Harry Potter Soft Plush Toys and Stuffed Animals

Harry Potter Golden Snitch Plush Doll The magical world of Harry Potter comes alive with this Golden Snitch Plush Doll. This 21-inch long doll will bring hours of joy to all ages of fans, and makes a great collectible $15.99

Harry Potter Plush Sorting Hat Which Hogwarts wizarding house is right for you Only the legendary Sorting Hat can tell if you will be a Gryffindor Hufflepuff Ravenclaw or a Slytherin. Enter the world of Hogwarts with this magical addition to your treasure trove of magical objects. $26.95

Harry Potter 18x18 Throw Pillow Add a little Harry Potter to your room with this Harry Potter 18x18 Throw Pillow. This plush pillow is black on one side and has blue and red Harry Potter designs on the other. 100% polyester shell and filling. $14.95

Harry Potter Crookshanks Plush Cuddle up to Hermione's magical kitty with this Crookshanks Plush Doll from the world of Harry Potter. This 9-inch doll will bring hours of joy to all ages of fans, and makes a great collectible $19.99

Harry Potter Plush Welsh Green Dragon Harry Potter Plush Welsh Green Dragon measures approximately 7 inches at the highest point and 13 inches long. From the forth book Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire this stuffed plush would be a perfect gift for any would be wizard or with. $23.95

Harry Potter Fawkes the Phoenix Plush Doll Cuddle up to Dumbledore's loyal companion with this Fawkes the Phoenix Plush Doll from the world of Harry Potter. This 10-inch doll will bring hours of joy to all ages of fans, and makes a great collectible. $15.99

Harry Potter Monster Book of Monsters Plush Own the Monster Book of Monsters! Shakes and vibrates! Fun and functional plush collectible! This book can take a bite out of you! But not out of your budget. When Hagrid becomes the instructor of the Magical Creatures classes, he cannot resist assigning the Monster Book of Monsters to the students. Now you can join Harry and his friends in their studies at Hogwarts with this fantastic plush replica of the Monster Book of Monsters. Gently pull the tongue out and it shakes and vibrates, but try to force it and it may attack! Measures 10 1/2-inches tall x 8 1/2-inches wide x 3-inches deep. $1.00

Harry Potter Swedish Short-Snout Dragon Plush Doll The magical world of Harry Potter comes alive with this Swedish Short Snout Dragon Plush Doll. This 16.5-inch long doll will bring hours of joy to all ages of fans, and makes a great collectible. $15.99

Harry Potter Monster Book of Monsters Plush The magical world of Harry Potter comes alive with this plush replica of the Monster Book of Monsters. Pull the tongue and it vibrates! This doll will bring hours of joy to all ages of fans, and makes a great collectible. Measures 10.5 x 8.5 x 3 inches. $19.99

