Harry Potter Party Supplies

Have a wizard of a time with these Harry Potter party supplies. These favors, decorations and kits are perfect to help you throw parties for a magical birthday or Halloween. Check out our costume page too for more ideas to maximize the fun.

Wizard Crafts

With the overwhelming success of Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings, wizards and dragons are more popular with children than ever before. This book shows young fans how to celebrate their enthusiasm for these magical themes with fun and easy craft projects. Children will delight at all the imaginative creations, including: *Enchanting dragon and wizard toys and games *Spellbinding party invitations, decorations and tableware *Bewitching dragon, unicorn and wizard costumes *Magical keepsake gifts Each project beats anything available at the mall and can be made with simple items found in craft stores. Parents and kids will love making these delightful crafts over and over!

$12.98

Advanced Graphics 885 Professor Snape Life-Size Cardboard Stand-Up

life-sized cardboard stand-up of professor snape from the movie series harry potter. photographic quality image appears on front of heavy high quality cardboard body. perfect for decorating any room or party. measures 74 x 34 inches.
$35.88

Asterix and the Actress

With over 300 million copies sold worldwide, the Asterix books are a global sensation. (They've sold even more than Harry Potter!) Set in 50 BC, these hysterical historical tales follow the adventures of Asterix and his pals in the days of the Roman Empire. Normally, he's concerned about protecting his town from the legionnaires (with the help of a magic potion), but here something else is on his mind: his surprise birthday party! Meanwhile, two old friends are about to turn up again...and they're up to something interesting...There's no gladiator that can match Asterix's power!
$9.45

Alfred 00-35326 Value Songbooks- 1990s and 2000s

alfred music publishing is the world s largest educational music publisher. alfred produces educational, reference, pop, and performance materials for teachers, students, professionals, and hobbyists spanning every musical instrument, style, and difficulty level. budget-savvy musicians love alfred's value songbooks, each of which contains more than 300 pages of smash hit sheet music for a bargain price! for practice, pleasure, or performance, any pianist, guitarist, or singer?from hobbyist to professional?will appreciate the huge array of top-tier songs available in these smart and affordable songbooks. value songbooks: 1990s & 2000s hits contains: 21 guns * all i wanna do * all summer long * almost lover * amazed * because of you * bittersweet symphony * boulevard of broken dreams * crazy * creep * crush * everybody hurts * everything * get here * good riddance (time of your life) * haven't met you yet * hedwig's theme (from harry potter) * hey there delilah * high and dry * home * hot n cold * how do i live * how you remind me * i don't want to be * i swear * if today was your last day * i'll be there for you * i'll stand by you * in my daughter's eyes * kiss from a rose * macarena * my immortal * need you now * new soul * one of us * party in the u.s.a. * photograph * right now * she talks to angels * smile * smooth * sorry * starlight * temporary home * this is it * try again * un-break my heart * we belong together * what goes around ? comes around * who i was born to be.
$27.92

Confederate Railroad - Rockin` Country Party Pack

Confederate Railroad: Danny Shirley (vocals, guitar); Jimmy Dormire (guitar); Gates Nichols (steel guitar, background vocals); Cody McCarver (keyboards, background vocals); Wayne Secrest (bass); Mark Dufresne (drums).Additional personnel includes: Billy Crain (acoustic & slide guitars); Blue Miller, Billy Joe Walker, Jr., Don Potter (acoustic guitar); Dale Oliver (electric & slide guitars); Brent Rowan, Mike Severs (electric guitar); Bruce Bouton (steel guitar, synthesizer); Buck Reed, "Cowboy" Eddie Long, Paul Franklin (steel guitar); Russ Pahl (dobro); Glen Duncan (fiddle); Jim Horn, Jim Hoke, Charles Rose, Michael Haynes (horns); Bobby Ogdin, Barry Beckett (keyboards); Kenny Aronoff (drums); Angelo Collura (percussion); Harry Stinson, Dennis Wilson (background vocals).Producer: Barry Beckett, Bobby Huff, Pete Greene.Engineers include: Brian Hardin, Casey Wood, Pete Greene.Personnel: Danny Shirley (vocals, guitar); Gates Nichols (vocals, steel guitar); Cody McCarver (vocals, keyboards); Jimmy Dormire (guitar); Wayne Secrest (bass guitar); Mark DuFresne (drums).Rockin` Country Party Pack isn`t quite a hits collection and it isn`t quite a rarities collection, either. It`s a combination of singles, album tracks, and "club" remixes, all adding up to an album that`s designed to be a good-time record -- a party album, as it were. It succeeds on that count, and even if the lack of a handful of hits may irritate a casual fan or two, this comes pretty close to summarizing the group`s strengths. Anyone looking for a strong, entertaining Confederate Railroad album should turn here. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine Copyright (C) Muze Inc. 2005. For personal use only. All rights reserved.
$7.65

Alfred 00-30820S Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and #44; Suite from

alfred music publishing is the world s largest educational music publisher. alfred produces educational, reference, pop, and performance materials for teachers, students, professionals, and hobbyists spanning every musical instrument, style, and difficulty level. starting with the "opening" music and transitioning to "the story begins," the medley develops incorporating "in noctem," the jazzy "wizard wheezes," "ron's victory," "the slug party," "journey to the cave," "dumbledore's farewell," "the friends," and closing with "the weasley stomp." true to the original film-score, this jam-packed medley will bring the excitement and energy to your students and audiences alike. stunning!
$27.05

Kenny Chesney - In My Wildest Dreams

Personnel: Kenny Chesney (vocals, guitar); Don Potter (acoustic guitar); Brent Rowan (guitar); Paul Franklin (steel guitar); Glen Duncan, Rob Hajacos (fiddle); Pig Robbins, Steve Nathan (keyboards); Michael Rhodes (bass); Eddie Bayers (drums); Dennis Wilson, Harry Stinson, Curtis Young, Tammy Pierce (background vocals).All songs written or co-written by Kenny Chesney except "High And Dry" (Michael Huffman/Woody Mullis/Mike Gieger), "In My Wildest Dreams" (Aaron Tippin/Donny Kees), "I Want My Rib Back" (Keith Whitley/Fred Koller) and "Angel Loved The Devil" (Neil Chesney/Donny Kees/Jim Weatherly).Personnel: Kenny Chesney (vocals, acoustic guitar); Brent Rowan (guitar); Don Potter (acoustic guitar); Paul Franklin (steel guitar); Glen Duncan, Rob Hajacos (fiddle); Steve Nathan, Hargus "Pig" Robbins (keyboards); Michael Rhodes (bass guitar); Eddie Bayers (drums); Curtis Young, Dennis Wilson , Harry Stinson, Tammy Pierce, High and Dry Party Choir (background vocals).On his 1994 debut album In My Wildest Dreams, Kenny Chesney was pretty much packaged and presented as a new Garth Brooks, complete with a big hat and a big production that had its eye on crossover but was still planted within the sound of new traditionalist. And this is indeed the most traditional that Kenny Chesney ever sounded, as he sings Keith Whitley`s wry "I Want My Rib Back" and spends his time kicking out lean, hooky country-rockers like the title track, "Whatever It Takes," and "Somebody`s Callin," or the swinging Texas barroom anthem "High and Dry." Even the ballads -- "The Tin Man," which he later revived, and "When She Calls Me Baby" -- aren`t quite as shellacked with gloss as they would be just a year later, making them feel more country even if their heart is already in pop, something that can`t quite be said for the rest of the album, which sounds and feels like a full-on new traditionalist country record. And it`s very appealing too -- the album is sprightly, a giddy good time, and Chesney already shows signs of being a good writer. The only thing that doesn`t quite feel right is Chesney`s singing; his twang sounds a bit affected, as if he`s trying too hard, which is odd since he`d later make a career out of casual, but that`s something that can be discerned only in retrospect. Apart from that, this is a thoroughly appealing debut, although, to be honest, its heavy country vibe doesn`t have all that much to do with what he did later. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine Copyright (C) Muze Inc. 2005. For personal use only. All rights reserved.
$8.92

Advanced Graphics 886 Professor Dumbledore Life-Size Cardboard Stand-Up

life-sized cardboard stand-up of professor dumbledore from the movie series harry potter. photographic quality image appears on front of heavy high quality cardboard body. perfect for decorating any room or party. measures 25 x 73 inches.
$35.88

Nicholas Hooper - Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince: The Score

Personnel: Ian Livingston (programming).Additional personnel: School Choir of Queen`s College.Audio Mixer: Peter Cobbin.Ensembles: The Chamber Orchestra of London; School Choir of Queen`s College.Arrangers: Geoff Alexander; Simon Whiteside; Jeff Armajiam; Allastair King; Daryl Griffith.Nicholas Hooper`s lively score for the sixth HARRY POTTER entry echoes some of the atmospheric work he did for the previous film, with some creative detours. The score takes a playful turn on the snaky, pseudo-Indian "Slug Party," and the swingin`, brassy rhumba beat of "Wizard Wheezes," while the heraldic "The Story Begins," and the subtly powerful "Into the Rushes" hearken to more traditional symphonic soundtracks of masters like John Williams. Copyright (C) Muze Inc. 2005. For personal use only. All rights reserved.
$12.21

Alfred 00-30820 Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and #44; Suite from

alfred music publishing is the world s largest educational music publisher. alfred produces educational, reference, pop, and performance materials for teachers, students, professionals, and hobbyists spanning every musical instrument, style, and difficulty level. starting with the "opening" music and transitioning to "the story begins," the medley develops incorporating "in noctem," the jazzy "wizard wheezes," "ron's victory," "the slug party," "journey to the cave," "dumbledore's farewell," "the friends," and closing with "the weasley stomp." true to the original film-score, this jam-packed medley will bring the excitement and energy to your students and audiences alike. stunning!
$103.83

Alfred 00-33697 Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and #44; Concert Suite from

alfred music publishing is the world s largest educational music publisher. alfred produces educational, reference, pop, and performance materials for teachers, students, professionals, and hobbyists spanning every musical instrument, style, and difficulty level. an astounding suite comprised of themes from the latest adventures of harry and his friends! thrill to the music including opening, the story begins, in noctem, wizard wheezes, ron?s victory, the slug party, journey to the cave, dumbledore?s farewell, the friends and the weasley stomp. perfect for advanced high school or community orchestras!
$103.83

Alfred 00-33697S Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and #44; Concert Suite from

alfred music publishing is the world s largest educational music publisher. alfred produces educational, reference, pop, and performance materials for teachers, students, professionals, and hobbyists spanning every musical instrument, style, and difficulty level. an astounding suite comprised of themes from the latest adventures of harry and his friends! thrill to the music including opening, the story begins, in noctem, wizard wheezes, ron?s victory, the slug party, journey to the cave, dumbledore?s farewell, the friends and the weasley stomp. perfect for advanced high school or community orchestras!
$24.34

Hogwart Banner Harry Potter

A great room decoration for a Harry Potter fan or a perfect accessory for a Harry Potter party, thisbanner will look great wherever you put it.
$9.97

Hogwart Banner Harry Potter

A great room decoration for a Harry Potter fan or a perfect accessory for a Harry Potter party, thisbanner will look great wherever you put it.
$12.99

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Author Message

FawkesthePhoenix

Joined: 31 December 2006
Posts: 3534
Location: No idea, all I know is that there are a LOT of felt-tipped pens...

Posted: Thursday 27 May 2010 01 38 11 pm   Post subject: Mirrors in topic:Mirrors

Back around Halloween, my English class was assigned to read Frankenstein and then write a scary story. This is what I wrote for mine:

Jack savored the moment, watching with growing delight as the man's face contorted into tortured lines of pain.
[i]Mirrors, all of them! [/i]Just like him.
Jack had dawdled at the Seven-Eleven, lingering in the snack aisle as he waited. [i]His[/i] name was Garth, and had emerged from the bathroom at exactly the wrong time.
[i]It was really all too easy.[/i]
Standing far away from anything reflective, Garth had been obvious prey. There wasn't a mirror in sight as Jack walked forward casually.
Jack didn't like mirrors. They brought to mind memories best left undisturbed.
They'd talked for a while, Jack and Garth, two strangers carrying on a pleasant conversation about trivialities. Jack mentioned a flat tire that he was in the middle of changing. Garth offered to help put on the spare. The cashier didn't pay much attention as the two walked out into the wind-wracked parking lot at seven o'clock sharp. An old woman pumping gas into her car didn't notice that the one named Jack always walked half a pace behind Garth. An adolescent boy didn't see the way Jack clutched a suspicious object beneath his coat as the youth drove away, heading back to a party after a successful beer run.
Jack didn't like[i] memories[/i]. They didn't balance out the way they were supposed to; the happiness was always outweighed by the conflicted and sadness.
The parking lot was long empty by the time Garth and Jack reached a bright red car by the edge of the parking lot. A stack of cardboard boxes blocked the cashier's view of the scene. Not that she'd be able to do anything anyway. A make-up caked youth, smacking her gum loudly as she read the latest Teen magazine, was hardly a threat to someone as experienced as Jack. In fact, the police might even blame the girl for the crime that was about to occur. No one would ever suspect Jack. They never did, because Jack had never been there. No one ever remembered the dark haired, pale faced average with a trick knee and a brooding look to his eyes.
It was all a game, and Jack reveled in his position as top player.
Garth formed a questioning look in his eyes when they arrived at the car. It was now revealed to be in perfectly good condition. Jack loved that look, so unsuspecting and innocent. Just like he used to be. He fingered the sedative in his pocket, brushing the cold, worn haft of one of his knives as he did so.
Anticipation stirred in his chest. Jack liked knives.
And now came the moment! Garth turned with a question on his lips, destined to be left unspoken as his body met with the sedative. Garth slumped, almost falling to the ground before Jack caught him and held his limp form steady. Piling him into the trunk of the car was a challenge, but manageable enough.
[i]Mirrors! [/i]
It was coming soon.
Jack drove swiftly along the freeway, heading for the nature preserve he knew to be unguarded at this time of the day. He went as far as he could with the car, then proceeded on foot, lugging Garth along like so many bags of flour unloaded each day at the supermarket. It would be good practice for him, Jack figured. After all, that was where he was headed after this. He had great plans for this one. The workers would never find anything amiss; after all, many bags of flour were delivered late these days. The bakers, however, might be in for a little surprise. But first things first.
At last, he had reached the place. A small clearing around four meters across, it would be the perfect place to give Garth a little wake-up call.
As Jack arranged his knives, he heard Garth groan.
[i]Mirrors! [/i]
It was coming closer now. Time to begin.[i]
Mirrors, all of them! [/i]
They were mirrors of his pain. And the next would be even better.

* * *

Sally stood silently looking at the bulletin board, stopped in her tracks by the flamboyant banner that had caught her eye. The circus was coming to town! Complete with a fun house, and best of all-- a hall of mirrors.
Sally liked mirrors. They fascinated her.
Ever since she'd been a child, mirrors had been an object of wonder. You saw things in them.
Her face fell, however, when she reached the bottom of the flier:

[i]Entry fee: $70[/i]

She couldn't afford that! She was only eleven! But she had to try.
Walking home that day, Sally brainstormed some ideas. She could hold a garage sale. She could ask her parents for a few months' allowance in advance. She could scour the couches and chairs for spare change. The last one seemed easiest, so Sally tried that one first.
Her family room, with one garishly pink couch and an avocado green armchair, yielded nothing. In the kitchen, she found ten cents behind the kettle. In the attic, she acquired three dollars and some very moldy-looking bubble gum. That she left where it stood, an enduring monument to some perverse contest long past.
It was in the basement where she really struck gold. A stack of ancient twenties gathering dust on a shelf. Sally reached as far up as she could, but she knew she'd never reach it. Not without help, that is.
On the opposite side of the room there lay a rusting metal pole, ripped from the remains of a car, perhaps, or an airplane. Sally walked over to it, stepping carefully over all the various debris in her way; an old paint-covered smock, the shattered remains of a guitar, a still-smoking cigarette butt lying next to a recently extinguished candle. This was not surprising, as she knew that her father often came down here to escape from her mother, who was prone to tantrums and long bouts of screaming.
Sally picked up the pole cautiously, wobbling slightly as its hefty weight unbalanced her. She carried it carefully over to the shelf where the money lay...

