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DucksRMagical Joined: 28 December 2006 Posts: 2090 Location: Boycotting All Future Warner Brothers Films	Posted: Monday 5 January 2009 06 01 16 pm    Post subject: Re: In Moonlight's Shadow in topic:In Moonlight's Shadow Thanks Obladi and hprocks! Chapter 27: Fish and Chips Dad returned a short while later and told Matt and I to come back to to the room. I stood up and rubbed my eyes, trying to wipe away any evidence that I had been crying. Dad shut the door after we got into the room and motioned for us to sit down on the bed. I tried to feign ignorance, since Dad had no idea Matt and I had listened in on his conversation with Mum. "Matt," Dad began, "Remember yesterday when we went to the hospital and got some more information about that study?" Matt nodded, "Yeah." "Well, your mother and I have decided to enroll you in it. So I'd like to tell you both about what's going to happen," Dad said. We were going to move to England. That's what was going to happen, I thought. "So, the general point of this study is to find out why the Wolfsbane potion doesn't work for all werewolves," Dad explained, "But it's also going to be used to test variations of the Wolfsbane as they come available. Hopefully, one of these will work, but there's no guarantee. "The study will last at least four years. For the first two years, you're not given any potion. The next two years you're given regular Wolfsbane. Then, hopefully, there will be a new variety of it and you'll try that for two years. It will keep going as long as there are new varieties of the potion, or until one is found that will work. Does that sound all right?" "I guess," Matt shrugged, "But what if one of them makes it worse?" Dad sighed, "There is a possibility of that, but if that happens, you won't take that particular potion again." "Ok." "When does this study begin?" I asked. I wanted to know how much longer I had in Australia. If this study started next month, I had no doubt we would move next week. "Not until January," Dad told me. "But we'll be moving here in time for you to start school in September." "So it's official?" I asked, "We're moving here, to England?" "Yes," Dad confirmed. "But I don't want to move here," I groaned, "Why can't we just move to New York? At least Uncle Jack is there. Plus, their school has such a good Astronomy department." "Amy, we want your brother in this study," Mum said, "Therefore, we're moving here. I'm sorry you're not happy, but there's nothing you can do to change it." "Why can't we move to New York and have him be in the study?" "It would be too difficult," Dad replied, "Seeing as how we're looking for some place to move to anyway, we might as well move to the country that the study is taking place in." "It's still not fair," I turned away from them, "When are we going back home? I need to send an owl to Olivia." "Not for another couple days," Dad said, "We're most likely going back to St. Mungo's tomorrow so Healer Sterling can perform the necessary tests for Matt to be in the study. And so your mother and I can sign the paperwork. Then the next day we'll have to start looking at houses." Houses, wonderful. Probably another aspect of this move my parents wouldn't consider my opinion on. I only hoped that we'd have better luck looking at houses in England than in New York. ****** I didn't sleep much that night. I tossed and turned thinking about the fact that within a few months, I'd be living in England. It was so final now, so official. My parents had decided where we were moving. Things had been so up in the air for the past few months, but now my parents had decided everything. The only thing left to do was find a house. Healer Sterling had sent an owl late the previous night telling my dad to bring Matt in at nine o'clock the next morning. Both Mum and Dad wanted to go and they refused to let me stay at the Three Broomsticks by myself. At least this time I thought to bring a book. The waiting room was much emptier than it had been the day before. There were a few witches and wizards lazily flipping through the magazines and an old wizard who was sleeping. A smiling nurse woke him up a minute after we walked in the door and informed him that he had a granddaughter. He immediately got up and followed the nurse to the lifts. Dad didn't bother to talk to the witch behind the desk this time. Instead he led us directly to the lifts. We followed the old wizard and the nurse into one of them. "I've got a granddaughter!" the wizard announced as the doors shut. "Congratulations," Mum smiled at him, "Do you know her name yet?" "No idea," the wizard laughed, "Last I knew, my son and his wife still hadn't decided on names." Mum and Dad nodded to the wizard as we got off on the first floor. The place was even more deserted than the waiting room had been. The only person wandering around was a nurse who headed into one of the rooms a few seconds after we got off the lift. We walked down the corridor and found Healer Sterling's study. Natalie, the secretary, wasn't there when we walked in. The door leading to the healer's study was open and Dad stuck his head in. "Healer Sterling?" Dad asked, "You told us to come at nine? Your secretary's not here, so I just thought I'd tell you we were here." "Oh, yes!" I heard the healer respond, "Natalie doesn't come in until ten. Just come on in. "Thanks," Dad said. I followed my parents and Matt into the healer's office. It hadn't changed in appearance since the day before. I settled myself into the same chair and cracked open my book. Previous experience with Matt's healer appointments had taught me to always bring a book. They were always incredibly long. Although we usually had to wait a long time before he actually got seen by the healer. "First, I'll have you sign the necessary paperwork," Healer Sterling said as he handed Dad a clipboard, "It basically states that you give permission for your son to be in the study and that you won't sue us if anything goes wrong." Dad nodded and he and Mum read over the packet of parchment. After a few minutes, I heard the sound of a quill scratching and I glanced up to see Dad signing in various places. "All set," Dad said and handed back the clipboard. "Excellent," Sterling leafed through the packet and then set it down on his desk. "Now we'll go to one of the exam rooms and get started. Follow me." Sterling stood up and grabbed another clipboard off his desk. One thing I've noticed about healers is that they always have at least one clipboard with them. For all the healers I've seen in my life, I don't think I've ever seen one without a clipboard. I closed my book and got up out of my chair to follow everyone out of the room. I wish we could've just stayed in one place so I could get absorbed into my book properly. Sterling led us down the corridor a little ways, past a nurse's station and the main Dai Lewellyn Ward. We stopped in front of a door that was right next to the ward. A sign adorned to it stated that it was 'Dai Lewellyn Ward: Exam Room 1'. Sterling waved his wand and the word 'Vacant' appeared in bright green letters on the door. With another wave, the word changed to 'Occupied' and Sterling opened the door. The room was tiny, just like every other exam room I've been in, and did not have enough chairs for everyone. There was a bed, a swivel chair, and a plastic chair. I always envied the fact that the healers got to sit on the swivel chairs. Those things were so much fun. Mum used to yell at me when I was little and spin on them. We squeezed into the minuscule room and I got pushed up against one of the walls. Dad lifted Matt onto the table and then stood next to me. Mum took the plastic chair while Sterling sat down on the swivel chair. He looked up at Dad and I and then conjured two more plastic chairs. "Thanks," Dad said as he sat down on one of them. I took the other one and opened my book as soon as I sat down. I started reading about cauldron thickness and its affects on various potions, but half-listened to what was going on in the room as well. "I'm going to have to start with the family and personal history first," Sterling began, "Because he's not currently one of my patients." "That's fine," Dad said. He was probably used to this, I thought, since every healer we'd been to began the examinations like this. "All right," Sterling continued, "Paternal grandparents?" "Conan and Nancy Eckerton," Dad replied, "Both deceased, died in a car accident years ago. No chronic illnesses for either of them." Sterling nodded and scratched the information down on his clipboard. "Maternal grandparents?" "Richard and Lacinda Bailey," Dad said, "Both living. Richard has high blood pressure. No other chronic issues for either of them." Sterling gave a small shake of his head and smiled a little. "You've got this down, haven't you? I've hardly had to ask you anything." "We've done this dozens of times, unfortunately," Dad sighed. "I'm hoping that this will be the last," Sterling replied, "I'll venture a guess and say that you know the next question?" Dad nodded, "Parents, right?" "Yes." "Walter and Julietta Eckerton," Dad answered, "No chronic illnesses for either of us." "Siblings?" "Amy Eckerton," Dad said, "No chronic illnesses." "That's it for family history," Sterling said, "Now onto personal. Full name and birthday first." "Matthew Conan Eckerton. February 6, 2005." "Any birth complications?" "He was two months premature." "Interesting," Sterling said as he wrote on the clipboard. "Do you think that's relevant?" Mum asked. "Anything's relevant at this point. Can you go into more detail about the birth and first few weeks?" "He was in an incubator for a month, breathing support for a month and a half. Then he got to come home. He was fine after that, although he's always been prone to getting sick and small for his age, even before he was bitten," Mum explained. Sterling nodded and continued writing. "Any chronic illnesses? Besides the obvious, I mean." "No," Dad said. "All right," Sterling replied and put his quill down, "That's it for history. I do have a questionnaire for you to fill about that asks about his lycanthropy any other remedies you've tried for it, but it's quite lengthy so I'll ask that you fill it out another time and owl it to me." "Sure," Mum said. "Excellent," Sterling handed Mum a stack of parchment. He picked up his wand and turned to Matt, "All right. I'm going to have to do a few tests now, but hopefully they're going to eventually make the full moons better. Can I first have you hop on that scale over there?" Matt nodded and climbed down from the table. Sterling weighed him and measured his height, which he then recorded on the clipboard. Dad lifted Matt back up onto the examination table and Sterling turned back to him. "Now time for the tests," Sterling said, "I'm going to listen to your heart first." Sterling reached around to place his hand on Matt's back, but he squirmed away and looked at Mum. He looked kind of scared. "Honey, you've got to let him do this," Mum whispered and gave him a gentle squeeze. "This might help make the full moons better." "He's kind of shy around strangers," Dad said to Sterling, "Especially