Hogwarts Express Train Sets and Collectibles

Harry Potter Hogwarts Express Electric Train Set by Lionel Transport your imagination into the bewitching world of wizardry with this Harry Potter Hogwarts Express Train Set by Lionel. This five-piece O-gauge train set includes a die-cast steam locomotive, and tender. Kid-controlled features include working headlights, interior lighting, air whistle, puffing smoke and operating coupler on rear of tender. This amazing gift comes with a powerful Lionel transformer and patented oval Lionel FasTrack layout measuring 40 x 60 inches. UL listed. Assembly required. Adult supervision recommended. $329.95

Harry Potter Die Cast Hogwarts Express Collectors Edition Set Harry Potter Die Cast Hogwarts Express Collectors Edition Set $89.97

Harry Potter "Hogwarts Express Sign & Ticket" Wall Decal Set Bring the wizardry from the world of Harry Potter into your own home with this Hogwarts Express sign and ticket wall decal set. These giant, lifelike wall decals are printed on a self-adhesive, fabric matte paper that can be applied to any clean, non-porous surface. Each wall decal is durable, pliable, easy to install, reusable and will not damage your wall. $58.95

Harry Potter Hogwarts Express Bookends Now you can keep all your Harry Potter books organized and neatly displayed with these Harry Potter Hogwarts Express bookends from NECA! Stands 7-inches tall. $49.99

Harry Potter Hogwarts Express Wooden Sign Turn your room into station platform 9 3/4 with this wonderful Hogwarts Express Wooden Sign. Measures 18 x 7 x .5 inches. $19.95

Daytrips Scotland and Wales From Neo-Classical cities and historic towns to the beautiful, untouched countryside and tranquil villages, both Scotland and Wales offer something for everyone. Both lands and easily be added to a trip to England, or enjoyed as a destination in themselves.Most of the 37 daytrips described in this brand-new guide can be taken from the base cities of Edinburgh/Glasgow, Shrewsbury, Aberystwyth, or Cardiff. Apart from the usual cathedrals, museums, castles, and stately homes, there are included such attractions as country walks, literary trails, Roman ruins, craft centres, distilleries, glass factories, walled cities with medieval streets, great seaports, quaint hamlets, railfan trips, wildlife expeditions, copper mines, a strange Italian village, the mecca of golf courses, and even the Hogwarts Express. $18.98

The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook Bangers and mash with Harry, Ron, and Hermione in the Hogwarts dining hall. A proper cuppa tea and rock cakes in Hagrid''s hut. Cauldron cakes and pumpkin juice on the Hogwarts Express. With this cookbook, dining a la Hogwarts is as easy as Banoffi Pie! With more than 150 easy-to-make recipes, tips, and techniques, you can indulge in spellbindingly delicious meals drawn straight from the pages of your favorite Potter stories, such as: Treacle Tart--Harry''s favorite dessertMolly''s Meat Pies--Mrs. Weasley''s classic dishKreacher''s French Onion SoupPumpkin Pasties--a staple on the Hogwarts Express cartWith a dash of magic and a drop of creativity, you''ll conjure up the entr?es, desserts, snacks, and drinks you need to transform ordinary Muggle meals into magickal culinary masterpieces, sure make even Mrs. Weasley proud! $12.14

J. K. Rowling Harry Potter is loved throughout the world-so is his creator. Joanne Kathleen (J.K.) Rowling is a true wizard, a woman who has the ability to recall vividly her days as a child and capture those wild, wonderful, difficult times-an ability that helps make her creation, Harry Potter, seem so real. In this revealing look, fans of the Harry Potter series will get to see their favorite author as they never have before. From a child with a wonderful imagination who didn't quite fit in, to a single mother with almost overwhelming responsibilities, the J.K. Rowling story is a wonderful chance for adults and children to enjoy a heartwarming, magical story...together.Inside are the answers to some of the most frequently asked questions: * Where did the idea of Harry Potter come from?* What was J.K. Rowling like when she was younger?* What is it like to be J.K. Rowling's daughter?* Which of the characters does J.K. Rowling most identify with?* What was the Hogwarts Express tour like?* Where does the name "Harry Potter" come from?* What is J.K. Rowling's simple rule about writing?* And much more! $3.48

Visit our friendly Harry Potter Forum to discuss the wizarding journeys of Harry and friends on the Hogwarts Express, like these recent posts:

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DucksRMagical Joined: 28 December 2006 Posts: 2535 Location: Going through LeakyCon withdrawal	Posted: Sunday 20 September 2009 09 53 16 am    Post subject: Re: In Moonlight's Shadow in topic:In Moonlight's Shadow Thanks hprocks and Wratha! This is the second to last chapter! Chapter 62: Home The day before the Hogwarts Express left for London was spent packing. Samantha took down all her Quidditch posters, Victoire neatly folded all her clothes and somehow fit them all into her trunk, Monica threw everything haphazardly into her trunk and then snuck off to Hogsmeade with her friends, Teddy scoured the castle for all the stuff he'd lost over the year, and I watched everyone as I packed my own trunk. It was times like these that made me realize how alike Hogwarts and the Australian School of Sorcery were. Though they were thousands of miles apart, the routines were the same. The last day of school was spent the same. As I sat in the common room with Victoire that night, I suddenly realized that I was actually going to miss the place. It was a very shocking realization. I was going to miss the Gryffindor common room, the Room of Requirement, Astronomy classes every Thursday, beating Willinson at Slughorn's potions contests, the rivalry between Gryffindor and Slytherin. I had adjusted to it and come to enjoy it. Hogwarts was my home now, for a good part of the year, and I was going to miss it. The castle had become my home away from home. “I am going to miss Hogwarts,” I said in awe. “I miss it every summer,” Victoire said, “Hey, do you want to come visit me this summer?” “Yeah, sure,” I grinned, “When?” “Probably in August,” Victoire replied, “I'm going to France to stay with my grandparents for two weeks in July.” “I'll ask my parents,” I said. “And I'll owl you with the exact dates,” Victoire said, “But we've got to owl each other all the time before that.” “Victoire!” Teddy came running into the common room, “Aussie! Might want to get down to the grounds.” “What did you do this time?” Victoire groaned and stood up. Victoire and I followed Teddy and Landon down to the grounds, followed by most of the rest of the people who were in the common room. Everyone was wondering aloud as to what the two boys could have done this time. We heard the fireworks before we saw them. They started going off as we were crossing the Entrance Hall. Everyone broke into a run and we wound up scattered throughout the grounds. The fireworks were the most amazing ones I had ever seen. Big Snitches, broomsticks, and a variety of magical creatures. They all moved and seemed to last forever. They floated and soared around in the sky. They kept going for about a half hour. “Wait for it,” Teddy said, “Not quite over yet.” There was a bang louder than all the rest and I craned my neck to see what it was. As soon as it appeared, there was a lot of shouting and cheering. The final firework featured a huge Gryffindor lion surrounded by red and gold