* * *

Jack swept his gaze across the supermarket aisle, humming to himself as he picked out several different kinds of cake. How he loved to bake! And this would be a culinary masterpiece. It would go perfectly with the masterpiece he would be constructing in the cakes' presence. A hall of mirrors!
[i] Mirrors, all of them![/i]
It would be painful for him, of course, to see his reflection. But worth it in the end, when his victims would not only feel, but see their own pain, their own personal horror movie set on the stage of their very own life.
Still humming, Jack picked up a bottle of bubble gum pink frosting and went to purchase his items.

* * *
[i]
“Sally Marie Marshell! What are you DOING?” [/i]Mrs. Marshell screeched, dropping the basket of cleaning products she was carrying and running across the room. Sally jumped in surprise; a dangerous course of action when you're an eleven-year-old child holding a long metal pole above your head. And in this case, fatal.
Slicked as it was with her sweat, Sally had no chance of maintaining her hold on the metal bar. It fell, seemingly slowly, with a kind of grace that mother and daughter both watched with wide eyes, frozen as imminent demise approached. Moments later, Sally's mother fell to the floor with the limp finality of death, leaving Sally standing there, silently mouthing the words she had been in the process of saying:
[i]“Don't be mad, Mommy. Please don't be mad.”[/i]
These words became a sort of chant within the girl's mind as noise clattered upstairs, and her father came down. She continued mouthing them as her father called an ambulance, as paramedics questioned her about what happened, as her father cried out in grief. She stopped only when her father asked, his voice thick with tears, why she was trying to get the money.
“I wanted to go to the circus,” Sally murmured pathetically, “to the fun house-- the hall of mirrors.” Don't be mad, Mommy. Please don't be mad.
“Then by all means, go!” Mr. Marshell cried, his voice breaking on the last word as he ripped the stack of dusty bills down from the shelf and handed it to the child. “Just [i]GO!” [/i]
Sally went.

* * *

Jack sat contentedly in the hall of mirrors, breathing in the sugary sweet scent of the cakes he had stacked around him. In the reflective mirrors, it was as if there were piles and piles of delicacies, stretching out into eternity.
Unfortunately, this meant that Jack, too, was replicated a million times in each mirror, but he put it from his mind. They would come soon. One of them at least, though no telling which.
[i]It really doesn't matter which one. Mirrors, all of them! [/i]

* * *

Sally hesitated outside the hall of mirrors. She was.... confused. That was really all there was to it. She didn't know what had happened to her mother, only that she would never see her again.
[i]Don't be mad, Mommy. Please don't be mad.[/i]
Sally took a deep breath and went inside.

* * *

There! There it was! The sound Jack had been waiting for. Footsteps could be heard, and coming with it was one of them. The moment was fast approaching. Everything, all he wanted was about to happen. And to think, it had all started out so innocently...

* * *
[i]
“Hurry up! We're going to miss it!”
“I'm going at my own pace!”
“You're just making excuses! You'll never be as fast as I am!” the girl teased, speeding up ahead for a moment to prove her point. Her curly blond hair streamed back from her head, whipping into his face as the girl twirled in front of him.
“Am not!” Jack insisted adamantly. “Come on, wait up!”
[/i]
* * *

The mirrors were mesmerizing. Sally walked slowly, entranced by all that she saw as she walked through her own personal heaven. Odd, to finally reach such a place, only after making her way through Hell. “Demon child!” Sally's father had screamed as she ran out of the house, before grief made words impossible.
...Was that cake she smelled?
It seemed the demon child was now in paradise.
But with paradise, there always comes trouble, hot on its heels.

* * *

Closer! Closer and closer. They had broken into a run. And look, there she was! One of them. A child. This made him pause for a moment. She was so young... Perfect.

* * *

[i] “Look, there it is!” the girl pointed excitedly at the hall of mirrors. “Come on, let's go!” She took off at a run towards the entrance.
“Wait for me!” Jack called, running after her. “You never wait up!” he accused as the two entered together.[/i]

* * *

Closer! Closer and closer. Sally had broken into a run. And look, there they were! Arranged in perfect lines were dozens and dozens of cakes. Perfect. Sally rushed forward and dove her hand into one, not noticing the man standing in the shadows.

* * *

The girl rushed forward and dove her hand into a cake, completely oblivious of Jack standing behind her in the shadows. But not for long. Jack approached the girl and asked quietly, “Your name?”

* * *
[i]
“You're name?”
Jack heard someone ask as he ran through the mirrors, trying to keep up with the girl.
“Manny.” he heard her answer.
[/i]
* * *

“Your name?” Sally jumped, then looked up at the man that had appeared (seemingly out of nowhere behind her).
“Sally,” she said almost inaudibly, knowing that she was probably in trouble. [i]Don't be mad, Mommy. Please don't be mad.[/i]

* * *
Sally! What a delightful name! “Well, Sally,” Jack said smoothly, squatting down beside her with a wink, “would you like some cake?”

* * *

[i]“Well, Manny,” Jack heard someone say, “do you like mirrors?” They were getting louder. Jack walked faster, sure that he was on the right track.
“Yes,” he heard Manny answer just as she came into view, “I love them!”
“Well then, this will be a treat...”
[/i]
* * *

“Yes, please.” Sally replied, just as quietly as before. She held out her hands.

* * *

[i] From his unseen vantage point, Jack saw it all. He was able to describe it quite accurately to the police an a hour later when they found him. The blood on his sneakers and the girl's body lying in front of him were all he needed to keep the memories fresh.
[/i]
* * *

“Ah, but this is a special cake,” Jack said, smiling just slightly. It wasn't a lie, really; the cake was special, just not in the way the girl thought is was. “You have to shut your eyes.” He readied the stiletto knife held behind his back...

* * *

Jack smiled benignly as the child finally murmured those eight words, destined to be her last, and raised his knife one last time.
[i]“Don't be mad, Mommy. Please don't be mad.”[/i]

DucksRMagical

Joined: 28 December 2006
Posts: 2535
Location: Going through LeakyCon withdrawal

Posted: Wednesday 26 May 2010 10 59 29 am   Post subject: Re: Beyond the Shadow in topic:Beyond the Shadow

Chapter 9: Failed Potion

At work the next day it was like Christmas had never happened. All the decorations were gone and Farina was back to her usual self. I always liked to keep the decorations up until at least New Year's, but Farina preferred to get everything back to normal. However, the other employees of the hospital spent the next few days discussing their holidays and everything that happened during them. The most exciting news was that one of the nurses on the Magical Bugs floor got engaged to a bloke she had only known for six months.

I managed to find Victoire around lunch time and cornered her in the nearest bathroom for all the details about the reveal of her pregnancy.

“Mum cried,” Victoire said. “She really did. Not bad crying or anything. She was just happy, really happy, especially about the fact that the baby doesn't have lycanthropy. She started going on and on about how she thought she would never have another grandchild besides Sophie. I mean, she loves Sophie but she always wanted a lot of grandchildren. Gabriella and Ben just groaned and Gabriella proclaimed that she would eventually get married and have kids. Mum didn't say anything to that.”

“I just don't see your sister as the marrying type,” I said. “That's great that your mum is excited, though.”

“I don't see her ever getting married either,” Victoire agreed. “She won't be able to just go wherever she likes whenever she pleases if she gets married and has kids.”

“What about everyone else?” I asked. “Are they all excited?”

“Of course, they're Weasleys!” Victoire laughed. “That's what we do, have kids. My grandma cried, too. She's so excited about having another great-grandchild.”

“I think kids that are born into the Weasley clan are possibly the luckiest kids in Britain, possibly the whole world,” I said.

“Possibly,” Victoire replied. “So how was your Christmas?”

“Let's see, my grandmother pretty much asked me why I wasn't married and giving my mother grandchildren and Matt slept through the whole conversation, leaving me to be the only one interrogated. Then she gave me a sparkly dress for New Year's, assuming that I would go out to a party.”

Victoire groaned. “I will never understand your grandmother.”

“Me either,” I sighed. “There is no way I'm going out to a party on New Year's Eve.”

“Of course you're not,” Victoire agreed. “Although Gabriella invited me to one. Only Gabriella could get invited to a party when she hasn't even been in the country recently, and then go and invite other people.”

I laughed. “Maybe I should give her my dress.”

“I'm sure she'd take it,” Victoire replied. “Well, I suppose I'd better get back. I'm due in the clinic in ten minutes.”

“Have fun,” I said. “I should get back, too. Merlin, this week is already insane.”

Insane proved to be too tame of a word to describe that week. It seemed like I hardly went home at all and when I was there, all I did was try to catch up on sleep. The week preceding the full moon was always crazy for me since I had extra potions to brew (Wolfsbane requires extra attention right before it's taken), but this week was even busier. Every time a new potion passes the preliminary tests, I have to owl all of my and Morris's patients who would qualify to take it. Neither of us have very many patients whom regular Wolfsbane doesn't work for, but there's a handful. Then I have to set up times to meet with them to distribute it and give instructions. Each new potion usually had about four or five people testing it.

However, this month Matt was the only one who got back to me. I figured with the holidays people just hadn't given it much thought and I didn't get the owls out soon enough. I usually like to send them out two weeks before the full moon, but I just hadn't had the chance that month.

Eventually I wanted to get Jamie onto the test potion list, but he wasn't strong enough to risk it yet. This would be his second full moon off of regular Wolfsbane and while he was getting stronger, he still wasn't ready. His parents were already eager to try new potions, as seeing their son so injured is not something they wished to see again.

By the time the weekend arrived I felt like I needed to sleep for two days straight and couldn't imagine going out for New Year's Eve even if it wasn't a full moon. I slept late on Saturday and then went over to Teddy and Victoire's for an early New Year's celebration. It was a small gathering, just the two of them, Gabriella, and Ben. Matt didn't feel up to going.

I slept late on Sunday as well and awoke to the sound of banging on my door and immediately wished I hadn't had as much firewhiskey the previous night as I had had. I hadn't gotten really drunk, but I had had enough to give me a monster headache.

The pounding got louder and quicker as I made my way to the door. It better not be anyone selling anything, I thought. I wasn't in the mood to buy biscuits from cute little girls in vests.

Instead of girl guides, Albus Potter stood at the door when I opened it, looking nearly as exhausted as I felt. His black hair was more messy than usual and there were purple bags under his eyes. Judging by the Puddlemere United shirt and Gryffindor sweatpants he was wearing, he had either just woken up or not yet gone to bed. I didn't know him that well, just as well as anyone would know their brother's best friend, but what I did know was that he kept extremely odd hours when he wasn't working.

“Matt's sick,” Albus said immediately. “Worse than usual.”

That woke me up. It was as good as jumping into the Black Lake in the middle of January. With sleep the last thing on my mind I threw on a pair of shoes and followed Albus back to their flat.

“He's got a really high fever,” Albus explained once we were back in the flat. “And he hasn't been able to keep anything down.”

I nodded and immediately headed for his bedroom. It was the neatest part of the entire flat, but was still messy enough for Mum to clean every time she visited. Matt was buried underneath a myriad of blankets, with only the top of his head sticking out. I pulled them back and saw that his hair was plastered to his face with sweat and he was incredibly pale.

“When did this start?” I asked.

“Sometime last night,” Albus shrugged. “I figured I should come get you since he hadn't emerged from his room since four in the morning.”

I glanced at the clock. It was noon. I gently shook Matt and he groaned. A little while later I had managed to rouse him. “Matt, can you sit up?”

He muttered something and lifted his head up, only to fall back down on the pillow. “Too dizzy.”

“I'll get you potions,” I replied and quickly left the room.

As soon as I was in the kitchen I leaned up against the wall and took a deep breath. All right, I told myself, just because he was sicker than usual did not mean I was to blame. It wasn't necessarily the potion that made him ill. There were plenty of other explanations for it. Perhaps he had caught the flu or was overly tired.

The one bad thing about Matt testing my potions was that they didn't always just not work. Sometimes they didn't agree with him at all, making him sick in the process. It didn't happen often, but when it did, I felt awful.

I grabbed the potions as well as a glass of water and a box of crackers. I had to try to get him to eat something. If he was weak when he transformed it would make the recovery so much worse.

John was standing at the front door with Albus when I walked past. They were talking about John's most recent disastrous date.

“It's because all you talk about is Quidditch, mate,” Albus sighed. “Girls don't only like to talk about Quidditch.”

“And I'm supposed to take advice from you?” John replied incredulously. “You haven't had a girlfriend for more than two weeks since we graduated.”

“Well, girls don't like it when their boyfriends go off to other countries for work for weeks on end without contacting them,” Albus explained.

“We're pathetic,” John groaned.

I rolled my eyes and continued to Matt's bedroom. John was never one to be without a date on Friday nights, but he never managed to find a girl who was tolerant of the level of his Quidditch obsession, which bordered on insanity.

Matt did not improve throughout the day. In fact he only seemed to get sicker. None of the potions seemed to be helping and the only way he was somewhat comfortable was to be asleep, so eventually I stopped trying to shove potions down his throat and just let him sleep. Albus and John stuck around the entire day, lamenting their pathetic love lives and complaining about the fact that Kaden was the only one of their group with a girlfriend.

I had to side-along Apparate Matt directly out of the flat when the time came to get to our parents' house. Dad took him right to the basement to sleep until the moon rose. Then we went to sit our usual once a month vigil in the kitchen, the only difference being the few bottles of champagne Ellie had purchased to toast in the new year.

“Blue moons are always worse for him,” Dad commented shortly before the moon rose.

“It's the potion,” I muttered. “I messed something up, I just know it.”

“You do not, Amy,” Dad said adamantly. “He's probably got a bug.”

I opened my mouth to contradict him, but the first scream began and we all grew silent. Then another scream, and another, and I realized that they were louder and more pain ridden than normal. After years of listening to my brother scream on full moons, I knew the exact pitch to expect. This one was worse. The screams were horrible, awful, even for him.

Mum and Dad realized it as well. We all looked at each other and I could see in their faces that they now believed me. It was the potion. No illness would make the transformation more painful. No, that was all the potion. I met Mum's gaze and she looked away, trying to hide her disappointment and fear.

******

Ellie poured the champagne at 11:55, even though none of us were in the mood for it. None of us had said a word since the moon rose and the only sound that filled the room was howling, howling that sounded far worse than usual. However, Ellie, always the one to try and keep some normalcy during full moons, insisted that we have the champagne.

We each took a glass and began our half-hearted countdown to the new year. “Happy New Year.” We each mumbled when the moment finally arrived. We clinked glasses and sipped the champagne.

Goodbye 2028, I thought as I gazed at the bubbles in my glass. Goodbye to another year where all I accomplished was creating a potion that made the full moons worse for my brother. I looked at the glass and tipped the champagne into my mouth, swallowing it all in one mouthful. A nice double shot of Firewhiskey would be far more appropriate.

******

The year 2029 began with a trip to St. Mungo's. I did as much as I could at home, but eventually we had to take him in and owl Morris. We found Matt in the basement with far more broken bones than usual, extreme blood loss, and burning up. I hadn't seen him that bad in years. This was officially my worst potion yet.

Morris kept me out of the ward while he was working on Matt and while I completely understood, I still couldn't stand to stand there in the corridor not doing anything. My parents were sitting in my study, but I couldn't sit still. I paced and thought back over each and every aspect of that potion I had made.

I thought about the ingredients, the interactions of the ingredients, the amount of simmering and stirring time, the properties of the cauldrons and spoons and scales I had used, and everything else that went into potion brewing. Nothing was standing out as being detrimental. Every ingredient in that potion was something he had had before, so it was definitely not an allergic reaction.

“Amy.”

