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madams1993 Joined: 28 November 2008 Posts: 21	Posted: Wednesday 10 December 2008 04 56 15 pm    Post subject: Re: Sudents at Hogwarts? in topic:Sudents at Hogwarts? While you make a good point about ratios you have to remember that when they sort it isn't a random selecting, so a persons chances of getting into a house may be diffent. Ex. Malfoy definatly wouldn't make it in to gryfindor based on his person. And while the hat had trouble with harry it never considered Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw so his chances were 50:50. See what I mean. Although I think the idea that the houses being uneven is on the right track. Just not a such a grand scale.
DucksRMagical Joined: 28 December 2006 Posts: 2090 Location: Boycotting All Future Warner Brothers Films	Posted: Wednesday 10 September 2008 11 50 42 am    Post subject: Re: Albus Potter and the Tracks They Left Behind in topic:Albus Potter and the Tracks They Left Behind It's almost Christmas time in this fic! I know Fawkes told me she was looking forward to the Christmas chapters. Well, the one after this begins the Christmas chapters! I have come up with a plot for the sequel to this and can't wait to get started. I'll be tying in elements and characters from [i]In Moonlight's Shadow[/i] as well, so if you haven't started reading that, I'd suggest it! Questions, comments, and general reviews are always welcome! Chapter 20: The Missing Map Saturday was soon upon them and with it came a howling snow storm. Albus was very happy that there was a dueling tournament and not a Quidditch match. He had played Quidditch in snow before, but never in conditions that prevented him from seeing his own hands in front of him. Today's storm was so bad that Kendrick forbade anyone from going outside, but he needn't have bothered since no one wanted to go outside in the first place. After lunch, half the school migrated into the dueling room and waited for the tournament to begin. Albus and Amanda said goodbye to their friends and sat down at the table they had been at the previous tournament. "Hi Albus, hi Amanda!" Kate greeted them energetically. "Hi Kate!" Albus grinned. He sat down at the only remaining seat, which happened to be next to Malfoy. Amanda had managed to snag a seat next to Kate. "Malfoy," Albus said politely. "Potter," Malfoy muttered. The tournament commenced much as it had the previous time, only this time everyone knew what they were doing and it went smoother. There was still a lot of sitting around time and Albus was very happy that Amanda was on his team so he had someone to talk to. So far, there were still tensions between the Slytherins and everybody else. Kendrick's plan to have everyone get along was not working. After about a half hour, it was finally Albus's turn to duel. Malfoy had just completed his first duel and beat his Ravenclaw opponent. Albus congratulated him as he went up to the dueling area. He was up against a Hufflepuff third year. Albus and the other boy bowed and the two of them started dueling. The Hufflepuff sent two jinxes at Albus, but Albus blocked them both. Albus hit the boy with a trip jinx and then disarmed him. The whole thing took about a minute. "Point to Potter!" Neville announced. "Good job, Albus!" Kate and Amanda said in unison once Albus returned to his seat. "Thanks." "Hardly counts," Malfoy commented, "You dueled a bloody Hufflepuff. A first year could've beat that one." "Shut up, Malfoy. You'll duel a Hufflepuff eventually and I doubt you'll say the same thing." "Your short friend is up," Malfoy pointed to the dueling area that Harry was presiding over. Albus looked up and saw that Matt was about to duel one of the other Hufflepuffs. "I'll bet that Hufflepuff beats him," Malfoy laughed, "He doesn't look that good." Albus personally thought Matt looked all right, considering he had just gotten out of the Hospital Wing the day before. "Where's he been anyway?" "He was sick." "Oh, right," Malfoy grinned, "With that disease he's got. The one your stupid cousin told me about. If there's anyone who should've been a Hufflepuff, it's that cousin of yours." "Don't call him stupid. And the Hat knows better than you do about where to put him," Albus snapped. He didn't tell Malfoy that he had thought Kaden would have been a Hufflepuff. "Whatever you say. I wonder if your cousin's got anymore information that I'd like to know." "Don't go near my cousin," Albus growled. "Cut it out, you two!" Kate interrupted. "In case you haven't realized by now, you're on the same team." Albus glared at Malfoy and then turned to watch the rest of Matt's duel. It took him a while, but Matt did eventually beat the Hufflepuff. He looked worn out, but happy. "Told you he could beat him," Albus muttered. "Lucky shot," Malfoy whispered back. Albus and Malfoy didn't talk to each other for the rest of the tournament. Both boys won their next duels, Malfoy against a Slytherin and Albus against a Ravenclaw. Amanda lost her first duel and won her second. John won his first and lost his second. Matt lost his second one and Rose managed to win both of hers. But despite their best efforts, none of their teams won the tournament. It didn't really matter though because the points were so close. The final tournament was still very up in the air and any of the teams had a chance of making it. ****** The remaining days until the end of term went by very fast for Albus. Albus was especially excited about the Christmas holiday this year because it meant that Albus and his friends would acquire two more of the paw prints needed for the map. Rose had just perfected the transference charm and had already started searching for the charm to keep Kaden quiet. After Christmas, the only thing left to do would be to get the rat print. Albus thought it was quite funny that the smallest and theoretically easiest print to get was taking the longest. John had yet to manage to catch a rat during potions class and was getting frustrated about it. "Every time I see a rat, one of the bloody Slytherins is looking!" John vented the evening before their last day of classes. The group of Gryffindors were in the Room of Requirement, enjoying some peace and quiet while Kaden was being tutored by one of the Ravenclaws. "Try luring one over to your desk with cheese or something," Amanda suggested, "Then just stun it below the desk." "Hadn't thought of that," John muttered, "I'd been trying to stun them across the room." "I wonder why