “Anyway, I'll probably have to do homework, since practice will go until late. How about you? Any plans for after detention?” “Thought I might earn another detention,” John grinned, “But Kaden's busy with chess club this afternoon-” “Wait,” Albus nearly choked on his juice, “Kaden joined the chess club? Kaden? Kaden Dursley?” “Know any other Kadens?” John laughed, “Rose said they want to teach him how to play properly, you know, like a challenge of sorts.” “I'll tell Rose good luck with that,” Albus said. “Yeah, so both Kaden and Rose will be busy with that. Not that Rose would want to earn detention with me anyway. And Amanda's doing something with Linda today, homework, I think. And I doubt Matt will be up for doing anything,” John continued. “Right,” Albus said, remembering that the full moon was that night, “But you did the dungbombs on your own.” “But it's not as fun,” John sighed, “I guess I'll just hang around the den with Matt. I can have a nice one-sided conversation.” “You can do your homework,” Albus told him. “Nope, I'm waiting until you get back for that,” John said. “Well, have fun in your detention. I've got to get to practice,” Albus said as he got up. There were a few choice words Albus had for practice that day. Long, grueling, and intense. Wood was in his finest form as he ordered the team to do drills hour after hour. He seemed to get more and more stressed as the day wore on. James did a lot of one-on-one training with Teddy and Albus was more than a little envious. Teddy was a much more patient captain than Wood was and yelled a whole lot less. Tyler Pike mostly helped Wood. Wood let them have a short break for lunch, making sure they knew to come back afterwards. Albus heard the Slytherins on the team talking about skipping out of the rest of practice, but they were back on the pitch at the time Wood told them to be. The afternoon was very similar to the morning and Albus found that he could tune out Wood's yelling quite easily. It was similar to tuning out his mum's yelling. Practice finally ended at three, when the New York team walked onto the pitch and demanded they leave, because they had booked the pitch for three o'clock that day. “Remember, practice Tuesday evening!” Wood shouted as the whole team rushed to get off the pitch. Albus trudged back to the castle tired and shivering. He went straight to Gryffindor Tower and took a very long, hot shower and then set off to find his friends. Rose, Amanda, and Linda were in the common room, but the boys weren't. Albus figured they were in the Marauder's Den and set off to look for them after saying a quick hello to the girls. John and Kaden were in the middle of a heated game of Exploding Snap when Albus walked into the Marauder's Den a few minutes later. John's face was full of ash, but Kaden's was quite clean. There was also a big grin on his face which contrasted the scowl on John's face. Matt was laying on the couch facing them, like he had been watching the game, but he was sound asleep. “Albus!” Kaden shouted, “How was practice?” “Grueling. Wood's ten times worse than Georgia. Five hours we were out there. Five bloody hours in the cold!” Albus groaned as he collapsed onto the other couch. “Better than scrubbing Moaning Myrtle's bathroom with a toothbrush,” John muttered, “I don't know what was worse, the scrubbing or listening to Myrtle.” “All three of you are so cheery today,” Kaden said, “So many complaints.” “Can you blame us?” Albus muttered. “No, not really,” Kaden shrugged. “How was chess?” Albus asked. “I got beaten by every single person in the chess club,” Kaden shook his head, “But they think I have potential.” “Albus,” John said as the cards blew up in his face again, “Have you done that Defense essay? “No,” Albus groaned. “I need your help,” John said as he got up and started digging around in his bag. Albus groaned again and fished around in his own bag for his Defense book. Balladanis wanted a foot long essay about basilisks, which were the current dark creature of the week. John sat down at the table while Albus lay on the couch. He just couldn't bring himself to get up and do his essay. Instead, he mumbled answers to John whenever he asked a question. “Do you hatch the chicken egg under a frog or a toad?” John asked. “Toad,” Albus mumbled. “You know, I could pull a Rose and tell you to do your essay,” John replied. “Don't even bother,” Albus said. Even Rose wouldn't be able to get him off the couch. “Quidditch seems less grueling than football,” Kaden commented, “I mean, you fly, you don't run.” Albus lifted his head up and glared at Kaden. “Wood had us doing push-ups and running laps.” “Really?” Kaden sounded surprised, “Why?” “To get us into shape after the holiday,” Albus answered, “So yes, Quidditch is a lot of work.” “Ok, ok,” Kaden muttered as he located some of his own homework. Albus managed to get in a somewhat comfortable position on the couch and wrote his essay with his book and parchment perched on his knees. It beat sitting at the table; at least he was able to sort of lie down. A few hours later both Albus and John had their essays completed. Kaden was still scribbling furiously on whatever homework he was working on. “We should probably wake him up,” Albus gestured to Matt, who had not moved one muscle since Albus had came back from practice. John got up and began to prod Matt's arm. It took a good two minutes for Matt to open his eyes. “It's nearly six,” John told him. “Then I should probably go,” Matt mumbled, “Oh, Albus, you're back from practice.” “Yeah,” Albus nodded, “It was really long, though.” “I'll go with you to the hospital wing,” John said and Matt did not object. Albus assured him they'd visit him the next day and then they left, leaving Albus and Kaden alone in the room. John returned a little while later and the three of them went down to dinner. They returned to the Marauder's Den afterwards and John and Kaden continued working on their homework while Albus slept on the couch. ****** “Albus, get up!” Albus mumbled something incoherently and rolled over in his bed. It felt far too early to wake up. “Albus!” Whoever was shouting was now prodding him in the side. Albus opened his eyes and saw Teddy standing over his bed. A glance at the clock told him that, yes, it was far too early to wake up. It was six in the morning. On a Saturday. Yes, it was the day of the Quidditch match against New York, but that wasn't until one o'clock and Albus was only a reserve player anyway. “Albus, you'd better get up now. Wood's in the common room,” Teddy whispered. That got Albus's attention. His eyes shot back open and he sat up. “What?” “Fielding's sick,” Teddy told him, “You're playing today.” Now Albus was wide awake. “Seriously? What about O'delle?” Hailey O'delle was the other reserve Chaser, a seventh year Slytherin. “She's sick, too,” Teddy explained, “The two of them are going out, so it doesn't surprise me.” Albus took that to mean that Teddy thought they were snogging and one got the other sick. “I'll be down in two minutes,” Albus muttered. Teddy nodded and left. Albus threw on a t-shirt and a pair of jeans before running down to the common room, where he found Oliver Wood pacing in front of the empty fire. “Albus,” he said as soon as Albus stepped into the common room, “You're playing Chaser today.” Albus nodded and sat down for what was sure to be a very long speech. Wood paused and then launched into an explanation of tactics, which Albus had already heard during practices that week. He couldn't figure out why he had to be woken up at six to be told he was playing. Wood could have accomplished the same thing at ten. Wood and Teddy left after Wood finished lecturing Albus and Albus considered going back to bed, but as he was wide awake, it would be pointless. Part of Wood's speech had been on the weather, which was cold and slightly snowy. Could be worse, Albus thought. At least there wasn't a blizzard. The conditions were very similar to those they had been practicing in all week. Albus sat in the common room reading a book he found laying around until his friends got up around ten. “There you are,” Matt, who was looking significantly better than he had a few days ago, said, “What time did you get up?” “Six,” Albus muttered, “Teddy got me up. Wood had to tell me I'm playing Chaser today.” “What?” Matt shouted, “That's brilliant!” “This is great, Albus!” John grinned, “But why?” “Fielding's sick and so is the other reserve Chaser,” Albus explained, “I'm just glad we're playing New York and not Australia.” Albus went to the Great Hall to eat lunch with his friends, but he wasn't really hungry. He didn't think he had ever been more nervous for a Quidditch match. This was a really important match, as Wood had pointed out numerous times. If they won by a wide enough margin, they'd be in second place. Word had gotten around that Albus was playing in the match and numerous people came over to the Gryffindor table to wish Albus luck. “Al,” Harry sat down next to Albus. “Dad,” Albus smiled. He hadn't been sure if his dad was coming to the match or not. “I'll be watching the whole time. I'm sure you're going to do great. Just think of it as a match against another house. Ravenclaw, I guess, since their robes are blue,” Harry grinned, “Good luck.” “Thanks,” Albus replied. Albus left with the rest of the Hogwarts team a few minutes later. All his friends wished him good luck as he left the Hall. Nobody talked much as they changed into their robes. Everyone sat down afterwards, ready for Wood's pre-match speech. However, Wood seemed to be all speeched out. He merely said that they'd trained well and to give it their all. Albus was a little shocked by the shortness of the speech, but quickly got over it as he walked out onto the pitch.