Harry Potter Buckbeak Plush Harry Potter Buckbeak Plush $18.82

Harry Potter Crookshanks Plush Harry Potter Crookshanks Plush $23.54

Harry Potter Scabbers Rat Plush Harry Potter Scabbers Rat Plush $12.92

Harry Potter Golden Snitch Plush Harry Potter Golden Snitch Plush $11.74

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

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DucksRMagical Joined: 28 December 2006 Posts: 2495 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: 3523 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: 2495 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: 878 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: 2495 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: 2495 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: 2495 Location: Going through LeakyCon withdrawal	Posted: Tuesday 21 April 2009 11 01 28 am    Post subject: Re: Life Is Good in topic:Life Is Good Sorry I haven't updated this in a while. Life has been busy. (Pretend the lyrics and the Hogwarts letter are in italics. I'll fix it once the bbcode is reinstated). Chapter 4: It's Only Getting Better [i]Days are different then they were before And we both exchange It's only getting better ~Only Getting Better[/i], Jared Campbell Eleven-year-old John Malcolm Brickston was running around in a large circle as fast as he possibly could. He, along with two other boys, was spinning the merry-go-round in the park across the street from his house as fast as he could. A fourth boy was on the merry-go-round shrieking in delight. It was a daily thing for John, playing with the other boys in his neighborhood at the park. They particularly liked spinning each other until they felt sick on the merry-go-round. Other activities included trying to push each other off the monkey bars and jumping off of the swings. They often spent all day doing this, until one of their mothers called them inside. John had fun playing with the other boys from his neighborhood even though he was quite different from them. John was a wizard and all of his neighborhood friends were Muggles. John's family was the only wizarding family living in a neighborhood of Muggles. He didn't mind, of course. He was actually glad he lived in a neighborhood full of people to play with, rather than in the middle of nowhere like so many other wizards did. Most of his cousins didn't have any close neighbors. Without the neighborhood boys around, the only people John would have had to play with were his sisters. John had three of them and while he loved them, they got on his nerves. They were all younger than him and drove him mental on a daily basis. Despite having so many Muggle friends, John could not wait to get to Hogwarts where he could meet other wizards his age. He knew a couple witches and wizards his age whose parents worked with his dad, but he didn't see them too often. Then there were his cousins, but they were all younger than him. John had been trying not to think about his Hogwarts letter, which he knew would be arriving soon. Thinking about it just made the time go by slower. So, he tried to get his mind off of it by goofing off at the playground. "Enough, enough!" the boy on the merry-go-round shouted. John and the other two boys stepped back and watched it slow down. Once it had almost stopped, the boy jumped off and stumbled around, falling on the ground. John and the others crowded around him. "My turn!" John shouted as the dizzy boy sat up. "Johnny!" someone shouted from the entrance to the park. John turned his head towards the voice and groaned. It was his mother. The previous day she had made him watch over his little sisters when they played at the park and he really didn't want to do that again. But his sisters weren't with his mum, so maybe she wanted something else. "What?" John shouted. "You need to come home now!" she shouted back. John groaned again and reluctantly said goodbye to his friends. He hated it when his mum called him home without explaining why. "Why do I have to go home now?" John asked as he reached his mum, "It's not dinner time." "Your letter arrived," she said and began to walk across the street. That was probably the only thing she could have said to make John no longer mind leaving his friends. He grinned and ran to catch up with his mum. Now it was official, he was going to Hogwarts! John's house was in its usual state of chaos when he entered it. Not two seconds after they stepped in the door, his second youngest sister, Alyssa, ran up them screaming about how Cassie had taken her toy. Alyssa was six and Cassie, one of their many cousins, was five. At any given moment there were probably five or six little kids at John's house. He had a lot of cousins who were all younger than him. His mother was a stay at home mum, but a few of his aunts worked outside the home. They often dropped their kids off at John's house while they were at work. Or when they had to go shopping. It was just another reason why John enjoyed spending his free time outside, away from the little kids. That day, all his little sisters were home, of course. Plus, Cassie and her older sister, Isabelle, who was ten, were there. "Your Aunt Pam is grocery shopping," his mother, Jan, replied as she picked up Alyssa. John nodded and stepped over a pile of Wendy Witch dolls that Ashtyn, his nine-year-old sister must have left in the doorway. "Ashtyn, pick up your toys!" Jan shouted as she carried Alyssa back into the den. Ashtyn and Isabelle came running through the house, scooped up the dolls, and ran back to wherever they came from. "Where's my letter?" John asked as Jan set Alyssa back down on the floor. "It's here somewhere," Jan said as she rifled through a stack of mail, "Merlin! I just had it a second ago. Hang on." John sighed as he leaned against the wall. He couldn't wait to get to Hogwarts. Then he wouldn't have to deal with all his little sisters and cousins anymore. He would be in a place where he was one of the youngest people. That rarely happened. John had always been the oldest, the one who was expected to be mature. "Mum!" Ashtyn shrieked from upstairs, "I think John put a dung bomb in the toilet again!" John grinned. He may be expected to be mature, but he wasn't. Pulling pranks was one of his favorite things to do and the dung bomb in the toilet never got old, especially when Ashtyn was on the receiving end of it. Jan sent him a withering look. "I cringe to think about the amount of owls I'll be getting from Professor Kendrick about the mischief you get into next year," she sighed, "Ashtyn, just flush it like usual!" "Mum, she won't give it back!" Alyssa whined. Jan groaned and walked over to the two girls, who were still fighting over a stuffed dragon. Jan wrenched it from Cassie's hands and stuck it up on a high shelf. She continued searching for John's letter while Alyssa and Cassie complained. "I think I found it," John said as he bent down. Three-year-old Gemma was holding a torn envelope in her hands and giggling playfully. John grabbed it from her and she burst out crying. Jan picked her up as John took off for his bedroom, the only toddler free place in the entire house. The letter wasn't completely destroyed, much to John's relief. He had caught Gemma before she was able to do a lot of damage. The envelope was completely illegible, but the letter inside was spared from tears and baby slobber. John tossed aside the damp envelope and unfolded the letter. He grinned widely as he read it, even though he already knew the gist of what it said. [i]Dear Mr. Brickston, We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Enclosed is a list of books and materials you will need to purchase. Please note that first years are not allowed to bring their own broomsticks. Please reply to this letter as soon as possible to let us know if you are attending. The Hogwarts Express will leave at exactly 11 in the morning on September first from King's Cross Station, Platform 9 3/4. Sincerely, Padma Patil Deputy Headmistress[/i] He was in! John laid down on his bed and stared up at his ceiling. Of course he was in. There was never any doubt. Everyone in his entire family had gone to Hogwarts for as far back as anyone could remember. As far as he knew, his family didn't have any Squibs. John had been looking forward to Hogwarts for a very long time. His parents had all sorts of stories to tell of the place. Although, their education had been interrupted due to the final battle and Voldemort's defeat. They had only been first years at the time and Hogwarts had closed for a year in order for it to be rebuilt. But after that, his parents had had a somewhat normal education. There were all sorts of things that John was looking forward to. The Sorting (although his parents refused to tell him how it was done), the feasts, exploding potions, Peeves, Quidditch, Hogsmeade trips when he got older, the Gryffindor common room. John was sure he'd get into Gryffindor even though his mum had been a Hufflepuff. His dad was a Gryffindor and everyone said he took after his dad. John's dad, Jeff Brickston, had been the Hogwarts prankster when he was in school. John couldn't wait to pull some pranks of his own. His dad had promised to get him well supplied with stuff from Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, although his mum wasn't too happy about it. John remained in his room for the rest of the afternoon. A glance out the window told him that his Muggle friends had left the park. It would have been boring for him to go back. Instead, he stayed in his room and pulled out his old but trusty Nimbus Two Thousand and One. The broom had been his dad's when he was at Hogwarts. John grabbed a bottle of polish and began to rub it into the worn wood. Jeff had given it to John when he was only five and John had been flying on it ever since. If John had to pick the one thing he was most looking forward to at Hogwarts, it would be Quidditch. John had been flying for as long as he could remember and he had hopes of making it onto the Gryffindor Quidditch team. If he was sorted into Gryffindor, that is. He just hoped that there was a beater position open at the right time. He doubted he'd get chosen as a beater in his second year due to the fact that beaters were generally quite a lot bigger than the rest of the players. But if a beater position opened when he was in fourth or fifth year, he just might make it. Isabelle and Cassie had left by the time John left his room. He wandered into the kitchen and found his mum preparing dinner. Ashtyn and Alyssa were 'helping'. "Can we go to Diagon Alley tomorrow?" John asked as he grabbed a carrot out of a bowl. "I don't know," Jan replied, "Your Aunt Jodie is working tomorrow and I have to watch Stephanie as well as the twins. I don't particularly want to drag three extra kids to Diagon Alley especially when two are babies. It may have to wait until the weekend. And please don't eat the carrots." John sighed and sat down at the table. He didn't want to wait until the weekend. He wished his mum didn't watch all of his little cousins all the time. "I'm home!" someone shouted from the den. John jumped up from his chair and ran into the den. He saw his dad brushing ash off of his bright green healer robes. John grinned as he saw his great-great grandpa standing just behind his dad. "Gramps!" John shouted, "What are you doing here?" "Went to Mungo's," he replied, "Had to get this dang hip checked out. Then Jeffrey here invited me to dinner." John's great-great grandpa, Zander Brickston, was over one hundred years old but was usually healthy as a hippogriff. He was a bit senile and forgetful at times, but it never bothered him. He was often the life of the party, too, despite his age. John loved him. "I got my Hogwarts letter!" John said excitedly as he pulled the letter out of his pocket. "Congratulations," Jeff grinned and gave John a one-armed hug as he set his bag down. "Well done, Johnny-Boy!" Zander gave him a surprisingly strong clap on the back, "Great place, Hogwarts. Best years of my life, except for the times I found myself in Professor Dippet's office. You'd best stay out of there." "Professor Dippet's been dead for years, Gramps," John laughed. "Then you stay out of trouble with whoever's the headmaster now," Zander said and lumbered off into the kitchen, "Where's my girls?" Dinner was lively that evening, as it always was when Zander was there. He dominated the conversation with stories of his own years at Hogwarts. John was sort of surprised he remembered them so well. He told of the time he and his friends went for a swim in the Black Lake at midnight during the full moon in January. The nurse had not been pleased when they showed up at the hospital wing with slight cases of hypothermia. She scolded them and told them if they were stupid enough to swim in the lake during January, they could at least use cold-repellent charms on themselves. "Where would the fun be in that?" Zander laughed as he finished the story. Other stories included the many pranks he pulled on the Slytherins. 