Harry Potter Robes and Costumes

Visit our friendly Harry Potter Forum to discuss wizarding style and more, like these posts:

Author	Message
DucksRMagical Joined: 28 December 2006 Posts: 2495 Location: Going through LeakyCon withdrawal	Posted: Tuesday 15 January 2008 12 22 37 pm in topic:Albus Potter and the Secrets Within Here's the next chapter! I just wanted to let everyone know that I'm not changing the Weasley-Potter family to reflect Jo's family tree. If I wasn't so far into the story, I would have. The characters I invented already have roles in this story, so it would require a good bit of work to change it, especially the Christmas chapters. And the Quidditch parts. Plus I'm rather fond of them now. Chapter 20: Discoveries The party in the Gryffindor common room lasted well into the evening. Most of the Gryffindors did not even go down for dinner. Albus's cousins had managed to bring a good bit of food up to the common room, so there was really no need to go to the Great Hall. Harry left shortly before dinner, though, so he could join the rest of the staff for the meal. "Honestly, I'll never get any work done with this noise," Rose sighed. She, Albus, John, and Amanda were sitting around one of the tables in the common room eating sweets. Rose was the only one trying to get any work done. "Why bother? You've still got tomorrow," John commented, "Hey, I got your dad, Albus." John held up a Chocolate Frog card. "I don't see why everybody's got to party so late into the evening," Rose said, "It wasn't that spectacular a win. Slytherin was dreadful." "That's the point," John told her, "Slytherin's usually got a pretty good team. It's the principle of the thing. Gryffindor and Slytherin are huge rivals, and when we beat them, it's a reason to celebrate. Even if they're rubbish." "Whatever," Rose put her fingers in her ears and continued to read. "And their new Seeker's horrible," Albus said, "I bet she couldn't see the Snitch if it was right in front of her face." "Yeah, she's no match for James," John agreed, "I've heard from some of the older students that he's as good as Ted Lupin was." "Well, he should be," Albus laughed, "Teddy's been training him ever since James could get on a broom. I think they started when James was about five." "But he's got it in his blood, too," Amanda chimed in, "I mean, Albus, your dad was the best Seeker Gryffindor's ever seen. And your Uncle Charlie was a great Seeker, too." "Yup," Albus grinned, "Quidditch is a high priority in my family." "Guess Rose just didn't get any of those Quidditch genes," John poked Rose and she jumped. "Shut it, John," Rose told him, "Where's Matt?" "Still sleeping," Albus said, glancing at the door to the dormitories, "Been there ever since the end of the match." "Well, why don't you go check on him?" Rose suggested. "All right," Albus got up from his chair and walked to the dormitory. When he got there, he saw that Matt was sound asleep in his bed. "Matt!" Albus whispered, "Hey, Matt! Get up!" Albus lifted Matt's arm up and it fell limply back onto the mattress when he let go. "Wake up!" Albus shouted a little louder. "Huh? Wha'?" Matt groggily lifted his head and grimaced. "You all right?" Albus asked with a look of concern on his face. "Ugh," Matt groaned and sat up. "What time is it?" "Almost five," Albus told him. "Ohh," Matt slowly got up off the bed and swayed, "I've got to go to the Hospital Wing." "Well, I'll take you," Albus grabbed Matt's arm so he wouldn't fall. "No, I'll be fine," Matt said. "No, I'm taking you," Albus insisted. Matt did not protest any further and leaned on Albus for support. They made their way down into the common room, where the party was still in full swing. Albus led Matt straight out of portrait hole and into the corridor towards the Hospital Wing. "C'mon, we're almost there," Albus said as they walked down a flight of stairs. "I think I'm going to be sick," Matt groaned and clutched his stomach. "It's ok, we'll be there soon," Albus winced under Matt's weight. Matt was leaning on Albus more and more by the minute, "Madam Pomfrey will fix it." "No she won't. She can't," Matt's voice wavered as he talked. "Here we are," Albus opened the door to the Hospital Wing and led Matt inside. Madam Pomfrey was waiting and rushed over to Albus and Matt. "It's ok, dear, come on," she pulled Matt away from Albus and let him lean on her, "I'll take it from here, Albus. You'd best go back to your common room." Albus turned to leave, but not before seeing Madam Pomfrey soothing Matt, who had started to cry. Albus shut the door, wishing he could do something to help. Matt seemed to be doing worse this month than he had the past months. He hadn't seemed any different during the past few days, but maybe he was just good at hiding his emotions. Albus had forgotten to focus on figuring out what Matt was feeling in the days leading up to the full moon due to being preoccupied with homework and Occlumency lessons. Why did this month seem worse? What was going on? Albus pondered these thoughts as he walked slowly back to the common room. How could he convince Matt that it would be safe to tell Albus his secret? Would he ever tell? And more importantly, was there anything anyone could do to help? "Something troubling you, Potty?" a cold voice said. Albus looked up and saw Quinton Willinson, flanked by two other Slytherns, standing at the top of the stairs that Albus was climbing. "Fancy a stroll by yourself?" "Go away, Willinson," Albus growled as he reached the top of the stairs. "It's a free castle. Not curfew yet. I'm free to wander the corridors just as you are, Potty," Willinson sneered at Albus. "Just leave me alone," Albus tried to walk past him, but the other two Slytherins blocked his path. "No, don't think I will. I still haven't forgotten that Exploding Eclair," Willinson said, drawing his wand and pointing it at Albus, "I know it was you." "How?" Albus asked nervously as he drew his own wand and pointed it at Willinson. "I just do," Willinson snapped his fingers and his cronies pulled out their wands and pointed them at Albus, "And now you'll pay." "Expelliarmus!" Albus shouted, and Willinson's wand flew out of his hand and landed on the floor. A split second later, two jets of light came from the other two Slytherins's wands and hit Albus in the chest. Before he knew what was happening, he stumbled backwards and fell down the stairs. He blacked out halfway down, and the last thing he saw was Willinson and his two friends running in the opposite direction. ***** "You have no idea who did it, then?" Albus heard his dad ask. "No, when Neville found him, there was no sign that anybody else had been there," Madam Pomfrey whispered. "Well, when I find out who did it, there'll be trouble," Albus heard a bang and he figured his dad had just slammed his fist onto something hard. "Harry, please be a bit quieter. I'm sure whoever it is will be punished." "I'll be sure of that." Albus opened his eyes and looked around, he was in the Hospital Wing. Judging by the darkness outside, it must have been the middle of the night. He had no idea how many hours had passed, but he guessed it must have been quite a few. Albus tried to sit up, but was immediately hit by a searing pain in his head and had to lay back down. Harry rushed over upon seeing that he was awake, "Albus! What on earth happened?" "How'd I get here?" Albus groaned. Harry bent over and hugged Albus tight. "Ouch!" Albus winced. "Really, Harry, I've only just healed those bones!" Madam Pomfrey pulled Harry away. "Neville found you a couple hours ago. You were laying unconscious at the bottom of one of the staircases. It was obvious you'd fallen down, but it looked like someone had stunned you as well. You've got a cracked skull, a few broken ribs, and a broken arm." Harry answered, once he sat down in the chair next to the bed. "But who did it?" "Quinton Willinson, and two other Slytherins I don't know," Albus told him. "What year are they in?" "Willinson's a seventh year, I dunno about the others," Albus answered. Harry slammed his hand onto the bedside table and stood up, "Seventh year?! Bloody hell! What in the name of Merlin's saggy left-" "Harry, calm down!" Madam Pomfrey rushed over to pick up the water jug that had fallen off the table. "Sorry," Harry resumed his seat, "But honestly, what seventh year gangs up on a first year?" "Victoire and Amy Eckerton warned me. They said he picks a first year every year to torment. And they told me not to go anywhere alone, because he never picks a fight unless you're alone. Apparently he's not a very good dueler. But I totally forgot about that when I took Matt here," Albus looked around at the empty beds around him, "By the way, where is he?" "Nothing to worry about now," Madam Pomfrey said shortly. "Well, Willinson will be getting detention, and loads of it. And those two other Slytherins as well. I'll be talking to Slughorn," Harry muttered. "Oh, Dad, I disarmed Willinson!" Albus said excitedly, "I'd forgotten about that. Right after I disarmed him, the other two stunned me and I fell down the stairs." Harry grinned, "Brilliant. You're great at disarming. And if the other two weren't there, you'd have been fine. But, it's hard to disarm three wizards at once." "It's getting late, I think you'd better