lately, in light of recent events." "Understandable," Sterling replied and then turned back to Matt, "I promise this one isn't going to hurt a bit." This time, Matt didn't shy away from Sterling and he was able to listen to his heart. I didn't pay much attention to the next few tests, but Matt seemed to cooperate for them as well. "Almost done," Sterling said as he placed his wand on the counter and wrote something else on the chart, "I'm just going to have to take a blood sample." Matt shook his head furiously. I couldn't blame him. It hurt to have blood taken. I'd only had it done once and I never wanted to go through it again. Matt had had it done a lot, but that didn't make him like it any more. "I know it hurts," Mum got up from her chair and gave Matt a hug, "But you've got to let him do it." "I don't want to," Matt whispered. "It'll be over in a few seconds," Mum said as she lifted Matt up and sat down on the table. She set him down in her lap and wrapped her arms around him. Matt nodded. "Ok." "It'll be over before you know it," Sterling said as he lifted up Matt's sleeve and wiped an alcohol swab over one of his veins. He took his wand and pressed it to the vein. "Ow!" Matt shrieked and started crying, "Stop!" "All done," Sterling said and lifted his wand away. He grabbed a vial from the counter and pointed his wand at it. Blood appeared in the vial and Sterling stoppered it with a cork. Sterling pointed his wand at Matt's arm and the cut magically healed. "Do you want a Chocolate Frog?" Sterling asked. Matt sniffled and nodded. Sterling reached into his robes and pulled one out, handing it to Matt. "One more thing," Sterling turned to my parents, "I am going to have to observe him right before and right after a full moon before the study actually begins. I understand that it would be difficult to do that before you move. Could you owl me after you're all settled and we'll figure out which month will work?" "That sounds great," Dad said. "Excellent," Sterling smiled and stood up, "Good luck with the job and house hunting. As I said yesterday, just pop into the Ministry and I'm sure you'll find something. I'll owl you if anything comes up with the study. Keep in touch." "Thanks. We will," Dad got up and shook the healer's hand. "Bye." "Bye," Sterling smiled. "Thanks for everything," Mum said. "My pleasure." I got up and followed my parents out of the room. Dad was carrying Matt and he was opening his Chocolate Frog, looking much happier than he had two minutes ago. "I got Dumbledore!" he broke out into a huge grin. "Awesome," I smiled, remembering back to the days when a simple Chocolate Frog would momentarily make all your problems go away. ****** Dad decided to go to the British Ministry once we'd all returned to the Three Broomsticks. He had no idea what time he'd return, so Mum said we should wait to look for houses until the following day. Dad figured he could ask at the Ministry about a good real estate place as well. "Mum, can we go do something?" I asked after staring at the ceiling above my bed for twenty minutes. "Not now," Mum replied without looking up from the table, "I'd like to get this questionnaire done." I sighed loudly. How long could that thing take? She had been working on it ever since we got back. "Then could I go do something?" "No," Mum said shortly, "I don't want you wandering the village by yourself." Too late for that, I thought. It's a good thing she or Dad didn't catch us when we went to the joke shop. What I wanted to do was go to the joke shop again. That place was awesome and I hardly got to look at any of the stuff in it. "I'm bored," I said. "Why can't you finish that later?" "Because I want to get it back to Healer Sterling as soon as possible," Mum snapped, "Now go find something to do." "There's nothing to do," I replied. "Read. Do your homework," Mum said. The last thing I wanted to do was homework. Mum had given me some 'homework' shortly before we left, but I hadn't started it. I turned my head and watched Matt play his DS on the other side of the bed. I almost wished I had one. Eventually, I got so bored that I decided to do just the potions and astronomy stuff Mum had assigned me. The potions part was a joke, since it was all stuff I'd learned in first year. Astronomy wasn't bad, but it was mostly busy work as well. I was about to take a peek at the Transfiguration work when I heard the door open. Dad walked inside looking happier than I'd seen him in weeks. Mum looked up from the packet of parchment when she noticed him. "How did it go?" "Wonderful," Dad grinned and sat down on the end of my bed. "Well, tell me all about it!" Mum smiled. "I spoke with their Head of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. I've spoken with him before and he shares most of my opinions. We talked about what it's like here, regulation-wise. He explained that although it's better than Australia, most of the average witches and wizards are wary of werewolves. So, we'll be keeping it a secret again." "That's what we expected," Mum commented. "I know. So that's not bad. They don't have any laws up here like the ones that are currently being passed in Australia, which is good. I think it will be much easier up here." "That's a relief," Mum said, "What about your job?" "That's the best part," Dad smiled, "I've got an interview on Monday." Mum grinned, "What position? Something in the Werewolf Control Unit?" "No," Dad said, "Something a bit different. There's an opening in Werewolf Support Services." "That's great!" Mum exclaimed. "Yes, I think it'll be a good change. I won't be dealing with passing legislation anymore. I'll just be working to make life better for people with lycanthropy." "Honestly, I've always thought you'd be good in a position like that," Mum commented. "I've thought that, too," Dad mused, "But in Australia, I was the only one keeping all the awful legislation from passing. I couldn't quit." "Of course not," Mum agreed, "But now you've got the opportunity to do what you really want." "Exactly," Dad smiled, "I think this is going to be good for all of us." "I completely agree," Mum got up and sat down next to Dad. Dad put his arm around Mum and she leaned her head on his shoulder. Except me, I thought. I really didn't see how I would benefit from moving to England. "If they hire you, when would you start?" Mum asked after a few moments. "They're going to be flexible. They said I could start whenever it's convenient." "Let's move soon," Mum said. "We've got to find a house first," Dad pointed out, "And sell ours. Once we get back, I'm going to owl around to find someone to run an estate sale. We'll put the house on the market once we get back. I'll owl the real estate agency." "Sounds good to me." "I'll owl Jack and see if he can fly down when we do the sale," Dad said. "Uncle Jack's going to visit us?" Matt tossed his DS onto the bed and crawled over to my parents. "Yes," Mum smiled and ruffled his hair, "Sometime after we get back." "Yay!" Matt shouted. "Julie," Dad said quietly. "What is it?" "There is one thing about this job that I've got to tell you," Dad began, "I'll be making much less money." Mum turned and looked at him. "We'll be fine. You inherited so much from your parents. I don't think we've got to worry about money." "You know we've spent most of that," Dad said quietly. I've always wondered how much money my parents actually have. I know Dad inherited a lot, but for the year after Matt got bit, he and Mum spent a lot trying to find cures. I had no idea how much they actually spent. I guess it must have been a lot. "Yes, but after we sell the house, we'll have more," Mum pointed out. "We're buying a much smaller house. Don't worry about the money. Your happiness is what matters." "I know," Dad sighed, "I just worry, you know, if we ever have to pay for anymore long hospital stays. You know it's possible." "I know," Mum said, "I don't like to think about that possibility, but I know it's there. I still think you should just do what makes you happy. Matt will be going to school in three years. I can get a job once he's there." "All right," Dad replied, "I'll try not to worry about it." "Good," Mum smiled, "Now let's go do something fun. Amy's been complaining the whole time you were gone." My parents decided to take us on a Muggle tour of England. It was really fun. For a few hours, I nearly forgot about moving and pretended we were just on holiday. I noticed that my parents were much happier than they had been in weeks. They laughed and smiled and even joked around. Dad pushed Mum into a fountain and she actually laughed and pulled him in, too. All the Muggles were staring, but it was fun. "How can they just stand still?" Matt asked as we were looking at Buckingham Palace, "What if they have to go to the bathroom or something?" "They switch off every so often," Dad told him. "But still, it'd be hard not to move." "It's their job," I said, "If they can't stand still, they find a new job." "Sounds like an awfully boring job." "But an important one," Dad said. We stood in front of Buckingham Palace and watched as they changed guards. It was interesting, but I don't think I'd want to watch it again. Once was enough. It wasn't particularly exciting. After they'd finished changing the guards, we walked for a few more blocks until we reached a pub. Dad decided that we should eat there as long as we were there. He said everyone who visits England ought to visit a Muggle pub. "I think we should all order fish and chips," Dad announced after we sat down. "Sure," Mum agreed. "Fish and chips?" I asked. "Classic British Muggle food," Dad explained, "Fish and chips all wrapped in newspaper." "Newspaper?" I said skeptically. Why would anyone wrap food in newspaper? "They don't use real newspaper anymore. Turns out the ink was poisonous. But the stuff they use now is all non-toxic," Dad assured me. "All right, I'll try it." A little while later, we were all served fish and chips wrapped in fake newspaper. Mum and Dad each had some kind of frothy British beer, too. I started to peel the paper away from the food and stared at it. Mum and Dad were already digging in. "It's good, Amy," Dad said. I shrugged and tried a very tiny piece. It wasn't bad. Certainly not the best food in the world, but better than the sushi I had with Cinda. "Not bad," I said. "I think it's awesome!" Matt grinned. "Well, you eat airplane food, so...." "It's good," Matt said. "Whatever." I was hungry, so I did eat all of my fish and chips. It seemed to taste better as I ate it, so by the time I finished, I thought it was pretty good. Once we were all done eating, we went back out into London and walked around for a while before Apparating back to The Three Broomsticks.
salemboy Joined: 20 May 2008 Posts: 1232 Location: Salemboy Land, Where Monkeys and Wizards Coexist in Wondrous Harmony	Posted: Friday 2 January 2009 02 12 18 am    Post subject: Re: What was the last movie you watched at the cinema? in topic:What was the last movie you watched at the cinema? I think the last movie I saw in theater was The Dark Knight. When did that movie come out? Oh well, it's still awesome, and I'd watch it again just to see the Joker's Pencil dissapearance trick.
