Harry Potter Soft Plush Toys and Stuffed Animals

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Harry Potter Hungarian Horntail Dragon Plush Harry Potter Hungarian Horntail Dragon Plush $17.64

Plush - Harry Potter - Buckbeak Soft Doll Figure Plush - Harry Potter - Buckbeak Soft Doll Figure $13.99

Harry Potter Hungarian Horntail Dragon Plush Harry Potter Hungarian Horntail Dragon Plush $13.99

Harry Potter Scabbers Rat Plush Harry Potter Scabbers Rat Plush $16.46

Harry Potter Crookshanks Plush Harry Potter Crookshanks Plush $19.95

Harry Potter Buckbeak Plush Harry Potter Buckbeak Plush $18.82

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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 5 May 2010 10 04 55 am    Post subject: Re: Albus potter and the Path Left Untrodden in topic:Albus potter and the Path Left Untrodden Sorry, again I forgot to update last week. But that just means two chapters this week! Chapter 33: In Dervish and Banges The atmosphere in the Great Hall the next morning was unlike anything Albus had seen before. The Hogwarts team was sitting together at the Ravenclaw table, surrounded by students from all four houses. Teddy and Tyler seemed to be in the thick of it and were loudly discussing tactics. The Australian team was sitting together at the Hufflepuff table, with a large distance between them and the Hufflepuffs. A small crowd of Australians had congregated around them. Albus decided not to join the rest of the Hogwarts team at the Ravenclaw table. Nobody was unable to play that day, so Albus's days on the team were pretty much over. To be honest, he was kind of relieved. There was just so much pressure. “I think this tournament has been good for Hogwarts,” Rose mused, “Look at everyone. Nobody seems to care who's in what house.” “It'll all go back to normal once the match is over,” Albus pointed out. “Maybe not,” Rose shrugged, “You never know.” “I don't know, Rose,” Matt said, “I don't think one year can change centuries of tradition.” “It's worth a try,” Rose said, “I think we should all try and get along.” “I don't think this has helped international magical cooperation,” John gestured to the Australian team. The Hufflepuffs sitting nearby were glaring at them. “Competition rarely does that,” Rose muttered. “Well, they'll all be going home soon,” Matt said cheerfully. Rose shot him a dirty look and then looked up at the staff table. Albus's gaze followed. The staff table was quite overcrowded that morning. There were scouts from Quidditch teams, Ministry officials including Albus's Uncle Percy, and a variety of people from Australia and New York. “Look at that witch,” John pointed to a very tall, beautiful witch with pale white skin and long dark hair. “She's Linda's mother,” Rose told them. “Is she-” John began. “Yes,” Rose whispered, “She's one, too.” “I thought so,” John said without taking his eyes off the witch. There was a loud cheer from the Ravenclaw table and the Hogwarts team began to leave the Hall. Their entourage followed until they reached the door and then they went to sit back down at various tables. The Australian team followed shortly. The excitement only seemed to increase now that the teams had gone down to the changing rooms. A few minutes later people began to leave for the pitch. The crowd at the staff table left first and the students followed. “Albus,” John said as they got up from the table, “I've got a few pairs of omnioculars in my trunk. I want to see it up close when Linda catches that Snitch.” “Let's go get them, then,” Albus replied. Rose rolled her eyes. “Meet us down at the pitch.” She and Amanda turned towards the door as the boys ran up the grand staircase. “Why didn't you just bring them to breakfast?” Matt asked. “Forgot,” John said. The castle was absolutely deserted as they made their way back to Gryffindor Tower. Albus hadn't seen it that empty during the day. It was almost disconcerting. John had to empty out his entire trunk in order to find the omnioculars. He had four pairs and handed one to each of the boys. “Let's go,” Albus said, “We're going to miss the start of the match.” Albus completely ignored the no running in the corridors rule as he made his way through the castle. There wasn't anyone to scold him anyway. The footsteps behind him told him his friends weren't far behind. Albus turned a corner and ran smack into something. He fell down onto his back and looked up, only to see that it was someone. Not just anyone either. Albus had collided with Matt's boggart. Only, it couldn't be a boggart because if it had been a boggart, it would have manifested itself into what Albus was most afraid of. At that moment, it probably would have been Willinson. The man sneered down at Albus and then smiled creepily. Albus scrambled up and turned back to look at his friends. Matt had turned white and looked far more afraid than Albus had ever seen him before, including when he had faced the boggart and when Malfoy had found out about his lycanthropy. John was looking from Matt to the man, an obvious horror on his face. Kaden was looking extremely confused. Albus turned and grabbed all three of his friends, pulling them into the nearest classroom. He slammed the door and pulled out his wand, putting every locking charm he knew onto the knob. Matt collapsed onto the nearest chair and put his head in his hands. “Th-th-that's-” “We know,” Albus whispered. “What the hell is he doing here?” John ranted, “He's got no business here!” “Why's he in the castle anyway?” Albus began to pace around the room, “If he's here to watch the Quidditch match, then why isn't he down there?” “What if he's not here to watch the Quidditch?” John said darkly. “Who the bloody hell is he?” Kaden asked loudly. Albus glanced at Matt before looking at Kaden. Matt didn't seem to have heard Kaden's question. “His name's Lubar. He's the Head of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures in Australia,” Albus explained, “He's the reason why Matt had to move here, amongst other things.” “He's a sick and twisted evil git,” John muttered, “What are we going to do?” Albus walked over to the door and peered out the small window at the top. Lubar was no longer in sight. “I've g-got to go to the Ministry,” Matt said, “I've got to t-tell my dad. L-Lubar, he can't be here.” Albus paced back and forth in front of the door. The Ministry. How would they get there? Brooms? No, that would take too long. They'd have to use the Floo Network, but none of the fireplaces at Hogwarts were hooked up, as far as Albus knew. “We're going to have to get to Hogsmeade,” Albus said, “You wait here. I'll get my Cloak and the map. Then we'll sneak into Hogsmeade and Floo to the Ministry.” Matt nodded. “You guys don't have to come. You can go to the match.” “Are you mental?” John exclaimed, “That bloke out there is probably worse than Willinson. We're not letting you do this alone.” Albus nodded in agreement before waving his wand and undoing the locking charms. He cautiously looked out into the corridor before leaving. It was empty. Much to Albus's relief, both the Cloak and the map were right where he'd left them. He shoved them into his robes and ran back to the classroom. Matt, John, and Kaden were all talking quietly. Matt didn't look any less scared, but at least he didn't seem to be in shock anymore. “We're not all going to fit underneath it,” Albus said as he unfolded the cloak. “You three get under it,” John said immediately, “I'm tallest so I'll take up the most room anyway. Plus, if we meet up with Lubar again, I'm the best liar.” Albus couldn't argue there. Both he and Matt were horrible liars and Kaden still hadn't gotten over his inability to keep secrets. “You take the map, then,” Albus handed the map to John, “We've got to get to the one-eyed witch statue on the third floor. Albus threw the Cloak over himself, Matt, and Kaden, and the three of them followed John out of the room. The corridor was still empty, much to Albus's relief. John set a very fast pace and he was soon quite a bit ahead of Albus and the others. Albus couldn't say anything, though, as it would give away his presence. Instead he tried to run as fast as he could while making the least amount of noise possible. The boys made it down the two flights of stairs necessary to get to the third floor and arrived at the statue without seeing anyone. Albus pulled the Cloak off of them and stuffed it into his pocket. With a quick tap of his wand, he statue's hump opened and the boys climbed inside. Albus lit his wand and took off down the small passageway. Matt, John, and Kaden followed suit. “Why did Kendrick let him in?” John asked as they ran, “Doesn't he know what he did?” “Yes,” Matt answered, “I don't think Kendrick knows he's here.” “What did he do?” Kaden asked. “You don't think he came here to see you?” Albus asked Matt, “I mean, remember when Killigan saw us that one time and he seemed so interested in finding you?” “Of course I do,” Matt muttered, “And it really wouldn't surprise me if that's why he's here. But I'm betting there's another reason.” “What did he do?” Kaden repeated, a bit louder. “Why else would he be here?” Albus asked, “The match?” “Maybe, but I'm betting it's got something to do with Linda,” Matt replied, “I don't know for sure, but it seems too coincidental for him to be here just to see me.” “What did he do?” Kaden shouted, “Why would he want to see you?” Matt stopped running and wheeled around to look at Kaden. “It's a long story. Lubar's got a grudge against my dad, one that he obviously still has even though we haven't lived in Australia for six years,” Matt paused, “He passed a bunch of laws against werewolves and I wound up having to transform with a bunch of other werewolves. It was bad.” Matt resumed walking and didn't elaborate on the subject. Kaden didn't ask him to. “What's your dad going to do about it?” Kaden asked. “I dunno,” Matt shrugged, “Maybe talk to Kendrick or something.” There was no doubt in Albus's mind that Matt's dad would be able to get Lubar to leave Hogwarts, possibly even leave the country. Albus had known little about Mr. Eckerton prior to this year, but now he knew that you did not want to be on his bad side. When it came down to it, Mr. Eckerton was the one who had Balladanis sacked. The passage finally began to rise until it came to an abrupt stop at a knotty wooden door. Albus pressed his ear to the door, but heard nothing. He carefully pushed it open, wincing as it creaked. Seeing nobody in the storage room beyond, Albus beckoned his friends forward. The room was dimly lit, enough for Albus to see a huge amount of boxes littering the floor. On the far wall he could see a fireplace. The boys climbed over the various boxes and stood in front of the fireplace. Albus located a small sack of Floo Powder and then lit a fire. He turned to his friends. “You can't Floo directly into someone's study at the Ministry. We're going to have to go to the Atrium,” Albus told them, “I'll go first, you follow.” Albus took a handful of powder and then handed the bag to Matt. He tossed the powder into the fire and stepped inside, shouting “The Ministry of Magic!” Albus stumbled out of a different fireplace seconds later. The Atrium was nearly deserted, save for a few wizards striding towards the lifts, clearly too busy to notice Albus. Matt landed rather ungracefully on the floor. He picked himself up, brushing stray ash off his robes. “Place is deserted,” Matt said as he looked around. “It's a Saturday,” Albus pointed out, “Does your dad work Saturdays?” “Yeah,” Matt nodded, “At least mornings.” John was next to step out of the fire, doing so more elegantly than Matt had. He stood in front of the fire, staring around at the Atrium. His eyes rested on the Fountain of Magical Brethren. “This is more fancy than I imagined,” John said. “Bloody hell!” Kaden shouted as he fell out of the fire, “This is the Ministry?” “Yes,” Matt said quickly, “But we haven't got time to explore. Let's go.” Albus followed Matt towards the desk in the front of the Atrium. There was an old wizard leafing through a copy of the Quibbler, oblivious to his surroundings. Albus almost thought they'd be able to sneak around him, but he looked up just as they were about to pass. “Where do you think you're going?” he asked and then his eyes rested on Albus, “Albus Severus Potter. Why aren't you in school?” “Er,” Albus began, a little unnerved that the man knew who he was. Matt stepped in front of Albus. “We need to go see my dad. He's the Head of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. It's kind of an emergency.” “Very well,” the man looked at them oddly, “Put your wands up here.” Albus did as he was told and the others followed suit. They waited impatiently as the old wizard tested their wands and then handed them back. He waved them on towards the lifts. “What's the point of that?” Kaden asked as they waited for a lift. “So if you murder anyone, they can tell whose wand did it,” Albus said bluntly. “That's cheerful,” Kaden replied. Once the lift arrived, the boys piled in and Matt pushed the number four. Nobody said anything as the lift creaked its way to the fourth floor. Matt took off at a run down the corridor after they left the lift. Albus had never been to this particular floor. It looked rather similar to the Magical Law Enforcement's floor, with nondescript sets of double doors on one side. Matt skidded to a halt in front of the only door that was single and banged his hand loudly on it. When there was no answer after a few seconds, he banged again. “Hold your hippogriffs!” called a voice from the inside, “I'm coming, I'm-” Matt's dad said as he opened the door. Mr. Eckerton seemed to freeze at the sight of his son and the other three boys. He gaped at them for a second before shaking his head. “Matt?” he asked and rubbed his eyes, as if he thought he was seeing a hallucination, “But, why aren't you in school? How did you get here? Why are you here? Albus? What are you- and John, Kaden?” His eyes rested on Matt again. “Matt? What's wrong?” Mr. Eckerton stepped aside and let the boys into his study. He shut the door quietly behind them. The study reminded Albus of his dad's. There were large windows on the side opposite the door, although the scene outside was not real, nor was the gentle rain that was pattering onto it. There was a large leather covered chair behind the huge oak desk and a few smaller chairs in front of it. Along the other two walls were shelves with loads of books. Most of them were about various magical creatures. Albus, Matt, and John took the seats that were in front of the desk while Kaden wandered around the study looking at things. Mr. Eckerton leaned against the front of his desk and looked at his son. “What's happened?” he asked quietly. “L-Lubar,” Matt said in barely more than a whisper, “He-he's at Hogwarts.” “What?!” Mr. Eckerton exclaimed. “We were on our way to the Quidditch final,” Matt said, “A-and we saw him.” “Bloody hell!” Mr. Eckerton stood up and slammed his fist loudly against his desk, “Did Professor Kendrick allow this?” “I don't know,” Matt replied, “B-but everyone else was at the match and he was just lurking about the castle.” Mr. Eckerton's face hardened. He looked just like he had when he talked with Professor Balladanis earlier in the term. “Let's go, boys,” he said darkly, “I've got to have a word with Professor Kendrick.” Albus followed Mr. Eckerton out of his study and down towards the lifts. John's walking speed was nothing compared to Matt's dad's. The boys had to run to keep up. “Where did you Floo from?” Mr. Eckerton asked once they were in the lift. “Honeyduke's,” Albus answered. “We'll Floo there now,” Mr. Eckerton replied. The wizard at the welcome desk looked at them curiously as they rushed towards the fireplaces, but didn't say anything. Mr. Eckerton handed Albus a bit of Floo Powder and gestured for him to go first. Albus stepped into the fire and shouted, “Honeyduke's!” Albus began to spin faster and faster. He saw glimpses of people's houses, shops in Diagon Alley, and a variety of other places he did not recognize. Then, out of one of the fireplaces, came a hand. Everything seemed to slow down, but Albus wasn't sure if it actually did or not. The hand grabbed him. Albus fought against it, but it was too strong. All of a sudden he was laying on a dusty wooden floor, one that was not at all like the one in Honeyduke's. Albus coughed and stood up. His heart was beating fast. What had happened? Why wasn't he in Honeyduke's? Where was he? Whose hand was that? Albus grappled for his wand and shakily held it up. He lit it and looked around the room, seeing no one. “Nice to see you, Potter,” a cold voice said from behind him. Albus jumped and turned around. There, crouching next to the fireplace with his hand inside of it, was Lubar. He looked even more creepy in the dank room than he did in Hogwarts. The fireplace glowed green and Lubar yanked his arm out of it. John came tumbling out of the fire and scrambled too his feet, looking about. Lubar muttered something underneath his breath and stuck his hand in the fire again. “What the?” John whispered to Albus, “Where are we? Is that? Bloody Hell!” “Shut up!” Lubar shouted. Albus gazed around the room. It looked vaguely familiar, but Albus couldn't put his finger on it. The windows were boarded up, but it was definitely not the Shrieking Shack. Albus doubted that was connected to the Floo Network anyway. The fireplace glowed green yet again, this time sending Kaden onto the floor. This earned another shout from Lubar, who stuck his hand in the fire again. Kaden gaped and then got to his feet and stood next to Albus. He looked absolutely terrified, even before he laid eyes on Lubar. Albus wanted nothing more than to run from the room, but he did not know where the building was even located. Plus, Lubar would probably stun him or something. Green light filled the room as the fireplace glowed once more. Albus knew even before it happened that Matt would be the one to next fall out of the flames. Mere seconds later, that suspicion was confirmed. Matt coughed and scrambled to his feet. He gasped when he saw Lubar and ran over to Albus. Lubar, finally satisfied, doused the fire and lit his wand, which illuminated his sinister face. He began to pace slowly in front of them. “Well, well, you went crying to Daddy just as I expected,” Lubar grinned manically, “I do love when things work out the way I expect them to.” Albus could feel Matt shaking next to him. He gripped his wand hard, debating whether to try and disarm Lubar. “Any idea where you are?” Lubar asked, “Dervish and Banges. Lovely shop, pity about the owner. Yes, a real shame.” Lubar didn't seem at all upset about what happened to the shop owner. Albus looked around the shop again and now he recognized it. “Well, let's not waste our time here,” Lubar said, “There's a few people who've been dying to see you.” Lubar snapped his fingers three times and Albus heard footsteps on the stairs. Three wizards descended the stairs and strode into the room. They lit their wands at the same time and Albus gasped when the light showed their faces. Jarrett and Quinton Willinson, along with Washburn. Three people Albus hoped never to see again. Albus swallowed hard. He could see no way out of this. As good a dueler he was, he was up against four fully qualified wizards. Three of them did not possess the skills to duel, but Albus had no idea what Lubar was capable of. “Ah, yes,” Lubar smirked, “What a lovely reunion. Unfortunately we haven't got time to chat.” Before Albus knew it, Washburn had him in a headlock with his wand pointed at his neck. Quinton Willinson had Kaden and his father had John. Matt, seeing his friends restrained, made a run for the nearest window. “Not so fast, young werewolf,” Lubar caught him by the back of his robes and wrapped one of his arms around his middle. Lubar reached into his robes with his free hand and pulled out an old tea kettle. He held it out to the other three men and each one put a free hand on it. Albus knew what was going to happen right before it did. He shared a frightened glance with Matt before feeling a jerk behind his belly button.