DucksRMagical Joined: 28 December 2006 Posts: 2495 Location: Going through LeakyCon withdrawal	Posted: Wednesday 17 February 2010 10 36 20 am    Post subject: Re: Albus potter and the Path Left Untrodden in topic:Albus potter and the Path Left Untrodden Thanks Dawn! So glad you're enjoying it! Chapter 23: All in Good Time It was nearing midnight when Albus, Matt, and Rose re-entered the building, escorted by Professor Balladanis. Albus had been hoping the professor would just see them to the door and then continue his search of the perimeter, but instead he went back to the ballroom with them and marched them right up to Harry. “Potter,” Balladanis interrupted the conversation Harry had been having with some wizard Albus didn't know, “I found your son, your niece, and their friend wandering around outside.” “Albus,” Harry groaned, “I thought we made it clear that you were to stay inside.” “I'll leave them with you,” Balldanis said, “Happy New Year.” “Happy New Year,” Harry replied, “And thanks.” Balladanis disappeared into the crowd and Albus shifted uncomfortably as his dad stared at him for a few moments. “Care to explain?” Harry raised an eyebrow. “We were just, er, exploring,” Albus muttered. “Don't do it again,” Harry sighed. “We won't,” Albus assured him. Harry went back to his conversation and Albus lead his friends back to the buffet. “I hope you've learned your lesson,” Rose muttered, “I am not doing that again.” “We won't do it again. Not tonight, that is,” Albus grinned. “10!” someone shouted. Albus looked at the nearest clock and saw that it was almost midnight. Everyone else joined in the countdown, holding their glasses of champagne in the air. Amy joined Albus, Rose, and Matt. “3, 2, 1, Happy New Year!” Albus shouted along with everyone else. The crowd began to thin out a little while later. Most of the people Albus didn't know left, along with his Uncle Percy, Aunt Corrine, and his cousins. Albus's parents didn't look like they were in any hurry to leave, so he got a plate of the leftover desserts and at them with his friends. Rose's family and Amy left, and then it was just the Potters, Matt, his parents, the Minister, and his wife left. All the adults were talking, James was teasing Lily about something, and Albus and Matt were finishing off the last of the desserts. “Do you think there's any way for Hogwarts to win the Quidditch tournament?” Matt asked as he polished off a piece of chocolate cake. “Only if Linda's sick the day of one of the matches,” Albus sighed. “Maybe that'll happen,” Matt said, “You never know.” “Al, we've got to go,” Ginny tapped him on the shoulder. “Ok, Mum,” Albus replied and then turned back to Matt, “I'll see you soon.” “Yeah, see you on the train,” Matt said. Albus waved goodbye and then joined his mum, dad, James, and Lily. They all said congratulations to Matt's dad and then left the Minister's Mansion. Albus peered into the bushes as he left, but there was no sign of Professor Balladanis. ****** The remainder of the Christmas holiday went by very slow for Albus. He did all his homework, which was quite boring, and there was nothing to do after that. Rose was visiting her other grandparents and James was at Nathan's house. Even Kaden was busy visiting his grandparents (Vernon and Petunia). He sent Albus a letter complaining about it, since the visit was also with Aunt Marge. Albus was very grateful that he didn't have to go. Neither of his parents had mentioned anything about visiting with Vernon and Petunia again. Finally the day to return to school arrived and the Potters made it to Platform 9 ¾ just in time. Albus found all his friends in one of the compartments and once they kicked Lily, Ashtyn, and Hugo out, they told each other about their holidays. “Aunt Marge has got to be the most horrible aunt in the entire world,” Kaden fumed, “My dad told her about magic a few months ago and she's been awful ever since. I mean, she was always kind of horrible, but now she's worse. She just hates magic so much. She's worse than my grandparents.” “Wow,” Albus replied, “Glad I've never met her.” “Consider yourself lucky,” Kaden muttered, “I'm guessing you lot had better holidays?” “We found Professor Balladanis lurking around the Minister's Mansion,” Albus announced. “What?” John, Kaden, and Amanda shouted at the same time. “I saw someone sneaking around outside and Albus insisted we go investigate,” Rose said, “Turns out it was Balladanis and the Minister had apparently asked him to check the grounds for trouble.” “Did he find you?” John asked. “Yeah,” Albus nodded, “He wasn't to happy either.” “Told us we could've been killed,” Matt explained. “Well, we could've,” Rose muttered. “Weird though,” John said, “Why would the Minister think someone would be hiding around his house?” “Doesn't he have guards around anyway?” Amanda asked, “The Muggle Minister does.” “Again, that's why it's weird,” John replied, “He does have guards.” “Why would he ask Balladanis anyway?” Matt asked, “Why not ask an Auror? Balladanis is a professor.” “He hasn't always been,” Albus pointed out, “He had some sort of mysterious job before.” “Again, weird,” John said. “Yeah, there were a bunch of Aurors at the party, not to mention Albus's dad,” Matt pointed out. “That settles it,” John announced, “Albus, you've got to find out what he did before he started teaching Defense?” “Why me?” Albus asked. “Because you've got those special dueling lessons with him. He likes you for some reason. Of course, he also likes Malfoy. But that's probably just because Malfoy's a good dueler, too,” John explained. “I'll try,” Albus sighed, “But I really don't think he'll tell me.” “You never know,” John said. ****** “Quiet, quiet!” Balladanis shouted the following Tuesday, their first day of Defense after the holiday. Albus immediately stopped talking to Matt and John and turned to face Balladanis. He was really hoping that the professor would say nothing about what happened at the party and so far Balladanis was showing no recollection of it. “I trust you all had superb holidays,” Balladanis said, “But the holidays are over and although I am sure none of you thought a bit about defensive magic during said holidays, it is now time to commence that thinking once again. “First, I'll say that there is no time to not be thinking about defensive magic, as the dark arts do not take breaks for trivial things such as holidays. “Second, in this term we will begin to explore creatures far more dangerous than hinkypunks and kappas. In this term we shall learn about those terrifying creatures such as acromantulas, basilisks, werewolves, dragons, and vampires.” Albus couldn't help but glance at Linda when Balladanis said vampires. Balladanis had glanced at her as well, and he also glanced at Matt when he said werewolves. Of course, he had looked at Albus when he said basilisks, so it didn't necessarily mean anything, but Albus had a feeling it did. “As the headmaster would find it highly inappropriate for a dragon to manifest itself in this classroom, we shall not be using the anamatek as often this term,” Balladanis continued, “But we will be using it a few times. You will find that there are more lectures in this term, much to my dislike. There is nothing I would like better than to teach you about acromantulas and werewolves with practical lessons, but there are both laws and school rules that prevent such lessons.” Albus and Matt glanced at each other. It was official. Professor Balladanis was insane. What kind of teacher would want to teach about dragons with live dragons? Well, Hagrid would, but he wasn't the same as Balladanis. “Take out some parchment,” Balladanis said, “We're going to begin learning about acromantulas today....” The rest of the day went by relatively quickly. Albus actually did not have Quiditch practice that night, so everyone went to the Marauder's Den after dinner. “Divination is such a joke,” John said as he tossed his bag onto the floor and collapsed onto a couch, “We started crystal ball gazing today. All I saw was a load of fog.” “I told you not to take it,” Rose said as she pulled a stack of books out of her own bag. “I didn't think it would be this bad,” John groaned, “There is no way anyone could see anything in a crystal ball.” “Palmistry was better,” Amanda said, “And Trelawney makes the whole thing worse.” “Trelawney could make Defense bad,” Albus replied. “Balladanis told us that he wished he could teach us about dark creatures using the anamatek,” Rose said, “Seriously, he wanted a basilisk to appear in the middle of the classroom.” “That would be stupid,” Kaden said as he unwrapped a Chocolate Frog, “Those can kill you with their eyes.” “I know,” Rose said, “Balladanis is insane.” “Do you think that anamatek could turn into a werewolf if the moon wasn't full?” John asked. “Probably not,” Matt answered, “It would just be a wolf. I think it would just be a wolf any other time of the month, too, because there's no way it could turn someone into a werewolf by biting them.” “That's good,” Albus said, “Because he did say that he'd use the anamatek a few times this term. Wonder if he'll have it turn into a vampire.” “No need,” John laughed, “We've got Linda.” “If you think of it that way, there's no point to have it turn into a fake werewolf either,” Rose pointed out. “Good point, I guess,” John muttered. ****** The rest of the week went by quickly. Albus had Quidditch practice Thursday evening, and Wood informed the whole team that they'd gotten rusty over the holiday. He also told them that the next match was in two weeks and they'd be playing New York. If they won, they'd be in second place. Albus had a dueling lesson with Balladanis the following evening and he had absolutely no idea how he was going to ask what Balladanis's previous job had been. Albus arrived at Balladanis's room before Malfoy and entered to find Balladanis clearing all of the desks from the middle of the room. “Mr. Potter,” Balladanis turned around and greeted Albus, “Is it safe to assume that you did not go wandering about late at night alone after New Year's?” “Yes, sir,” Albus muttered as he felt his face turn red. He was quite glad Malfoy wasn't there yet. “Mr. Malfoy,” Balladanis said as Malfoy walked into the room, “Now we may begin. I have decided that your understanding of the Protego charm is satisfactory so we are going to move on to something else. “This particular charm, when performed correctly, manages to disarm and disorient a person at the same time. The sensation is often described as dizziness. Can either of you tell me what why this charm would be more useful than a standard disarming spell?” “Because it's easier to duel someone who's dizzy than someone who isn't,” Malfoy said. “More specifically than that,” Balladanis said, “Mr. Potter?” “Er, because you can get the person tied up while they're disoriented? If they're a dark wizard you're trying to catch,” Albus replied. “Another good reason, but not the one I was thinking of,” Balladanis began to walk slowly around the room, “Wizards who are expecting to have to duel other wizards often keep multiple wands on their person. There are spells that can be performed on these wands to keep them attached to your robes or your actual body, spells that Expelliarmus won't overcome easily. However, these spells require constant concentration. “If a wizard is hit with the charm I am about to teach