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DucksRMagical Joined: 28 December 2006 Posts: 2495 Location: Going through LeakyCon withdrawal	Posted: Sunday 2 November 2008 06 52 14 pm    Post subject: Re: Albus Potter and the Tracks They Left Behind in topic:Albus Potter and the Tracks They Left Behind Thanks, Obladi! Questions, comments, and general reviews always appreciated! Chapter 32: Riddles For the next few days, Albus found his mind drifting to the clue every time he tried to study. It was driving him mad. Where else did he sleep besides his bed? None of his friends had come up with anything either. Rose didn't seem to be putting much thought into it, since exams were only a month and a half away. She seemed to think that Albus ought not to focus too much on the clue either, but Albus couldn't help it. Albus was completely ignoring Professor Binns' boring lecture the following Wednesday and focusing solely on the clue. A place to sleep, he thought as he tapped his quill on his book. He sighed and lifted his head up. Rose was the only one actually taking notes. John's eyes were drooping and Albus was sure he'd fall asleep soon. Sleep! Albus grinned to himself. That was it! The History of Magic classroom was the answer. It seemed obvious to him now. Everyone except perhaps Rose had fallen asleep at one time or another in that room. Albus quickly scribbled the answer onto a piece of parchment and handed it to Matt. Matt read it, smiled at Albus, and passed it on to John. The note made its way to Rose and Amanda after that, who turned around and nodded to Albus. Once Professor Binns stopped his lecture and everyone hurried to leave the room as soon as possible, Albus purposely spilled his ink onto the floor. "I'll just clean this up, Professor," Albus said as he bent down. "Yes, yes, Mr. Pewter..." Professor Binns responded absentmindedly and drifted through the chalk board. "Ok, any ideas where the four paw prints could be?" Rose asked as she quickly cleaned up the ink with a wave of her wand. "No idea," Albus replied, "Probably one of the desks, since that's where we sleep. Let's just split up and look." Luckily there wasn't a class in the room at that moment, so Albus and his friends had as much time as they needed to look. Albus started his search in the front, making sure to inspect each desk carefully. It was John who found the paw prints, about twenty minutes after they started searching. They were on one of the desks in the back. Albus and the others hurried over to it and John pointed it out. Sure enough, there were four tiny paw prints etched into the bottom of the desk. "You do it, John," Albus told him, "You found it." "All right," John said and touched the paw prints. It was kind of awkward to have all five of them underneath the desk at the same time, but they managed. Albus watched as the paw prints disappeared and words replaced them. 'Find the place where we play, and make the Slytherins pay.' Albus groaned as he got out from under the desk. He scribbled the new clue onto the piece of parchment below the old one. Another difficult clue. "Any ideas?" he asked, as he and his friends left the room. "Nope," John shrugged, "But how would they make the Slytherins pay them? Were they betting with them? And how are we supposed to know where they made bets with them?" "It's wherever they played," Matt said. "But where was that?" John replied. "I don't think it means the Slytherins paid them," Rose commented, "I don't think it was meant to be that literal. It probably just means they got the Slytherins back for something, or beat them at something." "And it's got to be the same place they played something," John said. Matt stopped in his tracks, "Of course! It's the Quidditch Pitch!" Albus turned around to look at him, grinning. "Why didn't I think of that? It's obvious now! They played Quidditch there, and beat the Slytherins." "Let's go down to the Quidditch Pitch, then," Matt said. "Let's eat first," John suggested, "I'm starving." "Good idea," Amanda agreed. "I think we should study after lunch," Rose sighed. "You can," Albus replied, "But I want to go to the Quidditch Pitch first." Rose groaned and followed Albus and the others to the Great Hall. They were late for lunch, since they spent so long in the History of Magic classroom. Kaden demanded to know where they were, and became very excited when Albus whispered that they were following the clues for the map. He was a bit disappointed that Albus would be continuing to work on it after lunch, since Kaden had classes, but Albus assured him that they would update him later that evening. Albus, Matt, and John ate a very hurried lunch, as they wanted to get out to the Quidditch Pitch as soon as possible. Rose announced that she would not be going with them because she wanted to devote the afternoon to studying. Amanda agreed with her since her Astronomy grade was abysmal at the moment. Albus was very relieved to see that the Quidditch Pitch was completely deserted when he and his friends entered it a few minutes later. This may have been because of the torrential downpour, but Albus didn't mind getting soaked. "Any ideas as to where it would be?" John asked. "Maybe the goal posts?" Albus suggested, "They couldn't have put the prints on the ground." "Let's get looking, then," Matt said. Albus, Matt, and John each started inspecting one of the goal posts. Albus looked carefully, but couldn't find anything. Neither did John or Matt. The three of them ran to the other side of the pitch and began to look at the other three posts. "You know, I'll bet they etched them up higher," Albus realized as he finished inspecting his goal post. "It would make it harder." "You're probably right," John agreed. "Let's go," Albus started running over to the changing rooms. He kept his broom in his dormitory, but there were plenty of school brooms in the changing rooms. They would suffice for this. Albus wrenched the door open and led his friends over to where the school brooms were kept. He handed each of them a broom and the three of them headed back out into the rain. Albus kicked off from the ground and flew directly towards the goal posts. His broom listed to the left and Albus was really grateful he got to play Quidditch on a superior broom. Despite the mediocre broom, he was still faster than Matt and John, and made it to the goal posts before either of them. It didn't take Albus long to find the prints. They were etched in the very top of the middle goal post. "Found them!" he shouted at John and Matt. The two of them immediately flew over to Albus. "Go on, let's see the next clue," Matt said. Albus touched the prints and strained to make out the next clue through the pouring rain. "'Find the place we got when we're not feeling our best, one of us goes there more than the rest,'" Albus read and then looked up at his friends. "Hospital Wing," Matt said immediately, "That one was kind of obvious." "Somehow I don't think riddles were the Marauders' strong suit," Albus commented as they flew back down to the ground. "Makes it easier for us," John grinned. "Not really," Matt said, "You know how hard it's going to be to search the Hospital Wing for four tiny paw prints? What do you suppose we'll tell Madam Pomfrey? 'Don't mind us, we're just searching your entire ward for some carvings that were left here decades ago.'" Matt rolled his eyes. Albus didn't say anything as they walked back to the changing rooms. Matt was right. It would be extremely difficult to search the Hospital Wing for the next clue. Madam Pomfrey was always there. They could never get the place empty in order for them to search. "Anyone got any ideas as to how we can do this?" Albus asked as they walked back to the castle. "Not a clue," Matt shrugged. "Hey," John turned to Matt, "Maybe you can go look for it the next time you're there. During the night or something." "Are you mad?" Matt laughed, "She'd wonder what I was up to. She's always got an eye on me. Must be some kind of sixth sense. If I so much as turn over in bed, she comes out of her room and asks me what's wrong. I can only imagine what she'd do if I started searching the whole place in the dead of night." "Didn't think of that," John replied. Albus sighed dejectedly and decided to just go to the common room and do his homework. He had been neglecting it the whole week and figured he would have to do it sometime. Rose would at least be happy. Rose and Amanda were feverishly working on homework when Albus, John, and Matt entered the practically deserted common room. The boys settled down at the table Rose and Amanda were sitting at and reluctantly pulled out their books. "Success?" Rose asked without looking up from her book. "Yeah," Albus whispered, "But now we've got to find the next clue in the Hospital Wing, which should be pretty impossible." Rose thought for a moment "Yeah, that will be difficult," she said and then continued her reading. Albus tried his best to concentrate on his homework for the rest of the afternoon. He did manage to write an essay for Potions and read a chapter of his Herbology book, but after that he just couldn't do anything else. John was all too happy to stop doing homework as well, and the two of them played chess until dinner. After dinner, Albus and his friends went to the Room of Requirement, as Albus had promised Kaden he would tell him about the new developments with the map. Kaden