anyone would notice that?" Rose said sarcastically. "Shut it, Rose." "Well, you've got plenty of time to get it," Albus reminded him, "We still haven't got the dog or the stag prints." "We'll get them soon," Rose replied, "Amanda will get the dog and we'll get the stag, Albus. You can come over to my house after we leave the Burrow." "Sounds good," Albus agreed, "I'm not staying at the Burrow the whole holiday anyway." "Oh, yeah," Rose smirked, "Gran and Granddad are going on holiday together, alone." "That's not something I really care to think about, Rose," Albus groaned. His grandparents had decided to go to Scotland together a few days after Christmas and spend new year's alone. "Moving on. What are you lot doing for the holiday?" "The usual," John said immediately, "All my cousins coming over at various times. Should be crazy as always." "I've really got to go to your house sometime," Albus grinned, "You always say your cousins are mad, but I really don't think your family is as insane as mine is." "I'm sure it is. My great-great grandpa is coming this year. He's hilarious, especially after he's had a couple firewhiskeys." "Your great-great grandpa drinks firewhiskey?" Matt laughed, "That's something I've got to see." "He sure does. Then he starts telling ridiculous stories about 'back in my day'." "Sounds like we should hook him up with Auntie Muriel, eh Rose?" Albus winked at his cousin. "That would be the funniest thing ever," Rose grinned. "Your great-great grandpa sounds like our Auntie Muriel. She's 127 and loves to gossip," Albus explained. "I wish I had mad relatives," Amanda commented, "My family sounds pretty normal compared to yours." "But you celebrate Hannukah, so that makes up for it," John replied, "I mean, who wouldn't like eight days of presents? I wish I celebrated both, that would be the best thing ever." "Amy has a Muggle friend who celebrates both. But she doesn't get presents on every night of Hannukah," Matt told them. "I get small presents each night and then one big one on the last night," Amanda explained. "That's still cool," John said, "So, Matt, do you have to go visit your grandparents this year?" "Ugh, don't remind me," Matt groaned, "Of course I do. But only for five days this year. We're leaving right before new year's. Amy has to be back at St. Mungo's a few days before term starts." "That's good," Albus smiled. "At least you don't have to be there as long." "It'll still be boring. The only thing to do down there is homework or read. It's not like I can play Quidditch or anything." "What day are you coming back? Maybe you can come over to Rose's house with me. Then we can play Quidditch," Albus offered. "The 28th. I'll ask my parents." "Great. You should come too, John and Amanda," Albus suggested. "I'll ask, I'm sure my parents will let me," John replied. "I can probably only stay a day or so," Amanda told them, "Hannukah is late this year and starts on Christmas, so it'll still be going on on the 28th. I'll have to be home by the evening." "That'll work. Maybe we can all get the stag print together," Albus said. "Good idea," John grinned and everyone else nodded. "I should probably tell you now, just in case I don't get to go to Rose's house," Matt began quietly, "I'm not coming back to Hogwarts on the train with everyone else." Albus stared at his friend, who was looking a little forlorn. "Why not? Everything ok?" "I guess. It's just that I'm starting that new potion I told you about at the beginning of the term. The full moon's on the 9th and someone has to observe me once I start taking it a few days before. Then I've got to go to St. Mungo's the morning after and stay a couple days." "Oh," Albus wasn't really sure what to say. He wished more than ever that someone would just discover a potion that would work for him. "Look on the bright side," John said, "At least you don't have to transform at your grandparents house again." "And if I have my way I'll never have to do that again," Matt shook his head, "But let's talk about something else. Did you see in the Prophet that the Cannons almost won that game against the Fitchburg Finches? You know, that American team they were playing for practice." "Didn't the Finches beat them by 50 points?" Albus asked. "Yeah, but that's close!" Matt grinned, "They're making a comeback, I just know it!" "Well, with a name like 'Finches', what do you expect? It wouldn't have surprised me if the Cannons beat them," John laughed, "Well, maybe a little. But seriously, who names a team the 'Finches'?" ****** The term ended the next day with a bang, literally. James and a few of his friends thought it would be funny to put a few Weasley fireworks into the suits of armor and charm them to go off at certain times during the day. After the tenth explosion the teachers gave up trying to teach anything and just let their students do what they wanted during class, within reason of course. Unfortunately for James and his friends, Professor Cedonia spotted them refilling the armor on the second floor corridor with fresh fireworks and gave them one of her rare detentions. For this one, they had to clean every single suit of armor on the second floor corridor that evening. James said it was worth it, though. "We really ought to come up with a few good pranks," John decided as they were traveling through the hills on the train. "That's what the Marauders did, was prank people, so we should, too." Albus shrugged. He really wasn't very good at coming up with pranks. That was James's area of expertise. Plus, if the result of such pranks was cleaning suits of armor, Albus really didn't want to pull a whole lot of pranks. "Maybe a few minor ones, that don't get us in huge trouble." "I'm sure we could do some of those. There's loads of stuff we could do to the Slytherins." "Yeah, like that one James did before the first dueling tournament," Matt laughed. The rest of the train ride went quickly and soon Albus and his friends found themselves at King's Cross. Albus climbed off the train and saw his parents standing with Rose's parents and Lily and Hugo. But before Albus could go over to see them, John grabbed his arm and steered him in another direction. "C'mon, you can meet my great-great grandpa!" Albus saw a very frail, completely bald, old man with a long white beard standing next to John's parents. John lead their group over to the three adults. "Johnny-Boy!" the old man shouted and gave John a tight hug, "How're things at that school? How is Professor Dippet?" "He died years