you, they will lose the concentration necessary to keep their extra wands affixed. Then, you can use Expelliarmus to get the extra wands.” “Can you teach us that charm to keep extra wands in our robes?” Malfoy asked. “Perhaps towards the end of the year. It takes immense concentration and magical energy to simultaneously perform that charm while dueling someone,” Balladanis explained, “For now, you will learn the charm to disarm and disorient a person at the same time. “The incantation is 'Confundo-Expelliarmus'. A combination of Confundus and Expelliarmus. Mr. Malfoy, you will go first. When I say so, perform the charm against Mr. Potter. Mr. Potter, you may try and stop him using the Protego charm I taught you earlier.” Albus nodded, wishing he had been chosen to perform the new charm first, and faced Malfoy. He held his wand up and muttered 'Protego' under his breath. He focused all of his concentration on holding the shield up. “Now, Mr. Malfoy,” Balladanis muttered. “Confundo-Expelliarmus!” Malfoy shouted. Albus felt the charm hit his shield, but it didn't break through. He gripped his wand harder and stared at Malfoy. “Keep going,” Balladanis said to Malfoy. “Confundo-Expelliarmus!” Malfoy shouted again. The charm hit Albus's shield a little harder this time. Albus could feel beads of sweat forming on his forehead. Malfoy kept going and it took him five times to break through Albus's shield. When it happened, Albus felt his wand leave his hand and was overcome by a wave of dizziness at the same time. He felt exactly like he had when he had gotten the flu the previous year, only without the fever. Albus didn't pay any attention to what Malfoy and Balladanis were doing. He felt like he was going to pass out and he had to sit down. He sat down right on the floor and was vaguely aware of Balladanis standing over him. Then, all of a sudden, the dizziness was gone. Albus shook his head and then looked up and saw Balladanis and Malfoy standing in front of him. Malfoy looked impressed and Balladanis looked like he always did. “You did quite well with that shield,” Balladanis said as Albus stood up, “And I think it's safe to assume that you couldn't have held concentration for any spells after Mr. Malfoy succeeded in breaking your shield.” “No, sir,” Albus shook his head. “Normally the charm's effects would have lasted longer, but I performed the counter-curse because it looked like you were ready to pass out,” Balladanis explained, “When you're ready, you can try the charm.” “I'm ready,” Albus said as he took his wand back from Malfoy. Balladanis gave Malfoy a few seconds to get his shield up and then nodded at Albus to perform the charm. “Confundo-Expelliarmus!” Albus shouted. As he expected, the charm did not break Malfoy's shield. Much to Albus's delight, he managed to break the shield on the fourth try. One less try than Malfoy had needed for Albus. The charm hit Malfoy in the chest and his wand soared towards Albus. Albus caught it and watched as Malfoy bent over and fell to the ground, much like Albus himself had done. Balladanis gave Albus one of his rare smiles and then pulled out his own wand. He waved it at Malfoy and Malfoy looked up. “That was weird,” Malfoy muttered. “It's supposed to be,” Balladanis said, “Now get up and we'll do it again.” Balladanis kept them at it for the better part of an hour, past when Albus would have liked to quit. It was exhausting to be hit with that spell time after time while trying to hold up a shield charm. Malfoy didn't seem to be faring much better and Albus thought he was even going to ask Balladanis to stop after a half hour, but Malfoy closed his mouth, obviously thinking better of it. The practice wasn't for nothing, though. Albus managed to hold Malfoy off longer and longer each time and although Malfoy was getting better at the shield charm as well, Albus broke through it a few more times. “That's enough for tonight,” Balladanis finally said after he performed the countercurse on Albus for what must have been the tenth time that night, “I'll see you in class on Tuesday.” Malfoy made a beeline for the door, but Albus turned to Balladanis instead. He might as well just get it over with. There was no good way to ask Balladanis what his previous job had been. He just had to do it. “Er, Sir,” Albus began, “I was just wondering, what did you do before you began teaching here?” Balladanis gave Albus the strangest look he had ever seen. It was a mixture of anger, sadness, and even regret. For a moment, Albus wished he hadn't asked. It was too personal. He should have just told John they wouldn't be able to find out. “Now is not the time,” Balladanis said quietly, “All in good time, I will tell you.” Albus was taken aback. That was more than he had expected. He had thought Balladanis would have told him to mind his own business and get back to Gryffindor Tower before curfew. Albus was going to find out, he was just going to have to be patient. Albus left the room as quickly as he could in his exhausted state, before Balladanis could change his mind about eventually telling Albus about his previous career. The walk back to Gryffindor Tower seemed longer than usual and all Albus wanted to do was collapse into bed when he finally got there. Instead, he was ambushed by all of his friends. All five of them looked shocked and Amanda looked like she was going to be sick. He looked around the common room and saw that most people looked shocked and everyone was subdued. There was no joking around going on. Even James was quietly sitting at one of the tables. “What happened?” Albus whispered as he followed them back to their usual table. Rose opened her mouth to speak and then closed her eyes, unable to do so. Albus turned to John and raised his eyebrows. “You know that bloke who owns Dervish and Banges?” John asked quietly. Albus nodded, having seen the man on numerous occasions when he was in Hogsmeade. He was slightly older than Albus's parents, with greying hair and a very intense personality. He never hesitated to make his opinions known “Someone killed him,” John said in barely more than a whisper. “Wh-what?” Albus turned to look at all his friends in turn. Matt nodded ever so slightly and then put his head on his hands. “Must've just happened,” John said, “They just found him. Madam Rosmerta heard a commotion and Flooed here, to get the Auror on duty. By the time they got back, his shop was a complete mess inside and he was laying dead on the floor. Avada Kedavra. They're searching Hogsmeade, the forest, the grounds, and the school. Nobody's allowed out of their common rooms and dormitories.” “We thought Balladanis would bring you back here when it happened,” Rose said. “Nobody even came in to tell us,” Albus replied, still in shock. People weren't just randomly killed in Hogsmeade. That sort of thing just didn't happen anymore. Not since Voldemort had been defeated. Well, Professor Torro had been killed back before his first year and then that one witch from the Ministry had been killed over Christmas, but their killers had never been found and nothing had happened since. “Why would anyone kill him?” Matt wondered aloud. “Why would anyone kill anyone?” Rose replied. The portrait hole opened and all the whispering stopped. Everyone looked to see who came in. It was Professor Longbottom, looking worse for the wear. His robes were disheveled and his tie was askew. “Aurors are still searching the castle and the grounds,” he told them, “I suggest you all try and get some sleep. The search will be long over by morning, so you will be free to leave the common room then.” Albus and his friends looked at each other after Longbottom left. They wordlessly went up to their dormitories, Kaden going with Albus instead of to the second years' dorm. Nobody said anything as he curled up on the floor with one of Albus's spare blankets. Albus got into bed and stared at the ceiling. He had been so exhausted earlier, but now there was no way he'd get much sleep that night.
DucksRMagical Joined: 28 December 2006 Posts: 2495 Location: Going through LeakyCon withdrawal	Posted: Sunday 14 February 2010 11 12 00 am    Post subject: Re: Beyond the Shadow in topic:Beyond the Shadow Thanks Linda! Chapter 2: The Study My house had not changed since we bought it. It was a wooden log home nestled in between two Muggle farms with bush behind it. It looked exactly as it had when I moved out after Hogwarts. Even my room was the same. Mum and Dad weren't the kind of parents who turned their kids' rooms into spas and fitness rooms after they moved out. No, they were the type of parents who left the rooms exactly the same in hopes that their children would move back eventually. Mum tried to convince me to move back for six months after I got a flat with Victoire when we began Healer training. She visited us nearly every day, bringing baked goods, advice, and offers to clean with her. Eventually, she came to terms with the fact that I was grown up and wasn't going to move back home. That was when the Saturday evening family dinner started. She was worse with Matt. At first, she flat out refused to let him move out. He wound up staying home for about a year after graduating Hogwarts, partly because of Mum and partly because he just couldn't find a job. Not many people want to employ werewolves. Then he got a job in Werewolf Support Services and a few months later he told Mum he was moving out to live with Albus. Dad had to convince Mum that Matt would be ok. I think it helped that I lived in the same flat building as Albus. Mum still went over there at least three times a week, though. I didn't think she was ever going to stop doing that with him. “Amy! Matt!” Mum greeted us at the door with tight hugs. It was like she hadn't seen us in years, rather than just twenty-four hours. “Hi, Mum,” I smiled as I stepped into the house. “Dinner is just about ready, so you can come right into the kitchen,” Mum instructed. Matt and I followed her into the kitchen, where Dad, Uncle Jack, and our house elf, Ellie, were already at the table. I sat down next to Uncle Jack and Mum put the last dish on the table. “How are things at St. Mungo's?” Uncle Jack asked as he served himself some spaghetti. “Good,” I replied. “Busy as usual. I've got a new potion that's nearly finished. It'll be ready to be sent off for testing tomorrow, but I won't get the results back for awhile.” “I'll be crossing my fingers,” Uncle Jack said and turned to Matt and Dad. “What's new in the old Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures?” “Not much,” Dad said as he served himself some salad, “Had some issues about people wanting to keep Grindylows as pets in their ponds. Bad idea if there are Muggles around. Had to Obliviate a few Muggles last week. I really don't see the appeal in Grindylows as pets, though.” “People are stupid,” Matt agreed, “Honestly, they should just get pygmy puffs and be done with it.” “That they are,” Uncle Jack shook his head, “There is nothing appealing about a Grindylow. What about you, Julie? How is training?” Almost two years ago, Mum decided to go back to school to train to be a nurse. I don't know why she didn't do it sooner. She already knows nearly everything a nurse does, after taking care of Matt for so many years. But soon she'll have certification and she'll be able to work at St. Mungo's or something. “Oh, it's wonderful,” Mum smiled, “I'll