I looked up from my pacing and saw Victoire walking towards me, looking exhausted, but otherwise glowing with that pregnancy glow. She immediately hugged me and I bit my lip, trying not to cry

“Your parents sent an owl over,” she told me. “How is he?”

“Awful,” I choked. “And it's all my fault.”

“It's not,” Victoire said firmly. “You didn't know that would happen, and he knew the risks in taking that potion.”

“It is,” I insisted, trying unsuccessfully not to cry. “I created that potion and he trusted me not to give him one that would make the full moon worse!”

“Look,” she sighed. “I know you're stubborn, but just try to accept that it's not your fault.”

“It is,” I groaned as I leaned against the wall. “I'm not going to accept anything. I'm going to figure out why it happened and I'm certainly not going to let it happen again. I'll test the damn potion myself before letting this happen again.”

“Amy, you know that won't work,” Victoire said quietly.

“I know.”

“I've got to get back home to Sophie. Teddy's on duty soon. You're free to come over if you want to.” Victoire gave me another hug.

“Thanks,” I said as I hugged her back. “But I've got to stay here.”

“All right,” Victoire gave me a half smile. “Tell Matt I hope he feels better.”

I continued pacing and thinking for the next ten minutes, but didn't come up with anything. What could possibly have gone wrong?

The door to the ward opened and Morris stepped out. He gestured that I could go and see Matt and then followed me in.

“I'm just waiting for the blood test results,” Morris said as I sped over to Matt's bed. “Hopefully they'll give us some answers as to why the potion had this effect on him.”

I nodded, afraid that if I said something I would start crying again. Then I saw Matt and froze in my tracks. All of a sudden the image of Matt, at eight years old, lying in that same hospital bed after being forced to transform with other werewolves was in the front of my mind.

He looked practically the same now as he did then. Small, bandaged, covered by sterile white blankets, and either asleep or unconscious. If it weren't for the fact that we were both fifteen years older, it could have been the same thing all over again.

My potion, something I created, something I told him to take, had done the same thing to him as Ralph Lubar had all those years ago. The thought made me feel slightly sick. I had to get out of there. I couldn't look at Matt anymore. I couldn't look at what I had done to him.

I practically ran into my parents as I left the ward, but they didn't say anything to me. Instead I kept walking, not really sure where I was going. A few nurses and Healers said hello to me as I walked towards the lift, but I didn't stop. It wasn't until the lift doors were closed did I realize that I was sharing it with Farina.

“Morning, Eckerton,” she said, causing me to jump. “Are you all right?”

I looked at her and she was wearing that same rare look of concern she gave Victoire the day she found out she was pregnant.

“Fine,” I muttered, wiping my eyes.

“Hmm,” she replied. “You don't look fine. Your brother's upstairs, isn't he?”

I whipped my head around and stared at her. I knew as the director of St. Mungo's she obviously knew a lot about the hospital and its patients, but how would she know that off the top of her head?

“As the director of this hospital, I have access to all the information in the building,” she told me. “When you arrived, fresh out of Hogwarts, I was surprised by your determination to succeed and how sure you were of what you wanted to do with your life. No seventeen or eighteen year old has ever had their career planned out like you did. Naturally, I had to investigate. Your brother's medical records were all the answers I needed. I just checked the new admissions forms and I saw his name on there. Take tomorrow off.”

The doors opened and Farina left without another word. I stood stunned as a maintenance worker muttering about bubotuber pus ambled in, completely shocked at Farina's generosity. An extra day off? I wasn't surprised at all that she had looked into my past when I started at St. Mungo's, not that she had ever told me about it before.

I got off the lift at the lobby and went off into Muggle London. Perhaps walking through the streets amongst strangers would help me clear my head.

DucksRMagical

Joined: 28 December 2006
Posts: 2535
Location: Going through LeakyCon withdrawal

Posted: Sunday 9 May 2010 11 54 25 am   Post subject: Re: Beyond the Shadow in topic:Beyond the Shadow

Chapter 8: A Quiet Christmas Eve

While Farina seemed like the ruthless dictator of St. Mungo's for most of the year, during the Christmas season she became practically a different person. She was cheerful, happy, and forgiving. She supervised the decoration of the hospital, which always became decked out in a variety of holiday decorations, and scared the hell out of any employees who hadn't worked there during a Christmas season yet. The residents and junior brewers in particular got freaked out by her.

Victoire's appointment was on Tuesday and since the mission Teddy had been on for the past two days wasn't over, like he had thought it would be, I went with her for moral support. I met her in the maternity ward, which had been decorated with a Santa's Workshop theme. Victoire was sitting in the small waiting area, looking nervous and staring at a Christmas tree that was set up in the corner.

“I'm not sure I want to know,” Victoire said as soon as I sat down.

“You have to find out,” I replied.

“I know,” she sighed. “It's just that up until now I was able to think that the baby doesn't have it, but now I'm going to know for sure.”

“And it might be negative,” I pointed out.

Victoire didn't say anything else and two minutes later a nurse called her name. We were lead to an exam room and then were left to wait for the healer. Luckily we only had to wait ten minutes.

The healer, someone neither of us really knew, explained the procedure even though we both already knew what it was. Victoire grew steadily paler as the healer drew her wand and pressed it to Victoire's stomach. The test involved extracting some of the amniotic fluid and then putting it in a vial of pure Wolfsbane. The fluid was then examined under a microscope and if the DNA was destroyed by the Wolfsbane, it meant the baby was positive for lycanthropy.

The extraction process wasn't nearly as painful as the Muggle version, but it was still uncomfortable so Victoire squeezed my hand as it happened. We were silent as the healer transferred the fluid to the vial and then left the room to do the test. Neither of us said a word while we waited.

Victoire jumped when the healer returned. She shut the door and then smiled at us.

“Negative,” she said. “The baby does not have lycanthropy.”

“Y-you're sure?” Victoire gasped. “But my first did.”

“Genetics are a funny thing,” the healer mused. “Would you like to know the sex?”

“No, I think I'll wait until Teddy's able to be here for that,” Victoire replied.

The healer left and I looked at Victoire. She was glowing, absolutely glowing. She had that glow that pregnant women are always described as having, but never had with Sophie. I suppose she was just too worried and ill to have it with Sophie.

“I cannot wait until Christmas Eve!” Victoire grinned.

Victoire didn't have to wait long for Christmas Eve. It was only six days away and the days went by fast. I worked each and every one of those days and did last minute Christmas shopping in the evenings. I was so exhausted by the time Christmas Eve arrived that I was looking forward to just sitting in my parents' house and having someone else cook for me.

It seemed that the rest of my family felt the same way because when I arrived at the house the rest of my family was sprawled out on various couches, snoozing or reading the paper.

“Nap time in the Eckerton house?” I asked as I stepped into the living room.

Mum jerked awake and looked at me, and then the clock. “Merlin, I'm due to pick up Cinda. I'll be back soon.”

Mum hurried out the door as Dad set down his paper. I put the presents I'd bought under the tree and then took Mum's vacated seat.

“So, what's the plan?” I asked Dad.

“Relaxing,” he answered. “We've all got two days off work, so I figured we'd just relax.”

“Sounds good to me,” I agreed. “Although I do have to stop by the hospital tomorrow to work on the Wolfsbane. It won't take long.”

“How is your newest potion coming along?” Dad asked.

“Well,” I grinned, “it passed the preliminary tests, so I'm free to prescribe it to patients.”

“Well done, Amy!” Dad got up off his chair and gave me a hug. “Will it be done for this full moon?”

“It sure will,” I smiled. “But Dad, just because it passed the tests doesn't mean it's going to work.”

“Amy, you need to stop doubting yourself,” Dad told me. “If anyone can do this, it's you.”

“That may be but I really wish it wouldn't take me my whole life to do it,” I muttered.

“Amy, nobody has invented a medicinal potion before they turned thirty. Hardly anyone's done it before they've turned fifty,” Dad sighed.

“Who's turning fifty?” Matt asked sleepily from the couch.

“Nobody,” Dad laughed. “Amy is lamenting her lack of potion creating.”

Matt groaned. “Amy, you need to stop doing that. You're a potions genius. Kaden practically worships you.”

That was pretty much true, although I would never admit it out loud. Kaden Dursley is determined to become one of the top brewers at St. Mungo's and really does have the potential. He's just kind of over exuberant.

“The new potion is ready,” I told Matt. “You want to take it this month?”

“Definitely,” he said.

“All right, I'll bring some home as soon as it's ready,” I replied. “You'll have to take it for a few days beforehand.”

Both Dad and Matt fell asleep again a little while later. I smirked to myself as I picked up Dad's discarded newspaper and leafed through it while I watched them sleep. The two of them looked remarkably similar when they slept; both with their mouths agape and completely sprawled out on their furniture of choice. It was kind of funny.

Mum returned with Cinda a short while later, Cinda hobbling inside with her walker, Mum guiding her. Mum helped her into the nearest chair in the living room and then disappeared into the kitchen.

“Look at this, all of you lot sound asleep and me wide awake at the age of eighty-seven,” Cinda said loudly.

Dad jerked awake and Mum started laughing. “Oh, hi Cinda. How are you?”

“Better than you, by the look of it,” she replied. “You all work too hard.”

Cinda was looking good, a lot better than she had been. That meant she would be in top form for gossiping and trying to find out every detail of Matt and my lives, especially if she had heard about Kenzie.

“Amy,” Cinda began. “Have you heard from Kenzie lately?”

Well, she wasn't wasting any time. “Yeah, she's getting married.”

“Isn't it wonderful?” Cinda sighed. “I was beginning to wonder if she ever would, seeing as she's thirty.”

The thing about Cinda was that she was so good at the subtle implications. She obviously knew that I was thirty and not married.

“Plenty of people get married past thirty, Mum,” Mum said as she returned with a tray of crackers and cheese and a tray of drinks. “Times have changed.”

“That may be, but surely you want grandchildren?” Cinda said as she took her drink.

Then there were the times when Cinda liked to be blatantly obvious. I tried not to take much offense to her comments, as inquiring about my life was one of the few pleasures she had left in life. But there was still something odd about your grandmother asking when the last time you went on a date was.

“We will love our grandchildren whenever they are born, be it next year or next decade,” Mum said. “The important thing is that Amy and Matt wait until they are ready. Remember, I didn't have Amy until I was in my thirties. Now, did you hear that Kenzie's fiance is a wizard?”

“No!” Cinda exclaimed. “Really?”

“Yes,” Mum smiled. “He used to go to school with Amy before we moved.”

“Oh my God, do you remember him?” Cinda asked me.

“No,” I answered, settling back with my drink.

Thank Merlin for Mum. She always knew the best way to veer Cinda off into another gossip direction. Now all I had to do was nod and answer the occasional question and Cinda would keep the conversation going. As soon as the cheese platter was empty, I excused myself to the kitchen to refill it.

Matt wandered in as I was chopping cheese the Muggle way, in order to prolong my time in the kitchen. He grabbed a box of crackers and poured them onto the tray.

“I was going to do that,” I told him. “Now I won't have an excuse to stay in here longer.”

“She's not that bad tonight,” Matt shrugged.

“That's because she's not asking you why you're not married,” I said. “Why is that anyway? Why does she always ask me more?”

“You're older,” Matt pointed out. “Not to mention the fact that I turn furry once a month. You know that kind of freaks her out.”

“Well, it shouldn't,” I muttered.

“Still, I'm only twenty-three,” Matt said.

“Plus you were asleep when she got here,” I replied. “Wish I could get away with sleeping through family functions.”

“No, you really don't,” Matt said.

“Ok, I'll give you that one,” I replied as I picked up the cheese platter. “But you're awake now, so you're stuck without an excuse.”

******

Mum and Ellie cooked a very good Christmas Eve dinner consisting of lasagna, salad, bread, and treacle tart for dessert. Everyone proclaimed how they wouldn't be able to eat the Christmas ham the next day given how stuffed they were. Cinda dominated the conversation with gossip from her nursing home and pondering about what sort of wedding Kenzie would have.

“You ought to keep an eye out for eligible men at Kenzie's wedding, Amy,” Cinda told me over dessert. “So many people meet the one they'll marry at a wedding.”

I nodded and caught Matt's eye. He was trying to stifle his laughter and turning red in the process, although most likely not as red as I was.

“You, too, Matt,” Cinda added. “Doesn't Kenzie have a sister around your age?”

“Mari?” I asked. “She's been going out with the same bloke for four years.”

“Oh,” Cinda replied. “Well, I'm sure she'll have friends there.”

Eventually we returned to the living room, where the conversation continued throughout the evening. Luckily it turned to Christmases past, where we all reminisced about times in Australia and when Richard was still alive. Mum and Cinda got quite teary eyed and Dad decided to bring up Christmases when he was little, which lightened the mood. Dad and Uncle Jack always had creative ways of waking up their parents on Christmas mornings, including blasting horns in their ears and putting ice cubes under their covers.

Dad set up a bed in the living room for Cinda and the rest of us went upstairs. Mum and Dad went to bed, but Matt and I went into the library. I sat down in a huge comfy armchair I had always liked when I was younger. Matt lay down on the couch and procured a few chocolate frogs. He tossed one to me and then unwrapped his own.

“Remember that last Christmas in Australia?” he asked. “That tree was huge.”

I smiled. That had been the only year my parents gave in to me and let us get a twelve foot Christmas tree. “Of course. That seems like so long ago.”

“You were kind of crazy,” Matt laughed. “Insisting that we keep looking for the perfect tree.”

“And Mum freaked out that you'd been outside so long,” I added.

“Sometimes I wish we could just go do that again,” Matt said quietly. “Christmas was so much more magical then. Now presents consist of a new set of robes or a tie.”

“Way to be materialistic,” I laughed.

“That's not what I meant,” Matt groaned. “It's just different, you know?”

“Yeah, I do,” I said.

“Well, I'm going to bed,” Matt said as he got up. “'Night.”

“Night,” I said.

I turned to the window and gazed out it. For once the sky was cloudless and all the stars were visible, reminding me of all the time I spent stargazing as a kid. The moon was there as well, three-quarters of the way full, shedding light upon the cow field in the distance.

My thoughts turned to Victoire and Teddy. They had probably already given the news of Victoire's pregnancy to all their relatives, who were probably ecstatic. I could only imagine the amount of excitement that was in the Burrow at that moment. It was filled with dozens of people of all ages, generations of Weasleys all spending Christmas together. I'm sure there was never a dull moment.

Christmas at my house had never been like that and I never really minded, until now. I couldn't even explain it, but for some reason what Cinda had said was getting to me. She was right, in a way. I was thirty and wasn't even close to getting married or having kids. Everyone else my age was. Teddy and Victoire were about to have their second kid, Landon and his wife already have two kids, and Kenzie was engaged. Me? I'd dumped every bloke I had been with and created dozens of useless potions.

Suddenly I had a very clear picture of Sophie running down the stairs towards the Christmas tree at the Burrow, followed by her little cousins, eager to open presents. When would I get to experience that? When would I get to see my own kids excited on Christmas morning? Why did all the blokes I went out with have to be idiots?

More importantly, why was I thinking about this? Love and marriage had always been on the back of my mind since there were other more important things to think about. My career, for example. I didn't have time for dating when I was spending more time at St. Mungo's than my own flat. Maybe after I figured out what was wrong with the Wolfsbane Potion and completed my study, then I would have time for dating.

But how long would that take? What if it took until I turned sixty? I'd have no chance of having kids if I waited that long. No; I tried to push the thought from my mind. It wouldn't take me that long and even if it did, what did it matter? Giving my brother a better life was worth it.

I must have fallen asleep in that armchair because I woke up with a crick in my neck and Matt shaking my arm. I squinted in the sunlight and tried to swat him away.

“Isn't this a switch,” he said. “Everyone else is up.”

“That's because the rest of you spent yesterday afternoon asleep,” I pointed out.

“Mum's got brekkie ready, but I want to open presents first,” Matt said. “So get up.”