ago, Grandpa, like I told you over the summer. Like I tell you every summer," John stifled a laugh. "Oh, right! Probably all new teachers, a bunch of young'ins I bet! Back in my day none of the teachers were under 50, and now some of em are 30! What has gotten into these new headmasters...." "Grandpa," John shook his head, "The teachers are fine. But I want you to meet my friends. This is Matt Eckerton, Albus Potter-" "Potter!?" John's great-great grandpa peered into Albus's eyes and grinned, "Albus Potter? Well I'll be. If it isn't Harry Potter's son! I remember back in the days of You-know-who and nobody thought he would ever be defeated, and then along comes little Harry Potter and poof! You-know-who's gone! Then he comes back and what should happen again? Harry Potter makes 'im disappear again and for good this time!" Albus, who was used to this kind of attention but not someone shouting it at the top of their lungs, blushed and tried to ignore the stares of everyone around him. "Er, nice to meet you." "You, too," the old man smiled, "And who are these girls? Have you got yourself two girlfriends, Johnny-Boy? I wouldn't recommend it. I did it once and wound up with no girlfriends after they found out!" "No, Grandpa," John laughed, "They're just friends. Amanda Tagger and Rose Weasley." "Are you sure? I could see you with the redhead. Just wait till you're older." "Just friends, Grandpa," John's cheeks turned red. "He's like the male version of Muriel," Albus whispered to Rose. "Muriel!?" John's grandpa shouted. Albus jumped. He hadn't expected that the elderly man would be able to hear him. "I used to know a Muriel! Went to school with her. Then she married some Weasley. I haven't seen her in decades!" Albus looked at Rose. What a coincidence. "Er, Albus and I have an Aunt Muriel Weasley," Rose giggled. "Well I'll be! I should owl her sometime." "I'm sure she'd love that," Rose smiled. "We're going to have to go now," John's mum announced. "See you later," John waved. "Bye," Albus grinned. "Tell your dad I said hi!" John's great-great grandpa shouted. ****** Albus spent the next few days hanging around Grimmauld Place with James and the rest of his family. Lily was thrilled to have both her brothers and her dad home and she had been demanding to know everything that had gone on the past term. "That way I'll know everything about Hogwarts before I'm even there!" she said excitedly at breakfast the day before Christmas Eve. "You still haven't told me how I'll get sorted." "We're not going to tell you, Lily," Ginny smiled as she handed Lily a glass of juice, "It's a surprise." "That's not fair," Lily whined. "Nobody told me or Al how we got sorted, so how is it not fair for you not to know?" James asked. "I'm the youngest. I should know everything about Hogwarts because you two have been there for a few years! And then all the Muggle-born kids will ask me questions and I'll be able to answer them." "You'll find out soon enough, Lily," Ginny assured her. "How much longer?" Lily asked excitedly. "There's still 9 months." "That's forever!" "She's going to be a nightmare this summer," James whispered to Albus. "Morning, everyone!" Harry descended the steps into the kitchen and pulled up a chair. "Hi, Dad," Albus greeted him. "Hey, Ginny?" Harry asked as he grabbed the Prophet, "Have you seen the Marauder's Map?" James choked on his juice and sprayed it across the table at Albus, as he turned bright red. "Ew, watch it!" Albus jumped back. "You ok, James?" Harry looked at him curiously. "Fine. The article on the front of the paper, it's, er, shocking," James blushed some more and pointed to the front of the Prophet, which was facing him. "Witch Tries to Decrease Size of Her Ears, Charms Them Off Instead?" Harry read. "Yes, very shocking. People ought to be more careful!" James sputtered. He gave Albus a look that Albus interpreted to mean 'meet me upstairs'. James excused himself and ran out of the room. "What's with him?" Harry asked. "No idea," Ginny shrugged. "Er, I've got to go change," Albus jumped up and followed James. Harry had noticed that the map was gone! Now he was going to have to give it back. Albus was going to miss it, but it would only be a matter of time before he had the other one working. "Albus!" James pulled him into the drawing room and shut the door. "He wants the map back!" "I kind of figured that," Albus smirked, "We're just going to have to sneak it back into his room. Let's do it now." "Wait, Albus!" James grabbed his arm, "The thing is, er, well, I..." He shuffled from foot to foot looking very nervous. "What?" "I, er, can't find it!" James whispered. "What am I going to do? I can't have lost it...." Albus started laughing. "It's not funny!" James insisted. "You didn't lose it!" Albus grinned, "I've got it. I took it from you months ago and didn't want to give it back." "You idiot!" James shouted, "Here I thought I'd lost it and you stole it from me!" "It doesn't matter now. We've got to give it back anyway." "You're giving it back. You're the one who stole it from me." "Well you stole it from Dad in the first place," Albus reminded him. "Only to get you out of trouble!" He had a point there. If Albus hadn't have been in Kendrick's office the previous year, James never would have taken the map in the first place. "All right. I'll just go sneak it into his room. Maybe he'll think he just forgot to bring it to Hogwarts." "Let's hope so. Go do it now." Albus nodded and ran up to his bedroom. He knew his dad would want the map back eventually, he just hadn't given it much thought. At least he hadn't noticed it was missing at school. Albus threw open his trunk and rifled through his school stuff. He still hadn't unpacked everything or packed a bag for his stay at the Burrow. The map was inside the photo album Albus found over the summer, along with the new map. Hopefully they wouldn't need the Marauder's Map to decipher the new map. Albus pulled out the map and ran into his parents' room. He shoved the map under a pile of defensive magic books and quickly left the room. "Done?" James asked anxiously when Albus ran back into the drawing room. "Yup. I put it under a stack of books, with one corner sticking out." "Perfect. You might want to go change your shirt now." "Oh, right," Albus looked down at his juice splattered t-shirt, "Thanks for that, by the way." "No problem," James laughed, "Come to me for all your juice spraying needs." "I'll do that," Albus rolled his eyes as he left the room to change his shirt.