was a bit jealous he didn't get to fly around the Quidditch Pitch looking for the next clue. "I thought you didn't like Quidditch," John said. "I just said I think football is better," Kaden explained, "That doesn't mean I don't like flying." "Well, we're going to have plenty of other clues to work out," Albus reminded him, "Like the one we're working on right now." "And what's that one?" Kaden asked. "'Find the place we go when we're not feeling our best, one of us goes there more than the rest,'" Albus told him. "Where could that be?" Kaden asked. "The Hospital Wing," Albus said, "We've already figured it out. We just don't know how to get in to look without Madam Pomfrey there." "Hmm..." Kaden walked slowly around the room, "Shouldn't be that hard...." "And why's that?" Matt asked, "She's always there." "We've just got to get her out of the room for a while," Kaden said, "My friends and I at my old school did it a few times with teachers. You just use a distraction to get them out of the room for a few minutes or so." Albus was amazed that his cousin was able to think of that. Albus always thought Kaden wasn't too bright, but he did come up with good ideas every so often. "That might work," Rose said. "And how are we going to get her out of the Hospital Wing?" John asked, "She's always in there." "One of us just has to pretend to be ill or injured," Kaden explained. "We could use a Fainting Fancy for that," John suggested. "No we can't," Albus said, "She's seen them too many times. No way she'd believe it." "She would if I did it," Matt said quietly. ****** Albus had been thoroughly surprised by Matt's willingness to eat a Fainting Fancy to trick Madam Pomfrey. He had become much more outgoing since the previous year. Albus figured it was because he was more certain now that none of his friends were going to announce to the entire school that he was a werewolf. Albus and his friends immediately formed a plan once Matt had so willingly volunteered to eat the Fainting Fancy. It would take place the following Saturday. Matt, Amanda, and Kaden would be stationed on the grounds, as they figured it would be best for Matt to faint as far away from the Hospital Wing as possible. Albus, John, and Rose would hide next to the Hospital Wing underneath the Invisibility Cloak and dash in as soon as Madam Pomfrey left. They figured it would guarantee them twenty minutes of searching, perhaps thirty if they were lucky. Saturday arrived and Albus was eager to put the plan into action. Rose figured it would be best to do it in the morning, when most students were either sleeping or lounging around in their common rooms. It would be better not to attract too much unwanted attention. Albus, John, and Rose headed up the stairs after breakfast, while Matt, Amanda, and Kaden went out onto the grounds. Once Albus, John, and Rose reached the Hospital Wing, Albus pulled out the Invisibility Cloak and threw it over them. "And now, we wait," Albus whispered. "Shush," Rose hissed. About twenty minutes later, Kaden came running down the corridor with a fake worried look on his face. Albus only hoped that Madam Pomfrey wouldn't be able to tell it was fake. Kaden ran past Albus and into the Hospital Wing. Not even a minute later, he burst back through behind Madam Pomfrey. "And where is he?" the nurse shouted. "On the grounds," Kaden told her. "Hurry up! Show me where!" Madam Pomfrey and Kaden disappeared around the corner and Albus, John, and Rose hurried into the Hospital Wing. "I'd say we've only got twenty minutes," Albus muttered, "She's fast." "Let's get looking," Rose said. Only one of the beds was occupied and the curtains were drawn around it. Albus hoped the paw prints weren't on or near that bed. He quickly ran to the nearest bedside table and started investigating it. Five minutes passed, then ten, then fifteen, and still nobody had found anything. Albus was beginning to get worried. They couldn't pull off a stunt like this again. "Found it!" Rose announced. Albus breathed a sigh of relief. He hurried over to the farthest bed and bent down next to Rose. "Where is it?" John asked. "There," Rose pointed to the right side of the bedside table. Albus craned his head and saw the carving. He quickly touched it and watched as the words materialized. "Hurry," Rose said, "I hear footsteps." "Write it down," Albus said as he shoved the piece of parchment that had the other clues on it to her, "'Find the place where we are served and waited on, they even have pie of pecan.'" Albus stood up as Rose scribbled it down. "They're coming!" John seethed as the door opened. Albus quickly pulled out the Invisibility Cloak and threw it over the three of them. "Tell me again what happened?" Madam Pomfrey asked exasperatingly as she levitated Matt onto a bed. "Er, he just fainted, madam," Kaden said. "What were you doing?" she asked as she waved her wand over Matt. "Just sitting and talking," Amanda said. "Hmm..." Madam Pomfrey muttered, "This particular fainting looks an awfully lot like the kind that results from eating a Fainting Fancy. Either of you have any idea as to why?" "Er," Kaden stammered. "No, not really," Amanda shrugged. The nurse stood up and looked at Kaden, who was beginning to turn red. "Are you sure, Mr. Dursley?" "I, well, er, I may have given him a sweet," Kaden stammered, "But I didn't know it was a Fainting Fancy!" "He's Muggle-born, like me," Amanda explained, "He probably didn't know what it did." Madam Pomfrey sighed, "Yes, that might be true. Although it makes me wonder why Matt actually ate it. Just give me the other half." Amanda reluctantly pulled the other half of the sweet out of her robes and handed it to the nurse. Madam Pomfrey put it in Matt's mouth and within seconds he was opening his eyes. "I don't know what you lot are up to, and I don't really care to know, but I would suggest that you not mess around with making yourselves ill," Madam Pomfrey said sternly, "Now get back to your common room, all three of you." Albus, John, and Rose carefully maneuvered their way over to the door and snuck out behind Matt, Amanda, and Kaden. Once they were a safe distance from the Hospital Wing, they pulled off the cloak. "That went fairly well," John announced. Matt, Amanda, and Kaden shrieked. "Merlin, don't do that!" Matt shouted. "Sorry," John grinned, "Anyway, that was pretty good improvising back there." "I can't believe she figured out that it was a Fainting Fancy," Kaden sighed. "Honestly, I didn't think she'd figure it out either," Matt said, "I half expected her to keep me there overnight to make sure I was all right. Didn't expect her to kick me out with you lot." "How's it feel to be treated normally?" John laughed. "Shut up," Matt said, "I am happy I don't have to be there overnight. I spend enough time in that place." "Did you get the clue?" Amanda asked. "Sure did," Albus grinned, "Rose found it." "What is it?" Kaden asked. "Hang on," Albus said, "We'll tell you once we're in the Room." A few minutes later, Albus and his friends were once again in the Room of Requirement working on the clue. "'Find the place where we are waited and served on, they even have pie of pecan,'" Albus said. "The Great Hall," Amanda said immediately. "But we're not really waited on there," Rose pointed out, "The food just appears." "It's got to be somewhere with food," Kaden said. "The kitchens," John announced. "Brilliant," Albus grinned, "Everyone up for a trip to the kitchens?" "You know where the kitchens are?" Kaden asked. "Sure do," Albus replied, "We'll show you." ****** "I can't believe you didn't show me the kitchens," Kaden lamented as he followed Albus and the others down the stairs. "Never came up," Albus shrugged. Albus continued leading his friends down to the kitchens, while wondering how he would possibly find the next clue while he was there. The kitchens were huge. Albus had no idea where the Marauders would have carved the paw prints. Albus stopped in front of the picture of the bowl of fruit and tickled the pear. It giggled and turned into a handle, which Albus turned. "Bloody hell," Kaden stood transfixed in the doorway as he stared out at the kitchens. "Go on, already," Albus pushed Kaden into the room, "We don't want anyone to see us." Kaden walked into the kitchens and everyone else followed him. They were immediately greeted by no less than ten house elves. "Is young masters and mistresses needing anything?" the elf closest to Albus asked. "Yeah!" John grinned, "How about a turkey sandwich, some crisps, a piece of treacle tart, and a glass of pumpkin juice." Rose raised her eyebrow, "Lunch is in an hour." "You're right," John replied and then turned to the elf, "Skip the crisps." "I'll have the same, except a roast beef sandwich," Kaden said. "And I'll have a cheese sandwich," Matt told the elf, "Please." "I'll just take some crisps, please," Albus said. "Boys," Rose muttered. "Will that be all?" the elf asked as a few other elves scurried away. "Actually," Albus began after realizing that maybe the elf could help, "I was wondering if any of the elves were here in the 1970's?" "Yes," the elf smiled, "Quite a few of us. I myself was here then." "Excellent," Albus grinned, "Then I was wondering if you could help us. But we need you not to mention it to anyone, not even the other elves or the teachers." "Of course, sir," the elf said. "All right," Albus took a deep breath, "We're looking for a carving of sorts that's some place in here. It's four tiny paw prints. I don't know if you remember four students who called themselves 'The Marauders'-" "I is remembering them well!" the elf laughed, "They was very amusing. Always down here wanting food." "That's them," Albus grinned, "Anyway, they carved these paw prints somewhere in here. Have you seen anything like that?" "I has seen it," the elf smiled, "Behind the ovens." "Can you show us?" Albus asked. "Of course." The elf led the way through the throngs of other elves over to where the ovens were. He squatted down and pointed to behind the largest one. Albus bent down next to him, but everyone else had to remain standing due to lack of space. "Right there, sir," the elf said. Albus craned his neck and just made out the paw prints, situated in a very awkward position near a pipe. "Thanks," Albus replied, "Er, I actually have to get closer." "Not a problem," the elf ducked out of the way and stood next to John. Albus reached behind the stove and quickly touched the paw prints. They were very hot. Words formed on the stone and Albus jotted them down on the parchment before reemerging. "Got it," he whispered, "I think this is the last clue. 