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DucksRMagical Joined: 28 December 2006 Posts: 2495 Location: Going through LeakyCon withdrawal	Posted: Wednesday 24 February 2010 11 51 54 am    Post subject: Re: Albus potter and the Path Left Untrodden in topic:Albus potter and the Path Left Untrodden Chapter 24: Darker Times Lunch was very subdued the next day. Most people had slept quite late since it was a Saturday. Every student of Hogwarts had their nose in a copy of the Prophet, be it their own or a friend's. The staff table looked the same, with every professor either reading the Prophet or whispering with another professor, no doubt about what they'd read. Albus was reading Georgia's Prophet as she had finished with it and made a mental note to start subscribing himself. All of his friends were peering over his shoulders. Even Linda was hovering around them, a foot or so away. [i][b]HOGSMEADE SHOPKEEPER MURDERED[/b] A disturbance in Dervish and Banges late yesterday evening that sent one Hogsmeade resident to Hogwarts to find the Auror on duty lead to the discovery of the death of a shopkeeper. Leroy Wisander, 42, the ten-year owner of Dervish and Banges was pronounced dead on the scene by Ministry Aurors yesterday evening. His shop had been broken into and it showed signs of a struggle. Wisander was discovered in the middle of destroyed merchandise with his wand laying a few feet away. Aurors confirmed that he was killed with the killing curse. An extensive search of Hogsmeade, the forest, Hogwarts, and its grounds turned up nothing despite the hours Aurors spent searching. No fingerprints were found on the scene. Aurors will be devoting time to finding Wisander's killer and a possible motive. Leroy Wisander had owned Dervish and Banges for a little over ten years, when he purchased the shop from its previous owners who retired. However, Wisander is more known for the scathing editorials he writes for this very newspaper. Anyone who knew Wisander knew he was a man of very strong opinion and did not hesitate to let others know his opinions. His most recent editorials have explored the subject of werewolf, vampire, and other so called 'half-breeds' rights. Aurors have declined comment on whether they believe Wisander's editorials are a possible motive for his murder. Wisander's obituary can be found on page five.[/i] Albus set the paper down and his friends all resumed their seats. Nobody said a word for a few minutes. Albus didn't know what to think. The article certainly made it seem like Wisander was killed because of his beliefs. However, it didn't exactly say what his beliefs were. Albus hadn't ever read any of his editorials, so he couldn't say either. “What kind of editorials did he write?” Matt asked quietly. “I have no idea,” Albus replied, looking at his friend whose face was quite pale, “Want to go to the room?” “Yeah,” Matt nodded, “I'm not really hungry.” Albus got up and was followed by all of his friends. John and Kaden each grabbed a stack of toast before leaving. Even Rose and Amanda went with them instead of going off to study with Linda. “Have any of you read his editorials?” Matt asked as soon as they were in the Marauder's Den. Nobody had read them. Not even Rose. Matt sighed and collapsed onto one of the couches. “I've got to find out what they were about. I don't even know which would be better, him being for or against werewolf rights. If he's for them, that means some bloke is on the loose killing people for wanting werewolf rights.” Matt didn't even have to continue for Albus to know why that worried him. Matt's dad was possibly the biggest proponent of werewolf rights in all of Britain and everyone knew it. If someone had been killed just for writing about werewolf rights, what would happen to someone who was actually passing laws for them? “That might not be why Wisander was killed,” Rose pointed out. “Why else would someone have killed him?” Matt asked, “He was just a shop owner in Hogsmeade.” “Why did someone kill Professor Torro?” John replied, “He wasn't even writing any editorials or anything.” “To scare people,” Albus said quietly, “The Defense teacher position used to be cursed, back when our parents were in school.” “Well, I don't think you should worry until you find out what the editorials are about,” Rose said to Matt. “The other option isn't much better,” Matt muttered, “If he didn't write editorials for werewolf rights, then he wrote them against them.” Albus thought Matt had a point, but he kept his mouth shut. Any way you looked at it, this murder pointed to the fact that things were changing. Aurors had been patrolling Hogwarts for months, but Albus had quickly adjusted to that and didn't really think much about it, but maybe there was more happening outside of Hogwarts than Albus was aware of. “Let's go to the library,” Rose said as she stood up, “They'll have old copies of the Prophet there.” Everyone agreed with this and they set off to the library. When they arrived, they were surprised to find how crowded it was. Usually Saturdays were the days everyone put off their homework and then Sundays were spent in the library. Once they stepped inside, Albus saw that everyone was looking through old copies of the Prophet. Nearly every table had a few newspapers on it and a few students poring over them. Madam Pince was bustling about, no doubt worrying about whether the students would rip her precious newspapers. “Might not be any left,” John muttered. “This is good,” Albus replied, “Now it won't look suspicious for us to be investigating.” John was almost right. There was a very small stack of newspapers left. Albus grabbed them all and then they went to a secluded table towards the back of the library. Albus, Matt, and Rose each took a newspaper while John, Kaden, and Amanda played tic-tac-toe on a spare bit of parchment. Albus leafed through his newspaper, which was about two years old, until he got to the editorial section. In the very middle, in the biggest font, was an editorial by Leroy Wisander. [i][b]HEALERS, BREWERS TO BLAME, NOT MINISTRY OFFICIALS[/b] As I was locking up my shop last night, I noticed that it was a full moon. I could not help but think of the poor people plagued with lycanthropy currently shut up while attacking themselves. Now, I know what you all are thinking. Wolfsbane. The stuff works miracles if taken correctly. However, it does no good if it's sitting in St. Mungo's and not being used by witches and wizards with lycanthropy. The stuff is expensive. I myself did the calculations and discovered that it would be extremely difficult for anyone with a low income to afford it. And what kind of jobs are lycanthropes often stuck with? Menial, low-paying ones. The jobs where they make hardly enough money to pay the rent and buy food, let alone purchase a potion that could alter their lives for the better. I am absolutely appalled that Healers and potion brewers charge for this important potion. They must be making a nice profit. They can use the profits to take extravagant holidays while the poor witches and wizards who buy it struggle to afford it. There is only so much Ministry officials can do. Head of Werewolf Support Services, Walter Eckerton, says he would love to give away free Wolfsbane, but there just isn't room for it in the budget. What do I propose? I propose that Healers and potion brewers give it away for free. They have the abilities to brew it, not the Ministry. Most Healers claim to love helping people, but often it is those who need it most, such as those with lycanthropy, are often forced to go without, all because those with the abilities to brew it like to have a little extra spending money.[/i] “Nothing in this one,” Rose said as she shoved hers aside. “This one's got one about vampires,” Matt said as he set his paper on top of Rose's. “Read this,” Albus handed Matt his paper, “Wisander even mentions your dad.” Matt took the paper and he and Rose began to read it. John, Amanda, and Kaden peered over as well. Albus sat and waited while they read. “Let's go back to the room,” Matt said as soon as he'd finished reading it. Albus nodded and they returned the newspapers and walked as fast as they could back to the Marauder's Den. “Bloody Hell, that bloke must have had so many enemies!” John shouted as soon as they were back. “I know,” Albus agreed, “And that one's from two years ago. Imagine what he's written recently.” “Why did he have to mention my dad?” Matt groaned, “He made it sound like my dad agrees with that editorial and he definitely doesn't.” “He was just trying to stir something up,” Rose replied, “And look where it got him.” “Healers aren't like that. Most of the ones I've met would give away free Wolfsbane, but it's more complicated that that. The ingredients are expensive and it takes forever to brew. Not to mention how difficult it is. There aren't many Healers who can brew it and even most brewers can't brew it,” Matt explained. “That bloke didn't know the half of it,” John agreed, “My dad's a Healer and he'd love to give away free potions. It just doesn't work that way.” “My dad's linked with that bloke,” Matt said quietly, “And now that he's head of the entire department, he'll be passing more laws. Whoever killed Wisander's not going to be happy.” “Your dad's a really good wizard, though,” Albus pointed out to his worried friend, “Plus he works at the Ministry, where there are loads of Aurors milling about. And your house is more protected than any other house I've seen, well, except the Minister's Mansion.” “I know, but it's still not good,” Matt sighed. Albus couldn't argue with that. Something was going on outside of Hogwarts. Something far more important than the Quidditch tournament and the dueling tournament. ****** Albus and his friends scoured the Daily Prophet every morning the following week. Every day there was an article about Wisander, the investigation, or both. So far the investigation had turned up nothing. The Aurors had questioned quite a few people, namely those very outspoken against werewolf and vampire rights, but the search had proved fruitless. The articles about Wisander were far more interesting. It seemed that his editorial about Wolfsbane Potion was one of the tamer ones. Each day little pieces of his various editorials were being published. In one, he stated the reasons why werewolves shouldn't be locked up on full moons. The reasons were quite absurd, but the Prophet had printed it anyway. Another editorial talked about why vampires should be allowed access to humans to bite. He suggested using prisoners and allowing vampires to suck them dry. Thus helping vampires and reducing prison costs at the