*Riley* Joined: 30 November 2007 Posts: 1764 Location: Celebrating with good friends	Posted: Friday 8 August 2008 07 02 41 pm    Post subject: Re: Give Another Forum Member a Smile! :) in topic:Give Another Forum Member a Smile! :) Couldn't have said it better. It's so good to see that we only love it more than when it started. Even PITA said hat the forum has grown, let's keep it that way GROUP HUG!
DucksRMagical Joined: 28 December 2006 Posts: 2090 Location: Boycotting All Future Warner Brothers Films	Posted: Wednesday 6 August 2008 09 47 07 am    Post subject: Re: Albus Potter and the Tracks They Left Behind in topic:Albus Potter and the Tracks They Left Behind Wow, it's been over 2 weeks since I last posted. Sorry about that. Haven't had much time between vacation and getting ready for school. Chapter 15: Forgiveness Albus and his friends sat around the Room of Requirement for the next half hour, waiting for Matt to come back. Nobody said much, but Albus could tell that they were all worried about what was going to happen. Albus certainly was. Albus looked up sharply as he heard the door to the room open. "What happened?" he asked immediately. Matt ran over to his friends with a smile on his face. "Not much." "You don't have to leave?" Rose asked. "Nope!" Matt grinned. "Kendrick said he'd take care of it and no one's going to be able to get into the passageway anymore." "That's great!" Albus replied. He was very relieved. It would not have been fair for Matt to have to leave Hogwarts just because of Kaden's stupidity. "Yeah. Kendrick said I should have just told him immediately, though." "We didn't really think of it at the time," John commented. "I know, and Kendrick understands. He's not giving me detention or anything," Matt told them. "Good," Amanda replied. "So," John said tentatively, "Nobody can get into the passageway now?" "Pretty much. Kendrick didn't really explain, but he told me no one would be able to get in," Matt explained, "Just me and Madam Pomfrey, I think." "Oh," John said, "I was kind of hoping we could go explore it some time." Matt turned and glared at him, "Are you insane? There's no way I'd take you into the Shrieking Shack." "It could have been like our own common room," John continued. "No way. Nope. Not going to happen," Matt said flatly. "All right, fine," John sighed, "Would've been cool, though." ****** The next day at breakfast, Albus was still thinking about the new map. He kept wondering what made it so different from the original Marauder's Map. Albus was hoping that it would show Hogsmeade, along with everyone who was in Hogsmeade. "Who's that old lady up there?" Amanda pointed to the staff table. There was a short old witch with a patched and frayed hat sitting where Professor Longbottom usually sat. Albus looked up and watched her. For some reason she looked rather familiar, but he couldn't put his finger on it. "Yeah, and where's Professor Longbottom?" Matt asked. "Dunno," Albus shrugged. He looked up towards the ceiling as the post owls started to arrive. Rose's family owl made a beeline for her and stood waiting for her to take the letter off. Rose took the letter and gave her owl a piece of toast. She opened the letter and read for a few minutes before reemerging from behind it with a huge grin on her face. "Professor Longbottom's wife has had her baby! Her name is Lucy Augusta. That explains why Professor Longbottom isn't here." Albus smiled. "That's great." Albus hadn't seen Hannah since the summer, and she'd been quite pregnant then. "You know, I never really think about the teachers having families," Matt commented. "Well, we met Professor Longbottom's wife at the Leaky Cauldron over the summer," John pointed out. "I know, but I don't really remember her that well," Matt explained, "I didn't feel too great that day." "Oh, yeah," John remembered, "And Professor Potter obviously has a family." John grinned at Albus. "He does?" Albus opened his eyes wide in a look of fake shock. "I never knew!" Matt laughed, "I wonder about the other teachers, though." "I think Patil is married," Rose told them, "Slughorn isn't, but I'm not sure about the others." "May I have your attention?" Kendrick stood up and banged his spoon against his goblet. "Thank you. I have two announcements this morning. The first one is that it has come to my attention that a few of you have not heeded my warnings about staying away from the Whomping Willow. I must tell you again how dangerous it is." Albus stole a glance at Kaden, who was steadily turning more pink. Albus glared at him and this made him turn a bright shade of red. "As an added precaution, I have put a few wards around it that will inform me when someone disregards my rules. There will be severe punishment for anyone who is caught around the tree," Kendrick said sternly. "On a lighter note, I'm sure you all have noticed that Professor Longbottom is not here today." Most of the other students started whispering among themselves, no doubt wondering why this could be considered a 'lighter note'. "Yes, yes, no need to worry. Professor Longbottom's wife has had a baby girl and he will be gone for a few weeks. Professor Sprout, who taught here years ago has offered to take his place until he returns," Kendrick gestured to the older witch. That's where he knew her from, Albus thought as Sprout stood up and waved. Albus had met Sprout once when he was much younger. "I believe that is all. I hope everyone has a good Sunday and is well rested for classes tomorrow," Kendrick sat back down. "I hope Sprout is nice," Matt said as he and the others wandered around the grounds after breakfast. It was a very mild