DucksRMagical Joined: 28 December 2006 Posts: 2090 Location: Boycotting All Future Warner Brothers Films	Posted: Monday 29 December 2008 09 05 46 am    Post subject: Re: In Moonlight's Shadow in topic:In Moonlight's Shadow Thanks Obladi and hprocks! Chapter 26: The Study My parents had planned on going to look at houses the next day, but they wanted to go to St. Mungo's first. Dad had decided that if we moved to England, it would be easier to just buy a house rather than build one. There wasn't anyone we knew in England to supervise the building of a house, so it would be easier to buy one. I hoped there were better houses in England than in New York. As soon as we finished brekkie, we Flooed to St. Mungo's. I stepped out of the fireplace into a waiting room. There were quite a few people sitting in the plastic chairs and even more queued up before a desk at the front. I followed Mum and Dad and we joined queue. The bloke in front of us looked to be in his twenties and he appeared to have a broomstick stuck in between his legs. He looked rather uncomfortable, but I thought he should consider himself lucky he was able to land the broomstick. In front of him was a witch with a flower growing from her head. There were a number of people ahead of them, but I couldn't quite tell what was wrong with them. I turned around and took a glance at the waiting area. One wizard had pink pustules all over his body. A small child was hissing and sticking out his tongue, which was forked. There were also a number of people who appeared normal, looking through the various magazines laid out on the tables. The queue moved slowly and I wished I had brought a book. After a few more minutes, we could finally see who was sitting behind the desk. There was a very bored looking witch sitting there, directing people where to go. Next to the desk was a large sign, also instructing people where to go. "Next," the witch said. The lady with the plant on her head walked up and before she could utter a word, the witch behind the desk pointed to the sign and announced, "Fourth Floor." I glanced at the sign and saw that the fourth floor was for spell damage. "I can't get off this broom!" the bloke in front of us exclaimed once the plant witch left, "I don't know why! I was just flying and now I'm stuck and I can't get off it!" "Fourth floor," the witch pointed her wand at the sign and it emitted green sparks. "Next!" she shouted as broom boy waddled off to the lift. "Hello," Dad greeted the witch and produced the parchment with the article on it, "We're looking for Healer Morris Sterling." The witch raised her eyebrows at us as she scanned the article. "The Dai Lewellyn Ward is on the first floor. You'll find Healer Sterling there." "Thank you," Dad said and we followed him over to the lift. We emerged from the lift onto a long corridor. It was very quiet and looked like the hospital in Australia. A few wizards and witches in lime green robes passed us as we started down the corridor, but they didn't look up from their clipboards. I presumed that they were the Healers. Mum and Dad peeked at every door, reading the signs affixed to them. Eventually, Dad stopped in front of a door that said 'Dai Lewellyn Ward'. Next to it was another door that said 'Healer Morris Sterling: Head Healer of the Dai Lewellyn Ward'. The door was open, so we followed Dad inside. A witch sitting at a desk was tying a letter to an owl. There were a few chairs in the room, along with a lot of filing cabinets. There was a sign on her messy desk that said 'Natalie Caberny'. "Excuse me," Dad said. "Yes?" Natalie Caberny replied, "Can I help you?" "We'd like to see Healer Sterling, please," Dad said and showed her the article, "About the study." "All right," Natalie said as she opened a large book, "Well, let's see, Healer Sterling is busy seeing patients until eleven, but he is available for a half hour then, if that will work." "That would be fine," Dad told her. "Name?" Natalie asked as she wrote something in the book. "Walter Eckerton," Dad told her. "And you're inquiring about the Wolfsbane Study?" Natalie asked. "Yes," Dad said. "Ok, you're all set. See you at eleven." "Thank you," Dad said and we left the room. I glanced at my watch once we were back in the corridor. It was a little after ten. An hour to kill until the appointment. I definitely wished I'd brought a book. We wound up spending the hour in the tea room that was on the top floor. Mum and Dad had some coffee while Matt and I had biscuits. They were all right, but nothing extraordinary. I flipped through a few mediocre magazines, but was basically bored the entire hour. I wished Mum and Dad would have let me stay at The Three Broomsticks. The first floor was a bit busier when we went back down. A few Healers were running around shouting things to each other and carrying various potions into a few rooms. Natalie Caberny was sitting at her desk when we entered. She was hurriedly writing something onto a piece of parchment. Dad waited until she had folded the parchment and charmed it to fly out of the room before he spoke. "We're back for the eleven o'clock appointment," Dad said. "Right," Natalie replied, "I'll just see if he's ready for you." Natalie got up and knocked on a door that led off of her study. "Walter Eckerton's here to see you. Should I send him in?" "Yes, send him in," a man replied. Natalie opened the door and motioned us in. Dad thanked her and she shut the door behind us. A balding man was sitting behind a large oak desk. His spectacles were perched on the tip of his nose and he wore the same lime green robes all the other Healers I'd seen wore. He stood up and shook Dad's hand. He was quite tall and a bit on the chubby side. "Morris Sterling," the man said. "Walter Eckerton," Dad replied, "My wife, Julie, and our kids, Amy and Matt." "Nice to meet you," Sterling gestured to the chairs in front of his desk, "Please have a seat." Mum and Dad sat down in the chairs in front of Sterling's desk and Matt and I sat in the ones that were alongside the wall. I looked at a nearby book shelf and noticed there were a lot of books about potions. "Now, you're here to inquire about the Wolfsbane Study?" Sterling asked. "Yes. I saw the article in the paper." "Ah. Excellent," Sterling replied, "And you're interested in participating?" "Well, not me, my son," Dad gestured to Matt. "Will you allow underage participants?" "Hmm," Sterling leaned back and rubbed his chin, "I don't have any yet, but with the right release forms I don't see why not." "I'll sign them," Dad said, "But do you have a detailed outline of this study?" "Yes," Sterling replied and opened his desk drawer. He pulled out a thick binder and handed it to Dad. "All the details are in there." "Thanks," Dad said. "Does Wolfsbane work for your son?" Sterling asked. "No, that's why we'd like him in the study," Dad explained. "I figured, but I had to ask." "Of course." "I understand that you'll want to read that thoroughly before you finalize your decision, but I do have a preliminary questionnaire for you to fill out just to be sure your son is eligible," Sterling handed Dad a clipboard. Dad took the clipboard and pulled a quill out of his robes. He and Mum spent the next few minutes filling out whatever questions Sterling wanted to know. Dad handed him back the clipboard once they were done. Sterling leaned back in his chair and looked over the questionnaire. "Well, everything seems to be in order. I see no reason why your son can't participate. The only problem is that I see you live in Australia. I will need to perform routine examinations, which might be difficult if you're not in the country." "We are actually planning on moving," Dad told him, "That was our reason for visiting. We were touring Hogwarts. We're either going to move here or New York. And if I like the sounds of this study, we'll be moving here. Things have gotten a bit, er, difficult in Australia lately." Sterling nodded, "You know, your name sounds a bit familiar, but I can't quite place it...." Sterling looked at Dad for a moment, "You're the Head of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures in Australia, aren't you?" Dad sighed, "Not anymore. Just got fired." "Oh, I'm sorry to hear that," Sterling said quietly. "It was bound to happen eventually. There aren't many who share my views about werewolves down there. Most of the Ministry are quite unsympathetic. Part of the reason why we're moving. Have you heard about the new laws that are being passed?" "Only bits and pieces, but what I have heard disgusts me." "I quite agree," Dad replied, "And there was only so much I could do when nobody shared my opinion." "Well, we could use someone like you here in England. You'll find that more people are sympathetic here. Pop into the Ministry sometime. I think there might be a few openings in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures here." "Thank you," Dad said. "You're welcome," Sterling replied, "I hate to cut this short, but I've got an eleven thirty appointment. Send me an owl if you decide to have your son in the study. There will be some preliminary tests that will need to be done, so perhaps we could schedule them to be done before you return to Australia. When were you planning on flying back?" "Saturday, but I can always change the tickets." "Excellent," Sterling said as he stood up, "I'll look forward to your owl." "I'll send it shortly," Dad stood up, "And thank you for meeting with us." "Not a problem," Sterling shook Dad's hand. "Thank you," Mum smiled, "For starting this study. You have no idea how difficult it's been." "I can only imagine," Sterling replied, "I see so many sad things here. I'd like to have some happy endings for once." "I certainly hope this study brings one," Mum said. "Me, too," Sterling agreed. "We'll be in contact soon," Dad said and we all left the room. Mum and Dad wanted to go right back to The Three Broomsticks after we left St. Mungo's so they could read about the study. Of course, they wanted to discuss it in private, so Matt and I were banished to the pub once again. "I'm bored," Matt sighed after we'd finished our butterbeers. "Me, too," I agreed. Why hadn't I thought to grab a book? "Hey, want to go explore the village?" "But Mum and Dad said to stay here," Matt said. "I know," I grinned mischievously, "But if we're back before they finish discussing that study, then they'll never know. C'mon, there were a few shops I wanted to investigate." "Amy, what if we get caught?" Matt asked nervously. "We won't get caught. Plus, if we do, Mum and Dad will blame me. You won't get in trouble at all," I assured him. "Fine," Matt sighed and got up, "But only for a little while." "Excellent," I grinned and jumped up. "It'll be fun. Trust me." The air was crisp outside and the ground muddy. The last bits of snow were melting. It seemed almost completely deserted, which didn't bother me in the least. I led Matt down the street, looking in every shop as we went. "Where are we going?" Matt asked. "I dunno," I shrugged, "We'll find out when we get there. Hey, didn't Kendrick say the shack you're going to transform in is somewhere around here?" "Yeah." "Let's go find it," I took off running. "Amy, wait!" Matt shouted, "I don't really want to see it!" "Aw, come on, it'll be cool," I shouted back. "Hurry up!" I slowed down and waited for my brother to catch up. He looked a bit nervous, but reluctantly followed me. We wandered all the way down the road, looking for anything that resembled the shack Kendrick mentioned. "How will we know what house it is anyway?" Matt asked quietly. "I think we'll just know," I told him. How many decrepit buildings could there be in this village anyway? As we walked farther and farther away from The Three Broomsticks, the houses and buildings got farther and farther apart. There were mountains up ahead as well. "Hey, I'll bet that's it!" I pointed to an old house that was a few meters off the main road. There was a broken down fence around it. "Let's get closer." "I don't want to," Matt whined. "Oh don't be such a baby," I said as I ran up to the house. It was certainly run down looking. The windows were all boarded up and it didn't look like anyone had lived in it for decades. "Spooky," I grinned and turned around. Matt was still down by the road. "Oh, get up here!" Matt reluctantly walked up to the house and looked at it for a few moments. "It's big." "Not really," I laughed, "It's a shack." "I meant that it's big compared to the room in the basement." "Oh." "It looks haunted," Matt whispered. "That be because it is haunted, kiddies." I shrieked and jumped as I turned around. Matt screamed even louder than I did and hid behind me, grabbing my arm. There was a hunched old