sparks. The lion had a green snake in its mouth. The lion shook the snake around and then the snake burst apart in a flash of green sparks. “That was brilliant, Teddy,” Victoire said. “Courtesy of your uncle,” Teddy grinned, “I set them up a few hours ago and put timers on all of them.” “Back inside, all of you!” Professor Patil shouted as she walked amongst the students, “It's past curfew!” Nobody complained about going back inside. Patil made no move to try and find the culprit of the fireworks, which was good for Teddy and Landon. The whole stunt was just a nice way to celebrate the end of the year. ****** The next morning was a chaotic frenzy of last minute packing and shoveling down brekkie before getting into a thestral pulled carriage. I shared a carriage with Victoire, Teddy, and Landon. “You know, I shared one of these with your sister in the beginning of the year,” I told Victoire, “And one of your cousins, and some other girl.” “Wow, what a coincidence,” Victoire laughed. “They were arguing about whether these were really pulled by thestrals or not. Apparently Teddy told them they were, but they weren't sure they believed him,” I said, “I told them that Teddy was right.” “I'm always right,” Teddy said pompously. “No, you're not,” Victoire sighed, “If you were, you'd have better grades.” We found a compartment to ourselves on the train and were only interrupted a few times by various cousins of Victoire. It still amazed me just how many cousins she had. “What do your grandparents do at Christmas?” I asked her after two more of her cousins left. “My grandma knits us all jumpers,” Victoire said and Teddy burst out laughing. “What's so funny?” I asked. “The jumpers. Everyone wears them on Christmas and we all sort of match. She knits one for me, too. Everyone in the family's got a rather large collection of Weasley jumpers,” Teddy grinned. “That must take forever, knitting all those jumpers,” I said. “She spends the whole year on them,” Victoire said. “Wow,” I said. “So, Victoire,” Teddy began, “Prefects get chosen for your year this summer. I'd bet my whole Gringott's vault that it'll be you.” I hadn't even thought about that yet. I agreed with Teddy, though. Victoire would make a good Prefect. “I don't know, Teddy,” Victoire sighed, “I mean, Samantha would make a good Prefect....” “You'd make a better one,” Landon said, “You'd make a better Prefect than me.” “I won't argue with that,” Victoire laughed. “Wait,” I said, “I just have to ask this. Landon, when I first met you, I thought you were one of those blokes who likes rules because you told me I couldn't sleep in the common room. But you obviously don't care much about rules. Why the bloody hell did you tell me I couldn't sleep in the common room?” “It was my first week as a Prefect,” Landon shrugged, “I thought I had to do that. But if you did it now, I wouldn't do anything about it.” “And next year it'll be Victoire who's telling people they can't sleep in the common room,” Teddy said. “I might not be a Prefect,” Victoire groaned. The remainder of the trip was spent talking about what we thought would happen next year. Teddy and Landon both took pleasure in the fact that Victoire and I would be doing our O.W.L.s and they wouldn't, until Victoire reminded them that their N.E.W.T. Level classes would be incredibly hard. Soon, the train pulled into London and everyone scrambled to get their stuff together. I walked through the corridor of the train with Victoire, Teddy, and Landon, and we made our way to the platform. We saw Monica on our way, and she threw us a dirty look. I just turned away and ignored her. One good thing about the year being over was that I wouldn't have to see Monica for months. “I'll owl you soon,” I said to Victoire on the platform. “Me, too,” Victoire agreed and gave me a hug, “I'll miss you.” “Miss you, too,” I replied. “See you next year, Aussie!” Teddy shouted, “Don't move again!” “I won't,” I laughed. “Bye, everyone!” Landon shouted before going to find his parents. I said goodbye to Victoire and Teddy one more time and then found my dad, who was wearing his work robes. “Amy,” Dad said as he hugged me, “I missed you. Ready to go home?” “Yeah,” I replied, “I missed you, too.” ****** Mum, Matt, and Ellie were in the kitchen when we arrived home a little while later. There was a large platter of spaghetti and meatballs on the table and I was immediately taken back to when I got back home after fourth year. It seemed like such a long time ago, even though it had only been a year and a half. “How did your exams go?” Mum asked once we were all sitting down. “Good,” I replied, “I passed everything.” “Glad to hear it,” Mum smiled, “We're so proud of you. I know this past year has been hard, but you've done so well.” “Thanks,” I said, “I have something to tell you, too.” “What?” Dad asked in between bites of spaghetti. “I'm going to become a Healer,” I said quietly, “You know, once I'm done with Hogwarts.” I had decided not to tell them about my plans on discovering a better version of the Wolfsbane Potion, at least not while Matt was in the room. I didn't want to get his hopes up. Mum and Dad were quiet for a few moments and they shared one of those parental silent communication glances. “When did you realize this?” Dad asked. “Beginning of May,” I replied, “Teddy and Landon had career meetings and there were pamphlets in the common room. I saw the Healer one and it just sort of hit me. Then I talked to Madam Pomfrey and she tried to tell me that I didn't have to make up my mind now, but I have. All the career tests she gave me said I'm suited to be a Healer, and it's what I want to do.” “I agree with the tests,” Dad smiled, “I think Healing would be an excellent field to get into.” “I think you would make a great Healer,” Mum agreed, “What field are you interested in.” I glanced at Matt and then replied, “Erm, creature-induced injuries. And...research.” “Ah,” Dad smiled knowingly, “It will be a good day for those fields when you become certified.” “I wouldn't want to be a Healer,” Matt announced, “I hate hospitals. But I think you'd be a good Healer.” “Thanks,” I smiled. ****** It was strange how you settled back into life at home so easily after life at school. During the last few days of any given year, I would always think about how weird it would be to go back home and be around my family all the time. But when the time came to go back home, it wasn't that strange. That year was not much different. I settled back into my usual routine of brewing potions, reading, and wandering around the bush. Every few days I would go shopping with Mum in Diagon Alley, usually depending on whether she was going to Gringotts or not. I still hated that place. There were noticeable differences, though. For one, nobody was that stressed out. It was almost like we were living that carefree life [i]Aussie Magik]/i] had said we once had in that article. Dad came home happy from work and rarely had to stay late. Mum wasn't tense and she didn't yell at me every ten minutes. Matt wasn't scared all the time. And I didn't spend all my time by myself. My parents and I rarely fought anymore. That was the most noticeable difference. Two weeks after I went home, Mum and I hadn't had more than a small argument over whether my bedroom was clean enough for her liking. That was pretty amazing on our part. Matt and I seemed to spend most of our time together. The only thing I did without him was brew potions. It didn't really bother me, either. As much as I had liked exploring the bush by myself, having Matt there made it fun as well. There