give Albus a chance to sleep, Harry," Madam Pomfrey came over holding a goblet of potion. "All right," Harry stood up and gave Albus a gentle hug, "I'll be back in the morning. G'night, Al, I love you." "Love you, too," Albus awkwardly hugged his dad back, "Good night." "I've got a potion to help you sleep," Madam Pomfrey handed him the potion, "Drink up." Albus took the goblet and downed it in one gulp. "Knew it was only a matter of time before you showed up here," Madam Pomfrey muttered, "Potters seem to be unable to keep themselves out of this place..." ***** "What happened, Poppy?" Albus heard someone ask. "Bad transformation, really bad," Madam Pomfrey replied grimly. "What can you do?" the voice asked, Albus recognized it now as Neville. "I'm really not sure," Madam Pomfrey sighed, "I'll administer the usual potions and heal the bones, but other than that... I've got to contact St. Mungo's." "I'll do it," Neville announced, "Is Albus ok?" "He'll be fine," Madam Pomfrey assured him, "I'll keep him here until tomorrow morning." Albus heard Neville leave and Madam Pomfrey tug the curtains shut around one of the beds. She moved quickly around the room whispering to herself and loudly grabbing bottles off of shelves. Albus opened his eyes briefly and saw that the bed at the end of the row had the curtains shut. That's where Matt was. And Albus had been right. He was a werewolf. Any doubt that Albus had was gone. He felt sick with dread at the thought of Matt going through that transformation every month. Stuck with a curse that prevented him from living a normal life. Albus knew what life was like for a werewolf. He heard about Teddy's dad's life. After Hogwarts, what would Matt do? Would he be able to get a job? "Are you awake?" Madam Pomfrey came bustling over with a breakfast tray, "Good, eat up." "Is Matt going to be ok?" Albus asked nervously. "Never you mind," Madam Pomfrey answered as she walked back to Matt's bed and disappeared behind the curtains. She spent much of the next hour bustling back and forth between Matt's bed and her office, where Albus could see her consulting books and mixing potions. Albus watched her and noticed she looked much more worried than usual. What was going on? Neville returned about an hour later, followed by a tall, balding man in lime green robes. Albus recognized them as Healer robes. Madam Pomfrey came out from behind the curtains when she heard the door open and walked quickly over to the two men. "I'd better go find Amy, Poppy," Neville announced. "Yes, I suppose you should," Madam Pomfrey answered, "Poor dear will be worried sick when she sees him." "I know," Neville sighed and left the room. Madam Pomfrey turned to the other man, "Oh, good, they've sent you, Healer Sterling," she welcomed the Healer with a sigh of relief, "I was afraid they'd send one of the new Healers." "No, no, I insisted that they send me," Healer Sterling assured her, "I'm the one in charge of the study-" Madam Pomfrey cut him off and gestured to Albus's bed, "Shush! We'll discuss it shortly. Albus, why don't you finish your breakfast?" "I'm not hungry," Albus mumbled. Madam Pomfrey's face softened, "Albus, Matt will be ok. You mustn't worry." "But what's going on?" Albus asked, "I've already figured it out. I know he's a werewolf." "Be that as it may, I cannot inform you about the situation," Madam Pomfrey said as she and Healer Sterling walked towards Matt's bed, "Now, it's best for you to get some rest." Madam Pomfrey drew her wand, muttered a spell, and she and the two men disappeared behind the curtains. Albus knew she had casted the Muffliato charm on him. He had witnessed his parents using that spell before. He sighed and picked at his eggs, but he really couldn't eat anything. He knew that Madam Pomfrey really was not sure whether Matt would be ok. Albus sat pondering about what could be wrong, when a loud bang jolted him out of his thoughts. Albus turned around in his bed and noticed that the banging was coming from the door. Madam Pomfrey ran out from behind the curtains and headed towards the door. "Who's there?" she shouted. "Rose Weasley," Albus heard his cousin's voice, "Why are the doors locked? Can't we come in and see Albus?" "I'd rather you didn't. I've got another student in here who needs quiet," Madam Pomfrey said through the closed door. "Is it Matt?" Rose asked, "Because he's still not back yet." Madam Pomfrey sighed, "Yes." "We'll be quiet," Rose answered, "I promise." "Oh, all right," Madam Pomfrey opened the door, "But only for a little while." Rose walked through the door, followed by John, Amanda, and James. "Oh, Albus, are you all right?" she whispered as they neared Albus's bed. "I'll be fine," Albus told them. "What on earth happened? Never saw you after you took Matt here last night," John asked. He, James, Amanda, and Rose sat down on the bed next to Albus's. "Met up with Willinson," Albus groaned, "Him and two other Slytherins." "He's trouble, I tell ya," James shook his head, "Drove me mad until Victoire talked to him last year." "Yeah, well, he doesn't seem to be listening to Victoire this year, does he?" Albus responded, "Anyway, I disarmed him, but his two friends stunned me at the same time and I fell down the stairs. Got knocked out halfway down and woke up here." "Whoa, are you ok?" Amanda asked. "I'm fine. Got a few broken bones, but they're healed now. My head still hurts, though," Albus rubbed his forehead. "We were so worried when you were still gone this morning," Rose told him, "Went straight to Uncle Harry's office and he told us you were here. By the way, he said he'd be visiting later this morning." "Dad was here last night, too," Albus said, "He's really angry about it. He's going to give Willinson loads of detention." John grinned, "Excellent. He'll finally be getting what he deserves." "Well, I've got to get going. Quidditch practice," James announced as he got up from the bed. "But you just had a match yesterday," Rose shook her head. "Doesn't matter. Sunday's one of our usual practice days," James reminded her. "Glad you're better, Albus." James waved and left the room. As he left, Neville, Victoire, and Amy came rushing through. Amy ran straight to Matt's bed with tears in her eyes and Neville following quickly behind. Victoire stared at her questioningly, but turned to Albus's bed. "I told you not to go anywhere alone!" she sighed. "I know!" Albus replied, "Sorry. I was just taking Matt here. He was pretty sick last night, and it didn't occur to me that I'd be walking back to the common room alone." "Oh, I understand that," Victoire answered, "But just be careful from now on." "I will," Albus assured her. Sometimes, it felt like his older cousins were just extra parents. "Well, Uncle Harry's furious, so I don't think you'll have to worry much anymore," Victoire told him, "I heard him talking to Slughorn earlier. Apparently, Harry and Professor Longbottom are going to take turns overseeing his detentions and let's just say he's not going to have much free time in the coming weeks." "Good," Albus responded. "I'd better be off," Victoire said, "I'm due to tutor Mark in Transfiguration in a few minutes. I was just with Amy, she started getting hysterical when Neville came and found her in the common room. But she wouldn't tell me what's going on. I don't suppose you know?" "Nope," Albus said. "Well, I'll see you later," Victoire started to head towards the door, "Whatever it is, I hope Matt's ok." "Ok, now that she's gone, I've got to tell you about Matt," Albus whispered, "Come closer, I don't want Madam Pomfrey to hear." Rose, John, and Amanda climbed onto Albus's bed. "What about him?" John asked. "He's a werewolf," Albus muttered. "What?" John exclaimed a bit too loudly, "How do you know for sure?" "Shush!" Albus whispered, "He wasn't here last night when I woke up. And this morning, Professor Longbottom and Madam Pomfrey brought him here, but he was unconscious." "I knew it," Rose whispered. "Anyway, Madam Pomfrey said he'd had a really bad transformation," Albus told them, "He's still unconscious. And there's a Healer from St. Mungo's here. They're all behind the curtains on Matt's bed. They won't tell me anything. They casted Muffliato, so I can't hear anything." "Figures," Rose groaned, "Adults never let us know anything." "Yeah," Albus agreed, "But what are we going to do about Matt?" "Well, we've got to figure out how to tell him we know," John answered. "I don't know about that," Albus responded, "There's a reason he's not telling us. I think we should let him tell us." "How do we hide that we don't know, Albus?" John asked. "We just do," Albus said adamantly, "Anyway, it's got to be harder for Matt to keep this secret than us hiding the fact that we know. He's got to tell us sooner or later." "I think Albus is right, John," Rose agreed, "He'll tell us soon. This has got to be something he tells us. He has to be ready." "Fine," John sighed. The four friends sat in silence for a moment, succumbing to their own thoughts about Matt's lycanthropy. Madam Pomfrey and Healer Sterling came rushing out behind the curtains, and once they did, the Muffliato charm broke. "I think I can treat him here, Poppy," Sterling said to Madam Pomfrey, "I don't think there's any need to move him to St. Mungo's, unless he gets worse." "Oh, good," Madam Pomfrey sighed with relief, "That must mean it's not as bad as I thought." "No, it's not quite that bad. It will take a while to treat, but he will recover perfectly fine," Sterling assured her, "Right now I've got to take these notes back to St. Mungo's and consult with some other Healers. I'll also contact his parents. I should be back sometime in the afternoon. Just keep administering the potions every hour until then." "I'll see you later, then," Madam Pomfrey bade him goodbye as he left the room. "I think it's time for you three to leave," she announced, "Mr. Potter needs his rest and he's got to take a few more potions." "See you, Albus," John got up and started towards the door. "Bye," Amanda followed behind John. "Glad you're ok," Rose got up, "When do you get to leave?" "Tomorrow morning," Madam Pomfrey answered. "Can we see Matt?" Rose asked. "Absolutely not," Madam Pomfrey said sternly, "He's in no condition for visitors." "Ok, ok," Rose responded, "Bye, Albus." "Bye."