witch standing a few feet in front of us, wearing a patched old robe. She had a hood over her face, but her lank white hair was sticking out. "Wh-who are y-you?" I stammered. "Not important," she cackled, "You kiddies been enjoying the Shrieking Shack?" "The what?" I asked. "The Shrieking Shack," the witch repeated, "Yous not heard of The Shrieking Shack? Kiddies not from around here?" "N-no," I told her. "Aye, well, Shrieking Shack is haunted," the witch laughed, "I heard the shrieking meself, years ago. Once in a while, loud screeching heard from the place. Ghosts, some said. Dumbledore himself say the shack be inhabited by band of ghosts! "Must've moved. Not a sound been heard from the place in years. Best stay away. Some say it's still haunted." "A-all right," I whispered. "I th-think we'll be going now." "You go, kiddies! And watch out for them ghosts! Might come back, you know." I nodded and ran back to the road, not looking back at the witch. Matt followed me, not letting go of my arm. My heart was still hammering when we got down to the road. I glanced back at the shack, but the old witch was gone. "S-see why we sh-shouldn't have go-gone?" Matt stammered. "It was worth it." "Let's j-just go b-back." "No, I saw a shop I wanted to go to," I said, leading Matt back to the village. We walked down the road until we got to the most colorful display window in the entire village. There was a large display of fireworks in the window, along with various other objects. The sign above the shop said 'Weasley's Wizard Wheezes'. "C'mon," I said and pushed open the door. We stepped into what must have been the best joke shop I had ever seen in my life. There was so much stuff crammed into the small shop that I didn't even know what to look at first. There was a red-haired man behind the counter wearing magenta colored robes talking to a boy with turquoise blue hair. The pair of them looked like they could belong to a Muggle circus. I had to suppress a gasp when the man turned and I noticed that one of his ears was missing. "Anything else besides the Deluxe Whizbang Box?" the man asked the boy. "Nope, that's it for now," the boy replied. Both of them looked over at Matt and I as we reached the display near the counter. The man grinned when he saw us and the boy looked at us quizzically. "Skip out of school?" the man asked, "Ah, how I enjoy seeing those who continue that noble tradition." "Er, no, actually I don't go to school here," I muttered. "That's why I don't recognize you," the boy said. "I'm Ted Lupin." "Amy Eckerton," I said. "And that's my brother Matt," I pointed to Matt, who was perusing a display of sweets. "Nice to meet you," Ted replied. "You, too." "And I am George Weasley, at your service," the man grinned. "I own the shop." "It's brilliant," I told him, "Best joke shop I've seen." "You don't sound like you're from around here," Ted mentioned. "We're actually from Australia," I explained. "Wow," Ted looked at me in awe, "What are you doing here?" "My family's moving," I sighed, "So we're visiting Hogwarts. My parents haven't decided if we're moving here or New York." "Move here," Ted said. "And if you do, hope for Gryffindor, it's the best House." I grinned. Ted was nice. "I'll keep that in mind." "It really is the best house," George Weasley added. "Blimey," Ted glanced at his watch, "I'd better get back if I want to make it back for Transfiguration, not that I really want to...." "Go back, Ted," George laughed, "Your grandmother will have my head if you miss class because you're here." "Bye, Uncle George," Ted picked up his package and turned to leave, "See you around, Amy." "Bye," I said as he left the shop. "Anything I can help you with?" George Weasley asked. "I'm just looking around," I replied. "Give a shout if you have any questions." I nodded and started wandering around the shop. The first thing I noticed was that there was a whole variety of sweets that made you sick. Matt was looking at them with disgust. "Why would you want to make yourself sick?" he asked. I picked up one of the boxes and read the back. "So you can miss class," I grinned, "That's brilliant. You eat one half of it to make you sick, get excused from class, and then eat the other half to get better after you leave. Of course, you'll be able to do that perfectly fine on your own." "Very funny," Matt said flatly. "Oh, I'm just joking," I said as I moved to another display. "Hey, Amy, look at these!" Matt shouted. I turned back to where he was looking. "What?" Matt held up a box that had a picture of a long flesh-colored thing on it. "Read this." I took the box and read the label. It said 'Extendable Ears'. A grin appeared on my face as I read that they were for eavesdropping on other people's conversations. "You know, we could use these to listen to what Mum and Dad are talking about right now," I said excitedly. These things were probably my favorite item in the shop. If only they sold them in Australia! I'd never have wondered what Mum and Dad talked about when they holed themselves up in Dad's study. "That's what I was thinking," Matt replied. "Let's get them," I grinned, "C'mon." We ran up to the desk, where George Weasley was smiling at us. I placed the box on the counter. "Extendable Ears," he said, "Excellent choice. Nine Sickles and five Knuts." I pulled out a few Sickles and Knuts that were leftover from the Butterbeer. Luckily I had enough. "Enjoy," George Weasley said as I picked up the box. "Thanks," I grinned and we left the shop. "Aren't you happy we went exploring now?" I asked once we left. "Yeah, yeah," Matt muttered. We ran all the way back to The Three Broomsticks. Madam Rosmerta smiled and shook her head as we breezed past the bar. I took that to mean that Mum and Dad hadn't come out and noticed we were missing. I ripped open the package as we ascended the stairs. I unwrapped the fleshy tubes and handed one to Matt. We sat down outside our door and shoved an end of the Extendables into our ears and the other end near the crack in the bottom of the door. "It does seem safe," I heard Dad saying. I turned to Matt and we grinned at each other. They worked! "Nothing's perfectly safe," Mum replied. "Yes, but I think it may be worth the risk," Dad said. "I suppose you're right," Mum sighed, "I just worry. Look at all those possible complications." "They have to put those in so nobody can sue them," Dad explained, "There will always be risk. There was risk with the other treatments we tried." "I know." "This is different, Julie. It's not just one treatment. We may actually find out why the Wolfsbane doesn't work if we go through with this. It could drastically change his life for the better." "So you want to do it?" Mum asked. "Yes," Dad replied, "I really think it's be a good idea." "Well, then I suppose we'd better send Healer Sterling an owl." "I'll go see if Madam Rosmerta has one we can borrow." I heard Dad get up from the bed. I pulled the Extendable Ear out of my ear and grabbed Matt's arm. We hurried back down to the bar and sat down in the first table we got to. I stuffed all the Extendables into my pocket and tried to act natural. Dad appeared a few seconds later. "Hi, kids." "Hey, Dad," I replied. "Hi," Matt said. Dad smiled at us and went over to the bar. He talked with Madam Rosmerta and she left for a few moments and then came back with an owl. Dad took the owl and went back up the stairs. After he left, the conversation I had just heard started to sink in. Mum and Dad were going to enroll Matt in that study. That meant that it was official. We were moving to England. We wouldn't move to New York and live near Uncle Jack. We would move here, to a place where I knew no one and had never been to before this visit. A place I was totally unfamiliar with. Any lingering hope of staying in Australia was gone. Once Matt was in that study, there would be no going back. We'd sell our house in Australia and look for one in England. Australia would no longer be my home and I would not get to call New York my home. My home would be England, a place that was totally and completely foreign. I swallowed hard and bit my lip to keep the tears from falling.
salemboy Joined: 20 May 2008 Posts: 1232 Location: Salemboy Land, Where Monkeys and Wizards Coexist in Wondrous Harmony	Posted: Sunday 28 December 2008 10 14 26 pm    Post subject: Re: What is Dragonball Z? I Have an Answer in topic:What is Dragonball Z? I Have an Answer I'm not sure which came first, but I think that the comics came first, then the show. While the two are the same, I've noticed that sometimes, the show will have an extra episode or two that's not in the comics (one of them being when Goku and Piccolo try to get Driver's Licenses, lol). Also, I have yet to find a manga version of the tons (around 14) of DBZ movies out. If I find one, then I'll tell you. But, yes, there are tons of Manga, Anime, and other Japanese Cartoons that are similar. Gundam is another Anime that I like very much. Of course, it is very limited in English where I live, so I get very limited amounts of it. Another that many people like is Naruto, an Anime/Manga about an aspiring Ninjya who gets into trouble a lot, and has a Nine-Tailed Fox Demon sealed within him. Because of these two traits, he is shunned by the other Ninjya. Then there's Inuyasha, a story about Japanese Girl who gets sent back in time to Feudal Japan, where she meets a half Demon half human named Inuyasha. Together, and with some others, they have different adventures (normally including a couple of fights with some demons along the way). Another is Bleach, and it's about this kid who (to put it simply) has fights demons in modern-day Japan. The list goes on and on, you've got Ghost in a Shell, Sailor Moon, Yu-Gi-Oh, Pokemon, Shamin Showdown, Hikari No Go, etc. Honestly, the only one I watch a lot is DBZ. But, as you can see, there are a lot of things that can go into the Other Universes Subforum. I honestly only know very few of the total amount of Mangas/Animes, as I can walk into a Japananese book store, and see about a hundred different Manga series' (maybe that's how you spell it). Oh, and I need to correct myself about something. DBZ isn't just about the prime of Goku's life, as twice throughout the series, Goku dies, and is brought back to life. During the times when Goku is dead, the story forks to focus on the others that are alive still, and his time in the afterlife.
Scellanis Joined: 11 September 2002 Posts: 6228 Location: Pretending to be a sea slug with 'go faster' stripes...	Posted: Friday 19 December 2008 09 39 46 am    Post subject: Re: Birthday^_^ in topic:Birthday^_^ Hehehe...nah saying like too much means you watch too much Scooby Doo. Happy Birthday!!!
Distortia Joined: 13 January 2008 Posts: 527 Location: Over the sea	Posted: Wednesday 17 December 2008 05 56 45 am    Post subject: Re: RPG: The Six Wizards in topic:RPG: The Six Wizards Inu had cleared the dance floor as he lashed out, tearing all who got near him limb from limb. Suddenly he was standing on his own, panting with rage, as the muggles stood around him. They were backing away as best as they could, holding each other, crying and sobbing. He turned round slowly, watching them, wondering why they did not run. Then he finished his circle and faced a man about 6 feet tall, wearing a long jacket. He was standing calmly with a wand outstretched. Inu observed him catiously, but calmly. "They can't help but watch us." Inu snarled, waving his arms at the muggles. "They are thrilled with our ways, but if they only knew, they would catch us and toy with us..." he swiped at a young muggle who screamed and backed further away. "Inu, we have a responsibilty to protect them because we are so powerful..... you do not have the right..." the Ministry official spoke confidently, but Inu could tell he was afraid. Everyone in the ministry knew who Inu was, and how important it was to catch him. Inu, however, would never be caught. Not alive anyway. "I have every right!" he yelled. He turned and ran at a group of young girls who were huddled together, their mascara running black under their eyes from crying. Inu wrenched one of them from the group. She had long red hair which he grabbed with one hand and her pale, thin neck in his other. "Let her go!" the official demanded. Inu made his way backward with his hostage. He could snap her neck with a flick of his wrist. He reached the back door which led into the alley, the official was cursing under his breath. Inu smiled at him. "You should have killed me while you had the chance but they want me alive, don't they? They need be to sufer. I think I'll make sure they have a few more excuses first." Inu dropped the girl and moved with impossible speed away from the scene.
