Harry Potter Clock - Table and Alarm Clocks

Harry Potter Weasley Clock Keep track of the time Harry Potter style with this Weasley Family wall clock. The two working hands on this clock feature Ron and Ginny, the rest of the family are printed on the background and gives the illusion of the actual clock seen in the Harry Potter movies. Measures 12 inches square and requires one AA battery (not included). Body of clock made of high quality glossy cardboard. $19.99

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 <ul> <li>What time is it? <li>Just like in the films! <li>It's high time you owned one of these! </ul> 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

Harry Potter, Ron, & Hermione with Dementor Hourglass Waterglobe The clock is ticking on Harry Potter, Ron, and Hermione as the Dementor closes in on them in this exciting collectible musical hourglass waterglobe. The three friends stand together with their wands, ready to battle as a Dementor hovers above them inside the hourglass-shaped waterglobe. This hand-painted cold-cast resin figure measures just over 9 inches tall and plays the Harry Potter movie theme melody. $110.95

Harry Potter Alarm Clock Harry Potter Alarm Clock is made of plastic. Measures 6.5' long x 4.5' high. Only requires 2 'AA' bateries to function not included easy to set time and alarm. $22.95

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DucksRMagical Joined: 28 December 2006 Posts: 2375 Location: Going through LeakyCon withdrawal	Posted: Sunday 21 June 2009 08 49 13 am    Post subject: Re: In Moonlight's Shadow in topic:In Moonlight's Shadow Thanks, hprocks! Chapter 50: The Slug Club I began working even harder to avoid Monica after the incident during Astronomy. If I set my alarm a half hour earlier than I usually did I could get ready for class before Monica woke up and I could be down in the Great Hall before she was ready. That way I could avoid her and get extra studying done during brekkie. It was a win-win situation. Well, except for the lack of sleep. I was trying to get more sleep like Madam Pomfrey told me to, but it was hard. I was so far behind in History of Magic and it got worse every day. I was completely lost in class and it didn't help that Professor Binns's voice could put a screaming mandrake to sleep. I was slowly catching up in Charms and Transfiguration, although I was beginning to form a hatred of Charms. The professor, Professor Washburn, was possibly the nastiest professor I had ever met in my life. He clearly despised Gryffindor and favored the Slytherins in our class. Not only that, but he didn't really help when I needed help. All he did was yell at me and tell me I should practice more. Charms quickly became one of my least favorite classes. Potions was my favorite class, despite the fact that Quinton Willinson continually talked to me while I was brewing. I learned to ignore him and found he was pretty easy to tune out. "Miss Eckerton," Slughorn said to me as I was leaving Potions in early October. "Yes, Professor?" I paused near his desk. "I'm having a little get together this Friday evening at six for certain students who possess a lot of magical ability," Slughorn told me, "You've proven yourself to be an excellent potion brewer, so you are welcome to attend." I nodded. "Er, thanks, Professor." "You've been invited to the Slug Club," Willinson said smugly after I left the room. He had been standing outside the door, waiting for me, much to my disgust. "The what?" I looked at him strangely. "The Slug Club," Willinson repeated, "That's what we call it." "And do you go to these things?" "Ever since first year," Willinson grinned. I rolled my eyes. Of course. I sped up to try and escape from him, but he followed me all the way to the Great Hall for lunch. I turned to sit down at the Gryffindor table and he finally left me alone. I spent the rest of the week thinking about the 'Slug Club' meeting. Part of me was a little excited at being picked for what seemed to be an exclusive club, but the other part of me was kind of nervous about what it would entail. The prospect of spending more time with Willinson wasn't that great either. I owled both my parents and Olivia about it, but Olivia didn't get back to me before Friday. My parents thought I should go because they thought I'd make friends there. I sort of doubted that because I had already been at Hogwarts for a month and didn't really have any friends. I had one enemy, one bloke who occasionally said hi to me, a girl who was slightly annoying but liked to talk to me in Herbology, and a bloke who was constantly trying to beat me in potions contests. But none of them could be considered friends. Eventually I decided to go, mainly because I knew Monica wouldn't be there. I had heard her complaining about the Slug Club to Victoire the previous night. Victoire had just said 'mmm-hmm' every once in a while and then told Monica that the only reason she didn't like it was because she had never been invited. Monica wasn't too happy about this. Apparently Victoire occasionally went to Slug Club meetings but usually didn't because none of her friends went. I was at the door to the potions classroom at exactly six o'clock and took a deep breath before entering. There were chairs arranged in a circle and a table of food a few feet away. People were milling about, getting food and talking. I recognized two of the girls I had ridden in a carriage with on the first day. Gabriella and Georgia Weasley. I learned a few weeks ago that Gabriella was Victoire's sister and Georgia was their cousin. In fact, I learned that most of the red-haired people in Gryffindor were the infamous Weasley cousins. A few other Weasleys were in the room including the two first years, Fred and Heather. Apparently they were cousins and not twins. Teddy Lupin was there, along with the prefect, Landon Comer, who had woken me up on the first morning. Willinson was sitting down and talking with Slughorn. I wandered over to the food table, where Teddy and Landon were piling their plates high with all sorts of stuff. I picked up a plate and peered down at a pile of something that looked like chicken. "It's pheasant," Teddy grinned at me, "So you're in the Slug Club now, huh, Aussie?" I had given up trying to get Teddy to stop calling me 'Aussie' weeks ago. It was a lost cause and as long as no one else started doing it, I didn't mind. "Pheasant?" I hesitated before picking up a very small piece. It sounded like something Cinda would serve at a fancy party. "It's not bad," Teddy shrugged as he put some pheasant on his own plate. I took some potatoes and carrots and then followed Teddy and Landon to the chairs. They sat down near Gabriella and Georgia, which thankfully was far away from Willinson. I tentatively bit the pheasant while Teddy watched. It was disgusting. I grimaced and swallowed it, dropping the remaining bit onto my plate. Teddy burst out laughing. "I guess it's an acquired taste," he grinned. "Not one I'll be acquiring," I said as I took a large gulp of water. "So, how'd you wind up here?" Teddy asked, "Good at potions or were your parents famous in Australia?" I choked on my water and coughed it all over my plate. How did Teddy know to ask that? What did it have to do with the Slug Club? My heart started beating fast. Were people going to find out about Matt before he even had a chance to enter Hogwarts? "You ok?" Teddy looked at me strangely. "Yeah," I coughed. I could feel my cheeks turning red. "But why would you think my parents are famous?" "You don't know much about the Slug Club, do you?" "Er, no." Teddy laughed. "There's two ways you can get into the Slug Club. One, you're good at potions. Two, your parents or grandparents or some other relative are famous. Slughorn likes to establish contacts with famous people. That's how I got into this club. It definitely wasn't my potions ability. I'm rubbish at brewing. Must have inherited my dad's brewing ability. My mum was an auror who fought in the war against Voldemort. My dad fought against Voldemort, too, even though he wasn't an auror. Both of them were in the Order of the Phoenix. They died in the final battle." I nodded. "Victoire told me about that." Voldemort? Order of the Phoenix? Final battle? I really needed to get to that book Victoire recommended. "So what is it, then? Potions or parents?" "Potions," I told him, "My parents aren't famous." Not in England, that is, but I didn't tell him that. "Like Landon, then," Teddy gestured to his friend, "He tutors me in potions. If it weren't for him, I'd be failing." "You're hardly passing as it is," Landon replied. "You'd better step up the tutoring, then," Teddy laughed. "There's only so much I can do," Landon sighed, "I think you were born without the potions section of your brain." "Welcome, everyone!" Slughorn stood up, "I think we're all here now. We have one new member since our September meeting. Everyone say hello to Amy Eckerton." Slughorn gestured to me and everyone muttered hello. I blushed even more and waved. "Miss Eckerton has proved herself to be a most brilliant potions brewer!" Slughorn said excitedly, "Perhaps the best in her year, no offense to Mr. Willinson." Willinson did in fact look offended, but said nothing. He merely continued chewing his pheasant and glared at me. "Now, Amy," Slughorn went on, "Might you tell us a bit about your family? And what made your parents decide to move from, Australia, right?" I groaned inwardly. I shouldn't have came. I should have known this would happen. Everyone, including Slughorn, was watching me and waiting for me to explain why I had moved to England. "Er, well, my dad's working at the Ministry. In Werewolf Support Services," I said quietly, "And we did move from Australia." "Interesting!" Slughorn replied, "Very interesting career choice. And did he do that sort of work in Australia?" "Erm, yeah," I muttered. "Then why did you move?" a Hufflepuff who looked to be a little older than me asked. "Uh," I stammered, "The Ministry was downsizing. Budget cuts. So my dad got let go. He found a new job up here and that's it." "Ah, yes, budgets," Slughorn sighed, "A necessary, but irritating fact of life. And sadly Werewolf Support Services is always the first to go." I nodded, hoping that he would divert the conversation from werewolves. The last thing I wanted was for the club to debate the importance of Werewolf Support Services. Although I had a feeling Teddy would at least share my opinion. Luckily one of the Ravenclaws announced that her cousin had just signed a contract to become the Wimbourne Wasps's new Chaser, so the conversation turned to Quidditch. I paid vague attention while I ate my potatoes and carrots. The meeting was actually rather boring. I found myself stealing glances at the clock a few times and wondering what time Slughorn would decide to end the meeting. It finally ended shortly before eight o'clock and I left with Teddy and Landon. "What did you think?" Teddy asked as we walked back to Gryffindor. "That was one of the most boring things I've ever experienced and that includes fancy dinners with my grandparents," I said, "Why in the name of Merlin do you two go?" "Slughorn's got connections," Landon replied, "He might be able to help me get a job once I'm out of here." "I'm hoping for extra credit in potions," Teddy grinned, "Haven't gotten it yet, but I'm still trying." "You're hopeless," Landon laughed. "Well, I have no idea what I want to do when I graduate and I don't think I need any extra credit in potions," I replied, "I don't think I'm going to go to another one of those." "Suit yourself," Teddy shrugged, "But you'll come back once you realize you've got a craving for pheasant." I cringed at the thought of eating pheasant again and shook my head. Teddy certainly had a good sense of humor. He seemed to like everyone. I'd noticed that he was often the center of attention in the common room. Victoire was often with him, when she wasn't with Monica, and the two of them seemed to be really good friends. ****** The common room was buzzing with excitement the next morning. There was a large crowd around the notice board and quite a few people were talking about 'stocking up' on stuff. I waited until most of the crowd had dissipated and went to see what all the excitement was about. There was a note on the board that announced the first Hogsmeade visit of the year. It was in two weeks, on the nineteenth. Brilliant, I thought, I could use a break from school. From what little I'd seen of Hogsmeade during our trip to Hogwarts, it seemed to be a cute village. It would be fun to explore it some more. After brekkie I went back up to my dormitory and wrote another letter to my parents. I wanted to know if they could go to Hogsmeade when I was going. I hadn't seen them in over a month and I was missing them more than I wanted to admit. I had gotten so used to seeing them everyday and Hogwarts didn't have holidays every few weeks like the Australian School of Sorcery did. I wouldn't get to go home until Christmas. My weekend was full of studying and just wandering around the grounds. I liked walking near the Forbidden Forest and tried to see what was in it without actually stepping foot in the place. What I wanted to do was go explore it, but was too afraid to get caught. Mum and Dad's reply arrived Sunday night while I was eating dinner. Pollux still hadn't gotten the hang of delivering mail at the same time as the other owls. I hurried up to my dormitory and shut the hangings around my bed before I opened it. Dear Amy, We're sorry to hear that the Slug Club was a bit of a disaster. At least those two boys, Teddy and Landon, seem nice. Don't feel that you have to attend another one of those if you don't want to. The Hogsmeade visit sounds like fun. Unfortunately, it is the day after the full moon. It's not likely that either of us will be able to meet you. One of us will need to be home with Matt, and Dad thinks he'll have to work that morning. We'll let you know if his work schedule changes. Your birthday is the week after. We'll owl Professor Kendrick and see if we could go with you to Hogsmeade that weekend. It's a better time. Try and have fun in Hogsmeade. Maybe you could see if some of the other girls in your dormitory would go with you? Write soon. We love you and miss you. Love, Mum, Dad, Matt, and Ellie I put the letter back in its envelop and sighed. I leaned back against my pillows and stared at the top of my bed. The full moon was the day before the Hogsmeade visit. I hadn't even realized that. Of course they wouldn't be able to go. I guess I would be going to Hogsmeade alone. Victoire would be going with Monica and I did not want to go with her. The other girls always talked about Quidditch and I didn't want to spend a whole day doing that. They pretty much ignored me anyway. I couldn't just ask if they'd go to Hogsmeade with me. Maybe my family would be able to go on my birthday. To be honest, I had almost forgotten it was coming up. My past three birthdays had been spent with Olivia in our dormitory. We always threw each other mini parties on each other's birthdays. That wasn't going to happen this year. No one in my dormitory would so much as mutter a 'happy birthday' on their way out the door. I heard footsteps come into the room and I hoped it was Samantha or one of her friends, not Monica and Victoire. "I think Eckerton is here," Monica said. No such luck. "So?" Victoire replied. "I'm surprised she's not in the library, studying," Monica went on, "That's all she ever does." "Maybe she wants to get good grades," Victoire muttered, "Until this year, you studied a lot, too." "I know. I just don't see the point anymore. I still get decent marks when I don't study. I'd rather just spend more time having fun." "You know it's best to have marks that are better than decent," Victoire told her, "You'll need them when you go to look for a job when we graduate." "Well, I don't know what I want to do with my life," Monica said and I heard a bed creak, "We haven't all had our lives planned out since first year." "I have not," Victoire replied. "Yes, you have," Monica laughed, "You're going to become a Healer and marry Teddy Lupin. You'll probably have two or three kids. At least one of them will have a French name." Teddy Lupin? How could Monica think Victoire was going to marry him? They weren't