same time. “I reckon this bloke was off his rocker,” John announced at breakfast the following Sunday. He had just finished reading an article about how Wisander spent a year living with a vampire tribe in Turkey when he was young. They were some of the few people actually up at an early hour, as Albus had Quidditch practice and John had a morning detention with Filch for putting dungbombs in the toilets in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom the previous day. “That's a nice way of putting it,” Albus said as he served himself more eggs. “What are you doing after Quidditch practice?” John asked. “After Quidditch?” Albus laughed, “You mean, I'm going to get to leave eventually? Wood won't make us practice for the next week? I thought he was going to keep going until the actual match on Saturday.” “He's got to let you out for class,” John grinned. “What a shame,” Albus rolled his eyes, “Anyway, I'll probably have to do homework, since practice will go until late. How about you? Any plans for after detention?” “Thought I might earn another detention,” John grinned, “But Kaden's busy with chess club this afternoon-” “Wait,” Albus nearly choked on his juice, “Kaden joined the chess club? Kaden? Kaden Dursley?” “Know any other Kadens?” John laughed, “Rose said they want to teach him how to play properly, you know, like a challenge of sorts.” “I'll tell Rose good luck with that,” Albus said. “Yeah, so both Kaden and Rose will be busy with that. Not that Rose would want to earn detention with me anyway. And Amanda's doing something with Linda today, homework, I think. And I doubt Matt will be up for doing anything,” John continued. “Right,” Albus said, remembering that the full moon was that night, “But you did the dungbombs on your own.” “But it's not as fun,” John sighed, “I guess I'll just hang around the den with Matt. I can have a nice one-sided conversation.” “You can do your homework,” Albus told him. “Nope, I'm waiting until you get back for that,” John said. “Well, have fun in your detention. I've got to get to practice,” Albus said as he got up. There were a few choice words Albus had for practice that day. Long, grueling, and intense. Wood was in his finest form as he ordered the team to do drills hour after hour. He seemed to get more and more stressed as the day wore on. James did a lot of one-on-one training with Teddy and Albus was more than a little envious. Teddy was a much more patient captain than Wood was and yelled a whole lot less. Tyler Pike mostly helped Wood. Wood let them have a short break for lunch, making sure they knew to come back afterwards. Albus heard the Slytherins on the team talking about skipping out of the rest of practice, but they were back on the pitch at the time Wood told them to be. The afternoon was very similar to the morning and Albus found that he could tune out Wood's yelling quite easily. It was similar to tuning out his mum's yelling. Practice finally ended at three, when the New York team walked onto the pitch and demanded they leave, because they had booked the pitch for three o'clock that day. “Remember, practice Tuesday evening!” Wood shouted as the whole team rushed to get off the pitch. Albus trudged back to the castle tired and shivering. He went straight to Gryffindor Tower and took a very long, hot shower and then set off to find his friends. Rose, Amanda, and Linda were in the common room, but the boys weren't. Albus figured they were in the Marauder's Den and set off to look for them after saying a quick hello to the girls. John and Kaden were in the middle of a heated game of Exploding Snap when Albus walked into the Marauder's Den a few minutes later. John's face was full of ash, but Kaden's was quite clean. There was also a big grin on his face which contrasted the scowl on John's face. Matt was laying on the couch facing them, like he had been watching the game, but he was sound asleep. “Albus!” Kaden shouted, “How was practice?” “Grueling. Wood's ten times worse than Georgia. Five hours we were out there. Five bloody hours in the cold!” Albus groaned as he collapsed onto the other couch. “Better than scrubbing Moaning Myrtle's bathroom with a toothbrush,” John muttered, “I don't know what was worse, the scrubbing or listening to Myrtle.” “All three of you are so cheery today,” Kaden said, “So many complaints.” “Can you blame us?” Albus muttered. “No, not really,” Kaden shrugged. “How was chess?” Albus asked. “I got beaten by every single person in the chess club,” Kaden shook his head, “But they think I have potential.” “Albus,” John said as the cards blew up in his face again, “Have you done that Defense essay? “No,” Albus groaned. “I need your help,” John said as he got up and started digging around in his bag. Albus groaned again and fished around in his own bag for his Defense book. Balladanis wanted a foot long essay about basilisks, which were the current dark creature of the week. John sat down at the table while Albus lay on the couch. He just couldn't bring himself to get up and do his essay. Instead, he mumbled answers to John whenever he asked a question. “Do you hatch the chicken egg under a frog or a toad?” John asked. “Toad,” Albus mumbled. “You know, I could pull a Rose and tell you to do your essay,” John replied. “Don't even bother,” Albus said. Even Rose wouldn't be able to get him off the couch. “Quidditch seems less grueling than football,” Kaden commented, “I mean, you fly, you don't run.” Albus lifted his head up and glared at Kaden. “Wood had us doing push-ups and running laps.” “Really?” Kaden sounded surprised, “Why?” “To get us into shape after the holiday,” Albus answered, “So yes, Quidditch is a lot of work.” “Ok, ok,” Kaden muttered as he located some of his own homework. Albus managed to get in a somewhat comfortable position on the couch and wrote his essay with his book and parchment perched on his knees. It beat sitting at the table; at least he was able to sort of lie down. A few hours later both Albus and John had their essays completed. Kaden was still scribbling furiously on whatever homework he was working on. “We should probably wake him up,” Albus gestured to Matt, who had not moved one muscle since Albus had came back from practice. John got up and began to prod Matt's arm. It took a good two minutes for Matt to open his eyes. “It's nearly six,” John told him. “Then I should probably go,” Matt mumbled, “Oh, Albus, you're back from practice.” “Yeah,” Albus nodded, “It was really long, though.” “I'll go with you to the hospital wing,” John said and Matt did not object. Albus assured him they'd visit him the next day and then they left, leaving Albus and Kaden alone in the room. John returned a little while later and the three of them went down to dinner. They returned to the Marauder's Den afterwards and John and Kaden continued working on their homework while Albus slept on the couch. ****** “Albus, get up!” Albus mumbled something incoherently and rolled over in his bed. It felt far too early to wake up. “Albus!” Whoever was shouting was now prodding him in the side. Albus opened his eyes and saw Teddy standing over his bed. A glance at the clock told him that, yes, it was far too early to wake up. It was six in the morning. On a Saturday. Yes, it was the day of the Quidditch match against New York, but that wasn't until one o'clock and Albus was only a reserve player anyway. “Albus, you'd better get up now. Wood's in the common room,” Teddy whispered. That got Albus's attention. His eyes shot back open and he sat up. “What?” “Fielding's sick,” Teddy told him, “You're playing today.” Now Albus was wide awake. “Seriously? What about O'delle?” Hailey O'delle was the other reserve Chaser, a seventh year Slytherin. “She's sick, too,” Teddy explained, “The two of them are going out, so it doesn't surprise me.” Albus took that to mean that Teddy thought they were snogging and one got the other sick. “I'll be down in two minutes,” Albus muttered. Teddy nodded and left. Albus threw on a t-shirt and a pair of jeans before running down to the common room, where he found Oliver Wood pacing in front of the empty fire. “Albus,” he said as soon as Albus stepped into the common room, “You're playing Chaser today.” Albus nodded and sat down for what was sure to be a very long speech. Wood paused and then launched into an explanation of tactics, which Albus had already heard during practices that week. He couldn't figure out why he had to be woken up at six to be told he was playing. Wood could have accomplished the same thing at ten. Wood and Teddy left after Wood finished lecturing Albus and Albus considered going back to bed, but as he was wide awake, it would be pointless. Part of Wood's speech had been on the weather, which was cold and slightly snowy. Could be worse, Albus thought. At least there wasn't a blizzard. The conditions were very similar to those they had been practicing in all week. Albus sat in the common room reading a book he found laying around until his friends got up around ten. “There you are,” Matt, who was looking significantly better than he had a few days ago, said, “What time did you get up?” “Six,” Albus muttered, “Teddy got me up. Wood had to tell me I'm playing Chaser today.” “What?” Matt shouted, “That's brilliant!” “This is great, Albus!” John grinned, “But why?” “Fielding's sick and so is the other reserve Chaser,” Albus explained, “I'm just glad we're playing New York and not Australia.” Albus went to the Great Hall to eat lunch with his friends, but he wasn't really hungry. He didn't think he had ever been more nervous for a Quidditch match. This was a really important match, as Wood had pointed out numerous times. If they won by a wide enough margin, they'd be in second place. Word had gotten around that Albus was playing in the match and numerous people came over to the Gryffindor table to wish Albus luck. “Al,” Harry sat down next to Albus. “Dad,” Albus smiled. He hadn't been sure if his dad was coming to the match or not. “I'll be watching the whole time. I'm sure you're going to do great. Just think of it as a match against another house. Ravenclaw, I guess, since their robes are blue,” Harry grinned, “Good luck.” “Thanks,” Albus replied. Albus left with the rest of the Hogwarts team a few minutes later. All his friends wished him good luck as he left the Hall. Nobody talked much as they changed into their robes. Everyone sat down afterwards, ready for Wood's pre-match speech. However, Wood seemed to be all speeched out. He merely said that they'd trained well and to give it their all. Albus was a little shocked by the shortness of the speech, but quickly got over it as he walked out onto the pitch.
