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DucksRMagical Joined: 28 December 2006 Posts: 2495 Location: Going through LeakyCon withdrawal	Posted: Sunday 10 May 2009 08 57 02 pm    Post subject: Re: In Moonlight's Shadow in topic:In Moonlight's Shadow Thanks, hprocks! This chapter is named after the song by Rascal Flatts, Here Comes Goodbye. Some of the lyrics go along with this chapter nicely, if you care to Google them. I don't own that song, nor do I own Harry Potter. Chapter 46: Here Comes Goodbye I woke up to Pollux nipping my hand. I groggily lifted my head off my book and groaned. This was it. September first. I fed Pollux and slowly changed into jeans and a t-shirt. My parents and Matt were already eating brekkie when I went downstairs. Mum and Dad gave me half-hearted smiles as I sat down with a bowl of Fruit Loops. I doubted they'd have those at Hogwarts, but I was too nervous to eat very much. "Are you all packed?" Mum asked. I nodded. "Yeah, I just have to shut Pollux in his cage." "Good. We'll leave in an hour or so," Mum replied. I nodded again and finished my cereal. Once I was done, I got up and went outside. It was a warm sunny day, but I really had no idea what the weather was supposed to be like in England in September. The weather seemed to be the opposite of my mood. It would have been more appropriate for it to be rainy and cold. I wandered around the property, not really wanting to settle in one spot. I watched the farmer's cows chewing grass in the nearby field and watched a few birds fly around. "Hi, Amy," someone said from behind me. I turned around and saw Matt walking towards me. I sighed. I couldn't really believe it, but I was actually going to miss him. This whole thing was his fault, but I just couldn't be as angry with him as I used to be. Not after he went through so much in the last few months. "Hi, Matt," I said quietly as I sat down on the low fence that surrounded the property. Matt started to climb up after me. "Be careful," I said as I helped him up. I put my arm around his back so he couldn't fall off. "I will," he said, "I don't want you to go." Neither do I, I thought. "I have to," I replied. "I'm going to miss you," he said. "Me, too," I swallowed hard. Why did this seem worse than when I went away to school in first year? "It's going to be boring without you here," Matt announced. I giggled. "It'll be like it was when I was at school in Australia." "It was boring then, too. There's nothing to do when you're not here." He really needed some friends. Mum and Dad should just let him go to Muggle school. That would never happen, though. "I'll be back over Christmas," I told him, trying to reassure myself as much as him. Matt nodded. "Yeah, but that's a long time away." "I know it is," I said quietly. "Amy! Matt! Are you out here?" Mum shouted from the window. "Yeah!" I shouted back. "It's time to go!" she told us. I took a deep breath and jumped off the fence. I looked at Matt and his eyes were tearing up. Just seeing that made me want to cry. He really was going to miss me. "Want me to carry you?" I asked. He nodded and held out his arms. I lifted him up and we walked slowly back to the house, neither of us saying a word. "Did he hurt himself again?" Mum asked as we entered the house. "No," I whispered, "We were just...saying goodbye...and stuff." Mum nodded as I set Matt down on the floor. I looked up and saw Dad standing a few yards away with my trunk propped up on its side. Pollux's cage was sitting on the table and he was hooting inside of it. "Ready?" Dad asked. I nodded as I grabbed Pollux. "I guess," I muttered. Mum grabbed Matt's hand and I followed them out the door. Dad followed with my trunk. We walked silently until we reached the end of the anti-Apparition wards. Dad wrapped me in a one-armed hug and the four of us Disapparated. We appeared in a back alley that I assumed was near the King's Cross station. We followed Dad down the street until we reached the station. Dad found a trolley and heaved my trunk onto it. I placed Pollux on top. The station was crowded. Muggles were bustling everywhere. A few glanced at Pollux, but none of them really paid much attention. Matt stepped closer to Mum as a few men brushed past us. "Nine and three-quarters, right?" Mum whispered to Dad. "Right," Dad muttered. I followed my parents through the crowded station until we got to the brick wall between platforms nine and ten. I figured we would have to run straight at the brick wall, since that's what we had to do in Australia, too. "I'll go first with the trolley," Dad said. He glanced around to make sure no Muggles were paying attention and slipped through the wall. Mum gestured for me to go next. I held my breath and closed my eyes even though I knew I wouldn't actually hit the wall. I opened my eyes a few seconds later and saw Platform 9 3/4. Students and families alike were running around. Students were reuniting with each other and shrieking about what they did over the holiday. Parents were loading trunks onto the train. Owls were hooting, cats were meowing, little kids were shouting. I felt horribly out of place. Everyone knew each other. Everyone except the first years, that is. I felt like a first year as I stood with my parents and Matt. Dad went to load my trunk and Pollux onto the train and returned a few minutes later. He grinned at me, but I didn't grin back. "Well, this is it," he said, "This feels like your first year all over again." "You have no idea," I muttered. "You'll do fine, Amy," Mum assured me, "We've been through so much this past nine months. You can get through anything." She gave me a hug. "I know, I know," I sighed and bit my lip. "You're bound to make new friends," Mum said. Yeah, friends I'd have to keep secrets from. I was dreading explaining to people why I transferred to Hogwarts for my fourth year. We stood there not saying anything for a few more minutes. I watched as students said goodbye to their parents and ran onto the train. A few first years were sharing tearful goodbyes. "I think you're going to have to get on the train," Dad said quietly. I nodded. "Yeah. I love you guys." "We love you, too," Dad squeezed me and kissed the top of my head. "We'll miss you," Mum gave me another hug. "I'll miss you, too," my voice cracked and I could feel tears welling up in my eyes. What was wrong with me? I hardly cried when I left for my first year. "We'll owl all the time," Dad said. "Bye, Amy," Matt gave me a big hug. I picked him up. "Bye, Matt. I love you. I'm going to miss you." "Me, too," he sniffled. I set him down as the train whistled. I wiped my eyes and waved as I ran towards the train. I jumped on just as it was starting to move. I stood in the doorway and waved as my eyes filled up with more tears. I kept waving until the train turned a corner and I could no longer see my family. I wiped my eyes again and started down the corridor, looking for an empty compartment. The last thing I wanted was to meet anyone new right then. Eventually I found an empty one towards the back of the train. I ran right into it and shut the door behind me. I sat down next to the window and watched the scenery fly by. It was kind of mesmerizing. I just let my eyes glaze over and everything blurred together. The time sort of flew by faster then. I wasn't even thinking about anything in particular. I think I must have fallen asleep because the next thing I knew, the compartment door creaked open. I jerked up and winced as my neck cracked. Falling asleep against a glass window wasn't the smartest of ideas. "Oh, sorry. Were you sleeping?" a girl asked. I looked up and saw two kids standing timidly in the doorway. The girl had a round face framed by messy long brown hair. She wore glasses and was already dressed in Hogwarts robes. A boy, who was a few inches taller than her, stood aside her. He was skinny with lighter brown hair and a few freckles on his pale face. They looked to be first or second years. "Er, I was," I muttered. "Can we sit here?" the boy asked, "There's no room anyplace else." "Go ahead," I gestured to the empty seat across from me. The two of them walked inside and the boy shut the door behind them. They both sat down on the bench across from me. The girl stared at me while the boy fidgeted next to her. "I'm Jessie Briggs," the girl announced, "What's your name?" "Amy Eckerton," I replied. "And I'm Timothy Porter," the boy said. I nodded. Well, now I knew a few Hogwarts students. Too bad they were probably closer to my brother's age than mine. "What house are you in?" Jessie asked. "Gryffindor," I told her, happier than ever that I had decided to be sorted over the summer. "I want to be in Ravenclaw," Jessie said. "Ravenclaw?" Timothy raised his eyebrows, "You must be smart. I don't want to be in Ravenclaw. All they do is study all the time." They were definitely first years. Although, when I thought about it, sitting with first years was a good thing. Neither of them had any idea this was my first year at Hogwarts, too. They wouldn't ask me why I moved here. "My mother was in Ravenclaw," Jessie huffed, "And she didn't study all the time." "What about your dad?" Timothy asked. "He's a Muggle," Jessie answered, "What about you? Where do you want to be?" "Slytherin," Timothy smirked, "Where all the best wizards go." "Slytherin?" Jessie looked taken aback, "Why would you want to be there?" "It's where my parents were. All of my family has been in Slytherin. I'm not going to break that tradition," Timothy boasted. Slytherin, I thought. That's where that Willinson bloke I had met in Diagon Alley was. "And it's where all the evil wizards came from," Jessie told him, "Voldemort was in Slytherin." "So was Severus Snape," Timothy countered. I just sat there listening to them. I had no idea who Voldemort or Severus Snape were. The names sounded vaguely familiar, but I couldn't place them. I assumed they were famous wizards from Britain. They don't teach World History of Magic until fourth year in Australia. "True," Jessie nodded, "But no evil wizards came from Ravenclaw." "None that you know of," Timothy said. "I would know," Jessie replied, "I've been learning about magical history for years." "Well, aren't you Miss Smarty Pants," Timothy muttered. "Thank you," Jessie smirked. Jessie and Timothy argued about the houses for the next half an hour or so. It was actually kind of interesting since I didn't know a thing about most of the houses. Apparently Slytherins had the reputation of being evil, Ravenclaws of being annoyingly smart, Hufflepuffs of being kind of dense, and Gryffindors of being brave to the point of stupidity. I had to stifle a laugh at the last one. I didn't think I was brave to the point of stupidity. I got the idea that there was a lot of house rivalry going on at Hogwarts. From the sound of it, there was more there than in Australia. I was kind of grateful for everything I was learning from the two first years. I now knew to mainly stick with Gryffindors and definitely not mingle with too many Slytherins. Hopefully that would help me blend in better. The compartment door opened once again and an old witch popped her head in. "Anything from the trolley, dears?" The two first years jumped up and ran out the door. I followed more slowly as I dug a few Galleons out of my pocket. There were a few people standing around the trolley buying various sweets. "Amy?" someone shouted as I reached for a Cauldron Cake. I looked up and saw none other than turquoise-haired Ted Lupin grinning at me. He actually remembered my name? I hadn't seen him in months. "Hi, Ted," I replied. "So, your family decided to move here?" he asked, "Excellent choice." "Yeah," I said as I paid for my food. "You been sorted yet?" "Yup, Gryffindor," I smiled, remembering that he was a Gryffindor as well. "Brilliant," he grinned, "Guess I'll see you at the feast." I nodded. "Yeah, see you then." I followed Jessie and Timothy (who both had armfuls of sweets) back into the compartment. "So," Timothy began as he opened up a Chocolate Frog, "You just moved here?" I groaned inwardly. He had heard what Ted said. Oh, well, I sighed. Might as well practice my story on a few first years before telling it to people I would actually spend a lot of time with. "Yeah," I sighed. "Where from?" Jessie asked. "And you've never been to Hogwarts before?" Timothy asked at the same time. "Australia and I've visited Hogwarts," I answered. "Whoa, Australia?" Jessie looked impressed, "Why'd you move here?" "My dad's job," I told her. "Where does he work?" she asked. "How do you know you're in Gryffindor already?" Timothy asked. "The Ministry. And I got sorted over the summer," I said as I opened my Cauldron Cake. "I've never heard of anyone transferring to Hogwarts," Timothy announced. "Yeah, well..." my voice trailed off, "Stuff happens." "You sound Australian," Timothy mentioned. "Duh," Jessie rolled her eyes, "She's from Australia." "I was just saying..." he muttered. "Well, I wouldn't say to you, 'You sound British,'" Jessie groaned, "It's just kind of a stupid thing to say." "We can't all be Ravenclaws," Timothy sighed loudly. "Even Slytherins have to have some brains," Jessie told him. I breathed a sigh of relief as they resumed their bickering. That hadn't been too bad. Luckily they didn't ask for details about Dad's job. I just had to hope that no one else asked for details. The rest of the train ride passed relatively quickly. I fell asleep again and didn't wake up until Jessie prodded me. "We're almost there," she said, "You should change into your robes." I yawned and got up. I rummaged around in my trunk and pulled out a pair of new robes. I hastily put them on over my clothes and waited for the train to stop. I followed Jessie and Timothy into the corridor as the train began to slow. Once it stopped, I joined the sea of black-clad Hogwarts students onto the platform of Hogsmeade station. I actually recognized it from our trip to Hogwarts. I soon lost track of Jessie and Timothy. I heard someone shouting 'First years, over here!', so they must have been going some place different anyway. I had no idea where I was going, so I just followed the rest of the students. I ended up near a line of what appeared to be horseless carriages. I guessed they were just pulled by thestrals. Dad had mentioned that Hogwarts had a herd. Everyone was climbing into them, so I did the same. My carriage was empty when I got inside, but I was soon joined by three girls who looked a tad bit older than Timothy and Jessie. One had long, brilliant red hair, the second had curly pale blonde hair that rivaled my own, and the other had long, thick black hair. "The carriages must be pulled by magic," the black-haired girl said. "Yeah, I think they are," the red-haired girl agreed. "They're pulled by thestrals," I told them. "Told you," the blonde girl smirked, "Teddy said they were pulled by thestrals." "Yeah, well, Teddy likes a joke, doesn't he?" the red head pointed out. I wondered if they were talking about Ted Lupin. Maybe they were related or something. The three girls quickly started talking about their summers and I let my attention wander. I did find out that the red head and the blonde were cousins and all three were second year Gryffindors. The carriage lurched to a stop and I followed the younger students out into the warm air and into the castle. I had been in it before, but the size of it still amazed me. I looked around as people jostled me in their haste to get into the Great Hall. I stopped in the doorway and realized that I had no idea where to sit. There were four long tables and then the staff table at the opposite end of the room. Were we supposed to sit with our houses? Or wherever we wanted? I glanced around the room and spotted Ted's hair at the table to the right. It couldn't hurt to sit at his table. I made my way through the crowd and found an empty seat at the table. The golden plates were empty. Everyone around me was chatting happily. I leaned my head on my hand and stared down at my reflection in the shining plate. I felt so out of place. A few minutes later, everyone quieted down. I looked up and saw a tall witch leading a group of kids into the room. I assumed they were the first years. They all crowded around each other near the staff table. The witch reached around the staff table and came out with a three-legged stool and the Sorting Hat. She placed the stool on the ground and the hat on the stool. The rim of the hat opened and it burst out in song. My eyes widened in shock, but nobody else seemed fazed. A few of the first years looked taken aback, but that was about it. I guessed this was a normal occurrence. I don't know why it surprised me since I knew the hat could talk, but singing was just even stranger. The hat sung about the different houses and everyone clapped once it finished. "When I call your name, come sit on the stool and the hat will tell you which house you are in. Then go sit at the appropriate table," the witch announced. I guess we were supposed to sit with our houses. I was glad I wound up sitting at the Gryffindor table. Everyone was quiet during the sorting ceremony. I watched, but to be honest, I was kind of eager to just go to bed. I just wanted to be alone. Jessie was one of the first kids to be sorted and she was sorted into Ravenclaw. She grinned as she ran towards the Ravenclaw table. I smiled as she sat down amongst the other Ravenclaws. My attention wandered after that until I heard Timothy's name announced. I watched as he was sorted into Slytherin. I wondered if he and Jessie would ever really become friends, now that they were officially in other houses. The Gryffindor table clapped loudly for every new Gryffindor, but two of the last students sorted got the loudest applause of all. They were two red-heads named Fred and Heather Weasley. I didn't know if they were brother and sister or cousins. I think they were related to the red-head and blonde girls I shared a carriage with, though. The two of them were roaring with excitement when Fred and Heather were sorted. There were a few other red-heads who stood up and roared along with them. I guessed they were all related somehow. They must have a huge family. Professor Kendrick stood up once the sorting was finished. "I have a few announcements, but as usual, they can wait until after dinner." He waved his wand and huge amounts of food appeared on all the tables. I served myself some chicken, potatoes, and carrots and began to pick at it. Everyone around me began talking again and I tried to remain inconspicuous. I had been hoping to just blend in with everyone else. I happened to be sitting near a few of the new Gryffindor first years, so nobody really paid much attention to me. Desserts appeared once people stopped eating dinner. I wasn't that hungry, so I just waited for Kendrick to make the announcements he said he was going to make. After what seemed like forever, the dessert vanished and the golden plates returned to their clean state. I looked up at the staff table and saw Kendrick rise to his feet. "I hope everyone is feeling a bit better now that we've eaten," Kendrick smiled, "Please be aware that the Forbidden Forest is out of bounds, hence its name. Please stay away from the Whomping Willow as well." I could feel my cheeks reddening at the name 'Whomping Willow'. I was probably the only student in the room who knew what that tree concealed. "If you wish to try out for your house Quidditch team, please give your name to your head of house," Kendrick continued. That wasn't something I'd be doing, I thought. Come to think of it, I didn't even know who my head of house was. I guess I'd figure it out soon enough. "I suggest you all turn in early, as classes start tomorrow," Kendrick said, "Prefects, please lead the first years up to your common rooms. Everyone have a good night." Common room. It would help if I knew where the Gryffindor common room was. I sighed and got up from the table. I decided to just follow the first years at a distance. I couldn't help but gaze around as I followed the group of chattering first years to the common room. The walls were adorned with all sorts of portraits. There was hardly any wall space left. Every few feet there was a statue or suit of armor. We walked up flight after flight of stairs (which like to move, I soon discovered) until I didn't think we could get any higher. It was taking forever. The castle was even larger on the inside than it looked on the outside. The group of first years finally stopped in front of a portrait of a very large woman. "This is the Fat Lady," one of the Prefects announced, "The password is 'Niffler'." The portrait swung open and I followed everyone into the common room. I stopped as soon as I got in. The room was round and decorated almost exclusively in scarlet and gold. Various arm chairs, couches, tables, and chairs were scattered about the room. A fire was crackling in the large fireplace. Two doors were side by side in the back of the room. Every few seconds, someone would go through one of them. "Dormitories are through the doors," the prefect said, "Girls to the right, boys to the left." I swallowed and walked slowly towards the doors. This was it. Time to meet my new roommate. I hoped the doors were labeled, since nobody had shown me where my new dormitory was. The door to the girls' dormitories revealed a spiral staircase that I followed to the top. At the top of the staircase were seven doors. Only seven. How many roommates was I going to have? I walked down the short corridor until I reached the door labeled 'Fourth Years'. That must be it, I thought. I took a deep breath and entered the room.