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: Thursday 1 October 2009 05 22 34 pm    Post subject: Re: Albus potter and the Path Left Untrodden in topic:Albus potter and the Path Left Untrodden Chapter 3: Microwaved Eggs Dinner with Matt's parents was interesting. Mealtimes at Albus's house were always chaotic and never really planned in great detail. It seemed like one of his parents was always coming or going. Then there was the fact that at least one of his cousins or Teddy always seemed to be showing up partway through the meal. But Albus didn't really mind. He kind of liked the chaos that was his family. Mealtimes at Matt's house, on the other hand, seemed more formal and planned. His mum and house elf, Ellie, cooked a lavish spread and served it on fancier dishes than Albus's family had. And Matt didn't have any relatives to randomly drop in. Albus enjoyed it, though. The formality of it didn't faze Kaden in the least and he dominated the conversation, which centered around Hogwarts, Quidditch, and football. The boys spent the evening in the den playing round after round of Exploding Snap. Since Rose wasn't there, they all had a chance of winning. Matt's parents joined in for a few rounds and once they left, Albus and his friends talked about the upcoming school year. John and Kaden agreed that they needed to pull a few marauderesque pranks, but Albus and Matt were a bit reluctant. The job of school pranksters was currently held by James and his friends and Albus really didn't want everyone to think he was a just like his brother. Eventually, Mrs. Eckerton returned to the room and told them they needed to get to bed. Albus followed Matt up the stairs and into the library. They all changed into pajamas, but they didn't go to bed. Their conversations continued until Mrs. Eckerton knocked on the door and told them they had to go to bed. "Albus?" Matt whispered a few minutes later, "Are you awake?" "Yeah," Albus whispered back. "I'm really glad you came," Matt replied. "Me, too," Albus said. "You three are the first friends I've ever had over here," Matt said quietly, "I never really thought it would ever happen." Albus really didn't know what to say to that. He knew Matt had had a lonely childhood until going to Hogwarts, but the fact that he had never had friends over to his house before never crossed his mind. "Well, I'll definitely want to come back," Albus decided to say. "Thanks," Matt said, "Well, good night." "'Night." Albus fell asleep quickly to the muffled sound of Kaden's snoring. But what seemed like a short while later, he awoke again to the sound of somebody's whispering. "Kaden," someone whispered, "Kaden!" "Wh-what is it?" Kaden yawned. "Are you hungry?" Albus recognized John's voice. "Erm, a little, I guess," Kaden replied. "Want to go find some food?" John asked. "Sure." Albus listened as John and Kaden got up from their cots and crept out of the room. There was the sound of footsteps on the stairs, and then quiet. Albus leaned over his cot and poked Matt. "Matt!" he whispered, "Get up!" Matt rolled over and Albus groaned. It was always so difficult to wake him up. "Matt!" Albus shouted a little louder. Matt rolled over again and mumbled something incoherent. Albus poked him a little harder and he finally opened his eyes. "What?" he asked. "John and Kaden went to get a snack," Albus told him. Albus didn't know what kind of snack the two of them were going to get, but he had a feeling they wouldn't make it simple. John and Kaden were known to come up with some pretty mad ideas when they were together, especially when they didn't have Albus or Matt to counteract them. "All right," Matt groaned and got out of his cot, "Let's go." Albus got up and the two of them quietly left the room and went down to the kitchen. The light was on, but Albus couldn't hear anything going on. That could either be a good sign or a bad sign. When the kitchen came into view, Albus saw John and Kaden rummaging around in the refrigerator. "We could combine this with that," Kaden was saying. "That is disgusting," John commented, "But brilliant." John and Kaden emerged from the refrigerator carrying various containers. They set them down on the counter and then turned around. "Oh, hey Albus and Matt!" John grinned, "Want any of our midnight snack?" "Depends on what it is," Albus smiled wryly and sat down on one of the counter stools, "If you think something is both disgusting and brilliant, I'll bet it's really disgusting." "Oh, come on, Albus," Kaden grinned, "Mashed potatoes and chocolate cake would be a good combination." "Oh, nasty!" Matt grimaced and sat down next to Albus. "It's only nasty if you forget the ketchup," John replied. Even the idea of a combination like that made Albus want to vomit. It sounded like some sort of new Bertie Bott's flavor. "No thanks," Albus said. "Your loss," Kaden shrugged and opened the container of potatoes. "So, if you're not down here to eat our delicious food, what are you here for?" John asked as he dumped the cake into the potatoes. "To supervise you," Matt replied, "I can't let the two of you cook unsupervised in my kitchen." "Oh, relax," John grinned. Albus watched as Kaden stirred the potatoes and cake combination. It actually didn't look that bad. Almost like some sort of strange pudding. Albus was sure the ketchup would negate any sort of potential edibility, though. "Hey, what's this thing?" John gestured to a black box that was attached to the bottom of the cupboards along the wall. He pushed a few buttons and the whole thing lit up inside and started whirring. Albus stared at it. He vaguely remembered seeing something like it at some of his cousins' houses, but he couldn't ever recall using it. "It's a microwave," Matt jumped off his stool and pushed a button on it. It stopped whirring and turned dark again. "And you can't turn it on when it's empty." John stared at it. "What's it do? What's the point?" "It cooks food," Matt explained, "Faster than an oven." "Oh," John shrugged and picked up a fork that was sitting on the counter. He put it in the microwave and went to turn it on. Matt grabbed his arm. "You can't put metal in it! It'll break!" Albus smirked. And John said he didn't need supervision. He definitely did, especially since there were Muggle appliances everywhere. "Well that's stupid," John replied and took the fork out. Matt shrugged. "It's Muggle technology." "Why's it in here then?" John asked. "Came with the house. And my mum likes Muggle technology for cooking." "Oh," John said and turned to Kaden, who had begun pouring ketchup in the mixture, "Let's put the whole thing in the microwave!" Matt groaned and turned to Albus. "This won't turn out good." Albus laughed. "Probably not. But Kaden's Muggle born, so I'm pretty sure he knows how to work the microwave." "Good point," Matt said, "John! Let Kaden do the microwaving." "Aw," John sighed, "It looks fun." Kaden took the bowl and put it in the microwave. He turned it on and Albus watched as the bowl turned around and around on the inside plate. It was rather clever, he thought. Almost like magic. It seemed like a magic box that cooked food in record time. A minute or so later, the microwave beeped, which caused John to jump. "Bloody hell!" he shouted, "What was that?" "It means it's done," Kaden laughed and took the bowl out, "Who wants to try it?" "Me!" John shouted and grabbed a few spoons off the counter. "No way," Albus shook his head. The mixture in the bowl was the consistency of pudding, but was a strange reddish brown color that was absolutely disgusting looking. "Me either," Matt said, "Just the smell of that grosses me out." John took a whiff and grinned. "Smells good!" "Oh, gross!" Matt covered his mouth. "You look a bit green," Albus said to Matt. "Good thing he's not having any," Kaden took a huge spoonful and stuffed it in his mouth. Albus watched as Kaden swallowed the food. He was actually smiling when he had finished. Matt really looked like he was going to vomit after watching Kaden eat it. "Delicious!" Kaden grinned. "Kaden, that is the most disgusting thing I have ever seen you eat," Albus announced. John tried it next and pronounced it delicious as well. Albus and Matt just stared at each other and tried not to watch as John and Kaden polished off the rest of the concoction. "Are you done yet?" Matt asked, "The smell of it is really getting to me." "Almost," John said. "Done," Kaden replied. "You'd better wash the bowls out," Matt said. Kaden nodded and began to wash the dishes. John returned to the refrigerator and started rummaging around again. "You're not still hungry, are you?" Albus asked. "Not really," John shrugged, "Just looking." He closed the refrigerator and went back over to the microwave. He stuck something in it, pushed a few buttons, and it lit up and started whirring again. "What did you put in there?" Matt asked suspiciously. "Er," John stammered, "Well, I just kind of wanted something else to eat-" "I thought you weren't hungry," Albus pointed out. "I wasn't, but then I got an idea and I thought I'd make an egg-" "AN EGG?!" Matt shouted as he jumped up, "Did you put an egg in the microwave?" "Er, yes," John said, "Why?" "Because eggs-" Matt never got to finish his sentence. A loud pop came from the microwave before he could continue. He quickly turned the thing off and glared at John. John was grinning and looking at the microwave. "Explode in microwaves," Matt finished. "Oh, er, sorry," John said, trying not to laugh. "That's brilliant!" Kaden grinned and opened the microwave, "I've always wanted to try that!" Albus stood behind Matt and looked into the microwave. The inside was covered in egg yolk, white, and shell. It was a complete mess, yet kind of funny at the same time. Matt groaned, "I can't believe you did that. Well, ok, I can. I told you not to touch the microwave." "Sorry," John shrugged, "I'll clean it up." "Clean what up?" Albus turned around and saw Matt's parents standing in the entrance to the kitchen. Both of them looked half asleep. "John decided to put an egg in the microwave," Matt explained. Mr. Eckerton burst out laughing and his wife glared at him. "I did the same thing when we first moved here," Mr. Eckerton grinned. "See?" John said, "I'm not the only one!" "I know," Matt sighed, "At least I caught you before you put the fork in there." "Do I even want to know what you boys were doing down here?" Mrs. Eckerton asked. "John and Kaden wanted a snack," Matt replied, "So they made a disgusting combination of mashed potatoes, chocolate cake, and ketchup. They liked it, but Albus and I thought it was vile. Just the smell of it made me sick." Mrs. Eckerton groaned. "Well, just clean up the microwave and go back bed." "Ok, Mum," Matt replied. "You have to admit that was funny, Julie," Mr. Eckerton laughed. "Yes, I do actually find it funny that you made the same mistake five years ago, and now John did it and he's a thirteen year old boy," Mrs. Eckerton smirked. "How was I supposed to know eggs exploded in the microwave?" Mr. Eckerton asked as they stared back towards the stairs. "You should have taken Muggle Studies," Mrs. Eckerton said. Albus, Matt, and Kaden waited while John cleaned the microwave. It didn't take him long and soon the four of them returned to their cots in the library. Albus fell asleep thinking about what Rose would say when he told her John exploded an egg in Matt's microwave. ****** "What do you want to do?" Albus asked the next day. The boys were all sitting in the den throwing a Quaffle around. "Let's microwave random stuff," John suggested. "No way," Matt replied. Matt's parents had officially banned them from cooking for the remainder of the visit. Albus found this rather funny, especially the looks on John and Kaden's faces when they were told they couldn't cook. The two of them spent a good twenty minutes trying to find a loophole in the rule. "Do wizards play hide and seek?" Kaden asked. "That was random," Albus commented, "But yes, wizards do play hide and seek." "I play it with my cousins all the time," John said. "Me, too," Albus said. He loved games of hide and seek at the Burrow. There were excellent places to hide there. "We should play it," Kaden announced, "It's always boring to play it at my house because the only one there to play it with is Bethany. And she never hides in good places." "That's what Amy said about me when I was little," Matt said, "I would always hide in the same place." "Ok, let's play," John stood up, "The couch in here can be home and we can hide anywhere in the house." "Sounds good. But no going outside," Matt agreed, "Who's it?" "Albus," John said. Albus shrugged. He always liked being it. "All right. You lot can all go hide and I'll count to 100." Albus closed his eyes and started counting. He heard the footsteps of his friends disappear as he got closer to 100. Usually, one of his older cousins was it whenever he played hide and seek. Albus rarely got to be it. "Ready or not, here I come!" he shouted and looked around the den. The den would be the perfect spot for hiding because it was close to the home couch. But there weren't very many places to hide in it. Albus walked quietly over to the one closet that was in the room. He pulled it open and looked inside. Empty. He left the room and looked down the corridor. The bathroom, he thought, that would be a good hiding place. Albus himself hid in the bathtub on numerous occasions. He stepped into the bathroom and sure enough, the shower curtain was pulled shut. Albus yanked it open and saw John laying in the tub. "Got you," Albus grinned. "Merlin, this is always a good spot!" John groaned as he got out of the tub. "Yeah, which is why it's always where I hide," Albus grinned, "Come on, you can help me search for Matt and Kaden." Albus and John left the bathroom and resumed the search. Albus really didn't feel comfortable searching in Matt's dad's study, so they left it alone. Albus figured no one would hide in there anyway. They searched the rest of the downstairs, looking in every nook and cranny and closet. But Matt and Kaden were no where to be found. Next they went upstairs and searched all the bedrooms except Matt's parents'. The library and bathroom were searched as well, but still no luck. The game was reminding Albus of the ones he played at the Burrow. James was always impossible to find. Although one time he got a broom and decided to hover above the house to hide. No one found him for hours and then the adults made a 'no flying' rule for hide and seek. "Where are they?" John said as they searched the library for the second time, "We've searched the entire house!" "Not the basement," Albus pointed out. "Good idea," John agreed. Albus and John ran down the stairs and towards the basement. They opened the door and ran down another flight of stairs. Albus flipped on the light and the two of them began to look around. Matt had showed them the basement earlier, when he showed them Amy's potion brewing room. John checked the potion brewing room while Albus looked in the main part of the basement that seemed to be a combination storage area and den. Still nothing. The basement was perfectly quiet, too. "What about that room?" John pointed to a room at the back of the basement. "Matt said it was just storage," Albus replied, "I doubt either of them are in there. Plus, it's so quiet. We'd hear some sort of movement. No one's down here." "Then where are they?" John asked. "Maybe they made it to the couch," Albus suggested. Albus and John returned the den and Matt was laying on the couch. He grinned and sat up when Albus and John entered the room. Albus gaped at Matt. "Where were you hiding? We didn't even see you run in here!" "I was in that closet," Matt pointed to the closet Albus had searched earlier. "But I checked that as soon as I finished counting!" Albus groaned, "And no one was in there!" "There's a smaller door in there that leads to a smaller closet," Matt got up off the couch and walked over to the closet. "Look," he opened the door. Matt pulled back a few coats that were hanging up and Albus noticed a very tiny door in the wall. Matt opened it and revealed a tiny closet that was just big enough for a small person to climb into. "See?" Matt grinned. "You had an unfair advantage," John said, "You know stuff about this house that we don't." "Well, when we play at your house, then you'll have an advantage." "My house doesn't