Distortia Joined: 13 January 2008 Posts: 527 Location: Over the sea	Posted: Monday 15 December 2008 05 52 33 am    Post subject: Re: Next Generation 2 in topic:Next Generation 2 Geneve felt something pressing lightly on her chest. She opened her eyes. The house elves had lit the lamps because evening had fell. A pleasant purring started and Geneve focused on two feline eyes looking into her face. They reflected back blue from the lamp light. Geneve brought her hand up slowly so as not to frighten the delicate siamese cat and stroked his back and head so that he purred louder. She lifted it's light body off of her and set him down beside her as she sat up. She looked at her watch. She still had time to go to dinner, and her stomach responded happily with a hungry squeal. Geneve smiled. She turned and looked at the cat again, and brought her face down to his level. "If you'll have me, I would like very much if you would be my pet." she said to him. His round blue eyes blinked dreamily in response. Geneve observed him for a moment. Then she said, "And I will call you......" and she laughed. She stood up. She could not call him that, she thought. But she thought it was a good name just the same, and her grandfather had rejected it. "Tom." she said, and nodded. If she had to bare the legacy of her grandfather, she decided she would embrace it. The best way to overcome any downfall is to look it in the face and laugh. She went to the bathroom, washed her face, tidying her hair, smoothed out her clothes and left the comonroom with Tom at her heals.
DucksRMagical Joined: 28 December 2006 Posts: 2090 Location: Boycotting All Future Warner Brothers Films	Posted: Sunday 14 December 2008 02 25 46 pm    Post subject: Re: In Moonlight's Shadow in topic:In Moonlight's Shadow Hehe, Hogwarts is an odd name, though. Thanks Obladi and hprocks! Chapter 24: Keeping Up Appearances I tried to avoid my parents the next day because I was afraid I'd let slip that Cinda was planning a surprise party instead of a dinner with just them. I spent the whole day brewing potions and reading, which wasn't out of the ordinary for me, so my parents didn't suspect a thing. I was excited about seeing Kenzie at the party. I hadn't seen her at all the past full moon, since I wound up coming home relatively early. This party would hopefully be more fun than the New Year's one, since Kenzie would be there. I was a bit nervous about it because I knew my parents wouldn't react well, but there wasn't anything I could do about it. We Apparated directly into Richard and Cinda's living room around six o'clock. The house was surprisingly quiet; I couldn't hear any signs of a party. Of course, since Cinda decided to 'surprise' us, she probably purposefully emptied out the living room for us to Apparate into. Mum and Dad were planning on telling Richard and Cinda about Dad getting fired that night at dinner. I wasn't really sure how that was going to go. Plus, my parents would tell them about going to Scotland, which Dad had managed to schedule for the following Tuesday. I had a feeling that this would be the last school we'd visit. Mum and Dad seemed especially eager to get out of Australia now that Dad was out of work. They'd probably make a decision after visiting Scotland. "Julie, darling!" Cinda burst into the room in a cocktail dress and threw her arms around Mum. "Hi, Mum," Mum half-smiled at her. "How are you doing?" Cinda asked. "Could be better," Mum sighed. "Well, I know just the thing to cheer you all up," Cinda grinned and I cringed. Luckily nobody saw me. "Just follow me upstairs!" Cinda told us. Mum turned to look at Dad and they both shrugged. Matt followed Cinda eagerly, and my parents followed him. I reluctantly followed them, not really wanting to go. The house remained eerily quiet as we ascended the stairs to the ballroom. Cinda seemed to get more and more excited as we went, which I took as a bad sign. Cinda stopped as soon as we reached the doors to the ballroom. "Mum, what is it?" Mum asked questioningly. "Just something I planned to lift your spirits," Cinda flashed a smile and opened the doors. "Surprise!" The ballroom was packed and every person shouted as we entered. I froze and stared at everyone with my mouth open. I shouldn't really have been that surprised, since Cinda doesn't know the meaning of 'a small get together'. I turned to the rest of my family. Mum was staring at everyone, her mouth gaping. Dad had a pained look on his face and was shaking his head. Matt was looking around eagerly, his eyes resting on the table of desserts. "Mother. What. Did. You. Do." Mum snapped out of her shock and turned to glare at Cinda. "I threw you a going away party!" Cinda shouted excitedly. "Ever occur to you that that's exactly what we didn't want?" Mum snapped, "We came here today with more bad news and I expected us to be able to tell you and Dad alone. Find Dad and meet Walter and I downstairs. Now." Cinda looked taken aback, but she immediately strode over to Richard, who was eating already and motioned him over. Mum and Dad had already turned and left the room. I would have loved to follow them downstairs and listened to Mum yell at Cinda, but at that moment, someone came up from behind me and put their hands over my face. "Ahh!" I shrieked. "Guess who?" "Kenzie," I relaxed as I heard her voice. She dropped her hands and I turned to look at her. "Hey, what's new?" Kenzie grinned at me, "This is some party. Your mum doesn't look too happy, though." "She's not," I muttered, "She hates these parties. Plus, something bad happened yesterday, so she's kind of worried about that, too." "Really? What?" Kenzie immediately looked concerned. I looked around to check if anyone was paying attention to me and luckily they weren't. "Dad got fired," I whispered. "What?!" "Yeah, he did." "From his top-secret Ministry job?" Kenzie asked. I nodded, "Don't spread it around." "I won't, but you're moving anyway, so why does it matter?" "It'll make it harder for him to get a job wherever we move," I explained. "But I really don't want to talk about it." "Ok. Let's go get something to eat." I followed Kenzie to the nearest food table and people stopped to talk to me along the way. I went through the usual smile and nod routine with all of Cinda's friends who I barely knew. Kenzie and I found a deserted table near the back of the room and we sat down to eat. "So, know where you're moving yet?" Kenzie asked as she stared eating a mini-quiche. "Nope," I replied, "But we're visiting one in Scotland this week." "Scotland? Cool," Kenzie said, "Maybe I could visit you there." I shrugged. Depended on how 'wizardy' our new house looked. "Maybe." "Amy!" I looked up to see Vivien standing behind me, along with Jared, Breanne, Alicia, Cassie, and Damien. "Hey, Vivien," I gave her a forced smile. "So, you're moving?" Vivien said as she sat down next to me. The rest of the crowd sat down as well. "Yeah," I replied, and turned to Kenzie. "This is Vivien, Jared, Breanne, Alicia, Cassie, and Damien," I gestured to each of them. "Hey," Kenzie waved. "And this is Kenzie, she lives down the road," I told them. "So why are you moving?" Vivien asked, "Hasn't your family lived here for, like, ever?" "Uh, yeah," I muttered, "But my parents had a disagreement with the headmaster of my school, so they want me to switch schools." "And you have to leave the country for that?" Breanne raised an eyebrow. Cinda must have told everyone that we were moving out of the country. "That's kind of stupid. My friend, Yolanda, got expelled from our school for bringing beer to the class picnic last year, and she just switched to a school only a half hour away or so." "Er-" I began. "I know! You can switch to our school!" Breanne announced. I inwardly cringed. I don't think I'd go to their school even if I was a Squib. "Um, actually, I've got to switch to another school that's like the one I go to now." "Ah, that weird school," Cassie said. "Er, right. Anyway, there's only about one in each country." "That's weird," Breanne replied, "So where are you going to move?" "Not sure," I shrugged, "My parents are still looking. Either New York or Scotland." "I love New York!" Breanne exclaimed, "Best city in the world. I can't believe you might live there. So unfair." "Actually, New York State," I suppressed a laugh at the thought of us living in a city as busy as New York City. "Oh," Breanne deflated, "Well that's boring. When are you leaving?" "No idea," I told her, wishing I could just go somewhere with Kenzie and ignore the rest of the people at the table. "Kenzie," a whiny voice said from behind us. I turned around to see Kenzie's little sister, Morgan, standing with one hand on her hip and the other gripping Kenzie's other little sister, Maddie, by the arm. Maddie is only four and was holding a cupcake in her other hand. Her chubby face was covered in chocolate. I imagined her hair was as well, although it was hard to tell since her hair is dark brown. "What?" Kenzie asked. "Mum says you've got to watch Maddie," Morgan said, letting go of her sister. Morgan is twelve, although sometimes I think she acts sixteen. She wears make-up whenever she can get away with it and straightens her light brown hair pretty much everyday. Kenzie told me she asked for blonde highlights and her mother laughed. "And why can't you do it?" Kenzie asked. "Because I don't want to," Morgan smirked, "And Mum says you've got to do it. You're the oldest." "Fine," Kenzie groaned. Morgan grinned and took off. I watched her and noticed that she was hanging out with Breanne's little sister. Figures. I imagine the two of them would get along very well. Breanne's little sister is very much like Breanne. Breanne raised her eyebrow as Kenzie pulled Maddie onto her lap. "I guess we'll go get drinks now," Breanne gave her friends significant glances. I was guessing she didn't want to be around messy toddlers. "See you in a little while," Vivien smiled as she got up with the rest of her friends. "Let's go," I stood up as soon as they disappeared into the crowd. "So those are the girls you hung out with at your grandma's New Year's Party?" Kenzie asked as she stood up with Maddie. "Sure are," I groaned. "They seem like a fun bunch," Kenzie laughed. "Morgan would fit right in." "I'll have to thank Maddie for scaring them away," I said. "She's good at that," Kenzie replied. "Amy! Mrs. Dawe came over to us with a smile on her face. I grinned when I saw her. Kenzie's mum is tall and a bit on the chubby side, with curly brown hair that's about chin-length. Mrs. Dawe was carrying Kenzie's little brother, Michael. Michael, at age two, is the youngest of the Dawe family. Kenzie's third little sister, Mari (short for Marianna), was following her mother. Mari is eight and a bit on the shy side. She looks like a younger version of Kenzie. "Hi, Mrs. Dawe," I said as she reached us. "How are you, dear?" "All right," I said, "I mean, I don't want to move, but I don't have a choice." "It's hard, I know," Mrs. Dawe replied, "But you'll be fine. And you're welcome to visit anytime you like." "Thanks," I smiled. "And how is your brother?" she asked. "He's good," I told her, not really knowing what else to say. "Glad to hear it. He certainly looks well tonight," Mrs. Dawe pointed to Matt, who was running around with a few other little kids. "Well, I think I'll go find your mother." "Ok," I replied. "Thanks for watching Maddie for me, Kenzie," Mrs. Dawe added. "No