be certified in a few months. I'm mostly doing clinicals at St. Mungo's at the moment, which is really nice. It's such a rewarding career.” “Glad to hear it,” Uncle Jack said, “I could always see you as a nurse.” “How about you, Jack?” Dad asked, “How are things in New York?” “Pretty good,” Jack said, “I'm actually considering retiring from the book store. Perhaps traveling a bit, looking for obscure magical objects.” “Like when we were young,” Dad mused. “Exactly,” Uncle Jack winked, “Any chance you're considering retirement?” “Nope,” Dad grinned, “Ministry can't get rid of me just because I'm getting old.” “You just work too much,” Uncle Jack replied. Dad has always been a little bit of a workaholic, but ever since Matt graduated from Hogwarts, he's really thrown himself into his work. I suppose it's because there really isn't anything else for him to do. I think he needs a hobby. We finished dinner and then moved onto dessert. Mum had made a chocolate cake and everyone sang happy birthday. Then I had to eat my cake without talking, which was a tradition that we had been doing on birthdays for as long as I could remember. Matt tried to get me to talk while I ate, but it didn't work. After dinner, my family gave me presents and cards. Mum and Dad got me a personalized stethoscope, which was nice because I had recently lost mine. Matt got me a really nice bracelet with my birthstone on it. Uncle Jack got me a few books about the history of potion brewing. “Cinda gave me this to give to you, too,” Mum handed me an envelope. Cinda, my maternal grandmother, was nearing 95 years old and lived in a Muggle nursing home a few kilometers away from my parents' house. My grandfather, Richard, had died five years ago and Cinda did not adjust well. She lived in Australia for a few more months and then Mum insisted that she move to England. She got sick shortly after that and had to go to the nursing home. I opened the envelope and found a card, along with a very generous check and instructions to 'get yourself something nice'. Cinda had never held back for birthday or Christmas gifts, even after she went into the nursing home. “I'll visit her soon,” I said as I put the card and check back in the envelope. “Good,” Mum said quietly, “She's not doing too well.” I swallowed hard. “What's wrong?” “She's just getting old,” Mum sighed. I nodded. “Yeah, I'll visit soon.” “I'll go with you,” Matt said. “She'll be thrilled to see you two,” Mum smiled. Matt and I stayed at the house for a few more hours, playing Exploding Snap and talking. It was nice to have Uncle Jack there. He was the king of Exploding Snap and by the time Matt and I left, we both had faces covered in soot. Mum and Dad's faces matched. We left when Mum and Dad decided they had to go to bed. Mum made us tell her every detail about the full moon plans, down to the exact minute Matt would go home to transform. We both assured her that everything would be fine and we would contact her if we needed anything. “Always a worrier,” Matt muttered as we walked out to the yard to disapparate, “Our mum.” “Always will be,” I said. ****** I breezed into St. Mungo's bright and early on Monday, ready to work. Mondays were always hectic at work. They consisted of me playing catch-up on what went on in the hospital during the weekend, unless I had been on call of course. “Farina's in a foul mood,” Lynne, one of the nurses fell into step next to me as I walked through the waiting room towards the lifts. Lynne Warner was a middle-aged woman with greying red hair and glasses that were always perched on the tip of her nose. She was slightly overweight and around my height. She was also one of the nicest nurses in the entire hospital. I was very happy that she worked on my floor. “What happened this time?” I groaned. Eleanor Farina was in essence the matriarch of St. Mungo's. She was the hospital's director and the boss of all the bosses. Nothing happened in the hospital without her knowing about it and any major decision had to be run by her first. She was strict, had absolutely no sense of humor, and was not someone you would want to cross. The funny thing was that she was a very small person. Not only was she short, but she was quite skinny as well. She also dyed all the grey out of her hair and wore large amounts of make-up so she barely looked older than me. “Someone left one of the brewing rooms unlocked on Saturday night,” Lynne told me, “She's trying to find out who it was. It wasn't you, was it?” “Merlin, no,” I assured her, “I was at my parents' house that night.” It was a well known fact that all brewing rooms had to be kept locked when not in use. They were just too dangerous to leave unlocked. Only brewers and Farina herself could unlock them. I almost felt bad for the poor sap who had left the room unlocked. Almost. It had been pretty stupid of them not to lock it. What if a patient had wandered down there? We entered a lift and rode it up to our floor. It was still quiet, as it was not even nine o'clock, but I knew it would be bustling before long. “Eckerton!” someone said from behind me. I knew the voice even before I turned around. That high pitched but forceful voice could only be that of Farina. “You got an alibi for Saturday night?” she barked. “I was at my parents'. My mum will vouch for me. As will my dad and brother, if you care to owl them at the Ministry. Plus my uncle if you care to owl him in New York,” I told her. “I'll do that,” she replied and then handed me a chart, “And you're on clinic duty this afternoon. One until five.” I groaned inwardly. I didn't really like doing clinic hours because they took away time from brewing and research. “All right. I'll be there.” Farina left and I walked the remainder of the way towards my study. Lynne said goodbye to me at the nurse's station, where she joined Dina, a very quiet young nurse who had only been working at St. Mungo's for a few months. “Morning, Morris,” I said to Healer Sterling as I walked past his study. “Morning, Amy,” he replied, “You've got a few letters. They're on Natalie's desk.” Natalie Caberney was our secretary and both of our studies branched off from hers. I grabbed the stack of letters from her desk and went into my own study to read them. My study was extremely messy. There were numerous filing cabinets everywhere and books scattered throughout the small room. Miscellaneous charts were scattered everywhere, but I knew where to find them all. It was organized chaos. I sat down in the comfy chair behind my desk and opened the first letter. It was from Rose, giving me the times of the three appointments with the new people for our study. Two were this morning, but one was right when I was supposed to be in the clinic. Perfect. That meant I'd have to track down Farina before one o'clock. The second letter was from someone interested in participating in the study. I set it aside for when I would have more time to write a response. The third letter was from '[i]Magical Creatures Monthly[/i]' wanting to interview me about the study. I threw that one in the fireplace. I refused to do interviews for magazines that saw werewolves as 'creatures' and not people. [i]Magical Creatures Monthly[/i] was definitely one of those magazines. Once the clock struck nine, I set off to do my rounds. Rounds never took me long since all of the patients were in the same ward. Mondays were always interesting because they included new patients that I knew little or nothing about. I grabbed the charts out of the basket on Natalie's desk and looked through them as I walked to the ward. There were four of them. The first two were patients who had been there on Friday. One wizard who had gotten a very nasty burn from a dragon and a witch who had been bitten by an ashwinder. Normally, those bites weren't bad, but this particular witch was allergic to their venom. The third chart was for a wizard who had been bitten by a manticore. That made me shudder. Manticore attacks were pretty rare because most witches and wizards rarely came in contact with them, but the occasional one did crop up and they were bad. The fourth chart was for one of my own patients. Some Healers at St. Mungo's did not have any patients they saw on a regular basis and dealt with emergencies only. Others practiced family healing and only saw their own patients, be it for check-ups or emergencies. Still others dealt with emergencies and had a small amount of their own patients as well. I was one of those Healers. I had a few patients whom I saw on a regular basis for check-ups and then for emergencies. They all had lycanthropy. Healer Sterling was the same way. Between the two of us we saw nearly all of the people with lycanthropy in England. This particular patient really tugged at my heartstrings. Since my job was so heartbreaking, I often had to try and distance myself from patients, but that never worked with this patient. He was only six years old and had been attacked by a werewolf at the age of three. Although Wolfsbane did work for him, it did not have the effect it was supposed to have. It rendered him very calm and harmless during full moons, but it made him violently ill as soon as he started taking it. Since Wolfsbane has to be taken for the week preceding the full moon, he would often be sick for a week. His parents had been struggling with the decision whether to keep him on Wolfsbane for years. It was so difficult to decide whether it was really worth it for him. I opened the door to the ward and went to the wizard with the dragon burn first. He was sitting up in bed reading the Prophet. I examined his burn and pronounced him in good health. I gave him a potion and a salve and discharged him. He was quite happy to be out of the ward. The witch with the ashwinder bite had been able to leave, too. I warned her not to go near the snakes again and sent her on her way. Next was the wizard with the manticore bites. He was covered in bandages. He was also asleep and did not wake up as I changed the bandages. That was probably for the best since there was really no way to change them in a painless way. I made a mental note to check up on him later once he was awake. Then it was time for my youngest patient. His name was Jamie Allen. His mother, Candace, was sitting in a chair next to the bed, holding his hand. She was fast asleep. George, his father, was on the other side of the bed. In George's lap was their four-year-old son, Kyle. They reminded me a lot of my family when Matt and I were younger. I suppose that was why Jamie broke my heart so much. “George,” I greeted him as I conjured a chair and sat down in it. “Amy,” he gave me a weak smile, “Thank Merlin you're here.” “Been here since Saturday?” I asked as I looked over the chart. “Yes,” George sighed, “High fever, nausea, the usual.” I nodded and pulled out my wand. I got up and gently shook Jamie. He opened his eyes and smiled at me. “Healer Eckerton,” he whispered. “Hi, Jamie,” I smiled, “How are you feeling?” “Tired,” he said. “You can go back to sleep soon,” I assured him, “I just need to get your vitals.” He nodded and I waved my wand over him. A few seconds later, his vitals appeared on his chart. He was asleep before I even stowed my wand. “He's better today,” I told George and Candace, who had woken up, “But only because of the potions. I'll go get his morning doses.” Jamie could not keep taking Wolfsbane, I thought as I