DucksRMagical Joined: 28 December 2006 Posts: 2495 Location: Going through LeakyCon withdrawal	Posted: Tuesday 28 April 2009 12 02 00 pm    Post subject: Re: Life Is Good in topic:Life Is Good This is the last chapter! I hope everyone enjoyed it. Chapter 6: I Start My Journey Today [i]I start my journey today And I make my claim to fame Everything around me has changed ~Rainy Labor Day[/i], Jared Campbell "James, if you don't get out of bed this minute, I swear, I'll-" Ginny shouted up the stairs. "I'm up, I'm up!" James shouted back. Albus sighed and sat down on his trunk. He had been up since six and ready to go since seven. His trunk had been packed since the previous night, whereas James had not taken their mother's advice about packing early and was probably running around his room trying to locate his robes. "Ready, Al?" Harry asked as he walked into the drawing room. Albus nodded. "I think so. I mean, I've got everything...." Harry sat down next to his son and put his arm around him. "You're going to be fine, Al." "I know," Albus sighed. He didn't want to admit that he was nervous, but he was. Albus hadn't been that nervous when he got his letter. He had been excited. But for the past few days, he had become steadily more nervous. "Think about it this way," Harry began, "Most of your cousins are already at Hogwarts. It'll be like staying at the Burrow with everybody, only none of us adults." Albus laughed. He hadn't really thought about that. It would be nice to be away from all his aunts and uncles and parents. The freedom would be nice. "There are teachers, you know," Albus pointed out. "Yes, Al, I do know that," Harry laughed, "But you'll have fun. You'll make new friends and have your cousins there. In fact, you'll probably get sick of them." Albus sort of doubted that. He never got sick of his large and boisterous family. There was never a dull moment. "I'm ready!" James shouted as he shoved his trunk into the room. It collided with a table and knocked a vase off, which promptly crashed onto the floor. "Oops. Sorry, Dad." "It's ok," Harry smirked and repaired the vase with a wave of his wand, "Ginny! Lily! Let's go!" A little while later, Albus was standing in front of King's Cross station. He took a deep breath and helped his dad load his trunk onto a trolley. After James had his own trolley, the five of them walked into the station. He could do this. Hogwarts was exciting. James and his cousins had fun there. Nothing to be worried about. Well, nothing besides winding up in Slytherin. If he could just get through the sorting, everything would be fine. "You first, James," Ginny said once they reached Platform 9 3/4. James casually pushed his trolley into the barrier between platforms nine and ten and then disappeared. Ginny and Lily followed him. "Together, Al?" Harry asked. Albus nodded and he and Harry walked towards the barrier. Albus closed his eyes and disappeared from the Muggle world. This was it. Hogwarts. His new home for the next seven years. ****** Matt opened his eyes stopped walking. He had gone through the barrier to Platform 9 3/4 a few times before, but the idea of walking through a brick wall still scared him a bit. The platform was already crowded. People were running all over the place, chasing loose cats and children alike. It seemed more chaotic than it had when just Amy had gone to Hogwarts the previous years. "This is it," Amy said from behind him. Matt turned around and saw his sister pushing her trolley away from the barrier. She had a huge grin on her face. "Is it always this crowded?" Matt asked. "Yeah," Amy laughed, "Nervous?" Matt nodded and Amy put her arm around him. "You're going to be fine." Matt wasn't so sure about that. He couldn't remember a time when he had been more nervous. Well, that wasn't true. There were some occasions that had been more nerve wracking. But this came close. He was not used to being around so many strangers. He was not used to being away from his parents. He was definitely not used to living away from home, where he only knew one person. What if he didn't even get Sorted into Gryffindor? Then he wouldn't even be near Amy. Amy said he would probably be in Gryffindor, but what if he wasn't? Not all siblings were put in the same houses. He didn't think he could handle not being in the same house as his sister. "Matt, honey, are you all right?" Julie put her hand on his shoulder. He jumped and shook his head. "Yeah, I'm fine," he muttered. He wished the first day wasn't so close to the full moon. Going to Hogwarts for the first time only a few days before the full moon wasn't exactly his idea of fun. But he knew he was going to have to get used to things happening around full moons. At home, everything revolved around when the moon became full, but that wouldn't be the case at Hogwarts. Better to just get used to it now. "Maybe they should just find an empty compartment," Walter suggested quietly, "Before they're all full." "Good idea," Julie agreed, "Amy, could you help your dad with the trunks and go find a compartment?" Walter and Amy took the two trolleys and disappeared into the crowd. Julie led Matt over to a somewhat quieter part of the platform and looked at him. "I know you're scared," she said, "But you can do this. You're strong." Matt nodded, although he hadn't ever thought of himself as strong before. He knew he had to do this and he wanted to, despite the nerves. "Remember, we're only an owl or a a Floo message away," Julie assured him, "If you ever need us, just go see Madam Pomfrey. She'll get us. Any time, day or night." "I know," Matt nodded. Julie wrapped him in a tight hug. "I just can't believe you're going to school. Time has gone so fast." "I'll miss you, Mum," Matt hugged her back. "I'll miss you, too," Julie sniffed, "I love you." "We've got a compartment," Amy said as she and Walter walked up to them, "We'd better go if we want to keep it, though." Matt walked alongside his mum as they made their way back to the train. They stopped right in front of one of the doors. "Bye, Matt. I love you," Walter gave him a hug, "We'll see you soon. Owl us and tell us what house you're in." "Bye, Dad," Matt bit his lip as he hugged him. Julie hugged Matt once more as soon as Walter let him go and went to say goodbye to Amy. Matt noticed she was crying as they broke apart, which made it harder for him to hold back his own tears. "Look after him, Amy," Julie said as she hugged her daughter, "I love you." "I will, Mum," Amy replied, "Love you, too." "Remember to go see Madam Pomfrey if you need anything," Julie said one last time, "And remember to go see her for your potions." "I will," Matt said. Both of his parents gave him one last hug and then waved as he followed Amy onto the train. "Well, this is it," Amy said quietly as they began to walk down the corridor. She put her arm around his shoulder. Matt nodded. This was what he had been waiting for for years. He could do it. Amy would help him. He wiped his eyes and let Amy lead him to their compartment. ****** "This is mental, completely mental," Henry Tagger muttered. "It's what Professor Longbottom said to do!" Sarah Tagger pointed out. Amanda sighed. Her parents had been whispering to each other about the process of getting to Platform 9 3/4 for the past ten minutes. Amanda thought it was pretty straightforward. You run straight into the barrier between platforms nine and ten. Not that complicated. A bit nerve wracking, but not complicated. She didn't understand why her parents had to talk about it for ten minutes. "Can we just go?" Amanda tapped her foot, "I'm going to miss the train." "I am not running into a solid brick wall," Jen said adamantly, "We'll all wind up in a mental institution." "I'll do it!" Max started running towards the wall. "No, you won't," Henry held him back. "Everyone's staring at us," Jen hissed, "Can't we just get out of here?" "No!" Amanda said a little too loudly, "Why don't you just trust him?" "Because I tend not listen when people tell me to run into walls, Amanda," Henry said. "Hi," someone said from behind Amanda. She turned around and saw a tall, dark haired boy with a huge grin on his face. He was pushing a trolley that had a trunk and an owl on it. Behind him were three little girls, a man, and a woman. "Hi," Amanda replied, "Are you, er, a," she whispered the last word, "Wizard?" John laughed. "Of course! You think a Muggle would have an owl on their trolley?" "Er, no, I guess," Amanda shrugged, "Listen, are you really supposed to run into the barrier? That's what Professor Longbottom told us, but my parents don't believe him." "Yes," John laughed even harder, "You must be Muggle-born." "Yeah," Amanda nodded. "Look, my parents and sisters can go first and then maybe your parents will believe it," John said. "It's easy," the woman, who must have been John's mother said as she herded two of the little girls towards the brick wall, "But take it at a run if you're afraid." They walked straight through the wall and disappeared. Amanda rubbed her eyes and then stared at where they used to be. She had believed Professor Longbottom, but it was still a bit shocking to see someone walk through a seemingly solid wall. "Now will you let me go?" Amanda asked. "I suppose," Henry sighed, "But I'm going first." Amanda watched as her dad cautiously approached the barrier. She thought he should just run through it like John's mum had suggested. Instead, he touched the brick, shook his head, and then slowly walked through. Then he was gone. Sarah let out a gasp and ran towards the barrier. She looked frantically back at John's dad, who was smirking and shaking his head. "He's fine," John's dad said. "Can I please go now?" Amanda said impatiently. "Fine," Sarah sighed, "We'll follow you." "I will not," Jen muttered. Amanda ignored her sister's bickering and maneuvered her trolley to face the barrier. She grinned at John, who had moved his own trolley next to hers, and began running. John ran next to her and the brick wall became closer and closer. Amanda's heart sped up, but she wasn't nervous. It was more of an excited nervous. With one last glance back at her white-faced mother, Amanda closed her eyes and ran through the barrier. ****** John burst through the barrier and slowed down once he realized he was through it. He turned and saw Amanda gawking at the wall and laughed at her pale face. "What do you think?" he asked. "That was brilliant," Amanda grinned. "Thank God," Amanda's father hugged her. Amanda rolled her eyes. John waited with Amanda as the rest of her family came through the wall. Her little brother looked even more excited than Amanda had as he came through. Her mother looked ready to pass out and her sister looked stunned. Next came John's dad with his youngest sister. He of course didn't look fazed in the slightest that he just came through a solid wall. "Is this normal for the wizarding world?" Amanda asked. "Sure is," John told her. "Whoa, that bloke has a snake!" Amanda's little brother shouted and ran off towards an older student who had a green snake wrapped around his neck. "Maxwell!" Amanda's mum shouted and ran after him. Henry gestured for John to help him with his trunk, and Amanda and her dad followed. They got the trunks loaded onto the train and then rejoined the rest of the group. The adults exchanged introductions and greetings while John's little sisters ran around the platform. "Have you ever been to Hogwarts?" Amanda asked. "Nope," John replied, "But my parents went there and it's absolutely brilliant." John couldn't wait to get on the train and go. He hadn't even been able to sleep that night out of excitement. The closer September first had gotten, the slower time had seemed to pass and it seemed like it had been an eternity since he had received his letter. Now that the day had finally arrived, all he wanted to do was get on the train. It's not like his parents were paying much attention to him anyway. They were talking with Amanda's parents while trying to keep an eye on his sisters. He and Amanda could probably get on the train without them even noticing. Well, maybe Amanda's parents would notice. They'd seemed pretty protective about her even getting on the platform. John glanced at his watch. "Ten minutes until the train leaves. We should probably get on." "I guess so," Amanda said quietly. John watched as she went to say goodbye to her family. She had been so excited before, but now she was quiet. Maybe she wasn't as excited about leaving her family as he was. "Have fun, John," Henry gave him a hug and then clapped him on the back, "Don't make too much trouble. Love you." "I won't, Dad," John grinned, "Love you, too." "Oh, Johnny!" Jan squeezed him tight, "I'm going to miss you. I love you and owl us as soon as you find out what house you're in." "I will," John said, "I love you, too." All three of John's sisters hugged him at once and Ashtyn and Alyssa demanded that he owl them presents within the week. Gemma giggled and said 'me too' and John rolled his eyes. "Ready?" John asked Amanda as soon as his sisters let him go. "Yeah," Amanda nodded. John practically ran to the train with Amanda following. He climbed on and turned around and waved to his family. He waited until Amanda was done waving to her own family and then with a grin, he and Amanda went to find a compartment. ****** "There's a bloke back there with a snake!" Hugo said excitedly. Rose rolled her eyes and ignored him. That bloke was going to get in trouble. Snakes weren't allowed as pets. She didn't really care for snakes. Hugo had this fascination with them, though. He liked all animals, actually. "We're going to miss you, Rosie," Ron gave her a hug, "I hope to get some owls soon about the trouble you cause." "Don't listen to him," Hermione kissed her on the cheek, "The house is going to be so empty without you." "Yeah, and I'm taking over your room!" Hugo announced. "You little prick!" Rose shouted, "You better not!" "Don't worry, we won't let him," Hermione assured her. "Especially if you miss the train," Hugo smirked, "It's leaving now." Rose whipped her head around and saw that the doors were being shut all along the train. She turned and saw that Albus was still talking with his dad. What was taking him so long? He was going to make them miss the train! "What's Al doing?" Rose asked. "He'll catch up with you on the train," Ron said as he hugged her, "We'll see you soon, Rose, I love you." "I'll miss you," Hermione joined the hug, "Love you, Rosie." "I love you, too," Rose hugged them both, "And I'll miss you. Even you, Hugo." "I'll miss you, too," Hugo said, "Except it'll be nice having the house to myself." Rose rolled her eyes. Her brother always had to make a joke. She didn't think he had ever been serious. He took after his uncle George. Rose gave her parents one last hug and then ran towards the train. Albus was still talking with his dad. She jumped on and waited for Albus to finish. "There you are," she muttered to Albus when he finally climbed onto the train, "What were you doing?" "Saying goodbye," Albus said quickly, "Ready for Hogwarts?" "Ready," Rose grinned.