Ms. Elsewhere Joined: 13 January 2008 Posts: 878 Location: In role play game of course!	Posted: Sunday 13 January 2008 09 23 32 pm in topic:The Next Generation Geneve stood tall in her new Hogwart's robes. Her mother told her to hold her head up and not be afraid. Geneve scanned the faces of the students in the Great Hall. She pulled a stray, black curl away from her eyes. Her name would come close to the end. She wondered about where she would be sorted. She looked at Gryfindor house and felt her heart sink. HIS house, she thought. And then she looked over at the Slytherin group and wondered if she would fit in there. She hated that she was magical. Her mother had not been, and she never knew her father. And yet, when Geneve recieved her letter from Hogwarts, her mother was thrilled. "Geneve Riddle, you have been accepted into Hogwart's school of Witchcraft and Wizardry." Geneve had shortly after been given a brief history of her magically heritage. Surprisingly, she had taken it rather well, and was eager to explore what the magical world had to offer her. The group of first years moved forward as more and more of them were sorted.
DucksRMagical Joined: 28 December 2006 Posts: 2495 Location: Going through LeakyCon withdrawal	Posted: Thursday 10 January 2008 05 25 11 pm in topic:The Next Generation Galena walked back to the first years. They were all looking nervous. She smiled at them as she remembered being a scared first year. A few of the students were whispering amongst themselves, but stopped once they noticed Galena "They're ready," she told them. Galena walked back to the Great Hall and was followed by the new students. As they walked towards the Sorting Hat. Galena turned around and the first years stopped abruptly. After a few seconds, the Sorting Hat burst into song. A few of the first years jumped, Galena figured they were Muggle-born. The Sorting Hat spent a few minutes singing about the founders of Hogwarts and then fell silent. "When I call your name, you'll put on the hat and it will announce your house," Galena announced. She pulled a list out of her robes and read the first name. "Aster, Brent," a tall, black haired boy ran forward and put the hat on. After a few seconds it called out, "Ravenclaw!" "Boeing, Victoria," a short blond girl with freckles stumbled towards the stool. After quite a few minutes, the hat announced, "Hufflepuff!" "Brennan, Olivia," a red haired girl with braids slowly walked forward and tried on the hat. She became the first Gryffindor. Galena glanced at the list, she vaguely recognized both of the boy's last names, and read, "Clearwater-Weasley, Piers."
GodrictheGriffon Joined: 27 December 2006 Posts: 3955 Location: Beside the veil, waiting for Sirius.... And Midnight! I wonder how long your location can be?....	Posted: Thursday 27 December 2007 10 32 11 am in topic:Hogwarts '06/7 The first game had been an interesting one to the least. It was likely that no one would be forgetting the mess of bodies and blood that now littered the once sparkling, emerald green field for awhile. Lily, Misty, and Rowena stood with the rest of the team. Wondering what to do next and staring down at a crumpled form in Hogwarts' robes.
Phoenix in the Ashes Joined: 23 January 2005 Posts: 5308 Location: Wandering around the RPG Area	Posted: Wednesday 26 December 2007 09 23 24 pm in topic:Hogwarts '06/7 Down in the centre of the stadium was a small group of figures. They were dressed in blue and gold robes, and were shooting spells at a furious pace into the stands. Most were curses, and some were of a terrifying green colour. Just as it had been transfixed by awe moments earlier, the crowd began screaming and rushing out of the stadium. One of the Italian players was hit by a curse, fell from his broom, and hit the ground with a bone-cracking thud. The attackers spread out to all corners of the stadium. It seemed that there were about thirty of them. All security staff at the stadium was quickly overcome, and the mysterious group spread out further, with more violent curses being sent out in all directions. The Quidditch players fled on their brooms, and powerful spells were sent their way. Out of the corner of his eye, Dinas saw the terror unfolding to plan. He saw one of the Hogwarts players stunned from their brooms and fall to the ground, the others oblivious to it taking place. Another of the Italian players lost control of their broom in shock, and drove themselves into the ground. As the surviving spectators, players and organisers headed toward the campsite or apparated to call for help and escape, they were chased by the mob of sorcerers. Those that couldn't escape were finally surrounded, ringed around by their attackers, who were ruthless and powerful. The Hogwarts group stared around at each other, and the scattered bodies lying on the ground. At least one of the team was dead, but who was it? And as the head attacker approached the central group with his wand held high, he spoke in a gruff voice as though giving an order to one person, instead of the whole group. "Now be careful, you," he said. "Don't get carri-!" A loud blast echoed around the forest, and he was knocked back several metres and flung hard into a tree, where he fell unconscious. When the crowd turned around to face their bold defender, they found that it was the middle-aged professor that had organised the tournament from scratch in his office at Hogwarts. It was Terrin Dinas. "Now, who are you people?" he shouted to the hooded warriors that wore blue and gold. "And what is the meaning of this?" Robed figures started to appear all around the forest, and it was apparent that these were rather belated reinforcements from the Ministry of Magic. After all, no one had expected anything to go very wrong at what was intended to be a tournament of unity, so it was very much a surprise when the Ministry was notified. Dinas was told to step aside by Aurors from the Ministry, but he refused. "This is my tournament!" he shouted. "Look what they've done! Who are you people?" he demanded again. The apparent second-in-command of the group walked foward and faced the head Auror, and ordered his comrades to raise their wands. "We are the Muggle-Born Liberation Society!" he shouted. "We seek to free ourselves from those who have done nothing but persecute us for centuries! From the scum that has continually sat by and done nothing to prevent our extermination!" "Now, see here," began the head Auror, "I don't know what you've-" "Enough! MLS will not listen to your false words and promises any more. It will not be so long before a pure-blood wizard gains power and murders even more of our innocents." "Just as you have today?" The Auror began. "Today is nothing," the wizard spat. "Nothing." He raised his wand and shot a killing curse at the Auror, who ducked out of the way. The Auror hoped that it did not hit someone in the crowd behind him. All at once, the tournament invaders fired twenty-nine unforgivable curses at the crowd, most of but not all of which were blocked by the Ministerial defenders. A gigantic battle ensued, with the upper-hand switching between the MLS and the Aurors many times. But eventually the attackers were overcome as more reinforcements were sent by the Ministry, and some of the crowd joined in the battle. When the fight was over, Dinas wandered over to the fallen leader of the MLS, and called to the crowd and the Aurors. "Now, let us see who leads these people," he said. With a disgusted look on his face, he lifted up the unconscious man's hood. It was Bruno Archibald, Minister for Magic. The crowd stared, stunned with shock. But as the crowd was transfixed by the image of the Minister's face in the blue and gold robes, Dinas leant down next to the body and casually pulled his wand out. Looking to see if his actions were going unnoticed, it didn't appear that anyone was paying any attention to him. He stretched out his wand behind the unconscious Minister, so that it was out of view. Hidden, he slowly curled the wand around in his fingers until it faced Archibald's back. Looking innocently upward, as if staring at the clear blue sky, Terrin Dinas whispered two terrible words that were inaudible to all but him. "[i]Avada Kedavra[/i]." The crowd stared on, noticing no difference.