“Oh, you want to open your new set of robes?” I grinned.

“Funny,” Matt replied as he left the room.

A few minutes later we were all sitting around the tree with presents in our hands. Well, Matt and I were sitting around the tree. Mum, Dad, and Cinda were all sitting on furniture. Matt opened the first present, and surely enough it was a brand new set of robes from Mum and Dad. Cinda got him a nice green tie to go with it that looked ominously like a Slytherin tie. I was almost positive the tie would disappear into the depths of Matt's wardrobe, never to be seen again.

My present from Cinda was hardly better. I opened the box to find a very fancy blue dress adorned with sequins and below it was a pair of sparkly high heels.

“I figured you wouldn't want a pink one,” Cinda said as I held it up to myself, still very confused.

So she had made some progress since I was fourteen, but what on earth was I going to wear that thing to? “Cinda, what exactly is this for?”

“New Year's Eve!” she said excitedly. “You can wear it to whatever party you're going to.”

“Cinda,” I said quietly, “there's a full moon on New Year's Eve this year.”

“So?” Cinda asked. “You can still go out. You're not the one who's a werewolf.”

Cue the awkward silence. Neither of my grandparents had ever been exactly comfortable with the fact that Matt is a werewolf, although they always tried to hide it. Mum and Cinda had a huge fight about it shortly before we moved to England and they wound up agreeing to disagree. Cinda just did not understand anything about lycanthropy and she never would.

“I'll think about it,” I said as I set the dress back in its box.

The rest of my presents were more promising than the dress. Mum and Dad got me a set of potions ingredient encyclopedias, which would be useful since I had to share the few sets that St. Mungo's had with the rest of the brewers. Once Matt and I had finished opening our presents, Mum and Dad opened theirs.

“It's a new kind of quill,” Mum told Dad as he opened his present from her. “It somehow remembers everything you write with it and with one quick spell, it'll re-write everything. In case you ever lose your notes or something. I figured you could use it for your book.”

“That'll be useful,” Dad said.

Dad had started writing a book on lycanthropy a few years ago and the rest of us had doubts as to whether he'd ever finish it, but he was determined to. If it ever did get published, I was sure it would be the most useful book on lycanthropy out there.

The rest of the day was relaxing for the most part. I had to stop by St. Mungo's after brekkie in order to work on the potions, but I was only gone for a couple hours. The hospital was as deserted as a hospital could ever get and even Farina had taken the day off. I didn't see any of the other Brewers, only a couple of Healers and nurses. However, the waiting room was plenty busy, filled with people destined for the spell damage ward after family arguments.

Christmas dinner was just as delicious as Christmas Eve's dinner had been. Mum and Ellie really outdo themselves on holidays, more now than they did when Matt and I were kids. I suppose they like to take advantage of the fact that we're actually home on holidays. Mum took Cinda back to the nursing home later that evening, but Matt and I decided to just spend another night since we were both tired and rather full.

DucksRMagical

Joined: 28 December 2006
Posts: 2535
Location: Going through LeakyCon withdrawal

Posted: Wednesday 21 April 2010 10 50 29 am   Post subject: Re: Albus potter and the Path Left Untrodden in topic:Albus potter and the Path Left Untrodden

Chapter 32: The Breakout

Despite the fact that he did not have Defense Against the Dark Arts the next morning, Albus was down in the Great Hall bright and early because he wanted to read Rose's Daily Prophet. Having Kendrick announce Balladanis's sacking was one thing, reading it in the Prophet was entirely different.

Rose was already there when Albus, Matt, and John sat down at the Gryffindor table. Amanda and Linda were on either side of her and all three girls were reading the article. Albus drummed his fingers impatiently on the table while he waited for them to be finished. Finally, Rose handed him the paper without saying a word and Albus read it, with Matt and John looking over his shoulder.

HOGWARATS TEACHER REMOVED FROM POSITION BY MINISTRY

In an event that causes much of the wizarding world to remember
back to Voldemort's reign, Hogwarts Defense Against the Dark
Arts teacher, Tethys Balladanis, has been removed from his
position by the Ministry of Magic's Department of Magical
Education.

During Voldemort's reign, Defense teachers rarely lasted more
than a year at the school, a mystery that abruptly ended when
Voldemort was defeated on May 2, 1998. Up until two years
ago, Hogwarts had had only one Defense teacher since that
fateful May day.

Professor Torro taught at Hogwarts for years until he was
mysteriously murdered nearly three years ago. He was
replaced by Head Auror, Harry Potter, who is rumored to
have only taken the position after nobody else agreed to
fill it.

Harry Potter left the position this past autumn and it was filled
by Balladanis.

Balladanis taught until two days ago, when he was removed
from his position. Approximately a week and a half ago, a
complaint was lodged by Head of the Department for the
Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, Walter Eckerton,
whose fourteen-year-old son currently attends Hogwarts.

The complaint included harsh teaching methods, the use of an
anamatek as a teaching tool, singling students out for lack of
skill, and embarrassing students in front of their peers.

An investigation by Ministry officials ensued and included
the interviewing of select students and staff. The department
concluded their investigation late Sunday evening and informed
both Balladanis and Headmaster Fabius Kendrick of their decision.
Balladanis left the castle willingly and will not be appealing the
decision. When asked for a statement on the issue, both Kendrick
and Balladanis declined.

Upon hearing the news, Walter Eckerton said, 'I am very happy
with the decision and that the investigation was concluded in
a timely fashion. I am not happy that it came to this, but I
feel that nothing should be put ahead of children's safety.'

Hogwarts students will not attend Defense classes until a replacement
is found. As of right now, one has not been found.

“I knew they'd stick your dad in there somehow,” John announced once they'd finished reading.

“There wasn't anything in there that we didn't already know,” Albus muttered, “I was hoping Balladanis would've said something or we'd find out what happened when he left the castle.”

“Maybe he really did go quietly,” Matt shrugged, “Maybe he wanted to get back to his anamatek.”

“I wonder where he lives,” Amanda mused, “Think he lives in England?”

“Doubt it,” Rose answered, “Even if he did before I doubt he does now.”

******

Life soon returned to normal for the Hogwarts students, as it often does after something exciting happens. Everyone talked about Balladanis the day the article was published, but soon there was nothing left to say and the students focused on the upcoming Quidditch match, which was mere days away.

Albus had an easy time forgetting about Balladanis due to Quidditch practice. He was out on the pitch every evening and was soon hearing Wood's commands in his head as he fell asleep, which was something that certainly couldn't be deemed normal. Albus was almost glad that the year was drawing to an end because once the tournament was over, he wouldn't have to deal with Wood anymore. Thinking about that made Albus realize that Gryffindor would have a new captain the next year since Georgia was graduating. Albus was sure it would be either Fred or Heather, but he wasn't sure which.

Albus trudged into the Great Hall on Thursday morning sorely wishing that John hadn't woken him up. They didn't have a class first thing, so why'd he bother doing that? Albus was already running on little sleep.

“I'm going to wake you up at five in the morning this Saturday,” Albus muttered to John as he poured himself some pumpkin juice.

“No you won't, you'll still be asleep,” John grinned, “I need you to help me finish that Herbology essay that's due today.”

“That's the reason for you waking me up?” Albus groaned, “Why can't Rose help you?”

“She's a bit sore with me right now,” John muttered.

“What did you do?” Albus asked.

“I may or may not have accidentally set fire to her Potions notes last night,” John said.

“And I should have to suffer because of that?” Albus replied, “How did you manage that anyway?”

“It wasn't an accident,” Matt put in, “John and Kaden were tinkering with those super strength dung bombs last night in the Marauder's Den. They stupidly decided to do this at the table right where Rose's notes were. The dung bombs exploded and Rose's notes caught fire.”

“See, an accident!” John exclaimed.

“No, stupidity,” Matt said, “You should've done it somewhere else. Oh, Albus, I wouldn't suggest going in the Marauder's Den anytime soon. It smells.”

“I wouldn't have time to anyway,” Albus muttered, “Quidditch practice again tonight.”

“Oi, Albus!” James shouted.

“What?” Albus said.

“Is Dad patrolling here this week?” James asked.

“I don't know, why?” Albus replied.

“He's here,” James pointed to the staff table.

Albus looked up and saw that his dad was talking with Neville. Except he wasn't wearing his Auror robes, he was just wearing normal robes. Albus glanced back at James who shrugged.

“May I have your attention?” Kendrick announced, “Thank you. I just wish to inform you all that Harry Potter has kindly agreed to take over Defense classes for the remainder of term. Because of this, Defense classes will resume today.”

“Good thing I woke you up,” John grinned.

“Guess you won't be able to finish that essay,” Albus shot back.

“Merlin,” John muttered.

Albus wasn't that surprised, nor did he care that much. He'd already had his dad teach for two years and it hadn't been bad at all. Plus, his dad was a far better teacher than Balladanis.

Albus walked with Matt and John to Defense. Rose was still not speaking to John and she walked with Amanda and Linda a little ways ahead. Albus seriously hoped that this wouldn't turn into what happened earlier in the year.

The entire class erupted in applause as soon as Harry entered the room and Albus noticed that this caused him to blush. Even Malfoy was clapping, albeit half-heartedly, but he was clapping nonetheless.

“Thanks,” Harry muttered, “Well, I did not think I'd be back here. I do have to continue with the curriculum, so I must ask that you complete the werewolf essay for next Thursday. However, it only has to be one foot of parchment.”

There was a collective groan from the entire class. “Great,” John muttered, “I was hoping to get out of it.”

“It won't be that hard,” Matt rolled his eyes.

“But it'll be time consuming,” John replied.

“I know, I know,” Harry smirked, “But there is a month and a half of term left and I can't just let you have this time to mess around.”

The class was the most enjoyable Defense class the third years had had in quite a while. Harry lectured for the entirety of the class, but it wasn't boring. Albus did not mind in the slightest that his dad was going to be finishing out the term.

******

By the time Saturday arrived, virtually no one in the castle was talking about Professor Balladanis. Quidditch was on the forefront of everybody's minds and the tensions ran higher than they had all year. The outcome of this match would determine who played Australia in the final.

Albus himself was not particularly worried. Hogwarts had already beaten New York once and they could easily do it again. The entire team was in good health and none of the alternates were needed. Albus was perfectly content to sit in the stands with his friends and just watch the match, rather than have to play in it.

It was a warm spring day with a slight wind and cloud cover, perfect playing conditions. Wood had spoke of the weather during the previous night's practice, telling the team that a large storm had been predicted for that day. Luckily it had not appeared yet.

The match commenced with a lot of shouting and cheering from the crowd. Hogwarts scored five goals within the first fifteen minutes of the match and New York scored two. The teams remained neck in neck for the remainder of the match, until James pulled out of a dive clutching the golden Snitch in his left hand.

The crowd erupted into cheers and James was soon hoisted onto the shoulders of some of the older students.

“I have an announcement to make!” Professor Kendrick shouted over the crowd, “Due to Hogwarts's win, they will be competing against Australia in the final Quidditch match, scheduled to take place on the first of June!”

The usual after Quidditch party ensued in the common room and everyone rehashed their favorite parts of the match. No one talked about the final match, although Albus was sure it was in the backs of everyone's minds. Australia seemed impossible to beat.

Once the excitement from another Quidditch win abated, the Hogwarts students seemed to realize that exams were quite near. The library soon became a popular place to be and fifth and seventh years in particular could be seen there all hours of the day.

As the middle of May arrived, Gabriella demanded a quiet common room in the evenings, much like her sister had two years prior. Albus and his friends spent more time in the Marauder's Den after that, usually without Rose, Amanda, and Linda. The three girls seemed to like the quietness of the common room.

Rose did forgive John for messing up her notes, but she became more tense and snappish as exams drew nearer. It wasn't something that surprised Albus or anyone else because it had become a sort of end of term tradition with Rose.

Defense lessons took a drastic turn for the better. Albus and all of his friends got perfect marks on their werewolf essays, to the surprise of no one. After that, the classes bared no resemblance to Balladanis's.

“Aw, Merlin!” John shouted at breakfast one Friday in the middle of May. He had been reading the Prophet.

“What is it?” Albus asked, thinking Balladanis had been reinstated as Defense teacher or something.

“England didn't make it into the World Cup final,” John sighed, “They were so close.”

“Who did make it?” Albus grabbed the paper from John, suddenly remembering the tickets he'd gotten for Christmas. He hadn't picked who he was going to invite to go with him. Actually, he hadn't even told his friends about the tickets.

“Portugal and Russia,” John groaned, “Russia! They've got a rubbish Quidditch team!”

“Obviously not,” Rose smirked, “Albus, did you pick who you're going to take when you go to the Cup?”

“Wait, what?” John gaped at Albus, “You got tickets?”

“Er, yeah, for Christmas,” Albus said.

“And you didn't tell me!” John exclaimed.

“Well, I only got one extra and I didn't know how to pick. I had it narrowed down to you and Matt. Mind you, if you hate Russia, I'll just pick Matt,” Albus smirked.

“No, no, I didn't say I hate Russia,” John said quickly, “They've just got a bad team.”

“How am I supposed to pick then?” Albus asked.

“You don't have to,” Matt said as he sat down next to Albus.

“Nice to see you awake,” John grinned. Albus and John had attempted to wake Matt up before they went down to the Great Hall and had no luck. The full moon was the next day, so Albus hadn't even been sure if Matt was going to go to class.

“Why, is the Cup a bad time of the month?” Albus whispered.

“No,” Matt shook his head, “It's just that my dad got tickets, so you can just give your extra one to John.”

“Oh,” Albus grinned, “That makes things easy.”

“Where is the Cup?” Amanda asked.

“Canada,” Rose replied.

“How are we getting there, Albus?” John asked, “Are we going to take a Muggle airplane?” John looked excited at that prospect.

“No idea,” Albus shrugged, “Dad might get a Portkey.”

“That's boring,” John said.

“Wish I could go,” Kaden sighed.

“Why, don't you not like Quidditch?” John asked.

“It's ok,” Kaden shrugged, “I just want to try out a Portkey.”

“You're weird, Kaden,” John laughed.

“So are you. Airplanes are boring,” Kaden argued.

“I'm with Kaden on this one,” Matt said, “I'd take a Portkey any day.”

******

Between studying for exams and Quidditch practice, Albus had no time for anything else. He managed to squeeze in time to visit Matt in the hospital wing on Sunday, but only briefly before he went to Wood's day long Quidditch practice.

The following weekend was the final match of the Junior's Dueling Club, something Albus had been forced to neglect due to Quidditch practice. After begging Wood and a bit of help from Teddy, Albus was able to attend the final. Albus's team won, much to the delight of both Albus and Malfoy.

Albus had not spoken to Malfoy since the incident with Professor Balladanis. Nor had Malfoy said a word to Albus, or any of his friends. Malfoy remained mysteriously quiet around the full moon, not saying anything about it to either Albus or Matt. It was strange, but not something any of the boys were going to complain about it.

Three days before the Quidditch final, the Great Hall was filled with whispering voices that reminded Albus of the day Balladanis had been sacked. Copies of the Prophet were being passed back and forth and quite a few students looked extremely scared.

“What's happened?” Albus asked Rose as he sat down.

“Willinson has broken out of Azkaban,” Rose whispered, her face completely white.

“What?!” Albus shouted as he grabbed the nearest copy of the Prophet. Matt and John crowded around him as he read it.

AZKABAN BREAKOUT

Officials have reported that three prisoners
broke out of Azkaban late last night. It is
still unknown how it happened. Azkaban guards
have refused to speak with reporters, and the
Ministry does not wish to divulge information
at this time.

The names of the escaped prisoners have been
released and anyone with information reguarding
any of them are asked to contact the Ministry.

The Prophet then gave detailed information about all three of the escaped prisoners. Albus only recognized Willinson. The other two had been imprisoned for more petty crimes.

“How did he get out?” Albus wondered, “He's an idiot!”