went to get the potions. Getting that ill every month was taking a toll on his body. The past few months he had been tired all the time, not only around the full moon. “I'd like to talk to you in my study,” I told George and Candace after I'd given Jamie his potions. They looked at each other and then nodded. Candace sent Kyle to stay with Lynne while we talked and I led them into my study. Giving people bad news was my least favorite part of my job. I didn't have to do it nearly as often as Victoire did, but it did occasionally happen. George and Candace seemed to know that I was giving them bad news. They sat down in the chairs in front of my desk and waited for me to begin. Both of them looked like they hadn't gotten a good night's sleep in days. “Jamie's been taking Wolfsbane for three years,” I began, “And because of that he hasn't really suffered on full moons. However, the Wolfsbane has been making him incredibly ill. I know you mentioned that he's been acting off even when he's not taking Wolfsbane.” “Yes,” George sighed, “He's tired all the time now.” “It's because of the Wolfsbane,” I said quietly, “Even though it's out of his system during the rest of the month, it wreaks havoc when it is there and it's been leaving lasting damage.” “What does that mean?” Candace asked. “It means that if he keeps taking Wolfsbane, he's going to be left with permanent damage to his immune system and he'll get sick all the time,” I said, “I'm really sorry.” “We're going to have to take him off it,” Candace said. “Yes, you are,” I told them, “Not this month because he's already been taking it for a few days and if he goes through this transformation without Wolfsbane I don't think he'll survive in his weak state.” George put an arm around Candace, whose eyes were tearing up. “Next month, then,” George said. “Next month,” I agreed, “It's going to be hard, but I think it'll be better in the long run. He won't be as sick before full moons.” “But he'll be injured afterwards,” Candace choked. “He will. It'll probably take him two or three days to recover, but after that he'll be fine,” I assured them. “We don't exactly have a choice,” George sighed. “I'm working to fix that potion. You know that,” I said quietly, “It will happen. Jamie will get through this. Have you thought much about him going to Hogwarts?” “No,” George shook his head, “We try to get through one full moon at a time.” “Think about it,” I smiled, “Even if I haven't created a better potion by then, he can still go.” “I really doubt Professor Kendrick would let a werewolf attend Hogwarts,” George muttered, “That's too dangerous.” I smiled. “Send him an owl. You might be pleasantly surprised.” “I guess it can't hurt,” George sighed. “No, definitely not,” I agreed, “Just ask him.” “All right,” George agreed, “We will.” ****** After a morning of paperwork, owl answering, and the first two lycanthropy appointments it was time to go find Farina and get down on my hands and and knees and beg to be late to clinic duty that afternoon. Tracking Farina down was always an interesting task. She was rarely in her study. I checked there first anyway and it was as predicted, empty. It didn't seem fair that she had the biggest study and was rarely in it. I finally found her in the basement. Apparently she had found the culprit who left the brewing room unlocked. She was yelling at Elliot Rodney, the newest brewer who had just been hired the previous week. He was in his mid-twenties, a few years older than Matt, and very tall and good looking. However, while being yelled at by Farina, he looked like he was about to cry. I swear she could bring the Minister of Magic to tears. “Healer Farina,” I cleared my throat. She stopped yelling and turned around. She sighed and shook her head when she saw me. “Get back to work, Rodney.” Rodney didn't have to be told twice. He bolted away and shut himself in his brewing room. I felt bad for him. I cried the first time Farina yelled at me, too. “What is it, Eckerton?” she asked. “I would like to request that my clinic hours be put off until two o'clock,” I said. “And what makes you think that I would grant that request?” she raised her eyebrow. “I have a previous commitment,” I explained, “I have an appointment with a wizard who wishes to join my lycanthropy study.” “The one you're doing with Weasley?” she asked. “Yes, that one. The appointment is at one o'clock and I wish to be present, along with Healer Weasley, because she does not have the specialization in lycanthropy like I do. She will not be able to answer all of the wizard's questions,” I continued. “Fair point,” Farina agreed, “You have until one-thirty to show up in the clinic or face the consequences.” “Thank you,” I replied and left for the lifts. One thing that I learned shortly after being hired at St. Mungo's was that Farina never gave you exactly what you wanted. If you wanted to push back your clinic hours by an hour, she would give you a half hour. If you wanted two days off, she'd give you one day off. The best thing to do was to ask for more time than you actually needed. Of course, it was pointless unless you had a good reason. I was just grateful she gave me time off around the full moon. It wasn't real time off since I did pop into the hospital for a few hours the day after the full moon, but it was still considered time off. It was the least I could do since that was one of the busiest days in the ward. I ate a very hurried lunch on my way to the very top floor of the hospital. That floor was added after the defeat of Lord Voldemort, mostly to add a psychiatry ward. Psychology and psychiatry still were not very well known in the wizarding world, but they became more so after the war. When Farina became head of the whole hospital a few years later, she took half that floor and created the clinic. It was added solely for efficiency. She had noticed that a lot of the ailments and injuries that people went to the hospital with were quite minor and could be healed quickly. The clinic is now used for those ailments and the more major ailments are taken care of on the other floors. Plus, that's where people get their check-ups. It really was a good idea. Rose was already set up in one of the rooms, complete with a clip-board and a stack of information on the psychology part of the study. She was always early and incredibly organized. We made an interesting pair for doing a study together. “I've got clinic at 1:30,” I said as I walked in, “I hope this bloke is on time.” The people we had met with earlier had both been late. Only the witch agreed to be in the study, though. The wizard didn't think the amount of money we would pay him was enough. A few minutes later a middle-aged man with greying brown hair walked in. His face was lined with wrinkles, but his eyes were bright. “Dan Bartholomew?” I asked. He nodded. “You two the Healers?” “Yes,” I said and gestured to the open chair, “Please have a seat.” “So,” he began, “Healer Weasley said you're doing a study on lycanthropy?” “Yes,” I replied, “We are hoping to discover the reason why werewolves do not remember what happens while they are wolves. Our first theory is that the transformation itself is so traumatic that the brain represses the memory in order to protect the psyche. However, it could also be that the wolf's memories are just not transferred when a werewolf transforms back into a human.” “Why does it matter to figure that out?” Dan asked. “I have a theory that it might help us to figure out why the Wolfsbane Potion does not work for all werewolves,” I explained. “Oh,” he said, “That might be useful.” “We're hoping it will be,” I said, “Now, does Wolfsbane work for you?” “Yep,” Dan nodded, “But I'll still do the study. Just as long as I don't have to stop taking Wolfsbane.” “No, you can still take it,” I answered, “What you will have to do is come in after every full moon and take a few potions that will allow us to examine your brain and to try and get you to remember what happened during full moons.” “Will that hurt?” he asked skeptically. “No,” I replied, “And you will be compensated for your time.” The man nodded. “Now, do I still keep seeing you every week, Healer Weasley?” “Yes, this will not affect your appointments with me,” Rose told him, “There are also no known emotional side effects from participating in this study.” “I think I'll need to think about it,” Dan said. “Understandable,” I said as I handed him a stack of papers, “This explains everything in more detail. If you decide to participate, owl us the forms on the bottom, signed and dated, and we'll contact you about your first appointment.” “Do I have to decide before the next full moon?” Dan asked. “No,” I shook my head, “We've already made appointments for this upcoming full moon and wouldn't be able to squeeze you in anyway. Think about it for a couple weeks and then get back to us.” “I'll let you know,” Dan said as he stood up. “Thanks,” I smiled. “Two in one day isn't bad,” Rose said once he left. “Nope,” I agreed, “Not bad at all.”
DucksRMagical Joined: 28 December 2006 Posts: 2495 Location: Going through LeakyCon withdrawal	Posted: Sunday 31 January 2010 09 47 44 am    Post subject: Beyond the Shadow in topic:Beyond the Shadow Here is the sequel to In Moonlight's Shadow! I recommend you read that first if you haven't already, although it's not necessary. I'll be posting updates on this every other Sunday for the time being. Chapter 1: Turning Thirty The greyish potion simmered in its steel cauldron, a few bubbles rising to the surface and then popping. It was nearly boiling, but not quite. I watched it, hardly blinking. As soon as it began boiling, and not a second later, I would have to add the Wolfsbane. One eighth of a a teaspoon of it. A pinch more would ruin the entire potion. Of course, the whole potion could be useless already. I was brewing in the basement of St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. There was a whole slew of brewing rooms in the basement. It was the best place for them since the fumes would be far away from the patients and so the brewers would be far away from the hustle and bustle of the hospital. It was currently seven at night and since it was a Friday, most places of work were closed and their employees enjoying time off. However, I work at a hospital and hospitals never close. If I were to venture upstairs to the main part of the hospital, I would find it busy as usual. Brewers kept more normal hours than Healers, but I am both. I had spent most of the day working in the Creature Induced Injury ward, but managed to sneak away at five in order to brew. As much as I enjoyed Healing, brewing was my passion. I was currently brewing a variation of the Wolfsbane Potion. Wolfsbane potion had been invented decades ago and was used by werewolves to render themselves harmless during full moons. They still transformed, but lacked the aggressive qualities normally found in werewolves. However, this potion was completely useless to a small portion of werewolves. For years, Healers and brewers have been trying to create a new version of Wolfsbane that would work for those werewolves. I had been working for the past six or seven years on the project, but had had no success so far. The potion began to bubble more until it was at a full boil. I grabbed the small amount of Wolfsbane and tossed it into the cauldron while stirring counter-clockwise. Now