problem," Kenzie sighed as her mother patted her on the arm. "Let's go to my room," I suggested after Kenzie's mum left. "Sure," Kenzie agreed. I relaxed immediately when I had shut the door to my room behind us. I didn't really want to spend anymore time with Breanne and her friends that evening. I was sure they'd be getting drunk soon anyway. "Think they'll find us in here?" Kenzie asked. "Maybe. Depends if they want to find us," I told her, "Anyway, Maddie's still here, so chances are they'll just stay in the ballroom." "So your parents didn't look too happy when they saw everyone here," Kenzie commented. "They hate parties like this," I explained, "Well, they didn't used to mind them, but after Matt got sick they've become more private." "That makes sense," Kenzie said. "Cinda actually told Mum that she wanted us over for dinner tonight and we got here and there was the party." "Did you know about it?" "Yeah, Cinda wanted me to help plan it, but I told her no." "Excellent," Kenzie grinned. Kenzie and I spent the rest of the party in my room. We talked and played with Maddie. I found a few kid's games in my closet and Maddie loved them. Kenzie and I pretended not to know how to play, which cracked Maddie up. Then she proceeded to explain how to play. Kenzie and I let her win every game. We were just finishing our fifth game of Candyland when someone knocked on the door. "What?" I shouted. "Everyone's leaving now, Amy," Cinda shouted back, "You've got to come say goodbye." I groaned, "Want to come?" "Sure, why not," Kenzie stood up, "Come on, Maddie." The ballroom was indeed emptying when we got there. Plenty of the guests stopped to talk to me and I did the smile and nod thing again. I told them I'd keep in touch and update them about my life. Of course, in reality, I'd never see them again or talk to them. I wasn't too depressed about that, either. "Amy!" Breanne shouted as she and her crowd exited the room, "You've got to email me! Here's my email!" She thrust a piece of paper into my hands. "It's got all of ours on it. Tell us how things at your new weird school go! And tell us where you move to, too." "Er, sure," I gave her a forced smile, knowing I'd never 'email' her. I hadn't used email in my life. Vivien gave me a huge hug and then looked at me. "Amy, stay in touch. I'll miss you." "Miss you, too," I replied, almost truthfully. If I was going to miss any of them, it would be Vivien. "Come on, you lot," Damien announced, "We've got to split. Party at Kevin's is going on." "Right," Breanne replied, "So see you around, Amy. Or not, since you're moving and all." "Yeah, bye," I said. "Never going to talk to them again, right?" Kenzie whispered. "Never," I laughed. "I might send Vivien a letter telling her where we are, but that's it." Soon, the only ones left in the ballroom were my family and Kenzie's. Mr. and Mrs. Dawe were trying to round up all the kids, most of whom didn't want to leave. Kenzie and I were standing near Mum, who was glaring daggers at Cinda. "Well, we'd better be going," Mrs. Dawe said once she and her husband had all of Kenzie's siblings following them. "Thanks for coming," Mum said, "Really, I mean it. I could have done without everyone else." "Well, of course we came. We're going to miss all of you. I actually want to have you all over for dinner before you leave. Just us. Let us know when you're going to leave and we'll set it up." "That sounds great," Mum smiled, "I'll let you know soon." I grinned at Kenzie. "That sounds ten times more fun than this party." "Glad you think so, Amy," Mrs. Dawe said, "And we'll see you in a few weeks. Are you staying with your grandparents on a weekend this month?" I thought to myself for a few seconds and remembered that the full moon would be on a Thursday that month. I sighed. I probably wouldn't get to see Kenzie much during this trip. "Yeah, on a Thursday, so I'll probably be going home on Saturday morning. There's always next month, though." "Of course, dear," Mrs. Dawe smiled and then turned to Mum, "Take care, all of you. I hope Matt continues to get better." "Thanks," Mum replied, "We'll see you soon." "Bye, Kenzie," I gave my friend a hug, "See you in a few weeks." "You, too," Kenzie smiled, and left the room with her family. As soon as Kenzie's family left the room, Mum whirled around and stormed over to Cinda. "Why did you do it, Mother!?" Mum demanded. "Do what?" Cinda asked. "The party!" Mum shouted, "You know perfectly well we do not like these things anymore! And for a good reason, too! Do you know how awkward it was for Walt and I today? I don't think you do. People I really haven't kept contact with were asking why we were moving. I couldn't tell them why! Walt and I had to make up elaborate stories as to what was going on so, number one, we could conceal that we're magical. And number two, to conceal that Matt is a werewolf! Do you have any idea how hard that is?" "Julietta, calm down. Do you honestly think I wouldn't give my own daughter a going away party?" "Yes! If, for once in your life, you thought about someone else besides yourself, you wouldn't have!" "I was thinking of you!" Cinda yelled, "That's why I threw the party!" "No it's not! You threw the party to 'keep up appearances'. That's what you've always been concerned about. Ever since I was a kid, it's always been 'what will everyone think'. You can't ever do anything without thinking about what other people will think." "When you live the way we do, appearances have to be kept up!" Cinda replied. "I don't live the way you do, Mum! Walter and I don't do that anymore! That's why we don't attend these things anymore. We like privacy and not having other people butting into our lives. That's why we're moving, Mother! Our whole world down here knows about Matt now, and it's turned everything upside down. We can't live in peace anymore. We just wanted to start over without leaving with a bang. But you couldn't let us do that, Mother, you couldn't." "I want what's best for you, Julie. You're just running away from your problems." "Running away? Running away?" Mum shrieked, "Oh, Mother, you have no idea! No idea whatsoever!" "Yes, you're running away. That's what I call it when someone just decides to move to an entirely different country and start a new life!" "I call it trying to make a better life for my children!" Mum exclaimed. Mum was practically shaking. I had never seen her this mad before. She seemed more angry than she had been when my necklace had burned Matt. I stood frozen, staring at the two of them argue. Dad and Richard had stopped their cleaning up and were watching intently, but not interfering. Matt had crept over to where I was standing and was hiding behind me, with his head sticking out to watch. "Better life?" Cinda raised her eyebrow. "Yes, better life! Do you comprehend that if we stayed here, Matt wouldn't be able to go to school? It's even worse now. You realize that now, a simple thing like going shopping would cause him to be ostracized? Now, he couldn't walk into a store without people whispering and leaving the store. They do that when I enter a store, Mum. Imagine what they'd do to him," Mum lowered her voice and I could see tears starting to stream down her face. "And your solution is to run to a different country?" Cinda asked, "Why not make it better here? Change their opinions. And if you can't, just make the best. Send Matt to a Muggle school. Teach him magic at home. You don't need to leave your home, Julie." "Mother, I no longer call this country my home," Mum said, "Anyplace that treats my son like this is not home to me. And we can't change it. One family can't change the country. Walter's been fired and fined. He has no influence in the Ministry anymore. He was one of the few remaining people sympathetic to werewolves. All the laws that he'd prevented from passing will pass now. You must understand that, Mum. Things will get worse if we stay here." "And things are better elsewhere?" "Yes, at least in New York. And we're hoping in Scotland, too. We'll all have better lives there." "For how long?" Cinda asked, "How long until the Ministries there are like the one here? Will you move again? When does it stop, Julie?" "I don't know, Mum," Mum said, "But for now, we're leaving. I'm sorry if you're not happy about it, but that's life. And why are you telling me this now, anyway? Months ago, when we first told you we were moving, you were fine with it!" "Fine with it?" Cinda looked shocked, "I would never be 'fine' with my daughter moving across the world! I merely thought that with time, you'd change your mind. You made a rash decision in anger, Julie." "With time I'd change my mind?" Mum shouted, "Oh, you're completely wrong about that. Walter and I have become more and more happy with our decision as time passes. Things have gotten worse since we first made the decision, Mother. If we hadn't made it then, we'd have made it now. This is no place for us to live. I wish you'd understand that. "You've never understood, though, have you? Sure, you've taken Amy on the full moons, and we really appreciate that, but you don't really understand. You have no idea what we've gone through, what we will go through. You have no idea how werewolves are seen in our world, no idea at all. I've tried to explain it to you and you just don't get it. "You try and cover up your uneasiness with the whole thing, but I see through it, Mother. If there's one thing I've learned over the past two and a half years, it's when people are being sincere about what they say. You've told me it doesn't bother you, but it does. I know it does. I still remember your reaction when we first told you that Matt got bit. You cringed and raised your eyebrows. I've seen that look on your face before, Mother. It's what you do when you hear or read about people who are less well off than you, who get into trouble. People who need help, but no one will give it to them." I stared in shock at Cinda. I kind of knew she didn't feel comfortable with Matt being a werewolf, but Mum had never told me what her reaction was when she found out. I couldn't believe my own grandmother, Matt's own grandmother, would react like that. I glanced slightly at Matt. I was pretty sure Mum hadn't told him Cinda's reaction either. He looked scared and was now completely hiding behind me. "What did you expect me to do, Julie?" Cinda exclaimed. "Be happy about it?" "Of course not! I expected you to be a bit nervous at first, but to get used to it eventually! I understand that you're a Muggle and didn't even know about anything remotely magical until I was eleven, but I did not expect you to practically ignore your own grandson for something he can't control! If you'd just open your mind and try to let what I tell you sink in, you might understand the kind of situation we're in!" "Fine," Cinda said shortly, "But I do not appreciate your attitude towards the party." "I don't care. You knew we didn't want that party," Mum seethed, "And if you can't accept that, or the fact that we are moving, then maybe we ought to just leave." Mum turned around, leaving Cinda with her mouth open but no words coming out. Mum motioned for us to follow her and we did wordlessly. We followed her down to the living room without talking at all. I could feel how tense she was as we Apparated back home. This wasn't good. She was so angry at Cinda. I had never seen her row with anyone like that before, especially not her own mother.