“I think everyone's confused about that,” Rose said.

Any hope Albus had of getting homework done that week was gone. He was lucky he was able to concentrate on Quidditch practice. Willinson was out of Azkaban. He was galavanting about England, doing whatever he pleased. That in itself was not necessarily that bad, due to Willinson's stupidity. If he somehow met up with his father and Washburn, then it could be quite bad.

What worried Albus the most was the fact that he would be after the Hallows, all of which still resided somewhere in or around Hogwarts. Willinson was bound to come back, especially now that he was out of prison.

******

Before Albus knew it, the night before the Quidditch final arrived and Wood called the team into the changing room after ending practice.

“It has been incredibly rewarding to manage this team,” Wood said as he began to pace in front of them, “There were difficulties in the beginning,” he paused and looked at the two Slytherins on the team, “But I am proud to say that you came together as a team wonderfully.

“It still amazes me that a group of students from all four houses can come together and play together on the same team. I am not sure this could have been done when I was in Hogwarts.

“You have all come a long way over the year. You've all made vast improvements in your skill. Quite a few of you are seventh years and I am very happy to tell you that there will be scouts from a couple Quidditch teams watching tomorrow's match. I have high hopes for the lot of you, when it comes to Quidditch.

“I cannot say whether we will win tomorrow. Australia is good, there is no denying that. However, I have faith in all of you. Tomorrow, go out there and give it your best. Now, I think you should all turn in early and eat a proper breakfast tomorrow before the match. Teddy, Tyler, anything to add?” Wood turned to the boys.

Teddy and Tyler both shook their heads and Wood turned back to the team. “I'll see you all down here tomorrow. Good night.”

Wood, Teddy, and Tyler stayed behind to discuss tactics while the team left. Albus and James were the last two to leave. Georgia had left with the other seventh years, excitedly discussing the prospect of scouts.

“You think Georgia's going to sign with one of the professional teams?” Albus asked James as they walked back to the castle.

“I'd be surprised if she didn't,” James said, “I just hope it doesn't hurt her chances when we lose.”

“We might not lose,” Albus pointed out.

“We're going to lose,” James muttered, “Linda's too good of a Seeker.”

Albus said nothing. He wished he could just tell James that Linda was a vampire. It would be so much easier.

They kept walking, each lost in their own thoughts. Albus stopped abruptly when he heard a loud crack in the forest.

“What was that?” he asked anxiously.

“Probably just a branch breaking,” James answered.

“It was too loud,” Albus said as he looked into the forest, “It sounded like someone Apparating in there.”

“I don't think you can Apparate in the forest,” James pointed out, “And it didn't sound that loud. You're just tired from all the Quidditch practice.”

“I guess,” Albus said as he and James kept walking, “But what if it was someone Apparating? What if it was Willinson?”

“You worry too much, Al,” James groaned, “This place is filled with Aurors and Dad's here full time now. You'd have to be mad to Apparate here if you're wanted by the Ministry.”

“But Willinson is stupid enough to do that,” Albus replied.

“That's just it,” James laughed, “If he's stupid enough to do that, he's going to get caught and sent back to Azkaban.”

Albus nodded but he wasn't reassured. Willinson may be stupid, but he did manage to kidnap Kaden the previous spring, and he had been on the run for a year prior to that. He may be a rubbish dueler, but he was certainly good at not getting caught for the most part.

DucksRMagical

Joined: 28 December 2006
Posts: 2535
Location: Going through LeakyCon withdrawal

Posted: Wednesday 21 April 2010 10 49 48 am   Post subject: Re: Albus potter and the Path Left Untrodden in topic:Albus potter and the Path Left Untrodden

In the insanity that was last week, I completely forgot to update here. I updated HPFF, but not BaO. Sorry! So you'll get a double update today

Chapter 31: Balladanis's Fate

There was another Prefect standing next to the gargoyle that concealed the entrance to Kendrick's study. It was apparently his job to mutter the password to the gargoyle to allow all the students being interviewed in. He looked incredibly bored.

Albus and Matt ascended into the study and found three other students waiting in front of Kendrick's closed door. A very bored looking Hufflepuff, who was probably in sixth or seventh year, Scorpius Malfoy, and much to Albus's dismay, one of those Ravenclaws they had encountered on the grounds earlier.

Albus was not at all surprised to see Scorpius Malfoy there. After all, he had private lessons with Balladanis as well. However, he chose to ignore Malfoy's presence and leaned against the wall to begin the long wait.

What had been the point in sending them all to Kendrick's study at the same time? They were obviously only interviewing one person at a time. Why couldn't they have just summoned Albus later, when there were less people waiting?

Kendrick's door opened and a pale-faced Gryffindor first year walked out. She hurried out of the study and one of the Ministry officials motioned for the Ravenclaw to enter.

The Ravenclaw was in Kendrick's study for about fifteen minutes. Then it was Malfoy's turn. He took a bit more time, but finally came out and left without so much as a glance towards Albus and Matt.

In the mean time, two more students had entered. One Albus recognized as Peyton Haines, one of the Chasers from the Slytherin Quidditch team. The other was a young Hufflepuff Albus didn't recognize.

Finally, after what must have been at least an hour, Albus was finally called into the room.

Kendrick was not in his study. Only the three investigators were. Albus was now able to see them up close. The one who had called him into the room was quite tall and wore a menacing glare. Her robes were perfectly pressed, without a single wrinkle, and her hair was pulled into a tight bun. She reminded Albus of Minerva McGonagall.

The other witch was the complete opposite. She was short and quite a bit overweight. Her frizzy brown hair stuck up at all sorts of odd angles and she had a small pair of glasses perched on her nose.

The remaining investigator was a wizard and he was seated behind Kendrick's desk, a quill in hand. He looked a bit bored by the entire thing. He was gazing about the room and had the look of someone who wasn't quite paying attention.

Two people who were paying rapt attention, or should he say portraits, were Dumbledore and Snape. Both were sitting straight up and looking straight at the investigators.

The tall witch gestured for Albus to take a seat in front of the desk. Albus did so.

“My name is Katherine Torenzo and this is Lorraine Smyth,” the tall witch gestured to the short witch, “And that is Herb Cletus. He'll be transcribing our interview.”

No wonder he was so bored, Albus thought. He didn't even get to ask any of the questions.

“Please state your full name, age, year, and house for the record,” Torenzo said briskly.

Albus raised his eyebrows. Wouldn't they already know all of that information?

“It's protocol, dear,” Smyth told him.

“Albus Severus Potter, thirteen, third year, Gryffindor,” Albus answered.

“Excellent,” Torenzo replied, “Now, perhaps you can tell us what goes on in an average lesson with Professor Balladanis, in your own words.”

“Er, all right,” Albus said, “Well, he comes in and tells us all to stop talking. Then he'll collect the homework. Oh, and you have to get the homework in on time, no matter what. He doesn't take late work, even if you've got a good excuse. You could be sick in the hospital wing and he wouldn't take late homework.

“Then he'll teach us a new spell or about some new creature. Then we'll have to perform the spell.”

“What happens if you don't perform it properly?” Smyth asked.

“He makes you do it again, and again, until you get it,” Albus answered, “If you don't get it, he makes you go to extra help sessions.”

“Has this caused distress to any of the students in your class?” Smyth asked.

“Not in my class, but I've heard of other students crying because of it,” Albus answered.

“Have you attended any extra help sessions?” Torenzo asked.

“No,” Albus shook his head, “Professor Balladanis has never told me I had to.”

“I understand you have been given dueling lessons by him, however,” Torenzo said, “Can you tell us a bit about them? What do they consist of?”

“Most times he just teaches me new spells, spells that are harder than the ones we learn in class. Scorpius Malfoy is there, too, and we duel each other with the spells,” Albus explained.

“You said 'most' times,” Smyth said, “What else does he have you do?”

“Er,” Albus shifted uncomfortably in his chair, “One time he had us go into his pensieve.”

“Did he,” Torenzo muttered, “Please elaborate.”

“We watched his parents be murdered by vampires,” Albus said after a brief hesitation. He doubted Balladanis would be happy about this, but Kendrick had said to be truthful.

Both Torenzo and Smyth looked horrified. Cletus was writing away furiously on the parchment. Snape was smirking and Dumbledore's face had seemed to harden.

“We didn't actually see it,” Albus said quickly, “We stood outside the house as it happened. Balladanis's parents were in the house. Then we watched Balladanis, in the memory, run away from the house. He was thirteen.”

“And then what?” Torenzo prodded.

“We left the pensieve. Balladanis explained what we had seen-”

“He didn't tell you ahead of time?” Smyth asked.

“No,” Albus shook his head, “He just told us to go in the pensieve.”

“Did he explain why he wanted you to see this?” Torenzo asked.

“Yeah. He wanted to show us why he became a Presuler,” Albus said.

“He told you he's a Presuler?” Torenzo raised her eyebrow.

“Yes, he thinks me and Malfoy should become Presulers,” Albus explained.

“Very well,” Torenzo said as she walked towards Albus, “I have one final question. Would you feel comfortable if Professor Balladanis continued to teach here?”

Albus thought about it for a moment. Balladanis was certainly a motivated teacher and one Albus could learn a lot from. But on the other hand, he wasn't the kind of wizard Albus felt comfortable around.

“No,” Albus said quietly, “I guess not.”

Torenzo nodded. “Please return to your common room. You are not to speak of this interview to anyone until after the investigation is completed.”

Albus got up from the chair and Torenzo followed him out of the room. She called Matt in as Albus left. Albus muttered a quiet 'good luck' to him before descending from the room.

******

“Why can't you just tell us?” John lamented as the boys sat around the Marauder's Den after dinner. Rose and Amanda were currently in the girls' dormitory with Linda, who had recently been interviewed.

“I've told you a million times,” Albus said, “The Ministry witches said we couldn't talk about the interview.”

“But how would they know?” John asked, “It's not like I'm going to go telling the whole school about it.”

“Neither will I,” Kaden added.

Albus snorted. “I'll tell you about it after Balladanis is sacked, or isn't sacked. I don't think it's going to take long for them to decide.”

“He's going to be sacked,” Matt said adamantly and then turned to John, “You're not going to his extra help session tonight, are you?”

“Not if I was paid twenty Galleons,” John replied, “Well, ok, maybe if I was paid twenty Galleons, but not for less than ten. What about you, Albus? Going to go to your dueling lesson?”

Albus shrugged. He still hadn't decided. What he really wanted to know was whether Malfoy was going, but he couldn't very well waltz down to the dungeons, barge into the Slytherin common room, and ask.

“No idea,” Albus sighed.

“Don't go,” Matt said, “If you go, I'm going to start worrying about your sanity.”

“Why would you want to go?” John gave Albus a strange look.

“I might find out something about how the investigation is going, or something,” Albus muttered.

John opened his mouth to reply, but instead turned to the door. A loud squawking noise had seemed to emit from it.

“Did you hear that?” John asked.

Albus nodded and got up from his seat. He walked over to the door and paused next to it. The squawking noise was repeated.

One thing Albus loved about the Marauder's Den was that it was always very quiet. No noises could be heard from the corridor while he was inside. Albus rarely ever heard noises from the corridor, let alone squawking noises.

Albus cautiously opened the door and instead of the bizarre bird he had expected to see, Rose was standing there with her wand out.

“Finally!” she groaned, “I thought you'd never come to the door.”

“Rose?” Albus asked, “What is it? Was that squawking you?”

“Yes,” Rose said hurriedly, “I had to get you to come out of there. Uncle Harry's looking for you. He's waiting in the common room. I told him I'd find you.”

Albus turned around and told Matt, John, and Kaden, all of whom had followed him out of the room, that he would be back soon. He had no idea what his dad wanted, but it must have been important for him to go to the castle on a day he didn't have to patrol it.

Harry was sitting in one of the squashy armchairs in front of the fire when Albus arrived. Georgia and Fred were both talking with him, most likely about Quidditch judging by their excessive use of hand gestures, but stopped abruptly when Albus entered. Harry got up and met Albus near the portrait hole.

“Let's talk outside,” Harry said. Albus followed him out of the portrait hole and down the corridor a little ways.

“What were you up to just now?” Harry asked, grinning a bit.

“Nothing,” Albus shrugged truthfully.

“Well, I'm no longer a teacher here, so I won't say a word about you causing trouble, if that's what you were doing,” Harry told him, “But anyway, what I wanted to ask you is whether you were planning on going to Professor Balladanis's dueling lesson tonight?”

That seemed to be the question of the evening, Albus thought. “I dunno,” Albus shrugged.

“I realize that the decision is completely up to you,” Harry said quietly, “But I would advise you not to go. Professor Balladanis is under a considerable amount of stress, of which you don't know the half of. I'd say the chances are high that he may take out this stress on you and Scorpius.”

“Do you know if Malfoy's going?” Albus asked.

“I really have no idea,” Harry answered, “But I tend to believe he won't.”

“I don't think I will either,” Albus said.

“A wise decision,” Harry smiled.

Harry said good night to Albus and then Albus went back to the Marauder's Den. Kaden was in the middle of showing Matt and John how to make a proper paper airplane.

“What did your dad want?” John asked without looking up from the parchment he was folding.

“To tell me it wasn't a good idea to go to Balladanis's lesson tonight,” Albus said as he flopped down onto the empty couch.

“And?” Matt asked.

“I'm not going,” Albus answered.

“Good,” Matt replied.

“You know what was weird, though?” Albus began, “My dad said Balladanis was under a lot of stress, most of which I don't know about. So I'm guessing it's not only the investigation.”

“Weird,” Kaden shook his head, “I'll be happy when he's sacked.”

“We don't know for sure that he'll be sacked,” Albus pointed out, “I just wish I knew what else he was stressed about.”

“Maybe he's got to battle a beautiful woman,” John smirked, “Remember his boggart?”

“His boggart!” Albus shouted, “I can't believe I didn't put that together sooner. It wasn't a beautiful woman; it was a vampire. It's so obvious now that we know what happened to his parents, too.”

“Yeah, that does seem fairly obvious,” Matt agreed, “But what's that got to do with his stress?”

“Probably nothing,” Albus shrugged, “I just realized it.”

“You know,” John began, “This is the first Friday we've had to ourselves.”

“You're right,” Albus said, “What should we do?”

“Let's go down to the kitchens,” Kaden said.

“And spend the night here,” Matt added, “We hardly ever do that.”

They did just that. The boys snuck down to the kitchens and were given as many sweets and puddings as they could carry by the house elves. Then they stayed up late eating all of it and playing various games. Albus was even able to forget about Balladanis for a while, something that had not happened in quite a while.

******

The Ministry officials remained a permanent fixture at Hogwarts throughout the remainder of the weekend. Albus overheard a lot of students mentioning that they'd been interviewed, including John's cousin Isabelle, one of the Chasers on the Ravenclaw Quidditch team, and Gabriella.

Professor Balladanis did not show up at a single meal. In fact, he wasn't seen at all throughout the weekend. Nobody saw him, which raised the question of whether he was even still in the castle.

Albus was hoping he ran for it. Got out before the Ministry had a chance to make their decision. Albus was more than a little nervous about going to Defense on Tuesday and hearing what Balladanis had to say about Albus's absence from their dueling lesson.

It was on Monday morning that all the Hogwarts students knew a verdict had been reached. Professor Kendrick rose partway through the meal, something that only happened when something important happened. He was flanked by the two witches from the Ministry. The wizard was no longer there.

The Hall immediately quieted, without Kendrick even having to ask. Albus was slightly taken aback by Kendrick's impending announcement, since there had not been a single mention of Balladanis in that morning's Prophet.

“A decision has been reached about Professor Balladanis,” Kendrick announced, “Madam Torenzo will inform you of it. The Prophet has kindly agreed not to publish the article about it just yet, as I wished to inform you of it first.”

“He's sacked,” John muttered, “Otherwise he'd be at breakfast.”

“Good point,” Albus said.