day for November and most of the students were outside enjoying the weather. "She is," Albus assured him. "My parents had her. So did most of my aunts and uncles." "Mine, too," John said. "I've met her a few times," Rose commented, "I like her." "Good," Matt smiled, "It seems like we haven't got any mean teachers this year." The group spent the morning wandering around the grounds, putting off the homework they should have been doing. They talked some more about the map, but nobody had any ideas as to how to get it to work or who could represent Wormtail. Albus also thought a lot about what Victoire had said. He was beginning to wonder if he should just forgive Kaden. It would certainly be a whole lot easier than trying to avoid him, like he had been doing the past month and a half. "I don't think we're going to be able to ignore Kaden forever," Albus announced as they were laying underneath a beech tree near the lake. "You've just realized this?" Rose asked, smirking. "Well, I'd been hoping we could just ignore him," Albus told her. "You can't, Albus," Rose sighed, "He's your cousin, whether you like him or not." "I know," Albus replied, "I'm getting sick of having to avoid him all the time." "I still don't like him," John said adamantly, "I mean, maybe if he'd learn how to shut his mouth, I'd like him better." "Maybe there's some kind of spell we can use to get him not to talk about things he's not supposed to," Amanda laughed. "That'd be nice," Albus agreed. "So, you think we should forgive him?" "We probably should," Matt replied quietly. "No one can get into the tree now, and Malfoy's going to find out eventually," he sighed, "It's only a matter of time. He'll find out whether Kaden gives him clues or not. He's smart. Kaden won't figure it out until someone tells him, but Malfoy will find out on his own. It's only a matter of when." Albus stared at his friend. Albus did not think Matt would ever be friendly with Kaden again, but what he said actually made sense. Malfoy was going to find out. "It's all right with you if I forgive him?" "Yeah," Matt said, "He's your cousin. If I had any cousins, I'd want to be friendly with them." Albus sighed. He knew the right thing to do was to just forgive Kaden. Albus knew that as soon as he made up with Kaden, Kaden would start hovering around them again. He just wished Kaden would find his own friends. But it didn't look like that was going to happen anytime soon. Every time Albus saw Kaden, he was either alone or with James. "Want to go back to the castle?" John asked a little while later. It was starting to get windier and clouds were rolling in. It would probably rain soon. "Sure," Albus agreed. "I've got to find Slughorn," Rose announced as she stood up. "I need to talk to him about that last essay. Want to come, Amanda?" Amanda nodded and the two girls took off for the castle. "Bet she thinks she lost a point on it," John laughed. "Probably," Albus grinned as the three boys started walking back to the castle. They joined the large group of students now running towards the castle as it got darker outside. "What do you want to do?" John asked as they climbed the stairs. "Wanna go to the Room?" Matt suggested. "Sounds good, maybe we can figure out how to work the new map," Albus said. "After all, once I talk to Kaden, we won't be able to sneak off there without him wondering where we are." "I hadn't thought of that," John groaned. "Maybe you shouldn't talk to him." "I've got to, John," Albus sighed. "He's my cousin." "How are you going to keep him from knowing about the map?" Matt asked. "No idea. I guess we'll just have to mess with it while Kaden's in class." The boys continued their journey up to the seventh floor corridor. They were halfway down the sixth floor corridor, heading towards the stairs, when Matt stopped in his tracks. Albus stared at him quizzically, wondering why he had stopped. It wasn't close to the full moon yet. "What's wrong?" he whispered. Matt said nothing but pulled his two friends into a nearby empty classroom. He shut the door and turned to face his friends. "There's people whispering just around the corner." "What?" Albus asked. He hadn't heard anything in the corridor. It had seemed completely deserted. "Are you mad?" John stared at him, "We were the only ones out there." "I'm serious!" Matt said. "No you're not," John laughed, "I'm supposed to be Sirius. You're Remus." Matt groaned, "You know what I mean! But I definitely heard something. My hearing's better than yours." "Oh, right," Albus replied, remembering that werewolves did have superior hearing. "Well, what was it?" "There's at least two people out there and one sounds scared," Matt explained. "Do you think they're students?" Albus asked, immediately thinking of the Willinsons and Washburn. Had they come back to find the Hallows? "Yeah, definitely students." Albus breathed a sigh of relief. It couldn't be Washburn or either Willinson, if they sounded like students. "Let's go investigate," John said mischievously. Albus was undecided if he wanted to go see who was whispering around the corner or not. He was definitely curious, but he didn't want to get hexed. Eventually, his curiosity beat out his fear. "All right." "Hold out your wands," Matt instructed as he opened the door. The boys crept quietly out into the corridor and walked to the corner. As they got closer, Albus could start to make out bits of conversation. "Come on!" an icy voice seethed, "You know more. Just tell us and we won't hex you." "I swear, I told you everything!" someone croaked. He sounded like he was shaking. Albus quickened his pace. Someone was going to hex someone. He