Scarlet Lioness Joined: 14 May 2005 Posts: 3833 Location: Music Studio in the depths of the Castle.	Posted: Monday 3 December 2007 02 38 30 am in topic:Hogwarts '06/7 Being woken up early didn't please the team at all. It was followed with many yawns, rubbing of eyes and dirty looks thrown at Dinas when he wasn't looking. "Alright guys, enough of the grumpyness, we should be glad, even though it is 6am, that we get to practise..." She grumbled the 6am part. "Get up, get dressed into your Robes, and meet me outside.. AT least one of us is acting like a Captain" she aimed the last part at Mortin who still lay in bed. She quickly dressed, and was the first outside, followed by Lily.
DucksRMagical Joined: 28 December 2006 Posts: 2495 Location: Going through LeakyCon withdrawal	Posted: Saturday 24 November 2007 02 52 45 pm in topic:Albus Potter and the Secrets Within Thanks, Phoenix! I'm trying to make it sound British. If anyone has any suggestions about things I should change to make it sound more British, just let me know. Chapter 11: Parties and Pranks During the next few weeks, the teachers had increased their homework, each insisting that the students needed to increase their studying time. Albus found himself doing homework every day after dinner, and finding it hard to have time to have snow ball fights outside. Albus hadn't forgotten about his cleaning detention with Washburn, and was doing even more to try to stay away from him. During class, Albus woudln't even look at Washburn. He did not say a single word during Charms anymore. No more talking to John and Matt while they were practicing making fruit walk across their desks. Albus had noticed that James had changed since the detention. He was quieter, and often sat in a corner of the common room with their cousins Cedric and Ben, whereas he used to be at the center of attention, talking about Quidditch games. Albus guessed he was still scared about what happened during detention. Albus hadn't mentioned the incident to anyone, so only him, John,and Matt knew. Of course, James had told Cedric, Ben, and his friend Nathan, but Albus rarely noticed them talking about it. He was also a bit afraid of what the incident meant, but not nearly as much as James was. Before they knew it, Christmas break was upon them. There was one day left, which was the day of Slughorn's Christmas party. The entire school was talking about it, and envious students who had not received invitations were constantly dropping hints to invited students about going with them. Albus would have gladly given up his invitation, but since all his cousins, James, and his dad were going, he had to go too. Albus, John, and Matt had decided they should go a little later than the party actually started, so they could try to slip in unnoticed. John in particular, was very excited about going. “Which Quidditch player do you think Slughorn's invited?” he asked as they walked down to the dungeons. “Dunno. Maybe he's invited a couple!” Matt responded excitedly. “Yeah! I sure hope so,” John said. “Guess we're about to find out,” Albus told them as he opened the door and walked into the dungeon. It was packed. Albus noticed most of his cousins, with their flaming red hair. The few who had not inherited the hair were blending in with everyone else. “Blimey! How are we supposed to find the Quidditch players with all these people here?” John exclaimed. “No idea. How about we head for the food and hope we find them on the way?” Matt asked. “Sounds good. C'mon, Albus,” John said as he pushed through people to get to the food. Albus and Matt followed. “You see Willinson anywhere?” Albus whispered. “No, but it's hard to tell if he's here or not,” John answered. “I'm sure he's here somewhere. Keep your eyes out for him,” Albus told his friends. “I've got to stay away from him.” When the boys arrived at the food table, they saw that Rose and Amanda were already there. “Hi. Did you just get here?” Rose asked. “Yup, wanted to slip in unnoticed,” Albus told her as he grabbed a plate and started filling it. “Seen anyone interesting yet?” “Yeah, actually. The rumor about the Quidditch players was right,” Rose responded. “Really!? Who's here?” John shouted, as he scanned the crowd. “Oliver Wood. He used to be Keeper for Puddlemere United,” Rose told him. “I know who he played for, Rose. He's really here? That's brilliant. Puddlemere United's my team,” John told them. “We know, you've told us a million times,” Rose said exasperatingly. “Who else?” Albus asked. “Helena Yaspies, current Chaser for Chudley Cannons,” Amanda told them. Matt started choking and spat out his mouthful of butterbeer. Albus slapped him on the back. “You okay, Mate?” “I'm fine!” Matt coughed, “The Chudley Cannons are my team! I've got to find her! Anyone got a quill for an autograph?” Rose laughed. “You guys are crazy.” “Nothing crazy about wanting to meet your favorite Quidditch players,” John told her. “Blimey, Oliver Wood...” “I ever tell you that my dad used to play on the Gryffindor team with Oliver Wood?” Albus asked John. This time it was John's turn to spit out his butterbeer. “No! You never did! Why not?” Albus laughed. “You never asked. Anyway, he was captain when my dad joined the team in his first year. They played on the team together until my dad's third year..” “Blimey! That's brilliant! So, you could have met him?” John asked. “I have, Mate,” Albus smiled. “You're kidding!” John shouted, “Well, what are we waiting for? Go introduce me!” Albus laughed. “Ok, let's go find him. You want to come, Rose and Amanda?” Rose sighed, “Sure, I guess.” “Any chance you know Helena Yaspies?” Matt asked. “Nope, sorry. Never met her,” Albus told his friend as they maneuvered their way through the crowd. “There he is, Albus!” John shouted, pointing to the back of the room. “He's talking to your dad.” Albus made his way to the back of the room, his friends following behind him. The room was slightly less crowded in the back. There was still no sign of Willinson. “Hi, Al!” Harry waved at Albus. “Hi, Dad.” “What's up? Enjoying the party? I know you're not a fan of these, but thanks for coming,” Harry told Albus. He bent down so only Albus could hear what he next said, “You know, I wasn't a fan of these either, when I was in Hogwarts.” “How are you, Albus? Enjoying school?” Oliver asked. “Yeah, it's great!” Albus responded. “These are my friends, John Brickston- he's a big Puddlemere United supporter, Matt Eckerton, and Amanda Tagger.” “Hi, nice to meet you,” Oliver told Albus's friends. “So, you support Puddlemere United, John?” “Yeah!” John shouted, his eyes lit up. “I've been to a few games. I saw you in the last game you played in! I was 9, but I remember it like it was yesterday. Such spectacular saves.” Oliver laughed, “That was a good game. I'm glad you enjoyed it.” “It was awesome!” John said. A tall brunette came walking over to the group, carrying a small boy on her hip. A little girl was trailing behind her with a plate of Christmas cookies. “Hey, Heather,” Oliver put his arm around the woman. “John, Matt, Amanda, this is my wife, Heather. And this,” Oliver took the little boy from his wife and put him on his shoulders, “is my 2 year old son, Alex. And my daughter, Holly who is 6.” “Hi,” John and Matt said together. “I stopped playing Keeper shortly after Alex was born. Couldn't keep up all the traveling with 2 kids.” “I remember that,” John told him, “I was kinda mad, but was just glad I got to see your last game.” Oliver laughed, “I understand. I would have been mad if I were you, too. But I've got high hopes for little Alex here. He can already fly his toy broom expertly. And Holly's already flying a real