Torenzo stood up and gazed out at the students with a neutral look on her face. “Upon extensive investigation of Professor Balladanis's teaching methods and thorough interviews of selected students, the Ministry has seen it fit to remove him from his teaching position here at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Professor Balladanis packed his things late last night and no longer resides in the castle. Professor Kendrick will inform you about what will happen with Defense classes for the remainder of the year. I would like to thank all of you for your cooperation during this time.”

Torenzo sat back down and continued eating her breakfast like nothing had happened. The Great Hall immediately erupted into whispers, but they were quickly stopped by Kendrick.

“Defense Against the Dark Arts classes will not take place until further notice. I will try and procure a suitable replacement for Professor Balladanis as quickly as possible. Until then, please use the time to study for your upcoming exams,” Kendrick said and then resumed his seat. He began to talk with Torenzo and the students voices rose in the Hall.

“I knew it!” Matt exclaimed, “Best news I've heard this month!”

“Yes!” Georgia shouted and then turned to Fred, “Pay up!”

“Merlin!” James groaned, “Why'd they have to do that investigation so quickly?”

Money began to exchange hands throughout the Gryffindor table as Fred collected and handed out Galleons.

“Do you think Kendrick'll find a replacement?” John asked.

“Dunno,” Albus shrugged, “No one really wanted that job to begin with.”

“Glad I didn't do that werewolf essay,” John grinned.

“Maybe Kendrick won't find a replacement,” Kaden said, “Then we'd have one less exam.”

“That would be brilliant,” John replied.

The atmosphere in the castle for the rest of the day was incredibly upbeat. Hardly anyone seemed at all sad that Balladanis had left. Quite a few students asked Matt to thank his dad for them. It seemed that the only students upset by it were those who had lost bets because of it.

Argus Filch was another who was unhappy. The general excitement of the castle caused him more work. Peeves destroyed the Defense classroom in celebration (Balladanis never liked Peeves), James and his friends set off a few Weasley fireworks, and then there was the general mess that was associated with students celebrating by playing outside in the muddy grass. Plus, Moaning Myrtle flooded her bathroom when a few students told her that even she ought to be excited about it. Apparently she did not agree. For some odd reason it reminded her of her death.

One person who seemed incredibly excited was Linda. Linda who rarely showed any emotion whatsoever walked around the castle with a big smile on her face. Albus could only attribute this to the fact that Balladanis had taught so extensively about vampires. But he never taunted her the way he'd taunted Matt. Perhaps that was because his biggest fear was vampires.

There was even a party in the Gryffindor common room that night. Rose thought it was a little ridiculous, to celebrate the sacking of a teacher, but everyone else, including Linda, thought it was an excellent thing to celebrate.

“Just think,” John said, “We don't ever have to listen to him go on and on about how bad the dark arts are. I mean, we all know they're bad. We all know about Voldemort and what he did.”

“And that bloody anamatek,” Matt added, “I could've gone my whole life without seeing one of those.”

“What do you think he's doing now?” Rose mused.

“Maybe some Ministry hired him,” Albus said quietly, “I hope it's some place far, like Madagascar or somewhere.”

“Yeah,” Matt agreed, “I bet he's not even in Britain anymore.”

“I don't see why he'd bother to stick around,” Albus replied, “I mean, he snuck out in the night to avoid anyone seeing him.”

“Wish we could've seen him leave,” John grinned mischievously, “Would've been nice to give him a proper send off.”

“I'm just glad it's over,” Rose muttered, “Maybe now you lot can concentrate on exams. And maybe the castle will get back to normal.”

“Normal?” Albus raised his eyebrows, “This place will never be normal. Plus, we've got Quidditch on Saturday. It's the last match before the final.”

“When's the final?” Rose asked.

“Beginning of June, I think,” Albus answered, “Australia's already so far ahead that they'll be in it.”

Albus, John, Matt, and Kaden all sent scathing looks at Linda, who looked down at the table.

“But if we beat New York in this match,” Albus continued, “We'll be in it, too. So Wood is in full form this week. I'm practicing every night starting tomorrow.”

“Oliver Wood is insane,” Rose muttered.

“Insane, but brilliant on the Quidditch pitch,” John grinned, “I would love to get yelled at by him during a Quidditch practice.”

“Excellent,” Albus said, “You can take my place.”

Scellanis

Joined: 11 September 2002
Posts: 6457
Location: Pretending to be a sea slug with 'go faster' stripes...

Posted: Friday 16 April 2010 06 56 47 pm   Post subject: The single mother's manifesto in topic:The single mother's manifesto

This makes interesting reading if you are British and elligable to vote in the forth coming general election you might want to take a look at her recent article on the Tory party:

[url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/commen]http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/commen ... 1353395815

DucksRMagical

Joined: 28 December 2006
Posts: 2535
Location: Going through LeakyCon withdrawal

Posted: Sunday 11 April 2010 11 14 38 am   Post subject: Re: Beyond the Shadow in topic:Beyond the Shadow

Chapter 6: Pickles and Ice Cream

Farina was never anywhere close by when you needed her. It took us fifteen minutes to find her, during which no less than ten nurses asked if Victoire was all right. At least if Farina didn't want to let her leave, we'd have half the nurse staff on our side. We finally located Farina in the clinic, barking orders at what looked like a crowd of new, and very terrified looking, residents.

“Lupin!” Farina shouted once she saw us, “You're over a half hour late!”

Farina pushed through the crowd of residents and over towards us. She looked murderous, but then her face softened when she noticed Victoire.

“Lupin, are you all right?” Farina asked in an uncharacteristically soft voice.

“No,” I answered for her, “I am requesting that you let me take Victoire home. She's in no state to be treating patients.”

Farina nodded. “Very well. I'll expect you back here brewing Skele-Gro in two hours, Eckerton. Lupin, take all the time you need.”

Farina didn't wait for a response before returning to her group of residents, who looked disappointed that she'd returned.

“Weird,” I muttered as we hurried out of the clinic before she could change her mind.

Despite the fact that Victoire and I were obviously visitors to the Ministry, we did not have to use the visitor's entrance. We'd both been there so many times that we knew each and every security guard and never had to bother with anything besides obtaining name tags.

Hoping that Teddy was in his study, we hurried up to the Auror Headquarters. Victoire was still in a sort of daze and hadn't said anything since we left the loo. We received a few curious looks as we hurried down the corridor, but nobody stopped us.

The Auror Headquarters was busy as usual and I directed Victoire straight to Ted's cubicle, which he was thankfully in.

He looked up when he saw us and immediately frowned and stood up, walking towards Victoire and embracing her.

“Victoire, what's wrong?” he asked and then looked curiously at me.

Victoire started crying again and Teddy said nothing else, but lead us towards Harry Potter's study in the back of the room. He knocked on the door and I heard Harry tell us to come in.

“Could I use your study?” Teddy asked immediately.

Harry looked up and, taking one look at Victoire, nodded and left the room. I loitered in the doorway, but Teddy gestured for me to come in as well. I shut the door behind me and sat down on one of the chairs.

Teddy said nothing for a while, just letting Victoire cry into his chest while he rubbed her back. He didn't ask what was wrong and I did not explain. This was something Victoire had to explain herself. After a few minutes, Victoire's sobs began to subside and she pulled away from Teddy, turning her back to him and staring up at a portrait of Mad-Eye Moody. He looked at her and then ambled out of the frame.

“Victoire, what's going on?” Teddy asked quietly, staying where he was.

“I'm-” her voice cracked, “I'm pregnant.”

The room was silent for a full minute and then Teddy walked towards Victoire, wrapping her in a hug from behind. He didn't say anything, just hugged her. I glanced at my watch.

“I've got to get back,” I said as I stood up. “I'll stop by tonight, ok?”

“Ok,” Teddy nodded.

I hurried out of the Auror Headquarters and back to the lobby of the Ministry. I stepped into a fireplace and was spinning back to St. Mungo's in seconds. Farina was talking to one of the nurses when I reentered the hospital and turned around as I passed her.

“Have you started that Skele-Gro yet, Eckerton?” she demanded.

“I'm on my way to the brewing rooms right now,” I told her.

She nodded curtly and I headed straight to the nearest set of stairs. Brewing Skele-Gro took hours and I was sure to be down there for the remainder of the day, which was just what I needed after the morning I had had.

******

Ten hours and five batches of Skele-Gro later, I was standing on Teddy and Victoire's front porch armed with the biggest jar of pickles the store had and a five gallon tub of Neapolitan ice cream, Victoire's biggest cravings when she was pregnant with Sophie. Shifting the bag to my other hand, I rang the bell and waited. Five seconds later I heard the pitter-patter of tiny feet and then saw Sophie's face peering through the curtains.

The door flung open and Sophie shouted, “Aunt Amy! I didn't know you were coming over!”

I set down the bag and picked her up, shutting the door with my foot, and carried her back into the house. She was clad in her pajamas, her hair wet from a bath, and a stuffed wolf tucked under her arm. I recognized it as the one Matt had gotten her when she was born. It had seen better days, but it was her favorite stuffed toy.

“Amy,” Victoire said as she walked out of the kitchen. She looked exhausted, but was smiling. “It's time for bed, Soph. Say good night to Aunt Amy.”

“Night,” Sophie said as she wrapped her arms around my neck.

“Night, sweetie,” I said as I set her down.

Victoire followed Sophie up the stairs and returned a few minutes later. We entered the living room, where Teddy was reading a Quidditch magazine, and I handed Victoire the bag of ice cream and pickles.

“Amy, you're a lifesaver,” she grinned as she pulled the top off the ice cream. Then she took a pickle and dipped it into the container, making sure to get all three flavors of ice cream on it.

“Vic, that's disgusting,” Teddy grimmaced.

“It's half your fault,” Victoire pointed out.

“So, you're looking happier,” I said.

“I've decided not to worry about what might happen,” Victoire said in between bites. “They can't test for lycanthropy until the second trimester. I've got an appointment for tomorrow morning, though.”

“That's good,” I replied.

“We're not telling anyone right away,” Victoire continued. “Not until the second trimester. You're the only one who knows. And we're not going to tell Sophie until then either.”

“Makes sense,” I agreed.

“But you won't be able to eat anything weird around other people,” Teddy smirked. “Or they're going to know.”

“Shut it, Ted,” Victoire snapped.

It was strange, just hours ago Victoire had been so completely upset and now she seemed almost happy. Pregnancy did strange things with your hormones and I couldn't even begin to imagine what that was like. Sure, I was a healer, but I'd never been pregnant myself and there was nothing compared with going through it yourself.

I spent much of the evening at Victoire and Teddy's, in which time Victoire polished off half the pickles and ice cream. I had a feeling Teddy would be out buying more of both sometime soon. Teddy had already fallen asleep on the couch when I left, assuring Victoire that I'd meet her for her healer appointment the next day.

Victoire's appointment was the reason I found myself scanning the corridor for Farina five minutes before I was due in the clinic the next morning. The maternity ward was running behind so Victoire was still in with the healer when I was supposed to be heading up to the clinic. Maybe I'd get lucky and Farina wouldn't notice that I was late. I laughed, that would be the day.

Victoire and Teddy emerged from the examination room a few minutes later and I immediately ran up to them. “Well?”

“Pregnant, of course,” Victoire said. “They just told me the same thing they told me with Sophie, and they want me to start taking Wolfsbane during full moons right away.”

I nodded. That made sense. Wolfsbane didn't have any harmful effects on people without lycanthropy, so it certainly couldn't hurt even if the baby wasn't a werewolf. “How far along are you?”

“Seven weeks,” Victoire replied.

“Wow, you won't have to wait long to tell people,” I said.

“Nope,” Victoire said.

“Listen, I was supposed to be in the clinic five minutes ago, so I better go,” I sighed.

Victoire's eyes widened. “Go! Before she murders you!”

******

November went by extremely quickly, in a whirlwind of working, researching, and potion brewing. The Lycanthropic Children's Society came to an agreement that we could start holding support group sessions, but we wouldn't start planning until after the holidays. Victoire's cravings increased and it seemed the only time she wasn't eating pickles was when she was having morning sickness. When the first full moon of December arrived, she managed to choke down a dose of Wolfsbane, but it was clear that Teddy was going to have to be in charge of Sophie's doses until Victoire had the baby.

Victoire and Teddy decided to wait until Christmas to tell their family, so they could tell them all at once. It would be far easier than trying to track down all the members of the Weasley clan before that. They planned to tell Sophie on Christmas Eve, before they went to the Burrow.

Matt and Sophie both survived December's first full moon, Sophie better than Matt, but he recovered and was back at work a few days later. Jamie did surprisingly well without being on Wolfsbane, thrilling his parents and shocking Morris and I. I wasn't complaining, of course, but it just added to the strange mystery that was lycanthropy. Jamie took a few days to recover, but then seemed healthier than he had in months, and busied himself with helping Kyle to write his Christmas list.

I could hardly believe that the Christmas season was already upon us. Christmas has always been a big deal in my family, for as long as I could remember. When I was really little, Christmas meant constant chaos and activity, going from one party to the next, in both the Muggle and wizarding worlds. My parents would sit me down before each one and make sure I understood whether it would be appropriate to discuss magic and wands and such at that day's party. On Christmas, we'd visit both sets of grandparents until my dad's parents died. Then Richard and Cinda took to visiting us instead.

All of that changed when Matt got bitten. Christmas became solely a family affair as my parents began to withdraw from the public eye. Our attendance at parties was a rare occasion after that. But Christmas became even more of a big deal, but for different reasons. Going out and chopping down a tree became more special, something we nearly always did as a family. I still remember our last Christmas in our old house in Australia when my parents finally agreed to chopping down a twelve-foot-tree, but at the time I had no idea it would be our last there.

Things changed again once we moved to England. What started with a one Christmas decision to go spend the holiday in Australia morphed into a yearly tradition of flying down there every Christmas. I never minded it, but Matt always wished we could just stay in England.

However, since Richard died, we have been spending Christmas in England. It's different, but it's still Christmas. Honestly, the thing I had to get used to the most was the snow. Victoire laughed hysterically when I told her that. Snow's just not a part of Christmas in Australia.

Even as Matt and I grew up and moved out, we still spent Christmas at home. We still went home to chop down a tree and this year was no different. One Sunday in early December Matt and I Apparated home and found Dad clad in a few jumpers and a cloak, and Mum busy baking a batch of biscuits.

It was a frigidly cold day and windy at that, so we didn't take long in the bush to find the perfect tree. Mum would have settled for the first tree we saw, but I had always insisted on finding the perfect one and that wasn't something I was about to change.

We found the tree, chopped it down, and brought it back to the house to decorate it. Afterwards, we sat around admiring it and eating Mum's biscuits.

“Is Albus going to be home for Christmas this year?” I asked Matt.

“I think so,” Matt replied. “He sort of has to be, after last year.”

I smirked. Christmas is an even bigger deal in the Weasley-Potter clan, encompassing an entire week instead of just a day and anyone who misses it for whatever reason gets the silent treatment from Molly Weasley, after she sends a Howler. Last year, Albus had the unfortunate luck to be working over Christmas, and couldn't show up at his grandparents' house until New Year's.

“Do any of you have to work Christmas?” I asked.

Everyone shook their heads and I grinned. This would be two years in a row that none of us had to work, which was rare. There wasn't even a full moon near the holiday this year. However, this December happened to contain a blue moon, which would rise on New Year's Eve.

Matt and I stayed for the usual Sunday night dinner and then returned to our respective flats. The next day was Monday, which meant a hectic day at St. Mungo's, and the start of a very crazy week for me since I was scheduled to be on call the following weekend. Add that to the fact that it was time to start brewing the next batch of Wolfsbane (the original version) and I was in for a sleepless week.

DucksRMagical

Joined: 28 December 2006
Posts: 2535
Location: Going through LeakyCon withdrawal

Posted: Wednesday 3 March 2010 10 03 26 am   Post subject: Re: Albus potter and the Path Left Untrodden in topic:Albus potter and the Path Left Untrodden

Chapter 25: The Memory

Ten minutes into the match, Albus decided there were four types of Quidditch in the world. Casual Quidditch, like what he played with his cousins; school Quidditch; professional Quidditch; and then there was the type of Quidditch he was playing now.