DucksRMagical Joined: 28 December 2006 Posts: 2495 Location: Going through LeakyCon withdrawal	Posted: Sunday 26 April 2009 10 03 01 am    Post subject: Re: In Moonlight's Shadow in topic:In Moonlight's Shadow Thanks hprocks! I haven't flown first class. I flew when I was 5, but haven't flown since. Chapter 44: The Sorting I heard the door open a minute or so later and Mum and I left the kitchen to see which one of my grandparents was arriving. I reached the door to find Cinda setting her bag down on a table and gazing around at the house. "Mum," Mum greeted Cinda. "Julie, darling," Cinda smiled and embraced her, "So, this is your new house." "Yes," Mum nodded, "What do you think?" Cinda paused. "Small," she said after a while, "And kind of quaint." "I'll take that as a complement," Mum said wryly. "It's just so different," Cinda went on, "Your old house was so much grander and fancy..." she trailed off. "Yes, but honestly, we didn't need all that space, Mum," Mum explained, "We lived there because Walter inherited it and it was his childhood home. Otherwise, we would have stayed at our first house. Remember that one?" Cinda nodded. "Yes, that one was even smaller than this." "But we like it," Mum sighed. "I know, I know," Cinda replied, "It'll just take some getting used to." We wandered back to the kitchen and Mum continued cooking while Cinda set the table. Richard and Dad arrived a few minutes later and Richard told my parents how much he liked the house. We took them on the grand tour (which didn't take long) and showed them the entire place with the exception of the basement, which was still in partial disrepair. When we finished showing my grandparents the house, Ellie announced that dinner was ready. "I'll go see if Matt's up to eating dinner with us," Mum said as we entered the kitchen. "Let me, Jule," Dad said, "I haven't seen him in a few hours." I sat down at the table next to Mum, with Matt's empty seat on the other side. Ellie started serving the food, but no one started eating until Dad returned. "He's sound asleep," Dad said as he sat down at the head of the table. Mum nodded, "I figured he would be. He's been asleep ever since we got home from St. Mungo's." "When will he be all recovered?" Richard asked quietly. "Probably late tomorrow or early Thursday, he'll be feeling back to normal," Dad told him. The rest of dinner was spent discussing England and what my parents liked and disliked about it. Richard and Cinda had dozens of questions about the house, Dad's job, and England in general. After dinner, Dad enlarged a bed that had not sold at the estate sale (which actually happened to be the bed my grandparents usually slept in when they stayed at my house)and set it up in the library for them. Everyone went to bed a few hours later, but I stayed up and looked out my telescope. I woke up late the next morning. Very late. But I figured I needed to in order to adjust to the different time zone. I stumbled down the stairs and to the living room only to find that I was one of the first ones up. Only Mum and Dad got up before I did and were talking quietly to themselves. Richard and Cinda woke up shortly after I had brekkie (or would lunch have been a more appropriate word?). It wound up being a very quiet day. Matt was in no shape to go anywhere. He spent the day lounging on the couch reading and playing his DS. Cinda gave Mum interior decorating advice about the house and the two of them wound up rearranging the kitchen yet again. Richard, after hearing about Dad's microwave incident, decided to teach Dad the finer points of cooking meals in a microwave. I thought this was rather funny since Richard was certainly not a cook. But, Richard and Dad seemed to enjoy it. They even went out and bought these Muggle things called 'microwave dinners', which are meals you stick in the microwave for a few minutes and then eat. We wound up having them for dinner. I spent the day wandering from room to room, just looking at what my family members were doing. I realized how very odd it was to have my grandparents in England with us. What was even stranger was that at that moment, no one in my family was in Australia. Well, except for Clarence and his family, but I didn't really consider them family anymore. I played a few rounds of Exploding Snap and Gobstones with Matt, but then he got bored with it and we both read for a while. Dad had to go back to work the next day, but Mum decided that we could go show Richard and Cinda Diagon Alley. That was fun, especially when we went to Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. Both Richard and Cinda were flabbergasted by the amount of magical pranking items they had. Dad met us for dinner at the Leaky Cauldron, which was nice. Richard and Cinda left a few days later. Their visit had been surprisingly fun. They said they'd visit again soon, but didn't give an exact date. ****** The weeks went by quickly after that. The time before I would go to Hogwarts was quickly decreasing and once August arrived, I realized how close it was. I started thinking about it all the time and it was making me nervous. Sure, I was getting used to our new house and living in England, but school would be a different story. I was going to know absolutely no one, except for the headmaster. Dad finished my potions room and I was very happy with it. It looked a lot like the one I had in Australia, except it had no windows. Dad put some sort of magical ventilation system in, though. "Amy!" Mum shouted down the stairs one Thursday afternoon. "What?" I shouted back as I increased the fire under my cauldron. "You've got a letter!" Mum answered. I turned off the flame and ran up the stairs. Maybe it was from Olivia. I had owled her the previous week, but she still hadn't gotten back to me. Mum handed me the letter once I entered the living room. I turned it over and saw that it was from Hogwarts. I slit it open, pulled the letter out, and read it silently. [i]Dear Miss Eckerton, Please note that the new term will begin on September first. The Hogwarts Express will leave from King's Cross Station, Platform 9 3/4 at eleven o'clock in the morning. Also, since you are a new student this term, you need to arrange to meet with the headmaster prior to the start of term. Please owl him with a time that will work, the sooner the better. Sincerely, Professor Padma Patil Deputy Headmistress[/i] "What's that about?" Mum asked. "Telling me when school starts," I mumbled, "September first. But I have to go see the headmaster soon, since I'm new there." I handed her the letter. Mum's eyes moved along the page and then she set the letter down on the table. "I'll send an owl. I could take you tomorrow, after Matt's appointment with Norlam." Matt's sessions with Norlam were going well. So well in fact, that Norlam announced the next day that he was going to start the relaxation techniques he had mentioned months ago. Norlam actually had Mum and I do them as well, which was kind of odd. He had us take deep breaths with our eyes closed while we imagined ourselves in relaxed places. I thought about walking through the bush in Australia. It was actually really relaxing and the hour went by fast. Norlam talked briefly in private to Mum and then left. "Ready to go?" Mum asked a few minutes later. "Yeah," I replied. Kendrick had said he was going to meet us at the Three Broomsticks, so Mum, Matt, and I Apparated to Hogsmeade and walked into the pub. That afternoon it happened to be filled with gossipy old witches and there were a few wizards discussing politics at the bar. "Just give it a few years," one of them was saying, "And Percy Weasley will be Minister. I'd bet my Gringotts account on it." "Naw," the other one was saying, "He's softened with age. He's just not Minister material anymore." "Julie!" Professor Kendrick got up from the bar and greeted us. He had been sitting a few seats down from the politicking wizards. "Professor Kendrick," Mum smiled and shook his hand. "Please, call me Fabius." "All right," Mum said. "Well, let's go up to the castle," Kendrick replied. I followed him out of the pub and into Hogsmeade. Hogsmeade in the summer was a lot different than Hogsmeade in the winter. People were congregating outside and talking about anything and everything. Little kids ran around chasing each other and older kids goofed off. Eventually we made it to the school grounds and then into the castle. The castle was the opposite of Hogsmeade. It seemed completely deserted. In fact, I didn't see a single person on our way to Kendrick's study. "Is Walter working?" Kendrick asked as we entered his study. "Yes," Mum answered. "How is he liking it?" "Oh, he's enjoying it," Mum said. "Good," Kendrick smiled and gestured for us to sit down. I sat down in one of the two chairs in front of Kendrick's desk and Mum sat in the other. Matt sat down on her lap. "All right," Kendrick folded his hands together, "As you know, the term starts on the first and you will arrive here by train. How did you get to school in Australia?" "Train," I replied. Kendrick nodded, "And I'm assuming the platform the train arrived at was hidden from Muggles?" "Yeah," I said, "You had to run into the barrier separating two platforms." "Ah, well, it's the same here. You will run through the barrier in between platforms nine and ten at King's Cross to get to Platform 9 3/4." "Ok," I said. "And now onto slightly more exciting matters. We need to figure out what classes you're taking. At Hogwarts, there is a core curriculum of classes that everyone must take until the end of fifth year, when the O.W.L. exams are taken. Then, you choose which classes to continue at the N.E.W.T. level for sixth and seventh years. At the end of seventh year, you take your N.E.W.T. exams in those classes." I nodded. Classes and exams had been similar to that in Australia. "Therefore, you have to take Transfiguration, Herbology, Potions, History of Magic, Charms, Astronomy, and Defense Against the Dark Arts. Besides those, you can take two or three electives. The choices for electives are Muggle Studies, Divination, Care of Magical Creatures, Arithmancy, Divination, and Ancient Runes. Which would you like to take?" "Well, I did Care of Magical Creatures and Ancient Runes in Australia," I explained, "I guess I'll just take those." Kendrick nodded and jotted something down on a piece of parchment. "Very good," he turned to Mum, "At Hogwarts, anyone in third year and above can visit Hogsmeade a couple of times during the year. If you'll let Amy participate, I'll need you to sign this form." He handed Mum a piece of parchment. "Of course," Mum picked up a quill and quickly signed the parchment. "Well," Kendrick took the permission slip, "All that remains now is to Sort you into your house, unless you want to be sorted with the first years." My house. I had completely forgotten that I'd have to be sorted into a house at Hogwarts. "I'll do it now." No way was I going to be sorted in front of the entire school with a bunch of eleven-year-olds. "All right," Kendrick stood up and then paused, "It's sort of been a tradition at Hogwarts for the first years not to know how the sorting is done." He turned to Matt, "Could I ask you not to mention anything about the sorting when you're on your first train ride to Hogwarts?" Matt nodded but didn't say anything. I was now thoroughly curious about this sorting thing. Why was it so secretive? What was so special about it? "All you'll have to do is sit there," Kendrick told me as he pulled a very old looking hat off a shelf near his desk. He held it up in front of him. "This is the Sorting Hat. It will tell you where you will go." I stared at it. A hat? A hat was going to sort me? Even in the wizarding world, that was a little strange. "But it's a hat," I said. "A wise hat," Kendrick smiled. "And I will figure out where to put you," the hat's brim opened suddenly and began talking. I gaped at it and then turned to Mum and Matt. Both of them were staring at it as well. Not only was it a hat, but it was a talking hat. Kendrick walked over to me and put the hat on my head. Immediately, the hat's voice appeared in my head. I nearly jumped out of my seat from the shock of it. 'Hmm,' the hat began, 'you're older than most of the kids I sort.' 'Yeah, well, I moved here,' I thought. 'I see that,' the hat replied. I guess it knew everything about me. 'Hmm, you're loyal. Fiercely loyal. You'd do anything for your family,' the hat said more as a statement than a question, 'Good Hufflepuff material.' 'Loyal, that's good. I guess I'm loyal.' 'Very loyal. But that's not all. You've got courage. A rare courage that I don't see every year. The courage you need to remain loyal to your family, especially your brother, no matter what the circumstances are. Yes, indeed, very interesting combination. The loyalty of a Hufflepuff, but the courage of a Gryffindor...' 'Gryffindor! Someone told me that's the best house.' 'Everyone says that about their house. They all have their good qualities. And you happen to possess the qualities of two great houses. Hufflepuff and Gryffindor. But which one. Which one indeed?' I didn't really care which one. I didn't know anything about either house, except that Ted Lupin and George Weasley said that Gryffindor was the best. "Gryffindor!" the hat finally shouted. I breathed a sigh of relief as Kendrick took the hat off my head. It as over. I hadn't even realized how nervous I was about the sorting until after it was over. "Congratulations," Kendrick said as he put the hat away, "Many great witches and wizards have been in Gryffindor." "That's where Dumbledore was," Matt announced suddenly. "Yes, he was," Kendrick replied and turned around to look at Dumbledore's portrait, but it was empty. "Well, I think that's it. Oh, here's a list of supplies you'll need before term starts," Kendrick handed me a piece of parchment, "Most should be the same as what you needed in Australia, but there are a bunch of books you'll need to get as well as robes. Madam Malkin's in Diagon Alley sells Hogwarts robes." "Thanks," I said. Kendrick walked us back to the Three Broomsticks. He and Mum talked about Hogwarts the whole way there, but I didn't really pay attention. I just kept thinking about how in less than a month I would be a Hogwarts student. Well, I sort of already was. I had a house. Gryffindor. The house where the brave and courageous students went. The Sorting Hat had said I was courageous, but I didn't think I was. I couldn't think of anything courageous I'd ever done. Loyal, yes, I could see myself as loyal. But not courageous. What had the hat meant anyway? Courage to remain loyal to my family no matter what? Why would I need courage for that? I guess that hat knew more about myself than I did. ****** "Where do you want to go first?" Mum asked me the next day, as we walked down the steps of Gringotts. My parents had decided to take me shopping for my school stuff, and we had just finished another bumpy ride on a Gringotts cart. It had not been any better than the first one. "The book store," I said immediately. We set off to Flourish and Blotts and my stomach started to calm down. I had felt like I was going to chunder on that cart. Matt had actually sort of enjoyed it this time. I figured it was because he wasn't recovering from jet lag this time. Neither was I, but it still made me sick. Flourish and Blotts was extremely crowded when we arrived. It didn't surprise me since it was a Saturday and only a few weeks before the start of term. Kids were running around and parents were shouting at them not to leave the shop. Mum immediately grabbed Matt's hand as we entered. There were a few shop assistants scurrying around trying to locate books for people, but I decided to just find my own. I always liked looking around book shops and finding my own books. Dad helped me and it wasn't long before we had bought them all and found Mum and Matt in the children's book section. Mum was looking at a cookbook and Matt was reading a book about a bloke who had decided to fly his broom to the moon. After we left Flourish and Blotts, we walked to Madam Malkin's, a store I had walked past numerous times but never actually entered. We walked into the cramped shop and started looking through a pile of robes. "Hogwarts?" an old witch who was busy supervising measuring tapes on two different kids. I looked up. "Yeah." "Just give me a few minutes and I'll be right with you." I nodded and continued to rifle through the pile of robes. I wasn't really interested in any of them, but there was nothing else to do. "I'm bored," Matt announced after we'd waited two minutes. "Why don't I take him to the joke shop?" Dad suggested, "Then you can finish up here and go to the Apothecary. We'll meet up with you after that." "That's a good idea," Mum agreed and Dad and Matt left the shop. Matt hated going to the Apothecary in Australia because all the smells of the various potions ingredients wafted together to make an almost unbearable scent. It made him feel sick every time he went into the shop. It didn't help that the place had Wolfsbane (the ingredient, not the actual potion) out in the open and that stuff is really dangerous for werewolves when it's undiluted. I figured the Apothecary in Diagon Alley would be no different. A few minutes later the witch who I assumed was Madam Malkin called me forward to get measured for my robes. "What house are you in?" she asked as her measuring tape magically measured me. "Gryffindor," I told her. It was definitely odd saying that. A little while later, Mum and I left the shop with three sets of Gryffindor robes. Apparently the Gryffindor mascot was a lion, as the crest depicted a lion standing on its hind legs. The Apothecary was a few buildings down from Madam Malkin's. The Apothecary in Australia was always one of my favorite shops. I could spend hours browsing the different ingredients and cauldrons. We stepped into the dark shop and sure enough I smelled the familiar sent of Wolfsbane. But I ignored it since Matt wasn't there and made a beeline for a display of solid gold cauldrons. Someday I would own one. "Amy, you know you're not getting one of those," Mum said. "I know," I replied, "But I can dream, right?" Mum sighed, "Of course. Let's just find your ingredients." "I've got a solid gold cauldron," a voice drawled from behind me. I turned around and saw a tall and skinny bloke around my age walking towards me. His hair was a mousy brown and his face was plagued with a lot of acne. "Er, ok," I said, "Is it nice?" "'Course it's nice. It's solid gold," the boy laughed, "You don't look familiar. Do you go to Hogwarts?" "Yes," I said. "Huh," the boy muttered, "Like I said, I don't think I've seen you before. Is this your first year at Hogwarts?" "Er, yeah," I said quietly. "That's weird. You look too old to be a first year. What year are you in?" "Fourth," I answered, "And to answer your next question, I just moved to England." "From where?" the boy pressed, "And why?" "Australia, and it's not really any of your business," I said as I tried to move away from him. He was quite nosy and seemed like the kind of person who bragged a lot. "Well," he said as he followed me, "Hope for Slytherin. It's really the only good house." "I'm already in Gryffindor, thanks," I said as I picked up a bag of dried beetles. "Oh," he replied, "That's a shame." "Not really," I said briskly. If this bloke was in Slytherin, I was glad I wasn't there. "Maybe we'll share classes. I'm in fourth year, too. What's your name?" "Amy Eckerton," I answered, figuring he'd find that out soon enough anyway, "And you?" "Quinton Willinson." I nodded. "I'd better go get the rest of my ingredients." "All right. Good luck in Gryffindor," Quinton said snidely as he sauntered off towards the back of the shop. I avoided him as I continued collecting my ingredients. I seriously hoped the people in Gryffindor weren't like him. In the ten minutes I'd talked to him, I realized that I really didn't want to talk to him again. I just didn't like the way he demanded to know why I moved to England. I hadn't quite worked out my answer to that yet and didn't want to elaborate on it with anyone. Mum paid for my ingredients and then we left the shop, thankfully without seeing Quinton again. We meandered down Diagon Alley and found Dad and Matt loitering near the Magical Market. I noticed Mum give Dad a significant look and then the two of them smiled at me. "Amy," Mum began, "We've got a surprise for you." I looked at them quizzically. A surprise? For me and just me? Usually whenever they said they had a surprise, it was for both Matt and I. "What is it?" I asked curiously. "We've decided to get you an owl," Mum explained, "In order for you to keep in touch with Olivia better while you're in school." "Really?" I grinned, "Thanks!" I had wanted an owl when I first started school, but my parents said no since we had Jasper. I begged them for months and then gave up. "Yes, really," Dad said, "There's a shop down the road, Eyelops Owl Emporium. We'll go right now." I took off immediately for the shop. I couldn't believe I was actually getting an owl. It was the first good thing to happen since moving to England. I arrived at Eyelops before my parents did and walked inside to find numerous owls hooting in various cages. I started with the first cage I saw, which housed a snowy owl. However, when I tried to get its attention, the owl completely ignored me. Ok, I thought, not that one. My parents and Matt showed up when I was at the second owl cage. They began to look around and kept calling me to see different owls. I wanted to pick one, though. I continued looking at all the owls until I came upon one that was black with white speckles. He was in a cage with a few other owls, but they all seemed to be ignoring him. "Just got him in the other day," the shopkeeper gestured to the speckled owl, "But none of the other owls are accepting him. I think he's lonely." Like me, I thought. True, I hadn't actually gone to Hogwarts yet so I didn't know what the other students would think of me. But they had been going to school together for years and I was the new kid. I stuck my finger in the cage and the owl came over and nibbled at it as I petted him. "I'll take him," I announced a few minutes later. The owl was exactly like me. An outsider in a new place. The shopkeeper smiled and opened the cage. I found another cage and the shopkeeper put my new owl in it. Mum and Dad paid for him and I carried him out the door with a huge grin on my face. After nearly fifteen years, I finally had a pet. I never had childhood pets like most kids did. Only Jasper, and he was the family owl. I never had fish or rats or puffskeins. "I want an owl," Matt whined as we walked towards the Leaky Cauldron. "When you're older and are going to Hogwarts," Mum told him. "But that's not fair," he muttered. I smirked to myself. Finally I was getting something he wasn't. Mum and Dad were finally not giving into his whining. Most times, they gave him what he wanted as if it would somehow make up for the fact that he had to turn into a wolf once a month. Maybe they were finally realizing that it wasn't good to give him whatever he wanted.