was so much that he didn't know about the bush, mostly due to Mum's overprotectiveness, and it was fun to teach him about the plants. “What's Hogwarts like?” Matt asked as we tramped through the bush a few weeks after I returned home. “Do you mean the actual castle? Or the students? Or the classes?” I grinned back at him. “Everything,” he shrugged, “What about Gryffindor Tower?” “The common room is round. The dormitories are, too. Everything's scarlet and gold. It's cozy, but kind of cramped,” I explained, “But, you might not be in Gryffindor.” “I will to!” he shouted as he ran to catch up with me. “Yeah, you probably will,” I stopped to wait for him, “But there's always a chance you won't.” “What else?” Matt asked, “What's the rest of the castle like?” “It's big. So big you'll get lost a lot during your first week. But there's some really cool rooms. Like the kitchens,” I told him as we fell into step beside each other, “Victoire showed them to me. There's more house elves than I've ever seen in my life-” “More than Jacqueline's got?” Matt asked in awe. “Way more,” I replied, “They're happier, though. Kendrick treats them well. Anyway, you can get whatever you want to eat there. The house elves will give you anything.” “Anything?” Matt's eyes opened wide, “An entire chocolate cake?” “Yep,” I grinned. “What else?” Matt pressed. “Well, there's this room...” I paused. I had been toying with the idea of telling Matt about the Room of Requirement ever since I found it. I finally decided just to do it, since it would be useful for him to know about it. “And generations of Hogwarts students, the ones who know about the room that is, probably wouldn't want me to tell you about it since it's pretty much a secret unless you discover it yourself....” “Can't you tell me?” he begged, putting on that face he uses to get my parents to give him whatever he wants. “I am,” I sighed, “But only because I think you'll need it while you're at Hogwarts. And you can't tell anyone about it.” “I won't,” he said quickly, “But what is it?” “It's a room that will give you whatever you want,” I said. Matt stopped dead in his tracks and stared at me. “What?” I laughed. Even for magic, a room that could give you whatever you wanted was kind of remarkable. “It's across from this portrait of a bloke teaching trolls to dance ballet on the seventh floor. Right down the corridor from the Gryffindor common room. Very convenient, really. You pace in front of it three times, thinking about what you need, and a door appears. When you open it, the room is exactly how you imagined it.” “That is brilliant!” Matt grinned, “It'll really give you anything?” “Pretty much. I mean, it won't give you food because of some Transfiguration laws that I forgot what they were called, but it's always been able to give me what I want,” I shrugged. “What did you turn it into?” Matt asked as we began walking again. “My room from Australia,” I replied, “And a few other random rooms.” “It really looked like your room from Australia?” Matt looked skeptical. “Down to the pair of dirty Australian School of Sorcery robes on the floor,” I nodded. “I can't wait to try that out,” Matt said, “But why did you want me to know about it?” “I think it would be a good place for you to go if you're really tired before full moons. If you don't want to go to the hospital wing, that is,” I said quietly, “You can ask the Room not to make itself available to others if you want privacy. If you sleep in your dormitory before full moons, your roommates are going to get suspicious.” “Oh,” Matt said, and we walked silently for a few minutes. “Amy?” he asked. “Yeah?” “Do you think anyone is going to find out?” he said in barely more than a whisper. I sighed and sat down on a nearby rock. Matt sat down next to me. I said nothing as I thought back to when Teddy told me about the Marauders. How they had guessed that his dad was a werewolf and then became illegal animagi. “Do you remember how Kendrick said there was a werewolf who went to Hogwarts decades ago?” I asked. Matt nodded. “And you know my friend, Teddy?” Matt nodded agin. “Well,” I continued, “That werewolf was Teddy's dad.” Matt's mouth fell open. “Really?” I nodded. “Yes, and Teddy told me about him. He had three really good friends,” I left out the part about Peter Pettigrew betraying James and Lily Potter, “They found out that Teddy's dad was a werewolf, but they didn't care.” I also left out the illegal animagus part. “So,” I said, “There's a chance that if you make friends who are that smart, they might find out. But, if you make friends like Teddy's dad's friends, they're not going to tell anyone and they're not going to abandon you.” “But,” Matt said quietly, “But I don't want anyone to find out.” “That's where the Room of Requirement is going to come in,” I told him, “And I'll still be at Hogwarts during your first year. We'll make it work.” Matt nodded, but didn't say anything. I could see that the idea of people possibly finding out about his lycanthropy scared the hell out of him and half of me regretted telling him about Teddy's dad. I thought it would have just reassured him, but it obviously hadn't. Telling him that nobody would find out would have been giving him false hope, though. My parents thought it was going to work, but they didn't know much about life in Gryffindor Tower. Everyone had at least three roommates, more often four or five. Matt was going to have at least 60 full moons at school during his Hogwarts career. That was 60 full moons where he got sick, which would be witnessed by the same four people every month. They were bound to get suspicious and do some research eventually. I would if I were in their position. Unless they were complete dunderheads, but what were the chances that all four would be idiots? Mum and Dad could believe what they wanted, but I had a feeling someone was going to find out eventually. I had no plans of telling my parents about my suspicions, though. It might scare them enough to homeschool Matt and not let him go to Hogwarts at all, which would be horrible. If there was anything my brother needed, it was to go to Hogwarts. He needed to be around people his age and not have Mum hovering over him every minute of the day. It wasn't like it didn't scare me, though. The idea of people finding out about Matt's lycanthropy did worry me. After all, when people had found out in Australia, we had to leave the country. If anyone like Monica found out, it could have really bad repercussions. I glanced at my watch. “We should get back,” I said, “Mum'll start worrying soon.” Matt nodded and we got up. The walk back through the bush was quiet. So quiet that we could hear our feet crunching sticks, the birds flying over head, and the cows mooing once we emerged from the bush. Half of them were lying down, which Uncle Jack said meant it was going to rain. There weren't many clouds in the sky, though. “Look, I didn't mean to scare you with the story about Teddy's dad,” I said as we walked through out backyard. “I know,” Matt said, “I just don't want anyone to find out, whether they're friends or not.” “I never said they would. I just said there was a chance,” I said, “Plus, Teddy's dad didn't have an older sister to protect him. If anyone starts anything with you, whether they know about the lycanthropy or not, I'll knock them out. Muggle style of course, since I'm rubbish at dueling.” “I don't think Mum and Dad would be happy with that, since you'd get detention,” Matt said, but smiled anyway. “There are some things that are worth detention,” I said as I put my arm around him.