Distortia Joined: 13 January 2008 Posts: 527 Location: Over the sea	Posted: Saturday 6 December 2008 04 57 54 pm    Post subject: Re: Twilight Series in topic:Twilight Series I'm always scared listening to reviews..... but hey, sometimes they make me want to watch/read them even more! erm... I really really loved Interview with a vampire by Anne Rice, and when they made it a movie with Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise i was like.. oh no! No one will take them seriously! It's so hard to portray the way vampires are without making them look, well, gay! It's all very deep with them, and it's a pleasure to read. But on the big screen I had to explain to people who hadn't read the book that it was much, much deeper than Tom Cruise could act out. Like when Antonio Bandaris (spelled wrong sorry..) says to Brad Pitt, "You feel too much, so much it makes me feel." was like... so amazing! but he was supposed to have been changed into a vampire when he was very young! Antonio Bondaris is not a young looking guy. So ya, you need to understand that a vampires senses are amplified so much, that if they love they love intensely, obsessively, and completely. They live forever, and they have to let mortal love die, or condemn that love to their own fate. They have to bare that scar forever, having loved and lost. I wonder, as much as people say they want to live forever, is it worth living forever as a vampire? such a romantic idea, but once you are there, I'm not so sure. ha ha.. thanks for listening to my rant.. that had to do with Twilight only by association! sorry... xx
Paul Joined: 4 November 2001 Posts: 2958 Location: Ministry of Magic and Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, England	Posted: Tuesday 25 November 2008 07 26 40 pm    Post subject: Chapter 8 in topic:Chapter 8 In [i]Villains[/i], Hiro travels back in time in his Spirit walk. Arthur and Linderman are concerned about Nathan investigating Linderman's affairs. Arthur plans to have one last talk to Nathan asking him to back off - if not Arthur plans to kill Nathan, as any investigation will show Arthur's hand behind Linderman's dealings. In Memphis Tennessee, Flint and Meredith are in the middle of robbing a store. The company guy, who Noah shot at the end of Volume 1, apprehends Meredith with a Taser, whilst Meredith's brother, Flint runs off At his watch shop in Brooklyn New York, Silar tries to hang himself in guilt over having killed his first victim to obtain his power. Entering the shop, Elle zaps the rope just before Silar ends it all. After giving Silar her watch to fix, Elle heads outside and knocks on a Primatech van. She is working with Noah whose aim is to observe Silar using his ability to transfer powers to himself. Having brought Meredith back to Primatech, the company guy offers Meredith a deal of becoming an agent rather than a prisoner. Arthur asks Nathan to reconsider handing the Linderman case to another Assistant District Attorney. Nathan wants to go after Linderman himself. Later, driving along the motorway, Nathan's car is driven into by a van. Nathan escapes by flyiing upwards but his wife suffers the full force of the car colliding into some large roadside bins and loses the use of her legs. Silar is in the process of removing a list of others with powers from a map at his place. Elle, accompanied by peach pie, meets Gabriel there. He shows her his telekinetic power, and throws the list in his bin, but Elle retrieves it whilst he is looking in the other direction. The company have caught with Flint and brought him to a hlding cell at the comany. He tells Meredith how the company intend to make him an agent too - they are going to work together. At Silar's place, he explains to Elle that he doesn't have to be special - maybe he can just be plain Gabriel again. Back outside with Noah, Elle doesn't think he'll kill again but Noah needs to see him kill. Angela overhears Arthur and Linderman discussing the failed attempt on Nathan's life. Using a power similar to the Haitian's Arthur wipes the memory of this from her mind. Later, Linderman uses his healing ability to restore Angela's memory as he can't let Arthur destroy her like this and still has a shred of morality left in him. Meredith springs Flint from his cell. She thinks the company are tricking him when they told him he was going to become an agent. The company guy tracks then to a railway carriage though, where, after a firey scuffle where Flint escapes, Meredith and the company guy jump out of the carriage together just as it explodes. Elle has invited a guy called Trevor from Silar's list to Silar's place. Trevor can shoot things just by pointing with his fingers as if they were a gun. Elle proclaims how special she thinks that is, which irritates Silar to the point where he lashes out and takes Trevor's power. Shocked at finding that Arthur plans to kill Nathan, Angela poisons Arthur's soup. He is unable to use his powers as the Haitian is in the background blocking everything. Before Arthur is completely dead, Nathan comes home and finds him lying on the floor. Arthur is taken to the hospital and pronounced dead but moments later the surgeon goes back to the hospital room where Arthur's body is laying...Arthur is probably permanently immobile but is still able to telepathically communicate. Back in the present day, Hiro awakes from his spirit walk to hear a scream in the distance. Hiro and Ando run to find the decapitated body of Usutu the African painter. Moments later Arthur steps toward Hiro - he knows Hiro has been dreaming about him and grabs Hiro's head. Hiro screams......... --------------------- Ooooh, poor Usutu - we were only just getting to know him and blooming Arthur goes and rips his head off. I was really liking him too, and his yoda-like wisdom. I'm wondering how did Arthur know that Hiro was dreaming about him, especially as Arthur was thousands of miles away in America when we last saw him? Arthur seemed to have some way of implanting thoughts when he was talking to Angela in the kitchen...is he going to wipe Hiro's memory of the dream or is he trying to reprogram him....maybe Hiro's mind will be programmed to become a Pinehearst agent which could be why Ando was fighting him in the future? With Arthur's plotting to kill his own son, and Linderman having helped angela to restore her memory, Linderman is certainly not seeming such a bad guy as Arthur. I love the way they interlinked Hiro's dream with the happenings of the start of the first series, especially the train crash and Claire's first heroic act....that really made me shiver a bit. On the subject of the Bennets, Noah's actions were quite revealing. Like Elle said, Gabriel had a soul and could have been saved but Noah pushed him to turn into the killer he became. I think it's a bit hypocritical that Noah called Silar a monster a few weeks ago after failing to get the black-hole guy to kill him - if Noah hadn't pushed things, Silar could have stopped after Elle saved him from killing himself. Meredith should have given the company a chance before springing Flint out so quickly. I think they were being genuine about offering him a place as an agent
DucksRMagical Joined: 28 December 2006 Posts: 2090 Location: Boycotting All Future Warner Brothers Films	Posted: Wednesday 19 November 2008 02 15 05 pm    Post subject: Re: Albus Potter and the Tracks They Left Behind in topic:Albus Potter and the Tracks They Left Behind Thanks, Obladi! All right, here it is! The last chapter! What can I say? I spent 6 months on this story and loved every minute of it. I love it even more than the first Albus story. New characters, plot points, everything I like! I am working on a sequel. So far I only have the prologue, which I have to rewrite anyway. I decided not to really start working on it until winter break, which is only 3 weeks away! I have plot ideas, plenty of them. And new characters. So, to my devoted readers of my Albus series, I highly suggest you read In Moonlight's Shadow while you wait for the next Albus story. There are characters from In Moonlight's Shadow in the sequel, so you'll understand more if you read In Moonlight's Shadow. The two stories are very interconnected. All right, I'll stop the long Author's Notes and get on with the last chapter! New page, new disclaimer- I have not acquired the rights to Harry Potter since I last posted a disclaimer. Harry Potter still isn't mine. Chapter 37: Possibilities There was a page long article on the front of the Prophet the next morning that detailed every aspect of the previous night's incident in Hogsmeade. Well, it did not explain what exactly Willinson was after, but everything else was mentioned. Kaden became an instant celebrity as soon as he left the Hospital Wing after breakfast. Almost the entire school, including a few Slytherins, wanted a first hand account of how he got kidnapped. Kaden didn't show any of the fears he had the previous night as he greatly embellished what went on in the old abandoned house. Harry still hadn't returned from the Ministry. Albus figured he was still busy with sentencing Willinson to Azkaban. Albus didn't have long to dwell on it, though, because they had the last of their examinations that day. "I am so glad those are over!" John exclaimed at dinner that night, "I say we party in the common room tonight!" "Some of us," Gabriella leaned over the table, "Still have O.W.L.s to take." "Oh, er, right," John muttered, "Never mind." "We can still party," Albus whispered, "Just not in the common room." "Oh, yeah," John grinned. "And then I tried to kick his wand out of his hand, but he grabbed my leg instead," Kaden explained to a few over-excited Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs who had wandered over, "So, I bit him. He shrieked like a little girl." Albus rolled his eyes. "This just gets crazier and crazier." "Aw, come on, Albus. You've gotta admit that he's making it sound better," John said. "But biting Willinson?" Albus raised his eyebrow, "That's disgusting." "You've got an owl, Albus," Rose pointed to an owl that was soaring down towards Albus. It was Harry's. Albus took the letter and opened it. John and Matt read it over his shoulder. [i]Dear Al, Things are pretty much taken care of at the Ministry. I'll be back around seven. Meet me in the Entrance Hall then. Bring Rose, Kaden, Matt, John, and Amanda. I'd like to talk to you about last night. Love, Dad[/i] Matt looked at his watch. "That's in a half hour." "Half hour to drag Kaden away from his fans," John smirked. A half hour later Albus and his friends were standing around the Entrance Hall, waiting for Harry. Kaden had reluctantly left his gaggle of girls, only after Albus had told him that Harry was going to explain about the Cloak. "Well, well, what have we here?" a wheezy voice said from behind them. Albus spun around and saw Filch limping towards them with a smirk on his face. "Loitering in the Entrance Hall," Filch muttered, "What