'Go to the place where we learn to fight the dark, it is there where we've left our final mark'." "Certainly sounds like it," Rose agreed. "Yes!" Kaden shouted in between bites of sandwich. "Brilliant," John grinned, "Let's go." "I hate to say it, but I've got Quidditch practice after lunch, so I don't think there's time today," Albus sighed. He wished practice would be canceled, but the chances of that were slim to none. "Bugger," Matt groaned. "We've waited this long, we can wait some more," Amanda pointed out. "Hey," Albus turned to the elf, "Thanks for the help." "You're welcome," the elf smiled.
DucksRMagical Joined: 28 December 2006 Posts: 2495 Location: Going through LeakyCon withdrawal	Posted: Wednesday 3 September 2008 12 40 06 pm    Post subject: Re: Albus Potter and the Tracks They Left Behind in topic:Albus Potter and the Tracks They Left Behind I'm on chapter 31 of this fic and I'm almost done! Chapter 31 takes place in mid-April, so the year is almost up. I imagine it will top off at 35-38 chapters, probably somewhere near the end of that range, knowing how much I write. But I will start 3rd year as soon as I finish this one. I've already got a few ideas for it. Along those same lines, does anyone have an opinion as to whether Harry teaches DADA in their 3rd year? I'm still undecided as to whether he will, so if anyone can convince me one way or the other, feel free to try! Chapter 19: Chess with Kaden By the time Albus woke up it was already dinner time, which was good because he was starving. John and Matt woke up shortly after Albus did. All three of them were feeling much better now that they'd gotten a decent amount of sleep. "Ready to do that again?" John asked as he was putting on his shoes. Despite the fact that Albus did have fun on their adventure last night, he did not want to repeat it. "Are you mental?" Albus glared at him. "Kidding, kidding," John laughed. "You do realize that we'll have to go get the paw print," Matt reminded them. Albus and John looked at each other. The truth was, Albus really hadn't thought about that. "Er, can't you just bring with you back to the castle?" "I'm usually unconscious," Matt replied, "But I can try." Albus really hoped Matt would be able to get the paw print. What were the chances that they'd be able to sneak down to the shack again and not get caught? Surely Filch wouldn't forget to lock the doors twice. Plus, what would happen if they get locked out again? "Albus!" a loud voice shouted as soon as Albus, John, and Matt descended into the common room. Kaden came running over to them with his usual look of excitement in his eyes. "Hey, Kaden," Albus greeted him. "We're just going to dinner." "Me, too. I'll go with you," Kaden fell into step alongside Albus. "Where have you lot been all day anyway?" "Uh, sleeping upstairs," Albus replied. "Really?" Kaden asked skeptically, "Because I asked Rose if you were in your dormitory and she said you weren't." "I assure you we were," Albus laughed. "Hmm, well, I wonder why she told me you weren't." "Who knows? She's a girl, they do strange things," John said. "Why were you sleeping, though. It's the day." "We were tired," Matt answered simply. "Why?" "Stayed up late doing homework last night," John lied, "We've got a ton of it and there's still more to do tonight. It's what happens after first year. They bombard you with even more homework." "Guess I've got that to look forward to," Kaden sighed, "Oh, well." The boys did spend their entire evening doing all the homework they hadn't done the night before. Kaden stared at them the whole time, no doubt thinking of next year, when he would have to spend his whole weekend doing homework. Albus felt kind of bad that they told him that and he was now kind of dreading his second year, but he'd find out soon enough that that wasn't true. What else could they have told him, though? They couldn't say a word about the new map until Rose found the charm to keep him quiet about it. ****** The day of the full moon came quickly and Albus couldn't concentrate on any of his classes. He could only think about the map, and how they would be one step closer to revealing it after tonight. He would also soon know if another trip to the shack was going to be necessary. Of course, it may be that more than one more trip would be needed, if they didn't get the footprint tonight. There was the possibility that all the parchment would be destroyed. Albus didn't want to think about that, though. He just clung to the idea that they would be able to get a paw print tonight and that Matt would be able to bring it back the next morning. Matt skipped his afternoon classes and spent the time sleeping in the Room of Requirement. Once Albus and the others had finished dinner and snuck out of the Great Hall before Kaden noticed, they went up to the Room. They didn't have much time before Matt had to go to the hospital wing and all four of them wound up taking him there. "Now that I know how long that tunnel is, I feel even sorrier for him," John said quietly on their way to the common room. "I know what you mean," Albus replied, "I don't know how he does it. He could barely get to the hospital wing." "Hi, guys!" Kaden shouted once they entered the common room. Albus, John, Rose, and Amanda went over to the table Kaden was sitting at, which was strewn with parchment and book, and sat down. "Where's Matt?" Kaden asked. "Sick in the hospital wing," Albus told him. "Oh," Kaden said, "Because of that disease I wasn't supposed to tell anyone about?" "Right," Albus confirmed. His cousin could be so dense sometimes. Albus pulled out a few of his books and tried to concentrate on his homework. Kaden kept babbling on and on about some potion that he was going to be brewing the next day, which he was very excited about. Albus tried to tune him out, but he couldn't. Albus had a feeling even if Kaden wasn't running a streaming commentary about his potions class he still wouldn't be able to concentrate. His whole mind was consumed with thoughts about the map. He sighed and closed his book. None of his homework was due tomorrow anyway. "I don't really feel like doing homework tonight." "I never do," John muttered and continued writing his DADA essay that was due the next day. "Hey, Kaden?" Albus suddenly got an idea that would occupy both his and Kaden's evenings. "Ever played chess?" "Yeah. My mum taught me." "Ever played Wizard's Chess?" Albus grinned at him. "What?" Kaden's face lit up, "Wizards have their own chess?" "Sure do," Albus replied, "I'll teach you. Be right back." Albus ran up to his dormitory and rummaged around in his trunk until he found a chess board, his chessmen, and an old set of chessmen for Kaden. When he got back, Kaden was looking even more excited than when Albus left him. "What are we going to do?" Kaden asked excitedly. "Play chess. It's pretty much like Muggle chess, but with some differences. You remember how to play muggle chess?" "Yeah." "Well, with Wizard's Chess everyone has their own chessmen. These are mine," Albus held up his white chessmen. "You'll see why when we play. You can use this spare set. I think it used to belong to my Uncle Percy." Albus handed Kaden the set of black chessmen. "Are you any good at chess?" Kaden asked, "Because I'm not." "I'm all right. Not as good as James, and not nearly as good as Rose. My Uncle Ron, Rose's dad, is the best at it. No one's ever able to beat him." "Do we just set them up like normal?" "Yeah," Albus replied as he set up his own pieces. "White goes first. Oh, and you don't move your pieces. Just tell the pieces which space to move to." "Tell them?" Kaden repeated, "What do you mean, tell them?" "Just watch," Albus put down his final piece and muttered instructions for his pawn to move two squares ahead. "Whoa!" Kaden stared in awe as the white pawn moved by itself. "They'll do that if I tell them, too?" "They're supposed to. But they might not want to since they're not used to you. Try it." Kaden told one of his pawns to move forward two squares and it did so without hesitation. Kaden was completely shocked by this. "This is way better than regular chess." The game continued for a few more minutes and then one of Kaden's pawns wound up