'Pranking's a Brickston tradition,' he told John solemnly. The times he snuck out of the castle and into Hogsmeade. The time he fell asleep during his History of Magic O.W.L. ("What do they expect, when Binns makes you fall asleep during class?") Sneaking about the castle at night with whatever girlfriend he had at the time. Jan had to shut him up at that point and she and Jeff began to relay their own Hogwarts stories. John was, if it was possible, even more excited about Hogwarts after hearing all of the stories. He wanted to swim in the Black Lake in the middle of winter. He wanted to sneak out of school to go to Hogsmeade. He wanted to paint half his face red and the other half gold for the Gryffindor-Slytherin Quidditch match. John didn't know how he was going to be able to wait two days until Saturday to go to Diagon Alley, let alone wait the month and a half until he'd be able to actually go to Hogwarts. It seemed so far away. He had been waiting years to go to Hogwarts, but he had a feeling the last month and a half would drag by even slower than those years had.
DucksRMagical Joined: 28 December 2006 Posts: 2495 Location: Going through LeakyCon withdrawal	Posted: 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.
DucksRMagical Joined: 28 December 2006 Posts: 2495 Location: Going through LeakyCon withdrawal	Posted: Tuesday 24 March 2009 10 15 58 am    Post subject: Re: Life Is Good in topic:Life Is Good Chapter 2: But He Knows That It's Going to Be Alright [i]But he knows that it's going to be alright Cause the love that he's got will keep him warm through the night Life is good, life is good[/i] ~[i]Life Is Good[/i], Jared Campbell Eleven-year-old Matthew Conan Eckerton was sitting below a large oak tree in his backyard. His eyes were closed and he was resting his head against its rough trunk. The sun was beating down on him through the branches above. For the past hour, the only sound had been the occasional bird chirping or cow mooing. Then a loud revving broke the silence. Matt slowly opened his eyes and squinted in the bright sunlight. He glanced around to try and find out where the noise was coming from. In the distance, he saw the farmer riding his tractor through the fields that surrounded Matt's house. Matt lived in the country, far from any towns. His house was on an acre of property that was surrounded by farmland on three sides and a forest on the other. The nearby farmer owned all of the surrounding farmland and was regularly seen plowing or performing other tasks. The farmer's house was quite far away, although Matt could see it from where he was sitting. Other than the farmer, Matt had no other neighbors. Matt's parents, Walter and Julie, wanted it that way. Matt was not an ordinary eleven-year-old boy, even by wizarding standards. At the age of five, he was bitten by a werewolf and became one himself. For the past five and a half years, over half his life, he had been enduring painful transformations every month that left him exhausted and sick. As if he could be anymore unusual, the Wolfsbane Potion which normally enabled a werewolf to keep his mind during full moons, did not work for Matt. That particular day happened to be the day of the full moon. In only a few short hours, Matt would be locked in a room in the basement and go through the painful transformation into the wolf. As the full moon was only a short while away, Matt was already feeling the effects of it. A few days beforehand, he would tire quickly and get a lot of headaches. He also lost his appetite. At the moment, he had a splitting headache which was not helped by the tractor, but felt too exhausted to move. He closed his eyes and tried to ignore the pounding in his head and the tractor's roaring. "Matt, are you out here?" someone shouted. Matt opened his eyes again and saw his sister, Amy, walking towards him. "I'm over by the tree!" he shouted. Amy ran the rest of the distance and sat down next to him. Her blond hair was thrown up into a messy ponytail and flying everywhere as she walked. "Thank Merlin," Amy sighed, "I couldn't find you anywhere. You know Mum doesn't like it when you go outside the day of the full moon." Matt groaned inwardly. His mother was extremely overprotective, in his opinion. He understood she had her reasons and after what had happened in the past, he couldn't really blame her. But he wasn't a baby anymore and he didn't think going outside was going to hurt. He liked going outside before full moons since he'd be cooped up inside for a few days afterwards. "Is she back yet?" Matt asked. His mother had gone to Diagon Alley to pick up some groceries a little while ago, leaving Amy to 'babysit' him. Matt thought this was ridiculous since he was eleven and certainly did not need a babysitter, but didn't argue with her. Plus, Amy was home anyway. "No," Amy replied, "But I had to find you because this just came by owl." Amy grinned as she handed Matt a letter. Matt took it and turned it over. His breath caught in his chest as he saw the Hogwarts crest stamped on it. It was his Hogwarts letter. Ever since Amy had begun her magical education, when Matt was four, he had been excited about going himself. Even after he had been bitten by a werewolf, he thought he'd get to go. His parents had never said otherwise. Until they received a letter telling them Matt couldn't attend, that is. The Eckertons had not lived in England their whole lives. Up until three years ago, they had lived in Australia. Amy had attended the Australian School of Sorcery until she was fourteen. That was when their parents had asked the headmaster if Matt would be able to attend. He said he could not. Everything got worse from there. Someone who held a grudge against Matt's dad at the Ministry announced to the entire country that Matt was a werewolf (something they had successfully hidden for over two years) and then his dad lost his job because of it. He had been the Head of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. After that, the man who had announced Matt's lycanthropy became the head and passed legislation restricting the rights of werewolves. Matt's parents sent letters to numerous other schools asking if he could attend. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in Scotland said yes. Matt's dad found a job at the British Ministry, in Werewolf Support Services, and they moved. Life had been better since then. Amy had a hard time adjusting, but eventually began to enjoy Hogwarts. Due to all of this, Matt knew he would get a letter from Hogwarts this summer. He had been waiting for it for weeks since he had no idea when it would arrive, but had momentarily forgotten about it that day. Despite knowing it was going to come, there was something very exciting about it actually arriving. Matt slowly peeled back the seal and opened the envelop. He pulled the letter out and carefully unfolded it. "Merlin, you're slow with that!" Amy exclaimed, "I think I nearly ripped my letter from Australia when I got it." "That's why I opened mine slowly," Matt smirked. He looked at the letter and read it aloud. [i]Dear Mr. Eckerton, 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 P.S. Please have your parents contact us so we can set up a time for you to come to the school so we can discuss the precautions we have set up for your lycanthropy.[/i] Matt folded the letter and then looked up at Amy. He still couldn't believe that it was finally his turn to go to Hogwarts. He had been secretly jealous of Amy for years. Every time she got to go shopping for supplies and then speed away on the Hogwarts Express, he watched with envious eyes. "It'll be both of us going this year," Amy grinned. Matt nodded. "I just hope I'm in Gryffindor." "You will be," Amy assured him, "Siblings usually get sorted into the same house. Victoire's sister and brother are in Gryffindor like she is. All their cousins are there, too." "I got my supply list, too," Matt said as he pulled out another piece of parchment, "You get yours?" Amy was entering her seventh and final year at Hogwarts. "Yup," Amy nodded, "We can go to Diagon Alley once you're recovered from tonight." "Yeah," Matt said, wishing he didn't have to wait, "Says I can't get a bring a broom, though." "Like Mum would let you bring one anyway," Amy laughed, "Speaking of Mum, she'll probably be back anytime. We should go back inside." "You won't tell her I was out here, will you?" Matt asked as he stuffed his letter back in the envelop. "Nah," Amy grinned, "Since when have I been one to do what Mum says anyway?" Matt stood up and felt dizzy as soon as he did so. He stumbled and Amy grabbed his arm. She let him lean on her as they walked slowly back to the house. The thing Matt hated even more than the actual transformation into the wolf was how sick he felt the days leading up to it. It was like getting the flu once a month. To Matt's relief, his mother was not back from Diagon Alley when they got back to the house. Amy helped him to the couch and he laid down on it. "I am going to miss so many classes during the full moons," Matt groaned. "Yeah, you probably will," Amy agreed, "But the teachers are nice so you'll be able to catch up. Well, most of them are nice. Washburn's a nasty piece of work, but the rest are nice. And it's not necessarily a bad thing to miss History of Magic. There's usually about a quarter of the people in my class using Puking Pastilles or Nosebleed Nougats before that class. You'll have a built in excuse once a month. All the rest of the kids in your class will be jealous." "I doubt that," Matt said darkly. Ever since he had first seen the sweets in a Skiving Snackbox, he was bewildered that people would actually eat sweets that would make you ill. He just couldn't wrap his mind around actually wanting to be ill, even to miss a boring class. He'd rather sit through the class. "Just keep an open mind," Amy shrugged, "There have been quite a few times where I would rather be in the Hospital Wing than in class." Matt groaned and closed his eyes. He wished he could go all seven years at Hogwarts without ever setting foot in the Hospital Wing, but that wasn't going to happen. "Amy, could you get me some of that headache potion?" he asked. "When did you last have it?" Amy asked. "When I woke up this morning." "Sure," Amy replied and got up. Matt heard the door open a moment later and his mum walked in, her arms laden with grocery bags. "Amy!" she shouted, "Can you come help me with these bags?" "Hang on!" Amy shouted from the kitchen. The bags dropped to the floor with a thump and Matt heard footsteps coming closer. He felt his mother kiss his forehead and ruffle his blonde hair. "How are you?" she asked softly. "Tired and I've got a headache," Matt mumbled. "I'll get you some headache potion." "Amy's already getting it," Matt replied. His mum kissed his forehead once more and sat down next to him on the couch. "Amy, could you bring the fever reducer, too?" Matt squeezed his eyes shut tighter. No