had to stop them! Albus vaguely recognized both the voices, but he couldn't quite place them. The boys rounded the corner and Albus saw why he recognized the voices. Scorpius Malfoy and Felix Willinson were standing with their wands pointed at Kaden, who was leaning on the wall, his hand shakily holding his wand out in front of him. Albus stopped in his tracks, and John and Matt did the same. Neither Malfoy, Willinson, or Kaden had noticed them yet. "Just tell me what's beyond the tunnel, Dursley," Willinson snarled. "I don't know!" Kaden repeated. "Liar," Malfoy raised his wand a little higher. That was it. Albus couldn't bear to watch Malfoy interrogating his cousin like that. All his bitter thoughts toward Kaden flew out the window the moment Albus saw Kaden's terrified face. Albus ran forward and shouted, "Expelliarmus!" Malfoy's wand sailed out of his hand and landed on the floor a few feet down the corridor. John ran forward and grabbed it. Albus and Matt stepped forward as Malfoy and Willinson turned around. "Well, if it isn't Potter," Malfoy spat. "What can you possibly want?" "Quit threatening my cousin," Albus growled. He pointed his wand at Malfoy's chest. "That can be arranged," Malfoy replied, "If you tell us where the tunnel under the Whomping Willow goes." Albus didn't break eye contact with Malfoy, but he knew Matt had gone white next to him. "Why would you think I know where it goes?" "The Mudblood told us," Willinson smirked. "But he claims he's got no idea where it goes. I think you do." "Don't call him a Mudblood!" Albus shouted. At the same time, John shouted, "Expelliarmus!" and Willinson's wand sailed neatly into John's hand. "Looks like you've got your cousin's dueling skills," Albus commented. "Quinton Willinson is your cousin, right?" "Sure is," Willinson confirmed. "Now, will one of you tell us where the tunnel goes? I'll let your Mudblood cousin go if you do." "I said don't call him that!" Albus shouted, "And no, we won't tell you where it goes." "Fine," Malfoy smirked, "Guess your cousin will get hexed." John burst out laughing, "Good luck with that, seeing as I've got your wands." Apparently both Malfoy and Willinson had forgotten about that and they stared at each other. Kaden, realizing that neither Slytherin could hex him, stumbled over to where Albus and the others were standing. "Dueling in the corridors," a panting voice behind them said. "That's against the rules." Albus jumped as he heard the voice and turned around to meet it. It was Filch. Albus groaned inwardly. Why did Filch always have to be around? He, Matt, John, and Kaden all exchanged glances as Filch grinned at them all. "Follow me, all of you," Filch said gleefully. "But, Sir," Malfoy replied sweetly, "Felix and I don't have our wands. Clearly these four Gryffindors attacked us." "If I've learned anything over the years," Filch growled, "It's that Slytherins are never innocent." Albus stifled a laugh as he followed Filch down the hallway. Nobody said anything as Filch led them into his cramped office. It was very difficult for the six boys to fit inside and everyone was too close for comfort. Filch went through his usual routine of filling out forms and filing them in the correct cabinet. He smirked as he filed Albus's form. "Seems you'll have a file nearly as big as your father and grandfather's by the time you graduate." Albus said nothing as Filch continued to fill out and file his forms. After what seemed like an hour, but was probably only a few minutes, Filch finished. "You'll have two night's detention. Tonight and tomorrow night. Meet me here. Now get out." Albus didn't have to be asked twice. He was the first one out the door, followed quickly by Matt, John, and Kaden. After the two Slytherins left and started heading towards the dungeons, Albus began to lead his friends up the stairs. No one said much as they walked towards Gryffindor Tower. Kaden stuck to them like someone had affixed a permanent sticking charm on him, but Albus didn't mind. He needed to talk to Kaden anyway. Why were Malfoy and Willinson threatening him? Was this the reason he told Malfoy about the passageway in the Whomping Willow? When they got to the common room, it was packed. There was hardly any room for them. Albus wordlessly lead them up to his dormitory and shut the door behind them. John and Matt sat down on Matt's bed, but Albus and Kaden remained standing. Albus wasn't sure where to begin. Should he just tell Kaden that he forgave him? Or ask him what was going on with Malfoy and Willinson? But before Albus could decide, Kaden started the conversation. "I'm sorry," Kaden whispered quietly. Albus did a double take. Kaden was sorry? "For what?" Albus asked. Kaden hadn't done anything wrong recently. Not since he talked to Malfoy over a month ago. "For telling Malfoy," Kaden explained. "I know you're mad at me and I'm sorry," his voice cracked. "And I'm sorry for landing you lot in detention, again." "Kaden, this one wasn't your fault," Albus insisted, "It was Malfoy and Willinson's fault. Speaking of them, want to tell us what's been going on?" Albus hadn't paid an ounce of attention to his cousin since their big fight over a month ago, but Albus was sure that this wasn't an isolated incident with the Slytherins. "They cornered me," Kaden whispered, "Over a month ago. They knew I hung out with you, and they wanted to know if I knew anything about Matt's, er, illness." Albus nodded. That's why Kaden had told Malfoy. The Slytherin weaseled it out of Kaden. "Go on." "And I'm sorry, Albus," Kaden's eyes watered, "I really am. They just both pointed their wands at me, and I don't know any good