have any little secret closets," John muttered. "What's that for anyway?" Albus asked. "Dunno," Matt shrugged and looked around the room, "Hey, where's Kaden? Didn't you find him?" "Nope," Albus replied. He never would have thought that Kaden would be this good at hide and seek. "We'd better go find him," John said. "Wonder why he hasn't tried to run to the couch," Albus said as they left the room. "No idea," Matt said, "But with Kaden, it could be anything." The boys searched the entire house twice, but they still couldn't find Kaden. He was the ultimate hide and seek player, Albus thought. He could even give James lessons. "Where the ruddy hell is he?" John shouted as they walked down the stairs. "I wonder if he'll ever even come out if we don't find him," Albus said. "He'll come out once he's hungry," Matt pointed out. "What are you boys doing?" Mrs. Eckerton asked. She was sitting on the couch reading a book in the living room. "Playing hide and seek," Matt replied and sat down on a chair, "But we can't find Kaden." "Did you look outside?" Mrs. Eckerton asked as she set down her book. "Outside was off limits," John said. "We've searched the house twice just now," Matt said, "And Albus and John searched it twice before that. We've looked everywhere." "Everywhere?" Mrs. Eckerton raised her eyebrows, "Even in the basement?" Matt's face paled. "Oh, Merlin! Not the entire basement!" "You'd better go check," Mrs. Eckerton said. Matt jumped off the couch and ran towards the basement door. Albus shrugged at John as they followed. He didn't have a clue as to why Matt was so nervous about Kaden hiding in the basement. Plus, Albus and John checked the basement. Except that storage room. But why would that make Matt nervous? What was in it? Albus ran down the stairs and followed Matt. Sure enough, Matt went straight to the storage room. "Merlin!" Matt muttered and paused in front of the door, "Why did he hide in here?" "Er, are you ok?" Albus asked. Matt sighed, but didn't answer. He put his hand on the doorknob and slowly opened it. Albus gaped as he saw what was in the room. Well, what wasn't in it. The room was completely empty and had no windows. But the strangest part was that it was padded. The floor and walls were completely covered with what looked like mattresses. "Is that?" John asked, "A padded room?" "Hey!" Kaden, who was running around and literally bouncing off the walls, ran over to them, "Took you long enough! Matt, why didn't you tell us you had a padded room in your house? This is brilliant!" Albus didn't think that Matt thought it was so brilliant. He was staring at Kaden and was as white as he had been when his mum suggested they search the basement. "Bloody hell, this is brilliant!" John grinned and walked into the room. "No it's not," Matt said quietly, "Come on." Matt turned and left without waiting to see if the others would follow. Albus followed immediately and he heard John and Kaden run after him. Matt didn't say anything as they walked back upstairs, and Albus hoped Kaden would have the sense not to say anything either. "Did you find him?" Mrs. Eckerton asked as they entered the living room. "Yeah," Matt muttered. "Was he-" "Yeah," Matt said without stopping. Albus followed him all the way upstairs and into his bedroom. Matt flopped down on his bed and stared up at the ceiling. Albus sat down on the floor and John and Kaden sat down on either side of him. "Er, what did I do?" Kaden whispered to Albus. "Shush," Albus replied. He had an inkling as to what that room was used for, but he wasn't sure. He did know that it was usually best to let Matt tell them what was going on in his own time, though. Kaden's pestering questions certainly weren't going to help. Albus sat quietly for a while as they waited for Matt to say something. He was still laying on his bed staring at the ceiling. Kaden kept glancing at Albus and then at Matt and back again. John was playing with a gobstone that he had found on the floor. Matt sighed and sat up. Albus glanced up from the floor and looked at him. "You ok?" he asked. "I guess," he nodded, "I should have just told you not to hide in that room." Albus nodded and sent Kaden a look so he wouldn't ask about the room. "I don't know if you guessed what that room is for," Matt began, "But I guess I'll tell you." "You don't have to," Albus said quietly. "I know," Matt sighed, "But I will," he paused, "That room is where I transform." Albus nodded. That's what he had guessed. Judging by the calm look on John's face, he had guessed it too. Kaden on the other hand, was gaping at Matt. "Wait, what?" he asked. "That's where I go during full moons," Matt said. "Oh," Kaden replied, "Why is it padded?" Albus groaned inwardly. Kaden really needed to learn not to ask about these sorts of things. Matt laid back down on his bed and stared at the ceiling. "Back when I was five and I went through my first transformation, I spent the whole night ramming into the wall trying to get out. My dad put the padding on the walls before the next full moon. Then when we moved here, my dad recreated the same room in the basement of this house." Albus winced at the thought of Matt ramming himself into a wall. Every time Matt told him something else about the full moons, Albus felt even sorrier for him. "Oh," Kaden muttered, "Er, sorry for hiding there, then." Matt sighed, "It's ok. I should have told you not to hide there." "What about the Shrieking Shack?" Kaden asked, "Is that padded?" "No," Matt replied, "But it's bigger, so I don't bang my head as much." Kaden nodded. "Well, I can't say I've ever seen a padded room in anyone else's house." "You'll probably never see one again," Matt said dryly.
FawkesthePhoenix Joined: 31 December 2006 Posts: 3534 Location: No idea, all I know is that there are a LOT of felt-tipped pens...	Posted: Wednesday 2 September 2009 09 41 29 pm    Post subject: Re: Some Secrets in topic:Some Secrets Thanks for everyone's support, and here's the next chapter! Chapter 1: “Will I be better in time for class?” I ask Madam Pomfrey as she doles out potions and bandages like fliers at some sick convention, not entirely sure what I hope she'll say. “Probably not, dearie.” the nurse says apologetically, patting my shoulder with a soft smile. “Alright.” I mutter, leaning back against the headboard of the bed I sit on. The bed I always sit on. The bed I always will sit on, after every full moon for the rest of my time at Hogwarts. I try not to be bitter. It's a challenge. I try to blame others. It's a challenge. I know I can only truly blame myself. It was I who went outside to stargaze on the night of the full moon, my six-year-old self feeling quite rebellious as I crept out to the lawn. Then came the lashing pain and vague screaming, waking up in St. Mungo's hospital weeks later. Now, eight years later, I still remember the pain of being bitten by a werewolf. Perhaps because I relive pain just as terrible each month in my own personal hell called the Shrieking Shack. Located beneath a rather violent tree on Hogwarts grounds, it's been the backdrop of my misery each and every full moon since I came. Madam Pomfrey says there's only ever been one werewolf here before. I wonder what would happen if another came to school now. Would they build another shack? I blink away my reverie as a student walks in, looking at me curiously as she cradles her hand against her chest. “I slammed my finger in the bathroom stall,” she explains as Madam Pomfrey turns her attention away from me, “and it hurts really badly.” I repress a snort with difficulty, earning another strange look from the girl. She thought that hurt? That was nothing. I'd slam my fingers in a door every day if it meant that I'd never have to turn into the wolf again. Madam Pomfrey heals the student in no time and sends her on her way. I sigh, closing my eyes against the bright light of the hospital setting. “Is your head bothering you?” Madam Pomfrey asks with concern. “I'm fine,” I say, even though it's a lie. I'm far from fine. “Have my parents owled yet?” “Not yet,” Madam Pomfrey says, her brow furrowing slightly, “but I'm sure they will any minute now.” she attempts to console me, but I am not fooled. I don't know why I still wait eagerly for my parents' letters after each full moon, despite the fact that they'd never done me any good in the past. The criteria is so familiar that I could very well write one myself. Sorry you're hurt. Get well soon. We'll be in touch. Don't tell anyone. As if I ever would. I know better than to think anyone would understand. If my parents have taught me one thing, it's that people aren't to be trusted, that I can never share my secret with anyone. They're living testaments to such a lesson. I remember when my parents used to be unafraid of being near me, if only vaguely. Before I got bitten. Before the werewolf took away their child. Because the don't see me that way anymore. Their daughter Lia is dead to them, though I still live and breathe. This is a fact I've long gotten used to. Madam Pomfrey bustles about, preparing potions for me, to speed the healing process, as she does every month. It works just fine, but even with magic, the injuries take their toll. As more students come and go throughout the day, I sit on the bed, being resignedly bored with the day. At around supper-time Madam Pomfrey deems me well enough to go, and I leave as quickly as I can, loathe to sit and stare at the all to familiar walls one more instant. I walk briskly down the corridors to the Great Hall, avoiding eye contact with everyone that passes by. These habits have become second nature to me in the last four years. No one wants to talk to the loner girl with the mysterious injuries, and pretending otherwise is just setting yourself up for disappointment. Upon arriving at the Great Hall I face the daily predicament of where to sit. The vast number of students in Hufflepuff house make it virtually impossible to sit by yourself without anyone next to you. Normally, I try to secure a seat on the end so I can turn myself away from the student next to me and avoid the penetrating looks shot by my fellows in favor of the floor and staff table. The major problem with this plan is the risk of being shoved straight off the bench onto the floor, in the event that someone tries to squeeze their way onto an obviously full seat in the hopes that if they feign ignorance at the lack of space, then an empty seat will magically appear, saving them from the horror of having to sit on the other side of the table. No such luck today. The Great Hall is packed to the breaking point as I walk in late, trying to avoid making eye-contact with anyone at the other house tables as I walk past. After sumptuous moments of persistent awkwardness, I finally manage to sit between two first years, both of whom completely ignore me in the scramble to secure the largest piece of pie as dessert rolls around. I eat in silence, as I always do, and leave the moment the remnants of food have disappeared from the now spotlessly sparkling plates. The halls are almost entirely empty as I walk back to the Common Room; the only exceptions are a few ghosts that drift silently past and Peeves, the poltergeist, who I manage to avoid by ducking into a broom cupboard as he floats past, blowing loud raspberries and throwing pieces of chalk at the walls. I reach the entrance to the Common Room in no time, and the plush room bedecked in yellow and black greets me like an old friend as I grab my homework and take a seat by the fire. I work steadily through my Potions essay, then move on to Transfiguration as students begin to trickle into the Common Room in twos and threes, none of whom make any acknowledgment of my presence, instead choosing to talk among themselves and act as if the armchair by the fire is contaminated by the plague that is me. It's not that they think lycanthropy is contagious; no, none of them have a clue as to why I spend days in the Hospital Wing every month. But the structural laws of school dictate that people who are different must be singled out, and so it shall be. I don't doubt that few could even name my hair-color, much less my name. Due to the extreme lack of distractions, my homework is soon done to perfection, and I take to staring off into the distance, my eyes glazed over as I think about nothing and everything at the same time. A flutter of movement by the window catches my eye, and I stare fixedly at the glass, wondering what on earth had lured my attention over there. The view is the same as it always was; sloping grass, the Whomping Willow, and a fleeting view of the Greenhouses. I start to get to my feet, planning on walking over to investigate what had distracted me, when a voice comes from behind me. I jump, sending my books tumbling off my lap onto the carpet in front of the fire. “Nice one, Lia.” I turn to glare at the speaker, who I now recognize as Mia Filisia, one of my prime tormentors. I pick up my books as quickly as possible, trying to ignore Mia as she continues on snidely, “If you were any clumsier you'd have to admitted to St. Mungos. Not that it matters. You go there every week anyway.” I know better than to reply, and instead stalk off to the Girl's Dormitory, where I seclude myself in my four-poster bed. I've long gotten used to this nightly ritual, and it doesn't bother me much anymore. The Dormitory is empty and quiet, the way I like it. Whenever anyone else is in the place I have to listen to the other girls talk about their traumatic love lives, and how they're going to suffocate under the mountain of homework we've all been getting. I never join in on the complaining; a couple Arithmency essays are hardly the worst of my problems. I sigh quietly to myself and attempt to sleep. My dreams are plagued with horrors as usual; the only time I ever have pleasant sleep these days is when Madam Pomfrey gives me a potion for it. * * * I wake up the next day in the same fashion I always do. Having finally broke free of my nightmares, I lie in bed gasping for breath and covered in a nervous sweat. Blinking away the night's gruesome images, I get up quietly, glancing outside as I pass one of the room's windows. It's cloudy, but dry so far. I take a quick shower, get dressed, and then it's off to the Great Hall for yet another awkward breakfast. I snag a seat at the end of the table, with a seventh year I don't know sitting to my left. I eat quickly, avoiding eye contact with anyone, especially other fourth years, and then head to Transfiguration, the first class of the day. Due to my speed-eating, I'm the first one there. I sit down at a table in the back corner of the classroom, hoping no one will notice me when they come in. But no such luck. Mia Filisia, having been the first to come in after me, quickly spots my presence and saunters over with a fake smile. “Hey, Lia!” she says, sickly sweet as she sits down. “Looks like we're the first people here!” “Yeah.” I mumble, studying the desk's surface closely. She only sits next to me when she doesn't do her homework. “Oh, shoot,” Mia says, looking through her bag, though I know very well she isn't really looking for anything. If she really thought she had her essay, she wouldn't be paying an ounce of attention to me, other than to shoot me the occasional dirty looks throughout class. “I can't find my homework! Lia, can I just take a peek at yours?” “No.” I say. My, but this desk is interesting. “Oh, come on! Aren't we friends?” “No.” Someone chiseled a declaration of love onto this desk. “Lia! I must say, I'm hurt.” “Sorry.” Looks like they did it with their fingernails, it's not very well done. “Well, I hope you change your mind. I want to be your friend, not your enemy!” Liar. Mia gets to her feet elegantly, before anyone else can arrive. It just wouldn't do to be seen with me, even if the sole purpose of such and interaction is to demand credit for my work. I continue staring at the desk until the teacher arrives, at which point I begin taking careful notes on the lecture, if only to distract myself from all the glares I'm attracting. News travels fast, and apparently it's a crime punishable by death to refuse Mia Filisia my homework. Suffice to say the class passes by slowly. I'm out of my seat the minute the bell rings, and halfway to my next class before the others even begin to notice I've left. Not that they're paying any attention. No one ever does.