DucksRMagical Joined: 28 December 2006 Posts: 2535 Location: Going through LeakyCon withdrawal	Posted: Sunday 30 August 2009 09 47 40 am    Post subject: Re: In Moonlight's Shadow in topic:In Moonlight's Shadow Thanks hprocks and Wratha! Nope, not going to stop writing! Well, I have actually finished writing this story, but there's more to post! Chapter 59: Moaning Myrtle “Victoire, Victoire, wake up!” I hissed as I nudged her arm. I had woken up two minutes ago and realized we were still in the Room of Requirement. That and it was nine o'clock, which was when we were supposed to be in double potions. “What is it?” she yawned. “It's after nine o'clock,” I told her, “We're late for potions.” “Shit!” she shouted and jumped off the pink couch. We ran out of the Room as fast as we could and went back to Gryffindor Tower. It took us five minutes to change and grab our books before running all the way down to the dungeons. We skipped brekkie. Everyone was already brewing when we slowly pushed open the door to the dungeon. Slughorn was at his desk. “You two are late,” he announced as we walked in. “Sorry, sir,” we said at the same time. “We're brewing in pairs today, so you two can work together,” Slughorn told us, “And five points from Gryffindor for your tardiness.” Victoire and I set to work at brewing that day's potion. Willinson was nowhere near us, so we didn't have to deal with his comments. It didn't seem to matter that we were late since the potion didn't need the entire two classes to simmer. Slughorn even pronounced it excellent when we handed in our flask at the end of class. “That's probably the best I've ever done in potions,” Victoire said as we left, “I think I'll brew with you every class.” “Then you can help me in Transfiguration,” I said. “Sure,” Victoire said, “I just desperately need to do better in potions next year if I want to become a Healer.” In the chaos that had been waking up late and nearly missing potions, I had completely forgotten about the full moon. It was the first time that had happened since before Matt was bitten. I was immediately reminded when Jasper showed up at lunch, however. “Oh, he's a nice owl,” Victoire commented. “Thanks,” I said, “He's my parents' owl.” “Is that about the detention?” Victoire gestured to the letter. “Probably,” I said as I put it in my robes, “I'll open it later.” “At least you didn't get a howler,” Teddy said as he sat down, “You two missed it this morning. My gran sent it. She sends a mean howler.” “I've never gotten one,” I said. “Consider yourself lucky,” Teddy replied, “I get at least two every year. Once I got one from my gran and Victoire's grandma for the same thing.” “Which is why I'm not depressed that I missed this one,” Victoire smirked, “I'm sure I'll get to see another soon.” I opened the letter after classes were over. Victoire had to go talk to Slughorn about doing extra credit for potions, so I went to the Room and read the letter in private. [i]Dear Amy, How is school? We miss you a lot. Things are pretty much the same at home. Nothing unusual happened during the full moon. We got a letter from Professor Longbottom about you being disruptive in the library. That's not like you. We'll talk about it over the Easter holiday. Speaking of Easter, Uncle Jack was able to get a few days off work and he's going to come and visit. Write soon and we'll see you in a month! Love, Mum, Dad, Matt, and Ellie[/i] I grinned as I folded the letter up, despite the fact that my parents wanted to talk about the incident in the library. Uncle Jack was going to visit! He had never seen our house in England. The best part was that he was coming while I was home. “Are your parents angry about the library thing?” Victoire asked when she returned with her extra credit. “They want to talk about it over Easter,” I groaned. “Oh, you're going home for Easter?” Victoire asked. “Er, yeah,” I said, “Don't most people?” “No,” Victoire shook her head, “Most of us just stay here and study for our exams.” “Well, my uncle's coming to visit over the holiday, so I'm definitely coming home. He lives in New York and we don't see him a lot,” I explained. “That'll be fun, then,” Victoire said. ****** Three months and five days. That was how long it had been since Olivia sent me a letter. Her owl showed up a week after the full moon and I dug through her old letters to find out exactly how long it had been. I sat on my bed holding the letter in my hands, staring at it. Why had she waited three months to send me a letter? What made her send one now? The door opened and Victoire walked into the room. “Want to go to the kitchens with me? I'm starved.” I didn't reply. I had never been to the kitchens and on any other day I may have wanted to go. “Amy?” Victoire asked, “Are you ok?” “Olivia sent me a letter,” I said, “After three months of not sending one.” “Have you opened it?” Victoire asked as she sat down on my bed. I shook my head. “Open it,” she said. I nodded and started ripping the envelope open. I pulled the letter out and read it silently, not even caring if Victoire read it over my shoulder. [i]Amy, I'm really sorry I haven't written you back until now. I guess I just got busy. Fifth year started a few months ago. The amount of work is insane. How have you been? How is Hogwarts? Are you still really behind in your classes? I hope you made some new friends. How's your brother doing? I don't know exactly how to tell you this, so I'm just going to say it. Lisa is sharing my dorm with me now. She and Carmen had this huge fight and she asked for a dorm change this year. They assigned her to our room. I was really mad about it at first, because I didn't want another roommate ever. But she's honestly not that bad. I think she was rude to us because of Carmen. I'm going to her house for Easter. I'll try and let you know how it goes, but I'll apologize in advance if I don't send letters as often. You'll always be my friend, but it's just hard because we never see each other. Even when you're in Australia we can't see each other. Your friend, Olivia[/i] I set the letter down on my bed and squeezed my eyes shut. Victoire put her hand on my shoulder, which told me that she had read the letter. I should have known it was coming. How can two people stay best friends when they never see each other? Olivia would see Lisa all the time. They were now roommates like Olivia and I had once been. Olivia was going to Lisa's house. After they'd been friends for three months. Olivia didn't go to my house until a little over a year ago. “Do you want to write her back?” Victoire asked quietly. “I'll do it later,” I stuffed the letter back into the envelope and put it in my trunk, “Show me the kitchens.” Victoire nodded and we left Gryffindor Tower. She didn't say one word about the letter on our way to the kitchens, which I was grateful for. I didn't want to talk about it. The kitchens were under the Great Hall, behind a large portrait of a bowl of fruit. All you had to do to get in was tickle the pear and a doorknob would appear. “How do you know so much about the castle?” I asked. “That map Teddy was talking about,” Victoire said, “And my aunts and uncles know more about this place than Kendrick probably does.” I never found the kitchens in Australia, so I was amazed by the kitchens at Hogwarts. It was one very large room filled with tables, ovens, and more food than I had ever seen in my life. There were more House Elves than I had ever seen in my life and five of them ran up to us when we walked in. “Can we get yous anything?” one of them asked. “Chocolate cake,” Victoire said immediately and then looked at me. “Anything I want?” I asked. “Yep,” Victoire nodded. “Chocolate ice cream with whipped cream,” I said. The House Elves left and Victoire and I waited near the door. “They just get you anything you want whenever you want?” I asked. “Yeah,” Victoire said, “They love it when students come down here.” “Is this against the rules?” I asked. “I'm not even sure,” Victoire shrugged, “Everyone who knows where the kitchens are comes down here.” One of the House Elves returned a few minutes later with a large slab of chocolate cake and a huge bowl of chocolate ice cream. We went up to the Room of Requirement to eat it and I imagined what Matt was going to think when I told him you could get chocolate cake and ice cream whenever you wanted at Hogwarts. ****** My friendship with Victoire reminded me of a potion that would refuse to boil for a half hour and then all of a sudden it would boil over the top of the cauldron. For months we had hardly said anything to each other and then all of a sudden, we did everything together. I soon learned that we really had a lot in common. Our family lives couldn't