even going out, as far as I knew. I thought it was pretty strange to know who you wanted to marry at the age of fourteen anyway. I certainly had no idea. "I do not!" Victoire shouted, "Teddy's just a friend! I've known him since I was born. We grew up together." "Which is what makes it so adorable," Monica giggled, "Oh, come on, you know you like him." "I don't," Victoire muttered. "You'll have a perfect life together. Like a fairy tale. The poor orphan boy whose parents died working to defeat an evil wizard falls in love with the beautiful quarter veela girl who led a sheltered life. You get married, have three beautiful children, and everything's perfect," Monica sighed. Quarter-veela? No wonder Victoire was so pretty. That explained her and Gabriella's white blonde hair. I had noticed that they were the only ones out of the Weasley cousins who didn't have red hair. I guess the veela blood overcame the red hair gene. "Monica, you've been reading too many love stories," Victoire groaned, "Real life doesn't work that way." That was for sure, I thought. My family was proof of that. My parents' lives had been like a fairy tale, until they had trouble getting pregnant. But then when I was born, the fairy tale was back. Then it shattered in mere minutes when Matt had been bitten. Nothing ever stayed perfect. I was sort of surprised that Monica was the one to bring all of this up. I would never have guessed her to be the hopeless romantic of the dormitory. It was a complete contrast to the girl who had been making fun of me for the past month. "Maybe not usually," Monica said, "But if it would work for anyone, it would be you. Anyway, you're still set on becoming a healer, right?" "As long as I keep my potions grade up," Victoire sighed, "I have to get at least an E on my O.W.L. next year." I had no idea what an O.W.L. was. It did sound vaguely familiar, like it was one of those things Kendrick had mentioned when I was sorted. That was something I'd have to find out soon, though, if it was happening the next year. "Maybe you could get Teddy to help you," Monica said. Both of them burst out laughing and I smirked. "I'll muddle through," Victoire said. "Of course you will," Monica replied, "You're smart." "So are you, if you'd just study," Victoire said. ****** The next couple of weeks went by fast and soon it was the night before the Hogsmeade visit. Dad had owled me earlier in the day and told me that he had to work the next day and wouldn't be able to meet me in Hogsmeade. I hadn't really thought that he'd be able to go, but I was still disappointed. It was also the night of the full moon. The common room was noisy and filled with excitement which greatly contrasted my own mood. I was sitting off by myself trying to read a History of Magic book. I wasn't really concentrating on it, though. I was staring out the window, watching the moon, and thinking about Matt. There was a howl of laughter and I turned to look at the middle of the common room. Teddy had morphed to look like Professor Washburn and was giving a speech in which he professed an unhealthy love for hippogriffs. I had no doubt that the story was fake, but it was still incredibly funny. I laughed to myself and tried to get back to my reading. I had only seen Teddy morph a few times, but it no longer shocked me. The first time I saw him change his hair, my jaw dropped to the floor, which sent Teddy into hysterics. I didn't really want to stay in the common room and listen to the happy chatter of the other Gryffindors, but I had no other place to go. Monica was in our dormitory with a few sixth year friends and I didn't want to go up there. Victoire wasn't with them. She was with Teddy. I was half tempted to wander to the Hospital Wing and just stay there for the night. I hadn't been there since the last full moon when I had spilled my guts to Madam Pomfrey. I didn't want to repeat that, but I had a feeling that Madam Pomfrey wouldn't question why I was there if I showed up tonight. But at the same time, I didn't want to get in the habit of going there every month. I wound up just staying in the common room until it emptied out. The younger students started going up to their dormitories around eleven and by one in the morning, the place was deserted. I wasn't tired and had no desire to go up to my dormitory until I knew the other girls were asleep. I wouldn't be able to sleep anyway. I hadn't gotten a decent night's sleep on the night of a full moon in nearly three years. Even when I went to school in Australia I had sleepless nights during full moons. Eventually I went up to my dormitory and laid down in my bed. Whoever snores (I still hadn't figured it out yet) was snoring, but I didn't bother using the silencing charm since I wasn't really tired. The next thing I knew I was waking up to the sound of an owl hooting. I cracked my eyes open and squinted in the sunlight. I glanced at the clock and saw that it was almost noon. I sat up and yawned. Pollux was sitting on the foot of my bed with a letter wrapped around his left leg. I laughed to myself as Pollux flew over to me. I doubted he was ever going to deliver letters at the right time. Although I had slept through brekkie that day. I untied the letter and patted Pollux on the head. He hooted and then flew out the window. I opened the letter and began to read it. Dear Amy, I'm not sure if you'll get this before you go to Hogsmeade or not, but if you do, we hope you have fun. Get out of the castle and enjoy yourself. It's your chance to explore the village without us telling you where to go. You've always wanted to do that. The full moon was last night, although I'm sure you know that. It was a bad one. Matt had been sicker than usual for the days leading up to it. We think he actually caught the flu a few days ago. It's never good when he catches a bug right before the full moon. He's pretty sick right now. We're going to take him to St. Mungo's if he isn't a little better by the afternoon. We just wanted to let you know. Don't worry too much. We'll keep you updated. Have fun in Hogsmeade. Love, Dad P.S. Pollux is a very smart owl. He was sitting on the deck this morning, right when the sun rose, like he knew we had a letter to send to you. Have fun in Hogsmeade. That wasn't going to happen now. My stomach churned as I stuffed the letter back in its envelope. How could I have fun in Hogsmeade knowing that Matt was really sick? It wasn't fair. He just got over the injuries from the full moon at the transformation center in Australia. Why did he have to catch the flu right around the full moon? Matt had caught the flu right before the full moon once before, about a year ago. I hadn't been home at the time, but Mum and Dad had told me what had happened. It was bad for him to get sick right before the full moon because then his system was already run down and trying to recover from whatever bug he had, and then he had to turn into a wolf. It had taken him a week to recover the last time it had happened. I got out of bed and got dressed. Everyone else in my dormitory was gone, presumably in Hogsmeade. I wasn't really in the mood to do anything fun, but figured going to Hogsmeade might take my mind off Matt. My only other choice was to wander around the castle all day.
Distortia Joined: 13 January 2008 Posts: 626 Location: In role play game of course!	Posted: Thursday 7 May 2009 08 34 36 am    Post subject: Re: RPG: The Six Wizards in topic:RPG: The Six Wizards: First Warning "Oh?" Ouki queried. She turned her head rested her face in one hand. "What's that?" ************************************************ Chi Inu stalked along the streets. He checked the time on a nearby street clock. He growled. Twenty more minutes until the hour was up. He had almost started to believe he was loosing his touch, when he stopped dead before a building. He had caught Neko's scent; and it was mixed with blood. His sensitive ears picked out something he had not expected. Neko was screaming, somewhere inside this place. Inu turned and faced the building. It looked innocent enough. Just like the others along side of it. He took out his wand and walked up the stairs, cautiously. Anywhere where there was someone who could catch and torture Neko was a place to be wary of. Then he saw the symbol. He brought his wand down and scoffed. "Witch hunters." he spat. He pointed his wand at the door and muttered "Alohamora." The door opened with a gentle 'click'. He was so angry he would have blasted the door off it's hinges, but he didn't. He knew he needed the element of surprise. One wrong move and Neko would be dead. She was still human after all, in spite of her talents. And that, he thought to himself, would be an unforgiveable waste. Inu made his way down the passage. He padded softly along the tatami mats and came to a sliding door which lead to a staircase leading down. He looked back along the passage; there were two other doors along it, but he was convinced this was the one he was after. He descended. He compared the set up to medieval England, and appropriately so. It was literally a torture chamber, with tools and bars and roaring fires with bubbling liquids. He inched around the wall, watching for movement. Then he heard her again. He flinched, surprised again. He put his head back and took a deep breath. She was very much alive still. But there was so much blood. He could hear her heart racing. Inu peered around the corner and saw two men sitting at a table, and a beyond them was a wooden door. Inu scanned the room, and when he was sure no one else but the two and himself were there, he concealed his wand and then stepped out and approached them. "Gentlemen!" he called. The men stood up, alarmed. "Who are you?" one said. "What are you doing in here?" Inu smiled. The were only here to harm the magical ones. They didn't know what he could do to them. Inu wasted no time. "Crucio!" he hissed, and the man who had spoken to him fell to the ground in agony. His friend stared at his friend, and then he started to pull something from under his arm. He revealed a gun, which he pointed at Inu. "Stop it!" he yelled. "Stop it or I'll shoot you!" Inu smiled at the man. He pulled his wand out from his sleeve and pointed it at the man. "If you say so." he said politely, and then said "Avada Kedavra!". The man went completely limp and exhaled one last sickening breath before laying there perfectly still with his eyes staring. "What..... hey..." the man who held the gun called over to his friend. He looked from Inu to him and back, the hand holding the gun shook violently. He crouched down as Inu watched him, smiling cruely. He checked his friends pulse, and then pushed his eyes shut with one sweep of his hand, all the while keeping an eye on Inu. Inu let him maintain the illusion of control. The man stood up, put both hands on the gun, and fired straight at Inu's chest. Inu stepped back, clutching at his chest. He stumbled theatrically, and then he looked up and laughed. The man fired again and again, until all the shots were gone. Inu took each bullet, and then he walked slowly over to the man, who had collapsed to the ground, dropping the gun. "I.....I... Impossible." he stuttered. "Not impossible. " Inu said as he lifted the man up by his shoulders. "Just Inu." and he ripped the man's head off and sent it rolling across the floor. The blood sprayed up into the air from the man's neck, and the body fell to the floor and convulsed even as Inu went for the door. He could hear them all now, stirring inside. They had heard the shot. Inu pushed the door open and was pleased with what he saw; a ritual table was set up in the middle of the room. This meant only one thing. They would not kill Neko without completing the ritual. They would try to kill him first. He stood up to his full height, flexing his chest. Bullet shells clanged to the stone floor. The men around Neko started to assemble, ready to attack him. One other woman was in the room, and she stayed beside Neko, reading from a black little book as she eyes Inu fearfully.
DucksRMagical Joined: 28 December 2006 Posts: 2375 Location: Going through LeakyCon withdrawal	Posted: Sunday 3 May 2009 10 10 23 am    Post subject: Re: In Moonlight's Shadow in topic:In Moonlight's Shadow Thanks hprocks! Willinson will be back in future chapters as well. Chapter 45: Tense Moon I spent the next week and a half pouring over my new Potions and Astronomy books. After reading the first chapter of my Potions book, I brewed the first potion in it. It took a few tries, but I eventually got it right. My Astronomy book was quite different from previous year's. This one focused on the Northern Hemisphere and I realized that my knowledge of that hemisphere was limited. The last thing I wanted was to go to Hogwarts without knowing the required Astronomy curriculum, so I found a few Astronomy books that Dad had put in the library and spent hours memorizing the stars of the Northern sky. I even named my new owl after one of the stars I discovered. Pollux. As soon as I read the name, I knew it fit my owl. I'm not sure why, but it did. Mum and Dad were remaining mysteriously quiet about the upcoming full moon and their plans for it. Neither of them said anything about me flying to Richard and Cinda's, which gave me the feeling I wasn't going to. They would have had to book tickets ahead of time and I hadn't heard any mention of that. But at the same time, I doubted they'd actually let me stay home during the full moon. Sure, they were becoming a little more lax about keeping me away in the days following, but I had a feeling that was due to logistics more than anything else. The day before the full moon, Mum and Dad holed up in Dad's study, much like they had done when we were in Australia. Dad had gotten the day off, as well as the day of the actual full moon and the day after. Apparently when he asked for the days off, his boss didn't even ask why and let him have them without even thinking about it. I was sitting in a chair in the den trying to memorize more of the Northern sky, but kept looking up at the door to see if Mum and Dad left Dad's study. I knew they were talking about the full moon, and me. After what seemed like nearly an hour, I heard footsteps coming into the room and immediately closed my book and looked up. Mum and Dad walked in and sat down on either side of Matt, who was laying on the couch, but was still awake. Mum gazed softly down at him and rubbed his back. Dad looked up at me. "Amy, we've been talking about tomorrow," Dad said quietly. "I figured," I said, "I'm guessing I'm not going to Richard and Cinda's?" "No," Dad replied, "It's too complicated to fly you down there once a month. I don't want you flying alone, so one of us would have to go with you. That's two round-trip tickets once a month, which is too costly." I nodded. That made sense. Although I was sort of afraid to hear their alternative plan. "This is the last full moon before school and there isn't a full moon over your Christmas holiday this year. Once we get through this one, we won't have to think about it until next summer," Dad went on, "So we have a temporary plan just for tomorrow. I know you won't like it, but it's our only option. I'm asking you to just accept it, Amy." I shrugged. "I suppose." "You and your mother are going to spend the night in an inn," Dad explained, "One in Hogsmeade, that we've never been to. You can't go to the Leaky Cauldron or the Three Broomsticks since the owners know us now. They would find it incredibly odd that you would be spending a night there after already moving. The one you're staying at is called the Hog's Head." My jaw dropped and I stared at him. Then I looked at Mum, who didn't look at all happy with this plan. Staying at an inn with Mum during the full moon hadn't even crossed my mind. Both of my parents had been with Matt on every full moon since he was bitten (well, not with him, but in the same house). I knew Mum wouldn't want to be away from him tomorrow night. "How in the name of Merlin did you come up with that?" I asked. Dad sighed, "The original plan was for Jack to come visit and he would stay at an inn with you, but he couldn't get time off work. He's used up all his holiday time for the year, between the estate sale and Matt's being in St. Mungo's. So, Mum will go with you." "Er, ok, then," I muttered, still shocked at the lengths they