salemboy Joined: 20 May 2008 Posts: 1754 Location: NanoWrimo, baby! I'm gonna write until my hands bleed!!!	Posted: Wednesday 23 December 2009 08 16 06 am    Post subject: Re: The Shadow in topic:The Shadow [I would like to make an amendment to my last post, my character isn't wearing a jacket, and is wearing a t-shirt. The girl is not wearing a poncho but is wearing his jacket.] "We'd better get moving," Hakan turned to Yuki. The rain was still pouring down over them, soaking Hakan to the bone. He was stuck in close to her, trying to keep himself warm. She was lying next to him, her soaked head resting on his shoulder. The fact that her hair was dripping down his back didn't help. Sighing, Yuki responded, "You sure we have to leave?" "Yeah." Groaning, Yuki stood up as another bolt of lightning flashed across the sky, turning her into a silhouette against the bright background. Reaching out her hand, she helped Hakan to his feet. "Thanks," he mumbled. "No problem," was her reply. She locked her arm with his as they made their way down the hill from the tree. The field around them was soaked to the ground, the normally high-rising grass laid flat on the mud. The rushing water made it difficult for the two to keep their step, depending on eachother to stay balanced. Reaching the base of the hill, the two began running as another bolt of lightning flashed, followed by a great roll of thunder. The paths of the former battlefield had been so well-worn that even in the dark of night, it was easy to find their way. Their feet sank into the mud as they plodded along towards the paved roads of the battlefield. Parked on the side of the road was their jeep. A four-seater with various maps and instruments strewn about the dashboard, along with several empty cans of Coca-Cola lying around on the ground. Lying across the seat in the back was a shotgun with shell cases kept underneath the leather cushions. Opening the driver's door, Hakan slid into his seat, listening to his wet clothing making a squishing sound on the leather seats. Slamming the door shut, he waited for Yuki to get in before starting the jeep. The rain pounded on the roof overhead as Hakan pulled the car away from the roadside. Yuki began rustling through the maps, looking over them while marking certain points with a pen. "We need to go to the Appalachians," she said to him as they drove along the road towards fork in the road. Lightning flashed across the sky once again. "The Appalachians it-" "Go left!" Yuki shot out. Instantly complying, Hakan jerked the steering wheel to the left, taking the left fork. Trees blocked the other road from view as they drove along. "Turn out the lights," Yuki instructed. Hakan did as he was told. Not even a split-second after he did so, the lights from a truck came into view behind them as it passed the fork to where they had just been. "Was it them?" Hakan queried, momentarily looking at Yuki before returning his eyes to the road. It was nearly impossible to see. "Yes," was Yuki's answer as she looked back. The lights had passed, but it had been a close call. She returned to a normal position in her seat and rested her head on Hakan's shoulder. "You can turn the lights back on." Nodding, Hakan turned the car lights back on. Not the brights, just the normal lights. He drove along the road, navigating the way through the battlefield to the exit gate. Looking at the clock, he realized just how late it, and how tired he, was. 0300. He'd have to find some sleep soon. Yuki was already breathing heavily on his neck, asleep. They reached the gate to the battlefield. It was closed. "Wonderful," Hakan muttered. "Of course it's closed." Swearing under his breath, he gently pushed Yuki to the other side of the jeep and got out into the freezing rain. Shivering, he ran over to the gate, which was held in place by a padlock. Swearing again, Hakan ran back over to the jeep, and opened the back door. Next to the shells underneath the seat was a toolbox. Opening it, he pulled out a hammer. Slamming the door shut again, Hakan ran back to the gate. Patting the hammer in his hand, he tried to see the best place to slam down the head. Then he saw it. Not the actualy padlock, but the thin metal ring screwed into the pavement that the padlock held the gate to. Raising the hammer high above his head, Hakan took aim, at the ring, before slamming the hammer down. The thin ring snapped instantly, releasing the padlock and, consequently, the gate. Pushing against the metal bar, Hakan opened the gate all the way before returning to the jeep, opening his door, getting in, and throwing the hammer in the back. "Nice job," Yuki said, startling him. Hakan hadn't noticed that she'd awoken, and now she was staring at him. Nodding, Hakan motioned towards the road. "I think I remember there being a suburb out just past the gate. We'll stay there for a few hours before we set off again." "Whatever you say," Yuki smiled as she rested her head on his shoulder again. [Sorry, not enough time to make an full-quality post.]