DucksRMagical Joined: 28 December 2006 Posts: 2535 Location: Going through LeakyCon withdrawal	Posted: Sunday 30 August 2009 09 47 40 am    Post subject: Re: In Moonlight's Shadow in topic:In Moonlight's Shadow Thanks hprocks and Wratha! Nope, not going to stop writing! Well, I have actually finished writing this story, but there's more to post! Chapter 59: Moaning Myrtle “Victoire, Victoire, wake up!” I hissed as I nudged her arm. I had woken up two minutes ago and realized we were still in the Room of Requirement. That and it was nine o'clock, which was when we were supposed to be in double potions. “What is it?” she yawned. “It's after nine o'clock,” I told her, “We're late for potions.” “Shit!” she shouted and jumped off the pink couch. We ran out of the Room as fast as we could and went back to Gryffindor Tower. It took us five minutes to change and grab our books before running all the way down to the dungeons. We skipped brekkie. Everyone was already brewing when we slowly pushed open the door to the dungeon. Slughorn was at his desk. “You two are late,” he announced as we walked in. “Sorry, sir,” we said at the same time. “We're brewing in pairs today, so you two can work together,” Slughorn told us, “And five points from Gryffindor for your tardiness.” Victoire and I set to work at brewing that day's potion. Willinson was nowhere near us, so we didn't have to deal with his comments. It didn't seem to matter that we were late since the potion didn't need the entire two classes to simmer. Slughorn even pronounced it excellent when we handed in our flask at the end of class. “That's probably the best I've ever done in potions,” Victoire said as we left, “I think I'll brew with you every class.” “Then you can help me in Transfiguration,” I said. “Sure,” Victoire said, “I just desperately need to do better in potions next year if I want to become a Healer.” In the chaos that had been waking up late and nearly missing potions, I had completely forgotten about the full moon. It was the first time that had happened since before Matt was bitten. I was immediately reminded when Jasper showed up at lunch, however. “Oh, he's a nice owl,” Victoire commented. “Thanks,” I said, “He's my parents' owl.” “Is that about the detention?” Victoire gestured to the letter. “Probably,” I said as I put it in my robes, “I'll open it later.” “At least you didn't get a howler,” Teddy said as he sat down, “You two missed it this morning. My gran sent it. She sends a mean howler.” “I've never gotten one,” I said. “Consider yourself lucky,” Teddy replied, “I get at least two every year. Once I got one from my gran and Victoire's grandma for the same thing.” “Which is why I'm not depressed that I missed this one,” Victoire smirked, “I'm sure I'll get to see another soon.” I opened the letter after classes were over. Victoire had to go talk to Slughorn about doing extra credit for potions, so I went to the Room and read the letter in private. [i]Dear Amy, How is school? We miss you a lot. Things are pretty much the same at home. Nothing unusual happened during the full moon. We got a letter from Professor Longbottom about you being disruptive in the library. That's not like you. We'll talk about it over the Easter holiday. Speaking of Easter, Uncle Jack was able to get a few days off work and he's going to come and visit. Write soon and we'll see you in a month! Love, Mum, Dad, Matt, and Ellie[/i] I grinned as I folded the letter up, despite the fact that my parents wanted to talk about the incident in the library. Uncle Jack was going to visit! He had never seen our house in England. The best part was that he was coming while I was home. “Are your parents angry about the library thing?” Victoire asked when she returned with her extra credit. “They want to talk about it over Easter,” I groaned. “Oh, you're going home for Easter?” Victoire asked. “Er, yeah,” I said, “Don't most people?” “No,” Victoire shook her head, “Most of us just stay here and study for our exams.” “Well, my uncle's coming to visit over the holiday, so I'm definitely coming home. He lives in New York and we don't see him a lot,” I explained. “That'll be fun, then,” Victoire said. ****** Three months and five days. That was how long it had been since Olivia sent me a letter. Her owl showed up a week after the full moon and I dug through her old letters to find out exactly how long it had been. I sat on my bed holding the letter in my hands, staring at it. Why had she waited three months to send me a letter? What made her send one now? The door opened and Victoire walked into the room. “Want to go to the kitchens with me? I'm starved.” I didn't reply. I had never been to the kitchens and on any other day I may have wanted to go. “Amy?” Victoire asked, “Are you ok?” “Olivia sent me a letter,” I said, “After three months of not sending one.” “Have you opened it?” Victoire asked as she sat down on my bed. I shook my head. “Open it,” she said. I nodded and started ripping the envelope open. I pulled the letter out and read it silently, not even caring if Victoire read it over my shoulder. [i]Amy, I'm really sorry I haven't written you back until now. I guess I just got busy. Fifth year started a few months ago. The amount of work is insane. How have you been? How is Hogwarts? Are you still really behind in your classes? I hope you made some new friends. How's your brother doing? I don't know exactly how to tell you this, so I'm just going to say it. Lisa is sharing my dorm with me now. She and Carmen had this huge fight and she asked for a dorm change this year. They assigned her to our room. I was really mad about it at first, because I didn't want another roommate ever. But she's honestly not that bad. I think she was rude to us because of Carmen. I'm going to her house for Easter. I'll try and let you know how it goes, but I'll apologize in advance if I don't send letters as often. You'll always be my friend, but it's just hard because we never see each other. Even when you're in Australia we can't see each other. Your friend, Olivia[/i] I set the letter down on my bed and squeezed my eyes shut. Victoire put her hand on my shoulder, which told me that she had read the letter. I should have known it was coming. How can two people stay best friends when they never see each other? Olivia would see Lisa all the time. They were now roommates like Olivia and I had once been. Olivia was going to Lisa's house. After they'd been friends for three months. Olivia didn't go to my house until a little over a year ago. “Do you want to write her back?” Victoire asked quietly. “I'll do it later,” I stuffed the letter back into the envelope and put it in my trunk, “Show me the kitchens.” Victoire nodded and we left Gryffindor Tower. She didn't say one word about the letter on our way to the kitchens, which I was grateful for. I didn't want to talk about it. The kitchens were under the Great Hall, behind a large portrait of a bowl of fruit. All you had to do to get in was tickle the pear and a doorknob would appear. “How do you know so much about the castle?” I asked. “That map Teddy was talking about,” Victoire said, “And my aunts and uncles know more about this place than Kendrick probably does.” I never found the kitchens in Australia, so I was amazed by the kitchens at Hogwarts. It was one very large room filled with tables, ovens, and more food than I had ever seen in my life. There were more House Elves than I had ever seen in my life and five of them ran up to us when we walked in. “Can we get yous anything?” one of them asked. “Chocolate cake,” Victoire said immediately and then looked at me. “Anything I want?” I asked. “Yep,” Victoire nodded. “Chocolate ice cream with whipped cream,” I said. The House Elves left and Victoire and I waited near the door. “They just get you anything you want whenever you want?” I asked. “Yeah,” Victoire said, “They love it when students come down here.” “Is this against the rules?” I asked. “I'm not even sure,” Victoire shrugged, “Everyone who knows where the kitchens are comes down here.” One of the House Elves returned a few minutes later with a large slab of chocolate cake and a huge bowl of chocolate ice cream. We went up to the Room of Requirement to eat it and I imagined what Matt was going to think when I told him you could get chocolate cake and ice cream whenever you wanted at Hogwarts. ****** My friendship with Victoire reminded me of a potion that would refuse to boil for a half hour and then all of a sudden it would boil over the top of the cauldron. For months we had hardly said anything to each other and then all of a sudden, we did everything together. I soon learned that we really had a lot in common. Our family lives couldn't have been anymore different, though. Victoire's family was loud, boisterous, and huge. I soon met all of her cousins that were at Hogwarts, although I'd never remember all of their names. In a way they all reminded me of Kenzie's family. Everyone looked after each other and I almost wished I had that many cousins. Or any first cousins, really. Despite our familial differences, we really were quite alike. Both of us were very studious, even though we had subjects we were awful at. We could both sit in the library reading for hours without talking to anyone. Neither of us were really into Quidditch, although we both had brothers who loved it yet had no skill at it whatsoever. I never mentioned Monica and Victoire never mentioned Olivia. I did write Olivia back, but didn't really expect her to write me again anytime soon. For some reason it didn't even bother me. I had been upset when her letter arrived, but it just didn't bother me anymore. There was still the issue of me keeping secrets from Victoire, though. When the next full moon came, I tried as hard as I could to act normal and not make my worrying too obvious, but I wasn't sure if it worked. It had been the second full moon in a row that I hadn't spent in the Hospital Wing helping Madam Pomfrey. I spent the evening studying with Victoire, Teddy, and Landon, and realized that I didn't want to go bottle potions. Jasper turned up at lunch and it was then that I realized how hard it would be to keep Matt's lycanthropy a secret. Victoire and I spent every second of every day with each other, pretty much. I was going to have to sneak off to the toilet to read the letter. “I'll meet you in Ancient Runes,” I told Victoire as I got up, “I've got to use the toilet.” Victoire nodded and I left. There wasn't much time before Ancient Runes and I was going to have to use the second floor bathroom, which was closest to the Runes classroom. I hated that bathroom. It was always flooded. Actually, I hadn't actually used it yet because the water leaking out of the bottom of the door put me off from it. The bathroom was flooded as usual and I shut myself in a stall to open the letter. It was very short. Mum just told me that Matt was ok and she'd see me in a few days when the Easter holiday started. “Ooo, a letter!” A ghost of a very young girl flew through the stall door. I shrieked. I shrieked like Monica had when Teddy howled during that detention. The ghost laughed manically and flew up to the ceiling. She floated down until she was hovering right in front of me. “Bad news?” she asked excitedly, “From home?” “Er, no,” I said, my heart still pounding fast, “Very good news, actually.” “Well, isn't that just lovely!” the ghost burst out in tears, “Everyone gloats about their good news in front of poor Myrtle! Poor Myrtle doesn't get good news! You want to know why? Because she's dead, that's why!” The ghost (who I presumed was named Myrtle) soared up to the ceiling again and then plunged herself into the toilet. “Er, well, I've got to get to class, then,” I said awkwardly as I left the stall and then ran out of the bathroom as fast as my soaking wet feet could take me. Whenever I thought I was finally getting used to Hogwarts, something weird would happen. The ghost in the bathroom was a perfect example. Back to avoiding the place, I guessed. As it turned out, there was a better reason than a flood to avoid it. “Did you know,” I whispered to Victoire as I slid into the seat next to hers in Ancient Runes, “That there is a mad ghost in the girls' bathroom on the second floor?” Victoire laughed. “Oh, you mean Moaning Myrtle?” “That's an understatement,” I rolled my eyes, “She started crying hysterically and plunged herself into the toilet because I told her my letter from home wasn't bad news.” “That's normal for Myrtle,” Victoire replied, “She's obsessed with death. I mean, even for a ghost, she's obsessed with death. I try to avoid the place.” “I will, too, from now on,” I said. ****** When Victoire said everyone stayed at Hogwarts over the Easter holidays, she meant it. There were probably around 15 people on the Hogwarts Express that Thursday. About half of them were first years and only two were older than me. None of them were students I recognized. I got a compartment to myself, which wasn't all that difficult. It would have been harder to locate a compartment that had someone else in it, actually. The trip was relatively boring and I read for part of it and slept the rest. Dad was the only one waiting for me on the platform when the train arrived in London. He was still wearing his work robes, so I figured he went straight to the station from the Ministry. “Amy,” he gave me a hug, “I missed you.” “Missed you, too,” I said and hugged him back. Dad grabbed my trunk and put his other arm around me and we Apparated home. The house was quiet when we walked through the door. Dad dragged my trunk upstairs while I wandered into the kitchen. Mum and Ellie were cooking dinner and Matt was sitting at the island. He turned around when I came in and jumped off the stool. He ran towards me and threw his arms around me. “Matt,” I picked him up and hugged him, “I missed you.” “I'm glad you're back,” he said as I set him down on the stool, “Uncle Jack's coming on Saturday.” “Oh, is he flying in that day?” I asked Mum. “Yes,” Mum put down a wooden spoon and gave me a hug, “Welcome home.” “So, what are we going to do while he's here?” I asked as I sat down next to Matt. “We're going to a Chudley Cannons match!” Matt said excitedly. “Seriously?” I raised my eyebrows at Mum. The Quidditch World Cup in Australia had been fun, but that was the World Cup. The Cannons were some random British team that apparently were really bad. Going to one of their matches wasn't exactly my idea of fun. “Yes, we're all going,” Mum smiled, “Matt's been begging to go to one ever since you got him that jersey for Christmas. We figured we'd wait until you were home.” “Thanks,” I rolled my eyes. Why had I gotten him that jersey again? “It'll be fun,” Dad said as he walked into the kitchen, “They're playing some team called Puddlemere United.” “If what I've heard is true, Puddlemere United is going to kill the Cannons,” I replied, “So don't bet any money on the Cannons winning.” “No one's betting any money on anything,” Mum said as she set a large bowl of salad on the table. My parents wanted to hear all about school during dinner, so I told them about Victoire, Teddy, and Landon. They looked very happy that I had managed to find friends, but neither of them mentioned my detention. Matt and I played Exploding Snap while Mum and Dad cleaned up the kitchen, until Matt's face was covered in so much ash that Mum made him go wash it. Then Dad beat me in a few rounds of wizard's chess while Matt fell asleep on the couch. I guess he was still tired from the full moon. After Dad carried Matt upstairs to bed, he and Mum sat down on the couch opposite from the chair I was sitting in and I could tell from the looks on their faces that they were going to bring up the detention. “Amy, what happened?” Dad asked quietly. “Remember that girl, Monica?” I sighed, “Well, I was studying with Victoire, Teddy, and Landon in the library....” I told them the entire story. Monica's harsh statements to Victoire, Teddy and Monica's near duel, and the detention itself. Plus, I told them that Victoire and I really hadn't done anything besides yell a bit too loudly in the library. By the time I finished the story, my parents looked relieved. “Just please try to ignore this Monica girl,” Mum sighed and shook her head. “I do,” I replied, “And it'll be easier now that Victoire's not friends with her anymore.” “And don't shout in the library anymore,” Dad said, “You know better than that.” “I know,” I shrugged, “It's just hard to keep quiet when Monica starts talking. She knows how to get to me.” Mum and Dad looked at each other. “We understand,” Dad said quietly. I was pretty sure both he and Mum were thinking about Ralph Lubar. “I'm going to go upstairs,” I said, figuring the conversation was over, “Good night.” My parents said good night back and I went upstairs to my room. I dug some pajamas out of my trunk and climbed into bed after I changed. It was kind of early to go to bed, so I read for a few hours before falling asleep. I was asleep very quickly. Even though I was getting along well with most of my roommates, there was something comforting about sleeping in your own bed. Maybe it was the fact that I didn't have to put a silencing charm around it before drifting off to sleep. Or perhaps it was the solitude of being alone in my room. But I think it was more because I knew I was home, surrounded by the people who cared about me.
Ms. Elsewhere Joined: 13 January 2008 Posts: 881 Location: In role play game of course!	Posted: Sunday 9 August 2009 07 03 28 pm    Post subject: Re: RPG: The Six Wizards in topic:RPG: The Six Wizards Ouki was instantly pulled to the side and asked to put her bag on the table. Ouki complied sweetly. Beside her two other girls were being told to open their bags, and it was just by chance that she was randomly selected. IT was all procedure; they had to be seen as doing their jobs. The custom officer opened her suitcase. Ouki smiled. She had already put charms on the items inside to trick any muggle who looked at them. She watched as they picked up the blades she had packed, the cruel wooden weapons she had created while on the island. They turned them over and looked at Ouki, and Ouki simply smiled. she tried to laugh at how they were so calmly picking up item after item which would normally envoke terror, but instead, no more emotion than if they had picked up some plush toys. They zipped up her back, and let her through. Ouki walked out of customs looking un phased. She met Damien in the foyer outside.