have been anymore different, though. Victoire's family was loud, boisterous, and huge. I soon met all of her cousins that were at Hogwarts, although I'd never remember all of their names. In a way they all reminded me of Kenzie's family. Everyone looked after each other and I almost wished I had that many cousins. Or any first cousins, really. Despite our familial differences, we really were quite alike. Both of us were very studious, even though we had subjects we were awful at. We could both sit in the library reading for hours without talking to anyone. Neither of us were really into Quidditch, although we both had brothers who loved it yet had no skill at it whatsoever. I never mentioned Monica and Victoire never mentioned Olivia. I did write Olivia back, but didn't really expect her to write me again anytime soon. For some reason it didn't even bother me. I had been upset when her letter arrived, but it just didn't bother me anymore. There was still the issue of me keeping secrets from Victoire, though. When the next full moon came, I tried as hard as I could to act normal and not make my worrying too obvious, but I wasn't sure if it worked. It had been the second full moon in a row that I hadn't spent in the Hospital Wing helping Madam Pomfrey. I spent the evening studying with Victoire, Teddy, and Landon, and realized that I didn't want to go bottle potions. Jasper turned up at lunch and it was then that I realized how hard it would be to keep Matt's lycanthropy a secret. Victoire and I spent every second of every day with each other, pretty much. I was going to have to sneak off to the toilet to read the letter. “I'll meet you in Ancient Runes,” I told Victoire as I got up, “I've got to use the toilet.” Victoire nodded and I left. There wasn't much time before Ancient Runes and I was going to have to use the second floor bathroom, which was closest to the Runes classroom. I hated that bathroom. It was always flooded. Actually, I hadn't actually used it yet because the water leaking out of the bottom of the door put me off from it. The bathroom was flooded as usual and I shut myself in a stall to open the letter. It was very short. Mum just told me that Matt was ok and she'd see me in a few days when the Easter holiday started. “Ooo, a letter!” A ghost of a very young girl flew through the stall door. I shrieked. I shrieked like Monica had when Teddy howled during that detention. The ghost laughed manically and flew up to the ceiling. She floated down until she was hovering right in front of me. “Bad news?” she asked excitedly, “From home?” “Er, no,” I said, my heart still pounding fast, “Very good news, actually.” “Well, isn't that just lovely!” the ghost burst out in tears, “Everyone gloats about their good news in front of poor Myrtle! Poor Myrtle doesn't get good news! You want to know why? Because she's dead, that's why!” The ghost (who I presumed was named Myrtle) soared up to the ceiling again and then plunged herself into the toilet. “Er, well, I've got to get to class, then,” I said awkwardly as I left the stall and then ran out of the bathroom as fast as my soaking wet feet could take me. Whenever I thought I was finally getting used to Hogwarts, something weird would happen. The ghost in the bathroom was a perfect example. Back to avoiding the place, I guessed. As it turned out, there was a better reason than a flood to avoid it. “Did you know,” I whispered to Victoire as I slid into the seat next to hers in Ancient Runes, “That there is a mad ghost in the girls' bathroom on the second floor?” Victoire laughed. “Oh, you mean Moaning Myrtle?” “That's an understatement,” I rolled my eyes, “She started crying hysterically and plunged herself into the toilet because I told her my letter from home wasn't bad news.” “That's normal for Myrtle,” Victoire replied, “She's obsessed with death. I mean, even for a ghost, she's obsessed with death. I try to avoid the place.” “I will, too, from now on,” I said. ****** When Victoire said everyone stayed at Hogwarts over the Easter holidays, she meant it. There were probably around 15 people on the Hogwarts Express that Thursday. About half of them were first years and only two were older than me. None of them were students I recognized. I got a compartment to myself, which wasn't all that difficult. It would have been harder to locate a compartment that had someone else in it, actually. The trip was relatively boring and I read for part of it and slept the rest. Dad was the only one waiting for me on the platform when the train arrived in London. He was still wearing his work robes, so I figured he went straight to the station from the Ministry. “Amy,” he gave me a hug, “I missed you.” “Missed you, too,” I said and hugged him back. Dad grabbed my trunk and put his other arm around me and we Apparated home. The house was quiet when we walked through the door. Dad dragged my trunk upstairs while I wandered into the kitchen. Mum and Ellie were cooking dinner and Matt was sitting at the island. He turned around when I came in and jumped off the stool. He ran towards me and threw his arms around me. “Matt,” I picked him up and hugged him, “I missed you.” “I'm glad you're back,” he said as I set him down on the stool, “Uncle Jack's coming on Saturday.” “Oh, is he flying in that day?” I asked Mum. “Yes,” Mum put down a wooden spoon and gave me a hug, “Welcome home.” “So, what are we going to do while he's here?” I asked as I sat down next to Matt. “We're going to a Chudley Cannons match!” Matt said excitedly. “Seriously?” I raised my eyebrows at Mum. The Quidditch World Cup in Australia had been fun, but that was the World Cup. The Cannons were some random British team that apparently were really bad. Going to one of their matches wasn't exactly my idea of fun. “Yes, we're all going,” Mum smiled, “Matt's been begging to go to one ever since you got him that jersey for Christmas. We figured we'd wait until you were home.” “Thanks,” I rolled my eyes. Why had I gotten him that jersey again? “It'll be fun,” Dad said as he walked into the kitchen, “They're playing some team called Puddlemere United.” “If what I've heard is true, Puddlemere United is going to kill the Cannons,” I replied, “So don't bet any money on the Cannons winning.” “No one's betting any money on anything,” Mum said as she set a large bowl of salad on the table. My parents wanted to hear all about school during dinner, so I told them about Victoire, Teddy, and Landon. They looked very happy that I had managed to find friends, but neither of them mentioned my detention. Matt and I played Exploding Snap while Mum and Dad cleaned up the kitchen, until Matt's face was covered in so much ash that Mum made him go wash it. Then Dad beat me in a few rounds of wizard's chess while Matt fell asleep on the couch. I guess he was still tired from the full moon. After Dad carried Matt upstairs to bed, he and Mum sat down on the couch opposite from the chair I was sitting in and I could tell from the looks on their faces that they were going to bring up the detention. “Amy, what happened?” Dad asked quietly. “Remember that girl, Monica?” I sighed, “Well, I was studying with Victoire, Teddy, and Landon in the library....” I told them the entire story. Monica's harsh statements to Victoire, Teddy and Monica's near duel, and the detention itself. Plus, I told them that Victoire and I really hadn't done anything besides yell a bit too loudly in the library. By the time I finished the story, my parents looked relieved. “Just please try to ignore this Monica girl,” Mum sighed and shook her head. “I do,” I replied, “And it'll be easier now that Victoire's not friends with her anymore.” “And don't shout in the library anymore,” Dad said, “You know better than that.” “I know,” I shrugged, “It's just hard to keep quiet when Monica starts talking. She knows how to get to me.” Mum and Dad looked at each other. “We understand,” Dad said quietly. I was pretty sure both he and Mum were thinking about Ralph Lubar. “I'm going to go upstairs,” I said, figuring the conversation was over, “Good night.” My parents said good night back and I went upstairs to my room. I dug some pajamas out of my trunk and climbed into bed after I changed. It was kind of early to go to bed, so I read for a few hours before falling asleep. I was asleep very quickly. Even though I was getting along well with most of my roommates, there was something comforting about sleeping in your own bed. Maybe it was the fact that I didn't have to put a silencing charm around it before drifting off to sleep. Or perhaps it was the solitude of being alone in my room. But I think it was more because I knew I was home, surrounded by the people who cared about me.