wonder he felt awful; he had a fever. Now he was sort of glad he came inside when he did. "I got my Hogwarts letter, Mum," he whispered. "That's wonderful, honey," she replied, "We'll go shopping in a few days." "Here's the potions," Amy said. Matt cracked open his eyes and took one of the goblets Amy was holding. He drank it quickly and then grabbed the other one. He swallowed that one as fast as he could as well and gagged at the disgusting taste. "Can I get an owl?" he yawned. "Of course, honey," his mum said as she rubbed his back, "Just go to sleep now. We'll talk more about it tomorrow." Matt nodded and closed his eyes. He fell asleep quickly, feeling the happiest he had ever been the day of a full moon. ****** "Matt," someone whispered as they shook him. Matt opened his eyes and saw his dad bent down in front of the couch. "Hey, Dad." "I just heard you got your Hogwarts letter," his dad smiled, "Congratulations." "Thanks," Matt whispered. "Well, I'll let you get some more sleep. There's still an hour or so until you have to go downstairs," his dad said as he gave him a hug. Matt watched his dad walk into the kitchen and closed his eyes once more. He drifted off to sleep again, trying not to think about what would happen in an hour. After what seemed like only a few minutes later, Matt woke up in a cold sweat with an awful headache that no potion could ever help with. He sat up and looked out the window. It was dark, but he didn't need to see the sky to know that the moon would rise soon. "Mum!" his voice cracked. He swallowed hard. The pain always started before the transformation did. It was awful. He always tried not to cry, but it never worked. He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to keep the tears from leaking out. He heard three sets of footsteps run into the room and felt his mother's arms wrap around him. He leaned into her and rested his head on her shoulder. "It's time," his dad said quietly. Matt shakily stood up and his parents helped him stumble towards the basement door. He could hear Amy's footsteps behind them. Nobody said a word as they walked down the stairs and towards his transformation room. Matt sat down on the padded floor as soon as he got into the room. His head was spinning and he didn't think he'd be able to stand up much longer anyway. His parents and Amy each gave him a hug and then left the room. They didn't say anything, but there was nothing to say. He'd done this so many times there wasn't really any point in his parents saying anything. He knew they'd be there in the morning. The door locked as his parents and Amy left, and Matt let out a loud sigh as he sat down. This was it. Another full moon. There was nothing he could do now but wait. For years, he fought the change. He'd clench his hands and jaw and try to prevent the transformation, even though he knew it wouldn't work. The only time he hadn't fought it was the first one, where he had no idea what was going to happen. For the second one, he knew what was going to happen. He was only six, but he understood and he fought it with every part of his being. Now, five and a half years later, with five and a half years of proof that it wouldn't work, he still fought it. Matt didn't have to wait long for the transformation to begin. His headache became unbearable and he felt his stomach lurch. He learned early on to not try and eat anything beforehand, because it always came back up during the first part of the transformation. He curled up into a ball and let out a soft moan. He could feel his heart beating a mile a minute. His breathing was short and labored. It felt like he couldn't breathe. He always tried not to scream, but that never worked either. He felt his bones breaking and elongating and hair sprouting everywhere. He let out a loud scream and clenched his eyes as pain coerced through his body. No amount of previous full moons would ever prepare him for the painful transformation. Nothing helped with it either. His parents had given him so many different potions, but nothing decreased the pain. His mind was always the last thing to go. Matt hated that. He wished his mind would go first. Then he wouldn't have to remember the actual transformation. He always wished he'd pass out before the transformation began, but that never happened. Matt took a few more ragged breaths and cried out in pain. He sat up and looked at his hands, which were quickly turning into paws of the wolf. He felt dizzy. The world was spinning around him and it felt like fog was clouding his mind. He let out one more scream and the world disappeared. ****** The wolf slowly stood up and took in his surroundings. It was dark and there was a faint smell of blood and humans lingering in the air. He was also trapped, again. The wolf was always trapped. He began to pace around the room and look for an escape route. It wasn't there. There was never an escape route. The wolf stood up on his hind legs and pointed his snout towards the ceiling. He let out a long howl and then glared at the opposite wall. He got back down on all fours and charged at it, slamming his head into the abnormally soft wall. He stepped back and repeated the process again and again. He was alone. Alone and trapped. Every single full moon, the wolf was alone and stuck in the small padded room. He wanted to get out. He wanted to get out and find the people he could faintly smell beyond the walls. However, there was no way out. No matter how many times the wolf rammed his head into the wall, he could not break it. Eventually, he sat down in the middle of the room and howled once more. He then proceeded to bite at his own body to relieve the urge to attack something. ****** Matt cracked his eyes open and tried to lift his head. A stabbing pain fled through his head and he dropped it back down onto the padded floor. He closed his eyes and tried to concentrate on breathing. Each short, labored breath hurt. He couldn't even figure out which parts of his body hurt the worse. Everything hurt. From the top of his head to his toes. "Mum?" he said hoarsely. His voice was little more than a whisper. He knew there was no way his mother could hear him, but he called her name anyway. The door clicked a short while later, but for Matt it felt like an eternity. Whoever came in the room made no sound as they walked across the mattress covered floor. They put a cloak over him and then picked him up. A wave of dizziness come over him as he was lifted up. "It's ok, I've got you," his dad whispered. Matt was hardly aware of being carried up to his room and he passed out on the way. The next thing he knew, he was laying in his soft bed with layers of blankets on top of him. He could feel the warm sun shining through the window. He opened his eyes slowly and blinked as they adjusted to the brightness. His body still ached despite the potions he knew his parents had given him. His head was throbbing dully as well. Worse yet, he was exhausted. He knew he had already slept for hours, but it felt like he hadn't slept in days. Who was he kidding? How was he going to go to Hogwarts? How would he manage full moons when he was by himself? He couldn't even get up when he transformed back the next morning. His parents always had to carry him back to his room. His parents. Matt felt a jolt in his stomach as he realized that they wouldn't be there every full moon when he was in school. They had been there for every full moon he had ever endured. They took care of him the day of and the days following. They got him his potions and healed all his injuries. He hated to admit it, but he was scared about doing it by himself. He knew he shouldn't be; he was eleven years old for Merlin's sake. Eleven-year-olds should not be afraid of going to school and being away from their parents. It was a practical issue, he assured himself. That was all. He couldn't physically deal with full moons by himself. That was why he was worried about going to school. It wasn't like he couldn't deal with being away from home. Then there was the issue of his classmates. What if they found out? It wasn't like he could sneak away for the full moon and be back in his dormitory the next morning before his roommates woke up. He'd be in the Hospital Wing for at least two days. He doubted he'd be able to go to classes the day of the full moon and he usually needed two days to recover. That was three days of missed classes, but more importantly, it was three days of disappearances to explain. What was he going to say? People didn't normally get sick that much. It was a stupid idea, he thought, going to school. He bit his lip and tried to stop the tears from welling in his eyes. Why didn't his parents just home school him? It would be easier. They were both knowledgeable in most aspects of magic. If his parents had just decided to home school him, they could have stayed in Australia. Then Amy would have been happier. No, they couldn't have stayed. He sighed. Not after his dad lost his job and all the laws restricting the rights of werewolves had been passed. They were originally going to move so he could go to school. But then his dad lost his job. It wasn't entirely Matt's fault that they moved, was it? Not if his dad needed another job.... It was his fault his dad lost his job, though. If he hadn't gotten bitten, his dad wouldn't have lost his job. So, for all intents and purposes, his family had moved because of him. He couldn't not go to school after all they'd done for him. He'd just have to suck it up and deal with it, no matter how terrifying the prospect was. "Matt, are you awake?" Amy peeked her head into his room. Matt quickly rubbed his eyes and turned to look at her. "Yeah." Amy gave a small smile and walked into the room. She set a goblet down on the bedside table and then sat on the foot of the bed. "How are you?" she asked quietly. "All-" he cut himself off and looked at Amy's concerned expression. Ever since she had first seen him after a transformation, she had this uncanny way of knowing when something was bothering him. He wasn't sure how she did it, but somehow she managed to get him to tell her what was wrong. It was kind of strange since Amy normally had quite the temper and was very impatient. Their mum had once told Matt that she took after his grandmother, but Amy would never admit to it. The two of them did what they wanted and often disregarded other people's emotions. Amy used to be a lot like that with Matt, too. When they were younger, their parents insisted on keeping Amy away from the house during full moons. She hated it and resented their parents for keeping her out of the loop. She really had no idea what went on during full moons. Then life as they knew it fell apart in Australia and Amy began to realize what went on. She did resent Matt for months about having to move, but eventually got used to Hogwarts. Then, the first full moon after her fourth year, she stayed at home during the full moon and saw Matt afterwards. Amy never told Matt what she had thought of seeing him after a transformation, but her actions spoke more than words would have. She stayed by his side after every full moon that summer. A few weeks after that first full moon of the summer, she announced that she was going to become a healer and hoped to discover a version of the Wolfsbane Potion that would work for Matt. Matt had been a little shocked when he heard this, but not incredibly surprised. As far back as he could remember, Amy had enjoyed experimenting with potions. She was also an avid star gazer and loved Astronomy. If anyone could come up with a better version about that potion, it was Amy. She had the skills, interests, and motivation to do it. "Actually," his voice caught in his throat, "I'm not that great." Amy crawled up the bed and laid down next to him, her mouth turning down in a frown. She grabbed the potion off the table and handed it to him. "What hurts? You should take this potion, it'll help." "It's not that," Matt swallowed the potion in one gulp, "I mean, my head hurts