broom!” Oliver beamed, he was obviously proud of his kids. “That's pretty neat!” Matt replied, “My mum wouldn't let me on a broom until I was 8.” “Holly was on one at 5. But just because you start late doesn't mean you'll be a bad Quidditch player,” Oliver explained, “Look at your DADA teacher! Hadn't set one leg over a broom until he was 11.” “Yeah, but I'm rubbish at Quidditch,” Matt told him. “Hey, Mr. Wood, could you sign my Quaffle?” John produced a Quaffle from his bag and held it out to Oliver. “You brought a Quaffle?!” Rose exclaimed. “'Course! After hearing those rumors, how could I not bring one?” “Sure, I'll sign it,” Oliver took the Quaffle and signed it with a quill that he pulled out of his robes. He then handed it back to John. “Thank you,” John whispered, as he stared in awe at the Quaffle. “How 'bout you, Matt?” Oliver asked, “You want an autograph?” “Sure! But I don't have a Quaffle.” “That's okay. I've got some parchment,” Oliver signed some parchment and gave it to Matt. “Thanks!” Matt pocketed the parchment. Alex started whining. “Hungy, hungy!” “Well, boys, I've got to go get some food for little Alex, here,” Oliver told them, “Enjoy the party!” He and Heather walked towards the food table with Holly behind them. “Wow, just wow,” John told his friends, “That was so cool.” “I'll say,” Matt replied. “I can't believe you two know him!” John told Albus and Rose. Rose rolled her eyes, “It's no big deal.” “You just don't like Quidditch that much,” Albus told her, “It's cause you're horrible on a broom.” “Shut it, Albus,” Rose glared at him. “Where's Helena Yaspies?” John scanned the crowd, “Any of you lot seen her?” “Nope, not yet,” Albus told them. “No, but look over there near Slughorn's desk. It's Willinson,” Matt whispred. Albus groaned. “Excellent!” John grinned. “What?” Albus looked at him like he was crazy, “Why on earth do you want to see him?” “I've been plotting a little prank,” John whispred, “C'mere.” He pulled them behind a table and they all crouched down. John pulled a box out of his bag. “This is an Exploding Eclair.” “What?” Amanda asked. “Exploding Eclair,” John repeated, “I bought it through owl-order from your uncle's store, Albus.” “What are you going to do with it?” Albus eyed him warily, he happened to have been on the receiving end of an Exploding Eclair at the family dinner before start of term. His cousin, Bradley, had done it. “Plant it on Willinson's plate,” John told them, “But I'll need your help. When Willinson sets his plate down, walk by him. Close enough that he can see you, but far enough that he'll have to leave his plate unattended. Then I'll put the eclair on it. And when he bites into it, bam! It'll explode.” “Brilliant!” Matt shouted. “I dunno. It'll make him real mad,” Albus said. “But he won't know it's us! That's the beauty of it. There's so many people here,” John explained, “But to be on the safe side, we'll leave right after. We don't want to stay if he's here anyway.” “True,” Albus agreed. “Everyone in, then?” John asked, grinning. “Yep,” they all stated. “Then let's go,” John got up from under the table and his friends followed. Willinson was still by the desk, so Albus, Matt, Amanda, and Rose headed over. They walked next to the food table and waited until Willinson noticed them. It didn't take long. He spotted them, smirked, and set down his food. Albus saw John close in on his plate. “Hello, Potty, Weasel, and company,” Willinson glared, “Enjoying the party? I'm just waiting until the moment you explode again, Potty.” “Willinson,” Albus snarled, “I'm not planning on exploding. Are you?” “'Course not. When have I ever exploded? You on the other hand,” Willinson laughed, “Don't like the popularity, do you, baby Potty?” “Shut it,” Matt stepped towards Willinson. “What're you going to do about it, Shrimp?” Willinson towered over Matt by at least a foot. “You think I'd tell you what I'd do? Think I'm stupid? If I told you, you'd know how to block it,” Matt growled. “I doubt there's a curse you know that I don't know how to block.” “Probably, but I know you wouldn't start anything with Professor Potter a few feet away,” Matt jerked his head in the direction of Harry. At that moment, Albus looked over and saw John. John winked at him and walked away from Willinson's plate. “Well, I think I've had enough of your company tonight, Willinson,” Albus annonced, “Have a horrible Christmas.” Albus started to walk towards John, and his friends followed. “Got it planted, then?” Albus asked when they reached John. “Yup,” John gave him a thumbs up, “We're on.” They walked over to the door of the dungeon so they could escape easily if needed. Willinson picked up his plate and wandered back over to his friends. As they were talking, he picked up the eclair and bit into it. The explosion was amazing. As soon as Willinson bit the eclair, cream exploded all over his face and in a 2 foot radius around him. A few bystanders were hit as well. It didn't seem possible that that much cream could fit in one eclair. “Bloody Hell!” Willinson shouted, and the whole dungeon went silent. Everyone looked at Willinson and started laughing. Willinson looked around the room and his gaze fell on Albus. “I'll get you for this, Potty,” he seethed as he stormed out of the dungeon. “That was bloody brilliant,” John said once Willinson had disappeared into the hallway. “Yeah, it was!” Matt agreed. The girls and Albus nodded. “But he said he'd get us. We'd better be on the lookout. He knows it was us,” Albus told them. “He can't know it was us!” Matt said. “Yeah, I guess. But he'd still get us even if he doesn't know who did it,” Albus reasoned. “But it's Christmas break tomorrow, so it doesn't matter!” John grinned. “I suppose you're right,” Albus smiled, “But let's get to the common room anyway. His friends agreed, and the five of them made their way to Gryffindor tower. ******* It was still early when they made it back to the common room, so it was quite crowded. However, Amanda spotted a few chairs in the back for them to occupy. “So, who's excited about Christmas?” John asked, “I sure am, I could use a break from studying.” “You're not going to get a break,” Rose told him, “We've got loads of homework.” “Way to put a damper on things, Rose,” John answered, “But at least there's no classes!” “I'm looking forward to Christmas,” Albus said, “I love Christmas.” “What do you usually do for the holidays?” Amanda asked. “Oh, it's great! We all go to my grandma and grandpa's house. Everyone. My family, Rose's family, all our aunts, uncles, and cousins. It's pretty crowded, but it's still fun. I love it. Usually someone winds up having too much to drink and there's loads of jokes played on people,” Albus said excitedly. “Yeah, it's pretty neat. We don't all stay the whole break, though. Because most of us have other family to visit. My family usually stays until a few days after Christmas and then we spend the rest of the holiday with my mum's parents,” Rose explained, “But Albus's family spends the whole break at the Burrow, that's what we call my grandparents' house.” “Yep. But most of our cousins go straight to the Burrow from Hogwarts. My family always goes home first, to visit my grandparents' graves. We always do that on Christmas Eve. Dad's been going ever since he was 17, every year on Christmas Eve. Then we get the Burrow late that night.” “What do you do you guys do for Christmas?” Rose asked. “Oh, I love Christmas too,” John smiled, “We stay at my house and my aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents all come over. They never all come at the same time, though, so it gets pretty crazy. My mum freaks out because she never knows how much to cook. And usually someone starts arguing about something, but it's all right. My family loves to argue, but we never get real mad at each other.” “Sounds pretty cool. You have a lot of cousins, John?” Amanda asked. “A fair amount. Most of them are all younger than me, though. 