would go to keep me out of the house once a month. "Thanks, Amy," Dad sighed, "I really appreciate you not protesting this." I shrugged. It wasn't that different than spending the night with Richard and Cinda, except I'd be with Mum instead. ****** I never was home the day of the full moon until a few months ago, shortly before the whole moving saga started. Mum and Dad always shuttled me out of the house at least the day before. I hadn't known what to expect that day in December, when I spent the morning of the full moon at home. That day seemed to have loosened my parents because after that, I spent a few more full moon mornings at home. But even then, I was still out of the house by early afternoon. This full moon was different. Mum clearly wanted to stay at home with Matt. She barely left his side all day. I briefly wondered why she didn't stay home with him instead of Dad, but then figured it was because Dad had a more extensive knowledge of werewolves and spells that would overcome one, should that become necessary. I made the mistake of suggesting that I just stay home, but that earned me a fifteen minute lecture from Mum, who was already short-tempered and tense. She only stopped yelling when Matt, who had been sleeping on the couch, woke up and pitifully told her to stop screaming so loud. After that, I just decided to steer clear of her and spent the day in my room. I came out briefly to scrounge for something to eat, but then went back in. I didn't come out until Dad told me that the moon would be rising in an hour and it was time for me to leave. I grabbed the bag I had packed and tentatively walked down the stairs. After my earlier interaction with Mum, I didn't really want to spend the night with her. Mum and Dad were both sitting on the couch in the living room. Matt was shaking in Mum's arms. She looked up at me when I walked in and then turned back to Matt. "Honey, I'm going to have to go," she whispered. "N-no," Matt cried, "Mummy, don't go!" "I have to, honey, but I'll be back in the morning. I promise I'll be there when you wake up," Mum soothed. Mum and Dad both stood up and Dad took Matt out of Mum's arms. He was crying hysterically and I kind of stood awkwardly to the side. I had no idea what to say and figured it would probably be best not to say anything. "C'mon, Matt, we're going to go down to the basement," Dad said quietly and then turned to Mum, "Bye, Jule. See you in the morning. I love you." "Love you, too," Mum replied. She kissed Matt's head. "Bye, honey, I love you. I'll be there when you wake up." "Bye, Amy. Love you," Dad said. "Love you, too, Dad," I replied. "Good luck," Mum said quietly. "We'll be fine," Dad assured her. Mum picked up her bag and walked wordlessly to the door. I followed her and shut the door behind us. We walked a short distance until we reached the end of the anti-Apparition wards and then Mum beckoned for me to Apparate with her. We reappeared in Hogsmeade and no one gave us a second glance as we began to walk down the street. I had no idea where we were going, but Mum seemed to have a slight idea. A short while later we found the pub called the Hog's Head. The building looked in dire need of repairs and I could've sworn I saw a few goats in the backyard. I followed Mum inside and realized that this place was the complete opposite of the Three Broomsticks. It was dark and dusty inside and the air had a faint smell of what I could only describe as goat. There were a few patrons, but none of them seemed to be conversing with each other. Most of them were clad in layers of cloaks and shawls, despite the warm weather outside. Mum and I walked up to the bar, where a very old man with ridiculously long and unkempt grey hair was absentmindedly rubbing a cloth along the counter. I gawked as I saw that there was another goat behind him. It was chewing on something and I didn't want to know what. "I'd like a room for the night," Mum said once we got his attention. The man grumbled and walked over to the other end of the bar. He returned and slammed a key down on the table. "Room two," he muttered. "Thank you," Mum said as she reached into her pocket. She pulled out a couple Galleons and tossed them on the bar. "Keep the change. We'll likely be gone before you open for the day." "Mm-hmm," the man grunted, "'S fine." We left the bar and located a staircase, which lead us up to a small corridor with about four rooms leading off of it. We stopped at the one labeled 'two' and Mum unlocked it. The room was about as dirty as the pub below. The bedspread on the only bed looked to be older than the bloke who was running the place. It was patched and frayed and missing some chunks of fabric. There was no doubt in my mind that a goat had chewed on it. I was thoroughly surprised that Mum was actually willing to stay at this place. Of course, maybe now she'd be less likely to tell me that my room was messy. Compared to this place, my room was the neatest room around. I tossed my bag down on the bed and a cloud of dust appeared around it. I then went over to the window and yanked the curtains open to try and get some light in the place. The sun had mostly set, but the moon hadn't quite risen. I went back to my bag and pulled out a book, fully prepared to read and not say a word to Mum the entire night. There was no way I'd actually sleep, even if that bed had been cleaned during the last century. Despite my dislike for the current arrangement, I was still worried about my brother. Mum planted herself on the dusty bed, seemingly completely unaware of the dirtiness of it. I couldn't ever remember a time where Mum did not make a comment on the cleanliness of an obviously dirty room. It was a sure sign that she was distracted. She sat there, utterly devoid of movement for a full half an hour. During that half hour, I alternated reading a few sentences from my book and gazing out at the sky. I was watching the moon rise. It was something I did during most full moons, but normally did alone. I certainly hadn't done it with Mum before, except before Matt had been bitten. Of course, Mum was so quiet and still that I could have pretended that she wasn't even there. Part of me thought I should say something to comfort her or reassure her everything would be ok, but I sort of knew it would be pointless. Mum made the first sound since her short conversation with the barman the moment the moon rose. It was a short intake of breath, that was just audible for me to hear. I turned around and saw that her moonlit face was etched with anguish. The moon had risen. At that moment, my brother was turning into a wolf. Even though it had been happening for two and a half years, the idea of my tiny, quiet brother turning into a monster boggled my mind. Although she had made some sort of noise, my mother still didn't move. She sat on the bed, staring out the window as I read in the rickety chair that was next to the bed. I was just beginning to get used to the idea that Mum would sit on that bed for the entire night when she suddenly stood up. The bed creaked and I nearly dropped my book in surprise. "Ellie!" Mum said suddenly. There was a loud crack and Ellie appeared out of thin air. She was looking curiously at Mum, who looked determined. I could see why Ellie was so confused. We rarely ever called her like that. We didn't treat her like someone who would act on our every whim and desire and feed us peeled grapes poolside. She was a member of the family, and that was that. "Is you needing something, Mistress?" Ellie asked. "I'm sorry, Ellie," Mum croaked, "I know we don't normally call you to us like that. But I have to know. How is-" her voice cracked, "How is Matt?" "Master Matt is in the basement," Ellie replied, "Ellie is not knowing anything else." "C-could you ask Walter?" Mum said quietly. "Of course, Mistress," Ellie disappeared with a crack. Mum sighed and collapsed onto the bed again. She coughed as a cloud of dust erupted around her. Ellie Apparated into the room a few minutes later. Mum looked up. "Well?" she asked. "Master says nothing out of the ordinary is happening. Other than that, Master does not know. Matt is in the basement, like usual," Ellie told her. "Thanks, Ellie," Mum whispered. Ellie nodded and then Disapparated. Mum returned to her vigil on the bed after Ellie left. I resumed my reading and decided not to talk unless Mum asked me something. The tense look on her face told me the smallest thing would set her off. As the night progressed, Mum continued to call Ellie every few hours. I wasn't sure what the point of it was. As long as the moon remained full, nobody was going to know what was going on in the basement. I did understand Mum's worry. I was worried. I was afraid of what was happening at that very moment. But I understood that there was nothing I could do. That was one difference between Mum and I. She couldn't accept that this was one thing she couldn't make easier for Matt. I was sure this had something to do with her motherly instincts, but as I wasn't a mother, I couldn't be sure. What I did know was that I couldn't do a thing to help Matt and I wasn't going to anguish over it. "Ellie?" Mum said for what must have been the fifth time that night. It was just after two in the morning and I was beginning to become tired, but didn't want to succumb to the fatigue. Ellie Apparated once again into the dank room we were spending the night in. She looked wearily at Mum. Mum stood up and opened her mouth to speak, but Ellie was faster. "Nothing has changed since the last time you called Ellie," Ellie sighed, "And Ellie must tell you that she is needing to sleep." Mum sank down onto the bed and put her face in her hands. "Oh, Merlin, you're right. I'm so sorry, Ellie. I didn't even think- I just- Oh, I don't know..." her voice trailed off. "It's all right," Ellie assured her, "Everything will be ok. Ellie will see you in a few hours." Mum nodded and Ellie Disapparated. I glanced up from my book and saw that Mum still had her head in her hands. I could hear quiet sobs coming from her. I looked out at the moon once again and then just decided to get up and sit on the bed next to Mum. I awkwardly got up and sat down next to Mum. The bed creaked and she looked at me, but said nothing. Something told me to put my arm around her, so I did. It was strange. I was the daughter and she was the mother, yet I was comforting her. That fact hit me like a bludger to the stomach. Things were changing, faster than I would have thought or wanted. ****** I must have fallen asleep sometime after that, because the next thing I knew Mum was shaking me awake. "Amy," she whispered, "Amy!" she shouted a little louder. "Urgh," I muttered and sat up. The room was dark, but when I looked out the window, I saw that the moon had set and the first rays of morning sun were peeking their way over the horizon. "Come on, Amy," Mum said urgently, "Get up! The moon's set. We're going home." "Mmm-kay," I replied and sleepily sat up. I shoved my book back into the bag of pajamas that I had never changed into and followed Mum out the door. The pub below was deserted save for a goat that was chewing on one of the tables. I still thought it was extremely bizarre that goats lived in the pub. I suppose if I hadn't been to the Three Broomsticks or the Leaky Cauldron, I would have thought that goats were a standard fixture in British wizarding pubs. But, I had, so the goats in the Hog's Head was very odd indeed. Mum left the key on the bar and we headed out to the street. Hogsmeade was quiet and empty. Not a soul was out that early. The only living thing I saw was a cat milling about a few trees. Mum and I Disapparated once we'd walked a few meters. We reappeared in our backyard and Mum paused before continuing to the house. "Amy, I want you to go to your room once we're inside. Your father and I have to heal Matt's injuries and start to get his strength back. I don't want you in the room for that. Please, don't argue with me. Just go to your room, get some sleep, and Dad or I will get you in a few hours." I nodded, somehow not even wanting to argue with her. A few months ago I would have. But after the whole ordeal in Australia, I was beginning to see that there was no point to arguing. Plus, after seeing Mum that night, I actually didn't want to cause her anymore stress. Neither Mum or Dad came to get me until late in the afternoon. I didn't really notice since I slept all day. I knew I would regret that once nighttime came, but I was knackered. Dad woke me up shortly before dinner and told me that Matt was no worse than usual. He was sleeping, so I wasn't allowed to go see him. I ate a quiet dinner with Mum and Dad, who both still looked exhausted. I laid awake for half the night since I wasn't tired. I realized that that was the last full moon before I'd go to school. It was strange to think about going back to school. I hadn't been in school for over six months. I had gotten used to being home with my family. We had been through so much since December and me going back to school was sort of like things were getting back to normal. What was normal? I had no idea anymore. Normal used to be living in Australia, going to the Australian School of Sorcery, seeing Richard and Cinda all the time, and visiting with Kenzie and Olivia. None of that was going to be normal now. Now I lived in England, would go to Hogwarts, rarely see my grandparents, and I had no friends here. I guess that would soon be normal. The next week flew by in a blur. Matt had a few more visits from Healer Norlam, who decided to decrease the visits to once a week now that Matt was making so much progress. Mum and Dad were thrilled by that. I became increasingly more nervous about Hogwarts as the week progressed. I couldn't go to a new school for fourth year. My parents were mental for making me do this. The only people in that entire school I would know were Teddy and the bloke from the Apothecary, and he was an arse. How in the name of Merlin was I going to fit into a group of kids who had been together since first year? "We're going to miss you, Amy," Mum said at dinner the night before the first day of school. I nodded as I picked at the food on my plate. Mum had made spaghetti, my favorite. It reminded me of my first day back from school, way back in December, before I had any idea that we were going to move. "You are going to do fine at Hogwarts," Dad assured me, "It's a great school." "I can't wait to go to Hogwarts!" Matt said excitedly, "You'll have to tell me everything about it." "Yeah, sure," I muttered. He had enough enthusiasm for the both of us. I wished he could just go instead of me. Mum smiled sympathetically. "You are going to be fine. You'll make new friends." Easier said than done, I thought. "I'm not really that hungry. I think I'll just go to bed," I said quietly as I got up from the table. "Ok, we'll see you in the morning. Good night," Mum got up and gave me a hug, "I love you." "'Night, Amy," Dad said, "Love you." "Love you too," I replied and left the room. I ran up the stairs and into my room. The first thing I saw was my packed trunk. I sighed and collapsed onto my bed. This was so different than when I was eleven and first going to the Australian School of Sorcery. I had been so excited then. From the moment I received my letter, I couldn't wait to go to school. The summer had seemed to drag on. Everything from shopping for my wand to packing my trunk had been exciting to me. I think I drove my parents mad with the amount of questions I asked them about school that summer. Life had been so carefree back then. It was hard to believe that that had only been three and a half years ago. So much had changed. I really had nothing to worry about back then. Sure, I still had problems making friends, but as soon as I became friends with Olivia, I didn't worry about it. So much had happened since then. Matt was bitten, Dad got promoted, Killigan denied Matt admission to school, Dad got fired, we moved. And now, here I was again entering a school for the first time. Only this time I wasn't filled with excitement. I was filled with dread. I didn't want to go. I tossed and turned the entire night. I stared at the clock and watched as the numbers slowly ticked towards morning. Eventually, I gave up. I got up and read my new Potions text book. It couldn't hurt to get continue with the reading.