hexes, and I just got scared, and I know Gryffindors are supposed to be brave, but they told me they'd hex me if I didn't tell them what I knew. So I did, and before I realized it I mentioned the Whomping Willow." So that was it, Albus thought. He should have just listened to Victoire. There was a reason Kaden had told Malfoy. Kaden hadn't just willingly given him the information. "And it was too late," Kaden continued, "They were going to hex me if I didn't tell them. So I told them there was a tunnel but I didn't know where it went. They didn't believe me, though. They've been trying to get me to tell them about once a week and I get hexed every time. Madam Pomfrey fixes it, though." Albus sighed, "I told you to tell me if they were bothering you again." "But you were mad at me," Kaden's voice wobbled, "I figured you didn't care anymore." "Kaden, sometimes you do things that I just don't understand," Albus explained, "But I'll always care about you. You're my cousin and nothing can change that." "I know, and I'm really sorry about everything," Kaden replied, "I wanted to keep it all a secret, but-" "It's all right," Albus cut him off. Kaden was obviously sorry about what he had done. Albus was starting to feel really bad that he had ignored his cousin for so long, especially when he was being threatened by Slytherins. "And I'm sorry I didn't listen to you before." Kaden nodded, tears starting to spill out of his eyes. "You're not mad at me anymore?" "No," Albus answered, "Just tell me next time they do that. And try not to tell anyone the things I tell you in private anymore." Kaden nodded and turned to John and Matt. "Are you two still mad at me?" John and Matt looked at each other and then shook their heads. "No, we've been mad at you long enough," Matt told him. Kaden smiled through his tears and looked back at Albus. "I don't suppose you'd tell me where the tunnel goes now?" "Not a chance," Albus grinned. Even after all that, Kaden was still his usual curious self, forever optimistic that Albus would actually tell him all of Hogwarts's secrets. "Didn't think so," Kaden replied, "But it was worth a shot. Anyway, I haven't had a chance to tell you, but I still think football is better than Quidditch." "Are you mad?!" John and Matt shouted at the same time. Both of them had looks of disgust on their faces. Kaden grinned sheepishly, "I just think it's better. You can't kick the Quaffle around like they do in football." John turned his gaze from Kaden to Albus. "We've got to fix this," he said solemnly. "We'll take him to the Cup," Matt decided, "No matter where it is. We'll go and prove to him that Quidditch is best." "It won't change my mind," Kaden replied. "Once you see the Cannons play, you'll change your mind," Matt told him as he stood up. "The Cannons?" John laughed and walked over to the door, "Are you the insane one now?" "Not at the moment, no," Matt smirked. John and Albus burst out laughing at John's choice of words and Kaden looked at them confusedly. "Another thing I don't get to know?" Kaden asked. "Yup," the three other boys said at the same time. "Anyway," John continued as they left the room, "The Cannons are the worst team, you don't want to see them play. It's not like they'll make it to the Cup." Matt punched him playfully in the arm, "Don't insult my team like that. It's not like Puddlemre United is doing much better." This time it was John's turn to punch Matt in the arm. "Puddlemere is better than the Cannons can ever hope to be." John and Matt continued their argument all the way down into the common room, with Kaden paying rapt attention. Albus smiled as he watched them. Maybe Kaden could fit in with their group after all.
FawkesthePhoenix Joined: 31 December 2006 Posts: 3044 Location: Dancing circles around Voldemort, singing poetry into a hairbrush and dodging curses.	Posted: Monday 21 July 2008 12 18 51 pm    Post subject: Re: Montez Pub & Brewery ((RP & Help needed)) in topic:Montez Pub & Brewery ((RP & Help needed)) [i]And Odo the Hero, They bore him back home! To the place he had known as a lad! And they laid him to rest, With his hat inside out! And his wand snapped in two which waaaaaaaas SAAAAAAAAAD!!!!![/i]
*Riley* Joined: 30 November 2007 Posts: 1764 Location: Celebrating with good friends	Posted: Monday 30 June 2008 11 53 39 pm    Post subject: Re: CLOAK SHOP ! ( and other fashionable items ) in topic:CLOAK SHOP ! ( and other fashionable items ) *Fires Salem out of cannon* Ah peace and quiet.. Anyone here have a beige scarf I can dress the manican in oh and a teal side-hat would be great if you could manage. Now, for the manican.. *Dresses manican until all that's left of it is a pile of fashionable clothes...* *Sigh* Clean up on aisle on, I repeat, clean up on aisle one !
*Riley* Joined: 30 November 2007 Posts: 1764 Location: Celebrating with good friends	Posted: Friday 20 June 2008 08 28 12 pm    Post subject: Re: CLOAK SHOP ! ( and other fashionable items ) in topic:CLOAK SHOP ! ( and other fashionable items ) Ok, can I please have a silk cloak with pink zebra strips and a fashionable pointed wizard hat with girraffe spots, ( preferably aqua spots, but teal will do )
FawkesthePhoenix Joined: 31 December 2006 Posts: 3044 Location: Dancing circles around Voldemort, singing poetry into a hairbrush and dodging curses.	Posted: Wednesday 4 June 2008 01 13 24 pm    Post subject: Re: CLOAK SHOP ! ( and other fashionable items ) in topic:CLOAK SHOP ! ( and other fashionable items ) umm.......... one minute. *leaves and comes back wearing a ballerina tutu, cowboy boots, an umbrella hat, and carrying a bag of random stuff* ok, now im ready.