but no worse than usual. It's," he paused, "It's Hogwarts. I'm just not sure if I should go..." his voice trailed off. Amy put her arm around Matt's shoulders and looked at him sadly. "Why not?" "This," he muttered, "This probably sounds stupid, but I don't think I can do it without Mum and Dad." "It's not stupid," Amy said quietly, "They've always been there for every full moon. But I think you're wrong. You can do it without them." "How?" Matt's voice wavered, "I can't even get back up to my room without them? How in the name of Merlin will I get from that shack in Hogsmeade back to the castle?" "The nurse," Amy sighed, "You're forgetting about the nurse. Madam Pomfrey. You've met her, haven't you?" "I think so," Matt nodded, "But I hardly know her." "Well, I do," Amy said, "And she's one of the nicest adults at Hogwarts. She'll help. And I'll be there too. I'll be there for your entire first year." "And you'll be there? Can you go to the shack with Madam Pomfrey?" "Of course," Amy nodded, "And I'll stay at the Hospital Wing with you except when I'm in class." Matt nodded. He felt a little better knowing that Amy would be there with him. She could practically do everything in order to heal his injuries after the full moon. Their parents had been teaching her ever since she was fifteen and she had actually been performing them ever since she turned seventeen. But he still felt uneasy about the whole thing. "I know you'll still miss them," Amy said quietly, "And there's nothing wrong with that. I was so homesick during first year and I didn't have to deal with turning into a wolf once a month. I imagine that'll make it even worse." Matt turned to his sister and laughed. He sort of liked how she just stated what was true and never tried to soften it. "Yeah, probably," he replied. "But you'll get used to it," Amy assured him, "Soon you'll make friends and get into mischief like half of Victoire's cousins do." Matt shrugged. Making friends was another thing he was worried about. He didn't really have many friends. He occasionally spent time with some of his dad's coworkers' kids, but didn't know them very well. "If I make any friends," he said. "You will," Amy said. "But they won't like me if they find out who I am," Matt replied. "They won't find out," Amy said adamantly, "You'll make plenty of friends. Victoire said a few of her cousins are starting this year and they're certainly to be in Gryffindor like you will be." Matt had only met Victoire a few times, but from what he could tell, she was really nice. Matt only hoped her cousins were as well. "I guess that would be good," he yawned, "What time is it?" Victoire glanced at her watch. "Just after one. I should let you sleep." Matt nodded. "Ok. Thanks." He was pretty tired. He didn't normally have such long discussions with Amy so soon after the full moon. He usually slept until dinner time. "I'll be back later," Amy gave him a gentle hug, grabbed the empty potion bottle, and quietly left the room. Matt rolled over in bed and huddled under the many blankets. He closed his eyes feeling a bit better about going to Hogwarts, but still worried.
DucksRMagical Joined: 28 December 2006 Posts: 2495 Location: Going through LeakyCon withdrawal	Posted: Sunday 15 March 2009 02 14 51 pm    Post subject: Re: In Moonlight's Shadow in topic:In Moonlight's Shadow Thanks Obladi and hprocks! Chapter 38: Memories The next week passed quickly. Too quickly in my opinion. My remaining time in Australia was flying by and I didn't like it one bit. I spent most of my time brewing potions and wandering around the bush. Norlam came to the house for Matt's therapy session on Monday and it passed in the same fashion the previous two had. The only difference was this time Matt spent the whole time watching us, instead of spending the first half hour with his head buried in Mum's shoulder. Norlam said that was a great improvement. Friday's session proved to be pointless, though. Matt seemed to have regressed and clung to Mum the whole hour. Norlam wasn't surprised since it was two days before the full moon. He actually spent the hour talking to Dad about the full moon. Sterling had sent along a packet of instructions for Dad about what to do right before and right after this particular full moon. Sterling was quite worried about it, despite the fact that Matt's ankle was mostly healed. He had stopped using the crutches on Thursday. I jokingly suggested that we give them to Mari and Maddie and earned a groan from Mum because of it. Since Mum was on speaking terms with Cinda again, she Apparated with me to her house on Saturday. The full moon was Sunday. Mum seemed very anxious, as did Dad. Hell, I was anxious as well. Dad's plan to keep Lubar out of the house wasn't foolproof. In fact, it was far from it. But it was the best they could do. And it was the last Australian full moon. After this, we wouldn't have to worry about Lubar again. I called Kenzie as soon as Mum left after dropping me off. To Kenzie, this was my last visit to my grandparents' house. At least until we visited, that is. My parents had explained that I would be spending the July full moon at Richard and Cinda's, much to my dislike. I had thought that maybe they would just let me stay home after we moved, but no. The July one was so close to the estate sale that I was just going to go to Australia with Dad for that and he'd pick me up after the full moon. I had no idea what I was doing for the August one. However, my parents had told me that I wasn't allowed to tell Kenzie that I would be there. It would look extremely suspicious to her and her family. They would think that I'd fly to Australia while Matt was getting treatment for whatever Muggle disease they thought he had. I hated to have to pretend not to be there, but it was necessary. Kenzie came over to Richard and Cinda's five minutes after I called her. She was going to sleep over at my grandparents' house for the last time. Mum and Dad didn't want her staying there the actual night of the full moon just in case something happened at home and I had to leave immediately. I actually didn't mind that since I didn't think I'd be able to hide my fear from her anyway. We ate dinner with Richard and Cinda and then went up to my room. "I still can't believe this is our last sleepover," Kenzie sighed as she flopped down onto my bed. "Me either," I laid down next to her. "Are you scared?" she asked quietly. "About moving? Yeah, a little," I replied. More than a little, I thought. "I wish I could tell you you'll be fine. But I've never moved, so I have no idea." "It's just that we're moving so far away," I said, "Everything is going to be different." "Well, look on the bright side. At least you're moving somewhere where they speak English," Kenzie shrugged. "Yeah, I suppose you're right," I laughed. "Is your new school like your old one?" Kenzie asked. "Pretty much," I shrugged. Except it's in a castle. But I didn't mention that since Muggle schools weren't normally in castles. "And does your dad have the same top-secret job in England now?" "Equivalent department, different job," I replied. "So, it's like your whole life is just being transferred to a different country." "Pretty much. But our new house is totally different." "I think you'll survive in a smaller house," Kenzie laughed. "I know," I shrugged, "But I like my house." "Yeah. I know I'd hate to leave mine. Although I definitely wouldn't mind having my own room." The rest of my time with Kenzie passed way too quickly. We spent most of it talking and just hanging out. Richard and Cinda seemed to sense that we wanted to be alone and didn't bother us the whole time. "I'm going to miss you so much," Kenzie sniffled as she grasped me in a tight hug. It was late Sunday afternoon and the full moon was going rise soon. "Me, too," I cried, "I don't want to go!" "I don't want you to!" Kenzie replied, "But you'll be back to visit." "I know," I stammered, "But I don't know when that will be!" "Can't you come stay at my house tonight? Please?" I shook my head. "Richard and Cinda want to spend time with me." "Ok, well, I guess I'll call you soon," Kenzie said, "Your mum gave my mum her mobile number." I nodded, "Yeah, call me. I'll write you as soon as we move, too. I'll let you know everything." "And I'll tell you everything that's going on here," Kenzie said. We hugged for a few more minutes and silently cried into each other's hair. I reluctantly let go and we looked at each other for a few moments. "I guess this is goodbye for real now," Kenzie said as she grabbed her bag. "I guess," I said with tears running down my cheeks, "Bye, Kenzie. But we will see each other again." "Of course," Kenzie agreed, "But until then, good luck with everything." I nodded, "Thanks." "Bye, Amy," Kenzie said softly as she opened the door. She turned around as she walked outside and I waved. I stood in the doorway and watched her go until long after she disappeared behind the trees. I let the tears roll down my face and blur my vision. This was it. Kenzie and I wouldn't see each other for months. She was one of my best friends and now she was gone. I was leaving and she was staying. I was being forced to leave my two best friends in the whole world. Olivia and I were already drifting apart and now I wouldn't see Kenzie for months. Well, at least I'd see Kenzie again. I didn't think I'd ever see Olivia again. I let a sob escape at the thought of never seeing Olivia again. With the release of that first sob, the rest of them came hard and fast. My whole body shook as I cried almost as hard as I had when Matt was in the hospital. I couldn't see anything as the tears flooded my eyes. I was hardly aware of the fact that Cinda put her arm around me and led me back into the house and onto a couch in the living room. I laid down on it and let myself cry for ages. Both of my friends were gone. I didn't know when or if I'd see them again. ****** I wasn't sure how long I laid on the couch crying, but eventually, my eyes ran dry and I slowly sat up. Cinda was sitting in one of the armchairs and was looking at me. I rubbed my eyes and took a deep breath. "Are you ok, Amy?" Cinda asked quietly. I nodded. "I guess." "I know this is hard," Cinda said, "It's hard to move away from your friends. My best friend, Helen, moved away when I was around your age. But we stayed in touch. We still call each other on occasion and even meet for coffee." "But I'm moving to another country," I muttered, "It was hard enough to keep all the lies straight with Kenzie living here, but it'll be even harder now. Lies and living across the world. I'm just sick of it." Cinda nodded. "Well, I won't pretend that I know what it's like to keep so many secrets from your friends. Helen and I told each other everything." "I can't tell anyone everything," I replied. "I know and it is hard on you. But you're strong. You're such a good big sister, you know that, right?" I nodded. "Yeah, but I just hate the whole thing sometimes." "We all do, Amy, we all do," Cinda said. I glanced out the window. It was getting increasingly darker. The moon would rise soon. "I'm going upstairs," I muttered. Cinda nodded. "It's going to be ok, Amy." I bit my lip and didn't say anything as I left. I wished I could just believe Cinda. But I couldn't. Everything was so up in the air. There was no way to know things would be ok. I went upstairs and crawled into my bed. I hadn't even eaten dinner, but I wasn't hungry. I laid completely still under the covers, staring out the window. I didn't do anything. I just laid there. Thinking about nothing and everything at the same time. Thinking about school, moving, Kenzie, Olivia, Matt, my grandparents, my parents, and everything in between. Yet, my mind was empty at the same time. It was strange, but it was the best way to describe it. Everything and nothing at the same time. I tossed and turned much of the night, but must have fallen asleep at some point because the next thing I knew I was opening my eyes to the bright sun that was