DucksRMagical Joined: 28 December 2006 Posts: 2375 Location: Going through LeakyCon withdrawal	Posted: Sunday 1 March 2009 09 35 47 am    Post subject: Re: In Moonlight's Shadow in topic:In Moonlight's Shadow Thanks Obladi and hprocks! I have wanted to kill fictional characters, too, Obladi. Chapter 36: Therapy Session I spent most of the morning half-reading a book in the living room and half-watching Matt try out his crutches. He had taken a nap right after brekkie and woke up wanting to figure out how to use the crutches. It was kind of amusing to watch as Matt was pretty clumsy when he walked on two feet, and with crutches it was like he was walking on three feet. He must have fallen over at least ten times before Mum made him stop. She was afraid he'd hurt something else. I sort of wanted to try out the crutches, too. I wasn't going to admit it to Mum, but they looked kind of fun. I'd never used them before, as wizards normally didn't need them. I broke my leg once when I was a little older than Matt. I'd fallen out of a tree. But the healers at Eastworth had it fixed within a few minutes and I was walking on it again two days later. Dad disappeared into his study shortly after he finished eating his eggs. He muttered something about sending an owl to Norlam telling him to take a portkey to the bush behind the house instead of trying to floo. Dad was still planning on having our house disconnected from the floo network. Dad also said something about having to reschedule the final estate sale. It was supposed to have been the previous day, but he'd canceled it at the last minute due to Matt's lengthy hospital stay. I wasn't really sure when he was planning on having it since we were supposed to move in only a few short weeks, but I certainly wasn't going to worry about it. I didn't really think it would take all morning to send an owl and rearrange an estate sale, but Dad didn't reemerge from his study for hours. I saw Mum sigh and shake her head as she paused by the closed door on her way upstairs. Whatever he was doing in there, Mum seemed to realize that he wanted to be alone. After lunch Matt fell asleep again and I got bored with reading. I put down my book and walked up the stairs to my potions room. I hadn't brewed anything in ages, which was kind of odd. I wasn't sure why I hadn't. Mum had long since given up on monitoring my homework since she had much more important things to worry about. I guess potion brewing had been pretty low on my priority list given the state of things in my family. I brewed all afternoon and it was incredibly relaxing. I slowly forgot about the move and Matt's injuries and Dad's stress and everything else that was going on. The only thing I was thinking about was the potion I was brewing. I didn't even have to think about Matt barging in on me since he could hardly maneuver himself with his crutches across the living room let alone manage to climb up two flights of stairs with them. I didn't even realize how much time had passed until my stomach started rumbling. I bottled up the potion and cleaned up. I was stowing my silver cauldron back in the cabinet when I heard a faint knock on the door. "Come in," I said. Dad walked inside looking worn out. I looked at him and suddenly noticed how old he looked. I hadn't really noticed my parents aging over the years, but for some reason Dad just looked much older than usual at that moment. His face was etched with lines and his eyes sunken into the purple bags that surrounded them. Maybe he just hadn't slept well in a few days. I had gotten a good night's sleep the previous night, but Dad might not have since Matt was in his room. "Hey, Dad," I said as I closed the cabinet. "Hi, Amy," Dad replied, "Dinner's ready." "Oh, good. I'm starved." "Well, Ellie's outdone herself," Dad smiled wearily, "I think she missed cooking for us the past couple weeks." "I've definitely missed her cooking," I replied. Dad and I walked downstairs together, where we found Mum, Matt, and Ellie already sitting down at the table. There were platters of food covering the entire table. It looked like way more food than my family would actually eat, but it certainly looked good. "Were you able to reschedule the sale, Walter?" Mum asked after we'd all served ourselves heaping piles of food. Dad nodded. "It's not until after we actually move, though." "Isn't your cousin moving in right away?" Mum asked. "I don't think so. I don't think he really cares about actually living here anyway. He'll be happy when we're out of the country. He'll technically own the house, but who knows what he'll do with it." Mum muttered something under her breath that sounded an awfully lot like something she'd yell at me for saying if I said it. "When is the sale?" she asked. "July twentieth," Dad replied, "I know it's close to the July full moon, but it's the earliest day I could get. I didn't want to let it wait too long. I figure I'll just come down here and you can stay with Matt in England. I should be able to finagle a porkey down here." "I guess that will work," Mum sighed, "I don't suppose we have a choice." "Not unless we want to let my dolt of a cousin get the furniture as well as the house," Dad muttered. "Then it's settled," Mum said, "And what about Norlam? Is he going to be able to porkey down here?" "Yes. He said that would be fine. And I'm going to the Ministry first thing tomorrow morning to get us disconnected from the Floo Network." Mum shook her head and put down her fork. "I've been thinking about that. Do you really think it's wise?" "To have us taken off the Network?" Dad stared at her, "We agreed to do it. It's a safety precaution. No one will be able to come undetected into the house anymore." "No, not that," Mum said quickly, "Of course I think that's a good idea. What I'm not so sure about is you going to the Ministry to have it done." I set my cup down and paid close attention to what they were talking about. "I'm not going to do anything stupid, Julie," Dad muttered. "I know you won't go there meaning to do anything stupid," Mum said quietly, "But I worry about what might happen if you accidentally happen upon him." "I am in complete control of my own actions, Julie," Dad replied, his voice getting harsher. "We'll talk about it later," Mum gave him a significant look and then slightly tilted her head towards Matt and I. I'd have to be sure to find out where they went to talk after dinner and eavesdrop. Dad nodded and went back to eating his dinner. The rest of the meal was spent in silence until Matt started complaining about the taste of the potions Mum handed to him after he'd finished eating. I lingered at the table nursing my juice as Ellie and Mum began clearing the table. Dad slowly followed Matt back to the living room. Judging by the sound of it, Matt only fell over once on his way there, which was a new record. Mum visibly winced when she heard the thump, but she just shook her head and continued helping Ellie with the dishes. Dad returned a short while later and gestured for Mum to follow him. I peered around the door as they went and saw the two of them disappear into Dad's study, shutting the door behind them. I hurried out of the room and up the stairs. I rummaged through the stuff that was on my desk until I found the Extendable Ears I had bought in Hogsmeade. I knew those things would come in handy again. I ran down the stairs as fast as I could without making too much noise. I knelt in front of the door to Dad's study and stuffed an end of the Extendable Ear into my own ear. Nothing. There wasn't a sound coming from the study. Merlin, I thought, what if they put some sort of charm on the door? It wouldn't really surprise me. "You know what I think about this." I heard Mum say. Yes, they hadn't charmed the door! "And you know my opinion on the subject as well," Dad replied. "Well, we're in a bit of a bind, then." "I suppose so. But how exactly do you think we're going to get disconnected from the Floo Network if I don't go to the Ministry?" Dad asked, "You think you'd be able to control yourself if you went and somehow stumbled upon Lubar?" "No," Mum said, "I don't think I would. I don't think you would, either." "Then how are we going to accomplish this?" "I don't know," Mum said, "I just don't think it's a good idea for you to go down there." "I know you don't. But we haven't got a choice! It's either I go down to the Ministry or we stay on the Network and risk Lubar showing up on the full moon! And do you really think I'll be able to control myself if that happens? I swear I'll kill him if he ever shows up here again." "Can't we just send an owl and request it or something?" Mum asked. "I want to be sure it's done and done correctly. I don't want Lubar getting word of this and drafting some sort of nonsense legislation that requires werewolves to be on the Floo Network. I wouldn't put it past him to do just that if I send an owl about this. "All I want to do is go directly to the Department of Magical Transportation and ask them personally to take us off the Network. I'm perfectly within my rights to do that. I haven't been banned from Ministry premises. Anyone can have themselves taken off the Network. But if we send an owl, someone could show it to Lubar and he could have that legislation passed within a day." Mum sighed. "I suppose you're right. I just don't feel comfortable with you doing this. If you so much as say the wrong thing to Lubar while you're there, you could find yourself arrested." "I know," Dad said darkly, "And that's why I'm not going anywhere near my old department." "All right, all right. I trust you. It's Lubar I don't trust." "I know, Julie, I know," Dad sighed. "Do you really think this will work? Will he not be able to get Matt if we're off the Network?" "It'll help," Dad said, "He won't be able to take us by surprise again. He'll have to Apparate outside our property and then walk to the door. I'll set some charms throughout the yard and we'll know if he enters the property. In which case, we'll be prepared for him. All we'll have to do is hold him off until the moon rises and then it'll be too late for him to do anything." "There are so many things that could go wrong with that plan," Mum replied, "We could both wind up in prison for attacking a Ministry official." "I know," Dad said, "But it's the only thing we can do. Just one more full moon here and then we'll be in England. We just have to get through one more." I listened for another minute, but neither of them said anything. I hurried away when I heard footsteps coming from inside. I was innocently reading in the living room when my parents entered a few minutes later. I stayed up half the night worrying about what my parents were planning on doing. I knew Dad wasn't planning on meeting up with Lubar at the Ministry the next day, but what if they somehow stumbled upon each other? Dad didn't sound like he was joking around when he said he'd kill Lubar. Dad normally wasn't a violent person; he usually preferred to solve problems with words rather than wands. Uncle Jack had always been the one with a temper. But this was different. I knew there was nothing Dad wouldn't do to protect Matt, and me as well. Then there was the full moon itself. My parents had come up with a plan to knowingly break the law. Nothing had changed since the last full moon. Matt was still legally required to transform at the Ministry Approved Center, even though it practically killed him the last time. To get out of the requirement, Dad would have to create a safe house that Lubar approved of. I had a feeling that Dad could create the world's safest building and it still wouldn't be up to Lubar's standards. But Mum had brought up a good point; what if they did get arrested? How did Dad suppose he'd hold Lubar off without hexing or jinxing him? I woke up groggy and still tired the next morning. I squinted at the clock near my bed and saw that it was just past nine. I rolled out of bed and headed downstairs. The rest of my family was already up. Mum and Dad were eating omelets and not speaking. They both looked exhausted. Matt was eating a bowl of Lucky Charms and leaning his head on his hand at the same time. He looked even more tired than my parents. I poured myself a bowl of Lucky Charms and sat down next to Matt. No one said anything as I began eating. "I'm off to the Ministry," Dad announced a little while later. "Be careful," Mum warned him as he stood up. "I will," he said and gave her a quick kiss, "I'll be back shortly." "Bye, Dad," I said. "Bye, Amy," Dad gave me a hug and then gave one to Matt. "Bye, Matt. I'll be back soon, ok?" He nodded. "Bye." I wandered into the living room once I finished eating. Mum had carried Matt in there as soon as Dad left. She was pacing in front of the fireplace and Matt was nodding off on the couch. I watched Mum pace for the entire time Dad was gone. The only time she stopped was when Matt woke up and complained that his ankle hurt. She brought him a potion and then went back to pacing. Mum jumped as the she heard the front door open. She quickly sat down on the couch next to Matt and grabbed the nearest book, opening it up to a random page. "We're disconnected," Dad announced as he stepped into the room. "Oh, good," Mum smiled, "And did you meet up with," she paused and glanced at Matt, who was sleeping, "Lubar at all?" "Nope," Dad replied and then lowered his voice, "Although I did pass the Minister in the corridor." Mum sighed. "Did you keep your head?" "Yes," Dad said, "There were certainly a few things I wanted to say, and a few hexes I would've liked to share, but I said nothing. He looked at me strangely, but I hurried away as quickly as I could. He has no idea why I was there." "Good," Mum replied, "Now onto the next thing. Norlam's coming at one, right?" "Yeah," Dad confirmed, "He'll be portkeying." Mum sighed. "I really hope this goes well." "Me, too," Dad agreed, "Me, too." ****** I could sense Mum and Dad's nervousness as we ate lunch a little while later. They kept looking at each other and then at Matt. He didn't seem to notice and was considerably more awake than he had been at brekkie. "Matt," Mum said quietly as she cleared the dishes, "Do you remember Healer Norlam? From St. Mungo's?" Matt stared at Mum and slowly nodded his head. I couldn't quite make out what he was thinking, but it looked to be a combination of fear and confusion. "Well," Mum continued, "He's going to come visit us today. To see how you're doing and see if he can help with your nightmares." Matt shook his head fiercely and then winced. "No. I don't want him to come." "I know you don't, honey, but he's going to help." We all migrated back to the living room once Mum finished cleaning up. Matt looked scared as he sat on the couch. Mum and Dad sat down next to him and he crawled over to Mum and leaned his head on her chest. I wasn't really sure if I was supposed to be there during the therapy session, but I sat down on a chair and pulled out a book. The door charm sounded a little while later and I got up with Dad to answer it. Mum stayed with Matt since he was still leaning against her. Dad opened the door and Norlam greeted him and shook his hand. Dad gestured for him to step into the house and shut the door behind him. "Matt's in the living room," Dad said and pointed down the corridor. "Actually, I thought I'd talk to you first," Norlam said. "Oh, all right. Amy-" "She can stay," Norlam smiled, "That's fine. I imagine she'll just listen in around the corner anyway." I blushed and grinned sheepishly. Maybe this bloke did know a thing or two about the way children's minds worked. Dad smirked. "Well, ok. What did you want to talk about?" "I can't start therapy until Matt feels comfortable around me. It just won't work if he doesn't trust me. So, today's goal is to start to gain his trust." "Any ideas as to how to do that?" Dad asked. It seemed to me like an endless loop. Matt was afraid of strangers and Norlam was a stranger. In order to overcome that fear, he had to learn to trust Norlam. "It's going to be tough," Norlam said, "And I doubt it'll happen with just one session. But we're going to try. I thought I could just sit in the living room with you. All of you," he turned to me and then back to Dad, "We'll just talk casually and maybe play a game or two of Exploding Snap. Hopefully Matt will see how at ease the three of you are and start to trust me." Dad nodded. "That sounds like it should work." "Well, let's get started," Norlam smiled. Dad led the way back to the living room. Norlam gestured for me to go in first, then Dad, and then himself. I sat down on the couch and Dad leaned over Mum's shoulder and whispered something in her ear. She nodded and Dad stood next to the door. Norlam stepped in and smiled at Mum. "Hello, Healer Norlam," Mum greeted him. "Hi, Julie," Norlam said, "Please, call me Jeff." "Jeff, then," Mum replied. Matt watched the two of them talk and inched closer to Mum. He climbed onto her lap and turned away from Norlam. Norlam took a seat on the floor, which I thought was kind of odd since there was another couch and a few chairs that were empty. But I figured he had a reason for it. "Anyone care to play Exploding Snap?" Norlam asked as he pulled a package of cards out of his robes. I looked at Dad and he gave a slight nod of his head. "Sure," I shrugged and got up from the chair. I sat down across from Norlam and he began to shuffle the cards. Dad got up as well and sat down next to me. "So," Norlam began as he dealt the cards, "Amy, you're going into your fourth year in school?" I nodded. "Yeah. I was supposed to be in it already, but well, you know the story." I thought it was odd that Norlam was talking to me when this whole therapy thing was for Matt, but I knew nothing about psychology so I didn't question anything. I wanted Matt to get over this, so I decided to just go along with it. "Indeed I do," Norlam said quietly, "But life is never predictable. Hogwarts is a great school. I attended there myself, a very long time ago. What subjects do you enjoy?" "Potions and Astronomy," I answered. "Interesting combination," Norlam said, seeming to stare off into space, "Interesting indeed...." I had no idea where he was going with this. I looked at him curiously and he gave a slight shake of his head and returned his attention to the game. "How about Quidditch?" Norlam asked, "Do you like Quidditch?" "Not really," I shrugged. I've never liked flying, whether it's on a broomstick or a Muggle airplane. Quidditch wasn't really something I enjoyed watching either. Dad took us to the World Cup once, when it was held in Australia, and that was fun. I had only been about ten at the time. "I'm a big Quidditch fan. Played Beater for Hufflepuff House when I was at Hogwarts. Do you know about the houses?" "Yes. Professor Kendrick told us about them. How do they decide which house you're in?" Norlam smiled. "That, Amy, is one of the big secrets of Hogwarts. Although it's never been discussed, nobody tells how the Sorting is done. My own brother wouldn't tell me. I asked him about five times a day the whole summer before I went to Hogwarts, but he never said a word about it. My parents never mentioned it to me either. Didn't find out until I entered the Great Hall my first day." "So you're not going to tell me?" I asked. I had been wondering about the Sorting thing ever since I found out we'd be moving to England. In Australia, you were just randomly assigned a house. "I feel I'd be betraying generations of Hogwarts students if I told you, Amy," Norlam sighed, "But I daresay you'll find out soon." "So, can I ask you questions?" I asked. "Of course," Norlam replied, "After all, I'm asking about you." I nodded. I paused before asking anything. What sort of questions would help Matt figure out that Norlam was trustworthy? I was beginning to wish I knew a little bit about psychology. "Well, are you married?" I asked. "I've been married for forty-eight years," Norlam smiled, "To the most wonderful lady in the world. We have two children and seven grandchildren. I love them more than anything in the world." That was good. Maybe if Matt heard that Norlam had kids and grandkids, he'd trust him. "And do any of them go to Hogwarts?" "Actually, yes. Three of them. One has already graduated and the other three are too young. All have been in Hufflepuff." "What were your favorite subjects there?" "Transfiguration and Herbology," Norlam answered, "Care of Magical Creatures was fun as well, but after seeing my teacher loose a few fingers one lesson, I was more apt to watch the creatures from afar than actually study them." Dad chortled and shook his head. "I think if my Care of Magical Creatures professor had lost fingers during class, I would have been even more excited about the subject. Nothing scared me as a child. I think it would have been better if I had a healthy fear of dragons, though. I obtained quite the nasty burn in training." "And that's why you went into the study of magical creatures and I went into psychology," Norlam replied. "Er, is the professor who lost his fingers still there?" "Oh, no. He retired a while ago. Although the professor they have now has no fear of any creature in the world. I wouldn't even put it past him to keep a dragon as a pet." My eyes bugged out. A dragon as a pet? Was that bloke mad? Well, as long as he didn't make me care for dragons, I didn't suppose it would matter. "Don't worry. There is no one in the world more capable of handling magical creatures more than that professor," Norlam assured me. "Do you know any of the other professors?" "Most of them," Norlam said, "Only one of them taught me, though. The Potions Master." "Can you tell me about them?" "I'd prefer not to, so as not to influence your opinion of them." I sighed and went back to the cards. We kept talking casually as we played Exploding Snap. Norlam was either horrible at the game or purposely losing to Dad and I was some sort of psychological technique. By the time the hour long appointment had ended, Norlam's face was coated in soot. He collected the cards, cleaned his face, said goodbye to Mum, and motioned for Dad to follow him into the corridor. I followed them since neither of them told me not to. "I'd like to have bi-weekly appointments, if that will work for you," Norlam said once we were away from the living room. Dad nodded. "That would be fine." "How about Mondays and Fridays at this same time?" Norlam suggested. "That should work." "I'll be here on Friday, then," Norlam replied, "Goodbye." "Bye," Dad shook his hand. "Bye, Amy," Norlam waved to me as he opened the door, "You were quite helpful today." "Bye," I replied. How had I been helpful? All I'd done was play Exploding Snap and talk about my life. I didn't think I'd ever understand psychology.