in the path of Albus's castle. Albus commanded the castle forward and it completely smashed Kaden's pawn. "Whoa!" Kaden shouted so loudly that half the common room turned around to look at him. "Your castle killed my pawn! That's insane! How do you use them again?" "There's a spell to repair them," Albus explained. "Will my pieces kill yours?" "Yup." A few turns later, Kaden got the chance to order one of his pieces to kill one of Albus's. Kaden's face was full of glee as his bishop smashed one of Albus's pawns. The game continued and Albus started to get the feeling that Kaden just liked watching the pieces destroy each other. This became especially apparent when Kaden only had his king, a knight, his castles, and three pawns left. Albus was only missing one castle, both bishops, and five or so pawns. Kaden's chessmen were not very happy about this and his king and knight actually got into what appeared to be a heated argument about whether or not they were going to continue to listen to Kaden. Eventually, his king flat out refused to move and Albus won by default. Nevertheless, it was one of the most amusing games of chess Ablus had ever played. John, Amanda, and even Rose gave up on their homework and watched the last part of the game. "I think you need your own chessmen," Albus told Kaden as he repaired the broken pieces. "I'm not sure if these will be willing to listen to you anymore." "Well it's no wonder," Rose commented, "All he did was tell them to walk right into death traps." "It's funny to see them get crushed," Kaden explained. "Maybe next time you'll actually try and win," Rose smirked. "Maybe," Kaden shrugged. "I think I'll ask for chessmen for Christmas." "That would be a good idea," Albus replied. "I only hope that you treat them better than these ones." ****** Albus didn't sleep very well that night and he was very tired the next morning. All he could think about was the paw print and whether or not their plan worked. Luckily Albus only had two classes that day and then he would be able to go see Matt. "We're going to the hospital wing after this, right?" John whispered to Albus during a mind numbing History of Magic lesson. Binns was currently droning on about the history of the enslavement of House Elves. Rose was the only one paying attention, although Albus had no idea why she bothered. Both of them already knew everything about the history of House Elves, having been lectured about it by Rose's mother. "Yeah," Albus said back, "Do you want lunch first?" "Of course I do. This is me you're talking about. But let's make it fast." "I shouldn't have bothered asking," Albus laughed. "How much longer until this is over?" Amanda turned around and looked at Albus. She was sitting at the desk in front of him and John, with Rose. Albus glanced at his watch. "Fifteen minutes. But it'll feel like thirty." "Why do we need to know about House Elves anyway?" John asked "They're an important part of wizarding history!" Rose replied impatiently and returned to her notes. "It's boring, though," John responded and flicked a piece of parchment at the Hufflepuff sitting at the desk next to him. "We should learn about something more exciting. Like the Giant Wars." "Binns'll make even that boring," Albus pointed out. "Anything's better than this." "Even the history of cauldrons and their effects on wizarding society?" Amanda laughed. That lesson, which had taken place the previous year, had been the worst one yet. Albus was sure everyone, including Rose, had fallen asleep during it. "Never mind," John groaned. "I don't even want to think about that one. Or the 14 inch essay we had to write on it." "Mr. Beeton, Mr. Pewter, and Miss Torker," Binns said monotonously, "Is there something you'd like to share with the class?" "No, sir," John replied. "Good, good," Binns continued, "And in 1866, British House Elves started to have contact with the American House Elves, which resulted in a kind of House Elf unity...." "Kill me now," John muttered. "Five more minutes..." Albus sighed. "I think Binns was around during all this House Elf stuff," Amanda whispered. John snorted, "That's probably why he likes history. He was there when it happened." "This is worse than maths in Muggle school," Amanda told them. "I hate maths," John agreed, "I'm glad we don't have to take them here. Mum taught me some and it was horrible." "I take it you two won't be doing Arithmancy next year," Albus grinned. He was not planning on taking that class either. "No way," John shook his head, "I'll bet Kaden would like it, though." "He likes everything," Albus laughed, "He probably even likes this class." "He does. He told me the other day," Amanda announced. "Likes everything except Quidditch," John sighed, "There's something wrong with that kid." "Twelve inch essay about the Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare for next class," Binns droned a minute before the class was over. The moment the bell rang, Albus and his friends shot up out of their chairs and ran out the door. "This'll be cake," Albus laughed, "An essay on Spew!" "It's S.P.E.W.!" Rose laughed as she caught up with him. "Good, you can do mine!" John told him. "Sorry, one boring essay per night, yours would put me over my limit," Albus faked an apologetic look. "Oh, come on, you know all about Spew." "I know, it's just not how I'd like to spend my time." "Mine either," Amanda agreed, "But I'll do it over the weekend, probably." "Let's go eat," Albus suggested, "Then we can go see Matt." The Gryffindors joined the sea of students that were flooding into the Great Hall. Luckily, Kaden was eating at one end of the Gryffindor table and Albus and the others were able to shovel down food at the opposite end without him noticing them. Once they were done with their hurried lunch, they ran up to the hospital wing. "I hope he was able to get the paw print," Albus whispered as they pushed open the doors. "Me, too. I don't fancy walking through that tunnel again," John agreed. The curtains were pulled around Matt's usual bed at the far end of the ward. Nobody was in any of the other beds. Madam Pomfrey was busy preparing potions when the group of Gryffindors walked in. She heard them enter and went over to greet them. "Oh, it's you lot. I figured you'd be showing up soon. He's sleeping right now, I'm afraid you'll have to wait." "Please, Madam Pomfrey?" Albus pleaded, "We won't stay long, I promise." "Yeah, we'll be quiet, too," John commented, "You can throw us out if we're not." "You know the rules," the nurse replied sternly, "If he's sleeping you have to come back later." "I'm not asleep!" a hoarse voice came from behind the curtains. "Now you've woken him up!" Madam Pomfrey walked briskly over to the bed and opened the curtains, "You know he needs to rest!" "Well, he's awake now, so we can stay," Albus said as he walked over to the bed. Everyone else followed him. "Fine," Madam Pomfrey reluctantly agreed, "Only for a short while." She left them alone and went back to her potions. "Sorry for waking you up," Albus said as he closed the curtains again. "How are you?" "I'm all right," Matt replied. He looked much like he usually did after a full moon, with various bandages all over. "You didn't wake me up, though. I was pretending to be asleep." "Why?" Rose asked. "You'll never guess who was here." "Who?" Amanda asked. "Kaden." "What? Did he come to see you?" Albus told Kaden not to go visit Matt unless he said it was ok, but with Kaden there was no telling what he'd do. "Not intentionally, I don't think. Felix Willinson's potion exploded in class and he and Kaden got covered in it. Willinson got the brunt of it and while Kaden was waiting for his turn to get antidote, he kept asking who was in my bed. Madam Pomfrey wouldn't tell him, but I think he knew it was me. He knows I went here last night. Madam Pomfrey came to give me potion while they were here and Kaden saw me. Then he asked if he could see me, so I pretended to be asleep." "So Willinson knew you were here?" Amanda asked. "Yeah, he's going to tell Malfoy." "Malfoy already knows you're here since you weren't in Transfiguration this morning," Rose pointed out. "True. I guess it really doesn't matter then." Albus was just itching to know if Matt had managed to get the paw print. He had thought Matt would bring it up right away, but the Kaden thing must've made him forget about it. "Did you get the print?" Albus whispered. "You're in luck," Matt smiled, "I did manage to get it and stow it in my cloak before I passed out. It's right there," he gestured to the cloak sitting on the bedside table. Albus grabbed the cloak and pulled out a rather torn piece of parchment. But in the middle was a very large paw print consisting of a mixture of mud and blood. "Whoa, that's pretty big. And kind of gross, too," Albus grinned and stuck it in his bag. "Perfect." "One down, three to go," John commented. "We're almost there." "And the other three are a bit easier." Albus was feeling very good about their plan now. The hardest paw print was done and soon they would have the other three. "And the charm is working much better now," Rose announced, "I started to get the hang of it last night. I'll probably have it done before Christmas." "Excellent," Albus grinned, "Then we can start looking for that charm to keep Kaden from blabbing." "When do you get to leave?" Amanda asked. "Either tomorrow evening or Friday morning, probably," Matt