DucksRMagical Joined: 28 December 2006 Posts: 2535 Location: Going through LeakyCon withdrawal	Posted: Sunday 2 August 2009 12 28 35 pm    Post subject: Re: In Moonlight's Shadow in topic:In Moonlight's Shadow Thanks hprocks! Chapter 56: A Meeting With Professor Kendrick The next few days went by quickly. Matt continued to sleep at night so Mum never had to go buy Dreamless Sleep. Richard took Dad golfing, which apparently turned out interesting. Dad has only been golfing a handful of times, so he's not very good at it. The Muggles who were behind them got kind of angry that Dad was taking so long, so Richard let a whole bunch of Muggles ahead of them. It took all afternoon, but they had fun. Kenzie and two of her sisters came over to swim while Dad and Richard were gone. Mari and Maddie played with Matt while I told Kenzie all about school. Well, I made it sound like a Muggle school. I mostly talked about the other kids in my year. Kenzie's dad barbecued at their house for New Year's Eve. Even Richard and Cinda went, which is kind of funny. It's not that they don't get along, they're just really different. Kenzie's parents have always been more of friends with my parents than my grandparents. "Did Morgan get a mobile phone?" I asked as Kenzie and I sat in a tree in her backyard. Morgan was walking around the yard jabbering away into a tiny phone. One thing I learned from Vivienne, Breanne, and their lot was that mobile phones are very important to girls like them. "Oh, no," Kenzie laughed, "Mum would never get her one. That's Mum's. I don't even have one. Mum'll probably take it away soon, since Morgan's been on it since this morning." "No offense," I said, "But Morgan is just like Breanne and those other girls I don't like." "None taken," Kenzie replied, "I know she is and I have no idea where she got it from. I seriously think she'd love to go live with your grandparents." She gestured to Cinda, who was talking on her own mobile phone. "I'm sure Cinda would love it, too," I said, "Someone to buy expensive clothes for." "Morgan would love to have someone buy them for her." "Your other sisters aren't like that," I said as I watched Mari and Maddie play football with Matt. The term 'playing football' was used loosely, though. Mostly Mari was kicking the ball around the yard and if by some small chance she lost hold of it, Matt would dribble it for a few seconds before Mari took it away again. Maddie mostly chased the other two. "I can't ever see Mari being anything like that," Kenzie said, "She's so sporty. She's better than half the boys her age in football. It's kind of funny. She plays on a co-ed team and she's the star player." "Well, she's got no competition in Matt," I laughed, "He's lucky he doesn't trip over the ball." "Mari!" Kenzie's mum shouted, "Let Matt have a turn with it!" "We're playing a game, Mum, it's not my problem he's loosing!" Mari shouted. "It's too soon to tell with Maddie," Kenzie went on, "She mainly copies the rest of us. When Mari play soccer, Maddie wants to play. When Morgan straightens her hair and puts on make-up, Maddie wants to. When I draw or design stuff on the computer, Maddie wants to." "And Michael?" I asked. Kenzie laughed, "Michael likes to annoy the cat." Both Cinda and Morgan got off the phone when dinner was served. Well, Kenzie's mum took her phone back, much to Morgan's disgust. Morgan spent all of dinner sulking and we pretty much ignored her. Mari wanted to organize a big football match after dinner. Everyone participated except Cinda (because she wasn't wearing the right shoes), Morgan (because she was still sulking), and Michael (for obvious reasons). The teams were Richard, Mrs. Dawe, Mari, me, and Kenzie versus Dad, Mr. Dawe, Mum, Matt, and Maddie. Cinda agreed to be the referee, but she didn't pay much attention. The match was really fun. I hadn't ever played such a huge game of football before. In fact, the extent of my football playing had been kicking the ball around with Matt and Dad in our backyard. So I wasn't very good. Mari was easily the best player, but Mr. Dawe, Mum, Dad, and Kenzie were good as well, so the teams were evenly matched. I even managed to score a few goals against Mum, who was the goalie. Mostly I just passed the ball to Mari since she got the ball past Mum every time. Mari was going to be the star of her school's football team when she got older. She was faster than me and even the adults. I hadn't ever seen a nine-year-old run that fast. However, Mrs. Dawe was not impressed when Mari plowed Maddie over on her way to the goal. It seemed to happen more and more often as it got darker, which didn't surprise me. It was hard to see. The porch lights didn't reach the entire yard. The match was declared over when Mari managed to run into Matt on her way down the yard. She knocked him flat onto his back, which must have been hard to do since he's only a head shorter than her. He didn't get right back up afterwards like Maddie did either. I think he was mostly just shocked that he was knocked over by her. Mum picked him up and took him over to the picnic table while Mrs. Dawe gave Mari a stern lecture about looking where she was going. Our team won due to Mari's scoring abilities. We went inside after that. Dad, Richard, and Mr. Dawe sat in the living room drinking beer and talking about golf, the weather, and who knows what else. Mum and Mrs. Dawe (once she put Michael to bed) talked with each other in the family room. Matt laid down on the couch next to Mum and I doubted he'd stay up until midnight. Cinda gave Morgan a manicure while they talked about clothes and fashion. Mari and Maddie played video games. Kenzie and I just talked. It was so peaceful to spend New Year's Eve at Kenzie's house. So much better than New Year's Eve the previous year. New Year's at Kenzie's house was like what I always imagined holidays would be like if I had a big family with a lot of cousins. Fun, relaxing, and a little chaotic. Kenzie's family was really the closest thing we had to an extended family besides Uncle Jack, Richard, and Cinda. It was almost nice that we couldn't share the fact that we were wizards with them. We could just leave that part of our lives behind and forget about everything for the evening. The remaining hours until midnight went by fast. Matt and Maddie fell asleep on the couch and even Mari had run out of energy and was reading a book in between them. Morgan had received a full makeover from Cinda and was glowing (not from the make-up, either). Dad, Richard, and Mr. Dawe came into the room shortly before midnight. Mrs. Dawe passed around noisemakers and woke up Matt and Maddie. I got a noisemaker and jumped up and down with Kenzie while we counted down the seconds until midnight. "Happy New Year!" I shouted along with anyone else. Kenzie and I hugged each other and then hugged everyone else. This was the way to spend New Year's. Surrounded by your friends, not your grandmother's rich acquaintances. We said goodbye a little while later. All of the little kids were cranky, especially Maddie. She was having a screaming fit as we left. I had no idea when I'd see Kenzie again, but I wasn't sad as we said goodbye. It had been such a happy night. I didn't realize how tired I was until we got back to Richard and Cinda's house. I fell asleep as soon as I got into bed. ****** Mum and Dad woke me up an hour before we had to leave for the airport. Dad had to go back to work in a few days and my holiday from school was nearly over. The flight was uneventful, which I was grateful for. It was strange to be back in England. It had been easy enough to forget about Hogwarts and homework and England while we were in Australia, but as soon as I walked into our house, it all came back. There was an unfamiliar barn owl sitting on the kitchen table. I had no idea how it managed to get into the house since we shut all the windows. Some sort of magic, no doubt. "What's this?" Mum asked as she took the letter from the owl. She opened it and began to read silently, her lips turning