DucksRMagical Joined: 28 December 2006 Posts: 2375 Location: Going through LeakyCon withdrawal	Posted: Friday 27 February 2009 02 36 49 pm    Post subject: Re: Albus Potter and the Unnamed Sequel in topic:Albus Potter and the Unnamed Sequel Thanks hprocks, Obladi, and Fawkes! Yep, Linda's name is Linda. I find it quite entertaining that I have 2 characters named Rose and Linda now. As for who the stranger is, it's revealed in this chapter. Chapter 6: Nightmare After lunch, Albus, Rose, and Matt headed to Ancient Runes while John and Amanda went to Divination. Albus didn't really know what to expect from Ancient Runes. Nor did he know anything about the teacher. Matt had told them that Amy said that the teacher was nice enough. Albus, Rose, and Matt sat down at one of the tables in the middle of the room and waited for the teacher. Linda Morales was already seated at one of the front tables. Albus wondered how she always seemed to be the first to arrive to any class. There was also an assortment of Hufflepuffs in the room. Albus, Rose, Matt, and Linda appeared to be the only Gryffindors taking the class, though. The professor walked in a few minutes later. She was a short woman with curly grey hair and a patient look on her face. "Hello," she smiled, "I'm Professor Sturly." She took attendance and then gave a lengthy lecture about what the study of Ancient Runes was. Albus kind of thought she could have condensed it and he found himself zoning out about halfway through. Rose was paying rapt attention and Albus had a feeling this would become one of her favorite classes. Towards the end of the class, Sturly gave an overview of the first chapter in their book and then assigned the remainder of the chapter for homework. The chapter covered a variety of basic runes that Albus and the rest of the students would have to memorize. Charms consisted of Rose and Linda alternatively answering every question Cedonia threw at them. Albus had a feeling it would become a regular occurrence in all the classes he had with both Rose and Linda. "How was Divination?" Albus asked his friends after dinner as they were sitting around the Marauder's Den. "Entertaining," John laughed, "I think it'll be my easiest class." "So, who did Trelawney say would die this year?" Rose asked. "What?!" Kaden exclaimed, "Someone's going to die?" "No," Rose sighed, "Trelawney just predicts someone's death every year. The student in question has never actually died during that year." "Oh," Kaden shrugged, "So she's not a real psychic?" "You mean a Seer?" Rose asked, "Well, she has made a few real predictions. She's the one who spoke the prophecy about Albus's dad. But can she really predict the future with crystal balls and such? I doubt it. I really doubt anyone can do that. I'm sure there are real Seers out there, but they're extremely rare. Divination is a very obscure branch of magic that is difficult to interpret. My mum says we shouldn't put much faith in it." "I still think it would be brilliant to know the future, though," Kaden grinned. "I don't know," Matt shrugged, "I've always thought the future was best left unknown." "I've always thought so, too," Albus agreed. "So, who's going to snuff it?" Kaden asked. "Carter Eubert," John replied, "That Ravenclaw we shared a boat with when we crossed the lake in first year. I have to say that I'm relieved it wasn't me." "Me, too," Amanda agreed. Rose groaned. "I've told you that it's not real! Trelawney has never accurately predicted a student's death. She predicted my Uncle Harry's death and he's still alive!" "Yeah, but didn't he nearly die at the end of his third year?" John asked. "Key word, nearly," Rose replied, "Plus, he faced death pretty much every year." "Ok, ok," John said, "But I'm still glad she didn't predict my death, even if it's not a real prediction." "So how was Ancient Runes?" Amanda asked. "Really interesting!" Rose said excitedly and proceeded to give a commentary on how the class had went. However, Kaden seemed to be the only one really intrigued by it. Albus and his friends spent the remainder of the evening in the Marauder's Den. Once they had exhausted the topic of their first two days of classes, they moved on to the Quidditch competition and Albus's chances of making the Hogwarts team. Everyone thought Albus had a good chance of making it, except Albus. Then they talked a bit about their upcoming Hogsmeade trips, although that topic kind of made Kaden jealous. John brought up the topic of Linda Morales, but both Rose and Matt didn't want to talk about her at all. Eventually, they had to return to Gryffindor tower in order not to break curfew. On his way up to his dormitory, Albus noticed that Linda once again was surrounded by a group of admirers, but appeared not to be enjoying it at all. ****** "No! I don't want to go! Dad, don't make me go!" Albus's eyes snapped open. He peered at the clock and saw that it was just after two in the morning. He could hear someone tossing and turning and mumbling in their sleep in the bed next to him. "Please, I don't want to. Just let me go home." Albus was wide awake now. The talking was coming from Matt's bed and Albus knew he was having a nightmare. Albus had been woken up by Matt's nightmares on numerous occasions, especially during first year. They always seemed to come around the full moon. Although, Albus was pretty sure that the full moon wasn't for a few weeks. This nightmare sounded worse anyway. The mumbling continued for another few minutes and then stopped all of a sudden. Albus heard the bed creak and footsteps crossing the room until they disappeared altogether. Albus sat up and waited a few minutes before quietly getting out of bed. He stepped into his slippers and padded across the room and carefully shut the door behind him. None of the other boys had woken up. The common room was dark and empty when Albus got there. The fire had long since died out and Albus shivered slightly as he stumbled around the room. There was faint wand light coming from one of the corners. Albus walked slowly towards it and saw Matt sitting curled up in one of the chairs, staring at the floor. Matt startled when he saw Albus. "Oh, Albus," he sighed, "What are you doing up?" Albus shrugged and sat down in the chair next to Matt's. "Followed you down here." "Oh, did I wake you up?" "Sort of," Albus replied, "But it's ok. I just came to see if you were ok. I mean, first the boggart and then that nightmare-" "How do you know I had a nightmare?" Matt asked. "I sort of heard you mumbling," Albus answered, "You were talking in your sleep." "Oh." "Listen," Albus paused, "You don't have to tell me, but I was sort of wondering who that bloke was that your boggart was. I mean, I kind of thought it would be a full moon." "So did I," Matt said quietly, "Which is part of why I freaked out so much." Albus nodded, wondering if Matt was going to continue or not. "I know I haven't told you much about what happened when I lived in Australia," Matt began. Albus nodded again. All he really knew about Matt's life in Australia was that he had lived in a mansion and his dad had been the Head of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. "That bloke the boggart turned into is the current Head of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures," Matt continued, "He replaced my dad. But before that, he was the Head of the Werewolf Control Unit." Albus was still a bit confused about why he was Matt's boggart, but he figured it would be best to just not say anything. "While my parents were in the process of finding out where to move, a law was passed that all werewolves had to transform in a Ministry approved center if their place of transformation failed an inspection. Mine failed." "What?!" Albus gaped at him, "But your dad was-" "The head of the department, I know. They passed the law while we were visiting New York. My parents refused to let me transform at one of the Ministry centers, so they broke the law and were fined. The first time that happened, my dad was fired over it. "But that bloke, Ralph Lubar is his name, wouldn't give up until I transformed in one of the centers. My parents said it was because he hated my dad so much. The two of them had some sort of long term row going on or something. I don't know the details. But anyway," Matt paused, "Eventually, Lubar was able to pass a law that made it legal for the Ministry to take werewolves by force to one of the transformation centers. He flooed to our house, grabbed me, and flooed to the Ministry approved center before my parents had a chance to stop him." Albus stared at Matt. He could hardly believe what he was hearing. What was even more unbelievable, was that it had been legal. How could it be legal to basically kidnap a kid for a night? "I don't remember any of it," Matt said quietly, "Except for what happens in the nightmares I have. It was horrible, though. The other werewolves were all adults and they all sort of ganged up on me. I spent a day or so at the hospital in Australia and then my parents had me transferred to St. Mungo's because they wanted Healer Sterling to take care of me. I spent three weeks there." "Well, it makes sense that you were so scared of that boggart," Albus said, "Lubar is one of the most horrible wizards I've ever heard of." Matt nodded and shifted slightly. "I thought I was over it. I mean, it was over five years ago. I really thought that boggart would turn into a full moon. But I guess having Killigan here brought everything back. I thought all that stuff that happened in Australia was behind me, but I guess not." "Nothing like that is going to happen here," Albus said quietly, "Lubar has no control over our Ministry. He's in Australia." "I guess you're right," Matt sighed, "I think I'll go see if Madam Pomfrey will give me any dreamless sleep potion. Could I use the Invisibility Cloak?" "Yeah, of course," Albus said as he stood up. He had a feeling that Madam Pomfrey would definitely give him the dreamless sleep and probably try and convince him to spend the night in the Hospital Wing as well. Albus and Matt quietly walked back to the dormitory and Albus dug out the Cloak, as well as the second edition Marauder's Map, and handed them to Matt. Once Matt had left the room, Albus climbed back into bed. Albus lay awake thinking about what Matt had told him for a while. His own boggart of not making the Hogwarts Quidditch team seemed very insignificant now that he knew the details about Matt's boggart. That didn't make Albus any less nervous about the try-outs, though. ****** Albus and the other Gryffindor third years, as well as the Ravenclaws, started out the next day with History of Magic. All Albus learned during the hour was that third year History of Magic was equally as boring as second year. Transfiguration consisted of another lecture on Animagi and Albus noticed that John paid a considerably more amount of attention than he usually did. Albus thought this was pointless, though, since they had already established the previous year that they would not become Animagi. Care of Magical Creatures was after lunch and the class moved on to the slightly more interesting bowtruckles. Albus was very thankful for the break they had afterwards, when Rose went to Muggle Studies. "It's only the third day and I'm already sick of homework," Albus muttered as they entered the Marauder's Den. "So don't do it," John said as he pulled a Chocolate Frog out of his bag. "You should do that Divination homework," Amanda said, "You know, the one where we predict what happens to us next Wednesday." "Already did it," John announced. Albus, Matt, and Amanda all stared in shock at John. John never ever did homework early. He was always the one finishing the last lines of an essay as the teacher took attendance. "What?" John shrugged, "I do occasionally do stuff before it's due." "No, actually, you don't," Matt smirked. "Divination's different. It's fun to make up fake predictions." "So what's happening to you next Wednesday?" Amanda asked. "I'm going to break my neck when I fall off my broom." "John, you don't even play Quidditch," Albus pointed out. "Trelawney won't care." Albus personally thought it was a waste of time to come up with fake predictions for Divination, but that was probably why he hadn't signed up for the class. "Oh, did we ever tell you what Balladanis's boggart was?" John asked Albus and Matt. "Nope," Matt said. Amanda burst out laughing. "You're going to love this." "Yeah," John grinned, "When the two of you left, the boggart got a bit confused because no one was standing that close to it. Everyone was whispering and not paying an ounce of attention to it, so Balladanis stepped in front of it and you'll never guess what it turned into!" "A werewolf?" Matt asked. "No, but that would have been funny, too," John laughed, "Anyway, it turned into a woman." "A woman?" Albus raised his eyebrows. "Yeah," John said, "A tall, skinny, pale faced woman. Her skin was as pale as Linda's. Her hair was a bit lighter, but still a dark brown. The woman just sort of walked over to Balladanis with a smile on her face. She was kind of pretty in an odd sort of way." "Now that is weird," Albus replied, "Why in the name of Merlin would he be afraid of women?" "Maybe it was a specific woman," Matt pointed out. That would make more sense. After all, Matt wasn't afraid of all men. His boggart had turned into a specific man. But Albus did think it was kind of odd that Balladanis, the stern man who hated Dark Arts, would be afraid of a witch. Albus would have thought he'd be afraid of some sort of scary dark creature. "Who do you think she was?" Matt asked. John shrugged. "His wife?" Albus smirked. "Well, that would be funny." "My dad jokes that he's afraid of my mum at times," John replied, "But I doubt his boggart would turn into her." "Maybe she's some sort of dark witch that he's faced in the past," Amanda suggested. "Good thinking!" Matt agreed, "Maybe she was a Death Eater." "I don't know if he fought in the War or not, though," Albus said, "My dad's never mentioned his name before and he doesn't really seem like the kind of bloke to just stay in the background, does he?" "I guess not," Matt replied, "She could still be an evil witch, though." "That does make the most sense," John said, "She must be really evil. I mean, Balladanis doesn't seem like he'd be afraid of anything." "Everyone's afraid of something," Albus pointed out, "But yeah, she must be evil." "What did Balladanis do to make her funny?" Matt asked. "Turned her into some sort of statue," John answered, "It was strange, like she was petrified. She just froze in place. And then Balladanis banished it to the trunk." "How is that funny?" Albus asked. "No idea," John shrugged, "Just adds to the mystery that is Balladanis." "I'm still not sure I like him," Matt commented. "Me, neither," Albus agreed. "But hey, at least he didn't give us any homework on the first day," John pointed out. ****** The next day Albus found himself yet again sitting in the back of the Defense classroom in between Matt and John. Malfoy kept turning around in his seat and smirking at Matt. Albus was glaring at him, silently daring him to say anything about Matt's experience with the boggart. Balladanis stormed into the room a few minutes later in a way that reminded Albus of Washburn. The class immediately quieted down and Malfoy faced forward in his seat. Balladanis quickly ran through attendance and then stared at his students. "Well, some of you were successful with last class's boggart," Balladanis began, "However, there were quite a few of you who weren't." Malfoy yet again turned around and looked at Matt, this time unable to stifle his laughter. "Quiet, Mr. Malfoy," Balladanis growled, "Five points from Slytherin." Albus couldn't help but grin at that. At least Balladanis wasn't favoring Slytherin. "Therefore, we will continue battling the boggart until you all have success with the spell," Balldanis continued, "I do not want any of you to slip through the cracks and skate through this class on the tails of more successful students. This may work while at Hogwarts, but the moment you get out into the real world, that will abruptly end. Without a basic knowledge of defensive spells, you will meet an untimely end at the hands of dark wizards." This teacher was making it seem like they were in the midst of a war. Albus knew it was important to be able to defend yourself, but he thought Balladanis was acting like everyone was out to get you. It kind of reminded him of what his parents, aunts, and uncles had said about Mad-Eye Moody. "Dark wizards love finding victims with little knowledge of defensive spells. The students who skirt by with acceptable grades and just barely pass each exam, without really understanding anything. They also love people who read book after book and pretend to understand everything. And while these people may have a full knowledge of defensive spells, they may not possess the skills necessary to perform them," Balldanis's eyes rested on Rose and Linda. "I want everyone in this room to have more than the basic skills needed to perform defensive skills. I want everyone to be able to come off better in a duel. I want everyone to be able to defend themselves against dark creatures and wizards alike. "Starting with the boggart, I will not rest until every student is capable of performing every spell we learn in this class. I will assign extra lessons to those I deem it necessary. You will come in for extra help. I do not care if it interferes with clubs or Quidditch practice. Quidditch will be of little help when you are facing a dark wizard or creature. "Stand up!" Balladanis ordered. The class scrambled to their feet and Balladanis moved the desks aside. "Sir!" Malfoy called out, "What if we've already had success with the boggart?" "Then you'll do it again," Balladanis replied, "Practice makes perfect." The class lined up in front of the trunk. Albus and his friends wound up being in the back, and Albus didn't think Matt minded this in the least. He looked very nervous at the prospect of seeing the Lubar boggart again and Albus couldn't blame him. The line moved much faster this time than the last class. Everyone who had had problems with the boggart during the previous class seemed to do a better job this time. Albus stepped forward once it was his turn and the boggart once again turned into Oteski, who told him he did not make the team. Albus vaguely wondered what the boggart would turn into after the try-out, if they battled it after that. He shouted the spell and moved to the side to stand next to Rose and Amanda. John was next and battled his clown boggart in the same way he had the other day. He stepped to the side and Matt walked slowly towards the boggart. "Two Galleons says he runs again," Malfoy whispered in Albus's ear. "Shut it, Malfoy," Albus and John said at the same time. The boggart once again turned into Lubar and Matt slowly raised his wand, which was shaking. "R-R-Ridikkulus," Matt whispered. Nothing happened and the boggart advanced towards Matt. "Louder," Balladanis told him. "R-Ridikkulus!" Matt shouted. Still nothing. His wand arm was shaking even harder. "R-Ridikkulus!" he shouted once again. This time, the boggart spun around and when it stopped, Lubar was decked out in a black and white striped prison outfit with a ball and chain attached to his right leg. "Looks like you owe us two Galleons," John smirked at Malfoy. "Not a chance, Brickston," Malfoy growled. "Good job," Albus grinned as Matt joined the group. Balladanis already had the boggart shut in the trunk when Albus looked back at his teacher. "That's enough for today," Balladanis announced. "You," he pointed at Matt, "Come see me." Matt glanced at Albus and then walked slowly towards Balldanis as the rest of the class left the room. Albus and his friends lingered near the doorway, but Balladanis gestured for them to leave. They reluctantly left, but waited just outside the doorway. "What did he want?" Albus asked once Matt exited the room. "I have to go in for extra help," Matt groaned, "Until I can face the boggart successfully." "But you were successful," John pointed out. "Not successful enough for Balladanis." "Somehow, I don't think anyone would be successful enough for him," Rose muttered. "Yeah," Albus agreed, "That was some speech he gave at the beginning of class." Albus still didn't know what to think of their new Defense professor. He seemed very strict and Albus didn't really feel comfortable with him, but on the other hand, he seemed very knowledgeable in defensive spells. Albus had a feeling they'd learn a lot from him, and even though they weren't involved in a war at the moment, Albus knew defense skills were always important to have. That's what his father had told him ever since he could remember. Albus had grown up knowing the need for defense against the dark arts. He just had never had it taught to him in such a forceful strict way.