DucksRMagical Joined: 28 December 2006 Posts: 2535 Location: Going through LeakyCon withdrawal	Posted: Sunday 19 July 2009 09 07 10 am    Post subject: Re: In Moonlight's Shadow in topic:In Moonlight's Shadow Thanks Obladi and hprocks! Chapter 54: Shopping With Mum The remaining week of term passed by at such a slow rate it felt like it was a month instead of a week. Everyone was anxious for a break and that only became more apparent as the week passed. Even the teachers seemed excited for the holidays. This caused most of them to ease up on homework and give more leeway when it came to detention. Not Professor Washburn, though. He assigned twice as much homework and judging by how Teddy and a few of the Weasley cousins returned to the dormitory just before curfew every night, he had not eased up on detentions either. I was very relieved when term finally ended and I was able to pack my stuff and leave Hogwarts for a few short weeks. My roommates were in high spirits as we packed that Saturday morning. Monica happened to be staying at school over the holidays, but everyone else was going home. Monica and I had come to an unspoken agreement to not talk and not be in the same room as each other if that was possible. This meant that when she was in the dormitory, I was not. Unfortunately, this did not go the other way. When Monica entered the dormitory, I left. I managed to find an empty compartment on the train. It was slightly less crowded than it had been going to school since not everyone went home for the holidays. I only hoped that nobody would join me. The ride was very uneventful. I slept for half of it and was then woken up by the sounds of two first years dueling outside my compartment. Landon quickly broke it up and I read for the rest of the trip. My eyes scanned the words, but I didn't really comprehend what I was reading. My mind was on Christmas and what it would be like this year. Christmas had been the same in my family for the past few years. A quiet celebration with Richard and Cinda. What would it be like this year? I stared at the swirling snow outside my window and shivered. Christmas was warm and sunny, not cold and snowy. Christmas was spent barbecuing and playing outside. I've heard Muggle Christmas carols about 'white Christmases'. Muggles in the North (and probably witches and wizards, too) loved white Christmases. They wanted snow to fall on that particular day. They got excited when they woke up on the 25th to a blanket of white snow covering their yards. That wasn't Christmas to me. It never had been and I was sure it never would be. I could not imagine opening Christmas gifts while watching a snow storm. It just wasn't normal. The train slowed to a stop and I shoved my book in my bag. I joined the throngs of students in the corridor and slowly made my way out of the train. Dad was standing on the platform and I started running as soon as I saw him. I ran right into him and hugged him tightly. I didn't care if it made me look like a homesick first year. "Amy," Dad hugged me back, "Are you all right?" "Let's just go home," I said. Dad nodded and with a crack we disappeared from the platform. Mere seconds later we were in the bush behind our house. We traipsed silently through the snow towards our house. I didn't know what to say. I hadn't told my parents much in my letters lately. Just superficial stuff like who exploded what in Potions and which professor had given out the most detentions. I didn't know how to tell them that I hated Hogwarts. They seemed so happy in England. Matt ran into me as soon as I opened the door. I dropped my bag and picked him up. He was looking well considering the full moon had been a few days ago. "Matt," I said as I carried him into the kitchen, "How are you?" "Good," he replied, "I'm glad you're home. It's dead boring without you." Mum and Dad really needed to let him have some friends or go to Muggle school or something. Like that would ever happen, though. "Amy!" Mum set down the pan she was washing and strode over to me. I set Matt down on a stool and hugged Mum. "How was the remainder of term?" she asked. "Er, it was ok," I said quickly, "Nothing exciting. Just glad to be home." "I'm glad to have you home," Mum replied, "Dinner will be ready in a few minutes. Go take your stuff upstairs and wash up." Matt followed me up to my room and sat on my bed as I put all my stuff away. Well, I dumped out my bag and threw the dirty laundry in the hamper, leaving everything else on the floor. That was my definition of 'putting stuff away'. Mum and Ellie had cooked my favorite dinner again. It was like when I had gone home from the Australian School of Sorcery for the last time. It was hard to believe that that was already a whole year ago. Somehow, it felt like it had been ages since then, but that it had gone by fast at the same time. Everyone wanted to hear about school, so I told them about Slughorn's party and how Harry Potter had been there. Then I told them that the family we had seen at the Auror headquarters was Harry Potter's family. Mum and Dad just sighed at this and Matt asked if I had gotten to meet him. He was kind of disappointed that I didn't. "We need to talk to you two about Christmas," Dad said quietly after I ran out of somewhat upbeat things to talk about. Here it comes, I thought. How things would be different here. "Ok," I muttered. "Your grandparents have invited us to their house for Christmas," Dad began. I spat out the milk that I had been drinking and started coughing. We were going to Richard and Cinda's for Christmas? We hadn't ever done that! That meant we'd be spending Christmas in Australia! Maybe this Christmas wouldn't be as weird as I had originally thought. Mum handed me a napkin and slapped me on the back. "We're going to Australia for Christmas?" I asked once I stopped coughing. "We haven't decided yet," Mum told me, "There are a few options to consider." "What's to consider? Christmas would be weird up here. It'll be cold and snowy. If we go to Richard and Cinda's, it can be almost like we still live in Australia." "The thing is, Amy," Dad began, "It might be a good idea for us to start our own traditions up here. If we spend this Christmas with your grandparents, they're going to expect us to spend every Christmas with them." "Is that necessarily a bad thing, Walter?" Mum raised her eyebrow at him. "Er, well, I just meant that we should start new traditions here," Dad told her, "I never said we shouldn't go." "We haven't seen them in a long time," Mum pointed out. "Why don't we invite them here?" Dad suggested. "You know they hate the cold," Mum said, "And Amy wants to go visit Australia." If I had been drinking my milk at that point, I would have spat it out again. I gawked at Mum. Was she really considering what I wanted? I wasn't sure since she hadn't done that in well, ever. "All right, let's get the kids' opinion on this," Dad said and turned to us, "What do you two want to do?" I was beginning to think someone had Imperiused my parents while I was at school. Not only was Mum considering doing something that I wanted to do, Dad was asking my opinion on something. "I want to go to Australia," I said once I recovered from the shock, "We've spent every Christmas there since forever. Why stop now?" Dad nodded. "Matt?" "I don't want to go," Matt said as he stared down at his plate and twirled his spaghetti around, "I don't ever want to go back there." I groaned inwardly. That was it. Christmas would be spent in England. Matt's opinions always trumped mine, no matter what. Nothing I could do would change it. My parents glanced at each other and nobody said anything for a few moments. The only sound that could be heard was Matt's fork clinking against his plate. He wasn't eating, though. His head was resting in his other hand and he was staring at the table. "We should stay here," Dad said quietly. "I think we should talk about this in private," Mum said and got up from the table. Dad nodded and the two of them walked quietly out of the room. The tension could be cut with a wand. I waited a few minutes before dashing out of the room myself and running up to my bedroom to find my Extendable Ears. They were buried in the bottom of my desk drawer, right where I had put them after we moved. Mum and Dad had locked themselves in Dad's study, but didn't put any silencing charms on the door. I wondered how long it would take for them to figure out I was listening in on their conversations. "Do you have anymore of those?" Matt whispered as I shoved the Extendable into my ear. "I don't know, go look in the bottom drawer of my desk," I said quickly. Matt left and I poked the other end of the Extendable towards the crack below the door. "Why do you want to go to Australia so badly?" Dad asked. "They're my parents, Walter!" Mum said, "I've spent practically every Christmas with them!" Now I was positive that someone had Imperiused my parents. Mum still wanted to go to Australia even though Matt didn't. I would have been less surprised if trolls figured out how to overtake wizards. I wondered who I would talk to at the Ministry to figure out who had Imperiused my parents. Someone in the Auror department? Maybe I should ask Victoire to talk to Harry Potter about it. "Matt's scared to go back there," Dad said, "Can't you see that?" "Of course I see that!" Mum snapped, "I see it every time someone mentions the word 'Australia'! Do you know how hard that is, Walter? To have your son be afraid to go visit his grandparents? Your family's left Australia; you don't have to deal with this. I do!" "They can just visit us," Dad said, "And I know it's hard. There's nothing easy about this entire situation." "They refuse to visit when it's cold!" Mum said. "You know what, this isn't even about your parents," Dad replied, "It's about Matt-" There's a surprise, I thought. Everything was about him. "He's too scared to go," Dad continued. "I know, I know," Mum said, "Do you know what I've been doing when you're at work?" "What?" Dad asked, clearly bewildered at the change in topics. "I've been reading all the psychology books Norlam lent us," Mum said quietly, "And do you know what?" "What?" Dad asked. "We've been babying him," Mum sighed, "All his life. We've tried to protect him from everything. Every problem he's had, we fix it. Never once have we let him figure things out for himself. Not once, Walt, not once!" I was stunned. Completely and utterly stunned. What had I missed while I was at Hogwarts? Mum was reading psychology books and finally realizing that she had been treating Matt like a baby and giving in to his ever whim. The world was definitely coming to an end. It was time to just grab my wand and brace for whatever was destroying the earth. "We've been doing this wrong. We have to stop. We can't baby him anymore," Mum choked. It sounded like she was starting to cry. "We haven't done it wrong," Dad said quietly, "Those books aren't a one size fits all. He's different and always has been. We can't treat him like any other kid. We can't raise him like we raised Amy." "Jack does," Mum said. "Jack's his uncle," Dad replied, "Jack's the one he's supposed to go to when he wants to complain about how strict we are or do something fun that we won't let him do. Jack's not the one who raises him. That's us." "I guess you're right," Mum said, "But when I think about how we raised Amy at that age and compare them... Well, it's just so different! Why did we change so much?" "Circumstances, Julie," Dad sighed, "And it's not just the lycanthropy thing. It's not just that he was premature or gets sick a lot. He's so different from Amy. Sometimes it astounds me how different they are. Amy's so, so, stubborn and defiant." This was getting interesting. The Sickles I paid for these Extendable Ears were really paying off. "But she's got this uncrushable spirit and passion for the things she loves. I haven't the slightest idea what she's going to do with her life, but whatever it is, she's going to succeed at it. She's going to be in the history books one day. I guarantee it." I couldn't help but grin at that. Stubborn and defiant weren't exactly words I wanted to be used to describe me, but Dad had certainly made up for it. Did he really think that? He must have. I sort of wished I'd known he thought that about me earlier. "That, well, describes Amy perfectly," Mum giggled, "I never really thought about her stubbornness that way before, but I suppose it could be a good thing someday." "It will," Dad said, "And Matt is so quiet and thoughtful. He's the one who knows what you need without you saying a word. He's so shy, but sweet. The one thing he has in common with Amy is that uncrushable spirit. Look at what he's been through. But he's still happy. He may be scared, but he's happy." "I can't help but wonder if we contributed to his shyness," Mum said, "We kept him so isolated. Is it our fault?" "It's the nature versus nurture question," Dad mused, "Constantly debated, but never answered. And it never will be. Is shyness inherited or is it developed throughout life?" "I just can't help but wonder if he would be so scared if we had just let him experience life the way we let Amy." Experience life? I never really thought about them babying Matt as not letting him experience life. "I don't think so," Dad said, "If Amy had gone through what he went through, she'd be scared too." "I guess," Mum sighed, "Anyway, I was also reading how to get over fears. You'll never get over fears if you don't face them. It's like what Norlam did with his fear of strangers. He just has to face it. If he doesn't go to Australia, he's not going to get over the fear." Both of them were silent for so long that I thought the Extendable Ear wasn't working anymore. "Julie," Dad began, "I, I think you may be right. We should go to Australia." "Thank you," Mum said quietly, "I know it's hard. Believe me, making him go there is going to break my heart. But we have to do it." "I suppose we'll have to go tell him," Dad said. "Yes, we will," Mum replied and I heard footsteps coming closer. I stood up and nearly ran into Matt. I had forgotten he had been in my room searching for Extendable Ears. "I can't find them," he sighed. "Doesn't matter," I said as I hastily shoved my own Extendable into my pocket, "They're done talking." "What did they say?" "You'll find out soon enough." Matt looked at me curiously and opened his mouth to most likely ask what I was talking about, but the door to the study opened. Mum and Dad both had hardened expressions and Dad motioned for us to go inside. Dad's study didn't look much different in England than it had in Australia. It was still a complete mess. The only difference was that there were less books in it, since most of our books now resided in the library. I sat down on a overly stuffed worn leather armchair and Matt sat down on the ottoman in front of it. Mum leaned against Dad's desk and Dad just stood in front of us. "We've decided what we're doing for Christmas," Dad said slowly, "We're going to Richard and Cinda's as soon as I can get plane tickets." I smiled even though I already knew that we were going to Australia. It was nice to hear it officially. "I don't want to go," Matt sniffed, "Don't make me go there." He got up and ran to Mum, throwing his arms around her. Don't cave, Mum, don't cave, I thought. He was wearing that pathetic face he always wore when he wanted my parents to give in to him. "I c-can't g-go," Matt cried. "I know you don't want to," Mum said, "But we have to. We can't never go back. Richard and Cinda live there." "D-dad?" Matt looked at Dad. Dad just shook his head. Matt let go of Mum and ran crying out of the room. Mum and Dad looked at each other. It looked like Mum was about to cry herself. I just sat on the chair, not sure of what to do. Never had I seen Matt storm out of a room like that. He never got mad at my parents and my parents hardly ever got mad at him. I had run out of rooms plenty of times. Probably so many times that my parents expected it, but Matt hadn't ever done it. Both of my parents seemed at a loss of what to do. It was kind of funny, in a weird way. After fifteen plus years of parenting, neither of them knew what to do. Heck, I could have told them what to do. Just leave him alone. "Should we-" Mum began. "Go find him?" Dad finished. I rolled my eyes. They were just going to have to figure this out on their own. I doubted they wanted my advice. I got up from the chair and muttered that I was going to bed. Who knew how this was going to turn out, but I was too tired to find out. I'd know in the morning anyway. It had been a very strange and somewhat exhausting day. ****** Mum and Dad were up half the night talking to Matt. I could hear them from my room. They didn't even try to conceal their whispering. I was beginning to think that living in such a small house had its advantages. However, I couldn't hear exactly what they were saying and I was too tired to bother using the Extendables. I was up early the next morning and went down to brekkie to find my parents whispering at the table over steaming mugs of coffee. They both immediately stopped talking when I entered and looked up at me. The two of them had identical looks of exhaustion on their faces. "We're still going to Australia, right?" I asked. "Yes," Dad nodded, "I bought the tickets a little while ago. We're leaving tomorrow at eight-thirty in the morning." I breathed a sigh of relief. To be honest, I was surprised they hadn't caved yet. With the looks Matt was sending them the day before, I would have expected them to say we weren't ever going to Australia again. "Where's Matt?" I asked, "Still sleeping?" Mum nodded. "He didn't fall asleep until late." "Richard and Cinda aren't planning any parties, are they?" I asked as I poured myself a bowl of cereal. "No," Mum replied, "I told them we wouldn't come if they were throwing any parties. Cinda reluctantly agreed not to. But I think they're going to invite the Dawe's for New Year's." "Brilliant," I grinned and sat down. No parties and I would get to spend time with Kenzie! "Would you like to go with me to London today?" Mum asked, "I've got to get gifts for Richard, Cinda, and the Dawe's." "Sure," I said, surprised that she had asked. Usually Mum did all her shopping alone or with Ellie, "Are Dad and Matt going?" My parents exchanged glances. "No," Dad shook his head, "Healer Norlam is actually coming over this afternoon, to talk to Matt about going to Australia." "We talked to him earlier," Mum said, "He thinks Matt needs to get used to not being around me all the time, so just Dad will be there during the session." Ah, an ulterior motive. That was why Mum was taking only me to London. Part of me thought this was just slightly unfair, that I only got to do things alone with her when they benefited Matt. But alone time with Mum happened so rarely that I pushed the thought aside. I finished my cereal and then went back up to my room to get dressed. Mum wasn't leaving for London until later, so I wrapped my own gifts until she was ready. Matt woke up shortly before we left and gave both of us very long hugs as we were leaving. Dad had to pry him off of Mum. We Apparated to the Leaky Cauldron, but went out into Muggle London instead of Diagon Alley. It was chilly, but not unbearably cold and there were a few snowflakes falling. Mum knew exactly what to get Cinda. There was this really expensive store in downtown London that didn't exist in Australia. Mum wanted to buy Cinda a purse from there. As soon as I walked in the door I knew it was the kind of place Cinda would like. The walls, floor, ceiling, and furniture were all white. Displays of purses, scarves, and other accessories were everywhere. A saleslady descended upon us and asked if we needed assistance. Mum said no and went straight to one of the purse displays. "People buy these?" I exclaimed as I looked at the price tag on a brown leather bag. I didn't know much about the British Muggle money system, but 200 pounds seemed like a lot for a purse. "Yes," Mum laughed, "Surprisingly they do." "If someone ever bought me one, I'd sell it and buy a solid gold cauldron," I whispered. "Your father once told me that he would buy a Quidditch team if he had all the money Cinda has spent on clothing and accessories," Mum said. "He could buy a couple teams," I replied. "What do you think of this one?" Mum held up a mint green purse with a brown leather strap and silver accents. "It would match her green pants suit," I said, "But it's got silver on it." "It's not real silver," Mum explained. "Seriously? They're charging that much for it and it's not even real silver?" I gaped. "Yes," Mum laughed and put the purse back, "Maybe I'll go with something more neutral." I nodded, although Cinda seemed quite the opposite of neutral. I looked through the purses with Mum, but had no idea what I was looking for. Eventually Mum found a black leather one with silver accents and a matching wallet. The wallet cost nearly as much as the purse. She bought them from the very cheery saleslady and we left the shop. Mum knew exactly what she wanted to get Richard, too. It was a specific type of golf club. Well, Mum didn't quite remember the model number, so she had to describe it to the salesman at the sporting goods shop. He knew exactly what she was talking about and was very excited about selling it to her. I assumed this was because the price tag on it was nearly as much as Cinda's purse. We ate lunch at the Leaky Cauldron. Mum kept trying to ask me about school, but I changed the subject each time. Eventually she gave up and lunch was really enjoyable. "What do you think we should get for Kenzie and her family?" I asked as we finished lunch. "I don't know. Any ideas?" Mum replied. "Chocolate?" I suggested. Mum laughed. "That's what you'd want." "No, really, there's some chocolate at Honeyduke's that you'd never know was magical. Except that it tastes magical, but they'll just think it's the best chocolate in the world. We'll just tell them it's chocolate you can only get in England." "That's," Mum paused and smiled, "Actually a very good idea." "Thanks," I smiled, "But Honeyduke's is only in Hogsmeade. We'll have to go there." "That's all right. We've got time." Mum paid for lunch and then we Apparated to Hogsmeade. The little village looked like it came from a Muggle Christmas card. It was much snowier than London and quieter. Honeyduke's, on the other hand, was as crowded as it was during a Hogsmeade visit. The same clientèle, too. I recognized at least twenty Hogwarts students, although none of them acknowledged me. It didn't take long to find a large supply of 'Muggle safe' Honeyduke's chocolate. Nobody else seemed to be buying it. Mum bought so much that most people would think it would last a month, but it would probably only last a few days. If it even made it to Australia, that is. If Matt saw it, he'd probably eat it himself. I pointed this out to Mum and she grabbed a large box of Chocolate Frogs for us.