DucksRMagical Joined: 28 December 2006 Posts: 2090 Location: Boycotting All Future Warner Brothers Films	Posted: Sunday 27 April 2008 02 10 33 pm    Post subject: Re: Chapter 3, Book 1 the letters from no one in topic:Chapter 3: The letters from no one I disagree about the hat thing. Yes, it is polite to take them off during meals and church and I agree that you shouldn't wear hats during those events. But school just seems different to me. People wear hats at my school (college) all the time. I see your point about uniforms being easier, but I personally wouldn't want to sacrifice my freedom to express myself through clothing for ease. As far as gym class goes, I don't know about other places, but my school made you change your clothes for gym. You'd get points taken off if you didn't. In my elementary school, if you had to wear your earrings during gym, they made you put scotch tape over them. Where's the logic in that? I don't think a piece of tape would stop them from being ripped out, and it seems kind of unsanitary to put a piece of tape over your healing piercing. In middle and high school, you could wear whatever jewelry you wanted to in gym. It was your choice. I think in middle school you had to take out dangling earrings, but I don't really remember.
Distortia Joined: 13 January 2008 Posts: 527 Location: Over the sea	Posted: Saturday 26 April 2008 07 05 33 pm    Post subject: Re: Chapter 3, Book 1 the letters from no one in topic:Chapter 3: The letters from no one Good points all around Scellanis. I have to say, it's such a fashion show when there's no uniforms. Then I guess u can parade around in other situations (eg, recreational activities) wearing your 'fancy' threads. Still, it totally sucks when parents can't afford to get their kids new uniforms and they end up with stuff that is too small, faded, holey, etc. And poor Harry wearing 'elephant skin' on his first day of high school! High School is hard enough! Yes, hats seem to be a cultural thing, where u have to remove them in order to be polite. I remember hearing once that a boy in my friends school wore a turban (I think that's what they are called) and someone knocked it off, and his hair was really really long. I think if you wear a hat for religious purposes (or head dress), then that is fine. I remember ppl used to wear a hat when their hair looked terrible (from a bad hair cut, etc.) But in High School the teachers are onto that, becuase then ppl wear hats to cover their unwashed hair, and jackets to cover the smell from not showering.. and pretty soon it's just all a bit ferrel! So.... I like uniforms for high school for the ease of it... but then out and about we should be able to wear what we want and not be persecuted! (as for piercings, it's a tough one, because it's personal choice. If u have to take piercings out for school, won't the holes grow in? Should u bring them to school and take em out and put em in before and after school right away? And would u get in trouble if u're seen in public wearing your piercings and school uniform......... What a conformist society we live in...)
Scellanis Joined: 11 September 2002 Posts: 6228 Location: Pretending to be a sea slug with 'go faster' stripes...	Posted: Saturday 26 April 2008 03 55 55 pm    Post subject: Re: Chapter 3, Book 1 the letters from no one in topic:Chapter 3: The letters from no one You know, that hats inside thing is pretty much polite ettiquete (sp??) that you don't wear your hat indoors anyway, especially not at a meal or in church and why would a classroom be any different given the hat hides your head and eyes and so would make talking to the class a little distracting. As for uniforms, I wholeheartedly support them. Its a lot less stressful when all you have to do is wear the same thing every day and you don't have to worry about whether anyone else will be wearing it too or what everyone else will be wearing and whether you will be wearing the right thing or whether you are rich enough and have the correct labels. Also it'd be alot less annoying if someone knicked your school shirt in P.E. rather than your fancy top you spent ages picking out and probably spent a fortune on not that anyone would want to knick a school shirt especially if its exactly the same as theirs. And then also there is the whole spilling chemicals on your clothes as well, I'd rather burn a hole in my school uniform. And finally we have the whole issue of safety. If all of you are wearing the unifrom its very obvious who is the wrong one out...its also very obvious if you get lost on a school trip and could stop confused tourists accidently getting on your bus instead.
DucksRMagical Joined: 28 December 2006 Posts: 2090 Location: Boycotting All Future Warner Brothers Films	Posted: Friday 25 April 2008 01 46 31 pm    Post subject: Re: Chapter 3, Book 1 the letters from no one in topic:Chapter 3: The letters from no one I am very anti-uniform. I think everyone should be allowed to wear whatever they want (well, as long as it's not too revealing at school) in order to show off their personality. I don't like the idea of everyone having to conform to one standard uniform. All the schools I went to were free dress and I'm very happy about that. There were rules against certain clothes, some of which I don't agree with. One thing is the no-hat policy. I just don't understand that. All through public school, we weren't allowed to wear hats inside. Other districts near us were. Another thing is, the dress code needs to be age-appropriate. Something that's not appropriate in high school might be in elementary school. Example, spaghetti strap tops. They are banned in every school in my district. This make sense in middle/high school because they are kind of revealing. But in elementary school? Come on. Kids don't think like that when they're that age. And it gets really hot in the schools too in the spring/summer. Letters- When I was eleven, I opened my own mail. Most of the mail I got was from the school (report cards and such) and I opened them and then my parents read them, too. I didn't have very many pen pals. Nor did I have my own e-mail address, which I got when I was 12.