DucksRMagical Joined: 28 December 2006 Posts: 2375 Location: Going through LeakyCon withdrawal	Posted: Sunday 22 February 2009 10 25 11 am    Post subject: Re: In Moonlight's Shadow in topic:In Moonlight's Shadow Thanks hprocks and Obladi! Chapter 35: Back Home The next few days droned on much like the past few had. Matt continued to get better, although he was still having problems with his ankle. Besides that, he was almost completely physically better. He was still having nightmares, so the nurses kept giving him dreamless sleep. He flat out refused to go to sleep without it. Norlam had worked out a therapy schedule that would start the following Monday. Healer Sterling decided that Matt would be ready to be discharged on Saturday, which was two weeks after the full moon. It was hard to believe it had been that long since I had been home. It was even harder to believe that we only had three more weeks in Australia. "Ready to go home, Matt?" Sterling said as he entered the room Saturday morning. Matt nodded. "Yup. It's boring here." Sterling laughed. "That's good to hear." He pulled out his wand and began to perform various spells on Matt. "Everything look good?" Dad asked once Sterling put his wand away. "For the most part. His ankle isn't completely healed, so he'll have to use crutches for a couple weeks, but otherwise he's fine. I expect his ankle will be better by the next full moon, but he could possibly reinjure it that night." Dad nodded. "All right." "There are a few potions he'll have to take for a couple days to help with the healing. Plus the dreamless sleep, which he'll take until Norlam decides he's ready to stop. "I'd like to see him as soon as you move here. Sooner if something happens during the next full moon." "That's fine," Dad replied, "We'll let you know how he's doing." "Thanks," Sterling said, "We've set up a portkey for you. The last thing Matt needs is to have to travel twenty hours on a Muggle airplane." "Thank you," Mum looked at him gratefully. "It's in my study. There are some forms you'll need to fill out at the nurse's station, and then you can take the portkey from my study. Jack, I've set you up a portkey back to New York as well." "Wow, thanks," Uncle Jack said. "I'll meet you at the nurse's station," Sterling picked up the chart that was sitting on the bedside table and left the room. "Ready to go, Matt?" Dad went over to the bed and lifted Matt up. He nodded and put his arms around Dad's neck. Uncle Jack grabbed the crutches and Mum grabbed Matt's overnight bag. I collected the various books I had acquired over the past two weeks and followed them out of the room. I was so relieved to finally be going home. I was sick of the hospital. Matt was mostly better, which I was very happy about. But ever since he had started to get better, I had been thinking more about the move. We only had three weeks left in Australia. And then we'd be in England permanently. The weird part was, it sort of felt like we already lived there. Dad signed the discharge papers at the nurse's station and we said goodbye to the nurses that were working that day. We knew pretty much all of them by then and they were happy that Matt was finally better to go home. I'd found that the nurses were much friendlier towards him in England than in Australia. We went to Sterling's study after Dad finished signing the papers. There was an old broken Muggle telephone and a cracked plastic mixing bowl sitting on his desk, which I assumed were the portkeys. "I'll see you in a few weeks," Sterling shook Dad's hand, "I wish you luck with the move." "Thanks," Dad replied. "Thank you for everything," Mum said. "You're welcome," Sterling smiled, "The telephone goes to Australia and the mixing bowl will go to New York." Dad nodded and turned to Uncle Jack. "Well, Jack, I really appreciate you spending all this time here with us." "I wanted to, Walt," Uncle Jack replied, "I'll try to visit once you've moved here." "Ok, we'll see you then. Goodbye," Dad said. "Bye, Walt," Uncle Jack clapped him on the shoulder and then turned to Matt, "Bye, kid. I'm glad you're feeling better. See you in a few weeks, ok?" Matt nodded and held out his arms. Uncle Jack gave him a hug and ruffled his hair. Then he turned to me. "See you in a couple weeks, Amy," he gave me a hug. "Bye, Uncle Jack," I smiled. "See you soon, Julie," he said to Mum. "Thanks, Jack," Mum smiled gratefully at him, "We'll see you soon." Uncle Jack handed her Matt's crutches and then picked the mixing bowl up off the table. Sterling tapped it with his wand and Uncle Jack disappeared. Dad picked the telephone up and held it out. Mum and I each placed a hand on it. Sterling tapped it with his wand and I felt the familiar jerk behind my navel as England disappeared in front of me. We landed in the kitchen a little while later. Mum and Dad both landed on their feet, but I landed on my arse as usual. I shakily stood up and gazed around the kitchen. It looked exactly the same. I smiled as I realized how happy I was to be home. "Well, here we are. Home again," Dad said. I dropped my bag on the floor and tried to figure out what time it was in Australia. It had been just after ten o'clock when we left England and it was dark in Australia. So, what time would that make it here? The time conversion thing was even more confusing when you traveled by portkey than Muggle airplanes. I sat down at the table and saw the clock out of the corner of my eye. Duh, the clock, I thought. Why hadn't I just looked at it first? Probably because I was incredibly tired. It was after nine o'clock at night. "Dad, I'm tired," Matt mumbled. He had still been sleeping more than normal. Plus, he woke up a few times every night when the dreamless sleep wore off. "We all are," Dad replied, "But it's night here, so that's a good thing. Let's go upstairs and go to bed." Mum and I followed them upstairs. We met Ellie halfway up the stairs and she was thrilled that we were back and that Matt was doing better. Dad gently tucked Matt into his bed and gave him the dreamless sleep while Mum and I stood next to his bed. We all said good night to him and started to leave the room. "Mummy?" Matt whispered. "What is it, honey?" Mum asked, turning around. "Can I sleep in your bed?" he asked quietly. Mum and Dad glanced at each other. "What's wrong, honey?" Mum asked. "I'm scared," he mumbled almost incoherently. "Oh, Matt, no one is going to do anything to you here. There's nothing to be afraid of." "Wh-what about L-lubar?" Matt croaked, "H-he m-might floo h-here." "I'm getting us disconnected from the floo network," Dad muttered, "Tomorrow, first thing. And I'll put up some anti-apparition wards on the entire property." "He won't come here again," Mum assured him, "You're safe here." "I st-still w-want to s-sleep in your b-bed," Matt cried. "Ok, that's fine," Mum said. She picked him up and he rested his head on her shoulder. I followed my parents and Matt out of the room and watched them go into their bedroom. It looked like Matt fell asleep in Mum's arms a few moments later. The dreamless sleep must have kicked in. I walked slowly back to my room and shut the door behind me. I dropped my bag on the floor and didn't bother emptying it. I gazed around my room and sighed. It felt good to be back, but I really didn't want to get used to it. In a few short weeks we'd be in England for good. Before I went to bed, I scribbled out a quick letter to Olivia. I hadn't written to her in over two weeks. Our letters were becoming more and more infrequent, which kind of bothered me. She also talked more about the other girls in our year. I kind of thought she was becoming friends with them. I knew it was selfish of me to not want her to befriend them, but for the past three years it had always been the two of us against those other girls. But I couldn't really expect Olivia not to make new friends, could I? I crawled into bed once I was done. Despite the fact that I was accustomed to England time, I was tired. I hadn't really had a good night's sleep the entire time we were there. The first few nights I was plagued with nightmares. Then when they stopped, I couldn't sleep because Mum or Dad (whoever was staying at the Leaky Cauldron that night) would toss and turn the whole night. ****** I woke up early the next morning. Earlier than I usually do. I squinted at the clock and saw that it was five in the morning. However, I was wide awake and starving so I got dressed and left the room. I paused by Matt's room on my way down the corridor, but he wasn't in there. He must've spent the entire night in my parents' room. It didn't surprise me in the least. He slept in there for a few months following the night he was bitten. My parents' bedroom door was closed, so I guessed I was the only one up. It reminded me of school holidays when I'd get up early and hurry downstairs to get a bowl of Lucky Charms. It all seemed so trivial now. Just a few months ago, I hardly had a care in the world. My worries consisted of whether I'd pass the next Transfiguration test and what Olivia and I would spend Friday night doing. I suppose it was possible that once I adjusted to Hogwarts, life might return to a semblance of that, but I kind of doubted it. When I went to school in Australia, I paid zero attention to the outside world. The matters of the government didn't concern me in the slightest. I couldn't imagine going back to that. Now, I wanted to know what was going on. The past few months had taught me to find out the news for myself, not wait for my parents to tell me what was going on weeks after it actually happened. Walking through the quiet house at that hour, I could almost pretend the past few months hadn't happened. Almost. The lack of furniture in a lot of the rooms and the empty places on the walls where the portraits had been told me otherwise. The past few months had happened. How many more times would I walk through the house at this hour? The quiet was replaced by hushed whispers. I stepped as quietly as I could down the stairs and paused to hear where they were coming from. Kitchen, I thought. I tiptoed down the corridor and peeked into the kitchen. Mum and Dad were both sitting at the counter hunched over steaming mugs of coffee. I pulled my head back and leaned against the wall, listening in on what they were saying. "I just can't stand it," Dad muttered, "He got away with it. There's nothing we can do. Absolutely nothing!" "It's awful," Mum agreed and took a sip of her mug. "I can't sit here and do nothing," Dad continued, "It's all I can do from stopping myself from going down to the Ministry and dueling him, Muggle style." "That won't accomplish anything," Mum replied. "I know. But when we were in England all I could concentrate on was getting Matt better. Now we're back in Australia and he is mostly better. I could be at the Ministry in two seconds. Hell, I'm going to the Ministry today to have them disconnect us from the Floo network!" "Walt, it's Sunday. You'll have to wait until tomorrow," Mum sighed, "And you can't duel Lubar. He'll press charges and we'll be stuck here while you go on trial!" "That's what's driving me mad! He kidnapped our son, harmed him, and we can't do a thing about it! There's something seriously wrong with that." "I hate it as much as you do, Walt, but we have to put it behind us. Matt's better now. We just have to move on." "But he's not entirely better. Who knows how long he'll be traumatized from this? That's what really gets me. Matt is the one who suffered from this. I know Lubar could care less about Matt. He did this to get me. To get me back for getting promoted before he did. Why couldn't he just duel me like a normal wizard? Or pull a few office pranks? Why did he have to get to me through my son?" Dad sighed and put his head in his hands. "Because he knew it would hurt you more to see Matt hurt than to actually be hurt yourself," Mum replied, "I've told you that." "I know," Dad groaned, "But he hasn't stopped. He just keeps going. There's nothing he won't do." "He's not going to stop," Mum said quietly, "But we only have one more full moon here. Then we'll be gone. He can't get to us in England." "But it's this one last full moon that worries me," Dad said darkly, "He does something worse each month. First it was that place of transformation law. Then it was just the threats and the fines. But last month, last month he went too far. I can't even think of anything worse he could do, save for kidnapping him again. I don't doubt that he'll try that again, too. The law hasn't changed." "We'll just won't let him," Mum replied. Dad let out another loud sigh. "Which is why this is just driving me mad. I could have stopped him last month. It was my fault. I shouldn't have left him alone." "He wasn't alone. We were both in the house. No one should have to feel that they're not safe in their own house. We could not have expected that, Walter. You have to come to terms with that." "That may be," Dad muttered, "But this month, I'm not leaving his side until the moon rises." "Me, too," Mum agreed. I wish I could do that, I thought. But I knew I'd be going to Richard and Cinda's again. The only good thing about that was that I'd get to see Kenzie, and this was the last time I'd get to see her for quite a while. Kenzie! I suddenly remembered that I'd told her we'd go to her house for that barbecue. When was that supposed to be? I racked my brain and remembered that it was this coming Saturday. I still hadn't even told my parents about it. It had completely escaped my brain. Dad slammed his hands on the counter and shook his head. "I just hate that I can't protect him anymore!" Mum put her arm around Dad and leaned her head on his shoulder. "I know. I hate it too. We just have to do all we can to protect him the other twenty-seven days of the month." "But it's that one other day that he really needs protecting," Dad muttered. "And we're doing all we can to make sure that one day is as good as it can be," Mum pointed out, "That's why we're moving, Walt." "We should've moved sooner." "No one could have predicted this. We have to remember that." "A father should be able to stand up for and protect his children, Julie," Dad said quietly. "I can't do that anymore. I haven't been able to for the past two and a half years." "But you do protect him, Walter. For the past two years you have been stopping the legislation that would ruin his life. That's protecting him." "Until I got fired." "You were fired because you were protecting him," Mum pointed out, "There's only so much we can do. He has an illness. Parents can't protect their children from chronic diseases." "If I had been protecting him that night, he never would have been bitten," Dad whispered. "We did all we could save for putting a charm on the tent to keep him from leaving it in the middle of the night." "Maybe we should have done that. Or we shouldn't have gone camping that night. I knew it was going to be a full moon. I knew the dangers. But we still went. If I could just go back in time and change one thing, that would be it." "You and me both," Mum sighed, "But we can't." I watched them sit there leaning their heads on each other's shoulders. Every once in a while they would have this same conversation, but it had never before included Dad wanting to curse someone. I could understand it, though. I bet if I saw Lubar ever again I'd have a hard time keeping myself from hexing him. When it became clear that neither of them were going to say anything else, I casually walked into the room pretending I hadn't heard a word they just said. "Morning," I yawned as I opened one of the cabinets. I pulled out a box of Lucky Charms and then rummaged around for a bowl. "Hi, Amy," Dad said wearily. "Morning," Mum replied, "Did you sleep better?" "Much," I said. I poured a bowl of cereal and sat down next to Mum. I ate half the bowl and neither of my parents had anything else. I decided it was a good a time as any to bring up the barbecue at Kenzie's house. "Hey, Mum, Dad?" I asked in between bites. "What is it, Amy?" Mum sighed. "When I was at