DucksRMagical Joined: 28 December 2006 Posts: 2535 Location: Going through LeakyCon withdrawal	Posted: Sunday 21 June 2009 08 49 13 am    Post subject: Re: In Moonlight's Shadow in topic:In Moonlight's Shadow Thanks, hprocks! Chapter 50: The Slug Club I began working even harder to avoid Monica after the incident during Astronomy. If I set my alarm a half hour earlier than I usually did I could get ready for class before Monica woke up and I could be down in the Great Hall before she was ready. That way I could avoid her and get extra studying done during brekkie. It was a win-win situation. Well, except for the lack of sleep. I was trying to get more sleep like Madam Pomfrey told me to, but it was hard. I was so far behind in History of Magic and it got worse every day. I was completely lost in class and it didn't help that Professor Binns's voice could put a screaming mandrake to sleep. I was slowly catching up in Charms and Transfiguration, although I was beginning to form a hatred of Charms. The professor, Professor Washburn, was possibly the nastiest professor I had ever met in my life. He clearly despised Gryffindor and favored the Slytherins in our class. Not only that, but he didn't really help when I needed help. All he did was yell at me and tell me I should practice more. Charms quickly became one of my least favorite classes. Potions was my favorite class, despite the fact that Quinton Willinson continually talked to me while I was brewing. I learned to ignore him and found he was pretty easy to tune out. "Miss Eckerton," Slughorn said to me as I was leaving Potions in early October. "Yes, Professor?" I paused near his desk. "I'm having a little get together this Friday evening at six for certain students who possess a lot of magical ability," Slughorn told me, "You've proven yourself to be an excellent potion brewer, so you are welcome to attend." I nodded. "Er, thanks, Professor." "You've been invited to the Slug Club," Willinson said smugly after I left the room. He had been standing outside the door, waiting for me, much to my disgust. "The what?" I looked at him strangely. "The Slug Club," Willinson repeated, "That's what we call it." "And do you go to these things?" "Ever since first year," Willinson grinned. I rolled my eyes. Of course. I sped up to try and escape from him, but he followed me all the way to the Great Hall for lunch. I turned to sit down at the Gryffindor table and he finally left me alone. I spent the rest of the week thinking about the 'Slug Club' meeting. Part of me was a little excited at being picked for what seemed to be an exclusive club, but the other part of me was kind of nervous about what it would entail. The prospect of spending more time with Willinson wasn't that great either. I owled both my parents and Olivia about it, but Olivia didn't get back to me before Friday. My parents thought I should go because they thought I'd make friends there. I sort of doubted that because I had already been at Hogwarts for a month and didn't really have any friends. I had one enemy, one bloke who occasionally said hi to me, a girl who was slightly annoying but liked to talk to me in Herbology, and a bloke who was constantly trying to beat me in potions contests. But none of them could be considered friends. Eventually I decided to go, mainly because I knew Monica wouldn't be there. I had heard her complaining about the Slug Club to Victoire the previous night. Victoire had just said 'mmm-hmm' every once in a while and then told Monica that the only reason she didn't like it was because she had never been invited. Monica wasn't too happy about this. Apparently Victoire occasionally went to Slug Club meetings but usually didn't because none of her friends went. I was at the door to the potions classroom at exactly six o'clock and took a deep breath before entering. There were chairs arranged in a circle and a table of food a few feet away. People were milling about, getting food and talking. I recognized two of the girls I had ridden in a carriage with on the first day. Gabriella and Georgia Weasley. I learned a few weeks ago that Gabriella was Victoire's sister and Georgia was their cousin. In fact, I learned that most of the red-haired people in Gryffindor were the infamous Weasley cousins. A few other Weasleys were in the room including the two first years, Fred and Heather. Apparently they were cousins and not twins. Teddy Lupin was there, along with the prefect, Landon Comer, who had woken me up on the first morning. Willinson was sitting down and talking with Slughorn. I wandered over to the food table, where Teddy and Landon were piling their plates high with all sorts of stuff. I picked up a plate and peered down at a pile of something that looked like chicken. "It's pheasant," Teddy grinned at me, "So you're in the Slug Club now, huh, Aussie?" I had given up trying to get Teddy to stop calling me 'Aussie' weeks ago. It was a lost cause and as long as no one else started doing it, I didn't mind. "Pheasant?" I hesitated before picking up a very small piece. It sounded like something Cinda would serve at a fancy party. "It's not bad," Teddy shrugged as he put some pheasant on his own plate. I took some potatoes and carrots and then followed Teddy and Landon to the chairs. They sat down near Gabriella and Georgia, which thankfully was far away from Willinson. I tentatively bit the pheasant while Teddy watched. It was disgusting. I grimaced and swallowed it, dropping the remaining bit onto my plate. Teddy burst out laughing. "I guess it's an acquired taste," he grinned. "Not one I'll be acquiring," I said as I took a large gulp of water. "So, how'd you wind up here?" Teddy asked, "Good at potions or were your parents famous in Australia?" I choked on my water and coughed it all over my plate. How did Teddy know to ask that? What did it have to do with the Slug Club? My heart started beating fast. Were people going to find out about Matt before he even had a chance to enter Hogwarts? "You ok?" Teddy looked at me strangely. "Yeah," I coughed. I could feel my cheeks turning red. "But why would you think my parents are famous?" "You don't know much about the Slug Club, do you?" "Er, no." Teddy laughed. "There's two ways you can get into the Slug Club. One, you're good at potions. Two, your parents or grandparents or some other relative are famous. Slughorn likes to establish contacts with famous people. That's how I got into this club. It definitely wasn't my potions ability. I'm rubbish at brewing. Must have inherited my dad's brewing ability. My mum was an auror who fought in the war against Voldemort. My dad fought against Voldemort, too, even though he wasn't an auror. Both of them were in the Order of the Phoenix. They died in the final battle." I nodded. "Victoire told me about that." Voldemort? Order of the Phoenix? Final battle? I really needed to get to that book Victoire recommended. "So what is it, then? Potions or parents?" "Potions," I told him, "My parents aren't famous." Not in England, that is, but I didn't tell him that. "Like Landon, then," Teddy gestured to his friend, "He tutors me in potions. If it weren't for him, I'd be failing." "You're hardly passing as it is," Landon replied. "You'd better step up the tutoring, then," Teddy laughed. "There's only so much I can do," Landon sighed, "I think you were born without the potions section of your brain." "Welcome, everyone!" Slughorn stood up, "I think we're all here now. We have one new member since our September meeting. Everyone say hello to Amy Eckerton." Slughorn gestured to me and everyone muttered hello. I blushed even more and waved. "Miss Eckerton has proved herself to be a most brilliant potions brewer!" Slughorn said excitedly, "Perhaps the best in her year, no offense to Mr. Willinson." Willinson did in fact look offended, but said nothing. He merely continued chewing his pheasant and glared at me. "Now, Amy," Slughorn went on, "Might you tell us a bit about your family? And what made your parents decide to move from, Australia, right?" I groaned inwardly. I shouldn't have came. I should have known this would happen. Everyone, including Slughorn, was watching me and waiting for me to explain why I had moved to England. "Er, well, my dad's working at the Ministry. In Werewolf Support Services," I said quietly, "And we did move from Australia." "Interesting!" Slughorn replied, "Very interesting career choice. And did he do that sort of work in Australia?" "Erm, yeah," I muttered. "Then why did you move?" a Hufflepuff who looked to be a little older than me asked. "Uh," I stammered, "The Ministry was downsizing. Budget cuts. So my dad got let go. He found a new job up here and that's it." "Ah, yes, budgets," Slughorn sighed, "A necessary, but irritating fact of life. And sadly Werewolf Support Services is always the first to go." I nodded, hoping that he would divert the conversation from werewolves. The last thing I wanted was for the club to debate the importance of Werewolf Support Services. Although I had a feeling Teddy would at least share my opinion. Luckily one of the Ravenclaws announced that her cousin had just signed a contract to become the Wimbourne Wasps's new Chaser, so the conversation turned to Quidditch. I paid vague attention while I ate my potatoes and carrots. The meeting was actually rather boring. I found myself stealing glances at the clock a few times and wondering what time Slughorn would decide to end the meeting. It finally ended shortly before eight o'clock and I left with Teddy and Landon. "What did you think?" Teddy asked as we walked back to Gryffindor. "That was one of the most boring things I've ever experienced and that includes fancy dinners with my grandparents," I said, "Why in the name of Merlin do you two go?" "Slughorn's got connections," Landon replied, "He might be able to help me get a job once I'm out of here." "I'm hoping for extra credit in potions," Teddy grinned, "Haven't gotten it yet, but I'm still trying." "You're hopeless," Landon laughed. "Well, I have no idea what I want to do when I graduate and I don't think I need any extra credit in potions," I replied, "I don't think I'm going to go to another one of those." "Suit yourself," Teddy shrugged, "But you'll come back once you realize you've got a craving for pheasant." I cringed at the thought of eating pheasant again and shook my head. Teddy certainly had a good sense of humor. He seemed to like everyone. I'd noticed that he was often the center of attention in the common room. Victoire was often with him, when she wasn't with Monica, and the two of them seemed to be really good friends. ****** The common room was buzzing with excitement the next morning. There was a large crowd around the notice board and quite a few people were talking about 'stocking up' on stuff. I waited until most of the crowd had dissipated and went to see what all the excitement was about. There was a note on the board that announced the first Hogsmeade visit of the year. It was in two weeks, on the nineteenth. Brilliant, I thought, I could use a break from school. From what little I'd seen of Hogsmeade during our trip to Hogwarts, it seemed to be a cute village. It would be fun to explore it some more. After brekkie I went back up to my dormitory and wrote another letter to my parents. I wanted to know if they could go to Hogsmeade when I was going. I hadn't seen them in over a month and I was missing them more than I wanted to admit. I had gotten so used to seeing them everyday and Hogwarts didn't have holidays every few weeks like the Australian School of Sorcery did. I wouldn't get to go home until Christmas. My weekend was full of studying and just wandering around the grounds. I liked walking near the Forbidden Forest and tried to see what was in it without actually stepping foot in the place. What I wanted to do was go explore it, but was too afraid to get caught. Mum and Dad's reply arrived Sunday night while I was eating dinner. Pollux still hadn't gotten the hang of delivering mail at the same time as the other owls. I hurried up to my dormitory and shut the hangings around my bed before I opened it. Dear Amy, We're sorry to hear that the Slug Club was a bit of a disaster. At least those two boys, Teddy and Landon, seem nice. Don't feel that you have to attend another one of those if you don't want to. The Hogsmeade visit sounds like fun. Unfortunately, it is the day after the full moon. It's not likely that either of us will be able to meet you. One of us will need to be home with Matt, and Dad thinks he'll have to work that morning. We'll let you know if his work schedule changes. Your birthday is the week after. We'll owl Professor Kendrick and see if we could go with you to Hogsmeade that weekend. It's a better time. Try and have fun in Hogsmeade. Maybe you could see if some of the other girls in your dormitory would go with you? Write soon. We love you and miss you. Love, Mum, Dad, Matt, and Ellie I put the letter back in its envelop and sighed. I leaned back against my pillows and stared at the top of my bed. The full moon was the day before the Hogsmeade visit. I hadn't even realized that. Of course they wouldn't be able to go. I guess I would be going to Hogsmeade alone. Victoire would be going with Monica and I did not want to go with her. The other girls always talked about Quidditch and I didn't want to spend a whole day doing that. They pretty much ignored me anyway. I couldn't just ask if they'd go to Hogsmeade with me. Maybe my family would be able to go on my birthday. To be honest, I had almost forgotten it was coming up. My past three birthdays had been spent with Olivia in our dormitory. We always threw each other mini parties on each other's birthdays. That wasn't going to happen this year. No one in my dormitory would so much as mutter a 'happy birthday' on their way out the door. I heard footsteps come into the room and I hoped it was Samantha or one of her friends, not Monica and Victoire. "I think Eckerton is here," Monica said. No such luck. "So?" Victoire replied. "I'm surprised she's not in the library, studying," Monica went on, "That's all she ever does." "Maybe she wants to get good grades," Victoire muttered, "Until this year, you studied a lot, too." "I know. I just don't see the point anymore. I still get decent marks when I don't study. I'd rather just spend more time having fun." "You know it's best to have marks that are better than decent," Victoire told her, "You'll need them when you go to look for a job when we graduate." "Well, I don't know what I want to do with my life," Monica said and I heard a bed creak, "We haven't all had our lives planned out since first year." "I have not," Victoire replied. "Yes, you have," Monica laughed, "You're going to become a Healer and marry Teddy Lupin. You'll probably have two or three kids. At least one of them will have a French name." Teddy Lupin? How could Monica think Victoire was going to marry him? They weren't even going out, as far as I knew. I thought it was pretty strange to know who you wanted to marry at the age of fourteen anyway. I certainly had no idea. "I do not!" Victoire shouted, "Teddy's just a friend! I've known him since I was born. We grew up together." "Which is what makes it so adorable," Monica giggled, "Oh, come on, you know you like him." "I don't," Victoire muttered. "You'll have a perfect life together. Like a fairy tale. The poor orphan boy whose parents died working to defeat an evil wizard falls in love with the beautiful quarter veela girl who led a sheltered life. You get married, have three beautiful children, and everything's perfect," Monica sighed. Quarter-veela? No wonder Victoire was so pretty. That explained her and Gabriella's white blonde hair. I had noticed that they were the only ones out of the Weasley cousins who didn't have red hair. I guess the veela blood overcame the red hair gene. "Monica, you've been reading too many love stories," Victoire groaned, "Real life doesn't work that way." That was for sure, I thought. My family was proof of that. My parents' lives had been like a fairy tale, until they had trouble getting pregnant. But then when I was born, the fairy tale was back. Then it shattered in mere minutes when Matt had been bitten. Nothing ever stayed perfect. I was sort of surprised that Monica was the one to bring all of this up. I would never have guessed her to be the hopeless romantic of the dormitory. It was a complete contrast to the girl who had been making fun of me for the past month. "Maybe not usually," Monica said, "But if it would work for anyone, it would be you. Anyway, you're still set on becoming a healer, right?" "As long as I keep my potions grade up," Victoire sighed, "I have to get at least an E on my O.W.L. next year." I had no idea what an O.W.L. was. It did sound vaguely familiar, like it was one of those things Kendrick had mentioned when I was sorted. That was something I'd have to find out soon, though, if it was happening the next year. "Maybe you could get Teddy to help you," Monica said. Both of them burst out laughing and I smirked. "I'll muddle through," Victoire said. "Of course you will," Monica replied, "You're smart." "So are you, if you'd just study," Victoire said. ****** The next couple of weeks went by fast and soon it was the night before the Hogsmeade visit. Dad had owled me earlier in the day and told me that he had to work the next day and wouldn't be able to meet me in Hogsmeade. I hadn't really thought that he'd be able to go, but I was still disappointed. It was also the night of the full moon. The common room was noisy and filled with excitement which greatly contrasted my own mood. I was sitting off by myself trying to read a History of Magic book. I wasn't really concentrating on it, though. I was staring out the window, watching the moon, and thinking about Matt. There was a howl of laughter and I turned to look at the middle of the common room. Teddy had morphed to look like Professor Washburn and was giving a speech in which he professed an unhealthy love for hippogriffs. I had no doubt that the story was fake, but it was still incredibly funny. I laughed to myself and tried to get back to my reading. I had only seen Teddy morph a few times, but it no longer shocked me. The first time I saw him change his hair, my jaw dropped to the floor, which sent Teddy into hysterics. I didn't really want to stay in the common room and listen to the happy chatter of the other Gryffindors, but I had no other place to go. Monica was in our dormitory with a few sixth year friends and I didn't want to go up there. Victoire wasn't with them. She was with Teddy. I was half tempted to wander to the Hospital Wing and just stay there for the night. I hadn't been there since the last full moon when I had spilled my guts to Madam Pomfrey. I didn't want to repeat that, but I had a feeling that Madam Pomfrey wouldn't question why I was there if I showed up tonight. But at the same time, I didn't want to get in the habit of going there every month. I wound up just staying in the common room until it emptied out. The younger students started going up to their dormitories around eleven and by one in the morning, the place was deserted. I wasn't tired and had no desire to go up to my dormitory until I knew the other girls were asleep. I wouldn't be able to sleep anyway. I hadn't gotten a decent night's sleep on the night of a full moon in nearly three years. Even when I went to school in Australia I had sleepless nights during full moons. Eventually I went up to my dormitory and laid down in my bed. Whoever snores (I still hadn't figured it out yet) was snoring, but I didn't bother using the silencing charm since I wasn't really tired. The next thing I knew I was waking up to the sound of an owl hooting. I cracked my eyes open and squinted in the sunlight. I glanced at the clock and saw that it was almost noon. I sat up and yawned. Pollux was sitting on the foot of my bed with a letter wrapped around his left leg. I laughed to myself as Pollux flew over to me. I doubted he was ever going to deliver letters at the right time. Although I had slept through brekkie that day. I untied the letter and patted Pollux on the head. He hooted and then flew out the window. I opened the letter and began to read it. Dear Amy, I'm not sure if you'll get this before you go to Hogsmeade or not, but if you do, we hope you have fun. Get out of the castle and enjoy yourself. It's your chance to explore the village without us telling you where to go. You've always wanted to do that. The full moon was last night, although I'm sure you know that. It was a bad one. Matt had been sicker than usual for the days leading up to it. We think he actually caught the flu a few days ago. It's never good when he catches a bug right before the full moon. He's pretty sick right now. We're going to take him to St. Mungo's if he isn't a little better by the afternoon. We just wanted to let you know. Don't worry too much. We'll keep you updated. Have fun in Hogsmeade. Love, Dad P.S. Pollux is a very smart owl. He was sitting on the deck this morning, right when the sun rose, like he knew we had a letter to send to you. Have fun in Hogsmeade. That wasn't going to happen now. My stomach churned as I stuffed the letter back in its envelope. How could I have fun in Hogsmeade knowing that Matt was really sick? It wasn't fair. He just got over the injuries from the full moon at the transformation center in Australia. Why did he have to catch the flu right around the full moon? Matt had caught the flu right before the full moon once before, about a year ago. I hadn't been home at the time, but Mum and Dad had told me what had happened. It was bad for him to get sick right before the full moon because then his system was already run down and trying to recover from whatever bug he had, and then he had to turn into a wolf. It had taken him a week to recover the last time it had happened. I got out of bed and got dressed. Everyone else in my dormitory was gone, presumably in Hogsmeade. I wasn't really in the mood to do anything fun, but figured going to Hogsmeade might take my mind off Matt. My only other choice was to wander around the castle all day.