shining through the window. I groggily sat up and yawned. Then it hit me. Night had passed. The moon had set once again. The sun was up. The last full moon in Australia was over! I jumped out of bed and quickly changed clothes. I ran downstairs as my heart thudded in my chest. I had no idea when Mum or Dad would tell me what happened. I assumed nothing too horrible had happened since neither of them showed up the night before, but I still wanted to know. I poured myself a bowl of cereal, but wound up just pacing the kitchen while the Lucky Charms grew mushy in my bowl. Cinda and Richard stumbled downstairs a little while later. Cinda sat down at the table while Richard poured them both mugs of coffee. I couldn't tell if they had been up all night or if they just needed their coffee. "Amy, don't you want your cereal?" Cinda asked. "No, not really," I replied as I continued pacing across the floor. "I think things went ok last night," Cinda said quietly, "They would have contacted us sooner if they hadn't." "I know," I said, "But I still need to know." "Amy," Richard said as he set down the coffee mugs, "Stop pacing. Sit down and eat something." I nodded and sat down. I picked up the spoon from my cereal and started stirring my cereal, but not eating it. Richard took it away and gave me a withered look. I didn't say a word as Richard began to cook eggs. Richard was cooking eggs. I couldn't remember the last time Richard cooked brekkie. I ate the eggs even though I wasn't exactly hungry. It had been a nice gesture on Richard's part. My mind wasn't on the food, though, it was on my brother. I was just getting up from the table when I heard a loud crack coming from the living room. I immediately ran out of the kitchen and into the living room. Mum was standing there looking exhausted, but not sad, which I took as a good sign. "Mum!" I exclaimed, "What happened?" "He's fine, Amy," Mum replied. "Is everything ok, Julie?" Richard asked. I turned around and saw him and Cinda standing in the doorway. "Everything is fine," Mum said, "Lubar did show up last night. But he had to Apparate into the bush and then come to our door the hard way. To say he wasn't happy about our wards and disconnection from the Floo Network would be an understatement, but there's nothing he could do about it. By the time he got to the house, the moon was about to rise. Matt was already in the basement. Walter was able to hold him off just by arguing with him. He was quite angry when he realized that the moon had risen before he got Matt, though. Walter told him to get out and slammed the door in his face. And that, hopefully, was the last time we saw Ralph Lubar." I breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good," I smiled. "Glad to hear it," Richard said. "What about Matt?" Cinda asked, "Is he ok?" Mum gave Cinda a weird look, but then shook her head and it was gone. I guess Mum wasn't used to Cinda asking about Matt, since they had that huge row. "As good as can be expected," Mum replied, "He had been unconscious for about an hour, but that's normal. He's got the usual injuries, and he re-injured his ankle. Depending on how fast it heals, he might have to go see Healer Sterling again. But after last month, this one has been a relief." Cinda winced at the sound of Matt's injury. "Well, I can't say I've heard anyone say a re-injured ankle is a relief, but I'm glad it wasn't anything worse." I was, too. I hadn't even realized how worried I had been until I found out that Matt was ok. Sure, I had been pacing around the kitchen, but I hadn't thought I'd been that worried. "When can I come home?" I asked quietly. Mum sighed. "I guess you can come home now. But you'll have to stay out of Matt's room. He needs to rest." I nodded and smiled as I went to get my stuff. I couldn't believe how much less strict Mum had become in the past few months. Six months ago, she never would have let me go home the morning after the full moon. ****** The next week flew by even faster than the previous one had. Mum and Dad were preoccupied with moving logistics and spent most of their time talking about packing and decorating and other sorts of stuff. With the last full moon in Australia behind them, they were both becoming increasingly excited about the move. I think Dad was excited about working again as well. He routinely talked about his new job and I got the feeling he was very enthusiastic about it. Matt seemed indifferent about moving. He spent the week resting and lounging around the house while his ankle healed. Dad brought out the crutches again and Matt hobbled around the house on them. Mum said he needed to go to St. Mungo's, but Dad wanted to just wait until after we moved and see if it healed on its own with the usual potions. Mum reluctantly agreed. He had two more therapy sessions and Norlam was very pleased with the progress he'd made. During the most recent one, he had migrated from the couch onto the floor and watched Norlam and I play Gobstones. He didn't say anything or play with us, but it was progress nonetheless. "Amy, did you clean up your room yet?" Mum shouted from the kitchen. "It's almost done!" I groaned and got up from the couch. "You need to finish it soon! The Magical Movers are coming early tomorrow morning and your room needs to be ready to be packed!" "I know!" Mum had been nagging me about cleaning my room all day. She and Dad were frantically running around the house making sure everything was ready. Matt and I had mostly been watching them. Mum of course got his room ready for him, but I had to do mine myself. Plus my Potions room, which I had done that morning. I didn't want to get my room ready. I didn't want to see it bare and empty. Once it was empty, it wouldn't be mine anymore. It would be Clarence's, and who knows what he'd do with it. I still hated the thought of someone else moving into the house. Although, part of me thought Clarence was just going to own it in name only and let it sit empty just to spite Dad and Uncle Jack. No amount of thinking about it could have possibly prepared me for packing up my room. I slowly ascended the stairs and stood in the doorway for a moment before sitting down and starting to clean. There was no feeling in the world quite like packing up your whole life and moving it to another country. I had only moved once in my life and I had been so young that I didn't remember it. This house was basically the one I had spent my life in. Even before we actually moved in, when Granny and Gramps were still alive, we spent every holiday in this house. Granny, Gramps, Mum, Dad, me, and occasionally Clarence and Gregory. We visited other times of the year, too. My memories of this house were some of the first ones I'd had. Christmas morning when I was three. Ripping open the biggest box under the tree to find my very first toy broom. I flew it around the house the entire day, until I crashed into the refrigerator and Mum declared it an outside toy. My fourth birthday. One of the only memories I had of Granny and Gramps. My last memory of them. All our family at the house eating a huge chocolate cake. My Little Hippogriffs, a toy owl, a stuffed animal dragon that breathed fake fire, and a copy of [i]The Tales of Beedle the Bard[/i] for presents. But what I remember most is walking through the bush and seeing a family of kangaroos. That had been my first walk through that bush, and I fell in love. Moving in. It had been a few months after Granny and Gramps had died. Dad couldn't bring himself to move in before that. I don't remember much about the accident, but I do remember being excited about moving. Mum carried me up the stairs and showed me my new room. I was thrilled and made a beeline for the balcony. It had been locked and it remained that way for years. I was five and I first discovered the joys of climbing the wall into the bush. Mum completely freaked out and told me never to do it again. I was out there the next day when Mum was cleaning. I promptly fell off, skinned my knee, and ran crying inside to Mum. I tried again the next day and succeeded. A few months later Mum was shrieking with joy and holding a white stick in her hand. I kept asking her what it was, but she wouldn't tell me. A few hours after Dad came home, they sat me down and told me I was going to have a new brother or sister. I was filled with mixed feelings about it, but what I remember most is wanting a sister. Six years old and peering down at Matt, who was sleeping in his crib. I remember thinking how tiny he was. Mum and Dad asked me if I wanted to hold him and I said yes. I sat down in the rocking chair and Mum placed him in my lap. I looked down at his tiny red face and wondered how on earth a baby could have been growing in Mum. Sitting in the kitchen staring at the owl that was coming closer and closer to the house. I had been eleven and spent days waiting for my Australian School of Sorcery letter to arrive. I let the owl in and couldn't get the letter open fast enough. My hands shook as I opened it and shrieked with joy when I read it. I ran all around the entire house waving it above my head. Four-year-old Matt stared at me with a mixed look of confusion and awe on his face. He immediately asked me how long it would be until he got his letter. Almost exactly a year later, laying on my bed thinking about how everything changed in a matter of minutes. It had been a few days after Matt got bitten and Dad and I came home from the hospital to get some sleep. Mum stayed with Matt. I was scared. Scared and upset. I didn't know what it meant. I didn't know what would happen to Matt. To me. To my whole family. Christmas, just six short months ago. Finally getting the twelve foot tree I had always wanted. With no way to know that it would be the one and only time we'd have a tree that tall in the house. With no way of knowing that it was our last Christmas in the house. My house. My home. Memories. I knew deep down that I'd always have the memories of my house, even if we didn't own it anymore. I knew it was the people I shared those memories with were what really mattered. But I couldn't help but feel like I was being forced to leave my childhood behind. No matter how much I reassured myself things would be ok, I knew I'd be leaving a part of myself in Australia with the house. I shook myself out of my reminiscing and stared at my room. I had no idea where to begin. Cleaning up my Potions room had been easy. Everything had a place in there. All I had to do was put everything in its place and I was done. My bedroom was different. It had never really been organized. I sighed and began by picking up all the dirty clothes and throwing them in the hamper. It was a start. But it was only a start. My room was still a mess when I finished that. I kept going and finished picking up everything else that was on the floor. I worked methodically, trying not to think about what the cleaning really meant. I knew if I sank back into reminiscing, I'd never get anything accomplished. Then came my closet. I didn't think I had ever cleaned my closet. It was packed with the detritus of my childhood. I sat down in front of it and began to pull things out. Text books from previous years, broken displays of the solar system from Astronomy, broken quills, random bits of parchment. It was like cleaning out a big school trunk. I tossed most of it into the bin. I made a pile of stuff I wanted to keep and threw the books onto it. It was like an archaeological dig. There were layers of my life piled into that closet. As I worked through the stuff, I worked farther back into the years. I found my first set of school robes, which were much too short. I couldn't bear to throw them away, though. They would remind me of Australia. A box of letters from Olivia joined them in the 'keeping' pile. Next was the stuff from before I ever went to school. Well, magical school, that is. I found my My Little Hippogriffs. I threw away the broken ones and kept the ones that were still intact. Wendy Witch dolls, toy dragons, hippogriffs, unicorns, and just about every other magical creature in the world. Dad began teaching me about magical creatures before I could talk. My toy broomstick, which had seen better days. I put it in the 'keeping' pile. Old clothes that I hadn't seen in years went into the giveaway pile. Childhood books went into the 'keeping' pile. Eventually the entire contents of my closet had been organized into three piles. The 'keeping' pile was considerably larger than the others. That didn't matter. Mum had said I could keep whatever I wanted. I grabbed a few of the boxes Mum had given me and piled everything I wanted to keep into it. The trash pile went in the bin and the giveaway stuff went in another box. I tackled my dresser and desk next. Most of that stuff I packed into boxes to be moved to England. There wasn't much I wanted to get rid of. I left my bedding on the bed since we still had one more night. By the time I finished, my room looked depressingly empty. It didn't even really look like my room anymore. It was an empty shell, a place where I had lived almost my entire life and was now just a room. I didn't like it. Not one bit. I sank down onto my bed and stared at the boxes. The boxes that contained my life.