told them, "But if I leave tomorrow I have to skip Astronomy." "What a shame," John faked a look of sadness. "I know. I'll definitely be suffering while you four spend an hour looking at stars." "We'll be sure to get all the homework for you," Rose told him. "Oh don't worry about it," Matt laughed. "What did I miss in class yesterday and today?" "Not much," Albus began, "We re-potted mandrakes again in Herbology. We started transfiguring spoons into forks in transfiguration. And we learned all about the history of House Elves in History of Magic. It was one of the most boring classes yet." "Sounds like it," Matt agreed. "Was not," Rose argued. "What are you lot going to do tonight while I'm stuck here?" "Albus and I have dueling practice," Amanda said. "The next duel is Saturday." "Oh, right, I'd completely forgotten about that," Albus confessed. He had been so caught up in getting the werewolf print for the map that the dueling club had slipped his mind. "Looks like it'll just be you and me tonight, Rose," John grinned at her. "And Kaden," Rose smirked, "Can't forget him." "You should challenge him to a chess match," John decided, "It'll be fun to watch." "I'll beat him in two minutes flat," Rose laughed. "Kaden plays wizard's chess?" Matt asked. "Albus taught him last night. You've got to watch it sometime. It's hilarious," Amanda grinned, "He likes to watch the pieces get smashed so by the end of the game, his pieces refused to listen to him." "You know what else we should do?" Rose changed the subject, "Take back Uncle Harry's cloak, now that you don't have to sneak back into the shack." Albus really didn't want to give back the cloak. He liked it. But he knew he had to. "I guess." "We'll do it after we get kicked out of here," John suggested. "Which is right now," Madam Pomfrey pulled back the curtains and set a tray of potions down on the bedside table. "Time for you four to leave. He needs to sleep." "See you tomorrow, hopefully," Albus said. "Yeah, tomorrow," Matt waved. "Let's go put the cloak back," Rose whispered as soon as they'd shut the door to the hospital wing. Albus nodded and started to walk to his dad's office. The corridors were almost deserted. There were a few students wandering around, but no one paid much attention as Albus unlocked the door to Harry's office and lead his friends inside. "Looks like my house," John, who had never been in Harry's office before, announced, "A complete mess. My whole family is messy." "My mum's a neat freak. She'd have a cow if she saw this," Amanda laughed. "A cow?" John gave Amanda a weird look. "Guess it's a Muggle expression. Means she'd go mad." "Oh, like 'have a hippogriff'." "I guess." Albus carefully stepped over the various stuff and went over to the bedroom door. He pushed it open and went inside, with his friends following. The trunk was just where it had been the week before and Albus lifted the lid. He pulled the cloak out of his bag and looked at it one more time before folding it and placing it exactly where he'd found it. "Well, that's it. We got away with it." "Sure did," John replied as he gazed around the room. "Wonder what else we could find in here?" "John..." Albus warned. "We're not stealing anything else." "Look at this!" John leaped over a pile of books and picked up a picture that was sitting on top of the wardrobe. "Aww, it's Albus when he was an ickle toddler." Albus grabbed the picture out of John's hand and looked at it. Sure enough, it was a picture of Albus, James, and Lily, right after Lily was born. James, who must have been three or four, was holding a tiny baby with a large amount of red hair. Albus, who was two, was holding Lily's hand and making her wave. "You were an adorable little kid, Albus," John smirked. "So was James." "I'm sure you were, too," Albus said as he put the picture back. "Now let's get out of here before my dad gets back."
Hermione1981 Joined: 19 July 2008 Posts: 15 Location: USA	Posted: Saturday 19 July 2008 12 05 36 pm    Post subject: The boy who live and the Vampires Slayer comes to Hogwart sc in topic:The boy who live and the Vampires Slayer comes to Hogwart sc [img]http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n281/shannonrosewiley/Harry%20Potter/TheboywholiveandtheVampiresSlaye-1.jpg[/img] Full Title: The boy who live and the Vampires Slayer comes to Hogwart school of witchcraft and wizardry Fan fiction Rating: Mature Ship/s (if applicable): Fred Wesley and Bethany Tonks Summary: It takes place doing Harry, Ron, Hermione and Bethany ( born Aug 31 1978) first year at Hogwart school of witchcraft and wizardry. Bethany befriends Harry, Ron and Hermione, But hang out mostly with the students her own age and she also start to date Fred Wesley. Bethany also has to balance being a normal everyday Hogwart student and a vampire slayer at the sometime. Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in the Harry Potter books or Movies J. K. Rowling's own them . I did make up Bethany and her deceased mom and dad. Chapter one: The secret and double life Bethany’s has to lead! It is August thirty first, 1991 and Bethany is shopping in Diagon Alley with her aunt Andromeda Tonks and Cousin Nympadora Tonks for her schools supplies. They have just walk out of Gringotts wizarding bank, when she Bethany sees Harry Potter walking by her with Hagrid the gatekeeper at Hogwart school of witchcraft and wizards. She stops walking and stares at Harry and Hagrid. When Harry sees the girl has stop walking and that she is staring at him, he walks over to her and stops in front of her. Hagrid, Andromeda and Nympadora walk over to Harry and Bethany. Harry’s see that she is looking at his lighting blot shape scar on his forehead. She knew that Harry Potter was starting at Hogwart that year, but she hope not to see him yet seeing that she is two years old then him and is just starting there too, but the reason she was hoping not to see him was that she was at his parent’s house the day they were killed. She was playing hide and seek with Lily and James Potter and was hiding in the closet in Harry room when Lord Voldemort show up. She stays hiding because see had already seen Voldemort kill her parents a few days before. As she was hiding in the closet and she saw Lord Voldemort’s kill Lily through the crack in the door. She stops staring at Harry when her cousin tap her on the shoulder. Harry: I am Harry Potter. What is your name and do you know me because you could not stop looking at me? Bethany: My name is Bethany Tonks and yeah I know you when you were a baby and till you went to live with your aunt and uncle at the age of one. Harry: How do you remember me then, because I do not remember you? Bethany: Because I was three years old then. Harry: So you going to Hogwart for you third year then? Bethany: No, I am just starting Hogwart this year, I had personal issues that keep me from starting two years ago. Harry: So that would make you thirteen year old then right? Bethany: Yeah I turn thirteen today. Hagrid: I hate to break up the reunion but we need to get to Gringotts wizarding bank and get your money Harry. Harry: Ok, Nice to meet you again Bethany. Bethany: Yeah, see you at school. Harry and Hagrid walk towards the bank and Bethany, Andromeda and Nympadora walk down the street and into Quality Quidditch Supplies. Bethany and her aunt heads over to look at the new Nimbus 2000. While Nympadora sees a friend and goes over to talk to her. Bethany looks over at her cousin then back at her aunt who is holding a new Nimbus 2000 in her hands and give it a good look over. Bethany leans towards her aunt and whisper quietly to her. Bethany: I do not know why I can’t take Nympadora old broom to school, see that it not for playing Quidditch, but for slayer related business and beside first years are not even allowed to have brooms. Andromeda: Because Nympadora needs her broom for Auror school that way. Bethany: But she says she does not mind if I used her broom, she will just buy a new one. Andromeda: No, I buying you a new one, you had enough hand me down from your cousin in your life since you come to live with us, for once I am buying you all new items for school. Bethany: But I’m not your daughter and I am ok with hand me downs. Andromeda: You are my niece and you mom and dad did leave me and Ted money to buy you school supplies when you start Hogwart, so let me buy you new items this year. Bethany: All right. Andromeda: I think this Nimbus 200 we do just fine, lets go pay for it. Why Andromeda goes and pays for the broom, Bethany walks over to her cousin. Once her aunt had finish pay for the broom and the sale person had warped it up and put it into a large bag. Bethany, Andromeda and Nympadora left Quality Quidditch Supplies and walks over to Ollivander's to buy Bethany some wands. Both Andromeda and Nympadora take a set in the chair by the door and Bethany walks up to the counter and rings the bell to get Mr. Ollivander attention. Mr. Ollivander walks downstairs and passes Nympadora and Andromeda and heads behind the counter. At the sometime Andromeda stand up and walks up to the counter next to Bethany. Mr. Ollivander: I see that Bethany is finally starting at Hogwart this year and I see you change the look of you hair by add pink highlights since the last time I saw you Bethany, did you dye your hair or are you a Metamorphmagus Like Nympadora? Bethany: Yeah I am starting Hogwart and I