'Course that means they're great to play tricks on,” John laughed. “Well, my family celebrates Hannukah,” Amanda told everyone. “Oh, that's neat,” Albus told her. “Yeah, it's good. I'm just glad Hannukah is late this year, so I'll be home for it. Sometimes it's at the end of November. But anyway, I have a pretty small family. Just 3 cousins and my aunt and uncle. And my little brother and older sister. My cousins usually come over for two days or so and we all exchange presents. It's quiet, but fun.” “Sounds fun,” John agreed, “But I love my huge loud family. What do you do, Matt? You've been awful quiet.” Matt looked up from the table. “Chirstmas has never been all that fun for me, I guess. We usually go down to Australia to visit my grandparents.” “That sounds like fun to me,” John told Matt. “Well, it's not. I don't like Australia. That's where-” But Matt suddenly stopped talking. “Where what?” John asked. “Nothing, nothing. It's just, that's where I, er, got sick for the first time. You know, how I get sick so much.” “Oh.” “Yeah, anyway, well, we visit my grandparents. My parents, me and my sister go. My mum's a muggle born, and we visit her parents. They don't like me too much. I dunno why. It's always very formal when we visit them. They're rich and stuck up. Never let me do anything there. I have to just sit still and they're always staring at me. Guess they don't want me to break anything. Luckily we only visit them at Christmas. I don't have any cousins. My dad's got a brother, but he's living in America, so we don't see him much either. We usually visit him over the summer. My dad's parents died a long time ago, before I was born. So I don't have much family. I just wish we'd spend Christmas at home.” Albus, John, Amanda, and Rose just looked at Matt. “I'm sorry, Matt. I wish you had a better Christmas,” Rose said sympathetically. “Why don't you spend Christmas with us?” Albus asked, “No one'll notice another person in the Burrow.” “That's a great idea!” Rose shouted. “I dunno. I don't think my parents will let me. Especially this short notice,” Matt looked down glumly. “My mum likes all of us to be together on Christmas. She seems to think every year it'l be different. That my grandparents will loosen up. But they never do.” “Blimey,” John whispered, “That stinks.” “I know,” Matt agreed. At that moment, James came bursting in with his friend, Nathan. They both made a beeline for Albus's table. “Was it really you?” James shouted breathlessly, “Did you give Willinson the Exploding Eclair?” John grinned. “It was my idea.” “Brilliant, just brilliant,” James smiled, “The look on his face.” “Yeah, but you lot had better watch out when you next see him. He seemed to know it was you,” Nathan told them. “I'm not worried,” John answered, “He'll probably forget about it over break.” “I sure hope so,” Albus stated. He looked at his watch. It was midnight. “Well, I'm off to bed. I'll see you guys in the morning. “We'd all better go to bed,” Rose stood up, “I think the train's leaving at noon tomorrow.” Albus got up out of his chair and headed to the staircase. He couldn't wait to go to the Burrow. He missed being surrounded by his family all the time. He missed his grandmother's cooking. Thoughts of the delicious food filed his head as he drifted off into a pleasant, dreamless sleep.
DucksRMagical Joined: 28 December 2006 Posts: 2495 Location: Going through LeakyCon withdrawal	Posted: Tuesday 6 November 2007 12 19 40 pm in topic:Albus Potter and the Secrets Within (Just ignore that other topic, it wasn't meant to be there. I deleted it. There were some technical difficulties. All real chapters will be posted in this topic and they will be posted chapter by chapter). Chapter 7: Caught Friday came too quickly for Albus's liking. He was not looking forward to the Slug Club meeting. Since the meeting and Gryffindor Quidditch try-outs were at the same time, James wouldn't be joining Albus at the meeting. Albus had tried to get out of the meeting by watching try-outs, but the team captain decided to not let any spectators at the try-outs. A large number of students had wanted to attend just to see James, and the captain didn't want anyone to disrupt the try-outs. Later that day, Albus and Rose walked down to the dungeons together. Albus was dreading the meeting. They walked into the meeting to see that most everyone else was already there. Albus already knew most of them. All his cousins were there, along with various other Order members' children. However, there were a few faces Albus had never seen before. “Ah! Albus and Rose!” Slughorn gestured to a few chairs in the room, “Please have a seat. You already know many of the people here. But I don't believe you know Tami Tobias and Frank Belleville?” he said, gesturing to a blond haired girl and a black haired boy. “Tami is a 6th year Ravenclaw who brews the most excellent potions. And Frank is a 4th year Hufflepuff who can already perform nonverbal spells!” “Er, hi,” Albus responded. “Hello,” Rose smiled. Unfortunately for Albus; Tami and Frank, along with Slughorn, spent much of the meeting hounding Albus with questions about his dad, the battle, and Albus's childhood. Eventually, Albus just got fed up with it. “Look, my dad's told you all he wants to tell you. You're not going to learn anything else from asking me!” Albus shouted. Slughorn looked taken aback. “I thought you'd enjoyed talking about it. Your brother always enjoys telling stories about his childhood.” “Well, I'm not James, now, am I?” Albus shouted. Everyone else was now staring at him. Albus jumped up from his chair and stormed out the door, slamming it behind him. Albus stamped his feet the whole way up to the common room. He went through the portrait and was immediately bombarded by James. “Albus! I got it! I'm the new Seeker!” James shouted over the noise, jumping up and down and spilling his butterbeer all over the floor. “That's great, James, really great,” Albus told him, trying to sound somewhat excited. “What? You're not happy for me? I thought you would be. Dad's ecstatic. I told him as soon as I was done at tryouts,” James said tentatively. “No, I am excited,” Albus responded glumly. All he wanted to do was go to bed, but James blocked his path. “What's wrong? I can tell something's wrong. Tell me,” James said, in a voice that sounded strangely like their mother's. “It's the Slug Club. I just left. All anyone wanted to do was listen to me blabber on about my childhood,” Albus shouted, all the anger coming back in full force. “They wouldn't stop bothering me until I screamed at them and stormed out.” James just stared at Albus. “And to top it all off, Slughorn said he thought I'd LIKE talking about all that, just because you do!” Albus screamed at James and punched the nearest armchair. “Boy, you do have Dad's temper,” James told Albus, “I'm sorry I couldn't be there. I'll be there at all the others. I swear. Well, unless there's Quidditch practice.” “Others?! You really think I'm going to another one of those?” Albus shouted disgustedly. “Well, Slughorn has them all throughout the year. Sometimes they're kind of fun. You know Dad used to go to them.” “Fun?! Fun?! How could that possibly be fun? And I know Dad used to go to them, he didn't exactly enjoy them, now did he?” Albus seethed. “Yeah, some of them are fun,” James shifted from foot to foot. Albus could tell he was