DucksRMagical Joined: 28 December 2006 Posts: 2495 Location: Going through LeakyCon withdrawal	Posted: Wednesday 25 November 2009 09 24 26 am    Post subject: Re: Albus potter and the Path Left Untrodden in topic:Albus potter and the Path Left Untrodden Chapter 11: Halloween Costumes "All right, we need to come up with a good costume idea," John announced the following Saturday as he flew poorly made parchment airplanes around the Marauder's Den. "Definitely," Kaden agreed as his much better parchment airplane flew gracefully over John's head and landed softly on the couch. "Anyone got any ideas?" Matt asked. "Haven't even thought about it," Albus muttered as he tried not to move anymore muscles than he had to. He just completed a four hour Hogwarts Quidditch practice, which mainly focused on dodging Bludgers. Unfortunately, Albus hadn't dodged them all. "You should go see Madam Pomfrey," Matt told him. "I've already been there twice this week," Albus groaned, "If this keeps up, I'll break your record. I'm fine, I just need sleep. Georgia canceled practice for tomorrow because of the Dueling Tournament, so I think I'll be fine." "Back to the costumes," John said, "I was thinking that we could be the Marauders. You know, their animal forms." Albus craned his head to see John. John looked quite excited by this idea. Albus had to admit that it was a pretty good idea. He could affix fake antlers to his head. Or see if one of his older cousins could transfigure some onto his head. "That's brilliant!" Kaden shouted excitedly. "I like it," Albus grinned. "No bloody way," Matt said flatly, "I am not dressing up as a werewolf in front of the entire school." Albus hadn't even thought about that. No, there was definitely no way Matt could do that. "Oh, right," John sighed, "Sorry, hadn't thought about that." "How about we just dress up as the Marauders in their human forms?" Albus suggested. All he'd have to do is get a pair of round black glasses and he'd be set. "I don't know..." Matt said, "Everyone knows Teddy's dad was a werewolf. What if they realize that I'm one, too, since I dressed up as him?" "I bet people will just think we dressed up as them because of Albus," John pointed out, "And someone would have to be Moony. Might as well be you. You probably look the most like him anyway." "He does," Albus said. "See?" John replied. "Yeah, but still..." Matt sighed. "It doesn't matter," Kaden said, "Because there is no way that I am dressing up as Pettigrew unless it's his rat form." That Albus could definitely understand. "Ok, so I guess we're not doing the Marauders thing." "Too bad," John sighed, "Would've been cool." "Says the bloke who wouldn't have to dress up as a traitor," Kaden pointed out. "And we're back to square one," Albus said, "Any other ideas?" "The players from Puddlemere United?" John suggested after a few minutes. "You know, if Rose, Amanda, and Linda joined us, we'd have enough people to be the entire team." "Why not the Cannons?" Matt asked. "Because they're awful," John groaned. "Are not," Matt refuted. "Are to," John said, "Let's be Puddlemere." "Cannons," Matt said adamantly. "Manchester United," Kaden interrupted. "Who?" John and Matt said at the same time. "Manchester United," Kaden repeated, "Football team." Both John and Matt groaned. "Puddlemere," John said once again. "Cannons." "Manchester." "Puddlemere." "None of them!" Albus shouted. He was already irritable due to his aching muscles and fatigue from Quidditch practice. The last thing he wanted to do was listen to his friends squabble about Quidditch and football teams. "Well, have you got any other ideas?" John asked. "Actually, yeah," Albus replied. Matt's mention of not wanting to dress up as a werewolf had sparked an idea. Albus had been mulling it over while his friends argued about Quidditch teams. "What is it?" Matt asked. "Well, I kind of thought it would be neat to use Muggle costumes," Albus said, "You know, we can dress up as things Muggles usually dress up as on Halloween." Matt, John, and Kaden stared at Albus for a few moments. Albus shrugged. He had thought it was a good idea, but maybe his fatigue was clouding his thinking. Then, all three of his friends broke out in huge grins. "That's brilliant!" Kaden shouted, "No one else will think of it!" "Yeah," John agreed, "We'll be the only ones at the party with Muggle costumes." "As long as I don't have to dress up as a werewolf, I'm fine with it," Matt said. Albus grinned. "Good. Kaden, what are some classic Muggle costumes?" "Ghosts, witches, vampires, skeletons, mummies," Kaden rattled off, "Oh, and zombies. Frankenstein, too." Albus had no idea who Frankenstein was and he wasn't in the mood to listen to Kaden explain it, but the other ideas were good. "Who wants to be what?" Albus asked. "Matt should be a vampire," Kaden grinned. "Why's that?" Albus asked. "Vampires and werewolves are mortal enemies," Kaden explained, "At least in the Muggle world." "In this world, too," Matt muttered, "And I'm not dressing up as a vampire." "Aw, come on," John said. "No," Matt said adamantly, "I'm being a ghost. The only question is, how do I make myself transparent." "Aw, no!" Kaden sighed, "When Muggles dress as ghosts, they just put a white sheet with eye holes over themselves. That's what Muggles think ghosts are. White." "Oh, that makes things easier," Matt laughed, "But seriously?" "Yep," Kaden laughed, "White sheets. Now, what about the rest of us?" A half an hour later, everyone had settled on what they were going to dress up as. With Kaden's help, that is. Albus, Matt, and John really had no idea as to what Muggles wore when they dressed up for Halloween. John insisted on being a vampire, much to Matt's disgust. However, John was going to be a classic Muggle vampire. The ugly, waxy, blood-stained lips, turn into a bat type of vampire that Muggles thought of when they heard the word 'vampire'. Albus didn't know much about vampires, but he knew they weren't completely like the ones Muggles thought of. Kaden was going to dress up as a mummy, which was a very simple costume. All he'd have to do was obtain a bunch of strips of white cloth. Albus said he'd pick some up in Hogsmeade. Albus was going to be a skeleton, which was the most difficult of all the costumes. He was going to buy a black long-sleeve t-shirt and a pair of black pants and then paint on bones in white paint. He was hoping Amanda would be able to help with it. She was the only one in their group who had any artistic talent. "Maybe the girls can be witches," Kaden suggested. "They are witches," John smirked. "You know what I mean," Kaden sighed. "I know," John grinned, "Hey, Albus, catch!" Albus snapped his eyes open just in time to see a Quaffle come sailing across the room. It hit him right in the stomach before he had a chance to catch it. "Oh, ow!" Albus groaned and curled up, "That's where I got hit with a Bludger!" "Brilliant, John," Matt sighed, "Are you ok, Albus?" Albus squeezed his eyes shut and nodded. It did hurt. It hurt a lot. A lot more than it should, he thought. He was sick of getting pelted by Bludgers during practice. "Albus?" John asked worriedly, "Merlin, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hit you with it." "It's ok," Albus whispered. He inhaled sharply. Now it was getting hard to breath. This was not good. "Albus, you've got to go to the Hospital Wing," Matt announced. He walked over to Albus and helped him off the couch. "C'mon." Albus nodded. There was no point in objecting. He knew he had to go. But honestly, three times in one week seemed excessive. The Hospital Wing was empty when Albus stumbled inside, being supported by Matt and John, a little while later. Madam Pomfrey came out of her office when she heard the door open. She saw who it was and threw her hands up in the air. "You again!" she groaned, "Let me guess. Quidditch?" Albus nodded and collapsed onto the nearest bed. "Well, what did you injure this time?" the nurse asked. "Bludger in the stomach," Albus replied, not bothering to mention that John hit him with a Quaffle as well. Madam Pomfrey clucked her tongue and waved her wand over Albus. "Broken rib. That's the second one this week," she waved her wand again and pressed it to Albus's ribs. Then she bustled away to a Potions cupboard. Albus's stomach immediately felt better and he sank back into the bed. The rest of his muscles still ached, though, and he wanted nothing more than to fall asleep right there. Madam Pomfrey returned a few minutes later and thrust a potion into Albus's hands. He drank it quickly and grimaced at the disgusting taste. "You're staying the night," she announced in a tone that Albus knew not to argue with. Not that he really felt like arguing anyway. He was just too exhausted. Madam Pomfrey turned to Matt, John, and Kaden. "You lot can return to Gryffindor. Albus needs to rest." Albus's friends said good night and then left the room. "I'll be speaking with Professor Kendrick," Madam Pomfrey muttered to herself, "Honestly, what was he thinking? Twice the amount of Quidditch? Twice the amount of injuries is what I say!" Albus didn't have the faintest idea as to what Madam Pomfrey wanted Kendrick to do, but he didn't think about it for long. Exhaustion overcame him and he was asleep within minutes. ****** Albus awoke feeling better than he had in days. One look at the clock told him why. He had slept over twelve hours. It was just after eleven o'clock. Two hours until the Dueling Tournament. Albus pulled the blankets off and started to get up. "Where do you think you're going?" Madam Pomfrey appeared at his bed. "Er, the common room?" Albus slowly sat back down, "The Dueling Tournament is in two hours." "Dueling? You think I'm going to let you duel?" Madam Pomfrey demanded. "Well, yeah," Albus muttered. Come to think of it, he actually wasn't surprised that the nurse wasn't going to let him duel. "Definitely not!" she exclaimed, "You're spending the day in bed!" "Come on!" Albus groaned, "Please?" He had to duel. He was practically the best on his team. What would Malfoy say when he didn't show up? "I won't have it!" Madam Pomfrey said, "You were dead on your feet last night! You're going to rest today!" Albus groaned in defeat. He was going to miss the first Dueling Tournament of the year, because of a Quidditch injury. His two favorite things to do were now conflicting with each other. Madam Pomfrey brought a tray of breakfast, or maybe it should have been lunch, for Albus a little while later. He wasn't in the mood to eat, though. Why couldn't he just go to the tournament? He felt fine now. Matt, John, Kaden, Amanda, Rose, and