want a change from my plain light brown hair. I did not dye my hair I am a Metamorphmagus like my cousin. Mr. Ollivander: I finally get to sale Bethany a wand and on the someday as I sale Harry Potter his first wand. Andromeda: She going to need a couple of wands one for school and a few for her slayer duty. Mr. Ollivander: Oh yes, I remember talking to you about that and yes I did make seven wands with cores that I normally don’t use for her to try out. First lets try wands out for school. First I will have you try out this 12 in. wand that is made from rosewood and a Unicorn Tail for the core. Bethany: Ok Bethany takes the wand from Mr. Ollivander and move the wand up and down but nothing moves. Mr. Ollivander takes the wand back from Bethany and puts the wand away. He picks up another wand box. He then hand her a box with a, 15 1/2 in rosewood wand with a Unicorn Tail as it core. Mr. Ollivander: I know it still has the some core as the last one but I think that is the core that would work for your school wand. Bethany: Ok I will try it. She tries that wand and gets the book on the counter to move a little. Mr. Ollivander shakes his head and takes the wand from Bethany. He puts that wand a way and goes over to the back shelve and grab a black box. He walks over to the counter and hands Bethany the next box, which has a 15 1/2 in rosewood wand with a phoenix father has the core. Bethany picks the wand up and boxes go fly everywhere. Mr. Ollivander: That is not the wand for you. Lets try this 15 1/2 in Willow with a Dragon Heartstring core. Bethany: I hope this wand works? Bethany picks up the wand and the area around her light up in a gold color. Bethany, Andromeda, Nympadora and Mr. Ollivander smile at eachother. Mr. Ollivander box up the wand and put it into a bag and he marks the first wand down in his book. He then grabs the first box out from under the courter that has a 15 1/2 in made from Willow with a Leprechaun hair. Mr. Ollivander: Now I do not think this wand will work for you, because Leprechaun hair cores tend to favor only the Irish but we will see if it works. Bethany nods her head yes and picks up the wand and once again boxes go fly everywhere. Bethany then tries the 15 1/2 wand that is made of willow with the demiguise hair core next but nothing happens. Mr. Ollivander then hand Bethany’s another 15 1/2 in wand that is made of willow with a Hippogriff Talon core to try, when Bethany flick the wand it make Mr. Ollivander hair turn green. He takes the wand form her and hand her another 15 1/2 in wand that is made of Willow with a Runespoor Fang core and the room turn a gold color again. She also buy two more 15 1/2 in wands made from willow one with Chimaera Scale core and one with Ashwinder Ash core (which cast awesome protection charms.) Bethany’s aunt pays for the four wands and Mr. Ollivander hand the bag with the wands in it to Bethany. The three ladies walk out of Ollivander’s and walk down the street and into Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. Madam Malkin looks up from fitting Hermione Granger robe and smile at the ladies when they walk into the store. Madam Malkin: I will be with you in a few minutes Mrs. Tonks. Andromeda: That fine. Three minutes later a girl with long brown hair walks over to Bethany and stop in front her. Bethany smiles at her the girl. Bethany looks at the girl and she smiles back at her. Bethany: Hi my name Bethany Tonks, what is your name? Hermione: My name Hermione Granger, are you getting robes for Hogwart school of witchcraft and wizardry? Bethany: Yeah Hermione: So am I, It is my first year. I am so excite, because I am the first witch in my family. Are you the only witch in your family or is everyone one in your family witches and wizards? Bethany: My Mom pure blood, my dad was muggle born but get chosen to go to Hogwart. My dad brother also went to Hogwart. My aunts are also pure blood. Hermione mom and dad walk up behind her and then the three of them leave the shop. Bethany gets fitted for her robes and cloak and also gets a point hat and protective gloves. When her robes and cloak are ready, they pay for them all the items they are buying. Then Andromeda, Nympadora and Bethany go and gets strawberry ice cream cones from Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlou. Once they have getting they ice cream they walks down Diagon Alley to head to Flourish and Blotts. When the three of them walk into Flourish & Blotts Nympadora head to the section where the textbooks she needs are and Bethany and Andromeda go over to the section where Hogwart first year textbooks are location at. Bethany looks down at the list of books she needs to buy and see the first one on the list is standing book of spell grade one which is by Miranda Gosghawk. She has just grab a book off the shelve when she hear Mrs. Wesley fighting with her youngest son Ron about the fight having to buy used books and not new books. Bethany quietly grabs a copy of a history of magic by Bathilda Bagshot, a beginner’s guide to transfiguration by Emeric Switch, one thousand magical herbal and fungi by Phyllida Spore, magical drafts and potions by Arsenius Jigger, Fantastic beast and where to find them by Newt Scamander and the dark farce guide to self protection by Quentin Trimble. Andromeda goes to pay for the books and Bethany to find her cousin to see if she is ready to go. Bethany finds that her cousin had already pay for her books and she is waiting for her mom and Bethany to finish up in the book store. Bethany and Andromeda leave the book store and head to the Cauldron Shop, they only in the shop for two minutes because the only item Bethany’s need from there is a size two Pewter cauldron. Nympadora goes to the Apothecary and picks her cousin up two set of crystal phials, bass scale. Nympadora then goes to one of the street stall and buy Bethany the telescope she needs for school. Nympadora meets up with her mom and cousin at Eeylops Owl Emporium. When she walks into the store, she sees Bethany is looking at one of the white snow owls. Once Bethany had chosen the white snow owl that she wanting Nympadora, Andromeda and Bethany head to the Leaky Cauldron for some dinner. The three ladies are walking over to a table when Harry and Hagrid walk into the Leaky Cauldron and over to them. As Harry walks over to her Bethany puts her hands into her jean pockets. Harry: Hi Bethany can I ask you something about when you were three years old? Bethany: Yeah Harry: Hagrid says that you were at my parents house the night they dead, did my parents try to fight back against Lord Voldemort? Bethany: Yes. Harry: Hagrid also told me that you mom and dad were kill two nights before by Lord Voldemort is that way you were staying with my parents? Bethany: Yeah Harry! As Bethany is answering, Harry questions her hair change from light brown with pink highlight to a light gray color. Nympadora puts her right arm around her cousin and whispers into her ear that she was doing the right thing by answers Harry questions. When they finish talking Bethany, Nympadora and Andromeda head home for the night. The Next morning Bethany wakes up at the creak of dawn and quietly finish packing, because she share a bedroom with her cousin and Nympadora is still sleeping. First Bethany packs her school supplies, textbooks and clothing into one truck. She then packs her slayer supplies into a second truck and has to pack all her slayers relate books into a third truck. She has just lock up the third truck when Nympadora rolls over in her bed to face Bethany. Nympadora opens up her eyes and looks at her younger cousin. Bethany: Did I walk you up, Nympadora? Nympadora: Yeah, but it all right and how many times do I have to tell you Bethany call me Tonks, I hate being called Nympadora. Bethany: Ok, I will call you Tonks for now on. Bethany and her cousin then leave their bedroom and head into the Kitchen for breakfast. After breakfast everyone gets ready to take Bethany to the train station and to meet up with the Wesley at the station.