nervous. “Just go back to your party. You deserve it. Good job at making Seeker, I really do mean that. But I think I'm going to bed. Good night.” “'Night,” James said as he rejoined his party. Albus walked up to his dormitory. It was still relatively early, so Albus was surprised to see Matt there. Matt had returned at breakfast yesterday morning, but he still didn't seem himself, so John and Albus did not bring up the question of him being ill. Albus went over to Matt's bed and pulled back the curtains. Matt was sound asleep. That was strange. He just spent 2 days in the Hospital Wing, why was he still tired? Was he still sick? Albus sighed, he wouldn't be able to question Matt tonight. Well, turning in early would do Albus some good too. Maybe he'd be able to calm down after the evening's excitement. He got into his pajamas and got into bed. ******** Unfortunately, Albus did not have a restful sleep. He was having vivid nightmares which involved Slughorn questioning him while James stood behind him, laughing. This same image kept recurring over and over again. Albus tossed and turned and eventually, a new dream came over him. [i]Albus was sitting in a dark empty room. A man in a dark cloak appeared next to him. “He will return,” the man said. “What?” Albus asked. “Who's returning?” “He's coming. He'll find a way. He will return.” “Tell me! Who?” Albus shouted. “He will return, he will return, he will return....” the man said over and over again.[/i] Albus awoke with a start. He was sweating. What was that about? He had never had such a vivid dream. Who was going to return? Albus raked his brains, and then it hit him. It felt like he'd been punched in the stomach. Of course! He jumped out of bed and put on his dressing robes. It must be late, he thought. Matt, John, and Bilius were still sleeping. Albus tip-toed out of dormitory and carefully shut the door behind him. Albus had to see his dad. He didn't care that it was the middle of the night. He ran out of the common room and into the empty corridor. It was strange wandering around this late. Albus had never walked around the castle at night. He didn't care that he wasn't supposed to be out of his dormitory this late. All he thought about was telling his dad about that dream. Albus ran down the stairs, probably making too much noise. As he rounded the corner, someone reached out and grabbed his shoulder. Albus screamed. “Shut up!” a man shouted, “You'll wake the whole school. Then we'll have a real problem.” Albus looked into the eyes of the man who had caught him. It was Professor Washburn. “Well, well, Mr. Potter is out of bed. And this late at night? Surely, he must be up to no good,” Washburn sneered. Albus heard the happiness in his tone. “We'd better be off to my office, shall we?” Albus stood where he was. “No, I have to see my dad.” “Running to Daddy, are we? Isn't that sweet. Unfortunately for you, wandering corridors at night is against the rules, therefore, I will punish you.” Washburn grabbed Albus's hand and dragged him to his office. Albus's was really sweating now. What would Washburn do to him? When they entered Washburn's dark office,Washburn forced Albus into a chair directly in front of his desk. Washburn slammed his hands on his desk. “So, decided to have a little midnight strole? Care to tell me what you were up to?” he glared at Albus, not blinking. “I've already told you. I need to see my dad,” Albus told him, nervously. “Surely, that could wait till morning? I bet you were setting up some kind of prank. Am I right? You know, I've caught your brother out of bed many a time for just that reason.” So that was it. Washburn hated James, so he in turn hated Albus too. That was the second time in the past 12 hours that Albus had been compared to James. “I am NOT like my brother!” he stood up, fists clenched and stared at Washburn. Washburn smiled. “I seem to have struck a nerve. But it hardly matters what you were doing out of bed. The fact remains that students are not to be out of bed at,” he glanced at his watch, “1:37 in the morning. Now, to discuss your punishment.” “You can discuss my punishment after I see my dad,” Albus glared at Washburn. “Sit back down, Potter. I know you're just trying to get dear old Dad to save you.” Albus remained standing. “I AM NOT!” he screamed, “I have something really important to discuss with him!” “Fine, but I'll take you to see him, so I can make sure you're punished,” Washburn spat. Albus didn't say another word. He ran out the door. “Wait! Get back here, boy! I told you I'm taking you!” Washburn ran to catch up with Albus, breathing heavily. He was clearly out of shape. The two of them walked to Harry's office in complete silence. “Well, here we are,” Washburn stated, pushing Albus aside and opening the door. “Potter! Wake up! I caught your son out of bed.” Harry quickly walked out of his bedroom. He had also been up after having a nightmare of his own. Harry looked at Albus and Washburn and jumped. “Sorry, I expected it to be James.” “So did I. He insists that he discuss something with you before I punish him,” Washburn told Harry in a disgruntled voice. Harry looked worriedly at Albus. “What is it? Are you okay, Al?” “I just need to tell you something...” Albus replied, looking warily at Washburn. “I must ask you to leave, Professor Washburn. I think this needs to be private.” “Fine! I'll wait outside the door, but he will be punished!” Washburn yelled as he walked out the door and slammed it behind him. As soon as he left, Albus relayed his whole dream to Harry. Harry pulled Albus into a hug and told him, “Albus, I don't think your nightmare had any kind of significance. It was just a bad dream.” “But, it seemed so real! And you had dreams like this when you were younger, and they were real!” “Yes, that's because I could see Voldemort's thoughts. You know that. I think that hearing so much about the battle over and over again this week and being bombarded with questions about it has caused you to be worried,” Harry explained. “I understand your fears. I still have nightmares about it. But I think the best thing for you to do is just forget about it.” “But, what if it is real?” Albus asked in a worried tone. “Think about it, Al. How could he come back? He's dead. Even in the Wizarding world, no one can come back from the dead.” “Yeah, I suppose you're right. It was just so vivid and scary.” “I know. Now I only hope that as you spend more time at Hogwarts, people will stop asking you so many questions. For tonight, I think you should have some Sleeping Draught,” Harry walked over to his cabinet and poured a potion into a small bottle. I'll take you back to Gryffindor Tower, and drink this before you get into bed.” “But what about detention?” “Don't worry. You won't get detention. But wandering the corridors is against the rules, so please don't do it anymore. Just send word with a portrait from the common room if you need me, and I'll meet you in the common room. Now, let's get you back to bed. Just follow me and don't say anything. I'll deal with Washburn.” Harry opened the door and left the room. Albus followed. “There will be no detention tonight, Professor Washburn. Albus really did need to tell me something that was worrying him. It's perfectly understandable what he did. I've talked to him and he won't do it again,” Harry explained calmly. “But, he broke the rules!” Washburn screamed. “Careful, you'll wake the whole castle,” Harry told him as he continued to walk down the halls with Albus following quickly behind. They left Washburn standing with his mouth open in the hallway. When Albus got back to his bed, he took his potion and had a dreamless, restful sleep.