for some reason, Linda, burst into the Hospital Wing just as Albus was finishing up his food. Madam Pomfrey looked a bit taken aback at the amount of visitors, but she didn't say anything. "Albus!" John shouted, "Dueling's in an hour. You going to be getting out of here soon?" "She won't let me go," Albus muttered. "What?" John exclaimed, "Why not?" "She says I need to rest," Albus explained. "Honestly, it would have surprised me if she did let you go," Matt commented. "I'll convince her, Albus," John announced and walked over to where Madam Pomfrey was organizing potions. "You've got to let Albus duel." "I do not have to do any such thing," she replied, not looking up. "But it's Kaden's first tournament," John pointed out. "I wouldn't care if it was Merlin's first tournament, I'm not letting Albus go." "Please?" John begged. "No," she said, "And if you don't stop arguing, I'll make you leave." John sighed and walked glumly back to Albus's bed. "Sorry," he muttered, "And this was sort of my fault since I threw that Quaffle at you." "No it wasn't," Albus assured him, "A Quaffle wouldn't have broke my ribs. It was that Bludger from Quidditch practice." "But still..." John said. Albus's friends remained in the Hospital Wing until it was time for them to go to the Dueling Tournament. It was sort of tense, and Albus could only attribute this to the fact that Linda was there. It was strange how someone who never said a word could cause the rest of Albus's friends to remain quiet as well. After his friends left, Albus was filled with boredom. The Hospital Wing really was a boring place, especially when you weren't actually sick or injured. Albus began to count the cracks on the ceiling, but lost track after 467. It wasn't until after the tournament was over that Madam Pomfrey actually let Albus leave. He figured she hadn't let him leave earlier since then she would've had no way to know he wouldn't go to the tournament. Albus jumped out of bed as soon as he promised Madam Pomfrey that he wouldn't play Quidditch that day. He ran as fast as he could down to the dueling chamber, hoping that the tournament was still going on. Unfortunately, students were already streaming out of the room chattering excitedly about the tournament. Albus sighed dejectedly and slumped against the wall, where he waited for his friends. "Hey, Albus," Matt said. "Oh, hey, Matt," Albus replied, "Who won?" "My team. No thanks to me, of course." "Who'd Malfoy duel?" Albus asked, thinking of his threat to Rose and Amanda. "Some Slytherin second year and a Ravenclaw fourth year," Matt answered. Albus nodded, relieved that he hadn't dueled either Rose or Amanda. "Albus!" someone shouted excitedly. Albus turned around and saw Kaden with a huge grin on his face. John was standing next to him, looking equally happy. "Hey, John, Kaden," Albus smiled. "I won one of my duels!" Kaden announced, "I dueled a Ravenclaw and I actually beat him!" "That's great," Albus told him, still wishing that he had gotten to beat a Ravenclaw. Or a Slytherin, Hufflepuff, or Gryffindor. "But he was horribly beaten in his second duel," John laughed. "At least I won one of them," Kaden smirked. "Yeah, yeah," John muttered. "Did you lose both?" Albus asked. "Yeah," John sighed. The boys set off for Gryffindor tower, figuring they'd catch up with the girls once they were up there. Albus was eager to see Amanda because he wanted to know how his team had done. Amanda, Rose, and Linda were talking about the tournament when Albus entered the common room. He was shocked to see that Linda was actually talking. Although, she immediately stopped when Albus and the other boys showed up. Apparently Albus's team had came in second place. Amanda said they were only two points behind Matt's team, which caused Albus to wish even more that he had been there. He could have easily gotten the two points they needed. Amanda said that Malfoy thought the same thing, because he shouted angrily about Albus not being there once they announced the winner. Albus was kind of amused by this. He never thought Malfoy would ever be lamenting Albus's absence from anything. The group, including Linda, spent the remainder of the afternoon in the common room. It was sort of odd, though. Linda didn't say a word, yet Rose and Amanda tried to engage her in every conversation. Matt remained almost completely mute, whispering quietly so only Albus and John could hear what he was saying. Kaden of course didn't notice any of this and talked as loudly as he usually did. It didn't really help that various boys kept coming up to Linda and asking her useless questions about Australia and Quidditch and various other topics. Linda gave them very short, quiet answers. John paid rapt attention to every little thing she said. "So," Rose began, "First Quidditch match in a week. Australia versus New York. Are you nervous, Linda?" Albus stared at Rose. He couldn't remember the last time Rose actually brought up Quidditch in a conversation. "A bit," Linda muttered, not looking up. "Well, I hope you win," Rose smiled, "Since Hogwarts isn't playing." "Thanks," Linda whispered. Albus was looking forward to the first match. He was glad he wasn't playing in it. His team would be able to assess both Australia and New York's skill before they played either team. That was definitely good for strategy. Then when they actually played, they'd be able to use the team's weaknesses to their advantage. Wood had given them specific directions to look for weaknesses in both teams. Of course, chances are Albus wouldn't be playing in the first Hogwarts match, or really any of the matches. Albus walked down to dinner with his friends and Linda sat in between Rose and Amanda. He glanced absentmindedly at the staff table as he scooped mashed potatoes onto his plate and noticed a new wizard talking with the headmaster from Australia. He was a rather short man, compared to Killigan, and his face seemed to have absolutely no emotion on it. His dirty blonde hair sat flat on his head and fell over his eyes. He was wearing plain black robes. "I wonder who that bloke is," Albus said to John as he pointed at the staff table. "Dunno," John shrugged, not really seeming interested. Rose turned to look at him. "Probably some bloke from Australia, I'd be guessing. I imagine a few people from Australia and New York will visit to see what's going on with the tournaments." "Recognize him, Matt?" Albus asked. Matt looked up and then quickly turned away. "No." "How about you, Linda?" Rose asked. "No," Linda whispered. Albus shrugged and returned to his dinner. It seemed like he was really the only one interested in the unfamiliar wizard at the staff table. Was he really only there to see the tournament? The Quidditch match wasn't for another week, so why was he there already? Would he really be spending the whole week at Hogwarts? Kendrick stood up after dinner started to wind down. Albus immediately stopped eating and paid attention. Maybe he was going to tell everyone who the strange wizard was. "If I could have your attention for just one moment," Kendrick announced, "Thank you. When I first began to organize this competition, I always thought we would continue with the usual Hogwarts Quidditch Cup tournament like usual, but I didn't think about what affect it would have on the players who would play on both their house team and the Hogwarts team." Albus had a feeling he knew where this was going and it had everything to do with that talk Madam Pomfrey said she was going to have with Kendrick. Albus sank lower in his seat and tried not to look at anyone. "It's come to my attention that playing on two Quidditch teams at once is much more work than could have been anticipated. Therefore, I have decided to cancel the Quidditch Cup tournament for this year only, while the tournament is going on." "What?!" Over half the room erupted in various shouts and jeers. Albus sank even lower in his seat. This was all his fault. He was the one who had been to the Hospital Wing so many times that week. He had gotten Quidditch canceled for the whole school. "Quiet down," Kendrick shouted, "It's what's best for the players. Plus, it's been rather tight to squeeze in so many practices for so many teams. We only have one Quidditch pitch. With four less teams to accommodate, it'll be easier to schedule practices. This is my final word on the subject. Remember that we still have excellent Quidditch going on this year." "I shouldn't have gone to see Madam Pomfrey last night," Albus muttered. "Albus, this isn't your fault," Rose assured him, "You're not the only one who's been injured numerous times." That was true. Pretty much everyone on the Hogwarts team had been to see Madam Pomfrey at least once a week since the start of term. So maybe it wasn't all his fault. Plus, there was the scheduling conflicts on the pitch. Albus had witnessed a few fights between the house captains that certainly couldn't be good for teamwork on the Hogwarts team. Albus had to admit that life would be a lot easier without Gryffindor team practices. Now he would only be practicing Quidditch twice a week. Well, Wood would probably increase it to three times now that Kendrick canceled the house Quidditch. But even that would be less than he had been doing. He might even have an evening or two off a week now. The Gryffindor team was sitting together in the common room when Albus returned. Georgia immediately flagged him over. "I still don't like it," Fred sighed, "Now I don't get to play at all this year." "Yeah, well I don't get to play for Gryffindor in my seventh year, but it really is for the best," Georgia said. "I'll say," James agreed, "I'm already behind on homework and it's only October." "Me, too," Albus said. "Just think, Fred," Heather began, "Next year, one of us will be captain." "It'll be me," Fred announced. "Really?" Heather raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, Gryffindor's had two girl captains recently. It's time for another bloke." Heather rolled her eyes. "Not if I'm a better leader." "What makes you think it'll be either of you?" Bradley asked, "It might be Ryan or I. We'll be sixth years. They don't always choose seventh years." "Maybe," Fred replied, "I'm still going to miss it, though." "We could play pick-up matches on the weekends," Ryan suggested. "I guess," Fred sighed. Albus remained quiet for the rest of the time with the team. Although he didn't blame himself for the cancellation of house Quidditch, he felt guilty that he was relieved it was canceled. But most of the team was far from happy about it. In fact, it seemed like only James and Albus were relieved.