DucksRMagical Joined: 28 December 2006 Posts: 2535 Location: Going through LeakyCon withdrawal	Posted: Tuesday 21 April 2009 11 01 28 am    Post subject: Re: Life Is Good in topic:Life Is Good Sorry I haven't updated this in a while. Life has been busy. (Pretend the lyrics and the Hogwarts letter are in italics. I'll fix it once the bbcode is reinstated). Chapter 4: It's Only Getting Better [i]Days are different then they were before And we both exchange It's only getting better ~Only Getting Better[/i], Jared Campbell Eleven-year-old John Malcolm Brickston was running around in a large circle as fast as he possibly could. He, along with two other boys, was spinning the merry-go-round in the park across the street from his house as fast as he could. A fourth boy was on the merry-go-round shrieking in delight. It was a daily thing for John, playing with the other boys in his neighborhood at the park. They particularly liked spinning each other until they felt sick on the merry-go-round. Other activities included trying to push each other off the monkey bars and jumping off of the swings. They often spent all day doing this, until one of their mothers called them inside. John had fun playing with the other boys from his neighborhood even though he was quite different from them. John was a wizard and all of his neighborhood friends were Muggles. John's family was the only wizarding family living in a neighborhood of Muggles. He didn't mind, of course. He was actually glad he lived in a neighborhood full of people to play with, rather than in the middle of nowhere like so many other wizards did. Most of his cousins didn't have any close neighbors. Without the neighborhood boys around, the only people John would have had to play with were his sisters. John had three of them and while he loved them, they got on his nerves. They were all younger than him and drove him mental on a daily basis. Despite having so many Muggle friends, John could not wait to get to Hogwarts where he could meet other wizards his age. He knew a couple witches and wizards his age whose parents worked with his dad, but he didn't see them too often. Then there were his cousins, but they were all younger than him. John had been trying not to think about his Hogwarts letter, which he knew would be arriving soon. Thinking about it just made the time go by slower. So, he tried to get his mind off of it by goofing off at the playground. "Enough, enough!" the boy on the merry-go-round shouted. John and the other two boys stepped back and watched it slow down. Once it had almost stopped, the boy jumped off and stumbled around, falling on the ground. John and the others crowded around him. "My turn!" John shouted as the dizzy boy sat up. "Johnny!" someone shouted from the entrance to the park. John turned his head towards the voice and groaned. It was his mother. The previous day she had made him watch over his little sisters when they played at the park and he really didn't want to do that again. But his sisters weren't with his mum, so maybe she wanted something else. "What?" John shouted. "You need to come home now!" she shouted back. John groaned again and reluctantly said goodbye to his friends. He hated it when his mum called him home without explaining why. "Why do I have to go home now?" John asked as he reached his mum, "It's not dinner time." "Your letter arrived," she said and began to walk across the street. That was probably the only thing she could have said to make John no longer mind leaving his friends. He grinned and ran to catch up with his mum. Now it was official, he was going to Hogwarts! John's house was in its usual state of chaos when he entered it. Not two seconds after they stepped in the door, his second youngest sister, Alyssa, ran up them screaming about how Cassie had taken her toy. Alyssa was six and Cassie, one of their many cousins, was five. At any given moment there were probably five or six little kids at John's house. He had a lot of cousins who were all younger than him. His mother was a stay at home mum, but a few of his aunts worked outside the home. They often dropped their kids off at John's house while they were at work. Or when they had to go shopping. It was just another reason why John enjoyed spending his free time outside, away from the little kids. That day, all his little sisters were home, of course. Plus, Cassie and her older sister, Isabelle, who was ten, were there. "Your Aunt Pam is grocery shopping," his mother, Jan, replied as she picked up Alyssa. John nodded and stepped over a pile of Wendy Witch dolls that Ashtyn, his nine-year-old sister must have left in the doorway. "Ashtyn, pick up your toys!" Jan shouted as she carried Alyssa back into the den. Ashtyn and Isabelle came running through the house, scooped up the dolls, and ran back to wherever they came from. "Where's my letter?" John asked as Jan set Alyssa back down on the floor. "It's here somewhere," Jan said as she rifled through a stack of mail, "Merlin! I just had it a second ago. Hang on." John sighed as he leaned against the wall. He couldn't wait to get to Hogwarts. Then he wouldn't have to deal with all his little sisters and cousins anymore. He would be in a place where he was one of the youngest people. That rarely happened. John had always been the oldest, the one who was expected to be mature. "Mum!" Ashtyn shrieked from upstairs, "I think John put a dung bomb in the toilet again!" John grinned. He may be expected to be mature, but he wasn't. Pulling pranks was one of his favorite things to do and the dung bomb in the toilet never got old, especially when Ashtyn was on the receiving end of it. Jan sent him a withering look. "I cringe to think about the amount of owls I'll be getting from Professor Kendrick about the mischief you get into next year," she sighed, "Ashtyn, just flush it like usual!" "Mum, she won't give it back!" Alyssa whined. Jan groaned and walked over to the two girls, who were still fighting over a stuffed dragon. Jan wrenched it from Cassie's hands and stuck it up on a high shelf. She continued searching for John's letter while Alyssa and Cassie complained. "I think I found it," John said as he bent down. Three-year-old Gemma was holding a torn envelope in her hands and giggling playfully. John grabbed it from her and she burst out crying. Jan picked her up as John took off for his bedroom, the only toddler free place in the entire house. The letter wasn't completely destroyed, much to John's relief. He had caught Gemma before she was able to do a lot of damage. The envelope was completely illegible, but the letter inside was spared from tears and baby slobber. John tossed aside the damp envelope and unfolded the letter. He grinned widely as he read it, even though he already knew the gist of what it said. [i]Dear Mr. Brickston, We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Enclosed is a list of books and materials you will need to purchase. Please note that first years are not allowed to bring their own broomsticks. Please reply to this letter as soon as possible to let us know if you are attending. The Hogwarts Express will leave at exactly 11 in the morning on September first from King's Cross Station, Platform 9 3/4. Sincerely, Padma Patil Deputy Headmistress[/i] He was in! John laid down on his bed and stared up at his ceiling. Of course he was in. There was never any doubt. Everyone in his entire family had gone to Hogwarts for as far back as anyone could remember. As far as he knew, his family didn't have any Squibs. John had been looking forward to Hogwarts for a very long time. His parents had all sorts of stories to tell of the place. Although, their education had been interrupted due to the final battle and Voldemort's defeat. They had only been first years at the time and Hogwarts had closed for a year in order for it to be rebuilt. But after that, his parents had had a somewhat normal education. There were all sorts of things that John was looking forward to. The Sorting (although his parents refused to tell him how it was done), the feasts, exploding potions, Peeves, Quidditch, Hogsmeade trips when he got older, the Gryffindor common room. John was sure he'd get into Gryffindor even though his mum had been a Hufflepuff. His dad was a Gryffindor and everyone said he took after his dad. John's dad, Jeff Brickston, had been the Hogwarts prankster when he was in school. John couldn't wait to pull some pranks of his own. His dad had promised to get him well supplied with stuff from Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, although his mum wasn't too happy about it. John remained in his room for the rest of the afternoon. A glance out the window told him that his Muggle friends had left the park. It would have been boring for him to go back. Instead, he stayed in his room and pulled out his old but trusty Nimbus Two Thousand and One. The broom had been his dad's when he was at Hogwarts. John grabbed a bottle of polish and began to rub it into the worn wood. Jeff had given it to John when he was only five and John had been flying on it ever since. If John had to pick the one thing he was most looking forward to at Hogwarts, it would be Quidditch. John had been flying for as long as he could remember and he had hopes of making it onto the Gryffindor Quidditch team. If he was sorted into Gryffindor, that is. He just hoped that there was a beater position open at the right time. He doubted he'd get chosen as a beater in his second year due to the fact that beaters were generally quite a lot bigger than the rest of the players. But if a beater position opened when he was in fourth or fifth year, he just might make it. Isabelle and Cassie had left by the time John left his room. He wandered into the kitchen and found his mum preparing dinner. Ashtyn and Alyssa were 'helping'. "Can we go to Diagon Alley tomorrow?" John asked as he grabbed a carrot out of a bowl. "I don't know," Jan replied, "Your Aunt Jodie is working tomorrow and I have to watch Stephanie as well as the twins. I don't particularly want to drag three extra kids to Diagon Alley especially when two are babies. It may have to wait until the weekend. And please don't eat the carrots." John sighed and sat down at the table. He didn't want to wait until the weekend. He wished his mum didn't watch all of his little cousins all the time. "I'm home!" someone shouted from the den. John jumped up from his chair and ran into the den. He saw his dad brushing ash off of his bright green healer robes. John grinned as he saw his great-great grandpa standing just behind his dad. "Gramps!" John shouted, "What are you doing here?" "Went to Mungo's," he replied, "Had to get this dang hip checked out. Then Jeffrey here invited me to dinner." John's great-great grandpa, Zander Brickston, was over one hundred years old but was usually healthy as a hippogriff. He was a bit senile and forgetful at times, but it never bothered him. He was often the life of the party, too, despite his age. John loved him. "I got my Hogwarts letter!" John said excitedly as he pulled the letter out of his pocket. "Congratulations," Jeff grinned and gave John a one-armed hug as he set his bag down. "Well done, Johnny-Boy!" Zander gave him a surprisingly strong clap on the back, "Great place, Hogwarts. Best years of my life, except for the times I found myself in Professor Dippet's office. You'd best stay out of there." "Professor Dippet's been dead for years, Gramps," John laughed. "Then you stay out of trouble with whoever's the headmaster now," Zander said and lumbered off into the kitchen, "Where's my girls?" Dinner was lively that evening, as it always was when Zander was there. He dominated the conversation with stories of his own years at Hogwarts. John was sort of surprised he remembered them so well. He told of the time he and his friends went for a swim in the Black Lake at midnight during the full moon in January. The nurse had not been pleased when they showed up at the hospital wing with slight cases of hypothermia. She scolded them and told them if they were stupid enough to swim in the lake during January, they could at least use cold-repellent charms on themselves. "Where would the fun be in that?" Zander laughed as he finished the story. Other stories included the many pranks he pulled on the Slytherins. 'Pranking's a Brickston tradition,' he told John solemnly. The times he snuck out of the castle and into Hogsmeade. The time he fell asleep during his History of Magic O.W.L. ("What do they expect, when Binns makes you fall asleep during class?") Sneaking about the castle at night with whatever girlfriend he had at the time. Jan had to shut him up at that point and she and Jeff began to relay their own Hogwarts stories. John was, if it was possible, even more excited about Hogwarts after hearing all of the stories. He wanted to swim in the Black Lake in the middle of winter. He wanted to sneak out of school to go to Hogsmeade. He wanted to paint half his face red and the other half gold for the Gryffindor-Slytherin Quidditch match. John didn't know how he was going to be able to wait two days until Saturday to go to Diagon Alley, let alone wait the month and a half until he'd be able to actually go to Hogwarts. It seemed so far away. He had been waiting years to go to Hogwarts, but he had a feeling the last month and a half would drag by even slower than those years had.