It was a combination of school Quidditch and professional Quidditch. The crowd was louder, the players more determined, and the stakes were higher than a normal school Quidditch match.

Albus dodged one of the New York Chasers and flew up to catch the Quaffle, which had been dropped by Waverly as he had been hit by a bludger. As soon as Albus had the Quaffle, he was flanked by the other two New York Chasers.

Albus pushed his broom to fly faster and held the Quaffle tighter to his chest. Then he plunged down to the ground, where nobody else was flying. He was back up high two minutes later when he had reached the New York goal posts. After dodging a Bludger, he threw the Quaffle into the left goal post. The Keeper was too slow and the Quaffle soared through.

“Potter of Hogwarts has scored!” Todd Smith shouted, “40-30 Hogwarts!”

James grinned at Albus as he flew past. Albus smiled to himself and joined Waverly and Reilly, who were waiting for New York's Keeper to throw the Quaffle out. That had been his first goal of the match.

The Quaffle continued to exchange hands quickly as the match went on. An hour later there was still no sign of the Snitch and both teams were neck in neck as far as points went. New York was up by ten.

Albus scored a few more goals and he began to relax a little. The match began to feel more like a school match and less like a professional match, even though the stakes were still high.

Wood had repeated over and over again that they had to be up by at least fifty points when James caught the Snitch, or they wouldn't be able to overtake New York as far as overall points went.

“New York's Seeker has seen the Snitch!” Smith announced.

Albus, who had been following one of New York's Chasers (the one who had the Quaffle), turned around and saw that their Seeker was making a beeline for the top of Hogwarts' middle goal.

James noticed as well and flew straight at the hoop. He had been significantly closer than New York's Seeker and flew away from the hoop with the struggling Snitch in his hand.

The crowd roared and James held the Snitch high above his head. Both teams flew to the ground and Albus saw the pained look on Wood's face. They hadn't won by enough to be in second place overall.

“I had no choice!” James shouted to him, “She was going to get it!”

Wood nodded in agreement, but he still looked disappointed. Albus chose to ignore this and helped the rest of the team to hoist James onto all of their shoulders.

“To update everyone on the points, the Australian School of Sorcery is in first place. New York and Hogwarts are currently tied for second. The next match will take place at the end of February!” Smith told the crowd.

Albus didn't meet up with his friends until they were back in the common room. Teddy had gone to Hogsmeade and a party was currently underway in the Gryffindor common room. Teddy informed everyone that the three other houses were hosting parties as well. The students from New York who had been sorted into Gryffindor, including their Seeker, were sulking in a corner.

“I think that was your best match yet,” John said to Albus as they settled down at their usual table.

“I think so, too,” Albus agreed, “I kind of wish I could play in the next match.”

“Maybe Fielding will still be sick,” John said.

“Doubt it,” Albus replied, “Plus, I'm sure O'delle will get first dibs on the next match if any of the other Chasers get sick.”

“At least you got to play in one match,” Rose pointed out.

“Anyway, the next match you'll probably be playing Australia,” Matt said.

“Yeah,” Albus nodded, “If we win that one, it'll be a miracle. But we're not even playing in the next one. Next match is New York versus Australia.”

The party continued until dinner time, when people began to leave as nobody had snuck down to the kitchens to get food. Harry came in to congratulate Albus and James shortly before Albus and his friends left for dinner. He was also scheduled to patrol the school for the remainder of the weekend and wanted to let his kids know.

******

Life at Hogwarts returned to normal shortly after the Quidditch match. The [i]Prophet[/i] printed fewer and fewer articles about Wisander until there were none at all. Everyone seemed to forget about his death. Everyone except Matt, that is, who was still worried about his dad.

However, the students at Hogwarts were reminded again of the unsolved murder when the next Hogsmeade trip arrived two days after Valentine's Day. A portion of the students were too lovesick to notice the boarded up shop of Dervish and Banges as they made their way to Madam Puddifoot's.

Neither Albus, John, or Matt were too preoccupied to notice the abandoned building, though. The three of them stopped to look at it for a while despite the biting wind. Rose and Amanda were spending the day with Linda.

“Who owns it now?” John asked as they looked at the empty building.

“Dunno,” Albus shrugged, “The Prophet never mentioned any family.”

“It's probably still part of the investigation,” Matt pointed out, “Plus, who would want a building that someone was killed in? I don't even want to go in it.”

Albus didn't think it was a good time to remind Matt that Severus Snape had been murdered inside of the Shrieking Shack.

“Good point,” Albus said, “But so far they haven't found anything.”

“They won't find who it was,” John said quietly, “They never found out who killed Torro.”

“I really hope they find who it was,” Matt replied.

“They will,” Albus said, “They're still focused on it.”

Albus, Matt, and John went to the Three Broomsticks a little while later because all three of them were frozen. They warmed up with Butterbeer and were just thinking about heading back to the castle when Albus heard someone whisper his name behind him.

“Albus,” they said again.

Albus turned around, but no one was there. The voice sounded familiar, though. Albus slowly reached his hand out and it touched something solid, but it looked like no one was there.

“Kaden,” Albus groaned, “Is that you?”

“Yeah,” Kaden whispered back, “I stole your cloak.”

Albus immediately stood up and motioned for Matt and John, who were both looking confused, to follow him. He assumed Kaden would follow as well. Albus lead them up High Street until they reached the Shrieking Shack. Nobody was hanging around it that day.

“Kaden!” Albus seethed, “You do realize how stupid this was.”

“Yes,” Kaden replied as he took off the cloak.

“Bloody Hell!” John shouted.

“You stole the cloak?” Matt asked.

“Kaden, you idiot!” Albus shouted, “I know I first told you this would be a good time, but there was a reason I changed my mind and told you not to sneak in today. Most of the teachers come to Hogsmeade for the February trip. My cousins told me. They want to make sure no one does anything stupid because they're in love or whatever.”

“Er,” Kaden muttered.

“How did you get in?” Matt asked.

“One-eyed witch statue,” Kaden replied, “Leads right into Honeyduke's.”

“Kaden, do you know how difficult it's going to be to get you back unnoticed?”

Kaden's face turned white and his mouth dropped open. Albus turned around to see what he was looking at and was met face to face with Professor Balladanis.

“Quite difficult, I'd expect,” Balladanis replied, “Come with me, all of you.”

Albus groaned inwardly as he followed Balladanis down the street. They had gone all year without Kaden getting them into trouble, but Albus should have known better than to think they could go the whole year.

Nobody spoke until they were shut in Balladanis's study. Balladanis sat down in his chair and looked at Kaden.

“Explain,” Balladanis said.

“They had nothing to do with it,” Kaden said quickly, “Albus was just telling me how stupid I was.”

“Then it would seem that Mr. Potter and I agree on something,” Balladanis replied, “Where'd you get that cloak?”

“It's Albus's,” Kaden said quietly, “I took it. He didn't give it to me to sneak in or anything.”

“Very well,” Balladanis said, “Mr. Potter, Mr. Eckerton, and Mr. Brickston, you may return to your common room. Mr. Dursley will join you after I arrange his detention.”

Albus, Matt, and John could not get out of there quick enough. They walked straight back to the common room, talking about how lucky they had been. It must have looked like all three of them had helped Kaden sneak into Hogsmeade. Good thing Balladanis believed Kaden.

Kaden returned fifteen minutes later, looking quite unhappy. He collapsed onto a chair and stared mutinously at the table.

“Detention every Saturday for the next month,” Kaden muttered, “Plus he gave me a lecture about how dangerous it was for me to sneak out and if I did it again I'd get a worse punishment than detention. Didn't elaborate on that, though.”

“He'd probably get you kicked out,” John commented.

“Did he say what you have to do for detention?” Albus asked.

“No,” Kaden said, “Guess it'll be a surprise.”

******

Kaden discovered what his detention was that night. Balladanis decided to have him alphabetize his private library, which was quite extensive. Kaden returned to the Marauder's Den ranting about the amount of books Balladanis had.

“He's got more books on dark creatures than your dad's got,” Kaden said to Matt.

“That's impressive,” Matt replied.

“Wish he had less,” Kaden muttered.

Kaden spent all four of his detentions alphabetizing those books. He almost didn't manage to finish and if that had been the case, Balladanis would have given him a fifth detention.

The next full moon came and went, as did the next Quidditch match. Albus was beginning to suspect that the full moons were becoming worse for Matt, although he didn't know why.

New York lost miserably to Australia in the Quidditch match. They had been doing pretty well until Linda caught the Snitch a half hour in. Wood insisted that this was a good thing, though. It meant that if Hogwarts managed to score a good amount of goals before Linda caught the Snitch in their next match, they would have more overall points than New York. Wood seemed to have lost any hope that James could beat Linda in Seeking, something James fumed about on a near daily basis.

March arrived and with it a three day rain storm that left the grounds completely flooded. Both Herbology and Care of Magical Creatures had to take place inside, which resulted in incredibly boring lessons. Wood continued to hold Quiditch practice and Albus returned to the castle completely soaked and covered in mud after each one.

All of the teachers were piling on the homework and Professor Patil had even gone so far as to mention the O.W.L.s even though they were a whole two years away. The only teacher who wasn't talking about the end of term exams was Professor Balladanis.

Balladanis conducted his lessons as if end of term exams did not exist. He changed nothing about his lessons except the dark creature they were learning about.

“We're starting vampires next week,” Balladanis announced at the end of class on Thursday, “Please read the chapter on them by Monday.”

Albus couldn't help but look at Linda before he began packing up his things. He wondered if Balladanis would be teaching them enough about identifying vampires for anyone to figure out that Linda was one.

“So,” John said as he flipped through his Defense book the following evening. Albus, Matt, John, and Kaden were in the Marauder's Den and John was just finishing the chapter on vampires. “Look what's after vampires.

Albus looked through his own book. “Werewolves,” he said quietly and then looked at Matt.

“Yeah,” Matt muttered, “It was bound to happen eventually.”

“I wonder if Balladanis is going to make you go in for extra help during that unit,” John grinned, “I'm sure you'll need loads of extra help in identifying werewolves.”

Matt rolled his eyes. “He better. It'll look suspicious if I don't go in for extra help. Speaking of extra help, we're due to go in for it in fifteen minutes.”

“We'd better go then,” John said, “See you two later.”

Albus managed to finish his Herbology homework while John and Matt were gone. Then it was time for him to go in for his dueling lessons.

The desks weren't pushed to the sides of the classroom when Albus entered. Balladanis was seated behind his desk and there was a stone basin sitting on it. Balladanis was pulling silvery strings of something out of his head and placing them in the basin.

It was a pensieve and the strings were memories, Albus realized. For a moment, he thought that maybe Balladanis had cancelled dueling and neglected to tell him.

“Sir?” Albus asked hesitantly.

“Mr. Potter,” Balladanis said quietly, “Come in.”

Albus stood awkwardly next to one of the front tables while he waited for Malfoy. Balladanis stared into the pensieve and acted like Albus wasn't there. When Malfoy arrived, he looked up and stared at the two boys for a few minutes before speaking.

“We're not dueling today,” he said, “Instead, I am going to show you something.” He motioned for them to join him at his desk.

Albus glanced nervously at Malfoy. Balladanis wasn't one for explanations, but Albus would have appreciated one right then.

“This is a pensieve,” Balladanis said, “It is used to explore memories. That is exactly what we're going to do. Albus, lean forward and put your head into the pensieve. Your body will follow. Scorpius, you will follow. I will come after you.”

Albus's pulse sped up a little bit as he leaned over the pensieve. Was this a stupid idea? He didn't even know what he was getting into. But it was just a memory. Nothing could hurt him in a memory, right?

Albus took a deep breath and plunged his face into the pensieve. He had never been in one before. He landed on the hard grass and looked around.

It was dusk and very quiet. There was a small house in the distance, atop of a rocky hill. In fact, the whole area was mostly rocky. Albus had landed on the one lone piece of grass in the whole place. It didn't look like any place in Britain.

He stood up as Malfoy landed next to him, followed quickly by Balladanis. Balladanis landed on his feet and they waited for Malfoy to get up.

“Follow me,” Balladanis said quietly.

Albus did so, but he still felt like he deserved an explanation. Where were they? Why were they there? Whose memory was this? What did it have to do with dueling?

“Excuse me, Sir,” Malfoy said, “Where are we?”

“Greece,” Balladanis replied.

This did nothing but increase Albus's curiosity. Why were they in Greece of all places? But he didn't ask. It didn't seem like Balladanis was in an explaining mood, judging by his short, one word answer to Malfoy.

They walked quietly towards the small house. The only noise was their footsteps. There weren't even any owls hooting or dogs barking. It struck Albus as very odd.

The house must have been their destination. Balladanis stopped when they arrived at the broken down wooden fence surrounding it. The house reminded Albus of the Shrieking Shack, only smaller. It was kind of broken down and didn't look like a place that would be good to live in.

Someone lived there, though. A light was on upstairs. It remained on for a few more minutes and then someone turned it off.

Balladanis made no move towards the house. Instead, he seemed focused on the forest that lay just beyond it. Albus decided the forest was as good a place as any to watch.

They watched the forest for a half an hour before anything happened. Then five hooded figures practically flew out of the forest. They were at the house before Albus even realized it. He looked at Balladanis. His face was hardened.

All was quiet for two minutes. The figures entered the house, but did not turn on any lights. Then the screams started. Albus jumped at the sound of the first one.

They were agonizing, long screams. Albus wanted nothing more than to go in and help whoever was screaming, but he knew he couldn't. It was nothing more than a memory. Instead, he looked again at Balladanis.

His professor's face showed nothing. Nothing but the same hardened look he had seen on it so many times. Malfoy on the other hand, looked horrified. He looked exactly how Albus felt.

The screaming was coming from two different people. There was a high-pitched one that must have been coming from a woman, and a lower one that must have been coming from a man.

Then, they stopped. First the woman, then the man. The hooded figures left the house as quickly as they had entered and returned to the forest.

Balladanis, however, made no move to leave. Instead he stared at the house. Two minutes later, someone fled from it.

They ran from the house, towards Albus, Malfoy, and Balladanis. As they drew closer, Albus could see that the person was a boy who looked no older than Albus himself. His face was etched with a sadness Albus had never seen before. It was too dark to tell, but Albus was sure there were tears running down his face.

The boy obviously didn't notice the three people watching him. He ran right past them, up the rocky hill in the distance. It occurred to Albus after he passed that the boy looked somewhat familiar. There was something about his face that Albus recognized, but he couldn't quite place it.

DucksRMagical

Joined: 28 December 2006
Posts: 2535
Location: Going through LeakyCon withdrawal

Posted: Wednesday 17 February 2010 10 36 20 am   Post subject: Re: Albus potter and the Path Left Untrodden in topic:Albus potter and the Path Left Untrodden

Thanks Dawn! So glad you're enjoying it!

Chapter 23: All in Good Time

It was nearing midnight when Albus, Matt, and Rose re-entered the building, escorted by Professor Balladanis. Albus had been hoping the professor would just see them to the door and then continue his search of the perimeter, but instead he went back to the ballroom with them and marched them right up to Harry.

“Potter,” Balladanis interrupted the conversation Harry had been having with some wizard Albus didn't know, “I found your son, your niece, and their friend wandering around outside.”

“Albus,” Harry groaned, “I thought we made it clear that you were to stay inside.”

“I'll leave them with you,” Balldanis said, “Happy New Year.”

“Happy New Year,” Harry replied, “And thanks.”

Balladanis disappeared into the crowd and Albus shifted uncomfortably as his dad stared at him for a few moments.

“Care to explain?” Harry raised an eyebrow.

“We were just, er, exploring,” Albus muttered.