DucksRMagical Joined: 28 December 2006 Posts: 2495 Location: Going through LeakyCon withdrawal	Posted: Sunday 1 March 2009 09 35 47 am    Post subject: Re: In Moonlight's Shadow in topic:In Moonlight's Shadow Thanks Obladi and hprocks! I have wanted to kill fictional characters, too, Obladi. Chapter 36: Therapy Session I spent most of the morning half-reading a book in the living room and half-watching Matt try out his crutches. He had taken a nap right after brekkie and woke up wanting to figure out how to use the crutches. It was kind of amusing to watch as Matt was pretty clumsy when he walked on two feet, and with crutches it was like he was walking on three feet. He must have fallen over at least ten times before Mum made him stop. She was afraid he'd hurt something else. I sort of wanted to try out the crutches, too. I wasn't going to admit it to Mum, but they looked kind of fun. I'd never used them before, as wizards normally didn't need them. I broke my leg once when I was a little older than Matt. I'd fallen out of a tree. But the healers at Eastworth had it fixed within a few minutes and I was walking on it again two days later. Dad disappeared into his study shortly after he finished eating his eggs. He muttered something about sending an owl to Norlam telling him to take a portkey to the bush behind the house instead of trying to floo. Dad was still planning on having our house disconnected from the floo network. Dad also said something about having to reschedule the final estate sale. It was supposed to have been the previous day, but he'd canceled it at the last minute due to Matt's lengthy hospital stay. I wasn't really sure when he was planning on having it since we were supposed to move in only a few short weeks, but I certainly wasn't going to worry about it. I didn't really think it would take all morning to send an owl and rearrange an estate sale, but Dad didn't reemerge from his study for hours. I saw Mum sigh and shake her head as she paused by the closed door on her way upstairs. Whatever he was doing in there, Mum seemed to realize that he wanted to be alone. After lunch Matt fell asleep again and I got bored with reading. I put down my book and walked up the stairs to my potions room. I hadn't brewed anything in ages, which was kind of odd. I wasn't sure why I hadn't. Mum had long since given up on monitoring my homework since she had much more important things to worry about. I guess potion brewing had been pretty low on my priority list given the state of things in my family. I brewed all afternoon and it was incredibly relaxing. I slowly forgot about the move and Matt's injuries and Dad's stress and everything else that was going on. The only thing I was thinking about was the potion I was brewing. I didn't even have to think about Matt barging in on me since he could hardly maneuver himself with his crutches across the living room let alone manage to climb up two flights of stairs with them. I didn't even realize how much time had passed until my stomach started rumbling. I bottled up the potion and cleaned up. I was stowing my silver cauldron back in the cabinet when I heard a faint knock on the door. "Come in," I said. Dad walked inside looking worn out. I looked at him and suddenly noticed how old he looked. I hadn't really noticed my parents aging over the years, but for some reason Dad just looked much older than usual at that moment. His face was etched with lines and his eyes sunken into the purple bags that surrounded them. Maybe he just hadn't slept well in a few days. I had gotten a good night's sleep the previous night, but Dad might not have since Matt was in his room. "Hey, Dad," I said as I closed the cabinet. "Hi, Amy," Dad replied, "Dinner's ready." "Oh, good. I'm starved." "Well, Ellie's outdone herself," Dad smiled wearily, "I think she missed cooking for us the past couple weeks." "I've definitely missed her cooking," I replied. Dad and I walked downstairs together, where we found Mum, Matt, and Ellie already sitting down at the table. There were platters of food covering the entire table. It looked like way more food than my family would actually eat, but it certainly looked good. "Were you able to reschedule the sale, Walter?" Mum asked after we'd all served ourselves heaping piles of food. Dad nodded. "It's not until after we actually move, though." "Isn't your cousin moving in right away?" Mum asked. "I don't think so. I don't think he really cares about actually living here anyway. He'll be happy when we're out of the country. He'll technically own the house, but who knows what he'll do with it." Mum muttered something under her breath that sounded an awfully lot like something she'd yell at me for saying if I said it. "When is the sale?" she asked. "July twentieth," Dad replied, "I know it's close to the July full moon, but it's the earliest day I could get. I didn't want to let it wait too long. I figure I'll just come down here and you can stay with Matt in England. I should be able to finagle a porkey down here." "I guess that will work," Mum sighed, "I don't suppose we have a choice." "Not unless we want to let my dolt of a cousin get the furniture as well as the house," Dad muttered. "Then it's settled," Mum said, "And what about Norlam? Is he going to be able to porkey down here?" "Yes. He said that would be fine. And I'm going to the Ministry first thing tomorrow morning to get us disconnected from the Floo Network." Mum shook her head and put down her fork. "I've been thinking about that. Do you really think it's wise?" "To have us taken off the Network?" Dad stared at her, "We agreed to do it. It's a safety precaution. No one will be able to come undetected into the house anymore." "No, not that," Mum said quickly, "Of course I think that's a good idea. What I'm not so sure about is you going to the Ministry to have it done." I set my cup down and paid close attention to what they were talking about. "I'm not going to do anything stupid, Julie," Dad muttered. "I know you won't go there meaning to do anything stupid," Mum said quietly, "But I worry about what might happen if you accidentally happen upon him." "I am in complete control of my own actions, Julie," Dad replied, his voice getting harsher. "We'll talk about it later," Mum gave him a significant look and then slightly tilted her head towards Matt and I. I'd have to be sure to find out where they went to talk after dinner and eavesdrop. Dad nodded and went back to eating his dinner. The rest of the meal was spent in silence until Matt started complaining about the taste of the potions Mum handed to him after he'd finished eating. I lingered at the table nursing my juice as Ellie and Mum began clearing the table. Dad slowly followed Matt back to the living room. Judging by the sound of it, Matt only fell over once on his way there, which was a new record. Mum visibly winced when she heard the thump, but she just shook her head and continued helping Ellie with the dishes. Dad returned a short while later and gestured for Mum to follow him. I peered around the door as they went and saw the two of them disappear into Dad's study, shutting the door behind them. I hurried out of the room and up the stairs. I rummaged through the stuff that was on my desk until I found the Extendable Ears I had bought in Hogsmeade. I knew those things would come in handy again. I ran down the stairs as fast as I could without making too much noise. I knelt in front of the door to Dad's study and stuffed an end of the Extendable Ear into my own ear. Nothing. There wasn't a sound coming from the study. Merlin, I thought, what if they put some sort of charm on the door? It wouldn't really surprise me. "You know what I think about this." I heard Mum say. Yes, they hadn't charmed the door! "And you know my opinion on the subject as well," Dad replied. "Well, we're in a bit of a bind, then." "I suppose so. But how exactly do you think we're going to get disconnected from the Floo Network if I don't go to the Ministry?" Dad asked, "You think you'd be able to control yourself if you went and somehow stumbled upon Lubar?" "No," Mum said, "I don't think I would. I don't think you would, either." "Then how are we going to accomplish this?" "I don't know," Mum said, "I just don't think it's a good idea for you to go down there." "I know you don't. But we haven't got a choice! It's either I go down to the Ministry or we stay on the Network and risk Lubar showing up on the full moon! And do you really think I'll be able to control myself if that happens? I swear I'll kill him if he ever shows up here again." "Can't we just send an owl and request it or something?" Mum asked. "I want to be sure it's done and done correctly. I don't want Lubar getting word of this and drafting some sort of nonsense legislation that requires werewolves to be on the Floo Network. I wouldn't put it past him to do just that if I send an owl about this. "All I want to do is go directly to the Department of Magical Transportation and ask them personally to take us off the Network. I'm perfectly within my rights to do that. I haven't been banned from Ministry premises. Anyone can have themselves taken off the Network. But if we send an owl, someone could show it to Lubar and he could have that legislation passed within a day." Mum sighed. "I suppose you're right. I just don't feel comfortable with you doing this. If you so much as say the wrong thing to Lubar while you're there, you could find yourself arrested." "I know," Dad said darkly, "And that's why I'm not going anywhere near my old department." "All right, all right. I trust you. It's Lubar I don't trust." "I know, Julie, I know," Dad sighed. "Do you really think this will work? Will he not be able to get Matt if we're off the Network?" "It'll help," Dad said, "He won't be able to take us by surprise again. He'll have to Apparate outside our property and then walk to the door. I'll set some charms throughout the yard and we'll know if he enters the property. In which case, we'll be prepared for him. All we'll have to do is hold him off until the moon rises and then it'll be too late for him to do anything." "There are so many things that could go wrong with that plan," Mum replied, "We could both wind up in prison for attacking a Ministry official." "I know," Dad said, "But it's the only thing we can do. Just one more full moon here and then we'll be in England. We just have to get through one more." I listened for another minute, but neither of them said anything. I hurried away when I heard footsteps coming from inside. I was innocently reading in the living room when my parents entered a few minutes later. I stayed up half the night worrying about what my parents were planning on doing. I knew Dad wasn't planning on meeting up with Lubar