I had to stir it for a half an hour. Stirring had never struck me as boring. Plenty of brewers had complained about the amount of sitting around time and monotonous stirring, but it really never bothered me. I saw it as a time to think. After spending a day in the chaotic Creature Induced Injury ward, I needed a few hours to just sit and do mindless work like stirring. “Amy!” someone whispered. I jumped, nearly spilling Wolfsbane Potion all over myself. I cursed under my breath and turned around to see who had been stupid enough to interrupt my brewing. It was my best friend, Victoire, and I sighed. She knew not to interrupt me. “Victoire,” I groaned. “I told you I'd be brewing until eight today.” “That's what you think,” Victoire rolled her eyes and sat down on the stool next to mine. Victoire Lupin had been my best friend since our fourth year at Hogwarts. Well, she had been a Weasley then. When she was 23, she married Teddy Lupin, another one of our friends from school. Victoire was a Healer as well, but she worked on the Spell Damage floor. “It is what I think,” I replied as I continued stirring. “I need to have this ready for overnight simmering before I leave, so it can be tested tomorrow.” “You do realize what day it is,” Victoire said flatly, shaking her head so that her mane of blonde hair shook. “It's Friday, and I always stay late to brew on Fridays,” I replied. Victoire groaned. “That's not what I meant. I meant it's October 27th! It's your birthday for Merlin's sake! Can't you put aside brewing for one measly day? I mean, you only turn 30 once.” “Thank God,” I muttered. “And no, I can't put aside brewing. You know that.” “I don't think you're going to miss having any brilliant breakthroughs if you don't work all night tonight,” Victoire said. “Thanks for having faith in me,” I muttered. “As soon as you're done with that batch, we're leaving. Everyone's at the Leaky Cauldron, waiting for you. Teddy and I have organized a birthday and halloween party. You will be there. We got a cake and everything.” “Thanks,” I said. “Another reminder that I'm old now.” “30 is not old.” “Says the one who is still 29,” I said. “I'm 30 and I haven't even done anything important.” “Hardly any witches or wizards invent world changing new potions before they're 30,” Victoire sighed. “Now finish that potion so we can get in our costumes and go.” “Costumes?” I raised my eyebrows. “Well, it is a halloween party, too,” Victoire replied. “I'll go as a Healer,” I said. “You are a Healer, you can't go as one,” Victoire said. “Now, you're going as this.” Victoire reached into her bag and pulled out a French maid costume. I groaned inwardly. The thing looked like it would show more skin than a bathing suit. “That is quite possibly the most cliched sexy costume on earth,” I told her. “But it's really from France, so that cancels out the clicheness,” Victoire grinned. “I wore it years ago, but can't fit in it since having Sophie, so you get to wear it.” “And what are you wearing?” I asked. “This,” Victoire pulled a black robe and hat out of her bag. “Is that a Muggle witch costume?” I asked. “Yep,” Victoire nodded. “So I have to wear a tiny piece of cloth while you get to be completely covered up?” “I'm married, you're not,” Victoire replied. “Plus, Teddy's dressed as Merlin, so it matches.” Victoire waited while I finished brewing the Wolfsbane. I purposely took a long time to clean up, but then Victoire pitched in and before I knew it I was changing into the French maid costume. For the first time ever I was grateful that I was short. Victoire was nearly a head taller than me, so I was sure the skirt had been of the correct skimpy length on her. On me, however, it nearly came down to my knees. Victoire had gone all out for her witch's costume. She painted her face green and affixed a fake wart to her nose. She looked disgustingly realistic for a Muggle witch. I stifled my laughter and the two of us disapparated. We reappeared in front of the Diagon Alley side of the Leaky Cauldron. I could already hear the noise coming from inside. Victoire really must have invited everyone. I followed her into the pub and our arrival was met with loud choruses of 'happy birthday' sung in a variety of tunes. The pub was packed. I only recognized about half of the people there. I saw a few people from work including a bunch of nurses, my boss Healer Morris Sterling, Healer Jeff Norlam, and Healer Rose Weasley. Standing around Rose were all her friends from school including my brother, Matt, and much to my surprise, his roommate Albus Potter. Al was out of the country a lot for work. Even my parents were there. The two of them were sitting at a table, looking to be the two calmest people there. Neither of them were dressed up. Mum had a cup of tea and Dad had a bottle of something. But sitting next to Dad was the biggest surprise of all. “Uncle Jack?” I shouted as I ran towards them. “Amy!” he stood up and gave me a hug. “That's quite the costume.” “Victoire's idea,” I blushed. My Uncle Jack lives in Horseheads, New York, and I only see him once a year at the most. I had no idea he was coming for my birthday. He was wearing a black and white striped prisoner outfit. “Happy Birthday, Amy,” he said. “Thanks,” I grinned. I went around the pub, accepting all the birthday wishes from everyone until I wound up at the bar. Victoire and Teddy were sitting there, each with a drink. I ordered my own drink and sat down next to them. There was a box at the end of the bar marked 'Lycanthropy Awareness Fund'. I looked at it and then turned to Victoire. “We told everyone to bring donations in lieu of gifts,” Victoire answered my questioning look. “Thanks,” I smiled. “So who's Sophie with tonight?” Sophie, Victoire and Teddy's five-year-old daughter, was the most adorable kid I had ever met in my life. She's like a niece to me and even calls me Aunt. “My parents,” Victoire answered. “They're thrilled to see her.” “And how is little Sophie doing?” Hannah Longbottom asked as she set my drink down in front of me. “Oh, she's great,” Victoire smiled. “I'll bring her by soon.” “Good. I haven't seen her in ages,” Hannah said. Ages probably meant a few weeks, I thought. Hannah Longbottom loved Sophie. Everyone loved Sophie. “Amy, happy birthday.” I turned and saw Matt, wearing a mummy costume, sitting down on my other side. His blonde hair looked in need of a cut, but other than that he looked great. Just a few months ago I had heard a few of the younger nurses whispering about how good looking he was and I had had to run into a closet to laugh. But now that I looked at him, I could almost see what they meant. In a sisterly, non-disgusting way of course. It was just odd because he will always be a scrawny little kid in my mind. Granted, he was still skinny and on the short side, but that wasn't going to change. “Thanks, Matt,” I gave him a hug. “I haven't seen you in a few days.” “I've been with Albus,” Matt pointed to Albus, who was laughing at something their friend John had said. “He's been home the past three days.” “When's he leaving again?” I asked. “Who knows?” Matt shrugged. Albus Potter was the son of the one and only Harry Potter and did some sort of Auror-like secretive work. It involved traveling to different countries and tracking down rogue wizards. That was all I knew. I had asked Matt a few times, but he changed the subject every time. I guessed it must be secret for a reason. Matt and Albus had been sharing a flat ever since a few months after they left Hogwarts. Even though Albus was away for his job for a good portion of every month, he always paid half the rent. Neither of them, especially Matt, would have been able to afford their own flat. “So,” Matt grinned, “Late for your own party?” “I wasn't that late, was I?” I asked. “How long had you lot been here?” “Few hours,” Matt replied. “Well, I was at work...brewing,” I shrugged. “Big surprise there,” Matt grinned. “Matt!” Albus shouted over the crowd. “Better get over here! Kaden's mixing firewhiskey with some Muggle drink called a screwdriver!” “I've gotta go,” Matt said as he got up and left. “Amy,” Rose Weasley ran up to me, “Happy birthday.” “Thanks,” I smiled. “But I've been meaning to get ahold of you. I recruited three more werewolves for the study,” Rose told me. Rose Weasley was, if it was possible, even more devoted to work than I was. She was a recently certified magical psychiatrist who worked at St. Mungo's. A few weeks ago, she had gotten involved with a long-term study on lycanthropy that I was involved in. “Really?” I asked. “We've never gotten that many at once before.” “They've been coming to Mungo's for therapy for years,” Rose explained. “I told them about the study and they're quite interested. Two wizards and one witch.” “Rose Elizabeth Weasley,” Victoire tapped her on the shoulder. “Are you talking about work?” “Yes,” Rose said. “We're trying to give Amy a break from work,” Victoire told her. “That means you can't talk about it here.” “Victoire, it's kind of important,” I said. “Fine,” Victoire groaned, “Talk about work.” “Anyway,” Rose continued, “I've scheduled them each to come in for interviews on Monday, if you can make it.” “I'll be there,” I assured her. “Good. Now I'd better go stop Kaden before we really do have to work tonight,” Rose said. I sat with Victoire and Teddy and watched the party. I've never been big on parties, but this one wasn't bad. It was my kind of party. Well, besides the costume part. Only about half of the people were actually dressed up, though. “Amy, long time, no see,” Landon Comer, one of my friends from school, sat down on the stool next to mine. He was dressed as Harry Potter, which was pretty funny. I'm sure Albus was quite thrilled with it. “Hey, Landon,” I replied. Landon worked in the Department of International Magical Cooperation. He was married and had two children as well. “Happy birthday,” he said. “Seems like just yesterday you were that quiet new girl at Hogwarts.” “You're making me feel old,” I groaned. “I'm allowed to. I'm older than you,” Landon laughed. The party continued well into the night. I had a few more drinks and felt more relaxed than I had in a long time. Someone turned on some music and cleared the tables and dancing begun. One of the male nurses dragged me onto the floor to dance but I lost track of him when my parents and Uncle Jack found me to say goodbye. Soon, it was only me, Victoire, Teddy, Matt, and Albus left. Matt and Albus looked exhausted, which made me wonder how late they had stayed out the night before. Whenever Albus was in town, he and Matt rarely slept. “Thanks for the party, Victoire,” I gave her a hug. “No problem,” Victoire replied. “And tomorrow you can get back to work.” “I've got the weekend off,” I told her. “Even better,” Victoire grinned. “Well, we'd better get going.” “Bye,” I said. “Bye, Teddy!” “See you soon, Amy,” Teddy replied. “Happy birthday.” I left with Matt and Albus once Victoire and Teddy disapparated. We lived in the same flat building, which was quite close to the Leaky Cauldron. “Don't stay up too late,” I told Matt once we reached his flat. “We won't,” Matt rolled his eyes. “You look exhausted,” I told him. “'Night, Amy,” Matt said. “Happy birthday.” “'Night Matt, Albus,” I replied and walked up the two flights of stairs to my own flat. My flat was quiet like it always is. I had been living in it ever since