“Don't do it again,” Harry sighed.

“We won't,” Albus assured him.

Harry went back to his conversation and Albus lead his friends back to the buffet.

“I hope you've learned your lesson,” Rose muttered, “I am not doing that again.”

“We won't do it again. Not tonight, that is,” Albus grinned.

“10!” someone shouted.

Albus looked at the nearest clock and saw that it was almost midnight. Everyone else joined in the countdown, holding their glasses of champagne in the air. Amy joined Albus, Rose, and Matt.

“3, 2, 1, Happy New Year!” Albus shouted along with everyone else.

The crowd began to thin out a little while later. Most of the people Albus didn't know left, along with his Uncle Percy, Aunt Corrine, and his cousins. Albus's parents didn't look like they were in any hurry to leave, so he got a plate of the leftover desserts and at them with his friends.

Rose's family and Amy left, and then it was just the Potters, Matt, his parents, the Minister, and his wife left. All the adults were talking, James was teasing Lily about something, and Albus and Matt were finishing off the last of the desserts.

“Do you think there's any way for Hogwarts to win the Quidditch tournament?” Matt asked as he polished off a piece of chocolate cake.

“Only if Linda's sick the day of one of the matches,” Albus sighed.

“Maybe that'll happen,” Matt said, “You never know.”

“Al, we've got to go,” Ginny tapped him on the shoulder.

“Ok, Mum,” Albus replied and then turned back to Matt, “I'll see you soon.”

“Yeah, see you on the train,” Matt said.

Albus waved goodbye and then joined his mum, dad, James, and Lily. They all said congratulations to Matt's dad and then left the Minister's Mansion. Albus peered into the bushes as he left, but there was no sign of Professor Balladanis.

******

The remainder of the Christmas holiday went by very slow for Albus. He did all his homework, which was quite boring, and there was nothing to do after that. Rose was visiting her other grandparents and James was at Nathan's house. Even Kaden was busy visiting his grandparents (Vernon and Petunia). He sent Albus a letter complaining about it, since the visit was also with Aunt Marge. Albus was very grateful that he didn't have to go. Neither of his parents had mentioned anything about visiting with Vernon and Petunia again.

Finally the day to return to school arrived and the Potters made it to Platform 9 ¾ just in time. Albus found all his friends in one of the compartments and once they kicked Lily, Ashtyn, and Hugo out, they told each other about their holidays.

“Aunt Marge has got to be the most horrible aunt in the entire world,” Kaden fumed, “My dad told her about magic a few months ago and she's been awful ever since. I mean, she was always kind of horrible, but now she's worse. She just hates magic so much. She's worse than my grandparents.”

“Wow,” Albus replied, “Glad I've never met her.”

“Consider yourself lucky,” Kaden muttered, “I'm guessing you lot had better holidays?”

“We found Professor Balladanis lurking around the Minister's Mansion,” Albus announced.

“What?” John, Kaden, and Amanda shouted at the same time.

“I saw someone sneaking around outside and Albus insisted we go investigate,” Rose said, “Turns out it was Balladanis and the Minister had apparently asked him to check the grounds for trouble.”

“Did he find you?” John asked.

“Yeah,” Albus nodded, “He wasn't to happy either.”

“Told us we could've been killed,” Matt explained.

“Well, we could've,” Rose muttered.

“Weird though,” John said, “Why would the Minister think someone would be hiding around his house?”

“Doesn't he have guards around anyway?” Amanda asked, “The Muggle Minister does.”

“Again, that's why it's weird,” John replied, “He does have guards.”

“Why would he ask Balladanis anyway?” Matt asked, “Why not ask an Auror? Balladanis is a professor.”

“He hasn't always been,” Albus pointed out, “He had some sort of mysterious job before.”

“Again, weird,” John said.

“Yeah, there were a bunch of Aurors at the party, not to mention Albus's dad,” Matt pointed out.

“That settles it,” John announced, “Albus, you've got to find out what he did before he started teaching Defense?”

“Why me?” Albus asked.

“Because you've got those special dueling lessons with him. He likes you for some reason. Of course, he also likes Malfoy. But that's probably just because Malfoy's a good dueler, too,” John explained.

“I'll try,” Albus sighed, “But I really don't think he'll tell me.”

“You never know,” John said.

******

“Quiet, quiet!” Balladanis shouted the following Tuesday, their first day of Defense after the holiday.

Albus immediately stopped talking to Matt and John and turned to face Balladanis. He was really hoping that the professor would say nothing about what happened at the party and so far Balladanis was showing no recollection of it.

“I trust you all had superb holidays,” Balladanis said, “But the holidays are over and although I am sure none of you thought a bit about defensive magic during said holidays, it is now time to commence that thinking once again.

“First, I'll say that there is no time to not be thinking about defensive magic, as the dark arts do not take breaks for trivial things such as holidays.

“Second, in this term we will begin to explore creatures far more dangerous than hinkypunks and kappas. In this term we shall learn about those terrifying creatures such as acromantulas, basilisks, werewolves, dragons, and vampires.”

Albus couldn't help but glance at Linda when Balladanis said vampires. Balladanis had glanced at her as well, and he also glanced at Matt when he said werewolves. Of course, he had looked at Albus when he said basilisks, so it didn't necessarily mean anything, but Albus had a feeling it did.

“As the headmaster would find it highly inappropriate for a dragon to manifest itself in this classroom, we shall not be using the anamatek as often this term,” Balladanis continued, “But we will be using it a few times. You will find that there are more lectures in this term, much to my dislike. There is nothing I would like better than to teach you about acromantulas and werewolves with practical lessons, but there are both laws and school rules that prevent such lessons.”

Albus and Matt glanced at each other. It was official. Professor Balladanis was insane. What kind of teacher would want to teach about dragons with live dragons? Well, Hagrid would, but he wasn't the same as Balladanis.

“Take out some parchment,” Balladanis said, “We're going to begin learning about acromantulas today....”

The rest of the day went by relatively quickly. Albus actually did not have Quiditch practice that night, so everyone went to the Marauder's Den after dinner.

“Divination is such a joke,” John said as he tossed his bag onto the floor and collapsed onto a couch, “We started crystal ball gazing today. All I saw was a load of fog.”

“I told you not to take it,” Rose said as she pulled a stack of books out of her own bag.

“I didn't think it would be this bad,” John groaned, “There is no way anyone could see anything in a crystal ball.”

“Palmistry was better,” Amanda said, “And Trelawney makes the whole thing worse.”

“Trelawney could make Defense bad,” Albus replied.

“Balladanis told us that he wished he could teach us about dark creatures using the anamatek,” Rose said, “Seriously, he wanted a basilisk to appear in the middle of the classroom.”

“That would be stupid,” Kaden said as he unwrapped a Chocolate Frog, “Those can kill you with their eyes.”

“I know,” Rose said, “Balladanis is insane.”

“Do you think that anamatek could turn into a werewolf if the moon wasn't full?” John asked.

“Probably not,” Matt answered, “It would just be a wolf. I think it would just be a wolf any other time of the month, too, because there's no way it could turn someone into a werewolf by biting them.”

“That's good,” Albus said, “Because he did say that he'd use the anamatek a few times this term. Wonder if he'll have it turn into a vampire.”

“No need,” John laughed, “We've got Linda.”

“If you think of it that way, there's no point to have it turn into a fake werewolf either,” Rose pointed out.

“Good point, I guess,” John muttered.

******

The rest of the week went by quickly. Albus had Quidditch practice Thursday evening, and Wood informed the whole team that they'd gotten rusty over the holiday. He also told them that the next match was in two weeks and they'd be playing New York. If they won, they'd be in second place.

Albus had a dueling lesson with Balladanis the following evening and he had absolutely no idea how he was going to ask what Balladanis's previous job had been.

Albus arrived at Balladanis's room before Malfoy and entered to find Balladanis clearing all of the desks from the middle of the room.

“Mr. Potter,” Balladanis turned around and greeted Albus, “Is it safe to assume that you did not go wandering about late at night alone after New Year's?”

“Yes, sir,” Albus muttered as he felt his face turn red. He was quite glad Malfoy wasn't there yet.

“Mr. Malfoy,” Balladanis said as Malfoy walked into the room, “Now we may begin. I have decided that your understanding of the Protego charm is satisfactory so we are going to move on to something else.

“This particular charm, when performed correctly, manages to disarm and disorient a person at the same time. The sensation is often described as dizziness. Can either of you tell me what why this charm would be more useful than a standard disarming spell?”

“Because it's easier to duel someone who's dizzy than someone who isn't,” Malfoy said.

“More specifically than that,” Balladanis said, “Mr. Potter?”

“Er, because you can get the person tied up while they're disoriented? If they're a dark wizard you're trying to catch,” Albus replied.

“Another good reason, but not the one I was thinking of,” Balladanis began to walk slowly around the room, “Wizards who are expecting to have to duel other wizards often keep multiple wands on their person. There are spells that can be performed on these wands to keep them attached to your robes or your actual body, spells that Expelliarmus won't overcome easily. However, these spells require constant concentration.

“If a wizard is hit with the charm I am about to teach you, they will lose the concentration necessary to keep their extra wands affixed. Then, you can use Expelliarmus to get the extra wands.”

“Can you teach us that charm to keep extra wands in our robes?” Malfoy asked.

“Perhaps towards the end of the year. It takes immense concentration and magical energy to simultaneously perform that charm while dueling someone,” Balladanis explained, “For now, you will learn the charm to disarm and disorient a person at the same time.

“The incantation is 'Confundo-Expelliarmus'. A combination of Confundus and Expelliarmus. Mr. Malfoy, you will go first. When I say so, perform the charm against Mr. Potter. Mr. Potter, you may try and stop him using the Protego charm I taught you earlier.”

Albus nodded, wishing he had been chosen to perform the new charm first, and faced Malfoy. He held his wand up and muttered 'Protego' under his breath. He focused all of his concentration on holding the shield up.

“Now, Mr. Malfoy,” Balladanis muttered.

“Confundo-Expelliarmus!” Malfoy shouted.

Albus felt the charm hit his shield, but it didn't break through. He gripped his wand harder and stared at Malfoy.

“Keep going,” Balladanis said to Malfoy.

“Confundo-Expelliarmus!” Malfoy shouted again.

The charm hit Albus's shield a little harder this time. Albus could feel beads of sweat forming on his forehead.

Malfoy kept going and it took him five times to break through Albus's shield. When it happened, Albus felt his wand leave his hand and was overcome by a wave of dizziness at the same time. He felt exactly like he had when he had gotten the flu the previous year, only without the fever.

Albus didn't pay any attention to what Malfoy and Balladanis were doing. He felt like he was going to pass out and he had to sit down. He sat down right on the floor and was vaguely aware of Balladanis standing over him.

Then, all of a sudden, the dizziness was gone. Albus shook his head and then looked up and saw Balladanis and Malfoy standing in front of him. Malfoy looked impressed and Balladanis looked like he always did.

“You did quite well with that shield,” Balladanis said as Albus stood up, “And I think it's safe to assume that you couldn't have held concentration for any spells after Mr. Malfoy succeeded in breaking your shield.”

“No, sir,” Albus shook his head.

“Normally the charm's effects would have lasted longer, but I performed the counter-curse because it looked like you were ready to pass out,” Balladanis explained, “When you're ready, you can try the charm.”

“I'm ready,” Albus said as he took his wand back from Malfoy.

Balladanis gave Malfoy a few seconds to get his shield up and then nodded at Albus to perform the charm.

“Confundo-Expelliarmus!” Albus shouted. As he expected, the charm did not break Malfoy's shield.

Much to Albus's delight, he managed to break the shield on the fourth try. One less try than Malfoy had needed for Albus.

The charm hit Malfoy in the chest and his wand soared towards Albus. Albus caught it and watched as Malfoy bent over and fell to the ground, much like Albus himself had done.

Balladanis gave Albus one of his rare smiles and then pulled out his own wand. He waved it at Malfoy and Malfoy looked up.

“That was weird,” Malfoy muttered.

“It's supposed to be,” Balladanis said, “Now get up and we'll do it again.”

Balladanis kept them at it for the better part of an hour, past when Albus would have liked to quit. It was exhausting to be hit with that spell time after time while trying to hold up a shield charm. Malfoy didn't seem to be faring much better and Albus thought he was even going to ask Balladanis to stop after a half hour, but Malfoy closed his mouth, obviously thinking better of it.

The practice wasn't for nothing, though. Albus managed to hold Malfoy off longer and longer each time and although Malfoy was getting better at the shield charm as well, Albus broke through it a few more times.

“That's enough for tonight,” Balladanis finally said after he performed the countercurse on Albus for what must have been the tenth time that night, “I'll see you in class on Tuesday.”

Malfoy made a beeline for the door, but Albus turned to Balladanis instead. He might as well just get it over with. There was no good way to ask Balladanis what his previous job had been. He just had to do it.

“Er, Sir,” Albus began, “I was just wondering, what did you do before you began teaching here?”

Balladanis gave Albus the strangest look he had ever seen. It was a mixture of anger, sadness, and even regret. For a moment, Albus wished he hadn't asked. It was too personal. He should have just told John they wouldn't be able to find out.

“Now is not the time,” Balladanis said quietly, “All in good time, I will tell you.”

Albus was taken aback. That was more than he had expected. He had thought Balladanis would have told him to mind his own business and get back to Gryffindor Tower before curfew. Albus was going to find out, he was just going to have to be patient.

Albus left the room as quickly as he could in his exhausted state, before Balladanis could change his mind about eventually telling Albus about his previous career. The walk back to Gryffindor Tower seemed longer than usual and all Albus wanted to do was collapse into bed when he finally got there.

Instead, he was ambushed by all of his friends. All five of them looked shocked and Amanda looked like she was going to be sick. He looked around the common room and saw that most people looked shocked and everyone was subdued. There was no joking around going on. Even James was quietly sitting at one of the tables.

“What happened?” Albus whispered as he followed them back to their usual table.

Rose opened her mouth to speak and then closed her eyes, unable to do so. Albus turned to John and raised his eyebrows.

“You know that bloke who owns Dervish and Banges?” John asked quietly.

Albus nodded, having seen the man on numerous occasions when he was in Hogsmeade. He was slightly older than Albus's parents, with greying hair and a very intense personality. He never hesitated to make his opinions known

“Someone killed him,” John said in barely more than a whisper.

“Wh-what?” Albus turned to look at all his friends in turn. Matt nodded ever so slightly and then put his head on his hands.

“Must've just happened,” John said, “They just found him. Madam Rosmerta heard a commotion and Flooed here, to get the Auror on duty. By the time they got back, his shop was a complete mess inside and he was laying dead on the floor. Avada Kedavra. They're searching Hogsmeade, the forest, the grounds, and the school. Nobody's allowed out of their common rooms and dormitories.”

“We thought Balladanis would bring you back here when it happened,” Rose said.

“Nobody even came in to tell us,” Albus replied, still in shock.

People weren't just randomly killed in Hogsmeade. That sort of thing just didn't happen anymore. Not since Voldemort had been defeated. Well, Professor Torro had been killed back before his first year and then that one witch from the Ministry had been killed over Christmas, but their killers had never been found and nothing had happened since.

“Why would anyone kill him?” Matt wondered aloud.

“Why would anyone kill anyone?” Rose replied.

The portrait hole opened and all the whispering stopped. Everyone looked to see who came in. It was Professor Longbottom, looking worse for the wear. His robes were disheveled and his tie was askew.

“Aurors are still searching the castle and the grounds,” he told them, “I suggest you all try and get some sleep. The search will be long over by morning, so you will be free to leave the common room then.”

Albus and his friends looked at each other after Longbottom left. They wordlessly went up to their dormitories, Kaden going with Albus instead of to the second years' dorm. Nobody said anything as he curled up on the floor with one of Albus's spare blankets. Albus got into bed and stared at the ceiling. He had been so exhausted earlier, but now there was no way he'd get much sleep that night.

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