down in a frown. "What is it?" Dad asked. "It's from Kendrick," Mum said quietly, "He's requested a meeting. About Amy." I gaped at her. What had I done? I was quiet, I ignored most of the other students, I never made trouble. "Amy?" Dad turned to look at me, "Well, I suppose we could go up there tomorrow. I think we'd all like to sleep today." Mum nodded and took a quill and a pot of ink out of the nearest drawer. She scrawled something on the back of the parchment and sent it off with the barn owl. Much to my surprise, Mum and Dad didn't say a word about the letter. Dad merely told me to go do my homework and I was all too willing to cooperate. What did Kendrick want anyway? Judging by Mum's face, it wasn't anything good. The only thing I could think of was that it had to do with my grades. I knew I wasn't doing very well in about half my subjects. I tried to do my homework, but I couldn't concentrate. It was kind of ironic. Kendrick wanted to meet with my parents because of my grades (at least I thought) and that fact was keeping me from doing my homework which would help me increase my grades. Mum and Dad didn't bring up the letter the entire night. They were quiet during dinner and I had a feeling they talked about it by themselves, but they weren't bringing it up around me. I tossed and turned the entire night and got up long before anyone else. I had no idea what time we were going to Hogwarts. Mum never told me. I didn't want to go. There were still two days of holiday left and I had no motivation to go back early. It was only a short meeting, but still. Mum and Dad came downstairs shortly after I finished eating. They sat down on the opposite side of the table from me and Dad folded his hands on the table. "Amy," he began, "Do you know what Professor Kendrick wants to talk about?" "Didn't the letter tell you?" I asked. "No," Dad shook his head. I stared down at the milk remaining in my bowl. "It's probably my marks." "Your marks?" Mum asked curiously, "You've never had a problem with classes before. I know you've always struggled with Defense and Transfiguration, but nothing else." "I think I might be failing everything except Potions, Astronomy, Care of Magical Creatures, and Herbology," I muttered as I moved my spoon around in my bowl. "Amy, that means you're failing half your classes," Dad said quietly. "I know, ok?" I said as I got up, "I just don't want to talk about it!" "Amy-" "No, I don't want to talk about it!" I said as I ran out of the room. "We're going to see Professor Kendrick at one!" Mum shouted after me. I ran up to my room and slammed the door behind me. Mum shouted something else, probably telling me not to be so loud, but I ignored her. They just didn't get it. They didn't understand how hard it was to switch schools in the middle of your education. They didn't get that classes were different, that I'm behind in half my classes and ahead in the other half. Nor did they understand how hard it was to spend three and a half months in a school without any friends. Or to have a roommate who hates your guts and would hate your brother even more than you if she knew what he was. Or to have a Slytherin competing with you in every potion you brew. I managed to finish most of my homework by the time Mum came upstairs and told me to come downstairs and have lunch before going to Hogwarts. Neither of my parents mentioned anything else about my grades during lunch, which I was grateful for. In fact, they were silent during lunch. So was Matt, but I think that was a combination of the time change and the fact that the full moon was two days away. One o'clock came and we Apparated to Hogsmeade. Luckily it wasn't snowing, but it was bitterly cold since we were walking into the wind. I was shivering before we even reached the grounds. Professor Kendrick met us in the Entrance Hall. The castle was so quiet and empty it was almost spooky. It reminded me of when we visited over the summer, but since I had gotten used to it being chaotic and busy, it was strange to see it empty. Kendrick led us up to his study, which thankfully had a roaring fire in the fireplace. The corridors were nearly as cold as outside. Four armchairs sat in front of his wooden desk and we all sat down. I waited nervously for Kendrick to start talking. I noticed both Professors Dumbledore and Snape were in their portraits. "How was your holiday?" Kendrick asked. "It was nice," Mum answered, "We visited my parents in Australia. How was yours?" "Relaxing," Kendrick said, "However, the term is about to start, so it's back to work. I'm sure you're both wondering why I asked you to meet with me." "Yes, your letter was not clear," Dad replied. "I thought it would be better if I just told you in person," Kendrick said and then turned to me, "Amy, how are you liking Hogwarts?" I shrugged. "It's ok." "Your marks this term were drastically lower than your marks in Australia," Kendrick told me, "Are the classes too hard?" "I don't know," I muttered, "It's just that they're so different. Like History of Magic. It's all completely new and Professor Binns doesn't pause to let people take notes." Kendrick smiled. "I had Professor Binns in school. I highly suggest just reading the textbook and studying with that rather than trying to take notes in his class." "Oh," I said. It would have been nice if someone told me that earlier. "What I would like to know is how you're adjusting to Hogwarts. Sometimes grades fall when you're homesick or not adjusting well," Kendrick said quietly. I bit my lip. Not adjusting well. That was putting it lightly. I hoped Kendrick wouldn't keep pushing this or I was going to start crying in his study. "She hasn't mentioned anything like that," Mum said. Because I didn't want to mention it, I thought. I could feel the tears forming. I squeezed my eyes shut. "Amy?" Mum asked, "Are you having a hard time adjusting?" "I don't know," I sniffed, "It's just that everyone already has friends. I just miss Australia." "Oh, I had no idea," Mum put her arm around me, "Why didn't you say something when you came home?" "You guys are so happy here," I sobbed, "Dad likes his job and Matt will be able to go to school and we don't have to worry about Lubar and his bloody laws." "Amy, we want to know if you're unhappy. Maybe we can help," Mum said. "What are you going to do, make people be friends with me?" I asked. If people didn't want to be friends with me, I was out of luck. There wasn't anything anyone could do. "Perhaps you just need someone to talk to while you're at school," Kendrick suggested, "It's not good to keep all that bottled up." "I don't know," I muttered, "I talk to Madam Pomfrey." "That's good," Kendrick smiled, "Although she can be quite busy at times." Mum and Dad shared one of those parental looks and I knew they had already thought of something "We've actually decided that Amy should meet with a psychologist once a week," Dad said. Me? See a psychologist like Matt did? I hadn't been through any trauma. Why couldn't I just keep talking to Madam Pomfrey? "Excellent idea," Kendrick replied, "Do you have someone in mind?" Dad nodded. "Healer Norlam. Matt saw him for a few months and now Julie and I are meeting with him once a week as well." "Let me know which day will work for him," Kendrick said, "And we'll set it up." Weren't they going to ask my opinion of this? I didn't appear to get a say in what was going to happen. I didn't see how talking to Norlam was going to help my grades anyway. "I'll send you an owl to let you know when the first session will be," Kendrick told me, "It will be in the hospital wing." "Ok," I nodded. "Well," Kendrick folded his hands together, "I think we'll try this for a month and then reassess." "That's fine," Dad said. "Then I'll see you on Monday, Amy," Kendrick smiled, "Enjoy your last day of holiday." I was dreading going back to school too much to enjoy the last bit of holiday. Plus I had so much homework to do. ****** The remainder of the holiday was rather boring. Dad had to work on Sunday since