Victoire got married. The two of us had had a flat together when we were training at St. Mungo's, but it wasn't the nicest of places. By the time Victoire got married, I had been able to afford a better place. It was on the third floor of a Muggle flat building. The building itself was only ten years old. My flat consisted of two bedrooms, a kitchen, and a relatively large living room. Plus a bathroom and a few closets. It was enough room for me and I liked it. I tossed my purse onto the kitchen table and went into my bedroom. I changed out of the awful French maid outfit, tossing the thing haphazardly into the closet knowing I would never wear it again. I got into bed and realizing how tired I was, fell into a deep sleep. ****** Someone was knocking on the door and I didn't feel like answering it. I opened my eyes and quickly shut them again when the sunlight hit them. I forced them open again and looked at the clock. It was noon. I shot out of bed and ran out of the room. I hadn't slept that late in a very long time. Saturdays usually meant doing research, spending time with Matt, and then dinner with my parents. They rarely included sleeping until noon. I wrenched the door open and was immediately hit by Sophie, who wrapped my legs in a tight hug. I bent down and picked her up and opened the door wider so Victoire and Teddy could get inside. Sophie Nymphadora Lupin had turned five a month ago and was the most adorable child I'd seen. Everyone knew she would be since she had Victoire and Teddy for parents. Her hair was stick straight and dirty blonde. It was the perfect combination of Victoire's blonde hair and Teddy's naturally brown hair. Today Teddy's hair was green, though. It actually matched Sophie's green eyes quite well. “Happy Birthday, Aunt Amy!” Sophie shouted. “Thanks, Sophie,” I smiled as I set her down. “Where's Uncle Matt?” Sophie asked as she ran around the flat. “He's at his flat,” I told her. “He's probably still asleep. Remember he likes to sleep late on Saturdays because he has to work during the week.” “Oh, yeah,” Sophie said. “I made you a birthday card.” “Did you?” I smiled at her. “Uh-huh,” Sophie nodded and pulled a construction paper card out of her pocket. I sat down on couch and Sophie curled up next to me. The card was blue with a yellow sun on the front and 'happy birthday' scribbled above it. I opened it and there was a cake on the inside. “Thank you, Sophie,” I smiled and gave her a hug. “This is the best card I've gotten.” Sophie grinned. “I made it at Grandma and Grandpa's house. Grandma helped me with the letters.” “You did a great job,” I told her. “Soph, we've got to get to Diagon Alley,” Victoire said and then turned to me. “We just stopped by so she could give you her card.” “I'll see you soon, ok?” I gave Sophie another hug. I said goodbye to Victoire and Teddy and shut the door after them. I had four hours until dinner with my parents. Plenty of time to get some work done. I ate a quick lunch and then took a shower and got dressed. Then it was research time. I tried to do some research every Saturday. The second bedroom in my flat was filled with shelves and shelves of books on potions and lycanthropy. I'd already read a good portion of them, but I liked to look them over again to find clues. Most recently I had been experimenting with how different types of cauldrons affected the Wolfsbane Potion. It was normally brewed in a silver cauldron, but I had been brewing it in a steel cauldron to see how that would affect it. There was not a whole lot written about the Wolfsbane Potion. The wizard who had originally invented it had a chapter about it in his book, but that was about it. Then there were a few articles about it in obscure potions magazines, but they weren't that informative. I had to read other books and piece together little bits of information and try to make sense of it. It wasn't very rewarding work. In fact, it was downright depressing most of the time. I would spend weeks on a new potion and then it wouldn't work and I'd have to research again and start over. That was the nature of potion brewing, though. Not a lot of wizards and witches chose to get into that profession for that reason and even fewer wanted to create another Wolfsbane Potion. There were four of us working on it and I was one of two brewers. My boss, Healer Sterling, was the other one. He had been working on it long before I even became a Healer. The other two are magical psychiatrists, Healer Norlam and Rose Weasley. Nevertheless, I devoted most of my time towards the task. There was no doubt in my mind that I was the most devoted of us four. I had no intentions of stopping until I succeeded. It was something I had been wanting to do ever since I was fifteen. The reason was my brother. When he was only five years old, he was attacked by a werewolf and had been suffering from lycanthropy ever since. Wolfsbane Potion had no affect on him. My parents had spent so much time trying to give him a normal life, including moving all of us from Australia to England so he could go to school. Matt had also participated in a ten year study of the Wolfsbane Potion run by Healer Sterling, in which he tried three new kinds of Wolfsbane. None of them helped. He'd tried most of the potions I created as well, and none of them helped. Some even made it worse. “Amy, are you working again?” someone said from behind me. I jumped and saw Matt standing in the doorway of the second bedroom. “Matt. I didn't even hear you come in. And yes, I am working.” “We've got to get to Mum and Dad's,” he said as he sat down on the bed. “You still look exhausted,” I told him, “How late did you stay up?” “Late,” he answered. “John and Kaden came over.” “You really shouldn't do that to yourself so close to the full moon,” I sighed. “You're going to regret it on Thursday.” “You sound like Mum,” Matt muttered. “Besides, Albus has to leave again on Monday.” “Where's he off to this time?” I asked. “Can't tell you,” Matt gave his standard answer to that question. “But I'll be over on Wednesday, probably.” “That's fine,” I told him. “I've got the day off.” Matt always got really sick the day before full moons, and that hadn't changed as he got older. Mum and Dad weren't comfortable with him being on his own the day before and day after the full moon and I agreed with them. Matt hadn't objected, either. So, when he and Albus got their flat together, Matt agreed never to be on his own around full moons. Whenever Albus is away for work, Matt comes over to my flat. I usually get the day before, the day of, and the day after full moons off. For the actual transformation, Matt goes to our parents' house. There was really no point in making a new safe room or safe house when the one in my parents' house works fine. Plus, we live in a Muggle flat building and it would not be a good idea for him to transform in his flat, safe room or not. “Day after, too?” Matt asked. “Yup,” I told him. “Like always.” “Any new potions this month?” he asked. “No,” I sighed. “I'm working on one, but it's got to be put through the preliminary tests before anyone can take it.” “It's ok, you'll get there eventually,” Matt said quietly, “Now we'd better get to Mum and Dad's before they start worrying.” I smiled and followed my brother out of the room. Even if we were a minute late to family dinners, Mum started worrying. If there was an olympic event in worrying, Mum would get the gold medal.
Ms. Elsewhere Joined: 13 January 2008 Posts: 878 Location: In role play game of course!	Posted: Friday 29 January 2010 07 41 29 am    Post subject: Re: RPG: Parst City Super Hero Role Playing Game in topic:RPG: Parst City Super Hero Role Playing Game *********************************** (This means new chapter or the next day) Samantha woke up and could barely move. She leaned on one arm and sat up slightly. She looked around, recognising her bedroom. The dark green paint, the photos of her travels scattered in frames across the walls. Her bed was a mess, but her blankets were on her. she had not even gotten changed out of her clothes. She winced as she noticed the cuts and bruises forming on her arms and legs. Moving slowly, she sat up, swung her legs around and stepped out of bed. She grabbed a towel drapped at the end of her bed and stumbled off to the shower. The room started to smell like strawberries as Sam lathered up the shower gel. Desperate to recharge, she finished with the hot water and allowed only cold water to run. It helped, a little. Wrapped in her towel, she approached the mirror, and ran one hand across the steamed glass. Staring back at her was a very tired, battered version of herself. "I can't go to work like this." she voiced. Fishing around her room for her phone, she dialed and attached it to her ear. She looked at the bedside clock and saw it was almost 10am. The other end of the phone received. "Hi? Ya, it's Sam. Listen, I am really sick. I'm sorry I haven't called, I only just woke up. Ya, I know I'm sorry I haven't been in or called. I think it's food poisoning. Went out for dinner last night at..." she fished for a name and decided not to. "A local chinese. I shouldn't touch that stuff. Sorry, but you're going to have to reshedule the meeting with our client for tomorrow morning. Organise the surveilence, and I will go double check it tomorrow. Okay?" she paused, and the person on the other end spoke in agreeance. Then they disconnected. Sam removed the phone from her ear and sat on the bed, her hair wet around her face. "What am I going to do?" she said out loud. Two people were missing. She had no idea where Raijin had gone. He was no doubt wise enough to disappear when things go so crazy. But then, who had got her home. Sam looked up suddenly, and her heart rate increased. Great. He's probably sleeping on the couch. Sam stood up and walked slowly over to the door where her robe was hanging on the back. She grabbed it and wrapped herself in it, and then cautiously made her way into the living room. All was quiet. The couch seemed the same. Still, she had no memory of making her own way home, and that disturbed her. After surveying the entire apartment, she decided to make herself some coffee. As she filled the kettle and switched it on, she had a funny feeling she was being watched. Turning around, she scanned the room, the windows, and the corners with her eyes. The curtains moved, and she stared at them. Paranoia? Probably. But she had every right to be with the kind of stuff she was involved in now.
FortisUmbra Joined: 18 August 2009 Posts: 240	Posted: Tuesday 29 December 2009 09 43 32 am    Post subject: Re: The Shadow in topic:The Shadow Mathew woke up the next morning and looked at the clock by his bed. it was only 6:30. Why did he always wake up at 6:30? he sighed. Mathew got out of the bed changed out of his pajamas and into some nice close. today was his day off. he could do anything he wanted to do, but then he remembered the pile of paper work that he had to do. He sighed again. Mathew sat at his desk and looked around the room. he really wished that the base wasn't underground then they might have windows. he turned to his computer and started typing up the events of last night. when he finished he looked at the clock. it was 7:13. Mathew stood up and went to go shower. he had a long day ahead of him if John was going to be as dependent on him as he had been last night.