Richard and Cinda's, Kenzie said her mum invited us to their house for a barbecue this Saturday. I told her we could go and I'd let her know if we couldn't. But that was, you know, before the full moon, so...." I let my voice trail off. I wasn't really sure if Mum and Dad would want to go to Kenzie's house. I knew I wanted to, but doubted I had any say in the matter. Mum looked at Dad before replying. "Just us? Or is this a party type thing?" "Just us," I answered. "I suppose we could go," Mum said slowly, "That's an entire week before the full moon." "His ankle won't be healed by then, at least Sterling doesn't think so," Dad reminded her. "And what about the fact that he's afraid of everyone?" "The Dawes aren't strangers. He knows them. But we'll see what he thinks about it to be sure. As far as his ankle goes, Muggles sprain their ankles all the time. They won't think a thing of it. It'll be nice to do something fun for a change," Mum replied. "We'll just have to Apparate and tell them we parked our car at my parents' house and then walk to theirs." I hadn't really thought of that. It would seem kind of suspicious if we appeared at Kenzie's doorstep without a car parked in the street. "That'll work," Dad said, "We can tell them your parents had other plans, as they're surely to invite them if we mention parking our car at their house." Mum nodded. "Good point. Did Kenzie mention that we should bring anything?" "Nope," I said. "Well, I'll bring a desert or something," Mum decided. I smiled as I ate the rest of my Lucky Charms. It would be nice to see Kenzie when it wasn't the full moon. When I didn't have to spend the night at Richard and Cinda's. Plus, I thought it would be good for my family to get out of the house. We hadn't really done anything like that since Richard and Cinda's 'going away' party. We hadn't done anything fun like that in who knows how long. Mum and Dad continued drinking their coffee as I finished up my cereal. Judging by the lack of used dishes in the sink, neither of them had had any actual brekkie. Just coffee. Both of looked extremely exhausted as well. I got up from the table and went to dump my own dirty dishes in the sink. A loud scream broke the silence and I dropped my bowl in surprise. I jumped as my heart started beating a mile a minute. Mum and Dad jumped up from their seats and completely ignored my dropped dish. I quickly picked it up (luckily it was plastic and had not broken), tossed in the sink, and followed my parents out of the room. The screaming got louder as we raced up the stairs and into my parents' room. Dad grabbed the doorknob and threw the door open. Mum and I followed him in. Matt was sitting in the middle of their bed with tears running down his face. He was shaking uncontrollably and looked scared out of his mind. Mum practically flew over to the bed and put her arms around my brother, pulling him into her lap. "It was just a dream," she soothed, "Mummy's here." Dad sat down next to them and put his arm around the both of them. I sat down on the edge of the bed, not sure whether to stay or leave. Matt began to calm down after twenty minutes of my parents soothing him and eventually stopped crying all together. I had a feeling that this was going to become an everyday thing. I was beginning to doubt that Healer Norlam would be able to do anything about Matt's nightmares. They seemed so horrible. "Are you hungry?" Mum asked after Matt had been quiet for a few minutes. He nodded. Dad picked him up off of Mum's lap and carried him out of the room. Mum and I followed and the four of us went down to the kitchen. Ellie was there had started cooking eggs and toast. Dad set Matt down on one of the kitchen chairs and sat down next to him. Mum began helping Ellie with the cooking. I sat down and stared at the flowery tablecloth covering the table. Nobody said anything as we waited for the food to be ready.
DucksRMagical Joined: 28 December 2006 Posts: 2375 Location: Going through LeakyCon withdrawal	Posted: Sunday 8 February 2009 08 51 12 am    Post subject: Re: In Moonlight's Shadow in topic:In Moonlight's Shadow Thanks Obladi and hprocks! I'm glad you like the angst. Questions, comments, and general reviews are always appreciated! Chapter 33: Traumatized I had no idea what inn Dad was planning on having us stay in. The Three Broomsticks was in Scotland, which was kind of far from London. Of course, with Apparition, we'd get there fast. Before we went to whatever inn we were staying at, we Apparated to an alley near the airport. By some stroke of luck that had never possessed my family before, Uncle Jack's plane was actually on time. Uncle Jack walked towards us with a sad expression on his face. Completely gone was the Jack who was always cheerful and looked on the bright side of life. I couldn't remember the last time I'd seen him looking so grim. Even when Matt was bitten, Uncle Jack wasn't this sad. "Hi, Jack," Dad said quietly. "Hey, Walt, Amy," Jack replied. "Sorry I couldn't have gotten here sooner." "Don't worry about it. Those planes can only go so fast." "I know. You don't know how hard it was for me not to pull out my wand and speed things up," Jack muttered. "I'll catch you up as soon as we get a room. Julie's staying at the hospital." "Where are we staying?" Uncle Jack asked. "Place called the Leaky Cauldron. Sterling recommended it." A few minutes later we were standing in a nearly empty pub. I followed Dad and Uncle Jack to the bar and waited for Dad to get the room. A blonde haired woman turned around and faced us. "Can I help you?" she asked. "Yes, we need a room, please," Dad answered. "Ok. How long do you need it for?" Dad glanced at Uncle Jack and then back to the woman. "Er, we're actually not sure. At least a week, I'd guess." "That's fine. Just let me know if you'll need it longer," she replied. She reached under the bar and placed two keys onto the counter top. "You're in room 7. My name's Hannah Longbottom if you need anything." "Thanks," Dad said and picked up the keys. We climbed the stairs to our room and went inside. I threw myself down onto the bed and lay there not moving a muscle. All of a sudden, I was incredibly tired. Dad and Uncle Jack stayed up talking quietly about what had happened. Dad explained everything in great detail, just like he had to Sterling. "I swear I'll kill him," Uncle Jack muttered, "Lubar'll be dead if I ever see him again." "Jack," Dad sighed, "That's not the way to solve this. You'll be thrown in jail." "I know," Uncle Jack said, "But if I ever see that son of a bitch again, I'll hex him from here to Mars and back again. Then I'll hex him to Mars again and leave him there." "Can't say I disagree with you there," Dad replied, "I wanted to kill him when I saw him the morning after the full moon. The only thing that kept me from doing it was knowing that I had to get Matt to the hospital as soon as possible." "Good thing I wasn't there. I would've cursed him while you took Matt to the hospital." "I just still can't believe I let that happen," Dad sighed, "If I hadn't have left him alone in the living room, I could've stopped Lubar." "It's not your fault. You shouldn't have to worry about leaving your son alone in your own living room. No one could have predicted that." "He threatened us. Numerous times. I should have known he'd finagle the law to get Matt into one of those bloody transformation buildings." "No, you couldn't have," Uncle Jack assured him, "No one would have guessed that." "But I should have! Lubar's been trying to change the laws to benefit himself for as long as I've known him. He's been actually doing it ever since he got my job. He's had a grudge against me ever since I got promoted and he didn't even though Matt was a werewolf. I knew he'd do something to get me. I just wish he'd done it directly to me instead of Matt." "That's why he did it," Uncle Jack said quietly, "He knew it would hurt you more to do something to Matt. "I know," Dad sighed. "You'll be far away from him soon. You'll be here, miles away from Lubar. He won't be able to do anything here. He's got no control over the laws here." "We should have moved sooner." "You've got to stop doing that. You could spend a day thinking about everything you should've done and it'll get you nowhere. It's too late. All you can do is move on from here. Why don't we just get some sleep?" "You're right," Dad sighed. "We can talk more in the morning," Uncle Jack said. A few minutes later I felt Dad climb into bed next to me. I curled up under the blankets and let the tears roll down my cheeks. I vaguely wondered if I'd ever stop crying. I'd been doing it practically all day and when we were still at Eastworth. I drifted off to sleep a little while later while I was still crying. Despite all my sadness and fear, I was exhausted and fell asleep quickly. [i]I was running through the bush. I could feel the damp grass on my feet and winced at the occasional rock that dug into them. The pain wasn't enough to stop me, though, or even to slow me down. I kept running, my heart pounding in my chest and my breathing heavy. There was screaming in the distance. It was a horrible scream. One that chilled you to the bone and made you want to cry out in anguish. Among the harsh shrieking was growling and snarling. It was awful to listen to. Despite the danger that I knew was ahead, I kept running. I pushed on, running past trees and shrubs. I wasn't paying an ounce of attention to anything besides the screaming. I had to get to it. I had to help the person who was screaming. Nothing could stop me. I rubbed my eyes to keep the tears at bay and kept running. How long would I have to run before I would get there? It seemed like I was getting nowhere. I picked up my pace, despite the stitch that was growing in my side. I ran for what seemed like another ten minutes and I still hadn't gotten any closer to the screaming. Why? Why couldn't I get there? I bit my lip and pressed on. My side was killing me but I knew it was nothing compared to what was going on where the screaming and howling were taking place. I knew who was screaming. I knew what was growling. I had to get there. I had to save him. I had to save my brother. There was a louder shriek and then silence. I stopped suddenly and listened, but all I could hear was my heart pounding in my chest.[/i] I sat up in bed breathing hard and covered in sweat. Just a dream, I thought, it was just a dream. I rubbed my eyes and found them wet with tears. It had seemed so real. I couldn't remember having such a vivid dream. I got up and walked to the bathroom. I drank an entire cup of water and stood in front of the sink, waiting for my breathing to return to normal. That dream had been awful. I couldn't even consider it a dream. It was a nightmare. One I hoped never to have again. I looked at the clock on my way back to bed. Just after three in the morning. I sighed and climbed back into bed next to Dad. He was sound asleep. I was wide awake now. What I wanted to do was go back to St. Mungo's, just to see if Matt was ok. I squeezed my eyes shut and tried not to think about what had happened at the end of my dream. No way could that have been real. First, it wasn't the full moon, second, Mum would have came to see us if something awful had happened. I kept telling myself that over and over and eventually fell into a restless sleep. ****** Dad woke me up early the next morning and I was still exhausted. As soon as I woke up, though, I remembered that dream. I was immediately filled with a sense of dread and dragged myself out of bed. I tried to push the dream out of my head, but it was no use. Uncle Jack, Dad, and I had a subdued brekkie at the pub and then we Apparated to St. Mungo's. The waiting room was deserted and the welcome witch had her nose in a magazine. We ignored her and headed directly to the lift. We walked silently down the corridor, the only noise being our footsteps. Dad slowly pushed open the door and we all walked inside. Mum was slumped over Matt's bed, apparently asleep. The other patient in the room was asleep, his leg still propped up. Matt looked exactly the same as he had the day before. I breathed a sigh of relief. I knew he hadn't actually died overnight, but the dream had still freaked me out. I had to see for myself that he was ok. Dad walked over to Mum and gently nudged her awake. Mum raised her head and yawned. "Jule," Dad said quietly. "Oh, hi Walt," Mum replied. "Did you get any sleep last night?" "A bit," Mum said. "You look exhausted," Dad sighed. "How was your night?" Mum asked. "As good as could have been expected," Dad answered, "Picked up Jack, got some sleep." Mum looked up and her eyes rested on Uncle Jack. "Hi, Jack. How are you?" "Surviving," Uncle Jack sighed. Dad conjured a few more chairs and we all sat down. Dad dragged his chair over to Matt's bed and put his arm around Mum. "How is he?" Dad whispered. "Same as yesterday. Uneventful night, which is good." Dad sighed, "Yes, I suppose that is good. Is Sterling here yet?" "Not yet," Mum replied. "You should get some sleep," Dad rubbed Mum's shoulder. Mum shook her head, "No. I slept for a few hours. I'm fine now." "All right," Dad said, "Want anything to eat?" "I suppose I should get some brekkie," Mum said. "Good. I'll go with you." "Stay here," Mum replied, "You've already eaten, right?" "Yes, but I'm going with you." Mum looked reluctantly at Matt and then back to Dad. "We can't leave him." "Jack's here," Dad assured her, "It'll be fine." Mum slowly stood up and Dad followed her. The two of them left the room and I was left with Uncle Jack and Matt. Neither Uncle Jack or I said anything, which was kind of strange. Uncle Jack and I never sit in silence. The two of us always had something to talk about. Uncle Jack was never one to let a room dwell into silence for very long. But now, even he seemed at a loss for words. My parents returned a little while later and Healer Sterling arrived a few minutes after that. He talked to Mum and Dad for a while, but I didn't pay much attention. It was just more information about the potion and what it was supposed to do. Then he went over Matt's vitals, which apparently hadn't changed in the slightest. He next administered another dose of the potion and told my parents to go to his study if they needed anything. The rest of the day was relatively uneventful. I spent most of it sitting in Matt's room and the rest in the tea room with Dad whenever he insisted I eat something. Matt's condition remained the same, but Healer Sterling was actually more hopeful that he would recover. In fact, the next week passed just like that day had. I spent the days at St. Mungo's and the nights at the Leaky Cauldron. I was beginning to get to know the hospital staff. There was one witch in particular who worked in the tea room who started giving me free biscuits whenever I wandered in there. The nurses were very nice, too. They even let me help them bottle potions on occasion, which was a nice distraction from my brother. Despite the fact that Matt hadn't shown the slightest improvement, Healer Sterling remained confident that he would come out of the coma. Mum and Dad, on the other hand, seemed to become more worried with each passing day. I had heard them whispering about it and the reason was because the full moon drew closer with each passing day. It was absolutely crucial that Matt be awake and mostly recovered before the next full moon. I was afraid of that as well, but couldn't help believing that Healer Sterling was right. Uncle Jack spent the week with us and had no intention of returning to New York until after Matt woke up. Apparently he was able to take a very long holiday from his job, which everyone was grateful for. With him there, it was much easier to ensure that someone was in with Matt at all times. "What does this one do?" I asked the nurse. She and I were in the closet near the Dai Lewellyn Ward, bottling potions. "That's dreamless sleep," she replied. "Dreamless sleep," I mused. I wish I had some of that stuff. I was still having nightmares nearly every night, most