at the Ministry the next day, but what if they somehow stumbled upon each other? Dad didn't sound like he was joking around when he said he'd kill Lubar. Dad normally wasn't a violent person; he usually preferred to solve problems with words rather than wands. Uncle Jack had always been the one with a temper. But this was different. I knew there was nothing Dad wouldn't do to protect Matt, and me as well. Then there was the full moon itself. My parents had come up with a plan to knowingly break the law. Nothing had changed since the last full moon. Matt was still legally required to transform at the Ministry Approved Center, even though it practically killed him the last time. To get out of the requirement, Dad would have to create a safe house that Lubar approved of. I had a feeling that Dad could create the world's safest building and it still wouldn't be up to Lubar's standards. But Mum had brought up a good point; what if they did get arrested? How did Dad suppose he'd hold Lubar off without hexing or jinxing him? I woke up groggy and still tired the next morning. I squinted at the clock near my bed and saw that it was just past nine. I rolled out of bed and headed downstairs. The rest of my family was already up. Mum and Dad were eating omelets and not speaking. They both looked exhausted. Matt was eating a bowl of Lucky Charms and leaning his head on his hand at the same time. He looked even more tired than my parents. I poured myself a bowl of Lucky Charms and sat down next to Matt. No one said anything as I began eating. "I'm off to the Ministry," Dad announced a little while later. "Be careful," Mum warned him as he stood up. "I will," he said and gave her a quick kiss, "I'll be back shortly." "Bye, Dad," I said. "Bye, Amy," Dad gave me a hug and then gave one to Matt. "Bye, Matt. I'll be back soon, ok?" He nodded. "Bye." I wandered into the living room once I finished eating. Mum had carried Matt in there as soon as Dad left. She was pacing in front of the fireplace and Matt was nodding off on the couch. I watched Mum pace for the entire time Dad was gone. The only time she stopped was when Matt woke up and complained that his ankle hurt. She brought him a potion and then went back to pacing. Mum jumped as the she heard the front door open. She quickly sat down on the couch next to Matt and grabbed the nearest book, opening it up to a random page. "We're disconnected," Dad announced as he stepped into the room. "Oh, good," Mum smiled, "And did you meet up with," she paused and glanced at Matt, who was sleeping, "Lubar at all?" "Nope," Dad replied and then lowered his voice, "Although I did pass the Minister in the corridor." Mum sighed. "Did you keep your head?" "Yes," Dad said, "There were certainly a few things I wanted to say, and a few hexes I would've liked to share, but I said nothing. He looked at me strangely, but I hurried away as quickly as I could. He has no idea why I was there." "Good," Mum replied, "Now onto the next thing. Norlam's coming at one, right?" "Yeah," Dad confirmed, "He'll be portkeying." Mum sighed. "I really hope this goes well." "Me, too," Dad agreed, "Me, too." ****** I could sense Mum and Dad's nervousness as we ate lunch a little while later. They kept looking at each other and then at Matt. He didn't seem to notice and was considerably more awake than he had been at brekkie. "Matt," Mum said quietly as she cleared the dishes, "Do you remember Healer Norlam? From St. Mungo's?" Matt stared at Mum and slowly nodded his head. I couldn't quite make out what he was thinking, but it looked to be a combination of fear and confusion. "Well," Mum continued, "He's going to come visit us today. To see how you're doing and see if he can help with your nightmares." Matt shook his head fiercely and then winced. "No. I don't want him to come." "I know you don't, honey, but he's going to help." We all migrated back to the living room once Mum finished cleaning up. Matt looked scared as he sat on the couch. Mum and Dad sat down next to him and he crawled over to Mum and leaned his head on her chest. I wasn't really sure if I was supposed to be there during the therapy session, but I sat down on a chair and pulled out a book. The door charm sounded a little while later and I got up with Dad to answer it. Mum stayed with Matt since he was still leaning against her. Dad opened the door and Norlam greeted him and shook his hand. Dad gestured for him to step into the house and shut the door behind him. "Matt's in the living room," Dad said and pointed down the corridor. "Actually, I thought I'd talk to you first," Norlam said. "Oh, all right. Amy-" "She can stay," Norlam smiled, "That's fine. I imagine she'll just listen in around the corner anyway." I blushed and grinned sheepishly. Maybe this bloke did know a thing or two about the way children's minds worked. Dad smirked. "Well, ok. What did you want to talk about?" "I can't start therapy until Matt feels comfortable around me. It just won't work if he doesn't trust me. So, today's goal is to start to gain his trust." "Any ideas as to how to do that?" Dad asked. It seemed to me like an endless loop. Matt was afraid of strangers and Norlam was a stranger. In order to overcome that fear, he had to learn to trust Norlam. "It's going to be tough," Norlam said, "And I doubt it'll happen with just one session. But we're going to try. I thought I could just sit in the living room with you. All of you," he turned to me and then back to Dad, "We'll just talk casually and maybe play a game or two of Exploding Snap. Hopefully Matt will see how at ease the three of you are and start to trust me." Dad nodded. "That sounds like it should work." "Well, let's get started," Norlam smiled. Dad led the way back to the living room. Norlam gestured for me to go in first, then Dad, and then himself. I sat down on the couch and Dad leaned over Mum's shoulder and whispered something in her ear. She nodded and Dad stood next to the door. Norlam stepped in and smiled at Mum. "Hello, Healer Norlam," Mum greeted him. "Hi, Julie," Norlam said, "Please, call me Jeff." "Jeff, then," Mum replied. Matt watched the two of them talk and inched closer to Mum. He climbed onto her lap and turned away from Norlam. Norlam took a seat on the floor, which I thought was kind of odd since there was another couch and a few chairs that were empty. But I figured he had a reason for it. "Anyone care to play Exploding Snap?" Norlam asked as he pulled a package of cards out of his robes. I looked at Dad and he gave a slight nod of his head. "Sure," I shrugged and got up from the chair. I sat down across from Norlam and he began to shuffle the cards. Dad got up as well and sat down next to me. "So," Norlam began as he dealt the cards, "Amy, you're going into your fourth year in school?" I nodded. "Yeah. I was supposed to be in it already, but well, you know the story." I thought it was odd that Norlam was talking to me when this whole therapy thing was for Matt, but I knew nothing about psychology so I didn't question anything. I wanted Matt to get over this, so I decided to just go along with it. "Indeed I do," Norlam said quietly, "But life is never predictable. Hogwarts is a great school. I attended there myself, a very long time ago. What subjects do you enjoy?" "Potions and Astronomy," I answered. "Interesting combination," Norlam said, seeming to stare off into space, "Interesting indeed...." I had no idea where he was going with this. I looked at him curiously and he gave a slight shake of his head and returned his attention to the game. "How about Quidditch?" Norlam asked, "Do you like Quidditch?" "Not really," I shrugged. I've never liked flying, whether it's on a broomstick or a Muggle airplane. Quidditch wasn't really something I enjoyed watching either. Dad took us to the World Cup once, when it was held in Australia, and that was fun. I had only been about ten at the time. "I'm a big Quidditch fan. Played Beater for Hufflepuff House when I was at Hogwarts. Do you know about the houses?" "Yes. Professor Kendrick told us about them. How do they decide which house you're in?" Norlam smiled. "That, Amy, is one of the big secrets of Hogwarts. Although it's never been discussed, nobody tells how the Sorting is done. My own brother wouldn't tell me. I asked him about five times a day the whole summer before I went to Hogwarts, but he never said a word about it. My parents never mentioned it to me either. Didn't find out until I entered the Great Hall my first day." "So you're not going to tell me?" I asked. I had been wondering about the Sorting thing ever since I found out we'd be moving to England. In Australia, you were just randomly assigned a house. "I feel I'd be betraying generations of Hogwarts students if I told you, Amy," Norlam sighed, "But I daresay you'll find out soon." "So, can I ask you questions?" I asked. "Of course," Norlam replied, "After all, I'm asking about you." I nodded. I paused before asking anything. What sort of questions would help Matt figure out that Norlam was trustworthy? I was beginning to wish I knew a little bit about psychology. "Well, are you married?" I asked. "I've been married for forty-eight years," Norlam smiled, "To the most wonderful lady in the world. We have two children and seven grandchildren. I love them more than anything in the world." That was good. Maybe if Matt heard that Norlam had kids and grandkids, he'd trust him. "And do any of them go to Hogwarts?" "Actually, yes. Three of them. One has already graduated and the other three are too young. All have been in Hufflepuff." "What were your favorite subjects there?" "Transfiguration and Herbology," Norlam answered, "Care of Magical Creatures was fun as well, but after seeing my teacher loose a few fingers one lesson, I was more apt to watch the creatures from afar than actually study them." Dad chortled and shook his head. "I think if my Care of Magical Creatures professor had lost fingers during class, I would have been even more excited about the subject. Nothing scared me as a child. I think it would have been better if I had a healthy fear of dragons, though. I obtained quite the nasty burn in training." "And that's why you went into the study of magical creatures and I went into psychology," Norlam replied. "Er, is the professor who lost his fingers still there?" "Oh, no. He retired a while ago. Although the professor they have now has no fear of any creature in the world. I wouldn't even put it past him to keep a dragon as a pet." My eyes bugged out. A dragon as a pet? Was that bloke mad? Well, as long as he didn't make me care for dragons, I didn't suppose it would matter. "Don't worry. There is no one in the world more capable of handling magical creatures more than that professor," Norlam assured me. "Do you know any of the other professors?" "Most of them," Norlam said, "Only one of them taught me, though. The Potions Master." "Can you tell me about them?" "I'd prefer not to, so as not to influence your opinion of them." I sighed and went back to the cards. We kept talking casually as we played Exploding Snap. Norlam was either horrible at the game or purposely losing to Dad and I was some sort of psychological technique. By the time the hour long appointment had ended, Norlam's face was coated in soot. He collected the cards, cleaned his face, said goodbye to Mum, and motioned for Dad to follow him into the corridor. I followed them since neither of them told me not to. "I'd like to have bi-weekly appointments, if that will work for you," Norlam said once we were away from the living room. Dad nodded. "That would be fine." "How about Mondays and Fridays at this same time?" Norlam suggested. "That should work." "I'll be here on Friday, then," Norlam replied, "Goodbye." "Bye," Dad shook his hand. "Bye, Amy," Norlam waved to me as he opened the door, "You were quite helpful today." "Bye," I replied. How had I been helpful? All I'd done was play Exploding Snap and talk about my life. I didn't think I'd ever understand psychology.