DucksRMagical Joined: 28 December 2006 Posts: 2535 Location: Going through LeakyCon withdrawal	Posted: Sunday 12 April 2009 10 58 26 am    Post subject: Re: In Moonlight's Shadow in topic:In Moonlight's Shadow Thanks hprocks! Chapter 42: Microwaved Eggs and Home Renovations My dreams were plagued with images of everything that had happened in the past few months. Everything merged together to create one very strange nightmare. I was brewing potions with Kenzie in my potions room in our house in Australia. All of her little sisters were in the room. I was trying to teach Kenzie to brew Wolfsbane potion while she tried to make sure her sisters didn't break anything. The door opened and Lubar burst in with Clarence. Lubar announced that Wolfsbane could no longer be brewed in Australia and I would have to attend a hearing at the Ministry for breaking the law. Clarence grabbed me and all three of us Apparated to the Ministry. My parents and Matt were sitting with the Wizengamot when we appeared in the middle of the court room. Mum and Dad looked disappointed and Matt looked scared. The Minister began to run through the charges as I vaguely paid attention. The Wizengamot charged me with breaking the law and they announced that I'd have to leave the country. My parents stared at me in shock as I approached them. Neither of them said a word, but Matt glared at me and said, 'Now we're going to have to move and it's all your fault. All my friends are here and I'm going to have to start over in a new place all because of you.' I sat up in a panic and realized that it was just a dream. I wiped the sweat off my forehead and let my breathing return to normal. Just a dream. And probably the strangest one I'd ever had, at that. No one would ever outlaw Wolfsbane Potion, nor would I ever brew potions with Kenzie and her sisters. But neither of those parts of the dream really bothered me. The part that bothered me was the last part. The part when Matt told me it was my fault that we were moving. I had no idea what that meant, but after listening to Healer Norlam talk about psychology twice a week for the past month and a half, I had a feeling it meant something. I sighed and laid back down. I didn't know how long I'd been asleep, but it was still pitch black outside. I closed my eyes, but snapped them open a minute later at the sound of a loud shriek. I sat up quickly and regretted it as the room swam in front of me. I closed my eyes and when I opened them, the room was back to normal. I sat completely still and listened. The initial shriek had been replaced with quieter screaming mixed with muffled sobs. I sighed and got out of bed. Despite my light sleeping, Matt's screaming didn't always wake me up. I suppose I had just gotten used to it, since he usually has nightmares around the full moon. But it was probably also due to the fact that our rooms were kind of far apart. In our new house, they were only separated by a bathroom and the walls seemed thinner. Just another thing about the new house I'd have to get used to, I thought as I walked the short distance to Matt's room. I quietly opened the door and was surprised at my parents' absence from the room. Usually they were with him in a flash when he had a nightmare. I guess they were just so exhausted from moving that they slept right through it. I continued past Matt's room and entered my parents'. They were sleeping peacefully amongst the many boxes and furniture that were strewn haphazardly around the room. I cautiously stepped over the boxes only to trip over a chair and land face first on a few boxes. "Ow!" I groaned and sat up. I winced as I lifted my arm off the boxes. That was going to leave a bruise. The bed creaked and Dad sat up. I heard him grasp for his wand and a few seconds later it illuminated the room. "Who's there?" he demanded. "It's just me," I replied as I stood up. "Oh, Amy," Dad relaxed, "I thought you were an intruder or something. What's wrong?" "I think Matt's had another nightmare," I explained, "He's been crying for the past few minutes." "Oh, Merlin," Dad groaned and got out of bed, "I think I forgot to give him his potion before he went to bed." I nodded and followed Dad out of the room. Matt had been taking dreamless sleep every night for over a month. I wondered when he'd not have to take it anymore. Norlam hadn't mentioned anything about stopping it, but they had yet to get to the point where Matt was actually comfortable around Norlam to actually begin the therapy. Dad went into Matt's room and I continued down the corridor and back into my own. I climbed into bed and listened as Matt's sobs slowly dissipated. After it was quiet, I fell back asleep. ****** I awoke to the sound of furniture being moved around and distant voices. I slowly lifted my eyelids and looked around the room. Where the hell was I? It certainly didn't look like my room. Oh, right, I was in England. In our new house. I groaned and slowly got out of bed. I still felt knackered even though I was sure I'd slept much more than I normally did. I changed and went out into the corridor to see what all the noise was. I followed it to Matt's room. My parents were setting up all his furniture and unpacking everything. I walked in and sat down on the bed. "Morning, Amy," Dad muttered as he pushed Matt's dresser up against a wall. "Morning," I replied, "What time is it?" "Just after noon," Mum said, "You slept awfully late." "Yeah, well, jet lag," I muttered, "Or, portkey lag or whatever." "Oh, I know," Mum smiled, "Matt and Ellie are still asleep." It did not surprise me in the slightest that Matt was still asleep, but Ellie? She always seemed to be awake. "Really? Ellie's asleep?" "Yeah," Mum nodded, "She's been so helpful. Went out grocery shopping with me earlier but when we got back, I insisted that she take a nap." "I'll take you shopping for your room decorations later, Amy," Dad said. "Thanks," I grinned. "Want to take a break, Jule?" Dad asked, "It's about lunch time." "Sounds good to me," Mum replied, "I'll go check on Matt and see if he's hungry." I followed Dad out of the room and down the stairs. He must have taken Matt back to his and Mum's room after his nightmare. I guess that worked out nicely since my parents were able to organize Matt's room without worrying about waking him up. I sat down at the island while Dad rummaged through the refrigerator. He pulled out a few eggs and a loaf of bread. "Want eggs and toast?" he asked. "Sure," I shrugged. Dad set the food down on the counter and then turned to me. "You've been to Kenzie's house a lot," he pointed to the Muggle microwave, "What's this thing?" "Microwave," I told him, "It cooks food faster than an oven. Kind of like magic." "Huh," Dad pushed a button on the microwave and it opened. He stuck a few eggs inside it and shut it. "Any idea how long these would have to cook for?" "Nope," I replied. I hadn't actually used the microwave that was at Kenzie's house or the one at Richard and Cinda's. Richard and Cinda didn't really cook. They ordered take-out. No wonder Dad didn't know what a microwave was. Dad pushed a few more buttons and eventually the microwave lit up and started buzzing. I got up off the stool and watched the eggs spin around on the plate inside. All of a sudden, they exploded. One after another, they cracked and splattered all over the inside of the microwave. "What the?!" I shouted and jumped back. "Bloody hell!" Dad shouted and started pushing all of the buttons until the microwave stopped buzzing and turned dark. Dad cautiously opened it up and a putrid smell hit us. I covered my nose and peered at the mess of yoke, white, and shell that was oozing from the contraption. "That is disgusting," I said. "I thought you said this cooked food," Dad replied. "It does!" I said, "At least the one at Kenzie's house does." "This one doesn't," Dad muttered and pulled out his wand. "What is going on in here?" I turned around and saw Mum walk into the room, carrying Matt, who was wrinkling his nose in disgust. "What is that awful smell?" she asked. "Er," I began, "Dad had fun with the microwave." "What did you put in there?" Mum asked as she walked towards us. "Eggs," Dad answered, "But they didn't cook right." Mum groaned, "Walter, you can't cook hard boiled eggs in a microwave." "Well, that's weird," Dad muttered and cleaned the mess up with a wave of his wand. "From now on, ask me before you put anything in there," Mum sighed, "And that goes for you, too, Amy." I nodded. What was the point in having a microwave if you couldn't cook everything in it? "Now, let's make some eggs the normal way," Mum said as she set Matt down at the island. She pulled out a pot, filled it with water, and set it on the stove. Dad nodded sheepishly and pulled out a few plates. I sat down next to Matt and tried to stifle my laughter. Dad was never going to live this one down. "Ready to go shopping for you room?" Dad asked after we finished lunch. "Yeah," I grinned. "We'll be back in a few hours," Dad said to Mum as he stood up, "I'll get the things I need to finish the basement while I'm out. I'd like to have that done by the time I start work next week." Mum nodded. "Pick up another dozen eggs while you're out. We haven't got any left now." "Ok," Dad replied. I said goodbye to Mum, Matt, and Ellie and then Dad and I left to Apparate to the Leaky Cauldron. The pub was relatively empty when Dad and I appeared in it. We didn't linger and soon found ourselves in Diagon Alley, which looked exactly as it had the last time I was there. I was quite relieved when Dad said he had enough money and we wouldn't need to visit Gringotts. "There should be a hardware store around here somewhere," Dad said as we walked down the street, "I know I saw one the other day.... "Ah, here we go," Dad said a few minutes later. I followed him into a rather large building. It seemed to be stuffed to capacity with various home improvement aids from Color Changing Paint (change your walls depending on your mood!) to Self-Cleaning Toilets (never clean another toilet again!). I had no idea how I'd find what I wanted amongst the plethora of products. "What exactly do you want to do with your room?" Dad asked. "I was thinking I'd paint the ceiling a really dark blue and the walls a lighter blue," I replied. "Interesting," Dad said. "And then I want those stars that you charm to change along with the real stars outside and only come out at night. Only I want them to be like the Southern sky, not the sky in England," I had come up with that idea a little while ago. It would be a way to make me feel like I was in Australia. "All right. I can do that," Dad nodded, "Anything else?" "I want to change the light fixture. I want a sphere globe type thing. So it looks like the moon." "The moon," Dad repeated, "You want your light to look like the moon." "Er, yeah," I replied. Hey, he had said that I could do whatever I wanted to my room and I wanted my ceiling to look like the night sky. Dad sighed, "Ok, we can do that." I grinned. "Now, how are we going to find everything?" We looked around the store for an hour and managed to find the paint and the stars. Dad also bought a bunch of stuff he would need to renovate the basement and turn it into a bunch of smaller rooms. Eventually, we had to ask the bloke who was working the cash register where the light fixtures were. I picked one out and Dad paid for everything. He shrunk it to fit into a small bag and we headed back out into Diagon Alley. "Can we go home and set it all up now?" I asked. I was really excited about it. My room in England might even turn out better than my one in Australia. It would certainly be better than my room at Richard and Cinda's house. "I have to go to that furniture store down the road," Dad pointed to another large building a few meters away. "Don't we have enough furniture?" I sighed. "I need to buy a few mattresses for your brother's safe room," Dad whispered. Oh, right. I had almost forgotten that he was going to need another safe room. I sighed and followed Dad to the furniture store. Dad wasted no time in finding the mattress section and told the the wizard working in that section that he'd like five of the softest most luxurious ones (one for each wall and the floor, to be enlarged to fit). The wizard looked at him kind of strangely but seemed happy at making such an expensive sale. Dad shrunk the mattresses and we left the wizard, who was braggin to his fellow salespeople about the amount of mattresses he had just sold. "Don't forget Mum's eggs," I reminded Dad as we walked towards the Leaky Cauldron. "Right," Dad nodded and turned towards the Magical Market. We picked up a dozen eggs and then Apparated back home. When we got there, Mum and Ellie were re-organizing the kitchen and Matt was lounging on the couch, reading a book. "Can we go set up my room now?" I asked the moment Dad set down the bags on the kitchen table. "Did you get the eggs?" Mum asked. "Yes and yes," Dad replied as he pulled the eggs out of one of the bags, "What are you doing to the kitchen?" "I don't like where I've put everything," Mum sighed. Dad nodded. "Ok, Amy, let's go set everything up." I grabbed one of the bags and sprinted out of the kitchen with Dad following me. He caught up when I was on the stairs and we made a beeline for my room. "You know she's going to re-organize that kitchen at least five times," Dad said as he threw a few sheets over all the furniture. "Yeah," I laughed, "And we're not going to know where anything is." "She did that when we moved to the house in Australia, too," Dad replied, "Now, the painting should go rather quickly since I can do it with magic." "And will you teach me the spell?" I asked. "Sorry, you're not supposed to do magic outside of school," Dad said as he opened the paint cans. "Maybe they don't have that rule here," I pointed out. "I'm sure they do," Dad smirked. "But they might not." "Until we know otherwise, you're not doing magic outside of school." "Fine," I groaned, "I'll just have to do it the Muggle way." I found a paintbrush in one of the bags and began to slowly paint one of the walls while Dad used some sort of charm to get the dark blue paint onto the ceiling. It was actually kind of fun to paint Muggle style. Even Dad joined me after he'd finished the ceiling. It was nice spending time with just him. I couldn't remember the last time we'd done that. He even seemed genuinely happy as we turned my walls blue. It took us a few hours, but eventually we finished the painting. I set my brush down and collapsed onto the floor. Dad sat down next to me. "That was really fun, Amy," Dad said and gave me a hug, "I probably haven't been spending enough time with just you." "It's ok," I said, "I know you've been busy with work and the move. And you're always busy with Matt. But I get it." "It's no excuse, though," Dad said quietly, "I shouldn't put work before you. And I know it seems like we spend a lot of time with Matt, but we can't compare him with you. He's six and a half years younger than you. You need different things." "Yeah, and the lycanthropy thing doesn't help," I pointed out. "Yes, that's true, but it's just something we're dealing with and most likely will always have to deal with," Dad replied, "But I really am sorry that I haven't been spending a lot of time with you. I know your mother is, too. We'll try and make up for it before you go to Hogwarts." I nodded, but didn't really know what to say. I had enjoyed spending time with Dad painting my room. It would be nice if my parents actually spent more time with me before I left for school, but I wasn't getting my hopes up. Dad was going to start work again and Mum always seemed to pay more attention to Matt than me. Dad dried the paint by magic and put the stars on the ceiling afterwards. I had to help him a bit so he would get the constellations right, but he did all the charm work. Once that was done, he stuck the new light fixture on and we moved all the furniture to its permanent positions. "It looks nice, Amy." I turned around from where I was organizing my dresser and saw Mum and Matt standing in the doorway. "Thanks," I smiled. "Makes me feel like I'm in a planetarium," Mum said. "That's what I was going for," I grinned. It really did look like a planetarium. The new light fixture looked exactly like a full moon (I was sure my parents didn't really like that, but neither of them said anything about it) and the stars looked quite realistic. My bed (complete with star sheets) was against the wall with the window. On the opposite wall was my closet and my dresser. My desk was alongside one of the side walls and there was already random stuff strewn around the floor. "I think the house is nearly complete now," Dad said as he gave my desk a final shove against the wall. "Except the basement," Mum reminded him. "Right," Dad nodded, "I know, but that's going to be quite the endeavor. I'll get started on that tomorrow. I only hope I can finish before I start work." Dad set up my telescope so it pointed out of my window. It wasn't as good as having it on a balcony like it was in Australia, but it was as good as it would get. I spent a while looking out of it that night, as the fake Southern Sky twinkled upon my ceiling. I slept better that night, but my sleep was still restless. I just didn't feel at home yet. I had thought having my room designed to my liking would improve my sleep, but it had only slightly improved. There didn't seem to be anything I could do to make my room seem anymore like home. I was just going to have to get used to it. ****** Dad got started with the basement renovations bright and early the next morning. Muggles would probably think that construction with magic would be easy and done in only a few short hours. They'd be in for a rude awakening if they listened to Dad finishing the basement. By the sounds of it, he was using Muggle power tools and fighting a losing battle against them. Matt and I sat in the den while Dad was working and listened to his muffled swearing and loud crashes. It sounded like he was breaking the basement rather than finishing it. Every once in a while he'd come up the stairs muttering to himself. He'd say something to Mum and then we'd hear the door slam. He'd return a while later with some new supply or tool and disappear once again. Mum asked how the project was going at dinner that night. Dad gave her a withered look and said 'don't ask'. None of us brought it up during the meal. In fact, we all thought it was best not to bring up the topic of the renovations unless Dad did. The next day progressed much as the first one had, with more swearing and trips to the hardware store in Diagon Alley. They would know Dad by name soon. "Are you sure you don't want to hire anyone to do the renovations?" Mum said slowly at dinner that night. Dad sighed, "No, I'd really rather do them myself. There are charms and spells that I'm putting into the safe room as I build it. It's going to be even stronger than the one in the old house." "That is a good point," Mum agreed, "Do I dare ask how everything is coming along?" "Better than it was yesterday," Dad said, "I've got the basement separated into three rooms. The safe room, Amy's potion room, and a big storage area. Now I just have to finish each individual room. I'm working on the safe room right now." Mum nodded. "Ok, good. But you know, we're going to make fun of you for this for years," she smirked. "Just like the eggs," I laughed, "Dad's specialties. Microwave cooking and home renovation." Dad groaned, "You two will never let me live this down. At least I have Matt on my side. Right?" Matt nodded. "Yup. But Dad, can I ask you something?" "Sure," Dad turned to him, "What is it?" "Can you microwave me an egg?" Matt grinned. ****** Dad did take a break from the renovations the next day when Norlam arrived for Matt's therapy session. It was the first one in the new house. Mum and Dad thought that Matt may have been even more afraid than normal due to the new house, but the complete opposite happened. Matt surprised everyone by talking animatedly to Norlam about Dad's microwave incident. Dad groaned when he brought it up but he was grinning nonetheless. He was probably just happy that Matt was beginning to make progress. We were all happy about that. Norlam talked to Dad after the session was over and I lurked in the doorway. Norlam thought that Matt's openness was due to the fact that we weren't in Australia any longer and therefore far away from Lubar. I agreed with him, since now there was no way Lubar could ever force Matt to transform in one of those Ministry centers again. Norlam thought that in itself was enough to make Matt feel safer than he had in months. I felt kind of guilty about complaining so much about moving during those few months. I hadn't really known he felt that scared just to be in Australia. I couldn't imagine not feeling safe in my own house.