he was taking Monday and Tuesday off for the full moon. Mum spent the day cleaning with Ellie and doing some shopping in Diagon Alley. Matt slept much of the day and read when he wasn't sleeping. I read as well. I really did not want to go back to school. Partly because I liked being at home so much more and partly because Matt was starting Sterling's study. He wasn't getting any potion for the first two years, but he still had to get observed and Sterling wanted him to transform at St. Mungo's again. He would transform at home for all the following months, though. My parents promised to owl me of course, but it wasn't the same. Monday came too fast and I was soon on my way back to Hogwarts. Just Dad had dropped me off since Matt had been sleeping when we left. He didn't even wake up when I said goodbye. I hadn't expected him to, but I wished he had. It was snowing when the Hogwarts Express pulled into Hogsmeade station and the ride up to the school was freezing. I shared a carriage with three older Ravenclaws who ignored me. The moon had risen by the time dinner started. I was too focused on that to eat much. All I wanted to do was go up to my dormitory, curl up in my bed, and try to fall asleep. When I was finally able to do that, all my roommates stayed up late talking about their holidays. I heard all about Samantha's getting to meet the Holyhead Harpies, Alyssa's trip to France, Seren's boring holiday at home, Monica's New Year's party in which she kissed two blokes at midnight, and Victoire's hectic Christmas at her grandparents' house. Victoire asked me how my holiday was and I told her I went to Australia and that it was fun. I fell asleep long after they went to bed, which meant I must not have fallen asleep until really late. I spent the next day in a sort of distracted trance. No letter arrived from my parents at brekkie or lunch. I knew I should have paid better attention in my classes, but I kept looking at the windows, waiting for Jasper to show up. He finally appeared in the common room window after classes were over. I practically leaped over two first years in order to get the letter before someone else did. The common room was packed. It was no place to read a letter about my brother. Much to my dismay, Monica was in the dormitory with a few of her fifth year friends so I couldn't read the letter there. I shoved it in my robes and ran out of Gryffindor Tower and towards the Hospital Wing. I groaned inwardly when I reached the ward. It was as nearly as packed as the common room. I squeezed my way inside and realized there was no way I'd get any privacy there. "Come to join the party, Amy?" Willinson appeared at my side. I jumped aside and glared at him. "No. Why's it so crowded here?" "Someone put Everlasting Itch Cream into the pipes in the Slytherin common room," Willinson muttered, "Now whoever uses the sinks or showers gets doused in itch cream." Looking around, I noticed that everyone in the ward was a Slytherin and most of them were rather twitchy and scratching themselves. If I hadn't been so worried about what the letter said, I would have thought it was rather funny. I muttered a quick goodbye to Willinson and ran out of the ward. Where was I going to read the letter? Was there no place in the entire castle where I could be alone? The Astronomy tower would be too cold since it was snowing. I walked back up to the seventh floor and began pacing. Pacing always helped me come up with ideas. Anything outside was out of the question for the same reasons the Astronomy Tower was. I'd get in trouble if I used an empty classroom. The Great Hall would be crowded. I stopped pacing and glanced around the the corridor. It was completely empty. Maybe if I just went in an empty classroom for a few minutes nobody would know. I turned around and grabbed the handle of the nearest door. I looked once more down the corridor and opened it. The room was very small. It didn't look like a classroom at all. There weren't any desks or a blackboard. All it contained was a comfortable looking couch, a table, and a fireplace with a crackling fire. It looked like the perfect place to read a letter. Hogwarts just kept getting stranger and stranger, I thought as I sat down on the couch. I ripped the letter open and read it. [i]Dear Amy, I hope you first day back went well. The full moon wasn't any worse than usual. We stayed at St. Mungo's until early afternoon and then went back home. Matt is ok, but he'll need to rest for a few days like usual. Keep us updated on everything. We want to know how you are doing at school. You should be having your first appointment with Healer Norlam soon. Let us know how that goes. Love, Mum and Dad[/i] I breathed a sigh of relief and put the letter back in my robes. Was this what every full moon was going to be like now? Would I get this worried about all of them? I was rarely this worried while we still lived in Australia. It was probably because of that month he had to transform in the Ministry center. I was going to have to remember that room for the next time I had a letter about Matt. As I left the room, I noticed there was a portrait of Barnabas the Barmy teaching trolls to dance ballet. That was certainly memorable. I wouldn't forget where the room was. There was no doubt in my mind that Teddy had been behind the prank in the Slytherin common room. This was confirmed when I returned to the Gryffindor common room and saw a very large group of Gryffindors surrounding Teddy, who was bragging about the prank. It amazed me that he could get away with all these pranks but Professor Kendrick owled my parents for a meeting.
Ms. Elsewhere Joined: 13 January 2008 Posts: 881 Location: In role play game of course!	Posted: Thursday 16 July 2009 09 13 16 am    Post subject: Re: HBP OMG! *spoilers* in topic:HBP OMG! *spoilers* Where do I begin! The beginning broke my heart with all the press snapping photos of Harry - the dizzying realisation that LV was back ,but also that Sirius was dead. I have to say I love the 'sexed' up approach this time. Sweet how Harry gets flirted with now.. lol! Ok so let's see... I really think the whole thing was very skeletal, but it got some important messages across. So hard to do all that in one movie! Dumbledores hand, Snapes part in it all, Malfoy's real reason for having to kill Dumbledore... all just hints. Loved Malfoys part in it! Yay! about time he got serious. Loved the kick on the train! Ouch! The train trip was beautiful, the terrain was almost not in this dimension, if you know what i mean? A little theory I have is that the pillar you get into Hogwarts Express station is a temorary port key? Because there actually IS a train..... but it can't possibly actually be at Kings Cross STation... Um um... okay okay.. I could go on forever... So I'll finish with this. I'm angry about the ending. Too abrupt. No real battle. Dumbledore had Harry bound in a spell that only released him after he was dead. That part in the book paralized me! But they did not give us that in the movie! The tribute was sweet, but it needed to be epic! I wanted to see the funeral and the tomb! I pictured it in my mind, I felt ripped off! And how Harry decided then he would not return to Hogwarts was sooooooooo much cooler than the looking off into the distance at how beautiful Hogwarts was and how he'll miss it.. but be careful not to snog Ginny in front of Ron??? Gaaaaaaaaaaawd.... I guess they had to sell it to the audiences... Secretly, I wonder if they were trying to sell the whole love story thing like their new rival Twilight series are doing. lol! ooooooo...... Overal, brilliant work! Attention to detail. Lavender Brown and Luna Lovegood were brilliant. ..... But Emma Watson.. well I guess that's Hermione Granger? The bit where she was upset about Ron was soo..... could have been done better. She should have got hysterical or something. SO glad it's out though! Yay! So, did you and Ginny do it? LOL Cracks me up. OH and the liquid luck! hee hee... I have a really good feeling about Hagrids Hut!