DucksRMagical Joined: 28 December 2006 Posts: 2495 Location: Going through LeakyCon withdrawal	Posted: Tuesday 21 April 2009 11 01 28 am    Post subject: Re: Life Is Good in topic:Life Is Good Sorry I haven't updated this in a while. Life has been busy. (Pretend the lyrics and the Hogwarts letter are in italics. I'll fix it once the bbcode is reinstated). Chapter 4: It's Only Getting Better [i]Days are different then they were before And we both exchange It's only getting better ~Only Getting Better[/i], Jared Campbell Eleven-year-old John Malcolm Brickston was running around in a large circle as fast as he possibly could. He, along with two other boys, was spinning the merry-go-round in the park across the street from his house as fast as he could. A fourth boy was on the merry-go-round shrieking in delight. It was a daily thing for John, playing with the other boys in his neighborhood at the park. They particularly liked spinning each other until they felt sick on the merry-go-round. Other activities included trying to push each other off the monkey bars and jumping off of the swings. They often spent all day doing this, until one of their mothers called them inside. John had fun playing with the other boys from his neighborhood even though he was quite different from them. John was a wizard and all of his neighborhood friends were Muggles. John's family was the only wizarding family living in a neighborhood of Muggles. He didn't mind, of course. He was actually glad he lived in a neighborhood full of people to play with, rather than in the middle of nowhere like so many other wizards did. Most of his cousins didn't have any close neighbors. Without the neighborhood boys around, the only people John would have had to play with were his sisters. John had three of them and while he loved them, they got on his nerves. They were all younger than him and drove him mental on a daily basis. Despite having so many Muggle friends, John could not wait to get to Hogwarts where he could meet other wizards his age. He knew a couple witches and wizards his age whose parents worked with his dad, but he didn't see them too often. Then there were his cousins, but they were all younger than him. John had been trying not to think about his Hogwarts letter, which he knew would be arriving soon. Thinking about it just made the time go by slower. So, he tried to get his mind off of it by goofing off at the playground. "Enough, enough!" the boy on the merry-go-round shouted. John and the other two boys stepped back and watched it slow down. Once it had almost stopped, the boy jumped off and stumbled around, falling on the ground. John and the others crowded around him. "My turn!" John shouted as the dizzy boy sat up. "Johnny!" someone shouted from the entrance to the park. John turned his head towards the voice and groaned. It was his mother. The previous day she had made him watch over his little sisters when they played at the park and he really didn't want to do that again. But his sisters weren't with his mum, so maybe she wanted something else. "What?" John shouted. "You need to come home now!" she shouted back. John groaned again and reluctantly said goodbye to his friends. He hated it when his mum called him home without explaining why. "Why do I have to go home now?" John asked as he reached his mum, "It's not dinner time." "Your letter arrived," she said and began to walk across the street. That was probably the only thing she could have said to make John no longer mind leaving his friends. He grinned and ran to catch up with his mum. Now it was official, he was going to Hogwarts! John's house was in its usual state of chaos when he entered it. Not two seconds after they stepped in the door, his second youngest sister, Alyssa, ran up them screaming about how Cassie had taken her toy. Alyssa was six and Cassie, one of their many cousins, was five. At any given moment there were probably five or six little kids at John's house. He had a lot of cousins who were all younger than him. His mother was a stay at home mum, but a few of his aunts worked outside the home. They often dropped their kids off at John's house while they were at work. Or when they had to go shopping. It was just another reason why John enjoyed spending his free time outside, away from the little kids. That day, all his little sisters were home, of course. Plus, Cassie and her older sister, Isabelle, who was ten, were there. "Your Aunt Pam is grocery shopping," his mother, Jan, replied as she picked up Alyssa. John nodded and stepped over a pile of Wendy Witch dolls that Ashtyn, his nine-year-old sister must have left in the doorway. "Ashtyn, pick up your toys!" Jan shouted as she carried Alyssa back into the den. Ashtyn and Isabelle came running through the house, scooped up the dolls, and ran back to wherever they came from. "Where's my letter?" John asked as Jan set Alyssa back down on the floor. "It's here somewhere," Jan said as she rifled through a stack of mail, "Merlin! I just had it a second ago. Hang on." John sighed as he leaned against the wall. He couldn't wait to get to Hogwarts. Then he wouldn't have to deal with all his little sisters and cousins anymore. He would be in a place where he was one of the youngest people. That rarely happened. John had always been the oldest, the one who was expected to be mature. "Mum!" Ashtyn shrieked from upstairs, "I think John put a dung bomb in the toilet again!" John grinned. He may be expected to be mature, but he wasn't. Pulling pranks was one of his favorite things to do and the dung bomb in the toilet never got old, especially when Ashtyn was on the receiving end of it. Jan sent him a withering look. "I cringe to think about the amount of owls I'll be getting from Professor Kendrick about the mischief you get into next year," she sighed, "Ashtyn, just flush it like usual!" "Mum, she won't give it back!" Alyssa whined. Jan groaned and walked over to the two girls, who were still fighting over a stuffed dragon. Jan wrenched it from Cassie's hands and stuck it up on a high shelf. She continued searching for John's letter while Alyssa and Cassie complained. "I think I found it," John said as he bent down. Three-year-old Gemma was holding a torn envelope in her hands and giggling playfully. John grabbed it from her and she burst out crying. Jan picked her up as John took off for his bedroom, the only toddler free place in the entire house. The letter wasn't completely destroyed, much to John's relief. He had caught Gemma before she was able to do a lot of damage. The envelope was completely illegible, but the letter inside was spared from tears and baby slobber. John tossed aside the damp envelope and unfolded the letter. He grinned widely as he read it, even though he already knew the gist of what it said. [i]Dear Mr. Brickston, We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Enclosed is a list of books and materials you will need to purchase. Please note that first years are not allowed to bring their own broomsticks. Please reply to this letter as soon as possible to let us know if you are attending. The Hogwarts Express will leave at exactly 11 in the morning on September first from King's Cross Station, Platform 9 3/4. Sincerely, Padma Patil Deputy Headmistress[/i] He was in! John laid down on his bed and stared up at his ceiling. Of course he was in. There was never any doubt. Everyone in his entire family had gone to Hogwarts for as far back as anyone could remember. As far as he knew, his family didn't have any Squibs. John had been looking forward to Hogwarts for a very long time. His parents had all sorts of stories to tell of the place. Although, their education had been interrupted due to the final battle and Voldemort's defeat. They had only been first years at the time and Hogwarts had closed for a year in order for it to be rebuilt. But after that, his parents had had a somewhat normal education. There were all sorts of things that John was looking forward to. The Sorting (although his parents refused to tell him how it was done), the feasts, exploding potions, Peeves, Quidditch, Hogsmeade trips when he got older, the Gryffindor common room. John was sure he'd get into Gryffindor even though his mum had been a Hufflepuff. His dad was a Gryffindor and everyone said he took after his dad. John's dad, Jeff Brickston, had been the Hogwarts prankster when he was in school. John couldn't wait to pull some pranks of his own. His dad had promised to get him well supplied with stuff from Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, although his mum wasn't too happy about it. John remained in his room for the rest of the afternoon. A glance out the window told him that his Muggle friends had left the park. It would have been boring for him to go back. Instead, he stayed in his room and pulled out his old but trusty Nimbus Two Thousand and One. The broom had been his dad's when he was at Hogwarts. John grabbed a bottle of polish and began to rub it into the worn wood. Jeff had given it to John when he was only five and John had been flying on it ever since. If John had to pick the one thing he was most looking forward to at Hogwarts, it would be Quidditch. John had been flying for as long as he could remember and he had hopes of making it onto the Gryffindor Quidditch team. If he was sorted into Gryffindor, that is. He just hoped that there was a beater position open at the right time. He doubted he'd get chosen as a beater in his second year due to the fact that beaters were generally quite a lot bigger than the rest of the players. But if a beater position opened when he was in fourth or fifth year, he just might make it. Isabelle and Cassie had left by the time John left his room. He wandered into the kitchen and found his mum preparing dinner. Ashtyn and Alyssa were 'helping'. "Can we go to Diagon Alley tomorrow?" John asked as he grabbed a carrot out of a bowl. "I don't know," Jan replied, "Your Aunt Jodie is working tomorrow and I have to watch Stephanie as well as the twins. I don't particularly want to drag three extra kids to Diagon Alley especially when two are babies. It may have to wait until the weekend. And please don't eat the carrots." John sighed and sat down at the table. He didn't want to wait until the weekend. He wished his mum didn't watch all of his little cousins all the time. "I'm home!" someone shouted from the den. John jumped up from his chair and ran into the den. He saw his dad brushing ash off of his bright green healer robes. John grinned as he saw his great-great grandpa standing just behind his dad. "Gramps!" John shouted, "What are you doing here?" "Went to Mungo's," he replied, "Had to get this dang hip checked out. Then Jeffrey here invited me to dinner." John's great-great grandpa, Zander Brickston, was over one hundred years old but was usually healthy as a hippogriff. He was a bit senile and forgetful at times, but it never bothered him. He was often the life of the party, too, despite his age. John loved him. "I got my Hogwarts letter!" John said excitedly as he pulled the letter out of his pocket. "Congratulations," Jeff grinned and gave John a one-armed hug as he set his bag down. "Well done, Johnny-Boy!" Zander gave him a surprisingly strong clap on the back, "Great place, Hogwarts. Best years of my life, except for the times I found myself in Professor Dippet's office. You'd best stay out of there." "Professor Dippet's been dead for years, Gramps," John laughed. "Then you stay out of trouble with whoever's the headmaster now," Zander said and lumbered off into the kitchen, "Where's my girls?" Dinner was lively that evening, as it always was when Zander was there. He dominated the conversation with stories of his own years at Hogwarts. John was sort of surprised he remembered them so well. He told of the time he and his friends went for a swim in the Black Lake at midnight during the full moon in January. The nurse had not been pleased when they showed up at the hospital wing with slight cases of hypothermia. She scolded them and told them if they were stupid enough to swim in the lake during January, they could at least use cold-repellent charms on themselves. "Where would the fun be in that?" Zander laughed as he finished the story. Other stories included the many pranks he pulled on the Slytherins. 'Pranking's a Brickston tradition,' he told John solemnly. The times he snuck out of the castle and into Hogsmeade. The time he fell asleep during his History of Magic O.W.L. ("What do they expect, when Binns makes you fall asleep during class?") Sneaking about the castle at night with whatever girlfriend he had at the time. Jan had to shut him up at that point and she and Jeff began to relay their own Hogwarts stories. John was, if it was possible, even more excited about Hogwarts after hearing all of the stories. He wanted to swim in the Black Lake in the middle of winter. He wanted to sneak out of school to go to Hogsmeade. He wanted to paint half his face red and the other half gold for the Gryffindor-Slytherin Quidditch match. John didn't know how he was going to be able to wait two days until Saturday to go to Diagon Alley, let alone wait the month and a half until he'd be able to actually go to Hogwarts. It seemed so far away. He had been waiting years to go to Hogwarts, but he had a feeling the last month and a half would drag by even slower than those years had.
DucksRMagical Joined: 28 December 2006 Posts: 2495 Location: Going through LeakyCon withdrawal	Posted: Tuesday 7 April 2009 04 22 57 pm    Post subject: Re: In Moonlight's Shadow in topic:In Moonlight's Shadow Thanks hprocks and Obladi! Bit of a late update, but eh, life's been hectic. Chapter 41: The Only Bank in England The doors opened on yet another identical corridor, except this one was more lively. Various witches and wizards were running in and out of a large room labeled 'Auror Headquarters'. That room was bustling with commotion. Matt edged closer to Mum as we walked inside. Dad walked up to the first desk he came across, which I assumed belonged to some sort of secretary. This witch appeared to be a bit more sophisticated than the secretary in the Floo Network place. She had her hair in a bun and seemed to be concentrating on her work. "Excuse me," Dad said for what must have been the millionth time today. "Can I help you?" she asked without looking up from her work. "I need to register my house as a wizard's dwelling. We just bought it and the previous owners were Muggles." "All right," she replied and pulled a piece of parchment out of her desk, "Just fill this out." She handed it to Dad. Dad took it and a quill from a mug on her desk. He sat down in a nearby chair and quickly filled out the information. "There you go," Dad handed it back to her. The woman took it, looked it over, and waved her wand over it. "You're all set," she said. "Thanks," Dad replied. At least it hadn't taken very long. "Mummy, what are those?" a shrill voice shouted from the doorway. I turned around and saw a frazzled looking red-haired woman with three kids. Two of them were boys, one with red hair to match the woman, who I assumed was their mother, and the other with jet black hair. They were taller than Matt, although the red-haired boy was taller than the other. The girl, the one who the shrill voice belonged to, looked about Matt's height and had the same red hair her mother and brother had. She had one hand planted in her mother's and the other one was pointing at Matt. The woman blushed. "Those are crutches, Lily, and it's not nice to point." She took the little girl's hand and gently pushed it down. "What are they for?" the little girl asked, still staring at us. "I'll explain later," the woman said quickly, "Let's go find Daddy." The woman ushered her kids into the room and muttered an apology to Mum and Dad as she passed. Mum smiled to show it was no big deal, but the woman had already taken off to follow the two boys, who were chasing each other around the room. "Could you imagine having three kids around that age?" Mum muttered as we left the room, "She's got her hands full." "Looks like it," Dad agreed, "Makes me feel kind of happy we had ours six and a half years apart." "Well, there's a plus side to everything," Mum replied, "Are we done here yet?" "Yes," Dad grinned, "We're finally done. But now we've got to go to St. Mungo's." I groaned inwardly. I'd forgotten about that. After having spent two entire weeks at St. Mungo's, the last thing I wanted to do was visit again, but I had no choice. We went back into the lift and returned to the Atrium. We handed in our badges, me being the only one still wearing mine, and then Apparated directly to St. Mungo's. By this point, the Welcome Witch at the hospital knew all of us by name and merely waved as we walked towards the lifts. We entered one of them along with a wizard who emitted a loud quack every few seconds. The fourth floor was relatively empty. A nurse hurried past us and said a quick 'hello'. I vaguely recognized her but couldn't remember her name. I followed my parents to Sterling's office and we walked inside. Natalie Caberny looked up from her desk as we entered. "Oh, hello," she smiled, "Haven't seen you around in a while. Is everything ok?" "We need to see Healer Sterling," Dad answered, "But everything is ok for the most part. We just moved here earlier today." "Glad to hear it," Natalie grinned, "Sterling is seeing a patient right now, but I think I can squeeze you in once he's done." "Thanks," Dad replied. "Feel free to wait right here," Natalie gestured to a few chairs that were alongside the wall. Dad nodded and we sat down. I read the titles of the books that were sitting on a nearby bookcase as we waited. Nearly all of them were various books about healing, potions, werewolves, and other magical creatures. I didn't think anyone could possibly have as many books about werewolves as Dad, but Sterling did. I looked towards the door a little while later as I heard footsteps. Sterling came bustling through and stopped in front of Natalie's desk. "Hey, Natalie," he greeted her, "Who's next?" "Well, you don't have another scheduled appointment for a half hour, but the Eckertons showed up a little while ago." Sterling turned towards us. "Oh, didn't even see you there!" Dad stood up and shook Sterling's hand. "Afternoon, Morris. Any chance you could take a look at Matt's ankle?" "Of course," Sterling replied, "Is it still bothering him? Why don't we head down to the exam room and I'll see what I can do." I followed everyone into the corridor and to the exam room. Dad set Matt down on the exam table and I leaned against the wall, hoping it wouldn't take too long. "How did the last full moon go?" Sterling asked as he began to look at Matt's ankle. "Worse than usual," Dad sighed, "Probably due to the incident with Lubar." Sterling nodded. "How was his ankle before the full moon? Was it healing?" "It was mostly healed," Dad answered, "He re-injured it during the most recent full moon." Sterling pulled out his wand and muttered a spell as he pointed it at Matt's ankle. "What about the therapy with Healer Norlam? How is that going?" "Slowly," Dad sighed, "But Norlam thinks he's making progress." "The emotional pain always takes longer to heal than the physical pain," Sterling said quietly, "Even in the wizarding world." "That's for sure," Dad replied, "But I think things will get better now. We moved here earlier today." "Congratulations," Sterling grinned, "I'm happy to hear that. Now, I think a few spells and another round of potions will heal his ankle. I'd have him keep using the crutches for another two days or so, and then it should be fine to walk on it." He pointed his wand at Matt's ankle again and muttered a few more spells. "I'll just get the potions." Sterling left the room and returned a short while later with a large bottle of purplish potion. He handed it to Dad and sat back down. "I'd like to see him after the next full moon even if everything appears to be fine. I just want to make sure everything is fine," Sterling said, "Just show up anytime the day after and I'll make room in my schedule." Dad nodded. "Sounds good." "I'm also going to have to do the transformation observation at some point," Sterling began, "It has to be done before the study begins in January." "And what does that involve?" Mum asked. "We have a safe room located in the basement. There are charms on it to enable people to watch what is happening inside. He'll need to spend a full moon there. He'll have to come a few hours before moonrise in order for me to perform a few pre-transformation tests and then stay a few hours after sunrise the next morning for a few more tests." Mum and Dad glanced at each other. This time, I had a feeling I knew what they were thinking. The last time Matt transformed some place other than our basement, it was disastrous. This was obviously going to be different, but Matt would probably still be afraid of it. "When do you want it done?" Dad asked, "We'd like to get him used to transforming at our new house before he transforms here. Plus, I'd rather it be done after Amy starts school." I rolled my eyes. Of course. So they could keep me out of the loop again. I wasn't going to take it this time, though. I'd just owl them until they told me what went on. "That's fine," Sterling replied, "I'd like it done in November at the latest." "All right," Dad agreed, "October or November, then. I'll let you know which will work better when it gets closer." Sterling stood up. "That'll work. Well, good luck with all the moving in stuff." "Thanks," Dad said as he stood up, "It's been an insane day. We've been all over London." "Be sure to get some rest," Sterling said, "You all look exhausted." "We will, but we're not quite done yet," Dad replied. I followed my parents out of the exam room and into the corridor. I had no idea what other places Dad had to go to, but I hoped whatever it was, it wouldn't take long. I was ready to fall asleep on my feet and was kind of jealous that Matt got to sleep in Dad's arms. "Where are we going now?" I asked as we entered a lift. "Gringotts, the bank here," Dad replied, "Can't buy anything until our accounts are switched." I groaned. "How long will that take?" "No idea," Dad sighed. "Maybe I should take Amy and Matt home and you can switch the accounts," Mum suggested. Dad shook his head. "I've already owled with the bank. If you want access to the new account, you have to be there to sign some papers. It's very secure, this bank, so they're quite strict." "All right," Mum sighed, "And after that, I think we ought to get something to eat and call it a night." "Good idea," Dad agreed and turned to me, "Amy, I think we'll have to wait until tomorrow to get the stuff to design your room." I nodded. At that point, I didn't even care. I was so tired that I didn't mind at all having to wait. Normally I would have been incredibly angry that Dad told me we could decorate my room that day and then changed his mind. However, all I wanted was to sleep for two days or so. Portkey lag was even worse than jet lag. We meandered our way through the crowded waiting room and to the little Apparition room I was quite familiar with. I closed my eyes as Mum hugged me and all four of us disappeared. I had no idea where the Gringotts bank was, but I was surprised when we reappeared in the Leaky Cauldron. I was beginning to think that my parents were so tired that they couldn't Apparate properly when Dad gestured for us to follow him through a back door. The door led us to a small courtyard with a brick wall. Dad pulled out his wall and tapped on one of the bricks. They immediately moved aside to reveal a bustling shopping district. The quaint street reminded me a bit of the wizard shopping areas in Australia, yet it was vastly different at the same time. The stores on this street were all small and old and almost looked to be taken from a different time. The shopping areas in Australia were much larger and the stores matched that. I hadn't really been shopping recently. Well, shopping at a wizard store, that is. When I was little, I went shopping with Mum all the time. Sometimes we'd shop in Muggle stores and other