DucksRMagical Joined: 28 December 2006 Posts: 2495 Location: Going through LeakyCon withdrawal	Posted: Thursday 17 July 2008 12 02 04 pm    Post subject: Re: The Unnamed Fic About Amy in topic:In Moonlight's Shadow I've been writing a lot of this fic lately. I'm already on the 14th chapter. I've been neglecting my Albus fic because of this one. Anyway, here's the third chapter. It's another kind of fluffy chapter, but I have a few set up type chapters that have to be posted before I really start the main plot. This is one of them. Chapter 3: Happy Christmas Birds were chirping and the sun was shining through my closed eyes. I wrenched my eyes open and the bright sun blinded me. I stretched and sat up, remembering pulling the tree back to the house as my arms ached. It was Christmas morning and I was surely the first one up. I had no idea what time it was, but it must have been early since the sun was just barely up. I quickly ran back into my room and threw my pillow down on the bed as I looked at the clock. It was just after six o'clock. All right, I was definitely the only one up. Except perhaps Ellie. She was probably awake and starting to cook breakfast. Light was shining in through the windows in the hall as I walked quietly down it. It was bright enough to illuminate the thin layer of dust that covered the carpet. Mum would surely notice that and decide to clean it as soon as she woke up. It was very quiet on the second floor, although if I went up to the third floor I would be able to hear Richard's snoring. I wish I could wake them all up now. Mum and Dad have this rule of not waking anyone up before seven o'clock. On most Christmas mornings, Matt and I wake up early and sit in one of our rooms talking about what we think we'll get for Christmas. Last year we decided to hover around their room, waiting for the clock to strike seven. We ran into their room shrieking as soon as we heard the clock hit seven. I doubted we would do anything of the sort this year. Not with the full moon only a few nights away. I crept to Matt's room and gently pushed the door open. Sure enough, he was sound asleep, buried beneath a few blankets. I didn't have the heart to wake him up while he slept so soundly. Plus, Mum would have my head if she found out about it. Instead, I decided to go up to the third floor. We don't use the third floor for much. There are a couple guest bedrooms up there and that's where Cinda and Richard stay when they come. They're pretty much the only guests we have anymore. A few of the rooms are used for storage, but the third floor is also where my favorite room, besides my bedroom of course, is. My favorite classes in school are Astronomy and Potions. Olivia thinks I'm crazy to enjoy Potions so much, but I do. There's just something so calming about a simmering cauldron and creating something useful out of ingredients. Potions isn't just a class I enjoy, though. It's a hobby for me. I like to experiment with stuff and try and come up with my own potions. I haven't come up with anything useful yet, but I'm trying. Mum of course, doesn't really like me experimenting with potions because it's dangerous and messy. Two things she despises. She positively flipped when I first started experimenting in my room. She talked it over with Dad and the two of them decided that I could experiment, but only if I had a separate room for it. Thus, my Potions room on the third floor was established. I ran past Richard and Cinda's room towards the end of the hall. I pushed the door to my potions room open and walked inside. Everything was just as I left it before the past term. My family rarely ever ventures into the room. Dad does occasionally to see what I'm up to and Mum does to see if I'm cleaning it properly, but that only happens once in a while. Matt isn't allowed to come in alone or with me. Mum or Dad have to be with him when he's in here. I wish they'd let him be in here with me. He's often very interested in my creations, but sometimes wants to help. I guess that's why Mum and Dad rarely let him in here. The room itself is smaller than my bedroom. The walls are just plain white and there isn't any carpet, just tiling. That's better, though, because I do occasionally spill stuff. There's a large work table in the middle of the room with a couple stools around it. I also have a cupboard that's filled with all sorts of ingredients and cauldrons. Some potions have to be brewed in specific kinds of cauldrons. I have a couple different sizes of pewter cauldrons and even have one silver cauldron. Last, there is a bookcase with numerous books about potion brewing. That's where I was headed today. I had to find something to work on over the holiday. I pulled down a book, opened it to the first page, and settled down to read it. Time flew by and I was soon startled by the chiming of a grandfather clock that was out in the hallway. I quickly stood up and ran out the door. Yes, it was seven! I would finally be able to wake up my family! I skipped down the hall until I reached Richard and Cinda's room. "Richard! Cinda!" I flew open the door and ran in, "Wake up! It's seven!" "Oh, Amy," Cinda groaned, lifting her head up, "Can't you just let us sleep until 8 this year?" "Nope!" I grinned at her, "Get up and meet me downstairs!" Cinda muttered something that sounded an awful lot like 'crazy child' and started shaking Richard awake. Once I was satisfied that they were going to get up, I ran down the stairs and back to Matt's room. Him I would wake up more gently. "Matt," I hissed in his ear, "Wake up, it's Christmas!" I shook him gently until he opened one of his eyes. "Christmas?" he mumbled. "Yes, Christmas! It's seven, you've slept late!" "I'm tired," he pulled the covers over his head. I sighed, "I know, but we always open presents early." Matt pulled the covers back and smiled at me, "Presents?" "Yes, presents," I grinned, "Here, I'll carry you." "All right," he yawned as I picked him up. We left the room and went to wake up Mum and Dad. The two of them were sound asleep. I laughed and looked at Matt. "Ready? On the count of three, we start shouting." He nodded. "One," I said. "Two...Three! Mum! Dad! Up and at 'em! Time to get up!" "Wake up!" Matt shouted. "You'd better get up now, or I'll start singing!" I shrieked. They still weren't getting up. I happen to be a terrible singer, so they were really asking for it. "God rest ye merry hippogriffs...!" I sang off-key. "On the first day of Christmas, Merlin gave to me...!" Matt chimed in. "Ok!" Dad sat up, grinning, "I'm up!" "But Mum isn't," I smirked, "Oh, Mum..." Mum sat up and sighed, "I'm up to. You can stop singing now. What am I going to do with you two?" "Come with us to open presents," I announced, "Meet you downstairs." Matt and I left the room and went downstairs to the living room. I hate waiting for my parents and grandparents to come downstairs. We're allowed to wake them up at seven, but they never come downstairs until at least 7:30. The tree looks so beautiful with the sunlight glistening on it. There is now a sizable stack of presents under it, and our stockings are stuffed full of candy. We grabbed them and started pulling everything out while we waited for the adults. Mum, Dad, Richard, and Cinda finally meandered into the room about twenty minutes later. Ellie was right behind them with a platter of hot sticky buns. I grabbed one and waited for the present opening to begin. "Who's first?" Cinda asked. "Me!" Matt and I shouted at the same time. "Amy is this year," Dad announced, handing me a small box. "You went first last year, Matt." "How do you possibly remember that?" Cinda stared at him. Dad shrugged, "Just do." I took the box from Dad and inspected it. The tag said it was from Richard and Cinda. I tore the paper off in one rip and looked at it. I wasn't exactly sure what it was. There was a picture of a rectangular pink object on it, with two wires coming out of the bottom. I vaguely remembered that Kenzie had one, but I couldn't possibly know why I needed one. "Um, is this an iPod?" I asked. "Yes!" Cinda said excitedly. "All the teenagers have them now." "Er, ok," I continued to look at the box, "These are for listening to music, right?" Cinda laughed, "Yes." "Oh, I've heard about those!" Dad said, "Muggles hook them up to their computers and somehow put music on them." Oh, yeah. Now I remember watching Kenzie do that. "Cinda, I don't have a computer." "I know. You can use ours when you come over in a few days." "Thanks," I smiled. To be honest, I wasn't really that enthusiastic about the Muggle device. I really didn't care to use Muggle electronics and the thing wouldn't work at school anyway. After Matt opened one of his presents, I decided to open one of the ones from Mum and Dad. It was the largest box under the tree and I was very curious about it. I pulled it over to me and it was very heavy, although not nearly as heavy as the tree itself had been. I ripped the paper off and what was beneath it astonished me. This present was exactly what I had asked for! It was the newest telescope that I had seen at the Night Sky Shoppe. I couldn't believe it! "You got me the Star Gazer 700! Thank you so much!" I leaped over a couple presents and gave each of my parents a hug. "You're welcome, Amy," Dad smiled, "We'll set it up on your balcony tonight." "I'm glad you like it, honey," Mum replied. "I love it," I settled back into my spot on the floor. I didn't care what the rest of my presents were. The telescope far exceeded my expectations. The thing must have cost a fortune. I'm honestly not sure how much money my parents actually have. I know Dad inherited a lot, but I'm not sure how much he has left. He spent a lot of it after Matt got bit on hospital bills and trying to find some kind of cure. We spent much of the remainder of the morning opening presents and talking. None of the rest of my presents compared to the telescope. They included various clothing items and books. I did get a bunch of new potions ingredients, but I still liked the telescope best. I couldn't wait until Dad and I set it up later. Brunch followed presents and it was very leisurely. Ellie always outdid herself on Christmas mornings. Of course, her Christmas dinners were even better. Mum always helped with those because they really are a lot of work. The entire Christmas day was very relaxing. I spent most of it outside reading a few of my new books while Matt played with the new football that Richard got him. It was kind of funny to watch the two of them playing with it. Richard used to play football when he was in high school and was still rather good at it. Matt has always been kind of clumsy and kept tripping over the ball. Ellie and Mum served dinner in the early evening and they had prepared a lot of food. They served it