DucksRMagical Joined: 28 December 2006 Posts: 2495 Location: Going through LeakyCon withdrawal	Posted: Thursday 1 November 2007 05 10 32 pm in topic:Albus Potter and the Secrets Within Chapter 6: Mysteries When Albus awoke the next morning, Matt still hadn't returned from the Hospital Wing. John suggested that they go visit Matt before class, but since the two boys had gotten up late, they only had time to grab a quick bite to eat before heading to Potions in the dungeons. "Good morning, class!" an old, round, professor greeted them, "I'm Professor Slughorn, your Potions Master. Today, we shall be learning about the basics of potion brewing, including the importance of proper stirring, heat, and ingredients. Please open your books to page 6." The class opened their books and spent the whole lesson listening to Slughorn and copying down notes. "Well, we're pretty much out of time, so I'll see you all next lesson. Could I have Albus Potter and Rose Weasley please stop by my desk on their way out?" Slughorn told the class. "I'll see you in Transfiguration, John. Tell Professor Patil where I am," Albus told his friend. He had a feeling he knew what Slughorn wanted. James had warned him about it. Albus and Rose walked cautiously up to Slughorn's desk after everyone else had left. "Ah! Young Potter and Weasley. Now, I would like to tell you about a little gathering I have scheduled for Friday. It's for the students in the school whose parents are, for lack of a better term, popular. Or those who have shown exceptional magical skill. Of course, I'd be pleased if the both of you would attend. I'm sure your siblings and cousins will be attending. They seemed to like them in the past years," Slughorn informed them. "Well, er, I guess we could make it," Albus told Slughorn, while looking at Rose. "Yes, we'll be there. See you next lesson, Professor," Rose told him, as the two of them left the dungeon. "I knew it was only a matter of time before we were invited to the Slug Club," Albus groaned. James loved the Slug Club. It gave him a whole lot more attention and more people for him to tell his stories too. But Albus didn't like the fame. He would have rather skipped the party, but as James and his cousins were going, it would be hard not to. "Well, maybe it'll be fun," Rose stated in a hopeful tone. Albus rolled his eyes and the two of them went to Transfiguration. *********** Matt didn't show up in classes all day. Albus and John were really starting to worry. They decided to visit him before dinner. When they got into the Hospital Wing, they didn't see Matt right away. There was one girl occupying a bed with her arm in a sling. Madam Pomfrey was fussing over her. "I really think you need to stay here tonight. You can leave in the morning!" "But, Madam Pomfrey, I've been here all day. My arm's fine!" the girl exclaimed. "No, I will not have it! You can leave in the morning," Madam Pomfrey said in a tone that was not to be argued with. The girl pouted and stopped talking. Albus and John approached Madam Pomfrey. "Um, where's Matt Eckerton? We brought him here last night," John said tentatively. "He's back there," she said, pointing to a bed with the curtains pulled around it. "Well, can we see him?" Albus asked. "No, I'm sorry, but you can't. He's not in any state to have visitors at the moment. You can come see him this time tomorrow," Madam Pomfrey said hurriedly. "But could you at least tell us if he's ok?" Albus asked. "He'll be fine in a few days. Now, you two should head down to dinner. You can see Matt tomorrow." Albus and John walked glumly down to the Great Hall. "That was strange. James said you can usually visit your friends when they're in the Hospital Wing," Albus told John. "Very weird. You know, I think Matt's keeping something from us. Madam Pomfrey seemed like she was expecting him last night, and now no one can visit him," John told Albus in a worried tone. "We'll ask him about it when he gets out of the Hospital Wing. I don't think he'll be inclined to tell us tomorrow," Albus reasoned. ********* The next day, Gryffindor first years had DADA again. Nothing extraordinarily exciting happened during class. They mostly took notes on using Expeliarmus, the disarming spell. Harry said they would start being able to practice it on each other in the next class. John and Albus were really looking forward to this, as they really hadn't used their wands for anything yet. Charms, however, was quite eventful. Professor Washburn started class by taking attendance as usual. He gave a menacing glare to all the Gryffindors as he called their names. But Albus thought he stared especially long at him. "Take out your wands," snarled Wahsburn, "we're practicing levitation today. Everyone take a feather." Washburn waved his wand and a feather appeared in front of each student. "Remember to swish and flick." "Swish and flick," murmured Albus from the back table. He waved his wand and said, "Wingardium Leviosa!" Nothing happened. He tried over and over again. Still, nothing happened. John, however, managed to do it. "Look, Albus!" John exclaimed, "I've done it!" John's feather had rose a few inches off the table, and fell down again. "Congratulations," Albus said flatly, his feather still remaining quite still on the table. "I've done it, too!" Rose shouted. Her feather had also rose off the table, but it managed to make it a few feet in the air before falling. Washburn stormed out from behind his desk and rounded on the back table, where Albus, John, Rose, and Amanda were sitting. "Well, do it again!" he growled. John and Rose looked at him nervously and picked up their wands. "Wingardium Leviosa!" they said at the same time. Both their feathers rose feebly into the air and fell down again. "Pathetic," Washburn muttered, "Potter! You do it!" he shouted at Albus. "But, Professor, I haven't managed it yet," Albus muttered quietly. "You'll do what I tell you to do! Perform the spell!" Washburn seemed to be getting angrier by the minute. Albus nervously picked up his wand. His arm was shaking, this would not turn out good. "Wingardium Leviosa," he muttered very quietly. His feather leaped into the air and caught fire. The whole class, which had been staring at the back table for quite some time, screamed. The flame from the feather caught onto Washburn's robes and set them on fire as well. "Bloody Hell!" Washburn screamed. He grabbed Albus's wand out of his hand and produced water from it to douse the flames. "Potter! You'll be getting detention and 20 points from Gryffindor!" he shouted, glaring at Albus. "Class dismissed. Get out, all of you except Potter." Albus was visibly shaking now. The rest of the class quickly left, the Gryffindors glancing anxiously at Albus. He walked slowly up to Washburn's desk. "Well, you seem to have a knack for causing trouble, Potter," Wahsburn spat. "I'm sorry, Professor, I didn't mean to," Albus muttered, on the verge of tears. "You'll be doing detention tonight, I don't care what other plans you might have. See you at 8pm." "But-" Washburn cut him off. "I said tonight, now get out!" he screamed. ******** Later that night, Albus trudged his way back to the common room after doing detention with Washburn. He had Albus do lines, so it wasn't too bad. But Washburn stared at Albus the whole time, his eyes like fire. Albus climbed through the portrait and saw just who he needed to talk to. "James, I've got to ask you something." "What is it?" James asked, walking away from his friends. He could sense that his brother wanted to talk to him alone. "Why does Washburn hate me?" Albus asked. "During the first class, I thought he just hated all Gryffindors, but today he made it clear that it's me he hates." "Really? It's well known he hates Gryffindors. But he's always seemed to hate me more than everyone else," James explained, "I always assumed it's because I cause so much trouble. You on the other hand, have always been so quiet. What did you do to him?" Albus mumbled something incoherent. "What?" "I set him on fire." James burst out laughing. "It's not funny! I didn't mean to do it. We were doing levitation, and he asked me to levitate the feather in front of everyone, when he knew I hadn't managed to do it before. My arm was shaking so much I knew the spell wouldn't work. The feather caught fire as soon as I muttered the spell, and then it spread to Washburn's robes. I got lines and 20 points taken from Gryffindor," Albus looked down, ashamed. James looked stunned. "But that's a mistake any first year could have made. I do see how he got mad, though. I think you should just try to avoid him. Sit in the back, don't say anything. Ignore him in the halls. That's what I do. I still get way more detentions from him than any other teacher, but I think I've become immune to them. Well, I'd better get back to my friends. See you later." Albus contemplated this information. Washburn hated all Gryffindors, but he hated James and Albus the most. Why? It didn't make sense. Neither Albus nor James had met Washburn before Hogwarts. "Albus!" John came running into the common room, "I've just been with Matt." "How is he?" Albus asked. "Not good. He's covered in more of those cuts and bruises. Said he'd tripped on his way to the bathroom. He kept avoiding talking about being ill. Just wanted to talk about what's going on in the school. So I told him about you setting Washburn on fire. He thought it was hilarious." "It's NOT!" Albus shouted. He was sick of everyone thinking it was funny. The story had already made it around the school and at dinner everyone was staring at him more than usual. Some students even high fived him and patted him on the back. It seemed like Washburn was disliked by many students. "Okay, okay," John said, putting his hands up, "Anyway, Matt said he'd be back in class tomorrow morning. Madam Pomfrey just wanted him to stay the rest of the night." "Good. Let's go to bed. I'm exhausted," Albus said. He and John climbed up the circular staircase to the dormitory.