times we'd go to wizard ones. No matter which, someone usually recognized us, which got rather annoying after a while. After Matt was bitten, people gradually stopped recognizing us until we disappeared completely into the throngs of everyone else. I didn't really go shopping with Mum much at that point, since I was in school most of the year. She'd take Matt, though, as long as he was feeling ok. Mum almost completely stopped shopping in wizard stores after Lubar announced that Matt was a werewolf. She went out once after that and an angry mob formed while she was in the apothecary. She returned home furious and never went shopping without some sort of appearance charm after that. Shopping in England was completely different. Nobody recognized us as I followed my parents down the street. No one so much as gave us a second glance. Everyone was just going about their shopping or talking to friends. I looked from side to side and at all the stores. There was a robe shop, a wand shop, a few pet stores, a couple restaurants, and a joke shop that looked almost exactly like the one Matt and I had gone to in Hogsmeade. It even had the same name. Must be owned by the same ear-less man, I thought as we passed it. Dad led us all the way down the street and up the steps of a very large white building. We walked through the door and into the foyer. There was a long desk along either side of the room and numerous goblins behind them. The bank in Australia was run by goblins as well. To be honest, goblins scare me a little. They're just so mysterious and you never really know what they're going to do. Plus, wizards have kind of given them the short end of the wand (or not, since they can't have wands) for ages. If they wanted to, they could surely take over with the magic they're capable of. Dad went up to the first available goblin. The goblin glanced up at him and then went back to counting the pile of sickles on his desk. A few minutes later, he finished and looked up at Dad. "What may I assist you with?" he asked. Dad reached into his robes and pulled out a piece of parchment and handed it to the goblin. "We just moved here from Australia and wish to transfer our account." The goblin took the parchment and nodded. He read it carefully and then set it down. "I presume you two are Walter and Julietta Eckerton?" "Yes," Dad replied. The goblin folded his hands and stared at us. I looked away as his eyes bore into mine. I really hated it when goblins did that, and people for that matter. "I will need to see some identification," the goblin said. Mum and Dad both reached into their robes and handed the goblin their identification cards. The goblin took them and studied them carefully, glancing up at us every once in a while. "Very well," he said after a few minutes, "Everything seems to be in order. If you'll just follow me." The goblin jumped off his stool and walked around to the other side of the desk. We followed him through a door and I stared curiously at what appeared to be railroad tracks in front of us. The bank in Australia did not have any railroad tracks in it. The goblin held out his arm and a cart sped up the track and stopped in front of us. "Get in," the goblin commanded. "Excuse me?" Mum raised her eyebrow. "Get in," the goblin repeated. "Er," Dad said to Mum, "I think this is how we get to the vaults." "That," Mum said, "Is bizarre." I agreed with Mum. The bank in Australia had an odd array of lifts to take people to their vaults, not carts on railroad tracks. I eyed the cart suspiciously, but Mum and Dad got in. I reluctantly climbed in behind them and squeezed myself in. The cart was not meant to hold four people and a goblin. No sooner had I put my second leg into the cart, it took off down the track. I let out a scream as we descended a steep hill at a speed I would not thought possible of such a rickety cart. I squeezed my eyes shut and tried not to think about how much it reminded me of turbulence on an airplane. "What the hell is this?" Dad shouted. "Can you slow this thing down?" Mum asked. "One speed," the goblin cackled. I made the mistake of opening my eyes just as we were beginning to shoot down another hill. I accidentally looked down and saw that we were meters above the nearest ground. My stomach churned and I was suddenly very happy I hadn't eaten in hours. My heart pounded and I tried to focus on the back of Mum's head. Riding in a Gringotts cart was quickly becoming one of the things I despised doing. It was right up there with flying on airplanes and on broomsticks. Matt let out a loud shriek. "Mum!" "It'll be over soon," Mum said in a voice that contradicted her words. "I don't like this!" Matt wailed. "None of us do, honey," Mum replied. I closed my eyes until the cart came to a sudden halt. I slowly opened them and saw that the goblin was already standing outside the cart. I stumbled out of the cart and tried to get my bearings. Everything seemed to be spinning. I watched my parents climb out and they didn't seem to be doing much better. Mum practically tripped and Dad had to steady himself on the wall. "This is your vault," the goblin announced. He pulled two keys out of his pocket and handed one Dad. "You'll need one of the keys every time you wish to make a transaction." The goblin stuck the other key in the lock and opened the small room. We all walked inside and I saw that it was empty. The goblin motioned for us to stay in the doorway. I watched as he muttered something in what I assumed to be gobbledegook and move his arms around. A few seconds later, piles of gold, silver, and bronze appeared. I gaped at it and turned to look at my parents. They seemed to have recovered from the cart ride and Mum walked farther into the vault. She took a handful of gold and shoved it in her pocket. "So," Dad began, "We have to ride on of those ruddy carts every time we wish to get our gold?" "Yes," the goblin replied. "Are there any other banks in England?" Dad asked. "No, Gringotts is the only one," the goblin smirked. "I suppose there had to be something we didn't like about England," Mum muttered. "If the only thing I dislike about this country is the Gringotts carts, I think I'll survive," Dad said. The return cart trip was just as horrible as the previous one. The only difference was, I knew what to expect. I made a mental note never to eat before going to the bank. I was quite happy when we departed from the large white building and returned to the quaint street it was located on. "Any preference as to where we eat?" Dad asked. "Some place close by," Mum replied. I couldn't care less where we ate. My stomach was still churning from the cart ride. "Let's just go to the Leaky Cauldron," Dad suggested. A little while later we were seated at a booth in the crowded pub. Mum and Dad were looking at menus and Matt was leaning up against the wall. I would be willing to bet a few Galleons that he'd be asleep before the food arrived. I was looking at a menu as well, but not really reading it. I figured I'd just get a sandwich. "Evening," a blonde haired witch I recognized as the lady who owned the pub appeared by our table, "Can I get you something to drink?" "Just water," Dad replied. She returned a few minutes later with four glasses and set them down on the table. "You look familiar," she said, "But I can't place it. I've seen you here a few times, but you don't come often." Dad nodded. "We've stayed here a few times. But we actually just moved to England earlier today." "Oh!" the witch smiled, "Welcome, then. Where did you move from?" "Australia," Dad replied. "Wow, that's quite a move," she said, "My name is Hannah Longbottom, just ask if you need anything." "Walter Eckerton," Dad said, "And thank you." "Julie Eckerton," Mum smiled, "And our kids, Amy and Matt." "Ah, yes, now I remember you," Hannah said, "Are you ready to order?" We all ordered sandwiches and Hannah returned to the bar. Mum and Dad talked quietly with each other, but I was too tired to bother trying to hear what they were saying. As I predicted, Matt fell asleep five minutes after we ordered and after another five minutes, I was ready to join him. The only thing keeping me awake was my grumbling stomach, which had recovered from the cart ride. I closed my eyes and leaned back against the booth while listening to the conversations of the diners around us. "Incredible sale on beetle eyes! I bought about five months worth...." "Spent the day at St. Mungo's. My husband thought it would be a good idea to mix a sleeping potion with a sleeping charm...." "I'm already eager for the kids to return to Hogwarts. They're driving me up the wall...." I opened my eyes when I heard plates being set down on the table. "Exhausting day, huh?" Hannah asked. I nodded. "Thanks," Dad said as she set down his food. "Hope you enjoy," she smiled and left. Mum woke Matt up and we all dug into our food. Nobody talked much as we ate, which was fine with me. Mum paid once we finished eating and we said goodbye to Hannah. The pub was rather crowded to Disapparate from, so we returned to the street to do so. Dad hugged me and we Apparated home. Home. Could I really call the place home yet? I opened my eyes and we were back in the living room. My living room. It didn't really feel like home yet, but it was our house. I figured it would get better with time, but it was still odd to call the place home. I collapsed onto the couch and closed my eyes. I vaguely remembered that my bed wasn't even set up yet, but even if it was, I didn't want to move. "We'll set up the beds now, Amy," Dad said, "It won't take long." "Mmm-hmm," I muttered and cracked my eyes open. Mum set Matt down on the other couch and followed Dad upstairs. I closed my eyes again and drifted off to sleep. "Amy." Someone was jostling my arm. I groaned and tried to push them away. "Amy," they whispered a bit louder. I opened my eyes and saw Dad standing over me. "Wh-what is it?" I yawned. "I've got your bed set up," he told me. "Oh, ok," I mumbled and sat up. Mum picked Matt up and carried him upstairs. Dad and I followed. I said good night to them and wandered into my room. My bed was sitting in the middle of the room. The rest of my stuff was still packed and the furniture was still under shrinking charms. The place looked rather empty and drab. It didn't seem like my room at all. I sighed and sat down on the bed. Suddenly, I wasn't tired anymore. I got up and rummaged around in my overnight bag, which housed a few pairs of clothes and pajamas. I changed into pajamas and climbed into bed. I stared at the canopy and then turned to look out the window. I could see a few stars, but none of them were the familiar ones I had seen so many times in Australia. I felt the sting of tears in the corners of my eyes and squeezed them shut. I felt so alone, so isolated in my empty room. Most of the people I knew, and all of my friends, were on the other side of the world. I opened my eyes again and stared out the window as tears silently trickled down my face. Eventually, I fell into a restless sleep.
DucksRMagical Joined: 28 December 2006 Posts: 2495 Location: Going through LeakyCon withdrawal	Posted: Tuesday 31 March 2009 11 40 52 am    Post subject: Re: Life Is Good in topic:Life Is Good Yay, you read it! I'm glad you liked it. The transformation part was the bit I was worried about, but so far everyone seems to like it on HPFF. Chapter 3: It's Not Something That She's Made Up In Her Head [i]And she knows that this is real It's not something that she's made up in her head And there's something that she feels but she hasn't found the words ~It's Love[/i], Jared Campbell Eleven-year-old Amanda Genevieve Tagger smiled to herself as she closed her book. She rolled over on her bed and set the it on her bedside table. Her bedside table was stacked high with at least ten books, most of which Amanda had already read. Amanda had always enjoyed reading. Ever since she was a little girl, books had been some of her best friends. They were great company when she was sad or bored or just wanted to escape into a different world for a while. Best of all, books never made fun of her. Amanda had always been shy and she was the first to admit it. She didn't have very many friends and kids her age tended to stay away from her. This was most likely because strange things always happened around her. She was only five when she first realized that she was different. Amanda, her older sister, Jen, who was nine at the time, and a few of her sister's friends were playing outside. They decided to play hide-and-seek and Amanda climbed the biggest tree in their backyard and hid amongst the branches. Jen, who was 'it', had the hardest time finding her. In fact, Jen never found her. Amanda didn't leave the tree until their mom called them in for a snack. That was when it happened. Amanda's foot caught on one of the branches and she lost her grip. She fell what must have been twenty or thirty feet out of that maple tree, hitting numerous branches on her way down. When she was a mere five feet from the ground, she suddenly stopped falling. Then, she glided lightly to the ground, and landed softly on her feet. Amanda looked around and saw Jen staring open-mouthed at her. Their mother, who had seen Amanda falling, ran from the house and checked her over. She was completely fine, save for a few minor scratches and bruises. No one knew why it had happened, but Amanda's mother said an angel must have been looking out for her that day. Whatever it was, Amanda knew she was different that day. It was only the beginning. Strange things had happened to her ever since. When she was six and the class bully stole her biscuits at lunch, new ones appeared out of thin air in front of her. When she was seven and forgot to do her maths homework, it somehow did itself while sitting in her backpack. A small, relatively harmless tornado had somehow descended upon a few boys who were chasing her when she was eight. That incident was what caused most of the other kids her age to steer clear of her. There was one girl who did not care that strange things happened around Amanda. Jamie House, Amanda's best friend since Kindergarten, never cared about the strange incidents. She actually thought they were funny. Amanda and Jamie were inseparable at school. However, Jamie was currently spending a few weeks with her grandparents in Scotland. Without Jamie's company, Amanda had spent most of her time reading. There wasn't really anything else to do. Jen was fifteen and the last thing she wanted to do was hang out with her eleven-year-old sister. Amanda's little brother, Max, was eight and all he wanted to do was ride his bike in the empty lot down the road with the other neighborhood boys. Amanda was left with her books for company, not that she really minded. She was getting a bit restless, though. She stood up opened her bedroom door. Maybe Jen wasn't on the computer and Amanda would be able to go online. Jamie managed to get on instant messager ever so often at her grandparents' house and Amanda had talked to her a few times over the past week. The doorbell rang just as Amanda was leaving her room. "Amanda!" Jen shouted from her room, "Could you get that?" "Sure," Amanda said as she passed Jen's room. She peeked inside and saw that Jen was in the process of straightening her light brown hair. Jen had straightened Amanda's honey blonde hair a few times, but Amanda actually preferred it with its natural slight wave. Jen hated her own curly hair, though. Amanda ran down the stairs and towards the door. She pulled it open and saw a man wearing the strangest outfit she had ever seen anyone wear on a day that was not Halloween. It looked like a black graduation gown. The man himself looked relatively sane, though. His blonde hair was neatly combed and he smiled when Amanda opened the door. "Hello," he greeted her, "Are your parents home?" "Er," Amanda began, "I think so. Are you selling something?" Her parents hated door to door salesmen. Amanda wasn't exactly sure where her parents were, but she doubted they'd want to be interrupted to listen to someone trying to sell something. The man laughed. "No, not at all." "Wait right here," Amanda said and went to find her parents, "Mum! Dad! There's some bloke at the door who wants to talk to you!" "What's he selling?" Mrs. Tagger shouted from the kitchen. "Nothing!" Amanda replied. Mrs. Tagger, a short, plump woman with flecks of grey in her dark brown hair walked out of the kitchen and followed Amanda to the door. "Can I help you?" she asked the man. "Yes," the man replied, "I'm a teacher at a private school and I'm here to inform you that your daughter has been accepted." "Jen?" Mrs. Tagger asked, "I wasn't aware she applied to any private schools." "No," the man shook his head, "Not Jen. Amanda." Amanda gaped at the man and then turned to her mother, who was now frowning. Amanda hadn't applied to any private schools. Why would she? She had already gotten into the secondary school she was attending in the fall. "I know Amanda hasn't applied to anymore schools," Mrs. Tagger said. "This isn't one she applied for," the man said quietly, "Her name has been down since she was born." Amanda was stunned. What was this about? How could her name have been down for a school since she was born? "Could I come in?" the man asked. "I think you'd better," Mrs. Tagger said in barely more than a whisper. The man stepped inside the house and followed Mrs. Tagger into the den. Amanda followed and sat down on a chair while the strange man took the couch. "Henry!" Mrs. Tagger shouted down the basement stairs, "You'd better come upstairs!" A minute later a tall man with a messy shock of blonde hair on his head walked into the room with Mrs. Tagger. "My husband, Henry," Mrs. Tagger replied, "And my name is Sarah. Who are you?" "Professor Neville Longbottom," the man replied as he stood up and shook each of my parents' hands. "Professor?" Henry raised his eyebrows. "He told me Amanda has been accepted to a private school. One that her name's been down for since birth," Sarah explained, "Did you sign her up without telling me?" "No," Henry shook his head. "I'll explain everything if you'll just sit down," Neville said. Henry and Sarah nodded and they sat down on the couch Neville had just vacated. "I teach at a boarding school in Scotland called Hogwarts-" Henry snorted and Sarah glared at him. "Sorry," he muttered. Neville grinned. "I get that reaction a lot. Anyway, Hogwarts is not an ordinary school. It is a school of magic. Mr. and Mrs. Tagger, your daughter is a witch." Amanda was glad she had been sitting down. If she hadn't, she surely would have fainted. She stared in shock at Neville. What did he mean, witch? Amanda had read many stories about witches. Some had good witches and others had bad witches. Which witch was she? How could she even be a witch? Witches weren't real. They were made up to provide entertainment. They couldn't actually exist. Magic didn't exist. "What are you getting at?" Henry said defensively, "If this is some sort of prank, it's not funny." "It's not a prank," Neville said calmly, "Magic does exist. Witches and wizards have been hiding their world for generations. I teach at Britain's only school of magic." "What do you teach?" Henry asked. "Herbology. The study of magical plants." "Prove it," Henry said, "Pull a rabbit out of your hat or something." Neville grinned and pulled out his wand. Amanda stared at it. A real magic wand. Just like the ones she'd read about in books. "Accio pillow," Neville pointed his wand at one of the pillows next to Henry. It soared through the air and landed neatly in Neville's hand. "Where's the string?" Henry stood up and grabbed the pillow. He searched all over it for a string, but didn't find one. "No string," Neville smiled. He took the pillow back and pointed his wand at it. He muttered something else and the pillow turned into a tea kettle. "That is brilliant," Amanda grinned, "Can I learn how to do that?" "When you are older, yes," Neville replied. "What else can you do?" Amanda asked excitedly. "Brew potions, various charms, disappear and reappear in a new place-" "Seriously?" Amanda gaped, "Can you show me that?" "Sure," Neville replied. He disappeared from the room with a loud crack and then was back a few seconds later. "What the bloody hell was that?" Jen ran into the room with her hair partially straight and partially curly. "Language, Jennifer," Sarah warned. "I'm a witch," Amanda grinned, "I can do magic." "What?!" Jen shouted and sat down on the nearest chair, clearly intent on staying in the room despite her hair. "Wait, wait!" Henry shouted, "What if we choose not to let her attend this place?" "You have to, Dad!" Amanda shouted. "Henry, are you really so gullible? You can't honestly think there is a school of magic!" Sarah shouted. "Magic?" Jen asked, "Like pulling rabbits out of hats?" "Of course it exists, Mum!" Amanda told her. Sarah shook her head. "No. Amanda, you just want it to exist. Magic isn't real. It's fantasy." "It does," Neville said quietly, "Can you remember a time Amanda has done something that couldn't be explained? Any time where she should have been hurt and then somehow wasn't?" Sarah's face went pale white and she turned to Henry. "Yes," she whispered, "Many times." "It can be explained," Neville replied, "It's magic." "But what if we don't let her go?" Henry asked again. "That's fine. But she won't ever learn to control her magic and she will continue to cause strange things to happen." "I'm going," Amanda crossed her arms on her chest. "Glad to hear it," Neville reached into his, what could only be described as a cloak, and pulled out a letter. He handed it to Amanda. It was addressed to her. She turned it over and carefully opened it. She unfolded it and began to read it aloud. [i] Dear Miss Tagger, We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Enclosed is a list of books and materials you will need to purchase. Please note that first years are not allowed to bring their own broomsticks. Please reply to this letter as soon as possible to let us know if you are attending. The Hogwarts Express will leave at exactly 11 in the morning on September first from King's Cross Station, Platform 9 3/4. Sincerely, Padma Patil Deputy Headmistress[/i] There was another piece of paper that had a list of supplies written on it, including a cauldron, wand, and spell books. Amanda had about a million questions. Where could she buy a real wand? Had they gotten the platform wrong? There couldn't be a Platform 9 3/4, could there? What did the letter mean, broomsticks? Did witches really ride around on brooms like they do in books? "I'm home!" the front door slammed shut and Max ran into the room, his dark hair disheveled and his face coated in dirt. He stopped at the sight of Neville and grinned. "Nice costume, but Halloween's not for a few months." "It's not a costume," Jen said, "He's a wizard. He teaches at a school of magic and he's here to tell us that Amanda is a witch." "That is brilliant," Max grinned, "Am I one, too?" "You'll find out the summer you are eleven," Neville answered. "Max, please go upstairs and clean yourself up," Sarah groaned, "You're getting mud all over the carpet." "Oh, sorry," Max turned and ran up the stairs. "Mum, Dad," Amanda began, "You've got to let me go to Hogwarts. This explains everything! I want to learn how to control my magic. I won't be the weird girl at Hogwarts." Henry and Sarah shared a look. "I suppose you're right," Henry sighed, "We'll let you go, so long as this professor explains everything about magic to us." "I will," Neville nodded, "Actually, if you're not busy today, I could take you to Diagon Alley. That's the shopping area where you will be able to purchase everything Amanda needs for Hogwarts. It's in London." "We're not busy," Henry said, "We'll just wait for Max." Amanda grinned as she reread her letter over and over again. She still couldn't believe it. A witch. She was a real witch! Amanda always knew she was different, but she never imagined it would be like this. She pinched herself to make sure it was real. It was. She, Amanda Tagger, was a witch. It was like she had fallen into one of her books.