Ms. Elsewhere Joined: 13 January 2008 Posts: 878 Location: In role play game of course!	Posted: Tuesday 24 November 2009 05 10 57 am    Post subject: Re: RPG: Parst City Super Hero Role Playing Game in topic:RPG: Parst City Super Hero Role Playing Game "How did you..." she said breathlessly, looking up where the man had just come from. "And didn't I......" she started to say, waving her hand at the distruction she just caused. She stumbled slightly, and noticed that her tshirt was soaked with blood where her shoulder was weeping out. She brought her other hand up and pressed. She smiled weakly. "We're a long way from anywhere. I have people on their way, to sort him out. And I guess... him too. Oh wow what a mess." she shook her head. "Yes, I'm really popular. That's what you get for defending scum... and losing." she sighed and leaned against a light pole. "My name is Samantha Yin by the way. I thought you should know who's life you saved."
Ms. Elsewhere Joined: 13 January 2008 Posts: 878 Location: In role play game of course!	Posted: Saturday 21 November 2009 08 12 35 am    Post subject: Re: RPG: Parst City Super Hero Role Playing Game in topic:RPG: Parst City Super Hero Role Playing Game Samantha finished typing the requests necessary to set up a full surveillance on Jessica Jui. Not just on her home, but every aspect of her life. Sam had many contacts. All were reliable and trusted, but some were not top citizens. She kept her sources to herself mostly, and gathered them through indirect means. Samantha decided she needed a run. She changed into some shorts and a t-shirt and put on her running shoes and a baseball cap. She clipped her earpiece in which doubled as her phone and a music player, and as she exited her office she briefly said her plans to her secreatary before pushing the door open to the stairs. She took them floor by floor, jumping over each railing with ease. Her landings were soft, she was able to control the rate of her fall by literally pulling back on her own gravity. At the same time she flicked a can of coke off the stair she was about to land on with a wave of her hand. It bounced off the wall and crushed itself. Sam opened the exit door and walked into the carpark, her heart was going at a healthy rate. She started to jog, and then left the carpark via the main entrance. The day was reasonable for jogging. Sam touched her earpeace and selected Rock to jog to. She increased her pace, and started to run on the slope. She followed her usual path, but then was compelled to go a new direction. She turned up an industrial passage, and started to run past some abandoned warehouses. Sam noticed it was nice and peaceful, dispite her roaring rock tunes, because there was no one around. No one that is, except for that guy. Sam slowed down as the man in the distance appeared over the hill. He was walking a dog. Was there any need to be alarmed. Sam reached up and stopped her music, and instead tuned in her keen senses. Just as she did, the man, who's silouette was seemingly involved in looking at what the dog was doing, paused, and then stood up straight and looked her way. Samantha continued to jog towards him. And he, continued to walk toward her. As she got closer she was pleased with what she saw. He was nicely built, and had a good looking face. It seemed like he cared very much for his dog, who was devoted to his master and very playful. Then she noticed his hair. It was unnaturally yellow! She hmmed to herself. They were about to cross paths, and as they did, the man looked directly in her eyes. She paused, and so did he. His eyes were as yellow as his hair. "I... I'm sorry." Samantha stumbled, still completely blown away by his eyes. She disconnected, and then tried walk away, cursing herself. You're sorry? Really smooth. Yet there was something about him. She turned back fast to observe him again, and he was still observing her.
salemboy Joined: 20 May 2008 Posts: 1754 Location: NanoWrimo, baby! I'm gonna write until my hands bleed!!!	Posted: Tuesday 8 September 2009 07 04 07 am    Post subject: Re: RPG: The Six Wizards in topic:RPG: The Six Wizards Damien smiled. No matter how gruesome, how disgusting, how freaking terrifying the two of them were, they made a good couple, and it was good to see two people who were meant for each other. Still, though. He could never, ever, ever get used to their animalistic antics. They were just to scary. "I guess that means its time for us to hit the sack, eh, Ouki?" He yawned as he struggled to keep his eyes open. "Ok," Ouki replied. "Since you are so insistent." She smirked as she punched Damien playfully in the arm, which he returned. "Good night, Yuta," they said in chorus. Then they made their way upstairs to their room, too tired to notice the beautiful paintings again. As Damien snuggled in bed next to Ouki, he whispered, "See ya in the morning, beautiful." Then he was out. ***** Damien was in a field of grass and flowers. He could see wild deer roaming the area while birds flew overhead. The grass made a nice, soft bed which he lay on, basking in the warmth of the sun's glow. He could hear the sound of a brook running nearby, the sound calming his nerves. But... something was missing. Getting up, he made his way to the sound to see a brook running slowly through the field. Standing ankle deep in it, washing her hair, was Ouki. Her flowery t-shirt got slightly wet from her hair dripping onto it. Looking up, Ouki saw Damien and called to him, "Come over here, the water's great!" Taking off his shoes and socks, Damien started running down the bank towards Ouki. Jumping into her, they both toppled over into the water, laughing as they splashed and ran after eachother through the brook. He giggled wildly as he fell over, chasing her down. Then, both of them tired, they crawled back up the bank, and collapsed on a bed of flowers, their soft petals cushioning them. As they breathed heavily from exhaustion, they looked happily towards eachother. "Ouki, I love you," Damien said. "I love you too," Ouki replied. ***** Lying in bed next to Ouki, Damien snuggled in closer to her as he had the first good dream in months. [Once again, I'm rather tired, so please excuse any poor writing.]
salemboy Joined: 20 May 2008 Posts: 1754 Location: NanoWrimo, baby! I'm gonna write until my hands bleed!!!	Posted: Saturday 5 September 2009 09 17 37 am    Post subject: Re: Next Generation 2 in topic:Next Generation 2 It had been 15 years, 4 months, and six days since Damien had been inside the wasteland. Yet, even with all that time in between, it still terrified him. Bodies were strewn across it, lying in heaps next to eachother. They were bloody, torn apart by forces unknown, lying in contorted ways, even as Damien had left them when he had killed them. A body stirred, moaning, a harsh, coarse moan, that causes one's ears to itch in discomfort. Another moan joined it, as another body began moving. As the two bodies arose, more voices came in, some moaning, some crying, others sobbing. A baby's crying could be heard resounding across the wasteland, the same way it was screaming when it was tortured to death. The bodies were moving towards him, the two earlier joined by thousands more. They were making all possible sounds, screaming, crying, yelling, laughing from insanity. They kept moving towards Damien... never ceasing. Damien tried to turn, to run, but found that he was chained again. As the first body approached him, it pointed its finger at him. A sudden surge of pain swept over Damien's body as he screamed in agony. Sweat poured from him as the pain coursed through his veins. His vision was blacking out, a ringing in his ears was overcoming him. He could feel his hands, his arms, go limp from the pain, and his legs twitch uncontrollably as he felt the pain go through him. Then a voice, that same voice from so long ago, resounded through his head, "Why did you kill us, Damien?" Damien yelled out in pain as he fell on the floor of his room. He was sweating terribly, feeling his limbs twitch from fear. Breathing heavily, he pulled himself up off of the floor and crawled over to the sink, only to throw up into it. Wiping his mouth, he fell back down onto the ground. It had been years since he had had that dream... but... why? Why was he having them again? He shut his eyes momentarily, trying to calm down... then opened them again. He looked at his watch. Breakfast was in 20. Pulling himself together, Damien got on new pair of jeans and a t-shirt. Stowing his wand his his jeans pocket, Damien set off for breakfast. Walking into the hall, he saw that many of the students were already there, including Geneve and Liam... For some reason or another, the two didn't seem to be talking. Damien sighed. Kids, they could be so irritating.