in the formal dining room and the entire table was covered. I didn't think we would be able to finish it all, but Cinda always took food home after Christmas anyway. Cinda isn't much of a cook and she loves Mum's cooking. "Do you have something appropriate to wear to the party, Julie?" Cinda asked partway through the meal. I groaned inwardly. I had been hoping we would be able to get through the entire dinner without any talk of Cinda's party. "I'm sure I still have something upstairs," Mum assured her. "Good. But if you want something new, I'd be happy to go with you shopping before we leave." "I'm going to be pretty occupied, Mum," Mum sighed, "I'm sure you know that." "I know you will, but I thought maybe you could leave the house for a couple hours." "I'm not planning to. I have a lot to do, Mum," Mum explained. "Surely Walter can handle it," Cinda commented. "I'm sure he can, Mum, but I'd rather be with my son when he's not feeling well than go shopping for a dress," Mum said shortly. "End of discussion." "Oh, all right," Cinda muttered. After a few moments of awkward silence, Cinda began talking about who would be attending her party and what they were up to. It was incredibly boring and I only half listened. "I'm just so happy you're going!" Cinda said in between bites of turkey. "You haven't seen everyone in such a long time. They'll be so happy to see you." "I'm sure," Mum smiled politely. "You can't just not attend anymore functions, Julie. You have to stay involved!" "Let's just see how this one goes," Mum sighed. "So, Dad," I changed the subject, "Can we set up the telescope after dinner?" "Of course, Amy," Dad grinned, "It doesn't look that difficult to set up, it won't take long." "Great!" Ellie served dessert a short while later, a magnificent looking pudding. I had two helpings of it and was positively stuffed afterwards. "Telescope now?" I asked Dad. Dad groaned, "Just let me sit a minute. I don't think I can move." "Me neither," Richard agreed, "That was an excellent dinner, Julie and Ellie." "Thanks, Dad," Mum smiled. "Thank you, Master Richard," Ellie grinned. "Hey, Cinda," I turned to my grandmother, "Is Kenzie going to the party?" I hoped she was. Her family wasn't really in the same social scene as my grandparents were, but I was hoping that Cinda would invite them anyway. "I did invite them," Cinda replied, "But they already had some other party to go to, so they won't be going." "Wonderful," I rolled my eyes. "Oh, you'll have fun anyway," Cinda assured me, "Your other friends that you haven't seen in over a year will be there." I nodded but didn't say anything. Cinda may think that they were my friends, but they weren't and never will be. Sure, they politely talked to me during all the functions we used to go to, but I wouldn't consider us friends. They thought that I was weird for not having any of the same electronics they did and for going to a different school than they did. They all went to some fancy private school that my Mum was supposed to go to before she got her letter for the Australian School of Sorcery. I, of course, never had any intentions of going to the school they went to. It was also considered strange that I wouldn't talk about my school around them, but how could I? I'd break the Statute of Secrecy. Kenzie doesn't know anything about my school either, but it doesn't bother her. That's part of what makes her a friend. The party wouldn't be so bad if she were going. A half hour later Dad's food had finally digested enough for him to help me set up my telescope. He carried it to my room while I ran ahead of him and threw open the door to my balcony. Dad set the box down and we opened it up. The telescope was mostly put together already. All we had to do was mount it on the stand. It was even more beautiful than I had remembered. The entire thing was pitch black with 'Star Gazer 700' written on it in white script. Dad quickly read over the directions and then gave a few flicks of his wand. The telescope immediately levitated out of the box and set itself on the stand. "Where do you want it?" Dad asked. "How about over here?" I pointed to the right side of the balcony. Dad waved his wand and moved it to the side I specified. "There you go." I grinned, "Thanks Dad!" I went over to the telescope and maneuvered it to look at the sky. The sun had just set and the stars were starting to come out. I fiddled with the focus until I could see the stars clearly. It was amazing, much better than the telescope I had for school. It felt like I could reach out and touch the stars. "This is amazing, want to look?" Dad stooped down and peered through the eyepiece, "Wow, Amy, this is incredible! Maybe I would have done better in Astronomy if I had had one of these." I giggled. Dad had been horrible at Astronomy when he was in school. He just scraped a passing grade each year. Of course, he didn't really need Astronomy for his job. He's the head of the Department for the Control and Regulation of Magical Creatures. His best classes when he was in school were charms and Defense Against the Dark Arts. Those are two classes that I'm not so great at. I can't duel to save my life and my charm work is marginal. "I'm glad you're happy with it," Dad stood up and gave me a hug. "Thanks for getting it for me," I hugged him back. "How's the telescope?" Dad and I let go of each other and I looked back into my room and saw Mum walking towards me, carrying Matt. Richard and Cinda were right behind them. "It's great, Mum." "I'm glad." "Can I look?" Matt asked. Mum hesitated and looked at Dad. "It's not facing towards the moon," I told her. "All right," she sighed and set Matt down on the floor. He ran out onto the balcony and over to the telescope. He stood on his tip-toes and peered into the telescope. "Whoa! The stars are so big and sparkly!" "Yup, that's what the telescope's supposed to do," I explained. "Can I have one?" "You don't have a balcony in your room," I pointed out, "But you can come look through mine whenever you want." "Awesome!" Matt turned away from the telescope and smiled at me. "All right, Matt, it's time for bed. You need a good night's sleep tonight," Mum announced. "Say good night to everyone." "'Night, Amy," he wrapped his arms around me and I hugged him back. "Good night, Matt," I replied. Mum and Matt left a few moments later, but Richard and Cinda stayed. My grandparents each took a turn looking through the telescope before going back downstairs. Dad left shortly after they did, leaving me alone with my present. I still couldn't believe they actually got me this. It was one of the best Christmas presents I had ever received. It was up there with the silver cauldron I got last year. I had been even more surprised about the cauldron, though, considering that my brother is allergic to silver. A soft wind blew through the air and I stared up at the sky. Most of the sky was clear, but there were a few clouds off to the west. It would probably rain tomorrow, but for now I was going to take advantage of the clear night. The moon was just starting to rise and shine down onto my balcony. I went back to watching the stars through my telescope and thinking about the long stretch of holiday I had in front of me. I decided to ask my parents if Olivia could spend a few days once I got back from Richard and Cinda's. There wasn't really any point in asking them before. I knew they would be incredibly tense because of the full moon. I have never been home the day of the full moon before. I always went to my grandparents house the day before during the past full moons. Since the full moon was a few days after Christmas this month, they just decided to let me stay until the day of the full moon. Dad is supposed to Apparate us back on the 28th. I am pretty curious about what goes on the day of the full moon. I wish Mum and Dad would just let me stay home during it. The only good part about it is that I get to see Kenzie. I don't particularly enjoy staying at Richard and Cinda's. Their house is even fancier than ours and Cinda is very obsessive about keeping everything neat and perfect. There are rooms in her house that Matt and I aren't even allowed to go in. The formal dining room, formal living room, the ballroom, and Richard and Cinda's bedroom, for example. I'm assuming that the party will take place in the ballroom. So, I'll obviously be able to go into them then, but not before the party starts. I remember once when Matt and I were a lot younger, Kenzie dared me to run through the formal living room. I bumped into a cabinet and broke a glass dolphin. Cinda was incredibly angry at me and I was grounded for two days. Not that that stopped me from going into the room again. I do, I'm just more careful about it. The night sky kept me occupied for a couple hours and I eventually had to stop and go to bed. I was really tired since I hardly slept last night. I climbed into my comfy bed feeling very content and happy. This was probably one of the best Christmases I have ever had. I got exactly what I wanted and there were minimal arguments. Olivia says her family's holiday get togethers are basically one large argument. Her two sets of grandparents don't get along at all and neither do her father and maternal grandparents. Whenever I hear about her Christmases, I consider myself lucky that my family gets along for the most part.

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