DucksRMagical Joined: 28 December 2006 Posts: 2495 Location: Going through LeakyCon withdrawal	Posted: Monday 30 March 2009 12 16 34 pm    Post subject: Re: In Moonlight's Shadow in topic:In Moonlight's Shadow Thanks Obladi and hprocks! Chapter 40: The Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures We spent hours unpacking and setting up the house. I was completely knackered by the time the sun rose. I had helped Mum and Ellie with the kitchen and dining room and we got them set up. There were a few paintings that needed to be hung, but that was it. Dishes, silverware, and cooking implements were put away in drawers. I knew it would take a while to figure out where we put everything. The kitchen was equipped with state of the art Muggle appliances. There was even a microwave and a dishwasher, neither of which we had in Australia. The entire house was equipped for Muggles, actually, which made sense since it was a Muggle house. Electric lighting was in all the rooms and there were electric sockets everywhere. In our house in Australia, we had a few plugs (mostly in the kitchen), but now they were everywhere. I had no idea what my parents were going to do with them. Mum and Dad had a few arguments about where to put things. They both had different ideas about how to arrange the furniture in the living room and in the den. And about which furniture to put in both of the rooms. Eventually, Mum got to organize the living room and Dad got to take care of the den. Mum put the fancier furniture in the den while Dad put the more comfortable homey stuff in the den. The study of course became Dad's study and was filled with all the books he had acquired over the years. Despite the fact that his study was being set up for the first time in this house, it still looked in disarray after he finished. Mum sighed and shook her head when she saw it. Apparently one thing Mum and Dad had been thinking about was what to do with the big room upstairs. They had no plans as to turning into a playroom as the real estate agent had labeled it, since there weren't any really little kids in the house. Instead, they decided to turn it into a library and study area. They put all of the bookcases that used to be scattered throughout the Australian house in it and added a few tables and couches and desks. All in all, it looked like a very nice room when they finished. We all collapsed at the kitchen table when we finally finished the library. Mum dug around in the bag she brought and tossed a few sandwiches and bottles of juice onto the table. I wordlessly grabbed a sandwich and some juice and started eating. I was so tired I felt like I'd fall asleep as soon as I'd finished eating. I had no idea how I'd stay awake until the evening. It was only around nine in the morning. Twelve more hours until I could sleep. "I suppose," Dad yawned, "That it wouldn't hurt to take a quick nap before we visit the Ministry." "It probably would have been a good idea to set up the bedrooms first," Mum replied. I smirked. We hadn't set up any of the bedrooms yet. Mine wouldn't be set up until I painted it, but the rest of them could have been set up. "Lack of a bed didn't stop him from sleeping," I pointed to Matt, who had fallen asleep on the table. "I call the living room couch," Mum said as she stood up. Dad took the couch in the den and I went up to the library and curled up in a huge armchair. Mum and Dad left Matt at the table, since they didn't want to disturb him. When I woke up it took me a little while to remember where I was. I gazed around the library, forgetting that we had moved. I yawned and groaned. I was still tired. I knew I couldn't sleep any longer, though. I had to get used to England time. I rubbed my eyes and stumbled out of the room. I walked slowly down the stairs and into the living room. Mum and Dad were both sitting on the couch talking. They stopped when they heard me come in. "Morning," Dad said. "Morning," I mumbled, "What time is it?" "Just after noon," Dad replied, "Now that you're up, we'll go to the Ministry." "Oh, is Matt up?" I asked as I sat down on a chair. "No," Mum answered, "But he'd sleep all day, so we're just going to have to wake him up." I nodded as Dad went into the kitchen. He returned a moment later with Matt, still asleep, in his arms. "He'll wake up on the way," Dad replied and handed Mum the crutches. "We should stop by St. Mungo's as well," Mum said. "We're Apparating to an alley near the visitor's entrance to the Ministry," Dad said to Mum, "Put your hand on my arm and I'll guide you there." "Are you sure?" Mum asked skeptically, "You know it's hard to Apparate with someone while guiding another person who is also side along Apparating another person!" "It'll be fine, Julie," Dad assured her, "Just hold onto my arm." Mum sighed and motioned for me to go into her arms. I did so and we all disappeared with an exceptionally loud crack. We reappeared in a dank alley that reminded me of the pub we flooed from in New York City. It was dark and there was a stinky dumpster next to us. "Dad?" Matt yawned and looked around, "Er, where are we?" "We have to go to the British Ministry," Dad told him. "The Ministry?" Matt squeaked. "Yes, but the Ministry here isn't like the one in Australia," Dad assured him, "You'll be fine." We followed Dad out of the alley and down the street. I had no idea where we were going, but the area looked a lot like where St. Mungo's was. "We're using the visitor's entrance," Dad said, "Since the three of you are technically visitors." Mum nodded. We kept walking until Dad stopped in front of what looked like a standard Muggle phone booth. I had a feeling it wasn't that, though. Dad wordlessly opened the door and gestured for us to follow. Mum and I squeezed our way inside and I thought about how odd it would look to any passing Muggles to see all four of us inside one tiny phone booth. "This is the entrance?" Mum asked. "Yeah," Dad muttered. I have been to the Australian Ministry numerous times. Most of them were before Matt was bitten, but even after we'd occasionally visit Dad at work. Not often, though, since the entire Werewolf Control Unit would stare at us as we went by. It made all of us extremely uncomfortable. Dad picked up the receiver and punched in a few numbers. I couldn't see what they were, but they must have worked since we soon heard a cool voice in the booth. Dad put the receiver up to his ear and talked into it, despite the fact that the lady's voice was in the entire booth. I supposed he was trying to make it look believable to the Muggles. "Welcome to the Ministry of Magic," the voice said, "Please state your names and business at the Ministry." "Walter, Julie, Amy, and Matt Eckerton," Dad said, "We just moved here and need to complete a few registration things." "Thank you," the voice replied, "Please take the badges and proceed to the welcome desk when you descend into the Ministry." Four silver badges fell out of the coin return and Dad took them. He pinned one to his shirt, handed one to Mum, and handed one to me. It said 'Amy Eckerton- Various Registrations'. Dad glanced at Mum and then shoved Matt's badge in his pocket. Hopefully no one would ask as to why he wasn't actually wearing his badge. That would surely raise questions. I was about to ask Dad how we were going to 'descend into the Ministry' when I felt the phone booth lurch. I jumped and stared out the window as I saw the ground rising. Well, it looked like the ground was rising. Actually, we were literally 'descending' into the Ministry. The British Ministry was underground! That was the strangest thing ever. The phone booth settled into a large atrium. Dad opened the door and it disappeared once we left it. I looked around the huge place and saw fireplaces lining the sides. Every once in a while, a witch or wizard would floo into one of them or floo out. There were a few people walking through the foyer, but none of them so much as looked at us. They all looked rather busy. Dad led us through the room towards a desk that was sitting at one end. We walked past a huge gold statue of a wizard, witch, house elf, centaur, and goblin. I stared at it, but Dad hurried me along. "Excuse me," Dad greeted the old man who was sleeping at the desk. "Huh, what?" the man sat up quickly and looked at Dad, "Oh, er, visitors?" "The three of them are," Dad gestured to Mum, Matt, and I, "I work here." That was strange to think about. Dad would be working in this odd Ministry from now on. The man leaned over the table and peered at us each in turn. He eyed Matt's crutches suspiciously and I got the feeling he was just itching to ask about them. After all, crutches weren't exactly common in the wizarding world. "You work here?" the man asked Dad, "Never seen you here before." "I start in a week," Dad said, "Could we get on with it? We're kind of in a hurry." "Right, right," the man shook his head and looked at Mum, "I need your wand," then he looked at Matt and I, "And yours, if you've got one." Mum and I handed the man our wands. He examined them, used some sort of machine to find out the information about them, verified the information, and then handed us our wands back. Dad nodded to the man and we walked through a set of gold gates towards the lifts. "Oi!" the man called as we stopped in front of the lifts. Dad turned around, "Do you need something else?" "Just wondering," the man said, "Er, you're not from around here, are you? Can't quite place the accent, though." Dad sighed, "We just moved here from Australia." The man stared curiously at us. "Interesting. What made you move here of all places?" "Listen," Dad replied, "We're in a bit of a hurry. I'd rather not discuss our reasons." The old man shrugged. "All right...." One of the lifts clanged and opened and we hurried inside. I wondered how often that would happen. I really didn't want random people asking why we moved here. Dad punched the number 'four' and we waited as the lift started to move. A few minutes later, the doors opened and we followed Dad out into the corridor. As we left, a man wearing navy blue robes hurried past us muttering something about 'bloody weather charms'. His hair had a dusting of snow on it. I hid my laughter as he disappeared into the lift. The corridor was quiet. I glanced down the corridor and saw three sets of double doors that were all open. I followed Dad and we passed two of the doors, which were labeled 'Spirit Division' and 'Being Division'. Next was a single door that had a sign affixed to it that stated 'Head of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures'. So that was where Dad would have been working if he had gotten the equivalent job. Dad led us through the third set of double doors that was labeled 'Beast Division'. Inside of this room were six desks all situated in front of six doors that appeared to lead to other rooms. There was a witch or wizard sitting at each desk working away at one thing or the other. All in all, it seemed to be a very quiet office. Dad led us straight to the back of the room, where two doors were leading to other rooms. One was labeled 'Werewolf Registry' and the other said 'Werewolf Support Services', where Dad would be working. I didn't see any door labeled 'Werewolf Control Unit'. They must organize things differently in Britain. I did see a door labeled 'Werewolf Capture Unit' adjacent to the Control Unit, but that was it. "Well, this is where I'll be working," Dad said as we walked towards the Werewolf Support Services room. "Seems like a nice place," Mum replied. The witch who was working at the desk in front of that particular room looked up at us. "Oh, hello!" she smiled, "Mr. Eckerton, I didn't know you'd be in today." "I'm not starting work until next week, Miss Lane," Dad replied, "I'm here on family business today." He gestured to Mum, Matt and I. "This is my wife, Julie, and my kids, Amy and Matt." Miss Lane got up from her chair and walked to the front of her desk. She shook Mum's hand. "Nice to meet you." "You, too," Mum said. "Well," Dad said, "I'll show you my office." We followed him through the door and into the Werewolf Support Services room. It was completely different from his office in Australia. In Australia, he had his own office that was the size of the entire Werewolf Support Services room. Here, there were three desks crammed into the room along with multiple filing cabinets. Two of the desks were already occupied. One of them was cluttered beyond any possibility of organization and the other was as neat as could be. The third desk was bare. Both of the other occupants looked up when we stepped into the room. The messy desk was occupied by a middle aged woman who was wearing a set of scarlet robes. Her greying hair was piled into a messy bun and she was wearing a tiny pair of rectangular eyeglasses. The neat desk was occupied by a tall skinny man wearing a set of plain black robes. His dark hair was perfectly combed. "Walter," the man stuck his hand out, "We're looking forward to having you start next week. I even made Yolanda clear her clutter off of your desk." Yolanda threw the man a furtive look. "He's not starting until next week! I had plenty of time to do that." "Thanks," Dad smiled, "I'm looking forward to starting." "We're glad to have you," the man continued, "That job's been available for almost a year. The two of us have been swamped ever since the last bloke quit. Nobody seems to want this job." "Believe me," Dad said, "I plan on staying." "Good," Yolanda grinned, "Is this your family?" "That's them," Dad gestured to Mum, "My wife Julie, and my kids Amy and Matt." "Yolanda Jenson," Yolanda shook Mum's hand. "Carter Dimorio," the man did the same. "Nice to meet you," Mum replied. Mum and Dad talked with Jenson and Dimorio for a few more minutes. I stood near the wall and tried to peer at the parchment that was littering Jenson's desk, but I couldn't make out her writing. Matt stood behind Dad looking scared. Neither Jenson or Dimorio seemed to be staring at him like the man at the desk had. Both of them seemed very nice. "Well," Dad said, "We'd best be off. I'll see both of you in a week." "Take care, Walter," Dimorio replied. "Bye!" Jenson said. We stepped out of the office just as a large beefy man came barging into the main room. Matt stared at him and grabbed Dad's arm. The rest of us stopped as Mum put her arm around Matt. "I'll need that Doxy Report by Wednesday, Miller!" the man barked into a room labeled 'Pest Advisory Board'. "Yes, sir!" a voice shouted from inside the room. The beefy man turned away from the room and grinned broadly as he saw us. He walked swiftly towards us and Matt hid completely behind Dad. "Walter!" the man exclaimed, "Wasn't expecting you until next week!" "Mr. McVicar!" Dad shook his hand, "I'm actually here on personal business, but it's great to see you." "And you, too," Mr. McVicar replied, "And please, call me Rob." "All right, Rob, then," Dad said, "I'd like you to meet my wife, Julie." Mum shook his hand. "Nice to meet you." "Rob is the head of the department," Dad explained. "Although I sure am looking forward to hearing Walter's ideas about running the department," McVicar said, "He's certainly got a bit of experience himself." "Not as much as you," Dad pointed out. "Ah, but we're always looking for new ideas," he smiled and turned to me, "Is this your daughter?" "Yes, that's Amy," Dad said. McVicar practically crushed my hand as he shook it, but he seemed like a nice bloke. Definitely energetic. "Is your son here?" McVicar asked, peering around the room. Matt slowly peeked his head from around Dad. "Ah, there you are, son!" McVicar exclaimed. Matt quickly retreated again. "Shy one, eh?" McVicar said to Dad. "Er, yes," Dad whispered, "We've had certain, er, issues in Australia. I'd rather not get into it." McVicar nodded. "Well, I'll let you get on with your business. See you in a week!" McVicar barked something else into the Pest Advisory Board room and then left. Dad sighed and turned around. Matt was still staring at the main door and was ghostly white. Dad picked him up and Mum took the crutches. "He's a bit energetic," Mum muttered, "But he seems nice." "He's plenty nice," Dad replied, "Doesn't have a mean bone in his body, as far as I can tell. He's just, well, boisterous." "That's a good way to sum it up," Mum said. I would gladly take his loud and boisterous personality if it meant he was the complete opposite of Lubar. It would be a nice change of pace for Dad to work with people who didn't hate werewolves. Judging from the way McVicar treated Matt, he did not hate werewolves. "Well, let's go get this over with," Dad muttered as he turned towards the Werewolf Registry room. Mum nodded. "Never thought we'd be doing this again." Dad knocked on the door even thought it was open. Someone from inside shouted for us to come in and I followed Mum and Dad into the cramped room. This room was quite a bit smaller than the room Dad was going to work in. There were two desks sitting alongside two of the walls and a man was sitting behind each one. There was another door on the back wall, but it was closed. One of the men looked up as we walked in. He put down his quill and got up from the desk. He was a bit on the chubby side, but nowhere near as large as McVicar. There was a pair of round spectacles perched atop his bald shiny head. "Can I help you?" he looked curiously at us. "Yes, my name is Walter Eckerton," Dad shifted Matt in order to shake the man's hand. "Darian Kadmiel," the man replied, "Aren't you the bloke McVicar just hired for Werewolf Support Services?" "Yes," Dad said, "I'm starting in a week." "Ah," Kadmiel smiled, "Then what brings you in today?" "I have business with your department," Dad muttered quietly, "Could we speak in private?" Kadmiel glanced around nervously. "Er, of course, right this way." Kadmiel gestured for us to follow him towards the door in the back of the room. We followed him inside. The room was tiny, furnished only with a small desk and two chairs. Kadmiel took the chair behind the desk while Dad motioned Mum into the other. Dad set Matt in Mum's lap and turned to Kadmiel. "What can I do for you?" Kadmiel asked. "Well, my son is a werewolf, so I need to register him with your department," Dad stated. Kadmiel visibly relaxed. I stared at him curiously. I had never seen anyone relax when they found out that Matt was a werewolf. "Oh!" Kadmiel sighed, "When you said you had business with my department, I thought you had some sort of issue with us. Good to know it's just routine stuff." "Sorry," Dad said, "I didn't want to state explicitly what it was out there. I'd rather let as few people know about this as possible." "Right, right, understandable," Kadmiel said as he pulled a piece of parchment and a quill out of the desk drawer. "I just have some paperwork to fill out. First, do you have his birth certificate?" "Right here," Dad pulled a few pieces of parchment out of his robe and handed it to Kadmiel. "And visas." "Visas?" Kadmiel asked as he looked at the birth certificate, "Oh, you're from Australia?" "Just moved here today," Dad answered. I was thinking the same thing Kadmiel was. Visas? I hadn't even thought about visas. Dad must have acquired them when he was interviewing for his job. Kadmiel nodded and copied some information from the birth certificate onto the paperwork. "All right. Looks good. Date and approximate place he was bitten?" "December 30, 2010. Outside of Brisbane, Australia." Kadmiel jotted down the information and looked up. "Is he on Wolfsbane?" "No," Dad sighed, "It doesn't work for him. No one has been able to figure out why yet, but he's signed up to participate in a study of the potion starting in January." "Morris Sterling's study?" "That's the one." "I'm assuming you haven't set up a place for him to transform yet?" Kadmiel asked. "Not yet," Dad replied, "But I have plans to do so shortly. I will renovate the basement of our new house and set up a safe room down there with the appropriate spells and charms." "Sounds good," Kadmiel scribbled something else and put down his quill, "I'm also assuming he's already got a registration number from Australia?" Dad nodded. "Yes." "We should be able to use the same one here. I'll just have to see it," Kadmiel stood up. Dad glanced nervously at Mum. Matt saw Kadmiel stand up and buried his head in Mum's shoulder. "Actually," Dad stepped in front of Kadmiel, "Could I perform the viewing charm and just tell you what the number is? He had a very traumatic transformation in May that I'd rather not get into. But the gist of it is, is that he's afraid of strangers." Kadmiel looked curiously at Matt. I could see a bit of concern and sympathy in his face that I had rarely seen in Dad's old colleagues' faces. "Well, it's not normally done that way, but I don't see anything wrong with it. You know the spell? What was it you said you did in Australia?" "I didn't," Dad muttered, "I was the head of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures." Kadmiel gaped at Dad. "Was? And you decided to come work for Werewolf Support Services here? That's a bit of a step down." "I was fired," Dad said, "And I don't think of it as a step down. I'm rather looking forward to working here." "Oh, er, right," Kadmiel stuttered, "You know, I vaguely remember reading about you getting fired. Just didn't put two and two together." "Well, I'm hoping most people won't. And I'd appreciate it if you didn't spread it around." "No problem. Anything said in this room is always confidential." "Good to hear," Dad replied, "I'll get you that number." Dad turned to Matt and pulled out his wand. "Matt," he nudged him. Matt turned to Dad. "What?" "I need to get the number from your arm," Dad pulled up the sleeve of Matt's shirt. Matt nodded and held out his arm. Dad muttered an incantation and a tiny row of numbers and letters appeared on Matt's wrist. "64XF2J3847," Dad rattled off. Kadmiel picked up his quill and wrote the number on the paperwork. "Got it." Dad waved his wand and the numbers and letters disappeared. "Is that everything?" "That's it," Kadmiel picked up the parchment and put the quill back in the drawer, "I'll see you in a week." "See you then," Dad shook his hand. Kadmiel opened the door and gestured for us to leave before him. I followed my parents and Matt out of the tiny room and through the Werewolf Registry into the main room. A few of the secretaries glanced up at us as we left, but nobody said anything. "That went well," Dad said as we walked towards the lifts. "Yes," Mum agreed, "I like it here already." "We've got to go register our place of residency now," Dad said as we got into one of the lifts, "Level five, I believe." I punched the number five and the lift rattled shut. The doors opened again on a similar looking corridor. There was a sign that said 'Department of International Magical Cooperation.' We followed Dad down it and he stopped in front of a door labeled 'International Relocation'. Dad knocked on the door. "Come in," a voice said. We entered the small room and there was a young woman with long brown hair sitting behind a desk. "May I help you?" she asked. "Yes. We just moved here from Australia," Dad pulled the visas out of his robes, "I've already got the visas, but I just need to officially change our place of residence." The woman pulled out a piece of parchment. She took the visas and copied down some information. "All right. I just need to know your current address." Dad rattled off our new address. I made a mental note of it. It would be a good thing to know. The woman waved her wand over the visas and then handed them to Dad. "You'll need to go register with the Department of Magical Transportation in order to have your house registered as a wizard's dwelling. They'll get you hooked up to the Floo Network." Dad pocketed the visas. "Actually, we'd rather not be connected to the network." The woman raised her eyebrow. "Can I ask why?" "I'd rather not say," Dad replied, "But I will stop by the department and let them know myself." The woman nodded and stared at us as we left. Well, not everyone was going to not pay attention to Matt's crutches. It had been nice while it lasted. "Mum, I'm tired," Matt sighed as we started down the corridor. "I think this next floor is our last stop, honey," Mum replied. "Yeah," Dad agreed, "Then we'll get out of here." I was definitely ready to get out of there. It was rather boring to follow Dad around while he did all these errands. I wanted to go shop for the stuff to decorate my room. We went back into the lift and Dad hit the button for level six. I leaned against the wall as the lift moved. Matt wasn't the only one who was tired. That nap I had taken earlier had long since worn off and I wanted to go to bed. Not before I got supplies to decorate my room, though. The next floor again looked exactly like the others. I was surprised Dad seemed to know where he was going. He led us to a room that was labeled 'Floo Network'. It was a large room filled with cubicles and various witches and wizards walking around. Dad went up to the first cubicle we got to. The woman inside was smacking her gum loudly and doodling on a piece of parchment. "Excuse me," Dad said. The woman looked up. "Yeah?" "I need to talk to whomever is in charge of connecting houses to the Floo Network," Dad answered. "Oh, you'll want Chuck," she pointed to another cubicle, "Chuck!" A man popped his head out of the cubicle. "What is it, Nadine?" "This bloke needs to talk to you!" Nadine shouted back. Chuck beckoned for us to go to his cubicle. There wasn't nearly enough room for all of us in there, so Matt and I waited outside while Mum and Dad went in. We could see and hear everything, though. "We just moved to England and bought a house that was previously owned by Muggles," Dad began, "But we do not want to be connected to the Floo Network." Chuck looked at Dad oddly. "Er, all right. We won't connect you, then." "The witch in the International Relocation office said we had to talk to you about getting our house registered as a wizard dwelling," Dad went on. Chuck groaned. "She's always doing that. You actually have to go to Magical Law Enforcement to do that. There's a bloke there who deals with this sort of thing. Second floor. I'll have to talk to International Magical Cooperation again. I don't know why that witch always sends people here for registering their houses...." Great, I thought, another place. We'd have gone to every department in the entire bloody Ministry by the time we were done! This was getting ridiculous. Mum and Dad left the cubicle and we followed them out of the room. Dad let out a loud sigh as we proceeded to the lifts once again. "This better be the last place," he muttered as he pushed the number two.