DucksRMagical Joined: 28 December 2006 Posts: 2495 Location: Going through LeakyCon withdrawal	Posted: Sunday 5 July 2009 11 19 28 am    Post subject: Re: In Moonlight's Shadow in topic:In Moonlight's Shadow Thanks hprocks! Chapter 52: Happy Birthday Mum and Dad weren't meeting me until lunch time, so I could have slept in. But I didn't. The dormitory was quiet when I woke up; everyone else was sleeping. I was the only one in the dormitory who ever woke up early on the weekends. Plus, it was my birthday. I never slept late on my birthday. I got up and looked out the window. It was raining. Again. It rained more during two months in England than it did during a whole year in Australia. The weather was actually sort of like the weather in New York. Hardly anyone was in the common room when I went downstairs. There were a few first years throwing paper at each other, but they stopped when I walked in. That was kind of funny since I am far from a prefect. I decided to go to the library and get my books since I hadn't wanted to leave the common room the previous night. There had been too much of a chance of getting blamed for Teddy's prank. The library was completely empty, save for Madam Pince. I grabbed my books and endured a lecture on keeping track of my 'precious learning materials' before going down for brekkie in the Great Hall. Everyone else was up when I went back to my dormitory. Samantha, Seren, and Alyssa weren't there and I assumed they were down at the Quidditch pitch. Victoire and Monica were in the middle of an argument and I tried to sneek inside unnoticed. "You realize we've got an Herbology exam tomorrow," Victoire said. "I'll study after dinner," Monica groaned, "I don't see why you can't do that." "I want to get a decent mark on this test," Victoire snapped, "Sneeking into Hogsmeade this afternoon is not going to help that." "Fine," Monica stood up, "I'll see if Jess and Kate want to go." "Have fun, then," Victoire said shortly. "I will," Monica stomped out of the room. Victoire sighed and sat down on her bed. I quickly shoved my books into my trunk and located my Astronomy homework. I headed back down to the common room to try and get it done before meeting my parents. I had no idea when Monica was planning on sneaking into Hogsmeade, but I really hoped it would be after my lunch with my parents was over. The last thing I needed was to run into her there. Hogsmeade was a pretty small place so chances are we'd meet up. Despite the fact that Monica had no idea Matt was a werewolf, I did not want her anywhere near him. Teddy and Landon came down shortly before I had to leave, looking exhausted and happy at the same time. Half the common room applauded them. It seemed that the prank was still fresh in everyone's mind. "Hey, Aussie," Teddy collapsed onto the chair next to mine, "What are you up to today? More studying?" I closed my Astronomy book and looked at him. His hair was bright red today and half of it was sticking up. It looked like he just rolled out of bed, but there were bags under his eyes. Landon looked the same, except for the lack of red hair. I wondered what time the two of them went to bed. "Not the whole day," I replied, "I'm going to Hogsmeade." Teddy's eyes lit up. "You're sneaking in? Excellent. I had you pegged for the sort who follows rules." "No," I laughed, "I'm allowed to go. I'm meeting my parents and my little brother there. It's my birthday, so we're going to have lunch." "It's your birthday?" Teddy said. "Yeah," I nodded. "Why didn't you tell us?" Landon asked, "We would've thrown you a party." I cringed. I thought I had gotten away from parties when I left Australia. "I'm really not into parties." "That's too bad," Landon sighed, "Teddy throws a great party. I even neglect to yell at him when he sneaks into Hogsmeade." "Well, happy birthday anyway," Teddy said. "Thanks," I said, "I'd better go." "See you later," Teddy said as I got up. My parents met me in the Entrance Hall. I smiled as soon as I saw them and ran all the way down the grand staircase. Mum wrapped her arms around me and squeezed me so hard I thought I would explode. I didn't mind, though. I had missed them so much. It was so nice to be able to see them. Mum and Dad looked so relaxed. Dad's face was still wrinkled, but his eyes lacked the purple bags that had been there for so long. Mum was smiling. Matt looked about the same. You'd never guess that he just went through an awful full moon, though. He was completely recovered. "Happy Birthday, Amy," Mum said. Dad and Matt repeated it. "Thanks," I grinned, "Let's go." My parents wanted to hear everything that had happened in school so far, even though I'd already told them most of it in letters. I started with the swamp that Teddy and Landon set off the previous day. Dad and Matt laughed hysterically and Mum smirked and tried to stifle her laughter. I decided to just tell them the good stuff. I didn't want to ruin the day by letting them know how miserable I was. All three of them looked perfectly happy and more relaxed than they'd been in months. "I figured we'd just go to the Three Broomsticks," Dad said as we entered the village. "Ok," I agreed. We walked the rest of the way to the Three Broomsticks and I continued to talk about everything that had happened in school. The only problem was that I was running out of good things to say. There was only so much you could say about brewing potions and how delicious the Treacle Tart was. The place was relatively crowded, although not even close to how it had been during the Hogsmeade trip. We found a secluded table near the back and sat down at it. Madam Rosmerta came over and we all ordered various sandwiches. "So, what's new at home?" I asked, hoping I wouldn't have to talk anymore about school. "Not much," Mum replied, "It's probably more exciting at school. But I like the lack of excitement." "It's boring without you," Matt sighed, "All Mum and Ellie do is decorate the house." "That is boring," I said, "Haven't you already decorated it?" "I'm just trying new things," Mum replied. "How's work?" I asked Dad. "Brilliant," Dad grinned and proceeded to tell me everything about his job. It was actually kind of interesting to hear all the things he did to help werewolves. Just the other day he managed to help two werewolves get jobs in Diagon Alley. The food arrived and we were all quiet as we began to eat. Then we talked about stuff that had nothing to do with Dad's job, my school, or the Ministry. It was nice. It reminded me a lot of the carefree times we had before Matt was bitten. Well, except for the fact that we were older and in Scotland. Matt's lycanthropy was obviously something that would never go away, but it almost seemed to be less of a worry in Britain. At least when it wasn't near the full moon. The worry was always there during that time of the month. But now, we could almost forget about it during the rest of the month. Almost. Madam Rosmerta brought a chocolate cake to our table after we finished eating. It had fifteen candles on it and it was slathered in chocolate frosting. Just the way I liked it. My parents and Matt sang happy birthday to me in three different off-key tunes and then I blew out the candles. I didn't wish for anything in particular; just that my family would continue to be this happy. Dad cut the cake and handed me my piece with a grin on his face. I smiled back and took a huge bite while I waited to see how they would get me to talk. "Guess what?" Matt turned to me as he licked frosting off his fork, "Mum let me go into your potions room the other day. I brewed something, but it melted one of your cauldrons." I snorted into my cake. The day Mum let him into my potions room would be the day Cinda went shopping in sweat pants and an over-sized t-shirt. Matt continued trying to get me to talk, but had no luck. I finished my cake and he groaned. He has never been able to get me to talk. "Can I give Amy her present now?" Matt asked excitedly. "Sure," Mum smiled and reached under the table. She handed Matt a rectangular shaped package that looked exactly like a book. Matt gave me the present and started laughing before I even finished unwrapping it. I tore the paper off and saw that it was a book. Not just any book, though. I burst out into hysterics as I saw that it was a Muggle encyclopedia. The 'A' volume. "He's wanted to get you that since his own birthday," Dad laughed. It was extremely funny and clever. He probably knew he had no chance of making me talk while eating my cake, so he got me exactly what I tried to convince him my parents got him for his birthday. "Thanks, Matt," I smiled and gave him a hug. "And this one's from Richard and Cinda," Mum gave me a small envelope. I slit it open and read the card. It was a standard Hallmark card with a pink birthday cake on the front. I opened it and out fell a gift card. An iTunes gift card. "This is, er, useful," I said as I held it up. Mum rolled her eyes. "I didn't know she got you that." "It's ok," I shrugged, "I'll just give it to Kenzie." "This one's from us," Mum said as she handed me a small box. I pulled the ribbon off and unwrapped it. I lifted off the lid and gasped. It was a gold bracelet with a small charm on it. I carefully picked it up and saw that it was a tiny kangaroo carved out of some sort of wood. "It's beautiful," I whispered as I turned the charm over in my fingers. "It's carved out of wood from that tree you slept under our last night in Australia," Mum told me, "You'll always have a bit of Australia with you now." "Thanks, Mum and Dad," I smiled at them. They actually realized how much I missed Australia. I never thought they noticed that. They must have planned this back when we were still there in order to get the wood. It was one of the most thoughtful things they had ever gotten me. "You're welcome, Amy," Mum reached over and put the bracelet on my wrist. It fit perfectly. I slid out of the booth and gave each of my parents a hug. Every once and a while they got me something that was really fitting. This was one of those things. Never in a million years would I have expected it. We each had another piece of cake and then wandered around Hogsmeade for a bit. I showed them Honeydukes, which Matt immediately fell in love with. He didn't want to