salemboy Joined: 20 May 2008 Posts: 1754 Location: NanoWrimo, baby! I'm gonna write until my hands bleed!!!	Posted: Tuesday 29 December 2009 08 14 11 am    Post subject: Re: The Shadow in topic:The Shadow Hakan awoke to the sound of Yuki breathing in his arms, the sunlight shining on his face. His arms wrapped around her, he pulled her in closer, giving her a tight squeeze. He wished that they didn't have to move. That they could just stay where they were, not have to worry about anything. Sadly, reality was not very kind. Opening his eyes, Hakan squinted through the sunlight at the clock. 7 in the morning, only four hours of sleep. Wonderful, he'd probably be killed by driving sleepy before the Light or his father ever reach him. He closed his eyes again, waiting a few moments before reopening them. Quietly, Hakan whispered in Yuki's ear, "It's time to wake up sleepy-head." A sigh escaped the female's lips as she fluttered her eyes open. "Time?" "7." "Ugh, ten more minutes," Yuki groaned as she relaxed back against Hakan, making him almost wish they didn't have to leave. But, they couldn't risk being caught. Squeezing Yuki's hand, Hakan whispered, "C'mon, you know we have to go. We can't risk being seen." Letting out another groan, Yuki sat up, and shifted herself back into her seat. "I was having such a good dream, too." "Really?" Hakan asked as he sat up himself and pulled on his seatbelt. "What about?" "Dragons," Yuki fastened her own seatbelt. "I dreamt that you and I rode dragons all over the world, and we had all these mystical powers. We were about to go on a 'great adventure,' if you catch my drift, when you woke me up." She smirked mischieviously at Hakan. All Hakan could manage was, "You and your dreams." He started the jeep, listening to it's engine pur. "I love this car," he muttered under his breath. Then he began accelerating down the road. The neighborhood that the pair was in was a tree-heavy environment, populated with a mixture of middle-class rednecks and low-life thugs. The neighborhood hoodlums had knocked over all of the street signs, so that Hakan and Yuki had no idea which road they were on. So they drove on, trying to find their way back to the main streets, passing by multiple houses that looked beaten to bits by the storm the night before. One house even had had a tree fall down on it, literally splitting the down the middle. Finally turning onto the main road, Hakan suddenly swore, slamming on the brakes. They were in stand-still traffic, the lines of cars seeming to go for miles. Slamming on the steering wheel, he sighed. "We were supposed to be moving by now." "It's ok," Yuki consoled, rubbing his back. "It'll clear up eventually. In the meantime, we can spend some quality time together. It's rare for us to have free time." Shrugging, Hakan asked, "What do you suppose we do then?" Hakan could have sworn he'd seen a gleam in Yuki's eye when she said, "Let's play Truth or Dare."
salemboy Joined: 20 May 2008 Posts: 1754 Location: NanoWrimo, baby! I'm gonna write until my hands bleed!!!	Posted: Wednesday 23 December 2009 08 16 06 am    Post subject: Re: The Shadow in topic:The Shadow [I would like to make an amendment to my last post, my character isn't wearing a jacket, and is wearing a t-shirt. The girl is not wearing a poncho but is wearing his jacket.] "We'd better get moving," Hakan turned to Yuki. The rain was still pouring down over them, soaking Hakan to the bone. He was stuck in close to her, trying to keep himself warm. She was lying next to him, her soaked head resting on his shoulder. The fact that her hair was dripping down his back didn't help. Sighing, Yuki responded, "You sure we have to leave?" "Yeah." Groaning, Yuki stood up as another bolt of lightning flashed across the sky, turning her into a silhouette against the bright background. Reaching out her hand, she helped Hakan to his feet. "Thanks," he mumbled. "No problem," was her reply. She locked her arm with his as they made their way down the hill from the tree. The field around them was soaked to the ground, the normally high-rising grass laid flat on the mud. The rushing water made it difficult for the two to keep their step, depending on eachother to stay balanced. Reaching the base of the hill, the two began running as another bolt of lightning flashed, followed by a great roll of thunder. The paths of the former battlefield had been so well-worn that even in the dark of night, it was easy to find their way. Their feet sank into the mud as they plodded along towards the paved roads of the battlefield. Parked on the side of the road was their jeep. A four-seater with various maps and instruments strewn about the dashboard, along with several empty cans of Coca-Cola lying around on the ground. Lying across the seat in the back was a shotgun with shell cases kept underneath the leather cushions. Opening the driver's door, Hakan slid into his seat, listening to his wet clothing making a squishing sound on the leather seats. Slamming the door shut, he waited for Yuki to get in before starting the jeep. The rain pounded on the roof overhead as Hakan pulled the car away from the roadside. Yuki began rustling through the maps, looking over them while marking certain points with a pen. "We need to go to the Appalachians," she said to him as they drove along the road towards fork in the road. Lightning flashed across the sky once again. "The Appalachians it-" "Go left!" Yuki shot out. Instantly complying, Hakan jerked the steering wheel to the left, taking the left fork. Trees blocked the other road from view as they drove along. "Turn out the lights," Yuki instructed. Hakan did as he was told. Not even a split-second after he did so, the lights from a truck came into view behind them as it passed the fork to where they had just been. "Was it them?" Hakan queried, momentarily looking at Yuki before returning his eyes to the road. It was nearly impossible to see. "Yes," was Yuki's answer as she looked back. The lights had passed, but it had been a close call. She returned to a normal position in her seat and rested her head on Hakan's shoulder. "You can turn the lights back on." Nodding, Hakan turned the car lights back on. Not the brights, just the normal lights. He drove along the road, navigating the way through the battlefield to the exit gate. Looking at the clock, he realized just how late it, and how tired he, was. 0300. He'd have to find some sleep soon. Yuki was already breathing heavily on his neck, asleep. They reached the gate to the battlefield. It was closed. "Wonderful," Hakan muttered. "Of course it's closed." Swearing under his breath, he gently pushed Yuki to the other side of the jeep and got out into the freezing rain. Shivering, he ran over to the gate, which was held in place by a padlock. Swearing again, Hakan ran back over to the jeep, and opened the back door. Next to the shells underneath the seat was a toolbox. Opening it, he pulled out a hammer. Slamming the door shut again, Hakan ran back to the gate. Patting the hammer in his hand, he tried to see the best place to slam down the head. Then he saw it. Not the actualy padlock, but the thin metal ring screwed into the pavement that the padlock held the gate to. Raising the hammer high above his head, Hakan took aim, at the ring, before slamming the hammer down. The thin ring snapped instantly, releasing the padlock and, consequently, the gate. Pushing against the metal bar, Hakan opened the gate all the way before returning to the jeep, opening his door, getting in, and throwing the hammer in the back. "Nice job," Yuki said, startling him. Hakan hadn't noticed that she'd awoken, and now she was staring at him. Nodding, Hakan motioned towards the road. "I think I remember there being a suburb out just past the gate. We'll stay there for a few hours before we set off again." "Whatever you say," Yuki smiled as she rested her head on his shoulder again. [Sorry, not enough time to make an full-quality post.]
Ms. Elsewhere Joined: 13 January 2008 Posts: 878 Location: In role play game of course!	Posted: Monday 21 December 2009 08 18 14 am    Post subject: Re: The Shadow in topic:The Shadow Jon woke up with a start. He was laying face down in a very, very bright room. He groaned and rolled over; the floor was made of cold tile, and something was wet on his shoulder. He layed there, one arm shielding his eyes, the other reaching over to his shoulder. He had cut himself, and there was a bit of blood there. On the arm he was using to shielf his face, he noticed his watch, so he looked at the time and saw that only ten minutes had passed since he had set the time. He sat up, panicing as the words from his mother's note rang in his ears. "Keep the right time..." he muttered out loud. He had to have been out longer than that. He looked around, desperate for a clock. Then his whole body weakened with a sickening, sinking feeling. Where was he? He had absolutely no idea.
Ms. Elsewhere Joined: 13 January 2008 Posts: 878 Location: In role play game of course!	Posted: Tuesday 15 December 2009 11 06 55 pm    Post subject: Re: The Shadow in topic:The Shadow Jonathan Deis woke up with a start and looked at the clock on his bedside table. 630am. He groaned. He didn't have to get up for hours. He was so tired of waking up at the same time every morning. But this time, it wasn't just his mind that was knocking him out of his dreams. He noticed someone standing at the door. "Happy Birthday son." a tall, grey haired but very fit looking man in a business suit and tie said to him from his bedroom door. Jon sat up. His father was holding two packages. "Hey dad. Thanks." he said with a croak. He had not used his voice yet and the room was so dry. He dad entered the room. "I come bearing gifts!" he said jokingly. His father didn't joke usually, but it was nice that he was trying. He layed one on Jon's lap. "This one first." he said quietly. Jon opened it obidently. It was a long box, and inside it was a long, black jacket that buttoned to the neck, and probably hung right to the floor. Jon smiled. "it's perfect. I like this sort of thing. Oh ya, it's Guess too. Cool." Jon was a big fan of designer clothing. "And now.. this one." he said, and handed the other package to him. Jon opened it too, a smaller box, and heavier. "It's from your mom. She.. wanted you to have it on your 16th birthday." Jon paused when he heard this, looking at his father. His dad did not take his eyes off the box. Jon continued to open the box, and within it were assortments of keepsakes. A ring, diamond and ruby and safire; some shells, a little tube of perfume, a few oregami swans and other treasures. A little card was inside, addressed to 'my son, Jonathan'. Jon lifted it up, and opened it up. He read it. "What did she say?" his father asked Jon. Jon paused for a moment. He felt his eyes welling up, and then he said. "It says; these are for you, my dearest. Always remember me." Jon closed the box with the card inside. He looked up at his father. "I think I'll get dressed. Are you going to work?" His father searched Jon's face for a long moment. "your mother did love you very much. I'm sorry you couldnt' know her. I'll leave now, and see you tonight for your birthday party." he leaned in and kissed his son on the head. "have a good day at school." And he left the room. Jon waited until he was sure his father was gone, then he fumbled and opened the box again. He pulled out the card and stared at it. It didn't say what he had told his father, it said; "Keep what you have a secret, or he will destroy you." Jon's breathing was fast, and the bedside table started to shake. "No." he said to it, and it stopped. He kept breathing heavily, frightened, and reached out to the bathroom. The taps within turned and steam from the hot water in the shower billowed out the door. He brought his hand down and sighed. "Right." his mother was speaking of his father, a general for the organisation called THE LIGHT. And sure as he was 16 today, he would be killed if his father knew that his bloodline now had super human dirt in it. Jon realised that his mother was probably super human too, but he hoped that her death was a tragic accident. He hoped with all his heart. He jumped out of bed, hid the box, and got ready for school.