DucksRMagical Joined: 28 December 2006 Posts: 2495 Location: Going through LeakyCon withdrawal	Posted: Monday 23 March 2009 10 31 14 am    Post subject: Re: In Moonlight's Shadow in topic:In Moonlight's Shadow Ok, so I had been reading this story to my mom and Fawkes during Spring Break. I read up to chapter 28 and then realized that I either forgot to post chapter 29 or it was eaten by a forum monster. But whatever the reason, it goes from 28 to 30. So I'm going to post chapter 29 right here. I'll see if there's a way to move it to its proper place. Chapter 29: Confrontations Olivia and I sent each other more letters than usual over the next few weeks, but it was strange knowing that we probably wouldn't see each other anymore. She tried to talk her parents into letting her come to my house, but they wouldn't change their minds. I had no luck with my parents either. The two of them were very short with me and flat our refused to discuss the topic. I tried to avoid them as much as possible anyway, since I got the impression that they were still mad about me flipping out on Matt. I hadn't really apologized to him yet. Mainly because I didn't want to. I did feel bad about scaring him and being so physical, but I wasn't sorry about what I said. It was the truth. The fact remained that if he wasn't a werewolf, we wouldn't move. It wouldn't matter what the headmaster thought if Matt wasn't a werewolf. Dad probably wouldn't have lost his job either. The British Ministry had contacted Dad a few days after we got back and told him that he had gotten the job. Both he and Mum were ecstatic about this and we had a celebratory dinner in the fancy dining room. Mum and Ellie cooked steak, which was delicious. My parents seemed to be in even higher spirits after that. As the full moon drew closer, I began to wonder if I would have to go to Richard and Cinda's for it. Mum still hadn't talked to Cinda since the party and I didn't think she wanted to. At the same time, I doubted my parents would actually let me stay at home. Uncle Jack had decided to fly to Australia a few days prior to the estate sale. He wanted to pick out the stuff he wanted to keep and help Dad with the sale. He wound up arriving in Australia the day before the full moon. Dad went to the airport to meet him and the rest of us stayed at home. We waited in the living room for them. Neither Mum or Matt were really paying much attention to me, though. I was used to it by then and just kept my nose in my book. I looked up when I heard the sound of someone flooing. Uncle Jack stepped out of the fireplace with a large suitcase. "Wow," he grinned and looked around the room, "Been a long time since I've been here. Kind of hard to believe it's being sold." "Yeah," Dad said after he stepped out behind Uncle Jack, "But life changes." "It certainly does," Uncle Jack mused, "So, how is everyone?" "Better than I've been in months," Mum smiled, "Now that we've got an official move date." "Tired," Matt mumbled. Uncle Jack sat down on the couch next to him and gave him a hug. "You'll feel better in a couple days." "I'll feel worse tomorrow," Matt muttered. "But it'll get better after that," Uncle Jack said and then turned to me, "How about you, Amy?" "Life sucks," I said flatly. "Why's that?" he asked, looking at me curiously. "Olivia's not allowed to visit me anymore, since her parents don't want her around Matt," I explained, "And Mum and Dad won't let me visit her because her parents are prejudiced gits. So we're never going to get to see each other again." Uncle Jack let out a low whistle. "Wow. That is tough." "Yeah, but I can't do anything about it," I muttered. "So, Jack," Dad changed the subject, "Do you want to get started going through things or sleep?" "Might as well just get started," Uncle Jack stood up, "I've got to adjust to Australian time anyway." "Sounds good. Everything's been priced out already, but just take what you want. I'll tell you if it's something we're taking or not." The two of them turned to leave the room, but as they did so, the fireplace lit up and someone stepped out of it. I jumped and turned towards it. Ralph Lubar was standing in front of the fireplace, glaring around the room. Both Dad and Uncle Jack turned around. Dad stepped forward with a grim look on his face and Uncle Jack followed him, looking bewildered. Mum put her arm around Matt in a protective manner. I got up from my seat and went to stand farther away from Lubar. "Lubar," Dad growled. "Eckerton," Lubar growled back. "Who the hell are you?" Uncle Jack asked. "This delightful wizard is the one who now has my job," Dad said without turning away from Lubar. "Oh," Uncle Jack stepped forward and drew his wand, "You're the one making life difficult for my nephew." Lubar drew his wand as well. "I'm only passing the laws everyone else wants passed." "I don't care what you call it," Uncle Jack took another step forward. The tip of his wand was almost touching Lubar's chest, "Anyone who messes with my family is going to have to answer to me." "Is that a threat?" "You honestly need me to clear that up for you?" Uncle Jack asked. "Who in the name of Merlin are you anyway?" "Jacob Eckerton." "So you're the one from New York, eh?" Lubar sneered, "Well, I don't know how they do things over there, but here, it's frowned upon to threaten Ministry employees." "In New York, it's frowned upon to threaten kids," Uncle Jack growled, "So I suggest you quit making things difficult for my family." "What are you doing here anyway, Lubar?" Dad interrupted, "And put your wands down, both of you." Neither Uncle Jack or Lubar withdrew their wands, but Dad didn't say anything else about it. "Another inspection, Eckerton. Have you acquired a shed for your son to transform in?" "I have not," Dad answered, "Nor do I plan on it." "Then you'll face the consequences," Lubar smirked. "Another fine?" Dad raised his eyebrow, "Fine me as much as you want. I won't have him transform in a shed." "Hmph," Lubar muttered, "I guess we need more legislation. I'll be back with your fine in a few days." "Good," Dad said, "Now get out." Lubar slowly put his wand back in his robes, turned around, and stepped into the floo. A few seconds later, he was gone. "He's the bloke who took your place?" Uncle Jack asked, pocketing his wand. "Sadly, yes," Dad ran a hand through his hair. "Blimey, the Ministry is losing it." "Sure is," Dad agreed. He turned to leave the room and Uncle Jack followed. I heard them whispering about Lubar as they left. "Amy," Mum said once they left, "I'm taking you to Richard and Cinda's in an hour or so." I groaned. There wasn't anything that would get me out of going there. Even when Mum wasn't on speaking terms with Cinda, I still had to go to their house. "Fine," I muttered and left the room to pack my bag. I just didn't feel like arguing with her anymore. Mum was waiting for me in the living room when I came back an hour later. She didn't say a word as she motioned for me to Apparate with her. We left the room with a crack and appeared in the bush near Richard and Cinda's house. I wondered if Mum had told Richard and Cinda that I was coming over. Lately we had been Apparating directly into their house and I thought it was odd that Mum chose to take us to the bush instead. We walked silently down the street and to Richard and Cinda's driveway. Mum paused for a moment and then pushed the intercom button. She leaned close to it and I couldn't hear what she was saying. A few seconds later, the gates opened and I followed Mum up the driveway. Cinda was waiting for us in the doorway, her face completely unreadable. She said nothing and walked back into the house. Mum and I followed her into the kitchen. "Julietta," Cinda said quietly. "I don't want to hear it, Mother," Mum replied, holding up her hand, "I'm forever grateful that you're letting Amy stay here for the full moons, but I can't talk about it now. Not until you understand why we have to move and why you shouldn't have thrown us that party. You've been putting your reputation before your family my whole life and I just can't take it anymore." "Julietta, please-" "No," Mum shook her head, "I'm sick of it. I've explained numerous times and you just don't get it. Either Walter or I will be back Saturday morning to pick up Amy." "I don't want us to be angry with each other when you move," Cinda said quickly. Mum looked Cinda in the eye. "Then apologize, Mum, that's all you've got to do. Tell me you understand why we're doing this. Tell me you'll stop putting your reputation first." Mum turned away and left the room without waiting for Cinda to answer. Cinda sank down onto one of the stools as soon as Mum disappeared from the room. I stood awkwardly in the doorway and stared at Cinda, unsure whether to say something or not. "Cinda?" I asked tentatively, "Are you ok?" "Don't worry about me, Amy," she replied, "I'll be fine once your mother stops fighting with me." I didn't bother mentioning that all Mum wanted was an apology. Instead I nodded and left the room. The next few days were some of the most boring ones I'd ever spent at Richard and Cinda's. Kenzie's family was on holiday, so I didn't get to see her at all. I did write her a letter and stick it in her mailbox, though. Cinda was very quiet the entire time, which was odd. I guessed it was due to the fact that Mum wasn't talking to her. Richard was his usual self, but it's not like he really did much fun stuff to begin with. Half of me was happy when Saturday arrived and I finally got to go home. The other half was dreading it. The estate sale was that day and I was not entirely sure I wanted to be home for it. Mum and Dad had let me help choose what furniture we'd be saving, but it's not like they let me save it all. They let me keep everything in my bedroom, though. In fact, my entire bedroom was off limits to anyone attending the estate sale. Potential buyers of the house, on the other hand, were a different story. A real estate agent was going to be at the sale to give people tours of the house if they were interested in buying it. They would get to go in my room. Mum even made me clean it, along with my potions room, the day before I went to Richard and Cinda's. Mum and Dad had told me that I would get to decorate my new bedroom entirely myself. Well, I would plan it and they would do the spells. But I got to choose everything. I was very excited about this, because I would finally get to paint stars on my walls and ceiling. I was planning on painting the Southern hemisphere's night sky on the ceiling so it would almost feel like I was still in Australia. Dad said he could charm them to twinkle and disappear when the sun rose. I got up early on Saturday and packed my stuff. I was eating a bowl of cereal when Dad announced he was at the gate on the intercom. I buzzed him in and a few minutes later he was at the door. "Can you please tell Julietta to call me, Walter?" Cinda hurried down the stairs clad in a dressing gown as Dad and I were about to leave the house. Dad turned around and sighed. "Cinda. I agree with Julie. I'm not getting in the middle of this. But I will tell her that you want her to call you. I highly doubt she will, though. Just apologize, Cinda." Cinda said nothing as we left and Dad shut the door after us. Dad was very quiet as we walked down the driveway, so I decided not to speak either. I was curious about the fine Lubar had said he would give him, though. Was it a bigger fine than before? My house already seemed busier than usual when we Apparated into the kitchen. I noticed a few people from the estate sale office milling about as well as the real estate agent. I immediately went up to my room and stowed my overnight bag in my closet. I noticed that everything in the house had been polished and cleaned. The old portraits were sparkling and their occupants were whispering to each other, obviously wondering what was going on. As far as I knew, Dad was selling most of the pictures and portraits that adorned the walls. There were a select few that we would be taking with us and another couple that Uncle Jack wanted. But most would be sold. A few hours later, people started to arrive. They gathered in bunches on the front lawn and were greeted by the salesmen. I suspected the majority of them just wanted to see the inside of the house and gossip about it. There had been a very long article in the paper the previous week detailing the estate sale as well as the sale of the house. I had no idea what to do with myself during the sale. I spent a half hour in the living room, but felt awkward when a salesman led a group of gawking witches in, explaining about every object that was up for sale. I went up to my room after that, but left after the real estate agent brought in a couple interested in purchasing the house. Dad and Uncle Jack seemed to spend their time answering questions people had about various objects. I still hadn't even seen Mum or Matt since I returned home and suspected they were in Matt's room. My brother probably hadn't fully recovered from the full moon and Mum surely wanted to keep him away from all the curious people. Eventually I decided to tag along on one of the tours of the house. I was kind of curious as to what the real estate agent was telling everyone about it. Real estate agents always made houses sound better than they really were. I wondered what this one would say about our house. The tour group I followed consisted of a middle-aged couple, two old witches, and a young wizard. The real estate agent first led them into the kitchen, where Ellie had set out a plate of fresh cookies to make it smell nice. (It makes the house feel more inviting, the real estate agent had told us earlier.) "We'll start with the kitchen," the real estate agent said, "As you can see, it is state of the art, but still reminiscent of the age it was built in." "When was it built?" the middle-aged man asked. "1859," she replied, "The kitchen is also equipped with a few Muggle appliances, which were put in when Walter and Julietta moved in. A few plugs were installed as well." I stood in the doorway as everyone inspected the kitchen. It was kind of strange, knowing that possibly one of these people would soon own my house. A few minutes later, they finished with the kitchen and moved on to the living room. Next was Dad's study, then the formal dining and living rooms, and eventually, we had made our way around the entire first floor. The real estate agent then led us up to the second floor. She pointed out various aspects of the architecture that even I hadn't really known. Everyone in the tour seemed interested, especially the middle-aged couple. "There are ten bedrooms," the real estate agent announced, "Not all of them are on this floor, though." I noticed that the two old ladies were hanging back and whispering together. One of them then pushed the other to the front of the group and she looked nervously at the real estate agent. "So," the old lady began, "We were wondering...Where's the werewolf?" The old lady immediately retreated back to her friend and the two of them waited anxiously for the real estate agent's answer. "Uh, er," the real estate agent stuttered. "Why do you want to know?" I asked, suddenly stepping forward into the midst of the tour group. Despite the fact that I was angry with my brother, I still felt the need to defend him. "We're just...curious." "How would you like it if someone went into your house and asked where you were?" I asked loudly. "Er-" "That's what I thought," I shouted, "So why did you ask?" "Excuse me, miss," the middle-aged man tapped me on the arm, "She was just curious. In fact, I was wondering the same thing. You're being rather rude. Why are you on this tour anyway? I daresay you wouldn't be able to afford a house, especially one as grand as this." I stared at him, completely bewildered. "What am I doing here? I live here!" I shouted at him, "Thanks for calling the house grand, though. I'll certainly let my parents know what you think. I'll let them know what you all think, especially what you think of my brother." "No, no, wait!" the middle-aged man said, "I'm sorry. You're right. None of us should be asking questions like that." "Too late," I replied, "You've already asked them." "I wonder where he transforms," I heard the other old lady whisper. "Shut up!" I shouted at her, "He's a kid, not an animal!" "The Ministry disagrees," the man muttered. "Who the hell cares about the Ministry?" I asked, "The Ministry is horrible!" "Amy, could you please just let us continue the tour?" the real estate agent interrupted. "Fine," I huffed, "But I'll be telling my dad about these gits. I guarantee none of them will be buying the house." I turned and left, completely ignoring the stuttering and pleading of the middle-aged man. If he really wanted to buy the house, he shouldn't have insulted my brother. Dad was showing a man our formal dining room table when I finally found him. I waited patiently (ok, maybe not so patiently) for him to be done and then told him about the old ladies and the couple. The next thing I knew, all four of them were being escorted off the premises by Dad. The man appeared to practically be begging to stay. I smirked and waved at them as they passed me on their way out the door. The house was starting to empty out a bit. It was emptying of furniture and other items, that is, not of people. There were still plenty of people milling about. It was kind of odd to watch strangers paw through your stuff and buy it. I passed a few men wearing neat and pristine robes muttering amongst themselves about the quality of our family silver. I hadn't actually seen the stuff in years, but the idea of people not in our family owning it gave me a weird feeling in my stomach. We weren't selling all of it, though. Uncle Jack took about half of it and my parents took half of what was left. It's not like they'd actually do anything with it. They'd probably just pack it up and store it in some closet in our new house. It's got sentimental value. I still had no idea what to do with myself. Tagging along on another tour would be a bad idea. The real estate agent looked like she wanted to kill me by the end of that last one. She'd most likely hex my mouth shut if I decided to follow another tour. I wandered into the formal living room and stood in a corner as Uncle Jack and a salesman completed the sale of one of the couches. That didn't bother me in the least. I always hated that couch. It was the ugliest thing to every cross the threshold of the house. The thing was cream colored with pink and purple flowers all over it. Then there were the gold-trimmed arms, which were tacky in my opinion. Dad told me his mother had picked it out shortly after she got married. Why my grandfather agreed to it is beyond me. "Mum will be happy that that's gone," I whispered to Uncle Jack after he completed the sale. "I think we're all happy that it's gone," Uncle Jack grinned. "So I hear you got a bunch of people kicked out." I grinned, "Sure did. Dad made them leave. They weren't too happy, especially the bloke who wanted to buy the house." "I'll bet not," Uncle Jack smirked, "Well, I'd better get back to the selling." "Ok, see you later." I spent a bit more time in the formal living room and then went back to the regular living room, which was thankfully empty. My parents had decided to keep all the furniture that was in that room, which I was happy about. That furniture was what made our house seem like our home, not the fancy furniture in the other rooms. I picked up a book I had left on the coffee table and settled onto the couch to read. I had read a few pages when I noticed green light in the corner of my eye. I looked up and saw that someone was flooing into the room. That was odd, I thought. My parents had arranged for everyone to Apparate into a selected area of the yard. They didn't want a whole bunch of people flooing in and out of the house. It would have been too chaotic and messy. But I guess whoever was flooing now didn't get the message. The flames subsided and a man stepped into the room. Another man, much younger, stepped out behind him. I let out a gasp as I recognized them. It was my dad's cousin and his son. "Hello, Amy," the older one said gravely, "Long time, no see."