leave. Mum and Dad bought us each a huge box of every flavor chocolate frogs. Then we went to Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, where Mum flat out refused to buy me a Skiving Snackbox. It was fun looking around, though. Mostly I just enjoyed spending time with my family. I probably wouldn't see them again until the Christmas holidays. The sun was getting lower and lower in the sky and I knew I was going to have to go back to school. Mum and Dad had started to slowly make their way towards the path. "Healer Sterling is doing Matt's observation next full moon," Mum said quietly as we walked back to Hogwarts. I had nearly forgotten about that. The day had been so much fun and I hadn't even thought about Matt's transformation. The day had seemed so normal. I guess everything has to go back to reality. "At St. Mungo's?" I asked. Mum nodded. "Yes. We'll spend the night there." "Just, let me know how it goes," I said. We walked silently for a few more minutes. I didn't want to go back to school and each step I took was taking me closer. A group of people were walking towards us, heading to Hogsmeade. I groaned inwardly and hoped that I didn't know them. I immediately thought of Monica. "Well, if it isn't Amy Eckerton," someone shouted. Sure enough, it was Monica. "Monica," I muttered. "Make sure you're not in the dormitory when I get back," Monica said, "We're having a party." I ignored her and kept walking. It wasn't like I would actually want to be in the dormitory when Monica was there, especially if she was having a party. "Who was that?" Dad asked. "Monica Kramer," I whispered, "The one who hates werewolves." "Seems like a pleasant girl," Dad said sarcastically. Nobody else passed us on our way back to the castle. It got darker as we went and I figured I'd get back just as dinner began. "I hope you had a good birthday, Amy," Mum said once we entered the castle. She gave me a tight hug. "I did," I smiled, wishing it had lasted longer. "We'll see you for Christmas," Dad said as he hugged me. "Yeah," I said. "And we'll owl you sooner than that," Mum assured me. I nodded and then we said goodbye. Matt asked me to send him more chocolate frogs next time there was a Hogsmeaade visit, which made me laugh. I had no idea when the next visit would be, but I told him I'd send him some. After they left, I headed into the Great Hall and ate dinner alone. Teddy and Landon found me on my way back to Gryffindor and insisted that they get a cake to eat in the common room. They disappeared for a while and then met me in the common room with a chocolate cake. I had no idea how they got it, but it was really nice of them. Victoire ate it with us, which surprised me. I would have thought that she'd be in the dormitory with Monica for whatever party they were having. The relationship between the two of them still mystified me. ****** The next few days passed quickly. I had caught up in History of Magic, but was still falling asleep regularly in class. My evenings were spent reading McGonagall's book, which fascinated me. The Voldemort era was the most interesting piece of history I had ever learned about. Both Teddy and Victoire had a lot of connections to the people involved with the war. Teddy's dad, Remus Lupin, in particular made me keep my eyes glued to the pages. He had been the werewolf who attended Hogwarts, the one Dumbledore and Snape's portraits had talked about in Kendrick's study. After he left Hogwarts, he had become a part of The Order of the Phoenix, an organization that Dumbledore organized to fight Voldemort. Lupin had taught Defense Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts for a year, but left because everyone found out he was a werewolf. I thought that was rather unfair. But it was at the end of that year that Voldemort's most loyal servant, Peter Pettigrew, returned to Voldemort. Lupin died during the final battle at Hogwarts, when Teddy was only a few months old. His wife, Teddy's mother, had died as well. It was a sad ending, but I was impressed as to what a successful life he had led. I was going to have to recommend the book to my parents. It might give them some hope for Matt. Sure, Teddy's dad had been on Wolfsbane, but not his entire life. And it was only a matter of time until someone created a potion that would work for Matt. Halloween, as I found out, was a huge production at Hogwarts. There was a very large feast and the Great Hall was decked out in all sorts of spooky decorations. There were even live bats flying around and the ghosts put on a flying performance. It was actually pretty fun. The food was even better than usual. Nobody dressed up in costumes, but Teddy turned his hair orange for the occasion. Landon immediately yelled at him for it because orange was the color of The Chudley Cannons, which apparently was a Quidditch team that Landon despised. The first Hogwarts Quidditch match arrived in early November. It was Gryffindor versus Slytherin, which was apparently a highly anticipated match at Hogwarts. There was an increased amount of animosity between the two houses during the week that preceded the match and a few hexes as well. I have never really been that interested in Quidditch. The matches at school in Australia had been fun because Olivia and I would always watch them together and offer our own commentary that was much more entertaining than the real commentary. Watching Quidditch at Hogwarts was going to be different. There wasn't anyone to watch it with. I figured I'd still go since I got the feeling that if I skipped it, I would be on the receiving end of the sort of glares the Gryffindors had been giving the Slytherins all week. I wore three jumpers underneath my cloak on the day of the match. It was a cold, windy day and I wondered how the players were able to fly in such weather. It felt like it was cold enough to snow. The entire school went to the match. Most of the Gryffindors were decked out in as much red and gold as they could manage. Some had their faces painted and others had dyed their hair. The Slytherins were the same, except with green and silver. A fair few of the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs were wearing Gryffindor badges and waving Gryffindor flags. I saw very few Slytherin supporters amongst those two houses. I wound up standing near a bunch of first and second years. A few of the second years were holding up a huge banner that said 'Go Georgia Weasley!' on it. I soon found out that she was Gryffindor's new Keeper. The teams flew out onto the pitch a few minutes later and the commentator announced their names. I recognized Teddy, Samantha, and Georgia. The Gryffindor team received significantly more applause. The fourteen players flew into the air and the match began. It was quite heated, with both teams earning fowls within the first fifteen minutes. It was easy to get caught up in the cheering even though I didn't know many of the players. Hogwarts students seemed to be much more into Quidditch than those in Australia. After a half hour of play, the teams were tied at 160 points each. The Quaffle exchanged hands faster than the commentator could announce. I could barely see it. All I knew was that both teams were incredibly good. The match continued as the weather grew steadily worse. The wind picked up and the air became even colder. I had a feeling it would rain or snow soon and hoped the match would finish soon. It was fun to watch, but no match of Quidditch would be exciting enough to make me want to stand in the rain while watching it. All of a sudden Teddy, who had been hovering above the rest of the players, darted to the opposite end of the pitch. The Slytherin Seeker followed him, but he was meters behind. Teddy dove to the ground and pulled up a minute later holding his hand above his head. Most of the crowd burst out in applause and cheering, which drowned out the Slytherins' booing. "Teddy Lupin has caught the Snitch!" the commentator shouted, "Gryffindor wins with 410 points!" A good part of the crowd stormed the pitch, including the second years who had been supporting Georgia, but I turned to go back to the castle instead. The match had been enjoyable to watch, but I didn't have anyone to go congratulate on the pitch. I was one of the first people back to the common room. A few first years had gotten there before me, but they were it. I chose one of the comfy armchairs I never got and warmed up in front of the fire. The team returned a few minutes later and with them came most of Gryffindor. Someone had obtained a few cases of butterbeer and it was soon flowing freely. "Butterbeer?" Landon appeared next to me, holding out a bottle. "Thanks," I said as I took it. "So, how did you like your first Hogwarts Quidditch match?" he asked as he sat down in the chair next to mine. "It was, er, interesting," I laughed, "You're very enthusiastic about Quidditch here." "Well, you saw the most highly anticipated match of the year," Landon pointed out, "The Gryffindor and Slytherin rivalry is most noticeable during Quidditch." "Not all the matches are like that?" "Er," Landon grinned, "Most of them are exciting like that, but there are less fowls." "So I shouldn't count on Quidditch matches for catching up on sleep?" "Definitely not," Landon laughed. "Teddy is a good Seeker," I commented. "Best Gryffindor has had since Harry Potter," Landon said, "He's only lost two matches. His first one, when the Slytherin beaters slammed into him at the same time and sent him to the hospital wing unconscious. The other time was last year when he had the flu. He snuck out of the hospital wing to play, despite his high fever. Madam Pomfrey was not pleased. We lost, but he played." "Wow," I raised my eyebrows, "That's impressive." "Yep," Landon grinned, "He's quite devoted to Quidditch." Landon went to go congratulate Teddy and I finished my butterbeer. After I was done I went to the library and studied for the Charms test I had on Monday. It had actually been a fun day. The Quidditch had been interesting and the library had been empty so I was able to study uninterrupted. The best part was that Monica was no where in sight. Even when I returned to the dormitory that night, she wasn't there. Victoire was, though. I had no idea where Monica was and I really didn't care.