of them some variation of the one I had the first night we spent at the Leaky Cauldron. "Do you think I could brew that?" Melinda, the nurse, poured the potion into a smaller bottle and set it on the shelf. "Someday," she replied, "It is a bit difficult to brew, but with practice you could." "I hope so," I said as I poured a greenish liquid into a round flask. We continued pouring potions into various bottles in silence. Melinda never talked much when she let me help her, but I didn't mind. It was calming to work with potions and not talk to anyone. I picked up a flask of pain potion and began to pour it into a smaller bottle. As I was pouring it, the silence was broken by a loud scream. I dropped it in shock and jumped up. The screaming sounded exactly like the screaming from my dreams. I recognized that screaming. It was my brother. Melinda set down her flask and opened the door. I flew out in front of her and started running down the corridor. The screaming sounded awful, but it meant that Matt was awake! "Amy, wait!" Melinda shouted. I didn't wait, though. I didn't even pause or turn around to look at Melinda. My brother was awake and I had to see him. I had to know if he was ok. Healer Sterling burst out of his study brandishing his wand. He threw the door to the ward open and it slammed behind him. I wrenched it open again and ran in over to Matt's bed with Melinda following me. Matt was still laying down, but his eyes were wide open. Tears were pouring out of them and he was screaming and crying louder than I'd ever heard before. His entire body was shaking and convulsing. Mum had her arms around him, but it didn't seem to be helping. I couldn't understand anything he was screaming out. Sterling gestured for Mum to stop holding Matt and stood next to the bed. He waved his wand over Matt's head, muttering some spells. It didn't stop Matt's screaming or convulsing at all, though. Sterling paused and then continued to try various spells. I almost had to look away. It was awful to see my brother like that. Why didn't Sterling do something? Why wouldn't the spells work? He was awake, but it almost seemed like things were worse now. "Anti-convulsion potion, calming draught, and pain potion. Extra-strength of all of them," Sterling muttered to Melinda. She nodded and immediately left the room. "Matt, honey," Mum soothed, "It's ok. Mummy's here." She put her arms around his shaking body again. He continued sobbing and screaming at the top of his lungs. "He needs the potions to calm down," Sterling explained. "What's wrong with him?" Mum asked, her voice cracking. "He's having a seizure," Sterling told her, "He's completely unaware of anything that's happening. But, he's awake, which is good." Mum burst out crying. "Oh, honey!" Melinda rushed back into the room with a tray laden with three flasks. Sterling grabbed them and poured them down Matt's throat. He performed one more spell and then stood back. "How long until they take effect?" Dad asked. "Not long. Five minutes, if that," Sterling replied. The next five minutes seemed to be an eternity. Despite my hating to see my brother like that, I didn't look away. I swallowed the lump in my throat and rubbed the wetness from my eyes. The potions would work, I assured myself. He'd be better in a few minutes. Eventually, the potions finally started to take effect and my brother stopped seizing. His shaking slowed and he stopped flailing around. He was still sobbing, though, and looking around confusedly at everyone. Sterling leaned over him and began waving his wand around. Matt shrieked and tried to move away. Sterling moved away and lowered his wand. "M-m-mum," Matt sobbed. Mum wiped her eyes and wrapped her arms around Matt. "Honey, it's ok. It's all over now." "M-m-mum," he repeated and grabbed her arm. "Shush," Mum soothed, "Mummy's here." "Perhaps I'll come back in a few minutes," Sterling said quietly, "He seems better now. The exam can wait." Dad nodded, "Good idea." Sterling put his wand away and quietly left the room. Dad pulled his chair over to Matt's bed and gently rubbed Matt's shoulder. Mum sat down on his bed and carefully lifted Matt onto her lap. She rocked him slowly as he cried into her shoulder. I stood near the foot of the bed with Uncle Jack, not sure what to do. I was unbelievably happy that my brother had emerged from the coma, but he wasn't himself. He looked scared out of his mind when Sterling went to examine him. I didn't think I'd ever seen him this hysterical either. What had happened during that transformation? I didn't even want to think about it. We probably wouldn't even ever find out. Dad told me once that Matt doesn't really remember anything after he transforms. Mum gently rocked Matt for about ten minutes. He slowly calmed down and stopped sobbing so loudly. Mum got up and laid him back down. He was still crying, but looked a little less afraid. Sterling returned to the room, conjured a chair, and sat down next to the bed. Matt whimpered and tried to scoot over to the side of the bed that Mum was sitting by. He winced and stopped. Mum put her arm back around him. "It's ok, honey. Healer Sterling has to do some tests. You remember him, right?" Matt slowly nodded, but didn't say anything. "I'm just going to get your vitals," Sterling said softly. He slowly waved his wand over Matt while scratching away on his clipboard. "All right, now I'll be able to continue healing your bones." Sterling spent the next half hour performing various healing spells and giving Matt some more potions. Matt looked scared out of his mind during this, but tolerated it. Sterling then gave him a strong dose of dreamless sleep and Matt drifted off shortly thereafter. "Well, what's the prognosis now?" Dad asked after Matt fell asleep. "Very good," Sterling replied as he picked up the empty flasks, "His injuries are extensive, but I believe he'll make a full recovery. It's the psychological implications that I'm worried about." Dad nodded, "I've been worrying about the same thing." "He seems incredibly scared, which is perfectly understandable. I've given him dreamless sleep, but I have a feeling if he didn't have it he'd have nightmares about this." "I'm positive he would. He had nightmares for months following the night he was bitten." "I'd like to continue with the dreamless sleep for a few days, just to ensure he gets adequate rest so his injuries will heal. But after that, it might be a good idea to see what happens if he doesn't have it. He can't take that potion forever. If the nightmares are intense and frequent, and he continues to show such an intense fear, I'd suggest he see a psychologist." Dad sighed and rubbed his face. "That would probably be a good idea. Hell, we probably should have done that after he was bitten. Perhaps the nightmares wouldn't have lasted so long. We just didn't think of it and nobody down there suggested it." "Perhaps," Sterling replied, "But that's over now. I can recommend a good psychologist, who works here and could do the consultation right here." "That sounds good. We'll figure that out after his injuries begin to heal. How long do you think it'll be until they're gone?" "It's hard to say how the coma affected the healing process. I imagine it will take a bit longer than usual. I am a bit worried about his ankle, which has suffered severe ligament damage, but with time, that should heal. He'll most likely be well enough to be discharged in a week or so. Granted, he might not be fully healed by then, but he should be well enough to go home. I'd like to see him for a few follow up visits, though. When do you plan on moving?" "First of July," Dad answered. "Hmm, that's after the next full moon. Depending on how well he heals before then, the next full moon could be worse than usual. He might need to come in right after that." Dad nodded, "Let's figure that out when it comes." "That will be fine. I'll be back to check on him later," Sterling grabbed the tray of empty flasks and his clipboard, and left the room. Dad went back over to Matt's bed and sat down in the chair Sterling had vacated. He rested one of his hands on Matt's shoulder and let out a loud sigh. Mum looked up at him and they shared one of those meaningful gazes. I grabbed an empty chair and sat down near the end of Matt's bed. I kind of wished Sterling hadn't given him a sleeping potion. I hadn't even gotten to really see him or talk to him or anything. Nobody had paid much attention to me as I stood in the background while Sterling administered his treatments. I had been right. Matt was different now. Even Sterling thought he'd been traumatized. Now he was probably going to have to see a psychologist. How long would it take for him to get over this? Would he ever totally recover? Was he always going to be so scared? Uncle Jack sat down next to me and sent me a sympathetic look. He turned and looked at Matt forlornly. None of us said anything. No one had to. I was sure we were all thinking the same thing. It was kind of strange. Matt had woken up and seemed to be recovering as well as could be expected, yet none of us seemed overly excited. We all knew now that the physical injuries would heal with time and magic. But magic couldn't heal emotional trauma. The only thing that would help with that was time (and perhaps therapy), and none of us knew how much time it would take.
*Riley* Joined: 30 November 2007 Posts: 1864 Location: Celebrating with good friends	Posted: Saturday 24 January 2009 11 01 41 pm    Post subject: Re: How old are you? in topic:How old are you? Distortia wrote: Hahaha! this has become a very funny thread. Now I'm feelin' very old. *Searches around for a payphone and sees a mobile phone tower instead* It seems there are plenty of 13-14 year olds on here now, so hopefully things will get more active around as you guys keep in touch! Plus, you must recruit! Highschool sure brings out everyone's true interests because there are more specific ways to express yourself and teachers who specialise rather than generalise. (eg. English, English Literarture, Maths, Physics. Teahers....instead of just one teacher for all the subjects like in primary school... cough cough...) Plus you get a chance to mix with people who like what you do! Erm... and you all just reverse 13 and that's how OLD I am. But darn it all! I've earned every year! And I still remember when I was 13... what an amazing year! hahaha... and even now I look at my parents and my grandparents and think they were just born into the age they are now and were never my age. I mean, it's so fun to imagine my olds as 13 year olds. hahahahaha!!!! And now they wish they could turn back the clock, where as you guys are just dying to be older. But I understand! And I don't put you down for it!!! With age comes more priviledge, more responsibilty, mobile phones, jobs, cars, .... bills, mortgages... Ok ok... I just love you guys and I'm so excited for you that you are now TEENAGERS or very nearly ones. Have a blast, and be true to yourselves and what you love. And don't let anyone tell you different. Oh, and ignore that creepy voice in your head when it tells you you're no good.. it's just hormones, and they can be silences with chocolate and/or good friends. xx So that isn't just Voldemort peforming Legilimency on me?
FawkesthePhoenix Joined: 31 December 2006 Posts: 3303 Location: The Six Wizards RPG, plotting a way for Yuta to foil Damiens plan and CHANGE THE FUTURE! MWAHAHA!	Posted: Wednesday 21 January 2009 07 31 54 pm    Post subject: Re: How old are you? in topic:How old are you? Distortia wrote: Hahaha! this has become a very funny thread. Now I'm feelin' very old. *Searches around for a payphone and sees a mobile phone tower instead* It seems there are plenty of 13-14 year olds on here now, so hopefully things will get more active around as you guys keep in touch! Plus, you must recruit! Highschool sure brings out everyone's true interests because there are more specific ways to express yourself and teachers who specialise rather than generalise. (eg. English, English Literarture, Maths, Physics. Teahers....instead of just one teacher for all the subjects like in primary school... cough cough...) Plus you get a chance to mix with people who like what you do! Erm... and you all just reverse 13 and that's how OLD I am. But darn it all! I've earned every year! And I still remember when I was 13... what an amazing year! hahaha... and even now I look at my parents and my grandparents and think they were just born into the age they are now and were never my age. I mean, it's so fun to imagine my olds as 13 year olds. hahahahaha!!!! And now they wish they could turn back the clock, where as you guys are just dying to be older. But I understand! And I don't put you down for it!!! With age comes more priviledge, more responsibilty, mobile phones, jobs, cars, .... bills, mortgages... Ok ok... I just love you guys and I'm so excited for you that you are now TEENAGERS or very nearly ones. Have a blast, and be true to yourselves and what you love. And don't let anyone tell you different. Oh, and ignore that creepy voice in your head when it tells you you're no good.. it's just hormones, and they can be silences with chocolate and/or good friends. xx That's some good sound advice, Distortia, I'll keep it in my thoughts whenever that creepy voice comes out to say that life sucks and I can't do anything.
Distortia Joined: 13 January 2008 Posts: 626 Location: In role play game of course!	Posted: Tuesday 20 January 2009 04 10 46 pm    Post subject: Re: How old are you? in topic:How old are you? Hahaha! this has become a very funny thread. Now I'm feelin' very old. *Searches around for a payphone and sees a mobile phone tower instead* It seems there are plenty of 13-14 year olds on here now, so hopefully things will get more active around as you guys keep in touch! Plus, you must recruit! Highschool sure brings out everyone's true interests because there are more specific ways to express yourself and teachers who specialise rather than generalise. (eg. English, English Literarture, Maths, Physics. Teahers....instead of just one teacher for all the subjects like in primary school... cough cough...) Plus you get a chance to mix with people who like what you do! Erm... and you all just reverse 13 and that's how OLD I am. But darn it all! I've earned every year! And I still remember when I was 13... what an amazing year! hahaha... and even now I look at my parents and my grandparents and think they were just born into the age they are now and were never my age. I mean, it's so fun to imagine my olds as 13 year olds. hahahahaha!!!! And now they wish they could turn back the clock, where as you guys are just dying to be older. But I understand! And I don't put you down for it!!! With age comes more priviledge, more responsibilty, mobile phones, jobs, cars, .... bills, mortgages... Ok ok... I just love you guys and I'm so excited for you that you are now TEENAGERS or very nearly ones. Have a blast, and be true to yourselves and what you love. And don't let anyone tell you different. Oh, and ignore that creepy voice in your head when it tells you you're no good.. it's just hormones, and they can be silences with chocolate and/or good friends. xx
FawkesthePhoenix Joined: 31 December 2006 Posts: 3303 Location: The Six Wizards RPG, plotting a way for Yuta to foil Damiens plan and CHANGE THE FUTURE! MWAHAHA!	Posted: Monday 19 January 2009 10 49 33 am    Post subject: Re: Poetry by FawkesthePhoenix in topic:Poetry by FawkesthePhoenix Here's a poem I just wrote, let's hope it's not crap... Clocks are spinning backwards The hourglass flows up A wineglass cured from spinning shards A bowl becomes a cup Arrow shoots away from lark To impact with the bow A candle lit brings forth the dark To starve the seeds we sow Hair grows short as trees grow tall Birds advance to eggs The hand is thrown into the ball The rich pay for the dregs Butterflies soon lose their wings When getting long of tooth The silence is the one that sings This is the final truth When time flows the other way Who is to name the youth?