DucksRMagical Joined: 28 December 2006 Posts: 2495 Location: Going through LeakyCon withdrawal	Posted: Tuesday 17 March 2009 09 32 17 am    Post subject: Life Is Good in topic:Life Is Good I've had this idea for a while to write a short story about how Albus, Rose, Matt, John, and Amanda got their Hogwarts letters. I started writing it a few weeks ago. I've paired each chapter with a song by Jared Campbell. Each chapter title comes from one of his songs and a few of the lyrics are before the chapter. The lyrics go along with the chapter. The whole story is named after one of his songs as well, Life Is Good. If you want to hear the songs, there are videos on Youtube. Disclaimer- I don't own Harry Potter or any of Jared Campbell's songs. [b]Life Is Good[/b] Chapter 1: I Think I'm Holding Out for Something More [i]Cause fate, it's in my way and I don't have the patience to put life on hold, I think I'm holding out for something more.[/i] ~[i]Fate[/i], Jared Campbell Eleven-year-old Albus Severus Potter was standing in front of the window in the drawing room of his London house, Grimmauld Place. He had been standing perfectly still for the past two minutes, watching as a dot in the sky got larger and larger until it was recognizable as an owl. The owl was close now and it looked like it was heading straight for Grimmauld Place. It was close enough for Albus to notice its ruffled brown feathers and the letters wrapped around its legs. Albus gulped and he rubbed his sweaty hands on his pants. Watching for the morning post had become a routine for Albus over the past few days. As soon as he woke up, he would stand by the window waiting for the owl that he knew would arrive soon. The owl from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry that would bring him his acceptance letter. Albus's older brother, James, had received his letter a year ago, in mid-July, and Albus was sure his would arrive at roughly the same time. Albus wrenched open the window and the owl soared inside. It stuck out its leg and Albus quickly detached the letters. The owl gave a loud hoot and then soared out the window. Albus shut it as he rifled through the letters. One was addressed to James. But the other, the other was addressed to Albus. Albus sat down on the couch and slowly turned the letter over in his hands. He swallowed hard and began to open it with shaking hands. He pulled it out of the envelop and read it. [i]Dear Mr. Potter, We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Enclosed is a list of books and materials you will need to purchase. Please note that first years are not allowed to bring their own broomsticks. Please reply to this letter as soon as possible to let us know if you are attending. The Hogwarts Express will leave at exactly 11 in the morning on September first from King's Cross Station, Platform 9 3/4. Sincerely, Padma Patil Deputy Headmistress[/i] Albus closed the letter, grinning to himself. It had finally arrived. Albus had been kind of anxious about it the entire summer. He knew it would arrive, but after days of no owls from Hogwarts, he had gotten a bit worried. Albus stood up and ran to the stairs. He had to wake James up. James had been teasing Albus ever since he returned from Hogwarts, telling him he wouldn't get his letter. Albus knew James liked to joke, but it had gotten a bit irritating by the third week. James's bedroom door was closed, but that didn't stop Albus. After all, James always barged into Albus's room. Albus banged open the door and peered down at James, who was curled up on his bed. He looked rather innocent when he was sleeping, but if anyone could make trouble even while sleeping, it was James. Albus glanced around the room, trying to think of a creative way to wake him up. He wished he had a wand and could spout water in James's face. Albus decided to just go with the old standby of staring at James until he woke up. It usually worked. Albus peered down until he was only inches from James and waited. All of a sudden, James's eyes shot open and he jumped back. He hit his head on the wall behind his bed and winced. "What the hell, Al?" James shouted as he rubbed his head, "Do you realize what time it is?" "Nine in the morning," Albus said, "Sorry about your head." "It's ok," James muttered, "I'll get you back eventually. But why in the name of Merlin did you wake me up so early?" Albus pulled his letter out of his envelop and proudly shoved it in James's face. James grabbed it and scanned it. He gave it back to Albus and grinned. "See, you got it," James said. "I know," Albus said, "But you're the one who said I wouldn't." "I was only joking," James shrugged, "It's what brothers do. Now you get to do it with Lily." Albus shrugged. He sort of doubted Lily would believe him if he told her she wasn't going to Hogwarts. She'd been waiting impatiently for her Hogwarts letter since she was five or so. Now she was nine and she still had two years to go. "Oh, you got your book list, too," Albus handed James the letter addressed to him. "Excellent," James grinned as he ripped it open, "Maybe Mum and Dad will get me a broom as an early birthday present. Then I can try out for Seeker this year and not have to use one of those school brooms." James was entering his second year and was determined to become Gryffindor's new Seeker. He had been practicing all summer on one of their mum's old brooms. James's birthday was in November and he had been giving their parents not so subtle hints about a new broom ever since he returned home from school. "Well, I'm going to go see if we can go to Diagon Alley today," Albus said. "Then I can get my broom," James replied and laid back down. Albus looked back at James as he left, and noticed that he already had his eyes closed. Albus ran back downstairs and to the kitchen. Both of his parents were sitting at the table eating eggs and toast. "It came!" Albus said proudly as he set his letter down in between his parents. "Congratulations, Al," Harry grinned and ruffled Ablus's hair, "Told you you just had to be patient." "That's wonderful, Albus," Ginny got up and kissed the top of his head, "We can go shopping today, if you'd like." "Definitely," Albus grinned, "James wants to go, too. He wants his new broom." Ginny rolled her eyes as she put her plate in the sink. "We'll see about that." "Mummy!!!!" Lily came shrieking down the stairs. Albus turned around and saw that she had a hair brush stuck in her hair and her eyes were welling up with tears. "Mummy!" Lily cried, "It's stuck!" Ginny sighed and picked up her wand. "Lily, what were you doing?" "I was just trying to make my hair curly like Rosie's," Lily pouted as Ginny started to extricate the brush from her hair. "Lily, what have I told you about wrapping your hair around your brush?" Ginny asked. "Not to do it," Lily muttered. "Exactly," Ginny said, "Albus got his Hogwart's letter." "Really?" Lily shrieked and ran away from Ginny just as she got the brush free, "Where is it? I want to see!" Albus grabbed his letter off the table and held it in front of Lily. Lily stared wide eyed at it and tried to grab it away from Albus. Albus held it up above her head. "I wanna hold it!" Lily shouted. "No," Albus shook his head. "Mum!" Lily shouted, "He won't let me see it!" "It's his letter, Lils," Harry replied. Lily crossed her arms across her chest. "Fine. I want to go to Hogwarts, too." "You're not old enough. You just have to be patient, Lily," Ginny told her. Harry snorted into his juice. "I seem to remember someone else who was impatient about going to Hogwarts." Ginny smacked Harry playfully on the head with that morning's copy of the Prophet. "Oh, shut it, Harry." Albus poured himself a bowl of cereal and sat down just as the fireplace lit up with green flames. It cleared a few seconds later and out stepped a boy in his late teens who had turquoise colored hair. "Teddy!" Albus shouted and jumped up from the table, "I got my letter just now!" Albus handed Teddy his letter. "Brilliant," Teddy grinned and scanned Albus's letter, "Merlin, I wish I still had another year there." "That's only because then you could put off deciding what you want to do with your life," Ginny laughed. "No, so I could be there when Albus is there," Teddy groaned, "But I suppose you're right, too." "Of course I am," Ginny said. "Anyway, I just stopped by to say hi on my way to work," Teddy said as he grabbed a piece of toast off Harry's plate. "And to steal my food," Harry muttered. "That, too," Teddy grinned, "I'm working at the Diagon Alley store today, so will I see you lot there later?" "Yep," Harry nodded, "We'll be there. I'm going to see if Ron and Hermione want to go as well. Rose probably got her letter today." "Sounds good," Teddy said as he stepped back into the fireplace and disappeared in green flames. ****** A few hours later (after James had woken up), the Potter family found themselves in Diagon Alley. The street was filled with returning Hogwarts students and their families. Albus had been to Diagon Alley numerous times before, but there was something very exciting about going there to buy supplies for Hogwarts. He was getting to do everything James had done the previous year. Albus was especially excited about going to Olivander's and getting his wand. They met Ron and Hermione Weasley, as well as their two kids, Rose and Hugo, in front of Gringott's. Rose was a couple months younger than Albus, but would be turning eleven in August and would be going to Hogwarts as well. Hugo was Lily's age. "Where to first?" Harry asked. "Olivander's!" Albus announced. "Flourish and Blotts!" Rose said excitedly. Albus stared at her like she had three heads. How could his cousin want to go to the book store before she got her wand? "You're mental, Rose," James laughed, "I say we go to Quality Quidditch Supplies!" "Eyelops!" Lily shouted. "You're not even going to Hogwarts," Albus pointed out. "I don't care," Lily huffed. "Weasley's Wizard Wheezes," Hugo suggested. "Then it's settled," Harry grinned, "We're going to the Apothecary first." Everybody groaned, but followed Harry down the street anyway. Albus sighed to himself. That was always how his dad settled arguments. He'd pick what nobody had suggested. The trip to the Apothecary was quick. Nobody really wanted to linger in there. Albus didn't particularly enjoy the place. It had an odd smell to it and there were cauldrons full of things that looked like they were decaying. After the Apothecary, they went to Madam Malkin's, which was boring as well. Albus just didn't find buying robes very exciting. It seemed like his dad was doing the most boring shopping first. Finally, after a long trip to Flourish and Blotts, Harry announced that Olivander's was next on the list. Albus and Rose ran ahead of the rest of the group and arrived a few minutes before anyone else. "Ah, Albus and Rose," Olivander turned around and greeted them with a wispy voice. "Hello, Mr. Olivander. We're getting our wands today," Albus grinned. "I thought so," Olivander smiled and walked slowly to the rows of wands that were behind him. Olivander took measurements and then walked to the back of the shop. He returned with a few wands just as the rest of the Potter and Weasley families entered the shop. Olivander greeted them and then handed Albus and Rose each a wand. Albus smiled as he held the wand in his hand. It was an unbelievable feeling; holding a wand that could be his. He waved it and the window behind him exploded. James burst out in laughter as Albus's face turned bright red. He set the wand on Olivander's desk and looked sheepishly at his family. Harry grinned and repaired Olivander's window with a wave of his own wand. "Perhaps this one," Olivander handed Albus another wand, "Eleven and a quarter inches, Ash, phoenix feather." Albus took the wand and all of a sudden a warm feeling enveloped him. If he didn't know any better, he'd say the wand actually glowed in his hand for a split second. He could feel that it was the right one even before he waved it. He gave it a wave and gold sparks erupted from it. "Excellent," Olivander grinned. A little while later, Rose had her wand as well and the group left the shop. Albus was carrying his wand with the utmost care and staring more at the box than what was in front of him. The adults decided that it would be best to visit Eyelops last since both Albus and Rose were getting owls. They didn't want to have to carry the owls around all day. James was asking to go to Quality Quidditch Supplies every five minutes or so, but Harry led the way into Weasley's Wizard Wheezes first. "Ron, Ginny!" George greeted them as they entered, "And Harry and Hermione! You've got everyone with you today." "Hogwarts shopping," Harry grinned, "Al and Rosie just got their wands." Albus proudly opened the box and showed his Uncle George his new wand. Rose did the same. "Brilliant, both of you!" George said, "And now I shall get you both ready for Hogwarts in the prank department...." Albus followed George into the depths of the shop. He was not at all surprised that his uncle was assisting him with pranks. George was the owner of Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes and was legendary at Hogwarts as one of the most mischievous students ever to attend. "Now, every student needs a Skiving Snackbox or two," George said as he handed Albus and Rose each a colorful box, "After all, I can't imagine you'll want to sit through History of Magic very often." Albus grinned as he took the box of sweets to make one ill. He had heard many a story from his parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and James about how boring Professor Binns' classes were. "And then you'll need some dung bombs," George said as he led them to a different display. "Last time I checked, those were still forbidden at Hogwarts," Hermione said sternly. "Oh, I'm sure they are," George winked, "But so long as Filch doesn't find out it was these two who set them off, it doesn't matter." "George Weasley!" Hermione scolded, "You should be setting a better example for these two! No wonder Fred was in detention every week last year!" Albus laughed as he took a pack of dung bombs off the shelf. His cousin Fred was George's son and just finished his third year at Hogwarts. Fred had taken after his father as far as pranking went. "Lighten up, Hermione," Ron laughed, "Let them have their fun." "Ronald!" Hermione shouted, "You're even worse!" "Harry!" Teddy burst out of the back room and joined the group, "Getting Al all the pranking products he'll need this year?" "Sure am," Harry grinned, "Although I don't think Hermione is too happy about it." "I am not buying this stuff for Rose," Hermione stated. After a few more minutes of arguing, Hermione gave up and both Albus and Rose had bagfuls of Weasleys' products. James had replenished his stash as well and Albus had a feeling he'd use everything up within a month. George closed the shop so he and Teddy could get something to eat and everyone went to the Leaky Cauldron for dinner. Albus mainly listened to the conversation but was very content. Going to Hogwarts was something he had been looking forward to for years and now it was finally happening. James finally got to go to Quality Quidditch Supplies after dinner and got his early birthday present. Albus was slightly jealous about this, but knew that he couldn't have his own broom at Hogwarts anyway. He was determined to make it onto the Quidditch team eventually, though. The last stop of the day was Eyelops Owl Emporium, which was a place Albus was almost as excited about as he had been about Olivander's. His parents had told him he'd be able to get an owl when he went to Hogwarts. "I want an owl," Lily whined as they entered the shop. "In two years," Harry replied. "That's so far away," Lily groaned. "I know," Harry said as he picked her up, "But it'll go by faster than you think." Albus began looking around at all the owls. He didn't really have any ideas about what kind of owl he wanted; he just thought he'd look around and see what owl liked him. There were owls of all sizes and colors. White ones, black ones, and speckled ones. Small ones, large ones, and medium sized ones. Albus walked slowly through the shop and looked at each owl. His eyes rested on an owl with gleaming topaz eyes and dark brown feathers. The owl had a few flecks of white on its head and it was staring directly at Albus. Albus walked over to the owl and gave the owl a pat on its head. The owl gave a soft hoot and Albus knew it was the one for him. The owl flew onto his shoulder and Albus walked back to his parents. "I've got my owl," he grinned. "What's his name?" Harry asked. "Dunno," Albus shrugged, "Haven't thought of one yet." "Name him Salazar," James smirked, "Because you'll be in Slytherin." "What?" Albus stared at his brother, "I'm not going to be in Slytherin." "You never know," James said, "There's a 25 percent chance that you might." Albus was stunned. It was so obvious. There was a 25 percent chance that he'd be in Slytherin. After all, there were four houses. But the thought of being in Slytherin had never crossed his mind. He always thought he'd be in Gryffindor, where everyone in his whole family had been. It was possible for him to be in Slytherin, though. Or Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff. Neither of those would be that bad, but Albus wanted to be in Gryffindor. "Ready to go, Al?" Harry asked, "Rose just found her owl." "Oh, yeah," Albus said quietly, "I'm ready. And I'm naming my owl Godric." Albus followed his family out of the owl shop and to the Leaky Cauldron. In two months, he'd be at Hogwarts. The place where his parents went and most of the rest of his family. The place he had been impatiently waiting to go to for years. He couldn't think of a time in his life where he had been more excited. All he hoped was that he would wind up in Gryffindor and maybe, just maybe, he would be able to make a name for himself.