are you up to, I wonder...." "Er," Albus said. "Another detention, before the year's up...." "They're with me, Filch," Harry shouted from the doorway, "And it's not curfew yet." "Right, right..." Filch muttered and shuffled off in the opposite direction. "So, Room of Requirement sound good?" Harry asked. Everyone nodded and followed Harry up the stairs. They were stopped no less than three times by various students wanting to talk to Kaden. Albus and John broke out in hysterical laughter after the third person asked for his autograph. Eventually, they did manage to make it to the Room. Everybody settled themselves onto the various comfy armchairs and couches that were in the room. "Are you going to tell me why Willinson wanted Albus's cloak?" Kaden asked immediately. Harry laughed, "Yes, don't worry, Kaden. I'm going to explain everything." "Excellent," Kaden grinned. Harry launched into the long story about the Hallows, beginning with how he, Ron, and Hermione first learned about the Hallows, including [i]The Tale of the Three Brothers[/i], and ending with the incident that happened the last spring. By the time he finished, Kaden was staring at him open mouthed and a look of awe on his face. "Blimey, that's amazing," Kaden grinned. "I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't tell anyone about this, Kaden," Harry said seriously. Albus tried to stifle his laughter as he turned to look at Rose. "What's so funny?" Kaden asked. "You. Keeping a secret," John grinned. "Oh, shut it. I've kept secrets." "I'm sure Kaden will be able to keep it a secret," Harry said. "So," Albus began, changing the subject, "What's going to happen to Willinson?" "He's in Azkaban right now," Harry explained, "He has a minimum ten years sentence, maximum twenty years. He's not too happy about it, but too bad for him." "Good," Albus said, "What about Felix Willinson?" "Well, all he really did was hex Kaden, which happens all the time here. I've assigned him a few detentions." "What about those other blokes?" Kaden asked, "Washburn and Willinson's dad?" "They're still on the run," Harry sighed, "But we're looking for them. Quinton wouldn't give us any information when we questioned him." "Hope you find them soon," Kaden replied. "Me, too," Harry said and turned to Albus, "Now, Al, could you explain about this new map you showed me last night?" Albus looked at his dad and then slowly got the map out of his bag. He unfolded it and held it up. "Er, yeah." "Where did you find it?" Harry asked quietly. "Attic of the house. It was hidden in an old photo album of the Marauders." "Do you still have the album?" "Yeah, it's up in my trunk." "I'd like to see it over the summer," Harry said, "But what I'd like now is for you to explain exactly how this map works. I promise you won't get in trouble." "All right," Albus glanced at his friends and then back at his dad, "At first, we had no idea what to do with it. So we tried random stuff like spells and the phrase for the Marauder's Map. Eventually we figured it out, but it turns out this map was more complicated than the Marauder's Map. "For it to work, four Gryffindors have to be 'the next Marauders." "Wait, what?" Harry asked. "The Marauders somehow made it so you could only get the map to reveal itself if you were one of four boys who are like the Marauders." "That is impressive magic," Harry said quietly. "So, somehow the map recognized that I was related to one of the Marauders and thought I might be one of the new Marauders," Albus explained, "And, it's true. I am the new Prongs." Harry stared at Albus. "Merlin. That is incredible, Albus." Albus smiled. "And Matt, John, and Kaden are the other new Marauders. It wouldn't have worked without them." "Want to guess who's who?" John grinned. Harry smirked, "You're Padfoot." "Is it that obvious?" "Yes," Harry, Albus, and Rose said at the same time. "Well, guess who Matt and Kaden are," John said. "I think I'm even more obvious than you are," Matt muttered from the couch he was laying on. "You're Moony," Harry said, "Which leaves Kaden to be Wormtail. You kind of got the worst end of the deal." Kaden shrugged, "I don't have to be exactly like him." "Of course not," Harry agreed. "So, how did you prove to the map that you were the new Marauders?" "Er," Albus shrugged, "We had to do some, well, some stuff." "What kind of stuff, Al?" Harry smiled, "I promise you won't get in trouble." Albus sighed and quickly explained what they had spent the entire year doing. Harry was shaking his head and laughing by the time Albus had finished. "I can't say I'm happy that you snuck out of the castle and spent the night in the Shrieking Shack or that you stunned deer in the forest near Rose's house, but nothing bad happened. Just don't do anything like that again." "All right," Albus shrugged. "Ok, now I want to see this map of Hogsmeade." "Sure," Albus pulled out his wand, "Only the four of us can get it to show up, though." Albus revealed the map and handed it to his dad. He only hoped that Harry wouldn't notice the third page. Albus didn't want to tell his dad about the secret room yet. Harry spent about ten minutes looking at the map and then handed it back to Albus. "Al, I'm really glad you managed to find that. It means a lot that the four of you can be the next generation of Marauders. Now, I've got to go speak with the headmaster. I'll see you tomorrow." "Night, Dad," Albus got up. "Night, Al," Harry stood up and gave his son a hug, "Love you." "Love you, too." John stood up as soon as Harry left. "Ok, you lot, let's go celebrate the end of exams!" Albus, Rose, and Amanda got up as well. "Good idea!" Albus grinned. "Are you sleeping?" John poked Matt. "I was," Matt groaned. "Aw, come on, we want to go celebrate in the other room." "Ugh, all right, I'm coming," Matt sat up, "Aren't you lot tired? We got almost no sleep last night and then had to be up early for exams." "Not really," John shrugged, "But I know you are. I saw you fall asleep on your History of Magic exam." "It would be hard not to," Matt yawned, "The class is bad enough, but a test?" "I agree with you there," John said. Albus, Matt, John, and Kaden wound up spending the night in the Marauder's Den. Matt fell asleep in his bed as soon as they got there, and no one had the heart to wake him up. Well, John did, but Rose convinced him not to. The girls left shortly before curfew, after a few rounds of Exploding Snap and Wizard's chess, as well as the eating of numerous Chocolate Frogs and Bertie Bott's Beans. ****** The remaining week of school went by incredibly fast. Albus and his friends spent most of it outside, once Matt was out of the hospital wing that is, playing Quidditch and goofing off. Kaden's many admirers slowly trickled away and soon Kaden was just a regular student again. Ravenclaw won the House Cup yet again. Albus and Rose went to yet another Hogwarts graduation, this time for their cousin Stanley. Albus had a feeling he'd be going to every single Hogwarts graduation for at least the next ten years. He would probably be so sick of them by the time he graduated that he wouldn't even want to attend. Stanley's graduation was much the same as Victoire's had been, and Teddy's the year before. "I can't believe my first year is over," Kaden sighed as they were riding the train back to London, "It's definitely been the best year of school ever." "Never a dull moment at Hogwarts, that's for sure," Albus laughed. "I'll say. Wonder what'll happen next spring?" "Hopefully, nothing," Albus replied. He had had enough of the duels with Willinson. All Albus wanted was a school year that did not involve anything Kaden would consider exciting. "I think I'm going to be bored this summer," Kaden announced, "Not being able to do magic." "Oh, I forgot to tell you," Matt began, "My mum said you lot could come spend a few days at my house this summer, if you want." "Yeah!" Kaden shouted excitedly, "Your house has got to be more exciting than mine." "If you want exciting, you ought to see my Uncle Jack's house," Matt said, "You want to come over, Albus and John?" "Definitely," Albus grinned. "Count me in," John said, "I'll be up for getting away from my sisters. Ashtyn's going to be unbearable this summer, what with her going to Hogwarts in the fall." "Lily, too," Albus said. "And Hugo," Rose added. "Well, I haven't got any younger siblings, so we'll have the house to ourselves. Besides my parents, that is," Matt pointed out. "Excellent," John grinned. "So, anyone doing anything exciting this summer? Anymore cool trips, Amanda?" "I don't think so," Amanda said, "I wish we'd go back to Ireland, though." "My parents said we might to to the States to see my uncle," Matt said, "Depends on their work schedules, though. And Amy's." "Nothing exciting for me," Albus said. "Me either," Rose said. "Neither am I," John laughed, "We're pretty boring, aren't we? We'll just have to raise the ruckus at Matt's house." "Good luck with that with my mum around," Matt smirked, "I swear she's got eyes on the back of her head." "I think all mums do," John shook his head, "So, when did your parents say we could come over?" "Dunno," Matt shrugged, "Depends on when we're visiting Uncle Jack, I suppose. I'll owl you." "Sounds good." The remainder of the train ride passed quickly. Albus dozed off towards the end of it, only to be shaken awake by Rose. Albus sat up and looked around the compartment. Matt and Amanda were yawning and sitting up as well. John and Kaden were both completely covered in soot and were cleaning up what looked to be a rather vicious round of Exploding Snap. "You two ought to practice that over the summer," Rose said cheerfully, "And perhaps learn a cleaning charm or two." She pointed her wand at each of their faces in turn and restored them to their usual clean state. "Yeah, yeah," John muttered. "Just you wait," Kaden grinned as he opened the door and walked out into the corridor, "Come September, we'll wipe the floor with you." "I'll believe it when I see it," Rose smiled. Albus laughed to himself as he followed his friends out into the corridor. He joined the throngs of students emerging onto the platform. Albus spotted his parents and Lily, standing next to Rose's parents and Hugo. He pushed through the crowd of students and made his way over to them. Albus was happy to be going home, but at the same time he was excited about the next school year. He would be a third year, which meant he could visit Hogsmeade. Albus grinned to himself as he thought about all the possibilities that Hogsmeade would hold with the new Marauder's Map in his pocket. ~*Fin*~ I hope you liked it! Comments, questions, and general reviews are appreciated!
DucksRMagical Joined: 28 December 2006 Posts: 2090 Location: Boycotting All Future Warner Brothers Films	Posted: Sunday 16 November 2008 10 46 52 am    Post subject: Re: Albus Potter and the Tracks They Left Behind in topic:Albus Potter and the Tracks They Left Behind Thanks Obladi and hprocks!